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Home , Anthony Stolarz, Eeli Tolvanen, Jake Bischoff, Jim Watson (ice hockey), John Marino, Kevyn Adams

SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 3/30/2021 Colorado Avalanche 1207230 Ducks cannot keep up with streaking Avalanche 1207257 Avalanche dominates Ducks to extend points streak to 11 1207231 Road-weary Ducks prove no match for dominating games Avalanche 1207258 Chambers: College standouts Alex Newhook, Sampo 1207232 Ducks motivated by more than playing spoiler’s role down Ranta, Nate Clurman on path to joining Avalanche the stretch 1207259 Kiszla vs. Chambers: How crucial is No. 1 playoff seed in 1207233 ‘It was a long time coming’: Ducks’ Anthony Stolarz quiets West to Avalanche? doubters with a win and an assist 1207260 Avalanche extend streak to 11 games with 5-2 victory over Anaheim Bruins 1207261 ‘One of our best lines’: Avs third line continues to impress 1207234 Bruins rookie Zach Senyshyn is displaying an uptick in 1207262 Avs Player Grades: Colorado cruises past Ducks strength and speed 1207235 Bruins must find ways to manufacture goals 1207236 Cassidy Sends Bat Signal To Sweeney For NHL Trade 1207263 Takeaways from a 'Motown' letdown include a key Deadline question: Have the Blue Jackets quit? 1207237 Not Expecting Injured Rask Back This 1207264 Red Wings blitz Blue jackets with sweep of back-to-back Week games in Detroit 1207238 Boston Bruins Lose Two ‘Hit or Miss’ Video Reviews In 1207265 Blue Jackets still battling inconsistency with their playoff Defeat hopes in jeopardy 1207239 Bruins’ trade deadline needs only more clear after frustrating weekend Dallas Stars 1207266 Familiar territory: Stars enter another pivotal stretch that could determine their fate this season 1207240 Mike Harrington: Seriously now, that kind of Sabres loss 1207267 Inside the workouts that transformed Stars’ Jason just can't happen Robertson into one of NHL’s top rookies 1207241 The Wraparound: Sabres spoil 3- lead, winless streak reaches 18 in OT 1207242 Observations: Dylan Cozens' injury adds to litany of issues 1207268 Detroit Red Wings' Michael Rasmussen gets back on for Sabres score sheet, knows he must earn his role 1207243 Sabres notebook: Seth Appert returns to coach Amerks 1207269 How life has changed for the major sports teams in after whirlwind trip to NHL Michigan since the COVID-19 pandemic 1207244 Sabres game day: Snapping historic skid will require 1207270 Lessons learned from tough rookie season paying off for solving Flyers' Wings' Michael Rasmussen 1207245 Travis Yost's Sabre Metrics: Differences between this 1207271 With NHL trade deadline looming, here are 11 Red Wings team and tank team? Not much who could be on the move 1207246 Sabres drop another scout amid changes to hockey 1207272 Red Wings did ‘unbelievable job’ of responding after operations under GM season’s low point 1207247 A hockey whodunit: Is this $10,000 puck the first goal in 1207273 Red Wings tight defensively, beat Columbus for weekend Sabres' history? sweep 1207248 Sabres blow big lead in third period, extend winless streak to 18 games Oilers 1207274 Kyle Turris gets as second-line centre against Maple Flames Leafs 1207249 SNAPSHOTS: Tkachuk’s tumble a turning point as 1207275 Darnell Nurse has prescription for Oilers winner Flames fall to Jets 1207250 After extended wait, Flames defenceman Stone relishes return to NHL spotlight 1207276 Ekblad out 12 weeks with fractured leg. How will Panthers replace their top defenseman? 1207277 Aaron Ekblad will miss rest of Panthers season with leg 1207251 Aaron Ekblad’s leg injury rings familiar to Hurricanes fracture defenseman Dougie Hamilton 1207278 With Ekblad hurt, who could the Panthers get at the trade 1207252 ‘He’s never lacked confidence.’ How Martin Necas deadline? became the Hurricanes’ go-to player 1207253 Martin Necas’ Hurricanes breakout has reached critical mass: ‘He’s always had the confidence’ — now we see 1207279 Kings fall to Golden Knights why 1207280 Rested Kings can’t conquer Vegas 1207281 When power-play goals dry up, so does Kings’ offense 1207282 Kings continue depth reshuffle by adding defenseman 1207254 GM is ‘doing a lot of listening,’ but the Christian Wolanin in a trade Chicago Blackhawks’ abundant cap space and playoff 1207283 FINAL – KINGS 1, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4 – KOPITAR, prosp MCLELLAN 1207255 Slumping Blackhawks trying to ‘get back to the way we 1207284 GAME THREAD – KINGS @ GOLDEN KNIGHTS, 3/29 were playing’ as losses pile up 1207285 KINGS ACQUIRE DEFENSEMAN CHRISTIAN WOLANIN 1207256 Early return gives Kirby Dach an opportunity to prove the IN EXCHANGE FOR FORWARD MICHAEL AMADIO Blackhawks are his team now 1207286 3/29 PREVIEW – LINEUP NOTES, MANAGING REST & GAMES, BROWN VIDEO, MCLELLAN ON LEMIEUX 1207287 Monday's Wild-San Jose game recap 1207322 Flyers overcome late 3-goal deficit and stun Buffalo in OT, 1207288 Wild finally falls to Sharks 4-3 in eighth round of shootout 4-3; Sabres suffer 18th straight loss 1207289 Wild GM talks trades, contracts and draft prep 1207323 Struggling Flyers goalie split with longtime 1207290 Wild back in action on the road vs. Sharks sports psychologist; has it affected his play? 1207291 Wild suffer 4-3 shootout loss to Sharks to open week long 1207324 Alain Vigneault leaning on Flyers’ leaders to make sure road trip they don’t take freefalling Sabres lightly 1207292 Wild’s Nick Bonino earns promotion with solid play on both 1207325 Flyers Notebook: Vigneault quietly lets veterans sink or ends swim against Sabres 1207326 Flyers' Carter Hart put on pause, heads back to goalie Canadiens school 1207293 Canadiens return following a week off, not quite certain 1207327 How's your blood pressure? Flyers take everyone on what to expect another wild ride of emotions 1207294 Lightning GM BriseBois makes grant to Carabins women's 1207328 Why Flyers have good plan for Hart, whose 'preparation is hockey program second to none' 1207295 Stu Cowan: Canadiens prospect Cole Caufield will join the 1207329 Why Samuel Morin changed positions, why it worked and Laval Rocket why it made the Flyers so happy: O’Connor’s 1207296 What the Puck: Canadiens should give newcomer Eric Observations Staal a key role 1207297 Canadiens make Cole Caufield a rich 20-year-old 1207298 Canadiens will hold practice Monday night in Brossard 1207330 Empty Thoughts: Penguins 2, Islanders 1 1207299 How the Canadiens came out of their forced break and 1207331 Penguins hold off Islanders without Tristan what they can learn from other teams that did the same Jarry 1207300 The moments that prepared Cole Caufield for the 1207332 Penguins activate Jason Zucker from long-term injured Canadiens spotlight reserve 1207333 Penguins forward Frederick Gaudreau makes impact as killer 1207301 Nashville Predators suddenly in NHL playoff contention. 1207334 Mark Madden: Amid adversity, resilient Penguins have Here's why taken on 's identity 1207302 Predators lock up top defensive prospect Farrance 1207335 Penguins Prospect WATCH: Nathan Legare extends 1207303 Poile surprised with TN Sports Hall of Fame induction scoring streak to 5 games 1207304 Is the NHL biased against the Predators? Will David 1207336 First Call: New questions about Ben Roethlisberger's Farrance play? Mailbag weight; Penguins player roasts Philadelphia 1207337 Jason Zucker in, Tristan Jarry out as Penguins cap season series against the Islanders with a win 1207305 More fans allowed at Devils games as 1207338 Jason Zucker back in Penguins lineup after being capacity increases this week | How to buy Devils ticket activated from injured reserve 1207306 How Devils’ Mackenzie Blackwood made of the 1207339 Penguins notes: Bryan Rust has evolved into a ‘real season to preserve | 3 observations from win over impact NHL player’ Bru 1207340 Yohe’s 10 observations: The indomitable Penguins will 1207307 NHL rumors: 3 potential trade partners linked to Sabres their way to another win and ex-Devils MVP Taylor Hall 1207341 Penguins Activate Jason Zucker, Evgeni Malkin Moved to LTIR 1207342 Zucker GTD, Gm36: Penguins Lines, Notes & What to 1207308 Islanders lose to Penguins, fall into tie for second place Watch vs. NYI 1207309 Islanders again fall behind early, fail to close gap in 1207343 What Should Penguins Do with Jason Zucker? Options & second straight loss to Penguins Consequences 1207310 Barry Trotz opts to play Ross Johnston over Kieffer Bellows 1207311 The Isles, the Penguins and four-point games 1207344 Erik Karlsson leads San Jose Sharks past Minnesota Wild 1207312 A year after brother’s death, Islanders’ Thomas Hickey 1207345 Sharks’ Bob Boughner gives injury update on Matt Nieto reflects on grief, doubt, motivation and staying in the 1207346 Sharks’ Patrick Marleau would ‘have to consider’ potential 1207313 Sluggish Start: Islanders Fall Behind Early in Loss to trade for chase Penguins 1207347 Karlsson leads Sharks past Wild 4-3 in shootout 1207314 End Game: Islanders Lineups, matchups and Game Notes 1207348 Marleau passes Messier for No. 2 on NHL games played vs. Pittsburgh list 1207349 Karlsson's confidence clear in lifting Sharks to win vs. Wild 1207350 If Sharks deal Patrick Marleau, where might he end up? 1207315 Rangers ‘logjam’ means third-line beginning for Vitali 1207351 Viel Goes Wrong Way During NHL Debut Solo Warm-Up Kravtsov Lap 1207316 K’Andre Miller has made quick leap from roster bubble to 1207352 ANALYTICS Postgame Notes #34: Karlsson Scores 2, Rangers stalwart Shootout Winner, Sharks 4-3 1207317 Kevin Rooney and Colin Blackwell's success gives 1207353 Game Preview/Lines #34: Donato Has Boyhood Picture Rangers glut of forwards with Marleau, Boughner Defends Gabriel 1207318 Is Rangers defenseman Adam Fox turning into Brian 1207354 Scouts Talk Marleau’s Trade Value Leetch 2.0? Leetch 1.0 weighs in St Louis Blues 1207355 Hochman: Scratching Hoffman was a start, but Berube 1207319 Talks heat up with Pinto, Bernard-Docker and Sanderson and Blues must find motivation — or could miss playoffs after North Dakota's early playoff exit 1207356 Amid a major slump, Blues seek to reboot the sluggish 1207320 SNAPSHOTS: Austin Watson wants to play before the offense end of the season ... Christian Wolanin dealt to L.A. ... Ma 1207357 Gordo on the NHL: Trade chatter gets loud as deadline 1207321 Weekly Senators thoughts: Decisions for UND players, nears Christian Wolanin’s future, ’s viral GIF 1207358 DGB weekend rankings: How many playoff teams are locked in? Are Blues in danger? Tampa Bay Lightning Websites 1207359 Familiar foes: Are Lightning meeting Blue Jackets at right 1207392 The Athletic / Who stays, who goes? Predicting which time? players from the NHL trade deadline board will actually b 1207360 Yanni Gourde sets example for Lightning teammates with 1207393 The Athletic / DGB weekend rankings: How many playoff nonstop motor teams are locked in? Are Blues in danger? 1207394 The Athletic / 2021 NHL Draft prospect ranking: Dylan Maple Leafs Guenther rises in Corey Pronman’s updated ranking 1207361 Jets and Maple Leafs square off in battle of top North 1207395 The Athletic / LeBrun: NHL’s goalie carousel could be set Division teams in motion ahead of the trade deadline 1207362 Maple Leafs close out season series with end-to-end OT 1207396 The Athletic / Is Canadian sports talk radio dying? Bell, loss to Oilers Rogers and the future of a changing industry 1207363 cap season series against Toronto 1207397 .ca / Jets show with dominant win vs. Flames Maple Leafs with 3-2 OT victory they've mastered art of the rebound 1207364 Maple Leafs goalie Michael Hutchinson to start against 1207398 Sportsnet.ca / Leafs can take solace in defensive play vs. Oilers tonight Oilers despite latest loss 1207365 Oilers get last laugh, but Maple Leafs can take forward 1207399 Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: Aaron Ekblad injury a defensive habits from season series massive blow to Panthers 1207366 Oilers get measure of revenge against Leafs with OT win 1207400 Sportsnet.ca / Well-rested Canadiens get opportunity to 1207367 SIMMONS: The better team lost in OT for second straight assert themselves in North Division Leafs game 1207401 Sportsnet.ca / Oilers' comeback over Maple Leafs further 1207368 TRAIKOS: Oilers' Nurse shooting his way into the Norris cements growth of Nurse, Turris Trophy conversation — and a spot on Canada's Olympic r 1207402 Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs' goaltending uncertainty a 1207369 Hutchinson gets start for Leafs vs. Oilers as Campbell not cause for concern 100% 1207403 Sportsnet.ca / NHL Weekend Takeaways: Ovechkin, 1207370 Maple Leafs report cards: Oilers win in battle of top 2 Zibanejad terrorizing opponents teams in North Division 1207404 TSN.CA / Hutchinson starts as Campbell injury remains an 1207371 Why the Maple Leafs signed Alex Steeves: Video issue for Leafs analysis, coaches’ insight, depth chart fit 1207405 TSN.CA / Oilers’ season has been a tale of two teams 1207372 Monday Morning Leafs Report: Trade deadline wish list and what the Leafs need from 1207386 New line works wonders for Jets as they dominate Flames Canucks 5-1 1207391 For Canucks, NHL trade deadline a matter of dollars, 1207387 What's the deal on a trade? sense for cap-strapped club 1207388 Scheifele shines after line change as Jets take rubber match against Flames 1207389 JETS SNAPSHOTS: North Division games not exactly like 1207373 Golden Knights top Kings for 6th straight home victory the playoffs right now, but it’s pretty close 1207374 Is Alex Pietrangelo close to returning for Golden Knights? 1207390 BITS BY BILLECK: Stanley endears; exposing Morrissey? 1207375 Tomas Nosek rolling since COVID-19 scare, scores Please... game-winning goal vs. Kings SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1207376 Golden Knights use second period to run away from Kings 1207377 Golden Knights’ Cody Glass answers with energetic performance after sitting out 1207378 Golden Knights Start Busy Week In Vegas With 4-1 Win Over LA Kings Monday 1207379 Slow Start Doesn’t Deter Robin Lehner, Vegas Golden Knights 1207380 Vegas Starts Cold, Ends Hot in 4-1 Win Over KingsPublished 3 hours ago on March 29, 2021 1207381 Alex Pietrangelo Practicing With Golden Knights, Nears Return 1207382 Time to Silence the Doubters for Vegas Golden Knights Washington Capitals 1207383 Justin Schultz needed a reset after the 2020 season. He got it with the Caps. 1207384 Since returning from suspension, Wilson has been a difference-maker for Capitals 1207385 Laviolette lauds Ovechkin for doing the ‘dirty work’ on offense 1207230 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks cannot keep up with streaking Avalanche

Anaheim Ducks center Troy Terry scores a goal on a snipe past Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer.

By MICHAEL KELLY ASSOCIATED PRESS MARCH 29, 2021 9:11 PM

DENVER — Philipp Grubauer got his 100th career win with a 13-save night to lead the Colorado Avalanche past the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on Monday night.

Grubauer has 57 wins since joining Colorado before the 2018-19 season and notched his 21st this season.

Gabriel Landeskog and Tyson Jost scored in the second period to help Colorado extend its points streak to 11 games (9-0-2). Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Compher and Valeri Nichushkin also scored, Cale Makar had three assists and Nathan MacKinnon added two.

Danton Heinen and Troy Terry scored for the Ducks. made several highlight saves but was overwhelmed by 48 shots. He finished with 43 saves for Anaheim, which had its two-game win streak snapped.

It’s the sixth time in the last 11 games the Avalanche have put 41 or more shots on goal.

Rantanen and Heinen traded goals in the first period and it stayed tied into the second despite the Ducks going nearly 17 minutes without a shot on goal spanning the first and second periods.

Jost broke the tie when he scored on a rebound 3:59 into the second and Landeskog’s deflection at 16:20, his 12th goal, gave Colorado a 3-1 lead.

