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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 4/7/2021 1186507 John Gibson makes 34 saves as Ducks beat Sharks 5-1 1186539 Kirby Dach gets his 1st but the Chicago Blackhawks 1186508 Ducks give John Gibson all the support he needs to beat nearly squander a 3-goal lead in a 4-2 win over the Da Sharks 1186540 Vinnie Hinostroza said ‘it was kind of a shocker’ when he 1186509 Ducks’ power play getting a new look as the season nears was traded back to the Blackhawks. Now in his 2nd ru its end 1186541 Blackhawks keep riding Kevin Lankinen, earn much- 1186510 Is the Ducks’ decision to send Trevor Zegras to the AHL needed win over Stars the right move? When could he make his NHL return? 1186542 Blackhawks notebook: Jeremy Colliton vaccinated, Alex Nylander unlikely to play this season Coyotes 1186543 Hinostroza gets right to it in helping Chicago Blackhawks 1186511 Coyotes beating fatigue and finding wins in second game win of back-to-backs 1186544 10 observations: Blackhawks hang on to beat Stars 1186512 Coyotes’ Michael Bunting gets first career hat trick in win 1186545 Where will Hinostroza fit into Blackhawks' lineup? over Kings 1186546 Handling the grind, the top line’s aligned, Vinnie Hinostroza’s a find: 10 observations from a big Blackhawks 1186513 Patrice Bergeron scores hat trick in Bruins victory over 1186547 How the Cubs, Blackhawks and White Sox are handling Flyers the vaccine rollout 1186514 wins his NHL debut in net; Charlie 1186548 Blackhawks rookie defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk finding McAvoy sidelined with injury groove in NHL: A shift-by-shift breakdown 1186515 Bruins, Jeremy Swayman survive Flyers, 4-2 1186516 Jeremy Swayman gets nod in net for Bruins 1186517 Bean: Time for -less Bruins to face reality 1186549 Balanced scoring “huge” for Avalanche during month 1186518 Bruins to get look at goaltending future as Swayman without regulation defeat makes NHL debut 1186519 Talking Points: Swayman, Bergeron Lead Way For The Boston Bruins 1186550 Blue Jackets take down Tampa Bay, 4-2, in first game 1186520 Game 35 Live Blog: Boston Bruins @ back from long road trip 1186521 Game 35: Update: McAvoy Out. Boston Bruins Vs. Flyers 1186551 Blue Jackets dealt a challenge as deadline looms, Lines, Preview losing Riley Nash 4-to-6 weeks 1186522 Boston Bruins G Swayman To Make First NHL Start; Miller 1186552 Fox regional sports networks get new Bally branding, but Returns they're not available on some streaming platforms 1186523 Boston Bruins In The Trade Mix For Devils’ Palmieri, 1186553 After impressive Blue Jackets debut, Mikko Lehtonen Kulikov eager to prove himself in the NHL 1186524 Bruins rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman sparkles under 1186554 Korpisalo makes 36 saves, Blue Jackets rebound with 4-2 siege in NHL debut win over Lightning 1186555 Blue Jackets earn another victory over Lightning, but Boone Jenner suffers injury 1186525 Observations: Taylor Hall chatter is no distraction as 1186556 Riley Nash’s knee injury is a trade deadline cautionary tale Sabres' strong play continues for the Blue Jackets 1186526 The Wraparound: Sabres extend streak to five games by squeezing past Devils 1186527 Sabres Notebook: It's a family reunion as 1186557 Stars notebook: Video coach Kelly Forbes right again; the watches brother make NHL debut latest on Joel Hanley’s injury 1186528 Sabres sign Wisconsin winger and 2017 draftee Linus 1186558 On Tuesday, the Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and Predators Weissbach to two-year deal won. The Stars did not. That’s bad news. 1186529 Sabres game day: The Thompson brothers go head- 1186559 Stars get a stark reminder of how thin their margin for to-head in New Jersey error is 1186530 Sabres will sit Taylor Hall tonight in advance of potential trade 1186531 On top of his solid season, Linus Ullmark has become a 1186560 Detroit Red Wings hang tough, but fall in first shootout of shootout dynamo season, 3-2 to Predators 1186532 How Buffalo’s poor drafting decisions destroyed the 1186561 Many of Detroit Red Wings receive COVID-19 vaccine; franchise, and who they could’ve picked to save it here's why Darren Helm hasn't yet 1186562 Detroit Red Wings lose to in shootout, Flames 3-2: Game thread replay 1186533 Local Humboldt Broncos families mark third anniversary of 1186563 Next generation of U.S. hockey stars on display at deadly crash with tributes, conversations Plymouth prospects game 1186534 GILBERTSON: Monahan’s wayward shot sums up season 1186564 Predators beat Red Wings 3-2 in shootout after third- for Flames — a big miss period rally 1186535 The Flames should start selling, but which players can be 1186565 Wings' Darren Helm not stressing about final days before traded now? trade deadline 1186566 NHL-bound defenseman Luke Hughes follows in brothers' footsteps 1186536 How the Hurricanes inched closer to the first-place Florida 1186567 Red Wings feel fortunate to have access to COVID-19 Panthers vaccine 1186537 With Petr Mrazek back, Hurricanes have goaltending 1186568 Red Wings’ Darren Helm would be fine with trade to decisions to make at trade deadline playoff contender 1186538 How the Hurricanes’ trade deadline decisions might be 1186569 Thomas Greiss steps up, will be key for Red Wings if impacted by the expansion draft Jonathan Bernier moved Red Wings Continued 1186570 Red Wings light up Lightning for first win in Tampa in 10 1186602 Devils can’t protect lead, fall to Sabres behind 3rd-period years goals 1186571 Red Wings get no satisfaction from close loss to Lightning 1186603 NHL rumors: Sabres holding Taylor Hall out of game vs. Devils ahead of trade deadline 1186604 Injury update on Devils’ Nico Hischier; to 1186572 OILERS NOTES: Rare blown third-period lead costly in make NHL debut Tuesday 1186605 Devils’ Jack Hughes is showing incredible promise, even 1186573 Can Edmonton Oilers continue their stranglehold on without the points to back it up Senators? 1186606 NJ Devils spoil Tyce Thompson's debut as defensive 1186574 JONES: Unique NHL season another experience for lapses lead to loss vs. Sabres Edmonton Oilers head coach 1186607 Tyce Thompson ready for NHL debut with NJ Devils against Sabres 1186608 Devils’ struggles continue in loss to lowly Sabres 1186575 Panthers give up four goals in third period in loss to 1186609 ‘Who says no?’: Analyzing New Jersey Devils trade Hurricanes proposals from other teams’ fans 1186576 Florida Panthers: 3 Potential Trade Deadline Targets 1186577 Trocheck helps end Florida Panthers winning streak in Islanders Carolina 1186610 Semyon Varlamov, Islanders blank Capitals to move into 1186578 Panthers winning streak will be tested against Carolina first-place tie Hurricanes 1186611 Brock Nelson's goal is all Islanders need to beat Capitals, tie for lead in East 1186612 Josh Bailey's assist on Brock Nelson's goal gives him 500 1186579 Kings routed by streaking Coyotes NHL points 1186580 What we’re hearing (and asking) as the struggling Kings 1186613 Islanders' Jordan Eberle, Josh Bailey set aside concerns approach the trade deadline over expansion draft 1186581 PRACTICE NOTES 4/6 – NEW LOOKS, LEMIEUX, ROLE 1186614 Chris King to miss third straight Islanders broadcast OF CONFIDENCE, LINEUP SPOTS, CLAGUE VIDEO 1186615 TURNING POINT: Brock Nelson’s Late Goal Seals Win 1186582 IN THE NICK OF TIME – THREE OUT TOO SOON For Islanders 1186583 FINAL – KINGS 2, COYOTES 5 – DOUGHTY, 1186616 Brock & Roll: Nelson Lifts Islanders to Win over Caps in MCLELLAN Defensive Showcase 1186584 GAME THREAD – KINGS VS. COYOTES, 4/5 1186617 Islanders Remain Interested in Kyle Palmieri, Could be 1186585 4/5 PREVIEW – VITALS & UPDATES, ARI BACK- Looking to Add Depth Forward TO-BACK, 5-ON-5 SCORING, ANDERSON 1186618 ‘Prepared for Anything,’ Islanders Lineup, Matchups and Game Notes vs. Caps 1186619 Islanders Trade Talk: How to Bring Kyle Palmieri to Long 1186586 Wild gets last shot for revenge against Avalanche in Island regular season 1186587 Wednesday's Wild-Colorado game preview 1186588 Badly played second period sinks Wild in loss to 1186620 Nils Lundkvist’s Rangers hype grows with major award Avalanche 1186621 Rangers rout Penguins as offense explodes, Igor 1186589 Fans come back to Xcel Center; Wild fall short to Shesterkin shines Avalanche 5-4 1186622 Henrik Lundqvist opens up about heart surgery: ‘Is this 1186590 Wild center Luke Johnson has been unsung hero in really happening?’ faceoff 1186623 Rangers scratch Julien Gauthier in favor of Phil Di Giuseppe 1186624 Rangers’ baffling power-play trend making Alexis 1186591 Canadiens' depth will be put to test against Leafs Lafreniere an anomaly 1186592 Canadiens' Carey Price won't make trip to with 1186625 Bet on Rangers having change of fortune against team Penguins 1186593 In the Habs' room: Staal's the hero with OT winner in first 1186626 Artemi Panarin, offense go on muscle as Rangers pound game with Canadiens Penguins 1186594 About Last Night: Staal champions 3-2 comeback against 1186627 Rangers defenseman Adam Fox stays hot on offense the Oilers 1186628 Rangers' Kid Line: What's old is new again with reunion of 1186595 The Canadiens are moving Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the wing Kakko, Lafreniere and Chytil for all the right reasons 1186629 The future can wait: Rangers are hungry, having fun in 1186596 Eric Staal had a storybook debut but his impact on the playoff race, including win over Penguins Canadiens could go much deeper 1186597 Cole Caufield’s Canadiens path: Lessons from Ryan Poehling, Alex DeBrincat and 1186630 Warrenspiece: Waiting on Brannstrom, Stuetzle's struggles, managing COVID-19 changes Nashville Predators 1186631 GARRIOCH: Mike Glover touched by the outpouring of 1186598 Nashville Predators put Detroit Red Wings away in support after having his leg amputated shootout 1186632 Pierre Groulx out, Zac Bierk in as Senators change 1186599 Josi makes history in Predators’ win over Blackhawks goaltending coaches 1186600 Injuries, not opponents, becoming Predators' biggest 1186633 Why the Senators hope a midseason coaching change challenge can restart Matt Murray 1186601 Mismash latest Predators' college prospect to sign Philadelphia Flyers 1186634 Flyers’ playoff chances dim as they fall to shorthanded 1186672 Lightning’s offense has gone bye-bye, and so has first Boston Bruins, 4-2 place 1186635 Oskar Lindblom returns to Flyers’ lineup; Scott Laughton downplays trade rumors 1186636 The Flyers will carry momentum into Tuesday’s 1186673 Carey Price to miss Canadiens game in Toronto on showdown; Bruins goalie making NHL debut Wednesday 1186637 Flyers goalie Carter Hart gets a chance at revenge on the 1186674 Campbell ties Maple Leafs franchise record with ninth Bruins | On the Fly straight win as Toronto beats Calgary 1186638 Observations from the Flyers’ overtime win at Boston 1186675 Felix Potvin remembers what it’s like to win straight games 1186639 Vigneault expects more from van Riemsdyk, Farabee and thinks Jack Campbell has it tougher 1186640 Five things we learned from Monday’s Flyers 3-2 overtime 1186676 GAME NIGHT: Canadiens at Maple Leafs win over Boston Bruins 1186677 Simmonds settling into groove again in Maple Leafs' 1186641 Career uncertainty fails to diminish Gostisbehere’s drive bottom six 1186642 Hart outdueled by younger goalie in Flyers loss to Bruins 1186678 Maple Leafs' Campbell closes in on a perfect 10; 'This was 1186643 Flyers Notebook: Improved play may put Fletcher in a always in him as a ' trading mood 1186679 SIMMONS: Dubas plays the trade waiting game and 1186644 With season starting to get late, Flyers stumble late to historically that's not his style Bruins and into 6th place 1186680 TRAIKOS: Infectious disease specialist says NHL season 1186645 A 6-foot-7 trade target that makes a lot of sense for Flyers is in "jeopardy" 1186646 Flyers trade targets: Looking for long-term and short-term 1186681 LeBrun: Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas on his needs and fits at the 2021 trade deadline priorities ahead of the trade deadline 1186682 Timothy Liljegren 1-on-1: On his Maple Leafs future, trade Penguins deadline rumours, development with Marlies 1186647 Empty Thoughts: Rangers 8, Penguins 4 1186683 Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl are excelling for the Leafs, 1186648 Tristan Jarry chased, John Marino hurt in Penguins loss to becoming one of the NHL’s top pairings Rangers 1186649 Penguins notebook: Frederick Gaudreau remains on 3rd Canucks line 1186703 COVID-19: Trade deadline tougher for Canucks amid 1186650 With Matt Murray struggling, Senators change their goalie uncertain return coach 1186704 COVID-19: Canucks winger Jake Virtanen joins NHL 1186651 Penguins to start goaltender Tristan Jarry against Rangers protocol list amid variant confusion 1186652 Penguins recall Gaudreau, O'Connor, Zohorna from taxi 1186705 Rocked by COVID-19, Canucks will need to find the squad energy to finish disappointing season 1186653 A trade idea for the Penguins — and who they may move in return 1186654 Tristan Jarry pulled in his return as Penguins routed by 1186684 Golden Knights defensemen continue offensive ways Rangers, 8-4 1186685 Alex Tuch not worried about offensive slump with Golden 1186655 Sources: Evgeni Malkin to skate individually on Knights Wednesday, an important first step in return 1186686 Robin Lehner provides stellar play for Golden Knights 1186656 Penguins notes: Is Frederick Gaudreau the answer at 1186687 ANALYSISKyle Palmieri: Why Not? Vegas Golden Knights fourth-line center? Trade Targets 1186657 Yohe’s 10 observations: ‘It looks like we’re kind of lost,’ 1186688 Tom’s Daily: VGK Make History Against Blues; Hall Talks Penguins’ Jared McCann says Heat Up; more 1186658 Dour Penguins Room: McCann, Sullivan Chastise 1186689 Golden Grades: Offense Ignites in Blowout Win Over Penguins PlayPublished 4 hours ago on April 7, 2021 Blues 1186659 Jarry Back, Blueger Not; Gm39 Penguins Lines & What to Watch vs. NYRPublished 15 hours ago on April 6, 2021 1186660 Penguins Recall Gaudreau, Zohorna & O’Connor; Tanev 1186690 One goal is all it takes this time as the Islanders edge the to IRPublished 18 hours ago on April 6, 2021 Capitals and forge a first-place tie 1186661 Deadline: Realistically, Can the Penguins Trade a 1186691 Brock Nelson's late goal gives Islanders a win over Defenseman?Published 21 hours ago on April 6, 2021 Capitals 1186692 As Nationals fans return, Wizards and Capitals wonder when their turn will come 1186662 Sharks waste opportunity with lethargic performance vs. 1186693 Capitals fall in goalie duel as Islanders pull even in East Ducks 1186694 Both Vanecek, Samsonov are making a case to be Caps' 1186663 COVID-19: Canucks’ situation a ‘wake-up call’ for Sharks players 1186695 Caps still see room to improve defense after Isles game 1186664 Is it safe for the Sharks to believe in Martin Jones again? 1186696 Lundqvist approached surgery with same focus he does 1186665 Postgame Notes #38: Sharks Give One Away, Lose 5-1 to hockey DucksPublished 4 hours ago on April 6, 2021 1186697 Playoff WATCH: Who are the Capitals likely to face? 1186666 Game Preview/Lines #38: Behind Jones’s Resurgence, 1186698 How NHL ready are Capitals prospects Aliaksei Protas Boughner Got Inside Info About JarosPublished 10 hours and Alex Alexeyev after their KHL stints? ago 1186667 What Should Sharks Expect Back for Renting Out Their Websites Cap Space? | SJHN+Published 17 hours ago on 1186706 Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: Sabres juggling multiple April 6, 2021 scenarios ahead of trade deadline 1186707 Sportsnet.ca / How no-movement clauses are shaping St Louis Blues Seattle's expansion landscape 1186668 COVID situation takes toll on Blues' prospects 1186708 Sportsnet.ca / Bo Horvat's experience reminder of human 1186669 Gordo: Berube is right back to sqaure one with struggling side of Canucks' COVID-19 crisis Blues 1186709 Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens Notebook: Could Gallagher's 1186670 Has Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington lost some of his injury free space for deadline moves? swagger? 1186671 Blues update: Berube brings the battle (drills) to practice Tuesday 1186699 Dubois finds fit with Wheeler 1186700 Bubble beckons as best bet for Canadian teams 1186701 An arresting case for Copp 1186702 With less on his shoulders, Jets' Dubois able to develop game SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1186507 Anaheim Ducks

John Gibson makes 34 saves as Ducks beat Sharks 5-1

By BEN ROSS ASSOCIATED PRESS APRIL 6, 2021 10:25 PM PT

SAN JOSE — David Backes and Nicolas Deslauriers each had a goal and an assist, and the Anaheim Ducks stopped San Jose’s four-game win streak with a 5-1 victory over the Sharks on Tuesday night.

Adam Henrique, Isac Lundestrom and Max Comtois also scored for Anaheim, which had lost three in a row. John Gibson made 34 saves.

Patrick Marleau scored a power-play goal for San Jose, and Martin Jones made 29 stops.

The Ducks grabbed control with three goals in the second.

Comtois made it 2-0 when he got his 11th goal 24 seconds into the period, converting a power-play opportunity.

After Marleau responded for the Sharks, Lundestrom made it 3-1 with his sixth at 2:44. Deslauriers tacked on his fourth of the season with 4:41 left in the period.

Backes added an empty-netter goal with 7:13 remaining, his third of the year. That was more than enough offense for Gibson, who earned his eighth win of the season.

LA Times: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186508 Anaheim Ducks Backes scored a third-period goal to make it 5-1 with 7:13 remaining. The Sharks pulled Jones in favor of an extra attacker, desperate to rally and perhaps gain another point in the standings as they have become a late Ducks give John Gibson all the support he needs to beat Sharks arrival to the West Division playoff race. Backes made them pay.

“That’s the kind of effort we know we’re capable of and we’ve been looking for most of the season,” Backes said. “We’ve had spurts of really By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: April 6, 2021 at 10:16 p.m. | good connected play. Tonight was more of a 60-minute effort. You see UPDATED: April 6, 2021 at 11:02 p.m. the power-play score to extend the lead. Just a lot more of the components we need to win.”

Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.07.2021 Kevin Shattenkirk airmailed a pass to Danton Heinen streaking into the attacking zone along the left wing. Heinen then zipped a pass to Adam Henrique, who sent a laser into the back of Martin Jones’ net. Suddenly, unexpectedly, the Ducks were off and running Tuesday night in San Jose.

The Ducks then scored three times in the decisive second period, ended an eight-game power-play drought, got points from 13 different players and relied on goaltender John Gibson to stabilize things when they didn’t have the puck during a 5-1 rout of the Sharks at SAP Center.

Gibson made 34 saves, several of them sensational and others merely routine. His teammates took care of the rest.

“It felt like we had 20 guys pulling the rope in the same direction,” said right wing David Backes, who had a goal and an assist. “Truthfully, I bet a lot of guys would say it was an easier game because everyone was doing their part. I heard some guys coming off the ice saying, ‘That was fun.’”

Above all, the Ducks played with efficiency and confidence that were lacking during a three-game losing streak. They built leads of 2-0, 3-1 and then 4-1 entering the third period. The Ducks (12-21-7) ended the Sharks’ four-game winning streak and improved their road mark to 7-9-3.

The Ducks played without Ryan Getzlaf for the second game because of an upper-body injury, Rickard Rakell for the fourth game because of an upper-body injury and Sam Steel for the third game because of a lower- body injury. Their absences didn’t prevent a rare scoring outburst.

Henrique’s goal gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead 5:55 into the game, an eye- catching play that set an early tone. Sam Carrick followed it up with a display of old-fashioned, hard-nosed hockey. Denied by Jones on a point-blank try, he then fought with the Sharks’ Jeffrey Viel at 13:51 of the first.

Carrick was bloodied when Viel tagged him square in the visor, opening a nasty gash on his nose. Carrick left the ice for treatment, with blood on his face, his visor and jersey. Backup goalie Ryan Miller greeted Carrick with a tap on the back as Carrick departed for the dressing room.

It was the second time in as many games since Carrick was recalled from the of the AHL that he had a fighting major. He scored a goal in the Ducks’ loss Sunday to the and had an assist Tuesday against the Sharks.

“Sammy comes in and plays solid,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “He understands the game. He’s a grizzled veteran. Knowing him for so long, I’d expect no less from him. The guys on the bench feed off him. The guys on the bench respond to it and it inspires them.”

The Ducks began to win more than their fair share of small battles. They latched onto loose pucks and moved smartly from the defensive zone and through the neutral zone and pressured the Sharks by playing more offense than defense. Soon, the Sharks were on their heels.

Max Comtois matched Henrique for the team lead with his 11th goal, a power-play strike 24 seconds into the second period. Rookie defenseman Jamie Drysdale set up Comtois’ goal with an alert pass from the high slot. Comtois, stationed near the left goal post, tapped it into the net.

Patrick Marleau cut the Ducks’ lead to 2-1 with his 564th career goal, passing Mats Sundin and Joe Nieuwendyk for 23rd place on the NHL’s all-time list, a power-play strike that gave San Jose an all-too-brief jolt of energy and momentum.

Isac Lundestrom restored the Ducks’ three-goal lead, capping a flurry of goals in the opening 2:44 of the second period. Nicolas Deslauriers extended the Ducks’ lead to 4-1, beating Jones thanks to a fortunate bounce off the leg of retreating Sharks defenseman Radim Simek. 1186509 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks’ power play getting a new look as the season nears its end

Coach Dallas Eakins has formed a kids-only man-advantage unit, one he hopes will click now and in the future

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: April 6, 2021 at 11:13 a.m. | UPDATED: April 6, 2021 at 11:04 p.m.

Squandered leads, injuries to key players, lack of scoring and lack of consistency have played significant roles in the Ducks’ demise this season, but nothing stands out as much as their NHL-worst power play, clicking at just 10.5 percent going into Tuesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks.

The Ducks had the fewest power-play goals with nine and the fewest chances with 86 before facing the Sharks. Five of their man-advantage goals have come while skating five-on-four, two came on four-on-three situations, one came on a five-on-three and another on a six-on-four.

Coach Dallas Eakins tried a new approach the past two games, one he might stick with for the rest of the season. One five-man unit was composed of younger players and the other was made up of veterans. The changes failed to provide the desired results, but nothing else has worked either.

“You might see more of that going down the road here, through our last bunch of games,” Eakins said. “You might see younger players playing together and veteran guys playing together as we try to get some kind of familiarity and build something for the seasons to come.”

The younger power-play group was an intriguing group that included Max Comtois, Jamie Drysdale, Isac Lundestrom and Trevor Zegras (before Zegras was reassigned to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL on Monday). Adam Henrique, Cam Fowler and Jakob Silfverberg were included in the older unit.

“The thought is to try to start building the pieces for down the road and maybe it turns into a little competition (between the units),” Eakins said. “You’ve got a bunch of young guys on the one power play and a bunch of older guys on the other one. (The kids) have the ability to move the puck quickly.

“Drysdale can get the puck through to the net, so does ‘Z.’”

Eakins referred to Zegras by his nickname.

Of equal or greater concern is increasing the Ducks’ ability to draw penalties. Recent games have produced only one or two man-advantage chances and the lack of opportunities has coincided with a lack of power- play goals. They faced an eight-game power-play drought going into Tuesday.

The problem is of the Ducks’ own making, according to Eakins. Skating harder to the net, making defenders choose between giving up a scoring chance and taking a , could more opportunities. Spending more time attacking than defending also would aid their cause.

“The place, for me, to draw penalties is in the O-zone,” Eakins said, referring to the offensive zone. “If you have sustained O-zone time, the other team gets tired and they’re more apt to get a stick up on the hands or something like that. It’s O-zone time. It’s getting on the inside of their player.”

There is another way, but Eakins said he would rather not sink to that level.

“Well, we could dive, we could embellish by throwing our head back and things like that,” he said. “I think that is paying off for some teams around the league, but it’s not going to happen with our group. It’s something I detest in the game and we’re never going to promote that. If we ever see it happening, it’s immediately addressed. We’re not going to go about the game that way.”

Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186510 Anaheim Ducks It is a demanding position. The defensive responsibilities are more expansive. Faceoffs. Carrying the puck more.

But if there is anything that Zegras has shown in his five weeks with Is the Ducks’ decision to send Trevor Zegras to the AHL the right move? Anaheim, it’s that the puck needs to be in his hands and that his When could he make his NHL return? linemates need to learn how to read off him. Something tends to happen more often than not. Pucks aren’t just dumped in behind opposing defensemen when he gets it at the start of a shift. And when he has By Eric Stephens Apr 6, 2021 some room to operate, a scoring chance often does emanate from his possession.

Like when he put the puck on Adam Henrique’s stick for the veteran to What do you give the young player that could be the centerpiece to a shovel into the net to win an overtime game against Los Angeles. Or like rebuilding effort after he has his first multi-point game in the NHL? A trip Sunday when he got Coyotes defenseman Jordan Gross to turn over the back to the minor leagues with no set return date. puck behind his net and immediately threw a backhand pass to Sam This was the parting gift the Ducks gave Trevor Zegras following his two- Carrick for a bang-bang scoring play. assist outing Sunday in their 3-2 overtime loss to Arizona. The skilled “With that play, I didn’t even really have to call for it,” Carrick said. “I’m forward that was the ninth pick of the 2019 entry draft and touted not sure I even did. He’s that special of a player. He got in on the prospect that’s been finding his way in the big leagues had the primary forecheck and made a read on their defenseman and made him turn it assist on both of Anaheim’s goals during a six-minute span in the first over. And then he must have known that I was there and threw it in front. period. In the eyes of coach Dallas Eakins, the 20-year-old had “an I had an easy job of just putting it away. Great play by him.” excellent game.” Later on, Zegras circled up high in the Arizona zone and flung an Instead of having him travel to San Jose to prepare for their next game accurate cross-body shot toward the net that Derek Grant could deflect — which would be the 18th of his rookie season — the Ducks changed past goalie Adin Hill. course and assigned him to the ’s San Diego Gulls, where he ripped off four goals and nine points in eight games Those two plays showed how the would-be NHL pivot has the potential to before getting promoted to make his NHL debut on Feb. 22. make those around him a little better.

Huh? “His brain is picking up to the pace of the game,” Eakins said recently. “What I mean by that is there’s not a full beat, that full second of him Scant slivers of excitement have come from the Ducks in this sorry realizing, ‘Oh man, I should have been there.’ Or ‘I should have done season. There has been little for supporters to gear up for as a last-place this,’ or ‘I should have acted this way.’ (And) he’s a full beat off. The play team sits with a 11-21-7 record and 17 contests left to be scratched off has gone by him or he’s maybe missed a small responsibility. He’s before 2020-21 can be put to rest. Zegras is one of those few rays of picking it up quicker and quicker. hope. Jamie Drysdale, their top pick in last year’s draft, is another. “And that’s the toughest thing for these guys. It goes back to when we Monday’s maneuver was a gut punch to those who still tune in to watch. didn’t have him here, everybody was dying for him to come in. We were The Ducks are aware of the zeal and thrill that Zegras and his loads of doing our best to let him get up to . Because playing in college and potential bring. It is surely one reason why they took the rare step of playing the world juniors is not the same as playing in the American issuing a statement from general manager Bob Murray outlining his League. And playing in the is not the same as playing decision in what is normally a standard player assignment and team in the NHL.” announcement done countless times during a season. Now another question does present itself. Why can’t he just start playing The head-scratching that accompanied this particular move for a young center with the Ducks? One is there are a lot of bodies up with the club player that was making the adjustment to the rigors of playing nightly at right now. Ryan Getzlaf, of course. Henrique. Grant. Isac Lundestrom, NHL speed against better defenders wasn’t solely limited to the fan base. who has made strides toward being an everyday option. Sam Steel, who But the why that Murray laid out does appear to have some merit. is currently dealing with a lower-body injury. David Backes filling in on “Our goal was to help Trevor transition more smoothly into the NHL, so occasion. we started him out on the wing,” Murray said “He’s ahead of our But it’s not as if the Ducks are in a playoff hunt. That ship sailed at the scheduled progression and as a result we are moving him to center ice end of February. The thinking with not having Zegras play in the middle effective immediately. He will need some experience in the AHL first, but right away with them is not risking that his confidence will take an our expectation is that he will be back in the NHL in the near future and immediate hit if he struggles when going up in this division-only schedule play center for the Ducks for years to come.” against Anze Kopitar or Nathan MacKinnon or Logan Couture. William Let’s unpack some of this. Karlsson and Brayden Schenn are no slouches either. Eakins could do his best to create more favorable matchups, but it is much tougher to get Zegras broke in on left wing after playing that position in this year’s world those on the road. juniors, where he was the tournament’s leading scorer and most valuable player in powering the to its first gold medal since 2017. He The other side of that argument is that if Zegras is to possibly be their was playing on the wing with the Gulls. And on the forward’s draft night, first-line center in time, he’ll have to deal with those studs anyway. The Murray said that he could easily envision the forward starting out there Ducks would rather him regain a comfort level with the position in the when he reached the NHL. AHL before bringing him up for good, expecting that will occur before this NHL season ends. There are elite playmakers who do their work from the wing. Patrick Kane is one. Jonathan Huberdeau and Blake Wheeler are two others. Hall of It will be a process. Lundestrom went through it. Steel went through it. At Famer Paul Kariya, the franchise’s first superstar, was considered by the highest level, they’re still going through it. How long or short that many to be the game’s best left wing during his peak. process will be is something Zegras — their homegrown forward with the highest ceiling since Bobby Ryan — could determine. But the sublime passer that is Zegras grew up as a center. He played in the middle during his lone season at Boston University. Murray never “I think a lot of guys his age, it takes a while to kind of ease into the pro ruled that out. And Eakins has said on multiple occasions that the New game,” Carrick said. “It’s so different from juniors and college and all that. York native playing center was part of the organization’s long view. I know he had a great world juniors. But the pro game is a different animal. I think he did just a great job coming in here this year before Still, there’s this feeling that rewarding his first two-point game with more training camp and getting in condition with the guys. He didn’t dip his AHL seasoning is like asking a chef to flip some burgers for a while after toes in the water in pro. He kind of jumped right in. he created a gourmet dinner at a Michelin three-star restaurant. “He’s been awesome so far. I think it’s very promising for the “Very little surprises me anymore,” said a former NHL executive who has organization to see a young guy like that come in and do so well.” followed Zegras. “It sounds sensible, but it does not make sense to me.” The plan originally was to have Zegras play center next season. Having him do an apprenticeship first before he starts life as a center Internally over the last few days, the decision shifted to starting that with the Ducks doesn’t appear to be an issue with some close to Zegras. process now given that his game was quickly developing beyond his innate ability to see the ice and look for teammates on the power play. Strengthening his slim frame has been a concern since his drafting, and the Ducks currently have him on an off-ice program.

What the club doesn’t feel is that moving Zegras to the middle now is some kind of indicator that an opening will be created by Monday’s trade deadline. Getzlaf is dealing with an upper-body injury but even if he were healthy, it is believed that the longtime Anaheim star does not want to seek a deal to a contender. Just nine points away from becoming the Ducks’ all-time leading scorer, Getzlaf has talked in the past about playing through another contract but has yet to address his future beyond this season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent. Murray said he would wait until season’s end to talk those topics with his .

Henrique has three years left on the extension he signed with Anaheim in 2018. The chances he makes it to the end of that with the Ducks seem slim, given that he was put on . No team claimed him as it did not want to take on the full freight of his remaining $18 million. But the possibility of Anaheim retaining up to 50 percent if a deal presents itself shouldn’t be ruled out. The veteran has also played on left wing throughout his career, but he’s been most productive when playing in the middle.

Another element is involved. If the Ducks were to keep him in the AHL long enough to where he doesn’t play in 27 NHL games this season, it will push the clock toward him becoming eligible for UFA status until after the 2027-28 season. The team wants him and Drysdale to be cornerstone parts of a new franchise core. With just the 17 games left, Drysdale won’t hit the 27-game threshold and that will also allow Anaheim to keep seven years of team control. It might not thrill their agents, but it’s a mechanism teams have.

This move could have more ramifications and permutations as the days and weeks and months go on. But the base play is Zegras becoming an NHL center and the time for him to possibly take the baton from Getzlaf as the Ducks’ next great top-line playmaker starts now. It just will be Wednesday against the Ontario Reign in a game played at a small rink in Irvine instead of facing Couture and the Sharks in San Jose.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186511 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes beating fatigue and finding wins in second game of back-to- backs

JOSE M. ROMERO | Arizona Republic

As the Arizona Coyotes stack some wins together the way they have of late, one of the upward trends has been their play in the second of back- to-back games.

The Coyotes, with Monday night's 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on the road, are 4-1-1 in the second of back-to-backs this season, with four consecutive wins.

They have won the second of back-to-back games this season against Minnesota, Colorado, San Jose and the Kings. Three more such scheduling situations remain, including April 11 and 12 when the Coyotes will play a set of back-to-back games in two different cities, at Vegas then at Colorado.

The most recent back-to-back was Sunday and Monday at Anaheim and at Los Angeles, but those cities are only separated by some freeway miles. Las Vegas and Denver on consecutive days will be a bigger challenge, and the Golden Knights and Avalanche are also much higher- caliber competition.

Forward Conor Garland said a good start to the second game of back-to- backs is key, and also helps out a goalie who is playing his second game in as many days, as was the case Monday night.

Head coach Rick Tocchet said he has to give credit to his players for being ready to play the second night. The Coyotes are 2-3-1 in the first game of back-to-back days this season.

Tocchet has had success inserting rested players or taxi squad call-ups into the lineup for second games. Monday night, Drake Caggiula and Jason Demers, both healthy scratches in recent games, got into the rotation and Demers produced an assist in 22 minutes, 26 seconds of ice time, the second-most on the team for the game.

"I've been playing four lines. You pick your spots with certain guys to get them out there," Tocchet said. "I've got to make sure everybody gets on the ice, we spread the minutes."

Tocchet has noticed his more fatigue-affected players figuring out a smarter way to play when on the ice, while still contributing to the team's current run of six wins in seven games.

Goalie Adin Hill has started back-to-back games with no full day in between twice in the past six games.

"I just try to tell myself to be patient and just focus on winning the games. It doesn't matter if we win 5-4 or 1-0," Hill told SiriusXM NHL radio on Tuesday. "Just trying to stay focused and focus on what I can."

Arizona Republic LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186512 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes’ Michael Bunting gets first career hat trick in win over Kings

BY JOHNNY SOTO

It was a night Arizona Coyotes left wing Michael Bunting would never forget.

Entering his ninth career start on Monday, Bunting netted his first career hat trick in a 5-2 Coyotes victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

“I felt good,” Bunting said. “The more and more games I get in the more comfortable I can be with my game. I felt it tonight, I felt the puck was on my stick and I was moving it well.”

Bunting got Arizona rolling early on against the Kings as he scored the first two goals of the game during the first period.

“It’s always nice to get that first goal,” Bunting said. “I think any player will agree once you get a quick goal your game elevates that much and your confidence comes. So I think after that first one I calmed down a bit and let my game take over instead of worrying about everything else.”

The 25-year-old left wing came into Monday’s contest with just one goal on the season while appearing in three games for the Coyotes.

“I’ve been here for a short time,” the left wing said. “But you can tell this group in there is close and they like having fun so when that’s the case, it’s much easier to play. And success falls when the guys are having fun together.”

During a power play in second period, the left wing saw his opportunity and got his third goal of the game putting the Coyotes up 4-1, with 11:12 left in the period.

The wait is finally over, #Yotes fans.

Almost 24 long hours later, we have a hat trick! pic.twitter.com/pBjKRAkhKl

— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) April 6, 2021

The previous night in Anaheim, Jakob Chychrun also got a hat trick of his own in a 3-2 overtime victory against the Ducks.

It was the first combined consecutive hat tricks for Arizona since 2000-01 when Vernon Fiddler and Ray Whitney did so on Nov. 12 and 13, respectively.

Arizona will look to win their fourth straight game on Wednesday against the Kings at 7 p.m.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186513 Boston Bruins penalty kills. He had 36 saves by the second period of his first career start.

It was 1-0 at 7:09, after Bergeron potted a rebound created by Patrice Bergeron scores hat trick in Bruins victory over Flyers Marchand’s stickhandling out high, the shot he slung on the net and Craig Smith’s tip off Carter Hart’s chest. Bergeron had his 13th goal of the year, and 900th career point (fourth among Bruins). By Matt Porter Globe Staff,Updated April 6, 2021, 9:52 p.m. Swayman came up big on the 2-0 goal. After Philadelphia’s Scott Laughton turned a Matt Grzelcyk fumble into a shorthanded breakaway, Swayman made a pad stop. The Bruins took the rebound and raced the PHILADELPHIA — Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron are dragging other way, Marchand and David Pastrnak setting up Bergeron for a one- their teammates toward the playoffs. timer he jammed through the five-hole. Three days after Marchand’s hat trick in Boston, Bergeron provided Patrice Bergeron reacts after scoring a third-period goal Tuesday against another on Broad Street. Those two on Tuesday powered the the Flyers. shorthanded Bruins to a 4-2 win over the Flyers here, boosting their edge in the East Division. Swayman’s first puck touch was a reverse to his defenseman. His first save was a blocker job on Nicolas Aube-Kubel. The first big stop of his Some five weeks from the postseason, the fourth-place Bruins (20-10-6) career came shorthanded, on a Joel Farabee redirect in the slot. have a 5-point edge and two games in hand on the fifth-place Flyers (18- 15-5). “That’s a positioning play, most of all,” said Swayman, who also blockered aside a Nolan Patrick try off the rush on that first-period Maybe over the next 20 games, the Bruins will have their top two penalty kill. “I can’t take credit for cat-like reflexes, because that’s just a netminders and No. 1 defenseman back and healthy. That wasn’t the seeing-eye shot. I was lucky enough to have my glove there.” case at the Wells Fargo Center, where Tuukka Rask, Jaroslav Halak, and Charlie McAvoy were not seen. The Bruins squandered a 2-0 lead, Jakub Zboril’s rookie struggles continued. He was on the ice for both on a pair of Bergeron goals, in a miserable second period (outshot, 25-7). Flyers goals through 40 minutes, benched for a long stretch of the Debuting netminder Jeremy Swayman was seeing rubber like he did second, and finished as the low man on defense (12:11 TOI). during his days in . Swayman lifted him with a breakaway save, after a first-period blocked No matter. The Bruins allowed four shots in the third, taking better care of shot went the other way. In the second, before the Flyers made it 2-1 at their own zone. They got a shorthanded strike from Marchand (1-3—4) the 1:33 mark, Zboril tripped and lost the puck to Travis Konecny, who and an empty-netter from Bergeron (3-0—3). That made a winner out of found Jake Voracek for a tap-in. He logged one more shift in the second Swayman, 22, who was named second star after making 40 saves. after the next Flyers goal, a Shayne Gostisbehere strike at 4:03.

“He was pretty relaxed,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “What I’ve been told The Bruins were outshot, 9-1, and outscored, 2-0, in the first 7:00 of the is he’s used to some of those nights at Maine, but that’s atypical of our second. The Flyers tied the score amid more Bruins puck-chasing. On an team. He deserved much better support than we gave him. He got it in extended shift in the defensive zone, Trent Frederic lost his stick, and his the third. I’m happy for him.” man, Gostisbehere, got loose and ripped a shot over Swayman’s glove. It was one of the only misplays for the netminder, who went down and Swayman, called on with Rask (upper body) and Halak (COVID list) out, couldn’t get a push across, leaving plenty of space high. and fellow rookie Dan Vladar resting after working the previous night in Boston, was beaming afterward. He was also beaming during the game, “He was battling all night,” Bergeron said of the newcomer. “He gave us a as the cameras showed. true chance to win. That poise was evident from the get-go. He looked ready. He looked calm. He was the same way on the ice. Good for him. “First off, what an incredible experience,” Swayman said. “My mentality Hopefully many more to come.” was, don’t get too high, don’t get too low. I learned that from [goalie coach] Alfie Michaud back at Maine. That’s going to stick with me for a Boston Globe LOADED: 04.07.2021 long time. One shot at a time.”

On the winning goal, struggling rookie defenseman Jeremy Lauzon made the right play. After Marchand created a shorthanded turnover to the slot, Lauzon took the open ice and rushed 2 on 1 with Marchand. Philadelphia’s Shayne Gostisbehere played him tightly, sliding over to deny the pass. Lauzon got it over anyway.

“Made a heck of a play,” Cassidy said of Lauzon, whose penalty trouble severely hurt the Bruins the night before.

You can guess what happened next. Marchand deked to open Carter Hart’s pads, slipped it through, and the Bruins had a lead to protect.

The returning Kevan Miller (22:25) and Lauzon (24:09) helped kill the final 6 on 5, until Marchand and Bergeron teamed up to end it.

“Every one of those guys came up to me after and congratulated me,” Swayman said. “That just goes to show what kind of organization we have. My job is to stop pucks, and that’s what I wanted to do for the team. I know if I’m going to do my job, they’re going to do theirs.”

Patrice Bergeron celebrates with Jeremy Swayman after Boston's win over Philadelphia Tuesday night.

Without McAvoy (upper body, a late scratch), the Bruins struggled to defend their zone, get out of their zone, and stay in the opposite end. The Flyers outshot the Bruins, 38-18, through two periods of a tie game. After a relatively tidy first by the visitors, the home team battered the Bruins. They scored twice in the second and hit two posts.

Swayman, essentially, was learning to swim by being tossed over the side of a boat in a Nor’easter. He allowed two goals off of defensive breakdowns, bailed out his mates with a pair of breakaway stops — on blocked shots that went the other way — and was huge during two 1186514 Boston Bruins Strong return for Miller

Swayman was playing behind a compromised back end. While Kevan Miller (right knee) looked strong in his return from a 20-game absence, Jeremy Swayman wins his NHL debut in net; Charlie McAvoy sidelined the Bruins announced shortly before puck drop that No. 1 workhorse with injury Charlie McAvoy was unavailable because of an upper-body injury.

No further information on McAvoy’s condition was immediately known. By Matt Porter Globe Staff, Updated April 6, 2021, 1:21 p.m. Cassidy did not have an update afterward, calling No. 73 “day to day.”

McAvoy, widely considered a Norris Trophy candidate, is arguably the most important player on the roster. The No. 1 defenseman leads the Jeremy Swayman signed with the Bruins last spring after three glittering Bruins’ back line in points (4-18—22) despite playing secondary power- seasons at the University of Maine. play time, and is averaging a team-high 24:23 per night.

Jeremy Swayman signed with the Bruins last spring after three glittering His absence put Miller on the top pair in his return, next to Matt Grzelcyk. Jeremy Swayman was a dreamer in Alaska. He was a student in Maine. The veteran was on the ice to kill the Flyers’ late 6 on 5 along with On Tuesday, he became a big-leaguer in Philadelphia. Jeremy Lauzon, the rookie who rebounded after penalty trouble on Monday. Lauzon contributed a shorthanded assist on a Brad Marchand The 22-year-old goaltender, who left the University of Maine last spring goal. after three glittering seasons and signed with the Bruins, made 40 stops in his NHL debut against the Flyers. “He had good composure with the puck,” Cassidy said of Miller, noting how that area has been a challenge for his younger teammates. “As They went with Swayman rather than overextend Dan Vladar, who advertised. Really nice to have him back in the lineup.” started Monday. Jaroslav Halak, who is in COVID protocol, remains day to day. He is not on the road trip. Tuukka Rask, who traveled with the Jakub Zboril and Steve Kampfer were the second pair, with Lauzon and team, is not ready to return. Connor Clifton the third.

Swayman’s journey from Anchorage to Orono — some 4,460 miles Wagner makes his case across the continent, with stops in the American midwest in between — was a lot longer than his rise from Providence to Boston. Last spring, he Fourth-line winger Chris Wagner came out of mothballs, after five was named college hockey’s top goaltender, winning the Mike Richter consecutive healthy scratches (nine in the last 12). Cassidy said issues Award, and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker. with pace and puck management led to Wagner’s stint in the press box.

After beating the Flyers, 4-2, and surviving a 25-shot barrage in the Wagner had an assist, four hits, and a blocked shot in 10:34, and more second period, Swayman had a lot of people to thank: his family, “my dad importantly, earned a shift with Marchand and Bergeron in the final two [Ken] most of all,” the coaching staffs at Maine [assistants Alfie Michaud minutes, the Bruins playing 5 on 6, before Marchand’s empty-netter. and Ben Guite] and with the Bruins [Bob Essensa and Mike Dunham]. “Chris deserved it,” Cassidy said. “Willing to do what it takes to keep the “You can’t make a long enough list to get to this level,” said Swayman, puck out of the net. Protecting a lead is where he can help us.” believed to be the 14th player (and second goalie, joining Pheonix That wasn’t the case for the Nick Ritchie-David Krejci-David Pastrnak Copley) from the 49th state. “Everyone’s got a unique story, and mine second line. Cassidy said he “shortened the bench a little for guys that especially, coming from Alaska, a small town with not too many guys who are willing to check and manage pucks and play the right way to help our make it to NHL — to be a part of that group now is one day I’ve always goaltender” in the third period. dreamed of.” That trio skated three shifts in the third, while the other lines logged As a first-year AHLer, Swayman allowed 17 goals in nine games (1.89 between six and 10. GAA) and stopped .933 percent of shots, ranking third in the league in both categories. He won 8 of 10 games (8-1-1). One unique factor Boston Globe LOADED: 04.07.2021 presented by this COVID season: Swayman, whose most recent game was March 31, has only faced two opponents in Providence’s realigned division (Bridgeport and Hartford). Neither happens to be affiliated with the Flyers.

“You’re going to get your first game sooner or later,” coach Bruce Cassidy said before puck drop. I don’t think he’s thinking too far ahead about that. He’s thinking about making his first save and the next save after that.”

Jeremy Swayman keeps an eye on the action early in Tuesday's win over Philadelphia.

The Bruins, hoping to develop a successor to Rask, drafted Swayman in the fourth round (111th overall) in 2017, out of the USHL (Sioux Falls). Two years before, they took Vladar, then a Czech junior, in the third round (75th overall).

In short viewing windows in practices and in Providence games, Cassidy saw in Swayman a technically sound, active, very competitive goalie. When Vladar made his first NHL start in Pittsburgh on March 16, “there was a long discussion” about whether he or Swayman should go.

Patrice Bergeron declared afterward that the future of Boston’s goaltending is “bright.” In a playoff race, in a run of five games in seven nights and two rookies punching the clock, they need the future to arrive now.

“I enjoyed every second of it,” Swayman said of his debut. “That’s what a lot of the vets told me, especially Tuuks … ‘Enjoy it, it’s once in a lifetime.’

“I absolutely love this game. To do it on the biggest stage, with the best players in the world, how can you not have fun doing that? It was fun. It was fun.” 1186515 Boston Bruins But disaster struck for the B’s early in the second and the much more determined Flyers evened the game in the first 4:03 of the period.

First, the Murphy’s Law that has been governing some of their young Bruins, Jeremy Swayman survive Flyers, 4-2 defenders lately struck Jakub Zboril. The B’s looked like they had an Rookie goalie makes 40 saves in the win easy breakout when David Krejci gave a short, soft pass to Zboril. It hit the defenseman’s left skate and Zboril went down in a heap. Travis Konecny collected the gift and, from the right wing, fed Jakub Voracek for a redirection goal just beyond Swayman’s outstretched pad 1:33 in. By STEVE CONROY | PUBLISHED: April 6, 2021 at 9:56 p.m. | UPDATED: April 6, 2021 at 11:21 p.m. Then Shayne Gostisbehere made it a brand-new game at 4:03. The fourth line got caught in their own zone, a situation exacerbated by Trent

Frederic breaking his stick. Eventually Gostisbehere got below the The ambitious youth movement the Bruins have undertaken this year has helpless Frederic and he beat Swayman over the glove. produced some decidedly mixed results. But when it comes to hockey’s The B’s got through the rest of the second period on rubber legs as the most important position, the club’s future looks pretty darn bright. Flyers kept throwing haymakers. The Flyers got 25 shots on net in the Playing in his first NHL game Tuesday night, Jeremy Swayman made 40 period to the Bruins’ seven, and that’s not counting the three posts Philly saves, including 23 in a brutal second period, to lift the B’s to a 4-2 hit behind Swayman. victory over the Flyers in Philadelphia. The message from the coaching staff? Patrice Bergeron led the way offensively with a hat trick and Brad “It was about this young guy going in there playing his first NHL game Marchand had a four-point night (1-3), including the game-winner. and he’s standing on his head to keep us in the game. And the guys that But as good as the leaders were, the night belonged to Swayman. have NHL talent need to provide NHL effort with that talent in the checking and managing pucks,” said Cassidy. “What an incredible experience. To get a win here in Philly means everything, with it being the first one,” said the baby-faced Swayman, Message received. The B’s allowed just four shots to get through to who was used to seeing a lot of rubber in college. “My mentality Swayman in the third and he turned them all aside while Marchand and throughout the game was don’t get too high, don’t get too low. I learned Bergeron won the game at the other end. that from (Maine Black Bear assistant) Alfie Michaud back in Maine and Said Bergeron of Swayman: “He gave us a true chance to win the game.” that’s going to stick with me for a while. It’s one shot at a time.” And in the end, they did not let him down. With the B’s improbably still in a tie with the Flyers after the lopsided second period, Marchand gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead with a shorthanded Boston Herald LOADED: 04.07.2021 goal at 8:24 of the third period. Jeremy Lauzon, who had been struggling mightily since returning from a broken hand, broke the puck out from his own defensive slot and picked up Marchand for a two-on-one. Lauzon, who led all B’s in ice time (24:09), dished to the man with the hands, and Marchand deftly got Carter Hart to open his pads and scored through the gap.

Bergeron then finished off the Flyers with an empty-netter to notch his hat trick.

With Swayman making his NHL debut, the evening began with disquieting news that No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy was going to be a scratch because of an upper body injury. That left Kevan Miller, who was in his first game back after missing 20 because of knee problems, bumped up to see some time on the first pairing with Matt Grzelcyk.

That did not make for ideal circumstances. But in 22:25 of some seriously grown-up blue line work, Miller showed what he could mean for the B’s if he can stay healthy, especially late in the game with Hart pulled for the extra attacker as he and Lauzon jammed the puck along the boards to kill precious time.

“I think he had good composure with the puck, which is something we’ve been preaching and we’ve asked some of our less experienced players to try to play at the right pace but recognize when you have enough time to make the right read and make the right play,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “And then obviously late in the game, third period, with a lead, he’s the type of guy that’s going to do the right thing, be in the right spot. I thought he was physical when he needed to be. Just as advertised. So it was real nice to have him back in the lineup.”

Swayman was certainly locked in to start the game, turning away all 13 shots he faced in the first and allowing the B’s to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission on two Bergeron goals.

The B’s took the lead at 7:10 of the first period on Bergeron’s first goal, which was also his 900th career point.

Then Bergeron made it 2-0 at 17:32 on a power play, with an unofficial assist going to Swayman. Grzelcyk fumbled the puck at the Philly blue line, allowing Scott Laughton to take off on a shorthanded breakaway. Swayman, who’d already made a terrific glove save of a deflection earlier in the period, thwarted the Laughton breakaway. Marchand then lifted the stick of the trailing Kevin Hayes and, with the two Flyers caught deep in the B’s zone, went on the quick counterattack.

Marchand fed David Pastrnak on the right wing and Pastrnak relayed it to Bergeron in the unusually uncovered bumper spot for Bergeron to beat Hart through the five-hole for his 14th goal of the year. 1186516 Boston Bruins “Not a lot of practice time for us, unfortunately for Kevan. Kevan’s been around for a while so he knows the ins and outs of the game in the ,” said Cassidy.

Jeremy Swayman gets nod in net for Bruins “We were told (by the medical staff) it was going to be this week (for his return). We wouldn’t start him with back-to-backs. Their thinking is ‘let’s not tax it too much right away. Let’s get him through some games and By STEVE CONROY | PUBLISHED: April 6, 2021 at 1:25 p.m. | see where it leads.’ At the start of the year, we thought we were on a UPDATED: April 6, 2021 at 7:01 p.m. really good path to deal with it. Then all of a sudden it acted up. Then probably it took a while longer than everyone originally thought to get

back to where it needed to be. That’ll be the thinking going forward, that Down both their top two veteran goalies and in the midst of a brutally we’ll have to manage it between Kevan and the medical staff. If he’s tough schedule, the Bruins had little choice but to give their highly-touted healthy, he’s in. If not, then we go with the next guy.” goaltending prospect Jeremy Swayman his NHL debut Tuesday in Wagner back in Philadelphia against the Flyers. Chris Wagner, who has played just two games since March 13, went The University of Maine product, who won the Mike Richter Award last back in the lineup. Part of the reason he was on the outside looking in season as the top goalie in the NCAA, has posted an 8-1 record with a was that the club wanted to look at some young players, part of it was .933 save percentage and 1.89 goals against average in Providence. that Wagner’s play had left the door open a crack. Meanwhile, Jaroslav Halak was not able to travel with the team to Philly “His pace was off a little,” said Cassidy. “I think he was getting tracked because he’s on the COVID protocols list (he remained there as Tuesday down in the neutral zone and he wasn’t getting there on time to be at 5 p.m.) and Tuukka Rask has returned to the ice for practice but it’s physical. We talked about that. Some of that is being on your toes a little not clear when he’ll be able to return after suffering an apparent back more, some of it is working on shortening your shifts, going full blast for injury. He’s played one period in a month. shorter periods of times. If you get stuck out there a little longer, that’s And so, in the Year of the Youth for the B’s, they turn to Swayman, their going to affect everybody. Then the message is just go play your game. fourth round pick from 2017. He’s a guy that can give us some energy.”

“You’re going to get your first game sooner or later, so here we are in the After being benched for most of the second period on Monday, Zach middle of a busy week. And he knows he might go right back in there if Senyshyn was the healthy scratch to make room for Wagner. You have Tuukka and Jaro aren’t ready,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “I don’t think to wonder if the 2015 first-round pick (15th overall) has run out of he’s thinking too far ahead about that. He’s thinking about making his first chances with the organization. save and the next save after that. I think every kid’s dreamed about this Tough break opportunity and he’s getting his. He’s played well in Providence in condensed schedule as well down there. But he’s gotten some good When told that the UMass hockey team would be without four players for reps, gotten some game situations and he’s been up here for practice its Frozen Four appearance on Thursday, Cassidy reacted like most and hopefully he’s up to the task.” everyone else did.

With the uncertainty of the veterans’ availability, and with Daniel Vladar “That sucks,” said Cassidy. having played on Monday, Cassidy said the decision was made to simply continue on the club’s path of splitting up the back-to-back games. Yup.

Cassidy admits he knows Swayman’s impressive resume but not much Boston Herald LOADED: 04.07.2021 more.

“I think technically, he’s a very sound goaltender. He’s active in there, very competitive. But I haven’t seen much. I’m not going to lie,” said Cassidy. “The games in Providence, we get some clips of certain players that may come up or certain things they may be of interest and you may watch some of those afternoon games after our practice. But at the end of the day, that’s the goalie department’s call on who’s where in their game and what’s required. Bob (Essensa) and (goalie development coach) Mike Dunham do a good job in that. So for me, he’s going in there, he’s had a really good resume in college, obviously, and he’s been played really well in Providence. I think we’re the type of team that plays with good layers in front of our goaltender, so we’re not typically asking our goalie to go out and win us games. It’s not a run-and-gun for us. So do your job. Hopefully, if there are some good chances, we clear the second one. That’s how we’re structured defensively. We understand that this is his first start, so hopefully the guys around him are talking to him and a little more dialed in with puck play details and talking, all the little things that a goalie’s not used to with players. We saw that with Danny against Buffalo in an exchange with the D (a miscue with Jakub Zboril that turned into a goal against). So those are the things you want to keep an eye on. As for stopping the puck, that’s just up to Sway to play to the best of his abilities and do what he’s done his whole life.”

McAvoy out, Miller in

The B’s announced just before warmups that defenseman Charlie McAvoy, arguably the B’s most valuable player this year, would miss Tuesday’s game because of an upper body injury.

That news muted the cautious optimism of the return to the lineup of Kevan Miller. The rugged right shot defenseman has been out since Feb. 18, when it was believed that his ravaged knee, which underwent four surgeries after the kneecap was initially broken in Minnesota’s Xcel Center in 2019, just needed the maintenance of skipping the long trip to Lake Tahoe. It lingered, and lingered some more until he finally was able to get back on Tuesday. They will tread carefully from here on out. 1186517 Boston Bruins

Bean: Time for Tuukka Rask-less Bruins to face reality

BY DJ BEAN

The Bruins have enough problems as it is. The last thing they need is any sort of conversation about Tuukka Rask.

No, not the annoying, “If he takes them to the Cup Final and they lose, can we blame him?” conversation we like to have in Boston, but more the stuff from the last 12 months: Will he be there?

Rask has played one game since March 7, when he left after a period against the New Jersey Devils. The Bruins have called it an upper-body injury, but it sure looked like it was back-related given how Rask held his back as he skated off the ice late in that early March contest.

The Bruins are 6-4-2 since Rask first began missing time. There aren’t points for overtime losses in the playoffs, so think of their win-loss record as .500. You go .500 in the playoffs, you get eliminated.

On thin ice

Bruins' win percentage in last 12 games without Rask

50.0%

The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa wrote Monday that his read on the situation is that the Bruins “don’t really know when Rask will be available.” With Jaroslav Halak out due to a positive COVID test, the Bruins’ are now Dan Vladar and Jeremy Swayman.

With all due respect to Halak, Vladar and Swayman, the Bruins need to know what’s going on with Rask as soon as possible. We saw what it looked like last year when Rask opted out of the postseason. The B’s went up against the Lightning and got positively smoked.

Their roster isn’t any better this year, and though they can’t face Tampa until the Eastern Conference finals, it’s hard to see this group beating two of the Washington Capitals, and in the playoffs.

The Bruins need multiple moves to be considered a contender. Most notably, they need at least one wing who can score, but their rotation of young defensemen screams “doable in the regular season; will be an issue in the playoffs.” (See: 2014 playoffs.)

Five defensemen the Bruins should target at NHL trade deadline

The trade deadline is in a week. Even if Rask starts playing again before then, there’s no way the Bruins can feel good enough about his situation to invest heavily in this season. They’re currently holding down the final playoff spot in the East, so unless someone wants to go crazy for David Krejci, they shouldn’t sell. They should probably just ride it out with a low- cost addition or two, knowing this isn’t going to be their year.

If Rask were healthy, it would be a different story. We could get sentimental and talk about making one last push with the remaining members of Boston’s longtime core, especially given that Rask and Krejci are in walk years.

As is, though? The Bruins already don’t know where they’ll get their secondary scoring or what their blue line will look like from week to week. This is the type of team that would need to be carried by a great goaltender down the stretch. If they don’t even know whether he'll be there, they shouldn’t expect much of a run.

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Bruins to get look at goaltending future as Swayman makes NHL debut

BY NICK GOSS

The Boston Bruins will have two rookies goaltenders active for Wednesday night's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, giving the franchise a preview of its future in net.

Jeremy Swayman will make his NHL debut between the pipes versus the Flyers on the second night of a back-to-back. B's rookie Dan Vladar, who started in Monday night's 3-2 loss to the Flyers, will be the backup Tuesday.

Vladar and Swayman are two of the top prospects in the Bruins' system regardless of position. They represent a bright future for the B's in net, and their time in the spotlight has come sooner than many would have anticipated.

Report: Bruins among teams interested in a Kyle Palmieri trade

Wednesday's matchup is not insignificant. The Bruins are holding on to the fourth and final playoff spot. The team chasing them is the Flyers, who trail the B's by three points with three more games played than Boston.

The Bruins should feel confident about Swayman's ability to handle the pressure. He had a fantastic 2019-20 season for the University of Maine and carried that confidence into the AHL this season. Swayman has posted a 8-1-1 record with a 1.89 goals against average and a .933 save percentage for the . He's risen to the challenge with each level he ascends.

Bean: Time for Tuukka Rask-less Bruins to face reality

Bruins fans should pay close attention to how both Vladar and Swayman perform this season. Veteran netminders Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak are both able to become unrestricted free agents in the summer. If neither one re-signs with Boston, the team could go into next season with Vladar and Swayman as the goaltending tandem. In an ideal world, Rask would be healthy and back with the Bruins next season. But who knows how his situation will unfold. Injuries have resulted in Rask playing just 20 minutes of hockey since March 7.

With both Rask (injury) and Halak (COVID protocols) unavailable right now, the Bruins are about to enter an important stretch of the season with a pair of rookies playing the sport's most important position. It's not the best-case scenario by any means, but given how how impressive Vladar and Swayman have looked in 2021, the Bruins should be able to weather this period without plummeting in the standings.

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Talking Points: Swayman, Bergeron Lead Way For The Boston Bruins

By Joe Haggerty

Here are the Talking Points from the Boston Bruins 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night.

GOLD STAR: Jeremy Swayman is the top Boston Bruins goaltending prospect for a reason and he showed all of it on Tuesday night in Philly. The 22-year-old Swayman became just the third goaltender from Alaska to play in an NHL game, became the second Boston Bruins rookie with 40 plus saves in his NHL debut while joining Bernie Parent and stood on his head making 23 saves in the second period when the Bruins appeared to have a complete breakdown in their own end. From beginning to end he showed poise, superior athleticism between the pipes, a quick glove hand and a rare ability to track the puck while all heck was breaking loose around him. It’s clear that Swayman is a confident goaltender given the aggressive way that he plays and that’s really notable for a player that’s just 10 games into his pro hockey career. Swayman and Daniel Vladar are bailing out the Boston Bruins right now.

Hugs all around for Jeremy Swayman after a 40-save win in his NHL debut. pic.twitter.com/1TKYWGSSLO

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 7, 2021

BLACK EYE: There were certainly a few candidates with Sean Couturier getting saddled with a game-worst minus-3 when it was all over as Patrice Bergeron had a field day against his rival shutdown center. And with Travis Konecny pulling the punk move of slashing at Kevan Miller’s bad knee because he was angry about Miller hitting him hard in the corner. But the crown goes to Claude Giroux for zero shots on net and a 10-for-21 performance in the face-off circle as a bit of an invisible performance for a guy the Flyers still rely on for elite play. Giroux had an early setup on a Joel Farabee redirection that Swayman was able to stop dead in its tracks, and that was truthfully the last time Giroux was even noticed during the game.

TURNING POINT: For the Boston Bruins, it was all about surviving the second period after giving up 25 shots to the Flyers. Philly dominated and evened the score, but Jeremy Swayman stepped up and managed to keep it from getting any worse as the Bruins rookie saw pucks flying at him from all directions. Then the Bruins challenged each other to be better for the rookie that was saving their butts through 40 minutes, and Boston went out and allowed the Flyers to land just four shots on net in the final period. That included a final minute of play with the Flyers goalie pulled where Kevan Miller and Jeremy Lauzon just pinned the puck against the end boards and killed clock while the Flyers were unable to do anything except unsuccessfully battle to get it back.

HONORABLE MENTION: Patrice Bergeron finished with a hat trick for the Bruins after Brad Marchand’s hat trick last weekend as the Boston Bruins best players are pulling the B’s along even as defensive issues continue to dog the group. Bergeron powered the first period offense with a rebound score and a five-hole strike from the slot, and then finished it off with an empty net goal in the final period that iced things for the Black and Gold. The production included his 900th career NHL point, five shots on net, two hits, two takeaways, a blocked shot and 12-of-27 face-off wins. It wasn’t Bergeron’s best night on the draw by a long shot, but you could tell he was highly motivated headed into Tuesday night after stumbling while playing defense in overtime leading to Philly’s game- winner. Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Craig Smith are doing some very good things together as a line right now.

BY THE NUMBERS: 29 – the Boston Bruins franchise record of shorthanded goals for Brad Marchand after he scored on another one in the third period that catapulted the Bruins to the win.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I take pride in not being the weird goalie.” –Boston Bruins rookie netminder Jeremy Swayman joking around that he isn’t very superstitious in his pregame routines.

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Game 35 Live Blog: Boston Bruins @ Philadelphia Flyers

By Joe Haggerty

Here are five thoughts from the second period with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers locked in a 2-2 tie score after the opening 40 minutes at TD Garden.

The Bruins ended up being outshot by a 25-7 margin while getting totally stormed by the Flyers in the second period. It just highlights how much the Bruins struggle in both the defensive coverage the puck moving departments when they’re missing their No. 1 defenseman in Charlie McAvoy. The tape of the second period should go on McAvoy’s Norris Trophy resume for this season.

Kevan Miller hasn’t played in six weeks and he’s leading the Bruins defensemen corps with over 17 minutes of ice time. That’s pretty much the picture of the B’s D corps right now with Jakub Zboril getting benched after struggling mightily in the second period.

Ah, yes. Zboril. He fell down while trying to take the puck up the middle of the ice in the defensive zone and that led to the first goal for the Flyers. Then he was on ice for the Shayne Gostisbehere rocket that tied it up as he hit the bench immediately afterward for a team desperate fore blueline help right now.

Can you imagine letting 25 shots on net with a rookie in net? Man, the Bruins aren’t doing much to protect their rookie goaltender in his first NHL start. But luckily for them Jeremy Swayman is up to the talk while stopping 36 shots and counting through two periods of play.

Still trying to figure out how Trent Frederic got a roughing penalty when it was JVR that threw Craig Smith against the sideboards in front of the Bruins bench.

Here are five thoughts from the first period with the Boston Bruins leading the Philadelphia Flyers by a 2-0 score after the opening 20 minutes at TD Garden.

Jeremy Swayman was tremendous in the first period and showed everything that makes him a future No. 1 guy at the NHL level. He tracked a redirection in the slot from Joel Farabee to make a ho-hum glove save and then stuffed Scott Laughton on a breakaway that ended up turning into Boston’s second goal of the period. He was the size, the athleticism, the ability to track pucks, the glove hand and the tremendous poise that can make for a special goalie at the NHL level, and he showed it all in the opening 20 minutes. Now it’s up to Swayman to keep it going, but he’s looked like a genuine special NHL talent since all the way back in NHL training camp in January when he was excellent in the mix with the other goalies.

Huge breakaway stop from Jeremy Swayman on the Bruins’ power play.

Bergeron makes it a 2-0 game just seconds later. pic.twitter.com/jOHWygpkOf

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 6, 2021

How about Patrice Bergeron scoring two goals in the first period tonight? Do you think he is a little motivated after falling down in OT trying to play defense to open the door for the game-winning goal on Monday night?

So far, so good for the Boston Bruins playing without Charlie McAvoy, who is out with an upper body injury tonight. The top pairing of Matt Grzelcyk and Kevan Miller have survived and allowed the Bruins to take a two-goal lead while moving the puck and doing whatever is necessary defending. Amazingly, Miller led all players in ice time during the first period. They just have to hope that McAvoy can return quickly to the lineup.

Rough five-hole goal allowed by Carter Hart on the Patrice Bergeron score at the end of the period. What has happened to that kid in Philly?

Two shots on net for Karson Kuhlman in the first period after scoring on a snipe in Monday night’s game. Is there perhaps more offense to the 25- year-old’s game than he’s shown at the NHL level at this point?

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186521 Boston Bruins Goalies:

Jeremy Swayman

Game 35: Update: McAvoy Out. Boston Bruins Vs. Flyers Lines, Preview Dan Vladar

Philadelphia Flyers

By Jimmy Murphy Forwards

James van Riemsdyk – Sean Couturier – Joel Farabee

**UPDATE** Scott Laughton – Kevin Hayes – Nolan Patric

Just as Boston Bruins rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman was about to take Travis Konecny – Claude Giroux – Jakub Voracek warmups, he, his teammates, and the public found out that the team’s best defenseman and Norris Trophy candidate Charlie McAvoy is out Michael Raffl – Tanner Laczynski – Nicolas Aube-Kubel with an upper-body injury. We will have more details as the game goes Defense on or after the postgame presser with head coach Bruce Cassidy. Ivan Provorov – Justin Braun Can Boston Bruins rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman help the Bruins (19-10-6, 44 pts, .629%) get points in two straight games for the first time Travis Sanheim – Philippe Myers since March 16-18 and win the rematch with the Philadelphia Flyers (18- Samuel Morin – Shayne Gostisbehere 14-5, 41 pts, .554%) in Philadelphia in the second of a home and home set with the Broad Street Bullies? Goalies

After fellow rookie netminder Dan Vladar made 29 saves in a 3-2 Brian Elliott overtime loss to the Flyers in Boston Monday night, Swayman will try to give a similar performance in his first NHL start. Head Coach Bruce Carter Hart Cassidy didn’t seem too worried that the former University of Maine Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 standout and 2020 Hobey Baker Award Finalist could handle the big moment.

“Well, ‘Goalie Bob’ [Essensa] will talk to him obviously and he’ll still get his shooter’s perspective because he was with us last night and that helps him to see a little bit of their style of play,” Cassidy told the media Tuesday morning. “But you’re gonna get your first game sooner or later, so here we are in the middle of a busy week and he knows he might go right back in it if Tuukka and Jaro aren’t ready. So, I don’t think he’s thinking too far ahead about that. He’s just thinking about making his first save and the next save after that.

I think every kid dreams about this opportunity and he’s getting his. He’s played well in Providence, condensed schedule there as well. He’s gotten some good reps and gotten some game situations being up here for practice so hopefully, he’s up to the task.”

Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller (knee) will finally return to the lineup after missing the last 20 games and forward Chris Wagner draws in for the first time in six games.

Bruins Notes

–Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo has been downgraded from day-to-day to week-to-week with his upper-body injury and isn’t expected to return to game action for the Boston Bruins anytime soon. Carlo had just returned on March 30, from a month-long absence due to a concussion suffered after a Tom Wilson headshot and the fear is that his current upper-body injury is in some way connected to that injury.

–Boston Bruins winger Ondrej Kase remains on IR with an upper-body injury. While Kase has been skating, his return date is not known.

Flyers Notes

— For a Flyers perspective on Monday night’s game and a great preview of tonight, our colleague Ryan Gilbert of Philly Hockey Now has you covered!

Boston Bruins Lines

Forwards:

Brad Marchand- Patrice Bergeron- Craig Smith

Nick Ritchie- David Krejci- David Pastrnak

Jake DeBrusk- Charlie Coyle- Karson Kuhlman

Trent Frederic- Sean Kuraly- Chris Wagner

Defense:

Matt Grzelcyk – Kevan Miller

Jakub Zboril – Steven Kampfer

Jeremy Lauzon – Connor Clifton 1186522 Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins G Swayman To Make First NHL Start; Miller Returns

By Jimmy Murphy

Boston Bruins rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman will make his first NHL start Tuesday night when the Bruins play the Philadelphia Flyers in the tail end of their home and home and back-to-back set and the first game of a three-game road trip for the Bruins.

With both Jaro Halak (COVID Protocol) and Tuukka Rask (lower-back) out of the lineup, fellow Boston Bruins rookie goaltender Dan Vladar started Monday night and Swayman backed him up. The 23-year-old Vladar was solid again, making 29 saves but it wasn’t enough as the Bruins blew a late 2-1 lead and lost 3-2 in overtime. Now the 22-year-old Swayman will get his shot after shining with the Providence Bruins this season and going 8-1-0 with a 1.89 GAA and .933 save percentage in his first nine professional starts in the AHL.

Boston Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy – who acknowledged that he hasn’t seen much of Swayman this season due to his schedule – told reporters on Tuesday morning that he has made Swayman aware that with Rask’s and Halak’s status uncertain, he could call on the former University of Maine standout and Hobey Baker Award finalist to be ready for more action in the coming days. Other than that though, he’ll let Boston Bruins Goalie Coach Bob Essensa make sure Swayman is ready for the biggest moment of his life so far.

“Well, ‘Goalie Bob’ [Essensa] will talk to him obviously and he’ll still get his shooter’s perspective because he was with us last night and that helps him to see a little bit of their style of play,” Cassidy said. “But you’re gonna get your first game sooner or later, so here we are in the middle of a busy week and he knows he might go right back in it if Tuukka and Jaro aren’t ready. So, I don’t think he’s thinking too far ahead about that. He’s just thinking about making his first save and the next save after that.

I think every kid dreams about this opportunity and he’s getting his. He’s played well in Providence, condensed schedule there as well. He’s gotten some good reps and gotten some game situations being up here for practice so hopefully, he’s up to the task.”

In addition to Essensa, Vladar, who made 34 saves in his first NHL start and helped lead the Bruins to a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 16, has offered Swayman his ear and support.

“He’s a great goalie, so if he’s going to get the chance I’m pretty sure he’s going to do well and he’s going to leave it all out there,” Vladar said about Swayman after the game Monday night. “I’m pretty sure he has the same mentality as me, he just wants to save every single puck and he wants to win.”

Cassidy also confirmed that after missing 20 straight games and not playing since Feb. 18, defenseman Kevan Miller (knee) will finally return to the lineup and replace Steven Kampfer on the third defensive pairing with rookie Jakub Zboril. In addition to that, Chris Wagner will draw back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the last five games.

Jimmy MurphyWith 20 years of experience (SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, ESPNBoston, NESN, NHL.com, etc.) covering the Bruins, the NHL, NCAA and junior hockey and more, Jimmy Murphy’s hockey black book is full of Hall of Famers, current players, coaches, management, scouts and a wide array of hockey media personalities that have lived in and around this great game. For 17 of his 20 years as a hockey and sports reporter, Murph covered the Bruins on essentially a daily basis covering their victorious 2011 run and their 2013 run to the Final as well. Murphy has hosted national and local radio shows and podcasts and also has experience in TV as well.YOU MAY LIKE

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186523 Boston Bruins little deception. Maybe a better read so we execute the right read and the right play, but that’s still a work in progress back there, and it will be. It will be until guys are more comfortable and that’s a fact of life for us.”

Boston Bruins In The Trade Mix For Devils’ Palmieri, Kulikov The Devils obviously won’t be the only trade targets for the Boston Bruins if they decide to double up and acquire a winger/D-man combo to address their needs. By Joe Haggerty Similarly, hardnosed Blue Jackets winger Nick Foligno and Columbus D- man David Savard will be on the block and potentially available in a combo deal. Same with Rickard Rakell and Josh Manson with the It seems like this kind of thing happens every season with the Boston Anaheim Ducks, and Marc Staal and Bobby Ryan with the Detroit Red Bruins and it rarely comes to fruition. Wings. Or old friend Colin Miller and Hall with the Buffalo Sabres as they But once again ahead of the NHL trade deadline, the Bruins are firmly in are once again rebuilding and casting off veteran players at the trade the mix for some significant player transactions given their specific needs deadline. for a top-4 defenseman and a top-6 winger with offensive finish to his Realistically, the Bruins have pulled this off only once in the semi-recent game. The two big names available up front right now are New Jersey past when Peter Chiarelli dealt for both Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau in Devils winger Kyle Palmieri and Buffalo Sabres left wing Taylor Hall, with a trade with the New York Islanders at the 2012 NHL trade deadline. And both impact players being held out of their respective lineups due to that clearly wasn’t enough to put them over the top in a first round exit ongoing trade discussions. from the . Given the Bruins’ needs, though, they could realistically be in a position Regardless, it’s a tricky time for the Bruins as they decide how “all in” to potentially fill two needs with one super-sized hockey trade. That’s why they should be this week when their No. 1 goaltender is on the shelf with the rumors are swirling about their interest in Kyle Palmieri and veteran a suspected bad back, and they have struggled mightily offensively due New Jersey defenseman Dmitry Kulikov in a move that could address to injuries, the grueling schedule and some players that just haven’t both major areas of need for the Black and Gold. developed as the Bruins would have hoped they would. Boston Hockey Now has confirmed with hockey sources that there have Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 indeed been trade discussions between the Bruins and Devils, and obviously a player like Palmieri would be a good fit for the Black and Gold. Palmieri has eight goals and 17 points in 34 games this season and has been a certified Bruins killer with five goals in six games against Boston this season.

The Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta mentioned this possibility on the Montreal airwaves this morning as well.

Dave Pagnotta on TSN690: Bruins and Devils have had back and forth talks on Palmieri and Kulikov. TOR, COL, FLA also interested in Palmieri.

— J (@Account4hockey) April 6, 2021

At this point the Islanders, Avalanche, Maple Leafs and the Hurricanes are the other teams lining up as suitors for New Jersey’s available assets.

Overall, the 29-year-old Palmieri has been very effective for the Devils while good for 25 goals/50 points just about every season with the Devils. And he’d be the kind of top-6 right wing that would allow Craig Smith to slide back down to the third line with Charlie Coyle, which is the kind of lineup depth the Bruins haven’t been healthy enough to enjoy all year with Ondrej Kase injured.

The cost would likely be in the same neighborhood as the first round pick and forward prospect that the Devils nabbed from the Lightning last season in the Blake Coleman deal, but that’s the cost of doing business for the Boston Bruins if they do fully intend to go for it this season.

The 30-year-old Kulikov is a little less dazzling, of course, with two assists and a minus-3 rating in 35 games while averaging 19:38 of ice time as a top-4 guy for Jersey this season. It’s been five seasons since Kulikov was an effective offensive defenseman that commanded power play time, but he’s clearly an NHL-caliber D-man, which is something that the jury is still out on when it comes to young Bruins guys like Jeremy Lauzon and Jakub Zboril.

Clearly the Bruins haven’t been able to fill the back end void left by the departures of Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara in free agency, and now that’s become a glaring need for Boston down the stretch.

“Listen, we’ve had trouble below the blue line all year, we don’t have those guys…I’ll use an example here,” said Cassidy. “Late in [Monday night’s OT loss to the Flyers] Sean Kuraly made a hell of a play. Down low, kind of recovers a puck below the goal line as a center. He makes a little hesitation move, a little deception, and then drops it to, I think it was Lauzon, who in that particular case [was] the open guy. It’s just some confidence; probably a guy who’s been in that position before and it’s just a really nice play to put out a fire so to speak in terms of a forecheck.

“We just don’t have enough of that back there right now. Guys are working on it but some of them, it’s not in their DNA as much as others. I mean, Matt Grzelcyk’s been excellent at that since he walked through the door here and we’ve encouraged that. We need a little more of that and a 1186524 Boston Bruins Circumstances, however, accelerated the call-ups, albeit temporary, of Swayman and Vladar. Rask’s injury, which he suffered on March 7, flared up again on March 25. Rask traveled with the Bruins to Philadelphia. But Bruins rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman sparkles under siege in NHL the ace has yet to participate in a full practice with the team. debut Meanwhile, Halak has been mothballed since returning a positive COVID-19 test on Monday. He did not travel to Philadelphia. He remains in COVID-19 protocol. By Fluto Shinzawa Apr 6, 2021 So it was up to Swayman and Vladar to put on their big-boy gear. Vladar (29 saves) gave the Bruins a chance to win in Monday’s 3-2 overtime setback. Swayman did his partner one better. It wasn’t fair. Jeremy Swayman, making his first career NHL appearance, was under assault. The poor kid’s teammates allowed 25 second-period The Bruins, specifically goalie coach Bob Essensa and goalie shots to the Flyers on Tuesday. development coach Mike Dunham, weren’t worried about accelerating Swayman’s NHL pace. They think highly enough of the Alaska native’s Bruce Cassidy wasn’t having it. demeanor and confidence under adversity. Swayman’s only blemishes “It was about this young guy, going in and playing his first NHL game, were second-period goals by Jakub Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere, basically standing on his head to keep us in the game,” the Bruins coach neither of which he had business stopping. said of his second-intermission message. “The guys that have NHL talent Goaltending plans, however, are anything but certain. Proof of that was need to provide NHL effort with that talent in the checking game and in the other net at Wells Fargo Center. managing pucks. Guys that aren’t quite at the same level of NHL talent, they have to work on their NHL execution to make good reads and Carter Hart started his NHL career like the next coming of Carey Price. decisions. We asked for a little more of both from each category the Hart is now down to an .871 save percentage. The Flyers even purposely player falls into.” scratched Hart for two games because of how rapidly he’s gone off the rails. Hart, just three months older than Swayman, may already be The crazy thing about the rainstorm of rubber is that the 22-year-old damaged goods. Swayman, the Bruins’ fourth-round pick in 2017, somehow kept all but two pucks out of his net. The 6-foot-2, 187-pound Swayman oozed all For now, none of that is on Swayman’s mind. kinds of poise, confidence and technical prowess to stop the 23 other shots and keep the game tied, 2-2. “To get to this level, every guy’s got a really unique story,” Swayman said. “Mine especially, coming from Alaska, a small town with not too By the third, Swayman’s teammates got the message. They allowed just many guys that make it to the NHL. To be a part of that group now is one four shots. Brad Marchand scored a short-handed goal and Patrice thing I’ve always dreamed about. It’s a pretty special thing.” Bergeron added an empty-netter to give the Bruins a 4-2 win over Philadelphia and Swayman (40 saves) his first career victory. The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021

It was a critical win with Tuukka Rask out with an injury, Jaroslav Halak back in Boston under COVID-19 protocol, Dan Vladar resting from Monday’s start and do-it-all defenseman Charlie McAvoy out with an upper-body injury. The Bruins stretched their lead over the Flyers to five points for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division.

“It’s a game, and it’s a game that I love,” said the good-natured Swayman, spotted smiling regularly under his mask throughout his debut. “I enjoyed every second of it. That’s what a lot of the vets told me to go into it, especially Tuukks. He said, ‘Enjoy it. It’s once in a lifetime.’ That’s what I did. I absolutely love this game. To do it at the biggest stage with the best players in the world, how can you not have fun doing that? It was fun. It was fun.”

Swayman has ace stuff. The numbers and his style prove it.

He was Maine’s workhorse for three seasons. He concluding his run with a .939 save percentage as a junior, winning the Mike Richter Award as college hockey’s best goalie. This season, his first as a pro, Swayman ripped off an 8-1-0 record with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage in Providence.

He’s accumulated these statistics with the technique of a modern NHL goalie: smart, square, active with his feet, bright-eyed in tracking pucks, economical with his movement, efficient at steering rebounds out of dangerous quadrants. Swayman is not flashy because he does not need to be.

As proof, Swayman made his hardest stop look easy. In the first period, when Joel Farabee redirected a Claude Giroux pass, Swayman simply stuck out his glove and snatched the puck. He was already square to Farabee because he had read him as a scoring threat.

“That’s a positioning play most of all,” said Swayman. “I can’t take credit like I have cat-like reflexes. Because that’s just a seeing-eye shot. I was lucky enough to have my glove there.”

Swayman’s future is so bright that the Bruins believe he could become Rask’s successor, either in 2021-22 or the following year. Rask and Halak are unrestricted free agents after this season.

The thing about Swayman, though, is that his first NHL visit wasn’t supposed to take place so soon. It’s just about impossible for first-year pros to crack the varsity. The harm that can happen, to the goalie and the team, usually puts such promotions out of the question. 1186525 Buffalo Sabres people at home know how hard a play that is. And then to get your head up and find me in front."

"The puck was kind of bouncing. I was lucky," Dahlin said. "I grabbed it Observations: Taylor Hall chatter is no distraction as Sabres' strong play and I saw (Mittelstadt) just had his stick there in front of the net so I was continues just shooting it to his blade."

Granato tapped the play as the kind only high picks are capable of Mike Harrington Apr 6, 2021 making. Dahlin, of course, hasn't made remotely enough of them in the worst year of his three NHL seasons.

"That play is exactly why we need him playing with confidence," Granato The Buffalo Sabres have been through so much already this year that the said. "When you're not confident, you second-guess the bounce of that looming NHL trade deadline doesn't feel like a distraction at all. puck, you hesitate and it's a breakaway the other way. But when you're in the zone, you react on instincts and his instincts are incredible." The speculation and chatter around the team grew Tuesday when the Sabres made winger Taylor Hall a healthy scratch, preserving a prized Near disaster for Dahlin at the blueline turns into the go-ahead goal. asset from injury in the final days before Monday's deadline. https://t.co/pGv66ErGGn

The Wraparound: Sabres extend point streak to five games by squeezing — Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) April 7, 2021 past Devils 2. Going green: Granato said Dahlin has a "green light" to push plays Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt each collected two points and offensively, something that was clearly not the case under Ralph combined on the game-winning goal as the Buffalo Sabres held off the Krueger. Why didn't the former coach have a green light for a former No. New Jersey Devils 5-3 on Tuesday in Prudential Center. 1 overall pick? Granato's answer was cryptic: "We're talking about today. We are in a different situation now." As the clock turned to Wednesday, Hall was still with the club. But no one is fretting about who might be coming or going because the Sabres are 3. Seeing rewards: The Sabres' 18-game winless streak only ended a playing their best hockey of the season. They've won two straight for the week ago and it should be noted they have four of their nine wins this first time since January and have equaled their season best with a five- year against the Devils. But that doesn't lessen how the players feel game point streak (3-0-2). about recent developments.

In Tuesday's 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils in Prudential Center, "It's good to get rewarded," Mittelstadt said. "We've worked hard. It's Buffalo got some scintillating plays from Rasmus Dahlin and Casey good to have guys have smiles on their faces and having fun. The last Mittelstadt. Each scored a goal and posted their first two-point games of few games have been good. Remember the feeling and keep it going." the season. The former No. 1 picks are building blocks but they also know what's coming. 4. In the net: Linus Ullmark improved to 8-5-3 by making 27 saves. He preserved the lead by stopping Jack Hughes flying through the right "It's the business. The guys are aware of it," Dahlin said. "We just have to circle in the final five minutes. find a way to keep going and build on what we have built." Buffalo News LOADED: 04.07.2021 Buffalo sat Hall -- who had not missed any of the first 37 games of the season -- and the Devils sat veteran winger Kyle Palmieri for the second straight game for the same reason: The Sabres and Devils were both being careful even though the deadline isn't until 3 p.m. Monday.

They don't want a repeat of what happened in Columbus, where 31-year- old forward Riley Nash would have been a nice depth piece in a deal but suffered a sprained knee in Sunday’s game at Florida and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

"It's just part of it. It's part of the business. We all know that. Taylor knows that," interim coach said before the game. "This game keeps you in the moment and that's preparation for New Jersey. We had a good meeting on them this morning and our focus points and objectives going into the game. So there's enough there, enough intensity to keep you focused where you should be."

Hall has just two goals and a minus-21 rating in a bust of a season with Buffalo but the former Hart Trophy winner still has plenty of suitors.

Hall signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Sabres last fall and the club is likely going to need to retain 50% of that cap hit to facilitate a trade. The New York Islanders, who have lost captain Anders Lee to a knee injury, are one team that's been connected to Hall. Florida, Boston, Colorado and St. Louis are among other rumored possibilities.

TSN's Darren Dreger has said the last two days that talks around Hall have been escalating. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman wrote of General Manager : "He’s the juggler, going through multiple scenarios both big and small."

That's the off-ice component in Sabreland. Here are some observations on what took place on the ice Tuesday:

1. Dahlin magic: The Sabres snapped a 3-3 tie when Mittelstadt scored on a power play with 9:40 left. The play was entirely made by Dahlin at the blue line, as the Buffalo defenseman corraled a bouncing puck that seemed destined to be going the other way for a short-handed breakaway for New Jersey forward Travis Zajac. Instead, Dahlin controlled the puck, escaped the two players and found Mittelstadt in front for a tap-in.

"I didn't have to do much. It was bouncing and Ras just did what Ras does I guess," Mittelstadt said. "He makes it look so easy but I don't think 1186526 Buffalo Sabres made Tyce Thompson second in New Jersey history for the fastest point by a forward in his first NHL game.

Tyce Thompson collected an assist at 4:22 of the first period in his NHL The Wraparound: Sabres extend point streak to five games by squeezing debut with the @NJDevils. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/HFBb7PhpjA past Devils — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 7, 2021

Not a lot of shots: Coach Lindy Ruff's Devils tightened things up in this Mike Harrington Apr 6, 2021 game, holding the Sabres to just 18 shots on goal. New Jersey was averaging nearly36 against over the previous five games. The Devils put 30 on Buffalo goalie Linus Ullmark, who improved to 8-5-3 by making 27 Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt each collected two points and saves. combined on the game-winning goal as the Buffalo Sabres held off the New Jersey Devils, 5-3, on Tuesday in Prudential Center. Schedule change: The NHL has announced that the April 20 home game against Boston has been pushed up a half-hour, from a 7 p.m. start to Mittelstadt's power-play goal with 9:40 left snapped a 3-3 tie and 6:30 p.m. improved the Sabres (9-23-6) to 3-0-2 in their last five games. The five- game point streak equals a similar run from Jan. 22-30 as the Sabres' Next: The Sabres returned home after the game and will practice longest of the season. Rasmus Ristolainen's empty-net goal with 1:31 left Wednesday in KeyBank Center in advance of a home back-to-back. gave the Sabres breathing room. Perhaps Ruostalainen will make his debut when the Sabres host the Devils on Thursday at 7 p.m.. Buffalo then plays Washington here Friday On the winning goal, Dahlin nearly found disaster at the New Jersey at 7 p.m. blueline, but kept the puck on against pressure from Travis Zajac and Pavel Zacha. He burst through the right circle with it and found Mittelstadt Buffalo News LOADED: 04.07.2021 in front for a tap-in past New Jersey goalie Scott Wedgewood. Dahlin and Mittelstadt each had a goal and an assist in the game, forging their first multi-point games of the season.

Near disaster for Dahlin at the blueline turns into the go-ahead goal. https://t.co/pGv66ErGGn

— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) April 7, 2021

Fast and furious first: The teams combined for just 12 shots on goal in the first period, but split four goals. The last one by the Devils came in the final second. New Jersey defenseman Damon Severson opened the scoring at 4:28, but the Sabres got even at 9:56 when Rasmus Asplund cashed a Mittelstadt pass on a 2-on-1.

Asplund the benefactor of some sweet sauce from Mittelstadt 1-1 #LetsGoBuffalo #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/0eU8Ptenur

— Buffalo Hockey moments (@SabresPlays) April 6, 2021

Buffalo went ahead 2-1 on Brandon Montour's goal at 19:17 off a tip pass from Tage Thompson, but Montour took a tripping penalty 28 with seconds left and that set up the Devils to tie the game. Jesper Bratt got New Jersey even with three-tenths of a second left on a Zacha pass.

+2Sabres Notebook: It's a family reunion as Tage Thompson watches brother make NHL debut

Sabres Notebook: It's a family reunion as Tage Thompson watches brother make NHL debut

It was a brother act Tuesday night in New Jersey with quite a . Sabres winger Tage Thompson was going against Devils counterpart Tyce Thompson – and it was Tyce's NHL debut.

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Falling behind: The Devils pushed ahead 3-2 at 11:03 of the second as Zacha banged home his own rebound to give him a team-high nine points against the Sabres this year in seven meetings. Zacha's two-point night came after he had just three points in his previous 11 games.

Getting even: Dahlin scored a pretty goal at 15:19 of the 2nd, using his body to shield off Devils forward Nick Merkley and then beating Wedgewood to the top corner. It was Dahlin's third of the year.

This is a goal of a No. 1 overall pick. https://t.co/BkGBzvgTfT

— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) April 7, 2021

There are four games left before the NHL trade deadline on Monday.

Odd lineup: With the Sabres sitting Taylor Hall to preserve him from injury in advance of a potential trade, they went to an 11-forward, seven- defenseman lineup. Matt Irwin was inserted on D and Arttu Ruotsalainen, who was promoted from Rochester to the taxi squad Monday, did not play.

On the scoresheet: Tyce Thompson, younger brother of Sabres winger Tage Thompson, made his NHL debut and assisted on the Severson goal as Linus Ullmark stopped his shot but yielded a big rebound. It 1186527 Buffalo Sabres "They are exactly the same thing we said a couple weeks ago," Granato said. "We expect both of them to have the opportunity to come back and nothing has changed in that regard and we feel the same in both cases."

Sabres Notebook: It's a family reunion as Tage Thompson watches Weissbach signs his deal brother make NHL debut University of Wisconsin winger Linus Weissbach, the Sabres' seventh- round pick in 2017, has signed a two-year, entry-level deal with the club Mike Harrington Apr 6, 2021 rather than pursue free agency this summer. Terms were not disclosed and the contract begins in the 2021-22 season.

Weissbach, a 5-foot-8 native of Sweden, had 12 goals and 41 points in It was a brother act Tuesday night in New Jersey with quite a twist. 31 games for the Badgers this season. Wisconsin finished 20-10-1, but Sabres winger Tage Thompson was going against Devils counterpart was an upset victim at the hands of St. Cloud State in the first round of Tyce Thompson – and it was Tyce's NHL debut. the NCAA Tournament.

"It's awesome. Obviously I'm very excited for him, something he's worked Weissbach was a second-team All-Big Ten selection while finishing very hard for," Tage Thompson, 23, said prior to the game in Prudential second in the NCAA in assists (29), third in points and eighth in points Center. "I remember my first game and the excitement, so I'm excited I per game (1.32). He was named the Hockey Commissioners get this to share this opportunity and this moment with him." Association's men’s hockey player of the month for November.

Tyce Thompson, 21, had 11 goals and 25 points for Providence College Wisconsin is coached by longtime NHL player Tony Granato, the brother in 25 games this season after posting career-best numbers (19-25-44) of Don Granato. Tony Granato gave Weissbach top-line minutes this last year, when he finished third in the NCAA in scoring. year on a trio that included Cole Caufield, Montreal's first-round pick at No. 15 overall in 2019. There are four games left before the NHL trade deadline on Monday. Weissbach becomes the fifth member of the Sabres' 2017 draft class to "That's the best way you can draw up a debut," Tyce Thompson said. "To sign with the team, joining Casey Mittelstadt, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, be able to play against my brother makes it that much more special. Oskari Laaksonen and Jacob Bryson. The only unsigned player is Speechless really, I can't describe how I really feel. It's just really second-round pick Marcus Davidsson, who has had an injury-plagued exciting." career in Sweden. Tage Thompson said their mother was expected to attend the game. Buffalo News LOADED: 04.07.2021 Less sure was the attendance of their father, Brent, who is in his eighth year as the head coach of the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the top affiliate of the New York Islanders.

"From a very young age, it's something we knew we wanted to do was play in the NHL," Tage Thompson said. "Now that that dream is becoming a reality, all the sacrifices for my mom and the stuff she had to do, to watch us on the same ice now has to be a pretty rewarding feeling for her."

With a shootout victory against the New York Rangers on Saturday, Ullmark improved to 33 of 38 in his career, and his .868 save percentage took over first place all-time in the NHL for goalies with at least 10 shootouts.

Tyce Thompson skipped his final year at Providence and signed his entry-level contract March 24. He was the Devils' fourth-round pick in 2019 and played three years at Providence, where he was a teammate of Buffalo defenseman Jacob Bryson on the Friars' 2019 Frozen Four team that played in KeyBank Center.

Sabres interim coach Don Granato saw both brothers play at USA Hockey festivals and coached Tage on the U.S. National Developmental Team.

"That is really exciting," Granato said. "I got to see both Tage and Tyce at a very young age. When I first saw both of them play, it was really easy for me to see the potential was there. Knowing the family and having coached Tage at the amateur level, this is pretty neat to be a part of."

Tyce Thompson said he got the word Monday from Devils coach and former Sabres bench boss Lindy Ruff that his debut was happening Tuesday. He got to take the solo lap without his teammates to start the warmup prior to the game. He then briefly posed at center ice for a photo with his brother.

"He said, 'Just enjoy it. It happens once. Just be excited, enjoy it and play hockey,' " Tyce Thompson said of Ruff's message. "I'm going to try to take it all in."

Tyce hits the ice pic.twitter.com/n8UeyMUJf1

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) April 6, 2021

No news on Hutton, Eichel

"One thing has quickly become apparent: Granato may have been hired simply to keep the seat warm for somebody else, but he has a real chance to keep his candidacy growing," writes Mike Harrington.

Granato said he had no new information on goalie (lower body) and captain (upper body). Both remain week to week, but the team is hopeful they can return to play this season. 1186528 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres sign Wisconsin winger and 2017 draftee Linus Weissbach to two- year deal

Mike Harrington Apr 6, 2021

The 22-year-old former seventh-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, who is a senior at the University of Wisconsin, was named the Hockey Commissioners Association's men’s hockey player of the month for November after leading the NCAA in goals (5) and points (10) in eight games.

University of Wisconsin winger Linus Weissbach, the Sabres' seventh- round pick in 2017, has signed a two-year, entry-level deal with the club rather than pursue free agency this summer. Terms were not disclosed and the contract begins in the 2021-22 season.

Weissbach, a 5-foot-8 native of Sweden, had 12 goals and 41 points in 31 games for the Badgers this season. Wisconsin finished 20-10-1 but was an upset victim at the hands of St. Cloud State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Weissbach was a second-team All-Big Ten selection while finishing second in the NCAA in assists (29), third in points and eighth in points per game (1.32). He was named the Hockey Commissioners Association's men’s hockey player of the month for November.

Wisconsin is coached by longtime NHL player Tony Granato, the brother of Sabres interim coach Don Granato. Tony Granato gave Weissbach top-line minutes this year on a trio that included Cole Caufield, Montreal's first-round pick at No. 15 overall in 2019.

Sabres Development Camp: Day Three

Linus Weissbach was a regular at Buffalo Sabres summer development camp at LECOM Harborcenter from 2017-2019.

Weissbach's big senior year came after he worked out last summer in Sweden with professional players that included Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. Weissbach won an Under-18 national championship in Sweden as Dahlin's teammate while playing with the Frolunda program that produced Dahlin.

Weissbach becomes the fifth member of the Sabres' 2017 draft class to sign with the team, joining Casey Mittelstadt, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Oskari Laaksonen and Jacob Bryson. The only unsigned player is second-round pick Marcus Davidsson, who has had an injury-plagued career in Sweden.

Buffalo News LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186529 Buffalo Sabres power play in the last five games and 28th in the NHL at 12.4%. They're 30th on the penalty kill at 73.1%.

Buffalo News LOADED: 04.07.2021 Sabres game day: The Thompson brothers go head-to-head in New Jersey

Mike Harrington Apr 6, 2021

Matchup: Buffalo Sabres (8-23-6) vs. New Jersey Devils (13-17-6)

Where: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.

When: 7 p.m.

TV: MSG

Radio: WGR 550

It will be Thompson vs. Thompson tonight as New Jersey winger Tyce Thompson – the brother of Sabres winger Tage Thompson – is going to make his NHL debut for the Devils. He signed a two-year, entry-level deal with the Devils on March 24, opting to skip his senior season at Providence.

Tyce Thompson was the Devils' fourth-round pick in 2019 and has played three years at Providence, where he was a teammate of Buffalo defenseman Jacob Bryson on the Friars' 2019 Frozen Four team that played in KeyBank Center.

“It’s the best way you could draw up a debut," Tyce Thompson said today. "I’m speechless.”

"It's awesome. Obviously I'm very excited for him, something he's worked very hard for," said Tage Thompson. "I remember my first game and the excitement, so I'm excited I get to share this opportunity and this moment with him."

Tyce Thompson had 11 goals and 25 points for the Friars in 25 games this season after posting career-best numbers (19-25-44) last year, when he finished third in the NCAA in scoring.

Sabres interim coach Don Granato saw both brothers play at USA Hockey festivals and coached Tage on the U.S. National Developmental Team.

"That is really exciting. I got to see both Tage and Tyce at a very young age and when I first saw both of them play, it was really easy for me to see the potential was there," Granato said. "Knowing the family and having coached Tage at the amateur level, this is pretty neat to be a part of it."

There are four games left before the NHL trade deadline on Monday.

Lineup news: Granato announced that the team is holding Taylor Hall out of the lineup tonight in advance of a potential trade, just like the Devils are doing for the second-straight game with veteran winger Kyle Palmieri. Kyle Okposo, who didn't practice Monday due to maintenance, will play. With no Hall in the lineup, there's a good chance Arttu Ruotsalainen will make his NHL debut.

Streaks/season series: The Sabres are 2-0-2 in their last four games and going for their second five-game point streak of the season. The Devils are 0-1-2 in their last three games and 1-3-2 in the last six. Buffalo is 3-2- 1 against New Jersey this season and the series wraps up Thursday in KeyBank Center.

With a shootout victory against the New York Rangers on Saturday, Ullmark improved to 33 of 38 in his career, and his .868 save percentage took over first place all-time in the NHL for goalies with at least 10 shootouts.

In the nets: It will be Linus Ullmark (7-5-3, 2.44/.921) in goal for the Sabres against former Buffalo prospect Scott Wedgewood (3-5-3, 2.72/.914). Ullmark is 3-0, 1.76/.949 vs. the Devils this season. The Sabres beat Wedgewood in a shootout Jan. 30 in Buffalo, 4-3, in his lone appearance against them this season.

Special teams battle: The Sabres are 7 for 18 on the power play against New Jersey this season, their most power-play goals against any opponent. But overall, the Buffalo power play is in an awful slump – going just 1 for 36 over the last 20 games. Once first in the NHL, the Sabres have slumped to 12th at 22%. The Devils, meanwhile, are 0 for 16 on the 1186530 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres will sit Taylor Hall tonight in advance of potential trade

Mike Harrington Apr 6, 2021

With less than a week to go before the NHL trade deadline, the Buffalo Sabres are entering don't-take-a-chance mode with winger Taylor Hall.

The Sabres will be sitting out Hall for tonight's game against the New Jersey Devils in Prudential Center and there's no injury in play. Hall practiced fully on Monday but the team does not want to take any chances on an injury disrupting a potential trade of the former Hart Trophy winner.

Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams is faced with the same problem that his predecessors weren’t given enough time to solve: What is the right mix of players to push this franchise into the playoffs for the first time since 2011?

Interim head coach Don Granato initially said Hall's status for the game tonight was "undetermined" during his daily video call briefing. A few minutes later, the team passed on an update from Granato that confirmed Hall will sit tonight.

"It's just part of it. It's part of the business," Granato said. "We all know that. Taylor knows that. This game keeps you in the moment and that's preparation for New Jersey. We had a good meeting on them this morning and our focus points and objectives going into the game. So there's enough there, enough intensity to keep you focused where you should be."

Hall, Rasmus Dahlin and Victor Olofsson are the only Sabres to appear in all 37 games this season. But Hall has had a career-worst season with just two goals, while compiling 19 points and a minus-21 rating that's tied with teammate Sam Reinhart for the worst among NHL forwards.

Don Granato wouldn't commit to Tuesday night's game in New Jersey being the one, but the Buffalo Sabres' interim coach said Arttu Ruotsalainen's day is coming.

Hall signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Sabres last fall and the club is likely going to need to return 50% of that cap hit to facilitate a trade. The New York Islanders, who have lost captain Anders Lee to a knee injury, are one team that's been connected to Hall. Florida, Boston and St. Louis have been among other rumored possibilities.

With Tyce Thompson debuting for the Devils, Tage Thompson of the Sabres will be his opponent.

The Sabres have four games left before the deadline and the Hall decision doesn't necessarily mean a trade is imminent. It's just a case of the Sabres protecting their asset, much like the Devils are doing with veteran winger Kyle Palmieri. New Jersey could not work out a long-term extension with Palmieri and he sat down Sunday's game against Washington. He's not expected in the lineup tonight either.

The Sabres brought up Finnish forward Arttu Ruotsalainen from Rochester to the taxi squad and he practiced Monday. With Hall out, Ruostalainen could be added to the roster to make his NHL debut.

The trade of Hall would make the second major one involving a veteran player for new General Manager Kevyn Adams. The Sabres dealt center Eric Staal to Montreal for a third- and fifth-round pick on March 26 and Staal scored the overtime winner for the Habs in his debut Monday night to produce a 3-2 win over Edmonton.

Buffalo News LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186531 Buffalo Sabres "His career has been on a steady incline," said coach Don Granato. "He hops in the net now and he's just in a zone. There's a calm to him, but there's also a very focused intensity to him as well. A real good balance."

