Around the NHL News - Philadelphia Flyers

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SPORT-SCAN
DAILY BRIEF
NHL 1/6/2012
Anaheim Ducks
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Up next for Ducks: Friday vs. New York Islanders
Getzlaf, Ryan want to stay with Ducks
Colorado Avalanche
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Boston Bruins
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To the nines
Thomas gets All-Star nod
Horton hitting stride
Horton, Bergeron lead Bruins to 9-0 rout of Flames
Flames-Bruins Sum
Flames-Bruins Sums
Column: Need some momentum? Just drop the gloves.
Final: Boston Bruins 9, Calgary Flames
Tonight's Bruins lineup
Tim Thomas voted to All-Star team
Game 37: Flames at Bruins
Final: Bruins 6, Devils 1
See the Amazing David Krejci
Captain’s words help to rejuvenate Tyler Seguin
It’s bombs away for Bruins
Need some momentum? Just drop the gloves
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas among All-Star starters
Buffalo Sabres
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Buffalo's goal: Two wins in a row
Miller ready to make historic charge
State help is sought in cable TV dispute
Hear Miller on Miller
Ruff: 'I really want to get Ryan going'
Calgary Flames
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Game Story: Bruins 9, Flames 0
Ference cheers for his former mate
Bruins destroy Flames 9-0 in final game of disastrous road
trip
Sutter surly after sluggish morning skate
Every Flames player waits for media
Bourque suspended five games
Flames go with Irving to finish trip
Stars lead Capitals to win
Carolina Hurricanes
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Canes likely to recall Brett Sutter
Hurricanes send Dalpe, Joslin to Charlotte
Chicago Blackhawks
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Blackhawks' Kane shoots and scores again in Philly return
Hawks Game Day: Trail Flyers 4-2 after 2 periods
Blackhawks' Carcillo to begin 7-game suspension
Carcillo leaves Hawks up in air
Kane recreates Cup-winning shot
Joel Quenneville bemoans ‘a brutal loss’ by Blackhawks
Suspended agitator Daniel Carcillo will have to skate ‘a fine
line’
Rookie Andrew Shaw makes a bloody-good debut
Blackhawks game day
‘Brutal, brutal' loss for Blackhawks
Quenneville not surprised by length of Carcillo suspension
Madigan: Employee stole $1 million from Wirtz Beverage
Bowman, Hawks react to Carcillo suspension
No Blackhawks amongst All-Star starters
Rookies make Coach Q, teammates take notice
Flyers flip the script on Kane, Blackhawks
Avs' Ryan Wilson off IR, but doubtful for Blackhawks game
New Colorado Avalanche line has plenty to prove
Columbus Blue Jackets
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Sharks 2, Blue Jackets 1: Worn-out Sharks too much for
Jackets
Season status report
Dekanich to debut
Blue Jackets notebook: Ex-Jacket Murray thriving with
Sharks
Michael Arace commentary: Arniel not getting job done with
Jackets
Blue Jackets fall to Sharks 2-1
Dallas Stars
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Stephane Robidas to face Nashville: Will Stars go with 7
defensemen?
604837 Shea Weber's possible return adds drama to StarsPredators matchup
604838 Stars' Mike Ribeiro hit in face with hard, high shot, returns to
game with broken tooth
604839 Stars' Stephane Robidas returns from foot injury; Souray on
the mend
604840 Predators, fans target Stars' Mark Fistric after hard
December hit
604841 While angry Predators aim for hits, Stars keep cool in win
604842 Three Stars: Mike Ribeiro, Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson shine
in 4-1 victory
604843 Mike Ribeiro scores two goals as Stars down Predators, 4-1
Detroit Red Wings
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No Red Wings among NHL All-Star 'starters'
Red Wings players and their fathers eager for three-game
trip
Wings miss out in All-Star voting; Jimmy Howard has nice
showing as write-in
Original Six trip an 'ideal' swing for Wings dads
Red Wings, dads looking forward to private tour of Hockey
Hall of Fame
Red Wings' Darren Helm, Tomas Holmstrom return to
practice, but remain questionable
Many Detroit Red Wings looking forward to having their
fathers along for weekend road trip
Grand Rapids Griffins lone AHL All-Star representative not
even with the team
Red Wings' Jimmy Howard seeks 100th victory Saturday
Red Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom says Honda commercial fun,
but time-consuming
RED WINGS: Will Darren be at the helm this weekend?
Edmonton Oilers
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Blues rally from three-goal deficit to edge Oilers
Nugent-Hopkins out three to four weeks with damaged
shoulder
Should the Oilers pursue Ryan Getzlaf of the Ducks? Oh
yeah!
Nugent-Hopkins out 3-4 weeks
Florida Panthers
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Barch suspended 1 game for remark
NHL suspends Barch 1 game for comment to Subban
Florida Panthers’ Krys Barch suspended one game for
‘inappropriate language’
Florida Panthers (20-12-7) at New York Rangers (24-9-4), 7
p.m. (ET)
Florida Panthers Krys Barch Suspended One Game for
'Inappropriate Language' ... OUT v New York Rangers on
Thur
Red Wings, dads looking forward to private tour of Hockey
Hall of Fame
Florida Panthers put up better fight but fall in OT to Rangers
Florida Panthers’ Krys Barch suspended one game for
‘inappropriate language’
Bill Clinton Digs Hockey, Takes Home Puck from Florida
Panthers Game v New York Rangersme Thursday
Florida Panthers Kick Off Tough Stretch with 3-2 OT Loss to
Rangers ... Goc, Santorelli Score for Cats as Clem
Panthers' Barch suspended; comment 'inappropriate' but not
racial
Gaborik's OT goal lifts Rangers to 3-2 win over Panthers
Los Angeles Kings
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Kings defeat Coyotes, 1-0, in overtime
KINGS 1, PHOENIX 0 (OT): Doughty leaves no doubt in
L.A.'s victory
Tippett disputes game-winning goal
Sutter postgame quotes (Jan. 5)
Doughty postgame quotes (Jan. 5)
Minnesota Wild
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Postgame: Wild's freefall continues in Vancouver
Ups and downs of hockey aren't lost on top prospect
Minnesota Wild ignored by fans in NHL All-Star voting
Minnesota Wild send Nate Prosser back to Houston
Wild at midseason: Surprises, disappointments and the team
MVP
Montreal Canadiens
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Barch apologizes for Subban comment
Moen, Cole bask in Eller's four-goal afterglow
The true grit of a great Hab, Dickie Moore
Barch suspended one game for shot at P.K.
HIO at the practice that wasn’t
Henderson Jersey Homecoming Tour at Bell Centre
Saturday
The year begins with a W
Barch issues an apology
Moore brought grit, talent to CH
Habs got off to ugly start against Jets
Nashville Predators
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Nashville Predators lose 4-1 to Dallas Stars
Nashville Predators make sloppy errors on defense
Predators pay for their mistakes, lose in Weber's return
New Jersey Devils
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Devils' Patrik Elias to reach 1,000-game milestone against
Panthers
Devils coach Pete DeBoer most disappointed in lack of effort
in loss to Bruins
Devils' Patrik Elias to reach 1,000-game milestone against
Panthers
Devils' Travis Zajac not practicing as soreness in Achilles
continues
Devils hot topic: How are you feeling about Martin Brodeur
right now?
Your comments: Devils crushed at home by Bruins
'Pure Devil' hitting a milestone
Up next: Panthers at Devils
A ‘grand’ old night for Elias
New York Rangers
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Rangers, Coming Off Winter Classic Win, Start Slowly but
Win in Overtime
Former President Bill Clinton attends NY Rangers game;
John Tortorella bites his tongue on NHL $30,000 fine fo
NY Rangers carry momentum over from Winter Classic
victory, beat Florida Panthers in overtime
WATCH: Off-duty cop wearing Rangers jersey beaten by
Flyers fans in Philadelphia
Rangers’ Staal sees limited action later in game
Red-hot Rangers nip Panthers in overtime
Rangers' Marc Staal ready to play full-time, but will need
some rest
Gaborik gives Rangers 3-2 OT win over Panthers
Rangers notes: No reaction from John Tortorella
Up next: Rangers at Penguins
Rangers fan beaten at Winter Classic
Gaborik's goal lifts Rangers in OT
NHL
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Hockey federation launches concussion task force
Canucks brace for lone visit to Death Valley
Cox: Boston beatdown (9-0!) more bad news for Flames
Ottawa Senators
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Unsung Anderson leads Senators to victory
Scanlan: Sens all aboard the all-star train
Four Senators make all-star cut
Senators prediction panel: Game 41
Warming up in Ottawa
Senators hope steadying influence of Phillips won't be
missed for long
You blew it, Leafs fans
MacLean the Sens' biggest star
Sens hit all-star jackpot
Philadelphia Flyers
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Giroux not fazed by fan snub
Emery starting vs. Flyers; Giroux early MVP, but snubbed by
fans
Flyers beat Chicago, 5-4
Rangers are now tops
Flyers: Bryzgalov too sick to speak
JVR saves victory for Flyers
Bourdon not wasting chance with Flyers
No Hollywood ending for '24/7' and Classic
Flyers Notes: Flyers' Giroux not among first six picked for
NHL All-Star Game
Van Riemsdyk goal lifts Flyers past Blackhawks
This time, Flyers refuse to lose
Jagr aiming toward early comeback
JVR wakes up, bails out Bryzgalov in Flyers's win
Flyers Scop: Jagr hints at expedited return
Punch Shots: No excuse for Rangers coach’s apology
Flyers' Timonen banged up vs. Blackhawks
Police hunt for Flyers fans responsible for attack
Giroux not upset by All-Star voting snub
Tonight's game notes: Blackhawks at Flyers
Jagr could return earlier than expected
Police hunt for Flyers fans behind attack
Flyers' depth was key vs. Blackhawks
Flyers score in final minute to top 'Hawks
Flyers' Timonen hurt in win over 'Hawks
Phoenix Coyotes
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Controversial goal propels Kings past Coyotes in overtime
Pittsburgh Penguins
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Upcoming weekend is pivotal for Penguins
Pens' Malkin has fun with world junior championships
Zero Penguins voted to NHL All-Star Game
Penguins Notebook: Martin, Michalek finally ready to team
up again
Price of success lower for Rangers
San Jose Sharks
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San Jose Sharks beat Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1
Sharks-Blue Jackets: What to watch for
Greiss to start for Sharks vs. Columbus
Niemi, Wings' Howard have something in common
Thornton nets game-winner in 500th game with Sharks
Sharks win 3rd straight, defeat Columbus 2-1
St Louis Blues
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2nd period update: Oilers 3, Blues 1
Halak may be 'grabbing' Blues' goaltending job
Blues rally, beat Oilers
Halak carries more of the load from Blues
Hitchcock has pushed right buttons for Blues
D'Agostini caps third-period surge
Halak is making steady improvement in goal
Tampa Bay Lightning
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Lightning spoil St. Louis' return, lose 7-2 at San Jose
Bolts goalie Roloson working to turn game around
Lightning fell hard against Sharks
Another painful loss for Bolts in Ottawa
Tampa Bay Lightning loses to Ottawa Senators 4-1
Tampa Bay Lightning loses Adam Hall, J.T. Wyman to
injuries against Ottawa Senators
Hall and Wyman leave game with upper body injuries
Toronto Maple Leafs
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Burke decries end of the NHL fighter on day he demotes
Colton Orr
Phaneuf honoured to be an all-star
DiManno: Leafs GM mourns demise of NHL enforcers
Leafs score more when Gustavsson is in net
Brian Burke ‘troubled’ by state of NHL after demoting Colton
Orr
Milan Michalek vs. Phil Kessel: Who’s got the better stats?
Maple Leafs’ Dion Phaneuf voted to NHL all-star team, Phil
Kessel snubbed
Little love for Leafs pair
Jets can't solve Gustavsson
Leafs GM quiet on potential trades
Leafs' Burke is mad as hell
Leafs' Phaneuf voted into all-star game
Vancouver Canucks
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Visit to Beantown a chance to see how much the Canucks
have improved
Optimism permitted at the season's halfway point
Vigneault coy about which goalie will get the big start in
Boston
Former Bruin Recchi still dripping with dislike for Canucks
Todd Bertuzzi drops lawsuit against Marc Crawford
Canucks' Luongo playing at his best
Five Keys to a Vancouver Canucks Win Over the Boston
Bruins
Canucks don’t count on a Garden party in return to Boston
Cody Hodgson is in an excellent mentorship program
I Watched This Game: Canucks vs Minnesota Wild, January
4, 2012
Canucks feel 'a step ahead'
Game Within Game: Bobby Lou, looking good again
Canucks, Luongo shut out Wild
Recchi should have bit his tongue but bitterness of Stanley
Cup final battle lingers
Washington Capitals
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Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom returns to practice, 2 days
after elbow to head
Nicklas Backstrom: ‘I felt pretty good out there’
Updated: Looks like Karl Alzner lost a bet...
Nicklas Backstrom taking part in Capitals’ practice
Alex Ovechkin still learning ropes as Capitals’ captain
Capitals’ center Backstrom returns to practice
Playing in San Jose simply bites for the Capitals
Websites
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ESPN / '24/7' an experiment gone right
ESPN / Daily Debate: NHL players still don't get it
FOXSports.com / Chemistry brewing between Kings trio
NBCSports.com / Todd Bertuzzi drops lawsuit against Marc
Crawford
NBCSports.com / Leafs GM Burke: “The rats will take this
game over”
NBCSports.com / Big House in the running to host 2013
Winter Classic
NBCSports.com / NHL explains Barch suspension
NBCSports.com / Assaulted Rangers fan was awarded a
Purple Heart in Iraq
Sportsnet.ca / Source of the fighting problem?
YAHOO SPORTS / How Sidney Crosby’s lost year changed
hockey
Winnipeg Jets
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WINNIPEG JETS
Jets miss boat in Toronto
Jones' puck toss has Leafs boiling
HIGHLIGHT REEL Leafs 4 / Jets 0
Jets need a life preserver
SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129
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Anaheim Ducks
Up next for Ducks: Friday vs. New York Islanders
The Ducks place right wing Andrew Gordon and defenseman Matt Smaby
on waivers.
By Lisa Dillman
January 6, 2012
When: 7.
Where: Honda Center.
On the air: TV: Prime Ticket. Radio: 830.
Records: Ducks 10-22-6; Islanders 14-17-6.
Update: The Ducks on Thursday placed right wing Andrew Gordon and
defenseman Matt Smaby on waivers. Gordon has two goals and five points
in 36 games and is a minus-10. If Gordon is not claimed, he will probably
head to the Ducks' minor league affiliate at Syracuse. Smaby has been out
since the start of the season because of torn ligaments in his thumb. Ducks
center and captain Ryan Getzlaf has no points in his last six games and has
not scored since Dec. 4 against Minnesota.
LA Times: LOADED: 01.06.2012
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Anaheim Ducks
Getzlaf, Ryan want to stay with Ducks
By ERIC STEPHENS
2012-01-05 22:31:47
ANAHEIM – Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan have been part of the problem.
Both also want to be part of the solution.
A day after their boss essentially called out his core players when talking
about the Ducks' deplorable season, Getzlaf and Ryan said they want to
remain part of that core going forward, while trade rumors continue to
surround them with the team just 10-22-6 and sitting next-to-last in the NHL
with 26 points.
General Manager Bob Murray raised eyebrows throughout the hockey
world by indicating that Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu, who have notrade clauses, are the only players he has no interest in dealing.
Speaking before the Ducks' 3-1 loss to San Jose on Wednesday night,
Murray said: "I still believe we have some core players.
"Now whether we have to change a few core players, so be it. They're
deciding who's staying and who's not staying at this point."
Murray's comments at face value seemed to indicate that not only Getzlaf
and Ryan could be up for discussion if they don't improve soon, but
linemate and reigning Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry, goalie Jonas Hiller
and even young defenseman Cam Fowler aren't necessarily off limits.
"Obviously he wanted to light a fire," Ryan said. "Absolutely. But I think the
underlying message is, 'Listen guys, if you don't make a run, if you don't do
something here to win some games and salvage some of the season right
now, then trades are going to be happening.'
"At some point, we all have somebody to answer to, right? I'm sure he's
going to be pushed in a direction at some point as well.
"I think it's the three of us (Getzlaf, Ryan and Perry) and whoever else has
to grab hold of this right now and make a run."
Getzlaf, who has a horrific minus-19 rating along with just six goals and 19
assists, said he wants to remain one of the essential pieces to lead the
Ducks back to respectability as Murray turns one eye toward next season.
"I want to be part of it more than anything," he said. "In junior, I played for
the same team my whole career and I kind of imagined the same things
when I came here and still do.
"I don't want to put Murph in a situation where he has to do something like
that. Unfortunately, he had to fire Randy (Carlyle) and I think that we need
to start rewarding him for that."
TWO WAIVED
The Ducks confirmed they put right wing Andrew Gordon and defenseman
Matt Smaby on waivers.
Gordon and Smaby must clear by 9 a.m. Friday for the Ducks to proceed
with their next move.
Gordon has two goals, three assists and a minus-10 rating in 36 games
with the Ducks in his first lengthy stint in the NHL.
Smaby has yet to play with the team after tearing a ligament in right thumb
during training camp.
Orange County Register: LOADED: 01.06.2012
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Boston Bruins
To the nines
It was the seventh time this season the Bruins chased a starting goalie.
They are 7-0-0 in those games.
“You kind of wish you were somewhere else,’’ Rask said.
Bruins look sensational as they torch the Flames
The Bruins limited the Flames to 25 shots. Other than an in-close Jarome
Iginla attempt, Rask didn’t have to make many tough stops.
By Fluto Shinzawa
It was the latest example of the Bruins’ multi-threat approach. They have
become a juggernaut that can club other teams in many ways. They can
play the tight defensive game. They can open up the game and torch
opposing goalies. They can pound opponents through the glass.
Globe Staff / January 6, 2012
By now, Black-and-Gold bludgeonings are becoming routine. A one-goal
win is seen as curious. A loss of any kind is considered an anomaly.
Last night, before 17,565 fans at TD Garden, it was business as usual.
The Bruins poured three first-period pucks past Calgary goalie Leland
Irving. In the second, they torched Irving for three more goals, chasing the
starter from the game. They put three more shots behind Miikka Kiprusoff
en route to a 9-0 win that had the locals chanting, “We want 10,’’ by night’s
end.
It was the 11th time this season the Bruins have scored six or more goals.
Last night, they brought the hammer down quicker than you can say “Thor.’’
“It’s pretty fun to watch, fun to be a part of,’’ said Benoit Pouliot. “I didn’t
expect that at all, scoring like we’ve been scoring all year. Our plus
differential’s been pretty high.
“Our goalies are the main thing, keeping us in the game. We’ve backed
them up and kept the momentum on our side.’’
It was the Bruins’ first nine-goal decision since Dec. 22, 1987, when they
scored a 9-0 win over Buffalo. Eight players submitted multi-point games.
Nathan Horton and Patrice Bergeron notched a pair of goals apiece. And
Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots to post his third shutout in four starts.
Only 74 seconds into the night, Tyler Seguin gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
Just over two minutes later, Milan Lucic’s cross-ice pass caromed off Olli
Jokinen’s skate and zoomed past a helpless Irving. David Krejci stamped
an exclamation point on the first period with a power-play goal.
The deluge continued in the second when the Bruins found the back of the
net four times, including Horton’s two strikes. They capped the barrage with
a pair of third-period goals, including a Daniel Paille shorthanded tally.
Perhaps the most challenging part of the laugher was respecting the game
and the opponent. Accordingly, the Flames played professionally despite
the score and didn’t display their frustrations via cheap shots.
“We certainly didn’t try to make the situation any worse for them than it
was,’’ said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “At the same time, we certainly
didn’t want to take anything away from our game and our good habits.’’
Those habits were on display with less than 10 seconds remaining in the
game. When Chris Butler wound up for a power-play slap shot, one that
could have ruined Rask’s shutout, Gregory Campbell hit the deck to block
the defenseman’s attempt. Last month, Campbell fractured his foot while
blocking a shot.
“He always battles hard,’’ Rask said. “We always try to say that to each
other. No matter what the score is, if we play like we always do, that’s a
great example of that.’’
Consider the superlatives:
Brad Marchand did not dress because of flu-like symptoms. Pouliot, the
Montreal castoff, was promoted to ride shotgun with Bergeron and Seguin,
and he recorded an assist in each period. “It says we’ve got depth and we
back each other up and we’re missing one of our best players,’’ said Pouliot
(four shots in 14:28 of ice time). “Some guys need to step up.’’
The Bruins dominated on the draw, winning 37 of 53 faceoffs (70 percent).
Bergeron (13 for 17) and Krejci (9 for 12) paced the team.
The Bruins were equal-opportunity abusers of Irving (six goals allowed on
21 shots) and Kiprusoff (three goals on 21 attempts). The Flames wanted to
give Kiprusoff an entire game off, but the Bruins spoiled that plan by tucking
six pucks behind Irving, prompting coach Brent Sutter to call for help.
Above all, the Bruins have two standouts at the game’s most important
position.
“We have built our team a certain way,’’ said Rask (9-4-1, 1.49 goalsagainst average, .949 save percentage). “It’s not that we dangle guys and
make solo goals at the net. It’s something we recognize and we’ve worked
on for a couple years.
“Now it seems like we don’t want to try anything fancy. We try to play our
style of hockey. It seems to work good. It’s in the backs of our heads to play
the same way.’’
You name it, the Bruins can do it.
“Are we a better team? For the moment,’’ Julien answered when asked if
this year’s team is better than last year’s championship squad. “Are we
going to be a better team at the end of the year? That’s up to us to make
sure that happens.’’
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on
Twitter @GlobeFluto.
Boston Globe LOADED: 01.06.2012
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Boston Bruins
But now that Krejci is settling into an offensive rhythm (four goals and seven
assists in his last seven games), the Czech and his Krechmates could be
seeing more heat. That suits Julien, who is emphasizing balance.
Thomas gets All-Star nod
Last night, all four lines scored goals.
Goalie will start in NHL showcase
“You don’t see too many of our players in the top 20 or 30 in league
scoring,’’ Julien said. “It proves we have depth and scoring from
everywhere. Not just from one line or a couple players. It comes from
everywhere.
By Fluto Shinzawa
Tim Thomas has made it almost a tradition to play in the third period in the
All-Star Game. He was the third-period goalie in each of the last three
games. This year, though, he will be between the pipes at the start.
Yesterday, Thomas was named the starter for the NHL All-Star Game,
which will be played in Ottawa Jan. 29. Thomas led all goalies with 626,540
votes. Toronto’s James Reimer finished in second place with 498,076
votes.
Thomas, who backed up Tuukka Rask in the Bruins goal last night against
the Flames, has a 17-6-0 record, a 1.90 goals-against average, and a .940
save percentage. He was most recently in goal for the Bruins’ 6-1 win over
New Jersey Wednesday.
“It’s an honor to be the No. 1 vote-getter for a goalie,’’ Thomas said. “It
hasn’t always been that way. I’ve been lucky enough to still have been on
the three previous to this. This is a little different scenario. All I can say is
that I’m happy about it.’’
Ottawa’s Milan Michalek, Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, and Erik
Karlsson will be starters, along with Toronto’s Dion Phaneuf.
“It’s an honor for him to be voted as a starter - well-deserved,’’ said coach
Claude Julien of Thomas. “Unless there’s any reason for him not to go, I’m
very supportive of him going.
“It’s a thrill to be there. It’s enjoyable. We’ll find him rest in other places,
because we have the luxury of having a great goaltender in Tuukka that can
certainly handle more games than he’s been given.’’
Thomas and Rask have been the league’s stingiest netminding duo.
Statistically, Thomas and Rask (9-4-1, 1.49, .949) are in a virtual dead heat.
Rask can make a case to be in Ottawa as well. He has been an ideal No. 2
to Thomas, who projects to be most effective with approximately 55 regularseason starts.
“A lot of No. 1 goaltenders end up with more games, but Timmy’s OK with
that,’’ Julien said. “Age-wise, he understands that when we can utilize him
in that way, he can probably last longer and his career can last longer.
“Second of all, it keeps him fresh and better when he’s in net. All the things
we’re doing with regard to our goaltending decisions are all positive for the
individuals and the team. It’s a non-issue.’’
The NHL’s hockey operations department will name the rest of the All-Stars
later this month. Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron are candidates to
make the cut. Like last year, captains will select their rosters. The fantasy
draft will take place Jan. 26. Last season, former Bruin Phil Kessel was the
last player drafted.
Who’s No. 1?
Calgary has a clear-cut No. 1 line: whatever trio includes Jarome Iginla.
Same with Vancouver, Boston’s next opponent: Alex Burrows, Henrik
Sedin, and Daniel Sedin.
Not so with the Bruins. And that’s not a bad thing.
Last year, Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and Nathan Horton were the first-liners
that drew the attention of top defensive pairings and shutdown threesomes.
This year, it’s not so simple.
Because Krejci, the line’s catalyst, struggled early, opposing coaches set
their top dogs loose against Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Tyler Seguin.
For example, Phoenix coach Dave Tippett deployed his top line of Ray
Whitney, Daymond Langkow, and Shane Doan against Bergeron’s unit
Dec. 28.
“That creates a threat for other teams and some indecision on who you try
to shut down. With our team, if you shut one line out, the other does
damage. That’s what I like about our hockey club - that possibility of
anybody being able to score on any different night.’’
No room for elbow
Calgary was missing Rene Bourque last night, as the forward began
serving a five-game suspension for elbowing Washington’s Nicklas
Backstrom in the head Tuesday. Bourque has 13 goals and three assists . .
. With Benoit Pouliot promoted to Bergeron’s line because of Marchand’s
absence, Zach Hamill skated on the third line with Chris Kelly and Rich
Peverley . . . The benefit of back-to-back laughers: reduced workloads for
go-to players. In Wednesday’s 6-1 thumping of New Jersey, Chara played
only 21:48. Last night, Chara was on for only 20:32 . . . Chara recorded his
300th career assist on the first of Horton’s two goals . . . Iginla (one shot)
remains one strike away for 500 career goals. “You’d be hard-pressed to
find anybody in the league that doesn’t have the utmost respect for him, the
way he plays the game, the way he carries himself,’’ said former teammate
Andrew Ference. “Guys don’t say that lightly around the league. To have
that kind of praise from people you compete with on a night-in, night-out
basis speaks volumes. He’s earned it.’’ . . . Steven Kampfer was the Bruins’
healthy scratch . . . The Bruins have a plus-69 goal differential to lead the
NHL. Detroit is second at plus-40 . . . Calgary’s Chris Butler was on the ice
for eight goals (minus-7).
Rosa dies at 91
Former Globe sportswriter Francis Rosa, who covered the Bruins for many
years, died Wednesday at his home in Lexington after a brief illness. He
was 91. Rosa, who also was evening sports editor of the Globe, was
honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987 with the Elmer Ferguson
Memorial Award, considered the highest honor for a hockey writer. Rosa is
survived by his wife Ruth, sons Francis Jr., Thomas, and John, and was
predeceased by daughter Chris Farrah. Visiting hours will be at the
Douglass Funeral Home at 51 Worthen Road in Lexington Sunday from 3-8
p.m., and the funeral Mass will be Monday at 10 a.m. at St. Brigid Parish,
2001 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington.
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on
Twitter @GlobeFluto.
604782
Boston Bruins
Horton hitting stride
Winger ready for Canucks rematch
Asked if he would be receptive if Rome approached him to talk before the
game, Horton said, “No, I mean, I don’t think anyone talks to each other
during the game or pregame skate or anything like that. So I’m not even
thinking about something like that. I’m just getting ready for the game.’’
Apprised that Rome had a broken thumb, Horton shrugged and said, “Well,
I probably won’t be seeing him then.’’
Michael Vega can be reached at [email protected].
By Michael Vega
Limited to three games in last season’s Stanley Cup Final against the
Canucks, there was no discounting the emotional lift Nathan Horton gave
the Bruins in the remaining four games.
The Bruins responded to the devastating concussion Horton suffered in
Game 3 at the hands of Aaron Rome by pounding the Canucks, 8-1.
When Horton showed up at TD Garden for Game 6, the Bruins earned a 52 victory.
And who could forget Game 7 in Vancouver?
It was Horton who baptized the Canucks’ ice at Rogers Arena with melted
ice brought from TD Garden.
If his contributions in last night’s 9-0 drubbing of the Calgary Flames - two
goals, one assist - are any indication, Horton may very well be prepared to
lend more of a presence on the ice than off it when the Bruins host the
Canucks tomorrow afternoon.
“I haven’t really thought about it that way because we kind of turned the
page on the series and we’re kind of looking at this year as a different
year,’’ said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “But I don’t know if it’s going to be a
big difference to have Nathan back. He’s been back with our team and he’s
been back for most of the year.
“To me, I don’t think it’s going to be as big of an issue as the excitement of
playing the team that you played in the finals last year.’’
Horton, who was one of five Bruins with 3 points last night, scored back-toback goals at 4:15 and 14:31 of the second period. He tallied the latter after
getting hit on the hip by Dennis Seidenberg’s blast from the left point,
chipping in the rebound to chase Flames goaltender Leland Irving from the
game.
Asked if it hurt, Horton replied, “Yeah, it did. It was definitely worth it. It
landed in a great spot. It hit my skin, so it didn’t take a weird bounce, it just
landed right there [in front of the net]. I’ll take it.’’
Horton also picked up an assist on Milan Lucic’s seeing-eye goal at 3:17 of
the first period. It was Horton’s seventh multi-point game of the season.
After scoring the winning goal in Wednesday’s 6-1 victory at New Jersey,
does Horton’s offensive resurgence signal a turning of the corner?
“It’s only two games,’’ he said. “It’s not all about points and goals, but it
definitely feels nice just to help contribute. And I want to keep it going and
keep contributing.’’
That Horton’s contributions came right before the Canucks’ arrival couldn’t
have come at a more opportune time for the big right winger, who entered
last night having recorded just four shots in his last three games.
Last night, he matched it.
“He had good jump tonight, and he had good battle and he was shooting
more,’’ said Julien, who bristled at questions about Horton’s lack of
offensive production following Wednesday’s win. “He went into those areas
where he excels and because of that he was able to score a few goals.’’
Bruins fans would love nothing more than to see Horton, who tallied Game
7-clinching goals against Montreal and Tampa Bay in last season’s playoffs,
to score against the Canucks.
“I think everyone’s just thinking it’s another game,’’ Horton said when asked
how he would keep his emotions in check. “But we did play them last year
in the Finals. They’re still a good team, and we’re still a good team. It’s
going to be a good game. I’m really not thinking too much about what
happened [last year], but I’m just getting excited for the game.’’
604783
Boston Bruins
Horton, Bergeron lead Bruins to 9-0 rout of Flames
January 5, 2012
BOSTON—Any fears that Bruins coach Claude Julien might have had
about his team looking past Calgary and toward a Stanley Cup rematch
with Vancouver were quickly laid to rest Thursday night.
The Flames didn't last long, either.
Nathan Horton and Patrice Bergeron each had two goals and an assist,
Tuukka Rask earned his third shutout in four starts and the rampaging
Bruins cruised to a 9-0 blowout of the road-weary Flames.
"To be honest with you, no one talked about Saturday in the dressing room.
We were all worried about tonight," Bergeron said. "That's the approach
we've had all year and now our next job is Saturday -- so now we really
have to worry about them. It's going to be a tough game, so tomorrow we
need a good practice and be ready for that."
Boston beat the Canucks in seven games last year in the Stanley Cup finals
and Saturday is the only time the teams will play during the regular season.
"We have to approach it as the next big game for us," said Bergeron, who
had four goals and an assist as the Bruins beat the Devils and Flames by a
combined 15-1 the past two nights. "That's the way we've been
approaching every game all year and it's the same thing again."
Julien said last season's playoff run taught his players how to focus on the
game at hand.
Playing for the second straight night Thursday, the Bruins came out flying
and scored three goals in the first 8:49.
The win was the ninth in 10 games for the defending Stanley Cup
champions, who have outscored the opposition 49-13 during that span, with
Rask and Tim Thomas combining for four shutouts.
The Bruins won their previous home game 8-0 over Florida.
Rask, who stopped 25 shots for the 11th shutout of his career, has allowed
one goal in his last four starts.
The Flames ended a seven-game road trip with their fifth straight loss,
going 2-4-1 on the journey.
After the game, coach Brent Sutter made his players sit and face the media
right away after their dreadful performance.
"It was embarrassing," said captain Jarome Iginla, still seeking his 500th
goal. "We got totally outworked and outcompeted. We got pushed off the
puck all night and we were terrible. One of the worst games in memory.
"No excuse for the game we put on. We'd lose to every single team if we
played like that."
The 34-year-old Iginla failed for the second straight game in his bid to
become the NHL's 42nd 500-goal scorer, the 15th to do it with one team.
The Flames open a four-game homestand against Minnesota on Saturday.
Iginla was robbed by Rask midway through the second period, probably
Rask's toughest save of the game as the Flames didn't put up much of a
fight.
"Tough on every one of those guys to go through that," Sutter said. "I've
been in games like that and been in their shoes. The first three goals
happened so quickly and we didn't seem to have a response at that point. It
wasn't a pretty outcome."
Five different Bruins had three points and three more had two.
Bergeron scored twice for the second straight night. David Krejci and Tyler
Seguin each had a goal and two assists, and Benoit Pouliot added three
assists. Milan Lucic, Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille (short-handed) also
scored for the Bruins.
Paille capped the outburst at 8:43 of the third and Bruins fans chanted "We
want 10!" for the rest of the game.
The Bruins scored six times against goalie Leland Irving by the 4:15 mark of
the second period, chasing the rookie as he took his first regulation loss in
four NHL starts. Mikka Kiprusoff, who was supposed to get a rest, gave up
the last three goals.
It took the Bruins just 1:14 to open the scoring, on Seguin's goal, and it was
2-0 at the 3:17 mark when Sutter used his timeout. It didn't help. It was 3-0
at 8:59 and the Bruins then scored three times in the first 4:15 of the
second.
Notes: Calgary defenseman Chris Butler was a minus-7. The Elias Sports
Bureau said Butler is the first player to be minus-7 in a game since Doug
Wilson of San Jose against Calgary on Feb. 19, 1993. ... The Bruins have
scored 15 unanswered goals since David Clarkson opened the scoring for
New Jersey on Wednesday night. ... Bruins left wing Brad Marchand was a
late scratch with flulike symptoms. Zach Hamill took his place. With
Marchand out, Seguin took the team lead in goals with 16. ... The Bruins
scored 47 seconds apart in the second period, the 13th time this season
they have scored twice in less than a minute. ... Zdeno Chara's assist on
the sixth goal was the 300th of his NHL career. ... Thomas, voted in by fans
as an All-Star starter, will make his fourth straight All-Star appearance. He
was the winning goalie in the last three games. "It's an honor obviously to
be the No. 1 vote-getter for a goalie," Thomas said. "Obviously, it hasn't
always been that way. I've been lucky enough to be on the three previous
(All-Star teams). This is a little different scenario. I guess all I can say is I'm
happy about it." . Calgary's Rene Bourque served the first game of a fivegame NHL suspension for an elbow to the head of Washington's Niklas
Backstrom. ... The Bruins played the second game of a stretch that calls for
12 games in 21 days leading up to the All-Star break.
© Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
604784
Boston Bruins
Flames-Bruins Sum
January 5, 2012
Calgary 0 0 0--0
Boston 3 4 2--9
First Period--1, Boston, Seguin 16 (Bergeron, Pouliot), 1:14. 2, Boston,
Lucic 14 (Horton, Krejci), 3:17. 3, Boston, Krejci 9 (Peverley, Chara), 8:49
(pp).
Second Period--4, Boston, Bergeron 10 (Seguin, Pouliot), 1:19. 5, Boston,
Kelly 13 (Ference, Peverley), 2:06. 6, Boston, Horton 11 (Lucic, Chara),
4:15. 7, Boston, Horton 12 (Seidenberg, Krejci), 14:31.
Third Period--8, Boston, Bergeron 11 (Seguin, Pouliot), 5:49. 9, Boston,
Paille 7, 8:43 (sh).
Shots on Goal--Calgary 10-9-6--25. Boston 15-19-8--42.
Goalies--Calgary, Irving, Kiprusoff. Boston, Rask. A--17,565 (17,565). T-2:20.
604785
Boston Bruins
Flames-Bruins Sums
January 5, 2012
Calgary 0 0 0--0
Boston 3 4 2--9
First Period--1, Boston, Seguin 16 (Bergeron, Pouliot), 1:14. 2, Boston,
Lucic 14 (Horton, Krejci), 3:17. 3, Boston, Krejci 9 (Peverley, Chara), 8:49
(pp). Penalties--Kostopoulos, Cal (tripping), 7:40.
Second Period--4, Boston, Bergeron 10 (Seguin, Pouliot), 1:19. 5, Boston,
Kelly 13 (Ference, Peverley), 2:06. 6, Boston, Horton 11 (Lucic, Chara),
4:15. 7, Boston, Horton 12 (Seidenberg, Krejci), 14:31. Penalties--Jokinen,
Cal (tripping), 10:06.
Third Period--8, Boston, Bergeron 11 (Seguin, Pouliot), 5:49. 9, Boston,
Paille 7, 8:43 (sh). Penalties--Campbell, Bos (tripping), 6:57
Bergeron,
Bos (tripping), 19:00.
Shots on Goal--Calgary 10-9-6--25. Boston 15-19-8--42.
Power-play opportunities--Calgary 0 of 2
Boston 1 of 2.
Goalies--Calgary, Irving 1-1-2 (21 shots-15 saves), Kiprusoff (4:15 second,
21-18). Boston, Rask 9-4-1 (25-25).
A--17,565 (17,565). T--2:20.
Referees--Steve Kozari, Wes McCauley. Linesmen--Derek Nansen,
Anthony Sericolo.
604786
Boston Bruins
Column: Need some momentum? Just drop the gloves.
By Jim Litke
AP Sports Columnist / January 5, 2012
This might be the last thing fans and critics on one side of the longestrunning debate in hockey want to hear, especially in light of the rising
number of concussions:
Fighting works.
The first-of-its-kind statistical analysis of the sport confirms the dirty little
secret coaches and players have known since the dawn of the NHL.
There's no more readily available, sure-fire way to shift the momentum of a
game than to send a player out to start a fight.
By measuring offensive output in the three minutes after play resumes,
researchers at powerscouthockey.com concluded that fights produced a
surge by at least one team an eye-popping 76 percent of the time. The
remaining 23 percent of the time, roughly one out of every four fights, both
teams raised their games. Surprisingly, it isn't always the team whose
players dominate the fisticuffs that benefits and researcher Terry Appleby
said more work needs to be done to determine if those surges pay off in
goals or wins.
Either way, the findings passed muster with a handful of players interviewed
by The Associated Press earlier this week
"I've been made aware of what our record is when I fight and never really
gave it a thought," said Boston's Shawn Thornton.
For the record, the Bruins were 38-13-8 in games when Thornton was
involved in a fight. Even so, he might have embraced them a little too
enthusiastically.
"I think it's just a testament to how hard our guys play and how we try not to
let each other down," Thornton added. "But I'm a big proponent for keeping
fighting in the game. I think it's an important part of the game. If these stats
encourage it, then it's an encouraging sign and I'm all for it."
Like most hockey fans, Appleby is conflicted about the role of fighting in the
NHL and didn't undertake the effort to bolster either side's argument. He's a
retired senior economic research analyst for Alberta's provincial
government and 20-year member of the Society of American Baseball
Research. He borrowed some of the metrics now commonly used by
baseball executives to measure performance and adapted the models and
algorithms to the game he grew up playing as a boy in Canada. Think of his
work as "Moneyball" applied to hockey.
The website made its debut in October 2010, but Appleby has analyzed
more than 14,000 NHL games and the individual performances of 12,000
players and 28,000 goaltenders going back to 1988. He rates players in 12
different skill categories and goaltenders in 11, and his work routinely turns
up on the website of Canadian hockey broadcasting network Sportsnet.ca.
But he had little doubt his research on fighting would draw the most
attention. That finding is based largely on how many shots a team gets on
the opposing goal in the three minutes after a fight -- a measurement
Appleby settled on after developing a number of ways to analyze
momentum.
Detroit general manager Ken Holland considered the findings briefly and
noted there are plenty of ways to generate a surge: "You can analyze first
goals, first shots -- there are so many things in a hockey game -- and come
up with a different angle."
Appleby personally subscribes to the theory that fights are effectively safety
valves for players, a way to settle grudges that develop on the ice without
resorting to using sticks against one another. He also pointed out that
fighting was the only way to change momentum on demand, with little more
than a knowing glance from the coach toward the toughest guy on the
bench. It's been part of the DNA of the sport forever.
"It might be provocative, and there are sure to be a lot of people who don't
want to hear it," Appleby said, "but that's what the data says."
One of those tough guys, Buffalo's Patrick Kuleta, said anecdotal evidence
convinced him of that long ago.
"Most definitely. I think the biggest thing you'll notice is the energy change.
It could be going one way, and you go out there and fight -- whether it's a
guy bigger than you, same size, whatever it is -- you see a guy giving up
their body and doing it for the team, just to create that energy is huge," he
said. "I'm sure you can feel it up in the stands watching, too."
The finding comes at an uncomfortable time for the NHL, which is dealing
with a growing number of concussions and still reeling from the deaths last
year of three former enforcers, whose fates -- at least one prominent
neurologist suggested -- may have been linked to repeated fighting. Coming
out of the 2004-05 lockout, the league tweaked a number of rules to speed
up the game and cut down on fighting, all the while mandating changes in
equipment, rinks and medical regimens to make the game safer. And
they've worked, to considerable effect.
"There have been no fights whatsoever in 66 percent of our games this
season. That percentage is a five-season high," spokesman Frank Brown
said Thursday. "The average number of fights per game this season is 0.8.
The last time we were that low for a full season was 1974-75. While we
have not seen this individual's report, we are at a loss to understand his
explanation for momentum swings in the 66% of our games when there isn't
a fight to support his theory."
Yet the presence of an enforcer on the bench of just about every NHL team
suggests coaches and general managers already believe what the research
has concluded: But just like the number of fights, the number of enforcers in
the league has been steadily dropping. Even so, fighting won't go away
easily or anytime soon. Earlier Thursday, Toronto general manager Brian
Burke groused about sending his enforcer, Colton Orr, down to the Leafs'
American Hockey League affiliate.
Burke previously served as the league's chief disciplinarian, a job now held
by former player Brendan Shanahan. Burke said the team was barely able
to use Orr -- he appeared in just five of Toronto's 39 games -- because
hardly anyone wanted to fight him. He worried that this would result in more
players taking cheap shots and seeking revenge in even more dangerous
ways.
"I wonder about the accountability in our game and the notion that players
would stick up for themselves and for each other," Burke said. "I wonder
where we're going with it, that's the only lament I have on this. The fear that
if we don't have guys looking after each other, that the rats will take this
game over."
-----Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to
him at jlitke(at)ap.org and follow him at http://Twitter.com/JimLitke.
604787
Boston Bruins
Bruins 5, Flames 0, 2:06
Final: Boston Bruins 9, Calgary Flames
Chip Kelly scores on a rebound of Andrew Ference's blast from the left
circle. It came 47 seconds after Bergeron made it 4-0. It marked the 13th
time this season the Bruins have struck for a pair of goals in less than a
minute.
January 05, 2012|Michael Vega, Globe Staff
Bruins 4, Flames, 0, 1:19
Anticipating Saturday's matinee versus the Vancouver Canucks, the Bruins
pounded the Calgary Flames, 9-0, before a sellout TD Garden crowd of
17,565.
The Bruins erupted for six goals against Leland Irving, who was chased
from the game in the second period after giving up back-to-back goals to
Nathan Horton, and three more against Mikka Kiprusoff.
Tuukka Rask, meanwhile, turned away all 25 shots he faced, earning his
third shutout in his last four games.
Bring on the Canucks.
Third period
Bruins 9, Flames 0, 8:43, SHG
After Gregory Campbell was sent off for a tripping minor at 6:57, Daniel
Paille made the Flames pay dearly when he tallied an unassisted shorthanded goal, walking in on Kiprusoff for the Bruins' ninth goal of the night.
Can we just stop it now? Brent Sutter needs to declare ``No mas!'' and
throw in the towel. His team is taking a savage pounding and is utterly
defenseless against the Bruins, who have now scored 15 goals in their last
six periods of hockey. To make matters worse, Bruins fans started chanting,
``We want ten! We want ten!''
The producers of NBC Sports Network's ``NHL 36'' missed the boat on this
one. They should've had their cameras rolling on Patrice Bergeron last
night. The Bruins' alternate captain tallied his second goal of the night and
11th of the season when he wheeled and dealed from the goalmouth after
getting pinched down low by Flames defenseman Chris Butler (minus-6).
Tyler Seguin (20) and Benoit Pouliot (6) were credited with assists.
Second intermission: Bruins 7, Flames 0
In the immortal words of Globe colleague Dan Shaughnessy:
``What...a...beating!''
OK, it's official. We can start looking ahead to Saturday's Stanley Cup Final
rematch with the Vancouver Canucks. Patrice Bergeron did the honors
when he tallied his 10th goal of the season on a pretty centering pass.from
Tyler Seguin.
First intermission: Bruins 3, Flames 0
The Bruins took a commanding three-goal lead into the dressing room after
peppering Calgary netminder Leland Irving with 15 shots, including goals by
Tyler Seguin (16th, 1:14), Milan Lucic (14th, 3:17) and a power-play tally by
David Krejci (9th, 8:49). Tuukka Rask, meanwhile, turned away all 10 shots
he faced. The Bruins have now scored nine goals in their last four periods
of hockey, including Wednesday night's 6-1 victory at New Jersey.
First period
The Bruins capitalized on their first power-play opportunity of the night
when David Krejci (9) tallied on the man-advantage, beating Flames
netminder Leland Irving backdoor by potting Rich Peverly's pretty cross-ice
feed from the right circle. Zdeno Chara was also credited with an assist,
giving him 299 for his NHL career.
Bruins go on the power play for the first time in the game after Calgary's
Tom Kostopoulos is sent off for tripping.
In just his second shift on the ice, Milan Lucic was the beneficiary of some
puck luck when he bounced a self pass on the boards, attempted to center
a pass from the right circle, and had his shot bounce off Olli Jokinen for his
14th goal of the season. Linemates Nathan Horton and David Krejci were
credited with assists, extending Krejci's point streak to seven consecutive
games.
Calgary completely flamed out in the second period after the Bruins erupted
for four goals, including a pair of back-to-back tallies by Nathan Horton at
14:31 and 4:15, the first of which chased goaltender Leland Irving from the
game.
The Bruins waste little time getting on the board when Tyler Sequin (16)
pots an even-strength goal on a nifty back-of-the-net feed from Patrice
Bergeron. Benoit Pouliot was also credited with a helper.
Patrice Bergeron opened the floodgates with his tally at 1:19 which was
followed 47 seconds later by Chip Kelly's chip-in at 2:06. By the end of the
second period, the Bruins had eight multi-point scorers with Horton (2
goals, 1 assist) and David Krejci (1 goal, 2 assists) nursing 3-point nights.
Greetings from TD Garden where the Bruins are moments away from taking
the ice for tonight's game against the visiting Calgary Flames. The game
comes on the heels of Boston's 6-1 victory at New Jersey Wednesday night
and represents the fourth of 13 overall back-to-back sets the Bruins will play
this season. Tuukka Rask (8-4-1, 1.61 GAA) will be in net for the Bruins and
will be opposed by Leland Irving (1-0-2, 2.23 GAA).
Flames defenseman Chris Butler, meanwhile, was smarting from the ugly
minus-5 beside his name on the score sheet.
Second period
This game is officially out of control. Nathan Horton, who obviously is
looking forward to playing the Canucks (watch out Aaron Rome), tallied his
12th goal of the season and second of the game when he swatted home a
rebound of Dennis Seidenberg's blast from the left point. David Krejci was
also credited with an assist giving him and Horton three-point nights: Krejci
(1 goal, 2 assists); Horton (2 goals, 1 assist).
What is this? The Orange Bowl? Are the Bruins playing the role of the West
Virginia Mountaineers? Seemed to be the case when Nathan Horton swept
in and chipped home rebound of Milan Lucic's goalmouth bid, chasing
Leland Irving from the game. He was replaced by Mikka Kiprusoff. Zdeno
Chara initally put the puck on net to record his 300th career NHL assist.
With their sixth goal tonight, the Bruins have now tallied 12 goals in their
last five periods of hockey.
Pregame
Brad Marchand was a late scratch due to flu-like symptoms. Benoit Pouliot
will take his place on the Bruins' second line with Patrice Bergeron and
Tyler Sequin.
604788
Boston Bruins
Tonight's Bruins lineup
January 05, 2012|Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff
Based on pregame warmups:
Benoit Pouliot-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Zach Hamill-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas
Leland Irving (1-0-2, 2.23 GAA, .942 save percentage) will start in goal for
the Flames.
@GlobeFluto
604789
Boston Bruins
Tim Thomas voted to All-Star team
By Matt Pepin, Globe Staff
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas was the top vote-getter at his position in the final
NHL fan voting for the All-Star Game.
Fans chose the first six players for the game (three forwards, two
defensemen, one goalie), which will be held Jan. 29 in Ottawa. The
Senators had four players named -- defenseman Erik Karlsson, and
forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek -- and the
Maple Leafs one, defenseman Dion Phaneuf.
The remaining players will be chosen by the NHL's hockey operations staff
later this month.
It will be Thomas's fourth All-Star Game.
Alfredsson was the top forward in fan voting, and Karlsson had the most
overall votes with 939,591. See the final vote totals on the NHL's web site.
604790
Boston Bruins
Game 37: Flames at Bruins
January 05, 2012|Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff
Good morning from TD Garden, where the Bruins will take on the Flames
tonight. The Bruins are coming off a 6-1 road win over New Jersey last
night.
Because of last night’s game and travel back to Boston, the Bruins will not
skate this morning.
Puck drop: 7 p.m.
TV/radio info: NESN (Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley, Naoko Funayama),
98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)
Records: Flames 18-18-5, Bruins 25-10-1
Projected Bruins lineup:
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Benoit Pouliot-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas
Healthy scratches: Zach Hamill, Steven Kampfer
Storylines: The Flames will be without Rene Bourque. The Calgary forward
was slapped with a five-game suspension for elbowing Washington’s
Nicklas Backstrom in the head. Bourque has 13 goals and three assists…
Tuukka Rask has allowed one goal in his last 216:08 of ice time… Jay
Bouwmeester leads Calgary with 26:08 of average ice time per game.
Bouwmeester is one of the comparables for Dougie Hamilton, whose World
Junior Championship run for gold was halted in the semifinal by Team
Russia… Assistant GM John Weisbrod was formerly Boston’s director of
collegiate scouting… Calgary is only one of two teams without a
shorthanded goal. The Bruins are the only club that hasn’t allowed a
shortie… Steve Kozari and Wes McCauley will be the referees. Derek
Nansen and Tony Sericolo will be the linesmen.
604791
Boston Bruins
Final: Bruins 6, Devils 1
by Kevin Paul Dupont, Globe Staff January 4, 2012 07:01 PM
THIRD PERIOD
Over here at the Rock. Bruins win it, 6-1.
14:23 -- Boston, 6-1. Thornton connects with help from Paille.
4:50 -- Boston, 5-1. Krecji deflects in long wrister by Seidenberg. Lucic has
assisted on last two goals.
2:13 -- Boston, 4-1. Alone in slot, Bergeron drills in short-range one-timer
off clean feed into middle by Marchand.
Back in action.
SECOND PERIOD
Bruins win 24 of 31 faceoffs in first two periods, for impressive 77 percent
efficiency. Krejci goes 12-for-15, 80 percent. Patrik Elias a woeful 1-for-10.
Adam Henrique 1-for-8. Might be better just to try to kick puck.
40:00 in the books. Bruins, 3-1.
Bruins do little with two power play in period. Not much offense mounted by
either side. Bruins doing strong job at faceoff circle.
4:02 -- Bruins, 3-1. Bergeron pots unassisted goal, after breaking out alone
when rookie Larsson fans on shot at opposite blue line.
And away we go.
FIRST PERIOD
End 20:00. Bruins, 2-1, and picked up shot pace in last five minutes. Devils
with 16-11 lead.
13:17 -- Boston, 2-1. Horton with forehand pot at left post, off Krecji pass by
Parise and Fayne. PPG. Horton with only 4 points in previous 11 games.
Bruins cobbled together only 20 shots Saturday in Dallas. Only two in first
10 min.s here. Devils with eight.
8:15 -- Bruins, 1-1. Ference slapper from above left wing circle deflects by
Brodeur off of Campbell's skate. Second Boston shot on net.
4:24 -- Devils, 1-0. Clark snaps wrister to top right corner off rush. Breaks
in, 2-on-1, with Parise for PPG.
Thornton and Janssen drop gloves at 2:07 and exchange a load of big right
hands to one another's kissers. Good bout. Not much relevance so early,
but good shots.
Underway.
The Bruins and Devils are on the ice here at the Rock for their pre-game
warmup. New Jersey will have Martin Brodeur in its net, with Tim Thomas
between the pipes for the defending Stanley Cup champs.
Steve Kampfer and Zach Hamill are on the ice for the Bruins in the warmup.
Both will be scratches.
Faceoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
The Bruin are back at work tomorrow night with the Calgary Flames on
Causeway Street. The Flames are 18-18-5 and currently not among the top
eight seeds in the Western Conference.
604792
Boston Bruins
See the Amazing David Krejci
Center is focal point of Bruins incredible run
By Stephen Harris / Bruins Beat
Friday, January 6, 2012 - Updated 6 hours ago
Years ago, when David Krejci was barely out of his teens, veteran NHL
observers proclaimed he would be the next coming of Steve Yzerman or
Joe Sakic — a center who would put up 100-plus points, while also
excelling in all the blue-collar aspects of the game.
Krejci, still prone to stretches of inconsistency, hasn’t quite attained that
status yet. But nobody in their right mind would bet it will not happen for the
25-year-old — especially after watching all his multifaceted skills on display
last night during the Bruins’ 9-0 destruction of the overmatched Calgary
Flames.
Krejci merely contributed a goal and two assists to the massacre, had a
plus-3 rating and won 9-of-12 faceoffs. He and linemates Nathan Horton
and Milan Lucic totaled four goals and four assists. The B’s thus continue
their utterly ridiculous run of success, moving to 24-3-1 since late-October
— with very, very few subpar efforts during the run.
“We get up for every single game and try to play a full 60 minutes,” said
Krejci. “(We) try to play goal-by-goal. We’ve been pretty good at is so far.”
Actually, it’s been a growing and maturing process the past few years for
the Bruins that has allowed them to maintain their focus so well during this
streak — breaking things down to a game at a time, a period at a time, a
shift at a time, and not getting caught in the excitement engendered by their
nine-weeks plus of superb play.
“I think people can see it, especially this year, that we have more
experience. The guys are older, we know each other,” said Krejci. “We’ve
been together some time now, and we know how to deal with the situation
— if you’re down by a goal or you’re up by a few. This year, I like the way
the team is playing.”
Few Bruins have been playing any better than Krejci, who has a sevengame scoring streak under way, with 4-7-11 in that span. Over his last 18
games, he has 6-14-20 numbers. And for the season, he has posted 9-1928 in 34 games.
It may not quite be an Yzerman/Sakic scoring pace. But as Claude Julien
has pointed out a couple of times in recent days, perhaps it’s not all bad
that the Bruins went into play last night with no player among the top 30 in
league scoring.
Maybe they’re better off without a 100-point, go-to guy. Better to have a
dozen of them.
“I look at the stats for Calgary,” said Krejci. “(Jarome) Iginla (32 points) and
(Olli) Jokinen have about 30 points each, another guy (Curtis Glencross)
had about 27 — and the rest of their guys are at about 13-14. If you look at
our guys, all three lines have tons of points.
“We may not be in the top 20, but as a team we might be the best team in
the league. That’s what matters.”
Across the home dressing room, Bruins players were asked after the game
about tomorrow’s much-anticipated rematch with the Vancouver Canucks.
Krejci heard the question several times, but opted not to say much.
“You know what? We just finished a good game,” he said. “Let’s enjoy it,
get a good dinner and a good sleep and come back to work (today) and
deal with it. I don’t want to think about the game (tomorrow).”
Finally, he relented, and said: “People are making a big deal of it. It’s just
another game. It’s going to be a game for two points and we want to get the
two points.”
That single-minded focus and pursuit — not concerns about individual
success — is a big reason why life is so good these days for Krejci and the
Bruins.
-— [email protected]
Boston Herald LOADED: 01.06.2012
604793
Boston Bruins
With an assist, Dennis Seidenberg has a career-high five-game point
streak. . . .
Captain’s words help to rejuvenate Tyler Seguin
On top of two apiece from Bergeron and Nathan Horton and one from
Seguin (No. 16), the Bruins also got goals from Chris Kelly (No. 13), David
Krejci (No. 9) and Daniel Paille (No. 7). . . .
By Steve Conroy / Bruins Notebook | Friday, January 6, 2012 |
http://www.bostonherald.com | Boston Bruins
Claude Julien notched his 205th win with the Bruins, pushing him past
Gerry Cheevers and into fourth on the all-time list behind Art Ross (361),
Milt Schmidt (245) and Don Cherry (231).
Zdeno Chara may not be the most vocal captain, but when he does address
something, people tend to listen.
The case in point is young Tyler Seguin.
Seguin had cooled off considerably after a torrid start. Chara decided to
have a heart-to-heart with Seguin last month when the team was in Ottawa.
The message: When things aren’t going you’re way, lean on your best
assets. In Seguin’s case, that’s skating and shooting.
The results from the talk are not dramatic, but they’re undeniable. The goals
still are not coming at the rate they were early in the season, but with a goal
1:16 into last night’s game Seguin had points (3-7-10) in six of seven
games since Dec. 14. He finished with a goal and two assists in last night’s
9-0 Garden demolition of the Calgary Flames.
“I don’t think my game has changed drastically over the season. There was
a little bit of a lull there in finding my consistency and that’s definitely
something I’ve been searching for,” said Seguin. “I think it comes with
staying focused and not being too hard on myself after games when I don’t
have a lot of production.
“But I think after Ottawa, when I had my little talk with Z, I feel a lot better
out there and I feel like I’m playing stronger,” he said.
Seguin showed more than a glimmer of the explosive, dynamic and
complete player he was earlier this year.
“He was first on pucks, he was hard on pucks, he was battling, he was
doing all the little things that people don’t always see, but are huge,” said
linemate Patrice Bergeron. “I told him that was one of his best games all
year. He was awesome. He was strong, he was hard to keep up with he
was so fast. As a line (with Benoit Pouliot filling in for an ill Brad Marchand),
we got three goals, but we missed a couple also. He really was doing a
great job tonight with his vision, his speed but also his battle level.”
For Seguin, he’s still learning how to bring that every night.
“I’m just taking it game by game trying to keep improving,” said Seguin. “I
knew I had a good start and I want to stay consistent and it’s just about
finding a way to stay consistent. I think I’m starting to grab that, but I know I
still have a lot ahead of me. . . . I’ve got to stay focused.”
Shining star in net
Tim Thomas broke the stranglehold Ontario teams had on the fan voting for
the All-Star Game, which is Jan. 29 in Ottawa.
While four Senators and one Maple Leaf were top vote-getting skaters,
Thomas topped all goalies with 626,540 tallies. It will be his fourth All-Star
Game, but first as a starter.
“It’s an honor obviously to be the No. 1 vote-getter for a goalie,” he said.
“Obviously, it hasn’t always been that way. I’ve been lucky enough to be on
the three previous (All-Star teams). This is a little different scenario. I guess
all I can say is I’m happy about it.”
Despite the Bruins’ hectic schedule, Thomas has no qualms about going to
the extravaganza.
“I’m relatively used to it now. There were the three previous All-Star Games
I played in and the one year we didn’t have the All-Star Game, I was at the
Olympics,” he said. “So I’m used to not having a lot of breaks during the
season.”
Butler couldn’t do it
Calgary defenseman Chris Butler won the booby prize of the night. He was
a team worst minus-7 and was on for an eighth goal by the Bruins, when
they were on the power play. He was the first minus-7 player since Feb. 10,
1993, when San Jose’s Doug Wilson was minus-7 in a 13-1 loss to the
Flames. . . .
604794
Boston Bruins
It’s bombs away for Bruins
Barrages mothers Flames
By Steve Conroy | Friday, January 6, 2012 |
So, how good are the Bruins right now?
Well, they lead the league in both goals for and goals against. In a 24-hour
span, they scored 15 unanswered goals. Last night, they got even-strength,
power play and shorthanded goals by players on all four lines.
Before the game against the Calgary Flames was five minutes old, the only
drama would be if Tuukka Rask would post a shutout. Rask did get his third
of the season, making 26 saves, and the Bruins cruised to an
embarrassingly easy 9-0 win at TD Garden.
Shortly before faceoff, it was announced that sparkplug winger Brad
Marchand would miss the game with flu-like symptoms. In years past, the
loss of a such a productive player might be cause for concern, but it will
take more than that these days to derail the Bruins, especially against an
injury-riddled Calgary team that is average on its best days and starting a
rookie goalie playing his fourth NHL game.
And the B’s didn’t waste any time getting down to work, taking a 3-0 lead in
the first period, and it could have been worse than that.
Tyler Seguin scored his team-leading 16th goal when he knocked home a
nice feed from Patrice Bergeron behind the net just 1:14 into the game.
Two minutes and two seconds later, it would be 2-0 thanks to an incredibly
lucky bounce. Milan Lucic stopped near the top of the right circle and
looked somewhere to make a play. He sent a pass that bounced off Olli
Jokinen’s skate very high in the slot, but it somehow managed to elude
young goalie Leland Irving for Lucic’s 13th goal of the season.
The B’s then converted the only power play of the period when Zach Hamill,
playing for Marchand, drew a tripping penalty at 7:40. Playing the right
point, Rich Peverley moved down into the circle and whipped a pass to
David Krejci, who scored his ninth of the season with a one-time sweep.
The B’s could have had a couple more as Seguin twice set up Benoit
Pouliot but he couldn’t convert.
The B’s had a 15-10 shot advantage and continued dominating the faceoff
circle, winning 15-of-17 draws.
They wouldn’t squander their opportunities in the second period when they
doubled their lead just 4:15 into the stanza. Bergeron kept the beat going
on a terrific play by Seguin. It looked like he had chance to take the puck to
the net but, when that seam closed quickly, Sequin circled back into the left
circle and found Bergeron in the slot for his 10th at 1:19.
Just 47 seconds later, Chris Kelly popped home a rebound of an Andrew
Ference shot and it was beginning to feel like Calgary coach Brent Sutter
was just being cruel by leaving Irving in there. On his next routine save,
Irving got the old mock cheer and you knew he wouldn’t be long for the
game. The hook mercifully came at 4:15 when Nathan Horton scored his
first of two.
Miikka Kiprusoff, who was being saved for the start of a four-game home
stand against Minnesota tomorrow, was pressed into action and fared a
little better, but didn’t escape unscathed. Horton scored his third in two
games and 12th of the season at 14:31.
In the third, Bergeron, with his second, and Daniel Paille, shorthanded,
finished the rout.
604795
Boston Bruins
Need some momentum? Just drop the gloves
By Associated Press | Thursday, January 5, 2012 |
http://www.bostonherald.com | NHL Coverage
This might be the last thing fans and critics on one side of the longestrunning debate in hockey want to hear, especially in light of the rising
number of concussions:
Fighting works.
The first-of-its-kind statistical analysis of the sport confirms the dirty little
secret coaches and players have known since the dawn of the NHL.
There’s no more readily available, sure-fire way to shift the momentum of a
game than to send a player out to start a fight.
By measuring offensive output in the three minutes after play resumes,
researchers at powerscouthockey.com concluded that fights produced a
surge by at least one team an eye-popping 76 percent of the time. The
remaining 23 percent of the time, roughly one out of every four fights, both
teams raised their games. Surprisingly, it isn’t always the team whose
players dominate the fisticuffs that benefits and researcher Terry Appleby
said more work needs to be done to determine if those surges pay off in
goals or wins.
Either way, the findings passed muster with a handful of players interviewed
by The Associated Press earlier this week
"I’ve been made aware of what our record is when I fight and never really
gave it a thought," said Boston’s Shawn Thornton.
For the record, the Bruins were 38-13-8 in games when Thornton was
involved in a fight. Even so, he might have embraced them a little too
enthusiastically.
"I think it’s just a testament to how hard our guys play and how we try not to
let each other down," Thornton added. "But I’m a big proponent for keeping
fighting in the game. I think it’s an important part of the game. If these stats
encourage it, then it’s an encouraging sign and I’m all for it."
Like most hockey fans, Appleby is conflicted about the role of fighting in the
NHL and didn’t undertake the effort to bolster either side’s argument. He’s a
retired senior economic research analyst for Alberta’s provincial
government and 20-year member of the Society of American Baseball
Research. He borrowed some of the metrics now commonly used by
baseball executives to measure performance and adapted the models and
algorithms to the game he grew up playing as a boy in Canada. Think of his
work as "Moneyball" applied to hockey.
The website made its debut in October 2010, but Appleby has analyzed
more than 14,000 NHL games and the individual performances of 12,000
players and 28,000 goaltenders going back to 1988. He rates players in 12
different skill categories and goaltenders in 11, and his work routinely turns
up on the website of Canadian hockey broadcasting network Sportsnet.ca.
But he had little doubt his research on fighting would draw the most
attention. That finding is based largely on how many shots a team gets on
the opposing goal in the three minutes after a fight - a measurement
Appleby settled on after developing a number of ways to analyze
momentum.
Detroit general manager Ken Holland considered the findings briefly and
noted there are plenty of ways to generate a surge: "You can analyze first
goals, first shots - there are so many things in a hockey game - and come
up with a different angle."
Appleby personally subscribes to the theory that fights are effectively safety
valves for players, a way to settle grudges that develop on the ice without
resorting to using sticks against one another. He also pointed out that
fighting was the only way to change momentum on demand, with little more
than a knowing glance from the coach toward the toughest guy on the
bench. It’s been part of the DNA of the sport forever.
"It might be provocative, and there are sure to be a lot of people who don’t
want to hear it," Appleby said, "but that’s what the data says."
One of those tough guys, Buffalo’s Patrick Kuleta, said anecdotal evidence
convinced him of that long ago.
"Most definitely. I think the biggest thing you’ll notice is the energy change.
It could be going one way, and you go out there and fight - whether it’s a
guy bigger than you, same size, whatever it is - you see a guy giving up
their body and doing it for the team, just to create that energy is huge," he
said. "I’m sure you can feel it up in the stands watching, too."
The finding comes at an uncomfortable time for the NHL, which is dealing
with a growing number of concussions and still reeling from the deaths last
year of three former enforcers, whose fates - at least one prominent
neurologist suggested - may have been linked to repeated fighting. Coming
out of the 2004-05 lockout, the league tweaked a number of rules to speed
up the game and cut down on fighting, all the while mandating changes in
equipment, rinks and medical regimens to make the game safer. And
they’ve worked, to considerable effect.
"There have been no fights whatsoever in 66 percent of our games this
season. That percentage is a five-season high," spokesman Frank Brown
said Thursday. "The average number of fights per game this season is 0.8.
The last time we were that low for a full season was 1974-75. While we
have not seen this individual’s report, we are at a loss to understand his
explanation for momentum swings in the 66% of our games when there isn’t
a fight to support his theory."
Yet the presence of an enforcer on the bench of just about every NHL team
suggests coaches and general managers already believe what the research
has concluded: But just like the number of fights, the number of enforcers in
the league has been steadily dropping. Even so, fighting won’t go away
easily or anytime soon. Earlier Thursday, Toronto general manager Brian
Burke groused about sending his enforcer, Colton Orr, down to the Leafs’
American Hockey League affiliate.
Burke previously served as the league’s chief disciplinarian, a job now held
by former player Brendan Shanahan. Burke said the team was barely able
to use Orr - he appeared in just five of Toronto’s 39 games - because hardly
anyone wanted to fight him. He worried that this would result in more
players taking cheap shots and seeking revenge in even more dangerous
ways.
"I wonder about the accountability in our game and the notion that players
would stick up for themselves and for each other," Burke said. "I wonder
where we’re going with it, that’s the only lament I have on this. The fear that
if we don’t have guys looking after each other, that the rats will take this
game over."
___
Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to
him at jlitke(at)ap.org and follow him at http://Twitter.com/JimLitke.
604796
Boston Bruins
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas among All-Star starters
By Associated Press | Thursday, January 5, 2012 |
)
NEW YORK — The Ottawa Senators are assured of having at least four
familiar faces on the ice when they host the NHL All-Star game this month.
Defenseman Erik Karlsson led all vote-getters in fan balloting, and captain
Daniel Alfredsson and fellow forwards Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza
were also elected for the game on Jan. 29.
The NHL said today they will be joined by Toronto defenseman Dion
Phaneuf and Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas in the starting lineup.
The four Senators hold the top four spots on the club’s scoring list, with
Spezza leading the way with 40 points — three more than Karlsson.
However, Karlsson topped everyone in the league with 939,951 votes,
42,536 more than Alfredsson. Michalek got his spot with a late rush, beating
out Toronto’s Phil Kessel by 42,144 votes. Kessel had been in line for a
place in the starting lineup all during the voting period.
About 24 million votes was cast by fans from Nov. 14 until Jan. 4 in the alldigital balloting, a 66-percent increase over last season. It is the thirdhighest total since voting went to an exclusive digital format in 2007.
Missing from the initial list of stars are Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos, who
leads the NHL with 27 goals, along with Rangers forward Marian Gaborik,
Kessel, Jonathan Toews of Chicago, and Pittsburgh’s James Neal — the
next four top goal scorers ahead of Michalek.
None of the NHL’s top 10 point scorers this season were voted into the
game by fans. Spezza is tied for 11th in scoring with 40 points.
The remaining 36 All-Stars will be chosen later this month, and the two
team rosters will be determined for a second straight year by the fantasy
draft during All-Star weekend. Each team will have 12 forwards, six
defensemen and three goalies.
Phaneuf will join the 21-year-old Karlsson on defense after garnering
614,933 votes. The Senators nearly got a fifth starter, but Phaneuf with
614,933 votes edged Ottawa defenseman Sergei Gonchar by 11,305 for
the final spot on the blue line.
Thomas, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner from the defending Stanley
Cup champions, easily won the goalie race with 626,540 votes — 128,000
more than Toronto’s James Reimer.
Thomas set the NHL record for save percentage last season with a mark of
.938, and is having another impressive season for the Bruins, who started
Thursday one point behind the Eastern Conference-leading New York
Rangers. Thomas is 17-6 with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .940
save percentage — even better than his record-setting mark of last season.
He is 14-2 in his past 16 decisions.
Michalek, who recently returned following a five-game absence because of
a concussion, has scored 19 goals in 35 games. He has already exceeded
his total of 18 from last season and is three away from matching his careerbest of 22, set in the 2009-10 season.
Alfredsson is third on the Senators’ scoring list with 28 points, two more
than Michalek, in his 16th NHL season — all with Ottawa. He led forwards
with 897,055 votes, followed by Spezza with 817,483, and Michalek with
743,977.
604797
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo's goal: Two wins in a row
By Mike Harrington
News Sports Reporter
Published:January 6, 2012, 12:09 AM
The quest for a winning streak continues.
It's 24 games and counting for the Buffalo Sabres since they put together
back-to-back wins as they head into tonight's game at Carolina. That's their
longest such drought in 13 years — and the fourth-longest in franchise
history.
The Sabres won a season-high four in a row from Nov. 4-11 and haven't
been on a positive streak since. They're 8-12-4 in that stretch — and 0-6-1
in their seven previous contests after a win.
"I knew you were going to ask that," coach Lindy Ruff said when the subject
was broached Thursday. "We've got to put a string together. You've got to
feel good about [Tuesday's 4-3 win over Edmonton] and be ready to go to
get the second one. You don't gain any ground. We've been able to tread
water and now it's time to put a little run together."
"We're kind of in the same position as last year starting the new year,"
added winger Patrick Kaleta. "We really need to pick it up and string
together some wins to get back in the hunt."
Midway through the 1998-99 season, which ended with the Sabres losing to
Dallas in the Stanley Cup final, Buffalo endured a 30-game run with no
winning streaks. The Sabres won eight, lost 14 (one in overtime) and tied
eight in that stretch.
The only runs without two wins in a row longer than the '99 one and this
year's were in the franchise's first two seasons. Buffalo went the first 44
games in 1971-72 (8-26-10) and the first 40 in 1970-71 (8-25-7) without two
straight.
....
Defenseman Tyler Myers said he felt "really good" after practice Thursday
and should be able to play tonight after missing the last 19 games with his
broken wrist. Myers had struggled much of the season but played two
strong games until suffering the injury Nov. 19 against Phoenix.
"I have to look at those last two games and really analyze why I was
successful," Myers said. "The physical play is a big part of what makes me
the player I am, and I'm going to have to try to get back to that. I got good
news from the doctor [Wednesday] so I don't think I should look at my wrist
as a factor to take a step back from any physical play."
Winger Tyler Ennis, however, has had another setback from his high ankle
sprain and may be back in week-to-week mode. Ennis didn't skate
Thursday and Ruff said he will be held off the ice today as well.
Ruff said Ville Leino's thoughts about playing Saturday against Winnipeg
are probably overly optimistic but that the winger remains ahead of
schedule from his broken foot.
"Ville is ahead of schedule every day. That's just his personality, which is
good," Ruff said. "We'll try to evaluate. He's chomping at the bit, but he
hasn't had much practice time."
....
Leino skated as an extra forward in Thursday's practice. The lines had
Jochen Hecht between Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville, Derek Roy
centering Nathan Gerbe and Drew Stafford, Luke Adam centering Zack
Kassian and Cody McCormick, and Paul Gaustad between Patrick Kaleta
and Matt Ellis.
On defense, Myers was paired with Brayden McNabb while Robyn Regehr
was with Jordan Leopold and Mike Weber took turns with both Marc-Andre
Gragnani and T.J. Brennan, who is likely to return to Rochester.
....
The Hurricanes are 5-8-3 since Kirk Muller took over as coach following the
firing of Paul Maurice on Nov. 28. Maurice directed the two previous
meetings against Buffalo, a 4-3 Carolina win in the home opener here on
Oct. 14 and a 1-0 Sabres win Nov. 18 at the RBC Center.
The Hurricanes are playing without star forward Jeff Skinner, who has
missed the last 11 games with a concussion. Last year's Calder Trophy
winner as the NHL's top rookie, Skinner has 12 goals and 12 assists in 30
games. He has been skating in a non-contact role.
Buffalo News LOADED: 01.06.2012
604798
Buffalo Sabres
Miller ready to make historic charge
Ruff will lean on struggling goalie, who is closing in on Sabres' record for
all-time wins
By Mike Harrington
News Sports Reporter
Published:January 6, 2012, 12:01 AM
Save for a couple games, Miller has rarely put together the kind of lights-out
performances that steal points for his team.
Miller, in fact, has given up three or more goals an astonishing 14 times in
his last 17 starts. Some games he's played poorly and others are like
Tuesday's 4-3 win over Edmonton, where he gave up a weak first goal but
couldn't do anything on two other shots on a night when he was relatively
sharp.
"I've had a lot of those games this year where I honestly felt like I played a
pretty solid game and it's been three of four goals and you just shake your
head," Miller said. "And I've had times in my career where I've had shutouts
and I felt I was not the best player on the ice, got pretty lucky and they hit
three or four posts but I get a shutout and everybody thinks it's great."
Hasek and Miller are the only two Sabres with 200 wins in Buffalo. Only six
have at least 100.
Ryan Miller is four victories away from breaking Dominik Hasek's franchise
record of 234 wins by a Buffalo Sabres goaltender. That gives Miller a great
number to shoot for in a year his numbers are basically shot.
"Every season is unique," Miller said with a pained smile after practice
Thursday in First Niagara Center. "Every lawyer puts it on their disclaimer
for their commercials, 'Past results do not guarantee future results.'"
That's certainly true in Miller's case. Those 2010 Olympics seem far, far
away as Miller deals with his worst season in the NHL. His goals-against
average is 3.05 and his save percentage is .900, utterly pedestrian figures
that don't even crack the top 30 in the NHL.
Miller, of course, is still on the comeback trail from the concussion he
suffered Nov. 12 in Boston when he was bowled over by Milan Lucic. But
coach Lindy Ruff said, starting tonight in Carolina, the Sabres are going to
ride their $6 million goaltender as they try to climb out of 11th place in the
Eastern Conference. Don't look, for instance, for Miller and Jhonas Enroth
to split this week's games against the Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets.
"I knew going into the season kind of where the record was and it's
something that's nice to be part of," Miller said. "Now, I know Dom did it all
when there was no shootout and I'm sure he would have won more than a
few shootouts in his day.
"But I've been here a long time, part of some good teams. And it's nice to
have a chance to be part of a franchise's history when it means a lot to the
city and a lot to the fans and is a team that means a lot to me."
Ruff said Miller has to ignore his seasonlong statistics and take smaller
bites of the bigger picture the next three months.
"You worry about numbers in short periods of time," Ruff said. "Don't worry
about the global numbers. Worry about your next game, that those numbers
are good. Put a good three-game stretch together. Short-term goals,
smaller goals. What's behind him right now is behind him and he's got to
put together the best 40 games he's ever put together."
Tops in the crease
"I really want to get Ryan going," Ruff said. "If he's feeling comfortable,
playing well and not tired, I'm going to try to lean on him a little bit more and
see if that helps him."
The all-time goaltending victory leaders for the Buffalo Sabres
Ruff laid down the gauntlet earlier this week, thrice mentioning the
goaltending of Miller and Enroth — who is just 1-6-2 in his last nine
decisions — has to improve if the Sabres are to escape their doldrums.
Ryan Miller 231
"The stat you really start to care about is the wins," said Miller, who has six
straight 30-win seasons but is a longshot for a seventh. "I know people pay
close attention to and I even make preseason goals of where I want to be
and I'm not anywhere near where I'd want to be.
Martin Biron 134
"So you look at it from where you're at in this point in time. You do the best
you can from this point forward."
[email protected]
Miller's struggles are a huge topic in Buffalo, of course, and are widely
discussed around the league. In a blog post Thursday on NHL.com,
longtime former NHLer and current NBC Sports Network analyst Jeremy
Roenick joined the chorus of those pinpointing Miller as a key reason for the
Sabres' troubles.
"What is wrong with Miller, both physically and mentally?" wrote Roenick.
"He just doesn't seem to be the same guy I'm used to watching. He's letting
in a lot of shots that in past years he would have stopped. He seems to be
struggling in the crease with his positioning. I think he's battling a
confidence issue right now, and I don't know why it has been going on for
so long."
Miller said Thursday he understood those comments.
"Jeremy played," Miller said. "So it's not lost on him that it's tough when
things aren't going your way to keep believing that it's going to go your way
just because you prepare the same way. You have to have that faith that
you're doing the right things, working at the game and have enough respect
for the game that you should see some results."
Like the team, Miller got off to a great start, going 4-1 with a sparkling 1.61
GAA and .950 save percentage.
But since Oct. 22, Miller is just 6-9-2, 3.49 and .884.
So what's the deal? Injuries are a factor as the Lucic hit marked Miller's
second concussion in eight months. Miller has seemed out of synch at
times in the crease, often admitting he's failed to read plays properly, and
has had a propensity for getting beat high to the glove side.
Dominik Hasek 234
Don Edwards 156
Tom Barrasso 124
Bob Sauve 119
604799
Buffalo Sabres
State help is sought in cable TV dispute
City lawmakers fear growing loss of fees
By Aaron Besecker and T.J. Pignataro
News Staff Reporters
Published:January 5, 2012, 4:34 PM
Three city lawmakers want the State Attorney General's Office to get
involved in the dispute between Time Warner Cable and the Madison
Square Garden network, warning the spat may cost Buffalo revenue.
The lawmakers are asking Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman to
intervene in the dispute between the cable provider and MSG, according to
Common Council President Richard A. Fontana, who said Majority Leader
Demone A. Smith and University Council Member Bonnie E. Russell joined
him in approaching Albany.
"It is the position of Council leadership that this dispute has the potential to
cause significant fiscal harm to the City of Buffalo and its taxpayers," said a
statement released by Fontana.
Time Warner may lose subscribers because it no longer airs the MSG
network, which carries Buffalo Sabres games.
The Attorney General's Office, under Eliot L. Spitzer, had intervened in a
cable television dispute downstate, Fontana said.
Under a franchise agreement between Time Warner and the city, Buffalo
receives 5 percent of the cable provider's gross revenue earned in the city.
In previous years, the city's revenue has been up to $2.5 million, said
Fontana, who this week became the Council president.
An agreement between Time Warner and MSG expired at midnight Sunday.
Sabres fans who have Time Warner have had to explore other options to
catch the games on television.
The Attorney General's Office has the resources to bring about a resolution,
according to Fontana.
The city and Time Warner are negotiating a new franchise agreement. The
last agreement expired several years ago, but its terms carry forward until
there is a new deal, Fontana said.
Michelle Duffy, a spokeswoman for Schneiderman, said Thursday afternoon
that the attorney general's office had no plans to intervene. "Not at this
point," she said. "We're certainly aware of it."
When asked about the lawmakers' letter, Duffy confirmed only that the
Attorney General's Office has spoken with both Time Warner and MSG.
"We have been in communication with both parties and appreciate the
Council's recent attention to this matter," she said.
The issue is also riling city officials in the Big Apple.
Earlier this week, New York City Comptroller John C. Liu publicly called for
the agency regulating cable franchising in the city to "hold [Time Warner]
accountable" and "make sure" the nearly two million subscribers there are
reimbursed for the loss of MSG.
"Anything less is unacceptable," Liu said.
"New Yorkers deserve to get what they pay for. This ongoing corporate
dispute does nothing more than unfairly punish their customers and city
residents."
Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown said in a statement through spokesman
Michael J. DeGeorge that he "feels for Sabres fans who can't see the
games, especially now as the games become more important in the
standings."
"He urges both sides not to forget the loyal hockey fans of Western New
York and try to get a deal done as soon as possible," the statement said.
[email protected] and [email protected]
604800
Buffalo Sabres
Hear Miller on Miller
January 5, 2012 - 11:38 PM
There's usually never enough space in a story for all the interesting things
Ryan Miller can say in one interview and my story in Friday's paper on
Miller is no exception. From his quest to break Dominik Hasek's team
victory record to his own sub-par play this season to Jeremy Roenick's
critical comments in an NHL.com blog, Miller was his usual forthright self
following practice Thursday.
Here's a large chunk of that interview as the Sabres hope the change in the
calendar from 2011 to 2012 will help change Miller's fortunes.
Mike Harrington
604801
Buffalo Sabres
Ruff: 'I really want to get Ryan going'
January 5, 2012 - 2:16 PM
Get ready for lots of Ryan Miller in the Buffalo Sabres' net. For starters,
figure on both games this weekend.
That was the clear message Lindy Ruff gave after practice Thursday in First
Niagara Center before the team took off for Carolina. Miller is just 10-10-2
this year with a 3.05 goals-against average and .900 save percentage,
easily the worst figures of his career.
"I really want to get Ryan going," Ruff said. "If he's feeling comfortable
playing well and not tired, I'm going to try to lean on him a little bit more and
see if that helps him."
Ruff's decision isn't easy. Miller has been below par and backup Jhonas
Enroth in a 1-6-2 slide. Looks like the only choice may be to ride the $6
million man.
"You worry about numbers in short periods of time," Ruff s aid when asked
about Miller's stats. "Don't worry about the global numbers. Worry about
your next game, that those numbers are good. Put a good three-game
stretch together. Short-team goals, smaller goals. What's behind him right
now is behind him and he's got to put together the best 40 games he's ever
put together."
"Right now it's just win and the stat you really start to care about is the
wins," Miller said. "I know people pay close attention to it and I even make
preseason goals of where I want to be and I'm not
anywhere near where I'd want to be. You look at it from where you're at in
this point in time. You do the best you can from this point forward. I can still
have good stats from here on out, help the team get to the playoffs."
Tyler Myers said he's ready to go for Friday night's game. Ruff said Ville
Leino is being overly optimistic about playing Saturday against Winnipeg,
but next week is likely for him. Tyler Ennis had another setback with his
ankle and didn't practice today, with Ruff saying he's going to keep him off
the ice the next two days and that he may be on a week-to-week schedule.
Click below to hear Ruff's full chat on injuries, Miller and the Sabres' need
to forge that two-game winning streak that's eluded them since midNovember.
Lindy Ruff
---Mike Harrington
604802
Calgary Flames
First Period
1. Boston, T Seguin 16 (P Bergeron, B Pouliot) 1:14.
Game Story: Bruins 9, Flames 0
2. Boston, M Lucic 14 (N Horton, D Krejci) 3:17.
The Calgary Herald’s three stars are Boston’s Tyler Seguin, Benoit Pouliot
and David Krejci
3. Boston, D Krejci 9 (pp) (R Peverley, Z Chara) 8:49.
Penalties — T Kostopoulos Cgy (Tripping) 7:40.
Second Period
By Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald January 5, 2012
4. Boston, P Bergeron 10 (T Seguin, B Pouliot) 1:19.
5. Boston, C Kelly 13 (A Ference, R Peverley) 2:06.
The Herald’s Three Stars
1. Boston RW Tyler Seguin — Teen picks up three points. Nearly scores on
breakaways. Improves to league-leading plus-31.
6. Boston, N Horton 11 (M Lucic, Z Chara) 4:15.
7. Boston, N Horton 12 (D Seidenberg, D Krejci) 14:31.
2. Boston LW Benoit Pouliot — Promoted to second line when Brad
Marchand calls in sick. Three helpers. Plus-three. Four shots.
Penalties — O Jokinen Cgy (Tripping) 10:06.
3. Boston C David Krejci — Pivot pushes point streak to seven games in
style. One goal, two assists. Wins most of his draws.
8. Boston, P Bergeron 11 (T Seguin, B Pouliot) 5:49.
Why the Flames lost:
Because they are completely overwhelmed by the best team in the league.
No chance.
The Lines
C.Glencross O.Jokinen J.Iginla
B.Comeau M.Backlund L.Stempniak
P.Byron R.Horak T.Jackman
Third Period
9. Boston, D Paille 7 (sh) (unassisted) 8:43.
Penalties — G Campbell Bos (Tripping) 6:57; P Bergeron Bos (Tripping)
19:00.
Shots on goal by
Calgary 10 9 6 —25
Boston 15 19 8 —42
Power plays (goals-chances) — Calgary: 0-2, Boston: 1-2.
R.Ivanans B.Morrison T.Kostopoulos
Goal (shots-saves) — Calgary: L Irving (21-15, L, 1-1-2), M Kiprusoff (2118). Boston: T Rask (25-25, W, 9-4-1).
The Pairings
Referees: Steve Kozari, Wes McCauley.
C.Butler J.Bouwmeester
Linesmen: Derek Nansen, Anthony Sericolo.
S.Hannan A.Babchuk
Att. at Boston, Massachusetts — 17,565.
T.J.Brodie C.Sarich
Up Next
The Goalies
M.Kiprusoff
What’s left of the Flames returns to Calgary today to prepare for Saturday’s
date with the Minnesota Wild (8 p.m., SN 960 radio, CBC).
L.Irving
Calgary Herald: LOADED: 01.06.2012
Bruins Lines
M.Lucic D.Krejci N.Horton
B.Pouliot P.Bergeron T.Seguin
Z.Hamill C.Kelly R.Peverley
D.Paille G.Campbell S.Thornton
Bruins Pairings
Z.Chara J.Boychuk
D.Seidenberg J.Corvo
A.Ference A.McQuaid
Bruins Goalies
T. Thomas
T. Rask
The Rosters
Calgary scratches — D Clay Wilson, G Henrik Karlsson (knee), D Derek
Smith (ankle), D Mark Giordano (hamstring), C Matt Stajan (ankle), LW
Rene Bourque (suspension), LW Alex Tanguay (upper body), RW David
Moss (foot). Man-games lost: 168
Boston scratches — D Steven Kampfer, LW Brad Marchand (sick). Mangames lost: 32
Summary
604803
Calgary Flames
Ference cheers for his former mate
Former Calgary Flames blueliner gushes about Iginla
ruling, and intend to abide by the decision. We will have no further
comment.”
Ivanans thrilled
Between career games Nos. 281 and 282, LW Raitis Ivanans waited for
months — 15, actually.
The big galoot was thrilled to be back in the NHL.
By SCOTT CRUICKSHANK, Calgary Herald January 5, 2012
Andrew Ference certainly doesn’t begrudge Jarome Iginla his 500th goal —
he just didn’t want to witness it Thursday.