Terry, who played his college hockey at the University of Denver, scored at 3:19 of the third to make it a one-goal game. It was his seventh of the season and his fourth goal in the last three games against the Avalanche.

Colorado put it away later in the period with goals by Compher and Nichushkin, who also had an assist.

LA Times: LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207231 Anaheim Ducks

Road-weary Ducks prove no match for dominating Avalanche

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 8:56 p.m. | UPDATED: March 30, 2021 at 12:35 a.m.

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The Ducks got caught on the wrong side of a game of keepaway Monday at in Denver. It might have been predictable, given their travel schedule, the mile-high altitude and the opposition, but it was a devastating blow to their hopes of extending their winning streak to three in a row.

The Colorado Avalanche skated circles around the Ducks en route to a dominating 5-2 victory, giving them a 9-0-2 mark since their last loss in regulation play on March 8 to the . Only the superb goaltending of Ryan Miller kept the Ducks within striking distance.

The Ducks moved within 3-2 on Troy Terry’s third-period goal, but the Avalanche put the game out of reach with goals from J.T. Compher and Valeri Nichushkin. Miller made 43 saves as the Ducks gave up a season- high 48 shots. The Ducks also matched their season low with 15 shots.

“It was a tough situation to come into,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “End of a road trip, back-to-back, against an elite team. Even though they scored a handful of goals, (Miller) played an excellent game. It’s tough. It’s something we talk about, not to accept the game and try to dictate it.”

Colorado latched onto the puck to start the second period and never seemed to let it go, unleashing relentless pressure. Tyson Jost put the Avalanche ahead 2-1 only 3:59 into the period, pouncing on a rebound and beating Miller, and Gabriel Landeskog made it 3-1 with a power-play goal at 16:20.

Miller was under siege for most of the game, but especially in the middle period, when the Avalanche outshot the Ducks by 22-2. In the end, it was remarkable that the score wasn’t more lopsided than 3-1 heading into the final period. The Ducks were outshot 34-9 through two periods.

The Ducks chased the game almost from the opening faceoff, a little more than 24 hours after they took a 3-2 overtime victory from the Blues in St. Louis. They had played the Blues better than even Sunday and then they rallied from a two-goal deficit to win on Josh Manson’s overtime goal.

Monday’s game against the Avalanche bore zero resemblance to Sunday’s victory or Friday’s 4-1 win over the Blues, which gave the Ducks their first sweep of a two-game set this season. Eakins tweaked his lineup, adding fresh players, including center Andrew Agozzino, but it didn’t pay off.

The Ducks were without leading scorer Rickard Rakell, who suffered an apparent head injury when he was knocked to the ice Sunday. Rookie defenseman Jamie Drysdale returned to the lineup after he was forced from Friday’s game after an awkward collision along the boards.

Mikko Rantanen gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead only 2:56 into the game. The Ducks countered with Danton Heinen’s equalizer at 9:14 of the first. The tie score after 20 minutes was deceiving, though. The Avalanche were the better team and they went out and showed it in the second.

The Ducks’ best and perhaps only scoring chance in the second was Nicolas Deslauriers’ laser off the goal post. It didn’t count as an official shot on goal, but it would have given the Ducks a boost if it had been two inches to the left and hit the back of the net. Instead, it ricocheted out of harm’s way.

“It was a long trip,” Terry said. “I think we still had our legs for the most part. I don’t think that was the problem. We did some good things, but we were giving them a little too much respect. The penalties were kind of all over the place. You can’t take penalties against that team. That’ll change the game real quick.”

Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207232 Anaheim Ducks “I had some people tell me I’d never step on the NHL ice again, but to be able to be and compete with these guys and lay it all on the line, it felt great. I had a great support system, everywhere I went. They Ducks motivated by more than playing spoiler’s role down the stretch kept pushing me, telling me to just keep getting stronger. Here I am playing with the Ducks. Defenseman Josh Manson says, “We’re just trying to climb and play good hockey. That’s part of being a professional." “I couldn’t be happier.”

Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.30.2021

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 10:38 a.m. | UPDATED: March 29, 2021 at 9:24 p.m.

The Ducks have 19 games remaining after a 5-2 loss Monday to the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. They have 19 chances to escape last place in the West Division, make a move in the standings that might indicate forward progress has been achieved and, if nothing else, wreak havoc for the teams above them.

Tall order, right?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

It could be fun, though.

“Oh, for sure,” Ducks defenseman Josh Manson said. “We’re trying to win games here. We’re not looking at, ‘Oh, let’s disrupt this guy from climbing the standings.’ We’re just trying to climb the standings ourselves, no matter where we’re at in the season, no matter where we’re at in the standings.

“We’re just trying to climb and play good hockey. That’s part of being a professional. So, we don’t want teams to come in and think we’re just going to roll over and it’s going to be an easy two points, an easy night for them. We want them to come in and have to earn it against us.”

In fact, the Ducks took a two-game winning streak into Monday’s game against the Avalanche, the final game on their season-high five-game trip. They played the Minnesota Wild close twice to start the trip, but dropped a pair of one-goal games that previewed what was to come in St. Louis.

The Blues’ grip on the fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division was a tenuous one after the Ducks swept the two-game set. St. Louis led the fifth-place Arizona Coyotes by one point and the sixth-place Kings by six going into Monday’s games around the NHL.

“It eases the frustration,” Manson said of defeating the Blues. “Coming out of (Minnesota), we were frustrated because we felt like we played two good games and we felt like we played well, but we came up empty handed. So, we began to feel a little frustrated, do you know what I mean?

“Coming out with the wins here (over St. Louis) just helps your mentality and knowing, hey, if we play this way, we can compete with the good teams in our division and we can hang in there every night. We’re not just a team that’s got to sit at the bottom of the standings and lose every night.”

STOLARZ BACKGROUND

At one point in his career, Anthony Stolarz and Carter Hart were considered the most likely competitors to be the Philadelphia Flyers’ goaltender of the future. But knee injuries and a chance to acquire sent Stolarz on a hockey odyssey that led him to be in goal for the Ducks’ victory Sunday.

The Flyers’ loss was the Ducks’ gain.

Philadelphia dealt him to the Edmonton Oilers for Talbot on Feb. 15, 2019. The Ducks then signed him as a free agent July 2, 2019, and he played almost all of the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season with their AHL team, the , going 21-12-6 with a 2.66 goals-against average.

This season, he’s spent all but two games on the Ducks’ taxi squad.

“Looking back on it, those days of rehab and being on crutches for eight months in one year and watching all the games in Philly and bouncing back, it all leads to this moment and being able to celebrate,” said Stolarz, 27, after his first NHL win in more than two years. “It’s a great feeling playing again. 1207233 Anaheim Ducks Sunday’s game didn’t have a promising start. In the first period, Ryan O’Reilly beat Stolarz with a nice redirection of Vladimir Tarasenko’s centering pass to cash in a Rickard Rakell turnover, and Tarasenko blew ‘It was a long time coming’: Ducks’ Anthony Stolarz quiets doubters with a sizzling one-timer by him off a faceoff win on a St. Louis power play. a win and an assist The Blues led 2-0 after the first period.

But that was it. Stolarz settled in and let his 6-foot-5 frame do a lot of the work. He was calm, cool and collected. Pucks were eaten by his By Eric Stephens Mar 29, 2021 equipment, and there weren’t many crumbs left for the Blues to pounce on. And Stolarz didn’t fail to credit his teammates for throwing their

bodies in front of shots. Ben Hutton had a team-leading three blocked The goaltender position is inherently involved in a team’s fate. The puck- shots. The defenseman’s efforts in the final seconds helped get the stopper can’t help that. If too many get by him or her, the team is likely Ducks to overtime. taking an “L” at the end of the night. Keep more of them out of the net “I know for me personally early on, pucks weren’t sticking to me,” Stolarz than the opposing netminder and that letter changes to a “W.” said. “I kind of was giving up a couple chances and leaving extra It is also what makes that position appealing to those who seek the rebounds and the guys did a great job of clearing them out. As the game challenge. Anthony Stolarz has faced his share of challenges over seven went on, the shots were kind of coming from the outside, and that pro seasons. On only 28 occasions has a coach handed him the net in allowed me to get some confidence. Just control the first shot.” an NHL game. One of those came Sunday in St. Louis, where the 27- Anthony Stolarz. (Jeff Curry / USA Today) year-old got his second start in a Ducks jersey. In overtime, the only work Stolarz had to do was to make a pass to Not only did Stolarz do his part by stopping 38 shots to tie his NHL career Manson, as the defender stayed out on the ice and looked for a chance high, but he also got directly involved in Anaheim’s bid for a second to take advantage of a tired Blues player. That’s what happened, as consecutive victory over the Blues. Stolarz went from the Ducks’ taxi Manson made a power move around Brayden Schenn and flipped a neat squad to delivering the primary assist on Josh Manson’s impressive backhand shot over Jordan Binnington. overtime goal, which capped a comeback from a two-goal deficit in a 3-2 win. Long ago, Manson was a forward before switching to defense in his final season of junior hockey and becoming a blueline stalwart at “I kind of gave him a rocket of a pass,” said Stolarz, who became the Northeastern. Those forward skills haven’t completely disappeared. sixth goalie and the first Ducks netminder to have a primary assist on an overtime goal. “It wasn’t the flattest thing, but he did a great job picking it “I wasn’t expecting a shift in the overtime, to be honest,” Manson said. up, driving wide and chipping it over the goalie’s glove. It was a long time “When (Dallas) called my name, I was excited and I was thinking about coming. I was excited for him and excited for me at the same time.” what I was going to do if I felt like I was the last man back under pressure. … If anything happens, I’m just going to throw it back to Stolie. Long time, indeed. Stolarz had last won an NHL game on Feb. 12, 2019. On that night, the Edison, N.J., native was with Philadelphia and his 35 “Sure enough, (the puck) kind of had come up the wall and I felt like I saves were just enough in the Flyers’ 5-4 win over Minnesota. It was his was under a bit of pressure, and I didn’t want to turn it over. I just ripped final game with the Flyers, who dealt him four days later to Edmonton for it back to Stolie. They thought they could get a change because they’d Cam Talbot. Stolarz then signed with the Ducks in July 2019. been out there for a bit. Stolie had the awareness to zip it back up to me, which is a great play.” It hasn’t been an easy road for Stolarz. Roadblocks have popped up since the Flyers drafted him in the second round in 2012, when he was Manson’s finish allowed Stolarz to enjoy a rare celebration. This NHL the fourth goalie taken behind Andrei Vasilevskiy, Malcolm Subban and season has been weird in many ways. One of the unique elements is the Oscar Dansk. Vasilevskiy, of course, might be the best goalie on the inclusion of a taxi squad. A maximum of six players can be on it, and one planet. Subban has been a backup in Vegas and now in Chicago. must be a goalie if the team isn’t already carrying three netminders on its active roster. Stolarz’s path has been more akin to that of Dansk — being an organization’s No. 3 goalie. It was that way in Philadelphia, and it is such Were this a normal year, Stolarz would be getting plenty of action in the in Anaheim. Edmonton gave Stolarz six games after the goalie swap, but with the San Diego Gulls unless the Ducks it was clear that he would not be a long-term solution, either as a starter had a pressing need for him. But now, as their No. 3 goalie, he spends a or as a backup. Add in knee surgeries that stalled his development and lot of time in Anaheim getting his work in with the scratched players. it’s been a bumpy ride. “He’s been full of adversity,” Eakins said. “Before he got to us, he had an “I had some people tell me I’d never step on the NHL ice again,” Stolarz injury. This year, I think the way the season’s set up at least with our said. “But to be able to go out there and compete with the guys, just lay it group, he’s probably had the most challenging time. He’s handled it all on the line, it felt great.” exceptionally well. He comes out to practice every day. And Gibby and Millsy, they’ve got the nets. He gets his extra shots before and after The opportunity popped up over the weekend. On Friday, John Gibson practice. stopped 33 of 34 shots to beat the Blues in his first start since missing two weeks because of a lower-body injury. But that wasn’t the injury that “We’ve been able to get him down a couple times to play in San Diego. kept him from playing Sunday. Coach Dallas Eakins said Gibson is But this is a guy that’s not whined, not complained once. Has worked his dealing with an unspecified upper-body issue that popped up before the tail off every day. That’s why when you see a performance like that and a team’s practice on Saturday. Eakins added that Gibson’s status is day-to- win like that, you feel real good for a kid like Stolie.” day and that there is not a major concern. (Insert your got-hurt-carrying- the-team joke here.) Maybe this game will give the Ducks a feel for Stolarz’s ability to back up Gibson in the future. This could be Miller’s final season. In January, the But instead of slotting in regular backup goalie Ryan Miller — with team signed Stolarz to a two-year extension worth $1.9 million. Part of Gibson out, the veteran had to make six straight starts, the most since that was related to the upcoming expansion draft, to make sure Gibson his final season in Vancouver in 2016-17 — Eakins turned to Stolarz for a would be protected and that the Ducks would have another goalie start for the first time since the final game of the interrupted and available to expose to the Seattle Kraken. shortened 2019-20 season. There was risk, given that Stolarz had played in only three AHL games this season plus one NHL game, when he came With promising prospect Lukas Dostal now playing AHL games and Olle on in relief of Miller during a rough night against Arizona before the Eriksson Ek off to a nice start this season with the Gulls, the Ducks could current trip. But this already is essentially a lost season, at least from the have a need for a backup with NHL experience in 2021-22, if that is a standpoint of making a playoff push. requirement. Stolarz could be that low-cost, in-house option. He may not have been through the NHL rigors like other goalies who could be on the “You know that he’s worked extremely hard,” Eakins said. “Everybody’s market in the offseason. But he has been tested in other ways. cheering for him. You know the guys are going to play hard. But still, the lack of playing time this year for him was going to be the question mark.” “It’s obviously tough because you’re not getting the game reps that you would in a normal season,” Stolarz said. “At the same time, there’s 30 other goalies who are going through the same thing as me and we all have to be ready.

“I think having that experience allowed me to kind of prepare myself for this year. Obviously, I’ve learned in the past that anything can happen. You can be thrown in there in the blink of an eye. So, I just want to be ready for my opportunity and when I get it, just try to make the most of it.”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207234 Boston Bruins Ever since his matching game misconducts with Lemieux on March 13, Frederic has not been the same gnarly, irascible character we saw earlier this season. When at his nastiest, he looks a tiny bit like long-ago left Bruins rookie Zach Senyshyn is displaying an uptick in strength and winger Wayne Cashman, who made surliness his brand, especially along speed the wall and in the corners.

“I think he’s trying to be physical, get in there and stir the pot whenever possible,” said coach Bruce Cassidy, who feels opponents of late haven’t By Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff, Updated March 29, 2021, 5:19 p.m. presented likely matchups for Frederic to fight. “The kind of nastiness is just something that came out of him and developed, and that’s great. You

need some of those guys that stir the pot in your lineup.” Sunday's loss to the Devils marked Zach Senyshyn's third NHL game of Rask is not ready the season. Tuukka Rask, his injured lower back slow to repair, did not skate and will The 1-2 punch of injuries and COVID entanglements has played a part in be sidelined at least the next two games. Jaro Halak and Dan Vladar will Zach Senyshyn seeing playing time of late in the Bruins’ patchwork quilt split the Tuesday (Devils) and Thursday (Penguins) starts, but Cassidy of a lineup. won’t reveal the rotation until Tuesday morning … Injured blue liners The rookie winger, a candidate to suit up for his 10th NHL game Tuesday Kevan Miller (knee) and Brandon Carlo (concussion) participated in the night in a Garden rematch with the Devils, buckled down last summer optional workout and are inching back toward a return … Assistant coach with some extra training at the Ottawa-based Canadian Strength Kevin Dean, absent from bench duty Saturday and Sunday because of Institute. close COVID contact, was on the ice for the late-morning skate … Sean Kuraly, out on COVID protocol since a week ago Thursday, briefly skated Chris Kelly, the Bruins’ player development coordinator and longtime on his own at Brighton before the club’s workout … As of Monday Ottawa Senator, recommended Senyshyn to CSI, where trainers Sean morning, the Bruins stood next-to-last in five-on-five goals, scoring 48 Young and Derek Froats focused on building the 2015 first-round pick’s times in 31 games. Only the Sabres (41 goals/33 games) are worse ... strength and speed. Tuesday is Senyshyn’s 24th birthday ... The Bruins sent thoughts and prayers to the loved ones of Bobby Schmautz, who passed away in The opportunities this season have been limited, but Senyshyn has Arizona on Sunday, his 76th birthday. The undersized Schmautz played looked more vibrant and engaged — faster on his feet and more inclined 13 NHL seasons, and was part of the Cup Final teams in 1974, 1977, to shoot. and 1978. His overtime winner in Game 4 of the ‘78 Final against Senyshyn gave credit to Young, Froats … and some backyard trees at Montreal highlighted the parts of seven seasons (1973-80) he spent on his home in Ottawa. The fourth-year pro said he chopped a lot of wood Causeway Street. during the pandemic pause last year as a means of building upper-body Boston Globe LOADED: 03.30.2021 strength.

