sport-scan daily brief - Columbus Blue Jackets

Transcription

SPORT-SCAN
DAILY BRIEF
NHL 4/2/2014
Anaheim Ducks
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Ducks FYI: Team of destiny? They'll have to wait and see
Ducks' Perreault has the hot hand, and he's playing it
Boston Bruins
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Buffalo Sabres
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Murray, Nolan share common vision to improve Sabres now
that coaching job is stable
Grigorenko hopes to excel with Amerks, show Sabres he'll
be ready for NHL
Sabres, Nolan agree to contract extension
Leino‘s shootout winner draws big cheers
Leafs keep faint playoff hopes alive with win over Flames
Van Brabant the 10th Flames player to make his NHL debut
this season
Calgary Flames Snapshots: Team doesn't want to enter
tailspin now
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Skinner, Lindholm help Canes dominate Penguins 4-1
Chicago Blackhawks
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Toews or no Toews, Blackhawks have things to fix
No NHL hearing set for hit on Toews
Did Hawks' Cup hopes crumple to ice with Toews?
Will Blackhawks answer ‗wake-up call‘?
A healthy Toews is more important than vengeance
No defense for not defending Hawks‘ Toews
No disciplinary hearing expected for Orpik's hit on Toews
By the numbers: Blackhawks limp through March
Jamal Mayers: You'd certainly like to see response to Toews
hit
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Colorado Avalanche
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Matt Duchene to miss 4 weeks, opening of playoffs for Avs
with injury
How the Avs can still beat Chicago without Matt Duchene
Nate Guenin struggles in return home
Colorado Avs rally late, then win in OT over Columbus Blue
Jackets
Patrick Roy adjusts Avalanche lines, gets game-tying goal
and OT win at Columbus
Columbus Blue Jackets
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Blue Jackets: Final push in playoff race will be grueling
Blue Jackets notebook: Backup McElhinney‘s work in net
provides needed lift
Michael Arace commentary: A smiling Johansen is good sign
for Blue Jackets
Blue Jackets notebook: Nick Holden fits in with Avs
Michael Arace commentary: Bad breaks lead to a painful
loss for Blue Jackets
Avalanche 3, Blue Jackets 2 (OT): Bad bounces
Blue Jackets playing for postseason as April nears
Three takeaways from the Blue Jackets 3-2 OT loss to the
Avalanche
Avalanche top Blue Jackets 3-2 in OT
Addition or audition? Stars want to see what they have in
defenseman Patrik Nemeth
Stars taking depth scoring to new levels, unheralded forward
scores two in win over Capitals
He said it: Players and coaches comment after Dallas' 5-0
win in Washington
Cody Eakin runs into some old friends, plays against
organization that drafted him
Stars dominant Capitals to win battle of ninth-place teams
fighting for playoff spots
Stars coach Lindy Ruff tries to stop Kevin Connauton from
getting frustrated as Patrik Nemeth replaces him in
Detroit Red Wings
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Carolina Hurricanes
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Patrice Bergeron named Second Star of the Week
Duchene out about 4 weeks with knee injury
Red Wings get last lease at Joe Louis Arena
Bruins Notebook: Jarome Iginla shines brightest
Motivation in Motown: Loss fuels Bruins in return trip
Calgary Flames
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Dallas Stars
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Detroit Red Wings' Mike Babcock reveals the secret to
financial success
Pavel Datsyuk returning to Detroit Red Wings this week, but
which day?
HoneyBaked hockey: Top-ranked under-16 team boasts
NHL-level coaching, potential
Detroit Red Wings' opponent tonight: Boston Bruins provide
tough test in possible playoff preview
Chris Ilitch, Ken Holland discuss Red Wings at Detroit
Economic Club lunch
Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk aims for Wednesday return
Red Wings' Gustav Nyquist is a real goal-getter
Their youth, the playoff hunt and Gustav Nyquist‘s highlight
reel goal: Detroit Red Wings at DEC luncheon
Red Wings' Gustav Nyquist named NHL's second star of
month after scoring 12 goals in 15 games
Red Wings expect Pavel Datsyuk to return Friday, but he
hasn't ruled out playing on Wednesday
City Council to consider agreement for Detroit Red Wings'
Joe Louis Arena today
Red Wings look to carry momentum into April as they control
their own destiny in playoff race
Datsyuk takes a step in the right direction, practices with
teammates
Pavel Datsyuk could return Wednesday or by Friday at latest
Edmonton Oilers
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Ference adds to long list of Oiler injuries with ripped pectoral
Sharks bounce back to edge Oilers
Oilers drop 5-4 decision to Sharks
Oilers injuries a concern
San Jose Sharks won‘t underestimate the Edmonton Oilers 2
Florida Panthers
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Injuries plague Florida Panthers early in loss to New York
Islanders
SCOTT CLEMMENSEN: Playing in the NHL and for the
Panthers was a 'Privilege'
END OF THE ROAD: Panthers Lose Final Road Game of
2013-14 to Islanders ... Upshall Leaves and Returns
End of the road as Panthers fall 4-2 to Islanders
Los Angeles Kings
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Kings learned a lesson in desperation in loss to Wild on
Monday
Taking a look at Michael Mersch
Minnesota Wild
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Recovery by Wild's Koivu turns him into Captain Fantastic
Wild: Big line gets biggest goals from its smallest player,
Zach Parise
Minnesota Wild: Road trip gives Zach, J.P. Parise time to
bond, reminisce
Wild sign defenseman Christian Folin
Montreal Canadiens
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Lightning beat Habs as both teams clinch playoff berths
Emelin will be in Habs lineup against Lightning
‗Happy we‘re in the playoffs,‘ Price says after loss
Price on short end of goalie duel
About last night …
Nashville Predators
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Predators enforcer reaches out to foe he hurt in fight
New Jersey Devils
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Devils Lose to Sabres in Shootout
Ennis, Leino Lead Sabres to 3-2 Win Over Devils
Devils: Tim Sestito, Anton Volchenkov only players to skate
Tuesday morning
With Ryane Clowe unable to play, Devils recall Mike Sislo
from Albany (AHL)
Tuomo Ruutu's first month with Devils has been enjoyable,
but Finn isn‘t happy with his play
Devils talk like they know their ship is sinking after falling to
0-11 in shootouts
Studs and duds from Devils' shootout loss No. 11, this one to
NHL's worst team
Devils fall to Sabres, 3-2, after nine-round shootout
Ex-Ranger Sean Avery: I was forced off 'Dancing with the
Stars'
Lamoriello: No reason to think Clowe won‘t be back this
season; Sestito, Sislo both to take warm-ups
Devils call up left wing Mike Sislo
Clowe ―fine‖, but did not accompany Devils to Buffalo,
Sestito, Volchenkov ready to go if needed
Devils know time running out after latest shootout loss; Pay
for letting Sabres hang around
Devils notes: Ryane Clowe 'fine'
Devils fail in another shootout in 3-2 loss to Sabres
Devils fall victim to Tyler Ennis, Sabres in shootout loss
Devils‘ latest shootout loss hurts playoff hopes
New York Islanders
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Bailey Has Goal, Assist as Isles Top Panthers 4-2
Islanders pound Panthers with four-goal onslaught for 4-2
win
Islanders roll past woeful Panthers
Islanders' rookie-laden lineup beats Florida
New York Rangers
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Rangers Set Road Record With Win in Vancouver
Martin St. Louis scores first goal as Blueshirt as NY Rangers
top John Tortorella‘s Canucks
Chris Kreider‘s injury has exposed Rangers weakness
Rangers‘ Ryan McDonagh hurts left shoulder in win over
Canucks
Could be one and done with Canucks for Torts
Rangers 3, Canucks 1: McDonagh‘s left shoulder injury said
to be not serious by the team
Alain Vigneault's calming influence, faster-paced system
embraced by Rangers
Rangers responding to Alain Vigneault while Canucks
struggle with John Tortorella
Rangers notes: Dominic Moore moved up to play with Marty
St. Louis and Brad Richards
Rangers top Canucks, 3-1, in Vancouver
Rangers-Canucks in review
Rangers 3, Canucks 1 … post-game notes
Rangers at Canucks … It‘s Go Time!
Ottawa Senators
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Karlsson nominated for Masterton
Ottawa Senators still in it, but will need some help
Erik Karlsson named Senators' Masterton Trophy nominee
The Ottawa Senators paradox
Philadelphia Flyers
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Ice hockey: Homecoming for Johnny Gaudreau
Bernie Parent: I don't have a clue
Do Flyers need shootout specialist?
Flyers Notes: With Timonen out, Flyers go with Gustafsson
With Timonen out, Gustafsson gets another chance
Flyers show spirit again in St. Louis shootout loss
Emery's masterpiece goes for naught in shootout loss
Skate Update: Rare appearance for Gustafsson
Claude Giroux named NHL Third Star of the month
Steve Mason energized by playoff race pressure
Flyers stifled in shootout loss to Miller, Blues
Instant Replay: Blues 1, Flyers 0 (SO)
Phoenix Coyotes
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Coyotes earn a point but blow chance in shootout
Phoenix Coyotes' Jeff Halpern took scenic route back to
NHL
Latest loss drops Coyotes out of playoff seed
Pittsburgh Penguins
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Lottery-bound Hurricanes bury listless Penguins at Consol
Penguins Letang nominated for NHL‘s Masterton Trophy
Gene Collier: Penguins' nice start soured quickly by awful
effort
Penguins notebook: Veterans don't expect letdown after
division title clinched
Penguins fall to Hurricanes, 4-1
San Jose Sharks
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Sharks face another troubling opponent
Sharks can't afford to lose more ground tonight vs. Oilers
San Jose Sharks end modest two-game slide with win over
Edmonton Oilers
Sharks rally to beat Oilers 5-4, stay close to Ducks
Burns sparks Sharks' top power play unit
Pacific Watch: Ducks gain two points on Sharks with epic
comeback
Sharks' game not where it needs to be in win over Oilers
Instant Replay: Sharks top Oilers in come from behind win
St Louis Blues
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Blues beat Flyers 1-0 in shootout overtime with Miller's
shutout
Blues will shake things up against Flyers
Hockey Guy: Blues did OK by missing on Lecavalier
Hitchcock plans to give new 'Bergie Bunch' an extended look
Blues beat the Flyers in a shootout
Blues seeking more balance on offense
Miller, Blues blank Flyers 1-0 in shootout
Depleted Flyers fall to Blues
Miller's first Blues shutout is a big one
Tampa Bay Lightning
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Bolts clinch playoff spot with victory
Bolts Notes: Lightning honor Paralympian
Lightning can clinch playoff spot tonight
Ondrej Palat is the NHL's rookie of the month for March
Goaltending to headline Lightning-Canadiens showdown
Lightning's Mike Kostka takes big hit
Lightning clinches playoff berth with win over Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
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Mirtle: Ghosts of Brian Burke‘s tenure still haunt struggling
Leafs
Desperate Leafs edge Flames to snap eight game losing
streak
Flames looking to snuff out Leafs‘ faint playoff hopes
Kessel has bruised foot but is expected to play against
Flames
Clarkson, Bolland, McClement in Leaf penthouse, Raymond
in doghouse
David Clarkson rescues Leafs vs. Flames: Cox
Leafs finally get some good luck in streak-ending win over
Flames
LeafsBeat: Time to start looking at Maple Leafs prospects
If the Maple Leafs fire Randy Carlyle, is it the right thing to
do?
Maple Leafs not getting caught up in outside chatter
Maple Leafs snap eight-game slide with 3-2 win over Flames
It‘s no joke, Leafs need to ‗win a hockey game‘
Win by Leafs a 'big relief,' Phaneuf says
'Thank God it's over,' McClement says of Leafs losing skid
Toronto Maple Leafs break eight-game slide in beating
Calgary Flames, keep slim playoff hopes alive
MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke has been meeting with Toronto
Maple Leafs players since collapse began, assistant GM
says
Toronto Maple Leafs try to take minds off losing streak,
focus on Calgary Flames
Vancouver Canucks
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Canucks‘ David Booth busses Billy the bear
Canucks Game Day: Vancouver clings to faint playoff hopes
as road warrior Rangers come calling (with video)
Alain Vigneault-led, playoff-bound Rangers down Canucks
Torts talk: Canuck coach on 3-1 loss to NY Rangers
Canucks left looking for meaning to season
A David Booth bear story that actually ends well
Canucks Game Day: Vigneault‘s Rangers on a roll; Torts
ignoring speculation on his demise; Lack to get 17th st
Willes: Canucks need to heed hiring history in coach hunt
Rangers 3 Canucks 1: Plug pulled on Canucks' season
St. Louis scores first goal as Ranger in win over sinking
Canucks
Washington Capitals
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Capitals show ‗zero urgency‘ in blowout loss to Stars
Capitals brace for matchup with desperate Stars
Capitals shuffle defense again; Grabovski at left wing
against Stars
Stars rout Capitals 5-0 to maintain playoff push
Careless mistakes doom Capitals in deflating home loss to
Stars
Websites
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ESPN / Will the Loo finally get a Cup parade?
ESPN / Rumblings: Callahan staying in Tampa? Canucks
making changes?
NBCSports.com / Michael Lewis‘ new book could be bad
timing for Panthers‘ new owner
CNN/Sports Illustrated / Report: Pavel Datsyuk could return
to Red Wings‘ lineup on Wednesday
CNN/Sports Illustrated / Devils drop another shootout, now
winless in last 15 attempts
CNN/Sports Illustrated / Washington Capitals‘ Troy Brouwer
takes veiled shot at coach Adam Oates
CNN/Sports Illustrated / Brian Cazeneuve>INSIDE THE NHL
CNN/Sports Illustrated / FHL hug-and-beer-hockey-fight
stunt falls flat; players suspended
CNN/Sports Illustrated / Allan Muir>NHL POWER
RANKINGS
CNN/Sports Illustrated / Top Line: Blackhawks get wake-up
call; 2013 NHL Draft revisited; more links
CNN/Sports Illustrated / Calgary Flames make good after
mascot screw-up
TSN.CA Kerry Fraser/ it on Toews
USA TODAY / Islanders GM in can't-win situation with draft
pick
YAHOO SPORTS / A 'remarkable' return even though
Lightning flash Steven Stamkos won't be full speed until next
Winnipeg Jets
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Phoenix ties it up at 1-1
Jets reassign Comrie, Morrissey to St. John's
Winnipeg fans exude negativity — because they care
Winnipeg Jets fan miffed over team holding season ticket
holders deposits
Jets epic collapse in Anaheim just part of an ugly big picture
Jets' coach Maurice defends Pavelec
Lucky Ladd scores shootout winner
SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129
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Anaheim Ducks
Ducks FYI: Team of destiny? They'll have to wait and see
By Lance Pugmire April 1, 2014, 6:28 p.m.
It took an ear-splitting scolding from Coach Bruce Boudreau, a game-turning
hit by team leader Ryan Getzlaf, an amazing save by goalie Frederik
Andersen, a power-play conversion, and Corey Perry‘s won‘t-be-denied rush
to the net.
But was destiny also at play in the Ducks‘ franchise-record comeback from a
four-goal deficit to defeat the Winnipeg Jets, 5-4, in overtime Monday?
With seven games remaining, the victory gave the Ducks (49-18-8) the most
regular-season wins in team history and, with 106 points, put them in position
to grab the Pacific Division title and finish first in the Western Conference.
The day after scoring his 39th goal of the season with 22.7 seconds left to
force an overtime that led to Stephane Robidas‘ deciding goal, Perry said the
comeback victory could provide a lasting burst of momentum into the Stanley
Cup playoffs.
―That‘s a win to build off. You need to have that kind of drive to show we can
come back from any point,‖ Perry said. ―If you have that confidence and
belief, you can beat any team.‖
―Our character just took over. It‘s a full 60-minute game. The start wasn‘t
what we wanted, but the finish is where we want to get to and what we did is
a special thing. There‘s a lot of happy faces in here today.‖
Boudreau said he believed the Ducks had a chance to rally from a 4-0 deficit
with less than three minutes left in the second period, but he stopped short of
buying the notion that the magic automatically continues.
―I don‘t think those thoughts,‖ Boudreau said. ―I think it‘s great in the moment.
It gives you confidence from now on you‘re never out of a game.
―But I had those thoughts once [coaching] Washington, down 4-1 in a playoff
game, we won in overtime. I said it‘s a team of destiny, and then we lost in the
second round. So that destiny didn‘t last too long.
―I don‘t want to put the same kind of burden on this team. You don‘t want to
have to win 5-4 games, because you can‘t survive in the playoffs.‖
Injury update
Out since March 14, defenseman Cam Fowler (sprained knee ligament)
skated at Tuesday‘s practice and Boudreau said Fowler, a U.S. Olympian
with six goals and 30 assists, could return to play by next week.
The team had no update on defenseman Mark Fistric, who underwent an
MRI exam Monday to address a lower-body nerve ailment that has kept him
sidelined since March 15.
DUCKS VS. EDMONTON
When: 7.
On the air: TV: KDOC; Radio: 830.
Etc.: The Ducks renew acquaintances with the Oilers for the second of three
games within a nine-day span. They lost Friday in Edmonton when ex-Kings
goalie Ben Scrivens stopped 48 of 51 shots in a 4-3 overtime win. The teams
meet again Sunday in Canada.
LA Times: LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Anaheim Ducks
Ducks' Perreault has the hot hand, and he's playing it
BY ERIC STEPHENS / STAFF WRITER
ANAHEIM – Mathieu Perreault insists there is nothing he is doing with his
sticks that is special.
Hasn‘t put them next to a heater. Isn‘t covering them with blankets. Didn‘t ask
for a magic spell from the hockey gods.
Something is happening, though.
―I don‘t know what‘s going on,‖ Perreault said, smiling broadly. ―Stick is hot.‖
Perreault got an assist on Ryan Getzlaf‘s power-play goal that was part of a
stunning Ducks comeback Monday to beat Winnipeg, 5-4, in overtime. His
point streak is now at nine games, which is four more than he‘d ever had in a
row.
Six of the 10 points scored during the run have been goals. Perreault scored
in each contest during the club‘s recent three-game trip, including tying
scores in Calgary and Edmonton in the third period. He got the final tally in a
5-1 rout of Vancouver.
―I‘m just taking it as they go right now,‖ Perreault said. ―It‘s the end of the
season, and we‘re coming close to the playoffs. I feel good about myself.
―It‘s almost like when you‘re not scoring, before a game you feel like you‘re
not going to score. Now every time I step on the ice, I feel like I am going to
score.‖
It is the feeling when a player gets hot. The diminutive center‘s streak gives
him a personal-best 40 points, which comes in handy since he can be a
restricted free agent in July. Perreault, who's a bargain at $1.1 million this
season, also has a new high of 18 goals.
―Even when I wasn‘t scoring as much, I had chances and they weren‘t going
in,‖ Perreault said. ―And now it works that way when you don‘t get any and
then you start getting them in bunches. It just evens out, you know.
―Right now, I‘m just getting the bounces. I don‘t think I do anything different. I
don‘t think I‘m working harder or anything. It‘s just bounces going my way. I‘ll
take it.‖
Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau is seeing something different of late. There is
an edge to his game that is on display more often.
―I think the tenacity in his game has picked up in that he‘s not having the
slides of no energy,‖ Boudreau said. ―He seems to have an awful lot of
energy out there and he can really fly.
―That really helps, when he‘s got the puck and he‘s skating the way he is. And
when he‘s got the confidence right now that he does have, I think it benefits
his linemates tremendously.‖
Perreault has found chemistry with left wing Pat Maroon and Boudreau has
recognized that by keeping them together on the second line.
Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732160
Boston Bruins
Patrice Bergeron named Second Star of the Week
By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff
Patrice Bergeron has been named the NHL‘s Second Star of the Week.
Bergeron scored five goals in four games last week. Bergeron scored twice
against Chicago last Thursday, including the game-winning goal.
Bergeron has a seven-game goal-scoring streak in progress. Bergeron
extended his streak in Sunday‘s 4-3 shootout win over the Flyers with a
second-period goal. Bergeron also scored one of the Bruins‘ two shootout
goals.
Boston Globe LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Boston Bruins
Duchene out about 4 weeks with knee injury
Monday, March 31, 2014 By: Associated Press
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Colorado Avalanche will be heading into their
first postseason in four years without leading scorer Matt Duchene after the
forward suffered a quirky left knee injury.
Duchene hurt his medial collateral ligament when he ran into a teammate on
the opening shift against San Jose over the weekend. He's expected to miss
about four weeks.
The loss is a big blow for the Avalanche, who have turned things around in
coach Patrick Roy's first season in charge and are in the running for
home-ice advantage with eight games remaining.
"We hope for a speedy recovery to be back as soon as he can," Ryan
O'Reilly said after practice Monday.
Duchene was trying to avoid a collision with teammate Jamie McGinn, but
they awkwardly bumped anyway near the Sharks blue line. Duchene fell to
the ice and then gingerly skated to the bench.
"One of those freak accidents in hockey," McGinn said.
McGinn said he's called and texted Duchene, telling him to "stay positive."
Duchene posted on his Twitter account Monday that the "thought of not
playing in the first round for me has been devastating." He added that he will
be "doing everything in my power to be ready for Game 1... And if not then,
shortly after!"
The 23-year-old Duchene has set career highs this season in points (70),
assists (47) and shots (217). He missed three games earlier this season with
an oblique injury. The team went 3-0 in his absence.
For now, Roy said the plan is to move rookie Nathan MacKinnon to center to
fill in for Duchene, with O'Reilly and McGinn playing on the wings.
"We've been finding ways to win games," Roy said. "We'll continue to find
ways to win."
Here's an encouraging sign: P.A. Parenteau, who sprained his knee on
March 10, briefly skated on his own Monday. Roy said Parenteau could
possibly be back for the regular season finale in Anaheim on April 13.
"We have depth and a lot of confidence in our players," Roy said. "Our
players have a lot of confidence in themselves. It's a team concept. It's how
we've been winning our games. It's not going to change."
Right after practice, Roy assembled his team at center ice, just to give them
one final pep talk before taking off for their game in Columbus on Tuesday.
He told them he was "proud of them" and that the team shouldn't be satisfied,
especially with Colorado trailing Central Division-leading St. Louis by only
seven points.
The message was well received.
"All year, guys have stepped up and done a great job," McGinn said. "We just
stay positive and work hard and good things will happen."
Asked if there was any pressure stepping in for Duchene, MacKinnon
responded, "No."
"I'm not going to try to replace Dutchy, because you can't," said MacKinnon, a
clear favorite for rookie of the year. "Matt is a big-time player and we're going
to have to find ways to win without him."
Roy knows all about missing an integral player for the postseason. He and
the Avalanche were without Peter Forsberg during their 2001 Stanley Cup
run when Forsberg had to have his spleen removed after the first round. The
team carried on without the Swedish star, beating the New Jersey Devils in
Game 7 to win the title.
"That's the way it was in 2001 — it was about the team," Roy said. "Peter was
a very important player on that team, don't get me wrong. But our culture was
we had to work hard every time we were on the ice. We had to find ways to
win hockey games.
"That's what this team has been doing all year. This is what we're talking
about when you're talking about a team changing their culture. We're not
looking for an excuse. We're looking for a solution."
Boston Herald LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Boston Bruins
Red Wings get last lease at Joe Louis Arena
Photo by: The Associated Press
DETROIT — The city council has approved a new lease with the Detroit Red
Wings for the NHL team's final years at Joe Louis Arena.
The deal approved Monday, 5-4, includes $5.2 million from the team to settle
a dispute over cable TV fees. The Red Wings will pay $1 million a year in
rent, retroactive to 2010. The lease ends in 2015, although it could be
extended.
The Red Wings hope to move into a new arena as early as 2016.
Council member Mary Sheffield voted against the agreement, saying the city
deserved to get millions more in the cable TV dispute. Attorneys advising the
city say Detroit didn't have a strong case. Joe Louis Arena is 35 years old.
732163
Boston Bruins
Bruins Notebook: Jarome Iginla shines brightest
Wednesday, April 2, 2014 By: Steve Conroy
WILMINGTON — Bruins forward Jarome Iginla was named the NHL‘s first
star for March yesterday.
The 36-year-old Iginla scored 13 goals — five of them game-winners — and
added four assists and a plus-12 rating in March.
―It‘s an honor and it‘s been an enjoyable month,‖ Iginla said. ―For our whole
team we‘ve had a great month. There have been a lot of guys who‘ve had
great streaks. You look at (Patrice Bergeron) and he‘s been as hot as I‘ve
seen. So it‘s been good, it‘s been fun. I‘ve gotten some great passes from my
(linemates) and stuff, and it‘s been great.‖
How long the good times keep rolling for Iginla in Boston has become an
increasingly hot topic as his performance has steamed up. Scheduled to
become an unrestricted free agent this summer, Iginla has proven to be the
perfect fit for the Bruins that everyone suspected he‘d be.
General manager Peter Chiarelli told the Herald‘s Stephen Harris over the
weekend that he has had preliminary discussions with Iginla‘s camp about an
extension for the future Hall of Famer. Iginla is being paid a base salary of
$1.8 million this year, while he‘s hit all but $500,000 of his bonuses that would
pay him an extra $4.2 million, which would carry over into the team‘s payroll
for next season. It‘s expected the cap will go up from $64.3 million this year to
approximately $70 million next season.
Asked about possibly re-signing with the B‘s, Iginla spoke positively about his
experience as a Bruin but was still noncommittal about an extension.
―I‘ve really, really enjoyed my time here,‖ he said. ―The guys here are a great
group of guys. I think there‘s a great balance with the young guys coming in
and some of the older guys who I think can play for a while and some guys
that are right (in their prime). The team is in great shape to compete for a
while.
―I‘ve been put in a great situation to play with (David Krejci and Milan Lucic);
they‘re very competitive and they do a lot of things very well. I‘ve gotten some
great back-door passes and things like that. It‘s been a great experience for
myself and my family and I feel very fortunate to be here this year,‖ Iginla
added. ―Hopefully everything works out. At the same time, I know the best
thing I can do is to focus on the now and just enjoy this now, the run that
we‘re on, and getting ready for the playoffs and the goal of winning. That‘s
where most of the focus is, but I‘ve definitely enjoyed it. But those are the
decisions that the team, the organization and personally are for after the
season.‖
Spooner promoted
The B‘s recalled center Ryan Spooner from Providence (AHL) and he
traveled with the team on the trip to Detroit and Toronto, though coach
Claude Julien said it‘s not definite he‘ll get into either game. There could be a
couple of openings. Carl Soderberg‘s wife is expecting a baby any day now,
and Julien said Krejci has been battling a sore throat.
For Spooner, he‘s feeling much better now than when he was sent down. He
was so weary that he had to be held out of some practices.
―When I first got sent back, I think I was 170 pounds and I just didn‘t really feel
great. I got my weight back up and I feel a lot better,‖ said Spooner, who said
it took him nearly a month to feel normal again. ―I don‘t know what I had; I just
know I wasn‘t my best. And my play kind of showed it . . . but I played a lot
better in the last three or four weeks.‖ . . .
Julien gave some of his big guns more rest yesterday, keeping Bergeron,
Iginla, Krejci, Loui Eriksson and Zdeno Chara off the ice. Julien had given
some of his top players two days off two weeks ago.
―I think that makes a big difference in guys trying to recover,‖ Julien said.
732164
Boston Bruins
Motivation in Motown: Loss fuels Bruins in return trip
By:Steve Conroy
WILMINGTON — The Bruins will not play another big game until April 16 or
17, when the puck is dropped for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But you can bet that tonight‘s opponent has the B‘s attention.
Not only did the Bruins suffer a truly embarrassing 6-1 loss the last time they
played at Detroit‘s Joe Louis Arena, but the Red Wings could very well be
their first-round opponent. It was the worst loss of the season, the type of
lopsided defeat that has been a rarity in the Claude Julien era.
Anything to remember from that Nov. 27 game?
―Ah, the disgusting taste it left in our mouths,‖ defenseman Torey Krug, a
minus-1 on that miserable Thanksgiving Eve, said yesterday at Ristuccia
Arena. ―They‘re a good team. They‘re fast, they have high offensive power,
they like to spring the zone. And when we have defensive breakdowns, they
like to take advantage of it. They‘re one of those teams that you can‘t be just
near guys. You have to make sure you take them away. Otherwise, they‘re
still going to get a good opportunity.‖
That loss shook up the B‘s, in a good way. After that, they ripped off a
six-wins-in-seven-games run.
―I don‘t recall much, but I know it just didn‘t sit well with this group,‖ Krug said.
―I know we have a lot of guys in here that, when we do lose games, they‘re
usually close games. That one got out of hand and we didn‘t like that. I think it
was an eye-opener. I think guys started bearing down after that.‖
A lot has happened since that game for both teams. The Bruins lost Dennis
Seidenberg for at least the regular season, but the combination of
defensemen Krug, Matt Bartkowski, Dougie Hamilton, Kevan Miller and now
Andrej Meszaros has made it work along with stalwarts Zdeno Chara and
Johnny Boychuk. Up front, the B‘s eventually found the right mix for the
second and third lines, moving Carl Soderberg to center on the third line and
flipping right wingers Reilly Smith and Loui Eriksson, which has made a world
of difference for the Eastern Conference leaders.
The Red Wings, meanwhile, have lost forwards Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel
Datsyuk (who also did not play in the Nov. 27 game) for extended periods.
But Gustav Nyquist has stepped into that void and become a star.
―They have a lot of young guys in their lineup coming from Grand Rapids (of
the AHL) and they want to make a statement,‖ Krug, a Michigan native, said.
―They want to keep their spots in the lineup. Obviously, all of them won‘t once
people start coming back, but that‘s what‘s making them win games right
now, their mentality. They‘re working hard. That‘s what you get out of young
guys.‖
Datsyuk, out since Feb. 27 with a knee injury, could return tonight as the Red
Wings, who hold one of the East‘s wild card slots, look to improve their
playoff position.
―I‘m not so much concerned that they beat us badly,‖ Julien said. ―We didn‘t
play very well the last time we were in there and they actually had a real good
game. So there was a big difference there. But I think we have to recognize
the fact that we could see them in the playoffs. It‘s getting closer to being
finalized here in these last few games. We need to go there with a purpose.
. . . It‘s not an absolute must-win, but we have to play better than we did the
last time we were there.‖
This game does have that added significance.
―I think it does,‖ Krug said. ―We‘re playing some teams right now that could be
our first-round opponents and I think you want to send a message. Let them
know it‘s going to be a tough series for them. Obviously, we‘re still fine-tuning
our game as well, so it‘s a good test. They‘re already in playoff mode. They‘re
fighting for position, they‘re playing playoff hockey, so it will be good for us.‖
732165
Buffalo Sabres
Murray, Nolan share common vision to improve Sabres now that coaching
job is stable
By John Vogl
The finalization of Ted Nolan's contract today is more of a start than a finish.
It allows the Sabres and their fans to know that an important position -- head
coach -- is stable after a wild year of uncertainty and down times in
Sabreland.
―I‘m really excited about going with the next step,‖ Nolan said this afternoon
during a joint news conference with General Manager Tim Murray.
―Hopefully, one day we‘ll battle for a championship.‖
Nolan will be on board for the next three seasons after signing a long-awaited
contract extension, which removed his interim status. Murray didn‘t have a
―Eureka!‖ moment when came to deciding Nolan should stick around. Rather,
the GM saw a talent-lacking squad respond to its coach on a daily basis.
―Every day has been a trying situation,‖ Murray said in First Niagara Center.
―There‘s been very few games we haven‘t been competitive.
―From the players, all I‘ve heard is positives.‖
Dealing with the players is the next step. Murray and Nolan, a pair of
midseason replacements, are aware the roster will need an overhaul for
Nolan to do the best job possible.
―We have to get him better players,‖ Murray said.
Buffalo News LOADED: 04.02.2014
732166
Buffalo Sabres
Grigorenko hopes to excel with Amerks, show Sabres he'll be ready for NHL
March 31, 2014 - 5:59 PM | By John Vogl
Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko joined the Amerks for practice today and
will play Wednesday when Rochester hosts Syracuse. He played two playoff
games for the Amerks last season.
―This year is going to be better for me than last year because I have two,
three weeks to be more part of the team,‖ he said in Rochester. ―I really have
a chance to help the guys.‖
The Amerks could use the assistance. They are 0-7-2 in their last nine and
have fallen out of a playoff spot. They have nine games left.
―Hopefully, it‘ll be a good jumpstart for us,‖ Amerks coach Chadd Cassidy
said. ―Obviously, he brings in a lot of offensive ability. We‘ve had a hard time
scoring goals, and every little bit helps.‖
Grigorenko started this season with the Sabres but was sent to his junior
team in Quebec shortly after Ted Nolan and Pat LaFontaine took over in
November. The 19-year-old views this as an audition for the coach and
General Manager Tim Murray.
―I think it‘s a good opportunity for me,‖ Grigorenko said. ―I‘ll do my best and
show the new general manager and Ted Nolan that I can step to the NHL
next year.‖
732167
Buffalo Sabres
Sabres, Nolan agree to contract extension
March 31, 2014 - 8:34 AM By John Vogl
Pen has finally met paper as Ted Nolan signed a contract extension today to
stay on as head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.
―We are very happy to get this deal done and have Ted Nolan as our
permanent head coach going forward,‖ General Manager Tim Murray said in
a statement. ―Teddy has proven time and again that he is an exceptional
leader, motivator and teacher. He is exactly what we need in a head coach
for our hockey team, and we‘re confident in his ability to guide our players
and turn this team around.‖
Nolan, who was named interim coach in November, was set to sign the
extension last month before the chaos erupted involving the departure of Pat
LaFontaine, his friend and president of hockey operations. Nolan took a
break to reassess the matter, and the contract has been in the hands of his
agent for weeks.
―I said back in November that it was a dream to be able to come back and
coach the Sabres, and that‘s still true today,‖ Nolan said. ―Hockey is my life,
and Buffalo is a special place for hockey. I‘m excited by the challenge facing
our team and our organization, and I‘m truly thankful to have this
opportunity.‖
The contract is believed to be a three-year deal. Nolan finally has the
long-term contract with the Sabres he had desired since 1997, when he was
named NHL Coach of the Year but left the team after a mere one-year offer
by incoming GM Darcy Regier.
The Sabres were 4-15-1 when Nolan took over Nov. 13. They have gone
16-30-8 with him on the bench.
The Sabres' next game is Tuesday, when they host the New Jersey Devils.
732168
Buffalo Sabres
Leino‘s shootout winner draws big cheers
By John Vogl | April 1, 2014 - 10:39 PM
Ville Leino had no idea what was going to happen when Ted Nolan called his
name to take part in the rollicking shootout. The Sabres‘ coach did.
―I mentioned to John Scott, ‗Watch the crowd go crazy on this one,‘ ‖ Nolan
said with a smile.
Indeed, the folks in First Niagara Center raised their voices, arms and bodies
Tuesday night when Leino hopped over the boards as Buffalo‘s ninth shooter
in the breakaway challenge against New Jersey. Everyone in the building
was well-aware Leino hadn‘t scored this season, which has made him the
most-maligned player on the last-place team.
Despite – or, more likely, because of – the forgettable times, the fans jumped
at the chance to cheer and applaud Leino‘s time in the spotlight.
―I didn‘t know if they were going to boo or cheer, so I was pretty happy about
that,‖ said Leino, who scored to join goaltender Nathan Lieuwen in delivering
a 3-2 win. ―It was actually pretty awesome. I just wanted to score for them,
and they gave me a little extra effort there.‖
Leino is still stuck on zero goals in 53 games because shootout winners
count only toward the team total, but even a real tally won‘t elicit the same
emotion that roared through downtown Tuesday.
―I miss a little bit of that feeling when you get that,‖ Leino said. ―Obviously, we
haven‘t been in playoffs for a while or been winning that much, so it‘s tough.
It‘s tough times, but those moments you get a little energy, extra effort to
want to win it, put it in.‖
The victory was the first in the NHL for Lieuwen, a 22-year-old rookie who
made 33 saves during the game and seven in the shootout.
―It was unbelievable, one of the most amazing feelings of my life,‖ said
Lieuwen, who was serenaded with chants of ―Loooo‖ through the game. ―I felt
like I belonged, and that‘s a good feeling.‖
Tyler Ennis scored twice to jump from 19 goals to 21. He also scored 20
goals during his rookie season of 2010-11. He stared at an empty net on both
his third-period goals as Leino and Cody Hodgson set him up with pinpoint
passes.
―Hopefully, I‘ll get 20 or more for a long time to come,‖ Ennis said. ―I didn‘t
have to do a lot of work to get it. I was the beneficiary of great playmaking. It
was nice to get them, and it was even better to win.‖
Jake McCabe, who starred collegiately at Wisconsin and for the United
States in the world junior tournament, may pass up his senior year with the
Badgers and join the Sabres.
―Jake McCabe is close to signing,‖ General Manager Tim Murray said on
WGR-AM 550. ―If it gets done, he‘ll more than likely be here versus going‖ to
Rochester.
The Sabres selected McCabe in the second round of the 2012 NHL Draft.
The 20-year-old served as an alternate captain at Wisconsin and put up eight
goals and 25 points in 36 games this season. The product of the U.S.
National Team Development Program has 14 goals, 44 assists and 58 points
in 100 games with the Badgers.
McCabe shot up the prospect charts in January 2013 when he captained the
United States to the gold medal at the world juniors in Russia.
The Sabres have signed Justin Kea, their third-round pick in the 2012 draft,
to a three-year deal potentially worth $1.94 million.
Kea brings size to the organization‘s corps of forwards. The 6-foot-4,
210-pound center had 22 goals and 49 points in 58 games with Saginaw of
the Ontario Hockey League. The 20-year-old will finish this season with the
Rochester Amerks on a tryout contract, and his entry-level deal will kick in
next season.
email: [email protected]
732169
Calgary Flames
Leafs keep faint playoff hopes alive with win over Flames
By Michael Traikos, Postmedia News April 1, 2014
Toronto —So this is what a win looks like.
The Toronto Maple Leafs snapped an eight-game losing streak on Tuesday
with a 3-2 victory against the Calgary Flames. But while the two points should
go a long way in building back the team's confidence, it did not change much.
The Leafs, who moved up from 10th to ninth place in the Eastern Conference
standings, still remain a long shot to make the playoffs. According to
sportsclubstats.com, the team's playoff chances improved from 4.6% to 8.6%
with Tuesday night's win. If Toronto manages to run the table and go on a
six-game winning streak — something that the team accomplished in
January — the odds would increase to 81.7%.
In other words, this win might have kept the playoff hopes alive for now. But
the Leafs remain on life support.
Still, the general feeling inside the dressing room was relief. After going 18
days between wins, the Leafs needed this one.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it? Too long," said head coach Randy Carlyle.
"Obviously, it's a much better feeling than we've been able to enjoy here over
the last while, that's for sure. You hope that you can build on it. But I don't
want to get too far ahead of ourselves, because we didn't paint a Mona Lisa
here tonight."
Toronto now turns its attention to Boston on Thursday, which represents
another must-win. After that, the Leafs will have to defeat Winnipeg on
Saturday and finish the season with a string of wins against Tampa Bay,
Florida and Ottawa. Even then, they will also need help from the teams
around them in the standings.
They received a bit of assistance in that regard on Tuesday night, when the
eighth-place Columbus Blue Jackets (one point ahead of Toronto) lost in
overtime and the 10th-place Washington Capitals (one point behind Toronto)
lost in regulation.Columbus has two games in hand while the Capitals have
one on the Leafs.
"Our main focus was to win one," said goaltender Jonathan Bernier, who
made 22 saves. "Now we have to get back on track and not celebrate too
much, because Thursday is a big one for us."
What Tuesday night's win helped increase, beyond the Leafs' playoff odds,
was their confidence. Having lost eight straight games in regulation —
something no other team had done this season — and fallen out of a
comfortable playoff spot had began to wear on the players in the room. You
could see it on their faces, in their play, and obviously in the results.
"It's a relief for our team to get this win," said Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf.
"We needed it, we got it, and now we move forward. We can feel good about
ourselves, because we won this game and it's been a tough stretch . . . but
now we build on it."
Advanced stats has done a fine job of explaining how the Leafs fell from
grace in a season where they were the beneficiaries of above-average
goaltending, a potent power play and opportunistic scoring. But this slump
was about a lack of confidence.
The Leafs took a step towards building back that confidence with Tuesday's
win. As Carlyle said, it was not a masterpiece. Toronto had difficulty
generating offence against the second-worst team in the Western
Conference standings and committed the same defensive mistakes that
have plagued them during this losing streak.
But they held Calgary to just 22 shots. And on a night when Phil Kessel was
hobbled by a bruised foot, the Leafs received unlikely contributions from Jay
McClement, Dave Bolland and David Clarkson, the latter scoring for the first
time since Feb. 4.
"We tightened up our D-zone a bit and limited their chances," said
defenceman Cody Franson. "We made it a little easier on ourselves tonight."
The first period was played as though neither team wanted to score. After five
minutes, the shots were 0-0. And while the Flames finished the period with
six shots, it seemed like half of them went off Kessel's foot.
The Leafs took a 1-0 lead 50 seconds into the second period on an odd play
off a dump-in, with Cody Franson setting up McClement at the side of the net
for his first goal 17 games. Toronto caught a break soon after when Calgary's
Curtis Glencross had a goal disallowed after a video review showed he had
tipped the puck in with a high stick.
With the score tied 1-1, Morgan Rielly helped put the Leafs ahead when he
rushed the puck up the right side of the ice and fed a cross-seam pass to
Bolland, who caught a lucky bounce when his tip-in went off Calgary
defenceman Brodie's skate. It was the type of break that had seemingly been
going against Toronto during the losing streak.
A few minutes later, Clarkson snapped a 16-game point streak and scored
his first goal in nearly two months on a breakaway deke. Calgary made it
close when Kris Russell buried a wrist shot over Bernier's shoulder. But the
Leafs, who had not won a game since March 13, finally ended their drought
and picked up two points.
Now, they just have to do it five more times.
"The big thing is we have five games here and we have to play hard, be good
in our own zone and take care of what we can," said Clarkson. "I think at this
time of the season, you stay positive."
Calgary Herald: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732170
Calgary Flames
Van Brabant the 10th Flames player to make his NHL debut this season
Former Quinnipiac power forward skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs
By SCOTT CRUICKSHANK, Calgary Herald April 1, 2014
TORONTO — The latest lad in a long line? Bryce Van Brabant.
His inclusion in Tuesday‘s contest at the Air Canada Centre gives the
Calgary Flames a total of 10 players who have made National Hockey
League debuts.
Like those before him this winter — goalies Joni Ortio, Reto Berra;
defencemen Chad Billins, Tyler Wotherspoon, Chris Breen; forwards Sean
Monahan, Corban Knight, Markus Granlund, Kenny Agostino — Van
Brabant‘s memorable night is a dandy development.
Which equals a franchise record, matching the double-digit baptisms of
1979-80 and 1997-98.
It‘s always a fun story. For the player, for the team, even for reporters.
But no one is losing sight of the big picture.
That an American Hockey League education is essential in (nearly) every
case.
―Detroit‘s got it right,‖ says Mark Giordano. ―The way they make their players
play in the minors. Guys are playing two, three years (in the AHL). Talk to a
guy like (Jiri Hudler). He had to play a few years in the minors‖ — 185
contests with Grand Rapids — ―before they gave him the chance to be a
regular in the NHL.‖
The most recent success story out of the Red Wings program is Gustav
Nyquist, who — after 137 games for Grand Rapids, including 15 this season
— has erupted for 27 goals.
―It really helps you mentally and physically,‖ says Giordano, himself a veteran
of 144 appearances — with Lowell and Omaha — in the AHL. ―But those are
the tough times in hockey. Getting cut. Getting scratched.
―I don‘t know if you can find that many players who don‘t know that feeling.‖
Giordano‘s not wrong.
In the Flames‘ lineup, only two gents — Van Brabant and stellar rookie Sean
Monahan — have not served time in the AHL. The others represent more
than 2,500 games‘ worth of farm-team experience (and that doesn‘t include
Bob Hartley‘s 320, while at the helm of Cornwall and Hershey).
Experience ranges from Kris Russell‘s 14 minor-league notches to Joey
MacDonald‘s 339.
―Those kids, from major junior and college, everyone is telling how nice they
are, how good they are, and suddenly they think that the NHL is just a normal
step,‖ says Hartley. ―It‘s not a normal step.‖
Which makes AHL dues-paying a near-necessity.
―It‘s the best hockey school in the world,‖ says Hartley. ―Mentally, with
(three-games-in-three-day scheduling), the travel, everything. You get called
up. You don‘t get call up. Every day is a different challenge. But it makes you
stronger mentally and it makes you a better person and a better player.
―There‘s very few exceptions.
―I‘m a big believer in the American Hockey League.‖
For junior kids, it‘s a chance to play against grown-ups.
For college kids, it‘s a chance to play weekdays, to play without cages, to
play frequently.
And for all hopefuls, the minors is a chance to tiptoe into a livelihood
brimming with obstacles.
―In a lot of the NHL cities, there‘s pressure,‖ says Kevin Westgarth, who, after
graduating from Princeton University, got into 224 matches with Manchester.
―If you‘re a young guy and, all of a sudden, that hits you when you go through
a slump, it can crush you. The AHL provides a great environment for
improving your game — with a little less pressure.
―It‘s cutting your teeth at a highly professional level. It definitely prepares you
for what we do every single day.‖
Adds Lance Bouma, a 95-game man with Abbotsford: ―Biggest thing — it
helps you grow up pretty quick. You don‘t have anyone there to cook for you
— or do anything for you — so you‘re on your own. The American league is a
grind, for sure. You get pretty tired by the end of the year . . . at the same
time, it really, really makes you want it that much more.‖
Yes, never under-estimate the power of avoidance.
As if the jet-set life of the NHL isn‘t appealing enough, toiling in the AHL will
surely motivate a man.
―It makes you appreciate it,‖ says Chris Butler, who, in 2008-09, skated 27
games for Portland, Maine. ―The long bus trips. The $18 you get for per diem
instead of $100. The Motel 6 instead of the Ritz-Carlton. So when you do get
that chance to come up, you never want to go back down.
―I‘m not saying it‘s a bad life. But compared to this lifestyle, it‘s a night and
day difference.‖
Calgary Herald: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732171
Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames Snapshots: Team doesn't want to enter tailspin now
By RANDY SPORTAK,First posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2014
TORONTO -- All that remains is a six-pack.
It may bode well for a draft position for the Calgary Flames, but a late-season
swoon is not what this team wants.
And not just because going down in defeat the rest of the way would mean
matching the eight-game losing skid the Toronto Maple Leafs snapped
Tuesday night.
"This is an evaluation period for everyone," said left-winger Curtis Glencross,
one of many Flames miffed after falling 3-2 to the Maple Leafs on Tuesday in
Toronto. "None of us like to lose. We've got a lot of pride. Obviously, we're
not in the playoffs now, but at the same time, you don't like losing games.
"We're going to play it hard right to the end."
The Flames arrived in Ontario to kick off their five-game swing all against
Eastern Conference teams with positive vibes of being the little engine that
keeps trying.
Even if they weren't winning, the Flames were known for being the NHL's
hardest-working club.
That wasn't the case in Ottawa during a 6-3 loss to the Senators, and they
were again without much spark in falling to the Maple Leafs, who were
reeling from their eight-game slide to the point they looked like a boxer who
figures the knock-out blow is coming once they get through the standing eight
count.
Now, considering how the Flames aren't a playoff team, falling further down
the standings isn't all bad.
Finishing 26th overall means 8.1% odds of winning the lottery and gaining
the No. 1 pick in the coming NHL Draft. Finishing 27th increases those odds
to 10.7%.
The New York Islanders vaulted over the Flames on Tuesday night, and even
hold a game in hand.
Still, the Flames built up some positive P.R. with their fans this season by
being a gritty, fight-to-the-end squad.
It would be a shame to see it wash away.
Off the glass
Certainly must say all of the NHL's three stars of the month for March were
deserving. Jarome Iginla, of the Boston Bruins, Gustav Nyquist, of the Detroit
Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux all had very
impressive months, but it's a shame neither of the two best Flames were
lauded. Captain Mark Giordano collected four goals and 16 points in 16
games, along with a plus-10 rating, while Michael Cammalleri compiled 11
goals, four of them game-winners, plus a shootout winner, and 18 points "¦
Not sure what to make of this but here's a comment on Twitter just before the
game by Riddick Bowe, who's become a crazy Maple Leafs fan. "Leafs are
gonna win tonight #AprilFoolsDay" "¦ Credit newest Flames forward Bryce
Van Brabant for managing to keep his NHL debut in perspective. When
asked after the morning skate what it would take for his game to be a
success, Van Brabant replied, "I guess it's already a success. My family's
coming in, and to share it with them is more than anyone could ask for." "¦
Van Brabant made it 10 players to play their first NHL game this season for
the Flames, which ties a franchise record also reached in the 1979-80
season while the team was in Atlanta, and the 1997-98 squad. The other nine
players this season are goalies Joni Ortio and Reto Berra,defencemen Chris
Breen, Chad Billins and Tyler Wotherspoon, and forwards Sean Monahan,
Markus Granlund, Kenny Agostino and Corban Knight. By the way, the 10
players from the 1997-98 team were Derek Morris, Steve Begin, Denis
Gauthier, Chris Dingman, Tyler Moss, Travis Brigley, Sergei Varlamov, Eric
Landry, Erik Andersson and Rocky Thompson.
In the crease
Good to see Leafs D Paul Ranger return to action. He was last on NHL ice
being taken away on a stretcher March 19 "¦ The Leafs dressed seven
defencemen, maybe that's why the Flames needed more than 10 minutes to
register a shot on goal "¦ I'm assuming there's a law somewhere stating the
song Fifty Mission Cap by The Tragically Hip MUST be played every game at
the Air Canada Centre "¦ Calgary's franchise-record 46 one-goal games has
come with a 22-17-7 mark "¦ Things that don't make sense: The Leafs have
the NHL's best home-ice powerplay and the worst home-ice penalty-killing "¦
What you may have missed: Former Flames defenceman and current Leafs
captain Dion Phaneuf would have been a dream for anybody having him as
their penalty-minutes man in a hockey pool. Not only did Phaneuf receive a
minor for cross-checking in the dying seconds, he was given a minor for
unsportsmanlike conduct, a 10-minute misconduct and a game misconduct,
which totaled 24 minutes worth of infractions.
Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732172
Carolina Hurricanes
Skinner, Lindholm help Canes dominate Penguins 4-1
By WILL GRAVES
Lindholm put Carolina in front to stay 9:24 into the second with a power-play
goal that included a pretty feed from Skinner, who threaded a pass between
Pittsburgh defenseman Olli Maatta's legs right to Lindholm's stick.
Fleury never had a chance. The goaltender was equally helpless five minutes
later when a turnover by teammate Deryk Engelland handed Skinner and
Lindholm a breakaway that Lindholm converted into the first multi-goal game
of his brief career.
AP Sports WriterApril 1, 2014 Updated 3 hours ago
Any late push by the Penguins ended when Staal's tip-in eluded Fleury with
just over 8 minutes left.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading to the playoffs for an
eighth straight year.
Instead of skating off the ice with their fourth division title since Crosby's
arrival in 2005, Pittsburgh trudged to the locker room wondering when the
consistency that propelled them to the top of the Eastern Conference before
the Olympic break will return.
Barring an epic collapse, a Metropolitan Division title is all but clinched.
What happens after that, however, is anybody's guess.
"There's not much good to take out of it," Crosby said. "So we've just got to
make sure we respond the next game."
Dominant in the beginning but dismal at the end, the Penguins let a chance to
clinch their second straight division crown slip away in a 4-1 loss to Carolina
on Tuesday night that left Pittsburgh just 8-8-2 since returning from the
Olympic break.
NOTES: Carolina played without F Alexander Semin, who was scratched
due to an illness. ... The Hurricanes return home to face Dallas on Thursday.
... The Penguins fell to 45-8-4 this season when Crosby scores a point.
Not exactly the kind of momentum a Stanley Cup contender wants to bring
into the final days of the regular season.
"If you're not 100 percent, they can expose you and make you look pretty
silly," Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "That's what happened here
tonight."
Carolina rookie Elias Lindholm scored twice for the first multi-goal game of
his career, Eric Staal and Justin Faulk also scored while Jeff Skinner added
two assists. Anton Khudobin stopped 30 shots as the Hurricanes avoided
being swept in the season series by Pittsburgh for the first time in 18 years.
"I thought we kept it simple and kind of slowly frustrated them as it went on
and it was a win we needed," Staal said.
Chris Kunitz scored his 35th goal to give Pittsburgh an early lead, but the
Penguins crumbled over the final two periods.
Sidney Crosby picked up an assist to push his NHL-leading point total to 100,
but the Penguins appeared to lose interest after failing to bury the Hurricanes
during a frenetic opening barrage in which they appeared ready to run
Carolina out of the arena.
"We all felt like the first 10 minutes we were carrying the play ... for whatever
reason we got away from that," Crosby said. "Maybe we thought that came
easy or we could get away with cheating. And it didn't work."
No, it didn't.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves, but received little help playing behind a
sloppy defense. The Penguins turned it over 13 times, including a series of
miscues the Hurricanes were only too happy to turn into goals.
"I think we started mismanaging the puck and started having turnovers in the
neutral zone," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said.
The Penguins appeared to right the enigmatic final third of their season with a
spirited 4-1 victory over Chicago on Sunday night.
Two days later, the sense of urgency evaporated when the Hurricanes —
who are about to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year — failed to roll
over.
Pittsburgh recorded 12 of the first 14 shots, including Kunitz's wrist shot from
the left circle that Khudobin never saw. Crosby picked up the secondary
assist to lift his point total to the century mark for the fifth time in his career,
drawing a roar from the usual sellout crowd at Consol Energy Center.
It had all the makings of a blowout.
One developed, just not the one the Penguins were expecting.
Carolina steadied itself late in the first, evening the game on a knuckling slap
shot by Faulk that gave the Hurricanes the confidence boost they needed to
get back in it. The Penguins' malaise did the rest.
"That goal from (Faulk) really evens it up and then we kind of just took a deep
breath, got our legs going better and then I thought we just started moving
better and playing a much smarter game," Carolina coach Kirk Muller said.
News Observer LOADED: 04.02.2014
732173
Chicago Blackhawks
Toews or no Toews, Blackhawks have things to fix
By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter
6:17 PM CDT, March 31, 2014
As captain Jonathan Toews made his way to the dressing room cradling his
left arm with the team physician in tow, the Blackhawks ramped their game
up a notch Sunday night against the Penguins.
It is that kind of response — but on much grander scale — that the defending
Stanley Cup champions will need if they are to gather themselves and gain
some momentum heading into the playoffs.
The injury to Toews during the second period of an eventual 4-1 loss to the
Penguins only compounded the Hawks' recent woes. With the team off the
ice for a full two days, no update on Toews, who was drilled into the boards
by the Penguins' Brooks Orpik, is expected until Wednesday. That will
maintain the suspense surrounding a team that is already without winger
Patrick Kane for the rest of the regular season because of a knee injury.
A source said Monday that the NHL took a long look at the hit but did not
schedule a disciplinary hearing for Orpik, who blasted an unsuspecting
Toews with his shoulder.
"It was a big hit," Hawks winger Patrick Sharp said. "You could tell he was
trying to hit him hard. He knew who he was hitting. It's tough when you see
your captain get hit like that."
Coach Joel Quenneville said after the Hawks' third consecutive loss — all on
a three-game road trip — that he believed Toews' injury was "not serious" but
then added there likely will be a need for others players to step up and fill the
center's role. The team will take great pains to ensure their top player will be
100 percent for the postseason.
"Whenever you lose players someone's got to step up and take the spot,"
Sharp said. "In the case of (Kane and Toews), it's kind of tough to replace
them. It's an opportunity for other players to get ice time. It happens all the
time in hockey, players go down and it's an opportunity for someone else."
"We're not going to put that on any one player's shoulders to get us out of it.
Every night there is a different reason to why pucks are going in our net. ...
We believe in each other, believe in our team and we'll find a way to get out of
it."
Three days between games should help, not only with the physical side but
the mental as well as the Hawks look tired after a particularly difficult stretch
of their schedule.
"Certainly we'll use (the days) to our advantage and get some rest,"
Quenneville said. "We just played 11 games in 19 days; it was our busiest
stretch of the year. There were stretches over the last three games that
showed maybe we need this break."
When the Hawks return to practice Wednesday in advance of the final six
games of the regular season, there will no doubt be an emphasis on
straightening out shaky defensive play that has led to too many odd-man
rushes by opponents.
"We have to play much tighter, definitely," Marian Hossa said. "We play much
better when we check tighter and we've got lots of guys who can go
offensively. But we just cannot hang up there and just (keep) getting
odd-man rushes."
Said Quenneville: "We have a tendency, if we're doing the right things, (to) go
into that puck area before they get the odd-man break and I think we're a little
bit off. ... Our coverage over the last couple of games has been looser than
we've seen all year. That's why it looks like the odd-man breaks are popping
up a little bit more frequently."
The Hawks might have to fix it without the services of one of the top two-way
players in the league in Toews.
"It's time pretty much all of us have to step up," defenseman Niklas
Hjalmarsson said. "This road trip for us has been a bit of a wake-up call. It's
not good enough the way we played the last three games."
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.02.2014
732174
Chicago Blackhawks
No NHL hearing set for hit on Toews
By Chris Kuc, Tribune reporter
10:08 AM CDT, March 31, 2014
No disciplinary hearing has been scheduled by the NHL for the crunching hit
delivered Sunday to Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews by the
Pittsburgh Penguins' Brooks Orpik, a source said Monday.
Toews was forced to leave Sunday's 4-1 loss at Pittsburgh after suffering an
apparent left-arm injury as the result of a hard check into the boards by Orpik
during the second period.
The Blackhawks said Toews would be evaluated Monday and that there is no
timetable for when an update on his condition might be released. Asked
about the injury after the game, coach Joel Quennevile said, "I don't think it's
serious."
The Hawks have three days off before returning to action Thursday against
the Minnesota Wild at the United Center.
732175
Chicago Blackhawks
Did Hawks' Cup hopes crumple to ice with Toews?
Steve Rosenbloom
The RosenBlog
8:35 AM CDT, March 31, 2014
If you wondered what the end of the Blackhawks' championship hopes might
look like, then Jonathan Toews crumpling along the boards after a
devastating hit by Brooks Orpik in Pittsburgh on Sunday night qualifies as
one depressing example.
Toews had his head down. Orpik drilled him. I don‘t think we‘ll be needing
Grant Park this June.
Toews is the most indispensable Hawk. He does everything in every situation
and he seems to do it first and best. He‘s the hardest-working and the most
talented all-around Hawk, the way a captain should be.
Now he‘s injured, and nobody is saying how badly or for how long as the
playoffs loom in 16 days.
Joel Quenneville said he doesn‘t think it‘s serious. This would be a good time
for the coach to be right, because the hit looked serious enough to give every
other Stanley Cup contender new hope.
NBC Sports Network analyst Mike Milbury said Orpik hits to hurt players. He
should. That‘s the object of the exercise, if done legally.
Milbury seemed to want to call Orpik a cheap-shot artist, but the tough-talking
analyst pulled that punch. Whatever, if you get the chance to legitimately
check a guy out of the game, you do it.
And Orpik‘s hit looked legal. Orpik appeared to hit Toews with both skates on
the ice at contact, launching as part of the follow-through.
Something else, people: Toews has a responsibility here, too. He has to keep
to his head up, and he knows it.
There‘s no reason any opponent would ease up on the Hawks‘ best player,
and he knows that, too. Every opponent targets him first and hardest.
Keith Jones, the other NBC Sports Network studio analyst, didn‘t seem to like
the lack of caveman response by the Hawks, the default setting for old
analysts.
No, Hawks players did not immediately jump Orpik, which would‘ve drawn a
penalty and perhaps a suspension. The Hawks had a game to win. They
needed points to gain home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Truth is, the troglodyte talking heads didn‘t realize the Hawks were displaying
playoff-like discipline.
And an additional truth is this: It doesn‘t matter if the hit was dirty or cried for
an answer. It only matters to the Hawks‘ future that Toews appeared to be
hurt badly.
Even with Toews, the Hawks might not repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
Without him, I can‘t see them even beating Colorado in the first round.
The Hawks already had an issue at center, no matter what Stan Bowman
thought. Without Toews, the Hawks would be a complete doughnut.
Perhaps Toews will come back for the playoffs, or perhaps earlier, but I‘m not
confident he‘ll return in top form, not when an injury to his left arm or shoulder
area easily could hamper everything from faceoffs to shooting.
Same goes for Patrick Kane, just substitute a knee hampering everything
from his speed to his power-play talent to his world-class game of keepaway.
The Hawks already were playing badly without Kane. They look
disorganized, their best players are making some of the worst mistakes, and
they seem to have little confidence.
Now this.
We can hope Quenneville‘s right. We can hope it‘s not serious. Otherwise,
it‘s baseball season.
732176
Chicago Blackhawks
Will Blackhawks answer ‗wake-up call‘?
BY MARK LAZERUS Staff reporter April 1, 2014 4:30PM
Updated: April 1, 2014 10:52PM
For so long, the Blackhawks appeared to be living a charmed life.
When Daniel Carcillo was hurt in the first game of last season, Brandon Saad
came out of nowhere to become a major contributor. On their way to the
Presidents‘ Trophy and the Stanley Cup, the biggest bit of adversity was a
3-1 series deficit to the Detroit Red Wings. And while stars were falling left
and right at the Olympics, the Hawks — with a league-high 10 guys
competing — emerged unscathed.
But the hockey gods appear to have turned against them. Patrick Kane is out
for the rest of the regular season. Michal Rozsival has missed eight games in
a row and Bryan Bickell six. And now Jonathan Toews is injured, and his
status is uncertain. No official update will come until Wednesday, with the
Hawks on lockdown mode during their two days away from the rink.
With less than two weeks left in the regular season, this can break one of two
ways. Either everything falls apart and the Hawks flame out in the first round
against the Colorado Avalanche, or all four key contributors come back
healthy, rested and rarin‘ to go for the playoffs while others gain more playing
time and confidence in their absence.
It‘s either a disaster or a blessing in disguise.
‗‗We‘re going to have to find out about some other guys,‘‘ coach Joel
Quenneville said. ‗‗Maybe somebody steps up in the middle [for Toews], but
that‘s quality and quantity ice time. This time of year, we want to make sure
Jonny gets better and fresh.‘‘
The Pittsburgh Penguins have plenty of experience in dealing with what the
Hawks suddenly are dealing with. They‘ve played significant stretches during
the last few seasons without Sidney Crosby and have been playing the
homestretch this season without Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Paul Martin,
among others.
Defenseman Brooks Orpik — mere hours before delivering the hit that
knocked Toews out of the game Sunday with an apparent shoulder or arm
injury — talked about how such adversity could benefit a team in the long run.
‗‗We‘ve unfortunately experienced it probably too much the last three or four
years,‘‘ he said. ‗‗I think guys use it as motivation. When you‘re a younger
team, maybe you panic a little bit, and it crushes your confidence a little bit.
You look around the room waiting for somebody else to do it. So maybe that‘s
a good thing we‘ve had so much experience with it.‘‘
Bickell likely will be back Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. But if Toews
misses any time, it‘s another huge blow to an offense that, in an eight-day
span, was shut out twice and scored only once in another game. Perhaps
even more alarming have been the defensive lapses. The Penguins had
several odd-man rushes — and not merely once the Hawks began to chase
the lead late in the game.
Winger Marian Hossa called the recent bout of adversity a ‗‗wake-up call.‘‘
‗‗We‘ve got different guys who can step up and have to step up,‘‘ Hossa said.
‗‗And, obviously, some other guys are going to have different minutes and
somebody else is going to take another role.‘‘
To their credit, the Hawks don‘t sound rattled despite having lost three games
in a row and four of their last five. They‘re embracing the challenge. Whether
they can meet it remains to be seen.
‗‗You‘re already in the playoffs, so you can get guys playing a little more than
they‘re used to and also get them out of their comfort zones,‘‘ winger Kris
Versteeg said. ‗‗You lose arguably one of the best offensive players in the
world, and it‘s tough to find offense at times. But it also gives a guy like
Kaner, who‘s played an extreme amount of hockey, some rest. It‘s not the
end of the world. You just have to keep battling.‘‘
732177
Chicago Blackhawks
A healthy Toews is more important than vengeance
By Mark Lazerus Staff reporter March 31, 2014 1:24PM
Updated: March 31, 2014 6:45PM
however, the focus is on the postseason, and making another Cup run.
Patrick Kane will be back for the playoffs. The Hawks should be just as
cautious with Toews, regardless of the nature of his injury. Toews is day to
day, and the Hawks won‘t rush him back with just two weeks left in the
regular season.
Because a healthy Toews in the playoffs is the most important thing —
certainly more important than some nebulous and antiquated idea of
vengeance.
Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 04.02.2014
It would have felt good, no? It would have been viscerally rewarding to find
Brooks Orpik and go after him, to hand out swift, eye-for-an-eye punishment
to anyone and everyone on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster, to seek and
destroy.
The Blackhawks had just seen their captain, Jonathan Toews, plowed into
the boards by Orpik — a man without a history of suspensions, but a man
with a reputation for playing as close to the edge as possible. They had just
seen Toews slow to get up, wincing in pain, clutching his left arm and leaving
the game. As Patrick Sharp noted, Orpik knew darn well whom he was
hitting, and made sure to do it as hard as he could.
―You obviously don‘t like your captain getting hit like that,‖ Sharp said.
The initial reaction, the knee-jerk, is to attack. Attack Orpik. Attack Sidney
Crosby. Attack everyone. Retaliation. Retribution. Old-time hockey, right?
It would have been immensely satisfying.
It also would have accomplished nothing.
And so while Mike Milbury and Keith Jones called for blood on NBC Sports
Network, the Hawks responded to the Orpik hit by playing better. By playing
harder. Yes, Andrew Shaw took a quick run at Orpik later in the period, but he
didn‘t go out of his way, didn‘t take a dumb penalty, didn‘t go after a random
Penguins star to exact some archaic idea of revenge.
The Hawks played hockey. They still lost, because, well, sometimes you
lose. But they handled it the right way, no matter what the talking heads said.
During the intermission, Jones said, ―The two points aren‘t that important
tonight for the Blackhawks,‖ saying their focus should have been on
answering the Orpik hit. It‘s exactly that kind of Neanderthalic line of thought
that keeps hockey on the fringe of American mainstream sports. The two
points were plenty important to the Hawks, who are fighting for home-ice
advantage in a series against the Colorado Avalanche, who have won four of
five meetings between the two teams and who play at high altitude.
What‘s not important is ―sending a message‖ — particularly to an Eastern
Conference team you see twice a year.
―If I were coaching that team, I‘d say let‘s do something about this,‖ Milbury
said.
Mike Milbury went 146-160-45 as an NHL coach, was one of the worst
general managers in sports history, and gets paid to say dumb things on TV.
Joel Quenneville is the third-winningest coach in history, with two Stanley
Cups in the last four seasons. Who do you want to cast your lot with?
It wasn‘t even a dirty hit — the NHL won‘t have a disciplinary hearing for
Orpik. It was a dangerous hit, and a devastating hit, but it wasn‘t dirty. Orpik
didn‘t leave his feet until after contact was made, and the principal point of
contact was not Toews‘ head. Had a Hawks player picked a fight with Orpik,
fine, whatever. But Orpik hasn‘t had a single fighting major in the last four
seasons, so good luck getting him to drop the gloves.
Retaliation brings nothing but re-retaliation, and a greater risk of another
player getting hurt. This notion of ―standing up for your teammate‖ is a relic of
hockey‘s more barbaric days, and it does nothing to help your team win a
hockey game, which is the point of playing hockey games.
The idea that the Hawks aren‘t tough enough? That other teams won‘t be
afraid of the Hawks because they didn‘t knock someone into next week in
response to the hit? Please. They looked awfully mentally tough coming back
from 3-1 down against Detroit last spring. Looked plenty physically tough in
dispatching the bruising Kings, then surviving the Bruins with both rosters
filled with the walking wounded. A John Scott on the Hawks roster wouldn‘t
have stopped Orpik from leveling Toews. Wouldn‘t stop the next big hit,
either.
The goal Sunday night was to beat the Penguins, get two points and keep
pace with the Avalanche. That remains the short-term goal. Long-term,
732178
Chicago Blackhawks
No defense for not defending Hawks‘ Toews
By Mike Imrem
A debate has raged as the town waits for a health report on Jonathan Toews.
Something becomes clear when head hits are deemed unacceptable: The
rest of the body is fair game regardless of who‘s at fault, the captain for being
careless or the opponent for being reckless.
A little stick work is appropriate. Is that too Gordie Howe-ish or Stan
Mikita-esque for you youngbloods? Then follow tennis where there are rules
against racket abuse.
A little whack to the Penguins‘ privates might not have helped the Hawks win
that game, but it might make future opponents reluctant to use Jonathan
Toews for target practice.
Actually the debate should be whether the issue is even debatable.
Go ahead and debate that if you want, but I‘ll have to assume you‘re wrong if
you disagree.
It isn‘t.
Daily Herald Times LOADED: 04.02.2014
Sure the Blackhawks should have retaliated against the Penguins for Brooks
Orpik taking liberties with Toews.
No penalty was called. The hit might have been clean. It might have been
dirty. It might have been within the rules but unnecessary.
None of that matters. Toews came up hurting. If his injury is serious it‘ll
jeopardize the Hawks‘ championship aspirations.
Toews is the Hawks‘ best player. He is their captain. He is their leader. He is
their conscience. He is everything that they need him to be whenever they
need him to be it.
Hockey protocol is that teammates defend the teammate with the ―C‖ on his
sweater whenever an opponent runs at him. On this occasion the Hawks did
very little.
Hockey commentators both locally and nationally were outraged by the lack
of reaction to Orpik‘s action. Most of the critics are former NHL players who
have scars where current players have wounds.
Yes, these guys are old school in an age of new school that has reduced
cherished rituals of just about every sport.
Look, old school or new, hockey players might as well play in tank tops,
shorts and sandals if they no longer take offense to their captain being
violated.
These aren‘t career clergymen out there on the ice inclined to turn the other
cheek. Nor are they sports writers in workrooms where namby meets pamby
meets Bambi.
Hockey players are hockey players. It‘s difficult to compare them to any other
occupations except maybe lion tamer and oil-fire fighter.
Certain principles are sacred in all sports, and protecting that ―C‖ is one of
them.
Another is an offensive lineman shoving a defensive lineman who gave the
quarterback the business. Another is Team A knocking down Team B‘s best
hitter after Team B knocked down Team A‘s best hitter.
Mess with an NHL captain and you or your captain or your best player gets
messed with.
A longtime sports columnist asked at the White Sox‘ opener, ―The Hawks had
to do something about it, didn‘t they?‖
The question was rhetorical. He knew the answer. After all, intimidation and
retaliation and retribution still reside in the NHL.
Those activities are embedded in the league‘s DNA. The game is becoming
sports‘ last bastion of barbarism.
When that ceases to be the case, hockey isn‘t hockey anymore. They might
as well roll out a soccer ball and let goal scorers shoot at a bigger net.
The Hawks aren‘t weak. No team wins two Stanley Cups in four years without
physical, mental and emotional strength.
Even some of their most adept players — their core players — will leap into
the fray when it‘s called for.
So, no, the Hawks aren‘t soft. But they aren‘t all that hard either. They win
with skill and skating rather than roughing and fighting.
That shouldn‘t mean that the Hawks are exempt from seeking revenge when
an Orpik rips into a Toews.
732179
Chicago Blackhawks
No disciplinary hearing expected for Orpik's hit on Toews
Staff
March 31, 2014, 11:15 am
The NHL does not have a disciplinary hearing scheduled for Pittsburgh
defenseman Brooks Orpik for his hit on Chicago Blackhawks captain
Jonathan Toews on Sunday night, a source said on Monday morning.
Toews suffered an apparent left arm injury on the hit, which came late in the
second period. Orpik hit Toews along the boards and the captain got up
holding his left arm/elbow. He went to the bench momentarily but then went
to the locker room with 6:30 remaining in the second; he did not return.
Coach Joel Quenneville said after the game that Toews is day to day and that
he ―didn‘t think it‘s serious.‖ The Blackhawks did not practice on Monday, nor
did they have practice scheduled for Tuesday.
The Blackhawks went on to lose Sunday‘s game to Pittsburgh, 4-1, their third
consecutive loss and fourth in the past five games.
"We're going to have to find out about some other guys," Quenneville said.
"Maybe somebody steps up in the middle, but that's quality and quantity ice
time down there. This time of year we want to make sure Johnny gets better
and fresh. Whether he gets a break or not, we'll see. Certainly, we want to
make sure our health and being rested going into the playoffs is a priority."
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.02.2014
732180
Chicago Blackhawks
By the numbers: Blackhawks limp through March
April 2, 2014, 12:15 am
CSN Staff
While the Blackhawks were able to clinch a playoff berth in March, the month
came with its bumps and bruises. The defending Stanley Cup champions lost
two key pieces to their team when Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were
injured during games this past month, but both hope to return for the start of
the playoffs.
CSN recaps the month of March for the Blackhawks using key numbers:
Blackhawks resting up for playoff push]
5 - Corey Crawford tallied the 5th best save percentage in the league
6 - Number of games the Blackhawks have played without Kane
9 - Goals by Toews, leading the Blackhawks for the month
15 - Patrick Sharp's team leading point total
25 - Minutes of ice time averaged by Duncan Keith
732181
Chicago Blackhawks
Jamal Mayers: You'd certainly like to see response to Toews hit
April 1, 2014, 9:45 pm
CSN Staff
There's been much criticism surrounding the Blackhawks and their lack of a
response following Jonathan Toews' injury.
Count former Blackhawk Jamal Mayers as one of those critics.
"You definitely have to protect your better players," Mayers said. "When you
see a guy like Toews here who puts it all on the line for his teammates
everyday, you certainly want to stick up for him."
[WATCH: SportsTalk Live debates Toews hit]
Mayers also believed that although the hit may have been clean, it was
"predatory".
Toews was knocked out of Sunday's game against the Penguins with an arm
injury and hasn't been given a timetable to return with the playoffs just a few
weeks away.
See what else Mayers had to say in the video above when he joined
SportsNet Central on Tuesday.
732182
Colorado Avalanche
Matt Duchene to miss 4 weeks, opening of playoffs for Avs with injury
McGinn said he thought Mitchell "did a great job" on the line against San
Jose. He added of playing with MacKinnon, "I think Nate's pretty similar to
Dutchy. He has a lot of speed up through the middle, so we're just going to
continue to play the same way and use systems and work as hard as we can.
We've dealt with injuries all year, and I think we've done a pretty good job."
The Denver Post
McGinn said he and Duchene "just ran into each other. We were both going
for the puck. I think we both tried to get out of the way and maybe that's what
made ourselves vulnerable. It was just a freak play ... I felt a tweak, but
obviously not to the extent of Dutchy."
Posted:
MacKinnon, 18, said he was fine with moving back to center.
By Terry Frei
Updated:
03/31/2014 09:15:49 AM MDT
03/31/2014 01:07:48 PM MDT
As the Avalanche was beginning practice Monday, the team announced that
leading scorer Matt Duchene would be unavailable for about four weeks
because of the left knee injury he suffered Saturday against the San Jose
Sharks.
After practice, Avalanche coach Patrick Roy confirmed the injury involved
Duchene's medial collateral ligament. "We'll take our time, and we'll be
patient," Roy said.
That timetable would mean Duchene likely would miss the first round of the
playoffs, but possibly be available in the second round, if the Avalanche
advances. Colorado's first-round opponent almost certainly will be the
Chicago Blackhawks, and the series will open April 16 in Chicago or April 17
in Denver, depending on which team finishes second in the Central Division
and secures the home-ice advantage.
The Avalanche (47-21-6) leads the Blackhawks (42-19-15) by one point in
the standings, and Colorado next plays at Columbus on Tuesday night.
The Avalanche does not make injured players available to the media, but
Duchene communicated via Twitter and wouldn't rule out returning in time for
the playoffs. Pieced together, his message was:
"Been waiting to tweet til the official release but just a few thoughts here for
you guys. 100 pts & playoff bound is something all of us have been working
towards for a long time. Something to be majorly proud of #AvsNation!
"Hockey's hockey and I'm sure people will think I feel pressure, but I don't,"
he said. "That's the least pressure situation I've been in all year, I think."
He added of playing with O'Reilly and McGinn: "I'm just going to try and step
in and create some chemistry with them. They'll be easy guys to play with.
The way they play, they play a simple game, a give-and-go game, and that's
what I like best. I like guys who move the puck quick and keep it simple.
Especially in this league, you can't get too fancy. These two guys are big-time
players. Factor (O'Reilly) has had a heck of a year and Ginner (McGinn) is
big and physical.
"I'm not going to replace Dutchy. That's just not going to happen. He's been
one of our best players and you can't replace him, especially at this time of
year. It's going to be tough, but we're going to have to find wins without him."
O'Reilly said Duchene's absence represented "a challenge to step up ... He's
big on the power play and big with his offensive ability, the way he moves the
puck and creates with the puck. So for me, I have to step up that way and
make sure I'm contributing. Nate's a great player as well and has great speed
in the middle. It's going to be good. I've played with him a couple of times
before, and when you play at this level, everyone can find some chemistry
with everyone."
O'Reilly, a natural center who played there for most of his first four seasons in
the league before moving to wing under Roy, said that as far as he knows, no
consideration had been given to him moving back to the middle in the wake
of the Duchene injury.
"I do love center and miss it a bit," he said. "But I like playing the wing and I
think it's good when I can be versatile like that."
Avs F Matt Duchene 2013
Colorado forward Matt Duchene (John Leyba, Denver Post file)
"Secondly, the thought of not playing in the first round for me has been
devastating. We have outstanding medical and training staff that will be
helping me to get healthy ASAP. I will be doing everything in my power to be
ready for Game 1. And if not then, shortly after! We are a helluva team ready
for the playoffs. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers they are
greatly appreciated!"
Without Duchene, the Avalanche's major options, at least in the short term,
are to slide John Mitchell into his spot centering Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie
McGinn, or to move Nathan MacKinnon back to center. Mitchell centered the
line against San Jose after Duchene was hurt on his first shift, but MacKinnon
was skating there in the initial stages of practice Monday. After practice, Roy
said that at least for the near future he would use MacKinnon at center on
that line. He said he would put Mitchell at wing on the line with Paul Stastny
and Gabriel Landeskog. (Landeskog didn't skate Monday, but Roy said it was
a rest day for the team captain and that he would play at Columbus.)
The move of MacKinnon back to center, Roy said, was "just to give us
different options. You can't just go 'bang' in the playoffs and try that. It's good
to try different things. Our situation in the standings allows us to do this."
The wild card in all of that is the possible return of winger P.A. Parenteau,
who has been out three weeks with a sprained MCL, but skated hard on his
own for about 15 minutes before his teammates came on the ice Monday.
Roy said he hoped Parenteau would play the final game of the regular
season, at Anaheim on April 13.
VIDEO: Avs confident in wake of Matt Duchene's injury
"If not, we're pretty confident that he will be back for the first game against
Chicago," Roy added.
Before heading to the airport for their chartered flight to Columbus, the
Avalanche players were upbeat despite the injury news. "Dutchy's obviously
a big piece, but we have to stay positive and continue on," said McGinn.
Mitchell said that regardless of which line he's skating with, "I just have to go
out there and play my game and try and do whatever I can, offensively,
defensively in any situation. It's obviously tough to fill someone's role like
Dutchy's, but I'm going to do the best I can. I know that we've made the
playoffs, but we want to strive for home-ice advantage."
Stastny called the Duchene injury "tough luck ... With him, you just hope he
gets back as quick as possible and doesn't come back too early, doesn't rush
it and is smart about it. For us, it's just another situation where we can't use
an excuse, we just keep playing the way we've been playing. We've got
different line combinations now, but different guys will step up. All these guys
have played with each other, with different guys, and I think we're kind of
fortunate to have a lot of centers and wingers who have played different line
combinations."
For his part, Roy reprised a familiar theme. "We've been finding ways to win
since the start of the year," he said.
Only two Avalanche players — MacKinnon and Patrick Bordeleau — have
appeared in all 74 games. Duchene missed three games in November with
an oblique injury, and the Avalanche was 3-0 in those games. Colorado beat
Chicago 5-1 at home, then won twice in overtime on the road — at Phoenix
and Los Angeles.
Duchene's 70 points lead the Avalanche, and his 23 goals are tied for third on
the team with MacKinnon, behind O'Reilly (26) and Landeskog (24).
Denver Post: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732183
Colorado Avalanche
How the Avs can still beat Chicago without Matt Duchene
By Adrian Dater
The Denver Post
Hey, chins up folks, chins up. Let me, the optimist Adrian Dater, talk you off
the ledge here.
No, losing Matt Duchene for a month or so isn‘t a good thing for the Burgundy
and Blue‘s playoff chances. But in a short-term situation, in a seven-game
playoff series, possibly with home-ice, the Avs can withstand this and
advance.
First, a history lesson: I was one of the first to proclaim the Avs were done like
dinner after they lost Peter Forsberg to a ruptured spleen after the second
round in 2001. No way the Avs could win a Cup without Foppa, I said.
Judges? (Insert loud buzzer sound here).
The Avs just pulled up their socks, everybody just asked a little more from
themselves and they got that Stanley Cup all right. (Of course, that Avs team
also had Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, Rob Blake, Adam Foote, Milan Hejduk,
Chris Drury and Alex Tanguay, but I digress).
No, this Avs team isn‘t as talented as that ‘01 squad, and so the loss of
Duchene hurts a little more in proportion probably. But here‘s how they can
still beat Chicago:
- Nathan MacKinnon now moves to center on a line with O‘Reilly and
McGinn. Assuming he plays like…Nathan MacKinnon…that‘s a pretty darn
good replacement at center.
- P.A. Parenteau will be back in time for the playoffs. He should take
MacKinnon‘s spot on a line with Stastny and Landeskog. I‘ll take my chances
with that line in a best-of-seven.
- John Mitchell has to up his game some at third-line center, and I think he
can.
- Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie and Nick Holden might have to think a bit more
offensively now, but they‘re capable of producing more there.
- And for goodness sakes, Semyon Varlamov has to stand on his head.
OK, maybe he won‘t have to be quite that good. This Chicago team has a few
issues of its own right now too, with injuries to Kane and Toews and a
distinctly Hangover-ish look about them these days. What, Varly can‘t
outplay Corey Crawford in a playoff series? I think he can.
Teams almost never overcome the loss of a star player in the long term. But
in the short term, it can and often does happen. The Avs might even play
better as a five-man unit defensively now that Duchene is out – something
they haven‘t been doing all that consistently of late and would need to in the
playoffs, Duchene or no Duchene.
So, buck up kids. All is not lost. Take it from me, the optimist.
732184
Colorado Avalanche
Nate Guenin struggles in return home
By Mike Chambers
The Denver Post
Posted:
04/02/2014 12:01:00 AM MDT
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nate Guenin played four years at Ohio State before
embarking on an eight-year professional career that has finally paid full-time
NHL dividends. The Avalanche defenseman spoke proudly about returning
to his college town in his 61st game of the season for Colorado, which
defeated the Blue Jackets 3-2 in overtime Tuesday night.
"This is home for me in the summers; I come back here and train," Guenin
said after Tuesday's morning skate, and before he struggled mightily as his
two turnovers resulted in Columbus' two goals. "I rented a car here so we
went out to my place and cruised through campus. It's real special. I feel
really good here."
The 31-year-old Guenin, who entered the season having played just 32
career NHL games, is currently in a lineup rotation with fellow defensemen
Andre Benoit and Cory Sarich.
Benoit, who has played 72-of-74 games, was the odd man out Tuesday.
It appears Nick Holden, who was a healthy scratch in 13 of the first 14 games
of the season, is now a regular because of his offensive abilities (nine goals,
21 points in 46 games).
Defenseman Ryan Wilson was also scratched for his 16th consecutive
game.
Umberger scratched. Columbus is in playoff position in its first season in the
Eastern Conference, but the Blue Jackets have lost faith in one of their
veteran scorers. R.J. Umberger, who played at Ohio State with Guenin was a
healthy scratch for the fourth time in the last seven games.
Umberger, who is making $4.6 million and has three full seasons remaining
on a five-year, $23 million contract, has 18 goals but just two in his last 10
games. He was replaced in the lineup by forward/enforcer Jared Boll, who
hadn't played since Nov. 22 because of injury.
Footnotes. The Blue Jackets also played without forward Nathan Horton,
who was injured in the team's previous game. ... In his 300th career NHL
game, Columbus' Derek MacKenzie was convincingly beaten by Avalanche
fourth-line center Brad "Bugsy" Malone in a first-period fight.
732185
Colorado Avalanche
2. Brad Malone. Young forward scored a goal and convincingly won a fight
for Colorado.
Colorado Avs rally late, then win in OT over Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Cam Atkinson. Former Boston College standout had a goal in 18:15 for the
Blue Jackets.
By Mike Chambers
What you might have missed: The game-tying goal came on the first shift
after Avs coach Patrick Roy put Nathan MacKinnon at right wing on the Paul
Stastny-centered line. John Mitchell had been playing right wing on that line.
The Denver Post
Posted:
Updated:
04/01/2014 07:40:58 PM MDT
04/02/2014 12:43:26 AM MDT
COLUMBUS, Ohio — "Finding a way" has coincided with the Avalanche's
opening-night motto "Why not us" all season, and Tuesday night the Avs
fought hard enough to earn two points at Nationwide Arena.
Next up: New York Rangers, Thursday at the Pepsi Center, 7 p.m.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
The race for no. 2
The Avalanche is three points ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks in the race
for second place in the Central Division. They are likely to play each other in
the first round of the NHL playoffs, with the second-place team having
home-ice advantage:
A fluke third-period goal by Brad Malone and a real nice one by captain Gabe
Landeskog erased Columbus' two-goal lead, and Landeskog scored off a
fortunate bounce with 32.2 seconds remaining in overtime for an improbable
3-2 victory that stunned a playoff-hopeful Blue Jackets crowd of 16,550.
Avalanche: 48-21-6, 102 points
"We're certainly finding ways to win," said Landeskog, who is on a scoring
tear with five goals and seven points in his last four games, "and that's what
you have to do at this time of year with home-ice advantage at stake."
Next game: Thursday vs. New York Rangers
Beginning the playoffs in Denver against Chicago is looking more realistic for
the Avs, who extended their Central Division lead over the defending Stanley
Cup champion to three points. Colorado has seven remaining games; the
Blackhawks have six.
Games remaining: Six
The Avs, now a remarkable 14-6 in OT, improved to 4-0 without star center
Matt Duchene, who missed the first game of his likely three- or four-week
absence with a knee injury. Colorado previously beat Chicago, Phoenix and
Los Angeles in November without Duchene, the latter two in OT.
"We changed our culture and we never give up," said Avalanche coach
Patrick Roy, whose 102-points team is on pace to finish with the franchise's
most points since the Stanley Cup-winning season of 2000-01 (118). "We
keep working hard and we believe in ourselves, and I think it's one of the
reasons we came back in this game."
Colorado improved to 48-21-6, including 23-10-3 on the road.
The Blue Jackets' only minor penalty came 2:39 into OT and the Avs made
them pay. With the help of Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson, that is.
Submit a Question
Adrian Dater takes readers' questions about the Avalanche and NHL.
Artem Anisimov was serving the final 12 seconds for holding when
Landeskog's attempted centering pass to rookie Nathan MacKinnon
caromed off Johnson and behind goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
It was the second big bounce for the Avs, who trailed 2-0 entering the third.
Malone cut the deficit in half with a shot from the corner behind Bobrovsky.
The puck caromed in off forward Nick Foligno and the Avs had the
momentum.
"We're resilient and we came back in the third working even harder," Roy
said. "The goal that Malone scored was a big one for us. He used his speed
going into the corner, put it in front and hit off their guy and in."
Landeskog's game-tying goal was no fluke. On MacKinnon's first shift with
Landeskog and center Paul Stastny — the rookie began the game centering
Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn — he drove into the right wing and found
Landeskog atop the paint, and the captain's one-touch zipped by
Bobvrovsky.
"After the second entering the third we talked about not finding any excuses
and the need for guys to step up. And a lot of guys did," Landeskog said. "We
played a playoff-type third period. Worked hard and chipped away, got a
couple bounces obviously. We showed some character."
Mike Chambers: [email protected] or twitter.com/mchambers
Denver Post three stars
1. Gabe Landeskog. Avs captain scored the game's final two goals, the latter
in overtime on the power play.
Games remaining: Seven
Home (two), away (five)
Blackhawks: 42-19-15, 99 points
Home (three), away (three)
Next game: Thursday vs. Minnesota
732186
Colorado Avalanche
Patrick Roy adjusts Avalanche lines, gets game-tying goal and OT win at
Columbus
By Mike Chambers
The Denver Post
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The evolving game story from the Avalanche‘s
improbable 3-2 overtime win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night looks at
the bounce-induced rally from a 2-0 deficit, the Avs‘ record without star
center Matt Duchene (it‘s 4-0), Colorado‘s remarkable OT record (it‘s 14-6),
the Avs‘ three-point lead over fading Chicago for the home-ice playoff spot
(with one game in hand), and it briefly looks at Patrick Roy‘s move that paid
big dividends when his team needed a big goal.
Rookie Nathan MacKinnon replaced John Mitchell at right wing on the Paul
Stastny-centered line with Gabe Landeskog. On their first shift of the game
together, the trio hooked up for Stastny‘s pass to MacKinnon and
MacKinnon‘s direct assist on Landeskog‘s tap-in from the doorstep with 4:57
left in regualtion. MacKinnon had been centering Ryan O‘Reilly and Jamie
McGinn.
―With Landy and Pauly they were more dangerous (with MacKinnon),‖ Roy
said. ―He brings so much speed with Landy on that line.‖
Jack Adams, meet Patrick Roy. Roy won‘t win the NHL coach of the year
award because of tonight. He‘s been making great calls all season.
Meanwhile, Avs defenseman Nate Guenin seemingly had a tough game, but
after talking to him it didn‘t sound so bad. What I had written before talking to
him: His two turnovers in the defensive end directly led to Columbus goals.
Guenin‘s D-to-D pass behind the Colorado net was intercepted by Brandon
Dubinsky, who immediately fed Cam Atkinson for a 1-0 lead midway through
the second period. Five minutes later, Guenin couldn‘t handle the puck just
inside the Avs‘ blue line and Nick Foligno set up a 2-on-1 rush and passed to
Blake Comeau for an easy tap-in.
Turns out D-partner Tyson Barrie called for that D-to-D pass and Dubinsky
made a nice read (or cheated on Barrie‘s words).
―When that happens you feel like the arena is caving in, but Dubinsky made a
great play,‖ Guenin said. ―The reverse was there and right when Tyson yelled
(Dubinsky) cheated. On the second one the puck was bouncing and we were
just swinging at it like it was a pinata. But that‘s why you‘re on a team. We
banded together. Nobody (pointed fingers), if anything they‘re building you
up. You could sit there and dwell on it or you can bounce back on your next
shift. That‘s what‘s great about the game. You get a chance to redeem
yourself.‖
Brad ―Bugsy‖ Malone was an assist shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick. In his
300th career NHL game, Columbus‘ Derek MacKenzie was convincingly
beaten by Malone in a first period fight. Credit MacKenzie for respecting the
game. He was matched up against Malone for a good chunk of the game and
didn‘t automatically go looking for a rematch. Had there been another
altercation like the one that led to the fight, no problem. But MacKenzie didn‘t
go looking for it. Of course, he might have still been stunned by Malone‘s big
blows.
732187
Blue Jackets: Final push in playoff race will be grueling
By Aaron Portzline The Columbus Dispatch • Monday March 31, 2014
5:07 AM
With two weeks left in the NHL‘s regular season, the Blue Jackets are
bracing for a final wave of games to prove that they‘re worthy of a spot in the
Stanley Cup playoffs.
Yesterday was an off day. Today will be the final practice day of the regular
season, as all other non-game days will be used for rest and recuperation
and perhaps an optional skate.
―We better solve all the problems on Monday,‖ coach Todd Richards joked.
The Blue Jackets play eight games in 12 days beginning on Tuesday, when
they play the Colorado Avalanche in Nationwide Arena.
No NHL team since the 1979-80 Quebec Nordiques has ended a marathon
season with such a steep hill at the finish line.
That‘s three back-to-backs and no more than one game off between games
until the April 12 finale at Florida.