On top of his solid season, Linus Ullmark has become a shootout Ullmark is an unrestricted free agent after the season. So while that dynamo ordinarily might make him a key target at the trade deadline, it seems unlikely that the Sabres would move him right now with the shallow organizational depth in goal. Mike Harrington Apr 6, 2021 "They're the team that drafted me. It's been my team ever since then," Ullmark said. "I still take it day by day. I wake up in the morning and I'm a Buffalo Sabre. And that's kind of what keeps me going. We have The Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers had battled through 65 obviously had a rough season. But you've got to stick with it. You got to minutes Saturday night in KeyBank Center and settled nothing. be able to have pride in what you're doing in your craft." It was off to the shootout and with Linus Ullmark in net, that's a huge But what about the offseason? While Ullmark is in line for a raise from his advantage to the Sabres. The marquee moment came when Ullmark won $2.6 million salary, it remains to be seen what kind of offers he will get a test of wills with Rangers star Artemi Panarin, one of the NHL's top from the Sabres and from others. wingers. He insists his future has not been a point to ponder during his club's lost "One thing has quickly become apparent: Granato may have been hired season or his time on the injured list. simply to keep the seat warm for somebody else, but he has a real chance to keep his candidacy growing," writes Mike Harrington. "The only thing that really that enters my mind is my family when I am off on the sidelines," he said. "I'm here by myself right now. It's been a battle Panarin slowly broke left, approached the net with some rapid-fire dekes ever since Day One. You miss your kids and your family a tremendous and some head and leg feints. Ullmark bought none of it. He stood firm amount. But that's also one of the reasons why I take it day by day. I and made a glove save when Panarin finally decided to shoot. can't think about too much in the future because then I start wishing I Ullmark went on to stop Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko, blanking the probably was with my kids and with my family. And you start doubting Rangers to improve to 3-1 in shootouts this season and 7-3 for his yourself, start thinking about something that's not in your control." career. Buffalo News LOADED: 04.07.2021 Much like a golfer can reflect on the background of every shot on a hole, Ullmark gave a unique recitation of the Panarin moment when asked about it after practice Monday.

"When you play against these type of players like Panarin, Auston Matthews, Patrick Kane, Connor McDavid, these guys have tremendous hands," Ullmark said. "So as soon as you make the first move, you're toast. That's it. But at the same time, you have to be able to read them to a certain level that you know the shot or the deke is going to come.

"He kept on dangling for a long time. And then he puts his stick a little bit further off to the right and he shot it and I read off of that. But at the same time, if he fakes me there and he goes backhand, I made my choice to go on a catching glove save. And I fully committed to it. If he reads me doing that, I'm going to look like a fool.

"And that's what makes it interesting, because it is basically man-on-man stuff going on out there. The patience is the key, and it goes both for the player and for the goaltender."

By stopping all three shots Saturday, Ullmark improved to 33 of 38 in his career, and his .868 save percentage took over first place all-time in the NHL for goalies with at least 10 shootouts.

The previous high of .854 was set by Marc Denis of Columbus and Tampa Bay from 2005-2008. Next on the active list is Tampa Bay star Andrei Vasilevskiy at .844 and San Jose's Martin Jones at .773.

"There's still a lot of teams that I haven't been up against when it comes to shootouts, so I don't know if I'll do as well against them," Ullmark said. "That's the thing about it, the beauty of going into the shootout. You never really know what to expect out of the opponents. That's what I find actually kind of intriguing and interesting as well."

Ullmark is expected to be in goal Tuesday night when the Sabres play the New Jersey Devils in Newark. Three of the Sabres' eight wins this season are against New Jersey. Buffalo is 3-2-1 against former coach Lindy Ruff's club.

Ullmark had his best game of the season in the Sabres' 4-1 win Feb. 23 in Prudential Center, stopping 41 of 42 shots. When he was injured two nights later and played just one period of Buffalo's overtime loss to the Devils, that was essentially the end of the Sabres' season.

In his four games back off the injured list, Ullmark is 2-1-1, 2.46/.925. Against the Devils this year, Ullmark has been lights out, going 3-0, 1.76/.949 and stopping 112 of 118 shots over four appearances.

Overall, Ullmark is 7-5-3 and owns all but one of the Sabres' wins. He's at 2.44/.921 for the season and his .928 save percentage at 5-on-5 is tied for 8th in the NHL. 1186532 Buffalo Sabres Obviously, this requires a fair bit of hindsight bias. We know more about these players now than we did at the draft. There was probably a good reason those players were selected first at the time. But given the Sabres How Buffalo’s poor drafting decisions destroyed the franchise, and who lengthy track record of draft day ineptitude (they’re negative in every they could’ve picked to save it season from 2005-to-2011 too), the team’s poor drafting record likely isn’t the result of bad luck. There’s also the very probable issue that the problem isn’t drafting, but developing – that the other players we’re about to add to Buffalo wouldn’t have thrived nearly as much if they were By Dom Luszczyszyn Apr 6, 2021 drafted by the Sabres. Fair enough, but we’re going to need some suspension of disbelief here for this exercise to work; imagine the problem is drafting alone. There’s also the assumption that Buffalo ends For most of the last decade, the entire Buffalo Sabres franchise has been up with the exact same picks in each draft, which probably isn’t right a tragic disaster. The team is a catastrophe every year, a sad, sinking either given they would’ve likely been an improved team with the ship that never needs an explanation for why it’s at the bottom of the changes made. Again, let’s pretend everything stays the same aside ocean. It’s a boat that never passes inspection, but is tossed onto the from the changes to certain picks. water anyways with the hope that this time it’ll float. Still, there need to be some constraints. I’m not going to look for the best It never does. player taken 12 picks away, and I’m not looking to create an all-star team with every pick. So we need some ground rules. For each of the last eight seasons, it hasn’t really been expected to either. At the start of the year, the most optimistic thing one can say A player replacing a player drafted by the Sabres must be within five about the team is that maybe this is the year the team surprises. That it picks. would take “a surprise” says it all. The total added value needs to be in the ballpark of 48 wins, the amount The Buffalo Sabres have been awful for a while, but after such a long the Sabres fell below expectations. time it feels like they should be better by now. This year felt like the year for that, for them to finally surprise, and instead, they’ve looked utterly Sabres fans, look away. The rest of you, let’s have some fun. hopeless – more than usual. For a team so accustomed to failure, it’s 2012 astonishing that they still continue to lower the bar after all these years. This was essentially the beginning of the end. The team missed the The Sabres have won a couple of games over the last week, but prior to playoffs for the third time in five years and it was Year One of the playoff that somehow managed to lose 18 straight games and it feels like there’s drought. Thanks to a draft day trade, Buffalo had picks 12 and 14 in its no end in sight to the pain and misery. The rebuild has failed. back pocket and the Sabres failed to take advantage of that, adding two That’s on drafting and developing, the most crucial part of any rebuild players who didn’t amount to much: Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus and the area where the Sabres have arguably been the league’s most Girgensons. The Girgensons pick is even harsher because the team incompetent team. traded up to select him – passing up on four legitimate star players in the process. Why aren’t the Sabres better by now? It’s because they don’t have many good players. Why don’t the Sabres have many good players? It’s There are only about 50 wins of improvement in our budget so we can’t because every single draft from 2012-to-2016 – the most important years go ahead and make every change we want, but it’s very difficult to pass of the team’s rebuild – was a total failure. up on Tom Wilson, Tomas Hertl, Teuvo Teravainen and/or Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Sabres are already a very different team with a In terms of relative value acquired at the draft (player value minus legitimate first-line forward and/or franchise goalie rather than a expected player valued based on draft slot), Buffalo ranked dead last defensive fourth-line center. over what should’ve been a foundation-building five-year run. In that span, the Sabres were expected to accumulate 82.3 wins of value (based Hertl and Teravainen both grade out better than Wilson, no question, but on GSVA, our player value model) which ranks first in the league. What Wilson has blossomed into a capable top-six forward. He’s a legitimate they have actually received to date (and expected to over a player’s first power forward in an era with very few of them and in terms of budget, he seven seasons in cases where players have not yet played seven doesn’t cost us much either. Because he started slowly as a fourth-liner, seasons) is 34.3 wins, which ranks 19th. It’s a 48-win deficit that’s nearly he only adds an extra three wins over Mikhail Grigorenko at 12th overall 15 wins worse than Florida, the next worst team. It’s the difference over his first seven seasons. That’s a bargain for this exercise. between 22nd and 30th. No disrespect to Linus Ullmark who is solid and was taken 149 picks later In only one season were the Sabres positive, 2015, and that draft was in this very draft, but with hindsight on our side, it’s difficult to walk away disastrous for different reasons that we’ll get to shortly. In terms of from arguably the best goalie in the world. Considering what a dark mark relative value added, here’s how each year stacks up. goaltending has been for the team over the last decade, solidifying this position early is crucial. 2012: -11.5 wins (29th) Picking a tough guy and a goalie with two top 15 picks is absolutely 2013: -15.7 wins (30th) sacrilegious from an perspective. But if we only have 50 wins to work with, then we have to make some weird decisions every now and 2014: -7.7 wins (26th) then. Grabbing one of Hertl and Teravainen probably makes more sense, 2015: 0.2 wins (16th) but we’re only trying to make the Sabres an average drafting team, not the Tampa Bay Lightning. 2016: -13.4 wins (28th) Other options: Radek Faksa (12), Tomas Hertl (12/14), Teuvo It’s difficult to build a winning program under those circumstances, Teravainen (14), Esa Lindell (73), Shayne Gostisbehere (73) whiffing on pick after pick. The Sabres had 44 picks in those drafts and have 13 legitimate NHLers to show for it, six of which no longer play for 2013 the team. The ratio itself isn’t completely terrible as John Vogl noted last This was the year where the rebuild was fully in motion. The Sabres had summer. But given the quality of those picks, it definitely feels light. It’s a top 10 pick at the draft, another first-rounder from trading Jason the quality of players selected that’s much more troubling though. Pominville and nine other picks. Buffalo selected three NHLers with their That’s where it’s fair to wonder about an alternate reality. …What if the first three picks and found a promising goaltender in the fifth round too. Buffalo Sabres knew what they were doing on draft day from 2012-to- The problem? None of those NHLers turned into impact players and the 2016? Dear readers, it’s time to enter the wormhole to a parallel universe goalie – the best player they drafted – didn’t sign with the team. to see how good the Sabres would be if they didn’t bungle five straight Until doing this project I had no idea that Cal Petersen was a Sabres drafts. Unsurprisingly, it’s something Vogl already looked into last fall, but draft pick. None. This team doesn’t lose nearly as much with him in the we’ll take it a step further here by adding the context of the value of each fold as he’s been a top tier goalie this season. But the heart wants what it pick and showing the end result of what could’ve been. wants so we can’t reverse Petersen’s decision to spurn the Sabres. What we will do is spare Sabres fans from the Rasmus Ristolainen era. Then-general manager Tim Murray was doing fine up until that point, but The eighth pick can become a prime building block and while the Sabres he took a shortcut here, adding four players that the team wasn’t ready certainly treated Ristolainen with the reverence of such a piece, his for. There are a few issues with this move, some we can see now with actual value never lived up to his pedigree. The expectation from an hindsight, some because of better data, and some that should’ve been eighth pick is about 6.3 wins over a player’s first seven seasons and plain to see at the time. Ristolainen delivered 1.9. That’s probably a generous valuation too considering most of his positive value comes from power-play For starters, it was just plain bad timing with little vision for the future. It opportunities he was spoon-fed because the team had no one else. was short-sighted. Given what we know about age curves (and what we knew then to be honest), these moves didn’t make much sense for a The very next pick was Bo Horvat, a strong second-line center who team that just drafted its 19-year-old saviour. By the time Eichel would would’ve looked great behind Jack Eichel these past few seasons. reach his prime, those four, who were 24-to-25 at the time, would be at Horvat isn’t a perfect player, but he’s a lot closer to what you’d expect out the wrong end of their own trajectory. of an eighth pick. This draft didn’t have too many other opportunities for the Sabres to salvage the wreckage either, though nabbing one of Artturi Three of the four players were good players who had the ability to move Lehkonen or Dominik Kubalik with a late pick would’ve done wonders for the needle. At the start of the pandemic, I took the time to build out my the team’s forward depth. GSVA model for each of the past 10 seasons, so it’s possible to see what the Sabres added in these four and what it would’ve done for their pre- Other options: Anthony Mantha (16), Artturi Lehkonen (52), Dominik season projections. Kubalik (189) At the end of the 2014-15 season, the Sabres were a true-talent 51-point 2014 team. In total, the team was collectively worth 0.6 wins above replacement. Their abysmal record is what they deserved which is very Stars win games and at second overall the expectation is a guy that you hard to do when you’re that awful. can build a franchise around. Having the second pick in 2014 was a chance for Buffalo to put the rebuild on the right track by hitting a home Here’s what they added: run with a truly elite player. O’Reilly: 2.2 wins (first liner) The Sabres did not get that, but the team that picked next did. That might be one of the biggest what-ifs from this era of drafting. Kane: 1.6 wins (second liner)

Sam Reinhart is a very good player. His ceiling didn’t end up as high as it Bogosian: 0.4 wins (number four defender) seemed when he was drafted, but he’s been an actual top-line calibre Lehner: 0.0 wins (replacement level goalie) player for much of his early career. Though everyone expects a superstar with the second pick, on average that pick gets you… someone like That’s 4.2 wins, plus Lehner had the pedigree to be optimistic for more. Reinhart. In his first seven seasons, he’s been worth 10.8 wins while the But an extra eight-or-nine points still doesn’t even get the team to 70 expectation for that pick is closer to 12.3 wins. It’s not the ideal outcome points. Those four players alone weren’t going to turn the team around. – you want to knock it out of the park with this pick – but it’s not Lucky for the Sabres, they also drafted Eichel (who could be reasonably disastrous either. It could’ve been Sam Bennett. expected to be worth 1.5 wins that year), had Reinhart coming in, plus The issue is that Leon Draisaitl went next and he’s a game-changer. had the benefit of addition by subtraction. Plugging in their starting roster There aren’t many centers in the world better than Eichel, but Draisaitl is for the beginning of the 2015-16 season gets the team to 10.8 total wins one of them and that would’ve created a formidable duo for years to of value – or the equivalent of a 75-point team. All that improvement come. That Draisaitl is versatile enough to play wing also makes him a doesn’t matter when the baseline starts so low as the Sabres went from strong asset too. With Horvat already in the fold, the Sabres could’ve had one of the worst teams ever to just a regular old bottom-five team. It something close to what the Oilers have now in the McDavid – Draisaitl – would’ve taken a lot more than those four to be better. Nugent-Hopkins triumvirate. The Sabres did improve because of the moves, but the problem with That’s not too shabby and obviously gives Buffalo a much stronger core improving a rebuilding team is that it comes at the cost of draft capital. than what it currently has. Draisaitl, who adds an extra eight wins over That’s fine if a team is ready for prime-time, but the Sabres very Reinhart, is too hard to pass up. obviously were not. The improvements made turned the Sabres into an 81-point team, good for 23rd in the league – outside the top five and the The Sabres had a lot of other picks and did snare Victor Olofsson late, playoffs where no team wants to be. one of their best picks during this era, but not many other changes are needed. We can give them Brayden Point at 74th overall as Point went On top of that, it took plenty of draft capital to acquire those players and just five picks later – but that feels like cheating. Everyone missed out on that’s where the real trouble lies. The Sabres were stacked with top picks Point and yes, he should’ve been taken earlier. No one gets redeemed in 2015 but traded the lowest of their firsts at the deadline (25th overall) for that. in the Kane/Bogosian trade, the 21st pick for Lehner and the 31st pick for O’Reilly. A rebuilding team as porous as Buffalo can maybe get away Other options: Thatcher Demko (36), Brayden Point (74), Elvis Merzlikins with trading one of these assets, but all three was misguided. (74) Those picks equate to 10 wins of value, but they’re arguably worth more 2015 than that because the 2015 draft was regarded at the time as one of the Buffalo has had one draft since 2005 where it earned more value than deepest drafts ever. And it was. expected from their picks. One. This was it, just barely, and it was still a At 21st overall, the Sabres could’ve had Colin White, Ilya Samsonov, massive failure. Perhaps the biggest one. It’s arguably the draft that hurt Brock Boeser or Travis Konecny. the team the most during this era. At 25th overall, the Sabres could’ve had Jack Roslovic or Anthony The Sabres brass, in all their wisdom, decided that after watching one of Beauvillier. the worst teams in hockey history, it was time to trade draft picks for NHL talent. Forget the patient approach, forget building up a core of similarly At 31st overall, the Sabres could’ve had Christian Fischer, Travis aged players, specifically the franchise center they were about to draft. Dermott or… Sebastian Aho. The turnaround begins now. If Buffalo hits on just two of these, the team is a lot stronger today. Those In their defence, the Sabres did not have the benefit of the data picks were collectively worth 10 wins, which is just under what Boeser knowledge we have now, but I’m still not sure how they saw a team that and Konecny have delivered (and are projected to continue delivering) barely hit 50 points over two straight seasons and figured adding Ryan over their first seven seasons. We’re going to take all three trades away, O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian and Robin Lehner would fix the but for the sake of making the value even will only add one to the list of massive amount of issues the team still had. They were not four players the alternate reality Sabres. Konecny it is. away. Kane and Bogosian were added at the deadline. But, for the And now for the draft where two changes come to mind. purpose of this exercise, it’s still worth noting as they were acquired with precious 2015 draft capital. At 51st overall, the Sabres selected Brendan Guhle, but two better defencemen were taken within the next five picks: Rasmus Andersson and Vince Dunn. We’ll opt for Andersson here because it leaves some This is what the team could’ve looked like (with some suspension of room in the draft budget for a big splash at 122nd overall: Conor Garland. disbelief on whether the team would’ve still had the Dahlin pick in 2018) if The now Coyote was taken one pick after the Sabres selected Devante everything went averagely. Stephens and has been a revelation for Arizona this season scoring 27 points in 35 games. That would’ve been a nice find for Buffalo. For salary cap reasons, Jeff Skinner, Kyle Okposo, Cody Eakin, and Colin Miller were all fired into the sun under the assumption that none of Other options: Vince Dunn (51), Nicolas Roy (92), Ethan Bear (122), them would’ve signed (or been traded for) in the first place. John Marino (152) Oh, what could’ve been with just average competence and/or average 2016 luck – depending on how kind you want to be to those in charge at the time. The 2015 off-season had a ripple effect on the following season’s draft. The Sabres could’ve been in the running for Auston Matthews, Patrik Instead, the Sabres were one of the worst managed and/or unluckiest Laine or Pierre-Luc Dubois, but instead ended up at eighth overall where teams for the better part of a decade. All it took was average to be a they once again whiffed on a top 10 pick. contender.

This is a very easy swap because once again we only need to look one What Buffalo is left with is this: a flaming garbage pile of a roster. pick further for the player Buffalo should’ve taken: Mikhail Sergachev. Seemingly unsalvageable wreckage that is as close to contending as it With how thin the team’s blueline has been and still is, the addition of was almost a decade ago. Not even a little bit. Sergachev would’ve been massive as he’s the exact dynamic puck- moving defender this team has needed. The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021

The 2016 draft was only five years ago, but it still seems unlikely any of the Sabres other picks pan out as expected unless Rasmus Asplund suddenly looks like an NHLer. Buffalo doesn’t have a single quality player from this draft though we won’t be making any more changes as Sergachev took up the last of our budget and there don’t seem to be many other options.

Other options: Jordan Kyrou (33), Victor Mete (99), Jesper Bratt (159)

2017 and beyond

These drafts are still too early to tell, but the same issues that plagued the Sabres in the previous decade have been present since.

In 2017 they took Casey Mittelstadt eighth overall. In 2018 they took Rasmus Dahlin first overall. In 2019 they took Dylan Cozens seventh overall. In 2020 they took Jack Quinn eighth overall.

I don’t know enough about prospects to know if any of those were good picks (aside from the Quinn pick taking serious heat at the time), but, in each case, it looks like Buffalo once again didn’t hit a home run with their top picks. That’s been by far the biggest problem plaguing the rebuild as the team had seven picks in the top 16 through 2012-to-2016 and only drafted above expectation once with Eichel. A gimme if there ever was one. Unless Dahlin takes another step or Cozens blossoms, that’s a trend that looks likely to continue for the teams next four picks. It’s hard to be good when you mostly strike out on 11 top 16 picks.

The Final Result

We will never know for sure what all these players would’ve looked like in blue-and-gold rather than where they ended up. There’s a legitimate argument to the entire Buffalo franchise being cursed, rotting from the inside out. It could be that development is more important than given credit for and the Sabres are especially awful at it. That may even be the likeliest scenario.

Still, this was a worthy trip down memory lane that shows that simply being bad isn’t a guarantee towards future contention given enough time. It takes competence at the draft, a vision for roster-building, and the patience to execute it. Buffalo had none of those things during the most important years of the rebuild and it’s why the Sabres roster is currently as bad as it is.

Simply being an average drafting team wouldn’t have been a cure-all either, but it certainly would’ve helped and that’s obvious from some of the names thrown around earlier highlighting what could’ve been. The alternate reality Sabres would’ve still been thin at defence, but the team would’ve had one of the most stacked forward groups in the league. They would’ve had actually attractive assets that could be moved to find positional balance, plus they also would have the best goalie in the world – it might’ve worked regardless.

The current iteration of the Sabres is a true-talent 72-point team with a healthy Eichel and Jake McCabe. It’s a bad team, make no mistake.

The version of the Sabres built with just average drafting habits – the one with Draisaitl, Horvat, Konecny, Garland, Wilson, Sergachev, Andersson and Vasilevskiy instead? That one is over 15 wins stronger this season, enough to put Buffalo’s true talent level north of 100 points. The Sabres would be a top 10 team, a dark horse. 1186533 For Ryan Straschnitzki, another shot at life and hockey

Humboldt Broncos player Logan Boulet, who is from Lethbridge, Alberta.

Local Humboldt Broncos families mark third anniversary of deadly crash 'The act of a hero': Humboldt player's organ donation will save six others with tributes, conversations Late Humboldt Broncos player Logan Boulet, who is from Lethbridge, 'It’s a day of the year that you can’t really avoid. You've just got to do Alberta. what you can' More than 7,000 Albertans register to be organ donors following late Humboldt Bronco's lead

Sammy Hudes Bernie Boulet, whose 21-year-old son Logan was killed in the crash, said her family planned to watch from their home in Lethbridge.

Logan’s story gained widespread attention following the tragedy, as he Injured Humboldt Broncos player Ryan Straschnitzki checks out the view had signed his organ donor card merely weeks earlier. His decision from his family's home in Airdrie on April 27, 2019. After several months helped save six lives through various transplants. of renovations to the house Ryan and his family were able to move back in. The Kidney Foundation of Canada estimates nearly 150,000 Canadians registered as organ and tissue donors in the weeks following the crash. It Three years since the crash that killed 16 members of the Humboldt marked the largest number of people registering to become organ donors Broncos hockey team and its staff, former player Ryan Straschnitzki due to one event in Canadian history. knows it’s an anniversary that can’t be ignored. The movement became known as the “Logan Boulet Effect.” Straschnitzki, now 21, said he planned to check in with his fellow surviving teammates who were on the bus on April 6, 2018, but hoped to Toby and Bernie Boulet, whose son Logan Boulet donated six of his keep the painful memories at bay. organs after the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, on Oct. 7, 2019.

“It’s something you can’t avoid and it’s a day out of the year that you Boulet said her son would have been “overwhelmed” by all the attention. remember. You remember the good times and you remember the families but, again, you don’t dwell on it and you’re just making sure that “Organ donation actually fits well with Logan because it was always what everyone’s OK,” said Straschnitzki, who lives in Airdrie. he was like. He wanted to help others,” she said.

“It’s a day of the year that you can’t really avoid. You’ve just got to do “The fact that we have the whole ‘Logan Boulet Effect’ and Green Shirt what you can.” Day that he’s a major part of is a little bit ironic. I’m sure he would be saying ‘no, I don’t need that, it’s not about me.’ It was about teamwork no Straschnitzki, who was paralyzed from the chest down in the crash, was matter what the team was, whether it was his group of friends or whether one of 13 Broncos players to survive. it was his Broncos team.”

He said the group has kept in touch over the years, including through a Wednesday, which marks the anniversary of Logan’s death, will also be group text chain that has remained active. the third annual Green Shirt Day, which encourages Canadians to register to become organ donors in their province or territory. Green, the “I know everyone’s busy doing their own thing, so when the chance we primary colour of the Broncos, is also a recognized symbol promoting do get to talk to each other (comes), it’s pretty meaningful,” he said. organ and tissue donation.

Straschnitzki has also stayed hard at work trying to reach his new-found “We are getting to talk about Logan, which makes it a little bit easier on athletic goals. A member of the Team Alberta sledge hockey squad, he us, that we have people who are wanting to know about Logan,” his hasn’t been able to play or train with his teammates lately due to mother said. restrictions associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Logan’s legacy is very much how you can help others and do things for Former Humboldt Broncos hockey player Ryan Straschnitzki practising other people, which is just the right thing to do and not because you’re sledge hockey as his father Tom looks on. getting any recognition or because you are trying to be in the spotlight.”

He said he’s been skating with members of the national team to stay Logan Boulet’s parents Toby and Bernie visit their son’s grave in ready for the upcoming season. Lethbridge on March 13, 2019. The couple are honouring Logan’s life by “They’ve been pushing me past my limits, so it’s good for me and it’s fun helping organizations to promote organ donor registrations. Green Shirt to watch,” Straschnitzki said. Day on April 7, the day Logan died and helped six others, will raise awareness for organ donations. “For now, I’m just having fun with it.” The Boulet family also planned to spend Wednesday together enjoying On Tuesday afternoon, the City of Humboldt held a virtual memorial in the outdoors — “Logan loved sunshine,” Boulet noted — and with a trip collaboration with victims’ families. The city, along with the Humboldt to the Canadian Blood Services facility in Lethbridge to donate plasma. Broncos Memorial Committee, also announced plans this week for a $25- million tribute centre and roadside memorial at the site of the crash. Boulet said it’s “hard to believe” it’s been three years since losing Logan. She recalled being about 10 minutes behind the team bus on the road to Straschnitzki said he was unsure whether he’d tune in to the anniversary Nipawin, Sask. — where the Broncos were scheduled to play a playoff memorial service, noting it would be a “last-minute decision.” game that evening — along with her husband, Toby, when the crash happened. David Ayres, Joyce Van Deurzen and Toby Boulet pose at the Marriott In-Terminal Hotel in Calgary on Friday, March 6, 2020 to launch the “You can relive and you can picture all those things so well,” Boulet said. second year of Green Shirt Day, in memoriam and in honour of Logan Boulet and all of the April 6, 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash victims “We are doing OK. Some moments are much better than others . . . It’s and survivors. those times when you aren’t expecting it, those are hard. Something that flashes, or something you’re watching on TV, or something that someone Third annual Green Shirt Day encourages Canadians to register as organ says and that just impacts you in a way you didn’t really expect. Those donors are the hard moments and the hard times.”

Ryan Straschnitzki, who was paralyzed in the Humboldt Broncos team Calgary Herald: LOADED: 04.07.2021 bus crash, continues to inspire people across Canada and beyond with his recovery.

From tragedy to tenacity, the Straz Strong journey

Humboldt Broncos crash survivor Ryan Straschnitzki takes a moment during practice at Winsport in Calgary, on Aug. 7, 2018. 1186534 Calgary Flames His comments since haven’t been nearly as encouraging.

He’s repeated several times the Flames don’t have enough firepower to trade chances with the top troupes in the North Division, and Monahan GILBERTSON: Monahan’s wayward shot sums up season for Flames — and Johnny Gaudreau and others seem hell-bent on proving him right. a big miss Sutter is satisfied with the work ethic — and should be — but is pushing The Flames, with four-plus weeks remaining, are nothing but an for a more consistent pace. afterthought in the North Division playoff race. Already. He’s made it clear that starting goalie Jacob Markstrom, signed longer than anybody else on this roster, needs to stop more pucks.

Wes Gilbertson He’s been critical of Dillon Dube and Juuso Valimaki, the two youngest dudes on the payroll, and both viewed as important building blocks for the future. It was another one of those season-in-a-nutshell moments for the Calgary Flames. Lately, Sutter has questioned the overall conditioning and he mentioned after Monday’s loss that “this team has lots of work to do in terms of A big miss. preparing for a full schedule.”

There was Sean Monahan, cruising into the slot, the puck on his tape, Hours earlier, he’d dropped this doozy. and his squad, as they so often seem to be, desperate for some sort of offensive spark. “The bottom line is, with a lot of these players, OK has kind of been the benchmark,” Sutter said as part of an answer about Valimaki, the rookie For most of his NHL career, Monahan has been money in that same defenceman who’s now been a scratch for four of the past five contests. scenario. “We need them to go a little bit above OK.”

On Monday evening, after pondering his options and picking his target, Things are not OK around the Saddledome. he sailed his wrist shot — contested but not deflected — a few feet high of the net. During this big miss, that much has become clear.

Not a few inches. A few feet. Now on their fifth head coach in a five-year stretch, the Flames are about to embark on the process of Sutterizing their roster. With a 5-9 record In an empty Saddledome, you could hear the slumping centre shout a since the Jolly Rancher returned for a second stint as Calgary’s skipper, four-letter word as the wayward wobbler plunked the glass, a high- that will require substantial turnover. (Apologies for the overload of bad danger scoring opportunity turned into yet another dump-in. news, but their farm team has also been in a funk for the past several weeks.) The Flames lost. Again. After a two-game sweep at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs, they have dropped four in a row and eight of their As summer approaches, trade chatter will revolve again around past nine, all of ’em in regulation. Gaudreau and Monahan.

Monahan was skunked. Again. His latest dry spell has spanned a dozen Maybe they’re goners this time, but are you really willing to sell so low? games, one shy of equalling the longest goal-scoring drought of his NHL career. While Gaudreau still leads this group with 13 goals, he has just two tallies since Sutter’s arrival. With only one year remaining on his contract, Toronto Maple Leafs Jason Spezza celebrates with teammates after nobody is going to sell the farm for Johnny Hockey. Rival GMs may base scoring a goal on goalie Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames during lowball trade offers on the fact that the wee winger is such an awkward fit NHL hockey in Calgary on Monday April 5, 2021. for the Flames’ dump-and-chase style.

The Flames, with four-plus weeks remaining, are nothing but an You can bet Brad Treliving’s counterparts will also be angling for a afterthought in the North Division playoff race. Already. bargain on Monahan. He currently looks nothing like the guy who buried between 22-34 in each of his seven previous campaigns, who earned a Now eight points back of a team that has five games in hand, a minor reputation for being so clutch from that slot area. miracle might not do it. They’d certainly need to string together 16 straight victories to cap their schedule — and we are talking about a crew Monahan has mustered a grand total of seven goals in 2021, including that has barely been able to win back-to-back in 2021. three at even strength. Three!

Like Monahan’s riser from the slot against the Maple Leafs, this season That’s the same number as Luke Glendening, rightfully billed in any will be remembered as a big miss. trade-deadline primer as a ‘defensive specialist.’

What happens next will be fascinating. That’s the same number as Tyler Ennis, who was unclaimed on waivers over the weekend. Don’t expect any sort of blockbuster at Monday’s trade deadline, although depth forwards Sam Bennett and Derek Ryan and backup Prior to Wednesday’s action, that was the same number as Dylan netminder David Rittich should be peddled as potential rentals, Coghlan, Nic Deslauriers, and Eetu Luostarinen. Or, as the casual fan presumably in exchange for mid-round picks. knows them, Who?, Who? and Who?

There will be a more significant shakeup in the summer. There has to be. In previous winters, Monday’s wayward wedge from Monahan would have been a shocker. As they peeled off their gear after another groaner, the Flames owned the fifth-worst points percentage in the NHL. Now, it sort of sums up the season for these Flames — a big miss.

The four teams in the rearview — the Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, ICE CHIPS Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings — are all in rebuild mode. (In Buffalo’s case, a seemingly perpetual process.) The Flames have signed defenceman IIya Solovyov, their seventh-round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft, to an entry-level contract. The 20-year- These Flames were actually expected to contend, to perhaps challenge old Solovyov skated this past season for Dynamo Minsk in the KHL, the Maple Leafs for the top seed in this all-Canadian division. Nobody totalling two goals and nine points in 41 games. figured their worst-case scenario could be quite this bad. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.07.2021 This is a big miss and a big mess.

When Darryl Sutter was hired only a month ago, he talked about “a nucleus of nine or 10 players that are really good players in the National Hockey League” and declared “this team has a good an opportunity as anybody to make the playoffs and do well in the playoffs.” 1186535 Calgary Flames Rittich has spent his entire four-year NHL career in Calgary. The Flames took a chance on an undrafted 24-year-old from the Czech Republic. Of course he is going to say what he did.

The Flames should start selling, but which players can be traded now? However, if we agree that the Flames need to start selling, isn’t Rittich one of their more valuable pending UFAs?

By Hailey Salvian Apr 6, 2021 He’s proven over four years that he can handle the crease in various roles. He was an All-Star last year and has played pretty well this season, despite his 4-7-1 record. He has a .904 save percentage in 15 starts and a 2.90 goals-against average. It’s not in the upper echelon of After a 5-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, the Calgary the league’s goalies by any means, but he’s been good enough that a Flames now have lost four straight games and eight of their last nine. contender may look at him and think “Big Save Dave” could help in the The team isn’t officially eliminated from playoff contention, but their playoffs, especially if they are thin at goalie. chances are slim. With a 16-21-3 record, the Flames are sixth in the The tricky part is that there are 24 pending UFA goalies leaguewide who seven-team North Division, and closer to seventh place than they are to have started at least 10 games this season. Rittich’s .904 save fourth. percentage is ranked 16th among that group. But he has a modest $2.75 In fact, the Flames (25th leaguewide) currently have a better chance of million cap hit, which could make him attractive. winning the draft lottery than they do of making the playoffs. According to Not all of those goalies are on the market — such as Philipp Grubauer or Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic, the Flames have a one percent Ilya Samsonov — but goalies such as Chris Dreiger, or RFAs Elvia chance of making the playoffs. Tankathon ranks Calgary sixth in the draft Merzklinkins and Anttti Raanta have topped our big NHL trade board. lottery with a 7.5 percent chance at selecting No. 1 overall in July. Washington is one potential landing spot for Rittich that has been With the April 12 trade deadline approaching, the window for waiting to discussed at The Athletic. see if the Flames could get into the playoff picture is over. And there should be no question that the team simply hasn’t been good enough to The Capitals could be in the market for an upgrade at goalie with two be buyers at the deadline. young netminders in Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek. Both have been playing well, but the question has been raised — is it too risky to go into It goes without saying that this isn’t what anybody wanted heading into the playoffs with two young players as your tandem? this season. Washington is really tight to the cap, so they’d need the Flames to eat at Everyone wanted the Flames’ front office to be aggressive buyers at the least half of Rittich’s hit. And this could be a move for a high-to-mid-round deadline, since it would indicate their trajectory could lead to a deep draft pick, because Washington has every pick this year except its third- playoff run. Surely, fans wanted that after several disappointing seasons. and seventh-rounders. The Flames could even get a younger player We know the players wanted to be contenders. And the front office outside of the active roster if Calgary wants a body back. wanted to be buyers, given the taxi squad “Cirque du Soleil” that general manager Brad Treliving had been performing throughout the season to Our Capitals writer Tarik El-Bashir said on The Athletic Hockey Show on bank as much cap space as possible to use at the deadline. Monday that if Washington were to make a deal, it would likely need to be a significant upgrade. Vanecek has a .907 save percentage and On paper, the team looked like it could be one of the top four in Canada, Samsonov has a .898. Rittich may not be exactly that, but it could still be but it just hasn’t translated on the ice. Even if the Flames miraculously an option. made the playoffs, would they win a first-round matchup? After watching this team play 40 games, it seems highly unlikely. David Rittich. (Candice Ward / USA Today)

None of this is to say that Treliving and the Flames should sit out the Another potential trade partner would be Colorado. trade deadline. Rather, it’s time to start looking toward the short- and long-term future of the franchise. And that starts with getting into sell Last season, the Avs’ goaltending depth was tested in their second-round mode or attempting to swing a future-focused hockey trade or two. playoff loss to Dallas. Grubauer went down in Game 2 vs. Dallas, and then Pavel Francouz got hurt in Game 4, which led to third-string Michael The Flames need elite, game-changing talent on their roster. They’re Hutchinson being thrown in for Games 5, 6 and 7. also thin at right wing. Improved depth on the blueline is also on the checklist. And with the latter two, there is potential now in terms of Somewhat similarly, Francouz went down with an injury this January, making smaller deals, although that feels somewhat difficult given the which has given 25-year-old rookie Hunter Miska a look as the backup. many considerations in this unique season (flat cap, expansion and And according to our Colorado writer Peter Baugh and former Avs writer quarantine). Ryan , the reality is that the Avalanche might be forced to seek another option as a reliable backup. There is one more game for Calgary before the deadline, a rescheduled matchup versus Edmonton on Saturday. And regardless of the final Enter Rittich. score, the Flames’ plan should be to use the deadline to sell any of their Those are just two options. Toronto could be another pending Frederik pending unrestricted free agents they do not plan on re-signing. Andersen’s injury status, but surely there are a few viable trade partners Now feels like the perfect time to run through some realistic options, and out there. And if the Flames feel they can, or would like to, sign a new which ones probably should get pushed down the road to the offseason. backup in the offseason, then making a move on Rittich would make a lot of sense. Realistic deadline options It should be noted that with three back-to-backs and 13 games in 26 days David Rittich | 28 | G | UFA after the deadline, the Flames will need a No. 2 goalie to pair with Markstrom. Louis Domingue probably is the guy there, because he’s After Sunday’s loss to the Leafs, David Rittich was asked if he had either been with Stockton (three games) or on the taxi squad this season. thought about it being his final game with the Flames. He didn’t like that very much. If there is no shot at contending, does the No. 3 goalie becoming the No. 2 really make an impact? Getting a draft pick or a decent player in return “Don’t try and make a story here,” he said. “This is my team and I want to is more important in the long term. stay with this team as long as I can.” Sam Bennett | 24 | LW/C | RFA Nobody should be surprised by his reaction. It’s true that Rittich twice has lost his starting spot in the Calgary crease, but he has become somewhat It’s been approximately two months since news of Bennett’s trade of a “homegrown” success story. request broke on Sportsnet’s . And because of that public request, Bennett remains one of the Flames’ more obvious Rittich went undrafted and was signed by the Flames in 2016 as a free trade chips at the deadline. agent. He first reported to AHL Stockton, and the next season he grabbed a full-time spot in Calgary, where he’s either been in a tandem In 37 games, Bennett has scored four goals and 10 points, which isn’t too or served as the starter, and now he’s a backup to Jacob Markstrom. far off from his totals in 52 games last season (8 goals, 12 points), if that’s really saying much. His stats aside, Bennett has shown that he can later, the slide continues and my column remains true, maybe even more be relied upon in a bottom-six role under Darryl Sutter, either on the wing so now given the struggles of core pieces like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean or up the middle. He was very noticeable on Friday night against Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk and … the entire roster really. Edmonton when he was moved to the third-line centre spot and matched up against Connor McDavid in the absence of Mikael Backlund. And it Changes are needed, but any meaningful moves involving the seems like Sutter is a fan. longstanding nucleus of this club likely will come in the offseason.

“He can move around the lineup. … I trust him moving around,” Sutter The main reason is that the flat, $81.5 million salary cap essentially has said. “He gives you everything he’s got every night. He’s been fine. All forced the offseason to be the time for “blockbuster deals,” whereas the I’ve asked him to do is go in straight lines and play hard and make easy deadline, for a few years now, has become more about moving rental plays and I think he’s done that.” players.

What is going to attract contending teams to Bennett is that he is a If you’re the Flames right now, how can you realistically move players proven playoff performer. Last season, Bennett nearly matched his who have significant cap hits in a flat cap world? Especially given the regular-season totals with five goals and eight points in 10 playoff games. way they are playing? You’d probably have to sell low, but why would the Overall, Bennett has scored 11 goals and 19 points in 30 postseason Flames do that if they hope to improve their team? contests. For teams that are eyeing the Stanley Cup, there is value in a I’d confidently say that this is a buyer’s market. The Eric Staal deal to player who elevates his game when it matters most. Montreal, for third- and fifth-round picks, already set the market fairly low. Bennett has a modest $2.55 million cap hit and will be under team control And the closer we get to the deadline, the prices are going to go down with arbitration rights this offseason. Potential trade matches could even lower. That’s not exactly an attractive environment for trading include the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have needed a bottom-six centre someone like Gaudreau, if that is what the organization decides to do. all season. Minnesota also needs some help at centre. (I laid out these At the deadline, you’re mostly dealing with the handful of buyers who, as options in February.) mentioned, can drive down the price. But in the summer, you are working Bennett’s hometown team, Toronto, was a potential landing spot earlier with all 30 other teams (technically 31, with potential side-door deals with in the year, but I’m not so sure the Maple Leafs would be interested right Seattle), who have a clearer picture of their cap situation and the path now, and they are very tight against the cap. But really, this is the time of they want their team to take. There are simply more options in the year when contenders and bubble teams are looking to add players to offseason and more opportunities to get proper value. bolster their depth heading into the postseason. Bennett could check a Of course, if there is a great deadline deal on the table involving a core box for a few of those teams. player that would make the Flames better, then by all means go for it.

Derek Ryan | 34 | C | UFA It’s also fair to wonder, will Treliving be given the green light to make Ryan has been a dependable centre in Calgary for three years since those moves right now? The Flames most certainly will miss the playoffs, signing as a UFA in 2018-19. He’s scored two goals and six points in 27 which is not good for his resume. When the season is over, will he still games this season and has been tapped as a valuable role player on the have the keys to re-tool the core this offseason? fourth line. Ryan also plays a quiet leadership role in the Calgary locker If that answer is no, then I doubt ownership would allow any big moves room. Ryan also has a nice origin story, going undrafted and playing four midseason if they plan to make front-office changes. That feels like years at the University of Alberta before playing in Europe and eventually something to be left for the new guard. Truthfully, I do not know what will making the jump to the NHL. happen on that front.

All of that is great. But let’s go back to the ultimate question: Are the Regardless, I believe that the real soul-searching, big-picture moves will Flames going to re-sign Ryan? If they are not, like with the other pending come in the offseason, not in the next six days. UFAs, they should attempt to sell him by Monday. And there could be a market there, as there usually is for depth forwards, especially centres. The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021

On the latest episode of “31 Thoughts: The Podcast,” Elliotte Friedman, Chris Johnston and Jeff Marek floated Ryan’s name as a potential selling piece, and mentioned that Edmonton has been in the market for a bottom-six centre — potentially Ryan or Detroit’s Luke Glendening. The sticking point with Ryan is that he comes with a $3.125 million cap hit, which is a steep price tag for a fourth-line centre. But the Flames could retain some cap space on a deal if the return is right.

Joakim Nordstrom | 29 | RW | UFA

Let’s start this with an “old takes exposed” moment.

Last month, in my Flames trade tiers, I included Joakim Nordstrom in the oh-so-harsh “what would be the point” tier. To be fair, he was injured at the time but I am going to walk this back a bit. In 29 games, Nordstrom has one goal and one assist, which still is not incredibly valuable. However, he has never been a massive point-producer. His career-highs in goals (10) and points (24) came in 2015-16 with Carolina. After that, he’s been good for seven to 12 points per season.

Teams are not signing Nordstrom for offensive production. They bring him on because he is a defensive-minded forward who is strong on the penalty kill and can fit into a typical fourth-line or bottom-six role. It sounds cliche, but he also has 46 games of playoff experience, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final with Boston two years ago (he tallied three goals and eight points).

Nordstrom also carries the league-minimum $700,000 cap hit this season. This feels like a long shot, but it’s possible if a team needs a role guy and doesn’t have much money to get one.

Joakim Nordstrom. (Sergei Belski / USA Today)

Looking at the offseason

Two weeks ago, I wrote that if the Flames continued to slide, it would be time to take a serious, hard look at the core of this roster. Six games 1186536 Carolina Hurricanes Hamilton’s goal initially was credited to Trocheck, who appeared to get a piece of the shot in the slot. Hamilton picked up his fifth of the season on a shot from the point.

How the Hurricanes inched closer to the first-place Florida Panthers “It may not always be pretty and may not be always perfect but we’re going to find a way to compete as hard as we can and continue to try to find a way to win games,” Staal said. BY CHIP ALEXANDER News Observer LOADED: 04.07.2021

The race is getting tighter at the top of the NHL’s Central Division.

The Carolina Hurricanes did their part to tighten the squeeze Tuesday, surging past the Florida Panthers with four goals in the third period for a 5-2 victory at PNC Arena.

The Canes (26-9-3) have 55 points, moving within one point of the first- place Panthers (26-10-4), and have two games in hand on Florida. Tampa Bay, the 2020 Stanley Cup champion, was beaten Tuesday by Columbus and dipped to third place with 54 points. It’s that close.

The Canes trailed 2-1 entering the third period and the Panthers were 18-0-1 when leading after two periods this season. But Dougie Hamilton scored a power-play goal to tie the score 45 seconds into the period, and Jordan Staal gave the Canes the lead at 8:52 of the third with the first of his two goals.

“Going into the third period it was a good game, they’re a good team, so we couldn’t get down on ourselves for being in the position we were in,” Canes center Vincent Trocheck said. “We just had to go out there in the third period and play our game.”

Staal’s shot from the left circle slipped through the pads of goalie . Defenseman Radko Gudas tried to clear the puck before it crossed the goal line but it was then kicked into the net as the Canes took the 3-2 lead.

After the Panthers pulled Bobrovsky for a sixth attacker, Staal fought off two defenders for a tough empty net score. Jesper Fast soon added another as the Canes improved to 4-0-1 this season the Panthers, who rolled into Tuesday’s game with a six-game winning streak.

“It was physical but it was also really fast,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the game. “That team is high octane, Florida. They transition really well and you make any little mistake in the (offensive) zone and they’re going the other way.

“It was an interesting game that way. We weren’t at our best but our guys got going there at the end and had some key moments. It wasn’t a dominant game by any means but in key moments they made the difference, really.”

Bobrovsky twice had the puck get past him in the second period but only one hurt him. Trocheck scored a power-play goal for the Canes, his fifth goal in the five games against his former team, but Sebastian Aho had a goal disallowed earlier in the second because of a quick whistle by referee Wes McCauley.

Canes goalie Petr Mrazek was back in net after his 28-save shutout of the Dallas Stars on Sunday, his first NHL game since Jan. 30. Mrazek had some quality saves Tuesday although Barkov beat him twice.

“It was a good game, it was a weird game,” Staal said. “They played well, they created lots. I felt like our first and second was just OK, we created a little bit, but ‘Raz played really well and made some really big saves.”

In the first, Barkov followed up a rebound for his 15th of the season. After Trocheck scored in the second off an Aho pass, Barkov was unchecked in the Canes zone and blasted a shot from the right circle past Mrazek for his 16th.

Aho, who had three assists in the game, hopped on a loose puck and appeared to tie the score 1-1, but McCauley had blown the play dead before Aho’s shot, believing Bobrovsky had stopped the puck. After a review, the call was a no-goal as Canes fans in the crowd of 4,987 loudly booed.

Mrazek denied Barkov a hat trick in the third when the forward again had an open look from the slot.

“Both goalies made some sick saves,” Brind’Amour said. 1186537 Carolina Hurricanes is Monday, April 12 and the Canes might be looking for another forward with Brock McGinn’s status now in doubt.

McGinn, a tough winger who never seems to come out of a game and With Petr Mrazek back, Hurricanes have goaltending decisions to make not return, did just that Sunday. McGinn had an upper-body injury and at trade deadline Brind’Amour said Tuesday that McGinn still was being evaluated.

There’s also the matter of Teuvo Teravainen. The winger remains BY CHIP ALEXANDER sidelined with concussion symptoms, his return timetable unknown. COVID-19 and the concussion have limited him to 13 games this season.

Reimer has a 14-4-1 record with a 2.71 GAA and .905 save percentage. For the Carolina Hurricanes, the sprint to the finish line of the regular Nedeljkovic, who was named the NHL rookie of the month for March, is season has begun. 8-4-2 with a 2.12 GAA and .924 percentage.

The Canes host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday and Thursday in what‘s “I would say Alex and (Reimer) both played really, really well,” Mrazek presumably a preview of what should be a Central Division first- or said after Sunday’s game. “They gave the team a chance to win every second-round playoff series. The top four teams in each division qualify night and they did a great job.” and the Panthers (26-9-4) go into Tuesday’s game first in the division with 56 points and the Canes (25-9-3) third with 53, one point behind That was in February and March. It’s April and Mrazek is back. Tampa Bay. All three goalies are in the final years of their respective contacts, and The Panthers have played 39 games and the Canes 37, so the Canes’ Mrazek and Reimer are due to become unrestricted free agents after the two games-in-hand on Florida won’t change until after the two-game set season. That will factor into any trade discussion while offering an added at PNC Arena. Tampa Bay (26-10-2) has played 38 games. financial incentive for all three.

With 19 games remaining in the condensed season, the Canes have a It’s not a goaltending quandary but it does need clarifying. goaltending equation that needs clarifying. Three goalies are healthy: CAROLINA HURRICANES VS FLORIDA PANTHERS James Reimer, Alex Nedeljkovic and now Petr Mrazek. When: Tuesday, 7 p.m. There aren’t enough games left to keep all three fresh. There won’t be enough practice time to keep three sharp. Someone must sit, but whom? Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh.

Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour has been able to slip that question during TV: BSSO () Mrazek’s long rehab from thumb surgery. Reimer and Nedeljkovic played. But Mrazek returned Sunday for his first NHL game since Jan. 30 News Observer LOADED: 04.07.2021 and shut out the Dallas Stars, 1-0 — no easy task.

Mrazek was in the starter’s crease at Tuesday’s morning skate and the likely starter against the Panthers. Nedeljkovic manned the other net and will be the backup Tuesday.

Brind’Amour was asked if Mrazek and Nedeljkovic would be the top two goalies moving forward.

“Nope, we’ve got three,” he said.

Will all three get games moving forward?

“I’ve got three guys I’ve got to figure out how to work them in,” Brind’Amour said. “I like all of them. Right now Petr has got to get his game conditioning going so he can be ready, getting up to speed fully and feel good about everything. Obviously, he played well the other night but I’ve got to keep the other guys engaged, too. A bit of a challenge but great to have great options.”

The question arose immediately after Sunday’s game about the goaltending situation.

“It’s great to know that Petr’s back as far as being sharp and there are no questions there. He’d been out a long time,” Brind’Amour said Sunday. “The question that’s obviously going to come is what kind of workload do you give him, and he’s got to have a few starts to really get in the groove of playing every day or that conditioning aspect.”

The goaltending question might be easier to answer if Mrazek had struggled a bit Sunday but he made 28 saves. He was strong when things were tight, in the final minutes of regulation as the Stars pulled their goalie for a sixth attacker and attacked, hunting a tying goal.

“He didn’t have a lot of work for two (periods) and then when we needed him, he was there in the last five minutes,” Brind’Amour said. “He made three or more spectacular, especially weird ones that got in that he couldn’t see. They weren’t Grade-A’s but they were coming from angles and screens. He fought through it. He was good, obviously.”

If the Canes, with an eye to the playoffs, determine Mrazek will be their No. 1 goalie, they will give him considerable work in the final 19 games. His shutout Sunday was his third in five starts this season and his numbers remain eye-opening: A 0.74 goals-against average and .968 save percentage.

TRADE COULD BE AN OPTION

An option, and general manager Don Waddell has broached the idea a time or two, would be trading one of the goalies. The NHL trade deadline 1186538 Carolina Hurricanes say, they re-sign Dougie Hamilton before the expansion draft and have to protect him.

If the Kraken wanted to take Brady Skjei’s or Jake Gardiner’s contract off How the Hurricanes’ trade deadline decisions might be impacted by the the Hurricanes’ hands, there will be no complaints from Raleigh about it. Seattle Kraken expansion draft More likely, they would snatch up either Haydn Fleury (who has one year left on his contract at a $1.3 annual average value before restricted free agency) or Bean (an RFA after this season), considering Seattle general By Sara Civian Apr 6, 2021 manager Ron Francis drafted both players himself when he was running the Canes and had high hopes for them that seem to be at least

somewhat coming to fruition. It’s almost useless to think about how the Carolina Hurricanes, or any Obviously — especially with two relatively young players — things could team, will approach the NHL’s April 12 trade deadline without giving an go uphill or downhill on a dime, performance-wise, for the rest of the abundance of context. season. But if the Canes haven’t signed Hamilton by the expansion draft, There are short-term moves that would have made perfect sense in might they protect Bean? years past — like a rental for these Hurricanes — but now require He’s cooled off a bit, but he had a sort of welcome-to-the-show stretch of extensive financial planning. Long-term moves are no better, as the here- play and currently sits at one goal and 11 points in 27 games. He’s to-stay flat cap complicates taking on multiyear contracts. generally looked comfortable in limited ice time, and I don’t anticipate a And then there’s the expansion draft. ridiculously pricey contract coming off his ELC at the end of this season. Protecting him is at least worth considering. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun recently covered the Seattle Kraken’s impact on this trade deadline, and how teams might be looking to reach It’s also worth letting him be the martyr, in a sense, knowing it’s highly “verbal understandings” with Seattle ahead of the deadline. Obviously, likely the Kraken will select him. Folks have asked if the Hurricanes more or less knowing which player Seattle might select from your roster should trade Bean at the deadline to not “lose him for nothing” by has its advantages — like preparing for that hole in the roster at this exposing him in the expansion draft, and I get it, but losing someone for trade deadline and/or being able to justify spending more money. That nothing is going to be inevitable. That’s what expansion drafts are. And comes as a cost, though, and a lot of times that cost looks like giving up life will go on if the Canes lose Bean in order to protect other assets, as two or three more pieces to a middleman for the prize of certainty. unfortunate as it may be.

Would one of these handshake agreements be worth it for the Further, the Hurricanes could totally lean into the situation and tell Hurricanes? Francis they’ll keep Bean (or Fleury) exposed if the Kraken agree to offload whatever other salary the Canes feel like offloading. Occam’s To answer that question, let’s start by taking a stab at a standard, Razor tells us this convoluted scenario isn’t the most likely to happen, but updated mock protected list. And remember: The Canes can either it’s another one worth exploring. If the Canes plan to re-sign Hamilton, protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie or eight knowing Svechnikov’s contract and an undetermined goalie’s contract skaters and one goalie. Also remember that Martin Necas is exempt. also loom, they’re going to need to get creative. Weaponizing Bean’s situation and Francis’ history with the franchise isn’t a terrible option. Forwards And on that goalie situation, it remains impossible to predict at this point. Jordan Staal (NMC) The Canes need to leave one goalie exposed but at this point only have Sebastian Aho one goalie under contract for next season, Alex Nedeljkovic. Mrazek and James Reimer are both UFAs after the season. Nedeljkovic could be a Andrei Svechnikov UFA too but will be an RFA as long as he finishes the season with 27 career games, which now seems almost certain (he’s at 20). Assuming Teuvo Teravainen Mrazek is the goalie to re-sign, Nedeljkovic could then be exposed. Vincent Trocheck Depending how he finishes the season, he probably hasn’t proven enough through age 25 to be one of Seattle’s best options in net. The Nino Niederreiter Canes could also give Jeremy Helvig a qualifying offer and leave him Jesper Fast exposed, protecting Nedeljkovic.

Defensemen Hamilton’s contract negotiations are the biggest piece in this puzzle, but that’s tricky because it’s not going to get figured out any time soon. Jaccob Slavin So what does this all mean for the Hurricanes six days away from the in- Brett Pesce season trade deadline?

… Jake Bean? Probably nothing for the immediate future.

Goalie It would be an obvious risk for the Canes to make hard-and-fast decisions on who they’re protecting with Hamilton unsigned, 20 games Petr Mrazek (assuming he re-signs) left in the regular season and the playoffs to play. But as Hurricanes GM This exercise is always so fun but so difficult for anyone not employed by and president Don Waddell is making his rounds this week, it’s definitely the Kraken’s front office because which player the Canes “should” protect worth it to keep the expansion draft and its potential ramifications in isn’t all about who their best players are. How are the Kraken structuring mind. All of this could very much factor into any moves, or any non- their roster, based on who else is available around the league? What moves, he makes. type of contracts are they looking to take on when it’s time for them to The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 select a player from the Canes? And where are the Canes financially?

This is why I chose to protect Fast out of a final forward grouping of Fast, Warren Foegele and Brock McGinn (other than the fact that Foegele is a restricted free agent and McGinn unrestricted at the end of this season). Fast is simply on a good contract right now. (Note: If Foegele is re-signed or Steven Lorentz plays his 27th game of the season Tuesday, either will satisfy the requirement to expose at least one forward in the expansion draft.)

This also makes me wonder what the Canes should do with Bean. It’s fair to assume that one of the reasons the Canes keep their defense so stacked is expansion draft strategy — they won’t be hurting too bad if, 1186539 Chicago Blackhawks

Kirby Dach gets his 1st goal but the Chicago Blackhawks nearly squander a 3-goal lead in a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars

By PHIL THOMPSON

It looked like old times for Kirby Dach on Tuesday night. The Chicago Blackhawks center scored his first goal of the season in what looked to be his strongest game yet.

The Hawks had a strong start, too, taking a three-goal lead. But they had to weather the Dallas Stars’ third-period rally — and get an empty-netter from Patrick Kane — to escape with a 4-2 win at the United Center.

Vinnie Hinostroza made his debut in his return to the Hawks and got his first point of the season: an assist on Dominik Kubalik’s second-period goal on a two-on-one break. It was Kubalik’s 13th goal of the season.

The Florida Panthers traded Hinostroza to the Hawks on Friday for prospect Brad Morrison.

Alex DeBrincat got a takeaway in the offensive zone and capped the scoring with his 20th goal of the season.

Andrew Cogliano scored a shorthanded goal for Dallas to cut the lead to 3-1.

Both the Hawks and Stars were coming off shutout losses, but from the outset the Hawks came out sharp — they took the first five shots on goal — and the Stars looked lethargic. That is, until a third-period push after Cogliano’s goal gave them life.

Radek Faksa’s wrister with 6:14 left made it interesting, and a couple of shots by Joe Pavelski with under a minute remaining could have spelled disaster, but Hawks goalie Kevin Lankinen stood firm. He made 25 saves.

“I think it was the biggest game of the season so far,” Lankinen said. “Every game going forward is going to be a like a playoff game. I think we approach with that mentality.”

With just under 8 minutes left in the first, Connor Murphy dug the puck out of the corner in the defensive zone past Dach. Cogliano tried to keep it in the zone but Dach chipped it into the neutral zone and Patrick Kane nabbed it at the center line and the rush was on.

Kane made a saucer pass to Dach, who settled the puck and flipped it over ’s glove.

Dach’s last goal came Aug. 13 against Vegas during the summer postseason in Edmonton. His previous regular-season goal was Feb. 15, 2020, at Calgary.

Dach and Kane almost combined on a goal a minute into the game — this time with Dach passing to Kane on the rush — but the goal was overturned after a review determined Kane was offside.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186540 Chicago Blackhawks His numbers dropped to five goals and 17 assists over 68 games in his second season with the Coyotes, however.

“I know I could’ve produced more than I did,” Hinostroza said. “But Vinnie Hinostroza said ‘it was kind of a shocker’ when he was traded sometimes that’s how it goes.” back to the Blackhawks. Now in his 2nd run in Chicago, he just wants ‘a fair chance.’ The Coyotes decided not to make a qualifying offer, and Hinostroza signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Panthers on Oct. 9, 2020. The next day he announced his engagement to Samantha on Instagram.

By PHIL THOMPSON However, the reboot on his career stalled. Hinostroza found himself in a struggle to make the fourth line and had played in only nine games for the Panthers before he was traded Friday. As a Chicago-area native and former Blackhawk, Vinnie Hinostroza had been well aware of the “buzz” surrounding the team’s surprising push “The way the season was going for me in Florida, I figured it was a really toward a playoff spot this season. big possibility that I was going to be moved,” he said.

Hinostroza said that while for playing the Florida Panthers, he noticed the Hinostroza said his agent talked to general manager Bill Zito about Hawks were “super fast on the transition, the (defense) can move the whether he would get more opportunities for ice time or would be better puck, so many skilled forwards out there.” off elsewhere.

“It was a fun team to play against,” he said. “Being from here, you’re “Obviously you always want to play,” Hinostroza said. “Every day you’re seeing the news, what’s going on. I followed them a bit, seemed to be not playing is another opportunity you’re missing to get better and secure buzzing most of the year.” a job for yourself and your family. … I’m not really sure what was talked about on their side. But just happy to get this opportunity and I’m happy Hinostroza played in both of the Panthers’ games at the United Center to be playing hopefully.” two weeks ago, but little did he know he soon would be taking up permanent residence there. He wasn’t getting much ice time in Florida, After the trade was finalized, Hinostroza made the 1,300-mile drive to and the Panthers traded him to the Hawks for prospect Brad Morrison on avoid a longer quarantine. Friday. “It was tough but it was worth it,” he said. “Nineteen hours from Fort “The way the season was going for me in Florida, I figured it was a really Lauderdale. It was just me and our two dogs. big possibility that I was going to be moved,” Hinostroza said Monday “My fiancee and our 2-month-old are flying back later this week. She has after his first practice with the Hawks at Fifth Third Arena. “When I heard a little bit of a quarantine and we can meet back up. The drive — it was it was Chicago, it was kind of a shocker. long. The last five hours were tough, but obviously it’s great coming “I was here before and there’s 30-something other teams. How do I end home to my family.” up going home again?” said Hinostroza, a Hawks sixth-round draft pick in Participating in his first practice Monday, it felt “great to be back,” he said. 2012 who played 106 games over three seasons in Chicago from 2015- “It’s nice when you can just drive to the rink and you know where you’re 16 to 2017-18. He’ll wear No. 28. going, walk in and see familiar faces.”

He’s also a Bartlett native who played Chicago Mission youth hockey. Colliton put the 5-foot-9, 177-pound winger on a line with Philipp “My mom and fiancee’s mom were probably the happiest people in the Kurashev and Dominik Kubalik during drills. world now that they’ll be able to see the baby whenever they want,” said “We’re definitely not settled on any combo or anything, but I just want to the 27-year-old Hinostroza, who welcomed son Vincent Matthew with get him in,” Colliton said. “Overall his skating and pace, that’s something fiancee Samantha on Feb. 9. that when we’re good, that’s a big part of our game. I think we need to “It’s a great fit, but the part I’m most happy about is obviously the hockey. get back to that. He can help us there and he does have some skill and I’m just excited to wear this logo again.” he’s scored in the league before.

Alex DeBrincat and Connor Murphy were among old teammates and “He can help on any line, whether it’s down the lineup or up the lineup. friends who reached out to him. We’ve just got to get him up to speed.”

“Brinksy texted me first and just said, ‘Welcome home,’ ” Hinostroza said. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.07.2021 “Murph, bunch of guys reached out. … I was getting those texts while I was driving” from Florida.

Coach Jeremy Colliton called him on the phone on the drive to Chicago.

“He just told me he liked me a lot when he had me in Rockford,” said Hinostroza, speaking of the 2017-18 IceHogs season. “He wouldn’t have brought me here if he didn’t think I could help the team.

“But also he’s not promising anything. I’ve never wanted a handout and that’s not something I’m looking for. I just want a good opportunity, a fair chance.”

Hinostroza has come full circle since he previously wore a Hawks jersey.

He signed a two-year contract with the Hawks in June 2018, but the next month the team packaged Hinostroza with Marian Hossa, Jordan Oesterle and a 2019 third-round pick in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes for Marcus Kruger, Andrew Campbell, Jordan Maletta, Mackenzie Entwistle and a 2019 fifth-rounder.

The move shed more than $4 million in salary for the Hawks and got them off the hook for the remaining three years of Hossa’s contract.

Hinostroza thrived in Arizona initially. He reached career highs with 16 goals and 23 assists in 72 games during the 2018-19 season.

“First year in Arizona, things were going well and I was getting a lot of opportunities,” he said. “Second year, felt pretty good. I was kind of in a different role — more defensive. I was happy doing that, really rounding my game (out).” 1186541 Chicago Blackhawks you need to do to be ready the next day again. It’s definitely easier to find that groove.”

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 04.07.2021 Blackhawks keep riding Kevin Lankinen, earn much-needed win over Stars

Lankinen started for the 10th time in 12 games and stopped 25 of 27 shots in a 4-2 victory. “I really embrace the opportunity to play a lot of games,” he said.

By Ben Pope Apr 6, 2021, 9:51pm CDT

The Blackhawks have yet to anoint Kevin Lankinen as their official long- term No. 1 goaltender, but they’re certainly treating him that way right now.

Lankinen started again Tuesday — for the 10th time in 12 games — and saved 25 of 27 shots in the 4-2 victory against the Stars.

“In his development, it’s a good step for him to carry a load here as the games get big,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “[He’s] getting used to what that feels like and what he needs to do to prepare himself to play at a high level consistently.”

Lankinen’s tireless work ethic has propelled him out of a downturn in the first half of March, bringing back his top level in recent weeks. He’s 4-3-0 with a .932 save percentage in his last seven starts and 14-10-4 with a .918 save percentage on the season.

Constant work with Hawks goalie coach Jimmy Waite has contributed to his improvement. Lankinen has worked in-season on finding pucks through traffic and, once he finds them, coming out further to make himself bigger and cut down on the angle.

Those emphases were evident Tuesday as Lankinen produced several big saves on scrambled, hard-to-follow plays in the first two periods, then stood strong in the closing minutes to stave off the Stars’ comeback.

“It has helped for sure, because every team wants to have traffic in front and try to take away the goalie’s eyes,” he said. “Especially with good ‘D’ on the blue line, they’re going to find a way to shoot the puck toward the net.”

He finally got goal support, too.

Patrick Kane addressed the team before the game, telling them “every game from here on out is a playoff game,” then dominated on a line with Kirby Dach and Alex DeBrincat. Colliton later described the trio’s play as “fantastic.”

Kane set up Dach for his first goal of the season — minutes after a Dach- to-Kane goal was overturned for offsides — in the first period. DeBrincat ripped a goal upstairs in the second. Kane added an empty-net goal late in the third.

Vinnie Hinostroza also recorded a point in his first game as a Hawk since 2018, feeding Dominik Kubalik on a two-on-one rush.

“I was really happy with our approach tonight,” Colliton said. “We responded in a lot of different ways to the challenge, and [it was] nice that we were rewarded for the work that we put in. We were pretty sharp with a lot of details, which helps.”

It also helps that the Hawks have been able to rely on consistency from Lankinen virtually every night this season, whether the skaters in front of him have been good or bad.

The team’s relatively undisrupted schedule is part of why that has proven possible. The Stars, for example, are playing 43 games in their final 76 days of the season, whereas the Hawks are playing only 37 games in their final 80 days.

But Lankinen — who made only 25 and 21 appearances the last two seasons, respectively, in the minor leagues — deserves plenty of credit for settling into the rhythm and routine of a No. 1 NHL goalie so seamlessly.

“I really embrace the opportunity to play a lot of games,” he said. “This is what every goalie wants to do. It’s a pretty cool schedule for us when you play every other night and then get that day off in between. You do what 1186542 Chicago Blackhawks injuries ahead of expected trades, Soderberg’s absence seems performance-based.

“When you get a chance to rotate the lineup a bit, maybe add freshness Blackhawks notebook: Jeremy Colliton vaccinated, Alex Nylander to the group, [it’s good],” Colliton said. “Soderberg’s played well for us. unlikely to play this season It’s up to him to prepare for his next chance and make a difference when No Blackhawks players have been vaccinated yet, but the team will he comes in.” encourage them to do so when practical. Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 04.07.2021

By Ben Pope Apr 6, 2021, 6:50pm CDT

Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton and a number of other staff members have been vaccinated for COVID-19, Colliton said Tuesday.

No players have been vaccinated yet, but the organization will encourage them to do so when they’re eligible and the timing is right with the team’s game and practice schedule.

“I think it would be good,” Colliton said. “But we’ve to do it at the right time, too, with regard to the schedule and making sure that it comes at a time that, hopefully, it’s not going to affect their ability to play. The more people that can get vaccinated, the quicker we can hopefully get back to living the life we want to live.”

Colliton received the Johnson & Johnson shot at a recent event set up by Hawks physician Dr. Michael Terry.

Forward Ryan Carpenter said he’d like to get vaccinated when possible but has mainly focused on the day-to-day grind of the season rather than seeking out appointments.

“[The Hawks] asked for our opinions,” Carpenter added. “Guys are all over the place personally with the vaccine. I think it would definitely help — that’s my opinion. It would help the team and the league [reduce cases] as we’re going down the stretch.”

Nylander likely out for season

Alex Nylander remains on schedule in his recovery from knee surgery, general manager Stan Bowman said Tuesday.

Nylander underwent surgery in December to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee and was ruled out four to six months, putting his approximate return sometime between late April and late June.

Bowman confirmed Nylander is unlikely to play the remainder of the regular season, which ends May 10.

The 23-year-old wing should be fully healthy for next season, but he’ll need a new contract first, as he’ll be a restricted free agent this summer.

No Vinnie treatment for Delia

The Hawks were able to acquire Vinnie Hinostroza for essentially no cost last week because the Panthers wanted to give him a chance to earn NHL playing time, which wasn’t happening for him.

“The way the season was going for me in Florida, I figured it was a really big possibility that I was going to be moved,” Hinostroza said Monday.

The Hawks have their own player in a comparable situation in goalie , who has been stuck in no man’s land for months.

Since Jan. 18, Delia has played in zero NHL games and four AHL games, all during a brief conditioning stint. The Hawks don’t want to risk losing him for nothing on waivers, but Delia hasn’t cracked the Kevin Lankinen-Malcolm Subban rotation, either.

In another season, Delia would be an obvious change-of-scenery candidate. But with teams required to keep three goalies in the NHL this season, the Hawks need Delia right now, even just to sit around.

So there’s been no consideration given to trading him before the Monday trade deadline, Bowman said.

Soderberg scratched

Carl Soderberg was scratched for the second consecutive game.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Soderberg could conceivably be dealt at the deadline. But unlike the Sabres’ Taylor Hall and Devils’ Kyle Palmieri, who were both scratched in other games Tuesday to avoid 1186543 Chicago Blackhawks

Hinostroza gets right to it in helping Chicago Blackhawks win

John Dietz

All Vinnie Hinostroza wanted was an opportunity.

A chance to prove he still has what it takes to play a significant role.

That's exactly what Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton is giving the Bartlett native -- and Hinostroza certainly didn't disappoint during a 4-2 victory over Dallas at the United Center on Tuesday.

In his first game back with the team that drafted him nine years ago, Hinostroza recorded the primary assist on Dominik Kubalik's goal that gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead at 9:39 of the second period. Kirby Dach, Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane also scored, and Kevin Lankinen made 25 saves as the Hawks improved to 18-17-5.

There was some drama down the stretch as Dallas scored short-handed early in the third period, then made it 3-2 with 6:14 remaining. Kane's empty netter with 5.8 seconds remaining sealed the victory.

"It was important for our group and their confidence that we were able to lock it down," Colliton said. "I like that we stuck with it and had some good, strong shifts to close out the game."

It was quite the homecoming for Hinostroza, who was reacquired in a deal with Florida on Saturday.

His highlight-reel moment came after he snared a puck that bounced out of the Hawks' defensive zone. Turning on the jets, Hinostroza raced through the neutral zone on a 2-on-1 with Kubalik. When Dallas defenseman John Klingberg tried closing in, Hinostroza instantly zipped the puck to Kubalik, who buried his 13th goal.

"He was very good," Colliton said. "He brought what we were hoping he would -- skating, pressure and competitiveness. He won a lot of loose pucks and obviously he made a great play on the goal. He had some other chances as well. His pace and puck battles helped our group."

Said Hinostroza: "It felt great to be back here wearing this jersey. Felt great to be playing again."

Hinostroza (2 SOG, 3 hits in 9:47) likely would have had another assist midway through the third period, but Philipp Kurashev's stick exploded on a point-blank one-timer.

"Only thing you can do there is laugh about it," said Hinostroza, who added with a smile: "Maybe next game he won't have a faulty stick."

It was also a big night for Dach, who scored on a gorgeous saucer pass from Kane at 12:13 of the first period. The tally snapped a 17-game goal drought that stretched back to Feb. 15, 2020.

The victory allowed the Hawks (41 points) to remain 2 points behind Nashville, which beat Detroit in a shootout. There's no time to rest, though, especially with a desperate Dallas squad back at the UC on Thursday.

"It's so tight in our division here," said Hinostroza, who isn't at all upset about going from the first-place Panthers to a bubble team in the Hawks. "I was just working hard every day for an opportunity. Luckily it's here in my hometown with a lot of the guys that I know and want to battle for to get in the playoffs. Us getting in the playoffs would be the most rewarding thing. I think we could do some damage if we get there."

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186544 Chicago Blackhawks

10 observations: Blackhawks hang on to beat Stars

BY CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS

The Blackhawks defeated the Dallas Stars 4-2 on Tuesday at the United Center.

Here are 10 observations from the win:

1. This was a big win for the Blackhawks, even though it got dicey late. The Stars went into this contest trailing Chicago by only three points with three games in hand, and by picking up two points in regulation, the Blackhawks have forced the Stars to need at least five out of a possible six points to pull within a tie in the standings.

2. Kevin Lankinen was solid in this game. He stopped the first 19 shots he faced and finished with 25 saves on 27 shots for a save percentage of .926. Perhaps his most important one came on Rhett Gardner's shot from 14-feet out at the 9:04 mark of the second period. The Blackhawks scored 35 seconds later to make it 2-0 and eventually extended their lead to 3-0.

3. Patrick Kane and Kirby Dach connected for a goal just 65 seconds into the game, but the Stars challenged for offside and won it. The good news? Kane and Dach connected for a second time in the first period, and this one actually counted. It was Dach's first goal of the season and first since Feb. 15, 2020, which is more than a calendar year.

Kirby Dach scores his first goal of the season. What a pass by Patrick Kane. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/sDktcv7GXD— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 7, 2021

4. Alex DeBrincat scored his 20th goal of the season for the third time in his NHL career. He also became the fourth player to hit that total this season, joining Mikko Rantanen (21), Connor McDavid (22) and Auston Matthews (27). He probably would've hit that number quicker if he didn't miss four games while in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.

5. The Blackhawks went five straight games without giving their opponent more than one power-play in a game, but that streak came to end. The Stars had two of them on Tuesday, but the Blackhawks shut the door and improved to 14-for-15 on the penalty kill in five games against the Stars this season.

6. The Stars are a very good third-period team, and they showed it again. They scored twice in the final frame against the Blackhawks and increased their third-period goal differential to +15, which ranks third in the NHL. They have a -5 goal differential in the first two periods combined.

7. Vinnie Hinostroza, who was acquired by the Blackhawks on Friday, was inserted into the lineup and played on a line with Dominik Kubalik and Philipp Kurashev. He recorded a primary assist on Kubalik's 13th goal of the season and also had three shot attempts (one on goal), three hits and one takeaway in 9:47 of ice time. He certainly made his presence felt.

8. The Blackhawks gave up a short-handed goal for the second straight game and have now allowed five of them all season, which is tied for the most in the league. Boston is the only other team that's given up five, too.

9. The Blackhawks have struggled all season long in the faceoff department, but this was one of their better games as of late. They won 28 of 46 faceoffs through two periods and finished 37 of 66 for a win percentage of 56.1. Pius Suter led the way with 11 wins and six losses.

10. Stars head coach Rick Bowness was not behind the bench because of the NHL's COVID-19 protocol. He could rejoin the team for Thursday's game if a second test result comes back negative. Assistant coach John Stevens has served as the interim head coach.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186545 Chicago Blackhawks

Where will Hinostroza fit into Blackhawks' lineup?

BY CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS

Vinnie Hinostroza knew there was a possibility he could be moved before the April 12 NHL trade deadline. He wasn't getting much playing time in Florida and that probably wasn't going to change down the stretch and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But returning to the Blackhawks, his hometown team, of all places? That's not something he remotely had on his radar.

"When I heard it was Chicago it was kind of a shocker," said Hinostroza, who was acquired on Friday in exchange for Brad Morrison. "I was here before and there's 30-something other teams; how do I end up going home again? My mom and fiancée’s mom were probably the happiest people in the world now that they'll be able to see the baby whenever they want. It’s a great fit, but the part I’m most happy about is obviously the hockey. I’m just excited to wear this logo again."

After driving 19 hours from Fort Lauderdale to Chicago over the weekend, Hinostroza joined the team for practice on Monday at Fifth Third Arena. He's sporting No. 28 because his original No. 48 is now being worn by rookie defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk and the No. 29 he requested (in honor of his son being born on Feb. 9) is taken by Madison Bowey.

Aside from a new number, Monday felt like home again for Hinostroza ... literally.

"It's obviously great to be back," he said. "It's nice when you can just drive to the rink and you know where you’re going, walk in and see familiar faces. I'm just super excited to be here, super excited they're giving me this opportunity. Things didn’t go how I wanted in Florida, but I know I have a lot of game left in me. I’m excited to be here, play my game and do whatever I can for this team."

So, where might he fit into the lineup? Hinostroza skated on a line with Dominik Kubalik and Philipp Kurashev at practice, which indicates he could have a top-nine role to start.

Head coach Jeremy Colliton hasn't made any declarations, but he likes the versatility Hinostroza brings, whether it's being able to play any of the three forward positions or any of the four lines.

"Overall, just his skating and pace, I think that’s something that when we’re good, that’s a big part of our game," Colliton said. "We need to get back to that. I think he can help us there. He does have some skill and scored in the league before. He can help on any line, whether it’s down the lineup or up the lineup, we've got to get him up to speed."

Hinostroza said he had a phone conversation with Colliton during his 19- hour drive to Chicago. The two of them overlapped for one year in Rockford, where Hinostroza recorded 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 29 games during the 2017-18 season, which was Colliton's first season as the IceHogs head coach.

Despite the familiarity, Hinostroza knows he's going to have to earn his spot in the Blackhawks' lineup and that nothing will be handed to him. And that's the way he wants it.

"He just told me he liked me a lot when he had me in Rockford," Hinostroza said. "He wouldn’t have brought me here if he didn’t think I could help the team, but also he's not promising anything. I've never wanted a handout and that’s not something I’m looking for. I just want a good opportunity, a fair chance.

"With my hard work and the way I play, I think I'll be able to earn some time. Whatever I can do to help this team win. There's about a month left in the season. A lot of guys have been here all year, so just whatever I can do to help out. Hopefully get more opportunities as we go along."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186546 Chicago Blackhawks “It’s just weird when you go through the scores at the end of the night (because) teams are always getting points, or games are going to overtime,” de Haan said. “So it’s hard to jump past teams. But if you can Handling the grind, the top line’s aligned, Vinnie Hinostroza’s a find: 10 get on a roll here and string some wins together, that’s probably the best observations from a big Blackhawks win way to start climbing in the standings. Obviously, that’s a goal of ours, and we’re going to do our best to squeak in there and hopefully make some noise in the playoffs.”

By Mark Lazerus Apr 6, 2021 Hey, why not? The Blackhawks are 2-2-1 against Carolina this season and 2-3-1 against Florida. They’ve got a win and an overtime loss against

Tampa. While the entire hockey world is looking at that eventual fourth So you’ve stayed up a bit too late poring over Central Division schedules, seed as a sacrificial lamb, the Blackhawks believe otherwise. It’s a noting that Dallas has four games left against Detroit while the playoff race. Blackhawks have just two; that Nashville doesn’t have to play Tampa “It’s so tight in our division here,” newcomer Vinnie Hinostroza said. Bay anymore but still has four games left against Carolina; that “(Patrick Kane) said before the game that every game from here on out’s Columbus has to face Tampa Bay three times but that the Blue Jackets a playoff game.” oddly own the Lightning; that, hoo boy, the Blackhawks still have a three- game set against Nashville in a couple of weeks. And ya gotta believe, right?

You’ve scoured the injury report, spent hours noodling around on But ya gotta get there first. So while March might have been the most Evolving Hockey and Natural Stat Trick, obsessed over the numbers and brutal part of the Blackhawks’ schedule, April and May promise to be started building your own janky Dom Luszczyszyn model on a piece of every bit as tense. scratch paper, trying to calculate how the final month of the season is going to play out and which team — Nashville, Chicago, Dallas or Game observations Columbus — is going to take the fourth and final playoff spot in the 1. So, Blackhawks fans could get used to this for the next, oh, seven or Central Division. eight years, eh?

Yeah, I have, too. It’s part of the fun of being in a playoff race, right? 2. The Alex DeBrincat–Kirby Dach–Patrick Kane line — the line Colliton Sweating it all out. It’s not quite 2013-2016 — unofficially known as the spent the offseason dreaming about before Dach broke his wrist at a #barfcrydie era, if memory serves — when you were enduring the World Juniors exhibition — looked awfully good in the Blackhawks’ exquisite agony of playoff overtimes and Game 7s, but it’s better than not victory over Dallas on Tuesday night. All three players scored, and that having a reason to stew, to sweat, to care. At least the Blackhawks’ didn’t even include Kane’s overturned goal in the first period on which harrowing 4-2 victory over Dallas on Tuesday night carried some weight, Dach was offside before he set him up. Unfazed, Kane set up Dach with right? the above play, which showcased his own ridiculous saucer-passing Jeremy Colliton’s surely done plenty of analysis on the scores and abilities and Dach’s slick hands (no easy task to receive such a pass in schedules, too. But you know who hasn’t? The Blackhawks themselves. stride and then deftly handle it and roof it like that). DeBrincat added his Most players barely check in on the standings, let alone spend hours on own goal late in the second period, just as Dallas was starting to show their laptops comparing stats and schedules and faceoff percentages. signs of life with a couple of power plays, a couple of posts, and a couple of great saves by Kevin Lankinen. But this season’s a little different. And even for the players — who usually prefer to keep blinders on and (say it with me now) focus on It was just the 10th time this season that the Blackhawks have scored themselves and their own games — it’s hard not to get wrapped up in the more than two five-on-five goals. But it came at a good time. Goals by race. Because it’s staring you in the face every night, at every faceoff. Kane, DeBrincat, Dach and Dominik Kubalik? The stars showed up against the Stars. “Sometimes this time of the year, when you’re in the race at the end, you’re playing other teams that aren’t in your division, and then you have “It’s huge for us,” Lankinen said. “They’re the biggest names on our that (big) division game,” forward Ryan Carpenter said. “Where (this team, and you can count on them every single night. And that’s what season) all these games are division games. You saw a week ago, how makes them so great.” Nashville swept us at home and how much momentum it created for 3. The Blackhawks rarely make it easy on themselves, and sure enough, them. All these games, they just mean that much more. I think we they almost coughed up the dreaded 3-0 lead. An early third-period understand that.” power play should have been a chance to put the game away, but Typically, 40 games into an NHL season, as a player you’re just hitting Andrew Cogliano’s short-handed goal tightened things considerably. the dog days, that excruciating and often soul-sucking stretch after the When Radek Faksa pounced on a big carom off the end boards and beat early season excitement has faded and before the stretch-run excitement Lankinen at 13:46, it was suddenly 3-2. But the Blackhawks killed the has begun. The grind is catching up to you, physically and mentally. rest of the period like it was a penalty and Kane iced it with an empty- Focus becomes a challenge, effort waxes and wanes, consistency is netter in the dying seconds. elusive. It’s Tuesday night and you’re in god-knows-where playing god- “You could tell that they’re going to push back,” said Lankinen, who was knows-whom in a low-stakes interconference game. making his 10th start in the last 12 games. “They’re in a similar situation There’s none of that this season. Every game is high-stakes — you need as we are. They need to win some games and they were three goals to beat the teams you’re jockeying for position with, you need to steal as behind. So we knew they were going to have a push. Luckily we were many points as you can against the top three teams in the league, and able to manage it. Even though we gave up a couple of goals, we you simply can’t afford not to capitalize on those Detroit games. And grinded it out and stuck with it and deserved the win at the end. So I think while the series-style scheduling has eased the travel burden that showed a lot of character that we did what it took to get two points significantly, the grind is still there. If anything, it’s worse. Tuesday’s win tonight.” over Dallas — yep, another Big Game — was the Blackhawks’ 40th 4. Hinostroza made an instant impact in his return to Chicago, setting up game in 83 days, a breakneck pace. And because of the combination of Dominik Kubalik’s second-period goal with a saucy pass of his own on a divisional play and their own weaknesses as a team, there have been so two-on-one. But it’s his style of play — fast, frenetic, fevered — that few, if any, easy nights. Colliton wanted to see. Hinostroza is Brandon Hagel version 1.0, and So the mental grind is just as grueling as the physical one. And there’s Colliton hopes he can help the Blackhawks find that relentlessness that no let-up in sight, unless the bottom really falls out on the season. DeBrincat noted has been missing of late.

“They’re desperate games for us,” Carpenter said of this week’s dalliance “He’s a great skater and he can use his skating to put pressure on the with Dallas. “They’re really important games for us. Every game this year puck, force turnovers and give our team energy, creating zone time,” has been a division game. If you win or lose, it’s that four-point swing.” Colliton said. “That’s what our team is when we’re good, and we need more guys doing that. We think he can add that, another body who can Defenseman Calvin de Haan, a relatively relaxed guy to begin with, do that and is willing to do that. I think he understands that as well.” downplayed the mental exhaustion. But even he can’t escape the reality of all-divisional play. The Bartlett native had 22 points in 23 games for Colliton in Rockford “Obviously, there’s pain with it, still,” Dach said. “It’s a four-, five-month during the 2017-18 season and had a 16-goal season in Arizona the injury and I’ve been playing within three months. There’s going to be a following year. It didn’t work out in Florida, where he got in just nine little bit of pain with it. The training staff have done a good job and the games and was held without a point. But it worked in Chicago before and doctors have done a really good job of managing it and taking care of it could work again. after games and stuff like that. I don’t really see it as an excuse, where it’s like, ‘My wrist is hurting.’ If I’m out playing on it, I expect to be 100 “(Colliton) just told me he liked me a lot when he had me in Rockford,” percent out there and make the plays and be the player I am.” Hinostroza said. “He wouldn’t have brought me here if he didn’t think I could help the team. But, also, he’s not promising anything. I’ve never You could envision fans mouthing “what?” from afar. Colliton put what wanted a handout, and that’s not something I’m looking for. I just want a Dach was feeling into context. good opportunity, a fair chance. With my hard work and the way I play, I think I’ll be able to earn some time.” “We knew that was going to be part of the process,” Colliton said. “Ultimately, the best thing for him to get back playing at the level he 5. Here are the analytics from SportLogiq. Kane had more offensive-zone wants to play at and that we know that he can was to play and work possession time (1:27) than anyone else, and about three times as much through it, get in those contact situations and battles and stuff like that. as any Dallas player. It’s also important and something we talked about before, even not long after the injury or when he wasn’t close to playing, was that it was going Shots to take time for him to get back going to the level he wants. It’s not just 27 going to happen.”

28 A source reiterated to The Athletic’s Scott Powers on Tuesday the Blackhawks have consistently been reassured by their medical staff that OZ possession time Dach isn’t at risk of reinjuring his wrist because he’s playing. The pain Dach has felt is part of the recovery and strengthening process. The 4:45 Blackhawks also made sure that bringing Dach back when they did 6:49 wouldn’t delay how quickly his wrist would return to 100 percent. In other words, the Blackhawks fully understand Dach is their future and they Slot shots on net wouldn’t do anything to risk that.

14 9. Did it just seem like a lot of pucks were going into the net off de Haan or was that actually happening? The question had to be asked. 14 De Haan was pleased it was on Tuesday. Rush scoring chances “I’m glad someone noticed it because it feels like there was a string of 4 two weeks there where I was either a bystander or trying to do the right 8 thing and pucks were just going off my body and in the net,” de Haan said. “You gotta have a short memory in this league and just move on, Controlled entries there are so many games. You just try to forget most of that stuff. It’s not like I was in bad position or anything, just bad puck luck at times and 44 hopefully it changes for the next 15-20 games here. Other than that, it’s 40 something you’ve just got to move on from.”

Controlled exits There was this goal from March 28:

85 Then there was goal from March 19:

69 Don’t forget this goal from February, too.

Completed stretch passes Wyatt Kalynuk, who has been paired with de Haan, had to be thinking that bad luck rubbed off on him last weekend. Kalynuk had two pucks 12 bounce off him and head into the net against the Carolina Hurricanes.

10 10. Nashville rallied to beat Detroit in a shootout on Tuesday night, 6. Carl Soderberg was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. keeping it two points ahead in the Central Division race. All signs pointed It’s hardly the showcase for a potential bit of trade bait ahead of to the Predators selling at the deadline, and logically, they still probably Monday’s trade deadline, but Colliton seems far more focused on now should. But they’ve won 10 of their last 12. So do they hang on to Mattias rather than next week. Ekholm, one of the biggest trade chips in the league? Do they add? Do they still sell? David Poile might hold the fate of the fourth seed in his Soderberg has six goals and eight assists in 33 games, but most of that hands. We’ll know more on April 12. For now, this one-of-a-kind grind came during a strong stretch in late February and early March. He has continues. just one goal and one assist in his last 10 games. The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 “We’ve got some competition up front, and that’s a good thing,” he said, noting Hinostroza’s arrival. “That’s good for our group. … You get a chance to rotate the lineup a bit maybe add freshness to the group. (Soderberg) has played well for us. It’s up to him to prepare for his next chance and make a difference when he comes in.”

7. The Blackhawks have one of the worst penalty kills in the league, but they’ve found a clever way around it — not taking penalties. Entering Tuesday’s game, the Blackhawks had to kill just four penalties in the previous five games (they also allowed a penalty shot and had a coincidental minor, so it was six penalties in five games). After a clean first period against Dallas, Nikita Zadorov and de Haan took penalties in the second period, but that was all. Still, Zadorov has become a bit of a concern. Zadorov took three of those six penalties during the run and has taken seven penalties in his last eight games. His 13 total minor penalties tie him for 13th in the league.

8. Everyone’s ears went up when Dach said Monday his surgically repaired wrist was causing him pain. 1186547 Chicago Blackhawks The NHL hasn’t passed on as much guidance as MLB’s commissioner’s office and the MLBPA. Some teams, like the Dallas Stars, are nearly fully vaccinated. Canadian teams, on the other hand, don’t have the same How the Cubs, Blackhawks and White Sox are handling the vaccine vaccine access as teams based in the United States. The Vancouver rollout Canucks’ schedule is currently on pause due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

The Chicago Blackhawks seem to fall somewhere in between. They’ve at least had some of their staff vaccinated. Blackhawks coach Jeremy By Patrick Mooney and Scott Powers Apr 6, 2021 Colliton said Tuesday that he had received the Johnson & Johnson shot. He was hopeful his players would also get their vaccine shots, but he did

mention the timing would be important as the Blackhawks are in a playoff At the corner of Clark Street and Waveland Avenue, the doors that once race and the season is winding down. swung open to Maddon’s Post now feature two signs identifying a “Guys are all over the place personally with the vaccine,” Blackhawks COVID-19 vaccine center and the Cubs’ partnership with Chicago Mayor forward Ryan Carpenter said. “I think it would definitely help. That’s my Lori Lightfoot and Advocate Aurora Health. opinion. It would help the team, the league and hopefully (us) as we’re In the space where Joe Maddon’s short-lived restaurant once served going down the stretch. Ultimately, the No. 1 thing is staying healthy. pizza and , some Cubs players have received the COVID-19 Usually in a regular season, it’s just regular injuries. But this year, you vaccine. The mass vaccination site, which opened Monday in the office don’t want guys on the COVID list, either. building next to Wrigley Field, has the capacity to administer 2,000 doses “I don’t know what will happen with the vaccine. I don’t know if the NHL a day, according to a City Hall press release. At this stage of the has come out with anything. Honestly, this part of the year you’re in the pandemic, it’s not a question of jumping the line. The White House grind of the season and just focused on hockey. So if they talk to us more announced Tuesday that all American adults will be eligible for the about it and we’re able to get it, then we’ll talk about it then.” COVID-19 vaccine by April 19. It’s more a matter of persuasion in what has become a highly politicized issue, while some communities are wary Representatives from two professional sports teams in Chicago — the of taking the vaccine. Bulls and Red Stars — did not immediately respond to media requests for information. The Fire will wait for Phase 2 in Chicago and work with a Given that underlying tension, Major League and the Players team physician and an infectious disease specialist to vaccinate players, Association incentivized teams, outlining in a March 29 memo how health staffers and their families. The Fire will recommend that players get and safety protocols would be relaxed once 85 percent of a club’s Tier 1 vaccinated, but it will not be mandatory, according to a club source. The personnel were fully vaccinated. The Cubs have not reached that Fire will open the MLS regular season at Soldier Field on April 17. The threshold, a source said, though manager David Ross is optimistic that vaccine rollout is a critical part of the plan to eventually welcome full the team will eventually get to 85 percent, which would mean more crowds back to Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate Field and the United freedom at home and on the road, extra accommodations for family Center. members, less frequent coronavirus testing and fewer requirements to wear masks. “We know we’re living in COVID times, so it’s always something you’re aware of,” said Colliton, who credited Dr. Michael Terry and head athletic “We’re working towards it,” said Ross, who received the COVID-19 trainer Mike Gapski for setting up appointments for Blackhawks staffers. vaccine during spring training in Arizona. “I have encouraged the guys to “The players, to my knowledge, haven’t been vaccinated, but I think it seek out all the information and make the decision for themselves. We’re would be good. We’ve got to do it at the right time, too, with regard to the trying to get as many guys vaccinated as we possibly can. But at the end schedule and making sure that it comes at a time where hopefully it’s not of the day, it’s their choice. I’ve kind of left it up to them. I just want them going to affect their ability to play. But overall it’s a big positive that we’re to be informed. Our doctors have been great, giving information to even talking about it. The more people that can get vaccinated, the anybody that wants it.” quicker we can hopefully get back to living the life we want to live.” Getting to 100 percent is probably not a realistic goal in the current The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 climate. Tier 1 personnel, as defined by MLB’s 2021 operations manual, can include a maximum of 70 players plus 30 additional staffers, such as coaches, athletic trainers, physical therapists and team physicians. The Cubs have distributed an executive summary that explains the science behind the vaccine and offered to make medical experts available to anyone who may have questions.

“In my opinion, it’s the right thing to do,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “If players have a personal reason they don’t want to get it, that’s their personal choice. We are not in the position of being able to mandate that they get it.”

From the intake process for summer training camp through last year’s playoff series, the Cubs did not have a player test positive for COVID-19, a sign of their proactive measures and commitment to taking the virus seriously. The St. Louis Cardinals, a team that experienced a COVID-19 outbreak last summer, reached the 85 percent vaccine rate, manager Mike Shildt said before Opening Day, and should soon see their restrictions loosen. The March 29 joint memo considers an individual to be “fully vaccinated” two weeks after receiving the second dose of a two- dose vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) or two weeks after the first dose of a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson).

“I decided to get it,” Cubs shortstop Javier Báez said. “My family, we decided to get it. It’s optional to the people who want it. A lot of people believe in it. A lot of people don’t believe in it. I think a lot of people should try it. Obviously, we want the best for everybody. I got my first shot. We’ll see how it goes to the second one.”

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the club is still coordinating final details with team doctors, city officials and Rush University Medical Center. White Sox manager Tony La Russa, 76, was vaccinated before the start of spring training: “Not going to strong-arm anybody. If anybody has an objection, then they don’t do it.” 1186548 Chicago Blackhawks “Very talented defenseman, one we watched closely since his draft year,” Bowman said in July. “Obviously Philadelphia drafted him but we kept in touch. His progression at Wisconsin was noticeable. His best attribute Blackhawks rookie defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk finding groove in NHL: A would be his mobility, his skating. Really exciting offensive defenseman. shift-by-shift breakdown Really brings a lot of different elements to the table. He’ll complement our group. We have a lot of young defensemen with his skill set. He’s pretty unique. Left-handed shot, complements nicely with guys on the right.”

By Scott Powers Apr 6, 2021 On Kalynuk’s 10th shift, he skates back into the neutral zone to retrieve a bouncing puck and skates out of pressure. He definitely has a lot of poise

with the puck and trusts his skating. The Blackhawks were going to give young defensemen NHL Kalynuk’s biggest defensive error in the game came on his 11th shift. opportunities this season. That was the known. As you’ll see on the following shift, the Predators chip the puck into the The unknown was which players would solidify their spots in the lineup. offensive zone. Kalynuk is caught having to defend two players. The Ian Mitchell had a long run and now is sitting after playing 32 NHL video will pause where he has to decide how to play the situation. The games. Nicolas Beaudin has gotten 14 games. Lucas Carlsson has Blackhawks want him to stand his ground and defend the slot. Instead, played 12 games. They all had positive stretches and then fell off a bit. though, he chases the puck and leaves the slot open. The Blackhawks expected as much. On his 12th shift, here’s another example of Kalynuk defending the blue The latest young defenseman to emerge is 23-year-old Wyatt Kalynuk, line. You can also see how he defends in the zone. He seems to have a who signed as a free agent out of the University of Wisconsin. He had to solid grasp of Colliton’s system. wait his turn more than the others, but he’s finally getting a longer NHL look. He’s coming off his fourth career NHL game, third consecutive, on This following clip doesn’t seem like much, but it’s something some of the Saturday. It was probably his best NHL performance to date, too. The other younger defensemen have struggled with. De Haan trusts him Blackhawks had a 16-7 advantage in shot attempts, 13-4 in shots on goal enough to give him the puck there and then Kalynuk skates out of and 6-3 in scoring chance during Kalynuk’s 14:16 of five-on-five ice time, pressure to move the puck again. according to Natural Stat Trick. Here are a few examples from his 16th shift of him advancing the puck To take a deeper dive into Kalynuk’s game, I rewatched all of his shifts and showing poise with it. from Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators. So did Jack Han, who provided insight into what he saw from Kalynuk as well. Overall, it was a positive game for Kalynuk. He spent a lot of it in the offensive zone. He made most of the right reads in all zones. He denied Kalynuk was paired with Calvin de Haan for nearly the whole game. entries defensively, broke the puck out and assisted the Blackhawks with Kalynuk, a left-handed shot, played on the right side. Kalynuk played 17 their offensive entries. shifts. Fourteen of those shifts started on the fly and the other three began on offensive zone faceoffs. Count Colliton as those pleased with Kalynuk.

Kalynuk’s Saturday afternoon didn’t start out promisingly. In his previous “We’re happy with his progression right from camp,” Colliton said on two games, Kalynuk had spent most of the time in the defensive zone Tuesday. “He’s come a long way. And it’s a credit to him, he’s worked having to defend. The Carolina Hurricanes had a 32-10 edge in shot really hard. Whether it’s with the taxi squad or practicing with us, or we attempts, 16-4 in shots on goal and 14-3 in scoring chances when were able to get him in some games in Rockford, he’s gaining confidence Kalynuk was on the ice the previous two games. One shift into Saturday, with the puck but also certainly without the puck, which is a big thing if he was defending a lot again. He didn’t help the issue either by turning you’re trying to get comfortable in the league as a defenseman. He’s the puck over on a defensive zone exit, as seen below. moving the puck well, he’s skating well, skates himself out of trouble, and I think he’s also defending well. Him and Cal have done a good job for us After the first shift, though, Kalynuk was on the side of the puck for most here in the last these games.” of the game. Here on the second shift, he tightly defends an entry, helps break up the play and then gets involved in the offensive zone. Han’s final overall thoughts on Kalynuk’s game: “Small things I think he can improve on — one, on breakouts and regroups he almost moves the “I didn’t see many high-end offensive reads (by him in this game), but puck too quickly,” Han said. “His pass goes to the Blackhawks forward here’s a good one to sprint the middle,” Han said of the clip. who is covered instead of sucking the forechecker in and beating him to create an advantage. Two, he almost always has two hands on the stick, On Kalynuk’s third shift, he again quickly defends the puck as it enters which is handy for making puck plays and boxing out, but when he the zone and is able to assist winning possession despite falling to the sprints with two hands on the stick, he’s leaving some speed on the ice. He can be overpowered at times. He’s not small, but he’s not a table. Eventually, it could cause him to become very stiff in the upper physical defenseman, either. Later in the shift, he gets the puck and body, lack of thoracic spine mobility. passes it ahead for a clean entry. The Blackhawks completed a handful of clean entries off Kalynuk passes from the defensive or neutral zones. “Overall, I’d like to see more of him in the NHL. He could be an effective second or third pair D with an active partner. A comparable for me is Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton mentioned a few of those areas Montreal’s Brett Kulak; a quietly effective play driver who’s really good at earlier in the week. defending speed and suppressing shots. Kalynuk’s stats don’t reflect that “He’s helped us on the breakout and improving in D-zone coverage as now, but he’s a good comparable for him.” well,” Colliton said. The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 Here’s another example from his fifth shift, defending the rush:

Later in that same shift, he defends the blue line even better and doesn’t allow the Predators to get deep into the zone. The Blackhawks haven’t been great this season at denying the puck before it gets to the blue line.

“He moves well in all four directions when defending 1v1,” Han said. “He plays a tight gap. … He got shelled shots-wise in his first couple of games, but last game I’m seeing some good defensive skating abilities.”

On Kalynuk’s seventh shift, he again had a few notable plays. First, this is a clip of him quickly moving the puck up ice and helping create another clean entry.

Later in that shift, he gets a few shots off and then moves the puck quickly up ice again. Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman specifically mentioned Kalynuk’s mobility after signing him. 1186549 Colorado Avalanche Denver Post: LOADED: 04.07.2021

Balanced scoring “huge” for Avalanche during month without regulation defeat

Colorado has seven players with at least 10 goals, tied with Florida for most in the NHL

By RYAN O’HALLORAN April 6, 2021 at 5:45 a.m.

Needing a jolt after their stuck-in-an-ice-rut start, the Avalanche turned to a likely source — Nathan MacKinnon — to get going Monday night at Minnesota.

MacKinnon streaked through the neutral zone, received Samuel Girard’s pass and beat Wild goalie Cam Talbot for the equalizer just 18 seconds into the second period.

But then the Avalanche’s depth, skill and offensive balance took over as Andre Burakovsky, Brandon Saad and J.T. Compher completed a four- goal blitz en route to a 5-4 win over the Wild.

Burakovsky’s marker was his 10th of the season, giving the Avalanche seven players with at least 10 goals, tied with Florida for most in the NHL.

During the Avalanche’s current streak of 13 wins and two overtime losses to take over the West Division lead, 14 players have scored at least one goal.

“That’s the plan for us — to be a four-line team and have everyone contributing and when we do that, we’re tough to beat,” Compher said. “We’re able to roll (lines) over, keep the momentum going and that’s kind of what you saw in the second period (Monday).”

The Avalanche (26-8-4) go for the back-to-back sweep of the Wild on Wednesday, the last of eight regular-season meetings.

The scoring run down this season: Mikko Rantanen (21), Joonas Donskoi and Gabe Landeskog (15 apiece), MacKinnon (14), Saad (12), and Burakovsky and Nazem Kadri (10 apiece). Valeri Nichushkin (eight) is knocking on the double-digit door.

Five different Avalanche players scored against the Wild — Landeskog capped the Avs’ scoring with a third-period goal to make it a 5-2 game before Minnesota’s 29th-ranked power play scored twice to create late anxiety.

The thing about the NHL and particularly the playoffs: It takes everybody.

The Avs know what they’re going to get from the MacKinnon-Landeskog- Rantanen line — a plethora of points. But they also know during a taxing calendar (16 games in 30 days this month) with no secrets in a division- only schedule, all hands are required.

“It’s huge,” coach Jared Bednar said of the Avs’ lineup-wide scoring ability. “You have to have balanced scoring. We know what our top guys are capable of. (But) they’ll run into games when they get shut down or things don’t go their way or the goalies make some saves on them.

“But the more you can keep playing your team game and keep going at other teams in waves with guys that are scoring and feeling good about their game and are confident, the better off you’re going to be.”

The Burakovsky-Kadri-Saad line has picked up their production recently.

Burakovsky has three goals in the last week to break a seven-game goal- less drought. Saad’s eight-game dry-spell has been semi-erased by two goals in the last three games. And Kadri has three points (all assists) in the last four games after no points in the previous four.

“We’re just starting to use each other,” said Burakovsky, who gave the Avs a 2-1 lead just 1:11 after MacKinnon scored. “Before, we weren’t scoring for a little bit and I think we just tried to do too much on our own. Right now, we’re supporting each other in the corners, we’re winning puck races and passing the puck to the first and best available (teammate). When we do that, we’re hard to play against.”

Said Bednar: “The depth is huge and to have those guys scoring goals is really important. It’s part of the reason we’re on the run we’re on.” 1186550 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets take down Tampa Bay, 4-2, in first game back from long road trip

Bailey Johnson

Zac Dalpe hadn't scored a goal in the NHL in almost four and a half years — not since Oct. 20, 2016, when he was a member of the Minnesota Wild.

But Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena, it was Dalpe who opened the scoring for the Blue Jackets against the Tampa Bay Lightning. As Dalpe flew up the ice, Max Domi received a stretch pass at the offensive blueline from Seth Jones. Domi quickly fired a pass right onto the tape of Dalpe's stick as he crashed down the slot in front of Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.

All it took was a quick tap of the puck for Dalpe to find twine and give Columbus a 1-0 lead in the first period. The early goal sent the Blue Jackets (15-18-8) on their way to the win, 4-2, over the Lightning (26-11- 2).

After winning just one game on a six-game road trip last week, Columbus came out with energy on Tuesday night — an important sign that the Jackets may be able to rebound from a tough road stretch.