“Sure did,” said the smiling Lumberjack Zach, noting, “Through snow, through rain, through a lot of other kinds of stuff … we were kind of using anything and everything possible to get the upper edge on guys.”

Zach Senyshyn has yet to find the net this season.

Senyshyn skated at right wing in Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Devils, riding with center Charlie Coyle and Anders Bjork. He logged nine minutes in ice time (16 shifts), fired three times, and landed two on net. If he suits up Tuesday night, he’ll be looking for his first point in four games this season. He’s averaging two shots a game, an indication of a shot-ready mentality.

“A younger version of myself might be looking around and waiting for some other guys to do some stuff,” he said, “but for me right now, I’m coming in guns blazing, ready to make an impact. I think I’d only be talking myself out of a job if I started to look at other guys to do stuff.”

Senyshyn showed minimal pop in his first three years at AHL Providence, but this season, perhaps because of improved strength and speed, he posted a more robust 5-4—9 line in 11 games before being summoned to Boston.

Feeding off anger

Trent Frederic, who hasn’t logged so much as a two-minute minor the last six games, still leads the Bruins with 53 penalty minutes, in part because of scraps earlier this month with Brendan Lemieux (ex-Ranger now in LA) and Washington superheavyweight .

Playing angry, Frederic believes, brings up his all-around level of play.

Trent Frederic fights for position against Philadelphia's Mark Freidman in a game earlier this season.

“Yeah, I believe so,” he said following Monday’s optional workout. “In the past, when I was in Providence, I think every time I got in a fight I think I might have scored later in the game, or something like that for a little bit there.

“There’s definitely some translation for sure. When you’re playing angry, you’re playing with a little extra fire and a little extra stuff goes a long way.”

In the absence of the COVID-sidelined Brad Marchand, Frederic moved up the last two games to top-line duty with Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. He also saw some time on the No. 2 power-play unit. 1207235 Boston Bruins “I thought he had some opportunities to attack and he deferred a little bit … so we’ll keep working on that part of his game to grow the offense and hope he brings the nastiness,” said Cassidy.

Bruins must find ways to manufacture goals Frederic is not naturally a shoot-first player.

“Switching to wing you have more opportunity to go down the left side By STEVE CONROY | PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 6:03 p.m. | and you have more chances to shoot. Probably in the past I’ve always UPDATED: March 29, 2021 at 6:26 p.m. been in the middle kicking it out to those guys and not getting as many of those looks that I should probably be putting on net, I’d be looking to make a pass. I have to work on that and have that shot mentality,” said Frederic. When Bruins’ fans first saw the NHL’s intramural divisional schedule, there’s no doubt many of them figured they might get sick of seeing Studnicka has been considered the B’s top prospect for the past couple teams like the New Jersey Devils by the end of the season. of years. His current role as fourth-line center may not fit him perfectly, but that’s how he’s in the lineup. It’s up to him to make something of it. They just didn’t know exactly how much they’d hate seeing the sons of Lindy Ruff, and why. “I thought he did a decent job when the opportunity presented itself, but like a lot of young guys, when you’re opportunity comes, if you’re an When the B’s play their sixth game against the Devils on Tuesday, they offensive guy then you’ve got to play to your strengths and create a little will be looking for their first 5-on-5 goal of the season series and the first bit. If you’re more of a PK or energy then you bring that element. That’s goal of any kind in the last 121:06 against Jersey. where he’s at right now,” said Cassidy. “I think he’s had some moments While there were some encouraging signs of injured players taking steps where he’s been pretty good for us and other moments where he can be forward in their rehabilitation at Warrior Ice Arena on Monday, it is still better on the puck, stronger on pucks and create a little more. That’s unknown which, if any, players currently out from injury or virus protocols where his game’s at right now and we’ll see where it leads down the will be available to turn the tide against the Devils, for whom the Bruins road.” have provided nearly a quarter of their season wins (4 of 13). Rask remains out With the number of important players out of the lineup right now, the B’s Tuukka Rask did not participate in the B’s optional practice on Monday. are no doubt in some semblance of water-treading mode, doing their best Cassidy doesn’t expect him to play this week and wasn’t willing to to keep their heads above the surface. Their 48 5-on-5 goals are the venture a guess when he’d be ready. second fewest in the league, currently above only the historically bad Sabres. Still, they’ve given up only 48, allowing them to cling to a playoff “I tried to speculate before on that, didn’t think there was much going on spot. but obviously it was a more serious injury than we first anticipated. So no use going down that road till he’s in a full practice,” said Cassidy. Considering the circumstances, coach Bruce Cassidy, whose team had a four-game point streak snapped Sunday, said a crisis of confidence has Sean Kuraly, who has been on the COVID protocol list since March 18, not befallen his players. skated with assistant Kim Branvold prior to the practice. He remains on the list, however. “Not yet. We’re still getting points. Not as many as we’d like. We’re not going to sugarcoat it. Nobody is happy losing to New Jersey 1-0 the last “I’m not completely clear on this, but guys are allowed as they get closer two times and by a goal the previous time. Whoever the opponent is, we to the end to do some activity by themselves,” said Cassidy. feel we can beat any team in this league. We’ve played well against some of the top teams. Not the Islanders but certainly Washington and Marchand and Jake DeBrusk also remained on the list. Pittsburgh and Philly early in the year when they were winning,” said In the good news department, Brandon Carlo, who hasn’t played since Cassidy on Monday. suffering a head injury on March 5, and Kevan Miller, who hasn’t played Cassidy and his staff had begun the year trying to emphasize getting since Feb. 18 because of recurring knee issues, both took part in the shots through from the blueliners, which has not worked particularly well, practice and took contact. Cassidy didn’t rule either player out for especially lately. Tuesday, though he did not think Miller would be in the mix. Ideally, both players would be able to go through a couple of full practices, but those “We have a good group here. We’ll reset. Again, we’re going to look at will be few and far between with this compacted schedule. some things we feel could help us score. We’ve done a lot of that this year. Obviously we haven’t found the magic formula yet,” said Cassidy. Mourning Schmautz “Some of that is ‘What are we doing as a staff to help them?’ And some The Bruins Alumni announced that Bobby Schmautz died at the age of of that is their execution and their willingness to finish plays and get to 76. Schmautz was an eight-time 20-goal scorer and was a member of the the inside themselves. It’s a mix. We’re going to keep hammering away 1977-78 B’s team that had a record 11 20-goal scorers, including at it, maybe with forwards driving in a little more. We’ve been going low Schmautz, who had 27 that year. to high because teams have been collapsing. And (we’ve got to) recognize when we can go to the net ourselves as forwards. That’s Boston Herald LOADED: 03.30.2021 where our experience is in scoring. So take it upon yourself a little more. That’ll be part of the message. Understand when there is no room. That’s when you use your D. We’re still figuring some things out.”

As Cassidy pointed out, the B’s could use some production from their proven commodities. David Pastrnak put 11 shots on net in the past two games, but he’s still looking to snap a three-game goal-less skid. Patrice Bergeron missed on a chance to add to his legend after scoring what appeared to be the equalizer on Sunday after having his nose enlarged by an inadvertent Trent Frederic elbow, but it was taken off the board for goalie interference. He hasn’t found the back of the net in seven games.

But a little boost from the kids wouldn’t hurt, either. Jack Studnicka, pegged to be a top six centerman at some point, has just 1-2-3 totals in 18 games this year. Anders Bjork had positive moments recently but has just 2-3-5 totals in 27 games. And Frederic, as valuable as he’s been in re-establishing a belligerence for this team, has not yet been able to seize the chance given to him when he was bumped up to the top line in Brad Marchand‘s absence. He was the only Bruin not to land a shot on net on Sunday. 1207236 Boston Bruins In that series and in their five-game series loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in the bubble last spring, lack of scoring and the ability to make clean zone exits and entries led to their Cassidy Sends Bat Signal To Sweeney For NHL Trade Deadline demise. As far as Cassidy is concerned, even if Sweeney can get a top 6 winger before the NHL Trade Deadline, it won’t completely solve the Bruins’ scoring woes. To do that, especially in the playoffs, the Bruins can’t continue to just lean on Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk to push By Jimmy Murphy the puck up ice. They need more than four borderline AHLers (and that’s meant with no disrespect to Jeremy Lauzon, Jakub Zboril, Connor Clifton and Jarred Tinordi). With the NHL Trade Deadline two weeks from today, Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy has officially sent out the bat signal to Bruins “Obviously, ‘Gryzz’ [Grzelcyk] and Charlie [McAvoy] have some ability to make a deal that will jumpstart his there, a little more than the others and we saw it with both of them the team’s dormant offense and at the top of his NHL Trade wishlist, is a other night against Buffalo and it resulted in two goals,” Cassidy pointed puck-moving defenseman. out. “So, that’s a little bit of where it can start for us and obviously the off- net chances that the forwards have, they have to bear down and at least Following a second straight 1-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils and the make sure that make the goalie have to make a save, and then get fifth this season by that same score, Cassidy didn’t pull any punches on inside.” what’s plaguing the Bruins and what Sweeney can do before the April 12 NHL Trade Deadline to save the season and not let the Bruins miss the The Boston Bruins have been linked to Nashville Predators defenseman playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season Mattias Ekholm but according to a trusted NHL management source, the asking price would be rookie forward Jack Studnicka, one of Jakub “We’re fighting to stay in the mix,” Cassidy said bluntly. “I think we’ve Zboril, or Urho Vaakanainen, and a 2021 first-round pick. For now, the done a good job of that; we’re in every game. We are like I’ve said, Bruins are holding back on Ekholm and it is not known if they have offensively, I think we’re a better defensive team makeup in terms of our looked into Arizona Coyotes puck-moving defenseman Oliver Ekman- roster anyways, that’s why our numbers are very good defensively. Larsson again. Ekman-Larsson agreed to waive his NMC to be dealt to Offensively, we’re not built to outscore teams but right now, we do need a either the Bruins or Vancouver Canucks this past offseason. little more. …for example, I’ll use their goal. With the Florida Panthers potentially losing their best defenseman, Aaron “Their D makes a move up top; nothing fancy, just finds a shooting lane, Ekblad, to a gruesome injury on Sunday, they will now compete with the it goes in off a body. So, it’s a lucky goal, it really is, and we didn’t get Bruins for a top-four defenseman in a crowded and expanding NHL trade any of those breaks tonight but the fact that he got it past the first layer market focused on the same thing. The Bruins aren’t losing because of when you’re up top, is huge to creating offense. Especially, when you’re lack of effort and if they miss the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, it won’t be teams that play against us. They know that we’re struggling to generate because Cassidy and the players stopped trying. Now we’ll see if from up there so they pack in even more, and that’s where the teaching Sweeney got Cassidy’s Bat Signal and rewards that effort the players has to be better and the execution on the ice needs to be better in terms have shown amidst an array of injuries and COVID Protocol issues. of getting it past the first layer. Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 So, you have some opportunities for tips and deflections or some of those lucky goals or at least it goes below the goal line and you can generate something from there. So obviously that’s one part of the offense where we need to get better at.”

He’s not lying about the Bruins being in survival mode these days and if not for Carter Hart’s disastrous season, the Bruins (17-9-5, 39 pts, .629) would likely be trailing the Philadelphia Flyers (16-13-4, 36 pts, .545) for the final playoff spot in the East Division. While the Flyers and Hart can’t keep the puck out of the net, the Bruins appear to be lost in the dark streets of Gotham and there are no nets on the street corners.

The Bruins have scored 83 goals this season and only four other teams have scored less. The Anaheim Ducks (81 GF), Detroit Red Wings, and the Devils (79 GF), and the Buffalo Sabres, who are dead last in the NHL with just 68 goals heading into their game with the Flyers tonight in Buffalo. They have scored just 47 goals 5-on-5 and their powerplay has been wildly inconsistent as of late, going 0-for-5 in that loss to the Devils on Sunday night. Here are some other not-so-promising stats for the Black and Gold.

-Shooting percentage 5-on-5: 6.0% (league average: 7.7 %)

-Corsi for 5-on-5: 1323 (league average: 1393)

-Expected goals for: 25.8 (league average: 34.7

-Goal differential: +10

-High-Danger chances for: 74 (league average: 100). *47 of those chances have gone in the Bruins’ favor.

-High-Danger chances that have led to goals: 6 (7.5%) (League average: 15, 12.6%)

Surely, Cassidy isn’t going to complain if Sweeney can finally land that top-six scoring winger he’s been coveting on the NHL Trade and Free Agent markets since he took over as Bruins GM prior to that last non- playoff season. To his credit, he tried hard and was able to bring in the biggest name on the 2018 NHL Trade market, former NHLer Rick Nash, but concussions derailed that project and eventually led to Nash having to retire. Sweeney’s Bruins have made the playoffs four straight seasons and came within one game of the 2019 Stanley Cup, losing Game 7 to the St. Louis Blues on home ice. 1207237 Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins Not Expecting Injured Rask Back This Week

By Joe Haggerty

BRIGHTON, Mass – Not to sound any alarm bells or warnings, but it sure sounds like the Boston Bruins aren’t expecting to see ailing No. 1 goaltender Tuukka Rask anytime soon.

Rask was missing from Monday’s optional Bruins practice at Warrior Ice Arena as Dan Vladar and Callum Booth took the practice ice after Jaroslav Halak was the losing netminder in a 1-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night.

“Tuukka wasn’t on the ice today, so he won’t play tomorrow,” said Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “We’ll look at our week here with [Vladar] versus [Jaro], but both goalies were very good this weekend. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was at the other end finishing off plays. As Tuukka gets back into practice we’ll determine when his next game is going to be.

“My guess would be closer to later in the week, but until he’s back practicing, we don’t know. We tried to speculate before on that when we didn’t think there was much going on, but it was obviously a more serious injury than we first anticipated. So, there’s no use going down that road until he’s had a full practice and a certain amount of work. I suspect it will [Vladar] and Halak for this week.”

The 23-year-old Vladar is 2-0-0 with 1.50 goals against average and a .952 save percentage in two starts since Rask was injured, and Halak is 3-3-2 with a 1.94 goals against average and a .931 save percentage in March while shouldering the bulk of the goaltending load.

Rask appeared to initially injure his back in the latter moments of a March 7 shutout loss to the New Jersey Devils after colliding with Miles Wood in his crease. The injury was apparent when he had major difficult getting off the ice for the extra skater at the end of the game.

Heres Tuukka Rask leaving the ice for the extra attacker late in the 3rd period. Appeared to be shaken up after a collision with Miles Wood a few minutes prior. Doesn’t look great pic.twitter.com/RcaBeBuQwu

— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) March 8, 2021

Then Rask attempted to return last week against the Islanders, and lasted a single period making six saves before leaving with a recurrence of the same issue that had bothered the 34-year-old Boston Bruins goalie previously.

Brandon Carlo (upper body) and Kevan Miller (knee) were both practicing and taking some contact at Monday’s practice as they progress from their injuries, but it sounded like Carlo was a little closer to a return than Miller at this point. Sean Kuraly (along with Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand as of early Monday afternoon) is still in the NHL’s COVID Protocol at this point, but he’s hit a stage where he’s allowed to skate and practice at the B’s practice facility by himself.

The bottom line: It sounds like Brandon Carlo might be the only player with a chance at returning for Tuesday night’s game as the Bruins battle against both injuries and COVID Protocol.

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207238 Boston Bruins Instead of a feel-good moment at the end of the third period where they battled to secure at least a point, the Boston Bruins are left with the undeniable feeling that goals are becoming extremely hard to come by Boston Bruins Lose Two ‘Hit or Miss’ Video Reviews In Defeat for a hockey club struggling for offense.