―I don‘t know what it‘s going to be like,‖ left winger Matt Calvert said. ―You
sleep a little more when you can. You spend your off days in recovery. But at
some point, the mind takes over for the body this time of year.‖
A thumbnail look at the final two weeks for the Blue Jackets and the cluster of
teams in the race for playoff spots in the Eastern Conference:
Division
N.Y. Rangers (88): The Rangers have won six of seven, pretty much locking
down the No. 2 or 3 spot in the Metropolitan Division. They end the season
with three of four at home, all against non-playoff teams.
Philadelphia (86): The Flyers are rolling, but this is a difficult stretch. They
lost in a shootout against East-leading Boston yesterday and will face
West-leading St. Louis on Tuesday. A Metropolitan Division showdown with
the Blue Jackets on Thursday in Philadelphia looms large.
Blue Jackets (82): The Jackets are in pretty good shape to hold down a
wild-card spot, but they‘d prefer to avoid No. 1 seed Boston or No. 2 seed
Pittsburgh in the first round. Columbus is 0-7-1 against those two teams. Six
of the Jackets‘ final eight games are against teams that are in the playoffs or
still fighting for a spot. A murderous back-to-back — at Philadelphia on
Thursday, at home against Chicago on Friday — looms this week.
Washington (81): The standings are deceiving. The Capitals are really three
points behind Columbus because — with only 25 regulation-overtime wins —
they won‘t win any tiebreakers.
New Jersey (77): The Devils are running out of time. On Saturday, they fell to
0-10 in shootouts. Imagine how different this season could be if they‘d won
two of those.
Wild card
Detroit (84): Pavel Datsyuk? Henrik Zetterberg? Who needs ‘em? The Red
Wings, despite being gutted by injuries, are looking good for a 23rd
consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Toronto (80): An eight-game losing streak has sent Toronto free-falling out of
the picture. They have six games remaining, fewest in the East.
Playoff key
The second- and third-place teams in each division will meet each other in
the first round, while the No. 1 seed will play the second wild-card and the No.
2 seed will play the first wild-card.
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.02.2014
732188
Blue Jackets notebook: Backup McElhinney‘s work in net provides needed
lift
By Aaron Portzline The Columbus Dispatch • Monday March 31, 2014
5:06 AM
RALEIGH, N.C. — For nearly two months, Curtis McElhinney could have
been called the Blue Jackets‘ mop-up goaltender, not the backup goaltender
to Sergei Bobrovsky.
That‘s how McElhinney was used — not to start games, but to come on
during the game should Bobrovsky feel sick or struggle.
Even when coach Todd Richards tried to give him a start — March 10 in
Dallas — the game was postponed after Stars forward Rich Peverley
collapsed in the first period.
But McElhinney‘s role should not be overlooked, even as Bobrovsky seems
likely to handle the bulk of the work in the final eight games of the season,
and in the Stanley Cup playoffs, should the Blue Jackets qualify.
McElhinney stopped 76 of 81 shots (.938 save percentage) in the past three
games, beginning when he came on for Bobrovsky (flu) after one period
against Detroit on Tuesday and continuing over the weekend in a 2-1 loss to
Pittsburgh and a 3-2 overtime win over Carolina.
―It can be difficult at times‖ not playing, McElhinney said. ―But I‘ve been very
focused in practice, making sure I haven‘t picked up any bad habits.
―These last few games, I haven‘t felt like I‘ve been out that long.‖
McElhinney had 25 saves against the Hurricanes on Saturday. He‘s now
10-10-1 this season, including a month-long stretch in December and early
January when he and Mike McKenna kept the Blue Jackets afloat when
Bobrovsky nursed a groin injury.
―We needed Curtis to step up,‖ Richards said after Saturday‘s game. ―The
first five minutes, (Carolina) was buzzing, and we had some turnovers, but he
made two or three really big saves to keep it 0-0. It let us settle into our game,
and it kept the crowd out of it.‖
McElhinney knew that Bobrovsky was the undisputed No. 1 when he signed
with the Blue Jackets as a free agent, so there has been no issue about
playing time. Bobrovsky had made 19 consecutive starts before Friday‘s
game.
―It‘s a treat, because Bob is a pretty special goalie to watch on an everyday
basis,‖ McElhinney said. ―I just love watching him play; he‘s incredibly fast.
―But this has been a great opportunity for me, and I‘m glad I could help out,
especially this time of year. It‘s nice to be a part of it in that way.‖
Any way you slice it
The Blue Jackets are 0-7-1 against Boston and Pittsburgh this season,
suggesting that the Jackets would benefit greatly by catching Philadelphia or
the New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division to avoid a first-round
matchup against the Bruins or Penguins as a wild-card team.
If the season ended today, the Blue Jackets would play Boston in the first
round after going 0-2-1 against them this season.
Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno said the only thing that matters is getting
into the playoffs.
―I learned playing in a few series (in Ottawa) that everything is different in the
playoffs,‖ Foligno said. ―Everybody elevates their game, and you don‘t know
what that‘s going to look like until you get there.
―A team like us … maybe teams don‘t want to face us in the first round. We‘re
one of those teams that‘s built to grind you down. Seven games is a lot of
games against a team like that.‖
732189
Michael Arace commentary: A smiling Johansen is good sign for Blue
Jackets
closed with seven victories in their final eight games, and it was Anisimov one
night, and Mark Letestu the next, and Nick Foligno the next, and Fedor Tyutin
the next, and Jack Johnson the next ...
They are will need everyone, Johansen as much as anyone. They will need
him smiling.
By Michael Arace The Columbus Dispatch • Monday March 31, 2014 5:06
AM
The big kid smiled. Did we see that right?
Late in the third period of a tight game, Ryan Johansen glided toward the
right faceoff dot to take a draw, and, as he came in, he carried on a
conversation with the official, and he smiled.
An ice-level television camera caught the scene at PNC Arena on Saturday
night. Johansen readied for the draw, tried to cheat and was tossed from the
circle. He looked right at the official as he backed out, and the smile never left
his face.
It was an interesting interlude. The Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes
were tied in a game that was heavy with playoff ramifications, especially for
the Jackets, and the big kid was smiling as if there were no pressure, as if he
knew something.
At that point, the Blue Jackets had had nary a second of power-play time
while the Hurricanes were 1 for 3 with the man advantage. Johansen later
was asked about the discrepancy, and he said: ―I was talking to the ref about
that. I was asking him, ‗Are we going to get a power play sometime tonight?‘
And he said, ‗I‘ll see what I can do for you, big guy.‘ ‖
The referee was joking, of course. It was idle banter. It turned out to be
foretelling.
The Blue Jackets got a power play in overtime, and Johansen scored the
winning goal, 4 on 3. On the second night of a back-to-back, coming off a
home loss, in danger of losing for the fourth time in five games, Johansen
smiled and scored, and the Jackets beat the Hurricanes 3-2.
With all sincerity, he credited Artem Anisimov for creating the chance.
Johansen has always had personality. Now, he is asserting it. He has scored
the winning goal in the Blue Jackets‘ past three one-goal victories: at
Montreal with three minutes remaining in regulation, at Minnesota in a
shootout and at Carolina in overtime. Three goals of huge importance, each
of highlight-reel quality and followed by a mob scene of euphoric Blue
Jackets.
―I sense a quickening maturity in Joey and, I think, an appreciation of where
he fits with the team and the role he plays,‖ Blue Jackets broadcaster Jody
Shelley said. ―At the same time, I think there is still an innocence there. I think
he still doesn‘t know how good he is.‖
The goal on Saturday night was Johansen‘s 30th of the season. He is the
third Blue Jacket to reach that plateau, joining Rick Nash (seven times) and
Geoff Sanderson (twice).
Check the stats: Going into yesterday, Johansen had as many goals as Ryan
Getzlaf, Jamie Benn and Jarome Iginla. He had one more than Patrick Kane
and Martin St. Louis, and two more than Jonathan Toews.
―Keep watching,‖ Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. ―Maybe he‘ll hit 35
by the end of the season.‖
Shelley tells a couple of stories about Johansen. One involves Joe Thornton,
a perennial All-Star with the San Jose Sharks. The other involves Los
Angeles Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell.
Thornton used to think that Johansen was from Sweden, Shelley said.
―But the last time I asked Thornton about Johansen, Thornton said: ‗He‘s real
good‘ — and believe me, that is high praise coming from Joe,‖ Shelley said.
―And when I asked Willie Mitchell about the Jackets, he said: ‗Hard to play
against — and that Johansen kid is a lot like Getzlaf.‘
―That was unsolicited, coming from a guy (Thornton) that Joey looks up to,
and a guy (Mitchell) who is one of those shut-down defensemen. That‘s
impressive to me, coming from his peers.‖
The Blue Jackets have eight games remaining over the last 12 days of the
season. They will need some of that magic they had last year, when they
732190
Blue Jackets notebook: Nick Holden fits in with Avs
By Shawn Mitchell The Columbus Dispatch • Wednesday April 2, 2014
5:08 AM
A lack of young offensive defenseman in the organization was part of the
reason that undrafted free agent Nick Holden signed his first professional
contract with the Blue Jackets in 2008. Five years later, it was an abundance
of youthful Blue Jackets defenders that helped put Holden into an everyday
role with the Colorado Avalanche.
―This year has gone way better than I ever imagined or expected,‖ said
Holden, who played 295 games for the Blue Jackets‘ American Hockey
League affiliates.
Holden had nine goals and 30 assists and was the No. 4 scorer for
minor-league Springfield last season. But he and the Blue Jackets mutually
agreed that he needed to move on when his contract expired after last
season. Holden signed a two-year deal with the Avalanche in July.
―I really expected to be in the AHL this year, maybe get some (NHL) games
and next year really push to stay up,‖ Holden said. ―But I had a good camp
and I ended up sticking around.‖
Holden was Colorado‘s seventh defenseman for most of the season‘s first
three months, but has been a mainstay of the lineup since Jan. 2, earning
spots on the power-play and penalty-killing units.
Only Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie (10 goals) has more goals than
Holden (nine), who got his 13th assist and improved his plus/minus rating to
plus-10 in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Jackets last night.
Holden played five games for the Blue Jackets in the 2010-11 season and
two more last year but was ―always on the verge,‖ he said.
―They drafted some quality guys here, John Moore and others, and I was
battling with them. I was talking this morning about how six of the seven
defensemen that started the season in Springfield last year are playing in the
NHL now,‖ Holden said.
Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said he was surprised by Holden‘s emergence.
He envisioned Holden and fellow former Blue Jacket and Ohio State
standout Nate Guenin to be the team‘s first two defensive callups from AHL
Lake Erie.
―He has improved his game to the point where he is an important
defenseman on our team now,‖ Roy said.
Tynan signs contract
The Blue Jackets signed Notre Dame senior T.J. Tynan to a two-year,
entry-level contract that begins next season.
Tynan, 22, had 54 goals and 161 points in 164 games for the Irish, who were
eliminated from the NCAA tournament last weekend. Tynan, a 5-foot-9,
165-pound center from suburban Chicago, was selected by the Jackets in
the third round (66th overall) of the 2011 draft.
Tynan is expected to sign an amateur tryout agreement with minor-league
Springfield and join the Falcons this weekend for the remainder of the regular
season and the AHL playoffs, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said.
Slap shot
The Blue Jackets were credited with 52 hits last night, a franchise record.
Nick Foligno and Brandon Dubinsky each had seven.
732191
Michael Arace commentary: Bad breaks lead to a painful loss for Blue
Jackets
Michael Arace
By The Columbus Dispatch • Wednesday April 2, 2014 5:07 AM
It was like one of those episodes of ―Willie and Frankie‖ on Saturday Night
Live, circa 1985, when Billy Crystal talks about shoving a meat thermometer
in his ear, and hammering it with a ball-peen hammer, and Christopher Guest
says, ―Boy, that must smart.‖
It happened last night at Nationwide Arena, where the Blue Jackets kicked
three goals into their net — two in the third period and one in overtime — and
lost 3-2 to the Colorado Avalanche. It was like rolling over a hundred
thumbtacks in the nude, then getting in a hot tub. You hate it when that
happens.
True, the Jackets picked up a point. True, they managed to hang on to eighth
place in the Eastern Conference. But this was a stinging loss. They let the
game get away from them — something they can ill afford to do, especially at
home, in the midst of a wicked playoff race.
It was partially self-inflicted, and partially the product of incomprehensively
awful luck.
―Sometimes, one goes in on kind of a bad bounce, and you kind of live with it
and say you didn‘t get the bounces,‖ forward Nick Foligno said. ―But three?
Man, that‘s tough.‖
There is no shame in losing to the Avalanche, which has a lock for coach of
the year in Patrick Roy, a lock for rookie of the year in center Nathan
MacKinnon and a leading Vezina Trophy candidate in goaltender Semyon
Varlamov. The Avs are, without a doubt, the biggest surprise of the NHL
season. They were not supposed to be this good this fast.
Last season, they finished with 39 points and had the worst record in the
Western Conference. Last week, they crested the 100-point mark and
clinched a playoff spot.
Their captain, left wing Gabriel Landeskog, is 21 years old — which is the
average age of their four leading scorers. This team is young and gifted, and
Roy, the rookie coach, has worked wonders with them.
Yet, the Blue Jackets were all over them — especially in the second period,
which was one of the best periods this team has played all season.
Cam Atkinson scored on a one-timer from the mid-slot, his 20th goal of the
season. Blake Comeau and Foligno manufactured a goal through sheer will
and finished the scoring play with a deft pass and an equally deft redirect by
Comeau.
The Blue Jackets carried the 2-0 lead into the third period.
Then, midway through the third, came the first sign of capriciousness.
Someone named Brad Malone shot the puck from the left corner to the front
of the Jackets‘ net. None of Malone‘s teammates was in the vicinity. The
puck bounded off the shaft of Foligno‘s stick and shot past Sergei Bobrovsky.
It was Malone‘s second goal of the season.
Then, with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, MacKinnon threw
one in front, aiming for Landeskog. The puck went off either Jackets
defenseman Dalton Prout or center Brandon Dubinsky, or both, and shot
past Bobrovsky. Suddenly, the score was tied.
The Jackets gave the Avalanche an overtime power play. Landeskog threw
one in front, aiming for MacKinnon. Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson
knelt down in front of the crease to intercept the pass. The puck caromed off
the inside of Johnson‘s leg and shot past Bobrovsky.
―Hopefully, the bounces even out at the end of the year,‖ a dejected Johnson
said. ―But we might have to wait until next year because we‘ve had a lot of
those this year. We‘ve been scratching and clawing the whole way.‖
The Blue Jackets were unified in their postgame message: They cannot
dwell on this because there is no time to do so. They have another huge
game on Thursday, at Philadelphia, a place where they have had a carrot
scraper stuffed in their nose, followed by a mentholated eucalyptus cough
drop.
A crazy test of will is before them, and we shall see what they have.
732192
Avalanche 3, Blue Jackets 2 (OT): Bad bounces
By Aaron Portzline The Columbus Dispatch • Wednesday April 2, 2014
5:17 AM
The puck moves fast and takes funny bounces in the NHL. Last night, for the
Blue Jackets, it took three not-so-funny bounces.
The Colorado Avalanche came back from a 2-0 deficit in the third period to
win 3-2 in overtime in front of 16,550 at Nationwide Arena, and not one of the
goals was scored directly into the net by Avalanche players.
All three went in off Blue Jackets shins, skates or sticks, leading to a
dressing-room scene afterward that was caught between shrugging
shoulders and cursing luck. The crusher, with 32.2 seconds remaining in
overtime, was the second goal awarded to Avalanche captain Gabriel
Landeskog, a cross-slot pass that went into the net off the right leg of Jackets
defenseman Jack Johnson.
―We were the best shooters in the game tonight vs. our own guy,‖ Blue
Jackets coach Todd Richards said, trying to make light of it. ―You might see
one of those … three‘s a lot, and that was all of their goals. We were good
shooters against our own guy.‖
John Davidson, the Blue Jackets‘ president of hockey operations, estimated
he has seen nearly 4,000 games in his 40-plus years in and around the NHL.
―And I‘ve never seen that,‖ Davidson said. ―Not three.‖
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky shook his head: ―It‘s crazy. Seriously.‖
The Blue Jackets got goals from Cam Atkinson and Blake Comeau in the
second period and appeared in fine shape midway through the third, leading
2-0. Bobrovsky, in his first game back after a bout with the flu, was strong and
quick, nearing his fourth shutout of the season.
But then …
At 9:46 of the third, Avalanche fourth-line center Brad Malone turned and
shot from deep in the corner, with the puck hitting off the shaft of Blue Jackets
left wing Nick Foligno‘s stick in front of Bobrovsky and shooting into the net.
At 15:03 of the third, Landeskog went hard to the net for a centering pass
from rookie Nathan MacKinnon, and his stick redirected the puck off the
skate of either Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout or center Brandon
Dubinsky — replay wasn‘t conclusive — before ending up in the net.
Then, the Blue Jackets were 11 seconds away from killing off a 4-on-3
Avalanche power play in overtime when Landeskog took possession of the
puck in the right circle. He was trying to find MacKinnon to Bobrovsky‘s right,
just as Johnson dropped to a knee.
―I knew (Landeskog) was going to try and pass it across,‖ Johnson said. ―I
was trying to keep it so it‘s not an empty net on the other side. I want to keep
(Landeskog) shooting so Sergei‘s got a chance on the short side. It hits you
and goes the wrong way. What can you do? Usually, they hit me and sit
there. I‘ve been doing it my whole life.‖
Richards tried to view it as a point gained, not an additional point lost. The
Blue Jackets remained in eighth place, the second wild card, in the Eastern
Conference.
―You guys look at it as a loss,‖ he said. ―I don‘t look at it as a loss. Granted,
one team won. They got the two points. But we still got a point. That might be
a huge point. We don‘t know. We‘ll find out in a couple weeks.‖
732193
FOX SPORTS DAILY
NHL TEAM EDITION
Blue Jackets playing for postseason as April nears
NHL News To Your Inbox!
CHOOSE YOUR TEAM(S)
Rick Gethin
FOX Sports Ohio
MAR 31, 2014 9:39a ET
Over the next 13 days, the Blue Jackets will play their final eight games of the
regular season. As of today, they own the second wildcard spot in the
Eastern Conference. With 82 points, they are four behind the Philadelphia
Flyers (third place in the division) and six behind the second-place New York
Rangers in the Metro.
It has come down to this. Who would have seriously thought back in
November that Columbus would be in the mix for postseason play with two
weeks remaining on the schedule? There is always the "what if" questions
that will be asked, no matter how they finish the season.
What if they had beaten Pittsburgh or Boston just one time each? What if
they had not had the four-game losing streak in October, followed by the
five-game skid to start November?
They played the first three months of the schedule to a 17-19-4 record (38
points). They were 13th in the Eastern Conference and seventh in the
Metropolitan Division as 2014 dawned. Their goal differential was -8.
Since the Jan. 2 game in Phoenix, they have gone 21-11-2 (44 points). They
are in the mix for the playoffs, being chased by the likes of the Washington
Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils. Their goal differential
is now a more respectable +8.
The website sportsclubstats.com has the Blue Jackets chances of making
the post-season at 78.8%, as of today. After 74 games, they are 38-30-6. The
rollercoaster ride of their play in the early stages of the season has been
supplanted by the rollercoaster ride of the standings, both within the division
and for a wildcard spot.
1182014-FSO-NHL-SergeiBobrovsky-PI
Russell LaBounty-USA Today Sports
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
2013-2014 Schedule | Team Page Standings | Stats | Roster | Injuries |
Latest NHL news on FOXSports.com
For them to climb into third place in the division for a guaranteed trip to the
postseason, they would likely have to go 6-2-0 over the final eight games. Is
this feasible for Columbus?
They have four home and four away games beginning tomorrow evening as
they host the visiting Colorado Avalanche, who are 22-10-3 on the road. Four
of the remaining games are against Western Conference teams (Colorado,
Chicago, Phoenix and Dallas), all of which have more points than Columbus.
The four games against Eastern Conference teams include two versus
Metropolitan Division foes the Flyers (23-13-2 at home) and the New York
Islanders (17-17-2 on the road). The Blue Jackets finish the season on the
road against the Tampa Bay Lightning (21-8-6 at home) and will have the
finale at the Florida Panthers (14-17-5 at home).
Looking back at the last eight games of their one playoff season (2008-2009),
Columbus went 2-3-3 over that stretch. They had spent their energy getting
to the playoffs and were running low. Eventually, they were swept by the
Detroit Red Wings in the first round.
The difference this year is that they haven't expended all of their energy and
are starting to get respect from other teams. Gone are the days of seeing
their opponents' backup goalie on an almost nightly basis. Similar to last
year, there are rumblings that Columbus could be a very dangerous team in
the post-season.
They are a team that has had to dig themselves out of self-made holes and
continued to climb the ladder. The "country club" atmosphere within the room
is history. They have become a proud group of men who refuse to surrender.
They have forged an identity, at long last, of being a hard-working team that
is tough to play against.
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Inside the room, it is a "one-for-all and all-for one" mentality among the
players. They have something to prove, almost a chip on their collective
shoulder.
As of today, they would face the cream of the crop in the Eastern
Conference, the Boston Bruins. The chowdah is mighty tasty in New England
and the Blue Jackets have an appetite that needs satiated. A matchup
between these two clubs would not be a walk in the park, for either.
In the season series between them, Columbus went 0-2-1 with none of the
games being of the "blowout" variety. They haven't played each other since
Nov. 30. It would be the cagey veterans versus the young upstarts in a first
round series. Who knows how a series between Boston and Columbus would
play out?
But don't get ahead of yourself. The Blue Jackets must get through these last
eight games before anything else. It continues tomorrow within the friendly
confines, as they host Colorado.
foxsportsohio.com LOADED: 04.02.2014
732194
Three takeaways from the Blue Jackets 3-2 OT loss to the Avalanche
Rick Gethin
FOX Sports Ohio
APR 01, 2014 11:01p ET
One: A slow start with non-crisp passing is no way to get into playoff form.
Columbus needs to start getting "up" for games from the first drop of the
puck. There was very little of that in the first period.
Two: The second period was where they got their mojo working. They had
sustained pressure in the Colorado zone and were able to cycle the puck with
relative ease. Scoring a couple of goals helped to keep the Avs at bay.
Three: Although one point is good, two points are better. That is never more
magnified than at this time of year, in this tight of a playoff race. Columbus
holds onto 8th place (2nd wildcard) in the East. How important will that one
extra point become over the next 11 days?
732195
Avalanche top Blue Jackets 3-2 in OT
APR 01, 2014 10:18p ET
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Gabriel Landeskog scored twice, including a
power-play goal at 4:27 of overtime to help the Colorado Avalanche extend
their winning streak to four with a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets
on Tuesday night.
Rookie scoring leader Nathan MacKinnon, centering the top line with Matt
Duchene expected to miss a month with a knee injury, assisted on both of
Landeskog's scores.
Semyon Varlamov stopped 26 shots -- including a prime chance by Blake
Comeau late in regulation to pick up his league-leading 38th win.
With 102 points, Colorado moved three ahead of Chicago for second place in
the Central Division.
Cam Atkinson and Comeau scored in the second period for Columbus, which
is hanging on to the second wild-card spot and eighth playoff seed in the
Eastern Conference.
All three Colorado goals caromed off Columbus players with Landeskog's
winner and 26th of the season -- extending his career high -- banking off
defenseman Jack Johnson and behind Sergei Bobrovsky, who returned after
missing nearly three games with the flu and finished with 25 saves.
Trailing 2-0 after two periods, Brad Malone and Landeskog scored 5:17 apart
in the third period to draw Colorado even.
Malone made it 2-1 at 9:46 of the second with his second of the season on a
seemingly innocent play. He threw the puck from deep in the left corner that
hit Nick Foligno near the crease and went into the net.
Then Landeskog redirected a feed from smooth-skating MacKinnon for his
25th that deflected off the Blue Jackets' Dalton Prout.
Early in the second period, Ryan Johansen clanged a shot off the post.
It was a turnover by defenseman Nate Guenin behind his net that got
Varlamov leaning the wrong way. Brandon Dubinsky sent a centering pass to
Atkinson, who scored his 20th at 10:52.
Colorado counterattacked after each goal, but Bobrovsky stopped
MacKinnon from in tight. He later stretched to make a nice toe save on a hard
Paul Stastny shot with the Avalanche revving up the pressure in the Blue
Jackets' zone.
Then later in the period on a quirky play, the Blue Jackets made it 2-0. A
bouncing puck on a long clear by Fedor Tyutin hopped past two Colorado
defensemen and was finally settled by Comeau.
He worked a high-speed give and go in little space with Foligno to tuck home
his fourth and first since Dec. 19.
Notes: The overtime power play was the only one for the Avalanche in the
game. ... Columbus played its first of eight games in 12 days to close out the
regular season. ... Blue Jackets big off-season signing RW Nathan Horton,
who has mostly struggled since returning from shoulder surgery in January,
missed the game with lower-body injury. Columbus LW R.J. Umberger, who
has 18 goals and 33 points, was scratched for the fourth time in seven
games. ... Blue Jackets C Derek MacKenzie played in his 300th career
game.
732196
Dallas Stars
Addition or audition? Stars want to see what they have in defenseman Patrik
Nemeth
MIKE HEIKA
Published: 01 April 2014 01:33 PM
Updated: 01 April 2014 05:09 PM
The decision to call up Patrik Nemeth and insert him into the lineup is not one
that was taken lightly by the Stars. Nemeth is a regular call-up and
constitutes one of the four call-ups the team has between the NHL trade
deadline and the end of the regular season. Because Colton Sceviour will
need a regular call-up once Erik Cole is ready to play, that would be the
team's second call-up and leave them with only two (outside of emergency
call-ups).
Bottom line, the Stars believe Nemeth is ready and would love to give him a
chance to help the team out in the final eight games. Why? Well, because he
could slot in perfectly on the third pair with Sergei Gonchar and offer some
physical defending. The Stars have tried to get that out of Aaron Rome, but
he is injured again. What's more, when he's been healthy, the coaches have
opted to not play him much. In his last six games, Rome has played 4:58,
11:55, 7:25, 10:14, 14:34 and 6:19. Whether that is because of injuries or not,
it's not the kind of dependability Dallas needs down the stretch.
Ironically, Nemeth also has battled injuries in his career, but he has been a
rock since returning from a broken foot in Cedar Park. Since returning in
February, he has played 18 games and is plus-13. Now, that's a good team in
Cedar Park, but he clearly has been their best defender. He also has played
beside skill guys, and the Stars have plenty of those _ including tonight's
partner Sergei Gonchar.
"He's played a solid game down in Austin, and he's done a really nice job
defending,'' said Stars coach Lindy Ruff. "So we're hoping he can step in and
be that same guy here.''
"Where we're playing Nemeth is more of a role where we want someone who
is sound defensively,'' Ruff added. "We don't need a lot of high risk, we really
don't need a lot of offense out of that slot where we've got him playing.''
In calling Nemeth up, the Stars are by-passing Kevin Connauton, who has
played 35 games for the Stars this season and averages 15:02 when he is in
the game. Connauton has been a healthy scratch in five of the past six
games, and the reason for that is the Stars need a more physical defensive
presence. Connauton is a skilled player who doesn't mind leaving his post to
take forays up the ice.
"I've talked to Kevin and it is frustrating,'' Ruff said. "I really think that Kevin
has come a ways this year and still has a ways to go. I think his strength is
more on the offensive side of it where Nemeth's is more on the defensive
side, and we're turning a little bit more in that direction. I asked Kevin not to
get frustrated, because I do see improvement. I just told him that I know it's
frustrating but I think you can get there, you're just a little ways away yet.''
We'll see what happens with Rome's injury, but this clearly is a great
opportunity for Nemeth, and the 22-year-old from Sweden said he's ready to
grab that opportunity.
"I've been looking forward to this for a long time, so it's going to be a lot of
fun,'' said Nemeth, who will make his NHL debut. "I watch (the NHL) every
chance I get, so it's exciting.''
Nemeth said the injuries have slowed his progress (he played just 47 games
in the AHL last season because of a concussion), but that he feels great now
and is playing his best hockey.
"That's probably been the biggest obstacle, my injuries,'' he said. "When I've
been healthy, I think I've been playing pretty good. You can't be a good
hockey player when you're injured, but I almost forgot about them now. When
you're out there now, you just want to play so bad, so I just want to go out and
play and have fun.''
Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.02.2014
732197
Dallas Stars
Stars taking depth scoring to new levels, unheralded forward scores two in
win over Capitals
MIKE HEIKA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Stars are taking this depth scoring thing to new
levels.
After bemoaning the weight on top scorers Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn
while their playoff hopes were slipping away two weeks ago, the Stars now
are getting goals by the bucket from every line on the ice. Dustin Jeffrey on
Tuesday tallied two goals — his first in a Stars uniform — to lead Dallas to a
5-0 win over the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center.
Jeffrey, Colton Sceviour and Ryan Garbutt each has had two-goal
performances in the past four games, and those were sandwiched around a
seven-goal performance against Nashville.
The victory moves the Stars to 37-27-11 (85 points) and keeps them square
in the hunt for a wildcard playoff spot in the Western Conference. The
Capitals, who are fighting for a wildcard spot in the East, fall to 34-29-13 (81
points).
While the depth scoring was great — and necessary — the key for the Stars
might have been the intensity of the Stars. While Dallas was faster and
quicker than the Capitals, the real difference was the fact Stars players won a
majority of the puck battles.
"We came out pretty hard and they pushed back, but I think we handled that
well," said winger Ray Whitney, who had a goal and an assist. "Our compete
level was really there tonight."
Whitney was part a fourth line that contributed three goals. He and Jeffrey
combined with winger Alex Chiasson, who had three assists. Each of the
three players were plus-3.
"We have some skilled players there," said Chiasson. "From Day 1, it seems
Ray and I have clicked. We have struggled at times, and I‘ll be the first to
admit that, but I think he‘s a great gut to play with. And tonight, D.J. played a
great game. We‘re going to try to build on this and help the team as much as
we can."
The top line broke a scoreless first period when Seguin tipped in a Jamie
Benn shot at the 15:06 mark, and then the depth players piled it on in the
second period. Chiasson found Whitney open on an odd-man rush, and
Whitney slipped in his ninth goal of the season. Then, Jeffrey and Chiasson
went to the net, and Jeffrey was able to flip in a rebound for his first goal in a
Stars uniform to make it 3-0. He followed that early in the third period with a
one-timer off a nice pass from Whitney to make it 4-0.
Jeffrey went to the minors after a long stretch of healthy scratches, and has
struggled to get on the board with the Stars. But after a successful stretch in
the AHL, he has proven to have some offensive skill.
"It was important for me to get my confidence back,‘‘ Jeffrey said. "To go
down and play there and get a lot of opportunities, that has been big."
And as for the added depth scoring, Jeffrey said that has been enormous, as
well.
"It‘s huge," he said. "If you look at our top line, everyone is focusing on them,
so we have to be able to score. Especially on the road, we have to chip in."
The Stars have won three in a row and outscored the opposition 16-4 in that
span. They have started a five-game road trip with a 2-0-0 start, and they
have regained their swagger. And much of that can be attributed to balanced
scoring and rolling four lines.
"It takes a lot of pressure off the team because if you‘re not scoring, you‘ve
got to defend hard," said coach Lindy Ruff. "It‘s great to see the puck go in the
net. We made some real good plays. I thought our [defense] were real active,
but I thought our forwards had some looks and instead of just shooting
sometimes, they went off the back side and made some real nice plays."
732198
Dallas Stars
real good plays. I thought our [defense] were real active, but I thought our
forwards had some looks and instead of just shooting sometimes, they went
off the back side and made some real nice plays."
He said it: Players and coaches comment after Dallas' 5-0 win in Washington
Dallas Stars forward Ray Whitney on how his team started and how they had
some open looks tonight…
MIKE HEIKA
"We came out well and they had a couple pushes at different times of the
game, but I thought we handled that well. We played a fast game tonight and
we got a lot of chances. We had a lot of two-on-ones and we even had a
two-on-none, so it's not often you see that many scoring chances."
Dallas Stars forward Alex Chiasson on his team getting some depth
scoring…
Courtesy of Washington PR:
Postgame Quotes
Washington Capitals head coach Adam Oates on what he said to the team
after the second period…
"We're all a group. I said to the guys in the second intermission, 'You know
what, we're down and if we come back - we have before, we could - we can't
come back playing wrong. If somehow we make the playoffs and we play like
this who are we kidding? We have to figure out a way to get better together. It
is just us collectively in here.' Obviously it's very disappointing."
Washington Capitals head coach Adam Oates on the desperation of the
team throughout the game…
"In hindsight, probably the thing that bothers me the most is that we had a
very good first period, very good. In terms of desperation I thought the guys
played very solid in the first period. We let a goal in the second period deflate
us. That's surprising, if anything. The third period is as ugly as it can get, and
unfortunately those things happen sometimes."
Washington Capitals forward Eric Fehr on the play of the Dallas Stars…
"They [Dallas] are a really fast team, and they got a lot of pressure on us. We
didn't react well to it. We turned over too many pucks, we didn't make the
easy plays - the 10 foot plays - we were looking for long passes and they
hemmed us in our zone pretty good. We talk about it in the room that we want
to keep things simple and just make sure that we get it out of the zone, make
the tag-up and re-attack, but tonight we didn't do it very often."
Washington Capitals forward Eric Fehr on tonight's game…
"There wasn't one part of the game tonight that was good enough - 5-on-5,
power play, penalty kill, everything. It looked like we weren't prepared. We
talked about everything, but it looked more like a preseason game for us than
a game that we needed to win to make the playoffs."
Washington Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner on why the desire to win isn't
translating to ice…
"It's frustrating to see it, for all of us. We are all asking ourselves the exact
same question and everybody wants to do it and be the guy, sometimes it's
being 20 guys and not just the guy, and maybe that has something to do with
it. I am not too sure. It's frustrating. Obviously, we are not happy with the way
that we have been playing. Terrible time to go on a skid."
Washington Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner on why the Capitals can't keep
it simple…
"It goes back to wanting to be 'the guy.' You want to make the nice play to
spark the team, to get a goal or make the nice pass to break us out. Very few
teams can do that; it's about playing simple, and it's not always fun to play
that way, and we sure haven't helped ourselves by us all being irresponsible
on the ice with the puck in all three zones. We've got to be smarter and we've
got to make simple plays."
Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff on this game becoming a blowout in the
third period…
"Once we got midway through the third, you start to feel pretty good about
where you're at. It was a pretty tight game in the first period, and we were
able to put one away. I think as soon as we got two [goals], it forced them a
little out of their element and to take some chances."
Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff on the team getting some depth scoring
tonight…
"It takes a lot of pressure off the team because if you're not scoring, you've
got to defend hard. It's great to see the puck go in the net. We made some
"You look at last game and [Stars forward Cody Eakin]'s line has been
playing pretty great…I think it probably takes a little bit of weight off Jamie
[Benn] and Tyler's [Seguin] shoulders, but they got us going tonight, and I
think everyone tries to contribute as much as they can, and I think when you
go into a playoff push that is what makes a difference."
Dallas Stars forward Alex Chiasson on goaltender Kari Lehtonen…
"I think he made some big saves in the second period, and even in the third
[period] there he robbed them a couple times. I think we know this year, he's
our best player, and he makes the difference."
Dallas Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen on his play tonight and whether he's
up for the challenge in the last few games…
"I just try to stay extra calm and wait for the players to make their moves. I'm
fortunate to have a few good games in a row here and hopefully I can keep it
going…It's fun playing when there's a lot on the line and every game is so
huge. We just have to keep taking this one game at a time and try to win the
next one."
732199
Dallas Stars
Cody Eakin runs into some old friends, plays against organization that
drafted him
MIKE HEIKA
Stars center Cody Eakin was drafted 85th overall by Washington in 2009 and
played both in the AHL and NHL for Washington. He said getting the rare
chance to play against his old team was a treat.
―It's fun, I still know a lot of guys over there,‖ said Eakin, who has 34 points
(16 goals, 18 assists) in 73 games with the Stars. ―I‘ll be focused on winning
the game, but it‘s fun to play in this building.‖
Eakin played 30 games for the Capitals before being traded to the Stars for
Mike Ribeiro and the 54th overall pick in 2012.
Briefly: Erik Cole (upper body) and Aaron Rome (lower body) are both on the
trip. Cole, who has missed six games, skated in a red jersey Tuesday
morning. Ruff sais he might be ready by the end of the road trip. … Flower
Mound product Chris Brown played for Washington on Tuesday. It was his
16th NHL game. Brown, 23, played at the University of Michigan, was drafted
by the Phoenix Coyotes and was traded to Washington this year. … Sergei
Gonchar is four points shy of 800 for his career.
732200
Dallas Stars
"We had a lot of 2-on-1s, and we even had a 2-on-0," Whitney said. "Not
often do you see that many scoring chances."
Stars dominant Capitals to win battle of ninth-place teams fighting for playoff
spots
Ovechkin last had a 5-on-5 point on Feb. 27, a streak of 16 games. Nicklas
Backstrom, who leads the teams in points, is also without a 5-on-5 goal since
Feb. 27.
Associated Press
Multiple players in the Capitals locker room faulted the team's lack of
urgency.
ASHINGTON (AP) — The Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals both began
the game one point away from a playoff spot.
The Stars? They played like a team determined to get to there for the first
time since 2008.
The Capitals? They looked like a group tired of having their yearly routines
disrupted by such a trivial thing as postseason hockey.
It was no contest. The Stars' 5-0 win over the Capitals on Tuesday night was
a victory of confidence over embarrassment. Dallas has won five of six,
outscoring opponents 16-5 over their last three games.
"It's a big obstacle," said Ray Whitney, who scored in the second period. "It's
been, what, five years now? ... We're no different than anybody else who's
been out for a while. We want to get in pretty bad."
The victory, at least for a few hours, moved the Stars ahead of the Phoenix
Coyotes for the final postseason berth in the Western Conference. The
Coyotes hosted Winnipeg later Tuesday.
"It's scoreboard-watching time," Whitney said. "We'll be flying to Carolina
tonight, but we'll be watching the game and the score. As soon as we land
everybody will check their phones."
The Capitals will probably want to shut off their phones for a while. They were
booed heavily in their home rink, particularly after an abysmal stretch in the
second period in which they allowed several odd-man rushes, took a
slashing penalty and gave up two goals in 34 seconds.
"If I was a fan, I'd be booing us right now," said goaltender Braden Holtby,
who relieved Jaroslav Halak in the second period after Dallas' third goal. "A
playoff race like we're in? To lose 5-0, it's awful. There's no words for it."
The Capitals began their run of playoff seasons in 2008. Like Dallas, they
started the day as a ninth-place team, but they ended up dropping a spot to
10th. They would lose a tiebreaker against every team contending for the
final postseason spots in the Eastern Conference. They have lost four
straight and were shut out for the seventh time this season.
Alex Ovechkin — the league's leading goal-scorer — hasn't scored a 5-on-5
goal in more than a month.
"If somehow we make the playoffs playing like this, who are we kidding?"
coach Adam Oates said. "We have to figure out a way to get better. We have
to stick together."
Tyler Seguin scored his 33rd goal, Dustin Jeffrey got his first two of the
season, and Whitney and Ryan Garbutt also scored for the Stars. Alex
Chiasson had three assists, and Kari Lehtonen made 35 saves for his fourth
shutout.
After over-relying on Seguin and Jamie Benn to carry the scoring load, Dallas
suddenly has been getting points from seemingly everyone.
"If you look at our top line, I think a lot of teams are focusing on that. They're
getting the harder matchups," said Jeffrey, who has been back and forth to
the minors after being claimed off waivers in November. "We have to be able
to score up and down our lineup."
Seguin redirected Benn's wrister from the left circle in the first period, then
there were Capitals miscues aplenty in the second, with the Stars taking
advantage.
Alex Goligoski's long pass sprang a 2-on-0 break for Whitney's goal. Jeffrey
scored shortly afterward, then again in the third. Garbutt capped the scoring
with a short-handed goal on a breakaway.
"It can't be justified. It's terrible. ... It's like we expect the next guy to make the
play," defenseman Karl Alzner said. "It's been kind of off and on like that for a
lot of the season, and we've got away with it at times. It clearly hasn't worked
the last little bit, and you pay for it in the end."
Notes: D Patrik Nemeth made his NHL debut for the Stars as D Aaron Rome
sat out with an injury. . Capitals D Patrick Wey sat out after taking an
uppercut in a fight that forced him out of Saturday's loss at Nashville.
Washington RW Dustin Penner (illness) and D Jack Hillen (upper-body
injury) also missed the game. ... Capitals F Chris Brown played after getting
called up from the AHL earlier in the day.
732201
Dallas Stars
Stars coach Lindy Ruff tries to stop Kevin Connauton from getting frustrated
as Patrik Nemeth replaces him in lineup
MIKE HEIKA
WASHINGTON — Patrik Nemeth was called up Monday and made his NHL
debut Tuesday, a sign that there could be good things ahead for the
22-year-old defenseman.
Nemeth, who has battled injuries the last two seasons, has been one of the
Texas Stars‘ more reliable defenders when healthy, and Dallas decided he‘s
the perfect fit for the team with Aaron Rome battling lower body injuries
again.
―He‘s played a solid game down in Austin, and he‘s done a really nice job
defending, so we‘re hoping he can step in and be that same guy here,‖ Stars
coach Lindy Ruff said. ―Where we‘re playing Nemeth is more of a role where
we want someone who is sound defensively. We don‘t need a lot of high risk,
we really don‘t need a lot of offense out of that slot.‖
Nemeth broke his foot earlier in the season, but is plus-13 in 18 games since
his returning in February. His 6-3, 235-pound frame is exactly what the Stars
need right now.
While Kevin Connauton has been on the Stars‘ roster and has played 35
games, registering a goal and seven assists, the 24-year-old is more of a
skilled defenseman, Ruff said. Connauton has been a healthy scratch in six
of seven games, and Ruff said he has talked about the choices he has made
with Connauton.
―I‘ve talked to Kevin and it is frustrating,‖ Ruff said. ―I really think that Kevin
has come a ways this year and still has a ways to go. I think his strength is
more on the offensive side of it, where Nemeth‘s is more on the defensive
side, and we‘re turning a little bit more in that direction. I asked Kevin not to
get frustrated, because I do see improvement. I just told him that I know it‘s
frustrating but I think you can get there, you‘re just a little ways away yet.‖
Nemeth, who was drafted 41st overall in 2010 out of Sweden, said he was
excited about his NHL debut.
―I‘ve been looking forward to this for a long time, so it‘s going to be a lot of fun.
I watch (the NHL) every chance I get, so it‘s exciting.‖
Nemeth said the injuries have slowed his progress (he played just 47 games
in the AHL last season because of a concussion), but that he feels great now
and is playing his best hockey.
―That‘s probably been the biggest obstacle, my injuries,‖ he said. ―When I‘ve
been healthy, I think I‘ve been playing pretty good. You can‘t be a good
hockey player when you‘re injured, but I almost forgot about them now. When
you‘re out there now, you just want to play so bad, so I just want to go out and
play and have fun.‖
732202
Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings' Mike Babcock reveals the secret to financial success
12:30 PM, April 1, 2014
By Helene St. James
In the continuing Free Press series of Detroit Red Wings coach Mike
Babcock revealing the secrets of life, today's topic is fiscal health.
This past weekend, Babcock spoke on the subject of marriage, saying that
the key to a successful one was that "you don't worry about the last one, you
don't worry about the next one, you worry about the one you're in."
Today, the Red Wings are participating in their annual excursion to the
Detroit Economic Club, where Babcock and players will take part in
roundtable question-and-answer sessions.
Asked whether he would be to blame if the stock market crashes this
afternoon, Babcock smiled and revealed another life lesson.
"This would be my tip for you, financially," he said. "My father-in-law once
said to me, he said, your financial adviser, is he rich? And at the time, no, the
guy, he wasn't rich. So he said, 'Why would you let a guy with no money
invest your money?' I thought that was the best kind of farmer-type question
I'd ever been asked. We go to all these advisers, do they even know what
they're doing? I wonder. That's my financial advice."
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.02.2014
732203
Detroit Red Wings
Pavel Datsyuk returning to Detroit Red Wings this week, but which day?
12:07 PM, April 1, 2014
|
By Helene St. James
Pavel Datsyuk was back to tormenting Detroit Red Wings teammates with his
puck-thieving skills — and could be back doing the same to opponents as
early as Wednesday.
Following a 40-minute practice today at Joe Louis Arena, Datsyuk said he'll
be a "game-time decision," against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday (8 p.m.,
NBCSN). But he also said his conditioning isn't quite where he'd like it to be.
Coach Mike Babcock said he had been told that he'll have Datsyuk available
Friday, when the Wings host Buffalo.
Datsyuk hasn't played since Feb. 27, when the inflammation that has
troubled his left knee since December flared beyond endurable pain. Since
the Winter Classic on New Year's Day, Datsyuk has played for the Wings four
times. He emerged from a three-week shutdown last week, skating on his
own and then joining Friday's practice.
The time off helped, but pain remains and conditioning is a concern.
"Need little bit more time to pick up pace, pick up everything," he said.
Asked whether he'd play Wednesday, Datsyuk said, "Tomorrow is tomorrow.
See how I feel."
Babcock said that "someone told me he's playing Friday. It's up to him. I
haven't been involved in those things all year. I spend my time worrying about
the players that are playing.
"The whole thing to understand is it's not about Pavel one bit. It's about the
Red Wings and the guys that have been playing, and we've just got to keep
grinding. I don't want to get caught up in that whatsoever. I want to just have
us keep on working."
The Wings sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with seven games
remaining in the regular season. They are two points up on eighth-place
Columbus, but the Blue Jackets have a game in hand.
732204
Detroit Red Wings
HoneyBaked hockey: Top-ranked under-16 team boasts NHL-level
coaching, potential
April 2, 2014
USA Hockey Tier I Youth 16U tournament
Where: Cornerstone Community Center, Green Bay, Wis.
When: Today through Sunday.
Teams: HoneyBaked of Michigan, Central (Conn.) Capitals/Selects
Academy, Thunder Hockey, Buffalo Regals, Ohio Blue Jackets, L.A. Jr.
Kings, Omaha AAA, St. Louis Blues, Colorado Thunderbirds, Team
Wisconsin, Valley Jr. Warriors, Scranton Jr. Knights, Chicago Mission,
Chicago Young Americans, Long Island Gulls, Shattuck St. Mary‘s.
HoneyBaked roster
Forwards
PLAYER HT WT
Collin Adams 5-8 160
Bruce Chard 5-10 158
Luke Cowan 5-8 154
Cole Gallant 5-10 170
David Keefer 5-9 170
Patrick Khodorenko 5-11 185
Noah LaLonde 5-10 170
Igor Larionov 5-10 151
Mitchell Lewandowski 5-8 157
Michael Pastujov 6-0 180
Nick Pastujov 6-0 190
German Samvel 5-10 189
Defensemen
PLAYER HT WT
Ryan Bederka 5-10 170
Dan Weaver 5-8 170
Drew Anastos 6-1 165
Nick McKeeby 5-11 170
Mitch Eliot 5-11 160
Nicholas Azar 6-4 205
Goaltenders
Pat Peake and Kevin Hatcher, former teammates on the NHL‘s Washington
Capitals, coach the team, along with Todd Gardiner. Most of the players —
many with notable hockey parents — have been teammates for the past few
years and won a national title last year.
―This is the most mature and accountable group I‘ve ever been around,‖
Peake said of this year‘s team.
―The biggest challenge with this team has been keeping them playing for
each other. They‘re moving on with their careers and you know they‘re
playing for their own position, for Michigan State, for the U.S. program, for
this, for that. So you want to make sure the guy next to you gets what you
have.‖
Peake said he‘s confident every player on the team will end up playing
college hockey or in the Ontario Hockey League. ―This has been the hardest
year I‘ve had to coach, simply because of the exposure that these kids have
gotten,‖ he said.
Not only have they been hearing for a while that they‘re some of the best
hockey players at their age group, but they‘ve received interest from some of
the top hockey programs known to develop NHL talent.
Peake, in his eighth season as a head coach at HoneyBaked, is there to
remind them the young players they have a long climb ahead.
―I try to relate that you guys are just good midgets,‖ he said. ―You‘re not even
a good junior or college player yet. We gotta keep them grounded. You never
want to squash dreams, you want to pump them up, but they have to realize
exactly what they have ahead of them.‖
Some of the players are used to seeing their parents deal with media
attention.
Defenseman Drew Anastos, who is hoping to earn a college scholarship to
an Ivy League school, is the son of Michigan State hockey coach Tom
Anastos.
Forward Igor Larionov II, who recently began skating after being sidelined the
past two seasons with injuries, is the son of former Red Wings great Igor
Larionov.
Goaltender Dylan St. Cyr, who played in five of the six games at the state
tournament, is the son of former goaltender Manon Rheaume, the only
woman to ever play in an NHL exhibition game.
Defenseman Mitch Eliot, one of five players on the team who has already
committed to play for Michigan State, is the son of former NHL goaltender
and current Wings television analyst Darren Eliot.
Defenseman Ryan Bederka and forwards Noah LaLonde and Mitch
Lewandowski will join Eliot as part of the MSU recruiting class for 2016.
Forward David Keefer has committed to join them in East Lansing in 2017.
In addition, Peake said defenseman Nick McKeeby has committed to
Western Michigan and defenseman Nick Azar, who also is an outstanding
shortstop, has committed to play baseball at Michigan in 2015.
Forwards Cole Gallant, Patrick Khodorenko and the Pastujov brothers, Nick
and Michael, are mulling several offers from top national programs, including
U-M.
Khodorenko and Nick Pastujov have committed to play next season at the
Ann Arbor-based U.S. National Team Development Program. Eliot and
LaLonde also tried out for the NTDP program and are waiting to find out if
they‘ll be selected.
Dylan St. Cyr 5-7 150
Linemates Lewandowski, Khodorenko and Gallant are the team‘s top
scorers. Before the state tournament — the last time the team‘s statistics
were totaled — Lewandowski had 47 goals and 53 points for 100 points.
Khodorenko had 28 goals and 58 assists for 86 points, and Gallant had 32
goals and 53 assists for 85 points.
They might be the most talented collection of hockey players in North
America for their age group.
Bederka (15 goals, 36 assists, 51 points) and Eliot (15-25-40) led the
defensemen in scoring.
The HoneyBaked midget minor hockey team has already won a prestigious
tournament in Toronto against some of the best competition in Ontario and
recently won the state tournament.
―When you put guys together and they know their role, everything clicks and
you get it perfect,‖ Lewandowski said.
PLAYER HT WT
Alec Roye 5-7 141
Now the group heads to Green Bay, Wis., as the top-ranked team in the USA
Hockey 16-and-under Tier I national tournament, which runs today through
Sunday.
Peake said one of the things he likes about coaching these players is their
high commitment level, whether at practice or in games.
―It‘s not a glorified babysitting job,‖ he said. ―They all want to get better. It‘s
not like some high school baseball coach, where you have some guys that
really care and some that can‘t wait to party after practice.‖
These players ultimately want to reach the NHL, a level that Peake reached.
He suffered multiple injuries and his career was eventually cut short due to a
broken right heel.
―It can be over in one play, just like mine was,‖ Peake said. ―They‘re naïve ...
they are kids who think they‘re going to play in the NHL as an 18-year old.
The reality is it‘s not going to happen.‖
The HoneyBaked team goes into the national tournament with a 62-6-2
record.
Peake expects the top competition will come from Omaha, Team Wisconsin
and a Colorado team coached by former Avalanche defenseman Adam
Foote.
―They‘re loaded,‖ Omaha AAA hockey coach David Wilkie said of
HoneyBaked. ―They‘ve got depth, they play the right way, they‘re skilled,
they‘re physical. They‘ve got it all from the goaltender out.‖
Drew Anastos said with the collection of talent on the team, he figures in 10
years a few players will end up making it to the highest level in the sport.
―I think it‘s weird to think kids I‘m playing with now as a teenager I could be
watching in the NHL one day,‖ Anastos said.
Peake said this is a special group. He has had other teams that were
considered special, though, that didn‘t win a national championship.
He coached a squad with 1991 birthdates that included five players drafted in
the first two rounds of the NHL draft — Cam Fowler, Chris Brown, Drew
Shore, Kevin Lynch and Kenny Ryan.
―They‘ll never play on a team this good again, I can promise you that,‖ Peake
said of his current team, which is mostly players born in 1998. ―They gotta go
out on the right note.‖
Peake would like to go out on top as well, since this could be his last season
with the organization. He said he has received job offers in the USHL and
OHL and isn‘t sure where he‘ll coach next season.
732205
Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings' opponent tonight: Boston Bruins provide tough test in
possible playoff preview
April 2, 2014
By Helene St. James
Tonight: Bruins
Matchup: Red Wings (36-26-14) vs. Boston (52-17-6).
Face-off: 8, Joe Louis Arena.
TV/radio: NBCSN; WXYT-AM (1270).
Just how committed the Red Wings are to working hard and grinding out
games is going to be put to a test against the best.
The Boston Bruins lead the race for the Presidents‘ Trophy, presented to the
team with the best regular-season record in the NHL. They‘ve got 52 victories
— only one of them against the Wings — and rank first in defense and third in
offense in the league.
―They don‘t give anything up easy, and you know it‘s going to be a game
where it will be close for a while and then it seems like they can pounce on
one mistake and end up scoring two goals late and win 5-2,‖ veteran forward
Daniel Alfredsson said Tuesday. ―Patience is extremely important against a
team like that, in the neutral zone.‖
Alfredsson didn‘t practice Tuesday but said he anticipated playing tonight.
There‘s a chance Pavel Datsyuk will play, too, as his comeback from a left
knee injury is going in the right direction.
Datsyuk said he would see how he feels after the morning skate, but he also
said he still lacks pace.
Coach Mike Babcock was under the impression Datsyuk won‘t play before
Friday, when the Wings host lowly Buffalo, and iterated that no matter what,
the focus needs to be on hard work — and that counts double against a team
like the Bruins.
―They do it right, so we‘re going to have to do it right,‖ Babcock said. ―We‘re
going to have to have unmatched work ethic and have real good detail.‖
The teams last played the night before Thanksgiving, with the Wings winning
again after a victory mid-October in Boston.
The Bruins haven‘t lost to many teams of late — since dropping two games
coming out of the Olympics, Boston is a staggering 15-0-1. In those 16
games the Bruins have allowed just 23 goals.
―They play a little bit different than most teams,‖ Alfredsson said. ―They
forecheck hard when they can, but if they don‘t have good pressure, they‘re
going to set up in the neutral zone, and they‘re really good at it. And in their
end, they‘re tough to get a forecheck on because they use their D really well
going from one side to the other, and they kind of want you to commit, and
then they throw a cross-ice pass wide and open you up that way. So spot the
puck in good areas in their end and then get the forecheck from there, that‘s
going to be the key for our success.‖
732206
Detroit Red Wings
Chris Ilitch, Ken Holland discuss Red Wings at Detroit Economic Club lunch
Gregg Krupa
Detroit — The ninth annual Red Wings' lunch with the Detroit Economic Club
raised the specter of eating and socializing with a team that might not make
the playoffs for the first time in more than two decades, let alone nine years.
But with Red Wings players sitting around at tables and members and the
brass up on the dais, the club rested in the top wild card spot in the Eastern
Conference at the noon hour and there was considerable confidence, amid
bites of chicken, asparagus and potatoes.
About 700 people gathered in the Motor City Casino Hotel for the event.
Chris Ilitch, the president and chief executive officer of Ilitch Holdings, said
that for his parents Mike and Marian Ilitch, who were not in attendance, the
season feels very much like their early years of ownership. In those days, the
Red Wings were scouting Canada and Europe for young talent with which to
stock the lineups of a franchise that would win four Stanley Cups, before the
likes of Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom retired.
"To my parents, it feels a lot like the early years, with one exception," Ilitch
said, referring to players like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, who are
injured, and Niklas Kronwall and Jimmy Howard, who remain to lead a young
lineup.
"We didn't have the great foundation to build on."
Ken Holland, general manager of the Wings, said despite the difficulty of the
season, the play of lots of young new players from Grand Rapids means the
franchise is considerably deeper than at the start of the season.
"Injuries are part of our sport," Holland said. "We had a lot of injuries last
year, but we were able to play our way into the playoffs.
"Probably the difference is, last year Pavs and Z were in the lineup every
night."
But the effort of the new additions is impressive, Holland said.
"Everybody has stepped up and pitched in, to a place where we have an
opportunity to make the playoffs in the next few days, if we play well," he said.
"We probably feel more positively about our team than we did six months
ago, knowing the depth that we have."
Detroit News LOADED: 04.02.2014
732207
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk aims for Wednesday return
…Keep an eye on defenseman Torey Krug (Michigan State) on the Bruins
power play. Krug, a Livonia native, leads all rookies with 18 power-play
points and is tied with for the assists lead with 12 (with New Jersey‘s Eric
Gelinas).
...It‘s also another matchup between the Smith brothers, Brendan Smith and
his brother Reilly Smith of the Bruins (19 goals).
Ted Kulfan
Detroit — Maybe Wednesday, maybe Friday. One of these games coming
up, Pavel Datsyuk sounds like he‘s returning to the Red Wings‘ lineup.
Datsyuk is going to skate Wednesday morning and he‘s pointing toward
returning later that night against the Boston Bruins.
Which came as news Tuesday to coach Mike Babcock, who was was under
the impression Datsyuk was shooting for Friday‘s game against Buffalo.
Regardless, it sounds like Datsyuk‘s getting closer. He‘s been out of the
lineup since Feb. 27 with an inflamed knee, which has bothered him since the
Jan. 1 Winter Classic.
―I‘m going to assess him in the game,‖ Babcock said. ―Someone told me he‘s
playing Friday.‖
When told Datsyuk aims to return Wednesday, Babcock said he‘s
concentrating on players who‘ll be available and doesn‘t want the anticipation
for Datsyuk‘s return to get out of hand.
―I haven‘t been involved in those decisions all year,‖ said Babcock, adding it‘s
Datsyuk‘s call if he‘s ready. ―I only spend time worrying about the players
who are playing. If I hear he‘s playing (Wednesday), I‘ll start worrying about
him tomorrow.
―The thing to understand is it‘s not about Pavel one bit. It‘s about the Red
Wings and the guys who‘ve been playing. We have to keep grinding. I don‘t
want to get caught up in that whatsoever. I want us to keep working.‖
Datsyuk was on the ice for Tuesday‘s practice but largely spent time doing
drills and stickhandling on his own.
―Game-time decision, we‘ll see how I feel,‖ said Datsyuk, who met briefly with
reporters after Tuesday‘s practice. ―Happy to be back (at practice). I need a
little more time to pick up the pace.
Datsyuk added he can do more things on the ice than three weeks ago when
the team and doctors shut him down to rest the knee.
―I need more time,‖ said Datsyuk at one point, possibly suggesting Friday
might be more realistic. ―But games start, short shifts, that helps a lot.
―I have to make sure I am able to help the team. That is important. We‘re in a
good race for the playoffs, and that‘s more important.
―They (the team) are playing well.‖
How big would it be to have Datsyuk back?
―It would be huge,‖ forward Daniel Alfredsson said. ―It‘s great to see him out
on the ice skating and being part of practices. We feel we‘re playing pretty
consistent hockey right now and getting a guy with his experience and his
offensive abilities, among other things, will be a big boost.‖
Big, bad Bruins
The Bruins have the best record in the league (52-17-6, 110 points) and are a
staggering 15-0-1 in the last 16 games.
Few teams can match Boston‘s combination of depth, size and skill.
―They seem like a real complete team,‖ goalie Jimmy Howard said. ―They
have everything going for them right now. It‘s going to be a tough game.‖
The Bruins rank third on the power play (21.0 percent), eighth on the penalty
kill (84.3 percent) and have a nine-game road win streak.
―I don‘t know if the league is really surprised, we all think they have a good
team,‖ Babcock said. ―(They‘re) machine-like for sure, the way they have it
going. Since the Olympic break, they‘ve been outstanding.‖
Ice chips
Alfresdsson didn‘t skate Tuesday, calling it a ―maintenance day,‖ but expects
to play against Boston.
―He‘s doing great,‖ Brendan Smith said. ―It‘s impressive watching him, what
he‘s done.‖
732208
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings' Gustav Nyquist is a real goal-getter
The scoring pace is beyond what it will be, and the scorching 19.6 shooting
percentage — nearly one of five of Nyquist‘s shots are goals this season —
will cool. But the player, cerebral and calm, is likely to remain a considerable
presence in the Red Wings lineup for some time.
Gregg Krupa
―I‘m a believer that he‘s going to consistently produce offense,‖ said Jeff
Blashill, coach of the Griffins, with whom Nyquist won the AHL championship
last season, the Calder Cup.
Detroit — It resulted from considerable skill, certainly. It was another
important goal for Gustav Nyquist and the Red Wings.
It also demonstrated something that may be more consequential in the long
run for both.
With defenseman Matt Carle committing multiple infractions to try to keep
Nyquist from breaking in all alone against the Lightning late in the first period
last weekend, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward simply persisted.
―Every single level he has played at he‘s been a guy who‘s put up lots of
points. Just historically, the guys who have done it all of the way up are the
guys who have the chance to continue to produce some points.
―Now that he‘s showing that he can produce at the NHL level, I think he will
continue to do that. I do think he will be able to maintain a strong offensive
performance over the course of an entire career.‖
The scoring came early for Nyquist.
Tough enough, he continued skating toward the net.
In his second season with Malmo in the Swedish Under-20 league, he had 11
goals and 20 assists in 24 games. He also scored for Sweden in the 2007
World Junior Championship.
Nyquist repeatedly tried to disentangle himself from the increasingly
desperate defenseman. The puck slid away as he curled to his right,
suddenly free from his captor.
Before then, while playing tennis, soccer, hockey and golf as a boy, he
learned a lot about the sport from Sven Svensson, who coached Nyquist
several years.
Regaining possession, the hot-shooting 24-year-old turned to face the net
and did what few expected, least of all the Lightning‘s fine goaltender, Ben
Bishop. Nyquist let one rip from an extreme angle.
Last year, Svensson, a coach for the Limhamn Limeburners Hockey Club,
died at a young age of cancer.
Since he was drafted in the fourth round, 121st overall, six years ago by the
Red Wings, the evaluation of Nyquist is he can be a top-six forward if he
stands up to the physical and mental rough and tough stuff in the NHL.
His 27th goal was for the highlight reels. It put the Red Wings up by one at a
crucial juncture of a critical game, only adding to Nyquist‘s significant
contributions during the stretch drive in which he has scored nearly 30
percent of the goals as the Red Wings seek a 23rd consecutive postseason
appearance.
It also provided more evidence of Nyquist‘s mettle.
And his response to all the attention he is receiving around the league in
recent weeks shows him persevering on another issue of character: Being
the same person regardless of events.
―The pucks are going in, right now,‖ said Nyquist, whom Red Wings coach
Mike Babcock describes as ―wise beyond his years.‖
―There‘s been a lot of media and stuff around, and I try just to not think about
it,‖ Nyquist said. ―There‘s so many great leaders in this room and people I
look up to and see how they handle this stuff day in and day out, and it‘s the
first time probably I‘ve gotten so much attention. And it‘s a matter of not
getting too high or too low, just keeping it on an easy level and keep going.
―We‘ve got a job to do here as a team and that‘s to make the playoffs. It
doesn‘t matter who scores out there, as long as the team wins. That‘s most
important.‖
More than talent
Nyquist is smart about hockey and life. He is talented, and trained in Sweden
to always consider that hockey is a 200-foot game played at both ends of the
rink and all along the way in between.
He also is determined, showing enough guts to erase fears size might keep
him from performing at the level of a top-six forward and tempt the thought he
can push the limit as Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk age.
The son of a surgeon and an architect, Nyquist was third in his high school
class and a dedicated schoolboy athlete. After a particularly great season of
college hockey, he was prepared to a state of overly ripe in Grand Rapids.
Now, he focuses on working with a bunch of other young guys to propel one
of the oldest, proudest franchises in the NHL into the playoffs, while tamping
down unrealistic expectations about his performance.
―I think a lot of guys have stepped up with all the injuries,‖ Nyquist said.
―That‘s what we‘ve needed from the young guys, including me.
―It‘s given me more opportunity to play. Obviously, if you play more, you get
more comfortable out there. You get a lot more confidence with the puck.
And, I think that‘s what‘s happened with a lot of other guys, too.‖
Nyquist, nonetheless, is the outstanding performer.
―I‘ve been very fortunate with a lot of good coaches over the years, but he
had one of the biggest influences on me,‖ Nyquist said. ―He meant a lot to me
and some of my friends that are still in Sweden, and we all have remained in
touch.
―It was very sad.‖
Goal-oriented
Nyquist was born in Halmstad and raised in Malmo, the third largest city in
Sweden.
His parents, Eva and Fredrik, stressed education. After playing for Malmo
club, he decided to leave Sweden, where college and hockey do not mix, to
attend Maine on a hockey scholarship and study economics.
Nyquist‘s sister, Caroline, works for a major energy company in Sweden and
his brother, Oscar, plays hockey for Limhamn after a couple seasons for
Wilkes-Barre Scranton in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League.
The hockey continued working out for Nyquist. He led Maine in scoring all
three years he attended the school. As a sophomore, he had 19 goals and 42
assists for 61 points in 39 games, leading the nation in scoring. Nyquist was
named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
During the 2010-11 season, he received a tryout contract from the Griffins
and immediately looked comfortable, garnering four points in eight games.
In 2011-12, he was the second leading scorer for the Griffins with 22 goals
and 58 points in 56 games. He also played in several regular-season games
with the Red Wings, and all five playoff games.
Last season, despite playing 22 games for the Red Wings, he led the Griffins
in scoring with 23 goals and 37 assists for 60 points in 58 games.
He appeared in the desperate playoff run and all 14 playoff games for the
Red Wings. Nyquist‘s first playoff goal beat the Ducks in Anaheim to even the
opening round series 1-1.
He also scored the first goal of Game 3 against the Blackhawks in the next
round.
This season, he began the year in Grand Rapids again while the Red Wings
worked to clear cap space. Most of the clearing came through injuries and
the reserve list.
The Red Wings currently pay Nyquist $1.9 million and have him under
contract for the same next season, the last of his two-year deal.
From March 17-24, he led all players with six goals while tying for the NHL
lead with seven points, as the Red Wings garnered seven out of a possible
eight points and utterly rejuvenate their playoff hopes.
―We always knew he was a good player,‖ Zetterberg said.
―The situation we had at the beginning of the year when he went down, he
played well in Grand Rapids and as soon as he came up he showed where
he belonged and just kept going.
―Not a lot of things really faze him.‖
Playoff push
As the Red Wings continue to mount a stretch drive for the playoffs against
the seemingly insurmountable odds, with more than half of the roster
including Zetterberg and Datsyuk injured, more than Nyquist‘s offensive
performance impresses the Red Wings. It is his pluck.
―If you asked players in our locker room, guys who‘ve played in the NHL,
guys who are now American league veterans that are older than Gus, they
would tell you they‘re not surprised at all,‖ Blashill said. ―They raved about his
character last year and the way he handled himself, both during the times
that our season when he as up and down, when we came back in in the
playoffs and at the beginning of this year when started with us. They just
raved about it.‖
His current coach is impressed, too.
―You know, you never know until these players play here whether they can do
it in this league,‖ Babcock said. ―He‘s been a dominant scorer in every league
he‘s ever played in. He‘s got great hockey IQ. He seems to be mature
beyond his years
―Maybe Gus found out he can shoot the puck. That‘s something we could
suggest wouldn‘t be a bad idea, and now he‘s on a roll and he‘s feeling good
about himself.‖
For Nyquist, it is all going good, right now. But the important part is making
the playoffs, and this season that means him and a lot of other young players
must persist in making big contributions.
―We still want to make the playoffs,‖ Nyquist said. ―We‘ve said that as a team,
in this group.
―Whatever team we have, even with the number of injuries we‘ve had, we‘ve
told ourselves we‘re going to make the playoffs. And then hopefully get some
guys back.
―Everybody‘s been doing a great job. It‘s all about winning a game out here.‖
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Detroit Red Wings
Their youth, the playoff hunt and Gustav Nyquist‘s highlight reel goal: Detroit
Red Wings at DEC luncheon
Ilitch mentioned Yzerman as well as Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas
Holmstrom.
―And of course we all know those players went on to accomplish great feats,‖
Ilitch said.
One audience member asked team coach Mike Babcock about how the
"young guns" were able to fill in so well amid the injuries.
David Muller
on April 01, 2014 at 2:22 PM, updated April 01, 2014 at 5:06 PM
―I don't know if they're filling in, that's an undersell, big time‖ Babcock said. He
added. ―To me, they're not filling in. They're NHL players that got an
opportunity and they're going to keep that opportunity because they're
hungry, and they're too good.‖
DETROIT, MI - With just seven games remaining in the NHL regular season,
the Detroit Red Wings have a 23rd-straight playoff appearance in their sights.
The team‘s post-season prospects got a boost form back-to-back wins over
the weekend and losses by other teams vying for the final spots in the
Eastern Conference.
Then, fittingly, Babcock gave a business-world comparison for his group‘s
apparent determination and drive.
With a bout with the league-leading Boston Bruins looming, Red Wings
players traded their jerseys and skates for suits and ties and joined team staff
Tuesday to speak about a wide range of issues at a Detroit Economic Club
luncheon.
Michigan Live LOADED: 04.02.2014
Here are some highlights:
The playoff hunt
The team has coursed a shaky road to get to its current 35 wins and 26
losses, including 14 overtime losses. But with 84 points, the Red Wings lead
a pack of six teams competing for two wild-card spots in the Eastern
Conference.
Anyway, what happened in the last 82 games will matter little once the post
season starts.
―Once you get in you throw all the regular season stats away, it‘s a clean
slate,‖ said Ken Holland, general manager.
But the Red Wings still need to close out the season on a strong note, and
the team starts its seven-game stretch with league-leading Boston Bruins
coming to the Joe Louis Arena Wednesday.
Gustav Nyquist‘s goal versus Tampa Bay
Gustav Nyquist scored a highlight-reel worthy goal Sunday against the
Tampa Bay Lightning at Joe Louis Arena. His 27th goal of the season, some
are calling it one of the best made shots in the NHL this season.
Nyquist was asked Tuesday to rank it in terms of his career goals.
―Well I don‘t think I‘ve scored that many goals in my career, so I don‘t have
that many to chose from,‖ he said to laughter. Nyquist said he remembers
one of the first goals he scored as a Red Wing - one that was assisted by
Pavel Datsyuk - as among his favorites. ―But this one was probably one of the
best ones too,‖ he said.
Brendan Smith faces brother Reilly on Wednesday
The Red Wings‘ move to the Eastern Conference this year means
defenseman Brendan Smith plays against his brother Reilly, who plays right
wing for the Boston Bruins. With the Bruins coming to town Wednesday, an
audience member asked elder brother Brendan if he had the chance, would
he take out his little bro?
―It depends. He hit me pretty hard this year, and I think I was coughing up
blood, so I‘ll get him back for that.‖ Smith said to laughter. He said when the
siblings face each other it reminds him of playing casual pond hockey
growing up. And he said if he has a chance, he probably will take a shot at
him.
The team‘s youth
Though the team has been saddled with injuries this season, young and
rising stars such as Nyquist have helped fuel the Red Wings' march toward
yet another post-season appearance.
Christopher Ilitch, whose family owns the Red Wings as well as the Detroit
Tigers, said his parents, Mike and Marian Ilitch, told him the current team
reminds them of the young squad that was playing when they first became
team owners in 1982. In 1983, the Detroit Red Wings drafted Steve
Yzerman.
―That‘s what separates you in the business world and that‘s what separates
you everywhere else,‖ he said. ―And we have a determined group.‖
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Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings' Gustav Nyquist named NHL's second star of month after scoring
12 goals in 15 games
Ansar Khan on April 01, 2014 at 1:15 PM, updated April 01, 2014 at 2:52 PM
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings‘ Gustav Nyquist was recognized for a
spectacular March Tuesday by being named the NHL‘s second star of the
month.
Nyquist ranked second in the league with 12 goals and tied for fifth with 18
points in March. He scored at least one goal in nine-of-15 games, including a
six-game goal-scoring streak from March 16-25.
The 24-year-old leads the league with 22 goals in 27 games since Jan. 20
and leads the club with 27 goals (along with 18 assists) in just 50 games,
after starting the season with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.
Nyquist is currently on a nine-game point streak (11 goals, two assists), the
longest by a Red Wing since Dec. 22, 2010-Jan. 10, 2011, when Henrik
Zetterberg recorded points in 11 consecutive games (six goals, 10 assists).
"I think he‘s really confident and really knows how to play all areas of the ice
and not just scoring goals," teammate Daniel Alfredsson said. "He‘s been
great at that but I like his work ethic, his attention to details, and just being a
young guy who is leading by example for everybody.‖
Nyquist will be facing the NHL‘s No. 1 star for March on Wednesday when
the Red Wings host the Boston Bruins and Jarome Iginla.
Iginla, 36, led all players with 13 goals, scoring on league-best 31 percent of
his shots, to propel the Bruins to a 15-1-1 record during the month and the
lead in the overall standings (110 points). He recorded 17 in 17 games.
Playing in his first season with the Bruins, Iginla has30 goals and 61 points in
75 games and is tied for third in the league with a plus-34 rating.
Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers in the third star. He led all players
with 15 assists and 21 points during the month.
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Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings expect Pavel Datsyuk to return Friday, but he hasn't ruled out
playing on Wednesday
Said goaltender Jimmy Howard: ―He‘s one of the best two-way players in the
game. We could definitely use him.‖
Alfredsson didn't skate Tuesday but said he will play Wednesday. Here are
the lines and defense pairs they practiced with:
Johan Franzen-David Legwand-Gustav Nyquist
Ansar Khan
on April 01, 2014 at 12:20 PM, updated April 01, 2014 at 12:43 PM
Tomas Tatar-Riley Sheahan-Tomas Jurco
Joakim Andersson-Darren Helm-Todd Bertuzzi (for Alfredsson)
Drew Miller-Luke Glendening-Justin Abdelkader
DETROIT – Pavel Datsyuk didn‘t rule out the possibility of playing
Wednesday, but at the very least, he should be back in the lineup on Friday.
Niklas Kronwall-Brendan Smith
Kyle Quincey-Danny DeKeyser
That is Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock‘s assumption.
Brian Lashoff-Jakub Kindl
Datsyuk on Tuesday took part in his first full practice with the team in more
than a month. He didn‘t participate in line rushes and was skating on his own
at one end of the ice during power-play drills
Jimmy Howard
Datsyuk said his status for Wednesday‘s game against the Boston Bruins at
Joe Louis Arena (8 p.m., NBC Sports Network exclusive) will be a game-time
decision based on how he feels after the morning skate.
He was encouraged.
―I‘m happy to be back with the team,‖ Datsyuk said. ―I need a little more time
to pick up the pace, pick up everything.
―I can do full skates, lots of things that they do that I cannot do before, that‘s
why I take three weeks (off).‖
The Red Wings shut down Datsyuk for three weeks on March 5 to give his
inflamed left knee some time to heal. He said he still feels pain some days,
but added, ―I can handle it.‖
Conditioning is a concern, after not having played since Feb. 27, when he left
after the second period of a 6-1 victory in Ottawa.
―You can see, barely move,‖ Datsyuk said. ―I need more time for this one. But
one game, short shifts will help a lot.‖
Babcock seems to be preparing as if Datsyuk will return Friday at home
against Buffalo.
―I‘m going to assess him in the game,‖ Babcock said. ―Someone told me he‘s
playing Friday.‖
Told that Datsyuk hadn‘t ruled out Wednesday, Babcock said, ―I spend my
time worrying about the players that are playing, so if I hear he‘s in tomorrow,
I‘ll start worrying about him then.
―We‘re going to worry about the ones that are dressed. We‘re not going to
spend a whole bunch of time talking about the ones that aren‘t. When they‘re
dressing then we‘ll talk about them.‖
Winners of back-to-back games, the Red Wings are focused on preparing for
the league-leading Bruins, who are 15-0-1 in their past 16 games.
―The whole thing is to understand it‘s not about Pavel one bit, it‘s about the
Red Wings and the guys that are playing and we just got to keep grinding,‖
Babcock said. ―I want to have us keep on working.‖
With seven games remaining and his club battling to earn one of two
wild-card playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, Datsyuk feels a sense of
urgency to return.
―Make sure I help team, that‘s more important,‖ Datsyuk said. ―We‘re in race
to make playoffs. That‘s more important; they‘re playing well.‖
Datsyuk has appeared in only four games since the Jan. 1 Winter Classic.
Even at less than 100 percent he could provide a huge lift.
―It‘s great to see him out on the ice skating and being part of practices,‖
Daniel Alfredsson said. ―We feel that we‘re playing pretty consistent hockey
right now and getting a guy with his experience and his offensive abilities,
among other things, will be a big boost for this team.‖
Datsyuk has 15 goals and 33 points in 39 games.
―He looks good, but it‘s all about how he feels,‖ Justin Abdelkader said. ―He
could look good, but if his knee is bothering him … it depends how he feels
on the ice, but he looks good.‖
Jonas Gustavsson
732212
Detroit Red Wings
City Council to consider agreement for Detroit Red Wings' Joe Louis Arena
today
David Muller
on March 31, 2014 at 7:46 AM, updated March 31, 2014 at 1:20 PM
DETROIT, MI – Detroit City Council on Monday morning is to consider a new
lease with Olympia Entertainment, the owners of the Detroit Red Wings, for
the Joe Louis Arena downtown, where the pro hockey team currently plays.
The meeting is at 8:30 a.m. at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in
downtown Detroit.
The new lease is meant to settle outstanding matters between Olympia and
the city, as the latter has agreed to transfer 39 properties to the former for a
$650 million new arena and entertainment district. That project, revealed in
greater detail in June, is slated for a 45-block area of the lower Cass Corridor.
The new, 18,000-seat arena and accompanying entertainment district would
be funded with a mix of $365.5 million in private investment and an estimated
public investment of $284.5 million.
Here are key aspects related to the lease currently being considered by the
city:
The total valuation of the deal to the city, including rent, is $12,187,466.
That includes, among other things, $5,175,000 Olympia will pay the city in six
equal installments over the next three years. Annual rent is $1 million, offset
by property taxes Olympia already paid to the city since July 2010, when the
last lease expired. Olympia agrees to pay the city $250,000 for the next two
and half years for police and traffic services and to pay insurance costs of
about $350,000 a year, beginning last January 1. Olympia will restore 600
unused parking spaces at the city-owned parking garage for a cost of $1.25
million.
The lease is retroactive to July 1, 2010 and expires at the end of June
2015. The city then has five one-year renewal options. The earliest a new
arena would be built, according to economic development officials, is 2016.
Once Olympia‘s lease is up at the Joe Louis Arena, the city agrees to that
no events would be held there until it is demolished.
On March 25, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's
Michigan Strategic Fund board approved up to $6 million in demolition costs
of the Joe Louis Arena. The city would have to reimburse the state funds
through tax increment (TIF) financing.
The lease, once approved by the city, resolves any outstanding matters
Olympia has with the city in regards to the Joe Louis Arena. ‖Claims includes
any and all disputes related to Prior Agreements; any and all disputes related
to the New Agreements as of the date the New Agreements are signed, and
any and all disputes related to the Joe Louis Arena, Cobo Arnea and Joe
Louis Parking Garage.‖ the lease says.
732213
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings look to carry momentum into April as they control their own
destiny in playoff race
Ansar Khan
on April 01, 2014 at 6:04 AM, updated April 01, 2014 at 6:16 AM
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings head into April having regained control of
their own playoff destiny by winning back-to-back games over the weekend
while getting help from other teams.
With seven games remaining, the Red Wings‘ margin for error remains slim.
―We can‘t get complacent,‖ forward Justin Abdelkader said. ―There are big
games ahead of us. Columbus is playing really well. We can‘t count on
anyone losing any games.‖
After a two-day break, the Red Wings host the league-leading Boston Bruins
Wednesday (8 p.m., NBC Sports Network exclusive). The Bruins have
opened a nine-point lead in the race for the top spot in the Eastern
Conference by going 15-0-1 in their past 16 games.
The Red Wings are 2-1-0 vs. Boston, having won the past two meetings.
The Red Wings, with 84 points, lead a pack of six teams competing for two
wild-card spots in the East.
Columbus looks to be their toughest competition. The Blue Jackets have 82
points but have one game in hand and own the first tie-breaker (33 wins in
regulation or overtime vs. 30 for Detroit).
But the Red Wings just need to stay ahead of Washington (81 points),
Toronto (80), New Jersey (79) and Ottawa (78) and they‘ll extend their
playoff streak to 23 seasons.
―All the games are big right now,‖ goaltender Jonas Gustavsson said. ―If you
look at the standings it‘s tight and it will be tight all the way, so all the points
that you can get you‘ve got to grab them.
―We can‘t be satisfied with these two games; we‘ve got to try to improve as a
team and battle and we‘ve got to get some more wins.‖
The Red Wings have more regulation/OT wins than the Capitals (25) and
Maple Leafs (27).
The free-falling Leafs, losers of eight in a row, have the toughest road, with
only six games remaining.
―It‘s huge to get four points back-to-back on the weekend,‖ David Legwand
said. ―The race is so tight and if we can start gaining some ground and getting
some traction we‘ll be all right.‖
Coach Babcock liked his club‘s determination in beating Toronto (4-2) and
Tampa Bay (3-2) over the weekend.
―We‘ll come in here, have a good practice (Tuesday) and get ready to play
Boston,‖ Babcock said. ―Boston is a machine right now."
Datsyuk update: Pavel Datsyuk will practice with the team on Tuesday before
it's determined whether he can play on Wednesday or later in the week,
general manager Ken Holland said.
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Detroit Red Wings
Datsyuk takes a step in the right direction, practices with teammates
comeback. If he doesn‘t we still have to plug away with the group that we
have.‖
Nyquist receives honor
Nyquist was named the NHL‘s second star of the month.
By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily
Posted: 04/01/14, 5:18 PM EDT |
Nyquist has the second most goals in the month (12) and finished tied for fifth
with points (18).
Nyquist has 11 goals in his past nine games and 22 goals in his past 27
games.
And that goes for Pavel Datsyuk as well.
Boston‘s Jarome Iginla was the first star, leading all players with 13 goals,
scoring on a League-best 31.0 percent of his shots (13-of-42) to power the
Bruins to a 15-1-1 record in March and the top spot in the NHL standings
(110 points). He recorded 17 points (13 goals, four assists) in 17 games.
Datsyuk could return as early as Wednesday against the Boston Bruins, or at
the latest by Friday at home against the Buffalo Sabres.
Philadelphia‘s Claude Giroux is the third star. He led all players with 15
assists and 21 points during the month.
―I‘m going to assess him in the game,‖ Babcock said after practice Tuesday
at Joe Louis Arena. ―I think someone told me he‘s playing Friday, I don‘t
know.
Macomb Daily LOADED: 04.02.2014
DETROIT >> Wings coach Mike Babcock has said all along he only spends
time worrying about the healthy players on his team.
―I thought it was up to him (when he would start playing again),‖ Babcock
continued. ―I haven‘t been involved in those things all year. I spend my time
worrying about the players that are playing, so if I hear he‘s in tomorrow, I‘ll
start worrying about him then.‖
Datsyuk said he‘s a game-time decision for Wednesday‘s game after his first
practice with teammates in more than a month.
―I‘m happy to be back with the team,‖ Datsyuk said. ―I need a little more time
to pick up the pace, pick up everything.‖
Asked if returning Wednesday was possible Datsyuk said, ―Tomorrow‘s
tomorrow. (We‘ll) wait for tomorrow.‖
The Wings announced they were shutting Datsyuk down for three weeks at
the trade deadline to rest his ailing left knee. Last Friday marked that
three-week time frame.
Datsyuk played for Russia at the Olympics, but has only been able to play in
two games with the Wings since returning. He last played on Feb. 27, leaving
in the second period of a 6-1 win over Ottawa.
Red Wings and the guys that are playing and we‘ve just got to keep grinding,‖
Babcock said. ―I don‘t want to get caught up in that whatsoever, I want to
have us keep on working.‖
Datsyuk, who has missed the last 15 games, has 15 goals and 18 assists in
39 games this season. He‘s played in just four games since the Winter
Classic.
―We‘ve got to keep doing what we‘re doing, keep grinding,‖ said Babcock,
whose squad is 7-6-2 over its last 15 games without Datsyuk. ―The players
that are here, we‘re going to worry about the ones that are dressed. We‘re
not going to spend a whole bunch of time talking about the ones that aren‘t.
When they‘re dressing, then we‘ll talk about them.‖
Despite not having Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg for a good chunk of the
season, the Wings still find themselves in the playoff race. They hold down
the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference heading into play Tuesday
night.
―To me, (Datsyuk) always looks great,‖ Nyquist said. ―But I don‘t think he
feels 100 percent shape-wise or anything like that. But he‘s so good out
there, he‘s always good, I think, when he‘s on the ice.
―I‘m sure he wants to see how it feels with a couple full skates, especially
conditioning-wise when you‘ve been out for a while, it‘s different to be on the
bike here and then do some skates without the team,‖ Nyquist added. ―It‘s
going to take some practice to get in game shape again.‖
The Wings have seven games left in the regular season.
could look good, but if his knee is bothering him. It depends how he feels on
the ice, but he looks good.
―Teams key on him,‖ Abdelkader continued. ―They key on him on the power
play and 5-on-5. He‘s usually going to take the best matchup from the (other
team‘s) defensemen. He‘s a big part of this team. It‘ll be huge if he can
732215
Detroit Red Wings
Pavel Datsyuk could return Wednesday or by Friday at latest
By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily
Posted: 04/01/14, 12:21 PM EDT | Updated: 15 secs ago
DETROIT >> Wings coach Mike Babcock has said all along he only spends
time worrying about the healthy players on his team.
And that goes for Pavel Datsyuk as well.
Datsyuk could return as early as Wednesday against the Boston Bruins, or at
the latest by Friday at home against the Buffalo Sabres.
―I‘m going to assess him in the game,‖ Babcock said after practice Tuesday
at Joe Louis Arena. ―I think someone told me he‘s playing Friday, I don‘t
know.
―I thought it was up to him (when he would start playing again),‖ Babcock
continued. ―I haven‘t been involved in those things all year. I spend my time
worrying about the players that are playing, so if I hear he‘s in tomorrow, I‘ll
start worrying about him then.‖
Datsyuk said he‘s a game-time decision for Wednesday‘s game.
―We‘ll see tomorrow how I feel,‖ Datsyuk said. ―It was (my) first full practice
with team. I‘m happy to be back with the team. I need a little more time to pick
up the pace, pick up everything.‖
Asked if Wednesday was possible Datsyuk said. ―Tomorrow‘s tomorrow.
(We‘ll) wait for tomorrow.‖
The Wings announced they were shutting Datsyuk down for three weeks at
the trade deadline to rest his ailing left knee. Last Friday marked that
three-week timeframe.
Datsyuk played for Russia at the Olympics, but has only been able to play in
two games with the Wings since returning. He last played on Feb. 27.
He‘s missed the last 15 games.
Red Wings and the guys that are playing and we‘ve just got to keep grinding.
I don‘t want to get caught up in that whatsoever, I want to have us keep on
working.
Datsyuk has 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games this season.
―We‘ve got to keep doing what we‘re doing, keep grinding,‖ Babcock said.
―The players that are here, we‘re going to worry about the ones that are
dressed. We‘re not going to spend a whole bunch of time talking about the
ones that aren‘t. When they‘re dressing then we‘ll talk about them.‖
Despite not having Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg for a good chunk of the
season, the Wings still find themselves in the playoff race. They hold down
the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference heading into play Tuesday
night.
―To me, he always looks great,‖ Nyquist said of having Datsyuk take part in
practice. ―But I don‘t think he feels 100 percent shape-wise or anything like
that. But he‘s so good out there, he‘s always good, I think, when he‘s on the
ice.
―I‘m sure he wants to see how it feels with a couple full skates, especially
conditioning-wise when you‘ve been out for a while, it‘s different to be on the
bike here and then do some skates without the team,‖ Nyquist added. ―It‘s
going to take some practice to get in game shape again.‖
The Wings have seven games left in the regular season.
could look good, but if his knee is bothering him. It depends how he feels on
the ice, but he looks good.
―Teams key on him,‖ Abdelkader continued. ―They key on him on the power
play and 5-on-5. He‘s usually going to take the best matchup from the (other
team‘s) defensemen. He‘s a big part of this team. It‘ll be huge if he can
comeback. If he doesn‘t we still have to plug away with the group that we
have.‖
Macomb Daily LOADED: 04.02.2014
732216
Edmonton Oilers
Ference adds to long list of Oiler injuries with ripped pectoral
By Joanne Ireland, Edmonton Journal April 1, 2014
San Jose — Any inclination Andrew Ference had about remaining in the
Edmonton Oilers lineup was erased by the results of his MRI.
He has a small rip in his pectoral muscle and if he were to continue to play, he
would risk suffering a more significant tear.
Or, as the medical staff explained it to the Oilers captain, it was akin to a
piece of licorice.
―If you‘re pulling it, it gets a hole in it, which is kind of where I‘m at right now,‖
Ference said on Tuesday before going out for a light skate at the SAP
Center. ―If you pull a little bit more, it snaps.‖
Ference had been playing with the injury, which occurred when he was
jammed up against the boards, but it was just getting worse every time he‘d
aggravate the area during games and practices. Once he lifted an
opponent‘s stick and realized he was in trouble. Another time, his elbow got
jammed in the stanchion.
Still, he hasn‘t ruled out a return before the last regular season game is
played on April 12, but only if there‘s significant improvement.
Luke Gazdic, meanwhile, had been playing with a bad shoulder but was not
at risk of further damage so rather than sit on the sidelines and wait for the
surgery, he stayed in the lineup until the team headed to San Jose to play the
Sharks.
Gazdic will have surgery in Cleveland, following the likes of Taylor Hall and
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the office of the Ohio specialist.
Acton gets another shot
There were times when Will Acton wondered if he‘d get another shot with the
Edmonton Oilers, particularly with so many of his AHL teammates getting
called up to fill in the holes in the injury riddled lineup card.
But he also knew he had better make the most of his the time with the
Oklahoma City Barons.
―I‘d be lying to you if I said that sometimes those thoughts don‘t creep into
your mind. It‘s your profession, it‘s something you work for your entire life, but
at the same time it‘s important to focus on the task at hand and in OKC we‘re
in a playoff push. I had my focus on that,‖ he said before heading out to
centre the fourth line.
Acton, a free agent off-season acquisition, made the Oilers opening day
roster and played his first 23 NHL games before receiving a ticket to the
Barons.
―Going down to OKC, it was important to work on the execution of some
skills,‖ he continued. ―It was just a general approach: confidence, just being
able to execute the little plays that get the puck down the ice and gain
momentum for your team. That‘s where I think I fit in, and down in OKC you
have more opportunity to do those things. I think I‘m better prepared.
―You never know how many opportunities you‘re going to have at it, so it‘s
important to make the most of them.‖
Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732217
Edmonton Oilers
Sharks bounce back to edge Oilers
By Joanne Ireland, Edmonton JournalApril 1, 2014 11:42 PM
SAN JOSE — The lineup was patched together with call-ups from the farm
team and with whatever players were still standing in the Edmonton Oilers
room.Will Acton arrived from the Oklahoma City Barons for Tuesday‘s game
against the mighty San Jose Sharks, defenceman Philip Larsen moved up to
the wing, the lines were readjusted, yet somehow, the Oilers managed to
stick around the game until the final 10 minutes of a game they would
eventually lose 5-4.
With Nail Yakupov, Andrew Ference, Luke Gazdic, Ryan Jones and Jesse
Jonesuu all unlikely to return before the season ends, this is how the team
will limp into the off-season: short-handed and short on the kind of purpose
that propels playoff contenders.
―We‘re all struggling with the fact we‘re 29th and not in the spot we want to
be. We just have to stay as positive as we can,‖ said Taylor Hall, who wristed
a power-play goal past Antti Niemi at 12:34 of the opening period, tying the
game 1-1.
―I think it‘s safe to say this has been the toughest year out of the four I‘ve
faced — just with the expectations we had coming in and the way that we‘ve
played has let everyone, including ourselves, down.‖
The Oilers, who will go straight into another game against another team
prepping for the playoffs, surrendered the game‘s first goal just three minutes
after the puck had dropped. Andrew Desjardins, left unchecked in the slot,
banged the rebound of a Tyler Kennedy shot past Ben Scrivens. Late in the
period, Anton Lander was schooled by Joe Thornton in the faceoff circle,
setting up Dan Boyle‘s 11th goal of the season.