"I think it says we've still got some gas in the tank," Dalpe said. "I know that's a cliché that probably a lot of hockey players say, but it seemed like we had some jump tonight. You never know at this time of year. If we can get on a good roll here, get some momentum, a lot can happen."

Tampa Bay, which sat second in the Central Division entering Tuesday's game to Columbus' seventh, fired a barrage of shots at goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in the opening frame, but Korpisalo was able to keep the score sheet clean.

Puck luck was on the Jackets' side, too, as the Lightning barely missed a few high-danger scoring chances, including Steven Stamkos losing the puck with a wide-open net in front of him.

Korpisalo continued to stand tall throughout the second period when called upon, and Columbus was able to tilt the ice in its favor after spending much of the first period defending.

"Korpi was outstanding," Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "(He gave) us a chance."

And while Korpisalo made save after save — he finished with 36 saves on 38 shots — Columbus' forwards made the necessary plays to keep the Jackets in front.

Early in the second period, Jack Roslovic gave the Jackets an insurance goal when he tucked the puck inside the near post over Vasilevskiy's shoulder. And in the third, Patrik Laine drew a penalty on a hard drive to the net that gave the Jackets their fourth power play of the game.

Though they'd been unable to generate much on the previous three power plays, it took less than 20 seconds for Domi to score his sixth goal of the season and give Columbus the 3-0 lead.

With 7:16 left, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper pulled Vasilevskiy for an extra attacker. A mere 46 seconds later, Nick Foligno scored into the empty net from just inside the blueline to extend the lead to four goals — and secure the win.

Lightning forward Ross Colton broke up Korpisalo's shutout with just over five minutes left to play and Luke Schenn added another goal with 19 seconds left, but it was too little, too late for Tampa Bay.

"I think it felt nice to come home," Domi said. "... You get hungry playing against good hockey teams, that's for sure, and that's one of the best. Huge win tonight, did a lot of good things. Gotta get ready to go (for Thursday), match the same thing we did tonight and win the next one against them."

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186551 Columbus Blue Jackets trip, playing a role in the Jackets going 2-1-1 in four straight games against the Carolina Hurricanes March 18-25.

The only short-handed goal the Jackets allowed during the road trip was Blue Jackets dealt a challenge as trade deadline looms, losing Riley scored by Tampa Bay Lightning star Brayden Point, who found the net Nash 4-to-6 weeks during an extended 5-on-3 situation.

The 31-year old forward is a pending free agent who has playoff Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.07.2021 experience. He'd be a great depth addition for a playoff-bound team before the April 12 trade deadline, but now he's injured.

Brian Hedger

Riley Nash, here looking to pass against Carolina on Feb. 7, has played mostly center in three seasons with the Blue Jackets.

The last thing the Blue Jackets needed is their newest hurdle to clear.

Riley Nash has a sprained knee and is expected to miss four to six weeks, which could end the 31-year old forward’s season. It’s also another blow to a team that was already dealing with depth issues at center, the position Nash has played most often in three seasons with the Blue Jackets.

CBJ news:Blue Jackets' flickering playoff hopes among takeaways from third straight loss

It also is a challenge for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and his staff with the April 12 trade deadline looming.

Nash is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) who might have been a desirable trade target for a playoff-bound team looking to bolster its depth with an experienced veteran capable of playing all three forward positions.

That could still happen, given the recovery timeline ends around the start of the playoffs, but Nash’s trade value has now taken a hit. Does a potential return of a fourth- or fifth-round pick now drop to a sixth- or seventh-rounder, or no trade at all?

Stay tuned as the deadline nears.

Nash’s absence takes a versatile player out of circulation for coach John Tortorella at a bad time. The Jackets went into the start of a two-game set against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday at Nationwide Arena with flickering playoff hopes and a three-game losing skid coming off a brutal 1-5 record on a six-game road trip.

If there are any hopes of getting back into the chase for the final playoff spot in the Central Division, the Blue Jackets need an extended winning streak in the final 16 games of the regular season. It would have helped to have Nash, who has logged time with all four forward groups and was playing well Sunday before his injury, which happened early in the second period during a collision with the Florida Panthers’ Noel Acciari.

Nash skated with Mikhail Grigorenko and Jack Roslovic, shifting from center to right wing, to make room for Roslovic’s return from a one-game absence as a healthy scratch. They put together four solid shifts in the first period, spent most of their time in the Panthers’ zone and were poised to build off it the rest of the game.

Roslovic and Grigorenko continued to work together the rest of the game, but Nash’s absence after the injury caused some issues as Tortorella was forced to mix-and-match players with them among his remaining 11 forwards.

The short-term answers Tuesday for filling the void were veteran Zac Dalpe and rookie Liam Foudy, who were activated off the taxi squad, but a longer-term solution is foggy. The Blue Jackets have a number of forwards looking for another opportunity to prove themselves, including center Kevin Stenlund, but none can match Nash in terms of NHL experience.

Penalty kill heating up

The Blue Jackets apparently have solved the penalty-kill issues that plagued them to start the season.

They went 12 for 13 during the road trip (92.3%) to Detroit, Tampa and Sunrise, Florida, and have successfully killed 21 of 23 shorthanded situations in their previous 11 games. The hot streak also preceded the 1186552 Columbus Blue Jackets

Fox regional sports networks get new Bally branding, but they're not available on some streaming platforms

Akron Beacon Journal

The regional sports networks and SportsTime Ohio underwent significant name and branding changes last week, and they now are known as and Bally Sports Great Lakes, respectively.

But, unless viewers subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite package, they will not see either channel and their familiar associated content — such as teams in and Cincinnati, which had their Opening Days last week.

Both Fox Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio were dropped from streaming TV services such as YouTube TV and Hulu last fall. So Columbus viewers who cut the cord and switched to those services have not been able to watch the Blue Jackets, carried by the former Fox Sports Ohio, this season. Cleveland Cavaliers fans were similarly affected.

The defending MLS Cup champion , which will begin its regular season on April 18, was carried by Fox Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio in 2019 and 2020, but the team has yet to announce a broadcast deal for this season. (The Crew's opener against Philadelphia will be on FS1.)

It seems unlikely that either YouTube TV or Hulu, the dominant platforms in the streaming of live television, will reach an accord with Sinclair Broadcasting, owner of Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Great Lakes. That means Ohio sports fans who subscribe to YouTube TV or Hulu will continue to be shut out, barring purchases of national sports packages or their teams' appearances on network or national cable telecasts.

Cable companies such as Spectrum and satellite provider DirecTV still carry the channels in some lineups. There even is an option for cord cutters: AT&T TV, a platform for live TV streaming, has the channels available in its Choice tier.

Sinclair Broadcasting purchased regional sports networks from Walt Disney Co. in 2019.

Bally Sports Ohio hosts games and content from the Blue Jackets, Cavaliers, , University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton and Xavier University.

Bally Sports Great Lakes is home to Cleveland's baseball team, content, and golf and sports talk.

Though the channels' split with the streaming services last fall created an uproar, it came only from a minority of viewers. Despite the frustration of fans that comes with sports carriage disputes, the channels watched most by television viewers — by far — are the network affiliates for ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.

According to a recent Variety article, sports behemoth ESPN comes in at only No. 10 with respect to viewership among subscribers, and Wizer, a marketing research firm, reported that just 21.6% of pay-TV subscribers watch ESPN regularly.

Though the programming on the new Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Great Lakes — game telecasts, in-studio content — won't change much from their predecessors, viewers eventually can expect gaming-related content to seep into the mix, given that Bally, a casino owner/operator, has invested $85 million over 10 years to secure naming rights.

That gaming content potentially could include in-game betting, should the state of Ohio eventually move in that direction.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186553 Columbus Blue Jackets “It’s the world’s best league and the rink is a lot smaller, so you have to adjust your game a little bit from Europe, but I think it wasn’t too big of a problem for me, even in Toronto,” he said. “I think I did a good job there After impressive Blue Jackets debut, Mikko Lehtonen eager to prove and I was happy how I played. Of course, there are things where I have himself in the NHL to improve and do a better job, but I think those things are not too big or anything like that.” The 27-year old Finnish defenseman adds speed, a good shot and eye- opening two-way play on the Jackets' third defense pairing. The Blue Jackets, who were unsuccessful in signing Lehtonen as a free agent, are happy he’s making those improvements with them now.

“I loved his competitiveness,” Tortorella said. “I like what he looks like Brian Hedger when I look at him before the game. He is ready to play. I like a lot of things about his preparation. I think that’s very important for some guys

to see that, who don’t really understand about preparation.” Mikko Lehtonen, who made his debut with the Blue Jackets last Tuesday Foudy assigned against the Lightning, brings a focused and businesslike approach, be it in practice or a game. The Blue Jackets assigned rookie forward Liam Foudy back to the taxi squad Monday. Foudy, picked 18th overall in the 2018 NHL draft, didn't The look on Mikko Lehtonen’s face is all business. record a point after being recalled for the final four games of the road trip. The puck is on his stick, his head is up and his eyes are scanning the ice. He has yet to score his first NHL goal in a regular-season game and has The skates on his feet are in constant motion, legs pumping fuel into a three assists in 16 games with the Blue Jackets. powerful engine, and it’s clear this is an important play for the Blue Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.07.2021 Jackets’ newest defenseman.

Success is the only acceptable outcome. Failure isn’t. And this is where it should be noted that this isn’t actually happening in a game.

This is what he looked like in a practice last week with a new team in a new division and new country, after beginning his NHL career this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. An unheralded trade that sent a fellow Finn, goalie Veini Vehvilainen, to Toronto is why Lehtonen, 27, is a Blue Jacket now.

If you’re a fan of fast, skilled, aggressive defensemen who are driven to succeed, you’re going to love this guy.

John Tortorella does.

“I think he’s kind of done everything for us,” the Blue Jackets’ coach said Friday, after getting his first two looks at Lehtonen. “I love the way he competes. I like the way he looks before he even goes on the ice. I just like his businesslike attitude and face that he shows, and how hard he wants to play and how much he wants to help us win. I think that’s very important for this club to have moving forward.”

It’s something they must have moving forward, because the Blue Jackets are in a jam after a 1-5 road trip.

Their only win was last Tuesday in Tampa, where Lehtonen made his Blue Jackets debut, and the Jackets are now in seventh place of the Central Division heading into another two-game set against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nationwide Arena.

Lehtonen was one of the few bright spots of the trip.

Skating on the left side of the third defense pairing, his usage increased as he logged more games. He also showed an array of talent that made him a coveted free agent coming out of the Kontinental Hockey League last offseason.

Lehtonen has good speed and nimble footwork. His instincts are sound, his passes are crisp and his left-handed shot is strong enough that Tortorella already gave him an audition on the right-wing of the second power play unit. He has also taken a couple of big hits to make plays and showed an impressive knack for getting shots through traffic.

He’s also confident.

“This has been my dream my whole life, so I try to enjoy it … and also, I know I can be really good here,” Lehtonen said of the playing in the NHL. “I just want to (have) success here, also, and play my best. And when I play my best here, I can be really good here.”

Based on how he played against the Lightning and Florida Panthers, he might be right. Lehtonen wasn’t overmatched despite not playing for about five weeks, including a month as a healthy scratch with the Maple Leafs.

Toronto played him in nine games and he responded with three assists, but some who watched him play there felt the pace of play and talent upgrade in the NHL were tough adjustments for him.

Lehtonen respectfully disagrees. 1186554 Columbus Blue Jackets “Not sure we’re going to get good news there,” coach John Tortorella said.

Torts credits Korpi and @ZacDalpe22 for keeping the @BlueJacketsNHL Korpisalo makes 36 saves, Blue Jackets rebound with 4-2 win over energized early.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/p0zOHzWWFh Lightning — Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) April 7, 2021

HOME SWEET HOME FOX Sports Ohio Apr 6, 2021 at 11:41p ET The Blue Jackets returned home after a disastrous six-game trip. They were swept by lowly Detroit in a two-game set, split a series at Tampa COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Zac Dalpe scored for the first time in 4 1/2 Bay and dropped two to Carolina. At 15-18-8, Columbus is still only five years, Joonas Korpisalo made 36 saves and the Columbus Blue Jackets points out of the fourth playoff spot. beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Tuesday night. “When you come off a long trip like that, the first one always seems to be Max Domi and Jack Roslovic each had a goal and an assist for the Blue a tough game,” Tortorella said. “It gave us some energy. (Korpisalo) was Jackets, who rebounded after losing three in a row. Nick Foligno also outstanding, giving us a chance.” scored. UP NEXT

Tampa Bay has dropped two straight and five of seven overall while The teams wrap up a two-game series Thursday night. relinquishing first place in the Central Division to the Florida Panthers. Ross Colton and Luke Schenn scored for the Lightning, and Andrei foxsportsohio.com LOADED: 04.07.2021 Vasilevskiy had 26 saves.

Dalpe converted on a late first-period rush for his first NHL goal since Oct. 20, 2016, for Minnesota. Max Domi put a pass on his tape and he finished from the slot.

ZAC DALPE!

1-0 #CBJ | Bally Sports Ohio pic.twitter.com/pQfSB4ZCyF

— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) April 6, 2021

Dalpe was playing in just his fourth game this season after shuttling between Columbus and the AHL affiliate in Cleveland in recent years. He was recalled from the taxi squad when center Riley Nash was placed on injured reserve.

“I still want to prove to people and myself that I can play at this level, so I guess getting the goals is the cherry on top,” the 31-year-old Dalpe said. “So now it’s just waking up and trying to be that consistent player I’ve been searching to be my whole career.”

Some heartwarming sentiments from @ZacDalpe22 on what his goal means to him and his family. #CBJ | @DMaetzMedia pic.twitter.com/WdWw2YqVwC

— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) April 7, 2021

Roslovic, who was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s game, got his seventh of the season early in the third when he beat Vasilevskiy after Cam Atkinson forced a turnover and swept the puck out to him from the backboards.

Domi scored on a third-period power play, ripping a shot from the left circle that went in off the near post. Foligno got an empty-netter with 6:30 left, shortly before Tampa Bay got on the board with Colton’s shot over Korpisalo’s shoulder.

You won't see it on the official scoresheet, but @maxdomi thinks Torts and Lars deserve assists on his goal.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/c2EFcZfyzp

— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) April 7, 2021

Schenn got the second for Tampa Bay with 19 seconds left.

The Lightning outshot Columbus 38-30 and had a 63-40 edge in shot attempts, with Korpisalo surviving a late 6-on-4 power play.

“When the scoring dries up a little bit you’re looking for answers,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “The big thing is when that happens, you can’t change your game.”

Dalpe said the sixth-place Blue Jackets, despite sliding down the standings in the past couple weeks, shouldn’t be counted out with 15 dates left on the regular-season schedule.

“You never know at this time of year, you have a handful of games left, if you can get on a good roll here, get some momentum, a lot can happen,” he said.

JENNER BANGED UP

Versatile Columbus forward Boone Jenner left with 7 1/2 minutes left after getting hit with a hard shot from teammate Patrik Laine. 1186555 Columbus Blue Jackets DOMI’S SHOT REDIRECTED BY HEDMAN’S STICK TO GET PAST VASILEVSKIY. #CBJ #TBLIGHTNING PIC.TWITTER.COM/KM74QJ5DHG

Blue Jackets earn another victory over Lightning, but Boone Jenner — ALISON (@ALISONL) APRIL 7, 2021 suffers injury Only an earlier power play, Domi had drawn the ire of coach John Tortorella for passing on a shot and turning over the puck on an By Aaron Portzline Apr 6, 2021 attempted pass. He got an earful when he returned to the Blue Jackets’ bench.

“I told him to shoot,” Tortorella said. “That was the conversation. I said COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s nights like this where you’d swear the Blue ‘Shoot the effin’ puck.'” Jackets are headed for the Stanley Cup playoffs, not a massive retooling — or perhaps a total rebuild — beginning this summer. Domi tried to add Tortorella and assistant coach Brad Larsen to the scoresheet. Four different players on three different forward lines scored goals, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was outstanding (36 saves), and the Blue “Torts told me to shoot it, so give him the assist on that one,” Domi said. Jackets’ penalty killing was perfect in four tries, snuffing out the club that “Him and Lars were in my ear to shoot it, so that’s all Torts and Lars always seems to bring out the best in Columbus, the Tampa Bay there.” Lightning. Jenner struck by puck, injured

After limping home from a 1-5-0 road trip that quashed any hope of the Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner suffered the unfortunate fate of Blue Jackets rallying to make the postseason, the Blue Jackets made getting in the path of a Patrik Laine shot late in the third period. quick work of the defending Cup champion Lightning on Tuesday, 4-2. Laine’s shot appeared to deflect off the skate of Lightning defenseman Max Domi and Jack Roslovic each had a goal and an assist, while Zac Luke Schenn and ramp up, striking the top of Jenner’s left hand as it held Dalpe and Nick Foligno also scored. his stick. He left the game with 7:28 remaining and did not return.

“At this point in the year, we’re just out to prove we can be a better HTTPS://T.CO/PQZR2RZUQK PIC.TWITTER.COM/PLDEKLPLFI hockey team and more consistent,” said Dalpe, who put the Jackets up 1-0 with his first NHL goal in nearly five years. “The Lightning … it’s no — ALISON (@ALISONL) APRIL 7, 2021 secret how good they are and how skilled they are, so maybe it adds a little pep to your step. Tortorella rarely divulges injury news after games, but he hinted that Jenner could be out of the lineup for a while. “But for the most part, we’re just ready to play some games here and prove some people wrong.” “The situation we’re in here … that’s the guy you want leading the charge,” Tortorella said. “I’m not so sure we’re going to get good news JONES DOMI DALPE #CBJ there.” PIC.TWITTER.COM/U6QBWY0MIB Snacks — ALISON (@ALISONL) APRIL 6, 2021 The Lightning, down 3-0, pulled Vasilevskiy for an extra skater with a There’s a lot about the Blue Jackets this season that fits well under the whopping 7:16 remaining in the third period. Blue Jackets captain Nick “go figure” heading, but here’s one: they’re 3-1-1 against Tampa Bay this Foligno made it 4-0 with an empty-net goal with 6:30 remaining. season, earning three of their 11 regulation wins are against the defending champs. Funny moment in the middle of the third period, when Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman blasted a slap shot from the high slot with “The whole 60 minutes we had energy,” said Korpisalo, who carried a Korpisalo square to the puck. Korpisalo made the save, but then a shutout late into the third period. “The little things we did were top-notch. search was required to find the puck. Even Hedman kept staring in from After that road trip, we had to win games.” the top of the zone to see where it’d gone. “I didn’t find it,” Korpisalo said. “But Savvy (defenseman David Savard) came in and saw it was The win may provide a temporary smile, but it didn’t change their outlook somewhere in my pants. I knew it hit me, but I didn’t see it afterward.” in the Central Division standings. The Blue Jackets did move into sixth place, but they remain five points behind fourth-place Nashville following One of the penalties Korpislo helped kill was his own. At 11:49 of the first the Predators 3-2 shootout win in Detroit. period, with the score 0-0, Korpisalo tried to play the puck off the glass and out of the zone, but instead sailed it over the glass, a two-minute, “We’re not counting ourselves out whatsoever,” Dalpe said, “and I think delay-of-game penalty. “The moment I saw the puck go over the glass, I you can see that by the game we just played.” said, ‘Oh, my God,'” Korpisalo said. “Time slows down, and you’re like, Dalpe made it 1-0 at 14:57 when he came hard through the neutral zone, ‘OK, we have to kill this penalty.’ The guys did a great job there to help skating into a perfect pass from Domi with just enough time to shovel it me out.” on net. Winnipeg director of pro scouting Pete Ratchuk was on the scout’s list in It beat Lightning goaltender Andre Vasilevskiy for Dalpe’s first goal since Nationwide Arena on Tuesday, as was Boston executive director of Oct. 20, 2016, which explains Dalpe’s huge fist pump as he curled away player personnel John Ferguson Jr. from the net before the Nationwide Arena cannon fired. The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 “(Dalpe) was absolutely flying when he hit that hole,” Domi said of Dalpe. “I don’t know how fast he was going, but he was going fast. They kind of let him go. (I) put it on his tape. A little lucky, but his finish was high-end.”

Dalpe waited a long time for that goal, but he’d played only 21 NHL games in that stretch, a testament to how much time he’s persevered in the minor leagues while waiting for his opportunity.

“A lot of days between my last goal and now,” Dalpe said. “Definitely joy. Some relief. Like I’ve said, I still want to prove to people and to myself that I can play at this level. Getting the goal is a cherry on top.”

The Jackets made it 2-0 early in the second when Cam Atkinson created a turnover on the forecheck and fed Roslovic from behind the net.

A power-play goal at 6:08 of the third period by Domi made it 3-0, but not without some giggles on the bench. 1186556 Columbus Blue Jackets offseason. At that point, however, the Blue Jackets still harbored playoff hopes.

Now that the Blue Jackets are out of it, Kekalainen may be taking calls. Riley Nash’s knee injury is a trade deadline cautionary tale for the Blue Washington jumps off the page as a club that wants a goaltender at the Jackets trade deadline, but that could be an awkward trade for the Jackets, as the Capitals and Blue Jackets will be back in the Metropolitan Division next season. By Aaron Portzline Apr 6, 2021 Nash, 31, would likely have drawn fourth- or fifth-round pick. He’s been a highly serviceable player for the Blue Jackets over the past three seasons, playing an almost exclusively fourth-line role. In 179 games COLUMBUS, Ohio — Blue Jackets center Riley Nash will miss four-to-six with Columbus, he has 10 goals and 23 assists. weeks with a sprained knee suffered in Sunday’s loss to Florida. It’s a tough break for Nash, who may have played his last game for Columbus. On Sunday, Nash slammed into the backside of Florida’s Noel Acciari at the Blue Jackets’ blue line, his left knee taking the brunt of the impact. He It’s also a cautionary tale for the Blue Jackets. Nash, an unrestricted free momentarily remained on the ice, kneeling, but then got up and went agent this summer, was likely to be traded by Monday’s NHL trade directly to the dressing room. He did not return to the game. deadline. He’s the type of player — a third- or fourth-line checking center who can win key faceoffs and kill penalties — who is highly desirable for If the recovery takes four weeks, Nash would be able to return on May 3. teams that are headed for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Blue Jackets at that point would have four games left in the season.

The Blue Jackets, now, have lost one tradeable asset to injury. Nash was The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 expected to draw a mid- to late-round pick. Can the Jackets afford to gamble with the others?

Now that the Blue Jackets are almost certain to miss the playoffs — they’re in seventh place in the Central Division, five points behind fourth- place Nashville — general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is expected to be one of the NHL’s biggest sellers between now and Monday. Forward Nick Foligno and defensemen David Savard and Michael Del Zotto, could all be on the move, and it’s not out of the question the Blue Jackets trade one of their goaltenders, Joonas Korpisalo or Elvis Merzlikins.

There could be surprises, too. As of Tuesday morning, Foligno, Savard and Del Zotto were all in the lineup to play against Tampa Bay on Tuesday night in Nationwide Arena. Korpisalo is the starter, with Merzlikins his back-up.

NASH COLLIDED WITH ACCIARI MID-ICE, THEN HEADED RIGHT OFF THE ICE. HTTPS://T.CO/CPHJMZK5AU PIC.TWITTER.COM/Q4D7MNPW45

— ALISON (@ALISONL) APRIL 4, 2021

But it wouldn’t be a surprise to see any or all of them made healthy scratches in games later this week. After Tuesday’s game, the Blue Jackets will have two games before the trade deadline: Thursday vs. Tampa Bay and Saturday vs. Chicago.

These types of healthy scratches are happening all over the league in the final week before the deadline, and one can safely surmise the same conversations are being had between Kekalainen and coach John Tortorella.

The Buffalo Sabres announced that winger Taylor Hall would be a healthy scratch for Tuesday’s game vs. New Jersey. The Devils over the weekend made a healthy scratch of winger Kyle Palmieri.

Savard is expected to be one of the most sought-after defensemen available, especially now that Nashville has seen a late-season surge up the standings. The Predators are no longer expected to trade defenseman Mattias Ekholm.

Winnipeg, Toronto, Boston and Tampa Bay are said to be interested in Savard, and if Kekalainen can create a bidding war for his rugged, top- four defenseman, the Blue Jackets could extract a sweet return for Savard.

Foligno will draw significant interest, too, but this is a more delicate situation. Kekalainen will likely abide Foligno’s wishes if he doesn’t want to be traded, given his deep roots with both the organization and the city of Columbus.

But if Foligno is open to making a run with another club, Toronto, Colorado and the New York Islanders are said to be possible destinations.

Del Zotto is an interesting player. He’s a third-pairing defensemen, but he’s an above-average puck-mover and can provide an offensive boost in the right situation. He’ll likely draw a late-round pick.

Three weeks ago, NHL front offices were of the belief that Kekalainen planned to wait on trading either Korpisalo or Merzlikins until the 1186557 Dallas Stars

Stars notebook: Video coach Kelly Forbes right again; the latest on Joel Hanley’s injury

By Matthew DeFranks10:45 PM on Apr 6, 2021 CDT

Stars video coach Kelly Forbes erased a Chicago goal with a successful challenge for offside that negated Patrick Kane’s first-period goal. After review, the NHL ruled that Kirby Dach “preceded the puck into the offensive zone and was in an off-side position.”

“Quite honestly, I thought Jake Oettinger was our best player tonight,” assistant coach John Stevens said. “Our second-best player was Kelly Forbes. I thought that was a huge call early in the game.”

This season, the Stars are 2 for 2 on coach’s challenges. Since video review was instituted for the 2015-16 season, the Stars are 13 for 14 on offside challenges. Had the Stars been wrong and the goal upheld, Dallas would have been assessed a two-minute minor for delay of game. Instead, the challenge kept the game level early on.

Voting changes: The PHWA announced Tuesday morning changes to year-end voting for league awards, which could benefit Stars rookie forward Jason Robertson in his chase for the Calder Trophy.

The PHWA will use 100 voters this season, 20 from each of the four divisions and 20 national reporters and broadcasters that are considered at-large. If this season’s voting matched last year’s, the vast plurality of votes would come from Canada: 82 from the North, 36 from the East, 20 from the Central, 18 from the West, 15 U.S.-based broadcasters and four from Europe.

With the new voting bloc, the Central Division will have a greater share of overall votes, which could come in handy as Robertson tries to chase down frontrunner and oft-discussed Kirill Kaprizov in Minnesota.

Injury updates: Stevens said defenseman Joel Hanley (lower-body) skated on his own Tuesday morning, but would still need a few days before he was ready to play. Hanley got hurt Thursday in Nashville and Tuesday was his third straight missed game.

Radek Faksa (upper-body) returned to the lineup after missing Sunday’s game in Carolina. He centered Jamie Benn and Denis Gurinaov.

Fresh blood: Stars prospects Jordan Kawaguchi and Adam Scheel made their professional debuts on Tuesday night with AHL affiliate Texas. Scheel started in goal, while Kawaguchi played left wing on a line with Josh Melnick and Anthony Louis. Kawaguchi scored in the second period.

Both Kawaguchi and Scheel finished careers with North Dakota before signing with Dallas last week.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186558 Dallas Stars “I think if we’re looking at the uphill climb that we have then we’re worrying about games down the road, it’s going to hurt us,” Comeau said. “We’ve just got to approach it one game at a time.”

On Tuesday, the Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and Predators won. The Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.07.2021 Stars did not. That’s bad news.

By Matthew DeFranks10:33 PM on Apr 6, 2021 CDT

The playoff race in the Central Division has more often resembled a crawl, with four middling to mediocre teams trading places on the inside track to fourth place. Lulls have come and gone. Stretches of dominance have not.

All the while, the final playoff spot in the division has been there for the taking — even for the injured but still disappointing Stars. It’s been an accommodating group of teams (Nashville, Chicago and Columbus) that has kept the Stars in the hunt despite Dallas winning consecutive games just once since late January and being over .500 only once since late February.

Not Tuesday night.

The Stars lost 4-2 to the Blackhawks, as a third-period comeback bid fell short after Chicago carried a three-goal lead after two periods. Losing points to the Blackhawks hurts enough. But checking the scoreboard to see that the Predators and Blue Jackets both won? Salt in the wound.

The result is a seven-point deficit to the Predators with three games in hand. Nashville is on pace for 60 points, which means Dallas (13-14-10) would have to go 12-7-0 in its final 19 games to match that.

“It’s pretty simple from my standpoint: you’re not getting in the playoffs with 36 points,” assistant coach John Stevens said. “You’re not. So we can sit here and hope that teams lose, but until we start helping ourselves, we’re not going to get where we want to be. The other teams can do what they want, we have to take care of our own business.”

Andrew Cogliano scored a shorthanded goal 89 seconds into the third period to spoil Kevin Lankinen’s shutout bid, and Radek Faksa scored with 6:14 left to make it a one-goal game. The Stars never found the equalizer, as Chicago received goals from each of their top-line forwards (Alex DeBrincat, Kirby Dach and Patrick Kane) plus Dominik Kubalik.

Stars coach Rick Bowness missed the game because he was still in Raleigh, N.C., in COVID-19 protocol following a positive test result Sunday. Bowness, who does not have symptoms and is vaccinated, believes the result was a false positive, something that also sidelined goaltender Anton Khudobin over the weekend in Carolina.

Stevens assumed head coaching duties Tuesday night after filling in for Bowness during the third period in Carolina on Sunday. Stevens said Bowness received one negative test and the team was awaiting the result of a second test to determine whether Bowness could join the Stars in Chicago.

The Stars struggled to contain the Blackhawks’ rush attack, as Chicago produced odd-man rush after odd-man rush off Stars mistakes.

On the first goal, Cogliano tried to dump the puck along the boards but instead hit teammate Jamie Oleksiak, leading to Dach’s goal. After the game, Cogliano called the decision “a bad play by me, a bonehead play.”

“We just played right into it,” Cogliano said. “It seems like we’re just making the wrong play at the wrong time. I think that’s what we did tonight against that team. That’s exactly what they want.”

On the second Chicago goal, Blake Comeau attempted to find Oleksiak at the point, but his pass was deflected and led to an odd-man rush since Miro Heiskanen was overlapping down the boards. Kubalik cashed in.

“I left [Heiskanen] in a tough spot,” Comeau said. “Just one of those plays. I thought I saw something and their guy had a good stick and it went the other way and cost us. That’s one that I’d like to have back, disappointing to see that one go in for sure.”

The Stars will finish their six-game road trip Thursday night against the Blackhawks, and they’re hoping it’s another chance to claw upward in the Central. 1186559 Dallas Stars But, as Stevens said, all of that is a moot point unless the Stars start winning games, regardless of opponent. So much hope is disguised in those “games in hand,” but games in hand do the team no favors if Stars get a stark reminder of how thin their margin for error is they’re just pending losses. Additionally, that number is getting smaller as well. The Stars used to have four and five games in hand on the likes of the Blackhawks and Predators, but that number is down to three, which was inevitable since the Stars are the only team between them By Saad Yousuf Apr 6, 2021 consistently playing four games per week for the past month.

“If we’re looking at the uphill climb that we have and we’re worrying about This NHL season is weird. That’s true as a general statement, even games down the road, it’s going to hurt us,” forward Blake Comeau said. before we get into all the kicks to the groin for the Stars specifically. For “We just got to approach it one game at a time. I’ve been on a team (in one, there is pretty much exactly one month left in the regular season Colorado) before where it came down to the very last game of the and the trade deadline hasn’t even passed yet. But the dynamic of season and whoever won the game got in the playoffs. Whether it takes chasing teams in the standings is dramatic at different levels this season. us to the last game of the year or whatever it takes us, until we’re The Stars got a bad look at it Tuesday. mathematically out, all of the guys in that room are going to keep grinding away.” At the beginning of the evening, Dallas sat at sixth in the Central with 36 points, just three points behind the fifth-place Chicago Blackhawks and The grinding needs to start turning into points very soon because the five points behind the fourth-place playoff spot occupied by the surging ticking on the playoff clock is getting louder and louder. Nashville Predators. The Stars have three games in hand on both of Observations those teams, and then four games in hand on the team right below them in the standings in the Columbus Blue Jackets, who entered the evening • Tuesday night, and really Sunday night’s 1-0 loss in Carolina as well, with 36 points as well. are Grade A examples of why wins and losses shouldn’t be used as a direct judgment of the goaltender. Jake Oettinger is 0-2 in those games, The Predators were playing the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. It’s but he was the best player for the Stars in each game and did his part in unwise to expect much help from the Red Wings, but they did just beat delivering a win. Tough to win when the players in front of the goaltender the Tampa Bay Lightning two days earlier, so defeating the Predators go over 100 minutes without denting the scoreboard. wasn’t out of the question. While Detroit put up a fight, Nashville took the game in a shootout. Add two points for the yellow team. • The odd-man rushes allowed by the Stars on Tuesday dug their grave. Chicago’s first goal came on a two-on-one with two of its best players in Speaking of the Lightning, the reigning Stanley Cup champions were in Patrick Kane and Kirby Dach. Andrew Cogliano took ownership of that Columbus and coming off of that bad loss to the Red Wings, so surely after the game. they would take the ice with a vengeance and flex their superiority over the Blue Jackets, right? Wrong. The Lightning lost their fifth game in their “The first one was just a bad play by me, a bonehead play of shooting past seven. Add two points for the Blue Jackets. into our own player and gives their best line a two-on-one and they score,” Cogliano said. “We weren’t doing the right things at the right time The Stars have been preaching urgency for weeks now and while the and we gave that team exactly what they wanted, which were rush Blackhawks are no joke, they’re not part of the elite top of the division goals.” that consists of Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay. In the standings, the Stars and Blackhawks are in the same ZIP code so it’s not far-fetched to The second goal also came on a two-on-one rush for the Blackhawks, expect the Stars to notch a victory in Chicago. Instead, Dallas fell 4-2 in a this time due to a mistake by Comeau coming back from behind the game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate. Chicago net.

Where does that leave things in that fourth-place cluster? “I thought I saw the weakside defenseman and I hit their stick. We had Miro (Heiskanen) coming down the wall so I kind of left him in a tough Predators — 43 points (40 games) spot,” Comeau said. “Just one of those plays that I thought I saw Blackhawks — 41 points (40 games) something and their guy had a good stick and it went the other way and cost us. That’s one I’d like to have back.” Blue Jackets — 38 points (41 games) • Much of the game followed the same script for the Stars. The first 40 Stars — 36 points (37 games) minutes showed a few great chances that weren’t able to make it to the back of the other net. The final 20 minutes saw a rally that came up just On a night when the Stars could have been three points out of a playoff short and essentially another one-goal loss if you remove the empty- spot with three games in hand if all of the other things fell in their favor, netter. After the game, players were asked if the strong third period was they’re instead seven points back after another head-to-head loss something that could carry over and help the team get off to a better start against one of the teams they’re battling. Thursday. They expressed hope and confidence that that would be the “We’re not getting in the playoffs with 36 points,” acting head coach John case, which is probably the right approach to have as a player, but if the Stevens said. “Teams are going to take care of their own backyard. season thus far serves as evidence, that hasn’t been the case. The Stars Teams that we’re chasing are going to play each other so somebody is have to make that reality change Thursday. getting points every night. That’s what’s different about this year. (Other • How a team plays when the score is 0-0 or something close to that is years), everybody in your division can lose and nobody gets points. more indicative of how that team compares to the opposition than how That’s not the case this year. Somebody’s getting points every night. For they play when they’re down 3-0. At 0-0, both teams are playing their me, it’s easy, we just look at ourselves. game and trying to establish their brand of hockey. When the score gets “When you start hoping for help from three or four teams in your division, to something like 3-0 as it did Tuesday, the team with the lead can start it’s never going to work. We have to take care of our own business. We playing more passively to try to protect the lead. Occasionally, you may have to start scratching and getting points, which we’ve done a good job be able to catch them napping enough to steal a point, or even two of lately. That one tonight obviously hurts. We just made the crowd sometimes. But chances are, you’ll get a puck or two past them and it’ll bigger in front of us.” be too little, too late. Tuesday night was an example of that.

As mentioned above, the season is dwindling. The Stars still control their • The Stars have one of the best secret-not-so-secret weapons in the destiny, but they’re drifting further and further from that reality with every NHL in video coach Kelly Forbes. It looked like Kane put the Blackhawks loss, especially in four-point swing games like Tuesday night’s loss to the up 1-0 very early in the game on a nifty move, but Forbes caught Dach Blackhawks. Chicago and Nashville still have three head-to-heads offside behind the play. It was not an easy call and the ramifications of a remaining this season while the Stars have only two more games against missed challenge — putting the opposition on the power play — are the Predators and three more against the Blackhawks, which includes significant, but the players and coaches have complete confidence in Thursday night and then a regular season-ending back-to-back. With the Forbes’ judgment. way the Stars are playing and the slow pace they’re picking up points, “Quite honestly, I thought Jake Oettinger was our best player tonight. Our picking a team to root for in those Blackhawks-Predators matchups is like second-best player was Kelly Forbes,” Stevens said. “I thought that was deciding which bottle of poison they’d like to uncork. a huge call early in the game. Kind of got a break. Almost feels like, ‘Hey, we’re not very good to start.’ We were very sleepy to start the game. We had a bad line change there to give up the goal and he’s on his toes and made the right call, which was a tough call, to be honest with you. We trusted him, for sure.

“He’s been dead-on. He takes great pride in that. He knows the rules extremely well, stuff that I wouldn’t even know, to be honest with you. It’s a little more elaborate than the guy just being across the line. … It was a complicated read by him. He did an awesome job and I thought it was critical. … I thought it was a great call by Kelly.”

The Stars are 2-for-2 this season on video reviews.

Morning skate musings

Stars coach Rick Bowness has tested negative while quarantined in Carolina, and there’s a decent chance that he can join the team in Chicago ahead of Thursday night’s game. The belief all along was that his positive test Sunday night was a false positive and that seems to be the case. Bowness joined the team virtually Tuesday morning on Zoom while Stevens assumed head coaching duties in person.

Every coach has their own style of how they go about their business. An example of that came Tuesday morning when Stevens declined to offer his starting goaltending decision at morning skate while Bowness usually discloses that information.

Personnel

Jason Dickinson remains out. He’s on injured reserve and there’s no further update on the returns of Alexander Radulov or Joel Kiviranta. Tyler Seguin and Ben Bishop continue to skate in Frisco, Texas, as they work back from offseason surgeries. Radek Faksa returned Tuesday after missing Sunday’s loss in Carolina. Joel Hanley was able to skate but is skating on his own. Here’s what the lineup looked like:

Jamie Benn — Radek Faksa — Denis Gurianov

Jason Robertson — Roope Hintz — Joe Pavelski

Andrew Cogliano — Rhett Gardner — Blake Comeau

Tanner Kero — Justin Dowling — Ty Dellandrea

Esa Lindell — John Klingberg

Jamie Oleksiak — Miro Heiskanen

Andrej Sekera — Mark Pysyk

Jake Oettinger

The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021

1186560 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings hang tough, but fall in first shootout of season, 3-2 to Predators

HELENE ST. JAMES

The Detroit Red Wings built two leads, got good goaltending, and paced a hot opponent to a tight contest.

Their Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators at Little Caesars Arena ended with their first shootout of the season. They fell, 3-2, when neither Dylan Larkin nor Filip Zadina could convert on their chances and Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi did.

The Wings fell to 13-22-6. The Predators were 8-2 in their last 10 entering Tuesday; one of those victories was a 7-1 rout of the Wings on March 25.

Danny DeKeyser scored late in the first period. The Predators tied it early in the third, when Josi took advantage of the Wings changing lines to feed Luke Kunin. Thomas Greiss had made 18 saves at that point, giving a second solid performance after struggling for much of the season.

Adam Erne built on his career season with his ninth goal, midway through the period. Greiss made a save on Jeremy Davies, the Wings gained possession of the puck, and Erne turned a shot on net into his third goal in four games.

Michael Rasmussen hit his head into the glass on a hit by Kunin, but stayed in the game. Kunin went down the tunnel after taking a puck to the head shortly after Mikael Granlund had made it 2-2.

Forwards , Bobby Ryan and Sam Gagner, defenseman Patrik Nemeth, and goaltender Jonathan Bernier all were unavailable because of injuries. Fabbri, Ryan, Gagner and Bernier could all be back as soon as Thursday, when the Wings again host the Predators.

Good tone

It was 4-1 Predators after the first period when the teams last met. The Wings looked better in every aspect this time, forechecking well, creating chaos around the net, and getting saves from Greiss. Zadina had a nice chance denied by Juuse Saros, but it was DeKeyser who beat him, late in the period, after taking a shot from the point that hit Mattias Ekholm, who was trying to keep Erne from getting to the puck.

Glendening shows off hands

Luke Glendening generally uses his hands to show his prowess on faceoffs, but he dropped the gloves to show off he can punch, too. The Wings were miffed Jeremy Davies hit Valtteri Filppula into the boards by their bench even as he had already played along the puck, and there was no penalty on the hit. Glendening sent Davies a message; it wasn’t a fight, but Glendening did land a punch with his right hand. "That’s what a team is all about," Larkin said. "We battle, we work for each other. It was great to see Luke step up for Fil. We need more of that going forward."

From famine to feast

Evgeny Svechnikov was waived last week for the second time this season, then scratched two games. On Tuesday, he started on the top line with Larkin and Zadina. On his first shift, Svechnikov took control of the puck in the left circle and sent it to the net, where Larkin got a piece of it but the puck hit the side of the net. It was Svechnikov's first game since April 1, and 11th of the season. "He prepares every day like he’s playing," Larkin said. "I give him a lot of credit, he’s had a great attitude through all of it. I really enjoy playing with him. He’s hard on pucks. He set me up a couple times. As a player that likes to play with the puck, he’s someone that can get it for me, so I like playing with him."

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186561 Detroit Red Wings vaccinated, the better chance we can get all living closer to normal. I hope as many people can get it as quickly as possible.”

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.07.2021 Many of Detroit Red Wings receive COVID-19 vaccine; here's why Darren Helm hasn't yet

HELENE ST. JAMES

The Detroit Red Wings are taking advantage of having access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

The pandemic ripped through the locker room on opening weekend, forcing five players into quarantine. One spent training camp dealing with it — and that’s left him leaning toward postponing getting the vaccine until after the season ends.

The majority of Wings players, the coaching staff and other staff within the so-called team bubble have been vaccinated, including head coach Jeff Blashill.

“I have empathy for anybody around the world that doesn’t have access to it,” Blashill said Tuesday. “It’s beyond the NHL and bigger than the NHL. We feel fortunate that we have access to it. There’s countries in the world that do and some that don’t have as much, and I feel empathy for any of those.”

Unlike Major League Baseball, the NHL has not issued a directive to teams regarding possibly loosening restrictions when or if a team has a majority of players fully vaccinated. Blashill said that as the vaccine became available, the team’s medical personnel was available to answer questions.

Darren Helm battled the virus during the exhibition season and has yet to schedule an appointment for the vaccine.

“I'm not against it,” he said. “I had COVID early on, so I’m hoping I still have antibodies. I don’t really want to put that extra stress on my body. When the season is over, I’ll probably take a look at it.”

A LOOK BACK: What Steve Yzerman's past says about his NHL trade deadline plans

Robby Fabbri, Adam Erne, Filip Zadina, Sam Gagner and Jon Merrill also have had to quarantine after testing positive.

“I think the hard part about what we’ve been through is this virus hits people different ways,” Blashill said. “And some people haven’t been affected when they get the virus and other people have been very affected. The same thing with the vaccine — some people have had it and been affected and some haven’t.

“Different people have different opinions and we certainly respect that. This is still an individual choice thing and those that decided it was the right thing for them, which ultimately will be a majority, decided it was the right thing for them, and those that didn’t, I respect that.”

The NHL instituted a number of guidelines this season to be able to stage a 56-game schedule. Team personnel including players, the coaches, trainers and select management — the “bubble” — are tested daily. On the road, players have meals in their hotel rooms, and are only supposed to socialize in select areas. All meetings are conducted virtually, as is all media interviews. Players have to wear masks unless they are on the ice, and everyone else in the bubble is required to wear one at all times while at an arena.

Guidelines were further restricted a few weeks into the season after a rash of positive tests across the league, further encouraging team personnel to limit exposure when not at arenas.

The biggest COVID-19 outbreak within the league, as of Monday, was in Vancouver, as the Canucks have 17 of their 22 players on their active roster on the NHL protocol list. They have had four games postponed since last week as of Tuesday.

“I’m looking forward to as many people in our country and around the world getting vaccinated as quick as possible so we can get back to as close to normal as we can,” Blashill said. “There’s been ebbs and flows through this pandemic — there’s been moments where you think you’re headed in the right direction and then all of a sudden it looks like you’re not. The one consistent thing, I think, is that the more people that can get 1186562 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings lose to Nashville Predators in shootout, 3-2: Game thread replay

TYLER J. DAVIS

Detroit Red Wings (13-22-5) vs. Nashville Predators (20-18-1)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Little Caesars Arena.

TV: Plus.

Radio: 97.1 FM (Red Wings radio affiliates).

How to bet: Place legal, online bets at BetMGM Sportsbook.

Game notes: The Wings defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, last year's Stanley Cup winners, 5-1, on Sunday and will try exact revenge Tuesday for a 7-1 loss to the Predators on March 25. ... Nashville has won seven of its last eight and is 4-2 vs. Detroit this season. The teams play again Thursday

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186563 Detroit Red Wings Team White Goalies

►Remington Keopple (Hudson, Wisconsin) Next generation of U.S. hockey stars on display at Plymouth prospects game ►Colin Purcell (Shaker Heights, Ohio)

Defensemen

The Detroit News ►Shai Buium (San Diego, California)

► Kempf (Chicago, Illinois)

Last year, more than 200 NHL scouts, general managers and front-office ►Daniel Laatsch (Altoona, Wisconsin) personnel turned out to watch the top U.S. hockey prospects at the BioSteel All-American Game at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth. ►Victor Mancini (Saginaw, Michigan)

This year, with state COVID regulations limiting attendance to ►Jack Peart (Grand Rapids, Minnesota) approximately 400 people in the rink, NHL teams will have a total of ►Ryan Ufko (Smithtown, New York) about 100 people watching Wednesday's game (8 p.m., The Hockey Network). ►Cooper Wylie (Stillwater, Minnesota)

The game will feature the U.S. National Under-18 Team from USA Forwards Hockey’s National Team Development Program (Team Blue) against a roster comprised of 22 players from 10 teams in the United States ►Cam Berg (White Bear Lake, Minnesota) Hockey League (Team White). ►Tristan Broz (Bloomington, Minnesota)

Overall, 41 of the 43 players are committed to play NCAA Division I ►Matt Coronato (Huntington, New York) hockey with 17 states represented on the rosters. Minnesota leads all states with nine players while Michigan has five players: Gibson Homer ►Josh Doan (Scottsdale, Arizona) (Grand Rapids, Michigan), Ty Gallagher (Clarkston, Michigan), Roman ►Jack Harvey (Stacy, Minnesota) Schmidt (Midland, Michigan), Victor Mancini (Saginaw, Michigan) and Carter Mazur (Jackson, Michigan). ►Matt Knies (Phoenix, Arizona)

Last year, Team Knuble, featuring the NTDP U18 players, beat Team ►Connor Kurth (Elk River, Minnesota) Gomez 6-1. Defenseman Jake Sanderson (Whitefish, Montana) had two assists and was named player of the game. He is among 46 first-round ►Carter Mazur (Jackson, Michigan) picks (Ottawa Senators) and more than 200 total NHL Draft picks that ►Mackie Samoskevich (Newtown, Connecticut) have played in the game. ►Bennet Schimek (Mendota Heights, Minnesota) Team Blue ►Cole Sillinger (Phoenix, Arizona) Goalies ►Hunter Strand (Anchorage, Alaska) ►Gibson Homer (Grand Rapids, Michigan) ►Zach Urdahl (Eau Claire, Wisconsin) ►Kaidan Mbereko (Aspen, Colorado) Detroit News LOADED: 04.07.2021 Defensemen

►Sean Behrens (Barrington, Illinois)

►Ty Gallagher (Clarkston, Michigan)

►Aidan Hreschuk (Long Beach, California)

►Jacob Martin (Eagle River, Wisconsin)

►Ty Murchison (Corona, California)

►Roman Schmidt (Midland, Michigan)

►Ethan Straky (Ormond Beach, Florida)

Forwards

►Logan Cooley (West Mifflin, )

►Jack Devine (Glencoe, Illinois)

►Dylan Duke (Strongsville, Ohio)

►Andre Gasseau (Garden Grove, California)

►Liam Gilmartin (Falls Church, Virginia)

►Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wisconsin)

►Chaz Lucius (Grant, Minnesota)

►Rutger McGroarty (Lincoln, Nebraska)

►Sasha Pastujov (Bradenton, Florida)

►Red Savage (Scottsdale, Arizona)

►Ryan St. Louis (Riverside, Connecticut)

►Charlie Stramel (Rosemount, Minnesota)

►Jeremy Wilmer (Rockville Centre, New York) 1186564 Detroit Red Wings “We've been working pretty good as a group and we need that kind of effort. It's a proud group in there so we want to compete and work hard every night."

Predators beat Red Wings 3-2 in shootout after third-period rally DeKeyser gave the Wings a 1-0 lead at 19:03 of the first period.

The puck drifted to DeKeyser in the high slot, and his shot deflected off Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm and past goaltender Juuse Saros, TED KULFAN | The Detroit News who was leaning in the other direction.

Saros, who has been among the NHL's best goaltenders in recent weeks, was stellar again. Detroit – This Red Wings team didn’t look anything like the one that played Nashville last time. Saros (24 saves) robbed Valtteri Filppula at the post midway in the third period, after Anthony Mantha fed Filppula through the slot. But it still wasn't good enough against a red-hot Nashville team. The Wings were without injured goaltender Jonathan Bernier, and The Predators defeated the Wings 3-2 in a shootout, the Wings' first forwards Bobby Ryan, Sam Gagner, and Tyler Bertuzzi, along with shootout this season, winning the shootout 2-0. defenseman Patrik Nemeth. Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi scored against goaltender Thomas "When we've been healthy, we've been a pretty good team," Blashill said. Greiss in the shootout. "We've stubbed our toes a few times and there were some of them where "We've gotten great goaltending this season and we're in the game we weren't good enough. We've been good defensively, and we don't tonight, up 2-1, and then we find a way to lose," forward Dylan Larkin create enough offense on a consistent basis but we're working on that - said. "At some point it has to turn and we start seeing results." and we've been better in the last little bit creating chances."

Greiss hasn’t gotten much goal support, and didn’t get much Tuesday, Detroit News LOADED: 04.07.2021 but made 29 saves to help get the Wings (13-22-6) a point.

Adam Erne continued his recent offensive explosion with his ninth goal, a career-high, backhanding a rebound at 12:02 of the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie.

For Erne, it was his eighth goal in the last 20 games, and extended a point streak to four games, while becoming an unexpected offensive threat.

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"He's right up there in goals for our team and he's earned every bit of ice he's gotten this year," said coach Jeff Blashill of Erne. "He certainly hasn't been given anything and he's done a good job of earning it."

But Nashville roared back, with Mikael Granlund scoring a power play goal at 16:02 — Marc Staal was in the box for a questionable tripping call — putting back a rebound in front of Greiss.

"The call is the call, I didn't think Stallsie (Staal) did much there but it is what it is," said Blashill, who felt the Wings had a pair of unfortunate plays that turned momentum to Nashville.

"Terrible line change (on Nashville's first goal), and we've talked about execution and discipline, and we had a too many men penalty, and then a terrible line change goal, those are inexcusable things.

"Those are totally avoidable things and we have to do a better job."

Just before Erne's goal, Greiss made a pad save on Nashville's Jeremy Davies with the Predators pressuring, keeping the game tied 1-1.

But Greiss couldn't duplicate the save against Granlund, who was all alone and put back Calle Jarnkrok's shot.

Nashville's Luke Kunin tied the game early in the third period 1-1, while Danny DeKeyser scored his second goal of the season, ending a 23- game drought, with a deflected goal in the first period, giving the Wings a 1-0 lead.

Kunin tied it at 3:32, capitalizing on the bad line change.

Josi saw the opening down the middle of the ice, fed Kunin skating through the slot, and Kunin beat Greiss for his fourth goal this season.

But Erne, cleaning up Jon Merrill's point shot, restored the Wings' lead.

That game in Nashville on March 25, a 7-1 Wings’ loss, was one of the poorer Wings’ efforts of the season.

Since then, the Wings have been a different looking hockey team after a rugged practice and rededicating to the work ethic needed for them to win.

"It was pretty embarrassing the way we came out and fell flat," forward Darren Helm said after Tuesday's morning skate regarding the March 25 disaster. "We wanted to prove to ourselves that we could play a lot better, and we've put a couple good games together. 1186565 Detroit Red Wings Some NHL players have delayed getting the shots — and especially the second one — because of symptoms associated with the vaccine that could impact their health, and maybe miss some games.

Wings' Darren Helm not stressing about final days before trade deadline Some players, including Helm, are considering waiting until after their seasons are completed.

“I’m not against it,” said Helm, who had the coronavirus during training TED KULFAN | The Detroit News camp and missed the start of the season. “I had COVID early on. I didn’t want to put that stress (getting vaccinated) on my body. Once the season

is over, I’ll probably look into getting it.” Detroit — Darren Helm has been a Red Wings player for a long time. Blashill understands some players wanting to wait. Helm began his career here in 2007-08 and was part of that season's “For sure,” Blashill said. “I understand the reservation. The hard part Stanley Cup-winning team. He’s been one of the better defensive about what we’ve been through is the virus hits different people in forwards in the NHL for many years. different ways. That’s the reality of it. But in a matter of days, Helm's career with the Wings could be over. “Some of the people haven’t been affected when they had the virus and Helm, 34, is a potential unrestricted free agent and could be an asset some some people have been very affected, and unfortunately too many general manager Steve Yzerman dangles by Monday’s 3 p.m. trade people have died. deadline. “Same thing with the vaccine. Some have got it and have been have Helm’s salary cap hit is $3.85 million, so the Wings might have to retain been affected and some haven’t. There’s a lot to (consider) in these half of that amount, or so. decisions.”

But given Helm’s experience, playoff pedigree and the fact he’s been Injury update quite effective on a line with Luke Glendening and Adam Erne, it wouldn’t Blashill said goaltender Jonathan Bernier (lower body) and forwards be surprising to see contending teams inquire about him. Bobby Ryan (upper body) and Sam Gagner (lower body) all were We're offering a great deal on all-access subscriptions. Check it out here. unavailable Tuesday. That’s five games missed for both forwards and 10 for Bernier. “I haven’t talked to him (Yzerman) yet,” Helm said Tuesday in a Zoom chat with media. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. A few names “All three are out (Tuesday), but are very, very close,” Blashill said. “I’m have been thrown out, I haven’t heard mine, but I don’t know if anything hopeful for Thursday for all three of them.” will happen.” Forward Tyler Bertuzzi, who has been out since Jan. 30 with an upper Helm hasn’t competed in the playoffs since the Wings’ last trip in 2016. body injury, is skating regularly, and at least there’s a sign of optimism.

Although remaining in Detroit is the preferred option, the opportunity to “He was out there doing stuff before (the Wings began skating Tuesday) play in the Stanley Cup playoffs again — Helm admits to watching the and once we got going into our stuff he was off (the ice),” Blashill said. playoffs the last couple seasons, which he normally doesn’t do — is “The fact he’s been (skating) on a fairly consistent basis, he’s been appealing. making progress, so that’s a positive sign.

“The last couple of years I found myself watching playoff hockey and kind “From a timeline perspective, I just can’t give you one. Until we get closer of missing it. (To) be part of it would be a lot of fun and a great to where he’s practicing on a full-time basis, certainly it’s moving in the opportunity as well," Helm said. “(But) it would be great to finish my right direction.” career in Detroit as well. Everybody knows I love Detroit and love playing Detroit News LOADED: 04.07.2021 here. But if there’s an opportunity somewhere else, I would be fine with that.

"I’m open to anything."

Whatever happens after this season, Helm wants to continue with his playing career. But with the Wings still in the throes of a rebuild, it's debatable whether they see Helm as part of it.

There would likely be an opportunity for Helm, quite a few maybe, out there around the league this summer.

"I do want to play another year or two. Whatever gets me to that opportunity, to play more hockey," Helm said. "We’ll see what happens. There are six days left. I’m not stressing about it.”

Fully vaccinated

Coach Jeff Blashill revealed during Tuesday’s call with the media he has received his COVID-19 vaccination.

“Me, personally, everyone has their own opinions on a lot of different things, but I’m looking forward to as many people in our country and around the world getting vaccinated as quick as possible so we can get back to close to normal as we can,” Blashill said.

NHL coaches and players in American markets are getting access to shots, but not on Canadian-based teams.

“I have empathy to anyone around the world who doesn’t have access to it,” Blashill said. “It’s beyond the NHL. We feel fortunate that we access to it, and certainly there are countries in the world that do and some that don’t have as much, and I feel empathy for any of those.

“Certainly there would be a lot of people that would want it and when you don’t have access, that’s too bad.” 1186566 Detroit Red Wings "Personally, I just try and stay as disciplined as possible," said Hughes, whose brother Jack Hughes has no penalties with 17 points in 36 games with the New Jersey Devils this year. "That's a big part of my game, the way I angle people at the blueline and squeeze them off. It's hard to NHL-bound defenseman Luke Hughes follows in brothers' footsteps score goals when you're on the kill and taking penalties."

Hughes says his older brothers are "role models," they text or FaceTime each other most days and they've taught him "during a really long draft MARK FALKNER | The Detroit News year especially during COVID to stay level-headed and don't worry about things you can't control."

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of profiles of the top hockey His dad, Jim Hughes, was an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins prospects for the NHL Draft on July 23-24, 2021. from 2001-2003 and the director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2009-2015. His mom, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, was a Three years ago at the 2018 NHL draft, the Detroit Red Wings under defenseman who won a silver medal with the U.S. national women's general manager Ken Holland passed on University of Michigan-bound team at the 1992 world championships in Finland. defenseman Quinn Hughes with the sixth overall pick. In five games at the worlds including a 17-0 win over Switzerland, she Holland selected Halifax Mooseheads winger Filip Zadina, who played 80 had four assists and was named to the media U.S. All-Star team with games in the minors with the Grand Rapids Griffins before recording 32 Hockey Hall of Famer Cammi Granato, who is now a pro scout with the points in 70 NHL games heading into Tuesday's game against the expansion Seattle Kraken. Nashville Predators at Little Caesars Arena. "I mean, wow, I didn't really know all those stats," Hughes said. "They're Hughes, who developed for two years with the National Team my biggest support system. They've been here for me, sacrificing for me Development program in Plymouth before playing two years of NCAA and my brothers our entire lives." hockey in Ann Arbor, has turned into one of the NHL's best young players and most marketable stars with 84 points in 110 regular-season Hughes also credits Muse for developing his "leadership skills" on a games and 16 points in 17 playoff games with the . "tight-knit team," which could have the majority of players taken in the 2021 Draft. Thirteen NTDP players were selected in the 2020 draft after a Now there's another Hughes playing nearby with USA Hockey's top record-breaking 17 players were selected in 2019, including his brother development team, he's also projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2021 Jack as the No. 1 pick overall. draft and he could present a similar option for new Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman. "We've had a lot of really good people from the program who have shown me the way and to be respectful," said Hughes, who worked out in the Luke Hughes, who was scheduled to play in Wednesday's BioSteel All- summer with NTDP grads like Dylan Larkin of the Red Wings and Zach American Game at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth but is out with a Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets. lower-body injury, is moving up the draft rankings and wouldn't mind joining the Red Wings' organization. "We have a really talented group with guys like Chaz Lucius, Dylan Duke, Sasha Pastujov, Sean Behrens. We've got so many guys that can go "To be drafted by Detroit would be awesome," the 17-year-old Hughes pretty high in the draft. That's one of the goals on our team, for every said. "Detroit's my home. I've lived here since I was in ninth grade and player to get drafted." I'm going to go to the University of Michigan next year. I can't control that but it would be great to be picked here. At the same time, there's 32 great [email protected] (NHL) spots." Twitter: @falkner Yzerman and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper will have other NHL draft glance options in a defenseman-dominated NHL Draft on July 23-24, including University of Michigan's 6-6 Owen Power, Sweden's 6-4 Simon What: 2021 NHL Draft Edvinsson and Barrie's 6-1 Brandt Clarke. When: July 23-24 (First round Friday, rounds 2-7 Saturday) (Detroit has the fourth-worst record this year in a season when the new NHL Draft lottery rules won't allow the two-worst teams to drop more than Where: Virtual draft or in-person (TBD) two positions). Red Wings picks: Detroit has 10 draft picks in seven rounds, including At 6-2 and 183 pounds (Hughes says he put on 18 pounds since last one pick in the first round, three in the second round (Oilers, Rangers), year under the guidance of USA Hockey's director of sports science two in the second round (Golden Knights) and one each in rounds 4-7. Brian Galivan), the Canton native has put himself in the conversation of Draft lottery: The 15 teams that fail to qualify for the playoffs and the being the Red Wings' No. 1 pick with six goals and 28 assists for 34 expansion Seattle Kraken will be involved in the lottery held before the points in 38 games with the NTDP U18 team this year. draft (TBD). "It's not my place to tell an NHL team where to take somebody," said New lottery rule for 2021: The lottery will be reduced from three drawings NTDP coach Dan Muse, who will also coach the United States team at to two, ensuring that the team that finishes last in the standings will pick the U18 world championships in Frisco and Plano, Texas from April 26- no lower than No. 3. May 6. Detroit News LOADED: 04.07.2021 "I expect him to go high in the draft and I say this not just because of what he's done on the ice but also from seeing what he does on a daily basis off the ice in regards to his preparation, his professionalism, the passion in his game and the desire to improve. He's going to keep getting better and his best hockey is still ahead of him. Whoever takes him is going to be very happy with him."

Muse says "the first thing you notice about him (Hughes) is how good he is on his edges" and how his skating ability allows him to "take away time and space, closing off plays and transitioning the puck the other way."

By being in better position while reading the play, Hughes has only 12 minor penalties in two years with USA Hockey. In comparison, underrated Norris Trophy candidate Jacob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes has only six penalties in two years and seven-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom averaged only 12 penalties per year during a 1,564-game career with the four-time Stanley Cup champion Red Wings. 1186567 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings feel fortunate to have access to COVID-19 vaccine

By Ansar Khan

Detroit Red Wings players now can receive the COVID-19 vaccination after Michigan residents 16 and older became eligible on Monday.

Now it is up to the individual whether or not to be vaccinated, and when.

“I’m looking forward to as many people in our country and around the world getting vaccinated as quick as possible so we can get back to as close to normal as we can,” coach Jeff Blashill said on Tuesday. “There’s been ebbs and flows through this pandemic and there’s been moments you think we’re headed in the right direction and then all the sudden it looks like we’re not. The one consistent thing is the more people that can get vaccinated, the better chance we can get to all living as close to normal. I hope as many people can get it as quickly as possible.”

The Red Wings are grateful they have access to the vaccine; it is not available yet for their counterparts in Canada.

“I have empathy for anyone around the world who doesn’t have access to it and it’s beyond the NHL and bigger than the NHL,” Blashill said. “We feel fortunate that we have access to it.”

Some players might delay being vaccinated until after the season due to concerns about adverse effects from the second shot.

“I’m not against (being vaccinated),” Darren Helm said. “I had COVID early on (in January), so I’m hoping I still have antibodies from it. Right now, I don’t really want to put extra stress on my body. When the season is over, I’ll probably take a look at getting it.”

Blashill said he understands the reservation by some.

“The hard part about what we’ve been through is this virus hits people different ways,” he said. “Some people haven’t been affected when they get the virus, some people have been very affected and unfortunately too many people have died. Same thing with the vaccine; some people that have had it have been affected and some haven’t. There’s a lot that plays into these decisions and every individual needs to make the right one for them.”

Blashill said the NHL has not given teams a directive regarding the vaccine.

“Our medical department’s job, when it became available to us, is to let our players know it’s available, answer any questions they may have, encourage them to get as much information as possible,” Blashill said. “Different people have different opinions. We certainly respect that. This is still an individual choice. Those that decided it was the right thing for them, which I think ultimately will be a majority that decided it was the right thing for them, and those that didn’t, I respect that.”

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186568 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ Darren Helm would be fine with trade to playoff contender

By Ansar Khan

The Detroit Red Wings reached the playoffs in each of Darren Helm’s first nine seasons, and the organization’s longest-tenured player misses the intensity and competitiveness of postseason hockey.

He would not be opposed to a trade by Monday’s deadline that would provide him an opportunity to experience that excitement again.

“It would be a lot of fun to play playoff hockey again,” Helm said Tuesday. “It would be great to finish my career in Detroit as well. I’m open to anything.

“I do want to play another year or two, so whatever gives me a better opportunity to play more hockey. I love Detroit. I love playing here, but if there’s an opportunity somewhere else, I’d be fine with that. We’ll just see what happens.”

Helm, 34, does not have a no-trade clause, so he has no say in general manager Steve Yzerman’s decision. He is in the final year of his contract at a $3.875 million cap hit and is among many impending unrestricted free agents who could be moved for draft picks or other assets.

Helm’s speed, forechecking, penalty killing and playoff experience could appeal to a postseason contender. But his cap hit and actual salary ($3 million) might make him difficult to move without the Red Wings retaining some salary.

Helm has two goals and four assists in 31 games, spending most of the season on the energy line with Luke Glendening and Adam Erne, a combination that has been intact longer than any other.

Helm has appeared in 82 playoff games, 64 of which came during his first four seasons.

“I don’t watch a lot of hockey throughout the year but the last couple of years I found myself watching playoff hockey, kind of miss it,” Helm said. “To be a part of it would be a lot of fun, a good opportunity as well. Whatever happens, happens.”

The team’s list of impending UFAs, some of whom figure to be moved by Monday, includes forwards Bobby Ryan, Sam Gagner, Luke Glendening and Valtteri Filppula, defensemen Marc Staal, Patrik Nemeth and Jon Merrill, and goaltender Jonathan Bernier.

Injury updates

Coach Jeff Blashill said Bernier, Ryan and Gagner remain out for tonight’s game against Nashville at Little Caesars Arena (7:30, Bally Sports Detroit).

“I’m hopeful for Thursday on all three,” Blashill said.

He said a few other players are game-time decisions. The list likely includes Robby Fabbri, who missed Sunday’s 5-1 victory at Tampa Bay.

Tyler Bertuzzi skated again Tuesday but hasn’t practiced with the team since being idled by an upper-body injury on Jan. 30.

“The fact that he’s been out (on the ice) on a fairly consistent basis, he’s been making progress, so that’s a positive sign,” Blashill said. “From a timeline perspective, I can’t give you one until we get closer to where he’s practicing on a full-time basis. Certainly, it’s moving in the right direction.”

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186569 Detroit Red Wings “Honestly, the past record, if (media) didn’t tell us we would have no idea,” Blashill said. “But certainly, we haven’t beaten these guys much, so having success against them feels good, especially the fact they’re as good as they are, the defending Stanley Cup champions. Thomas Greiss steps up, will be key for Red Wings if Jonathan Bernier moved “In the end for me, it’s about playing the right way and how the process went, and I thought our process was pretty good.”

Fabbri out: Robby Fabbri missed the game due to injury, which Blashill By Ansar Khan listed as day-to-day for now, saying he would know more on Tuesday, prior to the team hosting Nashville.

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.07.2021 The Detroit Red Wings are starting to see the experienced, proven goaltender they were expecting when they signed Thomas Greiss in the offseason.

Greiss has strung together three solid starts, culminating with a 27-save performance Sunday in a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena.

In four appearances since being pulled less than eight minutes into a 7-1 loss at Nashville on March 25, the 35-year-old has stopped 111-of-118 shots in 226 minutes (1.86 goals-against average, .941 save percentage).

The Red Wings will need more of that from Greiss the final five weeks of the season, especially if they trade Jonathan Bernier by the April 12 deadline.

“He was definitely really sharp today,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “Tampa has a ton of traffic and makes it hard around the cage and they shoot tons of pucks. I thought he did a great job of fighting through traffic and finding the puck. The puck was sticking to him, him freezing pucks. He didn’t create a whole lot of extra havoc. I thought from start to finish it was maybe his best game in a long time, maybe one of the best of the year.”

Greiss’ 3-15-5 record is in stark contrast to Bernier’s 8-6-0 mark. Bernier, out since March 18 with a lower-body injury, practiced on Friday and should return soon.

Whether or not Bernier remains a Red Wing, Greiss has much room to improve upon his season numbers (3.21 GAA, .895 save percentage). He had the misfortune of having to carry the load earlier this season when Bernier was injured and the team had five regulars on the COVID protocol list for multiple weeks. He also has received less offensive support than any goalie in the league.

“It’s always nice when you have a little goal support but playing well also helps,” Greiss said. “I thought I was just a little unlucky here and there.”

Stepping up in big moments, like he did with 12:50 remaining in the second period Sunday, helps. Greiss made a turning-point save on Steven Stamkos off a three-on-one-rush, when the sniper’s shot went off the goalie’s blocker and then the shaft of his stick, to preserve a 1-0 lead.

Shortly after, the Red Wings scored three goals in a span of 2:53 to break it open.

“Instead of being 1-1, it’s a totally different game,” Greiss said. “It was a big moment in the game.”

Said Blashill: “That’s the difference in winning and losing lots of times, you need big saves at big moments, and you need the goalie to stop the ones you’re supposed to stop, and he did both of those things today.”

Overall, it was one of the Red Wings’ best defensive efforts.

“It was as good a job as we’ve done all season of clogging up the neutral zone, especially in the second period,” Blashill said. “We did a good job of being above but tight on people, so we didn’t give them much space. We created turnovers. I thought in our own zone overall we were pretty good. They’re real active with a number of their players. We did a pretty good job of manning up and having people.

“We have to be a really good defensive team. That’s how you win in this league.”

That is especially how you win in Tampa Bay, and there has been no more difficult venue for Detroit over the past decade.

The Red Wings snapped a 17-game regular-season losing streak at Amalie Arena with their first win there since Feb. 17, 2011. 1186570 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings light up Lightning for first win in Tampa in 10 years

By Ansar Khan

The Detroit Red Wings looked much different Sunday than the team they have resembled much of the season, and so did the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Thomas Greiss made 27 saves and five different Red Wings scored goals in a 5-1 victory over the Lightning at Amalie Arena.

The Red Wings (13-22-5) snapped a 17-game regular season losing streak in Tampa Bay dating back to their last victory in the building on Feb. 17, 2011.

Overall, it was Detroit’s third win in its past 22 games against the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning (26-10-2), who entered the game tied for the league lead with 54 points.

Dylan Larkin, Valtteri Filppula, Michael Rasmussen, Marc Staal and Darren Helm scored for the Red Wings. Anthony Mantha, Luke Glendening and Vladislav Namestnikov each had two assists. Greiss, who has put together three strong starts in a row, improved to 3-15-5.

Backup Christopher Gibson made his first NHL start in three years and the Red Wings made the most of their limited shots (18). They broke the game open with three goals in a span of 2:53 late in the second period, taking a 4-0 lead.

Filppula started the outburst by skating to the net and one-timing a pass from Glendening for his third goal of the season at 16:05. Filppula had returned to the lineup on Saturday after being a healthy scratch for 14 games, including all of March.

Rasmussen capitalized on a fortuitous bounce off the end boards on a pass by Christian Djoos by backhanding a loose puck in front past Gibson at 16:34. It was his second goal of the season.

Staal scored at 18:58 on a wrist shot from the point through traffic, his third of the season.

The high-powered Lightning gave themselves a chance to get back into the game after Victor Hedman scored at 4:12 of the third, snapping Greiss’ shutout streak at 95 minutes, 2 seconds.

The Red Wings maintained their solid structure down the stretch, preventing Tampa Bay from trimming the deficit.

The Lightning, in an unusually aggressive move, pulled Gibson for the extra skater with 6:15 to play. Helm scored into an empty net with 5:41 remaining, his second of the season.

Larkin opened the scoring with 12.1 seconds remaining in the first period with his first power-play goal of the season, his seventh goal overall. Gibson caught a piece of his hard wrist shot from the face-off circle before it squirted through.

The Red Wings picked up three of a possible eight points during a tough four-game trip against top clubs Florida and Tampa Bay. They return home for games against Nashville on Tuesday and Thursday.

Michigan Live LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186571 Detroit Red Wings Michigan Live LOADED: 04.07.2021

Red Wings get no satisfaction from close loss to Lightning

By Ansar Khan

The Detroit Red Wings can take several positives away from Saturday’s game at Tampa Bay.

They battled hard after falling behind by two goals early, preventing the situation from snowballing like is has several times this season. Adam Erne continues to be an unexpected source of offense. Thomas Greiss kept the high-powered Lightning off the scoreboard for the final 50 minutes in putting together back-to-back solid outings during his most difficult season.

But, as players have said multiple times this year, there are no moral victories in hockey, as captain Dylan Larkin sounded off on after his team’s 2-1 loss at Amalie Arena.

“I’m not too satisfied right now,” Larkin said. “We were there. We didn’t have the best start, but we battled back into the game. (Andrei) Vasilevskiy was good, he did what he does. Nothing to be satisfied about.”

“Greisser was great the rest of the game and we responded. We can’t keep coming up short in games like this against teams like that. We got to start getting results. It’s not going to be easy, but we can’t be satisfied with a 2-1 loss.”

The Red Wings (12-22-5) have lost 17 consecutive regular season games in Tampa dating back to Feb. 17, 2011, including 16 in a row in regulation.

The teams meet again Sunday at noon (NBC).

Vasilevskiy (23-5-1) made 25 saves to improve to 12-0-0 lifetime against Detroit and help the Lightning improve to 26-9-2 for a league-leading 54 points.

“In my mind he’s the best in the league and might be by a lot,” Red Wing coach Jeff Blashill said. “You got to find ways to score. One of the ways you can score on any goaltender is to make sure you have great traffic, making sure you’re scoring dirty. He’s going to get his limb on stuff that he sees, that’s the way he is.”

The Red Wings had opportunities to tie it late in the third period, including a couple of chances by Erne. He put his team in that position by scored at the four-minute mark of the third, going backhand to forehand from in tight after being set up by Frans Nielsen.

It was Erne’s career-high eighth goal in 31 games, one more than he scored with the Lightning in 2018-19. Erne is third on the team in goals.

“He plays hard, plays the right way, goes to the right areas at the right times,” Larkin said. “He’s got great timing in front of the net; he’s got a great shot. When things didn’t go his way, he’s always stuck with it. That’s something everyone can learn from. No matter what you’re going through statistically, just play the right way.

“When him, (Luke Glendening and Darren Helm) were out there together, there’s no one working as hard as those three. They play the right way. They’ve been our best line this year. They do that every night and get results. It’s a great lesson for all of us.”

The Lightning struck quickly on goals by Ross Colton (4:07) and Brayden Point (7:26), which Blashill described as preventable. On both plays, the Red Wings did too much puck-watching, allowing Colton and Point to drive to the net with ease and convert.

“I think we can still do a better job of limiting chances,” Blashill said. “It’s a game that was there to be had.”

Greiss made 27 saves in his second solid start in a row but fell to 2-15-5.

“Thomas looks like he’s on top of his game, looks like he did at the beginning of the season,” Blashill said. “He’s worked hard with (goalie coach) Jeff Salajko to kind of get his game back to the level that he’s been at different times in his career and different times this year.” 1186572 Edmonton Oilers The Oilers will play the Senators back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday and then head to Calgary to face the Flames on Saturday to play a game originally scheduled for May 7.

OILERS NOTES: Rare blown third-period lead costly in Montreal “It’s different, I’ve never had a season like this,” Yamamoto said. “You kind of just have to roll with it and go with it and keep playing your game. It was just the third time in 19 games the Oilers have lost when leading It’s going to be like this possibly for the rest of the season and you have after two periods, and only the second time this season the Canadiens to roll with the punches and keep chugging forward.” have been able to overcome a third-period deficit Earlier this season, the Oilers had three games postponed against the Canadiens due to protocols in Montreal. They have since made up one game and they’ll make up the other two at the end of the season. Derek Van Diest “It’s weird, at first the North Division was fortunate not to be hit with

anything and they had been dealing with that in the ‘States, then is just A big part of the Edmonton Oilers’ success this season has been their happened to hit us right now,” Jones said. “I know for us, we’re showing ability to close out games when leading after two periods. up and wherever we have to play we’re just going to show up. That’s not going to change to much for us with shuffling and games being added In the 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, the Oilers and that. It’s hockey and it’s fun and we’re going to show up and play.” blew a two-goal, third-period lead. It was just the third time in 19 games the Oilers have lost when leading after two periods, and only the second Notes … A Spokane product, Yamamoto missed the NCAA men’s time this season the Canadiens have been able to overcome a third- basketball final between his hometown Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Baylor period deficit. Bears. Baylor won 86-70 ruining Gonzaga’s perfect season. “As soon as our game was over, I checked the score and I was definitely not happy,” “That was a tough one, I think we were just a little too passive,” said Yamamoto said. “But I heard the game was really good and I’ll give a lot Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto. “We needed to be able to play more of props to Gonzaga for making it to the championship game. Sadly, they direct, play more towards their net. didn’t win, but hopefully next year they can win it all.”

“I thought we were playing on the defensive side too much and when that Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.07.2021 happens, you play in the defensive zone a lot and you get scored on a lot easier. I think we were just a little bit too passive and we’re going to correct that.”

The Oilers still managed to pull a point out of the contest, losing in overtime. Heading into face the Ottawa Senators on back-to-back nights starting Wednesday (3 p.m. MT), the Oilers go into the two-game series with a perfect 7-0-0 against the Senators.

“We’re still a confident team, that was two good hockey teams playing the game,” said Oilers defenceman Caleb Jones. “They did a lot of good things, we did a lot of god things and the result ended up how it was. But I think we know how we’re supposed to play with the lead and without the lead.

“We have the same mindset no matter what every night. We’re still continuing to try and keep growing that and keep becoming a better defensive team.”

The Oilers were outshot 15-5 in the first period and were fortunate to be up 1-0 at the intermission on a goal from . Darnell Nurse added a power play goal late in the second, before Josh Anderson and Tomas Tatar scored in the third.

Eric Staal, playing his first game for the Canadiens after being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres and completing a mandated quarantine, scored the winner in overtime.

“In the third, we came out and they got that first one, we started playing a little bit. But I think we were on our heels too much kind of trying to protect the lead and it’s hard to do that for 20 minutes against a team that’s pushing,” Jones said. “Then in OT it comes down to them making a good shot to win the game.”

HEY REF

It’s unfortunate, but the Oilers are becoming accustomed to having referees turn a blind eye to infractions on their star players.

On Monday, there were at least three blatant infractions missed on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl by referees Brad Meier and Marc Joannette.

Draisaitl was wrested to the ice by Phillip Danault rounding the net and McDavid was tripped by Shea Weber on a power play. Late in the game, Draisaitl appeared to be tripped along the boards on a rush.

“It is frustrating to watch, especially McDavid,” said Oilers head coach Dave Tippett. “There are so many penalties on him that don’t get called, but it is what it is, you just have to deal with it and move on.”

SHIFTING SCHEDULE

The Oilers were originally scheduled to play the Senators on Wednesday and Friday, but with the Vancouver Canucks currently on hiatus dealing with COVID-19 issues, the schedule was adjusted. 1186573 Edmonton Oilers There isn’t much to choose between the teams, except when they play each other.

“It’s hard to explain,” said head coach Dave Tippett. “A couple of games Can Edmonton Oilers continue their stranglehold on Senators? we got a pretty big lead on them. I don’t know. The games have gone different ways, but if you watch them play now, they’re a hard-working In the most one-sided series in the NHL this season, the Oilers are 7-0 team and it’s going to be a tough game for us, really tough.” against Ottawa and outscored them 34-15 Tippett seen enough of Ottawa, firsthand and on film against other teams, to know that the surest way to lose these two games is to think these will be an easy two games. Robert Tychkowski No matter what happened in the seven previous meetings, he believes

Game 8 Wednesday afternoon (note the 3 p.m. start time) will go to the All season long, the Ottawa Senators have been exactly what the harder working team. Edmonton Oilers needed. “You recognize every opponent, whether it’s Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg When the Oilers limped out to that 3-6 start, and had to go to overtime or Ottawa, and you have a plan to try to win,” said Tippett. “It doesn’t after blowing a 3-1 lead against the Leafs in Game 10, along came the matter who you’re playing, if you don’t play well you’re not going to win. If Senators. you play well, you give yourself a chance.”

Two wins later, the Oilers stopped the bleeding. The Senators are certainly due, while the Oilers have been good, but not great, in the last week or so. Edmonton played well to split with Toronto, After a disheartening loss in the first game of the Battle of Alberta, along beat Calgary as usual, and went 0-1-1 with a Canadiens team they’ve came the Senators. only beaten once in five tries.

Two wins later, all was forgotten. “With the schedule we’ve had here it’s been a little bit of a mixed bag, it’s been hard to find a rhythm to jump into,” said Tippett. “It’s a little bit With that humbling three-game sweep by the Leafs still ringing in their herky-jerky right now. We’re dealing with that stuff but we’re still trying to ears, along came the Senators. push our game forward.” Three wins later, the Oilers were back on track. Some inconsistency is understandable when six of the last 12 games on Now, with two wins in Edmonton’s last five games and their rhythm the original schedule are either postponed or are about to be postponed. disrupted by of continual postponements and schedule changes, here But the Oilers still need to be gaining speed right now because, when the come the Senators. playoffs get here, it won’t be Ottawa standing in front of them. They’ll be facing Montreal, Toronto or Winnipeg, who’ve won 12 of 20 games Just in time? We’ll see. against Edmonton this year.

“We play well against this team,” Oilers defenceman Caleb Jones said “We’ve seen some things in our game that we definitely need to before last two games of the season against the city of Edmonton’s improve,” said Jones. “But we’re a good team ourselves and we know second favourite team. “I’m sure, if you ask them, they’ll say they haven’t we’re going to keep getting better.” played as well as they’ve wanted to against us. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.07.2021 “In a weird year like this, you’re just worried about your own team game, trying to get it better. That’s what we want to do against this team and hopefully we can continue our winning ways against them.”

In the most one-sided series in the NHL this season, the Oilers are 7-0 against Ottawa and outscored them 34-15.

The numbers are off the charts:

Leon Draisaitl (seven goals and 10 assists) and Connor McDavid (three goals and 13 assists) combined for 33 points in the seven games – six, actually, since they were both shut out in the 3-2 win on Feb. 9.

Defencemen Tyson Barrie and Darnell Nurse combined for eight goals and 10 assists.

And it’s not just a case of the big guns running wild. Fifteen different Oilers have scored against Ottawa this year, including Evan Bouchard.

The Oilers power play is a lethal 8-for-23 (35%) and they killed 16 of 19 power plays (84%). Their seasonal average is 26.4% on the power play and 78.4% on the PK.

“We’ve been able to play our game, been able to get pucks in and get shots on net, and free up (McDavid and Draisaitl),” said winger Kailer Yamamoto. “Those are big, key things.

“But these guys (Senators) are very good. It’s a tough task to go 9-0, to even go .500 against teams. It’s going to be a really good test.”

The Oilers are watching their words carefully, of course. They are already pushing the law of averages to the breaking point; the last thing they need to be doing is counting unhatched chickens.

And the Senators are a tough out. Ask anyone else in the North Division. Throw out their games against each other and Ottawa (13-15-4 against everyone else) would only be four points behind the Oilers (16-14-2 against everyone else).

Ottawa’s record since Feb. 21 against teams not named Edmonton is 9- 5-3 while Edmonton’s record against teams not named Ottawa in that span is 8-6-2. 1186574 Edmonton Oilers The top end talent Tippett has to work with here is obvious to the most uneducated eye. But as this torture test of a season continues, it’s becoming more and more obvious that there has been real growth throughout the line-up that ought to be a big benefit going forward. JONES: Unique NHL season another experience for Edmonton Oilers head coach Tippett says he’s been impressed not only with his leadership group but many of the others that have embraced the challenges. He’s got a good When it comes to being a head coach of a team going down the stretch group. in a scramble for the final playoff positioning in the exclusive experience of playing in a Canadian Division of the NHL, it’s already been an “For the most part we’ve handled it very well. The attitude of the players experience for everybody involved has been very good. Whatever is set in front of you, you have to accept it and move on.

“This year, you’re more cognizant of really digging in to how your team Terry Jones Publishing date: Apr 06, 2021 feels. There’s a lot of outside factors going on throughout the whole league that you are very aware of so you become more cognizant of how

your whole team is up to speed on everything. There’s a philosophy of life that possibly applies here. “You are always trying to figure out how it affects your group. How does “He who ends up with the most experiences, wins.” the Vancouver situation affect your whole group? You try to monitor it, make sure you are talking to your team and making sure you are doing When it comes to being a head coach of a team going down the stretch things right that allow us to move along the best we can. in a scramble for the final playoff positioning in the exclusive experience of playing in a Canadian Division of the NHL, it’s already been an “With a lot of these things I’ve always thought the best way to be is up experience for everybody involved. front with your team. There’s been a lot of situations that makes you put in a lot more thought of how you’re treating your team from day to day. While they still have a great deal of growth to go, Dave Tippett’s Edmonton Oilers are now clearly going to be in the playoffs coming out of “As your group matures and you are finding different ways to win and a division the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks couldn’t handle. recognizing how different games are going to go, I think the maturity of And they appear to have grown enough that GMKen Holland may decide our group continues to grow and allows us to adapt to different situations. to do absolutely nothing on Monday’s trade deadline. “It’s been a different year all the way around but I think our players have Tippett was already positioned for an extraordinary experience this spring handled it very well. As much as there have been these challenges of giving birth to an expansion franchise. He could be sitting in Seattle there’s been no complaining. It’s been going about our business and right now putting the final plans together for the NHL expansion draft with becoming a better hockey team.” the Kraken. Teams adopt the personalities of their coach. Dave Tippett appears to When he was convinced by Holland to join him in Edmonton to accept have the perfect personality to coach a team through a pandemic. the challenge of taking the Oilers back to the top there was no pandemic Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.07.2021 involved.

When he signed on, Tippett didn’t picture himself standing behind the bench in an empty arena wearing a mask over his face riding out the third wave of a pandemic coaching in a compressed 56-game schedule that now seems to be revised every second day because of positive tests and postponed games.

“Coaching in Edmonton, in a Canadian market, the interest and just the passion for the team is unbelievable,” said Tippet when I posed the question to him to conclude a post-game Zoom call after the overtime loss to the Canadiens in Montreal Monday.

“To play in this division with fans would be incredible with the energy in the building and the energy on game nights. The players and coaches alike miss the fans. You miss that energy in the building. That being said you still have to win games and create your own emotion.

“It’s a different year, but I’ll say one thing. It would be a lot more fun with fans.”

Tippett has coached in the NHL without fans before.

He coached the Coyotes for seven seasons.

The undrafted native of Moosomin, Saskatchewan that I covered when he played for Canada at the Sarajevo Olympics in 1984 and went on to play 721 NHL games with Hartford, Washington, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, coached the Coyotes from 2010-11 until 2016-17.

And coaching that fractured franchise through those turbulent times was certainly an experience.

The winner of the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year in his first year in Phoenix in 2010, Tippett goes into the remainder of this season with a 23-14-2 record coming off last year’s 37-25-9.

On the same night that Connor McDavid reached 500 points back in February, Tippett won his 600th NHL game with significantly less notice than the NHL’s best player.

So far Tippett seems like exactly the right guy to be coaching this club as several young players mature for all to see, on TV at least, into pros that appear to be benefitting from this exceptional experience under his guidance. There’s no coaching manual for this. 1186575 Florida Panthers “He just adds a whole new dimension to our team the way he plays,” Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman said.

LONG STREAK, BUT ... Panthers give up four goals in third period in loss to Hurricanes Quenneville said it was his decision to hold out defenseman Keith Yandle in the third period.

By BOB SUTTON ASSOCIATED PRESS |APR 06, 2021 AT 10:35 PM Yandle, who was on the ice less than 6 minutes, holds the longest active streak in the NHL by playing in 906 consecutive games. That’s the third- longest string in league history.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Jordan Staal scored twice, and the Carolina UP NEXT Hurricanes rallied with four goals in the third period to beat the Florida Panthers 5-2 on Tuesday night. The teams meet again Thursday night in Raleigh.

Vincent Trocheck scored a power-play goal against his former team and Sun Sentinel LOADED: 04.07.2021 assisted on Dougie Hamilton’s tying goal early in the third, also on the power play. Jesper Fast had a late goal for Carolina, and Sebastian Aho had three assists.

The Hurricanes won for the first time this season when trailing after two periods, improving to 1-4-0 in those games.

“We had to be better [in the third period],” Staal said. “We were fortunate enough to find a way to get two points.”

Aleksander Barkov scored both goals for the Panthers, whose six-game winning streak — the longest active run in the league — was snapped. The Panthers had been 18-0-1 when leading after two periods.

“Just to be positive going into the third period,” Trocheck said of the Hurricanes’ approach. “It was a good game. They’re a good team, so we couldn’t get down on ourselves for being in the position we were in.”

Florida was ahead 2-1 heading into the third in this one, but Hamilton tied it 45 seconds into the period on a wrist shot through traffic from inside the blueline.

“At 2-2, we were still in a pretty good spot there,” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. “It could have gone either way.”

Perhaps the tone had been set in Carolina’s favor for the final period by converting on the power play.

“We took off,” Aho said. “A solid period for us.”

Staal put the Hurricanes ahead with 11:08 remaining when the puck trickled past Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. He later added an empty- netter with 1:40 to play.

“I try to shoot as hard as I can,” Staal said of his first goal. “I had a good bounce there.”

Fast’s empty-netter completed the scoring.

“They’re a good team with the lead,” Quenneville said. “They got it and they basically look to shut you down. That was part of it.”

Petr Mrazek, in his second game back after a thumb injury that sidelined him for more than two months, made 34 saves for Carolina. Bobrovsky stopped 31 shots.

It was the first time in nine games that the Panthers surrendered more than three goals.

DON’T LET THEM FORGET

Trocheck has four goals in five games against his former team this season.

“I don’t think there’s any secret,” Trocheck said. “It’s just luck of the draw, I guess. I’ve got some greasy ones against them this year.”

The center was acquired by the Hurricanes in a February 2020 trade with Florida.

ON THE MARK

Barkov has scored three goals since returning to the lineup for three games following an injury. He has eight goals in his last nine games.

“He’s skating well. That line is dangerous,” Quenneville said. “They all complement each other.”

The Panthers are going to need production from Barkov across the final weeks of the season in the tight Central Division. 1186576 Florida Panthers Josh Manson Anaheim Ducks Manson can be a solid two-way defenseman when given the chance,

with his best season coming in 2017-18 when he scored seven goals and Florida Panthers: 3 Potential Trade Deadline Targets 37 points in 80 games, but his production has slowed down since the Ducks have fallen into a rebuild. This season, in 13 games, Manson has one goal and two points.

April 6, 2021 by Colby Guy With the right side of the Panthers’ defense thin without Ekblad, he should have ample opportunity to return to form alongside MacKenzie

Weegar on the top pair. Alongside elite offensive talents on the Panthers’ The Florida Panthers are sitting atop the NHL standings and heading into roster, his offensive numbers can see a renaissance while being a the trade deadline, that only means one thing: they’re going to be buyers. valuable asset on the defensive end. With Aaron Ekblad out for the season and a lot of options on the board As a potential return for Manson, the Panthers could send Anaheim a that could bolster the forward core, the ball is in Bill Zito’s court to make package consisting of forward prospect Patrick Bajkov, Samuel upgrades. Montembeault, and a second-round pick. The trade deadline is less than a week away and teams are already As the NHL Trade Deadline approaches on April 12, the Panthers may dangling trade bait around. With the Panthers loaded on picks and be able to swing a deal for one of these players and turn themselves into prospects, they should be a destination for a multitude of the top players a true contender. on the market. Here are three players the Cats may look at trading for. The Hockey Writers LOADED: 04.07.2021 Rickard Rakell (C, Anaheim Ducks)

One trade that makes a lot of sense for the Panthers is trading for Anaheim Ducks center Rickard Rakell. The 27-year-old has seven goals and 22 points in 36 games for the Ducks and is on a team-friendly $3.9 million contract that expires in 2022. With the Ducks in the middle of a rebuild, Rakell is on the trade block and could fit in quite nicely on the Panthers’ roster.

Rickard Rakell Anaheim Ducks

The Panthers could use a bona fide second-line center to play with Jonathan Huberdeau, and Rakell is just the guy they need down the stretch. When he’s hot, he could be a very effective option, as he is a two-time, 30-goal scorer in his career, including a 2017-18 season where he totaled 34 goals and 69 points.

While he has dropped off since, he could find a career revival playing alongside Huberdeau and Patric Hornqvist, who have been two of the Panthers’ most effective players this season. But at what cost would Rakell come at?

Given his favorable contract situation, he could be one of the most expensive targets at the deadline. He would probably cost the Panthers their 2021 first-round draft pick and center prospect Henrik Borgstrom at the very least. While that is a steep price, it could be very much worth it for Florida.

Sam Bennett (C, Calgary Flames)

Sam Bennett fits in on the Panthers’ roster similarly to how Rakell fits, given that Florida has a center depth issue, but he does come at less of a cost. The 24-year-old has just four goals and 10 points in 37 games this season, and he just hasn’t panned out for the Calgary Flames since he was drafted fourth overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. With a recent trade request filed, Bennett could be on his way out.

Sam Bennett Calgary Flames

A change of scenery could be to Bennett’s benefit because he has shown flashes of being a solid NHL player, but things just haven’t worked out in Calgary. While his regular season totals haven’t looked stellar (67 goals, 138 points in 401 career games), his playoff numbers show bits and pieces of promise.

In 30 career playoff games, Bennett scored 11 goals and 19 points, and he looked really good in the bubble playoffs last year, scoring five goals and eight points in 10 games. With the Panthers looking to make a deep Cup run, Bennet’s playoff numbers could really help them.

But what would it cost to bring Bennett in? Given that he is a restricted free agent after the season, Calgary seems ready to move on from their former top-five pick rather than pay him, so he might come at a cheaper cost than Rakell. My best bet would be that the Panthers send a third- round pick to Calgary for Bennett.

Josh Manson (D, Anaheim Ducks)

The Ducks appear on this list yet again, and this time it’s to give the Panthers an Ekblad replacement. With a season left on Josh Manson’s contract, the 29-year-old defenseman can play a role on the Panthers’ roster next season, too. 1186577 Florida Panthers “He is playing well this season. But like I said, we have to find a way to win games. It’s not about them, it is about us.”

Staal later scored through Bobrovsky’s skates to make it 3-2; Florida Trocheck helps end Florida Panthers winning streak in Carolina pulled Bobrovsky with just under three minutes left and the Hurricanes expanded their lead.

”They are a good team with the lead,” Quenneville said. “They got it and By George Richards then they look to shut you down. Tough to generate consistently but we had a couple of chances in their zone. They look to get the lead, they got

it and they didn’t give up much.” The Florida Panthers put their six-game winning streak to the test against DUCLAIR ON THE MEND host Carolina on Tuesday night. Quenneville said that injured forward Anthony Duclair was on the trip and If they didn’t regret trading Vincent Trocheck away last February, well, he skated on Tuesday. makes sure they do every time they meet. Duclair has been out since hurting his shoulder after being tripped by the Tuesday night, Trocheck scored twice and the Hurricanes got a pair of stick of Detroit goalie Thomas Greiss and slamming into the end boards. empty net goals to snap Florida’s winning streak with a 5-2 win at PNC Arena. With Tuesday being the first game of a six-game trip, Quenneville said he was hopeful Duclair would play. Trocheck and Jordan Staal each scored twice, spoiling a big game from Sasha Barkov. Duclair has been on the IR for more than a week so he is free to be activated whenever he is healthy. The good news? Florida remains atop the Central Division. GEORGE’S THREE STARS OF THE GAME The bad? Carolina has won four of five against the Panthers and is right on their heels. 1. Vincent Trocheck, Carolina

“We had a lot of good things going,” said Joel Quenneville, whose team 2. Sasha Barkov, Florida led 2-1 going into the third. “It was a hard-fought game. I thought we had a chance to go up a couple earlier in the game and didn’t get it. It was 3. Jordan Staal, Carolina still anyone’s game. ON DECK: PANTHERS AT HURRICANES ”We had our turn, they had their turn. Last couple of games against them, When: Thursday, 7 could have gone on either way. We were on the short end of it. They’re a good hockey team.” Where: PNC Arena; Raleigh, NC

Carolina had won three of the first four meetings between the two coming Season series: Carolina leads 4-1 into Tuesday’s game with all but one going to overtime. TV/Radio: BSFLA/560-AM On Tuesday, the Panthers got two goals from Barkov and 31 saves from Bobrovsky but could not continue their winning ways. Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021

Florida took the initial lead when Barkov followed up a MacKenzie Weegar shot at 11:19 of the first.

The two teams played a back-and-forth game throughout with both Bobrovsky and Petr Mzarek (34 saves) making one big stop after another.

Both goalies were outstanding, for the most part, on Tuesday.

In the second, Trocheck (who else?) got another goal against his former teammates as he knocked in a puck on a power play chance late in the second.

The play was reviewed to see if Trocheck batted it in, but he did not, and he now has a goal in all five games against Florida since it traded him to the Hurricanes before the 2020 trade deadline.

The game would not be tied for long.

Moments later, Mason Marchment drove the pick into the zone, passed it to Carter Verhaeghe who sliced a cross-ice pass to a wide-open Barkov.

Barkov’s one-timer gave the Panthers what would be their final lead of the night.

”Like you see, there is not a lot of difference between the two teams on the ice,” Barkov said.

“Both teams are playing really well, not giving up much. All five games have been tight. I expect all of the other games to be tight, too. We just have to find a way to win them. We have been close, we just haven’t won them.”

Carolina’s top-ranked power play got another chance after Frank Vatrano was called for interference late in the second.

Although the Panthers went into the break up 2-1, Carolina would cash in on the power play as Trocheck deflected a puck to give him six goals in five games against the Panthers this season.

”Good for him, he’s scoring goals against us,” Barkov said of Trocheck, who now has 16 goals this season. 1186578 Florida Panthers KOLYACHONOK STARTS AHL CAREER IN SYRACUSE Defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok, Florida’s second round pick in

2019, is starting his North American pro career with AHL Syracuse after Panthers winning streak will be tested against Carolina Hurricanes his KHL season with Dinamo Minsk ended.

Kolyachonok spent two seasons in the Ontario junior Hockey League most recently with the Flint Firebirds, but was loaned to the KHL this By George Richards season so he could play in his hometown.

In 46 games with Minsk, Kolyachonok had a goal with six points.

The Florida Panthers take their six-game winning streak to Carolina on Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday night and you better believe it will be put to the test against the Hurricanes. When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Although Carolina is coming off a split in its past two series against Where: PNC Arena; Raleigh, N.C. Chicago and Dallas, the Hurricanes got a big piece of their team back on TV/Radio: Florida Sports/560-AM Sunday as goalie Petr Mrazek returned. Records, Standings: Florida 26-9-4, 56 points (1st in Central); Carolina Playing in his first game since Jan. 30 due to a thumb injury, Mrazek 25-9-3, 53 points (3rd) made 28 saves as he shutout the Stars 1-0. All-time series: Carolina leads 66-45-6, 11 ties Per NHL stats, Mrazek became just the sixth goalie in the modern era to record a shutout in each of his first three wins of a season. Season series: Carolina leads 3-1

This will be the first time the Panthers have faced Mrazek this season — Last season: Carolina won two of three and Carolina won three of the first four meetings. Last time out: Carolina 4, Panthers 2 “It felt good to be back,” Mrazek said. “It has been a long journey.” Up next: Florida at Carolina, Thursday, 7 Tuesday kicks off a road trip which will definitely challenge the mettle of the Panthers. Panthers this week — Sunday: Florida 3, Columbus 0; Tuesday: Florida at Carolina, 7; Thursday: Florida at Carolina, 7; Saturday: Florida at Not only does Florida play Carolina twice, but it also visits Dallas and Dallas, 2 Tampa Bay for two-game series as well. PROJECTED FLORIDA PANTHERS LINES Florida, Tampa Bay or Carolina is going to win the Central Division this season. FLORIDA FORWARDS

This road trip — the longest of the season for the Panthers — will go a 19 Mason Marchment — 16 Sasha Barkov — 23 Carter Verhaeghe long way in determining whether they are able to win the third divisional 11 Jonathan Huberdeau — 21 Alex Wennberg — 70 Patric Hornqvist title in franchise history. 77 Frank Vatrano — 55 Noel Acciari — 74 Owen Tippett The Panthers’ special teams will most definitely be tested over the next few weeks as Carolina has the NHL’s top power play (29.1 percent 83 Juho Lammikko — 27 Eetu Luostarinen success rate). FLORIDA DEFENSEMEN Tampa Bay (26.2, third) and Dallas (25, sixth) are right up there. 42 Gus Forsling — 52 MacKenzie Weegar “Tough, tough trip,” coach Joel Quenneville said Sunday evening following Florida’s 3-0 win against Columbus. 3 Keith Yandle — 7 Radko Gudas

”All important games against the best teams in our division. So, let’s fine 6 Anton Stralman — 61 Riley Stillman tune it as we go along. This is an extensive trip and let’s have some fun 8 Matt Kiersted on it by doing the right things. FLORIDA GOALIES “Hopefully, we get off to a positive start. That’s the objective. I don’t want to look further than the one game.” 72 Sergei Bobrovsky

MARCHMENT SIGNED 60

The Panthers announced Monday that forward Mason Marchment had Scratches: F Brett Connolly, D Markus Nutivaara, F Ryan Lomberg signed a one-year extension with the team. Injured: F Anthony Duclair (shoulder); D Aaron Ekblad (left leg) Florida originally acquired Marchment in a deal with Toronto for Denis Malgin before last season’s trade deadline. Taxi squad: D Kevin Connauton, F Aleksi Heponiemi, D Brady Keeper, G , G Philippe Desrosiers Marchment finished last season at AHL Springfield getting in six games Traded on Friday: F Vinnie Hinostroza (Chicago) before the shutdown.

This year, Marchment made the team out of training camp on the taxi Florida power play (29/126 23% — 11th in NHL) squad. He made his Panthers debut on Feb. 5 against Detroit before Florida penalty kill (95/117 81.2% — 11th in NHL) going back to taxi. PP1: Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Patric Hornqvist, Alex Upon his second promotion on Feb. 25, he has been a mainstay in the Wennberg, Keith Yandle lineup either playing on the fourth line or, as has been the case on numerous occasions, moving up to the top line. PP2: Frank Vatrano, Noel Acciari, Mason Marchment, Carter Verhaeghe, Gustav Forsling Marchment has two goals and seven points in his 22 games to date. PROJECTED CAROLINA HURRICANES LINES “Mason has taken full advantage of his opportunity this season,” GM Bill Zito said in a statement. CAROLINA FORWARDS

“In his first full NHL season, he has proven himself to be a versatile 37 Andrei Svechnikov — 20 Sebastian Aho — 71 Jesper Fast forward who provides our team with a combination of size, skill, and 48 Joran Martinook — 16 Vincent Trocheck — 88 Martin Necas character. We are excited for Mason to take the next step in his career with our organization.” 21 Nino Niederreiter— 11 Jordan Staal — 13 Warren Foegele 18 Cedric Paquette — 78 Steven Lorentz — 28 Max McCormick

CAROLINA DEFENSEMEN

74 Jaccob Slavin — 19 Dougie Hamilton

76 Brady Skjei — 22 Brett Pesce

4 Hayden Fluery — 24 Jake Bean

CAROLINA GOALIES

34 Petr Mrazek

39 Alex Nedeljkovic

Carolina power play (32/110 29.1% — 1st in NHL)

Carolina penalty kill (98/119 82.3% — 9th in NHL)

PP1: Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, Vincent Trocheck, Dougie Hamilton, Andrei Svechnikov

PP2: Jesper Fast, Warren Foegele, Nino Niederreiter, Brett Pesce, Martin Necas

Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186579 Los Angeles Kings

Kings routed by streaking Coyotes

By DAN GREENSPAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

Michael Bunting scored three times, and the Arizona Coyotes beat the L.A. Kings 5-2 on Monday night for their third straight win.

Bunting had two of Arizona’s season-high three power-play goals. Derick Brassard and Christian Dvorak also scored.

Adin Hill made 36 saves to improve to 6-1-0 as a starter since Antti Raanta sustained a lower-body injury.

Drew Doughty had a power-play goal and Andreas Athanasiou also scored for the Kings, who have lost three straight. Cal Petersen made 28 saves.

Bunting completed his first hat trick 8:48 into the second period, tapping in the rebound of Jakob Chychrun’s power-play shot.

Arizona was 3 for 6 on the power play. Los Angeles had allowed just one power-play goal in 31 chances over its previous 13 games.