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021

By Joe Haggerty

BOSTON – The Boston Bruins certainly could have used a break in the scoring column on Sunday afternoon.

They were shut out for the second straight game against the New Jersey Devils by a 1-0 score with Mackenzie Blackwood stopping 40 shots this time around at TD Garden, after Scott Wedgewood made 40 saves the last time around against the Black and Gold.

The rubber met the road with 1:10 to go in the game amidst a third period where the B’s outshot the Devils by a 17-5 margin, and it appeared they scored the game-tying goal when Patrice Bergeron banged home the scrambling rebound of a point shot. It was a play where David Krejci kept things alive by poking at the puck as Blackwood trapped it under his glove as bodies were flying all around the Jersey net.

The Devils challenged that the play was goaltender interference, and ultimately after a video review the NHL Situation Room found “that Boston’s David Krejci dislodged the covered puck from under the glove of New Jersey goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood prior to Patrice Bergeron’s goal.”

According to Rule 38.11, “The standard for overturning the call in the event of a “GOAL” call on the ice is that the NHL Situation Room, after reviewing any and all replays and consulting with the On-Ice Official(s), determines that the goal should have been disallowed due to “Interference on the Goalkeeper,” as described in Rules 69.1, 69.3 and 69.4.” It was a bang-bang play that was ruled a goal on the ice and there was pretty clearly debate from both sides as to whether Blackwood had adequately covered the puck with desperate traffic all around the New Jersey goaltender.

New Jersey challenges for goaltender interference and Bergeron’s tying goal is negated. pic.twitter.com/po5mDzjrtV

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 29, 2021

“I think the goalie interference call could have gone either way. [The referee] signaled a goal and he was right in front of it,” said Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “Typically, I thought it needed to be something egregious and I guess they deemed that egregious. I think the overhead does us no favors. I don’t know. What am I supposed to say on that? They make the call, and it didn’t go our way. We haven’t had a lot of luck with those calls. I think that’s the second one that’s come back on us against Jersey this year.

“Not a lot of puck luck for us. We really, really have to work to score goals and then when we do they come back [off the board]. They have to make that call, they did, and we move on. I think another night they might count it. That’s just the way it is. It’s hit or miss on those ones sometimes. People say they even out. I don’t know if I believe that, but we’ll see over the course of the year.”

The second play happened in the final seconds of the game as Nick Ritchie fired a shot from the net-front that looked like it may have crossed the goal line before Blackwood kicked it away from trouble. It was called “no goal” on the ice and the video didn’t show overwhelming evidence that the original “no goal” call should have been overturned.

GOAL OR NO GOAL?!?#NJDevils | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/LsUuvvToVX

— NHL on NBC Sports (@NHLonNBCSports) March 29, 2021

Instead, it was a great save by Blackwood, and the Bruins felt like they just couldn’t catch a break while starved for even-strength offense these days.

“There are other years where you can outscore some of those calls, but we’re not in that position right now clearly,” said Cassidy. “Every goal matter to us, so it’s tough when those [disallowed goals] happen. But it was another solid effort in the third where we outplayed the other team and tried to generate second and third chances against this guy, but it didn’t work out.” 1207239 Boston Bruins wrister on goal. What made Smith’s shot dangerous was that it slipped past would-be shot blockers Grzelcyk and Charlie Coyle. The puck deflected off Kyle Palmieri’s leg and past Jaroslav Halak for the game’s Bruins’ trade deadline needs only more clear after frustrating weekend only goal. For Smith, New Jersey’s 2018 first-rounder, it was his 17th assist.

KYLE PALMIERI By Fluto Shinzawa Mar 29, 2021 1-0 #NJDEVILS

@NESN PIC.TWITTER.COM/MT7UFAC17P If there is any doubt as to the Bruins’ needs before the April 12 trade deadline, consider what happened with 3:51 remaining in regulation of — HERE'S YOUR REPLAY (@HERESYOURREPLAY) MARCH 28, Sunday’s 1-0 loss to New Jersey. 2021

Matt Grzelcyk had a problem with his helmet before an offensive-zone “Nothing fancy. Just finds a shooting lane and goes in off a body,” faceoff. Referees Furman South and Jon McIsaac granted Grzelcyk one Cassidy said. “It’s a lucky goal. It really is. We didn’t get any of those trip to the bench for a fix. When Grzelcyk needed a second repair, the breaks tonight. But the fact that he got it by the first layer when you’re up referees had enough. They sent the defenseman off the ice and called top is huge to creating offense.” for a replacement. It’s what Cassidy has been harping on Zboril, the Bruins’ 2015 first- Coach Bruce Cassidy told David Krejci to take Grzelcyk’s spot. He had rounder, to incorporate into his game. The 24-year-old hasn’t been no defenseman more dangerous to pair with Charlie McAvoy than a proficient at it. Zboril has no goals and six assists. He has slipped at both fourth forward. ends lately, enough so that Cassidy dropped him to the No. 3 pairing on Sunday. At this point, Cassidy has little faith that Jakub Zboril, Jeremy Lauzon, Connor Clifton or Steve Kampfer have the touch to put long-distance “I find there’s more offense there,” Cassidy said. “He sees the ice well. pucks on net. He’s got a good shot. But he’s not getting it through to the net at all. He’s not finding lanes for himself in the O-zone. Probably has more “They know we’re struggling to generate from up there,” Cassidy said of opportunities to get up the ice. He did once yesterday. Made a nice play. opponents. “They pack in even more. That’s where the teaching has to Kicked it out to (Zach) Senyshyn, center-lane drive. Senny threw it into to be better and the execution on the ice from the back end needs to be (Anders Bjork). It was an off-net chance in the slot. But a little more of better in terms of getting it past the first layer so you have some that when it’s his turn to go.” opportunities for tips and deflections. Some of those lucky goals. Or at least it goes below the goal line and you can generate something from Against Buffalo, Grzelcyk and McAvoy made it look easy. During 6-on-5 there. That’s one part of the offense we need to get better at. Grizz and play, Grzelcyk calmly curled into the high slot, waited for Charlie Coyle to Charlie have some ability there, a little more than the others. We saw it set up in front and snapped a long-distance puck into the net. with both of the goals the other night against Buffalo.” Later in the game, McAvoy took one spin behind the Buffalo net. He For both weekend games, the Bruins were without top two left wings didn’t see anything to his liking. Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk, both parked in COVID-19 protocol. So McAvoy tried again. The second time, he saw a seam open before he They were down Ondrej Kase, their projected No. 2 right wing, approached the goal line. McAvoy’s pass deflected off Rasmus unavailable since knocking his head in Game 2. Brandon Carlo and Ristolainen and onto Ritchie’s stick. The left wing took care of the rest. Kevan Miller, two-thirds of their right side on defense, did not play. It was almost a side note that they were missing Tuukka Rask, their ace goalie. It was McAvoy’s best play in a robust game. The No. 1 defenseman and team MVP led all players with 26:32 of ice time, including 3:38 on the The Bruins should have had enough, though, to do more than engage in power play and 3:30 on the penalty kill. At 5-on-5, the Bruins held a 19-8 one-goal nail-biters against New Jersey and Buffalo. They are the two attempt advantage (70.37 CF%) with McAvoy on the ice, according to worst teams in the East Division. Natural Stat Trick.

Yet the Bruins’ DNA of defense first and offense last came through so The Bruins’ top pairing is electric. They possess the puck so much that keenly that they could not help but scratch and claw and bite for every their defensive skills, exquisite in themselves, are not always required. sniff of goal scoring. They got nothing against the Devils. If only they had four more such defensemen. It didn’t help that Patrice Bergeron’s tying goal at 18:50 got called back for goalie interference. Then with 8.4 seconds left in regulation, video “We’ve discussed that internally. That’s why we started them apart,” review confirmed that Mackenzie Blackwood kicked out a tumbling puck Cassidy said of doubling up on their slickest puck movers. “We’ve just just a hair before it fully crossed the line. thought, since we’ve had the rash of injuries, we’ll have the one strong pair and split them up periodically. See if we can get some easy WHAT A SAVE BY MACKENZIE BLACKWOOD #NJDEVILS transition out of our end against some good offensive lines that can get @NESN PIC.TWITTER.COM/JR67QP38RI frustrated. O-zone blue line, they feed off each other well. And we need it. In today’s game, every organization will tell you that you need puck- — HERE'S YOUR REPLAY (@HERESYOURREPLAY) MARCH 29, moving guys to help create offense.” 2021 The Bruins really need at least one more left-shot defenseman, perhaps “The way we are right now in terms of our offense, those matter,” Mattias Ekholm. They also could use a right wing like Palmieri. Cassidy said. “Other times, other years, maybe when you’re completely healthy, things are running, you just play through those. You can Otherwise, their offense (48 5-on-5 goals, second-fewest in the league) is outscore some of those goals. But we’re not in that position right now, taking them nowhere. clearly. Every goal matters to us.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 The Bruins scored only two 5-on-5 goals in Saturday’s 3-2 come-from- behind win over the Sabres. Buffalo, winless in 17 straight, is worse than the 2014-15 version, which was actively for the Connor McDavid/ draft.

“We’re fighting to stay in the mix. I think we’ve done a good job with that,” said Cassidy. “We’re in every game. We are just, offensively… I think we’re a better defensive team makeup in terms of our roster. That’s why our numbers are very good defensively. Offensively, we’re not built to outscore teams.”

Cassidy used New Jersey’s goal as an example. Ty Smith, the Devils’ slick 21-year-old defenseman, fired what looked like a harmless point 1207240 Buffalo Sabres Sabres drop another scout amid changes to hockey operations under GM Kevyn Adams

A restructuring of the Buffalo Sabres’ scouting department included the Mike Harrington: Seriously now, that kind of Sabres loss just can't dismissal of another… happen "We made mistakes, simple mistakes," Granato said. "I wouldn't call it panic. If we hit the open net, would we be talking about panic? We made Mike Harrington Mar 29, 2021 bad decisions and mistakes under pressure. I wouldn't say we panicked. That is going a little bit too far. We stayed active and aggressive. We just didn't make the right decisions."

The first thing that popped in my head late Monday night was that old clip Now, I don't agree with Granato here, but I can at least follow his point. of John McEnroe from an early 1980s tirade at Wimbledon. And if Tage Thompson's headlong dive at the puck barely misses pushing it into the empty net, Sean Couturier can't score the game-tying Remember the one where the ball was clearly on the line and chalk flew goal with 1:29 to go. up? What four words that live in tennis lore did McNasty rail at the umpire after his serve was called out? In the overtime, Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt simply overplayed their hand. There's a balance between going for it and not getting caught. The The Wraparound: Sabres spoil 3-goal lead, winless streak reaches 18 in two first-round picks didn't strike it and they got burned. OT "There was no balance," Granato said of the 2-on-1 that led to Ivan Buffalo, now 6-23-5, remains last in the with 17 Provorov's game-winner. "We can use that to learn and we have to learn points and is well on its way to matching the league record with a 10th fast. We pressed too much. There was no panic there. We just tried to consecutive season outside the playoffs. score too darn bad. We didn't read situations. We lost our patience." You cannot be serious. "I don't know what to say," Dahlin said. "I tried to play the puck, they get That's how you have to feel after the Buffalo Sabres' utter collapse in a 2-on-1 and they score." KeyBank Center. Their hideous winless streak was over, cemented away The Sabres are now 0-13-2 this month. They're winless in their last 11 in the history books at 17 games and no more. games at home (0-9-2). They still haven't beaten anyone not named the And then it wasn't over. And now it's 18 games. New Jersey Devils since Jan. 26. And they couldn't snap their maddening March string without a regulation win that's now at 35 games (3-28-4) Observations: Dylan Cozens' injury adds to litany of issues for Sabres since 2018.

Linus Ullmark dug the puck out of his own net, flipped it in the air as an Eric Staal eager to put time with Sabres behind him after trade expression of fru… "There were so many hurdles. There were so many things that just didn't A 3-0 lead after two periods went poof in the night. The Philadelphia line up the way we had in mind," said Staal, who was traded to the Flyers roared back with three goals in the third period and got the winner Canadiens on Friday for two draft picks. in overtime. A shocking 4-3 loss. An 0-15-3 record, equaling the NHL's longest winless streak of the last 27 years. Earlier in the day, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman – who has become one of the most influential names in the sport – wrote in his weekly "31 Brandon Montour, whose goal off a Tage Thompson feed made it 3-0 at Thoughts" column, "I will admit this even if it makes me look 12:50 of the second period, was fuming after this one and it was good to unprofessional, but I’m rooting for a Buffalo victory. No one deserves this hear. If you wanted to hear anger and incredulity for once, you got it from level of on-ice misery in such a mentally challenging isolation season." Montour. He had a point. Eric Staal gave us a window of the anxiety a lot of At first, he said he didn't have many words. But he sure found some. players are going through in Covid times when he spoke to Monreal reporters Sunday. Imagine going through it losing all these games. This "You go through a stretch like this, you blame systems, you blame was the most brutal one of all. coaches ... In the end, you've got to be an NHL player," Montour said. " ... It's embarrassing. This whole stretch is embarrassing, especially Still, these aren't kids. These are guys who've played a lot of hockey in tonight. Any team in the NHL, I don't care who you are, that's a win." their lives. How in the world does an entire team of NHL hockey players have a panic attack? "The third period, like, you just got to be desperate. And guys, I don’t know if they try to feel sorry for each other. You just have to find a way Said Dahlin: "This situation we're in right now, you can imagine." there. That’s unacceptable." Buffalo News LOADED: 03.30.2021 Sabres notebook: Seth Appert returns to coach Amerks after whirlwind trip to NHL

"I have a great staff. ... I felt extremely confident and how comfortable with how things will be run while I was gone," Appert said.

Absolutely is. And Montour wasn't done.

"Yeah it's 3-2 but you still got the lead, you know? .. You just got to be better. Obviously, 17 games or whatnot, but that’s got to be better on our part. That’s players. That’s completely 20 guys on the ice. That’s brutal. ... We owned them the first two periods. Why can’t we finish them? We just got to be better."

You felt the here-we-gos when Kevin Hayes scored for Philadelphia at 1:50 of the third period. Claude Giroux made it 3-2 at 10:51 and the collars really tightened.

Rasmus Dahlin point-blank called it a "panic attack." Shocking to hear but it sure looked like that.

Interim coach didn't agree. He told his team a few days ago they would be better in a week and he's right there. They'll win playing the way they did in the first two periods the last two games. But the third period Saturday in Boston and the third period Monday will make you losers every time. Five goals and 30 shots on goal against in those two thirds. Talk about mentally fragile. 1207241 Buffalo Sabres second period on a feed from Rieder. It broke a 17-game drought for Eakin, whose only other goal this season came on an empty-netter.

Net-front presence: The Flyers had four defenders crowded around the The Wraparound: Sabres spoil 3-goal lead, winless streak reaches 18 in net when Tage Thompson retrieved his own blocked shot and turned to OT pass to Montour, who skated down the slot and scored for a 3-0 lead with 7:17 remaining in the second period.

Lance Lysowski Mar 29, 2021 Difficult read: The Flyers finally broke through at 1:50 into the third period when Hayes’ shot fluttered off Rasmus Dahlin’s stick blade and over Ullmark’s leg pad to make it 3-1.

Brandon Montour raised his stick high in the air inside KeyBank Center, A restructuring of the Buffalo Sabres’ scouting department included the skated toward the corner adjacent to the Philadelphia Flyers’ net and dismissal of another… waited for the celebration to commence Monday night. Coverage mistake: Rasmus Ristolainen was caught out of position, Montour, likely among the Buffalo Sabres who will be traded before the allowing Giroux and Couturier to be defended only by Matt Irwin on the April 12 deadline, had just increased the lead to three goals – a first for Flyers’ second goal with 9:09 remaining in regulation. the team since Feb. 23 – with a bar-down shot in the second period. There were no fans in the building to roar, bang on the glass and let out a On to overtime: Couturier tied the score by tipping a Provorov shot past collective sigh of relief. Ullmark with 1:29 remaining in regulation.

The tension and angst did not dissipate for long. The Flyers erased the Lineup: Prior to puck drop, the Sabres assigned forwards Steven Fogarty three-goal deficit in the third period and defeated the Sabres in overtime and Jean-Sebastien Dea to the taxi squad. Thompson (illness) and 4-3. The winless streak that cost former coach Ralph Krueger his job Rieder (upper body) returned to the lineup after missing time last week. reached 18 games, the longest in the National Hockey League since the Next: The Sabres are scheduled to practice Tuesday in preparation for Pittsburgh Penguins went 0-17-1 in 2003-04. their game Wednesday against the Flyers. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m., Buffalo, now 6-23-5, remains last in the National Hockey League with 17 Eastern, and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network. points and is well on its way to matching the league record with a 10th Buffalo News LOADED: 03.30.2021 consecutive season outside the playoffs.