Tommy Wengels put a power play rebound past Scrivens in the second to
make it 3-1, but the Oilers mustered some pushback against a team that has
had its struggles against the league‘s bottom tier teams.
Of the 14 games the Sharks have lost since Jan. 1, seven have been against
the teams now residing in the last seven spots in the standings. That tally
includes one loss to the Oilers, two to the Calgary Flames, and another to the
30th place Buffalo Sabres.
―When you look at the names on the backs (of the jerseys), there‘s certainly
not a lot of experience,‖ said Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins, whose team
will play the Anaheim Ducks Wednesday then wrap up their final road trip of
the season against the Phoenix Coyotes on Friday.
―We have guys playing out of position, guys who are going to end up playing
more minutes than they normally would, but with injuries comes
opportunities. Now it‘s time for players who have said, ―I can play more for
you, I need a chance.‘ Well, here it is. Let‘s see what you do with it.‖
What the Oilers did do at the SAP Center was get a lift from Ryan
Nugent-Hopkins, who snapped in his 17th of the season, his first of the
game. After scoring just once in his previous 21 games, he scored twice
against the Sharks.
Just 38 seconds after his first, Jordan Eberle broke up the wing and sent a
centring pass that hit the Sharks‘ Justin Braun on its way into the net erasing
the Sharks two-goal lead.
Midway through the third, Joe Pavelski, with a nifty flick of his skate, kicked
the puck over to Joe Thornton, who then put it on the stick of Brent Burns.
Patrick Marleau then wasted no time converting a Sharks power play into a
5-4 advantage.
―It‘s tough when there‘s not much to play for except to spoil things for other
teams,‖ said Eberle. ―It has been really tough. It‘s worn on all of us, but we
still have six games left to try to finish as strong as we can. That‘s all you can
really do.
―It‘s been the toughest one (I‘ve played through) so far but we still have an
opportunity to feel good about ourselves.‖
The Oilers, now 26-41-9 with six games left to play, are 5-3-2 in their last 10
road games. The Sharks are a commanding 27-6-5 on home ice.
―Going into next year, it‘s hard to give some expectations because we‘ve
lowered them this year,‖ Hall said. ―It‘s going to interesting to see what
happens, but I think we‘re all committed to finish as strong as we can.‖
Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732218
Edmonton Oilers
Oilers drop 5-4 decision to Sharks
Robert Tychkowski
First posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 11:23 PM MDT | Updated: Tuesday,
April 01, 2014 11:32 PM MDT
SAN JOSE — No matter how it ends, this is still the most disappointing
season in Edmonton Oilers history.
They just don‘t want the end to be as ugly as the start.
And it showed.
With nothing left to play for down the stretch but to avoid seven more
beatings, the Oilers fought like it meant something Tuesday in a stirring battle
with the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks still won, like teams with 105 points are supposed to do against
teams with 61, when Brent Burns and Patrick Marleau scored a couple of
quick ones midway through the third period before an empty netter in the final
moments capped the 6-4 win, but Edmonton‘s spirit didn‘t go unnoticed.
The Oilers had a chance to check out, trailing 3-1 midway through the
second, but they stayed and fought instead, getting up off the canvas to
score three straight goals to take a brief lead.
The line of Ryan Nugent Hopkins (two goals, two assists), Taylor Hall (one
goal. two assists) and Jordan Eberle (one goal, two assists) spearheaded the
effort, combined for a 10-point night.
Eberle knows that these final games aren‘t going to change much, but he
does know that rolling over will only make it worse.
―Just based on coming into the year, the expectation we had on us, and the
way the last few of games had gone, it has been really tough, it‘s worn on all
of us,‖ he said. ―That being said, we still have six games left to try and finish
as strong as we can. That‘s all you can really do.
―It‘s been the toughest year so far, but looking forward we still have an
opportunity to feel good about ourselves.‖
There hasn‘t been anything to feel good about here for eight years - 25th,
19th, 21st, 30th, 30th, 29th, 24th and 29th if you‘re scoring at home - but this
season is the worst. Hall hasn‘t even been here for all of it but admits he can‘t
think of anything more disappointing than what was supposed to be the
fourth year of the rebuild.
―I think it‘s safe to say that this has been the toughest year out of the four that
I‘ve been here for sure,‖ he said. ―Just with the expectations we had coming
into the year and the way that we‘ve played has kind of let everyone,
including ourselves, down. It‘s been a tough year for everyone involved.
―Going into next year it‘s kind of hard to give expectations because we‘ve
kind of lowered them this year, but I think we‘re all committed to finishing this
season as strong as we can.‖
Things were looking pretty bleak for a while there. The Oilers had been
outscored 21-4 in losing four of their previous five (3-1, 8-1, 5-2, 5-0) and
were outshot 51-23 in the only win. And on top of the losses, they‘ve been
bleeding players, with Ryan Jones, Luke Gazdic, Nail Yakupov, Jesse
Joensuu and Andrew Ference falling out of the mix.
They‘ve got a handful of guys called up from Oklahoma City, they‘ve got
players playing ahead of where they should be on the depth chart, they‘ve
got defencemen playing wing and they delivered a game like that against the
Sharks.
It doesn‘t change the year, but good on ‗em.
―No one‘s going to feel sorry for us,‖ said head coach Dallas Eakins. ―If you
look at the names on the backs it‘s certainly not a lot of experience. We‘ve
got guys playing out of position, guys who are having to play more minutes
than they normally would. But with injuries comes opportunity. Now it‘s time
for players who‘ve said ‗I can play more for you, I need a chance.‖ Here it is,
let‘s see what you can do.‖
Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732219
Edmonton Oilers
Oilers injuries a concern
Robert Tychkowski
First posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 09:59 PM MDT | Updated: Tuesday,
April 01, 2014 10:06 PM MDT
SAN JOSE - At this stage of the season almost any injury is a season-ending
injury, but Andrew Ference isn‘t giving up hope that he‘ll be back before the
Edmonton Oilers are packing up their bags for the summer.
The 35-year-old captain, who hasn‘t played since his overtime winner against
the Anaheim Ducks last week, is trying to wait out a partially torn pectoral
muscle, but time is running out.
―This road trip is just let it get some rest and hopefully feel better by the end of
the week,‖ said Ference, who accompanied the team on its three-game
California-Arizona road trip. ―Then we‘ll re-assess it.‖
He says it‘s not an issue of unbearable pain, but rather the risk of a full tear,
which takes forever to recover from and would sabatoge his off-season
training.
―It‘s uncomfortable, but the cut off point is having more danger to do
something worse. If I can get out of the woods where it‘s not as risk to do
something, I‘ll play for sure. That‘s kind of the doctor‘s call.‖
He‘s been playing hurt for several games after being running into the boards
awkwardly March 18 against Nashville.
―It just kind of kept getting worse every time something happened in the
games or practices that followed. Dallas (Eakins) finally said let‘s get a
picture and see what‘s going on here, make sure that it‘s not something that
could turn into something really bad.‖
It was.
―The trainers gave the analogy of a piece of licorice, if you‘re pulling it and it
gets that little hole in it, that‘s kind of where I‘m at right now. Pull a little bit
more and it snaps. So we‘ll let it scar up a little bit and see.‖
FORWARD PROGRESS? - With the Oilers losing Ryan Jones and Luke
Gazdic to season-ending knee and shoulder injuries, they‘ve had to call Will
Acton up from Oklahoma City and move Philip Larsen from the blueline to the
wing.
―You have to ask the coaches why they chose me, I don‘t know to be honest
with you,‖ said Larsen, who‘s glad to help. ―We‘re a little banged up and we
need some guys up front. It‘s fun, it‘s a challenge.‖
Playing forward isn‘t entirely foreign to the 24-year-old Swede, though.
―I played centre until I was 16,‖ he said. ―You just have to think a little bit when
you haven‘t played forward in a little while.‖
WHERE THERE‘S A WILL - Acton was hoping to spend the entire season up
in Edmonton after making a strong impression in camp and spending the first
29 games here,
It didn‘t work out that way, but all he can do now is try again to make another
lasting impression.
―It‘s a very fluid industry and you have to be able to roll with things a little bit
and go with the flow,‖ he said. ―At the same time you have to come to work
every day to improve yourself to get better. You never know how many
opportunities you‘re going to have at it so it‘s important to make the most of
it.‖
He watched a lot of injuries and a lot of losses pile up in Edmonton, and
hoped he‘d get another look long before this, but made sure not to dwell on it.
―I think it‘s been a crazy year for everybody. I‘d be lying to you if I said that
sometimes those thoughts don‘t creep into your mind. It‘s your profession, it‘s
something you work for your entire life. That‘s natural. But at the same time
it‘s important to focus on the task at hand. We were in a playoff push (in OKC)
and I kind of had my focus on that. But when the call came it was very
exciting.‖
732220
Edmonton Oilers
San Jose Sharks won‘t underestimate the Edmonton Oilers 2
BY ROBERT TYCHKOWSKI ,EDMONTON SUN
FIRST POSTED: TUESDAY, APRIL 01, 2014 05:43 PM MDT
SAN JOSE - The way things are going right now, it‘s tempting to ask San
Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan how many shorthanded goals he thinks
his team will score against Edmonton tonight, or how many goals he thinks
they‘ll win by.
Taking the Oilers lightly seems like an easy and viable option these days,
with the Oilers 29th, slumping and gutted by injuries.
But the Sharks have been stung by more than a few bottom-feeders this
season, having come up short to the likes of Buffalo (twice), Florida, the
Islanders and even once to these very Oilers.
And with time running out on their desperate race for first place in the division
- meaning they won‘t have to play the Los Angeles Kings in the first round McLellan is hoping his players aren‘t already looking past their lowly visitors
tonight.
―I hope our group doesn‘t do that,‖ he said after the Sharks morning skate.
―We‘ve been taught some lessons, I don‘t know if we‘ve learned lessons, but
we‘ve been taught, by some of the teams that will not make the playoffs. We
haven‘t had much success against those on some nights.‖
McLellan admits the Sharks have a tendency to daydream against teams
well below them in the standings. They are 42 points ahead of the Oilers
heading into tonight.
―We were sloppy at times,‖ he said. ―We‘d play really well for 15 minutes in a
period and go to sleep for five. Details, that‘s what maybe gets away on us a
little bit more against some of the non-playoff teams than it does against the
Bostons and St. Louises.‖
Like all Oilers opponents, though, McLellan says you have to wary of
Edmonton‘s ability to suddenly generate a wave of momentum that‘s hard to
stop. They also have a goalie who made 59 saves last time they met.
―We‘ve played (Edmonton) enough and understand them enough to know
that they can win a game 6-1 against any team in the league, they have that
ability,‖ said McLellan.
―They‘re NHL players, there‘s something about being an NHL player that
you‘ve got that pride chromosome in you. They‘re not going anywhere,
they‘re going to play and we expect that from them.‖
The Oilers, who‘ve four of their last five games (badly), and had Ryan Jones,
Luke Gazdic and Andrew Ference shelved by injury in the last four days, are
just trying to make something good happen.
―We‘ve got to be desperate, we have to find a way to stay in games and
eliminate that big, head-shaking mistake,‖ said head coach Dallas Eakins. ―It
seems like we get into the games and everything is fine and there‘s that
hiccup along the way that sends us spiralling sometimes.
―If we can eliminate the big mistake we should be fine.‖
732221
Florida Panthers
Injuries plague Florida Panthers early in loss to New York Islanders
By George Richards
Panthers coach Peter Horachek was thinking he may have to start Tuesday‘s
game down a forward. Turns out he was without Brad Boyes for much of
Florida‘s 4-2 loss to the host Islanders.
Scottie Upshall and Brad Boyes were both game time decisions because of
various injuries. Both played in Florida‘s final road game of the season,
although both left in the first period — with Upshall returning in the second.
Boyes‘ sore back tightened up forcing him to leave the game for good with
7:55 left in the first period after five shifts.
Upshall was knocked out by a big hit from Matt Carkner late in the period.
Upshall got hit in the face while skating up the ice and hit the deck hard.
Upshall remained flat on the ice for a few minutes as he was attended to by
head athletic trainer Dave Zenobi and would later slowly be helped off the ice
by Zenobi.
Horachek, the initial fear was Upshall broke his jaw. He returned midway
through the second period and finished the game.
―Losing guys right off the bat puts you behind from the start because you‘re
mixing and matching,‖ Horachek said. ―That put us a little bit behind the 8-ball
but other guys went out and had opportunities. It‘s not an easy situation.‖
Upshall didn‘t comment on the incident as he headed to the training room.
―Sorry guys, have to go put ice on my jaw,‘‘ he said.
The nasty hit led Erik Gudbranson to fight Carkner as Zenobi was tending to
Upshall a few feet away.
Carkner was given two minutes for high-sticking Upshall, but because it was
determined Gudbranson initiated the fight, he was penalized as well and
there was no power-play chance. Carkner would later fight Krys Barch as
well.
Florida got off to a rare good start Tuesday. Defenseman Jonathan Racine
made quite an impression in his first NHL start, hammering Cal Clutterbuck
with a big hit that was called interference 42 seconds in.
The Panthers, for only the fourth time in their history, got a shorthanded goal
for the second game in a row as Quinton Howden picked the pocket of Frans
Nielsen and raced down the ice, beating Evgeni Nabokov with a wrister.
That was about the it for Florida highlights as the Islanders scored the next
four goals before Brandon Pirri scored with 3.9 seconds left.
New York tied it with a Travis Hamonic shot from 50 feet out with seven
seconds left on the power play 45 seconds after Howden scored.
After being deadlocked at 1 for some time, the Islanders added a pair of
goals in the second and never looked back.
Scott Clemmensen, likely making his final appearance with the Panthers,
played well at times and didn‘t get much help. Florida was being outshot
28-13 by the end of the second period and ended up at a 40-22
disadvantage.
―Playing in the NHL is a privilege and playing for the Panthers was just that,‖
said Clemmensen, who could return to Florida‘s minor league team in San
Antonio in the coming days.
―I played with a tremendous amount of guys over my five years and I don‘t
know what‘s going to happen in the future. I‘m taking it one day at a time and
appreciating everything. I‘m taking it all in. Regardless of what happens, I‘ll
look back and know I laid it all on the line. I‘ll have no regrets.‖
This and That
• The Panthers made two roster moves but only used one. Although Racine
made his NHL debut by filling in for Ed Jovanovski, Bobby Butler was
scratched.
Racine apparently heard he was joining the Panthers on Sunday so he was
able to get some friends and family to the New York area.
―I tried to play hard, play my game and do my best on the ice,‖ Racine, 20,
said. ―I was so happy to get the call. I think I did a very good job for my first
game.‖
Florida expected either Upshall [lower body] or Boyes [back] to miss
Tuesday‘s game but both decided to play after warmups so Butler watched.
He could play Friday if Boyes is out.
• The Panthers will take Wednesday off as it appears the team will have been
stuck on Long Island Tuesday night because of a problem with its chartered
plane.
Miami Herald LOADED: 04.02.2014
732222
Florida Panthers
SCOTT CLEMMENSEN: Playing in the NHL and for the Panthers was a
'Privilege'
Posted by George Richards
UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Scott Clemmensen likely made his final appearance
with the Panthers in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Islanders.
Clemmensen played well at times and didn't get much help.
Florida was being outshot 28-13 by the end of the second period and ended
up at a 40-22 disadvantage.
"Playing in the NHL is a privilege and playing for the Panthers was just that,''
said Clemmensen, who could return to Florida's minor league team in San
Antonio in the coming days.
"I played with a tremendous amount of guys over my five years and I don't
know what's going to happen in the future. I'm taking it one day at a time and
appreciating everything. I'm taking it all in. Regardless of what happens, I'll
look back and know I laid it all on the line. I'll have no regrets.''
732223
Florida Panthers
END OF THE ROAD: Panthers Lose Final Road Game of 2013-14 to
Islanders ... Upshall Leaves and Returns
Posted by George Richards
UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Peter Horachek was thinking he may have to start
Tuesday's game down a forward. Turns out he was without Brad Boyes for
much of Florida's 4-2 loss to the host Islanders.
Scottie Upshall and Brad Boyes were both game time decisions because of
various injuries. Both played in Florida's final road game of the season,
although both left in the first period -- with Upshall returning in the second.
Boyes' sore back tightened up forcing him to leave the game for good with
7:55 left in the first period after five shifts.
Upshall was knocked out by a big hit from Matt Carkner late in the period.
Upshall got hit in the face while skating up the ice and hit the deck hard.
Upshall remained flat on the ice for a few minutes as he was attended to by
head athletic trainer Dave Zenobi and would later slowly be helped off the ice
by Zenobi.
According to coach Peter Horachek, the initial fear was Upshall broke his
jaw. He returned midway through the second period and finished the game.
"Losing guys right off the bat puts you behind from the start because you're
mixing and matching,'' Horachek said. "That put us a little bit behind the 8-ball
but other guys went out and had opportunities. It's not an easy situation.''
Upshall didn't comment on the incident as he headed to the training room.
"Sorry guys, have to go put ice on my jaw,'' he said.
The nasty hit led Erik Gudbranson to fight Carkner as Zenobi was tending to
Upshall a few feet away.
Carkner was given two minutes for high-sticking Upshall, but because it was
determined Gudbranson initiated the fight, he was penalized as well and
there was no power play chance. Carkner would later fight Krys Barch as
well.
Florida got off to a rare good start Tuesday. Defenseman Jonathan Racine
made quite an impression in his first NHL start, hammering Cal Clutterbuck
with a big hit that was called interference 42 seconds in.
The Panthers, for only the fourth time in their history, got a shorthanded goal
for the second straight game as Quinton Howden picked the pocket of Frans
Nielsen and raced down the ice, beating Evgeni Nabokov with a wrister.
That was about the it for Florida highlights as the Islanders scored the next
four goals before Brandon Pirri scored with 3.9 seconds left.
New York tied it with a Travis Hamonic shot from 50 feet out with seven
seconds left on the power play 45 seconds after Howden scored.
After being deadlocked at 1 for some time, the Islanders added a pair of
goals in the second and never looked back.
-- The Panthers made two roster moves but only used one. Although Racine
made his NHL debut by filling in for Ed Jovanovski, Bobby Butler was
scratched.
Racine apparently heard he was joining the Panthers on Sunday so he was
able to get some friends and family to the New York area.
"I tried to play hard, play my game and do my best on the ice,'' Racine, 20,
said. "I was so happy to get the call. I think I did a very good job for my first
game.''
Florida expected either Upshall [lower body] or Boyes [back] to miss
Tuesday's game but both decided to play after warmups so Butler watched.
He could play Friday if Boyes is out.
-- The Panthers will take Wednesday off as it appears the team will have
been stuck in New York on Tuesday night. The team was planning on staying
on Long Island because of a problem with its charter plane.
-- Florida ends the 2013-14 season 13-25-3 away from Sunrise.
732224
Florida Panthers
End of the road as Panthers fall 4-2 to Islanders
By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel
10:50 PM EDT, April 1, 2014
With playoff hopes on the line the Panthers and Islanders battled it out for
Eastern Conference supremacy Tuesday night at a packed, ultramodern
Nassau Coliseum.
April fools.
The sad reality was that about 18 players from both sides could've qualified
for the Panthers' preseason rookie tournament at their Coral Springs training
facility.
While 22 teams are either vying for a remaining playoff berth or preparing for
the postseason, the only thing on the line for players from these two Eastern
Conference bottom feeders is the mutual incentive to avoid the
unemployment line next year.
And of course, a higher draft pick.
With most of the apathetic Islanders fans opting to stay home to watch the
Yankees season-opener, rather than show up at antiquated Nassau
Coliseum, the young, injury-wracked Panthers took another 4-2 whipping to
end their road record at 13-25-3.
The Panthers' 25 losses on the road without a point are the most in franchise
history, eclipsing the 23 lost in the 2005-06 and 2010-11 seasons.
"Midway through the season we tried to prove ourselves and did that quite a
bit,'' said rookie center Nick Bjugstad, who was demoted to the third line on
Monday and again Tuesday. "As of lately we haven't done that. It's been
disappointing. We got five more games to do what we can.
"We had some momentum but we let it get away from us.''
The reeling Panthers have lost seven of eight but finish the season series
with a 2-1 edge over the lowly Isles, who surprisingly have gone 4-0-1 over
their last five games to widen their lead over Florida to eight points for
all-important 14th place.
The Islanders feature 10 rookies on their roster, while Florida utilized eight
players with about one year or less experience, including defenseman
Jonathan Racine, the fourth Panther to make his NHL debut this season
(Vincent Trocheck, Aleksander Barkov, Garrett Wilson).
The 6-foot-2 Racine, 20, filling in for Ed Jovanovski because of the
back-to-backs, made an immediate impact – to the head of Isles' winger
Colin Clutterbuck to earn his first NHL penalty just 42 seconds into his career.
"I wanted to put the pressure off my shoulder,'' said Racine, who had five
relatives, including his mother at the game. "That's my style defenseman. I
like to hit some guys.''
The ensuing Islanders' power play wrought two goals, one for each side as
Panthers rookie forward Quinton Howden stole the puck and streaked past
everyone for a breakaway snap-shot past the stick side of goalie Evgeni
Nabokov (20 saves) at 1:50 for Florida's second shorthanded tally in two
nights.
However, just 45 seconds later defenseman Travis Harmonic's wrister from
the blue line whizzed past goalie Scott Clemmensen (36 saves) for the
Panthers' league-leading 60th power-play goal allowed this season.
"We wanted to make sure we weren't sitting behind 3-0,'' Panthers coach
Peter Horachek said. "They scored a couple of goals, that had a lot to do with
our decision-making.''
Clemmensen, an impending free agent who was recalled from the AHL last
week when Roberto Luongo was injured, made his first NHL start in a month.
It could be his last game as a Panther with Luongo expected back for the final
five games and struggling Dan Ellis as his backup.
"Regardless of where I'm at or who I'm playing for I'll try my hardest and when
the summer comes whatever happens happens, I could live with that,'' said
Clemmensen, 36. "I have no regrets.''
The Islanders took the lead for good at 11:18 of the second when Josh Bailey
jumped out of the penalty box in time to poke in a rebound of Colin
McDonald's shot. They took a two-goal lead into the third when a wide-open
Mike Martin – earth to defenseman Erik Gudbranson – slammed in another
rebound.
Isles' rookie Mike Halmo poked in a rebound of his own shot at 4:21 of the
third for his first NHL goal in his 13th game.
The Panthers snapped their eight-game power-play drought with 3.9
seconds left on rookie Brandon Pirri's goal, his 11th. …
Two of the Panthers leading scorers, forwards Scottie Upshall and Brad
Boyes, were game-time decisions because of ankle and back issues
respectively. Boyes lasted five shifts before leaving the ice for good.
Upshall made it through eight shifts of the first period before an inadvertent
stick to the face from Isles' Matt Carkner sent him to the training room for
repairs. He returned late in the second period when X-rays on his jaw came
back negative.
Panthers plane issues
The Panthers plane had some issues, so the team was stranded in Long
Island overnight and had to move to another hotel.
Sun Sentinel LOADED: 04.02.2014
732225
Los Angeles Kings
Kings learned a lesson in desperation in loss to Wild on Monday
By Lisa Dillman
4:48 PM PDT, April 1, 2014
Desperate Hockey Teams, Part II.
The other entry in the three-way battle between Minnesota, Phoenix and
Dallas for two wild-card playoff spots in the Western Conference, the
Coyotes, visits the Kings on Wednesday night.
It's no coincidence that Minnesota and Phoenix are the only teams to beat
the Kings this season when the Kings led after two periods. They both did so
in March with the Wild rallying for a 3-2 win Monday night.
"It's hard but you just have to realize the desperation of teams," Kings center
Mike Richards said. "Last night Minnesota came out and you could see right
from the get-go they were flying around pretty good.
"I don't know if it caught us off guard but I just don't think we matched that
until later in the first [period] and it kind of tailed off near the end. It's just an
understanding how teams are going to play against us that need points and
we have to be ready for that."
The Kings are perceptive enough to acknowledge that their status in the
Pacific Division is part of the equation. They are locked in third place and
desperation would be the last word they would use about the stretch run.
Limbo might be more accurate.
They have six games remaining, two at home and four on the road.
Oftentimes, the grind of a recent trip will catch a team in its second game
back at home, not the first. The Kings beat Winnipeg, 4-2, on Saturday at
Staples Center.
"I thought we were really flat," Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said of the
Minnesota game. "I think it caught up with us. We played good enough to win,
good enough to lose. We weren't sharp early and that was the difference in
the game.
"…Last night, some of our younger guys that have to bring some energy and
do a little bit more in games like that didn't."
Later, Sutter talked about the coach-player dynamic, stressing the
importance of relationships in the modern game. Generally, the Kings, are
fairly low-key.
"I have zero tolerance for these guys that are high-low all the time. Zero. Not
just players," Sutter said. "Anger is not a good emotion to have. It's more: 'Be
real and figure it out.' Get going again."
King update
Dwight King was on the ice again Tuesday morning but didn't put a timetable
on his return to the lineup. King missed Monday's game against the Wild
because of an unspecified injury. It was understood not to be serious.
"Right now, it just wasn't worth it," King said. "I'm fortunate we do have these
two weeks here [before the playoffs] … trying to get myself back to where I
feel I can help the team. That's my main goal. Not going to put a date or game
in mind."
Transactions
Two collegiate forwards signed entry-level contracts with the Kings.
Michael Mersch (Wisconsin) signed a three-year deal, and Nic Dowd (St.
Cloud State) a one-year deal. Dowd, a seventh-round draft pick in 2009, had
40 points in 38 games this season at St. Cloud (Minn).
Mersch had 22 goals and 35 points in 37 games at Wisconsin. He was a
fourth-round selection in 2011. Both will report to the Kings' AHL minor
league affiliate in Manchester, N.H.
KINGS VS. PHOENIX
When: 7:30.
On the air: TV: NBCSN; Radio: 1150.
Etc.: The Coyotes have been playing reasonably well with Thomas Griess in
goal in the aftermath of what could have been a devastating loss of starting
goalie Mike Smith. Smith suffered an apparent knee injury, according to
reports, and the Coyotes hope to get him back before the end of the regular
season.
LA Times: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732226
Los Angeles Kings
Taking a look at Michael Mersch
Posted by JonRosen on April 1, 2014
The Los Angeles Kings announced the signings of forwards Michael Mersch
(4th round / 2011) of Wisconsin and Nic Dowd (7th round / 2009) of St. Cloud
State to entry level contracts earlier today. Per the collective bargaining
agreement, Mersch‘s ELC spans three years, and Dowd‘s spans one year.
For more on Dowd, a Hobey Baker finalist, read this LAKI story from last
week.
Both players will report to AHL-Manchester.
Mersch, 21, signed with Los Angeles after deciding to return to Madison for
his senior season one year ago. With 22 goals, the Chicago native and
Ottawa prospect Ryan Dzingel tied for the most goals scored by a Big Ten
player in 2013-14. He also led the conference with 10 power play goals and
162 shots and was named first-team All-Big Ten.
After winning the inaugural Big Ten tournament, the Badgers, a one-seed,
fell 5-2 to fourth-seeded North Dakota in the first round of the NCAA
tournament. Mersch finished his collegiate career by totaling 120 points
(67-53=120) while playing in all 157 of Wisconsin‘s games over that time
span.
―We‘re real excited,‖ said Nelson Emerson, Los Angeles Kings Player
Development. ―He went back for his senior year, and he kind of lived up to
what he had hoped would happen, that he would have a successful season.
He played on a good team that had a good year. Obviously he fell a little
short, but he was able to go there and succeed. He had 20 goals again. He
led the conference in goals, and so his development as a player that way, he
lived up to what he wanted to do.‖
In case you missed his earlier highlight reel goal, here‘s one that graced the
pixels of LA Kings Insider last season:
Earlier this month, Chris Dilks of SB Nation ranked Mersch 70th amongst the
top-100 NHL prospects in NCAA Hockey.
Mersch‘s skating has always been his biggest weakness, but there‘s no
doubt that he knows how to put the puck in the net. The senior is just one goal
away from his second consecutive 20-goal season. It‘s tough to tell if Mersch
will be able to keep up that scorer‘s touch at the pro level, or if his lack of foot
speed will finally catch up to him, but his upside as a power play sniper
should earn him a contract from Los Angeles after he graduates this spring.
Ryan Evans, also of SB Nation, took note of Mersch‘s skating stride.
While he displayed elite goal-scoring ability at the NCAA level, Mersch
needs to develop his skating, which was his primary weakness in college, to
translate that to the pro game. His power play prowess and good size will
afford him the opportunity to showcase himself at the pro level and he has the
potential to develop into a solid power forward.
He is ―diligent‖ in developing his skating, according to Badgers head coach
Mike Eaves.
―Michael will bring his big body and his ability to use that to the professional
level,‖ Eaves said in a press release. ―He is a big man. He scores goals in the
hard areas using that big body, and he has been really diligent in becoming a
better skater. He is a much better skater now than he was as a freshman and
he‘ll have to continue to work on that because he is going to the next level.
He has a work ethic and the character to get that done.‖
In speaking with Emerson, it‘s clear the Kings have an offensive-minded
prospects who isn‘t afraid to go to areas on the ice where goals are scored.
―He‘s a guy that once the puck gets into the offensive zone, he has an asset
that very few players have,‖ Emerson said. ―He‘s big, he‘s strong on the puck,
he wins all these offensive battles around the boards and around the paint
that makes him have an asset that very few players have, and that asset is
scoring goals in the tough areas. So why it makes us so excited about him
becoming a pro is that he‘s going to be able to hopefully bring these assets to
us in our organization as a King. He‘s able to do it better than anyone else.
Why we get excited is because when you look at players like an Andrew
Brunette or someone like that who‘s good in front of the net, like a [Tomas]
Holmstrom or someone like that. This is that type of player. We use that. We
keep continuing to build that and make it better, and then we work on all the
other parts of his game.‖
Emerson, on college seniors facing a particular challenge:
It is worrisome, because senior years are tough, because the only one
pushing you is yourself, right? He had to push himself to be a contributor to
their team, and also to be their leader offensively. That‘s hard in itself, and he
was able to accomplish that. He went back for his senior year. He kind of
lived up to his obligation that he was going to go back for school, get his
degree and continue his good hockey playing, which he did. He was all team,
all-league forward. So there you go. He‘s lived up to his obligation. He
achieved that, and you know what? The kid‘s got a degree from Wisconsin.
That‘s pretty darn good.
Emerson, on Mersch and Dowd joining the Monarchs:
We‘re real excited about that. We‘ve got obviously a great group down there,
a group that‘s been together for a few years, a group that‘s had a tremendous
season. We‘re excited that these two players can just step in there and fit in
there, and they‘ll fit in great because of what we talked about. Mersch will go
in there and be a bigger body, and then he‘ll start learning the pro game and
the way the LA Kings work. It‘s going to be great. It‘s great for him that he‘s
been able to finish his season, get the schooling. He‘s set to graduate, and
now he gets to go and become a pro. Everyone‘s all excited. It‘s a good time.
We‘re excited about both players.
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732227
Minnesota Wild
Recovery by Wild's Koivu turns him into Captain Fantastic
―Winning is his priority. He wants to bring a championship to Minnesota, and
that‘s how he plays the game.‖
Superiority down the stretch
Parise rolls his eyes at the criticism Koivu receives.
Article by: Michael Russo
―People have their opinions on different people,‖ Parise said. ―All I‘ll tell you is
he‘s so important. We need him playing well and to be a great player for us to
be a good team, and he‘s played really well as of late.
CHICAGO-Mikko Koivu struggled to find the words. ¶ ―I don‘t know how to
say it in English,‖ Koivu, a proud Finn, said as he gnashed his teeth and
looked off in the distance. The Wild‘s 31-year-old captain finally settled on a
word: ―Frustrating.‖ ¶ ―I was very, very frustrated,‖ said Koivu, the feeling
unmistakable on his face.
―It‘s hard coming back from an injury. It‘s tough because of where everyone
else is at in their season — 65, 70 games. You miss two months like Mikko,
you‘re way behind. Everyone is fresh and flying, so it‘s tough to get back into
a rhythm. But he‘s back playing great for us.‖
Koivu returned to the Wild‘s lineup March 3 after missing eight weeks, 17
games and the Olympics following surgery on his right ankle. But those first
five or six games, Koivu could not function at the level he expected from
himself.
―Somebody tells you they‘re not thinking about the standings and where you
are, I think they‘re lying,‖ Koivu said, smiling. ―But this is what you want,
where every single game matters. I think you really saw that [Saturday] in
Phoenix.
His ankle hurt. Skating was a chore. His game suffered, and so did the team.
―That was intensity, and it‘s not about who scores the goal or who makes the
big play. The big picture is how we played the game, and that was a good first
step. Now we have to keep building our game.‖
―It was harder that I thought it would be,‖ Koivu said Monday, hours before
scoring the winning goal in the Wild‘s come-from-behind victory over one of
the league‘s stingiest teams with a lead, the Los Angeles Kings. ―It‘s not like it
happens overnight and it feels good. It took a lot of time. I was very
frustrated.‖
Koivu‘s ankle was throbbing (he described it as an unrelenting pressure), and
it affected his skating, balance, shooting, playmaking, faceoff prowess —
basically, everything. When Koivu returned from previous injuries, the
warmer the ailment got, the better it felt. This frustrating injury was the
complete opposite late in games.
―And this time of year, you need to get to your game as soon as you can,‖
Koivu said. ―Sometimes it‘s just not possible, but as an athlete, you don‘t
realize that always.‖
But slowly, starting in Boston nine games ago, Koivu has begun to resemble
the Koivu of old. He has split defensemen, made power moves, set up
teammates, been a defensive stalwart and won big faceoffs. His play is a
large reason the Wild has won three of the past five games with third-period
comebacks.
In the past eight games, Koivu, the Wild‘s career leading scorer, has 12
points and is plus-5. He‘s riding a six-game point streak with two goals and
seven assists, including three two-point games.
Thursday night, Koivu will lead the Wild into the United Center to face the
Chicago Blackhawks, the team that dispatched the Wild in five games last
spring and went on to win the Stanley Cup.
In that first-round playoff series, Koivu had no points. Linemate Zach Parise
had one. Like Parise, Koivu said it weighed on him all offseason.
―It bothered me a long time last year how we finished and when you can‘t
help the team the way you want,‖ Koivu said. ―You take a lot of pride in your
game and you want to be at the level that you need to be. If it didn‘t bother
me, something‘s wrong.‖
Under pressure
Koivu heads into the final six games of this regular season and the
postseason sounding motivated by last year‘s individual and team failure.
―You can and you have to learn from the past, the good things and the bad
things,‖ he said. ―That‘s something you realize as you get mature and grow
up a little bit from your first years in the league. We did take steps last year.
We didn‘t finish the way we wanted. We learn from that. It bothers you and
you want to show you can do better and we can do better as a team.‖
Few players on the Wild are as scrutinized as Koivu. Critics pick and prod,
wishing he‘d sacrifice some defense for offense, that he‘d shoot more, that
he was faster. Maybe it‘s because it‘s his fifth season with the captain‘s ‗‗C‘‘
or the fact that he has been Wild property for nearly 13 years, or because of
his $6.75 million salary cap hit, but some seem to blame him for every pitfall,
from no playoff rounds won by the Wild since 2003 to any losing streak.
―That‘s unfair,‖ coach Mike Yeo said. ―They don‘t see all the little things he
does night in and night out to give you a chance to win. That‘s what you ask
for in a leader. This is a guy that‘s never going to cheat, he‘s always going to
do it the right way to give his team the best chance to win.
Koivu is excited and nervous, all at the same time, by the tight playoff race.
Star Tribune LOADED: 04.02.2014
732228
Minnesota Wild
Wild: Big line gets biggest goals from its smallest player, Zach Parise
By Chad Graff Posted:
04/01/2014 12:01:00 AM CDT
CHICAGO -- When Wild coach Mike Yeo was forming his new top line, he
wanted a big trio.
Mikko Koivu (6 feet 3, 222 pounds) and Charlie Coyle (6-3, 221) fit the bill,
and Zach Parise -- well, he plays big.
As Yeo put it, "Zach is an interesting player."
Parise is a relatively standard 5-11, 197 pounds, but because of his
relentless style and willingness to crash the net, he fit right in.
The line has been together for only four periods, but it has accounted for four
goals -- three by Parise and one by Koivu -- in two victories.
"Those guys have the ability to play against (anyone)," Yeo said. "Whether
it's big forwards or big lines."
Success is expected from Koivu and Parise; they're veteran leaders. But
Coyle's recent play has been making the difference. Since Yeo publicly
asked more of Coyle, 22, he has been one of the team's best players.
In a 3-2 win Monday over the Los Angeles Kings, Coyle set up Koivu's
game-tying, third-period goal by winning a battle along the boards.
"He's stepping up; that's what we need," Yeo said. "This is a guy that we can't
just say is a second-year guy; he's a real important part of our team, and the
reason ... is because of what we see in him. We're going to keep pushing him
because, as far as we're concerned, this guy has the potential to be a real
quality NHL player."
Monday's victory meant the Wild has won back-to-back games for the first
time since Feb. 28 and March 3. A path to the playoffs still isn't set, but those
two wins have given the Wild a small cushion with six regular-season games
remaining.
The road ahead still could be rocky. Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund
both left Monday's game with apparent head injuries. An update on their
status is expected Wednesday.
But so far, Yeo's new top line has stepped up when needed -- especially
Parise, whose 28 goals lead the team and 51 points rank second to Jason
Pominville's 53.
"He's obviously high-skilled and a great goal scorer, but at the same time he's
so strong and so competitive and so effective in the offensive zone," Yeo said
of Parise. "We've seen those guys be real effective in the past in those types
of games, and that was a big part of why we put them on the ice."
Pioneer Press LOADED: 04.02.2014
732229
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild: Road trip gives Zach, J.P. Parise time to bond, reminisce
By Chad Graff
Much has changed in the NHL since J.P. Parise wrapped up a 14-year career
in 1979. But he's glad to see one thing that hasn't: the camaraderie among
players.
Parise, 72, a two-time all-star who played eight seasons with the Minnesota
North Stars, is feeling like one of the guys again this week. He's traveling with
the Minnesota Wild and his son Zach, a Wild forward, on their current
seven-day, three-game road trip.
When Zach played for the New Jersey Devils, general manger Lou
Lamoriello never had father-son road trips, something quite a few NHL teams
do these days. When Wild GM Chuck Fletcher heard that, he told Zach to
invite J.P. on the Wild's trip to Phoenix, Los Angeles and Chicago.
"I've been treated like a king," J.P. said before the Wild's 3-2 victory over the
Kings in Los Angeles on Monday night.
The trip allowed J.P., 72, to see Zach score two goals Saturday in Phoenix
and another goal Monday in L.A. Zach's second goal in Phoenix was a family
milestone, giving him 239 career goals -- one more than his father.
"The thing is," J.P. said, "he accomplished in about seven years what took
me 12 (years)."
During the road trip, J.P. has attended coaches meetings, player meetings
and traveled on the team's chartered plane, which he said is much different
than the travel he had.
"They have sushi" on the plane, J.P. said. "I think we took maybe four
chartered planes" my whole career.
J.P. went out to dinner with Zach and teammates in Los Angeles on Sunday,
and father and son are spending the travel day together Tuesday as the team
heads to Chicago for a game Thursday night.
"It's awesome," Zach said. "A lot has changed since he was playing. (But)
being around a group of players and going through the daily routine has got
to be fun for him -- just coming to all the meetings and everything and seeing
what it's like to be a player again. He's having an awesome time. And for me,
it's been great, too."
"It's brought me back in terms of the camaraderie and all that stuff; it hasn't
changed," JP said. "The guys are together. Of course, the financial part of it
has changed -- the charter (plane) and all that. But they all go out for dinner
together."
732230
Minnesota Wild
Wild sign defenseman Christian Folin
The Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn.—The Minnesota Wild signed college free agent
defenseman Christian Folin to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Folin ended his career with Massachusetts-Lowell, finishing his sophomore
season with four goals and 16 assists in 41 games. The deal was done late
Monday while the Wild were in Los Angeles on their way to a win over the
Kings.
Folin is expected to join the team in Chicago for the game Thursday against
the Blackhawks. He will not be eligible for the playoffs.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Folin is a mobile puck-mover with a hard
right-handed shot. The native of Gothenburg, Sweden, had a plus-10 rating
and three game-winning goals for the River Hawks, who reached the NCAA
Northeast Regional final.
732231
Montreal Canadiens
Lightning beat Habs as both teams clinch playoff berths
TAMPA, Fla. — The Associated Press
Having completed their regular-season series, the Tampa Bay Lightning and
Montreal Canadiens soon could find themselves battling in the post-season.
Tyler Johnson scored the go-ahead goal on a short-handed breakaway late
in the third period and the Lightning clinched a playoff berth with a 3-1 victory
over the Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Montreal Canadiens left wing Thomas Vanek (20) celebrates his goal against
Colorado Avalanche with teammates defenceman Mike Weaver (43) and
centre David Desharnais (51) and left wing Max Pacioretty (67) during the
second period at Bell Centre.
Hey sports fans, leave the wives alone, it‘s not their fault
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle, back right, shouts to his
players during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the New
Jersey Devils Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Newark, N.J.
Podcast
The Maple Leafs and their fatal flaw
―Just being in the right spot and getting lucky sometimes,‖ Johnson said.
The win and losses by New Jersey and Washington gave Tampa Bay its first
post-season berth since 2011 and only its second in seven years. Montreal
ended a five-game winning streak, but also qualified for the post-season by
virtue of the losses by New Jersey and Washington.
Canadiens goalie Carey Price took some consolation in advancing to the
post-season.
―We‘re disappointed with our game today, but big picture, we‘ve got to be
happy with that,‖ he said.
The win moved Tampa Bay, with a game in hand, into a second-place tie with
Montreal in the Atlantic Division. The second- and third-place teams in each
division will meet in the first round of the playoffs.
―It‘s just one game, but it‘s really the 76 games all bottled into one,‖ Tampa
Bay coach Jon Cooper said. ―What you are really striving for is to win the
Stanley Cup, but you cannot win the Cup if you don‘t get into the playoffs.‖
With teammate Nate Thompson serving a minor penalty for boarding,
Johnson picked up a loose puck near the Montreal blue line, skated in on
Price and backhanded a shot inside the left post with 7:19 remaining in the
game.
Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher was on one knee in the low slot
when he redirected a rebound past goalie Ben Bishop to open the scoring
10:18 into the first period.
Ryan Callahan made it 1-1 on a power play 9:19 into the second, skating
through the left circle toward Price and lifting a shot high into the net.
Tampa Bay was on a power play when Alex Killorn closed out the scoring
with an empty-netter with 45 seconds left in the third period.
Bishop finished with 25 saves, while Price stopped 30 shots.
Tampa Bay winger Teddy Purcell slammed a shot past Price with 11.7
seconds left in the second period, but the officials ruled forward J.T. Brown
made contact with the goaltender and disallowed the goal. The call drew an
angry response from Tampa Bay fans after a replay appeared on the video
screen.
The crowd also became irate when Montreal‘s Douglas Murray drew a match
penalty for an illegal check to the head of fellow defenceman Michael Kostka,
setting up a 5-on-3 advantage for the Lightning with 2:13 left in the game.
―If the crowd‘s reaction was anything after they saw it, then it seems that it
was illegal,‖ Cooper said. ―Those are the hits you want to take out of the
game. I‘m sure Murray wasn‘t looking to hit him in the head.‖
Lightning forward Ondrej Palat, who earlier in the day was named the top
NHL rookie for the second time in three months, assisted on the goals by
Callahan and Killorn.
NOTES: Tampa Bay C Valtteri Filppula, who came in with the longest points
streak in the league at 12 games, came up empty. . Montreal C Tomas
Plekanec returned after missing one game for personal reasons. . The home
team won for the first time in the four-game season series. Lightning captain
Steven Stamkos was sidelined with a broken leg for the first three games,
each of which went to overtime tied at 1. . Price came in victorious in nine of
his 10 previous starts. Bishop improved to 8-1-1 in his last 10.
Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.02.2014
732232
Montreal Canadiens
Emelin will be in Habs lineup against Lightning
Posted by Stu Cowan
Alexei Emelin, who returned to Montreal on Monday for family reasons,
rejoined the Canadiens Tuesday in Tampa and was on the ice for a morning
skate as the team prepared to face the Lightning Tuesday night (7:30 p.m.,
TSN-HABS, RDS, TSN Radio 690).
The return of Emelin means defenceman Jarred Tinordi will be a healthy
scratch for the second straight game. Carey Price will start in goal for the
Canadiens, while Ben Bishop will be in the Lightning net.
The lines at Tuesday‘s morning skate were the same as during Monday‘s
practice, with Lars Eller on the third line with Daniel Briere and Brian Gionta,
while Rene Bourque drops to the fourth line with Ryan White and Michael
Bournival. George Parros will be a healthy scratch.
The game could be a playoff preview with the Canadiens and Lightning
looking like they will be first-round opponents.
―Given that this could be a playoff preview tonight, this is a game that
everyone‘s been waiting for,‖ defenceman Francis Bouillon told reporters in
Tampa after the morning skate. ―We‘re two teams that play similar styles of
hockey. They‘ve got good depth, a good goaltender and also a lot of speed.
It‘s important for us to go out there and win this one to earn a playoff spot. It‘s
an important game and we definitely want to win it.‖
The Canadiens have won five straight and can clinch a playoff spot with a win
over the Lightning. In the first three meetings between the teams this season,
one went to overtime and two went to a shootout with the Lightning holding a
2-0-1 record.
Said Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos: ―We‘re fighting with them for home
ice. It‘s going to be a playoff atmosphere. … We‘re not worried about the
playoffs now, we‘re just worried about playing hockey and getting as many
points to finish as high as we can.‖
Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty was announced Tuesday as the Molson
Cup winner for the February-March segment of the season based on
three-star voting. Pacioretty, who has a career-high 35 goals this season,
was named the first star four times during that segment of the season.
Here‘s how the lines and defence pairings are expected to look for the
Canadiens against the Lightning:
Pacioretty-Desharnais-Vanek
Galchenyuk-Plekanec-Gallagher
Eller-Briere-Gionta
Bourque-White-Bournival
Markov-Emelin
Bouillon-Subban
Murray-Weaver
In other news, prospects Connor Crisp and Brady Vail have both signed
contracts with the AHL‘s Hamilton Bulldogs after completing their junior
seasons.
Crisp, a 6-foot-3, 226-pound forward, played 67 games with the OHL‘s
Sudbury Wolves this season, posting 28-27-55 totals and 120 penalty
minutes. He was selected by the Canadiens in the third round (71st overall)
of the 2013 NHL draft.
Vail, a 6-foot, 194-pound forward played 67 games with the OHL‘s Windsor
Spitfires this season, posting 32-51-83 totals and 39 penalty minutes. He was
selected by the Canadiens in the fourth round (94th overall) at the 2012 NHL
draft.
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.02.2014
732233
Montreal Canadiens
‗Happy we‘re in the playoffs,‘ Price says after loss
By pat hickey, THE GAZETTE April 2, 2014
TAMPA, Fla. — Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said it was a great
accomplishment for the Canadiens to earn a playoff spot with five games
remaining in the regular season, but he wasn‘t happy with the way his team
performed in a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday night at the
Tampa Bay Times Forum.
―We made too many turnovers,‖ Therrien said. ―We were trying to make fancy
plays and that‘s not the way you beat a team like this.‖
The Canadiens might have beaten themselves when an errant pass from
David Desharnais turned a Montreal power play into a shorthanded winner
by Tyler Johnson. Desharnais was attempting to get the puck back to the
point when Johnson grabbed the loose puck and scored his fifth shorthanded
goal of the season to break a 1-1 tie at 12:41 of the third period.
―The special teams were the difference tonight,‖ said captain Brian Gionta.
While the Canadiens went 0-for-4 on the power play, the Lightning went
2-for-8, with the second power-play goal going into an empty net with 45
seconds to play.
That empty-netter came with defenceman Douglas Murray serving a match
penalty for elbowing Michael Kostka. Murray will be hearing from NHL
disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan before the Canadiens play the Senators
Friday night in Ottawa, but he began pleading his case after the game.
―I‘ve never been suspended before and I‘m not a dirty player,‖ said Murray.
―He‘s coming through the middle and I have a guy on my right and I‘m trying
to finish my check while at the same time, I‘m keeping an eye on the guy to
the right of me,‖ said Murray. ―I felt like I had arm tucked in but ... I really don‘t
want to comment on it because I haven‘t looked at it and I expect I‘ll be
suspended.‖
Murray said he was glad that Kostka was able to skate off after lying
unconscious on the ice. The Lightning said Kostka will go through the
protocol for a concussion.
Both teams clinched playoff berths, but the Lightning earned their spot with
the win while the Canadiens backed in earlier after the Washington Capitals
lost to Dallas 5-0.
―We‘re disappointed with our game today, but in the big picture we‘re happy
we‘re in the playoffs,‖ said Carey Price, who turned in another solid effort that
was wasted because his teammates couldn‘t generate any offence.
Therrien described Price‘s performance as ―excellent,‖ while Gionta said the
goaltender ―gave us another chance to win.‖
The result virtually assured a Montreal-Tampa Bay matchup in the first round
of the playoffs, but Gionta said the team couldn‘t afford to look ahead. He
said it‘s important for the team to learn from its experience last season, when
the team clinched a playoff spot early and then lost its focus going into the
playoffs. Ottawa eliminated the top-seeded Canadiens in five games in the
first round.
Meanwhile, there are bound to be questions about P.K. Subban‘s ice time.
He played a season-low 17:48 and every other d efenceman played more at
even strength. It was only the second time this season he played fewer than
20 minutes
The Canadiens caught a break with 11.7 seconds remaining in the second
period when referee Chris Lee waved off an apparent goal by Ted Purcell.
Lee ruled that J. T. Brown impeded Price‘s movement in the crease.
The replay showed there was no contact between the two and, while the
Lightning fans were unhappy with the call, Lee received a thumbs-up from
Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman.
―They don‘t call that often enough,‖ said Bowman. ―The goaltender has to
have the chance to come out and play the puck.‖
732234
Montreal Canadiens
Price on short end of goalie duel
By pat hickey, THE GAZETTE April 2, 2014
TAMPA, Fla. — The Canadiens and the Lightning offered probable a preview
of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with Tampa Bay taking a 3-1
decision on a shorthanded breakaway goal by Tyler Johnson at 12:41 of the
third period.
The win gave the Lightning a 3-1 edge in the season series between the
teams and moved Tampa Bay into second place in the Atlantic Division.
Montreal and Tampa Bay each have 93 points, but the Lightning has the
edge because it holds a game in hand. Johnson‘s goal was the difference in
a goaltending duel between Carey Price (30 saves) and the Lightning‘s Ben
Bishop (25 saves).
Playoff bound: The Canadiens were assured of a playoff berth early in the
third period when the Dallas Stars put the finishing touches on a 5-0 win over
the Washington Capitals. Tampa Bay was assured of a playoff spot with the
win.
Scary moment: Douglas Murray received a major penalty when he delivered
an elbow to the head of Michael Kostka late in the game. Kostka lay on the
ice for several minutes, but was able to leave under his own steam. Murray
was in the penalty box when Pointe-Claire‘s Alex Killorn scored an empty-net
goal.
Go to the net: That‘s what youngsters Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan
Gallagher did when Mike Weaver threw a backhand shot at the net. The puck
was loose at Bishop‘s feet and Galchenyuk had a swipe at it before Gallagher
knocked it home for his 19th goal of the season at 10:18 of the first period.
The equalizer: The Lightning pulled even at 1-1 when the Canadiens gave up
a power-play goal at 11:19 of the second period. Ryan Callahan was given
far too much space and he scored with a backhander that found the far post
over Price‘s shoulder.
The Chris Lee factor: Montreal fans love to complain that referee Chris Lee
hates the Canadiens, but he did the visitors a favor when he waved off an
apparent goal by Ted Purcell with 11.7 seconds remaining in the second
period. Purcell beat Price with a low shot to the blocker side. Lee ruled that
J.T. Brown impeded Price‘s movement in the crease.
732235
Montreal Canadiens
About last night …
Bishop was untroubled for the rest of the game – including the four
shorthanded situations during which the Canadiens managed two shots. This
while Price was standing on his head to keep the score respectable.
Posted by Mike Boone
In his chalk talk on L‘Antichambre, Gaston Therrien showed an example of
Tampa Bay‘s relentless forecheck. The only Canadiens‘ defencemen
capable of handling that kind of pressure, TV Therrien said, are Andrei
Markov and P.K. Subban.
Your Montreal Canadiens are in the playoffs.
And P.J. Stock, not my favourite panelist on the show, made a good point
when he said that with five games left to play, Therrien is STILL juggling his
lines.
But unless their Tuesday night performance in Tampa Bay was an
aberration, we may see a repeat of last spring‘s first-round fiasco.
Riding a five-game winning streak into the home rink of a very good hockey
team, perhaps the Canadiens were due for a letdown.
What we saw, however – particularly in the third period – was a collapse.
Michel Therrien began his post-game media scrum by accentuating the
positive.
Results elsewhere guaranteed postseason hockey for the Habs. Therrien
said the Canadiens‘ objective of making the playoffs had been attained.
Therrien had the right to be satisfied. Many pundits and fans thought the
Canadiens would struggle all season and go down to the wire to ensure a
playoff berth. I didn‘t think they‘d make the cut.
But with five games to play, we know there will be mid-to-late April hockey in
Montreal.
Will the Canadiens still be playing in May?
Not if the 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay was an indicator.
The score flattered the Canadiens. If Carey Price hadn‘t played what may
have been his best game of the season, the Lightning would have won 6-1.
―We played back on our heels,‖ Therrien said. The coach cited ―too many
turnovers‖, adding ―you can‘t take eight penalties and expect to win.‖
―It hurts your tempo and disrupts time on ice,‖ Therrien said.
ToI was particularly discombobulated in the case of P.K. Subban. Last
season‘s Norris Trophy winner played a season-low 17:48.
That less ice time than Douglas Murray. But P.K. will get a chance to catch up
during the suspension Murray is going to get for that absurd elbow on Mike
Kostka.
P.K. averages 24:52 per game this season. In Tampa Bay, he had less
even-strength ice time than any other defenceman dressed for the game.
If there‘s a logical reason for this, I‘m afraid it eludes me.
But the Canadiens didn‘t lose because of P.K.‘s low ice time.
The loss was a team effort. And the list of players who had an off night would
include every player in a white jersey – with the exceptions of Carey Price,
Mike Weaver, Ryan White and Michäel Bournival.
Similarly, Tampa Bay‘s win was a team effort. The Lightning are a fast,
tenacious and well-coached team. They pressured the Canadiens into
ill-conceived plays, bad decisions and lazy penalties.
With his team leading 1-0, Lars Eller was called for holding in the Tampa Bay
zone. With the game tied 1-1 in the third period, Eller took another O-zone
penalty, this time for a trip.
Paroled from fourth-line duty, Eller had more penalties than shots on goal. He
is playing his way out of Montreal.
With another year on his contract, Daniel Brière will be staying put. The
veteran who is supposed to elevate his game at this time of the long season
played played a shade over eight minutes against Tampa Bay and had the
grand total of one shot, which was blocked.
Brendan Gallagher was opportunistic in tipping his 19th goal of the season
past Ben Bishop. Alex Galchenyuk kept the puck alive in the Lightning crease
and drew an assist on the goal, as did Weaver.
That‘s your highlight reel.
As a reward for how well they played in the second half of March – starting
with that crazy comeback against Ottawa – the Canadiens are staying in
sunny Florida until Thursday. Then they fly to Ottawa for a Friday night game
against the loosey-goosey/nothing-to-play-for Senators.
On Saturday, the Canadiens are home to the
playoff-hungry/everything-to-play-for Red Wings.
In addition to figuring out his third and fourth lines, Therrien will have to cope
with the likely loss of Murray, whose physical presence on the back end
would be an asset in Ottawa.
There‘s time for tinkering before the playoffs.
732236
Nashville Predators
Predators enforcer reaches out to foe he hurt in fight
Chip Cirillo
Predators enforcer Rich Clune has taken some criticism in the media and
from Washington fans for his fight against inexperienced rookie defenseman
Patrick Wey during Sunday's 4-3 shootout win over the Capitals.
Clune landed a series of punches to Wey's face before dropping him to the
ice with an uppercut in the first period at Bridgestone Arena.
Clune (5-foot-10, 188 pounds) has been in 32 fights in 113 NHL games, and
Wey (6-2, 200) fought in his first scrap. Wey's only previous pro fight was in
the 2008-09 U.S. Hockey League season.
Wey missed the rest of the Predators game with a head injury.
"I reached out to the kid on Washington just to express the fact that I hope
he's OK and it wasn't my intention to hurt him," said Clune, who sent a text
message. "He was the one kind of engaging me, and I had no idea who he
was. I don't even look at the other team's roster before the game. I just see
the names they write on the board. The kid said he was OK."
Wey isn't listed on the Capitals' injury report for players who are out of the
lineup. He checked Clune into the center-ice boards in between the benches
before the fight.
"He stepped up on me," Clune said. "I didn't have the puck. He finished his
check and kind of whacked my head off the boards. He was yelling at me and
kind of signaled me. I took a half-step to get away and around him. He was
pretty vocal and wanted me to turn around. We looked each other in the eye
and agreed that we were going to fight, and went at it."
Capitals enforcer Tom Wilson (6-4, 194) tried to fight Clune several times
afterward, but Clune said he declined because the Predators had the lead in
the game.
"I can understand the Washington organization and the Washington fans
being mad, but there's not much more I can say other than we'll see each
other at another date," Clune said. "Patrick is going to bounce back."
Injury updates: Defenseman Seth Jones (concussion-like symptoms)
practiced and should be able to play Friday at Anaheim.
"He's been cleared, so unless there's anything (unusual) he should be fine,"
coach Barry Trotz said.
PREVIOUSLY: Predators "very cautious" with Seth Jones' injury
Center Paul Gaustad (upper body) skated on his own and might be able to
practice with the team on Wednesday.
Winger Nick Spaling (lower body), who was scratched against Washington,
practiced and will be available for a three-game road trip that starts Friday.
Forward Patrick Eaves (lower body) didn't practice and is questionable for
the Anaheim game.
Rare shootout win: The Predators improved to 2-8 in shootouts with
Sunday's win over Washington. They ranked 27th in the NHL entering
Tuesday's games.
Craig Smith scored the winning goal, and backup goalie Carter Hutton
stopped all three Capitals in the shootout.
"It's nice to win one of those," left wing Eric Nystom said. "We haven't fared
that well in shootouts this year and we played against a really skilled team,
and came out with a shootout win so that's a bonus. Carter played extremely
well in that game and made some great saves in the shootout, especially on
that last one and got us the win."
Nashville is 1-4 at home and 1-4 on the road in shootouts.
Needed day off: After playing three games in four days, the Predators were
off Monday.
"For me personally, it was a good day," Trotz said. "I had been coming in
every day for about six weeks straight. For us guys, we just finished eight
games in 12 nights and we had some travel involved there. I know the guys
need a mental break sometimes just from being at the rink or thinking about a
game."
Tennessean LOADED: 04.02.2014
732237
New Jersey Devils
Devils Lose to Sabres in Shootout
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSAPRIL 2, 2014
Tyler Ennis scored twice in the third period and again in the shootout to lead
the host Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win over the Devils.
Dainius Zubrus and Tuomo Ruutu scored for the Devils, who are 0-11 this
season in shootouts. They are 3 points out of the Eastern Conference‘s final
wild-card spot.
■ Tyler Seguin scored his 33rd goal and the visiting Dallas Stars routed the
Washington Capitals, 5-0, in a game between two ninth-place teams trying to
leapfrog into a playoff spot.
■ Josh Bailey had a goal and assist, and the Islanders kept up their strong
finish with a 4-2 home victory over the Florida Panthers.
■ The host Toronto Maple Leafs snapped an eight-game losing streak to
remain in the playoff chase, beating Calgary, 3-2.
■ The Canadian women‘s star Hayley Wickenheiser helped her country win
the gold medal at the Olympics while playing with a broken foot, she
revealed.
New York Times LOADED: 04.02.2014
732238
New Jersey Devils
Ennis, Leino Lead Sabres to 3-2 Win Over Devils
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSAPRIL 1, 2014, 10:34 P.M. E.D.T.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tyler Ennis scored twice in the third period and again in
the shootout to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win over the New Jersey
Devils on Tuesday night.
Ville Leino had the winner in the ninth round of the shootout and Nathan
Lieuwen made 33 saves for his first NHL win.
Dainius Zubrus gave New Jersey a 1-0 lead at 8:16 of the second period and
Tuomo Ruutu tipped Andy Greene's shot past Lieuwen at 6:58 of the third to
tie it 2-2.
The Devils, 0-11 this season in shootouts, are three points out of the Eastern
Conference's final wild card spot.
Cory Schneider made 25 saves for New Jersey.
The Devils outshot Buffalo 10-8 in the opening period, but dominated
possession and had the best chances.
New Jersey broke the deadlock in the second, when Michael Ryder's
cross-crease pass appeared to be knocked into the Sabres goal by Jamie
McBain. The goal was awarded to Zubrus.
Lieuwen returned to form after the goal, making a diving stick save on Ryder
to keep the score 1-0. Moments later, he stopped Ruutu on a partial
breakaway.
The Sabres managed just four shots in the second period.
Buffalo got the equalizer 1:39 into the third period on a play started by Drew
Stafford and completed by a cross-slot pass from Leino to Ennis, who scored
on a wrist shot to become the first Sabres player to score 20 goals this
season.
Buffalo took its first lead of the night on a power play just over three minutes
later. Cody Hodgson slid a pass through several players to Ennis, who shot
high into the net at 4:41.
The Devils attempted to counter off the ensuing face-off, but Lieuwen
stopped Jagr twice.
New Jersey tied the score on the power play, when Ruutu deflected Greene's
shot past Lieuwen.
Stafford and McBain had quality scoring chances in overtime, but Schneider
foiled both.
Lieuwen made back-to-back stops on Adam Henrique and Patrik Elias with
just over a minute left in overtime.
Leino had not scored a goal all season in regulation and has been the subject
of catcalls in Buffalo, but drew a roar of approval with his shootout tally.
NOTES: Stafford was selected as the Sabres' Masterton Trophy nominee by
the Buffalo Chapter of the Pro Hockey Writers Association earlier Tuesday.
... New Jersey LW Ryan Clowe missed the game with a head injury sustained
Monday against Florida. ... Buffalo signed 2012 third-round pick Justin Kea to
a three-year, entry level contract before the game.
732239
New Jersey Devils
Devils: Tim Sestito, Anton Volchenkov only players to skate Tuesday
morning
By Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger
BUFFALO, N.Y.— Tim Sestito and Anton Volchenkov were the only Devils
players to skate at First Niagara Center Tuesday morning.
It appears Sestito may be the player who replaces Ryane Clowe in the
lineup. Clowe suffered an apparent head injury when he was checked onto
the boards by Florida's Quinton Howden with 1:42 remaining in the second
period Monday night at Prudential Center.
Clowe, who has a history of concussions, struggled as he slowly skated
along the blue line towards the Devils' bench. The big left winger had to be
helped off the ice and pulled onto the bench once he reached the gate.
Cory Schneider, who replaced Martin Brodeur in the 6-3 victory over the
Panthers, will be in goal against the Sabres Tuesday night. He'll face
20-year-old Sabres rookie goalie Nathan Lieuwen.
Volchenkov said he has been skating three or four days since suffering a
groin injury Mar. 22 against the Rangers.
"It was my groin. I just extended it when the guy pushed me in the back,"
Volchenkov said. "It feels good. I'm not sure if I'm playing tonight. Maybe."
Sestito is prepared to fill in for Clowe. Although the Devils would not say if
Clowe had made the trip to Buffalo, there was no name plate for him in the
visitors' dressing room.
"Ill come in prepared to play. I'm good to go if my number is called," Sestito
said. "I haven't had any setbacks."
Sestito took a Nate Prosser forearm to the head in a Mar. 20 game against
the Minnesota Wild and had concussion symptoms.
"My last (concussion) was probably two ears ago, so I probably know the
symptoms," Sestito said.
He said he passed all the tests, but has been held out because of concussion
symptoms.
"I felt pretty good but I had some symptoms," he said.
Sabes coach Ted Nolan said Tyler Myers will not play.
Star Ledger LOADED: 04.02.2014
732240
New Jersey Devils
With Ryane Clowe unable to play, Devils recall Mike Sislo from Albany (AHL)
By Rich Chere/April 01, 2014
BUFFALO, N.Y.— With Ryane Clowe unable to play after suffering a head
injury Monday night, the Devils recalled forward Miks Sislo from Albany
(AHL).
Sislo will wear No 9.
General manager Lou Lamoriello sad Clowe is fine, but was left home. The
big winger hit the back of his head on the boards late in the second period
Monday night after a hit from Florida's Quinton Howden.
"We left him home. He's fine. We'll see. Anytime somebody's not in the lineup
you have concern," Lamoriello said. "You cringe anytime somebody gets
hurt."
More so with Clowe, who has a history of concussions. Lamoriello would not
use that word and suggested Clowe could play again this season.
"I have no reason not to think so," Lamoriello said. "I think I've answered it the
best I can. The doctors say he's fine. We'll see."
That was a relief for coach Pete DeBoer.
"He was playing well. I got the same update from Lou and the doctors. I think
everyone is glad," DeBoer said. "I think it was a big relief for everybody,
knowing what Ryane has been through. Hopefully we'll get him back soon."
DeBoer said Tuomo Ruutu would remain at left wing on the top line.
Defenseman Jon Merrill, who was hit in the cheek by a Travis Hamonic shot
that deflected off his own stick Saturday night against the Islanders, also
remained in New Jersey.
"He had some (dental, medical) work done. He wanted to play with the cage
but he's not ready to play with a cage yet," Lamoriello said. "He was cut on
the side of the face and it's swollen. It (the cut) went right through."
***
DeBoer said Sislo and Tim Sestito would both take the pregame warmup and
a decision will be made as to which forward plays.
The coach said Anton Volchenkov (groin) will not play Tuesday night against
the Sabres.
732241
New Jersey Devils
also took a shot at DeBoer shortly after the trade by telling Carolina reporters
that his old coach rearranged forward lines too much.
Tuomo Ruutu's first month with Devils has been enjoyable, but Finn isn‘t
happy with his play
One more thing: Loktionov is making just $725,000 this season – he can
become a restricted free agent this summer – while Ruttu joined the Devils‘
with a $3.8 million cap hit that runs through 2015-16.
By Randy Miller/NJ.com
Ruutu will be worth it if he returns to something close to his best seasons.
While with Carolina, he scored a career-high 26 goals and put up 54 points in
2008-09, and in 2010-11 he had 19 goals and a personal-best 57 points.
BUFFALO – For Tuomo Ruutu, one of the best things about his trade from
the Carolina Hurricanes to the Devils last month is the opportunity it‘s
provided to be around and getting to know some of hockey's biggest names.
He‘s enjoyed seeing what Martin Brodeur, the NHL's winningest goalie ever,
is like off the ice.
He‘s gotten a kick out of experiencing Jaromir Jagr just about 24/7 …
everything from his sometimes hilarious dressing room antics to his
off-the-charts work habits.
He‘s also appreciated watching and listening to Patrik Elias to learn what
makes the Devils‘ all-time leading scorer tick.
―I‘m like a little kid,‖ said Ruutu, whose team plays the Sabres on Tuesday
night in Buffalo. ―I love sports. I love hanging out in the locker room and
seeing what the other guys do. We have a really experienced team, a bunch
of older guys that you can learn from. I love that stuff. Like I said, I‘m just a
little kid who is still playing hockey.‖
Ruutu, who grew up in Finland a big fan of Mario Lemieux, really isn‘t a kid
anymore. He‘s 31 years old and a 10-year NHL veteran. And on March 5, he
was acquired from Carolina for center Andrei Loktonov to be difference
maker for a Devils‘ playoff push that hasn‘t gone as well he‘d hoped.
Four points in his first three games was a great start, one that reminded
everyone of the player Ruutu was when he was a pretty good scorer as well
as a hard-hitting pest at different parts of his career. Unfortunately for the
Devils though, the well dried pretty quickly for Ruutu, who followed those first
three games by not scoring a single point over his next eight.
Finally, the drought ended Monday night when Ruutu was credited with an
assist on Travis Zajac's hat trick goal in the third period of a 6-3 win over
Florida.
―I‘m not satisfied with the way I‘m playing,‖ Ruutu said. ―I have more to give
for sure. The first thing is right now, to be honest, I‘m only thinking if we‘re
going to make the playoffs or not. I want to make the playoffs and right now I
don‘t really care how much I score. At the same time, I think I can produce
more and I think I can play better.‖
What‘s been the problem?
He‘s not sure. He is sure that it has nothing to do with adapting to Devils
coach Pete DeBoer‘s systems, which stress defense and forechecking.
―I don‘t think there are any difficult systems, to be honest,‖ he said. ―You go to
the National team and play in the Olympics right away. It‘s a different system
than your team. I don‘t think there are any difficult ones, so that‘s no excuse
for me.‖
Ruutu hasn‘t been a total disappointment. His point total is up from what he‘d
produced this season in Carolina, and as always, he‘s racked up a lot of hits.
For the season, he‘s tied for 25th in the league with 196 hits. While with the
Devils, he has 28 in 12 games for a team-best 2.3 per game.
The one thing about (Ruutu) is, at the very least, even on an off night, he‘s
going to bring energy and physical play,‖ DeBoer said. ―He‘s going to finish
hits, he‘s going to be hard to play against. That‘s the bear minimum even on a
bad night. You get at least that. I think that‘s what‘s valuable about him.
―We know he‘s not to score every night or create offense every night. I think
he can do more than he‘s done lately, and I think he agrees with that. But it‘s
never for lack of effort. That‘s a good thing from a coaching point of view.‖
Since Ruutu‘s arrival, some Devils fans have been quick to judge this trade
as a win for the Hurricanes.
Loktionov, 23 didn‘t produce much this season for the Devils – he had four
goals and 12 points in 48 games – but the Russian went on to do a little
scoring for Carolina with three goals and six points in his first 13 games. He
Hip surgery just prior to the start of the NHL‘s lockout-shortened 2013 season
has affected Ruutu‘s offense game.
It took Ruutu a long time to recover. Now, he‘s saying that he's back to 100
percent.
―Yeah, yeah, yeah,‖ he said.
That may be true, or it may be that Ruutu is the type of guy who will not make
an excuse for less than stellar play.
Short on offensive weapons, the Devils really need Ruutu to be score goals
like he once did, this season and beyond.
―I think when we acquired him, the hope was that he would get healthy and
be able to get back to those types of numbers again,‖ DeBoer said. ―We‘ll
see. I like him as a kid. I like what he brings. I like his energy. You‘ve got to
deliver.
―The nice thing is he has a track record. We‘re not looking at a guy who‘s
never done this before. So he‘s obviously capable of doing it again. He‘s just
got to get back to that level.‖
Ruutu believes in himself. Right away, he played his way on the Devils‘ top
line. Then he played himself off of it. Now he‘s back on it again due to Ryane
Clowe suffering a possible concussion Monday.
"They really wanted me to be here to help the team and I‘m only looking
forward and trying to be positive,‖ Ruutu said. ―I know I can play better."
732242
New Jersey Devils
Devils talk like they know their ship is sinking after falling to 0-11 in shootouts
Randy Miller/NJ.com | April 01, 2014
BUFFALO – Wrapped in two towels, Jaromir Jagr stopped on his way from a
post-game shower to a back room to try explaining the unexplainable.
At first, the Devils' 42-year-old future Hall of Famer seemed so distraught that
he spoke almost in a whisper.
After three minutes, Jagr politely ended his interview and started making his
way out of the Devils‘ dressing room.
Jagr couldn‘t have been moving any slower when he suddenly stopped to
take a swig of Gatorade. With no one around, Jagr just stood there for
another few seconds thinking about what just went down again.
The Devils lost another shootout Tuesday night, this one a 3-2 setback to a
Buffalo Sabres team that is the worst team in hockey and went into the game
0-11-1 in its last 12.
―Same old story,‖ Jagr mumbled.
The way the Devils lose points in game against bad teams and lose every
single time they get to a shootout, it‘s hard to believe they‘re not
mathematically dead in a playoff fight they‘re losing.
This time, the Devils‘ actually scored two shootout goals - that makes three
for the season - but Buffalo put in three in a nine-round finish that was a
thriller to a few thousand Sabres fans who showed up to First Niagara Center
and a continuing nightmare for the visitors.
Last Saturday, the end result was the same when the Devils lost a shootout
on the road to the Islanders, another bad team … and one that dressed 10
rookies.
Diaster against another bad team almost occurred Monday night at home,
too, as the Devils nearly blew a 3-0 lead before putting away the Florida
Panthers, who are next-to-last in the Eastern Conference standings.
―I don‘t know man,‖ Devils goalie Cory Schneider said. ―It shouldn‘t get to that
point. All year long it‘s been our problem. We‘ve let teams hang around, hang
around. Teams we‘re better than. No disrespect to Buffalo. They played hard.
So did the Islanders. But this time of the year?
―We‘re a better team and you let teams linger, they make a nice play or get a
lucky bounce and you‘re in that situation. There wasn‘t enough urgency
tonight to put this game away and get the two points.‖
Something sure is missing when the Devils play teams below them in the
overall standings.
They‘ve beaten some of the league‘s best – Anaheim, Pittsburgh, St. Louis,
Boston – yet frequently wind up losing to the worst ones in regulation,
overtimes and shootouts.
What is going on?
―I don‘t know, I don‘t know,‖ Schneider said. ―I can‘t tell you. We usually work
hard. It‘s not that we don‘t work hard. But if you don‘t execute against any
team, it‘s not gonna work. I don‘t know what it is, if we don‘t get up for the
games enough, or what.
―Even against Florida we let them crawl back in the game and finally pulled
away. But three games we should have had six points and we end up with
four, and that‘s probably going to be the difference at the end of the year.‖
How‘s that for confidence?
Then again, how can anyone be confident in these Devils? As bad as they‘ve
been at times, it‘s amazing that they‘re still just three points behind Columbus
for the final wild card. But the Devils‘ season is down to six games and the
Blue Jackets have a game in hand.
The Devils were a league-best 12-4 in shootouts in 2011-12. The last two
seasons they‘re 2-18 with 14 consecutive losses.
"We can't be crybabies and say this is the worst thing ever," said veteran
forward Dainius Zubrus, who scored the Devils' first goal. ―Every team is in
the same boat."
The Devils‘ boat is taking water and they know it, even if Jagr maintains his
team ―fight until there‘s a chance.‖
The Devils do still have a chance, but not much of one because they‘ve lost
11 points in their 11 shootout losses and because they‘ve played so poorly
against the bad teams.
The Devils are just 6-3-4 with four shootout losses against the five teams in
hockey with losing records – Buffalo, Florida, the Islanders, Calgary and
Edmonton.
―I think that‘s why we kind of find ourselves in the situation that we‘re in,‖
Zubrus said. ―For big games and big teams we get up, and we‘ve beaten
some good teams. But for whatever reason our mental edge is not there
every night.‖
732243
New Jersey Devils
Studs and duds from Devils' shootout loss No. 11, this one to NHL's worst
team
By Randy Miller/April 01, 2014
BUFFALO – Every time the Devils really seem to get a chance to make
something out of this season, they blow it.
They blow it with shootout losses.
They blow it by losing to bad teams.
Tuesday night, they lost a shootout to the worst team in hockey, falling 3-2 to
the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center.
Coming in, the Sabres had been 0-11-1 in their last 12, scoring 15 goals in
the stretch. But this 21-45-9 club beat the Devils for the second time this
season at home.
That‘s 11 shootout losses in a row this season, 15 straight dating to March 13
for the Devils, who dropped this one 3-2 in nine rounds.
Here our are studs and duds:
STUDS
1. DAINIUS ZUBRUS: Mired in a long scoring slump, Zubrus finally got off
the schneid 8:16 into the second period with the opening goal. This snapped
a 20-game goal drought for Zubrus, and it also was his first point in 13
games. Zubrus worked hard for the goal, too, as he scored a dirty goal after
getting to the front of the Buffalo net.
2. ADAM LARSSON: The 21-year-old Swede, stuck in the minors for two
months, returned Monday and has looked good playing two games in two
nights. Against the Sabres, Larsson blocked five shots in 18:05 of ice time
and did some good work clearing the zone. He also finished with a plus-1, as
he was on for Zubrus‘ goal.
3. MICHAEL RYDER: Right winger‘s goal slump is now one in his last 30
games, but he made a nice play to set up Zubrus‘ goal. Ryder took a pass
from Zubrus behind the Buffalo net, skated forward and then gave the puck
back to Zubrus, who fired a shot by Sabres 6-foot-5 rookie goalie Nathan
Lieuwen. Ryder also had three shots on goal.
4. JAROMIR JAGR: No. 68 was scoreless the night after putting up a
season-high four points, but he did a lot of dazzling with his stick-handling
and slick passes, and he also scored a shootout goal.
DUDS
1. STEVE BERNIER: Buffalo had just scored the tying goal early in the third
when Bernier kept the momentum for the Sabres by taking a high-sticking
penalty at 3:32. Bernier‘ minor proved costly, as Buffalo scored for a 2-1 lead
at 4:31.
2. MARK FAYNE: On the top defensive pair most of the season with Andy
Greene, Fayne didn‘t do a good job breaking up the play before the Sabres‘
first goal and on their second a pass zipped past him in front of the net and
onto the stick of Ennis, who both of them for a 2-1 Buffalo lead.
3. ADAM HENRIQUE: Henrique had just one shot and misfired on a shootout
shot that could have won it for the Devils.
732244
New Jersey Devils
Devils fall to Sabres, 3-2, after nine-round shootout
Zajac hit the right post in the fifth round, Ruutu was stopped in the sixth, Elias
couldn‘t score in the seventh and Henrique missed on a backhander in the
eighth round.
By Rich Chere/April 01, 2014
Left winger Ville Leino gave the Sabres a 3-2 lead in the ninth round, leaving
it to Mike Sislo to keep the Devils alive. Sislo, called up from the minors
Tuesday morning because Ryane Clowe was unable to play, had be be
driven from Albany, N.Y., to Buffalo and arrived just before lunch time.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — What more could the Devils have wanted?
―I‘ve done a lot of shootouts in the American League with Albany, so it wasn‘t
anything really new for me, to be honest,‖ Sislo said. ―I thought I had the
goalie bite on the move pretty good. I just needed to get it up a little higher.‖
They had five chances to finally win a shootout, with Marek Zidlicky Travis
Zajac, Tuomo Ruutu, Patrik Elias and Adam Henrique each having an
opportunity to end the team‘s bizarre run of failures in tie-breakers. And still
they couldn‘t do it.
This time it was a lengthy nine-round competition in which Jacob Josefson
and Jaromir Jagr scored. But that was not enough to prevent the Devils and
goalie Cory Schneider from falling to the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2, Tuesday night
at First Niagara Center.
The Devils are now 0-11 in shootouts this season and have lost an
NHL-record 15 in a row going back to last season. This was the
second-longest shootout in Devils history. They went 10 rounds in a 4-3 loss
to the Atlanta Thrashers on Feb. 15, 2008, at Prudential Center.
Although the Columbus Blue Jackets lost in overtime and the Washington
Capitals suffered a lopsided defeat, the Devils remain three points out of an
Eastern Conference playoff spot with six games left.
―Probably it‘s in our heads right now. We should win the game before the
shootout,‖ Jagr said.
It is to the point where coach Pete DeBoer won‘t even discuss the shootout.
The Devils haven‘t won one since March 10 of last season over the Winnipeg
Jets.
―It is what it is. I don‘t haves any comments on the shootout. We‘ve beaten
that to death,‖ DeBoer said. ―What are you going to do but move on? We got
some help tonight. Columbus lost and Washington lost. We have to get ready
for Friday night.‖
Blaming the 11 points they‘ve failed to capture in shootouts for what could
wind up being a second straight season out of the playoffs is valid. But just as
valid is the fact the Devils haven‘t been able to take advantage of the NHL‘s
easiest schedule since the Olympic break.
They have points in each of their last five games (2-0-3), but left points in the
table against non-playoff clubs like the Panthers, Islanders and Sabres.
―We scored some goals in the shootout and I made some saves. We had a
few chances to win it, but again their guy made the extra save,‖ Schneider
said of Sabres 22-year-old rookie goalie Nathan Lieuwen.
―It shouldn‘t get to that point. All year long it‘s been our problem. We‘ve let
teams hang around and hang around. Teams we‘re better than. No
disrespect to Buffalo. They played hard. So did the Islanders, but this time of
year we‘re a better team than they are. You let teams linger and they make a
nice play or get a lucky bounce and you‘re in that situation. Not enough
urgency to put this game away and get the two points.‖
It was a 1-1 game early in the third period when Zajac had a shorthanded
scoring chance. Drew Stafford made a diving sweep check to break up the
play, but the Devils were stunned when no penalty was called.
―I didn‘t get an explanation. I‘m baffled by that,‖ DeBoer said.
Tyler Ennis wound up scoring on the power play, his second goal of the
game, and it took a power play tip by Ruutu at 6:58 to get the game to
overtime.
―(Lieuwen) was playing good,‖ Jagr said. ―He was very quick. It looked like
you had an empty net and he was already there. He‘s a very good and quick
goaltender.‖
Once it got to the shootout, the Devils were in trouble. Josefson, who said he
found out he would be the Devils‘ first shooter ―two seconds before,‖ tied it at
1-1.
Stafford and Jagr exchanged goals in the fourth round to make it 2-2.
He was stopped, leaving the Devils‘ shooters 3-for-39 in shootouts this
season.
By not finishing off the Sabres in regulation time, the Devils‘ season is on the
line.
―I don‘t know what it is, if we don‘t get up for the games enough or what,‖
Schneider said. ―Even against Florida, we let them crawl back in the game.
Three games we should've had six points, we had four and that‘s probably
going to be the difference at the end of the year.‖
732245
New Jersey Devils
Ex-Ranger Sean Avery: I was forced off 'Dancing with the Stars'
Janelle Griffith/The Star-Ledger | April 01, 2014
Former Rangers star Sean Avery says his early ouster from "Dancing with
the Stars" was the result of a dispute with a producer — not his dancing.
"I will tell everyone on #GMA tomorrow why i was voted off ... my partner
@Karina_Smirnoff is AMAZING," he tweeted, after his elimination from the
show last week.
The following morning, the 33-year-old appeared on "Good Morning
America" with pro partner Karina Smirnoff, 36, and hinted that a dispute with
"Dancing" producer Conrad Green was to blame for the pair's exit from the
series.
"I think we knew as of probably Monday last week that our fate was sealed,"
Avery said. "I had a conversation with Conrad, one of the producers, and I
was upset at the package that they had brought in the week previous, and it
was a very tacky attempt to show me as the bad boy of DWTS. And I think in
reality TV or some sort of competition, if you have a disagreement with the
producers then generally that seals your fate quite early."
The ABC video package showed Avery's infamous "sloppy seconds"
comment — which he made publicly — about his ex-girlfriend, actress Elisha
Cuthbert, for which he was suspended by the National Hockey League in
2008 and which he later apologized for.
Avery appeared annoyed on "Dancing" after the video clip was shown but
played into the bad boy image during early rehearsal footage, saying he
would not count out jumping across the judge's table if he received a score he
didn't like this season. Some media outlets have reported Avery complained
to Green about his portrayal in the video package, which may have ultimately
led to his early exit from the program.
He and Smirnoff were among the lowest performers in week one, but would
have likely been spared dismissal had it not been for the surprise double
elimination.
ABC denied it sought any retaliation against Avery.
"Eliminations are based solely on public voting combined with scores from
the judges," ABC said in a written statement. "The double elimination in week
two was planned in advance and producers have no hand in determining who
is voted off each week."
732246
New Jersey Devils
Lamoriello: No reason to think Clowe won‘t be back this season; Sestito,
Sislo both to take warm-ups
Staff
With Ryane Clowe out for tonight‘s game in Buffalo, forwards Tim Sestito and
Mike Sislo will both take pre-game warm-ups and Devils coach Pete DeBoer
said he‘ll decide afterward which one will play.
Sislo was called up from Albany earlier today.
Defenseman Anton Volchenkov made the trip with the team and skated this
morning, but won‘t play tonight, DeBoer said. Volchenkov has been working
his way back from a groin strain he sustained on March 22 against the
Rangers.
Tuomo Ruutu, moved up to take Clowe‘s place on the top line in Monday‘s
6-3 win over Florida, will play there again tonight, DeBoer said.
Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello repeated that the doctor said Clowe
is ―fine‖ after appearing to hit the back of his head on the boards following a
hit from Florida‘s Quinton Howden in the second period Monday.
Clowe appeared dazed on the bench afterward and sat out the remainder of
the game. He did not accompany the Devils to Buffalo.
―He‘s fine and we‘ll see,‖ Lamoriello said. ―Any time someone‘s out of the
lineup, you have concerns, but we‘ll see.
One concern would seem to be Clowe‘s recent history of concussions,
including one earlier this season that caused him to miss 32 games.
Lamoriello believes Clowe will be back to play again this season, though.
―I have no reason not to think so,‖ Lamoriello said. ―I think I‘ve answered
everything the best I can. The doctors say he‘s fine, so we‘ll see. I can‘t
answer any questions other than what I know.‖
DeBoer said the Devils will miss Clowe tonight, but was relieved to hear that
he should be fine.
―He was playing well,‖ DeBoer said. ―I got the same update you guys did from
Lou from the doctors at home and I think it was a big relief for everybody
knowing Ryane and what he‘s been through, so hopefully we‘ll get him back
here soon.
―We could use him, obviously, the way he‘s been playing, but it‘s the time of
year that everyone deals with this (injuries) and someone‘s misfortune and is
someone else‘s opportunity.‖
Lamoriello said rookie defenseman Jon Merrill had some dental work done
and also has a cut on the side of his face from being struck with a deflected
shot in Saturday‘s 2-1 shootout loss to the Islanders.
―He wanted to play with a cage, but he‘s not ready to play with a cage yet,‖
Lamoriello said. ―He‘s cut right on the side of the face and it‘s swollen. (The
cut) went right through. But he‘s fine.‖
The Devils are 2-0-2 in their last four games and 3-1-2 in their last six, but
need a win tonight to continue the push toward a playoff spot. They trail
Columbus by three points for the final playoff spot in the East.
The Blue Jackets, who have a game in hand, host Colorado at 7 p.m. tonight.
The Devils also are two points behind Washington, which hosts Dallas at 7
p.m., and one behind Toronto, which hosts Calgary at 7 p.m.
A win tonight would give the Devils eight points in their last five games.
―It would mean everything,‖ DeBoer said of winning tonight. ―We have to.
There‘s no option here. We‘ve picked up points in five of the last six games.
Obviously, we know the shootout issues we‘ve had. Otherwise, we‘d have a
few more wins, but I think we‘re playing well at the right time, we‘re putting
points in the bank and it has to continue tonight.‖
It would help if the Devils got another hat trick from Travis Zajac tonight after
he got the first of his career Monday.
―I told Travis, ‗Let‘s do that again.‘ That would be nice,‖ DeBoer said. ―It‘s the
time of year we need big games from different people. A hat trick here, a
shutout there, whatever it takes to get a win.‖
Bergen Record LOADED: 04.02.2014
732247
New Jersey Devils
Devils call up left wing Mike Sislo
Staff
With left wing Ryane Clowe out for tonight‘s game in Buffalo with an apparent
head injury, the Devils have recalled left wing Mike Sislo from Albany of the
AHL.
Sislo, 26, played seven NHL games for the Devils earlier this season and did
not register a point. Sislo leads the Albany Devils with 23 goals and ranks
third on the team with 39 points in 57 AHL games this season.
Sislo will wear No. 9, as he did earlier this season.
732248
New Jersey Devils
Clowe ―fine‖, but did not accompany Devils to Buffalo, Sestito, Volchenkov
ready to go if needed
Staff
Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said left wing Ryane Clowe is ―fine‖,
but did not accompany the Devils to Buffalo for tonight‘s game against the
Sabres after appearing to hit his head on the boards in the second period of
Monday night‘s 6-3 win over Florida.
Lamoriello said Clowe is ―day to day.‖
Clowe needed help getting off the ice after being hit by Panthers Quinton
Howden and appearing to have the back of his head hit the boards with 1:45
left in the second period.
As of now, the Devils have not called up any forwards to replace Clowe.
The team did not hold a morning skate today at First Niagara Center. The
only Devils‘ players that skated were defenseman Anton Volchenkov and left
wing Tim Sestito. Volchenkov has missed the last four games with a groin
injury. Sestito has not played since being elbowed in the head by
Minnesota‘s Nate Prosser on March 20.
Both say they are ready to play if needed. If no other player is called up, one
of them will have to play tonight.
―It feels good,‖ Volchenkov said. ―Not sure if I‘m playing, but maybe.‖
Volchenkov said he‘s been skating for ―three or four days.‖ He was injured in
the second period of a 2-0 loss to the Rangers on March 22.
―I just extended,‖ Volchenkov said. ―A guy pushed me in the back and I was
so low and my legs went to turn to the side. It‘s hockey. It‘s so quick and
sometimes there‘s no control.‖
Sestito said he‘s ―good to go if my number‘s called,‖ but did not know what
the lineup is.
―I haven‘t had any setbacks,‖ Sestito said. ―I‘ve felt fine. I just needed some
time practice and skates and stuff, but since then I feel like I‘m up to speed.‖
Sestito said his last had a concussion ―probably two years ago.‖
―So, I kind of know the symptoms and whatnot,‖ he said. ―I‘ve been through
the process before. Your head‘s not something you can mess with.‖
Sestito said he hasn‘t had any symptoms ―since a couple days after it.‖
―I‘ve felt pretty good,‖ he said. ―I just had some symptoms. Doctors say you‘re
more susceptible, so you‘ve really got to make sure you‘re fully healed before
you get going again.‖
Cory Schneider will start in net for the Devils against Sabres‘ 22-year-old
rookie Nathan Lieuwen, who will be making his third NHL start and looking for
his first win.
Devils coach Pete DeBoer will hold a pre-game media availability at 4:50
p.m.
732249
New Jersey Devils
Devils know time running out after latest shootout loss; Pay for letting Sabres
hang around
Tom Gulitti
When Jaromir Jagr starts quoting Al Pacino‘s character in the football movie
―Any Given Sunday‖ to describe the Devils‘ continuing misfortunes in the
shootouts, you know they‘ve pretty much run out of new things to say.
They tried a few different things tonight in Buffalo. They tried some different
shooters. They tried not watching.
In the end, they just found a new way to torture themselves.
They came into the night with only one goal on 30 attempts this season, but
actually got goals from Jacob Josefson in the first round and Jagr in the
fourth round.
The start to the shootout looked familiar as Ennis scored on the Sabres‘ first
shot – a backhand that went off Schneider‘s glove, off the right post and
dropped into the net. It was the sixth time in the seven shootouts Schneider
has been in this season that he gave up a goal to the first shooter.
――I thought I should have had the first one,‖ Schneider said. ―I thought I did
and it just trickled in the net there. Kind of indicative of the year.‖
DeBoer pulled a surprise next and sent out Josefson for his first attempt of
the season. Josefson, who was 0-for-2 in his career in shootouts before
tonight, weaved back and forth but also came in with decent speed before
beating Lieuwen over the blocker.
Josefson said he found he was going to shoot first ―about two seconds
before.‖
Unlike in their first 10 shootouts this season, the Devils were actually one
shot away from beating the Buffalo Sabres five times and couldn‘t get the
deciding goal to go in past rookie goaltender Nathan Lieuwen.
Schneider stopped the next two Sabres‘ shooters – Cody Hodgson and
Zemgus Girgensons – giving Marek Zidlicky a chance to win it for the Devils
in the bottom of the third round (after Damien Brunner failed to score in the
second round).
So, the ending was the same as it‘s always been for the Devils this season,
as Ville Leino scored the deciding goal in the ninth round to give the Sabres a
3-2 victory.
But, Zidlicky, who was taking his first shootout attempt of the season, had his
shot go off Lieuwen‘s glove and wide right.
The Sabres won the shootout by the same score with Leino beating
goaltender Cory Schneider between the pads in the top of the ninth round
before rookie Mike Sislo, called up earlier in the day to fill in for the injured
Ryane Clowe, couldn‘t lift a backhand over Lieuwen‘s right pad in the bottom
of the round.