Despite playing the second game of a back-to-back after beating Anaheim 3-2 in overtime on Sunday, the Coyotes blitzed the Kings with three goals in the opening 7:28. Bunting got them on the board with a one-timer in the slot 2:43 into the first, and he knocked in a power-play goal to make it 2-0 at 4:11.

Brassard made it 3-0 with another power-play goal on a one-timer set up by Conor Garland.

Doughty pulled the Kings within 3-1 at 16:07 on a long wrist shot that Hill couldn’t see through traffic.

Athanasiou made it 4-2 at 2:10 of the third period.

Dvorak scored an empty-netter at 19:26.

LA Times: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186580 Los Angeles Kings With Gabriel Vilardi, the Kings have tried the first door and seem poised to open the second one Wednesday. As always, things can change but it appears as though Vilardi will be a healthy scratch against the Arizona Coyotes. What we’re hearing (and asking) as the struggling Kings approach the trade deadline It makes far more sense to go this route rather than taking a more drastic step by sending him to the minors. Vilardi has played 79 professional games – AHL and NHL combined – in the past two seasons and this is his first full season with the Kings. By Lisa Dillman Apr 6, 2021 Given that, the chance for a quick reset might be exactly what Vilardi

needs in what has been an especially hectic and condensed NHL Everything was proceeding quite nicely for the rebuilding Kings on Feb. season. 25. He is 91st among NHL centers in shots on goal and has been a They occupied fourth place in the West Division, one point ahead of the defensive liability at times. With all young players, a good dose of Minnesota Wild. Since then, they’ve won only five games, including two patience is advised, especially since there have been enough flashes of of their last nine. If March became rough, well, April is off to an especially the skillset that led the Kings to draft him No. 11 overall in 2017. harsh start. The Kings are 0-3 – getting outscored 11-4 – and have What will be the best way to integrate the prospects? dropped nine points behind the Arizona Coyotes for the fourth and final playoff spot in the division. You have to have a system of rewards. The Kings can’t just bring up a player from Ontario for a cameo because a brief look probably doesn’t There were edgy, angry words from Kings coach Todd McLellan and tell you much. defenseman Drew Doughty after their latest setback, a 5-2 loss to the Coyotes on Monday, which featured an embarrassing lack of readiness But if their performance(s) with the Reign warrant an audition and they and focus in the first period. are knocking at the NHL door, that’s a different matter. A lot of development has to go on before somebody is ready to make strides to “We need to win those games. We’re still pissed about it,” Alex Iafallo the NHL level. said on Tuesday. “We need to come out desperate every game from here on out.” It strikes the wrong note if you promote a player who isn’t ready just because it looks good to have a first- or second-round draft choice in an Doughty didn’t hold back on Monday and used the words “pissed off.” He NHL uniform. It sends the wrong message to the fans, the player and the also opened the door to a revealing school of thought. team because performance is not being rewarded. On the other hand, if “Act like you’ve earned your spot in the lineup and on our team and run you are seeing something that makes you want to look at the player at with it,” Doughty said. “Don’t sit around hoping you’re going to get more the NHL level, that’s another story. shifts. Take your chance and run with it. I think some guys are just Managing the trade deadline – sell or stand pat? worried about just being in the lineup.” The Kings have been one of the most active teams in the league, and no, "COMPETE. ACT LIKE YOU'VE EARNED YOUR SPOT IN THIS we aren’t entirely joking. LINEUP." Kings general manager Rob Blake made two trades in three days at the DREW DOUGHTY'S POSTGAME INTERVIEW IS ONE FANS CAN end of March, acquiring forward Brendan Lemieux (who is set to make RELATE TO PIC.TWITTER.COM/AQLUIZMM5M his Kings debut on Wednesday) and defenseman Christian Wolanin, who — LA KINGS (@LAKINGS) APRIL 6, 2021 wrapped up his quarantine and played for Ontario in the AHL on Tuesday. I asked McLellan about the last line from Doughty. These were small moves in a year in which the marketplace is practically “That may be happening,” McLellan said Tuesday. “There may be that gridlocked. Perhaps the first domino will fall and trigger a rush of activity part of it. With that being said, if you’re that deeply concerned about it, around the league. there’s probably something wrong with your game. If you’re comfortable in your own skin and you’ve been here all year, you should be just fine. It might seem clear that the Kings will sell, sell, sell, now that they have fallen off the pace in a meaningful way. The reality is that some of their “There’s ups and downs. There’s going to be nights when it doesn’t go potentially attractive trading chips also have fallen off, individually. The your way. You are going to be held accountable for it. But you put your fact is that Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick have tangible and skates back on and you out and try to do it again. intangible value to the Kings, which they wouldn’t necessarily carry with them to another organization. “We’ve always given players multiple opportunities to make good on bad nights and bad situations and a lot of them have done it. They’ve What can Lemieux and Lias Andersson bring to the mix? improved. So there’s no reason to be that fragile, I can tell you that.” Call this the ex-New York Rangers section. As of Tuesday, the model from The Athletic gave the Kings a five percent chance of making the playoffs. They are given a slightly smaller chance Every team appears to need somebody who can be an agitator, an (4.3 percent) of winning the No. 1 overall draft pick, according to energy guy. One of the things the Kings can learn by the end of the Tankathon. season is, is Lemieux the guy? Or will it have to be someone else?

There are 35 days remaining in the regular season for the Kings, with This is a different exercise than with the prospects in Ontario. Here you numerous questions that they are facing and will try to answer. You might have an established NHLer and when you bring in someone like him, you say the clock is ticking with 19 games remaining, so we’ll address those want to get some answers on the player. There is no better time for the questions now. Kings to do so.

How do you handle Project Vilardi? Andersson has been on and off the taxi squad and it’s not quite clear what he is and how he fits into the overall equation. He has two goals in The short answer: Carefully. 13 games with the Kings and the final stretch of the season would represent an opportunity to find out more about Andersson and Lemieux. With a struggling young center who hasn’t scored in 16 games despite second-line minutes and time on PP2, there are plenty of options. Who knows? Maybe they could end up being two-thirds of a line.

Door No. 1: Put him on the wing. There are reasons to think they could be contributing NHLers, and if you have 19 games left you might be able to start getting more information Door No. 2: Make him a healthy scratch. about them. Door No. 3: Send him back to the American Hockey League. It’s way more important – at least right now – to get answers about them than on prospects Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev and Rasmus Kupari. The answers on those players will come later. When will the rebuild end?

Oct. 5, 2022.

(I’m kidding. I still do not own a crystal ball.)

It won’t officially end until Byfield is an NHL regular.

The idea is that at some point, the Kings are going to have to transition from “What are they going to do in the future?” to “What can they do for us now?”

The expectation is that the group will be a mix of mature players, players in their prime and younger players who can actually make contributions in the moment.

Moreover, the goal is to be a fixture in the postseason and not just an occasional visitor to the playoffs – in one season and on the outside looking in the next.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186581 Los Angeles Kings “You can do things right,” he said. “This is when structure is really important because it protects everybody, it gives a player that maybe isn’t performing at a high level a chance to perform at a high level and get back to it. Trust each other, trust the job is going to get done, do your PRACTICE NOTES 4/6 – NEW LOOKS, LEMIEUX, ROLE OF job, get focused on it, bring some energy to the building and play your CONFIDENCE, LINEUP SPOTS, CLAGUE VIDEO heart out. That’s all we can ask of them, and if we do that, we’ll be just fine.”

Forward Alex Iafallo seemed to agree with that sentiment. BY ZACH DOOLEY Iafallo said that the Kings need more players believing right now,

believing in each other, and believing in what’s going on around them. He Following last night’s disappointing defeat, the Kings were back on the shifted his focus away from the thought of confidence and talked about ice this morning in El Segundo. getting everyone to believe again in each other, and what the team is looking to accomplish. A bit of a different look for the group amongst the forwards, aligned below as such – “We need more believers, I think that’s what I’m trying to get to,” Iafallo said. “We’ve got to keep pushing and keep grinding here. Every game, Gray: Anderson-Dolan, Brown, Grundstrom, Iafallo, Kopitar, Moore we’ve got to believe. [We have to] believe in each other and trust each other.” White: Athanasiou, Carter, Kempe, Lemieux, Lizotte, Wagner If Not Confidence, Then…… Purple: Frk, Rymsha, Vilardi McLellan was asked for his thoughts on what Drew Doughty said last In the third period last night, Todd McLellan reverted to a pair of forward night, where he believes that perhaps some players are just concerned lines that had some success in the past, putting Carl Grundstrom and with being in the lineup. Doughty’s full comment below – Trevor Moore with Jaret Anderson-Dolan at center, and Andreas Athanasiou and Jeff Carter with Blake Lizotte in the middle. “Compete, act like you’ve earned your spot in this lineup and on your team and run with it. Don’t sit around, hoping you’re going to get more These combinations show that might continue, while also showing that shifts. Take your chance and run with it. I think some guys are just we could expect to see Brendan Lemieux inserted in the lineup in place worried about being in the lineup, and I understand that, but at the same of forward Gabriel Vilardi. McLellan confirmed last night that Lemieux time, we need our second and third core guys, along with our top core would enter the lineup tomorrow but did not say in place of who. Still guys, to all set up right now. Play as if it’s a playoff series, every single another skate to go before tomorrow’s game, lots can change, so we will series we play in, and that’s it. I don’t know what else to say.” see how the team shakes out tomorrow. McLellan admitted that may be the case with certain players. With regards to Lemieux, the book on him entering the organization is a player who brings energy, agitation and an ability to get under the skin of “That may be happening, there may be that part of it,” he said. “That his opposition, generating power-play opportunities for his team. being said, if you’re that deeply concerned about it, there’s probably McLellan was also complimentary of his skating ability, a key component something wrong with your game. If you’re comfortable in your own skin, regardless of your playing style. and you’ve been here all year, you should be just fine.”

“You’ve got to be able to skate, he can do that, he’s a powerful skater, From that point on, however, he believes that it’s about taking your he’s physical, he understands the game within the game, he can back it chances, and your second chances, and being accountable for them on up,” McLellan said earlier today. “All of those things are valuable tools the ice. Bad nights are going to happen for every individual, and they’re that he brings to the table. We’re going to ease him into the games, we likely to happen more often than not with young players looking to expect him to have an impact on the games, night in and night out, as he establish consistency in their game. has throughout his career.” In McLellan’s mind, it’s about how a player responds to the opportunities Among the defensemen, the six that played last night skated regularly, they are given. When they make a mistake, or have a bad game, how do while Olli Maatta practiced for the second straight day in a non-contact they respond the next day? jersey. Sean Durzi, who has taken warmups with the Kings in the last two games, was assigned back to AHL-Ontario, which hosts Bakersfield “There’s ups and downs, there’s going to be nights where it doesn’t go tonight at 6 PM. your way, you’re going to be held accountable for it, but you put the skates back on, you go out and try and do it again,” he continued. “We’ve A few additional notes from today’s skate – always given players multiple opportunities to make good on bad nights and bad situations, and a lot of them have done it and they’ve improved. The Role of Confidence There’s no reason to be that fragile, I’ll tell you that.” It’s an interesting thought, the level that confidence or belief plays in the Kale Of Duty game of hockey. Lastly, hear from defenseman Kale Clague from earlier on today. It’s something discussed externally when the puck isn’t going into the net, as a possible explanation. Speaking earlier today, it is not a notion that Clague collected an assist last night, the primary helper on Andreas McLellan bought into. He discussed how players are always up and down Athanasiou’s goal, as he activated down the left-wing boards and hit on their own game, but that confidence isn’t really something he thinks Athanasiou’s stick in front for a redirected goal. The 22-year-old blueliner you just one day lose and never pick back up. talks about stepping back into a team that’s been struggling to find wins, as well as playing his own game offensively, being bumped up in the “This ‘losing your confidence’ thing, I‘ve never bought into that one bit,” lineup yesterday to take shifts with Drew Doughty and the thought McLellan said. “I don’t think you go to the mall and it falls out of your process behind making certain reads and activating into the play. pocket and you’ve lost it. With your game, you’re never in the same spot at any given time, you’re either increasing and feeling better about your LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.07.2021 game, or you’re giving it back as an individual and as a team. If you let your game slip, and it’s gotten so far down the ladder, that’s on you, you have nobody else to blame but yourself for that.”

He also discussed how he feels that playing within the system, and the structure, that is set up for the Kings is one way that the team can work through those types of issues.

He believes that when the team is playing within the structure, it perhaps picks up those who aren’t playing their best, because it creates trust within the group, and that players can pick each other up. If everyone is doing their job, within the system, the group benefits. 1186582 Los Angeles Kings

IN THE NICK OF TIME – THREE OUT TOO SOON

NICK NICKSON

Welcome to episode three of In The Nick Of Time, as we celebrate Nick Nickson’s career with the Kings.

Hall of Fame play-by-play broadcaster Nick Nickson is in his 40th season with the LA Kings, after he joined the organization in 1981. Nickson, the 2015 recipient of the Foster Hewitt Award, originally served as the color commentator alongside Bob Miller from 1981 – 1990 on both radio and television, before taking over as the radio play-by-play voice when the broadcasts were separated. Nickson has called his entire NHL career with the Kings.

Episode 3 looks at three players that Nick wished played longer with the LA Kings. We start with defenseman Larry Murphy, who began his Hall of Fame career with the Kings before going on to win four Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh and Detroit. Next, we discuss forward Zigmund Palffy, a star in the early 2000’s, and the flair, flash and skill he brought to the Kings, as the team advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. Lastly, we chat about Willie Mitchell, a key cog on the blueline during the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cups. Nick talks about Mitchell’s ability as a defender, and on the penalty kill, and the appreciation he had for what Mitchell added to those teams.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186583 Los Angeles Kings we’re playing from the puck drop, that’s the bottom line, and we’re not showing up for that.

On what he’d like to see from the team on Wednesday, after tonight’s FINAL – KINGS 2, COYOTES 5 – DOUGHTY, MCLELLAN performance

Compete, act like you’ve earned your spot in this lineup and on your team and run with it. Don’t sit around, hoping you’re going to get more BY ZACH DOOLEY shifts. Take your chance and run with it. I think some guys are just worried about being in the lineup, and I understand that, but at the same

time, we need our second and third core guys, along with our top core The Kings dropped their third straight game on home ice, as a slow start guys, to all set up right now. Play as if it’s a playoff series, every single to the game did them in during a 5-2 defeat against Arizona. More on the series we play in, and that’s it. I don’t know what else to say. factors behind that in post-game quotes from Drew Doughty and Todd Todd McLellan McLellan below. On if he would agree with Doughty’s comments on intensity, compete The Coyotes came out firing, as they scored three goals in less than five and desperation minutes of game time in the first half of the opening period. Forward Michael Bunting scored twice, first burying a one-timer from the slot, and Yepp. then putting home a rebound on the power play. Forward Derick Brassard made it 3-0, as Arizona capitalized off a Kings turnover and On the start to tonight’s game, and the early penalties that set the team Conor Garland fed Brassard for the goal from the right-hand circle. back

The Kings got one back before the intermission, as they snapped a six- Well, by the time we were done playing seven minutes, we were down by game scoreless drought on the power play. At the left point, defenseman three, we had taken two penalties, so I think that gives you a pretty good Drew Doughty put his shot through traffic in front, and over the glove indication that the intensity level for the white team was a lot higher than hand of Adin Hill, to give his team some life at the intermission. the black team.

Arizona got a goal back on what was a difficult to understand play, which On his biggest takeaway from tonight’s game included a delayed offsides review, and an eventual third power-play goal Disappointment. Lack of preparedness and intensity early in the game, for Arizona. Embedding the explanation from the when you need it. You’re out of the game and then you decide to play? broadcast team here, which walks us through the correct call, being a That’s []backwards. delayed offsides situation. The Kings challenged the play and lost, with Bunting’s goal completing his hat trick. On if Gabe Vilardi is risking not being in the lineup

The guys give their breakdown and analysis of the bizarre delayed off- Yepp. side play in tonight's game @Patrick_ONeal | @jarretstoll | @JimFox19 pic.twitter.com/giR9HEYHLe On if he feels desperation is setting in, with the team now 9 points out of a playoff spot — Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 6, 2021 Well, that’s kind of an oxymoron, or it’s interesting how you word that, is The hosts pulled one goal back in the third, an early one, from forward the desperation setting in now. Where the hell was the desperation nine Andreas Athanasiou. Defenseman Kale Clague activated down the left- minutes into the game? I don’t think that big picture. Let’s face it, we hand wall and hit Athanasiou on the backhand in front for a redirected don’t deserve to be in the playoffs if we don’t have the intensity to play to effort that went over Hill. LA had several opportunities down the stretch, get to the playoffs. It’s as simple as that. I think there’s enough guys that with 82 percent of the high-danger chances for (9-2), but couldn’t pull any have been there, and know that the journey to the playoffs is just as hard closer before Christian Dvorak’s empty-net goal ended the game. as the journey through the playoffs. We have a pipedream of making the playoffs with the type of commitment and intensity that we brought to the A lot of post-game frustration, as evidenced by the post-game quotes rink tonight, and maybe a couple of other games over the last little bit. below. Hear from Doughty and McLellan after tonight’s game. That should answer the playoff question. Drew Doughty *McLellan also said that Brendan Lemieux will play in the team’s next On if he felt the team’s desperation level was lacking in the first 40 game. minutes Notes – I think that’s what’s been lacking for the last five games. We haven’t had – With his first-period goal tonight, Drew Doughty’s six power-play tallies any intensity, anyone competing – I shouldn’t say that, we’ve had some are tied for the league lead among NHL defensemen this season. His guys competing every single game – and we’ve had others play good eight goals this year rank sixth among blueliners. games and take games off. We’re down 4-1 in the third period, I sure hope we’re playing a little more desperate, but it’s absolutely ridiculous – Doughty’s goal snapped a six-game scoreless streak for the team on we didn’t play like that in the first or the second, or the last four games, the power play. besides the Vegas game. – Anze Kopitar became the 14th player in the NHL this season, and the On his ability to take games over when the team has gone down fourth in the West Division, to reach the 40-point mark this season. Kopitar ranks fifth in the NHL with 32 assists. That’s my responsibility in that position, when we’re down goals, to take it over. I try to take it over from the puck drop, every single game, it doesn’t – Andreas Athanasiou scored in the third period tonight, his second goal matter, but when you’re down by goals, you take way more risks, be up and third point over his last four games. in the play the entire period. That’s what I’m trying to do, but we need more guys doing that. We can’t just have one, two, three guys try to – Arizona scored two power-play goals tonight, the third time this season make a difference in the game, we need everyone making a difference. the Kings have allowed multiple PPG’s in a game. That’s the only way we’re going to win hockey games. – The Kings have now allowed the first goal in 24 of 37 games this On if tonight’s game serves as a call to action for the team moving season. forward The Kings are scheduled to return to the ice tomorrow morning at 11 AM It should have been a call to action games ago. We put ourselves in a at Toyota Sports Performance Center good spot, and the last two weeks or so we’ve absolutely shot ourselves LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.07.2021 in the foot, and now we’ve got a lot of work to do, a lot of climbing to do, a lot of winning to do. Honestly, I don’t even remember your question, I’m so pissed off right now, but I don’t know. We just need to be better, that’s it. Enough of us talking about playing good in the third period, we’re losing in the game, we should be good in the third period. It’s about how 1186584 Los Angeles Kings

GAME THREAD – KINGS VS. COYOTES, 4/5

BY ZACH DOOLEY

Los Angeles Kings 2, Arizona Coyotes 5

FINAL

Game Previews: LA Kings Insider – NHL.com

Fox Sports Live Stream

Pre-Game Live Show (Call-In 877-KINGS20)

SOG: LAK – 35 ARI – 32

PP: LAK – 1/3 ARI – 3/6

First Period

1. ARI – Michael Bunting (2) – (Conor Garland, Jason Demers) – 2:43

2. ARI – Michael Bunting (3) – (Jakob Chychrun, Alex Goligoski) – 4:11 (PP)

3. ARI – Derick Brassard (8) – (Conor Garland, Oliver Ekman-Larsson) – 7:28 (PP)

4. LAK – Drew Doughty (8) – (Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar) – 16:07 (PP)

Second Period

5. ARI – Michael Bunting (4) – (Jakob Chychrun, Alex Goligoski) – 8:48 (PP)

Third Period

5. LAK – Andreas Athanasiou (8) – (Kale Clague, Blake Lizotte) – 2:10

6. ARI – Christian Dvorak (12) – (Johan Larsson) – 19:26 (EN)

Monday, April 5, 2021 – 7:00 p.m. PT

STAPLES Center – Los Angeles, CA

Referees: #10 Kyle Rehman, #44 Furman South

Linesmen: #56 Julien Fournier, #58 Ryan Gibbons

Bally Sports West, Fox Sports GO, LA Kings Audio Network

LAK Starters: G Cal Petersen, D Kurtis MacDermid, Sean Walker, D Andreas Athanasiou, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Adrian Kempe

LAK Scratches: Tobias Bjornfot, Sean Durzi, Brendan Lemieux

ARI Starters: G Adin Hill, D Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers, F Lawson Crouse, Johan Larsson, Christian Fischer

ARI Scratches: , Jordan Oesterle

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186585 Los Angeles Kings squad, and both players were on the ice this morning. Durzi and Grosenick featured for the Ontario Reign yesterday afternoon, in a 6-4 defeat against San Diego. Forwards Lias Andersson, Matt Luff and Akil Thomas, who also played yesterday after being assigned earlier in the 4/5 PREVIEW – VITALS & UPDATES, ARI BACK-TO-BACK, 5-ON-5 day, were not on the ice with the Kings. SCORING, ANDERSON In terms of tonight’s goaltender, the rotation points back to Cal Petersen, though there are no guarantees. Petersen has faced Arizona just once in his career, in Glendale earlier this season, as he made 22 saves on 24 BY ZACH DOOLEY shots in a 4-2 victory in the desert. If Jonathan Quick goes, it would be his 45th career start versus Arizona, which would tie his personal high against any opponent. Quick is 20-20-4 lifetime, with a .905 save WHO: Los Angeles Kings (14-16-6) vs. Arizona Coyotes (18-15-5) percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average.

WHAT: NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME COYOTES VITALS: Considering the back-to-back for Arizona, the team is not expected to hold a morning skate today. The Coyotes skated to a WHEN: Monday, April 5 @ 7:00 PM Pacific 3-2 overtime victory yesterday evening at Honda Center, with WHERE: STAPLES Center – Los Angeles, CA defenseman Jacob Chychrun scoring his first career NHL hat trick, including the game winner in the extra session. HOW TO FOLLOW: Video: Bally Sports West – AUDIO – iHeart Radio Here’s how the Coyotes lined up yesterday – – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK Fischer – Larsson – Kessel TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings are back in action this evening following yesterday’s off day, as they host the Arizona Coyotes to begin a Keller – Dvorak – Pederson two-game set at STAPLES Center. Crouse – Brassard – Hayden HEAD-TO-HEAD: Defenseman Drew Doughty (1-3-4) and forward Anze Kopitar (0-4-4) lead the Kings so far this season with four points apiece Bunting – Schmaltz – Garland from three games played against Arizona. Forward Gabriel Vilardi has OEL – Lyubushkin three points (2-1-3), and collected the game-winning goal in both wins over the Coyotes this season, one in regulation, and one in the shootout. Chychrun – Goligoski On the Arizona front, forward Phil Kessel has led the way, with three points (2-1-3), while defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has three Oesterle – Gross assists from the three head-to-head matchups. Hill KINGS VITALS: The Kings returned to the ice this morning at Toyota Prosvetov Sports Performance Center in El Segundo. Per Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider, expect Adin Hill to get the start Here’s how the team lined up – again tonight for the Coyotes. Hill has won five of his last six games Gray: Athanasiou, Brown, Carter, Iafallo, Kopitar, Lemieux, Moore, Vilardi played, including a 34-save shutout over San Jose on 3/27. On the season, Hill is 6-4-1, with a .909 save percentage and a 2.73 goals White: Anderson-Dolan, Frk, Grundstrom, Kempe, Lizotte, Rymsha, against average. Wagner A Rare Opportunity Red: Maatta The complexity of the 2020-21 season has created a different type of Black: Anderson, Clague, Doughty, Durzi, MacDermid, Strand, Walker schedule, with most games broken down into two-game sets, as opposed to one-offs. Goaltenders: Grosenick, Petersen, Quick What this has mostly eliminated is the disadvantage of playing a back-to- Nothing here to suggest any changes to the lines, minus potentially in back against a team that did not play the day before. Typically, you’d see goal. As you’ll see from McLellan below, he’s looking for more teams play several games each season in this scenario, mostly on the consistency in his forward lines, which means we could see the same road, when you play in two cities in sometimes less than 24 hours, alignment as Saturday. creating an advantage, at least on paper, for the home team. Iafallo – Kopitar – Brown That has not been the case for much of this season. The Kings have Moore – Vilardi – Carter been in that situation just once to date, in late-March, when they hosted Vegas and then traveled immediately after the game to San Jose to play Athanasiou – JAD – Kempe the next night. Even on that occasion though, it was an afternoon game at home, followed by a night game the following day, creating some Grundstrom – Lizotte – Wagner additional rest. Anderson – Doughty Arizona will face that scenario for the first time this season tonight, MacDermid – Walker having played yesterday evening in Anaheim, and playing longer than the scheduled 60 at that. Anaheim to Los Angeles is among the easiest Clague – Strand travel in the league, so there’s that in their favor, but the Kings were off Petersen / Quick yesterday at home. McLellan discussed the potential effects that can have, both for the Coyotes and the Kings. As always though, we wait for the song. “It can go two different ways – We’ve witnessed it when we’ve been the In terms of the players with questionable statuses at this point – team coming off a back-to-back,” he said. “You’re on the road, you played the night before, yeah you expended some energy, but you also Defenseman Matt Roy remains away from the team on the NHL’s get a little rest in the hotel, where we took a day off. There’s always the COVID-19 Protocol List, while defenseman Tobias Bjornfot, deemed concern of ‘can you find your legs quick enough after an off-day.’ We had “day-to-day” also did not skate this morning. Forward Brendan Lemieux a morning skate, which should help, but the investment that we make cleared protocol and was on the ice, while defenseman Olli Maatta early in the game, hopefully it pays off later on, late in the third period, skated as well, in a non-contact jersey. Additionally, forward Martin Frk halfway through the third, you’re hoping that you have better legs and a skated in full with the team, as he has done since Thursday, as he little more energy than the opposition does. Doesn’t always work out that continues to work his way back from a groin injury that was reaggravated way. I think, a lot of times, back-to-backs are overrated, it’s often when nearly two months prior. you get a number of games in a row and your team is tired, 4-in-6, 5-in-8, In terms of additional roster moves, defenseman Sean Durzi and and that’s happening to everybody right now. There’s no one single team goaltender Troy Grosenick were both reassigned from the AHL to the taxi that is getting punished for that, it exists everywhere.” From the point of view of the players, there isn’t a ton that changes. They’ve been on the ice in similar situations, and know that sometimes a back-to-back can have an adverse effect, especially early on in games. Sometimes, the team on the second half will come out harder and with a lot of jump, having played the night before.

Defenseman Mikey Anderson said the team is mindful of that, and he emphasized the importance of a good start, which will hopefully pay dividends later on in the game.

“I think it’s trying to get out on top of them right away,” he said. “We’ve got to have a good start, be ready to go, because of the fact that they played yesterday and we didn’t, but then throughout the game it’s sticking to the little things, making them work for their chances. If we’re going to give anything up, it’s not for free. Every team’s good, every team knows how to play back-to-back games, so it’s going to be a good challenge and we need to be ready to start right from the first puck drop.”

Regardless of the circumstances, Arizona is a challenging opponent. Winners of 5 of their last 6, and surging into the fourth and final playoff position in the West Division, the Kings will need a solid effort tonight, back-to-back or not.

Finding Five-On-Five

I think there are two schools of thought when trying to find the right combinations at forward, and both have pros and cons.

The first one is the obvious one – If you’re not scoring, try something new. Makes sense sure, but McLellan discussed the other side of that earlier today, and perhaps it’s the side I’ve underestimated, and that’s building some consistency.

Is it fair to say it’s not working after 1, 2, 3 games? Or does it take more time than that to get things going? As McLellan said today, specifically when asked about the Moore – Vilardi – Carter line, he’s still in search of that consistency, and is hopeful that giving the lines some time together might help with that.

“We’re just trying to find a little consistency with our lines, and getting them to gel…the consistency of units in the second half wasn’t anywhere near the first half. That’s due to a number of reasons, performance both offensively and defensively, injury, COVID, you name it, it came into play for different reasons. We’d like to get consistent, we’d like to find a group that works.”

When talking about the “second half”, McLellan was referring to the latter 18 games of the first 36 the Kings have played so far this season.

Finding that consistency has been a theme. Switching grouping and lines up has been one approach, but perhaps not giving lines enough time together is a culprit as well. With that in mind, it would appear that we’ll see a similar set of forward lines tonight.

“Sometimes it works well offensively, but defensively lines are getting eaten alive,” McLellan said. “Just trying to balance it out, it’s such a fine line right now, winning and losing, that we need that balance, and we need four lines. We can’t play a three-line game with the amount of games that we have.”

I asked defenseman Mikey Anderson what he and his fellow defensemen can do to help the team generate more offense at 5-on-5. Hear from Anderson below on that, as well as what’s gone well recently on the Kings’ penalty kill and his evolving relationship with his defensive partner, Drew Doughty.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186586 Minnesota Wild been good for a few years now and are powerhouses. To our credit, I think we've played with them step for step all year. As the season ends here, you're just gonna try to hit our stride and be playing the best hockey we can for these last few weeks." Wild gets last shot for revenge against Avalanche in regular season Star Tribune LOADED: 04.07.2021 The West Division rivals won't play again in the regular season.

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune APRIL 6, 2021 — 10:28PM

The team that's given the Wild the most trouble this season is almost in the rearview mirror.

After taking on the Avalanche an eighth time Wednesday at , the Wild gets to concentrate on the rest of the West Division and revisit the opponents it's pried the bulk of its points from this season.

But before moving on, the Wild can get the last word against Colorado to prove this matchup isn't as one-sided as the results suggest — a message that could resonate if these teams reunite in the playoffs.

"[Wednesday] is definitely a chance to show we can play against them," Marcus Johansson said. "We haven't done that lately. [Monday] wasn't good enough. I think we kind of fell into their game too much. We need to go out and play our game for 60 minutes.

"I'm certain we're going to do that."

Of the 12 games the Wild has dropped in regulation, five have been losses to the Avalanche.

Most recently was the too-little, too-late comeback that ended 5-4 Monday night to snap the Wild's franchise-record 11-game win streak at home. Before that were back-to-back blowouts in Colorado, a low point of the Wild's season.

Still, the Avalanche hasn't been invincible.

One of the Wild's signature wins was Jan. 31 when the team rallied past Colorado 4-3 in overtime despite missing key regulars and finishing off two games in two nights.

Then there was the 6-2 rout on Feb. 24, an authoritative performance that was especially impressive considering the Wild was on the road in Denver.

"We limited our turnovers," coach Dean Evason said. "We got pucks deep. We forechecked. We finished our checks. We did all the right things that hockey teams do to have success."

Rediscovering that aggressive style is how the Wild believes it needs to respond after an incomplete effort on Monday in which the team established an early lead only to get steamrollered in the second period and then run out of time while playing catch-up in the third.

Zach Parise is expected to be back for the rematch after going into the NHL's COVID protocols on March 24 and sitting out the ensuing seven games, but it's unclear if Mats Zuccarello will be ready to return from a lower-body injury that's kept him out since Saturday.

Nick Bjugstad was also getting evaluated Tuesday; he didn't return after getting in a fight in the third period Monday to finalize his first career hat trick. Bjugstad assisted on the Wild's first goal and then had a goal of his own in the third to cut the deficit to two goals.

"He obviously scored, set up a great play on the pass and then he got into a fight where the guy got the jump on him," Evason said "It happens. But what he did and how he conducted himself in that hockey game, his entire team is very proud of him."

That victory Monday extended the Avalanche's win streak to five games and league-best point streak to 15, a climb that's lifted Colorado to the top of the West Division while jostling for first overall in the NHL.

Slowing the team down won't be the Wild's problem after Wednesday, but the Avalanche could end up back on the Wild's radar if they meet in the postseason.

And the competitiveness of that potential series can still be shaped, by what happens in the regular-series finale.

"To get to the semifinals for the Cup, you're going to need to go through Vegas and Colorado," Nick Bonino said. "Those are the teams that have 1186587 Minnesota Wild

Wednesday's Wild-Colorado game preview

Sarah McLellan APRIL 6, 2021 — 7:05PM

8 p.m. vs. Colorado • Xcel Energy Center • BSN, 100.3-FM

Parise likely back for rematch

Preview: The Wild is expected to get LW Zach Parise back in the lineup Wednesday when the team finishes its regular-season series with Colorado; Parise hasn't played since entering the NHL's COVID protocols on March 24. It's unclear, though, if RW Mats Zuccarello (lower-body injury) will suit up. Same with RW Nick Bjugstad, who didn't return to Monday's game after his fight with the Avalanche's Kyle Burroughs. On Tuesday, the Wild reassigned G Dereck Baribeau to Iowa in the American Hockey League and placed F Kyle Rau on waivers.

Players to WATCH: Wild LW Kevin Fiala is on a six-game point streak, which is tied for the longest this season on the Wild. C Ryan Hartman is coming off his third career three-point game, scoring a goal and assisting on two others. … Colorado C Nathan MacKinnon has 23 points in his past 14 games. D has two goals and five assists vs. the Wild this season.

Numbers: The Wild scored two power-play goals in Monday's 5-4 loss to Colorado, the first time that's happened this season. Fiala leads the Wild in power play goals with four. … Colorado has outscored its opponents 67-28 during its 15-game point streak. LW Gabriel Landeskog's game- winner was his team-high sixth of the season.

Injuries: Wild F Marcus Foligno (lower body) is out. Colorado G Pavel Francouz (lower body), Ds Bowen Byram (upper body) and Erik Johnson (upper body) and Fs Matt Calvert (upper body) and Logan O'Connor (lower body) are also out.

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186588 Minnesota Wild

Badly played second period sinks Wild in loss to Avalanche

The Wild gave up four goals in the second period en route to a 5-4 loss Monday night to the Avalanche.

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune APRIL 6, 2021 — 7:27AM

Take away the second period and the Wild not only outscored the Avalanche but the team outplayed its rivals, too.

But the full picture – not fragments – was what dealt the Wild a 5-4 loss Monday night in front of 3,000 at Xcel Energy Center, and that's the reality the Wild focused on after having its franchise-record 11-game win streak at home come to an end.

"We have a gameplan every night against certain teams," center Ryan Hartman said. "We know what it is against these guys. We did it at the beginning of the game, to start the game, and we did in the last 10 minutes of the third period. But we didn't do it in the middle half of the game and let them push us around.

"They won most their battles and skated faster than we did and made better plays than we did."

A 1-0 lead for the Wild after one period morphed into a 2-1 deficit just 1 minute, 29 seconds into the second. By the time the period wrapped, the Wild was down 4-1 – a dramatic swing that was caused by the Wild departing from the aggressive style that sparked its early advantage.

"We sat back in the second period and looked to block and just contain," coach Dean Evason said. "You can't contain. If you get mesmerized a little bit because of some movement and you sit back, you're never going to get the puck and you give them opportunities to find lanes and shoot pucks."

Although the issues in the second period were hard to ignore, the Wild did shine in other areas.

The Wild certainly could have used a power play goal in the middle frame when it was trailing the Avalanche, but the unit did convert twice in the third period – the first time that's happened in a game this season. Overall, the unit went 2-for-6 and has nine goals over its past 14 games.

"We had some real good looks, hit some posts, one went through [goalie Philipp Grubauer]," Evason said. "We likely could have had four or five. We liked our power play."

Kevin Fiala's power play goal with 35 seconds to go was his team- leading fourth with the man advantage. He also pushed his point streak to six games, which ties Mats Zuccarello for the longest point streak on the Wild this season. Fiala has two goals and five assists in that span.

And there was undeniable chemistry among Nick Bjugstad, Ryan Hartman and Marcus Johansson.

The line combined for seven points after being formed Saturday at Vegas.

Bjugstad set the tone early on the forecheck, assisting on Hartman's goal to put the Wild ahead 1-0 in the first and then tallied his own goal by burying a 2-on-1 pass by Hartman in the third.

Later in the third, Bjugstad registered his first career Gordie Howe hat trick after fighting Kyle Burroughs. Bjugstad got only one glove off, losing the edge in the tussle, and he didn't play the rest of the game.

Johansson scored the Wild's third goal, with Hartman earning another assist on the play to finish with three points. His last three-point game came Oct.5, 2017.

"We had some opportunities, and we capitalized on them," Hartman said.

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186589 Minnesota Wild But the Wild retaliated with its own power play goal at 9:44, a shot from the corner by Marcus Johansson that deflected in off Colorado defenseman Devon Toews' skate. Hartman earned another assist on the play, his first three-point game since Oct.5, 2017. Fans come back to Xcel Center; Wild fall short to Avalanche 5-4 And then with 35 seconds to go, the Wild power play scored again — this When the Wild finally had a chance to let fans into the Xcel Energy time on a shot from Kevin Fiala with Talbot on the bench for a 6-on-4 Center, the team couldn't find a way to keep its record 12-game winning look. This was the first time the team scored two power play goals in a streak alive. game this season, finishing 2-for-6.

But the clock expired before the Wild could get any closer.

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune APRIL 6, 2021 — 7:07AM "I think the start we had was in part because of our great fans," Evason said. "We are looking forward to giving a little different result here in a

couple of days." Shutouts, rallies, nail-biters — the Wild used almost every method Star Tribune LOADED: 04.07.2021 possible to keep winning at home, a reign that has lifted it into the playoff-bound side of the West Division.

But when the team finally had a chance to show off that prowess in front of its largest live audience of the season, the announced crowd of 3,000 witnessed the Wild's first loss at Xcel Energy Center in more than two months.

And like the victories that came before it, this result was dictated by the Wild.

"We just had a brain fart," Ryan Hartman said.

The Wild fell apart in the second period despite starting and finishing in control — encouraging bookends that couldn't salvage a 5-4 letdown to the Avalanche on Monday night that extended Colorado's point streak to an NHL-best 15 games (13-0-2) while nixing the Wild's franchise-record home win streak at 11.

"It's not good enough against a team like this," coach Dean Evason said. "It has to be 60 minutes. Can't be 20. Can't be 40. It has to be 60 minutes."

Colorado scored four goals in the second period before the Wild began to chip away at that deficit in the third, getting within a goal before time ran out to seal its first loss at home since Jan. 30 — which also came to Colorado.

The Wild actually dominated early, opening the scoring when Nick Bjugstad — en route to his first career Gordie Howe hat trick — sent a backhand pass to the slot for Hartman to one-time past Philipp Grubauer, who had 21 saves compared to 31 for Cam Talbot.

But the Wild didn't sustain that pace and energy.

"It was just a brain fart of not knowing and not playing how we were supposed to play," Hartman said.

Only 18 seconds into the second, Nathan MacKinnon surged up the middle on a breakaway and wired the puck glove-side on Talbot to even the score at 1.

On the very next shift, Andre Burakovsky buried a puck that popped out of Talbot's glove at 1:29 — a goal that came after a failed clearing attempt by Jordan Greenway.

Another two-goal outburst later in the second widened the Avalanche's cushion.

Brandon Saad made it 3-1 when he whacked in a loose puck in front after cross-checking Wild captain Jared Spurgeon to the ice, contact that went uncalled.

And then 2:04 later, J.T. Compher tipped in a Cale Makar point shot.

"We made a mistake and then we really got back on our heels," Evason said. "We didn't play the aggressive game, the push-the-pace, in-their- face game, and they took advantage of it in the second period."

In the third, the Wild recalibrated. Bjugstad finished off a 2-on-1 rush at 3:35 for his first multi-point effort of the season. He also has 12 of his 15 points at home. But his night ended early, after fighting Kyle Burroughs later in the period.

"It's unfortunate he couldn't get his glove off and the guy got the jump on him," Evason said. "It's a shame because he was having a real good game."

Colorado responded at 7:22 on a power play goal from captain Gabriel Landeskog. 1186590 Minnesota Wild

Wild center Luke Johnson has been unsung hero in faceoff circle

By DANE MIZUTANI

Even the most diehard Wild fans would have a hard time picking center Luke Johnson out of a lineup. He doesn’t have the flashiest game and his 5-foot-11 frame is easy to overlook when he’s on the ice.

But you can’t miss the 26-year-old when he steps into the faceoff circle. In fact, since moving to the middle of the ice last week, Johnson has won 58 percent of his faceoffs. He’s an impressive 25 for 43 in that span.

That’s a significant number considering the Wild have won just 46 percent of faceoffs as a team this season. That performance leaves them ahead of only the New York Rangers in the NHL.

Asked specifically about Johnson, coach Dean Evason lauded his compete level in the faceoff circle.

“He’s been real good in that area,” Evason said. “It’s not a secret that our group as a whole has not been. His faceoffs have been very strong. It starts there.”

Though it’s a smaller sample size for Johnson than the other centers on the team, the only other player with a faceoff percentage above 50 percent is veteran Nick Bonino. He has won 52 percent of his draws this season, serving as the faceoff specialist most nights.

Needless to say, Bonino has enjoyed having Johnson on the ice to take some of the pressure off him.

“He’s been great for us,” Bonino said. “He’s got a really calm demeanor. He’s not too high and not too low. He’s been pretty smooth in the dot. He’s obviously taken faceoffs for years now, and he came in and did what he’s done in the past that’s made him successful.”

Looking at the other centers on the roster, Joel Eriksson Ek has a 46- percent success rate, Victor Rask has a 45-percent success rate, Ryan Hartman a 42-percent success rate.

While the Wild have struggled as a team in that area, it hasn’t helped their cause that the officials seemed to be kicking players out of the faceoff circle at a higher rate this season. Even worse, there doesn’t appear to be much rhyme or reason when it comes to players getting kicked out.

“It drives me crazy,” Evason said. “Honestly, I don’t understand the thought process there. You’ve got two centermen and that’s their job. It’s their job to win a faceoff. Not the wingers. It’s their skill set and they want to compete. As long as the guys are lined up and their feet are square, let’s throw it down there and let’s have a battle and see who wins. I don’t like how many times guys are getting thrown out.”

Luckily for the Wild, it doesn’t appear to affect Johnson too much in the faceoff circle. He just continues to go about his business.

“It’s been seamless with all the people we’ve been able to use and had to use in different situations, and Johnie’s been no different,” Evason said. “His work ethic and his have been real good. He’s a real good player.”

BRIEFLY

Zach Parise is expected to return to the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. He was placed on the COVID list on March 24 and hasn’t placed since.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186591 Montreal Canadiens “You can’t look at Thursday before Wednesday,” he said. “Take it Wednesday morning, afternoon and night, then refresh, regroup and do it again Thursday. Obviously rest, nutrition and hydration is extremely important, especially with the travel. Canadiens' depth will be put to test against Leafs “You might be behind the eight-ball a little bit with your energy on Kotkaniemi replaces injured Gallagher on Danault-Tatar line, while Thursday,” he added. “You have to make it up in your mental game and Primeau earns promotion to back up Allen as Price battles lower-body find ways to win.” injury. Meanwhile, Finnish centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi will receive the first opportunity to replace Gallagher on a line with Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar. Jake Evans, a healthy scratch against the Oilers, will replace Herb Zurkowsky • Montreal Gazette Kotkaniemi between Paul Byron and Artturi Lehkonen.

Kotkaniemi, who has five goals and 17 points through 35 games, said he Since bad luck has been known to come in threes, the Canadiens might has played right wing in Finland, but understands he and Gallagher be wondering when the next domino will fall. hardly have similar styles. Kotkaniemi, to his credit, has started playing more physically. After losing winger Brendan Gallagher — one of the club’s most important players — Monday night with a fractured right thumb, the “What could be better than (having) a chance to show what I’ve got with Canadiens announced on Tuesday they’d be without goaltender Carey those types of players?” Kotkaniemi asked. “Everyone knows I can’t be Price on a day-to-day basis because of a lower-body injury. Gally; he’s a really important guy for this team.

Price remained in Montreal to receive treatment while the team travelled “I probably need to fill Gally’s dirty area, play the five-foot-guy role.” to Toronto for Wednesday’s game against the North Division-leading Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.07.2021 Toronto Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m., SN, SN1, RDS, TSN Radio 690, 98.5 FM).

While goaltender was summoned from the AHL’s , Jake Allen will start against the Leafs and, with the Canadiens hosting the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, the veteran might play twice within 24 hours.

“He (Price) needs a couple of days,” interim head coach Dominique Ducharme said during a video conference Tuesday. “Jake’s going to play in Toronto. The chances of Carey playing against Winnipeg? It’s hard to tell right now. We need to see how he reacts after a couple of days. There’s a chance (Allen) plays both games.”

It was early in the second period of Monday’s game against Edmonton that Price became entangled with Josh Archibald. Price’s head lurched back and he was slow to arise, but it was difficult to determine at that time whether he had suffered an injury to his neck or legs. As the game proceeded Price, at times, appeared to be labouring.

At the same time, Price kept Montreal in the game, especially in the second period when his team was outshot, 14-7, and was penalized three times. While the Oilers scored a late goal, taking a seemingly safe 2-0 lead, the netminder made numerous big stops.

The Canadiens subsequently tied the score in the third period before winning in overtime as Eric Staal provided the heroics in his Montreal debut.

“He (Price) was really solid,” Ducharme said Monday night. “In the second period, he made some big saves. We got into penalty trouble. Giving three power plays to that team in one period, you’re looking for trouble. They scored at the end of the period, but he made some great saves and kept us within reach. He bought us time in the second period to come back and have a chance to win in the third.”

Ducharme said there was no correlation between the play involving Archibald and Price’s injury, intimating Price has been less than 100 per cent healthy of late. The Oilers generated only three shots in the third period and one in overtime.

Ducharme said he never considered removing Price from the game because, according to the information he received, Price wasn’t in jeopardy of aggravating whatever was bothering him.

Allen, who was acquired from St. Louis at the beginning of September with the thought of providing Price with more rest during this truncated 56-game season, has been solid for the Canadiens. His 5-3-4 record is deceiving, considering he has a 2.23 average and .922 save percentage.

At times, his team hasn’t helped him with offence. In Allen’s last game, however, the scorers came through in a 4-1 victory at Ottawa last Thursday. Allen lost his shutout bid late in the third period.

Allen said he’s prepared to play as frequently as required, suggesting he has done so earlier in his career, either throughout his stint in the AHL or with the Blues. 1186592 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens' Carey Price won't make trip to Toronto with team

Will remain in Montreal for treatment while Cayden Primeau gets called up from the AHL's Laval Rocket.

Stu Cowan Montreal Gazette

The Canadiens announced Tuesday morning that goaltender Cayden Primeau has been called up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket and added to the team’s taxi squad.

The team also announced that goalie Carey Price won’t make the trip to Toronto for Wednesday night’s game against the Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m., SN, NBCSN, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

Price appeared to suffer an injury during the second period of Monday night’s 3-2 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers at the but stayed in the game.

When head coach Dominique Ducharme was asked about Price’s status after the game, he said: “He’s getting checked out. I mean, we don’t think it’s anything serious. He’s getting checked out.”

Price. #GoHabsGo

@TSN_Sports pic.twitter.com/MHGjl91Jaa

— Here's Your Replay (@HeresYourReplay) April 6, 2021

Ducharme also said after the game that forward Brendan Gallagher, who was hit by a slapshot from teammate Alexander Romanov during the first period, had suffered a fractured thumb and would be out for weeks, not days.

Price stopped 21 of 23 shots in Monday night’s game, improving his record to 12-6-5 with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. Gallagher has 14-9-23 totals in 35 games. His 14 goals are tied for second on the team with Josh Anderson, trailing Tyler Toffoli, who has 19.

Backup goalie Jake Allen has been solid this season with a 5-3-4 record, a 2.23 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. With Laval this season, Primeau has an 11-3-0 record with a 2.07 goals-against average and a 2.07 goals-against average. The Canadiens selected Primeau in the seventh round (199th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.

Habs sign Mysak

Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin announced Tuesday morning that the team has agreed to terms on a three-year, NHL entry-level contract with centre Jan Mysak.

The Canadiens selected the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder from the Czech Republic in the second round (48th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft. In 13 games this season with the Rocket, Mysak has 2-0-2 totals.

The contract, which has an average annual salary of US$850,333, will pay Mysak $750,000 in the NHL for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons and $775,000 in 2023-24. He will also receive a $92,500 signing bonus each year. Mysak’s AHL salary will be $80,000.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186593 Montreal Canadiens “It’s a great feeling after a comeback against such a strong team.” While the Canadiens (17-9-9) solidified their hold on the fourth and final

playoff berth in the North Division — eight points ahead of both In the Habs' room: Staal's the hero with OT winner in first game with Vancouver and Calgary — their path to post-season play figures to Canadiens become more challenging without the diminutive Gallagher, who has 14 goals in 35 games and creates havoc in front of the net. Predictably, "I'm grateful every day to be able to be out there, compete and play. It's that’s where he was when Romanov blasted the shot off his digit. awesome. There's nothing better." At least the team appears to have the required depth this season to potentially overcome Gallagher’s loss, but his absence will be felt — both on and off the ice. Herb Zurkowsky• Montreal Gazette “He’s a big presence in that room,” said Corey Perry, in his first season

with Montreal. “He’s going to be missed. He’s a big hole to fill. There’s Following months of playing on a non-competitive team in Buffalo and guys that can come in and do his job.” after a week of mandatory quarantine following his trade to the Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.07.2021 Canadiens, there was a feeling of ebullience for Eric Staal — a guy who has been separated from his family through so much this season.

“I’ve been lucky to play a long time in this league,” said the 36-year-old veteran. “I’m grateful every day to be able to be out there, compete and play. It’s awesome. There’s nothing better. This was a moment for sure that I’ll keep in my memory bank.”

Playing his first game for the Canadiens following his acquisition March 26 from the Sabres, Staal provided a storybook ending for his new team — the fifth NHL club for which he has toiled. His goal, at 4:02 of overtime, carried Montreal to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory against the Edmonton Oilers Monday night at the Bell Centre.

But it was a costly win for the Canadiens, who lost winger Brendan Gallagher to a fractured right thumb in the first period after being struck by an Alexander Romanov shot. Gallagher, who broke his left hand on two occasions during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns, will be sidelined indefinitely.

Other than winning his first faceoff, and 14 of 18 in total, there was little about Staal’s game that distinguished him on this night — until, of course, he scored. Playing between Jonathan Drouin and Tyler Toffoli, Staal had two shots and logged 16:56 of ice time.

But in the final minute of overtime, when it appeared a shootout was imminent, he took a pass from Toffoli, produced some speed going wide down the right side and beat goaltender Mike Smith with a low shot to the blocker side.

Paul Byron presented Staal with the puck after he scored the 440th regular-season goal of a career that has spanned more than 1,200 NHL games. It has been a memorable ride that includes a Stanley Cup with Carolina, along with gold medals from the 2007 world championships and 2010 Winter Olympics.

“No question that (first goal) will always be a special one,” Staal said. “Anytime you can have a moment like that, especially coming to a new team … the weeks I’ve had leading up to this … it’s pretty special.”

There are likely few players other than Staal who could have pulled this off. Following his requisite quarantine period, he skated without teammates on Sunday morning before Monday’s day-game practice — hardly an arduous session. Staal said he kept the majority of his shifts short and tried to make prudent decisions.

“It was challenging,” he admitted. “A few times I changed quicker than normal. I felt better as the game went on. I kind of knew that would happen. I felt more comfortable with the puck as the game went on.

“I don’t think I’ll have that type of success every single night, but I’ll do my best to be strong and to be competitive (on faceoffs),” he added.

The Canadiens trailed, 2-0, after the second period, but a goal by Josh Anderson fewer than two minutes into the third provided Montreal with a ray of hope. Tomas Tatar scored the equalizer fewer than four minutes later.

It marked the first time in seven attempts the Canadiens have won a game in overtime. They’re 1-3 in shootouts.

“We showed a lot of character,” Tatar said. “When you’re down two goals, in the locker room you’re talking. We thought we played well. We had scoring opportunities; it just didn’t find the net. Before the third, you obviously want to have a good start, keep pushing and score one goal as early as possible. We did and gave ourselves a chance. 1186594 Montreal Canadiens

About Last Night: Staal champions 3-2 comeback against the Oilers

Down 2-0 to the start the third, the Montreal Canadiens scored three unanswered goals to complete the comeback Monday against the Oilers.

Erik Leijon Special to Montreal Gazette

3-2. And it was new acquisition Eric Staal who made it happen in his Habs debut.

It was an eventful game prior to Staal’s precise wrister that beat Oilers goalie Mike Smith. Down 2-0 to start the third period, the Canadiens scored three unanswered goals to complete the comeback, and all without star forward Brendan Gallagher, who got hit in the hand by an Alexander Romanov slap shot. He has a fractured thumb and will be out multiple weeks.

The Gallagher injury came in a first period where the Canadiens outshot the Oilers 15-5, but couldn’t figure out 38-year-old Mike Smith, who shut out the Habs in their last matchup. With 21 seconds left in the first period, it was another Oiler with past success against the Canadiens, Devin Shore, who gave the Oilers a 1-0 advantage. In 13 career games against the Habs, Shore has 11 points.

The second period had a reversal in shot totals, with the Oilers gaining a 14-7 advantage, yet the end result was the same: with 11 seconds to go in the period, Darnell Nurse fired a powerful slap shot past Carey Price to give the Oilers a 2-0 lead heading into the dressing room. Just before that, Price made one of his most acrobatic saves of the season, sliding over to his right and stacking the pads, even losing his helmet in the process, to stop Oiler forward Alex Chiasson. Price also appeared to be in discomfort following a collision with Oiler Josh Archibald, but stayed in the game. Afterward, coach Dominique Ducharme said he was getting checked out.

Down two goals and down a leader to injury, the Canadiens left the ice after 40 minutes with their shoulders slouched, but immediately hit the ice with renewed intensity to start the third. Josh Anderson, the best forward on the team until that point, completed a tic-tac-toe passing play with linemates Nick Suzuki and Corey Perry less than two minutes into the third. Smith’s shutout streak against Montreal ended at 139 minutes and 21 seconds. Less than four minutes later, Tomas Tatar fired a laser top shelf to tie the game. Paul Byron, one of Gallagher’s many understudies on the night, stole the puck from Nurse and found his new linemate in prime scoring real estate. Perry gave Habs fans a scare when he retreated to the dressing room in difficulty, but emerged a shift later, no worse for wear.

After being held shotless by the Canadiens during their last meeting, Connor McDavid again struggled to find the net. He finally got a shot, his only one, in overtime. While normally a chance to show off his blazing speed on open ice, McDavid was effectively shadowed by Habs speedster Paul Byron throughout overtime. With under a minute to go in 3-on-3, Staal went wide to Smith’s left side at a decidedly slower pace than McDavid or Byron, but he beat Smith to his blocker side, scoring the game winner and his first in bleu-blanc-rouge. Some of other Staal fast facts on the night: he took the opening faceoff, played on the first powerplay unit, and he neutralized his first opportunity on the powerplay when he took a penalty of his own 12 seconds into the man-advantage.

When Gallagher left the game, you could feel the mood in the Liveblog sink. But Staal gave dedicated Habs fans who didn’t turn off their sets a storybook ending. The Habs will hope for more success this week when they face the Maple Leafs on Wednesday and the Jets on Thursday. Here are the three stars from the Liveblog:

3. “The Staals have inflicted lots of punishment on the Habs over the years. Nice to have one on our side for a change. Good luck tonight Eric and go Habs.” — Michael Paul 2. “I didn’t expect that kind of character win from them tonight. Good on them, for playing how they should, from the beginning of the 3rd. Very satisfying win.” — James Toth 1. “Carey Price kept us in it, and shut the door after second period, Staal with the overtime winner, couldn’t have scripted it better.” — Ryan Katz

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186595 Montreal Canadiens This is not about what Kotkaniemi can’t do, it has everything to do with what he can do. It is positive. It is a promotion to replace the most important forward on the team on the most important line on the team.

The Canadiens are moving Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the wing for all the right Ducharme had tons of options at his disposal. If he wanted to give the reasons Danault line something close to the same element it had with Gallagher, Josh Anderson would have been a natural candidate. He has similar drive and speed, is a menace on the forecheck and a load in front of the net. Ducharme has Corey Perry playing on his off side on Nick Suzuki’s By Arpon Basu Apr 6, 2021 left wing and he could have brought many of those same elements, just with less speed but more playmaking and hockey sense. Toffoli has already played with Danault this season and would have fit in It would be understandable to see Jesperi Kotkaniemi being moved to seamlessly. All three of them are natural right wingers and are veterans the wing and have flashbacks of Alex Galchenyuk. perhaps better equipped for a role facing top opposition.

They were each chosen No. 3 overall in the draft because they were to But faced with all those options, Ducharme chose Kotkaniemi instead, a become the No. 1 centre of the future. Except that’s where the left shot being shoehorned in on the right side of the No. 1 line. It speaks comparisons end, because the context around Galchenyuk eventually volumes to how Ducharme sees Kotkaniemi’s potential, maturity and being moved to the wing and Kotkaniemi being temporarily called upon to adaptability, because he is going to be in for an important assignment replace an injured Brendan Gallagher on the Canadiens’ top line with Wednesday night in Toronto. Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar could not be any more different. “What he can do on the forecheck, the work he can do around the net, One was an emphasis on what a player could not do. The other is a vote the plays he can make with Danault and Tatar, that will create offence,” of confidence. Ducharme said. “Also, KK has grown and continues to grow, he’s gained experience defensively and often (Danault and Tatar) find themselves “I’m sure as we speak today Alex is not able to play that position every facing the other team’s good players, so we have confidence in him that day,” Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said at the season- he’ll be able to do the job with them.” opening golf tournament in 2018. “I don’t need 10 more tries.” What is even more important than how Ducharme views this is how Not able. Kotkaniemi sees it. The Canadiens constantly focused on Galchenyuk’s limitations, on his We can only imagine the thoughts that were swirling through his head as lack of defensive awareness, his lack of vision, all sorts of lacks. His he sat and watched in the third period Monday night. This is reality in the high-end offensive ability, his rifle of a shot, those things were NHL; sometimes your team will go trade for a player that will impact your overshadowed by a general lack of hockey IQ that created a cloud that ice time and infringe on your role. Nothing is given in the NHL, everything hung over Galchenyuk his entire time in Montreal, one he seemingly took is earned, and Kotkaniemi knows that. with him to Arizona and onward. But it would also be fair for him to wonder how and why he had earned a This is not that. This is the total opposite. spot on the bench sitting next to the defencemen. The last time the Canadiens faced the Toronto Maple Leafs was way To come back with this the very next day has likely stopped those back on Feb. 20. The opposing centre Auston Matthews saw the most thoughts in their tracks. If Kotkaniemi felt in any way like an afterthought that night, because the game was in Montreal, was Danault. Over the during that third period, he doesn’t anymore. course of 12 minutes at five-on-five with the two of them on the ice, the Canadiens had more than 60 percent of the shot attempts and nearly 75 “It’s an honour, you know?” Kotkaniemi said Tuesday. “They’re great percent of the expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. players. What could be better than to get a chance to show what I’ve got with those types of players?” Coach Dominique Ducharme will not control the matchups in Toronto, and it should be noted Ducharme was not the head coach in that game One benefit of this assignment is it might allow Kotkaniemi to simplify his on Feb. 20, but there is little doubt he will try to get Danault on the ice game with a clear, single-minded mandate. His physical game has against Matthews as often as possible. improved as the season has gone along, something he attributes to getting more ice time and therefore being more involved in the game. Kotkaniemi is a 20-year-old forward who was nailed to the bench for the Kotkaniemi will never be Gallagher, he knows that, we all know that, but final half of the third period and all of overtime in Monday night’s he can try to fill the same kind of puck retrieving, grinding role while being comeback 3-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers. The arrival of Eric Staal more of a playmaker and shooting option than Gallagher is and not have seemed to impact him the most, first with him being replaced on his own to worry so much about his defensive responsibilities while playing with line between Jonathan Drouin and Tyler Toffoli by Staal, and then with one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL in Danault. that benching in the third period. “They both are really good with the puck,” Kotkaniemi said. “I probably But before he was benched, Ducharme sent Kotkaniemi out for a few need to fill Gally’s dirty-area-five-feet-guy role a little bit. Just try to help shifts in Gallagher’s spot to the right of Danault and Tatar. Kotkaniemi Phil and Tuna as much as I can.” laid a few hits and did not look the least bit out of place on the wing, a position he has not played all season. But once Paul Byron got a turn in Kotkaniemi played almost exclusively on right wing during his draft year that spot he set up Tatar for the game-tying goal, and Kotkaniemi’s night with Ässät in Finland, so he’s familiar with the position. But while he was effectively done. He became a spectator. admitted he hopes to still have some of that winger mentality left in him, if that’s what it takes for him to get an opportunity like this, he is all for it. After the game, however, Ducharme was asked whether he felt Kotkaniemi might be a solution in that spot, and he said he did, despite And that is what is important here. the benching in the game. “That’s the biggest compliment you can get, playing against the best On Tuesday morning, Ducharme followed through on it by putting guys in the league,” Kotkaniemi said. “I feel that I’m ready for that, and Kotkaniemi on that line with Danault and Tatar, and his explanation hopefully we’re going to have a good night tomorrow.” makes the difference between this move and the previous stuff with Galchenyuk as plain as possible. Again, this is not about what Kotkaniemi is not able to do. It is what he has the potential to do. Ducharme has already shown an ability to “I just want him to be KK,” Ducharme said. “He’s at his best when he’s communicate with his players as he navigates the changes being made dynamic, when he’s skating, when he carries the puck, when he’s to a stacked group of forwards from game to game, making sure anyone physical, when he uses his shot, his talent. Once the faceoff is over and who gets switched around understands fully why the decision was made play begins, playing wing or centre is often just knowing who needs to be and how it would benefit the team. the first forward back to the defensive zone. Once you’re playing, there’s not a big difference for a player, especially for a centre going to wing it’s “We’re just asking him to be KK at his best,” Ducharme said. much easier.” Of all days this season, Tuesday was probably the one Kotkaniemi needed to hear that the most. The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186596 Montreal Canadiens with Staal for four seasons in Carolina before finishing his 17-year career in Anaheim. “So when you come into that environment, you’re going to conform pretty rapidly, and whether or not he had to conform or this was pretty much normal for him, he definitely fit right in with the group.” Eric Staal had a storybook debut but his impact on the Canadiens could go much deeper As the years have gone on, Staal has learned his lessons while gradually becoming the one his young teammates turned to for help.

“I know when I was young it was so in the moment. You’re so focused on By Marc Antoine Godin Apr 6, 2021 your day-to-day dealings and what you need to do to be at your best every single game,” Staal said. “As a young guy, I had a lot of veteran

players and leadership type guys that were older than me, that had been It’s nights like these where the emptiness of the Bell Centre is felt the around a long time, and I just watched. I watched a lot of how they most. approached day-to-day things and how they competed in games.

In his first game with the Canadiens, Eric Staal scored the winner in “Now, at this point in my career, it’s trying to do those same things, but overtime, releasing the tension surrounding the team’s play at three-on- now I’m the one that’s been around for a while.” three that took up an inordinate amount of space in the discourse There is a certain pay it forward dynamic that took hold in Carolina from surrounding the team this season. It was perfectly scripted, and a typical the time Staal was the protégé to the time he became the mentor, finally Bell Centre crowd would have roared its approval. On its face, Staal’s becoming a logical choice to wear the ‘C’ for the Hurricanes. goal that gave the Canadiens a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday was somewhat reminiscent of Ilya Kovalchuk’s overtime winner When it came time for Brind’Amour to retire, he handed over the against the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. Same sense of drama, captaincy to his young student in 2009. same exhilaration to see a veteran said to be near the end of his career finding a way to contribute in the twilight of his illustrious career. “When you’re young, you show up, you just want to do your job and walk away and worry about yourself. And then, when you become a leader, or Even if we didn’t hear the roar reserved for comeback victories — Staal you’ve been around enough, you’re about winning, and then you bring was already taken aback in warmups by the lack of sound and other people under your wing,” Brind’Amour said. “I think that’s where I atmosphere that was unlike what he’s used to hearing from his favourite saw that transformation with him, from a young kid just trying to prove arena — the newest Canadiens centre has himself a fond memory to himself, who saw what he could do, to ‘OK, now I’m a leader, I’ve got to remember his debut in Montreal. bring other people in and reach out, and help other people.’ He’s definitely in that phase of his career now. Up until that point, when he thought of overtime at the Bell Centre, he surely thought of this moment: “It’s all about winning. It’s not about him. He’s not worried about if he got the goals. Did we win the game? Did I contribute? Did I do what I had to It was Staal’s first career Stanley Cup playoff series in 2006, his first April do to help the team win? It’s easy to say that; everybody says the right game at the Bell Centre at age 21, and a vital goal on Cristobal Huet that thing. But do you act the right way? And that’s where I can guarantee you prevented the Carolina Hurricanes from going down 3-0 to the Canadiens that he’s going to act the right way.” in the first round. In 2016, after a short and largely unsuccessful stint with the New York The rink was packed and loud, but Staal’s goal silenced it. Rangers, Staal found himself in Minnesota, where he helped young It was the game that introduced the hockey world to future starter Cam forwards like Joel Eriksson-Ek, Luke Kunin, and Jordan Greenway. It was Ward and sent the Hurricanes en route to an improbable playoff run that never very invasive — that’s not Staal’s style — but there was always a finished with Staal raising the Stanley Cup. willingness to share the biggest lesson he learned over the course of his career, that effort to serve a united and committed group is always the In short, a pivotal moment. path to individual success.

Fast forward 15 years and Staal is now sitting on the home bench. The “Just how professional he is, just being around him, has made me who I Canadiens expect to benefit from all the experience he’s gained since am today,” said Eriksson-Ek, who has blossomed this season after that moment to fuel a playoff run they hope will be just as successful. spending four seasons as Staal’s teammate with the Wild. “I mean, how hard he works, how much he cares about winning and how hard he When Staal scored that famous goal against Huet in 2006 he had just pushes everybody else to compete, I think it’s really good. finished a 100-point regular season and he would go on to lead the Hurricanes in playoff scoring. It was his second season in the NHL and “Just being a winner, I think that carries on to the team. He can be laid he was still too young to have fully grasped all the subtleties of being a back, but when it’s time to play, he goes through it hard. I think that’s the professional hockey player. biggest thing I got from him.”

“I don’t think young guys realize how hard it is to win and to play at a high Luke Kunin hugs Eric Staal as Marcus Foligno celebrates after an level,” said Rod Brind’Amour, the current coach and former captain of the overtime win with the Wild. (Harrison Barden/USA Today) Hurricanes who watched as Staal developed for more than a decade in Carolina. Even when Staal arrived in Buffalo in January, the goal was to have him contribute in the same way in the development of the Sabres’ talented “I think he was already a really talented player, so he probably got by on rookie centre Dylan Cozens while playing a second-line centre role that skill and then he came to the NHL and realized, ‘hey, there’s a whole himself. Cozens’ seat in the Sabres’ dressing room was placed between other level that I have to get to,’ and that’s through putting the work in.” Staal and team captain Jack Eichel.

Back then, Brind’Amour was the alpha male in the Hurricanes’ dressing Obviously, things did not turn out as hoped in Buffalo and the season room, a bit like Martin St. Louis in Tampa or Zdeno Chara with Boston. was just as difficult for veterans like Staal as it’s been for young players You could follow along — you had to follow along — but no one was like Cozens. It was in this tumultuous environment where Jeff Skinner, going to outwork him. Having been exposed to Ron Francis as a rookie, who entered the league looking up to Staal with the Hurricanes, crossed a young Staal couldn’t have found a better example to follow. paths with his former captain again.

Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin went after Staal because he “To me, the difference here in Buffalo is obviously a big change in found the centre position to be “vulnerable,” but it was also because situations for him,” Skinner said. “When I came into the league, he was Staal knows what it takes. His competitiveness has not waned, the type sort of the face of the franchise, he had been there for a long time, was of intangible you learn over the years when exposed to the right people. the captain. And then he comes here and it’s a little bit of a different Staal was enrolled in the perfect school for that in 2006, dropped into an scenario. But he’s still a great teammate and a great player, and it will be extremely solid group of veterans that included not only Brind’Amour, but interesting to see how he does there.” also Glen Wesley, Mark Recchi, Doug Weight, Ray Whitney, Matt Cullen, and Bret Hedican. One would imagine managing adversity will happen somewhat differently in Montreal than it did in Buffalo. When the Canadiens traded for him last “If you look at that environment that we had, it was the hardest working week, Staal briefly commented on how the Sabres’ season spiraled out group of men I’ve ever seen,” said Hedican, a defenceman who played of control once COVID-19 took hold and put a halt to their season. When they came back, the Sabres were never able to get going again, and then that process to take hold and to see the tangible effects of a veteran’s injuries hit, and the losses piled up. influence.

“We just didn’t have enough in the locker room to be able to counteract “Every guy is different,” said Hedican, now a San Jose Sharks colour that and manage that properly,” Staal admitted. analyst. “But I think the biggest thing I learned is, you’ve just got to really be yourself. And I know Eric Staal really well to know that he’s not going This is likely the contrast that will hit Staal the most in the Canadiens’ to come in there and try to do something that he’s not. dressing room. Bergevin has added several veterans meant to help the team get through the playoffs since last fall; Staal becomes the sixth “He’s a real authentic guy. He’ll be able to just kind of be himself and Stanley Cup winner to be added to the group after Tyler Toffoli, Corey probably will be fitting in quite quickly.” Perry, Jake Allen, Joel Edmundson, and Michael Frolik. Who knows? After a night like Monday, maybe he already has. Add to that group veterans like Shea Weber, Brendan Gallagher, and Carey Price, and the Canadiens should be able to avoid not having The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 “enough in the locker room.”

“Hockey’s such a team sport, and I think captains get a little more credit than they probably deserve because you need more than one guy to be on board,” Brind’Amour said. “You need other guys that lead in different ways … That’s why you can’t have enough people around, because you’re filling in gaps. And I think, no matter where you put a good person, they’re going to fill in the gaps in the leadership.”

Staal did not get to mingle with his new teammates until Monday morning, a few hours before his first game against the Oilers. All is new again for Staal, and coach Dominique Ducharme decided to give him the best chance to get off on the right foot by playing him with Perry and Toffoli, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi was relegated to the fourth line with Paul Byron and Artturi Lehkonen until Gallagher broke his thumb in the second period.

If Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki are able to get past the heightened level of internal competition Staal’s arrival has created and don’t allow that to slow them down, they will perhaps realize to what extent Staal’s presence is a growth opportunity for them. In a way, we could look at the acquisition of Staal as a further investment in their development even if, in the short term, he might seem more like a roadblock.

He had just arrived and nothing looked the same, but Staal tried to maintain his regular warmup routine and concentrate on the little details in his preparation that can lead to a consistent level of performance. Staal tried to keep his shifts short against the Oilers considering his lack of practice time and the fact he hadn’t played a game in over a week. He wasn’t forcing plays and wanted to avoid danger at all costs.

He was dominant in the faceoff circle, winning 14 of the 18 he took.

Those are all little details that should attract the attention of players like Suzuki and Kotkaniemi.

Staal’s overtime goal was a nice moment, let’s not forget that. But when you’ve won as much as Staal has, when you’ve built a track record like his, the importance of moments like that is relative.

“I’m sure one of my kids will take it and do something with it,” Staal said when asked what he would do with the puck Byron fished out of the net in overtime.

Staal’s debut ended in a storybook way, but he has to start over again the next day, which is something you don’t need to explain to a 36-year- old veteran who has seen some stuff.

“Another avenue where young guys can look up to, that’s how you prepare every day,” Brind’Amour said. “You had a hat trick the night before? You come in, and you do the same way the next day, versus kind of high and low. And that’s what he’ll bring, consistency.”

It’s not always easy for a player to land in a new dressing room and not only feel comfortable with everyone right off the bat but also have everyone feel comfortable with you. There’s usually a feeling-out period, and that’s even more true this season with players unable to get together away from the rink. Every interaction becomes that much more important in that regard.

“You can already see it, even if it’s only been one day, it feels like he’s been here a week,” Ducharme said. “Experienced guys are able to adapt. He understands what we want to do, the way we play. We saw him tonight reacting well in different situations, even in terms of system stuff that he hasn’t had time to work on.”

Some players, as soon as they enter a new dressing room, have that innate ability to mesh well with others. It all depends on a player’s personality. But it’s always a bigger challenge when you arrive around the trade deadline because there aren’t that many games remaining for 1186597 Montreal Canadiens roster. The sooner that lesson is imparted down to Caufield, the better he’ll be in the long run. Poehling, at least, has since turned his letdown into a positive.

Cole Caufield’s Canadiens path: Lessons from Ryan Poehling, Alex Since last season, he has rebounded with seven goals and 16 points in DeBrincat and Cam Atkinson 21 games, all with the Rocket. Fourteen of his points have come in his last 12 games. He’s been given a chance to produce in a top-six role for the Rocket, while helping them stay atop their division. Poehling has likened his development to being on a “roller coaster” but he also says he By Julian McKenzie Apr 6, 2021 “wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I think I’ve done well. There’s been a lot of adversity and there’s a lot of An impatient Canadiens fan base won’t have to wait too much longer for learning to do. Coming from college at such a young age too, when the pro debut of highly touted prospect Cole Caufield. you’re 20 years old. I think it’s definitely a big step and something you’ve got to go into. I was moving away from home for the first time. Going to a Last week, the Canadiens added Caufield on their taxi squad, solely a different country. I think it’s a lot. And for me, it just shows how far I’ve paper transaction as they make up the minimum required bodies (four). come,” Poehling said. But even as the Canadiens specified that Caufield wouldn’t be reporting to the NHL just yet, it was enough to draw some excitement and The St. Cloud State alum might be an easy comparison to make with anticipation. Caufield because they both jumped from college to the pros at the age of 20, but because Poehling has never been considered a goal scorer on It was kind of like an artist playing the opening note of a popular song at the same level as Caufield at any level he’s played, that’s about where a concert and then stopping, just to send the crowd into a frenzy. But the comparisons should stop. once the 20-year-old leaves quarantine, he won’t step onto the main stage of the Bell Centre in a Canadiens uniform. Instead, he’ll join head Tony Granato, Caufield’s former coach at the University of Wisconsin, coach Joël Bouchard and the Laval Rocket. brought up two current NHL comparables to the Canadiens prospect last month. Let’s take a closer look at them — and what their paths to the There are some things we already know. He’ll wear No. 44, which is NHL might tell us about what’s in store for Caufield. perhaps a compromise for him not being able to wear the familiar No. 8 — already claimed by Ben Chiarot in Montreal and Josh Brook in Laval Alex DeBrincat — from his days at the University of Wisconsin. His new number just so “(Alex) DeBrincat is the one in the NHL, to me, is the one that’s the most happens to be the same as Canadiens legend Stéphane Richer, the last similar,” Granato said. “I think there’s things (Caufield) does better than player to score 50 goals in a season for the franchise. DeBrincat, but again, he’s on a different level than DeBrincat is right now. There are also some things Caufield is just finding out. Bouchard is trying So, could he do those same things at the NHL? I think he can,” Granato his best to keep Caufield in the loop, having him participate in team video said. sessions and connecting with him once, sometimes twice, a day over DeBrincat is a pretty close comparison to Caufield when you consider the Zoom. Caufield will get time to “adapt and adjust” before he steps on the latter is three pounds lighter than the former. The winger had no problem ice for his Rocket debut, which could be April 9 against the Toronto scoring goals, including 65 in his final season (and without former Marlies, the same night we’ll learn if he’ll win the Hobey Baker Award. linemate Connor McDavid), with the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters “The goal is to put him in situations where he’ll be able to perform. It’s a prior to joining the Blackhawks for the 2017-18 season. In his rookie NHL matter of finding teammates who he’ll be comfortable playing with,” season, DeBrincat lucked out by spending most of his minutes alongside Bouchard said. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp at five-on-five, and it led to a 28-goal, 52 point season. The jump from the junior or collegiate level to the pro ranks is a big one for any prospect: Bigger, stronger opponents and a faster pace of play “A lot of players struggle early on to accept the fact that they have more require adjustments. But Caufield will step onto the ice bearing the time than they think they do. It’s counter-intuitive — bigger, faster, weight of a fan base’s expectations that have been fuelled for years by stronger league and all — but you do have time to make a play, to fake a his natural goal-scoring ability. pass or a shot, to do something other than panic. DeBrincat seemed to learn that a lot more quickly than most rookies. He didn’t really struggle And with reports flying around that the Canadiens are looking to create with that, but a lot of young guys do,” Chicago Blackhawks senior writer cap space ahead of the trade deadline, it’s worth noting that any financial for The Athletic Mark Lazerus said. flexibility gained could be used to get Caufield into an NHL jersey before the end of the season. DeBrincat, however, struggled with being hit by opposing players in the early stages of his career. So, what advice do you pass on to a kid who will be counted on to fill the net in the future for a team that hasn’t had an offence rank among the “I’m talking smeared along the boards, crushed into the bench, league’s top 10 since 2013? annihilated in the corners. We all thought he was going to get killed one day,” Lazerus said. Ryan Poehling, another first-rounder who knows a thing or two about expectations, is a good place to start. DeBrincat eventually learned from teammate Patrick Kane on how not to put himself in vulnerable positions, and he’s since shown more “Don’t overthink it. Just be yourself,” Poehling said last week. “For aggression and feistiness while playing in the dirty areas of the ice. And it (Caufield), he got to where he is because of what he’s been doing. I think hasn’t impacted his ability to score, either. DeBrincat is a talented goal if he can just stick with that. Be yourself. Obviously there’s adjustments scorer who’s hit the 40-goal plateau, but he can also be counted on as a you can make along the way.” solid forechecker, passer, and leader in the dressing room. He even held his own in a fight with Colorado’s Samuel Girard last season. Poehling was drafted 25th by the Canadiens in 2017 with the hopes of rebuilding the team’s centre depth. Montreal gave him his first taste of Cam Atkinson the NHL on a Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019. He responded by having one of the most memorable debuts in team “(Cam) Atkinson was another guy that I used to think he was a lot like. history, scoring a hat trick and the shootout-winning goal. Slippery, sneaky and always found ways to be open. I think Cole’s got some offensive instincts that are even better than that,” Granato said. His debut was enough for many armchair GMs to pencil him in as the team’s No. 4 centre heading into the 2019-20 season. Poehling himself Atkinson, like Caufield, jumped from collegiate hockey to the professional expected to start the year with the big club, but his personal expectations ranks. Atkinson was also a Hobey Baker finalist in 2011. The Columbus and ensuing letdown hampered his first full season as a pro. He split the Blue Jackets forward has a similar build to Caufield at 5-foot-8, but, year between Montreal and Laval and scored one goal in 27 NHL games. according to HockeyDB, weighs 176 pounds. Caufield is an inch shorter With the Rocket, he scored five goals in 36 games. and is registered at 162 pounds.

Poehling would have benefitted from managing his own projections on Per colleague Aaron Portzline in Columbus, Atkinson improved his where he viewed himself on the team. One great debut doesn’t “upper-body musculature,” yet still found ways to keep his quickness. Of necessarily guarantee an NHL future, let alone a starting spot on an NHL course, it took a bit of time to find spots on the ice where he could score goals. And his quickness has helped them find those areas.

“Atkinson is more of a darter than a raw speed guy, and it took him time to learn to recognize the soft spots on the ice where he could mine scoring chances,” Portzline said. “He could skate away from guys in college. In the NHL, he had to be smarter, more elusive, better at getting lost and pouncing at the right moment. But as one player once said to me about the disadvantage of being shorter than most: ‘The puck’s down there,’ he said, pointing to the ground. ‘It’s not up there (in the sky). It’s down there. I’m closer to it than most.’ ”

Atkinson scored a goal and an assist in each of his first two AHL games, and didn’t struggle with scoring during his time in the minors. Even if he was trying to find his footing in the NHL, Atkinson still earned the right to play with Team USA at the 2012 world championships. The young forward had 16 goals in his first 62 games, but he eventually hit the 20- goal plateau during the 2013-14 campaign, the year he established himself as a full-time NHL player. He’s since reached the 40-goal plateau and is one of the best scorers in the franchise’s history.

(By the way, if you were wondering, we did not think it was worth it to follow up on NBCSN’s comparison of Caufield with soccer superstar Lionel Messi.)

Both Atkinson and DeBrincat, much like Caufield, drew concerns over their size. But both players are mainstays, and goal scorers, for their respective NHL teams. They’re possible comparisons to Caufield, a prospect who his college coach believes possesses offensive talents that are better than both players. But for Caufield, it’s important for him to manage his own expectations and not get carried away if he does start off hot, but also not getting too down on himself if he doesn’t hit the net as frequently as he likes right away.

Caufield has shown that he has the goal-scoring instincts to score at every level he’s played. If those talents can transition along with him to the professional ranks, then he should have no problem, as Poehling recommends, being himself.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186598 Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators put Detroit Red Wings away in shootout

Will Backus

The Nashville Predators earned a 3-2 win in a shootout against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena.

Down 1-0 in the third period, the Predators surged back with two goals in the final 20 minutes to send the game to overtime. Neither team was able to get an advantage in the extra period.

Predators goalie Juuse Saros deflected both of Detroit's attempts, while both Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi scored to put the game away.

Luke Kunin and Mikael Granlund were responsible for Nashville's two goals in regulation. Saros had 25 saves on 27 shots.

Tennessean LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186599 Nashville Predators

Josi makes history in Predators’ win over Blackhawks

Nashville captain passes close friend for most points by Swiss-born player

Michael Gallagher

When Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi entered the NHL in 2011, fellow countryman Mark Streit already had five seasons under his belt and was heading into his sixth.

Streit retired in 2018 with 434 career points — the most for a Swiss-born NHL player. That was until Josi broke that record in Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena.

“It’s a huge honor,” Josi said last week after tying Streit’s scoring record. “He and I are really good friends, and he did so much for Swiss hockey because we never had a player that really made it in the NHL. We had a couple goalies, but he was the first guy who made it and had a big role on a team.

“For us as young kids, we all looked up to him and he kind of gave us that standard for us to believe it’s possible for Swiss players to make it and you see now we have a lot more players in the league. He kind of took me under his wing when I came into the league and I started training with him. He’s an unbelievable person, a really good friend and he’s been a huge role model for me.”

Since breaking into the NHL in 2005, Streit had largely been considered the most successful Swiss player in the NHL until recently. He inspired a new generation of Swiss stars that includes Josi, Nino Niederreiter, Timo Meier, Kevin Fiala, Nico Hischier, Luca Sbisa and Pius Suter.

Before Streit laced up his skates, only one Swiss-born player — Hnat Domenichelli (113) — ever scored more than 100 career points. Since then, seven other players besides Streit have reached that milestone.

Making Josi’s accomplishment all the more impressive is the fact that he did so in 122 fewer games. Streit had two 50-point seasons and one 60- point season during his 12-year career. Josi, who is in his 10th season, has had three 50-point seasons and two 60-point seasons, including a career-best 65 points in 69 games last year en route to a Norris Trophy win.

“What a tremendous accomplishment to be a Swiss-born player, come over to the National Hockey League and wind up being the all-time leader in points,” Predators coach John Hynes said. “There’s been guys who have come prior to Roman that have led the way and had great NHL careers, but it’s a special thing.

“I mean, to be the No. 1 guy in your country, and I think Swiss hockey is really producing more and more players and being a much more competitive country on the national stage, and Roman’s a big part of that. I know he loves his country…and when you sit back and think on that, it’s a tremendous accomplishment.”

Nashville Post LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186600 Nashville Predators

Injuries, not opponents, becoming Predators' biggest challenge

Arvidsson left game vs. Chicago with injury; Carrier out 3-5 weeks

Michael Gallagher

If the Nashville Predators do in fact hold on to make the playoffs given the way the 2021 season has gone, it will presumably be one of the more impressive feats in recent memory in the NHL.

The Predators have seemingly weathered the storm when it comes to injuries throughout the season, calling up top prospect after top prospect to plug into the lineup and keep the team afloat as it makes its push toward the postseason.

But after Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, are the Predators too beaten up to finish off their impressive surge from next-to- last in the Central Division to fourth-place playoff contender?

“It hasn’t been easy on us,” center Colton Sissons said. “The schedule is one thing, but with the added injuries to very key players on our hockey team, you just have guys stepping up all the time it seems. It’s been really fun to be a part of and hopefully we can keep that thing rolling.”

Prior to Saturday’s game, the Predators announced that defenseman Alex Carrier — an injury call up for Ryan Ellis, who is expected to be out another couple of weeks — would miss three to five weeks with a lower- body injury.

Then during the game, forward Viktor Arvidsson was injured in a collision with Blackhawks rookie Kirby Dach. Arvidsson was helped off the ice and exited the game with “upper-body discomfort.” The Predators said he would be evaluated by the training staff and an update would be provided once it was available.

Nashville is also without top forward Filip Forsberg, centers Matt Duchene and Brad Richardson, plus defensemen Mark Borowiecki and Luca Sbisa, who are all listed as week-to-week with varying injuries as well.

But maybe the Predators are built for this.

No team in the NHL has played more rookies than the 10 Nashville has. Carrier, Eeli Tolvanen, Yakov Trenin, Mathieu Olivier, Sean Malone, Jeremy Davies, Rem Pitlick, Cole Smith, Tanner Jeannot and Frederic Allard have combined to for 16 goals and 35 points in limited action this year.

Among rookies, Tolvanen ranks third in goals (10) and fourth in points (19), while Carrier ranks second in shifts per game (25.8) and third in average ice time (20:08) among defensemen.

“You can’t survive the amount of injuries and situations we’ve gone through if you don’t have players that are prepared to come in and play well,” Predators coach John Hynes said. “So, I think you have to give credit to the guys who have been on the grind here for a bit because I think they deserve as much, if not more credit.”

The Predators have played 39 games this season, and only two players — Arvidsson and Sissons — have played in all of them. Arvidsson’s streak is likely to end. Aside from them, only five other players — Dante Fabbro, Erik Haula, Nick Cousins, Matt Benning and Mikael Granlund — have missed four or fewer games this year.

In the beginning of the season, the Predators’ biggest worry was finding a way to beat the top teams in the division — Tampa Bay, Carolina and Florida. Now, it’s staying healthy.

“It’s something we had talked about for the last three to four weeks of just having no excuses and the next man up has to do their job,” Hynes said. “I think you have to give a lot of credit to the guys who have been in the lineup consistently throughout this whole situation because we’ve had a lot of players that have come in and certainly made impacts … but there’s lot of guys who continue to play well and allowing players to come in and help those guys along.”

Nashville Post LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186601 Nashville Predators

Mismash latest Predators' college prospect to sign

2017 second-round draft pick tied for fourth-most points at UND in 2021

Michael Gallagher

Last week it was David Farrance. This week it’s Grant Mismash.

The Nashville Predators continue to lock down their top college hockey prospects as the organization announced it had signed Mismash to a two-year, entry-level contract that will start next season.

The 6-foot-1 senior forward is the 10th player 24 years or younger the Predators have signed in the last calendar year, joining Farrance, Rem Pitlick, Luke Prokop, Luke Evangelista, Yakov Trenin, Anthony Richard, Alex Carrier, Tommy Novak and Patrick Harper.

Nashville drafted Mismash in the second round of the 2017 NHL draft. He went on to play four years at the University of North Dakota, tallying 32 goals, 71 points and a plus-26 rating in 117 games. Mismash scored a career-high 10 goals last season as North Dakota went 22-6-1 and clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

In his tenure at NDU, Mismash helped lead the Fighting Hawks to an NCAA Tournament appearance and NCHC Tournament title — both in 2021 — and two NCHC regular-season championships (2020-21).

Mismash was one of the more decorated freshmen in school history, being named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team, winning the conference’s Rookie of the Week honor four times and being named NDU’s male Freshman of the Year in all sports.

The 22-year-old Mismash also has a wealth of international experience, winning a gold medal at the U18 World Championship in 2017 with team USA and winning a bronze medal at the U17 World Hockey Challenge in 2016.

One of the main scorers for the U.S. National Development Team, Mismash led the team in scoring in 2016-17 with 26 goals and 61 points. He totaled 23 goals and 44 points the previous year with the club.

Nashville Post LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186602 New Jersey Devils

Devils can’t protect lead, fall to Sabres behind 3rd-period goals

By Chris Ryan

On a night when several of the Devils’ youngest players made a major offensive impact, two youngsters for the Buffalo Sabres made the difference.

Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt both finished with one goal and one assist while providing the tying and go-ahead scores in the Sabres’ 5-3 win over the Devils on Tuesday at Prudential Center in Newark.

After trailing 3-2 in the second period, the Sabres scored the final three games of the game. Dahlin tied it at 15:19 of the second period. After the Sabres forced a turnover on Ty Smith to keep the puck in the offensive zone,. Dahlin, danced his way down from the blue line before whipping a shot under the crossbar.

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Dahlin then picked up the assist on a Mittelstadt power-play goal at 10:20 of the third period. Dahlin’s shot hit Mittelstadt in front of the crease and redirected into net.

Rasmus Ristolainen pushed the lead to 5-3 with an empty-net goal with 1:31 left in regulation.

In preparation for the NHL trade deadline, the Devils played without Kyle Palmieri for the second straight game, while Taylor Hall was also a precautionary scratch for the Sabres.

The Sabres’ rally spoiled the first NHL game for Tyce Thompson and an early Devils push to take a brief lead.

Making his NHL debut, Thompson played his first shift in the second minute of the game. During his second shift, he posted his first point.

Thompson picked up his first career assist when Damon Severson scored off a rebound at 4:22 of the first period. Thompson carried the puck into the offensive zone along the right wall before flipping a shot toward goal. It bounced out to the slot, where Severson punched it in.

The Sabres scored the next two goals, getting a one-timer from Rasmus Asplund in the right circle at 9:56 to tie the game, followed by a goal from Brandon Montour at 19:17 for a 2-1 lead.

The Devils seemed destined to head into intermission down by a goal, but a late power play chance opened the door for another tying goal.

After pulling the puck out of the corner, Jack Hughes carried it through the right circle before hitting Ty Smith at the point. Instead of firing a shot with about two seconds left in the period, Smith zipped a pass over to Pavel Zacha in the left circle.

Zacha snapped a pass toward the swarm of bodies at net, where Travis Zajac and Jesper Bratt both redirected the puck before it ended up in the net with 0.6 seconds left in the first period.

Zacha, Bratt and Miles Wood then combined to give the Devils a 3-2 lead at 11:03 of the third period. Wood carried the puck into the offensive zone before hitting the brakes and finding a trailing Bratt. Bratt bluffed at a shot before finding Zacha open at the right post.

Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark initially made a sprawling save to turn Zacha away, but as Zacha was down on the ice, he managed to pop the rebound over Ullmark’s pad.

Next up

The Devils and Sabres will play again to close out their season series at 7 p.m. on Thursday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

The Devils will then return home for a pair of games against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Prudential Center. The two teams will meet at 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by another 7 p.m. game on Sunday.

Star Ledger LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186603 New Jersey Devils

NHL rumors: Sabres holding Taylor Hall out of game vs. Devils ahead of trade deadline

By Chris Ryan

Devils forward Kyle Palmieri won’t be the only player serving as a precautionary scratch for Tuesday’s game at Prudential Center in Newark.

Buffalo Sabres interim head coach Don Granato said forward and former Devils MVP Taylor Hall will not dress as the team prepares to potentially move him ahead of the April 12 NHL trade deadline.

Hall, who signed a one-year contract with the Sabres during the offseason, has been at the center of trade rumors for weeks as Buffalo spiraled to the bottom of the NHL standings.

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While Hall has a full no trade clause, the Sabres appear to be in position to move him to a contender ahead of the deadline.

Hall has struggled to score during his lone season in Buffalo, netting just two goals in 37 games. He does have 17 assists for 19 points.

If Hall is moved in the coming week, it will mark the second straight season where he was moved in the middle of the campaign. The Devils traded him to the Arizona Coyotes in December of 2019. If he lands on a new team, it will be his fourth club in less than two years.

Star Ledger LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186604 New Jersey Devils

Injury update on Devils’ Nico Hischier; Tyce Thompson to make NHL debut Tuesday

By Chris Ryan

Nico Hischier will visit with doctors on Tuesday, in the hopes of clearing his next hurdle toward returning to the Devils’ lineup.

Monday marked three weeks since Hischier underwent surgery for a sinus fracture, which he suffered on Feb. 27 when a deflected shot hit the visor of his helmet.

The Devils gave an estimated three-week recovery time for Hischier to be cleared to play, and head coach Lindy Ruff sounded hopeful about the captain returning soon.

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“A lot closer to playing, and obviously he skated (on his own),” Ruff said. “Conditioning is coming along. Feels great. Talked to him this morning. He’s excited about coming close to getting back.”

Hischier won’t play against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night, and forward Kyle Palmieri will remain out of the lineup as a precautionary scratch ahead of next Monday’s NHL trade deadline. Palmieri skated with the team on Tuesday morning.

The Devils will have one new face in the lineup on Tuesday when forward Tyce Thompson makes his NHL debut. Ruff called Thompson on Monday night to inform him.

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Thompson started practicing with the Devils last Thursday after signing his entry level contract and quarantining for a week following his travel to New Jersey.

So after a few days on the ice with the Devils, Ruff is ready to give him a chance in the lineup. Thompson will also get the chance to play against his older brother, Tage, who is a member of the Sabres.

“That’s the best way you could draw up a debut, o be able to play against my brother,” Thompson said. “It just makes it that much more special, and I’m just speechless. I can’t describe how I really feel. It’s just really exciting.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186605 New Jersey Devils

Devils’ Jack Hughes is showing incredible promise, even without the points to back it up

By Chris Ryan

Jack Hughes finished the Devils’ 5-4 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday with one point — a secondary assist on a pass that missed its target and ended up in the Devils’ defensive zone before Ryan Murray found Yegor Sharangovich for a goal.

It’s also not hyperbole to say that was the best game of Hughes’ young career.

Despite the lack of major impact on the actual boxscore, Hughes was relentless with the puck from start to finish. He racked up 10 shot attempts, eight scoring chances and five high-danger scoring chances, with the latter two marking career highs.

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The Devils had 2.78 expected goals when Hughes was on the ice — a mark that surpassed any game Taylor Hall played when he was with the Devils. Hughes himself had a career-high 1.05 expected goals based on his shot attempts.

The problem with expected goals, of course, is that there’s no guarantee any of those shots will actually go in. Hughes hit a post and a crossbar during the game. A backdoor feed from Hughes to Damon Severson resulted into Capitals goalie Ilya Samsonov robbing the defenseman with a glove save before the puck hit the open net.

“I don’t know how he pissed off the hockey gods, but it’s just not going for him right now,” center Travis Zajac said.

The assist did snap an eight-game point drought for Hughes, so he’s got a little weight off his shoulders entering Tuesday’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Hughes had runs during his rookie season in 2019-20 where his production fell off for long stretches, but in those games, the Devils got a much more inconsistent Hughes. It was hard to notice him on some nights.

For the most part, that hasn’t been the case during his second season. Even on nights where Hughes hasn’t gotten on the scoresheet, it’s been impossible to miss him controlling the puck and driving offensive chances.

“He’s done everything except get that bounce,” Zajac said. “Once he does it, I feel like it’s gonna open up for him, but he’s just got to keep pushing because he’s creating out there for himself and for other guys, and we need him to continue to do that.”

Devils head coach Lindy Ruff hasn’t been shy about giving Hughes big and tough minutes during his second NHL season, and when Hughes has played his best, Ruff has rolled him out even more.

The Devils’ struggles with finishing scoring chances has not been limited to Hughes, but during this recent stretch, Ruff has been confident in the process Hughes has used to put himself in the best position to rack up points.

“You’ll run into streaks like this. He’s ran into a tough one, but I really liked his game,” Ruff said. “The finish hasn’t been there, which is disappointing. And I know how frustrating it can be for him, but if he’s frustrated, it didn’t show coming into (Sunday’s) game, I’ll just tell you that. Because he gave it everything he had to make a difference, and he had the opportunities.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186606 New Jersey Devils opted for this strategy in not starting former Devil Taylor Hall, who could also be on the move in the final week before the deadline.

However, playing on Tuesday was Travis Zajac as the lifelong Devil NJ Devils spoil Tyce Thompson's debut as defensive lapses lead to loss continues to have a resurgence recently. Zajac's assist on a first period vs. Sabres goal gave Zajac a point in three of his last four games and eight in his previous 12 contests. With 1,024 career games, all with the Devils, Zajac would be an intriguing option for a team before Monday's deadline, should the Devils part with one of the team's most productive offensive Robert Aitken Jr. names in team history.

Bergen Record LOADED: 04.07.2021 The Devils were poised to have a successful end to the season series against the Buffalo Sabres this week, but Tuesday was not the start they had hoped for. A 5-3 loss to the last place team in the East Division derails a lot of the momentum the Devils were hoping to obtain in the season's final stretch and could very well dash any fleeting hopes of a playoff run by New Jersey.

"It came down to, for me, small plays," said coach Lindy Ruff. "We put the puck in the middle of the ice and got scored against. We'd go long stretches playing pretty well and then turn another puck over."

The Devils led in each of the first two periods, including a Pavel Zacha goal that gave the Devils a 3-2 lead in the second period. Yet Buffalo struck back with game-tying goals both times and took the lead in the third period on a Casey Mittelstadt power play goal. Rasmus Ristolainen netted a goal in the final two minutes to put the game out of reach for the Devils.

Scott Wedgewood faced only 17 shots in his first start since March 26, but costly turnovers in their own zone and two power plays allowed in the third period did not help Wedgewood from keeping the Devils in the game.

"You look at our puck management tonight and you look at almost every goal that was on the hands of our stick and we turned pucks over," said Ruff. "We didn't execute. We had some opportunities to increase the lead and didn't."

"We have another gear"

The Devils had a quality chance in the final seconds of the first period as Nick Merkley was taken down on a break towards the goal. It led to a power play for the Devils and a quick strike that tied the game before intermission.

A shot from Pavel Zacha went off of Travis Zajac's stick, as well as Jesper Bratt's skate, before going into the net. The goal counted and was credited to Bratt, his fifth of the season. The goal went past the line with just 0.6 seconds left on the clock and Bratt did not kick the puck, which made it stand.

That was one of the last times that the Devils were able to control that well offensively as the Sabres took control in the second period and led to a lead they would not lose in the third. For Bratt and the Devils, they need to do more.

"We need to be better as a group," said Bratt after the game. "I think the compete level wasn't where it should be. It's a hard division and you've got to compete and want to win more than the other team. I think we have another gear and we have to fix that for the next game.

Breaking the Tyce

Tyce Thompson was excited to make his NHL debut Tuesday night with his older brother on the opposing team. On the second shift of his Devils career, Thompson put a shot on net and resulted in a Damon Severson goal on the rebound.

"It was definitely special," said Thompson. "It was crazy with emotions, excitement, nerves. But I thought the guys in the room did a good job of keeping me xcalm and just enjoying the moment and having fun out there."

It gave the rookie a point in his NHL debut, a feat last achieved by Ty Smith in the team's season opener back in January.

"I liked his energy," said Ruff. "For me, it was a good game for your first NHL game."

Names on the move?

Kyle Palmieri remains out of the Devils lineup Tuesday while the team could potentially trade him before Monday's trade deadline. Buffalo also 1186607 New Jersey Devils

Tyce Thompson ready for NHL debut with NJ Devils against Sabres

Robert Aitken Jr.

Tyce Thompson, seen here in a 2019 development camp, will make his NHL debut with the Devils on Tuesday.

It will be a debut that feels tailor made for Tyce Thompson. The 21-year old is playing in his first NHL game Tuesday night at Prudential Center, taking on his brother, Tage, and the Buffalo Sabres.

"It's the best way you could draw up a debut," Thompson said Tuesday. "To be able to play against my brother just makes it that much more special. I'm really speechless. I can't describe how I really feel. It's just really exciting."

The Devils' fourth-round pick in 2019 signed with the team in March following the end of his season at Providence College. Thompson worked out with the main club shortly after and was placed on the taxi squad. He came back up and practiced Tuesday with the team. His debut was confirmed Tuesday morning by coach Lindy Ruff.

"I'm excited to see him play," said Ruff. "I've heard a lot of good things. Obviously, he will get to play against his brother. I think that's even more excitement for him and his family. I'm looking forward to him having a good night."

Ruff said he called Thompson on Monday to let him know about his debut. Ruff recalls his own NHL debut as a 19-year old and how Thompson might have similar emotions in his first game.

"I can remember how nervous I was to go on the ice and play." said Ruff. "As a 19-year old, I can remember that and I don't ever want to lose that feeling because you got to remember that when a young man steps into the lineup that they can feel that exact same way. Things just start moving real fast. It was probably one of the, if not the greatest day of my life."

Tyce's brother Tage is a former first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues who was traded to Buffalo in 2018 and re-signed with the Sabres on a one-year deal in the offseason. The Thompson brothers grew up around hockey with their father, , who played in six NHL seasons and currently serves as head coach for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders.

"I'm not sure if my dad is going to be able to make it, we'll see," said Thompson. "My mom is, for sure, coming. I have a couple of friends [coming] too."

Thompson will be the second member of the Devils' 2019 draft class to make the roster. He was drafted 96th overall in the same year that teammate Jack Hughes was taken first overall by the Devils.

Thompson played in 101 games for Providence across three seasons, with 38 goals and 56 assists . Thompson was playing for Providence this season and waited to see if they would be selected to participate in the NCAA tournament. The Friars were left as an alternate for the field, allowing Thompson to finish his college career earlier than he expected and sign with the Devils.

"I'm going to try and take it all in," said Thompson. "Playing your first NHL game is something special and I'm just going to try and enjoy it and not try and worry too much. Just go out there and play."

Bergen Record LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186608 New Jersey Devils Zacha knocked in his own rebound while basically sitting on the ice to give New Jersey a 3-2 lead. Dahlin answered just over four minutes later.

Kyle Palmieri of the Devils and the Sabres’ Taylor Hall, a former Devil, Devils’ struggles continue in loss to lowly Sabres are waiting to find out where they will be headed to play in the next few days.

Both unrestricted free agents are being held out of their respective By Associated Press April 6, 2021 | 10:05pm | Updated lineups while their teams work out trade deals prior to Monday’s trade deadline.

Palmieri was put on ice on Sunday. Hall joined him in limbo on Tuesday. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin scored and set up the winning goal by Casey Mittelstadt as the Buffalo Sabres snapped a 10-game road New York Post LOADED: 04.07.2021 winless streak with a 5-3 over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night at Prudential Center.

Ramus Asplund, Brandon Montour and Rasmus Ristolainen also scored for the Sabres, who recently snapped an 18-game winless streak. Linus Ullmark made 27 saves to beat the Devils for the fourth time this season.

The Sabres have points in five straight games (3-0-2).

“It’s such a great feeling. I mean you can, like you said, you see the guys, smiling on the bench and we’re playing,” Dahlin said, adding interim coach Don Granato has instilled confidence in the players and given the Sabres new life.

Damon Severson, Jesper Bratt and Pavel Zacha scored for New Jersey, which is 1-4-2 in its last seven games. Scott Wedgewood made 13 saves in his first start in five games.

Dahlin tied the game 3-all at 15:19 of the second period with a shot from low in the left circle. It was only the third goal of the season for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft.

Mittelstadt’s game winner came with 9:40 left in regulation with the Sabres on their second power play of the period. Dahlin prevented Travis Zajac from clearing the puck, skated to the right circle and found Mittelstadt for a redirection into an open net.

“I didn’t have to do much, obviously it was bouncing and Rasmus just did what Rasmus does I guess,” Mittelstadt said. “I said the same thing last game, he makes it look so easy but I don’t think the people at home know how hard a play that is.”

Scott Wedgewood makes the save against the Sabres’ Tage Thompson.

Granato said he has given Dahlin the green light to be himself.

“He’s been great,” Granato said. “And tonight was evident of that, we don’t win that game without him rising to the level he can rise to it. He made a couple of big plays to tip that game back in our way and that’s what you hope for a guy of his talent and special player, and very engaged right now.”

Ristolainen iced the game with an empty-net goal as the Sabres won on the road for the first time since a 4-1 victory at New Jersey on Feb. 23. The road skid was the NHL’s longest since the Los Angeles Kings went 0-10-1 from Oct. 24 to Dec. 7, 2019.

Devils coach Lindy Ruff said every goal the Sabres scored resulted from a mistake by the Devils while in possession of the puck.

“Obviously, the shots have been down but sometimes the shots are deceiving when you give up the type of quality that we gave up,” Ruff said.

The game between the bottom two teams in the East Division was entertaining and was tied 3-all after two periods. It also featured the NHL debut of Tyce Thompson, the brother of Sabres forward Tage Thompson.