Ivan Provorov scored 42 seconds into overtime to make the Sabres’ winless streak tied for the 14th longest in NHL history.

"I have a great staff. ... I felt extremely confident and how comfortable with how things will be run while I was gone," Appert said.

Ullmark provided 32 saves in goal against the Flyers (17-13-4). Henri Jokiharju’s shot from the right circle broke the scoreless tie in the first period. Cody Eakin and Montour padded the Sabres’ lead. Buffalo finally challenged Philadelphia goalie Brian Elliott with 32 shots after the 35- year-old shut out the Sabres twice earlier this season.

The Flyers, though, roared back with three goals in the third period, capped by Sean Couturier scoring with 1:29 remaining in regulation to tie the score. Kevin Hayes and Claude Giroux also had goals.

Sabres rookie center Dylan Cozens did not return to the game after suffering an upper-body injury on a hit along the wall from Flyers defenseman Philippe Myers. Cozens reached the bench with 8:09 remaining in the first period and chucked his stick while making his way down the tunnel.

The Sabres were already without captain Jack Eichel (upper body), who missed an 11th consecutive game.

Big saves: Elliott made a pair of impressive saves in a matter of minutes, beginning with Sam Reinhart’s shot from the left circle on a backhanded pass from Victor Olofsson. Elliott then stopped Tobias Rieder during a 2- on-1 in which Cody Eakin created space with a backhanded pass.

Travis Yost's Sabre Metrics: Differences between this team and tank team? Not much

"It dawned on me watching their 6-0 drubbing against Washington two weeks ago that the results from the tank season when the Sabres were trying to lose (2014-15) are starting to be indiscernible from their current results," writes Travis Yost.

Momentum swing: Jokiharju scored his first goal since Jan. 18, a span of 20 games for the 21-year-old, when his shot from the right circle leaked through Elliott’s five-hole and in for a 1-0 lead at 17:41 into the first period. Winger Kyle Okposo jarred the puck loose along the wall and center Curtis Lazar passed to Jokiharju, who was left uncovered near the top of the right circle.

It was only the eighth time in 34 games that the Sabres led at the end of the first period. Entering Monday, Buffalo was 2-19-2 when its opponent scored first. This was only the 11th time all season the Sabres scored first.

It’s been a while: Eakin, who signed a two-year contract with the Sabres in October, scored his first goal on a goalie this season at 2:10 into the 1207242 Buffalo Sabres session, as we have – we had more than a morning skate today. We had a practice today.

“We just don’t have time to practice. Other teams can have a morning Observations: Dylan Cozens' injury adds to litany of issues for Sabres skate. So, we’re putting more into that from a standpoint of developing and progressing. And that is what I felt you’re referring to that you saw tonight, was a team that’s staring to find it’s way, find its identity to play Lance Lysowski Mar 29, 2021 together, make it hard on its opponent, some clarity in that regard.”

2. This isn’t on coaching: Granato’s system worked. We saw that for 40 minutes against a desperate hockey team. Remember, the Flyers were Linus Ullmark dug the puck out of his own net, flipped it in the air as an only 12 days removed from getting beat, 9-0, by the New York Rangers. expression of frustration and solemnly skated back to the Buffalo Sabres’ bench as the Philadelphia Flyers celebrated nearby. The Sabres forgot how to play with a lead and lost their composure, which caused even their most talented players to make egregious Ullmark, the Sabres' 27-year-old goalie, had just failed to stop Ivan mistakes. The formula to defeat the Flyers was there and no one in royal Provorov’s backhander that sent the Flyers to a 4-3 overtime win Monday blue matched Philadelphia’s desperation. night in KeyBank Center. “I just think every time the opposing team scores a goal it’s the same The winless streak that cost Ralph Krueger his job is at 18 games, a way,” said Montour. “Even at 3-1, it’s, like, ‘Here we go.’ I don’t know if franchise record and the longest in the National Hockey League since the that’s the mood that keeps cycling through our team here. Yeah, it’s 3-2, Pittsburgh Penguins went 0-17-1 in 2003-04. The Sabres, still at the but you still got the lead, you know? … You just got to be better. bottom of the league with a 6-23-5 record and 17 points, squandered a Obviously, 17 games or whatnot, but that’s got to be better on our part, three-goal lead in the third period and have been outscored 75-30 during that’s players. That’s completely – 20 guys on the ice. That’s brutal.” the 0-15-3 skid. 3. This wasn’t a lack of effort. If you disagree, take a second look at the “We panicked,” lamented Rasmus Dahlin, the Sabres’ 21-year-old mistake that led to the overtime goal. Dahlin was hounding a Flyers defenseman whose aggressive gamble led to Provorov’s 2-on-1 goal. defender to try to retrieve the puck in the Sabres’ offensive zone. A “This whole stretch has been embarrassing,” said defenseman Brandon remarkable second effort quickly turned into a disaster, as the Flyers Montour. earned a 2-on-1 rush and Travis Konecny made a perfect pass to Provorov. The road ahead may have increased in difficulty with another Sabres injury. The Sabres aren’t working smart. They’re making boneheaded decisions that are leading to easy goals against. A similar situation occurred on the Rookie center Dylan Cozens suffered an upper-body injury on a hit Flyers’ second goal when Rasmus Ristolainen was too aggressive on the delivered by Flyers defenseman Philippe Myers along the boards with forecheck, leaving the front of the net uncovered. 8:17 remaining in the first period. With Eric Staal traded to Montreal and Jack Eichel still out, the Sabres were already forced to move Casey “We owned them the first two periods," said Montour. "Why can’t we Mittelstadt to center. finish them? We just got to be better.”

“I hope not,” Granato said when asked if Cozens will be out awhile. 4. Big moment for Jokiharju: It has been a difficult season for Henri Jokiharju. The 22-year-old defenseman had a solid first season in Buffalo Arttu Ruotsalainen, the top center in Rochester, skated Monday for the in 2019-20, providing to be one of ’s best trade first time since the Amerks’ Covid-19 pause. A lack of talented centers acquisitions. However, Jokiharju, like Dahlin, experienced significant will only make Granato’s job more difficult, as he may be forced to turn to regression in Year 2 under Krueger. Riley Sheahan or Jean-Sebastien Dea to center the top line. Jokiharju has been a healthy scratch 10 times and hasn’t been strong Granato may also have to elevate Cody Eakin into a prominent role. enough in the defensive zone. He still has promise, though, as we saw Eakin’s one-timer goal in the second period was his first non-empty- with his shot from the right circle leak through Brian Elliott’s five-hole for a netter of the season. Consistent, responsible play down the middle will 1-0 lead with 2:19 remaining in the first period. be critical to the Sabres executing a system they’re forced to learn with little practice time and no margin for error in the East Division. It was an important play by Jokiharju. He could use an injection of confidence and his development is an important storyline to watch in the “It’s great,” Dahlin said of Granato’s system. “You saw it for two periods. final weeks of the season. We were dominating the game, but then we just back off and let them do whatever they want. We can’t do that. … This game two periods we Buffalo News LOADED: 03.30.2021 played really good and then four goals in one period. Yeah, it’s unacceptable.”

Here are other observations from the game Monday:

1. Progress at last: The first two periods illustrated how Granato wants the Sabres to play at 5-on-5. Low to high passes with traffic in front of the net, winning puck battles along the wall, outworking opponents in all three zones, etc.

The Sabres weren’t looking for the perfect play, a problem that’s haunted this team all season. They were getting shots on goal, driving to the net and working to retrieve the puck. This team finally showed a willingness and ability to execute Granato’s vision.

This was seen in the second period when Tage Thompson retrieved his own blocked shot and turned to pass to Montour, who was skating down the slot and gave the Sabres a 3-0 lead with a bar-down shot. There was traffic in front of the net and a defenseman joining the play, both of which were an issue under Krueger.

“Obviously we needed to become better as a group and again bringing clarity to how,” said Granato. “I’ve spoken after the last three games and said we’re starting to control more segments of the game and we need our guys to identify with what are we doing in that segment that we’re controlling that we can dictate a little bit more and replicating it over and over. We are starting to see that collectively as we have another video 1207243 Buffalo Sabres Adams, amid his first season as the Sabres' general manager, revealed to the media last week that Jeremiah Crowe will head the pro scouting department and Jerry Forton is now in charge of amateur scouting. The Sabres notebook: Seth Appert returns to coach Amerks after whirlwind Sabres were previously using a model where every scout reported to trip to NHL Crowe, who was named director of scouting in June. Six scouts are currently working under Crowe, Forton and director of analytics Jason Nightingale.

Mike Harrington , Lance Lysowski Mar 29, 2021 Riley previously spent seven years as an amateur scout with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and his coaching career included 19 years with

Army from 1986 through 2004. He is based in Boston and scouted After a whirlwind three days with the Buffalo Sabres, Rochester Amerks across the United States for the Sabres. coach Seth Appert was able to catch his breath Monday and return to his Injury updates team. Granato expressed hope Monday that center Jack Eichel (upper body) But he had quite a story to tell. will be able to return before the end of the season. Granato told the Sabres Notebook: Granato and Ellis behind bench after false positives, media following the morning skate that he recently spoke to Eichel, who long rides has experienced some improvement while rehabbing the injury that has kept him out of the Sabres’ lineup since March 7. "I didn't feel panic at all. I just was in disbelief," Granato said. Goalie Carter Hutton (lower body) is week to week, and the Sabres plan It was about 2:30 p.m. Thursday when Sabres General Manager Kevyn for him to return before the end of the season. Forward Rasmus Asplund Adams called Appert to tell him that interim head coach Don Granato and (upper body) may return to practice this week and is closer to returning to interim assistant were in Covid-19 protocol. Appert was needed the lineup. in Pittsburgh, and faceoff was less than five hours away. Defenseman Jacob Bryson (undisclosed) did not skate Monday morning "I packed first, showered, got in the car, started heading to Pittsburgh as after suffering an injury with 3:30 remaining in the third period Saturday in safely as possible, but I was probably going a little too fast," Appert joked Boston. Bryson is day to day, according to Granato, and is showing on a video call Monday from . "I made it on time around progress. 6:40 but had to get a rapid test and wait 30 minutes for that. I wasn't going to walk on the bench in a middle of a period so I watched the first Meanwhile, Appert said center Arttu Ruotsalainen returned to Amerks period from the video room and then joined Kevyn from there." practice Monday, skating for the first time since the team's Covid-19 pause began earlier this month. The AHL does not announce players in Adams was the Sabres' head coach during the 4-0 defeat, and the club Covid protocol, and Ruotsalainen was not believed to be dealing with any learned late that night that Granato and Ellis had been cleared from injury prior to the pause. He sat out his first game of the season Friday. protocol and would be driving to Boston for Saturday's game. In their The Amerks host Cleveland at 6 p.m. Wednesday. place, Appert ran his first NHL practice Friday in TD Garden. Buffalo News LOADED: 03.30.2021 "I appreciate the trust that Donnie and Kevyn placed in me that day to run meetings with the team and then to run practice," Appert said. "That was good experience, and I appreciate the way the players competed in that practice. They competed hard and had a real purposeful 30-minute practice when it could have certainly not been that way."

Appert said he and the Sabres' staff spent Friday night doing their prep for the game – and watching the shorthanded Amerks battle to a shootout loss against Syracuse while being run by assistants and former Sabres Adam Mair and Mike Weber.

"I have a great staff. ... I felt extremely confident and how comfortable with how things will be run while I was gone," Appert said.

Appert said Saturday's 3-2 loss in Boston, a game the Sabres led through two periods, was a tough one for the players and Granato to take. But he said he felt a big difference from that game to the 4-1 loss against the Bruins March 20 in KeyBank Center. Appert was also on the bench for that one after the firings of Ralph Krueger and Steve Smith the day before.

"There was a lot of honesty in the effort and intentions that day to put themselves in position to win that game. You felt for the group, felt for Donnie," Appert said. "The difference right now between when I was on the bench that first game against Boston at home ... I thought was significant in the style Donnie is trying to implement, trying to get them to play. I think there's traction there, and you can feel that traction. But now you've got to stay with it in those moments of adversity and then fight to get some results to keep building more belief."

Another change

A restructuring of the Sabres’ scouting department included the dismissal of another hockey operations employee.

Sources told The Buffalo News that amateur scout Rob Riley was let go amid the various changes made in recent weeks. Riley, a 66-year-old former college head coach, had been with the Sabres since 2017 and is the second employee to leave the team in recent weeks.

Charlie Mendola, formerly assistant general manager of LECOM Harborcenter, also left the team after spending four-plus months as the Sabres' director of hockey strategy, sources said. 1207244 Buffalo Sabres Sabres' lines/pairings at the morning skate:Olofsson-Cozens- ReinhartHall-Mittelstadt-ThompsonRieder-Eakin-SheahanSkinner-Lazar- OkposoMontour-MillerDahlin-JokiharjuIrwin-RistolainenSmith, Davidson, Sabres game day: Snapping historic skid will require solving Flyers' Brian Dea are among the extras. Elliott — Lance Lysowski (@LLysowski) March 29, 2021

Ullmark’s net: Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark is in line to start a second Lance Lysowski Mar 29, 2021 consecutive game after stopping 33 of 36 shots in the 3-2 loss to the Bruins. The 27-year-old missed the previous 15 games with a lower-body injury suffered during the first period of a 4-3 overtime loss to the Devils on Feb. 25. Matchup: Buffalo Sabres (6-23-4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (16-13-4) Ullmark is 5-5-2 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .918 save Where: KeyBank Center. percentage this season. He is 1-1 with an .899 save percentage in two When: 7 p.m. career games against Philadelphia.

TV: MSG. Buffalo will face either Elliott or when the two teams play Wednesday night in KeyBank Center. The Flyers’ starting goalie, Carter Radio: WGR 550. Hart, is receiving additional practice time to sharpen his game. The 22- year-old has allowed a league-high 77 goals in 22 games, compiling a Brian Elliott, a 35-year-old career backup goalie, stands in the way .869 save percentage in what was supposed to be a breakout season. between the Buffalo Sabres and their goal of snapping a franchise-record 17-game winless streak. Streaking: The Sabres’ 17 games without a win is tied for the 18th- longest winless streak in NHL history, matching runs of futility by the Elliott will start in goal tonight for the Flyers, who are three points out of Kings (1969-70), Capitals (1974-75) and Nordiques (1990-91). It’s the fourth place in the East Division after going 1-3-1 in their last five games. longest in the NHL since the Penguins lost 18 in a row (0-17-1) during He has shut out the Sabres in each of his last two starts against Buffalo the 2003-04 season. with 63 saves. Across his 14 years in the NHL, Elliott is 16-2-2 with a .943 save percentage and 1.67 goals against average when facing the Those Penguins scored 40 goals and allowed 83 through those 18 Sabres. games, whereas the Sabres have scored 27 and surrendered 71. It's important to note that Pittsburgh’s skid occurred before the 2004-05 Buffalo has been shut out more times this season (7) than it has won lockout. games (6) and ranks last in the National Hockey League with 41 goals at 5-on-5. Struggling: Elliott will need more help from his teammates if he is to continue the Sabres’ winless streak. “A lot of times when you’re squeezing your stick and you’re tight, that’s your reflex – you're looking for the perfect play,” said interim coach Don The Flyers have allowed the third-most goals in the NHL this season Granato. “So, I would say get away from the perfect and keep it – simple (118 in 33 games), including 33 in their past seven games. Philadelphia sounds like you’re not aggressive, so that’s not a real good word. But has allowed 9, 6 and 8 goals in recent losses. However, since March 17, aggressive, direct. And starting with entry, pushing depth. We get pucks the night of a 9-0 loss, the Flyers rank 18th in the NHL in suppressing on- to the net, get pucks to the net. … So, simple subtleties such as that. But ice shot quality at 5-on-5. The goaltending hasn’t been good enough. it all comes to being more decisive and playing harder.” The Sabres have spent too much time in their own zone since Granato Lineup shift: With Eric Staal gone and Jack Eichel injured, the Sabres took over as interim coach. Bad breakout passes have resulted in moved former eighth overall draft choice Casey Mittelstadt back to turnovers. Buffalo still isn’t creating off the rush. The players seem to like center. The 22-year-old centered a line with Taylor Hall and Tage Granato’s preferred style of play, though. Thompson during the morning skate Monday. “It’s a little bit more up tempo, a little bit more pressure on the puck,” said Mittelstadt was used strictly on the wing under former coach Ralph Sabres winger Jeff Skinner. “I think most guys would prefer to play a Krueger this season, but individual performance and team need led to more aggressive style and hopefully as we get more comfortable and the change. more used to the system that it translates into more offense for us and a little bit less time spent in our end.” Under Krueger, Mittelstadt was uses strictly at center this season. Faceoff could be a challenge against the Flyers, who are among the top Buffalo News LOADED: 03.30.2021 teams in the NHL in the faceoff circle. Mittelstadt went 1-for-9 on draws Saturday in Boston, but he is converting at a 50% clip in 18 games.