The Boston Bruins defender, as a former teammate of Iginla’s, has already
seen plenty of offensive heroics from No. 12.
“I can’t really explain it,” Ivanans said on the morning of the Boston game.
“It feels great. You realize how much you take (for granted) when you’re
here. Then, when you’re down and you come back, you just want to grab it
and never let it go.”
The 33-year-old considers his medical frustrations — a concussion
sustained during the 2010-11 season opener in Edmonton — to be history.
Less said the better.
“Of course, I don’t want to see him get it — not against us,” said Ference, a
couple of hours before puck-drop at TD Garden. “But he’s going to get it, no
matter what . . . so it’s not like I’ll feel bad for him if he doesn’t get it. It’s
going to come eventually.
“I was going through (thoughts of not returning), but that’s past,” said
Ivanans. “I don’t want to think about it. Just put it behind me.”
“I mean, it’s great for him. Obviously, I’m happy for him. He’s a good friend
and one of the best teammates I’ve ever had.”
It’s understandable.
While he was at it, Ference spoke glowingly about Iginla’s reputation
around the NHL, of being a class act, a gentleman.
“Very deserving,” said Ference, who skated in 224 games for Calgary
(2002-07) before being shipped to Boston. “You’d be hard-pressed to find
anybody in the league that doesn’t have the utmost respect for him and the
way he plays the game and carries himself. Guys just don’t say that lightly .
. . even guys that never played with him. To have that kind of praise from
people you compete with on a night-in, night-out basis, speaks volumes.
He’s earned it, despite all the goals, because of the way he plays the game
the right way.”
Already a cult hero in Calgary, Ference had further endeared himself to
Flames faithful following Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final.
Asked during a live interview on GM Place ice about finally making up for
the disappointment of the Flames’ 2004 run, the wee defenceman
responded: “It’s funny the things you think about. I think about Jarome and
Rhett Warrener, Robyn Regehr, some of my close friends on that team.
Chuckie Kobasew. I wish I could feel this with them. That group was as tight
as this group.”
Speaking of last season’s Stanley Cup, the Bruins and Vancouver Canucks
meet here Saturday afternoon.That should be a dandy. Right?
Already plenty of buzz.
“We’ve had a few games like that over the last couple years, where the
hype gets really built up,” said Ference.
“They are always good games, but I think the machine of everything that
goes on sometimes gets a little bit ahead of itself. It’s going to be a strong
hockey game.
“They’re playing well, we’re playing well. We both have some pretty fiery
competitors. You throw that extra stuff from last year on top? And, of
course, it should be a great game. I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t.”
Bourque apologizes
In press releases Thursday, the Flames said all the right things in the
aftermath of the five-game suspension to LW Rene Bourque, who,
Tuesday, had elbowed Washington Capitals star Nicklas Backstrom in the
chin whiskers.
“I acknowledge my mistake, regret my action and take full responsibility,”
Bourque’s statement read. “I accept the decision rendered by Brendan
Shanahan on behalf of the League. I apologize to my teammates, the
Flames organization and to Nicklas Backstrom. I am embarrassed for what I
did. These are exactly the type of plays that need to be eliminated from
hockey.”
Further, general manager Jay Feaster did not publicly dispute the decision,
which cost Bourque more than $200,000 US in forfeited salary.
“We fully support the decision rendered by Brendan Shanahan and the
Department of Player Safety in this matter,” Feaster said in his statement.
“Both the Club and the player understand and appreciate the basis for the
Wilson focused
Even though D Clay Wilson was honoured to be named to the American
Hockey League all-star game Jan. 29 and 30 in Atlantic City, his focus is
elsewhere — like, staying with the Flames.
“Obviously, I’d much rather be up here,” said Wilson, who, thanks to 20
points in 32 games, was one of two members of the Abbotsbord Heat to
earn all-star invitations — Calgary native Krys Kolanos being the other. “But
it’s always an honour when you get into those groups. Those things always
catch you by surprise . . . but I’m happy to be recognized.”
Twice before, the Sturgeon Lake, Minn., native has participated in the AHL
mid-winter’s showcase.
“It’s a great event,” said Wilson, 28. “I’ve been lucky enough to be in it a
couple of times. It’s always fun when you get to be in those kinds of things.”
Wilson, by the way, raved about Kolanos, who’s stacked up 34 points in 24
dates.
“He’s come in and just been amazing to watch,” said Wilson. “He just finds
a way to get the puck in the net, almost effortlessly. It’s great for him,
especially coming off his injuries. He’s really worked hard and put in the
time. He definitely deserves it.”
[email protected]
Follow Scott Cruickshank on Twitter/CruickshankCH
604804
Calgary Flames
Bruins destroy Flames 9-0 in final game of disastrous road trip
Fifth loss in a row drops Calgary below .500
By Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald January 5, 2012
Brent Sutter announced his presence to reporters with a slamming of the
dressing-room door.
A very loud slamming.
But the Calgary Flames coach — surely smarting from the 9-0 gut-punch
administered by the Boston Bruins in National Hockey League action
Thursday at TD Garden — never raised his voice in the post-game scrum.
In fact, there was — dare we say? — a display of empathy.
Despite hearing a sellout crowd scream, "We want 10! We want 10!"
Despite absorbing a loss that was wicked bad.
"It’s tough on every one of those guys to go through that," said Sutter. "I’ve
been in their shoes, I’ve sat in those lockers, when you get it handed to you.
It’s not something you’re very proud of. I don’t think much has to be said."
Not that he was letting them off the hook.
"The outcome obviously determines how you feel your team played," said
Sutter, "and it wasn’t a pretty outcome."
Perhaps rookie T.J. Brodie deserves a medal — he somehow maintained
an even plus-minus rating (in a game-high 24:57 of ice time).
Pity, then, Chris Butler, who swallowed a minus-seven. (The last time
someone got socked that bad? San Jose’s Doug Wilson, Feb. 10, 1993, in
a 13-1 loss . . . to Calgary.)
Predictably, the dressing room, even with every player still in his stall, was
whisper-quiet following the game.
"It comes out of work," said Cory Sarich. "Stemming from work is the detail.
But without the work you’re behind the 8-ball already. There’s got to be
more. That’s probably the easiest way to try to narrow it down to less than
20 things."
The Stanley Cup champs boosted their recent string of excellence to 23-31.
The Flames, meanwhile, chucked their fifth straight.
"You can’t wave a magic wand or anything — it’s getting back to basics,"
said Jay Bouwmeester, minus-13 in his last five appearances. "It was
everything bad you could imagine out there. It’s Game, what, 42? So, if my
math is good, we have 40 games left. So there’s lots of time. We have to
learn from this. It was embarrassing for everyone. But it turns around quick
and we’re playing a good team Saturday."
The Flames, returning to Calgary today, face the Minnesota Wild.
How does a squad stop Thursday’s stomping from lingering?
"Pretty easy to forget these ones," said Sarich. "I mean, they’re
embarrassing, things you don’t want to dwell on. Think about it, think about
what you can do better, then shelf it."
Ever suffered a worse defeat?
"Not recently."
Under Sutter’s watch, the Flames fell 9-1 in San Jose on Jan. 18, 2010.
For the morbidly curious, their worst-ever loss — March 1, 1992, an 11-0
shelling in Vancouver.
"It’s hard to put into words," said Bouwmeester. "It’s just not a good feeling.
It was just everything bad rolled into one. It’s frustrating, it sucks, it’s
everything. But you’ve got to wake up tomorrow."
No one had to tell the locals to wake up.
They provided a stunning display of offence. (After surrendering the first
goal Wednesday in New Jersey, they’d won 6-1 — meaning that, yes, they
have scored 15 unanswered goals.)
Goals went to Nathan Horton (with two), Patrice Bergeron (with two), Tyler
Seguin, Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille.
"They’re a very good team, but we didn’t push them off of one puck — none
of us," said Jarome Iginla. "They pretty much just grabbed every puck and
they were skating. We gave them part-the-seas down the middle on our
goalies."
Against the hottest team in the league — the Bruins are now 23-3-1 — the
Flames simply could not start slowly.
Yet they were stunningly sluggish.
With Leland Irving in net, they permitted three goals in the first nine
minutes.
Instead of sating the Bruins, though, that spree merely inspired them to kick
the living gravy out of travellers. Like, really give it to them.
"There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to respond," said Sarich. "Again,
that comes down to going out and having the will to do it. And we didn’t
have that."
Four more goals arrived in the second. Irving departed. Miikka Kiprusoff
came in.
"It had nothing to do with the way Leland was playing —nothing," said
Sutter. "It was a tough night for everybody."
C-NOTES: D Scott Hannan left in the second period with an upper-body
injury.
[email protected]
Follow Scott Cruickshank on Twitter/CruickshankCH
604805
Calgary Flames
Sutter surly after sluggish morning skate
January 5, 2012. 11:40 am • Section: Flames Insider
Brent Sutter was in a foul mood this morning at the TD Garden.
After watching his team move sluggishly through their paces — not exactly
wicked shahp in advance of the evening’s match against the Stanley Cup
champion Boston Bruins — the Calgary Flames coach gathered his players
at the side boards and gave them a steady roasting . . . 15 minutes’ worth,
maybe more.
Asked about the dressing-down, Sutter was tight-lipped.
“We have a game tonight,” said Sutter. “We don’t want to be missing
because we’re not at the standards we need to be.”
Against a powerhouse outfit that is 22-3-1 since Nov. 1, Sutter was asked
what he wants from his squad.
“There’s a certain way we need to play, a certain way we have to play, to
allow us to have any success,” said the coach. “It doesn’t matter who’s in
your lineup, who’s not in your lineup, who’s not playing, whatever elements
aren’t going the way you’d like them to go, you can’t dwell on that, you
focus in on how we need to play.
“With us, it’s not at a point worrying about your opposition . . . it’s more
what’s acceptable to us. There’s one level that’s acceptable and the bar has
to be at that level.”
Well, you can count on Raitis Ivanans being excited. This marks his first
NHL appearance since the season-opener of LAST season.
Nervous?
“The usual,” said Ivanans, who hasn’t played in the NHL since being
concussed Oct. 7, 2010, in Edmonton. “But I’m not 20 any more. So I’m all
right.”
He’ll start on the fourth line.
“I know what I’ve got to do to do my job,” Ivanans, six foot four and 231
pounds, said. “So that’s what I’ll try to do.”
Said Sutter: “We expect him to come up here and be a hard player to play
against. It’s been a while since he’s played at this level, but if he wants to
get back to this level, then there’s a certain way he has to play. And that’s
what I’m expecting from him.”
Given the injuries and suspension, this is how the lines will look for tonight:
Glencross/Jokinen/Iginla
Comeau/Backlund/Stempniak
Byron/Horak/Jackman
Ivanans/Morrison/Kostopoulos
With the usual pairings:
Brodie/Sarich
Butler/Bouwmeester
Hannan/Babchuk
. . . and rookie Leland Irving in net.
For Boston, goalie Tuukka Rask starts.
604806
Calgary Flames
Every Flames player waits for media
the lone skater on the team to be even, despite playing 24 minutes and 57
seconds, the most of any player on either team. To make it more incredible,
seven of the Bruins’ goals count were even-strength and one was
shorthanded — powerplay goals don’t count in that stat. Meanwhile, Chris
Butler was minus-7 and Jay Bouwmeester was minus-5.
Calgary Sun: LOADED: 01.06.2012
By RANDY SPORTAK, QMI Agency
BOSTON - Talk about an eerie sight.
In the aftermath of the Calgary Flames 9-0 thrashing at the hands of the
Boston Bruins Thursday night, every player — and we mean every player
— was sitting in his stall in the dressing room waiting for the media to enter
to answer for it.
Even the stragglers.
Moreover, they had to wait until the horde was finished.
It’s a rarely seen tact used in the NHL — the last time we can remember
experiencing it came when Darryl Sutter was at the helm of the team.
(Another time when Darryl Sutter was in charge, he had captain Jarome
Iginla and the alternates wait for the media in the foyer outside the room.)
The looks in their eyes and the words that came out were those of an
embarrassed and disappointed crew.
Now, the test for the Flames will be to regroup in time to make the most of
their final 40 games — 24 at home — starting with Saturday’s clash against
the Minnesota Wild.
The season’s not over, but this is a downward spiral that will take serious
work — and a lot of luck — to end.
CREASE-CRASHING
Raitis Ivanans is one appreciative fellow these days. After missing all but
the season-opener last season due to a concussion suffered in a fight with
then-Edmonton Oilers forward Steve MacIntyre and then spending all of his
time this season — when healthy enough to play — in the minors, Ivanans
is ecstatic to be back in the NHL. “You can’t really explain it. It’s feels great.
You realize how much you take it for granted when you’re here,” Ivanans
said. “And then when you’re down and come back, you just want to grab it
and never let it go.” The Flames summoned the 6-foot-3, 231-lb. winger
from the minors in time for Thursday’s clash. He saw 11:05 of ice time,
registered three hits, a blocked shot and a minus-1 rating. Ivanans has
played 281 NHL games, in which he’s collected 18 points and 569 penalty
minutes. In 13 games this season with the AHL Abbotsford Heat, he has
one goal, three points and 15 penalty minutes.
IN THE CORNERS
RW Rene Bourque was not made available to the media but offered the
following statement regarding the five-game suspension he was handed for
a chicken-wing elbow to the jaw of Washington Capitals forward Nicklas
Backstrom in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss: “I acknowledge my mistake, regret my
action and take full responsibility. I accept the decision rendered by
Brendan Shanahan on behalf of the League. I apologize to my teammates,
the Flames organization and to Niklas Backstrom. I am embarrassed for
what I did. These are exactly the type of plays that need to be eliminated
from hockey.” Flames GM Jay Feaster also issued a statement: “We fully
support the decision rendered by Brendan Shanahan and the Department
of Player Safety in this matter. Both the club and the player understand and
appreciate the basis for the ruling, and intend to abide by the decision. We
will have no further comment.”
OFF THE GLASS
Clay Wilson is happy to have been selected to the AHL All-Star Game for a
third time, but the defenceman is hoping not to attend, even though the
event is Jan. 29-30 in Atlantic City, N.J. Wilson, who was recalled from the
AHL Heat and is currently the No. 7 defenceman, would much prefer to
remain with the Flames. “It’s a great event. I’ve been lucky enough to have
been in it a couple of times, and it’s always fun. Those things always catch
you by surprise. You don’t expect to be included, but it’s a pleasant
surprise.” … As bad as the Flames were — and they were awful on so
many levels — you have to tip your hand to the Bruins. That’s a powerful
team, which can win any way you can imagine … Thankfully, Jarome Iginla
didn’t score his 500th goal in such an awful affair. It would have soured
what should be a moment to savour … Credit to rookie D T.J. Brodie was
604807
Calgary Flames
Bourque suspended five games
BOSTON - Rene Bourque’s elbow to the jaw of Washington Capitals
forward Nicklas Backstrom in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss has earned him a fivegame suspension and more than US$203,000 in forfeited salary.
The Calgary Flames winger was suspended for the second time in less than
three weeks.
Bourque lifted his arm into Backstrom’s face as he skated by him midway
through the third period of the game in Washington. He received a minor
penalty.
Backstrom played on the ensuing powerplay and had two more shifts, but
left the game before its conclusion.
“When we look at the events of this game, we believe Bourque’s assertion
that this was an instinctive reflex rather than a premeditated attempt to
injure,” said NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan in his video explanation
of the suspension. “However as all of the parties in the hearing agreed, this
reckless elbow to the head is indefensible.”
Shanahan said the length of the suspension was based on the face
Backstrom, Washington’s leading point producer, was injured on the play,
as well as the fact Bourque is a repeat offender.
Bourque, who has 13 goals and 16 points this season for the Flames, was
suspended two games in December for a check from behind on Chicago’s
Brent Seabrook.
The extent of Backstrom’s injury hasn’t been made known. His brother,
Kristoffer, wrote on Twitter the centre underwent concussion testing, but the
results were inconclusive, according to the Washington Post.
Capitals coach Dale Hunter said Backstrom had an off-ice workout, but the
player was not made available to the media.
Bourque is eligible to return to action Jan. 17 when the Flames face the San
Jose Sharks.
IVANANS SUMMONED
Raitis Ivanans is due to play his first NHL game in nearly 15 months after
being recalled from the AHL Abbotsford Heat Wednesday.
Ivanans, who suffered a horrible concussion in a fight with then Edmonton
Oilers enforcer Steve MacIntyre during the 2010-11 season opener, has
spent the bulk of this season in the minors.
He has collected one goal, three points and 15 penalty minutes in 13 AHL
contests.
The 6-foot-3, 231-lb. product of Riga, Latvia, signed a two-year contract
prior to last season.
Ivanans, 33, has played 281 career NHL games, in which he has 12 goals,
18 points and 569 penalty minutes.
TWO TO THE FARM
Defenceman Brett Carson’s second return from injury this season is at the
next step, after being sent to the AHL Heat for a conditioning stint, along
with forward Greg Nemisz.
Carson played a couple of NHL games in early December after missing
most of the first two months of the season due to a back injury suffered in
the off-season. However, after those games, Carson was put back on the
injured list.
Carson is included in the team’s 23-man roster while on a conditioning
assignment, which can last up to two weeks.
Nemisz, the club’s 2008 first-round draft choice, has played two NHL
games this season.
He has netted seven goals and 18 points in 28 AHL contests.
604808
Calgary Flames
Flames go with Irving to finish trip
BOSTON - Save that Man Friday nickname for Leland Irving.
It looks like the Calgary Flames goalkeeper will finally be minding the twine
at the NHL level on a different night of the week.
Irving — whose first three games to kick off his NHL career have come on
successive Fridays, shootout loss in Florida Dec. 16, win in Vancouver Dec.
23 and overtime loss in Ottawa Dec. 30 — will likely get the start when the
Flames wrap up their road swing Thursday night in Boston (5 p.m.,
Sportsnet West).
At least, that’s the direction head coach Brent Sutter said he’s leaning
towards, mainly because the Flames will stay over in Boston after the game
and fly home Friday before playing host to the Minnesota Wild Saturday
night.
Sutter wants to use No.-1 netminder Miikka Kiprusoff in that outing.
“It’s a six-hour flight home and we’ve got those games at home. The first is
a divisional game and we’ve got to make sure Kipper’s ready for that,”
Sutter said. “We’ve got to make sure our No.-1 goalie is ready.
“That was our thought process going into this trip, going two-one, two-one
(Kiprusoff playing two games and Irving playing one) depending on how he
played in the first one, and he played extremely well (in Vancouver) and in
Ottawa, so we’re leaning towards doing that.”
Irving has been very good in his three NHL contests, which all came on the
second half of back-to-back nights.
The 2006 first-round draft choice stopped 39 shots in his debut. He blocked
29 in Vancouver to earn his first NHL victory and stopped 45 against the
Senators.
“We’ve been encouraged with him,” Sutter said of the 23-year-old rookie.
“We said it at the beginning of the year, our backup goaltender has to get
us some points and wins. Unfortunately, things didn’t materialize as well as
we’d liked with Karl (injured Henrik Karlsson), as far as getting that. He had
moments when he played well and moments he wasn’t that good, and then
he unfortunately he got hurt.
“But it’s funny how that works, somebody gets a chance and he’s shown, to
date, he can play at this level. That’s a strong sign for us.”
As well as Irving has played, this will be a test as to whether he can take his
game to another level.
The Bruins will be coming off a Wednesday night clash with the New Jersey
Devils, but are looking every bit like the club which won the Stanley Cup
last spring and could do it again this year.
And you know they’ll be fired up at the thought of facing a rookie goalie.
However, the Flames (18-18-5) should have plenty of motivation, too,
having lost four straight and with this game being the last of a lengthy road
swing and tough schedule.
“We’ve got one game to focus in on,” Sutter said. “You go in there with the
right attitude and right mindset, ‘Let’s just go there and play well, make sure
we give ourselves a chance.’
“We need one win and it gives us a .500 record on this trip. We need that
mindset, need to stay positive and keep our chins up.”
[email protected]
604809
Calgary Flames
Stars lead Capitals to win
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ultimately, NHL games these days all too often
come down to the cliche that your best players have to be your best
players.
Or, at least the difference makers.
No matter how you slice it, that was the difference in the Washington
Capitals 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames Tuesday night.
As well as Calgary’s top line played, the combination of Jarome Iginla, Olli
Jokinen and Curtis Glencross could only muster one goal, the secondperiod Glencross tally.
By comparison, the Caps dynamite talent had a hand in all three tallies for
their team.
Nicklas Backstrom had three assists.
Alex Ovechkin scored once and assisted on another.
This is not to pin a team-sport loss on a couple of guys, but when truly elite
players face each other, they want to win that head-to-head matchup.
“You do,” Iginla said. “I’m sure our energy line and defensive lines want to
shut their guys down, want to beat their energy line.
“Ovechkin got a big goal early and Backstrom made some nice plays. Their
powerplay beat ours, and at the end of the day the guys on it, we look at
ourselves.
“That was a big part of the game.”
IN THE CORNERS
Flames head coach Brent Sutter is hardly a stranger to new Capitals bench
boss Dale Hunter.
They had their fair share of battles over the years while Sutter played for
the New York Islanders and Hunter was with the Washington Capitals.
And yes, they dropped the gloves a couple of times.
“Dale’s a pretty tough customer,” Sutter said when asked if he won either of
those tilts.
“Dale was a highly competitive player, and I looked at myself that way, too,
so we had our run-ins. We had our confrontations, but I also think there was
a respect factor there.”
Sutter and Hunter also have another connection as owners of CHL
franchises.
Sutter owns the Red Deer Rebels, while Hunter and his brother Mark own
the OHL’s London Knights, along with Basil McRae.
By way, Sutter was happy to joke before the game whether he and U.S.
President Barack Obama got together Monday night.
“Yeah, we straightened the world out.”
OFF THE GLASS
Raitis Ivanans received something of a 33rd birthday present Tuesday, or
one heck of a tease.
Ivanans, who played just one game last season before a horrific concussion
kept him out the rest of the year — and started this season on the injury list
before being sent to the minors — was placed on re-entry waivers.
Any team can claim Ivanans at half his salary.
The big winger is in the final year of a two-year deal worth US$600,000 this
season.
Whether this was a move to actually summon him to the Flames or because
another team wants him or simply to test the waters will be known
Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Ivanans has one goal, three points and 15 penalty minutes in 13 AHL
games this season.
CREASE-CRASHING
Interesting move by the Flames to put Blake Comeau at centre. It goes to
show how thin this team is in the middle, and soft. It also makes you
question whether the team believes Greg Nemisz, who was a centre in
junior, is capable of playing it in the NHL ... Not sure if it’s the right play, but
it was gutsy for Paul Byron to try a through-the-legs drop pass just inside
the Capitals blueline while Alex Ovechkin was on the ice ... For those
looking to find a positive, the Flames’ powerplay actually looked like a NHL
team during a couple of those third-period chances and rookie blueliner T.J.
Brodie had his best game in a while, even holding his own against
Ovechkin a few times.
604810
Carolina Hurricanes
Canes likely to recall Brett Sutter
By Chip Alexander - Staff writer
With forward Patrick Dwyer still not cleared for contact, the Canes likely will
recall center Brett Sutter from the Charlotte Checkers (AHL), coach Kirk
Muller said today.
"He's hard-nosed and it goes with the message we're trying to preach right
now," Muller said. "We need to have that tenacious mentality a little bit
more, a little harder on the puck and harder with the puck. We've got two
opponents that play a hard game and I think it will be a good challenge for
him and a good opportunity to come in and be the type of player that we
need right now."
The Canes face the Buffalo Sabres and Nashville Predators in a back-toback set -- the Sabres tomorrow at the RBC Center, the Preds in Nashville
on Saturday.
Sutter, the cousin of Brandon Sutter, has played eight games for the Canes
this season -- four in October and four in November -- and has no goals and
three assists. His last game was against Ottawa on Nov. 27, just before
Muller was named coach.
Dwyer and Jeff Skinner again were wearing yellow, no-contact jerseys at
today's practice at the RBC Center. Eric Staal and Jaroslav Spacek, who
missed Wednesday's practice, were back on the ice.
Muller had Staal centering Tuomo Ruutu and Jussi Jokinen, moving
Jokinen back to a wing.
"We're trying to look at the options," Muller said. "They're three veteran
guys and put a little onus on them to lead the charge up there, to produce
as a top line.
"(Jokinen) has had some chemistry with 'Staalsy' and 'Ruuts' is playing
harder. I think it's important that we establish that type of a line."
Muller had Brandon Sutter with Drayson Bowman and Chad LaRose, with
Tim Brent centering Alexei Ponikarovsky and Jiri Tlusty. Dwyer filled in as
center with Andreas Nodl and Anthony Stewart.
"Just trying some different options down on the third and fourth line that
make sense," Muller said.
News Observer LOADED: 01.06.2012
604811
Carolina Hurricanes
Hurricanes send Dalpe, Joslin to Charlotte
By CHIP ALEXANDER - [email protected]
The Carolina Hurricanes made a couple of personnel moves Wednesday,
assigning forward Zac Dalpe and defenseman Derek Joslin to the Charlotte
Checkers of the American Hockey League.
Dalpe, 22, was an emergency call-up from the Checkers when forward
Patrick Dwyer was injured Dec. 26 against the New Jersey Devils. Dwyer,
who has missed the past four games, returned to practice this week but has
not been cleared for contact.
Joslin, 24, has been a healthy scratch for the Hurricanes the past eight
games. He is being sent to the Checkers for conditioning purposes,
allowing him to get some game action.
Canes forward Jeff Skinner, who continues to recover from a concussion,
put in his third consecutive on-ice workout Wednesday and also has not
been cleared for contact. He said he has felt strong during the practices but
is not yet symptom-free, and is being evaluated each day by a doctor to
monitor his improvement.
The Hurricanes (13-21-7) next face the Buffalo Sabres on Friday at the
RBC Center. Canes coach Kirk Muller said the team should know after
today's practice whether Dwyer will be available for the game or if a player
will need to be recalled from the Checkers.
Dalpe had a career-high 19 minutes, 13 seconds in ice time Tuesday as the
Canes were beaten 4-3 in a shootout by the New York Islanders. It's
possible he could be recalled.
Center Eric Staal and defenseman Jaroslav Spacek did not practice
Wednesday but should return today.
Muller juggled his lines against the Islanders, moving winger Andreas Nodl
to Staal's line in the second period to replace Jiri Tlusty. Nodl had 15:27 in
ice time, his highest since being claimed on waivers Nov. 29 from the
Philadelphia Flyers. Tlusty played just three shifts after the first period.
Muller said Tlusty was not injured in the game, but said the lack of playing
time was not a matter of the coach sending a message to a specific player.
"I think the message overall is we've got to compete, we've got to compete
hard and we've got to win battles," Muller said. "It's consistency that we're
after. We've got to be a hard team to play against, with the puck, without
the puck. One-on-one battles, everywhere on the rink.
"We can't have any exceptions. That's the way we have to play to get
results on a consistent basis."
Note: Checkers forwards Jon Matsumoto and Jerome Samson have been
selected to participate in the 2012 AHL All-Star Game, set Jan. 30 in
Atlantic City, N.J. They will play for the Western Conference all-stars.
Matsumoto leads the Checkers in points (29) and Samson in goals (14).
Samson also represented the Checkers last season in the All-Star Game.
News Observer LOADED: 01.06.2012
604812
Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks' Kane shoots and scores again in Philly return
By Chris Kuc
Tribune reporter
12:10 PM CST, January 5, 2012
PHILADELPHIA -- Patrick Kane juked around the defenseman and shot the
puck from a low angle into the goal. The Blackhawks forward then began a
brief celebration that had all around sharing a smile.
Kane's re-enactment of his game-winning goal in overtime of Game 6 of the
2010 Stanley Cup Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers that gave the
Hawks their first championship in 49 years was a light moment during
Thursday's morning skate at the Wells Fargo Center.
"(It wasn't) as intense as I did a couple of years ago but I went back there
and kind of retraced it," Kane said as the team prepared for Thursday
night's game against the Flyers, the Hawks' first appearance in Philadelphia
since that magical June 9, 2010 night. "(Teammate Bryan) Bickell
pretended he was the defenseman and I just kind of shot it in the same
place where the puck got lost there. It was a fun moment. It went in today.
Thank God I made that shot."
Kane said the memories of winning the Cup came flooding back upon his
return to the city.
"It was exciting," he said. "Just driving in on the bus, seeing all the stadiums
outside (and) coming into the lockerroom. I remember this lockeroom being
packed with my family and friends and teammates and other ... (members)
of the organization last time we were in here. It's a little bit different not
having the big shiny Cup with us but it still brings back a lot of memories."
[email protected]
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 01.06.2012
604813
Chicago Blackhawks
Hawks Game Day: Trail Flyers 4-2 after 2 periods
By Chris Kuc
Tribune reporter
PHILADELPHIA -- The last time the Chicago Blackhawks played a game in
Philadelphia they skated off with the Stanley Cup. On Thursday night, they
were merely looking to rebound from a tough loss and accumulate two
points in the standings.
The Hawks have lost two of their last three games entering the contest
against the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center but hope to get a boost from
visting the site where they won the 2010 Stanley Cup championship.
After two periods, the Flyers lead 4-2. Jakub Voracek, Scott Hartnell, Harry
Zolnierczyk and James van Riemsdyk have scored for Philadelphia.
Rookies Jimmy Hayes and Andrew Shaw have the Hawks' goals.
Ray Emery is in goal for the Hawks and is opposed by Ilya Bryzgalov for the
Flyers.
The Hawks have two fresh faces in the lineup as winger Andrew Shaw and
defenseman Dylan Olsen are making their NHl debuts. Rookie center
Marcus Kruger (concussion) and veteran winger Daniel Carcillo (knee)
remain sidelined.
Healthy scratches for the Hawks, who last played in Philadelphia on June 9,
2010--the night they captured their first Stanley Cup championship in 49
years--are defensemen John Scott and Sami Lepisto.
The Hawks are coming of a 4-3 defeat to the Oilers on Monday night.
604814
Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks' Carcillo to begin 7-game suspension
By Chris Kuc
Tribune reporter
PHILADELPHIA -- The extent of the injury to Chicago Blackhawks winger
Daniel Carcillo's left knee is still not known, but the veteran will begin
serving his seven-game suspension when the Hawks face the Philadelphia
Flyers on Thursday night.
Carcillo was suspended by the league Wednesday for his illegal hit on the
Edmonton Oilers' Tom Gilbert during the second period of Monday night's
game. As the players were chasing a loose puck, Carcillo shoved Gilbert
into the end boards. Both players were injured on the play and Carcillo had
to be helped off the ice by teammates and didn't put any weight on his left
leg.
Coach Joel Quenneville said after Thursday's morning skate in Philadelphia
in preparation for the Hawks' game against the Flyers that "I believe it starts
tonight" regarding Carcillo's suspension. There had been some question
with Carcillo's injury of when the suspension would begin.
Quenneville said he was not surprised by the length of the suspension,
given Carcillo's penchant for trouble, including being fined or suspended
nine times during his NHL career.
"His track record probably didn’t help him at all or the fact that (Gilbert) got
hurt," Quenneville said. "There’s a fine line that (Carcillo's going to have to
watch and we're going to have to be aware of as well. He plays hard so
we'll deal with it.
Quenneville went on to say that the team figured incidents like this would
come up when they signed Carcillo to a one-year free-agent contract in
July.
"We were looking for some guys to bring us some energy, to bring us some
toughness and a presence and Danny did all that," Quenneville said. "The
one thing that you've got to appreciate is that he plays hard and he's doing
everything for his teammates and his team.
"We knew going in that careless penalties or needless penalties are things
we're trying to guard against. We do have some … understanding that that
can happen. Finding that balance, and I think for the most part, he's found
that balance."
As far as Carcillo's injury, Quenneville only said: "We’re still talking about
the process." The coach has not ruled out knee surgery for Carcillo but the
team could be remaining mum on the injury while the suspension runs.
604815
Chicago Blackhawks
Carcillo leaves Hawks up in air
Injury may force club to make move if winger's out long after suspension
By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter
PHILADELPHIA — Daniel Carcillo's left knee injury figures to keep him out
of the Blackhawks' lineup for a significant amount of time. Even if it didn't,
the winger wouldn't be able to play as he began serving a seven-game
suspension Thursday.
The NHL suspended Carcillo Wednesday for his illegal hit on the Oilers'
Tom Gilbert during the second period of Monday night's game. As the
players were chasing a loose puck, Carcillo shoved Gilbert into the end
boards. Both were injured on the play and teammate had to help Carcillo off
the ice as he couldn't put weight on his left leg.
"We're trying to assess what we're going to do," general manager Stan
Bowman said of the injury before the Hawks' 5-4 loss to the Flyers at the
Wells Fargo Center. "Obviously, he's not going to play for a bit and the best
course we should know soon. With injures sometimes you have to decide is
the rehab going to get it to where it needs to go or not."
Bowman said he didn't have an issue with the suspension NHL
disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan handed down, especially given Carcillo's
record of nine previous fines or suspensions. Bowman was aware of
Carcillo's penchant for finding trouble when he signed him to a one-year,
free-agent contract in July.
"Some of the stuff from Daniel in the past we have certainly talked to him
about, but none of those antics have really come into play this year," said
Bowman, who added Carcillo's two-game suspension for an illegal hit on
the Hurricanes' Joni Pitkanen earlier this season also wasn't an intent to
injure.
Said coach Joel Quenneville: "There's a fine line that (Carcillo's) going to
have to watch and we're going to have to be aware of as well."
Carcillo is eligible to return Jan. 18 against the Sabres.
Looking: Even before the injuries to Carcillo and rookie center Marcus
Kruger (concussion), Bowman said he has been on the lookout for trade
possibilities.
"We've been looking for a while," said Bowman, who added that a
defenseman and/or center would be on his wish list. "If you were to talk to
the other general manager's — and I've talked to a lot of them recently —
they're looking for centermen and defensemen as well. Those are the
positions that are most in demand."
He said it: Hawks rookie Andrew Shaw on scoring first career goal on first
shot in NHL: "Playing with two great players like (Jonathan) Toews and
(Patrick) Sharp it's bound to happen. Get the puck, go to the net and good
things will happen."
604816
Chicago Blackhawks
Kane recreates Cup-winning shot
Hawks' forward gives teammates show at morning skate, but mystery of
puck's location still confounds
By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter
PHILADELPHIA — Patrick Kane provided a light moment during the
morning skate Thursday when he re-enacted his game-winning goal in
overtime of Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup finals against the Flyers.
Kane juked around the defenseman — played by Bryan Bickell — and shot
the puck from the bottom of the left circle and into the goal at the Wells
Fargo Center during the Hawks' first visit to the arena since that magical
night. Kane then began a brief celebration resembling his joyous jaunt down
the ice that had all around sharing a smile.
"I just kind of shot it in the same place where the puck got lost there," Kane
said before the Hawks' game against the Flyers. "Thank God I made that
shot."
About the only thing missing from the re-enactment was linesman Steve
Miller pulling the puck out of the net and skating off with it in his left hand.
The return visit rekindled thoughts about the location of the historic puck.
The Tribune published photos last June showing Miller taking the puck out
of the net after it eluded goaltender Michael Leighton and skating away with
it. Miller later said he didn't know the whereabouts of the rubber disc that
could be worth six figures.
"I pick up a thousand pucks a year," Miller told the Tribune. "You can ask
me what I did with a puck 10 minutes ago. I can't remember every single
thing I do with a puck."
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville got into the whodunit Thursday, asking
Kane about the pucks' whereabouts.
"I was trying to find some info," Quenneville said with a smile. "We came up
with the same answer: Nobody knows."
Until it's located, speculation about whether Miller has it or if the puck is
irretrievably lost continues.
"From what I heard the linesman took it and after that no one really knows
what happened," Kane said. "It would be nice if it showed up not just for me
but for the Hawks organization because it's a piece of history. Forty-nine
years without a Stanley Cup is a long time, and I'm sure they'd love to have
it. Hopefully it shows up at some point."
604817
Chicago Blackhawks
Joel Quenneville bemoans ‘a brutal loss’ by Blackhawks
By Adam L. Jahns
[email protected]
Last Modified: Jan 6, 2012 02:19AM
PHILADELPHIA — Coach Joel Quenneville’s postgame news -conference
was short. He was in no mood to explain or detail what happened with his
Blackhawks.
“It was a brutal loss,” Quenneville said after Flyers winger James van
Riemsdyk scored the game-winner on the power play with 32.8 seconds left
for a 5-4 victory at Wells Fargo Center.
Not even an impressive rally late in the third period was consolation for
Quenneville. The Hawks have lost three of four in addition to seeing their
lineup endure injuries.
For all talk of reliving Stanley Cup memories in their first game back in
Philadelphia since winning Game 6 of the finals in 2010, the Hawks allowed
a season-high 46 shots on goal. For a coach who wants his team to be
defined by how well they check, that about says it all.
“That’s a lot of pucks at the net,” Quenneville said.
Goals by defenseman Brent Seabrook and winger Patrick Kane 25 seconds
apart late in the third period tied the game at 4 and negated a strong effort
by the Flyers as the Hawks appeared to be on the verge of forcing
overtime.
But Kane’s high-sticking penalty in the final two minutes was another sign
that the Hawks weren’t doing the things needed to win.
“[Ray Emery] kept us in it the whole way,” center Jonathan Toews said. “We
found our way back into it and it was unfortunate that we couldn’t find a way
at least to get that extra point or get to OT and give ourselves a chance to
get a point after that. If it wasn’t for [Emery], we didn’t deserve to win that
game.”
Other than Emery, who made 41 saves, the only positives for the Hawks
was that their rookies produced. Jimmy Hayes and Andrew Shaw scored
the Hawks’ first two goals. Defenseman Dylan Olsen also had a good
game, according to Quenneville.
“I liked them all,” Quenneville said. “I thought they all played real well.”
The Flyers took a 4-2 lead into the third period, but a successful four-minute
penalty kill after Patrick Sharp’s high-sticking penalty gave the Hawks some
life and they responded.
“We were up two goals in the third and that should never be a chance for
them to get back in the game, but we let them back in,” van Riemsdyk said.
“Fortunately enough, we were able to win it.”
But the first 54 minutes of the game belonged to the Flyers. The Hawks
spent too much time in their zone, they struggled clearing rebounds away
from Emery, they spent too much time in the penalty box and they failed to
hold onto their momentum.
Van Riemsdyk finished with two goals and Harry Zolnierczyk, Jakub
Voracek and Scott Hartnell also scored for the Flyers, who didn’t commit a
minor penalty.
“We’re just not stopping them in those dangerous areas,” said Toews, who
had two assists. “We’re swooping through, hoping to get offensive breaks
and go the other way on odd-man rushes. We’re swinging through areas
and not stopping. If you’re lazy, you’re just going to miss pucks and they’re
going to get extra chances.”
Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 01.06.2012
604818
Chicago Blackhawks
Suspended agitator Daniel Carcillo will have to skate ‘a fine line’
By Adam L. Jahns
[email protected]
PHILADELPHIA — The Blackhawks knew the risks but -preferred to look at
the rewards when deciding to add a player with Daniel Carcillo’s reputation
and history of suspensions.
They figure to be without the rewards for some time.
Carcillo, who served the first game of his -seven-game suspension for
boarding Edmonton Oilers defenseman Tom Gilbert on Thursday in
Philadelphia against the Flyers, broke into the NHL as an agitator. It was
and still is his job to fight, hit, chirp and irritate. His role means being
abrasive and aggressive.
Some teams like the Hawks, who were in search of toughness this
offseason, value that role. But the NHL has come down hard on players
who live on the edge such as Carcillo every season since the lockout. Hits
that were once legal aren’t anymore.
The Hawks hoped Carcillo would provide protection and open up space for
their stars up front, and he did have some success on the top two lines. But
with the hard-line stance on hits, it was inevitable that Carcillo would get in
trouble if he didn’t drastically change his game. He said so himself.
‘‘The way I play, I’m bound to miss a few games every year,” Carcillo said
at his introductory news conference. “It comes with the territory. I don’t want
to say I like being suspended. I don’t like the pay cuts. I don’t like missing
the games. But ... it’s tough to stay out of the principal’s office.’’
The Hawks say they knew what they were getting when they signed
Carcillo, who has been suspended or fined 10 times in his career. Coach
Joel Quenneville thought Carcillo found a balance, and general manager
Stan Bowman even said he believes Carcillo matured this season.
Carcillo said multiple times this season the NHL’s tough stance and his
history had him thinking more when he goes in for hits. But he also said
often that if he didn’t play physical, he wouldn’t be in the league. As NHL
disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan said when -explaining both of Carcillo’s
-suspensions for hits this season, a lot of the onus is on the player making
the hit. It was his responsibility to hold up, and he didn’t.
“There is a fine line that he’s going to have to watch and we’re going to
have to be aware of as well,” Quenneville said. “[Carcillo] plays hard. We’ll
deal with it.”
Carcillo is eligible to return
Jan. 18 against the Buffalo Sabres. The Hawks aren’t saying whether
Carcillo, who suffered an injured left knee when Gilbert fell on his leg, will
be ready to play by that time. Bowman said surgery is a possibility.
“Obviously, he’s not going to play for a little bit here,” Bowman said. “The
best course of action we should know soon.”
604819
Chicago Blackhawks
Rookie Andrew Shaw makes a bloody-good debut
By Adam L. Jahns
[email protected]
PHILADELPHIA — Blackhawks rookie forward Andrew Shaw still had blood
on his face. It oozed from the stitches above his left eye.
But it all felt good to Shaw, who made his NHL debut in the Hawks’ 5-4 loss
against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.
“I was nervous coming into the game,” Shaw said. “But once the puck
dropped, it’s another game of hockey. It was great to get the first one out of
the way.”
Shaw meant the game, but he also got into his first fight in the NHL,
scraping with center Zac Rinaldo on his second shift. He also scored his
first career goal, displaying some good handwork in close and under
pressure.
Shaw plays a game similar to that of the suspended and injured Daniel
Carcillo. He took Carcillo’s spot on the first line with Jonathan Toews and
Patrick Sharp.
“Andrew made things happen right off the bat,” Toews said. “It’s natural for
anyone even the skilled players when they play their first game like that to
go out and just be out of sync.
“It seemed liked he was in the right place. Andrew was doing the right
things. He was chipping pucks in the right spots. It was a huge confidence
booster to get that fight and get that goal to get us going.”
It wasn’t the first time Shaw fought Rinaldo.
“We fought back in junior,” Shaw said. “He challenged me there, and I don’t
like saying no. So I decided to square up with him. I knew how he’d fight.
He just keeps throwing and throwing. He caught me with one off the start,
but I got him with a few as well.”
Trade winds blowing?
It’s no secret that Hawks general manager Stan Bowman plans to be busy
in the trade market. On Thursday, he said he’s looking for the same things
that he was last season at this time: defensemen and centers.
“You can always never have enough defensemen,” Bowman said. “Last
year Vancouver used 10 or 11 in the playoffs. Up front, you probably could
make the same argument for centermen.”
Bowman has also told teams which players he wants. They’re just not
making them available.
“We talked and we let them know the players that we like,” Bowman said.
“When they get around to it, we’re keeping on top of it. But it takes two to
tango.”
Missing puck talk
A return trip to Philadelphia wouldn’t be complete without questions about
the still missing puck from Patrick Kane’s overtime game-winner from Game
6 of the Stanley Cup finals.
“[Coach Joel Quenneville] asked me about it today,” Kane said. “I’m not
sure. From what I heard, the lineseman took it and then after that no one
really knows what happens. It would be nice to show up not just for me but
for the whole Hawks organization because it’s a piece of history.”
604820
Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks game day
Colorado Avalanche at the United Center, 7:30 p.m.
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Related articles
Radio: WGN 720-AM
What to watch: The Avs’ win Monday at Los Angeles was their third in a row
despite being without center Matt Duchene, who has a knee injury. The Avs
beat the Hawks and Corey Crawford 5-4 in a shootout Oct. 22 at the UC.
Colorado is 18-1 in its last 19 shootouts going back to last season.
Crawford is expected to start in goal for the Hawks after sitting out
Thursday at Philadelphia.
Season series: Tied 1-1
Next: Detroit Red Wings at the United Center, 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
— Tim Sassone
Daily Herald Times LOADED: 01.06.2012
604821
Chicago Blackhawks
By Tim Sassone
Even on a night when he broke out of a slump by scoring just his third goal
in 21 games, Patrick Kane's rough luck continued.
It was a high-sticking penalty on Kane that helped turn a big rally by the
Blackhawks into a 5-4 loss to the Flyers on James van Riemsdyk's powerplay goal with 33 seconds to play.
Related articles
Quenneville not surprised by length of Carcillo suspension Flyers thwart
Hawks comeback effort
That's how close they were to getting to overtime and salvaging at least 1
point. Brent Seabrook and Kane had scored 25 seconds apart minutes
earlier to bring the Hawks back from a 4-2 deficit.
“Brutal, brutal loss,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “Fighting back
from 4-2, we had it where we needed it to be. I'm frustrated we didn't get it
to overtime.”
The Hawks allowed 46 shots (21 in the second period) in an uneven
performance defensively that should have general manager Stan Bowman
stepping up his efforts to find help on the back end.
“They put a lot of pucks at the net,” Quenneville said. “We gave up some
high-quality stuff in the second period. Second opportunities is what we
need to be better at.”
Quenneville did like what he saw from rookie defenseman Dylan Olsen in
his NHL debut. Olsen played 9:48 and had 3 shots, 1 hit and 1 block.
Rookie winger Andrew Shaw had an even more dramatic debut with a goal
in the second period that put the Hawks ahead 2-1. Shaw also fought Zac
Rinaldo on his second shift and needed 10 stitches to close a cut about his
left eye.
“We fought before in junior,” Shaw said. “He challenged me there and I
don't like saying no, so I decided to square up with him.”
Jimmy Hayes, the third rookie in the lineup for the Hawks, also scored a
goal, his second in as many games.
“I liked them all,” Quenneville said of his trio of rookies. “They all did a great
job. I thought they all played real well.”
Shaw's goal came on a backhander at 7:37 of the second period, but the
Flyers' Scott Hartnell quickly answered 17 seconds later to make it 2-2.
The Flyers took a 4-2 lead out of the second period on goals 23 seconds
apart by Harry Zolnierczyk and van Riemsdyk.
Brent Seabrook scored to make it a 1-goal game at 14:15 of the third period
just as a four-minute high-sticking penalty to Patrick Sharp expired.
Kane tied it at 14:40 with his 10th goal and first since Dec. 18 with a shot
from in the slot after a steal by Jonathan Toews.
The winner by van Riemsdyk came on a nice passing play with Hartnell and
Claude Giroux.
Ray Emery made 41 saves in a losing cause as the Hawks dropped their
second in a row and ninth straight in Philadelphia during the regular season
dating to 1996.
It was the Hawks' first trip back to the building where they won the Stanley
Cup in 2010, but this was no revenge win for the Flyers.
“That's in the past,” van Riemsdyk said. “It's always nice beating those guys
because they are a very good team.”
604822
Chicago Blackhawks
Quenneville not surprised by length of Carcillo suspension
By Tim Sassone
The NHL apparently doesn't care if Daniel Carcillo has a knee injury.
According to the Blackhawks, Carcillo's seven-game suspension for his
dangerous hit on Edmonton's Tom Gilbert began on Thursday despite the
injury Carcillo suffered on the play.
Related articles
Hawks general manager Stan Bowman told reporters before Thursday's
game with Philadelphia that Carcillo could be out long-term and that surgery
on his left knee was being considered.
The length of Carcillo's suspension didn't surprise coach Joel Quenneville.
“His track record probably didn't help at all and the fact (Gilbert) got hurt,”
Quenneville told reporters. “There's a fine line he's going to have to live with
and we're going to have to be aware of as well.
“There's an awareness of how he has to play because his leash is very
short.”
The Hawks were aware when they signed Carcillo as a free agent that he
played the game on the edge of the rule book.
“We were looking for some guys to bring us some energy, to bring us some
toughness and a presence and Danny did all that,” Quenneville said. “We
knew going in that careless penalties or needless penalties are things we're
trying to guard against. We do have some understanding that can happen.
Finding that balance, and I think for the most part, he's found that balance.”
Rookie debuts:
There was a lot of attention on rookie defenseman Dylan Olsen and winger
Andrew Shaw, who made their NHL debuts in the 5-4 loss to the Flyers
after being recalled from Rockford on Wednesday.
Olsen was the Hawks' No. 1 draft pick in 2009.
“I think I've done pretty well (at Rockford),” said Olsen, who turned 21 on
Wednesday. “Been working on the little things, shooting the puck, passing,
gap control, and all that. It's obviously paying off with the call-up.”
Shaw was a fifth-round pick last June, but his progress at Rockford was
helped by the fact he already is 20 years old.
Shaw scored a goal and had a fight in 12:29 of ice time. Olsen played 9:48
with 3 shots, a hit and a block.
The quote:
Flyers center Claude Giroux on facing the Hawks: “Anytime you think of
Chicago you're going to think of them stealing the Stanley Cup from us.”
The Hawks never trailed in that 2010 Stanley Cup Final series.
No stars:
The results of fan voting for the All-Star Game “starters” were announced
Thursday with no Hawks among the top six.
Four of the six voted in by fans were from Ottawa, sight of the Jan. 29
game: Forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek and
defenseman Erik Karlsson. The other two players voted in were Boston
goalie Tim Thomas and Toronto defenseman Dion Phaneuf.
The rest of the all-stars will be named later. Jonathan Toews finished eighth
among the forwards.
604823
Chicago Blackhawks
Madigan: Employee stole $1 million from Wirtz Beverage
By Daily Herald report
A 48-year-old Rockford-area woman is accused of stealing more than $1
million over six years from Schaumburg-based Wirtz Beverage, a liquor
wholesaler and distributor run by Chicago Blackhawks Chairman Rocky
Wirtz.
Linda Bessert of Winnebago was charged with felony counts of theft over
$1 million and theft over $500,000, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
announced Thursday in a statement.
While working as an office manager out of the company’s Rockford office,
Bessert processed customer payments and was responsible for sending
those deposits to the bank by armored car, according to the statement.
She’s used her position to steal $1,058,293 between July 2004 and October
2010, Madigan said.
Bessert is being held on $500,000 bail. If convicted of the more serious
theft over $1 million charge, she faces a mandatory prison sentence of six
to 30 years.
“These allegations show that the defendant devised and executed a
scheme to deceive her employer and steal over $1 million,” Madigan said.
“This prosecution will ensure she will be held accountable for these illegal
acts.”
Madigan brought the case based on an investigation and referral from the
FBI.
604824
Chicago Blackhawks
Bowman, Hawks react to Carcillo suspension
TRACEY MYERS
Updated: Thursday, Jan. 5, 6:31 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA -- The NHL handed down its suspension for Blackhawks
forward Daniel Carcillo on Wednesday night. Now the Blackhawks will have
to deal with his absence for a while – with suspension and also with injury.
The Blackhawks made their return to Philadelphia minus Carcillo, who was
suspended seven games for his hit on Edmonton defenseman Tom Gilbert
on Monday. The suspension starts today for Carcillo, who also suffered an
apparent left-knee injury on that hit.
General manager Stan Bowman said the Blackhawks are still looking at
options with Carcillo’s injury.
“Obviously he’s not going to play for a little bit. With injuries you have to
decide, is rehab going to get it to where it needs to go or not?” said
Bowman, who added surgery could be another option. “We’re not there
yet.”
Coach Joel Quenneville said he saw Brendan Shanahan’s video
explanation of the suspension and does not argue it.
“That’s the way it is with it,” said Quenneville. “His track record probably
didn’t help him at all and the fact a guy got hurt, there’s a fine line he has to
watch and we have to be aware of as well. He plays hard and we’ll deal
with it.”
This is the 10th time Carcillo has been fined or suspended in his NHL
career. He’s already served two suspensions this season; his last one was
a two-game hiatus after his hit on Carolina defenseman Joni Pitkanen.
“It’s a fast game on the ice; things happen. Neither of those plays was there
intent to injure players,” Bowman said. “We’ve seen some other
suspensions where guys are trying to get back at guys, elbows to the head,
those kinds of things. If those happened, we’d have to focus on that. From
that perspective, these things happen and that’s why Brendan is a busy
guy.”
The league has been busy with suspensions this season; Carcillo is the
latest. But the Blackhawks will deal with it.
“It’s tough to see that happening around the league. I know it was a counter
hit, but that’s the way the league looks at it,” Bryan Bickell said. “It’s tough
to see what happened to him and what happened with the suspension. But
we have to look past that and move on.”
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.06.2012
604825
Chicago Blackhawks
No Blackhawks amongst All-Star starters
TRACEY MYERS
The people have spoken. And the people in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game's
host city spoke more often than the rest.
Four Ottawa Senators, including defenseman Erik Karlsson, were among
the top six vote-getters for this season's All-Star game, which will take place
in Canada's capital city later this month. None of the Blackhawks placed in
the top six; Jonathan Toews was the team's highest voted (eighth among
forwards). Patrick Kane was 12th, Marian Hossa was 15th and Patrick
Sharp was 22nd among the forwards. Duncan Keith was eighth among
defensemen.
Fellow Senators Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Milan Michalek were
also among the top six. Toronto defenseman Dion Phaneuf and Boston
goaltender Tim Thomas round out the top selections.
The NHL Hockey Operations staff will name the rest of the All-Star players
later this month.
604826
Chicago Blackhawks
Rookies make Coach Q, teammates take notice
TRACEY MYERS
January 5, 2012, 9:51 pm
PHILADELPHIA – Rookies are supposed to be jittery in their first few
professional games, noticeable for all the wrong reasons.
Tell that to the Blackhawks’ three new guys.
Jimmy Hayes scored his second goal in as many games and Andrew Shaw
scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot of his first NHL game in the
Blackhawks 5-4 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday night. Those two, as well
as fellow rookie defenseman Dylan Olsen, had solid outings and earned
good reviews from their teammates and coaches.
“I liked them, I liked them all,” said coach Joel Quenneville in a game he
otherwise called a “brutal” loss. “They all did a good job.”
Jonathan Toews was also impressed, especially with his linemate Shaw.
“Andrew went right in there and made things happen right off the bat,” he
said. “It’s natural for anyone, even the skill players when they play that first
game like that, to be out of synch or have timing issues a bit. But it seems
like Andrew was doing the right things, chipping pucks in the right spots.”
Shaw will have a few stories out of his first NHL game. The scrappy forward
started on the Blackhawks’ top line, and made a nifty move and backhand
to record his first career score. He also did what he does best, fighting
Flyers center and old Ontario Hockey League nemesis Zac Rinaldo in the
first period.
“He challenged me there, I don’t like saying no so I decided to square off
with him,” said Shaw, who brandished stitches in a cut above his left eye. “I
knew how he’d fight; he just keeps throwing. He caught me with one off the
start but I got him with a few as well.”
Shaw said he was nervous coming onto the ice to start tonight, “but once
the puck dropped it’s just another game of hockey. It’s nice to get the first
one out of the way.”
Olsen, called up on Wednesday with Steve Montador on injured reserve,
played a little less than 10 minutes on Thursday night. He had three shots
on goal and a blocked shot.
Hayes, meanwhile, got another goal when he redirected Jamal Mayers’
pass to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead in the first period. That fourth line
was applying plenty of pressure on Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, and
Hayes and Michael Frolik each had four shots on goal.
The Blackhawks have been giving a few of their Rockford players auditions.
These three are the latest. It’s hard to say how they’ll do in their next game
or so, or even how long they’ll be here. But on Thursday, they were all
noticeable for the right reasons.
“It’s great to see those young guys pushing,” Toews said. “The rest of us
need to follow that.”
604827
Chicago Blackhawks
Flyers flip the script on Kane, Blackhawks
TRACEY MYERS
January 5, 2012, 8:25 pm
The first scoring opportunities the Philadlephia Flyers were getting were
one thing. The second and third opportunities were quite another. The
Chicago Blackhawks gave up too many – or didn’t clear away – enough of
those. And it cost them.
James Van Riemsdyk scored twice, including the power-play game-winner
with 32.8 seconds remaining in regulation, as the Flyers beat the
Blackhawks 5-4 on Thursday night. It was the third loss in the last four
games for the Blackhawks. Coach Joel Quenneville called it a “brutal, brutal
loss.”
The Blackhawks’ return to Philadelphia, where they won the Stanley Cup a
season and a half ago, wasn’t nearly as memorable. The Blackhawks had
some good stretches, but gave up too many opportunities – 46 shots total.
And a team like Philadelphia is going to take advantage of that.
“We’re just not stopping in those dangerous areas,” Jonathan Toews said.
“We’re swooping through hoping to get offensive breaks go the other way
on odd-man rushes. We’re just swinging through areas and not stopping.
You have to move your feet, stop and start. If you’re lazy you’re going to
miss pucks and extra chances. (Ray Emery) did his job of stopping the first
chances but we have to help him on the second ones.”
The Blackhawks rookies had a memorable night, as Jimmy Hayes scored
his second goal in as many games. Andrew Shaw, playing in his first NHL
game, also scored his first career goal and fought with Flyers center Zac
Rinaldo, an old sparring partner from their Ontario Hockey League days.
In net, Emery was indeed busy with those 46 shots. He had a solid game,
all things considered, but didn’t get enough help in front. The Blackhawks
had to deal with a few penalty kills, including a Patrick Sharp double minor
midway through the third period.
Despite all of that, the Blackhawks still just about forced overtime. Brent
Seabrook scored as the second Sharp penalty expired, and Patrick Kane
scored 25 seconds later to tie the game 4-4. But Kane went to the penalty
box with 1:38 remaining in regulation, and Van Riemsdyk scored about a
minute later.
“Obviously we would’ve liked to get it into overtime and get a point out of it
at least,” Seabrook said. “You give a team like that a bunch of power plays
they’re going to capitalize on them. They’ve got some skilled forwards and
they can put the puck in the back of the net. We have to stay out of the
box.”
The Blackhawks, meanwhile, did not have one power play on the night.
Asked if he was frustrated at the lack of man advantages, Quenneville said,
“I’m frustrated we didn’t get it to overtime.”
When the Blackhawks are smart, disciplined and defensively sound, they’re
tough to beat. When they’re not, they have losses like this.
“We know how good we can be,” Toews said. “It’s just disappointing we
don’t come with that effort right away. The last couple of games it just hasn’t
been consistent enough.”
604828
Colorado Avalanche
Avs' Ryan Wilson off IR, but doubtful for Blackhawks game
By Mike Chambers
Avalanche defenseman Ryan Wilson was activated from injured reserve
today and will be available when the team begins a consecutive-game road
trip Friday at the Chicago Blackhawks.
However, Colorado coach Joe Sacco said the hard-hitting defenseman is
doubtful against Chicago as he eases the 24-year-old back in the lineup.
Wilson suffered a concussion Dec. 6 at Vancouver and has missed the past
13 games.
"He is available for us, he's off the IR now, and it's good to see him make
progress down the stretch here," Sacco said. "He'll be available, but I make
my decisions in the morning usually. But he's doubtful."
The Avs visit the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
Sacco said young goalie Semyon Varlamov will start against the
Blackhawks. Veteran Jean-Sebastien Giguere is expected to start against
the Blues, but Sacco declined to confirm that.
"I usually make my decision after the game, make sure everyone is healthy
and everything is good, but I have a plan in place," Sacco said.
Varlamov will be making his second consecutive start, but he has been
sharing the net with Giguere in the past nine games, where the Avs have
gone 8-1.
"Jiggy," who began the year as the clear-cut backup, said he is comfortable
with the platoon system because "I get to play."
Varlamov declined comment.
Denver Post: LOADED: 01.06.2012
604829
Colorado Avalanche
New Colorado Avalanche line has plenty to prove
By Mike Chambers
The Denver Post
Posted: 01/06/2012 01:00:00 AM MST
Avalanche center Paul Stastny and wingers David Jones and TJ Galiardi
have something to prove.
At the very least, they want to complement the Ryan O'Reilly-centered line,
Colorado's most productive in all three zones. And each would like to quiet
his critics while prized young forward Matt Duchene recovers from a knee
injury.
"There is that competitiveness within the team," Stastny said Thursday.
"Especially since Dutchy went down, me, Jonesy, Gali, we'd like to get back
on the scoring track and maybe take pressure off the (O'Reilly) line. At the
same time, when one line scores, the other line wants to score. It's that
healthy competition within a team, and when a team is playing well, multiple
lines are chipping in."
Stastny, Colorado's highest-paid player, is fourth on the team in scoring
with 21 points and tied for third with 11 goals. He has been used in key
situations all season, and his average ice time of 18:30 is third among
forwards.
Jones and Galiardi, meanwhile, have spent time on the third and fourth
lines and also have been healthy scratches. They will play together beside
Stastny tonight for the first time this season. Colorado coach Joe Sacco put
Jones on Stastny's right wing, replacing Daniel Winnik, who is now on the
Jay McClement-centered grind line.
"I think with Jonesy there, he's got more of a natural goal-scoring ability, so
that might be someone that Paulie can feed off," Sacco said. "They've had
some success in the past, those two guys together, and we do need some
production from that line offensively. I like what they've been doing
defensively, but I certainly (expect) some offensive production."
The Avs will play without Duchene (knee injury) for the third straight time in
tonight's game at Chicago. Galiardi previously replaced Duchene at left
wing on Stastny's line.
"The last month or so, it's been going upward," Galiardi said of his
increased ice time. "I'm just trying to play my game. I'm getting tons of
chances, but I just need to score more. If I stay on my game, it will
eventually work out."
The Avs have won eight of their past nine games to climb into playoff
position.
Colorado has won its past three road games after snapping a nine-game
losing streak outside Denver.
"We just want to keep the snowball effect going," Galiardi said. "You look at
the standings and it's unbelievable how close it is. Just the parity. You lose
a couple of games and you're probably falling to 13th, but if you win a
couple you might be at sixth. We just want to keep our feet on the gas and
keep rolling."
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or [email protected]
COLORADO AT CHICAGO?6:30 p.m. today, ALT, 950 AM
Spotlight on Marian Hossa:?The Blackhawks' leading scorer also has a
team-high plus-24 rating, fifth- best in the NHL entering Thursday's games.
Hossa, who is playing for his fifth NHL team, seems to be in the prime of his
career at age 32. The Slovakian has amassed 405 goals in 935 career
regular-season games.
NOTEBOOK
Avalanche:?Defenseman Ryan Wilson, who has missed the past 13 games
with a head injury, was activated Thursday and accompanied the team on
this two-game trip that concludes Saturday at St. Louis. Wilson is doubtful
tonight but will continue to practice with the team and might play against the
Blues. ... Semyon Varlamov will start in goal tonight, his second straight
start. Jean- Sebastien Giguere is expected to start at St. Louis, although
that decision is not official. ... Winger Peter Mueller, who has been battling
concussion problems over three seasons, continues to skate hard with the
team but still hasn't been cleared to play. ... Colorado is 8-1 in its past nine
games and has won its past three on the road.
Blackhawks:?They lost to the Flyers 5-4 on Thursday night, their first game
since losing to Edmonton 4-3 at home on Monday. It was the first time
Chicago played in Philly since winning the 2010 Stanley Cup with a 4-3
overtime win in Game 6 of that series. ... Chicago is beginning a four-game
homestand and will play seven of its next eight at the United Center. ... The
Blackhawks are 14-4-3 at home, where they have outscored their
opponents 75-58.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
Denver Post: LOADED: 01.06.2012
604830
Sharks 2, Blue Jackets 1: Worn-out Sharks too much for Jackets
Prospal provides early lead, but San Jose makes it disappear
By Aaron Portzline
The Columbus Dispatch Friday January 6, 2012 6:13 AM
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Blue Jackets have been settled in this northern
California town for three days, enjoying sunny weather and unseasonably
warm temperatures while the San Jose Sharks were off winning games in
Vancouver and Anaheim.
But even a well-rested Blue Jackets club that hadn’t played since Saturday
couldn’t keep pace last night with the road-weary Sharks, who overcame an
early one-goal deficit and won 2-1 before a capacity crowd of 17,562.
The Blue Jackets, facing Sharks backup goaltender Thomas Greiss, got
their only goal from Vinny Prospal on his first shift. San Jose, with goals
from Ryane Clowe and Joe Thornton, tied the score later in the first and
took the lead to stay in the second.
It was a high-paced, physical game, the pushing and shoving picking up in
the third period. Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash tried to coax Sharks
defenseman Dan Boyle into a fight, but Boyle wouldn’t accept.
In the closing seconds, with their goalie pulled for an extra skater, the Blue
Jackets nearly rallied to force overtime. The best scoring chance came with
12.4 seconds remaining, when Jeff Carter’s rebound shot was blocked by
Boyle, who was sprawled on the ice.
The finish wasn’t to their liking, but the Blue Jackets got the start they
wanted. Only 2:13 into the game, Greiss kicked a rebound out to Antoine
Vermette in the left circle, and Vermette rimmed it around to Mark Letestu,
who was set up behind the net.
Letestu shot the puck behind him toward the front of the net, where Prospal
took a hard shot that barely made it through Greiss’ pads and across the
line.
Then, curiously, Letestu was dropped to the fourth line, while tough guy
Jared Boll replaced him on the second line with Vermette and Prospal. It
wouldn’t be right to say the Blue Jackets’ offense dissolved after that, but
the mojo sure seemed lost.
The Sharks took advantage of a double-minor high-sticking penalty handed
to Blue Jackets rookie Ryan Johansen midway through the second. On the
second of the two power plays, Clowe batted home a rebound at 13:03 to
tie the score at 1.
The sequence started with a Michael Handzus shot from the left circle, but it
was aided by an inadvertent short-range shot on Blue Jackets goaltender
Curtis Sanford by one of his own defenseman, Marc Methot. It was the
Methot rebound that Clowe followed.
The lead grew to 2-1 San Jose at 4:44 of second.
Thornton, playing in his 500th game as a Shark, was on the right side of
Sanford when a rebound off a Marleau shot greeted him. He knocked it in
before Sanford could recover.
Sanford, making his first start since Dec. 22, looked sharp from the start. He
stopped 37 of 39 shots but still lost his fifth straight decision (0-4-1).
[email protected]
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 01.06.2012
604831
Season status report
Friday January 6, 2012 5:53 AM
Comments: 0
7.5 - Blue Jackets’ shooting percentage before last night’s games (90 goals
on 1,204 shots), 29th in the NHL. Only Saturday’s opponent, Los Angeles
(6.7 percent), was lower.
604832
Dekanich to debut
Friday January 6, 2012 5:53 AM
Goaltender Mark Dekanich, signed over the summer to be the Blue Jackets’
backup behind Steve Mason but hampered by ankle and groin injuries,
finally might be ready to play for minor-league Springfield. He could play as
soon as tonight.
604833
Blue Jackets notebook: Ex-Jacket Murray thriving with Sharks
Slap shots
The Blue Jackets extended their minor-league affiliation agreement with the
American Hockey League’s Springfield (Mass.) Falcons for two more
seasons, through 2014.
[email protected]
By Aaron Portzline
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Andrew Murray was deemed expendable last summer
by the Blue Jackets, so he tested free agency for the first time in his career
and signed with a Stanley Cup contender.
“You come in here and right from Day 1, they’re talking about the Cup,”
Murray said. “Obviously, a lot has been said about last season, getting to
the Western Conference finals and losing to Vancouver.
“It’s a different situation here for me, but I’m really enjoying it. It’s been
good, watching these guys in practice, seeing them prepare. You don’t
realize it just playing them, but some of these guys — guys who have
scored 50 goals and put up numbers every year — they’re out 30 minutes
before practice shooting and working on stuff.”
Murray has played strictly a fourth-line role, but San Jose coach Todd
McLellan called him a “true professional” and a “worker bee.”
Murray, 30, might be one of those players who is more appreciated by the
Blue Jackets now that he has moved along.
Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel said as much yesterday.
“Great kid and a guy that I felt last year didn’t get the headlines he probably
deserved when he was out of our lineup,” Arniel said. “He was playing on
our checking line, he was part of our penalty kill and he was a glue guy you
could throw out there in the last five or six minutes of a game, or in the last
minute of a period, and know he was going to do the right thing.”
Asked if the Blue Jackets have missed Murray this season, Arniel didn’t
pause.
“There are lots of areas where we could have used his abilities,” Arniel said.
Murray was an eighth-round pick in the 2001 draft. The Blue Jackets were
the only organization he knew his first decade as a pro.
“It’s going to be weird playing against them,” Murray said, “but going back
(to Ohio) the first time will probably be even more strange.”
The Sharks play at Nationwide Arena on Jan. 14.
Sounds easy enough
San Jose center Joe Thornton was asked if he ever felt pity for Blue
Jackets captain Rick Nash, whom Thornton has been close with since they
played together in Switzerland during the 2004-05 lockout.
“Yeah,” Thornton said with a slight chuckle. “But he’ll have his time. They
have a good team there. I just think they got off to a terrible start. I think
with him and (Jeff) Carter there, their future’s going to be bright. Just
weather the storm, get some good draft picks and go.”
Jenner suspended
Blue Jackets prospect center Boone Jenner was suspended for one game
by the International Ice Hockey Federation on Wednesday and missed
yesterday’s bronze-medal game in the world junior championship.
Jenner speared Russian captain Yevgeni Kuznetsov during Canada’s loss
in the semifinal round.
“There’s so much hype and everyone’s battling so hard out there,” Jenner
told Canada’s SunMedia. “It was a chippy game and things happen. I wish I
could go back, but there’s nothing I can do now.”
Jenner was lying prone on the ice, bleeding, after absorbing a forearm to
the head by Russia’s Ildar Isangulov when Kuznetsov skated toward him
and made a comment. As Jenner got up, he rammed his stick blade into
Kuznetsov’s gut.
“I can’t really remember what he said,” Jenner said. “It happened so fast. I
wasn’t happy.”
604834
Michael Arace commentary: Arniel not getting job done with Jackets
Joey and hockey
If you're a Blue Jackets fans, there hasn't been much to cheer about lately,
so here's a distraction from Columbus' six-game losing streak - Joey the
junior reporter.
This 5-year-old kid says he's been a Chicago Blackhawks fan for six years.
He interviews players in the locker room, is able to pronounce their
sometimes complicated name and ask tough questions, such as who's the
biggest turkey on the team, have the players been naughty or nice, and
how much money they get from the tooth fairy?
The Blue Jackets sported a 10-23-5 record heading into their game last
night against the San Jose Sharks. They were in last place in the NHL,
which, given that the league has 30 teams, is doing something. They have
been beating fans out of Nationwide Arena since they broke training camp
and by now there is a consensus that radical change is no longer an idea, it
is a necessity.
One thing is certain: The coach has not done the job.
We can talk about what has to be done next; it is the subject of daily
discussion among fans at BlueJacketsXtra.com and other devoted forums,
including the R?Bar. Growing in popularity is the notion that the
organization must be gutted and refilled with fresh organs: Get rid of
president Mike Priest and general manager Scott Howson, trade Rick Nash
for a passel of players, prospects and picks, dump contracts, find a
goaltender and maybe hit the draft lottery — that would be a start.
The nuclear option feels more viable with each passing day.
Those of a more conservative bent suggest that ownership need not be so
rash. I tend to fall into the minority that figures the team can be placed on a
different tack without singeing every eyebrow in the Arena District. Trade
Nash? The Jackets will not win that trade.
The conversation, or argument, is a good one in any case. People who
invested their heart and money the inaugural season were among the string
of sellouts that followed and who stood on their feet through the third period
of Game 4 in 2009 — they are starved at this point and they are mulling
how sustenance might be provided. What are the answers?
The coach is a place to start.
Before last night’s game, the Jackets were 44-58-18 over his tenure of 11/2
seasons. They have been characterized by anemic offense, porous defense
and terrible special teams. They are again ranked in the bottom fifth in the
league in goals for, goals against, power play and penalty kill. If they have
had an identity, it has changed at least three times.
They are regressing. They had one regulation victory over the final 22
games last season. They had six regulation victories in 38 games this
season, before last night.
They have blown eight third-period leads this season. The 29 other teams
in the league have combined to blow 18 third-period leads.
On New Year’s Eve against the Washington Capitals, they played 40 terrific
minutes of hockey, their opponent made a couple of minor adjustments
(breaking up Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin) and they were
flummoxed. They allowed four third-period goals and lost 4-2 before a
capacity crowd in Nationwide Arena. The patrons left angry but not
shocked, which is a dangerous state of mind.
The Jackets’ predicament is not a one-man operation, but what has
become increasingly clear is coach Scott Arniel is not part of the answer.
His team has not performed on the level of teams coached by other
candidates who were available when he was hired. Paul MacLean in
Ottawa, Claude Noel in Winnipeg, Kevin Dineen in Florida and Guy
Boucher at Tampa Bay are each outpacing the Jackets in their respective
reformation projects. They are also better salesmen for their franchises.
Arniel has turned on players who are not to his liking (see Mike Commodore
and Derick Brassard). He has admitted he is out of answers, which is
something a coach should not publicly admit, even if it is true. He has
increasingly directed media to “ask the players” as a way to deflect attention
— or, worse, to tacitly ascribe blame.
After the Washington game, Arniel turned on the media after a benign
question about the team’s struggles with four-on-four situations. He
appeared unaware of this trend and, when he was enlightened, he huffed
out of the news conference. It was minor-league stuff, of a kind that Dave
King, Gerard Gallant, Ken Hitchcock or Doug MacLean would never stoop.
Columbus deserves a better hockey team. I have a suggestion where to
start the fix.
Michael Arace is a sports reporter for The Disaptch.
[email protected]
604835
Blue Jackets fall to Sharks 2-1
Prospal provides early lead, but San Jose makes it disappear
By Aaron Portzline
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Blue Jackets have been settled in this northern
California town for three days, enjoying sunny weather and unseasonably
warm temperatures while the San Jose Sharks were off winning games in
Vancouver and Anaheim.
But even a well-rested Blue Jackets club that hadn’t played since Saturday
couldn’t keep pace last night with the road-weary Sharks, who overcame an
early one-goal deficit and won 2-1 before a sold-out crowd of 17,562.
The Blue Jackets, facing Sharks backup goaltender Thomas Greiss, got
their only goal from Vinny Prospal on his first shift. San Jose, with goals
from Ryane Clowe and Joe Thornton, tied it up later in the first and took the
lead for good in the second.
It was a high-paced, physical game, the pushing and shoving picking up in
the third period. Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash tried to coax Sharks
defenseman Dan Boyle into a fight, but Boyle wouldn’t accept.
In the closing seconds, with their goalie pulled for an extra skater, the Blue
Jackets nearly rallied to force overtime. The best scoring chance came with
12.4 seconds remaining, when Jeff Carter’s rebound shot was blocked by
Boyle, who was sprawled on the ice.
The finish wasn’t to their liking, but the Blue Jackets got the start they
wanted. Only 2:13 into the game, Greiss kicked a rebound out to Antoine
Vermette in the left circle, and Vermette rimmed it around to Mark Letestu,
who was set up behind the Sharks net.
Letestu shot the puck behind him toward the front of the net, where Prospal
took a hard shot that barely made it through Greiss’ pads and across the
line.
Then, curiously, Letestu was dropped to the fourth line, while tough guy
Jared Boll replaced him on the second line with Vermette and Prospal. It
wouldn’t be right to say the Blue Jackets offense dissolved after that, but
the mojo sure seemed lost.
The Sharks took advantage of a double-minor high-sticking penalty handed
to Blue Jackets rookie Ryan Johansen midway through the second. On the
second of the two power plays, Clowe batted home a rebound at 13:03 to
tie the score at 1.
The sequence started with a Michael Handzus shot from the left circle, but it
was aided by an inadvertent short-range shot on Blue Jackets goaltender
Curtis Sanford by one of his own defenseman, Marc Methot. It was the
Methot rebound that Clowe followed.
The lead grew to 2-1 San Jose at 4:44 of second.
Thornton, playing in his 500th game as a Shark, was on the right side of
Sanford when a rebound off a Marleau shot greeted him. He knocked it in
before Sanford could recover.
Sanford, making his first start since Dec. 22, looked sharp from the start. He
stopped 37 of 39 shots but still lost his fifth straight decision (0-4-1).
[email protected]
604836
Dallas Stars
Stephane Robidas to face Nashville: Will Stars go with 7 defensemen?
MIKE HEIKA
Staff Writer
[email protected]
Published: 05 January 2012 04:51 PM
Stephane Robidas looked great this morning. He skated well and took
plenty of time at the right point on the power play. The D-pairs right now
look like this:
Grossman-Daley
Goligoski-Robidas
Fistric-Pardy
Jordie Benn
We'll see if Jordie Benn plays tonight. I kind of think he will. One, I don't
think Glen Gulutzan wants to be caught with five defensemen if Robidas's
foot starts to swell. Two, I think he likes the option of double-shifting Jamie
Benn and Loui Eriksson.
If that's the case, you'll probably see:
Eriksson-Benn-Ryder
Morrow-Ribeiro-Ott
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
X-Wandell-Burish
It looked like Eriksson was playing with Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro
on the first power play unit with Goligoski and Robidas.
The second unit would then be: Ott-Benn-Ryder with Goligoski and Daley.
Kari Lehtonen is in goal. Pekka Rinne for the Predators. It should be
interesting to see if Rinne is fired up because he was pulled against the
Stars on Dec. 23. I kind of think his inconsistency this season is because he
has been trying too hard to live up to that new contract. Just spit-balling
there on that.
Shea Weber is back in the lineup for the Predators. The captain has had
three solid days of workouts and seems to be over the concussion
symptoms.
Dallas Morning News LOADED: 01.06.2012
604837
Dallas Stars
Shea Weber's possible return adds drama to Stars-Predators matchup
MIKE HEIKA
Staff Writer
[email protected]
Tonight's game between the Stars and Nashville at Bridgestone Arena will
be a powderkeg whether Shew Weber plays or not. But, you have to admit,
the return of Nashville's best player and one of the best defensemen in the
NHL certainly would add to the elements of a big game tonight.
Based on reports out of Nashville , Weber still is a game-time decision. As
we have learned with concussions, you just never know. Weber suffered a
concussion on a hit from Stars defenseman Mark Fistric Dec. 23 in Dallas.
While he finished the game and spoke to reporters after the game, Weber
started to get concussion symptoms after the Christmas break, so the
Predators shut down the All-Star who was a finalist for the Norris Trophy
last season.
That, of course, led to many people calling for a suspension for Fistric,
including Weber's agent.
Weber has been asked by the Predators not to speak to the media yet, so
no one really knows how he feels about the hit. Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk
said he has looked at it several times and does not believe it warranted
supplementary discipline.
Now, all of that is interesting, but it will probably take a back seat in the
minds of coaches Barry Trotz and Glen Gulutzan. After all, these two teams
are fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, and aren't divided
by many points. Nashville is 21-14-4 for 46 points in 39 games. Their .590
points percentage ranks sixth in the West. Dallas is 21-16-1 for 43 points.
Their points percentage of .566 ranks ninth in the West. So you can see
what a win could mean.
The Stars beat Nashville 6-3 on Dec. 23 in Dallas in the only meeting
between these two teams this season.
Since then, though, Nasvhille has gone 3-1-0 and the Stars have gone 1-30. Nashville lost a 4-1 game to Detroit and has since won three straight,
including two 2-1 shootout wins. Pekka Rinne, who was pulled in that game
against Dallas, has been in net for all four games. While the Vezina Trophy
finalist is not having the greatest season with a 2.59 GAA (28th) and .918
save percentage (16th), he still ranks third in wins at 19 (19-10-4).
And while scoring will be a concern for the Stars, the bigger concern might
be keeping the puck out of the net. Dallas has allowed 16 goals in the last
four games.
As for stats, Nashville ranks 17th in goals for (2.62) and 14th in goals
against (2.74). The Preds are 27th in shots on goal at 27.3 and 21st in
shots against at 31.1. They are fourth on the power play at 20.3 percent
and 21st on the penalty kill at 81.8 percent.
The Preds' leading scorer is Weber, who ranks 65th in the NHL with 29
points. Their leading scorer among forwards is rookie Craig Smith, who
ranks 92nd with 25 points.
Here is the SB Nation Fansite On The Forecheck.
604838
Dallas Stars
Stars' Mike Ribeiro hit in face with hard, high shot, returns to game with
broken tooth
MIKE HEIKA
Staff Writer
[email protected]
Mike Ribeiro was just hit in the face by a high, hard shot from Trevor Daley.
Ribeiro was in front of the net on the power play, and the puck appeared to
go under his visor and hit his mouth or nose.
He dropped his gloves and held his face and looked to be in pain. He was
helped from the ice to the locker room before the end of the second period.
He broke a tooth, but not his jaw and returned to the game.
"I didn't have a headache and I saw them getting all of the power plays in
the third, and I wanted to get out there,'' Ribeiro said between spits of blood
into a dixie cup. "I'll see the dentist tomorrow, but I really feel fine right now.
Here's Glen Gultzan on Ribeiro's condition:
"He's not as good looking as he was before. He's lost some teeth and he's
got some stitches in his mouth. We're just thankful it wasn't a broken jaw or
something like that."
"Some of that elusiveness you saw tonight was on display. I thought his
compete level was real high. It was a great game. He came back after
losing some teeth and getting stitches and he's diving to block shots. I really
liked his game. Some fantastic moves."
604839
Dallas Stars
Stars' Stephane Robidas returns from foot injury; Souray on the mend
MIKE HEIKA
Staff Writer
[email protected]
Stephane Robidas returned from missing six games with a foot injury.
Robidas had missed one game in the two previous seasons.
"It's tough on me, because I like to get in the routine and play," Robidas
said. "It's exciting to be back. There's something about waking up and
knowing it's a game day. You get in your routine, and you just know it's
going to be special."
Injury update: Sheldon Souray (ankle) still is seven to 10 days from
returning, while Philip Larsen (concussion) is day to day and Tomas
Vincour could be back in three weeks. Souray has a very mild high ankle
sprain, according to coach Glen Gulutzan. Vincour had a tear in the MCL in
his knee.
Fraser makes AHL All-Star Game: The American Hockey League
announced Wednesday that Texas Stars right wing Matt Fraser has been
named to the Western Conference all-star team. Fraser leads Texas with
16 goals, placing him in a tie for fourth in the AHL. Fraser is second on the
Stars with 25 points in 31 games. He ranks second in the league in goals by
a rookie, and he is tied for fifth in points by a rookie.
604840
Dallas Stars
Predators, fans target Stars' Mark Fistric after hard December hit
By MIKE HEIKA
Staff Writer
NASHVILLE -- Mark Fistric hadn't played the role of the villain before, but
he sure got a taste of it Thursday.
Fistric hit Nashville captain Shea Weber on Dec. 23 in a game in Dallas,
and Weber developed concussion symptoms. Weber's agent called for
Fistric to be suspended, and Nashville fans joined in. The league deemed
the hit was not worthy of discipline, so Nashville wanted payback Thursday
at Bridgestone Arena.
Nashville's Jordin Tootoo challenged Fistric to a fight in the second minute
of the game, and the two dropped the gloves and went. It was mostly a
wrestling match, but the fans seemed placated. Still, they booed Fistric on
several occasions.
"I feel there was nothing wrong with the hit, so I'm just going to approach
this like it's a normal game," Fistric said before the game. "That's all I can
do."
Weber returned from missing four games and also downplayed the hit. In
the end, Fistric played 14:45 and the Stars won.
"They're good fans here and they always play hard here, so I just expect a
good, hard game," Fistric said before the game. "We're close in the
standings, we're both fighting for playoff position, so I think the two points
are bigger than anything else."
604841
Dallas Stars
While angry Predators aim for hits, Stars keep cool in win
MIKE HEIKA
Staff writer
[email protected]
NASHVILLE — Maybe this Gandhi Hockey thing has some legs, after all.
The Stars on New Year’s Eve turned the other cheek against Boston in
what turned out to be one of their best games of the year. On Thursday at
Bridgestone Arena, they did the same thing and dominated a frustrated
Nashville Predators team 4-1.
Nashville, seeking revenge for a Mark Fistric hit on Shea Weber in Dallas
on Dec. 23, played an undisciplined, penalty-filled game, and the Stars
patiently jumped on the mistakes and capitalized in a win that pushes them
to 22-16-1 (45 points). That’s huge, as the Predators fall to 21-15-4 (46
points).
“It’s just a smart way for us to play,” said center Jamie Benn, who had a
goal and an assist. “We can’t get caught up in things. If we play our game, if
we stick to our plan, we’re a good team. And we showed that tonight.”
Jordin Tootoo challenged Fistric to a fight in the first two minutes of the
game, and the two went in a scrap that included a lot of wrestling. However,
that served as Fistric’s penance, and he played the rest of the game without
issue.
And that may have frustrated the Predators, who were being pushed by a
sellout crowd of 17,113 that seemed to want blood. Pushed by that,
Nashville looked for the big hit or the retaliation, and Dallas simply looked
for goals.
Mike Ribeiro was the quintessential controlled player on the night, scoring
two goals and battling back from taking a puck in the mouth.
“You look at Ribby and how tough he was, and that’s just a good example
for all of us,” said defenseman Stephane Robidas, who returned from
missing six games with a foot injury. “That’s how we have to play. We stand
up for each other, but we also have to stay together and not get into our
own game. That’s what we did, we played our game.”
The Stars were chasing the game early, but Ribeiro made a dazzling run up
ice to give the Stars the first goal. Ribeiro turned around one defenseman
and forced another to go sliding past before he deftly lifted a backhand past
Pekka Rinne. Though the Predators came back and scored on Gabriel
Bourque’s first NHL goal, the Stars stayed on task.
Ribeiro made a nice play to get the puck to Nicklas Grossman at the point
and went to the net. Grossman’s shot went off Rinne’s glove, and Ribeiro
slithered in to one-hand a rebound into the net for his eighth goal of the
season with 39 seconds left in the first period.
Dallas then piled on with goals from Benn in the second and Burish in the
third, and that was enough to overcome four Stars shots that hit the posts,
including one from Steve Ott on a penalty shot.
Kari Lehtonen had 24 saves, and Dallas had a nice blueprint for a winning
formula.
“Lehts was great, we had a lot of consistency from all of our lines, we
juggled pretty well, it was a good team effort,” Robidas said. “We know we
can play that way every game, and that’s what we have to do.”
604842
Dallas Stars
Three Stars: Mike Ribeiro, Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson shine in 4-1 victory
SportsDayDFW sports
[email protected] | Bio
10:28 PM on Thu., Jan. 5, 2012
Three stars
1. MIKE RIBEIRO, Stars: Two big goals and gritty return from injury.
2. Jamie Benn, Stars: Goal and assist, he's responding to more minutes.
3. Loui Eriksson, Stars: Two assists in move to Ribeiro line.
1st -- In a revved-up arena, Jordin Tootoo and Mark Fistric fought in the
second minute of the game. Then, the two sides got to work trying to score.
Mike Ribeiro opened the scoring with a nice floating drive to the net, as he
turned around one defenseman and slid by another to backhand a puck
past Pekka Rinne at 4:18. Nashville tied it at 8:31 when Gabriel Bourque
scored his first NHL goal off a nice assist from Tootoo. Ribeiro added his
second of the period when he sneaked behind Rinne to swipe in a loose
puck off a Nicklas Grossman shot.
Stars 2, Nashville 1
2nd -- Dallas controlled the period early with an 8-2 advantage in shots on
goal and finished with a 14-8 advantage. That kind of attack-zone time
helped lead to a big mistake from the Predators. Ryan Suter threw a puck
behind the net to nobody, and Jamie Benn swooped in to shoot it into a
gaping net. It was Benn's 11th goal of the season. Steve Ott earned a
penalty shot but hit the left post.
3rd -- The Stars did a nice job of staying under control, despite a few tough
hits from the Predators. Adam Burish was cross-checked in the face by
Francis Bouillon, and Vernon Fiddler was boarded by Tootoo, but the Stars
stayed on task. Tom Wandell put a shot on net that Burish tipped in at
12:53, and the Stars had all the insurance they needed.
604843
Dallas Stars
Mike Ribeiro scores two goals as Stars down Predators, 4-1
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Mike Ribeiro scored two goals in the first period and
the Dallas Stars beat Nashville 4-1 on Thursday night, ruining the return of
Predators captain Shea Weber from a concussion.
Weber had missed four games since being hurt Dec. 23 in a loss at Dallas
in a collision with Stars defenseman Mark Fistric. The Predators announced
Thursday at the morning skate that the defenseman had been cleared to
play, and Nashville had a franchise-record seventh straight sellout for
Weber's return.
But Ribeiro scored twice with Loui Eriksson assisting on both. Jamie Benn
added a goal and an assist and Adam Burish had a goal as the Stars won
for the second time in two meetings with the Predators this season.
Gabriel Bourque scored his first NHL goal for Nashville, which had a threegame winning streak snapped.