Tyce Thompson helped the Devils take an early with lead, putting a shot on goal that Ullmark couldn’t handle. Severson knocked in the rebound.

“It was definitely special,” Tyce Thompson said. “I mean, it was crazy with emotions, excitement, nerves, but I thought the guys in the room did a good job of keeping me calm and just enjoying the moment and just kind of having fun out there. Too bad that we didn’t do enough to win.”

Taking advantage of a turnover and nice pass by Mittelstadt, Asplund tied the game for Buffalo midway through the first period.

Montour scored his fourth goal in five games with a rebound in the final minute of the opening period, but Bratt tied the game in the final second with a power-play goal. 1186609 New Jersey Devils • Isles trade Simon Holmstrom and a second-round pick for Palmieri. — Eric L.

Our take: Holmstrom is a recent first-round pick, so the Islanders ‘Who says no?’: Analyzing New Jersey Devils trade proposals from other probably balk at this. Neither Pronman nor Wheeler seems particularly teams’ fans high on him, either.

• Isles trade Wilde for Palmieri (50 percent retained). — Dennis S.

By Corey Masisak Apr 6, 2021 • Isles trade Robin Salo for Palmieri (33 percent retained). — Dennis S.

• Isles trade Samuel Bolduc and a 2022 second for Palmieri (33 percent retained). — Dennis S. The “Who says no?” story has become a popular one for The Athletic subscribers and NHL writers alike. Our take: This reads like Dennis negotiating against himself, but he eventually gets to where he needs to. Bolduc is big and skates well, and There were some interesting proposals in the Devils edition. Given New he leads Bridgeport with eight points in 14 games. Both of our prospect Jersey’s place in the East Division standings and collection of pending gurus question his offensive impact at the NHL level, though. unrestricted free agents (UFAs), Devils players were pretty popular targets with other fan bases, too. • Isles trade Bellows and a second for Palmieri. — Anant A.

What do fans of other teams think their clubs need to part with to land Our take: If the organization has only seen Bellows against the Devils, UFAs such as Kyle Palmieri and Ryan Murray or younger players under this might be an immediate yes. He has flaws, but he’s a not-small wing contract, such as Pavel Zacha and Miles Wood? While we wait for Devils and he scores goals. general manager Tom Fitzgerald and his 30 counterparts to really get • Isles trade a 2021 second and a 2021 third for Palmieri. — Nikhil P. Trade Deadline SZN rolling, let’s take a look at what those fans have proposed to our other writers. Our take: If Lou Lamoriello holds the line on his top young players, this might be the best offer if Fitzgerald can’t coax a first-round pick from Just a warning: Some of the proposals didn’t make it from the discussion someone. This would also keep the trade chain going — the Devils got a posts into The Athletic stories, and probably for good reason. second and a third for Jaromir Jagr and used those picks to trade for Note: Submitted proposals have been edited for clarity and length. Palmieri.

The many offers for Palmieri • Isles trade a 2021 first to the Devils for Palmieri. — Andrew S.

• Islanders trade 2021 and 2022 second-round picks and Leo Komarov to Our take: Will Fitzgerald have enough teams involved to create a serious the Devils for Kyle Palmieri. — Josh E. bidding war? Maybe. If so, is Lamoriello the one who blinks and yields his first-round pick? Let’s go with yes. Our take: If we assume the minimum for a winning Palmieri bid is a second-round pick and a second asset, this won’t be it. Komarov has a • Isles trade Komarov and a 2021 first for Palmieri. — Anthony T. $3 million cap hit for next season and 10 goals in his past 151 NHL • Isles trade Komarov, a first and a third for Palmieri. — Peter W. games. Our take: If Fitzgerald can’t find a first elsewhere, the Devils would have • Isles trade Thomas Hickey and a third-round pick for Palmieri. — to consider paying ($2 million in salary for Komarov next year) to get one. Steven J. You might be on to something, Peter. Our take: Hickey is at $2.5 million for next season. It might cost more There are some other teams’ fans interested in Palmieri … than a third to pawn him off on another team for … nothing. • Jets trade Kristian Vesalainen and a second-round pick for Palmieri. — • Isles trade Andrew Ladd and a second for Palmieri. Maybe two Colin H. seconds. — Matt G. Our take: Vesalainen is the type of big, skilled wing whose flashes will Our take: Matt would like the Devils to collect $11 million in cap space make a scout pound the table for him, and maybe a fresh start helps him over the next two seasons to trade maybe the best wing on the market. find more consistent success. Who says no here? Smart money is on At least he’s considering tossing in an extra second. Palmieri, who has an eight-team no-trade clause. • Isles trade Ladd, Kieffer Bellows and a second for Palmieri. — Hunter • Maple Leafs trade Alex Kerfoot, a second and a third for Palmieri A. (retained at 50 percent). — David B. Our take: Nope, Ladd’s deal is a non-starter. Our take: Here are the issues, David: The Devils drafted Kerfoot, and he • Isles trade Komarov, Ladd and a second-round pick for Palmieri. — Tro did not sign with them. Also, who would be the Leafs’ No. 3 center? Good C. value for Palmieri, but maybe bad timing on the deal.

Our take: Do the Isles have any other toxic assets they can toss in? Are • Oilers trade Dominik Kahun and a 2022 second for Palmieri. there any payments left on the Alexei Yashin buyout that the Devils could Our take: The Devils had three weeks to sign Kahun as a free agent and assume? didn’t, and he’s been so-so for Edmonton. Meh. OK, we’re off the rails already here … • Oilers trade Caleb Jones, Tyler Benson and a 2022 third for Palmieri. • Isles trade a 2021 second and Michael Dal Colle to the Devils for Our take: Jones and Benson are both 23 and far from established Palmieri. — Chris N. NHLers at this point. They feel like tweeners, or depth guys. Pass. Our take: What or who should the second asset be if the Islanders want The offers for Palmieri and someone else Palmieri? Dal Colle is the Islanders’ Pavel Zacha, only not nearly as productive at the NHL level. Pass. • Flames trade Johnny Gaudreau for Palmieri and a first-round pick.

• Isles trade Bode Wilde and a 2021 second to the Devils for Palmieri and Our take (from Hailey Salvian’s story): Getting an impact player back for a 2021 fifth. — Justin B. Palmieri is enticing, but there are a couple of potential potholes here. One, I’m sure the Devils would seek protections on the first-round pick so Our take: Now we’re getting somewhere. Wilde is more interesting. The this doesn’t become Palmieri and a top-three/-five/-10 selection. Two, Athletic’s Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler ranked Wilde ahead of adding Gaudreau increases the Devils’ talent level up front but also fellow defensemen Robin Salo and Samuel Bolduc before the season, commits another top-six slot to a small player. He would join Jack but Bolduc has been much better in a bigger role for Bridgeport this Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt, which could be OK but would season. also likely leave the Devils chasing size over talent in future moves. Finally, Palmieri’s modified no-trade clause might scuttle this. For all those reasons, this seems like a better idea in theory than in practice. • Isles trade Komarov, a second and a third for Palmieri and Miles Wood. Our take: This is basically eating $4.5 million of cap space next season — Richard S. and a round in the 2022 draft to get Niku. This would have been a better idea two years ago — Niku is 24 and just feels like a tease who might Our take: This is probably a no without adding Wood. never reach his potential at this point.

• Isles trade Komarov, Blade Jenkins, Mitch Vande Sompel and a 2021 • Flames trade Gaudreau and Dominik Simon for Nikita Gusev, Michael first for Palmieri and Wood. — Liam F. McLeod and a first-round pick. — Kyle H.

Our take: We just established that Uncle Leo and a first is a maybe, but Our take: The same issues with Gaudreau remain from the earlier two fringe prospects for Wood is a hard pass. proposal, and now we’re including a young player the Devils coaching • Isles trade Hickey, a second and Bellows for Palmieri and Wood. — staff is quite fond of. Simon is like Kahun up the road in Edmonton — a Bryan Y. guy who was non-tendered and considered a bargain signing for the Flames but hasn’t had the expected impact. Our take: Do teams normally add their leading goal scorer on a reasonable contract as a throw-in to trades? Did the Islanders make this • Flames trade a fourth-round pick for Gusev (Devils retain salary). — happen at some point, so now their fans think it’s just what happens? Paul G.

• Isles trade Ladd, Grant Hutton, a 2021 second and a conditional 2022 Our take: The first thought here is Gusev playing for Darryl Sutter. second (becomes a first if New York reaches the Stanley Cup Final) for Doesn’t seem like a great fit, but maybe it’s just the jolt that Gusev and Palmieri and Sami Vatanen. — Dan P. the flailing Flames need.

Our take: Had to check and see if the Islanders were at 50 contracts and • Ducks trade Adam Henrique for Zacha and a fourth-round pick. — including Hutton was to stay under the limit. They’re not … not that it Michael V. matters with Ladd involved. Our take: One of these players was put on waivers this year and has No more proposals from Islanders fans. Promise. three more seasons left at $5.85 million. He’s probably the one who needs a draft pick attached (and better than a fourth) for the other side to • Flames trade Sean Monahan and Gaudreau for Palmieri, Vatanen and even think about this, Michael. Zacha. • Lightning trade Tyler Johnson, Alex Barre-Boulet and a 2021 first-round Our take: The first reaction to this offer might be to ask Brad Treliving to pick for Wood and Vatanen. — Brett S. cough twice if he’s being held hostage. Calgary might want to blow it up, but this … won’t be it. Our take (from Joe Smith’s story): That is an interesting one to consider. The Devils certainly need more good players, but if they wanted Johnson • Wild trade Pittsburgh’s 2021 first, Pittsburgh’s 2021 third, Filip at $5 million for the next three years, they could have just claimed him off Johansson and Vladislav Firstov for Palmieri and Zacha. — John D. waivers. New Jersey has several needs to complete its long-standing rebuild, but “small-ish middle-six forwards” is something it is pretty well Our take: Is John D. from Minneapolis or Montclair? The Devils might not stocked with at the moment. If the Lighting were to make the first-round think this is enough with Zacha involved, but it’s almost certainly too pick further into the future, that could make it more intriguing, given the much for the Wild to give up so they can lose in six games instead of five chances for it not being at the end of the round. Vatanen is certainly to Colorado or Vegas. available, and Wood is far from untouchable. (Vincent Carchietta / USA Today) • Maple Leafs trade Rodion Amirov for Wood. Stanley Cup won. — The offers for Dmitry Kulikov Douglas C.

• Canadiens trade a 2021 third for Kulikov. — Marc C. James Mirtle’s take: Great, now the Devils GM is here, too.

• Canadiens trade a third for Kulikov. — Shane K. Our take: Guess James isn’t on board with this one.

• Jets trade a third for Kulikov. — Colin H. Here’s how we envision this going …

Our take: Feels right, unless Fitzgerald can find the one GM desperate Kyle Dubas: “Fitzy, what will it take for me to get Miles Wood?” enough to give up a second for a likely third-pairing guy on a contender. Fitzgerald: (Long pause.) “Amirov.” He probably can’t trade everyone to Lamoriello, though. Dubas: “Amirov?” The offers for Ryan Murray Fitzgerald: “Amirov.” • Canadiens trade Paul Byron, Victor Mete and a third for Ryan Murray and a seventh. — Dan M. Dubas: (Long sigh, followed by an even longer pause while the camera pans around the Devils war room as everyone gets that “Wait, is he really Our take: The issue here is Byron’s a fourth-line guy with two more years going to do it?” expression on their face.): “OK, Fitzy. You’ve got a deal.” at $3.4 million. The move here would be to counter with Kulikov for Jordan Weal instead of Byron, Mete and the pick. But the Canadiens Fitzgerald: (Camera pans again and Devils personnel are fist-pumping probably aren’t doing Mete and a third. If the Devils want an NHL-ready and high-fiving in slow motion.): “OK.” asset instead of a draft pick, Mete is an intriguing target. Then Fitzgerald walks into Josh Harris’ office and says he just traded for • Jets trade Sami Niku or Logan Stanley and a 2022 second for Murray Rodion Amirov. Then he asks Harris for a pen to sign a contract (50 percent retained). — Fred A. extension and the camera pans to the view from the office as the credits roll. Our take: Fred is clearly one of the many wonderfully hospitable and kind people who make Winnipeg such an underrated place to visit. Also, the Yes, this should read like a movie script — original screenplay, not Jets would not do this. adapted — because it’s not happening.

The miscellaneous offers The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 • Jets trade Mathieu Perreault, a second and a third for Murray and Wood. — Miles B.

Our take: Perreault is basically the money-in, money-out match for Murray, so you could look at this as Wood for a second and Murray for a third. And then ask the Jets for a third thing because it’s not enough.

• Jets trade Perreault, Niku and a 2022 third for P.K. Subban (50 percent retained) and a 2022 second. — Dan L. 1186610 New York Islanders 72-38 at home overall. They continue their homestand Thursday against Philadelphia before two games at Nassau Coliseum against the rival Rangers.

Semyon Varlamov, Islanders blank Capitals to move into first-place tie “It’s about us taking the challenge in front of us,” forward Cal Clutterbuck said. ”The mentality is to stay with what’s going on today. If we play well, we want to play well again.”

By Associated Press April 6, 2021 | 10:14pm | Updated The Islanders have three players with active streaks of least 200 games: Brock Nelson (284), Mathew Barzal (271) and Ryan Pulock (234). All

three have appeared in every game since Trotz became coach. Nelson is Brock Nelson scored with just under seven minutes left and Semyon tied with Matt Moulson for fourth place in franchise history and 11 games Varlamov made 29 saves as the New York Islanders edged Washington from equaling captain Anders Lee, whose streak ended at 295 games on 1-0 on Tuesday night at Nassau Coliseum to pull even with the Capitals March 11 when he sustained a season-ending knee injury against the for first place in the East Division. Devils.

Varlamov and Vitek Vanecek matched each other save for save for more Since becoming coach of the Islanders before the 2018-19 season, Trotz than 50 minutes before Nelson scored his team-leading 14th goal is 6-7-0 in the regular season against the Capitals team he led to a assisted by defenseman Ryan Pulock at 13:05 of the third period. Stanley Cup championship in 2018. Last Thursday’s win over Washington was the first in five tries at home against the Capitals over Varlamov earned his fourth shutout this season and the 31st of his that span. The Islanders did defeat Washington in five games in last career. It was the first time he blanked his former Capitals team in a summer’s playoff bubble in Toronto. regular-season game. The 32-year-old goalie improved to 16-7-3 this season, his second with the Islanders. New York Post LOADED: 04.07.2021

“When it’s 1-0 the thought is coming — maybe you are going to get that shutout,” Varlamov said. “I try not to think about it, stay focused and make another save.”

New York improved to 16-1-2 at Nassau Coliseum, remaining the only team in the NHL with just one regulation loss at home.

The Islanders are 11-4-4 in games decided by a single goal, including a 6-4 record in regulation. Winning close games has become a byproduct of the defense-first structure Barry Trotz has implemented since becoming coach just after he helped the Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018.

“I liked the way we managed the puck. I like the way we defended,” Trotz said. “Their goaltender played extremely well. We had chances to pull away and we didn’t. It was a hell of a hockey game.”

Semyon Varlamov makes a save against the Capitals’ Conor Sheary.

The game was much less chaotic than a meeting between the teams five days ago, when they combined for six goals in the first period and the Islanders won 8-4.

Washington was shut out for the first time this season.

“It was one of those tight games. They got one by and we weren’t able to,″ Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said.

The Islanders held a 12-7 shots advantage in the first period, but the Capitals reversed that number in the second. It was the third time this season the Islanders and their opponents were scoreless through two periods.

The third started with a more frenetic pace, with both teams trading chances before Nelson was finally able to put a shot past Vanecek, who finished with 38 saves. The Islanders fired 20 shots at Vanecek in the third.

Trotz praised his squad’s gritty effort.

“They have learned to manage the compete — really embrace the compete — because that is the fun part,” Trotz added. ”These guys have done a really good job. Tonight was another good test against a really good team.”

The Capitals won the first three meetings this season at home, outscoring New York 12-6. The teams will play two more times on Long Island and once in Washington.

Washington concluded a five-game road trip with three losses, two against the Islanders and one against the Rangers. The Capitals return home to face Boston on Thursday before two games in Buffalo against the last-place Sabres.

“We had our chances and they just wouldn’t go in tonight,” Capitals defenseman Justin Schultz said. ”Vitek kept us in it. We’ll learn from it and try to be better next time.”

The Islanders are 17-4-1 in their last 22 games and 22-6-4 in their past 32. They have outscored their opponents 46-25 in the third period and 1186611 New York Islanders

Brock Nelson's goal is all Islanders need to beat Capitals, tie for lead in East

By Andrew Gross

Nobody expected another high-scoring match.

But the Islanders and Capitals completely tightened things up on Tuesday night before a sell-out crowd of 1,400 at Nassau Coliseum after combining for 12 goals just five days earlier.

Brock Nelson scored in one of the best Islanders’ third periods of the season for an entertainingly intense, 1-0 win. It allowed the Islanders (25- 10-4), who won their third straight, to match the Capitals atop the East Division with 54 points.

"I didn’t think they had a lot of opportunities but some that they did were pretty dangerous," coach Barry Trotz said. "We had lots of chances to pull away and we didn’t and it was a heck of a hockey game between two good teams."

Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves, including 10 in the third period, for his fourth shutout this season and the 31st of his career. An equally-brilliant Vitek Vanecek stopped 38 shots for the Capitals.

"I thought Varly was really good," defenseman Ryan Pulock said. "He was in position. He made those saves look easy. When he’s calm back there it makes our job easier. He’s been a rock for us all year. Their goalie made some highlight-reel saves for them and you’re going to run into that in this league."

The Islanders had set a season-high for goals in an 8-4 win over the Capitals on Thursday to open this season-high, six-game homestand. In all, the teams play five times in 27 days this month in a possible playoff preview.

"Every game is different," said Nelson, who broke the stalemate at 13:05 of the third period on the rebound of Pulock’s shot from the right point. The Islanders took 20 shots over the final 20 minutes.

"I think you have a game plan, or maybe a script in your head on how things will go and it probably doesn’t turn out that way more often," Nelson added. "Every game is going to be tough the rest of the way in. Our division is tight. All the points matter so you need to find ways to win."

The top four teams in the East will qualify for the postseason. Finishing first will guarantee home-ice advantage for the first two rounds and the Islanders are now 16-1-2 at home.

"For us, when we start the year, the ultimate goal is to win it all," said Cal Clutterbuck, who dished out a game-high seven hits. "If you struggle to keep up with the teams in your own division then it’s going to be a tough road. Really, honestly, it’s about us just daily taking on the challenge that’s in front of us. It’s a tough division, I think everybody knows that, and if you start looking ahead or dwelling on things past, you find yourself in a hole."

It was clear from the opening faceoff this game would be much tighter than Thursday’s offensive showcase.

Rookie Kieffer Bellows skated back two minutes in to knock the puck away from Alex Ovechkin just over the Islanders’ blue line. The Capitals then went from 3:59 to 14:06 of the first period without a shot.

Jordan Eberle hit the crossbar on first-period power play, then hit the crossbar again with a point-blank backhander in the second period.

Vanecek turned aside Anthony Beauvillier from the right circle at 5:49 of the second period after he was sprung up ice by defenseman Nick Leddy. Vanececk also closed his pads in time to deny Pulock from in tight at 12:41.

Varlamov started the third period by making a shoulder save on Carl Hagelin’s three-on-two attempt just 36 seconds in.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186612 New York Islanders

Josh Bailey's assist on Brock Nelson's goal gives him 500 NHL points

By Andrew Gross

Josh Bailey reached his milestone 500th career point in the Islanders’ 1-0 win over the Capitals on Tuesday night at Nassau Coliseum.

The longest-tenured Islander, playing in his 904th game since 2008, received the primary assist on Brock Nelson’s goal at 13:05 of the third period. Bailey got to the crease along with his linemate as the rebound of defenseman Ryan Pulock’s shot from the right point grazed him before getting to Nelson’s stick.

Bailey became the 11th Islander with at least 500 points. Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier leads the team list with 1,353 points while Bobby Nystrom is 10th with 513.

"I knew it was close," Bailey said. "I really haven’t spent much time thinking about it."

Bellows returns

Rookie Kieffer Bellows logged 10:16 with a shot, three hits and a blocked shot as he took burly Ross Johnston’s spot on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s left wing.

Coach Barry Trotz said Johnston was day to day. He exited Saturday’s 3- 2, four-round shootout win over the Flyers at 2:47 of the first period after taking a punch to the face from Samuel Morin but was able to practice on Monday.

"I thought Kieffer came in and did a real good job," Trotz said. "He was physical. He was detailed systematically and he was competing. I liked his game."

Isles files

Lou Lamoriello earned his 1,319 win as a general manager, tying Glen Sather for second place on the NHL’s all-time list behind the Predators’ David Poile (1,436)…Michael Dal Colle (injured reserve/lower body) missed his fifth game…Radio play-by-play voice Chris King missed his third game because of COVID-19 protocols. Analyst Greg Picker handled the play-by-play duties partnered with Cory Wright, the Islanders senior manager for web content…The Islanders were 2-for-2 on the penalty kill, limiting the Capitals to two shots.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186613 New York Islanders

Islanders' Jordan Eberle, Josh Bailey set aside concerns over expansion draft

By Andrew Gross

The immediate task for the Islanders was the Capitals on Tuesday night at Nassau Coliseum and a chance to match them for first place in the East Division.

This summer’s expansion draft for the NHL’s 32nd franchise, the Seattle Kraken, is still in the distance.

Yet while the players may not be dwelling on the what-ifs or the what’s to come — plus knowing every offseason brings changes — the fact that the Islanders must lose a player to the new franchise does add a hint of urgency to this season’s quest for the Stanley Cup.

The Islanders reached the Eastern Conference final last season for the first time since 1993 and are in the third season under president and general manager Lou Lamoriello and coach Barry Trotz.

"I think the urgency is going to be there, regardless," Jordan Eberle said. "We definitely have an older team and we want to win now. Lou has said it. Barry has said it. You’ve heard the players say it. That’s our goal, to win right now. As far as the expansion draft, you’re always going to lose players, offseasons are funky like that. You’re going to lose guys to free agency, you’re going to lose them to the expansion draft, trades, whatever it may be.

"But I can say, from the group, we enjoy playing with each other. We’ve been doing it for three years and every guy in the locker room likes each other. We want to win together and we definitely have the initiative to do it right away."

The Kraken will select one player from every team other than Vegas, which entered the NHL in 2017 and lost to Trotz’s Capitals in the Cup Final in its first season. The Kraken will select 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies.

Teams can protect either seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie or eight skaters (forwards and defensemen) and one goalie. All players who decline to waive no-movement clauses must be protected. Players with no-trade clauses can be exposed.

"It doesn’t change a whole lot," Josh Bailey said. "It’s still a ways away. Changes happen in the offseason and I’m sure this summer will be no different."

Both Eberle, who has a modified no-trade clause, and Bailey would have to be protected by the Islanders. Bailey, the longest-tenured Islanders, is in the third season of a six-year, $30 million deal. Eberle is in the second season of a five-year, $27.5 million contract.

But while both are valuable, top-six wings, Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello could decide it’s more valuable to dangle either to the Kraken and try and delete one of their cap hits.

The salary cap will remain flat at $81.5 million next season and the Islanders already have $68.9 million committed to 18 players.

Casey Cizikas, concluding a five-year, $16.75 million deal, is an impending unrestricted free agent. Top-pair defenseman Adam Pelech, ending a four-year, $6.4 million deal, is an impending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. So is emerging goalie Ilya Sorokin, who is playing his rookie season on a one-year, $2 million deal.

Both RFAs will be seeking significantly more money.

For now, those are issues for another day.

"I don’t think it plays into anything, quite frankly," coach Barry Trotz said. "If you’re a player and you’re counting numbers and you’re going, ‘I wonder if I’ll be one of those guys? I’m a bubble guy.’ You might have a thought about it. But, really, it has almost zero effect on what we do, how they think and how they play at this moment, anyways."

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186614 New York Islanders

Chris King to miss third straight Islanders broadcast

By Neil Best

Islanders radio play-by-play man Chris King will miss his third consecutive game on Tuesday because of COVID-19 protocols.

King had not missed a game because of illness or injury in 25 years until two years ago, when he skipped one because he was getting tested (and cleared) upon experiencing chest pains.

Greg Picker, King’s longtime announcing partner, will handle play-by-play for Tuesday’s game against the Capitals, with Cory Wright as color commentator. Picker called last Thursday’s game for King. Last Saturday, Bridgeport Sound Tigers announcer Alan Fuehring filled in on play-by-play alongside Picker.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186615 New York Islanders

TURNING POINT: Brock Nelson’s Late Goal Seals Win For Islanders

By Andrew Battifarano

For most of the night, the New York Islanders’ tenacious forecheck was all for naught.

But Brock Nelson changed that late in the third period with a timely goal. The strike with 6:55 to go sealed a 1-0 blanking over the Washington Capitals at Nassau Coliseum. For the game’s lone goal, it is the obvious turning point in this Islanders victory.

This was a game, aside from a chunk in the second period, that the Islanders dominated possession and the shot share, and by game’s end, the Islanders led in 25-12 in high danger chances and were at 3.93 in terms of expected goals.

But the game isn’t played theoretically, and the Islanders had been stymied by Washington netminder Vitek Vanecek for the first 53 minutes and change.

“I liked the way we managed the puck and how we controlled it in the offensive zone,” Barry Trotz said. “I like the way we defended. Washington doesn’t need a lot of chances to capitalize. … I thought we managed it pretty good.”

“I thought their goaltender played extremely well. We had a lot of chances to pull away and we didn’t. It was a hell of a hockey game.”

The Islanders threw everything they had at the Capitals in the third and finally broke through in the waning minutes. And it all started with a heads-up play from Anthony Beauvillier.

Another look at Brock's GWG! pic.twitter.com/xs9tomDQ2r

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 7, 2021

The winger charged into the offensive zone against three Washington skaters and flung the puck off the end boards and kept the puck in deep. Washington couldn’t clear it out as Ryan Pulock corralled the puck at the blue line.

Though he doesn’t have a goal yet this year, Pulock put a chance on net that gave Josh Bailey or Nelson a chance to finish. Sure enough, it was Nelson who pushed in the rebound under Vanecek’s pads for the game- winner. That gives Nelson, who has three points in his last two games against Washington, two deciding goals this year.

“Barry came in after the second and said we did some good things, had some chances,” Nelson said. “Just wanted to stick with it and elevate the game a little bit more. And I thought we were able to do that. And we had quite a few good looks and weren’t able to capitalize going into the third.”

Things the last month and a half have turned around for Nelson as well. After a slower start to the season, Nelson had a strong March with 10 points (six goals four assists) and he’s already keeping pace in April with three points in as many games. And he’s now one of the nine Islanders who’ve recorded over 100 high danger chances for at 5-on-5 play this season, per Natural Stat Trick.

“It was a nice play by [Pulock] to hold the line and kind of create some offense there before they were maybe set up in the D zone,” Nelson said. “I was able to find the puck with some space and get it in.”

Nelson had started off almost exclusively scoring on the power play, but he now has more goals at even strength than the man advantage (eight to six, respectively).

That’s the goal scoring touch the Islanders need as they battle for the top spot in the division with the Capitals. After going winless in Washington to start the year, they’ve beaten the Capitals in two straight at Nassau Coliseum. Timely goals like Nelson’s could be the deciding factor in who wins the East when it’s all said and done.

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186616 New York Islanders Josh Bailey was credited with the primary assist, which was his 500th point in the NHL. While the milestone is a significant one, it was not something that Bailey had been focusing on beforehand.

Brock & Roll: Nelson Lifts Islanders to Win over Caps in Defensive Ross Johnston was a healthy scratch on Tuesday night. He had exited Showcase Saturday’s win over Philadelphia early after getting into a fight with Samuel Morin. That meant Kieffer Bellows returned to the New York Islanders lineup, where he saw 10:16 of ice time.

By Christian Arnold Trotz said the decision to play Bellows was a combination of being cautious with Johnston and wanting to get Bellows another chance in the

lineup. UNIONDALE, N.Y. — It sure wasn’t the offensive back and forth that was “I thought Kieffer came in and did a real good job,” Trotz said. “He was seen last week between the New York Islanders and Washington physical. He was detailed systematically and he was competing. I liked Capitals, but the end result was the same. An Islanders victory. his game. I had no problem with him.” It was a goaltending and defensive duel between the East Division rivals NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 that kept the game scoreless until the 13:05 mark of the third period when Brock Nelson finally found the twine and led New York to a 1-0 win. Tuesday was the second time in less than a week that the Islanders defeated Washington after dropping their first three meetings on the road.

“I liked the way we managed the puck. I liked the way we controlled it in the offensive zone. I liked the way we defended,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said. “Washington doesn’t need a lot of opportunities to capitalize. They have some pretty dangerous shooters. … I thought we managed it pretty good. I didn’t think they had a lot of opportunities, but the some that they did were pretty dangerous and (Semyon Varlamov) came up big.

“I thought their goaltender played extremely well. We had lots of chances to pull away, we didn’t, and it was a hell of a hockey game between two good teams.”

W. pic.twitter.com/wZ9rRYtQ46

— Isles on MSG+2 Tonight (@IslesMSGN) April 7, 2021

The win moves the New York Islanders back into a tie with Washington for the Division lead. They also pulled four points clear of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who fell to the New York Rangers 8-4.

Semyon Varlamov recorded his fourth shutout of the season with a 29 save effort in net, on what had been a calm night through different points of the game. The Russian netminder did have to make several key stops when he was challenged by Washington’s talented offensive assets.

“Usually when you when you start thinking about (the shutout) you give up the goal,” Varlamov said. “It’s happened to me so many times so I know it’s just thoughts and I try not to think about it. Just try stay focused and make another save and then I was able to do that today.”

Varlamov is now 16-7-3 in 26 starts.

The game was a much more traditional Islanders win than they had last week against Washington. Under Barry Trotz is known as a much more defensive-minded team and that was the style that they played, which led to several offensive chances throughout the night.

The Islanders outshot Washington 39-29 through the 60-minute affair and hit the iron on three different occasions. A blast from Noah Dobson clanked off the crossbar and the sound echoed through the Nassau Coliseum. Jordan Eberle hit the crossbar himself two different times.

NELSON ENDS THE SCORELESS TIE pic.twitter.com/RzNw15AAKk

— Isles on MSG+2 Tonight (@IslesMSGN) April 7, 2021

Nelson’s game-winner came with 6:55 left to play in the game. The Islanders forward forced a turnover behind the Washington net and the puck rolled to Ryan Pulock at the point.

The Islanders defender sent the puck back towards Washington starter Vitek Vanecek. The puck appeared to hit a player in front of the net and Nelson was able to pick it up and put it past Vanecek for his 14th goal of the season.

“It was a nice play by Pulls to hold the line and kind of create some offense there before they were set up in the D zone,” Nelson said. “Bails is occupying the guy in front and I was able to find the loose puck with some space and get it in. it was nice to get that one.” 1186617 New York Islanders

Islanders Remain Interested in Kyle Palmieri, Could be Looking to Add Depth Forward

By Christian Arnold and Stefen Rosner

The New York Islanders are one of the teams interested in New Jersey Devils forward Kyle Palmieri.

NYI Hockey has been able to confirm through NHL sources The Fourth Period and Boston Hockey Now’s reporting that the Islanders are one of five teams lining up to try and acquire the services of Kyle Palmieri. The Islanders and Palmieri have been linked to one another for some time, especially after captain Anders Lee had his season ended last month by an ACL injury.

The Islanders do have several assets, as NYI Hockey Now has explored, that could appeal to New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald in a trade. Lou Lamoriello and Fitzgerald also have a history of making deals, the two were able to work out a trade for Andy Greene last season.

While Palmieri’s offensive numbers don’t stand out this season — it’s been a down year with New Jersey struggling — he has proven to be a consistent 20-plus goal scorer over his career. He also fits the mold of a Lamoriello, Barry Trotz-type player that is a character guy in the locker room and can play several different roles in the lineup.

Palmieri’s $4.65 million cap hit this year means the Islanders would also have ample room to go after another depth forward to bolster themselves for a deep playoff run, and it appears that may be just what they’re doing.

Sources have also indicated to NYI Hockey Now that the Islanders could be turning their attention to a depth move as well in the form of a deal for Los Angeles Kings forward Alex Iafallo.

Similar to Kyle Palmieri, Iafallo is a New York native, and is on the final year of his current contract. The 27-year-old has appeared in 36 games with Los Angeles this season and has 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in that span.

Trading for Iafallo would give the Islanders a depth forward that could find a home on the third line and allow Anthony Beauvillier to return to the second line on a more permanent basis.

The Islanders have been utilizing Beauvillier on the second and third line at times and have had to fill the gap on the third line with Michael Dal Colle sidelined with a lower-body injury. Iafallo would give the Islanders a more skilled option outside of Ross Johnston while Dal Colle is out as well.

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186618 New York Islanders Ilya Sorokin WASHINGTON CAPITALS LINEUP (PROJECTED)

Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie ‘Prepared for Anything,’ Islanders Lineup, Matchups and Game Notes vs. Caps Conor Sheary — Nicklas Backstrom — Tom Wilson

Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — Daniel Sprong

By Christian Arnold ‘ Carl Hagelin — Nic Dowd — Garnet Hathaway

Brenden Dillon — John Carlson

New York Islanders vs Washington Capitals Dmitry Orlov — Justin Schultz

'The New York Islanders are preparing for just about anything when they Zdeno Chara — Nick Jensen hit the ice tonight at the Nassau Coliseum when they host the Washington Capitals. Vitek Vanecek

The last time around the Islanders scored a season-high eight goals and Ilya Samsonov the two teams combined for 12 goals last Thursday. It was a rare GAME NOTES occurrence for either team, especially for the Islanders who are averaging 2.34 goals against this season and are a team that is more The Islanders have outscored their opponents 71-38 at home. Their +33 likely to win a close game than a blowout. goal differential on home ice ranks second in the league. … The Islanders have allowed 89 goals in 38 games, matching the fewest goals The likelihood of that repeating tonight is not very high, but the Islanders through 38 games in club history. … Josh Bailey is one point shy of his are aware that anything is possible. 500th career point in the NHL. … Washington is 12-5-2 on the road this “We tend to try to be ready for anything,” Jordan Eberle said. “Most of the season and they own the third-highest road point percentage in the NHL times we have success when we’re playing structured hockey, detailed this season (.684). … Washington’s 3.42 road goals per game ranks hockey and winning by committee. But you have to be ready for anything second in the NHL. … Washington is 14-0-0 in games where they allow and sometimes you have to be able to come back or score eight. You be two or fewer goals. ready for whatever the game throws at you and you find a way to win.” HOW TO WATCH

Eberle Pregame Availability pic.twitter.com/XjILXBglLb Tonight’s game will air on MSG+ and stream on MSG Go or on NHL.TV — New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 6, 2021 outside of the New York market. On the radio dial, the game can be heard on 1050 AM ESPN, 88.7 FM WRHU and 103.9 FM LI News Radio. New York and Washington’s fifth meeting of the year come as the two teams jockey for positioning in the East Division standings. As of now, NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 the Islanders sit two points back of Washington for the division lead with Pittsburgh right behind the Isles in third.

That means tonight’s game carries even more weight as the New York Islanders try to hold off Pittsburgh and pull even with Washington at the same time.

“It’s a big game. I think this season playing the same teams so many times they’re all big games,” Josh Bailey said. “Then as the season goes on and you get down to the final stretch it’s exciting. It’s a fun time of year to be playing meaningful hockey games and I think against these guys we have a lot of respect for them and their team over there. Matched up against them quite a bit over the last couple of years, so we’re looking forward to try and find a way to come out with a good effort tonight.

“And hopefully, get the result we’re looking for.”

New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz did not reveal much about his starting lineup when he spoke with reporters this morning. Ross Johnston will be a game-time decision and Michael Dal Colle will miss his fifth straight game with a lower-body injury.

Washington will start Vitek Vanecek in goal against New York. He came into last Thursday’s game for Ilya Samsonov briefly after he was run over by T.J. Oshie early in the game.

Jakub Vrana will be back in the Washington lineup after missing their last two games as a healthy scratch.

Islanders Trade Talk: How to Bring Kyle Palmieri to Long Island

NEW YORK ISLANDERS LINEUP (PROJECTED)

Leo Komarov — Mathew Barzal — Jordan Eberle

Anthony Beauvillier — Brock Nelson — Josh Bailey

Ross Johnston — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Oliver Wahlstrom

Matt Martin — Casey Cizikas — Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock

Nick Leddy — Scott Mayfield

Andy Greene — Noah Dobson

Semyon Varlamov 1186619 New York Islanders

Islanders Trade Talk: How to Bring Kyle Palmieri to Long Island

By Christian Arnold

It’s all but certain at this point that Kyle Palmieri will be traded by the New Jersey Devils. The veteran forward was held out of Sunday’s game with the Washington Capitals for what the team called “precautionary reasons.”

His agency, Bartlett Hockey, confirmed via social media that Palmieri was being held out in “anticipation of a trade in the coming days or week(s).” The question now becomes will that trade be with the New York Islanders or another club?

The Islanders have been linked to Palmieri for some time now and the addition of the 30-year-old winger would make all the sense in the world for New York, especially with Anders Lee out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury. Palmieri brings leadership qualities and versatility that Barry Totz and Lou Lamoriello value so highly.

While Palmieri hasn’t put up massive offensive numbers this season, he has shown over the course of his career that the Smithtown, Long Island native can be a consistent 20-plus goal scorer.

Now the appeal of Kyle Palmieri doesn’t stop at just his on-ice value, but the cost that it would take to bring him to Long Island. He would be an unrestricted free agent after this season and he only carries a $4.65 million cap hit this year, so the Islanders would still have room to make any secondary deals before the deadline passed without feeling the cap crunch.

And he’ll likely come at a reasonable rate, which the Islanders should have the pieces to afford it.

The Islanders traded away their second-round this year to New Jersey as part of a deal to acquire Andy Greene last season, but they were able to pick up Colorado’s second-round pick in this year’s draft in the deal that sent Devon Toews out west. Now the Islanders have a second-round pick this season and two next year — one of which is Colorado’s from the Toews deal as well — and any combination of those picks could be used as part of a deal for Palmieri.

The Islanders prospect pool isn’t necessarily as deep as it once was, but there are still several players that would catch the eye of New Jersey — or other teams — in a deal for Palmieri.

Defenseman Robin Salo or forward Blade Jenkins would fit the bill as the type of prospect the Islanders would likely include as part of the deal. Salo has had a good season for Orebro in Sweden with 30 points (six goals, 24 assists), while Jenkins put up 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 47 games with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit and has appeared in four games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this year.

It’s unlikely Lamoriello would include Kieffer Bellows in a deal for Kyle Palmieri since that might be more than what the Islanders would be will to give up in that situation. While Bellows may not be in a deal for Palmieri, he could end up on the move before the deadline next Monday.

“Kieffer’s going to be a really good pro,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz recently said. “Lots of detail. He can score. He’s got a really good shot. Down the stretch, Kieffer’s going to be a pretty important piece for us.”

The Islanders have the pieces to get a deal done with New Jersey to bring Palmieri to Long Island and they have a history with New Jersey that sets the stage for it to happen.

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186620 New York Rangers

Nils Lundkvist’s Rangers hype grows with major award

By Larry Brooks April 6, 2021 | 11:36PM

It seems as if the Rangers have been waiting for Nils Lundkvist about as long as they once waited for Igor Shesterkin.

Not quite, but if the 28th-overall selection of the 2018 draft pays equal dividends as the goaltender, the wait will surely have been worth it.

Lundkvist, who has yet to sign with the Blueshirts and is only 14 months from unrestricted free agency if he chooses to go that route, has been selected winner of the Salming Award as the ’s best defenseman by a panel of journalists in collaboration with Hall of Famer Borje Salming, himself.

“Despite his young years, Nils is already a complete player who will get even better,” Salming told the Lulea team website. “He moves the puck quickly and has a toxic shot on the power play. He is effective in his own zone.

“It’s so easy for Nils — he plays .”

Lundkvist, selected with the first-rounder the Rangers acquired from Tampa Bay in the Ryan McDonagh-J.T. Miller deal, recorded 32 points in 52 games for Lulea, leading the SHL with 14 goals overall and eight on the power play. He is regarded as a dynamic offensive defenseman who would be expected to slide in on the Blueshirts’ right side next season.

“I am extremely honored that Borje believes in me. It’s really great,” Lundkvist said. “I still get shivers when I Watch video clips of how he was praised with minute-long standing ovations during the Canada Cup in 1976.”

Lundkvist will certainly compete for Team Sweden in the IIHF World Championships. Lulea commences its playoff quarterfinals on Sunday. Hence, it is not possible for the Blueshirts to sign him and get him into the lineup this season. The Rangers will retain his rights through June 1, 2022.

Julien Gauthier was designated as a healthy scratch for the 11th time, bumped from the lineup for Tuesday’s 8-4 victory over the Penguins at the Garden when David Quinn opted in favor of Phil Di Giuseppe to play on the fourth line with Vitali Kravtsov and Kevin Rooney.

There was no room for Brett Howden, either, the 23-year-old a healthy scratch himself after having missed the previous seven games after having contracted the coronavirus. Howden practiced with the team on Monday for the first time since going on the COVID-protocol list on March 22.

“You just be honest with the player and tell him what the situation is,” Quinn said of Gauthier. “We think Di Giuseppe gives us a little more simplicity in what we need against Pittsburgh. “Sometimes it’s just matchup driven.

“Julien has done some good things and he continues to improve, but right now and especially with Howden back and Kravtsov here, there’s more competition. The landscape of our forward group has changed with 14 forwards — we haven’t had that very much, if at all, since I’ve been here — and it does give us depth.

“Sometimes a guy who might be doing some good things and might be playing well might be out of the lineup,” the coach said. “There’s nothing wrong with competition. I think that can help elevate everybody’s game where you have that setup where you’ve got people who can come in and out of the lineup.”

New York Post LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186621 New York Rangers the Panarin-Strome-Blackwell trio got only 6:43 at full strength as the coach managed the game to the scoreboard.

The Rangers gave up way too much. But that was the game in which Rangers rout Penguins as offense explodes, Igor Shesterkin shines they took much more. They’re not perfect, not even close, but they are 8- 3-2 in their last 13 and still in the hunt for the postseason, five points back of the Bruins, who hold two games in hand.

By Larry Brooks April 6, 2021 | 10:17pm | Updated “We’re trying to make a push for the playoffs and there are only so many [18] games left,” said Fox. “We’re a hungry team. Everyone is hungry.”

Even after gorging on Tuesday night. Adam Fox continued to do special things, the first power-play unit struck twice within 11 minutes and 24 seconds, the second power-play unit New York Post LOADED: 04.07.2021 recorded its second goal of the season and first since Feb. 18, Alexis Lafreniere got one, Kaapo Kakko got one and the Rangers had one of those explosive nights their elite talent can create in an 8-4 flaying of the Penguins.

And yet despite Tuesday’s cavalcade of offense, the most indispensible Blueshirt was likely Igor Shesterkin, who faced a season-high 44 shots that included 18 in a first period through which his excellence enabled the hijinks at the other end of the ice.

“You see what he does, he makes huge saves for us,” said Fox, whose shorthanded goal and two assists extended his consecutive point-scoring streak to 11 games (3-18-21). “Obviously if they get enough chances, they’re going to score some goals, but he always gives us a chance to win.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence when he’s in the net.”

Artemi Panarin (left) and Mika Zibanejad, who each scored a goal, celebrate after the Rangers’ 8-4 win over the Penguins.

Shesterkin, who has started four straight for the first time in his NHL career and six of seven since returning March 25 from the groin strain that sidelined him for three weeks, is emitting the same aura he did last season when his early January promotion ignited a 16-6 run.

The netminder protected a very early 1-0 lead (Colin Blackwell, who else, at 1:35) by poking the puck off Colton Sceviour’s stick alone in front at 5:45 before making a sparkling glove save on Evan Rodrigues’ left-circle wrister just over a minute later. There was another big stop on Jared McCann midway through the period with the Blueshirts now up 3-1.

“He’s definitely going through that stretch right now and he seems to be in a great groove,” Quinn said of Shesterkin, who had allowed two goals or fewer in 12 of his last 15 starts entering the match. “I felt bad that we gave up those two goals in the third, but he certainly gave us a chance early on to get a lead and build off of it.”

Build the Rangers did, turning 1-0 into 2-0 at 7:38 when Mika Zibanejad went to the net and slammed home a rebound of Pavel Buchnevich’s drive from the right wing. And then 2-0 became 3-0 at 9:58 when Artemi Panarin — off on one of his typical four-point (1-3) nights — buried a left- wing one-timer on the power play.

When Pittsburgh narrowed it to 3-1 at 10:38 on a McCann power-play goal, the Rangers extended their lead to 4-1 at 19:42 on Ryan Strome’s power-play goal that helped usher netminder Tristan Jarry to the bench once the period expired. Lafreniere scored a clever goal with a juke and tuck around the net to extend the lead to 5-1 at 12:20 of the second.

The Penguins made it 5-2 at the end of the period but the Blueshirts kept attacking in a game of wide-open spaces that featured one rush attempt after another. Kakko got a power-play goal at 6:10 of the third for a 6-2 lead by going to the net to redirect a Jacob Trouba point drive after winning a battle on the wall. When Pittsburgh narrowed the gap to 6-3, Fox scored a shortie from the slot by converting a lovely Zibanejad feed. That left it to Buchnevich to put the cherry on the cream on top of the whole shebang with the 8-3 goal.

“You know, you have those nights where it seems like the puck goes in no matter what you’re doing,” said Zibanejad, whose team has won 9-0, 8-3 and now 8-4 over an 11-game span. “We did that tonight.”

Quinn’s tinkering with the personnel produced results. Blackwell, elevated to the right wing spot alongside Batman and Robin — er, Strome and Panarin — went to the net immediately and scored his 10th goal by banking one in off a Pittsburgh defender.

The reunited Lafreniere-Chytil-Kakko combination played an energetic game despite some issues in the defensive zone and was on for 12:40 at five-on-five, the most ice-time of any of the club’s forward units. Indeed, 1186622 New York Rangers

Henrik Lundqvist opens up about heart surgery: ‘Is this really happening?’

By Peter Botte April 6, 2021 | 6:03pm | Updated

Henrik Lundqvist admits he dealt with plenty of uncertainty and went through “some pretty heavy stuff” when he learned he needed to undergo open-heart surgery in January.

Nearly three months later, the former Rangers All-Star goaltender said in his first public interview since the season-ending procedure that he left everything in the hands of his medical team.

“I remember laying there, outside the operating room, and you start to think, is this really happening? Like, am I going in that room and they’re going to open my chest? And a machine is going to keep me alive?” the 39-year-old Lundqvist told NHL Network in an interview with former Rangers teammate Kevin Weekes. “It was some pretty heavy stuff to take in, but at the same time, you know me, I like control. I like preparation. I like certain things to be a certain way.

“So in that moment I think the key was to just let go of all the control.”

The five-time All-Star had the final year of his contract bought out by the Rangers in September, and he signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Washington Capitals.

Lundqvist revealed in December that a heart condition would prevent him from playing this season, and he announced the need for surgery a few days later.

“I get the call from one of the specialists that was part of the process. And he’s like ‘I’m sorry you’re tests came back worse than we thought.’ In that moment I knew there was no talking, like ‘Should I, should I not?’” Lundqvist said. “So the next step there is just to get on the phone with the surgeon. ‘OK, what’s the next step here, what are we doing?’

“And two weeks later, I’m on a bed in Cleveland and I’m going in for open-heart surgery. Everything happened so fast. I didn’t have much time to think about it. But I was very calm. And I think being an athlete and being used to focusing on things, I think that really helped me.”

Lundqvist finished his 15-year career with the Rangers with a record of 459-310-96, with a 2.43 a goals-against average and 64 shutouts. He is the Blueshirts’ all-time leader in wins, games played and shutouts in both the regular season and in postseason play.

New York Post LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186623 New York Rangers

Rangers scratch Julien Gauthier in favor of Phil Di Giuseppe

By Larry Brooks April 6, 2021 | 5:12pm | Updated

Henrik Lundqvist opens up about heart surgery: ‘Is this really happening?’

Rangers’ baffling power-play trend making hyped No. 1 pick an anomaly

No, Julien Gauthier was not able to extend his consecutive games- played streak to … eight.

Instead, the 23-year-old winger was designated as a healthy scratch for the 11th time this season, bumped from Tuesday’s lineup against the Penguins when David Quinn opted to go with role-playing Phil Di Giuseppe in his stead on the fourth line that included Vitali Kravtsov and Kevin Rooney.

Gauthier had played five straight games on the line with Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil before being dropped to the fourth line in Buffalo on Saturday to accommodate Kravtsov’s NHL debut. Di Giuseppe was scratched for that one.

But the furniture was rearranged for this one. Colin Blackwell moved from the fourth line to the second, Kaapo Kakko from the second to the third, Kravtsov from the third to the fourth, and when the music stopped, there was no chair for Gauthier.

There was no room for Brett Howden, either, the 23-year-old a healthy scratch himself after having missed the previous seven games after having contracted the coronavirus. Howden practiced with the team on Monday for the first time since going on the COVID-protocol list on March 22.

Julien Gauthier, Phil Di Giuseppe

“You just be honest with the player and tell him what the situation is,” Quinn said of Gauthier, who has two points (0-2) in his last seven games and eight points (2-6) in 27 games overall. “We think Di Giuseppe gives us a little more simplicity in what we need against Pittsburgh. Sometimes it’s just matchup driven.

“Julien has done some good things and he continues to improve, but right now and especially with Howden back and Kravtsov here, there’s more competition. The landscape of our forward group has changed with 14 forwards — we haven’t had that very much, if at all, since I’ve been here — and it does give us depth.

“Sometimes a guy who might be doing some good things and might be playing well might be out of the lineup,” the coach said. “There’s nothing wrong with competition. I think that can help elevate everybody’s game where you have that setup where you’ve got people who can come in and out of the lineup.”

Blackwell, who has recorded nine goals in 28 games after having scored three in 33 games the previous two seasons for Nashville, said that he was not surprised by his rate of production.

“I’ve always believed in myself and always thought I could kind of perform at this level,” said the 28-year-old Harvard product who was a senior in 2015-16, a year before Adam Fox arrived in Cambridge. “I mean, I’ve done it in the American League on many different occasions and I’ve been just kind of waiting for my chance.

“That chance doesn’t always come, and a lot of good players do get their chance and then don’t necessarily make the most out of it, so I just recognize how precious every opportunity is and I’m trying not to let them go to waste.”

Blackwell, originally a seventh-round selection by San Jose in 2011 before landing with the Nashville organization in 2017-18, has played 174 games in the AHL, scoring 35 goals. That does not quite equate to this.

New York Post LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186624 New York Rangers selection in 22 seasons, since Joe Thornton got an average of 50 seconds per game playing for the Bruins in 1997-98 in a time when teenagers were scarce and their ice time was scarcer.

Rangers’ baffling power-play trend making Alexis Lafreniere an anomaly Nail Yakupov got more power-play time as a rookie, so did Nico Hischier, so did Patrik Stefan, so did Aaron Ekblad, so did Rasmus Dahlin. So did everybody else who came after Thornton. Some of them were even on teams that were rebuilding. By Larry Brooks April 6, 2021 | 3:08pm | Updated Everybody, that is, until Lafreniere.

Maybe this isn’t a laughing matter. Funny that David Quinn should mention it. New York Post LOADED: 04.07.2021 Because when the coach was asked on his Zoom call Tuesday morning how he could get Alexis Lafreniere’s ice time from the 9-to-12 minute range to the 14-to-16 minute neighborhood, he referenced the power play.

“Getting him on the power play will definitely increase his minutes. I think that’s a big piece of it,” Quinn said hours before the Blueshirts’ match at the Garden against the Penguins. “I think everybody just looks at the total minutes, and if he’s playing 12 minutes at five-on-five, that’s pretty good.

“But the guys who play the high minutes are usually the guys who are killing penalties or on the power play and right now, he’s not on either. That doesn’t mean that can’t change. As a matter of fact he and I had a conversation about that [Monday], about the direction of a game and where it’s going and you want to reward him if he continues to play well.

“So I anticipate that if he continues to play the way he has, he’ll get rewarded and those minutes will go up in a different area.”

The thing, though, is that it has gone in the completely opposite direction the last three weeks. Maybe it is because the Rangers have worked their way onto the edges of the playoff hunt by going 7-3-2 in their last 12 while the fourth-place Bruins have won five of their last 11 (5-5-1) and only nine of 22 games (9-9-4) since opening 10-1-2.

Maybe there is sudden internal pressure to narrow the focus to this season’s remaining 18 games while putting off the future to the future. Maybe this is coming from the hierarchy.

Alexis Lafreniere has done plenty of watching this season while the Rangers are on the power play.

But the fact is that over the last 11 games starting with the March 17, 9-0 ravaging of the Flyers that represented acting coach Kris Knoblauch’s first game behind the bench, Lafreniere has played a total of 3:35 on the power play. To repeat: Over the last 11 games, the 19-year-old winger has gotten an average of just over 19 seconds a game with the man- advantage. He has not set foot on the ice during a power play in eight of those contests.

The entitled first unit stays on for however long it likes, but that’s not even half of it. For Lafreniere is no longer on the second unit, whose latest configuration features Pavel Buchnevich, Kaapo Kakko and Colin Blackwell up front with defensemen K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba at the back.

The deployment of the 21-year-old Miller is commendable, but because Quinn (and/or assistant coach David Oliver, whose area of responsibility is the power play) presumably doesn’t trust the rookie to be the only defenseman out there, Trouba also gets the call. That leaves room for three forwards.

Hence, there is not only no room for Lafreniere under this alignment, there is none as well for Filip Chytil, who has played a sum of 19 seconds with the man-advantage over the last five games. So it is Blackwell and Trouba (or Miller) ahead of Lafreniere and Chytil.

The use of Miller on the point is interesting in the larger context, as well, because unless this staff is married to the two-defensemen alignment on the second unit going forward, Miller’s spot will be usurped by Nils Lundkvist next season if the Blueshirts can finally get the 20-year-old Swede under contract.

But back to the subject of our story, which is Lafreniere and the power play. I say that Quinn’s reference to the topic was funny because coincidentally I had spent part of the morning researching power-play time for first-overall draft picks in advance of the Zoom call, and guess what?

Lafreniere’s power-play ice time of 1:35 per game — which ranks him ninth among rookies — is the least amount awarded to any first-overall 1186625 New York Rangers

Bet on Rangers having change of fortune against Penguins

By Andy MacNeil, VSiNApril 6, 2021 | 2:00pm | Updated

Regardless of how the next two games play out, the Pittsburgh Penguins will finish the regular season having gotten the better of the New York Rangers. The Penguins lead the season series with a 5-1 record head- to-head, however, both Artemi Panarin and Igor Shesterkin were unavailable for stretches and that should be taken into account. With both players back in the fold, and Shesterkin starting at least one of the games — if not both — on Tuesday and Thursday, the Rangers are in a good position to take it to a Penguins team that has been propped up by their goaltending. Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith were fantastic in the month of March, stopping approximately 94 percent of shots they faced en route to a combined 12-3-1 record. With that being said, it’s all very unsustainable.

The Penguins are still without forward Evgeni Malkin and their underlying numbers are mediocre. The team gives up just about as many scoring chances as it generates and rarely holds any significant territorial edge. On an aggregate basis, the team has been outplayed at five-on-five. Both teams have outscored opponents by roughly 0.5 goals on a per 60- minute basis, but the Rangers grade out as the eighth-best team by expected goals according to Evolving Hockey while the Penguins rank in the middle of the pack. Both teams are coming into the game rested, but the Rangers have home ice. By my estimation, the Rangers have a 55.5 percent chance of winning the game with Shesterkin in goal which equates to odds of -125. Bet the Rangers on the money line at -115 or better, assuming Shesterkin is the starting goaltender.

Elsewhere on the slate, the Carolina Hurricanes will look to close the gap between them and the Florida Panthers who currently hold the top spot in the division. The teams will meet on Tuesday and the opening odds at DraftKings list the Hurricanes as a -159 favorite, which is a big difference from when these teams matched up about a month ago. However, a lot has changed since then. The Panthers lost one of their most productive players, defenseman Aaron Ekblad, to a season-ending injury and the Hurricanes just got their starting goaltender, Petr Mrazek, back as well. He pitched a shutout in his return on Sunday. Mrazek will likely get the start on Tuesday, so whether or not there’s value on either team depends on who starts in goal for the Panthers.

Chris Driedger has been great. He has performed at an above-average level given the quality of shots he has faced this season and his save percentage is a full two points higher than that of teammate Sergei Bobrovsky which can translate to quite a difference. In fact, of the 47 goaltenders that have faced at least 500 unblocked-shot attempts this season, Bobrovsky ranks 26th in save percentage. Only three goaltenders have a better save percentage than Driedger. In other words, the Panthers aren’t a good bet at +132 if they’re likely going to get below-average goaltending from Bobrovsky. If Driedger gets the start, a win becomes a more probable outcome and backing the Panthers on the moneyline becomes a value bet.

New York Post LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186626 New York Rangers Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.07.2021

Artemi Panarin, offense go on muscle as Rangers pound Penguins

By Colin Stephenson

The Rangers exploded for eight goals Tuesday night, stunning the Pittsburgh Penguins, 8-4 at Madison Square Garden, in the first game of a two-game set between the teams.

It was the third time this season the Rangers had scored at least eight goals – the other two instances coming against the Philadelphia Flyers – and with the win, the Blueshirts were able to keep pace in the playoff chase with the Boston Bruins, who currently hold the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division. The Bruins beat the Flyers Tuesday, and lead the Rangers and Flyers by five points in the standings.

It was also the first time in 11 years that eight Rangers scored in a game.

The Rangers’ biggest guns did the most damage against the Penguins: Artemi Panarin had a goal and three assists, and Adam Fox extended his scoring streak to 11 games, with a goal and two assists. But while so many things went right offensively for the Rangers, one of the most encouraging signs for the Rangers’ long term success was seeing their two youngest players, 19-year-old Alexis Lafreniere and 20-year-old Kaapo Kakko, each score goals. And their centerman, 21-year-old Filip Chytil, had two assists.

"It's obviously nice when they're able to get on the board and help the team,’’ said Mika Zibanejad, who had an early goal and an assist himself. "You see the little signs every day. They're good players, and it's nice to see them get rewarded… I thought they played really well, and I thought they play with more confidence now.’’

Coach David Quinn had jumbled the forward lines a bit when he decided to put grinding forward Colin Blackwell up with Panarin and Ryan Strome, and that move paid instant dividends, when Blackwell got the Rangers started with his goal at 1:35 of the opening period.

The lead became 2-0 when Zibanejad banged in the rebound of a Pavel Buchnevich shot at 7:28, and 3-0 when Panarin scored a power-play goal at 9:58.

Pittsburgh got on the board at 10:38, on a power-play goal by Jared McCann, with Ryan Lindgren in the box, but then Pittsburgh’s Brian Dumoulin took a holding penalty and Strome scored on the power play to make it 4-1 at 19:42.

The score at the end of the first period might have been a little deceiving, though. Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin had a lot to do with keeping the Rangers in front. Pittsburgh outshot the Rangers 18-11 in the first period and 31-18 over the first two periods.

"It was a funny game I'll tell you that,’’ said Quinn, who didn’t look all that happy. "I just thought we were very opportunistic. Our power play was very good (3-for-3)… and we found a way to win tonight. But I think, if you talk to our guys, we realize that we're gonna have to play better than that if we're going to win consistently.

"That being said, it's hard to win in this league, and we're certainly happy with the two points,’’ he said. "But you know, our goalie made some big saves, and we were just very opportunistic.’’

Lafreniere scored at the end of a long and productive shift in the offensive zone to put the Rangers up, 5-1 at 12:20 of the period. But Pittsburgh got a goal back just 15 seconds later from defenseman Mike Matheson, who beat Shesterkin (41 saves) over the catching glove with a hot wrist shot that may or may not have ticked off the stickblade of Trouba.

Kakko’s goal, a deflection on a power play at 6:10 of the third period, made it 6-2, but Jake Guentzel scored at 8:04 to pull Pittsburgh within 6- 3.

With Buchnevich serving a tripping penalty, Fox scored a shorthanded goal at 10:22 to make it 7-3, and Buchnevich scored just seconds after exiting the box to make it 8-3, at 10:41. Dumoulin accounted for the final score, with a goal at 18:36. 1186627 New York Rangers

Rangers defenseman Adam Fox stays hot on offense

New York Rangers' Adam Fox celebrates his third-period, New York Rangers' Adam Fox celebrates his third-period,

By Colin Stephenson

Adam Fox is so hot, he can have a three-point night, as he did Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and no one even bats an eye anymore.

Fox had a goal and two assists to extend his point-scoring streak to a career-high 11 games, and with five goals and 31 assists, for 36 points, he pulled into a tie with Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman for most points in the league by a defenseman.

"Obviously it's nice to produce and get some points,’’ Fox said, when asked to describe what it is like for him during his streak, in which he’s had three goals and 18 assists (21 points). "Earlier in the year, I was still playing well, maybe not getting points here or there, but I knew if I just keep playing the way I do and keep trying to make plays, eventually you know points will come.

"So it's not really something that I'm going into a game thinking about. I think if you play well and create chances, points will come. Obviously, being able to help the team get some goals is nice, and to get rewarded a little bit is a good feeling, too.’’

DiGiuseppe's turn

With everyone healthy and the roster full, the Rangers find themselves with two extra forwards, meaning two healthy scratches for every game. On Tuesday, it was Julien Gauthier, who exited the lineup after having played seven straight games, and Brett Howden, who rejoined the team Monday after completing his COVID-19 protocol.

Phillip DiGiuseppe, who had been scratched Saturday against Buffalo to make room for Vitali Kravtsov to make his NHL debut, returned to the lineup Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Blue shorts

The game was the first of 17 straight in the Metropolitan Area for the Rangers, who don’t leave the area until the final two games of the season, in Boston . . . D Nils Lundkvist, a 2018 first-round pick playing for Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League, was named the Borje Salming award winner, given to the best Swedish-born defenseman in the SHL. Lundkvist had 14 goals and 32 points in the regular season for Lulea.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186628 New York Rangers

Rangers' Kid Line: What's old is new again with reunion of Kakko, Lafreniere and Chytil

By Colin Stephenson

The Rangers’ Kid Line has had a few different configurations this season. It started last month, with 19-year-old Alexis Lafreniere, the No. 1 pick overall in the 2020 NHL draft, playing with 20-year-old Kaapo Kakko, No. 2 overall in 2019, and 21-year-old Filip Chytil, the second of the Rangers’ two first round picks in 2017.

When Kakko got moved up to play with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome, the second version of the Kid Line saw 23-year-old Julien Gauthier, another first-round pick (by Carolina, in 2016) take Kakko’s place. And on Saturday in Buffalo, there was a third version, with newcomer (and 2018 No. 9 overall pick) Vitali Kravtsov, 21, replacing Gauthier.

Finally, when the Rangers hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday in the first of two games between the teams at Madison Square Garden, the original Kid Line was back together, with Kakko back on the right of Lafreniere and Chytil.

"I'm expecting what they're capable of giving us,’’ Rangers coach David Quinn said when asked before the game what he was looking for from the young trio. "I think Kaapo has really made some great strides; I really have liked Laffy's game the last two or three games, and Fil is starting to play better… So, we're curious to see how this looks.’’

Quinn had said on Monday the reason he dropped Kakko to the Kid Line – and subsequently dropped Kravtsov to the fourth line – had more to do with wanting to put Colin Blackwell up with Panarin and Strome than anything to do with Kakko. Blackwell, a veteran free-agent pickup who had played 33 NHL games over the last two seasons for Nashville, had nine goals and 13 points in 28 games entering Tuesday, and he seemed to fit nicely with Panarin and Strome before Kakko got put into his spot six games ago.

Quinn, who spoke to Kakko about the move on Monday, explained that he was looking for balance and chemistry on lines, which meant not necessarily putting the best players together on the top lines. Dropping Kakko (five goals, two assists in 29 games entering Tuesday) down to the third line, the coach reasoned, would likely get him away from playing against top-six forwards and top-four defensemen every shift.

But putting Kakko on the line could serve to lift Lafreniere, too. Advanced statistics suggest the best version of the Kid Line is the one with Kakko on it, as opposed to either the Gauthier or Kravtsov versions. And when Quinn was asked what Lafreniere needed to do to get some more ice time, he said Lafreniere not being on the power play right now is the reason his ice time is relatively low (10:05 for the five games before Tuesday). He hinted Lafreniere is poised for an increase in ice time.

"He and I had a conversation about that (Monday), about the direction of his game, and where it's going,’’ Quinn said of Lafreniere. "You want to reward him if he continues to play well. I anticipate if he continues to play the way has, he'll get rewarded, and those minutes will go up.’’

According to Natural Stat Trick, Lafreniere, Chytil and Kakko had been on ice together for 131:04 prior to Tuesday, and had generated 28 shots on goal for, versus 16 shots on goal against. They had been on for one goal for and none against.

Kakko and Chytil also have had chemistry with each other dating to last season. So far this year, the two have been together for 61:15 and generated 39 shots on goal. They have been on for two goals for, and one against, with Kakko scoring both goals.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186629 New York Rangers not after Kravtsov had such a nice NHL debut in Buffalo a few nights before.

Yet there’s something to be said for them all learning how to compete The future can wait: Rangers are hungry, having fun in playoff race, and win and to be in a playoff race. It’s a priceless experience, and it will including win over Penguins pay dividends down the road. It doesn’t help anybody, really, for the kids to get a few more minutes in loss after loss after loss.

But every one of these kids will go through a difficult period, one the By Rick Carpiniello Apr 6, 2021 organization has to live with and accept, and it might as well be now or soon. If they don’t have them this season, they will the next. So I think it’s

imperative to get Kravtsov some time and experience here and now, get Face it. The Rangers are mathematically in the playoff race and figure to some of his growing pains and mistakes out of the way. The same goes be there for a while, if not to the very end. for Kaapo Kakko, who was moved down to the Diaper Line with Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafrenière, so that Blackwell could move up. The three So what does that mean? kids had a very big game, too, against Pittsburgh.

It means they’re going to try to win games. It means, at times, they’re LAFRENIERE AND THE KIDS LINE PUTS THIS ONE IN! (WITH A going to rob Paul to pay Peter. To a degree. LITTLE HELP FROM THE PENS ) PIC.TWITTER.COM/IOVAT9EXI5 And they should. They can’t play it any other way. Rangers coach David — RANGERS ON MSG (@RANGERSMSGN) APRIL 7, 2021 Quinn (or team president John Davidson or GM Jeff Gorton) cannot walk into that room and tell Chris Kreider or Mika Zibanejad or Pavel I totally understand matchups, especially against a Washington, Buchnevich, who have been here the longest, that losing is OK. They especially on the road. You don’t need Kravtsov or Kakko getting his can’t say that to Artemi Panarin, their star of stars. They can’t say it to head beaten in by Alex Ovechkin mismatches. But Pittsburgh, minus Adam Fox, who is doing everything in his power — which is a lot, or to Evgeni Malkin and others, at home? I’m not so sure. And Quinn ought to Ryan Lindgren, who gives blood as if he was being paid by the quart — be able to navigate around bad matchups happening frequently in a to win and stay in the race. home game, with last change. But they’re unavoidable. The kids are going to see Sidney Crosby at times, and they’re going to see Ovechkin, “We’ve got a great group of guys in there,” Fox said Tuesday after an 8-4 and they’re going to see Matthew Barzal this weekend. win over Pittsburgh that was hardly a signal of great play. I’m not knocking Blackwell — who gets full marks for the way he’s played “We have a pretty young team and a hungry team and we’ve only got so this season, and said he wants to be a “Swiss Army Knife” for the team. many games left here and we’re trying to make a push for the playoffs. He works his butt off, and he does compliment Panarin and Strome well, So I think everyone in there is hungry. I think this is the fun part of the as did Kakko. year, when every point matters.” Quinn said the shuffle wasn’t about Kakko, but it was about the lineup he It matters to every person in that uniform, right down to Vitali Kravtsov, to figured gave the Rangers the best chance against Pittsburgh. He said he do what’s necessary to get into the playoffs — unlikely as it may be — wants to find Lafrenière some power-play time and more minutes. And and to experience, at the very least, a race. what the coach does particularly well is communicate, as he had with both of the lottery-ball youngsters. There’s a but. Yes, there’s a but for these Baby Rangers, who are 8-3-2 in their last 13, but still five points behind fourth-place Boston, which has “What’s important for us is constantly focusing on making the next step two games in hand and hosts the Rangers the final two games of the and not worrying about where we eventually want to be as a player, or season. The Rangers did tie Philadelphia for fifth. They are both 18-15-5 where a player eventually wants to be,” Quinn said. “It’s just getting through 38 games, each with 17 regulation/OT wins, though the Rangers better on a daily basis, whether it’s an individual or collectively. If we are somehow plus-22 in goal differential, the Flyers minus-24; partially focus on our game, and we dial in mentally and put in the mental and because of 9-0 and 8-3 Rangers wins. physical effort, we have a chance to win. We’ve proven that. We’ve been a little inconsistent with those areas. … We’re going to have to be The but is this: On Tuesday, Kravtsov was on the fourth line and Colin consistent with the mental and physical effort the rest of the year.” Blackwell was on the first. I’m certainly not a fan of the team, but I also wasn’t a fan of that decision. Those, though, are the types of decisions The big picture isn’t about the playoff race. That’s the small picture. But that might slightly harm the rebuild for a chance to play beyond May 8. that’s the picture they have to play to right now. It’s a must.

Before that is the trade deadline Monday, when Gorton figures to be fairly Quinn and company have to find a balance, though. The big picture quiet. The Rangers will have 16 games left after they finish this three- cannot fade into the background. games-in-four-nights set against the Penguins and Islanders. Thoughts If the Rangers fall out of contention, as unlikely as it seems, that should mean more minutes for Kravtsov, for example, and fewer for Blackwell or 1. The Rangers coach and players all used terms like “opportunistic” Phil Di Giuseppe, neither of whom figures to be around when the corner when they discussed the rout of the Penguins, and Quinn is smart is turned. It might mean a call-up for Morgan Barron, too, and more of the enough to know — and said so — that this was hardly a perfect victory. It future. wasn’t. But it was fun and important.

But kids will have hiccups, and that’s part of the process here. 2. Igor Shesterkin made a fourth straight start for the first time in his NHL Sometimes they’ll even, figuratively speaking, vomit all over themselves. career. He stopped the puck beautifully and at important times. I didn’t Hell, Panarin vomited on himself on the tying goal in Buffalo the other think he controlled rebounds as well as he had recently — and yes, night. Pittsburgh had more quality chances than he’d been seeing — and I thought he had trouble catching the puck. He also had a shot on goal — The whole thing, “The Letter,” everything, was about living with whatever or one more than five teammates and tied with seven others. speed bumps they hit, that all decisions going forward would be about the future. I understand, that was about acquiring or getting rid of players, 3. First minute, Zibanejad and Lindgren broke on a two-on-one against not about lineups. But this is about lineups. Crosby, who expertly snow-angeled. Sorry, Zibanejad has to shoot that. His pass was broken up, but it was probably behind Lindgren, who has I’ve also said this before, and fairly recently. My upbringing in this yet to score a goal. Seconds later, Jacob Trouba forced a turnover and business was based, largely, on the belief that you don’t try to coach. Panarin sent Blackwell in two-on-one with Strome. Blackwell forced a And I try to not coach. As you know, I believe in a lot of what this coach pass, but it banked off a Pittsburgh skate and past goalie Tristan Jarry for and his staff have done, and I have lauded his hands-on, transparent a 1-0 lead. teaching/development process. ICE. BROKEN. #NYR OPEN THE SCORING! But I didn’t like seeing Blackwell playing with Panarin and Ryan Strome, PIC.TWITTER.COM/3HBCDOGU6Z and Kravtsov with Di Giuseppe and Kevin Rooney. I understood the reasoning. But didn’t like it, and I know for sure a lot of you didn’t either, — NHL ON NBC SPORTS (@NHLONNBCSPORTS) APRIL 6, 2021 4. Key-note: K’Andre Miller helped Shesterkin foil a breakaway by off Shesterkin, cutting it to 6-3 with plenty of time left. Then Buchnevich reaching and lifting the stick of Colton Sceviour. Miller made more than a almost immediately took a penalty, with 11:36 remaining. But on the kill, handful of similar plays throughout the night. But Shesterkin was busy, Strome and Zibanejad, with a clever blind pass, set up Fox for a short- especially on those shifts on which Brendan Smith and Libor Hájek were handed snipe from the slot and a 7-3 advantage. on the ice together early. 14. Fox had a goal and two assists and is the first Rangers defenseman 5. Zibane-jectory: Lindgren cranked a wrister through Kreider’s screen with an 11-game point (3-18-21) streak since Brian Leetch’s 14-gamer in and off the left post. Moments later, Zibanejad stole the puck, sent 1996. By game’s end, he led NHL defensemen in assists (31) and was Buchnevich in for a shot, and Zibanejad followed up to bury the rebound tied with reigning Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman for the lead in to make it 2-0. Shot-rebound-goal. Simple, right? Again with Crosby back points (36). Pay attention, Norris voters. covering for his defensemen. Zibanejad was on the move again, after Smith drew a penalty, taking a pass from Fox and busting toward the net. ADAM FOX CAN'T BE STOPPED. #NYR His shot appeared to hit Jarry in the helmet. PIC.TWITTER.COM/CEHZJZ7GQ9

KEEP 'EM COMING MIKA — NHL ON NBC SPORTS (@NHLONNBCSPORTS) APRIL 7, 2021

(VIA @NHLONNBCSPORTS)PIC.TWITTER.COM/KVMMENSNZV 15. Jack In The Box: Then Panarin and Chytil made two pretty passes to get Buchnevich a dunk at the right post, shortly after he exited the — RANGERS VIDEOS (@SNYRANGERS) APRIL 6, 2021 penalty box, and it was 8-3. The Rangers’ first Jack of the season. So that penalty was a productive one. Late in the third, Brian Dumoulin 6. Daily Bread: On the same power play, Fox got the puck to Panarin in deposited a two-on-one during a sloppy play by the Rangers and a his office on the left dot. Panarin hesitated, then wristed one through delayed penalty for the final margin: 8-4. Kreider’s screen and into the short side for a 3-0 lead. Panarin had the goal and three assists. He has 44 goals, 91 assists and 135 points in 96 16. So the game’s out of hand at 8-3, and maybe our fine, fine NHL games as a Ranger. Only Mark Messier had more assists and points in officials were concerned that there could be fireworks — though most of his first 100 games as a Ranger (92 and 137). the time they seem completely unaware when that is actually happening. But Trouba and Zach Aston-Reese came together in front of Shesterkin. THE BREADMAN DELIVERS. Aston-Reese, probably because of the score, was angry and went at THE @NYRANGERS HAVE COME OUT FIRING! #NYR Trouba just a little bit. Trouba, at that stage of a blowout, didn’t have any PIC.TWITTER.COM/XXVFWWP7BN reason to become involved, so he laughed. They both got two minutes. That’s the first laughing minor I believe I’ve ever witnessed, even in — NHL ON NBC SPORTS (@NHLONNBCSPORTS) APRIL 6, 2021 today’s whipped-cream soft NHL.

7. Even up 3-0 on the sloppy Penguins, you knew Pittsburgh could be 17. Watched this snippet from Henrik Lundqvist’s interview with NHL dangerous — and the Rangers have experienced it this season. They Network’s Kevin Weekes and realized how much I (and all of us in the have also had trouble with good neutral-zone teams who counter off their working media) miss Lundqvist for his go-to comments after wins, losses turnovers. Lindgren tackled Crosby and went to the box, and or others. He always had answers, always good ones, too. The guy got it, immediately, Crosby beat Zibanejad on a faceoff then went to the net to and still gets it. Glad he’s doing well. screen Shesterkin as Jared McCann’s shot snuck through. It took six seconds to cut the lead to 3-1. Toto, we’re not in Buffalo anymore. "IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?" @HLUNDQVIST35 SITS DOWN WITH @KEVINWEEKES TO SHARE HIS STORY. PART 1 AIRS AT 8. Middle second, after the whistle, Mike Matheson cross-checked 4PM ET ON #NHLNOW. PIC.TWITTER.COM/SNUC5ZGD27 Lafrenière, who reacted with a shove. Matheson then landed a punch. The call? Two each for roughing. Free cross-checks. The Tim Peel — NHL NETWORK (@NHLNETWORK) APRIL 6, 2021 Rulebook. My Three Rangers Stars:

9. Speaking of which, after several fouls on both sides were not deemed 1. Artemi Panarin. worthy of penalties, Zibanejad got hog-tied and they finally decided to call one. On the power play, Panarin sent it to Strome for a shot through the 2. Adam Fox. legs of Kreider, who was screening Jarry, with 18 seconds left in the first period. The 4-1 score was truly not fully indicative of the 20 minutes just 3. Kaapo Kakko. completed. Jarry was replaced by Casey DeSmith to start the second. The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021

THE @NYRANGERS, YOU ASK? THEY'RE GOOD. PIC.TWITTER.COM/Y4FS7YQ3IW

— NHL (@NHL) APRIL 6, 2021

10. The Rangers were far better in the second — and that probably sounds stupid given the score of the first period. I just thought, for 200 feet, they were better. Still, Evan Rodrigues found himself on a breakaway in the middle of the period and hit the crossbar behind Shesterkin.

11. Laf-Track: The Diaper Line went to work, Kakko and Chytil winning battles, and Lafrenière attempted a wrap-around. His shot barely stayed out, but Marino put it into his own net while trying to sweep it to safety, and it was 5-1. Matheson got it right back with a shot that may have deflected off Trouba’s stick and past Shesterkin, making it 5-2.

“I thought that goal they scored in the second was big,” Quinn said. “They did a really good job of getting above the puck. They made smart decisions, and they were patient offensively, which we didn’t have a lot of tonight. It was good to see them get rewarded for going about it that way. Those guys are starting to play well.”

12. Kakk-O-Meter: Lindgren drew a penalty, and when the first unit was done trying to pass the puck into the net, the second unit got its chance to keep it simple. Kakko and Blackwell did some boards work, and Kakko went to the net and deflected Trouba’s shot past DeSmith to give the Rangers a 6-2 lead. A 3-for-3 power-play night.

13. The Diaper Line coughed one up. At the end of a long shift, and after an icing by Chytil, they were out of gas and Jake Guentzel ripped one in 1186630 Ottawa Senators NO COVID-19 TRAVEL EXCUSES: On the original schedule, the Senators had no games between Saturday and Wednesday and had a day off between home games this week against Edmonton. Now, due to the COVID-19 crisis in Vancouver, that has changed to three games in Warrenspiece: Waiting on Brannstrom, Stuetzle's struggles, managing four days and four games in six days, with a previously unscheduled trip COVID-19 changes to thrown into the mix. “During the season, we’re told where to be and when to be (there), so it’s not really anything new,” said winger

Ryan Dzingel, who has scored six goals and two assists in 14 games Ken Warren with the Senators. “Days off change, practice times change, this and that … It’s just a little bit of the same stuff. I know it seems a little weird, but we’re used to that, we’re used to everything changing last minute. You’ve just got to be prepared, got to be professional.” Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith was talking the other night about making the most of what remains of the National Hockey League season, Now over to the Oilers, who, after finishing a hectic stretch of 11 games of the value in his players measuring themselves against a string of in 20 days are — more scheduling changes pending — looking at playing teams with their eyes set on extended playoff runs. only seven times in 27 days because of changes brought on by outbreaks in Vancouver and Montreal. “There’s a 25 per cent chance one of these teams coming out of our division is going to be a Stanley Cup champ … a 50 per cent chance that “It wasn’t our team (with the outbreak), but it affected us a lot,” Oilers one of them will be in the Stanley Cup (final),” Smith said following captain Connor McDavid told Edmonton reporters. “There are going to be Monday’s 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. “You’re playing against one of some delays between games, but you just have to make sure that, when the league’s best, every night, for the next little bit. We’ve got Edmonton, game time comes, whenever that may be, we’re ready to go.” Winnipeg and Toronto. We’re a good team at home. We’ll get refreshed (for Wednesday) and ready to go, but it’s a great test for our guys to see Coaches have had to make quick adjustments to previous plans, not how you’ve got to play if you want to knock one of these teams off.” wanting to burn out players.

It’s an extension and an escalation in discovering what the NHL grind is Instead of having a day off on Easter, the Senators flew to Winnipeg. all about. The test for the prospects has been learning on the fly while There was no morning skate on Monday, no practice on Tuesday, nor will matched up against Mark Scheifele, Connor McDavid or Auston there a morning skate on Wednesday, either. Matthews. So far, the season has been all about ups and downs for the The Oilers’ schedule has also been twisted and turned into knots. rebuilding Senators squad and we’ve seen some of the club’s youngest players make tremendous leaps (Josh Norris) while others go through “You can’t eliminate it, you have to manage it,” Oilers head coach Dave highs and lows (Tim Stuetzle, Drake Batherson). Tippett said. “The best way is to be up front with your team. There are days when you like the energy of your team and other days when you’re What’s somewhat mysterious in all of the above, though, is the recent concerned about it. When you know they’re down a little bit, you have to use (or lack, thereof) of defenceman Erik Brannstrom, who scored two tweak things, and, when you know they’re up, you have to let them go.” goals and three assists in 14 games earlier this season. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.07.2021 After returning from a four-game stint with the American Hockey League’s Belleville Senators on March 21, the 21-year-old Brannstrom — acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in the Mark Stone trade and still considered one of Ottawa’s brightest blueline prospects — has remained on the taxi squad for the past three games, travelling with the team, but not playing.

The path towards a return to the lineup appeared to clear when fellow left-side defenceman Christian Wolanin passed through waivers, was assigned to Belleville and then traded to the Los Angeles Kings for forward Mike Amadio.

Instead of dressing Brannstrom, however, veteran Braydon Coburn has held down the third pairing spot on the left side in the home-and-away series against the Montreal Canadiens and in Monday’s loss to Winnipeg. That’s where Coburn was during the slow start to the season, when the Senators defence was routinely hemmed in its own zone, unable to relieve the pressure.

It does seem to be an either or situation: Coburn and Brannstrom, who has played exclusively on the left side while with the Senators, have been in the lineup together only twice, when Thomas Chabot and Mike Reilly missed games with injuries.

At this point in the strange season, practice time at the NHL level is limited, leaving many to wonder whether dominating games in the AHL (Brannstrom had five points in four games with Belleville) would be more suitable than watching games with Ottawwa.

Perhaps the back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday against the Oilers will open the dressing room door for Brannstrom’s return. Or maybe he’ll see regular duty again if Coburn or Reilly is traded before next Monday’s deadline.

Senators left-winger Tim Stuetzle (18) has scored just three goals in his past 26 games.

STUETZLE IS DUE: The Senators star rookie is fast discovering that, as the playoffs approach, checking becomes tighter and tighter. Stuetzle hasn’t scored in 11 games since March 8 against Edmonton, and he has only two goals in his past 19 games and three in his past 26. He does, however, seem to save his best for the Oilers. Half of his six goals have been scored against Edmonton. 1186631 Ottawa Senators this,” Glover said. “For me, just to have an amputation, with a leg and so many other people have prosthetics and you can’t even tell. I’ll be able to do everything I was doing, so I’m grateful for that.

GARRIOCH: Mike Glover touched by the outpouring of support after “I’m kind of treating it like a hockey injury. I’ve got that mentality that I’m having his leg amputated going to deal with it and move on.”

Naturally, there are challenges ahead. Doctors will give him time to recover and then determine the next step in treatment for the cancer. He Bruce Garrioch will spend 4-6 weeks at the rehabilitation centre at The Ottawa Hospital learning how to live with a prosthetic.

Glover’s goal is simple: He wants to get back to work, scouting again and When Mike Glover came on the line from his Ottawa home, he sounded playing golf. bright and cheerful, his outlook on everything life has to offer unchanged. Mike Glover, an avid golfer, wants people to know he’s OK and ready for A week ago, the 52-year-old Glover saw his world change forever after the challenge ahead. doctors at the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital amputated his right leg just above the knee; he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form “Staying at home is just driving me absolutely crazy,” Glover said. “I’m of cancer. Released from hospital a day after the surgery, Glover needs just glad The Masters is on this week because it will give me something rest and time to recover, but says he can’t wait to get on with his new life. to watch while I’m healing, and then I’ll start with the doctor’s appointments again. I have my moments (where it’s tough), but, for the Glover and his wife, Laura Kitney, already knew they had lots of support, most part, I’ve been pretty good. but, if they needed proof, they got a ton of it when Glover’s brother, Rick, put up a GoFundMe campaign to raise $100,000 to buy a prosthetic leg “I’ve kept the attitude that it’s just a leg, I’ve got a prosthetic coming and for Mike. Within four days, they’d surpassed their goal. As of Tuesday, it I’ll be good. This is just a bump in the road and we’re going to move past stood at nearly $105,000. it.”

“It’s insane. Honestly, I’m speechless. I have no words to describe how Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.07.2021 this all happened. The hockey world, golf, work, my friends, everybody … it’s unbelievable. It really is,” Glover told Postmedia on Tuesday. “When this started, a couple of the guys said we’ll probably get there and it will just take some time.

“This was something I didn’t realize was going to happen. My brother just kind of set it up. He spoke to friends like Mike Dagenais and John Stanton and the response has just been ridiculous.”

In a lot of ways, it’s been touching and meaningful. As Glover noted, the people who have donated come from every part of his life in this city. A talented junior with the Ontario Hockey League’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 1985 to 1988, Glover has been scouting part-time in the Ottawa area for the Windsor Spitfires for the past nine years.

Mike Glover was a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 1985 to 1988.

A diagnostic systems analyst at The Ottawa Hospital, Glover has marveled at some of those who have donated. Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, San Jose Sharks coach Bob Boughner, Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion, head coach D.J. Smith and assistant Bob Jones are among those who have given their support.

Those are just some of the names; Glover is thankful to everybody who has given whatever they can.

“It doesn’t seem real,” Glover said. “The amount of people who have reached out. The day after my surgery, I think I had 70 different conversations on my phone with text messages and people just checking in and to see how I’m doing. My phone blows up daily with people checking and seeing if they can get us anything.”

The decision to amputate the leg wasn’t easy, however, it was the only option given by doctors after the cancer was discovered behind the knee. Glove had a sore knee in September, had a cortisone shot to relieve the pain, had several tests that didn’t show anything and then, after a procedure in March, the decision was made to amputate.

There are only 19 known cases of the same type of cancer in Canada and only 450 across the world.

“They didn’t know how to treat it or a plan to cure it. (The doctor) said the best case (scenario) right now for us for survival was to amputate the leg just above the knee,” Glover said. “There was no hesitation, of course, it was just let’s go and let’s do this because there’s definitely no question.

“It was an aggressive cancer in the bone, so it had to be done sooner rather than later because all the pain I was getting, and it was spreading fairly quickly, so they basically had to act quick. It was a no-brainer.”

He’s getting around the house with crutches, a walker and a wheelchair, trying to stay positive, but he has his moments.

“Mentally it’s been a struggle at times, but, at other times, I just feel like so many other people are going through worse or have gone through 1186632 Ottawa Senators Bierk, 44, was a goaltender with his hometown Peterborough Petes in the OHL and was drafted by the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning in the ninth round (212th overall) in 1995.

Pierre Groulx out, Zac Bierk in as Senators change goaltending coaches He posted a 9-20-5 NHL record in 47 games with Tampa, Minnesota and Phoenix before retiring in 2004.

He served as a goaltending consultant in Oshawa for five years, Ken Warren including the Memorial Cup championship run with Smith in 2015.

Bierk also worked with ’s Under-17 squad and was a goaltending consultant for Canada’s sledge hockey squad at the 2018 Something had to give in the mess that has been the Ottawa Senators Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang. goaltending saga this season. From there, he became the Coyotes’ goaltending development coach, On Tuesday, goaltending coach Pierre Groulx paid the price for the responsible for the developing of netminding prospects in the AHL, major struggles of Matt Murray and Marcus Hogberg. junior and colleges. Groulx, who has served as Senators goaltending coach since 2016, On that front, there’s another indirect connection to the Senators’ dating back to the Guy Boucher regime, has been re-assigned to a goaltending situation. scouting and development role. Bierk worked closely with Brian Daccord, the Coyotes’ special assistant The new goaltending coach is Zac Bierk, who had been a goaltending to the general manager and director of goaltending operations. Daccord development coach with the Arizona Coyotes. He also has a history with is also the father of Joey Daccord, who is out for the season because of Senators head coach D.J. Smith, while both were with the Oshawa a high ankle sprain, but could figure prominently in the club’s future Generals of the Ontario Hockey League. plans. “Unfortunately, a number of our goaltending performances this season Groulx was brought in as part of the coaching change that included have been underwhelming,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion Boucher taking over as head coach from Dave Cameron in 2015. He said in a media release issued Tuesday, an off-day from practice. “I think replaced Rick Wamsley as goaltending boss. very highly of Pierre Groulx, he’s as dedicated and tireless a worker as anyone in the organization, but we recently reached a point where we STORY CONTINUES BELOW thought a fresh outlook could help return some stability to our crease.” This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Article content This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He had a strong working relationship with former Senators No. 1 Article content goaltender Craig Anderson, dating back to the time when both were with the Florida Panthers. Indeed, the numbers haven’t been pretty. During the 2016-17 season, Groulx also worked closely with Mike Murray was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in October and Condon, who helped get the Senators into the playoffs while Anderson signed to a four-year, $25-million contract. He struggled at the outset, in was away from the team for an extended period due to his wife’s battle net for several lopsided defeats as the Senators fell into the basement of with a rare throat cancer. the National Hockey League’s North Division, and has been unable to establish any consistency. Groulx begin his career in the NHL as a video coach with the Senators under former head coach Jacques Martin. He owns a record of 7-12-1, a 3.84 goals against average and an .880 save percentage. It’s not unheard of for goaltending coaches to be removed in the middle of season. In March, the Montreal Canadiens hired Sean Burke to As shaky as Murray’s game has been, though, Hogberg’s statistics are replace Stéphane Waite, largely because of the struggles of No. 1 even worse. He has a 2-5-0 record, 4.34 average and .859 save goaltender Carey Price. percentage. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.07.2021 Due to injuries, though, Murray hasn’t played since March 10 and Hogberg has been out since Feb. 18.

The twist in the story has been that three replacements — the currently injured Joey Daccord (3.27, .897) Filip Gustavsson (1.81, .946) and Anton Forsberg (3.28, .920) — have delivered solid performances while Murray and Hogberg have been recovering.

Now, though, Murray and Hogberg are on the verge of returning.

Murray, who had an unspecified upper body injury, came off the injured reserve list last week and has been practising with the Senators.

Hogberg, who had a lower body injury, made two starts with the American Hockey League’s Belleville Senators on a conditioning stint, including stopping 37 of 39 shots in a 7-2 win on Saturday. He was recalled to the Senators’ taxi squad on Tuesday, while Gustavsson was shuffled back to Belleville.

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Article content

Forsberg, who stopped 42 of 46 shots in Monday’s 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, remains with the Senators.

Bierk is charged with improving the numbers for Murray and Hogberg, among the league’s worst. 1186633 Ottawa Senators Does Rutherford think this change could benefit Murray? “It could be. I mean, anything is worth a try,” Rutherford said. “Whatever

anyone wants to try or whatever he wants to try is worth doing.” Why the Senators hope a midseason coaching change can restart Matt In his statement, Dorion said the club was seeking stability in the Murray goaltending position. But the timing of Tuesday’s announcement is curious, if only because it comes at a time when goaltending has been the least of Ottawa’s recent issues. That suggests this move has been By Ian Mendes Apr 6, 2021 6 planned for several weeks but was only executed now with Murray on the verge of returning to the crease.

Over the past three weeks — since Murray went down with an injury — The last time the Ottawa Senators fired their goalie coach in the middle Ottawa has received goaltending that would put it in the top half of the of the season, it led to one of the most improbable chapters in franchise NHL: history. Senators since March 14 On Jan. 13, 2010, shortly after Ottawa players enjoyed a rare outdoor practice at Central Park in , the club announced it was Save Percentage parting ways with goaltending coach Eli Wilson. .925 Mired in a five-game losing streak, the Senators had just been on the wrong side of a 6-1 beatdown at the hands of the Atlanta Thrashers. In 8th that game, both and Brian Elliott allowed three goals on GAA 14 shots against for matching .786 save percentages. 2.67 It was clearly a breaking point for the organization. 15th “Performance of the goaltenders in the organization had everything to do with it,” general manager Bryan Murray said in a statement. “Both at the Penalty Kill NHL level and the AHL level, we felt that the goaltenders weren’t where we thought they were going to be and where they have shown they can 90.9% be.” 2nd

The next morning at Madison Square Garden, Leclaire took a puck off his Points Percentage mask and was sidelined with a concussion. Elliott simultaneously fell ill, forcing the club to recall minor league goalie Mike Brodeur. .611

Brodeur was pulled off the ice from an AHL practice in Binghamton and 14th raced to midtown Manhattan in a car service, arriving at MSG just in time to haul his own equipment up the service ramp before the game. A few An educated guess would suggest Murray’s early struggles in Ottawa hours later, Brodeur made 32 saves in a shutout win over the New York were the main catalyst for Tuesday’s change. But those who watched Rangers. Murray in Pittsburgh already saw this decline as injuries and inconsistency plagued his game over his final two seasons with the That spawned a franchise-record 11-game winning streak for Ottawa, in Penguins. which the goalies allowed two goals or fewer in each of the victories. His struggles from Pittsburgh have carried over to Ottawa, which should All of it accomplished, strangely enough, without a full-time goalie coach. exonerate Groulx to some extent. It’s not as though Murray came over with sparking numbers to only watch his game plummet under the On Tuesday morning, the Senators issued a similarly terse statement tutelage of Groulx. from the desk of general manager Pierre Dorion, announcing they have demoted Pierre Groulx from his post as goaltender coach. “I don’t know if falling apart is the right description. I know everybody has different ways of saying it,” Rutherford says of Murray’s game over the “Unfortunately, a number of our goaltending performances this season past 18 months. “He hasn’t been as good as he was in those two Cup have been underwhelming,” Dorion’s statement read. “I think very highly runs. But it’s not like he just did it once. He did it twice — so it’s not a of Pierre Groulx, he’s as dedicated and tireless a worker as anyone in the fluke. I think he was so good early in his career, that it puts extra organization, but we recently reached a point where we thought a fresh pressure on him that he has to try and live up to those expectations.” outlook could help return some stability to our crease.” Over the past two seasons, there have been 20 NHL goalies who have Groulx will be pushed into a scouting and development role as Zac Bierk appeared in at least 60 games. Here is where Murray ranks in several now assumes the responsibilities of the goalie coach. key metrics during that time span:

History is repeating itself as the Senators are once again without their Matt Murray - past two seasons two top netminders — Matt Murray and Marcus Högberg — while changing goalie coaches in the middle of the season. But this time Save Percentage around, nobody is expecting the Senators to be on the precipice of an 11-game winning streak. .892

Instead, the Senators might be seeking something more elusive than a 20th double-digit winning streak. GAA

They are desperately hoping for Murray to regain his championship 3.20 pedigree. 20th There was no gloating on the other end of the phone line from Jim Rutherford on Tuesday afternoon. Quality Starts

Not even a detectable trace of “I told you so” in the wake of the Senators 43.1% making a significant change directly related to Murray. 17th “I’m actually a little surprised we’re having this conversation,” Rutherford Wins told The Athletic. “When I talked to Pierre (Dorion) about making this trade, I always thought it would be a good fit for him there.” 27

The former Penguins general manager was contacted hours after the 17th Senators replaced Groulx with Bierk. If anything, his game has plateaued — which has clearly rankled Dorion 2.32 and Senators management. But the question that really needs to be asked in this market goes beyond the goaltending coach and up higher to Mike Buckley the executive suites. Games

Which Pierre should take more blame for Murray’s situation in Ottawa: 137 Groulx or Dorion? Record There is ample reason to blame the general manager in this equation. Not in engineering the trade for Murray, but for locking him into a four- 76-41-14 year, $25 million contract. Save Pct Murray was viewed by many in the hockey world as a reclamation .909 project. Putting him behind a rebuilding team with an inexperienced blue line only added pressure. As Rutherford noted, this is a goalie already GAA drenched with expectations from two Stanley Cup champagne showers before his 24th birthday. 2.82

A short-term, prove-it contract probably made more sense for the 26- Pierre Groulx year-old, but Dorion jumped in with both feet. Games And now the Senators are forced to scramble to figure out how to 22 reconstruct a two-time Stanley Cup-winning netminder — something the Penguins brass wasn’t able to accomplish. The Penguins ultimately Record made that decision during their play-in series against Montreal in August when they opted to start Tristan Jarry ahead of Murray when facing 7-12-1 elimination. Save Pct Rutherford is convinced that Murray’s game dipped once the club lost .880 Marc-Andre Fleury to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. The Penguins felt the internal competition pushed Murray to an elite level GAA and once Fleury left the picture, it left a cratering hole in that department. 3.84 “There was such a drive to make sure the net was his. He was on the same team as a future Hall of Famer and it was always a battle to see A first glance at these stats would reveal a drop-off with each goalie who was going to play the next game between he and Fleury,” coach, ending with a resounding thud in his time with Groulx in Ottawa. Rutherford said. “I think that part really drove him to be as successful as However, for the sake of sample size — and relevance — it’s worth he was all those years.” examining Murray’s final 22 games under Buckley in Pittsburgh and comparing them to the first 22 under Groulx in Ottawa: In his two Stanley Cup playoffs runs, Murray was scintillating, posting a 22-9 record with a 1.95 GAA and a .928 save percentage. End of Pens era vs start of Sens era

So what made Murray special when he was on his game? Final 22 Games Under Mike Buckley in Pittsburgh:

“Everything,” Rutherford flatly stated. “When he was at this best, you Save Pct never thought a puck was going in.” .888

It’s now Bierk’s job to try to be the ultimate goalie whisperer in Ottawa. GAA

And he’ll be the fourth goalie coach assigned to work with Murray in his 3.23 six seasons in the NHL. First 22 Games Under Pierre Groulx in Ottawa: An awkward change at the goalie coach position in the NHL is nothing new for Murray. The day after Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup parade in 2017, Save Pct the Penguins cut ties with goalie coach Mike Bales and replaced him with Mike Buckley. .880

On the surface, it seemed like a peculiar move, but Bales was seen as GAA having a stronger relationship with Fleury, while Murray worked 3.84 seamlessly with the junior goaltending coach in Buckley. The numbers are eerily similar, which supports the theory that Groulx has But while his professional working arrangement may have been stronger done nothing to severely hamper Murray’s game. If anything, it’s been a with Buckley, it’s undeniable that Murray’s performance was at its peak lateral step for Murray. with Bales as his goalie coach. In addition to the two Stanley Cup rings, Murray’s statistical numbers were much stronger with Bales as his goalie The challenge for Bierk will be to get Murray to have positive traction in coach. his game in the final month of the season. Murray has enjoyed some brilliant performances this season, but they’ve alternated with mediocre Here’s a breakdown of Murray’s regular-season stats under his previous outings. At 26, there is plenty of time for Murray to rediscover his game. three goalie coaches: But the weight of his contract is what suddenly makes this a pressing Matt Murray - With each goalie coach issue in Ottawa.

Mike Bales Bierk comes to Ottawa from the Arizona Coyotes, where he recently worked with Joey Daccord’s father Brian in the goaltending division with Games the organization. Bierk has spent the past three seasons as the Coyotes development goalie coach, overseeing prospect development at the AHL, 62 NCAA and junior levels. While he runs a goaltending school in Toronto, Record this will be his first opportunity to work with NHL netminders on a full-time basis. 41-12-5 His previous connection to Senators coach D.J. Smith is likely what Save Pct sealed this position for Bierk as the two won a Memorial Cup together with the Oshawa Generals in 2015. Smith has a solid professional .925 working relationship with Bierk and undoubtedly assisted in selecting GAA Groulx’s successor. The challenge for Bierk and Smith is to create an environment where the Goals Allowed Senators goalies are put in a position to succeed. In the past few seasons under Groulx’s guidance, the Senators have been near the 145 bottom of most defensive and goaltending metrics: 31st

Senators with Pierre Groulx Shots Against

2016-17 1,281

Save Percentage 30th

.915 And it’s not just shot volume that has been an issue for Ottawa goalies, 12th it’s the quality of shots they’re facing. Over that same stretch, Senators netminders have been subjected to a disproportionate number of high Goals Allowed danger scoring chances.

210 High danger scoring chances against

10th 2020-21

Shots Against 164

2,467 30th

16th 2019-20

2017-18 473

Save Percentage 26th

.895 2018-19

30th 398

Goals Allowed 29th

284 2017-18

30th 354

Shots Against 23rd

2,712 2016-17

25th 312

2018-19 11th

Save Percentage How much of these issues in Ottawa can be tied to poor goaltending? How much should be attributed to poor play in the defensive zone? .897 And how much of this is chalked up to poor roster construction? 26th The defensive issues in Ottawa have been a multi-layered issue for Goals Allowed several years and swapping out the goalie coach may not solve the core 301 problem. By replacing Groulx as goalie coach, the Senators are addressing one portion of this equation. 31st But if this doesn’t work as planned, the heat will likely be turned up Shots Against accordingly on the other Pierre in the front office.

2,931 The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 31st

2019-20

Save Perentage

.900

25th

Goals Allowed

238

30th

Shots Against

2,384

30th

2020-21

Save Percentage

.887

30th 1186634 Philadelphia Flyers “We were doing our thing, getting pucks deep and making the simple plays,” Gostisbehere said.

Voracek tapped home Konecny’s slick pass with 18:27 left in the second Flyers’ playoff chances dim as they fall to shorthanded Boston Bruins, 4- to get the Flyers within 2-1. Just 2½ minutes later, Voracek’s cross-ice 2 pass set up Gostisbehere for his sixth goal, a high blast from the right circle.

Boston built a 2-0 first-period lead on a pair of Bergeron goals. That Sam Carchidi5-6 minutes meant the Flyers had been outscored by a 21-goal, first-period margin since the start of March.

Scott Laughton had two first-period breakaways; he shot wide on the first The Flyers, playing one of the most important games of their uneven one, and was robbed by Swayman on the second attempt while the season, faced a Boston Bruins team Tuesday that was missing two of its Flyers were shorthanded. best defensemen and its three top goaltenders. After the latter save, the Bruins came down ice and Bergeron put a slot They failed to take advantage. shot thought the legs of Carter Hart, giving Boston a 2-0 lead with 2:29 Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman made 40 saves in a memorable NHL left in the first. debut, and Patrice Bergeron scored three times as the Bruins handed the It gave Bergeron the 48th multi-goal game of his sensational career, and Flyers a killer loss, 4-2, at the Wells Fargo Center. made Boston a mind-boggling 10 for 19 (52.6%) on the power play The Flyers fell five points behind Boston for the fourth and final East against the Flyers this season. Division playoff spot, and the Bruins have two games in hand. The Flyers Earlier in the first, Bergeron, uncovered out front, collected a rebound could have moved to within a point of the Bruins with a regulation win. and gave Boston a 1-0 lead with 12:51 to go in the period. Instead, they fell into a fifth-place tie with the Rangers with 18 games Besides stopping Laughton on a breakaway, Swayman made key saves remaining. on Joel Farabee (redirect) and Nolan Patrick (alone in front) in the “It’s a tough loss, but there are still a lot of points [available],” left winger opening 20 minutes. Oskar Lindblom said. Swayman, a University of Maine product, was playing because rookie Bergeron completed a hat trick, the sixth of his career, with an empty-net Dan Vladar had been used the previous night. The Bruins’ top two goal to seal the verdict. goalies, Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, are sidelined. Rask is working his way back into the lineup after an injury, and Halak is on the COVID- Once again, special teams cost the Flyers, who were outscored, 2-0, in 19 protocol list. that department as Boston had a power-play goal and a late shorthanded tally that snapped a 2-2 tie. The Bruins were missing defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo because of injuries. Flyers' Travis Konecny checks Bruins' Kevan Miller during the third period at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Tuesday, April 06, One night earlier, the Flyers recorded a stirring 3-2 overtime win in 2021. Boston beats the Flyers 4-2. Boston. Their playoff charge appeared to be underway.

With the Flyers on a power play, Travis Konecny, alone in front, couldn’t That was before a goalie making his NHL debut outplayed Hart and control a bouncing puck, and a short time later, the Bruins took proved to be the difference. advantage of a turnover in Philadelphia’s offensive end, enabling Brad “Carter is a young goaltender playing a real tough position and he’s trying Marchand (four points) and Jeremy Lauzon to dash down the ice on a his best,” Vigneault said.” two-on-one. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.07.2021 Marchand took Lauzon’s pass and patiently waited before putting a shot through Carter Hart’s legs, giving Boston a 3-2 lead with 11:39 left in regulation.