―We scored some goals in the shootout and I made some saves,‖ Schneider
said. ―We had a few chances to win it, but again their guy made the extra
save.‖
This shootout loss was particularly costly because the Devils had a chance to
make up some ground on Columbus in the race for the final playoff spot in the
East. Instead, with the one point from the shootout loss, the Devils remained
three points behind the Blue Jackets, who also picked up a point for losing in
overtime to Colorado.
Now the Devils have only six games left and the Blue Jackets have a game in
hand. And, though Washington lost to Dallas, Toronto pulled back even with
the Blue Jackets by defeating Calgary tonight.
The Devils have picked up points in five consecutive games (2-0-3), but that
includes shootout losses to Phoenix, the Islanders and Buffalo in the last six
days.
―It‘s the same old story,‖ right wing Jaromir Jagr said. ―We have chances to
win and it just didn‘t happen.‖
Jagr was talking more about the 65 minutes of hockey that preceded the
shootout. The Devils had the last-overall Sabres on the ropes for much of the
first two periods, but led only 1-0 on Dainius Zubrus‘ goal 8:16 into the
second. That left the Sabres within striking distance and Tyler Ennis scored
twice in the opening 4:41 of the third to give them a 2-1 lead.
A Tuomo Ruutu power-play deflection at 6:58 got the Devils back even, but
they could not get a third goal past the 22-year-old Lieuwen, who made 33
saves to earn his first NHL win in just his third big league start.
After Drew Stafford beat Schneider between the pads in the top of the fourth
round, Jagr kept the Devils alive by doing the same against Lieuwen.
When Marcus Foligno fired wide left on his attempt to lead off the fifth round,
Travis Zajac had a chance to win it for the Devils and appeared to have
Lieuwen beat, but hit the right post.
―It‘s pretty disappointing,‖ Zajac said. ―That‘s about all I can say about it.‖
On the bench, the Devils‘ players had turned their backs and looked away
while their shooters were going, Jagr said, ―Just to change our luck.‖
―Sometimes it‘s all about the luck,‖ Jagr said. ―If Travis would hit the post and
it would go in, it‘s game over. It‘s a game about the inches. Like the coach in
Any Given Sunday said, it‘s a game about inches.‖
Ruutu (first attempt this season), Patrik Elias and Adam Henrique also had
chances to win in the next three rounds and couldn‘t finish, leaving the door
open for Leino to score the winner.
―A lefty coming in, he kind of opened up low blocker, so I was reading he was
going to get it over the pad low blocker,‖ Schneider said of Leino‘s attempt.
―And he just sort of came over at the last second and snapped it five hole and
I got a pretty good piece of it, but he put enough on it that it snuck through.
―So, again, disappointing to give up the winning goal.‖
Sislo, who is 2-for-12 in shootout attempts this season with Albany, had a
chance to answer for the Devils, but could not lift his backhand over
Lieuwen‘s right pad.
―That was what I wanted to do, obviously just get it up a little higher over his
pad,‖ said Sislo, who could not recall facing Lieuwen in a shootout in the
AHL.
But, again, that‘s not where the Devils thought they lost this game.
―He was playing good,‖ Jagr said of Lieuwen. ―He was very quick. It
sometimes looked like you had an empty net and he was already net and he
was already there. He‘s a very good and quick goaltender.‖
―It shouldn‘t get to that point, man,‖ Schneider said. ―All year long it‘s been
our problem. We‘ve let teams hang around, hang around. Teams we‘re better
than. No disrespect to Buffalo. They played hard, so did the Islanders, but at
this time of year we‘re a better team than they are. You let teams linger and
they make a nice place or get a lucky bounce and you‘re in that situation.
The Sabres had won only one of their previous 12 games (1-10-1).
―So, not enough urge tonight to put this game away and get the two points.‖
―I thought the story of the game was us coming out of the second period. I
thought we should have been up 2-0 or 3-0,‖ frustrated Devils coach Pete
DeBoer said. ―That for me is the story of our recent play. We‘re playing well
enough to build on leads and we don‘t. We let teams hang around and the
margin of error is real small when you can‘t get the second or third goal.‖
Schneider doesn‘t believe it‘s a matter of effort, though.
The nine-round shootout was the second longest in team history, surpassed
only by a 10-rounder in a 4-3 loss to Atlanta on Feb. 15 2008. The Devils are
0-11 in the shootout this season and have lost an NHL record 15 consecutive
tiebreakers dating back to last season.
―We usually work hard. It‘s not that we don‘t work hard,‖ he said. ―But if we
don‘t execute against any team it‘s not going to work. I don‘t know what it is –
if we don‘t get up for the games enough. Even against Florida, we let them
crawl back into the game. We finally pulled away, but it‘s three games we
should have had six points and we end up with four and that‘s probably going
to be the difference at the end of the year.‖
The Devils know they are running out of opportunities. They‘ll have to hope
they‘re still only three points out when they play their next game Friday night
against Washington. On Thursday night, Columbus plays at Philadelphia and
Toronto hosts Boston.
―We still have a chance,‖ Jagr said. ―Anything can happen. One team can get
on a bad stretch and lose five or six, so you have to fight while there‘s a
chance.‖
―It is what it is,‖ DeBoer said. ―We‘ve beat (the shootout) to death. What are
you going to do, but move on? We got some help tonight. Columbus lost and
Washington lost, so we‘ve got to get ready for Friday night.‖
***
With no flights from Albany to Buffalo, the Devils had a car pick Sislo up in
Albany this morning and drive him (about three and a half hours). He said he
arrived ―just before lunchtime.‖
―It was a busy day, but I thought I prepared for it as well as I could have and
got the rest I needed and was ready to go,‖ Sislo said.
***
Both DeBoer and Zajac thought Stafford should have been penalized when
he slashed Zajac (and lost his stick) on shorthanded breakaway (preventing
Zajacx from getting a shot off) only moments before Ennis scored the Sabres‘
second goal.
―I guess they didn‘t see it that way,‖ Zajac said. ―But you get some calls and
you don‘t. It was kind of unlucky. They come right down and they scored right
afterward.‖
―I didn‘t get an explanation,‖ DeBoer said. ―I‘m baffled by that.‖
732250
New Jersey Devils
Devils notes: Ryane Clowe 'fine'
Tom Gulitti April 2, 2014
Clowe is ‗fine‘
Although left wing Ryane Clowe did not accompany the Devils to Buffalo for
Tuesday‘s game, general manager Lou Lamoriello said the team‘s doctors
say he‘s "fine" after he appeared to hit the back of his head on the boards on
a hit from Florida‘s Quinton Howden in the second period Monday night.
"He‘s fine and we‘ll see," Lamoriello said. "Any time someone‘s out of the
lineup, you have concerns, but we‘ll see."
One concern would seem to be Clowe‘s recent history of concussions,
including one earlier this season that caused him to miss 32 games.
Lamoriello believes Clowe, 31, will be back to play again this season, though.
"I have no reason not to think so," Lamoriello said. "I think I‘ve answered
everything the best I can. The doctors say he‘s fine, so we‘ll see."
Clowe had a goal and two assists Monday before he was injured, but coach
Pete DeBoer was just happy to hear that he should be OK.
Merrill‘s recovering
Lamoriello said rookie defenseman Jon Merrill had some dental work done
and also has a cut on the side of his face after being struck with a deflected
Travis Hamonic shot in Saturday‘s 2-1 shootout loss to the Islanders.
"He wanted to play with a cage, but he‘s not ready to play with a cage yet,"
Lamoriello said. "He‘s cut right on the side of the face and it‘s swollen."
Briefs
The nine-round shootout was one short of the Devils‘ record of 10 rounds in a
4-3 loss to Atlanta on Feb. 15, 2008. … D Anton Volchenkov accompanied
the team to Buffalo and skated Tuesday morning, but missed his fifth straight
game with a groin injury he sustained March 22 against the Rangers.
732251
New Jersey Devils
You let teams linger and they get a lucky bounce and you‘re in that situation.
―So, not enough urge tonight to put this game away and get the two points.‖
Devils fail in another shootout in 3-2 loss to Sabres
By TOM GULITTI
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Just when you thought the Devils had run out of ways to
torture themselves in a dreaded shootout, they found a new one Tuesday
night at First Niagara Center.
Unlike their first 10 shootouts this season, the Devils actually were one shot
away from beating the Buffalo Sabres five times and couldn‘t get the deciding
goal past rookie goaltender Nathan Lieuwen.
So the ending was the same as it‘s always been, as Ville Leino scored the
deciding goal in the ninth round to give the Sabres a 3-2 victory.
The Sabres won the shootout by the same score with Leino beating
goaltender Cory Schneider between the pads in the top of the ninth round
before rookie Mike
Sislo, called up earlier in the day to fill in for the injured Ryane Clowe, couldn‘t
lift a backhand over Lieuwen‘s right pad in the bottom of the round.
―We scored some goals in the shootout and I made some saves,‖ Schneider
said. ―We had a few chances to win it, but again their guy made the extra
save.‖
This shootout loss was particularly costly because the Devils had a chance to
make up some ground on Columbus in the race for the final playoff spot in the
East. Instead, with the one point from the shootout loss, the Devils remained
three points behind the Blue Jackets, who also picked up a point from their
overtime loss to Colorado.
The Devils have picked up points in five consecutive games (2-0-3), but that
includes shootout losses to Phoenix, the Islanders and Buffalo in the last six
days. And now the Devils have only six games left and the Blue Jackets have
a game in hand.
―It‘s the same old story,‖ right wing Jaromir Jagr said. ―We have chances to
win and it just didn‘t happen.‖
Jagr was talking more about the 65 minutes of hockey that preceded the
shootout. The Devils had the last-place overall Sabres on the ropes for much
of the first two periods, but led only 1-0 on Dainius Zubrus‘ goal 8:16 into the
second. That left the Sabres within striking distance, and Tyler Ennis scored
twice in the opening 4:41 of the third to give them a 2-1 lead.
A Tuomo Ruutu power-play deflection at 6:58 got the Devils even, but they
couldn‘t get a third goal past the 22-year-old Lieuwen, who made 33 saves to
earn his first win in his third NHL start.
―I thought we should have been up 2-0 or 3-0,‖ frustrated Devils coach Pete
DeBoer said. ―That for me is the story of our recent play. We‘re playing well
enough to build on leads and we don‘t. We let teams hang around, and the
margin of error is real small when you can‘t get the second or third goal.‖
The nine-round shootout was the second-longest in team history. The Devils
are 0-11 in shootouts this season and have lost an NHL-record 15
consecutive tiebreakers dating back to last season.
They came into the night with only one goal on 30 attempts in shootouts, but
actually got goals from Jacob Josefson in the first round and Jagr in the
fourth.
After Buffalo‘s Marcus Foligno fired wide on his attempt in the top of the fifth
round, Travis Zajac had a chance to win it for the Devils in the bottom of the
round and appeared to have Lieuwen beat, but hit the right post.
―It‘s pretty disappointing,‖ Zajac said. ―That‘s about all I can say about it.‖
Ruutu, Patrik Elias and Adam Henrique also had chances to win it in the next
three rounds and couldn‘t finish, leaving the door open for Leino to ruin the
Devils‘ night.
―It shouldn‘t get to that point, man,‖ Schneider said. ―All year long it‘s been
our problem. We‘ve let teams hang around, hang around. Teams we‘re better
than. No disrespect to Buffalo. They played hard, so did the Islanders, but at
this time of year we‘re a better team than they are.
732252
New Jersey Devils
Devils fall victim to Tyler Ennis, Sabres in shootout loss
He then had a chance to win the game after Stafford scored in the fourth
round of the shootout.
Ennis scored twice in the third period and again in the shootout to lead
Buffalo to a 3-2 win.
―I had a ‗Welcome to the NHL‘ moment when Jagr came down on me with a
chance to win the game and I think I was a little too excited about what was
happening,‖ Lieuwen said.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
But after Leino scored, Lieuwen rebounded to pick up that first win with a stop
on Mike Sislo that he doesn‘t quite remember.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Ville Leino was happy to bask in some rare cheers
after netting the winning goal in the shootout.
―Today was awesome,‖ Leino said after scoring in the ninth round of the
shootout to give the Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on
Tuesday night.
―Obviously we haven‘t been winning that much, so it‘s tough times but those
kind of moments, you get a little extra energy.‖
Leino had not scored a goal in regulation all season and has been the subject
When asked why he tabbed Leino to shoot, Buffalo coach Ted Nolan cited
necessity as the reason he used the slumping forward.
―He played a real good game for us tonight, and we were running out of
forwards,‖ Nolan said. ―He‘s had a tough, tough go, but he‘s a real good
player and I was glad to see him get one.‖
Tyler Ennis scored twice in the third period and again in the shootout, while
Nathan Lieuwen made 33 saves for his first NHL win.
Dainius Zubrus gave New Jersey a 1-0 lead at 8:16 of the second period and
Tuomo Ruutu tipped Andy Greene‘s shot past Lieuwen at 6:58 of the third to
tie it 2-2.
Conference‘s final wild card spot.
―We had a bunch of chances to score and we have guys who are good in the
shootout,‖ Zubrus said. ―Tough to say it‘s luck because it‘s been 11 games in
a row, but maybe a bit of bad luck has to be there.‖
New Jersey broke the deadlock in the second, when Michael Ryder‘s
breakaway.
―The one word that Teddy keeps using is compete,‖ Lieuwen said. ―I just went
out there and competed. Good things happened.‖
season.
―He‘s a dynamic player,‖ Nolan said. ―He scoots in and out, and for him to get
that 20, it‘s a magical number he was waiting on for a while.‖
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―He made a pretty ridiculous pass through two or three guys right on my
tape,‖ Ennis said. ―I just had to throw it on the net.‖
New Jersey tied the score on the power play, when Ruutu deflected Greene‘s
shot past Lieuwen.
―I blacked out,‖ Lieuwen said. ―The guy came in and as soon as I made that
save, I was just all smiles. I was excited and I‘m very grateful.‖
Buffalo snapped a four-game skid with the win, while the Devils now have
points in five consecutive games.
New York Daily News LOADED: 04.02.2014
732253
New Jersey Devils
Devils‘ latest shootout loss hurts playoff hopes
―I blacked out,‖ Lieuwen said. ―The guy came in and as soon as I made that
save, I was just all smiles. I was excited and I‘m very grateful.‖
Buffalo snapped a four-game skid with the win, while the Devils now have
points in five consecutive games.
New York Post LOADED: 04.02.2014
By Associated Press April 1, 2014 | 11:02pm
BUFFALO — The Devils can‘t find a way to win a shootout, and it looks like it
could cost them a playoff berth.
Ville Leino goal in the ninth round of the shootout gave the Sabres a 3-2 win
over the Devils on Tuesday night.
Conference‘s final wild-card spot.
―We had a bunch of chances to score and we have guys who are good in the
shootout,‖ Zubrus said. ―Tough to say it‘s luck because it‘s been 11 games in
a row, but maybe a bit of bad luck has to be there.‖
Leino had not scored a goal in regulation all season and has been the subject
―Obviously we haven‘t been winning that much, so it‘s tough times but those
kind of moments, you get a little extra energy.‖
Tyler Ennis scored twice in the third period and again in the shootout, while
Nathan Lieuwen made 33 saves for his first NHL win.
Dainius Zubrus gave the Devils a 1-0 lead at 8:16 of the second period and
Tuomo Ruutu tipped Andy Greene‘s shot past Lieuwen at 6:58 of the third to
tie it 2-2.
The Devils broke the deadlock in the second, when Michael Ryder‘s
breakaway.
―The one word that [coach] Teddy [Nolan] keeps using is compete,‖ Lieuwen
said. ―I just went out there and competed. Good things happened.‖
season.
―He‘s a dynamic player,‖ Nolan said. ―He scoots in and out, and for him to get
that 20, it‘s a magical number he was waiting on for a while.‖
―He made a pretty ridiculous pass through two or three guys right on my
tape,‖ Ennis said. ―I just had to throw it on the net.‖
New Jersey tied the score on the power play, when Ruutu deflected Greene‘s
shot past Lieuwen.
He then had a chance to win the game after Stafford scored in the fourth
round of the shootout.
―I had a ‗Welcome to the NHL‘ moment when [Jaromir] Jagr came down on
me with a chance to win the game and I think I was a little too excited about
what was happening,‖ Lieuwen said.
But after Leino scored, Lieuwen rebounded to pick up that first win with a stop
on Mike Sislo that he doesn‘t quite remember.
732254
New York Islanders
Bailey Has Goal, Assist as Isles Top Panthers 4-2
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSAPRIL 1, 2014, 9:52 P.M. E.D.T.
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Josh Bailey had a goal and assist, and the New York
Islanders kept up their strong finish with a 4-2 victory over the Florida
Panthers on Tuesday night.
New York, on the verge of elimination in the Eastern Conference playoff race,
bounced back quickly from Quinton Howden's short-handed goal less than
two minutes in and sent the Panthers to their fourth straight loss.
Travis Hamonic, Matt Martin and Mike Halmo also scored, Colin McDonald
had two assists, and Evgeni Nabokov made 20 saves for the Islanders, 4-0-1
in their past five games. Florida, which won the two earlier meetings this
season, is one of only three NHL teams with fewer points than New York.
Brandon Pirri closed the scoring for Florida, making it 4-2 with his 11th goal
— on a power play — with 5.9 seconds left in the game. Scott Clemmensen
stopped 36 shots for Florida, which lost 6-3 at New Jersey on Monday.
The Islanders shook off the early deficit and got even 45 seconds later on the
same power play when Hamonic netted his third goal.
The action started quickly for the Panthers, who scored short-handed for the
second straight night — the fourth time that has happened in team history.
On his first NHL shift, defenseman Jonathan Racine was called for
interference when he leveled forward Cal Clutterbuck in the New York end
just 42 seconds in. But it was Florida that struck first.
Howden knocked the puck free at the left point and raced the other way
alone. He easily stayed in front of Frans Nielsen and beat Nabokov at 1:50.
That lead was short-lived as Hamonic connected late in the power play.
Bailey won a faceoff in the right circle and got the puck back to the right point
to Hamonic, who glided into the middle and snapped a shot through traffic at
2:35.
Florida gave the Islanders two other power plays in the period in which the
Panthers were outshot 11-5.
They were about to get an advantage with 2:19 left in the first when Matt
Carkner high-sticked Scottie Upshall in front of the penalty box and knocked
him to the ice. But Panthers teammate Erik Gudbranson charged Carkner,
and they immediately dropped the gloves and fought.
Gudbranson was given an extra penalty for instigating, wiping out the
impending power play.
The Islanders added two goals in the second, including Bailey's seventh that
came 17 seconds after he left the penalty box. McDonald got two whacks at
the puck in close, and Bailey found the rebound and slammed in the goal at
11:18.
New York stretched the lead to 3-1 with 2:24 remaining. McDonald knocked
the puck away from Racine at the left point and took off alone. The
hard-charging Martin came down the middle and ripped in the rebound of
McDonald's shot for his eighth goal.
Halmo converted his rebound 4:21 into the third to make it 4-1. It was his first
NHL goal in his 13th career game.
NOTES: For the third straight season, Martin was presented with the team's
Bob Nystrom Award, given to the Islanders player who best exemplifies
leadership, hustle and dedication. ... Nabokov was the third Islanders goalie
in three games to start against the Panthers this season. ... Racine and RW
Bobby Butler were both recalled from San Antonio (AHL) on Tuesday. Butler
was scratched.
732255
New York Islanders
Islanders pound Panthers with four-goal onslaught for 4-2 win
Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist at Nassau Coliseum as the Islanders
won for the fourth time in their last five games.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tuesday, April 1, 2014, 10:02 PM
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — The New York Islanders were even with the
Florida Panthers in the first period, and coach Jack Capuano liked nothing
about it.
He let his players know it, and they responded with an impressive final 40
minutes.
Josh Bailey had a goal and assist, and the Islanders kept up their strong
finish with a 4-2 victory over the Panthers on Tuesday night.
―We got off to a real slow start,‖ Capuano said.
New York, on the verge of elimination in the Eastern Conference playoff race
after qualifying for the postseason a year ago, quickly bounced back from
Quinton Howden‘s short-handed goal less than two minutes in and sent the
Panthers to their fourth straight loss.
Travis Hamonic, Matt Martin and Mike Halmo also scored, Colin McDonald
had two assists, and Evgeni Nabokov made 20 saves for the Islanders, 4-0-1
in their past five.
―Guys have done a good job keeping each other up, keeping the spirits up
even though it can be tough,‖ Bailey said. ―When you think about last year
down the stretch and how much fun it was, it‘s difficult. We definitely don‘t
want to find ourselves here ever again, but you‘ve still got a job to do.‖
Florida, which won two earlier meetings this season, is one of three NHL
teams with fewer points than New York.
―No one is happy with where we are,‖ Martin said. ―It‘s a rough year and a
year we‘re not proud of, but to be going down the stretch with some wins and
playing good hockey definitely feels a little bit better.‖
Brandon Pirri closed the scoring for Florida, making it 4-2 with his 11th goal
— on a power play — with 5.9 seconds left in the game. Scott Clemmensen
stopped 36 shots for Florida, which lost 6-3 at New Jersey on Monday.
―We let them capitalize on too many chances,‖ Panthers center Nick
Bjugstad said. ―We have to stay positive and try to end the season with better
efforts.‖
The action started quickly for the Panthers, who scored short-handed for the
second straight night — the fourth time that has happened in team history.
On his first NHL shift, defenseman Jonathan Racine was called for
interference when he leveled forward Cal Clutterbuck 42 seconds in.
Florida then struck first.
Howden knocked the puck free at the left point and raced the other way
alone. He easily stayed in front of Frans Nielsen and beat Nabokov at 1:50.
The Islanders tied it on the same power play, 45 seconds later, when
Hamonic netted his third goal. Bailey won a faceoff and got the puck back to
Hamonic, who snapped a shot through traffic at 2:35.
―The surge started to go our way a little bit, but we didn‘t play our style in the
first,‖ Capuano said. ―I wasn‘t happy at all, and I know the guys weren‘t
happy, either, but you‘ve got to find a way. You can‘t have slow starts in this
league.‖
Florida gave the Islanders two other power plays in the period in which the
Panthers were outshot 11-5.
They were about to get an advantage with 2:19 left when Matt Carkner
high-sticked Scottie Upshall in front of the penalty box and knocked him to
the ice. But Panthers teammate Erik Gudbranson charged Carkner, and they
immediately fought.
Gudbranson was given an extra penalty for instigating, wiping out the power
play.
The Islanders added two goals in the second, including Bailey‘s seventh 17
seconds after he served a penalty. McDonald got two whacks at the puck,
and Bailey slammed in the rebound at 11:18.
New York stretched the lead to 3-1 with 2:24 remaining. McDonald knocked
the puck away from Racine at the left point and took off alone. The
hard-charging Martin came down the middle and ripped in the rebound of
McDonald‘s shot for his eighth goal.
―They kept coming at us, kept crashing the crease,‖ Clemmensen said. ―They
never stopped working, never gave up on plays all night.‖
Halmo converted his rebound 4:21 into the third to make it 4-1. It was his first
NHL goal in his 13th career game.
―Everyone in here wants to play hard and be successful and give
management something to think about for next season,‖ Martin said. ―We‘re
in a profession where no one‘s job is really safe, so if you want to play here,
you‘ve got to show it.‖
732256
New York Islanders
Islanders roll past woeful Panthers
By Brett Cyrgalis April 1, 2014 | 10:13pm
So it‘s that time of year again when Islanders‘ games don‘t mean anything
and so, in turn, they start playing well.
Though ‗well‘ was a relative term Tuesday night at the Coliseum, when they
thumped the absolutely atrocious Panthers, 4-2, making the Isles 5-1-1 in
their past seven — and still hopelessly out of the playoff conversation,
30-35-10 with just seven games remaining.
―I don‘t believe in any of that stuff — I don‘t believe teams play loose when
they have nothing to play for,‖ said coach Jack Capuano, who again dressed
nine rookie skaters. ―To me, you coach and try to prepare you team to win a
game and players prepare to win.‖
When that same question about the change in their game once out of the
playoff picture was posed throughout the locker room, a common refrain
came back.
―I have no idea,‖ said forward Colin McDonald, who played arguably his best
game all season in collecting two assists, his first game since being
announced as the team‘s nominee for the Masterton Trophy for
perseverance and dedication to hockey.
―The whole reason why you play the game is to play for something, so when
you‘re not playing for anything, it‘s disappointing,‖ McDonald said. ―I think
guys are fighting for jobs, and maybe that‘s one reason we‘re playing the way
we are, because we know no job is safe.‖
Josh Bailey, who got his seventh goal of the season and is a renowned
late-season scorer, had a more cerebral answer.
―I just think guys are working hard and not really thinking too much,‖ Bailey
said. ―I think sometimes you can tend to over-think things, and sometimes
you just go out and work hard and let the game kind of come to you, it tends
to go in your favor.‖
Matt Martin got his eighth of the season late in the second to make it 3-1, and
it was followed early in the third by fourth-line rookie Mike Halmo getting his
first career goal, making it 4-1.
Quintown Howden opened the scoring for the Panthers (27-42-8) just 1:50
into the first, and Brandon Pirri finished it off with four seconds remaining.
―I think it‘s easier to get wins when you‘re winning — it‘s contagious,‖ Bailey
said. ―Everyone goes through their ups and downs, but obviously our downs
were a little too much this season.‖
732257
New York Islanders
Islanders' rookie-laden lineup beats Florida
By MARK HERRMANN [email protected]
Mike Halmo drove hard to the net and shot, then shot again. It all happened
so fast that he had no time to reflect that it was a moment he will remember
for the rest of his life. It wasn't the red light or the cheers that got his attention.
It was the sound of his name bouncing off the walls of Nassau Coliseum.
"It took a few minutes afterward, sitting on the bench to sink in. Then I heard
it, through the speakers," said the 22-year-old, whose first NHL goal came at
4:21 of the third period in the Islanders' 4-2 win Tuesday night over the
Panthers.
Halmo is one of 10 rookies in the Islanders lineup, a setup that means every
game is a big game for the guys on the ice. To the rest of the world, Tuesday
night was an irrelevant matchup of two teams out of the playoff picture. But
for the rookies and for the veteran role players who now have bigger roles,
every night has the potential to be an occasion.
"It's a rough year and a year we're not proud of, but to be going down the
stretch with some wins and playing good hockey, it definitely feels a little
better," said Matt Martin, who continued showing a new offensive dimension
with the second-period goal (his eighth of the season) that made the score
3-1.
The Islanders' current 6-2-1 and 4-0-1 runs aren't necessarily omens of a
bright future. But they are signs that guys are playing for their professional
lives and playing hard. That goes for Halmo and rookie center Ryan Strome,
who retrieved the puck from the corner and set up the tiebreaking goal in the
second period.
It also goes for Colin McDonald, who has flourished on a line with Martin and
Strome and had two assists in the second period, and Josh Bailey, who had a
goal and an assist.
"All those guys who have come up have done a great job for us. From
practice to games, they're always giving 110 percent. It has paid off for us,"
Bailey said, adding that the bench was bursting with excitement after the
rookie's first goal.
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732258
New York Rangers
Rangers Set Road Record With Win in Vancouver
By LUCAS AYKROYDAPRIL 2, 2014
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Benoit Pouliot scored the winning goal in
the first period as the Rangers earned their franchise-record 25th road win,
beating the Vancouver Canucks, 3-1, on Tuesday at Rogers Arena.
The old mark of 24 wins was attained three times, in 1993-94 under
then-Coach Mike Keenan, and in 2010-11 and 2011-12 under John
Tortorella, who has fared dismally in his first year as the coach of the
Canucks.
Vancouver remains sits in 10th place in the Western Conference, and this
loss puts them one step closer to mathematical elimination from the playoffs.
The Rangers solidified their grasp on second place in the Metropolitan
Division. With 90 points, they are three points ahead of the Philadelphia
Flyers, although the Flyers have two games in hand. The Rangers have won
seven out of their last eight games, dating back to an 8-4 road trouncing of
the Ottawa Senators on March 18.
Rangers Coach Alain Vigneault swept the season series against Tortorella.
The Rangers beat the Canucks, 5-2, in their previous encounter this season
at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 30.
Tortorella and Vigneault essentially swapped teams after their clubs were
eliminated in last year‘s playoffs. Vigneault was hired by the Rangers in May
and Tortorella by the Canucks in June.
Martin St. Louis scored in the third period to end his goal-scoring drought in
his 15th game in a Rangers uniform. The former captain of the Tampa Bay
Lightning was traded to New York for Ryan Callahan, the ex-captain of the
Rangers, on March 5, and had registered just three assists for the Rangers
before Tuesday‘s game.
In a duel between Swedish goalies, Henrik Lundqvist outplayed Vancouver‘s
rookie starter, Eddie Lack, as the Canucks outshot the Rangers 35-31. Lack,
26, has started every game for the Canucks since the disgruntled Roberto
Luongo, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was traded to the Florida
Panthers on March 4.
At 4 minutes 59 seconds, Dan Carcillo opened the scoring with his fourth
goal of the season. It was the first time the 29-year-old enforcer has scored
since notching the game-winner against the Islanders in an outdoor game at
Yankee Stadium on Jan. 29.
Pouliot gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead at 14:43, capitalizing on the power play
on a beautiful set-up from Derrick Brassard.
Ryan Kesler cut the Rangers‘ lead to 2-1 at 6:21 of the second period, firing a
one-timer home on a pass from Daniel Sedin.
The Canucks were unable to build momentum from Kesler‘s goal. The
atmosphere in the arena remained subdued with empty seats aplenty in the
lower bowl, symptomatic of how the fan base has been alienated during the
brief Tortorella era.
The Canucks were unable to rally in the third period, despite some chances
when Carl Hagelin and Brian Boyle took back-to-back minor penalties near
the midway point. St. Louis put the Rangers up, 3-1, when he took a nice
cross-ice pass from Rick Nash on a two-on-one shorthanded rush with 9:45
seconds remaining.
A scrum erupted in the final minute when Vancouver‘s Alexandre Burrows
ran Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh into the end boards to
Lundqvist‘s right. Burrows received a five-minute major for elbowing and a
game misconduct.
732259
New York Rangers
Martin St. Louis scores first goal as Blueshirt as NY Rangers top John
Tortorella‘s Canucks
BY Pat Leonard Updated: Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 2:14 AM
VANCOUVER — Martin St. Louis‘ first goal as a Ranger was short and
sweet.
St. Louis sealed a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night
with a shorthanded, third-period finish off a two-on-one feed from Rick Nash,
lifting the Blueshirts (90 points, five games left) closer to a playoff berth and
turning the heat on John Tortorella‘s seat on the Canucks‘ bench from hot to
burning.
―It‘s always nice to score goals, especially in a winning way,‖ St. Louis said. ―I
guess the first one is the toughest one to get.‖
Henrik Lundqvist has 30 saves during a terrific performance. Jonathan
Hayward/AP Henrik Lundqvist has 30 saves during a terrific performance.
But the positive vibes of the victory could be short-lived: Top defenseman
Ryan McDonagh injured his left shoulder with 43.8 seconds remaining on a
hard hit into the boards by Canucks defenseman Alex Burrows. A Rangers
spokesman said an initial diagnosis revealed the injury is "not serious," but
McDonagh still could miss time.
―It‘s not a good thing to see him laying on the ice,‖ Brad Richards said. ―He‘s
probably been our best player the last few months.‖
Tortorella, St Louis‘ and Richards‘ coach during their shared 2004 Stanley
Cup season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, fell to 0-2 this season against the
organization that fired him following last year‘s lockout season.
Daniel Carcillo (l.) gets the puck past Canucks goalie in the first period.
Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA Today Sports Daniel Carcillo (l.) gets the puck past
Canucks goalie in the first period.
Alain Vigneault, on the other hand, saw his Rangers whittle their magic
number to secure a playoff berth to just three with their seventh victory in
eight games and their eighth in 10 matches.
Their number is three because the Capitals (81 points, six games left) are the
only team that can knock the Blueshirts out of the playoffs. The Caps‘
maximum potential finish is 93 points, but the Rangers already have 90 and
own the tiebreaker, so three points either gained by the Rangers or lost by
Washington clinches a postseason berth for Vigneault in his first season.
The Rangers set a franchise record with their 25th road victory of the season
(25-14-0), withstanding a furious second-period push by Vancouver (79
points, five games left), which got its lone goal of the night in that period from
Ryan Kesler.
The Rangers got smoked in the faceoff circle, winning just 22 of 56 draws,
and failed to get the puck deep for much of the night but got terrific
goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist (30 saves).
Derek Stepan‘s line floundered early, and Vancouver would have had a lead,
except Lundqvist stopped Vancouver‘s Ryan Kesler twice in front and denied
a Chris Higgins breakaway.
Dan Carcillo opened the scoring 4:59 into the first period in a scrum at the net
off assists from Derek Dorsett and Brian Boyle. The referee should have
blown the play dead when Canucks goalie Eddie Lack put his hand over the
puck, but Boyle jammed it free undetected amid a crowd of bodies.
Benoit Pouliot then gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead 14:43 in on his seventh
power-play goal of the season, tied for the team-high with Derick Brassard.
Brassard dished the primary assist to Pouliot in the slot after Mats Zuccarello
had a shot blocked.
With that secondary assist, Zuccarello set a record for points by a Norwegian
in an NHL season (54), snapping Espen Knutsen‘s 53-point mark in 2000-01
for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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New York Rangers
Thus, the jumbled lineup after a long stretch of stability.
Chris Kreider‘s injury has exposed Rangers weakness
By Larry Brooks
VANCOUVER — The Rangers‘ lack of organizational depth up front has
been exposed by the absence of Chris Kreider, the first-line left wing who will
be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season (and indefinitely beyond
that) following left hand surgery to address the injury he sustained March 21
in Columbus.
For without the rookie, coach Alain Vigneault either has been forced or has
elected to repeatedly jumble his line combinations over the last week after
having gone through the guts of the schedule with an uncommonly healthy
and therefore stable lineup.
He has moved Marty St. Louis from one spot to another; experimented with
Dan Carcillo on the first line in Edmonton; broke up and reunited the Benoit
Pouliot-Derick Brassard-Mats Zuccarello triumvirate; had J.T. Miller in a
top-nine role, then out of the lineup altogether.
And when Miller is scratched, that leaves the Rangers one forward shy on
their top three lines. Thus, Vigneault not only has to move a fourth-liner into a
role that doesn‘t particularly suit that forward, but in doing so breaks up the
extremely effective Brian Boyle-Dominic Moore-Derek Dorsett unit.
Vigneault was planning on just about mixing it all up for Tuesday‘s match
against the Canucks even in the wake of the Blueshirts‘ 5-0 rout of the
downtrodden Oilers on Sunday. The coach went so far as to return Brad
Richards to left wing for the first time since Dec. 20 in conjunction with
moving Carl Hagelin off the Richards-St. Louis unit into the spot that
belonged to Kreider with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash, while also shifting
Moore into a top-nine playmaker‘s role.
―That‘s just me being me,‖ Vigneault said following Monday‘s practice here in
which he rolled out his new combinations that included a fourth line of
Carcillo and Dorsett flanking Boyle.
Actually, it was more like Vigneault being John Tortorella, the Vancouver
coach who was famous — or infamous — for his constant line-shuffling when
he roamed behind the Rangers bench for the last four-plus seasons.
The concept behind moving Hagelin into Kreider‘s spot that he held from
Dec. 15 through March 21 — a span in which the line was intact for 33
straight games and 39 of 40 — is to replicate the rookie‘s speed and
forecheck ability. But Hagelin lacks Kreider‘s strength, physicality and ability
to get to the front of the net and plant himself there as a screen. In other
words, same speed but very different player.
At the same time, though, with Vigneault set to scratch Miller for the second
straight night after benching him for the entire third period of Friday‘s 5-4
defeat in Calgary, the Rangers had to start with the square-peg-round-hole
thing.
Richards played the first 10 games of the season on the wing, filling in for
Hagelin, who was on IR recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. He
moved out of his natural center spot for six other matches, the last time on
Dec. 20 against the Islanders. He is clearly more comfortable in the middle.
Vigneault, who has talked about his belief in ―duos‖ rather than three-man
combinations, is committed — at least for the short run — to keeping
Richards with St. Louis, who enters the Vancouver match scoreless in his 14
games as a Ranger.
So without Hagelin to complete the trio, the coach chose to go with Moore,
who does have some history playing with St. Louis in Tampa Bay, but not
much of one.
According to hockeyanalysis.com, Moore and St. Louis played 187:03 as
5-on-5 linemates in 2010-11 and 2011-12. Each recorded five points, with
Moore getting two goals and St. Louis one.
Miller, who spent most the year in Hartford before his latest promotion
following the Kreider injury, was considered the only top-nine, NHL-ready
forward in the AHL. Vigneault obviously doesn‘t believe he is ready to play in
a playoff race and doesn‘t seem to consider Ryan Haggerty, the recent
free-agent signee out of RPI who is traveling and skating with the team as a
condition of his signing, a viable option.
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New York Rangers
Rangers‘ Ryan McDonagh hurts left shoulder in win over Canucks
―But we battled and did a great job killing penalties and kept our composure.
It‘s just about winning, now.‖
It‘s about McDonagh‘s health, as well.
By Larry Brooks
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Rangers‘ 3-1 victory on Tuesday
night over the Canucks that extended the club‘s lead for first-round home ice
while reducing the playoff clinching magic number to three points may have
come at a heavy cost.
For Ryan McDonagh — the Blueshirts‘ best skater throughout the season
and their most valuable other than Henrik Lundqvist — left the ice with an
apparent left shoulder injury and in visible pain after taking a wicked hit into
the rear boards by Alexandre Burrows with 43.8 seconds remaining in the
contest.
―It‘s not serious,‖ a Rangers spokesman said, referring to the initial diagnosis
for McDonagh, who left the building with his left arm in a sling.
Nevertheless, the defenseman received treatment for an extended amount of
the time following the match, and the Rangers already have lost Chris
Kreider for an indefinite period to a left hand injury. After being remarkably
healthy most of the year, the Rangers cannot afford to be without McDonagh
for any significant stretch.
―You get worried,‖ said Lundqvist, steadfast in the face of relentless Canucks‘
traffic and pressure throughout the first 50 minutes of the match. ―We have
important weeks ahead of us — hopefully months — and it‘s important that
we‘re healthy.
―Hopefully it‘s not too bad.‖
McDonagh, who was in the process of retrieving the puck, was first hit by
Zack Kassian on the left before Burrows nailed him from the right, blindside.
Burrows received a five-minute elbowing penalty and game misconduct.
―It‘s not a good thing to see him laying on the ice,‖ Brad Richards said. ―But
he‘s resilient and battles through a lot. Hopefully it‘s short-term and nothing
serious.‖
The Rangers‘ victory, their seventh in the last eight games overall,
established a franchise record for wins on the road, this one in the Alain
Vigneault-John Tortorella matchup behind the bench in their league-leading
25th away from home (25-14), with two more to go including Thursday night‘s
match in Colorado and the season finale at Montreal on April 12.
―We‘re going after home-ice,‖ said Marc Staal, whose team leads the Flyers
by three points in the battle for second place in the Metro Division, though
Philadelphia holds two games in hand. ―The mindset is to keep winning and
building into the playoffs.‖
Marty St. Louis put an end to our long civic nightmare by getting his first goal
in 15 games wearing the Blueshirt on a shorthanded two-on-one at 10:15 of
the third with the Rangers clinging to a 2-1 lead. It was the 30th overall for the
winger, who expressed relief at finally getting off the schneid.
―The first one is the hardest to get,‖ said St. Louis, who buried Rick Nash‘s
feed to record the Rangers‘ seventh shorthanded goal in the last 15 games, a
stretch during which the club has scored five power play goals, including one
by Benoit Pouliot that gave the team a 2-0 first-period lead. ―I‘ve tried to stay
the course and play the right way.‖
Vigneault juggled his combinations for the game, moving Carl Hagelin up
with Nash and Derek Stepan, while also shifting Dom Moore to the left with
Richards and St. Louis and constructing a fourth line of Brian Boyle between
Dan Carcillo and Derek Dorsett. The Brassard-Benoit Pouliot-Mats
Zuccarello unit remained intact.
The Canucks, facing elimination from the playoffs, were a desperate team
and played like it, hemming the Rangers in most of the way. The Blueshirts
were unable to create much time and space. Their defensemen were
reduced to attempting to simply bang the puck out of the zone rather than
make plays and then join the attack.
―We played a bit more in our end than we want to,‖ Staal said. ―We weren‘t
able to find the middle of the ice like we normally do.
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New York Rangers
Could be one and done with Canucks for Torts
Staff
Before the Rangers and Lightning completed the first captain-for-captain
swap that anyone around the NHL could remember, the Rangers and
Canucks exchanged coaches this past offseason, though that was not by
design.
Ex-Canucks coach Alain Vigneault has already brought his Rangers to
Vancouver once, in the preseason, a 5-0 win for the Canucks on Sept. 26,
so he called tonight‘s game at Rogers Arena less emotional for him.
For the man he replaced with the Rangers and the man who replaced him in
Vancouver, John Tortorella, this could be one of the six last games he
spends behind the Canucks bench. His team is all but eliminated from the
Western Conference playoff chase, five points out with six to play and the
ninth-place Stars four points ahead of them in the race for the two wild-card
spots. Tortorella‘s message has seemingly never taken in the Canucks‘ room
or, if it did, quickly dissipated. The organization is also not likely to forget his
six-game suspension for trying to charge into the Flames‘ dressing room that,
if not at the epicenter of the Canucks‘ collapse this season, certainly spurred
it along.
Here‘s the article in today‘s Record regarding all that.
No morning skate for the Rangers prior to tonight‘s game.
Beyond the Tortorella quotes in the article regarding how he gets that he
looks like an ―idiot‖ compared to Vigneault being a ―smart guy‖ because of
how the Canucks and Rangers are doing this season, plus thoughts on Ryan
Callahan being in Tampa Bay (where Tortorella led the Lightning to the
Stanley Cup) and Marty St. Louis being with the Rangers, here‘s the rest of
what the Canucks coach is thinking prior to tonight‘s game:
On his thoughts about the Rangers: ―I‘ve been gone long enough, I don‘t do
too much reminiscing right now.‖
On what he‘s seen from the Rangers: ―I haven‘t. I‘m just trying to spend my
time trying to keep this team playing and we don‘t spend a lot of time on the
other team, it‘s a matter of our execution and our game so that‘s what we
spend a great deal of our time with.‖
On whether the Canucks need to win all six remaining games: ―I don‘t know
what the arithmetic is. Losing the other night (5-1 to the Ducks), it puts us in a
real precarious spot, we all know that. We went about the business as usual
and we‘re trying to get better and against a team that‘s playing very well.
We have our hands full (tonight).‖
On not following the Rangers: ―One thing that‘s different for me is that
three-hour change out West, you really don‘t spend too much time or have
the opportunity to really worry about it. We could see what our division was
right away that we were in here and we had our hand‘s full. We spent a lot of
time there on what we needed to do as a club. It might be a little different for
me. I‘m not going to lie to you, always when you leave a team, you spend five
years, sure you look at some guys. But when it‘s East-West, it kind of blocked
it out and worried about our business here.‖
On the Canucks‘ playoff chances: ―Are we going to get in? It‘s very slim and
we‘ve known that but it‘s still doesn‘t stop you from working at your business
with your team. We continue to do the that until the bitter end.‖
Which might be the appropriate phrase because it could be a very bitter end
for Tortorella‘s tenure in Vancouver.
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New York Rangers
So, in the end, beating a former coach or helping the new coach beat his
former team was not part of the equation.
Rangers 3, Canucks 1: McDonagh‘s left shoulder injury said to be not serious
by the team
―Probably more so in the preseason,‖ said Boyle, referring to the Rangers‘
5-0 loss at Vancouver on Sept. 30. ―It‘s a big two points at the end of the year,
that‘s probably enough motivation for [Vigneault]. I think if you lose this game
it stings anyway.‖
Posted by Andrew Gross on 04/02 at 03:19 AM
The Rangers do not practice on Wednesday as they travel to Colorado for
the following night‘s game against the Avalanche.
Lastly, from the Rangers:
When Ryan McDonagh went down hard with 43.8 seconds remaining in the
Rangers‘ 3-1 win over the Canucks Tuesday night, the No. defenseman
helped to the dressing room after apparently hurting his left shoulder, it
superseded any other sub-context to this game.
A team spokesman reported the initial diagnosis is that the injury ―is not
serious.‖
Still, it was no longer about Alain Vigneault‘s first regular-season visit back to
Rogers Arena, where he coached the previous seven seasons. Or the
Rangers coming within three points of clinching a postseason berth.
Nor was it about ex-Rangers coach John Tortorella‘s tenuous status with the
Canucks, his team all but mathematically eliminated from the postseason
and widespread speculation he will be fired after just one season.
McDonagh‘s condition even overshadowed Marty St. Louis finally getting his
first goal as a Ranger, 15 games after being acquired from the Lightning for
Ryan Callahan.
―Yeah, it‘s not a good thing to see him laying on the ice,‖ center Brad
Richards said. ―He‘s probably been our best player the last two months night
in and night out. He‘s resilient and he battles through a lot. Hopefully, it‘s
short term and nothing serious.‖
McDonagh‘s left arm was in a sling after the game.
―You get worried,‖ said Henrik Lundqvist, who made 34 saves. ―We have
important weeks ahead of us, hopefully months. Now we want to make sure
he feels good and healthy.‖
McDonagh was hurt as he was sandwiched between Alex Burrows and Zack
Kassian going into the backboards. Burrows drew a five-minute major for
elbowing.
―I‘m just trying to get in on the forecheck and get the puck back,‖ Burrows
said. ―My intention wasn‘t to be dirty or hurt the guy.‖
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2014
Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AGrossRecord
Follow the Record Sports Staff at twitter.com/TheRecordSports
The Rangers (43-30-4), now 2-1-0 on this four-game road trip as they set a
franchise record with their 25th road victory, do not practice today as they
travel to Colorado for Thursday night‘s game against the Avalanche.
Any combination of three points gained by the Rangers or lost by the
Capitals, currently in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, will clinch a
playoff spot for the Rangers.
The Rangers, in second place in the Metropolitan Division with five
regular-season games remaining, have 90 points, three more than the
third-place Flyers, who have played two fewer games after losing a 1-0
shootout to the Blues on Tuesday.
St. Louis clinched the victory with a shorthanded goal at 10:15 of the third
period, the Rangers‘ third shorthanded goal in two games and their 10th of
the season.
―Throughout my career I‘ve been a pretty streaky goal scorer,‖ St. Louis said
after his 30th goal of the season come 17 games after his 29th. ―I‘m trying to
stay the course and play the right way.‖
―Hopefully it can kick start something that goes on fire,‖ added Rick Nash,
who set up St. Louis‘ goal on a two-on-one.
- New York notched both a power play goal and a shorthanded goal in the
same game for the fifth time this season, and for the second consecutive
contest. The last time the Rangers tallied both a power play goal and a
shorthanded goal in consecutive games was during the 2011-12 season
(Dec. 8-10).
- The Rangers‘ power play was 1-3 (3:58) in the contest, while the penalty
kill was 2-2 (4:00) with one shorthanded goal. The Blueshirts are now 2-9
(22.2%) with the man advantage in the last two games, while the penalty kill
is 38-41 (92.7%) with seven shorthanded goals in the last 15 games.
- Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves and is now 31-23-4 overall, including a
17-10-0 mark on the road this season. He is now 6-1-0 in his last seven
games (2.00 GAA, .930 Sv%, 1 SO) and 9-3-0 in his last 12 (1.84 GAA, .937
Sv%, 2 SO). Lundqvist has reached the 30-save mark in 17 games this
season, posting a record of 13-3-1 with a 2.11 goals against average, .941
save percentage, and two shutouts in those contests.
- Martin St. Louis notched his first goal as a Ranger with a shorthanded tally
and logged 16:42 of ice time. The goal was his 30th of the season, marking
the seventh time in his career St. Louis has reached the 30-goal milestone. It
was also his first shorthanded goal since a 3-1 win on Feb. 9, 2010 against
Vancouver as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
- Benoit Pouliot tallied the eventual game-winning goal, on the power play,
and registered a team-high, four shots in 15:09 of ice time. The goal
extended his point streak to three games (one goal, two assists), and he has
now recorded five points (one goal, four assists) in the last five games.
Pouliot tied his single-season career-high with his 32nd point, a mark he
originally established during the 2011-12 season.
- Mats Zuccarello registered a power play assist and three shots in 18:02 of
ice time. The assist gave Zuccarello 54 points this season, the most by a
Norwegian-born player in one season in NHL history. The record was
previously held by Espen Knusten, who had 53 points with Columbus during
the 2000-01 season. Zuccarello has recorded 19 points (four goals, 15
assists) in his last 20 games, including nine points (two goals, seven assists)
in the last eight contests, and he now leads the team in points (54) this
season.
- Daniel Carcillo opened the game‘s scoring with an even strength goal at
4:59 of the first period and logged 10:15 of ice time. He is now eight points
shy of 100 for his career.
- Rick Nash tallied a shorthanded assist and two shots in 16:17 of ice time.
He has now registered three points (two goals, one assist) in the last two
games, and six points (five goals, one assist) in the last eight contests.
- Derick Brassard recorded a power play assist and two hits in 15:17 of ice
time. He has tallied seven points (five goals, two assists) in the last eight
games, including a power play point in each of the last two games (1 PPG, 1
PPA). Brassard now leads the team with 18 power play points this season.
- Brian Boyle tallied his 100th career point with an assist and won 3-5
faceoffs (60%) in 11:56 of ice time. He has now registered three points (one
goal, two assists) in the last four games.
- Derek Dorsett recorded one assist, three shots, and two hits in 9:59 of ice
time. He has now tallied three points (one goal, two assists) in the last four
games.
732264
New York Rangers
Alain Vigneault's calming influence, faster-paced system embraced by
Rangers
By STEVE ZIPAY
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Roll back the tape to October. After
training camp away from home and in the midst of a nine-game,
season-opening road trip under new coach Alain Vigneault, the Rangers
were confused and concerned.
"There were a lot of meetings, him trying to figure us out, [us] trying to figure
him out," Brad Richards recalled. "Torts was here for 41/2 years, there was a
lot of autopilot on the D-zone coverage, now it's man on man, there were a lot
of questions. We gave up six and nine goals back to back [to the Sharks and
Ducks] and we're sitting here trying to figure it out. [Vigneault] kept it calm."
The turnaround took months. After 40 games, the Blueshirts were a middling
19-19-2, but had revived after a 3-7 start.
"It took us awhile to get going, but the coaching staff has been awesome from
Day 1," Henrik Lundqvist said here in Vancouver where Vigneault coached
for seven years, twice leading the Canucks to the NHL's best regular-season
record. "It was a lot about being patient. It's big when players feel the trust,
you have so many new things to get used to. The dialogue has been good.
Our season has been a building process and hopefully you have your best
games at the end, in the playoffs."
At 42-30-4 and with 88 points before Tuesday night's game, the Rangers are
succeeding with a faster-paced style under the experienced Vigneault, and
closing in on an East playoff spot.
That was what general manager Glen Sather envisioned when he chose
Vigneault over the iconic but untested Mark Messier. Sather saw the league
changing to a speedier game, with younger players and the need to roll four
lines nightly, and sought a different approach, a different voice. The
domineering John Tortorella favored the muck-and-grind style, leaned
heavily on top players and ground down even his most ardent supporters.
Vigneault, a Quebec native, was challenged by the roster and the metropolis.
Derek Stepan missed camp in a contract dispute. Rick Nash was out for 17
games with a concussion and Lundqvist, Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi
were in midseason flux over their futures.
"You definitely have to tailor [your system] to the team you have," Vigneault
said Monday. "We play north-south, we use the speed to defend and to
generate some good offense when the opportunity is there."
It has been, he said, a fair comparison to his first year with the Canucks. "I've
got some younger players who are really on the upswing, developing as
players and as leaders, whether it be Ryan McDonagh, Step, [Carl] Hagelin,
[Derick] Brassard, and we have a couple veteran leaders."
During the season, "some teams progress and some teams fade away,"
Vigneault said. "We have progressed, we were playing .500, then Hank sort
of found his game, and the rest of the parts sort of fell in and we took off."
Only rarely has Vigneault, who delegates far more power to his assistants
than Tortorella, publicly displayed anger or frustration. His demeanor tends
more to self-deprecation.
On Monday, for example, he mentioned Martin St. Louis, who hasn't scored
in 14 games since the Callahan trade.
"I'm fortunate to have the top scorer in the NHL for the past four years," he
said. "We're 9-4-1 since he's been here . . . and I've turned him into a
defensive specialist. It's part of my devious plan."
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New York Rangers
Rangers responding to Alain Vigneault while Canucks struggle with John
Tortorella
April 2, 2014 |
ANDREW GROSS
VANCOUVER, B.C. – Different players, different coaches and, certainly,
different results.
The Canucks, coached — for now — by John Tortorella, hosted his former
team, the Rangers, Tuesday night at Rogers Arena, all but mathematically
eliminated from playoff consideration. The Rangers, led by ex-Canucks
coach Alain Vigneault, had split the first two games of their four-game road
trip but appear headed toward the postseason barring a major collapse.
And the most simplistic explanation for the teams‘ current situations is
Vigneault has been more flexible in coaching his new personnel than the fiery
Tortorella.
"You definitely have to tailor to the team that you have and the personnel you
have," Vigneault said. "I don‘t have the same personnel now. There are some
things that we do similar but it is a different team."
Tortorella still favors the grinding, shot-blocking mentality with heavier
workloads for his top forwards he employed to success with the Rangers,
taking them to four playoff appearances in five seasons including, in 2012,
their first berth in the Eastern Conference final since 1997.
But under Tortorella, superstar twins Henrik (10 goals, 36 assists) and Daniel
Sedin (14 goals, 28 assists) have struggled through injuries, spent time apart
as linemates and are no longer point-a-game players. Right wing Alexandre
Burrows went 35 games without a goal.
"It‘s unfair for me to comment in any shape or form," Vigneault said of the
Canucks‘ struggles. "I‘m 3,000 miles away. I have no idea what‘s going on
here.
"If you‘re talking about the core guys that have been together for a long time,
they‘re good players and they‘re good players that are real professional and
compete real hard and I don‘t think that has changed," Vigneault added.
The Rangers, after a travel-heavy, disjointed training camp and then a 3-6-0
road trip to open the season due to renovations to Madison Square Garden,
have adapted well to Vigneault.
The team plays with the puck more and the defensemen, particularly Ryan
McDonagh, have become more productive offensively with the
encouragement to be active in the offensive zone.
"He‘s been very calm," Rangers center Brad Richards said of Vigneault. "We
had some rough patches to start the year and he got us through that with
some confidence and let us figure it out on our own."
The Rangers were still 16-18-2 on Dec. 20.
"It could have got ugly but he kept it calm," said Richards. "In the end, it was
full confidence in our group and we got through it."
Richards had a falling out with Tortorella, also his coach with the Stanley
Cup-winning Lightning in 2004, after Richards was demoted to the fourth line
in the playoffs and finally made a healthy scratch the final two games of the
Rangers‘ five-game, second-round loss to the Bruins.
For Tortorella, it‘s likely more than missing the playoffs that may have
doomed him in Vancouver.
Besides the Sedins‘ scoring dip, Ryan Kesler may or may not have requested
a trade. Eddie Lack made his 17th straight start in net Tuesday night and
Roberto Luongo was traded to the Panthers on March 4, two days after
Tortorella started Lack over Luongo in a 4-2 loss to the Senators in the
Heritage Classic at B.C. Place, part of the NHL‘s Stadium Series.
Plus, Tortorella was suspended for 15 days and six games for trying to
charge into the Flames‘ dressing room. The Canucks went 2-4-0 with
Tortorella suspended, then went 1-7-1 upon his return.
In a way, though, Vigneault may have complimented Tortorella for the work
ethic he left behind with the Rangers
"The one thing about my team is that it‘s a hard-working group," Vigneault
said. "They come to practice and they work and they bust their butt."
732266
New York Rangers
Rangers notes: Dominic Moore moved up to play with Marty St. Louis and
Brad Richards
Andrew Gross
The trickle-down effect of coach Alain Vigneault‘s continuing quest to find a
suitable replacement for the size and speed Chris Kreider (left hand) brought
to Derek Stepan‘s line with Rick Nash, led to an elevated role for usual
fourth-line center Dominic Moore on Tuesday.
With Carl Hagelin moved to Stepan‘s line, Moore, who came into Tuesday
with six goals and 12 assists in 67 games, played on Brad Richards‘ left wing
along with Marty St. Louis, his former teammate with the Lightning.
"They‘ve killed penalties together and they‘ve got some chemistry going back
from the Tampa days," Vigneault said. "[Assistant] Dan Lacroix told me they
played together a little bit."
The revamped fourth line featured Brian Boyle moving from left wing to
center in between grinder/agitators Dan Carcillo and Derek Dorsett.
With both Carcillo and Dorsett in the lineup, J.T. Miller was a healthy scratch
for the second straight game.
Moore nears return
D John Moore, who suffered concussion symptoms on Blake Comeau‘s
check at Columbus on March 21, skated with the extras Tuesday morning but
could be ready to rejoin the lineup.
Vigneault said he needed "one more practice and then it would be my
decision to put him in or out."
The Rangers are not scheduled to skate today as they travel to Denver for
Thursday night‘s game against the Avalanche.
"It was kind of a weird injury but, every day, they‘re working me hard and I‘m
feeling more and more comfortable," John Moore said. "I feel good. The
biggest thing is just getting my feet under me."
In John Moore‘s absence, Raphael Diaz, a member of the Canucks until his
March 5 trade to the Rangers, played in his sixth straight game.
732267
New York Rangers
Rangers top Canucks, 3-1, in Vancouver
Wednesday, April 2, 2014, By ANDREW GROSS
VANCOUVER, B.C. – This isn‘t about the coaches because everything is
about the playoffs now.
And Alain Vigneault‘s Rangers are now within three points of clinching a
postseason berth after beating the Canucks, his previous team, 3-1, Tuesday
night at Rogers Arena. The Canucks, in their first and possibly only season
under ex-Rangers coach John Tortorella, are all but guaranteed to miss the
playoffs.
Any good feelings were tempered when No. 1 defenseman Ryan McDonagh
appeared to hurt his left shoulder as he was jammed into the backboards with
43.8 seconds left in the game as Alex Burrows received a five-minute major
for elbowing.
Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves as the Rangers (43-30-4), despite losing
too many puck battles and going 22-for-56 on faceoffs, won for the seventh
time in eight games and are 2-1-0 on this four-game road trip that concludes
Thursday at Colorado.
The Rangers set a franchise record with their 25th road victory this season.
Plus, Marty St. Louis finally scored a goal for the Rangers in his 15th game
since being acquired from the Lightning. St. Louis‘ shorthanded goal – the
Rangers‘ third in two games and 10th of the season – made it 3-1 at 10:15 of
the third period off a two-on-one with Rick Nash.
Now, any combination of three points gained by the Rangers or lost by the
Capitals, currently in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, will clinch a
playoff spot for the Rangers. The Rangers, in second place in the
Metropolitan Division with five regular-season games remaining, have 90
points, three more than the third-place Flyers, who have played two fewer
games after losing a 1-0 shootout to the Blues on Tuesday.
Eddie Lack stopped 28 shots for the Canucks (34-32-11), who have lost
three straight.
The most simplistic explanation for the teams‘ current situations is Vigneault
has been more flexible in coaching his new personnel than the fiery
Tortorella.
―You definitely have to tailor to the team that you have and the personnel you
have,‖ Vigneault said. ―I don‘t have the same personnel now. There are some
things that we do similar but it is a different team.‖
Though Tortorella was known for constantly tinkering with his lines while
coaching the Rangers, Vigneault, in a rare move for him, changed his
combinations following a solid win, in this case Sunday‘s 5-0 victory at
Edmonton.
Vigneault moved speedy left wing Carl Hagelin to Derek Stepan‘s line with
Nash, put Dominic Moore on Brad Richards‘ left wing with St. Louis and slid
Brian Boyle to center on the fourth line in between Dan Carcillo and Derek
Dorsett.
―Step and Nasher, they look better when they‘ve got speed on that left side,‖
Vigneault said. ―So I figured even though Brad and Hags have good
chemistry that Hags up there would help Step and Nasher…I‘m hoping that
helping my top end, it‘s not going to affect that chemistry.‖
Lack misplayed a puck coming off the backboards through his crease on
McDonagh‘s dump-in, leading to Carcillo‘s goal to make it 1-0 at 4:59 of the
first period. Lack‘s inability to cover the puck led to a lengthy scramble at his
crease, though he may have had the puck knocked free from his glove by
Boyle.
Benoit Pouliot‘s power-play goal at 14:43 of the first period – the Rangers
now have power-play goals in consecutive games for the first time since
March 1-2 – made it 2-0. Derick Brassard showed great recognition as he got
the puck on the left after collecting the rebound of Mats Zuccarello‘s shot.
Looking like he would shoot, Brassard instead found Pouliot open in the slot.
Zuccarello‘s assist was his 54th point of the season, setting the record for
most points by a Norwegian in the NHL.
Ryan Kesler‘s one-timer low in the left faceoff circle – he beat both Moore on
the draw and then for position – made it 2-1 at 6:21 of the second period.
732268
New York Rangers
Rangers-Canucks in review
02 April 2014, 4:27 am by Carp in Game review Hockey
New York Rangers v Vancouver Canucks
Thoughts:
1) Going to state the obvious here, but the Ryan McDonagh injury at the end
of the game knocks all the luster off what was a pretty solid win on a big (in
terms of the playoff race) night. Not going to speculate, but it‘s probably not
the stinger Ron Duguay said he was going to assume it is. And I am not sure
the Alex Burrows hit was the dirtiest, filthiest hit we‘ve seen in a while, or
even the worst in the league last night. I didn‘t think it was a head shot, but I
could be wrong. At best it was a dangerous, reckless and dirty play by a guy
who plays like that. That the on-ice officials felt it was a major and a game
misconduct for elbowing tells me that they thought it was a head shot. So it‘s
going to be interesting to see how NHL Player Safety interprets it. If the
Rangers thought it was dirty, then their response was pretty weak.
New York Rangers v Vancouver Canucks2) McDonagh sure has been a
target lately. I mean, he was even knocked to the ice, slamming the back of
his helmet, by one of the Sedins (I can‘t tell them apart). Stick to the mouth
the game before. Repeated slashes by Wayne Simmonds Monday. And
there is nobody who will be on the ice with him who can do a thing about it.
Not that the heaviest of all heavyweights is going to prevent Burrows from
hitting him like that. Not a chance Burrows doesn‘t hit him. Shortly after Alain
Vigneault said he didn‘t know about the severity, the reports came out that
the initial diagnosis was ―not serious‖ though McDonagh had his left arm in a
sling.
3) New York, your long wait is over! Martin St. Louis just needed to get past
April Fools‘ Day to score. Pretty funny that AV and the players all jumped
through hoops to get St. Louis new linemates, to get him the puck late in
games, on the power play, etc., and that he finally got it short-handed. It was
a pretty cool goal, though. Maybe it really will get him going. BTW, since he‘s
been a Ranger—15 games now—the PK has outscored the PP, 7-5.
4) The out of town scoreboard was somewhat kind to the Rangers, whose
magic number to clinch a playoff spot is three points. Philly and Columbus
each only got a Bettman Losers‘ Point against top opponents. So the
Rangers are looking really good for the 2-3 matchup. Some people are
starting to think it might be better to get the wild card and play Pittsburgh than
2-3 vs. Philly. I don‘t agree. Plus, if you get a wild card you could easily end
up with Boston and you want no part of Boston. How about the New Ro kid
and NYR fan (growing up), Kevin Shattenkirk, helping the NYR in the
shootout in St. Louis. The deeper we get in these playoff races, and the
more critical each point becomes, the dumber the shootout seems.New York
Rangers v Vancouver Canucks
5) Henrik Lundqvist. He looked really, really sharp start to finish. Saw a lot of
shots, a lot of quality shots. This wasn‘t the Rangers‘ best game of the
season in their own end—and it wasn‘t terrible. But he had to make a lot of
saves in a game that was 2-1 late. He made some eye-poppers, too.
gamble, pulling Dominic Moore off that dominant fourth line to give Brad
Richards and St. Louis some help. But the fourth line (which really is Brian
Boyle and Moore and either Derek Dorsett or Daniel Carcillo) minus Moore
was just as good again. Carcillo scored a goal huge … @JColch tweeted
―And if anyone told you NYR would trade for St. Louis and Carcillo, who
would you expect more goals from?‖ On Carcillo‘s goal, all three forwards
were within a foot of the paint. How many times have you seen that from the
Richards or Derek Stepan lines? Anwer: None. This really is the first
trustworthy and effective fourth line they‘ve had in years. Better try to keep it
intact this summer.
9) Daily Nash-O-Meter. Thought Rick Nash and Stepan and new running
mate Carl Hagelin had some good shifts. And some invisible shifts. Nash had
a terrific set-up for Stepan early. But, I‘m telling you, the guy is better on the
PK than he is on the PP, and more dangerous. You can say the same for
Stepan lately, too. Who would believe that?
10) So Dom Moore moves to the St. Louis-Richards line, forgets how to win a
draw, how to defend. Ironic. There sure was some mayhem in the defensive
zone on many of that line‘s shifts.
11) Seriously? The Rangers are just getting worse and worse at faceoffs
(won 22 of 56, 39 percent). Of the many things that will be on the plate this
summer, that must be addressed. It cost them in this game, and has many
times this season.
12) MSG Network schedules its games to run two and a half hours all the
time. Trouble is, games never ever last two and a half hours. So it‘s a
problem for DVRing, for example. If you set the DVR for the scheduled game,
you miss the last 7-10 minutes of hockey. Last night that problem was worse
because Devils-Sabres was scheduled to end at 9:30 for the Rangers
pregame show, which was a pipe dream anyway. When the Devils went OT
and then to a long shootout, there was no pregame show at all, in an AV vs.
Torts meeting and a critical game, to boot.New York Rangers v Vancouver
Canucks
13) Ryan Kesler=Beast.
14) Speaking of which, you had to like that Brian Boyle penalty. Knocked
Kesler on his Keyster in front of Lundqvist‘s net. There‘s not nearly enough of
that going on.
15) Don‘t want to make a big deal out of this, and it kind of became one post
game here. Alain Vigneault is not to blame whatsoever for McDonagh‘s
injury. But McDonagh had already been on the ice for a long shift of
5-against-6, and two icings. With a two-goal lead and 1:04 left, why in hell
wouldn‘t AV use a timeout? I get on him a lot because he doesn‘t use them,
as if they can carry over or he can cash them in for frequent flyer miles or
something. That‘s almost always a joke when I do. But why not call a timeout
there? Again, I doubt very much that a timeout prevents the injury. But maybe
McDonagh, a bit fresher, avoids the hit, or whatever. I just don‘t get why you
don‘t call a timeout in that spot if, for nothing else, to let your top guys who
have played a ton of minutes catch a breath.
Games that matter tonight: None.
Games that matter tomorrow: Rangers-Avalanche, and the enormous
Columbus at Philly matchup. The Rangers are seven ahead of the Blue
Jackets now, three up on Philly. The Flyers have two in hand, but the
Rangers have the tiebreaker by three. The Jackets have two in hand, but are
six behind on the tiebreaker, so that seven-point lead is actually eight.
6) No. 1 line and No. 1 PP unit (which gets on the ice second) has been their
best and most consistent line all season long. Imagine. Derick Brassard is
losing his ―inconsistent‖ label (yes, he still has a stinker here and there). Early
in the season people were saying it was a mistake to bring back Mats
Zuccarello, who was just too small and ineffective; and many (me included)
were saying that you could see why Benoit Pouliot had been on so many
teams in such a short time. Well, he is turning into one of Glen Sather‘s best
signings ever.
*************************************
7) Vigneault vs. John (Hot Seat) Tortorella. AV‘s 2-0 now and looking like a
really good replacement for Torts in NY. Torts not looking like a very good
choice North of the border, though. I know it‘s a lot of money to eat, but I don‘t
necessarily think his four years, $8M remaining guarantee he doesn‘t get
fired. Then again, the owner who forced GM Mike Gillis to hire Torts might fire
Gillis (who has the same remaining contract). Somebody‘s got to go, though,
and it‘s pretty evident that Torts‘ shelf life up there will be shorter than it was
here.New York Rangers v Vancouver Canucks
*************************************
8) So AV made some interesting juggles before the game (up front) and
throughout (Ulf Samuelsson shuffled his D pairs a lot). I thought it was a
My Three Rangers Stars:Martin St. Louis
1. Henrik Lundqvist.
2. Benoit Pouliot.
3. Ryan McDonagh.
Kenny Albert‘s Three Rangers Stars:
1. Henrik Lundqvist.
2. Benoit Pouliot.
3. Martin St. Louis.
Rockland Journal News: LOADED: 04.02.2014
732269
New York Rangers
Rangers 3, Canucks 1 … post-game notes
02 April 2014, 1:45 am by Carp in Hockey
The Rangers continued a four-game road trip with a 3-1 victory over
the Vancouver Canucks tonight at Rogers Arena. With the win, the Blueshirts
established a new franchise record for road wins with their 25th of the
season. New York is now 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, and 6-1-0 in their last
seven on the road.
The Blueshirts have posted a record of 43-30-4 overall (90 pts),
including a 25-14-0 mark on the road this season. The Rangers are now
three points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers for second place in the
Metropolitan Division standings.
New York has now won 23 of their last 31 road games (23-8-0 over
the span), and lead the NHL with 25 road wins this season. The Blueshirts
improved to 21-2-0 when allowing two or fewer goals on the road.
The Rangers extended their winning streak against the Canucks to
four games, having out-scored Vancouver 13-3 during the streak.
New York notched both a power play goal and a shorthanded goal in
the same game for the fifth time this season, and for the second consecutive
contest. The last time the Rangers tallied both a power play goal and a
shorthanded goal in consecutive games was during the 2011-12 season
(Dec. 8-10).
The Rangers‘ power play was 1-3 (3:58) in the contest, while the
penalty kill was 2-2 (4:00) with one shorthanded goal. The Blueshirts are now
2-9 (22.2%) with the man advantage in the last two games, while the penalty
kill is 38-41 (92.7%) with seven shorthanded goals in the last 15 games.
The Blueshirts were credited with 14 blocked shots in the contest,
including 11 players registering at least one blocked shot. Dan Girardi, Kevin
Klein, and Ryan McDonagh each tied for the team-high with two blocked
shots apiece.
Player notes:
Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves and is now 31-23-4 overall,
including a 17-10-0 mark on the road this season. He is now 6-1-0 in his last
seven games (2.00 GAA, .930 Sv%, 1 SO) and 9-3-0 in his last 12 (1.84
GAA, .937 Sv%, 2 SO). Lundqvist has reached the 30-save mark in 17
games this season, posting a record of 13-3-1 with a 2.11 goals against
average, .941 save percentage, and two shutouts in those contests.
Martin St. Louis notched his first goal as a Ranger with a
shorthanded tally and logged 16:42 of ice time. The goal was his 30th of the
season, marking the seventh time in his career St. Louis has reached the
30-goal milestone. It was also his first shorthanded goal since a 3-1 win on
Feb. 9, 2010 against Vancouver as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Benoit Pouliot tallied the eventual game-winning goal, on the power
play, and registered a team-high, four shots in 15:09 of ice time. The goal
extended his point streak to three games (one goal, two assists), and he has
now recorded five points (one goal, four assists) in the last five games.
Pouliot tied his single-season career-high with his 32nd point, a mark he
originally established during the 2011-12 season.
Mats Zuccarello registered a power play assist and three shots in
18:02 of ice time. The assist gave Zuccarello 54 points this season, the most
by a Norwegian-born player in one season in NHL history. The record was
previously held by Espen Knusten, who had 53 points with Columbus during
the 2000-01 season. Zuccarello has recorded 19 points (four goals, 15
assists) in his last 20 games, including nine points (two goals, seven assists)
in the last eight contests, and he now leads the team in points (54) this
season.
Daniel Carcillo opened the game‘s scoring with an even strength
goal at 4:59 of the first period and logged 10:15 of ice time. He is now eight
points shy of 100 for his career.
Rick Nash tallied a shorthanded assist and two shots in 16:17 of ice
time. He has now registered three points (two goals, one assist) in the last
two games, and six points (five goals, one assist) in the last eight contests.
Derick Brassard recorded a power play assist and two hits in 15:17
of ice time. He has tallied seven points (five goals, two assists) in the last
eight games, including a power play point in each of the last two games (1
PPG, 1 PPA). Brassard now leads the team with 18 power play points this
season.
Brian Boyle tallied his 100th career point with an assist and won 3-5
faceoffs (60%) in 11:56 of ice time. He has now registered three points (one
goal, two assists) in the last four games.
Derek Dorsett recorded one assist, three shots, and two hits in 9:59
of ice time. He has now tallied three points (one goal, two assists) in the last
four games.
732270
New York Rangers
Rangers at Canucks … It‘s Go Time!
01 April 2014, 9:34 pm by Carp in Hockey
Alain Vigneault returns to Vancouver for his first regular-season game there
as Canucks‘ ex-head coach. The preseason game last fall, though, kind of
takes some of the luster off the return, as do the previous meetings between
the Rangers and John (Hot Seat) Tortorella.
Ya boys have won six of their last seven. Third of four-game trip (1-1 so far)
that ends in Denver Thursday. Then all that‘s left is a three-game homestand
and a season-ending visit to Montreal.
More line juggling in an apparent attempt to get Martin St. Louis
going—because giving him his buddy Brad Richards wasn‘t enough. So
Dominic Moore, who played with St. Louis a bit in Tampa, moves to the left
wing with Richards and St. Louis.
Carl Hagelin jumps up to the, ahem, first line with Derek Stepan and Rick
Nash, while the actual first line—Benoit Pouliot-Derick Brassard-Mats
Zuccarello—remains intact. Daniel Carcillo goes back down to the fourth line,
with Brian Boyle moving to center.
Henrik Lundqvist in goal against Eddie Lack. J.T. Miller, Ryan Haggerty and
Justin Falk remain prucha‘d and John Moore (concussion) sits out but is
getting close to returning.
Big few nights on the out-of-town scoreboard, too, with the Jackets and
Flyers both playing quality opponents tonight, and then Columbus visiting
Philly Thursday.
Click here for the NHL standings heading into tonight‘s games.
Other games that matter tonight:
Colorado 3, Columbus 2 (OT); Philadelphia at St. Louis (in progress).
732271
Ottawa Senators
Karlsson nominated for Masterton
by Ken Warren
on April 1, 2014
Erik Karlsson celebrates his goal in the 1st period as the Ottawa Senators
take on the Montreal Canadiens in NHL action at the Canadian Tire Centre in
Ottawa, January 16, 2014. (Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen)
Erik Karlsson isn‘t satisfied. He knows he‘s not all the way back to where he
once was: the National Hockey League‘s unquestioned best defenceman,
the guy who owned the game night after night.
At the same time, perhaps we all need some occasional reminding of where
he was a year ago, separated from his Ottawa Senators teammates and
working out on his own, just beginning a desperate comeback from his
devastating Achilles tendon injury.
While Karlsson made an impressive comeback — months ahead of schedule
— to give the Senators a lift in the 2013 playoffs — he wasn‘t operating at
anything close to his usual high standards, but rather somewhere around ―60
per cent‖ in his view.
Even now, almost 14 months after the left skate of Pittsburgh Penguins
forward Matt Cooke sliced across the back of his left leg, Karlsson says the
leg feels ―weird‖ and he suggests he‘s only in the ―high 80s‖ or ―almost 90‖
per cent of top form.
Karlsson‘s push to regain his elite status — he leads the Senators and all
NHL defencemen in scoring with 70 points, including 20 goals — has made
him the Senators‘ nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy as
selected by the Ottawa chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers
Association.
Named after the Minnesota North Stars player who died after his head struck
the ice during a game in January 1968, the Masterton is awarded annually to
the NHL player who best combines dedication, perseverance and
sportsmanship.
―It‘s nice to be recognized,‖ Karlsson said Tuesday, a day off from practice for
all Senators players before they resume their long-shot quest for an Eastern
Conference playoff berth with Wednesday night‘s game against the New
York Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre.
―When I played the first 14 or 15 games or whatever it was (last season), I felt
really good about myself,‖ Karlsson added. ―I felt that my game was going to
the peak of where I wanted to be and this came along and kind of ruined
everything and I kind of had to start all over a bit. It was tough physically and
mentally to try and figure out what to do to be successful.‖
Now that he has almost played a full season since recovery, Karlsson has
mixed emotions about the state of his game.
Much of that, no doubt, has to do with his and his team‘s inconsistent play all
season, which has them clinging to a last grasp hope of making the playoffs.
While Karlsson had share of highlight games this season, he has also
experienced a few clunkers, including a sub-par performance in Monday‘s
2-1 shootout victory against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The pain is long gone and he‘s no longer thinking about his surgically
repaired Achilles during games, but, in his perfect world, he wanted to be all
the way back by the anniversary of the operation, when he was representing
Sweden in the Sochi Winter Olympic Games.
―I didn‘t really know what to expect going into this year,‖ he said. ―It has been
tough. It has been going up and down, I think, and it has a lot to do with not
being able to work out (last off-season) like I usually do in the summers.‖
Yet, considering that several other players who had been through Achilles
surgery previously cautioned Karlsson that full recovery often took longer
than a year, he knows his rehabilitation has probably gone as well as could
be expected.
―Where I‘m at today is further than I thought I would be,‖ he said. ―Obviously,
I‘m very pleased with how the progression has gone. It‘s weird. It doesn‘t feel
like it did before, but, at the same time, it feels good enough to be able to play
at the level that I kind of want to be at.
―I know I‘m going to have to give it time, and this summer is going to be big for
me, when, hopefully, I can go back to the normal routine and do the things I
normally do in the summers.‖
Karlsson said it was difficult to describe exactly how his leg felt different than
from before the injury.
―It‘s a little bit of everything,‖ he said. ―The flexibility is the same. It‘s back to
where it normally is. It‘s just about muscles and all the scar tissue I still have.
That has been slowing down the process, and it‘s really hard to break
through it when you skate. I think just being in shoes and running and doing
that stuff (in the summer) will tear it all off.‖
Barring a remarkable string of good fortune for the Senators in the final two
weeks of this season, however, Karlsson can‘t consider the 2013-14 season
as anything other than a disappointment.
―We‘re not pleased where we are at,‖ he said. ―I don‘t think anyone is pleased
with the season. There are always things you want to be better at. As for my
season, I haven‘t felt the way I really wanted to, things I couldn‘t do that I
thought I could normally do. That‘s a big part of why I‘m not happy where I‘m
at.‖
Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 04.02.2014
732272
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators still in it, but will need some help
By Bruce Garrioch
,Ottawa Sun
First posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 06:00 PM EDT | Updated: Tuesday,
April 01, 2014 09:26 PM EDT
The Senators spent Tuesday night scoreboard watching.
In the midst of a stretch of six games in nine days, the Senators had Tuesday
off to get rested and ready for Wednesday's visit by the New York Islanders
to the Canadian Tire Centre.
The Senators are 4-0-1 in their last five games. Making the playoffs is a
longshot, but they did head into Tuesday's action trailing Columbus by four
points for the final wild-card spot.
The Jackets, Leafs and Devils, all teams in front of the Senators, were
playing Tuesday night.
Ottawa players don't really want to get caught up in the post-season talk with
seven games left. The reality is this team has to win its remaining games and
then get some help.
"We love this. This is great. It reminds me of last season of having that feeling
in our room of being confident," said defenceman Marc Methot. "It's a great
atmosphere. This is what we strive for and we're going to try to keep it going.
"I don't want to say that we're parading around the room now. We understand
the severity of the situation and where we are in the standings. We're trying to
be professional about it. It's good to enjoy it after the games. That's what you
play for: That good feeling in the room."
The Senators don't control their own destiny. They have to keep winning and
there is no margin for error. Coming off a 2-1 win over Carolina, the club still
has two sets of back-to-back games.
People also seem to be ignoring the fact the Maple Leafs, Capitals and
Devils are also ahead of the Senators in the standings and are still in the mix.
There is still a huge hurdle here to climb.
"When you win games you have more fun around the rink," said goalie Craig
Anderson. "We don't know what's going to happen. We need a lot of help. If
we win games, and worry about ourselves, anything can happen."
The Senators will decide Wednesday morning if captain Jason Spezza and
defenceman Jared Cowen, who are both day-to-day with lower body injuries,
will be able to return against the Isles.
THIS N' THAT
The club signed college free agent winger Garrett Thompson from Ferris
State Wednesday along with 2012 No. 3 pick Chris Driedger, a goalie from
the Calgary Hitmen.
Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.02.2014
732273
Ottawa Senators
Erik Karlsson named Senators' Masterton Trophy nominee
By Bruce Garrioch
,Ottawa Sun
April 01, 2014 04:54 PM EDT
There have been mental hurdles along the way for Karlsson but he feels like
he‘s dealt with those.
―I would say, yes. I don‘t think I‘ve really thought about it at all while I play,‖
said Karlsson. ―It‘s not something that‘s been stopping me from trying to do
stuff.
―I don‘t think that‘s really been an issue for me at all.‖
If Karlsson can score 70 points not feeling 100%, what will accomplish next
season?
Erik Karlsson certainly looks like he‘s in fine form most nights this season.
He insists he‘s not quite there.
Thirteen months removed from having his Achilles tendon severed by former
Pittsburgh Penguins‘ winger Matt Cooke on Feb. 13, 2013, Karlsson is back
to playing as much as 30 minutes a night.
As the season winds down, the Senators‘ top defenceman is the first
blueliner in 15 years to reach the 20-50-70 point plateau and he‘s achieved
that without even being completely healthy.
Given all the hard work and what he‘s achieved, Karlsson, 23, was
announced Tuesday as the club‘s nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy in
voting by the Ottawa chapter of the Professional Hockey Writer‘s
Association.
The Masterton Memorial trophy is an award given to a player each year, who
best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. It‘s
been a long road back for Karlsson.
―I‘ve heard about it before and it‘s nice to be recognized,‖ said Karlsson. ―It
was a tough time last year.
―When I played the first 14 games I felt really good about myself and I felt that
my game was going to the peak where I wanted to be. Then, this came along
and kind of ruined everything. I had to start over a bit. It‘s been tough both
physically and mentally to figure out what I need to do to be successful.‖
The issue for Karlsson is that as a result of the injury and the surgery there‘s
still lingering scar tissue that he was told would be a problem. He believes
he‘s probably at 90% right now.
If the Senators don‘t make the playoffs and whether he takes part in the world
championships for Sweden or not, he‘ll still have a full summer of training to
get ready for next September.
―I didn‘t really know what to expect coming into this year. It‘s been tough,‖
said Karlsson. ―It‘s been going up and down and it has a lot to being able to
work out (last year) like I usually do in the summers.
―Where I‘m at today is further than I thought would be but I‘m also pleased
with the way the progression has gone. It doesn‘t feel like it did before but at
the same time it feels good enough to be able to play at the level I kind of
want to be at it.
―This summer is really going to be big for me when I go back to the normal
routine and do the things that normally do during the summers. It‘s getting
better and better. I don‘t think I‘m 100% but I‘m getting really close.‖
A winner of the Norris Trophy as the league‘s top defenceman in 2011-12,
Karlsson was in fine form before he went down with the injury last season. He
had 70% of his Achilles severed by the cut.
He was told at the times it was going to be a long road back. Karlsson
admitted he scoffed at the suggestion by some it would take over a year
before he completely felt right again.
Karlsson wasn‘t even close to 100% when he suited up for the final three
games of the season and the playoffs last year, but he felt good enough to
play and wanted to be part of it.
―I came back fairly fast and even thought I didn‘t feel great I still thought that it
would go a lot faster than it has,‖ said Karlsson. ―I was hoping by the
OIympics (in February) I was going to be back to normal.
―It hasn‘t really felt the same yet. Now, I‘m just waiting. I can still skate okay
and do everything like that. There‘s been no pain since I got back which has
been really nice.‖
732274
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa: 218
GOALS-AGAINST
The Ottawa Senators paradox
Boston: 158
Ottawa: 250
By Tim Baines
,Ottawa Sun
April 01, 2014 06:46 PM EDT
POWER-PLAY PERCENTAGE
Boston: 21%
Ottawa 18.4
PENALTY-KILLING PERCENTAGE
So let me get this straight.
Boston: 84.3%
One season ago, Erik Karlsson gets hurt. Jason Spezza gets hurt. Craig
Anderson gets hurt.
Ottawa 80.6%
And the Senators, defying all odds with their stars injured, keep winning.
PENALTY MINUTES/GAME
Their stars return. And the team makes the playoffs.
Boston: 11
This year, relatively healthy, the Senators stumble and bumble their way
through much of the regular season. The overachievers become
underachievers. And now, with more stars -- Bobby Ryan and Spezza -- on
the sidelines, the Senators are winning again. Maybe too little, too late.
Ottawa: 13.2
It's been a weird season, a year where the stats really don't explain the
team's shortcomings.
THE CAP GAME
(According to capgeek.com, a look at where NHL teams are in the standings,
with their salary cap hit in brackets)
League standings
Blame it on Eugene Melnyk? Is he too much of a tightwad for your liking.
Sure, the Senators are about $8 million under the salary cap. But the
surprisingly successful Colorado Avalanche are more than $11 million under
the $64.3-million salary-cap ceiling. And, remember, the Senators did try to
sign David Clarkson as a free agent. Add that $6 million or so to the Senators'
payroll and you think you're any better off?
Boston ($64,300,000)
You don't think the Senators are physical enough? With 2,202 hits, they're
ranked fourth in the NHL, behind only Los Angeles, Toronto and Columbus.
Pittsburgh ($64,300,000)
St. Louis ($64,045,331)
Anaheim ($62,992,491)
San Jose ($64,300,000)
Colorado ($52,931,503)
Maybe they don't block enough shots, maybe they allow too many shots on
goal, maybe their defencemen have been too jittery, maybe their goalies
haven't stopped enough pucks, maybe the strategy has fallen off the tracks?
It's hard to put a finger on what's gone wrong and why it's gone right at the
most unlikely of times.
So let's get into the numbers. For comparison's sake, let's take a look at
Ottawa's statistics vs. those of the league-leading Boston Bruins.
POINTS
Boston: 110
Ottawa: 78
HITS
Boston: 1,862 (Milan Lucic, 232)
Ottawa: 2,202, fourth in NHL (Chris Neil, 225)
BLOCKED SHOTS
Boston: 986 (Johnny Boychuk, 140)
Ottawa: 884, third-worst in NHL (Marc Methot, 100)
GIVEAWAYS
Boston: 561 (Milan Lucic, 66)
Ottawa: 690, sixth-most in NHL (Eric Karlsson leads NHL with 103)
TAKEAWAYS
Boston: 502 (Patrice Bergeron, 46)
Ottawa: 541 (Erik Karlsson, 62, 10th in league)
SHOTS AGAINST
Boston: 2,037
Ottawa: 2,608
GOALS
Boston: 241
Chicago ($64,300,000
Los Angeles ($64,172,268)
Montreal ($64,087,785)
Tampa Bay ($64,300,000)
NY Rangers ($63,369,497
Minnesota ($63,718,969)
Philadelphia ($64,300,000)
Phoenix ($61,541,431)
Detroit ($64,300,000)
Dallas ($59,440,634)
Columbus ($63,561,446)
Washington ($64,300,000)
Toronto ($64,233,433)
Vancouver ($63,532,081)
New Jersey ($63,482,308)
Nashville ($59,440, 634)
Ottawa ($56,451,818)
Winnipeg ($63,676,648)
Carolina ($63,578,465)
Calgary ($53,718,463)
NY Isles ($51,652,810)
Florida ($50,615,662)
Edmonton ($57,248,845)
Buffalo ($57,248,845)
(Ottawa ranks 26th in league in spending. Cap floor is $44 million, ceiling is
$64.3 million)
732275
Philadelphia Flyers
Ice hockey: Homecoming for Johnny Gaudreau
Phil Anastasia
Posted: Tuesday, April 1, 2014, 2:28 PM
The NCAA Frozen Four will be a homecoming for Johnny Gaudreau.
Gaudreau, the former Gloucester Catholic star who probably is college
hockey's best player, will lead Boston College into the national semifinals
April 10 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
"It's going to be exciting for me to get back home," Gaudreau said on a
conference call with reporters on Tuesday. "I have heard from so many family
and friends and old teachers who have texted me or emailed me.
"I'm just trying to take it all in and enjoy it."
Gaudreau, who grew up in Carneys Point in Salem County, said he never
played a game in the Wells Fargo Center -- although he once took the ice at
one of those "Mites on Ice" events between periods of a Flyers game.
"I was younger than everybody else so I probably was out there making snow
angels," Gaudreau said. "I was always a big Flyers fan."
Gaudreau, a left wing, is the leading candidate to win the Hobey Baker
Award, college hockey's equivalent of the the Heisman Trophy in college
football.
Gaudreau leads BC (28-7-4) with 77 points (36 goals, 42 assists). Known in
the Boston area as "Johnny Hockey," Gaudreau scored a point in 31 straight
games this season.
In the regional semifinals against Denver, Gaudreau had a goal hat trick and
an assist hat trick -- three goals and three assists.
Denver coach Jim Montgomery, the former Flyers player who coached
Gaudreau in juniors, compared Gaudreau to Detroit Red Wings star Pavel
Datsyuk.
"He's a dominant, dominant player at our level," BC coach Jerry York said
Tuesday.
Gaudreau will have a big decision to make when Boston College's season is
over. He either can sign with the NHL's Calgary Flames, who drafted him in
the fourth round in 2011, or opt to return to college for his senior season.
In the latter case, he would sign with Calgary after his senior season,
according to his father, Guy Gaudreau, the rink manager at Holleydell Ice
Arena in Sewell.
Guy Gaudreau said that he and his wife, Jane, were leaving the decision to
their son.
"He's 20 years old," Guy Gaudreau said. "He has to make this decision."
At around 5-foot-9, 155 pounds, Gaudreau faces questions about whether he
is too small to succeed in the NHL. He has dealt with the same issue for his
entire career.
"His whole life he's been proving people wrong," Guy Gaudreau said. "All
he's ever wanted to do was play in the NHL."
Note: You can read more about Johnny Gaudreau's remarkable rise from
South Jersey star to college hockey's most intriguing player in the days to
come as The Inquirer previews the NCAA Frozen Four.
Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.02.2014
732276
Philadelphia Flyers
Bernie Parent: I don't have a clue
Bernie Parent, For Philly.com
Posted: Tuesday, April 1, 2014, 12:47 PM
I don't have a clue about most of the things that are happening in my life. I just
don't. You may spend time planning where you want to be and what you want
to do, but you really have no clue how that plan is going to pan out.
Ask a lot of successful people. They had a purpose, a vision, but they had no
clue how they were going to get there. For example, when I was younger, my
vision was to play in the National Hockey League, but I had absolutely no
clue how to get there. It was shown to me day in and day out. People get
frustrated because there's never a direct line to what you want to achieve. It's
never that easy. To get to St. Louis, you have to pass through Pittsburgh.
You keep your purpose in reach, but you have no idea what the ride will be
like.
Things happen. People come into your life. And if you wake up without a clue
as to how you're going to reach your purpose, stay away from your negative
thoughts. Be ready for the positive things that life will bring you today. If you
pay attention to the things happening around you in your life, you will be
shown the way.
When I would step on the ice for every game, they sang the National Anthem,
and my vision was winning. It could be 5-2, we might lose, we might win,
might be a tie, might be a fight, might be a penalty, etc. And I didn't have a
clue what was going to happen. The same scenario can be applied to
everyday life.
When I leave Cherry Hill, N.J., I'm heading back down to the shore. The
shore is my destination. I plan the route I'm going to take, but I don't have a
clue how it's going to work out. There could be an accident, there could be
traffic, I could be delayed, all sorts of things. You know where you want to go,
but there could be a whole bunch of deviations and detours that were
unexpected for multiple different reasons. But the detour could lead you to
unique situations, so enjoy the ride.
Setbacks can be good. What about when I got traded from the Flyers to
Toronto? I had no clue how this situation would pan out for me. But it was the
best thing that ever happened to me. I got to spend two great years with my
mentor, Jacques Plante, learning everything I had to learn about goaltending
before I went back to Philadelphia. I made the best of that situation, and it
ultimately got me closer to my purpose.