The Predators turned in video of the hit to the NHL, but Fistric wasn't
punished. Jordin Tootoo dropped the gloves off a faceoff 1:46 into the first
period for a fight with Fistric that was more wrestling before Tootoo
slammed the Stars defenseman to the ice with both going to the box for
fighting.
Ribeiro put Dallas up 1-0 when he easily beat Nashville rookie defenseman
Roman Josi and tapped a backhander into the open net past Pekka Rinne
at 4:18 of the first. Bourque tied it at 8:31 when Tootoo threw the puck out
from behind the net, and Bourque snapped it in from the slot over Kari
Lehtonen's glove for the goal.
But Ribeiro put Dallas ahead to stay at 19:22 of the first as he backhanded
a loose puck Rinne had gotten a glove on.
The Predators had been off since a win over Calgary on New Year's Day,
and they looked sloppy most of the game.
It got worse in the second when Rinne passed the puck to defenseman
Ryan Suter, who skated behind the net before passing it back behind him.
Instead of a teammate, Benn had an easy tap-in off Rinne's left skate for a
3-1 lead at 6:28.
The Stars could have led by more when Suter hit Steve Ott high during a
short-handed breakaway, and referees gave Ott a penalty shot.
Ott's wrister clanked off the post.
Ribeiro got hurt when he took a puck in the face off a shot from the point by
teammate Trevor Daley with 33.3 seconds left in the second. Ribeiro skated
off and returned wearing a cage protecting his face at 10:43 of the third.
Nashville coach Barry Trotz took his timeout at 12:40 of the third. It didn't
work as the Predators had a turnover near the blue line grabbed by Benn,
who passed to Wandell. He shot it, and Burish got a stick on it for the 4-1
lead 13 seconds after the timeout.
Notes: The Predators sold out six straight games between March 16 and
April 17, 1999, at the end of their inaugural season. ... Tootoo's assist gave
him a career-high 19 points through 38 games. ... Bourque's first goal came
in his fourth game with Nashville. ... Eriksson has points in five straight
games against Nashville (3-6-9). ... The Stars have scored at least three
goals in five of their past six games.
604844
Detroit Red Wings
No Red Wings among NHL All-Star 'starters'
By IRA PODELL
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK — The Ottawa Senators are assured of having at least four
familiar faces on the ice when they host the NHL All-Star Game this month.
Defenseman Erik Karlsson led all vote getters in fan balloting, and captain
Daniel Alfredsson and fellow forwards Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza
also were elected for the game on Jan. 29.
The NHL said today they will be joined by Toronto defenseman Dion
Phaneuf and Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas (Flint) in the starting lineup.
The four Senators hold the top four spots on the club’s scoring list, with
Spezza leading the way with 40 points — three more than Karlsson.
However, Karlsson topped everyone in the league with 939,951 votes,
42,536 more than Alfredsson.
Michalek got his spot with a late rush, beating out Toronto’s Phil Kessel by
42,144 votes. Kessel had been in line for a place in the starting lineup
throughout the voting period.
About 24 million votes were cast by fans from Nov. 14 until Jan. 4 in the alldigital balloting, a 66% increase over last season. It is the third-highest total
since voting went to an exclusive digital format in 2007.
Missing from the initial list of stars are Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos, who
leads the NHL with 27 goals, along with Rangers forward Marian Gaborik,
Kessel, Jonathan Toews of Chicago, and Pittsburgh’s James Neal — the
next four top goal scorers ahead of Michalek.
None of the NHL’s top 10 point scorers this season were voted into the
game by fans. Spezza is tied for 11th in scoring, with 40 points.
The remaining 36 All-Stars will be chosen later this month, and the two
team rosters will be determined for a second straight year by the fantasy
draft during All-Star weekend. Each team will have 12 forwards, six
defensemen and three goalies.
The Senators nearly got a fifth starter, but Phaneuf, with 614,933 votes,
edged Ottawa defenseman Sergei Gonchar by 11,305 for the final spot on
the blue line. Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom was fourth,
at 476,979. Niklas Kronwall was No. 12, at 198,859.
Thomas, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner from the defending Stanley
Cup champions, easily won the goalie race, with 626,540 votes — 128,000
more than Toronto’s James Reimer.
Thomas set the NHL record for save percentage last season (.938) and is
having another impressive season for the Bruins, who started today one
point behind the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers. Thomas
is 17-6 with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage —
even better than his record-setting mark of last season. He is 14-2 in his
past 16 decisions.
Red Wing Pavel Datsyuk finished ninth among forwards, at 313,783. Henrik
Zetterberg was No. 14, at 206,852.
Detroit's Jimmy Howard was No. 6 among goalies, with 192,685.
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 01.06.2012
604845
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings players and their fathers eager for three-game trip
By George Sipple
Detroit
The Red Wings will have a bunch of extra passengers on their upcoming
three-game trip.
It's time for the annual fathers trip, and it starts with Saturday's game
against the Maple Leafs in Toronto. The Wings will face the Blackhawks in
Chicago on Sunday, and then travel to face the Islanders on Tuesday.
Justin Abdelkader's father, Joe, is making his third trip.
"He's excited, for sure," Abdelkader said. "It's awesome. They've been
there for our whole career, pretty much, have done so much and been such
an influence, so it's great to bring them on a trip and see how the daily
routine works."
How about his mom? "My mom, she is lobbying for a mother's trip, for
sure," he said.
Jakub Kindl said his father, Milan, wasn't coming because he couldn't get a
visa in time and he didn't get anyone to replace him.
Some of the European fathers really get a kick out of the trip, as they don't
get a chance to see their sons often during the season.
Henrik Zetterberg said his father is retired, so that helps him make time for
the trip: "He's probably had his bag packed for two weeks."
Mike Commodore's father, Wayne, is coming from Edmonton. It'll be his first
trip with the Wings, but has taken similar trips when Commodore played for
the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets.
"It's a great experience for them, to see behind the scenes," Mike
Commodore said. "They don't fly charter or private jets very often. For my
dad, he was amazed by the plane, he was amazed by how easy it was to
get on the plane, that we don't have to go through a terminal, and the food
on the plane. It's a lot of fun for them."
Coach Mike Babcock said it's great for the players, too.
"This year we're doing Toronto and Chicago, two Original Six teams,"
Babcock said. "We're doing a Hall of Fame thing the first night. I think it'll be
great for our guys. We're excited about that. To me, it just brings energy. I
think it's real important you do as many things during the year as you can to
have energy."
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 01.06.2012
604846
Detroit Red Wings
Wings miss out in All-Star voting; Jimmy Howard has nice showing as writein
By Ted Kulfan
The Detroit News
Detroit— The NHL All-Star Game will have a definite Ontario flavor to it.
Four Ottawa Senators, Toronto defenseman Dion Phaneuf and Boston
goalie Tim Thomas (Davison) are the six starters who've been voted into
the game by the fans, the league announced Thursday.
The game will be in Ottawa on Jan. 29.
No Red Wings were among the six starters, but some are sure to be named
All-Stars later this month when the remaining 36 additional All-Stars will be
selected by the league.
Following the success of last year's All-Star Fantasy Draft, the league will
have another one Jan. 26, with two captains (yet to be selected) picking 12
forwards, six defenseman and three goalies per side.
Detreoit's Nicklas Lidstrom was one of the captains last season.
Lidstrom was fourth among defensemen in this year's fan voting, while
Howard was sixth among goalies — as a write-in candidate. Pavel Datsyuk
was ninth among forwards and Henrik Zetterberg 14th.
Howard would like to be selected for the game if it comes to pass.
"Most definitely," said Howard, who grew up in upstate New York, two hours
from Ottawa. "I'd love to represent the organization and the league.
Growing up and watching the game, to get the chance to possibly play in it,
it's hard to put into words. It would be cool, for lack of a better term."
Detroit News LOADED: 01.06.2012
604847
Detroit Red Wings
Gustav Nyquist was named to the American League All-Star Game (Jan.
29, Atlantic City, N.J.) after scoring 30 points (nine goals) in 30 games for
Grand Rapids.
Original Six trip an 'ideal' swing for Wings dads
"It kind of came out of nowhere," said Nyquist, who has played the last four
games with the Red Wings.
By Ted Kulfan
Detroit News LOADED: 01.06.2012
The Detroit News
Detroit— Thursday's practice at City Sports Center had more zip than
usual, which didn't surprise Red Wings coach Mike Babcock.
"I was joking around with someone, this will be the best practice in months
because the dads are here," he said.
The players will enjoy the seventh annual father-son trip this weekend —
although players can bring brothers, in-laws or friends — in Toronto on
Saturday and Chicago on Sunday.
"It's fun to have them around (on the annual trip), and it's an opportunity to
say thanks to the dads for everything they've done," Babcock said.
Babcock, whose father has been on the trip several times, is bringing his
friend, Reggie Slobogean of Saskatchewan, who hosted Babcock's Stanley
Cup party several years ago.
Most of the players said their fathers ask about this trip during the summer,
wondering where it will go.
"As soon as they hear about it they'll mark it on the schedule and pencil
themselves in, even if you're thinking about bringing someone else," said
Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard, whose father, James, is on the trip.
"They call dibs."
Talking it over with general manager Ken Holland, captain Nicklas Lidstrom
felt this weekend's trip to two Original Six cities seemed ideal.
"It's something different," Lidstrom said. "For the dads, it's a chance to
watch a game in Canada and see what that's like."
The Red Wings were scheduled to take a private tour of the Hockey Hall of
Fame late Thursday night.
Fans shut out Red Wings
If any Red Wings are to be named to the All-Star team, it'll be by the NHL.
Fans voted in four Senators — defenseman Erik Karlsson and forwards
Daniel Alfredsson , Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek — plus Maple Leafs
defenseman Dion Phaneuf and Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (Flint).
No Red Wings were among the six starters, but some could be added to the
team this month when the remaining 36 All-Stars will be selected.
Lidstrom was fourth among defensemen in the voting, while Howard was
sixth among goaltenders. Pavel Datsyuk was ninth and Henrik Zetterberg
14th among forwards.
The game is scheduled for Jan. 29 in Ottawa.
"I'd love to represent the organization and the league," said Howard, who
grew up in upstate New York, two hours from Ottawa. "Growing up and
watching the game, to get the chance to possibly play in it, it's hard to put
into words.
"It would be cool."
Injury update
Darren Helm and Tomas Holmstrom (groins) practiced briefly Thursday but
neither is expected to play Saturday.
"I don't think so, but there's another practice (today), so we'll see what
happens," Babcock said. "When they're available, we'll use them."
Helm said he didn't feel the injury during his time on the ice.
"I wasn't pushing myself too hard," he said. "It's pretty tough jumping into
back-to-back (games) with this injury."
Nyquist an All-Star
604848
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings, dads looking forward to private tour of Hockey Hall of Fame
Ansar Khan | MLive.com By Ansar Khan | MLive.com
DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings and many of their fathers were looking
forward to a private tour of the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight in Toronto, as
they start their seventh annual dads trip.
"I think it’s good for the dads to get a chance to see that, and I think it will
be good for us too to share that with our dads,'' future Hall of Famer Nicklas
Lidstrom said.
Said center Darren Helm of Lidstrom: "He's got his own section, probably.
He should have a lot of stuff there.
"We have a lot of history here. It'll be interesting to see the history
throughout the league.''
They also planned to watch the gold medal game of the World Junior
Championship between Russia and Sweden on TV.
This is always one of coach Mike Babcock's favorite trips. He has brought
his dad a few times. This time, he's bringing a friend from Saskatchewan.
"It's unbelievable, the energy and the amount of fun and amount of joking,''
Babcock said. "I joked with a few guys today, (that) it'll be the first good
practice I've seen in months. It's fun to have them around. It's a way to say
thanks to your dad for everything he's done for you.''
Michigan Live LOADED: 01.06.2012
604849
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings' Darren Helm, Tomas Holmstrom return to practice, but remain
questionable
DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings forwards Darren Helm and Tomas
Holmstrom, both idled by groin injuries, returned to practice on Thursday,
but each left about halfway through, as a precaution.
Their status for Saturday's game in Toronto (7 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit) is
questionable, at best.
“I don't think so (Saturday), but there's another practice tomorrow, so we'll
see what happens,'' coach Mike Babcock said. "We're set up to go without
them. But they're good players, when they're available, we'll use them.''
Helm has missed three games. Holmstrom has sat out four.
"See how I feel tomorrow, that will probably be a bigger indicator,'' Helm
said. “I wasn't pushing myself too hard. Couple of times I tried to get up to
full speed, but never went after it too hard. Felt good, didn't feel it at all
when I was skating.''
But he didn't sound optimistic for Saturday.
“If it feels unbelievable, maybe,'' Helm said. "We play back-to-back, so it's
pretty tough jumping into back-to-back with this kind of injury. So maybe
Saturday off and shoot for Sunday (at Chicago). But if it feels really good,
then we'll see.''
The only change Babcock made to the lines was inserting Chris Conner
where Joakim Andersson had played the past four games. Here are the
lines they skated with:
Franzen-Datsyuk-Bertuzzi
Filppula-Zetterberg-Hudler
Miller-Abdelkader-Cleary
Nyquist-Emmerton-Conner
Lidstrom-White
Kronwall-Stuart
Ericsson-Commodore/Kindl
Howard
Conklin
© 2012 MLive.com. All rights reserved.
604850
Detroit Red Wings
For some of the players who weren’t born in North America, asking their
fathers to travel overseas for a quick two-game road trip simply isn’t
practical.
Many Detroit Red Wings looking forward to having their fathers along for
weekend road trip
In the case of defenseman Jakub Kindl, who hails from the Czech Republic,
there are other issues if his father Milan wanted to take part in the event.
Brendan Savage | Flint Journal By Brendan Savage | Flint Journal
"We’re going to Canada so it’s complicated to get a Canadian visa from our
country plus a U.S. (visa), too," Kindl said. "He would need to go the
Canadian embassy. It would definitely be easier if we were playing in the
U.S. Plus, my dad is working.
DALLAS -- The next two games will be like old times for many of the Detroit
Red Wings.
When the Red Wings travel to Toronto on Saturday and Chicago on
Sunday, many will have their biggest fans -- and in some cases, perhaps
their most honest critics -- right alongside them.
This weekend marks the annual father-son trip in which the Red Wings are
encouraged to invite their dads, mentors or somebody else close to them to
tag along as part of the team’s entourage. The guests get to travel on the
Red Wings private plane and go behind the scenes like members of the
team.
"Having all the dads around will be one of those weird feelings like you’re
playing minor hockey again," said rookie forward Cory Emmerton. "He’ll
probably be telling you what to do, what you’re doing wrong.
"I’m looking forward to it."
While many NHL teams have father-son trips, the Red Wings were one of
the first to do it beginning during coach Mike Babcock’s first season with
Detroit in 2005-06.
Babcock thinks it helps break up the grind of the long NHL season.
"It’s a great thing for us," Babcock said. "This year, we’re going to Toronto
and Chicago, Original Six (cities). We’re going to the Hall of Fame the first
night. It will be great for our guys. We’re excited about that. To me it just
brings energy. I think it’s real important.
"You do as many things as you can during the year to have energy."
While many of the veterans already have experienced the event, this is the
first time some of the newcomers such as Emmerton have gotten to take
part.
Emmerton’s father Paul lives in St. Thomas, Ontario, about a two-hour drive
from Detroit, and is excited about the opportunity to get up close and
personal with his favorite team.
One of Emmerton’s most cherished hockey memories from his childhood is
the bonding he and his dad did several years ago during a road trip around
the top of Lake Superior to Thunder Bay, Ontario, for a youth tournament.
"It took 15 hours in the car," said Emmerton, 23. "It was actually a real fun
trip. We got the bronze medal there. The travel and the time it took to get
there was the most exciting part. We had six or seven cars following each
other.
"He got me started and kind of pushed me along through my younger years.
It will be real nice for him to travel (this weekend) and see what it’s like
behind the scenes, to hang out on the road trip."
Although veteran defenseman Mike Commodore is a new to Detroit after
signing with the Red Wings as a free agent last summer, he went on fatherson trips during his days with the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue
Jackets.
But he said his dad, Wayne, who is coming in from Edmonton for the trip,
still enjoys the experience.
"It’s a new experience for them to kind of see behind the scenes, what goes
into it," Commodore said. "They don’t fly private very often. I know for my
dad, the first time doing that he was amazed by the plane, how easy it was
to get on the plane, the food on the plane and all that stuff.
"It’s cool. It’s obviously for the fathers. It’s a lot of fun to have them around.
It’s nice to have family around. It’s another road trip for us but it makes it a
little different having our fathers along."
Not all of the Red Wings will have their dads in tow.
"We’ll see next year."
604851
Detroit Red Wings
Grand Rapids Griffins lone AHL All-Star representative not even with the
team
Michael Zuidema | The Grand Rapids Press By Michael Zuidema | The
Grand Rapids Press
The Grand Rapids Griffins’ lone representative for the 2012 American
Hockey League All-Star Classic currently isn’t even a member of the team.
Gustav Nyquist, who has played for the parent club Detroit Red Wings
since Dec. 29, was named a Western Conference all-star when the AHL
announced the rosters Wednesday afternoon.
The rookie forward actually didn’t even know about the honor until he was
called for comment.
“It’s great news, obviously. I’m happy and honored to be chosen,” Nyquist
said. “I’ve got to thank my teammates, obviously. It’s been a great time
down in GR so far and I’ve had a blast. We’ve got a great group of guys
down there.”
Nyquist leads the Griffins with 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 30
games, a total that is tied for second among rookies and tied for 11th
overall in the AHL.
He is the first Griffins rookie forward to be chosen for an all-star game since
Chris Bala in 2002, and the second consecutive rookie to be selected
(defenseman Brendan Smith in 2011).
Nyquist was recalled by the Red Wings after Darren Helm suffered a groin
injury, and has one assist and a plus-4 rating in four games. He registered
the first NHL point of his career in Detroit’s 5-4 win against the Dallas Stars
on Tuesday night when he set up Cory Emmerton’s second-period goal.
Nyquist said his experience with the Red Wings has been “awesome,” and
he enjoyed playing on an all-rookie line with Emmerton and Joakim
Andersson, who was assigned to Grand Rapids on Wednesday.
“I try to learn something new every day up here,” Nyquist said. “I think every
game I play I get more comfortable out there.”
Nyquist could be sent back to the Griffins if either Helm or Tomas
Holmstrom, who also is nursing a sore groin, return to the Red Wings’
lineup.
Grand Rapids coach Curt Fraser certainly would welcome Nyquist back
with open arms.
“He’s done a great job for us. He’s a real talented kid and he’s got a real
bright future in front of him,” Fraser said. “He’s doing a great job with the
Wings right now up top.
“(The all-star nod) shows that he’s been doing a good job, his teammates
have been doing a good job helping him produce the offensive chances that
he’s had, and our team because of it is getting a whole lot better. Lots of
good things are happening for Gus Nyquist.”
The Griffins have other candidates who could have been considered for allstar slots. Forward Tomas Tatar is second on the Griffins with 27 points
(nine goals, 18 assists), while Jamie Johnson leads the team with 14 goals.
Defenseman Brendan Smith is tied for 15th in scoring among AHL
defensemen with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists), while Doug Janik is tied
for 20th with 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) and both have been strong in
their own end.
Recent Griffins all-star representatives
2012 Gustav Nyquist
2011 Ilari Filppula, Brendan Smith
2010 Patrick Rissmiller
2009 Jakub Kindl, Daniel Larsson
2008 Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard
If Nyquist does remain with the Red Wings through the all-star game,
another member of the Griffins would replace him.
Fraser had hoped more of his players would be named all-stars.
“I’m a little bit disappointed because there’s a couple other guys, who
hopefully will be added in the near future, that have done a real good job for
us,” Fraser said. “We’ve had some strong play from a lot of guys, we’ve got
a real good group. It would be good for the league to take a couple more of
our guys as a reward for their hard work and entertaining hockey.”
Nyquist also thought more of his teammates merited all-star consideration.
“I think we have great players. I think a lot of guys are stepping up, and
we’re doing a lot better as a team lately,” Nyquist said. “I think we’ve been
pretty good at manufacturing points pretty much every game. We have
some great players and a lot of the guys could have been selected as well.”
Nyquist, the 121st overall pick in the 2008 NHL draft, continues to make
strides in his first professional season. He has been a point-per-game
player for the Griffins, made his NHL debut and now is an all-star.
Nyquist is trying to take it all in stride.
“I didn’t really set any goals for this year. I obviously wanted to help the
team out as much as possible, but it’s my first year and I wanted to see how
it goes,” he said. “It was important to me that I got a few games in at the
end of last year with the Griffins, and I think that kind of got me prepared so
I knew what to expect coming in.”
The AHL All-Star Classic is Jan. 29-30 in Atlantic City.
Four former Griffins were named all-stars: forwards Darren Haydar
(Chicago), Krys Kolanos (Abbotsford) and Chris Mueller (Milwaukee), and
defenseman Clay Wilson (Abbotsford). Former Griffins defenseman and
current Oklahoma City coach Todd Nelson also will serve as the head
coach for the Western Conference.
604852
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings' Jimmy Howard seeks 100th victory Saturday
DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard will be seeking
his 100th career victory Saturday, against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air
Canada Centre.
He would be the ninth goalie in club history to win 100 games and,
according to Red Wings statistician Greg Innis, would be the fifth-fastest to
reach the milestone.
Here are the Red Wings' nine winningest goalies and the number of games
it took them to reach 100, as compiled by Innis:
1. Terry Sawchuk 352 victories, 165 to reach #100 (Nov. 22, 1952 vs
Chicago)
2. Chris Osgood 317 victories, 158 to reach #100 (October 1, 1997 at
Calgary)
3. Harry Lumley 163 victories, 206 to reach #100 (October 27, 1948 at NY)
4. Roger Crozier 131 victories, 231 to reach #100 (March 3, 1968 vs
Montreal)
5. Tim Cheveldae 128 victories, 214 to reach #100 (February 14, 1993 at
Chicago)
6. Greg Stefan 115 victories, 258 to reach #100 (November 16, 1988 at
Hartford)
7. Dominick Hasek 114 victories, 156 to reach #100 (January 5, 2008 at
Dallas)
8. Manny Legace 112 victories, 163 to reach #100 (February 8, 2006 vs
Nashville)
9. Jimmy Howard 99 victories in 169 games.
604853
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom says Honda commercial fun, but timeconsuming
DETROIT -- First, it was the Dr. Rahmani Eye Institute, now it's Honda.
In his 20th season, Detroit Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom finally is
getting some endorsement deals.
You've probably seen Lidstrom and Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry in
that Honda commercial about passionate fans. Lidstrom said it sounded like
fun when his agent asked him in training camp if he was interested in doing
it. They filmed it outside the Los Angeles Sports Arena in mid-November.
“It took a whole night, it was a lot of shooting,'' Lidstrom said Thursday.
"You think it will be quicker, but everything from lighting to being in the right
spots to saying the right things and walking the right steps, everything took
a lot longer than I anticipated.”
He said just the octopus scene at the end took an hour to shoot.
"Just to make sure it got to the right spot and was sliding down slowly,''
Lidstrom said. "I believe they only used the one, but I think they were toying
around with it to make it slide down and stick on the windshield.”
604854
Detroit Red Wings
RED WINGS: Will Darren be at the helm this weekend?
By Chuck Pleiness
Macomb Daily Sports Writer
DETROIT – Darren Helm would like for his dad, Gary, to see him on the ice
and not sitting in the stands with him when the Wings visit Toronto Saturday
night.
He’s got one more practice to see if that’s possible.
Helm skated for the first time Thursday since injuring his groin in practice
last week.
“It would be nice, he’s come a long way,” Helm said. “He understands what
kind of injury it is. He used to play hockey.
“He understands the bigger picture,” Helm added. “It would definitely be
really nice to play with him in the crowd. Toronto and Chicago are two great
venues.”
Helm’s dad is one of a number of fathers and other relatives or friends that
left Thursday after practice to take part in the on the seventh annual fathers
trip.
“If it feels unbelievable, maybe (I’ll play Saturday),” Helm said. “We’re
playing back-to-back, that’s pretty tough jumping into back to backs with
this kind of injury. Maybe Saturday off and shoot for Sunday.”
Helm left midway through practice, along with Tomas Holmstrom, who is
also nursing an injured groin.
“I don’t think so, but there’s another practice (today), so we’ll see what
happens,” Wings coach Mike Babcock said when asked if Helm or
Holmstrom would play Saturday. “We’re set up to go without them.”
Helm had been shooting to return on Tuesday against Dallas and lobbied to
practice on Monday. That request was denied and Helm stayed in town to
receive treatment instead of travelling with the team.
“I didn’t really feel anything in my groin too much,” Helm said. “Just doing
the one stretch, I felt it a little bit. For the first day on the ice in five or six
days, I felt pretty good. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. That’ll probably be
a bigger indicator of how things went today.
“I wasn’t really pushing myself too hard out there,” Helm added. “A couple
times I tried to get up to full speed, but I never really went after it too hard. I
didn’t really feel it at all while I was skating.”
One part of the trip Helm is looking forward to is visiting the Hockey Hall of
Fame.
“I’ve never really walked around there and looked at things,” Helm said. “I’m
excited about it. I know my dad hasn’t been there. He’s excited about it. He
shows his emotions quite highly. It should be fun to be there.
“We have a lot of history here,” Helm continued. “It’ll be interesting to see
the history throughout the league. He’s (Lidstrom) got his own section
probably. He should have a lot of stuff there.”
TV spot
In case you haven’t seen it, Nicklas Lidstrom and Anaheim’s Corey Perry
are in a Honda television commercial together.
“I was asked about it during training camp by my agent,” Lidstrom said. “I
didn’t know the extent of it, but, sure, it sounded like a fun thing to do. And
when they explained briefly what it was that we would be doing I thought it
was a fun thing to try out.”
The commercial shows Lidstrom and Perry walking out of a hockey arena
and then has the Wings’ captain telling Perry to ‘aim for the net next time.’
Perry responds, ‘do you want to take a cab?’
After getting in the car, hats start hitting it and both players ask each other if
they had a hat trick and ends with a octopus hitting the windshield of the
car.
“It took a whole night, it was a lot of shooting,” Lidstrom said. “You think it
would be quicker, but everything from lighting to being in the right spots to
saying the right things and walking the right steps, everything. It took a lot
longer than I anticipated.
“That (the octopus hitting the car) in itself took probably an hour just to
make sure it got to the right spot and was sliding down slowly,” Lidstrom
added. “I believe they only used the one, but I think they were toying around
with it to make it slide down and stick on the windshield.”
Macomb Daily LOADED: 01.06.2012
604855
Edmonton Oilers
(stitches) on my ear. Definitely hurt. Lots of nerves there and my head
hurts, too,” said Hall.
Blues rally from three-goal deficit to edge Oilers
In the third, Potter hadn’t even taken off his gloves in the box when
Pietrangelo beat Dubnyk to make it 3-2. Then Hall took a roughing penalty
on T.J. Oshie, which he knows was foolish, and Backes scored.
By Jim Matheson, edmontonjournal.comJanuary 5, 2012
“He hit me good, a clean hit and I saw Laddie (Ladislav Smid)
ST. LOUIS - The Edmonton Oilers carried a 3-1 lead into the final period,
but it took less than two minutes to let two points slip out of their grasp at
the Scottrade Center on Thursday.
“From a coach’s standpoint, I’d describe this game as bizarre ... we could
have scored 10 goals and they could have scored nine,” said
St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock, whose charges scored three
unanswered goals in the third to edge the Oilers 4-3.
Hitchcock, the one-time United Cycle skate salesman, picked up his 550th
NHL career victory.
Both teams scored two power-play goals. Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle
tallied for Edmonton in the middle frame, while Blues defenceman Alex
Pietrangelo and centre David Backes scored in the first 108 seconds of the
third period to tie the game
Ben Eager scored the other Oilers goal, while Matt D’Agostini and Chris
Stewart countered for St. Louis.
A total of 69 shots were fired on the beleaguered goalies. Oilers’
Devan Dubnyk saw 37, while Jaroslav Halak faced 32 for the Blues.
The Oilers were outshot 14-3 in the first 20 minutes, but they out-gunned
the Blues 20-9 in the second. It was a 10-2 shot advantage in the third for
the Blues when D’Agostini got the eventual
winner nine minutes into the final frame. His seeing-eye 40-footer somehow
eluded Dubnyk.
“It was a heck of a shot ... I had my hand exactly where the puck was going,
but it hit a leg and then I heard a post (clang). That’s why I was just
standing there, wondering, ‘how did that go in?’ ” said Dubnyk, who also
heard the roar of the crowd after the puck nestled into the net.
In between some strong netminding and fortuitous bounces and screened
shots, Dubnyk got caught out of the net in the first to give Stewart a tap-in.
Pietrangelo’s shot through heavy traffic came three
seconds after Oilers defenceman Corey Potter shot the puck over the glass
and Backes got a goal on a shot that tipped off Andy Sutton.
“Doobie had one option ... and he chose not to use it,” shrugged Oilers
head coach Tom Renney, who felt Dubnyk should just have parked himself
in his cage rather than move up the right boards to make a play.
The Oilers (16-21-3), who’ve now lost five of six games on their sevengame road trip, had a two-goal lead after 40 minutes, but lost it on the first
two shifts of the third.
“Our special teams, which have been so good this year (the NHL’s No. 9
penalty kill) let us down,” sighed captain Shawn Horcoff, after the Oilers
manhandled the Blues, the league’s best home team
(16-3-2) in the second, with 15 shots on myriad power plays, only to
stumble in the final 20 minutes.
In the second, Hall ripped a 50-footer past Halak with blue-liner Kevin
Shattenkirk in the box. Then Eager scored on the next shift with a daffy shot
from a terrible angle that somehow got past Halak’s glove.
Then, the Oilers, who have the NHL’s second-best power play, got their
35th power-play goal of the season when Eberle ripped one past Halak at
the end of a major to Roman Polak for clubbing Hall on the ear. St. Louis
was then given a two-many men on the ice penalty.
“We had lots of room to manoeuvre because their guys look like they were
tired. We were getting so much power-play time,” said Hall, w ho was
knocked silly by Polak’s stick.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it. I took the puck from him and I’m sure he was
trying to lift my stick, but I got a whack in the head. I think I got 10 zips
coming in (to help), but I wanted to shove him myself. But I got him in the
face,” said Hall. “We’d had lots of penalties go our way and we had to know
they were going the other way. It was the perfect opportunity to call one.”
“Last thing we wanted to do was go to the penalty box and, as often is the
case, by some strange coincidence, they (infractions) seem to even off,”
said Renney.
On this road trip, the Oilers have lost three games by a 4-3 score — the
Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres and now the Blues. They also beat the
Chicago Blackhawks 4-3.
“It’s almost like you’d rather lose a game where you felt you deserved to
lose,” said Hall. “We’re doing good things, but we’re not getting points. We
let down for two minutes in the game and it comes back to bite us. My
penalty was evidence of that.”
“These are two young teams with a lot of vibrant players and a lot of
emotion out there and sometimes that spills over — not much defensive
responsibility,” said Hitchcock.
Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 01.06.2012
604856
Edmonton Oilers
Nugent-Hopkins out three to four weeks with damaged shoulder
Jim Matheson
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be out three to four weeks with damage to his left
shoulder, which is likely separated, although they aren’t saying that. He was
examined early Thursday after taking a good part of Wednesday to fly back
to Edmonton from St. Louis.
If RNH is out three weeks, he would miss 11 Oilers’ games after stumbling
in Chicago on Jan. 2 and falling into the boards in the first period of their 4-3
win over the Blackhawks. Fortunately, there is an NHL all-star break after a
Jan. 24 in Vancouver. The Oilers don’t have any games from Jan. 25 to
Jan. 31 if he’s out, say, four weeks. His time on the shelf would appear to
put a major crimp in any NHL all-star possibilities for the Jan. 29 game in
Ottawa, too. The leading rookie-of-the-year candidate (35 points) is in the
running for an all-star selection along with Jordan Eberle, who has 42
points.
Blues’ coach Ken Hitchcock was looking forward to seeing Nugent-Hopkins
in the flesh for for the first time in a live NHL game after being hugely
impressed when he saw the kid last winter playing a handful of junior
games for the Red Deer Rebels. “I just knew if there was a player ready to
play pro, he was the guy,” said Hitchcock, who was between coaching
gigs after the Columbus Blue Jackets fired him and he came back to
Western Canada to get reacquainted with the juniors.
“His hockey intelligence and tenacity on the puck was way ahead of
everybody. I watched him play against good teams and he was dominant
offensively and defensively every night. There’s lots of players in junior,
who have the skills but they’re not ready to play in the NHL. In the NHL
they’re not always going to have the puck but Nugent-Hopkins was so
good in both aspects. You just knew that he was going to put a lot of
pressure on his team to keep him,” said Hitchcock.
604857
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have a lot of intriguing pieces. Time to cash in a few of them?
Should the Oilers pursue Ryan Getzlaf of the Ducks? Oh yeah!
I’m not such a big fan of Perry, but Getzlaf is a strong, commanding,
talented centre, and if he were willing to sign here long-term, such a deal
would certainly be worth investigating.
David Staples
No doubt about it. The risk is the Oilers trade for him but can’t sign him to a
reasonable contract.
Should the Oilers be buyers?
Elliott reports on Twitter: “Just had chat with Ducks GM Bob Murray. Says
he has two untouchables– Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu — but anyone
else is in play. Says he’s not rebuilding and seeking draft picks. if he trades
a core player, it would be for another core-type player. Hasn’t conceded this
season.
“Murray said he knows will be tough to make playoffs this season but wants
to see team put something together and make a run. Murray also said that if
core players want to stay w/Ducks they have to play that way…and as I
type that, Corey Perry scores.”
My take?
As near impossible it is for the Oilers to make the playoffs this year — given
how much the team would have to improve and numerous other teams
would have to fall apart — it’s laughable for the Ducks to be thinking
playoffs still. This is a squad that is nine points back of the Oilers.
Murray is making such a statement because it’s impolitic for any NHL GM to
say he’s just watched Nail Yakupov in the World Junior Tournament, so
he’s going to do all he can for his team to finish last or near last and get the
best possible odds to grab this future NHL superstar.
But by saying he’s open for trade, that is essentially what Murray is doing.
He’s stripping down his club, praying for Yak or maybe Mikhail Grigorenko.
It’s a prudent move on Murray’s part.
The Oilers are in a similar position to the Ducks.
This Oilers team would need a miracle finish to make the playoffs. The
prudent course here is also to trade off aging Oilers veterans, not acquire
new ones, unless the new ones can help the Oilers for years to come.
The Oilers are also in the running for Yakupov and for superior draft
position. Management should be hesitant to make any short-term move that
pushes the Oilers up the standings this spring. If the team is to move up
(and I expect they will), the current roster players must do the job.
With all that in mind, do the Ducks have any player who can help the Oilers
long-term but makes sense in acquiring now?
The list of candidates is short. Both Corey Perry, 26, and Ryan Getzlaf, 26,
are proven NHLers in the prime of their careers. They each have a year left
on their current contracts, after which they will be unrestricted free agents.
They’re not putting up such big scoring numbers this year, partly due to bad
luck.
Perry shot 17.2 per cent last year when he scored 50 goals in 82 games.
This year he’s scored 15 goals in 38 games, shooting 11.0 per cent, below
his career average of 12.4 per cent.
Getzlaf is shooting just 7.2 per cent, below his career average of 12.3 per
cent, and down from 16.2 per cent last year. In fact, the entire Ducks team
is shooting poorly when Getzlaf is out at even strength, bad luck all around.
So it could be that with their contracts running out and their shooting
percentages lower than normal, both players might be obtained at
something of a discount. Bad luck can make any player look worse in the
short-term, so that’s the good news for those hoping to obtain Perry or
Getzlaf.
Nonethless, they’re both in their NHL primes, the Oilers are rebuilding and
already stacked with young talented forwards, so it’s difficult to imagine
either player coming here. For example, would the Ducks take Ales Hemsky
and Sam Gagner plus a few prospects for Getzlaf or Perry? That would
appear highly unlikely.
Would Edmonton be willing to give more than Hemsky and Gagner for such
a player on a short-term deal? Would management throw in a Linus Omark
or a Magnus Paajarvi or a Jeff Petry or a Teemu Hartikainen or a few of
them?
On defence, the Ducks are too old or too young. Cam Fowler, 20, and Luca
Sbisa, 21, are apparently fine young players, but still years away from
being top-notch NHLers, I strongly suspect, given the development curve of
most NHL d-men.
Would a Fowler for Gagner deal make sense for either team? It might, but
one would hope that if the Oilers do acquire a defenceman, they would
move for one who is a finished product, not a work in progress.
The Oilers should be ready to compete for the playoffs next year. Is Fowler
ready to help? I don’t know enough about him to make a strong
assessment, though he was an incredibly skilled junior player. Given his
age, though, I have my doubts.
Perhaps the Oilers could pick up some vet stopgap d-man from the Ducks,
some player such as Matt Smaby or Mark Fraser, so that Colt Teubert or
Alex Plante can play in the AHL, where they belong this season. That’s the
extent of the deal-making I’d expect to see between the two teams right
now, though an aggressive pursuit of Getzlaf is worth the effort. This kind of
centre is no easy thing to acquire in the NHL.
604858
Edmonton Oilers
Nugent-Hopkins out 3-4 weeks
By DEREK VAN DIEST, QMI Agency
In a year of firsts for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, another one has been added to
the list.
The Edmonton Oilers rookie will be out three to four weeks with a left
shoulder injury, marking the first time he’ll miss games for an extended
period.
“It’s actually the first time I’ve ever missed a game because of an injury,”
said Nugent-Hopkins on Thursday. “This is new to me and I’m just going to
try to take care of it as best I can.
“It’s a little bit sore, and personally, I want to be out there and help out any
way I can. But I have to take it for what it is and recover the best I can.”
Nugent-Hopkins was injured Monday in the first period against the Chicago
Blackhawks. He missed the rest of the contest, then travelled with the team
to Buffalo and St. Louis before being sent home Wednesday to be
evaluated by team doctors. The Oilers did not release details of the injury.
“I just hit a rut on the ice and I toe-picked a little bit and went straight into
the boards,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “It’s not something I do on a regular
basis, it was definitely an unfortunate event.
“Right when I hit, I felt it really hurt. I got up, tried to finish my shift and I
couldn’t really move it. I skated off as quickly as I could, and luckily, we
were able to get the puck out and I got to the bench as fast as I could.”
Prior to the injury, Nugent-Hopkins, 18, had 13 goals and 22 assists in 38
games with the Oilers. He leads all NHL rookies in scoring, up seven points
on Adam Henrique of the New Jersey Devils.
“It’s disappointing and if there is any way I can speed up the recovery, I’m
going to try to do that,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “Hopefully I can get on the ice
soon that way I can keep my fitness level up and keep going.
“I don’t want this thing to be a problem in the future. I definitely have to take
care of it and make sure it gets fixed.”
The first overall pick in last summer’s NHL Entry Draft has been impressive
in his first year and is in the running to win the Calder trophy this season as
the league’s top rookie. No Oilers rookie has ever won the award.
Last year, Taylor Hall was in the running before an ankle injury derailed his
campaign.
“For me it would be a great honour if I would get the opportunity to win that
award,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “But for me, the biggest thing is helping the
team out any way that I can. We want to make a push for the playoffs, so
when I get back I’m going to help out any way I can.”
Even as the first overall pick, Nugent-Hopkins has exceeded expectations
this season. Heading into training camp, there were questions as to
whether the Burnaby, B.C. native would be physically strong enough to
handle the everyday rigours of the NHL.
Nugent-Hopkins has proven he can, and in the process, become a vital part
of the club. His presence will be missed by the Oilers.
“I never knew what to expect coming in, but I thought I would be able to
have some success,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “But I’ve been extremely lucky
playing with the guys I’m playing with. The team took me in right away and
they made me feel comfortable. They made me feel like one of the guys
right away, so that was big thing for me.”
Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 01.06.2012
604859
Florida Panthers
Barch suspended 1 game for remark
By Sports Network
Florida Panthers forward Krys Barch was suspended for one game by the
National Hockey League on Thursday.
Barch, who is Caucasian, uttered a racial remark in the direction of
Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban, who is of African-Canadian
descent, on Saturday night.
"Mr. Barch has admitted making the remark, but denies that the comment
was racially motivated," said Colin Campbell, senior executive vice
president of hockey operations. "While we accept Mr. Barch's assertion, as
a player in the National Hockey League, he must be held accountable for
making a comment that, in the context in which it was made, and in light of
the entirety of the circumstances, was offensive and unacceptable."
The Miami Herald reported Wednesday that linesman Darren Gibbs was
the only official who overheard the comment, spoken as Subban was
leaving the ice.
Barch was given a 10-minute misconduct and was ejected, but the
Panthers won 3-2.
"I know myself and what I said, it may have been inappropriate, but it was
nowhere along the lines of racial slur," Barch said in an apology issued after
the Panthers' Thursday practice ahead of a game with the New York
Rangers. "The things I said were pretty explicit, maybe not for kids' ears.
That's why I really can't repeat what I said."
Miami Herald LOADED: 01.06.2012
604860
Florida Panthers
NHL suspends Barch 1 game for comment to Subban
The Associated Press
Florida Panthers forward Krys Barch has been suspended for one game by
the NHL because of an inappropriate comment to Montreal's P.K. Subban
during the game on Saturday night.
Barch will sit out Thursday night's game against the Rangers in New York.
Barch made the comment at the end of the first period of the Panthers' 3-2
win on New Year's Eve and was ejected. The Miami Herald reported a
linesman said he heard Barch direct a racial slur toward Subban, who is
black.
NHL vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell says Barch "has
admitted making the remark, but denies that the comment was racially
motivated."
Campbell says Barch must be held accountable for the comment, which
was "offensive and unacceptable."
604861
Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers’ Krys Barch suspended one game for ‘inappropriate
language’
By GEORGE RICHARDS
[email protected]
Panthers forward Krys Barch was suspended one game by the NHL for an
“inappropriate comment” in last Saturday’s 3-2 win over visiting Montreal.
Barch, Florida’s top enforcer, missed Thursday night’s game against the
Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Linesman Darren Gibbs overheard Barch yell something at Montreal’s P.K.
Subban, who is black, as Subban skated off the ice after a fight with
Florida’s Erik Gudbranson. Barch was given a 10-minute misconduct and
ejected from the game, and an NHL official told The Miami Herald it was for
a racial slur.
The NHL held a hearing on the matter Thursday morning. Barch was joined
on the conference call by coach Kevin Dineen as well as NHL Players
Association representation.
“I stated my case; I know myself and what I said. It may have been
inappropriate, but it was nowhere near a racial slur nor that intent,’’ Barch
said after Florida’s morning practice at Chelsea Piers. “The things I said
were pretty explicit and maybe not for kids’ ears, so that’s why I can’t repeat
it. My grandma wouldn’t want to hear it. Lets put it that way.’’
Although Barch nor the Panthers would divulge what Barch said, two
sources told The Herald that, aside from various expletives, Barch asked
Subban if he “slipped on a banana peel” after his legs went out from under
him during the scrum with Gudbranson.
“There is no debate over what was said,’’ Dineen said. “The content or the
context of the comment can and should be debated over what the intent of
the comments were. I have a lot of respect for Krys Barch and how he’s
handled himself the past five days. This has been extremely tough on him.
... All the information was laid out there. We respect the league’s decision
and move on.’’
Scott Norton, Barch’s agent, said last Sunday that Barch meant nothing
racial by his comment and said that it was all just a misunderstanding.
Barch said he was told by NHL vice president Colin Campbell that if the
NHL thought Barch used a racial slur, his suspension would be between
five and 10 games.
Campbell used stronger language in his official explanation for the
suspension.
“As a player in the National Hockey League,’’ Campbell wrote in a release,
“he must be held accountable for making a comment that, in the context in
which it was made, and in light of the entirety of the circumstances, was
offensive and unacceptable.”
Barch said he called Subban on Sunday to explain himself. Subban claims
he didn’t hear anything said, and Barch told him. “I’d rather him hear it from
me,’’ Barch said.
The Panthers are not expected to sanction Barch further. As one unnamed
member of the team said, “He used a bad choice of words, no doubt. But it
did look like Subban slipped on something. Barchy is a great guy. He didn’t
mean what it sounded like that night. We’ll put this behind us.’’
604862
Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers (20-12-7) at New York Rangers (24-9-4), 7 p.m. (ET)
The Rangers have taken two straight and seven of the last 10 meetings
with Florida and New York pounded the Panthers by a 6-1 score when the
clubs last met in NYC on Dec. 11. Derek Stepan scored twice in a four-goal
second period for the Rangers, who have won two straight and three of the
last four encounters in the Big Apple.
Florida is 10-8-2 as the visiting club this season.
By Sports Network
After a thrilling victory in the Winter Classic, the Eastern Conferenceleading New York Rangers will shoot for an eighth victory in nine games
when they host the first-place Florida Panthers tonight at Madison Square
Garden.
The Rangers notched a 3-2 win over the Flyers at Philadelphia's Citizens
Bank on Monday. Mike Rupp scored two goals in the outdoor setting and
Blueshirts goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stoned Danny Briere on a penalty
shot with 19.6 seconds remaining to all but seal the victory.
New York fell behind 2-0 at the home of Major League Baseball's Phillies,
but then scored three unanswered goals against Flyers backup goaltender
Sergei Bobrovsky.
Rupp pulled the Rangers out of the early hole, scoring goals late in the
second period and early in the third, and Brad Richards netted the eventual
game-winner less than three minutes later.
"It's such a crazy atmosphere," said Rangers captain Ryan Callahan.
"You're dealing with the elements, the wind and everything. We got the lead
and we just wanted to get pucks out and keep it in their end. I think we did a
good job of that."
Lundqvist made 34 saves and he closed his pads in time to stop Briere from
going five-hole on the penalty shot.
"I was just trying to be patient and do my thing," Lundqvist said of stopping
Briere. "He's a sneaky guy, and there was a lot of pressure on me."
The game also marked the return of Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, who
made his season debut after sitting out the first 36 games while recovering
from a concussion he suffered in February on a hit by his brother, Carolina
forward Eric Staal.
New York enters tonight four points ahead of Philly for first place in the
Atlantic Division and the Blueshirts are also one ahead of Boston for the top
seed in the East.
The Rangers are 11-3-2 as the host this year and have won their last three
tilts at MSG.
Despite going 2-3-1 over its last six games, Florida enters tonight with a
three-point lead over Washington for the top spot in the Southeast Division.
The Panthers have won two of their last three tilts and have been off since
Saturday's 3-2 regulation win over visiting Montreal. Tomas Fleischmann
netted two goals to help the Panthers take the home victory.
Shawn Matthias scored the other goal for the Panthers, who did lose
starting goaltender Jose Theodore to injury in the win. Theodore started in
net for Florida and stopped 9-of-10 shots, but left the game in the second
period with a lower-body injury. Scott Clemmensen entered in relief and
allowed one goal on 18 shots.
Theodore is expected to miss tonight's game and Jacob Markstrom was
recalled to aid Clemmensen in the goaltending department.
Panthers forward Krys Barch was ejected from Saturday's game after
allegations that he directed racial slurs towards Habs defenseman P. K.
Subban, who is a Canadian of Jamaican descent. Barch is scheduled to
have a hearing with the league prior to tonight's game.
Florida could have Marcel Goc back tonight after he missed the last 22
games due to a concussion. The centerman had two goals in 17 games
before suffering the head injury.
In other news, the Panthers signed veteran center and three-time Stanley
Cup champion John Madden to a one-year deal on Wednesday. Madden,
the 2001 Selke Award winner as the league's top defensive forward, was a
free agent after posting 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in 76 games with
Minnesota last season. It's unclear if Madden will be available for tonight's
game.
604863
Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers Krys Barch Suspended One Game for 'Inappropriate
Language' ... OUT v New York Rangers on Thursday ... BY GEORGE
RICHARDS
NEW YORK – Florida Panthers forward Krys Barch was suspended one
game by the National Hockey League for using “inappropriate language” in
last Saturday's 3-2 win over visiting Montreal.
Barch, Florida's top enforcer, will miss Thursday night's game against the
Linesman Darren Gibbs overheard Barch yell something at Montreal's P.K.
Florida's Erik Gudbranson.
a great guy. He didn't mean what it sounded like that night. We'll put this
behind us.''
Added Barch: “I got into this league through hard work and that's how I'm
going to leave it. Something like this isn't what I'm about.''
FROM THE NHL:
The National Hockey League announced today that Florida Panthers
forward Krystofer Barch has been suspended onegame as a result of an
inappropriate comment directed at P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens
at the end of the first period of Game 559 in Florida, December 31, 2011.
Mr. Barch will miss tonight’s game in New York against the Rangers.
"Mr. Barch has admitted making the remark, but denies that thecomment
was racially motivated,” said Colin Campbell, Senior Executive Vice
President of Hockey Operations.
Barch was given a 10 minute misconduct and ejected from the game as an
NHL official told The Miami Herald it was for a racial slur.
“While we accept Mr. Barch’s assertion, as a player in the National Hockey
League, he must be held accountable formaking a comment that, in the
context in which it was made, and in light of the entirety of the
circumstances, was offensive and unacceptable.”
on the conference call by coach Kevin Dineen as well as NHLPA
representation.
-- With Barch out, the Panthers will bring back injured forwards Marcel Goc
(concussion) and Mikael Samuelsson (bruised tailbone) against the
Rangers.
inappropriate but it was nowhere near a racial slur nor that intent,'' Barch
said after Florida's morning practice at Chelsea Piers.
Center John Madden, who signed on Wednesday, practiced but will not
play Thursday. Dineen said it's possible that the 38-year-old would be sent
to AHL San Antonio to get in a couple of games before he plays for the
Panthers.
“The things I said were pretty explicit and maybe not for kids' ears, so that's
why I can't repeat it. My grandma wouldn't want to hear it, lets put it that
way.''
Said Dineen: “At the end of it, we respect the decision and move on from
here. .-.-. I tell the team, like the other 800 players, coaches and staff in the
NHL, how proud we are to be part of the most diverse league in all
professional sports. We're extremely proud of that and it's an area that we
make sure we are aware that comments can be taken in many different
ways. It's important you always conduct yourself in a proper matter.''
Although Barch nor the Panthers will divulge what Barch said, two sources
told The Herald that, aside from various expletives, Barch basically asked
Subban if he “slipped on a banana peel” after his legs went Subbandownout
from under him after being punched by Gudbranson.
“There is no debate over what was said,'' Dineen said. “The content or the
the comments were. I have a lot of respect for Krys Barch and how he's
"At the end of the day, all the information was laid out there. We respect the
league's decision and move on.''
Scott Norton, Barch's agent, said last Sunday that Barch meant nothing
five and 10 games.
he didn't hear anything said and Barch told him. “I'd rather him hear it from
me,'' Barch said. Barch also spoke to Montreal's Erik Cole who also heard
what was said from the Florida bench.
“What me and my family have been through, the way my dad brought me
up,'' an emotional Barch said, “we live in southern Ontario, one of the most
mulit-cultural places in North America if not the world. There are so many
players in this league representing so many countries, we are very diverse.
I would never want to touch people in that way.
“My intent, for my sake and my families sake, I never said anything racially
driven or used a slur. I've looked on the internet and there are 700 related
articles that say I said I used a racial slur. I have to deal with it, my wife has
to deal with it walking the dog down the street, my dad. It's nice that's over
with, things came out. I do feel bad for the team. There's been a cloud
hanging over us the past few days.''
The Panthers are said to be standing behind Barch and he is not expected
to be sanctioned by the team aside from Thursday's suspension.
As one unnamed member of the team said, “he used a bad choice of
words, no doubt. But it did look like Subban slipped on something. Barchy is
Madden hasn't played in a game since April 2.
Posted by George Richards at 01:06 PM | Permalink
604864
Florida Panthers
Red Wings, dads looking forward to private tour of Hockey Hall of Fame
By Ansar Khan | MLive.com
DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings and many of their fathers were looking
forward to a private tour of the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight in Toronto, as
they start their seventh annual dads trip.
"I think it’s good for the dads to get a chance to see that, and I think it will
be good for us too to share that with our dads,'' future Hall of Famer Nicklas
Lidstrom said.
Said center Darren Helm of Lidstrom: "He's got his own section, probably.
He should have a lot of stuff there.
"We have a lot of history here. It'll be interesting to see the history
throughout the league.''
They also planned to watch the gold medal game of the World Junior
Championship between Russia and Sweden on TV.
This is always one of coach Mike Babcock's favorite trips. He has brought
his dad a few times. This time, he's bringing a friend from Saskatchewan.
"It's unbelievable, the energy and the amount of fun and amount of joking,''
Babcock said. "I joked with a few guys today, (that) it'll be the first good
practice I've seen in months. It's fun to have them around. It's a way to say
thanks to your dad for everything he's done for you.''
604865
Florida Panthers
• Newly signed center John Madden could make his debut with the
Panthers on Friday against his former team in New Jersey.
By George Richards
• Former President Bill Clinton watched Thursday’s game from a seat along
the glass behind the goal where he caught a puck flipped to him during the
first period. Clinton, who showed off his souvenir while getting a standing
ovation during the third, is believed to be the first former or sitting U.S.
President to watch a Panthers game in person.
[email protected]
Florida Panthers put up better fight but fall in OT to Rangers
After being manhandled in their previous two games against the Rangers,
the Panthers showed no signs of backing down Thursday at Madison
Square Garden.
Florida trailed off a Ryan Callahan goal in the third period yet answered on
Mike Santorelli’s shot 36 seconds later. That goal, and some stout play in
net by Scott Clemmensen, helped the Panthers force overtime and pick up
a point in a 3-2 loss.
The Panthers had been outscored 10-2 in their previous two losses to the
Rangers, including last Friday’s 4-1 defeat in Sunrise.
The Rangers got their eighth win in their past nine games when Marian
Gaborik’s slap shot beat Clemmensen on New York’s 41st shot of the night
with 1:31 left in overtime.
Florida continues its Metro New York road trip by visiting the Devils in
Newark, N.J., on Friday.
“We have to find a way to make sure we keep getting points and don’t fall
back. We have to keep pushing ahead,’’ Stephen Weiss said. “It’s nice [to
be leading the division], it’s a place we want to be. But it’s a tough stretch
here, an exciting stretch. We’re going to find where our team is. For real.’’
The Panthers might have caught the Rangers napping a bit after New
York’s emotional win over the Flyers in Monday’s Winter Classic and with a
big game in Pittsburgh on Friday. The Rangers didn’t look too enthused to
be playing, yet woke up when Marcel Goc snapped a shot past backup
goalie Martin Biron to make it 1-0 at 4:16 of the first.
Goc scored on his first shift since being knocked out of Florida’s win in
Dallas on Nov. 15 with a concussion. He was assisted by Mikael
Samuelsson, who was playing in his first game since being knocked on his
behind and suffering a bruised tailbone Dec. 20. Goc hadn’t scored since
Oct.?29.
“They played well, had plenty of rest time,’’ coach Kevin Dineen said. “You
could say there’s rust, but they came out with some jump and created some
things. They were probably our most solid line.’’
The Rangers, as expected, bounced back and tied it on Anton Stralman’s
shot late in the first. Florida got called for its first too-many-men penalty
early in the third, with Brad Richards’ slap shot hitting Callahan and
skipping past Clemmensen for New York’s first lead of the night.
The struggling Santorelli picked the Panthers’ spirits right up, however, as
he followed Goc’s lead and went high on Giron as well to tie things up with
15 minutes remaining. Santorelli hadn’t scored in his past 12 games.
“Nice goal,’’ Dineen said. “He played a solid game, played a little wing.
When he uses that hard shot, he’s pretty effective. It was nice to see him
get one. A little confidence could be big for him.’’
Clemmensen was terrific for much of the night as he has now put up a pair
of strong performances since Dineen yanked him in the second period of
last Friday’s loss to the Rangers after he surrendered three goals on 14
shots. Clemmensen came in relief of Jose Theodore last Saturday when
Theodore left with a knee injury, stopping 17 of 18 shots in a 3-2 win over
Montreal.
The 38 saves were Clemmensen’s most since making 40 in an overtime
loss against Boston on Dec. 28, 2010.
“We got a point, but you’re obviously disappointed when you don’t win,’’
Clemmensen said.
The Rangers and Panthers traded scoring chances in the overtime period,
but the Rangers skated off triumphantly when Derek Stephan left the puck
30 feet out for Gaborik to tee off on. The goal was Gaborik’s 23rd this
season, tied for second-most in the league.
604866
Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers’ Krys Barch suspended one game for ‘inappropriate
language’
By GEORGE RICHARDS
[email protected]
Panthers forward Krys Barch was suspended one game by the NHL for an
“inappropriate comment” in last Saturday’s 3-2 win over visiting Montreal.
Barch, Florida’s top enforcer, missed Thursday night’s game against the
Linesman Darren Gibbs overheard Barch yell something at Montreal’s P.K.
Florida’s Erik Gudbranson. Barch was given a 10-minute misconduct and
ejected from the game, and an NHL official told The Miami Herald it was for
a racial slur.
on the conference call by coach Kevin Dineen as well as NHL Players
Association representation.
inappropriate, but it was nowhere near a racial slur nor that intent,’’ Barch
said after Florida’s morning practice at Chelsea Piers. “The things I said
were pretty explicit and maybe not for kids’ ears, so that’s why I can’t repeat
it. My grandma wouldn’t want to hear it. Lets put it that way.’’
Although Barch nor the Panthers would divulge what Barch said, two
sources told The Herald that, aside from various expletives, Barch asked
Subban if he “slipped on a banana peel” after his legs went out from under
him during the scrum with Gudbranson.
“There is no debate over what was said,’’ Dineen said. “The content or the
the comments were. I have a lot of respect for Krys Barch and how he’s
... All the information was laid out there. We respect the league’s decision
and move on.’’
Scott Norton, Barch’s agent, said last Sunday that Barch meant nothing
five and 10 games.
Campbell used stronger language in his official explanation for the
suspension.
“As a player in the National Hockey League,’’ Campbell wrote in a release,
“he must be held accountable for making a comment that, in the context in
which it was made, and in light of the entirety of the circumstances, was
offensive and unacceptable.”
he didn’t hear anything said, and Barch told him. “I’d rather him hear it from
me,’’ Barch said.
The Panthers are not expected to sanction Barch further. As one unnamed
member of the team said, “He used a bad choice of words, no doubt. But it
did look like Subban slipped on something. Barchy is a great guy. He didn’t
mean what it sounded like that night. We’ll put this behind us.’’
604867
Florida Panthers
Bill Clinton Digs Hockey, Takes Home Puck from Florida Panthers Game v
New York Rangersme Thursday
Former President Bill Clinton watched Thursday's game from a seat on the
glass behind the goal where he caught a puck flipped to him during the first
period.
Clinton, who showed off his souvenir while getting a standing ovation during
the third, is believed to be the first former or sitting U.S. President to watch
a Panthers game in person.
Clinton stayed for the entire game and was seen on the big screen clapping
and cheering (while sipping on a Diet Coke) after the Rangers pulled off a
3-2 overtime win against the Panthers.
Clinton sat behind Scott Clemmensen during the second period, although
Clemmensen said he didn't know the former president was there until it was
announced in the third.
We'll see if he makes the trip with the Panthers to Newark tomorrow.
Posted by George Richards
604868
Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers Kick Off Tough Stretch with 3-2 OT Loss to Rangers ...
Goc, Santorelli Score for Cats as Clemmensen Stops 38 Shots
Newly signed center John Madden and suspended forward Krys Barch
wore orange jerseys at Thursday's morning skate at Chelsea Piers although
neither are injured. Madden, 38, could make his debut with the Panthers
Friday against his former team in New Jersey.
On Thursday, Dineen said he wouldn't rule out sending Madden to AHL
San Antonio for a game or two of conditioning.
NEW YORK – After being manhandled in their previous two games against
the Rangers, the Panthers showed no signs of backing down Thursday at
Madison Square Garden.
Madden, a three-time Stanley Cup champion who won the title twice with
the Devils, hasn't played since April 2 while with Minnesota.
Florida trailed off a Ryan Callahan goal in the third period yet answered on
Mike Santorelli's shot 36 seconds later. That goal, and some stout play in
net by Scott Clemmensen, helped the Panthers force overtime and pick up
a point in a 3-2 loss.
The Panthers had been outscored 10-2 in their previous two losses to the
Rangers including last Friday's 4-1 defeat in Sunrise.
The Rangers got their eighth win in their past nine games when Marian
Gaborik's slap shot beat Clemmensen on New York's 41st shot of the night
with 1:31 left in overtime.
Florida continues its Metro New York road trip by visiting the Devils in
Newark, N.J., on Friday.
“We have to find a way to make sure we keep getting points and don't fall
back. We have to keep pushing ahead,'' said Stephen Weiss. “It's nice [to
be leading the division], it's a place we want to be. But it's a tough stretch
here, but an exciting stretch. We're going to find where our team is. For
real.''
The Panthers may have caught the Rangers napping a bit after New York's
emotional win over the Flyers in IzzienyrMonday's Winter Classic and with a
big game in Pittsburgh on Friday. The Rangers didn't look too enthused to
be playing, yet woke up when Marcel Goc snapped a shot past backup
goalie Martin Biron to make it 1-0 at 4:16 of the first.
Goc scored on his first shift since being knocked out of Florida's win in
Dallas on Nov. 15 with a concussion.
He was assisted by Mikael Samuelsson, who was playing in his first game
since being knocked on his behind and suffering a bruised tailbone Dec. 20.
Goc hadn't scored since Oct. 29.
“They played well, had plenty of rest time,'' coach Kevin Dineen said. “You
could say there's rust, but they came out with some jump and created some
things. They were probably our most solid line.''
The Rangers, as expected, bounced back and tied it on Anton Stralman's
shot late in the first. Florida got called for its first too-many-men penalty
early in the third, with Brad Richards' slap shot hitting Callahan and skipping
past Clemmensen for New York's first lead of the night.
The struggling Santorelli picked the Panthers spirits right up, however, as
he followed Goc's lead and went high on Giron as well to tie things up with
15 minutes remaining. Santorelli hadn't scored in his past 12 games.
“Nice goal,'' Dineen said. “He played a solid game, played a little wing.
When he uses that hard shot, he's pretty effective. It was nice to see him
get one. A little confidence could be big for him.''
Clemmensen was terrific for much of the night as he has now put up a pair
of strong performances since Dineen yanked him in the second period of
last Friday's loss to the Rangers after he surrendered thre goals on 14
shots. Clemmensen came in relief of Jose Theodore last Saturday when
Theodore left with a knee injury, stopping 17 of 18 shots in a 3-2 win over
Montreal.
The 38 saves were Clemmensen's most since making 40 in an overtime
loss against Boston on Dec. 28, 2010.
“We got a point but you're obviously disappointed when you don't win,''
Clemmensen said. “We're disappointed even though this is a top team and
we're playing in their building. We're not satisfied with that. We want to beat
everyone every night. This was a tough test for us.''
The Rangers and Panthers traded scoring chances in the overtime period,
but the Rangers skated off triumphantly when Derek Stephan left the puck
30 feet out for Gaborik to tee off on. The goal was Gaborik's 23rd this
season, tied for second most in the league.
AROUND THE RINK
Posted by George Richards
604869
Florida Panthers
Panthers' Barch suspended; comment 'inappropriate' but not racial
Source says Barch meant no harm by tease of Subban during a fight
By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel
5:22 PM EST, January 5, 2012
NEW YORK
The NHL suspended Panthers forward Krys Barch for one game for an,
"inappropriate comment,'' directed toward Canadiens defenseman P.K.
Subban in last Saturday's game between the two Eastern Conference foes.
Barch was given a match penalty at the end of the first period after a scrum
between Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson and Montreal's Subban.
The Miami Herald reported that an unnamed NHL official said that linesman
Darren Gibbs threw him out for uttering a "racial slur'' to Subban, who is
black. Subban said he never heard anything.
After a four-day delay, partly due to not wanting negative publicity to
interfere with Monday's Winter Classic, the league conducted a telephone
inquiry with Barch, his NHLPA representative and Panthers coach Kevin
Dineen before practice at Chelsea Piers Sky Rink Thursday morning.
In mid-practice, Dineen came off the ice to take a phone call from the
league offices in which he was informed of the decision rendered by Colin
Campbell, executive president of hockey operations.
"There's no debate over what was said,'' Dineen said. "The context of the
comments can and should be very debatable on what the intent of the
comments were. I have a lot of respect for Krys Barch and the way he's
handled himself the last five days, which have been extremely tough for
him.''
A source told the Sun Sentinel Thursday that the undisclosed comment was
actually Barch teasing Subban for losing his balance during his tussle with
Gubranson.
"He said it looked like he was "slipping on a banana peel,'' the source said.
"He didn't mean anything by it. As far as we're concerned, this issue has
been over for days."
Gibbs' reaction might've stemmed from a racially charged incident during a
preseason game in Ontario between the Flyers and Red Wings in which a
fan threw a banana peel toward Wayne Simmonds, a black player on
Philadelphia, after he scored a shootout goal.
A contrite Barch said that Campbell told him if he had thought his
comments were racially motivated he would've suspended him for, "five-to10 games and this would've been done the day after."
"It may have been inappropriate but it was nowhere along the lines of a
racial slur or intent of,'' Barch said. "The things I said were pretty explicit
and maybe not for kid's ears. That's why I can't repeat what I said. … My
grandmother wouldn't want to hear it.
"In terms of what my family, friends and how I dealt with it the last five days
and how my dad's brought me up, lliving in southern Ontario, one of the
most multi-cultured places in North America, if not the world, and in a
league with so many nationalities with players from so many countries,
being as diverse as we really are, I would never want to touch people,
especially my peers and guys I play against, in that way.
"It's nice it's over with now and everything's come out. I feel bad for the
team and what the guys have been through and this cloud that's been
hanging over us the last four days.''
Campbell believed Barch's intention weren't racially motivated, but still
deserved a suspension.
"While we accept Mr. Barch's assertion, as a player in the NHL, he must be
held accountable for making a comment that, in the context in which it was
made, and in light of the entirety of the circumstances, was offensive and
unacceptable,'' Campbell said.
Barch said he called Subban the day after the incident to tell him exactly
what was said and how he meant it. Barch said he also received support
from ex-teammate Trevor Daley and assistant coach Paul Jerrard, both of
whom are black and members of the Dallas Stars organization.
Subban's teammate Erik Cole had told reporters that Barch's comment had
to do with Subban's mother.
"I told [Subban] I'd rather him hear it from me than from speculation or
others on the ice,'' Barch said. "I spoke to Cole … and he said, 'I was just
telling the media that these are the things people say and I heard you' but
that's your place to say. …
"He said guys in the league knows that's not what I'm about. I got in the
league through hard work, and being a good person on and off the ice.
That's how I stayed here."
Panthers GM Dale Tallon didn't want to discuss the issue, saying that, 'it's
done,' and he clearly felt it was blown out of proportion. Dineen did address
his team about their conduct on the ice.
"I tell the team, like the other 800 players, coaches and staff in the NHL,
how proud we are to be part of the most diverse league in all professional
sports,'' Dineen said. "We're extremely proud of that and it's an area that we
make sure we are aware that comments can be taken in many different
ways. It's important you always conduct yourself in a proper matter.''
Sun Sentinel LOADED: 01.06.2012
604870
Florida Panthers
Gaborik's OT goal lifts Rangers to 3-2 win over Panthers
Goc and Samuelsson excel in return, however Panthers extend winless
road streak to five games
By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel
11:20 PM EST, January 5, 2012
NEW YORK —
The well-rested Panthers should've gotten the Eastern Conference-leading
Rangers on a Winter Classic hangover while also looking to a key Atlantic
Division matchup against the mighty Penguins.
No chance.
While the Panthers received contributions from three players who have
either been missing in action due to injuries or mired in a slump, the highflying Rangers go-to guy Marian Gaborik lit the lamp with 1:31 left in
overtime to lift New York to a 3-2 victory in front of former President Bill
Clinton at a packed Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
The OT loss stretched Florida's road winless streak to five games and they
now lead the NHL with eight losses after regulation. The 25-9-4 Rangers
have won eight of nine and lead the league in fewest losses. The Panthers
finish the season series at 1-2-1.
That said, the point gives the Southeast Division-leading Panthers 48 points
before the season's halfway mark for a four-point lead over the idle Capitals
while holding onto third in their conference.
"We spent a lot of time working in the defensive zone instead of creating in
the offensive zone,'' Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said, referring to the
Rangers' 41-21 shot edge.
Dineen took the blame for two too many men on ice penalties in the third
period that set up a power-play goal by Ryan Callahan at 4:24 for a 2-1
Rangers' lead. It was New York's first power-play goal in their last 12
opportunities.
However, a slumping Mike Santorelli countered just 36 seconds later with a
blistering wrist shot on the short side for a 2-2 tie at the five-minute mark. It
was Santorelli's fifth goal and ended an 11-game goal drought.
Mikael Samuelsson, back after a five-game absence due to a bruised
tailbone, notched his second assist and Brian Campbell his 29th helper.
"It felt good to be back, a little sloppy by the blue line,'' Samuelson said. "I'm
not happy with the outcome.
"We should've come out with the two points but good groups find ways to
win.''
Samuelsson also assisted on linemate Marcel Goc's goal at 4:16 of the first
period in his first shift back after missing 22 games with a concussion.
"It's always good to get a point when you get into overtime but when you
lose it, it feels like you didn't get anything,'' said Stephen Weiss.
The Panthers fell to 3-8 in overtime when Gaborik's straightaway slapper
beat goalie Scott Clemmensen for his 23rd, second most in the league.
Clemmensen, in for injured starter Jose Theodore, had 38 saves.
"We put him under seige,'' Dineen said.
Rangers backup goalie Martin Biron notched 19 saves to improve to 8-2.
Matt Bradley ignited the 2-on-1 breakout with a ferocious forecheck and
passout to Samuelsson, who crossed it to Goc. Goc then wristed a riser
over Biron's shoulder for a quick 1-0 lead.
It was Goc's third goal, but first since Oct. 29. The Panthers fell to 14-1-4
when scoring first.
However, the Rangers tied it 1-1 when defenseman Antron Stralman's wrist
shot from a poor angle eluded Clemmensen at 17:44.
After last week's fight-marred finish in New York's 4-1 victory, the game was
physical, but had no fights. Panthers enforcer Krys Barch vowed to get
even, however, his one-game suspension for an, "inappropriate comment,''
toward Canadiens P.K. Subban, rendered his threat moot.
Madden getting close
Recently acquired center John Madden, who hasn't played since last April,
was scratched Thursday, but is possible for Friday against his longtime
former team in New Jersey.
"He's still working there. Today was another evaluation day,'' Dineen said.
Sun Sentinel LOADED: 01.06.2012
604871
Los Angeles Kings
Kings defeat Coyotes, 1-0, in overtime
Defenseman Slava Voynov missed his second game because of an upperbody injury but was able get in some work after the morning skate. Sutter
said if there is no discomfort or any setbacks, the next step for Voynov
would be a practice with contact.
Drew Doughty scores 38 seconds into the extra period and Jonathan Quick
makes 22 saves for his NHL-leading sixth shutout.
Sutter managed to get off a good line about Voynov, saying: "He's wearing
new skates so his feet hurt. So it's a lower-body injury."
LA Times: LOADED: 01.06.2012
By Lisa Dillman
11:20 PM PST, January 5, 2012
Clearly, new Kings Coach Darryl Sutter was being wildly optimistic the day
he was hired when he said the NHL has become a 3-2 league.
Try 1-0.
Yes, there are places and buildings where multiple goals are actually
scored, but Staples Center was not one of them on Thursday night.
And no one cared — not a bit — not after the Kings defeated the Coyotes,
1-0, when defenseman Drew Doughty scored 38 seconds into overtime and
goalie Jonathan Quick recorded his league-leading sixth shutout, making 22
saves.
It was Doughty's first goal in 25 games, a stretch going back to Nov. 10. On
top of it, he had to wait a little longer before official confirmation as the play
was reviewed in Toronto.
The NHL explained its decision on its website, saying: "…Video review
upheld the referee's call on the ice that the goal posts were completely on
the pegs when the puck crossed the goal line and the puck went into the
net in a legal fashion."
So the Kings were able to celebrate twice. Once, when Doughty first
scored, driving hard to the net, and then again when it was ruled a good
goal, after a short but tough wait for the review. Sutter wasn't quite sure he
could see the goal the first time, either.
"We're kind of sick of going to OT and giving other teams points," said
Doughty in his postgame TV interview, adding that it wasn't their best game.
Thirty-eight seconds in overtime was enough to get it done.
The Kings have not lost in regulation during the Sutter Era, going 5-0-3
since he took over a little more than two weeks ago. They may have
problems scoring but have allowed 11 goals in those eight games.
What unfolded against the Coyotes was not entirely surprising. It can
happen when an offensively challenged team (the Kings) runs into a team
(the Coyotes) operated by a coach with a super-sound defensive system,
Dave Tippett.
Tippett disagreed with the ruling from Toronto.
"It should be no goal," he said. "It's not a matter of fact that the puck went in
the net. The puck did go in the net, but it should be goalie interference....It's
a blown call that should be no goal."
Phoenix was forced to play with five defensemen for the final two periods
after losing veteran Adrian Aucoin late in the first. Aucoin, who does not
wear a visor, took a puck in the area of his eye from a shot from the Kings'
Mike Richards at close range.
Coyotes officials would only call it an "upper-body injury" and Aucoin did not
return to the game.
The Kings stirred to life in the third period and finally were able to sustain
offensive attacks. Dustin Penner hit the post with less than six minutes
remaining in regulation and Dustin Brown broke in alone with another stellar
opportunity less than a minute later.
That was far from their final chance in regulation. The Richards-Anze
Kopitar-Brown line attacked with speed and Kopitar tested Coyote goalie
Mike Smith with a shot from the right circle with less than a minute
remaining.
The Kings recently ended a stretch in which they scored two regulation
goals or fewer in 14 consecutive games. In fact, that streak came to a halt
against the Coyotes on Dec. 26 when the Kings scored four goals.
Etc.
604872
Los Angeles Kings
KINGS 1, PHOENIX 0 (OT): Doughty leaves no doubt in L.A.'s victory
By Jill Painter Staff Writer
Posted: 01/05/2012 11:34:25 PM PST
Updated: 01/05/2012 11:43:15 PM PST
The Kings will close their outdoor skating rink at L.A. Live today with a final
skate in which they'll generate fake snow in 80-degree weather.
If only they could figure out a way to generate offense across the street at
Staples Center.
The Kings have a new coach in Darryl Sutter, but the offense still has the
same ineffectiveness it did when Terry Murray coached the team.
It took defenseman Drew Doughty 38 seconds into overtime to score, a
goal that was reviewed and upheld, as the Kings won 1-0 Thursday in front
of a sellout crowd of 18,118. Goalie Jonathan Quick made 22 saves and
notched his NHL-best sixth shutout of the season.
Doughty hadn't scored in nearly two months.
"I know they come in bunches, and now that I got this one and finally got
the monkey off my back, I think a lot more will come these next few games,"
Doughty said.
The Kings have scored at least one point in each of the eight games since
Sutter has been coach, giving him a 5-0-3 record. The Kings are surely
giving him fits with this offense, though.
"It wasn't our best game, but it was a division game and a big win and we're
so happy to get that," Doughty said.
The Kings have scored two goals or less in 18 of their past 20 games, but
Quick has saved them so many times.
Bailey, the Kings' mascot, pretended to conduct an interview after the game
while reporters waited for Sutter. Bailey ran from the microphone when he
saw Sutter.
"You
guys think that was me?" Sutter asked.
He was in the mood to make a joke since the Kings won, but it was still
another frustrating night of missed opportunities offensively.
But again, Quick has negated some of the lackluster offense. Asked if he
was the team's MVP, Sutter said:
"I think his stats in league - he's top five or six in every category (will tell you
that)," Sutter said. "You don't need me to tell you that."
Justin Williams hit the post on a shot with about 5½ minutes left in the
game, and the Kings' offensive woes continued. Anze Kopitar had a good
look on a breakaway with 46 seconds left, and that was saved by Phoenix
goalie Mike Smith.
But Doughty came through on an assist from Jarret Stoll and Jack Johnson.
There was a scrum at the net and the puck went off a defenseman's skate
in traffic in the crease, but it was ruled a goal and confirmed via review.
"You couldn't tell from the bench," Sutter said of Doughty's goal. "Even the
guys didn't know. They couldn't see there was so much traffic."
The Kings (20-14-7) are midway through the season, but already have
endured a season's worth of highs and lows.
They started the season on a hot note, then went so cold coach Murray was
fired. Their offense is the worst in the league, averaging just more than two
goals per game. Still, the Kings play solid defense and have one of the best
penalty-kill units in the league, which is keeping them in playoff contention.
Stoll was whistled for an interference penalty 7:09 into the game, and the
Kings killed off their 28 th consecutive short-handed situation.
The Kings are 6-1-3 in their last 10 games.
It has been hard for the Kings to score, that much has been true most of the
season. Neither team scored in the first period, marking the 16 th time this
season (more than one-third of their games) in which the Kings were part of
a scoreless first period. That statistic speaks volumes to the effectiveness
of the Kings' defensemen and the ineffectiveness of the offense.
In the second period, the Kings had a power-play opportunity after Coyotes
right winger Radim Vrbata was called for tripping at 10:25. The Kings didn't
capitalize, making for an embarrassing streak in which they've scored only
once in their past 32 power-play opportunities.
The Kings had 12 shots in the second period, compared to just five for
Phoenix, but they couldn't convert. Dustin Penner had a breakaway and
took a shot at point-blank range but Smith saved it. Earlier in the period,
Penner had a shot from high in the slot, and Smith saved that one, too.
Phoenix has lost six of its last seven games.
The Kings, stumbling offense and all, moved into seventh place in the
Western Conference, and would make the playoffs if the season ended
today.
"Obviously (Phoenix) is a big division rival," Quick said. "We got two points,
and that's huge. That's all we're looking at. It doesn't matter how we do it."
LA Daily News: LOADED: 01.06.2012
604873
Los Angeles Kings
Tippett disputes game-winning goal
Posted by Rich Hammond on 5 January 2012, 11:16 pm
Not surprisingly, Phoenix coach Dave Tippett was none too pleased with
Drew Doughty’s game-winning goal, which held up after a video review.
Doughty was given credit for the goal after several players crashed the net
front and the puck snuck past goalie Mike Smith as the net was slightly
lifted in the scrum. Here’s what Tippett told reporters…
TIPPETT: “It should be no goal. It’s not a matter of (the) fact that the puck
went in the net. The puck did go in the net, but it should be goalie
interference. If they don’t give the goal to (Jack) Johnson then it’s goalie
interference. If he comes in and puts his leg in front of Mike Smith’s leg so
(Smith) can’t make a stop, that is goalie interference. It’s as simple as that.
It’s a poor call. It’s a blown call that should be no goal.”
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 01.06.2012
604874
Los Angeles Kings
Sutter postgame quotes (Jan. 5)
Darryl Sutter’s postgame thoughts…
(on Drew Doughty’s overtime goal…)
SUTTER: “One-inch goal. It’s good. In 30 years, he’ll say he went in and
deked him out, and went under him. We made some great plays in the third
period. Brownie [Dustin Brown] made two great plays from both wings, one
where he cut in and one where he made the play over to (Anze) Kopitar.
Those are prime chances, and thankfully we were rewarded.”
(on the game…)
SUTTER: “The real math is that tonight was game 41 and that means
halfway. You can sort of see what the numbers would be to be a playoff
team based on if that holds true, whoever is in eighth tonight, whatever that
is and what the next number is going to be, so it has to be your goal. That’s
how close it is and it’ll be like that at the end. That’s how close it is. Three or
four wins and three or four points.”
604875
Los Angeles Kings
Doughty postgame quotes (Jan. 5)
Drew Doughty’s postgame thoughts…
(on his long goal drought…)
DOUGHTY: “I don’t know, I guess it is a little surprising. Most of all, for me,
it’s just frustrating. I know that they come in bunches and now that I got this
one and finally got the monkey off my back, I think a lot more will come in
these next few games.”
(on the game-winning goal…)
DOUGHTY: “It was huge. Obviously, I haven’t been scoring a lot this year
and I finally contributed on the score sheet with a goal for the team, and
most importantly get the win. I was real happy. Greener [Matt Greene]
changed for me there. I just wanted to get into the play. I saw that we had
control of the puck so I raced up to the blue line. Me and Stolly [Jarret Stoll]
made eye contact and made a nice pass. Then I just tried to drive the net
and sometimes you just have to score those dirty goals like that.”
604876
Minnesota Wild
Postgame: Wild's freefall continues in Vancouver
But Fletcher did have a monster hand in drafting each.
Update: the Wild sent defenseman Nate Prosser back to Houston this
morning.
That's it for me. I will not be at practice tomorrow as I cover the world junior
bronze- and gold-medal games.
Blog Post by: Michael Russo
January 5, 2012 - 10:35 AM
I'll get to watch Mikael Granlund and the Finns take on Canada, and Johan
Larsson, Jonas Brodin, Johan Gustafsson and the Swedes take on Russia.
I'm sure I'll be a tweeting fool Thursday during these events, so follow me at
www.twitter.com/russostrib
How dramatic and fast this freefall has been.
The best team in the NHL (at least, in terms of points) for three weeks, a
team once 20-7-3 overall, a team once the best road team in the NHL ... is
now clinging to a playoff spot by three precious points over 9th-place
Colorado because of a 1-7-3 face-first stumble.
Most amazing what this slide has accomplished? The Wild ushered in the
midway point ONE POINT ahead of last year's pace. That's absolutely
unbelievable when you consider where the Wild was one month ago.
The Wild's at a fragile juncture and will spend the next three days in the
Banff National Park practicing, and bonding in a desperate search for 1) its
game and 2) its need for each other.
When the Wild was so successful for six weeks, it worked as five-man units,
in waves, with tremendous puck support and stick-to-it-ness.
Now, an absolute shell of what they were. Nobody on the ice can rely on
the guy next to him to be in the right spot, support the play the right way, to
give that extra oomph. And it's created a team that is a step slow in every
area.
The Wild is a disjointed mess right now, especially offensively, where it
generates little sustained offensive-zone time and is constantly chasing the
play. During an 0-5-1 road slide, the Wild's scored FOUR goals. That
includes consecutive shutouts in Vancouver. Roberto Luongo's shut em out
three times in a row and has a 194 minute, 23 second shutout streak going
against Minnesota.
On the Banff trip: "Probably the timing of it couldn't be better of us right
now," coach Mike Yeo said. "We need to get the group together. We’re not
in a bad spot. … The way things have gone lately makes you think about
what you’ve lost, but there’s been a lot of good things through the first half
of the season.
"Just not so much lately, and that’s obvious the focus right now. But I’m
very confident that when we can get back to playing our game that the wins
will keep flowing for us."
I know from multiple folks that I talk to that GM Chuck Fletcher is talking
trade. There's been a lot of conversation among GM's at world junior. The
Wild's carrying nine defensemen right now.
Tonight, two GM's were in the house because of the easy flight from world
juniors in Calgary -- Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman and St. Louis GM
Doug Armstrong.
The Lightning is one team in desperate need for a goalie (Josh Harding,
free agent to be?) and defensemen.
The trade deadline is Feb. 27, and right now, very few trades are taking
place because cap-strapped teams are not at that point where they're able
to take on cash yet. And if they are, they want you take on a player you
don't want.
But it's at that point where Fletcher's going to have to do something.
This isn't an aberration anymore. The Wild's game has vanished and it's
clear they can't just snap their fingers and rediscover it.
That "team" that was so impressive during that 17 for 21 is long gone. This?
This is not a good team right now.
There was again not that extra battle tonight needed to win games against
one of the class teams in the league. Offensively, this team that added so
many finishers last offseason cannot finish.
Anaheim's desperate, and lots of talk that Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and
Corey Perry could be had. Hey, pipedream maybe, and it would take a
monster package.
Star Tribune LOADED: 01.06.2012
604877
Minnesota Wild
Ups and downs of hockey aren't lost on top prospect
Article by: MICHAEL RUSSO , Star Tribune
Updated: January 6, 2012 - 12:46 AM
CALGARY, ALBERTA - Mikael Granlund has delivered on the big stage
countless times, but the Wild's most prized prospect won't soon forget the
puck sliding off his stick in a must-score shootout attempt in the semifinals
of the World Junior Championships.
To add insult to injury, Granlund's miss catapulted the rival Swedes into
Thursday night's gold medal game, where they beat Russia 1-0 in overtime.
It also ultimately might have cost the Finns a medal because the Finns were
trounced in the bronze medal game, 4-0 by Canada.
So would he really want to wind up in Columbus or Long Island over
Minnesota?
Agent: Granlund headed here
If you take Granlund and his agent, Todd Diamond, at their word, it doesn't
seem as if anybody should lay awake at night worrying about what's hiding
in the grassy knoll.
"Our intention is to talk with the Wild when Mikael's season is over,
although we may have some exploratory discussions beforehand,"
Diamond said. "We like the direction of management and the team and
hope Mikael will be around to contribute."
Granlund will get the rookie maximum salary and signing bonus, meaning
the only negotiation will be to iron out a bonus structure with which both
sides are comfortable.
"There will be a few phone calls at some point between Chuck or I and his
agent," Flahr said.
"Big disappointment," Granlund said afterward. "We were so close in the
semifinal."
Granlund gets all the publicity, but Larsson, Sweden's captain, is also a
stud. He will turn pro for the Wild next season, something Sweden GM
Johan Garpenlov confirmed Thursday. If Larsson, the 56th pick in 2010,
doesn't make the Wild, he'll play for Houston of the AHL.
During the precise time of Granlund's shootout mishap Tuesday, the Wild
touched down in Vancouver. Later that day, Wild captain Mikko Koivu
watched the highlights.
"He's very competitive and physically strong and seems to thrive in big
games," Flahr said. "He's put a stamp on what he is as a player in this
tournament."
He saw Granlund's dejected face. He saw Granlund's tears as he stood
with his head slumped over the bench.
Brodin, a gifted-skating defenseman and taken 10th overall last June, also
will be given a chance to make the Wild. If Brodin, 18, doesn't make the
team, he'll likely return to Farjestad in Sweden, where he plays 25 minutes
a night, for further development.
So on Wednesday, Koivu called Granlund, 19, to lift his spirits.
"At the end, it's one shootout attempt," said Koivu, who won a world
championship for Finland with Granlund last May. "It's not going to make
him any worse or any better as a player.
"Everybody who knows the game, everybody who looks at the game, they
know what kind of player he is. One shot won't ruin that. He's got to know
that. It was a tough spot to be in, and a big deal for him. But it won't make
him any worse. He's going to do just fine when he gets to [Minnesota]."
If you know Koivu, he's not exactly the touchy, feely type. So for Koivu to
show this kind of compassion was big.
"He said, 'It's just hockey,'" said Granlund, selected ninth overall in 2010.
"He tried to cheer me up. It means a lot that he called me. He's a great
player, and a good friend."
The reality is Koivu is right. Granlund, usually money in the bank in those
situations, was named to the all-tournament team, tied for second in scoring
and could make an immediate impact once he gets to Minnesota.
Prospects stand out
In fact, if you watched the world juniors, you know the best days should be
ahead for the Wild. Six of its prospects participated, including Jason Zucker
and Charlie Coyle for the quickly-fizzled United States, and Johan Larsson,
Jonas Brodin and Johan Gustafsson, who won gold with Sweden.
The Wild has signed Larsson and Brodin, but Granlund opted to stay
unsigned so he can fulfill his six-month military obligation, finish school and,
he hopes, lead HIFK to another SM-Liiga title.
If the Wild doesn't sign Granlund by June 1, it loses his rights and he can
re-enter the 2012 draft. The Wild can't sign him until after the world
championships, so this could drag into May, which will only further add fuel
to the fret of many Wild fans.
The Wild brass isn't worried though. Granlund said for the umpteenth time
Thursday: "Of course, I want to play someday for the Wild."
All indications are he means it. He idolizes Koivu and built a friendship with
him during the world championships and in the Finnish Army. He has a
strong relationship with General Manager Chuck Fletcher and assistant GM
Brent Flahr. He appeared at the Wild's Fan Fest at the 2011 draft. He
attended the Wild's development camp in July.
And in terms of opportunity, Granlund is a lock to make the Wild next
season. If he re-enters the draft, he can't make any more money and he
can't control where he ends up.
"We're not going to rush him," said Flahr, adding the same thing about
Gustafsson, the goalie.
Star Tribune LOADED: 01.06.2012
604878
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild ignored by fans in NHL All-Star voting
Pioneer Press
Updated: 01/05/2012 10:39:57 AM CST
Nobody on the Minnesota Wild finished in the top 20 for forwards,
defensemen or goalies in fan voting for the NHL All-Star Game, according
to results published today on NHL.com.