“We threw everything,” defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said about the Flyers’ 25-shot second period. “That’s the way we need to play all the time, with that urgency.”

The urgency was missing in the final period. With their playoff lives on the brink, the Flyers went down meekly, managing just four shots in the third.

“Give them credit. They’re a good team, they’re an experienced team,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “... I thought we played extremely well in the second and they tightened things a little bit and it was tougher for us to get through.”

The Flyers outshot the Bruins, 42-26, and had a 77-50 advantage in shot attempts.

“We didn’t give them a lot of looks, and we had some great looks,” Vigneault said. “We weren’t able to finish and they were able to finish.”

Swayman, 22, was the only reason the Bruins were in a 2-2 tie — and didn’t trail by at least a couple of goals — after two periods.

In the second, the Flyers had more shots (25) than in any period this season, and they allowed only seven shots in the session. In the first 40 minutes, the Flyers had a 38-18 shots domination and a 65-37 advantage in shot attempts.

But Swayman, who starred in nine AHL appearances this year, kept the Bruins in the game.

Trailing 2-0, the Flyers swarmed Swayman. Jake Voracek scored the Flyers’ first goal and set up the second one, enabling the Flyers to knot the score at 2-2 early in the second. 1186635 Philadelphia Flyers In Tuesday’s loss, Kevin Hayes had five shots and nine shot attempts; he hit iron on one blast. ... Referring to the Flyers’ inordinate amount of icings Monday, Vigneault said his team “hurried some plays, and I think you have to give credit to Boston. They’re a hard forechecking team; they Oskar Lindblom returns to Flyers’ lineup; Scott Laughton downplays come at you very hard and they take your time and space away, and trade rumors sometimes it forces your defensemen or forwards to think they have less time than they originally do to make that play. And they forced us into

icings.” Sam Carchidi4-5 minutes Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.07.2021

Flyers coach Alain Vigneault is hoping left winger Oskar Lindblom, rested in two of the last three games before Tuesday, is ready for the stretch run.

Lindblom, 24, who missed most of last season as he battled a rare bone cancer, returned to the lineup Tuesday against the visiting Boston Bruins.

If Lindblom can regain his game, it will almost be like adding a player before Monday’s trade deadline. He has shown spurts of playing like his old self, but it has been a grueling comeback for someone who went through chemotherapy and had some ribs removed.

“Oskar’s a real good player, and he’s had a couple of days here where he’s been able to practice and ... he’s fresh,” Vigneault said before Tuesday’s critical 4-2 loss. “Oskar is a veteran player, and even though he’s a young veteran player, he’s played some big minutes for us and played well.”

In 32 games, Lindblom has five goals, 10 points, and a minus-9 rating during a condensed season that had a shortened training camp. He said the recent mini break was especially good for him mentally. “I mean, with all I went through and a short time to get back to play in the best league in the world, I take every day I can and recover the best I can,” Lindblom said the other day.

With Lindblom back in the lineup -- he moved to the top line early in the game and finished with three shots in 13-plus solid minutes -- Michael Raffl moved from left wing to center, and Tanner Laczynski was a healthy scratch. Vigneault liked what he saw from Laczynski, who played center and was used on the penalty kill, in his first two NHL games.

Vigneault called Laczynski a “smart two-way hockey player who can play more than one position. So for him, I’m sure it was a great experience, his first touch at a couple of NHL games. We have a young player we’re going to work with and hopefully he can help us win some games moving forward.”

Laughton wants to stay

Versatile forward Scott Laughton downplayed the fact his name has been bandied about in trade rumors. He said he wasn’t distracted by the chatter, and made it clear he wants to remain with the Flyers.

“It hasn’t really crossed my mind. If it happens, it happens,” Laughton, a prospective unrestricted free agent after this season, said about a trade. “My focus is here in Philly. I love it here in Philly. I love the staff here. I love the guys here. I’m focused on coming to work every day and trying to get better and push the pace a little bit and get a playoff spot. That’s my focus right now.”

Hagg almost ready

Defenseman Robert Hagg, who hasn’t played since March 17 because of a shoulder injury, will probably be available if Vigneault wants to put him into the lineup Thursday against the host Islanders. He has been practicing with the team and may have been ready Tuesday, but Vigneault said he liked the way the defensemen played in the previous two games and didn’t want to make any changes.

Slumping wingers

After sizzling starts, wingers James van Riemsdyk and Joel Farabee have cooled off.

Van Riemsdyk is without a goal in his last 12 games, and Farabee has not scored in his last seven games.

“I need both of those guys to be better than they have been [lately],” Vigneault said before Tuesday’s contest. “They’re aware of it, and they’re working on their game.”

Breakaways 1186636 Philadelphia Flyers Starting Tuesday, the city will allow the Wells Fargo Center to increase capacity from 15% to 20%, meaning the attendance can go from 3,100 to about 4,000.

The Flyers will carry momentum into Tuesday’s showdown; Bruins goalie The Flyers did not reach the 3,100 maximum in any of their eight home making NHL debut games since fans were permitted back into the Wells Fargo Center. Their eight attendance figures: 3,023; 2,838; 2,807; 3,083; 2,820; 2,882; 2,854; and 3,069.

Sam Carchidi4-5 minutes Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.07.2021

The Flyers have momentum on their side.

Coming off a thrilling 3-2 overtime win Monday in Boston, they can get to within one point of the Bruins if they can beat them in regulation Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

On Monday, the Flyers tied the game on Sean Couturier’s third-period power-play goal, and won it on Travis Sanheim’s two-way heroics. Sanheim blocked Patrice Bergeron’s shot and then scored on a breakaway, beating impressive rookie Dan Vladar to the glove side with 1 minute, 52 seconds left in overtime.

Will the momentum from that win carry into Tuesday?

“It’s a good effort and a lot to build on, a lot of positives,” said Travis Konecny, who ended a 12-game goal-less drought with a first-period goal. “We can’t get too high about it. We’ve got to regroup and refresh [Tuesday]; it’s a new game.”

The Bruins do not look like the team that began the season 10-1-2 and won their first five games against the Flyers. Boston, which has two games in hand on the Flyers, is just 9-9-4 in its last 22 games.

The Flyers had a 6-10-1 March but have played with much more precision in their first two April games: a 3-2 shootout loss to the Islanders, and the overtime win over the Bruins.

“The last two games, we were playing against some well-structured teams that don’t give up a lot, and we’re kind of doing the same thing,” Couturier said. “We’ve tightened things up and haven’t let up as much. These are the type of tight games we need to learn how to win.”

Carter Hart will get the start Tuesday and will try to end a personal four- game losing streak. Hart played well in Saturday’s shootout loss to the Islanders, and the Flyers hope he can string together several similar performances.

In a mild surprise, Brian Elliott was in the nets Monday, and he responded with a strong 27-save effort.

Hart is 0-2-2 against Boston this season, compiling a 5.32 GAA and .843 save percentage.

The Flyers, who are aiming for a three-game point streak for the first time since late February, need Hart to resemble the goalie who looked like his old self Saturday. They also need to play with the same structure and desperation they showed in most of Monday’s win.

The Bruins will use goalie Jeremy Swayman, who will make his NHL debut.

Swayman, 22, was Boston’s backup Monday. The University of Maine product was impressive in nine AHL appearances this year with Providence, putting together a 1.89 GAA and .933 save percentage.

Goalie Tuukka Rask is coming off an injury, and Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said he is not ready to play, and Jaroslav Halak is on the COVID protocol list. The team’s No. 3 goalie, Vladar, made 29 saves — several were spectacular — in Monday’s game.

The Bruins will have defenseman Kevan Miller (two assists in 15 games) back in the lineup. He has missed the last 20 games with a knee injury. Miller brings some experience, which will put Cassidy in a better mood. He was critical of his young defense after Monday’s loss.

Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo is still sidelined with an upper-body injury, and the Bruins clearly miss Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug. Chara signed with Washington, and Krug signed with St. Louis.

More fans allowed 1186637 Philadelphia Flyers Things to know “We’ve tightened things up and haven’t let up as much,” Sean Couturier

said. “These are the type of tight games we need to learn how to win.” Flyers goalie Carter Hart gets a chance at revenge on the Bruins | On the Sam Carchidi has the game story after Travis Sanheim’s overtime goal Fly pulls the Flyers a little closer to the Bruins with two more meetings left this week (Tuesday and Saturday).

Speaking of the OT win, here are some morning-after observations. Ed Barkowitz6-7 minutes Shayne Gostisbehere opens up about being waived, and hearing trade rumors for much of his career. “Obviously, it’s something you think about, but my job as a professional is to just go out there and do what I can do It’s premature to call Travis Sanheim’s goal a season saver, but it sure and what’s in my control — and that’s playing hockey.” bought the Flyers some more time. Cam York turned pro after winning Big Ten defensive player of the year, Sanheim, who hadn’t scored since Joe Biden’s first full day in office (Jan. and an abrupt ending to his college season. Could we see him in the 21), gave the Flyers an overtime win Monday night with a dazzling play at NHL this season? You bet your skates we could. both ends of the ice. First he blocked Patrice Bergeron’s shot, then he took the carom and beat Daniel Vladar with less than two minutes Twitter clip: Eric Lindros used to hit people like this. Boston’s Nick Ritchie remaining. It didn’t hurt when Bergeron, the best defensive forward of the lays the lumber on Justin Braun. last decade, tripped over the blue line. Right back at ya We will find out tonight just how important Sanheim’s goal is. The Flyers are 4-2 in the second half of back-to-backs. One of the losses You’re signed up to get this newsletter Tuesdays and Thursdays during came the only time they had to travel to different cities. They lost a the Flyers’ season. If you like what you’re reading, tell some friends it’s Saturday afternoon game in Pittsburgh on March 6 and lost the following free to join here. We want to know what you think, what we should add, night in Philadelphia to the Capitals. and what you want to read, so send feedback by email or on Twitter (@EdBarkowitz or @BroadStBull). Thanks for reading. They have five more back-to-backs remaining after this one, none with travel in between. — Ed Barkowitz ([email protected]) Boston is 1-3 in the second game on consecutive days. This will be the Now, it’s Carter Hart’s turn to help save the season first involving travel between the games. The Bruins also have five B2Bs after tonight. The next is Saturday when they play the Flyers at the WFC We all know how hellacious this season has been for Carter Hart. He before hosting Washington on Sunday. entered it as the darling of the Delaware Valley, the homegrown franchise goaltender fans had been waiting for since Ron Hextall was Flyers’ next five nervously clanging his stick off the goal posts and pummeling poor Chris Chelios in the corners. Tuesday: vs. Boston, 7 p.m. (NBCSP)

But somewhere after those two wins against Pittsburgh to start the Thursday: at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. (NBCSP) season, the wheels started coming off. He lost games, confidence, and Saturday: vs. Boston, 2 p.m. (NBCSP) most concerning, his cool. Boston has been especially troublesome. Sunday: vs. Buffalo, 2 p.m. (NBCSP, NHLN) In four games against the Bruins, Hart has allowed 20 goals, including eight on the power play, which would be enough to erode Bernie Parent’s Tuesday, April 13: at Washington, 7 p.m. (NBCSP, NBCSN) confidence. From the mailbag The Flyers (41) are within three points of the Bruins (44) after Monday night’s overtime win in Boston. They can close the deficit to one with a The Flyers have a way of making rookie goalies look like Ken Dryden. I’m victory in the rematch Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Hart will not heartened by the rookie goalie’s presence in net [Monday and get the start. possibly Tuesday]. Fact is, if they are to have any shot they need to beat whoever they face. All of their free passes have been spent, big time. Hart played very well Saturday, his first appearance in nine days as the coaches gave him an in-season mental vacation. He said something — Inquirer.com user paulguy88 afterward that resonated. ***

“I just came to practice every day,” he explained. “Not pouting. Just Is Ghost the only Flyers player interested in shooting the puck on the having fun with the boys. Competing and battling. Just showing up to power play? Because it always seems that way. work every day with my hard hat and lunch pail, ya know?” — Brandon Murphy via Twitter Then he let out a quick chuckle. It’s the first time I’d seen Hart smile in a month. ***

No one has any idea whether Hart will end Boston’s hex tonight, but the Something is wrong with [Kevin] Hayes. Hasn’t been involved much in Flyers have a much better chance if their goaltender is relaxed and, yes, the last few games. No center ice presence, no speed, no real hits, and having fun. Boston will still have two games in hand after Tuesday, so not much of anything from the big guy. they will have an advantage. — Inquirer.com user key_adhia But if the Flyers can climb to within one point of the Bruins in the standings, maybe the pressure will shift. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.07.2021

This much is clear: The April 12 trade deadline is less than a week away, and it’s still impossible to determine whether the Flyers are buyers or sellers.

Inside the numbers

Carter Hart vs. ...

The Bruins (awful): 0-2-2, 5.32 goals-against average, .843 save percentage.

Everyone else (bad, but not as brutal): 8-7-2, 3.59 goals-against average, .878 save percentage. 1186638 Philadelphia Flyers

Observations from the Flyers’ overtime win at Boston

Ed Barkowitz3-3 minutes

The Flyers were able to beat the Bruins for the first time all season, but needed overtime to do so. The Flyers picked up two points, but the Bruins added one for themselves thanks largely to their third-string rookie goaltender.

Here is a further examination of the 3-2 victory Monday night:

Comeback kids. For the second consecutive game, the Flyers needed a strong third period. On Saturday, a pair of goals by Claude Giroux erased a 2-0 deficit. On Monday, Sean Couturier’s power-play goal with seven minutes left tied it. Time’s slipping away, but there’s still life here.

Details, details. The Bruins scored their first goal when Jake Voracek was tripped up by Jakub Zboril in the Flyers’ defensive zone. Boston’s second came on a power-play, which followed a careless icing call when Couturier did not gain the red line on a routine dump in the zone. The Flyers were called for icing 10 times in the first 25 minutes. They lost the subsequent draw seven of those 10.

Vladar love. Rookie Dan Vladar made 29 saves after he was called on to make the fourth start of his career after Jaroslav Halak landed on the COVID-19 protocol list Monday afternoon. It’s unclear who will start for the Bruins in Tuesday’s rematch, but they could go with Jeremy Swayman, who turned pro only a year ago after a stellar career at the University of Maine.

Skid busters. Travis Konecny’s goal in the first period broke a 12-game drought. Travis Sanheim’s game-winner in the overtime was his first goal in 31 games. It’s been a rough year for Sanheim (-14), who was on the ice for both of Boston’s goals.

Moose crossing. Brian Elliott rebounded from his last outing, when he gave up four goals before being rescued in a miserable 6-1 loss to Buffalo on Wednesday. He shut the Bruins out for the last 42 minutes on Monday,

Keep an eye on this. Ivan Provorov, who already is averaging a career high in ice time (25:09), has played 25:57 and 26:33 in the last two games. They’re the first two of a stretch of six contests in nine nights.

Did you notice? Boston’s Brad Marchand was fired up after Monday night’s game. He was tangled up and taken to the ice by Nolan Patrick behind the play as Sanheim went in on his game-winning breakaway. Usually, it’s Marchand getting under opponent’s skins. Makes for a nice subplot heading into Tuesday night.

He said it. “We know what’s at stake going forward here,” Konecny said. “It’s just a matter of playing the right way, playing hard for one another. It was a good effort; lots to build on, lots of positives.”

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186639 Philadelphia Flyers The trade deadline is Monday and the Flyers are essentially right on the playoff bubble with 19 games to play.

A lot of teams in stronger contention would love to have Laughton but he Vigneault expects more from van Riemsdyk, Farabee says he would be happy just staying put.

“It (possible trade) really hasn’t crossed my mind,’’ Laughton said. “If that happens, it happens. But my focus is here in Philly. I love it here. . .the Wayne Fishwww.flyingfishhockey.com staff, the guys. So my focus is coming to work everyday and trying to get better, push the pace a little bit and get a playoff spot.

“Whatever happens, happens. But I love it here in Philly.’’ Joel Farabee leads the Flyers with 14 goals this season. The Flyers are said to be interested in adding a possible top-end In the National “What Have You Done Lately’’ Hockey League, Joel defenseman but it remains unclear what approach they will take if they Farabee’s team-leading 14 goals and James van Riemsdyk’s runner-up head into Monday on a low note. 13 come with an asterisk. Burlington County Times LOADED: 04.07.2021 JVR entered Tuesday night’s game against the Boston Bruins without a goal in his last 11 games.

Farabee had two over that same span but his plus-minus rating in those matches was a dreary minus-9.

Flyers coach Alain Vigneault knows he needs more from these two in what amounts to the team’s top offensive line with Sean Couturier.

Besides, when you have an elite set-up man like Couturier, there shouldn’t be any excuses, right?

“I need both those guys (van Riemsdyk, Farabee) to be better than they have been,’’ Vigneault said in a Tuesday afternoon media Zoom call. “They’re aware of it. They’re working on their game. We need them to play well.

Five things we learned from Monday’s Flyers 3-2 overtime win over Boston Bruins

“Joel obviously is a very young player making his first steps in the NHL and he’s learning every time he gets out there. In James’ case, he’s a veteran player, we need him to be the James that he was that first month and a half.’’

Van Riemsdyk played so well at the start of the season in January he was named NHL player of the month.

Farabee leads all NHL players under the age of 22 in goals produced this season.

Laczynski scratched but earns praise

Vigneault chose to pull rookie Tanner Laczynski from Tuesday night’s game, despite two strong efforts in his debut against the Islanders on Saturday and his second game on Monday in Boston.

The coach said it was strictly a roster numbers move. He wanted to get Oskar Lindblom back in action after a one-game rest break.

“Smart, two-way hockey player,’’ Vigneault said of Laczynski. “Can play more than one position. For him, I’m sure this was a great experience. We’ve got a young player we’re going to work with. Hopefully he can help us win some games moving forward.’’

Vigneault added he planned to move Michael Raffl to center for this game.

Hagg getting close to return

Defenseman Robert Hagg, out the better part of a month with a shoulder injury, has been practicing but Vigneault doesn’t want to rush him back into action.

“He’s real close,’’ Vigneault said. “I believe he’s a couple days here from being ready to play and a hundred percent. If we would have needed him, I would have tugged his jersey a little bit and he would have given me the OK.’’

Right now, the Flyers are well-stocked on defense with Erik Gustafsson serving as a No. 7 spare on a nightly basis.

Newly signed Cam York leads Flyers’ strong development system

Laughton addresses trade rumors

Scott Laughton, who can become an unrestricted free agent if he’s not signed by this summer, is beginning to generate some buzz in the trade rumor mill. 1186640 Philadelphia Flyers “We talked about it before the game,” he said. “We needed to win this game, play well, play hard, which we did.

“Tomorrow is just as important as today.” Five things we learned from Monday’s Flyers 3-2 overtime win over Can momentum carry over to Tuesday? Boston Bruins Vigneault agreed with the premise that the way you play in the first of a

back-to-back can have an effect on the second game. Wayne Fishflyingfishhockey.com “Coming back against the Bruins is probably even a bigger task with the veteran group that they have,” he said. “The experience (they have), it’s a challenge. Tomorrow is going to be another hard-fought game. They’re With 20 minutes left and the Flyers down 2-1 at TD Garden in Boston, it going to be ready, we’re going to be ready and it should be an exciting looked like the clock was approaching midnight on their playoff hopes. game.”

A loss in regulation time would leave the Flyers six points behind the Konecny snaps slump Bruins, who also maintain two games in hand. Travis Konecny gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead with a goal which ended a 12- But then some rather unlikely things happened. game drought.

First, Sean Couturier connected on a power play against the No. 1 “I really liked his (Konecny’s) game the last game which is why I kept him penalty kill unit in the NHL at the 6:56 mark to tie the score. with ‘G’ (Claude Giroux),” Vigneault said. “He’s working the right way, you get rewarded when you do that.” That was followed by a shocker: Four-time NHL Selke Trophy (best defensive forward) winner Patrice Bergeron tripped and fell. That left a Konecny confirmed getting the goal, off an assist from Giroux, was a clear path for defenseman Travis Sanheim to race in and score with 1:52 relief. left in the five-minute tiebreaker. "It was nice to get that one,” he said. “Honestly, I’ve just been trying to With the 3-2 win, the Flyers closed to within three points of the play the right way, working hard for your linemates. It’s a matter of time Beantowners with another game between the two scheduled for Tuesday before a bounce goes your way. It was just my turn to get one of those night in Philadelphia. nice bounces.”

Besides picking up a valuable point, the Flyers also broke a five-game (0- Big play by Giroux 3-2) winless streak against the Bruins this season, which should give the Flyers a little more confidence playing that team. In overtime, Giroux came up big by foiling a two-on-one opportunity for the Bruins. Moments later, the Flyers turned the tide and won it. Many people saw this effort coming, based on the Flyers’ structured play in Saturday night’s 3-2 shootout loss at the Islanders. The Flyers kept the “He’s been one of our more consistent players throughout the year,” Isles in check for most of the game and used the momentum from that Vigneault said. “He’s really, in my estimation, led this group with the right game to maintain their precision play for the Boston match. example — working hard, preparing himself. We need more guys to follow his lead.” Ultimately, this could be the kind of win the Flyers need to stay in the playoff race for their final 19 games. Numbers game

Sanheim was as surprised as anyone when Bergeron stumbled clumsily Sanheim scored his second goal of the season. It’s his second career to the ice. overtime game-winner, both of which have been at Boston. The other came on Jan. 31, 2019. ... Ivan Provorov had two assists. It’s his 12th In a flash, Sanheim was on top of Boston rookie goalie Daniel Vladar for career game of two or more assists, and second this season. ... a quick shot inside the left post. Defenseman Philippe Myers played his 100th NHL game. ... Carter Hart is scheduled to start in goal for the Flyers on Tuesday night. “I think we knew it was a big game coming in,” Sanheim said during a post-game media Zoom call. “So obviously it was a pretty big goal. Burlington County Times LOADED: 04.07.2021 “We needed the two points. We would have liked to have them in regulation, but we got the two points, nonetheless. It was a good team win, it felt good to get that one.”

Couturier has been through plenty of playoff drives in his career and knows what it’s like to play in these types of situations.

“It’s a huge extra point that we got there,” said Couturier after the Flyers raised their overtime record this season to a strong 5-2. “We’re battling for a playoff spot; they are as well. Good thing we came out on top there.”

The veteran center confirmed the Flyers appear to be trending in the right direction, even though the sample size of the last two games might be rather small.

“The last two games we’ve played two pretty well-structured teams,” Couturier said. “They don’t give up a lot and we’ve kind of done the same thing. We’ve tightened things up, not given up as much. Offensively, we’re battling hard and creating our chances.”

Much of the credit for this win has to go to veteran goaltender Brian Elliott, who was particularly sharp in the first two periods. The Bruins attacked in waves, but Elliott stood his ground.

“We played well positionally,” said Elliott, who gave up a power-play goal to Bergeron but only one other at even-strength. “It’s going to be another battle tomorrow night. We have to bring that same intensity and persistence … that’s the type of game when we do that we win.”

Coach Alain Vigneault came close to calling Sanheim’s goal a “season saver.” 1186641 Philadelphia Flyers "That’s a lot of hockey for Oskar,’’ said Vigneault. “Playing back-to-back (the teams meet again in Philadelphia on Tuesday night), I thought this might be a good time to bring ‘Raffy’ back in.’’

Career uncertainty fails to diminish Gostisbehere’s drive Goaltending rotation

Vigneault chose to start Brian Elliott in Monday night’s game and come back to Carter Hart for the rematch in Philadelphia. Wayne Fishwww.flyingfishhockey.com Staying strong five-on-five

The Flyers’ even-strength play looked better in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere went unclaimed loss at the Islanders and Vigneault was hoping for more of the same on by the other 30 NHL teams after being placed on waivers last week. Monday.

Shayne Gostisbehere admits his future could change in the “snap of a “Our group knows the right way to play,’’ Vigneault said. “We know finger’’ but remains determined to forge ahead with his Flyers career. Boston, about their top line, how much success (David) Pasternak, (Patrice) Bergeron and (Brad) Marchand has had against us. Gostisbehere survived a recent harrowing trip through waivers, clearing the process and missing only one game. “We need to make sure five-on-five, especially against that line, that we’re doing the right things when we don’t have the puck and when we But now there’s next Monday’s NHL trade deadline to think about and do.’’ there’s no guarantee he won’t be moved at or before that time. Burlington County Times LOADED: 04.07.2021 The rumors have been dogging him for several seasons and probably won’t go away any time soon.

“I’m definitely used to it by now,’’ Gostisbehere said Monday afternoon during a media Zoom call from Boston’s TD Garden prior to the Flyers' 3- 2 overtime win. “I’ve been on that ‘Top 20 trade list’ thing for three seasons now.

“It comes with the nature of the business and what you do in professional sports. It stinks at times when you think about it. It could weigh on your mind a little bit.’’

Job security can be tenuous when you’ve only been a plus-player in two of your eight pro seasons.

“You’ve built a life in this city (Philadelphia),’’ Gostisbehere said. “You know, just the snap of a finger you could be somewhere else.

“Obviously it’s something you think about but again, my job as a professional is to go out there and do what I can do and what’s in my control, playing hockey.’’

The waiver scare was just another chapter in the odyssey of the player they call “Ghost.’’

“You never want to be put on waivers,’’ he said. “But you know we’re in a very unique season, situation. We’ve not winning a lot of games right now and management is going to do whatever they have to do to make our team better.

“You have to roll with the punches. I only missed one game. I’m going to stay positive and keep rolling.’’

Boston games critical

The Flyers know the back-to-back games with the Bruins are critical. There’s one more on the weekend. The Flyers have to take at least two of these or risk falling even further back in the race for the East Division’s final playoff spot.

“We can really make some strides in the standings,’’ Gostisbehere said. “It’s not like the boys in the room don’t know that right now.’’

Coach Alain Vigneault said the team spoke about the significance of these games at a morning meeting.

“This is playoff hockey for us,’’ Vigneault said. “We talked about embracing the challenge in front of us. The Bruins are one of the best teams in the league, they’ve certainly been the better team against us (Flyers entered the game 0-3-2 vs. Boston).’’

Lindblom rested again

For the second time in a week, Vigneault elected to rest forward Oskar Lindblom for Monday night’s game.

Michael Raffl, who was dealing with some minor injuries, was scheduled to return to the lineup.

Vigneault said part of the move has to do with the schedule – five games in seven days. 1186642 Philadelphia Flyers The Flyers are five points out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the East and tied for fifth in the division with the New York Rangers, who pummeled the Pittsburgh Penguins, after their goaltender, Carter Hart, was outplayed by rookie counterpart Jeremy Swayman. Hart outdueled by younger goalie in Flyers loss to Bruins Swayman stopped 40 shots in his NHL debut to spark the fourth-place Bruins at Wells Fargo Center. Only Bernie Parent (42 saves) and Andre Gill (41) stopped more shots in their NHL debuts. By Bob Grotz [email protected] @BobGrotz on Twitter 3 hrs ago Comments Swayman did it the hard way. Twice he robbed Scott Laughton breakaways, making it look a lot easier than it was. On several occasions

he positioned himself perfectly to stop shots on odd-man rushes. Goaltending wins playoff games, and for those who missed it, the Flyers A product of Anchorage, Alaska, Swayman is almost four months announced they're approaching the last 20 or so games of their streaky younger than 22-year-old counterpart Hart, who stopped 23 shots but season as if fighting to stay alive in the postseason. whiffed on a chance to be the hero. All Hart had to do was stop Flyers Once again it's clear they cannot rely on Carter Hart, their 4-2 loss to the irritant Brad Marchand near the middle of the final frame. Marchand Boston Bruins Tuesday night another reminder he may not be the converted a shorthand goal on a 2-on-1 on a pass from Jeremy Lauzon franchise goaltender they prayed for. for the winner with 11:39 left in the final frame.

The loss dropped the Flyers five points below the Bruins and the fourth It left Flyers coach Alain Vigneault, who before the game had challenged and final playoff spot in the East, and tied them for fifth in the division Hart “to be big for us tonight,” back at Square One. with the New York Rangers, who pummeled the Pittsburgh Penguins. What did you think of the way Hart played? What hurt was that Hart was outplayed by rookie counterpart Jeremy “Carter is a young goaltender playing a real tough position,” Vigneault Swayman, who was making his NHL debut. said. “And he’s trying his best.” Swayman stopped 40 shots to spark the fourth-place Bruins at Wells If you’re tired of talking about the goalies, so is Vigneault, although he Fargo Center. Only Bernie Parent (42 saves) and Andre Gill (41), the applauded veteran Brian Elliott’s effort Monday in a 3-2 win over the latter in 1967 with the Bruins, stopped more shots in their professional Bruins in overtime. debuts. “We got a great performance yesterday by Brian,” Vigneault said. “Part of Swayman robbed Scott Laughton twice on first period breakaways, winning games is part of getting great goaltending performances.” making it look a lot easier than it was. On several occasions Swayman read the situation and positioned himself perfectly to stop shots on odd- At this point, good is as good as it’s going to get for Hart. And it doesn’t man rushes. look like you’ll be able to expect that kind of effort regularly.

A product of Anchorage, Alaska, Swayman is almost four months Hart is 8-10-4 this season with a goals-allowed average a hair under younger than 22-year-old counterpart Hart, who stopped 23 shots but 4.00. He’s been benched, sent to goalie school and challenged by whiffed on a chance to be the hero. Vigneault to be the guy. Henrik Lundqvist, who AV leaned on during a tour with the Rangers, he isn’t. All Hart had to do was stop Flyers irritant Brad Marchand near the middle of the final frame. Instead, Marchand converted a shorthand goal on a 2- Hart saw the shorthanded goal all the way. on-1 on a pass from Jeremy Lauzon for the winner with 11:39 left in the final frame. “Marchand slid across, kind of just outwaited me, I kind of pulled up and he slid it five-hole on me,” Hart said. “I felt good. Obviously, you want one It left Flyers coach Alain Vigneault, who before the game had challenged more save there at the end but you know what? We played a great Hart “to be big for us tonight,” at Square One. game. We generated some chances, got a lot of shots on net. I thought we played well. Congrats to (Swayman) for his first win. But like (Oskar What did you think of the way Hart played? Lindblom) said, there’s a lot of points still to be played out here.” “Carter is a young goaltender playing a real tough position,” Vigneault Delaware County Times LOADED: 04.07.2021 said. “And he’s trying his best.”

If you’re tired of talking about the goalies, so is Vigneault, although he applauded veteran Brian Elliott’s effort Monday in a 3-2 win over the Bruins in overtime.

“We got a great performance yesterday by Brian,” Vigneault said. “Part of winning games is part of getting great goaltending performances.”

At this point, 'good' is as good as it’s going to get for Hart. And it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to expect 'good' regularly.

Hart is 8-10-4 this season with a goals-allowed average a hair under 4.00. He’s been benched, sent to goalie school and challenged by Vigneault to be the guy. Henrik Lundqvist, the ironman Vigneault leaned on during a tour with the Rangers, he most certainly is not.

Hart saw the shorthanded goal all the way. He just couldn't visualize making the play in this truly difficult season for him.

“Marchand slid across, kind of just outwaited me," Hart said. "I kind of pulled up and he slid it five-hole on me. I felt good. Obviously, you want one more save there at the end but you know what? We played a great game. We generated some chances, got a lot of shots on net. I thought we played well. Congrats to (Swayman) for his first win. But like (Oskar Lindblom) said, there’s a lot of points still to be played out here.”

Goaltending wins playoff games, and for those who missed it, the Flyers are approaching the last 20 or so games of their streaky, ordinary season as if they were fighting to stay alive in the postseason.

They’re growing dangerously close to being eliminated after a 4-2 loss Tuesday night to the Boston Bruins. 1186643 Philadelphia Flyers “I believe he’s a couple of days here from being ready to play and 100 percent,” Vigneault said. “I think if we would have needed him, and I would have tugged his jersey a little bit there he would have given me the OK. But right now, our defense the last two games has played well so Flyers Notebook: Improved play may put Fletcher in a trading mood we’re going to stick with the same group.”

• • •

By Bob Grotz [email protected] @BobGrotz on Twitter 3 Vigneault said he wants to see the best of James van Riemsdyk and Joel hrs ago Comments Farabee, not guys who apparently have peaked.

“I need both those guys to be better than they have been,” Vigneault said before the Tuesday puck drop. “They’re aware of it. They’re working on There is no denying the improved play of the Flyers, who had won three their game. They’re good players for us and we need them to play well. of their last five games entering their Tuesday start against the Bruins. Joel obviously is a very young player making his first steps into the NHL Goaltenders Brian Elliott and Carter Hart have played better along with and he’s learning every time he gets out there. In James’ case, he’s a the defense, the Flyers producing a 3-1-1 record including two overtime veteran player. We need James to be the James that he was that first victories before falling to the Bruins, 4-2, at Wells Fargo Center. month and a half.”

No one knows the team better than Alain Vigneault, who had mixed, • • • matched and willed the Flyers within three points of the fourth and final NOTES >> Thirty-five-year-old Patrice Bergeron netted his 900th career playoff berth in the East entering the Tuesday puck drop. point to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead Tuesday night. Point 901 came on With rumors the Flyers could add a defenseman like Mattias Ekholm another Bruins goal in the opening period. Bergeron completed the night (Predators) or David Savard (Blue Jackets), Vigneault paused Tuesday with an empty net goal ... The Flyers are 12-4-3 this season when to answer the multi-million-dollar question: Does he have enough guys to scoring first, and 8-1-1 when leading after one period. The flip side of reach the playoffs, or does he need to add a player or two before the those numbers has the Flyers 6-11-2 when the opposition tallies first, and April 12 trade deadline to get over the hump? 5-11-2 trailing after the first period.

“I believe we have a real good team and it’s my job as head coach to get Delaware County Times LOADED: 04.07.2021 these guys to perform to their level that they can,” Vigneault said. “We have done it this year but we haven’t done it on a regular basis. And that’s on me. I need to do that job. I work with the players that are here and I believe that we have a good team and it’s up to me to get them to perform their best.”

Without stipulating whether he thought the Flyers would be buyers at the trade deadline, general manager Chuck Fletcher said recently, “we’re certainly not looking at being sellers.”

That brings us to Ekholm (6-4, 215), who has another year at $3.75 million remaining on his contract, and Savard (6-2, 229), whose contract counting $4.25 million against the cap ends after this season. Both are 30 years old and would bolster the Flyers’ defense. Savard has a coveted right-handed shot.

It also brings us to Scott Laughton, one of the more reliable of Flyers forwards whose $2.3 million contract expires after this season. Laughton ranks ninth on the TSN Trade Bait list, just ahead of Ekholm. Savard tops the list.

“It hasn’t really crossed my mind,” Laughton said. “If that happens it happens. But my focus is here in Philly. I love it here in Philly. I love the staff here, I love the guys here, so I’m focused on coming to work every day and trying to get better and push the pace a little bit and get a playoff spot. That’s my focus right now.”

Laughton was robbed twice in the first period Tuesday against the Bruins, on breakaways by Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman, who was making his NHL debut. That may not keep him out of trade rumors.

• • •

Oskar Lindblom returned to the lineup Tuesday after a couple of days of rest and wound up playing on the first line with Sean Couturier.

Michael Raffl played center in place of Tanner Laczynski, who was scratched after playing the previous two games.

“I liked Tanner,” Vigneault said. “Like Chuck described him to me, a smart two-way hockey player. Can play more than one position. For him I’m sure this was a great experience, his first two NHL games.”

Lindblom was well-rested. And he was active with three shots in 14 minutes.

“Oscar’s a real good player, and he’s fresh," Vigneault said. "Oskar has played some big minutes for us.”

• • •

The good injury news is defenseman Robert Hagg (shoulder) is “real close” to returning. 1186644 Philadelphia Flyers from last season. He has six markers in 28 games after scoring five over 42 games of a difficult, injury-marred 2019-20 campaign.

The Flyers were thoroughly dominant in those 20 minutes. No team is With season starting to get late, Flyers stumble late to Bruins and into 6th ever going to be that good consistently, but it's evidence that if the Flyers place play that get-after-you, forecheck-based game, they're a pretty tough out.

"Obviously you would like to start a game like that, but there's a little more urgency when you're down two goals and you need a big win — we by Jordan Hall came out with a vengeance," Gostisbehere said. "For us, just playing that hockey, realize what we were doing out there — we were chipping pucks

in deep, going to work and making it hard to play against. That's our When it came down to winning time, the Bruins once again got the best hockey right there." of the Flyers. • But about those starts ... That has been the script between the two clubs in 2020-21, a season that The Flyers stayed out of the box until Nicolas Aube-Kubel was whistled is starting to feel like it's running out of time and must-win games for for holding with 3:22 left in the first period. The 24-year-old winger has Alain Vigneault's bunch. committed a team-most 14 penalties this season. The Flyers fell short to the Bruins in another third period en route to a Boston's vaunted power play cashed in like it often does as Bergeron crushing 4-2 loss Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. handed the Bruins a 2-0 lead with his second goal of the game. The Flyers (18-15-5) split the back-to-back set with Boston but allowed The Flyers once again made themselves play a game of catchup. Since the Bruins to take three points. The Flyers slid into sixth place with March, the Flyers have been outscored 31-10 in the first period over a Tuesday night's regulation loss. With 18 games left, they're five points stretch of 20 games. The 31 goals are the most allowed in the NHL in back of the Bruins, who hold the final playoff spot in the East Division and that span. have two games in hand on the Flyers. To complicate the club's chances, via tiebreakers, the Rangers jumped the Flyers for fifth place. Just as troubling, the Flyers have trailed by multiple goals in 14 of their last 20 games. To their credit, they looked like gangbusters in the second The Bruins (20-10-6) are 6-0-1 against the Flyers this season. The teams period Tuesday night. But then they didn't finish and had only four shots meet once more Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. in the final stanza. • In their regular-season series, the Bruins have been the better team By the period, the Flyers have been way too hit or miss. when it matters most. • During the game, Joel Farabee was moved down to the fourth line. He There has been a definitive difference in crunch time. played 12:29 minutes. The Bruins have scored a total of 14 goals over the first two periods A fresh Oskar Lindblom climbed the lineup and played 13:18. against the Flyers. They've matched that with 14 in the third period and one in overtime against the Flyers. • Robert Hagg, who has missed the last 11 games with a shoulder injury, is close to being available for added depth on the Flyers' back end. Brad Marchand wrote the latest to the story of Boston's third-period dominance when he scored a shorthanded goal to break a 2-2 tie with "I believe he's a couple of days here from being ready to play and 100 11:39 left in regulation. To no surprise, Marchand was an agitator all percent," Vigneault said before the game. "I think if we would have game ... and very good. He finished with four points (one goal, three needed him and I would have tugged his jersey a little bit there, he would assists) and delivered the game-winner when the Flyers were up a have given me the OK, but right now our defense the last two games has skater. played well, so we're going to stick with the same group."

"We just lost the puck at the wrong place there," Vigneault said • The Flyers travel to New York on Wednesday afternoon ahead of a postgame. "Guys are trying to make the right play and they’ve got two of matchup with the Islanders on Thursday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). the best penalty-killers and two of the best forwards in the league that were able to capitalize." Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.07.2021

The Flyers' power play has gone 5 for 23 against the Bruins this season.

Patrice Bergeron scored a hat trick capped by an empty-netter to finish things off. The four-time Selke Trophy winner has seven goals and 13 points in seven matchups with the Flyers this season.

"We knew what was at stake going into this game," Vigneault said. "I thought our guys played with urgency, I thought we played the right way, we checked when it was time to check, we didn’t give them a lot of looks. We got some great looks, we weren’t able to finish and they were able to finish. That was the difference in tonight’s game."

• Carter Hart made 22 saves on 25 shots and was fine. Boston's second goal came on its power play and the third was Marchand finishing off a 2- on-1. Hart was not a problem and gave the Flyers a chance.

Jeremy Swayman, a 22-year-old like Hart, made his NHL debut for the Bruins, who were without Tuukka Rask (upper-body injury) and Jaroslav Halak (positive coronavirus test).

The Flyers put Swayman under siege. He more than held his own by making 40 saves for his first career NHL win.

• The Flyers played one of their best periods of the season in the middle frame as they were tasked with erasing another deficit. They outshot Boston 25-7 and had 38 shots overall at second intermission.

Jakub Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere drew the Flyers even at 2-2 just 4:03 minutes into the second period.

Voracek's goal came off a nice feed from Travis Konecny. Gostisbehere, playing his third game since clearing waivers, surpassed his goal total 1186645 Philadelphia Flyers

A 6-foot-7 trade target that makes a lot of sense for Flyers

by Jordan Hall

Leading up to the April 12 NHL trade deadline, we're looking at potential targets on the market and why they may or may not fit the Flyers' plans.

Jamie Oleksiak

Age: 28

Height: 6-7

Weight: 255

Team: Dallas Stars

2020-21 cap hit: $2,137,500

Scouting report

Oleksiak has coveted goal-prevention ingredients with a 6-foot-7 frame, disruptive reach and an embracing of physicality. The lefty-shot defenseman covers ground, closes gaps and likes to drop the gloves when needed.

Oleksiak entered Tuesday with three goals, five assists and a plus-2 rating. He's playing a career-high 19:59 minutes per game, while ranking first on the Stars in hits (90) and second in blocked shots (48).

In Dallas' run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, Oleksiak had nine points (five goals, four assists), 40 shots, 65 blocked shots, 117 hits and a plus-11 rating over 27 games.

Projection

This checks a lot of boxes for the Flyers.

The Stars are in sixth place of a top-heavy Central Division and Oleksiak is a pending unrestricted free agent with a reasonable cap hit. He'd be a quality rental that might cost the Flyers a mid-to-early-round draft pick.

The Flyers came into Tuesday allowing the NHL's second-most goals per game at 3.54. It's an alarming figure for a team that permitted 2.77 per game in 2019-20 and surged down the regular-stretch with a tough-to- play-against makeup.

"We're letting guys just f---ing absolutely beat us up in front of the net," defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said two weeks ago.

Oleksiak's presence and ability would help cut down on that and the goals against.

The Flyers have underachieved and are teetering on the brink of a playoff contender. If this week isn't an utter flop, general manager Chuck Fletcher is expected to be proactive at the deadline, but he should be prudent, as well, with a big offseason and 2021-22 campaign ahead.

The Flyers wouldn't be jeopardizing the future by acquiring Oleksiak, who would be a low-risk, supplemental addition to give the 2020-21 club a better chance at making the postseason.

Fletcher and Stars general manager Jim Nill did business in June 2019 when the Flyers acquired Tyler Pitlick. You can bet they'll be in touch this week.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186646 Philadelphia Flyers Overview: A talented young blueliner once assumed to be part of the Blues’ long-term plan on defense, Dunn’s name first popped up in trade rumors in January, and recent healthy scratches by head coach Craig Berube put him right back in the news cycle. Dunn is 24 and a high-end Flyers trade targets: Looking for long-term and short-term fits at the 2021 puck mover who has thrived in third-pair duties for the Blues in the past, trade deadline but his defensive issues — rush coverage and turnovers leading the way — have led to concerns that he might not be able to handle more difficult

minutes on a nightly basis. By Charlie O'Connor Apr 6, 2021 38 What the numbers say: Before this season, Dunn was a low-key advanced stat stud. Sure, he was getting “easier” minutes, but he was crushing it in them. That’s changed in 2020-21 — Dunn’s a negative On Saturday, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher impact xG player for the first time in his career (minus-0.101 xG RAPM) dubbed the looming week — which included three games against the and the Blues have been outshot, out-chanced and outscored with him Boston Bruins, two versus the New York Islanders, and one against the on the ice. Add in the scratches and the trade rumors, and it’s been a Buffalo Sabres — to be “massive,” not only in terms of his club’s playoff rough year for him. hopes, but also when it came to influencing his plan of action at the April 12 trade deadline. Cost: Not cheap. Back in January, it was rumored the Blues wanted a first-round pick in return for Dunn. Perhaps they’d accept less than that in Well, so far so good. Since Fletcher’s statement, the Flyers have nabbed the end, but not much less. three of four possible points, losing to the Islanders in a shootout and taking down the Bruins in overtime. With 19 games to play, Philadelphia The fit in Philly: Aside from being an intriguing young player with clear sits three points out of the final playoff spot in the East Division, and with upside, Dunn’s fit isn’t exactly clear for the Flyers. Stylistically, he’s two more games this week against the team currently in that spot another offense-leaning defenseman, which doesn’t match with their Matt (Boston), there is a chance that the Flyers could overcome their horrific Niskanen-sized hole. Right now, Dunn is more of a great third-pair March and make a run at the postseason. defenseman with the potential to be more than that in the right situation. The Flyers already have their fair share of third-pair options; they need a What if, against all odds, they could be buyers next week at the no-doubt-about-it impact guy. Plus, Dunn will need to be protected in deadline? expansion. It’s not impossible to envision a scenario where a Dunn acquisition makes sense for Philly — maybe if Travis Sanheim were to Fletcher hasn’t ruled out the possibility. In addition, “buying” doesn’t be traded in another deal, Dunn could be brought in to replace him at necessarily mean trading for players solely with the goal of winning the 2LD. But given the Flyers’ current roster mix, the fit and cost don’t quite Stanley Cup this season. It can also mean acquiring long-term pieces to match up. address inherent roster flaws. Mattias Ekholm – Nashville (LHD) And there’s no bigger or more obvious roster flaw on the Flyers than its weakness on defense. Philadelphia still hasn’t replaced Matt Niskanen 1st on The Athletic’s trade board, 6th TSN after his surprise retirement at the end of the 2019-20 campaign, and the glaring hole has plagued them much of this season. While it’s possible Overview: Ekholm has been the name on the trade board for the better that Fletcher could look to address other positions if he moves into “buy part of a month now. Driven largely by expansion draft concerns and a mode” in the coming days, the blue-line corps should be his primary desire to initiate a rebuild, Nashville made it clear they were open to focus. trading the 30-year old blueliner, and he quickly became the desired option for any team hoping to make a big deadline splash. Ekholm has Let’s take a look at possible defensive options for Fletcher and the Flyers been a high-end, top-of-the-lineup defenseman for years. His game has — as short-term or long-term fits, or even both — before the April 12 always been about balance — he can pass, he can defend, he can drive deadline, and figure out which players make the most sense to consider a pairing, he can support a more aggressive partner. In other words, he’s adding. a lot like that former Flyers defenseman who retired last offseason.

Jason Demers – Arizona (RHD) What the numbers say: Ekholm is very, very good. There was a bit of concern regarding his stats when Ekholm’s name first popped up in trade 18th on The Athletic’s trade board rumors, but since then, Ekholm has been dominant both by the eye test Overview: A journeyman defenseman who was once an advanced-stat and the numbers, and they’re back to their normal levels. He’s been a darling. That earned him his current five-year, $22 million contract from positive impact player on both the xG and Corsi ledger every season of Florida — a contract the Panthers quickly jettisoned in one of their bi- his career, with the numbers ranging from top-of-the-league good when annual strategy pivots. Since then, Demers’ play has been up and down, with a high-quality partner (i.e. P.K. Subban) and merely very good when and he’s functioned more as a depth defenseman (and occasional asked to carry a duo. healthy scratch) in Arizona than a difference-making contributor. The Cost: It was always going to take a haul to pry Ekholm out of Nashville, Coyotes may be in the hunt for a playoff spot, but with Demers on an but now that the Predators are rolling and back in the thick of the playoff expiring contract, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him moved. chase, the price, if anything, has gone up. For Nashville to even consider What the numbers say: Demers’ advanced stat peak was from 2013-14 an Ekholm trade at the deadline, it likely would take a first-rounder, top through 2015-16; since then, he’s bounced back and forth between prospect, and another solid asset as well. decent seasons and truly poor ones. 2020-21 has been the latter — at The fit in Philly: Stylistically, Ekholm is a fantastic fit even if he’s a left- even strength, Demers has had a minus-0.225 impact on his team’s handed shot, meaning he might not be the ideal long-term partner for expected goal differential (per Evolving Hockey) and a minus-1.07 impact Ivan Provorov. The issues here boil down to price and availability. on their shot attempt differential. Demers has proven capable of better There’s no guarantee Nashville will even sell at this point, and if they do, numbers in the past, and at 32, he’s a veteran but not too long in the it’s not going to be for cheap. But that wouldn’t even be the full cost for tooth, so it’s not impossible a change of scenery gives him a boost. Philadelphia — protecting Ekholm in expansion (in addition to Provorov, Cost: If the Coyotes do indeed sell, it’s tough to imagine Demers would Sanheim and Philippe Myers on the back end, which remains Chuck be too expensive. Think mid-to-late round draft pick, most likely. Fletcher’s plan) means either paying the Seattle Kraken in picks/prospects to pass him over or leaving forwards like Oskar Lindblom The fit in Philly: As far as bargain-bin trade deadline options go, Demers and Nolan Patrick available for poaching. Is Ekholm worth the double wouldn’t be the worst fit. He’s had past success and he’s a right-handed price? Possibly, but the risk involved with giving up so much in aggregate shot they could slide in on the third pair. That said, he’s certainly not a for one single player is undeniably high. clear top-four quality defenseman, so this would be a depth addition more than anything else. Ryan Ellis – Nashville (RHD)

(Darren Yamashita / USA Today) Overview: The Ellis idea is one that has been floated by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in particular, and it makes sense. Ellis is far from an Vince Dunn – St. Louis (LHD) Ekholm clone, but he brings a lot of the same positives to the table — 17th on TSN’s Trade Bait list two-way acumen, experience in a top-pair role, stellar underlying metrics — but also comes with the benefit of being righthanded and under The fit in Philly: Klingberg is a proven top-four defenseman who naturally contract at a reasonable cap hit ($6.25 million) for the next six seasons. plays the right side and is basically the 2017-18 version of Gostisbehere Right now, Ellis is week to week with an upper-body injury, so a team perfected. Ideally, he’d be a bit more sound defensively, but he’d fit next wouldn’t be bringing him in to save their 2020-21 season. It would be a to Provorov. The issue is less whether he’d work in Philly, and whether move focused on the future, and solidifying their top-pair for years to it’s actually realistic to believe Dallas lets him go. come. Josh Manson – Anaheim (RHD) What the numbers say: As with Ekholm, Ellis’ advanced metrics are stellar. They were a bit down this season (+0.015 impact on xG 11th on The Athletic’s trade board differential, +1.94 Corsi impact) but still in the positive, and he’s just one Overview: He’s back, healthy and ready to be traded? Manson is one of year removed from finishing as one of the best play-driving defensemen those rare defensemen liked both by the old-school crew due to his in hockey. The 30-year-old has been known to get banged up from time commitment to sound play in his own zone and willingness to throw his to time, but when Ellis plays, he’s invariably fantastic. weight around, and new-school fans because of his generally strong Cost: Think Ekholm, but even higher. metrics even in such a role. Manson isn’t going to chip in much offensively, and he’s not a burner, but he’s big, strong, and fully capable The fit in Philly: Ellis would immediately step in as the long-term of taking on top-four minutes for a contender. He’s also not a rental, as Niskanen replacement, with injuries and age the only real concerns. he has one more year left at a $4.1 million cap hit. Unlike with Ekholm, there’d be no concern regarding looming contract negotiations (Ekholm’s current deal expires in 2022), nor any worries What the numbers say: When Manson’s numbers are good, they’re really about whether he is suited to play (in Ellis’ case) his natural right-side on good (2016-17, 2017-18, 2019-20), and when they’re bad, they’re still the top-pair with Provorov. As with Ekholm, the extra expansion draft cost basically at break-even in terms of overall impact on his teammates would be a factor, as is the fact that Nashville has no obligation to trade (2018-19, this season). Manson has also been a solid penalty killer, and away one of their best players. it’s an underrated part of his value.

Alex Goligoski – Arizona (LHD) Cost: Manson isn’t in the class of all-around stud defensemen like Ekholm and Ellis, but Actually Good defensive defensemen don’t come 23rd on The Athletic’s trade board, 10th TSN cheap either, especially when they’re only 29 years old and on deals with reasonable cap hits. Overview: Unlike Demers, Goligoski has remained consistently in the top four on defense for the Coyotes over the years. Has he been great in The fit in Philly: Manson may not be the bona fide, do-everything top-pair those minutes? He certainly hasn’t been dominant, and he’s never been defenseman that would immediately plug the Flyers’ most glaring roster a shutdown defenseman stylistically, either. But he’s been good for hole. But he does check a lot of boxes in terms of need: righthanded, around 30 points a season ever since Arizona signed him to a five-year, sound defensively, physical presence, history of solid results in a top-four $27.375 million contract back in 2016, and that contract is finally due to role. At 29, he probably has a few good years left, and he’s unlikely to expire. Right now, Goligoski sits as a clear fallback option for teams that break the bank on his next deal. Manson wouldn’t be a flashy long-term strike out on the big blueliner names at the deadline. option for the Flyers, and trading for him now would mean the Flyers would have to clear the expansion draft hurdle to keep him beyond 2020- What the numbers say: In his prime with Pittsburgh and Dallas, Goligoski 21. But it’s not hard to see a potential fit here. was a play-driving machine. These days? In three of his five seasons with the Coyotes, Goligoski has been significantly underwater by Colin Miller – Buffalo (RHD) Evolving Hockey’s xG model, largely due to issues with chance suppression. This season, however, he’s back at about break-even 19th on TSN’s trade bait list (+0.040 xG RAPM) despite a 22:30-per-night workload. Overview: Ah, how the sort-of-mighty have fallen. In Boston and Vegas, Cost: It’s tough to imagine Goligoski bringing back a first-round pick, but Miller graded out as one of the NHL’s best third-pair defensemen by the Coyotes aren’t going to sell him for peanuts, either. A mid-round pick advanced metrics; in Buffalo, he has very much not been that. Perhaps or two feels right. Miller simply needs a change of scenery — after all, the Sabres are obviously a mess — but there was long skepticism in hockey circles that The fit in Philly: The good? Goligoski is a proven minutes-eater who is in his stellar stats were more due to usage than him actually being a stealth the midst of a pretty solid season as a top-four NHL blueliner. The bad? all-star talent, which makes his statistical regression concerning. He’s more of an offensive defenseman stylistically (the Flyers have enough of those), he’s not righthanded (though he does have significant What the numbers say: For the first four seasons of Miller’s career, few experience on the right side), and he’s 35 years old. Talentwise, defensemen posted shinier advanced metrics, as he averaged a 56.38 Goligoski is fine, but unless they think he could fit alongside Provorov as percent Corsi For and a 56.32 percent xG For at five-on-five. Interestingly a rental, his skill set is a bit redundant in a group already containing enough, however, his goal-based results never quite matched his Shayne Gostisbehere, Erik Gustafsson and even Travis Sanheim. underlying rates — his 51.41 percent Goals For Percentage (147 – 139 on-ice goal differential) was more “solid third-pair defenseman” than “best (Jerome Miron / USA Today) bottom-pair blueliner in the league.” Over the past two years, his underlying metrics have dipped to mere mortal levels (48.83 percent John Klingberg – Dallas (RHD) Corsi, 47.82 percent xG) and his goal differential has utterly fallen off a Overview: The idea of a Klingberg trade has mostly been thrown around cliff (37.23 percent). So who is the real Miller? The blueliner with the in hypotheticals, most notably by The Athletic’s Scott Burnside in a stellar advanced metrics in his first four seasons? A good defenseman “Deadline deals I want to see happen” article. The thought process is that overhyped a bit by public metrics in the past? Or the disappointment he’s Dallas is unlikely to make the playoffs and is facing a looming cap crunch been in Buffalo? with a new megadeal coming for young star Miro Heiskanen. Shipping Cost: Miller has one more year left beyond this one at a $3.875 million out Klingberg for a king’s ransom with a year and change left on his cap that is too expensive for what he’s provided Buffalo the last two contract would be a way to resolve that. However, there hasn’t been seasons. Presumably, he wouldn’t cost much. much additional smoke regarding the possibility of a Klingberg deal at the deadline, and at this point, it should be viewed as unlikely. The fit in Philly: Miller’s track record is intriguing, but a bounce back is far from certain. For a Flyers club gearing up for an active offseason, adding What the numbers say: Klingberg’s underlying metrics have been down a third-pair defenseman at a nearly $4 million cap hit for 2021-22 doesn’t the past two seasons, even as he’s remained a premier offensive threat seem wise, unless the front office is confident he can be more than that from the back end. Before 2019-20, however, Klingberg was a consistent in a new environment. play-driver, and he’s only 28 years old. It’s unlikely he’s in the midst of falling off a cliff in terms of results. Brandon Montour – Buffalo (RHD)

Cost: Extremely high. Dallas doesn’t seem enthused about the idea of 15th on The Athletic’s trade board, 14th TSN moving him, as they are viewing this season as something of a Murphy’s Law year (injuries, COVID-19) and expect to return to contention next Overview: Another candidate for the “just get him away from the Sabres” season. Presumably, they’d have to be blown away. theory. Montour was a young defenseman with serious offensive upside in Anaheim. But in the midst of a disappointing 2018-19 season, he was moved to Buffalo for a package headlined by a first-round pick, and just hasn’t been able to get back on track. Defensively, he’s still prone to big Overview: Savard’s game isn’t flashy. He’s just the classic steady, mistakes, but offensively, he still flashes that tantalizing upside. At 26, physical, do-the-little-things-right defensive defenseman, and because Montour might be a finished product, and he’s a logical trade chip for the the Blue Jackets are in the midst of falling out of the playoff picture in the going-nowhere Sabres given the fact that he hits UFA status this Central Division, he’s become the top rental defenseman on the market. summer. But there’s reclamation project potential here. Savard isn’t having his best season in 2020-21, but he’s still viewed as a clear-cut second-pairing defenseman, with the added benefit of being a What the numbers say: It’s been rough sailing for Montour by the righthanded shot. The general consensus in league circles is that he numbers the last three years, largely because of his defensive issues. By plays the kind of style built for the postseason, as well. xG impact, Montour has delivered minus-0.155, minus-0.233 and minus- 0.198 seasons respectively, which ranks right near the bottom of the What the numbers say: For the first time since 2013-14, Savard is in the league charts in all three years. If a team is buying Montour, they’re negative this season by xG impact. But he’s still close to break-even buying him based on what they think he can be, not what he has been. (minus-0.044) and he’s remained a strong chance suppressor. Savard’s style of play — at least over the last few years in Columbus — hasn’t led Cost: An expiring contract reclamation project probably isn’t going to to his teams dramatically outshooting the opposition at even strength, but break the bank, but the plausible upside might attract a few extra suitors. they do tend to out-chance them, likely in part due to his detail-oriented The fit in Philly: The Flyers are having enough trouble fixing their own style. struggling young blueliners; not sure this is the right time to try and take Cost: As the top rental defenseman available, Savard won’t come cheap, on one from another team as well, for the short-term or the long-term. but it’s fair to be skeptical that he’ll ultimately pull back a first-round pick Ryan Murray – New Jersey (LHD) or top prospect. The next tier down? Sure.

27th on The Athletic’s trade board, 17th TSN The fit in Philly: If the Flyers were a lock for the playoffs, David Savard would be the no-brainer rental option. He’s not a true top-pair Overview: Murray’s problem has never been talent, even if he hasn’t defenseman, but as a one-year stopgap, he could work alongside quite lived up to his No. 2 overall pick billing on the whole. It’s been Provorov as a bridge to the offseason when Fletcher could look to staying healthy. Murray easily would have been able to carve out a solid acquire a true difference-maker. But is this Flyers team truly worthy of a career for himself as a middle-pair NHL blueliner if injuries hadn’t high-end rental given the quality of their play? If Savard isn’t a rental constantly derailed his seasons. Unfortunately, that’s the cost of doing option, then the question becomes whether he would fit as a long-term business with Murray, who was shipped to New Jersey last offseason for add for Philadelphia, worthy of being acquired to be re-signed and a fifth-round pick by the Blue Jackets, the team that drafted him. presumably protected. Savard, however, just isn’t on the level of players like Ellis, Ekholm and Klingberg who might be worthy of such treatment. What the numbers say: Not the greatest season for Murray this time That’s not to say Savard would be a bad addition for the next few years. around (minus-0.100 xG impact) but in the three seasons prior, he was But solely adding David Savard to this defense probably isn’t enough to comfortably in the positive. make it truly formidable. Cost: Murray brought back a fifth-round pick in the offseason, and it’s not Marc Staal – Detroit (LHD) like he’s lit the world on fire in New Jersey. Given his soon-to-be-UFA status, he’d probably cost a similar price now. 21st on The Athletic’s trade board, 28th TSN

The fit in Philly: If the goal is simply to bring in another pretty good player Overview: Once an impact defenseman for the Rangers, Staal’s best for the third-pair rotation, then sure, Murray fits. But he shouldn’t be days are long behind him. In fact, New York was able to trade the 34- viewed as a long-term solution beyond that, in part because his upside is year old last offseason only by attaching a second-round pick to his pretty well-established at this point (he’s 27) and in part because of his contract, incentivizing the Red Wings to take on his full $5.7 million cap ever-present injury issues. hit. Now, Staal’s contract is ready to expire, and Detroit is looking to squeeze a little bit more value out of him, in the form of trade Jamie Oleksiak – Dallas (LHD) compensation for a team looking for a veteran bottom-of-the-lineup 29th on TSN’s trade bait list presence.

Overview: For years, the most notable attribute of Oleksiak was his What the numbers say: It was a rough go for Staal in the 2010s, as he height (6 feet, 7 inches). But in recent years, he’s formed a successful slowly regressed into a shell of his former self. Interestingly enough, partnership with Miro Heiskanen and suddenly, he’s averaging 20 however, 2020-21 has been one of his better recent seasons by the minutes per night for a pretty talented hockey team. A pending UFA, numbers — he’s again underwater from an impact standpoint, but he’s at Oleksiak could hit the market this summer, but it does seem like the least close to break-even both by xG (minus-0.067) and Corsi (minus- Stars would like to keep him. That said, they do have the Heiskanen 1.37). Still, this is still a defenseman in his mid-30s who hasn’t graded out extension coming, so cap space will quickly get tight in Dallas. well by advanced stats in years. No one should acquire him thinking he’s going to turn back into a Corsi god. What the numbers say: Oleksiak hasn’t been a play-driving liability since way back in his early seasons. But his recent strong numbers are surely Cost: Staal certainly qualifies as one of the depth options on the market, inflated by playing alongside Heiskanen, even if Oleksiak’s contributions and will be priced accordingly. Detroit, presumably, would be willing to to the pairing are real. Oleksiak certainly shouldn’t be viewed as an retain salary as well, to allow the acquiring club the flexibility to make immobile liability, though. He’s probably a mild net-positive advanced stat other moves rather than spend all of their available space on Staal. defenseman, even when not skating with one of the best young The fit in Philly: Before the emergence of Morin as a viable nightly option, blueliners of this generation. Staal made a degree of sense, in that he was probably an upgrade over Cost: He would be a rental, but 6-foot-7 defensemen are always going to Erik Gustafsson and Nate Prosser as a passable third pair defenseman. generate interest, especially heading into the playoffs. My guess is that Now, it’s just difficult to see where he fits in the nightly Flyers lineup, he’d sit solidly in the mid-tier cost range. unless he’s merely added as injury insurance for the stretch run.

The fit in Philly: Oleksiak’s presumptive spot on the third pair in — All statistics via Evolving-Hockey.com Philadelphia has been taken by the emergent Samuel Morin. But perhaps The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 Oleksiak could fit alongside Sanheim, as the defensively sound complement to the young player’s more freewheeling style. The Stars don’t seem enthralled about moving Oleksiak right now, but as a temporary second-pair replacement for Myers and a model for Morin, he could work for Philadelphia.

(Kim Klement / USA Today)

David Savard – Columbus (RHD)

7th on The Athletic’s trade board, 1st TSN 1186647 Pittsburgh Penguins 10:38 mark. After Crosby beat Zibanejad on a draw in the left circle of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang settled the puck at the left point, walked it to center point then dealt a pass to forward Jared McCann above the left circle. Looking at the cage for a moment, McCann Empty Thoughts: Rangers 8, Penguins 4 whacked a simple slapper that went through the legs of Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith, Fox and goaltender Igor Shesterkin for his

10th goal. Letang and Crosby registered assists. SETH RORABAUGH | Wednesday, April 7, 2021 3:31 a.m.Support Any momentum the Penguins generated from that score was nullified late Local Journalism in the period at the 19:42 mark with another power-play goal by the Rangers. Settling the puck at the right point of the offensive zone, Fox fed a pass to the left circle for Panarin. Allowing a passing lane to Observations from the Penguins’ 8-4 loss to the Rangers: develop, Panarin dished a seam feed to Strome just above the right circle. With Kreider planted directly in front of Jarry on a screen, Strome First things first, there was no update on Penguins defenseman John ripped a wrister through Kreider’s legs and past Jarry’s glove on the near Marino. He suffered an undisclosed injury at 8:24 of the third period when side for his 12th goal. Panarin and Fox netted assists. he fell on his face thanks to a trip by Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich. To open the second period, Jarry was pulled in favor of goaltender Casey As far as the Penguins’ total defense, it’s pretty much falling on its face DeSmith. over the past two games as they’ve allowed 15 goals. The Rangers made it a 5-1 game at 12:20 of the second period. After For the sake of comparison, they allowed 15 goals in the nine contests Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko won a puck battle in the left corner of the that preceded this woeful two-game stretch. offensive zone against Penguins forward Frederick Gaudreau, Kakko fed This isn’t necessarily an issue with the defensemen or the goaltenders or a pass low in the left circle for forward Filip Chytil who snapped a quick the penalty kill or any single aspect of the team. This failure is something wrister on net. DeSmith made the initial save but allowed a big rebound of an ensemble performance. to bounce loose in the slot. Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere settled the puck, veered to the right of the cage and tried to tuck in a forehand shot If there’s a distinction between Tuesday’s setback and Saturday’s 7-5 from behind the net. Pettersson and Marino each got their sticks in the road loss to the Boston Bruins, it’s how the goals have scored. On crease to provide resistance, but Marino accidentally played the puck into Saturday, most of the Bruins’ offense came from the areas immediately his own cage. Lafreniere was credited with his sixth goal off assists from around the rink. In contrast, the Rangers diversified their offense. Chytil and Kakko.

That’s to say they got some in net-front scrambles, a handful off power- Only 16 seconds later, the Penguins responded. Skating the puck play faceoffs wins in the offensive zone and some off of rushes into the through the neutral zone, Penguins forward Colton Sceviour fed a pass offensive zone (which were initiated by turnovers by the Penguins in the to the left wing for Matheson. Gaining the offensive blue line, Matheson Rangers’ zone). sniped a wrister from the left circle past Shesterkin’s glove hand on the Additionally, Penguins defensemen tapped or re-directed at least three of far side for his fourth goal. Assists were credited to Sceviour and forward the Rangers’ goals into their own net in some fashion. Mark Jankowski.

Regardless, allowing at least a touchdown a game is inexcusable. The third period looked like an All-Star Game in terms of the defense each team played. That’s to say there was almost none. “We need to stop here and take a look at where we’re at,” Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson said via video conference. “We’ve been First, the Rangers made it a 6-2 game 6:10 into the period with another playing some good hockey and we can’t let it slip away from us right now. power-play goal. Taking a pass at the right point of the offensive zone, … We need to look at what we need to do better and go from there.” Trouba stroked a one-timer that glanced off of Letang, above the crease and deflected to the right of the blue paint where Kakko re-directed the The Penguins didn’t really provide many specifics as to why their puck past DeSmith’s left leg for his sixth goal. Trouba and Blackwell defensive game has been so porous as of late. But they acknowledged collected assists. an immediate course correction is required. The Penguins pulled within a field goal at the 8:04 mark. Chasing down a “It requires a lot more intensity,” forward Jared McCann said. “It requires rebound in the right corner of the offensive zone, Matheson swooped a lot more detail. Our line has been giving up a lot of chances. It’s behind the cage and from the left corner, he backhanded a pass to the unacceptable. We need to be better. … We just need to be better, plain left circle for forward Jake Guentzel who whacked a one-timer past and simple.” Shesterkin’s glove on the far side for his team-leading 17th goal. Matheson and Letang picked up assists. What happened A short-handed goal by Fox at the 10:22 mark gave the Rangers a 7-3 The Rangers struck first 1:36 into regulation. Skating the puck into the lead. Zibanejad hounded Matheson into a turnover in the Penguins’ left offensive zone, Colin Blackwell went deep into the right circle and tried to circle then fed a backhand pass to the slot for an on-rushing Fox who deal a pass to the left circle for trailing forward Ryan Strome. Penguins torched a wrister past DeSmith’s blocker for his fifth goal. Assists went to defenseman Mike Matheson broke up the pass attempt but inadvertently Zibanejad and Strome. deflected the puck with his left skate through goatender Tristan Jarry’s five hole. Blackwell was credited with 10th goal of the season off assists The rout continued only 19 seconds later when Buchnevich got his 15th from forward Artemi Panarin and defenseman Jacob Trouba. goal. After an offensive zone turnover by some combination of Ceci, Gaudreau and Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese, the Rangers It became a 2-0 contest at 7:28 of the first period. Off an offensive zone attacked in transition. After Panarin gained the offensive zone on the turnover by Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, Rangers forward Mika right wing, he fed a cross-ice pass to Chytil. Drawing in Gaudreau and Zibenejad skated the puck through the neutral zone then deal a pass for Ceci, Chytil dished a pass to Buchnevich, all alone to the right of the Buchnevich, who gained the offensive blue line on the right wing. crease. From there, Buchnevich swept in a forehand shot by DeSmith’s Dancing around Crosby, Buchnevich attacked the net and had his left skate. Chytil and Panarin netted assists. forehand shot rejected by Jarry. Zibanejad followed up on the ensuing rebound and lifted a backhander past a sprawling Jarry for his 13th goal. The scoring was capped late in regulation at the 18:36 mark. Off a Buchnevich had the lone assist. backhand pass off the right wing wall in the neutral zone by Jankowski, Penguins rookie forward Radim Zohorna barged into the offensive zone The hole got deeper at the 9:58 mark of the first with a power-play goal. with the puck, fighting through a delayed tripping penalty by Buchnevich. Settling a hard pass in the left circle of the offensive zone, Panarin Recovering to his skates, Zohorna spun off a check from Kreider and surveyed for a shooting lane, waited for Penguins defenseman Cody dished a soft pass to the slot for onrushing defenseman Brian Dumoulin Ceci to shift away from the net and lasered a wrister over Jarry’s right who tucked a forehand shot past Shesterkin’s right skate for his first goal shoulder on the near side for his 12th goal. Assists went to defenseman of the season. Assists were tallied by Zohorna and Jankowski. Adam Fox and forward Chris Kreider. Statistically speaking Penguins coach Mike Sullivan called a timeout to get his squad settled and it responded shortly thereafter with its own power-play goal at the • The Penguins dominated shots, 45-25. • Buchnevich led the game with five shots. • Fox looked really smooth in this game. He’s only in his second NHL season but he looks very confident when he has the puck at the point, • Forwards Evan Rodrigues, Bryan Rust, McCann, Letang and Matheson almost like a point guard in basketball. He’s really made a push this each led the Penguins with four shots. season to be involved in the discussion for the James Norris Memorial • Letang led the game with 23:35 of ice time on 27 shifts. Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.

• Fox led the Rangers with 22:12 of ice time on 31 shifts. • There aren’t many players who are alone worth the purchase of a ticket, but Panarin is one of them. He might be the most entertaining player in • The Penguins controlled faceoffs, 36-25 (59 %). the game today.

• Crosby was 16 for 23 (70 %). Historically speaking

• Zibanejad was 12 for 22 (55 %). • The Penguins had not allowed eight goals since an 8-4 road loss to the Boston Bruins on March 1, 2018. • Ceci and Trouba each led the game with three blocked shots. • The Penguins have not allowed seven or more goals in consecutive • Jarry made seven saves on 11 shots. games in more than a quarter of a century: • DeSmith made 10 saves on 14 shots and was charged with the loss. This is the first time Pens have allowed 7+ goals in consecutive GP since • Shesterkin made 41 saves on 45 shots. April 8, 1994 @ NJ (2-7) and April 9, 1994 @ Montreal (1-9).

Randomly speaking — Bob Grove (@bobgrove91) April 7, 2021

• This was a classic “sometimes, hockey doesn’t make sense” game. • Dumoulin’s goal was his first since a short-handed score in a 2-1 That’s to say, the Penguins dominated a lot of puck possession but overtime home loss to the Oilers on Nov. 2, 2019: clearly were the inferior team. And it wasn’t like they loaded up on shots • Zohorna recorded his first career assist. He has two points (one goal, in the third period trying to play catch up. They were putting the puck on one assist) in three games. net throughout the game. That said, the Rangers were getting the bulk of quality chances and seemed to bury most of them. • Panarin now has 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 18 career games against the Penguins. • It’s hard to fairly evaluate the goaltending considering Jarry and DeSmith were little more than target practice for the Rangers. But it Publicly speaking would be a stretch to say either of them stole any goals. • Penguins forward Bryan Rust on his team’s defense: Jarry and DeSmith can’t really be blamed for this, but they weren’t innocent either. “We’ve just been sloppy. We’re not working as a unit out there. We need to get back to that quick. The more you’re working as a unit, the more • Matheson has a forbidden fruit dynamic to him. He can really help you you’re defending as a group of five – even six with a goalie out there – I by doing some special things on the ice. But he can hurt you quite a bit in think that makes your team that much stronger.” trying to executive those special things. This game was pretty much a pretty comprehensive example of what Matheson can offer, in a positive • Pettersson on the Penguins’ defense: and negative sense. “We know what we can do when we play the right way and defend hard. • The penalty kill was just a mess allowing three goals on three There’s never going to be a problem for us to create offensive chances. opportunities. It was easily the Penguins’ worst game with regards to the So whenever we defend hard and defend our net fronts, I think we create penalty kill all season, and that’s saying something considering they are a lot from that too. We know what we have to do. We’ve got to find a way ranked 24th in the NHL in penalty kill conversions at 76.3 %. to stop the bleeding because the last two games is not good enough right now.” Faceoffs were something of a problem on the first two power-play goals by the Rangers as Gaudreau lost draws directly before each goal. • McCann on the defense:

• Gaudreau’s campaign to remain in the lineup might have lost some “It just looks like we’re kind of lost. We’re giving up chances that we’re steam in this game. In addition to getting beaten on two defensive zone not normally used to giving up. We’re letting our goalies down right now faceoffs that led to two power-play goals for the Rangers, he was and giving teams backdoor tap-ins and shots from high-grade areas. We flattened in a one-on-one battle that led to Lafreniere’s goal and had a need to tighten up. We’re not going to sit here and whine about. Let’s hand in the offensive zone turnover prior to Buchnevich’s goal. near from it, move forward.”

By no means was Gaudreau the main culprit in this mess, but this was • Coach Mike Sullivan on the defense: easily his least impressive game as a member of the Penguins. “We just haven’t played with the same sense of purpose. As a result, the • If Jankowski is about to lose his job upon the return of Teddy Blueger to types of chances that we’ve given up are extremely high (quality). And the lineup, he is not giving it up without a fight. He recorded two assists in it’s hard to win games consistently when you give up the quality of this game. Over his past two games, he has four points (one goal, three chances that we’ve given up the last two games.” assists). • Sullivan on McCann’s success on the power play:

• Crosby had a rough night. He probably has had worse games in his “We tried Jared there for a couple of years now. This isn’t anything new. career, but none come to mind immediately. His puck decisions left We recognize that one of Jared’s strengths is on the power play. His something to be desired. That said, it’s probably a safe bet to assume ability to shoot on that strong-side flank, in particular, he’s very good at it. he’ll rebound. He’s got a real deceptive shot, he’s got an accurate shot and it’s hard. • McCann got another power-play goal. Despite being on the top power- When he puts pucks in play, sometimes they go in the net. If they don’t, play unit for roughly two weeks in the absences of injured forwards usually it creates opportunity for the rest of the guys that are at the net Evgeni Malkin and Kasperi Kapanen, he leads the team with five power- front. He’s doing a good job on the power play, he’s going to continue to play goals. help us there.”

McCann just keeps it simple. He shoots quite a bit, particularly off that left Tribune Review LOADED: 04.07.2021 wall. He’s been a refreshing sight compared to others on that group who can tend to overpass looking for that perfect play. Not McCann. He mostly just grips it and rips it.

• By the time Dumoulin’s goal occurred, the game was all but over. But the way Zohorna created that opportunity was very encouraging. He just used his overwhelming size to barge into the Rangers’ zone and set up Dumoulin with a very composed, patient play. 1186648 Pittsburgh Penguins The floodgates opened later in the period with Rangers defenseman Adam Fox getting a short-handed goal — his fifth, at the 10:22 mark — and forward Pavel Buchnevich getting an even-strength score — his 15th, at the 10:41 mark. Tristan Jarry chased, John Marino hurt in Penguins loss to Rangers Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin capped the scoring at 18:36 of the third with his first goal.

SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, April 6, 2021 9:56 p.m.Support Local The Penguins don’t seem to be panicking over the prospect of having Journalism yielded so much offense to the opposition over the past two games.

At the same time, they realize they are in dire need of an immediate course correction. Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan views the regular use of two goaltenders more as a necessity than as a luxury. “We need to stop here and take a look at where we’re at,” defenseman Marcus Pettersson said. “We’ve been playing some good hockey, and And given the compacted nature of the 2020-21 schedule because of the we can’t let it slip away from us right now. … We need to look at what we pandemic, the Penguins have needed to deploy starter Tristan Jarry and need to do better and go from there.” backup Casey DeSmith quite a bit. Tribune Review LOADED: 04.07.2021 “These guys have been a real important part of this team’s success to this point,” Sullivan said via video conference. “We’ll continue to lean on both of them moving forward by nature of the condensed schedule.”

Sullivan probably didn’t anticipate using both of them Tuesday, but that was the case during a lopsided 8-4 road loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Jarry, who returned to the lineup after missing two games because of an undisclosed injury, was torched behind a porous defense for four goals on 11 shots and was pulled after a single period in favor of DeSmith, who made nine saves on 14 shots over the final two periods and was charged with the loss, dropping his record to 9-5-0.

Amplifying the Penguins’ strife was the premature departure of defenseman John Marino, who left the game midway through the third period due to an undisclosed injury he suffered after being tripped and falling on his face.

Combined with Saturday’s 7-5 road loss to the Boston Bruins, the Penguins have allowed an obscene 15 goals in their past two games.

In contrast, they allowed 15 goals in the nine contests that preceded this wretched two-game sequence.

The team’s overall defense – not just the defensemen, but the forwards and goaltenders – has been nothing short of pernicious in the past handful of days.

“It just looks like we’re kind of lost,” forward Jared McCann said. “We’re giving up chances that we’re not normally used to giving up. We’re letting our goalies down right now and giving teams backdoor tap-ins and shots from high-grade areas. We need to tighten up.”

The pace of this game was established early — 1 minute, 36 seconds into regulation when Rangers forward Colin Blackwell recorded his 10th goal of the season after a pass attempt was inadvertently deflected into the Penguins’ cage by Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson.

Goals by Rangers forwards Mika Zibanejad, his 13th at 7:28 of the first, and Artemi Panarin, his 12th on a power-play chance at the 9:58 mark, made it a 3-0 game and prompted Sullivan to call a timeout to get his team organized.

That tactic paid immediate dividends as McCann converted on a power- play chance for his 10th goal at the 10:38 mark of the first.

Any momentum the Penguins generated was nullified at 19:42 of the first with another power-play goal by Rangers forward Ryan Strome, who collected his 12th.

The Rangers made it a 5-1 score at 12:20 of the second period when rookie forward Alexis Lafreniere was credited with his sixth goal when Marino accidentally played a puck into his own cage.

A goal by Matheson only 16 seconds later made it a 5-2 contest.

The teams exchanged goals at a furious pace in the third period. First, Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko collected his sixth goal at the 6:10 mark off a redirection, after the puck glanced off of Penguins defenseman Kris Letang.

The Penguins persisted and pulled within a field goal at 8:04 of the third when forward Jake Guentzel cranked a one-timer from the left circle for his team-leading 17th goal. 1186649 Pittsburgh Penguins Serving as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s captain, Currie has appeared in 12 AHL games and has 10 points (four goals, six assists).

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.07.2021 Penguins notebook: Frederick Gaudreau remains on 3rd line

SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, April 6, 2021 7:27 p.m.Support Local Journalism

Penguins forward Frederick Gaudreau remained in the lineup for the 10th consecutive game during Tuesday’s road contest against the New York Rangers.

That’s a considerable accomplishment for a player who, before this season, had not played in the NHL since March 2019 as a member of the Nashville Predators.

Gaudreau opened Tuesday’s game centering the third line with Zach Aston-Reese on the left wing and Sam Lafferty at right wing.

Before Tuesday, Gaudreau had recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in nine games and had carved out a regular role on the penalty kill, averaging 2 minutes, 17 seconds of short-handed ice time per contest.

Coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged Gaudreau has given management something to consider as it tries to sort out its center depth with the NHL’s trade deadline approaching Monday.

“For sure it has,” Sullivan said. “Freddy has earned every opportunity he’s been given here since he’s been called up and inserted into the lineup. He’s a real competitive guy. He’s a smart player. He’s helped us on the penalty kill. He’s strong defensively. He’s won some faceoffs for us. He’s helped us in a lot of capacities.

“And I love his competitiveness. He’s just a real competitive guys that’s playing the game with a whole lot of urgency. I think that type of play is contagious. He’s certainly maximized the opportunity that he’s been given here.”

Call-ups

The Penguins formally recalled Gaudreau as well as rookie forwards Drew O’Connor and Radim Zohorna from the taxi squad Tuesday morning.

While O’Connor was scratched, Zohorna opened Tuesday’s contest on the left wing with veterans Mark Jankowski at center and Colton Sceviour at right wing.

A native of the Czech Republic, Zohorna is playing his first season in . Before Tuesday, he had played in two NHL games and had one goal. In 12 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he had 11 points (three goals, eight assists).

Tanev goes to IR

Forward Brandon Tanev was placed on injured reserve retroactive to April 3. On Monday, Sullivan labeled Tanev as “week to week” because of an undisclosed ailment.

In 32 games, Tanev has 16 points (seven goals, nine assists).

“Our guys certainly appreciate (Tanev’s) competitiveness, the edge that he plays with,” Sullivan said. “He’s a passionate guy. He plays the game hard. Our players and coaching staff and most of our team certainly appreciates what he brings to our team. He makes us a better hockey team. There are guys in our lineup that can bring some of those attributes that can help us fill that void when we don’t have (Tanev) in the lineup. Those guys have an opportunity to step up and help us in that capacity. “

Quick hits

Forward Teddy Blueger remained sidelined for the 11th consecutive game because of an undisclosed ailment. Currently on injured reserve, Blueger has played in 28 games and has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists). … Rookie forward Anthony Angello remains on the taxi squad. In 19 games this season, Angello has four points (two goals, two assists). … Forward Josh Currie was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and assigned the taxi squad. In one NHL game this season, he has no points. 1186650 Pittsburgh Penguins

With Matt Murray struggling, Senators change their goalie coach

MIKE PALM | Tuesday, April 6, 2021 2:15 p.m.Support Local Journalism

Trading for former Penguins goaltender Matt Murray hasn’t worked out as expected for the Ottawa Senators.

And it cost Pierre Groulx his job as the Senators’ goaltending coach on Tuesday.

Murray, who won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins, was dealt to Ottawa on Oct. 6, 2020, for a second-round draft pick and forward prospect Jonathan Gruden.

Murray is 7-12-1 with a 3.84 goals-against average and a .880 save percentage. This year’s stats are much worse than his career marks of a 2.77 GAA and a .911 save percentage.

Ottawa, with a 13-22-4 record in the North Division, is last in the NHL in goals allowed, allowing 3.73 goals per game.

“Unfortunately, a number of our goaltending performances this season have been underwhelming,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a statement. “I think very highly of Pierre Groulx, he’s as dedicated and tireless a worker as anyone in the organization, but we recently reached a point where we thought a fresh outlook could help return some stability to our crease.”

Groulx was reassigned to a scouting and development role, replaced as the goaltending coach by Zac Bierk.

Former Penguins prospect Filip Gustavsson, acquired by the Senators in the Feb. 23, 2018, trade for Derick Brassard, actually has the best stats this season for Ottawa. Gustavsson is 2-1-1 with a 1.81 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage in four games.

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Penguins to start goaltender Tristan Jarry against Rangers

SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, April 6, 2021 12:01 a.m.Support Local Journalism

The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Tristan Jarry for Tuesday’s game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, coach Mike Sullivan said.

Jarry has been sidelined the past two games since suffering an undisclosed injury during a 2-1 home win against the New York Islanders on March 29.

In 25 games this season, Jarry has a 15-8-2 record along with a 2.79 goals-against average as well as a .910 save percentage.

Notes:

• Injured Penguins forward Teddy Blueger will not play. He has missed the previous 10 games because of an undisclosed injury. Sullivan labeled Blueger as “continuing to make progress” in his recuperation.

In 28 games this season, Blueger has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists).

• The Penguins recalled forwards Frederick Gaudreau, Drew O’Connor and Radim Zohorna from their taxi squad. Forward Brandon Tanev was placed on injured reserve, and forward Josh Currie was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and assigned to the taxi squad.

• Rookie forward Anthony Angello remains on the taxi squad. In 19 games this season, Angello has four points (two goals, two assists).

• The Rangers are expected to start goaltender Igor Shesterkin. In 20 games this season, he has a 9-8-2 record, a 2.27 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.

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Penguins recall Gaudreau, O'Connor, Zohorna from taxi squad

SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, April 6, 2021 10:11 a.m.Support Local Journalism

The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forwards Frederick Gaudreau, Drew O’Connor and Radim Zohorna from the taxi squad to the NHL roster.

Additionally, forward Brandon Tanev was placed on injured reserve retroactive to April 3, and forward Josh Currie was recalled from Wilkes- Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) to the taxi squad.

Gaudreau has played in nine games this season and has four points (one goal, three assists).

O’Connor, a first-year professional, has appeared in 10 games this season and had one assist.

Zohorna, a rookie, has played in two games this season and has scored one goal.

This will be Tanev’s second stint on injured reserve this season. In 32 games, he has 16 points (seven goals, nine assists).

Currie, who serves as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s captain, has played in one NHL game this season with no points. In 12 AHL games, he has 10 points (four goals, six assists).

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A trade idea for the Penguins — and who they may move in return

TIM BENZ | Tuesday, April 6, 2021 6:43 a.m.Support Local Journalism

By this time next Tuesday, we will know what the Pittsburgh Penguins did — or didn’t do — before the 2021 NHL trade deadline. It’s Monday afternoon, April 12.

In our weekly “Breakfast With Benz” hockey podcast, Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network has an idea about who the Penguins may chase.

“I keep going to Sam Bennett (4 goals, 9 points) of the Calgary Flames,” Metzer said. “There is history with (Penguins president of hockey operations) Brian Burke. He was involved in their management when Bennet was drafted (fourth overall) with Calgary (2014) … For whatever reason, he has never put it all together. He doesn’t look like he should’ve been selected as high as he was.

“However, he does have size. He has a little bit of offensive upside. He can play more than a regular shift in the NHL. And he brings the physicality that Burke and (general manager) Ron Hextall have been talking about.”

Bennett is 6-foot-1, 195 pounds. But he’s never scored more than 18 goals or tallied more than 36 points in a season. The Penguins would be picking up the remainder of his $2.5 million salary cap hit. He’s going to be a restricted free agent after this year.

So who would Metzer give up? He doesn’t like the idea of dealing winger Jason Zucker. Instead, he prefers to move a defenseman.

“I think Marcus Pettersson is an intriguing body to move,” Metzer said. “Because he will carry value. He brings a little bit of what (the Penguins) are looking for to bring in. But he doesn’t do it often enough. You would think being Swedish, 6-foot-3, 177 pounds, he’d be more Ulf Samuelsson than he is. But he really isn’t.”

One issue is that Pettersson is signed through 2025 at $4 million per year. That’ll be a team-friendly number down the road if Pettersson works out in his new city. But a club may not want to pick up that much for the rest of this year.

Metzer said a cheaper option this year would be Juuso Riikola who is only on a $1.15 million ticket through the end of next season.

“He is willing to sign here every single season,” Metzer said of Riikola. “And he never gets into the lineup. But he is a mobile defenseman with a big shot from the point. I think a young team in the league may be looking at him as something they may covet.”

As of right now, the Flames only have $1.6 million in salary cap space according to CapFriendly.com. Only seven teams have less room.

I like where Metzer is coming from on this idea. If things don’t work out with Bennett, they can just let him walk. If they decide to keep him, the price on the restricted free agent market shouldn’t be overwhelming. And that could be a good price for a third-line forward next year. But Burke and Hextall may have to finagle the money to make a deal like that work.

Tribune Review LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186654 Pittsburgh Penguins Artemi Panarin, who recorded three points in the first period alone and a season-high four points in total, then proved why he’s a perennial Hart Trophy candidate. He ripped a wrist shot into the top shelf on Jarry’s blocker side. Tristan Jarry pulled in his return as Penguins routed by Rangers, 8-4 Just like that, midway through the first period, the Rangers had a 3-0 lead.

Mike DeFabo6-7 minutes 4/7/2021 Sullivan called a timeout to try to regroup his troops. It worked, albeit briefly. The very next shift, Crosby drew a holding penalty. Seconds into

the power play, Jared McCann unleashed that big, deceptive shot that’s NEW YORK — After a week on the shelf with an upper-body injury, earned him a role with the top unit in Evgeni Malkin and Kasperi Tristan Jarry was back in the net to kick off a two-game series against Kapanen’s absence. the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. McCann has only been on the power play about as long as it’s taken you It wouldn’t last long. to read to this point in the story, yet he leads the club with five power play goals. This one briefly made it a two-goal game at 3-1. The Rangers blitzed the Penguins’ No. 1 netminder, scoring just over a minute-and-a-half into the game to set the tone for a four-goal first And the Penguins nearly escaped without any more bleeding. But Brian period. By the time the Penguins came out to start the second period, Dumoulin committed an untimely holding penalty in the final minute. Jarry had been replaced in net by Casey DeSmith. Panarin again made his presence felt on the power play. This time, he zipped a seam pass from the top of the left circle to the top of the right. The goalie was different, but the defensive breakdowns were the same. Ryan Strome cranked it through a screen and past Jarry to make it 4-1 As a result, the Rangers rode the momentum of that lopsided first period, Rangers. plus three power play goals to an 8-4 victory. With DeSmith in net to start the second period, the Penguins had their “It just looks like we’re kind of lost,” said forward Jared McCann, whose chances. However, the Rangers were the ones who cracked through. power play goal was one of the few bright spots. “We’re giving up Alexis Lafreniere, the first-overall pick in the 2020 Draft, scored on a chances we’re not normally used to giving up. We’re kind of letting our flailing DeSmith to make it 5-1 Rangers. goalies down right now and giving teams back-door tap-ins and shots from high-grade areas. I think we need to tighten it up. The Rangers only poured it on in the third period. The lone bright spots were a Matheson sniper and Jake Guentzel’s nightly goal. "You’re not going to sit here and whine about it. Let’s learn from it and move forward.” “These are hard ones,” Sullivan said. “Because they sting. Because we have a proud group. This team has had a lot of success. We’ve had a lot The Penguins, who have now lost two in a row, set a new season-worst of success this year. We’ve got to find a way to get back to some of the on Saturday when they allowed seven goals in Boston. They one-upped details that are necessary to give ourselves the best chance to win.” themselves in the worst way on Tuesday, giving up eight. Mike DeFabo Then, late in the third period, defenseman John Marino left the game soon after he drew a penalty and fell hard on his chin. He did not return. Post Gazette LOADED: 04.07.2021 Coach Mike Sullivan did not have any additional information.

The defensive lapses are startling because of how well the Penguins had been playing in that facet of the game lately. Over the last month, the Penguins transformed themselves into one of the NHL’s better defensive teams with an emphasis on being better in front of the net and defending the scoring area.

But over the last two games, starting Saturday in Boston, they’ve fallen back into bad defensive habits. The goaltenders, who were arguably the NHL’s best tandem in March, haven’t been there to bail them out. And a penalty kill that looked like it finally found its footing has regressed, allowing three power play goals on Tuesday.

In many ways, Tuesday’s game felt like the early-season version of the Penguins. They out-shot the Rangers, 45-25, and out-chanced them. But catastrophic mistakes and sketchy moments from the goaltenders proved costly. According to Sportlogiq, the Penguins generated 17 shots from the slot, but also gave up 15.

“We’ve got to do a better job defending the net front and the high-scoring areas,” defenseman Marcus Petterson said. “I think teams are getting way too many chances from those spot. In this league, there are too many good players to give up chances from there.”

Soon after Jarry took the net, he was fishing the puck out of it.

New York’s Colin Blackwell entered the offensive zone and split Penguins defensemen Kris Letang and Mike Matheson without much resistance. He attempted a cross-crease pass that deflected off of Matheson’s skate and past Jarry.

It set the tone for a first period full of defensive lapses.

Later in the first, the Rangers took a 2-0 lead. Sidney Crosby, who is arguably the best two-way center in the game and very well could win the Selke Trophy this year, wheeled in the offensive zone and tossed a soft pass to… well, to no one.

New York's Pavel Buchnevich picked it up and raced ahead, as Crosby assumed a defensive posture to fill in for Kris Letang, who had jumped into play in the offensive zone. Buchnevich walked around Crosby’s poke-check attempt and shot on net. Jarry left a juicy rebound in front for Mike Zibanejad to clean up. 1186655 Pittsburgh Penguins

Sources: Evgeni Malkin to skate individually on Wednesday, an important first step in return

Mike DeFabo2-3 minutes 4/6/2021

NEW YORK — On Wednesday, Penguins star center Evgeni Malkin will take a noteworthy step toward a return when he begins skating individually back in Pittsburgh, sources told the Post-Gazette.

The return to the ice represents a significant benchmark in Malkin’s rehab from a lower-body injury he sustained on March 16. But it’s also just the first of many hurdles he'll need to clear before he’s ready for game action.

Typically, injured Penguins follow the same progression. First, they skate individually for a stretch. Then, they join a group setting in a non-contact capacity — either on the taxi squad or with the main group. Finally, they need to skate in a full-team, full-contact setting before a return becomes imminent.

Malkin, who had previously only done the off-ice portion of his rehab, is still in the first step of that. There is still no timetable for his return. The club has described his status publicly as “week-to-week.”

The 34-year-old center was initially injured at PPG Paints Arena during a game against the Boston Bruins. Malkin was turning a corner in the offensive zone, when he was rocked by Boston’s 6-foot-6, 220-pound defenseman Jarred Tinordi. Malkin slowly made his way to the bench and went into the dressing room. He returned for a single power play shift, but then went right back into the dressing room.

The timing of the injury was unfortunate. Malkin was developing good chemistry with Kasperi Kapanen and in the midst of a surge in which he racked up 17 points in 15 games. He was one of the biggest reasons the Penguins shot up the standings.

Now, the Penguins will await his return and the possible shot-in-the-arm it will give a team playing through a unique pandemic season. The Penguins will play their 39th game of a 56-game season on Tuesday against the Rangers. Just a month remains before a playoff push begins and Malkin begins his quest for a fourth Stanley Cup.

Post Gazette LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186656 Pittsburgh Penguins It marked Jarry’s first appearance since March 29 against the Islanders, when he stopped all five shots he faced in the first period before being removed from the game during the first intermission.

Penguins notes: Is Frederick Gaudreau the answer at fourth-line center? “I think it was more precautionary than anything,” Jarry said. “They didn’t want it to get any worse. I think it was just the right time and the right moment to do it.”

Mike DeFabo5-7 minutes 4/6/2021 Jarry enters the game riding a recent surge in performance. Since Feb. 14, he’s 13-4-1 with a .926 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against

average. NEW YORK — Penguins general manager Ron Hextall picked up the In other injury news, Blueger is not yet ready to return, even though he's phone three weeks ago, when the injury bug tore through the middle of skated in a full-contact capacity for about a week. He has not played the Penguins’ lineup. since March 15, but a return can’t be far off. Sullivan said the center is Regular second-line center Evgeni Malkin and third-line center Teddy continuing to make progress. Blueger were both injured within the same two-game stretch in mid- Tanev’s absence creates an opportunity March. And Mark Jankowski, well, he wasn't necessarily thriving in his role. The Penguins formally placed Brandon Tanev on injured reserve on Tuesday. The in-your-face winger returned from an upper-body injury to While Hextall looked around to see who might be available to solidify the appear in the previous two games in Boston. However, he’s again on the depth down the middle, Frederick Gaudreau was called into action to shelf, this time with an upper-body injury the team is describing as “week- make his first NHL appearance since 2019. to-week.” It appears this is a different upper-body injury and not a re- And, man, has he taken advantage of that opportunity. aggravation of the same thing.

The 27-year-old French Canadian recorded a goal, three assists and a In a related roster move, Radim Zohorna was recalled from the taxi plus-2 rating in the last nine games entering Tuesday night. The squad. He made his first NHL appearance since March 17, skating on the advanced metrics speak even more highly of the 6-foot, 179-pound fourth line centered by Jankowski. The 6-6 forward has good hands and center. The Penguins have generated nearly 60% of the expected goals mobility, especially for his size. Entering Tuesday night, he scored one and 53% of the high-danger chances during 5-on-5 play with Gaudreau goal in two games. Drew O’Connor was also recalled from the taxi squad on the ice. Not only is he producing, but it also seems he’s making the and took warm up, just in case. players around him better. Post Gazette LOADED: 04.07.2021 Has that performance changed the way coach Mike Sullivan looks at his options at center when the team gets healthy?

“For sure it has,” Sullivan said on Tuesday afternoon ahead of a two- game series against the Rangers.

“I think Freddy has earned every opportunity he’s been given here since he’s been called up and inserted into the lineup,” the coach continued. “He’s a real competitive guy. He’s a smart player. He’s helped us on the penalty kill. He’s strong defensively.”

Now, with Blueger looking like he’s on the cusp of a return and the April 12 trade deadline looming less than a week away, what call will the Penguins make with their fourth-line center position?

Jankowski, signed to a veteran minimum $700,000 this offseason, skated in this role for most of the season. While he’s underwhelmed with seven points in 34 games, the big, 6-4 center may have played his best game of the season on Saturday, recording a goal and a primary assist.

However, when Blueger returns, the tealeaves certainly point to Gaudreau wrestling the minutes from Jankowski — or at the least bumping him to wing. Gaudreau is already listed as the third-line center, while Jankowski is on paper as the fourth. And Sullivan’s answer on Tuesday felt like even more affirmation.

The question then becomes if the Penguins believe they have enough centers to make a playoff push in the event they are forced to weather another injury storm. As recently as last week, Hextall is on record saying he’d like to add a big, physical forward. Given the fact that the Penguins don’t want to part with a ton of future assets, can they find one for the right price? And if they do add, does that forward come in the form of a winger or a center?

Gaudreau may have spent the entire 20219-20 season in the AHL, but he does have playoff experience. He was in a Nashville Predators uniform when the Penguins hoisted the Cup in 2017. Now, he’s made a good impression on the coach of those Cup teams.

“I love his competitiveness,” Sullivan said. “He’s a real competitive guy that’s playing the game with a whole lot of urgency. I think that type of play is contagious.”

Jarry back in action, Blueger not yet ready

Tristan Jarry returned to the ice after missing the last two-and-a-half games with an upper-body injury. He started on Tuesday night when the Penguins opened a two-game series against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. 1186657 Pittsburgh Penguins as a bad goal. The Penguins started poorly defensively and never recovered.

That said, I didn’t like what I saw from Jarry at all. For one thing, he was Yohe’s 10 observations: ‘It looks like we’re kind of lost,’ Penguins’ Jared playing way too deep in his crease. And yes, I understand that the McCann says Penguins’ defensive core was getting destroyed in front of the net, something that’s been a problem all season. Still, Jarry is allowed to fight for position and play with more urgency.

By Josh Yohe Apr 6, 2021 15 If you were to speak privately with members of the Penguins’ organization, they’ll speak highly of Jarry. They love his talent, love the

person. He does, however, have one weakness. It’s something that also So, who are the real Penguins? can be a strength. He’s laid-back. Rather, he’s excessively laid-back, and every now and then, the Penguins coaches feel like he needs to be They’ve been many teams this season. Mike Sullivan’s team has been a pushed. I’m not suggesting he doesn’t care about his work, because of high-flying squad that isn’t all that interested in the finer points of the course he does. But Jarry sometimes could be better served to play with game but transformed during March into a two-way machine that looked more intensity. Playing for the first time in a week, I don’t think Jarry like a Stanley Cup contender. looked the least bit intense. He just didn’t look the least bit alert.

Then came the last two games, and an appalling 15 goals against. Ron He’ll be fine. He’s legit. But this wasn’t a good outing. Hextall has five days to figure it out and act accordingly before Monday’s NHL trade deadline. • It might be time to give some of the members of the blue line a rest, especially with Chad Ruhwedel and Juuso Riikola just kind of sitting The Penguins were embarrassed Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in around and doing nothing but practice during the past few weeks. an 8-4 loss to the Rangers. This result came 72 hours after the Penguins allowed seven goals in the final two periods of a 7-5 loss in Boston. Marino didn’t return, and it’s not known if he’s dealing with an injury that could keep him from the lineup. Ruhwedel doesn’t help the Penguins “It looks like we’re kind of lost,” Jared McCann said. “We’re giving up offensively much, but he’s reliable defensively, which isn’t a bad thing chances we don’t usually give up. We’re letting our goalies down.” right now.

There was nothing wrong with the Penguins’ effort, and it’s not like they Riikola has played in two games this season, and I still have no idea didn’t produce some offense of their own. They registered a season-high what he is capable of at the NHL level. It wouldn’t hurt to give Marcus 45 shots on goal and permitted only 25 shots. The Penguins fired 18 Pettersson a night off. He struggled again on Tuesday. A game or two off shots on goal in the first period while subsequently allowing four goals. might do him some good.

To get inside of what is said in the Penguins’ locker room following • The Penguins weren’t ready to play in this game from the very games, one must only listen to Sullivan’s players. They typically beginning. On the game’s first shift, Brian Dumoulin was trapped, giving regurgitate whatever it is that their head coach has just drilled into their the Rangers a two-on-one that Kris Letang nicely disrupted. Letang, heads. however, was unable to get off of the ice for a change during his first shift, getting stuck on the ice for the first 95 seconds until the Rangers That seemed the case when McCann spoke. opened the scoring. “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves a little too much offensively,” he Mike Matheson’s tentative breakout pass triggered the first Rangers’ said. “We’re cheating a little bit.” goal, which saw a number of Penguins out of position. So yeah, that all The Penguins play the red-hot Rangers in New York again Thursday and took place in less than 100 seconds to start the game. The Penguins just seem intent on undergoing some soul searching before that contest. didn’t look mentally prepared to play in this game in the first few minutes, something that I rarely say about this team. “We aren’t going to sit here and whine about it,” McCann said. “Let’s learn from it and move forward. We’re going to watch tape. Take it on the It’s great that they registered 18 shots on goal during the first period. chin. That’s what you do. We have to come back with a lot of drive and a Many of them were very good looks, as Sullivan noted following the focus on detail.” game. But you don’t allow that many Grade-A opportunities if you’re mentally invested in a game, and the Penguins mysteriously were not. 10 postgame observations • The Penguins’ penalty killing had been much better in March but is • This very well could be a two-game funk and nothing more. It’s perfectly reverting back to its previous form. Indeed, the Rangers went 3-for-3 on reasonable to think this is the case. The Penguins are playing without a the power play on this night and made it look pretty easy. Penguins’ number of very important players due to injuries — John Marino’s face defensemen were routinely outplayed in front of the net, as they seemed banged into the ice in the third period and he didn’t return, incidentally — relatively disinterested in laying a body on Chris Kreider, who gave and they’ve been exceptionally good for the past six weeks. Even the Penguins’ goalies fits all game. The middle of the ice was wide open all best teams hit funks. Could be the case. Probably is. night for the Rangers’ power play.

I am struck by the similarities to what we saw last season, before the It was a sorry display of penalty killing, frankly, which is something that’s pandemic struck. The Penguins hosted the Maple Leafs in February and, been a pretty common theme all season. playing without the injured Evgeni Malkin, went up 5-0 in the second period and looked on top of the world. They ended up winning that game Yes, the Rangers are pretty loaded on the power play. We know this. But and, along the way, moved into first place. They followed that with an this was a horrendous effort. The Penguins showed absolutely no embarrassing six-game losing streak. resistance nor much in the way of awareness while short-handed. Just an abysmal effort. On April 1, the Penguins won in Boston for the first time in seven years and played a nearly flawless game, moving into a tie for first place. • Evan Rodrigues had a hand in at least four odd-man rushes for the Penguins and was their most noticeable forward. He’s playing the best Since that game, they’ve given up 15 goals and are back into third place. hockey of his career during the past couple of weeks, which is This has been a very streaky team over the past few years, and I’d encouraging. suggest they turn this one around pretty quickly. These weren’t just two losses, but rather, were two fairly humiliating losses. If they win Thursday Unfortunately for the Penguins, Rodrigues didn’t bury any of his chances. in the rematch, this will probably all prove to be no big deal. If they lose Normally a shoot-first player, he actually passed up a couple of looks on again, however, this is going to qualify as a problem. odd-man rushes, instead attempting to complete high-risk passes. It was a very Penguins thing to do, but it didn’t work out. Thus, I think Thursday night’s game is a big one. It’s nice that he’s getting so many good looks. He’s playing well. But he’s • Tristan Jarry made his return to the lineup and was removed after got to start converting some of these opportunities. Just the way it is. permitting four goals in the first period. Only the third goal — an Artemi Panarin (my God, what a player) shot from the left circle — would qualify • McCann scored another power-play goal. It’s going to be hard keeping him off of the top unit even after Malkin returns to the lineup. He’s got a great shot, and he’s using it.