“Mitzy has been very good in the areas we need to see him good at,” said Granato. “And that is being competitive. And that's absorbing the experience of playing center: mistakes or adjustments he could make. But the two real good components there are he's competing very hard. And he's adjusting. He's acclimating. He's acclimating fast. And I spoke on it many of times, learn fast.

“So, I've been happy with that. I think he's been confident in that position. It's a position he was more challenged with last year. And he can see and feel progress within the league this year.”

Lineup notes: Thompson (illness) and Tobias Rieder (upper body) appear ready to draw back into the lineup after missing time last week. However, defenseman Jacob Bryson (undisclosed) is day to day after suffering an injury on a hit with 3:30 remaining in the third period at Boston on Saturday.

Bryson joins an injury report that includes Eichel (upper body), Rasmus Asplund (upper body), Carter Hutton (lower body), Jake McCabe (knee), Will Borgen (forearm) and Zemgus Girgensons (hamstring). Eichel feels better and the Sabres are hopeful he can return this season, according to Granato. Asplund, meanwhile, may be able to return to practice this week after suffering the injury last Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

Here is how the Sabres lined up during the morning skate: 1207245 Buffalo Sabres streak will inevitably snap at some point, this team is in dire need of some shooting luck or a goaltending heater of the highest order to stay competitive.

Travis Yost's Sabre Metrics: Differences between this team and tank Otherwise, the only things left are trading what’s left of the desirable part team? Not much of their lineup, piling up some more losses and positioning themselves for the first overall pick.

Travis Yost Mar 29, 2021 Buffalo News LOADED: 03.30.2021

Travis Yost has been involved in the world of hockey analytics for a decade and is part of TSN's Hockey Analytics team. Prior to joining TSN, Yost was a contributor at the Ottawa Citizen, the Sporting News and NHL Numbers, and he has been a consultant for an NHL franchise. He will be contributing breakdowns on the Buffalo Sabres for The Buffalo News. Follow Yost on Twitter: @travisyost.

Seventeen.

That’s the number of consecutive losses the Buffalo Sabres have racked up since Feb. 25, the latest a one-goal loss Saturday to the Boston Bruins. The Sabres have picked up a couple of points courtesy of overtime, but they are all losses nonetheless.

Sabres Notebook: Linus Ullmark almost snared a win in first game back

"There's a case to be made that the bottom of the Sabres' season fell out when Ullmark got hurt, and not when Jack Eichel left the lineup," writes Mike Harrington.

The white flag was raised on this Sabres season a while ago. A slow start, followed by a two-week Covid-19 stoppage, followed by a run of injuries (the most significant being captain Jack Eichel, out for the foreseeable future), followed by the coach being fired. You get the point. Through all this, the Sabres never played particularly well. And now it has set the stage for another trade deadline selloff, starting with Eric Staal’s move to Montreal Friday.

The least encouraging part through this stretch is that at no point have the Sabres looked remotely competitive. It dawned on me watching their 6-0 drubbing against Washington two weeks ago that the results from the tank season when the Sabres were trying to lose (2014-15) are starting to be indiscernible from their current results.

Consider this average of Sabres performance at even-strength as one example, rolled over a 17-game interval. The Sabres might be better territorially than the tank team, but the goal results are strikingly similar. That’s what happens when you are being routinely out-chanced, your are stopping just 90% of shots faced (29th) and opposing goaltenders are stopping just under 95% of your chances in the offensive zone:

EXPECTED

Again, kind of an important point here – a team that was actively trying to lose games cannot be distinguished from the team that’s lost 17 games in a row. On that point alone, you can probably argue that this is the longest – and least successful, for that matter – rebuild in recent history, dwarfing the failures of the Edmonton Oilers organization from a decade ago.

One of the things I was curious about was the magnitude of this collapse. A losing streak of this length is awfully hard to come by, but the way in which they have done it seems even more impressive – they have lost those 17 games by 43 goals, which means the average game during this run sees the Sabres' losing by 2.5 goals per game.

I sampled some of the worst stretches over 17 games and, not surprisingly, the Sabres own the top three spots spanning three separate years. Compare it to the single worst stretch for every other team at its low point since 2007-08 and, well, something is broken:

When this season started, it would have been impossible to believe that this Sabres lineup – certainly not a playoff-caliber club, but one that should have been more competitive than this – could put together such a run. But they did. And now you have to wonder if this can even get uglier. The Saturday matinee game against Boston saw the team center J.S. Dea, Curtis Lazar, Cody Eakin and Riley Sheahan down the middle of the lineup.

That might – and I emphasize might – work with their AHL affiliate in Rochester. It’s not going to cut it in the NHL. And though the losing 1207246 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres drop another scout amid changes to hockey operations under GM Kevyn Adams

Lance Lysowski Mar 29, 2021

Arestructuring of the Buffalo Sabres’ scouting department included the dismissal of another hockey operations employee.

Sources told The Buffalo News that amateur scout Rob Riley was let go amid the various changes made by the Sabres in recent weeks. Riley, a 66-year-old former college hockey head coach, had been with the Sabres since 2017 and is the second employee to leave the team in recent weeks.

Charlie Mendola, formerly assistant general manager of LECOM Harborcenter, also left the team after spending four-plus months as the Sabres' director of hockey strategy, sources said.

The changes occurred before General Manager Kevyn Adams began interviewing candidates for the assistant general manager opening, most notably Jason Karmanos, who previously held that title with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes.

Adams, amid his first season as the Sabres' general manager, revealed to the media last week that Jeremiah Crowe will head the pro scouting department and Jerry Forton is now in charge of amateur scouting.

The scouting department restructuring represented a philosophical shift for Adams, who scrapped this same model upon taking over as general manager in June. Crowe, formerly a pro scout under Jason Botterill, was named director of scouting, and director of analytics Jason Nightingale added the title of assistant director of scouting.

Scouts with pro and amateur responsibilities reported only to Crowe, whereas the latter group will now work under Forton, a former longtime college hockey coach who has been with the team since 2015.

Crowe, 35, joined the Sabres as a pro scout in 2017 after spending two years at the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Forton was hired as assistant director of scouting by the Sabres in 2015 and shifted to director of collegiate scouting when Jason Botterill was hired as general manager in 2017.

Sources told The News that the department has been handcuffed this season by budget restraints and a mandate to use more video to evaluate prospects, a process the Sabres previously implemented under former General Manager Darcy Regier.

The Sabres currently do not employ scouts in Finland, Russia, the and . The WHL recently launched its season, but there is no tentative start date for the OHL.

According to the Sabres’ staff directory, the team employs six scouts under Crowe, Forton and Nightingale. For context, the employ 13 amateur scouts and four pro scouts.

Since taking over as general manager last June, Adams has hired two scouts: Tristan Musser and Anders Forsberg.

Riley previously spent seven years as an amateur scout with the Columbus Blue Jackets and his coaching career included 19 years with Army from 1986 through 2004.

Buffalo News LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207247 Buffalo Sabres “Do you know how hard it is to get a picture of the puck in Images from the late 1960s?” he wrote in a Twitter direct message.

Neither the Penguins, nor CCM, which distributed the pucks, responded A hockey whodunit: Is this $10,000 puck the first goal in Sabres' history? to requests for documentation.

But both Carson and Doolan said once the Penguins began using pucks Jason Wolf Mar 29, 2021 with the blue-rimmed logo, those are the only pucks that would have appeared in a game.

All older pucks with the original logo, they said, would have strictly been Jim Watson’s brother-in-law’s friend knew the president of the nation’s used for practice or pocketed by employees as souvenirs. oldest sports memorabilia auction house, and with the market for collectibles skyrocketing during the pandemic, Watson figured it was time “I’ve got a couple of them,” Doolan said, “but they were laying around in a to sell his puck. desk drawer or whatever. I asked if I could have them and Kenny said, ‘Sure,’ so I have a couple in my collection.” Puck 1 - Watson These are the men who were responsible for ordering the pucks, The puck being auctioned by Lelands from Jim Watson, who scored the unloading the pucks, freezing the pucks and delivering two dozen pucks first goal in Sabres franchise history. in a metal bucket, filled with Zamboni ice, to the penalty box for use in each home game. There was no mass cache. Lelands “You wouldn’t even order enough pucks for a whole season at that time, Watson, 77, scored the first regular-season goal in Buffalo Sabres because of cash flow,” Carson said. “You’d probably have two or three history. orders during the course of the year.” The veteran defenseman’s knuckling shot from the blue line with 5:01 left Doolan said he kept a game-used puck from the 1970-71 opener in the second period of a 2-1 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on because the Sabres’ inaugural regular-season game was also his first in Oct. 10, 1970, at Pittsburgh is preserved in grainy black-and- the NHL. white photographs and video snippets. Rookie phenom Gilbert Perreault retrieved the puck from the net. And Watson said he has stored it since in “I was 18 years old at the time,” Doolan said, “and it was a pretty big a cardboard box full of memorabilia he collected since childhood. event in my life.”

“It was my treasure,” Watson said. “But it would be nice for somebody in Doolan’s game-used puck has the updated, blue-rimmed logo, as does a Buffalo to have that puck, and then it’d be back home again.” second example from that game owned by John Boutet, the site and exhibition chairman for the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Lot number 662 in Lelands’ Spring Classic 2021 catalog, titled “The Very First Goal Puck in Buffalo Sabres History,” includes photos of both sides Sabres puck -- boutet of Watson’s puck and his signed, handwritten letter swearing its authenticity. The minimum starting bid is $10,000, plus a 20% buyer’s Here is a photo of a puck used in the first Sabres' game in 1970 from the premium. collection of John Boutet. He said he purchased the puck, a ticket and program from the game from a fan who attended. There are no takers as of Sunday night. The auction ends 11 p.m. Friday. John Boutet Jim Watson letter Could one of the old pucks have somehow found its way into the bucket, A letter of authenticity from Jim Watson for a puck he said he used to onto the ice and Watson’s stick and into the back of the Penguins’ net? score the first goal in Sabres franchise history. “To be basically three years in, when I started in ’70, I don’t see that Lelands being legit, to be honest with you,” Doolan said. “I’m not going to call the man a liar, but he might be misconstrued. I agree with people saying the “This is genuinely a piece of history,” Lelands president Mike Heffner time frame’s off.” said. “This is a piece of the franchise’s history and NHL history. If I woke up the day after the auction and I didn’t know what it sold for and you told But why would Watson have the wrong puck? me it sold for $100,000, I wouldn’t be shocked. I really wouldn’t be. It’s just that unique.” And if his puck is not the puck used to score the first goal in Sabres' history, where is it? But collectors are skeptical. And their concern seems well founded. Watson’s puck has birthed a mystery a half-century in the making, ‘Pretty much proof’ untangled by scattered artifacts, whispering ghosts and the fragmented Watson grew up on the ice in Kirkland Lake, a small town in Northeastern memories of wrinkled men. Ontario and hotbed for early NHL talent. The 6-foot-2 defenseman played The Penguins’ original trainer and equipment manager, Ken Carson, and professionally for teams in seven leagues, including parts of six seasons his former assistant, John Doolan, who joined the team in 1970, told The with the Detroit Red Wings, until joining the Sabres in the fifth round of Buffalo News there is no chance that Watson’s puck was used in the the 1970 NHL expansion draft. Sabres’ first game. He was known more for his fisticuffs than finesse.

“I would bet my life on it,” Carson said. “You’d smile at people and they’d get nervous,” Watson said, “especially Watson’s puck has an orange Converse insignia on one side, consistent if they had teeth. That was one of my tricks. I would sort of smile at them with official game pucks of the era, and Pittsburgh’s original logo on the and wink and I’d show them I had no front teeth, you know what I mean?” other, with a fat cartoon penguin wearing a scarf over a reddish-brown Watson’s lone fluttering shot in the Sabres’ inaugural game dropped at triangle, pointed down. The lettering is blue and the background is white. the last instant to beat his former neighbor and WHL teammate, This logo was introduced during the Penguins’ inaugural season in 1967- Penguins goalie Les Binkley. 68, three years before the Sabres’ first game, and replaced the following It was not only the first goal in Sabres’ history, but the first goal of season, when the franchise unveiled new jerseys. The updated logo was Watson’s NHL career. a muscular penguin without a scarf over a yellow triangle. The lettering was white and the background was a white circle with a thick blue rim. “It was a lucky shot,” Watson said. “But it was exciting. And then Gilbert Perreault went and retrieved the puck and gave it to me.” The original logo might have remained in use on pucks beyond the Penguins’ first season, Carson said. Floyd Smith, the Sabres’ first captain, remembers Watson’s shot, Perreault fishing the puck out of the net and his teammates erupting. Penguins historian Casey Samuelson, who runs the website PenguinsChronicles.com, is uncertain about precisely when the pucks “Back in those days, the players used to come roaring off the bench at changed. special occasions and they all came off the bench at that goal,” Smith said. “Jimbo shot it from the blue line. It was a seeing eye, seeing puck The puck up for auction does not have tape around the rim. thing. It found its way through everything.” Could the trainers have pocketed the real puck to sell as a collectible or He laughed. keep for themselves?

“It was as much a surprise to him as it was to us that it ended up in the “Neither of those guys would do that,” said Encil “Porky” Palmer, the net,” he said. Sabres training staff’s original “third man,” who did not travel to road games. “Neither one of them. Not them.” Watson scored four goals in the NHL and seven in the minors over his 13 pro seasons. The market for hockey collectibles was different in the early ‘70s than it is today. He said he collected each puck. This one was no exception. The NHL authenticated and sold pucks used to score goals during the “I brought it over to give it to the trainer,” Watson said. “And they gave it 1972-73 and 73-74 seasons – these are among the most collectible to me after the game. I kept the puck and it’s been in my memorabilia pucks and sell for thousands – but at the time there was little demand box. and the program was discontinued.

“It brings back good memories because you never get those memories “Back in the early ‘70s, if you tried to sell a puck for $20, that was crazy,” again. You only get one shot in your lifetime that things are important like Heffner said. “It just wasn’t worth that.” that. For me, anyway.” Rip Simonick, the Sabres’ longtime former equipment manager and a Watson said he would use the auction proceeds to take his wife out for stick boy during the inaugural season, said Uren would resell players’ dinner and to visit his daughters and grandchildren in Salt Lake City and extra skates. But the first goal puck, at the time, would not have carried Ontario. significant monetary value.

“It costs so much to travel nowadays,” he said. “He wouldn’t keep the puck for a souvenir or something like that,” Over the course of three interviews, Watson never changed the details in Simonick said. his story, no matter how many times and ways he was asked questions. Christie, the head trainer, had a hockey museum in the basement of his He played for the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL in 1964-65, and said he Town of Tonawanda home, Wieland said, but everything came with has a puck from that season. players’ blessings or from other teams’ trainers.

He returned to Pittsburgh as an opponent during the Penguins’ inaugural “He had pucks, sticks, jerseys – not just from the Sabres – equipment, season, which would have offered an opportunity to collect a puck with signed gloves. You name it,” Wieland said. “He’d usually just go to the the original logo. But he had just one shot on goal and no points in a 5-2 other team and ask them for stuff. Red Wings victory. “Trainers in hockey are sort of like a bunch of thieves in an English crime Watson said he did not keep a puck from that game as a souvenir, and comedy, where nobody’s really malicious.” he does not have – nor has he ever had – another puck with a Penguins Carson, the Penguins’ original trainer, said he would have given a puck logo. to a counterpart on an opposing team, had he asked.