Fans determine the first six players chosen for the Jan. 29 game in Ottawa three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie - and four of the six are
Ottawa Senators: defenseman Erik Karlsson (who let all vote-getters with
939,591) and forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Milan
Michalek.
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf and Boston Bruins goalie
Tim Thomas were the other two players selected.
Pioneer Press LOADED: 01.06.2012
604879
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild send Nate Prosser back to Houston
Pioneer Press
Updated: 01/05/2012 10:20:05 AM CST
The Minnesota Wild have sent defenseman Nate Prosser back to Houston
of the American Hockey League, general manager Chuck Fletcher
announced today.
Prosser has five assists in 18 games during three stints with the Wild this
season. He has two assists in 14 games with the AHL Aeros.
604880
Minnesota Wild
Wild at midseason: Surprises, disappointments and the team MVP
By Ben Goessling
[email protected]
Updated: 01/06/2012 12:09:05 AM CST
lift when they traded for the forward, and for one reason or another, he's
provided that only in spurts.
Honorable mention: It has been disappointing - though also out of his
control - that Guillaume Latendresse has missed so much time because of
post-concussion symptoms; like Setoguchi, he's one of the Wild's few
natural goal scorers. And Colton Gillies, the 16th pick in the 2007 draft,
continues to struggle with his decision-making in his zone. He has been a
fourth-line player all season and was scratched in December as Yeo tried to
give him room to clear his head. It's not for lack of effort with the 22-yearold, but it hasn't come together.
CALGARY, Alberta - As the Wild prepare to start the second half of their
season, practicing for two days in Banff before playing their 42nd game
Saturday night against the Calgary Flames, they're in a precarious position.
They have the sixth-best record in the Western Conference, and they're in
line to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season. But
most of the work they did to get themselves there is at least a month old.
On Dec. 10, the Wild beat the Phoenix Coyotes to win their seventh straight
game, take a six-point lead in the Northwest Division and assume the top
spot in the NHL standings. Since then, they've won just once - Dec. 29
against Edmonton - and have accumulated only four points. Their loss to
Vancouver on Wednesday night gave them 48 points in the first half of the
season, five fewer than the Canucks.
Still, they've opened plenty of eyes around the league. Most predicted the
Wild to be where they've been for the past three seasons, loitering on the
edges of the playoff race but ultimately falling short of the postseason. Still,
with strong goaltending, surprising defense and suffocating puck pressure
in the first half under new coach Mike Yeo, the Wild showed they knew how
to win.
Now, they need to get back to what worked so well for them during the first
two months of the season. They have 18 home games after Feb. 1, and if
they can survive a tough January schedule, they should have their playoff
fate in their own hands.
Here's a closer look at the first half of the season:
It should have been clear when the team scored three goals in the four
games he missed because of a lower-body injury last month: Mikko Koivu is
the Wild's most valuable player. The captain is doing more than he has
been asked at any point in his career - his average ice time of 21:13 is his
second highest - and despite not scoring for the first 10 games of the
season, Koivu has nine goals. He leads the Wild with 32 points, and he has
been a sterling example of what Yeo wants on the forecheck. He leads the
team in just about every statistical category and sets the tone for how they
play.
Honorable mention: Goaltenders Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding have
to get some recognition. The two have combined for three shutouts, and
combined with Matt Hackett, who won two games when Harding was hurt,
they've helped the Wild to a goals-against average of 2.19. Harding could
be a trade candidate next month, but that's a credit to the Wild's depth at
the position.
Brodziak mostly has been a third-line center in his career, though his 16
goals last season showed he might have more goal-scoring ability. He is
second on the team with 11 goals despite spending much of his playing
time trying to shut down opponents' top scorers (which contributes to his
minus-7 rating). Brodziak has four power-play goals and has provided
unexpected scoring when Devin Setoguchi and Guillaume Latendresse
were dealing with injuries.
Honorable mention: At age 22, defenseman Jared Spurgeon has become
one of the Wild's best blueliners; he has 13 assists and has impressed
Wild officials with his sensibilities despite having played just 39 NHL games
before this season. And center Matt Cullen has shown he has more left at
age 35 than many expected, recording 23 points and providing strong twoway play everywhere from the first to the third lines.
It might be a little unfair to mention Setoguchi here, because he missed a
month because of a knee injury and has scored some big goals when he
has been on the ice. But he has only 13 points and was a minus-8 in the
seven games before he got hurt. Setoguchi had five shots in his first game
back and should help the Wild's offense when he gets more time to work
with Koivu and Dany Heatley. But the Wild were looking for a big offensive
604881
Montreal Canadiens
Barch apologizes for Subban comment
By PAT HICKEY
Trash talking has always been a part of sports but the National Hockey
League has put players on notice that they should be careful about what
they say.
NHL vice-president Colin Campbell suspended Florida tough guy Krys
Barch one game for an inappropriate comment which Barch directed at
Canadiens defenceman P.K Subban during a game on New Year’s Eve.
But Campbell accepted Barch’s explanation that, while the comment could
be construed as a racial slur, that was not the player’s intention.
Barch offered an apology after the Panthers’ morning skate in preparation
for Thursday night’s game against the New York Rangers
Barch would not repeat what was said on the ice when speaking Thursday,
but said there was nothing racially motivated about it.
“I know myself and what I said,” Barch noted. “It may have been
inappropriate, but it was nowhere along the lines of a racial slur. The things
I said were pretty explicit, maybe not for kids’ ears. That’s why I really can’t
repeat what I said, because it wouldn’t come across … my grandma
wouldn’t want to hear it. Put it that way.”
Barch was given a 10-minute misconduct penalty and ejected from the
game for reportedly using a racial slur in regards to Subban. Sources told
the Miami Herald that following a fight with Panthers defenceman Erik
Gudbranson in which Subban appeared to lose his balance, Barch yelled in
Subban’s direction that it looked as if Subban slipped on a banana peel.
Following the game, Subban said he didn’t hear what Barch had said.
Barch said he spoke with Subban the day after the verbal exchange to
explain what happened and that Subban was understanding. Barch said he
also received support from ex-teammate Trevor Daley and Dallas assistant
coach Paul Jerrard, both of whom are black.
Barch said during his phone hearing Thursday morning with Campbell that
he was told if the League believed his statement was racially charged, he
would have received a 5-to-10-game suspension.
Desharnais doesn’t back down: David Desharnais is one of the smallest
players in the NHL at 5-foot-7 and 177 pounds, but he’s not afraid to mix it
up with bigger guys.
There were a few examples of that in Wednesday’s 7-3 win over the
Winnipeg Jets.
Early in the game, Desharnais exchanged pushes and shoves with the Jets’
Jim Slater, who enjoys a five inch and 23-pound advantage in the tale of the
tape. It appeared the two were headed to fisticuffs when a linesman
stepped in to separate them.
And Desharnais was involved in an incident that might have been the
highlight of the evening until Lars Eller capped his four-goal performance
with a spin move to score on a penalty shot. Desharnais was lurking around
the net when the 6-foot-7, 245-pound Nik Antropov tried to push him out of
the way. Desharnais pushed back and dumped Antropov on his rear end.
Desharnais, who earned an assist, had three shots on goal, two takeaways
and won 58 per cent of his faceoffs, said he was following head coach
Randy Cunneyworth’s game plan.
“I was just trying to compete,” Desharnais explained. “He fell down and it
felt good. The coach said before the game let’s get pissed off right off the
bat and I was.”
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 01.06.2012
604882
Montreal Canadiens
getting a swelled head. He said the players were kidding Eller about his
prolonged curtain call after he was named the game’s No. 1 star.
Moen, Cole bask in Eller's four-goal afterglow
“We’ve been giving it to him all morning,” Cole said. “Everyone can see his
potential, especially when you’re on the ice with him every day. He’s a big
body who skates well. It was nice to see him have a big night like that.”
By PAT HICKEY, The Gazette January 5, 2012
Cole said he was surprised by Eller’s move on the penalty shot that
produced his fourth goal.
“I didn’t see a spinarama coming,” he said.
With all the excitement over Lars Eller’s four-goal performance in the 7-3
win over the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday, two other personal milestones
went largely unnoticed.
Travis Moen, who is on his way to a career season, collected three assists
for the first three-point night of his career.
And Erik Cole, who was double-shifted, was on the ice for 27:04. That’s the
most ice time he has ever had in a regulation game.
“I’m getting some bounces,” said Moen, who is on his way to a career
season with nine goals and 15 points. His previous bests were in Anaheim
in 2006-07 when he had 11 goals and 21 points.
“I’m playing with lots of confidence and playing with good players helps,”
said Moen, who is on a line with Eller and Andrei Kostitsyn. “We’re getting
lots of ice time and we’re taking advantage of that.”
The line has combined for 27 goals, second only to the Max PaciorettyDavid Desharnais-Cole trio that has 33. But Moen said he doesn’t spend
much time fretting over whether he’s on the first, second or third line.
“We’re a line,” he said. “We get out there and we can play against the other
team’s top line or we can play against any other line. We just go out there
and work hard and help the team win.
Moen said he was glad to see Eller explode after some shaky performances
during the team’s recent road trip.
“He playing with confidence,” Moen said. “He’s shooting the puck, he’s got
a great shot and he’s also as good playmaker. It was great to see him get
four.”
Moen also is high on the third member of the trio. While Kostitsyn’s streaky
scoring record is frustrating for fans, Moen said the Belarusian bring a
variety of skills to the rink.
“He’s a power forward and when he’s going, he’s hard to stop,” he said. “He
has a great shot, makes great passes and he’s a bull in the corner when he
wants to be. He’s one of the strongest guys I’ve played with. He’s hard to
knock him off the puck.”
The 29-year-old Moen is in the final year of a contract that pays him $1.5
million and knows he is auditioning for next season.
“You always think about it,” he said. “You want to keep playing in the league
and get a job for next year. It’s always in the back of your mind. “You want
to turn things around here and have a successful season and that makes it
easier. I’d like to stay here. This is my third year here and we’ve enjoyed
our time.”
Cole doesn’t have any contract worries. He’s signed for the next three
seasons at $4.5 million per, but he’s also on pace for a career season with
16 goals and 29 points. He said he was prepared for Wednesday’s heavy
workload after head coach Randy Cunneyworth decided to dress seven
defencemen and 11 forwards.
“It was discussed two days ago after practice,” Cole said. “We had a little
chat about me handling some bigger minutes and I walked out of the
meeting and went home to get some rest. It’s obviously an extreme and I
wouldn’t expect it to continue like that, but I didn’t feel tired out there.”
Cole said he hoped the resounding win was a sign the Canadiens have
turned the corner, but he noted there was a similar feeling after the 6-2 win
in Ottawa on Dec. 27.
“We have to find ways to continue to put up wins by whatever means,
whether it’s scoring more goals, or finding way to keep the puck out of our
net,” he said. “We were strong in our forecheck. Our defence did a good job
of moving the puck and we had some clean breakouts. The less time we
spend in our own end the better.”
Cole said he was happy to see Eller double his goal production for the
season, but said the other players were doing their best to keep him from
Cole and most of his teammates took it easy Thursday, working off-ice in
preparation for Saturday night’s visit by the Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m.,
CBC, RDS. TSN Radio-800).
Brian Gionta, who is expected to return to action Saturday, hit the ice with
Scott Gomez, Ryan White, Yannick Weber and backup goaltender Peter
Budaj. Carey Price was on the ice in sweat clothes and worked on his shot.
604883
Montreal Canadiens
The true grit of a great Hab, Dickie Moore
By Red Fisher, The Gazette January 5, 2012
MONTREAL - While the Canadiens face a steep climb in pursuit of a playoff
spot, many among us can still recall the golden days when junior hockey
attracted sellouts to the Forum, when the teenage prospects of that era
were certain to become NHLers of the future.
Quebec had Jean Béliveau. The Nationales had right-winger Bernie
Geoffrion. The Royals and, later, the Junior Canadiens, had left-winger
Dickie Moore.
The Big Three of their time: Béliveau with his size and grace; Geoffrion with
his booming shot; and Moore, who stirred the souls of junior hockey fans
everywhere with his puck-handling and the fire to win in his belly.
Grit, many of today’s old-timers will tell you, is what is missing on this
Canadiens team – although not in Wednesday’s 7-3 laugher over the
Winnipeg Jets. Small, speedy players are fine and dandy – but where’s the
grit?
I mention Moore now because the calendar tells me that on Friday, he is
celebrating his 81st birthday.
In the late 1940s, I was a part-time employee of The Montreal Standard, a
newspaper owned by The Montreal Star that was published only on
Saturdays. Sports editor Andy O’Brien assigned me to do a feature on
Moore for the newspaper’s slick, rotogravure section. The reason:
Canadiens GM Frank Selke had described Moore as the best junior player
in Canada.
It was a sweet assignment for a cub reporter because it called for spending
a lot of time with Moore. More importantly, as it turned out, it was the start
of a close friendship that has lasted more than six decades.
I watched Moore in junior hockey, and then with the Quebec Senior Hockey
League Royals and throughout his NHL career. At every level, “team” was
what he was all about.
Who can forget his 1957-58 season with a Canadiens dynasty that was to
win a record five Stanley Cups in a row? A broken wrist, incurred during a
collision with Detroit defenceman Marcel Pronovost, threatened to cut short
a scoring championship year. Moore, the competitor, wanted to win the Art
Ross, but Moore, the team man, had other ideas.
One night, when the Canadiens were travelling on the train, Moore asked
for a meeting with coach Toe Blake and his linemates, Maurice and Henri
Richard. Yes, Moore told them, he could still play with his wrist in a cast, but
for how long? And as long as he played, how much could he contribute to
the line?
Henri was Dickie’s closest pursuer in the scoring race.
“It’s not fair to Henri,” Moore said. “It’s not fair not to allow him to win the
scoring championship.”
The Richards had other ideas.
“There’s no damned way he’s going off the line,” Maurice and Henri told
Blake.
Moore stayed on the line. He played with a cast on his wrist for the second
half of the season. He won the Art Ross with 36 goals and 48 assists in a
70-game season. Henri finished four points behind. Moore won the Ross
again the following year with 41 goals and 55 assists.
During his 12 seasons with the Canadiens, Moore was more than a star
among stars. I have known many of the NHL’s greatest stars during the last
half century-plus years. Almost without exception, I was full of admiration
for their talent, but only a few among them were to become close friends.
Dickie is one of my best friends. We argue mildly about hockey matters now
and then, but there never has been an argument on what he brought to the
Canadiens during his years with the team.
My friend Dickie would be considered a small player by today’s NHL
standards, but he played tall. He refused to back down from anyone. He
refused to lose. At a time when bench clearings were the norm rather than
the exception, Dickie was there for the team. Always for the team.
He didn’t outskate opponents, but he was always one step ahead of them
by out-thinking them. Few players handled the puck as well as he did, and
hardly anyone was better one-on-one against a goaltender. Nobody wore
the Canadiens jersey with more pride.
Béliveau remains one of his best friends, although it didn’t start out that
way. Béliveau had been called up by the Canadiens on a three-game trial
beginning on Dec. 18, 1952 – and had been told by coach Dick Irvin to wear
the injured Moore’s No. 12. Béliveau responded with a hat trick in a 6-2 win
over New York Rangers.
Béliveau has never forgotten that night. Neither has Moore – watching
Béliveau while wearing Dickie’s No. 12.
“I was hurt,” Moore said. “He was wearing my sweater and the guy was
scoring three goals. Anybody would have been mad watching a guy
wearing his sweater scoring three goals.”
Moore became even more unhappy when coach Irvin approached him after
the game.
“Do you think you can wear that sweater now?” Irvin asked.
Moore greatly admired all of his teammates on this franchise with a
mystique for winning. He will also tell you he loved Doug Harvey and never
fails to giggle with pleasure whenever recalling, as he has on several
occasions, this story about the greatest defenceman in Canadiens history.
Both were well into their retirement from the game when Harvey visited
Moore at his hugely successful Dickie Moore Rentals, a firm he started in
1961.
“I need a favour,” Harvey said.
“What do you need?” Moore asked.
“I need to borrow a truck for a day or two,” Harvey said.
“No problem,” Moore said.
Several days passed without a word from Harvey. Then a week. Two weeks
… three. A month later, Harvey was back in Moore’s office.
“Where have you been, Doug?” Moore asked. “I mean … you told me a
couple of days – and now it’s a month later!”
“Aw, gee, Dickie,” Harvey said. “I had a flat!”
Happy birthday, pal!
604884
Montreal Canadiens
Barch suspended one game for shot at P.K.
Posted by Mike Boone
The NHL has suspended Krys Barch of Florida for a racially-tinged remark
directed at P.K. Subban.
Barch was tossed out of the Canadiens’ New Year’s Eve game against the
Panthers.
The NHL cited an “inappropriate comment” in suspending Barch for one
game.
“Mr. Barch has admitted making the remark, but denies that the comment
President of Hockey Operations. “While we accept Mr. Barch’s assertion, as
the entirety of the circumstances, was offensive and unacceptable.”
There are reports that after Subban went down in a tussle with Florida
defenceman Erik Gudbranson, Barch asked the Canadiens’ defenceman if
he had “slipped on a banana peel”.
The reamrk was overheard by linesman Darren Gibbs. Barch was given a
10-minute misconduct and a game misconduct.
604885
Montreal Canadiens
HIO at the practice that wasn’t
Flush with a one-game winning streak, Randy Cunneyworth gave his
players a morning off the ice.
There was a team meeting, followed by media availability of a few players
… including Lars Eller, of course.
A large crowd at Brossard did get to see a few skaters: Carey Price firing
pucks around, plus Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Yannick Weber, Ryan
White and, tending goal for them to shoot at, good teammate Peter Budaj.
604886
Montreal Canadiens
Henderson Jersey Homecoming Tour at Bell Centre Saturday
Posted by Dave Stubbs
Paul Henderson’s Summit Series jersey is coming to Montreal on Saturday.
Courtesy Henderson Jersey Homecoming Tour
An important part of Canadian hockey history parks outside the Bell Centre
Saturday, bringing with it three iconic guests.
The Henderson Jersey Homecoming Tour, featuring 1972 Summit Series
heroes Paul Henderson, Yvan Cournoyer and Vladislav Tretiak, comes to
Montreal from noon to 10 p.m. outside the downtown arena at the Windsor
Court entrance to the Canadiens Hall of Fame.
On display, contained in a 48-foot expandable trailer, will be the historic
jersey worn by Team Canada’s Henderson in the 1972 series vs. the Soviet
Union. It will be joined by other pieces of series memorabilia and interactive
exhibits.
Henderson, of course, scored the winning goal in Moscow on Soviet
netminder Tretiak with 34 seconds remaining in Game 8, giving Canada a
6-5 victory and a 4-3-1 series win. Henderson had also scored the winners
in Games 6 and 7.
The famous jersey was purchased from its American owner by Mitchell
Goldhar, owner of the SmartCentres real-estate development company, in a
June 2010 Classic Auctions sale. The jersey became Canada’s most
expensive piece of sports memorabilia after a final few hours of frenzied
online bidding, finally selling for $1,275,707.
Goldhar made it clear that he intended to take the jersey on tour to share it
with Canadians, many of whom chewed their fingernails to the cuticle
during the Summit Series that was more a contest between political
ideologies than it was eight games between two hockey clubs.
“As a lifelong hockey fan, I know how much the series-winning goal against
the Soviets meant to Canadians of all ages and backgrounds,” Goldhar said
upon winning the auction. “I am proud to bring Paul’s jersey back to
Canada.”
The Henderson Jersey Homecoming Tour is free to the public Saturday
from noon to 6:30 p.m. and for a while following the Habs-Tampa Bay
game.
Henderson, Tretiak and Canadiens great Cournoyer, who scored Game 8?s
equalizing goal 6 1/2 minutes before Henderson netted the winner and
famously was photographed bearhugging Henderson an instant after the
latter had scored, will be on hand to greet visitors from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
604887
Montreal Canadiens
The year begins with a W
Cole Jets
An inspired effort by Lars Eller kick-started 2012 for your Montreal
Canadiens.
They’re in 13th place, facing a long uphill climb in the Eastern Conference
standings.
But for the first time in a long time, the Bell Centre was a very happy place
Wednesday night.
604888
Montreal Canadiens
Barch issues an apology
By PAT HICKEY, The Gazette January 6, 2012 3:07 AM
Trash talking has always been a part of sports but the National Hockey
League has put players on notice that they should be careful about what
they say.
NHL vice-president Colin Campbell suspended Florida tough guy Krys
Barch one game for an inappropriate comment which Barch directed at
Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban during a game on New Year's Eve.
But Campbell accepted Barch's explanation that, while the comment could
be construed as a racial slur, that was not the player's intention.
Barch offered an apology after the Panthers' morning skate in preparation
for Thursday night's game against the New York Rangers
Barch would not repeat what was said on the ice when speaking Thursday,
but said there was nothing racially motivated about it.
"I know myself and what I said," Barch noted. "It may have been
inappropriate, but it was nowhere along the lines of a racial slur. The things
I said were pretty explicit, maybe not for kids' ears. That's why I really can't
repeat what I said, because it wouldn't come across - my grandma wouldn't
want to hear it. Put it that way."
Barch was given a 10-minute misconduct penalty and ejected from the
game for reportedly using a racial slur in regards to Subban. Sources told
the Miami Herald that following a fight with Panthers defenceman Erik
Gudbranson in which Subban appeared to lose his balance, Barch yelled in
Subban's direction that it looked as if Subban slipped on a banana peel.
Following the game, Subban said he didn't hear what Barch had said.
Barch said he spoke with Subban the day after the verbal exchange to
explain what happened and that Subban was understanding. Barch said he
also received support from ex-teammate Trevor Daley and Dallas assistant
coach Paul Jerrard, both of whom are black.
Barch said during his phone hearing Thursday morning with Campbell that
he was told if the league believed his statement was racially charged, he
would have received a five-to-10game suspension.
Desharnais doesn't back down: ?David Desharnais is one of the smallest
players in the NHL at 5-foot-7 and 177 pounds, but he's not afraid to mix it
up with bigger guys.
There were a few examples of that in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the
Winnipeg Jets.
Early in the game, Desharnais exchanged pushes and shoves with the Jets'
Jim Slater, who enjoys a five-inch and 23-pound advantage in the tale of
the tape. It appeared the two were headed to fisticuffs when a linesman
stepped in to separate them.
And Desharnais was involved in an incident that might have been the
highlight of the evening until Lars Eller capped his fourgoal performance
with a spin move to score on a penalty shot. Desharnais was lurking around
the net when the 6-foot-7, 245-pound Nik Antropov tried to push him out of
the way. Desharnais pushed back and dumped Antropov on his rear end.
Desharnais, who earned an assist, had three shots on goal, two takeaways
and won 58 per cent of his faceoffs, said he was following head coach
Randy Cunneyworth's game plan.
"I was just trying to compete," Desharnais explained. "He fell down and it
felt good. The coach said before the game let's get pissed off right off the
bat and I was."
604889
Montreal Canadiens
Moore brought grit, talent to CH
Forward who wore Canadiens sweater with pride turns 81 today
By RED FISHER, The Gazette January 6, 2012 3:07 AM
While the Canadiens face a steep climb in pursuit of a playoff spot, many
among us can still recall the golden days when junior hockey attracted
sellouts to the Forum, when the teenage prospects of that era were certain
to become NHLers of the future.
Quebec had Jean Béliveau. The Nationales had rightwinger Bernie
Geoffrion. The Royals and, later, the Junior Canadiens, had left-winger
Dickie Moore.
The Big Three of their time: Béliveau with his size and grace; Geoffrion with
his booming shot; and Moore, who stirred the souls of junior hockey fans
everywhere with his puck-handling and the fire to win in his belly.
Grit, many of today's oldtimers will tell you, is what is missing on this
Canadiens team - although not in Wednesday's 7-3 laugher over the
Winnipeg Jets. Small, speedy players are fine and dandy - but where's the
grit?
I mention Moore now because the calendar tells me that on Friday, he is
celebrating his 81st birthday.
In the late 1940s, I was a part-time employee of The Montreal Standard, a
newspaper owned by The Montreal Star that was published only on
Saturdays. Sports editor Andy O'Brien assigned me to do a feature on
Moore for the newspaper's slick, rotogravure section. The reason:
Canadiens GM Frank Selke had described Moore as the best junior player
in Canada.
It was a sweet assignment for a cub reporter because it called for spending
a lot of time with Moore. More importantly, as it turned out, it was the start
of a close friendship that has lasted more than six decades.
I watched Moore in junior hockey, and then with the Quebec Senior Hockey
League Royals and throughout his NHL career. At every level, "team" was
what he was all about.
Who can forget his 1957-58 season with a Canadiens dynasty that was to
win a record five Stanley Cups in a row? A broken wrist, incurred during a
collision with Detroit defenceman Marcel Pronovost, threatened to cut short
a scoring championship year. Moore, the competitor, wanted to win the Art
Ross, but Moore, the team man, had other ideas.
One night, when the Canadiens were travelling on the train, Moore asked
for a meeting with coach Toe Blake and his linemates, Maurice and Henri
Richard. Yes, Moore told them, he could still play with his wrist in a cast, but
for how long? And as long as he played, how much could he contribute to
the line?
Henri was Dickie's closest pursuer in the scoring race.
"It's not fair to Henri," Moore said. "It's not fair not to allow him to win the
scoring championship."
The Richards had other ideas.
"There's no damned way he's going off the line," Maurice and Henri told
Blake.
Moore stayed on the line. He played with a cast on his wrist for the second
half of the season. He won the Art Ross with 36 goals and 48 assists in a
70-game season. Henri finished four points behind. Moore won the Ross
again the following year with 41 goals and 55 assists.
During his 12 seasons with the Canadiens, Moore was more than a star
among stars. I have known many of the NHL's greatest stars during the last
half century-plus. Almost without exception, I was full of admiration for their
talent, but only a few among them were to become close friends.
Dickie is one of my best friends. We argue mildly about hockey matters now
and then, but there never has been an argument on what he brought to the
Canadiens during his years with the team.
My friend Dickie would be considered a small player by today's NHL
standards, but he played tall. He refused to back down from anyone. He
refused to lose. At a time when bench clearings were the norm rather than
the exception, Dickie was there for the team. Always for the team.
He didn't outskate opponents, but he was always one step ahead of them
by outthinking them. Few players handled the puck as well as he did, and
hardly anyone was better one-on-one against a goaltender. Nobody wore
the Canadiens jersey with more pride.
Béliveau remains one of his best friends, although it didn't start out that
way. Béliveau had been called up by the Canadiens on a threegame trial
beginning on Dec. 18, 1952 - and had been told by coach Dick Irvin to wear
the injured Moore's No. 12. Béliveau responded with a hat trick in a 6-2 win
over New York Rangers.
Béliveau has never forgotten that night. Neither has Moore - watching
Béliveau while wearing Dickie's No. 12.
"I was hurt," Moore said. "He was wearing my sweater and the guy was
scoring three goals. Anybody would have been mad watching a guy
wearing his sweater scoring three goals."
Moore became even more unhappy when coach Irvin approached him after
the game.
"Do you think you can wear that sweater now?" Irvin asked.
Moore greatly admired all of his teammates on this franchise with a
mystique for winning. He will also tell you he loved Doug Harvey and never
fails to giggle with pleasure whenever recalling, as he has on several
occasions, this story about the greatest defenceman in Canadiens history.
Both were well into their retirement from the game when Harvey visited
Moore at his hugely successful Dickie Moore Rentals, a firm he started in
1961.
"I need a favour," Harvey said.
"What do you need?" Moore asked.
"I need to borrow a truck for a day or two," Harvey said.
"No problem," Moore said. Several days passed without a word from
Harvey. Then a week. Two weeks - three. A month later, Harvey was back
in Moore's office.
"Where have you been, Doug?" Moore asked. "I mean - you told me a
couple of days - and now it's a month later!"
"Aw, gee, Dickie," Harvey said. "I had a flat!"
Happy birthday, pal!
604890
Montreal Canadiens
Habs got off to ugly start against Jets
and Kaberle goals, but when you're earning $5 million for this season,
you're expected to do more than look on like an innocent bystander.
Tampa Bay visits on Saturday. Piece of cake, right?
By RED FISHER, The Gazette January 5, 2012
My choice for the surprise team of the season: the former Atlanta Thrashers
- or was, until their ugly 7-3 loss to the Canadiens on Wednesday.
What else is there to be said about a team which finished No. 24 last
season, but was performing with a purpose wearing Winnipeg Jets jerseys.
Until, that is, Lars Eller scored as many goals on Wednesday as the four he
scored in his preceding 36 games.
Common sense dicatated that the Jets would have many nights like these.
New organization. New coach. New general manager. Instead, they came
into and left the Bell ranked No. 9 in the Eastern Conference.
The former Thrashers have been blessed with support from sellout crowds
in Winnipeg after playing for years to half-empty arenas in Atlanta, but the
game is played on the ice and who would have thought they'd be where
they are almost halfway through the season?
They don't stand out in any area, but they've competed in most games,
including this one - until, that is, the final period when the Canadiens scored
three times in a span of 50 seconds.
Teams settling into a new city don't win three in a row as the Jets did
against Colorado (4-1), Los Angeles (1-0 in overtime) and the Maple Leafs
(3-2) before this loss to the Canadiens. Their victory over the Leafs on
Saturday allowed the Jets to finish December with a 10-3-1 mark - their
best winning percentage of any month since the franchise began play in
Atlanta in 1999. They went 9-2-1 at home during that stretch.
"We should carry this swagger over," forward Blake Wheeler said awaiting
his team's visit to the Bell. "We should bring this on the road with us and
have the same mentality, the same fight we have at home and just want to
go out and do the same thing on the road."
Obviously, the swagger will have to wait for another night in another city,
but those are the Canadiens, still sitting six points behind the No. 9 Jets on
Lars Eller Night and seven behind No. 8 New Jersey following the Devils' 61 loss to the Bruins.
So are the Leafs, Buffalo and Tampa Bay. There's still a lot of hockey to be
played, so how long they continue to compete as they have is anybody's
guess, but for now they're part of the playoff mix - and how sweet is that?
Dare I mention the Canadiens got off to an ugly start in this one, allowing a
goal on Winnipeg's second shot. Not surprisingly, the goal - largely resulting
from a sloppy exhibition of defence - also attracted a loud chorus of boos
from a substantial portion of yet another sellout crowd.
However, what you should know is that most of these boo birds the
Canadiens have heard a lot from this season - and for good reason twisted themselves out of shape climbing back on board when Josh Gorges
and Eller scored the first two Canadiens goals of 2012 in 43 seconds
roughly 10 minutes later.
What made those goals particularly notable is that goaltender Ondrej
Pavelec barely arched an eyebrow while Gorges got his second goal of the
season, shooting from another time zone. He also appeared just as
disinterested on Eller's fifth of the season. The same can be said for Tomas
Kaberle's first of the season in the sixth minute of the second period.
Goaltenders can have a bad night, but the Jets will need better than what
Ondrej brought to this game. Put it this way: allowing three goals on the first
13 shots a goaltender faces doesn't cut it. Three more in less than a minute
starting 2: 41 in the third sent him to the Winnipeg bench - but there's plenty
of blame to go around for that.
For some reason, his defence went AWOL when Ellers scored his second
and third goals along with a third by Michael Cammalleri. Ellers's fourth
came on a penalty shot 11 minutes into the final period.
Ron Hainsey, where were you when the Canadiens put this one away big
time after going into the final period with only a 3-2 lead. It's true that
Hainsey wasn't on the ice for more than one by Eller and for the Gorges
604891
Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators lose 4-1 to Dallas Stars
Weber's return does nothing for defense
Written by
Josh Cooper | The Tennessean
The Nashville Predators spent four games learning how to win without Shea
Weber. On Thursday, they forgot how to win with him.
The Dallas Stars beat the Predators 4-1 in front of an announced sellout of
17,113 at Bridgestone Arena.
The game was Weber’s first one back in the lineup after missing four
games with a concussion. Weber received the injury Dec. 23 at Dallas
when he took a high and hard hit from Stars defenseman Mark Fistric. The
Predators went 3-1-0 in Weber’s absence.
Thursday, Weber played 25:45 and was a minus-2. He took four shots on
goal.
Some Predators said that their captain got better as the game went on.
Weber had a scoring chance in the first period, but had trouble controlling
the puck off a rush. The Predators did not score on the play.
“I think (my) conditioning was pretty good actually,” Weber said. “I felt pretty
good skating-wise, just (my) hands weren’t quite where I wanted them to
be.”
Before the game, the Predators said they didn’t care much for revenge on
Fistric. And Fistric said “It’s in the past. For me, I’ve moved on from it.”
But nearly two minutes into the game, Predators forward Jordin Tootoo
started jawing with Fistric before a faceoff. Tootoo dropped his gloves, and
Fistric took off his gloves and helmet. The two punched each other briefly
before Tootoo slammed Fistric to the ice back-first.
“He knew what the situation was right off the bat,” Tootoo said “It’s a little
retribution to get the boys fired up.”
Fistric played 14:45 and was a minus-1.
“Toots was saying hey, ‘Hey, you better stand up for that,’ ” Nashville
Coach Barry Trotz said. “I give Fistric full marks. He didn’t not want to get
involved, he said ‘OK, I understand, I made the hit, and I’m going to stand
up to that.’ That was sort of the end of it. Once guys stand up for that, it sort
of ends it then and there.”
Tennessean LOADED: 01.06.2012
604892
Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators make sloppy errors on defense
Written by
Josh Cooper | The Tennessean
Following their 4-1 loss to the Stars on Thursday, the Predators bemoaned
their sloppiness that led to Dallas’ goals.
“We pretty much gave them every goal by mistakes we made,” defenseman
Ryan Suter said.
On Dallas’ first goal, forward Mike Ribeiro made an inside-out move on
defenseman Roman Josi and put the puck behind goaltender Pekka Rinne.
That score came with 15:42 left in the first period to give the Stars a 1-0
lead.
With 13:32 left in the second period and the Stars ahead 2-1, Suter took the
puck behind the net and tried a reverse pass to Weber. The puck went
straight to Stars forward Jamie Benn who put the puck past an
unsuspecting Rinne.
“I knew (Nick Spaling) was behind me. He just didn’t follow me behind the
net,” Suter said. “He turned off to the corner. It’s a routine play and we just
didn’t execute the way we wanted to.”
Forward Adam Burish scored the fourth goal after a turnover by Nashville at
the blueline in the third period.
“Self-inflicted four goals, that’s how I looked at it,” Predators Coach Barry
Trotz said.
First goal: Forward Gabriel Bourque scored his first NHL goal in his fourth
NHL game.
The goal came from a pass by Jordin Tootoo to in front of the net. The
assist gave Tootoo his 19th point this season, a career high.
“Tootoo worked hard and made a nice pass right in front of the net and I
just had to put the puck in,” Bourque said. “It’s a good feeling, but when you
lose, it’s not fun, like a win. But I’m still happy to have my goal.”
Wilson out: Forward Colin Wilson missed his third straight game with what
the Predators called an upper-body injury. Wilson took part in the morning
skate.
Blum and Ellis scratched: With Shea Weber coming off injured reserve, the
Predators had to scratch two defensemen.
Rookies Ryan Ellis and Jonathon Blum were not in the lineup Thursday,
making Blum a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game.
Following the game, Trotz said he didn’t want to carry eight defensemen
and would likely make a roster decision on the two young defensemen.
Sellout streak: The Predators announced their seventh straight home
sellout, a franchise record.
Tennessean LOADED: 01.06.2012
604893
Nashville Predators
Predators pay for their mistakes, lose in Weber's return
For Blum, it was the second straight game and fourth time this season he
was a healthy scratch. For Ellis, it was the first time since he was recalled
and made his NHL debut right after Christmas.
Trotz said one is likely to be reassigned.
• Colin Wilson missed his third straight game with an upper body injury.
By David Boclair
Even with one of their best players back in the lineup the Nashville
Predators were anything but at their best Thursday.
Shea Weber’s return after a four-game absence with a concussion was
spoiled by a 4-1 defeat before a sellout crowd at Bridgestone Arena. The
Predators never led yet their number of shots decreased with each period
and their mistakes grew.
“We weren’t sharp,” coach Barry Trotz said. “Self-inflicted four goals, that’s
how I look at it. … Every goal I can point to us rather than them.”
Turnovers by the Predators in their own end led to the Stars’ last three
goals. The exception was the first, when defenseman Roman Josi allowed
Mike Ribero to skate right past him and in on the net.
The mistakes were spread throughout much of the lineup. Seven Nashville
players, including Weber, were minus-2 on the night and only defensemen
Jack Hillen and Francis Bouillon (plus-1 each) had plus ratings.
“This one we just didn’t match their work ethic,” Weber said. “We didn’t
work hard enough, and they won a lot of battles and, obviously, scored on
their chances."
Weber did not exactly ease back into things upon his return.
His 25:45 of ice time was second only to Ryan Suter (28:05). He had a
team-high four shots on goal. Three other shots were blocked and four
missed the net. Plus, he registered a game-high five hits and blocked a
shot.
“He just got stronger and stronger as the game went on,” Trotz said. “For
his first game back, he was fine. … He got involved physically. He got
involved trying to put pucks at the net. We didn’t have much going
offensively and when he was throwing pucks to the net at least he was
trying to put something there.”
For the game, the Stars outshot the Predators 30-25. Nashville, though,
went from 12 in the first to eight in the second to five in the third despite the
fact that they fell further behind as things progressed.
The Stars went ahead for good on Ribero’s second goal, in the final minute
of the first period, and added one each in the second and third.
“It wasn’t a very good game,” defenseman Ryan Suter said. “All around, it
wasn’t very good. … We kind of gave them a couple of goals with mistakes
on our part. … I thought we pretty much gave them every goal by mistakes
we made.”
The Predators did even the score on one account.
Fewer than two minutes into the contest, Jordin Tootoo sought out Stars
defenseman Mark Fistric in an obvious attempt at retribution. It was Fistric
who hit Weber the last time the teams met, Dec. 23 in Dallas, and caused
the concussion.
It was not much of a fight. The players basically hugged one another until
Tootoo finally threw Fistric to the ice.
“I give Fistric full marks,” Trotz said. “He says, ‘OK. I understand. I made
the hit and I have to stand up to that. That was sort of the end of it. Once
guys stand up for it, that sort of ends it right then and there.”
The Predators effectively were finished not too long after that.
Briefly
• Gabriel Bourque scored Nashville’s only goal. It was the first career goal in
his fourth career game.
“It’s a good feeling, but when you lose it’s not fun,” Bourque said. “We
would like a win, but I’m still happy to have my goal.”
• With the return of Weber, both Jonathon Blum and Ryan Ellis were
scratched.
Nashville City Paper LOADED: 01.06.2012
604894
New Jersey Devils
Devils' Patrik Elias to reach 1,000-game milestone against Panthers
The milestones just keep coming for Devils center Patrik Elias.
After becoming the club's all-time leading goal scorer last month, Elias will
play in his 1,000th career game — all with the Devils — on Friday night
against the Florida Panthers at the Prudential Center.
"It's a great milestone," Elias said today after practice. "It's a lot of games
for one organization. I'm proud of it. Reflections? Our team doctor said
yesterday, 'It's amazing. I've watched you since you were 19 years old and
the time flies. You're playing your 1,000th game.'
"I said, 'Yeah, it would've been a lot sooner if I didn't miss games with
injuries.' ... But that's the way it goes. That's part of hockey."
Elias, who is respected and liked in the Devils' locker room, said he'll have
a sizable contingent of family and friends at the game. That he has played
his entire career with the Devils is "what I'm most proud of," he said. He
joins defenseman Ken Daneyko (1,283 games) and goalie Martin Brodeur
(1,156) in playing 1,000 games as a Devil.
Elias, 35, is the Devils' all-time leader in regular-season goals (348), assists
(502), points (850) and holds the club record for single-season points (96).
He has won two Stanley Cups and made three All-Star appearances since
being drafted in the second round (51st overall) in the 1994 Entry Draft.
This season, Elias has 13 goals (tied for second-most on the team) and 21
assists.
"He has played at a high level for a long time," coach Pete DeDoer said,
adding that Elias is still an elite player.
"That's the one thing that I've been amazed at. He's 35 years old. He looks
like he's 25 and he's playing like that. I think he's more efficient than when
he was younger with his energy.
"He's smarter. I think the fact he's so intelligent. He's like a coach out there.
I think it's easier for guys like that to play longer."
Brodeur, who has played in 1,156 career games — all with the Devils, has
been with Elias the entire way. He said his fondest memory is Elias scoring
the game-winning goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 7 of the
2000 Conference Finals, capping a rally from a 3-1 series deficit.
"He's a person who takes care of himself," Brodeur said. "What makes him
good is his ability to slow down the play and make plays. Also, his scoring
touch. Sometimes guys have one thing but not the other. He seems to have
both.
"He has that niche to score goals and also he has that skill to make the
players around him better."
Star Ledger LOADED: 01.06.2012
604895
New Jersey Devils
Devils coach Pete DeBoer most disappointed in lack of effort in loss to
Bruins
By Dave Hutchinson/The Star Ledger
Losing 6-1 to the defending Stanley Cup champions Boston Bruins is one
thing. But for the Devils to get outworked by the Bruins in your own building
is quite another.
That, said coach Pete DeBoer, is the most disheartening aspect of his
team's performance. He and the team watched tape of the game this
morning.
The Devils (21-16-2) host Florida (20-12-7) on Friday night.
"It was more desire and battle level more than anything else," DeBoer said
following a brisk, 45-minute practice at the AmeriHealth Pavilion in Newark.
"The good news is that's something you can easily fix. But it's disappointing
it wasn't there.
"The message is exactly what I said (Wednesday night). The easy thing to
do would be to throw this tape out but we're not going to do that. The
disappointing thing is we had an opportunity to really make a statement
against the best team in hockey and we didn't take that opportunity — this
time.
"The next time we get that chance, we have to make sure we do. We
looked at the mistakes, the separation, what makes them good and what
we have to do to get to that level."
DeBoer said that was one of the few games his team didn't play hard and
that makes the situation easier to stomach.
"When we've had them (before) we've responded the right way and I expect
we will again," he said.
After a 3-7-0 start, Boston has gone 22-3-1 in its past 26 games.
"We had a good meeting today," winger Ilya Kovalchuk said. "We talked a
lot. We got our minds right and will bring a lot of life to the ice tomorrow."
Said goalie Martin Brodeur: "We know we just got outworked. We got
outplayed. I think more a concern to the coaches is we got outworked. It's
something that in our building just can't happen.
"It was a big challenge for us. It was a measuring stick and we weren't there
to really show what kind of team we have. We know we're better than that.
We'll have another chance to prove ourselves. That's kind of a failed game
and we have to move on now.''
NOTES: Johan Hedberg will be in goal against Florida ... DeBoer tinkered
with his lines in practice and said he'll sleep on it before making any
changes. He said he'd like to get just-recalled center Steve Zalewski in the
lineup as a reward for his play in Albany (9 goals and 12 assists in 34
games). "It sends the right message,'' DeBoer said. ... Defenseman Bryce
Salavador (rest) missed practice but will play vs. Florida. ... Center Travis
Zajac (sore Achilles tendon) and defenseman Anton Volchenkov (lower
body strain) didn't practice today but DeBoer said he's not oppose to
playing both if they convince him they're ready to play Friday.
Dave Hutchinson: [email protected]
604896
New Jersey Devils
Devils' Patrik Elias to reach 1,000-game milestone against Panthers
The milestones just keep coming for Devils center Patrik Elias.
After becoming the club's all-time leading goal scorer last month, Elias will
play in his 1,000th career game — all with the Devils — on Friday night
against the Florida Panthers at the Prudential Center.
"It's a great milestone," Elias said today after practice. "It's a lot of games
for one organization. I'm proud of it. Reflections? Our team doctor said
yesterday, 'It's amazing. I've watched you since you were 19 years old and
the time flies. You're playing your 1,000th game.'
"I said, 'Yeah, it would've been a lot sooner if I didn't miss games with
injuries.' ... But that's the way it goes. That's part of hockey."
Elias, who is respected and liked in the Devils' locker room, said he'll have
a sizable contingent of family and friends at the game. That he has played
his entire career with the Devils is "what I'm most proud of," he said. He
joins defenseman Ken Daneyko (1,283 games) and goalie Martin Brodeur
(1,156) in playing 1,000 games as a Devil.
Elias, 35, is the Devils' all-time leader in regular-season goals (348), assists
(502), points (850) and holds the club record for single-season points (96).
He has won two Stanley Cups and made three All-Star appearances since
being drafted in the second round (51st overall) in the 1994 Entry Draft.
This season, Elias has 13 goals (tied for second-most on the team) and 21
assists.
"He has played at a high level for a long time," coach Pete DeDoer said,
adding that Elias is still an elite player.
"That's the one thing that I've been amazed at. He's 35 years old. He looks
like he's 25 and he's playing like that. I think he's more efficient than when
he was younger with his energy.
"He's smarter. I think the fact he's so intelligent. He's like a coach out there.
I think it's easier for guys like that to play longer."
Brodeur, who has played in 1,156 career games — all with the Devils, has
been with Elias the entire way. He said his fondest memory is Elias scoring
the game-winning goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 7 of the
2000 Conference Finals, capping a rally from a 3-1 series deficit.
"He's a person who takes care of himself," Brodeur said. "What makes him
good is his ability to slow down the play and make plays. Also, his scoring
touch. Sometimes guys have one thing but not the other. He seems to have
both.
"He has that niche to score goals and also he has that skill to make the
players around him better."
604897
New Jersey Devils
Devils' Travis Zajac not practicing as soreness in Achilles continues
Center Travis Zajac, who played eight straight games after returning from
left Achilles' tendon surgery, is experiencing soreness and isn't at practice
this morning as the Devils assemble in the aftermath of their 6-1 beatdown
by the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.
Zajac, who tore the tendon on August 17 and had surgery the following day,
missed the Boston game and is listed as day-to-day.
Defensiemen Anton Volchenkov (lower body strain) and Byrce Salvador
(resting) also are absent.
Volchenkov, who was injured in the first period of Saturday's victory over
Pittsburgh, has missed the past two games.
Dave Huthcinson: [email protected]
604898
New Jersey Devils
Devils hot topic: How are you feeling about Martin Brodeur right now?
By NJ.com Staff
Martin Brodeur was in net for all six Bruins goals Wednesday night as the
Devils took a pounding at The Rock - and Marty was OK with staying in
there, crediting the Bruins with creating great opportunities, citing the fact
that the Bruins have done it to others as well. (That's true - the Bruins have
tallied six goals or more in 10 of their 25 wins this season so far - check out
the string in early November.) Brodeur wasn't too hard on himself.
Some NJ.com Devils fans were pretty hard on him, however, with one fan
comparing him to Bernie Parent in the NHL Winter Classic alumni game.
Another fan was harsher on the defense, saying Wednesday's game wasn't
Marty's debacle.
In an interesting side note, NHL.com's Dan Rosen tweeted a couple of
Marty quotes earlier in the day Wednesday in which Brodeur raves about
the play of (ouch) the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and several other top
goalies.
Brodeur may be a go-to guy for quotes, but is he your go-to guy in net these
days? There have been other opportunities for NJ.com Devils fans to check
in on their Hall-of-Fame goalie earlier in the season, but it's time to check in
again. How are you feeling about Marty right now?
604899
New Jersey Devils
Your comments: Devils crushed at home by Bruins
By NJ.com Staff
There were no third-period collapses for Devils fans to worry about
Wednesday night. That's because it was already 5-1 Bruins with 4:50 gone
in the third, as the Devils got rocked at home by Boston, 6-1.
As The Star-Ledger's Rich Chere writes, it shows there is still a big gap
between the defending champion Bruins and the Devils.
NJ.com user squidboy comments on Martin Brodeur:
Lou always speaks about building a team from the goal out. He has
preached it for years.
How's that looking for the Devils right now? The goaltending is not very
good at all and ancient. The defense does not have anything better than a
#4 in the bunch (Larsson gets a pass as a 19 year old rookie) with no
offensive ability. The centers can't win faceoffs and are small (Zajac is tall
but he certainly does not play big).
What the heck is Lou trying to build? It looks like there is really no plan at
all.
Can this team make the playoffs? It's going to be one heck of a struggle.
NJ.com user joep2 was in attendance and writes:
I had the misfortune of being at this game. The crowd was good, but got
taken out by the Bruins' domination. Fayne was manhandled on the first
goal. On the 3rd goal, Marty looked like Bernie Parent in the alumni game
of the Winter Classic, and he didn't get any better after that. The offense
was non-existent. The highlight of the night was a breakaway goal in the
pee wee game in the first intermission (after the kid scored, he did a Bobby
Orr-esque dive of celebration. That's a memory he'll take the rest of his life
I'm sure). Plus, the woman who sang the national anthem ended up sitting
next to me. Yes, folks, not kidding. These were the only bright spots I can
come up with from an otherwise pathetic evening. The Bruins let the Devils
know who's boss.
NJ.com user devilfan4eva says fans need to calm down:
You fans are something else. Flyers lost to Boston 6-0 and knowing the
Flyers fans, even they did not start whining like some you Devils fans here.
The Bruins were 21-3-1 (in their last 25 games) before the last night's
game. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup last year. The Bruins have a very
good system that they have been playing for almost 4 years. The Bruins
remind me of the Devils of 2000-2001 when the Devils were the highest
scoring team in the league and lost in game 7 to Colorado.
Now to the current Devils team. The coach has only been here for 3
months. We have many young players who make many mistakes. What did
you think was going to happen this year after the dismal last year????????
You all need to calm down and relax. You cannot dismantle this team after
one bad loss. As far as Brodeur goes last night, you all need to shut up.
You cannot blame him on the first 5 goals, and the 6th goal did not matter.
When your defense runs around, your goalie is affected as well. The real
hockey fans know when to blame the goalie and when not to. This was not
the game to blame Brodeur.
Relax you all. Unfortunately, the Devils are not winning the Stanley Cup this
year.
What do you make of the Devils' blowout loss? Join the discussion in the
comments section of the Star-Ledger game story.
604900
New Jersey Devils
'Pure Devil' hitting a milestone
By TOM GULITTI
STAFF WRITER
The Record
NEWARK – The Devils have some important business to take care of
tonight against the Florida Panthers after a humbling 6-1 loss to the
defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
It will also be a very special night, however, for center Patrik Elias, as he'll
become only the third player to play in 1,000 regular-season games as a
Devil.
Others have played in their 1,000th NHL game while with the Devils. One of
Elias' linemates, Dainius Zubrus, did it Nov. 16 in Buffalo, and his other
linemate and good friend, Petr Sykora, needs only 26 more games to get to
1,000.
But only Ken Daneyko (1,283) and Martin Brodeur (1,156) have played
1,000 games in a Devils' uniform.
"That's obviously more special," Elias said Thursday. "I'm going to have my
closest friends and people that kind of followed me and helped me out
throughout my career come [tonight] for the game and my family, obviously,
will come for a bit. It will be nice."
Elias, 35, a native of Trebic, Czech Republic and a 1994 Devils secondround draft pick, played in his first NHL game on Dec. 7, 1995 – a 2-1 win
over Toronto at the Meadowlands. It would take him another two seasons
before he earned a regular spot on the NHL roster, but since then he has
claimed every Devils scoring record.
On Dec. 17 in Montreal, he became the franchise's all-time leader in
regular-season goals with 348. He also has the most regular season assists
(502), points (850), power-play goals (96), power-play points (272), gamewinning goals (77), overtime goals (15) and hat tricks (8).
"He's been certainly what you would call a pure Devil," GM Lou Lamoriello
said.
"We drafted him and he spends two years in the minors and grows and has
become a very special player and, in my mind, not only with the Devils, but
one of the best all-situation players to play the game."
The biggest highlights for Elias were the Stanley Cup rings he earned in
2000 and 2003. He scored one of the biggest goals in team history with
2:32 remaining in Game 7 of the 2000 Eastern Conference finals in
Philadelphia, snapping a 1-1 tie and giving the Devils a 2-1 victory.
"That's the kind of the clutch player that he is and sums up what he's been
for us through the years," Brodeur said.
Elias is still going strong. He leads the Devils this season with 34 points (13
goals, 21 assists) in 38 games. Somehow, the first 999 regular-season
games have raced by, but it's been a heck of ride that Elias hopes won't
end for a while.
"I went through great times and great seasons playing with great players
and then you have seasons that are disappointing, when you have to battle
through adversity and it's all part of the journey and it makes you grow up,"
he said.
"You figure out what life is all about as a hockey player and as a person,
too. It's how you face the challenges throughout a career and I'm pretty
happy that I'm still doing it and, I'd like to think, I'm doing it well 1,000
games later."
Bergen Record LOADED: 01.06.2012
604901
New Jersey Devils
Up next: Panthers at Devils
The Record
Panthers at Devils
Today, 7 p.m.
TV: MSG Plus
Radio: WFAN-AM 660
Story line: The Devils (21-16-2) have lost their last two, including a 6-1 loss
to Boston on Wednesday. Johan Hedberg will start in net. D Anton
Volchenkov (right leg) and C Travis Zajac (sore left Achilles) are
questionable after not practicing Thursday.
604902
New Jersey Devils
A ‘grand’ old night for Elias
By MARK EVERSON
Last Updated: 3:06 AM, January 6, 2012
Posted: 2:46 AM, January 6, 2012
The Devils’ all-time leading scorer hopes his 1,000th game tonight is
nothing like No. 999 — Wednesday’s 6-1 loss to the Bruins, which had that
hellish 666 quality to it.
Patrik Elias hits the milestone tonight when the Panthers visit the Prudential
Center, more than 16 years after his NHL debut in 1995.
“Time flies,” Elias said yesterday. “I went through some great times, with
great teams, great seasons with great players. And there were times that
were disappointing, battling through adversity. It’s part of the journey that
makes you grow up and figure out what life is about, as a hockey player
and as a person.”
For some, the 1,000th game comes in the twilight of a career, when skills
are deteriorating. Elias is the Devils’ leading point-getter with 34 this season
and, already this year, set team records for 348 goals, breaking John
MacLean’s mark of 347, and 96 power-play goals, topping MacLean’s 92.
Elias’ 348 goals, 502 assists and 850 points are all Devils records, and he
will join only Ken Daneyko (1,283) and Martin Brodeur (1,156) with 1,000
games played as a Devil.
When he takes his first shift tonight, Elias will become the 271st player to
play in 1,000 NHL games, and the 10th to reach the milestone while playing
for New Jersey, joining Neal Broten, Scott Stevens, Dave Andreychuk,
Bobby Carpenter, Daneyko, Claude Lemieux, Brian Rolston, Brodeur and
Dainius Zubrus.
The 35-year-old was the Devils’ second-round pick, 51st overall, in 1994,
taken behind Vadim Sharifjanov. Now he seems destined to have his No.
26 retired eventually, to join Ken Daneyko, Scott Stevens, Scott
Niedermayer, and someday, Brodeur.
Elias, didn’t become a regular until 1997-98, after a strong 1997 playoffs.
He scored the dramatic Game 7 winner in the 2000 semifinal comeback
from a 3-1 series deficit against the Flyers, and set up Jason Arnott’s Cupwinner in Game 6 in Dallas that year. He owns all the Devils’ playoff scoring
records and shares the team record of six game-winners with four players.
He said his biggest challenge was coming back from hepatitis contracted
while playing in Russia during the 2004-05 lockout.
“I had no idea if I’d be back,” Elias said. “It was amazing how I played when
I was still feeling really bad. Something or someone was watching over me.”
An ailing Elias brought the Devils back from a first-half mess to make the
playoffs with Lou Lamoriello as interim coach. Then he was named team
captain, but lost that when Brent Sutter became coach, a painful episode.
He has endured the bad, enjoyed the good, and has been the team’s best
player this season.
“He’s a 35-year-old and looks like he’s 25 and is playing like that,” coach
Pete DeBoer said. “The fact that he’s so intelligent out there, he’s like
another coach.”
New York Post LOADED: 01.06.2012
604903
New York Rangers
Rangers, Coming Off Winter Classic Win, Start Slowly but Win in Overtime
By CHRISTOPHER BOTTA
Shaking off the Winter Classic hangover, the Rangers beat the Florida
Panthers, 3-2, on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden on a goal by
Marian Gaborik at 3 minutes 29 seconds of overtime.
Accepting a drop pass from center Derek Stepan a few feet inside the blue
line, Gaborik fired a slap shot past Florida goaltender Scott Clemmensen
for the winning goal.
“It went where I wanted,” Gaborik said.
The Rangers have won eight of nine games.
“When you have a guy like Gabby who can end the game for you with his
shot, it’s all good,” said defenseman Anton Stralman, who scored his first
goal of the season to tie the score at 1-1 after a sluggish start for the
Rangers.
Coach John Tortorella was uneasy about the mental state of his team after
the victory over the Flyers in the Winter Classic.
“A major concern tonight is our energy after an emotional weekend,”
Tortorella said before the game. “I hope we’re ready to play.”
There is a recent trend of Winter Classic winners experiencing letdowns.
On Jan. 1, 2010, the Bruins defeated the Flyers at Fenway Park, but won
only two of their 13 games over the rest of the month. A year ago, the
Capitals beat the Penguins at Heinz Field, but won just 4 of 11 games the
rest of the month.
The Rangers found their legs late in the first period before Stralman floated
a weak wrist shot past Clemmensen.
The teams exchanged goals early in the third period — Ryan Callahan on
the power play for the Rangers, Mike Santorelli for the Panthers — before
heading to overtime.
The Rangers (25-9-4) are in first place in the Eastern Conference.
“When you’re where we’re at, teams are going to take a run at you,”
Tortorella said. “That’s the next step in our process. We’re not going to
sneak up on teams. I’m anxious to see how we handle it.”
BRUINS 9, FLAMES 0 Nathan Horton and Patrice Bergeron each had two
goals and an assist, Tuukka Rask earned his third shutout in four starts and
host Boston won for the ninth time in 10 games. Calgary’s Rene Bourque
served the first game of a five-game suspension for an elbow to the head of
Washington’s Niklas Backstrom. (AP)
FLYERS 5, BLACKHAWKS 4 James van Riemsdyk’s second goal on the
power play with 32.8 seconds remaining lifted host Philadelphia. (AP)
SENATORS 4, LIGHTNING 1 Daniel Alfredsson had a goal and two
assists, Craig Anderson made 35 saves and host Ottawa extended its
winning streak to four games. (AP)
IN OTHER GAMES Jonas Gustavsson stopped all 24 shots he faced for his
second career shutout, leading Toronto past Winnipeg, 4-0, at home. ...
Mike Ribeiro scored two goals in the first period and visiting Dallas ruined
the return of the Nashville captain Shea Weber from a concussion with a 41 victory. ... Matt D’Agostini capped a three-goal surge early in the third
period and Carlo Colaiacovo had three assists, rallying host St. Louis past
Edmonton, 4-3. (AP)
WINTER CLASSIC FIGHT The police in Philadelphia are seeking help in
identifying three men involved in a fight between Flyers and Rangers fans
outside a cheesesteak shop after Monday’s Winter Classic. On
Wednesday, they released an edited version of a YouTube video of the
altercation, which ends with a Rangers fan lying stunned on the street.
Investigators said a man in a Flyers jersey was the main aggressor,
throwing the first punch after a verbal dispute. Two other men joined the
fight, which also involved a second Rangers fan. Authorities said one victim
needed stitches. Family members told WNBC-TV that one victim was a
Woodbridge Township, N.J., police officer and former Marine who served in
Iraq. (AP)
New York Times LOADED: 01.06.2012
604904
New York Rangers
Former President Bill Clinton attends NY Rangers game; John Tortorella
bites his tongue on NHL $30,000 fine for Winter Classic rant against
officials
Torts stays mum on fine, tries to move on
By Pat Leonard / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, January 6 2012, 2:58 AM
The NHL did not announce its $30,000 fine of John Tortorella until after the
coach’s apology Wednesday afternoon, but the Rangers coach would not
react to the sanction when questioned before Thursday’s 3-2 overtime win
over the visiting Panthers.
“I’m not speaking on that,” Tortorella said. “I spoke enough yesterday.”
After the Rangers held on for victory in Monday’s Winter Classic at Citizens
Bank Park, Tortorella ripped referees Ian Walsh and Dennis LaRue, calling
their work “disgusting.” He also intimated that the league and NBC, which
televised the game nationally, had conspired in an attempt to send the
game into overtime.
“There is no acceptable explanation or excuse for commentary challenging
the integrity of the League, its officials or its broadcast partners,” NHL
Senior VP Colin Campbell said in a league release. “People can disagree
with calls by officials on the ice, but even in instances of the utmost
frustration there is no justification for speaking as inappropriately and
irresponsibly as Mr. Tortorella did.”
The Blueshirts’ coach was fined even though he insisted that he intended
his postgame remarks to be “tongue-in-cheek” and “sarcastic.”
Nevertheless, “I tainted the Classic with my mouth, and I shouldn’t have, so
I apologize to everyone involved,” Tortorella said.
WAITING IN THE WINGS
Wojtek Wolski understands he has to “wait his turn,” as Tortorella said on
Wednesday, and the winger knows what he must do once he goes back
into Rangers’ lineup: “I’ve got to play the way I played two years ago,”
Wolski told the Daily News at Thursday morning’s skate in Greenburgh,
fully recovered from the sports hernia that required surgery Nov. 8.
The 25-year-old Polish forward was referring to his 17 goals and 30 assists
in 62 games for the Colorado Avalanche in 2009-10. He was traded later
that season to the Phoenix Coyotes, where he signed a two-year, $7.6
million contract but was dealt last January to New York in exchange for
defenseman Michal Rozsival.
Though Wolski managed 19 points in 37 games for the Rangers last
season, he has had a disappointing contract year thus far. He’s missed 30
games due to injury and has just two points in the six games he’s played.
“With the start of the year and the injuries, it’s tough to show you deserve
that new contract,” Wolski said. “But I’m excited to prove I can contribute
and prove that this is where I want to be.”
Thursday, Wolski was a healthy scratch for only the second time this
season. The last time was Oct. 22 in Edmonton, when he was coming off a
sore groin but the Rangers had won two straight. He went back into the
lineup the next game Oct. 24 in Winnipeg after a 2-0 loss to the Oilers.
In Thursday’s victory, it appeared winger Carl Hagelin had injured his left
shoulder and may have opened the door for Wolski, but the rookie Swede
returned to the ice and said afterward his shoulder was “fine.”
OTTAWALL-STARS?
The NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa on Jan. 29 is starting to look like a
Senators home game. Four of the six players voted in by fans play for
Ottawa: defenseman Erik Karlsson and forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Jason
Spezza and Milan Michalek are joined by Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas
and Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf.
Following last year’s format, NHL operations will select the remaining 36
participants at a later date.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/presidentbill-clinton-attends-ny-rangers-game-john-tortorella-bites-tongue-nhl-30000-fine-winter-classic-rant-officials-article-1.1001764#ixzz1ifgVF0we
New York Daily News LOADED: 01.06.2012
604905
New York Rangers
NY Rangers carry momentum over from Winter Classic victory, beat Florida
Panthers in overtime
By Pat Leonard / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Thursday, January 5 2012, 10:04 PM
Updated: Friday, January 6 2012, 2:41 AM
Instead of playing outdoors in front of HBO, the Rangers played indoors
Thursday night in front of a Garden crowd that included former President
Clinton. But the Rangers can win anywhere in front of anyone these days,
which they proved again in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers.
“I thought it was one of the best games we’ve played in a while,” captain
Ryan Callahan said after the Blueshirts (25-9-4) registered a season-high
41 shots on goal and won their third straight on Marian Gaborik’s slapper
with 1:31 to play in the extra frame.
“Your holidays are over, for us the cameras are gone, the Winter Classic is
done, and now you find out who your team is,” said John Tortorella, who
was concerned about a potential letdown coming off Monday’s emotional 32 win in the Winter Classic but left the Garden pleased with his team’s
effort, holding Florida (20-13-7) to 21 shots.
Marc Staal was beaten on an early two-on-one but got involved physically
and had three shots on goal in 12:51 of ice time in his Garden debut this
season. The Rangers, now with a league-best 54 points, maintained a onepoint lead over the Boston Bruins, who blasted the Calgary Flames, 9-0.
The Blueshirts then hopped on their team charter to Pittsburgh, where they
play the Penguins Friday night. The Rangers defeated the Pens, 4-3, at the
Garden on Nov. 29 in their only meeting this season so far. Sidney Crosby
played that night but is again out of the lineup indefinitely with concussion
symptoms.
Thursday night at the Garden, Panthers goaltender Scott Clemmensen —
who was pulled with 4:23 left in the first period of the Rangers’ 4-1 win over
Florida last Friday — nearly redeemed himself with a 38-save effort. But
Gaborik found open ice on the four-on-four late off a beautiful drop pass
from Derek Stepan and buried his team-leading 23rd goal of the season.
“A lot of people talk about me coming here and helping Gabby — Gabby’s
had good seasons with whomever he’s played with,” said Brad Richards,
whose power-play slapper 4:24 into the third deflected off Callahan’s shin
for the Rangers’ second goal.
Callahan laughed about being credited with the goal that gave the
Blueshirts a 2-1 lead — “I’ll take those,” he said — but he and his
teammates were disappointed about giving a soft one right back to Florida
on Mike Santorelli’s wrister to the glove side just 36 seconds later. It was
the same spot where the Panthers’ Marcel Goc aimed for the game’s first
goal in the first period.
“I got caught cheating there,” said Rangers goalie Martin Biron (19 saves),
who made his fourth start in the last nine games and improved to 8-2-0 on
the season.
Florida led until Anton Stralman scored his first Rangers goal with 2:15
remaining in the first to tie the game at 1-1. After Ruslan Fedotenko dug the
puck out on the forecheck, Stralman threw what he called a “chocolate-chip
muffin” of a wrist shot on net, and the puck deflected off the skate of
Panthers defenseman Ed Jovanovski and through Clemmensen’s five-hole.
Even though Tortorella said he thought Stepan’s line with Gaborik and
Artem Anisimov on the wings “stunk” for the first half of the game, he liked
the play of Brandon Dubinsky and John Mitchell and felt the whole team
contributed through the full 60-plus minutes.
“There’s a lot of energy generated from the HBO series and the Winter
Classic and everything around it,” Biron said. “It felt weird without the
cameras. But it was up to us to get ourselves going. I was pretty confident
our team was going to play well.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/ny-rangerscarry-momentum-winter-classic-victory-beat-florida-panthers-overtimearticle-1.1001670#ixzz1ifgrfMcQ
New York Daily News LOADED: 01.06.2012
604906
New York Rangers
WATCH: Off-duty cop wearing Rangers jersey beaten by Flyers fans in
Philadelphia
By JOSH SAUL
An off-duty New Jersey cop and Iraq veteran wearing a Rangers jersey was
savagely beaten by a pack of thuggish Philadelphia Flyers fans in the City
of Brotherly Love Monday, his father said last night.
Neal Auricchio Jr., 30, had driven down to Philadelphia with a friend to
watch the outdoor “Winter Classic” between the two rivals.
After the game, Auricchio went to the famous Geno’s Steaks, and a pack of
Flyers fans began talking trash and then jumped him.
“He’s in pretty tough shape,” said Neal Auricchio Sr. “He got beat up pretty
bad.”
Video of the attack on YouTube shows several men in Flyers jerseys
bending over to punch Auricchio as he lies motionless.
Neal Jr., a former US Marine who served two tours and earned a Purple
Heart, was hospitalized with a concussion.
A Woodbridge cop for four years, he is married with an infant son.
His father pleaded with the thugs to turn themselves in.
“You did the wrong thing, now do the right thing and take your punishment,”
Neal Sr. said.
A man named Edward Neary appeared Wednesday to admit his
participation in the attack.
Neary wrote on Facebook, "it was me and my friends do something about
it," and then used a homophobic slur. His Facebook page, which has since
been deleted, said that Neary graduated from high school in 2009.
Neary later blamed the incident on his friends, identifying three by name,
and claiming the Rangers fans instigated the fight.
NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdi
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604907
New York Rangers
Rangers’ Staal sees limited action later in game
By LARRY BROOKS
Marc Staal led Rangers’ defensemen with 7:10 of ice time during the first
period of last night’s 3-2 overtime victory over the Panthers at the Garden,
but the alternate captain played 5:41 the remainder of the match in his
second game after missing the first 36 suffering and recovering from the
after-effects of the concussion he sustained last February.
Staal was feeling no pain or discomfort other than rust, his ice time limited
as coach coach John Tortorella essentially cut down to four defensemen for
most of the second and essentially the entire third period and overtime.
Thus, Staal was in the unusual position of watching from the bench (with
partner Stu Bickel) when the game was on the line as Tortorella heaped
time on Dan Girardi (11:00 in the third period and overtime), Michael Del
Zotto (10:56), Anton Stralman (10:19) and Ryan McDonagh (9:14).
“In a lot of ways it was kind of like my first game back,” said Staal, who
made his season debut Monday on the outdoor rink in Philadelphia. “It was
the normal surroundings, but getting back to Madison Square Garden
again, getting used to the room, the game-day routine, it was like the first
time.”
Staal, who got just three brief shifts for 1:25 after the third, said he expects
to play tonight in Pittsburgh in the second half of the back-to-back.
“I only played 12 minutes [12:51],” said Staal, who was credited with three
shots and engaged in a couple of scrums. “It might be a little bit tougher
[back-to-back] but there’s no reason I won’t play.”
***
Marian Gaborik’s goal that won it at 3:29 of OT was his 23rd in the club’s
38th game, exceeding his total from a year ago when he played in 62
matches. ... Stralman got his first of the year and first as a Ranger at 17:44
of the first when his right wing shot glanced in off Florida defenseman Ed
Jovanovski.
The Panthers were called for too-many-men on the ice infractions twice
within 5:34 of the third period, with the Rangers capitalizing to break an 0for-12 skid on Ryan Callahan’s goal at 4:24 before failing on the final
opportunity to finish the night 1-for-3. The Rangers killed Florida’s lone
power play to extend their streak to 12 straight.
Mike Santorelli tied the match for the Panthers by beating Martin Biron up
top short side from the right side just 36 seconds after Callahan had given
the Rangers a 2-1 lead.
“I got caught cheating a little bit on that one,” said the goaltender, 8-2 on the
year. “I was leaning. It was a mental mistake.”
The Rangers, Flyers and Penguins each have played 17 home games and
21 on the road. Rangers are 12-3-2 at the Garden, 13-6-2 away from home.
... The Rangers, who lead Atlantic by four points over the Flyers and eight
points over the Penguins, have not had home ice advantage in a playoff
round since 1996.
***
Former president Bill Clinton was at the match, watching from a front-row
seat.
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604908
New York Rangers
Red-hot Rangers nip Panthers in overtime
By LARRY BROOKS
So John Tortorella is either being realistic or the Rangers’ coach is
attempting to minimize the hoopla surrounding his team in consistently
downplaying its record and first-place standing as those mid-season
accomplishments project toward the postseason.
“I hear people asking, ‘Are you a Stanley Cup team?’ and that’s just a
crock, we’re 37 games into it,” Tortorella said last night before his
impressive team’s impressive 3-2 overtime victory over the Panthers at the
Garden in Game 38. “I understand why people say that when you have our
record, but we never talk about that.”
They don’t talk about the Stanley Cup and they don’t talk about finishing in
first place in the Atlantic, a position they hold by four points over the Flyers
and eight points over the Penguins entering tonight’s match in Pittsburgh,
but winning the Atlantic is important given the playoff structure.
Because given the relative strength of the rest of the East, the clubs that
finish second and third in the Atlantic are more likely than not destined for
the four-five first-round matchup while the division champion would get a
bottom seed.
“You want to shoot to be the best, to be No. 1, but you can’t get caught up
putting too much stress on playoff matchups at any time,” Mike Rupp said.
“The No. 8 seed or No. 7 seed can be just as tough when you get there.
“You want to be playing well when you go into the playoffs. Actually, you
want to play well all the time.”
That the Rangers surely have done throughout this 25-9-4 season, winners
now of three straight and eight of their last nine after avoiding a post-Winter
Classic letdown.
The Rangers were somewhat disjointed early, but dictated most of the final
50 minutes of the match in which they outshot the Puddy Tats 41-21 and
that concluded when Marian Gaborik blew a right wing drive past Scott
Clemmensen at 3:29 of OT off a rush led by Derek Stepan.
“The [Winter Classic] win felt different than a normal regular-season game,
so we put a lot of emphasis on not having a letdown,” said Brad Richards.
“It would have been human nature for us to be a little bit off, but we didn’t
allow that to happen, which I think is another good sign for our team.”
It’s a good sign that Gaborik and linemates Stepan and Artem Anisimov had
such a strong third period after a lackluster second in which the unit was
skipped a couple of times in the rotation.
It’s a good sign that Brandon Dubinsky played an imposing game with
linemates Richards and Ryan Callahan, and it’s a good sign that the
Rangers were able to stifle the Panthers’ Stephen Weiss-Kris VersteegTomas Fleischmann top line, limiting the unit to two shots on net.
It’s a good sign that the power play was able to score after entering on 0for-11 and 2-for-29 skids, the goal coming on a Callahan deflection of a
shot by Richards, who was on the point for the third straight game after
spending about a month up front.
“I’m definitely more comfortable playing the point,” said Richards, joined at
the back by Dan Girardi rather than Michael Del Zotto. “Getting the
opportunity to carry the puck up ice and get more touches helps.
“It also helps to get some repetitions back there. It’s tough to get rhythm
when you’ve had as few power plays as we have lately.”
The Rangers, though, they have rhythm at the top of the Atlantic, a position
that would be quite advantageous for the club to hold.
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604909
New York Rangers
Rangers' Marc Staal ready to play full-time, but will need some rest
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
By ANDREW GROSS
STAFF WRITER
GREENBURGH, N.Y. – One game into his return from a concussion and
with his ice time still limited, Marc Staal doesn't foresee anything keeping
him out of the back-to-back games the Rangers begin tonight.
"No reason," Staal said after Wednesday's practice, adding he plans to
play, "every game from here on out."
The Rangers, who have won two straight, including a 3-2 victory over the
Flyers in Monday's Winter Classic, play host to the Panthers tonight before
playing at Pittsburgh on Friday.
Staal, who missed the season's first 36 games after initially sustaining a
concussion on a hit by his brother, Eric Staal of the Hurricanes, on Feb. 22,
logged 12:41 and was a plus-1 with one hit at Philadelphia. It was his first
game since the Rangers were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs
by the Capitals on April 23.
"We'll treat it like last game and limit the ice time a bit," Staal said. "As the
game wore on, I felt more comfortable out there. My head is clear, but my
body kind of feels like the first day of training camp.
"I felt pretty good during the shifts as far as my speed and endurance,"
Staal added. "But there's no way I'd be able to play the minutes Dan Girardi
[28:35] or Ryan McDonagh [25:57] played."
Staal, who turns 25 on Jan. 13, averaged a career-high 25:44 of ice time
last season – fourth highest in the NHL – and was named an All-Star for the
first time.
The Winter Classic's conclusion marked the departure of HBO's "24/7"
cameras so, for the first time all season, the Rangers are theoretically
distraction-free. The team also has dealt with a lengthy Europe trip and the
renovation of Madison Square Garden.
Captain Ryan Callahan said avoiding a letdown is something that now
needs to be addressed.
"We have a coach [John Tortorella] that won't let us let down," Brian Boyle
said. "We want to keep building on what we've done. We've done a good
job, but we know we haven't done anything yet."
BRIEFS: Tortorella said left wing Wojtek Wolski, out since Nov. 3 due to a
sports hernia, is healthy enough to play but, "I'm not looking to change the
lineup right now." … Tortorella said defenseman Mike Sauer (concussion),
out since Dec. 5, worked out Wednesday and "had a good week" but
otherwise had no update on his status. … Connecticut forwards Mats
Zuccarello and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault were named to the Eastern
Conference squad for the AHL All-Star Game. So was Syracuse forward
Kyle Palmieri of Montvale. … No Ranger is expected to be among the top
vote-getters when the first six NHL All-Star picks are announced today.
604910
New York Rangers
Gaborik gives Rangers 3-2 OT win over Panthers
By ANDREW GROSS
STAFF WRITER
NEW YORK – Scott Clemmensen believes the Rangers have a legitimate
chance to win the Stanley Cup. John Tortorella still isn’t sure – at least
publicly – what to think about his surging squad.
“This is the grind, the dog-days of the year,” the Rangers coach said. “For
us, the [HBO] cameras are gone, the Winter Classic is done. I still don’t
know what our team is. Now, we’ve got to handle the normalcy of the
season.”
This much is sure: the Rangers, shaking off some early game lethargy, won
their third straight and for the eighth time in nine games as Marian
Gaborik’s slap shot at 3:29 of overtime beat Clemmensen for a 3-2 victory
over the Panthers on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden before a
sellout crowd that included former President Bill Clinton.
The Rangers (25-9-4) maintained a one-point lead over the Bruins in the
Eastern Conference despite Tortorella fretting there might be a lack of
energy following Monday’s “emotional” 3-2 outdoor win over the Flyers at
Citizens Bank Park.
“I’m not going to lie, some guys had to manufacture it,” Brian Boyle said.
“But it didn’t take long to get into it.”
Clemmensen, the ex-Devil, stopped 38 shots for the Panthers (20-12-8)
after being pulled in the first period of the Rangers’ 4-1 win at Florida on
Friday.
But he couldn’t handle Gaborik’s wicked slap shot from the slot after Derek
Stepan rushed the puck up ice and dropped it for him. Gaborik said
avoiding a post-Winter Classic letdown was discussed often.
“Everybody talked about that,” said Gaborik, who had what would have
been his 300th career assist taken away when a late scoring change gave
Ryan Callahan the power-play goal to put the Rangers ahead, 2-1, at 4:24
of the third period after he defected Brad Richards’ shot.
But Mike Santorelli tied the game just 36 seconds later as he was allowed
to skate deep into the Rangers’ zone and beat Marty Biron (19 saves) —
making his second start in four games — over the glove.
“We have to keep the energy up and we did that throughout the whole
night,” Gaborik said. “We shut down their top line [Stephen Weiss centering
Kris Versteeg and Tomas Fleischmann]. These are huge points.”
But Tortorella’s concerns were realized early as the Rangers lagged after a
good first shift by Richards’ line with Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky, who
had a game-high six shots. The dip lasted about seven minutes before the
teams settled into a game with few great scoring chances.
Marcel Goc – returning to the lineup after missing 22 games with an upperbody injury – gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead at 4:16 on a 2-on-1 feed from
Mikael Samuelsson. Goc beat defenseman Stu Bickel up the ice after
Bickel pinched into the Panthers’ end.
Anton Stralman, on a low shot from the right point that deflected off Ed
Jovanoski, scored his first goal with the Rangers to tie the game at 1 at
17:44 of the first period.
Both Michael Del Zotto and the Panthers’ Tomas Kopecky were fined the
maximum $2,500 by the NHL for their actions in the waning seconds of the
teams’ last game.
604911
New York Rangers
Rangers notes: No reaction from John Tortorella
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Record
No reaction
Rangers coach John Tortorella had no comment after being fined $30,000
by the NHL for his self-described tongue-in-cheek comments at Monday’s
Winter Classic suggesting the league and NBC met to extend the game to
overtime. "I’m not speaking on that, I spoke enough yesterday," said
Tortorella, who issued a lengthy apology Wednesday.
No All-Stars yet
No Ranger was among the top six vote-getters in fan balloting for the NHL
All-Star Game at Ottawa on Jan. 29. The Senators’ Erik Karlsson, Milan
Michalek, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson along with the Maple Leafs’
Dion Phaneuf and Bruins goalie Tim Thomas were picked.
The league’s Hockey Operations department will select the rest of the AllStars and goalie Henrik Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik are likely picks, with
Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan, Dan Girardi and Michael Del Zotto
possibilities.
"Any time you go to the All-Star Game, you feel pretty good about yourself,"
said Lundqvist, a two-time All-Star.
Familiar ice
Defenseman Marc Staal logged 12:51 with three shots and one hit in his
first indoor game of the season. The All-Star missed the first 36 games this
season as he recovered from a concussion before playing 12:41 in
Monday’s Winter Classic. "It felt like my first game back, to be in normal
surroundings again," Staal said.
Briefs
Ex-Devil John Madden, 38, did not dress for the Panthers after signing a
one-year, $600,000 deal Wednesday. …The Rangers’ 41 shots were a
season high. …The Rangers were credited with 50 hits for the second
straight game. … Ryan Callahan now has a six-game point streak with two
goals and five assists. … Brian Boyle was upset after hitting a rut on the ice
late in the third period. His right leg buckled and he hurt his ankle, though
he remained in the game.
— Andrew Gross
604912
New York Rangers
Up next: Rangers at Penguins
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Herald News
Rangers at Penguins
Today, 7 p.m.
TV: MSG2
Radio: WNYM-AM 970
Story line: The Rangers won the first meeting this season over the
Penguins, 4-3, on Nov. 29, one of the eight games that concussed Sidney
Crosby has played in over the last calendar year. The Rangers are 4-0-1 in
the second game of back-to-back sets. The Penguins (21-13-4) have been
idle since a 3-1 loss to the Devils on Saturday, their second straight defeat.
604913
New York Rangers
Rangers fan beaten at Winter Classic
January 5, 2012 by The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA -- Police in Philadelphia are seeking the public's help
identifying three men involved in a fight between Flyers and Rangers fans
outside a cheesesteak shop following Monday's Winter Classic hockey
game.
Philadelphia police on Wednesday released an edited version of a YouTube
video of the altercation, which ends with a Rangers fan lying stunned on the
street.
Investigators say a man in a Flyers jersey is the main aggressor, throwing
the first punch after a verbal dispute. Two other men join in the fight, which
also involves a second Rangers fan.
Authorities say one victim needed stitches for his injuries. Family members
tell WNBC-TV one victim is a Woodbridge Township, N.J. police officer and
former Marine who served in Iraq.
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.06.2012
604914
New York Rangers
Gaborik's goal lifts Rangers in OT
By STEVE ZIPAY [email protected]
Marian Gaborik knew his once-high-flying trio had been dormant. "The last
few games, our line has been quiet," he said Thursday night. "But as the
game went on, we got better."
With the Rangers and Panthers in overtime at Madison Square Garden,
Gaborik took a drop pass from Derek Stepan and let fly. "I was not
hesitating this time," he said of only his third shot on goal of the game. "I
just tried to wire it."
Gaborik's laser at 3:29 of overtime beat Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen
for his 23rd goal of the season and first point in four games as the Rangers
defeated Florida, 3-2.
The victory -- the third in a row and eighth in the last nine games for the
Rangers (25-9-4) -- seemed to delight former President Bill Clinton, who
had a front-row seat.
The goal was a bit of redemption for Gaborik, as the Slovak sniper had the
300th assist of his career taken away by the official scorer when the second
Rangers goal was changed from Brad Richards to Ryan Callahan.
The Rangers ended regulation with a 38-21 advantage in shots but could
score only off deflections past Clemmensen. They moved to 3-1-0 against
Florida and 12-3-2 at home, ending any sense that there would be a postWinter Classic letdown before they face the Penguins Friday night in
Pittsburgh.
Before the game, Rangers coach John Tortorella said he had a "major
concern" about his team's energy level "after a pretty emotional weekend . .
. I hope we're ready to play."
Except for an eight-minute slump midway through the first period, they
were.
"I thought we responded well," said Callahan, who was credited with a goal
that went off his shin pad and gave the Rangers a short-lived 2-1 lead.
Callahan and linemates Richards and Brandon Dubinsky also helped hold
the Panthers' No. 1 line of Stephen Weiss, Kris Versteeg and Tomas
Fleischmann to two shots on Martin Biron (8-2-0).
Marcel Goc opened the scoring with a top-shelf wrister at 4:16 of the first
before the Rangers got their legs going.
The Brandon Prust-Mike Rupp-John Mitchell line created the best
opportunities. But it was defenseman Anton Stralman's first goal as a
Ranger, on a shot from the right side that deflected off Ed Jovanovski's
skate and past Clemmensen at 17:44, that tied the score.
Stralman called his soft but accurate shot "a chocolate-chip muffin" and was
surprised when it went in.
Said Biron, "It was kind of quiet on the ice and in the stands, and he scores
and it shook everybody up a little bit."
After a scoreless second, Richards' shot hit Mike Weaver's glove, then
Callahan at 4:24 of the third while the Panthers were killing an infraction for
too many men on the ice. But just 36 seconds later, Mike Santorelli beat
Biron short-side to knot the score at 2.
"He caught me cheating," said Biron, who made 19 saves. "If I was in
position, it hits me in the shoulder."
Then Gaborik shouldered the burden.
"A lot of people were talking about me coming here and helping Gabby,"
Richards said. "Gabby has had many good seasons with whomever he's
playing with. He's good enough to help other people, and that's what he's
doing."
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.06.2012
604915
NHL
Hockey federation launches concussion task force
dawn walton
The International Ice Hockey Federation has launched a special task force
to find out why concussions are plaguing the sport and would back a
complete overhaul of the game if that would eradicate them.
The committee, which was announced Thursday prior to the World Junior
Championship gold-medal game between Russia and Sweden, will reach
out to specialists – such as physicians who treated superstar Sidney
Crosby – coaches, former players and equipment experts as well as the
National Hockey League.
“It would be great if we could arrive at something where there would be a
global initiative to change the game in all aspects,” said IIHF vice-president
Murray Costello, who will head the committee.
The former NHL player, who is also chairman of the federation’s medical
committee, has been advocating the removal of head shots from the game
for a decade and aims to make the sport safer for players at all levels
around the world. Mr. Costello said that change won’t come quickly and
there may be opposition, but officials shouldn’t rule out rethinking bodychecking, slowing down the pace by again outlawing the two-line pass,
altering equipment or even the size of the ice surface.
“[We] have the opportunity to bring the best people we can find together to
work with us to try and nail down the problems in the game and the best
way to overcome them,” Mr. Costello said.
The NHL has a players’ safety committee and has implemented certain rule
changes in an effort to reduce head injuries. But it has not yet ordered an
outright ban on hits to the head.
The safety-first message, however, is getting through to younger players,
IIHF officials said. During the juniors tournament in Alberta, only one player
was suspended leading up to the gold-medal game for a check to the head
area, while last year in Buffalo, five players were suspended.
At least two players at this year’s tournament, however, were kept out of
games because of concussion-like symptoms. Switzerland’s Sven Bartschi,
a first-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames, was sidelined after being hit
in the head during a game against Sweden, while Finland lost Olli Maata.
The 17-year-old defenceman plays for the OHL’s London Knights and sat
out Thursday’s bronze-medal game.
“All what we will look at will be geared toward keeping the spectacle as
attractive as it really is,” Mr. Costello said, “while returning respect for the
game, respect for the players in the game, respect for each other and
respect for themselves when they play it.”
Toronto Globe And Mail LOADED: 01.06.2012
604916
NHL
Canucks brace for lone visit to Death Valley
theory suggests Luongo would benefit from a relatively unimportant game
to excise any demons. Another suggestion is that a rest would benefit
Luongo and there is no need to shove him into a maw of prying questions
over fading memories.
david ebner
On Wednesday night, 32-year-old Luongo was happy to savour a shutout in
his 700th NHL game, his stats now basically equally to his five previous
Canucks seasons, after a slow start.
“We’re going to enjoy tonight, the win, and we’ll focus on Boston tomorrow.”
The shattering loss plagued Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, who would
wake up several times a night in the weeks after Boston won the Cup.
Henrik Sedin, the Vancouver captain, thinks about it every day he laces on
skates.
“The feeling to lose in the finals, that comes up, pops up, pretty much every
day when you come down to the rink,” Sedin said Wednesday after a 2-0
win over Minnesota.
But the Canucks, who face Boston for the only time this season Saturday,
at the harrowing Garden, do not appear plagued by dark memories.
Perhaps the good spirits are due in part to climbing to first place in the NHL
on Wednesday night. Perhaps to using technology such as the so-called
MindRoom, a psychological decompression chamber brought in by
innovative club president Mike Gillis.
The elder Sedin twin – leading the league in scoring after Wednesday night,
his younger brother Daniel tied for second – doesn’t seem tortured by the
Cup debacle. “It’s something that’s in the back of your head but, again,
we’re a team that looks ahead, and we’ve got a different team this year. As
a group, we’re as good, if not better.”
Boston is definitely better, led by 37-year-old goalie Tim Thomas, who stops
even more pucks than he did during last season’s Vézina- and Conn
Smythe-winning season. Before Thursday night’s games, Boston was just
two points behind Vancouver with five games in hand. Thomas is having his
best season yet, a 1.90 goals-against average and a 0.940 save
percentage. It’s better than last year’s amazing 2.00 and 0.938, better than
any season Martin Brodeur ever had and rivals the best of Dominik Hasek.