"I don't have a clue," is a cousin to risk and fear. You don't know how this
decision you're about to make will affect your life, but you take the risk
anyway and make the best of every situation and see where it leads you. You
face that fear of the unknown. But guess what? If you let your fear paralyze
you and remove you from taking risks, you won't get any closer to your
purpose.
The people who play it safe in life are often unhappy with how their lives have
turned out.
I was talking to a fan at the game the other day, and she was talking about
buying a home in Florida ... but she was hesitant. She was giving every
excuse and reason not to go through with it. I told her, "If that's the way you
feel, then don't get it." But I told her to reprogram her thoughts, think of that
beautiful house in Florida, the beautiful weather, and if you keep that positive
attitude, everything will work out. She has no idea how this will pan out, but
her vision will get her there one way or another if she stays positive. All it
takes is one step.
You may not have a clue, but pay attention to your vision, because it will be
shown to you.
732277
Philadelphia Flyers
Do Flyers need shootout specialist?
Frank Seravalli
So, if one of the brightest minds in hockey believes that a fourth line may be
expendable in some ways, why not experiment? Find a player who isn‘t a
total liability when he‘s on the ice and ride the heck out of him in the shootout.
He‘s a total hypothetical, but a player like Brad Boyes would fit the bill. He
can contribute on a couple different lines. He‘d only earned $1 million in each
of the last two seasons. And he is the NHL‘s all-time leader in goals scored
(37) in the shootout, operating at 46.2 percent.
Posted: Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 3:54 AM
Approximately 14.2 percent of all 1,230 games this season have gone to a
shootout - just a few ticks off the record of 14.96 percent. They aren‘t going
anywhere.
ST. LOUIS -- Try as the NHL‘s general managers may to diminish it, the
shootout isn‘t going anywhere.
Even if a supposed shootout specialist were to make up only half of the
points lost by the Flyers this season - two through Tuesday‘s game - he
would be well worth that million and roster spot. He won‘t be able to stop
pucks at the other end, but he could be the difference between home-ice
and/or missing the playoffs entirely.
That isn‘t great news for the Flyers, who dropped their second straight game
in a shootout - be it against two of the league‘s best teams.
Within minutes of the final horn sounding in overtime, the social media
commentary from fans began pouring in about the Flyers‘ shootout woes.
Most were chalking up the loss before overtime even ended.
And, well, it‘s hard to blame the fan frustration.
The statistics are extraordinary. The Flyers are far and away the NHL‘s worst
shootout team (27-50) since it was instituted in 2005. They also have the
worst save percentage (.571) in the shootout by a wide margin (29th ranked
team, Toronto, is .607).
The Flyers are now 3-7-0 in shootouts this season, leaving 4 points in the
standings on the table.
Craig Berube only has two players - Claude Giroux (43.6 percent), Matt Read
(40 percent) - with career numbers who are above the league average of
32.6 percent.
Ray Emery, now 0-2 in shootouts in the season, has allowed 5 goals on 7
shots.
So, what can the Flyers do to win more shootouts?
The common refrain from coaches is to practice it more. With practice time
being such a valuable commodity, especially during a condensed schedule,
coaches often have a hard time squeezing it in with so much work focused on
special teams.
Couple other quick hits from Scottrade Center:
> Hal Gill‘s mentoring role with Erik Gustafsson was the subject of today‘s
notebook in the paper. Gill, who is probably in better shape than most players
in Berube‘s lineup, said he‘s tried to focus on not looking past this season.
He was dripping sweat yesterday after going through skating exercises on
his own with assistant coach Ian Laperriere, long after scratches Steve
Downie and Jay Rosehill had retreated to the locker room. That‘s a pretty
impressive drive for a 38-year-old with a Stanley Cup ring who is far down on
the Flyers‘ depth chart.
Since he‘s gotten a taste of the mentoring role, learning the ins-and-outs of
team makeup, is coaching in his future?
―I won‘t lie to you and tell you I‘m not thinking about it,‖ Gill said. ―Right now,
my big focus has to been ready in case I do play. I just keep a positive
attitude. I enjoy the game, I enjoy being around the game. I come to the rink
and practice hard and wait my turn.‖
Gill is a smart guy. Amazingly, even after a 1,106-game career, he‘s trying to
glean everything he can from watching his teammates play. He still wants to
be better.
We‘ve heard that before.
―I‘m watching the game, trying to get better,‖ Gill said. ―It‘s nice to be able to
watch a guy like Kimmo play and see how he handles himself. I‘ve learned
from him, I‘ve learned from ‗Coby‘ and ‗Grossy‘ and try to become a better
player. I‘ll worry about the rest of that (my career) after the fact.‖
Watching T.J. Oshie do his thing against Emery, the same way he repeatedly
victimized Russia in Sochi for the United States, was a poignant reminder of
what a powerful weapon a successful shooter can be. Of course, Oshie is so
much more than just that for St. Louis.
After this one last run with the Flyers, it‘s hard to imagine Gill straying too far
from the rink. Told he has the best job in the world - earning $700,000 a year
to play 4 games, skate every day and be a part of a team - he couldn‘t deny
that.
Oshie, 27, is now 9-for-12 on the season. He is the NHL‘s all-time leader in
shooting percentage (56.2) and he‘s already closing in on the record for
game-deciding goals.
―It‘s not a bad gig,‖ Gill said. ―I think anyone in my position, though, would
want to be in the lineup. I have a great job. I‘m not complaining about it.‖
All of that which begs the question: are we reaching a time in the NHL where
shootout specialists will have a role on the roster?
> One possible injury to watch: Defenseman Andrew MacDonald really
seemed to be favoring his right ankle post-game, after blocking a shot
against the Blues. He was walking pretty gingerly.
Football teams have long-snappers. Basketball teams have three-point
snipers. Baseball teams have pinch-hitting gurus.
The Flyers have a complete day off on Wednesday, so he‘ll have time to heal
up a bit.
With such a premium being placed on points in the NHL, it‘s a modern
miracle we haven‘t seen it happen already - considering some teams are still
paying big money for an enforcer who might not play more than 4 minutes or
40 games a season.
> Quotable. One positive of the Flyers‘ brutal schedule over the final month of
the season was that they‘ve learned to play a versatile style to match some of
the big guns in the NHL, says MacDonald:
I never would have thought that to be a possibility until speaking with Ken
Hitchcock before Tuesday‘s game against the Blues. Mind you, it wasn‘t
about the shootout, but rather about the role of a fourth line.
Hitchcock, the proud owner of a gold medal from Sochi as an assistant coach
for Team Canada, said he used to believe it was important to roll four lines in
a game to get everyone acclimated.
No more.
―Between all of the penalties, special teams and stoppages, I‘m starting to
change the way I‘m thinking about that,‖ Hitchcock said. ―We‘re beginning to
get back to the way we were maybe 20 or 30 years ago, when fourth line
guys had a role and were specialists.‖
―We competed. I thought we did a good job of getting in there on the
forecheck. It was a really grind-type game from both sides. That‘s the type of
style (the Blues) play, we need to learn how to play in those type of games. I
think it‘s good for us to know that we can go out and perform in those type of
situations.‖
732278
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers Notes: With Timonen out, Flyers go with Gustafsson
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted: Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 1:09 AM
ST. LOUIS - Defenseman Erik Gustafsson had been alternating with the
since-traded Andrej Meszaros, but ever since the Flyers acquired Andrew
MacDonald from the Islanders, he has been a forgotten player.
Until Tuesday night.
Gustafsson, a healthy scratch in the previous 14 games, returned to the
lineup against St. Louis because of an undisclosed facial injury to Kimmo
Timonen.
"You don't want to be on the side; it's not easy, especially mentally, to stay
ready," Gustafsson said after the morning skate Tuesday in St. Louis. "But
it's part of the business we're in and I'm happy to get the chance tonight."
Coach Craig Berube said he wanted Gustafsson - who was plus-9 with 10
points in 27 games before Tuesday - "to be a good defender and move the
puck. Gus does that."
"Gus is one of my favorite players, to be honest," star center Claude Giroux
said with a smile. "He's small, but he's a hard-nosed player and he's really
smart out there. He reads the plays pretty good."
With Timonen sidelined - he is expected to return Thursday - the Flyers
altered all three defensive pairings Tuesday. The pairings: Gustafsson and
Luke Schenn, Braydon Coburn and Nick Grossmann, and Mark Streit and
MacDonald.
Berube said Timonen, 39, "probably could have came and played, but I think
it's important he's rested and feeling good" for the home stretch.
Giroux honored
Giroux was named the NHL's third star of the month. Boston winger Jarome
Iginla, who had a league-high 13 goals in March, and Detroit winger Gustav
Nyquist (12 goals in March) were named the first and second stars.
Giroux led the NHL with 15 assists and 21 points in March, helping the Flyers
compile a 9-3-2 record.
"His work ethic is really high, and that's what makes it all go for him - his hard
work and competitiveness, along with his skill," Berube said. "He doesn't try
to play a skill game . . . as much as he works. When you have a skill guy that
works like that, they're dangerous players."
Breakaways
Goalie Steve Mason, rested Tuesday, will oppose his former team,
Columbus, in a key matchup Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center. . . . The
Flyers missed out on highly touted University of Massachusetts-Lowell
defenseman Christian Folin, who signed with the Minnesota Wild. The Flyers
were one of the finalists for the free agent.
732279
Philadelphia Flyers
With Timonen out, Gustafsson gets another chance
March 22) was probably one area we weren‘t ready for ... they were bringing
all five men to the top of the circle.‘‘
Hitchcock has the Blues on top in the Western Conference and some believe
he has a legitimate chance to bring St. Louis its first ever Stanley Cup.
Emery starts
Posted: Tuesday, April 1, 2014 8:10 pm | Updated: 9:06 pm, Tue Apr 1, 2014.
Wayne Fish Staff writer
Ray Emery was named the starting goalie for Tuesday night's game. Berube
said Steve Mason has been playing a lot of games and could use a rest. Plus,
Mason's old team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, are in Philly on Thursday.
Burlington County Times LOADED: 04.02.2014
ST. LOUIS -- First he was parked behind Andrej Meszaros.
Then Erik Gustafsson watched the Flyers send Meszaros to Boston, only to
pick up Andrew MacDonald at the March 5 trade deadline.
So Gustafsson had to sit patiently until there was an opening on defense.
That space finally appeared Tuesday when Kimmo Timonen had to sit out a
game against the Blues due to an upper body injury, believed to be a cut
beneath his chin suffered in Sunday's game against Boston.
Gustafsson's career has been a stop and start affair. Every time he gets
rolling, he either gets injured or gets in the coach's doghouse.
After a minus-2 effort in the Flyers' 7-3 loss to San Jose on Feb. 27,
Gustafsson was sent to the bench by coach Craig Berube and hasn't been
heard from since. That's 14 games without action.
"It (the Sharks) was a bad game,'' Gustafsson said at Tuesday morning's
skate at the Scottrade Center. "But I don't think one game can ruin your
season.''
Gustafsson, who was scheduled to be paired with Luke Schenn, is the
highest rated defenseman at a plus-9 but has appeared in only 27 games.
"When I play good I think I'm a good defenseman,'' Gustafsson said. "I just
need to play consistently, move the puck all the time and move my feet. I just
have to keep those two things in line and that will go a long way.''
Berube still believes in Gustafsson, who's on the last year of a $1 million,
one-way contract. He's a restricted free agent for 2014-15.
"Be a good defender, move the puck, Gus does that,'' Berube said when
asked what he expects from Gustafsson. "If he moves his feet, he'll be fine.''
Captain Claude Giroux thinks Gustafsson can have an impact on games.
―He‘s one of my favorite players,‘‘ Giroux said. ―He‘s a hard-nosed player,
he‘s small but he works really hard. He‘s smart out there with the plays he
makes. He just reads the play really good.‘‘
Giroux third star
Giroux was named the NHL's third star for the month of March. Boston's
Jarome Iginla (13 goals) was first star and Gustav Nyquist (12 goals) of
Detroit was second.
Giroux was the leading point man (21) for the month. According to Giroux, it's
the first time he's ever received the honor.
"I've been playing good, so it's a lot of fun,'' Giroux said.
Berube said: ―His work ethic is really good, really high. That makes it all go for
him. He doesn‘t try to play a skill game so much as he works. When you have
skill guys who work like that, they‘re dangerous.‘‘
Hitchcock‘s take on Flyers
When St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock visited Philadelphia a couple weeks
ago, he called the Flyers a ―dangerous‘‘ playoff team. Then the Flyers went
out and beat his Blues 4-1.
Tuesday morning, Hitchcock held court after the morning skate and
reiterated the Flyers are, in his estimation, a tough opponent, even with
Timonen out of the lineup for this game.
―Their defensemen are coming all the time on the attack,‘‘ said Hitchcock,
who coached the Flyers from 2002-06. ―It‘s more of our defending against the
rush. They‘re one team that‘s brought more numbers on the attack than
we‘ve seen for a long time.
―The teams in the West are more conservative -- whereas the Flyers‘
defensemen are coming, sometimes they‘re acting as forwards. That (on
732280
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers show spirit again in St. Louis shootout loss
Berube juggled his defense pairings with Timonen gone.
With Erik Gustafsson inserted in the lineup, he was paired with Luke Schenn.
Braydon Coburn was matched with Nick Grossmann and ex-Islanders Streit
and Andy MacDonald worked as a unit.
Grossmann and Coburn spent a lot of time clearing traffic in front of Emery.
Posted: Tuesday, April 1, 2014 11:53 pm | Updated: 12:41 am, Wed Apr 2,
2014.
By Wayne Fish Staff writer
ST. LOUIS — It isn‘t easy shutting out one of the NHL‘s best teams on its
home ice but the Flyers don‘t seem to be backing down from any challenges
these days.
First they took No. 1 Boston to the limit Sunday before losing in a shootout.
The trend continued Tuesday night at the Scottrade Center, where the Flyers
battled No. 2 St. Louis to a 65-minute double shutout before losing in another
shootout, this by a 1-0 score.
T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk scored shootout goals while the Flyers
came up empty in the tiebreaker but the Flyers did secure another valuable
point to stay four points up on fourth-place Columbus in the Metro Division
standings.
It was the first time St. Louis failed to score a goal before the shootout on
home ice all season.
Ray Emery supplied the goaltending heroics for the Flyers, who are now
4-0-2 recently against the likes of St. Louis, Boston, Pittsburgh and Chicago.
Ryan Miller was equally sharp in goal for the Blues.
Emery has played in hard luck all season but on this particular night, his
defense played well in front of him.
―Yeah, it‘s frustrating,‘‘ Emery said, ―going the distance and then falling short
in a shootout. But you know, I thought we did well. (St. Louis) is a great team
and we poured it on at the start.
―We had a lot of chances throughout the game. (Miller) played really good
down there. But, it was definitely a good effort on our part, I think.‘‘
It was just the fourth time since the shootout was instituted in 2005 that the
Flyers have played a scoreless tie that was decided by a shootout.
Even though top defenseman Kimmo Timonen was scratched due to an
upper-body injury, the backliners played well in front of Emery.
―Definitely,‘‘ Emery said, ―that‘s a tough team to play against. They cycle a
lot, they spin it out of the corner. They just kind of throw it at the net. They try
to make that backdoor pass where they bounce it off guys. I thought we
worked really hard down there — did a good job in the defensive zone.‘‘
Both teams had good scoring chances but couldn‘t cash in.
The Flyers‘ Michael Raffl received a nice cross-ice feed from Mark Streit
early in the second period but Miller was able to get his left pad out in time to
make the stop.
Raffl also had a good opportunity early on when Claude Giroux broke free on
a breakaway. Again Miller made a sprawling save.
―Miller played outstanding,‘‘ Raffl said. ―I thought G was going to go for the
breakaway, I didn‘t expect him to pass it.
―I thought it was a great battle for us. We played well defensively. We‘ve got it
a little bit together more, we check harder, we play better defense. You‘re not
happy when you lose but every point is huge right now.‘‘
Coach Craig Berube sounded satisfied with the effort, knowing he had just
taken three of four points over the high-flying Blues in the space of 10 days.
He was especially pleased with Emery‘s performance.
―Great job,‘‘ he said. ―It‘s been a lot of tough games and he‘s come up big.
He‘s a winner, he‘s a battler, he battled hard tonight.‘‘
The Flyers continue to improve their chances of making the playoffs by
getting at least a point in most of these games.
―Down the stretch here we‘ve done a great job,‘‘ Berube said.
―Coming in, we knew it was going to be a tight-checking game,‘‘ Grossmann
said. ―We needed to play good defense. I thought guys played well in front of
Ray and he played a heck of a game.
―It seems like guys are coming together well, playing as a team for each
other, playing with a lot of heart, determination. That‘s good to see, that‘s
what we need from everyone.‘‘
Giroux was asked if the Flyers now should be considered a legitimate
contender late in the season.
―We‘re still trying to get better,‘‘ Giroux said. ―We‘re still trying to be good
playing as a team. It doesn‘t matter what people say, it‘s about what you do
out there. Our confidence is up right now. But we need to make sure that we
keep getting better with seven games left.‖
Short shots
The Flyers are now 2-2 in shootouts that decided games that were scoreless
through regulation and overtime. The others: Flyers over Calgary on Dec. 6,
2005; New York Islanders over Flyers on Feb. 7, 2012; Flyers over Toronto,
March 10, 2012.
Burlington County Times LOADED: 04.02.2014
732281
Philadelphia Flyers
Emery's masterpiece goes for naught in shootout loss
By R.B. FALLSTROM, Of The Associated Press
Posted: 04/02/14, 12:12 AM EDT | Updated: 10 secs ago
ST. LOUIS — Ryan Miller stopped 31 shots and T.J. Oshie and Kevin
Shattenkirk scored in a shootout in the St. Louis Blues‘ 1-0 victory over the
Flyers on Tuesday night.
St. Louis has 109 points, one fewer than Boston for the top spot in the NHL.
Miller, who earned his 29th career shutout, made a skate save against
Vincent Lecavalier and a glove save on Claude Giroux in the shootout.
One of Miller‘s best saves came with 1:30 to go in overtime when he
stretched out and denied Jakub Voracek‘s bid to slide the puck under his
pads.
Emery earned his 16th career shutout and second this season.
Oshie, who scored on a backhand, is 9 for 12 in the shootout. Giroux is 5 for
10.
Both teams killed penalties in the final five minutes of regulation, with a
high-sticking call to Giroux stretching into the first 36 seconds of overtime for
the Flyers. St. Louis penalty killers have allowed three goals on 36 chances
the past 12 home games.
The Flyers played in St. Louis for the first time since the 2010-11 opener.
Miller foiled two breakaways in the opening minutes, one created when
defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk collided. He made an
outstanding left pad save on Michael Raffl to thwart a 2-on-1 break early in
the second period.
Two Blues hit the goalpost in the second period, Jaden Schwartz in the
opening minute and Pietrangelo in the final minute.
lll
NOTES: Kimmo Timonen did not make the trip after taking a puck to the chin.
Alex Gustafsson played for the first time since Feb. 27. ... The Blues tricked a
fan between the second and third periods who was blindfolded at center ice
and then shot several yards wide of the net, telling him he‘d won $15,000.
The fan did a celebratory belly flop on the ice before being told he‘d been
duped. ... The Blues‘ last 0-0 regulation game was March 22, 2012, at Los
Angeles, a 1-0 shootout loss. ... The Flyers have been shut out four times.
Delaware County Times LOADED: 04.02.2014
732282
Philadelphia Flyers
Skate Update: Rare appearance for Gustafsson
Staff
April 1, 2014, 3:30 pm
games last month, and he lit the red lamp for two game-winners. He ranks
third in the NHL with 78 points, on 25 goals and 53 assists.
Berube called the honor ―very good,‖ adding that Giroux ―plays with a lot of
energy out there. His work ethic is really good, it‘s really high, and that makes
it all go for him -- his hard work and competitiveness out there, and his skill.
―He doesn‘t try to play a skill game so much. He lets his skill happen, and he
works. When you have a skilled guy who works like that, they‘re dangerous
players.‖
Emery in net
ST LOUIS -- With linchpin defenseman Kimmo Timonen home in
Philadelphia, Erik Gustafsson reappears in the Flyers' lineup for the first time
in almost five weeks since going minus-2 in a 7-3 loss to San Jose on Feb.
27.
The player known as ―Gus‖ had been a healthy scratch for 14 consecutive
games, and with the Olympic break and all, his appearance Tuesday at St.
Louis is only his second game action since Feb. 6.
―It‘s gonna be a lot of fun to get in tonight,‖ he said after the Flyers‘ morning
skate at Scottrade Center, repeating that mantra later.
As to why Gustafsson had been scratched for the entire month of March, the
minus-2 vs. the Sharks stands out, though he didn‘t put much stock into that
and coach Craig Berube cited a numbers game.
―Just a bad game, I didn‘t really think much of it,‖ said Gustafsson, who at age
25 is in his first full season with the Flyers after three seasons in which he
split time between the AHL and NHL. ―I don‘t think one game can ruin your
season like that.‖
Gustafsson did allow that not playing in an actual game was ―frustrating.‖
―You don‘t want to be on the side,‖ he said. ―It‘s not easy, especially mentally,
to stay ready, but it‘s part of the business we‘re in. I‘m happy for the chance
tonight, and we‘ll see where we go from there.‖
Gustafsson, 5-10, 180 pounds, will be teamed with Luke Schenn, 6-2, 229, in
the Flyers‘ third pairing vs. the Blues as Berube juggled all three of his
pairings with Timonen out.
Braydon Coburn and Nicklas Grossman will be the top pairing, with Andrew
MacDonald and Mark Streit in the second group. Coburn and Grossman are
big sides of beef at 6-5/220 and 6-4/230, respectively, and are together to
play against the Blues' beefy top line of David Backes (6-3/220), Alexander
Steen (5-11/212) and T.J. Oshie (5-11/189), Berube said.
From Gustafsson, Berube expects, ―Normal play ... be a good defender, first
of all, and move the puck. ... If he moves his feet, he‘ll be fine.
―He‘s had some real good games this year, and there‘s time he didn‘t play as
well, didn‘t move the puck and stuff. I don‘t think I‘m looking for anything more
than what he‘s capable of doing. He‘s a puck mover. ... Gus defends well.‖
And the healthy scratch thing? Merely numbers, according to Berube.
―Our D has been pretty healthy; a lot of times it was just he was the odd man
out,‖ said Berube, adding that after the San Jose game, ―Gross[mann] came
in and played well, then we got MacDonald.‖
For his part, Gustafsson cited the ―move your feet‖ stuff and also
consistency.
―When I play good, I think I‘m a good defenseman in this league,‖ he said. ―I
just have to find consistency, move the puck ... move my feet, just keep those
two things in mind. That‘ll go a long way.‖
Rest for Timonen
Alternate captain Kimmo Timonen remained home in Philadelphia, rather
than take the quickie rip in-and-out of St. Louis. The Flyers return to Philly
and play host to Columbus in a division game Thursday. Timonen took a
puck in the chops Sunday vs. Boston, and at age 39, he could use the R&R.
―Older guy; he‘ll be ready,‖ Berube said, adding, ―I think he‘ll be fine. He could
have probably came and played today, but I think it‘s important, too, that he‘s
rested and feeling good.‖
Giroux honored
Center Claude Giroux was named the No. 3 star for the month of March by
the NHL (see story). Giroux led the NHL with 15 assists and 21 points in 14
Ray Emery will get the start in goal Tuesday night, with Steve Mason as the
backup in a resting mode.
―He‘s played a lot of games,‖ Berube explained. ―Ray has played well. I had
no problem putting him in tonight.‖
732283
Philadelphia Flyers
Claude Giroux named NHL Third Star of the month
Staff
April 1, 2014, 1:15 pm
For the first time this season, the NHL has recognized a Flyer for his
accomplishments on the ice.
Flyers captain Claude Giroux was named the league‘s Third Star for the
month of March.
Boston right wing Jarome Iginla was named No. 1 star, followed by Detroit
right wing Gustav Nyquist.
Giroux led the three honorees during March in both assists (15) and points
(21). The Flyers went 9-3-2.
Giroux, 26, accrued at least one point in 11 of 14 games, including seven
multi-point performances and three three-point efforts.
He is currently third in the NHL scoring race with 78 points in 74 games. The
Flyers are 19-2-1 when Giroux scores a goal this season and 32-13-3 when
he records at least one point.
732284
Philadelphia Flyers
Steve Mason energized by playoff race pressure
Staff
April 1, 2014, 9:45 am
It‘s been five long years since goalie Steve Mason was last in an NHL playoff
race.
It's been so long, his wait dates all the way back to his Calder Trophy year of
2008-09.
Mason won a career-high 33 games his rookie season to push Ken
Hitchcock‘s Columbus Blue Jackets into the playoffs -– their only playoff
appearance in franchise history -- where they were swept in four games by
Detroit.
The Flyers are in the thick of a playoff race with the New York Rangers. Both
clubs are virtually certain to make it, and the only guesswork is who finishes
second in the Metropolitan Division.
The loser will drop to third and forfeit home-ice advantage for the first round.
―This is what we play hockey for,‖ Mason said. ―Situations where you are
playing meaningful games this time of year. To be in the position we are
[now] after the start we had to the season says a lot about this time. It‘s
definitely exciting.‖
Mason, who will not start tonight when the Flyers meet the Blues for the
second time in less than a month -- Ray Emery will -- has 31 victories.
Given the eight remaining games on the schedule, the soon-to-be
26-year-old has an opportunity to surpass his rookie win total.
He hasn‘t felt this playoff pressure in a long time, either.
―There‘s always pressure,‖ Mason said. ―Being in this situation now,
everyone in this organization and in this dressing room believes we have a
team that can make a long playoff run and there‘s pressure there. At the
same time, it‘s fun to have that.
―I haven‘t played a playoff game in this building, but watching it on TV, how
intimidating a building it is for opposition teams to come into, and have that
kind of fan support here is going to be huge come playoff time. If we can get
home ice, that‘s a step in the right direction.
Tonight is Game 10 of the Flyers' 12 very difficult games against similar
playoff-bound opponents. The Flyers are 6-2-1 with 13 of a possible 18
points so far.
Flyers coach Craig Berube and many of his players have been saying
recently these 12 games, tough as they have been, were exactly what the
club needed to get ―playoff ready.‖
The Blues lost to the Dallas Stars over the weekend. Hitchcock hasn‘t lost
twice to the Flyers in the same season since he became head coach in St.
Louis, so he is looking for payback from the 4-1 loss in Philly on March 22.
―We‘ve done a great job of going up against some of the best teams in the
league and coming out on top,‖ Mason said. ―Finding ways to win hockey
games that aren‘t easy to win. It says a lot about the guys in this room. And
the claim they have in Chief‘s [Berube] system.
―To be in this position is something to be proud of but no one is going to be
happy until we get into the playoffs securely and start making some noise.‖
It‘s entirely possible it will take until the final game of the season to determine
whether the Rangers or Flyers finish second even though both should clinch
a playoff spot soon.
―I think it‘s going to go down to the last couple games of the regular season
just to sort things out for good,‖ Mason said.
―We only got one point [Sunday] and [the Rangers] got two, so you are
definitely doing some scoreboard watching. At the same time, we can only
control what we do. The important thing is, we‘ve put ourselves in this
position [to get it done].‖
732285
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers stifled in shootout loss to Miller, Blues
Staff
―It was a great battle for us,‖ Raffl said. ―I think we played really good
defensively, and Ray was outstanding, as well as Miller over there. It was a
heck of a game, a real fun game.‖
Flyers coach Craig Berube agreed, calling it ―a good game, had some good
chances. Ray battled hard tonight and did a really good job. … Miller made
some big saves all game. Both goalies were really good.‖
April 2, 2014, 12:45 am
In the end, the Flyers earned the one point, could have used the two, but oh,
well.
ST. LOUIS – This was the very definition of a goaltenders‘ duel.
―I look at how we played,‖ Berube said. ―We played a good hockey game. We
got a point out of it. Of course, we want two points. We didn‘t put it in the back
of the net.‖
Two shutouts, 0-0 through the actual play of 60 minutes and the five-minute
overtime.
Flyers backup Ray Emery took turns with St. Louis Blues No. 1 Ryan Miller in
making save after save -- 31 for Miller in 65 minutes of play, 28 for Emery.
In the end, Miller prevailed in his first shutout wearing the bluenote in the
Blues‘ 1-0 in a shootout (see Instant Replay).
No surprise there, really. The Blues are 9-3 this season in the
postgame-skills competitions; the Flyers are 3-7.
T.J. Oshie lit the red lamp in his shootout round, just as he did for Team USA
vs. Russian in the Sochi Olympics. He dipsyed, he doodled, and ultimately
put the puck behind Emery. After Alexander Steen lost control of the puck on
his salvo, Kevin Shattenkirk put a wrister past Emery to clinch it.
At the other end, Miller robbed Vincent Lecavalier with his right pad, then
gloved a shot by Claude Giroux to set up the Shattenkirk‘s winner in round
No. 3.
The adage is that a tie is said to be like kissing your sister; losing in a
shootout is much the same.
―It‘s frustrating going the distance and falling short in the shootout,‖ said
Emery, who nevertheless pitched his second shutout of the season and 21st
of his career. ―It‘s a good effort, but at the same time, it‘s kind of frustrating
losing in the shootout the last couple games.‖
The Flyers are unbeaten in regulation in the past three games, with shootout
loses to the NHL‘s best teams – first overall Boston on Sunday and the
second overall Blues on Tuesday. They whipped up on Toronto on Friday.
―I thought we did well,‖ Emery said, adding that the Blues are ―a great team.
We had a good start and a lot of chances throughout the game; we played
really good [defensively]. It was definitely a good effort on our part.
―They‘re a tough team to play against. They cycle a lot, spin out of the corner
and they just kind of throw it at the net, kind of make that backdoor pass and
try to bounce it off guys. They really work you hard down there. I thought we
did a good job in the defensive zone.‖
The Flyers beat the Blues 4-1 on March 22 at Wells Fargo Center, so they
have limited the NHL‘s No. 4 scoring team to one goal in 125 minutes of play
over two games.
This game wasn‘t like the previous one, though, with Miller on top of his game
and on top of his crease throughout. Two of his best saves were on Michael
Raffl, one each in the first and second periods. Raffl had a 2-on-0 with Giroux
in the first period after Blues defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Jay
Bouwmeester collided and fell down. Then, he had a point-blank shot in the
second period, but Miller slid across to make the left pad save.
Raffl said he‘d change nothing about the first shot.
―I got a good shot off there. I got it high up, but Miller played outstanding
tonight and he was right there,‖ said Raffl, adding that he was somewhat
surprised to be the one taking the shot. ―Both their D-men fell and I thought G
was going to go for the breakaway. I didn‘t expect that he was going to pass
it.‖
Raffl would change his approach on the second-period chance, though.
―I could have taken my time a little bit more, get it up there and it would have
been a sure goal,‖ said Raffl, whose low shot was stopped by Miller. ―It
happens quick out there. If I could go back, I‘d change it.‖
The Flyers would change little else about their effort Tuesday in holding one
of the league‘s elite teams off the scoreboard in the actual on-ice
competition.
732286
Philadelphia Flyers
Instant Replay: Blues 1, Flyers 0 (SO)
Staff
April 1, 2014, 10:45 pm
ST. LOUIS – The Flyers and the St. Louis Blues locked horns in a scoreless
battle Thursday at Scottrade Center.
Up and down the ice they went, as Flyers understudy Ray Emery went
skate-to-glove with Blues leading man Ryan Miller in the save department.
Miller made 31 saves in regulation; Emery 28. It was 0-0 at the end of
regulation and after the five-minute overtime.
But the Blues finally earned a 1-0 victory in the postgame-skills showdown
known as a shootout.
In the SO, T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk lit the red lamp for the Blues, with
Oshie dipsy-doodling all over the place before beating Emery and
Shattenkirk scoring on a wrister to clinch it. (Alexander Steen didn‘t get off a
shot, losing control of the puck.) At the other end, Miller stopped Vincent
Lecavalier with his right pad and gloved a salvo from Claude Giroux.
The Blues are 9-3 in SOs this season; the Flyers 3-7.
It was a quite different game than the teams‘ meeting March 22 at Wells
Fargo Center. In that one, the Flyers decisively beat the Blues 4-1 to extend
their winning streak to five games; they‘ve gone 1-2-1 since then. The Blues
won three in a row after the loss in Philly before losing to Dallas on Saturday.
So, the Blues had revenge on their minds, and the Flyers wanted to show the
victory on the 22nd wasn‘t a fluke in any way.
The Flyers started strongly Thursday, controlling the play early on and
making Miller earn his keep. Once the Blues got their sea legs, they tested
Emery at the other end as Steve Mason got a much-needed day off to rest up
for the Flyers‘ game Thursday vs. Columbus.
Michael Raffl had the Flyers best‘ scoring chances through two, but Miller
stopped him twice. Emery also stood tall and benefited from the Blues‘ hitting
a couple of posts in the second period.
Penalty killing was solid with the Blues killing two and the Flyers one,
including Giroux‘s high-stick of Oshie in a center-ice collision with 1:24 to
play.
The start
The Flyers came out like gangbusters with odd-man rushes/situations in
what seemed like every time down the ice and/or in the Blues‘ zone. One
time, Blues defensemen Alex Pietrangelo fell down and took out partner Jay
Bouwmeester on the Blues‘ side of center ice, giving the Flyers a
two-on-none rush -- a two-on-none! Ryan Miller stopped the shot by Raffl on
a pass from Giroux, a nightmare of a break for a goalie to see coming at him
if there ever was one.
Another time, the Blues‘ Patrik Berglund made like Jaromir Jagr and
stickhandled around several Flyers in the Philly zone, then hit Brayden
Shenn on the shin and the puck bounced out of the zone for another Flyers‘
rush. The shots were 5-0 in favor of the Flyers before Jaden Schwartz got the
first shot for the Blues 4:21 in.
Miller kept the Flyers off the board and helped the home team survive the
visitors‘ onslaught and take the crowd out of it just like home teams do all the
time. Yep.
After one
The Blues ended up outshooting the Flyers 11-10 in the first period, 11-5
after the Flyers‘ strong start, and Emery stood tall. He made strong stops on
Schwartz, Ryan Reaves and Maxim Lapierre among others. Both goalies
were the stars of the first period, through two periods really with the Blues
holding a 19-18 edge in shots.
Ping
The goalie‘s best friend -- the post -- helped out Emery twice in the second
period. Schwartz hit the pipe on a slapper from the slot less than 10 seconds
into the second period. The end of the period provided the perfect bookend,
as the Blues‘ Pietrangelo also did the ping routine behind Emery in the final
15 seconds.
Mutual foul
Referees Tim Peel and Don VanMassenhoven pretty much let the lads play
without interfering with them. Only one foul was called in the first period -- the
Blues‘ Barret Jackman for delaying the game by clearing the puck out of play
-- and the tone was set early in the second period when Andrew MacDonald
and Alexander Steen went off for coincidental penalties for roughhousing in
front of Emery at 1:28.
There would be no monkey business on this night. (The crowd later gave
VanMassenhoven a cheer -- yes, they cheered the ref -- when the PA man
announced that he was reffing his second-to-last game before retiring after
23 years.)
Great chances
Raffl had a glorious scoring chance in both the first period and in the second.
Miller stopped him on the two-on-none with Giroux in the first period, and
Miller slid to his left to rob Raffl with his left pad on a pointblank salvo early in
the second period.
He had yet another chance in the third, but Miller stoned him on a
semi-break-in. Miller also stopped Jakub Voracek on a wrap-around in
overtime.
He‘s baaaack
D-man Erik Gustafsson returned to the Flyers‘ lineup after being lost in the
vortex known as March -- 14 games as a healthy scratch; he hadn‘t played in
an actual game since Feb 27, when he was minus-2 in a 7-3 loss vs. visiting
San Jose. He replaced injured defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who stayed
home in Philadelphia for the quickie in-and-out trip after taking a slapshot on
the chops Sunday vs. Boston. Gustafsson started the game on a pairing with
Luke Schenn.
732287
Phoenix Coyotes
Coyotes earn a point but blow chance in shootout
Ladd's goal was the first shot scored on Greiss this season in the shootout.
Before then, he was 9-for-9 and 2-0. Greiss finished with 21 saves.
"A game of inches. That's just where it is," Tippett said. "We're asking for high
effort, high compete level, doing things right and we're getting that a lot of
time. Now you have to find a way to get results out of it."
Sarah McLellan, azcentral sports 11:38 p.m. MST April 1, 2014
Considering the Jets playoff odds are slim, this was not only a must-win
game but a should-win game for the Coyotes. Still, the Jets hadn't been an
easy out this season for the Coyotes, who previously lost twice in Winnipeg.
The Coyotes might not have an out-of-town scoreboard hanging in their
dressing room, but it would have been pretty hard to overlook one particular
result that had posted before they took the ice for Tuesday's game.
"We played at home. We played against a team that is below us in the
standings, and we would have loved to have had two points," Michalek said.
"But it was a tight game. Both teams played hard. In the shootout, it's about
luck."
Thirty-four minutes before puck drop between the Coyotes and Jets, the
Dallas Stars thumped the Washington Capitals 5-0 to wrestle the final wild
card spot in the Western Conference from the Coyotes.
But the Coyotes didn't respond accordingly to the neck-and-neck race and
lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Winnipeg Jets in front of 13,724 at Jobing.com
Arena to move into a tie with the Stars for the eighth spot with 85 points.
But because the Stars have a game at-hand, they hold the first tie-breaker
and currently sit in a playoff position and that bumps the Coyotes to ninth.
"It's hard to ignore," defenseman Zbynek Michalek said. "They played on the
East Coast, and they finished before we started. So I think everybody knew
the score and knew that they won, and we had to respond. We got one point,
and we'll move on."
Jets captain Andrew Ladd was the lone scorer in the shootout, settling a 1-1
tie that stood for most of the game. Ladd's shot hit off the post and off goalie
Thomas Greiss' left leg before trickling in for the win.
"It's a game of inches," coach Dave Tippett said. "There's an extra point there
you'd certainly like to have, but it wasn't for lack of trying. It was a fast, hard,
tight hockey game. They got a couple bounces, and we didn't."
For the first time in five games, the Coyotes fell behind first not long after the
Jets were handed the first power play of the game. Defenseman Keith
Yandle's pass caromed off a referee Frederick L'Ecuyer in the Coyotes zone,
and the Jets picked up the puck. Center Bryan Little fed Ladd, who went
top-shelf glove-side on Greiss at 10:01.
A single point is invaluable, but this definitely was a missed opportunity to
boost their total especially considering the game was a first of a
back-to-back. The Coyotes traveled after the game to Los Angeles to play
the Kings today.
"We got a point out of it," Michalek said. "I guess we'll see at the end if it was
enough or not."
REPORT
KEY PLAYER: Jets captain Andrew Ladd scored his team's only goal in
regulation and added the shootout winner.
KEY MOMENT: The Coyotes tied it at 1 only 19 seconds into the second with
a goal from D Zbynek Michalek.
KEY NUMBER: 32 Faceoff wins for the Coyotes compared to 16 for the Jets.
VIEW FROM THE PRESS BOX: He's only been the starter for a week, but G
Thomas Greiss hasn't disappointed. It's a difficult challenge, no doubt,
getting plopped into the net at this juncture of the season, but the pressure
doesn't seem to bother Greiss. That seems to be a valuable attribute to have
during a frenzied playoff push.
Wednesday night's game
Coyotes at Kings
When: 7:30 p.m.
"He's trying to do his job as well," Yandle said. "It's a tough break."
Where: Staples Center.
It was the first time the Coyotes trailed after one period at home since Jan.20
against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they replieed only 19 seconds into the
second on a pretty passing play.
TV/radio: NBCSN/KMVP-AM (860).
Winger Mikkel Boedker sent a cross-ice pass to center Antoine Vermette,
who directed a drop pass to Michalek. With Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec out of
position, Michalek buried the puck into the empty net to make it 1-1.
"I was wide open," Michalek said. "You don't score many easier goals than
that. I think our team responded very well after the first period when maybe
they were the better team. After that, we picked up our game a lite bit."
The Coyotes had 13 other shots in the period, clearly looking like the rested
team unlike the Jets. They played the night before in Anaheim and lost 5-4 in
overtime after having a 4-0 lead.
Early in the third, the Coyotes went on the power play for the first time and it
wasn't unrealistic to expect the unit to deliver. It had tallied 11 power play
goals in the previous 13 games.
But the Coyotes blanked on the opportunity. What's more, Boedker rang a
shot off the post midway through the period.
That called for overtime, and winger Blake Wheeler took a high-sticking
penalty on Boedker to put the Coyotes back on the power play with 1:15 left.
And again, the Coyotes couldn't convert.
"Maybe we wish we did a little more in the overtime there when we had the
power play, but unfortunately we didn't," Michalek said.
In the shootout, Boedker and Little both missed the net with their attempts.
Winger Radim Vrbata was stopped and with the chance to tie it up after
Ladd's make, Vermette's shot rang off the post.
"Their goal goes off the referee and then ends up in the back of the net,"
Tippett said. "The shootout goal hits the posts, hits the back of Greiss and
goes in. And then ours hits the post and goes out. Sometimes as good as you
want to be, the game doesn't let you be good."
Kings update: The Kings have a comfortable lead on the third spot in the
Pacific Division despite a loss Monday to the Minnesota Wild. Before then,
the Kings were in the midst of a six-game winning streak. That loss to the
Wild was only the second time this season the Kings were defeated when
they led after two periods. The Coyotes were the first team to rally in the third
against the Kings when the teams last played March17. Center Anze Kopitar
continues to pace the Kings with 63 points. Center Jeff Carter has a
team-high 26 goals.
Arizona Republic LOADED: 04.02.2014
732288
Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes' Jeff Halpern took scenic route back to NHL
Sarah McLellan, azcentral sports 8:54 p.m. MST April 1, 2014
It was unusual territory, being a 13-year veteran of the NHL and not having a
contract when training camp arrived.
But Coyotes center Jeff Halpern was prepared to do whatever it took to
preserve his career, which included a detour to Europe to play in the Finnish
Elite League.
An eight-game stint there in which Halpern tallied four goals no doubt helped
stoke the Coyotes' interest in adding a right-handed centerman, and the
decision hasn't been a letdown.
Since joining the Coyotes, Halpern has been a faceoff specialist, reliable
penalty killer and a regular on the secondary scoring committee.
Those contributions after an unexpected obstacle have led to Halpern's
nomination by the Phoenix chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers'
Association for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which recognizes the
player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship
and dedication to hockey.
"My head and the goal for this year was somehow to put myself in a position
to play in the NHL," Halpern said. "Things didn't work out this summer
probably the way I would have liked things to go or an easier route, but I knew
going into this year I was prepared to play different places or go wherever in
order to try to get back in to the NHL. I've kind of really been appreciative of
getting a chance to play."
Not only did Halpern have to go overseas before landing an NHL contract,
but he's played in Phoenix with his family still living in his native Washington,
D.C. Those sacrifices, however, haven't caused Halpern to lose passion for
the game.
"This is a blast," the 37-year-old said. "Every part about it. Even I was kind of
commentating the other day, getting ready for these games, the morning
skates and shooting around maybe because there's no pressure in those
moments, I really enjoy being part of a group that's preparing for these
games and getting ready for those kind of matches. You're playing at this
point for the chance to continue playing, and that's probably the biggest thing
for me."
Back in the mix
Defenseman Derek Morris returned to the lineup Tuesday against the
Winnipeg Jets after being a healthy scratch for the previous three games.
Morris was one of two veterans recently scratched by coach Dave Tippett.
Center Mike Ribeiro sat two games last week before playing Saturday
against the Minnesota Wild.
"If you put them back in, you expect them to do the job," Tippett said. "Could
be any player, whether it's a young player that comes out and then comes
back in or a veteran player. Every day, you gear your lineup to try to figure out
the best way to win a game.
"Sometimes it's young energy. Sometimes it's veteran leadership.
Sometimes it's just the chemistry you're looking for in your group. Ultimately,
you've got players that are going to be selected on some nights — some on
other nights. It's all geared toward helping you win."
Injury update
Winger Dave Moss skated in the pregame warm-up Tuesday but ended up
missing a second consecutive game with a lower-body injury. Moss was
considered a game-time decision by Tippett.
• Goalie Mike Smith (knee) skated again Tuesday, this time while wearing his
equipment.
"He continues to move along like we'd hoped," Tippett said.
Arizona Republic LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Phoenix Coyotes
Latest loss drops Coyotes out of playoff seed
Craig Morgan
FOX Sports Arizona
APR 02, 2014 1:12a ET
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Reality taunted the Coyotes before they ever took the
ice Tuesday: Dallas Stars 5, Washington Capitals 0.
That result dropped Phoenix into ninth place in the Western Conference and
out of the playoff picture.
The must-win mantra is overplayed in professional sports, but the Winnipeg
Jets were coming off a demoralizing, 5-4 overtime loss the night before in
Anaheim in which they held a 4-0 lead and the Jets had dropped 11 of their
last 14 games (3-7-4).
It wasn't hyperbole to say the Coyotes needed this one after losing their
previous home game to Minnesota. And Phoenix owed the Jets after losing
both games in Winnipeg earlier this season.
None of that mattered one bit when Andrew Ladd scored the shootout's lone
goal and Winnipeg handed the Coyotes a crushing, 2-1 defeat at Jobing.com
Arena hours after the Stars laid down the gauntlet.
"It's hard to ignore. They played on the East Coast and they finished before
we started so I think everybody knew the score and we knew that they won,"
Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek said of the Stars' win. "We got a point
out of it. I guess we'll see at the end if it was enough or not."
The Jets got an early break when Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle tried to
reverse the play away from pressure with a pass behind the net. The puck
struck referee Frederick L'Ecuyer's skate and ended up on Jets center Bryan
Little's stick. Little fed Ladd, who was crashing the net, and Ladd's one-timer
beat goalie Thomas Greiss to stake the Jets to a 1-0 lead at the 10:01 mark
of the first period.
Winnipeg's lead marked the first time the Coyotes had trailed at home after
one period since Jan. 20 (a stretch of 12 games) against Toronto. But the
lead didn't last long.
On a delayed penalty and an odd-man rush, Coyotes left wing Mikkel
Boedker slid a pass across the slot to center Antoine Vermette, who dropped
the puck to Michalek for an easy slapshot into an open net. Michalek's
second goal of the season tied the game just 19 seconds into the second
period.
The Coyotes carried the play much of the second period, but the problem -an age-old problem -- was that they couldn't finish. Boedker hit a post just like
he had against Minnesota and the Coyotes failed to cash in on a 4-on-3
power play in overtime.
"It's a game of inches," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "There's an extra
point there that you'd certainly like to have but it wasn't for a lack of trying."
The loss dropped the Coyotes into a tie with Dallas with six games left in the
season in the race for the Western Conference's final wild-card spot, but the
Stars have a game in hand and own the tiebreaker based on more
regulation/overtime wins. The Coyotes host the Stars in the final game of the
regular season, April 13.
There will be plenty of games the Coyotes can point to at the end of the
season if they miss the postseason by a hair. Getting swept by the lowly
Buffalo Sabres will surely top the list, but three losses to the Jets, who will
miss the playoffs again, will sting just as much.
Six games remain to avoid that sting.
"It's tough, especially when you don't get two points this time of year, but it's
something where you've got to push forward," Yandle said. "We really can't
be worried about (Dallas). They're a good team. They're going to win games.
We've got to do our part and win games."
foxsportsarizona.com LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Pittsburgh Penguins
They also owned the East's best point total. They even had a shot at the
NHL's best record.
Lottery-bound Hurricanes bury listless Penguins at Consol
A week ago, a players-only meeting was called after a listless home defeat
against Phoenix. Teammates said Orpik spoke up about a lack of discipline.
By Rob Rossi
No meeting happened Tuesday night, though Crosby said the Penguins
―maybe thought … we could get away with cheating (work ethic).‖
April 1, 2014 9:52 p.m.
―And it didn't work,‖ Crosby said.
Not much has worked consistently, Bylsma conceded.
The Penguins already have had their players-only meeting.
What now?
After a 4-1 loss to the lottery-bound Carolina Hurricanes at Consol Energy
Center on Tuesday night, defenseman Brooks Orpik said he is ―not too
worried‖ about an 8-8-2 slide since the NHL broke for the Winter Olympics.
Coach Dan Bylsma waited 14 seconds before addressing that topic when
asked about it in his postgame media session.
―The word ‗worried,' ‖ Bylsma said, ―I guess when you look at the last six
games and the inconsistency of our play, I don't think any player looks at that
and says we're all right with that.‖
Orpik, the longest-tenured Penguin, was joined only by fellow veteran
defenseman Rob Scuderi and captain Sidney Crosby inside a somber
dressing room as reporters entered.
Actually, winger Brian Gibbons was there, too, but unlike the other veterans
at their locker stalls, he was not a member of the Penguins squads that lost in
the 2008 Stanley Cup Final and returned to win it the next season.
What is happening to the Penguins is not about Gibbons, one of four players
who dressed against Carolina but who were not with the club to open the
season.
It is not about the league-high 479 man-games lost to injury, players and
coaches have insisted.
Those players and coaches also have said it is not about a lack of urgency
since around New Year's Day. The Penguins (48-23-5, 101 points) need only
one point from their final six games to wrap the Metropolitan Division and the
Eastern Conference's No. 2 playoff seed.
Whatever this rough patch is about seems to elude those who are part of it.
―That's one of those things about the grind — 82 games — making sure you
prepare yourself mentally and make sure you're 100 percent ready,‖ Orpik
said. ―It doesn't matter what team you're playing, even if they're at the bottom
of the standings. If you're not 100 percent, they can expose you and make
you look pretty silly.
―That's what happened here (Tuesday night).‖
The Penguins led 1-0 on winger Chris Kunitz's goal. Crosby's secondary
assist gave him 100 points in a season for the fifth time.
However, Crosby's evening was more memorable for his pro wrestling-like
slamming of Hurricanes defenseman Jay Harrison late in regulation, which
seemingly was a first for Crosby in the NHL.
The Penguins once held a 13-1 lead in shots. That was about 12 minutes into
the game.
The Hurricanes finished on a 27-18 run and rocked the Penguins for four
consecutive goals.
―We kept it simple and kind of frustrated them,‖ said center Eric Staal, whose
Hurricanes had lost in a shootout at Ottawa on Monday.
One of Carolina's goals against the Penguins — center Elias Lindholm's first
of two markers in the second period — came on the power play. Nothing new
for the Penguins, who were at 87.0 percent (23 for 177) on the penalty kill
before the Olympics but are at 79.3 percent (46 of 58) since.
With two weeks before the start of the playoffs, the Penguins are trending like
a bottom-five team on the penalty kill even though they officially are ranked
fourth.
They were first overall once.
Everybody took two weekend wins — at Columbus and at home against
defending champion Chicago — as signs of progress toward playoff-quality
performance.
What now?
Bylsma, after another long pause, said those games were ―indications of our
team being in the right spot.‖
―This game is not,‖ he said. ―We're going on the road for three games, and
two out of three isn't an indication we're in the right spot.‖
Tribune Review LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins Letang nominated for NHL‘s Masterton Trophy
April 1, 2014 10:05 AM
By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Defenseman Kris Letang is the Penguins‘ nominee for the NHL‘s Masterton
Trophy, which recognizes perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to
hockey.
Letang, 26, is recovering from a stroke and has not played since Jan. 27.
He has resumed practicing, but it is not yet known if he will return to the
lineup this season.
Letang, a contender for the Norris Trophy as the NHL‘s top defenseman last
season, had 10 goals and eight assists in 34 games before his stroke was
diagnosed.
Each of the 30 NHL teams has one nominee for the Masterton. Members of
the Professional Hockey Writers‘ Association select the nominee for the team
they cover and vote on the eventual winner.
Lowell MacDonald (1973) and Mario Lemieux (1993) are the only Penguins
to win the Masterton.
Post Gazette LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Gene Collier: Penguins' nice start soured quickly by awful effort
"The first [Carolina] goal is not indicative of our poor puck management; it
was an execution play and it gets away from Matt Niskanen," Bylsma said
when I asked if he was surprised his team could not recover from the totality
of its second-period errors. "The turnovers at the blue line and through the
neutral zone, that was indicative of our play in the game.
"I don't think anyone should be accepting that from our team."
April 1, 2014 11:39 PM
By Gene Collier / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
You could point out at this juncture, in that quasi-snarky way of yours
(meaning mine), that performances such as the past dozen and a half by the
Penguins are the very reason you bother starting 40-15-2 -- so that maybe
you can play this way for the final six weeks and get away with it.
Not sure if the Penguins purposefully chose the second intermission to make
this announcement or if I simply missed it in the first, but reminding the live
audience that tickets for the first two games of the Stanley Cup playoffs go on
sale Monday seemed suddenly ill-advised.
But now you're facing a three-game road trip, not to mention the
embarrassment of having to clinch the Metropolitan Division in some
not-terribly-Metropolitan outpost such as Winnipeg or perhaps the wilds of
Minnesota.
Would those also be the last two games of the Stanley Cup playoffs, as in the
only two played in Pittsburgh this spring?
That'd be a good name for a hockey team.
Don't think that some grumblers in the customary sellout hadn't just absorbed
that very thought, having just been freshly insulted by some 20 minutes of the
worst hockey seen Uptown in a long time.
Outshot, 12-6, and out-goaled, 2-0, in the middle frame, the Penguins had
just escaped to the dressing room down, 3-1, to the spectacularly indifferent
Carolina Hurricanes. If you've always wanted to see an AHL game and just
never got around to it, you can cross that off the list if you've got a ticket stub
from this one.
"Our effort the last 50 minutes was unacceptable, 1 through 20," said
defenseman Brooks Orpik, referring to all but the first 10 minutes of play and
everyone in a dark sweater. "Every guy out there was getting beat on loose
pucks and battles. In the first 10 minutes, we played the right way, but we
couldn't keep it up, and that's disappointing."
True, the Penguins outshot the Hurricanes at the start, 11-1, and put the 12th
shot behind Carolina netminder Anton Khudobin, the affable Kazakhstanian,
but Chris Kunitz's 35th of the season was the final productive image of a
dreadful night.
"I don't know if it's focus, but the effort was very questionable for everybody,"
Orpik went on matter-of-factly, as though he had just witnessed a fender
bender on Center Avenue. "You see guys out there like [Carolina's Jeff]
Skinner and [Nathan] Gerbe, who aren't the biggest guys, and they're pushin'
us around and winning battles.
"It doesn't matter what team you play. They can be at the bottom of the
standings. If you're not ready, they can exploit you and make you look pretty
silly. That's what happened here tonight."
No one walked into the building trying to find a plot line like this one: Could
the Penguins match Carolina's rampant fecklessness with a giant collective
shrug of their own?
But darned it they couldn't.
Worse, it wasn't all that surprising. The Hurricanes floated onto the ice with a
record of 32-32-11. They take that kind of perfect mediocrity pretty seriously,
apparently, their tepid competitive yin and yang extending even to the fact
that they were a virtually mirror-imaged 15-17-5 on the road against 17-15-6
at home.
The Penguins didn't flinch; after all, they are themselves a markedly flaccid
8-8-1 since March 1. Between themselves and the 'Canes, it was hard to tell
which was the team playing out a dreary winter and which was the team
hawking playoff tickets between periods.
Dan Bylsma's team has spent too much time trying to differentiate between
opponents who are already playing playoff hockey and those already playing
for next season, and there's no longer much question as to the urgency level
wafting off the Penguins.
You've heard that tired construct "If the playoffs were to begin tonight ... "?
Well, had the playoffs began Tuesday, the Penguins would be down, 1-0.
Facing a genuine playoff-caliber opponent, they could easily have lost, 8-0.
The more foreboding aspect of this one was that even after the home team
surrendered three consecutive goals in a comically bad stretch, they still had
more than 25 minutes to work out of a two-goal deficit.
They refused.
The Penguins will return home a week from tonight with three games left on
the schedule and at least four remaining in the postseason. Perhaps by then
they'll be of a mind to extend themselves.
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins notebook: Veterans don't expect letdown after division title
clinched
Each of the 30 NHL teams has one nominee for the Masterton. Members of
the Professional Hockey Writers‘ Association select the nominee for the team
they cover and vote on the eventual winner.
Lowell MacDonald (1973) and Mario Lemieux (1993) are the only Penguins
to win the Masterton.
Tip-ins
April 1, 2014 9:10 PM
By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The banner could have been ordered last week.
Or anytime last month, for that matter.
Or probably even last year.
The Penguins entered their game Tuesday night against Carolina knowing
that a victory would lock up the Metropolitan Division championship for them,
but the reality is that took a choke hold on the division long ago.
What isn‘t clear is how they‘ll react after the division title and No. 2 seed in the
Eastern Conference behind Boston is nailed down — whether they‘ll play
with genuine urgency when there is no major objective to be chased.
―If you look at past seasons, if you try to rest guys too much, if you try to ease
in there— tiptoe into the playoffs — I think we‘ve seen it has a direct
carryover on how you play in the first round,‖ defenseman Brooks Orpik said.
―Obviously, you don‘t want to kill yourself, physically, but you want to be up to
speed.‖
Left winger Chris Kunitz said ―we have to play the right way‖ because ―you
don‘t want to get out of sync,‖ and Orpik said that having a team with a heavy
veteran presence should help the Penguins avoid losing their focus.
―Maybe three or four years ago, or maybe when you have a younger team,
there‘s more of a danger of that,‖ he said. ―We have guys who know the trap
you can fall into. We‘ve experienced it before.‖
Hurricanes veer off course
Five years ago, the Penguins faced Carolina in the Eastern final. The
Hurricanes haven‘t been back to the playoffs since.
And because they‘re marooned in 13th place in the conference with less than
two weeks remaining in the regular season, it‘s pretty certain they won‘t
qualify this time, either.
Nonetheless, Carolina has some high-quality talent, and many people seem
surprised by the Hurricanes‘ run of playoff misses.
One of them is Penguins center Brandon Sutter, who played for Carolina
before being acquired in the Jordan Staal trade in 2012.
―A couple of the years I was there, we only missed by one or two points,‖
Sutter said. ―It‘s tight every year. I‘m sure it‘s frustrating, but that‘s just the
way the sport goes sometimes.
―I‘m sure they‘re not in the position they want to be in, but they do have a
good team, still. I‘m sure that, in the near future, they‘ll be getting in that top
eight.‖
Letang is Masterton nominee
Defenseman Kris Letang is the Penguins‘ nominee for the NHL‘s Masterton
Trophy, which recognizes perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to
hockey.
―It‘s a great honor,‖ Letang said. ―But, at the same time, I wish I wouldn‘t be
[the nominee].‖
Letang, 26, is recovering from a stroke and has not played since Jan. 27.
He has resumed practicing, but said again Tuesday that he does not know if
he will return to the lineup this season, let alone have a target date for
playing.
―I will let you know when I‘m going to play,‖ he said. ―If I‘m going to.‖
Letang, a contender for the Norris Trophy as the NHL‘s top defenseman last
season, had 10 goals and eight assists in 34 games before his stroke was
diagnosed.
Penguins defenseman Paul Martin (hand) reiterated that he hopes to return
Thursday in Winnipeg. ―I feel better today than I did [Monday],‖ he said.
―That‘s good. I thought I‘d be a little sore, but no issues.‖ … The Penguins
signed forward Bryan Rust, a third-round draft choice in 2010 who spent the
past four years at Notre Dame, to a two-year entry-level contract that takes
effect next season. He is 6 feet, 191 pounds and had 43 goals and 54 assists
in 161 career games with the Fighting Irish.
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Gibbons was awarded a penalty shot at 2:26 of the first period. "I went to
shoot it, and he took my hands [out of the play], so I think it was the right call,"
Gibbons said.
Penguins fall to Hurricanes, 4-1
On the penalty shot, Hurricanes goaltender Anton Khudobin got his stick on
Gibbons' shot, and it remained scoreless.
April 2, 2014 12:10 AM
Khudobin held the Penguins in check until 9:01 of the first period, when
Kunitz scored on the Penguins' ninth shot for a 1-0 lead. His quick-release
shot from the left dot glanced in off the stick of Hainsey for his 35th goal.
By Shelly Anderson / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
That left the shots 9-1 in favor of the Penguins.
The Penguins had quite a checklist of moments and milestones within reach
going into their game Tuesday night.
They missed on most.
They failed to clinch the Metropolitan Division title when they could not follow
through on a strong start and fell, 4-1, against the Carolina Hurricanes at
Consol Energy Center.
The Penguins also missed a chance to make coach Dan Bylsma the fastest
NHL coach to 250 wins. He stands at 249-116-30. And they missed a chance
to pick up their 100th win at Consol Energy Center. They stand at 99-38-6.
One milestone that was crossed off the list was center Sidney Crosby, who
leads the NHL in scoring, reaching 100 points for the fifth time in his career
and first time since 2009-10. Crosby assisted on Chris Kunitz's first-period
goal that gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead.
At that point and for a bit after, the Penguins were in control and ran up a 13-2
edge in shots.
"We all felt like the first 10 [minutes] we were carrying the play," Crosby said.
"I think the shots were pretty evident of that. For whatever reason, we got
away from that. Maybe we thought that came easy or thought we could get
away with cheating. It didn't work."
Justin Faulk's tying goal at 14:39 of the first period came after a turnover by
Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanen. It gave Carolina a spark, and
triggered an unwanted tone for the Penguins.
"From there, momentum kind of shifted our direction," Hurricanes center Eric
Staal said. "We kept it simple and slowly frustrated them as game went on."
The Penguins figured their level of blame topped the credit Carolina
deserved.
"The goal didn't change it; we started mismanaging the puck and having
turnovers in the neutral zone," Bylsma said, describing the way his club
succumbed to pressure by Carolina's defense.
"That's what it was."
It continued through the second period, and the Penguins found themselves
trailing, 3-1, and in shots, 23-20, going into the third period.
Crosby was left to ponder why there was such a momentum shift.
"I thought that there was not really any reason to change the way we were
playing, but they play aggressively and we seemed to kind of play into their
hands a bit," he said. "We turned pucks over, and when they're aggressive
like they are, they have numbers coming the other way.
"We played a dangerous game, and that ended up hurting us."
The Penguins are 8-8-2 since the Olympic break with six games left before
the playoffs. They had been feeling better about themselves after wins
against Columbus and Chicago that put some distance between them and a
three-game losing streak.
Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik is not anxious about a possible slide this
late in the regular season.
"No, I'm not too worried," he said. "We've just got to approach these last six
games the right way, and I think we'll be fine."
Their approach against Carolina was fine while it lasted. The Penguins were
attempting to sweep their four-game season series against the Hurricanes,
and, for a while, it looked like it might be a breeze.
Penguins winger Brian Gibbons blocked a pass by Carolina's Ron Hainsey
and took off on a breakaway. Hainsey backtracked and hooked Gibbons in
the gloves.
Crosby got his league-leading 100th point with the secondary assist.
"It's nice when you have an opportunity to do it, but it's a lot better when you
win," he said.
Carolina tied it, 1-1, at 14:39 of the first period when Faulk's shot from the
right point handcuffed Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury,
The Hurricanes took a 2-1 lead at 9:24 of the second period on a power-play
goal by Elias Lindholm.
Jeff Skinner flipped the puck to Lindholm from behind the net, and Lindholm
beat Fleury on a shot that went between the skates of the Penguin
defenseman Olli Maatta.
By the time the Hurricanes took a 3-1 lead at 14:57 of the second period, they
led in shots, 20-17. Lindholm got his second goal on a shot from the left dot
after the Penguins' Deryk Engelland turned the puck over.
Carolina increased its lead to 4-1 at 11:47 of the third period when Staal
deflected a shot by Andrei Loktionov and sent it knuckling past Fleury.
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San Jose Sharks
Sharks face another troubling opponent
By David Pollak
Posted:
04/01/2014 12:53:50 PM PDT
SAN JOSE -- With their hopes for a Pacific Division title dwindling, the Sharks
face exactly the kind of team that has given them problems lately when they
meet the non-playoff-bound Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
San Jose is 2-3-2 in its last seven games and although one of those wins
came last week against Edmonton, the Sharks have left points on the table
over that stretch against four teams that won't be in the postseason.
So does coach Todd McLellan need to remind his players not to take the
Oilers for granted?
"I hope we don't do that," he said. "We've learned some lessons -- we've
been taught some lessons, I don't know if we've learned them -- from some
teams that will not make the playoffs. We haven't had much success against
those on some nights."
As an Edmonton team that did defeat San Jose 1-0 on Jan. 29, he added,
"We've played them enough, I think we understand them enough to know
that they can win a game 6-1 on any given night against any team in the
league."
Is there a common theme in San Jose's losses to lower-ranked teams?
"Inconsistency," McLellan said. "We were sloppy at times, play real well for
15 minutes in a period and go to sleep for five. Details. That maybe gets
away from us a little more against the non-playoff teams than against the
Bostons and St. Louis."
Goalie Antti Niemi, who backstopped the Sharks to a 5-2 win one week ago
in Edmonton, will be back in net for San Jose.
With 103 points and six contests remaining on the schedule, the Sharks trail
the Anaheim Ducks by three points and have played one more game. On
Monday night, the Ducks overcame a four-goal deficit to beat the Winnipeg
Jets in overtime, 5-4.
James Sheppard's 14 points over the last 20 games has earned him the
Sharks' player of the month honor for February-March. The two months were
combined because of the Olympic break.
San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.02.2014
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San Jose Sharks
Sharks can't afford to lose more ground tonight vs. Oilers
April 1, 2014, 1:00 pm
Kevin Kurz
SAN JOSE – The worst part of the Sharks‘ schedule is over. A brutal 17
games in 31 days concluded on Saturday in Colorado, and the team was
able to relax for a day and a half before resuming practice on Monday.
Now, there are six games remaining in the regular season, and the Sharks
cannot afford to squander many (if any) more points if they want to capture
the Pacific Division. That includes Tuesday against Edmonton, which is
playing out the string after yet another failed season.
―We knew when we sat down before the season even started, we looked at
this segment and knew it would be our toughest run of games, travel,
opponents,‖ said Todd McLellan, adding that the team‘s injury situation
hasn‘t helped, either.
―All of that is taxing, but we‘re through it now. We‘ve got four of our last six
here at home, and got to get back at it. We‘ll find enough time to rest our
players and make sure they‘re ready to go.‖
A game against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday stands out in a
three-game homestand, but it‘s sandwiched between Tuesday‘s game
against the Oilers and a Saturday tilt with Nashville. The Sharks have lost as
many games as they‘ve won against the bottom four teams in the Western
Conference, with a 7-5-2 mark against Edmonton, Calgary, Nashville and
Winnipeg. That doesn‘t even include post-Olympic break defeats to Florida,
Buffalo and Carolina.
Has there been a general theme in those losses?
―Inconsistency,‖ McLellan said. ―We‘re sloppy at times, play well for 15
minutes in a period, go to sleep for five. Details that maybe gets away on us a
little bit more against some of the non-playoff teams than it does against the
Boston‘s and St. Louis‘s.‖
The Sharks will almost certainly have to take care of business against the
Oilers tonight in order to remain in Pacific Division race. They now trail
Anaheim by three points, after the Ducks‘ epic comeback from a 4-0 hole
against Winnipeg on Monday night. The Ducks have one game in hand, and
will own the tiebreaker from here on out.
McLellan‘s message to his club will be to not take the lowly Oilers for granted,
after Edmonton played the Sharks well in the previous meeting before San
Jose‘s power play broke out of its slump and took the game over in a 5-2 win
on March 25.
―We‘ve played them enough. I think we understand them enough to know
that they can win a game 6-1 on any given night against any team in the
league,‖ McLellan said. ―They have that ability.‖
Logan Couture said: ―They‘re proud players over there. We can‘t take them
lightly.‖
732297
San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks end modest two-game slide with win over Edmonton Oilers
By David Pollak
Posted:
Updated:
04/01/2014 10:16:57 PM PDT
04/01/2014 11:42:03 PM PDT
He had talked before the game about his team's lack of consistency -- "play
real well for 15 minutes in a period and go to sleep for five" -- and agreed that
was the case again Tuesday.
"It's a bittersweet win," McLellan said. "It was nice to see us come back and
score five and the power play contributed. Those types of things are nice, but
I'm going to leave the rink a little more frustrated than excited. I'm sure some
of our players will leave that way, too."
He described his team as lethargic -- "not as much physically as mentally" -and welcomed the week at home to try and get everything straightened out in
the five final games of the regular season.
Thursday's game
SAN JOSE -- The Sharks managed to keep a little suspense in the Pacific
Division title race Tuesday night, but they needed a little soccer-style magic
to come from behind against one of the NHL's bottom-feeders to do it.
San Jose ended a two-game losing streak, beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-4
on two goals midway through the third period by Brent Burns and Patrick
Marleau after coughing up a two-goal lead earlier in the game.
The win closed the gap behind the Anaheim Ducks to one point, but the
Sharks have now played two more games.
"You're happy with the two, but we've got to tighten up a lot before the
postseason," said Sharks captain Joe Thornton, who had two assists. "We
have five games to do that. We'll take the points, but we've got to play a lot
better than that."
San Jose Sharks forward Andrew Desjardins (10) celebrates his first period
goal against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Ben Scrivens (30) during their
game on
San Jose Sharks forward Andrew Desjardins (10) celebrates his first period
goal against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Ben Scrivens (30) during their
game on April 1, 2014 in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
( ARIC CRABB )
San Jose's other goals came off the sticks of Andrew Desjardins, Dan Boyle
and Tommy Wingels, while Edmonton got a pair from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
and singles from Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle.
The Sharks were trailing 4-3 when their comeback began on a play that saw
Joe Pavelski kick the puck to Thornton, who then found Burns for a one-time
from just outside the crease at 10:35 of the third.
"It was great," Thornton said of Pavelski's no-look pass off the skate. "I was
just saying, we play soccer before the game, and a nice little play by Pav."
Less than two minutes later, the Sharks were just starting a power play that
had been 0-for-5 when Burns only got a piece of his shot from the blue line,
but the puck deflected to Marleau on the right side of the net, and he poked it
into an all-but-open net.
"Yeah, coming down that back side looking for any scraps," he said of his
urgency on the play.
The late goals avoided what could have been a disastrous loss to yet another
team that will be on the golf course by mid-April. The Sharks had built a 3-1
lead early in the second period only to have the Oilers tie it on goals by
Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle just 38 seconds apart.
"The intensity probably dropped a little bit," said Boyle, who scored a goal in
his third consecutive contest after a 30-game drought. "We're up 3-1 against
a team that's not in the playoffs. Sometimes you take your foot off the gas a
little bit."
San Jose did stake itself to an early lead when the fourth line chipped in a
goal by Desjardins at 3:11 of the first period as he potted the rebound of a
shot by Tyler Kennedy. But the Oilers tied it up on a power-play goal by Hall a
little more than eight minutes later.
Still, the Sharks seemed in control at 15:54 of the opening period when
Thornton won a faceoff in the Edmonton zone, then found Boyle open for a
shot that beat Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens high on the far corner.
The lead grew to 3-1 in the second period when, just as a power play ended,
Wingels tucked the puck into the net at 2:45 after a shot from the point by
Brad Stuart.
The Edmonton comeback followed and that all but overshadowed the win for
Sharks coach Todd McLellan.
Los Angeles (44-26-6) at Sharks (48-20-9), 7:30 p.m. NBCSN
732298
San Jose Sharks
Sharks rally to beat Oilers 5-4, stay close to Ducks
Ross McKeon
Updated 12:01 am, Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Ineffective all night, the Sharks needed just eight seconds on their sixth
power play to decide Tuesday's game.
Patrick Marleau's tie-breaking backhand goal, No. 32 on the year, at 12:31 of
the third period enabled the Sharks to cap a comeback en route to a 5-4 win
over the Edmonton Oilers at SAP Center.
"We're happy with the two (points), but we've got to tighten up for the
postseason," captain Joe Thornton said.
San Jose pulled to one point behind Pacific Division-leading Anaheim, but
the Ducks have played two fewer games. Anaheim hosts Edmonton on
Wednesday.
The Sharks were 0-for-5 on the power play before Oilers forward David
Perron tripped defenseman Justin Braun in the San Jose end at 12:23.
Marleau beat a diving Matt Hendricks to a loose puck in the right circle for the
game-winner.
"I was coming down that backside looking for any scraps," Marleau said.
Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his second goal of the game at
6:16 of the third to break a 3-3 tie. His 18th goal beat goalie Antti Niemi on the
short side after Jordan Eberle made a nice spin move to create space.
Suddenly a game the Sharks led 3-1 turned into a 4-3 deficit.
"The intensity probably dropped a little bit. We're up 3-1 on a team that's not
in the playoffs," defenseman Dan Boyle said. "Sometimes you take your foot
off the gas a little bit."
But the hosts rallied back at 10:35 when Joe Thornton found Brent Burns on
the weakside. Burns fed his 22nd goal through the pads of Edmonton goalie
Ben Scrivens to tie it 4-4. It was a far cry from the last time these teams met,
when Scrivens set the NHL record for saves in a regular-season shutout (59)
as the Oilers won 3-0 at home.
The Sharks looked to be in a good shape when Tommy Wingels snapped a
10-game scoreless drought with his 16th goal at 2:45 of the second period, a
putback of his own redirected shot off Brad Stuart's stick to give the hosts a
3-1 lead.
But Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle struck later in the period on consecutive
shots within 38 seconds to enable the visitors to pull into a 3-3 tie.
"Five on five, we can't give up that many goals," Boyle said. "Coming down
the stretch with the playoffs coming, we can't give up four goals and expect to
win hockey games."
The Sharks escaped a lackluster first period up 2-1.
Defenseman Jason Demers forced a turnover inside the Edmonton zone,
which led to a rebound of a Tyler Kennedy shot that Andrew Desjardins
deposited behind Scrivens for his third goal at 3:11.
San Jose's penalty killers allowed the Oilers to enter the zone on a rush and
Taylor Hall scored his 26th goal of the season with a wrister to the far post at
12:34 to tie it.
San Jose grabbed the lead when Thornton fed Boyle in the slot and the
defenseman delayed to beat Scrivens at 15:54 for his 11th goal and third in
three games.
Briefly: Right wing Raffi Torres (sore knee) missed his 12th straight game. He
expects to be ready for the playoffs. ... Defenseman Scott Hannan was the
lone healthy scratch.
Playoff tickets
The Sharks announced Tuesday that tickets for the team's first three home
playoff games will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. They can be purchased at the
SAP Center ticket office, through Ticketmaster ticket centers, over the phone
at (800) 745-3000, or online at Ticketmaster.com. Buyers are limited to eight
tickets per game.
San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 04.02.2014
732299
San Jose Sharks
Burns sparks Sharks' top power play unit
April 1, 2014, 12:15 pm
Kevin Kurz
SAN JOSE – Despite giving up some valuable points in the standings
recently, one bright spot in San Jose‘s game has been the resurgence of the
power play.
In the last three games, the Sharks have potted six goals with a man
advantage in 11 opportunities. The hot streak began against the Edmonton
Oilers one week ago at Rexall Place, when they were a perfect 3-for-3 in a
5-2 win. The Sharks host Edmonton in the fifth and final game of their season
series on Tuesday night.
So, what helped get it going, other than maybe going up against the league‘s
worst team? Oddly enough, putting Brent Burns in Logan Couture‘s place
seemed to give it a little jolt, after Couture wasn‘t able to play the previous
game against the Oilers due to a deep cut from blocking a shot.
Burns has remained on the top unit ever since, and indicated his role is to try
and get open and fire the puck towards the net at every opportunity.
―I think they were playing well before. Those guys have been playing together
a long time, so just try to get on the same page as them and stay out of the
way, and make sure you get in position to shoot,‖ said Burns, who has one
goal and three assists in his last three games, all on the power play. ―It‘s been
good to get it going.‖
The playmaking on that five-some, which also includes Joe Thornton, Joe
Pavelski, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle, will be left to others, according to
Burns.
―I don‘t really read stuff. Just go. Not a lot of reading going on,‖ Burns said,
with a smile.
Todd McLellan sensed another factor in the power play finally living up to
expectations.
―I think they were tired of hearing about the performance woes of the power
play, to tell you the truth. So, the urgency went up a little bit,‖ the coach said.
―We talk about puck movement, entries, all that type of stuff. It‘s getting the
puck back. You‘re not going to score on every shot, but if you can retrieve
and recover loose pucks and create open ice after that rebound or after that
shot, the second or third one eventually you‘ll have a chance to score.‖
As for Couture, no one would suggest that he was the reason the top unit was
struggling prior to his one-game absence. If anything, he can help make the
second unit much more dangerous, and he scored a power play goal of his
own against Winnipeg in a 4-3 loss last Thursday with assists from Marty
Havlat and James Sheppard.
He admitted it's ―always tough‖ to come off of the top unit, but will try and
create on a second unit that hasn‘t done a whole lot this season.
―The first unit has gone out and done a good job. My job is to go out there and
try and contribute to the second unit,‖ Couture said.
Havlat, who has had ample time on the second unit this season, said: ―Every
power play opportunity we get, it doesn‘t matter who is on the ice. It‘s very
important, especially in the playoffs. It‘s a game breaker right there.‖
732300
San Jose Sharks
Pacific Watch: Ducks gain two points on Sharks with epic comeback
April 1, 2014, 1:00 am
Staff
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Once the Anaheim Ducks wiped out a four-goal deficit,
all the stress shifted to the visiting Winnipeg Jets.
Stephane Robidas scored 16 seconds into overtime, and the Ducks staged
the biggest comeback in team history by rallying from four goals down to beat
the Jets 5-4 on Monday night.
"You're down 4-0 and you come back 4-4, now the pressure is on the other
team because they gave up the lead," Robidas said. "We just tried to play our
game, and I got lucky and it went in."
Andrew Cogliano and Luca Sbisa assisted on Robidas' fifth goal of the
season. Anaheim outshot the Jets 25-6 in the third period and outscored
them 3-0 to force overtime.
Corey Perry tied it 4-4 with 22.7 seconds remaining in regulation, scoring his
39th goal after Anaheim pulled rookie goalie Frederik Andersen for an extra
skater.
"If I'm going to the net and crashing around the blue paint, that's where I'm
effective," Perry said. "If I'm not doing that, I'm not playing my game."
Nick Bonino cut the Ducks' deficit to 4-1 in the second period, and Ryan
Getzlaf and Hampus Lindholm scored in the third to set up Perry's heroics.
Andersen (18-5) stopped 32 shots.
The Ducks (49-18-8) established a franchise record for most wins in a
season.
"When you always believe you can win, you're never out of the game," Ducks
coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I think that was what happened. We were so
vastly outplayed in the first 35 minutes of the game.
"When Nick Bonino scored and Freddie Andersen made the big save 20
seconds later, we thought if we could get another one, you never know."
The Ducks never stopped attacking.
"We didn't get a great start," Perry said. "We said if we keep pushing and
playing that style we established in the second half of the second period, no
team can play with us. That's the way we've got to keep playing."
The Jets struggled to put into words what happened in their collapse.
"You're just awfully disappointed because you liked so much of what you
saw, and then to have it go away ... it's just frustrating," Winnipeg coach Paul
Maurice said.
Defenseman Mark Stuart echoed that sentiment in just as few words as
Maurice.
"It's frustrating," he said. "There's not a whole lot to say right now. It's shock
after a game like that."
Anaheim remained atop of the Pacific Division, three points ahead of idle San
Jose with a game in hand. The Ducks trail Western Conference-leading St.
Louis by one point.
Jacob Trouba, Matt Halischuk, Blake Wheeler and Eric Tangradi scored for
Winnipeg, which is last in the Central Division. The Jets are 1-2-1 on their
road trip that ends Tuesday at Phoenix.
Winnipeg took a 1-0 lead on Trouba's ninth goal of the season 8:48 in. Bryan
Little earned an assist to extend his point streak to six games.
Later in the period, Winnipeg took advantage of a Ducks mistake in their
zone and made it 2-0. Halischuk scored his fifth of the season at 13:39.
Winnipeg dominated play in the first period and outshot the Ducks 19-4 and
had a 31-11 edge in shots after two periods.
The Jets increased their lead to 3-0 just 33 seconds into the second on a
power-play goal by Wheeler, Winnipeg's goal leader with 27.
The Jets have scored five power-play goals the past five games.
Tangradi added Winnipeg's fourth goal of the game, from Zach Redmond
and Anthony Peluso, midway through the second period.
"It wasn't pretty. They were all over us," Robidas said. "You have to give them
credit because they came out hard. We didn't really show up in the first
period. It's a lesson learned. We need to move on now."
Bonino's 20th of the season brought the Ducks within 4-1 with 2:16 left in the
second.
Getzlaf added a power-play goal, his 31st tally of the season, at 3:06 of the
third, and Lindholm made it 4-3 just 1:13 later.
Patrick Maroon had two assists for the Ducks.
Teemu Selanne, who began his NHL career and scored 147 goals with the
original Winnipeg Jets, played his final game against the new Jets franchise
that relocated to Winnipeg from Atlanta in 2011. Selanne has scored 684
career goals.
NOTES: The Ducks opened a three-game homestand and will play four of
their remaining seven games at home. ... Getzlaf returned to action after
leaving Saturday's game against Vancouver after blocking a shot and injuring
his lower leg. ... The Jets snapped the Ducks' home unbeaten-in-regulation
streak (20-0-2) with a 3-2 win in Anaheim on Jan. 21. ... Anaheim's Mathieu
Perreault had an assist to extend his point streak to nine games.
732301
San Jose Sharks
Sharks' game not where it needs to be in win over Oilers
April 1, 2014, 11:30 pm
Kevin Kurz
SAN JOSE – He didn‘t use the catchphrase on Tuesday night, but Sharks
head coach Todd McLellan often refers to winning ugly as ―not a Picasso.‖
The 5-4 conquest of Edmonton wasn‘t a Picasso, a Monet, a Cezanne or a
Pollock. Actually, by the Sharks‘ standards, the win over the worst club in the
Western Conference more resembled a third grader‘s paint-by-numbers.
Sure, there was a sense of accomplishment for getting the required two
points to remain in the Pacific Division race. But McLellan and many of the
team‘s veteran leaders showed concern for their overall effort and execution.
―We weren‘t what we needed to be – giving up too much, sloppy, not really
trusting each other to play the system,‖ said the head coach. ―We‘ve got to fix
that quickly before the playoffs roll around.‖
Captain Joe Thornton said: ―You‘re happy with the two, but we‘ve got to
tighten up a lot before the postseason. We have five games to do that. We‘ll
take the points, but we‘ve got to play a lot better than that.‖
The Sharks built up a 3-1 lead in the second period thanks to goals from
Andrew Desjardins, Dan Boyle and Tommy Wingels. They seemed to relax
at that point, though, and it cost them when the Oilers stormed back to tie it
and eventually gain a 4-3 edge in the third.
At five-on-five, the Oilers looked like the stronger team for much of the night.
The Sharks were saved by more than 12 minutes of power play time, even
though they only cashed in once, on the game-winner by Patrick Marleau
with seven-and-a-half minutes left in regulation.
―I think the intensity probably dropped a little bit. We‘re up 3-1 against a team
that‘s not in the playoffs,‖ Boyle said. ―Sometimes you take your foot off the
gas a little bit. We had a let down there. We fought hard to battle back in the
third. So, good things, and then things we could certainly work on.‖
The game-tying goal came about two minutes before Marleau‘s deciding
marker. On the play, Joe Pavelski managed to reverse-kick the loose puck to
an open Thornton, who fed Brent Burns for an easy conversion at 10:35 of
the third period. The play is sure to make the team‘s in-arena highlight reel at
some point.
Pavelski is tied for the team lead in scoring with Thornton, who had two
assists against the Oilers, at 74 points.
―Saw Jumbo, we talked – communication there. I was able to kick it to him,‖
Pavelski said. ―He made kind of a nice little play quick, and then Burnzie was
there.‖
Thornton said: ―It was great. We play soccer before the game, and a nice little
play by Pav.‖
Although Marleau‘s goal came on a broken play when Burns didn‘t get all of a
slapper at the point, the power play continued to work well despite failing on
six of its seven tries. Wingels‘ goal came one second after a hooking minor to
Mark Fraser expired early in the second.
―We‘ve strung and put a few games together where we‘re passing it around
pretty well,‖ Boyle said. ―We‘re putting the puck in the net. That was a positive
thing.‖
Conversely…
―Five-on-five, we can‘t give up that many goals. Coming down the stretch and
especially in the playoffs, you can‘t give up four goals and expect to win
hockey games. We‘ve got to tighten up defensively.‖
The Sharks will remain at home for the week, hosting Los Angeles on
Thursday and Nashville on Saturday. Now only two weeks from the playoffs,
McLellan will try and get his club back to where it needs to be before the
tournament commences and while a division title is still possible.
―I think this week‘s important for us,‖ McLellan said. ―We get a little bit of
practice time, some opportunities to rest and then get ready again. Right now
we‘re still in a fight, which I think is good for us to stay focused and have that
battling mentality. Some of that slipped over that last little bit, but we‘ve got to
get it back.‖
732302
San Jose Sharks
Instant Replay: Sharks top Oilers in come from behind win
Jason Demers returned after a one-game absence due to illness. Scott
Hannan was scratched for the third time in the last four games.
Boyle‘s scoring streak reached five games. He has three goals and three
assists over that span.
Up next
April 1, 2014, 9:45 pm
Staff
The Sharks have five games left in the regular season. They host the Kings
on Thursday and Predators on Saturday.
SAN JOSE – It wasn‘t pretty by any means, but the Sharks managed to get a
vital two points to stay in the race for the Pacific Division title with a 5-4 win
over Edmonton on Tuesday night at SAP Center.
The Oilers erased a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 third period lead. Jordan Eberle‘s
pass was knocked away by Matt Irwin, but ended up on second-year forward
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins‘ stick. He turned around and beat Antti Niemi‘s cleanly
for his second goal of the game at 6:16.
The Sharks‘ top line tied it, though. While nearly falling flat on his face, Joe
Pavelski managed to reverse-kick the puck to an open Joe Thornton at the
side of the cage. The captain quickly found Brent Burns on the other side for
an easy slam-dunk at 10:35.
After looking dangerous all night but having nothing to show for it, the top
power play unit finally came through when David Perron went off on a tripping
minor. Burns flubbed a one-timer at the point, but the puck squirted to Patrick
Marleau, who backhanded in his 32nd goal at 12:31. That held up as the
game-winner.
The Sharks (48-20-9, 103 points) are one point behind Anaheim. The Ducks,
who host the Oilers on Wednesday, have two games in hand and have
clinched the tiebreaker of more regulation/overtime wins.
Edmonton erased a 3-1 hole with two second period goals just 38 seconds
apart.
First, Nugent-Hopkins curled toward the top of the circle from the wall, and
beat Niemi to the short side with a wrist shot at 13:04. He helped tied the
game soon after by driving the net on a rush with Eberle, who skated past
Brad Stuart and centered the puck, which deflected in off of Justin Braun‘s
skate with Nugent-Hopkins in the crease.
The Sharks opened the scoring early with a goal from the fourth line. Tyler
Kennedy‘s shot rebounded to Andrew Desjardins, who flipped it past Ben
Scrivens at 3:11. Desjardins‘ goal, his third, was his first since Jan 9 vs.
Detroit, 31 games ago.
Edmonton tied it with a power play goal, when Taylor Hall‘s wrist shot sailed
just inside the far post at 12:34 of the first.
San Jose regained its lead later in the period, though, with Dan Boyle‘s third
goal in as many games. Thornton started it by winning a faceoff, driving
through Anton Lander and giving Boyle a perfect pass. Boyle picked the top
corner at 15:54.
The Sharks upped that lead to 3-1 on Tommy Wingels‘ first goal in 11 games.
The forward stationed himself in front of Scrivens, tipping a Braun shot before
it hit the goaltender. Wingels poked in the loose pick for his 16th goal at 2:45.
Nugent-Hopkins finished with four points (2g, 2a). Burns and Boyle each had
one goal and one assist, while Thornton acquired a pair of assists.
The Sharks took four of five games against Edmonton in the season series
(4-1-0).
Special teams
The Sharks have scored at least one power play goal in each of their last four
games, going 7-for-18 over that span. They were 1-for-7 against the Oilers.
Edmonton finished 1-for-3.
In goal
Niemi gained his 37th win with 35 saves. He‘s tied for second in the league
with Tampa Bay‘s Ben Bishop, one behind Colorado‘s Semyon Varlamov.
Scrivens allowed five goals on 33 shots.
Lineup
732303
St Louis Blues
Blues beat Flyers 1-0 in shootout overtime with Miller's shutout
5 hours ago • By Dan O'Neill
‗
The Blues matched the franchise record for victories in a season Tuesday
night at Scottrade Center, and they did so in style.
As the game went on, both teams had their moments in what Hitchcock
called a "track meet." But Blues were accumulating an unhealthy total of
missed shots.
And with 16 seconds remaining they added one more, as Alex Pietrangelo
rang another post behind Emery. The period ended with the Blues carrying a
2-0 lead in posts-hit, a 16-4 edge in missed shots, and a 0-0 game into the
third.
The third stanza was more of the same, as the play raged back and forth.
With 4:57 to play, there was trouble in River City when Vlad Sobotka took a
penalty on Matt Read.
In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Note beat the visiting
Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 in a overtime-shootout before 18,647.
But the Blues penalty-kill never allowed Philadelphia's potent power play the No. 1 road PP in the league - to get untracked. The reward was a Blues
power play with 1:24 remaining.
After 65 minutes of a scoreless standoff, Olympic shooting star T.J. Oshie
began the shootout session with his ninth SO goal in 12 attempts.
Hitchcock called timeout to get his team organized and the Blues applied
pressure. But they couldn't get an open crack at Emery.
With that 1-0 edge, Blues netminder Ryan Miller stopped Vincent Lecavalier
and Claude Giroux in succession before defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk beat
Flyers goalie Ray Emery to end the struggle.
The last time the Blues took a 0-0 game to overtime was March 22, 2012.
They lost 1-0 in overtime at Los Angeles to goaltender Jonathan Quick.
After a disappointing loss to Dallas on Saturday, Miller showed Blues fans
what all the excitement was about when he was acquired in a March 1 trade.
This time, both teams had golden opportunities in the extra period, but
neither could convert. Miller added one more eye-popper, stoning Jakub
Voracek alone in front with 1:25 to play.
He stopped 31 shots, often in spectacular fashion, to get his first Blues
shutout and 29th career whitewash.
He then capped the evening with two shootout stops and the Blues - 9-3 in
shooting galleries - had their record-tying win.
"He was terrific," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "He was focused and
competitive and whatever else we needed him to be ... We needed him badly
today.
St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.02.2014
"He stood tall. This was a game that was 1-0 in overtime (shootout) and it
could have been 7-6, easily."
In the 46-year history of the franchise, this Blues team (51-17-7) became the
second to reach 51 wins, matching the total achieved by the 1999-2000
Blues, a team coached by Joel Quenneville and quarterbacked by Al
MacInnis and Chris Pronger.
It should be pointed out this edition has captured nine of its 51 wins via
overtime-shootouts, a tie-breaking vehicle that did not exist before 2005. The
1999-200 team had 11 ties.
Shattenkirk is now three for six in shootouts, which pales to Oshie's resume.
But it ain't bad for a defenseman.
"It's exciting," Shattenkirk said. "Every kid grows up wanting to win the game
in those moments. When you finally get the opportunity, it's really something
you hope to cherish and make the most of."
One thing is certain, win No. 51 was one of the most hard-earned of the
season. And for Miller, it was redemption.
"It comes on the heals of a couple of games where I've been trying to
re-establish and bounce back and be in the form I need to be in," Miller said.
"It was a fun night. When the puck is hitting you it's a lot of fun."
The Flyers came in having lost three of their last four, after putting together a
five-game win streak. They set a fast, physical pace from the outset, giving
the proceedings a playoff ambiance.
With the help of some loose play by the Blues, the visitors had several
high-quality chances in the first three minutes. The best came when
Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo got tangled up and the Flyers broke in alone on
Miller, three abreast.
Miller read the passwork and stopped a point-blank shot by Michael Raffl to
foil the attack, one of many special goaltending moments on the evening.
Flyers netminder Emery was matching the performance save for save.
The Blues rebounded somewhat to out-shoot the Flyers 11-10 in the first
period. Then, eight seconds into second, Jaden Schwartz stole the puck from
defenseman Brayden Coburn and ripped a shot off the post.
Moments later, the Flyers broke in 2-on-1 and Wayne Simmonds appeared
to give Raffl an open net to hit. But Miller miraculously slid across to make the
save and keep things scoreless.