Heffner, the president of Lelands, took issue with the trainers’ authority “If he wanted one for historic reasons from the first year and we had one, on the matter. sure, we’d give it to him,” Carson said.

“I’m not saying they’re lying, either,” Heffner said, “but how did they know He did not recall giving an old puck to Christie or Uren. an old puck didn’t slip in?” Christie would not have kept the first goal puck, Palmer added, because He countered collectors’ skepticism by explaining that cash-strapped he was tight with the Sabres’ first coach, the late Punch Imlach, and the teams in the 1960s and ‘70s might reuse old equipment. late founders and original co-owners, brothers Seymour Knox III and “Jim seems as sincere and honest as the day is long and I really believe Northrup Knox. that this is something that he kept and treasured,” Heffner said. “The The private collector who purchased Christie’s hockey memorabilia said puck alone is a pretty rare puck, and Jim didn’t have a big career, so him he does not have the first goal puck, according to Boutet, from the having that puck and holding onto it for as long as he did and it being the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Penguins puck is pretty much proof of what we need. We had him write a letter also on it to authenticate it.” Neither does the in Toronto, which has all four pucks used to score goals in the Vancouver Canucks’ first NHL game, Watson’s letter contains a factual error. played the night before the Sabres’ opener in Pittsburgh.

He wrote that he scored in the first period, not the second – an easy “We have swords from the first game (at Memorial Auditorium), we have enough mistake more than 50 years after the game, but one that added Punch’s hat, we’ve got stuff from the Knoxes,” said Phil Pritchard, the to some collectors’ unease. Hall of Fame’s longtime curator and “Keeper of the Stanley Cup.”

‘We kept the puck’ “We don’t have the first goal puck. Tickets and programs, but that’s not Watson did not remember which Sabres’ trainer he handed the puck, but first-of-a-kind stuff.” the only two at the first game were Frank Christie and Don “Sockeye” If the puck Watson is auctioning wasn’t used in the Sabres’ first game, Uren. and he doesn’t have another puck with a Penguins logo, and the Sabres’ Both are dead. original trainers didn’t lose the real puck, sell it or keep it for themselves, and it’s not in the hands of known collectors or at the Hockey Hall of It’s unlikely either would have accidentally mixed up the pucks, said Paul Fame, again, where is it? Wieland, the Sabres’ original public relations director and practice goalie, who was at the game and described the trainers’ simple process after “We kept the puck,” said Smith, the Sabres’ first captain. “I remember notable goals. that Punch had it. I didn’t know he gave it back to Jim.”

“You see this happen these days,” Wieland said. “They take it and they ‘Right above his head’ put a piece of tape around it, white-colored tape. They put it around the There are at least two pucks in private collections known to have been rim of the puck and they mark it like, ‘Watson’s first goal,’ the period and used in the game. the time. And right away that puck doesn’t get mixed up with any other pucks. Doolan’s puck and Boutet’s puck have the updated, blue-rimmed logo.

“At the end of the game they put it in his locker or hand it to him, and Boutet said he purchased his puck, a dated Ticketron ticket and game there’s your puck from your first goal. I can’t swear that’s what happened program many years ago from a fan who attended the game. with Jim Watson. But that’s what I would expect would have happened.” “The guy, who has long since passed on, said the refs were coming off “I said, ‘No, I’m keeping it.’ the ice after the game. He stood right there – and back then you could stand right next to where the players came out, there was no barrier or “ ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘We’ll put it in a nice plaque. We’ll do this.’ anything – and he said, ‘Please, can I have a puck?’ And the ref reached “I said, ‘No, I want it.’ in his pocket and pulled out a puck and gave him the puck that I have now.” Which owner? Seymour or Northrup?

The program also features the Penguins’ updated logo. “Seymour Knox,” Watson said. “That was like 50 years ago. Of course it’s the only puck. It’s easy to figure out. Where are you going to get another It’s unknown whether Perreault, who scored the game-winner, the first one like it? I’m the one that wrote the nice letter saying that I swear this is goal of his career, kept the puck, and if so, what logo is on it. He did not the puck. It is the puck. It’s the only puck in the world. It’s not like you can return several messages seeking comment. get another one. This is the only one in the whole world.”

An original Penguins logo on Perreault’s puck would establish that the When did this incident occur? old pucks were, in fact, used in the game and lend credibility to Watson’s puck being genuine. A blue-rimmed logo would add to the evidence “Probably within a week or so,” Watson said. “I’m not sure. He said they against it. wanted the puck so they could display it. I was surprised he even asked for it. I said, ‘No!’ He said, ‘Yeah, but we’re going to …’ He put a pretty “I know when he scored his 35th goal that year – that was the rookie good spiel on. ‘We’re going to put it in a display and we’re going to do record at the time for goals – he kept that puck,” Wieland said. “Because this and this.’ And I said, ‘No, I want to keep it.’ He was a little ticked off a photographer took a picture of him grinning with his front teeth out and actually … because he wanted the puck.” holding the puck up.” Pritchard, the curator at the Hockey Hall of Fame, said because the Pittsburgh center Wally Boyer was the only other player to score in the museum has all four pucks used to score goals in the Canucks’ inaugural game, but he had no reason to keep the puck. It was his sixth NHL NHL game played the night before the Sabres’ opener, it stands to season, his third with the Penguins and the 44th goal of his NHL career. reason that his predecessor would have reached out to Buffalo, as well.

There is at least one other puck. It also stands to reason that Knox III would have informed the Sabres’ KNOX SEYMOUR NORTY (copy) coach and trainers in advance that he wanted the puck used to score his expansion team’s first goal. Northrup Knox, Punch Imlach and Seymour Knox III celebrate the founding of a tradition in 1970. That’s an assumption, but it makes sense.

Seymour Knox IV said his dad had a puck from the Sabres’ first game, Perhaps one of the trainers, after the goal was scored, followed along with a dated Ticketron ticket, mounted in a plaque with the final instructions to give the puck to Imlach to give to Knox III and after the score, 2-1, hanging in his study at the family’s former home on game gave Watson a different Penguins puck, whatever he could get his Nottingham Terrace. It was near the bar, on the door to the library. hands on, to signify the veteran defenseman’s first career goal.

“We had a chair and a telephone was right next to that chair,” Knox IV Watson wouldn’t have known the difference. said, “and dad would talk to Bob Swados all the time on it and he’d have He doesn’t remember who gave him his puck. that puck right above his head.” “You’re just excited. You won the game. You got the puck,” Watson said. Swados, who died in 2012, was the Sabres’ vice chairman, the secretary “And then you’re moving on. And I’ve got the puck. So what do I care? to the NHL’s Board of Governors and general counsel to the league. I’m not thinking about all those details. I’m not an analytical kind of guy.”

Did Knox IV happen to remember whether the Penguins logo on his The logo incongruity didn’t become an issue until more than 50 years dad’s puck had an all-white or blue-rimmed background? later, when Watson tried to auction his puck with the original Penguins He laughed. logo, which raised suspicions among collectors, which were validated by the Penguins’ original trainer and his assistant, who each said that puck “It had the reverse on it,” Knox IV said. “I think it said Converse.” could not have been used in that game.

The plaque’s whereabouts are unknown. But why would Knox III later try to convince Watson to give him a puck he already had? His parents long ago sold the house on Nottingham, boxed up belongings and moved to East Aurora. It could have been lost in various He couldn’t display the plaque publicly if the player who scored the goal auctions throughout the years. insisted that he had the real puck.

Knox III died in 1996. And so it hung for years in his home study, near the bar and the phone, on the door to the library. Was his puck the real first goal? That’s a logical theory. “I don’t know,” Knox IV said, and neither does his mom. “Unfortunately, my dad’s not here to ask, but I could throw it up to him and maybe I’ll get Will someone spend $10,000 or more to buy Watson’s puck with the an answer in the middle of the night.” original Penguins logo, convinced it somehow found its way onto the ice during the team’s fourth season opener and into the back of the net for Jim Watson the Sabres’ first goal?

‘He wanted the puck’ “Sometimes there’s no answer and you just have to go with your gut,” Watson was incredulous during a second interview when informed about said Heffner, the president of Lelands. “Believe me, we’ve made the questions surrounding the authenticity of his puck. mistakes. We’re human. But we also have to go a little bit on instinct when it comes to things like this, and although I see the point on the “How ridiculous. It’s my puck! I scored the goal!” Watson said. “I took the other side, I still have been around this business long enough to have puck! Ask the Buffalo Sabres guys. They wanted it. What’s his name? I more belief that it is the puck than not.” can’t even remember their names now. But they wanted it and I kept it. It is the puck.” Watson believes it’s genuine. He’s had it this whole time. And he wouldn’t part with it for any less. Who wanted it? “I know it’s expensive,” Watson said, “but I look back at all the stuff I went “The owners wanted it,” Watson said. “They wanted it and I said, ‘No, I’m through and everything – it’s got to be worth at least that, right? keeping it myself.’ ” “We’ll see. If they don’t, that’s OK. It goes back in my box.” The owners told you they wanted the puck? Buffalo News LOADED: 03.30.2021 “They asked me for it,” Watson said. “They said, ‘Jim, we want the puck. We’ll put it on display.’ 1207248 Buffalo Sabres toward the medical room. He chucked his stick like a javelin when he reached the tunnel and angrily disappeared into the hallway.

“I don’t have a report on it from the side of severity,” Granato said of the Sabres blow big lead in third period, extend winless streak to 18 games upper-body injury. “There’s a range of timetables for that.”

The diagnosis will be the latest moment to forget in Cozens’ first year in By John Vogl Mar 29, 2021 Buffalo. He missed three games in mid-February after contracting COVID-19. He sat out four games earlier this month with a concussion. Former coach Ralph Krueger scratched him twice.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Will the Sabres win again this season? With an injury to Jack Eichel and last week’s trade of Eric Staal, Granato decided to up Cozens’ duties. He opened Monday’s game as the top-line It’s fair to ask. And it’s fair to answer no. center, skating between wingers Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson. Buffalo’s never-ending quest to hit rock bottom continued Monday with a Cozens lasted just four shifts. 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers. This was no ordinary setback. Meanwhile, it doesn’t sound like Eichel will be back anytime soon. The The Sabres led 3-0 with 19 minutes left. They were up 3-1 with 10 captain has been out since March 9 with an upper-body injury that has minutes to go. They led 3-2 with 90 seconds remaining. required multiple medical opinions. And yet they lost. Again. The winless streak is at 18 games, the longest “I don’t have an update on Jack,” Granato said. “I spoke to him a couple in the NHL since Pittsburgh’s similar slide in 2003-04. days ago. Did not get into details with him because he is going through “This whole stretch is embarrassing, but especially tonight,” defenseman rehab and you feel different each day. He said he felt good. He was Brandon Montour said in KeyBank Center. “Any team in the NHL — I feeling better. don’t care who you are — that’s a win.” “I don’t think and believe that it would be season-ending. I know we’re all Well, any team but Buffalo. The Sabres are 0-15-3 in their past 18 working to get him back. Do not have a timetable on it as of today. … games and 6-23-5 overall. We’re hopeful, but we think he’ll be back at some point.”

“You go through a stretch like this, you blame systems, you blame The Sabres are hopeful they’ll win at some point, too, but who knows? coaches, you blame other lines,” Montour said. “In the end, you’ve got to The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 be an NHL player. … That’s got to be better on our part. That’s (on the) players. That’s completely on the 20 guys on the ice.

“That’s brutal.”

The Sabres were less than a period from kissing their skid goodbye. They’d built a three-goal lead for the first time since Feb. 23, which just happened to be the date of their last victory. They went up 3-0 on the Devils in that game and coasted to a 4-1 win.

But the Flyers planted seeds of doubt by scoring 1:50 into the third. The skepticism sprouted with their second goal with 9:09 remaining. When the Flyers tied it with 1:29 left, there was little doubt they’d harvest a win.

It came only 42 seconds into overtime.

“Panic attack,” Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin said. “We haven’t been in this situation. We panicked.”

While the Sabres hadn’t coughed up a three-goal lead in more than a year, they’ve become masters at letting advantages slip away. They fell to 4-1-3 when leading after two periods, which is a league-worst points percentage of .500. The Ducks are 30th in the category at .625.

“Every time the opposing team scores a goal, it’s the same way,” Montour said. “Even at 3-1, it’s like, ‘Here we go.'”

And away they went. They fell to a Flyers team that was 5-9-1 in its past 15.

“All you can take from this game is: Did this experience make us better?” interim coach Don Granato said. “So now it’s our job to make certain that happens.”

The teams have a rematch Wednesday. The Sabres’ skid could reach 20 games when the Rangers come to town Thursday. The drought would reach a record-tying 30 on April 20 when Boston visits. The Bruins can send the Sabres to infamy on April 22.

There are plenty of games before the Bruins series, but after Monday’s loss, it’s fair to wonder if any will be Buffalo victories.

That’s especially true with yet another significant injury. Flyers defenseman Philippe Myers hit Dylan Cozens into the boards during the first period, and the center’s left shoulder rattled the glass.

MYERS HIT ON COZENS #LETSGOBUFFALO #ANYTIMEANYWHERE PIC.TWITTER.COM/JJW42BIKUS

— BUFFALO HOCKEY MOMENTS (@SABRESPLAYS) MARCH 29, 2021

Cozens immediately left the ice and straddled the bench while cradling his left arm. After a brief chat with an athletic trainer, Cozens headed 1207249 During Darryl Sutter’s post-game presser, a reporter mentioned the assessment from No. 19 that this club struggles with adversity and asked if that was their biggest issue.

SNAPSHOTS: Tkachuk’s tumble a turning point as Flames fall to Jets “Tonight, it certainly was,” Sutter responded. “And that falls on those players like that who have to take a little bit more charge. You could say that we probably out-chanced them, but their top players had the better Wes Gilbertson chances five-on-five than our better players, and they sealed the deal.”

While the Flames cashed first in this rubber match, with Johnny Gaudreau, Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm going tic-tac-toe for a fast-break Some will call it a spill. beauty on the power play, it was all Jets for the remainder of the night. Others will contend it was a failed attempt to sell a penalty. Nate Thompson evened the score when he angled his left skate to Everybody should be able to agree on this — for a squad that is already deflect Dylan DeMelo’s wrister. After review, officials ruled it was a not a struggling to stay relevant in what won’t be described as a race much ‘distinct kicking motion’ and the goal was allowed to stand. longer, it was oh-so-costly. Less than two minutes later, with Tkachuk downed around his own blue- On this sequence, Calgary Flames alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk line, Kyle Connor teed up Scheifele for an uncontested blast. lost his footing and lost his man on the backcheck, crashing to the ice as The Calgary Flames’ Derek Ryan battles the Winnipeg Jets’ Mark he jostled for position with Winnipeg Jets ace Mark Scheifele. Scheifele at the in Calgary on Monday, March Suddenly, the Jets had numbers on a two-on-one rush. 29, 2021.