Thomas is playing “scary” good, conceded Daniel Sedin, who played down
Saturday’s game. “Game 42 of the season. That’s the way we look at it.”
Boston leads the league in goals scored per game, a category Vancouver
led last year, with Boston fifth. Boston’s record at even strength is probably
the most indicative of its power. Its goals for-against ratio is 1.94, leading
the league again, with a big gap ahead of No. 2 Detroit at 1.72. Vancouver
is sixth at 1.24.
Toughness will be closely watched, given that Boston roughed up
Vancouver in June to the point where it seemed the finely tuned offence
was in complete, and feeble, disarray.
But Vancouver has toughened notably, even if cries from fans for an
enforcer were ignored by Gillis. Vancouver has three of the top 60 hitters in
the league this season, Max Lapierre, Alex Edler and Kevin Bieksa. Last
year Vancouver had only one player, Lapierre, in the top 60 hitters.
The Sedins, too, have become more aggressive. They have as many hits
this season as all of last year, ranking about 350th among 550 or so
forwards, up from about 450th last year.
And while Boston is the second-most penalized team, and second in
fighting majors, Vancouver is fifth in penalties and seventh in fighting
majors, getting scrappier compared with 18th in penalties and 23rd in
fighting majors last season.
Much blame for the Cup loss has been heaped on goalie Roberto Luongo,
especially by brittle Vancouver fans who were exasperated with his poor
play in Boston. The Sedins, however, know the key factor in the Cup final
loss was their lack of scoring. Vancouver put in just eight in seven games.
“We know we’re going to have to play better than we did in the finals,”
Henrik Sedin said. “I mean, we lost because we couldn’t score, and that’s a
tough thing to” – he paused, choosing his words – “carry. But we look
forward to the game. Like I said, [Thomas] is no different than other goalies:
if you get enough shots, we get good traffic, he’s beatable.”
It has not yet been decided who will start in the Vancouver net. Luongo was
pillaged in June in Boston but has been playing well and is coming off a
shutout against tough Minnesota. Impressive backup Cory Schneider grew
up in the Boston area and has started only two of the past 11 games. One
604917
NHL
Cox: Boston beatdown (9-0!) more bad news for Flames
Damien Cox
BOSTON—Submerged by six goals less than five minutes into the second
period, you really had to wonder if the braintrust that operates the Calgary
Flames had a religious moment. An awakening, perhaps.
It’s no shame to get hammered by the awesome Bruins, of course. They’re
doing it to everyone as part of the fabulous 23-3-1 run they’ve been on
since Halloween, and on Saturday we’ll see if the champs can lay that kind
of scary beating on the team they faced in last June’s wild Stanley Cup
final, the similarly surging Vancouver Canucks.
One doubts it. Then again, the B’s did just that to the ’Nucks three times at
home in the final, didn’t they?
But that’s Saturday. On Thursday, the Flames might have wandered into
the TD Garden hoping that the Bruins might be a little leg weary from
having played the night before in New Jersey, and might also be looking
beyond them a little to the Canucks and that Saturday afternoon showdown.
Well, no such luck. The 9-0 humiliation the Flames absorbed — the worst
loss of Brent Sutter’s tenure as coach — was their fifth straight defeat on a
long road trip that has turned very, very ugly, and now they limp home to
Alberta buried deep in 12th place in the Western Conference.
Not that ownership and management want to admit this season is lost. No
chance of that, it would appear.
Instead, the Flames are starting to look a lot like the Maple Leafs, circa
2008, a mediocre team in possession of an aging star. For the Leafs, it was
Mats Sundin. For the Flames, it’s Jarome Iginla.
The Leafs didn’t want to press Sundin to waive his no-trade, and Sundin
didn’t want to leave before his contract expired. The Flames are either
terrified to trade Iginla for fear of how their fan base might react, or they’re
blindly loyal to the man after years of great service. Iginla, meanwhile, has
given no indication he wants to leave.
Being in Boston, of course, made it easy to think how the Flames could turn
the Iginla story into something similar to the way in which Ray Bourque
penned his exit from the Bruins in time to win a Stanley Cup in Colorado.
The hockey world, you can be sure, would be nearly as happy to see the
classy Iginla go somewhere and win a Cup as many were for Bourque. The
asterisk to that, however, is that the Bruins didn’t net very much from the
deal in the final analysis, which works against the very concept of getting
something for a star player in the latter stages of his career.
At any rate, GM Jay Feaster has gone out of his way to made it abundantly
clear he’s not trading Iginla. So where are the Flames headed in the near
future?
There’s some chatter of dealing goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, who was forced
into the Boston game after Leland Irving was blitzed for six goals in 24:15,
but like Iginla and nine other Flames, Kiprusoff has a no-trade clause in his
contract.
Calgary has almost $17 million per season wrapped up in the blueline
foursome of Jay Bouwmeester, Mark Giordano, Cory Sarich and Anton
Babchuk, a group which is at best above-average. Giordano is out with a
long-term injury.
Rene Bourque hasn’t made his contract look like a smart deal and just got
suspended again, this time for five games for a truly dumb head shot on
Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom.
There are some prospects — Sven Bartschi, Michael Ferland, John
Ramage, Max Reinhart — and keeping Curtis Glencross in the fold with a
four-year deal last summer was an important move for the franchise.
While Brian Burke offered the Leafs a sharp change of direction in the wake
of the Sundin non-departure and firing of John Ferguson Jr., Feaster has
chosen to essentially keep the Flames going in the same direction they
were under his predecessor Darryl Sutter.
No house-cleaning. No big deals. Unsteady as she goes.
Against arguably the finest Boston outfit since the early 1970s, the Flames
had no chance and they played like it, managing few chances on Tuukka
Rask in the Bruins net. Earlier in the day, their former franchise
cornerstone, Dion Phaneuf was named a starter for this month’s all-star
game, which again had to regurgitate memories of the disastrous results
Calgary achieved through that deal with the Leafs.
Time for an epiphany, an awakening. Time to stop hanging on and fall off
the cliff already.
Toronto Star LOADED: 01.06.2012
604918
Ottawa Senators
Posted on 05 January 2012. By Ken Warren Tags: Craig Anderson, Ottawa
Senators
Craig Anderson ranks way back of the NHL goaltending pack in a number
of categories, but his 19 wins are tied for second in the league.
On Thursday night, Anderson turned in perhaps his best performance of the
season, leading his Ottawa Senators to a 4-1 victory on a night they were
outplayed for long periods by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Senators have now won four straight games and have at least
temporarily moved into fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, but
don’t be fooled.
The latest win, which gives the Senators a 21-15-5 record at the midpoint of
the season, wouldn’t have been possible without the sparkling play of
Anderson. He stopped 35 shots and was only a Steven Stamkos third
period goal away from posting his first shutout of the season.
“That’s all that really matters right now, getting two points, regardless of
how it happens,” Anderson said, when asked about the statistics. “When
we’re behind, we’re battling to get ourselves back in the game and tonight
we did a great job of holding on to the lead and sticking with our program,
our system.”
Indeed, it was a different route to victory Thursday.
The Senators came into the game having won their previous three in extra
time – two in overtime and one in the shootout – coming from behind in all
of them. This time around, however, it was about holding on to a lead after
Kyle Turris – with his first as a Senator – and Jason Spezza scored to give
the Senators a 2-0 lead heading into the third period.
Once the red-hot Stamkos scored at the 8:48 mark of the third period – his
28th of the season and his seventh goal in four games – the Senators were
forced to hang on.
Anderson held the fort until Zack Smith scored an insurance goal with 3:26
left. Alfredsson cemented the victory by scoring into an empty net, his third
point of the night, and coach Paul MacLean labelled the captain as his best
forward.
Alfredsson says Anderson at his best when the Lightning pressed early in
the second period and after Stamkos made it 2-1.
“I don’t know what the shots were for awhile there, but the coach wasn’t too
happy with us on the bench and (Anderson) was keeping us in it,”
Alfredsson said.
The absence of defenceman Chris Phillips to a concussion was noticeable
– the Lightning held a 21-9 edge in shots halfway through the game — but
the good news for the Senators is that Phillips is showing signs of
recovering quickly.
Turris also scored for the first time in eight games since joining the team.
“The biggest thing is confidence,” said Turris, whose goal came on a nifty
deflection of an Alfredsson pass. “The guys on the team and coach
MacLean have given me that.”
The Lightning, meanwhile, are seeing their season drift away. They’re now
6-14-3 on the road and Thursday’s loss was the latest in a long line where
the goaltending wasn’t nearly good enough.
*
GAME FILE
Why They Won: On the day four Senators were named to the starting
lineup for the All-Star Game, they received All-Star goaltending from Craig
Anderson, who kept the Senators ahead when the Lightning buzzed around
the net early in the second period. Jason Spezza and Kyle Turris also
capitalized on Lightning breakdowns.
Stud: Craig Anderson, Senators. Who else? He stopped 35 shots in
registering his 19th win of the season. He made some outstanding stops,
was in the right place at the right time and, as is usually the case when a
netminder is hot, he received his share of lucky bounces. Anderson’s bid for
his first shutout of the season ended when Steven Stamkos scored at the
8:48 mark of the third.
Dud: Dwayne Roloson, Lightning. It’s tough to outplay a goaltender who
allows only one goal, but Roloson didn’t do himself any favours in giving the
Senators their early lead. He kicked out a soft rebound of a Sergei Gonchar
shot and was out of position when Spezza slid the puck into the almost
empty net. As the Lightning pressed for the tying goal in the final minutes,
Roloson looked terrible on Zack Smith’s back-breaker goal.
He Shoots, He Scores…No, Wait: Erik Condra thought he had given the
Senators a 2-0 lead with 1:02 left in the first period, tucking the puck past
Roloson. Not so fast. The goal was wiped out due to Kyle Turris’s boarding
penalty on Matt Gilroy one second earlier.
Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 01.06.2012
604919
Ottawa Senators
@dan_dufour7: Don’t people in Ottawa have anything better to do than sit
around and vote for their mediocre players #ASG
Scanlan: Sens all aboard the all-star train
@Lbrown1069: Bahaha, 4 Sens in the Starting Lineup in the ASG. Why is
every ASG such a joke? #MissTheOldDays
Posted on 05 January 2012. By Wayne Scanlan
@astockey: 4 Senators start ASG in Ottawa? Ballot box stuffing … Or fan
enthusiasm? Your call.
Vote early, vote often.
Al Capone, the Chicago gangster of the 1920s and ’30s, is among those
credited with coining the phrase. This from the man who also said: “You can
get much further with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word
alone.”
Fans of the Ottawa Senators didn’t put a gun to anyone’s head to get four
Senators named among the starting six for the NHL All-Star Game here on
Jan. 29, but they did vote early and often (30 votes per e-mail address!).
Closer to home, far from feeling sheepish about electing four
representatives, fans were proud to have to come this far in the evolution of
the franchise. Imagine how this vote might have gone in the early to mid
’90s when Ottawa’s nascent fan base was so easily eclipsed by Canadiens
and Leaf fanatics. To care enough to vote for locals, in a system that allows
it, mission accomplished.
Karlsson, 21, quickly becoming a team darling, credited his father for at
least some of his massive support, first overall with 939,591 votes.
According to Karlsson, his father, prone to Luddite tendencies, opened not
one but two e-mail accounts “just so he could vote more.
They voted late, too, on behalf of winger Milan Michalek, who came from
behind to edge out Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel at the wire,
much to the consternation of Leaf fans who sat on Kessel’s lead, always a
mistake in today’s NHL.
“It’s good for him to finally learn the progress in the world here, and realize
it’s 2012 now,” said Karlsson, grinning.
Leave it to the Senators – or, their fans in this case — to do something in
the “third period” of the vote, as the team has been making noise in the third
periods of games all season long. They’re never out of it, and now four of
them are in it – that is, the All-Star Game this city has long sought since
rejoining the league in 1992.
And this is what saves Thursday’s vote announcement from being a
complete farce.
A). Every other team and its fans were free to vote early and often for their
favorite players, but didn’t have the same urgency – possibly because
outside of the host city few care about this game?
B) At least the Senators are one of the surprise clubs of the entire NHL,
rummaging among the Eastern Conference leaders at the halfway point
when most analysts had them picked to finish among the conference
sadsacks. How silly would the Sens-heavy voting look for a team outside
the top eight?
My hunch is that a poor first half by Ottawa would have tempered the vote
more than a little. As it is, fans are damn proud of their club and each of the
four Ottawa players voted in – defenceman Erik Karlsson, captain Daniel
Alfredsson, centre Jason Spezza and winger Michalek — can make a case
he belongs in the game. Michalek was tied for the league goal-scoring lead
until he suffered a concussion that set him back. Karlsson leads all
defencemen in scoring. Spezza is among the top 10 scorers and
Alfredsson, likely an all-star captain as the face of the franchise in the
twilight of his career, is enjoying a superb bounce back season after back
surgery.
If an impartial observer were to pick six starters, would four of them be
Senators? Of course not, but anyone who takes offence to the results –
hello Leaf Nation — is taking the entire spectacle too seriously. As
competitions go, the NHL All-Star Game is a Pro Bowl affair, a meaningless
exhibition game that brings together the hockey family and its sponsors for
a fun weekend.
The four-day festival is a celebration of the sport, a hockey love-in
appreciated by no one more than the hometown fans, who relish the
opportunity to acknowledge the top players on their own team.
This year it’s Ottawa, with at least four participants. Last year, the Carolina
Hurricanes saluted captain Eric Staal, goaltender Cam Ward and rookie
sensation Jeff Skinner.
Leafs general manager Brian Burke applauded Senators fans and said he
hoped Leaf supporters would do the same when Toronto’s turn comes up
again. Had Senators fans not taken the initiative to vote in their heroes, the
NHL would have ensured there was local representation, so in that sense
voters saved the league the trouble.
Leaf defenceman Dion Phaneuf and Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas
broke through the Senators monopoly to nab the other two starting spots.
Still, the twitter-verse was abuzz with crackbacks against Senators fans for
taking their loyalty to a new height.
Mr. Karlsson caught on to Capone’s “vote early, vote often” thing.
604920
Ottawa Senators
Posted on 05 January 2012. By James Gordon Tags: Daniel Alfredsson,
Erik Karlsson, Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, Ottawa Senators
Fans have voted four Senators into the starting lineup for the NHL all-star
game in Ottawa, including captain Daniel Alfredsson and surprise latecharger Milan Michalek.
They join Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson, centre Jason Spezza,
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf and Bruins goalie Tim Thomas
in the starting six.
The results of the vote were announced on the NHL’s web site at 10:30
a.m. and were posted on the scoreboard at Scotiabank Place minutes later.
The Senators, who were in the middle of their morning skate ahead of
Thursday night’s home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, shouted
and tapped their sticks on the ice to congratulate their colleagues.
The addition of Michalek is a shocker. Leafs winger Phil Kessel led all
forwards for much of the voting period an appeared to be a lock to make the
cut.
Instead, a late push by Senators fans — urged on by multiple fan and
media campaigns — took him out of the running at the last minute. He
wound up missing out by more than 42,000 votes.
Another Leaf, goalie James Reimer, held the lead among goalies heading
into the final week, but was edged by Stanley Cup winner Thomas.
Karlsson garnered more votes (939,951) than any other player, an
impressive feat considering Alfredsson appeared to be the sentimental
favourite in the capital. The diminutive defenceman is arguably the most
deserving of the four Senators, given he has been running away with the
scoring lead among NHL defencemen.
“I’m very appreciative of it,” Karlsson said after the skate. “The community
and everybody in Ottawa did a really good job of promoting it and making
people realize we’re actually playing good this year.
“It’s nice to see Alfie, Spezza and Milo got in as well.”
Alfredsson agreed that the Senators’ team play had a lot to do with the
successful campaign.
“We’ve played pretty well, we’ve surprised a lot of people so far. When you
look at Spezza, Karlsson and Milan, they’ve had good starts to the season
and it would be tough to select who was going to go if we didn’t get voted
in. To see four of us get in, when the all-star game is here, is great,” he
said.
Spezza called it an “honour” to be voted in.
“(We’re) really appreciative of the fan support we got. To get four of us
voted in is pretty special,” he said. It shows how much the fans are behind
us.
“Fans have really got on board, crowds have been great this year. People
have really been excited. It has been a great year so far and this is a great
way to cap off the first half.”
Senators fans contributed to a 66 per cent increase in all-star votes this
year. Last season’s game was played in Raleigh, North Carolina.
More news and notes from the morning skate:
— Injured defenceman Chris Phillips worked out today and could return to
the lineup as early as the weekend. He’s recovering from a concussion.
— Craig Anderson will get the start in goal for the Senators.
604921
Ottawa Senators
Record: 26-14
Exact scores predicted: 2
Russell, host, SensUnderground podcast
Senators 5, Lightning 3
Posted on 04 January 2012. By James Gordon
The Ottawa Senators take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank
Place. Which team will come out on top? Our prediction panel weighs in.
No real reason to think the Sens can’t win this one. Tampa has no
goaltending and Ottawa has been launching truck loads of pucks at its
opponents lately. With four very tough games coming up, the boys really
need to make sure they get this one.
Record: 27-13
Tampa Bay Lightning (17-18-3) at Ottawa Senators (20-15-5)
James Gordon, SenatorsExtra.com editor/Citizen hockey writer
Jeremy Milks, writer/editor, Black Aces blog
How ever will Ottawa’s apparently high-powered offence break through the
vaunted 1-3-1 trap employed by the Lightning? Oh, right…that thing doesn’t
work.
With such a miserable road record and already one loss in Ottawa so far,
the Bolts are the underdogs for a good reason. This is a big two points for
the Senators, considering how hard their schedule becomes after this.
Record: 24-16
Record: 22-17
Exact scored predicted: 1
Wayne Scanlan, Citizen columnist
Even without Chris Phillips, the Senators have a better group on defence
than Tampa, especially minus Hedman. Senators need to finish out these
final home games before a difficult road sked in January.
Record: 26-14
Ian Mendes, Sportnet.ca Senators reporter and blogger
This Sens have been red-hot lately and have a chance to stay ahead of the
Jets and Devils with another win on Thursday.
Record: 23-17
Graeme Nichols, writer/editor, The Sixth Sens blog and podcast
While addressing the loss of Chris Phillips to a concussion yesterday, Paul
MacLean talked about how Phillips was a key part of ‘any success’ that the
team has in its own end. In a game featuring two of the teams that have
allowed the most goals, I’ll be pleasantly surprised to see ‘any success’ in
the defensive zone.
Record: 27-13
Steve Lloyd, host, Healthy Scratches on Team 1200
The Sens and Lightning sit 28th & 29th in goals against in the NHL (since
you’re asking, the answer is Carolina). The difference is the Sens are
scoring like everyone thought the Lightning could. A struggling Roloson will
make his first start since Dec. 12.
Record: 23-17
Peter Raaymakers, writer/editor, Silver Seven Sens blog
The last winnable game before a series of very, very tough opponents
becomes a near-must-win for the Senators, and the team surely realizes it. I
keep expecting the Lightning to snap out of their funk and get back in the
thick of things, but they keep failing to do so. Ottawa, on the other hand, is
one of the hottest teams in the league — for now.
604922
Ottawa Senators
Warming up in Ottawa
Kyle Turris may not be used to the cold weather in the nation's capital, but
the Sens' new No. 2 centre likes how he's beginning to feel on the ice,
reports KEN WARREN
By Ken Warren
Kyle Turris had to go through all the normal introductions when he joined
the Senators three weeks ago, but the biggest adjustment to living in
Ottawa might well have come this week.
Let's face it, the temperature doesn't often dip to -23 C in Phoenix, where
he played until he was traded for defenceman David Rundlad on Dec. 17.
Even in his home town outside Vancouver, "it only snows two or three times
a year and disappears the next day because of the rain," he said.
Turris, who moved out of a hotel into a permanent home two days ago, has
morning walking duties for his 12-week-old puppy, but he says man's best
friend opted to stay indoors after sniffing the frigid air earlier this week. Yet
while getting used to bundling up to go outside might take some time, Turris
says he is settling into life as the Senators' second-line centre.
He hasn't lit up the scoresheet, but he does look, well, at home, playing
primarily on a line with Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Condra.
"I'm getting my legs under me and I'm getting some chemistry with the
guys," said Turris, who goes into tonight's game against the Tampa Bay
Lightning with four assists in seven games with the Senators. "I feel more
and more comfortable every game. I have more energy (than when I
arrived) and I'm getting more used to the system here."
If there's a disappointment for him, it's that he hasn't yet scored. One of his
strengths is his wrist shot, and he has had his chances, with 19 shots in the
seven games. He was also one of many Senators to hit the post in
Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over Buffalo.
"It's frustrating, but I've got to keep going toward the net and getting shots,"
he said. "If it goes off somebody's shin and in, I'll take it and get the ball
rolling from there."
Coach Paul MacLean has few complaints. He says the addition of Turris
has made the Senators harder to play against and taken some pressure off
centre Jason Spezza.
"I'm real pleased with how he has played," said MacLean. "It gives us
greater depth as a team. I know he hasn't scored a goal yet, but that's not
even a criticism. He has done a real good job. To me, he can play against
anyone in the league. It makes a difference when you have a line of Erik
Condra, Kyle Turris and Daniel Alfredsson."
"It gives us a dimension that other teams have to respect," MacLean said,
Alfredsson says Turris has been able to solidify a position that was
previously in flux. Stéphane Da Costa had some moments in that spot early
in the season before losing his confidence and being shipped to
Binghamton of the American Hockey League. Peter Regin was never
healthy enough to lay claim to it and the team is better served with Nick
Foligno, who had been at centre on a temporary basis, playing as a power
winger.
"It has helped our balance, bigtime," said Alfredsson. "We didn't have that
second centre, game in, game out, and I think he can do that consistently.
He gets open in the middle. He has helped us, no question."
Now, if his new Senators teammates could just help him dress for the
weather a little bit. Turris says he needs to spend some time this week
finding out where to shop for a thicker jacket and better winter boots.
SPEZZA THANKS CITY
The NHL All-Star Game election campaign is finally over, and Jason
Spezza can't say enough about the hundreds of thousands of votes of
support he and his teammates received from Senators fans.
If the numbers stay as they were going into the deadlne for fan voting
Wednesday night, Spezza, Alfredsson and defenceman Erik Karlsson will
all be voted into the game, to be played at Scotiabank Place on Jan. 29.
Karlsson led all players in votes on Wednesday.
"It has been fun," Spezza said following practice Wednesday. "I think the
last little bit, the city has done a great job and I think everybody is excited to
have the game here. It will be nice to see the results at the end."
Spezza says he has been surprised by the outpouring, believing that, at the
start of the year, he would need to play his way into the game rather than
being voted in.
"It's great to see how the city has embraced us and embraced the team so
far this year. As a player, it definitely gives you motivation and definitely it's
nice to get a thank-you from the fans to show they appreciate the hard work
we're putting in."
Karlsson echoed those comments, but says the best part of the exercise
will come if Alfredsson is voted in to play in front of his home crowd "in one
of his final years."
Alfredsson was also hoping that Milan Michalek might receive enough votes
to join the other three Senators, relishing in the "unbelievable support" from
Senators fans.
604923
Ottawa Senators
Senators hope steadying influence of Phillips won't be missed for long
By Ken Warren
The Ottawa Senators are going to have to live without their defensive
captain for a while.
Chris Phillips, the team's unquestioned leader on defence, suffered a "mild
concussion" during Monday's 3-2 overtime win over the New Jersey Devils,
according to Paul MacLean. The coach said the injury occurred when the
Devils' Dainius Zubrus accidently elbowed Phillips as they both pursued the
puck around the Senators' net.
Phillips won't play tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but, as is the
case with all players who suffer concussions, there is no timetable for his
return.
"We're going to be hopeful that it's short term, and it's being evaluated and
it appears to be mild, but it depends on him," MacLean said.
The coach says there's no question the Senators will miss the 33-yearold
Phillips, a defensive defenceman who has played 984 career regularseason
games, all with the Senators.
"Chris has been a real steadying influence on our team and a major part of
any success we've had in our end and defensively," he said. "If he's not
playing, we're going to miss him, much like we did when (Filip) Kuba and
(Sergei) Gonchar were out. I thought he was stellar in his play when they
were out, and any time we're missing a veteran player, it gives us a
concern.
"He has been here a long time, part of our leadership group, and he has a
lot of pull in the locker-room and he's well respected. So when he's not in
there, it's going to make a difference."
The one consolation is that Gonchar, who has missed the past two games
after being hit in the head with a puck during the warmup before the New
Year's Eve game in Buffalo, is expected to return against Tampa Bay.
"We're considering holding him out of the warmup, but he'll play the game,"
MacLean said, with a laugh.
At this point, the Senators have a bare minimum of six defencemen on the
roster and MacLean says there will be consideration given to recalling
another defenceman from Binghamton of the American Hockey League,
depending on how quickly Phillips recovers from his concussion.
The Senators are also without centre Peter Regin, who will likely opt for
season-ending shoulder surgery, and centre Jesse Winchester, who is
making a slow recovery from a concussion.
"I'm feeling better, a little bit, every day," said Winchester, who skated,
lightly, on Wednesday. "Hopefully, I keep progressing. It's just a weird
feeling. A couple more days and I can get back with the team - I hope."
Winchester suffered the concussion when hit by Buffalo's Paul Gaustad on
Dec. 20. He has skated three times since the incident.
"He made some progress early and then didn't," said MacLean. "Now it's
getting to the point where he has been out for close to two weeks and then
it becomes a concern of condition and takes time to even get back in the
lineup when he's ready to go (health-wise)."
604924
Ottawa Senators
Stop whining about all-star vote
Hey, this ain’t politics. It’s not like fans elected these guys for a four-year
term.
Toronto fans need to relax.
Toronto will someday win a Stanley Cup and parade down Yonge St.
It’s nice to dream anyway. And I say that as a long-time suffering Leaf fan.
By TIM BAINES, QMI Agency
OTTAWA - Kiss it, Kessel.
James Reimer, enjoy your all-star break vacation.
And hey, Toronto Maple Leafs fans: Suck it up and stop whining.
Senators fans spoke and they spoke loudly.
When the ballots had been counted, four Senators were among the starting
six players in the NHL all-star game Jan. 29 at Scotiabank Place.
And before Leafs fans cry blue into their Corn Flakes, the biggest joke is
that Dion Phaneuf was included — 11,306 more votes and he was outta
there in favour of a fifth Senator — the rejuvenated Sergei Gonchar.
Phaneuf isn’t among the Top 10 blueliners in the league. Really, is he better
than any of Shea Weber, Dustin Byfuglien, Ryan Suter, Zdeno Chara,
Duncan Keith, Nicklas Lidstrom, Erik Karlsson, Keith Yandle, or Kris
Letang? And you could also make a case for Dan Boyle, Brian Campbell,
Michael Del Zotto and Alex Edler.
So, zip it Leaf fans. Close your yaps.
There was an organized effort by Torontonians to skew the voting by
loading up on players who’ve worn out their welcome here.
If the insidious plan had worked, Dany Heatley might have been the only
all-star booed here.
It’s kind of funny, bordering on pathetic, really, that Phil Kessel fell right out
of the voting after leading through much of the seven weeks of balloting.
Guess Toronto had more important things to do over the last few days ...
hell, it snowed there. Maybe they were on the phone to the national guard
to take care of their snowflake crisis. There are four times as many of you
as there are in Ottawa, and Leaf Nation extends far beyond Toronto’s
borders ... you couldn’t outvote us?
Blame yourselves, not the system.
A solid argument can be made for all four of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason
Spezza, Milan Michalek and Karlsson to be in the all-star extravaganza. A
week ago, Michalek was nearly 150,000 votes behind Kessel and he beat
the Leaf by 40,000.
Kessel belongs, maybe Joffrey Lupul, too. And Toronto fans had a chance
to get them in. But they blew it.
Ottawa fans need to pat themselves on the back for a job superbly done.
And while we’re certainly not bragging, we at the Ottawa Sun, have been
championing for the Senators in paper and online and ramped it up this
week.
Are the Ready-For-Prime-Time Senators four of the best players in the
NHL?
Putting a concussed Sidney Crosby aside, it’d be tough to argue against
guys with last names such as Malkin, Sedin, Stamkos, Chara and Weber
being selected as starters. And we certainly would have given a big
thumbs-up to Claude Giroux getting the nod.
The all-star game is all about the fans. They had their crack. Now the NHL
will get its chance to add the rest of the game’s elite when the rosters are
rounded out next week.
Is the voting skewed?
Sure. Geez, Rory Fitzpatrick (who?) nearly made the starting lineup in
2007. He finished just 23,000 votes short of the second-place Lidstrom.
Fitzpatrick’s credentials that season: Seven points. There were suggestions
the NHL tampered with the results to ensure Fitzpatrick didn’t get in.
Ottawa Sun LOADED: 01.06.2012
604925
Ottawa Senators
MacLean the Sens' biggest star
Would be shoo-in for Coach of the Half Year
By DON BRENNAN, QMI Agency
OTTAWA - Call it crazy thinking, but the all-star game should reward
players for what they’ve done up to that point in the season.
Saying that, Erik Karlsson, Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek and Daniel
Alfredsson all deserve to be honoured for their accomplishments over the
first three months — and the 39-year-old Swede who has returned
impressively from back surgery absolutely should be the captain of one
squad, as he will be when it is finally announced.
But also worthy of recognition for what he’s done is Paul MacLean, who has
put forth an all-star performance thus far into his first season behind the
Senators bench.
If mid-season awards were handed out, MacLean would be a shoo-in for
Coach of the Half Year.
The Senators started 2011-12 as an inexperienced team full of holes and
question marks. They were the favourite of many to win the Nail Yakupov
Sweepstakes for the first pick overall in June’s draft.
But under MacLean’s guidance, they find themselves in the thick of a
playoff race. Surprise, surprise.
The Senators’ win over Tampa Thursday was their 21st. Last season, it
took them until Feb. 26 to record that many.
MacLean doesn’t just deserve some of the credit, he warrants most of it.
STARTS AND STOPS
Craig Anderson was 15th among all goalies 79,064 write-in all-star votes. If
the deadline would have only been a week later, Ottawa might have pushed
him into a starting berth, as well, especially after that victory over the Bolts.
People were waiting for Anderson to steal the Senators a victory? He just
did ... Back to perform the anthem was former Rough Rider cheerleader
Tammy Laverty, whose singing talents were once again complemented by
her wardrobe. The form-fitting heritage jersey dress she wore Thursday will
no doubt hang in her closet next to the form-fitting red SENS dress she
wore last time. “I thought why not keep the momentum going and get
another one done,” said Tammy. “Always fun to think outside the box, to
really entertain the crowd.” Tammy has done the anthem at L.A. Kings and
major-league baseball games, “but nothing means more to me than being
able to sing for my hometown crowd and team. I’m a true Canadian and
Sens fan and having the support of my O-town family, friends and
colleagues. This one is for you mom and dad. You’re the best.” ... There
was a feeling in the Senators room before the game that Turris was going
to get his first. "Spetz called it before the game," said Alfredsson. "(He said)
today was the day to get the goal, before we go on the road." Spezza
confirmed: "I called it. I told Turry it was a good time to score. Crystal ball in
my stall, I guess." Matt Carkner’s bid for the Lady Byng Trophy hit a speed
bump when he scrapped with Adam Hall in the first period. Carkner, who
had a grand total of seven penalty minutes (including a fine Dec. 14 tilt with
Milan Lucic) in 10 games before earning the major for beating Hall like a
rented mule.
STUFF I THINK I THUNK
They had chemistry early, but on this night Kyle Turris was working against
Erik Condra. What would have been a Condra tuck-in goal was waved off
when Turris was whistled for boarding a second before. Later, Condra
released a hard wrist shot from the slot that seemed to nail Turris in the
back ... It wasn’t just the game that was bad. For some reason, the
videoboard cameraman focused on a dance by Ducky from Pretty in Pink.
Gawdawful he was ... Tunes were pretty good from the evening’s in-house
band, The Coppertone. Jury is out on the lead singer. Out putting her hat on
the curb, that is.
BETWEEN PERIODS
MacLean played in one all-star game, the 1985 showcase in Calgary.
“Mario Lemieux scored the winning goal with a toe-drag around me,” he
said. “Cost me a car. Won him the car.” It was Lemieux’s third point of the
day and it must have been some move to give him the MVP award over
Ray Bourque, who assisted on four of the Wales Conference’s six goals ...
Steven Stamkos had the diplomatic replies when asked about fans voting in
players for the all-star game. Then, after a swarm of cameras and TV guys
walked away, he turned to a couple of reporters and cracked: “Now do you
guys want to hear my real answer?” We all know what the all-star game is
about and we all appreciate the passion with which Senators fans displayed
in support of their team’s players. But with a league-leading 28 goals and
superstar skills, Stamkos should have been right there alongside Erik
Karlsson and as the top vote-getter, Especially in a hockey market that is as
wise as it is said to be.
604926
Ottawa Senators
Sens hit all-star jackpot
Fans vote in four from Ottawa
By BRUCE GARRIOCH, QMI Agency
OTTAWA - The Senators won the Battle of Ontario at the ballot box.
And not only did fans vote four Senators into the NHL all-star game starting
lineup, the Ottawa Sun has learned that Daniel Alfredsson will be named
one of the captains for the Jan. 29 game at Scotibank Place.
Toronto’s Phil Kessel, who led the voting going into the final week of voting,
was bumped out of the lineup.
Ottawa swept the three forward spots with Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and
Milan Michalek getting in. Erik Karlsson will start on defence.
They’ll be joined by Toronto defenceman Dion Phaneuf and Boston goalie
Tim Thomas.
It was difficult for the players to hide their excitement after an outstanding
final push by Ottawa fans.
“To have four guys playing in the game, it’s at home, and it’s really going to
be something special,” said Alfredsson Thursday. “Jason, Milan and Erik
have all had great starts to the season. If only one us would have been
picked, it would have been tough because we’ve all played great. The fans
did a really good job of backing us up. It’s great to have us all here.”
The rest of the 42-man roster won’t be named until next Tuesday.
“It’s going to be fun for us to all be involved, especially for Alfie. This is
going to mean a lot to him,” said Karlsson. “He’s got a lot of family now and
I’m sure he’s got a bunch of friends coming in as well. I’m very excited.”
The biggest surprise was Michalek, who beat out Kessel by more than
42,000 votes. He made a meteoric rise, trailing Kessel by 130,000 votes
going into the final week.
“When (coach Paul MacLean) called us over, I thought he wanted to talk
about the game (vs. Tampa),” said Michalek. “I thought the other three guys
were going to be there. I was surprised. I was really happy that I made it.”
Spezza said it would be a big thrill.
“To be at home, to be with guys you play with all year and to be together is
going to be pretty special,” said Spezza. “To have it at home, to have
everybody come in and enjoy the whole experience will just make it that
much more special.”
Like all good politicians, the Senators thanked the voters.
“It was an outstanding job by the fans doing the voting and getting all four
players into the all-star game,” said MacLean. “All four players deserve to
be in the game, knowing full well that some players who deserve to be there
always get left out.
“Our fans really showed a lot of support for our team and our players. We’re
extremely proud of the effort they put in.”
Judging by the votes, the feeling is mutual.
604927
Philadelphia Flyers
Giroux not fazed by fan snub
Peter Laviolette knows he is biased.
But Laviolette said on Thursday that he would have picked Claude Giroux,
who has led the NHL in scoring for a good chunk of the first half of the
season, first in the All-Star Game fan balloting.
The league announced the results of its All-Star fan voting on Thursday and
Giroux was left off the list.
Instead, the host Ottawa Senators are guaranteed to have at least four
representatives skate in the game, as Erik Karlsson, Daniel Alfredsson,
Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek captured 4 out of the top 6 spots among
24 million votes cast.
Boston goaltender Tim Thomas and Toronto’s Dion Phaneuf were the only
2 non-Senators to be voted in.
That doesn’t bother Giroux one bit.
“I didn’t even know about it,” Giroux said after the Flyers’ morning skate at
the Wells Fargo Center. “I don’t really pay attention to what’s going on with
that right now.
“I really don’t care, Top 6 or not. I just want to make the team.”
Giroux finished 7th among forwards, just behind Sidney Crosby with
385,253 votes. Giroux has 18 goals and 28 assists for 46 points in 33
games this season.
The remaining 36 All-Stars will be selected by the NHL’s hockey operations
department later this month, headed by Colin Campbell and Brendan
Shanahan, with input likely from coaches and general managers.
Giroux, who turns 24 next week, represented the Flyers with Danny Briere
at last year’s All-Star festival in Raleigh, N.C. The game will be played on
Jan. 29 at ScotiaBank Place, with the fantasy draft being held in primetime
on Thursday, Jan. 26 in downtown Ottawa.
For Giroux, this year’s All-Star game might mean a little more than others,
since it will be played in the town where he makes his offseason residence.
Giroux starred in the QMJHL just across the river in French-speaking
Gatineau, Quebec, and his family re-located there from up north in Hearst,
Ontario, a few years ago. Most of Giroux’s childhood friends attended
university in Gatineau.
“Obviously if I do go back, it’s going to be pretty cool,” Giroux said. “I’ve got
a lot of family and friends there. But I’ve got bigger things to worry about
right now. We need to put ourselves in a better position before the All-Star
break.”
JAGR TESTING: Just 2 days after the Flyers announced he will be out for
7-to-10 days with a mild, left groin strain, Jaromir Jagr was back on the ice
on Thursday morning at the Wells Fargo Center.
Jagr said he was not “pushing” his injured groin, but simply skating to stay
in game shape, so that there isn’t a lag in between when he is healthy
enough to return to the lineup and when he is shape to do so.
“Usually, it takes a couple days to get ready once you are healthy,” Jagr
said. “Last time when I had this injury [in November], I felt a sharp pain.
This one was different. I wasn’t in that much pain. But I knew that if I played
more, it would get worse. That’s why I stopped playing.”
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
Posted by Frank Seravalli @ 12:45 PM Permalink |22 comments
Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 01.06.2012
604928
Philadelphia Flyers
Emery starting vs. Flyers; Giroux early MVP, but snubbed by fans
Chicago goalie Ray Emery, who has made a remarkable comeback from a
career-threatening injury, will start against his ex-teammates Thursday night
at the Wells Fargo Center.
Emery, 29, is 9-2-2 with a 2.54 goals-against average and .908 save
percentage as the Blackhawks’ backup goalie.
Two years ago, while with the Flyers, the goalie known as “Razor” was
diagnosed with avascular necrosis. The disease cuts off the blood supply to
bone tissue and ended the sports career of Bo Jackson. The bone that fit
into Emery's hip was deteriorating from poor circulation.
In 2010, surgeons took a piece of Emery's fibula and inserted it into a hole
drilled into his hip.
Most thought his career was over.
But in 10 games with Anaheim last season, he was 7-2 with a no-decisions
and two shutouts; he had a 2.28 goals-against average and a .926 save
percentage.
*
Enigmatic Ilya Bryzgalov will get the start for the Flyers. He is 3-2-1 with a
2.26 goals-against average in his last six starts against Chicago – all with
Phoenix.
Bryzgalov was benched the last two games.
*
Sports Illustrated named Flyers center Claude Giroux the league’s MVP for
the first half of the season. Giroux is tied for second in the NHL with 46
points — two behind Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin.
*
The fans have spoken, and what they have said is: We don't know hockey.
But they ARE loyal to their hometown players.
The NHL released the first six all-stars, as chosen by the fans, on Thursday
morning, and five of the players are on Ontario-based teams. The game is
in Ottawa, and four players from the lowly Senators were chosen: Erik
Karlsson, Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek. Toronto's
Dion Phanuef and Boston goalie Tim Thomas were also named.
Among the snubbed: Giroux, Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos, Toronto's Phil
Kessel and Vancouver's Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
*
The Flyers have lost five of their last seven, and they have scored a total of
just 15 goals in that span.
*
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull
Posted by Sam Carchidi @ 9:59 AM Permalink |19 comments
604929
Philadelphia Flyers
After sitting out two games, Ilya Bryzgalov returned to the nets. He has
been spending extra time with goaltending coach Jeff Reese to fix some
mechanical flaws.
Flyers beat Chicago, 5-4
"He's going to get his confidence back, and he's going to be a major cog for
us," Danny Briere said before the game.
By Sam Carchidi
Bryzgalov was steady until the Blackhawks' two late goals; he said he was
ill after the game and declined to speak to reporters.
Inquirer Staff Writer
James van Riemsdyk had a coming-out party on Thursday night.
The much-maligned Flyers winger scored two goals - the second with 32.8
seconds left - to give the Flyers a riveting, 5-4 win over the Chicago
Blackhawks before a roaring, sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.
Van Riemsdyk converted a Scott Hartnell pass while the Flyers were on a
power play because of a high-sticking penalty by their old nemesis, Patrick
Kane.
"He put it right on my tape, and all I had to do was close my eyes and put it
in," van Riemsdyk said after scoring his 11th goal.
Van Riemsdyk, hindered by injuries that general manager Paul Holmgren
said are not serious, has struggled through most of the season.
On Thursday, playing on a new line with Brayden Schenn and Wayne
Simmonds, he resembled the player who was dominant in last year's
playoffs.
"It was JVR's best game," coach Peter Laviolette said. "I liked the fact he
was skating to be physical. He banged bodies out there. I always think that
if you want to get yourself into the game, get your feet moving and go bang
somebody because it always puts you around the puck."
Van Riemsdyk, 22, admitted he has been pressing.
"I don't think I've felt as comfortable or confident as I had last year. I think
I'm still working toward that, for whatever reason," he said.
Before Thursday, the last time the Blackhawks were in town, Kane was
scoring the Strangest Goal to Ever Win a Stanley Cup.
On Thursday, Kane - drafted No. 1 overall, just ahead of van Riemsdyk, in
2007 - scored from the slot to tie the game at 4 with 5 minutes, 20 seconds
to play.
Until the last six minutes, the Flyers controlled the game. But seconds after
Hartnell's tip-in hit the post, Brent Seabrook scored from the right circle,
getting Chicago to within 4-3 with 5:45 left. Just 25 seconds later, after
Jonathan Toews stripped the puck from Marc-Andre Bourdon, Kane scored
his 10th of the season to tie the game for the last time.
Kimmo Timonen, the Flyers' star defenseman, left the game in the second
period with what was believed to be a wrist injury.
The Flyers had no minor penalties, got goals from all four lines, and totaled
46 shots - seven by the ever-present Hartnell (two points) - in what was the
fastest-paced game of their season.
The Flyers had lost five of their last seven, including the Winter Classic on
Monday, when they blew a 2-0 lead and lost to the Rangers, 3-2.
The Flyers scored three goals in a stunning 4:20 span to take a 4-2,
second-period lead. Hartnell, rookie Harry Zolnierczyk, and van Riemsdyk
were the goal scorers, the latter two on rebounds.
Chicago had briefly taken a 2-1 lead as Andrew Shaw, who was beaten and
bloodied in a first-period fight with Zac Rinaldo, was patched up before
scoring with 12:23 left in the second period.
Seventeen seconds later, Hartnell swatted Claude Giroux's pass out of the
air - it was a few inches off the ice - and beat ex-Flyer Ray Emery from the
slot, tying the game at 2. It was Hartnell's 18th goal, tying him for the team
lead with Giroux (two assists), and it gave him points in seven straight
games.
Zolnierczyk and van Riemsdyk then scored 23 seconds apart, increasing
the lead to 4-2. The Flyers had 21 shots in the second period, equaling their
season high for any period.
Read more:
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5-4.html#ixzz1ifjRKFNL
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604930
Philadelphia Flyers
Rangers are now tops
DAILY NEWS WIRE REPORTS
INSIDE, OUTSIDE. Home or away. It really doesn't matter much where the
New York Rangers play these days. They are winning games all over the
NHL.
The Rangers started the season in Europe, endured a long road trip out of
the gate as Madison Square Garden was being renovated, and knocked off
the Flyers in the annual outdoor Winter Classic.
It's still early, but the fact is through 38 games, no team has more points.
Marian Gaborik scored 3:29 into overtime for the Rangers, who took a
season-high 41 shots, outlasted the visiting Florida Panthers, 3-2, and
moved to the top of the NHL standings last night with their eighth win in
nine games.
Gaborik has 23 goals, surpassing the 22 he had last season in an injuryplagued campaign.
"A lot of people were talking about me coming and helping Gabby," said
Brad Richards, New York's prized free-agent acquisition last summer.
"Gabby has had many good seasons with whomever he's played with."
This one didn't start out great for New York, which trailed early but entered
the first intermission tied 1-all. The Rangers led for less than a minute in the
third, and still didn't get down when Florida tied it again. They held the puck
for the final minute of regulation, comfortable with one standings point and
confident enough they could pry away the second one in overtime.
"It was one of those games that if you blink, you could lose it because it was
such a tight-checking game," Rangers coach John Tortorella said. "They
defended really well, but we found a way. It took us until overtime, but we
found a way."
Gaborik took a drop pass from Derek Stepan in the high slot and slapped in
the winner. New York stayed one point ahead of Boston in the Eastern
Conference, but jumped one point in front of West-leading Vancouver.
"We have won different ways this year, and even though it was a tie game
we stuck with it and didn't panic," Gaborik said. "We just kept going, and
that's how we got to this point so far this season."
Martin Biron, starting for the fourth time in nine games to give No. 1 goalie
Henrik Lundqvist a lighter workload, made 19 saves.
In other games:
At Boston, Nathan Horton and Patrice Bergeron each had two goals and
an assist, Tuukka Rask earned his third shutout in four starts and the
rampaging Bruins cruised to a 9-0 blowout of the road-weary Calgary
Flames. The win was the ninth in 10 games for the defending Stanley Cup
champions, who have outscored the opposition 49-13 during that span.
At Toronto, Jonas Gustavsson stopped all 24 shots he faced for his second
career shutout, leading the Maple Leafs to a 4-0 win over the Winnipeg
Jets.
At Ottawa, Daniel Alfredsson had a goal and two assists, Craig Anderson
made 35 saves and the Senators extended their winning streak to four
games with a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
At Nashville, Mike Ribeiro scored two goals in the first period for the Dallas
Stars' 4-1 victory over the Predators, who welcome back captain Shea
Weber from a concussion.
At St. Louis, the Blues scored three third-period goals, with Matt D'Agostini
getting the game-winner, for a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Noteworthy
Florida Panthers forward Krys Barch was suspended for one game because
of an inappropriate comment to Montreal's P.K. Subban during the game on
Saturday night. NHL vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell
says Barch "has admitted making the remark, but denies that the comment
was racially motivated."
604931
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers: Bryzgalov too sick to speak
ILYA BRYZGALOV stopped 30 shots while tending goal through 60 sweaty
minutes last night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
And then said he was too ill to speak to the media after the game, in which
he blew a two-goal lead in a span of 25 seconds in the third period.
So, either Bryzgalov caught a cold from sitting on the 36-degree bench
during Monday's Winter Classic, or the Flyers' brass told him to put a sock
in his "hu-man-gous" mouth after defying coach Peter Laviolette last
Sunday by purposely revealing Sergei Bobrovsky as the big-event starter.
After last night's game, a team spokesman originally said Bryzgalov was not
available because he was receiving postgame treatment in a hot tub.
Usually, someone with flulike symptoms would want to steer clear of
anything warm.
The Flyers spokesman said he was instructed by general manager Paul
Holmgren to "not make him speak" since he was sick.
When asked, Holmgren reiterated that Bryzgalov was ill and that they
wanted him to leave the facility as quickly as possible to avoid
contaminating the rest of the team.
Last night was Bryzgalov's first game action since Dec. 27 in Tampa Bay.
This would not be the first time this season the Flyers have tried to limit
Bryzgalov's interaction with the media, as Laviolette and Holmgren said on
Oct. 28 that their $51 million goaltender would only speak after games. The
Professional Hockey Writers Association threatened a grievance and the
Flyers quickly withdrew their policy.
- Frank Seravalli
604932
Philadelphia Flyers
JVR saves victory for Flyers
By FRANK SERAVALLI
[email protected]
MARC-ANDRE Bourdon's shot bounced off one post and caromed off the
other, and then, just 9 seconds later, Chicago turned the rebound into a
goal.
Twenty-five seconds after that, the Blackhawks tied the game.
Suddenly, the Flyers' almost-iced victory against the same Chicago
Blackhawks that last skated out of the Wells Fargo Center with the Stanley
Cup on June 9, 2010, was all even.
"It was a tough turn of events," coach Peter Laviolette said. "That hit the
post there, I think that would have sealed it at 5-2 and buried it and put it
away."
Out of timeouts, Laviolette called his team to the bench to quickly regroup.
Laviolette said he heard Claude Giroux skate up and down the bench with a
message for his teammates.
"It's not going to happen again," Giroux said.
Giroux wouldn't let it happen. Instead, he and linemate Scott Hartnell tictac-toed a slam-dunk goal for James van Riemsdyk with 32.8 seconds left
in the game, as the Flyers soared to a 5-4 regulation win over one of the
NHL's top teams in their first real home game since Dec. 17.
With that, the Flyers avoided completely blowing their second third-period
lead in as many games, after Monday's very visible 3-2 loss to the Rangers
in the Winter Classic.
"We were sick and tired of dropping games there in the end," Harry
Zolnierczyk said. "It was big that we found a way."
The win marked the Flyers' ninth consecutive regular-season triumph over
the Blackhawks in Philadelphia. Aside from that Cup-clinching Game 6
contest in 2010, Chicago has not won in Philadelphia since Nov. 9, 1996.
It was an even bigger occasion for van Riemsdyk, who netted his first twogoal game since Oct. 27. Van Riemsdyk had scored just one goal in his
previous 12 games since returning from a muscular tear in his midsection
on Dec. 7.
The Daily News reported on Dec. 28 that van Riemsdyk has been playing
through a cam impingement in his hip all season, an injury that could
require surgery in the offseason. Even during that span, van Riemsdyk
tweaked his knee.
Van Riemsdyk, 23, never publicly commented on the injuries.
"Some bounces haven't exactly gone my way for most of the year, but it
feels good to contribute and help the team win," van Riemsdyk said. "I don't
think I felt this comfortable on the ice as I did last year; I'm still working
toward that for whatever reason."
Van Riemsdyk's teammates have known that he was quietly battling his
way through various injuries, as he has floated from line to line on
Laviolette's lineup card without finding a home.
"JVR was good. It was his best game," Laviolette said. "I liked that he was
skating to be physical. He banged bodies out there. I always think that if
you want to get yourself in the game, get your feet moving and go bang
somebody because that always puts you around the puck. You can't hit
people without the puck. You start moving your feet and looking for targets,
all of a sudden you find yourself in the game, on the puck, around the play.
He got going."
Timonen hurt
Kimmo Timonen, the usually reliable elder statesman on the Flyers' blue
line, played just 5:32 over parts of the first two periods before leaving with
what the team called an upper-body injury. It was, by far, Timonen's lowest
ice-time total of the season.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said he did not believe Timonen's
injury was "all that serious," but was awaiting a re-examination by team
doctors today. Still, it must have been serious enough to keep Timonen off
the ice. Timonen, 36, has missed just 27 games over the past 12 seasons;
he has played in all 82 games over the last two seasons.
Timonen's upper-body injury could be related to his hand or wrist, since he
took a shot off that area in the Winter Classic. He was wearing a soft brace
on his left wrist after the game.
Last night, Timonen left the ice with 9:30 remaining in the first period but
returned to test it for the first 8 minutes of the second period before calling it
quits for the night.
Slap shots
The Flyers' 21 shots in the second period were the most they have had in
any period this season . . . Claude Giroux was not among the six players
selected on the NHL All-Star Game fan ballot yesterday. Giroux said he
"didn't even notice" the balloting. He likely will be among the final 36 AllStars chosen by the NHL's hockey operations department . . . Jaromir Jagr,
who missed his fifth game of the season last night, practiced yesterday in
the morning skate but did not push his left groin strain.
Read more:
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_Flyers.html#ixzz1ifjvtBwU
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604933
Philadelphia Flyers
Bourdon not wasting chance with Flyers
By FRANK SERAVALLI
[email protected]
THE FLYERS have lost 132 man-games due to injury this season.
That means Peter Laviolette has been forced to pencil in rookies Kevin
Marshall, Ben Holmstrom, Erik Gustafsson, Eric Wellwood and Marc-Andre
Bourdon to fill out his lineup card.
Only Bourdon has managed to get his name scribbled in pen.
"Guys get called up all the time," Laviolette said yesterday, "And you have
to fit them in and see how they do. I say all the time that we can give you
the opportunity and then it's up to you to make the most of it.
"He has come in here and really made a terrific impression on the way he
plays the game."
Bourdon, a 22-year-old defenseman, averaged roughly 13 minutes and 39
seconds of ice time through his first five NHL games. His minutes have
climbed steadily, reaching a season-high of 19:32 last night against
Chicago after skating 18:29 in Monday's Winter Classic at Citizens Bank
Park.
He even received a crack at the power play after Kimmo Timonen left last
night's game early because of an injury, and registered a game-high five
hits.
"His head is up, he is physical, he skates well," Laviolette said. "It's gotten
to a point now where his minutes are pushing 20 on a nightly basis."
Yes, this is the same Bourdon - a third-round pick in 2008 - who was sent to
the distant ECHL last year for 15 games after sustaining a concussion.
When Bourdon made his NHL debut on Nov. 21 with Phantoms teammate
Marshall, he was only expecting to play three or four games while Chris
Pronger nursed an "illness" and Braydon Coburn was dealing with a bruised
back.
At that point, Bourdon was below Matt Walker, Oskars Bartulis, Gustafsson
and maybe even Marshall on the depth chart. Gustafsson, 23, was the first
call-up due to injury but injured his wrist on Nov. 5.
Just 4 days after Bourdon was recalled, Andreas Lilja went down with a
severe high ankle sprain, which kept him out of the lineup for 10 days.
Since Nov. 21, Bourdon has played 19 straight games. He has outlasted
Gustafsson and Marshall, both of whom have been sent back to
Adirondack. Walker has been a healthy scratch for every game except for
one since being recalled on Dec. 3, and it wasn't at the expense of
Bourdon.
"I never thought I'd get these minutes right now," Bourdon said. "But I never
lost faith. I knew I was capable of playing in this league, I knew I had the
abilities to do it, too. But sometimes you need a break. And sometimes,
people never get a chance. But I kept believing. It made me realize that I
had to change some stuff."
Last summer, Bourdon changed his eating and sleeping habits to get in
better shape. He stopped eating bread and pasta. He started going to bed
earlier, deciding to turn off his laptop or the TV by around 11 p.m. He
devoted himself to getting at least 9 hours and 15 minutes of sleep per
night, when his schedule allowed.
Bourdon said the changes made a "huge difference" in his energy level. It's
shown on ice, where Bourdon has made his mark as a hard-hitting,
confident puck mover. Those traits have turned Bourdon into a mainstay on
the blue line in just a month and a half.
"I think I'm lucky for the opportunity I got, but I think I've made the best out
of it," Bourdon said. "I wouldn't say I've pushed everyone aside and I'm
here. There's other good players, they're working hard and they're pushing.
They're ready to take my spot. It's an everyday business. Hockey changes
fast and anything can happen. I need to keep going."
604934
Philadelphia Flyers
No Hollywood ending for '24/7' and Classic
By RYAN PETZAR
Philly.com
THE WINTER Classic was an appropriately theatrical and thrilling affair.
From the underdog backup goalie starting in place of the highly paid but
slumping starter to the Flyers' striking first then allowing the Rangers to
score three unanswered goals to take the lead.
Then finally, the dramatic, last-minute penalty shot that could have sent the
game into overtime.
That's how hockey games end in Hollywood movies, not in real life.
Yet, with snow falling to create the perfect set, Danny Briere really did skate
out to center ice and actually did take a penalty shot on Henrik Lundqvist
with 19.6 seconds left.
It was setting up to be the perfect ending to a perfect weekend of hockey in
South Philly.
Only that's not how it ended. We all know how it did: Briere threw a headfake and fired a quick wrister toward the five-hole. Lundqvist saw it the
whole way and slammed the door ensuring that the Rangers would hold on
to win, 3-2.
And as they had been for the weeks leading up to the game, HBO's
cameras were there to record every detail of the whole thing for the final
installment of "24/7: Flyers/Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic."
Last night's episode opened with the series' breakout star, Flyers goalie Ilya
Bryzgalov, sitting with his head in his hands after the Tampa loss. He
doesn't have any Bryz-isms for us, at least not yet. Just snark directed at
the media. You can't really blame him. He's under the most intense scrutiny
of his life and he's wilted under the lights.
During the Flyers' practice before playing Pittsburgh, Peter Laviolette offers
his advice on how the team can break out of its losing slump: "You go out
there and kick the [bleep] out of the Penguins tomorrow night. That's the
only way I know of fixing things."
You have to feel bad for the Rangers' video coordinator Jerry Dineen, who
draws the ire of coach John Tortorella when projector blows out. "Jerry's in
a pile of [bleep]!" sings another member of the Rangers' coaching staff. The
day is saved when a visibly relieved Dineen gets the projector working
again.
Sean Couturier's toothless grin in the Pittsburgh locker room is the
quintessential image of a hockey player.
Max Talbot acknowledging the Pittsburgh crowd after it cheered him gave
viewers chills. It was a special moment, made all the more classy because
of the bad blood between the two fan bases.
Laviolette doesn't mince words on the bench when he compliments Scott
Hartnell's tough play on the ice: "Hartsy, you look [bleeping] great out here.
Don't stop pissing everybody off out there."
That's a direction the winger was all too happy to take.
Max Talbot said he got speared "right in the [bleeping] penis." Ouch.
The Rangers/Panthers fight was exciting to watch. The best parts of this
show are the brief moments captured by the mics the players wear on the
ice.
At one point, Brandon Prust, having witnessed an opponent cheap-shot a
teammate, told one of his linemates, "I was gonna jump him, but I didn't
want to get suspended. Not right before the Winter Classic."
It was clearly not just for the cameras; the players were looking forward to
the game.
604935
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers Notes: Flyers' Giroux not among first six picked for NHL All-Star
Game
Sports Illustrated named Flyers center Claude Giroux the league's MVP for
the first half of the season. Yet Giroux wasn't selected by the fans who
chose the first six players for the All-Star Game. Those names were
announced Thursday.
Giroux entered Thursday tied for second in the NHL with 46 points - two
behind Vancouver's Henrik Sedin, who also was bypassed in the fans' vote,
along with such forwards as Toronto's Phil Kessel; Tampa Bay's Steven
Stamkos; and Sedin's twin brother, Daniel, of Vancouver. None of the
league's top 10 scorers were selected by the fans, and four of the six
selected were from Ottawa, which will host the Jan. 29 game.
Giroux downplayed the snub. Coach Peter Laviolette didn't.
"Maybe I'm biased, but if I had to start a team, I'd pick him first over
anybody else in the league," Laviolette said.
Giroux finished seventh among forwards - about 120,000 votes behind
Pittsburgh's injured Sidney Crosby, who was sixth. The Flyers center will
undoubtedly be named to the team when the NHL adds 36 players. Kimmo
Timonen, Scott Hartnell, and Jaromir Jagr also are candidates.
Jagr back Saturday?
Jagr missed Thursday's game against Chicago with a mild groin strain, but
he said he wouldn't be sidelined too long. Earlier this season, he missed
four games with a groin injury.
"It's totally different than the first time," said Jagr, who has 12 goals and 19
assists in 33 games. He said the pain isn't as sharp this time. "But I knew if
I played longer, it could get a lot worse. That's why I stopped playing" on
Monday against the Rangers.
The Flyers originally said Jagr would miss seven to 10 days, but the veteran
winger hinted he will be back sooner, and general manager Paul Holmgren
said it's "not out of the question" that he will play Saturday against Ottawa.
Emery returns
Chicago backup goalie Ray Emery, who has made a remarkable comeback
from a career-threatening injury, started against his ex-teammates.
Emery, 29, took a 9-2-2 record, 2.54 goals-against average, and .908 save
percentage into the game.
Two years ago, while with the Flyers, the goalie known as "Razor" was
found to have avascular necrosis. The disease cuts off the blood supply to
bone tissue and ended the sports career of Bo Jackson. A bone that fits into
Emery's hip was deteriorating from poor circulation.
In 2010, surgeons took a piece of Emery's fibula and inserted it into a hole
drilled into his hip. Most thought his career was over. But in 10 games with
Anaheim last season, he was 7-2 with a no-decision and two shutouts; he
had a 2.28 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage.
Streak continues
With Thursday's win, the Flyers have won nine straight regular-season
home games against Chicago since 1997.
- Sam Carchidi
604936
Philadelphia Flyers
Van Riemsdyk goal lifts Flyers past Blackhawks
Rinaldo then pummeled Shaw in a fight that seemed to spark the Flyers,
who controlled most of the opening period. They tied it at 1 when Jakub
Voracek scored with 51 seconds left in the first, knocking in a rebound of a
Braydon Coburn pass off the backboards.
The Flyers entered the night with just an 8-6-1 home record for 18 points,
26th out of the 30 NHL teams. On the road, they are a league-best 14-5-2.
January 05, 2012|By Sam Carchidi, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
James van Riemsdyk had a coming-out party on Thursday night.
The much-maligned Flyers winger scored two goals - the second with 32.8
seconds left - to give the Flyers a riveting, 5-4 win over the Chicago
Blackhawks before a sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.
Van Riemsdyk converted a Scott Hartnell pass while the Flyers were on a
power play because of a high-sticking penalty to Flyers nemesis Patrick
Kane.
"He put it right on my tape, and all I had to do was close my eyes and put it
in," van Riemsdyk said about his 11th goal of the season.
Before Thursday night, the last time the Blackhawks were in town, Kane
was scoring the Strangest Goal to Ever Win a Stanley Cup.
On Thursday, Kane scored from the slot to tie the game at 4 with 5 minutes,
20 seconds to play.
Until the last six minutes, the Flyers controlled the game. But seconds after
Hartnell's tip-in hit the post, Brent Seabrook came down the other end and
scored from the right circle, getting Chicago to within 4-3 with 5:45 left.
Just 25 seconds later, after Jonathan Toews stripped the puck from MarcAndre Bourdon, Kane scored his 10th of the season to tie the game at 4.
Kimmo Timonen, the Flyers' star defenseman, left the game in the second
period with an undisclosed injury.
The Flyers had lost five of their previous seven.
"I think it's important to get back on track," coach Peter Laviolette said
before the game. "I think it's good the Blackhawks are here because it
grabs your attention right away."
The Flyers scored three goals in a stunning 4-minute, 20-second span to
take a 4-2 second-period lead. Hartnell, Harry Zolnierczyk, and van
Riemsdyk were the goal scorers, the latter two on rebounds.
Chicago had briefly taken a 2-1 lead as Andrew Shaw, who was beaten and
bloodied in a first-period fight with Zac Rinaldo, was patched up before
scoring a pretty goal with 12:23 left in the second period. Shaw, making his
NHL debut, made a great move around Timonen and scored on a
backhander from out front. (Timonen left the game a short time later.)
Seventeen seconds after Shaw's goal, Hartnell swatted Claude Giroux's
pass out of the air - it was a few inches off the ice - and beat ex-Flyer Ray
Emery from the slot, tying the game at 2. It was Hartnell's 18th goal, tying
him for the team lead with Giroux, and it gave him points in seven straight
games.
"It's always great to have a good shift after an opponent scores," Hartnell
said after putting a shot through Emery's legs, "and try to get the
momentum back."
That's what happened as Zolnierczyk (third goal) and van Riemsdyk then
scored 23 seconds apart, increasing the lead to 4-2. The Flyers had 21
shots in the second period, equaling their season high for any period.
After sitting out two games, including the much-hyped Winter Classic on
Monday, Ilya Bryzgalov returned to the nets. Bryzgalov has been spending
extra time with goaltending coach Jeff Reese to fix some mechanical flaws.
In his previous four games, all losses, Bryzgalov had a 4.58 goals-against
average.
"He's going to get his confidence back, and he's going to be a major cog for
us," center Danny Briere said before the game.
But just 3:01 after the opening faceoff, Jimmy Hayes redirected Jamal
Mayers' pass through Bryzgalov's legs to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.
Mayers had intercepted Rinaldo's clearing attempt and kept the puck in the
zone - replays were inconclusive as to whether it crossed the blue line - and
he set up Hayes' second goal of the season.
"Our road record is where it needs to be," Laviolette said before the game.
"Our home record is not."
But they got untracked against a Chicago team that entered the night with
52 points; Vancouver was the only NHL team with more (53).
It was a much better effort than two years ago, when the Flyers struggled in
their first game after playing in the Winter Classic in Boston, losing to
Ottawa, 7-4.
604937
Philadelphia Flyers
This time, Flyers refuse to lose
By Wayne Fish Staff writer
PHILADELPHIA — “It’s not going to happen again.’’
That’s what Claude Giroux was yelling on the bench after the Flyers blew a
two-goal lead with less than six minutes to play in Thursday night’s game
against Chicago.
Giroux, in so many words, reminding his teammates that they had coughed
up a two-goal lead and eventually lost to the New York Rangers in
Monday’s Winter Classic, was not going to allow a repeat performance.
And he didn’t. Giroux helped set up James van Riemsdyk’s second goal of
the game with 32.8 seconds to play, giving the Flyers a 5-4 win at the Wells
Fargo Center.
There was a big sigh of relief in the Flyers’ locker room after this one.
Somehow, goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov managed to end a four-game winless
(0-3-1) streak dating back to Dec. 13. Aside from a brief glitch late in the
third, he looked much steadier than he had in his most recent starts,
including a 5-1 debacle in Tampa.
But, citing a “not feeling well’’ excuse, Bryzgalov refused to come out and
face the media after the game, fueling speculation the Flyers have told the
goaltender to “cool it’’ after Sunday’s verbal meltdown at Citizens Bank
Park.
As for van Riemsdyk, he also experienced some relief. It was only his
second two-goal game of the season but it certainly came at an opportune
time.
“It’s certainly exciting to contribute, some bounces haven’t gone my way
this season,’’ said van Riemsdyk, who scored on a power play (Pattrick
Kane, high sticking) as time was running out.
“We’re up two goals in the third, we let them back in and we were fortunate
enough to win it. I don’t think I’ve felt as comfortable and as confident as I
have (since) last year. We had some chemistry on our line tonight (with
Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds) and it definitely made it a lot of fun
out there.’’
After falling behind by a 2-1 count early in the second period, the Flyers
struck for three goals in a span of four minutes, 20 seconds.
Scott Hartnell, Harry Zolnierczyk and van Riemsdyk scored in rapid-fire
order against ex-Flyer goalie Ray Emery.
Chicago’s Andrew Shaw put his team briefly in the lead at 7:37. But Hartnell
came back just 17 seconds later, finishing off a feed from Giroux.
Then Zolnierczyk poked home the rebound of a Sean Couturier shot at
11:51. That was followed by van Riemsdyk, who scored his 10th goal with
some help from Simmonds and Schenn.
Chicago rallied on goals by Brent Seabrook (14:10) and Patrick Kane
(14:40) before JVR’s heroics.
Timonen out
Kimmo Timonen left the game in the second period after playing only 5:17.
The Flyers say it’s an upper-body injury. Timonen was spotted wearing a
soft cast on his hand after the game and was joking with some teammates,
so the injury does not sound too serious.
Short shots
Flyers have now won nine straight at home vs. Chicago, a streak that dates
back to 1996. ... The Flyers’ 21 shots in the second period were a season
high. The franchise record is 25. ... van Riemsdyk became the Flyers’
eighth double-digit goal scorer this season. That leads the league. New
Jersey has seven. ... Schenn’s assist was his first as a Flyer.
Burlington County Times LOADED: 01.06.2012
604938
Philadelphia Flyers
Jagr aiming toward early comeback
By Wayne Fish Staff writer
Emery returns
Ex-Flyer goalie Ray Emery, the winningest goalie on the Flyers’ 2010
Stanley Cup finalist team, returned to Philadelphia for the first time on
Thursday and said he has fond memories of his brief run here.
Emery played his last game in Philly on Jan. 30, 2010 and was not rehired
at the end of the year after it was feared his deteriorating hip condition
might end his career.
He spent one year in Anaheim, then landed in Chicago.
PHILADELPHIA — In 18 NHL seasons, Jaromir Jagr has played at least 70
games in all but three of them.
So those wondering if Jagr’s second problem with a groin injury this season
might be a big deal probably can rest a bit easier today.
Jagr, who took himself out of Monday’s Winter Classic after just seven
minutes of action, participated in Thursday morning’s skate at the Wells
Fargo Center, just two days after the Flyers had announced he would be
out seven to 10 days.
No doubt, Jagr is a quick healer. But he raised some eyebrows when he
said he might be ready to return to action as soon as Saturday afternoon for
a home game against Ottawa.
Jagr was caught a bit off-guard by the 7-10 days prognosis.
“I was kind of shocked when I heard that,’’ he said. “Because I didn’t feel
that way. When I’m skating like I did today, I didn’t feel any pain. That’s to
my advantage. As soon as I feel I’m ready, I’m going to go because I’m in
good shape.
“I didn’t push it hard (today). The reason why I’m skating is I just want to
stay in shape. It’s not bad. It’s totally different than the first time. The first
time I got injured, I felt a sharp pain. This one was a different pain and there
wasn’t that much pain. But I knew if I kept playing it would have gotten a lot
worse. It’s not as bad as the first time.’’
And if things continue to improve on Friday?
“If I feel pain-free, I’m going to go,’’ he vowed. “Every game is big. With the
new NHL and the one point for a tie, the race for the playoffs is so tight, you
lose five or six games, you’re out of the playoffs. Everything is so close, you
cannot afford to lose a lot of games.’’
Jagr said he feels pain only when he pushes his left leg all the way out.
“I have at least two more practices,’’ he said. “It heals quick. And there are
other things (to do) to make the muscle stronger around it.’’
Just a month shy of his 40th birthday, Jagr is still quite the competitor. He
wants to get back as soon as possible. The Flyers just want to be sure he
isn’t rushing and makes this something chronic.
“(Chicago) is a big game,’’ he said. “I wish I could play. You know me. I hate
to be injured, I hate not to play in a game. But that’s part of the sport. You
get injuries.’’
No Flyer All-Star starters
Claude Giroux shouldn’t feel slighted. After all, four of the six Eastern
Conference All-Star starters will be Ottawa Senators, thanks to some
hometown electronic ballot-box stuffing by folks in Canada’s capital city.
Most likely Giroux will be named as a reserve for the game in Ottawa on
Jan. 29.
When told that Giroux wasn’t on the starting team, Jagr grinned and told a
little story.
“When I was in Pittsburgh, it was my second year (1991) and I was a
European and I had the long hair,’’ he said. “And (the fans) voted me to the
starting lineup. I was playing the third or fourth line in Pittsburgh.
“I was embarrassed. I didn’t feel I deserved to be there.’’
So, in other words, the fans don’t know what they’re doing?
Jagr chuckled.
“Most of the time it’s about (who’s) popular, how long you’ve been in the
league,’’ he said. “Some guys are going to be voted in even though they
don’t have such a good year. Fans don’t see every game, they don’t look at
the stats. They like someone because he had a good year last year.’’
“I got hurt when I was in Philly, it was kind of a scary time, not knowing if I’d
get a chance to play again,’’ Emery said. “Being able to come back and be
feeling pretty healthy is exciting.
“I loved playing here. They got intense fans and they treated me well. It’s
always exciting playing against a team you played for before. It’s added
incentive. You still want to beat them. It’s a special game.’’
Burlington County Times LOADED: 01.06.2012
604939
Philadelphia Flyers
By ANTHONY SANFILIPPO
[email protected]
PHILADELPHIA – In a game that was a winter classic, indoor variety, the
Flyers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 with one juicy storyline after
another cropping up.
- There’s James van Riemsdyk, the much-maligned forward who has been
playing injured while scoring once in 17 games, netting two goals, including
the game-winner with 32 seconds to play.
- There’s Patrick Kane, the Stanley Cup finals hero for Chicago, who scored
the overtime goal that clinched the championship for the Blackhawks on
Wells Fargo Center ice in 2010, choosing to re-enact it at Chicago’s
morning practice Thursday. He would score again in this see-saw game
that proved to be eye candy for hockey fans everywhere, but he also had a
seat in the penalty box when van Riemsdyk scored the winning goal.
- There’s Kimmo Timonen, who hurt his left wrist in the first period, leaving
the game, before trying to come back in the second until he realized he
couldn’t grip his stick, and is going to be re-evaluated for the injury today.
- There’s Claude Giroux, assuming the leadership role with so many
veterans missing, promising his teammates on the bench after the Flyers
blew another two-goal lead in the third period that, “It’s not going to happen
again.” He then delivered an assist on the game-winning goal.
- Then there’s Ilya Bryzgalov, the goalie whose pre-Winter Classic
comments left his teammates and coaches seething, getting back between
the pipes and playing just so-so – stopping 30 shots, but allowing four
goals. What did he have to say about it afterward? Nothing, as he dodged
interviews claiming he wasn’t feeling well.
Imagine how sick he’d be if they had lost.
“It was a fast hockey game, maybe the fastest we’ve played all year,” coach
Peter Laviolette said. “Chicago has a real fast team. It went up and down
the ice. You saw the transition from both teams go up and down the ice. It
was quick.”
Understatements were everywhere following this game, one that saw the
Flyers get goals from each line, despite missing Jaromir Jagr who was
sidelined with a groin injury.
After giving up a quick goal to Jimmy Hayes in the first period, the Flyers
tied it when Braydon Coburn’s pass off the end boards took a fortuitous
bounce onto Jake Voracek’s stick and he scored his sixth goal of the
season and only his second in the past 16 games.
Rookie Andrew Shaw, who had his face bloodied in a fight with Zac
Rinaldo, answered with a goal in his first NHL game, only to have it trumped
by a one-timer by Scott Hartnell 17 seconds later tying the score again.
“Good things happen when you’re persistent and dedicated right to the
end,” said Hartnell, who made a no-look backhand pass to van Riemsdyk
for the game-winner. Every line had a goal. (van Riemsdyk) had a big
game and he needed it.
“When you get a big win, everyone contributes and has a smile on their
face and that’s good to see.”
Harry Zolneirczyk and van Riemsdyk scored 23 seconds apart in the
second period to give the Flyers that two-goal lead, but after a Hartnell shot
that would have put the game away hit the post, the Blackhawks came right
down the ice and scored twice with goals by Brent Seabrook and Kane 25
seconds apart to tie the score.
Kane then took a high-sticking penalty in the closing minutes that set-up
van Riemsdyk for the dramatic game-winner.
“I don’t think I have felt this comfortable and confident on the ice as I have
at points last year,” van Riemsdyk said. “I think I am still working towards
that, for whatever reason. I think we had some good chemistry on our line
tonight and that definitely made it a lot of fun out there.”
As for Bryzgalov, he was good at times, but still let up four goals, and
despite a team spokesman announcing Bryzgalov was in the hot tub, he
ducked interview requests because he was “feeling sick.”
General manager Paul Holmgren supported his decision and said the team
hustled him out of the building as quickly as possible because he wasn’t
feeling well all day and they wanted him to go home and get rest.
Bryzgalov may have gone home, but it wasn’t right to bed, as he took to
Twitter to talk about the World Junior Championship gold medal game,
which featured his native Russia.
Maybe he was having some tea with honey and lemon from his thermos
while watching the game, though.
With the win the Flyers (23-11-4, 50 points) kept pace with the first place
New York Rangers, also winners Thursday, and remained four points back
in the Atlantic Division.
Delaware County Times LOADED: 01.06.2012
604940
Philadelphia Flyers
By Anthony J. SanFilippo,
[email protected]
where four of the six All-Star leading vote-getters play for the Senators, who
have lost as many games as they’ve won.
Giroux will likely be added to the roster, so it’s not a big deal, but it shows
why fans shouldn’t have control of the voting. After all, it’s not a popularity
contest if four players from one of the smallest markets in the league win
the voting, is it?
lll
Ray Emery returned to Philly for the first time since he left the club following
the 2009-10 season. He started Thursday night for the Blackhawks.
PHILADELPHIA – Jaromir Jagr has been labeled as a guy who struggles
with groin injuries. But the fact that he has played 18 seasons and has
reached 70 games in 15 of them suggests he’s pretty durable.
Emery played his last game in Philly Jan. 30, 2010, and was not re-signed
at the end of the year after it was feared his degenerative hip condition
However, a groin injury had Jagr miss parts of six games earlier in the
season, and now he has another one, which he insists is not the same
injury.
He made a comeback last season with Anaheim, and was a finalist for the
Masterton Award that Ian Laperriere won last season.
The characterization of being prone to such injuries is understandable,
considering the circumstances.
The Flyers announced Jagr would be out for a week to 10 days, but Jagr
thinks he’ll be back sooner.
“I was kind of shocked when I heard that, because I didn’t feel that way,” he
said. “When I’m skating like I did (Thursday), I didn’t feel any pain. That’s to
good shape.
“I didn’t push it hard (Thursday). The reason why I’m skating is I just want to
wasn’t that much pain. But I knew if I kept playing, it would have gotten a lot
worse.”
Jagr hinted he could be back as soon as Saturday against Ottawa.
Yet the first time he injured his groin this season, he tried to come back
after missing just two games and left a game in New York against the
Islanders in the first period, admitting he came back too soon.
The Flyers need to be careful with Jagr, but at the same time, they need
him for their sagging offense. While they have one of the deepest offensive
units in the league and have had balanced scoring throughout the lineup for
much of the season, in the last month things have been a bit lopsided.
Prior to Thursday’s 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Jagr and
linemates Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell had accounted for 19 goals
since Dec. 2. The rest of the forwards who played for the Flyers in that time
also had 19 (defensemen added six).
That means Hartnell (eight), Jagr (six) and Giroux (five) were accounting for
50 percent of the offense. With that knowledge, the Flyers, understandably,
want Jagr back as soon as possible.
“If I feel pain-free, I’m going to go,’’ Jagr insisted. “Every game is big. With
the new NHL and the one point for a tie, the race for the playoffs is so tight,
you lose five or six games, you’re out of the playoffs. Everything is so close,
you cannot afford to lose a lot of games.
“I have at least two more practices. It heals quick. And there are other
things (to do) to make the muscle stronger around it.”
lll
One guy who might have gotten an opportunity to jump-start his game by
filling in for Jagr was James van Riemsdyk. Instead, he was passed over by
Read and played on a third line with Brayden Schenn and Wayne
Simmonds.
That was appaerntly fine with van Riemsdyk, who scored two goals,
including the game-winner.
“I think James is at his best when he’s moving his feet and is hard-charging
out there,” coach Peter Laviolette said before the game. “If you go back to
the playoffs in the Buffalo and Boston series, he was really moving his feet,
winning puck battles and attacking the net.”
lll
Claude Giroux wasn’t voted as one of the first six All-Stars by the fans.
That’s what happens when you stuff the ballot box as they did in Ottawa
“I got hurt when I was in Philly; it was kind of a scary time, not knowing if I’d
feeling pretty healthy is exciting. I loved playing here. They got intense fans
and they treated me well. It’s always exciting playing against a team you
played against before. It’s added incentive. You still want to beat them. It’s
a special game.’’
604941
Philadelphia Flyers
Punch Shots: No excuse for Rangers coach’s apology
By Leslie Small
John Tortorella, like many a coach before him, had an opinion about
officiating in a sports contest — in this case, when the Flyers played the
Rangers Monday in the Winter Classic.
He was less than thrilled when the refs awarded the Flyers a penalty shot
with 19.6 seconds left in the game. Though his Rangers held their lead
when goalie extraordinaire Henrik Lundqvist stopped Danny Briere’s shot,
Tortorella still shared a few thoughts.
“I’m not sure if NBC got together with the refs or what to turn this into an
overtime game,” Tortorella said after the game. “For two good refs, I
thought the game was reffed horribly. So I’m not sure what happened there.
Maybe they wanted to get into overtime. ... I just thought tonight, it was — in
that third period — it was disgusting.”
Taking exception to the word “disgusting” being used to describe league
officials, the NHL fined Tortorella the equivalent of a middle-class
American’s entry-level salary. Seems a bit unfair, but that’s standard these
days in pro-thought-control pro sports leagues. But here’s the thing: A
$30,000-poorer Tortorella went on an apology tour starting Tuesday in
another all-too-common coach response.
What gives? No one’s buying the argument that Tortorella is sorry, and
there were fans on both sides who agreed with him. He even tried to claim
that his words were “sarcastic comments by me at the wrong time.” Um, no,
something’s only sarcastic if you meant the opposite of what you said.
Tortorella clearly didn’t.
Plus, what’s the point of an apology if you’ve already been penalized? And
why bother mending fences in a sport in which people beat one another
senseless?
Tortorella’s words, though a bit harsh, were refreshing in their honesty. It’s
too bad his backtracking made them pointless.
604942
Philadelphia Flyers
By ANTHONY SANFILIPPO
[email protected]
PHILADELPHIA – In a game that was a winter classic, indoor variety, the
Flyers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 with one juicy storyline after
another cropping up.
- There’s James van Riemsdyk, the much-maligned forward who has been
playing injured while scoring once in 17 games, netting two goals, including
the game-winner with 32 seconds to play.
- There’s Patrick Kane, the Stanley Cup finals hero for Chicago, who scored
the overtime goal that clinched the championship for the Blackhawks on
Wells Fargo Center ice in 2010, choosing to re-enact it at Chicago’s
morning practice Thursday. He would score again in this see-saw game
that proved to be eye candy for hockey fans everywhere, but he also had a
seat in the penalty box when van Riemsdyk scored the winning goal.
- There’s Kimmo Timonen, who hurt his left wrist in the first period, leaving
the game, before trying to come back in the second until he realized he
couldn’t grip his stick, and is going to be re-evaluated for the injury today.
- There’s Claude Giroux, assuming the leadership role with so many
veterans missing, promising his teammates on the bench after the Flyers
blew another two-goal lead in the third period that, “It’s not going to happen
again.” He then delivered an assist on the game-winning goal.
- Then there’s Ilya Bryzgalov, the goalie whose pre-Winter Classic
comments left his teammates and coaches seething, getting back between
the pipes and playing just so-so – stopping 30 shots, but allowing four
goals. What did he have to say about it afterward? Nothing, as he dodged
interviews claiming he wasn’t feeling well.
Imagine how sick he’d be if they had lost.
“It was a fast hockey game, maybe the fastest we’ve played all year,” coach
Peter Laviolette said. “Chicago has a real fast team. It went up and down
the ice. You saw the transition from both teams go up and down the ice. It
was quick.”
Understatements were everywhere following this game, one that saw the
Flyers get goals from each line, despite missing Jaromir Jagr who was
sidelined with a groin injury.
After giving up a quick goal to Jimmy Hayes in the first period, the Flyers
tied it when Braydon Coburn’s pass off the end boards took a fortuitous
bounce onto Jake Voracek’s stick and he scored his sixth goal of the
season and only his second in the past 16 games.
Rookie Andrew Shaw, who had his face bloodied in a fight with Zac
Rinaldo, answered with a goal in his first NHL game, only to have it trumped
by a one-timer by Scott Hartnell 17 seconds later tying the score again.
“Good things happen when you’re persistent and dedicated right to the
end,” said Hartnell, who made a no-look backhand pass to van Riemsdyk
for the game-winner. Every line had a goal. (van Riemsdyk) had a big
game and he needed it.
“When you get a big win, everyone contributes and has a smile on their
face and that’s good to see.”
Harry Zolneirczyk and van Riemsdyk scored 23 seconds apart in the
second period to give the Flyers that two-goal lead, but after a Hartnell shot
that would have put the game away hit the post, the Blackhawks came right
down the ice and scored twice with goals by Brent Seabrook and Kane 25
seconds apart to tie the score.
Kane then took a high-sticking penalty in the closing minutes that set-up
van Riemsdyk for the dramatic game-winner.
“I don’t think I have felt this comfortable and confident on the ice as I have
at points last year,” van Riemsdyk said. “I think I am still working towards
that, for whatever reason. I think we had some good chemistry on our line
tonight and that definitely made it a lot of fun out there.”
As for Bryzgalov, he was good at times, but still let up four goals, and
despite a team spokesman announcing Bryzgalov was in the hot tub, he
ducked interview requests because he was “feeling sick.”
General manager Paul Holmgren supported his decision and said the team
hustled him out of the building as quickly as possible because he wasn’t
feeling well all day and they wanted him to go home and get rest.
Bryzgalov may have gone home, but it wasn’t right to bed, as he took to
Twitter to talk about the World Junior Championship gold medal game,
which featured his native Russia.
Maybe he was having some tea with honey and lemon from his thermos
while watching the game, though.
With the win the Flyers (23-11-4, 50 points) kept pace with the first place
New York Rangers, also winners Thursday, and remained four points back
in the Atlantic Division.
604943
Philadelphia Flyers
By Anthony J. SanFilippo,
[email protected]
where four of the six All-Star leading vote-getters play for the Senators, who
have lost as many games as they’ve won.
Giroux will likely be added to the roster, so it’s not a big deal, but it shows
why fans shouldn’t have control of the voting. After all, it’s not a popularity
contest if four players from one of the smallest markets in the league win
the voting, is it?
lll
Ray Emery returned to Philly for the first time since he left the club following
the 2009-10 season. He started Thursday night for the Blackhawks.
PHILADELPHIA – Jaromir Jagr has been labeled as a guy who struggles
with groin injuries. But the fact that he has played 18 seasons and has
reached 70 games in 15 of them suggests he’s pretty durable.
Emery played his last game in Philly Jan. 30, 2010, and was not re-signed
at the end of the year after it was feared his degenerative hip condition
However, a groin injury had Jagr miss parts of six games earlier in the
season, and now he has another one, which he insists is not the same
injury.
He made a comeback last season with Anaheim, and was a finalist for the
Masterton Award that Ian Laperriere won last season.
The characterization of being prone to such injuries is understandable,
considering the circumstances.
The Flyers announced Jagr would be out for a week to 10 days, but Jagr
thinks he’ll be back sooner.
“I was kind of shocked when I heard that, because I didn’t feel that way,” he
said. “When I’m skating like I did (Thursday), I didn’t feel any pain. That’s to
good shape.
“I didn’t push it hard (Thursday). The reason why I’m skating is I just want to
wasn’t that much pain. But I knew if I kept playing, it would have gotten a lot
worse.”
Jagr hinted he could be back as soon as Saturday against Ottawa.
Yet the first time he injured his groin this season, he tried to come back
after missing just two games and left a game in New York against the
Islanders in the first period, admitting he came back too soon.
The Flyers need to be careful with Jagr, but at the same time, they need
him for their sagging offense. While they have one of the deepest offensive
units in the league and have had balanced scoring throughout the lineup for
much of the season, in the last month things have been a bit lopsided.
Prior to Thursday’s 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Jagr and
linemates Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell had accounted for 19 goals
since Dec. 2. The rest of the forwards who played for the Flyers in that time
also had 19 (defensemen added six).
That means Hartnell (eight), Jagr (six) and Giroux (five) were accounting for
50 percent of the offense. With that knowledge, the Flyers, understandably,
want Jagr back as soon as possible.
“If I feel pain-free, I’m going to go,’’ Jagr insisted. “Every game is big. With
the new NHL and the one point for a tie, the race for the playoffs is so tight,
you lose five or six games, you’re out of the playoffs. Everything is so close,
you cannot afford to lose a lot of games.
“I have at least two more practices. It heals quick. And there are other
things (to do) to make the muscle stronger around it.”
lll
One guy who might have gotten an opportunity to jump-start his game by
filling in for Jagr was James van Riemsdyk. Instead, he was passed over by
Read and played on a third line with Brayden Schenn and Wayne
Simmonds.
That was appaerntly fine with van Riemsdyk, who scored two goals,
including the game-winner.
“I think James is at his best when he’s moving his feet and is hard-charging
out there,” coach Peter Laviolette said before the game. “If you go back to
the playoffs in the Buffalo and Boston series, he was really moving his feet,
winning puck battles and attacking the net.”
lll
Claude Giroux wasn’t voted as one of the first six All-Stars by the fans.
That’s what happens when you stuff the ballot box as they did in Ottawa
“I got hurt when I was in Philly; it was kind of a scary time, not knowing if I’d
feeling pretty healthy is exciting. I loved playing here. They got intense fans
and they treated me well. It’s always exciting playing against a team you
played against before. It’s added incentive. You still want to beat them. It’s
a special game.’’
604944
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers' Timonen banged up vs. Blackhawks
Chris Pronger is already done for the season.
Now Kimmo Timonen, the next blueliner back there in seniority, is battling
an injury as the Flyers' depleted defensive corps took another hit on
Thursday night midway into the first period against Chicago.
Timonen’s last shift was at 10:23 of the first period with Braydon Coburn.
He returned to start the second period, but left again midway through that
period.