"For a guy who makes that many great saves ... it was really neat to watch."
Hitchcock said. "And the feeling on the bench was they weren't going to
score, and I haven't had that feeling in a game where I've been outplayed in a
long time."
732304
St Louis Blues
Blues will shake things up against Flyers
lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, Shattenkirk had 23 points in 48 games,
which computes to some 39 points over 82 games.
So when the 25-year old defenseman assisted on both of Alexander Steen's
goals on Saturday, he reached a career high in assists (35) and secured
point No. 44.
10 hours ago • By Dan O'Neill
―It's funny, I've kind of been there in year's past,‖ said Shattenkirk, a
first-round pick of Colorado in 2007. ―I can think of a million opportunities that
probably would have gotten me past it.
The Blues will feature some realignment tonight when they face the
Philadelphia Flyers at Scottrade Center.
―But I think it's just, the way we play, it suits me well and the type of game I
play, as well as Alex (Pietrangelo) and Jay (Bouwmeester). You just kind of
allow your offensive abilities and instincts to take over and I think that's why
I've been able to have success under Hitch. Every year, you just want to get
better.‖
Looking for more balance in his team's offensive attack, coach Ken Hitchcock
has moved Derek Roy to left wing on the fourth line, next to center Maxim
Lapierre and right wing Ryan Reaves. Brenden Morrow has moved to a wing
with center Vlad Sobotka and winger Jaden Schwartz.
And Hitchcock has reunited a line he formed earlier, putting Magnus Paajarvi
on right wing with Patrik Berglund at center and Steve Ott on the left side.
Like Ott, Paajarvi is a lefthanded shot, but Hitchcock likes him on the right
side. He is hopeful the line will establish itself going forward.
T.J. Oshie was named last week's Third Star of the Week by the NHL. Oshie
tied for second in the league with six points (4-2-6) in three games to help the
Blues (50-17-7, 107 points) remain in first place in the Western Conference.
Ottawa Senators forward Kyle Turris was the First Star, while Boston's
Patrice Bergeron was named the Second Star.
―When (Vladimir) Tarasenko went down, we tried to use other people on the
right wing, but it doesn't suit Steve Ott,‖ Hitchcock said. ―He plays much
better on the left. He plays with more tempo.
Tonight represents the first time in more than 10 years the Flyers and Blues
are meeting more than once in a season (2002-03 was the last time). This is
just the third appearance in St. Louis for the Flyers in the last eight years.
―When you're playing on the off-wing, you have play a lot of the game with
your back to the play,‖ Hitchcock added. ―Paajarvi is comfortable playing like
that. He knows how to spin and get away from people, so it's a better line.
Philadelphia defenseman Kimmo Timonen will miss the game with an
upper-body injury.
―We've had that line play twice together and it's been very effective. Paajarvi
is back feeling good about himself now, so we put him in and keep him going.
We want to keep that line together for as much as we can here, finish the
season and see how we look.‖
It's been a fractured season for Paajarvi, who came from Edmonton in the
David Perron trade last summer. Bothered at various times by injuries,
Paajarvi has bounced in and out of the lineup and up and down the lines,
playing in 48 games of 74 games.
Lineups:
BLUES
Forwards
Alexander Steen - David Backes - T.J. Oshie
Brenden Morrow - Vladimir Sobotka- Jaden Schwartz
Steve Ott - Patrick Berglund – Magnus Paajarvi
But after he sat out the Dallas game on Saturday, it appears Paajarvi is going
to get an extended look as the Blues try caulk the hole created by the injury to
21-goal scorer Tarasenko. Paajarvi acknowledged the fluid nature of his
status has been a challenge, but he's eager for any opportunity.
Derek Roy - Maxim Lapierre - Ryan Reaves
―Of course, it helps when you're on a line for weeks or months, or even days,‖
said the 22-year old Paajarvi, who has six goals and six assists. ―If you
bounce around, it is hard to find the chemistry and to get something going.
But you have to try and find it.
Carlo Colaiacovo - Kevin Shattenkirk
―You have to be professional about it, because it is going to change.
Everybody changes over a season, some more than others. But you just
have to be professional about, try to bring your game and see if it helps
others on the ice.‖
Defensemen
Jay Bouwmeester - Alex Pietrangelo
Barret Jackman - Roman Polak
Goalie
Ryan Miller
FLYERS
Forwards
Like Hitchcock, Paajarvi felt his placement with Berglund and Ott was a good
mix in previous opportunities.
Scott Hartnell - Claude Giroux - Jakub Voracek
―We played really well,‖ he said. ―We felt good with each other. We've had a
good talk with each other, feel like we have the chemistry together, so we're
just going to go out there and hopefully do some damage.‖
Matt Read - Sean Couturier - Michael Raffi
Ott has been on lots of lines in his 11 NHL seasons and he knows the
mechanics involved.
Zac Rinaldo - Vincent Lecavalier - Adam Hall
―You try to build chemistry any way you can,‖ said Ott, who has 103 NHL
goals but is still looking for his first as a Blue since arriving in the Ryan Miller
trade. ―I've played with Bergie. So you know what his tendencies are, and you
start learning the tendencies of your other teammates.
Erik Gustafsson - Braydon Cobrun
―I know Paajarvi's speed is a huge factor. So you start really paying attention
to what makes a line good. And when you have depth scoring, that's a key for
the playoffs. So we definitely want to get that going here in the next little while
and make sure it's going for the real rounds.‖
***
Lost in the disappointment of the outcome against Dallas on Saturday was a
momentous occasion for Shattenkirk. He cracked the 43-point barrier.
Shattenkirk, who came to the Blues late in the 2010-11 season, finished with
43 points in both the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons. During the
Tye McGinn - Brayden Schenn - Wayne Simmonds
Defensemen
Andrew MacDonald - Luke Schenn
Mark Streit – Nicklas Grossman
Goalie
Steve Mason
732305
St Louis Blues
Hockey Guy: Blues did OK by missing on Lecavalier
22 hours ago • By Jeff Gordon
After the Tampa Bay Lightning bought out the remainder of Vincent
Lecavalier‘s ridiculous 11-year, $85 million contract last summer, the Blues
got in the long line to bid on him.
It was an intriguing opportunity. Lecavalier, 33, offered size and skill up the
middle where the Blues needed some help.
He was no longer a dominant offensive player – which is why the Lightning
franchise was willing to spend $32 million to make him go away – but he
seemed likely to help on the power play.
Perhaps a fresh start in St. Louis playing with young wingers like Jaden
Schwartz and/or Vladimir Tarasenko could have triggered his revival.
But we will never know if that chemistry would have clicked. Lecavalier
picked the Flyers over many other bidders, creating a questionable fit for both
sides.
Could he really flourish in the intense Philly atmosphere?
As a Lindros-sized forward, could he play the robust game the Flyers
demand?
Given the team‘s depth at center, where did he fit into the offensive
chemistry?
Sure enough, Lecavalier has struggled to find his place in Philadelphia after
signing a five-year, $22.5 million deal. He moved back and forth from center
and wing.
He played in a variety of forward combinations, seldom finding something
worked consistently well. He has 18 goals, 15 assists and a minus-14 rating
in 61 games. He went 13 games without scoring a goal earlier this season.
When the Flyers face the Blues tonight at Scottrade Center, he may be
centering the fourth line again. He scored three goals in his first two games
between grinders Zac Rinaldo and Adam Hall.
Previously he played on the wing with Brayden Schenn and Wayne
Simmonds on the No. 2 line. Originally the Flyers hoped he could mesh with
top center Claude Giroux.
―I‘ve always said it. I‘ve always played in the middle,‖ Lecavalier told
reporters Sunday. ―Being on the wing is not natural. Wherever I‘m put, I‘ll do
my best to try to be good at it.‖
If Lecavalier can step up in the playoffs, his struggles earlier this season will
be forgotten. The Flyers are desperate to make a deep postseason run.
Vinnie, on the sport's true good guys, could still be a hero.
But on balance it appears the Blues have no regrets about losing the
Lecavalier bidding. General manager Doug Armstrong spent his budget
dollars elsewhere and built a deep offense with lots of interchangeable parts.
He retained some long-range flexibility by signing free agents Derek Roy and
Brenden Morrow to one-year deals to bolster the supporting cast. He used
that flexibility to lock in key forward Alexander Steen to a contract extension.
As the old adage goes, sometimes a team‘s best signings are the ones it
doesn‘t make.
AROUND THE RINKS: The Avalanche got the bad news coach Patrick Roy
dreaded: Top center Matt Duchene will be sidelined well into the playoffs with
his knee injury. That puts St. Louis-bred Paul (son of Peter) Stastny front and
center in the Colorado attack as the 'Lanche tries to earn the home-ice edge
of the Blackhawks for the first playoff round. This is a great opportunity for
Peter to build his free agency stock . . . Taskmaster John Tortorella could get
fired after just one season on the Vancouver bench. Maybe that is why he is
trying to make nice with the media . . . On the other hand, former Canucks
coach Alain Vigneault has done a brilliant job with the Rangers. Funny how
things work out sometimes . . . On balance, fans in the Great White North
don't have much to look forward to in these playoffs . . . Given the epic failure
of David Clarkson in Toronto, the Maple Leafs may have to buy him out as
part of a larger overhaul . . . Taking the "C" away from enigmatic defenseman
Dion Phaneuf may be another unpleasant but necessary step toward turning
that franchise around.
732306
St Louis Blues
Hitchcock plans to give new 'Bergie Bunch' an extended look
3 hours ago • By Dan O‘Neill
The Blues featured some realignment when they faced the Philadelphia
Flyers on Tuesday at Scottrade Center.
With seven games to play before the postseason begins, coach Ken
Hitchcock has the probe out. He is poking players, tweaking lines and
prodding for solutions to an offensive attack that has leaned far too heavily on
its top line.
But in at least one case, Hitchcock indicated the change will be given a
chance to grow roots. Breaking up the ―Dallas Three‖ of Brenden Morrow,
Derek Roy and Steve Ott, Hitchcock moved Roy to the fourth line and
bumped Morrow to a line with Vlad Sobotka and Jaden Schwartz.
At the same time, he re-inserted Magnus Paajarvi into the lineup and
reunited a line with the lefthanded-shooting Paajarvi on right wing, Patrik
Berglund in the middle and Ott on the left side. Hitchcock is hopeful the new
version of the Bergie Bunch will be a keeper.
―When (Vladimir) Tarasenko went down, we tried to use other people on the
right wing, but it doesn‘t suit Steve Ott,‖ Hitchcock said. ―He plays much
better on the left. He plays with more tempo.
―When you‘re playing on the off-wing, you have play a lot of the game with
your back to the play. Paajarvi is comfortable playing like that. He knows how
to spin and get away from people, so it‘s a better line.
―We‘ve had that line play twice together and it‘s been very effective. Paajarvi
is back feeling good about himself now, so we put him in and keep him going.
We want to keep that line together for as much as we can here, finish the
season and see how we look.‖
It represents an opportunity for Paajarvi, who has endured a fractured
season after coming from Edmonton in the David Perron trade. Bothered by
injuries at various times, Paajarvi has bounced in and out of the lineup,
playing in 49 of 75 games.
But after he sat out the Dallas game Saturday, it appears Paajarvi will get an
extended look as the Blues try caulking the hole created by the injury to
21-goal scorer Tarasenko. Paajarvi acknowledged the fluid nature of his
status has been a challenge, but he‘s eager for any opportunity.
―Of course, it helps when you‘re on a line for weeks or months, or even days,‖
said the 22-year-old Paajarvi, who has six goals and six assists. ―If you
bounce around, it is hard to find the chemistry and to get something going.
But you have to try and find it.
―You have to be professional about it, because it is going to change.
Everybody changes over a season, some more than others. But you just
have to be professional about, try to bring your game and see if it helps
others on the ice.‖
BREAKTHROUGH
Lost in a 4-2 loss to Dallas on Saturday was a momentous occasion for Kevin
Shattenkirk. He cracked the 43-point barrier.
Shattenkirk, who came to the Blues late in the 2010-11 season, finished with
43 points in both the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons. During the
lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, Shattenkirk had 23 points in 48 games,
which computes to some 39 points over 82 games.
So when the 25-year-old defenseman assisted on both of Alexander Steen‘s
goals Saturday, he reached a career high in assists (35) and secured point
No. 44.
―It‘s funny, I‘ve kind of been there in years past,‖ said Shattenkirk, a
first-round pick by Colorado in 2007. ―I can think of a million opportunities that
probably would have gotten me past it.‖
With his 44 points, Shattenkirk is a plus-7 this season and a plus-36 in 228
games with the Blues.
―But I think it‘s just, the way we play, it suits me well and the type of game I
play, as well as Alex (Pietrangelo) and Jay (Bouwmeester),‖ Shattenkirk.
―You just kind of allow your offensive abilities and instincts to take over and I
think that‘s why I‘ve been able to have success under Hitch. Every year, you
just want to get better.‖
732307
St Louis Blues
Blues beat the Flyers in a shootout
3 hours ago • By Dan O‘Neill
The Blues matched the franchise record for victories in a season Tuesday
night at Scottrade Center, and they did so in style.
As the game went on, both teams had their moments in what Hitchcock
called a ―track meet.‖ But the Blues were accumulating an unhealthy total of
missed shots.
And with 16 seconds remaining in the second period they added one more,
as Alex Pietrangelo rang another post behind Emery. The period ended with
the Blues carrying a 2-0 lead in posts hit, a 16-4 edge in missed shots and a
0-0 game into the third.
The third stanza was more of the same, as the play raged back and forth.
With 4:57 to play, there was trouble in River City when Vlad Sobotka took a
penalty on Matt Read.
In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Note beat the visiting
Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 in a shootout before 18,647.
But the Blues penalty-killing unit never allowed Philadelphia‘s potent power
play — the No. 1 road PP in the league — to get untracked. The reward was
a Blues power play with 1:24 remaining.
After 65 minutes of a scoreless standoff, Olympic shooting star T.J. Oshie
began the shootout session with his ninth SO goal in 12 attempts.
Hitchcock called timeout to get his team organized, and the Blues applied
pressure. But they couldn‘t get an open crack at Emery.
With that 1-0 edge, Blues netminder Ryan Miller stopped Vincent Lecavalier
and Claude Giroux in succession before defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk beat
Flyers goalie Ray Emery to end the struggle.
The last time the Blues took a 0-0 game to overtime was March 22, 2012.
They lost 1-0 at Los Angeles to goaltender Jonathan Quick.
After a disappointing loss to Dallas on Saturday, Miller showed Blues fans
what all the excitement was about when he was acquired in a trade March 1.
This time, both teams had golden opportunities in the extra period, but
neither could convert. Miller added one more eye-popper, stoning Jakub
Voracek alone in front with 1:25 to play.
He stopped 31 shots, often in spectacular fashion, to get his first Blues
shutout and 29th career whitewash.
He then capped the evening with two shootout stops and the Blues — 9-3 in
shooting galleries — had their record-tying win.
―He was terrific,‖ Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. ―He was focused and
competitive and whatever else we needed him to be ... We needed him badly
today.
―He stood tall. This was a game that was 1-0 in overtime (shootout) and it
could have been 7-6, easily.‖
In the 46-year history of the franchise, this Blues team (51-17-7) became the
second to reach 51 wins, matching the total achieved by the 1999-2000
Blues, a team coached by Joel Quenneville and quarterbacked by Al
MacInnis and Chris Pronger.
It should be pointed out this edition has captured nine of its 51 wins via
overtime-shootouts, a tiebreaking vehicle that did not exist before 2005. The
1999-200 team had 11 ties.
Shattenkirk is now three for six in shootouts, which pales to Oshie‘s mark.
But it ain‘t bad for a defenseman.
―It‘s exciting,‖ Shattenkirk said. ―Every kid grows up wanting to win the game
in those moments. When you finally get the opportunity, it‘s really something
you hope to cherish and make the most of.‖
One thing is certain, win No. 51 was one of the most hard-earned of the
season. And for Miller, it was redemption.
―It comes on the heels of a couple of games where I‘ve been trying to
re-establish and bounce back and be in the form I need to be in,‖ Miller said.
―It was a fun night. When the puck is hitting you it‘s a lot of fun.‖
The Flyers came in having lost three of their last four, after putting together a
five-game winning streak. They set a fast, physical pace from the outset,
giving the proceedings a playoff ambiance.
With the help of some loose play by the Blues, the visitors had several
high-quality chances in the first three minutes. The best came when
Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo got tangled up and the Flyers broke in alone on
Miller, three abreast.
Miller read the passwork and stopped a point-blank shot by Michael Raffl to
foil the attack, one of many special goaltending moments on the evening.
Flyers netminder Emery was matching the performance save for save.
The Blues rebounded somewhat to outshoot the Flyers 11-10 in the first
period. Then, eight seconds into the second, Jaden Schwartz stole the puck
from defenseman Brayden Coburn and ripped a shot off the post.
Moments later, the Flyers broke in 2-on-1 and Wayne Simmonds appeared
to give Raffl an open net to hit. But Miller miraculously slid across to make the
save and keep things scoreless.
―For a guy who makes that many great saves ... it was really neat to watch.‖
Hitchcock said. ―And the feeling on the bench was they weren‘t going to
score, and I haven‘t had that feeling in a game where I‘ve been outplayed in a
long time.‖
732308
St Louis Blues
Blues seeking more balance on offense
By NORM SANDERS
April 1, 2014
ST. LOUIS — Ken Hitchcock has no problem with a top line generating the
impressive level of numbers that T.J. Oshie, Alexander Steen and David
Backes have been producing.
The St. Louis Blues' top line had 11 of the team's last 13 goals over a
four-game span heading into Thursday's game against Philadelphia Flyers.
They also had racked up 18 points over the previous three games.
What Hitchcock would like to see is a little more production from everyone
else, which helps explains the lineup changes he made against the Flyers.
"All of us feel as happy as we are for the one line, (but) you can't win with just
one line doing that so we're trying to get more people included," Hitchcock
said. "We know we're going to need it and we're doing probing and pushing to
find it. We're not looking for combinations that work, it's too late for that.
"We're trying to get people to understand when they play really well how it
looks and what it feels like."
As a result, Hitchcock moved Magnus Paajarvi from left wing to right wing,
switched Steve Ott from right to left and plunked Patrik Berglund between
them.
Other changes included putting veteran Brenden Morrow at left wing on a line
with Vladimir Sobotka and Jaden Schwartz and moving veteran center Derek
Roy to left wing on the fourth line.
One of the reason we're so high up in the standings as far as our offense
goes is that we've got great seasons from a lot of people other than Backes,
Oshie and Steen," Hitchcock said. "That's what's gives us our success."
Schwartz (23 goals) is one of five Blues with at least 20 goals and there are
11 players with at least 30 points. A key missing ingredient is Russian winger
Vladimir Tarasenko, who had 21 goals and 43 points in 64 games before
suffering a broken hand.
* Blues prospect Ty Rattie is the top scorer on the minor-league Chicago
Wolves with 29 goals and 45 points in 66 games. Top goalie prospect Jake
Allen is 29-16-2 for the Wolves with a 2.16 goals-against average and five
shutouts.
* The Blues' 11 victories in March was their highest win total for the month in
franchise history. They were 11-3-1, the same record they had in November.
* Steen's 33 goals are the most by a Blues player since Brad Boyes had 33 in
2008-09. Steen and T.J. Oshie are the first Blues teammates to reach 60
points since Boyes and Paul Kariya each had 65 back in 2007-08.
Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 04.02.2014
732309
St Louis Blues
Miller, Blues blank Flyers 1-0 in shootout
By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports WriterApril 1, 2014 Updated 11 minutes ago
Notes: Flyers D Kimmo Timonen did not make the trip after taking a puck to
the chin. Alex Gustafsson played for the first time since Feb. 27. ... The Blues
tricked a fan between the second and third periods who was blindfolded at
center ice and then shot several yards wide of the net, telling him he'd won
$15,000. The fan did a celebratory belly flop on the ice before being told he'd
been duped. ... The Blues' last 0-0 regulation game was March 22, 2012, at
Los Angeles, a 1-0 shootout loss. ... The Flyers have been shut out four
times. ... The Blues also won 51 games in 1999-2000, when they won the
Presidents' Trophy.
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Blues acquired Ryan Miller for moments such as
these.
Miller stopped 31 shots and kept the net empty in a shootout, too.
He was precisely as advertised, a goalie that be a difference-maker when
there's no room for mistakes.
"Millsy standing on his head — that's what we brought him here to do,"
forward T.J. Oshie said after the Blues outlasted the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0
on Tuesday night and matched the franchise record with their 51st win.
"There were some saves where you feel like you're about to put your head
down because it's going to go in the net, and he seems so calm and just
sticks his pad out and saves it."
Miller is 10-3-1 with a 2.01 goals-against average and .920 save percentage
since coming in a trade with Buffalo.
Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk scored in the shootout for the Blues, who have
109 points — one fewer than Boston for the top spot in the NHL.
They're 9-3 in the shootout largely because of Oshie, who's an uncanny 9 for
12 after converting a backhand, and also put on quite a show at the Sochi
Olympics.
"Yeah, I knew he was good and I knew what to expect," Ray Emery said. "But
he was real quick on that one."
Miller earned his 29th career shutout and first in 101 games since March 21,
2012, against Montreal when he was with Buffalo. He made a skate save
against Vincent Lecavalier and a glove save on Claude Giroux — who's 5 for
10 — in the shootout.
Emery, the Flyers' backup making just his third start since the beginning of
March, earned his 16th career shutout and second this season.
"He definitely won us a point tonight," Flyers forward Scott Hartnell said. "In
two weeks when the season's over we'll see how big that point is."
Miller was motivated after giving up four goals in a loss to Dallas on Saturday
night, plus the Flyers are a familiar foe from his seasons in Buffalo. He's
14-13-2 against the Flyers and this was his first shutout against them.
"It was a fun night," Miller said. "When the pucks are hitting you, it's a lot of
fun."
It was the third 1-0 shootout victory in Blues history and first since Feb. 1,
2008, against Anaheim.
One of Miller's best saves came with 1:30 to go in overtime when he
stretched out and denied Jakub Voracek's bid to slide the puck under his
pads.
"At this point in my career, I'm just trying to be really calm about everything,"
Miller said. "No sense letting things get off the rails and panicking too much."
Both teams killed penalties in the final five minutes of regulation, with a
high-sticking call to Giroux stretching into the first 36 seconds of overtime for
Philadelphia. St. Louis penalty killers have allowed three goals on 36
chances the past 12 home games.
The Flyers played in St. Louis for the first time since the 2010-11 opener.
Miller foiled two breakaways in the opening minutes, one created when
defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk collided. He made an
outstanding left pad save on Michael Raffl to thwart a 2-on-1 break early in
the second period.
Two Blues hit the goalpost in the second period, Jaden Schwartz in the
opening minute and Pietrangelo in the final minute.
732310
St Louis Blues
Depleted Flyers fall to Blues
By SAM CARCHIDI
The Philadelphia InquirerApril 1, 2014
ST. LOUIS — The Philadelphia Flyers' No. 1 goalie, Steve Mason, was given
the night off, and their top defenseman, Kimmo Timonen, was back home
with a facial injury.
Still, they managed to take the Western Conference's best team, the St.
Louis Blues, to the limit on Tuesday night, only to lose, 1-0, in a shootout at
the Scottrade Center.
Olympic hero T.J. Oshie and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk scored in the
shootout, and goalie Ryan Miller was flawless as the Blues avenged a 4-1
loss to the Flyers 10 nights earlier.
The Flyers are 3-7 in shootouts; the Blues are 9-3.
The Flyers managed a point and stayed four points ahead of fourth-place
Columbus in the Metropolitan Division.
Miller notched his first shutout in 14 games with St. Louis, which is now
27-6-4 at home. The former Sabre made perhaps his best save when he
stopped Jake Voracek in front with about 11/2 minutes left in overtime.
Flyers goalie Ray Emery played a strong game in just his second start in the
last seven games.
The Flyers will host Columbus in a key matchup Thursday, and the game will
match goalies against their former teams - Mason and Columbus' Sergei
Bobrovsky.
The Flyers were fortunate to be in a scoreless tie heading into the third
period.
St. Louis, which dropped a 4-1 decision to the Flyers on March 22, fired shots
off the post in the opening and closing minutes of the second period. Jaden
Schwartz had the first one; Alex Pietrangelo had the latter with 15 seconds to
go.
The Flyers had little attack time in the second period, although they had a
golden chance thwarted when Michael Raffl tried to finish a two-on-one but
was robbed by goalie Ryan Miller, who made a kick save with about 17
minutes left in the stanza.
The Flyers had the better scoring chances in the opening period. The best
came about 21/2 minutes into the game, when two Blues defenders collided,
enabling Claude Giroux and Raffl to head on a two-on-none break.
Giroux stickhandled and fed Raffl at the last moment on his left, but Miller
stopped the rookie's off-balance shot.
The Flyers had the only power play in the opening period but couldn't solve
the league's second-best penalty-killing unit.
With Kimmo Timonen sidelined by an injury, the Flyers were without their No.
1 defenseman, and coach Craig Berube juggled each of his three pairings.
Nick Grossmann replaced Timonen and was alongside Braydon Coburn on
the top pairing, and Erik Gustafsson played for the first time since Feb. 27.
"It's a chance for other guys to step in and do a good job," Grossmann said
before the game.
Gustafsson played well in the first two periods and was even used on the
power play and penalty kill.
St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock is close friends with Berube. When Hitchcock
was coaching the Flyers, Berube was coaching the AHL's Phantoms, who
were then in Philadelphia, and their teams practiced on adjacent rinks in
Voorhees.
"I thought Chief was going to make a good coach because he was a guy who
would ask commonsense questions," Hitchcock said Tuesday after the
Blues' morning skate. "He didn't have pie-in-the-sky ideas. It was meat and
potatoes, the same way he played.
"I think the thing that has made him a great coach is that his decisions are
void of emotion. He doesn't get wrapped up in the emotion of dealing with the
player - it's you're either doing the job or you're not. ... If you're not giving, you
have to go down a notch, go down to the fourth line, go out of the lineup. He
does what's best for the team."
Berube, who replaced Peter Laviolette after the team's 0-3 start, had directed
the Flyers to a 39-24-8 record entering Tuesday. In recent weeks, they were
4-0-1 against NHL powerhouses Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Chicago, and Boston.
Tuesday's loss to the best-in-the-West Blues can't undo the months of great
work that have put the Flyers on the verge of a playoff spot - and have many
teams hoping to avoid them in the postseason.
Tuesday's win against the best-in-the-West Blues was another step that has
the Flyers on the verge of a playoff spot - and has many teams hoping to
avoid them in the postseason.
And that's no April Fool's joke.
732311
St Louis Blues
The Flyers had a time, but elected to fire off a shot from left wing and Michael
Raffl was turned away by Miller.
Miller's first Blues shutout is a big one
After a struggling first period, the Blues came out with more fire in the
second.
By NORM SANDERS
Just seconds into the period, Blues winger Jaden Schwartz forced a turnover
and rang a shot off the goalpost from the slot.
News-DemocratApril 1, 2014
ST. LOUIS — Tuesday night was Exhibit A as to why goaltender Ryan Miller
was brought here from the Buffalo Sabres.
Miller kicked aside numerous difficult chances during regulation and
overtime, then stopped both shots in the shootout for his first shutout in 100
games as the Blues edged the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0.
The teams battled through three scoreless periods and overtime thanks to
Miller and Flyers goalie Ray Emery before T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk
scored in the shootout to clinch the win.
"I think it's his coming out party," Blues defenseman Barret Jackman said of
Miller, who stopped 31 shots for his first Blues shutout. "He's been solid most
of the games for us and he just stepped it up another level tonight."
The win was the Blues' 51st this season, tying the franchise record as they
moved to 51-17-7 for 109 points. They remain one point behind NHL overall
leader Boston and seven points ahead of second-place Colorado in the
Central Division with seven games remaining.
Miller was great early, just as good in the middle and saved some of his best
stops for the end of regulation and overtime along with the shootout.
"That's why we brought him here," said Oshie, whose shootout legend
continued after converting for the ninth time in 12 opportunities. "I talked him
up a little before he got here, telling the boys he was a good goaltender. It
was pretty amazing what was did out there tonight."
Miller was at his best again in the overtime, flashing his glove to rob
defenseman Nicklas Grossman with 2:19 remaining. A minute later, Miller
held his ground in front with the Flyers' Jakub Voracek camped there with the
potential game-winner on his stick.
"I was happy to get that one because it gives us a chance to get the win and
push the game on a far as we can go," said Miller, who improved to 10-3-1
with the Blues. "It was a fun night. When the puck's hitting you it's a lot of fun."
In the shootout, he turned away Vincent Lecavalier and then made a glove
save on red-hot Flyers forward Claude Giroux.
Giroux had scored on five of his nine shootout attempts before Tuesday.
Miller had gone 100 games since his last shutout on March 21, 2012 against
the Montreal Canadiens.
So when Shattenkirk beat Emery to nail down the win, Miller gave a fist pump
and was treated to a standing ovation from the Scottrade Center crowd of
18,647.
"I didn't want to have to make another save," he joked. "I was just happy to
have the win; it's been a while since I've had a shutout, so it felt good to finish
the job and keep building the right way towards playoffs."
Jackman talked about the confidence level the team has in its new
goaltender.
"You could see it tonight; they kept coming at us and he kept making save
after save," Jackman said. "He showed right from the beginning. The first
shift we gave up a chance and Millsie made one save, then another one right
after. He gave a chance to get going."
The Blues had scored 12 goals in their previous three games.
The teams battled through three scoreless periods, with their best chances
undone by the goaltending of Miller and Emery, missed shots and shots that
clanged off goalposts.
The Flyers had beaten the Blues 4-1 on March 22, but five goals looked like
50 in this tight playoff-like affair.
Miller was called upon early to make a tough save on Scott Hartnell, then
found himself staring down a 2-on-none rush by the Flyers later on during the
first period.
Raffl's bad luck with Miller continued in the second period. The Flyers'
forward was staring at an empty net after taking a cross-ice pass from Wayne
Simmonds, but Miller flashed his left pad across to make one of his best
saves since coming here from Buffalo.
"There were some saves there where you feel like you're about to put your
head down because it's going to go in the net," Oshie said. "He seems so
calm and just sticks his pad out and saves it."
With 14 seconds remaining in the second period, Blues defenseman Alex
Pietrangelo sent another shot off the post.
Emery stopped 28 shots for the Flyers, or just seven more than the 21 errant
shots by the Blues that missed the net entirely.
732312
Tampa Bay Lightning
Bolts clinch playoff spot with victory
By Erik Erlendsson
Published: April 1, 2014
|
Updated: April 1, 2014 at 11:45 PM
TAMPA — How fitting a Lightning rookie sent Tampa Bay into the
postseason.
Tyler Johnson scored a shorthanded goal at 12:41 of the third period to help
Tampa Bay beat Montreal 3-1 in front of an announced crowd of 18,808 at
The Forum.
With the victory - coupled with losses by Washington and New Jersey - the
Lightning, with five rookies in the lineup on Tuesday, clinched a berth in the
playoffs for the first time since 2011 and just the second time since 2007.
Tampa Bay also pulled even with the Canadiens for second in the Atlantic
Division, which carries home ice advantage in the first round, with a game in
hand.
Tampa Bay won the season series with Montreal 3-1, with three of the four
games decided in overtime/shootout.
The goal by Johnson was his 23rd of the season, tying him with Steven
Stamkos for most by a rookie in franchise history.
In a season in which the Lightning have faced the loss of Stamkos to a
broken leg, the drama surrounding the eventual trade of franchise stalwart
Marty St. Louis and at one point this season carrying 11 rookies on the roster,
Tampa Bay overcame all of that to earn the right to play for the Stanley Cup.
―You have to give the guys in the room a lot of credit, because probably the
hockey world is now opening their eyes to who these guys are,'' Lightning
head coach Jon Cooper said. ―But I'm sure for most of this season there were
a lot of people that probably looked at our roster and kind of discarded it a
little bit. And these guys are starting to make a name for themselves in this
league.''
Ryan Callahan - acquired from the New York Rangers in the St. Louis trade scored on the power play, rookie Ondrej Palat had two assists while
second-year pro Alex Killorn iced the game with an empty net goal with 44.3
seconds left. Ben Bishop made 25 saves for the Lightning.
Brendan Gallagher scored for Montreal while Carey Price was stellar in net,
finishing with 28 saves.
―We are proud in here, it's been an adverse season to say the least,'' captain
Stamkos said. ―We battled through a lot of things and people were probably
doubting us when certain guys got injured, the trades and the amount of
young guys we had on this team. So it is an accomplishment. There is a still a
lot of hard work to be done, but our goal at the beginning of the year was to
get in the playoffs and we did.''
Tampa Bay had to go through a lot of hard work to get Tuesday's victory in a
meeting that had a playoff atmosphere surrounding it heading in.
But Callahan's backhand power play goal 9:19 of the second period tied the
game after Brendan Gallagher gave the Canadiens the lead in the first
period.
That set up Johnson for the heroics as the Canadiens went on the power play
at 12:14 of the third period. But after David Desharnais sent a pass back to
Thomas Vanek at the left point. But the puck caromed off the wall and
Johnson took off as if he had jet fuel in his skates to blow past Vanek and
race in on the breakaway. After freezing Price for a split-second, Johnson
pulled the puck to his backhand and lifted it past Price with 7:19 left in the
third period that served as the playoff-clinching goal.
―The puck came up the wall, and I had a lot of speed and Price didn't think I
could get to my backhand, I don't think, and he kind of over challenged there,
so luckily for me I was able to get it over there and get it up,'' said Johnson,
who is tied for league lead with five shorthanded goals. ―I never really thought
about (the goal as the one to clinch a postseason berth), I'm just happy we
got the win, happy we clinched a playoff spot.
Late hit
There was a scary play late in the game when Douglas Murray clocked
Lightning defenseman Mike Kostka with a blatant elbow that appeared to
knock Kostka unconscious. A stretcher immediately came on the ice, but
after a few minutes Kostka was able to get up to his feet and skated off on his
own power.
Murray was handed a match penalty for an illegal blow to the head, which
carries with it an automatic review and will likely result in a suspension for the
Canadiens' defenseman.
Kostka was going through concussion protocol following the game, but
Stamkos said Kostka was unconscious on the ice as he came over to check
on his teammate.
―That's a scary scene when you see someone on the ice, let alone one of
your teammates, in that situation where he was out cold,'' Stamkos said.
―You hope that Mike is doing great, but I'll have to look at it again. But if it
warranted a (match) penalty, I'm sure there will be some repercussions from
the league.''
Tampa Tribune LOADED: 04.02.2014
Bolts Notes: Lightning honor Paralympian
―I thought Mark played extremely well,‘‘ Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.
―He was jumping into plays, and he probably had a couple of our best
chances to score. I thought he was very good at breaking pucks out, and it‘s
good to have guys that you can plug in.‘‘
By Erik Erlendsson
Barberio, who was scratched on Tuesday, is accustomed to being patient
and waiting for his opportunities, as he has done at various points this
season.
732313
Tampa Bay Lightning
|
Updated: April 2, 2014 at 12:03 AM
TAMPA — Before the game, Paralympic gold medalist Declan Farmer
dropped the ceremonial opening faceoff and received fist pumps from the
Lightning players on the bench as he left the ice.
Farmer led Team USA in scoring in the sled hockey tournament at the
Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, last month. The 16-year-old Berkeley Prep
student has been a member of the Lightning‘s sled hockey program since
2007.
―It took a few days, at least, for everything to really sink in at what our team
accomplished,‘‘ said Farmer, who was wearing his Team USA jersey and
had his gold medal draped around his neck.
Since returning from Russia, Farmer has been receiving plenty of recognition
for his accomplishment, whether it was acknowledgment from the school
when he returned to class or the attention for bringing his gold medal to
school. Farmer said he is just trying to take it all in while taking some time
away from the game before getting ready for 2014-15 Team USA tryouts in
July as he keeps an eye on the 2018 games scheduled to take place in South
Korea.
―It was so much fun over in Sochi,‘‘ Farmer said. ―I definitely want to
experience that again.‘‘
Erne signed
The Lightning have signed 2013 second-round draft pick Adam Erne to a
standard three-year entry level contract on Tuesday.
Erne announced the signing via his personal Twitter account with a picture of
him signing the contract in a Quebec Remparts office with the comment ―It‘s
a dream come true to have signed a contract with the @TBLightning! Thanks
to everyone who helped me along the way!‘‘.
The Lightning said Erne will report to Syracuse of the American Hockey
League on an amateur tryout agreement for the rest of the season. The
Crunch have nine games remaining, including Wednesday at Rochester,
before the season ends April 19. The Crunch are last in the East Division and
will miss the postseason.
Erne just finished his season with Quebec after the Remparts were knocked
out in the opening round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs
on Friday in five games by Rouyn-Noranda. Erne suffered a small laceration
to his spleen during a game on Feb. 16 that kept him out of the lineup for all
but the final game of the series against Rouyn-Noranda, in which Erne
scored a goal.
In 48 regular-season games, the 33rd overall pick in the 2013 draft finished
with 21 goals and 62 points in 48 games. The 18-year-old also represented
the United States at the World Junior Championships in January.
Rookie honors
Lightning LW Ondrej Palat was named the NHL rookie of the month for
March, the second time this season Palat has won the monthly award.
Palat led all rookies with 16 points in 16 games, registering five goals and 11
assists. He also won rookie of the month honors for January. Palat is the first
player in franchise history to be named rookie of the month twice in a season.
Entering Tuesday‘s game, Palat leads all rookies with a plus-27 rating and is
second in rookie scoring (51 points) and assists (32) while ranking fourth in
goals (19).
Barbs wired
After sitting out nine consecutive games, D Mark Barberio made the most of
his opportunity when he was back in the lineup on Sunday against Detroit,
The rookie defenseman played 14:28 of effective ice time while dressed as
the seventh defenseman, finishing with three shots on goal.
Barberio made a strong case to remain in the lineup.
―I was itching to get back in, and I had some fresh legs, I guess,‘‘ Barberio
said. ―I just wanted to make sure I came in with energy, and both teams were
battling ... so it was good to get into a game like that where it was playoff
intensity right off the bat.‘‘
Nuts and Bolts
Tampa Bay scratched D Keith Aulie, RW B.J. Crombeen, RW Richard Panik,
C Cody Kunyk and Barberio. ... RW Ryan Callahan has four power-play
goals in 14 games with the Lightning after having five in 43 games with the
New York Rangers. ... Montreal LW Thomas Vanek faced the Lightning for
the fifth time this season while playing for three different teams.
732314
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning can clinch playoff spot tonight
By Erik Erlendsson
The Tampa Bay Lightning have the opportunity to officially clinch a playoff
spot tonight when they host the Montreal Canadiens.
Tampa Bay has 91 points in the NHL standings heading into tonight with
seven games remaining.
In order for the Lightning to clinch a postseason berth tonight, Tampa Bay
needs to beat the Canadiens while Washington would need to lose in
regulation to Dallas and New Jersey needs to lose either in regulation or
overtime at Buffalo.
If Tampa Bay does clinch a playoff spot tonight, the most likely matchup in
the opening round would be against Montreal.
The Canadiens hold a two-point lead on the Lightning for second place in the
Atlantic Division, with Tampa Bay holding a game in hand. Whichever team
ends up holding the second spot in the division would earn home ice for the
first round.
Tonight‘s game starts a six-game homestand for Tampa Bay before the
regular season ends April 13 at Washington. The postseason is scheduled to
begin April 16.
732315
Tampa Bay Lightning
Ondrej Palat is the NHL's rookie of the month for March
Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 1, 2014 3:16pm
Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat was named the NHL's rookie of the month for
March. Palat had five goals, 16 points in 16 games.
Palat, 23, is having a terrific season worthy of rookie of the year
consideration. His 51 points on 19 goals, 32 assists is second in the league
among rookies. His 32 assists also are second, and he is tied for the lead at
plus-27.
He also was rookie of the month for January.
Here is the announcement from the league:
Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat, who led all rookies with 16
points (5-11—16) in 16 games, has been named the NHL‘s Rookie of the
Month for March.
Palat edged Calgary Flames center Joe Colborne (6-5—11 in 16 games),
Anaheim Ducks left wing Patrick Maroon (3-8—11 in 14 games), Florida
Panthers center Nick Bjugstad (1-10—11 in 17 games) and Tampa Bay
Lightning teammate Tyler Johnson (5-5—10 in 16 games) for the award.
Palat, 23, recorded at least one point in nine of 16 games, including a
five-game assist/point streak March 8-17 (4-5—9), his third point streak of
five or more games this season. He also posted six multi-point performances,
including his second career multi-goal and three-point game
March 10 vs. PHX (2-1—3).
Palat, a native of Frydek-Mistek, Czech Republic, was selected by the
Lightning in the seventh round (208th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. He has
played in 75 games this season, ranking second among rookies in assists
(32) and points (51) while placing fourth in goals (19). He also is tied for the
lead among first-year players with 36 points (13-23—36) in 36 games since
Jan. 1.
Palat, who also earned Rookie of the Month honors in January, joins San
Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl (October), Nashville Predators goaltender
Marek Mazanec (November), and Los Angeles Kings goaltender Martin
Jones and Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Antti Raanta (December
co-winners) as recipients of the award this season.
Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.02.2014
732316
Tampa Bay Lightning
Goaltending to headline Lightning-Canadiens showdown
There is a reason the three games this season between the Lightning and
Canadiens have been so close: goaltending, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper
said, adding he has no doubt tonight's important matchup between the teams
at the Tampa Bay Times Forum will be any different.
"These have been one-goal games. They go to shootouts. They go to
overtime," Cooper said. "They have had a little bit of everything. But above all
they've had outstanding goaltending on both sides."
In three starts against Montreal this season, Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop is
2-0-1 with a 0.92 goals-against average and .962 save percentage.
Montreal's Carey Price is 1-0-2 with a 1.23 goals-against average and .962
save percentage.
Eash game this season has ended 2-1 with the Lightning winning one in
overtime and one in a shootout and losing one in a shootout. In fact, six
straight games between the teams have been decided by one goal and nine
of the past 11.
The game has lots of playoff implications as the teams seemed destined to
meet in the first round of the playoffs. The only question seems to be who
gets home ice. The Canadiens currently are second in the Atlantic Division,
two points ahead of the Lightning. Whichever team finishes higher, gets
home ice.
Tampa Bay can also clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2011 and
only the second time since 2007. Tampa Bay must win, the Capitals must
lose in regulation and the Devils have to lose in either regulation or overtime.
However it happens, as defenseman Matt Carle said, "Things would have to
go extremely wrong for us not to make the playoffs, so we're really honing in
on how we want to play come the playoffs."
One thing a team does not want to do, Carle said, is "take your foot off the
gas," especially when you see what has happened to the Maple Leafs who
have put themselves in precarious playoff position by losing eight straight
games.
"You want to be running on all cylinders at playoff time," Carle said. "You
can't switch it on like a light switch. It's not something that just comes
overnight. You want to be playing at playoff intensity game-in and game-out
leading up to it."
Which brings us back to tonight's game.
"These teams know exactly where they sit and how close they are to each
other," Cooper said. "There's a lot on the line tonight, and I'm fairly certain
this (game) will have a little different feel than our run-of-the-mill one of 82."
Other stuff from the morning skate: Scratches for Tampa Bay will be
announced near game time. Certain to be out are defenseman Keith Aulie
and forwards Cody Kunyk and B.J. Crombeen. Forward Tom Pyatt and
defenseman Mark Barberio both said they will skate warm-ups before a
decision is made if they will play. ... It would seem Barberio is a good bet to
play after he played so well Sunday against the Red Wings with two prime
scoring chances and three shots on goal in 14:28 of ice time. That after nine
straight games as a healthy scratch. "He was jumping into play and had a
couple of our best chances to score," Cooper said. "I thought he was real
good breaking out pucks. It's good to have guys you can just plug in." Players
getting game action after extended time off can go one of two ways. They can
be rusty or rested. Barberio was the latter. "The biggest thing was to try to
stay focused while i wasn't playing," he said. "Still trying to keep my intensity
up in practice and keep things up-tempo and strong in the gym, so when I
came back I didn't miss a step." ... Tampa Bay will get its fifth look this season
at Lightning killer Thomas Vanek, who has 25 goals and 40 points in 35
games against Tampa Bay. In four games this season against the Lightning
-- two while he was with the Sabres, the other two with the Islanders -- the left
wing has two goals, four points. "He always seem to be around the net every
time we play him," Cooper said. "He's a really dangerous player. he's really
hard to push off the puck down there. The one thing you have to make Vanek
and his line do is play defense, put them somewhere they are a little bit more
uncomfortable to play. If they're in the zone tonight we're going to really need
Ben Bishop to help us out." ... Lightning defenseman Sami Salo needs one
goal to reach 100 in his career. ... Center Valtteri Filppula's 12-game points
streak (five goals, 11 assists) is the league's longest active. ... The
Canadiens are on an 8-1-0 streak with five straight wins overall and five
straight on the road.
732317
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning's Mike Kostka takes big hit
Wednesday, April 2, 2014 12:35am
TAMPA — Lightning D Mike Kostka apparently was a pretty frightening sight
after he took a vicious hit to the head from Montreal's Douglas Murray.
Kostka's neck was "contorted," teammate Alex Killorn said.
"He was out cold," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said.
Kostka, who was decked with 2:13 left in the third period with what seemed a
targeted hit to the head, skated off on his own after several minutes on the ice
and after Stamkos helped guide a stretcher to where Kostka laid.
"I don't know how he skated off," coach Jon Cooper said.
The official word after the game was Kostka still was being evaluated, but he
was seen walking around the Tampa Bay locker room.
Murray, 6 feet 3, 240 pounds, was given a match penalty. He is eligible for
supplemental discipline from the league.
"That's a tough one," Cooper said. "It's a fast game. It's an instinctive game.
Those are the type of things we're trying to take out of the game. I'm sure he
wasn't looking to hit him in the head. Maybe he thought Mike was going to get
around him. I don't know."
Killorn, who confronted Murray, said Murray actually seemed "kind of
concerned."
"He was like, 'I don't know. I don't know,' " Killorn said.
"As soon as the hit happened I was jumping over the boards," Stamkos said.
"That's a scary scene."
TOUGH CALL: RW Teddy Purcell's apparent goal with 11.7 seconds left in
the second period was disallowed because of "incidental contact" by J.T.
Brown with Montreal G Carey Price. The score was tied at 1. The call had the
potential to be controversial as replays showed no contact until after the puck
was past Price.
But Brown was in the crease and there is a provision in Rule 69.3 that allows
for goals to be disallowed if "an attacking player establishes a significant
position in the crease so as to obstruct the goalkeeper's vision."
"I felt a little contact but it was after the puck had gone by," Brown said. "I was
just trying to get to the front of the net."
Brown said the team was able to shrug off the disappointment.
"It's a sign of a good team," he said. "We didn't let that affect us. We just
came back out in the third and played the exact same way we did at the end
of the second."
PALAT HONORED: LW Ondrej Palat was named the league's rookie of the
month for March. Palat, 23, who had five goals and 11 assists in 16 games
and points in nine games, also was named in January.
MINOR MATTERS: F Adam Erne signed a three-year deal that begins next
season. He will report to AHL Syracuse for the rest of this season on an
amateur tryout agreement.
Erne, 18, drafted 33rd overall last summer, had 21 goals, 62 points and 65
penalty minutes in 48 games this season for Quebec of the junior Quebec
league and played for the United States at the 2014 world championship.
PLAYOFF TICKETS: Single-game tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
Details to come.
ODDS AND ENDS: C Valtteri Filppula's 12-game points streak (five goals, 11
assists) ended. … Forwards B.J. Crombeen, Richard Panik and Cody Kunyk,
and defensemen Keith Aulie and Mark Barberio were scratched.
732318
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning clinches playoff berth with win over Canadiens
TAMPA — Coach Jon Cooper said he at first did not know what to make of
the well-wishers in the hallway outside the Lightning locker room offering
congratulations.
Tampa Bay had just beaten the Canadiens 3-1 Tuesday night in front of an
announced crowd of 18,808 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, so he expected
people to be happy. But all the congratulations? "That usually doesn't
happen after a win," he said.
But this win was special because with the Capitals regulation loss and Devils
shootout loss, the Lightning (42-25-9) clinched a playoff spot.
"I had no idea," Cooper said. "I'm excited for what's happening. It's a really
cool feeling."
Not only did Tampa Bay beat Montreal — its likely first-round opponent
which, despite the loss, also clinched a playoff spot — one of Cooper's prized
rookies, Tyler Johnson, scored the winner with a high backhand to finish a
shorthanded breakaway that broke a 1-1 tie with 7:19 left in the third period.
It was Johnson's 23rd goal, tying captain Steven Stamkos' franchise rookie
record.
Ryan Callahan's second-period, power-play goal tied the score at 1. Alex
Killorn had an empty-netter and Ben Bishop made 25 saves for his 37th win.
"It's awesome," Bishop said of clinching Tampa Bay's first playoff spot since
2011. "It's a goal we set at the start of the season. It's something special."
"You want to win that Stanley Cup and now we have a chance. We're in the
playoffs," Johnson said. "Once you're in anything can happen. We're trying to
get some momentum, trying to build on it, trying to be ready for it and see
where it takes us."
The team's attention now turns to home-ice advantage in the first round of the
playoffs.
Tampa Bay likely will face Montreal as the second- and third-place teams in
the Atlantic Division. Both have 93 points, though because it has played one
fewer game the Lightning officially is ahead. If it can hold that spot, it will open
the playoffs at the Times Forum.
Johnson's goal, his fifth shorthanded which tied the league lead, was started
in the defensive zone by defenseman Victor Hedman, who forced David
Desharnais to give up the puck.
Johnson gained the puck by lifting the stick of Thomas Vanek. He outraced
Vanek and P.K. Subban. That left goalie Carey Price, who was outstanding
with 30 saves.
"Price didn't think I could get it to my backhand, I don't think, so he tried to
over-challenge there," Johnson said. "Luckily I was able to get there and try
to get it up and I was able to find a way. It was huge."
"We're proud in here," Stamkos said. "It is an accomplishment but there still is
a lot of hard work to be done."
"It's just a wave of emotions right now," Cooper said.
And a lot of congratulations.
Lightning 0 1 2 3
Canadiens 1 0 0 1
First—1, Montreal, Gallagher 19 (Galchenyuk, Weaver), 10:18.
Penalties—Tampa Bay bench, served by Malone (too many men), 11:19;
Eller, Mon (holding), 13:43.
Second—2, Tampa Bay, Callahan 17 (Palat, Hedman), 9:19 (pp).
Penalties—Bouillon, Mon (tripping), 8:43; Gudas, TB (holding), 9:51; Vanek,
Mon (tripping), 11:09; Filppula, TB (tripping), 16:21.
Third—3, Tampa Bay, Johnson 23 (Hedman), 12:41 (sh). 4, Tampa Bay,
Killorn 17 (Palat, Brown), 19:15 (en-pp). Penalties—Eller, Mon (tripping),
4:32; Markov, Mon (hooking), 6:56; Thompson, TB (boarding), 12:14;
Emelin, Mon (tripping), 13:00; Emelin, Mon (slashing), 16:05; Weaver, Mon
(roughing), 17:47; Murray, Mon match penalty (match), 17:47; Johnson, TB
(roughing), 17:47. Shots—Montreal 10-10-6—26. Tampa Bay 10-11-12—33.
Power plays—Montreal 0 of 4; Tampa Bay 2 of 9. Goalies—Montreal, Price
32-19-5 (32 shots-30 saves). Tampa Bay, Bishop 37-12-7 (26-25).
A—18,808 (19,204). T—2:38. Referees—Chris Lee, Brian Pochmara.
Linesmen—Brad Lazarowich, Brian Murphy.
Lightning clinches playoff berth with win over Canadiens 04/01/14 [Last
modified: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 1:01am]
732319
Toronto Maple Leafs
Mirtle: Ghosts of Brian Burke‘s tenure still haunt struggling Leafs
JAMES MIRTLE
Published Tuesday, Apr. 01 2014, 10:15 PM EDT
Last updated Tuesday, Apr. 01 2014, 11:17 PM EDT
Then came 2011-12, when the first so-called 18-wheeler went off the cliff,
coach Ron Wilson was fired and the Leafs were finally able to benefit in some
sense by drafting Morgan Rielly fifth overall.
(Burke was able to see some of his handiwork there in person on Tuesday as
Rielly helped create Toronto‘s second goal with a terrific foray into the
offensive zone. Dave Bolland was ultimately credited with the goal after a
Flames defender knocked it in.)
But that late-season collapse – almost exactly two years prior to this one –
was ultimately the end of Burke‘s time in Toronto.
Even if his presence lives on.
It was just like old times.
Brian Burke, sitting in the Air Canada Centre press box, sporting a scowl, an
unbuttoned top button on his shirt and watching on as the Toronto Maple
Leafs took the ice.
The only change? A new haircut – with the term hockey hair not quite doing
the look justice – and a new team, as he is still settling in as president of
hockey ops with the Calgary Flames.
Montreal Canadiens forward Daniel Briere (48) and forward Rene Bourque
(17) celebrate a goal against Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer
(34) and defenseman Tim Gleason (8) during the first period at the Air
Canada Centre.
―It‘s weird coming in here tonight,‖ Burke mused to Sportsnet during the first
intermission. ―You do take some satisfaction about beating teams that let you
go for sure.‖
That wasn‘t how it played out.
Playing for their playoff lives, the Leafs pulled ahead with two goals early in
the third period in what became a 3-2 win over a green Flames team, finally
ending the agony of a season-killing eight-game losing streak.
Along the way, they got three goals from surprising sources – including David
Clarkson‘s breakaway winner that was only his fifth tally of the season –
some depth scoring that has been sorely lacking all year.
The win boosts their faint playoff hopes to an 8.6 per cent chance, with a
pivotal meeting with the Boston Bruins looming large on Thursday.
But the bigger story remained up in the executive suites.
What‘s remarkable when you look back at the Burke era – which began 5 1/2
years ago with the bold proclamation that he had no patience for five-year
rebuilds – is just how much it continues to haunt the Leafs.
Most of the foundation of the roster is leftover from his tenure. There‘s
captain Dion Phaneuf, top scorer Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk, Joffrey
Lupul and Jake Gardiner, with all five added in high profile trades that will
forever define the good of Burke‘s time with the franchise.
Such as it was.
In his absence, the holdover management crew led by Dave Nonis has had
very mixed results in attempting to improve the roster. The biggest plus has
been the play of netminder Jonathan Bernier, but the minuses are
considerable, with Clarkson‘s cap-killing seven-year deal, a failure to bolster
the blueline and, of course, this latest meltdown at a crucial point of the
season.
While some have given Nonis a free pass due to the fact he has only been in
the top job a mere 15 months, there‘s a longer history involved here, too, one
that matters when you dissect the mess Toronto‘s year has become.
Nonis was Burke‘s right-hand man essentially the entire trying time – hired
away from Anaheim in December of 2008 – and the majority of the Leafs key
executive staff are in the same boat.
Vice-president of hockey ops Dave Poulin arrived in the summer of 2009,
and the Leafs proceeded to finish second last in the league without the
benefit of a first-round pick.
Assistant GM Claude Loiselle joined the next off-season, and the following
year was again a trying campaign, with a 22nd place finish in large part due
to continued woes in goal.
Tuesday‘s game against Burke‘s Flames marked the 428th regular season
outing that Nonis has been a high ranking hockey exec with the Leafs, the
equivalent of more than five 82-game seasons.
In that time, they‘ve won just 190 times – or 36 per 82 games – and been the
equivalent of an 83-point team in a league where 92 is the average.
How you apportion blame for what‘s gone on over those years – including the
Leafs playoff hopes once again being on life support, even after Tuesday‘s
win – is up for debate, but what‘s noteworthy is just how involved Nonis was
in high level decisions even back when Burke was in charge.
Several outside executives have noted, for one, that late in Burke‘s tenure
Nonis was the de facto GM, dealing with contract negotiations and acting as
an influential counterbalance to his mentor‘s more impulsive decision
making.
What‘s clear, too, is that both men view the game in a similar way. Like
Burke, Nonis emphasizes size and toughness in his teams, and even went so
far as to tailor his roster in the off-season to a likeminded coach in Randy
Carlyle, a Burke hire whose head now sits on the firing line.
So while Burke may be long gone, off on another adventure, the Leafs
mantra certainly appears largely unchanged, even in the face of all those
losses over the years.
Nonis, Poulin and Loiselle have carried on a similar vision and it‘s produced
similar results, at least in the wake of last year‘s successful half-season, with
the roster that had been set when Burke was still involved.
In light of that, the biggest question facing new ownership is if this season is
simply another chapter in a never-ending rebuild – one about to hit Year 6
with some familiar faces in charge – or something different altogether.
It‘s not a pleasant one.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Desperate Leafs edge Flames to snap eight game losing streak
But there was still some luck left over from the Bolland goal since Phaneuf
managed to wait until there were just three seconds left before he took a bad
cross-checking penalty in front of the Leaf net and then talked his way into an
additional minor for unsportsmanlike conduct, a 10-minute misconduct and a
game misconduct.
DAVID SHOALTS
Last updated Wednesday, Apr. 02 2014, 12:04 AM EDT
There were some positives the Toronto Maple Leafs could take out of
Tuesday‘s 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames that broke their eight-game
losing streak.
Secondary scoring, long one of this team‘s problems, finally showed up. Jay
McClement, Dave Bolland and David Clarkson – yes, you read that right,
David Clarkson – were the Leaf goal-scorers. Clarkson even provided the
winning goal on breakaway, his fifth of the season, coming in at a little more
than $1-million per, based on his contract.
The defensive game was a little better, as the Flames were limited to 24
shots, practically none by Leaf standards, while the Leafs took 22. Hey, you
didn‘t think they would actually outshoot someone did you?
And the luck that deserted them since the Olympic break returned, at least for
one night. Bolland‘s goal came on a shot almost from behind the net that hit
Calgary defenceman T.J. Brodie and bounced in to put the Leafs ahead for
good.
But, and there is always a but with this team, questions remain with the
Leafs, as their chances of making the NHL playoffs are still almost nil. The
biggest problem was the Flames game itself. For a group of players
supposedly playing for their playoff lives the Leafs showed little passion and
were fortunate the opposition was one of the NHL‘s worst teams.
In a game that was boring enough to make your eyes bleed, the Leafs still
looked like a team playing not to lose rather than one going full out for the
win. A couple of the players and head coach Randy Carlyle admitted as
much while talking about how great it was to finally stop the string of
regulation-time losses.
―You hope you can build on it,‖ Carlyle said. ―But I don‘t want to get too far
ahead of ourselves because we didn‘t paint a Mona Lisa tonight.‖
No they didn‘t, not by a longshot. The building must happen, though, as the
next opponent is the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. They look nothing like
the team of a year ago, the one that stumbled through the last part of the
2012-13 regular season then almost let the Leafs push them out of the
playoffs before righting themselves and running to the Stanley Cup final.
This year‘s edition of the Bruins is a ruthlessly efficient machine, cruising
toward first place overall with a 9-0-1 record in their last 10 games. And they
are not relaxing even though the Atlantic Division title is clinched and the
Eastern Conference title is pretty much certain.
―We use it for support right now,‖ Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf said of the win
and then admitted, ―there‘s still a lot of work to be done. We can‘t sit back and
say ‗Whew.‘‖
There are still too many signs the will and the confidence of this team remain
fragile. The Leafs do not look like a team that has everyone pulling together
and they have a long way to go to inspire any confidence.
Carlyle said that is still obvious when you see players do certain things even
when the game has gone their way and is finally winding down.
―We need people to step up and we need people to shake the cobwebs or the
doldrums which we‘ve been in and get ourselves going,‖ the coach said. ―You
see the things like [forward] Mason Raymond ice the puck when nobody‘s
around him. He‘s trying so hard not to be the guy who‘s going to turn the puck
over.
―Those are the signals you‘ve got to maybe breathe a little bit deeper and try
and [remain] calm.‖
In the last minute of the third period, the Leafs were hardly the picture of
efficiency after the Flames pulled their goaltender for an extra skater. The
familiar running around in their own end ensued, as did the questionable
judgment.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Flames looking to snuff out Leafs‘ faint playoff hopes
JAMES MIRTLE
The Toronto Maple Leafs playoff chances are just 4.6 per cent right now, as
they need to basically win out (or go 5-0-1) to have a reasonable shot at the
postseason.
But the Calgary Flames would like nothing more than to drop those numbers
to almost nothing.
That‘s what on the line Tuesday at the Air Canada Centre, with the plucky
Flames playing for pride and the downtrodden Leafs battling for their playoff
lives.
Montreal Canadiens forward Daniel Briere (48) and forward Rene Bourque
(17) celebrate a goal against Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer
(34) and defenseman Tim Gleason (8) during the first period at the Air
Canada Centre.
While Toronto has lost eight games in regulation in a row, Calgary has been
playing spoiler, going 9-7-0 in March and beating Anaheim, Dallas, San Jose
and the New York Rangers in the process.
Former Leafs prospect Joe Colborne said the Flames coaching staff has put
the pressure on the young team to approach this stretch as their postseason,
breaking down the games into seven game series and pushing them to treat
the remainder of their season as must-win games.
With only seven games left, Calgary is almost definitely going to finish in the
bottom five, but little was expected of them entering the year.
―I‘m not going to say anything inflammatory before the game,‖ said Colborne,
who is third on the Flames in scoring during that stretch with 11 points in 16
games. ―But any guy who comes back and plays his past team wants to have
a good game. We‘ve got a guy playing his first NHL game tonight (Bryce Van
Brabant) and a lot of guys with family in the stands so it‘ll be a special game
regardless.
―We‘ve been pretending we‘re in series as we go. The more teams that we
can beat and make it harder for them the better. That‘s the only way we‘re
going to get as close as possible to the playoff atmosphere.‖
Another former Leaf, Matt Stajan, said he could sympathize with what
Toronto is going through, but that they shouldn‘t expect any mercy from a
team 11 points below them in the standings.
―They‘re going to be a hungry team tonight and they‘re probably trying
everything they can to get out of it. We know the situation they‘re in,‖ Stajan
said. ―We want to come in and knock them down again.‖
The best hope for the Leafs at this point is that they win a lot of their games
and the two teams they‘re fighting with, Columbus and Washington, go into a
funk to end the year.
Sportsclubstats.com gives Toronto only a 77 per cent chance of making the
postseason if they run the table and win six straight, and those odds drop to
just 29 per cent if they finish the year 5-1-0.
Even finishing with 89 points gives the Leafs a small chance of making it with
some help (roughly 11 per cent).
Adding to the game‘s intrigue is the fact that former Leafs GM Brian Burke,
now the president of hockey operations for the Flames, will be in the visitors
executive box for the first time since being let go at the start of the 2012-13
season.
And if anyone knows what Toronto‘s going through right now, it‘s Burke.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Kessel has bruised foot but is expected to play against Flames
DAVID SHOALTS
The bruised right foot Phil Kessel suffered when a pass from linemate James
van Riemsdyk bounced off him last Saturday is not expected to keep him out
of Tuesday‘s game against the Calgary Flames.
While Kessel did not take part in the Leafs‘ one practice since Saturday and
also skipped Tuesday‘s optional game-day skate, Leafs head coach Randy
Carlyle said the right winger told him he ―is available‖ to play against the
Flames.
Also missing from the skate were goaltender Jonathan Bernier, defenceman
Dion Phaneuf and forwards Mason Raymond, Nikolai Kulemin, Tyler Bozak
and Dave Bolland. All of them are expected to play as well.
Bernier will start his fourth consecutive game as the Leafs face the difficult
task of breaking their eight-game losing streak and winning all of their last six
regular-season games to have any chance of making the playoffs.
"Our spirits are up, our morale is up,‖ Phaneuf said. ―That's the way you have
to conduct business."
Carlyle was asked if the Leafs‘ playoff chances are realistic and said they are
―realistic if you win." The best way to do that, he added, is ―don't look past
tonight."
The coach said lineup changes are possible but there really isn‘t anything
major Carlyle can do with his lineup. Unless you consider Colton Orr and
Paul Ranger moving into the fourth line and third defence pair, respectively,
major changes.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Clarkson, Bolland, McClement in Leaf penthouse, Raymond in doghouse
By: Kevin McGran Sports Reporter, Published on Wed Apr 02 2014
The Maple Leafs won. In very rare fashion. David Clarkson, Dave Bolland
and Jay McClement were your goal scorers in a 3-2 victory over the Flames
Tuesday night. And they are each in the penthouse. Mason Raymond, only
because he‘s such a shining example of how things can go badly in one shift,
is in the doghouse.
PENTHOUSE
Clarkson, welcome to the penthouse. Haven‘t seen you here as much as you
might have thought. But that breakaway goal — the one that stood up as the
game-winner — was pretty sweet.
―It‘s no secret it‘s been tough,‖ said Clarkson. ―Personally I‘m not happy with
my season. I hold myself accountable. The big things is, we‘ve got five
games here. We‘ve got to play hard every night.‖
Bolland‘s goal, early in the third, was kicked in by a Flames defenceman.
―He finds a way to get on the scoresheet and score important goals,‖ said
Leafs coach Randy Carlyle. ―I don‘t know how he scored the goal tonight.
The puck was in the corner and somehow, whatever, he swept the puck
across the goal crease and it hit somebody‘s foot, went in the net. All of the
goals he scores . . . are from 10 or 15 feet.‖
And McClement not only scored the opening goal, but he played more than
18 minutes, much of it in the third, as the Leafs finally held on to a lead.
DOGHOUSE
We‘re sorry to pick on Raymond, who played well for the most part. But when
the game was on the line, and the Flames were pressing, and it‘s the final
minute, and you‘ve got the puck just shy of the red line, you are not supposed
to ice it. But Raymond did.
It was a symptom, according to Carlyle, of losing confidence due to that
eight-game losing streak.
―When you see the thing like Mason Raymond (icing) the puck with nobody
around him, he is trying so hard not to be the guy that‘s going to turn the puck
over,‖ said Carlyle. ―That‘s (when) you recognize how really tense they are.
Any other day he knows the red line is there.
―He was maybe two feet away from it and he iced the puck. Those are the
signals that you‘ve got to breathe a little bit deeper, try to get calm.‖
Toronto Star LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Toronto Maple Leafs
seemed very dangerous, at least until Byron put a hard pass into the skates
of Mike Cammalleri, and the Flames lost possession.
David Clarkson rescues Leafs vs. Flames: Cox
Against a better team, a more skilful team, that turnover would at least have
meant a significant scoring chance. Maybe a goal.
By: Damien Cox Sports Columnist, Published on Tue Apr 01 2014
But not against the Flames. Still, the visitors did press to the end, and
misfortune seemed poised to frown on the Leafs again when, with 50
seconds left in regulation, Tyler Bozak took dead aim at an abandoned
Calgary net and hit the right post from 100 feet.
It was more anxiousness than anticipation.
After a season in which all that could go wrong for David Clarkson had gone
wrong, what malady or mishap would stop him this time?
A trap door under the ice? A stick snapping in two? The lights suddenly going
out at the ACC? An undone skate lace to trip him up?
A quick double check — was he even going the right way?
In the sixth minute of the third period on Tuesday night, the hard-luck Leaf
forward found himself alone and clear from the red line, about as roomy and
comfortable a breakaway as one can imagine. Almost a penalty shot.
Easy, right?
Not in this season. Nothing has been easy for Clarkson after it seemed last
July his decision to come back to his hometown was a perfect match
between his type of grinding, hard-nosed hockey and the team he had
cheered for as a boy growing up in the west end.
Four goals in 54 games prior to this contest against the Calgary Flames had
of course, left Clarkson exposed to the bitter whims of public opinion after
signing a seven-year free-agent contract with the club last summer.
Some had decided he was already a bust. It was hard to argue.
So many times during the season had he appeared poised to get his game in
gear, and every time he had fallen back into the same mysterious state of
groggy inertia.
Suddenly, with the Leafs leading Calgary 2-1 in a game the home team had
to have, here was a chance for Clarkson to make something very positive
happen and possibly help end the franchise‘s worst losing streak in almost
three decades.
He skated in without a Calgary player anywhere nearby to bother him. He
stared down goalie Karri Ramo, made a move to his forehand, and Ramo
flopped forward, seemingly fooled by the move of a player who hadn‘t fooled
any goalies this season.
When the puck slid under Ramo, there seemed to be a brief pause, a
moment of disbelief. Then the explosion of noise. Clarkson himself didn‘t
over-react. He hardly reacted at all.
Act like you‘ve been there before, right?
That turned out to be the winning tally in a 3-2 Leaf victory, two words that
haven‘t been written in sequence for weeks. After eight consecutive losses in
regulation, the blue and white stopped the bleeding against the 26th-best
team in the league, albeit a Flames team that has been giving many clubs fits
over the past two months.
The Leafs were solid, nothing more, but solid was a massive improvement
after an octuplet of games in which they played one disastrous first period
after another, or had been foiled by bad goaltending, or had fallen prey to one
costly on-ice decision or another.
On this night, goals came not only from Clarkson but from Jay McClement
and David Bolland, allowing the top line of Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and
James van Riemsdyk to experience victory without having to play starring
roles.
Jonathan Bernier likewise didn‘t have to channel his inner Turk Broda and
steal another win, although he came up with some important stops in the final
five minutes of play and made 22 saves in all.
Instead, the Leafs delivered a competent checking effort, one in which they
weren‘t trapped in their own end for sequence after sequence. The Flames
don‘t have the offensive weapons to scare anyone, and so it really was a bit
of a breather for the Leafs after a long series of challenging games.
Case in point: with just over two minutes left, Paul Byron picked off a poorly
executed exit pass from Carl Gunnarsson high in the Leaf zone. The play
With 20 seconds left, defenceman Kris Russell, who had scored the second
Flames goal, closed in from the left faceoff circle with a Grade A scoring
chance. And shot wide.
The win, of course, didn‘t save Toronto‘s season. But it kept them more than
mathematically alive, and allowed them to pass faltering Washington and
move one point out of wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The team the
Leafs are now chasing, Columbus, lost in overtime to Colorado, but collected
a point to stay one point ahead with two games in hand.
The Leafs have five games left, while the Blue Jackets started a tough stretch
on Tuesday night in which they‘ll play eight games in 12 days, including three
back-to-back scenarios.
So we‘ll see. The eight-game slide did horrific damage to the Leaf playoff
chances, and Randy Carlyle‘s club still requires at least four wins and a lot of
help to gain an invitation to the post-season dance.
Perhaps this was a turning point. Perhaps signs of life from Clarkson will
prove meaningful.
Perhaps that breakaway, that goal, was some kind of new beginning after
dark forecasts in recent days that the end was near.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Leafs finally get some good luck in streak-ending win over Flames
By: Kevin McGran Sports Reporter, Published on Tue Apr 01 2014
Of all his injured players this season, Randy Carlyle may have missed Dave
Bolland most of all.
Bolland has a knack for scoring big goals and of being in the right place at the
right time on defence.
Bolland scored the third-period go-ahead goal in the Leafs‘ 3-2 win over
Calgary on Tuesday night, a win that ended an eight-game losing streak and
got a few would-be bandwagon jumpers to hold to their seats for another
game.
It was a weird goal — kicked in by Flames defenceman T.J. Brodie, after
Bolland simply swept the puck from the corner toward the crease.
It was just the kind of bounce that had been going the other way on the Leafs
during the lengthy slide that dropped them from a playoff spot.
―Any time you get a bounce like that, you‘ll take it,‖ said Leafs captain Dion
Phaneuf. ―We needed it, we got it and now we move forward.‖
Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier has been on for too many own-goals to bother
counting.
―That was a nice bounce and sometimes that‘s what you need to switch
things over,‖ said Bernier
The Maple Leafs got some scoring from some unlikely sources — Jay
McClement and David Clarkson also found the net — in what the team hopes
is a turnaround game.
―It has been a long time,‖ said Carlyle. ―It has been too long. Obviously, it‘s a
so much better feeling than what we‘ve been able to enjoy over the last little
while.
―Now you can build on it. But I don‘t want to get too far ahead of ourselves,
because we didn‘t paint the Mona Lisa here tonight.‖
If you believe that history can foretell the future, then you can believe that the
Maple Leafs can make the playoffs.
Ah, but the Leafs have to run the table, you say, and finish with a six-game
winning streak — and they have the Bruins to face on Thursday night.
Well, the Leafs have already won six in a row once this year. And they beat
the Bruins in the second game of that six-gamer after beating New Jersey 3-2
— the same score by which they defeated Calgary — to get the streak going.
―We know we are going to face a Boston team,‖ said Carlyle. ―But we should
feel good about ourselves because we‘ve had a lot of things that have been
negative for us. So let‘s enjoy the win and let‘s get ourselves ready to play a
real tough opponent in the Boston Bruins.‖
In addition to winning games, however, the Leafs have a bit of scoreboard
watching to do between now and the end of the season. The Leafs moved
into ninth, a point up on the Washington Capitals, who lost Tuesday night.
―We are definitely aware of where we are, and we are aware of the scores,
and what else is going on around you,‖ said Phaneuf. ―You don‘t want to be in
the position is that you are scoreboard watching, but that is the position that
we are in.
―We accept that, and any time you get help around the league you take it.‖
If there is a theme that has built up around this team — beyond an ability to
hold the lead — it is that a former Leaf will always inflict damage. Alex Steen,
Clarke MacArthur, John-Michael Liles, Mike Brown, Dominic Moore and Mike
Kostka are among those who‘ve scored against their former team this year.
Add Matt Stajan‘s name to that list. His goal on a breakaway late in the
second tied the game.
―I think it‘s difficult to play anywhere if you lose seven or eight in a row,‖ said
Stajan. ―Obviously the media, everyone talks about that, but the same thing
happens in any Canadian city. These guys play here all year, we play in
Calgary all year — you‘ve got to adjust to that. They dug down and got a win
tonight, we weren‘t good enough. We move on, they move on.‖
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Toronto Maple Leafs
LeafsBeat: Time to start looking at Maple Leafs prospects
By: Kevin McGran Sports Reporter, Published on Tue Apr 01 2014
defenceman Zach Trotman (210th) — has played two games for the Boston
Bruins.
Ross has yet to find his footing as a pro.
―Brad Ross has had a couple of years now and has really struggled to find his
place,‖ says Poulin. ―We continue to work with him. He‘s had a couple of
different coaches. Sometimes a coach doesn‘t have a feel for a player.‖
McKegg, picked 62nd, is earning raves as a leader and scorer in his first year
in the AHL.
Kevin McGran‘s LeafsBeat appears every Tuesday by noon:
It says one of two things about the Maple Leafs that Morgan Rielly, the
first-round pick in 2012, has played more NHL games than the other 26
players drafted by the team since 2010. Combined.
It either says the Leafs have swung and missed big-time on a lot of players,
or that the Leafs are now taking a very — unfamiliar for this franchise —
patient approach to player development.
―It is the latter, not the former,‖ says Leafs assistant GM Dave Poulin, who is
also GM of the Toronto Marlies. ―We haven‘t exactly been picking fifth overall
too often.
―We are trying to do it slowly and methodically, and let players grow at their
own rate.‖
The 2010 crop — and keeping in mind that their top choice was 43rd overall
(Brad Ross) — has so far produced one game (from Greg McKegg).
The 2011 crop — the one featuring Tyler Biggs and Stuart Percy, two late
first-rounders — has produced 12 games (seven from Josh Leivo, five from
David Broll).
The 2012 crop has Rielly at the top of the class.
The 2013 crop features first-round pick Frederik Gauthier, but so far — and
understandably so — none has made the NHL.
The Leaf mantra on each of them: patience.
―It‘s not a set time frame for how long it takes,‖ says Poulin.
So as the Leafs cross into the abyss of being one of the 14 non-playoff
teams, fans will look to this year‘s draft and the team‘s current crop of
prospects for hope.
If the biggest need is defence, three Marlies stand out: Percy, Petter
Granberg and Andrew MacWilliam. The interesting thing here is the route the
three have taken to arrive at the same spot.
Percy (2011, first round) came up through major junior, the traditional route ,
and was a first-round pick who made his AHL debut at age 20.
Granberg (2010, fourth round) is a Swede the Leafs chose to leave in
Europe. Sweden has a pretty good record in developing defencemen.
MacWilliam was a late-round pick (2008, seventh round) bound for the
NCAA.
Changes to the collective agreement introduced in 2005 have meant that
NHL teams can hold on to the rights of players who go to the NCAA for as
long as the player stays in school. That‘s why you see so many late-round
picks bound for U.S colleges. It‘s up to four years of free development.
MacWilliam took all four years and could morph into that stay-at-home,
big-hitting defenceman so many teams covet.
(Under the new CBA created last year, NHL teams will retain rights to
European players for four years as well, up from two. Teams continue to hold
the rights of players drafted out of major junior for up to two years.)
Looking back: 2010
The 2010 draft had a lot of high-end talent, starting with Taylor Hall and Tyler
Seguin. Players from every round are in the NHL. The L.A. Kings think they
have something big in Tyler Toffoli, chosen 47th, four spots after the Leafs
took Ross. The Leafs actually traded up to get Ross, a Darcy Tucker-type rat
of a player in the Western Hockey League.
The Lightning have defenceman Radko Gudas, taken 66th, four spots after
the Leafs took McKegg. The Leafs drafted twice late in round five (Sam
Carrick 144th, Daniel Brodin 146th) and Montreal grabbed Brendan
Gallagher (147th), the gem of the late-rounders. The last pick overall —
―A real capable centreman for the organization,‖ says Marlies coach Spott.
―He can play in the top two lines or the bottom two lines. He competes hard
every night. His skating has come along. We know what he can do
offensively. He‘s had a real nice year for he organization.‖
Looking back: 2011
The 2011 draft, led by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the Edmonton Oilers, is
looking a bit iffy for the Leafs. Players from all seven rounds have seen NHL
action. So far, 20 of the 30 first-rounders have made it, but two that haven‘t
are Leafs: Biggs and Percy. Picking 43rd, the Blackhawks took Brandon
Saad, a rookie-of-the-year candidate last year. And with the fourth-last pick,
207th, the Lightning took forward Ondrej Palat, on course for a 20-goal
season.
While Percy receives accolades these days as a Carl Gunnarsson-type,
Biggs has yet to make an impact in the AHL. Part of Biggs‘ problem was his
own personal indecision. He went to college, then quit to join major junior.
‗When he goes to major junior, maybe he‘s thinking he made a mistake and
should be in college,‖ says Poulin. ―This in a sense is the first year he‘s been
in a place, knows he is where he should be, knows there is no indecision
where he‘s going.
―It‘s all about being a hockey player. He‘s a 20-year-old. (The AHL) is a tough
league for a 20-year-old. He‘s got to find his game, his place, his niche. We
believe he has the tools to do that.‖
Biggs has seven goals and two assists in 53 games with the Marlies this
season. Percy struggled as his major junior career came to an end, but found
himself again and has a pretty good season with the Marlies, with two goals
and 20 assists from the blue line.
―He‘s got a low threshold to panic,‖ says Spott. ―He moves puck well. He‘ll be
able to play with an offensive defenceman because he‘s so safe and
reliable.‖
The real find for the Leafs might be their third pick, Josh Leivo, taken 86th
overall, who has morphed into a gifted scorer even if he‘s not all the way
there yet as a power forward. He has 18 goals and 18 assists with the Marlies
this year.
―You watch Joffrey Lupul — that‘s what we project,‖ says Spott. ―Big strong
power forward good hands. Protects the puck extremely well. He‘ll see a lot
of Lupul clips for a while. Our job is to get him to be one of those top nine
forwards.‖
Looking back: 2012
It is certainly too early to draw any conclusions (Nail Yakupov was first
overall). The Leafs have to be pleased as punch about Rielly, taken fifth in
2012, especially since the guy who went fourth — Griffin Reinhart — has yet
to play in the NHL.
No one can complain about Rielly, who looks as if he has all the tools to be a
dominating offensive defenceman. He‘ll have to escape the pitfalls that will
come next year — the sophomore jinx. Both Luke Schenn and Jake Gardiner
went through that to a degree after showing promise as rookies. Gardiner,
only lately, looks as if he‘s returning to form.
Rielly‘s play alone could make the 2012 draft a winner, but there‘s another
player on the horizon: Connor Brown, chosen 156th overall.
Brown led the OHL in scoring this year with 45 goals, 83 assists for 128
points and just 22 penalty minutes. He led the powerhouse Erie Otters,
playing on a wing with Connor McDavid, the can‘t-miss prospect who just
turned 17. The Otters are in the second round of the OHL playoffs.
Some will say Brown‘s success came from McDavid. Others will say
McDavid‘s growth came from Brown. Listed generously on the OHL website
as five-foot-11, 170 pounds, Brown is undersized. But Otters GM Sherry
Bassin points out undersized players with big hearts, like Brown, have gone
on to be bigger and better in the NHL.
―He‘s extremely dedicated and a real good leader for us,‖ says Bassin. ―They
have to be patient with him. If they‘re patient with them he‘s going to play with
them in time.
―He still has to get stronger for that level. He knows it. He‘ll dedicate himself
over the summer to get stronger. He‘s extremely good with the puck. He sees
the ice. He‘s got really good instincts. He‘s not afraid to take the hit to make
the play. He‘s a rat.‖
Looking back: 2013
It‘s also too early to draw conclusions about the 2013 draft, where Nathan
MacKinnon went first overall.
The Leafs‘ first pick, 21st overall, was Frederik Gauthier of the Rimouski
Oceanic. He‘s intriguing because of his size (six-foot-four). His goal this year
was to add offence to his perfectly sound defensive game.
His 52 points in 54 games this year — he missed a bunch when he was
named to Team Canada‘s world junior entry — was about the same pace as
his draft year (62 points, 64 games). He turns 19 this month.
Another player to keep your eye on is Carter Verhaeghe, a six-foot-one
centre taken 82nd overall last summer. He placed 21st in OHL scoring with
28 goals and 54 assists. His Niagara IceDogs played Game 7 of their OHL
Eastern Conference quarter-final Tuesday night in North Bay.
Other prospects
The Leafs know there is more to building a team than drafting — free agency
and trades. That‘s why they‘re particularly happy with Spencer Abbott, T.J.
Brennan and Brandon Kozun, the top three scorers on the Marlies this year,
each of whom should have a chance to make the NHL.
Abbott is a classic late-bloomer, signed in 2012 out of the University of
Maine. At 25, he‘s leading the Marlies with 17 goals and 52 assists.
―He‘s one of those players that makes other people better that are around
him,‖ says Spott. ―He‘s played in different situations with different players
because there‘s been a lot of movement. One thing he‘s done is stayed
consistent offensively all year.‖
Brennan, 24, is a much talked about defenceman with a big slapshot that has
helped him to a Marlies-leading 22 goals along with 41 assists.
―He‘s proven he can play a complete game,‖ Spott says of Brennan. ―Any
time anyone has talked about T.J., it‘s whether or not he can be reliable
defensively. He‘s bought in this year. He‘s played hard. He plays physical. He
has a compete level that is extremely high and he wants to win. Offensively
we know what he can do. Defensively, he‘s come leaps and bounds. He
deserves a lot of credit.‖
Kozun, a 24-year-old acquired by trade, is undersized at five-foot-eight but
can score with 17 goals and 28 assists.
―Great speed. Had him on a world junior team. Breakaway speed,‖ says
Spott. ―Plays bigger than his size. When you look at a Gallagher out there for
Montreal, he brings that element of physicality. He can be a pest, but he can
really play and score. A real nice acquisition.‖
Around the League
BRODEUR‘S FUTURE: Who knows what‘s going to happen with James
Reimer, who has fallen on hard times and is out of favour with Leafs coach
Randy Carlyle. One thing is certain: GM Dave Nonis wants two capable
goalies, not just Jonathan Bernier and any old backup.
But how about Martin Brodeur? Sure, he‘d be old. But more than a backup.
Brodeur is committed to testing the market as an unrestricted free agent on
July 1, says the Newark Star-Ledger.
He is ―80 per cent sure‖ he‘ll play next season and he hasn‘t ruled out staying
with the Devils.
―I‘m not closing (the door) here at all,‖ said Brodeur. ―It will be a decision I‘ll
make after offers are brought to me. It might be July 1st or it might be way
after July 1st.
―It all depends on what is on the table, whether it‘s in New Jersey or
somewhere else. I‘m open-minded about it. I‘m looking for specific things
some teams probably can‘t give me. And that‘s understandable at my age.
But if I feel I can play and people want me, we‘ll see.‖
LEAFS ATTENDANCE: When the Leafs lost to Detroit on Saturday to extend
their losing streak to eight consecutive games (all losses in regulation time),
attendance figures for that game showed 20,270, an all-time attendance high
for the Air Canada Centre. That‘s a whopping 107.8 per cent of capacity
(regular capacity for hockey is listed at 18,819, and 19,789 with standing
room). In fact, the club attracted 19,789 for its home game the previous
Saturday vs Montreal. The Leafs are actually reaching out to their fan base,
opening up more single game tickets and more seats in private suites to
accommodate the interest.
JAGR RAZZES ZAJAC: Jaromir Jagr got on teammate Travis Zajac for
needing three periods to get a hat trick on Monday night. After scoring twice,
Zajac shot wide on two great chances in the first period for his third goal.
―He could have had a hat trick in first 10 minutes if he paid attention to the
puck,‖ Jagr said. ―He shouldn‘t have to wait until the third period. He could
have celebrated after 10 minutes. But he likes the hard way, I guess.‖
Dot Dot Dot
Coach Mike Babcock got win No. 411 in his career with the Red Wings,
moving him past Scotty Bowman. And Babcock could conceivably pass Jack
Adams for No. 1 on the list this week. Adams heads the list with 413. …
Jarome Iginla has tallied at least 30 goals 12 times during his 17-season NHL
career and is tied with Guy Lafleur for 24th on the all-time goals list with 560.
... Ryan Johansen is the third player in Columbus Blue Jackets history to
reach the 30-goal plateau, joining Rick Nash (seven times) and Geoff
Sanderson (two times), and at the age of 21, Johansen is the youngest
player in the NHL with at least 30 goals this season. ... Detroit‘s Gustav
Nyquist leads the NHL with 21 goals since Jan. 20 (26 games).
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Toronto Maple Leafs
If the Maple Leafs fire Randy Carlyle, is it the right thing to do?
By Steve Simmons,Toronto Sun
April 01, 2014 10:25 PM EDT
The easy thing to do is fire Randy Carlyle.
It‘s expedient. It‘s convenient. It provides Maple Leafs fans with the pound of
flesh they are already clamouring for and will be demanding at the end of this
disastrous run.
But is it the right thing to do?
There has been, for so much of this NHL season, a disconnect between
Carlyle and his hockey club. That much is apparent. The game plan he
preaches loudly isn‘t being followed. The template he talks about regularly is
a nicely printed piece of paper, but rarely translates to the Maple Leafs‘ ways.
The details he has taken so much pride in over his successful career have
gone missing. Carlyle likes physical, defensive, cycling hockey, which is nice,
except the Leafs aren‘t physical, don‘t play a lot of defence, and rarely cycle
the puck. And make no mistake, he is hard on his players. Daily. Even if it
doesn‘t look that way.
And this much seems obvious now: Either Carlyle is the wrong coach for this
team or this collection of players is wrong for this style of coach.
And the more he has asked of his team down the stretch — and Carlyle and
assistants Dave Farrish, Greg Cronin and Scott Gordon are all considered
similarly demanding — the more the Leafs have seemingly tightened up or
tuned out.
It‘s also not out of the question that GM Dave Nonis will retain Carlyle, but not
necessarily the rest of his staff. That‘s done in the NFL and Major League
Baseball all the time. You keep the head man and alter the staff.
But the main question remains: Does Nonis fire Carlyle — and, maybe more
important than that, who takes his place?
This isn‘t like most hockey seasons. There isn‘t that obvious list of the next
available NHL coach. Ask five senior hockey people for their opinion of who
they would hire if they had a coach opening and you are apt to get, as I did,
five different answers — none of them sexy.
Two did mention John Stevens in Los Angeles for the job, which is hardly
exciting. Had this been a year ago, Toronto hockey fans would have been all
over Dallas Eakins as the man to replace Carlyle. He was like the backup
quarterback in most NFL towns: The most popular guy around. And even
when the Leafs hired Carlyle to replace the suddenly chatty Ron Wilson, they
seriously considered Eakins for the position.
The difference, explained at the time by Brian Burke, was that Carlyle had
more NHL experience, had a Stanley Cup on his resume, and was
better-suited for the job.
Eakins now fights for his own coaching life and his reputation in Edmonton
and the former Toronto love affair is but a memory. There is no natural heir
apparent for the Leafs job, if in fact there is a Leafs job available.
The challenge for Nonis is complex: What does he make of his coach now?
How much of this collapse does he attribute to coaching? What does he
make of his roster? And how does he make sense of it all going forward?
His regular line about Carlyle — that the coach hasn‘t gotten dumb overnight
— is now somewhat meaningless. What means something is that Carlyle and
his roster, comfortably in a playoff spot 17 days ago, stopped playing,
stopped winning, stopped looking anything close to organized as the games
became more meaningful.
As Lou Lamoriello has said on many occasions, coaches have a shelf life.
What Nonis needs to determine is this: Has Carlyle reached his best-before
date?
Can he get this team to play his game, not their game?
And if he can‘t, how much can Nonis alter the roster next year so that Carlyle
can play the game he envisions and have the Leafs be successful at it?
It is very possible that at least five NHL teams, maybe more, will be looking
for coaches in the off-season. It wouldn‘t surprise anyone to see Kirk Muller
gone in Carolina, John Tortorella in Vancouver, Jack Capuano on the Island,
Barry Trotz in Nashville, and possible coaching changes made in Winnipeg
or Minnesota.
In other words, there will be too many jobs open and not enough quality
candidates to fill them all. Maybe Trotz will land somewhere else. Maybe
Peter Laviolette will return. But there doesn‘t seem to be any Jon Coopers or
Patrick Roys available, ready to alter their teams — at least, that‘s what
league executives are saying.
Before committing back to Carlyle, the eternally patient Nonis would have to
believe the coach can fix the dreadful penalty killing (second-best last year,
third-worst this year). He would need to believe that Carlyle can find a way to
fix the Leafs‘ inability to play in the neutral zone, understand their defensive
coverages, stop turning the puck over in bad places. There are a lot of issues
with this team.
Their losing streak has not been all circumstantial. If Leafs management
believes that, they are soft-pedalling the problems. These Leafs need an
identity, more leadership, more grit, more comprehension of what it takes to
be successful, more desperation.
But do they need a new coach?
The losing streak is over, but don‘t expect Dave Nonis to say anything about
his coach until the season ends. It‘s an enormous decision — maybe his
most important since taking over from Burke.
His natural instinct is to keep Carlyle in place. He likes stability. But these
aren‘t natural times anymore.
The decision, either way, is more convenient than it is easy.
Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Toronto Maple Leafs
―I played with him twice for team Canada (juniors),‖ Rielly said. ―We‘re close
buddies and stuff. He‘s had a great year, he‘s a great player and I‘m quite
happy for him that he‘s playing well.‖
Maple Leafs not getting caught up in outside chatter
The other player to score 20 in his rookie season for the Flames? Jarome
Iginla, of course, in 1996-97.
By Dave Hilson,Toronto Sun
KIDDY CORPS
April 01, 2014 06:47 PM EDT
Collegiate player Bryce Van Brabant was making his NHL debut for the
Flames last night. The team signed the Alberta native to a two-year
entry-level contract on Saturday.
Toronto is a tough city to be a player in when things aren‘t going well. And
heading into Tuesday night‘s game against the Calgary Flames, things really
weren‘t going well for the Maple Leafs, who had lost eight consecutive games
in regulation and were on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.
―There‘s no sense signing kids if our management, if our scouting staff feel
that those guys don‘t have NHL potential,‖ Hartley said. ―The best way (for
them to grow) is to put them in game action … It was his boyhood dream to
play in the NHL, and here he is in Toronto one of the biggest stages in the
NHL. It‘s going to be lots of fun. I want him to notice the difference between
the NHL and where he was and keep growing until the end of the season.‖
―Playing here in Toronto, there are people who aren‘t afraid to have a chat
with you when you‘re at the mall or something (and let you know how they
feel),‖ young defenceman Morgan Rielly said after the Leafs‘ optional
gameday skate.
―So you just have to learn to deal with that and not let it worry you too much
… They‘re not in our team meetings and they‘re not on our team and they
don‘t know everything that is going on.‖
Players do what they can to relax and keep their minds off the losing streak.