The question becomes, who leaves the power play? It won’t be Sidney Crosby, Malkin or Letang. So, if McCann stays on the top unit, either Bryan Rust or Jake Guentzel would be departing.

My guess is that Rust would be the odd man out, though he’s done nothing to deserve it. He’s been terrific. That said, McCann’s shot is quite a weapon, and I can see why the Penguins want to showcase it moving forward.

• Weird night for the Penguins’ top line. Guentzel scored for the seventh straight road game, which is absurd. Letang had a couple of assists, but I thought he and Brian Dumoulin were both off of their respective games. Crosby made two horrible plays on the second Rangers’ goal, which is very uncharacteristic of him.

That said, the top Penguins’ line had a ton of pressure on the Rangers throughout the game.

• The Rangers are good. Really good. They may not make the playoffs this season simply because of their place in the standings, but they’re going to beat a lot of good teams down the stretch.

And they’re making the playoffs next season. Bank on it. That team has talent all over the place.

• All in all, it’s not panic time for the Penguins. They absolutely stunk the past two games. But how many goals against the Rangers went in the net while bouncing off of a Penguins’ leg or skate? Everything that could have gone wrong for the Penguins most certainly did.

It’s nothing a victory can’t fix, and Thursday night would be a good place to start, because another loss will have the Penguins questioning themselves a bit.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186658 Pittsburgh Penguins chances from there. So I think we got to get together as a group and see what we can do better and get more pressure on the puck.”

The Pittsburgh Penguins still have a nine-point lead over New York for a Dour Penguins Room: McCann, Sullivan Chastise Penguins playoff spot in the East Division, and New York has only one game in PlayPublished 4 hours ago on April 7, 2021 hand. But the room did not take the loss easily.

“These are hard ones. Because they sting. Because we’ve got a proud group, and this team has had a lot of success,” Sullivan said. “We’ve had By Dan Kingerski a lot of success this year. So we just have to find a way to get back to some of the details that are necessary to give ourselves the best chance

to win.” The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost two games in a row and ceded 15 Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 goals in the process. The Boston Bruins exploited the Penguins scrambled eggs play for seven goals on Saturday, and the New York Rangers finished the Penguins omelet with eight goals on Tuesday night.

The Penguins began chasing the game on Saturday in the second period. As of writing, they haven’t yet caught it. After five pure, structural hockey games in which a depleted lineup boat raced past good teams like the New York Islanders, the Penguins structure is suddenly Globetrotter hockey without the talent. Or the Washington Generals as the opponent.

“I think it requires a lot more intensity. I think it requires a lot more detail,” Jared McCann said. “Our line’s been giving up a lot of chances, and it’s unacceptable. We need to be better. We’re hanging our goalies out to dry right now. And we just need to be better at playing simple.”

The Penguins had 45 shots on Tuesday. They allowed just 25. That’s good, right? Well, not when the other team is shooting at your goalie from point-blank range.

“It’s very difficult to assess the goalies when the play in front of them wasn’t where it needs to be in order for us to have success,” Sullivan said kindly.

Sports teams too often adhere to Newton’s third law of motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The Pittsburgh Penguins played with energy, intensity, and rigid structure for five-plus games.

But they played a little over their heads, too. Frederick Gaudreau was a good fourth-line center, but it is asking a lot for him with Sam Lafferty and Zach Aston-Reese to comprise a successful third line.

“We just haven’t played with the same sense of purpose, and as a result, the types of chances that we’re giving up are extremely high,” Sullivan said. “And it’s hard to win games consistently when you give up the quality chances that we’ve given up in the last two games.“

Tuesday, the Penguins’ fourth line was Radim Zohorna, Mark Jankowski, and Colton Sceviour. The line wasn’t scored on but didn’t do much of the typical fourth-line duties, either. They were on the ice for two goals, including Mike Matheson’s rush and wrister and Brian Dumoulin’s late- game stats padder.

Even Sidney Crosby’s line stumbled in the first period against the Rangers. As the de facto second-line center, Jared McCann owned up to it, too.

“We’re getting a little bit too ahead of ourselves offensively. Sometimes we’re cheating for offense,” said McCann. “You can’t play that way, especially against a fast team like (New York) that has a good transition game. We’re going to learn from it. We’re not going to whine about it.”

It looked as if Teddy Blueger might return on Tuesday to provide some middle depth, but Blueger was unavailable. The Penguins’ bottom-six did little to clamp down or turn the game.

And that has been a big change over the last couple of games, too. The grinders haven’t been grinding, either. The collapse has been complete, too. Not just a couple of lines or few players, but nearly the entire team. Brian Dumoulin, who is normally the Penguins rock, had a few rotten shifts in the first period and on Saturday, too. John Marino has been better, too.

Marino left the game in the third period, but Sullivan did not have an update on his young defenseman after the game.

“I think we’ve got to do a better job. Like we’ve been talking about– defending the net front and the high-scoring areas,” Marcus Pettersson said. “I think teams have gotten way too many chances from those spots, and in this league, there are too good players [sic] to give up that many 1186659 Pittsburgh Penguins been a very good matchup for the Penguins because New York does many of the same things as do the Penguins, but the Penguins are better at it and a little stronger.

Jarry Back, Blueger Not; Gm39 Penguins Lines & What to Watch vs. Mika Zibanejad has rebounded from a terrible start. He has 28 points NYRPublished 15 hours ago on April 6, 2021 (12g, 16a) in 37 games. New York also has goal-scorer extraordinaire Artemi Panarin. Over the last 11 games, the Rangers are 6-3-2.

The Penguins are 6-3-1 in their last 10. By Dan Kingerski Unlike previous games, the Penguins’ ability to get to their rush game will not be paramount. The Penguins’ ability to get behind the Rangers defensemen and work hard in the corners will be how they control the The Pittsburgh Penguins (24-12-2) injury woes worsened this week, but game. The Penguins’ lack of offensive stars may eventually catch up with the show must go on. The Penguins will be without Evgeni Malkin and them, so their ability to play tight to the puck and play simple hockey will Kasperi Kapanen, who have not yet resumed skating. The Penguins will be how they win. also be without Brandon Tanev, who was placed on IR retroactive to April 3. Pittsburgh Penguins Game Notes

The Penguins have a chance to effectively put a dagger through the New *The Penguins have points in 12 of its last 13 games versus New York York Rangers’ (17-15-5) playoff hopes. (9-1-3)

Tristan Jarry will return from injury to start in goal for the Penguins. Jarry *The Penguins are in the midst of six straight, and eight of nine games, is 15-8-2 with a 2.79 GAA and a .910 save percentage. on the road

The third-place Penguins lead New York by 11 points in the East *Overall, the Penguins have earned points in 12 of their last 15 games Division, but two regulation wins would extend the Penguins cushion over overall (11-3-1). New York to 15 points. New York trails fourth-place Boston by five points with 19 games remaining. *The Penguins have the most takeaways (301) in the NHL this season. Sidney Crosby leads the Pittsburgh Penguins and ranks second in the Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan will also be without center Teddy NHL with 38 takeaways, just one behind Vegas’ Mark Stone (39). Blueger, a full participant in the last two Penguins practices but will be unable to go. Jared McCann, Frederick Gaudreau, and Mark Jankowski *The Penguins are 5-0-0 this season when playing a game on two days will likely remain the Penguins’ middle for at least another game. rest.

The Boston Bruins snapped the Penguins’ five-game winning streak on How to WATCH: 7 P.M. Saturday in the second of their game set. The Penguins lost a wild 7-5 TV: AT&T SportsNet, NBCSN; game. Radio: 105.9 The X Expected Pittsburgh Penguins Lines: Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 LW C RW

Jake Guentzel Sidney Crosby Bryan Rust

Jason Zucker Jared McCann Evan Rodrigues

Zach Aston-Reese Frederick Gaudreau Sam Lafferty

Radim Zohorna Mark Jankowski Colton Sceviour

LD RD

Brian Dumoulin Kris Letang

Mike Matheson Cody Ceci

Marcus Pettersson John Marino

LW C RW

Chris Kreider Mika Zibanejad Pavel Buchnevich

Artemi Panarin Ryan Strome Colin Blackwell

Alexis Lafreniere Filip Chytil Kappo Kaako

Philip Di Giuseppi Kevin Rooney Vitali Kravstov

Ryan Lindgren Adam Fox

K'Andre Miller Jacob Trouba

Libor Hajek Brendan Smith

TEAM Power Play Penalty Kill

Pittsburgh Penguins (23 for 110) 20.9% 16th NHL (90 for 115) 78.3% 19th NHL

New York Rangers (24 for 134) 17.9% 22nd NHL (97 for 114) 85.1% 4th NHL

What to Watch

The New York Rangers are fast. They play like the Penguins with a good forecheck and backcheck. They also like to play on the rush.

However, New York is also soft. In previous meetings, the Penguins have been able to work New York along the wall and in the corner. In fact, it’s 1186660 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Recall Gaudreau, Zohorna & O’Connor; Tanev to IRPublished 18 hours ago on April 6, 2021

By Dan Kingerski

The Pittsburgh Penguins appear to have made a near wholesale change on their fourth line ahead of Tuesday’s game on the road against the New York Rangers.

On Sunday, the Penguins demoted Freddy Gaudreau and Anthony Angello to the taxi squad. However, for Angello, it was not just a paper move. The Penguins forward will remain with the taxi squad. On Tuesday morning, the team recalled Gaudreau and forwards Radim Zohorna and Drew O’Connor.

Gaudreau has played his way into the Penguins third-line center role, while Teddy Blueger was injured. Blueger was again a full participant at practice and spoke to the media on Monday. So, he is likely ready to draw into the lineup.

“I think it’s been pretty steady progress. Heading in the right direction,” Blueger said on Monday. “Great to be back out there with the guys and practicing with the full team. I do feel pretty good out there.”

The Penguins’ injury woes continued, however. As Blueger and goalie Tristan Jarry appear ready to return, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed winger Brandon Tanev would be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Tanev was placed on IR retroactive to April 3.

From the Pittsburgh Penguins Release ( added):

Gaudreau, 27, has skated in nine games with Pittsburgh this season, registering one goal, three assists, and four points. Dating back to March 24, Gaudreau has four points (1G-3A) in his past six games. The Bromont, Quebec native ranks third among Pittsburgh forwards, averaging 2:17 of shorthanded time-on-ice per game.

Zohorna, 24, has appeared in two games for Pittsburgh, his latest coming March 27, recording one goal. His first NHL goal came on his first shot in his NHL debut on March 25 against Buffalo. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Zohorna has played in 12 games for WBS this season, recording 11 points (3G-8A). Zohorna is playing in his first professional season in North America after signing with the Penguins as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2020. He has played the last six seasons in the Czech Republic’s top professional league, the Czech Extraliga, split between BK Mlada Boleslav and HC Kometa Brno.

O’Connor, 22, has skated in 10 games for the Penguins this season, registering an assist in his NHL debut on January 26 at Boston. The 6- foot-3, 200-pound O’Connor has picked up four goals, four assists, and eight points in eight WBS games this season.

The Pittsburgh Penguins begin their final two-game set against the New York Rangers tonight, April 6, at Madison Square Garden. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186661 Pittsburgh Penguins Given the Penguins’ break-neck tempo and what it’s done to most opponents, Riikola seems to be a natural fit. He’s a gritty defenseman with speed and decent hands.

Deadline: Realistically, Can the Penguins Trade a But he desperately needs ice time on a North American rink. Defenseman?Published 21 hours ago on April 6, 2021 Detroit or Anaheim seems like a perfect fit.

Could a struggling team with available ice accept Riikola in lieu of a By Dan Kingerski prospect to complete a Penguins trade? This keyboard surely would. Riikola is an NHL defenseman, probably, but 75 games sure aren’t enough time to complete a transformation from the large Finnish rinks to the smaller North American rinks. The most common Pittsburgh Penguins player mentioned when discussing the upcoming April 12 NHL trade deadline is defenseman But this keyboard also isn’t at the helm of an NHL team, and the lottery Marcus Pettersson. Penguins fans seem eager to trade away Pettersson, commission hasn’t yet awarded us hundreds of millions based on our but in the next breath, expect the Penguins trade receipt to be top young petition that the odds are unfairly rigged against people who don’t buy players or useable pieces because the other team is so happy to get tickets. Pettersson. The Penguins also have P.O. Joseph now beginning to marinate in the We’ll call it the fan privilege. We’ll also call it the (trigger warning) Jack minors. He had an exceptional run in the NHL this season. It was a Johnson treatment, albeit with kid gloves. glimpse of the Penguins’ future top pairing with Joseph, 21, and Marino. The boy wonders played their best hockey of the season together, but On Monday, Pittsburgh Penguins depth defenseman Mark Friedman Joseph faded when the situation thrust him onto the Penguins top pair returned to the NHL practice for the first time since his wild March 4 with Kris Letang. game against his former team, the Philadelphia Flyers. Friedman nearly had a Gordie Howe hat trick but suffered an injury when Nolan Patrick Could Joseph again step in as a third-pair LHD? Probably, but the NHL boarded him, shortly after Friedman scored his first NHL goal. playoffs are a different game with intense pressure. A young defenseman who isn’t quite ready can be warped. The Penguins new GM Ron Hextall snagged Friedman off waivers from Philadelphia during Hextall’s first weeks on the job earlier this season. It So, with the foundation now laid, can the Pittsburgh Penguins trade away remains Hextall’s only acquisition, and we await his first Penguins trade. Pettersson? Unfortunately, there have been only two trades in the NHL leading to next Monday’s NHL trade deadline. If this is THE season to win and likely the LAST season in which “win now” is the mantra, are any of the Penguins depth pieces better than The Pittsburgh Penguins forward depth is being tested as the team Pettersson? reaches its 16th, 17th, and 18th forwards to make a four-line roster. As impressive as some of the newbies and down-line players have been, No. they’re not tradeable assets. Would the return piece bolster the Penguins more than the loss? And, So, unless the Penguins want to deal one of their two picks in the 2021 can the accepting team accept Pettersson’s salary at the full boat? With NHL Draft (second, fifth), or part with a pair of solid prospects (Sam (trigger warning) Jack Johnson’s contract on the books until 2026, the Poulin, Nathan Legare), there remains only one Penguins area of Penguins can ill-afford four years with more dead money on the books. expendable depth. Friedman, Riikola, and Joseph are not, at this moment, better than Defense. Pettersson. So, while the answer for a Riikola – Penguins trade is easily yes, and a Joseph – Penguins trade easily no, Pettersson is…maybe. Mike Matheson and Cody Ceci have solidified the Penguins’ top-four. The pair have been quite good and productive, which leaves us with the Welcome to the stagnant, clogged, and constipated 2021 NHL trade third pairing, Pettersson-John Marino, and depth. deadline. Hold onto your butts–it will keep your hands warm with all of the inactivity. Marino, 23, is all but off the table. Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 Pettersson, 24, is in the first year of a five-year, $20.125 million deal. His bonafides, if you’ve forgotten, are steady-eddy play, a buttery soft first pass, a condor’s reach, and what coaches call a good hockey IQ.

The downsides are his lack of quickness and physicality.

Friedman, 25, had 11 games of NHL experience, including a couple as a winger when the Flyers lineup was depleted due to injuries and COVID protocols. His scouting report includes adequate puck movement and speed. It also includes a slight lack of size (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) but a good bit of sandpaper.

We joined Pettersson and Friedman together at the top of the column because it seems if the Penguins were to find a dance partner, a defenseman would be the primary offering. Friedman would be the player to step into the lineup should either a right or left-handed d-man.

Friedman, 25, is a righty but played on the left side in the minors. While a left-right pairing balance is optimum, a few defensemen can do both or even be better on their off-hand.

Friedman was the Philadelphia Flyers third-round pick in 2014. Flyers GM Ron Hextall and Hextall’s right-hand man, Chris Pryor, selected Friedman in the third round of the 2014 NHL draft.

All three are reunited with the Penguins.

The Penguins also have an interesting replacement or trade piece with Juuso Riikola. Riikola, 27, has been mired in the press box for three seasons without a chance to hone his skills in the AHL but too raw for the NHL unless needed. He’s played just 75 NHL games over three seasons, but the Penguins fear someone will snap him up if they try to slip him through waivers. 1186662 San Jose Sharks game road trip with two against both the Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights — two playoff-bound teams.

Tuesday’s game was the first in a Sharks uniform for Christian Jaros, Sharks waste opportunity with lethargic performance vs. Ducks who took Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s spot alongside Radim Simek on the Sharks’ third defense pair. Vlasic, out with an upper-body injury, could miss the rest of the week.

By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | Bay San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.07.2021 Area News Group

SAN JOSE — Things just felt a little off for the Sharks on Tuesday night — even before the start of the first period of their game with the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center.

Only four Sharks skaters lined up on the blue line for the national anthem instead of the normal five, even though the usual number of players, 14, were on the team’s bench. Then, just a few seconds before puck drop, Mario Ferraro hopped on to the ice to take his usual place alongside Brent Burns.

The Sharks never found much of a rhythm once the game started, either, allowing a goal less than six minutes into the first period and three more in the second in a 5-1 loss to the Ducks that snapped their four-game winning streak.

Patrick Marleau scored a power-play goal at the 1:29 mark of the second period to cut Anaheim’s lead to 2-1. But the Ducks responded with goals from Isac Lundestrom and Nicolas Deslauriers later in the second as the Sharks wasted an opportunity to make up ground on the idle Arizona Coyotes for the fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division.

Goalie Martin Jones, who led the Sharks to all four of their wins last week, allowed four goals on 23 shots in the first two periods. Ducks goalie John Gibson had 22 saves through two periods and finished with 34.

“I thought they were the better team tonight,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. “You’ve got to give it to them. Gibson played well. We had some chances but we weren’t good enough for long enough stretches of time.”

San Jose’s lethargic performance was tough to explain. Not only are they fighting for their playoff lives, but they also had a day off Sunday and a light practice Monday.

“For whatever reason, we weren’t ready,” Boughner said. “They started on time, we didn’t. They had their legs, we didn’t.”

The Sharks and St. Louis Blues remain tied for fifth place with 38 points each, five points back of the Coyotes. The Sharks and Blues have 18 games remaining, and the Coyotes have 17.

Sharks winger Marcus Sorensen was a surprise scratch for the game, as he was replaced by Noah Gregor on the fourth line with Marleau and Jeffrey Viel. That line was on the ice for Adam Henrique’s goal at the 5:55 mark of the first period and Lundestrom’s goal at the 2:44 mark of the second.

Boughner said Sorensen came to the rink Tuesday morning with a nagging injury that he couldn’t play with.

Viel fought Anaheim’s Sam Carrick at the 13:51 mark of the first period.

Sorensen, set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has been mentioned in trade rumors in recent week, but nothing transpired Tuesday. The NHL’s trade deadline is next Monday.

Marleau’s goal came on the power play, as he took a pass from Erik Karlsson on the flank and scored into almost an empty net with Gibson out of position. It was Marleau’s third goal of the season and the 565th of his NHL career, moving him past Mats Sundin and Joe Nieuwendyk for 23rd on the all-time goal-scoring list.

The Sharks entered Tuesday with a combined record of 9-1-1 against the Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, the eighth and seventh-place teams in the West Division, respectively. The Sharks have won four straight games against the Kings, including two games at Staples Center on Friday and Saturday of last week.

This is the time for the Sharks to make a move. After they host Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday of this week, they play the Ducks again on April 12 and 14. Following this homestand, the Sharks start a four- 1186663 San Jose Sharks exposed to someone with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they are fully vaccinated.

Full vaccination means two or more weeks have passed since an COVID-19: Canucks’ situation a ‘wake-up call’ for Sharks players individual has received a second dose in a two-dose series, or two or more weeks have passed for those who received one dose of a single- dose vaccine.

By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | Bay “It’s definitely something that I would consider,” Sharks winger Ryan Area News Group Donato, who turns 25 on Friday, said of getting vaccinated when he’s eligible. “I’m not sure how that’s going to work, but if I had the option to, I

think I would definitely take it.” The severe outbreak of COVID-19 cases among the Vancouver SHARKS DEBUT: With Marc-Edouard Vlasic out with an upper-body Canucks’ players and coaching staff served as a harsh reminder to the injury, Christian Jaros will make his Sharks debut Tuesday night, starting San Jose Sharks to remain vigilant in protecting themselves against the on the third defense pair with Radim Simek. Jaros’ last NHL game before deadly disease. Tuesday was March 5, 2020, as he played just over seven minutes in a As of Tuesday, the Canucks had 18 players on the NHL’s COVID-19 4-3 Ottawa Senators win over the New York Islanders. protocol list. Two Vancouver taxi squad players and three members of Jaros was acquired in January as the Sharks traded defenseman Trevor the Canucks coaching staff have also been affected by the outbreak, as Carrick to Anaheim for forward Jack Kopacka, then dealt Kopacka to the virus spread with frightening efficiency throughout the team’s locker Ottawa for Jaros, who turned 25 last Friday. Jaros had three assists in 11 room. games with the Barracuda, with his last game coming March 30 against “What I find the scariest about that is how quick that spread,” Sharks Bakersfield. coach Bob Boughner said. “You can see in the league, there have been Vlasic will likely be unavailable for Friday’s and Saturday’s games with teams that had one guy, two guys, maybe four or five guys (out). But the Los Angeles Kings, so Tuesday’s game could be an audition of sorts when that hits your whole team and staff and god knows, I’m sure for Jaros to keep his spot. families and everything else, that’s pretty scary.” “He hasn’t played a lot of hockey this year,” Boughner said of Jaros. “So The NHL first announced last week that it was halting Canucks team keeping it simple, trying to be physical, he’s a big guy so I’d like to see activities at least until today, with Thursday as a targeted return to play. him defending hard and just making simple plays against this team Those dates will obviously have to change, although no official updates tonight. I think he’s got a lot of ability and he skates well, and I just want have come this week from the NHL regarding the Canucks’ schedule. to see him not overcomplicate things and just make the easy plays.” Sharks players and staff members have had to follow strict Santa Clara INJURY UPDATE: It appears injured forward Matt Nieto will be out at County protocols since they were first allowed to return to San Jose in least another week and possibly longer. Boughner said he has not heard late January after spending all of training camp and the first two weeks of of any immediate plans for Nieto, who hasn’t played since March 19 with the regular season on the road. a lower-body injury, to resume skating. The Sharks’ last regular-season game is scheduled for May 8, with the San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.07.2021 NHL playoffs to begin later in the month.

“You get a little bit of fatigue with the masks and being extra careful,” Sharks goalie Martin Jones said. “Definitely a good reminder, especially with the end in sight, the end of the season. We’re so close. It’s important for us to buckle down here and be smart.”

There have been multiple reports of players being symptomatic, although none so far have required hospitalizations. Per Sportsnet in Canada, the Canucks may be dealing with the P-1 variant of the disease, which originated in Brazil and is more contagious.

A rise in local COVID infections due to variant cases is causing alarm among Santa Clara County health officials.

“It did give a lot of us guys a huge reminder and a huge wake-up call,” Boughner said. “We know we’re hopefully close here to being able to vaccinate most people, but it’s scary. We send them our best. We know it causes a lot of issues with the NHL and scheduling, but all that said, just hoping these guys come out of it healthy and their families are healthy.”

Boughner, having turned 50 last month, said he’s already received his first COVID-19 vaccine shot and is now waiting for his second one.

For complete Sharks coverage

Later this month, all California residents ages 16 and older are eligible to become vaccinated.

The NHL is not requiring players to get vaccinated, but teams in some U.S. jurisdictions have already started that process as their players became eligible. Most Detroit Red Wings players, for instance, have already received their shots.

The Sharks have had two players test positive for the coronavirus after the start of the regular season — Tomas Hertl and Marcus Sorensen.

Hertl was out of the Sharks lineup for two weeks, missing six games from Feb. 27 to March 8. Sorensen’s initial positive test turned out to be a false positive. But, due to Santa Clara County’s regulations, Sorensen still had to isolate for 10 days. He missed five games.

Those isolation directives for people who test positive are still in effect. However, county rules state that vaccinated persons who have been 1186664 San Jose Sharks Show Caption of

Expand Is it safe for the Sharks to believe in Martin Jones again? “I can’t speak for (Jones),” Couture said. “But when you’re going through

struggles individually as a person, it gets to you. It’s not the outside By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | Bay world, it’s not the media. It’s the expectations that you have for yourself, Area News Group and you get disappointed in yourself.

“I can speak from a personal standpoint that I’ve been there throughout my career. Definitely disappointed in the way that things were going, and San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones rarely looks rattled for flustered. the only way to get out of it is to work. (Jones), every day he shows up He’s playing his angles and staying square to shooters, but also being and works extremely hard, practices hard. He’s done a lot of extra work aggressive in certain situations. He’s making needed saves at critical in the summer. He’s getting rewarded right now.” times. Boughner said that Jones, “may not be a guy that slams his stick or In short, Jones is looking like he did right after he first came to San Jose slams the door or says anything negative in the media when he gets in 2015 when the Sharks generally knew what they were going to get on pulled or anything like that. But I think he’s a guy with a lot of pride, and I a nightly basis from their No. 1 goalie. know his teammates love him and his teammates want the best for him.”

It looks like it’s OK to believe in Martin Jones again. From the start of the 2015-16 season to the end of the abbreviated 2019- 2020 season, no NHL goalie was busier than Jones, who played 293 “For me, it’s his fight,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Monday, regular-season games in that time. pointing to how composed and technically sound Jones looked in the waning moments of his team’s 3-2 win over Los Angeles two days He’s had a long enough offseason to where fatigue probably isn’t going earlier. “That’s what it comes down to for me.” to be as big an issue over the final month of the season when he, assuming he keeps it up, will be the Sharks’ workhorse in their push for a The Sharks (17-16-4) have climbed back into the playoff picture over the playoff spot. last three-plus weeks, and Jones has done most of the heavy lifting, playing his best hockey in at least three years. Boughner said he doesn’t want to burn out Jones but added, “we’re in a situation here where we’re fighting for our lives every day.” Going into Tuesday’s game with the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center, Jones is 7-1-1 with a .942 save percentage in his last nine games. Since “But if Jones keeps playing as well as he is and we keep rolling, then March 12, the Sharks have moved from nine points out of a playoff spot he’s going to see a bulk of the games, and that’s what you want out of to three prior to Monday’s games. your No. 1,” he said. “You don’t want to bat an eye. Jonesy’s in and he’s going and there’s no debate.” Jones was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week on Monday after he went 4-0-0 last week with a 1.71 goals-against average and a .942 “I’ve been working hard for a while, trying to get back to playing a little bit save percentage. better hockey,” Jones said. “It’s just working right now, so I’m going to try and ride this out.” “He’s on a roll,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said Saturday. “Whatever he’s seeing, he’s stopping right now.” San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.07.2021 Boughner had a simple and message for Jones and Devan Dubnyk when he met with both of his goaltenders roughly five weeks ago: They needed to improve.

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By the end of February, Jones had a .877 save percentage and had been pulled three times in 12 games. Dubnyk wasn’t much better with a .892 save percentage and a 1-4-1 record in nine appearances. As a tandem, their combined numbers ranked near the bottom of the NHL.

Boughner wanted to get to a point where he knew who he was going to start in any given game, “and that wasn’t happening.

“And now it is.”

Jones is now 14-7-2 with a .905 save percentage, also benefiting from the Sharks’ improved defensive structure that has cut down on the number of high-danger chances against, especially recently.

“That was during a time of the season where we weren’t playing our best brand of hockey and sometimes you need your goalie to bail you out in those situations,” Jones said when asked about Boughner’s meeting.

“(Dubnyk) and I, we played well at times but there were times during that stretch where we weren’t giving our game the best chance to win.”

Boughner pointed not only to Jones’ improved level of competing but also how personal pride has perhaps played a factor.

Sure, Jones has faced his share of criticism from fans and media, with perhaps there still being some speculation that the remaining three years of his contract might be bought out by the Sharks at the end of the season. Jones has three years remaining on the six-year, $34.5 million deal he signed in July 2017, with each year carrying a salary cap hit of $5.75 million.

But Jones also hasn’t played up to his own standards that he set for himself when he was an NHL All-Star in 2017 and helped the Sharks make the playoff four years running from 2016 and 2019, playing 60 games and winning six series in the process. 1186665 San Jose Sharks execution things like that are difference between golden chance and puck being cleared.

It’s a fortunate bounce for Ducks, but this is one of those games where Postgame Notes #38: Sharks Give One Away, Lose 5-1 to Ducks have earned the bounces. Disastrous effort from San Jose Sharks DucksPublished 4 hours ago on April 6, 2021 tonight.

Following shift, dazzling one-man shift from Karlsson. There’s a turnover from him in the mix, but he’s pushing pace. He’s one of the few Sharks By Sheng Peng that has looked remotely ready to play tonight.

2 minutes left: Leonard gets puck along wall in DZ, spins, like it’s a drill with Mike Ricci, gets it out. Opening shift: Burns drop pass in OZ to Labanc misses, that might be a 2-on-1 if Vlasic, for example, was Burns’s partner and not the fleet PERIOD 3 Ferraro. Couple good chances there, Hertl in slot then on ensuing PP, but you 3 minutes in: Beaut of high-low pass from Karlsson to Balcers. spot other team a lead, face a goalie playing well, and you’re done.

Henrique goal: That doesn’t look like good recognition by Labanc, he You’re also done when you completely miss the net like Hertl does on an needs to stay with Henrique there and not expect Ferraro to be there. open net there on a pretty Burns PP pass. Basically, winger has to adopt center mentality, hunker down, skate hard, and help out down low. That kind of night for San Jose Sharks: Pass back to Ferraro, he has plenty of time and space, puck hops over stick, Anaheim has 2-on-0 8 minutes in: Dangerous pass back to Karlsson from Gregor on breakout. going the other way. Looks like a big save by Jones on Deslauriers, but Touched by Ducks stick. But it got through. Regardless, the speed and probably too little, too late. You could stomach a game like this, physicality are obvious with Gregor, reminds me of a pinball out there. especially in light of how well Sharks have played recently, if you had Just being OK/adequate in weaknesses will help a lot in long run, but banked points – San Jose, of course, did not bank points early on. best skills are obvious and they belong here. 7 minutes in: NOT a handsome bit of stickhandling by Viel on his own in 8 minutes left: Much better job going down to help out in DZ by Labanc NZ, leads to turnover. He probably needed help there that he didn’t get, there. but nonetheless – just bank it off the boards or something.

7 minutes left: Good Balcers’s shift. See the offensive confidence. Couture blocked a shot there with about 3 minutes left, in a lot of pain. Second line in general has been San Jose Sharks’ best. He was walking it off back and forth in hallway, stayed on bench, but then didn’t take his power play shift. 10-9 Viel over Carrick. That would be Trevor’s brother Sam. Viel and Trevor Carrick were teammates on Barracuda for two seasons. San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 Jeez pic.twitter.com/QKOE94IA4l

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 7, 2021

2 minutes left: Big block by Balcers, he’s underrated in that department. Then he springs Meier and Hertl with a gorgeous area pass:

Gorgeous Balcers area pass springs Meier and Hertl for 2-on-1 pic.twitter.com/kp6ydGeAs2

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 7, 2021

Feels like San Jose Sharks are toying with a depleted Ducks squad: I don’t mean that in a good way. They’re too loose defensively, possibly figuring they’re going to get their chances against a porous Ducks team. 12-12 Scoring Chances at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick, Sharks 8-4 High-Danger. That looks good, but San Jose has to be more focused and engaged.

PERIOD 2

Too much free stuff: Ducks take advantage of not a great Labanc penalty. Comtois gets behind Burns, who doesn’t tie up stick on Ducks PP strike. San Jose Sharks were better in first period, but they’re not good enough to be giving free stuff like Henrique in slot and this power play.

Labanc gets one back with a gorgeous fake that gives Marleau all day. Karlsson an artist there too.

But then Jones loses track of the puck, think he has it, leads to easy putback. Second time, back-to-back games:

Bad Ferraro-Burns miscommunication there…#SJSharks clearly the better team, but they're giving too much free stuff to #FlyTogether. Sharks aren't good enough to be giving away this much free stuff

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 7, 2021

10 minutes left, Leonard NZ pass, trying to get rush going, denied. Makes me think, this line with Donato-Gambrell-Leonard, if the speed game isn’t there, what’s their backup game? Don’t know what it is.

Ferraro, by the way, was just out there for 2:03.

7 minutes left, not a good pass by Donato there on PP, they had Ducks scrambling, he passes behind Balcers. Not end of the world, but little 1186666 San Jose Sharks +6.21 Goals Saved Above Expected, per Evolving Hockey, since Mar. 13.

What’s changed with Jones? Game Preview/Lines #38: Behind Jones’s Resurgence, Boughner Got “I always hear [goalie coach Evgeni Nabokov] say his reads are better. Inside Info About JarosPublished 10 hours ago on April 6, 2021 When your reads are better, I think you’re more square to the puck. I know Nabby has been on him about being more aggressive in his crease, being a little more on top, cutting the angles off a little more,” By Sheng Peng Boughner offered.

Jones agreed: “There are certain times and different reads where I’ve found a way to just be a little bit more aggressive. It’s been working so SAN JOSE SHARKS (17-16-4) far. Hopefully, we can keep it rolling.” Christián Jaroš makes his #SJSharks debut. Jones looks to continue his Boughner was a defenseman by trade though, so his focus isn’t so much hot streak as the #FlyTogether visit San Jose. the technical side of goaltending. But Boughner does see a different Missed today's episode —->https://t.co/wmyWBR90aU netminder in the crease: “It’s his fight. Fighting on those seconds and pic.twitter.com/sMr6jChJPA thirds. You could see when LA pulled their goalie and it was 6-on-5 and there’s a lot of traffic, where his feet were in his crease, you can watch — Locked on Karlsson's Apple (@LockedOnSharks) April 6, 2021 his body and his head trying to fight around traffic.

ANAHEIM DUCKS (11-21-7) “And his rebound control. Even if there is a rebound, he’s fighting, he’s up and he’s square to that rebound.” The San Jose Sharks will be facing a banged-up Anaheim squad. This is how they lined up in their last game: Speaking of Jones’s fight, Boughner also touched on Jones’s mental strength: “I thought he got to the point where…he has pride and he may Here's who we fly with tonight. #FlyTogether | @7UP not show that on the outside, may not be a guy that slams a stick or pic.twitter.com/KTMdrfyzoy slams the door or says anything negative in the media when he gets — Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 5, 2021 pulled or anything like that, but I think he’s a guy with a lot of pride. I know his teammates love him and his teammates want the best for him.” Here are some of the injuries that they’re battling: “It’s not one thing,” Jones said. “I’ve been working hard for a while trying INJURY UPDATES: Coach Eakins said Ryan Getzlaf (upper body) did to get back to playing a little bit better hockey. It’s just working right now. not practice today. Rickard Rakell (upper body) skated on his own and is I’m just going to try and ride this out.” "inching closer." Sonny Milano (upper body) practiced with the team but in a non-contact jersey. Sam Steel (lower body) did not skate. San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 5, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH

Puck drop is 7:30 PM PT at SAP Center. Watch it on NBC Sports California Plus, Bally Sports West, or NHL.tv.

MORNING SKATE

Christian Jaros will make his San Jose Sharks debut in Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s stead tonight.

Bob Boughner received some inside info when San Jose acquired Jaros from the Ottawa Senators in January. Senators head coach D.J. Smith was Boughner’s assistant and associate coach with the Windsor Spitfires at different times between 2004-12.

“When we first got him, I called D.J. [Smith]. He said, one, he’s a great guy. Maybe a guy that was rushed in a little too young,” Boughner shared.

The bulk of the 6-foot-3 defender’s NHL experience – 61 of 76 games – came as a 22-year-old in a tough 2018-19 where Ottawa struggled to a 29-47-6 record.

“A ton of ability, a good skating big, and strong with a good shot. A guy that maybe came over and didn’t get a chance to find his game at the American League level enough,” Boughner added. “He says he’s got a lot of tools. [Jaros] looks good in practice.”

Boughner also gave us some of the inside info on Martin Jones’s resurgence.

“It was probably five weeks ago now that I pulled both those guys in, had a good honest, talk with them, that we needed more from both of them. It shouldn’t be a decision for me who’s our one or who to put in?” Boughner said of meeting with Jones and Devan Dubnyk. “I wanted them to make it hard on me.”

Jones recalled: “That was during a time in the season where we weren’t playing our best brand of hockey. Sometimes, you need your goalie to bail you out in those situations. Doobie and I, we played well at times, but there were times during that stretch where we weren’t giving our team the best chance to win.”

There’s no doubt that Jones is giving the San Jose Sharks the best chance to win right now. He’s gone 7-1-1 with a .942 Save % and a 1186667 San Jose Sharks

What Should Sharks Expect Back for Renting Out Their Cap Space? | SJHN+Published 17 hours ago on April 6, 2021

By Sheng Peng

It’s the Trade Deadline and Doug Wilson is open for business.

But apparently, it will be a different kind of business than San Jose Sharks fans are accustomed to around this time. Instead of pushing in his chips to win the chip, Wilson will be collecting assets in an unusual way this Apr. 12.

Per Pierre LeBrun: “San Jose has told teams it has cap space for rent. The Sharks have more than $6 million in cap space and are seeking to leverage that into an asset or two. Keep an eye on them potentially being that third team in a complicated cap deal to facilitate trades.”

This type of three-way trade occurred last Trade Deadline when Chicago sent Robin Lehner to Vegas. Because the Golden Knights couldn’t take on Lehner’s entire cap hit, Toronto stepped in as a middle-man, retaining 50 percent of Lehner’s hit and getting a fifth-round pick from Vegas for helping the Golden Knights stay cap-compliant.

This was the complete transaction: The Blackhawks got Malcolm Subban, prospect Stanislav Demin, and a second-round pick from the Golden Knights. The Maple Leafs got Lehner from Chicago and a fifth- round pick from Vegas. Toronto then shipped Lehner, 50 percent cap hit retained, to Vegas, along with prospect Martins Dzierkals.

Will Wilson receive a little more for his trouble than the Maple Leafs did? Remember, last Trade Deadline, there wasn’t a flat salary cap and the pandemic hadn’t sapped revenues yet. In theory, the San Jose Sharks’ ability to take on money is more valuable now than it would’ve been last year.

Hart Levine of Puckpedia thinks so.

San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186668 St Louis Blues uncertainties caused by the COVID situation, the Blues decided to keep them overseas to make sure they got games.

“That was a little bit of the thought process,” Armstrong said. “If they’re COVID situation takes toll on Blues' prospects up and running, why tempt fate?”

At the junior hockey level, some of the Blues’ youngest prospects have faced limited seasons in the Quebec Major Hockey League and Western Jim Thomas 9 hrs ago 0 Hockey Leagues. And so far, no games have been played in the Ontario Hockey League.

“We’re certainly not in the minority on this,” Armstrong said. “It’s just one It’s been a tough year for the Blues. And in a different way, a tough year of those years where you just hope they don’t get too far behind.” for Blues prospects. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.07.2021 While the Blues have struggled to win games, their prospects have struggled to get games — period.

Nowhere has this been more evident than in the American Hockey League. The Blues’ new affiliate, the Springfield (Mass.) Thunderbirds, opted out of the 2020-21 season for COVID-related reasons.

The Blues worked out a shared-affiliate solution with the Vancouver Canucks and the Canucks’ AHL farm club — the Utica Comets. Not ideal, but at least several of their prospects would get games. The AHL season started late to begin with because of the coronavirus pandemic, and then COVID-19 struck the Comets last month.

“I think the American league was up against it right from the get-go just because they weren’t able to test the way the NHL was,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “Players aren’t able to live the same way NHL players are. They have roommates. They room together, they stay together. Just the lifestyle. Obviously the economics are different.”

And in some ways, that meant AHL players have more risk for exposure than their NHL brethren.

In the case of the Comets, the team hasn’t played since March 10 because of COVID issues on the team, with 10 games postponed. They returned to practice this week and are scheduled to play Friday against the .

Unlike the NHL, the AHL does not release the names of players who test positive or must quarantine due to high-contact tracing. But Armstrong indicated that some Blues prospects at Utica had COVID issues.

“We’re not allowed to give it out, but it’s obviously affecting the whole (Utica) organization,” he said.

Even if Utica returns to action Friday, it remains pretty much a lost season for Comets players; those belonging to both the Blues’ and Canucks’ organizations. The Comets (6-2-1) have played only nine games this season, the fewest in the AHL. Eleven AHL teams have played at least 20 games.

Luckily for the Blues, they have gotten healthier over the last month and haven’t needed to call up any of their prospects in Utica. Had that been the case, they may not have been available due to COVID.

“I think that’s obviously why the NHL went with the taxi squad idea just so you had enough people around in case your team or your development team was hit with COVID,” Armstrong said. “We’re in good shape just because we’re OK here.

“Looking back, I’m glad that (Alexei) Toropchenko, (Nikita) Alexandrov, (Klim) Kostin stayed where they were playing. I feel bad for the development guys. I feel bad for our draft prospects that play in the Ontario League that haven’t started up. It’s been a difficult year for the sport of hockey in general.”

Toropchenko and Kostin played in the Kontinental Hockey League this season, with Kostin still playing because his team has advanced to the third round of the playoffs. Toropchenko’s KHL season is over, but he remains in his native Russia. According to Armstrong, the Russian government says Toropchenko owes them some military service.

“Our goal is to get him here as quick as possible but he’s got things he’s gotta do at home,” Armstrong said.

Alexandrov, meanwhile, is playing in Finland’s Liiga, which is still playing regular-season games.

Alexandrov, Toropchenko and Kostin all would have been playing in the AHL under normal circumstances, with Kostin obviously having a chance to make the Blues’ roster, or at least the taxi squad. But with the 1186669 St Louis Blues The problem is not tactics or playing style. At the end of the Yeo Era, many critics dismissed the Blues as too slow. In their tentative state, they were constantly a step or two behind the play.

Gordo: Berube is right back to sqaure one with struggling Blues But that same group of players eventually got rolling and won the Cup, despite their lack of speed skaters.

These Blues are faster than the Cup-winning Blues, so now folks are Jeff Gordon wondering if their failure owes to their lack of size or toughness.

Again, it’s not that simple. These days the Blues are playing smaller and softer than they really are. The Blues have fallen back into the baffling malaise that got coach Mike Yeo fired in November of 2018. They want to step up their play. They do step up their play … but when something bad happens, they tend to buckle. Back then we wondered why such a deep and experienced team wasn’t piling up goals and stacking up victories. Now we’re wondering the same “I know this group cares,” Berube said. “Things aren’t going well right thing as the Blues’ losses mount despite the return of key players. now. To get out of it, you have to keep believing and keep working and keep competing and stick together. That’s the only way to get out of it, They have gone 9-14-5 in their last 28 games — and 0-6-1 in their last OK? When things don’t go right sometimes with us, we go the other way seven — to fall into sixth place in the West Division, five points out of the and that can’t happen.” playoffs. Monday night’s loss offered a vivid illustration of their fragility. The Blues Like Yeo before him, coach Craig Berube has tried everything to prod the had plenty of jump early on but once again they failed to score first. Blues back in the right direction. Defenseman Torey Krug got a clean look at the net right off the top, but He has juggled his forward lines and defensive pairings constantly. He he tried (and failed) to set up Brayden Schenn instead. has shuffled his lineup, scratching regulars Vince Dunn and Mike Hoffman along the way. Winger Jaden Schwartz zig-zagged through the Golden Knights with the puck, but goaltender Robin Lehner denied him with a right-pad save. Berube dropped winger Vladimir Tarasenko back to the third line and gave rookie goaltender Ville Husso back-to-back starts ahead of Jordan On a three-on-two rush, winger David Perron burst up the right wing, took Binnington in his latest gambit. a cross-ice pass from Hoffman, cut left into the slot … and missed the net with his shot. The result: Monday night’s resounding 6-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Center Robert Thomas set up the trailing Tarasenko coming down the middle of the ice, but Tarasenko fired wide. Thomas found Ivan Barashev So now the Blues are struggling to rebuild their team game. As we know cutting to the net, but Lehner stopped Barbashev in tight. Perron broke in from the last time they reached this point, the process can be arduous. from the right wing and fired a slap shot over Lehner’s glove and off the “It’s not just going to happen,” Blues forward Tyler Bozak said after post. Tuesday’s intense practice at Centene Community Ice Center. “It’s going Meanwhile, the Golden Knights scored twice on shots from the blue line to take a lot of hard work.” through traffic. One shot was deflected and the other was screened. Back in 2018, heavy roster turnover contributed to the team’s poor start. The Blues cut the lead to 2-1 when Zach Sanford came in on left wing, This season a litany of injuries caused constant lineup churn and eroded fought off a slash, circled the net and fed Bozak in front. the group’s cohesion. Rather than build on Bozak’s goal, the Blues collapsed again when the Berube led this team on its Stanley Cup charge, so he understands the Golden Knights countered. rebuilding challenge. The Blues still have many holdovers from their championship run, so enough players know what this turnaround will “Goals went in and we stopped playing, stopped competing,” Berube take. said. “And that can’t happen. Things don’t go your way out there, but you always have to stay with the competitiveness and the work ethic.” There may be some roster retooling, too, since general manager Doug Armstrong must deal with expiring contracts, the looming expansion draft But the exasperated Blues haven’t done that, so they are right back to and several more seasons with a flat salary cap. where Berube’s tenure began.

He could move a player or two ahead of the April 12 deadline to get a St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.07.2021 head start on changes for next season.

Otherwise the reemergence must become organic, just as before. The Blues must start the process by winning a game, then another, then another to start regaining confidence as a group.

“Confidence is a huge thing,” Bozak said. “When you’re confident, you’re playing your best hockey. Sometimes it takes just one little play in a game … one little thing that happens for you that can turn things around.”

The Blues must regain their shared commitment and their collective resolve.

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“It’s a whole,” Berube said. “It’s not one person. It’s everybody. We have to have better buy-in from everybody.” 1186670 St Louis Blues Things reached the point that after a strong showing by Husso in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Colorado, Berube decided to go with Husso again Monday against Vegas. It marked the first time the rookie from Helsinki, Finland, had started successive games for the Blues. Has Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington lost some of his swagger? Based on Husso’s performance in that 6-1 loss, it looks like there is no goaltender controversy brewing in St. Louis.

Jim Thomas 9 hrs ago 0 But whether it’s Binnington or Husso, Berube wants more from his goalies. Berube simply asks his players to do their job. In the case of the

team’s proven goal-scorers, they need to score. Ville Husso probably squandered any chance to “steal” playing time from “That’s what those guys get paid to do is score goals, and to do the right Jordan Binnington when he allowed five goals in 1 ½ periods Monday things on a nightly basis,” Berube said. “And we’re not getting that. So it’s against Vegas. tough to win. So once again, if anyone can help pull the Blues out of their current funk, “It’s the same thing when I talk about the goaltending — you need saves. it’s Binnington, who has been in a funk of his own lately. And we’re not getting enough of them. It’s a whole. It’s not one person, With that in mind, coach Craig Berube was asked Tuesday what he it’s everybody. We gotta have a better buy-in from everybody.” wanted to see from Binnington over the remainder of the season. The In the case of Binnington, he was asked if he’s working on any specific answer was interesting, and somewhat surprising. areas with goaltender coach Dave Alexander. “You know, it’s a swagger that he’s always had,” Berube said. “And I’d “No,” Binnington said. “The game doesn’t change. We put our work in, like to see him get that back. That’s a big thing I think for our team, but we put good work in. If anything, just more focus in practices.” not only for our team but for him. Binner’s been a great goalie in this league. He’s done some great things. He’s won a Cup. And there’s no Even with the team suddenly five points out of a playoff spot and with reason that he shouldn’t have that swagger.” only 18 games left to play, Binnington believes this season can be salvaged. Berube thinks the same holds true for the rest of the team as well. “Yeah, we fight until the end, we compete,” Binnington said. “We believe “You gotta have the swagger,” he said. “You gotta go out there and play in each other, and it’s time. It’s time to hold ourselves accountable. with swagger and bite. It’s a big part of the game. It’s a will. You gotta will your way through things sometimes and that’s where we’re at right now.” “Putting in the work every day, prepare the best way we can, just go out and compete and play together. I think that’s important.” Whether you call it swagger, will, confidence, mojo — whatever — Binnington and the Blues seem to have lost it. So if anyone happened to Two years ago, the Blues were near the bottom of the NHL standings find some missing swagger around the area of Enterprise Center near the midpoint of the season when Binnington burst on the scene and downtown, you might want to contact the Blues. the team caught fire en route to the Stanley Cup.

In contrast to the coach, Binnington thinks his swagger level is fine. “For me, I was trying to survive and do what I can to be a part of the solution,” Binnington said. “I think we all kind of had the same mindset “Yeah, I always have swagger,” he said Tuesday. “It’s different at times. and added desperation that we need, and urgency.” Every game is different. Sometimes I just do my job and make the saves I’m supposed to make. Sometimes you do more. You want to win those Is that desperation there this time around? games 1-0, 2-0. I always want to play hard and have fun doing it. That’s what it’s about for me.” “Yeah,” Binnington said.

So do we have a swagger controversy between the coach and the goalie St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.07.2021 on our hands?

Probably not. Binnington almost certainly was unaware of anything Berube said about swagger. Besides, Binnington really isn’t one to self- critique. Maybe it’s pride. Maybe it’s just a personality quirk. If he’s lost any swagger, he’s not telling us.

In that respect, he’s the polar opposite of captain Ryan O’Reilly, who is self-critical to a fault.

So when asked Tuesday about his play, and what he must do better down the stretch, Binnington’s answer was almost predictable.

“Just make a couple more saves,” he said. “Same approach. Prepare the best we can, focus and give the team a chance to win. Yeah, that’s where that’s at.”

And that’s where it ends in terms of self-appraisal — at least anything Binnington’s willing to share with the outside world.

But even before he signed his six-year, $36 million contract extension, the numbers haven’t been there during his current slump. Since a 3-2 overtime victory Feb. 18 against San Jose, Binnington is 2-8-3 with a 3.17 goals-against average and .889 save percentage.

Binnington is as competitive as they come, and as Berube said many times last year — a winner. But you don’t have to be an analytics whiz to realize that those aren’t winning numbers.

There are numerous examples where Binnington was left high and dry by his defense, but Binnington also has given up more “soft” goals than usual. Several that would be described in the coaching vernacular as “one he’d like to have back.”

Sometimes they’ve come on shots to the near post. Sometimes they’ve come from distance shots that find their way through traffic. Or loose pucks that can’t quite be controlled at the net front. 1186671 St Louis Blues In his return to the Enterprise Center as a Vegas Golden Knight, former Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo loved the video tribute Tuesday night: “Once the video passed – and I knew it was coming, which was special, they did a great job and it was important with my wife and kids in the Blues update: Berube brings the battle (drills) to practice Tuesday stands – it was kind of business-as-usual back in the game,” he said.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.07.2021 Jim Thomas 13 hrs ago 0

The Blues did a couple of quick drills to get loose and limber Tuesday at Centene Community Ice Center. And then it was all battle drills.

First came 2-on-2 drills in tight quarters, with two nets stationed no more than 40 feet apart on one end of the ice.

Next came a 3-on-3 session using half the rink. And finally, it was 3-on-2 using only one net but with the space limited to maybe one-quarter of the rink

“We needed it,” veteran center Tyler Bozak said. “We lost a lot of battles out there last night. A lot of things to improve on. A good, hard practice was good for us and hopefully that translates into tomorrow's game and we come out with a better effort.”

The Blues indeed lost a lot of battles Monday against the Vegas Golden Knights, especially when it came to defending the front of their net. The result wasn’t pretty, a 6-1 setback that stretched the team’s winless streak to seven games (0-6-1).

“Yeah, obviously nobody's in a good mood today with how it went last night” Bozak said. “Release some of that negative energy, practice hard, play hard on each other, get ourselves prepared for a tough game tomorrow against a really good team.”

The Blues didn’t work on their power play or penalty kill, and didn’t even run lines and D-pairings, all of wich are pretty much standard fare for an off-day practice. Coach Craig Berube obviously was trying to get a message across with all the battle drills.

“We need to compete harder,” Berube said. “The (Monday) game’s 2-1 and you go out in the second period and goals go in. And we just stop playing, stop competing, and that can’t happen.

“Things don’t go your way out there, but you always gotta stay with the competitiveness and the work ethic. We just gotta get that home a little bit more.”

With general manager Doug Armstrong watching from his glass-enclosed office on the second floor, Berube stayed detached from the action – letting his assistants basically run the practice and watching from a distance while saying very little.

This is out of character for Berube, who’s normally very vocal and very active during practice.

“I just like watching individuals and how they react to things and how they’re working and competing out there,” Berube said.

And what did he observe Tuesday?

“I’m not gonna comment on individuals and stuff like that,” Berube said. “That’s all in-house stuff. But from a whole-group aspect I thought the guys worked really hard today and I thought they were competing out there hard.

“I know this group cares. Things aren’t going well right now but to get out of it, you gotta keep believing and keep working and keep competing and stick together. That’s the only way you get out of it.”

BLUE NOTES

The Blues had 24 players on the ice for practice Tuesday; the only missing regular was defenseman Justin Faulk. “Maintenance (day). He’ll be fine,” Berube said.

Forward Mackenzie MacEachern continues to be sidelined with an upper-body injury. He has missed the team’s last 10 games and is still a ways away from returning. “Yeah, I believe so,” Berube said. Other than Carl Gunnarsson and Oskar Sundqvist, who are both out for the season with knee injuries, MacEachern is the only other Blues player left on injured reserve. 1186672 Tampa Bay Lightning place and they want to do the right thing, and then you start pressing and maybe it takes you out of your structure a little bit.”

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.07.2021 Lightning’s offense has gone bye-bye, and so has first place

By John Romano

Okay, so maybe the Lightning really do miss Nikita Kucherov.

They had us fooled for a while. They started the season without the one- time NHL scoring champion and still played gangbusters without him. They sat atop the Central Division, and they were among the league’s top scoring teams for the season’s first few months.

But the offense has gone into a funk, and the Lightning have fallen into third place.

There’s certainly no reason to panic, especially since Kucherov is slowly working his way back into shape, but Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets makes you recall just how electric that lineup can be when everyone is healthy and clicking.

The loss at Nationwide Arena in Columbus was the fourth time in the past week that the Lightning were held to two goals or less. And all four of those games were against the bottom two teams in the Central Division.

“It’s a tough thing to put into words unless you’ve gone through it,” said forward Tyler Johnson. “It’s really frustrating. Guys grip the sticks too much, you overthink things, try to force things, you get outside your game. You get upset and mad and angry when things are that way and results don’t really fall. You have to try your best to get it out of your head and have some fun with the game.”

Lightning coach Jon Cooper is not ignoring the current woes but said it’s important to keep them in perspective. The Lightning have had plenty of scoring opportunities but have just struggled to finish off plays.

“You take a guy out of our lineup like Kuch, and the fact that we’ve still been scoring at the rate we have been, I applaud the guys in the room,” Cooper said before Tuesday’s game. “So you get used to it, and when it doesn’t happen it seems like alarm bells are going off.”

Alarm bells? Steven Stamkos has gone seven games without a goal. Ding! Ondrej Palat has one goal in his last 14 games. Ding! Alex Killorn has zero points in his last five games. Ding! Tampa Bay has averaged 1.8 goals in its last five games. Ding, ding, ding!

This is Tampa Bay’s worst stretch of games since losing seven of 10 just before the pandemic shut the regular season down last March.

“Probably no one remembers how things were going before the pause last year,” Stamkos said. “They weren’t going great for us, and no one remembers that. And no one is going to remember this if we can get out of it and go and play our game.

“It’s the course of a season, things are going to go well and things aren’t going to go well. It’s the teams that can figure it out and stick together and stay positive, and this group certainly has that makeup.”

It didn’t help that Tampa Bay had to face Columbus in the midst of this scoring drought.

There’s not another team in the league that has given the Lightning such a difficult time this season. Columbus has an unsightly 2-7 record since March 20, and yet both victories are against Tampa Bay. The Blue Jackets are in sixth place in the Central Division, and yet they are the only team with a winning record against the Lightning in 2021.

In their last 15 meetings, including the postseason, the Blue Jackets have gone 8-7 against the Lightning and outscored them 48-35.

Just like nearly every other game in recent weeks, the Lightning had to depend on their fourth line for their scoring. Tampa Bay was down 4-0 halfway through the third period when Ross Colton finally put the puck in the net for his fifth goal in 13 games this season.

“When scoring dries up a little bit, you’re looking for answers,” Cooper said. “The big thing is, when that is happening, you can’t change your game. And that’s the hard part for any athlete. Their heart is in the right 1186673 Toronto Maple Leafs

Carey Price to miss Canadiens game in Toronto on Wednesday

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will not make the trip to Toronto for a game against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday, with the club saying he is staying home to get medical treatment.

The Canadiens have recalled goaltender Cayden Primeau from Laval of the American Hockey League. He will join the taxi squad.

Jake Allen and Charlie Lindgren are the other goalies on Montreal’s roster.

Price appeared to be in some discomfort at one point of a 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday in Montreal. But he stayed in.

Montreal interim coach Dominique Ducharme said Price is day-to-day on Tuesday.

Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186674 Toronto Maple Leafs “It’s not secret our power play’s been struggling,” Spezza said. “To see those guys stick with it, I thought it was a great move to keep them out [and] give them a chance to get it back.

Campbell ties Maple Leafs franchise record with ninth straight win as “In clutch fashion, they did.” Toronto beats Calgary Tavares picked up the only assist on that one for the 800th point of his NHL career, and Toronto’s captain then made it 5-3 just 1:20 later when he scored his 12th, and second in as many games. Sheldon Keefe had 30 seconds to settle things down. Campbell robbed Matthew Tkachuk late with a sparkling glove save to The Maple Leafs head coach had just watched Toronto’s anemic power put a bow on his ninth consecutive win. play – one loaded with talent, but stuck in neutral on a mystifying 0-for-29 run the last three weeks – surrender a short-handed goal to tie Monday’s “He’s battling his ass off out there,” Keefe said of his goalie. “He’s been game 3-3 midway through the third period. dealing with injuries. He’s had extended periods of time off and it hasn’t fazed him. It’s been fun to watch that happen, and obviously nice to have There was still time for the Leafs to operate at 5 on 4, however, so Keefe him with us.” sent the No. 1 unit back over the boards after calling his timeout in hopes they would regroup and make amends. The Leafs opened the scoring at 3:10 of the second following a grinding shift that ended with Spezza swatting home for his ninth goal – and fourth “It’s probably as rock bottom as the power play can get the way it’s been in the last nine games – to match his total from 2019-20. going,” he explained. “The guys responded beautifully.” Matthews made it 2-0 at 7:53 when he took a pass from Nylander and Auston Matthews scored his second goal of the night on that man snapped his 26th past Markstrom. After going five games with out a goal advantage to increase his NHL-best total to 27 and Jack Campbell made last month, Matthews now has scored five in his last six contests. 26 saves to tie a franchise record with his ninth straight win as Toronto defeated the Calgary Flames 5-3. Leafs blueliner Justin Holl cleared a Sean Monahan chance off Campbell’s goal-line prior to Toronto’s outburst, but the Flames finally got “It was a nice reset for us,” Matthew said of Keefe’s move to press on the board with 1:54 left in the period when Noah Hanifin’s shot pause. “Just relax, plenty of time left on the power play. It wasn’t a pretty deflected off a leg in front right to Mangiapane, who made no mistake in one ... but that was a nice one to get our power play back on track.” burying his 12th.

John Tavares, with a goal and an assist, Jason Spezza and Wayne After the Leafs gave Campbell the night off Sunday – Veini Vehvilainen Simmonds provided the rest of the offence for Toronto (26-10-3), which backed up third-stringer Michael Hutchinson in a 4-2 win over the Flames has won four in a row and improved to 7-0-1 over its last eight games. – as he continues to manage a nagging leg injury, the 29-year-old had a William Nylander added two assists. to be sharp early.

Currently the Leafs’ No. 1 option with Frederik Andersen still dealing with Dermott also scooped a loose puck off Toronto’s goal-line before a lower-body injury, Campbell’s win streak equals a record shared by Campbell, who was initially hurt Jan. 24 in Calgary, held the fort on the Felix Potvin (1993-94), Jacques Plante (1970-71) and John Ross Roach ensuing scramble that saw him rob Joakim Nordstrom while prone on the (1924-25). ice.

“It just show how well we’re playing as a group,” Campbell said. “You “It’s just really fun to be a part of,” Campbell said of the surging Leafs. don’t get those wins without everybody. Tonight we got a huge “We still have a lot of work to do. contribution from the power play to put the game away. We’ve been really building our game all year. “But it’s a fun time.”

“The record’s a huge honour. But it’s all about winning.” NOTES

Mikael Backlund, with two goals, and Andrew Mangiapane replied for Campbell and Potvin’s nine straight wins both came at the start of their Calgary (16-21-3). Jacob Markstrom stopped 25 shots for the Flames, respective seasons. ... Markstrom played the 300th regular-season game who have lost four straight and eight of their last nine in regulation. Elias of his career, becoming the fifth Swedish goalie to reach that milestone. Lindholm had two assists. ... Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson dressed for his 200th NHL game. “It’s tough,” Backlund said. “We battled, we find a way to tie the game. Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.07.2021 “They come back and beat us by two anyways ... it’s really hard.”

North Division-topping Toronto, which swept a four-game road trip through Winnipeg and Calgary, leads the second-place Jets by six points in the standings, while the Edmonton Oilers are seven back in third.

The Leafs improved to 6-2-0 against the Flames in 2020-21, including a 4-0-0 record in Calgary. The fading Flames dropped to 5-10-1 under head coach Darryl Sutter, who replaced Geoff Ward on March 5 with the team sitting at 11-11-2.

Down 2-1 through 40 minutes, Calgary got even at 4:17 of the third when Backlund’s shot off a scrambled draw hit Toronto defenceman Travis Dermott and fooled Campbell for his seventh.

The Leafs responded at 7:13 when Simmonds redirected Pierre Engvall’s pass home from his knees for his sixth, and first in nine games since returning to the lineup from a broken wrist.

“I [feel] a lot better,” said Simmonds, who was critical of himself prior to the road trip. “I’ve got my timing down, I’m starting to play the game the right way.

“I’m happy with my performance, and even happier about the team’s performance over the last four games.”

Toronto then went on the man advantage and gave up that short-handed goal when Backlund deposited his eighth at 10:05 before Keefe called his timeout and set the stage for Matthews to bang the winner past Markstrom. 1186675 Toronto Maple Leafs Field in 2017 provided an opportunity to catch up to old friends, and make new ones. Potvin said he had some good conversations with “Andy,” Leafs goalie Freddie Andersen. That memory got him to thinking about Campbell again. Felix Potvin remembers what it’s like to win straight games and thinks Jack Campbell has it tougher “I was thinking I should find out Jack’s email or text and congratulate him,” Potvin said.

Toronto Star LOADED: 04.07.2021 By Mark ZwolinskiSports Reporter

Felix Potvin was having a regular morning Tuesday. The former Leafs goalie, one of four with nine consecutive wins for the club, was out walking the woods on his 180-acre property near Magog, Que. But he had seen the news.

“I saw it this morning,” Potvin said about Jack Campbell tying the record in the Leafs’ 5-3 win in Calgary Monday night.

“I thought that was pretty cool. It was a long-standing record and there’s been a lot of good goalies that have gone through the Leafs’ jerseys, so what he did was pretty nice.”

Potvin spoke proudly of the place he, Campbell, Jacques Plante (1970- 71) and John Ross Roach (1924-25) share in Leafs goaltending history, which includes Hall of Famers like Johnny Bower and Turk Broda.

When one of them matches an honoured record, the rest hear about it pretty quickly. For Potvin, the days of his record streak in the 1993-94 season are a treasured memory. And like most former players, he keeps tabs on the current team.

“You always keep an eye on them,” said Potvin, who is a successful coach with the midget AAA Les Cantonniers de Magog. “It’s good to see them doing well. They’ve been a playoff team the past few years and it’s been tough in the playoffs, but its nice to see them doing so well this season.”

Potvin, who started the 1993-94 season with nine straight wins, notes how difficult it must be for Campbell to maintain his winning streak considering his role and the time he has missed to injury.

“It’s hard to just win nine games in a row in the NHL for any team,” Potvin said. “I played every day back then, so you are able to get into a groove. For Jack, to do it the way he is doing it, that takes a lot of mental strength, because he’s not playing every day. He’s not getting the chance to get into a groove like I did, so it’s not easy to do.”

Now 49 and a father of three, Potvin remains a huge favourite with Leafs fans. He ranks third in all time games played by a Leafs goalie (369), second behind Bower (475) and Broda (629). He is also third in wins with 160, and posted a career 2.87 goals-against average with a .908 save percentage in Toronto. He was named one of the Leafs’ 100 greatest players in 2016.

That run in 1993 took him by surprise. “For us, it was a continuing of the season we had before. I didn’t expect to start the year at 9-0. But we had a good team and we had a lot of guys who were good to play with,” said Potvin, who was part of a memorable team led by Doug Gilmour, Dave Andreychuk, Glenn Anderson and Wendel Clark, and coached by Pat Burns.

He was headed to the rink to work with his midgets Tuesday. The team advanced to the final four of the 2019 national championship Telus Cup in Thunder Bay. Potvin has been helping his players navigate COVID-19 as they practise four days a week. He said this “is a tough season” since some of his players are in draft years for the QMJHL, in a season with no games.

“As a coach, the way I approach it is the same as any year when we have games and practices,” Potvin said. “With practice now, I feel the kids are getting better, and one of the things we are doing is preparing them for major junior. But now, we can’t really get into systems too much because we aren’t playing any games. So we work on abilities, skating, shooting, skills.

“We have masks all the time, we divide into two groups so that there are not too many players on the ice at one time. They dress in different groups, and we’ve been lucky, there’s been no (positive tests) on our team.”

Potvin returned his thoughts to the current Leafs. He doesn’t keep up with former teammates “all that much” but the Winter Classic at BMO 1186676 Toronto Maple Leafs something tangible on home ice, where Toronto has just a 19.6% success rate on the power play (19th in the NHL).

4. Brendan bounced GAME NIGHT: Canadiens at Maple Leafs Allen referred to Brendan Gallagher, who is out indefinitely with a broken thumb, as the Canadiens’ “engine” and you can bet the Leafs aren’t going to miss the agitating, hard-working winger. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is Terry Koshan being moved to the wing in Gallagher’s spot on the top line. “Everyone knows you can’t beat Gally,” Kotkaniemi said. “I’ll just try to be me, do

what I can, and hopefully the results will be good.”” The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens will meet for the fifth 5. Bring it home time this season, on Wednesday night at . John Tavares put up two points in each of the Leafs’ wins in Calgary, Article content something the captain will look to continue at Scotiabank Arena. Of Montreal Canadiens (17-9-9) at Toronto Maple Leafs (26-10-3) Tavares’ 32 points in 39 games, 13 have come in Toronto in 20 games, while Tavares has 19 points in 19 road games. In the bigger picture, an Tonight, 7:30 p.m., Sportsnet uptick in consistency of production from the Tavares line would look good from coach Sheldon Keefe’s view. SEASON SERIES PROJECTED LINEUPS Maple Leafs 3-1-0, 15 GF TORONTO Canadiens 1-2-1, 11 GF Lines PREVIOUS SCORES (home team in caps) Zach Hyman-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner Feb. 20: Toronto 5, MONTREAL 3 Alex Galchenyuk-John Tavares-William Nylander Feb. 13: Montreal 2, TORONTO 1 Ilya Mikheyev-Pierre Engvall-Wayne Simmonds Feb. 10: Toronto 4, MONTREAL 2 Joe Thornton-Alex Kerfoot-Jason Spezza Jan. 13: TORONTO 5, Montreal 4 (OT) Defence PLAYER STATS Morgan Rielly-TJ Brodie Leafs vs. Canadiens Jake Muzzin-Justin Holl Player G A Pts +/- Travis Dermott-Zach Bogosian Auston Matthews 2 5 7 +2 STORY CONTINUES BELOW John Tavares 1 5 6 +3 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mitch Marner 2 3 5 +2 Article content Zach Hyman 1 3 4 +1 Goalies Canadiens vs. Leafs Jack Campbell Player G A Pts +/- Michael Hutchinson Jonathan Drouin 0 4 4 -1 MONTREAL Josh Anderson 3 0 3 0 Lines Tomas Tatar 2 1 3 +1 Tomas Tatar-Phillip Danault-Jesperi Kotkaniemi Tyler Toffoli 2 1 3 0 Jonathan Drouin-Eric Staal-Tyler Toffoli FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Corey Perry-Nick Suzuki-Josh Anderson 1. First of all Paul Byron-Jake Evans-Artturi Lehkonen The Maple Leafs will play their first home game March 29 and will try to replicate what they did in each of their four wins on the trip through Defence Winnipeg and Calgary: Take a 1-0 lead. Toronto is 19-3-1 when opening the scoring. Montreal is 2-6-5 when it allows the first goal. Joel Edmundson-Shea Weber

2. The Price is wrong Brett Kulak-Jeff Petry

With Carey Price staying in Montreal as he nurses a lower-body injury, Alexander Romanov-Victor Mete Jake Allen will face the Leafs for the first time as a member of the Goalies Canadiens. When he was with St. Louis, Allen was 4-2-0 against Toronto with a .921 save percentage. In his past seven appearances, Allen has Jake Allen won just once. “I’m looking forward to getting back in against a good team,” Allen said. “I haven’t faced Toronto yet, so it’ll be fun.” Charlie Lindgren

STORY CONTINUES BELOW SPECIAL TEAMS

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Power play

Article content TOR: 23.9% (8th)

3. Power back on MTL: 21.4% (14th)

Auston Matthews finally ended the Leafs’ skid on the power play on Penalty kill Monday, with his goal in Calgary pouring water on Toronto’s 0-for-29 TOR: 78.1% (20th) drought. The hope in the Leafs dressing room is that the goal leads to MTL: 76.1% (25th)

INJURIES

TOR: G Frederik Andersen (lower body).

MTL: G Carey Price (lower body), RW Brendan Gallagher (thumb), RW Joel Armia (COVID protocol), D Ben Chiarot (hand).

Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186677 Toronto Maple Leafs

Simmonds settling into groove again in Maple Leafs' bottom six

Terry Koshan

The Wayne Train is firing on all cylinders.

That’s the summation of Wayne Simmonds’ self-evaluation, and we would tend to agree.

Simmonds has played in nine games since returning to the Maple Leafs’ lineup from a broken wrist. Ten days ago, he said during a Zoom call that didn’t think he was at the point where he was making a proper impact.

During the Leafs’ four-game trip, all wins, the line of Pierre Engvall between Ilya Mikheyev and Simmonds had growth.

The play of Simmonds, who scored in the Leafs’ 5-3 victory in Calgary on Monday, was key.

“I’m a lot better,” the Maple Leafs winger said. “I think I’ve got my timing down. I’m starting to play the game the right way. I’m happy about my performance and even happier about the team’s performance over the last four games.”

Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe concurred.

“In the third period (in the Leafs’ first game in Calgary on Sunday), things started to turn for him, it seemed like his game was settling down a bit,” Keefe said. “He had more jump.”

Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186678 Toronto Maple Leafs Campbell’s nine-game run is the longest active streak. Andersen is not expected to be out for the long term, and if we were in Dubas’ seat, that would bring us off the temptation to trade for another goalie.

Maple Leafs' Campbell closes in on a perfect 10; 'This was always in him Still, it’s crucial that Campbell remains healthy. If not, he can’t be aptly as a goaltender' replaced.

“Just focus on next shot and having fun, that’s the biggest thing,” Campbell said. “Focusing on the bigger picture and getting a win, that’s Terry Koshan more important than giving up a couple of goals.”

Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.07.2021 One of the more intriguing decisions for Kyle Dubas in the coming days could be whether to add goaltending depth.

If only the Maple Leafs general manager could peer into a crystal ball and learn that the health of Jack Campbell won’t be an issue for the next several weeks.

In that case, there would be little argument that could be made against giving Campbell the lion’s share of the Leafs starts. And Dubas wouldn’t have to give anything up to acquire another goalie, even if it’s a draft pick, prior to the National Hockey League trade deadline on Monday at 3 p.m.

What was clear, as the Leafs travelled home from Calgary on Tuesday in advance of playing host to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, is that what’s happening with Campbell in net couldn’t be working out much better.

Days off between starts have allowed the netminder to properly manage a lower-body problem, and when Campbell is in the crease again, it will be with an eye to setting a Leafs record.

As a result of the Leafs’ 5-3 win in Calgary against the Flames on Monday night, Campbell tied Felix Potvin, Jacques Plante and John Ross Roach for the longest winning streak for Leafs goalies in franchise history, stretching his run of success to nine games. Like Campbell, Potvin, in 1993-94, did it in his first nine decisions of the season.

“He’s battling his ass off out there,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said of Campbell. “He is battling right until the very end. He has been great, he has been dealing with injuries.

“He has had extended periods of time off and it hasn’t fazed him. He has come back in the net and kept going where he left off. It has been fun to watch that happen.”

Campbell’s save percentage sits at .944, and the victory in Calgary was just the second time this season he allowed as many as three goals in one game. The confidence in the 29-year-old is obvious in the way he sets for just about every shot that finds its way to the Leafs net.

The overall performance of Campbell, and the steadiness of third-stringer Michael Hutchinson, has allowed Frederik Andersen plenty of breathing room in his own recovery from a lower-body injury. Andersen hasn’t played since March 19. In eight games since, the Leafs are 7-0-1.

Among those watching Campbell’s dominance with keen interest is Mike Futa, who was in the Los Angeles Kings’ front office when the team acquired Campbell from the Dallas Stars in 2016.

“None of this surprises me, because this was always in him as a goaltender,” Futa told the Toronto Sun on Tuesday. “He comes to a major market (in a trade with the Leafs in February 2020), all the pressure in the world, and he has been lights out. He doesn’t want to let his teammates down. He knows what it would mean to win in the city of Toronto. He is supportive of Freddie, and I think it’s good to allow Freddie to get himself back and confident and healthy, because Jack can carry the ball.

“Sometimes Jack pushes himself so hard, and he has to stay healthy too. When you start (tying) Maple Leafs records, that’s special, with the history.”

The NHL record for the longest winning streak in a season by a goalie is 14 games, accomplished four times. Most recently, Sergei Bobrovsky did it with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2016-17, following Jonas Hiller (Anaheim Ducks, 2013-14) and Tom Barrasso (Pittsburgh Penguins, 1992-93).

Tiny Thompson set the record in 1929-30 with the Boston Bruins. 1186679 Toronto Maple Leafs can be — but at what point are you fiddling with your team chemistry, on the ice and off, that has worked in your favour all season long.

This is a different Leafs team than we’ve known before. Keefe is doing a SIMMONS: Dubas plays the trade waiting game and historically that's not terrific job, a long-shot coach of the year candidate, shuffling his lines his style around, playing a more defensive style than ever before, and getting phenomenal — almost unheard of — goaltending from Campbell.

How is this team different? They have a shutdown pair on defence with Steve Simmons Muzzin and Justin Holl. They haven’t had that before. Brodie brings a calm and a sense to the other first pairing with Morgan Rielly. Bogosian

has been a huge contributor to the Leafs blueline. Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas usually likes to get deals done They have a third line with Pierre Engvall, Ilya Mikheyev, and now Wayne well in advance of the trade deadline. He has yet to make a move this Simmonds that you don’t want to play against. season, with the April 12 deadline looming. And what Jason Spezza has accomplished as a fourth-liner — he has There are five days to go until the NHL trade deadline and Kyle Dubas eight even-strength goals, one less than Zach Hyman, one more than will not alter his approach as everything around the league grows more Tavares — is pretty close to incredible. The one player the Leafs might confusing. use as bait, if they can move his salary and get anyone to take him — He wants another forward of consequence, probably a left-winger. He speedy forward Alex Kerfoot. wants a depth defenceman, someone who can push Travis Dermott. He This is a challenging time for all of hockey, certainly a challenging time may, depending on the little known circumstances of Frederik Andersen, for Dubas. He has to be careful about making his team better while not want some goaltending depth as well. altering what has made it great to date. And the clock is ticking in this shortened season, with Dubas’ regular Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.07.2021 patterns for wheeling and dealing already in some jeopardy. Last season, he traded for Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford almost three weeks before the trade deadline. The year before, he again traded with Los Angeles, giving up a first-round pick for some spare parts for Jake Muzzin almost a month before the deadline.

Where, you can wonder, would the Maple Leafs be right now without Campbell in goal, without Muzzin on defence?

And so here is general manager Dubas, with the best team he has ever had, in what may be the greatest Leafs season in years, with a club right now more than capable of winning the North Division without any additions to the roster.

But are they Stanley Cup capable? Could they beat Colorado or Tampa Bay or Vegas or Washington in a playoff series?

There is no way of knowing at this point. But the opportunity to be among the Final Four means that Monday’s deadline takes on greater significance for the Leafs than the usual trade talk nonsense.

Dubas has had quite a season. He signed TJ Brodie as his big-money free agent and the Flames pickup has been marvelous on the Leafs defence. On the cheap, he signed Jason Spezza, Joe Thornton, Wayne Simmonds, all of whom have brought veteran leadership to a team in need of it. He signed Zach Bogosian, who was been so solid on the third defensive pair and better than that on penalty kill. He signed Michael Hutchinson as most of us wondered why. And like almost every moving part in this Maple Leafs season, he has played a role that mattered.

He even made a shrug-your-shoulders kind of deal for Alex Galchenyuk, who had been a waste of space since leaving Montreal. Galchenyuk went to the AHL, then the Leafs fourth line and lately to the second line alongside John Tavares and William Nylander.

And what’s happened in the interim, Tavares, having the worst season of his career, has somehow come to life with the hard skating Galchenyuk on his wing. Maybe Tavares would have found his game under regular circumstances — he always has. But this season, he seemed a little slower, a little more reticent, less creative than in the past. Just not recently. He has back-to-back two points games, the first for him since the first two games of the season.

Dubas will look to find a winger to upgrade on Galchenyuk, a winger to play with Tavares and Nylander. But at the same time, he has to be cognizant of team chemistry and how Galchenyuk has fit in with his club and how Tavares, his captain, has returned to form with him around.

Now here’s where it gets even more complicated. If Dubas picks up a winger — say New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri — the residual effect becomes complicated. Palmieri, or whomever, would take Galchenyuk’s place. And then what does coach Sheldon Keefe do with Galchenyuk and by extension Thornton, who is contributing very little on the fourth line?

Would Keefe bench Thornton for Galchenyuk? And in doing so, how much would that impact a team that has come to adore Jumbo Joe? This is the challenge for Dubas. He wants and needs to make his team better and he wants and needs to rise to the circumstances of what this season 1186680 Toronto Maple Leafs But we’re now at the point in the season where postponing games puts a serious strain on the schedule.

The schedule was already condensed. Now, with less than two months TRAIKOS: Infectious disease specialist says NHL season is in "jeopardy" remaining, there might not be enough empty days on the calendar to handle more games.

And there is going to be more postponed games. You can bet on it. While Michael Traikos the amount of vaccinations continues to rise in both the U.S. and in Canada, albeit at a much slower rate, the number of people contracting

the virus also continues to go up as Canada experiences the third wave One week later, the biggest takeaway in the Vancouver Canucks’ of COVID. COVID-19 outbreak was the speed in which the virus was able to spread What happens if an outbreak happens in the last two weeks of the throughout the team’s dressing room. season? What happens if it occurs in the playoffs? What happens if it’s It started with forward testing positive for the virus last not just one team that goes down, but two or three or even more? What Tuesday. A day later, Vancouver’s game against Calgary was postponed then? after defenceman Travis Hamonic had also tested positive. A day after The NHL has already asked itself these questions. It’s tried to prepare for that, six more players were added to the COVID protocol list. By the contingency plans and worst-case scenarios. But at the end of the day, weekend, half the team was on the list, not including three members of they also knew that there are some things simply out of their control. the coaching staff. “I will say that the stoppage of the season is prominently on the table On Tuesday, one week after Gaudette had tested positive, the number more than before,” said Chakrabarti, who does not begrudge the NHL for had swelled to 21. Chances are even more may be infected by the time attempting a season in the first place. “My view on this is that I think it’s you read this. always good to try to see what you can do. I applaud sports leagues for That’s how easily transmissible this virus is — particularly the P.1 variant doing this and hope it ends well. that has been showing up in British Columbia. One case can turn to two, “They’ve come this far. But it becomes more difficult when the burden of then eight, and quickly multiply into a full-blown outbreak in a matter of the disease in the community is up.” days. Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.07.2021 For the six other Canadian teams, it’s a warning of what may lie ahead. And for the NHL, which is six weeks away from the end of the regular season, it’s a grim reminder of how quickly things can go from bad to worse in a year where no one really wants to think about worst-case scenarios.

“I’m not making a prediction,” said Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti, an infectious disease physician based out of Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, Ont. “But you have to consider the possibility that if things get a lot worse, the season is in jeopardy.

“Definitely, it is a concern. We’ve seen that what happens with the variants is that they have more transmissibility than the classic strain. Where there is P.1, you’re seeing a heighten risk in transmission.”

Up until now, the NHL had been rolling with the punches in regards to COVID-19.

Almost every team has had a player placed on the COVID-protocol list. Most have had a game or two or more postponed. Like the other sports leagues, it’s all part of the price of playing a season in the middle of a pandemic.

The Dallas Stars were particularly hit hard in January, with 17 players placed on the COVID-protocol list. Carolina, New Jersey and Buffalo also had mini-outbreaks, causing players to miss games or games to be re- scheduled. But there was nothing worth cancelling or delaying the season over — until now.

These new variants are a game-changer. They spread more easily and they hit individuals harder than the so-called “classic strain,” as Chakrabarti calls it. Toronto and Calgary are the only teams not to have a player on the COVID-protocol list. But with variants showing up in Montreal and Vancouver, it’s becoming a matter of when — and not if — the other provinces will be affected.

“You have to assume that the risk is always there,” said Chakrabarti. “Getting COVID is not a moral failure. When you’ve got a lot of it in the background that’s where it becomes a greater risk. The thing you have to remember is what is happening with the players is because of what is happening in the community. Vigilance has to be up.

“The prevention we have for the regular virus works for this. It’s possible to do this safely. With hockey, it’s hard to keep a major outbreak under control. But the NHL has one of the most impressive protocols in regards to testing and limiting players in the room. My fingers are crossed.”

The real problem, however, is not so much the virus. Teams and players can recover from the virus. The bigger problem is the timing of the virus.

When the Stars had half their roster on the protocol list in January, it wasn’t as big of a deal because the season was just starting. There was time to sit out, time to re-schedule games, time to complete the season. 1186681 Toronto Maple Leafs because of Andersen’s prolonged absence and Campbell’s own issues between starts at times this season.

But I don’t get the sense that’s a priority item for Dubas. LeBrun: Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas on his needs and priorities ahead “Jack has obviously played excellent goal for us and has been of the trade deadline outstanding,” Dubas said of Campbell, who sports a perfect 9-0 record on the season. “A great story. He’s an incredibly hard worker and a talented person who has put it all together and has everyone rooting for him By Pierre LeBrun Apr 6, 2021 113 because of his character and who he is as a teammate and a person.

“(Michael Hutchinson) has come in and played solid hockey for us as well,’’ Dubas said of his No. 3 goalie. “So we’re very happy with him.’’ One wonders, as the Toronto Maple Leafs keep piling up wins, whether they actually, really, need to make any moves before Monday’s trade Dubas also made the point of saying the Leafs are developing three deadline. young goalies in Joseph Woll, Ian Scott and Veini Vehvilainen.

I mean, they’re winning at a .705 clip. “So though I appreciate the anxiety and the consternation because of the position that it is, I think what we’re going to do in the coming days is There’s been a sense all along that Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas is eager continue to see where Fred is at,” Dubas said. “We don’t expect that it’s to add, that his team is all-in. But I look at a first-place team humming going to be anything that is long-term, and use all the time that we have along, looking like a close-knit family, and it gives me pause. up to the deadline to continue to evaluate that. And then roll from there.’’ Does Dubas really need to do anything else? But all things being equal … I think of the way they rebounded from that embarrassing overtime loss “It’s my expectation that in the coming weeks here that the three goalies to the Senators earlier this season, up 5-1 only to lose 6-5. Or how between the roster and the taxi squad will be Freddy Andersen, Jack they’ve come back from that early March stumble when they lost six-of- Campbell and Michael Hutchinson.’’ seven. Like pitching in baseball, I never think contenders can have enough They’re resilient. They have found ways to win in different fashions. defencemen. While Dubas says he is not closed off to anything, that’s an They’re more comfortable in low-event games this season. All signs of a area where he feels the organization is deep. team that’s matured into a contender. “We feel confident in our depth there,’’ Dubas said. “That said, we’ll see “The positive thing about the team this year is that we went into a stretch how the market shakes out on D. If there is an opportunity to upgrade, if of difficult games and were able to pull ourselves out of it,” Dubas told you look at the teams that go far, they tend to go through a lot of D. The Athletic on Tuesday. “So that to me has been the real positive for us. We’ve shown the ability in the group and the coaching staff to come “We’ve really only used our six so far and not really test it, but even in together and stabilize ourselves and put up wins again. So that’s been training camp it was an area we felt really good about.’’ very encouraging to me.’’ Translation: If there’s a soft deal closer to 3 p.m. ET Monday where he It’s given him the enviable position of approaching a trade deadline that’s can add a piece for little cost, he might look at it. days away with the leverage of being able to do something but not having a screaming need to do something. Dubas’ in-season deals for Jake Muzzin in late January 2019 and for Campbell in early February 2020 were not only similar in that he got them “Any types of issues we’ve had with our play, the coaching staff and the done way ahead of the deadline, but also because they were hockey players have combined to really address them and take care of them,” deals for players under contract past that season. Which generally Dubas said. “I think that puts me in a fortunate position and I’m thankful speaking, Dubas prefers. to them for executing that way.’’ The flat cap in combination with the Seattle expansion draft are There are two areas that have been portrayed as needs for the Maple conspiring to make Dubas lean more on the rental side of things ahead of Leafs over the past several weeks: Monday.

1. A second-line winger to play with John Tavares and William Nylander. “Now when you look at acquiring guys that have some term, it directly impacts with the cap being relatively flat, there’s that impact as well, what 2. An upgrade in goal because of the health concerns with Frederik impact does it have on the rest of your roster,’’ said Dubas. Andersen and, to some degree, Jack Campbell. “What does the opportunity cost from your roster of acquiring somebody On topic No. 1, the reclamation project that is Alex Galchenyuk has with term? They’re obviously an improvement on what you have now, but returned encouraging results so far. So it may be that Dubas has already what is the impact for next season in trying to find a way to make that all made his move for a second-line forward. fit without having a drop-off with the club moving ahead. In our case, we “I think the emergence of Galchenyuk playing with John and William, have some notable UFAs, so anything we do with anyone with term both in terms of the fact he’s produced a little bit but in terms of how hard impacts that. And you combine that with not knowing who from your club he’s playing and the effectiveness that he’s brought to the group, I think is going to get picked from expansion, it certainly adds to the level of certainly reduces the urgency,” Dubas said. uncertainty.’’

“But with all that said, if we can do something that we think is going to be Translation: No need to make things even harder on him when he tries to a good fit in the locker room and on the ice, I think we would still very re-sign Zach Hyman this summer, which as it stands will be a tall enough openly explore that.’’ order.

The translation there for me is perhaps the Maple Leafs are looking more In a perfect world, Dubas would have made his move a few weeks out. for a top-9 forward type. Someone who can play up and down the lineup, That’s what he prefers. who has some of those playoff intangibles you can never have enough But this being a rather unique season, he wasn’t able to pull off that trade of, a little bite to their game, hard on the puck, maybe some playoff a month before like those Muzzin and Campbell deals. experience, a guy who fits in nicely with existing group. “I think this year’s schedule, the pandemic, the quarantine period coming For me, Nick Foligno or Kyle Palmieri would be the high-end versions of into Canada, has all played a role,” Dubas said. “The shortened season that. Scott Laughton maybe a cheaper model. and the fact that some teams at some points were very openly saying Either way, while Galchenyuk has helped fill that void on the second line, that they would sell, even if you feel you’re in that position, you’re only you get the sense Dubas still wants to perhaps add a forward to the playing against the teams you’re directly competing with for playoff group, if he can. positioning or to make the playoffs.

On topic No. 2, well, there’s been a lot said in the Toronto market by “As things have tightened up, I think the battle for the playoffs is really media and fans about the potential need to add insurance in goal between teams that have each other a lot on their schedules. You might look at it and say, ‘We might be a few points out but we play these teams a lot and we’ll know closer to.’’’

He didn’t mention any specific teams but it sure feels like he’s describing Nashville, who have a pending UFA in Mikael Granlund that many have linked to the Leafs.

Now the Preds have a real shot at making the playoffs and who knows if they sell any parts at all.

Which is fine.

The Leafs can find a forward elsewhere. Or if the price doesn’t make sense, they don’t have to do anything at all.

It’s a nice spot to be in.

“I think the players and the coaches have made that part a little bit easier on me in that I do feel very confident in the group that we have,’’ Dubas said.

The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186682 Toronto Maple Leafs “But at same time, they didn’t stop playing either,” he said. Game management has become a priority for Liljegren: understanding

when to lean heavily on his strong skating and transition game, and when Timothy Liljegren 1-on-1: On his Maple Leafs future, trade deadline to dial that back and not force offensive plays. rumours, development with Marlies “Because in the NHL if you do (force plays) and you make a mistake, the chances of you being scored against is higher than obviously in the AHL,” he said. By Joshua Kloke Apr 6, 2021 22 Getting scored against hurt Liljegren during his 11-game NHL audition last season. In his 105 minutes of 5-on-5 play, the Leafs were outscored 3-8, owned 44 percent of the possession and 47 percent of the expected Although it can be trying, Timothy Liljegren wants to stay even-keeled. goals. He had one assist. The Maple Leafs prospect is discussing the likelihood that he remains It’s worth arguing that 11 games might be too small a sample size to with the organization beyond the April 12 NHL trade deadline. Leafs GM assess the play of a 21-year-old defenceman. Kyle Dubas has stated that he would be open to trading one of his top prospects to improve his team this season. As for the rumoured, soon-to- “As a defenceman, your responsibilities are sometimes higher than a be, 22-year-old defenceman, his focus remains on playing in the NHL. forward,” he said when asked what many might not appreciate about the development of a young defenceman. He accepts that his defensive “Hopefully that’s with Toronto,” he told The Athletic earlier this week. game remains a work in progress. “You never know what’s going to happen in hockey. But I’m trying to stay patient and just be as ready as I can for whenever the chance comes.” “When I came over, I wasn’t very good defensively,” he said. “That’s taken a while for me to develop.” It’s been a season of uncertainty for Liljegren. He has dominated at the AHL level while logging heavy minutes, producing offence and trying to Liljegren called his NHL play “decent.” drive play. But despite a few appearances on the Leafs taxi squad, he has not played in the NHL this season. “Those first few games, you just want to feel that you can play at that level,” he said. “And I think I felt that I could play there. As the trade deadline approaches, The Athletic went 1-on-1 with Liljegren to discuss his game and where his head is at with so many questions “But at the same time, I felt like I could have done better. It was hard, surrounding his future. during the full year, not just because of that. To be away from playing games for that long, it takes a couple of games for you to get back into The approach of the Maple Leafs staff at the 2017 draft was to take a game speed,” he said of the the start to the 2020-21 season. swing in the first round. The safe choice, two-way centre Robert Thomas, was available when the Leafs pick came up at No. 17. But some in the Liljegren did not go on loan in the off-season, despite interest from clubs organization viewed Liljegren as a player who could break a game wide in Europe. It meant it was close to a year between games for him, during open and could get AHL minutes under his belt right away. which time he focused on improving his conditioning ahead of what he thought would be heavy minutes this season. Four years later, Liljegren has seen other Marlies teammates graduate to the Leafs ahead of him. This season, his focus with the Leafs Asked what he has made of Liljegren’s progression and path to development staff has been on creating more scoring chances and becoming an NHL defenceman, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe noted offence. the confidence Liljegren is displaying in the AHL, how well he’s performed in practices with the Leafs, and overall happiness with his He’s firing an average of 2.83 shots per game, up from his previous development. season-high of 1.85 shots per game last season. “He’s shown great, great strides. He came in at 18 years old, and he’s For a player who sometimes looked timid with the puck in his 11 NHL been around, he’s been present for a very long time here now. So you game stint last season, some additional assertiveness could benefit his get a lot of questions, and you’re wondering when it’s going to really game. He’s trying to trust himself more in the offensive zone. happen for him,” said Keefe. “But in a lot of ways, based on age, he’s a guy that is somewhat fresh coming out of junior hockey in terms of his The Athletic tracked his shots on goal with the Marlies this season and timeline. And we look at it from that sense, and you watch him play in the last season and found that a higher percentage of his shots this season American League, and he looks like a guy that’s a veteran and is are coming from closer to the faceoff circle than the blue line. extremely confident. “The closer you get to the net, the more high-danger a scoring chance it “So he plays a lot, takes on a lot of responsibility, plays against good is. I just think it’s about finding the balance between going down and players, kills penalties, all these things that really weren’t a part of his taking a shot, and if you have a clear lane without people in front, maybe game when he arrived here after the draft. So from my perspective, I’m the best option is just shooting it from up top,” said Liljegren. happy with him. Our defence has stayed healthy here for the most part. With that added aggressiveness has come results: he has two goals and And we have not gotten him involved, but we like having him around six assists through 12 AHL games this season. here. And if something were to happen, then he’s right there.”

A look at Liljegren’s assist numbers also reveals that while he has fewer Among NHL scouts and executives, the reasons why he has not become assists per game (0.5) compared to last season (0.63), 66 percent of his an NHL player yet are mixed. assists this season are primary, compared to 52 percent last season. “He looks like a transitional/offensive defenceman at times but he isn’t Though it’s still early in the season, that would suggest that his puck elite enough for the role in the NHL,” said one executive, adding there movement in the offensive zone has become even more integral to the still isn’t enough physicality in his game. Marlies attack and that his efforts to correct his errors are paying off. But whether he can produce at the NHL level is a question he has not yet “He lacks processing speed,” said a scout. “He has NHL feet and skills answered. but can’t process it quick enough to deploy at all.”

“When I have (the puck) on the blue line, I try to see what’s out in front “He’s in a good place with Toronto,” said an executive. “They don’t have and see if I can beat the forwards to create a better scoring chance,” he to rush him.” said. “But also, if you have the shot, you can take it, but to always search to see what you have in front of you and make a decision after that, and And the Leafs aren’t rushing him, even with the March trade of Mikko to keep your feet moving all the time.” Lehtonen to Columbus.

Cracking the Leafs roster “It’s hard,” Liljegren conceded. “There’s only six spots in every team. If you don’t take that spot right after training camp, you need someone to While watching from the press box as the Leafs shut down the Winnipeg get injured to get a good chance. And you never want anyone to get Jets in a 3-1 win on March 31, Liljegren was impressed with how the injured.” Toronto defencemen protected the lead by making low-risk plays out of the defensive zone. Trade deadline thoughts Liljegren remains outside of the top tier of Leafs prospects that features Rasmus Sandin, Nick Robertson and arguably Rodion Amirov. But he has more pro experience in North America than those players.

Based on his AHL play and experience, some throughout the NHL have made the argument that a fresh start elsewhere might be good for Liljegren and that he deserves the chance to see a longer stretch of NHL action. His play has not regressed in the AHL, and he has worked to implement the feedback Leafs management and their development staff have given him.

So why does Liljegren believe he’s not in NHL?

“I’m probably not good enough yet,” he offered. “That’s probably the simple answer. But I think it’s just taking the opportunity when it comes and obviously last year I didn’t make as good an impact as they wanted me to, I guess. So I feel like next time I get the chance, I’m probably going to have to play better than I did to show them that I belong.”

Right now, the odds of him getting that chance feel long. Sandin, who is working his way back from injury, has received public votes of confidence from Dubas and Keefe over the last week about him playing for the Leafs in the future.

KYLE DUBAS ON THE TSN PRE-GAME, SPEAKING ABOUT RASMUS SANDIN: "WE WOULD EXPECT HIM, AT SOME POINT HERE IN THE SECOND HALF OF OUR SEASON, TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE LEAFS AND BE READY TO GO FOR THE PLAYOFFS WITH US."

— JOSHUA KLOKE (@JOSHUAKLOKE) APRIL 2, 2021

With Dubas clearly open to trading a top prospect, does Liljegren believe he has a future in Toronto?

“I hope so,” he said.

“You want to play (in the NHL). Every player wants to play in the NHL. But the only thing I can do is play as good as I can with the Marlies, and try and practice as good as I can here for whenever the chance comes. Obviously, I want to play. But there’s not much more I can do than try and get better.”

The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186683 Toronto Maple Leafs 611:31 58.8

51.0 Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl are excelling for the Leafs, becoming one of the NHL’s top pairings Jake Muzzin

Justin Holl

By Jonas Siegel Apr 6, 2021 29 567:43

57.0

Arguably Sheldon Keefe’s most celebrated move so far as Maple Leafs 48.8 head coach was finally giving Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner a chance to play together. Dougie Hamilton

Less heralded, but nearly as consequential was the choice to start Jaccob Slavin handing Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl top line assignments nightly last 507:34 season. It may seem obvious now, with Muzzin and Holl regularly locking down Canadian division foes, but it wasn’t back in early December 2019. 56.7 At that point, Holl had barely played in the NHL. He was notably scratched on opening night. The big knock against him, in the eyes of 51.1 Keefe’s predecessor behind the Leafs bench, was that he couldn’t hang MacKenzie Weegar defensively to play in the league — let alone take on the Connor McDavids of the world night after night. Aaron Ekblad

Keefe, who oversaw Holl’s rise from the ECHL while coaching the 518:10 , had faith. And it’s paid off greatly, with Holl and Muzzin 56.5 growing into one of the most effective pairs in the NHL — a big reason the Leafs are challenging for the Presidents’ Trophy. 49.0

“We rely on those guys very heavily,” Keefe said recently. “I think we’ve Brady Skjei come through the longevity that Jake Muzzin’s had in his career and the success that’s come with it — you come to expect great things from him. Brett Pesce Justin Holl is a guy that really came on for us last season and has 443:16 continued to grow this season. I think as his confidence has grown you just see that pair really, really coming together and, of course, (it) really 55.5 rounds out our top four very nicely.” 44.8 The Leafs coach dabbled with deploying newcomer T.J. Brodie and his partner Morgan Rielly against top trios early in the season but eventually Jonas Brodin came back around to the steady combination of Muzzin, a former Stanley Matt Dumba Cup champion with over 600 games in the league, and Holl, who played his 120th career game on Monday night in Calgary. 404:45

There will be no turning back now. 55.4

Even as they continue to duel with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl one night, 49.2 and Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele the next, Muzzin and Holl continue to excel. T.J. Brodie

“They take that job very seriously,” Rielly said. “They’re just doing a Morgan Rielly helluva job there.” 611:54

An elite job in fact. 54.9 Among the 25 duos league-wide with at least 400 minutes of action (five- 57.3 on-five) this season, Muzzin and Holl own the second-best scoring chance percentage (56.7 percent) and fourth-best expected goals mark Damon Severson (57 percent). This in spite of the hearty challenges they’re facing on the regular. Ty Smith

NHL's top pairs (min. 400 minutes) 426:43

Adam Pelech 53.2

Ryan Pulock 54.8

525:49 The Leafs are plus-eight in the goals department with the twosome on the ice, even after nine matchups (and six wins) against McDavid. 62.3 Muzzin and Holl were out there against the Hart Trophy favourite for 46.1 about 71 minutes, during which the Leafs outshot (34-28), out-chanced (32-23), and outscored (4-2) Edmonton. Expected goals were 61 percent Adam Fox for the duo.

Ryan Lindgren McDavid failed to score five-on-five when Muzzin and Holl were on the 493:13 ice. He finished with only one five-on-five point over nearly 80 minutes against Muzzin, and two points over 76-plus opposite Holl. 59.8 It’s important we not discount the role that Matthews (a foe, increasingly, 48.8 for McDavid in the Hart conversation) and Marner played in those efforts. Winning those minutes had a lot to do with the Matthews’ crew stuffy Chris Tanev efforts defensively and explosive bursts offensively. But remember, the Noah Hanifin Leafs played McDavid and company three times without Matthews and 52.1 still kept him in check. 74.5 Muzzin and Holl were a huge reason why. 5.9 “I think they really get excited about the chance to play against them,” Keefe said of McDavid and Draisaitl, who teamed up in the last matchup Ryan Graves on Mar. 29, a game the Leafs lost in OT. “Certainly, there’s a lot to be Devon Toews said for the job those guys do.” 78:16 Muzzin relies on his guile, stickwork, and muscle. His nightly contributions, on a team with flashy star power, are easily overlooked. 49.1 His game is mostly subtle. It’s not often about the big hit, though he has a 72.1 slight lead on Holl for the team lead with 65 hits this season. It’s cutting off a forward’s path to shut a play down before it starts. 6.1

Notice how patiently he defends Draisaitl, the reigning Art Ross Trophy Mark Giordano winner and MVP, chopping him down at the last moment. Chris Tanev “Big guy with a good stick,” Keefe said of what makes Muzzin so stingy in his own end. “He breaks up a lot of plays that way, but he’s willing to 116:03 engage physically. His body positioning is good and strong, he keeps 46.0 people away from the net. I think all those things really, really help his cause that way, and he’s got a lot of experience, played in a lot of big 69.3 hockey games and, through all of that, you gain lots of confidence, and you enjoy the responsibility of keeping people away from your net.” 6.1

Holl’s mobility is a prominent tool in his defending toolbelt; it helps him How much is Muzzin propping up Holl? retrieve pucks and chase around waterbugs like Johnny Gaudreau and There’s some of that, for sure. Holl’s underlying numbers drop without Nik Ehlers. He’s also put his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame to work more Muzzin this season, though those minutes are often with the often in what’s essentially his second NHL season. Also helpful: an comparatively inexperienced Travis Dermott. And there’s a reason the exceptionally long reach. Leafs gave Muzzin a four-year deal, with a $5.625 million cap hit, just “They’re both pretty vocal guys, talking a lot on the ice,” Marner over a year ago in Feb. 2020. He upped their knowhow on the back end, observed. “So it’s pretty good direction (from them) telling you where to and could make those around him better, including Nikita Zaitsev not go and helping you out. And then when (our line is) out there with them, long after he was acquired from the L.A. Kings. all five of us are constantly talking to each other, screaming at each other Oddly enough, it was a lagging connection with Tyson Barrie in the fall of — where we are, where we’re at — trying to make it as easy as possible 2019 that led the Leafs to connect Muzzin with Holl in the first place. for the other guy to make a play.” Most ironic is that it was Mike Babcock, who famously sat Holl 71 times Which has helped the duo, often playing alongside the Maple Leafs’ No. in the 2018-19 season, that put them together. 1 line, get up and out of the defensive zone and onto offence in a hurry. Not long after, the Leafs locked Holl up with a three-year contract (two It’s for perhaps that reason, at least in part, that Muzzin has absorbed the more seasons after this one) that carries a mild $2 million cap hit. most hits in the league at five-on-five (104), followed closely by Holl, who’s ranked third (98). Initiate the breakout, take a hit. The Muzzin-Holl combo will be essential to the Leafs’ Stanley Cup pursuit this season. Chemistry between the two is apparent. They seem to know where the other is as they shuttle the puck confidently up the ice and into the hands Not having them together for most of the Columbus series last August of the Leafs’ forwards. proved damaging.

Stinginess from Muzzin and Holl extends to special teams, where the two The Leafs were square on the scoreboard (0-0) with Muzzin and Holl also form the team’s top penalty-killing pair on the back end. Muzzin and around in Games 1 and 2 versus the Blue Jackets. In the final three Holl have, unsurprisingly, proven to be elite at denying shot attempts and games with Muzzin injured, and Dermott and Martin Marincin forced into scoring chances shorthanded. his spot, the Leafs were outscored 4-1, and of course, lost the series.