The Flyers said it was not an equipment issue.
604945
Philadelphia Flyers
Police hunt for Flyers fans responsible for attack
When are people going to learn it’s generally not a good idea to commit a
crime and then post about it on Facebook (if they’re hoping not to get
caught, that is)?
You’ve probably already heard about the Flyers fans that attacked a
Rangers fan outside Geno’s Steaks after the Winter Classic. A video
showing the gruesome fight was posted on YouTube.
Now, a man named Edward Neary has boasted on Facebook that he and
his friends were responsible for beating up the Rangers fan (who, by the
way, was awarded a Purple Heart fighting in Iraq).
Neary wrote on Facebook: "it was me and my friends do something about
it." He later blamed the incident on his friends, identifying three of them by
name, and claimed Ranger fans started the fight.
The post has since been deleted, but police are reportedly on the hunt for
Neary and his company nonetheless.
604946
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers center Claude Giroux was not named Thursday as one of the
starters for the Jan. 29 All-Star Game in Ottawa.
Instead, four players from the Senators –Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza,
Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson – were selected by the fans, along with
Phil Kessel and Tim Thomas.
“I am surprised,” said coach Peter Laviolette. “Maybe I’m biased, but if I had
to start a team, I’d pick him first over anybody else in the league. That does
surprise me.”
Giroux is tied with Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin as the second-leading scorer
in the National Hockey League with 46 points. Daniel’s twin brother Henrik
is first with 48.
Giroux leads the Flyers with 18 goals – one more than Scott Hartnell. Were
it not for missing four games last month with a concussion, there’s a good
chance Giroux, the NHL points leader at the time, would still be in front.
Sure, Giroux will be added to the roster, but once again, the fans embarrass
the NHL and themselves by balloting stuffing.
Giroux, who was not even aware that the top six were being announced,
said he understands the politics involved given the game is in Ottawa and
Sens fans want to see their players.
“It’s in Ottawa, they want Ottawa players there, that’s fine,” he said. “I’m not
going to judge the way they do. It doesn’t really matter. It seriously doesn’t
bother me.
“If I do go back it will be pretty cool, I have family and friends there, but I
have bigger things to worry about right now.”
is first with 48.
Tonight, the Flyers make their return to Wells Fargo Center after an 18-day
absence when they host Chicago. The Blackhawks are seeded second in
the Western Conference.
Because the Flyers were on the ice for their morning skate, Giroux was not
immediately available for comment.
604947
Philadelphia Flyers
Tonight's game notes: Blackhawks at Flyers
Records
Flyers: 22-11-4 (Second in Atlantic Division, fourth in Eastern Conference)
Blackhawks: 24-11-4 (first in Central division, second in Western
Conference)
This will be the Flyers’ first game since losing 3-2 to the Rangers in
the Winter Classic. The Flyers are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games.
The Blackhawks are also coming off of a loss at the hands of the Oilers.
Chicago is 7-3-0 in its last 10 games, but has lost two of its last three
games.
Who’s hot?
The Blackhawks have been fairly hot of late, but have cooled down a
bit in their previous three games. They recently lost the Western
Conference lead to the Vancouver Canucks
For the Flyers, Brayden Schenn scored his first NHL goal in the Winter
Classic on Monday. Scott Hartnell continues to find the back of the net, and
has 17 goals on the season.
Story lines
The Flyers will be hosting the Blackhawks for the first time since losing to
them in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.
After being skipped in net against the Rangers in the Winter Classic, Ilya
Bryzgalov will return to the ice against the Blackhawks tonight. Also in net is
Ray Emery, for the Blackhawks.
Also, watch to see what rookie Matt Read can do while he fills in for an
injured Jaromir Jagr tonight on the first line.
In net
Flyers: Ilya Bryzgalov
Blackhawks: Ray Emery
Injuries
Flyers: Jaromir Jagr (groin)
Blackhawks: Daniel Carcillo (undisclosed), Marcus Kruger (upper body),
Steve Montador (undisclosed)
Sound off
Will the Flyers bounce back from their Winter Classic defeat?
604948
Philadelphia Flyers
Jagr could return earlier than expected
With Jaromir Jagr injured, Matt Read will join the top line as the Flyers face
the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday night. 01/04/12
Jaromir Jagr skated by himself at the morning skate on Thursday and didn’t
rule out the possibility of returning to the lineup sooner than a week to 10
days.
“I was surprised to hear that, because I didn’t feel that way,” Jagr said of the
timeline, adding he was actually speared in the groin area against
Pittsburgh last week, not the calf.
Jagr said this injury is different from the groin pull he suffered in November.
He said it’s not as bad, yet at the same time, he can’t accelerate fully to
open up his stride without pain.
“Only way I feel pain is when I push my leg all the way,” he said. “That was
in the game. Today, I felt fine but it’s only practice and I don’t [extend] … I
have at least two more practice days and it heals quick.”
Jagr on All-Star
Jagr told a story of being voted to the All-Star Team in his second year in
the NHL at Pittsburgh playing on a third line. He was he was embarrassed
to go.
This was in reaction to Claude Giroux not making the top six via fan votes.
“For whatever reason, I was European, I had the long hair and they voted
me in the starting lineup and I was on the third line in Pittsburgh and I felt
embarrassed,” Jagr said.
“I didn’t want to go there. I didn’t deserve it and felt I shouldn’t be there.
That’s just the story I want to make. Most of the time it’s about being
popular. Some guys gonna be voted even if they don’t have such a good
year. … Fans don’t see every game or look at stats.”
Asked if he would go if picked by the selection committee, he said he would
go.
Loose pucks
Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov is back in net tonight against Chicago. “I expect him
to go in there and play well,” coach Peter Laviolette said. … Flyers players
say they need to start winning games at home and it begins tonight on the
Wells Fargo ice, where they’ve been away from for 18 days. Flyers are a
very poor 8-6-2 at home (26th overall) and yet lead the NHL with best road
record – 14-5-2. “Our home record is not where it needs to be,” Laviolette
said. “Our road record is excellent. We got to start taking care of these
home games and make sure those wins go into the column. We need some
attitude here at home.”
604949
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers center Claude Giroux was not named Thursday as one of the
starters for the Jan. 29 All-Star Game in Ottawa.
Instead, four players from the Senators –Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza,
Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson – were selected by the fans, along with
Phil Kessel and Tim Thomas.
“I am surprised,” said coach Peter Laviolette. “Maybe I’m biased, but if I had
to start a team, I’d pick him first over anybody else in the league. That does
surprise me.”
is first with 48.
Sure, Giroux will be added to the roster, but once again, the fans embarrass
the NHL and themselves by balloting stuffing.
Giroux, who was not even aware that the top six were being announced,
said he understands the politics involved given the game is in Ottawa and
Sens fans want to see their players.
“It’s in Ottawa, they want Ottawa players there, that’s fine,” he said. “I’m not
going to judge the way they do. It doesn’t really matter. It seriously doesn’t
bother me.
“If I do go back it will be pretty cool, I have family and friends there, but I
have bigger things to worry about right now.”
is first with 48.
Tonight, the Flyers make their return to Wells Fargo Center after an 18-day
absence when they host Chicago. The Blackhawks are seeded second in
the Western Conference.
Because the Flyers were on the ice for their morning skate, Giroux was not
immediately available for comment.
604950
Philadelphia Flyers
Police hunt for Flyers fans behind attack
January 5, 2012, 1:30 pm
When are people going to learn it’s generally not a good idea to commit a
crime and then post about it on Facebook (if they’re hoping not to get
caught, that is)?
You’ve probably already heard about the Flyers fans that attacked a
Rangers fan outside Geno’s Steaks after the Winter Classic. A video
showing the gruesome fight was posted on YouTube.
Now, a man named Edward Neary has boasted on Facebook that he and
his friends were responsible for beating up the Rangers fan (who, by the
way, was awarded a Purple Heart fighting in Iraq).
Neary wrote on Facebook: "it was me and my friends do something about
it." He later blamed the incident on his friends, identifying three of them by
name, and claimed Ranger fans started the fight.
The post has since been deleted, but police are reportedly on the hunt for
Neary and his company nonetheless.
604951
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers' depth was key vs. Blackhawks
January 5, 2012, 11:40 pm
Even without veterans Jaromir Jagr and Chris Pronger, five rookies ended
up on the score sheet against Chicago as the Flyers' depth produced five
goals in their win over the Blackhawks (see story.)
“If you look at our whole lineup today, we had four lines and I think every
one, every line got a goal,” Scott Hartnell said. “For Reemer [James van
Riemsdyk] to step up and have a big game, it's good for him.
“I think he needed it, so yeah, hats off to him. He had a big goal there at the
end. When you get a win and everyone is contributing to everyone,
everyone has a smile on their face, it's great to see.
“These guys are awesome. Zac [Rinaldo] had a big fight there to get us
going right off the bat, right after they scored and Harry Z [Zolnierczyk] is
playing well.
“Coots [Sean Couturier] is solid. I don't think we had a penalty today, so that
is great discipline by us as well. Right through our whole lineup, Bryz [Ilya
Bryzgalov] made some big saves there and it was a big two points for us.”
Home log
It’s not very good but the Flyers said they are making home ice wins an
important part of the second half of the season, which officially begins next
week but started Thursday with this home game.
They won for just the ninth time in 17 games.
The fight
Rinaldo tried to make a risky play to clear the puck from the zone off the
board early in the game and instead, the puck came out to the blue line
where Jamal Mayers shot on net.
Jimmy Hayes cut in front and tipped it in on Ilya Bryzgalov amid boos at
3:01.
Rinaldo took out his frustrations for the turnover by pummeling Andrew
Shaw after the faceoff to win his fight rather easily.
Loose pucks
Rookie Brayden Schenn, who got his first NHL goal in the Winter Classic,
picked up his first assist as a Flyer on JVR’s first goal. ... The 21 shots in
the second period tied a season-high for the Flyers in one period (Nov. 5
vs. Columbus). ... Couturier’s line with Harry Z and Rinaldo gave the Flyers
repeated energy in the game, not to mention some scoring chances. ... With
his two assists Thursday, Claude Giroux jumped back into a tie for the
league lead in scoring with Henrik Sedin at 48 points. ... The Flyers had 46
shots, their third-highest total of the season. ... Clean game. The Flyers had
no minor penalties. That has not happened since Feb. 20, 2011 at the New
York Rangers.
604952
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers score in final minute to top 'Hawks
A 21-shot blitz in the second period saw the Flyers steal the game’s
momentum. The Blackhawks stole it back in a frantic sprint in the final
period with the kind of end-to-end skating off transition without a whistle you
don’t often see.
“That was a fast game,” Laviolette said. “Our energy was high and our
execution was good and I thought they were both on target ...
January 5, 2012, 9:26 pm
It was an all too familiar sight.
A two-goal lead late in the third period at Wells Fargo Center.
A four-minute blown power play, followed by a blown lead and tie game.
Just as head coach Peter Laviolette was going to explode on the bench,
Claude Giroux took matters into his own.
“The person I heard most on the bench, moving up and down the outside
was Giroux,” Laviolette recalled. “Saying, ‘It’s not going to happen again.’
It’s good when you hear young players jumping in like that. It was a tough
turn of events.”
Except this time, the Flyers didn’t fold.
Instead, their young players took charge and rescued a 5-4 victory over the
Chicago Blackhawks on the strength of James van Riemsdyk’s gamewinner with 32.8 seconds left.
The much-maligned JVR, who has been bothered by a nagging injury all
season, scored twice to make a difference.
“The game was so fast, there were times it turned over on one shift three
times, it went offense-defense-offense. It was lightning.”
The really bad news is the Flyers lost defenseman Kimmo Timonen with an
upper body injury. Timonen was seen wearing a soft brace on his left wrist
after the game. He will be re-evaluated on Friday.
Bryzgalov, who has not a very good last couple outings, gave up a
deflected goal on Chicago’s second shot of the game, settled in, and then
seemed rattled at the end.
Bryzgalov did not meet with reporters after the game because, as general
manager Paul Holmgren said, he was sick.
Maybe because of the odd goals again, both ways. After Jamal Mayers
made it 1-0 off a deflection, Jakub Voracek tied it in the final minute of the
opening period off what appeared to be a set play as Coburn fired a puck
wide of the net off the back boards.
“Not a set play,” Voracek said. “Just happened. It’s hard to find a dead spot
behind the net where you get the bounce back. I was lucky it bounced back
to me with an empty net.”
Make a difference? It’s something JVR hasn’t done most of this campaign.
Andrew Shaw regained the lead for the Blackhawks, coming out of the
corner with the puck and backhanding it high on Bryzgalov in the second
period, making it 2-1.
“It’s exciting to contribute – bounces haven’t necessarily gone my way most
of the year,” he said.
Then, the Flyers exploded for three goals in 4:20 to recapture the
momentum, while Timonen quietly left the ice for good.
Scott Hartnell had the puck in the left slot and threw it across for JVR to
bang it past former Flyer goalie Ray Emery.
First, Hartnell chopped downward on a Giroux pass from behind the net to
tie it at 7:54.
“I was yelling for G [Giroux] and he made the better play to get it to Hartsy
and Hartsy put it right on my tape to slide it into the net,” JVR said.
“It's always great to have a good shift after an opponent scores a goal to try
“We’re up two goals in the third and that should never be a chance to get
back into the game but we let them back in.”
JVR played with Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds. This is a new line
for him.
“I don’t think I’ve felt this comfortable and confident on the ice as I have at
points last year,” van Riemsdyk said. “I’m still working towards that for
whatever reason. We had good chemistry tonight and it made it fun out
there.”
He might have found a line now he can thrive with, as well.
“JVR was good, it was his best game,” Laviolette said. “I liked that he was
skating to be physical. He banged bodies out there.
“I always think that if you want to get yourself in the game get your feet
moving and go bang somebody because that always puts you around the
puck. You can’t hit people without the puck.
“You start moving your feet and looking for targets, all of the sudden you
find yourself in the game on the puck around the play and he got going.”
The Flyers should have tucked it away, leading 4-2 midway into the final
period and with a four-minute power play to ice it.
Instead, Hartnell dinged the post as that power play expired. Brent
Seabrook came roaring up ice and beat the Bryzard of Oz for one goal at
14:15. Then, horrors, Patrick Kane, who got the decisive Game 6 Stanley
Cup clincher in overtime in this building, had an open shot in the slot 25
seconds later to tie it.
So open was Kane that Braydon Coburn smashed his stick on the post in
disgust. Still, they survived.
“It’s been tough sledding at home,” Hartnell said. “We’re always playing
from behind, and today we give up two late goals with a two-goal lead.
“Little frustrating, but Lavy brought it to our attention a few days ago we’ve
got to play great in front of these fans and get them behind us … to get a
big win today, we have to keep this going.”
and get the momentum back,” Hartnell said.
“[Matt] Read made a nice play to Giroux. I was popping up in the slot. The
puck kind of got deflected and was up in the air and I whacked it out of the
air and was able to go five hole.”
Then, rookie Harry Zolnierczyk, charging the net, got a rebound off Sean
Couturier’s angled shot on Emery to make it, 3-2. That goal broke a sevengame pointless slide for Harry Z.
With the Hawks stunned, ailing JVR, whose last goal was Dec. 23 against
the Rangers – the only marker he had last month – got a soft rebound at
12:14 off Simmonds’ shot, giving the Flyers a comfortable 4-2 lead.
Until the third period, anyway.
“I think when you play with two guys like that, we meshed out there and we
really had instant chemistry,” JVR said.
“Sometimes you can feel that out there and it feels pretty good when it
happens. Now, we just have to keep getting better with it.”
604953
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers' Timonen hurt in win over 'Hawks
January 5, 2012, 10:18 pm
Chris Pronger is already done for the season.
In terms of experience and overall playing ability, Pronger's departure
elevated Kimmo Timonen’s to No. 1 status on the blue line.
And now the 13-year veteran, who turns 37 in March, is hurt, as well.
Timonen incurred a first-period injury, missing the final 9:37 before returning
in the second period for three shifts, then leaving the game midway in for
good.
Timonen was seen wearing a soft brace on his left wrist after the game.
“We’ll know more tomorrow,” general manager Paul Holmgren said. “We
don’t think it’s anything too serious.”
In what was a Flyer first, Timonen declined to meet with reporters, which
may not be a good sign. He has never ducked an interview or question.
Timonen leads all Flyer defensemen with 24 points. His 23 assists are thirdmost among all NHL defenseman and he is ranked 10th overall in scoring
among all blue liners.
604954
Phoenix Coyotes
Controversial goal propels Kings past Coyotes in overtime
Drew Doughty's goal good after review to hand Coyotes 1-0 overtime loss
Jan. 5, 2012 10:47 PM
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings have been leaving goalie
Jonathan Quick very little room for error the past six weeks because of their
struggles to score.
They finally got a goal 38 seconds into overtime from defenseman Drew
Doughty during a goalmouth scramble Thursday night, and Quick tied a
career best with his NHL-leading sixth shutout in a 1-0 victory over the
Phoenix Coyotes.
Doughty got a pass from Jarret Stoll, swerved around Daymond Langkow in
the left circle and threw the puck toward the net. It caromed in off Phoenix
defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson's skate while Johnson was in the
crease. Referee Frederick L'Ecuyer immediately ruled it a goal, and the
replay office in Toronto confirmed that it was legal.
"It should be no goal. The puck did go in the net, but it should be goalie
interference," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "If they don't give the goal
to Johnson, then it's goalie interference. If he comes in and puts his leg in
front of Mike Smith's leg so Smith can't make a stop, that is goalie
interference. It's as simple as that. It's a poor call. It's a blown call that
should be no goal. I think we got a bad break."
Coyotes captain Shane Doan agreed.
"The ref who made the call was more watching the net come up off the
moorings and not paying attention to what's in the crease," Doan said.
"Honestly, with the way their guy drives to the crease and stops Smitty from
going across the net, that's a no-brainer -- you assume. But apparently,
there's more concern with watching the net than watching our goalie."
In any event, it was Doughty's 10th game-winner among his 36 career
goals.
"I just wanted to get into the play," Doughty said. "I saw that we had control
of the puck, so I raced up to the blue line. Me and Stolly made eye contact
and he made a nice pass. Then I just tried to drive the net. Sometimes you
just have to score those dirty goals. It was huge. Obviously, I haven't been
scoring a lot this year and I finally contributed on the score sheet with a goal
for the team."
Three nights earlier against Colorado, Quick was nursing a 1-0 lead when
he gave up the tying goal with 5:43 left in regulation and the Kings lost in a
shootout.
"It seems like it has happened frequently, but every game is different and
brings its own challenges on for a goalie," said Quick, who is 6-0-2 in his
last eight starts with a 1.20 goals-against average and .956 save
percentage. "Sometimes you're going to have to make 40 saves and
sometimes you're going to have to make 18. You prepare to come in and
not let in any. That's ultimately your goal, but sometimes they're going to
get a few and you need your team to score some goals."
Quick made 22 saves in his 20th career shutout, his seventh by a 1-0
score. The previous one was against Dallas on Oct. 22 at Staples Center,
when Jack Johnson got the only goal with 4:48 left in the third period -enabling Quick to become the first goalie in franchise history with three
consecutive shutouts.
The Kings, who came in with a league-low 87 goals, were held to fewer
than three in regulation for the 18th time in 20 games. Despite averaging 33
shots on net in their last 15 contests, they have averaged only 1.7 goals
during that stretch and are 3 for 53 on the power play. But they still haven't
lost in regulation (5-0-3) since Darryl Sutter replaced Terry Murray as
coach.
The sellout crowd of 18,118 groaned after Kings left wing Dustin Penner
spun around in the right circle and took a 30-foot wrist shot that hit the left
post with 5:47 left in regulation. A minute later, goalie Mike Smith robbed
Dustin Brown at the doorstep after he stickhandled through the Coyotes'
defense, and Smith came up big again to thwart Brad Richardson from in
close with 3:41 left.
"Smith made some big saves to push it into overtime, but we were fortunate
to get a goal early in overtime and get out of here with two points," Quick
said. "There were times when our systems caught up with each other and
not much was going on. But we outplayed them, I believe, for the majority of
the game and we were creating some stuff around their net."
Smith made his second start after missing six games with a groin injury and
stopped 27 shots for the Coyotes, who have lost six of seven and were shut
out for the fifth time. They played their sixth straight game without injured
centers Martin Hanzal and Boyd Gordon.
Phoenix defenseman Adrian Aucoin sat out the last two periods after he
was struck in the right eye by the puck as Mike Richards flipped it out of the
Kings' zone during the final minute of the first. Left wing Raffi Torres, who
scored two goals against the Kings in a 4-3 loss at Staples Center on Dec.
26, finished serving a two-game suspension he received from the NHL after
taking a run at Minnesota's Nate Prosser from behind last Saturday.
Notes: The Kings have killed off 28 consecutive power plays, and their
opponents are 3 for 76 with the man advantage over the last 21 games. ...
The Phoenix-Winnipeg franchise is in its 32nd season and still hasn't won a
division title. The Coyotes are fourth in the Pacific and trail first-place San
Jose by five points. ... Tippett spent three seasons with the Kings as an
assistant under Andy Murray.
Arizona Republic LOADED: 01.06.2012
604955
Pittsburgh Penguins
Upcoming weekend is pivotal for Penguins
By Josh Yohe, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, January 6, 2012
Moments before the Penguins last played, coach Dan Bylsma showcased a
whiteboard bearing the Atlantic Division standings in the visitor's locker
room at New Jersey.
His point was simple: The Penguins aren't where they want to be.
That could change this weekend with home showdowns against the New
York Rangers and Devils. Or the Penguins could find themselves outside of
the projected playoff field as the season's midpoint nears.
So is life in the Eastern Conference.
"If we don't play well, we could be out of a playoff spot very quickly,"
defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. "If we do, we could go the other way just as
quickly."
Entering Thursday night's games, the Penguins were fifth in the East with
46 points, six behind the division- and conference-leading Rangers and with
a game in hand entering tonight's matchup at Consol Energy Center. (The
Rangers hosted Florida last night.) Victories today and Saturday against the
Devils would put the Penguins in the thick of the division and conference
races.
But with the middle of the conference a logjam, the Penguins could find
themselves out of the playoff picture come tomorrow night if they struggle.
"We're aware of it," right wing James Neal said. "It's always in the back of
our minds."
The Rangers, Boston (51 points) and Philadelphia (48), three of hockey's
hottest teams, surged ahead of the Penguins. Ottawa (45) was within a
point, and Washington and New Jersey (44) are two points back. Winnipeg
and Toronto (43) loomed in a tie for ninth.
The scheduling quirk that gave the Penguins five days off didn't help their
position in the standings, but they aren't complaining.
"It was good for us," Neal said. "We needed a break, to get away from
hockey for a day or two."
Neal believes a refreshed team will surface tonight, and the Penguins
understand the importance of this weekend's games.
"At times, I'll check the standings to see where we are at," center Jordan
Staal said. "This is a big weekend."
Bylsma's motivational ploy before the game in New Jersey didn't produce a
victory, but the Penguins were satisfied with their play. Staal believes the
tactic worked.
"When you have it on right before the game and you know it's a big two
points, it makes us that much more of a desperate hockey team," he said.
"We know coming in this weekend that these are going to be tough games,
but these (are) a lot of points that we need."
The Penguins are 4-7-1 against teams currently in playoff position in the
East.
"We've played good hockey," Lovejoy said. "But it hasn't been good enough
to get us to the first spot. We want to be first in the Eastern Conference.
And we can't do that if we don't win the Atlantic Division."
They can make a significant move this weekend — up or down the
standings.
"We need these points," right wing Pascal Dupuis said, "especially right
now."
Tribune Review LOADED: 01.06.2012
604956
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pens' Malkin has fun with world junior championships
By Josh Yohe, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Penguins star Evgeni Malkin wasn't in the locker room following Thursday's
practice at Consol Energy Center, but he certainly made his presence felt
on Twitter during Tuesday's matchup of Russia and Canada in the world
junior championships. Malkin mocked some of his Canadian teammates
when Russia jumped to a 6-1 lead, then fell silent as Canada roared back
before falling, 6-5.
"He's been a little annoying lately," center Jordan Staal said with a smile.
Staal's locker is next to Malkin's.
"It was well deserved, the way they played," Staal said. "You never want to
lose to Russia, especially when you've got this loudmouth beside you."
Malkin jokingly demanded $100 from Canadians Sidney Crosby, Arron
Asham, Marc-Andre Fleury, James Neal and Staal following the game. Neal
was amused when Malkin became nervous in the game's final moments.
"For sure," he said. "He told us to pay up before the game was over. I
guess he's lucky on that one."
>> Defenseman Paul Martin and center Richard Park were activated from
the injured reserve list, making them eligible to play Friday night against the
New York Rangers. Martin hasn't played since Dec. 16 because of a lowerbody injury; Park has been out since breaking his foot Dec. 3.
>> Right wing Pascal Dupuis skated Thursday and is listed as day-to-day
with an upper-body injury. He was cautiously optimistic that he will play this
weekend — Friday night or Saturday vs. New Jersey.
>> Asham hasn't practiced since blocking a shot with his knee Saturday at
New Jersey. He is unlikely to play this weekend.
Tribune Review LOADED: 01.06.2012
604957
Pittsburgh Penguins
Zero Penguins voted to NHL All-Star Game
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
No Penguins have been voted into the NHL All-Star Game Jan. 29 in
Ottawa.
The six players who locked up spots in the game are Boston goalie Tim
Thomas, defensemen Erik Karlsson (Ottawa) and Dion Phaneuf (Toronto)
and forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, all of
Ottawa.
They are the first players assured of roster spots in the All-Star Game.
Digital voting concluded Wednesday night and the results were announced
this morning.
Penguins players who were in contention for automatic berths in the game
and their final place in the fan balloting were forwards Sidney Crosby
(sixth), Evgeni Malkin (10th), James Neal (13th) and Jordan Staal (20th),
defensemen Kris Letang (sixth) and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (3rd).
Dave Molinari: [email protected] and on Twitter @molinaripg.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12005/1201524100.stm?cmpid=penguins.xml#ixzz1idxvmhKi
Post Gazette LOADED: 01.06.2012
604958
Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins Notebook: Martin, Michalek finally ready to team up again
"Am I surprised he hasn't missed a game?" Bylsma said. "I guess if we
were talking about guys who would play all 38 games to this point from the
start of the season, maybe we would have given him a day off one of those
games.
"But I'm not really entirely surprised. I'm pleasantly surprised, I guess, that
he's been a guy who's an ironman for us."
Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek make up one of the Penguins' top two
defense pairings. On paper, anyway.
In reality, at least one of them has been injured for 24 of the first 38 games - including every one since Nov. 26 in Montreal -- so they have not been
together all that often in the first half of 2011-12.
That means it might take a while for them to get their games in sync when
Martin, who sat out the past six games because of an unspecified injury,
rejoins the lineup for a game against the New York Rangers tonight at
Consol Energy Center.
"I'm sure some of [the potential problems] will be just communication,"
Martin said. "[Michalek] and I haven't played together too many games this
year. Either he's been out, or I have.
"Maybe some stuff in the [defensive] zone, as far as breaking the puck out
or just playing [defensive] coverage. I imagine it won't take too long. Or
maybe we'll get right back into it, hopefully."
Martin is not the only Penguins player with a chance to return tonight.
Forwards Pascal Dupuis, who got an unspecified injury in the Penguins' 3-1
loss Saturday in New Jersey, and Richard Park, who has missed the past
11 games because of a broken foot, apparently will be available.
Although coach Dan Bylsma did not commit to using Dupuis tonight -- "We'll
see how he is [this] morning," he said -- he seems pretty certain to play
unless he has a setback today.
Injured forwards Arron Asham (unspecified) and Dustin Jeffrey (knee)
worked out on the ice before practice with conditioning coach Mike Kadar,
but there appears to be no target date for either to return to the lineup.
Defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, who has missed the past nine games,
participated in practice for the first time since being diagnosed with a
concussion and said he has been free of concussion symptoms for about a
week.
All-Star update
The Penguins did not have anyone voted into the NHL All-Star Game Jan.
29 in Ottawa.
The six players who locked up spots in the game via fan balloting were
Boston goalie Tim Thomas, defensemen Erik Karlsson (Ottawa) and Dion
Phaneuf (Toronto) and forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and
Milan Michalek, all of Ottawa.
Penguins in contention for automatic berths in the game and their final
place in the voting by fans were forwards Sidney Crosby (sixth), Evgeni
Malkin (10th), James Neal (13th) and Jordan Staal (20th), defensemen Kris
Letang (sixth) and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (third).
Senators fans clearly were aggressive in trying to get their team's players
into the game, and Michalek was one of the beneficiaries of that.
Regardless, his brother Zbynek clearly was pleased about Milan claiming a
place in the game.
"I'm really happy for him and excited," Zbynek said. "He totally deserves it.
He's having a great season, with so many goals. I hope he enjoys the game
and has fun with it."
Ironman Sullivan
Winger Steve Sullivan missed practice Thursday because of illness,
according to Bylsma, but should be able to play tonight. If he does, that
would keep Sullivan's streak of not missing a game this season intact, and
that's no small accomplishment for him.
Sullivan has had several major injuries in recent years and has dressed for
all 82 games once in the past six seasons.
604959
Pittsburgh Penguins
Price of success lower for Rangers
Rangers pay less, but benefit more, and outstanding record proves point
Couldn't have been many NHL teams more opposed to a salary cap than
the New York Rangers.
Can't be many who have benefited more from the league adopting one,
either.
Not because it leveled the league's financial playing field -- that's precisely
what New York didn't care much for -- but because it forced the Rangers to
re-think their approach to putting together teams.
Which is to say, tossing bloated contracts at every big-name player who
became available wasn't possible anymore, even if management could
cover the cost of those deals out of petty cash. Instead, the Rangers had to
focus on constructing teams in a conventional way: By drafting players well
and developing those prospects, then plugging holes with trades and free
agents.
The result: Lower payrolls, higher productivity.
The Rangers, who will visit Consol Energy Center at 7:08 p.m. today,
entered their game Thursday night against Florida at Madison Square
Garden with 52 points, good for first place in the Eastern Conference and a
tie for second in the overall standings.
And there is nothing fluky about what New York has been able to
accomplish in the first half of this season.
Before facing Florida, the Rangers were scoring an average of 2.95 goals
per game and allowing just 2.05, second-lowest average in the NHL.
Scouting Report
Matchup: New York Rangers vs. Penguins, 7:08 p.m. today, Consol Energy
Center.
Lundqvist ranks among the league leaders in goals-against average and
save percentage, reinforcing his status as one of hockey's premier
goaltenders.
He rarely gives up a soft goal, and there are comets that come around more
often than he has a bad game.
"He seems to be able to make that first [and] second stop," Penguins left
winger Chris Kunitz said. "He doesn't get beat on breakaways or things like
that very often, and there aren't many soft goals, so he makes you work for
everything you're going to get."
Neutralizing Gaborik might be almost as challenging as beating Lundqvist.
He has been hobbled by groin problems throughout his career, but it is
starting to look as if those are the only thing that can stop Gaborik, whose
offensive game is a cocktail of speed, shiftiness and soft hands.
"It's hard to stop him, because he's so fast and quick," Penguins
defenseman Zbynek Michalek said.
"There aren't many defensemen who can keep up with him when he gets
going.
"We have to make sure to take his time and space away from him, and,
when he has the puck, just push him to the outside and don't let him gain
the middle."
This is Gaborik's third season with the Rangers; Richards is in his first.
And even though Richards is not putting up points at quite his customary
pace, his winners and intangibles have had a positive impact on New York.
"He's going to help any team," Penguins forward Craig Adams said.
"It's added depth, whether it's scoring or another guy on the power play or
another guy who has a lot of experience and has won before. He adds to
them in a lot of different areas."
Richards was the headliner of the2011 free-agent class; ex-Penguins
winger Mike Rupp's profile was not nearly as high, but his blue-collar game
fits nicely with the Rangers, even though he missed 22 games because of a
knee injury.
The Rangers seem to be following the lead of their captain, Ryan Callahan,
who plays a fearless and physical game.
TV: Root Sports, WXDX-FM (105.9).
Having a leader with such a selfless style be contagious can only be a good
thing for any team and helps to explain why New York doesn't look out of
place alongside the NHL's elite clubs.
Probable goaltenders: Henrik Lundqvist for Rangers; Marc-Andre Fleury for
Penguins.
"They're a tough team," Michalek said. "They're a balanced team. And a
dangerous team."
Penguins: Trying to avoid losing three consecutive games in regulation for
first time this season. ... C Jordan Staal does not have assist in 16 games.
... Are 16-11-3 this season when C Sidney Crosby has not played.
Rangers: Are 13-6-2 in road games. ... RW Marian Gaborik has 13 goals on
road; no teammate has more than seven. ... Are 8-1 against Atlantic
Division, including 4-3 victory Nov. 29 against Penguins.
Hidden stat: Rangers have scored seven power-play goals on road, tying
for fewest in NHL.
They have been getting nice paybacks on some big-money deals with free
agents over the past couple of years -- right winger Marian Gaborik entered
the Panthers game with 22 goals, tying him for second-most in the league,
and center Brad Richard had eight winning goals, more than anyone in the
NHL except Detroit's Johan Franzen -- but also have been grinding out
victories with grit and hard work.
"They're bringing in more guys who are playing their roles, doing their jobs
more effectively," Penguins defenseman Paul Martin said. "Some more
hard-nosed, hard-working players.
"In the past, I think they've had two or three highly paid guys that they tried
to [build] the team around. Now, they all -- even their top-end guys -- are
working hard and trying to do things to help them win, and that's a big
difference."
Of course, having a defense corps that has exceeded most reasonable
expectations and a goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, who has surpassed the
lofty ones he faces every season, has not hurt.
604960
San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks beat Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1
Geography appeared to be the deciding factor more than anything else, as
the game is in Ottawa on Jan. 29 and fans there guaranteed at least four
Senators will be on the ice that day. Two of the other six players chosen
were from the nearby Toronto Maple Leafs.
Boyle, whose 18th-place finish among the 30 defensemen on the ballot was
the highest of any San Jose player, laughed when asked about the voting.
By David Pollak
[email protected]
Posted: 01/05/2012 10:06:59 PM PST
Sharks coach Todd McLellan has pointed out this season that his team has
a tendency to play up -- or down -- to the level of its competition.
That made Thursday night's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets a
potential pitfall, but San Jose managed to escape from HP Pavilion with a
2-1 victory over the team with the fewest points in the NHL.
"Yeah," Ryane Clowe said, that fact came up in preparation for the game.
"It was the first time playing them, and we know they didn't get off to the
start they wanted. As you can tell they play physical, and we didn't want to
get caught off guard."
The victory on a power-play goal by Clowe and one at even strength by Joe
Thornton was the third in four nights for a San Jose team whose 48 points
almost double the 25 earned by the Blue Jackets. Backup goalie Thomas
Greiss got his first start since Dec. 3 and improved his record to 5-4 with a
23-save performance.
As important as those saves were, it wasn't until defenseman Dan Boyle
blocked a shot by Columbus center Jeff Carter with 12 seconds left that the
Sharks knew they had a victory.
"I knew there wasn't too much time left, and I was just glad it hit me," Boyle
said. "I haven't seen the replay, but everybody said it was on the way in."
In one sense, the schedule-maker did what he could to even the odds, as
the Sharks have been traveling up and down the Pacific Coast while the
Blue Jackets had been off since New Year's Eve and spent
the last 48 hours in San Jose.
"I thought it was a gutsy effort on our behalf," McLellan said, noting that
Columbus was "sitting in your city waiting for you."
Just as it did when facing the No. 29 Anaheim Ducks the previous night,
San Jose gave up an early goal when Blue Jackets left wing Vinny Prospal
took a pass from behind the net and hammered the puck past Greiss on the
short side.
"We kind of waded our way in, and that wasn't the game plan," McLellan
said. "But after that I thought we did a number of good things both
offensively and defensively."
San Jose evened the score after Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen was
handed a four-minute penalty for cutting Boyle with a high stick. The Sharks
were ineffective for much of that time, but ultimately Clowe crashed the net
and chipped the puck in under Columbus goalie Curtis Sanford's arm at
13:03.
San Jose took the 2-1 lead early in the middle period on Thornton's second
goal in this current winning streak, as the Sharks captain batted an airborne
puck into the Columbus net after a shot by Patrick Marleau.
The game turned chippy in the third period, but the Sharks managed to
finish the game without giving Columbus a power play.
At one point, Boyle and Columbus captain Rick Nash were jawing at midice, but nothing came of it.
"I'm still not sure what happened -- he thought I wanted to go? He wanted
to go? Obviously neither of us fight very often," said Boyle, laughing about
the experience. "I looked at the clock. I was trying to think, 'Am I going to do
this?' It's been awhile. With my luck this year, I probably would have pulled
something."
Not that any of them were putting up All-Star numbers, but the five Sharks
on the NHL online ballot were nowhere near the top at their position when
the final vote totals were announced Thursday.
"If you're asking me if I was expecting to be on there, no, I was not," he
said. "So it's not disappointing."
Three Ottawa forwards -- Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and former
Shark Milan Michalek -- received the most votes among the 50 forwards.
Thornton finished 37th, Joe Pavelski was one spot behind, and Patrick
Marleau ended up 43rd.
Ottawa's Eric Karlsson and Toronto's Dion Phaneuf were the top two
among 30 defensemen on the ballot. Brent Burns finished one spot behind
Boyle at 19th.
The Sharks recalled right wing Tommy Wingels from their Worcester farm
club Thursday and immediately inserted him into the lineup against
Columbus.
McLellan played Wingels on a line with Michal Handzus and Andrew
Murray, making Torrey Mitchell a healthy scratch.
The Sharks cleared space on the roster for Wingels by putting defenseman
Colin White on injured reserve.
The game was Thornton's 500th as a Shark -- 32 fewer than he played with
the Boston Bruins before the Nov. 30, 2005, trade that brought him to San
Jose.
Logan Couture was named the Sharks player of the month for December.
He had a team-leading nine goals and 12 points in 13 games.
San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 01.06.2012
604961
San Jose Sharks
Sharks-Blue Jackets: What to watch for
SAN JOSE -- The Sharks host the Columbus Blue Jackets at home tonight,
looking to extend their winning streak to three games. After sweeping a
mini-road trip with wins in Vancouver on Monday and Anaheim last night,
the Sharks have points in nine of their last 10 games overall and lead the
Pacific Division with 46 points.
Greiss to start: It’s been more than a month since Antti Niemi has vacated
the Sharks’ crease, but Thomas Greiss will get the call in net against the
Blue Jackets. Greiss hasn’t played since Dec. 3 when San Jose lost at
home to the Florida Panthers, 5-3.
In eight games this season, Greiss is 4-4-0 with a 2.37 goals-against
average and .918 save percentage.
Niemi will serve as the backup, while Antero Niittymaki continues to be the
odd man out.
No time to rest: The Sharks will play their third game in four nights, while
Columbus enters well rested. The Blue Jackets haven’t played since New
Year’s Eve, when they surrendered a 2-0 third period lead in losing to the
Washington Capitals, 4-2. Columbus actually arrived in San Jose on
Tuesday, which isn’t uncommon for East Coast teams visiting California as
they adapt to the time difference.
Rick Nash leads Columbus with 27 points, tied with Vinny Prospal, while
newcomer Jeff Carter has 10 goals and seven assists in 27 games.
San Jose concludes a stretch of four games in six nights when it hosts the
Capitals on Saturday.
Third period woes: The Blue Jackets, last overall in the NHL, enter with the
worst goal differential in the third period. They’ve been outscored by 26
goals combined in the final 20 minutes (52-26), and are just 8-6-2 when
leading after two.
The Sharks haven’t exactly dominated the third period, either. They’ve
scored just 25 times, and only the New York Islanders have fewer.
San Jose has allowed just 24 goals in the third, though, the second fewest
behind Boston.
Wingels watch: The Sharks made a roster move in time for tonight’s game,
recalling winger Tommy Wingels. There’s a chance Wingels could get into
the lineup, as McLellan wasn’t too pleased with some of his forwards after
the win in Anaheim.
“You have to contribute, especially when you play this many games,” said
the coach. “We had some guys that didn’t do a lot tonight, and maybe we’ll
look at making some changes.”
McLellan used a third line of Andrew Desjardins, Jamie McGinn and Brad
Winchester, which generated the tying goal against the Ducks when
Winchester fired in a wrist shot on a pass from McGinn late in the second
period. Torrey Mitchell and Andrew Murray, meanwhile, did not see much
ice in the second half of the game.
Wingels is second on Worcester in scoring with 21 points (13g, 8a) in 29
games. In eight career NHL games, all with San Jose, Wingels has one
assist and four penalty minutes.
Wingels began the season on the opening night roster, playing three of the
first four games before being reassigned.
Odds and ends: Blue Jackets defenseman James Wisniewski, signed in the
off-season, is out with a broken ankle. … San Jose is 17-1-2 all-time
against Columbus at HP Pavilion. … Sharks defensemen Jim Vandermeer
and Colin White remain on injured reserve.
Read more: Sharks-Blue Jackets: What to watch for
Tune to SportsNet Central at 6, 10:30 and midnight on Comcast SportsNet
Bay Area for more on this story
San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 01.06.2012
604962
San Jose Sharks
Greiss to start for Sharks vs. Columbus
SAN JOSE -- Thomas Greiss will make his first start tonight since Dec. 3,
as the Sharks host the continually-struggling Columbus Blue Jackets.
Greiss will be backed up by Antti Niemi, and not Antero Niittymaki, who has
yet to play… but has considered himself “ready” since returning from a
rehab assignment two weeks ago.
For the Sharks, tonight’s matchup against Columbus resembles a similar
scene to last night -- facing an opponent who is far more capable on the ice
than the standings suggest Respectively the Anaheim Ducks are 14th in
the Western Conference standings, whereas the Blue Jackets (10-23-5) are
last.
“Their record probably isn’t of late, indicative of the way they’ve played,”
Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said of the Jackets. “They are strong
along the boards, a strong cycle team. Their goaltending is starting to settle
in and they’re getting some work done on their special teams. So, I think
we’ve got our hands full.”
Not to mention the Sharks are also facing the brunt of their January
schedule; they're playing their third game in four nights.
“I’m not worried about that,” Dan Boyle said. “We’ve got to be ready to
play. We’re professionals, and the excuses are there. We came in late last
night, back to back, they (Columbus) are here waiting for us. But we can’t
look at that, we’ve just got to win hockey games. All you have to do is look
at our board (in the players’ lounge), it’s too tight, too tight. We need these
points.”
Considering that the Sharks still have several games in hand against every
team in the top 8, the standings are tight. So are the results recently for
San Jose. Nine of the last 11 contests have been decided by a single goal.
I asked the McLellan how that affects his team.
“We can’t waste minutes,” McLellan said. “When you look back and you
use that stat you just talked about the one-goal difference, that can come in
the first minute, that can come in the first 10 minutes … if you take your
time wading into the game, and you waste minutes … you never get the
opportunity to get them back.”
“You want to say it’s a good thing,” Boyle said of the close calls. “But
obviously you’d like to create some more breathing room. You look around
the league and it’s tight… certainly for us, there hasn’t been too many
blowouts this year. The Tampa game was an exception, but other than
that, I guess it kind of prepares you for playoffs. That’s what it usually ends
up being in the playoffs.”
Quick Hits:
- Tommy Wingels was recalled from the AHL’s Worcester Sharks after 21
points in 29 games. McLellan on Wingels: “He has played extremely well
down there. I’ve been told that he is one of the best players in the
American League, and that’s exciting to know that he can come up and be
that guy that we can count on for some big shifts especially after three
games in four nights. There’s a good chance we will see him tonight.”
- Andrew Murray on the struggles of a Columbus team he played three
seasons with: “I think it’s surprising for everybody, and frustrating for them.
You would not have thought that at the beginning of the season.”
- Boyle says he was a bit surprised to be voted on so highly in the fan’s AllStar balloting. Boyle finished 18th among all NHL defensemen with Brent
Burns right behind him at 19th.
Read more: Greiss to start for Sharks vs. Columbus
604963
San Jose Sharks
Niemi, Wings' Howard have something in common
ANAHEIM -- It’s a question Sharks coach Todd McLellan has been getting
a lot lately, in some way, shape or form, from both home and road media.
The gist of it is simple: how much time is too much for goaltender Antti
Niemi?
In each of the last two days, McLellan has compared Niemi to a goaltender
who is plenty familiar to the Sharks and their fans -- the Red Wings’ Jimmy
Howard. Howard and Niemi play their best hockey when they are in the net
over, and over, and over again according to McLellan.
“I think a lot of goalies are like that. I think Jimmy Howard is like that with
my experience with him. It’s the same thing. They just get into a rhythm and
feel good about themselves,” McLellan said.
“If you ask me this question in February on a nine-game road trip I might
answer it a little bit differently, but right now I don’t feel we’re overplaying
[Niemi] one bit.”
A closer look at Howard’s stats reveals that he’s played even more than
Niemi in recent weeks. The Red Wings’ goalie has started 30 of the last 32
games, and his numbers are impressive. Howard leads the NHL with 24
wins, five more than anyone else headed into Wednesday night, and his
1.99 goals-against average is sixth in the league. His four shutouts are tied
for second.
Howard has started 13 of the previous 14 games, and allowed less than two
goals in eight of those. He’s 9-4 over that span.
Incidentally, Howard’s least effective game came in the past two months
came against San Jose. On Nov. 17 at HP Pavilion, Howard was pulled
after two periods when he allowed four goals on 21 shots in a 5-2 Sharks
win over Detroit.
Niemi made his 13th straight start against Anaheim on Wednesday night,
and has started 17 of the last 18 Sharks games, and in his last 21 starts
Niemi is 13-5-3. Not including Wednesday’s 3-1 win in Anaheim, in which
Niemi made 26 saves, he had a 2.07 goals-against average and .926 save
percentage in his last 20 games.
No word yet on which Sharks’ goalie will start against Columbus on
Thursday.
Read more: Niemi, Wings' Howard have something in common
604964
San Jose Sharks
Thornton nets game-winner in 500th game with Sharks
Josh Dubow, Associated Press
Joe Thornton scored the tiebreaking goal in the second period of his 500th
game with San Jose and the Sharks went on to beat the visiting Columbus
Blue Jackets 2-1 on Thursday night for their third straight win.
Ryane Clowe added a power-play goal, Jason Demers had two assists and
Thomas Greiss made 23 saves in his first game since Dec. 3 as the Sharks
followed up road wins over nemesis Vancouver and Anaheim with one at
home against the NHL's worst team.
Vinny Prospal scored and Curtis Sanford made 37 saves for the Blue
Jackets, who lost for the 18th time in 20 games in San Jose.
Thornton delivered the big goal in this game when he broke a 1-1 tie early
in the second period. Patrick Marleau sent in a quick wrist shot from just
inside the blue line and Thornton fought off a check from David Savard to
knock the puck out of the air and past Sanford for his eighth goal of the
season and just his third since Nov. 17.
"He's one of the best players in the world for a reason," coach Todd
McLellan said. "'He has great hand-eye coordination."
The Blue Jackets jumped on top 2:13 in when Mark Letestu fed Prospal
with a blind, backhand pass from behind the net for a tap-in goal that was
his first since Dec. 6.
The Sharks, playing the back end of a back-to-back, started slowly before
gradually taking over the game. They were sluggish for most of a 4-minute
power play when Ryan Johansen was sent off for high-sticking Dan Boyle,
drawing boos from the sellout crowd.
But with 45 seconds left in the man advantage, Clowe knocked a rebound
past Sanford for his eighth goal of the season and first on the power play
since Oct. 28.
604965
San Jose Sharks
Sharks win 3rd straight, defeat Columbus 2-1
January 5, 2012, 9:52 pm
SAN JOSE – It had all of the makings for a letdown.
The Sharks entered Thursday’s home game against lowly Columbus
coming off of two emotional wins; were playing their third game in four
nights and second of a back-to-back against a well rested opponent; while a
red-hot Washington Capitals club invades HP Pavilion on Saturday.
Goals by Ryane Clowe and Joe Thornton, coupled with 23 saves from
Thomas Greiss in his first start in over a month, though, gave the suddenly
surging Sharks a 2-1 victory. It was San Jose's third straight win, and the
Sharks have points in 10 of their last 11 overall (7-1-3).
“I thought it was a gutsy effort on our behalf. To come back and play threein-four with a team that’s sitting in your city waiting for you and they’re very
fresh, I thought it was real good,” McLellan said, referring to the Blue
Jackets not having played since New Year’s Eve.
Columbus did not have a single power play all night, while the Sharks
finished 1-for-5.
“I don’t know if they were trying to draw us in, [since] they had no power
plays,” Clowe said of the chippy third period. “We did a good job of staying
disciplined.”
The Sharks didn’t start the game well, surrendering seven of the first eight
shots along with the goal to Prospal. Columbus nearly made it 2-0, but
Greiss stopped Derek Brassard on a two-on-one rush six minutes into the
game.
Greiss was playing for the first time since Dec. 3 vs. Florida.
“He found a way to make some real good saves. We had four outnumbered
rushes against in the first period alone, and then we cleaned that up after,”
McLellan said.
It was a conscious effort by San Jose to get better defensively after the
poor start, according to Thornton.
“I think early on with that goal from Prospal, the guys realized we’ve got to
tighten up a little bit, and we did that,” he said. “Greisser did a good job
swallowing pucks up and deflecting pucks away from him. After that first
one, we just clamped down and played well defensively after that.”
Greiss had a little trouble with his rebound control at times, but improved his
record to 5-4-0.
Thornton’s second period marker gave the Sharks their first lead and was
the difference. The play began when Patrick Marleau sent a snap shot
towards the net where it made contact with Thornton’s stick, which was in
front of the pad of goalie Curtis Sanford. The puck popped into the air and
Thornton batted it in at 4:44 for his eighth of the season.
“It was a long time and it took me a little bit at the start to get my timing
down and everything, but I got a lot of shots at the start and that made me
feel better,” he said.
After Columbus took an early advantage on a Vinnie Prospal marker at 2:13
of the first period, the Sharks tied it on a power play with Ryan Johansen off
on a double minor for high sticking Dan Boyle in the face at 9:48.
“It was great, a couple of blocked shots, and some huge ones at the end.
We were working hard all over the ice, so that was pretty good.”
San Jose went to work on the extended man advantage and was generally
ineffective for the first three minutes, before Clowe knocked in a loose puck
at 13:03.
“It was bouncing around. I think [Michal Handzus] either tipped it or
redirected it somehow. Even when I shot, it I didn’t think it was in,” Clowe
said.
The goal was Clowe’s first in eight games and just his second in the last 12.
The hitting – and, consequently, the nastiness – picked up in the third
period after a generally docile first two. It began when Douglas Murray
leveled an off balance Mark Letestu along the boards with about 14 and a
half minutes remaining.
A couple minutes later, a scrum ensued behind the Columbus net as Brent
Burns and Jared Boll grappled with one another, as did Handzus and Marc
Methot. The Blue Jackets’ Derek Mackenzie picked up the extra minor,
though, but San Jose couldn’t capitalize on the power play.
With 6:14 left, Derek Dorsett leveled Tommy Wingels with a blindside hit
behind the Sharks’ net, and again San Jose went on the power play. Logan
Couture and Marleau misfired on open one-timers, though, and Sanford
stopped Thornton’s rebound attempt of a wrist shot by Boyle.
It almost cost them. Columbus’ Jeff Carter had a great chance to tie the
game with Sanford pulled for an extra attacker, staring at an open net in the
faceoff circle. Boyle alertly dove in front of Carter's dangerous wrister,
though, preserving the win.
“I’m just glad it hit me,” Boyle said. “It was one of those bang-bang plays,
and I didn’t see the replay, but everybody say it was probably on the way in.
Just in the right place at the right time, I guess.”
Boyle and the Blue Jackets’ Rick Nash had an awkward exchange earlier in
the third. In the San Jose zone, the two were seen jawing at each other and
appeared ready to drop the gloves. Boyle was puzzled even after the game.
“I’m confused, because at the end of the night he kind of apologized. So, I
still don’t know what happened,” he said. “He thought I wanted to go, he
wanted to go, and obviously neither of us fights very often. I’m not sure.
Just got a little heated there for a second.
“I was trying to think, ‘am I going to do this?’ It’s been awhile. With my luck
this year I probably would have pulled something.”
Greiss was also thankful for the effort in front of him.
Odds and ends: Curtis Sanford finished with 37 saves, as the Sharks
outshot Columbus, 39-24. … Each team had 12 blocked shots. … San Jose
won the faceoff battle, 28-26. Joe Pavelski was 9-3 in the circle. … Jason
Demers assisted on both Sharks goals. … Tommy Wingels, recalled from
Worcester earlier in the day, played on a line with Michal Handzus and
Andrew Murray. … Torrey Mitchell was a healthy scratch, as were Frazer
McLaren and Antero Niittymaki. … Jim Vandermeer and Colin White remain
on injured reserve. … Brent Burns had a game-high six shots. … Joe
Thornton played in his 500th game as a Shark. … The Sharks are 18-1-3
against the Blue Jackets all-time at HP Pavilion. … After the game on
Saturday, 17 of the next 23 games for the Sharks are on the road. … This
was the first of four games between the Sharks and Blue Jackets, with the
next on Saturday, Jan. 14.
604966
St Louis Blues
Oilers 2, Blues 0 ... with 14:08 left in the 2nd period.
***
2nd period update: Oilers 3, Blues 1
By JEREMY RUTHERFORD | Posted: Thursday, January 5, 2012 6:53 pm
Fifteen seconds after Taylor Hall pulled the Oilers even with the Blues, Ben
Eager has put the Oil ahead for the first time tonight on a bizarre goal.
From the wall, Eager flung a shot on net that somehow got through Halak.
Seventeen seconds into the third period, Edmonton's Corey Potter has
taken a delay-of-game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass.
Oilers 3, Blues 1 ... with 19:43 left in regulation.
***
With six seconds left in Kevin Shattenkirk's penalty, Taylor Hall has
provided the Oilers with their first goal of the night.
***
Hall netted the man-advantage marker with a wrist shot from the point that
beat Jaro Halak upstairs. It didn't appear that Halak even saw the puck.
The Blues and Oilers are underway in the third period with the Oil leading 31.
Blues 1, Edmonton 1 ... with 14:48 left in the 2nd period.
***
The Oilers had 21 shots in the second period, scoring the only three goals
of the period for a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes.
The Oilers scored two of their three goals in the frame on the power play,
picking up goals from Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall. Ben Eager had the
middle goal, an even-strength goal.
The Blues took four penalties in the period, including a 5-minute major by
Roman Polak for slashing. He received a game-misconduct as well, leaving
the club with only five healthy defensemen.
The officials had a poor period, missing several calls, but the Blues still
gave up the goals, including a terrible goal by Eager.
***
The Blues' power play has been squashed and the Oilers' PK nearly turned
it into a short-handed goal.
Kevin Shattenkirk didn't know where the puck was near the blueline, and
Shawn Horcoff started a 2-on-none breakaway. Jaro Halak made the save,
but Shattenkirk was resulted for hooking on the sequence.
Blues 1, Oilers 0 ... with 16:44 left in the 2nd period.
***
Ben Eager has been whistled for charging, nearly taking Barret Jackman's
head off with a hit. The Blues are 0 for 2 on the power play.
After posting 14 shots in the first period, the Blues had nine in the second
period, but the real story was the Oilers firing off 21 in the period.
Blues 1, Oilers 0 ... with 17:59 left in the 2nd period.
Oilers 3, Blues 1 ... at the 2nd intermission.
***
***
The Blues and Oilers are underway in the second period, with the Blues
leading 1-0.
In a mysterious call, David Perron is going off for high-sticking after he was
held by Edmonton's Ryan Smyth.
***
The Blues lead Edmonton 1-0 after the first period on Chris Stewart's ninth
goal of the season.
***
After Barret Jackman cleared a puck headed into the back of the Blues' net,
the Oilers got their second power-play of the night from Jordan Eberle.
The Oilers now lead the Blues 23-22 in shots after trailing 11-1 early in the
game.
The goal was one of the better ones the Blues have scored this season, a
bang-bang sequence set up by the hustle of David Perron.
Stewart's fifth goal of the season was his last eight games and second in as
many nights.
The Blues are outshooting the Oilers 13-3 after 20 minutes, as Jaroslav
Halak has seen very little action.
***
Blues 1, Oilers 0 ... at the 1st intermission.
With 15 seconds left in the 5-minute major to Roman Polak, the Blues have
taken a "too many men on the ice" penalty. They will be at a 5-on-3
disadvantage for 15 ticks.
***
***
T.J. Oshie and Shawn Horcoff are headed off for slashing and roughing
minors, respectively, after a skirmish in front of the net.
Blues 1, Oilers 0 ... with 41 seconds left in the 1st period.
***
The Blues will finish the game with only five defensemen and will be forced
to kill off a major penalty. Roman Polak has been nailed for a five-minute
slashing penalty and also earned a game-misconduct.
Anton Lander has been called for the Oilers' second penalty of the game,
putting the Blues back on the power play. They are 0 for 1.
Polak hit Taylor Hall in the back of the head with his stick.
Blues 1, Oilers 0 ... with 3:21 left in the 1st period.
***
***
The Oilers' Jeff Petry hit the post on his team's third shot of the game.
A team are back at even-strength, after the Blues' fourth power play of the
game is wiped out.
Oilers 2, Blues 1 ... with 12 minutes left in the 2nd period.
***
A hustling play by David Perron has helped put the Blues ahead of
Edmonton in the first period.
The Blues are headed on their fourth power play of the game after a Theo
Peckham was whistled for holding.
Perron exited the box after serving a roughing penalty and darted straight
for the corner of the ice in the offensive zone, where Edmonton goalie
***
Devan Dubnyk was playing a loose puck. Feeling pressure, Dubnyk
dumped the puck along the wall.
Chris Stewart picked it up, centered to Jamie Langenbrunner, who fed the
puck back to Stewart for a tap-in goal, his ninth of the season.
***
David Perron will head to the penalty box for two minutes for roughing. He
landed on Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk, and when Perron got up, Dubnyk
gave him a shove.
***
The Blues are outshooting the Oilers 10-1 and have had a flurry of chances
in front of the net, but have yet to convert.
Blues 0, Oilers 0 ... 8 minutes left in the 1st period.
***
The Oilers have killed the power play.
***
The Blues are headed on the first power play of the game after a highsticking call against Edmonton's Ales Hemsky.
***
The Blues and Oilers are underway in the first period at Scottrade Center.
Copyright 2012 STLtoday.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.06.2012
604967
St Louis Blues
Berglund plays like he did the last game, then we've got some building
blocks going on, which is what we need."
Halak may be 'grabbing' Blues' goaltending job
Berglund scored his ninth goal of the season into an empty-net at the end of
Tuesday's game. It was the Blues' fourth goal of the game, meaning free
Big Macs for those in attendance.
By JEREMY RUTHERFORD | Posted: Thursday, January 5, 2012 11:30
am
"Is that what we're they yelling," Hitchcock said. "Oh, I thought they were
yelling for somebody ... they were yelling for hamburgers?"
****
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock has been saying for weeks that if one of his
goaltenders "grabbed" the job, that goalie would receive the bulk of the
starts.
Well, after a shaky start, Jaroslav Halak is 5-0-3 in his last eight starts,
allowing just 15 goals on 221 shots for a 1.45 goals-against average and a
.932 save-percentage. He has not lost in regulation since a 3-2 defeat to
Los Angeles on Nov. 22.
Is Halak "grabbing" the job?
"He's been good to great ... we'll see," Hitchcock said.
Halak will get the start against Edmonton tonight, and while Brian Elliott is
likely to be in net Saturday against Colorado, Hitchcock is already leaning
towards Halak in his first return to Montreal next Tuesday. If it plays out like
that, Halak would appear in five of eight games.
Hitchcock believes the Blues' ability to limit odd-man rushes recently and
the success of the penalty-killing unit has helped Halak.
FACE-OFF TIME
The Blues enter tonight's game ranked 23rd in the NHL on face-offs at 48.8
percent. In last Saturday's 3-0 loss to Detroit, the Red Wings won 57
percent of the draws against the Blues. The Blues had a narrow edge over
Phoenix in Tuesday night's 4-1 victory, but Hitchcock says the team must
be bette
"We have to find a way to start with the puck more," he said. "That's one
area that we need to improve in a lot. You can't be a good face-off team if
you're under 50 percent. You're not going to be a good puck-possession
team.
"Nothing more wears out the opposition than having to chase the game
when they're down. That's how Detroit wears you out. They've got three
centers that win a lot of face-offs. You're trying to win the game and you're
not starting with the puck. It's not just the centers either. It's on all five
guys."
Face-off % leaders (players with 200-plus draws):
"One other thing with Halak, he parks (losses) now," Hitchcock said. "He
doesn't carry with him the next day. He's learned to say, 'Look, it's over.'
There was a period of time where if it wasn't successful, he carried it with
him the next day at practice. It wasn't healthy for him or for us."
1. Nichol 54% (201)
Another benefit for Halak lately has been goal support. In his first 12
games, the Blues averaged 2.3 goals per game. In his last eight, they've
averaged 3.1 gpg.
4. Berglund 48% (575)
"He was the product of not much run support," Hitchcock said. "The
shootouts, when he was in net, we didn't win the shootouts. He played
great and we'd score one goal and they'd get two. His win totals don't reflect
how well he's played. Now we're starting to get a few wins when he's there
... it's been good."
****
***
TONIGHT'S LINEUP
Forwards
David Perron-David Backes-Chris Stewart
Matt D'Agostini-Patrik Berglund-T.J. Oshie
Vladimir Sobotka-Jason Arnott-Jamie Langenbrunner
Chris Porter-Scott Nichol-B.J. Crombeen
Defensemen
Carlo Colaiacovo-Alex Pietrangelo
2. Sobotka 53.1% (207)
3. Arnott 49.6% (448)
5. Backes 46.2% (626)
POLAK'S STATUS
Defenseman Roman Polak continues to take the ice for games and morning
skates, but he has not practice on off days since briefly leaving the game in
Detroit on Dec. 27.
Polak's apparent minor injury has remained undisclosed. Hitchcock said this
week that the Blues are being safe by having Polak not take any risks in
practice. The case is the same with T.J. Oshie (wrist), who has been
skating on his own before the team's practices on off days.
"We decided after the Detroit game that if we're going to get 100 percent
from (Polak) during the games this period of time, we needed to not beat on
him," Hitchcock said. "There's no issues when (Polak and Oshie) play, but
there will be issues if you continue to wear them down. Neither guy likes to
take time off, so we took the option out of their hands."
Whatever ails Polak hasn't not affected his slap shot. He had at least one
missile in Tuesday's game against Phoenix.
Barret Jackman-Kevin Shattenkirk
"The linesman looks at me and he goes 'Wow' and I go 'Wow, wow,'"
Hitchcock said. "How nobody got hit with that puck is beyond me."
Cade Fairchild-Roman Polak
****
Goalie
STEEN UPDATE
Jaroslav Halak
Blues forward Alex Steen (concussion) was at Scottrade Center this
morning, but he's still not practicing with the team.
****
HAMBURGER HELPER
The Blues are hoping for more good things out of their second line tonight.
Patrik Berglund had four shots on goal and T.J. Oshie three shots on goal,
while both ushered two hits.
"I got six, seven clips where one guy (on that line) knocked two guys out of
the box," Hitchcock said. "That's their game forechecking ... they need
some tenacity on the puck, knocking people out of hte box again. If
"He's able to come to the rink and he's feeling better every day, but not
where he can get tested and approved and can play," Hitchcock said.
"When that happens, it's going to be a quick turnaround for him, but we're
not there yet."
****
ODDS & ENDS
- The Blues' penalty-killing unit has erased 27 of the last 30 power plays its
faced heading into tonight's game.
- David Perron has a six-game point streak when playing at Scottrade
Center. And when Perron is in the lineup, the Blues are 19-1-1 in their last
21 home games.
Copyright 2012 STLtoday.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
604968
St Louis Blues
— as he penalized Perron for a high stick. After playing most of the period
5-on-4, the Oilers outshot the Blues 21-9 in the second.
Blues rally, beat Oilers
But the Blues got exactly what they needed to get back into it with an early
goal in the third. Again, incarceration was involved. It was the Oilers' turn,
as Corey Potter went to the box seventeen seconds into the frame.
By DAN O'NEILL • [email protected] > 314-340-8186 | Posted:
Friday, January 6, 2012 12:05 am
The Blues needed just two seconds to make good, as Pietrangelo took a
pass from Colaiacovo and powered a shot past Dubnyk. It was
Pietrangelo's sixth and cut the lead to 3-2.
When the Blues played the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, it wasn't
just a hockey game. It was three ... three ... three games in one.
A similar scenario tied the score. Hall took a penalty for roughhousing with
Oshie, still only 52 seconds into the period. Less than a minute later, the
Blues struck again. Featuring a play nearly identical to the Pietrangelo goal,
Colaiacovo passed to the opposite point and Pietrangelo let fire.
Fortunately for the Blues, they took two out of three in the series, and
captured a 4-3 victory.
The wacky, up and down affair was no good for those with high blood
pressure. But the outcome improved the Blues' home record to 16-3-2,
which is tops in the NHL. The Blues are 17-5-5 under coach Ken Hitchcock,
who probably was ready to both choke and hug his squad at various times
Thursday.
The Blues went from leading to constructing one of their most dynamic
comebacks in recent times, winning for only the third time when trailing after
two periods. Chris Stewart got a first-period goal to start the evening with
promise. But it took third-period goals from Alex Pietrangelo, David Backes
and Matt D'Agostini — as well as three assists from Carlo Colaiacovo — to
end it in style.
The Blues thoroughly dominated the first period. By the time David Perron
was called for a roughing penalty with just over seven minutes remaining,
the home team was enjoying an 11-1 advantage in shots. Yet, there was
still no score.
But as the Edmonton power play ended, the Blues finally broke through,
thanks to the pesky Perron. Paroled from the box, Perron darted to the
corner to pressure wandering goalie Devan Dubnyk into a turnover. The
goaltender caught out of net, Jamie Langenbrunner took a passed from
Stewart and gave it right back, as Stewart converted his ninth of the
season.
The goal with 5:18 remaining was the awakening Stewart's fourth in seven
games. The Blues carried the 1-0 lead to the dressing room, but
considering the 14-3 advantage in shots, the production was eerily
unsatisfactory.
The Oilers entered the game ranked 20th in the NHL in 5-on-5 goal
differential. But they were third in the league in power-play efficiency,
scoring on better than 20 percent of their PP chances. In other words,
Edmonton's best hope was for the Blues to spend quality time in the penalty
box.
In the second period, the Oilers hit a gusher. The penalty box parade began
with Kevin Shattenkirk taking a penalty trying to break up an odd-man rush.
Shortly into the Edmonton power play, Blues forward Scott Nichol broke his
stick, making it seem like a 5-on-3.
Jordan Eberle hit the post with one shot, Jaroslav Halak stopped another.
But just seconds before Shattenkirk was freed, Taylor Hall scored his 13th
of the season and the score was knotted 1-1.
Seventeen seconds later, the Oilers doubled the pleasure with a weird one.
Ben Eager threw the puck at the net from a bad angle and, with bodies in
front, it eluded Halak and went in. Still behind 19-10 on the shots meter, the
Oilers led 2-1.
Things continued to go south. After wasting a power play, the Blues gave
Edmonton's potent PP squad another extended opportunity. Roman Polak
was busted for slashing Hall and ticketed with amajor and game
misconduct. Edmonton received five minutes of manpower advantage and
the Blues were left shorthanded on defense the rest of the night.
Some fine work by the few, the proud, the penalty killers nearly
extinguished the major. But with 15 seconds remaining, the home team was
whistled again, this time for too many men on the ice. Shortly thereafter, the
talented Eberle pounded in his 17th goal. The Oilers led 3-1 with 6:06 to
play in the deflating period.
Referees Paul Devorski and Dan O'Rourke continued to dominate the
proceedings. With 4:38 remaining, Perron was horse-collared around the
neck by an Edmonton defender and O'Rourke's arm immediately went up
Dubnyk made the stop, but Backes was on the doorstep to knock in a
rebound. The score was knotted 3-3 on Backes' 12th goal. After all that,
with just over 18 minutes remaining, it was back to square one.
And the Blues got back to where they left off in the first when D'Agostini —
he of the blistering shot — made it 4-3. D'Agostini skated around the
Edmonton net, came out the other side, turned at the circle and fired a laser
past Dubnyk for his ninth goal with 8:59 to play.
Moments later, after a Blues turnover, Halak made a stellar save on Josh
Green to protect the lead. With 2:13 to play, Eric Belanger rang a shot off
the post. But Halak stood tall, and the Blues had another home win.
604969
St Louis Blues
Halak carries more of the load from Blues
By JEREMY RUTHERFORD • [email protected] > 314-4447135 | Posted: Friday, January 6, 2012 12:00 am
Jaroslav Halak's improved play has been the goaltender's ability to "park" a
loss, according to Blues coach Ken Hitchcock,
It has worked so well that before playing Edmonton on Thursday, Halak
hadn't had to test the developing attribute since last month. He entered the
night without a regulation defeat since Nov. 22, posting a 5-0-3 record in his
previous eight starts. He had a 1.45 goals-against average and a .932
save-percentage in that stretch, as all three losses came in shootouts.
"He doesn't carry it with him the next day," Hitchcock said. "He's learned to
say, 'Look, it's over.' There was a period of time where if it wasn't
successful, he carried it with him the next day at practice. It wasn't healthy
for him or for us."
Halak also has benefited from more offensive production. Through 12
games, the Blues averaged 2.3 goals. In his past eight, they have averaged
3.1.
"He was the product of not much run support," Hitchcock said. "The
shootouts, when he was in net, we didn't win the shootouts. He played
great and we'd score one goal and they'd get two. His win totals don't reflect
how well he's played. Now we're starting to get a few wins when he's there.
... It's been good."
Brian Elliott has dropped three of his past four decisions, but he has
received minimal support (1.75 gpg) in that stretch.
Elliott probably will start Saturday against Colorado, and Hitchcock is
leaning towards Halak on Tuesday in Montreal. If it plays out as such, Halak
would appear in five of eight games. Asked if Halak was taking control of
the position, Hitchcock said: "He's been good to great. ... We'll see."
Polak's status
Defenseman Roman Polak continues to take the ice for games and morning
skates, but he hasn't practiced on off days since Dec. 27 when he briefly left
the game in Detroit.
Polak's apparent minor injury has remained undisclosed. Hitchcock said this
week that the Blues are being safe by having Polak not take any risks in
practice. The case is the same with T.J. Oshie (wrist), who has been
skating before the team's practices on off days.
"We decided after the Detroit game that if we're going to get 100 percent
from (Polak) during the games this period of time, we needed to not beat on
him," Hitchcock said. "There's no issues when (Polak and Oshie) play, but
there will be issues if you continue to wear them down. Neither guy likes to
take time off, so we took the option out of their hands."
FACE-OFF TIME
The Blues are 10-3-1 when leading after one period and 17-1-1 when
ahead after two periods, but they can be better if they improve in the faceoff circle, according to Hitchcock, The club entered the game Thursday
ranked 23rd in the NHL on draws (48.8 percent).
"We have ... to start with the puck more," Hitchcock said. "You can't be a
good face-off team if you're under 50 percent. Nothing more wears out the
opposition than having to chase the game when they're down. You're trying
to win the game and you're not starting with the puck. It's not just the
centers either. It's all five guys."
604970
St Louis Blues
Blues forward Alex Steen was at the rink Thursday, but missed his fourth
straight game with concussion-like symptoms.
Hitchcock has pushed right buttons for Blues
"(He's) not ready yet," Hitchcock said Thursday morning. "Until they give us
the green light (that) he can come back and skate with us, he's out. We
don't know."
By NORM SANDERS - News-Democrat
Defenseman Roman Polak also has been given some practices off recently
with an undisclosed injury, but has been suiting up for every game.
Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 01.06.2012
ST. LOUIS -- There was no magical "changing of the guard" when Ken
Hitchcock replaced Davis Payne as coach of the St. Louis Blues earlier this
season.
Though the team was struggling, Hitchcock was confident enough in his
own abilities to watch and learn a bit before implementing his own system.
What has followed are subtle, yet tangible changes that have resulted in
team-oriented success.
The overall team defense is better, which has resulted in better goaltending,
which has resulted in more wins. There still remains plenty of work to be
done, but things are headed in a positive direction.
"I think everyone bought into his system he was selling," Blues veteran
center Scott Nichol said Thursday. "I think we all took a real good look in
the mirror when Davis got fired there and said 'The onus is on us, there's no
excuse.'"
Hitchcock didn't put everything Payne did into boxes and empty them into
the trash. But he did restore order, raised the accountability level and
brought a sense of quiet confidence to the rink.
He also stressed that what the Blues were doing was far more important
than what the other teams were trying to do to them.
"Hitch came in and simplified a few things," Nichol said. "It basically just
boiled down to what we were doing. We didn't worry too much about
anybody else or any other team. It was what can we bring to this team and
how can we be successful? It's just been working."
Young players also got the message.
Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk believes Hitchcock has a way of raising the
confidence level of players at every position and role, from the top-line
forward to the seventh defenseman.
"I think there's definitely a confidence standpoint there," Shattenkirk said.
"He puts a little trust in me to go out there and be an offensive weapon -and that's a good feeling."
As the Blues began to believe in Hitchcock, he helped restore a better belief
system in themselves.
"We're maybe more confident now," Nichol said. "We had a tough start to
the year, there's no excuse. But as a peer, you want to push the guys next
to you to do well, and the sky's the limit with some of our talent on this
team. Once they get even more confident, I think it will be a pretty scary
team to play against."
Shattenkirk said even during the tail end of the Blues' incredible hot stretch
after Hitchcock's hiring, the coach began warning them against letting any
part of their game slip.
When their aggressive checking fell back a notch, the Blues quickly went
into a three-game tailspin that included two losses to Detroit.
"One thing he does a great job of is taking care of the details," Shattenkirk
said. "He does a good job of catching when things are slipping early. That
was a thing that had been building up over prior weeks.
"He had been warning us and finally we kind of took it on the chin there
from Detroit. I think we came into practice the last few days and got back to
what we started with."
The Blues bounced back with a 4-1 home win Tuesday over Phoenix.
"We had that work ethic and guys know how to play, it was just fine tuning,"
Nichol said. "You already had that structure, he may have just fine-tuned
the structure on what we have to do, keyed on a few different areas. It's
been working out pretty good so far."
Alex Steen update
604971
St Louis Blues
St. Louis cut the lead to 3-2 when Pietrangelo scored on a slap shot 19
seconds in. The Blues knotted it at 3 when Backes deflected a slap shot
from Pietrangelo in front of the net at 1:48.
D'Agostini caps third-period surge
"We've got to penalty kill," Edmonton coach Tom Renney said. "We needed
it to be great tonight and we just missed."
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS -- Blues defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo believes there's a lot
more to his team than their NHL-leading 16 home victories.
Matt D'Agostini capped a three-goal surge early in the third period and
Colaiacovo had three assists to rally St. Louis to a 4-3 victory over the
Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.
"We're a good home team. We're a good team period," said Colaiacovo.
"When we play the way we're capable to playing, good things happen."
D'Agostini scored the winner when he carried the puck behind the net and
wristed in a shot from the left circle at 8:59. It was the third goal of the
period for St. Louis, answering Edmonton's three-goal outburst in the
second.
"It was wild," D'Agostini said. "We stay even-strength with those guys in the
third period and really took it to them. We built a lot of character with that
win. When we play our best, there's not a lot of teams that can keep up with
us when we play like that."
The Blues won for the ninth time in their last 10 home games. St. Louis is
16-3-2 at home.
Alex Pietrangelo connected on a slap shot 19 seconds into the third and the
Blues tied it at 3 when David Backes scored at 1:48, both on the power
play. Chris Stewart also had a goal for St. Louis in the first period.
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock recorded his 550th victory, becoming the 11th
coach in league history to reach the milestone.
"I'm still trying to figure out what the hell happened," Hitchcock said. "I'm not
sure what to think. This is what you get when two young teams play.
Sometimes it's going to be really bizarre. It was a wild hockey game."
St. Louis improved to 3-8-1 when trailing after two periods, while Edmonton
fell to 13-3-1 when leading after two.
Taylor Hall, Ben Eager and Jordan Eberle scored for the Oilers, who are 615-1 on the road. Edmonton fell to 1-5 on its seven-game trip.
St. Louis has won its last four home games against Edmonton.
The Blues outshot the Oilers 14-3 in the opening period but scored only one
goal. Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk came out to clear the puck in the
corner and made a weak clearing attempt. Stewart intercepted the illadvised pass and fed Jamie Langenbrunner across the ice on the right side.
Langenbrunner one-timed it back to Stewart, who buried the puck from the
left side of the net for his ninth goal at 14:42.
"Tough losses add up," Dubnyk said. "That's a game we need to win and
we should win."
The second period was all Oilers, who were on the power play for 10:17
and scored twice with the man advantage. The Oilers have nine power-play
goals in their last eight games.
Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak thwarted a breakaway by Edmonton's Shawn
Horcoff early in the second period when St. Louis was on the power play.
Horcoff took the puck from Kevin Shattenkirk just inside the blue line and
raced toward Halak, who stopped the shot with his upper chest.
But Edmonton was not to be denied for long. Two quick goals gave
Edmonton a 2-1 lead. The Oilers tied the game at 5:12 when Hall scored on
a slap shot from just inside the blue line on a power play. Edmonton took
the lead 15 seconds later when Eager wristed it from just outside of the
right circle.
The Oilers made it 3-1 on their second power-play goal when Eberle
slammed a slap shot by Halak from the left circle for his 17th of the season
at 13:54. It was his sixth goal in his last nine games, giving him 11 points in
that span.
The Blues needed less than 2 minutes of the third period to tie the game on
two power-play opportunities.
604972
St Louis Blues
Halak is making steady improvement in goal
By NORM SANDERS
News-Democrat
Slowly but surely, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak is climbing out
from under an early-season rock weighed down by losses in six of his first
seven starts.
Halak improved to 8-7-5 after stopping a season-high 34 shots in Tuesday's
4-1 home win over the Phoenix Coyotes. That pushed Halak's record to 50-3 in his last eight starts and he has recorded a 1.82 goals-against
average and .932 save percentage during that time.
Now 15-3-2 at home and 17-0 when scoring at least three goals, the Blues
entertain the Edmonton Oilers at 7 p.m. today at Scottrade Center. The
Blues are tied with Central Division rival Detroit for most home victories in
the NHL.
"If you have the right mindset you can win anywhere you want, but it's the
mindset," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Number one, it's get ready to
get played hard because you're not sneaking up on anybody anymore and
number two is get your A-game out there from a checking standpoint.
"You'll end up spending no time in your zone and a lot of time in the other
zone."
Still hoping to ignite their power play, a date with the Oilers could be a good
thing for the Blues. They are 12-for-31 on the power play against Edmonton
since the 2009-10 season and 6-2-1 in their last nine meetings.
Blues winger Alex Steen remains out of the lineup and has missed the last
three games with concussion-like symptoms.
Blues center Jason Arnott began his career with Oilers, who made him the
seventh overall pick in the 1993 NHL Draft. Picked ahead of Arnott that year
were Alexandre Daigle, Chris Pronger, Chris Gratton, Paul Kariya, Rob
Niedermayer and Viktor Kozlov.
The Blues' top pick that year was Maxim Bets at 37th overall. Bets played in
three NHL games and never scored a point.
Arnott's teammate with the Blues, veteran winger Jamie Langenbrunner,
was drafted 35th overall that year by the Dallas Stars.
The Oilers are 2-8 in their last 10 games, but did post a 4-3 win at Chicago
on Monday.
Oilers rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopins is out with a left shoulder
injury that occurred in Monday's win at Chicago. Nugent-Hopkins is the
NHL's top rookie scorer and ranks second on the Oilers with 13 goals and
35 points in 38 games.
Edmonton's top scorer is winger Jordan Eberle with 16 goals and 42 points
in 39 games.
Contact reporter Norm Sanders at [email protected] or 239-2454.
604973
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning spoil St. Louis' return, lose 7-2 at San Jose
By Erik Erlendsson
Not even the heroic return of Marty St. Louis was enough to wake up the
Lightning late Wednesday night. Tampa Bay looked like it was nap time
back east instead of game time out west.
St. Louis made a surprise return to the lineup less than two weeks after
being struck in the face with a puck, even scoring a goal, but it was San
Jose that looked inspired in routing the Lightning 7-2 in front of an
announced sellout crowd of 17,562 at HP Pavilion.
The Sharks scored five goals in the opening 15 minutes on Wednesday to
snap Tampa Bay's modest two-game winning streak. The five goals allowed
was a season high for the Lightning in a single period this season, while
San Jose set a team record for the fastest five goals to start a game.
"That's just an awful way to start a game and we clearly were not ready to
play the type of game they were,'' defenseman Eric Brewer said. "In the first
period, we were really junk.''
Ben Ferrriero, Joe Pavelski and Andrew Desjardins scored once each and
Logan Couture twice to put Tampa Bay in a deep hole.
After a failed Lightning power play 36 seconds into the game, poor
coverage around the Tampa Bay net allowed San Jose to get to those
areas without much resistance, and the Lightning paid for it five times over.
"We were outworked, out-battled, outplayed. Period,'' Lightning head coach
Guy Boucher said. "Coming out like that, it's very disappointing.''
The loss was Tampa Bay's fourth in a row in San Jose. Tampa Bay's last
victory at the Shark Tank came March 24, 2003, and it is 1-7-1 in the past
nine trips to northern California.
In four visits since the 2005 lockout, Tampa Bay has been outscored 22-6.
Ferriero skated through the crease to find a loose puck and deposit it in the
open net at 3:26. Pavelski came down the left slot to collect a rebound and
backhand a puck past Mathieu Garon for a power play goal at 4:51.
Desjardins came from behind the net for a wraparound and found the fivehole on Garon at 6:21, ending Garon's night after allowing three goals on
eight shots.
"I wanted to spark something,'' Boucher said of the change in goal. "This
year, when we've made a goalie change, it's really helped us, changed this
around no matter who we were playing. I thought changing would give us
something, get us going, but it was too late.''
Dwayne Roloson came on in relief, but the change in goal did not result in
the desired shakeup. Couture scored goals one minute, 34 seconds apart,
both the result of a lack of coverage around the net.
"Guys were soft on the coverage," Boucher said. "This team is lethal around
the net. We got prepared for it, looked at the video and they just
overpowered us, plain and simple. "We got out-muscled the whole game. If
you don't come out against a Stanley Cup contender that has a big,
physical team, that's first on puck, that has all the tools with no flaws … you
can't come out and be soft like we were and expect anything positive to
come out of it.''
Dominic Moore got Tampa Bay on the board, redirecting an Eric Brewer
shot from the right point at 15:38 to make it 5-1 after the first period.
"We didn't come out ready to battle,'' St. Louis said. "You can have all the
Xs and Os, but against that team, you have to be willing to battle in your
own end, you can't give them time and space. You have to anticipate their
play and jump them so you crowd their space right away, and we didn't do
that. You don't want to give that team momentum. They thrive on scoring
goals and they start to feel good about themselves.''
After a scoreless second period, San Jose made it 6-1 when defenseman
Brent Burns fired a quick shot from the right point to the far upper post off a
faceoff win by Michael Handzus 1:15 into the third period.
St. Louis scored his 10th goal of the season after taking a nice pass in the
slot from Teddy Purcell behind the net at 7:45 to make it 6-2.
"I felt better than I thought; I felt better as the game went on,'' St. Louis said
of his return after missing five games. "Coming back from that injury and
putting a cage on, a lot of things come into play.''
Patrick Marleau finished the scoring for San Jose when his attempted pass
into the crease popped into the air and defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron,
trying to whack it out of midair, knocked it off the back of Roloson's pad into
the net.
Tampa Bay also lost another player to injury as Ryan Shannon did not play
in the third period after being hit into the boards by Sharks center Andrew
Murray in the second period. Shannon hobbled to the bench, but left after
the play. He returned to the bench, but did not take another shift.
Tampa Tribune LOADED: 01.06.2012
604974
Tampa Bay Lightning
Bolts goalie Roloson working to turn game around
By Erik Erlendsson
Just over a year ago, Dwayne Roloson arrived on the scene to stabilize the
Tampa Bay Lightning's goaltending.
Tonight, he hopes to do the same. Only the circumstances are somewhat
different this time.
Roloson will start in net as the Lightning face the Ottawa Senators trying to
erase the memory of Tuesday's 7-3 loss in Toronto.
It will be Roloson's first start since Dec. 19 against New Jersey, when he
was pulled in the first period after allowing three goals on 12 shots.
That's been the story through the first half of the season with Roloson, who
hasn't looked like the same goalie who helped the Lightning reach the
Eastern Conference final.
Roloson, brought back to be the team's No. 1 goalie, has appeared in 19
games, seven fewer than Mathieu Garon. While Garon's play has warranted
getting the bulk of the playing time, Roloson's has been less than stellar.
With a new year arriving, the Lightning hope it translates to Roloson's game
returning.
"I've seen it in the past, you are riding one goaltender and then you start
riding the other goaltender, so hopefully that's what we'll be seeing,'' Tampa
Bay head coach Guy Boucher said.
The turnaround will have to be dramatic. After joining Tampa Bay last
season in a New Year's Day trade from the New York Islanders, Roloson
allowed four or more goals 10 times in 34 appearances last season, nearly
30 percent of his games. In 16 starts this season, he allowed four or more
goals 10 times, or 62.5 percent of his games.
In his past seven games — which include a pair of relief appearances — he
allowed at least three goals. His 3.81 goals-against average is the worst in
the league among goaltenders to start more than three games and his save
percentage of .882 ranks 71st out of 75 goaltenders to appear in at least
one game.
"Everyone wants to look at the numbers, and you can read the numbers
any way you want,'' Roloson said. "When I was in (Minnesota) my record
was below .500, but my goals-against was under two and my save
percentage was .930.
"So, the numbers are there for a reason but, for me personally, I don't put
too much stock in them. I just focus on going out and try to help the team
win, that's the bottom line.''
As Garon has received the bulk of the playing time the past month, Roloson
used that time to work on his game with goaltending coach Frantz Jean.
"A lot of times when an athlete is struggling a little bit with his game, it's not
a question of changing a lot of things, it's not a question of bringing any big
changes,'' Jean said.
Now, it's time to see if working on those little things can turn into big things
in the second half.
"He's had a great attitude, a great work ethic and has looked really good in
practice,'' Boucher said. "He took a lot of pressure off his shoulders, so he's
in a good state."
Roloson said he is ready to put his practice into his play.
"I've just worked on stuff that I needed to work on, making sure I'm moving
well and square to the puck all the time,'' he said. "Hopefully the rest is a
good thing for coming down the stretch.''
604975
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning fell hard against Sharks
By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: December 23, 2011
Updated: December 23, 2011 - 12:34 AM
DENVER -For every two strides forward the Lightning take this year, it seems they
wind up tumbling back.
It happened again late Wednesday night when Tampa Bay entered a
meeting with San Jose having won consecutive games for the first time in a
month, only to get shellacked by the Sharks, 7-2, at HP Pavilion.
San Jose scored five goals in the opening 15 minutes.
"It hurts. When you fall, it hurts,'' Lightning head coach Guy Boucher said.
Although Marty St. Louis made an unexpected early return to the lineup
less than two weeks after taking a puck to the eye, even notching his 10th
goal of the season, the Lightning looked overmatched and overwhelmed in
the first period.
And nearly everything the coaching staff warned about in pregame
meetings came to fruition as Tampa Bay mismanaged puck possession and
allowed San Jose too many open areas in the Lightning zone for
unopposed scoring chances.
"Our management of the puck was the number one thing that we talked
about, and it was just horrible,'' Boucher said. "So, as a coach, it was pretty
tough to see that what we had practiced, what we had talked about,
watched on video and put on the board to make sure we were focused on,
that it wasn't there.''
The failure to listen to the warnings of the coaching staff, players said, didn't
come from a lack of understanding, but a failure to put the game plan into
action.
"It's definitely execution, and they were definitely quicker than us in the first
period," captain Vinny Lecavalier said. "We reacted slower, and that's what
happens. When you give them that extra second behind the net or in front
— guys were open in the front — it's us reacting a little late. That's part of
being ready for a game and being sharp defensively, and I don't think that
was the case."
Tampa Bay has to put Wednesday night's embarrassment behind them.
The team plays tonight at Colorado, hoping to close out the pre-Christmas
schedule on a high note and avoid losing the confidence built during
victories last week against Calgary and Columbus.
"Because we have brownie points, because we have been doing well lately,
we are not going down,'' Boucher said. "I'm not down. The players are not
down, either. They are (upset) at their performance. They are not happy
with their performance, but we are really looking forward to (tonight), we
really are.