For Jake Gardiner, that meant catching the new film, Noah.
But for the Leafs themselves it must feel more like Groundhog Day, with the
team losing over and over and the same questions being asked again and
again.
―Yeah, that‘s what it has seemed like for the past couple of weeks,‖ said
Gardiner, who, along with his teammates, was facing another must-win
situation against the Flames. ―There‘s not much more we can really say
about it. Obviously we want to win, we‘re trying our best.‖
Forward Jay McClement says it‘s difficult to avoid all the hockey chatter that
goes on in this city.
―It‘s part of playing in Toronto, there‘s a lot of pressure and we just have to
worry about ourselves in this room. We put pressure on ourselves. We‘ve got
a lot of pride in this dressing room. We can‘t worry about what‘s going on
outside this room and we‘ve tried to do that all year.‖
CAPTIVATING COLBORNE
Things are working out well for former Leafs centre Joe Colborne.
Colborne was sent to the Flames at the start of the season in exchange for
what will be a fourth-round pick in this year‘s NHL draft.
He has since moved to the right side and hasn‘t looked back, netting 10 goals
and 16 assists as the 24-year-old continues to improve his game.
The Leafs acquired Colborne a couple of seasons ago in the deal that sent
defenceman Tomas Kaberle to the Boston Bruins.
―I have a lot to thank the Leafs organization for, they gave me my first NHL
game and first opportunity up there and first playoff game. And I have a lot of
good memories here,‖ said the lanky forward, who played a total of 16 games
over three seasons with the Leafs and netted one goal.
―Right now he‘s really moving on both sides of the pucks,‖ Flames coach Bob
Hartley said. ―Offensively, he‘s really creating a lot for us. Very smart player,
unbelievable hockey sense, great hands. Defensively, he has really
improved. He has been a great acquisition for us.‖
Sounds like the Leafs could use a player like that.
MARVELLOUS MONAHAN
Brampton native Sean Monahan joined some elite company when he scored
this 20th goal of the season against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday to
become just the third Flames rookie — and first since Leafs captain Dion
Phaneuf in 2005-06 — to reach that mark.
―Scoring that goal was a relief,‖ Monahan said. ―It‘s pretty cool to have your
name there (with the other players.)
The former Ottawa 67‘s star has been a revelation for the Flames, making
the team out of camp and trailing only veteran Mike Cammalleri in the
goals-scored department.
The 22-year-old Van Brabant, who played at Quinnipiac of the Eastern
Collegiate Athletic Conference, is the 10th player this season to make their
NHL debut with the Flames.
732329
Toronto Maple Leafs
―The fans have been on us and they‘ve had every right to. It‘s been a long
time between wins.
Maple Leafs snap eight-game slide with 3-2 win over Flames
―Usually, we‘re coming from behind and the guys start squeezing their sticks.
That wasn‘t the case out there tonight.‖
By Mike Zeisberger,Toronto Sun
With the Flames in town, of course, much of the buzz leading up to the game
centred around the return of the bombastic Burke.
April 01, 2014 11:11 PM EDT
Back in 2012, then-Maple Leafs GM Burke compared his team‘s 1-8-1 funk at
the time to an ―18-wheeler going right off a cliff.‖
Two years later, Burke‘s Flames had the opportunity to push this edition of
the Maple Leafs closer to the edge, if not over the side.
TORONTO - When you read the following, keep in mind that this is no April
Fool‘s prank.
a) The Maple Leafs actually won a game.
b) David Clarkson actually scored a goal.
c) Toronto‘s playoff hopes are actually still alive, albeit wafer-thin and slim.
d) The Leafs actually received help on the out-of-town scoreboard.
We would not be so cruel to joke about these things to long-suffering Leafs
fans, who have been forced to watch their heroes all but flush away an
outstanding opportunity to reach the playoffs by losing eight consecutive
regular-season games for the first time since 1985 — Wendel Clark‘s rookie
season.
Indeed, there remains a pulse in Randy Carlyle‘s team, which recorded its
first victory in three weeks thanks to a 3-2 triumph over Brian Burke‘s Calgary
Flames on Tuesday night.
No need to explain the irony there.
―It‘s a relief, more for the team than for me,‖ said Clarkson, whose
third-period goal proved to be the eventual game winner. ―I can take (the
criticism), but this is about the team.
―The biggest thing about scoring was that it helped the team win. Now we
have to look ahead.‖
Indeed, the Leafs had not been on the winning end of a hockey game in 19
days, a stretch dating back to a 3-2 decision over the 2012 Stanley Cup
champion Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Centre.
That was the same night goalie Jonathan Bernier left after one period with a
groin injury.
At that time, there actually was chatter around town about Carlyle‘s team
vying for home-ice advantage in the first round.
My, how times have changed.
Granted, a victory over the Flames, the 26th-place team in the standings, is
hardly reason to start planning a parade route along Bay St.
But, in this case, Carlyle, Dave Nonis and Co. will take anything they can get.
The Leafs now have 82 points in the standings with five games left. In order
to reach the 92 point plateau — the total most observers figured would be
required to qualify for the playoffs — Toronto will have to win out in home
meetings with Boston and Winnipeg, followed by road dates in Tampa,
Florida and Ottawa.
Of course, if those teams around them in the standings continue to fumble
and bumble like they Tuesday night in the race (or should that be ―crawl‖?) for
the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, maybe a 4-1 run
will be good enough.
In Columbus, the Blue Jackets were held to just a single point by dropping a
3-2 overtime decision to the Avalanche. Meanwhile, in Washington, the Caps
were humiliated 5-0 by the visiting Dallas Stars.
When all was said and done, the eighth-place Blue Jacket gained a single
point to move to 83 points, one ahead of the ninth-place Leafs. Columbus
does hold two games in hand over Toronto.
The victory over Calgary did allow Toronto to leapfrog the Caps, who now
drop to 10th with 81 points. They have one game in hand on the Leafs.
―We still don‘t (control our own destiny), but it‘s a relief,‖ goalie Jonathan
Bernier said of the long-awaited victory.
But they couldn‘t get it done.
Relieved of his duties as Leafs GM and president almost 15 months ago,
Burke‘s Flames came to the Air Canada Centre for the first time since he took
over as Calgary GM.
You have to think Burke, deep down, wanted to badly see his Flames beat
the franchise that axed him in January 2013.
But it was not to be.
STAJAN LIFTS SPIRITS WITH GOAL
Scoring a goal in the return to his home town will never take the sting away of
losing his son.
No hockey game will ever do that.
But, at least on Tuesday night, playing in front of friends and family at the Air
Canada Centre, Matt Stajan did have a chance to flash a rare smile after
beating Jonathan Bernier to temporarily pull his Flames even with the host
Maple Leafs 1-1.
The Leafs went on to beat the Flames 3-2, but at least Stajan gave the
entourage of supporters waiting for him after the game something positive to
talk about.
Back on March 3, he and wife Katie lost their first child shortly after his birth.
The passing away of Emerson Stajan had a deep impact not just on the
Stajans, but many throughout the league.
―It was nice to score,‖ the ex-Leaf said. ―Of course, I would have traded it in
for a win.
―It‘s been a tough month, but it was enjoyable being back and seeing familiar
faces. People have been great.‖
732330
Toronto Maple Leafs
It‘s no joke, Leafs need to ‗win a hockey game‘
By Dave Hilson,Toronto Sun
First posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 10:20 AM EDT | Updated: Tuesday,
April 01, 2014 02:23 PM EDT
TORONTO - It may be April Fools‘ Day today, but it's no laughing matter
when it comes to how badly the Toronto Maple Leafs need a win on Tuesday
night at the Air Canada Centre.
Mired in an eight-game losing streak and with their dying playoff hopes
already on life support, the Maple Leafs (36-32-8) must find a way to pick up
two points against the Calgary Flames (31-37-7) as they begin a three-game
homestand.
―Our mindset is, we‘ve got to win a hockey game,‖ beleaguered coach Randy
Carlyle said after his team‘s optional gameday skate.
―We can‘t change what‘s happened, we don‘t like what‘s happened, we‘re not
comfortable with what‘s happened, but you move on. That‘s what our focus
is, get ready for tonight.‖
It seems like the only reasonable way for the Leafs to approach their rather
unenviable situation: One game at a time.
―Our focus is on tonight and playing against Calgary,‖ captain Dion Phaneuf
said. ―We‘re not looking back because what‘s done is done. You have to
regroup and refocus and I feel we‘ve done that. We had a good practice
yesterday, our spirits are up, our morale is up and that‘s the way that you
have to conduct business. You have to come back to work with the right
attitude and you have to be focused on the task at hand and that‘s winning
against Calgary tonight.‖
With just six games remaining in their regular season and currently sitting in
10th spot in the Eastern Conference while having played more games than
the teams they are chasing for the wildcard positions, the Leafs, realistically,
must win a minimum of five games to get back to the post-season. And,
indeed, winning out might be the only way they get there.
How does Carlyle like their chances of making it to the playoffs?
―It‘s realistic if we win,‖ he said. ―We‘ve got to win the first one, that‘s the
bottom line. We can‘t look past tonight. We need to win a hockey game and
the first one we need to win is tonight.‖
Doing that will be easier said than done against a feisty Flames team that has
upset the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks and New York
Rangers over the past couple of weeks.
―We know we are going to play a tenacious team, we know their mandate is
going to be to put the puck in and force the play, we know that‘s coming, so
we have to be prepared,‖ Carlyle said.
At least Phil Kessel and his 36 goals will be in the lineup when the puck drops
at the ACC.
Kessel was not on the ice for the optional skate and had missed Monday‘s
practice due to a bruised foot after taking a James van Riemsdyk shot during
a 4-2 loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, but Carlyle said the
sniper will play against the Flames.
Van Riemsdyk and defenceman Carl Gunnarsson both were on the ice in the
morning and also will play after also missing practice on Monday. Phaneuf
did not skate, nor did goaltender Jonathan Bernier, who will be making his
fourth straight start for the Leafs.
Toronto already beat Calgary once this season, a 4-2 victory on Oct. 30 in
their only other meeting of the year, but the Flames are an improved team
since then.
Calgary is 6-4 in its past 10 games and hasn‘t dropped two in a row in that
span.
The Flames lost 6-3 to the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, but coach Bob
Hartley expects a bounce-back performance from his team.
―We did video yesterday morning, we had a great practice,‖ Hartley said. ―It‘s
a great group, they get along well together. It‘s all about our leaders, it‘s all
about our young players. They‘re fun to push and they‘re fun to watch.
―I‘m sure we‘re going to be in for a good one tonight.‖
After Tuesday night‘s game, the Leafs play host to the Boston Bruins on
Thursday and then the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday before heading out on the
road for a three-game trip that wraps up their regular season.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Win by Leafs a 'big relief,' Phaneuf says
By Rob Longley,Toronto Sun
First posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 11:33 PM EDT | Updated: Wednesday,
April 02, 2014 12:09 AM EDT
Easier for one night against what will in all likelihood be their softest
remaining opponent. But before they could win five of their remaining games,
they had to take the first.
―You want to build upon it by feeling good about ourselves,‖ Phaneuf said.
―No one feels good when we went through a stretch like we did. No one.
―There‘s a lot of negative energy when you go through a losing streak like
that. Now we can enjoy this for tonight. We know there‘s lots of work to do on
Thursday.‖
Plenty of work and still plenty of help from other places.
TORONTO - Clearly, relief was the over-riding emotion for the Maple Leafs
as they found the answer to end an eight-game losing streak: A truly horrid
opponent in the Calgary Flames.
So does the deep sigh afforded from a ragged but winning night of hockey at
the Air Canada Centre lead to a glimmer of playoff hope?
―It definitely feels like there‘s a lot of weight lifted off of our team,‖ embattled
Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf said following a 3-2 win over his former team on
Tuesday.
―I would be lying if I stood here and said it didn‘t feel good to get that one. It
was a big relief for our team.‖
While it still has a too-little, too-late tinge to it, if there is any optimism for the
Leafs it can be found in the reality that the ―race‖ for the eighth spot in the
Eastern Conference isn‘t exactly being contested at a rapid pace.
Yes, the Columbus Blue Jackets earned a point on Tuesday with an overtime
loss to Colorado, but they blew a two-goal lead in the process. They are not
sprinting to the finish.
If there‘s another sliver of good news, it‘s that the woeful Capitals seem to be
ready to wave the white flag as a 5-0 blowout loss to Dallas on Tuesday
would suggest.
Realistically, the Jackets are the target for the Leafs now as the gap is down
to a single point. But with two games in hand and a schedule mixed with
playoff contenders and lightweights, Columbus still clearly holds the upper
hand. Of their seven remaining opponents, four are currently in a playoff
position.
More pressing than the actual chase is the issue of the Leafs‘ own play, the
quality of which will have to step up significantly if they are to win four of their
five remaining games, the generally accepted requirement for them to sneak
into eighth spot.
Clearly, the Leafs will need to play much better than they did Tuesday in a
game that certainly seemed to lack in desperation for much of the night.
Against the Flames, they finally had some bounces go their way — a David
Clarkson breakaway and a David Bolland pinball effort that went in off a
Flames defenceman. But there were still opportunities in the final 30 seconds
for Calgary to tie it up.
―We didn‘t paint a Mona Lisa here tonight,‖ a clearly relieved Leafs coach
Randy Carlyle said. ―But we‘re going to enjoy this one for five or 10 minutes.
―We should feel good about ourselves and let‘s get ready to play against a
very tough opponent in the Boston Bruins.‖
Ah yes, the Bruins. The next guests here on Thursday will no doubt have a
point to prove as they continue their drive for first overall in the standings, a
spot they can come close to clinching should they defeat Detroit on
Wednesday and the Leafs the following night.
For the latter assignment, you can bet the B‘s will be determined to send the
message that if the Leafs do defy the odds and claim eighth in the East, it will
be the Bruins who are waiting for them in the first round.
And the latest version of the Atlantic Division heavyweights aren‘t likely to be
as lenient as they were last spring.
One game surely shouldn‘t create inflated confidence and optimism, but the
tenseness Carlyle saw even in victory may ease a little. It‘s late to the party
for little victories, but with the caveat that it was against the Flames, the Leafs
tightened up somewhat in their defensive play.
―For us, if we‘re good in our own zone, the rest will take care of itself,‖
defenceman Cody Franson said. ―Tonight we made it a little easier on
ourselves.‖
732332
Toronto Maple Leafs
'Thank God it's over,' McClement says of Leafs losing skid
By Terry Koshan,Toronto Sun
First posted: Wednesday, April 02, 2014 12:00 AM EDT | Updated:
Wednesday, April 02, 2014 12:06 AM EDT
TORONTO - Jay McClement summed up in a few words what Leafs Nation
felt on Tuesday night.
―Thank God it‘s over now and we can hopefully move on,‖ McClement said
after the Maple Leafs beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 at the Air Canada Centre,
ending Toronto‘s eight-game losing streak.
―The toughest part of it is just the time of the season we went through it. It
wouldn‘t be as huge if we were doing this in October. The points still add up
to the same no matter when it is, but just over two weeks ago we were sitting
pretty good in a playoff spot. Makes it a little tougher than any other time of
year.‖
The Leafs have taken heat during the 2013-14 season, and rightly so, for the
lack of consistent scoring depth. But on a night when Phil Kessel, James van
Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak produced zeroes, perhaps it was no coincidence
that three players who have been around the NHL block a few times —
McClement, Dave Bolland and David Clarkson — were the ones who scored
and kept the Leafs‘ playoff hopes from being taken off life support.
―It‘s just a sigh of relief,‖ McClement said. ―It has been a really tough stretch
for us and it‘s tough to stop that train when it keeps rolling. The harder you
try, the worse things seem to get. There‘s not much of a science to it. We had
to grind it out.‖
The Leafs have put themselves into a spot that won‘t get any easier to
escape. A visit from the Boston Bruins on Thursday night easily could provide
a splash of cold water.
POINT SHOTS
The Leafs avoided losing nine games in a row in regulation, something the
franchise has not experienced since January/February of 1967, when it lost
10 in a row in regulation, a team record. Of course, it was forgotten when the
Leafs won the Stanley Cup that spring ... Toronto had 13 shots through 40
minutes, which, no matter how you dissect it, was not indicative of a club that
had little choice but to right the ship ... The Leafs allowed five shots on goal in
the first period, tying for the fewest an opponent has had in the opening 20
minutes this season. On Dec. 19, the Phoenix Coyotes were held to five
shots at the ACC ... Toronto didn‘t get a shot on goal as Calgary‘s Bryce Van
Brabant, making his NHL debut, served a high-sticking minor late in the first
period. Deservedly so, the power-play unit was booed ... Soon after
McClement gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead after a fine pass from Cody Franson,
Nazem Kadri almost made it a two-goal cushion but was stopped by Karri
Ramo on a backhand deke. Kadri then knocked the net off the moorings in
theatrical fashion ... Flames defenceman T.J. Brodie couldn‘t have been
more passive as McClement went to the net and scored for the first time
since Feb. 6, a span of 17 games. Little in the way of belligerence, truculence
and testosterone from Brodie, go figure, on the play ... Ex-Leaf Matt Stajan
had no trouble getting behind the defence pair of Franson and Jake Gardiner
to take a terrific pass from Brodie and skate in alone on Jonathan Bernier.
Stajan slipped the puck between Bernier‘s legs for his third goal in six career
games against the Leafs ... Morgan Rielly didn‘t get a point, but his heads-up
play resulted in the Leafs‘ second goal. Rielly centred to Dave Bolland, who
was at a sharp angle and couldn‘t get complete control for a shot. The puck
the went off Brodie‘s right foot and into the net as Ramo scrambled to get
back into position. For a change, a bounce went in the Leafs‘ favour. ―Some
games, the Detroit game (on Saturday) and a few other games, were playing
pretty hard and had a few chances (but) the bounces did not go our way and
things did not happen,‖ Bolland said. ―We didn‘t have the prettiest moves, but
a slump like that, just to get out of it, is great.‖ ... Clarkson‘s goal was his first
point after going 16 games without one. Needless to say, when Clarkson
slipped the puck past Ramo on a breakaway, it was his nicest goal (of five) as
a Leaf ... Dion Phaneuf, unhappy with a late cross-checking call, complained
about it and was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct minor, a 10-minute
misconduct and a game misconduct at the 20-minute mark of the third
period.
FROM THE HASH MARKS
Kessel, frustrated after he got hit in the foot in the first period, smashed his
stick when he got to the bench. Coach Randy Carlyle wasn‘t thrilled. ―I don‘t
react to those things because usually it becomes a huge negative,‖ Carlyle
said. ―That‘s when confrontations start. I just step away.‖ ... When he arrived
in the press box approximately 30 minutes before the opening faceoff, Brian
Burke strolled into the Leafs‘ management box. After a few minutes engaging
the Leafs‘ front office, Burke made his way to his seat, shaking hands along
the way ... Connor Brown is the Erie Otters‘ finalist for the Red Tilson Trophy
as the Ontario Hockey League‘s most outstanding player. Brown, selected in
the sixth round, 156th overall by the Leafs in 2012, led the OHL in scoring
with 128 points (45 goals and 83 assists) in 68 games.
732333
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs break eight-game slide in beating Calgary Flames,
keep slim playoff hopes alive
Michael Traikos | April 1, 2014 9:40 PM ET
TORONTO — So this is what a win looks like.
The Toronto Maple Leafs snapped an eight-game losing streak on Tuesday
with a 3-2 victory against the Calgary Flames. But while the two points should
go a long way in building back the team‘s confidence, it did not change much.
Latest Leafs loss shows season has been built on unsteady variables
The Leafs, who moved up from 10th to ninth place in the Eastern Conference
standings, still remain a long shot to make the playoffs. According to
sportsclubstats.com, the team‘s playoff chances improved from 4.6% to
8.6% with Tuesday night‘s win. If Toronto manages to run the table and go on
a six-game winning streak — something that the team accomplished in
January — the odds would increase to 81.7%.
In other words, this win might have kept the playoff hopes alive for now. But
the Leafs remain on life support.
Still, the general feeling inside the dressing room was relief. After going 18
days between wins, the Leafs needed this one.
―It‘s been a long time, hasn‘t it? Too long,‖ said head coach Randy Carlyle.
―Obviously, it‘s a much better feeling than we‘ve been able to enjoy here over
the last while, that‘s for sure. You hope that you can build on it. But I don‘t
want to get too far ahead of ourselves, because we didn‘t paint a Mona Lisa
here tonight.‖
Toronto now turns its attention to Boston on Thursday, which represents
another must-win. After that, the Leafs will have to defeat Winnipeg on
Saturday and finish the season with a string of wins against Tampa Bay,
Florida and Ottawa. Even then, they will also need help from the teams
around them in the standings.
They received a bit of assistance in that regard on Tuesday night, when the
eighth-place Columbus Blue Jackets (one point ahead of Toronto) lost in
overtime and the 10th-place Washington Capitals (one point behind Toronto)
lost in regulation. Both teams have played one less game than the Leafs.
―Our main focus was to win one,‖ said goaltender Jonathan Bernier, who
made 22 saves. ―Now we have to get back on track and not celebrate too
much, because Thursday is a big one for us.‖
What Tuesday night‘s win helped increase, beyond the Leafs‘ playoff odds,
was their confidence. Having lost eight straight games in regulation —
something no other team had done this season — and fallen out of a
comfortable playoff spot had began to wear on the players in the room. You
could see it on their faces, in their play, and obviously in the results.
We needed it, we got it, and now we move forward
―It‘s a relief for our team to get this win,‖ said Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf.
―We needed it, we got it, and now we move forward. We can feel good about
ourselves, because we won this game and it‘s been a tough stretch … but
now we build on it.‖
Advanced stats has done a fine job of explaining how the Leafs fell from
grace in a season where they were the beneficiaries of above-average
goaltending, a potent power play and opportunistic scoring. But this slump
was about a lack of confidence.
The Leafs took a step towards building back that confidence with Tuesday‘s
win. As Carlyle said, it was not a masterpiece. Toronto had difficulty
generating offence against the second-worst team in the Western
Conference standings and committed the same defensive mistakes that
have plagued them during this losing streak.
But they held Calgary to just 22 shots. And on a night when Phil Kessel was
hobbled by a bruised foot, the Leafs received unlikely contributions from Jay
McClement, Dave Bolland and David Clarkson, the latter scoring for the first
time since Feb. 4.
―We tightened up our D-zone a bit and limited their chances,‖ said
defenceman Cody Franson. ―We made it a little easier on ourselves tonight.‖
The first period was played as though neither team wanted to score. After five
minutes, the shots were 0-0. And while the Flames finished the period with
six shots, it seemed like half of them went off Kessel‘s foot.
The Leafs took a 1-0 lead 50 seconds into the second period on an odd play
off a dump-in, with Cody Franson setting up McClement at the side of the net
for his first goal 17 games. Toronto caught a break soon after when Calgary‘s
Curtis Glencross had a goal disallowed after a video review showed he had
tipped the puck in with a high stick.
With the score tied 1-1, Morgan Rielly helped put the Leafs ahead when he
rushed the puck up the right side of the ice and fed a cross-seam pass to
Bolland, who caught a lucky bounce when his tip-in went off Calgary
defenceman Brodie‘s skate. It was the type of break that had seemingly been
going against Toronto during the losing streak.
A few minutes later, Clarkson snapped a 16-game point streak and scored
his first goal in nearly two months on a breakaway deke. Calgary made it
close when Kris Russell buried a wrist shot over Bernier‘s shoulder. But the
Leafs, who had not won a game since March 13, finally ended their drought
and picked up two points.
Now, they just have to do it five more times.
―The big thing is we have five games here and we have to play hard, be good
in our own zone and take care of what we can,‖ said Clarkson. ―I think at this
time of the season, you stay positive.‖
National Post LOADED: 04.02.2014
732334
Toronto Maple Leafs
MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke has been meeting with Toronto Maple Leafs
players since collapse began, assistant GM says in radio interview
Sean Fitz-Gerald | April 1, 2014 | Last Updated: Apr 1 2:36 PM ET
The Leafs have lost eight straight games heading into Tuesday night‘s game
against the Flames.
Tim Leiweke, the highest-ranking executive at Maple Leaf Sports &
Entertainment, has met with Toronto Maple Leafs players since they began
their dramatic spiral down the NHL standings, according to the team‘s
assistant general manager.
Who is to blame for the Leafs' spectacular collapse?
Speaking with Sportsnet 590 The Fan in Toronto on Tuesday, Claude
Loiselle suggested management has maintained a consistent presence
around the team. The Leafs have lost eight straight games heading into
Tuesday night‘s game against the Calgary Flames.
―We‘ve had meetings,‖ Loiselle told the station. ―Dave Nonis has had
meetings. Tim Leiweke has had meetings. We‘ve had meetings.‖
Daren Millard, the host, asked Loiselle to clarify Leiweke‘s involvement.
―Everybody‘s always talking to players,‖ Loiselle said. ―We‘re always
mingling around, and we‘re always trying to be positive and trying to convey,
‗guys, we‘re better than we are right now, and we need a win —
mathematically, we‘re not out of the playoffs, but we need a win.‘‖
Millard asked again.
―Well, he‘s down here all the time,‖ Loiselle said. ―He talks to players. He
meets with the players; he‘s talking to players, just like Dave Nonis does.‖
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
The Leafs have not won a game since March 13, and have lost all eight
games in regulation. Heading into play on Tuesday, the team is two points
behind the playoff pace with six games remaining — chasing teams who
have games in hand.
―You don‘t have the magic bullet,‖ Loiselle told the station. ―The games aren‘t
the same as they were in October and November … we‘ve had some bad
luck.‖
Among other factors, he pegged the losing streak on the after-effects of a
long road trip along the West Coast early last month, and quirks in the
schedule.
Leiweke, of course, has family reasons to speak with at least one player on
the roster. He also has at least a small personal stake in the performance
down the stretch, suggesting the team‘s strong early-season play was
indicative of its true potential.
―The problem with a losing streak is, it gets into your head,‖ Loiselle told The
Fan. ―One game, you‘ll have 17 guys play real well, three guys make a few
mistakes. And the next game, it‘s a different three (who make mistakes). It
builds.
―And unfortunately, all these games — these eight games we‘ve played since
(a win in) L.A. — have been one- or two-goal games. We haven‘t been blown
out, but we‘ve found a way to lose.‖
He defended the team captain, Dion Phaneuf, who has come under fire for a
stretch of poor play.
―He‘s trying,‖ Loiselle told the station. ―And sometimes, you‘re trying too hard,
and you‘re trying to cover up for somebody else‘s mistake. And then you‘re
think of something else instead of everybody doing their job and staying
positive.‖
732335
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs try to take minds off losing streak, focus on Calgary
Flames
Michael Traikos | April 1, 2014 | Last Updated: Apr 1 1:43 PM ET
The Leafs have lost eight straight games.
Let‘s try this again.
Who is to blame for the Leafs' spectacular collapse?
Losers of eight straight games, the Toronto Maple Leafs will once again
attempt to snap their worst slump of the season against the Calgary Flames
on Tuesday night.
With six games remaining, the 10th-place Leafs probably need to finish the
season without any more regulation losses if they have any hopes of making
the playoffs. Even then they will need help.
According to SportsClubStats.com, Toronto had a 4.7% chance of finishing
with the final wild-card spot. Those odds would increase to 9% if the Leafs
win and both the eighth-place Columbus Blue Jackets and ninth-place
Washington Capitals lose in regulation on Tuesday night.
But for now, head coach Randy Carlyle said he is only concerned about
getting that first win and working from there.
―It‘s realistic if we win,‖ he said of making the playoffs. ―We have to win the
first one. That‘s the bottom line. We can‘t look past tonight. I know you realize
you need to do this or you‘re going to need to do that, we need to win a
hockey game and the first one we need to win is tonight.‖
Working in Toronto‘s favour is that the team has a favourable schedule. The
Flames, who own the second-worst record in the Western Conference, are
one of four teams that the Leafs will play who are currently out of a playoff
spot. As a comparable, the eighth-place Columbus Blue Jackets play five of
their next eight games against playoff teams.
Calgary, though, is 13-10 in its last 23 games; the Leafs are 8-12-3.
Still, the Leafs need to win, something that the team has been unable to do
since March 13.
―Our mindset is we have to win a hockey game,‖ Carlyle said. ―We have to do
what‘s necessary to win a hockey game. We can‘t change what‘s happened.
We don‘t like what‘s happened. We‘re not comfortable with what‘s happened.
But move on. That‘s what our focus is.‖
For the players, focusing on anything but the losing streak and how far the
team has fallen has been difficult.
―It‘s pretty much what everyone‘s been talking about right now,‖ said Jake
Gardiner, who tried to take his mind off things by seeing the movie Noah on
Monday.
―It‘s been frustrating for us. It‘s been frustrating for [the fans],‖ Jay
McClement said. ―It‘s been a real tough stretch for us … It‘s part of playing in
Toronto. There‘s a lot of pressure.
―We just have to win a hockey game.‖
732336
Washington Capitals
Capitals show ‗zero urgency‘ in blowout loss to Stars
By Katie Carrera
| April 1 at 11:45 pm
The looks on the Caps bench said it all. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington
Post)
There‘s no way for the Washington Capitals to gloss over this one. Their
chances of reaching the playoffs take a significant hit each time they lose a
game, but even that knowledge didn‘t prevent them from falling apart against
the Dallas Stars Tuesday night.
Capitals suffer fourth straight loss, fall 5-0 to Dallas
―There wasn‘t one part of the game tonight that was good enough — 5-on-5,
power play, penalty kill, everything. It looked like we weren‘t prepared,‖ Eric
Fehr said. ―We talked about everything, but it looked more like a preseason
game for us than a game that we needed to win to make the playoffs.‖
wild card race 4_1With their fourth straight defeat, Washington is slipping
further back in the standings. The Capitals are two behind Columbus, which
holds the final wild card spot in the East, with just six games left no
tiebreakers and the Blue Jackets have a game in hand. At 81 points, they‘re
now behind Toronto (82) and just barely ahead of New Jersey (80), whom
they visit Friday.
While they‘re not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the Capitals
would likely need to win out to reach the postseason. And if Tuesday was any
indication, they might not put up that level of fight the rest of the way.
―There was zero urgency,‖ Braden Holtby said. ―If I was a fan, I‘d be booing
us right now. Playoff race like we‘re in, we lose 5-0. It‘s awful. There‘s no
words for it.‖
Coach Adam Oates on what he told the team after the second period: ―If
somehow we make the playoffs and we play like this, who are we kidding?
We have to figure out a way to get better, we have to stick together. It‘s just
us collectively in here. Obviously it‘s very disappointing.‖
Washington Post LOADED: 04.02.2014
732337
Washington Capitals
Capitals brace for matchup with desperate Stars
By Katie Carrera
April 1 at 1:06 pm
Following the loss in Nashville Sunday night, Troy Brouwer was asked what
was missing from the Capitals‘ play over the past week to make them go from
riding a high during their California trip to losing three straight.
―It‘s desperation, I think,‖ Brouwer said. ―We‘re desperately fighting for a
playoff spot and at times our desperation isn‘t there on the ice. When we let
up a little bit teams are coming hard that‘s when they‘re getting their
opportunities.‖
Washington‘s opponent Tuesday knows plenty about desperation. The
Dallas Stars are in the exact same position in the Western Conference as the
Capitals are in the East – they sit one point out of a playoff spot and are
frantically trying to catch the Phoenix Coyotes.
The main difference, though, is that the Stars have won four of their past five
games and their last victory was a 4-2 triumph over the Western
Conference-leading Blues in St. Louis. Dallas also hung seven goals on the
same Predators who beat the Capitals, 4-3, in a shootout Sunday. It‘s a safe
bet that Dallas will be looking to continue rolling as they continue their road
trip and the Capitals need to find a way to end their current three-game losing
streak if they hope to keep pace in the East.
―Game is better when both teams try to win,‖ Mikhail Grabovski said. ―I like
play against [teams] when they have same situation when both teams [need]
to make the points. Just great opportunity to move forward in this game.‖
Said Coach Adam Oates: ―We talked about they‘re in the same position as
us. It‘s a desperate game; it‘s a must-win tonight for both teams, they‘ve been
playing much better hockey lately….I can‘t think of any way you wouldn‘t be
up for the game.‖
Three other teams in the East‘s wild card chase are also playing Tuesday
night. Columbus, which currently holds the second wild card with 82 points,
hosts Colorado at 7 p.m. The New Jersey Devils, who are two points behind
the Capitals and own the first tiebreaker, visit Buffalo at 7 p.m. And the
free-falling Maple Leafs, who are one behind Washington in the standings,
host the Calgary Flames at 7 p.m.
Washington can‘t afford to rely on help from the out-of-town scoreboard and
they can‘t excuse another sluggish start after a back-to-back games this
weekend that saw them chase their opponent for much of the game.
For the Capitals to dictate their own game from the start, they need to be
concerned about themselves and not their opponents in these final seven
games Joel Ward said.
―Regardless who we‘re playing there‘s no easy games. We played against a
Nashville team that played hard and they‘re out of [the playoff race],‖ Ward
said. ―We‘ve got to worry about ourselves and not so much about who we‘re
playing against. We went out to California we worried about ourselves and
executed our own game plan and it seemed to work out for us.‖
732338
Washington Capitals
Hillen/Erskine/Brouillette
Halak, Holtby.
Capitals shuffle defense again; Grabovski at left wing against Stars
Stars
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Valeri Nichushkin
By Katie Carrera
Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Ryan Garbutt
April 1 at 12:46 pm
Shawn Horcoff – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour
Ray Whitney – Dustin Jeffrey – Alex Chiasson
The Capitals‘ defense will have a different configuration Tuesday night when
they host the Dallas Stars at Verizon Center, but exactly what the pairings will
look like remains uncertain.
Patrick Wey remains sidelined by the apparent head injury he suffered in a
fight with Rich Clune in Nashville Sunday and will not play Tuesday. Coach
Adam Oates said Wey is ―still not feeling great.‖
But Jack Hillen, who missed the past two games after a violent collision with
Alex Ovechkin on March 25, took part in the morning skate Tuesday and is a
game time decision to face Dallas. If Hillen can‘t go, expect John Erskine to
draw back into the lineup after sitting out as a healthy scratch against the
Predators.
Regardless of Hillen‘s status, the Capitals likely will do something they‘ve
rarely done this season: Play a blueliner on their off-hand side.
Oates is loathe to play any skater, but particularly the defensemen, on their
weak side but with Wey‘s injury, the only extra righty on the roster is Connor
Carrick and the rookie took part in a lengthy scratches skate Tuesday
morning. Hillen, Erskine, Dmitry Orlov and Julien Brouillette are all
left-handed shots but a combination of the three is expected to round out the
bottom half of the defense.
―Sometimes we have no choice, right?‖ Oates said when asked if he would
go with a pairing that featured two left-handed shots.
>> Oates put Mikhail Grabovski at left wing on a unit with Alex Ovechkin and
Jay Beagle late in the game in Nashville and apparently that will be where he
starts Tuesday night as well.
―I thought he did better than I expected,‖ Oates said. ―I thought he did good,
gave us a little spark and it had been two months.‖
Grabovski is a natural center but said he didn‘t mind playing wing because of
the time he‘s missed. Sunday‘s 4-3 shootout loss to the Predators was
Grabovski‘s first full game back in the lineup since late January.
―I play before long time ago on the wing, just simple play. I not 100 percent
ready to play at center I think,‖ Grabovski said of his conditioning. ―It‘s good
for me to find my game play wing right now, just feel more comfortable, have
a puck and go. Beagle is great forward who can play defensively very good,
so I like it.‖
>> Dustin Penner went off the ice early Tuesday morning and is ill. The
Capitals recalled Chris Brown from AHL Hershey in case Penner can‘t play
against Dallas.
>> Jaroslav Halak will make his 10th start as a Capital Tuesday night and
face another Western Conference squad he‘s familiar with. That familiarity
hasn‘t brought consistent results though, as Halak is 4-4-0 with a 2.52
goals-against average and .899 save percentage against the Stars in his
career.
Dallas will start Kari Lehtonen, who is 12-6-2 against the Capitals with a 2.67
and .922 save percentage in his career.
Projected lineups for both teams:
Capitals
Grabovski-Beagle-Ovechkin
Johansson-Backstrom-Brouwer
Chimera-Fehr-Ward
Penner-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Alzner-Carlson
Orlov-Green
Alex Goligoski – Trevor Daley
Jordie Benn – Brenden Dillon
Patrik Nemeth – Sergei Gonchar
Kari Lehtonen is expected to start, Tim Thomas will back up.
732339
Washington Capitals
Stars rout Capitals 5-0 to maintain playoff push
By JOSEPH WHITE
Associated Press
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals both began
the game one point away from a playoff spot.
The Stars? They played like a team determined to get to there for the first
time since 2008.
The Capitals? They looked like a group tired of having their yearly routines
disrupted by such a trivial thing as postseason hockey.
It was no contest. The Stars‗ 5-0 win over the Capitals on Tuesday night was
a victory of confidence over embarrassment. Dallas has won five of six,
outscoring opponents 16-5 over their last three games.
―It‘s a big obstacle,‖ said Ray Whitney, who scored in the second period. ―It‘s
been, what, five years now? … We‘re no different than anybody else who‘s
been out for a while. We want to get in pretty bad.‖
The victory, at least for a few hours, moved the Stars ahead of the Phoenix
Coyotes for the final postseason berth in the Western Conference. The
Coyotes hosted Winnipeg later Tuesday.
―It‘s scoreboard-watching time,‖ Whitney said. ―We‘ll be flying to Carolina
tonight, but we‘ll be watching the game and the score. As soon as we land
everybody will check their phones.‖
The Capitals will probably want to shut off their phones for a while. They were
booed heavily in their home rink, particularly after an abysmal stretch in the
second period in which they allowed several odd-man rushes, took a
slashing penalty and gave up two goals in 34 seconds.
―If I was a fan, I‘d be booing us right now,‖ said goaltender Braden Holtby,
who relieved Jaroslav Halak in the second period after Dallas‘ third goal. ―A
playoff race like we‘re in? To lose 5-0, it‘s awful. There‘s no words for it.‖
The Capitals began their run of playoff seasons in 2008. Like Dallas, they
started the day as a ninth-place team, but they ended up dropping a spot to
10th. They would lose a tiebreaker against every team contending for the
final postseason spots in the Eastern Conference. They have lost four
straight and were shut out for the seventh time this season.
Alex Ovechkin - the league‘s leading goal-scorer - hasn‘t scored a 5-on-5
goal in more than a month.
―If somehow we make the playoffs playing like this, who are we kidding?‖
coach Adam Oates said. ―We have to figure out a way to get better. We have
to stick together.‖
Tyler Seguin scored his 33rd goal, Dustin Jeffrey got his first two of the
season, and Whitney and Ryan Garbutt also scored for the Stars. Alex
Chiasson had three assists, and Kari Lehtonen made 35 saves for his fourth
shutout.
After over-relying on Seguin and Jamie Benn to carry the scoring load, Dallas
suddenly has been getting points from seemingly everyone.
―If you look at our top line, I think a lot of teams are focusing on that. They‘re
getting the harder matchups,‖ said Jeffrey, who has been back and forth to
the minors after being claimed off waivers in November. ―We have to be able
to score up and down our lineup.‖
Seguin redirected Benn‘s wrister from the left circle in the first period, then
there were Capitals miscues aplenty in the second, with the Stars taking
advantage.
Alex Goligoski‘s long pass sprang a 2-on-0 break for Whitney‘s goal. Jeffrey
scored shortly afterward, then again in the third. Garbutt capped the scoring
with a short-handed goal on a breakaway.
―We had a lot of 2-on-1s, and we even had a 2-on-0,‖ Whitney said. ―Not
often do you see that many scoring chances.‖
Ovechkin last had a 5-on-5 point on Feb. 27, a streak of 16 games. Nicklas
Backstrom, who leads the teams in points, is also without a 5-on-5 goal since
Feb. 27.
Multiple players in the Capitals locker room faulted the team‘s lack of
urgency.
―It can‘t be justified. It‘s terrible. … It‘s like we expect the next guy to make the
play,‖ defenseman Karl Alzner said. ―It‘s been kind of off and on like that for a
lot of the season, and we‘ve got away with it at times. It clearly hasn‘t worked
the last little bit, and you pay for it in the end.‖
Notes: D Patrik Nemeth made his NHL debut for the Stars as D Aaron Rome
sat out with an injury. . Capitals D Patrick Wey sat out after taking an
uppercut in a fight that forced him out of Saturday‘s loss at Nashville.
Washington RW Dustin Penner (illness) and D Jack Hillen (upper-body
injury) also missed the game. … Capitals F Chris Brown played after getting
called up from the AHL earlier in the day.
Washington Times LOADED: 04.02.2014
732340
Washington Capitals
Careless mistakes doom Capitals in deflating home loss to Stars
By Zac Boyer
The Washington Times
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
An unlikely pair of victories in California two weeks ago had John Carlson
thinking the Washington Capitals were playing their best hockey in several
years.
Why wouldn‘t he? The Capitals defeated the Anaheim Ducks and the San
Jose Sharks, the best two teams in the Pacific Division, and snagged a point
in an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
―But you know, it seems like something always knocks us down a peg, and
we certainly don‘t need that,‖ Carlson said.
On Tuesday, the Capitals were knocked down a few pegs – and it‘s
increasingly likely they won‘t be able to recover. A pair of second-period
goals were topped off by a backbreaking short-handed goal in the third, and
the Capitals lost their fourth consecutive game, falling 5-0 to the Dallas Stars
at Verizon Center.
That loss, coupled with the Columbus Blue Jackets‗ overtime loss to the
Colorado Avalanche and the Toronto Maple Leafs‗ victory over the Calgary
Flames, means the Capitals (34-28-13, 81 points) stand two points back of
the final playoff position with six games to play.
―If I was a fan, I‘d be booing us right now,‖ said Capitals goaltender Braden
Holtby, who replaced starter Jaroslav Halak in the second period. ―A playoff
race like we‘re in? To lose 5-0, it‘s awful. There‘s no words for it.‖
Kari Lehtonen had 35 saves for his third shutout of the season for the Stars
(37-27-11), who have won five of their last six and entered the game in a
similar position as the Capitals in the standings – one point back of the final
wild card playoff spot.
The problem, as it has all season, lies in the Capitals‗ careless mistakes.
After top-line center Tyler Seguin gave Dallas a 1-0 lead with a deflection of
left wing Jamie Benn‘s shot 15:08 into the first period, winger Ray Whitney
scored 9:16 into the second period on a two-man rush set up by defenseman
Alex Goligoski on a pass from the opposite blue line.
Then, just 34 seconds later, fourth-line center Dustin Jeffery took advantage
of a scrum in front of the crease to poke the puck into the net, all while
Capitals defenseman John Erskine and fourth-line center Chris Brown were
occupied in a shoving match with Stars winger Alex Chiasson.
―We played a fast game tonight,‖ Whitney said, ―We had a lot of chances. We
had a lot of two-on-ones, and we even had a two-on-zero. Not often do you
see that many scoring chances.‖
Jeffrey, recently called up from the AHL, scored his second goal of the game
9:55 into the third period, and winger Ryan Garbutt added a shorthanded
goal 14:50 into the frame when he blew by Capitals defenseman Mike Green
and beat Holtby on his left.
Holtby had 11 saves, while Halak, who had started nine of the last 11 games
since being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline, had 20
saves in 26:46.
Washington went 0-for-5 on the power play, but the Stars, who entered with
the 22nd-ranked power play and penalty kill units, went 0-for-4.
The Capitals will play their next four games on the road and won‘t play again
at home until they host the Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay
Lightning in the last two games of the season. By then, they might not need to
be play with determination and urgency, whether they‘d like to or not.
―I think, you know, as a team, we thought we probably needed all seven to
get in, but now we have no choice,‖ Carlson said. ―It‘s definitely probably
going to be a win-out situation.‖
Washington Times LOADED: 04.02.2014
732341
Winnipeg Jets
Phoenix ties it up at 1-1
Staff
PHOENIX - No, that wasn‘t an early April Fool‘s joke last night.
The Winnipeg Jets, fresh off a demoralizing 5-4 overtime loss to the Anaheim
Ducks will get a quick chance to wash the taste of defeat from their mouths
when they return to action tonight (9 p.m., Jets on TSN, TSN 1290) against
the Phoenix Coyotes.
Winnipeg watched a 4-0 lead disappear in just over a period on Monday as
they let the Ducks get their first goal late in the second and then gave up
three in the third and another in OT to suffer their 34th loss of the season.
The Jets, after a promising start under new head coach Paul Maurice that
saw them climb back into the playoff race have now won just four of their last
15 games and are on the verge of elimination.
Winnipeg went with No. 1 goalie Ondrej Pavelec on Monday and he will be in
net again tonight said coach Paul Maurice.
"You have to go back and look at the game. He played a helluva game and
made some huge saves for us in the third period," said Maurice. "They had
some fine scoring chances and he played well."
Backup Al Montoya watched in street clothes last night due to a minor lower
body injury and rookie Michael Hutchinson, who spent time this season in
both the ECHL and AHL, was on the bench.
Montoya will not be ready for tonight and Hutchinson will back up again.
Maurice said there would no other players returning from injury so Zach
Bogosian won‘t be available. The coach added he would determine any other
lineup changes prior to gametime. Veteran Devin Setoguchi has been a
healthy scratch three straight games.
Phoenix is led by defenceman Keith Yandle with eight goals and 51 points
throught 75 games. The blueliner sits 5th in NHL scoring among defencemen
and is tied for 3rd in assists with 41. Yandle leads all NHL defensemen in
power-play assists (27) and power-play points (30).
Coyotes coach Dave Tippett is the winningest bench boss in franchise
history with an overall record of 192-123-54 (438 points) in 369 regular
season games with Phoenix.
Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.02.2014
732342
Winnipeg Jets
Jets reassign Comrie, Morrissey to St. John's
Staff
Posted: 04/1/2014 8:58 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 04/1/2014 10:01
AM | Updates
Two of the brightest young stars in the Winnipeg Jets‘ system are going to
have their seasons extended in the American Hockey League.
As expected, the Jets have re-assigned goaltender Eric Comrie and
defenceman Josh Morrissey from their Western Hockey League clubs to the
St. John‘s IceCaps.
The 18-year-old Comrie played in 60 games with the Tri-City Americans this
season, going 26-25-9 while posting a 2.57 goals against average and .925
save percentage. The Edmonton product ranked second in the WHL for save
percentage and saves (1,849), was third in games played and minutes
(3,523) and sixth in goals against average.
As well, Comrie was the WHL‘s top goaltender in January. He was drafted by
the Jets in the second round (59th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Morrissey, 19, played in 59 games with the Prince Albert Raiders, and racked
up 73 points on 28 goals (a Raiders‘ record) and 45 assists. He is the Eastern
Conference nominee for the 2014 WHL Defenceman of the Year Bill Hunter
Memorial Trophy. A member of Canada‘s World Junior team this winter,
Morrissey was selected by the Jets in the first round (13th overall) in the 2013
NHL Draft.
732343
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg fans exude negativity — because they care
By: Doug Brown
Posted: 04/1/2014 4:13 AM | Comments: 0
Multiple Juno award winners Tegan and Sara have only been booed once in
their careers — "...at the Winnipeg Folk Festival."
Justin Bieber didn‘t even attend the Junos Sunday night and was booed
heartily after winning his fourth Fan Choice Award. Hockey parents now have
to take an online course to learn about sportsmanship in this province and
last week, Bryan Little of the Jets remarked how Winnipeg is distinguished by
its negativity.
In case you missed his remarks, at the height of the "Baby-gate" scandal last
week, he said, "We were joking around before that only in Winnipeg
someone would say negative comments about the birth of a child. Then I
heard someone actually did. I‘d like to say I‘m surprised, but I‘m not."
That is either one hell of a condemnation of the sporting environment here in
Winnipeg, or someone is using the media and fans as the fall guys for a
season of frustration.
There is no argument this city is obsessed with its hockey and football teams.
We‘ve sold out every game since the Jets returned, we follow them all over
North America and in spite of winning nine games in the last two seasons, the
Bombers broke a record, selling more than 25,000 season tickets last year.
Yet is it possible we are so passionate about our local teams we are
adversely affecting the outcomes? Maybe the late, great, comedian Chris
Farley can provide us with an analogy of how loving something too much can
ultimately lead to its demise, as he explains his failures as a salesman in the
movie Tommy Boy:
"Let‘s say I go into some guy‘s office, let‘s say he‘s even remotely interested
in buying something. Well then I get all excited, I‘m like JoJo the idiot circus
boy with a pretty new pet. The pet is my possible sale. Oh my pretty little pet.
I love you! So I stroke it, and I pet it, I massage it, I love it, I love my little
naughty pet, you‘re naughty! Then I take my naughty pet and I go, (crushes
dinner roll) ‗Oh I killed it, I killed my sale!‘ "
Could that be it? Could we, the media and the fans that follow and opine over
every imaginable detail we can get our hands on, be killing our own sports
teams? Are we "JoJo the idiot circus boy" that loves our teams so much we
smother them and crush them with our own enthusiasm?
I never believed in this theory, but when a player suggests as a city we stand
out because of our negativity, it‘s worth examining. From the football end of
things, for years we‘ve heard coaching regimes and players have been run
out of town because of the fans and media and maybe it‘s partially true.
Yet isn‘t that a hell of a lot better than the alternative — apathy and
indifference?
As I‘ve witnessed during my tenure in pro football, when a lot of athletes fail,
they rarely come to terms with their own culpability, and lash out and redirect
their frustration at their immediate environment (fans & media). It is much
easier to blame others than accept responsibility for under-performing. Yet
when the same athletes succeed and are victorious, they are the first to bask
in the sunlight and adoration shined on them by these very same groups. If
you embrace the sweetness from these factions when you are winning, don‘t
be taken aback when the sour punches you in the mouth.
The one thing I‘ve come to learn about passionate sporting fans is they only
get mad because they care. Anger and negativity are expressions only worth
displaying about things you have an interest in. Even the Jet that has been
most scrutinized this season, Ondrej Pavelec, confirmed this reality with
Gary Lawless when he remarked, "The people care. That‘s why the media is
always here. That‘s a good thing. In Atlanta, nobody cared."
During seasons of riches on the Blue Bombers, I‘ve never seen a media so
complimentary of our prowess and a fan base so euphoric over our
successes. I‘ve also been on teams that broke records for futility and
incompetence, and watched fans don paper bags while the local scribes
chewed us up and spit us out. The only truth that emerged from it all was that
the rewards for success and achievement were far greater than any of the
negatives we experienced. When you win, and win consistently in this town,
there is simply no better environment for a professional athlete to be in.
732344
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets fan miffed over team holding season ticket holders deposits
By Paul Friesen
,First posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 09:18 PM CDT
A Winnipeg Jets season-ticket holder says the NHL team is taking advantage
of its rabid fans.
Andrew Caronte says the Jets are mishandling millions of dollars in
season-ticket deposits by not allowing fans to put the money towards their
ticket purchase.
―They‘re getting away with it simply because there‘s such a demand for the
tickets,‖ Caronte said in an interview with the Winnipeg Sun, Tuesday. ―But I
don‘t feel the demand for a product or service should allow companies to,
quote-unquote, take advantage of their customers.
―This is money that belongs to the season-ticket holders and should be given
back to them.‖
Fans pay from $500 to $1,000 as a ―deposit‖ towards season tickets.
But that money, close to $10 million, in all (based on 13,000 season tickets at
$750 average) isn‘t applied to their tickets.
Caronte says the Jets have had his $500 for three years now, and while he
didn‘t think twice about it when he first bought tickets, he wonders why the
money couldn‘t be applied to his purchase when he recently renewed.
He doesn‘t get interest on the amount, either.
―What other Canadian company does this?‖ he said. ―It‘s not about the
money — it‘s the principal of the matter.
―Anytime I leave a deposit for anything else, once I sign the contract it just
gets applied to it.‖
Caronte says fans he talks to about the issue agree, although many have
forgotten their deposits even exist.
He asked his ticket representative for an explanation, and was eventually
referred to a True North lawyer, who explained the deposit was collateral in
case a fan backs out of a ticket agreement.
But that doesn‘t mean fans can simply forfeit their deposit to get out of an
agreement.
―He said no, you‘re still bound by the contract,‖ Caronte said. ―It‘s a little bit of
double-dipping there.‖
The Jets don‘t hide the policy — it‘s stated in the agreement — but Caronte
says that doesn‘t make it right for the hard-working, blue-collar fans who
support the team, even shouting out its corporate name during the national
anthem.
―It‘s so wrong for me,‖ he said. ―None of (the fans) are as wealthy as Mr.
Chipman and Mr. Thomson.
―I‘m a loyal Winnipeg Jets supporter, a huge fan. I don‘t want anyone to think
I‘m against the team. But at the same time, I‘m also a customer, a consumer,
and what‘s fair is fair.‖
The city‘s other pro sports teams, the Blue Bombers and Goldeyes, apply
deposits to the purchase of tickets.
The Jets did not return repeated calls for comment.
Caronte, who works as a sales manager and has run his own small business,
says he wants the team to be profitable, hopefully resulting in a better
product, eventually.
―But it doesn‘t mean we should be OK with it as fans, just because we want to
have a better product on the ice,‖ he said. ―I would love for True North to just
say, ‗You know, maybe we need to reconsider this,‘ and give the deposit
back to all the season-ticket holders.
―It‘s just the right thing to do.‖
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.02.2014
732345
Winnipeg Jets
Jets epic collapse in Anaheim just part of an ugly big picture
By Kirk Penton
,Winnipeg Sun
First posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 05:52 PM CDT
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Just how epic was Winnipeg‘s colossal collapse on
Monday night in Anaheim?
Well, an NHL team ends up losing a game in which it has owned a four-goal
lead about once every leap year. The Jets led the Ducks 4-0 at Honda Center
and lost 5-4 in overtime, becoming the first team in more than four years to
cough up one like that.
The last team to blow such a big lead and lose was the Chicago Blackhawks
on Jan. 9, 2010, when they gagged on a 5-1 advantage in the third period
against the Minnesota Wild and fell 6-5 in a shootout.
Interestingly, two members of that Blackhawks team were Andrew Ladd and
Dustin Byfuglien, who were also on the wrong bench Monday night at Honda
Center. And that brings us to the more important point about the Jets these
days.
Monday‘s loss was no bigger than any other of the 43 they had suffered this
season going into Thursday night‘s clash against the Phoenix Coyotes.
Heck, they even got a point out of the disaster.
No, it‘s the big picture that is even uglier than Monday‘s debacle for the Jets
and their fans: three wins in their last 14 games going into Tuesday night‘s tilt
at Jobing.com Arena.
It seems no matter how hard the Jets try or who they have coaching the
team, this group always seems to find a way to revert to its days in Atlanta.
We‘ve said it before, and we‘ll say it again: It has so far been impossible to
wash the stench of the Atlanta Thrashers off the Winnipeg Jets.
General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff decided to stick with the core from
Atlanta, and all it‘s gotten Manitoba and its hockey fans is another year with
no playoff hockey.
It‘s a trademark of this franchise to slow down, wobble and fall on its face at
this time of year. Over the last six seasons the Thrashers and Jets are
38-44-13 between the trade deadline and when they are eliminated from
playoff contention. Going into Tuesday night‘s game, which was basically the
start of playing out the string, the Jets this year were 3-7-3 since
Cheveldayoff stood pat on March 5, which he said was the result of centre
Mark Scheifele getting injured the night before.
The reasons don‘t matter. All the losing does.
So now what? Maurice is definitely an upgrade at head coach, but his record
since taking over for the fired Claude Noel was 14-10-5 prior to Tuesday‘s
contest, which meant he had lost more games than he‘d won. Some fans are
starting to scream for change, most notably at the goaltending position, but
there‘s not much Cheveldayoff will be able to do after locking up so much of
that core for many years to come — unless he can get creative with a trade or
two. And a trade or two would serve this team well.
Otherwise, the GM will have to spend his summer looking for minor upgrades
here and there. He swung and missed on Devin Setoguchi, who returned to
the lineup Tuesday night after being a healthy scratch for three straight
games, but Michael Frolik was a decent pickup. He needs to find a few more
Froliks if the Jets are going to take on a new identity and stop finding unique
ways to lose hockey games.
Because that‘s all Monday night was: another way to lose a hockey game.
Last Monday night in Dallas they were stymied by a hot goaltender. On
Saturday night in L.A. it was a horrendous first period. On Monday night in
Anaheim it was one of the worst third periods in the history of hockey.
Finding ways to lose is what the Jets do at this time of year and more often
than not the rest of the time. That‘s all there is to it. The numbers back that
up. And there‘s little reason to believe it won‘t continue unless some sort of
serious shakeup happens before next season.
Because if it walks like a Thrasher and talks like a Thrasher, it‘s probably a
Thrasher.
732346
Winnipeg Jets
Jets' coach Maurice defends Pavelec
By Kirk Penton
,Winnipeg Sun
First posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2014
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Winnipeg Jets, coming off one of their toughest
losses in franchise history, will attempt to get up off the mat and finish off their
five-game road trip with a victory tonight at Jobing.com Arena against the
Phoenix Coyotes.
The Jets blew a 4-0 lead last night in Anaheim and lost 5-4 in overtime,
becoming the first NHL team in more than four years to lead a game by four
goals and not win. Winnipeg, which is 1-2-1 on its road trip and 33-33-10
overall, can‘t be eliminated from the Western Conference playoff race
tonight, but it‘s only a matter of time. The Coyotes are in eighth place in the
conference, eight points up on the Jets, and Winnipeg has six games left.
Ondrej Pavelec will get the start once again for the Jets. Head coach Paul
Maurice defended his number one netminder Tuesday morning, even though
No. 31 is Enemy No. 1 with Jets fans right now. He had a rough night on
Saturday in a 4-2 loss to L.A., and the overtime goal he allowed against
Stephane Robidas last night was weak.
Maurice said everything is fine with Pavelec.
―He played a hell of a game,‖ Maurice said. ―He made some great saves in
the third period and made a couple of great saves leading up to that. It can‘t
be the results that we gave up five that our goaltender wasn‘t any good. They
had some fine scoring chances. He played well.‖
Pavelec faced a whopping 25 shots in the third period and 16 seconds of
overtime, and it looked like he was having a difficult time controlling his
rebounds. Again, not so, according to Maurice.
―You go back and look at them, and he steers them to the place. So there are
big rebounds, but we got the first touch on five of the seven. So it looks
different from the bench. When I went back and looked at the video, he was
putting those rebounds in places. Now, the question you ask is: Did he need
rebounds? Some of them, yeah. Some of those pucks he couldn‘t get to eat.‖
As for the bigger picture and how Monday night‘s colossal choke job fits into
it, Maurice did his best to reason with the fans through the media Tuesday
morning.
―My saying it‘s just one game sounds lousy, so I can‘t say it‘s just one game.
Right? It just sounds like the coach is blowing off a four-goal collapse,‖ he
said. ―We weren‘t as good as you think we were in the first two (periods). We
were good, but they weren‘t. And actually after it was 4-3 we did what we
needed to do in the third period and held them to the last minute. It‘s not
bigger (than one game), but there‘s so many things we gotta learn how to
deal with.‖
Maurice couldn‘t say for certain that there wouldn‘t be any lineup changes
tonight. He said after last night‘s game than an injury forced him to juggle his
lineup for the start of overtime, but he didn‘t identify which player. That man,
whoever it is, could be the game-time decision tonight.
The Jets are 1-6-1 in the second half of back-to-backs this season and
5-22-2 in that situation since starting up in Winnipeg three years ago.
732347
Winnipeg Jets
Lucky Ladd scores shootout winner
By Kirk Penton
,Winnipeg Sun
First posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 11:59 PM CDT | Updated: Wednesday,
April 02, 2014 12:21 AM CDT
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The new Jets knocked off the old Jets on Tuesday night
in the desert to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
The Jets got past the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 in a shootout on Tuesday night in
front of 13,724 duelling spectators at Jobing.com Arena, meaning Winnipeg's
razor-thin playoff hopes remain alive.
They would have been eliminated if Phoenix had won in regulation time.
Andrew Ladd scored the only goal in the shootout and Ondrej Pavelec
prevented all three Coyotes from scoring.
The Jets improved to 34-33-10 and are now seven points back of both
Phoenix and the Dallas Stars in the race for eighth place in the Western
Conference. Winnipeg has five games remaining, including Thursday night‘s
game at MTS Centre against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Jets, who now have four wins in their last 15 games, finished with a 2-2-1
record on their five-game road trip, with the most memorable tilt being
Monday night‘s soul crushing 5-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
Pavelec had a solid night in the desert Tuesday, just 24 hours after catching
most of the fault from fans for Winnipeg‘s implosion in Anaheim. Pavelec
made 29 saves in overtime and regulation against the Coyotes, and then he
prevented all three shooters from scoring in the breakaway contest.
The usually media friendly Pavelec was no doubt feeling the stress of his last
few outings, as he stopped talking to the press after games and on game
days when he was starting. He said it was more superstition than blocking
out distractions.
―I just tried to change it a little bit, and actually it worked,‖ he said with a smile.
―So it‘s pretty good.‖
Head coach Paul Maurice had a team meeting in the morning and presented
all the reasons why they weren‘t expected to beat the Coyotes, from injuries
to the pain of the night before in Anaheim.
Then they went out and beat the Coyotes.
―He kind of came in and let us know that it was going to be a huge statement
game for us tonight, no matter where we are in the standings, regardless of
playoff implications and all that,‖ winger Blake Wheeler said, wearing the
fighter helmet in the dressing room afterwards. ―He wanted us as men to
come in here and respond when everything was stacked up against us. The
way we grinded it out tonight to get two points, that was awesome.‖
The Jets opened the scoring midway through the first period Tuesday night in
front of thousands of Jets fans who made the journey to Arizona or were
already here. Andrew Ladd wired his 23rd of the season over Thomas
Greiss‘ left shoulder, and the visitors took a 1-0 lead to the dressing room.
The lead didn‘t last long, however, as Michael Frolik and Mark Stuart both
went to Antoine Vermette down low and allowed Zbynek Michalek to take a
pass and pop his second into the open cage just 19 seconds into the middle
frame.
Phoenix‘s best chance in the third happened with 9:50 to go when Mikkel
Boedker skated hard down the right side and hit the left post. The Coyotes
then had a glorious chance to win it in overtime, as Blake Wheeler took a
high-sticking penalty with 1:15 to go in the extra frame. Phoenix couldn‘t
notch the winner, though.
The Jets players were well aware of the presence of their own fans during the
contest.
―We were joking after the anthem it kind of felt like a home game a little bit
with the ‗True North.‘ So that‘s awesome. I saw walking into the game today a
lot of pale legs and Jets jerseys, so it was nice, I‘m sure, for a lot of people to
get a little bit of sunshine and come watch us in a different environment. We
always appreciate when our fans follow us on the road.‖
AROUND THE GLASS
Devin Setoguchi returned to the ice after his three-game exile to the press
box. The right winger replaced Anthony Peluso in the lineup … The Jets fell
to 2-6-1 this season in the second half of back-to-backs … Defencemen Zach
Bogosian (upper body) and Keaton Ellerby (lower), and goaltender Al
Montoya (lower) didn‘t play … Evander Kane was on the ice for all three of
Anaheim‘s even-strength goals on Monday night. Its other two goals were
scored on the power play and with the goalie pulled.
732348
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks‘ David Booth busses Billy the bear
By Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun April 1, 2014 8:46 PM
VANCOUVER — David Booth has hunted bears. Now he can say he was
kissed by one, too.
The Vancouver Canucks winger spent his day off Sunday visiting Abbotsford
animal trainer Mark Dumas and then tweeted a photo of himself getting a
smackeroo on the lips from Billy the grizzly bear. Dumas and his wife Dawn
train various animals for movies. They also have a polar bear. Their company
is called Beyond Just Bears.
"It was one of the coolest things I've ever done," Booth said Tuesday, prior to
the Canucks-New York Rangers game at Rogers Arena. "A friend of mine set
me up with the guy and told me it was hands-on. So I jumped at the
opportunity. I have a bunch of other pictures but that one was pretty cool.
Being licked right in the face by a grizzly bear is something that I never
thought would be possible. I thought it was a very, very cool opportunity and I
wanted to take advantage of it."
Dumas confirmed that Booth had a grand time at his place.
"The visit went great and I don't know what else to tell you," Dumas said
Tuesday. "He enjoyed all the different animals but he's not the only person in
the world to enjoy them."
Needles to say, an NHL player being kissed, or licked, by a grizzly bear does
leave some room for chirping. Booth even chirped himself.
"My fiancee was there with me and I told her 'sorry for cheating on you,‘ ‖ he
chuckled.
Two years ago, Booth and bears were in the news for a different reason.
Then he was heavily criticized for bear baiting — and killing a black bear — in
Alberta for a reality TV show called The Edge. Bear baiting is not legal in B.C.
On Tuesday, Canucks teammates Tom Sestito and Zack Kassian could only
shake their heads in amazement — and they are the toughest players on the
roster based on penalty minutes.
"Kissing a grizzly bear is his thing but it's not my thing," said Sestito. "I'm not
going to be kissing a grizzly bear. When I saw the photo, I was, like, why?
That was the first thing that was going through my mind. But it's what he likes
doing. It gives him a rush and you can't blame him for doing what he likes to
do."
Kassian was impressed by Booth's bravery but concerned for his sanity.
"I saw the picture on Twitter Monday and my thoughts were he's bleepin'
crazy," Kassian said, laughing. "There are not many humans who would get
that close to a grizzly bear, I'll tell you that. It's called living life on the edge. I
can tell you right now that I wouldn't be doing that anytime soon.
"My dog, that's the only thing I get close to," added Kassian. "But during the
Olympic break, he was alligator hunting so if you're going to get close to an
alligator, I think you're going to get close to a lot of things. That's the way he
is. He's an outdoorsy kind of guy. He seems to like it and have fun with it and
he's coming back every time without a scratch."
Booth admitted that getting kissed by Billy was, indeed, a bit of risky
business.
"When you're looking in a grizzly bear's eye, you don't know," he said. "The
thing was growling, like, right in my face and I was looking down his throat. It
was pretty scary. But (Mark) has had Billy for about three years, ever since
he was a cub, and he's trained it and says it's not that dangerous. He says all
the experience he's had with bears, you can really train them. But they have
stuff to protect you if anything were to go wrong. That was a chance I was
willing to take."
It wasn't Booth's first experience with a grizzly bear, just his first kiss.
"I had one lick my hands with honey on it before and no, it was not a wild one,
no, no," he explained. "A grizzly will tear you up. They are one of the fiercest
animals in all of creation. I mean, their claws are longer than my fingers. I'm
not that dumb."
Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Game Day: Vancouver clings to faint playoff hopes as road warrior
Rangers come calling (with video)
By Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun April 1, 2014 7:00 PM
VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks will be clinging to their
mathematical hopes and not much else when they entertain Alain Vigneault
and the New York Rangers tonight at Rogers Arena (7 p.m., TSN, Team
1040).
With the Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes also playing today, the Canucks
won't be able to slow them down in any way. So all they can do is try to beat
the Rangers, who just happen to be one of the NHL's top road teams at
24-14-0. The Canucks, meanwhile, have won just half of their home dates
and are a mediocre 18-12-6.
Beleaguered Canucks head coach John Tortorella has figured out his
approach to the game.
"We are going about our business the same way as if we were 15 games
over .500 and in the playoffs," he said today at the morning skate. "We know
what's around us. We know what we're up against and that's what I respect
our guys for. They haven't changed their attitude through all of this. They
come to work every day and we're trying to get better."
The Canucks didn't do any formal line rushes at their morning skate but,
based on Monday's practice, they are expected to start this way: Ryan Kesler
between Daniel Sedin and Alex Burrows; Shawn Matthias centring for Chris
Higgins and Nick Jensen; Brad Richardson with David Booth and Zack
Kassian; and Jordan Schroeder pivoting the fourth line with Tom Sestito and
Jannik Hansen.
Kassian, the Canucks' most productive forward lately with seven points in
four games, might see some second-unit power play time tonight. He did take
second-unit reps this morning with Higgins, Burrows, Yannick Weber and
Jason Garrison. The first unit was Daniel Sedin with Kesler, Jensen, Alex
Edler and Kevin Bieksa.
"I'm never going to complain about getting more ice, that's for sure," said
Kassian, who added that the team isn't feeling blue about its plight. "We're
not the type to feel sorry for ourselves. We are going to come to work, play
hard and we're going to make teams that are in the playoffs earn every point
they get."
The Rangers, who are closing in on an Eastern Conference playoff spot,
didn't have any of their regulars on the ice this morning but, based on their
Monday practice, their lines are expected to go this way: Carl Hagelin-Derek
Stepan-Rick Nash; Dan Carcillo or J.T. Miller-Brad Richards-Marty St. Louis;
Benoit Pouliot-Derick Brassard-Mats Zuccarello; and Brian Boyle-Dominic
Moore-Derek Dorsett.
The expected defence pairings are: Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi; Marc
Staal-Anton Stralman; and Raphael Diaz-Kevin Kline. Henrik Lundqvist,
4-1-0 in his last five starts and 8-3-0 in his last 11, is scheduled to get the start
tonight.
"The last few weeks we've been playing a really good team game," Lundqvist
said. "Everybody is buying in, everybody is doing the little things right and it's
been paying off. Obviously it's huge for us. We're in a position now where we
control our destiny. We just have to continue to push ourselves to win some
more games."
Eddie Lack will again start for the Canucks.
ICE CHIPS: Canucks captain Henrik Sedin (leg) and defenceman Andrew
Alberts (concussion) both worked out on the ice, pre-morning skate, under
the tutelage of skills coach Glenn Carnegie ... New Ranger Marty St. Louis
has struggled since coming over from Tampa at the trade deadline and has
zero goals and three assists in 14 games. The Rangers are still 9-4-1 since
he joined them … The Rangers are one of six teams to reached the 40-win
mark at least seven times since the 2005-06 season ... Rick Nash has five
goals in his last seven games ... Derek Stepan has 18 points in his last 17
games (5-13-18) while Mats Zuccarello has 18 in his last 19 games (4-14-18)
... Referees for tonight's game are Justin St. Pierre and Wes McCauley.
INJURIES: The Canucks will again be missing captain Henrik Sedin (leg), D
Chris Tanev (finger), C-RW Mike Santorelli (shoulder surgery) and D Andrew
Alberts (concussion). The Rangers are without LW Chris Kreider (hand) and
D John Moore (head).
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Vancouver Canucks
Alain Vigneault-led, playoff-bound Rangers down Canucks
By Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun April 1, 2014 9:49 PM
Daniel Sedin, not noted for his hitting, crushed Ranger defenceman Ryan
McDonagh in the second period deep in the New York zone. McDonagh was
slow to his feet but stayed in the game... Jannik Hansen, who started on the
fourth line for the second straight game, had a partial break down the right
wing in the middle period but totally missed the net... Ranger defenceman
Marc Staal completely tying up Hansen's stick with a loose puck in the crease
area without drawing a penalty.
TORTS TALK
VANCOUVER SUN - Alain Vigneault‘s team did what a lot of his teams have
done at Rogers Arena the past several years. His team won.
This time was different, of course. This time Vigneault was the visiting coach
and his new team, the York Rangers, beat his old team, the Vancouver
Canucks, 3-1 on Tuesday night.
The Rangers are on their way to the playoffs, a place Vigneault took the
Canucks six times in his seven seasons as their coach. The Canucks are
heading to the golf course or will be after they play the final five games of
their season.
The future of their coach, John Tortorella, remains uncertain and before the
game a handful of protesters wearing Fire (Mike) Gillis T-shirts were shooed
away from outside the arena by security.
It has been that kind of season. The stuff happening off the ice is a whole lot
more interesting than what is happening on it these days.
With their playoff chances hanging by a mathematical thread, the Canucks
competed hard but were once again done in by a lack of finish.
They had the better scoring chances in the first period. It didn‘t matter, the
Rangers led 2-0 after 20 minutes.
Ryan Kesler had two excellent chances early in the first, but was stopped on
both occasions by Ranger goalie Henrik Lunqvist, who also thwarted Chris
Higgins on a breakaway and turned aside an Alex Burrows re-direct.
The Rangers, meanwhile, made the most of their opportunities. Daniel
Carcillo jammed the puck past Vancouver goalie Eddie Lack following a
lengthy scramble in front of the net at the 4:59 mark. That scramble occurred
after Lack couldn‘t handle the puck after it bounced off the boards.
The Rangers got a power-play goal at 14:43 when Benoit Pouliot converted a
pass from Derick Brassard.
The Canucks cut the New York lead in half at 6:21 of the second when Kesler
fought off a check by Dominic Moore to take a pass from Daniel Sedin and
wire a shot past Lundqvist.
The Canucks had a chance to tie the game with back-to-back power plays
midway through the third period, but instead surrendered a short-handed
goal. Martin St. Louis got his first goal in 15 games as a Ranger when he
converted a 2-on-1 rush with Rick Nash. That rush was the result of a bad
pass back to the point by Vancouver winger Zack Kassian. Defenceman
Yannick Weber couldn‘t reach the puck and St. Louis and Nash were set free
the other way.
The win was the 25th on the road this season for the Rangers, which is a
franchise record.
THE SKINNY
The Rangers' fourth line opened the scoring as Dan Carcillo jammed in a
loose puck after Eddie Lack initially mishandled the puck at the side of his
net. New York made it 2-0 before the end of the first, Benoit Pouliot
one-timing home a Derick Brassard pass on the power play. Ryan Kesler
pulled Vancouver to within one in the second when he drilled a Daniel Sedin
feed past Henrik Lundqvist. But the Canucks, who almost never come back,
surrendered a shorthanded goal to Marty St. Louis in third and went down
3-1.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Canucks gave up the first two goals of the game for the third straight
home game... The St. Louis shortie was just the third shorthanded goal
scored on the Canucks this season, all of them on home ice... Ryan Kesler
has gone 16 games without an assist but has five goals during the same
stretch... The Canucks have collected seven of a possible 56 points when
trailing after two periods (3-24-1)... Vancouver won the faceoff battle 34-22,
led by Brad Richardson's 9-for-12 night. Shawn Matthias was 11-for-17.
DID YOU NOTICE?
Asked at the morning skate about the talk concerning his job security,
Canuck head coach John Tortorella responded this way: ―All the noise and all
that stuff out there, I get it. It's out there but I don't really pay too much
attention to it. I don't worry about it. I feel very comfortable just continuing to
work with this team and that's how I go about it. I don't get locked into any
other stuff. But I know it's around.‖
...Elliott Pap
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Vancouver Canucks
Torts talk: Canuck coach on 3-1 loss to NY Rangers
April 1, 2014. 10:27 pm • Section: Puckworld
Elliott Pap
―I thought it was a good hockey game. I thought we played much better
throughout the game than the other night against Anaheim. I thought our
team played hard. We don‘t score. They score 3, we score 1. I‘m pleased
with the effort. We lose another one but I thought we battled.‖
On the first Ranger goal when Eddie Lack appeared to have covered up the
puck, only to have the Rangers pitchfork it free before a whistle: ―They called
it a goal. When you‘re in the situation we‘re in, you don‘t whine, you don‘t
question the referees, you just go about your business. The puck should
have never been in front of the net. Again, no whining. We lost. We‘re losing.
We‘re just going to keep on trying to get better.‖
On the Daniel Sedin-Ryan Kesler-Alex Burrows line, which produced the only
goal and had nine shots: ―That was a really good line. That‘s the best I‘ve
seen Danny play in quite some time.‖
And here‘s a little more from the morning skate, when Torts was asked about
the chatter concerning his job security: ―All the noise and all that stuff out
there, I get it. It‘s out there but I don‘t really pay too much attention to it. I don‘t
worry about it. I feel very comfortable just continuing to work with this team
and that‘s how I go about it. I don‘t get locked into any other stuff. But I know
it‘s around.‖
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Vancouver Canucks
Canucks left looking for meaning to season
By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun columnistApril 1, 2014 11:50
PMen_135x42_advantagehomeice_c01
VANCOUVER - Desperation and urgency were palpable as the Vancouver
Canucks faced the New York Rangers Tuesday night. But then you walked
past the whimpering ticket scalpers and went inside Rogers Arena, where the
strongest sense was one of resignation.
It has been a long time since the Canucks were in this position, playing out
their final games hopelessly – if not quite yet mathematically – short of the
National Hockey League playoffs.
In both 2008 and 2006, the only years since Y2K the Canucks failed to make
the Stanley Cup tournament, the team fell out of a playoff position at the end.
Their games meant something until the final days of the season.
But this year is worse: with the Dallas Stars winning 5-0 earlier Tuesday in
Washington, the Canucks were six points out of a playoff spot with six games
to go and needing to catch not one team but two, both of them holding games
in-hand. Then they lost 3-1 to the Rangers.
There was an inevitability about the outcome even as the first puck was
dropped.
―We've never really been in this situation before, and it's not where we want
to be,‖ Canuck defenceman Alex Edler said amid a despondent dressing
room. ―There have been a lot of losses; it's been tough. We're going to battle
to the end but we need a lot of help here.‖
There entire labour force of China couldn't help enough to get the Canucks
into the playoffs.
The Phoenix Coyotes, technically ninth in the Western Conference but tied
with Dallas on points, play two more games before Saturday, when the
Canucks play next against the Los Angeles Kings. By then, Vancouver could
be 10 points out with five games to go.
―I think I've played two meaningless games throughout my career,‖ winger
Daniel Sedin, a 13-year veteran, said about the prospect of being eliminated
with a week to go. ―It's not a position you want to be in, and I think it's
unacceptable for this team to be in this position. But we are we are because
we haven't won enough games and haven't played well enough. Between
Game 40 and Game 60, it cost us the season.‖
The Canucks are 11-21-4 since the middle of the season. In the last three
months, they have beaten two teams that held playoff positions Tuesday
night.
They stayed in the vapor trail of the playoff race in March by beating the
Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames,
Winnipeg Jets and, to their credit, the Minnesota Wild.
But against quality teams, the Canucks lack of quality has been exposed.
It's not about determination or will. Canuck players want to win. Most of them,
Sedin noted last week, have done nothing but win in Vancouver over the
years. But the Canucks' talent, depth and execution are not where
Vancouver needs them to be to win. So they haven't won.
The Canucks tried to take the game to the Rangers. Vancouver's first line of
Sedin, Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows led from the front, generating terrific
scoring chances for Kesler on the trio's first two shifts.
But when New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist blockered Kesler's shot on a
2-on-1, then was strong at his near post as Kesler cut hard to the net two
minutes later, you could see how this was going to go. How they've all gone
recently when the Canucks play good teams.
Outchanced and outshot, New York went ahead 1-0 at 4:59 when a puck off
the end boards hopped past Canuck goalie Eddie Lack, chaos ensued, and
three fourth-line Rangers stood untouched at the crease and swung
pitchforks at the puck until finally dislodging it from Lack, allowing Daniel
Carcillo to score his fourth goal in 54 games.
Kesler had two chances to score and didn't, Carcillo had one chance and did.
The whistle could have gone as Lack played the part of pinata, but it didn't.
And when Canuck fourth-liner Tom Sestito took a tripping penalty 190 feet
from his net, the Ranger power play went 1-for-1 to make it 2-0 at 14:43.
And that was the game.
Yes, Kesler scored in the middle period and the Canucks continued to
hammer away. But they weren't coming from two goals down to beat the
Rangers, who are 27-1-1 when leading after two periods. Vancouver is
3-24-1 this season when trailing after 40 minutes.
It only seemed like the Canucks had a chance. Against the Rangers and in
this playoff race the last few weeks. Irreparable damage was done between
Dec. 29 and March 8, when the Canucks went 5-16-4.
―You battle all year to get a chance to play in the playoffs,‖ Burrows said.
―That's what it's all about. But when you're on the outside looking in, you've
got to keep playing and be a pro and work for each other. You've got to do
that for your teammates and the organization that believes in you.‖
Soon they'll have to do that when the games mean nothing.
732353
Vancouver Canucks
By Jim Jamieson, The Province April 1, 2014 9:52 PM
Vancouver Canucks' David Booth — well-known to be a hunting enthusiast
— visits the Abbotsford property of well-known movie animal trainer Mark
Dumas, where he got up close and personal with a bear.
After staring down a season from hell, David Booth evidently thought nothing
of doing the same thing with a grizzly bear on the weekend.
Booth‘s struggles, both with injury recovery and on the ice, have been well
documented. In fact, in the last quarter of this sorry Canucks season, the
winger has been one of the few good-news stories around this team. His
overall game has come around to the point where there is some discussion of
the possibility he might not be a compliance buyout, after all.
But back to the grizzly, which Booth — well-known to be a hunting enthusiast
— was not stalking, by the way.
He was invited, through a friend, for a Sunday visit to the Abbotsford property
of well-known movie animal trainer Mark Dumas, who has a grizzly named
Billy, a polar bear named Agee and assorted other exotic creatures that are
usually only seen in zoos or the wild.
―It was one of the coolest things I‘ve ever done,‖ Booth said on Tuesday
before the Canucks took on the New York Rangers.
―A friend set me up with a guy out in Abbotsford. He has a pet polar bear and
a pet grizzly. He said it was hands-on, so I jumped at that opportunity. I have
a bunch of pictures, but that one was pretty cool, getting licked on the face by
a grizzly bear — something I never thought would be possible.‖
Though he was assured that he would be safe getting nose-to-nose with
Billy, Booth — an experienced hunter — said he was unnerved when the
600-pound teenage bear first walked up to him.
―When you‘re looking in a grizzly bear‘s eyes, you don‘t know,‖ said Booth,
whose fiancée, Ashley Durham, accompanied him and also got up-close with
the bear.
―But he said the experience he has with bears is you can really train them.
They can do tricks. But this thing was growling right in my face. Looking right
down his throat, it‘s pretty scary.‖
Booth, who went alligator hunting in Florida during the Olympic break, said
he‘s been up close to big-game animals numerous times, but this experience
was unique.
―That‘s one of the fiercest animals in all of creation,‖ he said. ―Its claws were
longer than my fingers. I got pictures of the guy wrestling it. I wanted to do
that, but they wouldn‘t let me.‖
Not sure if the NHL players‘ insurance coverage includes bear mauling.
Booth said he enjoys hunting as much for the interaction as the chase.
―I love animals,‖ he said. ―It‘s just being able to interact with them. The
majority of the time I go hunting I don‘t shoot anything. It‘s just cool seeing
them in their own habitat, seeing how they interact. That‘s why I enjoy what I
do.‖
Booth‘s linemate much of the last 20 games, Zack Kassian, has the size to be
called bear-like, but he has no interest in meeting Billy.
―There‘s not many humans that would get that close to a giant bear,‖ said
Kassian. ―He‘s coming back without a scratch, so he must be doing
something right. I can tell you right now that I won‘t be doing that any time
soon. The only animal I‘m getting close to is my dog — and he weighs about
12 pounds.‖
Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Game Day: Vigneault‘s Rangers on a roll; Torts ignoring
speculation on his demise; Lack to get 17th straight start.
April 1, 2014. 11:56 am • Posted by: Jim Jamieson
Rangers (42-30-4) at Canucks (34-31-11)
TV: TSN; Radio: TEAM 1040. 7 p.m.
The red-hot New York Rangers and former Canucks coach Alain Vigneault
make their only regular-season visit to Vancouver on Tuesday and the form
chart says they will push the locals ever-closer to playoff elimination.
Canucks coach John Tortorella said he‘s not paying attention to speculation
he might not be back after a disappointing first season in Vancouver.
―I don‘t make my decisions on my future – other people do,‖ said Tortorella.
―So I go about my business by being in that locker room with the team and
coaching the best way I know how. So all the noise that‘s out there, I get it, it‘s
out there. I really don‘t pay too much attention to it. You should ask the
people who make decisions on me. I don‘t worry about it. I feel very
comfortable continuing to work on this team.‖
Vancouver is five points behind Phoenix, which has the eighth and final
Western Conference playoff spot and a game in hand on the Canucks. The
Coyotes host Winnipeg on Tuesday and a win for them combined with a loss
for Vancouver could put the Canucks in position to be mathematically as
soon as Friday, should Phoenix win all three of its games this week. Phoenix
also plays in L.A. on Wednesday and hosts Edmonton on Friday.
The Rangers have won six of their last seven games and are coming off a 5-0
win in Edmonton on Sunday that tied a franchise record for road wins (24).
The Canucks are coming off a 5-1 loss to Anaheim on Saturday and have lost
two in a row after putting together a modest three-game winning streak.
Eddie Lack, who‘s struggled since Roberto Luongo was traded, making him
the No. 1, will get his 17th straight start in goal. Henrik Lundqvist is expected
to start for the Rangers, who didn‘t attend a morning skate.
Canucks captain Henrik Sedin (knee) skated before the main on Tuesday
along with long-absent defenceman Andrew Alberts (concussion) under the
direction of skills coach Glenn Carnegie. It appears Sedin could be getting
close to returning, possibly Saturday when the Kings visit.
Expected Canucks lineup:
D.Sedin-Kesler-Burrows
Higgins-Matthias-Jensen
Booth-Richardson-Kassian
Sestito-Schroeder-Hansen
Hamhuis-Garrison
Edler-Bieksa
Stanton-Weber
Lack
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Vancouver Canucks
Willes: Canucks need to heed hiring history in coach hunt
By Ed Willes, The Province April 1, 2014 10:03 PM
VANCOUVER — If you just walked into the Canucks‘ press room, it was like
falling into a time portal and coming out in 2011.
There was Alain Vigneault, unfailingly cheerful without being terribly
revealing, candid to a point but mindful of the line which crossed into
controversy. There were the same jokes. There were the same reporters.
T.C. Carling, the Canucks‘ former P.R. director, was even there to enlist
Vigneault in an initiative for his Canadian Men‘s Health Foundation.
The only thing missing was someone asking a Mason Raymond question.
But Vigneault is gone, long gone, and while he did his best to steer clear of
the irresistible storyline with his former team and John Tortorella, it was hard
to miss the significance of his return to Vancouver with the New York
Rangers.
Vigneault was shattered when he took the bullet for the Canucks‘ playoff
failures in 2012 and 2013, but he‘s since landed on an original-six team
which features at least two Hall of Famers (Marty St. Louis, Henrik Lundqvist;
Rick Nash might get there) and a bright young nucleus in one of the world‘s
greatest cities.
Jordan Schroeder for much of the campaign. Just bringing that up in case
you still think the Canucks‘ problem was the coach.
Vigneault, in fact, contributed to his own demise by creating the impression
there was still a champions‘ DNA in this group; that with the right voice, the
Canucks‘ core could be re-invigorated and sent on another Cup run. This led
to his firing, the hiring of Tortorella and the tire fire we‘ve seen this season.
But this story is hardly done as the Canucks head into another tumultuous
offseason, and this time, there‘s a lot more riding on the organization‘s
decisions than there was a year ago.
When they make their next hire, the Orcans would do well to remember life
under Vigneault. He wasn‘t a miracle worker. Here‘s a news flash: No one is.
But he had a clear idea of the strengths and weaknesses of this team and
played to those strengths and weaknesses, which is exactly what he‘s done
with the Rangers.
He also brought a level of calm to his position in Vancouver, and the
importance of that can‘t be overestimated.
―I might be tuned differently, but it never affected my job and I never took it
personally,‖ Vigneault said of the pressures of working in a large Canadian
market.
―I understood if we lost one, fans would be upset and the media would be
upset. It never bothered me. I think you have to be tuned in a special way to
handle all the things that can go on in a market like this.‖
As much as anything, the Canucks need that now; someone who can come
in and turn down the temperature; someone who can return some semblance
of normalcy to the organization while maintaining a high standard of
professionalism.
The Canucks, meanwhile, have become a three-ring circus, although we still
have the ocean and the mountains.
They had that during Vigneault‘s run here. You just hope they understand
what they‘ve been missing.
Tuesday night, Vigneault's Rangers downed the Canucks 3-1 in a spirited
affair which highlighted the divergent paths the two teams have travelled
since they changed coaches. The Rangers, who've gone 23-10-2 over their
last 35 games, have the look of the team no one wants to meet in the
playoffs. Against the Canucks, they parlayed first-period goals by Dan
Carcillo and Benoit Pouliot, an outstanding goaltending performance by
Henrik Lundqvist and a shortie from Marty St. Louis into their eighth win in
nine games.
How good have the Rangers been? St. Louis' goal was his first in 15 games
since coming over from Tampa at the trade deadline. They're 10-4-1 in those
games.
The Canucks, for their part, tried real hard, produced 35 shots on Lundqvist,
and managed to score one goal.
Vigneault, it‘s now apparent, got out at precisely the right time. Given the
hand he was dealt last season, his firing from the Canucks must have felt
unjust, but as things have transpired, he‘s done all right. The Rangers have
rebounded since their slow start and now have the look of the team no one
wants to meet in the playoffs. The Canucks are now looking at their third
coach in three seasons, the fans are in an uproar and everyone from the
owner to the general manager to the East Coast regional scout is under the
most uncomfortable scrutiny.
―It would be unfair for me to comment in any shape or form,‖ Vigneault said. ―I
mean, I‘m 3,000 miles away.‖
Maybe. But his laptop is never that far away, and you have to know the
Rangers‘ coach is very much aware of everything that‘s happened in
Vancouver since he left.
The accepted wisdom, of course, is Vigneault‘s time had come with the
Canucks; the players had tuned out his message or he wasn‘t reaching the
players or any of the other rationales that are trotted out when a team starts
to head south. There was something to that, and everyone who steps behind
an NHL bench is aware of the ground rules when they start coaching.
But the Canucks just wish they had the problems now they had under
Vigneault.
Admittedly, you can spin this a number of ways, and the Canucks‘
membership in the Northwest Division as well as the presence of Roberto
Luongo and Cory Schneider in net gave Vigneault a competitive edge
unavailable to Tortorella. But Vigneault still led them to the equivalent of a
101-point season last year with a centre-ice position that didn‘t have Ryan
Kesler but did have, in no particular order, Max Lapierre, Andrew Ebbett and
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Vancouver Canucks
By Ben Kuzma, The Province April 1, 2014 9:52 PM
Vancouver Canucks Eddie Lack looks dejected after the New York Rangers
Martin St. Louis 26 scores short handed late in the 3rd period at Rogers
Arena in Vancouver on April 1, 2014.
The game off the ice was trying to trump the one on it Tuesday.
Normally billed as a marquee matchup with the New York Rangers, the lustre
was lost months ago when the Vancouver Canucks slipped into a deep
offensive coma and their embattled coach snapped and couldn't snap them
out of it. And with the pursuit of a wild-card playoff position closer to being
taken off life support following a 3-1 loss at Rogers Arena, the angst amid the
hockey populace was obvious.
There were "Fire Gillis" signs outside the arena and the national media has
joined the growing consensus that John Tortorella will pay the price for this
mess. Scalpers were unloading tickets at below face value and countless
rows of sparsely-filled seats spoke to the how season-ticket renewal time is
being received.
If that isn't enough, with five games remaining the prognosis of having Game
82 mean something is slipping away. Dallas won 5-0 in Washington on
Tuesday and Phoenix was heading to overtime with Winnipeg and it put the
Canucks at least six points shy of the playoffs.
The one sign you didn't see was 'Let's Win One For Torts'.
On a night where you thought the Canucks would be amped from the outset
to face former coach Alain Vigneault, they dug an early two-goal hole but
were good in the face-off circle yet simply not good enough in other areas of
their game. There was a strong second-period push with Ryan Kesler
winning a draw and then taking a feed from Daniel Sedin and wiring a
slapshot past Henrik Lundqvist. There was Yannick Weber nearly seeing his
point shot trickle in, but there was nothing sustained. And sustainability has
always been a problem with a coach preaching push and bite and major
minutes for aging veterans. Too often they have run out of gas.
When it mattered most, the Canucks couldn't manufacture anything in the
third period where they've been outscored 74-56 are now 3-25-1 when
behind after 40 minutes. Trailing 2-1, they had consecutive power plays but
gave up a shorthanded goal to Martin St. Louis on a 2-on-1 break with Rick
Nash after Weber couldn't corral a Zack Kassian feed back to the point.
Shawn Matthias was foiled on two late chances and it would ensure the
playoff-bound Rangers would win for the seventh time in eight games.
Outside of a partial breakaway by Chris Higgins and an Alex Burrows
re-direct, the Canucks did little in the opening period. They got a scare at the
end of the period when Kassian tumbled into the endboards while being
checked by Anton Stralman. He didn't put any weight on his right leg and had
to be helped off the ice but returned for the second period. Kassian then
found himself on the fourth line as Tortorella started mixing combinations to
get something started. The only safe bet was Jannik Hansen, who played
mostly on the fourth line, doing little to endear himself to any coach with 1:35
of ice time in the first period and being on for both Rangers goals.