They block shots and play ruggedly around the net. Muzzin and Holl are in even better form now with essentially a full season of action together. Coupled with the reliable pair of Rielly and Brodie, and NHL's top PK pairs (min. 70 mins) a steady third unit of Dermott and Zach Bogosian, the Leafs’ defence Brady Skjei looks like a clear strength in 2021 — and very likely, beyond. It seems likely now (barring Zach Hyman re-signing at some point in the near Brett Pesce future) that the Leafs will protect Holl, along with Muzzin, Brodie, and Rielly, in this summer’s expansion draft. 89:09 He and Muzzin have simply become too important together. 44.4 The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 55.9

5.1

Jake Muzzin

Justin Holl

84:22

41.3

59.0

5.7

Brent Burns

Mario Ferraro

82:58 1186684 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights defensemen continue offensive ways

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal April 6, 2021 - 2:53 PM

Vegas Golden Knights' Alec Martinez (23) celebrates after scoring during the first period of an ... Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer has a few indicators that help him determine how the offense is going. Signs that give clues as to whether it’s going to be a good or bad night. On Monday against the St. Louis Blues, he received hints that goals were going to come early. The Knights defensemen were involved early and often in the offense. They scored twice and had two primary assists on the first four goals in a 6-1 win at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, a sure sign the group was playing as DeBoer intended. That has been the case often this season. The Knights lead the NHL in goals by defensemen. “Typically those defensemen aren’t scoring off the rush,” DeBoer said. “It’s off o-zone play, which means we’re in the other team’s end, and we’re controlling the puck and we’re putting pressure on them offensively in more of that half-court game. Defensemen creating offense for us is a big part of our game, and it is on the rush, too, but it’s nice when those guys get on the board in the offensive zone like that.” Improving the Knights’ in-zone offense has been one of DeBoer’s primary focuses after the team struggled to score last season in the Western Conference Final. There are still times the goals dry up. But Monday showed how dangerous the Knights can be when their defensemen are making plays in the offensive zone and the forwards are screening goaltenders for them. Defenseman Alec Martinez had the second two-goal game of his career, defenseman Nic Hague scored, and defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Nick Holden each had a primary assist. “We just want to get pucks (to the net) and create opportunities,” Martinez said. “The forwards did a really good job getting some screens in front, getting in front of their goalies. That pays dividends.” The three goals from the blue line gave the Knights 26 this season, three more than any other team. What makes the total impressive is that it’s not being driven by any one player. Martinez leads the back end with seven goals, tied for seventh among defensemen and six behind league leader Darnell Nurse. Shea Theodore has six, Hague five and rookie Dylan Coghlan three. Pietrangelo (two), Zach Whitecloud (two) and Brayden McNabb (one) also have scored. “That’s when we’re at our best, when everyone is pitching in and contributing,” said Hague, who had a 35-goal season in junior hockey. The scoring depth among defensemen allows the Knights to create chances when any of their three pairs are on the ice. That could pay off later in the season when coverage gets tighter and teams work hard to cut off dangerous areas of the ice. “We’ve got a lot of offensive guys on the back end,” McNabb said. “When we’re getting pucks through and leading the rush, it creates a lot of offense.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186685 Vegas Golden Knights

Alex Tuch not worried about offensive slump with Golden Knights

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal April 6, 2021 - 2:07 PM

Alex Tuch seemed to be wielding a stick made of fire early this season. Just about every shot the speedy Golden Knights winger threw at the net appeared to go in. But things have felt much different lately. Tuch hasn’t scored in his last 11 games and has one goal in his past 15. That has led him to focus on other areas of his game to ensure he’s still making an impact. “I feel like I’m still generating chances,” said Tuch, who has the third- most scoring chances on the Knights at five-on-five. “I know it’s not going to go as smoothly as I want all the time. I’m on a little bit of a cold streak scoringwise, but it doesn’t matter if I’m scoring or not as long as our team’s winning.” Tuch scored 12 goals in his first 21 games before cooling off. At one point, he had scored in four straight games. It’s a feat only three other Knights players have accomplished. Things have been quiet since then. But that doesn’t mean Tuch has been invisible on the ice. His defense continues to improve. He’s getting regular penalty-kill shifts for the first time in his career and using his speed to close off chances and create them. He’s also been making plays for others, with four assists in his last six games. He’s still a part of the Knights’ success and doing his part in the team’s West Division title chase. Just not in the way he had been. “I guess the puck hasn’t been bouncing my way per se offensively as much,” Tuch said. “When that’s not going well, I’m trying to concentrate on other versions of my game, such as defense and maybe being a little bit more physical and just trying to round my game out.” Stephenson ends suspension Center Chandler Stephenson’s three-game suspension for elbowing is over, and he’s eligible to play Wednesday in St. Louis. Coach Pete DeBoer said Stephenson was a “tough guy to replace” and that it’s hard to appreciate all the subtle things he does until he’s not there. The top line of Stephenson, left wing Max Pacioretty and right wing Mark Stone have been on the ice for a goal about every 11:32 at five-on- five. Without Stephenson, Pacioretty and Stone have been on the ice for a goal every 28:08. “That line with Stone and Pacioretty is obviously more dangerous with him there,” DeBoer said. “They have a chemistry. He brings an element to that line with his speed that creates room for those guys.” Silver Knights’ tickets on sale Single-game tickets for the Silver Knights’ five April home games at Orleans Arena went on sale Tuesday at HendersonSilverKnights.com. The venue is being limited to 20 percent capacity. The team’s next home game is April 15 against Tucson.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.07.2021 Vegas Golden Knights defensemen with seven. He’s tied for the sixth-most on the team with 1186686 center Chandler Stephenson and right wing Reilly Smith.

“Obviously, coming off the last two games, we liked a lot of the things we Robin Lehner provides stellar play for Golden Knights did, but one of the things we didn’t like was putting the puck in the back of the net,” Martinez said. “As d-men, we just try to get the puck there, try to create opportunities.” By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal 3. Rare blowout April 6, 2021 - 7:00 am Monday was the 272nd regular-season game in the Knights’ history. It was the eighth time the team won by at least five goals.

The Knights last won by five goals Feb. 6, 2020, in a 7-2 victory at A puck hangs in the air in front of Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Florida. The franchise record for margin of victory is seven. Robin Lehner (90) as St. Lo ... “It was a good feeling,” Marchessault said. “Obviously, the past three St. Louis Blues' Vladimir Tarasenko, left, looks for an opening past Vegas games were kind of disappointing on the offensive side. All four lines Golden Knights goalt ... contributed tonight. A couple (defensemen) making good plays and good Lost in the Golden Knights’ 6-1 dismantling of the St. Louis Blues on shots back there.” Monday was that their start wasn’t good. At all. The Knights’ defensive coverage wasn’t tight early, and the Blues got a LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.07.2021 couple of looks in front on the net. Luckily for the visitors, their goaltender was up to the task. Robin Lehner recorded his fifth consecutive impressive start for the Knights since returning from a concussion. He allowed one goal on 32 shots at Enterprise Center in St. Louis and improved to 4-0-1 in his last five games. “He was awesome,” defenseman Nic Hague said. “He kept us right in it from the start, which is always a good feeling. On the bench, you can kind of rally behind that. He kept it close there the first five, 10 minutes. And then we really started to take off and take over a little bit. That was great to see.” Lehner, who had shoulder surgery in the offseason, did not get off to a great start this season. But he’s been sensational since stepping back into the crease March 19. He’s looked exactly like the same goaltender who won two playoff series with the Knights last postseason and earned a five-year, $25 million contract extension. He has a .948 save percentage and 1.38 goals- against average in his last five starts. He’s allowed two goals twice and one three times. “It was nice to have him back energized,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “He’s come back, the work he put in to get back has really set him up for success because he practiced really well. … I think he has looked as good as he’s ever looked here recently.” Lehner’s dominant run of games has given the Knights the one-two goalie punch they dreamed of this offseason. The team is spending $12 million against the cap for Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury, making them the second-most expensive tandem in the NHL behind Montreal’s. Lehner’s concussion, which sidelined him for nearly 1½ months, kept the two from reaching their potential. Now they’re both healthy, and the Knights are leading the league in team save percentage at .919. “We have two guys that are playing at the top of their game,” defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. “It’s great to see both guys playing the way they are. I think as a group, especially on the back end, it frees us up a bit to maybe make some plays that we can make when we’ve got a guy like that back there.” Here are three more takeaways from the win: 1. Nosek’s scorching run Center Tomas Nosek’s first-period goal gave him 10 points in his last 11 games. The bottom-six forward is approaching several career highs despite the shortened schedule. He has six goals in 29 games, two off his previous best. His 13 points are four off his total from 2018-19. It took him 68 games to get there. “(Nosek’s) been unbelievable all season,” left wing Jonathan Marchessault said. “He’s stepped up his game. He’s been really good offensively. He’s still as reliable defensively as he was before.” 2. Martinez’s offensive night Monday was the second two-goal game of defenseman Alec Martinez’s career. The last time he scored twice was April 7, 2018, in a game for the Los Angeles Kings. The two goals gave him the most among Knights’ 1186687 Vegas Golden Knights

ANALYSISKyle Palmieri: Why Not? Vegas Golden Knights Trade Targets

Published 9 hours ago on April 6, 2021 By Tom Callahan

Why Not? is a look at potential targets for the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Instead of just shooting down every idea out there, Vegas Hockey Now explores the top trade targets and sees how they might fit. The Vegas Golden Knights haven’t been mentioned much in connection with New Jersey Devils forward Kyle Palmieri, but they’d be remiss if they weren’t knee-deep in the conversation for several reasons. Let’s start with a little background on Palmieri, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He just turned 30 in February, so there’s still some tread on the tires if a team would look to re-sign him and not just use him as a rental. His cap hit is $4.65M so there would be some movement needed for the VGK to make this one work. Offensively, Palmieri has just eight goals this year, but four of those have come in his last eight games. He’s been one of the most consistent scoring wings in the NHL for the last several seasons, scoring 24-or- more goals for the last five straight seasons. Despite a slow start, Palmieri’s value is still going to start somewhere in the neighborhood of a first round pick or some equivalent thereof. Vegas does still have its first- round pick this year and the pick is likely to be 24th or lower. The first reason why Vegas could use the boost is despite the talent on the roster, goals have been hard to come by whether on the power play or at even strength. Kyle Palmieri could add that extra weapon to the power play, having scored exactly 11 power play goals in four of the last five seasons. Given Vegas’ struggles with the man-advantage this season, it wouldn’t hurt to have him as an option on either power play unit. With Cody Glass endlessly in and out of the lineup, it could also bring more stability to the unit with an everyday player on it. He also could slide up and down a lineup that has battled injuries a few times this year, and even if you keep the top six intact could you imagine Palmieri with potential linemates of Alex Tuch and Glass/Roy? That’s a line that could be a second line on almost any other team in the league. Despite Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon saying he doesn’t really want to subtract a player from the roster if the VGK wants to hang on to the first-round pick allegedly being sought, it might require moving a roster player. It certainly would require deleting salary in some form to fit Palmieri under the cap, meaning that perhaps a more veteran player would be on the move, either to LTIR or traded away to make room. Palmieri also makes sense because he brings another veteran presence to a team that likes having experience. He’s had a good amount of international experience with Team USA as well, so a big stage is nothing new to him. It’s nice to bring in someone who has a better chance of handling the transition and blending in with his new team quickly, which older players tend to handle a bit better. Finally, a player like Palmieri fits into the Golden Knights because he’s not a break-the-bank offensive force but a solid contributor. Both sides can try each other on and see how they fit. Perhaps he stays beyond this season, perhaps not. But scoring comes and goes for the VGK, and adding another threat to the lineup to help distribute production even more can only help. Whatever the final price paid for Kyle Palmieri he has the potential to be that mid-tier piece that pushes a very good team over the edge and into a run all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

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Tom’s Daily: VGK Make History Against Blues; Hall Talks Heat Up; more

Published 17 hours ago on April 6, 2021 By Tom Callahan

Tom’s Daily: Vegas Golden Knights make history in blowout win over Blues; Taylor Hall trade talks heading up; Brent Sutter’s concern for his son Brandon as he battles COVID-19 along with the other Vancouver Canucks; Jack Campbell ties Leafs record; more. VGK Alex Pietrangelo’s return to St. Louis was almost lost in the shuffle as the Vegas Golden Knights trounced the Blues 6-1 Monday night. A franchise record of 15 different players found the scoresheet for the VGK. (VegasHockeyNow) Golden Grades for last night include top marks for goaltending and not- so-great special teams. (VegasHockeyNow) The Vegas Golden Knights Foundation is teaming up with the players, coaches and even Bill Foley to create “My Favorite Things” gift baskets to auction off for charity. (Fox 5 Las Vegas) NHL It seems as if the talks for Buffalo Sabres forward Taylor Hall are heating up ahead of the NHL trade deadline. (TSN) Also, TSN’s Trade Bait list is a good place to bookmark ahead of the NHL trade deadline. (TSN) Former NHLer Brent Sutter is concerned for his son Brandon and all of his teammates on the Vancouver Canucks who are battling COVID-19 right now. (Sportsnet) Jack Campbell has tied a Toronto Maple Leafs record with nine straight wins. That’s a lot of great goaltending history. (Sportsnet) Hockeyverse Sad but not unexpected news. The coroner has ruled that Miracle on Ice Team USA member Mark Pavelich’s death was a suicide. (Yahoo! Sports) Twenty-seven cases of COVID-19 have been linked to Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex in Rochester, NY. (WHAM)

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Golden Grades: Offense Ignites in Blowout Win Over Blues

Published 18 hours ago on April 6, 2021 By Tom Callahan

Welcome to Golden Grades for Monday’s historic Vegas Golden Knights win over the St. Louis Blues. The VGK had 15 different players on the scoresheet, a team record, in a 6-1 win. Goaltending: A- Robin Lehner has been rounding into form since his return from a concussion and yesterday might have been his most important outing. Early in the first period when the game was still up for grabs, Lehner made the saves he needed to make. I would implore you not to look past this point of the game because it’s huge. To see Lehner make the critical saves when there was still momentum at stake and the balance of play could shift if one goes in was important. There were a few times during the game Lehner was having an issue with puck tracking, but hopefully, that continues to improve as well. Post-game head coach Pete DeBoer said he knows success in the playoffs will mean having both goaltenders going. With just over 20 games left, now is the time to hone the blade. Defense: B There was a lot to like from the defense in this game, although once again both ends of the ice got off to a slow start. St. Louis came out with energy looking to break a six-game losing skid and pressed the Golden Knights early, but as mentioned the goaltending of Robin Lehner kept the VGK in it until momentum swung. It was good to see the defense not only activating but contributing. In some games, you see the defense jump into the rush or pinch down the wall repeatedly without results. Instead, Alec Martinez scored twice and every defender except Shea Theodore had at least one point. Games like this build confidence and that’s exactly what Vegas needed after its three-game losing streak. Forwards: B Three of the six goals came from the defense which is great to see. Jonathan Marchessault getting back in the goal column is good to see and really important. Tomas Nosek continues his hot play, and Will Carrier recording a goal and an assist are also encouraging. But on a night when the offense was flowing freely, the line of Cody Glass, Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty had a total of three shots. Stone had none of them. I realize Chandler Stephenson will be back after serving his three- game suspension, but you can never tell when injuries or other issues will happen. It would have been nice to see Glass pick up his play with this line, and maybe find some spark. That didn’t happen, and Glass remains a work in progress. Special Teams: C The power play is still a bit of a sore spot for me. There were only two chances going either way in the game, but again the Vegas Golden Knights power play stagnated quickly. Movement off the puck was minimal most of the time. I don’t care what sport you’re playing, the easiest guy to cover is the one who isn’t moving. Lanes don’t open by themselves, and if the only guy moving is the one with the puck trying to create his own lanes, chances will be hard to generate. The VGK power play is far better when the feet are moving as much as the puck.

Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 04.07.2021 Washington Capitals "I liked the way we played the second period," Laviolette said. "It seemed 1186690 like we climbed back in it a little bit. It was tight. Not a lot of room."

No fans expected in Capital One Arena for remainder of Capitals, One goal is all it takes this time as the Islanders edge the Capitals and Wizards regular season games forge a first-place tie Winger Jakub Vrana drew back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch for two games, with Richard Panik out as a healthy scratch. Vrana said Tuesday morning that he was "obviously disappointed" after By Samantha Pell being taken out of the lineup but agreed with Laviolette's assessment that he needed to play harder on the puck and limit his mistakes. April 7, 2021 at 2:38 a.m. UTC "The only thing I can control is go out there and work my a-- off," Vrana said. "Work hard, try to do what I do best, and that's my focus right now. I UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The Washington Capitals skated into Nassau am going to go out there and, like I said before, try to help the team to Coliseum on Tuesday night looking to avoid a repeat of last week's high- get the win, and then we move on." scoring flop on Long Island. They were coming off two straight wins Vrana skated 13:15 on Tuesday night as his goalless streak reached 12 against the New Jersey Devils and looked at Tuesday's contest with the games. He last scored March 9, when he had two goals against the New York Islanders as a measuring stick. Devils in a 5-4 overtime win. In the Capitals' 1-0 loss, the teams ended up with a goaltending showcase featuring 53 minutes of scoreless hockey and a game decided by Brock Nelson's goal with 6:55 left. It was a major departure from the Washington Post LOADED: 04.07.2021 Islanders' 8-4 victory Thursday, but the outcome remained the same. "I thought we got off to a slow start; it wasn't a good first 20 for us," Capitals defenseman Justin Schultz said. "I think we got better as the game went on, and we had our chances; just wouldn't go in for us tonight. Vitek [Vanecek] made some huge saves for us at the other end to keep us in it, too." Vanecek was the Capitals' best player throughout his 38-save performance, but he could not stop Nelson on a rebound attempt. He robbed Mathew Barzal as he cut to the net on an odd-man rush moments later and finished with 19 saves in the third period alone. But Washington couldn't beat the Islanders' Semyon Varlamov, the former Capitals netminder who finished with 29 saves. It was the first time the Capitals have been shut out this season. The Capitals (25-10-4) and Islanders (25-10-4) are now tied atop the East Division with 54 points apiece. They will meet three more times this month, including twice on Long Island. Tuesday's loss marked the end of the Capitals' five-game, eight-day road trip against the Islanders, Devils and New York Rangers. Washington finished 2-3-0 and next hosts Boston on Thursday night. "I think we did our job against Jersey, got out of there with two wins," center Lars Eller said of the road trip. "I think the other games, the New York games, we didn't play up to the level we are capable of. So, yeah, we didn't hit our stride. Weren't good enough, basically. We could be better than we showed those three games." Varlamov made timely saves in the scoreless opening 40 minutes. Carl Hagelin nearly buried one of the Capitals' best chances early in the third period, but his wrister didn't slip past Varlamov. Ilya Samsonov or Vitek Vanecek? For the Caps, there’s no reason to choose yet. "Varly came up big," Islanders Coach Barry Trotz said. "I thought their goaltender played extremely well. We had lots of chances to pull away. We didn't. It was a hell of a hockey game between two good teams." Vanecek got the nod for the Capitals after Ilya Samsonov's 35-save performance in a 5-4 win Sunday at New Jersey. Coach Peter Laviolette made it clear that, during this road trip, the Capitals would not be looking to ramp up the workload of one of their two young goaltenders. Instead, they plan to use both in the final month and a half of the regular season. Still, it's possible that Washington looks to add a veteran goaltender ahead of Monday's trade deadline. Neither Samsonov nor Vanecek has playoff experience, and Samsonov has never started more than two consecutive games in his NHL career. Vanecek made a strong case to stay in net Tuesday, but the 25-year-old Czech fell to 15-7-3. Samsonov, a 24-year-old Russian, is 9-2-1. "I think they are both capable of playing at a very high level," Eller said. "You know I wouldn't want to be the one making the choice." In the first period, the Islanders were relentless on offense, but despite having 12 shots on goal (and hitting the post twice in the first seven minutes) they could not get the puck past Vanecek. The Capitals failed to convert on two power-play chances in the second. But they outshot the Islanders 12-7 in the period, and the teams were even at 19 shots apiece after 40 minutes. 1186691 Washington Capitals

Brock Nelson's late goal gives Islanders a win over Capitals

Staff Report

By - Associated Press Tuesday, April 6, 2021

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Brock Nelson scored with just under seven minutes left and Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves as the New York Islanders edged Washington 1-0 on Tuesday night to pull even with the Capitals for first place in the East Division. Varlamov and Vitak Vanecek matched each other save for save for more than 50 minutes before Nelson scored his team-leading 14th goal assisted by defenseman Ryan Pulock at 13:05 of the third period. Varlamov earned his fourth shutout this season and the 31st of his career. It was the first time he blanked his former Capitals team in a regular-season game. New York improved to 16-1-2 at Nassau Coliseum, remaining the only team in the NHL with just one regulation loss at home. The Islanders are 11-4-4 in games decided by a single goal, including a 6-4 record in regulation. The game was much less chaotic than a meeting between the teams five days ago, when they combined for six goals in the first period and the Islanders won 8-4. The Islanders held a 12-7 shots advantage in the first period, but the Capitals reversed that number in the second. It was the third time this season the Islanders and their opponents were scoreless through two periods. The third started with a more frenetic pace, with both teams trading chances before Nelson was finally able to put a shot past Vanecek, who finished with 38 saves. The Islanders fired 20 shots at Vanecek in the third. The Capitals won the first three meetings this season at home, outscoring New York 12-6. The teams will play two more times on Long Island and once in Washington. The Islanders are 17-4-1 in their last 22 games and 22-6-4 in their past 32. They have outscored their opponents 46-25 in the third period and 72-38 at home overall. IRON MEN The Islanders have three players with active streaks of least 200 games: Brock Nelson (284), Mathew Barzal (271) and Ryan Pulock (234). All three have appeared in every game since Barry Trotz became coach. Nelson is tied with Matt Moulson for fourth place in franchise history and 11 games from equaling captain Anders Lee, whose streak ended at 295 games on March 11 when he sustained a season-ending knee injury against the Devils. TROTZ AGAINST THE CAPITALS Since becoming coach of the Islanders before the 2018-19 season, Trotz is 6-7-0 in the regular season against the Capitals team he led to a Stanley Cup championship in 2018. Last Thursday’s win over Washington was the first in five tries at home against the Capitals over that span. The Islanders did defeat Washington in five games in last summer’s playoff bubble in Toronto.

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As Nationals fans return, Wizards and Capitals wonder when their turn will come

By Andy Kostka - The Washington Times Tuesday, April 6, 2021

At 2 p.m. Tuesday, the gates at opened. And for the first time in over a year, fans — remember those? — walked into a professional sports in D.C. to watch a game. There were only 5,000 allowed to attend. But when Washington raised its banner again, the muted roar that rang around the park still felt natural. Around the country, that scene is becoming more familiar again. After a sports shutdown preceded a fan lockout due to the coronavirus pandemic, supporters are returning to arenas in varied numbers, from the few in D.C. to the masses in Texas at Globe Life Field, which welcomed over 38,000 fans for the Rangers’ opening day Monday. But in Washington, the return of fans won’t come in one fell swoop. The Nationals and D.C. United are allowed limited capacities in their outdoor venues, but the Capitals and Wizards appear to be on pace to finish their seasons without any fans in attendance. That leaves Ted Leonsis — the owner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Wizards and Capitals — stewing. The city approved plans last month for the Nationals and D.C. United, but Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that a proposal for 10% capacity at Capital One Arena for Wizards and Capitals games is still pending. She didn’t offer an exact timetable for approval. In a statement provided to The Washington Post, Monumental Sports and Entertainment spokesperson Monica Dixon said “it appears we will complete the 20-21 season with no fans in attendance.” Apart from the Canadian franchises, the Capitals are one of just two American NHL teams that are playing in arenas with no fans at all, with the Chicago Blackhawks the other. There are eight NBA franchises that aren’t hosting fans yet, either, including the Wizards. Restrictions are loosening around the country, though. In Philadelphia, the Phillies received permission to up their stadium capacity from 20% to 25%, according to the Inquirer. Wells Fargo Arena, which hosts Flyers and Sixers games, will up its capacity limit five percentage points to 20%. The and Yankees host 20% capacity, while the indoor limits for the city’s NHL and NBA franchises are much more restricted. Still, there are fans inside those arenas. And elsewhere in the country, the restrictions are even lighter. The Rockies opened at 42.6% capacity, and the Diamondbacks are welcoming 20,000 fans. The scene at Globe Life Field for Monday’s Rangers game — fans arm to arm — is an outlier. After opening day, the team said it would operate at a slightly reduced capacity, with certain sections available for “distanced seating” in April and May. The 5,000 fans at Nationals Park on opening day Tuesday represented about 12% of the stadium’s capacity. In a release, the Nationals said “discussions have already begun with officials from the District about increasing capacity by May 1.” “It’s been a long time coming,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said of having fans back at the ballpark. “For me, this is only the start. We’re getting 5,000 fans, and hopefully we’ll continue to get more fans as the summer goes on. But I’m super excited to see the fans out there and having them cheer for us. It’s good for us, it’s good for baseball and it’s good for the city,” Meanwhile, fans are still waiting to return to Capital One Arena for Capitals and Wizards games. That wait might last until next season, without a clear path forward provided by Bowser and the city.

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Capitals fall in goalie duel as Islanders pull even in East

BY J.J. REGAN

Brock Nelson scored the lone goal in a goalie duel as the Capitals fell to the New York Islanders 1-0 on Tuesday. After an 8-4 scoring bonanza last week, both teams played a stingy defensive game and neither goalie blinked until the third period. The loss pulls the Islanders even with the Caps for first place in the East Division. Both teams now hold a four-point lead over the third-place Pittsburgh Penguins. Through five games between the Caps and Islanders, the home team has won all five. Of the three games remaining between Washington and New York, two of those three will be played on Long Island. Here is how Tuesday's loss happened. This game was a goalie duel so of course the winning goalie makes the list. Varlamov stood tall in net with 29 saves to keep the Caps off the scoreboard. The shutout is Varlamov's fourth of the season. Defense was clearly on the top of Washington's mind after giving up eight goals to the Islanders the last time these two teams met. That's not a bad thing and the Caps put together a strong defensive performance, but you do still have to get some offense to win and that's where Washington came up short. Varlamov had a strong game in net, but the Caps did not test him enough. While they did manage 29 shots on goal, Washington only had 10 high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick. They just did not manage to get enough offense or challenge Varlamov enough. A failed clear Nelson finally snapped the scoreless draw with less than seven minutes remaining in the game. Zdeno Chara had the puck behind the net after an offensive flurry from the Islanders. Nelson came to challenge him and Chara tried to wheel the puck around the boards and out of the defensive zone. Instead, it was picked up by Ryan Pulock at the blue line who sent the puck back on net with a wrister. The puck hit Josh Bailey in front and Nelson picked up the loose puck, took a step to open up Vanecek's 5-hole, and slid the puck into the net. After the goal, the Islander did not sit back and poured the offense on. Both teams had 19 shots on goal through two periods. In the third, New York doubled up the Caps 20-10.

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Both Vanecek, Samsonov are making a case to be Caps' starter

BY J.J. REGAN

Vitek Vanecek came up short in Tuesday's goalie duel as the Capitals fell 1-0 to the New York Islanders, but hist teammates still came away impressed by his performance. "Vitek made some huge saves for us at the other end to keep us in it," Justin Schultz said. "When he only lets in one goal, usually most of those games we will win if they keep it down to one," Eller said. "So I think he did everything we can ask from him today." Vanecek made 38 saves on 39 shots against the Islanders and, though his team fell short, the game was another strong performance for a netminder trying to cement his position with the team. Now 39 games into the season, there is still no clarity as to who the No. 1 netminder is for the Caps between Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov was brilliant in Sunday's win against the New Jersey Devils, but head coach Peter Laviolette elected to go back to Vanecek for Tuesday's game and Vanecek delivered with a strong performance of his own. "We got two great goalies to rely on and we are lucky to have them," Eller said. But there may be more at stake in the goalie competition than just the starting job. With the trade deadline less than a week away, the big question surrounding the Caps is if the team will acquire a veteran goalie? While Vanecek and Samsonov have each managed impressive records this season -- 15-7-3 for Vanecek and 9-2-1 for Samsonov -- they still remain two largely untested goalies with zero NHL playoff experience. Despite the team's success in the regular season, entering the playoffs with a goalie tandem of the 25-year-old Vanecek who has a .911 save percentage and the 24-year-old Samsonov with only a .896 save percentage would be a pretty big gamble. Bringing in a veteran would push one of the two young goalies out of the lineup completely and relegate him to the taxi squad. But deciding if the team needs to make such a move and which goalie will be the odd man out is becoming increasingly difficult because of performances like Samsonov had on Sunday and Vanecek had Tuesday. Against the Islanders, Vanecek gave the Caps a chance to win against the team's biggest challenger for the division crown. He also responded to a great performance from Samsonov as both netminders continue to vie not just for the No. 1 job, but to keep their spot in the lineup. “I think they are both capable of playing at a very high level," Eller said. "You know I wouldn’t want to be the one making the choice.”

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Caps still see room to improve defense after Isles game

BY ANDREW GILLIS

For 40 minutes of Tuesday’s game against the Islanders, the Capitals — specifically their defense — looked much improved from the version that allowed eight goals just five days earlier. But in a scoreless game headed to the final period, the Islanders ratcheted up the pressure. Goaltender Vitek Vanecek stood tall, but the constant waves of pressure from Islanders forwards kept the Capitals on their heels and, eventually, he relented. The Capitals fell 1-0 to the Islanders in a game that was better than their performance last time out, but still not to where the Capitals want it to be. “I think we gave them some pretty Grade-A chances,” defenseman Justin Schultz said. “Vitek kept us in it there. I think we're trying to do the right thing, trying to push there at the end especially when we got down one. Still can't give up those chances, but learn from it, get back to it.” The Islanders are the league’s best team at creating high-danger chances, and fifth in preventing high-danger chances on defense according to Natural Stat Trick. Their high-danger chances for percentage (60.83) is tops in the league. In terms of total numbers Tuesday, the shots didn’t favor the Islanders by a wide margin. At five-on-five, they out-attempted the Capitals 54-45 and outshot them 34-25. But the Capitals allowed 13 even-strength high- danger chances in the third period, and 23 in total, as the Islanders got to the scoring areas. The Capitals at even strength had 10 high-danger chances. “It was tight,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “The first, I think the edge probably went to them. I like the way we played the second period, seemed like we climbed back in it a little bit. It was tight, not a lot of room. Then in the third period, I thought that early on they had a lot of chances in the first three or four minutes. Maybe had five or six shots on net, some of them were real good looks.” Then as the Islanders took the eventual one-goal lead, they were able to capitalize on an aggressive Washington style. “Then I thought they had another five or six toward the end of the period when we were pressing,” Laviolette continued. “They caught us off the rush a couple times as we’re trying to get back into it when it's six minutes to go in the game. It’s one of those tight games, they got one by and we weren’t able to.” The major bright spot of Tuesday’s game was the play of Vanecek, who stopped 38 of 39 shots directed his way. But against an Islanders team that is so strong at creating and defending chances in the scoring areas, it proved to be too much. “When he only lets in one goal, usually most of those games we’ll win,” center Lars Eller said. “Vitek did everything we could ask of him today. I think he played as well as we could ask for.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.07.2021 1186696 Washington Capitals

Lundqvist approached surgery with same focus he does hockey

BY RYAN WORMELI

Veteran goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was supposed to be a significant presence for the Capitals between the pipes in 2021, but just before the season, all that changed. Lundqvist found out he would need to undergo open heart surgery at the end of 2020, and his availability for the current NHL season was no longer. He and his family were thrilled to be heading to Washington, but his career had to be put on hold as life got in the way. As Lundqvist's recovery has developed over the ensuing months, he has used his experience on the ice to help prepare him for his journey. "I was very calm," Lundqvist told NHL Network in an exclusive interview airing this week. "I think being an athlete and being used to focusing on things, I think that really helped me." For the former Vezina Trophy winner, not getting too far ahead of himself has been a key throughout what has been a trying period for himself and his family. "The first week it was a battle, couple setbacks, but then things started to improve a lot," Lundqvist said. "I think the key was mostly, I try to stay in the moment. Kind of like when you play the game. Don't look too far. 'Okay, this is what we need to do now,' stay in that, and just take it step by step, every day, just like it was a new period. So you don't look too far...that game mentality, almost." There were plenty of emotional moments along the way for Lundqvist. And there are surely more to come as his recovery continues and he gets closer to a potential return to the ice. But while in the hospital, he made sure to have a familiar mindset. "Those two weeks in the hospital, it was game time," he continued. "It felt like, 'okay, we're done with this series' when I left the hospital. On to the next one." For as much as he relied on his competitive spirit and prime time experience to get through the surgery, Lundqvist makes clear his biggest priority through it all. "You refocus," he explained. "A month earlier, it was all about preparing for the season. And now it's, I'm just happy to hug [my family]."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.07.2021 Washington Capitals The only reason I think the door is still open is the fact that Jaroslav 1186697 Halak tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday and has entered into the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list. With Tuukka Rask still out with an injury, Boston will be trying to cement a playoff spot with its third goalie, Playoff WATCH: Who are the Capitals likely to face? barring any deadline moves. Boston is the team to watch BY J.J. REGAN The Bruins are the real wild card in the East. With only 35 games played, Boston is still very much within striking distance of the top three in the division. Another three wins puts them in a tie with Pittsburgh. The goalie Believe it or not, there are only 18 games remaining for the Capitals in situation, however, also means Boston's comfortable lead over the Flyers the regular season. That means it is time to start talking about the and Rangers could evaporate very quickly. playoffs. And if they manage to tread water and not climb or fall, then they will play Washington currently sits atop the East Division and looks like a lock for the division winner which could very well be the Capitals. the playoffs. But who will they play? What teams will join them from the East? With less than a week before the trade deadline, let's look at the standings. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.07.2021 Washington, 54 points, 38 GP New York Islanders, 52 points, 38 GP Pittsburgh, 50 points, 38 GP Boston, 44 points, 35 GP Philadelphia, 41 points, 37 GP New York Rangers, 39 points, 37 GP New Jersey, 32 points, 36 GP Buffalo, 22 points, 37 GP If the playoffs were to start today, the Caps would be playing Boston in the first round. Given how great the games between those two teams have been this season, that's a series everyone would love to see. Here are a few thoughts on the early playoff picture. We may know the playoff field already The top three have already started to separate themselves from the pack. It is hard to see any of those three teams faltering at this point. Boston also looks in complete control of No.4. The race to watch down the stretch of the season may not be for who makes the playoffs, but just who finishes where. The battle for first Washington is in the driver's seat with a two-point lead over the Islanders and a four-point lead over the Penguins, but each team controls its own fate. The Caps have four games left to play against New York. Yes, Washington is 3-1-0 against them this season, but three of those four remaining games are on Long Island where the Islanders have lost only once in regulation in 18 games (and where they beat the Caps 8-4). Those are going to be tough games. Washington has only another two games against Pittsburgh, but the Penguins still have another five games against New Jersey and four games against Buffalo. Add in the three remaining games against the faltering Flyers and the Penguins certainly have an eminently soft schedule down the stretch. The Rangers probably aren't going to make the run everyone says they are Most Caps fans know by now that Washington has struggled against the Rangers this season with a 2-4-0 record in six meetings. After a slow start to the season, New York has gone on a bit of a run of late to vault themselves back into the playoff conversation. This has led to panic among fans who think the Rangers are going to just sneak into the playoffs and end up playing Washington in the first round, a matchup that does not seem ideal given the season record. But it is going to take a pretty dramatic finish for this to be possible. Sure, it is far too early to dismiss New York, but it is going to be a really tough hill for them to climb to sneak into the top four. Boston currently holds that spot with a five-point lead over the Rangers. That's not insurmountable but look at the games played. The Bruins also have two games in hand over New York. That makes the Rangers' chances really slim. New York's final two games of the season are against the Bruins setting up potentially a massive late-season showdown for a playoff spot, but those are also the Rangers' only two remaining games against Boston. Washington Capitals In the postseason, Protas recorded four points (one goal, three assists) 1186698 in five playoff games and was named Best Rookie of the KHL playoffs’ opening round. How NHL ready are Capitals prospects Aliaksei Protas and Alex Playing in the KHL marked a significant step up in competition level for Alexeyev after their KHL stints? Protas, who had dominated in the WHL in 2019-20, racking up 31 goals and 49 assists in 58 games for the Prince Albert Raiders. Now, the Caps want to see where Protas measures up against the organization’s top pro prospects. By Tarik El-Bashir “The fact that we could put Aliaksei in the KHL where he could play Apr 6, 2021 against men and really challenge him as a player, it turned out to be making the best of a tough situation,” Patrick said. “He handled it really well. As you watched his games throughout the year he went trying to With their KHL teams eliminated from the Gagarin Cup playoffs, Capitals figure his way around the league to actually being an impact player for prospects Alex Alexeyev and Aliaksei Protas are entering Phase 2 of his team.” their long, weird 2020-21 seasons: transitioning to Hershey of the AHL. Patrick added: “It was a crash course playing against men and playing at Washington recently reassigned Alexeyev and Protas — the Nos. 3 and a pretty high level. And now he’s over in Hershey and that’s the next 5 prospects in the Caps’ system, per colleague Scott Wheeler’s latest challenge for him. It’s another level of compete and physicality and ranking — to the Bears. Protas has already suited up for two games in another level of pro players while playing in a smaller rink in North Hershey, where he is centering the third line. Alexeyev, meantime, is America. He’ll figure it out because he’s a smart player. quarantining and, once stateside, will need to test negative for COVID-19 twice before joining the Bears, potentially as soon as this weekend. The Caps are stacked at center with Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Lars Eller and Nic Dowd all under contract next season but Chris Patrick, the Capitals’ director of player personnel, is among the they would love it if Protas put himself in the mix — along with 2019 first team officials that are eager to see just how far the two have come. rounder Connor McMichael and others — for a call-up in 2021-22 in the event the team runs into injury problems at the position, as it has this “Alex really took advantage of (his time in Russia), and used the season with Kuznetsov and Eller each missing games due to illness and opportunity to work on his game and, from what I’ve seen on video, to injury. work on his conditioning and hockey strength,” Patrick told The Athletic. So what’s next for Alexeyev and Protas? In the short term, the hope is Alexeyev, Washington’s 2018 first-round pick, was loaned to Salavat that build on their strong KHL seasons while helping the Bears remain in Yaelev Ufa in early September due to the uncertainty surrounding the the mix in the AHL’s North Division. (The league is still deciding whether immediate future of North America’s development leagues. At the time, there will be some sort of non-traditional playoff tournament to cap this the AHL was hoping to play but nothing was guaranteed. unique season.) Looking a few months down the road, the hope is that “It was a risk that ended up working out really well,” Patrick said. they’ll distinguish themselves in training camp and put themselves on Coach Peter Laviolette’s radar. Indeed it did, as Alexeyev earned a big role on Salavat Yulaev. The 6- foot-4, 210-pound defenseman ranked second on the team in points and third in average ice time among blueliners, while also seeing time on The Athletic LOADED: 04.07.2021 special teams. Alexeyev was named the KHL’s Rookie of the Month in January after recording four goals, three assists and a plus-6 rating in 11 games. In the playoffs, he recorded one assist in nine games as his team defeated Traktor in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals before being swept by AK Bars Kazan in the semis. Patrick said the internal hope is that Alexeyev will use the experience he gained in Russia and quickly apply the lessons he learned on the ice for the Bears. Director of player development Steve Richmond and his staff were in regular contact with Alexeyev while he was in Russia but it’s not the same as being able to talk to — and work with — a prospect face-to- face, Patrick noted. “It’s going to get us a good measuring stick for where he is,” Patrick said. “From everything we’ve seen, playing in the KHL was a really good experience for him. That’s both him playing in a good league, and it’s also on the player for taking responsibility and making it a point to keep improving while he was over there.” Alexeyev, who spent 58 games in Hershey as a first-year professional in 2019-20, projects as a reliable two-way defender who could also become a top penalty killer. He’s among a handful of young defensemen the Caps would like to see push for spot duty in D.C. next season, if not a bigger role. Jockeying for position along with Alexeyev are Jonas Siegenthaler, Martin Fehervary and Bobby Nardella, who joined the conversation this season while playing on loan for Djurgardens IF in Sweden’s SHL. In 47 games, Nardella is playing in all situations and has amassed seven goals and 26 assists. (As part of the loan agreement, Nardella cannot be recalled by Washington this season.) It’s too early to handicap how next year’s blue line might shape up. But we already know this much: Zdeno Chara is an unrestricted free agent and the Caps, who are always up against the salary cap ceiling, figure to be on the lookout for young, inexpensive options for the third pair. As for Protas, the plan had been to send the 2019 third-rounder back to the junior this season. But like many developmental leagues, the WHL’s start was delayed so the Caps made the decision to loan Protas to Dinamo Minsk, knowing it would be a big challenge for the talented but still raw 6-foot-6, 210-pound center. And it was. Protas finished the regular season tied for fifth on Dinamo Minsk in goals and tied for eighth in points, despite ranking 15th in time on ice per game with at least 30 games played. Winnipeg Jets game before Lewis was replaced with Wheeler on the right wing, only for 1186699 Dubois to pull up lame at practice the next day.

When Dubois returned to the lineup, he was moved to left wing, this time Dubois finds fit with Wheeler with Mark Scheifele as his centre and Wheeler on the opposite side. Dubois had a three-point night in his debut with the new line, with both of his goals assisted by Wheeler. By: Jeff Hamilton But after three consecutive games without a point, Maurice took out the line blender and for the next 14 games Dubois played centre between Posted: 12:09 AM CDT Wednesday, Apr. 7, 2021 Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers. While there was some success on the scoreboard — including two goals and six assists — Dubois, at times, seemed to struggle adjusting to the quickness of his wingers. Ehlers and It hasn’t always been a seamless transition for Pierre-Luc Dubois and the Connor aren’t known for their defence, either, so it became clear Dubois Winnipeg Jets. needed help in his own zone. That includes a rough start. That prompted a return to Dubois playing with Wheeler, along with Stastny on the other wing. In those four games, Dubois has three goals. Once the Jets acquired Dubois in a trade with the Columbus Blue Dubois said the chemistry with Wheeler and the entire line has been Jackets — a Jan. 23 deal that saw elite sniper Patrik Laine and Jack promising but that it’s still developing as he gets used to the Jets Roslovic go the other way — Dubois was required to undergo a two- systems. week quarantine before he could join his new team. And though it’s unclear if his confinement to a hotel room, creating a major challenge to "(Wheeler) is a great passer. He makes it easy out there sometimes. He stay in game shape, had anything to do with a lower-body injury he sees guys so well I just have to get in that open space and it’s more often suffered in his second game back, it was nevertheless a disappointing than not on my blade," Dubois said. "Stas, too, just makes it really easy turn of events having to miss a four-game stretch. for me out there, whether it’s in the D-zone or the O-zone. They’re always talking to me and telling me where they want me and stuff like Needless to say, given Dubois’ high potential to become a bona fide No. that." 1 centre and the fact the Jets will undoubtedly be looking to sign him long term, Winnipeg is doing everything they can to smooth the journey. A Maurice has a different perspective on Dubois and his play so far with the major piece of that puzzle has been putting the 22-year-old Dubois on a Jets. He doesn’t just look at point production, even if he understands line with captain Blake Wheeler. that’s important for a skilled player like Dubois to be contributing that way every night. Given that Dubois is still very much in the early stages of his NHL career — he’s currently the youngest player on the Jets roster — it certainly So in his evaluation, Maurice is quick to downplay any perceived makes sense to have the calming presence of Wheeler beside him. struggles. Perhaps it’s the fact Dubois is only 22 and very much still Wheeler, 34, has been one of the Jets most productive players in developing into the player he’ll eventually become. Winnipeg’s rise to relevance among the top clubs in the league. Simply put, it isn’t going to happen overnight. But Wheeler has also adjusted his game with age, resulting in a more calculated approach of where to be on the ice and when. He played the "I don’t feel Pierre has been going through that much. I’m not going to centre position for large parts of last season and so he knows what to do relate that to the players that left, but we’re really, really happy with to support Dubois in the defensive zone. It’s also no secret that’s why Pierre. It’s good for him to score goals. I know points are important, but Paul Stastny rounds out the trio; a full-time centre moved to wing, he’s a really good young centre-iceman that’s going to get better," Stastny has only further alleviated that pressure on Dubois to play a full Maurice said. 200-foot game. "I like him with Blake a lot. I think that’s helped his game. Maybe he feels "I’m the new guy in here, played 20-something games but everything’s better confidence-wise, scores two… I’m good with him. This is been a still new — in the practice and out there in the game. Yesterday our good thing for our team, we’re winning hockey games. He’s helped us do practice felt good. We did some two-on-two things, some two-on-two that. I guess numbers are important, they tell you more imperially that a work, some two-on-one, stuff like that just to get a feel for my linemates," guy’s having an impact in a game. But there’s so much growth here for Dubois said after a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators Monday, in which this young man and he’s going to be a good player for the Jets for a long he scored twice, including the game-winner. time. I’m good with where he’s at." "It feels good, brings confidence also. But when you’re playing with good Speaking of where he’s at, Maurice hinted at an eventual break up players like they have in this dressing room, they always make it easy for between Dubois and Wheeler. The hope, though, is by the time that you out there. They talk a lot. They’re good players, but also good happens, whatever still needs to be ironed out with the Jets newest people, good teammates. So they’re trying to make it easier for me out centre has been completed, making it full steam ahead come playoffs. there." "Because I’ve answered about four questions about this pairing, I’m not Wheeler has been the most noticeable for Dubois’ development, sure if it’s going to stay. I know that it may work and it may work long- particularly when it comes to contributing on the score sheet. Of the eight term, and we’re going to run this probably a good stretch of time," goals Dubois has scored for the Jets this season, Wheeler has set up Maurice said. four of them, including three primary assists. "You’re going to want to get fairly close to what we’re going to start with The most recent example was in Monday’s win. Wheeler took the puck as we get closer to the playoffs. So I like it for now. I’m not sure if it’s our from the right corner, behind the opponent’s net before feeding the puck best lineup just yet, still figuring that out. I think when we get off this five- to a moving Dubois, who cradled it before delivering a perfect shot under game road trip we will have a much better handle on it." the arm of Anton Forsberg for the game’s first goal. "So the part of that, ‘the game kind of slows down’ part is because Blake Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.07.2021 can kind of hang on to it under pressure, right? So some guys get the puck in a one-on-one battle in the corner and you need to come to him as fast as you can to provide help, where Blake you can maybe stay away from him a little bit. He’s got full control of the puck so you don’t have to come to him," coach Paul Maurice said. "So the part that I like about that is the turn that Blake makes under pressure. So he shakes a guy in the corner and he comes out and makes that pass. I think Pierre can do that. With his size and his strength he can control the puck like that. And I don’t think that’s necessarily been a part of his game, because it’s not for most of those young players. You’ll see Kyle Connor does that now, and he never did that when he first came into the league. He’ll take a guy one-on-one, understanding his speed and how to use it. So he’s learning from Blake." Maurice eased Dubois into the lineup back in late February, starting him on a third line with Connor and Trevor Lewis. That would only last one Winnipeg Jets place team take their place? Those would turn this all into a farce, 1186700 frankly.

All of these scenarios are likely keeping league executives awake at Bubble beckons as best bet for Canadian teams night. Which is why returning to a bubble is the only option to pretty much guarantee they go off without a hitch. This isn't some wild, pie-in-the-sky idea floated out by yours truly, either. I'm told the NHL is very much exploring this possibility based on recent events, which only makes By: Mike McIntyre sense. Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Tuesday, Apr. 6, 2021 This would likely just be a made-in-Canada solution, for the first two rounds of the playoffs, and not the full-scale operation we saw last year. You likely don't need it south of the border for the other dozen playoff I hate to burst your bubble Canadian hockey fans, but the NHL has no teams. The majority of players either have been, or will be, vaccinated by choice but to continue shutting you out of its rinks this spring while then. if you haven't noticed, the U.S. rollout is putting ours to shame. bringing the four playoff clubs into one very familiar, and frustrating, environment. Needles in the arms of Canadian-based players may still be months away given the current tortoise-like pace around here. And no, they That's right. I'm talking Hub City 2: Electric Boogaloo. should not be allowed to jump the queue. Which leaves the NHL in a very difficult position, with variant numbers on the rise and the predicted "third Last summer's unique post-season went off without a hitch in Edmonton wave" on the way. and Toronto, with nary a positive COVID-19 test in sight once the 24 qualifying teams got settled while following strict health and safety The Vancouver situation is a stark reminder that we're not out of the protocols, eventually crowning a champion two months later. At the time, woods yet. The league has too much at stake to come this far, only to it was the only way to finish the 2019-20 season as the deadly global risk having it blow up in its faces. Fortunately, they have a proven pandemic was still in its early stages. method of keeping the virus at bay while continuing to play, one they've successfully pulled off. As recently as a couple weeks ago, such a move seemed unnecessary for this 2021 campaign, which began in mid-January and is slated to run As much as it pains me to say it — and as difficult as this is going to be through early July. Sure, there have been some bumps in the road, but for the league, its northern playoff teams and fan-bases eager to get virus numbers were improving, vaccines were increasing and outbreaks back in the rink to cheer them on — there's only one clear option right on several teams were in the rear-view mirror. Most American teams now. began opening their doors, with some buildings now regularly drawing thousands of spectators. We're going to have to go back to the bubble. North of the border, hope was springing eternal. The all-Canadian division was the only one that hadn't been impacted in any way. In fact, Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.07.2021 organizations such as the Winnipeg Jets began quietly preparing behind- the-scenes for the potential return of fans as early as mid-May, when the run to Lord Stanley begins. It was seen as the light at the end of a very dark tunnel, and the opportunity to finally start bringing some much- needed revenue back into the empty coffers. But all of that wishing and planning and optimism just came to a screeching halt based on what is currently going down in Vancouver. A game-changer, and not in a good way. It has been two weeks since the Canucks last played a game, a 5-1 loss on home ice to the Jets. When, or if, they hit the ice again this year is anybody's guess. As of Tuesday, 18 regular players, along with three coaches and a taxi squad member are all in COVID-19 protocol. Based on reports, the majority of them have tested positive. Some have experienced severe symptoms, including vomiting and nausea. At least one had to get IV treatments. Many family members are sick as well. You can count the number of healthy players on one hand. The best- case scenario is they all make a full recovery. I don't want to even fathom the alternatives. This is, unquestionably, the worst outbreak to hit the NHL. And that's saying something, considering the Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and, most recently, the Montreal Canadiens have all dealt with multiple positive cases that had led to shutdowns and postponed games. What makes this the biggest concern yet is twofold. Firstly, the P.1 Brazilian variant of the virus is said to be involved, which is more transmissible than the original strain. This could explain why one positive test (Adam Gaudette) quickly turned into a full-blown outbreak. It's also a more dangerous variant, especially for younger people, which the Canucks could certainly attest to. The other is timing. We are now just five weeks away from the scheduled start of the playoffs. Vancouver still has 19 games remaining on their schedule, and it's looking increasingly bleak like there's a way to fit those in, given their current state. It's not the end of the world considering they are far out of the playoff race, and perhaps some otherwise meaningless contests against fellow bottom-feeders in Calgary and Ottawa could ultimately just be scrubbed. The NHL could just use point percentage to decide draft order. But the bigger issue is what would happen if a playoff team were to be stricken like this? Imagine the Jets, Maple Leafs, Oilers or Canadiens were to be blindsided like this in a month from now. What happens then? Do the playoffs just grind to a halt for multiple weeks until they can, hopefully, get back to health and return to action? Do they forfeit their series? Does the fifth- Winnipeg Jets "So, it feels good that you’re getting rewarded for all the hard work and 1186701 that you know you’re doing the right things and you’re headed in the right direction. But you never arrive. You’re always wanting to get that much better. An arresting case for Copp "There are always more opportunities in the game for you to create more and to make one more play, make one more pass, put one in the net. There’s always more and I’m just trying to have that attitude and trying to By: Jeff Hamilton kind of continue to put the pedal down." Posted: 4:00 AM CDT Tuesday, Apr. 6, 2021 Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.07.2021 The Winnipeg Jets are stacked with talented offensive players, but few are as trusted as Andrew Copp. Consider Monday’s 4-3 victory over the visiting Ottawa Senators. Not only did Copp lead all forwards in ice time, logging 19:12 through three periods of play, he was also the only forward to play a significant role in all three phases of the game. The 26-year-old Michigan native finished the night with two assists, adding to a career season where he’s eclipsed personal bests in goals, assists and points. Copp now has 30 points (12G, 18A) in 39 games. That’s already two points better than his former career-high season of 28 points that he scored during the 2017-18 campaign — a feat he reached playing in all 82 games that year. On his first assist Monday, Copp set up Adam Lowry in the second period to give Winnipeg a 2-0 edge. Less than five minutes later, he connected on the power play with Pierre-Luc Dubois, who one-timed Copp’s pass to put the home side up by a two-goal cushion, 3-1. If that wasn’t enough, Copp also logged a team-high 4:46 on the penalty kill. The Jets PK unit went 3-for-4 on the night, including killing off three straight Sens power plays in the opening 20 minutes. "Well, he’s absolutely earned it, right? Nothing ever given to Andrew. And he’s developed his game. Really worked hard on becoming an offensive player and he’s always had that defensive gift. So no different than those great offensive players," Jets head coach Paul Maurice said after the game. "You have guys that have defensive acumen, right? They read the plays very well, all of the time. It’s his strength. But then he’s worked on his hands. He’s worked on making plays. Andrew can play on any line and effectively, and he transitions back and forth very well between the right defensive read, the right level of risk in his game to make a play. He’s unusual in that. There are not a lot of guys like him." That was high praise from the man who controls the players’ ice time. But ask Dubois about Copp, and the respect comes from a different place. Before being acquired by the Jets in a trade midseason, Dubois would regularly play against Copp while he was the top centre for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Copp, who plays with Lowry and Mason Appleton, is an integral part of a line often tasked with shutting down the opponent’s best trio of forwards. Dubois said that wasn’t a lot of fun. "You win with players like that. You need every kind of player in your lineup but to have a guy like him, look at the entire line like that. You can use him offensively, defensively to go get the momentum, get the momentum back, whatever you need. Those three guys they do a really good job for our team," Dubois said. "When I used to play against the Jets, I saw a lot of him and he was a player I didn’t like playing against because he plays hard, he’s strong on the puck, he can make plays. So to have a player like that on your team, it really helps. Also as the season goes on, as the playoffs start, as the game gets faster and tighter, guys like that really show up." Copp has become accustomed this year to providing reporters with the secret behind his success in 2021. He’s often credited his work away from the rink and his determination to get better every time he touches the ice. There’s a great confidence in Copp right now and it continues to grow. After a solid month of March, where he registered 12 points in 17 games, he has three points in two games to kick off April. With 17 games remaining in the regular season, Copp still has time to add significantly to his point totals. "I think just executing, really. This is a player that I have been growing up, and through junior and college that I’ve wanted to be relied on to be a 200-foot (player) — PP, PK, playing in every situation. I think that was kind of what was always my goal in the NHL," Copp said. Winnipeg Jets “Where he fits and how he fits, I’d just say he fits,” Maurice said. “And 1186702 that will change as he goes forward. The young players always want more early, and then they kind of go through that process where they understand they have to develop all parts of the game. He’s willing to do With less on his shoulders, Jets' Dubois able to develop game that, he’s built to do it. And it’s innate for him to do some of those good defensive things, so he has that. And then he’s just going to grow and play against the other team’s best at some point in time.” Scott Billeck That may be the crux of all of this: fit. Publishing date: Apr 06, 2021 Dubois does fit, as Maurice said. But the right fit is something that both sides are still searching for, and something that’s exceedingly difficult to render during a pandemic season. Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois readies for the drop of the puck against the Montreal Canadiens in Winnipeg on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. You’re seeing a better fit now with Wheeler and Stastny than you were with Connor and Ehlers simply due to styles. Put another way, Wheeler Truthfully, Paul Maurice said he doesn’t know. and Stastny are better suited to the power game that Dubois possesses. And to the Winnipeg Jets head coach, even if he did, it’s not important. Even despite that, Maurice isn’t married to the current trio either. When faced with a question regarding a theory of comfortability for “I know that it may work and it may work long-term, and we’re going to Pierre-Luc Dubois — that he perhaps has more of it now than he did run this probably a good stretch of time,” Maurice said. “You’re going to during his tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets — Maurice brushed it want to get fairly close to what we’re going to start with as we get closer aside as irrelevant. to the playoffs. I like it for now. I’m not sure if it’s our best lineup just yet — still figuring that out. I think when we get off this five-game road trip “Because who you are as a 19-year-old and a 22-year-old and a 24-year- (beginning in Montreal on Thursday) we will have a much better handle old is just going to change,” he said. “The player changes, especially at on it.” that age. That curve is really steep. We’ll kind of relearn about Pierre-Luc just like Nikolaj (Ehlers) and Kyle (Connor) and all those young players But Maurice is certain of one thing: “We’re really, really happy with that come in because they change every year. They get stronger, they Pierre.” get faster. Where we play him, who we play him with, will change as he changes.” From the perspective of an onlooker, it sure does seem that Dubois has Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.07.2021 less of a burden to carry in Winnipeg thus far. That’s because that’s exactly the case. For the first time since entering the league back in 2017-18, Dubois can focus on developing without the pressures that come with being the guy. No longer — for now, at least — does Dubois have to be relied upon to score the pivotal goal or provide the crucial pass to create one. Instead, the Jets can deploy him between two guys with a combined 1,954 NHL games under their belts, and let veteran leadership do its thing. “It feels good, brings confidence also but when you’re playing with good players like they have in this dressing room, they always make it easy for you out there,” said Dubois, who potted two goals in a 4-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on Monday. “They talk a lot. They’re good players, but also good people, good teammates so they’re trying to make it easier for me out there.” Maurice feels it’s benefitted Dubois, who has eight goals and 16 points in 24 games with the Jets. “This is been a good thing for our team, we’re winning hockey games,” Maurice said. “He’s helped us do that. I guess numbers are important, they tell you more empirically that a guy’s having an impact in a game.” The ability to parachute guidance for Dubois is something the Jets can, and have, leaned on since he arrived. Getting to play with Mark Scheifele to start and now centring a line with Wheeler and Stastny has been a boon for both the player and the team. Because Dubois hasn’t emerged as a night-in, night-out powerhouse just yet, some have been underwhelmed by his impact thus far. The runaway hype train came chuggin’ down the tracks when Dubois arrived and there’s a sect of the fanbase that feels the locomotive has lost some of its steam. Admittedly, Dubois’s games haven’t all been masterclasses. The strapping centre has had his off nights, something to be expected by a 22-year-old who has barely practised with the team since joining them back in January. “We were talking about it a bit, having no practices,” Dubois said. “I’m the new guy in here, played 20-something games but everything’s still new, in the practice and out there in the game.” These don’t equate to excuses, however. Simple things such as just getting a feel for his linemates isn’t something that’s been afforded to Dubois. The Jets got a practice in on Sunday for the first time in nearly a month. It was there Dubois got a chance to work on a few different things with Blake Wheeler and Paul Stastny. Vancouver Canucks depth addition is a cap challenge with the recent trade for Eric Staal and 1186703 the signing of prospect Cole Caufield to an entry-level contract.

And with Brendan Gallagher lost Monday to a fractured right thumb, after COVID-19: Trade deadline tougher for Canucks amid uncertain return being struck by a shot from teammate Alexander Romanov, the gritty, sparkplug, 14-goal winger is expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks. The Habs can either ride it out with Gallagher or get creative before the trade deadline. They have a priority at wing and not the blue-line. Ben Kuzma UFAs Travis Hamonic, 30, and Alex Edler, 34, have no-movement Publishing date: Apr 06, 2021 clauses. Hamonic won’t waive his because of family reasons and hopes to return. Edler’s status with his NMC is undetermined. Tanner Pearson's future surrounded by trade-deadline, injury, contract- The obvious off-season priority is extensions for Elias Pettersson and extension intrigue. Quinn Hughes. Which is why waive-wire claims Jimmy Vesey and Travis Boyd, who are both 27 and UFAs on US$900,000 and US$700,000 deals Health is always an issue at the NHL trade deadline. respectfully, are intriguing.If the versatile forwards are part of the future here, and Vasili Podkolzin makes the transition from the KHL, then Jake If a player is injured, or has an uncertain recovery timeline, it’s going to Virtanen and Adam Gaudette could be expendable. affect his market value. So is salary remaining on expiring contracts because money coming in has to equal money going out for many salary- So it could still be a manic Monday. Or not. cap-strapped clubs. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.07.2021 For the Vancouver Canucks, the biggest concern in advance of the Monday trade deadline is a COVID-19 outbreak that has ravaged the roster since placing their season on pause March 31. With six games already postponed, arrival of the aggressive Brazilian P.1 virus variant, and players enduring varying degrees of illness while in isolation until at least Sunday, how do you sell a player on Monday? Tanner Pearson is an example of the perfect storm. The unrestricted free-agent winger wants to remain in Vancouver and there have been preliminary contract-extension discussions. However, the left winger is sidelined with an ankle injury and had hoped to start skating last week. Then came COVID-19 and the variant. And in a trade market where there are more sellers than buyers and a glut of UFA wingers, where does Pearson stand? A suitor might only offer a provisional draft pick because of health concerns — the more he plays, the higher the pick — and that wouldn’t satisfy the Canucks. Pearson’s expiring cap hit is also US$3.75 million, so that’s another hurdle for a trade partner. However, even though the winger went 10 games without a goal and had just one in a 14-game span before his March 17 injury — making it just 11 points (6-5) in 33 games — there seems to be a sense that he might be a keeper. Pearson, 28, did endure a 14-game scoring drought early in the 2019-20 campaign before finishing strong with 21 goals and 45 points in 69 games. He does have a championship pedigree with the Los Angeles Kings and the Canucks are mindful of retaining enough of a veteran element to guide the younger emerging core. A month ago, general manger Jim Benning said in a news conference that Pearson was a contract-extension priority. “Tanner is an important player in our group,” said Benning. “He’s strong on the wall and gets to the front of the net. But the way he handles himself on a day-to-day basis is a guy that we want our younger players around. He’s won a Stanley Cup. I think he helps with our culture in our room and in our group.” But how much of the older guard is too much? Brandon Sutter, 32, and Jordie Benn, 33, are UFAs who would add depth for Canadian division teams with championship aspirations. The Oilers showed a level of interest in Sutter, who prefers to re-sign here, as a third-line centre to help bolster Edmonton’s presence in faceoffs (17th) and the penalty kill (18th). But, again, money is the matter with an expiring US$4.375 million cap constraint. The Oilers have a fourth-round pick to dangle, but would have to move a player out — somebody like struggling New Westminster native Kyle Turris — or have the Canucks eat part of the remaining deal. That’s not happening. And the Canucks have other plans for the middle. Sutter has a modified no-trade clause and a list of 15 teams he can’t be dealt to. Edmonton would be attractive to take a run at winning a Stanley Cup, but that’s not his priority at the moment. Could it change? Doubtful, but we shall see. If not, the Oilers’ focus may shift to UFA centre Luke Glendening, 31, of the Detroit Red Wings because of lower cap hit (US$1.8 million) and familiarity with Oilers GM Ken Holland. The Canadiens lauded Benn’s two full seasons in Montreal before he joined the Canucks. However, his expiring US$2 million cap hit as a 1186704 Vancouver Canucks With the Canucks so adversely affected, they’re now the case study. “In the future, if we find other variants, we should assume the worst and

clamp down on behaviours and public-health measures,” said Dr. Brian COVID-19: Canucks winger Jake Virtanen joins NHL protocol list amid Conway, president and chief medical officer of the Vancouver Infectious variant confusion Diseases Centre. “We didn’t do it this time. “Let’s learn for next time.” Ben Kuzma Publishing date: Apr 06, 2021 Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.07.2021

Jake Virtanen of the Vancouver Canucks pictured during the pre-game warmup prior to an NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets at on Feb. 19, 2021. When Jake Virtanen was added to the NHL’s protocol list for the coronavirus Tuesday, the number of afflicted Vancouver Canucks on the active roster grew to 18. Add three infected coaches, two unnamed compromised players on the taxi squad, and the escalating numbers have led to many questions and no answers. How did this occur? How did the Brazilian (P.1) virus variant become part of the outbreak? How much longer must players isolate, and when will the club return to complete some semblance of a season? Or, should it? Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that the virus variant identified as affecting the Canucks was news to her. “I’m not aware that any of the cases in the Canucks’ organization are related to P.1 and I don’t know where that started,” said Henry. “This just tells us that once this virus gets a hold, it can spread very quickly despite having routine testing protocols to protect people as much as possible. “My heart goes out to the Canucks. I know Vancouver Coastal is working very closely with them to make sure that they get the support and that the team members and their families are assessed and tested and get the health care that they need as well. This is a reminder to all of us. The virus spreads quickly in young people and they can have very serious illness sometimes. And even with the best of intentions, it can get in without people even recognizing it. “This is a cautionary tale for all of us. We have seen an increase in the last few months or few weeks of the P.1 and it’s a strain that we’re screening for. We have 877 confirmed cases with this P.1 and 106 are active cases. And the majority of cases are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region and primarily in the Lower Mainland, and a good proportion in Whistler.” In the interim, the one certainty for the Canucks is that frustration is reigning supreme. Postmedia News was told that one veteran player, who preferred not to be identified, continues to experience significant headaches behind the eyes. He thought he was getting better and then lost his senses of taste and smell Tuesday. Nils Hoglander, Jalen Chatfield, Marc Michaelis, Travis Boyd, Bo Horvat, , Tyler Motte, Brandon Sutter, Tyler Myers, Thatcher Demko, Alex Edler, Quinn Hughes, Zack MacEwen, Antoine Roussel, Braden Holtby, Adam Gaudette and Travis Hamonic are other roster players on the protocol list. The Canucks have been meeting with the league and plan to address the media at some point. The NHL believes the Canucks can finish their season in some manner by citing examples of other teams who have had COVID-19 issues. Two months ago, the New Jersey Devils had 17 players on the league’s protocol list and the team was shut down for two weeks. The Dallas Stars had 17 players test positive during training camp and their first three games of the 2020-21 regular season were postponed. However, the virus variant wasn’t there then. It is now and it’s a beast. The P.1 variant is three times as contagious and is attacking the 20 to 39 age bracket, which is the Canucks’ demographic. They were scheduled to play at Edmonton on Saturday and that has now become the Oilers in Calgary to face the Flames. That pushes the Canucks’ postponed games total to six. According to the medical community, those afflicted by the virus variant can develop respiratory system problems, shortness of breath and inflammation, and the timeline for recovery is uncertain. In B.C., the P.1 variant arrived quickly. Initially, there weren’t a significant number of cases and the thought was it was no more than 50 per cent more contagious. Vancouver Canucks The Canucks faithful call for Benning’s head every other week. That is 1186705 not going to happen. Owner Francesco Aquilini continues to have faith in him and his ability to build a Cup contender. Rocked by COVID-19, Canucks will need to find the energy to finish However, it will take a special group to beat any team that Connor disappointing season McDavid is on, or Auston Matthews for that matter, too. But Vancouver does have a core that should be able to compete with anyone a few years down the road. GARY MASON Right now, however, the team is simply focused on getting healthier and finishing what will surely be one of the strangest and grimmest years in VANCOUVER franchise history. PUBLISHED 10 HOURS AGO UPDATED APRIL 6, 2021 Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.07.2021

It‘s hard to imagine a Vancouver Canucks season flying as far off script as this one. After a stirring run in last year’s playoffs, the team entered the 2020-21 campaign as a solid bet to build on their unexpected success and go even further this time around. Instead, their season is now pretty much a write-off, with almost every player on the team infected with COVID-19 and their hopes for the playoffs all but extinguished. The team could well have as many as eight games to reschedule once it is ready to resume action. It’s believed the league has a plan to make them up by cramming in a few extra games during the regular season and using a buffer week after it concludes that was designed for just this sort of eventuality. Those are the practical matters that flow from a COVID outbreak among an NHL team. Then there are the real-life concerns that stem from an eruption of a COVID mutant, the more transmissible and deadly P.1 variant, and the impact, both in the short and long term, that it could have on the health of the players and their families. While everyone is expected to recover, it’s difficult envisioning the virus not taking some sort of short-term toll on the players. Sure, when they come back they will have cleared the protocols imposed on those recovering from the disease, but will they all be 100 per cent? It’s hard to think that is possible. After the Buffalo Sabres returned to action following a COVID outbreak, the team proceeded to lose 18 games in a row. This would all be worse for the Canucks if they were playing before packed crowds. They aren’t. And they won’t be until next season. Consequently, with money tight, ownership didn’t make many off-season moves that would cost money. No one saw this as a potential Stanley Cup year for Vancouver anyway, so why splurge on pricey free agents? That is likely to happen in a year or two when the team, if all goes according to plan, has the look of a legitimate Cup challenger. At a point in the season when many Canucks supporters thought they’d be looking at the standings to figure out potential postseason seedings, they now gaze at them imagining what a lottery pick might look like. As of Tuesday, there were only six teams with fewer points. Hard to say where things will end up, but the Canucks are highly unlikely to go on a post-COVID tear. They also have more talent than Buffalo, so a losing streak of those proportions is just as far-fetched. When play does resume, Vancouver is likely to have superstar centre Elias Pettersson back from a hand injury that kept him out of action for several games before the shutdown. So that should help. As long a shadow as COVID has cast over the Canucks season this year, all is certainly not lost. That shadow will eventually recede and the sun could shine brightly on this team in the not-too-distant future. It has an exciting nucleus in Pettersson, defenceman Quinn Hughes, captain Bo Horvat and sniper Brock Boeser. Goalie Thatcher Demko looks like a future Vézina finalist. Swedish rookie Nils Hoglander has surpassed expectations and is a nice complementary piece. And the team will be bolstered next year by Russian power forward Vasily Podkolzin, who NHL Hall of Famer Igor Larionov has likened to a Mark Messier-like brute. We’ll see. Some veterans with big contracts will move on next season, freeing up money to be used elsewhere. There is a good chance the team buys Loui Eriksson out of the last year of his six-year, $36-million deal, the worst signing of the Jim Benning era as general manager. Head coach Travis Green and the team have so far not been able to agree on a new deal, although most expect there to be a meeting of the minds after the season concludes. Websites When Kiesewetter devoted his athletic attention to hockey full time, he 1186706 was 12.

“People looked at him like, ‘Who are you?’” Krisztina said. “He had to Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: Sabres juggling multiple scenarios ahead of gain that respect. He worked to learn technique. He watched video. I trade deadline started watching games, and he would tell me what I was looking at. He’d say, ‘Watch for this now,’ and — boom! — it would happen. He’s a very organized person, except for his laundry.” Elliotte Friedman@FriedgeHNIC “When he did decide, he was just all in,” Eklund added. “The thing that really stood out was he just didn’t want to take the easy path.” April 6, 2021, 3:33 PM Summer hockey doesn’t have the greatest reputation, but Kiesewetter embraced it because he needed to make up the lessons he needed to Patrick turned out to be good at the breaststroke. In fact, around age six, learn. He also chose to play for some teams that weren’t very good, he was one of the best breaststrokers in his age group in the province…. because it meant a heavy workload. Krisztina said the first time she But his enthusiasm was short-lived. He loved to compete, but he wasn’t started getting questions about her son’s future came after a 60-save crazy about swimming. performance. “It’s freezing cold at the pool. I want to play hockey,” he said. The game Thomas remembers came on Jan. 4, 2019. He made the varsity team at Sacred Heart — a high school — as a Grade Eight “It was really cool when I read that,” 16-year-old Thomas Kiesewetter student. That night, the opponent was Bishop Feehan. says, from his home in Massachusetts. “That someone like Patrick Roy also had a path like me.” “We knew we were going to get crushed,” he said. Four years ago, Kiesewetter made a choice. A talented swimmer, he still They did — 7-0. holds seven long-course records in the breaststroke and one in the “I remember, they had shots on goal on the scoreboard. At the end of the freestyle for the Cape Cod Swim Club. But, like Roy, “I really didn’t like game it was 83. I think it was 6–0 after the second period, and I told the going to swim practice, and I always found myself so excited to get on coaches I wanted to finish the game. I was proud I only gave up one goal the ice.” in the third.” His mother, Krisztina, loved watching him in the pool. He laughs. “I resisted him going full-speed into hockey,” she says, with a laugh. “I “I just loved getting bombarded. It was good development, and that was a held on to the swimming, because the way he is built, he could have fun group of people.” gone anywhere with swimming. (Thomas is a lean six-foot-six.) But he said, ‘Mom, I’m a goalie, don’t you understand?’” Kiesewetter had an excellent 2019–20 for Boston College High, and the prep school offers rolled in. Tony Amonte, who played 1,174 NHL games, “I’m glad that she saw it my way,” Thomas says. “She’s now my biggest is the coach at famed Thayer Academy — alumni including Brooks Orpik, fan.” Jeremy Roenick and Ryan Whitney. Krisztina came to the U.S. from her native Hungary in the mid-1990s to “He told us, ‘You’re my guy,’” Krisztina said. “You’re my starter if you take an MBA at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. That’s come here.” where she met classmate Eric Kiesewetter. A significant challenge emerged as their relationship grew. She showed great character and “It was easy for me to say,” Amonte replied. “It was the truth, and I courage in a battle with cancer, but, as a result, could not bear children. thought it took the pressure off him. When he’s in the butterfly, he takes up a lot of the net. His shoulders are almost at the crossbar. It’s hard not They adopted their first child, son Teddy, from Russia in 2002. to notice him. “We were just delighted to become parents,” Krisztina said. “And we “He’s got an addiction with Connor Hellebuyck. Loves him. Watches him thought a family of four would be really great for everybody,” she said, so every night.” they went back for Tom, who was born in 2005. (For the record, Kiesewetter says he likes Andrei Vasilevskiy and “He was abandoned at birth, taken to the orphanage within two days. We MacKenzie Blackwood, too.) met him for the first time at 10 months and were able to adopt him at 13 months. We’ve talked about it from the very beginning. It’s part of both Kiesewetter split this season between Thayer and a club team, the boys’ identities.” Boston Junior Eagles. He works hard to keep his focus on the challenges directly in front of him, not think about what could be two or three years On the back of his mask are American and Russian flags. down the road. Thomas joked that some of his teammates call him “Vlad” or “Moscow.” But, as Eklund says, “Colleges aren’t stupid — they’re keeping tabs on The city he’s from is called Novokuznetsk. It’s also the home of Florida’s where these kids are. A dozen have called me about him.” Sergei Bobrovsky and highly regarded Columbus prospect Daniil And, last weekend, the family took a call from a team in the QMJHL. Tarasov, who just made his North American debut for AHL Cleveland. “He’s got a lot to learn,” Eklund says. “He hasn’t played high-level hockey “This is why I say I didn’t have a choice” in Thomas’s decision of hockey for six, seven, eight years like some of these kids. But he is gaining over swimming, Krisztina laughs. “I don’t know what is in the water in knowledge fast. Every time you see him, you see an improvement in Siberia, but Bobrovsky and Tarasov are from there, and when Tom something. His best years are ahead of him. He’s so driven that I would started playing hockey, he immediately went to the net. I have zero be floored if he doesn’t come very close to what he thinks he could end hockey background, but my kids converted me.” up being.” “I can’t watch him. I’m a nervous wreck. At the same time, it gives me “He doesn’t shy away,” Amonte adds. “He’ll sit in net all day and take tremendous pride. I’m going to fully support his dream.” pucks. I’ve seen him face 55 breakaways in a row in practice, and stay in Goaltender Brian Eklund was selected 226th overall by Tampa Bay in the net, exhausted.” 2000. The highlight of his four-year professional career was starting for It’s an incredible journey. An indirect path. And so far to go. the Lightning in Montreal on Nov. 8, 2005 — a 3–2 Canadiens victory. In the last 15 years, he coached at Harvard, at Boston University and now “I give my coaches so much credit,” Kiesewetter says. “If you saw me two with the New Jersey Devils. He also started MassCrease, a goaltending years ago, and you saw me today, I don’t look like the same goalie. I’ve school in Massachusetts, and volunteered his time to hockey done a lot of work, but there’s still more to do.” organizations. 31 Thoughts: The Podcast Kiesewetter was in the under-10 age group with the Cape Cod Canal Sharks when Eklund first saw him. Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what “I remember going on the ice saying, ‘I think that kid’s out there in the they think about it. wrong hour,’” he said. “(The coaches) chuckled and were like, ‘No, that’s Tommy Kiesewetter.’ I just remember him standing out, because he was 1. There will be more time for everyone to process their feelings, but one just so much bigger than everybody else.” of the questions surrounding the Canucks is if any player/coach/staff member decides they don’t want to continue the season. It may not simply be about that individual. Brendan Sutter’s father, Brent, told Eric 9. Palmieri was with New Jersey at its Tuesday-morning skate. He and Francis on Monday that his son has “body aches, headaches, chills” and the Devils simply are not close on an extension, so we are where we are. is concerned about wife Giselle (who is pregnant) and their two young I’m imagining a poker game with Adams, Tom Fitzgerald, Lou Lamoriello children. and several other GMs trying to bluff each other over the same players and similar trade scenarios. “They were just told to get into quarantine and have the wife and kids go down to the rink to get tested every day. There’s a lot to this, what the 10. I still don’t know what to make of the Bruins. Tuukka Rask is on their families have to do now.” road trip, and they know his health better than anyone else. There’s a loyalty to their veterans, and a realization there aren’t many more years Players may not want to be traded away from their families, or even want for this core. I hear them linked to Palmieri and Hall, but I’ve also heard to go on a road trip while the Brazilian variant wreaks havoc in the they don’t think a rental is a good idea for the cost. Now, if they can province. If the Canucks do resume play this season (and the hope is extend someone or get someone with term, it makes more sense to me. they will), sometime around April 16 appears the earliest it could be We’ll see. considered. Some who tested positive avoided symptoms, while others are thankfully recovering. 11. Underrated transaction of the week: Florida sending Vinnie Hinostroza to Chicago for Brad Morrison. It gives Hinostroza a chance to Of all the COVID-related shutdowns this season, Buffalo’s was play, but it also clears cap room for the Panthers. considered harshest in terms of symptoms suffered, but this strain surpassed it. As I write this, there wasn’t anyone who needed to go to the The two teams I’m most curious about heading into the deadline are hospital, and I have heard of just one player who needed an IV drip Toronto and Florida. I believe the Maple Leafs will add; it’s just a matter brought to their home (though compatriot Iain MacIntyre reported of what. The Panthers, meanwhile, enter Tuesday tied atop the standings Monday it happened “in a couple of instances.”) with Colorado. The NHL is treating this as if everyone is affected, even if everyone I believe players decide a team’s course of action, and the players in doesn’t record a positive test. So, we’ll need a few days without any new Florida have shown they deserve to be rewarded. It’s borderline cases and, more importantly, we’ll need to see how everyone impossible to replace Aaron Ekblad, but I do think they’re considering recuperates. If the Canucks need AHL re-enforcements (and that options big and small. contingency is being prepared), anyone coming from Utica will need to cross-border quarantine, and the Comets returned to practice Monday After I said on Monday’s podcast that they’re going to take a big swing, a after a COVID closure of their own. couple of sources pushed back, saying the Panthers are taking pains not to rush into anything. They’ve got some interesting decisions: Carry both 2. One player saw Saturday’s report about the possibility of playoff Chris Driedger and Spencer Knight? Add a scorer like Hall or Palmieri? bubbles and texted that I was trying to “scare” the players. (I’m only scary Go for D? when I wake up in the morning.) It’s not what anyone wants, but it’s a conversation that will happen purely to make sure there’s a plan. What I’ve heard is that they want this season’s magic to be a multiple- year thing, and won’t do anything to stupidly jeopardize that. Dallas GM Jim Nill said Sunday the Stars travelling party is vaccinated, and anecdotal evidence indicates more and more American-based teams 12. I could see Pittsburgh with interest in Scott Laughton. Remember: are getting there. But the Canadian clubs are behind (as is the country), Philadelphia sent Mark Streit to Tampa in 2016, where he was flipped to so the NHL/NHLPA must discuss bubbles in case they’re absolutely the Penguins. (That’s awesome — the league needs teams who hate necessary. (My suggestion: If you have to do it, used docked cruise ships each other so much they refuse to make trades.) My sense on the Flyers over hotels.) is they’ve tested the market on Laughton. These things can change quickly, but the last time I checked, there hadn’t been much extension 3. There’s a recognition that — just like in regular society — players and talk. I’m a huge Laughton fan, and the tough thing about Philly potentially organizations are going through “COVID fatigue.” But the NHL warned its losing him is that he loves being a Flyer. teams Saturday that it has “begun to encounter incidences of non- compliance” with protocols that have “resulted in a number of recent 13. I always cringe writing this sentence, but my sense is it’s very quiet in group and club-wide quarantines/disruptions” to routines and schedules. Calgary. They don’t have a ton of UFAs (Derek Ryan makes sense for Edmonton, and the two teams play on Saturday). Things can change, but “Now is not the time to relax attention,” the memo read, though no I’m not hearing much. specific teams were mentioned. 14. Wonder if the Flames will give AHLer Adam Ruzicka a shot. He’s Word is the league asked tough questions of the Canucks about what slowed down a little points-wise, but the soon-to-be 22-year-old centre happened in the lead-up to the outbreak, but other teams also came had four straight three-point games earlier in the season. The reviews on under recent scrutiny. Coaches were told to wear masks properly while him have been good, and it isn’t a bad idea to let the next wave get a talking to players and/or officials, while players were discouraged from taste. card games — told that if one player from a card game tested positive, the rest of the group would be quarantined as high-risk. It’s a grind, 15. Another player getting great reviews for his AHL play is Winnipeg’s especially if you’re not winning. Ville Heinola. More than one exec’s called him the best player north of the border. Nashville asked about him, but the Jets don’t want to do that. 4. The person to watch is Kevyn Adams. He’s the juggler, going through Kevin Cheveldayoff is another GM betting on prices dropping because multiple scenarios both big and small. There’s a big difference between there are more sellers than buyers. “considering” and “doing,” but I think he’s considering almost everything. And I do believe he’s listening to Jack Eichel pitches. At the very least, 16. Obviously, this is now on the backburner, but the Canucks did begin Adams is getting the lay of the land. conversations with Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson. Still early in the process. 5. Otherwise on the trade front, I think it’s quieter than reporters would like. More sellers than buyers, so the buyers are playing the waiting 17. More than 30 players making at least $1.2 million have passed game — hoping the sellers start sweating like the Jordan Peele GIF. through waivers this season. That’s an incredible indicator of how tight Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri sitting out doesn’t mean anything is this pandemic/flat-cap world is going to be. Alain Vigneault raised necessarily imminent, but after Riley Nash’s unfortunate injury teams will eyebrows when he said the Flyers expected Shayne Gostisbehere to not take chances. If there’s a position I do see some action, it’s in goal. clear. That wasn’t a shot at the defenceman. It was simply that the Flyers knew the market. Same with New Jersey and Nikita Gusev. I was 6. Thought it was very interesting that Ottawa started Anton Forsberg in surprised, however, that no one took a chance on Detroit’s Evgeny back-to-back games (6-3 over Montreal on Saturday, 4–3 loss to Svechnikov. He is available for trade. Winnipeg on Monday). He stopped 77 of 84. Maybe I’m too busy reading conspiracy theories, but a showcase is not impossible to believe. He’s a 18. I get the sense it’s been quiet around the Red Wings’ UFAs. I’m not veteran, not expensive, and has shown great professionalism living out of as convinced about the Oilers and Luke Glendening, but I think there will a suitcase through multiple waiver claims. If the Maple Leafs decide they be interest elsewhere. need a goalie? 19. Other situations to keep an eye on: Let’s start with Colorado. The 7. Other goalie names to watch include San Jose’s Devan Dubnyk, Avalanche are atop the NHL with Florida, and are definitely looking to get Arizona’s Antti Raanta and possibly some of Carolina’s depth now that even better. Things they’ve checked out include a forward with some Petr Mrazek is back. There was a wild rumour the Hurricanes thought edge; a defenceman to replace what they’ve lost in Ian Cole and the about Anaheim’s John Gibson, but that was shot down from multiple injured Erik Johnson; goaltending. Overall philosophy: we just want to places. They’re comfortable with Mrazek. make ourselves even better. Would not be a surprise if they were lurking on Palmieri. 8. If Toronto decides to go for a depth defender, I could see Dallas’s Jamie Oleksiak being a consideration. 20. Tampa: Still think the Lightning are a stealth team on David Savard. 21. Anaheim: The Ducks are looking for players between 19 and 23 who you look down and there’s Martin St. Louis at the end of the bench. I was are ready to play. Those are really hard to find. I’ve heard it’s been slow like, ‘How did I end up here?’” around the Ducks, and we’ll see if it picks up at all. Eklund said one of the reasons he went into coaching was his goalie This is purely me talking, but I wondered if Vegas would ever kick the guru at the time, Jeff Reese. tires on Ryan Getzlaf. From a hockey point of view, it makes sense, but I don’t see how it could ever work cap-wise. In the long run, I do think “He was that mentor for me. I saw how much impact one person could Anaheim sees Getzlaf leading its next wave of young players. make on another. It was something that really drove me to make a Meanwhile, wouldn’t be surprised to see Vegas try a value add at centre. difference.” It’s come full circle, as one of Eklund’s star pupils, Jake Oettinger, is with Reese in Dallas. 22. Los Angeles: This could come down to whether or not the Kings can sign Alex Iafallo. They’ve been grinding away at it. 30. Tony Amonte, coaching at Thayer Academy, would like to get into player development at the NHL level. 23. St. Louis: the wildest of wild-cards. Head coach Craig Berube said his team was “weak-minded” due to a lack of confidence following Monday’s “I love going to the rink,” he said. “We have a new rink, and all of our kids 6–1 blasting by the Golden Knights. Berube is blunt; if you don’t want an want to be out there, learning. That’s something I’d love to do, and I’d honest answer — don’t ask the question. Suddenly, the Blues are five consider everything.” points out. Doug Armstrong could do anything. I’m similarly unsure about 31. Tough watching Gonzaga lose the NCAA basketball final to Baylor on Washington, an obvious contender. Not hearing a lot about the Capitals, Monday night. One of the most popular students at York Mills Collegiate but I can’t see them not trying to make themselves better. during my high school days was Claude Nembhard. He played on the 24. One week ago, Arizona GM Bill Armstrong said his players would basketball team, was on the student council. Everyone knew him. His dictate what happens. Since then, they’ve won three of four, and opened part-time job was at Canada Trust, where he met his wife-to-be, Mary up a five-point lead (although San Jose has two games in hand). I do McCann. (Mary has a hockey connection. Her brother, Sean, captained believe the Coyotes’ plans for this year were to accumulate as many NCAA Harvard in 1993–94. After that season, he was taken first in the picks as possible, but now what do you do? A couple of GMs made a now-defunct supplemental draft by the Florida Panthers.) good point, asking do you really think you can beat Colorado in a playoff Their son, Andrew, is a key part of the Bulldog machine, and I wanted to series? My answer to that is I get it, but what kind of message is it to your see them complete the undefeated season. fans and players if you wave the white flag while the team is playing its heart out? 25. Other situations I haven’t mentioned: I see Minnesota with a long- Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.07.2021 term view. Does it really make sense for San Jose to add? Nashville is staying in the race. Chicago is realistic about where it is. I think the Rangers are still a few months away from making their biggest decisions. As for Columbus, it’s time. Brutal for them and for Riley Nash that he’s out four to six weeks. He’d have been perfect for someone. 26. The Islanders scored eight five-on-five goals April 1 against Washington. They are the only team to do that this season. No wonder Lou Lamoriello is going for it. 27. Looking forward to seeing what Ottawa does with newly signed draftees Jacob Bernard-Docker and Shane Pinto. The Senators play Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, with a scheduled day off on Sunday. Game Monday, so first full practice Tuesday? One of the reasons Jake Sanderson went back to North Dakota is he didn’t get “the full college experience” in his freshman year, something most of us can understand. I don’t believe Sanderson was the only prospect weighing that, either. There’s at least one other who indicated he was considering staying for the same reason, but eventually decided to come out. Head coach DJ Smith also had high praise for Josh Norris during last Saturday’s broadcast, saying, “I’m not hiding him against anybody,” and the centre’s growth “is exponential.” 28. This weekend, NBC’s Ed Olczyk is joining son Nick and broadcast partner Andrew Smith in the booth for an ECHL game between the Indy Fuel and the Fort Wayne Komets. (Smith and Nick Olczyk are the Fuel's regular duo.) “I told him for one night, he doesn’t have to respect his elders,” Ed said of his son. They’re going to go viral if Nick trashes his father for poor analysis. 29. A couple of things left over from the opening story about Thomas Kiesewetter. Sportsnet’s Ken Reid is a prolific author; one of his books is entitled One Night Only: Conversations with the NHL’s One-Game Wonders. (It’s a great read.) Brian Eklund fits. As mentioned, Eklund started for Tampa in Montreal on Nov. 8, 2005, a 3–2 Lightning loss. “I remember a lot. It’s etched into your mind,” he said. “I remember (coach) John Tortorella looking at me and saying, ‘You’re in.’ I remember walking to the rink. I remember the nerves that hit me. I was just like, ‘Holy crap, this is really happening.’ I remember throwing a pizza up the middle on a penalty kill to (Alexei) Kovalev, him coming down on a breakaway and having to make a save.” Tampa led 2–1 going into the third, but Craig Rivet tied it on the power play and Richard Zednik won it. Eklund stopped 16 of 19. “Unfortunately, I remember that we lost. I felt like I held my own, but wish I could have come up with one of those (saves). At the same time, it was an experience. You have Dave Andreychuk and Vinny Lecavalier, and Websites Spurgeon, Ryan Suter, Jonas Brodin, Zach Parise and Mats Zuccarello -- 1186707 this is definitely a different landscape than what McPhee found.

There’s still opportunity for Seattle to short the marketplace, especially in Sportsnet.ca / How no-movement clauses are shaping Seattle's a flat-cap environment where teams will be tripping over themselves to expansion landscape try and unload contracts. Francis is in a strong position to charge a pandemic premium for any meaningful money he’s willing to assume, and he’s also permitted to talk trade with his colleagues already -- although any deal consummated would only be sealed with a handshake Chris Johnston@reporterchris subject to the league’s approval in the off-season. April 6, 2021, 6:20 PM The same rules used for the Vegas expansion draft also apply to Seattle, and they were designed to reward ownership groups that each paid a record-high expansion fee ($500-million by the Golden Knights, then When it comes to the question of how NHL general managers will $650-million by the Kraken). That price of entry was factored into approach the Seattle expansion process differently after going through it allowing teams to protect either seven forwards, three defencemen and a with Vegas, you can start to find an answer in an unlikely place. goalie or eight skaters and a goalie because it guaranteed that quality players would shake free. Four years ago there were 66 players who owned a no-movement clause in their contracts that required them to be protected in the expansion Then there’s the fact that only one team is doing the picking, as Laurence draft. Today there are 52 players in that position with the Kraken due to Gilman explained on Craig Custance’s ‘Full 60’ podcast in February make their selections in July. 2018. Gilman is now the Maple Leafs assistant GM, but consulted with the NHL in drafting the Vegas expansion rules prior to taking that The shift wasn’t driven by players suddenly seeing less appeal in having position. a “NMC” included in their deals, but by executives who identified those clauses as the source of problems in expansion. And so, with an “Quite frankly, once it was determined it was one team and it was Vegas, understanding of what was coming, they started to hold the line more this was not an expansion draft,” Gilman told Custance. “It was called an vehemently on that item in negotiations. expansion draft, but an expansion draft is what occurred in 2001 when Minnesota and Columbus selected players between them. This was an By way of an example, look at the structure of two contracts the Toronto asset harvest event. Maple Leafs signed with veteran defencemen over the past 14 months: Jake Muzzin and T.J. Brodie will both see their NMC’s convert to no- “Las Vegas wasn’t competing with another franchise and had the ability trade clauses for the 2021-22 season, which means neither is required to to map out exactly what they wanted to harvest.” be protected in the expansion draft. That dynamic remains in place for Seattle. Under previous industry standards, those players would have had more than enough leverage to secure a full NMC. Muzzin passed up the It will just be up to Francis and his hockey operations staff to find some opportunity to test the open market by signing his extension with Toronto, different leverage points to maximize their first crop of talent. while Brodie arrived as an in-demand free agent to slot into a gaping hole in the team’s lineup. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.07.2021 However, the organization prioritized expansion flexibility to such a degree that it willingly made concessions with contract structure and signing bonuses in order to preserve it. Where the Golden Knights really excelled in their expansion process was the way they leveraged teams with protection issues. They made 10 trades that yielded 12 draft picks, and added Marc-Andre Fleury, Shea Theodore, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Jonathan Marchessault and Alex Tuch as part of those deals. In almost every one of those cases, the team trading with Vegas was trying to navigate a situation brought on by no-movement clauses. Take Anaheim: Kevin Bieksa is a fantastic broadcaster and Sportsnet colleague, but he didn’t have much hockey left in him in July 2017. However he had earned a NMC in his contract and required protection over younger teammates like Theodore, Josh Manson and Sami Vatanen. Or how about Columbus? The Blue Jackets had given Sergei Bobrovsky, Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno and Scott Hartnell contracts with NMC’s long before there was any notion of expansion ramifications, and they suffered the consequences as a result. It basically required them to leave Josh Anderson, Ryan Murray and Joonas Korpisalo exposed, and they didn’t want to lose any of those players. So instead they worked out a deal where Vegas would select Karlsson -- who had one goal in his final 43 games in Columbus -- while also receiving a first-round pick, a second-round pick and David Clarkson’s expensive contract. (The Blue Jackets, incidentally, have since stopped giving out NMC’s and don’t have anyone that requires protection for Seattle). Why this is relevant for Ron Francis is that it seems highly unlikely the Kraken GM can count on being able to harvest as many additional assets through trades as George McPhee did. The other teams have had more time to prepare for their pending expansion decisions and they’ve got the institutional memory of how things played out last time. Plus they’ve got fewer headaches brought on by NMC’s populating their rosters. While there are a handful of exceptions -- Erik Johnson’s NMC in Colorado comes to mind, with fellow defencemen Cale Makar, Samuel Girard, Devon Toews and Ryan Graves also requiring protection; and Minnesota is somewhat squeezed by having to protect all of Jared Websites professional athletes or whatever. When I see them at the arena... I'm 1186708 giving them hugs. They're just normal guys that have families, and you just worry sick for them all. Sportsnet.ca / Bo Horvat's experience reminder of human side of “Bo and Holly and Gunnar, at least they've got each other, thank God. Canucks' COVID-19 crisis But I feel for the single guys like (Quinn) Hughes and (Brock) Boeser and Petey (Elias Pettersson) and (Nils) Hoglander. I mean, they're on their own. I think of them guys just like I think of my own kid. Honestly, I love them all. It just bothers the hell out of me, praying that they're all going to Iain MacIntyre@imacSportsnet be okay.” April 6, 2021, 4:18 PM Tim said Bo reports feeling better. As of Monday, he was still getting headaches and feeling tired but was doing better than he was after testing positive for COVID-19 on Friday, Tim said. VANCOUVER -- It was a birthday video that would both make you smile and break your heart. Tim and Cindy Horvat typically travel to Vancouver at least a couple of times per season to visit Bo and see him play, and will meet the Canucks When Bo Horvat turned 26 on Monday, in quarantine in the basement of on the road most times the team is near Ontario. his own home, the Vancouver Canucks’ captain sent a birthday present back to his parents in Rodney, Ont. It was a video of Holly Horvat feeding Cindy said she knew this was going to be a difficult winter, cut off from the couple’s nine-month-old son, Gunnar. It was filmed through a her son and his family since Bo, Holly and Gunnar returned to Vancouver window. in December. Everyone understood there would be no visits in the season of COVID, that Gunnar and his grandparents wouldn’t see each “It totally breaks your heart,” Cindy Horvat, Bo’s mom, said. “Over Easter other again until after the Canucks finished playing. and now his birthday, and just knowing the position he's in, it just hits home. He's sick and you can't be there. He’ll always be my baby.” “It has probably been a little harder than I expected,” Cindy said. “They had to leave just before Christmas, so of course it was kind of bad timing. The Canucks centre is sick with COVID-19, one of 21 members of the And having a little one, too -- this is the first time he's been gone for so team’s hockey operations staff who are on the National Hockey League long. It has definitely been tough. And then you're always worried about COVID protocol list amid the most dangerous outbreak of this pandemic- them catching it, and then sure enough, it happens.” shortened season.

The good news, Tim Horvat told Sportsnet, is that so far both Holly and Gunnar are healthy. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.07.2021 Bo’s dad said he hasn’t been able to sleep since the coronavirus hit the Canucks last week like a tsunami, shutting down the team indefinitely, sickening the majority of players and endangering their families, too. There is a pile of hockey-related issues to be navigated. But talk to Tim and Cindy Horvat for a minute and you quickly realize the true impact of this crisis is a human one, not a hockey one. Each player is a son. Many of them are also fathers and spouses. “I worry so much about Gunnar because he's only at nine months,” Tim said. “I just worry about him like crazy. I mean, you always worry about your own kid and you worry about Holly, for sure. But it's the little ones. Their immune systems, you don't know how they are. And with the new variants, they don't even know how that is towards kids. It's all pretty scary. “To be honest with you, I haven't slept good since it started. I'll wake up at three, four in the morning just thinking about them. You want to text them but you know you can't because they're sleeping. And then when you get up in the morning, you want to text them but you don't because it's only four in the morning (in Vancouver). It's constantly on your mind. It's the parenting. You want to be there, you wish it was you. I wish it was me there.” Tim works for Chase Insulation near Rodney in the largely rural area southwest of London, Ont. Cindy runs a hair salon but has been forced to close the business due to coronavirus restrictions. Their other son, Cal, Bo’s younger brother, is training to be a police officer in London. Those early hours are the hardest part of Tim’s day, when he has finally given up on sleep but has to wait for the Pacific time zone to catch up so he can call or text Bo for the first of several daily updates. “I keep looking at my clock and hoping it's 10:30, 11,” Tim said. “OK, it's 11, so you know it's eight o'clock there, I'll give him a call. But then you think: Am I bugging him too much? I told him right away: ‘If you're feeling down or depressed or you just need someone to talk to, we're just a phone call away.’ “He says: 'I'm doing OK, Dad, I'll be fine. I just worry about Gunnar and Holly, but I'm going to be fine.' My focus now probably isn't as much on Bo because I know he's getting better. But now it's on Holly and Gunnar. “When Bo sent that (Snapchat video) of him looking through the window, that kind of broke my heart. You know, it's Bo's birthday and he can't be with his family because he's downstairs and they're upstairs. That was kind of tough, right? I really worry about the Sutters, the Roussels, the Myers -- everyone's that got it and has families. You worry sick for them. I do.” He said he texts Brandon Sutter and several other Canucks. Sutter emceed at Bo and Holly’s wedding in 2019. “What's Bo been there, seven years now?” Tim said. “You get to know these guys on a personal level. I know people look at them as Websites We understand Price is the franchise player and that the Canadiens feel 1186709 they need him to play in order to have their best chance of winning. We also acknowledge that his pride and his competitiveness are reasons he’s as valued as he is. Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens Notebook: Could Gallagher's injury free space for deadline moves? But the Canadiens traded for Allen to give Price all the rest he needs so he could be at his very best when it matters most, and it seems most logical to stay firm in that plan with Price nursing an injury. Eric Engels@EricEngels The precaution they’re taking in leaving Price at home for Wednesday’s game in Toronto to, as Ducharme said, “make sure he can take care of it April 6, 2021, 10:43 PM and come back at 100 per cent,” should’ve been taken when he initially got injured. It should probably be taken at least throughout the rest of this week, regardless of how rest and treatment leave Price feeling. BROSSARD, Que. — This can’t be the money-out scenario Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin was hoping for and, as of After Wednesday’s game against the Maple Leafs, the Winnipeg Jets this moment, it isn’t necessarily the one he’s getting. play the Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Thursday and Saturday. Ducharme said it is possible Allen plays both Wednesday and Thursday, But with Brendan Gallagher sidelined indefinitely with a fractured right and that would be a better plan than turning to Price at less than 100 per thumb, and with five weeks and change remaining in the NHL’s regular cent. season, it’s possible he won’t return prior to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And if it becomes definite he won’t return — Gallagher still needs to And if the coach needs to depend on Charlie Lindgren or Cayden consult with doctors before a recovery timeline can be determined — he Primeau for Thursday or Saturday, so as not to overtax Allen, that also could be placed on the long-term injured reserve list, which would mean beats putting Price in and allowing him to continue playing with a the Canadiens would be able to exceed the salary cap and add a player lingering injury. (or players) making as much as his $3.75-million hit. Wednesday’s game will be the first of five remaining between Montreal There’s no doubt Bergevin would rather have Gallagher. As would the and Toronto, with the Canadiens having gone 1-2-1 in the first four. rest of the Canadiens. They enter the game with four games in hand, but 12 points back in the “He's the engine. He really is,” said Montreal goaltender Jake Allen on standings. Allen, who will likely face Toronto backup Jack Campbell — Tuesday. “Even when I wasn't here and part of this organization, you winner of all nine of his starts this season — knows what kind of knew from afar this guy was the engine of the team. He's the bulldog out challenge he and his teammates are facing. there. You know what you're getting from Gally every game. He's going “It’s a huge test against the No. 1 team in the division,” he said. to be in the hard areas, he's going to do the things that you need to do “Obviously our biggest rival, and they just have a really good hockey and pay the price to win.” team. So, I think it’s a chance to set our bar where we want to be, and *I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time. that’s where they are right now. It’s a good measuring stick, it’s a good opportunity for us to go out there and compete hard, play hard and But if you can’t have Gallagher, having the money to do some shopping continue to build here and have some fun doing it.” prior to the April 12 trade deadline could help. Through 12 starts, Allen is 5-3-4 and has a .922 save percentage. He’ll For now, the 29-year-old winger hasn’t been designated to LTIR. It’s have to be at his best to get the better of Campbell, who’s got a .944 possible he won’t be if there’s even a fraction of a chance he’ll be back save percentage. before May 11, when the Canadiens are scheduled to play their final game of the season. Jesperi Kotkaniemi to right wing, Joel Armia on the mend But if it does come to be that Gallagher’s recovery will take at least that With Gallagher down, Kotkaniemi will take his spot next to Phillip Danault long, it gives Bergevin some of the flexibility he didn’t think he was going and Tomas Tatar to start Wednesday’s game. to have prior to the deadline — and not just financial flexibility, but also It’s a position the centre feels comfortable in, given that he played right roster flexibility. Because even if it’s still possible he’d move someone off wing for a considerable portion of his last season in Finland before the team to add someone from another, he might be able to get away debuting with the Canadiens in 2018. with not doing that. It’s easy to look at the downside of this decision — of moving a natural Bergevin has said for weeks that he really likes his team, and both he and developing centreman out of position temporarily — but the upside of and Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme have talked about the need it is Kotkaniemi’s getting the opportunity to play with two players who to use everyone down the stretch. With 21 games to play over 34 nights have combined for 16 points in their last seven games. before the grind of the playoffs gets underway, being able to add to the roster without subtracting from it is a serious advantage. It’s an “It's always an honour to play with them,” the 20-year-old said. “They're advantage that only get bigger once the playoffs begin and as they great players. It couldn't be better than to have a chance to show what continue. I've got with those types of players. They're both really good with the puck, so I probably need to fill Gally's dirty-area, five-foot role a little bit, At worst, the cap flexibility would be a consolation for not having and I'll just try to help Phil and Tuna as much as I can.” Gallagher for a short while. Kotkaniemi knows he can’t be Gallagher, and Ducharme isn’t expecting Carey Price day to day with a lower-body injury him to be. When Price extended himself and appeared to strain his right leg in the “I just want him to be KK,” the coach said. “He's at his best when he's second period of Monday’s game, it was obvious he wasn’t at 100 per dynamic, when he skates, when he carries the puck and when he's cent. physical and uses his shot and his talent.” There was no doubt about it as the game wore on and Price continued to Chances are Kotkaniemi will only be doing it from the wing short term. limp around his crease. Armia, who was placed in COVID-19 protocol two weeks ago after testing With Ducharme confirming Tuesday the goaltender was suffering from a positive for a variant of the virus, emerged from quarantine Tuesday and minor injury that’s “been carrying on for a little bit of time,” you had to could be back before long. wonder what the Canadiens were thinking allowing him to continue to play through it. “There’s a way to get him back in shape before he gets on the ice,” said Ducharme. “When you can’t even do a pushup for two weeks, you’ve got When Ducharme was asked that by one reporter, he responded, work to do to get back into an NHL game. There’s a plan for him to get “Because the info we have is that it’s not something that’s dangerous for back into shape, but he’s back in the team’s entourage.” his season or his career.”

Still, Price has a long injury history, accompanied by a long history of deciding to play through injuries when he shouldn’t. To allow him to Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.07.2021 continue to do that and think it won’t possibly affect his career doesn’t seem like a cautious approach, or a smart one, with the 33-year-old in Year 3 of an eight-year, $84-million deal.