"It's the last game before Christmas and we want to give ourselves
something to be happy about. And I'm not talking about results, I'm talking
about performing with the battle level that we can, that's the main goal."
For Lightning forward Ryan Malone, it all comes down to being ready from
the start, which obviously the case against San Jose.
"I just think you just have to worry about yourself, make sure you are ready
for the game and everybody's ready,'' he said. "We are all professional in
here and we have to make sure we are ready to play from the drop of the
puck.
"The good news is, we get to go to Colorado here, hopefully play with some
more jam and try to get a big win to make the road trip a success.''
Tampa Bay will have to do it, however, without Ryan Shannon. The right
wing will miss two to four weeks with a lower body injury that occurred in
the second period Wednesday when he was hit into the boards by San
Jose's Andrew Murray.
604976
Tampa Bay Lightning
Another painful loss for Bolts in Ottawa
power play was moving the puck well and lots of guys had chances to
score. ...
"It's not fun, but we can't keep our heads down. We have to realize that we
played well and keep at it."
By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: January 05, 2012
OTTAWA -The Lightning continue to add injuries to their insult.
Tampa Bay lost two more players to the injury list Thursday night, but
despite a depleted bench, the team completely outplayed the Ottawa
Senators. It only added up to more road woes, however, as the Lightning
lost 4-1 in front of an announced sellout crowd of 19,944 at ScotiaBank
Place.
Daniel Alfredsson had a goal and two assists to lead the Ottawa offense,
but it was goaltender Craig Anderson who stole the show with 35 saves,
with only Steven Stamkos getting his league-leading 28th goal of the
season to find a hole past Anderson.
Dwayne Roloson, making his first start in the Lightning net since Dec.?19,
made 20 saves.
The Lightning had a 36-24 shot advantage.
The Lightning gutted out a strong effort despite the early losses of Adam
Hall and JT Wyman, who both left with upper-body injuries. All it meant was
a second consecutive road loss following a three-game homestand sweep
that put Tampa Bay back into the playoff conversation.
But with a 6-14-3 record on the road, that talk might have been somewhat
premature.
"I'm always honest and some games you don't deserve, but I don't think
tonight we deserved to lose," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. "Their
goaltender played really well, but at the same time we got really unlucky on
a lot of those shots, too.
"It's hard for the players. They felt they deserved it and we can't get a
break."
Already missing forwards Ryan Malone and Ryan Shannon, along with
defensemen Victor Hedman and Mattias Ohlund, Tampa Bay was forced to
play most of Thursday's game with only 10 forwards. Hall left following a
fight with Matt Carkner in the first period, and Wyman left after his second
shift of the second period.
"That just adds to the equation. We played with 10 forwards, but I thought
our (defense) played well," Stamkos said. "Everyone played their hearts
out."
Jason Spezza opened the scoring 10:36 into the game, poking a loose puck
with his long reach through traffic.
The lead looked shaky at best for Ottawa as the Lightning kept pressing the
play and creating scoring chances almost at will. But shots that were not
stopped by Anderson either found the post or crossbar or were blocked by
the Senators. Tampa Bay had 18 shots blocked and was credited with 20
missed shots for a total of 74 shot attempts.
"We gave everything we had tonight, we just couldn't put enough pucks
behind their goalie. That was the big difference," defenseman Pavel Kubina
said.
Even after Kyle Turris tipped in an Alfredsson pass for a 2-0 lead late in the
second, the Lightning kept pushing and eventually made it a one-goal game
at 8:48 of the third. Stamkos found a loose puck in the crease for his 11th
goal in the past nine games. The Lightning were given a chance to get even
when Colin Greening was called for slashing with 8:08 left in the third.
However, the power play failed to cash in, dropping Tampa Bay to 1 for 33
on the power play in the past nine road games.
Overall, the Lightning's power play dropped to 7 for 82 (8.5 percent) on the
season on the road, by far the worst in the league.
"I thought we played well, we just didn't score," Stamkos said. "We had lots
of chances, the puck just wasn't going in — crossbars, bad breaks, the
604977
Tampa Bay Lightning
24. Power-play opportunities—Tampa Bay 0 of 3; Ottawa 0 of 2. Goalies—
Tampa Bay, Roloson 6-9-1 (23 shots-20 saves). Ottawa, Anderson 19-12-3
(36-35).
Tampa Bay Lightning loses to Ottawa Senators 4-1
By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, January 6, 2012
OTTAWA — Lightning wing Marty St. Louis could only stare at the net,
seemingly in disbelief.
With Tampa Bay down two goals early in the third period, St. Louis lifted a
rebound over Senators goalie Craig Anderson. But the puck, fluttering in the
air, bounced harmlessly off the post.
It was that kind of night for the Lightning, which lost 4-1 Thursday to Ottawa
despite outshooting and outplaying the Senators in front of a sellout crowd
of 19,944 at Scotiabank Place.
"I thought we gave everything we had," defenseman Pavel Kubina said.
"We deserved better than the score."
The Lightning (17-19-3) has found ways to lose its share of games in a
season in which it entered Thursday seven points out of the final playoff
spot in the Eastern Conference. But Tampa Bay — which held a 36-24 shot
advantage — couldn't buy a break against Ottawa.
"We can't get more scoring chances than we got," coach Guy Boucher said.
To add injury to insult, the Lightning lost more than a game. Forwards
Adam Hall and J.T. Wyman left the game with upper-body injuries, and
Boucher said they are more than day to day.
"I've had years with a lot of adversity, but every week, every two days,
there's something happening," Boucher said. "We can't get our head above
water. We're going to have to battle through it."
Thursday marked the return of goalie Dwayne Roloson, who made his first
start since Dec. 12. Roloson made some good saves but allowed three
goals on 23 shots. Tampa Bay did have a better defensive effort and
controlled play for a lot of the game.
The Lightning even had some quality looks on the power play, but it
continued its puzzling futility on the road. It's now 1-for-33 on the power play
in the past nine road games (and a league-worst 7-for-82 on the season).
That includes coming up empty with a golden opportunity, down by a goal
with eight minutes left.
"We weren't opportunistic on our chances," St. Louis said.
But Ottawa was, getting an important goal late in the second on a delayed
penalty and leading 1-0. Stamkos brought Tampa Bay within one with just
more than 11 minutes left, driving to the net and knocking in a loose puck in
the crease. It was his league-leading 28th goal of the season.
About a minute after Lightning center Dana Tyrell hit the crossbar, Senators
center Zack Smith sealed the deal with just more than three minutes to go
on a one-timer for a 3-1 lead.
"It's a tough one to swallow," Stamkos said. "It's frustrating even more so
when you do play well and don't get the result."
Senators 1
1
2
4
Lightning 0
0
1
1
Senators 1
1
2
4
Lightning 0
0
1
1
First Period—1, Ottawa, Spezza 15 (Greening, Gonchar), 10:36.
Penalties—Konopka, Ott (tripping), 7:21; Hall, TB, major (fighting), 12:00;
Carkner, Ott, major (fighting), 12:00; Turris, Ott (boarding), 18:58.
Second Period—2, Ottawa, Turris 1 (Alfredsson, Condra), 17:07.
Penalties—Thompson, TB (clipping), 8:02.
Third Period—3, Tampa Bay, Stamkos 28 (Lecavalier, Gilroy), 8:48. 4,
Ottawa, Z.Smith 12 (Alfredsson, Foligno), 16:34. 5, Ottawa, Alfredsson 13
(Turris), 19:07 (en). Penalties—Stamkos, TB (slashing), 5:36; Greening, Ott
(slashing), 11:52. Shots on Goal—Tampa Bay 11-16-9—36. Ottawa 7-8-9—
St. Petersburg Times LOADED: 01.06.2012
604978
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning loses Adam Hall, J.T. Wyman to injuries against
Ottawa Senators
By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, January 6, 2012
OTTAWA — Rookie wing Brett Connolly's return from the world junior
championship can't come soon enough for the Lightning.
Already without one of its top forwards, RW Ryan Malone (lower body), the
past two games, Tampa Bay lost two more wings Thursday against the
Senators. Adam Hall and J.T. Wyman sustained upper-body injuries and
didn't return.
Hall, one of the team's chief penalty killers, played 1:38, getting in a firstperiod fight with D Matt Carkner. Wyman, a rookie who has made a sizable
impact the past two weeks after being called up from AHL Norfolk, played
two shifts in the second period before leaving the game.
There's a chance Connolly could rejoin the Lightning before Saturday's
game against the Canadiens. He helped Canada earn the bronze medal at
the tournament Thursday.
The Lightning hopes Malone returns Saturday. He is scheduled to skate at
today's practice and get re-evaluated.
With Hall and Wyman not in the game, C Steven Stamkos, RW Marty St.
Louis and C Vinny Lecavalier saw time on the penalty kill.
Wyman, 25, has been impressing. Coach Guy Boucher said he has the
combination of size and speed Tampa Bay lacks.
"Right now, the last five games, (Wyman) has been terrific," Boucher said
before the game. "He hasn't been good; he's been terrific. Sometimes, one
game — okay, two games, three games, and usually guys fade away. With
him, it's the opposite. Every game he's getting better and better."
STARRY NIGHT: Stamkos, despite entering Thursday with a leagueleading 27 goals, finished 16th among forwards in the All-Star Game fan
voting, announced Thursday.
But Stamkos, whose 185,342 votes were more than 700,000 fewer than the
top forward (Daniel Alfredsson of the host Senators, 897,055), said he
doesn't have a problem with the voting process because of the excitement it
brings the fans, who "feel like they're part of something." Stamkos is likely
to be among the other 36 players picked for the game by the NHL's hockey
operations department.
"Is it the best way? Probably not," Stamkos said. "But … we want our fans
part of the game, they're obviously a huge reason why our league is so
successful. And we've seen it in the past the pattern where the team that
usually hosts it (gets a lot of players in the game), and you want some of
those guys in there. It creates more excitement and buzz around the city.
It's the way it's done, and everyone really doesn't have a problem with it."
Boucher said though Tampa Bay is well supported by its fans, "not all of
Florida is going to vote for Steven Stamkos. … I think it's normal that some
guys from other teams get a lot of votes. But Stamkos is a star. He's so
important to us, and I think it'd be nice to see him get more votes, but I think
in everyone's mind, he's right up there."
MISCELLANY: D Evan Oberg was a healthy scratch.
604979
Tampa Bay Lightning
Hall and Wyman leave game with upper body injuries
Lightning wings Adam Hall and JT Wyman left Thursday's game with upper
body injuries and both are questionable for returning.
Hall was in a fight with Senators defenseman Matt Carkner with eight
minutes to go in the first period, so he may have hurt himself there. It's
unknown how Wyman's injury occurred.
Either way, the injuries further depletes the Lightning's depth at forward.
RW Ryan Malone (lower body) missed his second consecutive game, and
is uncertain for Saturday. Ryan Shannon (knee) is out a couple more week
still.
Wyman had been one of the team's better forwards the past five games,
with coach Guy Boucher saying he'd been "terrific."
-- JOE SMITH
604980
Toronto Maple Leafs
Burke decries end of the NHL fighter on day he demotes Colton Orr
By James Mirtle
Globe and Mail Blog
Day he demotes Colton Orr, Leafs GM says he doesn't like direction league
is headed in
well. But I'm not turning a blind eye to that either. I've said from the get-go
we have to track that and if that's part of it, fine."
- On Shanahan's workload with handling all the suspensions: "He needs a
telephone receptionist at his house because of all this crap that's going on
on the ice with these guys that won't back it up."
- On hitting being down in the NHL: "I had a linesman tell our coach last
week that he's had players say that to him. I'm not hitting anybody, I'm not
getting suspended. That's what I worry about."
- On trade talk increasing after Christmas: "We're listening more than
anything, but it has picked up. It always does after you lift a freeze. There's
always a flurry of activity."
Brian Burke demoted his fighter, Colton Orr, to the minors on Thursday, but
the Toronto Maple Leafs GM didn't like it one bit.
- On buyers and sellers: "The math doesn't work for any of this: There's
always more buyers than there are sellers, at this time of year. You've got
too many teams that are in mathematically - that'll go right to the deadline."
And Burke believes that pushing all of the heavyweights out of the NHL
would be a mistake.
- On if he has received any good offers on trade front: "It's classified. I could
tell you that, but then I'd have to kill you."
"I do wonder where our game is going," Burke said. "I know the
Greenpeace folks will be happy with this, but I wonder where we're going
when Brendan Shanahan's got six hearings every two days.
"You see the garbage that happened in here the other night [with Steve
Downie going after Dion Phaneuf] and I wonder about the accountability in
our game. I wonder where we're going with it. That's the only lament I have
on this. The fear that if we don't have guys looking after each other then the
rats will take this game over. That's my fear.
"I see guys that run around and start stuff and won't back it up and it makes
me sick to my stomach."
The Leafs placed Orr on waivers on Wednesday afternoon, and Burke had
to call him with the news at noon Thursday that he had cleared and would
be going to the Toronto Marlies.
Moments later, Burke took to the podium at the Air Canada Centre to
deliver his rant on the state of the NHL, saying he had a tough time
sleeping knowing he had to potentially end the career of a "character"
player like Orr.
Orr played sparingly in only five games this season after missing the
second half of last year with a concussion.
"My admiration for this kid just knows no limits," Burke said. "This is a
wonderful young man... We've got to get him back to the Marlies and get
him playing. Try to get his game back and see where he can maybe help us
later in the season."
Usually one of the top teams in fighting majors under Burke, the Leafs have
this season dropped into the bottom third in the league
[http://www.hockeyfights.com/leaders/teams], as coach Ron Wilson has sat
his fighters far more often than in the past.
Burke noted Thursday that Orr had been pushed from the lineup as the
team looked to add more speed and skill to its fourth line.
Even so, he remains uneasy with the notion that fighters no longer have a
role on NHL teams.
"It's a dangerous turn in our game," Burke said. "It's not insignificant to me
that this happened today.
"I think the game we provide now, the game the NHL plays is the best it's
ever been since we opened our doors for business. It's fast, it's exciting. But
I don't know [about removing fighting]. I just don't see accountability or
respect in the game right now. It really troubles me.
"If you want a game where guys can cheap shot people and not face
retribution, I'm not sure that's a healthy evolution."
Burke added that he wasn't sure what the solution was to the problem.
"I don't know," Burke said. "I don't know what the answer is. If I had the
answer, there'd be a longer press conference."
The full audio from Burke's press conference is available below, but here
are the few brief points he made on other subjects:
- On the concussion issue as it relates to fighters: "The science on this
issue will evolve. I don't think it's there, that you can say that's the reason
for these issues with Derek Boogaard. He had plenty of other issues as
604981
Toronto Maple Leafs
Phaneuf honoured to be an all-star
By James Mirtle
Globe and Mail Blog
Leafs defencemen among six players voted in by the fans
Dion Phaneuf is headed back to the all-star game.
The Toronto Maple Leafs captain was one of six players, and the only
member of the Leafs, voted in by the fans for the game, which will be
played at the end of the month in January.
It's been four years since Phaneuf was an all-star, and he said at
Thursday's morning skate, he's honoured to be going back.
"I definitely couldn't have got there without my teammates," Phaneuf said.
"And with the fans voting. We've got great support here in Toronto, we've
got unbelievable fans and I have to thank the fans for voting me in.
"It's an honour to be part of the all-star game and to start is something that
I'm very thankful for."
Currently sixth among NHL defencemen in scoring and on pace for 55
points, Phaneuf is having one of the best years of his career after several
down seasons. He is also 11th in the NHL in minutes played and the Leafs
top player in terms of puck possession when he's on the ice.
Always known as an offence-first blueliner with the ability to make a big hit,
Phaneuf has also been successfully dialled back
[http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/leafs-beat/dion-phaneufbecomes-a-hit-by-taking-fewer-of-them/article2265341] by the Leafs
coaching staff to the point where he now hits and shoots less often, making
him less of a liability in his own end.
Leafs coach Ron Wilson called the vote "well deserved."
"Good for Dion, he deserves it," Wilson said.
"I think it's great - I think he's been terrific," Leafs GM Brian Burke added.
Two Leafs narrowly missed out on being voted in as starters, as Phil Kessel
and James Reimer both finished one spot away from receiving enough
votes. Kessel had been leading the vote throughout much of the
proceedings, but three Ottawa Senators forwards bumped him out on the
final week.
"The Senators put on a big push for voting and good for them," Burke said.
"I'd expect our fans to do the same thing if we host a game some day."
604982
Toronto Maple Leafs
DiManno: Leafs GM mourns demise of NHL enforcers
By Rosie DiManno Columnist
It was Brian Burke’s requiem for the fighter.
A lament for a breed that, as of noon Thursday, officially lost one more from
among its NHL ranks when Colton Orr cleared waivers.
Minutes after the Leaf GM made his confirmation phone call to the Maple
Leaf tough guy — an unpleasant task that, looming, had caused Burke
sleepless nights — he unleashed an eloquent tirade on whither a game that
no longer appears to have room or sympathy for the devils of pugilism.
“I know the Greenpeace folks will be happy with this. But I wonder where
we’re going when Brendan Shanahan is getting six hearings every two
days. I wonder about the accountability in our game and the notion that
players would stick up for themselves and for each other. The only lament I
have on this is the fear that if we don’t have guys looking after each other
the rats will take over.
“I see guys run around and start stuff and won’t back it up and it makes me
sick to my stomach.’’
It is a fearless, or maybe foolish, man who will come to the defence of the
defenders of honour in hockey these days. And by sending Orr down to the
Marlies, Burke has, by his own admission, contributed to the attrition of an
endangered species. “A player with the character of Colton Orr, when he
can’t contribute to this league, then I’m not sure if I like where we’re going
with this.
“You go into this game with the roster that gives you the best chance to win.
And if there’s no dance partner for Colton Orr then it’s pretty hard to not say
that Darryl Boyce gives us more on a given night or maybe Joey Crabb. It’s
almost like you’re adding up assets on a sheet and saying what Colton
provides, does that provide the same benefits maybe as a guy who can
skater better than he can?
Quicker foot-speed has altered the NHL game and that’s certainly to the
good but also a factor in eclipsing the fighter whose talents are usually
limited. Burke is a fan of the new style’s pace and creativity but he’s
troubled by what else hockey might jettison in the pursuit of change.
“I love how the game has evolved in terms of how it’s played. But you’re
seeing, when there is no accountability, that this is the by-product, people
running around who won’t back it up … I’m not sure that’s a healthy
revolution.
“Players policed the game. You used to have to answer for that. If you were
going to cheap-shot a guy, you had to fight him or fight someone else on his
team who was tougher than he was. That seems to be gone now. There are
no checks and balances. It’s, well, I’ll just elbow the guy in the head. You
saw what happened in this building the other night, Steve Downie going
after Dion Phaneuf.’’
So why should hockey be different from any other sport, where fighting is
simply not allowed, case closed? The thing is, that difference has always
defined hockey; it is part of the sport’s culture and we, Canadians who
believe themselves custodians of the game, shouldn’t be rueful about it.
“We’ve allowed fighting in our game since we opened our doors for
business,’’ says Burke. “The role of fighting, the strategy behind fighting,
has been systematically reduced, which I support. But there’s still been a
level of accountability which appears to be drying out very quickly. And I
don’t care what they do in other sports. I don’t work in other sports.’’
A tangent of fighting is hard hitting, or vice-versa to be more accurate.
Burke worries, quite rightly, that homogenizing the sport could eventually
lead to removal of that critical component of hockey.
“If you go to logical extremes, if you take that out, the only thing that’s
standing between players crossing the line and not crossing the line is the
league office.’’
Suspensions that arise from questionable hits, continues Burke, are making
all players hit-shy. “I had a linesman tell our coach last week he’s had
players say to him — ‘I’m not hitting anybody, I’m not getting suspended.’
“It’s corrosive, if players are afraid to hit. Right now, it seems to be the only
deterrent we have.
“We made the same judgment so I’m not throwing stones here.’’
“If you go to logical extremes, if you take that out, the only thing that’s
standing between players crossing the line and not crossing the line is the
league office.’’
He did lob a few grenades, however, rhetorical rockets that fly against
prevailing winds in the NHL.
I’d take an enforcer over a suit any day, even if Brendan Shanahan is
wearing it.
There may indeed be a dwindling need for the enforcer. But that doesn’t
necessarily mean the game is significantly better for it. There are
ramifications. When fighting — taking care of one’s teammates, as required,
sometimes preemptively — is considered a redundancy, grievances are
either then settled by other means or not settled at all, merely allowed to
metastasize on the sly. Hence the enforcer becomes replaced by the
agitator, the punk, the rodent; a subspecies now thriving in a league without
consequences.
Ah, but there are consequences, you might say. Shanahan, as punisher-inchief, has handed down 27 suspensions thus far this season (including
exhibition games) and they nearly all relate to incidents where, in the past,
antagonists would not have dared taken such liberties.
In the new, gentler NHL, the office of discipline has mutated into a kind of
human rights commission, inundated with cases of cheap-shot artists
requiring daddy-mediation where once they would have been discouraged
by the threat of instant retaliation and retribution.
“Players in the old days, they protected themselves and then it evolved into
players protecting their teammates,’’ notes Burke, who once held that job
that Shanahan currently fills. “Now I’m not sure who’s looking after it other
than Brendan Shanahan. He needs a telephone receptionist at his house
because of all this crap that’s going on on the ice, these guys that won’t
back it up, won’t drop their gloves, running around elbowing people in the
heading and (hitting) from behind.
“Pick one of the suspensions,’’ he adds. “Would these guys do those things
if there was retribution available, if there was accountability in the game?
I’m not so sure.’’
In a later conversation, Burke reiterated that core issue: “The league was
always the court of last resort. First was the player you hit, then his
teammates, then the NHL.’’
604983
Toronto Maple Leafs
Leafs score more when Gustavsson is in net
Bob Mitchell
With Jonas Gustavsson set to make his second consecutive start in goal, if
the script plays out, the Leafs should score a pile of goals Thursday against
the visiting Winnipeg Jets.
For some reason, the Leafs have found the back of the net a lot more
playing in front of Gustavsson than James Reimer. In fact, Toronto has
scored 69 times when The Monster has been between the pipes compared
to the 56 goals when Reimer gets the start.
“Maybe they think they need to score more with me in the net,” Gustavsson
kidded on Thursday after the morning skate.
Whether he wants to admit it or not, Gustavsson has the chance to become
the Leafs’ No. 1 goalie if he can put together another solid performance
against the Jets.
Coach Ron Wilson said earlier this week that he intends to go with the
goalie with the hot hand and right now that’s Gustavsson.
Neither his GAA of 3.26 or his save percentage of .896 are anything to
cheer about but the 27-year-old netminder has been winning and is 10-7-0
this season.
Reimer, who is still officially the club’s No. 1 puck stopper, has a better GAA
of 3.01 and save percentage of .900 but he’s not been sharp of late, losing
his last three starts, including a 3-2 loss to the Jets in Winnipeg on New
Year’s Eve.
Reimer has a 3-4-3 record since returning on Dec. 3 from concussion-like
symptoms that sidelined him for 18 games.
Right now, Gustavsson gives the Leafs the best chance of winning but he
insists he doesn’t see getting a second straight start as any sign that he’s
now No. 1.
“I mean, I don’t see it as a No. 1 or No. 2 either,” Gustavsson said. “You
always know if you have a good game and you play well and you get two
points, you have a better chance to get a new opportunity.
“I don’t think so much about it, to be honest. When they tell me that I get a
chance, I’m going to go out there and try to help the team get a win. And if
I’m not, I’m just going to support the other guys.”
On Tuesday, Gustavsson was in goal for the Leafs’ 7-3 win over the surging
Tampa Bay Lightning. It was the third time this season the Leafs have
scored seven goals when he was in net.
“It’s just an odd coincidence,” defenceman Luke Schenn said about the
team scoring more when Gustavsson is in goal. “We have confidence in
both of our goalies.”
The Tampa win stopped a three-game losing streak with Reimer in net and
kept the Leafs within striking distance of a playoff spot in the ever so tight
Eastern Conference.
Heading into Thursday’s game, the Leafs and the Jets each had 43 points
and were tied for ninth place, but were only five points out of third.
For Gustavsson, putting together a solid string of games will only help his
contract situation. His two-year contract expires this summer when he
becomes an unrestricted free agent. Reimer isn’t going anywhere because
he just signed a new three-year deal and Ben Scrivens filled in nicely when
called upon as he and Gustavsson shared the netminding when Reimer
was injured.
Meanwhile, Burke said on Thursday that trade chatter has picked up and
that he’s listening.
“We talk (with GMs) on the phone all the time. I’m listening,” Burke said.
“There’s always a flurry of activity after the trade freeze,” Burke said. “When
guys aren’t allowed to make deals for a while they’re kind of like caged up
animals . . .
“There are always more buyers than sellers at this time of the year. There
are too many teams who are in this mathematically and that will go right to
the deadline.”
Asked about reports out of Anaheim that indicated Mighty Ducks GM Bob
Murray said centre Ryan Getzlaf was no longer untouchable, Burke said he
hadn’t seen the quote but that somebody had relayed it to him.
“But that would certainly garner some phone calls for that GM,” Burke said.
Asked if he was close to making a trade, Burke said “that’s classified. I
could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.”
604984
Toronto Maple Leafs
Brian Burke ‘troubled’ by state of NHL after demoting Colton Orr
“If there is no dance partner for Colton, it’s pretty hard not to be able to say,
well, Darryl Boyce or Joey Crabb, gives us more on any given night. We’ve
made the same judgments (as other teams) so I’m not throwing stones as
much as saying that I don’t like what is going on.”
But Burke insisted it was too early to talk about Orr retiring or having played
his last game in the NHL.
Bob Mitchell
Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke is “troubled” by the way the NHL game is
being played when there is no longer a place for a “character” player like
tough guy Colton Orr (above) on his roster.
“I have this fear that if we don’t have guys looking after each other that the
rats will take this game over,” Burke said Thursday after Orr, 29, cleared
waivers. He will now head to the Toronto Marlies.
“That’s my fear. I see guys running around and starting stuff and won’t back
it up. It makes me sick to my stomach.”
Burke said there is still room in the game for middleweights such as the
Leafs’ Mike Brown, a speedy player who can also fight, but there is less and
less accountability on the ice — or respect for players.
“In the old days, players protected themselves and it evolved into a player
protecting their teammates and now I’m not sure who is looking after each
other, other than Brendan Shanahan,” Burke said. “To me, it’s a dangerous
turn in our game.”
Burke, however, isn’t criticizing Shanahan for having to hold “six hearings”
every few days.
“He’s got a lot more work than he should have. He needs a telephone
receptionist at his house because of all the crap that is going on the ice,”
Burke said.
“Guys won’t back it up. They won’t drop their gloves and are running around
elbowing people to the head and running people from behind because there
is no accountability.
“You never have to answer for that in the game any more. You used to
have to answer that in the game. Players used to police the game and now
it’s Brendan Shanahan. But I’m not being critical of him. It used to be that if
you were going to cheap shot a guy, you had to fight him or fight someone
else on his team, who was tougher than him. That seems to be gone. There
are no checks and balances. Just elbow a guy in the head or elbow him
from behind.
“I’m not sure it’s a healthy evolution where you have a game where guys
can cheap shot people and not face retribution.
“I know Greenpeace folks will be happy with this but I wonder where we’re
going when Brendan Shanahan gets six hearings every two days and we
see the garbage that happened the other night. (Tampa Bay Steve
Downie’s exchanges with Dion Phaneuf).”
Burke said he thinks the current game is the best it’s been since the league
began but he’s been “disturbed” by what he’s seen over the past few
weeks.
“I don’t see accountability or respect in the game right now and that troubles
me,” he said. “There are some middleweights, who fight and they’re not the
rats and they back up their teammates. Would those guys do those things
(elbows to head) if there was retribution or accountability in the game? I’m
not so sure.”
When Burke handled leagued discipline, he said the big thing he had to
deal with was the stick work.
“We had an epidemic of baseball grip stick swinging and we’ve pretty well
taken that out of the game,” he said. “Maybe we can take these (cheap
shots) out of the game.”
Burke said he didn’t sleep much the night before last knowing that he had to
call Orr and tell him that he was being placed on waivers for reassignment
to the Marlies. With speed and pace of today’s game — and a lack of
heavyweights, most nights there was just no “dance partner” for Orr, he
said.
“My admiration for this kid has no limits,” Burke said. “This is a wonderful
young man. Now that he’s cleared we have to get him back to the Marlies.
And playing and trying to get his game back and see where he can help us
later in the season.
“I’m not ready to say that, not with his character,” Burke said. “We’ll get him
down to the Marlies and Dallas Eakins will get his game back…”
Orr has been a healthy scratch for 34 of the 39 games this season. He has
a goal in five games and only one major penalty. He is in his eighth NHL
season. Orr became a Leaf as a free agent in July 2009. He has another
year left on his contract at a salary of $1 million.
604985
Toronto Maple Leafs
Milan Michalek vs. Phil Kessel: Who’s got the better stats?
Chris Zelkovich
Statistics alone aren’t the best way to measure a hockey player’s worth, so
maybe there are some intangibles involved in Ottawa’s Milan Michalek
beating out Toronto’s Phil Kesssel for an NHL all-star berth.
While Michalek was leading the league in goals when he was knocked out
of the lineup with a concussion last month, Kessel has the upper hand in
almost every category.
Let us count the ways.
Goals: Kessel has 22, tied for second overall and averaging .56 goals per
game. Michalek hasn’t scored since returning to the lineup after a five-game
absence and is stuck at 19, a .51 average.
Assists: No contest here. Kessel has 23, ranking 20th in the league.
Michalek’s seven put him in 293rd place.
Power-play goals: Maybe this is the explanation. They’re tied with five
apiece.
Plus-minus: No contest here, either. Kessel is three to the good, Michalek
six to the bad.
Game-winning goals: Sorry, Kessel again has the upper hand, 3-2.
604986
Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs’ Dion Phaneuf voted to NHL all-star team, Phil Kessel snubbed
Bob Mitchell
A late surge in voting by Ottawa fans pushed Maple Leafs sniper Phil
Kessel out of an automatic spot at the NHL all-star game.
But Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf made the cut, finishing second in fan
voting among defencemen. Phaneuf has had a solid season. He’s sixth in
scoring among league defencemen with 6 goals and 20 assists.
Kessel had led overall voting for weeks but fans from the host city made a
big push on the final day and four of the top six spots were taken by
Senators. Results were announced Thursday morning.
Henrik Sedin and one behind Daniel Sedin and the Flyers’ Claude Giroux,
who are tied for second with 46 points.
Last season, Kessel and Colorado Avalanche forward Paul Stastny were
the final two players to be selected. Captain Eric Staal of the Carolina
Hurricanes chose Stastny leaving Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red
Wings getting the lone Leaf representative by default.
As Kessel waited, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin had a good
laugh and snapped his photo with a cell camera.
To his credit, Kessel never made a big deal about being picked last. The
dubious honour earned him a hybrid Honda CR-Z and a cheque for
$20,000, which he donated to a cancer charity. Kessel was a 19-year-old
rookie with the Boston Bruins when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer
in December 2006. He underwent surgery and missed a month.
REACTION FROM TORONTO STAR HOCKEY COLUMNIST DAMIEN
COX VIA • Four Sens start all-star game? Not one of top 10 NHL scorers?
Just silly. At least Thomas overtook Reimer or it wud have been total joke.
Kessel said he wasn’t disappointed by the outcome.
• I mean, Daniel Alfredsson's a classy guy. But he's 68th in NHL scoring.
Just discredits entire game......even more. . .
“You know I really don’t care,” Kessel said Thursday after the morning skate
at the Air Canada Centre. “Fans voted for me and that’s a good thing. So I
thank them.”
• For any credibiity, all-star starters would be dominated by Canucks and
Bruins.
Ottawa defenceman Erik Karlsson led the voting with 939,951 votes, 42,536
more than teammate Daniel Alfredsson, who led all forwards.
Also voted to the game that will be played in Ottawa on Jan. 29 are
Senators forwards Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, who ousted Kessel
from the top six on the final day of voting.
Linemate Joffrey Lupul thought it was ridiculous that Kessel wasn’t an
automatic selection.
“Obviously, Ottawa just wants to see all their guys play,” Lupul said. “Why
don’t they just get a ticket to a Senators game?”
• Out of chosen/selected/voted starters, only Thomas and Karlsson are
particularly deserving.
• Hometown fans seem to believe concept is to wreck the game.
• Guess Kessel will again have a shot at being picked last!
• I do think Spezza has had a nice bounce-back season. But not worthy of
starting position.
• Or call it the NHL Popularity Game. Would be more logical.
• OTT fans may think they've accomplished something by all-star vote
when they've really just undermined the honor of being voted a starter.
Bruins’ netminder Tim Thomas pulled ahead of Leafs goalie James Reimer
as the fans’ choice in net. Thomas, who won the Vezina Trophy and the
Conn Smythe Trophy last season en route to the Stanley Cup, topped
Reimer by more than 128,000 votes.
• Funniest part is Sergei Gonchar barely missed catching Phaneuf to make
it five Senator starters.
“It’s a huge honour to be selected in the all-star game,” Phaneuf said. “It’s
an individual thing that is connected to team success. I definitely couldn’t
have gotten there without my teammates. We have got great support here
in the city of Toronto. ”
• Could probably pick a better team of ex-Sens. Start with Brian Elliott in
goal, Chara on defence. . .
• Now Sens fans can get to work on Kyle Turris being named one of the
subs.
Kessel said he was happy for his teammate.
• Dang. Blocking ignorant OTT fans really cutting into my time dedicated to
blocking ignorant VAN fans. . .
“He deserves it. He’s our leader,” said Kessel.
Leafs GM Brian Burke said Phaneuf is well deserving of the honour.
“He’s been terrific,” Burke said. “Ottawa Senators put on a big push for
voting and good for them. I would expect our fans to do the same thing if we
host the game some day. So good for them.
“Good for Dion. He’s been a warrior for us and a leader.”
Phaneuf’s selection in some ways marks a turning point for him.
His game understandably suffered tremendously earlier last season when
he sustained a deep leg cut and an infection.
“It definitely took me a while to get back to full speed but I feel good,”
Phaneuf said. “I came into camp this year and felt good. It definitely took a
lot out of me last year with that injury but I worked hard to get my level back
to where I felt it needed to be.”
About 24 million votes were cast and Lupul finished fifth among forwards,
with 520,843 votes, just ahead of Sidney Crosby.
VOTE TOTALS
The remaining players for the all-star game will be selected in a fantasy
draft chosen by the team’s respective captains, who haven’t been
announced.
Kessel will undoubtedly still get to play in the game based on his
sensational season to date. He entered Thursday’s game against the
visiting Winnipeg Jets in third place in the NHL points race with 22 goals
and 23 assists for 45 points, three back of Vancouver Canucks forward
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Fitzpatrick’s credentials that season: Seven points. There were suggestions
the NHL tampered with the results to ensure Fitzpatrick didn’t get in.
Hey, this ain’t politics. It’s not like fans elected these guys for a four-year
term.
Stop whining about all the Senators in NHL's all-star game
Toronto fans need to relax.
Toronto will someday win a Stanley Cup and parade down Yonge St.
By Tim Baines ,Ottawa Sun
It’s nice to dream anyway. And I say that as a long-time suffering Leaf fan.
First posted: Thursday, January 05, 2012 09:06 PM EST | Updated:
Thursday, January 05, 2012 09:29 PM EST
Toronto Sun LOADED: 01.06.2012
OTTAWA Kiss it, Kessel.
James Reimer, enjoy your all-star break vacation.
And hey, Toronto Maple Leafs fans: Suck it up and stop whining.
Senators fans spoke and they spoke loudly.
When the ballots had been counted, four Senators were among the starting
six players in the NHL all-star game Jan. 29 at Scotiabank Place.
And before Leafs fans cry blue into their Corn Flakes, the biggest joke is
that Dion Phaneuf was included — 11,306 more votes and he was outta
there in favour of a fifth Senator — the rejuvenated Sergei Gonchar.
Phaneuf isn’t among the Top 10 blueliners in the league. Really, is he better
than any of Shea Weber, Dustin Byfuglien, Ryan Suter, Zdeno Chara,
Duncan Keith, Nicklas Lidstrom, Erik Karlsson, Keith Yandle, or Kris
Letang? And you could also make a case for Dan Boyle, Brian Campbell,
Michael Del Zotto and Alex Edler.
So, zip it Leaf fans. Close your yaps.
There was an organized effort by Torontonians to skew the voting by
loading up on players who’ve worn out their welcome here.
If the insidious plan had worked, Dany Heatley might have been the only
all-star booed here.
It’s kind of funny, bordering on pathetic, really, that Phil Kessel fell right out
of the voting after leading through much of the seven weeks of balloting.
Guess Toronto had more important things to do over the last few days ...
hell, it snowed there. Maybe they were on the phone to the national guard
to take care of their snowflake crisis. There are four times as many of you
as there are in Ottawa, and Leaf Nation extends far beyond Toronto’s
borders ... you couldn’t outvote us?
Blame yourselves, not the system.
A solid argument can be made for all four of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason
Spezza, Milan Michalek and Karlsson to be in the all-star extravaganza. A
week ago, Michalek was nearly 150,000 votes behind Kessel and he beat
the Leaf by 40,000.
Kessel belongs, maybe Joffrey Lupul, too. And Toronto fans had a chance
to get them in. But they blew it.
Ottawa fans need to pat themselves on the back for a job superbly done.
And while we’re certainly not bragging, we at the Ottawa Sun, have been
championing for the Senators in paper and online and ramped it up this
week.
Are the Ready-For-Prime-Time Senators four of the best players in the
NHL?
Putting a concussed Sidney Crosby aside, it’d be tough to argue against
guys with last names such as Malkin, Sedin, Stamkos, Chara and Weber
being selected as starters. And we certainly would have given a big
thumbs-up to Claude Giroux getting the nod.
The all-star game is all about the fans. They had their crack. Now the NHL
will get its chance to add the rest of the game’s elite when the rosters are
rounded out next week.
Is the voting skewed?
Sure. Geez, Rory Fitzpatrick (who?) nearly made the starting lineup in
2007. He finished just 23,000 votes short of the second-place Lidstrom.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Little love for Leafs pair
By Steve Buffery ,Toronto Sun
First posted: Thursday, January 05, 2012 11:20 PM EST
TORONTO The dudes who pull on the Maple Leafs sweater every night like to go on
about how they have the greatest fans in the world.
Which is all fine and good, but you’ve got to wonder if Phil Kessel and
Joffrey Lupul are actually buying into that theory these days.
Despite being third and fifth in NHL scoring, neither forward was voted into
the NHL all-star game. Instead, a trio of Ottawa Senators forwards, Daniel
Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, received more votes in fan
balloting, which wrapped up on Wednesday — despite the fact that Spezza
is 11th in NHL scoring, Alfredsson 68th and Michalek 79th. (Alfredsson and
Michalek have suffered injuries, but so what).
Toronto is supposed to be the centre of the hockey universe and the Air
Canada Centre is packed every night, yet the league’s third and fifth leading
scorers did not receive enough votes by the fans to get pre-selected into
the game (though Dion Phaneuf was second among defencemen in voting
and was selected).
It’s expected that Kessel, who has 23 goals and 23 assists, is a slam dunk
to be picked for the game by the NHL’s hockey operations department, but
Lupul is not such a sure thing, though he should be. The Leafs forward,
whose career almost ended a couple of seasons ago when he suffered a
serious back infection, is only one point behind Kessel and three behind
NHL leaders Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks and Claude Giroux of
the Philadelphia Flyers. In some ways, Lupul’s performance this season
has been superior to Kessel’s. Lupul’s a plus-8 (Kessel a plus-5) and he
plays a much more physical game than his linemate.
Perhaps you can chalk up the fact that three Senators received the most
votes among forwards on the fact that Ottawa is hosting the Game (Jan.29
at Scotiabank Place). Fans in the host city tend to be very enthusiastic
about the game and vote in droves.
But still, the fact that two players from the so-called centre of the hockey
universe, who are third and fifth in NHL scoring, were not voted into the allstar game is really quite shocking.
Privately, you got to figure that Kessel and Lupul are not impressed.
CONSISTENT DUO
Kessel and Lupul have been a model of consistency this season. Kessel
scored and Lupul picked up an assist in Toronto’s 4-0 victory over the
Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. They both have recorded points in 32 games
this season — which leads the NHL. The only negative part of their overall
game has been the play in their own end at times. At least once a game,
the Kessel-Lupul line, either with Tyler Bozak or Tim Connolly at centre, find
themselves pinned in their own end for an extended period of time,
exhausted and chasing the puck.
GAME OBSERVATIONS
Clarke MacArthur’s third-period goal against the Jets was his 12th of the
season but only his second at home ... Phaneuf, who picked up an assist
Thursday, has eight points in his last seven games ... MacArthur also has
eight points in his last seven ... The Leafs fired 25 shots at Chris Mason, but
the only thing that saved the Jets goaltender from being shell-shocked is
the fact that Jets skaters blocked a whopping 27 shots (compared to 16 by
the Leafs). Defenceman Ron Hainsey blocked six himself ... Tough game
for Winnipeg defenceman Johnny Oduya, who was a minus-3 ... Luke
Schenn lead all skaters with seven hits.
PRE-GAME OBSERVATIONS
One of my Twitter pals asks a very good question. Why did the Leafs stick
with Philippe Dupuis for so long when they had Darryl Boyce down on the
farm the whole time? ... You gotta hand it to Air Canada Centre organist
Jimmy Holmstrom. In honour of Winnipeg’s second visit to the ACC this
season, the keyboardman extraordinaire serenaded the crowd with Leaving
on a Jet Plane by John Denver and Jet by Paul McCartney and Wings ... In
attendance for was Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia, who was celebrating
his birthday ... Sitting in the visiting broadcast booth was the one and only
Dennis Beyak, the former Leafs radio broadcaster and now the voice of the
Jets.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto players were ticked at Winnipeg’s Mark Stuart for tossing the
shutout puck over the glass at the buzzer, but Gustavsson didn’t mind.
Jets can't solve Gustavsson
“As long as I have my first one,” he said of his first shutout in Boston in
2009.
By Lance Hornby ,Toronto Sun
Gustavsson, no doubt fired up to meet the Swedish stars on the Wings, has
beaten them in his only other appearance.
The Leafs also hope to have winger Mike Brown return from back surgery
for that game.
TORONTO The Maple Leafs have one of the youngest teams in the NHL, but when it
come to spry goaltenders, 50 is the new 34.
No. 50 Jonas Gustavsson has taken coach Ron Wilson’s ‘win-and-stay-in’
challenge to heart the past two games. With a 7-3 victory over Tampa Bay
and Thursday’s 4-0 shutout of the Winnipeg Jets, Gustavsson puts himself
in the driver’s seat for Saturday’s coveted start against the Detroit Red
Wings. Gustavsson was unsure of his workoad once James Reimer came
back from a concussion last month, but with his overall record now 11-7,
he’s enjoying one of the smoothest runs of his three-year roller coaster in
Toronto.
He was hearing the ‘Monster, Monster’ chants at the Air Canada Centre as
the Leafs went to 2-0 in their January homestand and moved back into a
playoff position in the cluttered Eastern Conference.
“It’s too early (to talk about Detroit), but you want to build on something,”
Gustavsson said of 24 saves and second NHL shutout. “To be honest, I
didn’t look at the clock the last 10 minutes because I didn’t want to lose
focus. But I was pretty happy to hear them say ‘last minute of play’. ”
Gustavsson had to make one pad save without his stick or glove, both lost
in a crease encounter. Because his mask wasn’t off, play continued, with
Gustavsson hoping the Jets hadn’t noticed he was bare-handed.
“He didn’t even put his hand behind him,” laughed Tim Connolly. “He’s quite
a character.”
The Leafs had a simple game plan said winger Joffrey Lupul, give the Jets
the same rude welcome the Canadiens did the night before in Montreal, a
7-3 final.
“We know they haven’t played well on the road,” Lupul said of Winnipeg’s 510-4 record away from the MTS Centre. “Teams like this, you have to get
on them.”
When the Jets did threaten — and there were stretches in the second
period when the Leafs looked very vulnerable — either Gustavsson was
there or the bounces went Toronto’s way. Secondary scoring was there for
the second straight game as Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur
finished up what first-liners Lupul, Phil Kessel and Connolly started. Kessel
extended his points’ streak to seven games on the first goal, in which he,
Lupul and Connolly all beat their men to pucks by a split second.
Improved penalty killing also helped Gustavsson’s numbers this week. The
Leafs doused all five power plays they encountered against Tampa to save
face for their last-place unit and came within a few minutes of a penalty-free
game for the first time in four years.
“We played most of the game with the puck,” Lupul said of staying out of
the box. “When we get into penalty trouble, it’s those extra 15 or 30
seconds when we’re stuck in our zone. Tonight, we did a good job chipping
it out quickly.”
Kessel’s goal represented his seventh game with a point, tying Lupul for the
season lead. Connolly, meanwhile, scored in a very rare instance, when
two Jets were about to be called for interfering as play moved up ice in the
second period. But the Leafs successfully got Gustavsson to the bench and
hammered shots at Chris Mason at will, before Connolly stuffed in a
rebound. The Jets owned the rest of the period, with Alexander Burmistrov
missing an open net.
There were some big hits in this third of four games in the rejuvenated
rivalry, the best by gargantuan ex-Leaf Nik Antropov on Nazem Kadri. But
on the same day where Leafs general manager Brian Burke was lamenting
he had to demote Colton Orr, nothing got out of hand.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Leafs GM quiet on potential trades
DAVE HILSON, Toronto Sun
TORONTO Brian Burke might be an NHL general manager, but it sounds like he could
work for the CIA if he ever needs another job.
“Well, it’s classified. I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” Burke
joked on Thursday when asked if the Leafs had any good trades in the
works.
Although there have been many trade rumours floating around the league
this week, with the biggest being that Anaheim is looking to have a fire sale,
Burke was tight-lipped about any possible dealings the Leafs are having.
“We’re listening more than anything, but the trade talk has picked up,” he
said. “It always does after you lift the freeze. There’s always a flurry of
activity when guys aren’t allowed to make deals for a while. They’re kind of
like caged-up animals.”
HOME COOKING
After a 7-3 win over Tampa Bay to open the new year on Tuesday at the
ACC, the Leafs were hoping to keep the pedal to the metal against the
Winnipeg Jets.
Whatever the outcome of Thursday night’s game, the Leafs know how
crucial the month of January is to their 2011-2012 season.
“I said a couple of days ago how big this month is for us,” captain Dion
Phaneuf said. “We’ve got a lot of games and we’ve got to get as many
points as we can to keep moving up in the standings … The main thing our
team wants to concentrate on is staying even-keeled.”
Nine of their 12 games this month are at the ACC.
MATURE MONSTER
Speaking of even-keeled, Leafs goalie Jonas Gustavsson never could be
accused of being anything but.
The Swedish keeper has seen his fortunes rise and fall, and rise again, but
he never seems to get too excited.
“I guess I’m getting older,” Gustavsson said with a laugh when asked how
he has managed to remain focussed when things appeared bleak for him
just a few months ago. “I just feel like you have to stay level, that’s what I
believe. If you believe in what you are doing, you’re going to have your ups
and downs, but if you think you’re doing the right thing in games, practice
and off-ice, you have to trust that and not get too rattled if things don’t go
your way.”
PHIL FOURTH AT FORWARD
As of midnight on Dec. 30, Leafs sniper Phil Kessel was sitting comfortably
atop the fan voting for the 2012 NHL all-star game. By 11:59 p.m.
Wednesday night when voting ended, Kessel no longer was in the running.
A late push by fans of the Ottawa Senators, the team which plays host to
the game on Jan. 29, had Senators filling the three available forward
positions, with Milan Michalek surging into the third spot (743,977 votes)
ahead of Kessel, who dropped to fourth with 701833 votes.
But Burke said Toronto fans shouldn’t begrudge the fact that Phaneuf was
the only Leaf to make it into the all-star game via fan voting.
“The Ottawa Senators put on a big push for voting and good for them,”
Burke said. “I expect our fans to do the same thing if we host the game one
day.”
LOOSE LEAFS
Leafs coach Ron Wilson said the progress of defenceman John-Michael
Liles returning from injury was being hampered by a bout of bronchitis.
“He’s feeling a little bit better,” Wilson said. “But in addition to concussionlike symptoms he’s had bronchitis for four or five days which has kind of
knocked him down. He’s getting over that and then we’ll see where he is
when he gets over the illness. When you get bronchitis, it sometimes comes
with headaches.” … Leafs prospect Greg McKegg has been traded to the
London Knights from the Erie Otters in a multi-player deal.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Leafs' Burke is mad as hell
DAVE HILSON, Toronto Sun
TORONTO Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke had to tell tough guy Colton Orr
on Thursday afternoon that he was being sent down to the Marlies. And
Burke didn’t like it one bit.
For that matter, Burke doesn’t like it one bit that there seems to be less and
less of a place for enforcers such as Orr in today’s National Hockey
League.
“I do wonder where we’re going with this. I do wonder where our game is
going?” a heavy-hearted Burke said as he held court shortly after having to
make a very difficult phone call to Orr.
“I’m troubled by this when a player with the character of Colton Orr can’t
contribute in this league. I’m not sure I like the way things are going,” Burke
said. “The Green Peace folks will be happy with this but I wonder where
we’re going when (league disciplinarian) Brendan Shanahan has six
hearings every two days. And you see the garbage that happened in here
the other night (Lightning forward Steve Downie going after Leafs captain
Dion Phaneuf at the ACC on Tuesday).”
The 29-year-old Orr was placed on waivers on Wednesday afternoon and
cleared them at noon Thursday.
“And I wonder about the accountability in our game and the notion that
players would stick up for themselves and for each other,” a weary-looking
Burke continued. “I wonder where we’re going with that? That’s the only
lament I have on this is; the fear that if we don’t have guys looking after
each other that the rats will take this game over, that’s my fear. You see
guys that run around and start stuff but won’t back it up. It makes me sick to
my stomach.”
Burke’s sentiments regarding Orr may be noble, but are things really any
different now that the goon appears to be going the way of the dodo?
Hasn’t the game always had rats?
What about Kenny Linseman or Esa Tikkanen to name just a couple? They
are two of the most infamous rats the NHL has ever known (and pretty good
hockey players too) and both played before the instigator rule came in. So
having a player such as Orr — who by all accounts is a great guy — in the
lineup certainly doesn’t guarantee an end to the infestation.
“The role of fighting and the strategy behind fighting has been
systematically reduced, which I support,” Burke said. “But there’s still been
a level of accountability which appears to me to be drying up very quickly.”
Nobody’s suggesting, though, that players shouldn’t be able to defend
themselves. But for the game to continue to evolve and improve it needs
fast, skilled guys who can ply their trade and if a fight breaks out in the heat
of battle so be it. But to have a guy in the lineup just to fight; it’s an idea
whose time has passed
Players will simply have to learn to control themselves and they will do so
when the cost to themselves or their team becomes too severe. It’s that
simple.
Just as they learned to control their stick work when Burke was league
disciplinary, they will learn to control themselves under Shanahan. Besides,
there’s no other pro league in North America where the players police
themselves. So why should they do it in the NHL?
Even Burke admits (with fighting down no less) the hockey we are watching
right now is a great product.
“I think the game we provide now, the game that the National Hockey
League plays, is the best it’s ever been since we opened our doors for
business,” he said.
So knowing the game is evolving Burke begrudgingly sent down Orr — a
guy he admirably feels a lot of loyalty toward — to the minors, hoping that
someway, somehow the bruiser’s game can improve enough for a return to
the big club.
“My admiration for this kid just knows no limits,” Burke said of Orr. “He’s a
wonderful young man and now he’s cleared so now we have to get him
back to the Marlies and get him playing. Try to get his game back and see
where he can maybe help us later in the season.”
Can Orr’s game evolve with the league’s? It will have to if he ever wants to
play in the NHL again. Even Brian Burke knows that.
LACK OF SPEED
Speed kills. At the very least, it has caused significant injury to the career of
enforcer Colton Orr.
The 29-year-old bruiser was sent down to the AHL Marlies on Thursday
afternoon after clearing waivers.
Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke says there is no doubt that one
of the areas in which Orr is lacking is foot speed.
“For the most part yes,” Burke replied on Thursday afternoon when asked if
Orr was just too slow for today’s NHL. “The most dramatic change in the
game in the last three years has been the foot speed. It’s not a surprise,
we’ve adjusted to it, that’s why we picked up Mike Brown, that’s why we
made the (Matthew) Lombardi acquisition. These are guys that had foot
speed.”
So has Orr’s time as an NHL player come to an end?
“I’m not ready to say that, not with his character,” Burke said. “We’ll get him
down there, (Marlies coach) Dallas (Eakins) will work with him, we’ll get his
game back and hopefully we’ll see him again.”
Orr dressed in only five games for the Leafs this season, recording one goal
and a five-minute major.
604992
Toronto Maple Leafs
Leafs' Phaneuf voted into all-star game
By DAVE HILSON ,Toronto Sun
TORONTO Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf is headed to the NHL all-star game.
Sniper Phil Kessel will have to wait to see if he is.
Phaneuf was the only member of the Leafs to be voted into the Jan. 29
game being played at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. The hard-hitting
defenceman, who received 614,933 votes, was one of six players to be
voted onto the squad by fans.
A late push by Ottawa faithful saw Kessel, who leads the Leafs with 22
goals and is second in the league to Steven Stamkos’ 27, ousted from an
automatic spot at the 2012 edition of the game and replaced by Senators
forward Milan Michalek.
Phaneuf, who is sixth in league scoring for defencemen with six goals and
20 assists, came in second in the voting for blueliners.
"I definitely couldn't have got there without my teammates," Phaneuf said
after the Leafs skated on Thursday morning in preparation for their night
game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Air Canada Centre.
“We've got great support here in Toronto, we’ve got unbelievable fans and I
have to thank the fans for voting me in. It’s an honour to be part of the allstar game and to start is something that I’m very thankful for.”
Kessel, meanwhile, had led the overall voting for weeks but Ottawa fans
made a big push on the final day and four of the top six spots were filled by
Senators.
Kessel didn’t seem to be bothered by the outcome.
“You know I really don’t care,” he said. “Fans voted for me and that’s a
good thing. So I thank them.”
Kessel said he was happy for Phaneuf.
“He deserves it. He’s our leader,” he said.
In all probability Kessel, who currently sits third in league scoring with 45
points, will make the all-star squad.
Leafs coach Ron Wilson echoed Kessel’s words.
“Good for Dion, he deserves it,” Wilson said.
General manager Brian Burke agreed.
“I think it's great. I think he's been terrific,” Burke said.
Ottawa defenceman Erik Karlsson led all voting with nearly a million votes,
while teammate Daniel Alfredsson led all forwards (897,055 votes) and
came in second.
Also voted into the game was Senators star Jason Spezza and Boston
Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas, who edged out Leafs goalie James Reimer.
604993
Vancouver Canucks
Visit to Beantown a chance to see how much the Canucks have improved
By Tony Gallagher, The Province January 5, 2012
Daniel Sedin says he's looking forward to the game in Boston Saturday
because he thinks this year's Vancouver Canucks team has to potential to
be a little better and a little deeper than last year's club, and he's curious to
see how they stack up against a great team.
And he made some interesting observations based on the quality of depth
up front the Canucks have — or will have — when David Booth returns, as
well as the back end where the likes of Aaron Rome, Alex Sulzer, Chris
Taney and now perhaps even Kevin Connaugton stand poised and ready to
contribute.
And he's also keen to see if anything has changed. No, he didn't mention
being speed-bagged by Brad Marchand, Johnny Boychuk ramming Mason
Raymond back-first into the boards or any of the other memorable incidents
from last year's final. But rather he had some success on the power play in
mind, something they didn't get last year in the 32 opportunities they were
afforded by the officials.
“Right now we're having the same thing happen as happened in the final
last year; the puck just isn't going in for us on the power play,” said Daniel.
“I don't think it was anything that Boston was doing or it was (Zdeno) Chara
or any of that stuff. We had lots of chances, good chances, but we went
though a little bit of what we've been doing lately, thinking too much instead
of just reacting naturally.”
Maybe that will change, but a lot of things haven't really changed with
respect to the matchup of these two outstanding teams. For starters, the
Bruins will still hold a massive physical advantage because they hold that
advantage over every team in the league. They pound people. They're the
modern-day equivalent of the Broad Street bullies.
They're the same advantages they held last year because nothing much
has changed or will change in the foreseeable future. Maybe the Canucks
get a tough guy somewhere along the way, but if they meet Boston in the
final, that's not going to change anything. Their roster isn't going to change
to the point where they will in any way be a match for these guys. Nobody
is.
Another problem is what has happened since the Cup final. Most teams
culminate their prowess upon winning and then fade for one reason or
another, mostly because of roster changes forced by the cap meaning they
can't keep their team together.
That hasn't been the case with the Bruins. If anything they have increased
their confidence levels, and young players like Marchand and Tyler Seguin
have gained invaluable experience from last year's playoff run. Even though
they had the same short summer to train as the Canucks did — maybe
even shorter with all the Cup parading and partying that doubtless took
place — they're older, more mature and exploring their potential to the
fullest in this environment.
Further they have the same working conditions as Bobby Clarke and Bill
Barber had in their heyday with the Flyers and Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kuri
did when the Oilers had Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley looking after
the cast of finesse players in Edmonton. The skill guys romp with impunity.
They know they're safe from any kind of significant hit and that certainly
allows for more room and a greater feeling of freedom.
But the Canucks aren't the type of team to be making those significant hits
anyway. They rely on beating you with speed, so this space the Bruins are
in takes nothing away from Vancouver.
Where things change significantly for Daniel and the Canucks in this one
specific matchup, and perhaps even if they should meet again in the final, is
that now at least they are going in with a healthy power play. Remember,
during the final, there was probably more than one reason they were two for
32. For starters, Christian Ehrhoff's shoulder was so bad, he was just
pushing the puck. Ryan Kesler's hip was torn right off the bone, and he
couldn't get to any loose pucks, which is one of the chief advantages of
having him on the first-unit — to say nothing of his ability to deflect pucks in
front of the net. And whatever was bothering Henrik Sedin isn't known, but
his argument he was perfectly healthy is simply silly.
Should these teams meet again in the playoffs, Boston may still win. They'd
be better favorites ,for sure. But if the Canucks are healthy, taking the
underdog might not be a bad move.
Vancouver Province: LOADED: 01.06.2012
604994
Vancouver Canucks
Optimism permitted at the season's halfway point
By Ed Willes, The Province January 5, 2012
of his finest work, acquiring Chris Higgins and Max Lapierre for next to
nothing then watched as both players played pivotal roles in the
postseason.
The need this year is for size and sandpaper and there are some intriguing
names making the rounds. But whatever happens know this. The Canucks
went into the playoffs last season as the Stanley Cup favourites.
The Bruins have changed that a little. But they haven't changed it a lot.
There's still a ways to go but, at the midway point of their season, it doesn't
appear the Vancouver Canucks will repeat their staggering regular-season
success of last year.
While they're still in the thick of the Presidents’ Trophy race, they won't
reach last season's 117 points unless they win the equivalent of 32 of their
final 41 games. Before last night's games, they led the NHL in goals scored,
but there were seven team which had allowed fewer goals. As for the power
play, it's still rolling along at the top of the league but the penalty killing is
sixth.
So it's a virtual certainty the Canucks won't repeat their many team and
individual successes from 2010-2011 which, we concede, doesn't exactly
support the thesis we're about to present. The belief here is the Canucks –
despite their tepid start, despite substandard campaigns from some key
figures – are a better team than the outfit which overwhelmed the NHL last
season, even if it all might hang by the slender thread of Sami Salo's groin.
“I think we're better than last year just because of what we went through,”
says Roberto Luongo. “We're more experienced and know how to deal with
adversity better.
“We feel we're a a step ahead. As far as results are concerned, maybe
they're not there right now. But in the long run, we're better than last year.”
Which is saying something.
The Canucks, of course, played their 41st game on Wednesday night,
which makes this a convenient time to take out the wide-angle lens and
look at this team. Last year, they authored one of the best regular seasons
in NHL history - winning the Presidents and Jennings Trophy, while scoring
more goals than any team in the league and finishing first in power play and
third in penalty kill. This year's stat sheet won't be quite as gaudy, but
there's also something about this team which seems more substantial and
better equipped to handle the inhuman demands of the playoffs.
The team's core – the Sedin twins, Luongo, Ryan Kesler – is unchanged as
is the first level of support – Alex Burrows, Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis,
Alex Edler.
All eight players are elite NHLers. All eight are in their prime. All, with the
exception of Hamhuis, have been together for five years.
It is a formidable group.
But when you've reached the level those players have reached, there is
limited room for growth. The real improvement in the Canucks lies in the
bottom half of their lineup where the organization has accumulated an
embarrassment of riches among the forwards.
Depending on how you look at the roster, and depending on the
contribution of David Booth when he returns, the Canucks ninth-best
forward is Cody Hodgson. Or maybe it's Mason Raymond. Or maybe it's
Jannik Hansen.
When Booth gets back, they'll also have a third line of Hodgson, Raymond
and Hansen, and if that fails to impress, consider they started the season
with Hodgson, Marco Sturm and Mikael Samuelsson on the second line and
Manny Malholtra centering the third line.
During last year's Stanley Cup finals, the offence also dried up when the
stars were smothered by the Bruins. It's hard to imagine the same thing
happening to this year's team.
The blueline, meanwhile, isn't as flashy as last year's, but with Salo staying
relatively healthy for the first half, it might be more efficient. Salo is an
upgrade over Christian Ehrhoff in his own end and the power play hasn't
exactly suffered in the absence of the German blueliner.
It all hinges on Salo's health – insert joke here – but, as of this writing, there
are no issues on the blueline.
As for the rest of the lineup, the most intriguing question concerns the trade
deadline and GM Mike Gillis. Last season at the deadlilne, Gillis did some
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Vancouver Canucks
Vigneault coy about which goalie will get the big start in Boston
By Ben Kuzma, The Province January 5, 2012
BOSTON -- Cory Schneider more than just mentioned the magnitude of the
moment and what it would mean for the former Boston College standout to
return home and face the Bruins on Saturday afternoon.
"Last year was obviously a different circumstance being a Stanley Cup final,
but this is going to be the first regular-season game I've played back there,"
said Schneider. "At lot of people back home are watching and supporting
me from afar and to be able to come home and share that and see them
and experience it with them is a joy for me."
It's a heartwarming homecoming story. But it's one that coy coach Alain
Vigneault won't buy into or opt out of until Friday when he names his starter.
Until then, there will be debate about optics and exorcizing demons and
giving a guy a chance to play at home like Luongo did in Montreal.
However, Schneider realizes that performance and a pecking order dictate
that Roberto Luongo could and probably should follow up the blanking of
the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday by sticking it to the Bruins in the muchanticipated matinee. Forget those 15 goals the starter allowed in less than
seven periods at the TD Garden last spring, and his getting yanked after
three goals on eight shots in Game 6 of the Cup final. You score eight goals
in seven games and you're not going to win any series.
"It's not just an opportunity to redeem himself, but because he's playing
fantastic hockey right now," Schneider said of Luongo's 9-2-2 run that
includes three shutouts and a 1.82 goals-against average. "I think he's
always revelled in the opportunity when people have kind of counted him
out. He's responded with a big game and made a statement.
"If anybody wants to win, it's him to erase the memories of last year that
people have carried about him."
For his part, Luongo has more than made a case to start Saturday. Strong
and stable while challenging shooters better, his rebound control was
sublime against the Wild and his glove hand has improved noticeably.
"We didn't end up where we wanted to last year, but to have a chance to go
at it again and I think it will have the feel of the final from last year," said
Luongo. "We both want to play in that one, but whatever the decision is will
be fine. It's a fun building to play in and I've always said I like to play in
hostile environments and it doesn't get any more hostile than that."
There are no lack of sub-plots for the only regular-season meeting of the
season between the clubs. There was the Johnny Boychuk cornerboards
check in Game 6 that left Mason Raymond with a compression vertebrae
fracture, and Aaron Rome's supsension for his Game 3 hit that concussed
Nathan Horton. There was Brad Marchand using the mug of Daniel Sedin
like a speed-bag and enough gabbing and jabbing for a reality TV series.
Raymond had to wear a back brace for six weeks and his career was in
jeopardy before a remarkable return on Dec. 4. He heard from Boychuk —
six weeks after the incident via a text message — and as much as the
winger said he has closure, going back into that rink will open some old
wounds.
"I don't think we have our best memories there," said Raymond. "We didn't
win there, we didn't beat them, we got beat quite handily there. It's
something you circle on a calendar when you play these guys. I think we
look forward to that game."
Raymond couldn't train, missed training camp and was expected to be a
good step behind the play. After an initial spurt when he scored three goals
in five games, he seems to have plateaued but is going to the net better
and staying away from the chip-and-chase game.
"I wouldn't say plateaued," said Vigneault. "He got off to a real solid start
and everybody was happy and optimistic for him. The effort is still there
consistently and he might be a little less visible offensively, but with his
work ethic and attitude I'm confident everything will fall into place. You can't
score very often on the outside. You've got to play on the inside and he
knows to be effective, he's got to get to the inside without a doubt."
Schneider believes the bitter taste of losing Game 7 of the final has driven
the Canucks to not only mirror the run they were on a year ago, but to prove
they can match the Bruins in all areas. The Canucks had scored the most
goals in the NHL heading into league play Thursday, but the Bruins had the
best average of goals per game. The Bruins have also allowed the fewest
goals and the Canucks have the best power play. And if that isn't enough,
there's always talk about the games within the game.
"Everyone has a lot to prove," added Schneider. "We took a lot of abuse
from the media and their fans and some of our best players — Lou and the
twins and guys like that — I think they're ready to prove that they are as
advertised: first-team all-stars and incredible players, not what the Boston
media portrayed them to be."
A good squad? The most hated team in the league?
"Apparently," chuckled Schneider. "In Chicago and Boston, I guess. But I'm
sure they [Blackhawks, Bruins] are not liked around the league either, so it
goes both ways. They [Bruins] are probably the favourite to win it all again
with the way they're playing. But we know how to play them and hopefully
we'll beat them. We've learned a lot about our opponents and management
has given us a plan to do it again this year."
A win or a loss Saturday won't determine if that plan is a success or failure.
But if the Canucks aren't competitive and get blown out, then it won't be just
another game — it will be one that stays on the brain longer than they
would like. They already had one of those with the Bruins on June 15.
604996
Vancouver Canucks
Former Bruin Recchi still dripping with dislike for Canucks
By Ben Kuzma, The Province January 5, 2012
BOSTON — He won't be playing but it's hard to forget what Mark Recchi
was saying about the Vancouver Canucks once the Kamloops native finally
hung up his NHL skates for good.
Nearly two months in advance of a highly-anticipated clash here Saturday
afternoon since they last battled in a seven-game Stanley Cup final, the
retired Boston Bruins winger gave the Presidents' Trophy winners a wicked
two-handed parting shot. It was a verbal barrage that went viral and has
only amped up the mutual dislike.
"Twenty-two years, they are the most arrogant team I played against and
the most hated team I've ever played against," the veteran of 1,652 regularseason and 189 playoff games told a Boston radio station on Nov. 17. "I
couldn't believe their antics, their falling and diving. It was very frustrating,
but as the series wore on, we knew our physical play and skating caught
them off guard."
Reached at his Pittsburgh home on Thursday, Recchi admitted he could
have picked his words better but the bitterness of that final series still
lingers when he reflects back to the whacks, hacks and verbal sparring. Did
the Canucks really rub the three-time Stanley Cup champion the wrong
way?
"They did," said Recchi. "I probably shouldn't have said anything and I wish
I wouldn't have, but that's what happened and that's how the series was.
People know I love B.C. and Vancouver and it was an unbelievable series
but there was a lot of dislike on both sides. And it wouldn't have been a
Stanley Cup final if there wasn't that much dislike — we really didn't like
each other. There was a lot of passion and fire. We had a tough time in the
Tampa series because we couldn't find people to dislike."
Pressed on his "arrogant" comment, the 43-year-old Recchi sounded like a
lot of people surrounding the game. For whatever reason, there seems to
be a league-wide notion — much of it generated by the media — that the
Canucks are a ruthless band of thugs who whine and complain to the
referees and will do anything to get the opposition off its game.
"It was exactly that," added Recchi, who amassed 1,533 regular-season
and 147 playoff points while playing for seven NHL teams. "They were a
confident group and they handled themselves that way on the ice and we
thrived on it because we didn't like them because of that. It gave us that
little extra motivation."
Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows and Maxim Lapierre are usually grouped in a
most-wanted poster, but Recchi said he had much admiration for the
"professionalism" that Kesler displayed in the final despite battling a hip
injury that would require offseason surgery. He didn't name Burrows or
Lapierre, but he didn't have to because rivals regularly reference the pair.
"That's probably a statement you could make around the league and they
try to get under your skin," said Recchi, who wouldn't be surprised if the
Canucks and Bruins met again in the Cup final. "They didn't bother us, but
they have great guys on that team that I have respect for in [Kevin], [Chris]
Higgins and [Manny] Malhotra. But there are guys you hate — absolutely —
and there are guys they hated on our team and possibly me."
As expected, Recchi's comments about perceived Canuck arrogance
weren't appreciated.
"The [Sedin] twins are so humble and you make not like playing against
Lapierre and Burrows, but they're not arrogant," said Bieksa. "I just don't get
it. Isn't he [Recchi] retired? Tell him to go play a round of golf or take a
nap."
Part of that retirement is keeping close tabs on the Bruins and Recchi likes
what he sees.
"They're a very mature group now that knows what it takes," he said.
"They've got great chemistry in the dressing room and they're faster and
might be even better than they were last year. Even though they got off to a
slow start (3-7-0), they were playing well but just not scoring. Once they got
that going, the floodgates opened. The run they've been on has been
incredible."
604997
Vancouver Canucks
Todd Bertuzzi drops lawsuit against Marc Crawford
Joe Yerdon
Jan 5, 2012, 11:30 AM EST
Todd Bertuzzi‘s case against Marc Crawford is no more as Bertuzzi has
dropped his third-party lawsuit against him reports David Shoalts of The
Globe And Mail. Moore’s case against Bertuzzi still stands and Moore is
seeking $38 million in damages thanks to his career being ended because
of that incident.
Bertuzzi alleged that he was acting on orders by Crawford to go after Moore
on the play that ultimately saw Bertuzzi break Moore’s neck and give him a
severe concussion. Crawford, of course, denied this allegation and took no
blame for what Bertuzzi did.
The whole case surrounding Moore, Bertuzzi, and that awful night in
Vancouver is a black mark against the sport considering how things went
down. The fact that it’s taken this long to progress this far is sad. Bertuzzi
has moved on since his suspension for that incident to continue his career
and keep playing for Florida, Anaheim, Detroit (twice) and Calgary. Moore
has not played again since the incident.
Moore’s case against Bertuzzi is finally set to take place in September if
Bertuzzi is still playing in the NHL. If not, they’ll go to trial in October.
604998
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks' Luongo playing at his best
By Jim Jamieson, The Province January 5, 2012
Roberto Luongo dismissed the notion it was a statement game, but it sure
looked like one.
Not that you'd necessarily choose a game against the death-spiralling
Minnesota Wild for that kind of emphasis, but given the Canucks next game
is against the Bruins in Boston against the team that defeated them in the
Stanley Cup final last spring, well, you get the idea.
RATE THE CANUCKS
The Canucks goaltender was brilliant, snuffing out any chance the Wild had
of getting into a game where they were mostly dominated. Still, there were
lapses – a handfull of odd-man rushes that could easily have turned into
goals against the run of the play. But on this night Luongo was in deep
denial and delivered a 3-0 win.
The scoresheet said he stopped 28 shots for his second shutout of the
season – which was his 29th as a Canuck and his 56th in the NHL. He's
also just one win behind Kirk McLean's franchise record 211.
Luongo played like he wants badly to play in Boston and make another
statement
“I wasn't playing to get the next start,” said Luongo. “I think tonight's game
was more important that Saturday's game.”
But he agreed with the obvious – he's at the top of his game.
“I feel I'm playing the way I want to play,” he said. “I'm energized, I'm
focused, I'm seeing the puck well and the team's playing well in front of me.
When you combine all that stuff, we're getting some good results.
“We had a great start with two early goals and tried to make those guys
play out of their comfort zone a little bit. Whatever chances they had I was
able to challenge and be sure the guys would take care of the back door.”
Head coach Alain Vigneault wouldn't bite when asked about the difficulty of
not playing Luongo in Boston, given how well he is playing at the moment.
Luongo, of course, had a nightmarish time in Boston during the Cup final,
where he was lit up by the Bruins in all three games. Vigneault said he'll tell
the goalies – Luongo and back up Cory Schneider – who starts on Friday.
Schneider said he thinks Luongo would relish the chance to play.
“If anything I think he's looking forward to it,” said Schneider of the chance
to play in Boston. “He wants to prove he's the goalie we've been seeing
lately and that people in Boston don't really know a whole lot about him.
“He's been playing like this for six weeks now,” Schneider added.“You could
see him getting more and more confident. He's kept us in some games that
we didn't deserve to be in. You go with your No. 1 guy and who's playing
the best. We'll probably find out tomorrow or Friday, but I'll be ready if the
situation arises but it's hard to argue with going with him.”
The numbers don't lie about Luongo's streak. In the 16 games since
Schneider started seven straight games, Luongo has started 14 and given
up just 24 goals.
Luongo was simply too good for the Wild and rubber stamped the shutout
with two big stops on Devin Setoguchi in the last five minutes.
Read more:
http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Canucks+Luongo+playing+best/595089
9/story.html#ixzz1ig9yfAop
604999
Vancouver Canucks
The Bruins know exactly how they beat the Canucks and they will come out
and try to carry on with what was successful last time – and that goes for
the after-the-whistle scrums also.
Five Keys to a Vancouver Canucks Win Over the Boston Bruins
Vancouver, if they are able, MUST match the physical intensity to be
successful, because they won’t win any fist-a-cuffs.
January 5, 2012. 2:17 pm • Section: COMMUNITY, Fan-Attic, Hockey,
Sports
Special Teams – This whole game plan of beating the opposition with the
power play when a team takes liberties with the Canucks only works IF the
power play is successful. Going into the Saturday game, the Canucks by
my count are 2 for their last 23 attempts. What’s that – a 9% success rate?
With Boston having the fifth best penalty-kill, this will be a huge mountain to
climb.
Canucks Reach the Top of the NorthWest DivisionPosted on Dec 27, 2011
The Canuck players can verbalize all they want about the non-importance
of the game against the Bruins in Boston this Saturday, but the reality is
that it’s another litmus test for this team. At the time of this writing the
Canucks are on top of the NHL standings with Boston two points behind
them. With the Bruins playing the Flames tonight, they may be tied with the
Canucks for first place by Saturday, so there’s a lot riding on the Saturday
game.
Here is what some of the Canucks had to say about the Boston game.
Kevin Bieksa said “I think it’s being blown out of proportion. For us, it’s just
another regular-season game. I think we need the two points more than
anything. We don’t have to prove anything to anybody. I think we just want
to go in there and win a hockey game. That’s all there is to it.”
Henrik Sedin said “When you play a team in the final, which I haven’t done
before, it’s special. It’s special, I think, when you don’t play them that much.
I mean, it’s going to be once this year. I think, in the end, it’s the two points
that matter so we’ll see what happens.”
Roberto Luongo on the other hand was probably voicing the correct
sentiment when he said “It’s a game we’ve been looking at for a while. I
think the boys are excited to play it. It’s going to be fun. Obviously we didn’t
end up where we wanted last year, but getting a chance to go at it again is
going to have a feel of the final from last year.”
This is going to be a game that does not have the importance of the final
one last season. The Canuck players can step over the line if they like,
because although it’s worth two points, it’s still a regular season game. If
they don’t feel like getting mugged by Brad Marchand, because the referees
won’t call it – they don’t have to.
With that being said, I feel that there are several keys for the Canucks to
prevail in if they are to win this game.
Goaltending – Tim Thomas is currently ranked number five against number
nine Roberto Luongo. Thomas was of course the Conn Smythe Trophy
winner and was a big part of the Bruins winning the Stanley Cup. On the
other hand, Luongo had a meltdown in Boston, but you already know about
that.
Very simply, Luongo will have to be better than Thomas for the Canucks to
have a starting chance, or else it’s game over. Luongo has been playing his
best hockey of the season during the Canucks recent run, and if he can
continue this trend he will give the Canucks a chance to win. Protecting his
goal crease will be a priority.
Defense – As you may remember, the Canucks D was pretty decimated by
the time the seventh game rolled around. Gone was Dan Hamhuis in the
first game, Andrew Alberts was playing on a bad knee, Alex Edler broken
fingers, Aaron Rome was out with a suspension, Christian Ehrhoff a bad
shoulder – like who wasn’t ready for the infirmary.
This time, except for Rome who is still recovering from a hand injury, all the
current D-men are relatively healthy. If they can stay that way during the
game, Luongo should receive help in keeping the Bruins from trampling him
in their dash to the net.
Physical play – It’s not a coincidence that the “Big Bad Bruins” are a fraction
behind Philadelphia, who leads the NHL in penalty minutes. With 15.9 PIM
per game, the Canucks will be facing a team that likes to intimidate their
opposition by playing on the edge and pushing it to the limit.
The Canucks will be hard pressed to match the physical play of Milan Lucic,
Nathan Horton, Shawn Thornton, Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara and Adam
McQuaid. There’s not one Canuck that can handle Chara, Lucic, Thornton
or McQuaid if they drop the gloves. Since it’s only a regular season game,
and if the game is not close, do you think the Bruins will care whether they
pick up more penalties?
So if the power-play does not come alive, just how is that going to stop the
Bruins from running the Canucks out of Boston?
Oh, by the way, did I mention the Bruins +60 to the Canucks +35 – in goals
for/against differential!
Officiating – This shouldn’t be a key to any hockey game but with these two
teams it always seems to be. Is this conspiracy against the Canucks that
has been floating around the internet more about the lack of respect that
the Canucks receive from the referees? Is this all about the Canucks that
refuse to fight because it’s not their way that is at the root of that
disrespect?
I sure hope not, but I don’t see the Detroit Red Wings receiving these types
of non-calls from the referees.
So the most anticipated game of the season will take place this Saturday
and the above five keys will play important roles in the Canucks leaving
Boston with a win and two points. This is one game that I will rise early for
to watch at 10:00 a.m Pacific time. Wouldn’t miss it for the world!
Ice Bits: Look for Mark Mancari to draw into the lineup in place of Andrew
Ebbet. With the Canucks so close to the salary cap, it will be interesting to
see if Byron Bitz, now with the Chicago Wolves, will be called up when he’s
ready. The Canucks definitely need his physical presence.
I wonder what Mason Raymond is thinking in returning to the place where
his career was just about ended? I can still see the check into the boards
where he folded up like a pretzel and broke his vertebrae.
If Milan Lucic roars down the boards again, will Dan Hamhuis shy away
from the hip check that ended his play-off season?
With a healthy Ryan Kesler, who I know will be pumped, and Cody
Hodgson, who did not play in game seven, the Canucks will have the centre
position matchups that they did not have last time.
This will be a game that the likes of Alex Burrows, Jannik Hansen, Chris
Higgins, Max Lapierre, Andrew Alberts and Kevin Bieksa, truly love to play.
Quote Credits – The Vancouver Sun and Province
To catch all the news, updates and new articles as they occur, you can
follow me at http://twitter.com/nucksiceman. For up to-date scoring for the
Chicago Wolves see The Wolves tab on the home page.
Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 01.06.2012
605000
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks don’t count on a Garden party in return to Boston
Bruins expected to employ same physical style that worked in Stanley Cup
final
"I think the referees, I hope, are going to call a penalty and we'll be on the
power play," Daniel said.
That rope-a-dope tactic didn't work in the Stanley Cup final, when the
Canucks went two-for-33 on the power play and allowed the Bruins to score
three shorthanded goals. The Canucks’ power play, ranked first in the
league again this season, is in the midst of another funk, having clicked on
only two of its last 23 opportunities.
By Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun January 5, 2012
"It would be a good game for us to turn it around, for sure," Daniel said
Thursday. "I think our power play last year, it wasn't that we played poorly.
Their goalie (Tim Thomas) was a big part of their PK. If we can find a way
to beat him, I think we'll have some success."
VANCOUVER — It's January, not June, and all that is on the line are two
points, not a Stanley Cup.
Because it worked so well last year and is a staple of their game, Sedin is
expecting another highly physical game from the Bruins.
As they headed to Boston on Thursday, the Vancouver Canucks did their
best to downplay the significance of Saturday's Stanley Cup rematch
against the Boston Bruins (10 a.m. face-off, Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040).
"I think that's the way they play. They have a big team and play physical, so
we have to be ready for that. Our power play needs to step up if they do
take liberties. That is going to be key for us."
They were singing from the same songsheet and coach Alain Vigneault was
the lead conductor.
Vigneault said he would not disclose his starting goalie until Friday. There
has been some speculation that given Luongo's struggles in Boston,
Schneider might get the start in his hometown. But that seems highly
unlikely, especially given Luongo's strong play of late.
"Well, you know, unless they have changed the rules and we go into Boston
and we win and they give us the Cup, it's another two points out of an 82game schedule," Vigneault said before he and the team boarded their
charter flight to Boston.
"It's a non-conference game. Obviously, we've got two really strong teams,
two teams that went to the Cup finals last year. But in an 82-game schedule
we're all trying to fight tooth and nail to get into the playoffs and it's two
points that are up for grabs. I understand and I can appreciate the hype
around the game. I get that. But for us, our group, and I think for Boston the
same thing, it's going to be about getting ready, getting focused and putting
our best game on the ice and trying to win and get the two points."
Even defenceman Kevin Bieksa, who is never shy about expressing his
opinion, was following the company line.
"It's another game to us," he said with a straight face. "It's obviously the
team we lost the Stanley Cup to, but it's still another two points that we
need. I don't think we need to put a whole lot more into that game other
than we need the win."
But really, for the Canucks, it is about more than the two points. The
Canucks can ill afford to go into Boston and get pushed around and beaten
as badly as they were last June.
The Bruins won the three games at the TD Garden by a combined score of
17-3, physically pounded the Canucks and twice chased Roberto Luongo
from the Vancouver goal. In the seven-game series, the Canucks scored
just eight goals. The Bruins had 23.
If Saturday's game — a 10 a.m. start in Vancouver — follows the same
script, the Canucks are certain to be dogged by questions about their ability
to ultimately succeed in the rough and tumble world of the playoffs.
Goalie Cory Schneider, a Boston native, was about the only Canuck who
seemed willing to acknowledge that this game does mean a little more than
than the rest of his teammates are willing to admit.
"It's a team that we all want to beat badly and I think we want to try and
prove that we are just as good as they are," Schneider said. "I am sure
there will be a lot of distractions. They are going to try and get us off our
game, the crowd will be all over us, a lot of factors, but we are a pretty
resilient team. We have been through a lot together and and I think we have
learned and matured and I don't think any of that stuff is going to faze us
and we'll just play hockey."
But will the Bruins just play hockey? The Bruins have in a way become a
modern day version of the Broad Street Bullies. They are the NHL's second
most-penalized team and only the New York Rangers (with 31) have more
than the 29 majors the Bruins have been assessed so far this season.
Intimidation is a big part of the Boston game and the Bruins have several
players — Shawn Thornton, Milan Lucic, Adam McQuaid and even Zdeno
Chara — who are happy to drop the gloves. And some who will punch you
with their gloves on, as Brad Marchand did to Daniel Sedin during a Game
6 scrum. Marchand using Daniel's head as a speed bag, and Daniel not
responding, is one of the enduring Images of that Stanley Cup final.
Daniel said Thursday if the same thing were to happen on Saturday, he'd
probably react the same way.
"I haven't spoken to my goaltenders yet," Vigneault said. "I am going to tell
them (Friday) who's playing. That's the way we have done it all year and
that's not going to change."
For his part, Luongo is not viewing Saturday's game as a chance for
redemption for him or the team.
"I don't think so," he said. "There's not much we can do. They won the Cup.
Whether we win or not is not going to change anything as far as what
happened last year. I think it's just a game the guys have been looking
forward to. We're excited to play."
605001
Vancouver Canucks
Daniel Wagner,
on January 5, 2012 -
I’ve been talking about Cody Hodgson a fair amount recently and for good
reason. The rookie centre has 7 points in his last 9 games while playing
limited minutes, is fifth in rookie scoring, and is on pace for 18 goals and 44
points. He’s on his way to what should be considered an incredibly
successful rookie year.
As we all know, of course, controversy surrounds Hodgson at all times and
the dark times have not passed. Instead of writing about how great
Hodgson is, I’ve had to write about how his icetime is comparable to the
rookie year’s of other Canucks’ stars (which Alain Vigneault read,
apparently) and speculate on who the source of the complaints about his
icetime might be.
Despite my best efforts, Tony Gallagher isn’t done talking about Hodgson’s
icetime. He has now switched gears to complaining that Hodgson’s lack of
icetime somehow hurts Ryan Kesler. Apparently Kesler is receiving far too
much icetime, which will obviously cause his body to melt away like Major
Toht once the playoffs come around. Never mind that Kesler’s playing fewer
than 20 minutes a game and is currently 30th in icetime amongst forwards;
his current pace is apparently going to wear him out.
Sigh.
It seems to me that “Silent G” is in the perfect situation for a rookie looking
to become an NHL superstar. Unlike the four players ahead of him in the
rookie scoring race, who play on teams with limited forward depth, Hodgson
gets a chance to come along slowly on a top-tier team, learning under some
of the best centres in the NHL.
Yes, I said some rather than two. Hodgson is in the unique position of being
mentored in his position by four different centres during his rookie year,
each of which epitomizes their respective roles. The rookie has long been
pegged as a complete player: he has the vision and soft hands to be an
excellent playmaker, the accuracy to be a sniper, the defensive awareness
to be a two-way forward, and the battle level and willingness to go to the net
to be a quasi-power forward.
Henrik Sedin is the best playmaker in the NHL, coming off two straight
seasons of leading the league in assists and currently leading the league,
and is the ideal mentor to teach Hodgson how to be a strong, quiet leader.
He is the epitome of a finesse player using his vision, intelligence, and
hockey sense to make his linemates better.
Ryan Kesler is a Selke-winning power forward who excels at both ends of
the ice. He uses his speed and strength to transition quickly from defence to
offense and is willing to sacrifice his body to get to the front of the net. He
has an emotional and passionate style of leadership and a style of play that
I’m sure Canucks fans would love to see rub off on Hodgson. He is the
epitome of the two-way forward who also boasts a lethal wristshot, though
he has struggled to use it effectively this season.
Manny Malhotra, on the other hand, has little to no interest in the offensive
zone. He is the ultimate team player, recognizing that it is better for the
team for him to focus on the defensive side of the puck and that sometimes
the best thing for him to do is to go out, win the faceoff, clear the zone, and
go back to the bench. He is the epitome of a team-first, selfless leader and
he is one of the best defensive forwards in the league.
Finally, there is Maxim Lapierre, who makes up for his lack of top-end skill
with pure effort. He’s also not afraid to throw the body, leading the Canucks
in hits with 119, good for 8th in the league. But what Lapierre is most known
for is being a pain-in-the-neck. He is the epitome of the agitator, who uses
checks, chippiness, and chirping to get opponents off their game.
That’s not even mentioning what each of them do on special teams, as
Henrik and Kesler are fantastic powerplay performers, while Kesler,
Malhotra, and Lapierre are superb on the penalty kill. While Hodgson gets
time on the second unit powerplay with the Canucks, he was a key penalty
killer for the Brampton Battalion, so that is another area where he can
develop at the NHL level. Kesler and Malhotra are also two of the best in
the NHL when it comes to faceoffs, an element of Hodgson’s game that
needs improvement.
Hodgson has something to learn from all four centres, who each play very
different styles. As their protégé, he can synthesize each style into his own
game to become a true all-around forward. Back in 2009, he was voted by
OHL coaches as the league’s smartest player, hardest worker, best penalty
killer, best on faceoffs, and second hardest shot. That sounds like a
combination of Henrik, Lapierre, Kesler, and Malhotra (with a pinch of Sami
Salo) to me.
With proper development and mentorship, Hodgson could become the
Canucks’ version of Captain Planet, though hopefully without the green
mullet.
605002
Vancouver Canucks
I Watched This Game: Canucks vs Minnesota Wild, January 4, 2012
Harrison Mooney,
on January 5, 2012 -
Before we go any further, let us all observe a moment of silence in honour
of the Minnesota Wild. (No, not because they lost Wedesday night — that
would be silly. As a Northwest Division rival, there should be a celebration
any time the Wild lose.) This moment of silence is because, speaking of
Northwest Division rivals, the next time the Wild come to town, they won’t
be one. This was Minnesota’s last scheduled visit to Vancouver this
season. Next year, with realignment kicking in, they’re not in the Canucks’
conference. It’s a cause for celebration.