Woven into all the navel-gazing is how being thrust in the starter's role is
either helping or hurting the development of Eddie Lack. In his
17th-consecutive start, Lack was lackadaisical on the opening goal. He
waved at a puck coming off the endboards and the mosh-pit that formed in
front of him ended up with Daniel Carcillo poking the puck home with Dan
Hamhuis and Jason Garrison fishing for the loose disk. Lack then had little
chance when Benoit Pouliot wired a power-play slapper by him on a
cross-ice feed from Derick Brassard, a sequence that started when Lack
made a blocker save.
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Vancouver Canucks
St. Louis scores first goal as Ranger in win over sinking Canucks
By DAVID EBNER
The win was New York's eighth in their past ten, while Vancouver dropped
their third straight game
Vancouver Canucks lose 3-1 to the New York Rangers
Rangers win eighth of past 10, Canucks lose third straight
Martin St. Louis puts game away in third, scoring short-handed, his first
goal as a Ranger
As the Vancouver Canucks stumble towards the end of their worst season in
14 years, it is suddenly groundhog day at Rogers Arena.
A week-and-a-half ago, against the worst team in the league, the Buffalo
Sabres, the Canucks yielded the first two goals of the game in the opening
period, though Vancouver managed to claw back in that contest and book a
victory against one of hockey's truly awful teams.
This past weekend, the Canucks were again down 2-0 in the first, this time to
the mighty Anaheim Ducks, and the two against came after an early chance
for Vancouver, when Brad Richardson nearly opened the scoring
short-handed.
And so it was again Tuesday night. On the first shift of the game, Daniel
Sedin popped a nice backhand pass to Ryan Kesler in the New York
Rangers zone and Kesler fired a wrist shot reminiscent of his best years in
this town, but New York's Henrik Lundqvist was able to get a piece of the
puck with his blocker.
New York scored not long after, on a weird play following a scramble in front
of rookie Eddie Lack, a play that perhaps should have been whistled dead.
New York scored again later in the first, on a power play to make it 2-0 for the
visitors.
Again and again, the same story repeats.
Daniel Sedin after the game expressed exasperation: "It's unacceptable for
this team to be in this position."
And to watch the show was at least a thousand empty seats in the lower bowl
of Rogers Arena, despite the announced sellout crowd. Bill Murray was not,
however, spotted.
If this season had unfolded differently, as in less bad for the Canucks,
Tuesday night's game would be been a highlight on the calendar, the
one-and-only return of disposed coach Alain Vigneault and his new team, the
Rangers, the squad that Tortorella ran from 2009 before getting fired himself
last year. Instead, Vigneault and the Rangers are headed to the postseason
and Tortorella and the Canucks are going nowhere.
Outside, on television, and in the newspapers, the future of the Canucks is
chewed over by all comers. On Tuesday, three young men outside the arena,
one in a balaclava, brandished "Fire Gillis" signs to express their feelings
about the team's general manager, only to be reportedly asked to leave the
property by arena security.
In the local papers Tortorella is under considerable fire, with opinion among
critics in Vancouver seemingly unanimous and certain that there is no way
Tortorella will be back to coach another season in these parts.
For the 55-year-old coach, his mien has become something zen. Speaking to
reporters on Tuesday morning, his keel was as even as could be, talking
about his rookie goalie, the struggles of Daniel Sedin, and his own future. In
track pants and a blue turtleneck, Tortorella had his elbows on the podium
and his hands folded, a kind-of prayer pose. He spoke as a man comfortable
with his future – with a big salary to come in years ahead to comfort even if he
is shown the door.
"I go about my business by being in that locker room with the team and
coaching the best way I know how," said the coach. "So all the noise and all
that stuff out there, I get it, it's out there but I really don't pay too much
attention to it. I don't worry about it. I feel very comfortable just continuing to
work with this team. There's too many things going on here for me to do as a
coach to worry about all the other stuff. But I know it's around. We're just
going to go about our business."
It's such a fine line, between the smart guy and the idiot, to invoke the words
of Tortorella on Monday, about himself, losing, and Vigneault, winning. The
divide isn't always as great as one might think.
The Canucks are, in fact, a slightly better puck possession team this year,
and the Rangers slightly worse. Vancouver's power play seems like it has
cratered but last year it was 15.8 per cent – 22nd in the league – and this year
it's 15 per cent, down at 27th. Worse but not much worse. Meanwhile, New
York's power play is a good punch better.
On the penalty kill, Vancouver is mostly unchanged, while New York is
improved, both teams in the league's top 10.
It's goals where the Canucks have really slumped, 2.36 a game this year,
28th in the league, down from 2.54 last year, 19th ranked. The Rangers
mosey along, essentially unchanged, 2.62 goals a game last year under
Tortorella, and 2.64 under Vigneault.
Tortorella also spoke Tuesday morning about his team still bringing it,
working to win, working to get better.
Those words rang emptier – starting with the yet-again weak start to the
game, down 2-0. The Canucks did find some life in the second period,
battling. About six minutes in, Kesler won a faceoff in the offensive zone,
getting the puck back to Sedin, who sent a sweet cross-ice pass that found
Kesler and he made no mistake, burying it while closely checked by New
York's Dominic Moore.
In the thick of the push to tie the game, the crowd came alive, for a bit, a "Go
Canucks Go!" ringing out – before falling silent. Hearty, but brief.
There was hope, late, but the Canucks failed in the way that borders on
humiliating.
Heading towards the midway point of third, the Canucks got a chance to tie
on the power play, but could not, and immediately got the chance again,
another power play. The Canucks had already ceded a short-handed
breakaway on the first power play and the second time round, a poor pass by
Zack Kassian in the offensive zone was intercepted and the Rangers were
away, a two-on-one, and Martin St. Louis made no mistake, finally scoring his
first goal as a Ranger in his 15th outing with the team.
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Websites
Bouwmeester gets traded here and before his contract expires, he signs an
extension at a dollar value that is certainly a great deal for the Blues and it's a
long-term good deal for him?
ESPN / Will the Loo finally get a Cup parade?
"Players have so many choices now. It's not about how good your towels are
in your locker room. It's about how you're managed, whether the ownership is
going to give you every opportunity to win, and it's about the city."
By Scott Burnside
ST. LOUIS -- It's picture day for the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center.
Everyone is here. GM Doug Armstrong. Head coach Ken Hitchcock, en route
to a remarkable seventh season with 45 or more wins. Head trainer Ray
Barile and strength and conditioning coach Nelson Ayotte. The players. Their
families. Office staff. Even the Blues mascot is on hand.
If you are the wiseacre type, you might suggest there is only one thing
missing from this picture. It stands about 35.25 inches tall, is shiny and has
lots of names on it.
It's called the Stanley Cup. You might have heard of it.
The Blues know of such a trophy, but only from a distance. They are aware of
it only in the abstract, what it might mean, what it might feel like. The
"what-ifs" of dreams now carried forward for almost 50 years.
Part of the NHL's first major expansion, in 1967, the Blues are the last of
those first expansion teams without a Stanley Cup. No NHL team has a
longer current Cup drought. Moreover, they have not even flirted with the big
prize. The Blues have not been to the Stanley Cup finals since 1970, when
the league, in its infinite wisdom, thought it would be a good idea to have all
the new teams in one grouping playing the Original Six teams, and the Blues
made the finals in their first three seasons, getting swept each time.
In the first period intermission of Saturday's game against Dallas, Hall of
Famer Brett Hull, repatriated to the Blues as the team's executive vice
president, poses for pictures with adoring fans. Hull won a Cup in Dallas but
remains one of the most endearing of hockey stars in St. Louis. He believes
the changes to the lineup coupled with the team's maturity over the past
couple of seasons suggest good things are in the offing. Hull rhymes off the
qualities he likes about this version of the Blues: Big, strong, disciplined.
"This team is as good, as playoff-built, as any team I've seen," Hull told
ESPN.com.
But when it comes to success, the Blues are also a team that provides a kind
of cautionary tale for all pro sports markets. In spite of the fact the team is
near the top in the NHL in point production and considered one of a handful
of strong Cup favorites, they do not sell out every single home game as a
matter of course. The Blues rank 25th in the NHL in home attendance
percentage, filling the Scottrade Center to 88.2 percent of capacity, on
average (through last Thursday) and did not register their first sellout of the
season until Dec. 28. They had just nine sellouts through Saturday's sold-out
home date against Dallas.
Some of that is a function of a wacky schedule that saw a preponderance of
home dates early in the season, when they were competing with the baseball
Cardinals, who advanced again to the World Series in October. And
Scottrade Center is a big barn, with a capacity of 19,150. And the team is no
longer in the business of simply giving tickets away to artificially inflate
attendance numbers, as was the case in the past.
NHL Standings
Team
W
L
OTL
Pts.
1. Boston 52
17
6
110
2. St. Louis
50
17
7
107
3. Anaheim
49
18
8
106
4. San Jose
47
20
9
103
5. Pittsburgh
48
22
5
101
(Entering games April 1)
They have failed to advance beyond the second round since 2001. But if you
walk into a downtown establishment like Hair of The Dog, you'll find
anticipation is percolating in St. Louis in an unprecedented fashion. A mural
painted on a column in the Washington Street establishment features the
World Series trophy, local landmarks and sports icons. There's also a blank
outline of the Stanley Cup. Inside is written "Coming soon." The artist has
been put on notice to fill in the outline the moment the Cup dream is realized.
"It's a long time; 1967's a long time," former NHL netminder Darren Pang,
now a popular broadcast analyst for the Blues, told ESPN.com. "The Toronto
Maple Leafs last won a Cup in 1967 and we know what it's like in Toronto
listening to their fans. You'd think it's a thousand years."
But with the Blues aiming at setting franchise records for wins and points,
there is reason to believe that this might be the season that all of that ends.
"Pressure, build-up, expectations, as high as ever right now," Pang said of
the Blues.
Look up the definition of building an NHL winner and you might just see a
picture of Armstrong and the Blues' familiar blue-note logo. The team has
followed the blueprint step by step, drafting top building blocks such as Alex
Pietrangelo, destined for Norris Trophies down the road, emerging young
forwards Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz and cornerstone players such
as captain David Backes and T.J. Oshie. There have been shrewd trades,
including the acquisition of Jay Bouwmeester last season and, most recently,
netminder Ryan Miller and forward Steve Ott.
All the team lacks is, well, the championship to go with the championship
blue print.
"Let's say a couple of years ago you think Ryan Miller with a limited no-trade
clause looks around and says, 'OK, that's the team I want to go to. And
potentially that's the team I want to stay with'?" Pang asked. "You think Jay
But an undeniable factor in explaining why this building isn't filled to the
rafters every night is the fact that the team has been on the verge of
greatness several times and has never been able to get over the hump. The
Blues were swept in the second round two years ago against the eventual
Cup winners from Los Angeles, and then blew a 2-0 series lead against the
Kings in the first round last spring.
"It's a blue-collar town," Armstrong explained. "We have to put a product on
the ice. We're not a corporate-driven team."
―
DobbsI think the fans are just waiting to explode in St. Louis. I'm sure it's
been building for a long time.
‖ -- Veteran defenseman Barret Jackman
This is not to suggest St. Louis isn't a good hockey market. It is a dynamic
one. Has been for years and years. They have sold out nine of their last 17
home games through Saturday, so fans get that the Blues are the real deal -or at least appear to be the real deal.
The Blues possess one of the most active, vibrant alumni groups in the
league. In fact, when it comes to winning a Cup, veteran defenseman Barret
Jackman figures the alumni he runs into on a regular basis either at team
functions or around the city might be more pumped about this team's
prospects than the average fan. That kind of emotion, the yearning for a
winner from former Blues, is not lost on Jackman, who is the team's elder
statesman, having joined the team full time in 2002-03, after which he won
rookie of the year honors.
Yes, there's a certain amount of pressure, a kind of burden that comes with
carrying the torch for a legion of former Blues players who are waiting for a
chance to celebrate the Cup win they couldn't deliver themselves, but it's also
something that is being embraced by the current team, Jackman told
ESPN.com.
"It would be really special to share that with them," said Jackman.
As for the fans, yes, the team feels their rising excitement too, with the
playoffs just around the corner and a shot at what would be the team's
second Presidents' Trophy.
"I think the fans are just waiting to explode in St. Louis," Jackman said. "I'm
sure it's been building for a long time."
Bob Plager has been with the team since the beginning, since that expansion
season. He credits new owner Tom Stillman with pulling out all the stops to
bring a winner to long-suffering Blues fans.
"This owner showed the city that they are committed to win and win now,"
Plager told ESPN.com.
As much as he'd love to be part of Stanley Cup festivities, Plager said it's the
fans who have stuck with the team through the decades that deserve it most.
"Does this city deserve a Stanley Cup parade? So bad," he said. "More than
anything, I want to win and I want a Stanley Cup for our fans. Will they go
crazy? This city will go crazy."
Hull, likewise, can only imagine the celebration that would accompany the
end of the Blues' Cup drought.
"I can't even fathom it," he said. "It would be absolute bedlam."
Armstrong knows the numbers off by heart. Since Hitchcock took over for
Davis Payne during the 2011-12 season, the Chicago Blackhawks lead the
league with 277 points, the same number as the Pittsburgh Penguins. The
Blues have 276, and Boston has 270.
"The only difference is that three of those teams have a Cup," Armstrong
said.
The GM knows what goes into building a Cup winner. He was in Dallas as
assistant GM and watched firsthand as GM Bob Gainey built a winner there
in the late 1990s, culminating in a Cup win in 1999. He recalls working on a
contract with veteran Guy Carbonneau and, at the time, it was possible to
write in a playoff bonus.
Blues Fans
Blues fans have never seen their team win a Stanley Cup.
"He said, 'I don't want that that, I want to win Cups,'" Armstrong recalled. The
implication was clear; if just making the playoffs is the goal, you'll never get to
the end of the road.
Armstrong also understands what it would mean for St. Louis to win a Cup.
He recently attended Mike Modano's jersey retirement in Dallas and remains
struck by the bonds from that 1999 Dallas Stars Cup-winning team. Blake
Sloan and Hull, Brad Lukowich and Modano, "have a bond that will always be
there. And that bond can only be formed in one way in our sport," Armstrong
said.
And that's by winning a Cup.
"I think about that a lot," the GM said.
Are they ready? The Blues knocked off San Jose in the first round in 2012
and many thought they were ready last season to take that big step. And
when they took a two-game lead over the defending Cup champs from L.A. in
the first round, it looked like they had arrived. But they learned a hard lesson
in winning -- and losing -- when the Kings reeled off four straight victories, all
by the slimmest of margins.
"We learned a hard lesson last year and had a long summer to think about it,
and hopefully we'll be better going forward because of that," captain David
Backes said in an interview.
Not that the Blues didn't come up with the effort needed. That series might
have been the hardest-hitting of the entire playoff season.
"I really felt for the players last year," Hitchcock, who won a Jack Adams
Award as coach of the year in his first year in St. Louis, told ESPN.com.
"They poured so much into that series. But we weren't rewarded. That's the
playoffs. That's just the way it is."
The Blues scored just six times in the four losses against the Kings, allowing
just 10 goals. But the goaltending wasn't quite where it needed to be against
a team such as the Kings, who have Jonathan Quick in goal, and so the
Blues added former Vezina Trophy winner Miller at the deadline this season.
"It gives them presence," Pang explained. "Gives them the ability to look at
other teams' goalies in the eye and say, 'We've got a Vezina Trophy winner
here.'"
Glenn Healy, another former NHL netminder who has established himself as
a top analyst, agreed, saying the Blues might not have a game-breaker
offensively like Western Conference game-breakers Ryan Getzlaf or Patrick
Kane or Jonathan Toews, but they added the next best thing, an elite
netminder. Healy cited Miller's play at the 2010 Olympics, when Miller was
named MVP.
"You know he can play at a high level and at a high pace," Healy said.
Beyond that, Healy said this is the time for the Blues to go for it. The salary
cap is expected to continue to rise in the coming years and it's perhaps
unrealistic for the Blues to spend to the cap, if the cap goes to $85 million or
$90 million.
"This is the time to make the move," Healy told ESPN.com.
Like all players, Backes is fueled by the Stanley Cup dream. He also
understands that this hunger extends across the team's fan base, which has
watched for decades as other cities have hosted parades, feted their
champions.
"Since you've been three years old and started liking hockey, you've
dreamed about winning the Cup and envisioned what it's like hold that thing
or to kiss or to have your day with it or to be in a parade or whatever," he said.
"And you see other guys going through that and you want to have that
experience for yourself and for your teammates. And then for a city that's
supported this team for 47 years and hasn't gotten there yet, it'd be a nice
treat. But it's a lot of work to be done. We've got 28 games potentially in
playoffs where we've got to play solid hockey for that whole time. But we think
we've got a great group assembled here that can take that task head-on."
ESPN LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Websites
ESPN / Rumblings: Callahan staying in Tampa? Canucks making changes?
By Pierre LeBrun
The Tampa Bay Lightning made it clear to Ryan Callahan‘s camp that they
want the player past this season.
The pending UFA's agent, the veteran Steve Bartlett, told ESPN.com
Tuesday that he chatted with Steve Yzerman in Buffalo over the past
weekend, at which point the Bolts GM made it clear they'd like to talk
extension after the season.
Yzerman, also reached Tuesday, said for now the focus is on hockey, on
making the playoffs and on doing well in the playoffs. The GM will focus on
Callahan‘s future later.
"He‘s just going to play hockey and we‘ll talk when the season‘s over,"
Yzerman told ESPN.com.
But it‘s clear the Bolts hope the former Rangers captain is more than just a
rental.
"Yeah, we‘d love to sign him," said Yzerman. "He‘s a good fit, a good person,
a good player, has style of play that really complements our group well; he‘s
fit in really well. So we hope to sign him. But we won‘t talk until after the year."
Tortorella could be out
One of the hot rumors that‘s made the rounds around NHL circles is that
Folin‘s camp was demanding a guaranteed NHL roster spot for next season,
which was a deal breaker apparently for some teams.
"We weren‘t demanding, we were seeking, there‘s a difference there, there
are no guarantees," Folin‘s agent, Dan Plante, told ESPN.com Tuesday.
Plante said it wasn‘t a formal request, it was more about the process and
wanting to know where the Swedish blueliner would fit in the organization‘s
plan. But yes, teams that communicated a real chance for Folin to play in the
NHL season obviously got a leg up.
"The message to teams was, 'When Christian decided to leave school, he
wanted to have a real shot to be on your team next year,'" Plante told
ESPN.com Tuesday. "But there‘s no guarantees, we know that. We said,
'Hey, do you see him fitting in on your team next year and challenging for a
spot?' We got lots of 'yes' responses to that.
"We wanted to find the safest environment for the kid."
They feel they found it in Minnesota, where there‘s a Wild blue-line corps
that‘s still a little thin overall and where Folin can definitely step in next
season and be a contributor.
"He‘s what we need," Wild GM Chuck Fletcher told ESPN.com Tuesday. "We
love his combination of size and mobility plus he‘s a right-handed shot. We‘re
just so happy and thrilled to have landed him."
The Wild had shown interest in Folin for more than a year, in fact.
Just what kind of player can the 6-foot-3 right-handed blueliner be?
"He has a chance to be a real good No. 4 [defenseman]," said one NHL team
executive.
Even though he still has four years and $8 million left on his deal, I think it is
more than likely that John Tortorella will be fired as head coach after the
season in Vancouver.
Said an NHL scout: "A very late bloomer. Big, skates well and has a hard
shot; needs work defensively, average passer."
I like Torts, but he was never the right fit for that team.
What pleases Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli the most about his team‘s incredible
run over the past two-plus months is the consistency in his team‘s game,
which is so important with the playoffs around the corner.
The Canucks built a blue-line corps meant for a quick transition game, but the
club has played more of a chip and chase, shot-blocking game this season.
As one NHL scout told ESPN.com, "The wrong system for that set of
players."
The real question in Vancouver is whether that‘s going to be enough change.
I suspect ownership continues to debate internally whether or not to fire GM
Mike Gillis and that‘s really going to be the biggest decision of all.
Personally, I would allow Gillis at least one more year to redirect the ship. I
think he‘s earned that.
Gillis, by the way, also has four more years on his contract.
Talks renewed between Markov, Habs
Things went quiet between the Montreal Canadiens and Andrei Markov's
camp after both sides talked on the eve of the March 5 trade deadline.
Markov‘s agent, Sergei Berezin, however, said the dialogue with Habs GM
Marc Bergevin was renewed over this past weekend regarding the pending
UFA blueliner.
"I met with Marc a couple of days ago when they were here [in Florida],"
Berezin told ESPN.com Tuesday.
"I don‘t think we‘re in any rush to get anything done. I have an idea what
they‘re offering, they know what we want, and I don‘t actually think we‘re that
far apart. I‘m hopeful in the end it will work out."
Jagr, Devils to talk extension
There was also activity on the Jaromir Jagr front. The future Hall of Famer is
a pending UFA but has really enjoyed his time in New Jersey.
A source told ESPN.com Tuesday that Jagr‘s agent, Petr Svoboda, met with
Devils GM Lou Lamoriello a few days ago and both sides expressed a desire
to get Jagr extended. However, those talks would wait to get going for real
until after the season.
Wild win Folin derby
There was massive interest in college UFA blueliner Christian Folin, 23, and
as colleague Craig Custance first reported Monday night, the Minnesota Wild
won the derby.
Bruins winning in notable ways
"We don‘t always win in perfect ways, but when we have deficiencies, we
tend to take care of them, which is nice to see at this point in the season,"
Chiarelli told ESPN.com Tuesday.
Most notable is the way in which the Bruins‘ blue-line corps survived the
injury loss of Dennis Seidenberg.
"It‘s given a few of our young guys more opportunities to defend, which is
important come playoff time. To really know how to defend in our system,"
said the Bruins GM.
Seidenberg was an especially impactful player on the penalty kill, but the
Bruins entered Tuesday night‘s NHL action eighth overall on the penalty kill,
not to mention third overall on the power play.
It‘s worth mentioning because the Bruins most often get lauded for their
five-on-five play, which as always has been top-notch this season under
head coach Claude Julien, but it‘s not the only reason they‘re winning.
"Sometimes overlooked in all this is that our special teams have been really
good," said Chiarelli.
One of the major power-play contributors has been Jarome Iginla, who
seems to have found the fountain of youth this season in Boston. He's slated
to be a UFA July 1, and there has been expressed mutual interest on both
sides to continue the relationship, although contract talks between the Bruins
and veteran agent Don Meehan of Newport Sports would wait until after the
season.
"Absolutely," Chiarelli responded when asked about having interest in
bringing back Iginla.
"I‘ve talked to Donnie and we‘ll look at it, like we look at everything else, after
the playoffs."
Carlyle's future
There are some people who have wondered over the past few days if the
Toronto Maple Leafs might be contemplating a coaching change this late in
the season to try to salvage their playoff chances, the reeling club having lost
eight straight before hosting Calgary on Tuesday night.
I don‘t think that‘s going to happen in terms of right now. That‘s just not the
style of GM David Nonis, whose patient approach since taking over the club
has been his best attribute -- even if Leafs fans are angry and disillusioned
right now. I don‘t think Nonis would see any benefit at all in a coaching
change this late in the season.
Randy Carlyle‘s future, however, will no doubt be on the table after the
season if Toronto misses out. That‘s not to say for sure he‘d get canned, but
I think Nonis will have no choice at that point but to evaluate whether Carlyle
is the best choice in terms of bringing along the team‘s young talent.
Regardless of whether the Leafs make the playoffs or not, I expect Nonis
would continue with his patient approach going into next season, preaching
the development of young players. Nonis has a long-term view for this club,
which has been rare for a Toronto GM over the past 30-odd years.
I suppose what‘s going to be interesting in that regard is just how patient
Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment CEO Tim Leiweke will be if the Leafs
miss the playoffs.
One thing to keep in mind: The Leafs GM who hired Carlyle was Brian Burke.
Yes, Nonis was Burke‘s right-hand man at the time, but the fact is, as Leafs
GM, he hasn‘t yet hired his own coach.
ESPN LOADED: 04.02.2014
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NBCSports.com / Michael Lewis‘ new book could be bad timing for Panthers‘
new owner
Jason Brough
A new book by Michael Lewis, the author who brought the baseball world
Moneyball and the football world The Blind Side, could have an effect on the
fortunes of one of hockey‘s newest owners.
From the Irish Times:
The release of Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt comes after years of public
debate over the lightning-fast trading systems which have grown to dominate
a fractured terrain where multiple exchanges and bank-run trading platforms
compete for orders.
In the two weeks before publication of Mr Lewis‘s book, Goldman Sachs has
suddenly thrown its weight behind market reform after years of investment in
HFT and has also taken the highly unusual step of telling staff to publicise its
support for a competing trading platform.
Some market executives have even discussed with Virtu Financial, an HFT
outfit preparing the first IPO of a global proprietary trading firm, postponing its
share sale amid heightened scrutiny of its core business. Virtu declined to
comment, but its roadshow is expected to kick off next week.
Virtu, if you thought you‘d read that name before on PHT, was founded by
Vincent Viola, the new owner of the Florida Panthers. Just a few weeks ago,
the Wall Street Journal wrote the following about the company‘s planned
IPO:
High-frequency trading could soon officially mint its first billionaire.
Vincent ―Vinnie‖ Viola, the founder of Virtu Financial Inc., could have his
stake valued at around $2 billion once the company sells shares to the public,
according to two people familiar with the matter.
We‘re quite certain Viola won‘t be out on the street if Virtu‘s IPO doesn‘t go
perfectly, but certainly the timing of the book‘s release isn‘t fantastic.
NBCSports.com / LOADED: 04.02.2014
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CNN/Sports Illustrated / Report: Pavel Datsyuk could return to Red Wings‘
lineup on Wednesday
By Amy Lilek
There could be some good news on the way for the injury-riddled Red Wings.
Pavel Datsyuk could return to the lineup on Wednesday for Detroit‘s game
against the Boston Bruins, according to a report on NHL.com.
Every team has to battle through injuries during the NHL season, but for the
Detroit Red Wings this season, the injuries just seemed to keep mounting.
The Red Wings have the second most man games lost this season, and went
through a six-game stretch of losing a player to injury. Despite being without
impact players like Henrik Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Daniel Cleary, among
many others, Detroit currently has a three point lead for a wild-card spot in
the East.
A lingering knee injury has kept Datsyuk out of the Detroit lineup since
February 27, but he participated in his first full team practice in a month on
Tuesday. Datsyuk will probably be a game-time decision, and coach Mike
Babcock would not say for certain whether Datsyuk will return for
Wednesday‘s game.
But with a battle for a playoff spot down the stretch, getting a healthy Datsyuk
back could be significant at an important time for the Red Wings.
CNN/Sports Illustrated LOADED: 04.02.2014
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CNN/Sports Illustrated / Devils drop another shootout, now winless in last 15
attempts
By Amy Lilek
The New Jersey Devils could only wish it was an April Fool‘s Day joke.
But the reality is the Devils dropped yet another shootout on Tuesday night,
this time in nine rounds to the Buffalo Sabres. New Jersey is now 0-11 on the
season and extended their NHL-record winless streak in shootouts to 15
games, dating back to last season.
While the outcome remained the same, there was a bright spot for the Devils
as Jacob Josefson and Jaromir Jagr both scored in the shootout. Previously,
Reid Boucher, a prospect currently playing for the Albany Devils of the AHL,
had been the only New Jersey player to score in a shootout this season.
If the Devils‘ shootout woes continue, it could be the difference between New
Jersey being in the playoffs and being on the outside looking in. New Jersey
currently has 80 points on the season, just three behind Columbus for a
playoff spot. With just a few shootout wins this season, the Devils‘ might be
planning for a trip to the postseason, instead of waiting and hoping one
manages to materialize.
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CNN/Sports Illustrated / Washington Capitals‘ Troy Brouwer takes veiled
shot at coach Adam Oates
By Allan Muir
If there‘s something interesting for a hockey player to say, he will almost
certainly choose instead to say something that is the exact opposite. It‘s just
the way of the sport. Don‘t call attention to yourself. Don‘t rock the boat.
You know how it is.
So it‘s pretty unusual when a player offers up something truly honest and
insightful. Katie Carerra of The Washington Post nabbed one of those rare
gems on Monday from Capitals winger Troy Brouwer, whose team has lost
three straight, hobbling its playoff chances.
―I feel like we‘re trying to change our identity every night. Some nights we
want to score off the rush, other nights we want to try and grind it out and
there‘s just not that consistency in not just our game but in the style of our
game,‖ Brouwer said. ―We‘re kind of losing our way in between games and
playing towards other teams‘ [styles] and how they‘re dictating the game, and
as a result we‘re not getting results.‖
Whoa.
It‘s one thing for a veteran to call out a room for indifference or inattention to
detail or for forgetting to RSVP, or whatever. But when you talk about identity
and inconsistency 24 weeks into a 26-week season, you‘re throwing shade
directly at the coach.
Brouwer, a veteran of six NHL seasons, is far too savvy to put something like
this out there without knowing that it will be read as anything but a shot at
coach Adam Oates. And, frustrated or not, Brouwer wouldn‘t say it without
knowing that others in the room shared his opinion.
Oates, of course, disagrees. ―We‘re trying to do the same thing every night,‖
he told Carerra. But the eye test tells a different story. Washington isn‘t just
stumbling down the home stretch. The Caps are a Jekyll and Hyde club with
an intensity that varies widely. Their priorities seem completely inverted:
focusing on special teams — where stars Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas
Backstrom thrive — instead of on five-on-five, which demands more two-way
accountability.
But accountable hockey is not as much fun as the other kind, and if you don‘t
have a complete buy-in, it sets up the exact inconsistencies that plague this
team.
Oates isn‘t a bad coach. It was just last year that he was being hailed as a
genius for pushing all the right buttons with Ovechkin, remember? But when
you hear Brouwer‘s words and see Washington‘s disjointed efforts on the ice,
it‘s fair to ask if Oates is the right coach for this team moving forward.
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CNN/Sports Illustrated / Brian Cazeneuve>INSIDE THE NHL
Brian Cazeneuve
Happy April Fools' Day, the time you try to convince your hockey-loving
co-workers that the NHL has decided to widen the nets and that the Stanley
Cup finals will be played entirely outdoors. With only two weeks left in the
regular season, it is also time to consider our picks for the league's major
awards. Our list includes deserving players as well as some who have
looked, well, somewhat foolish.
Hart Trophy
Likely winner: Sidney Crosby, Penguins
Boston got a look at the stylish blueliner during last year's playoffs when he
was pressed into service after injuries depleted the Bruins' defense corps.
The 22-year-old has 14 goals and 37 points, but is especially adept on the
power play, moving the puck quickly and making smart decisions before the
opposition has time to react. That has allowed Boston to reduce, if just
slightly, the minutes played by overworked captain Zdeno Chara.
April Fools' pick: Teemu Selanne, Ducks
Rather than pick on a struggling first-year player who still has time to turn his
game around, let's acknowledge the man who is playing the game with the
gusto and enthusiasm of a rookie -- all while making his farewell tour of the
league. Just to watch the 43-year old at work during the Olympics in Sochi,
where he helped Finland win the bronze medal while earning tournament
MVP honors, gave you even greater appreciation for the NHL's ageless
wonder.
Norris Trophy
Likely winner: Duncan Keith, Blackhawks
The outlook on Crosby winning an award always come with the qualifier "if
he's healthy." Well, he's been healthy. At the Sochi Olympics, he scored a
terrific breakaway goal in the gold medal game -- no overtime heroics needed
-- and he's on his way to another scoring title ... and his second MVP honor.
He's gotten into the habit of winning in the NHL and at the Olympics, and he
plays with diligence at both ends of the ice. The Senators' Erik Karlsson will
easily finish with the most points of any backliner this season, but Keith
excels in so many situations. For that reason alone, the defending Cup
champs cannot be counted out.
Under the radar: Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks
Under the radar: Alex Pietrangelo, Blues
Anaheim's captain does almost everything, from hitting to scoring to leading
by example. Consistently a very good player, he's having his best season for
a team that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup, and stands second to
Crosby with 83 points in the race for the Art Ross Trophy
Only the Predators' Ryan Suter sees the ice more often than Pietrangelo
(32.1 minutes per game), and he's +23 on a team that's chasing the
Presidents' Trophy because of its ability to shut down high-scoring lines. Few
players have improved as consistently, and have been as good across the
board, for a Cup contending team.
April Fools' pick: David Clarkson, Maple Leafs
Toronto opened its vault last summer to sign Clarkson to a seven-year
contract at $5.25 million per season, and as the Maple Leafs try to pull out of
an eight-game losing skid, they really should consider asking for a refund.
The man who scored 30 goals in his last full season with the Devils, and 15
during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign, has just four in 54 games;
only one since Dec. 21. Clarkson turned 30 the day before April Fools', but
the joke has been on his team.
April Fools' pick: Alex Edler, Canucks
At times, Edler and his coach, John Tortorella, have been like oil and water.
Edler has been parked at the end of the bench several times this season, not
skating for a team that was supposed to be a contender. His -30 rating, the
worst among NHL defensemen, has contributed to Vancouver's free fall.
Selke Trophy
MUIR: Clarkson among players who had something to prove
Likely winner: Patrice Bergeron, Bruins
Vezina Trophy
Sure Jonathan Toews and Pavel Datsyuk will get votes, but just look at the
season Boston is having. Bergeron wins face-offs, hounds opposing scorers
and comes through with big goals, as he did in last year's playoffs. He's a
logical pick, and with his +36 rating, he's also a good one.
Likely winner: Tuukka Rask, Bruins
With a 34-14-5 record, Rask has the lowest goals-against average (2.02) and
the highest save percentage (.933) of any goalie with at least 30 games
played. Boston has an excellent, balanced team, but the recent winning
streak -- and the march to a possible Presidents' Trophy -- would not have
happened without Rask's fine play.
Under the radar: Ben Bishop, Lightning
Where would Tampa Bay be without Bishop? The Bolts' turnaround from last
season has been remarkable. If you compare his numbers (36-12-7; 2.18
GAA; .926 save pct.) with the best the Lighting had to offer last season -Anders Lindback (10-10-1; 2.90; .902) -- Bishop must be in the Vezina
conversation.
April Fools' pick: James Reimer, Maple Leafs
Let's be clear, here. This is not meant to be a dump-on-Reimer rant. He could
still be a top flight NHL goalie, but he desperately needs to get out of Toronto
and start fresh. He's on the fans' hit list for the Leafs' collapse in last season's
playoffs, and while Jonathan Bernier was on the injury shelf this season, it
didn't help matters when he gave up a bunch of softies during the club's free
fall from the postseason picture.
CAZENEUVE: Maple Leafs No. 1 in SI.com NHL fan misery rankings
Calder Trophy
Likely winner: Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche
The 18-year-old center has been as good as advertised during his debut
campaign, leading all NHL rookies with 23 goals, including eight on the
power play, and 56 points. Imagine what Colorado's improving team can look
forward to as the kid from Halifax gets better.
Under the radar: Torey Krug, Bruins
Under the radar: Anze Kopitar, Kings
The lack of West Coast winners of this award has little to do with an aversion
to defense in one conference. It is simply a matter of public attention for an
award that requires years of good PR and paying dues in order to merit a
selection. Kopitar is so good offensively that few people realize how well he
performs in his own end of the ice.
April Fools' pick: Alex Ovechkin
Okay, once in a while, Alex, go as hard after a puck in your own end as you
do in the other one. Among forwards, Ovi has a league-worst -34 rating. How
can that happen to a man who was +45 as recently as 2009-10? He's scored
48 goals, so imagine just how defensively indifferent he's had to be in order to
dig such a huge hole.
Lady Byng Trophy
Likely winner: Rob Scuderi, Penguins
How in the world does a defenseman play 23 shift per game for 46 games
and not draw a penalty? Some would say that a 35-year old with 169 PIM on
his NHL career resume simply isn't being aggressive enough, but Scuderi
spent only four minutes in the box while with the Kings last season.
Under the Radar: Ryan O'Reilly, Avalanche
Forget for a second that O'Reilly has scored 26 goals, which, by itself, tells
you how involved he is in every play. Here's his most remarkable numerical
combination: he leads the NHL in takeaways with 76. That's a player who
puts himself in position to take a penalty if a swipe of the stick goes wrong by
even an inch or two. Yet O'Reilly has a drawn total of just two PIM for the
entire season. That's Byng-worthy stuff.
April Fools' pick: James Neal, Penguins
Neal's indifference toward the safety of his opponents got so bad this season
that former NHL referee Paul Stewart singled him out, telling HockeyBuzz:
"James Neal is not my type of hockey player. He has been involved in
multiple incidents, showing reckless disregard for his fellow players." Neal's
three suspensions as well as his penchant for diving also did not escape
Stewart's notice.
Adams Award
Likely winner: Patrick Roy, Avalanche
Roy did things the right way, taking his time coaching at other levels and
turning down a chance to return to the NHL when he didn't feel he was ready.
Granted, he's had some pretty good young talent to work with, but he's also
led Colorado back to a place of prominence in his first season.
Under the radar: Mike Babcock, Red Wings
After all this time? Yes. For all Babcock did during Detroit's run of success,
and during the Ducks' trip to the Cup finals in 2003, he has never been
named coach of the year. But with the injuries in Detroit this season, he's kept
the Wings in the hunt for their 23rd straight playoff appearance. That, alone,
is Adams material.
April Fools' pick: John Tortorella, Canucks
Torts was brought in to get this team over the hump. Yes, Vancouver could
win Presidents' trophies, but the Canucks needed a taskmaster to steel them
for the rigors of the playoffs, when the hardware that really matters is at
stake. So much for that idea. Tortorella's demanding approach had run its
course in New York after five seasons. He needed just one to flop in
Vancouver.
GM of the year
Likely winner: Peter Chiarelli, Bruins
Count the ways that this man has made the right moves in Boston. With
young defensemen Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton
blossoming, Chiarelli made the tough call to let go of popular Andrew
Ference. He went after Jarome Iginla anew and watched him fit in after
Nathan Horton skipped town for mostly non-hockey reasons. The GM
showed patience with improving Chris Kelly after the role-plying center had a
poor 2013 season. He made the most of having to move Tyler Seguin to
Dallas. And he found backup Chad Johnson, who has merely gone 17-3-1 for
the Bruins this season. Well done.
Under the radar: Steve Yzerman, Lightning
Given Tampa Bay's improvement, this choice may not be much of a surprise,
but Yzerman has actually been putting his club in position to make this run for
a while. Though it may have been hard to let go of cornerstones Vincent
Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, the addition of Ryan Callahan has given the
Bolts some chutzpah and net presence, and Yzerman had enough cap room
to enable the deal with the Rangers that made his team younger and feistier.
With Ben Bishop in net, Tampa Bay could be strong in some key positions for
a while, and there was enough depth there so that when sniper Steven
Stamkos went down with a broken leg, the club kept winning.
April Fools' pick: Garth Snow, Islanders
Hey, if you're wondering how to buy high and sell low, just check out Snow's
manual under the heading of Thomas Vanek.
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CNN/Sports Illustrated / FHL hug-and-beer-hockey-fight stunt falls flat;
players suspended
By Sarah Kwak
The scene was familiar to any fan, but particularly to those who know and
love the trenches of minor minor-league hockey. Off a third-period draw last
Friday — in a game in which the Danville Dashers trailed the Dayton Demonz
by four goals with less than 10 minutes to go in their Federal League seasons
— Danville forward Matt Puntureri and Dayton center Jesse Felten shed their
gloves, elbow pads and helmets and made for center ice. They looked at
each other as they deked and danced from there to the far blue line, but when
Puntureri made his move to scrap, he did so with outstretched arms. Felten,
too, opened his arms wide, and the two hugged it out before a punch was
thrown. But that‘s not all. Puntureri then reached into his hockey shorts and
took out a can of Coors Light, a leftover from the Dashers‘ rookie party last
week. He cracked it open and, with his arm around Felten while flashing a
peace sign, the two skated around the rink in a surprising show of harmony.
On the video of the ―hug and beer fight,‖ which went viral over the weekend,
an announcer proclaimed, ―I think that was set up.‖ His ever-astute reasoning
proved correct.
―It was my idea, not to brag or anything,‖ Puntureri said on Monday from his
home in Wampum, Pa. ―I‘m always pulling silly antics like this, whether it be
some celebrations or anything like that.‖
So with the season nearing its end, he came up with his
suds-and-a-warm-embrace idea, and before a game between the two clubs
the previous Sunday, he approached Felten, a good friend and former
teammate. The two had played for the FHL‘s New York Aviators in 2010-11.
―I have a business proposition for you,‖ Puntureri said. Felten enthusiastically
agreed to the scheme.
The plan was to pull the stunt at around the 10 minute mark of the third
period, so during a media timeout, Puntureri slipped the beer into his shorts
and gave a knowing nod to Felten as he went out to take the face-off. They
had discussed having Felten raise a beer as well, but given that his
Demonz were playoff-bound and had games left to play, the two players
didn‘t want to risk getting him suspended for the sake of the stunt. Turns out,
it didn‘t matter. The FHL has banned Felten for the entire playoffs, and,
though Puntureri hasn‘t officially gotten word from the league, he‘s heard
through the grapevine that he‘s been slapped with a lifetime ban from the
league — a most severe punishment for a largely harmless, and quite
hilarious, stunt.
―I wouldn‘t take back what happened, even if it meant not getting suspended,
I guess,‖ Felten says. ―Punts has been a real good friend of mine, and it‘s
kind of upsetting to see what happened. But at the same time, it was all in
good fun. It wasn‘t meant to piss the league off or make them look bad, even
though they maybe took it that way.‖
―We‘ve gotten a lot of attention over it, which has kind of been cool,‖ he
added. ―It blew up more than we expected or planned for it to.‖
The league did not respond to SI.com‘s requests for comment, but it seems
safe to assume that the FHL thought the ―fight‖ was embarrassing, and that it
made a mockery of a league that wants to be considered legitimate.
Established in 2010, the fledgling Federal Hockey League, however, is not
totally unlike the one depicted in the cult classic movie Slap Shot – which
was simply called the Federal League. The FHL is a low-budget minor league
with four teams located in small, sleepy towns like Danville, Ill. (pop. 33,000)
and Watertown, N.Y. (pop. 27,900). It‘s a circuit in which the leading scorer
(Dayton‘s Ahmed Mahfouz, with 96 points) also has 190 penalty minutes.
And before Friday‘s stunt turned on the spotlight, it was best known for
having had a team fold a month into its existence, only to relocate and be
forced to fill its roster by picking up available bodies in nearby towns on the
road.
The Federal League‘s players may have dreamed of playing in the NHL once
upon a time, but they now grind away with no illusions, simply happy to do
what they love while making maybe $300 a week, the equivalent of three
days of an NHLer‘s per diem road-trip meal allowance. It‘s not a glamorous
life, and when players have been through as long a losing season as the
Dashers had (16-36-5), sometimes just a little bit of fun can make a world of
difference.
―I know the guys were frustrated,‖ Puntureri says. ―But at least we could end
the season … I wouldn‘t really call it a high note, but it was a fun note at
least.‖
Danville and Dayton make up the FHL‘s de facto western conference, and
share a heated rivalry with a history of bench-clearing brawls. Their season
opener on Nov. 1 featured four separate fights, the last of which resulted in
75 penalty minutes between both teams. In 20 meetings this season, they‘ve
shared fighting majors in all but six games. Perhaps poignantly, Friday‘s
match was one of the six without a, well, technical fight.
So, the Puntureri-Felten hug-it-out offered an ironic twist to the usual FHL
fare, though it wasn‘t even jokester Puntureri‘s favorite prank. Known for his
colorful and comedic celebrations, he‘s got plenty to choose from. After
scoring, he‘s crouched into the familiar rowboat pose, then thrown his stick
and ―jumped overboard‖ to mime swimming on the ice. And once, in a game
around Christmas, he hid a candy cane in his pants to use as a goal
celebration prop. ―I could feel the candy cane crushing on my first shift and
was like, I have to score soon or else this isn‘t going to work,‖ he recalls
laughing. He did score soon thereafter, and popped the candy cane in his
mouth before throwing it into the crowd.
But nothing he‘s done has garnered as much attention as Friday‘s beery hug
with Felten. Puntureri‘s phone has been buzzing non-stop, he says, and he
even got a call from a Canadian newspaper. Felten changed his Facebook
profile picture to one from Friday night‘s game and within 20 hours it had
more than 200 likes. ―I was really surprised because I had pulled so many
stunts before and it was never a big deal,‖ Puntureri says. ―Most of the
feedback‘s been positive, which I‘m very happy for.‖
But, of course, not all of it has been high-fives and belly laughs. The league
was not amused, and some, including commissioner Don Kirnan, accused
him of making a mockery of the game while explaining that players are
forbidden to bring beer onto the ice. The Dashers removed the video of the
―fight‖ from the team‘s Facebook page with the explanation that the incident
was ―an internal matter‖ to be resolved. Some people wondered if the stunt
was a grand statement about fighting‘s place in hockey — which Puntureri
says unequivocally it was not. No, if anything, it was simply a statement
about having fun.
―I guess that‘s my message to the world through all my antics,‖ he says. ―It‘s a
message about being happy, having fun and not taking everything quite so
seriously — just enjoying life.‖
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CNN/Sports Illustrated / Allan Muir>NHL POWER RANKINGS
More Columns Allan Muir
St. Louis Blues (50-17-7)
You have to think the Blues are rooting for the Coyotes to keep the Stars out
of the eighth spot in the West, right? St. Louis looked sloppy -- Ken
Hitchcock's words, not mine -- while losing to Dallas for the second time this
month. Something about the Stars' speed really seems to wreak havoc with
Hitch's system. The Blues may be the class of the West, but they're hardly
invulnerable. (Last week: 2-1-0)
3
It may be April 1, but this is no joke: Pavel Datsyuk was back on the ice on
Tuesday morning with the Red Wings. And his timing couldn't be better.
The superstar center has spent the past six weeks on the sidelines with
recurring knee problems while his teammates battled to secure a place
among the elite eight of the Eastern Conference. To their credit, they've hung
in there, but the truth is that Datsyuk-less Detroit doesn't scare anyone. Sure,
the Wings have gotten good mileage out of their kids, especially the red-hot
Gustav Nyquist, but they're a shadow of the puck possession monsters they
used to be. It's like they've forgotten how to enter the zone effectively. They
wait for mistakes instead of forcing them.
That's not Red Wings hockey ... but that's about to change soon. No word yet
on when Pasha will return to the lineup, but if Detroit can hold on to a spot,
he'll certainly be ready for the playoffs. And that should make the Bruins and
the Penguins sit up and take notice.
For all their flaws, the Wings as a group are loaded with playoff experience,
and they have a knack for knocking off higher seeds (the Ducks can provide
a reference, if needed). And bringing Datsyuk back into the mix changes
Detroit. He makes the Red Wings a more confident -- and more dangerous -team. And with other players on the verge of returning (Daniel Alfredsson,
maybe Henrik Zetterberg) they'll be a formidable first-round foe no matter
where they're seeded.
Detroit isn't the only fringe entrant that looks capable of doing some damage.
The sixth-seeded Kings are well off the pace in the West, but they look like
they're putting it all together at just the right time, with a franchise record-tying
11 wins in March. Anze Kopitar is playing some of the best hockey of his
career -- it'll be an embarrassment if he's anything less than a finalist for the
Selke Trophy -- and Marian Gaborik has altered the chemistry of the offense.
L.A. still isn't scoring a ton, but the club seems to be getting goals when it
matters most. For a team that has a world-class goaltender in Jonathan
Quick, and an emerging weapon in blueliner Alec Martinez, that could be
enough for another deep postseason run.
The Stars might not be ready to go long, but they could be a miserable first
round opponent if they manage to sneak into the dance. The line of Tyler
Seguin, Jamie Benn and (usually) Valeri Nichushkin has been one of the
league's best all season, and the trio's speed makes it a difficult matchup.
And now that Dallas' depth forwards are clicking and goalie Kari Lehtonen is
healthy, the Stars may as well be wearing glass slippers. This team is
capable of an upset.
Here's how the rest of the league stacks up after Week 24.
Notable rise: Anaheim Ducks (8 to 4). Montreal Canadiens (11 to 7)
Los Angeles Kings
Last Week: 4
Los Angeles Kings (44-26-6)
They coughed up more than a third-period lead in Monday night's 3-2 loss to
the Wild. They gave away a chance at history. The Kings won 11 games in
March, tying a franchise mark set in January 2002. Tough to see a chance
like that go by the wayside, but you have to love the way they're playing. And
how about Marian Gaborik? He looked like an ill-fitting piece when he was
acquired at the deadline, but he's given L.A. exactly what it needed, with
three goals and nine points in his last 10 games. (Last week: 3-0-0)
4
Anaheim Ducks
Last Week: 8
Anaheim Ducks (49-18-8)
If they make the deep run they're capable of this spring, everyone's going to
point to March 31 as the moment it all came together. Down 4-0 to the Jets at
home on Monday night, Anaheim pulled off the greatest comeback in
franchise history, scoring five unanswered goals, including Corey Perry's
equalizer with 22.7 seconds remaining and Stephane Robidas' winner 16
seconds into OT. It was a huge win, showing what the Ducks can do under
pressure, and it widened their lead atop the Pacific Division. Epic. (Last
week: 3-0-1)
5
San Jose Sharks
Last Week: 3
San Jose Sharks (47-20-9)
They went 9-3-3 during a grueling March, but that wasn't enough to hold on to
first place in the Pacific. A pair of losses to the Jets and the Avalanche -- both
winnable games -- dropped San Jose into second behind the Ducks. The
Sharks play four of their final six contests at home, where they've consistently
been one of the toughest teams to beat. They need to take full advantage of
that soft schedule. (Last week: 1-2-0)
6
Colorado Avalanche
Last Week: 9
Notable fall: Toronto Maple Leafs (23 to 30)
NHL Power Rankings
1
Boston Bruins
Last Week: 1
Boston Bruins (52-17-6)
Instead of battling it out for the Presidents' Trophy, maybe the B's should look
for a way to give up home ice advantage in the playoffs. Sunday's 4-3 win
over the Flyers made it nine straight on the road for Boston, a new franchise
record. Overall, the Bruins moved to a league-best 15-1-2 since the Olympic
break, a streak that's gotten a boost from the play of third-line center Carl
Soderberg (6-8-14) and rookie Kevan Miller, who has become a surprisingly
reliable defensive presence. (Last week: 3-0-0)
2
St. Louis Blues
Last Week: 2
Colorado Avalanche (47-21-6)
It was a memorable week in Denver where the Avs eclipsed the 100-point
mark for the first time in 10 years and secured their first playoff berth since
2009-10. But the news wasn't all good: leading scorer Matt Duchene was lost
for a month after colliding with teammate Jamie McGinn on Saturday night,
leaving Colorado with a massive hole to fill ahead of a postseason date with
the Blackhawks. Might be time to embrace their inner Cinderella. (Last week:
3-0-0)
7
Montreal Canadiens
Last Week: 11
Montreal Canadiens (43-26-7)
The Habs are hitting their stride at just the right time, winning five straight to
slip past the Lightning in the Atlantic race. They key to the hot streak? Start
with the play of goalie Carey Price, then consider the hottest line in hockey.
Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek have combined for 32
points in their last 10 games, and they're getting it done at five-on-five.
Vanek, always known as a finisher, has brought the unit to life with his
passing skills. Wonder if that chemistry will convince him to listen to
Montreal's contract pitch this summer? (Last week: 3-0-0)
8
Philadelphia Flyers
Last Week: 5
five games that the Coyotes have let a third-period advanatage slip through
their grasp -- five points they've left on the table. The inability to finish could
cost them in the end. (Last week: 2-1-0)
14
New York Rangers
Last Week: 13
Philadelphia Flyers (39-27-8)
Not to take anything away from Mike Babcock and Patrick Roy, but where's
the love for Craig Berube in discussion about the Jack Adams Award? This
team was being fitted for a toe tag when Berube was asked to step behind
the bench last October. All he's done is turn the Flyers into a pack of
ravenous, laser-focused wolves capable of taking down any target. Maybe a
strong finish will put him in the conversation -- where he certainly belongs.
(Last week: 1-1-1)
9
Pittsburgh Penguins
New York Rangers (42-30-4)
Remember that brutal nine-game road trip that saw them open the season
3-6, when they seemed to be on an inexorable journey to an early tee time?
Funny thing. Since then, the Blueshirts have gone 21-8-0 on the road, with
Sunday's win over the Oilers counting as their 24th road victory of the
season, which tied a franchise record. New York has three more chances,
starting Tuesday in Vancouver, to set a new mark. (Last week: 2-1-0)
15
Detroit Red Wings
Last Week: 6
Last Week: 16
Pittsburgh Penguins (48-22-5)
Detroit Red Wings (35-26-14)
A team that's just 4-5-1 in its last 10 games would probably rather focus on
the fact that it has won its last two, including a decisive 4-1 victory over the
defending Stanley Cup champs on Sunday, instead of on its inconsistency.
But inconsistency has really been the story of these Pens. (Last week: 2-2-0)
Big win for Mike Babcock and the Wings on Sunday against Tampa Bay. The
victory was his 411th behind Detroit's bench, moving him past Scotty
Bowman into second place on the franchise's all-time victories list. Babcock
could pass Jack Adams for the top spot with three wins this week. That would
be an amazing mark, but given what's at stake, the points Detroit would earn
for those victories would be even more meaningful. With the Red Wings three
points up on the ninth-place Capitals, it's critical for Detroit to go at least 4-2-1
over its final seven games. (Last week: 2-2-0)
10
Chicago Blackhawks
Last Week: 6
16
Chicago Blackhawks (42-19-15)
What's more alarming? The injury curse that's seen Jonathan Toews join
Patrick Kane on the sidelines? The indifferent play that characterized three
consecutive losses last week? Or the fact that the Hawks have won just 14 of
34 games since the calendar turned to 2014? We all know how good they
can be, but right now they just aren't that good. (Last week: 1-3-0)
11
Minnesota Wild
Last Week: 10
Minnesota Wild (39-26-11)
Last Week: 15
Columbus Blue Jackets (38-30-6)
Whatever fate awaits the Jackets -- and it's entirely up in the air with eight
games to go -- this season will be remembered for the breakthrough of Ryan
Johansen. Here's a kid who just six years ago scored five goals in 47 games
for Penticton of the BCHL, but who is now in the books as just the third player
in Columbus history to score at least 30 goals in a season. He's getting the
big winners, too, netting the clincher in three of the team's last four victories,
including in Saturday's critical 3-2 decision over the Hurricanes. (Last week:
2-1-0)
After a pair of sloppy losses to the Canucks and the Blues trimmed their lead
over the Coyotes to a single point, the Wild may have turned their season
around with come-from-behind wins over Phoenix on Saturday and the Kings
on Monday. Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov was big in both victories, keeping
Minnesota close until the offense could get going in the third period. He's now
4-0-2 since joining the club at the deadline. (Last week: 2-2-0)
17
12
The Stars are in full-on desperation mode, trying to atone for a brutal
four-game skid that almost knocked them out of the hunt for a wild-card spot.
They played well enough against the Blackhawks, but really turned it up at
home against the Predators (lighting up Pekka Rinne for seven goals) and on
the road against the Blues. The win over St. Louis might have been Dallas'
most important of the season. Lose that game and the Stars trail the Coyotes
by three points. By winning, Dallas didn't just closed the gap, it proved to itself
that it could beat anybody if the players kept their feet moving. With the next
four games on the road, the ability to play at a high level will be key to the
Stars postseason hopes. (Last week: 2-1-0)
Tampa Bay Lightning
Last Week: 12
Tampa Bay Lightning (41-25-9)
Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Red Wings ended a stretch of 11 games in which the
Bolts had secured at least one point. That's swell and all, but they've also
developed a troubling habit of getting off to slow starts lately. They've usually
had the firepower to claw their way back, scoring at least three goals in 10 of
their past 12 games. Still, being ready to play when the puck drops will be
critical down the stretch. If coach Jon Cooper can't get this matter corrected,
he can kiss his Adams chances good-bye. (Last week: 2-1-0)
13
Dallas Stars
Last Week: 18
Dallas Stars (36-27-11)
18
Washington Capitals
Last Week: 17
Phoenix Coyotes
Last Week: 14
Washington Capitals (34-28-13)
Phoenix Coyotes (36-27-12)
The Caps are playing a lot of hockey lately, with four of their last five games
ending with shootouts. Problem is, they've also lost four of their last five, and
it has cost them their spot at the Metropolitan Division table ... and maybe
their shot at the playoffs. If Washington falls short, it'll be interesting to see
how much of the blame falls on captain Alex Ovechkin, who just completed
A 9-3-1 tear through March pulled the Coyotes to within a point of Minnesota
in the wild card race, but it was another blown lead in a 3-1 loss to the Wild
that cost Phoenix the opportunity to pull ahead. That's three times in the last
the month of March without scoring a single point at five-on-five. I'd guess
he'll be vigorously defended. He shouldn't be. (Last week: 0-1-2)
19
Winnipeg Jets
Last Week: 19
Reality has finally set in. That little three-game flight of fantasy behind them,
it's now apparent to all that the Canucks are going to miss the playoffs for the
first time in six seasons. All that's left now is to see if Alex Edler can regain
the "lead" from Alex Ovechkin for the league's worst plus-minus, and to suffer
through a visit from ex-coach Alain Vigneault, whose success with the
Rangers will remind everyone that he used to win in Vancouver, too. (Last
week: 1-1-1)
Winnipeg Jets (33-33-10)
25
Monday night's epic collapse in Anaheim cut the Jets' tragic number to one,
and maybe also sealed the fate of Paul Maurice, the coach who briefly turned
the season around when he was brought on board in January. He now clearly
has run out of answers. That's not to say that this team's failings are on him,
though. Winnipeg has proved to be a thoroughly forgettable group of hockey
players time and again this season, and that's on the guy who put the roster
together: GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. (Last week: 1-1-1)
Last Week: 26
20
New Jersey Devils
Last Week: 20
Nashville Predators (33-32-11)
I saw the Preds play only once last week, but was struck by something I've
noticed about them several times this season: their ability to create chances
by getting behind the opposing defense, followed by an inability to finish.
How much longer will they simply accept being offensively inept? They're
absolutely brutal at five-on-five, ranked 27th in league. Until they address
that, this is a team of little to no consequence. (Last week: 2-1-1)
26
New Jersey Devils (32-28-15)
Is there anything more automatic than a Devils loss in a shootout? They
dropped two more last week to move to 0-10 on the season. You can look at
the goaltending all you want, but when your shooters score just once in 30
attempts -- with winger Reid Boucher, who is currently skating for AHL
Albany, on the verge of entering the history books as the lone Devil to score
in a skills session this season -- it's clear where the problem lies. Tough not to
look at the three points that separates New Jersey from a playoff spot and
wonder what might have been. (Last week: 1-0-2)
21
Ottawa Senators
Last Week: 24
Nashville Predators
New York Islanders
Last Week: 27
New York Islanders (29-35-10)
Wins, losses, Kardashians ... everything that used to matter seems so trivial
now that there's something truly powerful to cling to: the very real chance that
Charles Wang is on the verge of selling the team and ending his reign of
incompetence. Of course, there's no guarantee that the new guy will be any
better, but for a fanbase that simply needs a reason to believe, this is the best
of all possible ways to end another disastrous season. (Last week: 2-0-1)
27
Edmonton Oilers
Last Week: 28
Ottawa Senators (32-29-14)
Lots of intrigue around the club as everyone wants to know what captain
Jason Spezza plans to do. His contract is through next season, but his
interest in signing beyond that will determine whether he's extended or
traded this summer -- a decision that will set off a series of dominoes that are
waiting to fall. (Last week: 3-0-1)
22
Carolina Hurricanes
Last Week: 21
Edmonton Oilers (26-40-9)
Maybe they should look into relocating to the Eastern Conference. Even after
a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of the Rangers on Sunday night, Edmonton was
a reasonable 14-14-4 on the season against interconference opponents, and
an even more admirable 5-1-2 against Metro squads. That puts the Oilers on
a lot better footing than their mark against their own Pacific Division: an ugly
5-14-4. (Last week: 1-2-0)
28
Carolina Hurricanes (32-32-11)
Looks like the Jim Rutherford era is coming to an end in Carolina, and while
he's sure to be feted for his glory days when he finally turns in the keys, don't
forget why he's leaving. The Canes have been dreadful for the last five
seasons, hobbled by bad drafts, poor signings and trades that failed to
deliver. It's time for the GM to move on. Here's hoping Ron Francis is ready to
take on the heavy lifting. (Last week: 1-1-2)
23
Calgary Flames
Last Week: 22
Last Week: 29
Florida Panthers (27-41-8)
How bad are things in Florida? The Cats send Martin Brodeur to the showers
on Monday night with three goals on eight shots ... and still get blown out 6-3.
With Roberto Luongo sidelined by a sore neck, this team is leaking goals. It's
been outscored 12-4 since Dan Ellis took over between the pipes during
Thursday's loss to the Hurricanes. He's allowed 11 of those goals on just 68
shots. Not good. (Last week: 1-3-0)
29
Calgary Flames (31-37-7)
Their meltdown (four unanswered goals) in Ottawa aside, the Flames are
finishing the season strong, having won six of their last 10 games. Coach
Bob Hartley won't get any credit when the Jack Adams votes are counted, but
he's done as nice a job as any bench boss in the league, molding a young
group (of varying talent levels) into a cohesive unit that competes with
enviable consistency. There are better days ahead for this bunch. (Last
week: 1-2-0)
24
Vancouver Canucks
Last Week: 25
Buffalo Sabres
Last Week: 30
Buffalo Sabres (20-45-9)
Big week in Buffalo, where a shootout loss to the Lightning allowed the
Sabres to pick up a point for just the second time in 12 (!) games, Dominik
Hasek was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame and coach Ted Nolan finally
signed a new deal, removing the interim tag from his title. That last bit of
news won't thrill all Sabres fans, but no one said Nolan was Mr. Right. He's
Mr. Right Now, the perfect leader for a young team that's learning what it
takes to compete. (Last week: 0-2-1)
30
Vancouver Canucks (34-31-11)
Florida Panthers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Last Week: 23
Toronto Maple Leafs (36-32-8)
Make it eight and counting for a team that's so emotionally fragile that losing
the opening face-off on Tuesday night in Calgary might be all it takes to send
Toronto spiraling toward consecutive defeat No. 9. This desolate stretch isn't
epic simply for ruining a once-promising season. As one stat geek noted, an
eight-game regulation losing streak will happen about once every 29 years ...
so at least Leafs fans can say they're seeing something special, right? (Last
week: 0-3-0)
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CNN/Sports Illustrated / Top Line: Blackhawks get wake-up call; 2013 NHL
Draft revisited; more links
By Allan Muir
An annotated guide to this morning‘s must-read hockey stories:
• Marian Hossa says that the Blackhawks‘ losing streak is ―a wake-up call.‖
That can be a valuable thing at this time of year, provided that a team is
willing to listen. That‘s no sure thing considering the way Chicago has
routinely ignored such calls this season.
• There are ways the Avalanche can beat the Blackhawks in the playoffs, but
doing so became a whole lot tougher when Matt Duchene was lost to injury.
• Pro scouts have an easy solution to the Maple Leafs‘ woes: strip the C off of
Dion Phaneuf‘s sweater. It‘s probably a good place to start, but acquiring one
or two physical, defensive-minded blueliners would have a greater impact.
• Michael Traikos needs two hands to point fingers at everyone who deserves
blame for the mess in Toronto.
• I‘m a sucker for re-draft talk, so even if Brian Costello‘s look back at the
2013 NHL draft class is a bit early, it still makes for fascinating reading.
Makes the Jets look pretty good, too.
• The Bruins‘ roster is going to go see some changes ahead of the playoffs.
• Want a free Jarome Iginla sweater and a year‘s subscription to NHL Center
Ice? Just be willing to do what this lifelong Canucks fan did.
• John Tortorella has been charming with the media in Vancouver, but his
charm hasn‘t gone over so well on the Canucks‘ bench, which is where it
actually matters. That‘s why Larry Brooks expects his old nemesis will be
fired after this season.
• Bill Hoppe explains why the Sabres love playing for Ted Nolan. Funny how
well an approach like that works, eh?
• Now that the coaching situation is settled, here‘s the next step to take in
Buffalo.
• Big night for the Wild, who authored their second consecutive third-period
comeback victory to tighten their grip on the first wild-card berth in the West.
Minnesota then signed UMass Lowell defenseman Christian Folin, the top
free agent in college hockey. Wild fans should get a good look at Folin‘s
heavy shot before the regular season is out.
• If that wasn‘t enough excitement for Minnesota, then how about the
fifth-leading scorer in franchise history tending the twine at practice on
Monday? Fortunately, the Wild were able to find someone a little more
qualified to play goalie for the actual game against the Kings. Rob Laurie
made his third career appearance as an emergency back-up. One of these
days he‘s actually going to get into a game, right?
• The action was equally thrilling in Anaheim, where the Ducks set two
franchise records in their stunning comeback win over Winnipeg.
• This old trick actually worked last night:
• The Mounties had to be called in to break up a minor league hockey brawl
after a linesman was assaulted on the ice.
• No one should begrudge Martin Brodeur‘s desire to play one more NHL
season, but someone might need to talk some sense into him if he really
thinks he can still be a starter in this league.
• Dan Rosen really wants to get Pierre McGuire‘s opinion on advanced stats.
Pierre ain‘t bitin‘.
• There isn‘t much that I love more than seeing a guy who has paid his dues
finally get his chance in The Show. Here‘s 30-year-old Mark Van Guilder
talking about his NHL debut with the Predators.
• Does anyone cut to the quick quite like an editorial cartoonist? Here‘s a
succinct jab at the forever rebuilding Oilers.
• Maybe you have to know Daryl Reaugh to appreciate this.
732368
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CNN/Sports Illustrated / Calgary Flames make good after mascot screw-up
By Allan Muir
When you‘re a little kid, a chance to meet major-league mascot is kind of a
big deal. So when Harvey the Hound, the Flames‘ legendary slack-tongued
ambassador of goodwill, failed to show as scheduled at a mite game in Black
Diamond, Alberta, many tears were shed.
Crying tots aren‘t exactly the sort of PR that Calgary is looking for when the
team books Harvey for events, so the Flames realized they had to do
something special to make things right for the young players.
Their plan started with an appearance by Harvey at the rink in Black Diamond
the following week, but then they took it up a notch. Or two.
Take a look at this video and imagine being one of these kids.
Well done, fellas.
732369
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TSN.CA Kerry Fraser/ it on Toews
Kerry Fraser 4/1/2014 2:31:27 PM
You and I are not the only ones missing something here as players
continually elevate their posture and leave their feet at impact to deliver
devastating hits. Dangerous and significant contact to the head of their
opponent almost always results whenever a player leaves his feet to make a
big hit. In the here and now, these hits are deemed "legal."
With an eye firmly set on the end game, which I hope still remains to greatly
reduce contact to the head and resulting concussions, it is irresponsible to
continue down this path any longer. While each camp can passionately
debate their respective position on whether to allow or eliminate high hits
where significant contact to the head of an opponent results, I respectfully
submit this issue should no longer be a matter of personal opinion.
Instead, it should only be about "science." Through irrefutable medical
evidence, we now know the short and long term effects of blows to the head.
This road map can provide us with a clear picture of the end game!
Brooks Orpik set up to deliver a body check as he slowed and glided toward
Jonathan Toews in the corner. Toews' sole intent was to advance the puck
around the end wall. In doing so, Jonathan Toews lowered his body posture
to place him (and particularly his head) in a vulnerable position and must
share the responsibility for the location of where he was hit. The onus of
"how" the contact was delivered and the "degree of force" utilized is
exclusively on Brooks Orpik and taken into account by the referee to
determine the legality of the check.
No differently than the vast majority of current players, Brooks Orpik finished
his hit on Jonathan Toews with considerable force as demonstrated by his
upward launch with skates high off the ice. This intensified the velocity and
violence of the hit regardless of whether Toews was in a vulnerable position
or not. In many cases I would even suggest that an opponent's apparent
vulnerability is something a player will capitalize on to enhance the degree of
force exerted through a hit. We certainly don't see many players let up!
Rule 42.1 tells us that a minor or major shall be imposed on a player who
"jumps into" an opponent. The "jump" element of this rule was once applied
when a player's skates lost contact with the ice. Charging is seldom called in
the current era of the game, where players leave their feet with far more
frequency in the act of delivering a body check than ever before. The most
common "excuse" for not calling this infraction is that a player's skates did not
completely leave the ice prior to initiating body contact. This generous and
liberal interpretation is extended to include times when the toe tip of one
skate remains in contact with the ice at impact.
Referees should be directed to impose a charging penalty in every case
when a player's skates leave the ice in the act of delivering a body check,
period. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the end game; just a medical
scientist!
TSN.CA LOADED: 04.02.2014
732370
Websites
USA TODAY / Islanders GM in can't-win situation with draft pick
Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports 10:57 a.m. EDT April 1, 2014
New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow is in such an undesirable
predicament that turning over a high draft pick to the Buffalo Sabres in June
might be the most sensible play he has.
Snow put himself in this mess in the fall when he agreed to give the Sabres
his first-round pick in 2014 or 2015 for Thomas Vanek.
In fairness to Snow, the deal seemed less scary when he made it because
the Islanders had been a playoff team last season and expected to be better
this season.
With Vanek coming over, he anticipated the Islanders would be a playoff
team again and likely thought he would be giving up a pick in the middle of
the first round.
The problem is the Islanders' season went south and they will be drafting
fourth to sixth, depending upon what happens in the next week.
MORE: The latest draft preview
But that isn't the problem. A team in this situation normally would take its
early draft pick this season and give the Sabres the 2015 first-rounder.
You take a talented young player, and then you hope you will improve
enough next season to make that 2015 pick less valuable. For example, the
Islanders could end up with German-born center Leon Draisaitl, a 100-point
performer this season in the Western Hockey League.
In terms of public relations, it also works in the short term. The Islanders don't
want to say they are giving the Sabres the first pick this year because they
are fearful they could be worse next season.
Keeping the 2014 pick makes perfect sense under normal circumstances.
The problem is these are not normal circumstances.
First, the 2014 draft is considered an average one and the 2015 draft class is
projected to be talent-rich, led by two potential superstar centers, Connor
McDavid and Jack Eichel.
MORE: McDavid the next big thing
The 2015 draft could be the like the Alex Ovechkin-Evgeni Malkin draft of
2004.
The Islanders are moving to Brooklyn's Barclays Center in 2015. Imagine the
public-relations nightmare of starting in a new venue if you have to explain
why the Sabres are drafting McDavid or Eichel with the Islanders' draft pick.
No one knows how the draft order will shake out next season, but common
sense tells us the Islanders have a better chance of picking first or second in
2015 than most teams. If you were drawing up teams with a chance to be bad
next season, you have to put the Islanders on the list.
Yes, they were a playoff team last season, but Mark Streit, Matt Moulson and
Andrew MacDonald are gone from that team.
The Islanders have impressive prospects coming up, but you don't win in this
league with young players. The Islanders can improve through free agency,
but it will be difficult to persuade top free agents to join. Remember, they
couldn't get Vanek to stay.
PLAYERS MOVED AT THE DEADLINE
Thomas Vanek, Canadiens. Montreal didn't have to pay too steep a price
-- second-round pick and prospect Sebastian Collberg-- but the Canadiens
will gladly take it. Vanek boosts a weak offense, immediately becoming their
top point producer (21 goals, 53 points.)
Lee Stempniak, Penguins. The winger, who has 23 points is a skilled
enough player, to slot in on a scoring role and gritty enough to fit in in a
bottom-six role. This flexibility was enough for the Penguins to send Calgary
a third-round pick.
Jaroslav Halak, Capitals: The goaltender was moved to Buffalo as part of
the trade that sent Ryan Miller and Steve Ott to the Blues. Then he was dealt
to the Capitals at the deadline. He becomes Washington's most reliable
option in net.
Michal Neuvirth, Sabres. The 25-year-old was sent to Buffalo for Jaroslav
Halak. He has had an up-and-down time in the NHL during his career,
posting a 2.67 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. He will get a
chance to find his confidence while sharing time with Jhonas Enroth.
Rostislav Klesla, defenseman. The defenseman didn't even last a day in
the Capitals organization after being traded there from Phoenix in the Martin
Erat trade. He was included with Michal Neuvirth in the trade to acquire
Jaroslav Halak and a third-rounder.
Matt Moulson, Wild. One of the league's worst offense (24th, 2.35 goals
per game), adds a pure goal scorer in Moulson. Moulson has 17 goals and 21
assists this season and has had three consecutive 30-goal seasons.
Minnesota sent Torrey Mitchell and two second-round picks, receiving
Moulson and Cody McCormock back.
Torrey Mitchell, Sabres. Mitchell was relegated to a fourth-line role with
Minnesota this season, tallying nine points in 58 games. He was included in
the deal that sent Matt Moulson to Minnesota.
Cody McCormick, Minnesota. The depth forward had five points in 29
games. He was sent, along with Matt Moulson, from Buffalo for Torrey
Mitchel and two prospects.
David Legwand, Red Wings. The 33-year-old center aids a Red Wings
offense that has been beset by injuries this season, especially down the
middle. The Red Wings sent Patrick Eaves, a prospect and a third-round pick
to Nashville.
Patrick Eaves, Predators. The Red Wings sent Eaves, along with a
third-round pick and a prospect. Eaves will be a bottom-six player for the
Predators.
Reto Berra, Avalanche. The 27-year-old, in his first NHL season, has had
a rough go of it with the Flames, posting a 2.95 goals-against average and
.897 save percentage. The Avs gave up a second-round pick for a goalie who
could back up Semyon Varlamov next season with Jean-Sebastien Giguere's
deal expiring.
Raphael Diaz, Rangers. New York sent Vancouver a 2015 fifth-round
pick for the defensemen, who will serve as its seventh/eighth defenseman.
Andrej Meszaros, Bruins. After Philadelphia acquired Andrew
MacDonald, Boston swooped in to find their replacement for injured Dennis
Seidenberg. The Flyers got a third-round pick back.
Tim Thomas, Stars. As Dallas makes its playoff run, it'll now have a
proven netminder who excels under pressure backing up Kari Lehtonen. He
was dealt for Dan Ellis.
Dan Ellis, Panthers. The 33-year-old will be a backup under Roberto
Luongo in Florida.
Nick Schultz, Blue Jackets. Edmonton received a fifth-round pick for the
defenseman, who buoys a defense that has been nicked with several
injuries.
Thomas Vanek, Canadiens. Montreal didn't have to pay too steep a price -second-round pick and prospect Sebastian Collberg-- but the Canadiens will
gladly take it. Vanek boosts a weak offense, immediately becoming their top
point producer (21 goals, 53 points.)
Brayden McNabb, Kings. The Sabres acquired prospects Nicolas
Deslauriers and Hudson Fasching from Los Angeles for McNabb, prospect
Jonathan Parker and two second-round draft picks. McNabb, a 23-year-old
defenseman, has 29 points in 38 games in the AHL, but is pointless in 12
games in the NHL this year.
Thomas Vanek, Canadiens. Montreal didn't have to pay too steep a price -second-round pick and prospect Sebastian Collberg-- but the Canadiens will
gladly take it. Vanek boosts a weak offense, immediately becoming their top
point producer (21 goals, 53 points.) Ed Mulholland, USA TODAY Sports
Tuomo Ruutu, Devils. The Devils add a player with bite and a scoring
touch to their forward group for Andrei Loktionov and a conditional
third-round pick.
Fullscreen
Andrei Loktionov, Hurricanes. The Devils traded the forward, along with a
2017 conditional third-round pick, for Tuomo Ruutu. Loktionov has 12 points
this season, but possesses decent offensive upside.
Ilya Bryzgalov, Wild: Bryzgalov is more of a "known commodity" for the
Wild, who are without Josh Harding and Niklas Backstrom and were leaning
on rookie Darcy Kuemper. Minnesota traded a fourth-round pick to get him.
Marcel Goc, Penguins. Florida acquired a 2015 third- and fifth-round
(2014) pick for Goc, who has 23 points this season and will slide into a
checking-line role with Pittsburgh.
Dustin Penner, Capitals. The Ducks acquired a fourth-round pick for the
6-4, 245-pound Penner who will add size up front for the Capitals and give
them more offensive ability in their forward group.
Marian Gaborik, Kings. Los Angeles sorely needed scoring, and Gaborik,
when healthy, is a sniper, though he has just six goals in 22 games this year.
The Kings sent Columbus Matt Frattin, a second-round pick and a conditional
third-round pick.
Mike Weaver, Canadiens. The defensemen was traded for a fifth-round
pick. He should slot in as a steady presence on the third pair for Montreal.
Matt Frattin, Blue Jackets. Included with a second-round pick and a
conditional third-round pick for Marian Gaborik, Frattin had six points in 40
games this season with the Kings. He is a bottom-six player.
Devan Dubnyk, Canadiens. The Predators acquired future
considerations for the netminder, who will give Montreal insurance between
the pipes with Peter Budaj behind Carey Price, who is currently injured.
<p>Ales Hemsky, Senators. Edmonton received a third-round pick in
2014 and a fifth-round pick in 2015 for the talented, but inconsistent winger.
Ottawa lacked right-wing scoring depth after Bobby Ryan. He scored twice
against the Senators a day before getting dealt.</p>
Cory Conacher, Sabres. Waived by the Senators, Conacher struggled to
crack the lineup after a promising rookie season in which he tallied 39 points
in 47 games. He'll be given a chance in Buffalo. Conacher played college
hockey locally at Canisius.
Corey Potter, Bruins. The defenseman was waived by the Oilers. He will
provide the Bruins with depth as a right-handed shot on the blueline.
Ryan Miller, Blues: THe longtime Sabre was traded to the Blues with
Steve Ott. He gives St. Louis more stability between the pipes as it makes its
run for the Stanley Cup.
Steve Ott, Blues: Acquired with Ryan Miller, Ott gives the Blues
leadership, bottom-six toughness and one of the game's best trash-talkers.
He's also over 50% on faceoffs.
Chris Stewart, Sabres: Acquired in the blockbuster with the Blues,
Stewart is a physical forward with a good offensive skillset. He could be on
the move again before Wednesday's deadline.
Brandon Pirri, Panthers: The Blackhawks acquired two mid-round picks
for Pirri, a forward who was the AHL's leading scorer last season. He has
top-six upside.
Next Slide
Maybe they could land a difference-making goalie, but there is no guarantee
of that. The Islanders would have to overpay, and they rank 29th out of 30
teams in payroll this season.
Plus, the NHL is considering changing the draft lottery rules next season.
Martin St. Louis, Rangers. The Rangers acquired the two-time Art Ross
Trophy winner from the Lightning for Ryan Callahan, a 2015 first-round pick
and 2014 second-round pick. St. Louis instantly improves the Rangers'
offense.
The Islanders wouldn't want to hand over their 2015 pick and then have the
rules change to give them a better chance of landing McDavid or Eichel. One
thing being considered is basing it on a team's performance over the past five
seasons.
Ryan Callahan, Lightning: In a captain-for-captain trade, Callahan was
sent, along with a 2015 first-round pick and 2014 second-round pick, to
Tampa Bay for Martin St. Louis. Callahan is a less skilled offensive player but
is a great leader and heart-and-soul player.
The Islanders are about to miss the playoffs for the sixth time in seven
seasons.
Robert Luongo, Panthers: In the stunner of the day on the eve of the
deadline, Vancouver sent the four-time All-Star with seven years left on his
contract to the Panthers, a place he spent five years of his career.
The consensus around the NHL is that Snow is in a can't-win situation, but he
almost has to give Buffalo the 2014 pick and then sell fans on the idea that
picking 10th to 15th in 2015 will be the same as picking fifth or sixth in 2014.
NHL PLAYER POWER RANKINGS
Jacob Markstrom, Canucks. The netminder was dealt, along with Shawn
Matthias and minor leaguer Steven Anthony, to Vancouver in the Roberto
Luongo trade. Just 24, Markstrom has struggled in his NHL looks, but he has
untapped upside. He'll join Eddie Lack, 26, between the pipes.
Eleven members of the USA TODAY Sports NHL power rankings panel
voted on March 31 for top players for postseason awards. The results - MVP:
1. Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby led the league with 99 points.
Points: 55. First-place votes: 11.
Shawn Matthias, Canucks: The 6-4, 225-pound center was packaged
with Jakob Markstromand minor leaguer Steven Anthonyin a deal forRoberto
Luongo. He has nine goals and 16 points, while playing third-line minutes
with Florida.
Points: 55. First-place votes: 11. David Manning, USA TODAY Sports
Martin Erat, Coyotes. Erat, who requested a trade early this season, was
acquired from the Washington Capitals, along with John Mitchell, for
defenseman Rostislav Klesla, Chris Brown and a fourth-round 2015 pick.
Fullscreen
Rostislav Klesla, Capitals. He, Chris Brown and a 2015 fourth-round pick
were acquired from the Coyotes for Martin Erat and John Mitchell. Klesla and
Brown will report to the AHL.
David Rundblad, Blackhawks: Phoenix sent Rundblad and prospect
Mathieu Brisebois to Chicago for a second-round pick in this year's draft.
Rundblad is a 2009 first-round pick who has played 50 games in the NHL.
Andrew MacDonald, Flyers: The Islanders acquired two picks and a
prospect from the Flyers for the defenseman, who leads the league in
blocked shots.
Viktor Fasth, Oilers. The Ducks, who received two mid-round picks, have
a crowded crease and Edmonton is seeking to find a goalie it can count on.
Fasth should split time with Ben Scrivens for the rest of the season and battle
for the spot next year as well.
Stephane Robidas, Ducks. Anaheim shores up its defense with the
ultra-competitive 37-year-old. The Ducks sent the fourth-rounder acquired
from the Capitals for Dustin Penner to Dallas for Robidas.
Points: 55. First-place votes: 11.
MVP - 2. Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf had 81 points and a plus
28 rating. Points: 41.
MVP - 3. Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux has caught fire since
early December and has 78 points in 74 games. Points: 26.
MVP - 4. Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin was fifth in the league with 76
points. Points: 9.
MVP - 5. San Jose Sharks forward Joe Pavelski had a career-best 73
games in 76 games. Points: 8.
MVP - Others with votes: Alex Ovechkin (pictured), Washington, 6; Phil
Kessel, Toronto, 6; Carey Price, Montreal, 3; Alexander Steen, St. Louis, 3;
Joe Thornton, San Jose, 2; Duncan Keith, Chicago, 2; Matt Duchene,
Colorado, 1; Tuukka Rask, Boston, 1; Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay, 1; Anze
Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings, 1
Top goalie - 1. Boston Bruins' Tuukka Rask was 34-14-6 with a 2.02 GAA
and .931 save percentage. Points: 52. First-place votes: 9.
Top goalie - 2. Tampa Bay Lightning's Ben Bishop was 36-12-7 with a
2.18 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. Points: 37.
First-place votes: 2
Top goalie - 3. Montreal Canadiens' Carey Price was 32-18-5 with a 2.36
goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. Points: 25.
Top goalie - 4: Colorado Avalanche's Semyon Varlamov was 37-14-5
with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. Points: 23.
Top goalie - 5. Pittsburgh Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury was 34-15-3 with
a 2.34 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. Points: 17.
First-place votes: 1
Top goalie - 5 (tie): San Jose Sharks' Antti Niemi was 36-15-7 with a 2.35
goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. Points: 11.
Top goalie - Others with votes: Jonas Hiller, Anaheim, 2; Ryan Miller
(pictured), St. Louis-Buffalo, 1; Jonathan Bernier, Toronto, 1; Jaroslav Halak,
Washington-St. Louis, 1; Henrik Lundqvist, N.Y. Rangers, 1
Top defenseman - 1. Chicago's Duncan Keith had 51 assists and a plus
17 rating. Points: 52. First-place votes: 9.
Top defenseman - 2. St. Louis Blues' Alex Pietrangelo had 50 points and
a plus 23 rating. Points: 26. First-place votes: 1.
Top defenseman - 3. Minnesota's Ryan Suter had 41 points and was
averaging 29:43 a night. Points: 24.
Top defenseman - 4. Nashville Predators' Shea Weber was led
defensemen with 21 goals. Points: 15.
Top defenseman - 5 (tie). Ottawa Senators' Erik Karlsson led
defensemen with 70 points but had a minus 17 rating. Points: 10.
Top defenseman - 5 (tie): Los Angeles Kings' Drew Doughty had 36
points and a plus 18 rating.
Top defenseman - Others with votes: Zdeno Chara (pictured), Boston, 9
(one first-place vote); Mark Giordano, Calgary, 5; P.K. Subban, Montreal, 4;
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, 4; Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg, 3; Matt Niskanen,
Pittsburgh, 1; Cam Fowler, Anaheim, 1
Top rookie - 1. Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had a
rookie-best 56 points, a plus 20 rating and five game-winning goals. Points:
53. First-place votes: 10.
Top rookie - 2. Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ondrej Palat had 51 points
and a plus 27 rating. Points: 30.
Top rookie - 3. Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tyler Johnson ranked third
among rookies with 47 points. Points: 24.
Top rookie - 4. Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug had 14 goals, six
on the power play. Points: 17. First-place votes: 1.
Top rookie - 5. Anaheim Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm had 26
points and plus 27 rating. Points. 10.
Top rookie - Others with votes: Chris Kreider, N.Y. Rangers, 7; Jacob
Trouba (pictured), Winnipeg, 6; Seth Jones, Nashville, 5; Olli Maatta,
Pittsburgh, 5; Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg, 3; Valeri Nichushkin, Dallas, 2; Nick
Bjugstad, Florida, 2; Frederik Andersen, Anaheim, 1.
Next Slide
The truth is the Islanders could give up a quality prospect this season, and
not be able to land a player as talented next season. But it is the path they
probably have to follow to assure this bad situation doesn't become a
nightmare that fans will talk about for decades.
Snow's situation is like when a contending golfer hooks into the deep rough
at the Masters and has to consider whether to try to make a miraculous shot
or punch out, take his bogey and move on to the next hole.
Analyst Johnny Miller would be telling the golfer to accept the bogey in the
name of taking the double or triple bogey out of the equation.
Snow probably has to give the Sabres his 2014 draft pick to take
"catastrophe" out of his equation.
USA TODAY LOADED: 04.02.2014
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Websites
YAHOO SPORTS / A 'remarkable' return even though Lightning flash Steven
Stamkos won't be full speed until next season
By Nicholas J. Cotsonika 14 hours ago Yahoo Sports
Look at the numbers, and you‘d never know that Steven Stamkos slammed
into a goal post, that his right leg bent grotesquely, that a surgeon put a rod
into his broken bone. You‘d never know that he missed out on the Olympics,
that one of his best friends demanded a trade, that one of the NHL‘s top
scorers left his right wing. You‘d never know that – less than four months
after surgery, in his first game back, in the first game after the Martin St-Louis
deal, just in time for the stretch run – he had the ‗C‘ sewn on his sweater, too.
Stamkos has gone through so much this season, and he‘s still feeling some
pain, still getting up to speed. He is not himself. He won‘t be until next
season, after a full summer of training. Yet in the 13 games since his return to
the Tampa Bay Lightning, he has averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time
and produced nine goals and 13 points, and he has started to embrace the
role of captain. He is about to play in the playoffs for only the second time in
his career.
―It‘s remarkable what he‘s done,‖ said coach Jon Cooper.
Stamkos is a remarkable player, obviously. He was the first overall pick in
2008. He has led the NHL in goals twice. At age 24, he has 231 goals and
422 points in 403 games. In his only previous playoff appearance, the
Lightning went to the 2011 Eastern Conference final. In Game 7, he took a
puck to the face and missed less than six minutes, returning with a thick red
streak on the right side of his swollen nose and a full metal cage, only to
suffer further as the Boston Bruins won, 1-0. He said later that he learned a
lot from that run – what it takes to win – and became more determined to be a
complete centerman, not just an elite scorer.
[Henrik Lundqvist Q&A: Rangers goalie on record-setting season, Sochi &
Stanley Cup]
He felt he had reached a new level through the first 17 games this season.
Not only did he have 14 goals and 23 points – tied for the league lead in both
categories – he was playing well defensively, and the team was winning. The
Lightning, the second-worst team in the East last season, was No. 1 in the
conference. Had he stayed healthy, he could have played on Sidney
Crosby‘s right wing in Sochi and competed with the Pittsburgh Penguins
captain for the Hart Trophy as the NHL‘s most valuable player.
―Before the injury, anyways, I thought that was probably the best hockey I‘ve
played at both ends of the rink…being confident, being counted on in all
situations, being out there on the penalty kill and the last minute of games,‖
Stamkos said. ―Obviously, it was tough to have an injury happen at that time.‖
Stamkos slammed into the goalpost Nov. 11 in Boston. He had surgery the
next day. He recovered quickly, pushed by the possibility of playing in Sochi.
Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman was Team Canada‘s executive
director, and he put Stamkos on the roster to hold the spot in case Stamkos
could play. But the Olympics were just too much, too soon.
Ironically, it was St-Louis who replaced Stamkos on the roster. St-Louis was
already upset with Yzerman for not naming him to Team Canada initially, and
he‘d had a house in Connecticut and his eyes on the New York Rangers for
years. He pushed for a trade, and Yzerman accommodated him at the
deadline March 5.
Stamkos returned March 6.
So after dealing with the interruption of his best season, rehabbing a broken
leg, watching the Lightning stay afloat without him and watching Team
Canada win gold without him, he had to say goodbye to St-Louis and take
over the captaincy while jumping into action at an intense time of year.
[Fantasy hockey tips: MVPs & non-MVPs of the week]
Vincent Lecavalier is gone. He was bought out last summer and signed with
the Philadelphia Flyers. Now St-Louis is gone, too. Stamkos used to defer to
them when he was younger, but he has no one to whom to defer anymore
and is taking more initiative. One little example: Cooper used to call together
the players during TV timeouts. Stamkos is suddenly doing it on his own.
―He leaves an assistant captain, part of the leadership group,‖ Cooper said.
―He comes back, and he is the leadership group. That‘s a lot of different
dynamics for a young guy to grasp.‖
Cooper said Stamkos held the team together. Neither Cooper nor Stamkos
said this, but can you imagine if Stamkos sulked or even just tried to ease
himself in under the circumstances? How would that have looked? How
would his teammates have reacted? They lost essentially a goal a game
when they lost him, but they stayed in a playoff spot without him and needed
him without St-Louis.
―It was a little different situation than I expected, but there‘s a lot of good
veteran guys and leaders on this team so that it‘s not too difficult,‖ Stamkos
said. ―You just have to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Guys are
always watching you as the captain. You want to set a good example.‖
Stamkos doesn‘t have his usual explosiveness in his first three strides, and
he coasts in the defensive zone instead of stopping hard. Cooper said the
next step for Stamkos is to play the 200-foot game he was playing before,
and that is going to take time. He called this Stamkos‘ ―training camp.‖
Stamkos said the leg still felt weak and sore on bad days, and he had to
overcome a mental hurdle, going to tough areas of the ice – around the net,
near the boards.
[Also: NBC's Mike Milbury accuses Alex Ovechkin of plus/minus
shenanigans]
―It‘s trusting the fact that everything‘s intact and strong,‖ Stamkos said. ―I feel
better and better each time I get on the ice and get engaged physically.
Hopefully it keeps progressing.‖
But it‘s all relative.
―He‘s got that sixth gear,‖ said winger Teddy Purcell. ―He doesn‘t really have
that seventh gear that he usually has, but most people only have five. He
puts a lot of pressure on himself to be at his best all the time, so I think that‘s
frustrating for him, but he knows, as we do, it‘s important to have him back no
matter how he feels.‖
Stamkos can still shoot the puck, and he‘s getting his timing back. He‘s still
as lethal as ever when he can station himself in the left circle on the power
play. Though he lost his chance at Olympic gold, the Hart, the Rocket
Richard and the Art Ross this season, he‘s headed back to the playoffs, and
this is his team now. As he sat at his stall the other day, he crossed his arms
and talked about ―the type of hockey you need to play down the stretch,‖
about ―what to expect.‖ He looked forward. He sounded experienced.
―It just goes to show how mature he is,‖ Purcell said. ―He‘s not letting it get to
him. Even when he‘s not 100 percent, he‘s still finding ways to get the job
done.‖
YAHOO.COM LOADED: 04.02.2014

sport-scan daily brief - Columbus Blue Jackets

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