But first, as I said, a moment of silence. It’s a fitting tribute when you think
about it. A moment of silence is an awkward span of time in which nothing
at all happens, not unlike a game versus the Minnesota Wild. And I should
know. I watched this game.
Canucks 3 – 0 Wild
One person who might be bummed out with fewer visits from the Minnesota
Wild: Roberto Luongo. He’s struggled against them in the past, but he’s on
something of a roll now. In his 700th career game, Luongo stopped all 28
shots he faced to record his second consecutive shutout versus the Wild.
It’s funny, because I distinctly recall Wild beat reporter Michael Russo
tweeting that he shrieked “Really??!!” when Luongo told him he was starting
the last game. Luongo hasn’t let in a Wild goal since. This is good news: if
being unfairly mocked by members of the press makes Luongo play better,
he’s going to play very, very well in the playoffs.
The Canucks’ first goal is a bit of a lucky one, as the puck appears to
deflect in off Pierre Marc-Bouchard’s leg, but it’s also the result of some
quick thinking by Daniel Sedin. After he gains the zone and stops up,
drawing two Wild defenders to him, he makes a quick pass to Henrik, who
takes the puck about four feet ahead, stops up, and gives the puck back.
The Wild defenders get completely crossed up by this and wind up simply
skating into the middle of the ice and forming a single-file line. It’s weird. As
a result, a massive shooting lane opens up with only Alex Burrows standing
between Daniel and Josh Harding, so Daniel seizes the moment and wires
the puck like it’s Kanye West’s jaw.
Speaking of opening up lanes, let’s be sure to give Alex Burrows credit for
his work on the 3-on-2 that led to his goal. Henrik Sedin’s saucer pass is a
thing of beauty that completely ruins the Wild’s defensive formation, but
there’s no passing lane until Burrows backs both defenders up by going
hard to the net (so hard he winds up in it). The player to watch here is poor
Nate Prosser, the defender on the near side of the ice. He might have been
able to take a swat at Henrik’s waist-high pass, but gets his stick on the
wrong side of Burrows, and has to lift it all the way up over his head to turn
towards Daniel. By the time he brings it back down, the puck is past him
and it (and Burrows) are in the net.
Minnesota fans will swear up and down that they’re doing just fine with a
top pairing of Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella, but their team is really
missing a shutdown defenseman and the Sedins have been picking them
apart in the season series as a result. After the Canucks’ second goal, Jeff
Paterson pointed out that Daniel Sedin’s been in on 8 of 10 goals the
Canucks have scored versus the Wild this season.
For the record, if Nick Johnson had skated hard on the Canucks’ second
goal, that play would have been a 3-on-3, not a 3-on-2. Instead, he cruised
towards Henrik Sedin, let Alex Burrows blow by him, and wound up
watching from a distance as the Canucks scored the goal. Not long after, he
tried to make up for this gaffe by challenging Dale Weise to a scrap, but
Weise declined. This was the right thing to do. At that point, the Canucks
had a two-goal lead and all the momentum, and risking the loss of some or
all of it in a fight (which Weise would probably have lost) would have been
foolish. Of course, Weise actually declined the fight because it’s hard to
tweet with achy knuckles.
Mason Raymond took a tripping penalty in the first after getting his stick into
the legs of Devin Setoguchi. Then, to make matters worse, Setoguchi’s
skate caught Raymond in the face as he fell. It was rough. By the end of the
season, he’s going to have more facial scars than Jonah Hex. Needless to
say, Raymond was particularly testy after this incident. Clearly, living in a
world that constantly erodes his outer beauty is beginning to toy with him
inwardly. In short, he’s become the NHL’s Dorian Gray.
Speaking of Devin Setoguchi, I thought he was fantastic. It was his first
game back from an ankle injury but he looked dangerous all night. He had a
team-high five shots, most of them on quality chances. Were it not for
Roberto Luongo’s strong play, Setoguchi could have had two or three
points. Instead, he was pointless, like the movie Skyline.
I really liked Andrew Alberts’ work on the penalty kill, especially one
particular play where Matt Cullen gained the zone, and Alberts simply
stepped into him along the wall. He didn’t crush Cullen; he just knocked him
off the puck. Then, he turned around, collected the puck, and fired it down
the ice.
Burrows very nearly scored another goal after Josh Harding stopped him on
a 2-on-1 down low and the puck jumped into the air. In a split-second, he
did what he often does, snatching it from the air, putting it down and trying
to swat it in. Unfortunately, Harding stopped that too. But seriously, all
Burrows does is catch and shoot. No one give him a fishing license.
As a southpaw, I take offense to John Garrett calling Josh Harding “Wronghanded.” I never knew he was such a handist. I’m gonna write a nasty, lefthanded letter.
Full credit to the officials this evening, as they ran into injury trouble and
made some nifty adjustments to cover. After linesman Thor Nelson left the
game with a cut, one of the referees converted to a linesman and the team
officiated the rest of the game with only one referee. This was impressive.
It’s also impressive that there’s a guy named Thor working as an NHL
official and he hasn’t mistaken Zdeno Chara for a frost giant yet.
The Canucks struggled in the faceoff circle versus the Wild. Ryan Kesler
went 5-for-14, Henrik went 6-for-17, and Cody Hodgson went an abysmal 1for-7. Luckily, Manny Malhotra was on his game as usual, winning 12-of-19
overall and 10-of-15 in the defensive zone. Four of his defensive zone
draws came against Mikko Koivu, who didn’t beat the Canuck centre once
inside the Vancouver blueline. Another led to the empty-net goal.
And finally, another result of Malhotra’s faceoff prowess: the fourth line had
the puck a lot Wednesday night. Maxim Lapierre had a game-high 6 shots,
and the line generated 9 in total throughout the game. It was the best fourth
line since Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
605003
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks feel 'a step ahead'
By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun columnist January 5, 2012
VANCOUVER — Halfway through their playoff preamble, the Vancouver
Canucks are seven points behind where they were a year ago and have
never felt better.
“I think we're better than last year just from going through the experience
we did,” goalie Roberto Luongo said Wednesday morning. “We feel we're a
step ahead.”
Then he shut out the Minnesota Wild 3-0 as the Canucks made the turn in
their 82-game National Hockey League schedule at 25-13-3.
A year ago, the Canucks reached reached halfway at 27-8-6 and when
Henrik Sedin was asked then if there was anything at all he didn't like about
the first half, the captain thought for a moment and said: “Eight losses.”
It included the best quarter in franchise history, a 17-1-3 rocket ride to the
top of the overall standings that set a blistering 120-point pace Vancouver
couldn't possibly maintain.
To no one's surprise, it was all downhill in the second half: 57 points from a
27-11-3 record.
So far this season, the Canucks have 53 points – a converted touchdown
behind last year.
But the Canucks in October were considerably poorer than a year earlier.
The technical term was “discombobulated.”
The Stanley Cup hangover, quick turnaround, a handful of players returning
from major injuries, new players and a goalie who had trouble stopping the
puck created a perfect storm of trouble.
In hindsight, Vancouver was probably lucky not to be worse than 5-5-1 after
Halloween. The Canucks' play improved before their results did and since
reaching their annual nadir with a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on
Nov. 16 – the low point was two goals better and four days earlier than last
year against the Hawks – Vancouver has gone 16-4-2.
They've got David Booth instead of Mikael Samuelsson, a rookie Cody
Hodgson, an emerging Jannik Hansen, a rebuilt Ryan Kesler and
reinvigorated Luongo. Daniel and Henrik Sedin have been brilliant as
always and will probably win an Art Ross or Hart Trophy again this season.
What they'd really like is the Conn Smythe, which generally only comes with
a Stanley Cup.
And that's the long, lingering, unanswerable-for-now question: Will the
Canucks be better at playoff time after getting stuck at 15 post-season wins
last spring?
Oh, if you haven't heard, the Canucks-Bruins Stanley Cup final rematch is
Saturday in Boston.
The Bruins pistol-whipped the New Jersey Devils 6-1 Wednesday and right
now are the best team in the NHL by daylight, no matter what the standings
say.
No team in a decade has intimidated like the Bruins. Boston has a
menacing brawn to match their mighty skill, and the Garden the outlaw feel
of a cock-fighting ring some nights. Just don't make eye contact.
Are the Canucks afraid? Hell, no. But the game is still two days away.
Vancouver didn't exactly load up on toughness in the off-season because
their summer followed the 117 points and Presidents' Trophy and Western
Conference title and one win from the Stanley Cup.
“I definitely feel we can be an even better team,” Kesler said. “The
experience of playoffs, that's not like a skill you can teach. It's something
you have to go through. I think that's probably a big reason why this team
maybe is better than last year.”
Kesler added that the team, given the challenges it faced at the start of the
season, is ahead of where he expected it to be.
“We've got the same feeling in the room that we had last year,” Henrik said
after the game. “We're a confident group and know we're going to be in
most games if we play our way and that's a good feeling to have. I think
we've been there; we have the experience. That's something we really can
build on.”
Winger Chris Higgins, who parachuted into Vancouver at the trade deadline
last season, said he has never been on a team as driven as this one.
“It just seems like this team is used to winning,” he said. “They're never
satisfied with their game, even if when they win. It's something you just feel
in the locker room, especially after games. Even when we've played well
and won, guys still continue to work. It's pretty impressive.”
So were the Canucks on Wednesday.
Despite the risky thrill of looking past the Wild to Saturday's potential gameof-the-season, Vancouver demonstrated why it is so good.
The Canucks showed their experience at winning – their ability to exploit
what teams give them, building leads with their skilled offence, then
protecting them with their relentless systems play. They don't beat
themselves.
Vancouver is 19-0-0 when leading after two periods. Untouchable, a sure
thing.
Barring injury, there is no reason to think this won't continue through the
rest of the regular season.
“The first 15, 20 games were tough,” Danny Sedin said. “The last 20
games, we've played like we can. It's still early for us. Our goal is to make
the playoffs, and that's where it starts.
“But we're playing right now like we need to play in the playoffs. That's
going to be our focus the last 41 games – to really get ready for those
games.”
Saturday is a start to more than the second half of the schedule.
605004
Vancouver Canucks
Game Within Game: Bobby Lou, looking good again
By ELLIOTT PAP, VANCOUVER SUN January 5, 2012
THREE STARS
1. Roberto Luongo, Canucks. Bobby Lou looking good again, stopped 28
shots for second goose-egg of season.
2. Daniel Sedin, Canucks. One goal (the winner), one lovely assist, five
shots, plus-2.
3. Josh Harding, Wild. Minny backstop kept his team in it, made 32 saves.
PIVOTAL POINT(s) – In an unusual move, we're awarding two, both
coming in the third period when the Canucks had to kill penalties to Henrik
Sedin and Cody Hodgson five minutes apart. Both penalties came in the
offensive zone but the kill guys were up to the challenge and didn't let
Minny back into the game.
By THE NUMBERS – The Canucks scored first for the 27th time in 41
games. They are 21-5-1 when netting the opening goal... The Canucks
maintained their perfect record when leading after two period as they
moved to 19-0-0... The Canuck power play was 0-for-2 and is now 2-for-itslast-23... Canuck defenceman Keith Ballard is on track to play in his 500th
regular-season game Monday in Florida, one of his three stops in the
league...Kevin Bieksa's points streak ended at seven games.
DID YOU NOTICE? When Canuck defenceman Alex Edler blew a tire at the
offensive blueline midway through the second period, his partner Sami Salo
played the ensuing 2-on-1 perfectly, denying a potential pass from Devin
Setoguchi to Dany Heatley. This enabled Luongo to focus solely on
Setoguchi and he was able to make the save.
NO BYNG FOR YOU! – Cody Hodgson picked up just his second minor
penalty of the season when he was called for hooking Wild centre Warren
Peters. His other penalty came Nov. 10 in Los Angeles for interference.
IN THE HOUSE – Lightning GM Steve Yzerman and Blues' counterpart
Doug Armstrong were seated next to each in the Rogers Arena press box
and, just in case reporters got unruly, Oiler scout (and former Wayne
Gretzky bodyguard) Dave Semenko was sitting two to the left of Steve Y.
The Canucks play in Tampa on Tuesday and in St. Louis on Thursday.
MAN IN MOTION – Wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen received a nice
ovation when he came out to drop the puck for the ceremonial opening
faceoff. Hansen, who was wearing a No. 25 Canuck jersey, is celebrating
the 25th anniversary of his Man In Motion tour. (If he celebrates the 36th
anniversary of the tour in 11 years time, the Canucks won't have to make
up a special jersey. They can just give him Jannik Hansen's.)
605005
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks, Luongo shut out Wild
"Obviously it was a real good start," added Vigneault. "We had talked, prior
to the game, and the players had talked between themselves, about the
importance of this game, a divisional game against a team that is right there
pushing hard.
By Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun January 5, 2012
"So we knew we had to come out well and we did. Hank's line created
some real good scoring chances, we got off to a two-goal lead and that's
basically all we needed because our goaltender was on top of his game.”
game to record his 57th career shutout Wednesday night and help move
the Vancouver Canucks to the top of the National Hockey League
standings.
For the second time in just over two weeks, Luongo stopped everything the
Minnesota Wild fired his way as he backstopped the Canucks to a 3-0 win
at Rogers Arena.
The win, which improved the Canucks' record to 25-13-3, gives Vancouver
53 points. That's one more than the New York Rangers and Chicago
Blackhawks, who both have multiple games in hand.
So the Canucks might want to enjoy the view from the top while they can.
However, the Canucks, who hit the halfway mark their schedule
Wednesday night, seem well on their way to a fourth straight Northwest
Division title.
After spending the first couple months of the season chasing Minnesota,
the Wild are now in the Canucks' rear-view mirror. Wednesday night's win
increased Vancouver's lead atop the Northwest Division to five points.
Luongo made 28 saves to record the shutout. He turned aside all 33
Minnesota shots in a 4-0 win Dec. 19 at Rogers Arena.
The only bad news is the Wild don't visit Rogers Arena again this season.
"They come here any more?" a smiling Luongo said of the Wild after the
game. "No, now they're done? I'm out of luck, I guess."
"I feel a little bit old thinking about 700 games," he added. "It was a nice
milestone to get, but I think the win is what is even sweeter."
Coach Alain Vigneault would not disclose who will start in goal in Saturday's
big game against the Boston Bruins, but it seems almost certain that
Luongo will get the call against the Stanley Cup champs.
"I wasn't playing to get the next start," Luongo said. "I thought tonight's
game was more important than Saturday's game. Like I said, they're
division rivals and they are right behind us in the standings."
Luongo didn't want to talk about the Boston game, but defenceman Keith
Ballard was happy to offer his feelings about what many are calling the
game of the year.
"Obviously, with how it ended last year it is a big game for us," Ballard said.
"But it's one game in the middle of the season. We are not going to feel
better about last season by beating Boston once in January. . .It will be
emotional, it will be a physical game, it will be a hard-fought game, but
when it's over, it's over.
"We played them for seven real hard games last year. They don't like us,
we don't like them. Both teams are doing really well again this year. It's two
teams near the top of the NHL trying to prove themselves against one
another."
The Sedins helped kickstart Wednesday night's win as their line combined
for two early goals.
Henrik fed Daniel a backhand pass and from above the left faceoff circle
Daniel rattled a shot off the far post and past Minnesota Josh Harding at
6:42 of the first. The goal was Daniel's 18th of the season.
Less than four minutes later, Henrik delivered another backhand pass to
Daniel, who in turn slid a pass through the legs of Minnesota defenceman
Nate Prosser to a charging Alex Burrows. Both Burrows and the puck
ended up in the net as the Canuck winger potted his 15th of the season.
"Well, we were able to score twice and that was huge for us," said Henrik
Sedin, who now leads the NHL scoring race with 48 points. "Especially
against this team, they play really good defence and even after we were up
2-0 they didn't give up a whole lot."
Like they did against San Jose on Monday night, the Canucks sagged in
the second and the Wild had the better of the period. It didn't matter.
Luongo stopped all 10 shots he faced in the second.
His biggest stop came early in the period when made a glove save off Cal
Clutterbuck on a Wild power play. Later, Luongo stopped Devin Setoguchi
off the rush after an Alex Edler turnover at his own blue line.
Luongo robbed Setoguchi twice in the slot late in the third period to
preserve his shutout.
Manny Malhotra iced the game with an empty-net goal with 29 seconds
remaining in the third period.
The loss was the Wild's 10th in the last 11 games. And Minnesota, now 2114-6, has only scored 16 goals in those 11 games.
ICE CHIPS: The Canucks are now 19-0-0 this season when leading after
two periods. . .Luongo now has 210 wins as a Canucks and is just one shy
of matching Kirk McLean's franchise record. . .The Canucks leave late this
morning for Boston, where they begin a four-game road trip Saturday
morning (10 a.m. PST) against the Bruins. . .The Canucks' next home game
is not until Jan. 15, when the Anaheim Ducks pay a visit.
605006
Vancouver Canucks
Recchi should have bit his tongue but bitterness of Stanley Cup final battle
lingers
BOSTON — He won’t be playing, but it’s hard to forget what Mark Recchi
was saying about the Vancouver Canucks once the Kamloops native finally
hung up his NHL skates for good.
Nearly two months before Saturday’s highly-anticipated clash here, the
retired Boston Bruins winger gave the Presidents’ Trophy winners a wicked
two-handed parting shot (audio at this link). It was a verbal barrage that
went viral and has only amped up the mutual dislike.
“Twenty-two years, they are the most arrogant team I played against and
the most hated team I’ve ever played against,” the veteran of 1,652 regularseason and 189 playoff games told a Boston radio station on Nov. 17. “I
couldn’t believe their antics, their falling and diving. It was very frustrating,
but as the series wore on, we knew our physical play and skating caught
them off guard.”
Reached at his Pittsburgh home on Thursday, Recchi admitted he could
have chosen his words better but the bitterness of that final series still rings
through. Did the Canucks really rub the three-time Stanley Cup champion
the wrong way?
“They did,” said Recchi. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything and I wish
I wouldn’t have, but that’s what happened and that’s how the series was.
People know I love B.C. and Vancouver and it was an unbelievable series
but there was a lot of dislike on both sides. And it wouldn’t have been a
Stanley Cup final if there wasn’t that much dislike — we really didn’t like
each other. There was a lot of passion and fire. We had a tough time in the
Tampa series because we couldn’t find people to dislike.”
Pressed on his comment, the 43-year-old Recchi sounded like a lot of
people surrounding the game. For whatever reason, there seems to be a
league-wide notion — much of it generated by the media — that the
Canucks are a ruthless band of thugs who whine and complain to the
referees and will do anything to get the opposition off its game.
“It was exactly that,” added Recchi, who amassed 1,533 regular-season
and 147 playoff points while playing for seven NHL teams. “They were a
confident group and they handled themselves that way on the ice and we
thrived on it because we didn’t like them because of that. It gave us that
little extra motivation.”
Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows and Maxim Lapierre are usually grouped into a
most-wanted poster, but Recchi said he had much admiration for the
“professionalism” that Kesler displayed in the in final despite battling a hip
injury that would require offseason surgery. He didn’t name Burrows or
Lapierre, but he didn’t have to.
“That’s probably a statement you could make around the league and they
try to get under your skin,” said Recchi, who wouldn’t be surprised if the
Canucks and Bruins met again in the Cup final. “They didn’t bother us, but
they have great guys on that team that I have respect for in [Kevin Bieksa],
[Chris] Higgins and [Manny] Malhotra. But there are guys you hate —
absolutely — and there are guys they hated on our team and possibly me.”
As expected, Recchi’s comments about perceived Canuck arrogance
weren’t appreciated.
“The [Sedin] twins are so humble and you may not like playing against
Lapierre and Burrows, but they’re not arrogant,” said Bieksa. “I just don’t get
it. Isn’t he [Recchi] retired? Tell him to go play a round of golf or take a
nap.”
Part of that retirement is keeping close tabs on the Bruins. Recchi likes
what he sees.
“They’re a very mature group now that knows what it takes,” he said.
“They’ve got great chemistry in the dressing room and they’re faster and
might be even a better team than they were last year. Win or lose you can’t
replace the experience, it’s invaluable. Even though they got off to a slow
start (3-7-0), they were playing well but just not scoring. Once they got that
going, the floodgates opened. The run they’ve been on has been
incredible.”
605007
Washington Capitals
Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom returns to practice, 2 days after elbow to
head
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, January 5, 2:38 PM
ARLINGTON, Va. — Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom is
practicing again, two days after taking an elbow to the head.
Backstrom took part in the Capitals’ full workout Thursday before departing
with the team for a West Coast road trip. Washington plays at San Jose on
Saturday.
Backstrom was elbowed by Rene Bourque in the third period of the
Capitals’ 3-1 win over Calgary on Tuesday. Bourque has been suspended
five games by the NHL for the hit.
Backstrom underwent tests to determine if he suffered a concussion. He
said he felt fine after practice, and coach Dale Hunter said the 24-year-old
forward is doing better than expected.
Backstrom has a team-high 42 points for the Capitals this season.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Washington Post LOADED: 01.06.2012
605008
Washington Capitals
Nicklas Backstrom: ‘I felt pretty good out there’
By Katie Carrera
Nicklas Backstrom was back on the ice Thursday morning for Capitals
practice and participated in every drill, zipping around the ice with no
apparent hesitation less than 48 hours after he was elbowed in the jaw.
The 24-year-old center will join the team this afternoon as it departs for a
five-day, two-game road trip to San Jose and Los Angeles and by all
indications Backstrom is doing well.
“I’m doing all the steps that has to be made before I can play. I felt pretty
good out there,” Backstrom said. “You’ve got to push yourself to know
exactly where you are but I had the history of migraines before too, it’s kind
of hard to tell. Whatever it is, it seems to be fine.”
Backstrom underwent concussion testing on Wednesday but the results
were inconclusive. That Backstrom took part in the entire workout and felt
good throughout and has been cleared to travel with the team are all
positive signs that he may have avoided serious injury.
“By practicing and doing the whole practice with his line,” Coach Dale
Hunter said, “yeah, it’s better than we thought, which is good for us.”
That said, the Capitals will continue to play it safe with Backstrom’s health,
evaluating and monitoring his progress before determining whether he will
play on Saturday night against the Sharks.
Backstrom, who is Washington’s leading scorer (42 points) and most
consistent player this year, said he knew Calgary’s Rene Bourque was near
him in the neutral zone when he passed the puck to Mike Knuble. But that
he didn’t think Bourque, who received a five-game suspension for the
elbow, would hit him.
“I felt all right after the hit and then a couple minutes later, then it was really
bad and I had to leave the game but that happens,” said Backstrom, who
added that his “whole head” hurt and that the symptoms were similar to
those he experienced with the migraine headaches he has dealt with in the
past.
“Yeah, pretty much the same symptoms [as the migraines], stuff like that,”
Backstrom said. “But for being on the safe side we’re doing all the tests.
We’ve just got to make sure it’s 100 percent.”
— Alexander Semin skated for a second consecutive day and will make the
trip to California. Semin, who missed Tuesday’s game with neck pain, is
listed as day to day by the team.
605009
Washington Capitals
Updated: Looks like Karl Alzner lost a bet...
By Katie Carrera
The nature of the bet between Alex Ovechkin and Karl Alzner was simple.
“If Canada win, I’ll practice with a Canadian jersey,” Ovechkin explained,
“And if Russia win he’s going to skate with the Russia jersey – it was pretty
money.”
As everyone well knows by now, Russia defeated Canada, 6-5, in an
electrifying game Tuesday in the world junior championship semifinals,
which meant there was a Russia jersey waiting in Alzner’s stall at KCI for
practice.
Canada nearly completed a comeback in the contest before ultimately
losing, and it didn’t make for a relaxing viewing experience.
“I was so upset when it all went down, not necessarily because of the
tournament and because Canada wasn’t going to wear gold but I had to
wear that jersey — that’s something that I would never normally do,” Alzner
said. “I was standing up for pretty much half of that third period, in a
restaurant, watching that game, just walking around pacing.”
Much to the dismay of Alzner, a former captain of the Canadian junior team,
he wasn’t going to get away with wearing the jersey for only a few minutes.
“The coaches didn’t really help me out at all,” Alzner said. “I asked I could
just wear it for the first couple drills and they said, ‘Hey, whatever the bet is,
you have to do it.’ It sucked.”
Said Ovechkin: “Too bad not lots of people were there today. I’m glad they
won, I don’t want to wear the Canadian jersey. It was good.”
Russia faces Sweden tonight at 8 p.m. (NHLN), so don’t be surprised if
Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson are involved in another round of
betting. Canada plays Finland at 3:30 p.m. for the bronze.
By Katie Carrera | 12:23 PM ET, 01/05/2012
605010
Washington Capitals
Nicklas Backstrom taking part in Capitals’ practice
By Katie Carrera
Two days after he absorbed an elbow to his jaw, Nicklas Backstrom is on
the ice at KCI taking part in the Capitals’ practice before the team travels to
California Thursday afternoon.
Backstrom, who was elbowed by Calgary’s Rene Bourque on Tuesday, is
wearing a gray jersey and participating fully in the workout. The 24-year-old
Swede is joking with his teammates and working his way through drills and
skating with power all with no apparent limitation.
The presence of Backstrom, who has a history of migraine headaches, on
the ice for practice appears to be a positive sign for the center’s health.
On Wednesday, Backstrom underwent concussion testing but the results
were inconclusive according to since-deleted tweets by his brother
Kristoffer.
— Alexander Semin, who missed Tuesday’s game with neck pain, is taking
part in practice for a second consecutive day. The Russian winger is
working through practice as part of a four-man fourth line, though.
Here are the lines Washington’s using in practice:
Ovechkin-Laich-Brouwer
Johansson-Backstrom-Knuble
Chimera-Halpern-Ward
Hendricks-Perreault-Beagle-Semin
605011
Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin still learning ropes as Capitals’ captain
By Stephen Whyno
The Washington Times
Upon changing coaches in late November, general manager George
McPhee was asked whether the Washington Capitals would also have a
new captain.
"That's not going to happen," he said. There was to be no debate.
Alex Ovechkin is the guy with the "C" on his chest, an honor given to him
two years ago Thursday that only cemented his status as the face of the
franchise.
Whether it was the right choice at the time and whether Ovechkin fits the bill
as the ideal captain will be argued ad nauseum, probably until the Caps win
a Stanley Cup.
But as NBC broadcaster Mike Emrick pointed out, the only people who can
correctly judge a captain's qualities are the players. And though Ovechkin's
teammates concede he still has work to do in the leadership department,
they see his captaincy as valuable in many other ways.
"He leaves every ounce of energy that he has on the ice and works very
hard at it, and he wants to be the best and he wants to win," forward Matt
Hendricks said. "If you don't follow that, you've got something wrong with
you."
The Capitals don't rely on Ovechkin to be one of the great leaders of all
time, such as Mark Messier. They don't need him to be inspirational in
practice or in the locker room a la Phoenix's Shane Doan or Chicago's
Jonathan Toews.
"I'd say he leads by using all his energy, and he scores huge goals for us
and he's one of those young guys that's got that fire burning, which is good
for everybody to see," defenseman Karl Alzner said. "You just see he's an
emotional captain; he likes to bring a lot of emotion to the game, and that's
what you need."
In a locker room full of veterans unafraid to speak up, from Brooks Laich
and Troy Brouwer to Hendricks and Mike Knuble, Ovechkin still is adjusting
to the role.
"In some aspects, he's really good and other aspects he's got some
learning to do," Brouwer said.
Ovechkin is not afraid to admit that. And he knows where to turn when
things go wrong.
"Sometimes I make mistakes, and most of the time I make mistakes and I
know exactly what I have to do differently next time," said Ovechkin, who
has 17 goals including five in his past three games. "Knubs, too, helps me a
lot. He's the kind of guy who I'm talking to him and I listen to him most of the
time in the locker room what he says. It's still a learning process."
Ovechkin is far from alone in that department, with young captains filling the
NHL now. Sidney Crosby and Toews already have Cup rings a few years
into their captaincies, while others in this younger generation such as the
New York Rangers' Ryan Callahan and Toronto's Dion Phaneuf are
growing into the place Ovechkin is in now.
"I think some of the players that they're giving it to, they're such incredible
players and it just seems like it's going to the best player," said Doan, who
has been the Coyotes' captain since 2003. "Sometimes it might be tougher
actually being the leader, because at times there's an older guy and it's
harder for a younger guy's personality to come out and for people to feel
confident enough to be who they really are on their own."
Not a problem for Ovechkin, who understands he's not the most vocal guy
in the room. He likely never will be. But at 26 years old and two years into
this, he has grown up substantially, according to veteran teammates.
"My take on him before probably was that he was a goofy big kid. Now
there's a little more element of seriousness to him," Knuble said. "Part of it's
probably getting older and part of it's probably the weight of wearing the 'C'
every night and realizing that."
The transition from best player and one of the faces of the league to Caps
locker room leader, however, is far from complete. Knuble's first captain in
the NHL was Steve Yzerman, a player whose strength was working the
room and making teammates feel "involved" thanks to personal
connections.
Imparting that kind of knowledge about when Ovechkin needs to talk is part
of Knuble's role off the ice.
"You just got to be able to relate to each guy in one way. And go bounce
from guy to guy and have something to talk to them about," Knuble said.
"You don't have to be best friends with everybody, but it helps to really
make contact with guys.
"It's not something that you have to force. Just be chatty and talk to guys
about stuff, have something to relate to with each guy."
Former captains fill the Caps' roster, from Jeff Halpern in the NHL to Alzner
and Marcus Johansson, who did so at the world junior championships.
Then, of course, there's coach Dale Hunter, who wore the "C" in
Washington.
"We're two different players, so you can't really compare us," Hunter said.
"Alex, he comes out here and he plays hard, takes the body and scores
goals. You can't ask for any more than that."
Although there's not really a language barrier, Alzner and Knuble pointed
out that it is difficult sometimes for Ovechkin to verbalize everything he
wants to get across.
But Hunter doesn't necessarily think a captain necessarily has to be vocal.
"It's not always talk, talk, talk," he said. "It's what you say. I think that's the
most important thing."
And, for Ovechkin, it's what he says with his game. It's no coincidence that
the Caps' four-game winning streak has included a run of multipoint games
from him.
That's how everyone wants Ovechkin the captain to be measured.
"We don't need him to be the lead guy in the room. We want him to be the
lead guy on the ice," Knuble said. "I don't think that will ever change in his
career."
NOTE: Nicklas Backstrom (head) skated Thursday and reported feeling
"pretty good." He made the trip to California with the Caps, though there
was no official decision yet as to whether he'd play Saturday night at San
Jose. Backstrom underwent concussion testing Wednesday after taking an
elbow to the head from Calgary forward Rene Bourque, who was
suspended five games by the NHL.
605012
Washington Capitals
Capitals’ center Backstrom returns to practice
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Associated Press
ARLINGTON, VA. (AP) - Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom is
practicing again, two days after taking an elbow to the head.
Backstrom took part in the Capitals‘ full workout Thursday before departing
with the team for a West Coast road trip. Washington plays at San Jose on
Saturday.
Backstrom was elbowed by Rene Bourque in the third period of the
Capitals‘ 3-1 win over Calgary on Tuesday. Bourque has been suspended
five games by the NHL for the hit.
Backstrom underwent tests to determine if he suffered a concussion. He
said he felt fine after practice, and coach Dale Hunter said the 24-year-old
forward is doing better than expected.
Backstrom has a team-high 42 points for the Capitals this season.
Washington Times LOADED: 01.06.2012
605013
Washington Capitals
Playing in San Jose simply bites for the Capitals
By: Brian McNally | 01/05/12 8:05 PM
Washington hasn't had luck against Sharks on road
The arena is known as "The Shark Tank," an ominous nickname that
conveys how the Capitals have fared in San Jose over the years.
Nestled downtown, HP Pavilion -- originally known as San Jose Arena -isn't much to look at save for the pitched glass facade that resembles a
shark's fin. But it becomes a raving madhouse inside, where the Sharks are
168-63-36 since the NHL resumed play in 2005 after its lockout. Only the
Detroit Red Wings have a better home record over the past 6? years.
Washington (21-15-2, 44 points) will try to solve that puzzle when it travels
to San Jose on Saturday night, the start of a brief two-game road trip in
California.
"It's a tough building to play in," said Caps forward Troy Brouwer, who
helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the first two games of a Stanley Cup
playoff series there in 2010. "It's very intimidating, and you've got to come in
[with] a good start because they've got a very skilled, very fast team. You've
just got to make them work."
Brouwer may have won there with Chicago. But the last time Washington
earned a regulation victory in San Jose, Bill Clinton had just been
inaugurated for the first time and Nirvana was still the world's biggest band.
It was Oct. 30, 1993, a 4-2 win that improved the Caps to 3-0 on the road
against the expansion Sharks, who were founded in 1991.
It was also just the seventh game ever played at HP Pavilion, which opened
the month before. But since that date Washington is 0-10-1 there -- the lone
point earned in a 3-3 tie on Dec. 10, 1997 -- and has been outscored 21-7
in its last five games in San Jose.
"They got good fans like we have here. They're loud, and it does give you
the edge," Caps coach Dale Hunter said. "But we're just going to have to
have a good start. I think by talking to guys, in the past they jumped on us
early. So we got to get off to a good start in the first [period] and go from
there."
Washington Examiner LOADED: 01.06.2012
605014
Winnipeg Jets
WINNIPEG JETS
By: Staff Writer
Posted: 01/5/2012 10:34 AM | Comments: 105 (including replies) | Last
Modified: 01/5/2012 8:30 PM
TORONTO — The Winnipeg Jets have some making up to do tonight.
They play the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre on the heels of
Wednesday night’s 7-3 defeat in Montreal.
“We looked at tape this morning and some of the things we need to be a lot
better at and now it’s time to move on,” Jets captain Andrew Ladd said this
morning.
Poor checking was one of the deficient areas identified by the team’s
coaching staff on Wednesday.
“It’s just the play away from the puck,” Ladd said. “When we have the puck,
we’re making good decisions. It’s getting the puck back quicker and
obviously a couple of turnovers we don’t need.”
The Jets and Leafs are tied in the NHL’s Eastern Conference standings
with 43 points each and records of 19-15-5.
Winnipeg, now 5-9-4 on the road, hasn’t won a game this season on the
back end of a back-to-back situation, 0-4-1. Their best outing in that
scenario was here earlier in an overtime loss.
“Back-to-backs are never easy,” Ladd said. “I think the thing is that you
have to make the other team make mistakes and keep it simple.
“Your energy is probably not as high as it normally would be, so you have to
play some smart hockey.”
The Jets didn’t have a whole lot of that on Wednesday when they started off
their four-game road trip.
And that was a big disappointment given their successful December, a
month that ended last Saturday with a 3-2 win over these Leafs in
Winnipeg.
That game was intense, to say the least and Ladd didn’t disagree that
something could be building with Toronto.
“Yeah, I think anytime you’re in a battle, especially against a team like the
Leafs, they’re easy games to get up for,” he said. “They’re two teams and I
don’t know how much they like each other and it’s always fun to play here.”
Tonight, the Jets aren’t likely to have centre Bryan Little back in the lineup.
Little, who’s been out since Dec. 17 after blocking a shot, did skate this
morning but is more likely to re-appear on Saturday in Buffalo or next
Tuesday in Boston.
As well, defenceman Dustin Byfuglien remains out with a lower-body injury.
Jets coach Claude Noel said this morning that Byfuglien’s return could still
be in play for Tuesday.
As a backup plan, the Jets have again recalled forward Patrice Cormier.
Cormier was recalled last Thursday and sent back down to the AHL’s St.
John’s IceCaps on Sunday.
605015
Winnipeg Jets
Jets miss boat in Toronto
"That would be a poor reason for me," Noel said. "They skated harder. We
didn't have the puck enough."
And even after a poor outing, the coach had one little amusing needle for
reporters.
Utterly ineffective for second-straight game on Eastern road trip
He was asked about the moment in the third period when Gustavsson lost
his stick and catching glove and was playing with a bare hand.
By: Tim Campbell
"I would have wished he'd have lost both gloves," Noel said. "Maybe we
would have got one then."
It was that bad a night.
TORONTO -- That sound you hear is the wind that follows the teams
blowing by the Winnipeg Jets.
Tied for sixth in the NHL's Eastern Conference just last weekend, the Jets
are back to 10th after Thursday night's inept 4-0 loss to the Toronto Maple
Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.
The Leafs were good at home and goalie Jonas Gustavsson picked up his
second career shutout with 24 saves. If he had three difficult ones to make
all night, it would be generous grading.
"He did his job but I don't think we made it too difficult on him," said his
opposite, Jets goalie Chris Mason, who was left to defend back-door plays
and high-quality slot shots. "I thought we made it easy on their whole team.
"We had a few good stints there, but that's not good enough to win."
After losses in Montreal Wednesday and Toronto Thursday, the Jets at 43
points are now behind Toronto (45), Ottawa (47), Washington (44) and New
Jersey (44).
And after Winnipeg's sterling December of 10-3-1, the unsettling evidence
has piled up quickly in two road games this week.
The team is a lousy 5-10-4 on the road. It doesn't have a win in any of its
six episodes of games on back-to-back days (0-5-1). And trailing 2-0
through two periods Thursday, the tally is now up to 0-13-2 when behind
after 40 minutes.
"I think the best thing to do is get pissed off," said Jets captain Andrew
Ladd. "We can't be happy with how we've been on the road and how the
last two games have gone.
"I think when we're at home it's easy to find that excitement and legs. That's
a big part of our game, speed both ways. It seems when we get on the
road, we stop. We have to find a way to get our excitement back and get
our legs going and play 200 feet."
The Jets didn't show any life at all until late in the second period but it
looked almost futile by then. Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski then scored early
in the third, making the rest of the game mostly a formality.
Jets coach Claude Noel was circumspect after another troubling
performance.
"There's no easy way around these things," Noel said. "You hit a bump in
the road, it's how you're going to respond to it (that's important). Teams are
coming. We knew this. I spoke about it before.
"There are different levels that get raised at different times of the year and
this is what you're starting to see. And now we're on the road. We play nine
(road games this month). It's a level where you don't have the comfort level
of home and you've got to find a way to get it done."
The goals against in the last two games seemed to bother Noel.
"For us, we've got to find a way to get it done from a defending standpoint
because we score about 2.7 goals per game, road or home," he said.
And for those who want to judge the successes or problems in black or
white, Noel always has some grey suggestions for the middle ground.
Like Thursday, when he acknowledged the Leafs' strengths.
"They've got a fast team," he said. "We didn't handle their speed real well. I
didn't like the penalties we took. We're almost back to five weeks ago. Not
quite that level.
"But if you give them a little space, they can turn it into a lot. They were
good, better than us."
And the coach would not consider the back-to-back nights as a discussion
point on Thursday.
Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 01.06.2012
605016
Winnipeg Jets
Jones' puck toss has Leafs boiling
Jet chucks shutout disc into stands
"On ice, it's such a quicker, smarter game," Frattin said. "Everybody's
smarter. College is such a run-and-gun game. Everybody's running around.
This is a lot more structured.
"Off ice, you're not going to school so you've got a lot more free time on
your hands. You try to find stuff to do, extra hobbies. Me, I get into a couple
of TV series, some movies."
By: Tim Campbell
Posted: 01/6/2012 1:00 AM
TORONTO -- For a game that wasn't nearly as hotly contested as last
Saturday night's in Winnipeg, there were a few snarls at the end of
Thursday's contest between the Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday
night.
At the end of the one-sided 4-0 Toronto victory, Jets defenceman Mark
Stuart simply rimmed the puck around his own zone at the final horn.
Defence partner Randy Jones stopped it, picked it up and tossed it into the
crowd.
The Leafs had some words for Stuart about the matter, apparently wanting
the rubber for goalie Jonas Gustavsson. It was his second career shutout.
"As long as I got my first one, that's the big one for me," Gustavsson told
reporters after the game. "So it doesn't bother me."
Jones admitted to tossing the puck after the game, but pleaded ignorance
later.
"I don't know. No particular reason. I didn't want the thing so I threw it,"
Jones said.
Told the Leafs didn't like that, he said: "What? Because of the shutout? First
one? Second one? I don't follow them. I had no idea."
"Ú "Ú "Ú
Centre Bryan Little missed his eighth game Thursday night, still not good to
go after taking a puck on the skate Dec. 17. Little did take the morning
skate and remains possible for Saturday's contest in Buffalo.
Jets coach Claude Noel also said Thursday defenceman Dustin Byfuglien,
out now five games with a lower-body injury, could still be a player next
week.
In the interim, the Jets recalled forward Patrice Cormier for the second
straight Thursday in order to give them 13 healthy forwards, but Cormier
was a scratch.
"Ú "Ú "Ú
After spending all of the season's days to Dec. 31 in a playoff spot, the
Leafs were suddenly on the outside looking in after their loss to the Jets in
Winnipeg on New Year's Eve.
Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf said Thursday he's trying to help gird his
team for the mental challenges of the second-half chase for spots.
"We've got to win games, especially in conference and in division," Phaneuf
said. "They're all four-point games and down the stretch, it's going to be one
day you're in and one day you're out. The main thing our team wants to
concentrate on is staying even-keeled and playing our game.
"Whether you're in or you're out, you've got to keep winning hockey games
to either keep pace or move up."
Phaneuf was selected Thursday to start at the NHL all-star game later this
month.
"Ú "Ú "Ú
Toronto rookie Matt Frattin has acquitted himself well making the jump
straight to the NHL from NCAA hockey at the University of North Dakota.
Frattin, a fourth-round 2007 draft pick, has five goals so far this season and
has had just a short stint with the AHL's Marlies.
Last season at UND, Frattin filled nets at every stage of the season, scoring
36 goals in 44 games.
605017
Winnipeg Jets
HIGHLIGHT REEL Leafs 4 / Jets 0
By: Staff Writer
Posted: 01/6/2012 1:00
Big picture
Eleven goals surrendered in two nights on the road and the Jets, who were
tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference last week, are now 10th in a hurry,
Neither of the two road games to start this four-game trip was close, an
ominous sign.
Little picture
Jets' Chris Thorburn hit the crossbar early in the game and then Toronto's
Phil Kessel followed it up with the game's first goal five minutes in. Kessel's
deft touch proved how little room he needs to make things happen, and his
23rd goal of the season had the Leafs on their way to a second straight win
after a disappointing loss in Winnipeg last Saturday.
Game-breaker
The Jets barely competed in the first period and when Tim Connolly put
Toronto ahead 2-0 in the second minute of the second, this game had "long
night for the visitors" written all over it.
Free Press 'Ö'Ö'Ö
1122233
-- Tim Campbell
SUMMARY
First Period
1. Toronto, Kessel 23 (Lupul, Connolly) 5:00
Penalties -- None.
Second Period
2. Toronto, Connolly 12 (Crabb, Phaneuf) 1:22
Penalties -- Glass Wpg (tripping) 1:22, Stuart Wpg (cross-checking) 8:48.
Third Period
3. Toronto, Grabovski 12 (Kulemin, Gunnarsson) 3:38
4. Toronto, MacArthur 12 (Grabovski, Franson) 10:37 (pp)
Penalties -- Ladd Wpg (roughing) 9:19, Lombardi Tor (tripping) 12:22.
Shots on goal by
Winnipeg699--24
Toronto8710--25
Goal -- Winnipeg: Mason (L,5-3-0); Toronto: Gustavsson (W,11-7-0).
Power plays (goals-chances) -- Winnipeg: 0-1; Toronto: 1-3.
Referees -- Brian Pochmara, Eric Furlatt. Linesmen -- Steve Barton, David
Brisebois.
Attendance -- 19,513 (18,819) at Toronto.
605018
Winnipeg Jets
Jets need a life preserver
By KEN WIEBE, QMI Agency
Dealing with adversity is a fact of life for all NHL teams and the Winnipeg
Jets latest dose appears to be of the extra-strength variety.
How the Jets respond to it could either sink their promising season or
provide a life preserver to deal with some extremely volatile waters.
As they hit the midway point of a pivotal four-game road trip, the Jets put
forth another uninspired effort and dropped their second consecutive game,
this one a 4-0 debacle against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For those of you scoring at home, the Jets have been outscored 11-3 by
Eastern Conference rivals during the past two games, with an important tilt
with the Buffalo Sabres upcoming on Saturday night.
In the process, the Jets dropped to 10th in the Eastern Conference
standings, fell to 5-10-4 on the road this season and slipped to 0-6 when
playing on consecutive days.
———
Liked the move by Jets head coach Claude Noel to go with backup Chris
Mason in an effort to mix things up when playing games on consecutive
nights.
Starter Ondrej Pavelec was between the pipes in the back end of the
previous five sets of consecutive games and didn’t fare all that well, so
going with Mason made a lot of sense.
Mason, who saw his personal four-game winning streak snapped after
making 21 saves, allowed four but he did everything in his power to keep
his team in this one during the opening 40 minutes before the Maple Leafs
pulled away.
———
With Morweena product James Reimer sitting on the bench watching,
Jonas Gustavsson pitched a 24-save shutout (his first of the season and
second of his career) but he wasn’t overworked by any stretch of the
imagination.
The best chance for the Jets — who were blanked for the fourth time this
season — came with Alex Burmistrov staring at a yawning cage, but his
rebound chance rattled off the iron instead of cutting the deficit to 2-1.
———
The Jets have done a great job dealing with and playing through a host of
injuries to key personnel all season long, but the past two games were
prime examples of them really missing defenceman Dustin Byfuglien (a
possibility for Tuedsay’s game against the surging Boston Bruins) and
centre Bryan Little (who should be back on Saturday night).
———
Jets’ prospect Mark Scheifele finished off the 2012 World Junior Hockey
Championship on a high note, scoring a goal-scorers goal and adding an
assist as Canada defeated Finland 4-0 to claim the bronze medal.
That left Scheifele with three goals and an assist in the tournament, not
exactly the numbers you’d expect from a guy who entered the event with
the hopes of being a dominant first-line centre.
While Scheifele may not have produced at the rate he or some others had
hoped, he had his moments and it says here he’ll learn from the experience
and use it as a positive going forward.
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 01.06.2012
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ESPN / '24/7' an experiment gone right
By Scott Burnside
In the press room after Monday’s Winter Classic in Philadelphia, head
coach Peter Laviolette praised the presence of HBO’s cameras in the
Flyers dressing room these past few weeks.
“You know, I think the product speaks for itself,” he said.
Then he smiled.
“Yeah, we are all ready to say goodbye to HBO.”
Our sentiments are similar on both fronts.
Perhaps one of the best elements of the four-part hockey reality series that
aired its finale Thursday night is its sense of time and place.
It is long enough to tell interesting, often compelling, just as frequently
profane stories of life in the National Hockey League. Yet the series is not
too long to make it seem dull and finishes with a natural end point -- the
Winter Classic -- in the middle of a season that often seems endless.
A year ago when the first “24/7” series aired, we wondered how this would
all work. So did HBO officials. And league executives.
But the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals proved to be
entertaining subjects for this first-of-its-kind hockey documentary after HBO
had set the standards of sports reality series with its boxing and NFL
training camp ventures.
The NHL and HBO set the standards higher by taking the cameras inside
an NHL season. A year ago we had a front-row seat to an eight-game
winless streak by the Caps. And there was more than a little skepticism
from within the hockey community about breaking the seal on the normally
closed society that is hockey. Yet, we recall talking to the opposing GMs
shortly after last year’s Winter Classic, and both Ray Shero of Pittsburgh
and George McPhee of the Capitals insisted they would do it again in a
heartbeat. McPhee reiterated those sentiments in a conversation on the eve
of this year’s event, saying all the cameras around the Winter Classic
qualified as one of his top hockey experiences. From a hockey lifer like
McPhee, that’s high praise.
The question moving into this year’s Winter Classic between the
Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers was whether the show would
seem too repetitive.
Ho-hum.
the larger canvas of the road taken by both teams to the NHL’s marquee
regular-season game.
Often the most memorable moments are those that help explain the
relationships between the players and their coaches -- and the players and
coaches across the ice.
How about Rangers forward Artem Anisimov’s heartfelt apology after his
infamous machine gun celebration against Tampa? It is a moment that
vividly illustrates the bond that those connected to the game often try and
describe and yet often fall short. Instead, we see it as it unfolds the telling
grins, the apology and then the good-natured ribbing.
There is the frustration showed by Tortorella during a video session in
Florida that is derailed by a faulty projector and the break in tension
provided by assistant GM and assistant coach Jim Schoenfeld, who
suggests the players sing a song.
Sometimes what this series gives us is simply a different vantage point, like
the multiple camera angles as Daniel Briere makes his unsuccessful
penalty shot attempt with 19.6 seconds left in the Winter Classic.
If there is a singular figure that emerged as a “star” in this year’s series, it
was Philadelphia netminder Ilya Bryzgalov, who was revealed as
refreshingly candid and thoughtful talking about the “hu-mang-ous” big
universe and his relationship with his family.
Of course, Bryzgalov’s uneven play -- perhaps a function of all of the
attention that came with the HBO involvement -- created its own sideshow
something the Flyers no doubt weren’t pleased about. The cameras
recorded Laviolette explaining that Bryzgalov would not start in the Winter
Classic before the goaltenders were told, and then recorded Bryzgalov
breaking with team policy and telling reporters that he was out.
And so Bryzgalov became an unexpected character in the team’s own
drama, following his own script; life imitating reality during a reality show. Or
something like that.
This is not a show without its flaws, and we can only hope that next year’s
version (we assume there will be one given the interest from both sides of
this arrangement) won’t sidestep storylines because they are awkward or
don’t fit the like a puzzle piece into the narrative.
As my colleague, Pierre LeBrun, noted earlier in the series, the
announcement that Chris Pronger, the team’s captain and most important,
was gone for the rest of the season and the playoffs passed almost
unnoticed.
And perhaps most egregious was the lack of attention paid to Derek
Boogaard, the former New York Rangers tough guy who was one of three
players to die last offseason (Rick Rypien and Wade Belak were the
others). Given that the cameras pay such close attention to the toughness
of the game -- including the fights -- it would seem a given that HBO would
explore the issue in some fashion.
More swearing coaches and gritty on-ice battles.
The absence of any meaningful acknowledgment of how Boogaard lived
and died is a grand flaw in an otherwise enticing piece of television.
Yet aren’t hockey seasons or any pro sports seasons basically the same?
Same number of games, teams? And what keeps us coming back are the
stories, the belief that the sameness is only the same on the outside -- that
it is always worth looking beyond to see the difference.
That said, is there anyone connected to the game who won’t happily tune in
a year from now to see the lid lifted once more off the game at least for a
time? Is there anyone who won’t think of “24/7” when they think of next
year’s Winter Classic and presumably those in future years?
At its best, the HBO series continues to tell us hockey stories in terrifically
unique ways and show us things that even those of us intimately involved in
the game don’t see.
Certainly the positive comments from both teams once again this year
suggest there is a grand appetite for this relationship to continue and for the
cameras to continue to share the game in an almost always compelling,
often emotional and sometimes inspiring ways.
Like New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella’s touching relationship
with Liam Traynor, a young Rangers fan who suffers from cerebral palsy.
The connection between the emotional coach and the young fan, whom we
actually met on the way out of Citizens Bank Park after Monday’s 3-2 win
by the Rangers, made a nice counterpoint to some of Tortorella’s more
memorable dressing room tirades.
For a fan of the game at any level, the HBO experience gives us the game
shot through a completely different prism.
We watched Claude Giroux disappear into the “quiet” room after he
suffered a concussion courtesy of teammate Wayne Simmonds’ knee. We
then saw what could have been construed as Laviolette’s urging him to
return to action even as it appears Giroux isn’t sure exactly how he feels.
That he does return in front of the HBO cameras and delivers a virtuoso
four-point performance against Dallas is a nice bookend to the story within
ESPN LOADED: 01.06.2012
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ESPN / Daily Debate: NHL players still don't get it
Scott Burnside and Craig Custance today drop the gloves on inadequate
suspensions and the rumors as the trade deadline approaches. Go!
BURNSIDE: Good day, Mr. Custance. Always a pleasure to hang out with
you as we did in Philadelphia. Not a pleasure, however, to see that NHL
players still don’t get it, do they? At least guys like Rene Bourque and Dan
Carcillo, who were both suspended by the NHL on Wednesday. Both
Carcillo, of the Chicago Blackhawks, and Bourque, of the Calgary Flames,
are multiple meatheads in that they have both been suspended -- Bourque
earlier this season -- and are considered multiple offenders. But what
troubles me is that if, as league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan told us
early in this season, one of his main mandates as prescribed by the
league’s GMs was to weed out the guys who don’t learn their lesson, why
are we still seeing single-digit suspensions? For me this is where the
league says one thing but does another. Carcillo is a marginal player at
best, and his hit on Tom Gilbert was dangerous, so why not give him 10
games? Why not 20? Bourque's hit was even more egregious in my mind.
He went out of his way to elbow an unsuspecting Nicklas Backstrom in the
head in the neutral zone and now Backstrom is out with what might be a
concussion. It’s not enough Sidney Crosby remains out with a concussion?
Or Alexander Steen or Chris Pronger or ... shall I continue? Bourque has
talent. But earlier this year, he rammed Brent Seabrook from behind and
earned a two-game suspension. Learned his lesson? Guess not. What are
the Capitals’ chances of making the playoffs, let alone going on a long
playoff run, without Backstrom, one of the top centers in the game? How is
the league served by a five-game suspension? It’s not. Repeating within a
few weeks of an earlier suspension should open the door to 10, 15, 20
games. Want to clean up the game? Then clean it up, don’t sweep the dirt
into a pile and leave it for others to step in.
CUSTANCE: Wow, not much to add there, Scott. You came out firing today.
You know who I feel bad for in all of this? James Wisniewski. He gets
hammered to start the season, a suspension that cost him half a million
dollars ("The financial cost was absurd," he told me right before returning to
the lineup) and that suspension derailed the Blue Jackets' season. At the
time, I was OK with it because it looked like this was where justice was
headed in the NHL, especially since Wisniewski had a history. But you're
right, the message hasn't been consistent. I was stunned when I heard that
Bourque's hearing wasn't in person. I assumed that would be a five-game
minimum. That's not a hockey play, and now one of the best young talents
in the league is sidelined -- a sentence written far too often the past couple
of years. Hey, on the bright side, they're naming All-Star Game starters
today. What? That doesn't interest you? One thing that really interested me
from last night were comments from Anaheim, where Bob Murray is clearly
agitated after losing again and told the great Helene Elliott that only Teemu
Selanne and Saku Koivu are safe. Can you imagine the stampede of GMs
scrambling to call about Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry?
BURNSIDE: Yes, what started with such promise as far as the league’s
efforts to curtail needless violence has once again fallen into a quagmire of
inconsistency. At least there is now video to accompany the decisions,
although I had no idea George Orwell was still available to write the text.
But your point on the Ducks is a good one and raises some interesting
possibilities as we head toward the trade deadline at the end of February. I
think there will be a few GMs like Bob Murray who have a lot of money tied
up in long-term deals and figure it might be worth it to cut bait in advance of
a new collective bargaining agreement that some believe might include
some sort of salary amnesty in terms of buying out contracts. For instance,
if you think you might buy out Corey Perry or Ryan Getzlaf anyway, why not
see what the market might produce in terms of top assets and draft picks?
And you’re right, if you’re Detroit or another top team that’s going to have
some cap space, those kinds of players would certainly draw a lot of
attention and should make for a lot of action over the next eight weeks.
Now, there’s always a team that tries to get ahead of the curve before the
trade frenzy really sets in. Any guesses who might move first?
CUSTANCE: To me, it would have to be a team with a little more
desperation. You know guys like Paul Holmgren and Ken Holland are going
to be aggressive at the trade deadline, but I don't get the sense they're in a
hurry. But if you're Steve Yzerman and the Tampa Bay Lightning and you
still think you can make the playoffs this season, you don't want to wait until
February to find out. It was around this time last year when he added
Dwayne Roloson, and the Lightning could certainly use another boost in
goal or on defense. And what about the Predators? We've been so
wrapped up in what they're going to do with their two franchise
defensemen, but I wouldn't be surprised if GM David Poile found a way to
add some offense in an attempt to further try to convince both guys to stick
around. Another team at a crucial point in their season is the Los Angeles
Kings. Their big move was a coaching change, so I suspect GM Dean
Lombardi will let that roster settle a bit before making any additions. We
chatted about the Kings' strong start under Darryl Sutter yesterday. "If
you're going to do something this drastic, you think long and hard about it. I
think making trades, draft choices, these type of things are difficult but the
decision on when to change your coach is the most difficult," he said. "It's a
grueling process mentally." The Kings are emerging from the grueling
process quite well and Jonathan Quick called the entire thing a wake-up call
for the players. Which team do you see making a roster move sooner rather
than later?
BURNSIDE: Well, I was just plain wrong -- so far -- on the impact I
expected Darryl Sutter to have. And good for Dean Lombardi for getting it
right with his gut call. And having spoken to Lombardi shortly before the
firing, I know he was reluctant to make any moves before he knew what
kind of team he had; no sense spending assets to bring in offensive help if
your core isn’t deserving of the expenditure. Now that they’re back in
contention (they were in eighth as of Thursday morning but just a point back
of San Jose, which sits atop the Pacific Division) I wouldn’t be surprised if
Lombardi looks for some help up front. What about Ales Hemsky, who isn’t
my cup of tea but for a rental might be attractive to a team like the Kings or
Wings? Lots of talk earlier about Alexander Semin, who will be a UFA this
summer, and his value has actually gone up with the Caps’ strong play of
late. Would George McPhee move Semin if he thought he could add
another piece somewhere else? Much will depend on Backstrom’s ability to
get back in the lineup as to what the Caps’ plans entail. I wouldn’t be
surprised to see the Canucks try to add another defensive piece. I
remember GM Mike Gillis talking at the start of the final that his goal was to
have as many NHL-ready defensemen as possible. In the end he still was a
tiny bit short, but expect him to try to follow a similar mantra heading into
this trade deadline. And I like your take on the Preds as David Poile enters
one of the most challenging trade deadline periods of his tenure in
Nashville.
CUSTANCE: There’s going to be a lot of general managers looking to add
depth on defense, with Gillis’ Canucks from last season a shining example
as to why you need a good seven or eight NHL defensemen at your
disposal if you want to make a long NHL run. Looking back at the Capitals'
problems last spring, their lack of depth on defense might have been the
biggest issue, and I’m sure George McPhee won’t let that happen again. As
for tonight, there’s a load of games with one that really jumps out at me -the rematch of the 2010 Stanley Cup finals between the Flyers and
Blackhawks. We can watch how the Flyers' goalie situation unfolds against
the powerhouse Blackhawks, then tune into HBO and relive the experience
of the Winter Classic in the final "24/7" episode. Good thing we didn’t have
cameras following us around in Philly. Great time as always at the Winter
Classic. And great chatting with you, Scotty.
ESPN LOADED: 01.06.2012
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FOXSports.com / Chemistry brewing between Kings trio
Jon Rosen
January 6, 2012
For a team to experience regular and postseason success, contributions
must come from all four forward lines. When the playoffs roll around, the
stronger teams will have their top-six forwards settled and hopefully
clicking, combined with hard work and strong chemistry from third and
fourth lines in a depth role.
Those who recall the Los Angeles Kings' run to the 1993 Stanley Cup
Finals remember it wasn't just Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille and Jari Kurri
putting up points in the postseason – it was also the speed line of Corey
Millen, Mike Donnelly and Tony Granato, combined with the even deeper
contributions from players like Pat Conacher, Gary Shuchuk and Warren
Rychel.
If there was a Kings team in the last 20 years that had such defined roles
embraced by every player on the roster, it was the 1993 Campbell
Conference-winning squad.
While the Kings still have plenty of room for improvement and work to be
done after game No. 41 – a 1-0 overtime win over the Phoenix Coyotes on
Thursday at Staples Center – it appears as though there's some chemistry
brewing between new linemates Brad Richardson, Andrei Loktionov and
Trevor Lewis at the start of 2012.
Though none of the three were on the ice when Drew Doughty netted the
overtime game-winner by driving to the net and stuffing the puck past Mike
Smith 38 seconds into overtime, they were L.A.'s most effective line
throughout the balance of the game and were able to use their speed and
work ethic to create several quality scoring opportunities.
"I think since [head coach Darryl Sutter] put us together, we've played pretty
well," Richardson said. "Lokti's been here a while, and I think he's starting
to feel comfortable now. He's really skilled. Once he gets some confidence
– I think he was kind of lacking that for a while – he's the kind of guy once
he gets it, he's a pretty special player. Me and Lewie are kind of the same
player a little bit – hard working, get on the forecheck, use our speed. It's
been working good. We're just trying to get on the D as quick as possible."
Sutter, who has guided the Kings to at least a point in all of his eight games
behind the bench with a 5-0-3 record, has liked what he's seen from the
newly formed trio.
"They did lots of good things again," Sutter said. "They've been playing with
energy and talking about what they want to do and giving us sort of highspeed shifts, which is good. Brad has scored in two of the last three, or
whatever it is, and we need Lewie and Lokti to do that, too. At the end of
the day, that's what they need, too. They need to feel good about their
game."
To say that Richardson has enjoyed playing under Sutter would be an
understatement. A healthy scratch in seven of eight games shortly before
Terry Murray's dismissal, he's quickly jumped in with two goals and a plusfour rating under the Kings' new coach and could see that production
continue to increase with more efforts like the one he provided Thursday.
"It's starting to come. I'm still not quite there where I want to be,"
Richardson said. "I had probably three or four good chances tonight where
you'd like to see the puck go in for you. It's positive that the chances are
coming, but you'd still like to see one go in once in a while. We're all kind of
feeling the same thing, but at least we're getting some points."
He's also echoed several of his teammates' sentiments by expressing the
enjoyment of playing for a hands-on coach whose approach has resonated
with both the youth and veterans on the team's roster.
"With me, he just kind of tells me just bring that hard-working game. That's
the kind of guy he is," Richardson said. "You can tell when he comes in,
he's pretty fired up. He kind of looks like sometimes he wants to strap 'em
on and get out there with you, so it's a cool thing."
NOTES: Consider Dave Tippett among the people who disagreed with
Doughty's game-winning goal, which was upheld after a video review. "It
should be no goal. It's not a matter of fact that the puck went in the net. The
puck did go in the net, but it should be goalie interference. If they don't give
the goal to Johnson, then it's goalie interference. If he comes in and puts
his leg in front of Mike Smith's leg so (Smith) can't make a stop, that is
goalie interference. It's as simple as that. It's a poor call. It's a blown call
that should be no goal," Tippett said. … Quick's shutout was his leagueleading sixth, which ties his career high, set in 2010-11. He's 6-0-2 in his
last eight games with a 1.20 GAA and .956 save percentage. … Prospects
Thomas Hickey and Jeff Zatkoff were selected to the 2012 AHL All-Star
Classic, held on January 29-30 in Atlantic City, NJ. Hickey, 22, a
defenseman selected fourth overall in 2007, is tied for sixth in the AHL with
a plus-15 rating and has 11 points (1-10-11) in 36 games. Zatkoff, 24, is 104-1 with a 2.04 GAA and .935 save percentage and was recently named the
Reebok/AHL Goaltender of the Month.
FOXSports.com LOADED: 01.06.2012
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NBCSports.com / Todd Bertuzzi drops lawsuit against Marc Crawford
Joe Yerdon
Jan 5, 2012, 11:30 AM EST
Todd Bertuzzi‘s case against Marc Crawford is no more as Bertuzzi has
dropped his third-party lawsuit against him reports David Shoalts of The
Globe And Mail. Moore’s case against Bertuzzi still stands and Moore is
seeking $38 million in damages thanks to his career being ended because
of that incident.
Bertuzzi alleged that he was acting on orders by Crawford to go after Moore
on the play that ultimately saw Bertuzzi break Moore’s neck and give him a
severe concussion. Crawford, of course, denied this allegation and took no
blame for what Bertuzzi did.
The whole case surrounding Moore, Bertuzzi, and that awful night in
Vancouver is a black mark against the sport considering how things went
down. The fact that it’s taken this long to progress this far is sad. Bertuzzi
has moved on since his suspension for that incident to continue his career
and keep playing for Florida, Anaheim, Detroit (twice) and Calgary. Moore
has not played again since the incident.
Moore’s case against Bertuzzi is finally set to take place in September if
Bertuzzi is still playing in the NHL. If not, they’ll go to trial in October.
NBCSports.com / LOADED: 01.06.2012
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NBCSports.com / Leafs GM Burke: “The rats will take this game over”
Mike Halford
Jan 5, 2012, 1:12 PM EST
A day after making the decision to put little-used pugilist Colton Orr on
waivers, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke took to the pulpit today and
bemoaned the death of the hockey enforcer. Burke was not only upset
about potentially ending Orr’s career — “my admiration for this kid just
knows no limits,” he said — but also the current state of the NHL.
“I do wonder where our game is going,” Burke said. “I know the
Greenpeace folks will be happy with this, but I wonder where we’re going
when Brendan Shanahan’s got six hearings every two days.
“I wonder about the accountability in our game. I wonder where we’re going
with it. That’s the only lament I have on this. The fear that if we don’t have
guys looking after each other than the rats will take this game over. That’s
my fear.
“I see guys that run around and start stuff and won’t back it up and it makes
me sick to my stomach.”
It was in 2009 when Burke raised a few eyebrows by signing Orr to a fouryear, $4 million deal — a substantial investment in a player with a slim NHL
resume…that couldn’t really play hockey.
For his career, Orr has played in 378 NHL contests and registered 11 goals,
nine assists, a minus-34 rating and 921 penalty minutes. He’s appeared in
just five games for the Leafs this season, though part of that is due to a
myriad of injuries, including a concussion that cost him half of last season.
In related news, Orr has cleared waivers and will now suit up for Toronto’s
AHL affiliate, the Marlies.
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NBCSports.com / Big House in the running to host 2013 Winter Classic
Jason Brough
Jan 5, 2012, 5:15 PM EST
The University of Michigan’s athletic director has confirmed he’s spoken
with the NHL about hosting next year’s Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium.
“We have been approached by the NHL about utilizing our facility for the
2013 Winter Classic,” Dave Brandon said in a statement, as per
AnnArbor.com. “There are a lot of complex circumstances that need to be
ironed out before anything moves forward. We will have more to say if/when
something materializes.”
This shouldn’t be taken as confirmation that the game will be played at
Michigan Stadium (writes the guy who bet it would be held at Comerica
Park.)
As the article states, “The Red Wings are owned by Mike Ilitch, who also
owns the Detroit Tigers and Comerica Park, so among the complex
circumstances that would need to be ironed out are how the profits would
be split — be it from ticket sales, merchandise, vending, television rights,
etc. — in an outside venue.”
No doubt it would be cool for over 100,000 fans to attend an NHL game.
And if there’s something to be said for staging Winter Classics in iconic
venues, the Big House certainly qualifies as iconic. Just think – the Red
Wings could play a hockey game in the same place this happened:
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NBCSports.com / NHL explains Barch suspension
Jason Brough
Jan 5, 2012, 3:36 PM EST
Krys Barch should’ve known better…even if what he said to PK Subban
wasn’t meant to be racist.
That’s the NHL’s explanation for Barch’s one-game suspension after the
Florida forward reportedly asked Subban if he “slipped on a banana peel”
during a Dec. 31 game between the Panthers and Canadiens.
“Mr. Barch has admitted making the remark, but denies that the comment
President of Hockey Operations. “While we accept Mr. Barch’s assertion, as
the entirety of the circumstances, was offensive and unacceptable.”
Let that be a warning to all NHL players to think long and hard before
saying something…in the heat of the moment.
There might be racist connotations in your remarks.
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NBCSports.com / Assaulted Rangers fan was awarded a Purple Heart in
Iraq
Jason Brough
Jan 5, 2012, 1:00 PM EST
The Rangers fan who was attacked by a trio of Flyers fans following
Monday’s Winter Classic is a former Marine that was awarded a Purple
Heart in Iraq.
Neal Auricchio – currently a member of the Woodbridge Police Department
in New Jersey – was shot in the leg while serving overseas, though that
didn’t stop him from returning for a second tour.
NBCNewYork.com spoke with Auricchio’s father about his son’s condition
following the assault.
“He got banged up pretty badly,” said Neal Auricchio Sr. “Stitches in the one
eye, and the other eye is pretty puffed up. He went for a CAT scan today,
and we’re waiting for the results on that.”
Just a little tip for any aspiring thugs out there – if you’re going to attack
someone, you might want to avoid war heroes.
And police officers.
And especially war heroes that are also police officers.
Just a bad PR move.
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Sportsnet.ca / Source of the fighting problem?
Mark Spector | January 5, 2012, 5:08 pm
ST. LOUIS -- On Thursday in Toronto, Maple Leafs general manager Brian
Burke lamented the lack of fighting in the game, and the proliferation of "rat"
players who thrive without the threat of retribution. Across the league on the
banks of the Mississippi River, two players who have played more than
1,000 National Hockey League games called for the abolishment of the
instigator rule.
"It's the rule changes that have affected things. The instigator," said
Edmonton Oilers veteran Ryan Smyth. "If you went back to the old way of
doing it you might get a little bit more (respect among players). No
instigator."
The instigator rule, coupled with increased penalties for fights that occur in
the final five minutes of a game, have mitigated the role fighting used to
play in hockey, an ex-player told sportsnet.ca. The ex-player, who played
two decades and well over 1,000 games in his career, did not wish his
quotes to be attributed.
"I don't care either way what you do with fighting. Leave it in. Take it out.
Whatever," he began. "But what the league has done with all these rules is
said, 'We like fighting, because it sells tickets in a lot of markets. But we'll
be the ones who decide when you can fight and when you can't.' They've
taken that decision away from players.
"So where guys used to fight at the appropriate time (to properly police the
game), now when a guy runs someone in a one-goal game and won't drop
his gloves, you can't afford to fight him. Because you'll take a penalty or get
suspended."
As fighting is mitigated in the NHL, players like Raffi Torres, Dan Carcillo,
and Patrick Kaleta are not immediately forced to answer for a dangerous hit
or cheap shot. The only deterrent for that kind of player is VP of player
safety Brendan Shanahan.
"I do wonder where our game is going," Burke told reporters in Toronto. "I
know the Greenpeace folks will not be happy with this, but I wonder where
we're going when Brendan Shanahan's got six hearings every two days.
Burke didn't like the way noted Tampa Bay Lightning pest Steve Downie
went after Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf Tuesday in Toronto, then
refused to fight when challenged by Keith Aulie.
"You see the garbage that happened in here the other night and I wonder
about the accountability in our game," spat Burke. "If we don't have guys
looking after each other, then the rats will take this game over. That's my
fear.
"I see guys that run around and start stuff and won't back it up, and it
makes me sick to my stomach."
Burke's soliloquy came after he had assigned tough guy Colton Orr to the
minor league. As fighting in the NHL wanes, players like Orr are losing their
place in the league.
Some would call that a positive evolution of the game.
"If you want a game where guys can cheap shot people and not face
retribution? I'm not sure that's a healthy evolution," Burke said. "This is the
bi-product. People running around who won't back it up.
"You used to think, if you were going to cheap shot a guy, you had to fight
him, or fight (a teammate) who was tougher than him. There are no checks
and balances. 'I'll just elbow a guy in the head.' 'I'll just run him from
behind.' Guys who don't fight don't have to answer for it."
Smyth said that comparisons to the pre-lockout game are simply unrealistic.
"Guys are bigger, stronger, faster. There's no holding anyone up anymore.
You can't compare an apple to an orange," he said. "And I'm not getting into
(Burke's) thing about 'rats.' I don't think any players are rats.
"But when you're talking about that tough guy role, in my opinion the
instigator penalty could be taken out."
On this Oilers road trip alone, Chicago's Carcillo hit Tom Gilbert so
recklessly, both players were injured and Carcillo was given a seven-game
suspension. Two nights later in Buffalo, Kaleta was called for charging after
taking a long and dangerous run at defenceman Ladislav Smid. Had he
connected, injury was almost certain.
"I don't see accountability or respect in the game right now, and it really
troubles me. I'm disturbed watching the games the past week," Burke said.
"Do those guys do those things of there is retribution available? If there's
accountability in the game? I'm not sure."
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YAHOO SPORTS / How Sidney Crosby’s lost year changed hockey
By Nicholas J. Cotsonika, Yahoo! Sports 10 hours, 27 minutes ago
gone, and no matter what happens in the future, good or bad, Crosby can
never get it back.
FIRST PERIOD
The NHL is studying concussions in detail again this season, and vicepresident of hockey operations Kris King said entering the holiday break the
numbers were “almost identical” to what they were at this point last season
– both in the total number and in the breakdown of causes.
“You’d be shocked,” King said. “I was.”
@Cotsonika Whether you’re sick to your stomach about Sidney Crosby or
sick of hearing about Sidney Crosby – is there any in between? – it’s
important to note this anniversary. It was one year ago – Jan, 5, 2010 – that
Crosby took a hit from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman.
It wasn’t that big of a hit. It was more of a bump from behind against the
end boards. But combined with Crosby’s hard collision with the Washington
Capitals’ David Steckel on New Year’s Day in the 2011 Winter Classic –
and Hedman’s 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame – it was enough to change the
very course of hockey history.
No, that is not overstating it.
Before we fret about Crosby’s future and ponder the concussion issue
further, let’s look at what the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins has lost
already: Virtually a year of the prime of his career. Almost certainly another
Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP, another Art Ross Trophy as the league’s
leading scorer and another Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s leading
goal-scorer. Not necessarily another Stanley Cup, but at least a shot at one.
That Crosby’s concussion came at the dawn of a new year makes it easy to
illustrate the devastation. Crosby had a hell of a 2010. On home ice in
Vancouver, he scored the golden goal that lifted Team Canada to victory
over the United States in the Olympic final. He finished one NHL season
with 51 goals and 109 points, and he started the next on a 64-goal, 132point pace – the runaway favorite for all of those trophies. He had added to
his legend, separated himself from his peers, solidified himself as the face
of the league.
Then the calendar flipped to 2011, and just like that, he was gone. He has
played only eight games since the Hedman hit. Eight. He returned
triumphantly after a 10-1/2 month absence with a two-goal, four-point
performance on Nov. 21 against the New York Islanders, and the hockey
world sighed with relief, hoping that he had just picked up where he had left
off, that he was past it. But after seven more games, eight more assists, he
took a relatively routine jolt from an opponent and collided with a teammate,
and he was gone again.
Once again, we are left with irregular reports from the Penguins and few
words from Crosby himself, if any at all, and the vacuum is filled with rumor
and speculation. Once again, there is no timetable for his return.
We don’t know that Crosby will never be the same. It would be irresponsible
to be too alarmist.
All the Penguins will say is that Crosby still has some symptoms and is
working out lightly, and that is all they can say. They looked foolish a year
ago when they repeated the doctors’ early opinion that Crosby had a “mild”
concussion and would miss “about a week.” They won’t make the same
mistake again with such a tricky injury and such a high-profile player.
Privately, the Penguins are hopeful that Crosby will play again this season;
they haven’t come close to ruling him out for the rest of the season, the way
the Philadelphia Flyers have ruled out their captain, Chris Pronger, on the
advice of some of the same doctors who are treating Crosby.
But they don’t know when he will be back, either. We don’t know whether
Crosby will ever be the same, and it would be irrational to ignore the
obvious concerns.
There is Crosby’s brain itself. There is also Crosby’s mindset. He is under
tremendous pressure to handle his concussion problems appropriately, as
an example for others, and he is under tremendous pressure to be Sidney
Crosby when he returns, too. His game – buzzing down low, initiating
contact, outworking opponents – requires both top conditioning and full
confidence in it. He’s a Ferrari, remember? You have to wonder if Crosby is
more susceptible to concussions, and you have to wonder if he must be
more conservative than others whether he is or he isn’t.
It’s too early to say the damage has been done. But it’s not too early to say
some of the damage done has been significant and irreversible. A year is
King declined to give hard numbers because of league policy. In an
interview with the Los Angeles Times, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said
the league had “decided to move away from giving absolute numbers.” Daly
said he thought the NHL was “one concussion ahead in the same number
of games” compared to last season and noted there had been “no spike in
concussions.”
But no spike is no victory, because no reduction means there has been no
effect, at least statistically, from all the efforts the NHL has made.
In March, the NHL strengthened its return-to-play protocol, requiring players
suspected of having a concussion to be taken to a quiet area and tested.
After the season, it outlawed all hits that targeted the head, regardless of
direction. It strengthened the boarding rule, because so many concussions
occurred near the boards. It installed curved glass at termination points, to
mitigate the kind of blow the Montreal Canadiens’ Max Pacioretty suffered
last season when he was pushed into a stanchion by the Boston Bruins’
Zdeno Chara.
Commissioner Gary Bettman also created a department of player safety
and named former NHL player Brendan Shanahan the new discipline czar.
He had Shanahan explain every suspension via video and meet players
team by team – to better educate them on what is and is not acceptable.
Still, the stats were the same up to the holiday break. Maybe they would
have been worse if not for all those efforts. Maybe some of this is the
Crosby Effect – heightened awareness of concussions, more fear of taking
a second hit – and maybe some of this is the nature of the game as it is
today.
Through March of last season, the NHL found 44 percent of concussions
were caused by legal hits and 26 percent were caused by accidental
events. What does it mean if those percentages are still about the same?
King expects the hockey operations department to present another
concussion report at the general managers’ meetings this March.
“We just don’t know why the numbers are what they are,” King said. “But
I’m a true believer that the players now know when they have a head injury,
they’re telling people and they’re getting treatment for it. I don’t think that’s a
bad thing. …
“How many times are accidental plays happening in a game where guys are
getting hurt? How many times are guys getting hit clean and getting hit into
the boards and getting hurt? I mean, we’ve changed the environment. The
boards are softer. The glass is softer. The game’s faster, and the players
are bigger. Force, speed, mass, collisions. It happens.”
SECOND PERIOD
Talk to old-timers, and they agree something is wrong. They just don’t
agree on what.
Opinions were all over the place after the Rangers-Flyers alumni game at
the Winter Classic. Some of the retired NHLers said players don’t respect
one another as much these days; others said players don’t protect
themselves as well and put themselves in vulnerable positions. Some said
the removal of the red line is to blame; others aren’t so sure. Some
disagreed on the red line but agreed that the crackdown on obstruction is to
blame.
Talk to former Flyers captain Eric Lindros, who retired because of
concussions. He continues to rail against the elimination of two-line passes
after the lockout of 2004-05.
“By taking out the red line, the game really did increase in speed,” Lindros
said. “It’s faster. It’s exciting. Is it any more exciting than the past? Maybe.
But the players are going at a clip right now – at a rate of speed right now –
that is just over the point of being safe.”
Talk to Flyers legend Bobby Clarke, who hasn’t seen eye-to-eye with
Lindros on things in the past but agrees on this.
“They’ve got to get the red line back in and let players defend their partners,
defend each other,” said Clarke, now the Flyers’ senior vice-president. “If
I’m going to take a run at you, you should be able to step in front of me so I
can’t hit you. When they took that out, it was just foolish. The NHL, since
the lockout, is the cause of all the concussions. There’s going to be
concussions because of the sport, but the rule changes that they put in are
the cause of all the concussions. It’s an epidemic. Suspending players is
not going to change it.”
TOP 6
Boston 1. Boston Bruins: One of the great games of the season is Saturday
at TD Garden, when the Stanley Cup champions host the Stanley Cup
runners-up, the Vancouver Canucks. Let’s hope we see the same passion
we saw in the final, without the same shenanigans.
Now talk to Mathieu Schneider, who played defense for the Rangers and
other teams during his NHL career and is now the special assistant to NHL
Players’ Association executive director Don Fehr. He isn’t a fan of the
trapezoid that prevents goaltenders from playing the puck in the corner and
helping their defensemen. But the red line?
New York Rangers 2. New York Rangers: John Tortorella, you just won the
Winter Classic. What are you going to do now? Well, instead of saying he
was going to Disney World or something, Tortorella questioned the integrity
of the referees. Look, Torts, you won, first of all; you were wrong, second of
all; and, you were dumb to do that at a time when the league is trying to
reach a larger audience, most importantly. You deserved every penny of
that $30,000 fine.
“I’m not sold on the red line argument,” Schneider said. “Personally, I’d like
to see a little more interference allowed back in the game, maybe in limited
areas. But again, some guys you talk to would agree – mostly defensemen
– and a lot of other guys may not. We need to come to a consensus, and
it’s give and take.”
Chicago 3. Chicago Blackhawks: Another one of the great games of the
year is Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center, when the 2010 Stanley Cup
champions return to the place where they won it all. They will do it without
Dan Carcillo – a member of the team they beat, the 2010 Flyers – as he
begins serving a seven-game suspension.
The disagreements speak to the complexities of the issue, the difficulty in
reaching a consensus and the law of unintended consequences. Though
Clarke said it was “foolish” to make some of the changes the league did
coming out of the lockout, that’s only with the benefit of hindsight. Ask
Clarke what he thought of those changes at the time.
Detroit 4. Detroit Red Wings: Ah, it’s Wings-Leafs on Saturday night – one
of the great Original Six matchups we used to love and rarely see in today’s
NHL anymore. Let’s see it next year when the Winter Classic almost
certainly comes to the Detroit area.
“The first time I saw it, I said, ‘Holy man, this is going to be great,’ ” Clarke
said. “I loved it at the start. I liked the game because it was so fast. … But
all of a sudden one player after the next is going down.”
THIRD PERIOD
Part of the solution might lay in the equipment Schneider and King wore for
the alumni game. Schneider wore a set of barely-there shoulder pads. He
isn’t saying players should wear replicas today, but maybe they should
move in that direction.
“That’s pretty much what I wore for most of my career unless I had injuries,”
Schneider said. “Generations of guys wore those. I happened to be one of
the last. To me, something’s got to be more substantial than that. The
game’s too fast. But we’ve gone so far the other way.”
We’ve gone so far the other way that players feel invincible. They launch
themselves into each other without consequences. The idea is to find a
balance – so players are protected well but the equipment doesn’t become
a weapon.
King wore an undershirt with built-in padding that a player could wear under
a lighter set of shoulder pads. He said it was the first time he had tried it
himself. He found it comfortable and effective.
“Lindros ran me over in the corner, and I didn’t feel anything,” King said. “So
you know what? We’re almost there. We’re trying all kinds of different
things.”
Schneider has been working closely with Shanahan, who also wore a set of
barely-there shoulder pads when he played in the NHL. A dozen NHL
players are currently testing prototypes of lighter shoulder and elbow pads –
Schneider didn’t provide names, but said there were “some prominent
players” and a mix of physical and skilled guys – and the league and union
are starting to gather feedback from those players. Equipment companies
are continuing to work on new ideas.
“I think the prototypes the companies have come out with lately are
amazing, the materials they’re using,” King said. “They’ve been able to do
an awful lot with them. So I’m excited about it. I think we can really make a
difference with the equipment.”
A difference, but not the difference.
“That’s not going to be the answer, either, one thing,” Schneider said.
“You’re going to have to sit back and really analyze what’s going on in our
game. It’s a combination of things that I think need to happen in order to
make the game a little more safer. That comes through working with the
guys that are actually playing the game. Those are the guys that have the
best feel for it.
“It’s difficult to have those conversations during the year. We do on a limited
basis, but I suspect this summer we’re going to have a lot more discussion
– try to really get a handle on, I guess, slowing the game down a little bit.”
POWER RANKINGS
Philadelphia 5. Philadelphia Flyers: Absolutely loved the Flyers’ Winter
Classic jerseys for some reason. It wasn’t that big of a departure from the
current model, but the slightly darker shade of orange, the black across the
shoulders, the striping – good look.
Vancouver 6. Vancouver Canucks: Come on, AV. Don’t start Cory
Schneider on Saturday. You gotta go with Robert Luongo, if only to see
how he’ll react.
BOTTOM 6
New York Islanders 25. New York Islanders: The Isles have won three in a
row, and though they are 14th in the East, they actually aren’t out of it. They
have played 37 games, tied with the Rangers for fewest in the East, and
they are only seven points out of eighth.
Montreal 26. Montreal Canadiens: No matter how you feel about the
language issue, you’ve got to feel for Randy Cunneyworth. He gets his shot
as an NHL coach. Right away his owner cuts out his legs, and not long after
that his GM apologizes for hiring him about the same time two of his top
players fight at practice.
Edmonton 27. Edmonton Oilers: The last thing the Oilers needed was a
shoulder injury for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the No. 1 overall pick who leads
all NHL rookies in goals (13) and points (35). They obviously will give him
all the time he needs. No rush.
Carolina 28. Carolina Hurricanes: At least Jeff Skinner, last year’s winner of
the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year, has returned to practice for the
first time since suffering a concussion. The ‘Canes and the league need all
the good news they can get on that front.
Anaheim 29. Anaheim Ducks: Cam Fowler is going to be good – maybe
even great. But he’s still a 20-year-old playing perhaps the most difficult
position to master, defense, and now he’s playing on a bad team. He was
minus-25 last season. He’s minus-18 so far this season.
Columbus 30. Columbus Blue Jackets: Wanna know how to be a bad
team? Do what the Blue Jackets have done this season. Carry leads into
the third period 16 times, and win only half of them. Even worse, tease your
fans and create false hope – then crush ‘em.
PLUS/MINUS
PLUS: One detail that didn’t make last week’s piece on Red Wings captain
Nicklas Lidstrom: When an opponent tries to chip in the puck on his wing,
Lidstrom usually knocks it down along the boards. It’s a simple play that has
a cumulative effect as Lidstrom repeats it over time. “The guys can’t get in
our zone, which saves a lot of wear and tear on us,” said Ian White,
Lidstrom’s defense partner. “It gives the puck more into our forwards’ hands
and gives us more (offensive) zone time.”
MINUS: Let’s hope the uncertain labor situation doesn’t keep Lidstrom from
coming back next season. Lidstrom is trying to tie Bobby Orr’s record and
win his eighth Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman. But if not for
the lockout of 2004-05, he might be trying to break it. The lockout cost him
a season right in the middle of his run of six Norris wins in seven years.
PLUS: Good to see Shanahan get tough on Carcillo with a seven-game
suspension and Rene Bourque with a five-gamer. About time.
MINUS: Took too long to nab Raffi Torres, though. Good to see Torres
finally get a two-gamer after all the stuff he’s been pulling, and at least now
he will be – or at least should be – treated as what he is. A repeat offender.
PLUS: Patrice Bergeron’s two goals Wednesday night should help the
increasing campaign for him to win the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best
defensive forward. Offense doesn’t mean defense, but it draws attention to
it. The more Bergeron does in one end, the more voters will pay attention to
what he does in the other – just as they have done for guys like Ryan
Kesler.
MINUS: Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel shouldn’t be telling reporters he’ll
show them the stats to support his argument when he doesn’t know the
stats, and he shouldn’t be storming out of postgame press conferences no
matter how frustrated he is. Unless he has been trying to get fired and he’s
frustrated he has failed at that, too.
@COTSONIKA “Total attendance for first five Winter Classics: 265,225.
Total attendance for next year’s alone: 110,000-plus. (Wink, wink.)
#bighouse”
Again, full disclosure: I am a Michigan grad who lives in Ann Arbor. And
again, I want the 2013 Winter Classic to feature the Maple Leafs and Red
Wings at Michigan Stadium. NHL chief operating officer John Collins said
the event has grown to the point where NBC would OK a Canadian team “if
we could figure out the right matchup.” This is the right matchup.
Imagine folks from Southern Ontario flooding across the border and helping
to fill the Big House, the largest stadium in North America. When Michigan
faced Michigan State in an outdoor college game in December of 2010 – at
least initially claiming a world-record attendance of 113,411 – so many
Canadians came you could hear “O Canada” being sung at tailgate parties.
There are challenges. You’d have to set ticket prices low enough to ensure
a sellout but high enough to make enough money for everyone, including
the University of Michigan. You’d have to find enough hotel space and office entertainment venues in Ann Arbor – about 45 minutes west of Detroit –
or be content with spreading out the festivities across southeastern
Michigan.
Then there is Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch. He has long been a booster of
downtown and would prefer Comerica Park, home of his Detroit Tigers.
Downtown has hosted several large events in recent years, including the
Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four and MLB All-Star Game, so there is a readymade blueprint there. If Comerica Park is the place, it should include the
Great Lakes Invitational – the college tournament usually held in late
December at Joe Louis Arena featuring Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan
Tech and an at-large team.
Comerica Park would be cool. But nothing would beat the Big House and
the big buzz, big money and maybe big TV ratings that a record crowd
could create.
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Around the NHL News - Philadelphia Flyers

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