Scheifele leaned into a one-timer for the go-ahead goal. Scheifele scored again early in the second with a whack at his own rebound and then, after the hosts had one waved off due to goalie Tkachuk slammed his stick in frustration, seemingly insisting to the interference, made it a three-point night when he earned a secondary closest man-in-stripes that he had just missed a blatant bit of assist on Andrew Copp’s tap-in from close range. interference. The Flames hooked Jacob Markstrom after 40 minutes, and Pierre-Luc The Jets were on their way to a 5-1 victory, the Flames — now with five Dubois greeted David Rittich with a snipe through a screen. losses in a six-game stretch — left searching for reasons to stay optimistic and upbeat despite their already-awful odds of being able to Tkachuk, who is both the Flames’ highest-paid player and captain-of-the- climb back into the playoff picture in the NHL’s North Division standings. future frontrunner, certainly wasn’t the only marquee man feeling the frustration after Monday’s thumping. “I thought it was a two-on-two, and then I saw (Scheifele) was beating me up the ice,” Tkachuk said post-game when asked about that wipeout. “I Markstrom made just 19 saves. thought he kind of got in front of me a little bit, and he scored on the two- Sean Monahan failed to capitalize on a couple of golden opportunities in on-one.” the opening frame. Asked if he was pushing for a penalty call, Tkachuk replied that the Mikael Backlund was dominated at the faceoff dot. referees“have a tough job” and are “the best in the world at what they do so …” It’s another loss for a team that can’t really afford any. Most project that they need 15 more wins. They have only 19 regular-season dates When the topic turned to manufacturing emotion when trailing in games, remaining. the 23-year-old left-winger shouldered the blame for two of Winnipeg’s tallies — including Scheifele’s strike at 18:13 of the opening stanza. “It’s not just this one. It’s been win one, lose one, win one, lose one, win one, lose three or whatever,” Tkachuk said. “Time is ticking. We’ve been “We don’t do a very good job of dealing with adversity,” said Tkachuk, saying this for the past however long, but the time is really, really ticking who notched a nifty assist on the Flames’ early power-play marker but so we have to string now a bunch together. finished the night with a minus-2 rating. “They make it 1-1 and then, obviously with the questions previously, it’s kind of my fault on the “We can only be frustrated for tonight. You can’t let it affect the rest of second one. And then we let that trickle into the second and I made a your season because if we have any hope and any chance of stringing a bad play again on their fourth goal. bunch together against all these teams that are ahead of us, we have to dig down deep. I certainly have to be a hell of a lot better than I was “We’re just not doing a good job of dealing with adversity. I’ll take tonight. responsibility for those two.” “The games that we’re playing well, we play with a lot of energy. We play The Calgary Flames’ Matthew Tkachuk leaves the ice after the team’s 5- with a lot of pace. We play with a lot of physicality. So we have to do that 1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on for the last (19) games.” Monday, March 29, 2021. The only good news Monday for the Flames is that rock-solid rearguard As they wrapped a three-game set against the Jets, Tkachuk & Co. were Chris Tanev seemed to avoid serious injury after being buried into the seeking to boost their season total to 37 points — the same haul the end boards by Dubois in the early stages. Montreal Canadiens have been sitting on while paused for the past week due to COVID-19 protocols. The Habs (14-8-9) have a massive Tanev, who was off-balance when the hit was delivered, headed straight advantage with six games in hand, but it sure would be nice if the Flames to the locker-room but returned before the end of the opening period and (16-18-3) could at least apply some pressure. seemed no worse for wear.

Monday will go down as another missed opportunity, another lopsided The Calgary Flames’ Josh Leivo battles with the Winnipeg Jets’ Neal defeat. Pionk at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Monday, March 29, 2021. On the growing list of moments that define this soon-to-be-lost season, you can add another entry — Tkachuk’s tumble. COMPLIMENTING THE CAPTAIN

While there was some standard rubbing as these two skated through the During Monday’s morning availability, Sutter referred to captain Mark neutral zone, both were equally engaged. Giordano as “our best even-strength defenceman.”

One wound up sliding on his rump. The other wound up for the would-be That’s a noteworthy declaration, if only because many have pointed to winner. Tanev as the Flames’ most reliable rearguard in 2021.

The skilled and sandpapery Tkachuk draws a pile of penalties, but the Sutter was asked about Giordano’s ice time — tops on the team since referees were not convinced that he’d been done wrong in this instance. the coaching change — and stressed that the column he watches is even-strength workload. He’d like to keep the 37-year-old captain in the range of 21-23 minutes at five-on-five, plus whatever he works on the power play and penalty kill.

“The reason that he can handle those even-strength minutes is that he thinks the game real well,” Sutter praised. “A lot of guys use a lot of energy figuring out how to cover up for their mistakes with their feet, where someone like Gio doesn’t have to. He thinks the game really well. He has a good stick. He has a good perception or idea of who is on the ice against him, so he knows where ice is and where to take ice and who he should be on, things like that.

“There are a lot of nights that you could take his game and use it as a clinic for your younger players to learn from.”

This turned out to be a tough night at the office for Giordano. He was a team-worst minus-3 in this latest loss.

OFF THE GLASS

When Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow revealed in December 2019 that he’d been diagnosed with ALS, he set a lofty goal to raise $500,000 toward finding a cure. With the proceeds from Monday’s 50/50 raffle, the Snowy Strong campaign is nearing that half-million mark. Chris, his wife Kelsie and the staff at the Flames Foundation should be darn proud of their fundraising efforts to date. You can still support by purchasing a customized fan cut-out — on display at the Saddledome until the end of the season and then yours to keep — or by buying 11 of ’em all with the same photo, as former Flames exec Brian Burke did … Dillon Dube and defenceman Juuso Valimaki — the two youngest regulars on Calgary’s roster — were both scratched for a second consecutive tilt … The Flames will now pack their bags for a two-game road trip — one-offs to both Vancouver and Edmonton. First up is Wednesday’s clash with the Canucks at (8:30 p.m. MT, Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan) … Puck-stopping prospect Dustin Wolf repeated as the Western Hockey League’s goalie-of-the- week honouree. In four starts with the Everett Silvertips this season, Wolf has surrendered just one goal. The 19-year-old has three and a .991 save percentage.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207250 Calgary Flames “When you have a veteran guy who knows the game like Stoney does, sometimes it’s easier for them to come in and play that solid, like he did the other night. But a big part of it is putting in the work and the off-ice After extended wait, Flames defenceman Stone relishes return to NHL stuff that he’s been doing.” spotlight Stone is the ninth defenceman to dress for the Flames in this shortened season.

Wes Gilbertson Juuso Valimaki, a healthy scratch for the past two contests, and Nikita Nesterov have been most frequently partnered on the third pair.

Youngsters Oliver Kylington and Connor Mackey have also auditioned in Calgary Flames defenceman Michael Stone during warmup before taking that role. on the Winnipeg Jets at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Monday, March 29, 2021. Stone, meanwhile, waited and waited.

Article content And worked and worked.

Before the Calgary Flames finally dusted off his No. 26 sweater over the He doesn’t have Valimaki’s draft pedigree or puck skills or Kylington’s weekend, Michael Stone had been waiting 13-plus months between NHL skating ability, but his experience and no-frills approach could be an games. asset to a Flames team that can’t afford many more losses as they try to stay relevant in the North Division playoff race. There’s no dazzle to his And this has hardly been a case of out of sight and out of mind. game, but dependability is always a priority for Sutter.

With the exception of a brief stint in the minors earlier this month, the Stone acknowledged Saturday’s return-to-the-big-stage would have been veteran blue-liner has been hanging around the Saddledome as a even more special in a jam-packed building, but it was a nice change that scratch, a spare, a taxi-squader. he wasn’t among the spectators in an otherwise-empty Saddledome.

Stone was with the boys in the bubble but didn’t suit up for any playoff “I’ve watched games — I’ve watched a lot of games — and I just wanted contests last summer. He was a fixture at off-season small-group skates. to go in and try to help any way I can and contribute,” Stone said after He turned a no-promises training-camp tryout into a two-way contract Monday’s morning prep. “I felt like I accomplished that as best I could.” offer. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.30.2021 It’s too bad, really, that nobody tracked his tally of practices, scrimmages and sweats between appearances at the highest level.

As Stone summed up, “It’s a big number, I would say.”

In this story of perseverance and patience, two is suddenly a significant number. The fact that Stone remained in the lineup Monday for his second outing of the season is all the proof you need that the 30-year-old didn’t let this long-awaited look-see go to waste.

After 13-plus months, the rugged rearguard showed enough in 13-plus minutes to keep his spot on Calgary’s third pairing for a late date with the Winnipeg Jets at the Saddledome.

“It was nice to be back,” Stone said after Monday’s morning skate. “It’s fun playing in the best league in the world, and to have another opportunity to do it was great.

“As far as my play goes, I thought I was pretty much my old self. I try to keep it simple no matter if I’m a regular in the lineup or I’m coming in for my first one back in 13 months. I felt like I just tried to play the same way I always do.”

Stone now has 474 nights of NHL know-how, but he had been waiting since Feb. 25, 2020, to add to that total.

When he was assigned on St. Patrick’s Day to the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat, many assumed that he had been bumped further down the depth chart. ( was, at that point, recalled from the farm team.)

In fact, the Flames — still searching for the right mix on their bottom pairing — needed him to knock off the rust. Before he scored twice in a four-game stretch in the minors, they told him as much.

We all know that Darryl Sutter doesn’t dish out post-game praise unless he really means it, so Saturday’s late-night synopsis of Stone’s performance was noteworthy.

“Since I’ve been here, and I’m sure the players feel the same way, he’s worked his tail off,” Sutter said then. “He stepped in like he didn’t miss a beat.”

Indeed, Stone’s buddies can vouch for his commitment to ensuring he would be ready when — it might have felt more like an if — his number was called.

“He’s come to the rink every day and put the work in — and you can tell,” complimented Flames captain Mark Giordano prior to Monday’s capper against the Jets. “He deserves a lot of recognition for missing that much time but putting in all that work to get back in. 1207251 Carolina Hurricanes Each player must take their own approach to injuries. Some will sulk and prolong their rehab. Some will be determined to get back as quickly as possible and willing to work as hard as possible.

Aaron Ekblad’s leg injury rings familiar to Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton was not at his best in the Boston playoff series, but has gotten Hamilton stronger as this season has moved on and will take a 14-point point streak into Tuesday’s road game against the Blackhawks. The injury is behind him. BY CHIP ALEXANDER “Just have to have a good attitude and take whatever challenge is in front of you,” Hamilton said Monday. “It sucks but it’s part of life, I guess.”

Carolina Hurricanes’ head athletic trainer Doug Bennett attends to OF NOTE Dougie Hamilton after Hamilton was injured in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Thursday, Jan. Vincent Trocheck practiced with the Canes on Monday at Wake 16, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. Competition Center, centering a line with Andrei Svechnikov and Jesper Fast while working on the second power-play unit. Trocheck has missed Carolina Hurricanes’ head athletic trainer Doug Bennett attends to the past eight games with an upper-body injury. Dougie Hamilton after Hamilton was injured in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Thursday, Jan. Brind’Amour said after practice that they were waiting on medical tests 16, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. JAY LAPRETE AP results before deciding if Trocheck can jump back into the lineup. ...

If someone can relate to the gruesome leg injury Florida Panthers Forward Martin Necas was named the NHL’s second star of the week for defenseman Aaron Ekblad has apparently suffered, it’s Dougie Hamilton the week ending March 28. Necas had four goals and three assists in of the Carolina Hurricanes. three games last week.

A year ago, it was Hamilton who was hurt, falling to the ice in pain, CAROLINA HURRICANES AT CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS grabbing his leg. He broke his left fibula against Columbus, and he When: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. needed surgery. Where: , Chicago. Ekblad suffered a fracture in his left leg Sunday against the Dallas Stars after a hit from defenseman Esa Lindell. Ekblad fell awkwardly along the TV: FSCR boards, his body contorting in a way that seemed to strain his left leg. He was taken off the ice on a stretcher, underwent surgery Monday and will News Observer LOADED: 03.30.2021 miss the remainder of the season, the Panthers said.

Such an injury is tough for a player to mentally process, to accept. Hamilton had been selected to represent the Hurricanes in the 2020 NHL All-Star Weekend, seemingly on his way to the most productive season of his career and thought to be a Norris Trophy contender as the NHL’s top defenseman.

“He’s arguably our No. 1 guy on everything,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said at the time.

Then, just like that, Hamilton was out, injured Jan. 16, 2020 in a road game against Columbus. The next day he was in surgery, his recovery time said to be indefinite but believed to be four to six months.

“It’s obviously really hard,” Hamilton said Monday on a media call. “It’s tough to go through, especially having a good season. (Ekblad) was having a great season, so I’m definitely disappointed for him, for sure.

“I think for me, I learned a lot going through it. Stuff about life and having a good attitude and all that stuff. Realizing how lucky we are and that life is good.”

That’s easier to say in retrospect than in real time after the injury, of course. The Canes were in playoff position last season and playing well., and it was difficult for Hamilton to wheel about PNC Arena, his left leg propped up, and watch his team play, than stand in the corner of the locker room after games in a suit.

Ekblad, one of the NHL’s best, has 11 goals and was tied for the league lead among defensemen through Sunday’s games. He was playing 25 minutes a game, and is an alternate captain for the Panthers.

After Sunday’s games, the Panthers (22-9-4) were third in the Central Division with 48 points, one point behind the Canes (23-7-3) and two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning (24-8-2). Florida has an 11-point advantage on Nashville and Chicago, both with 37 points, and is in solid position to be one of the division’s four playoff teams with 21 games remaining in the regular season.

The NHL’s suspension of the 2019-20 season during the pandemic worked in Hamilton’s favor. When the 2020 Return to Play postseason was held in August, Hamilton was able to compete in the playoffs against the Boston Bruins, albeit not at full speed. The Canes, who also saw defenseman Brett Pesce suffer a season-ending injury, had traded for defensemen Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen, adding depth.

The Panthers have time to work a deal before the April 12 trade deadline, but Ekblad might not have the ability to return for any postseason depending on the severity of the injury. 1207252 Carolina Hurricanes in North America was spent mostly with the Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League, not the Canes.

But Necas, drafted as a center, was used on the wing with the Checkers ‘He’s never lacked confidence.’ How Martin Necas became the in 2018-19 and was a big part of their championship run. In Hurricanes’ go-to player his first season with the Canes, in 2019-20, he had 16 goals and 20 assists in 64 games before the league’s coronavirus pause, then had a goal and three assists in eight postseason games. BY CHIP ALEXANDER Playing more alert hockey, playing harder in the defensive end, back- checking, and blocking shots, Necas earned Brind’Amour’s trust. And more minutes. Carolina Hurricanesí Martin Necas (88) reacts after scoring on Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 sudden And here he is. death overtime victory in their season home opener on Thursday, January 28, 2021 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. Asked Saturday about stepping in for Trocheck, Necas matter-of-factly explained that there was a need for a right-shot forward on the top Martin Necas may be the fastest skater in the National Hockey League. power-play unit to replace Trocheck. He moved up from the second unit. That had him playing with Sebastian Aho. Soon he was on Aho’s line. Talk about wheels: When the Carolina Hurricanes winger starts moving That simple, to him. those feet and gets in motion, he’s hard to catch. Add in his deceptive one-timers, quick wristers and darting wraparounds, in addition to his With his speed and puck-handling, Necas is adept in zone entries. If a ability to make tape-to-tape passes, and he’s a pretty complete offensive game goes to overtime, the three-on-three format and open ice give him player. more room to roam. He has nine goals and 19 assists in 30 games, and a plus-16 rating. Canes teammate Cedric Paquette skated against Necas a year ago as a member of the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Saturday, “I got on the first ‘PP’ which gives you a little more confidence and time Paquette had a front-row seat to watch Necas record four points against on the ice,” Necas said. “I felt good. My teammates played great and I’ve those same Lightning players. been trying to keep up with them.”

“He’s been unreal,” Canes teammate Cedric Paquette said. “He’s got Keep up with them? How about keeping up with Necas? some skills, a crazy shot and he’s got the confidence right now.” “He’s got all the skill in the world,” Aho said Saturday. “The way he Necas had two power-play goals and two assists in the Canes’ 4-3 skates is pretty impressive. Fun player to play with.” Central Division victory over the Lightning at PNC Arena. He was the game’s first star as the Canes (23-7-3) pulled within one point of the News Observer LOADED: 03.30.2021 division-leading Lightning.

When center Vincent Trocheck went out of the lineup in early March with an upper-body injury that remains undisclosed, Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour had to be fretting, even if he didn’t talk about it publicly. The Canes already had lost forward Teuvo Teravainen, first to to COVID-19 and then a concussion. Then the veteran Trocheck, who had 13 goals, went down.

Trocheck might have been the Canes’ MVP to the point in the season when he went out, after the March 9 game against Nashville.

Necas might be the Canes’ MVP since then, good enough to warrant consideration when the NHL picks its three stars for the month of March.

Necas has seven goals and 10 assists in 13 games in March, and five of the goals and five assists have been in the eight games since Trocheck was injured. That’s called filling a void, and the former first-round draft pick has done it well, and with flair.

On the power play, Necas is like a quick-draw artist, getting off shots rapidly, with velocity. His winning goal Saturday with 3:53 left in the third period came on a whistling wrister from the top of the right circle that Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, the best in the business, had no chance of stopping.

“He’s never lacked confidence,” Brind’Amour said after Saturday’s game. “From day one, he’s been trying to make plays. We encourage it but now I think he has a better understanding of when and where to make plays.

“You can see it. He’s matured. Physically he’s a little stronger, which goes a long way to having your own confidence. I think it’s his maturity, physically. He’s always had the confidence.”

NECAS GROWS UP, ADDS STRENGTH

While Necas grows in many ways, two things he always had growing up in his natice Czech Republic are speed and quickness.

But not strength.

He began regimented conditioning and weight-training when he was 17, when he was about 5-8 and 137 pounds.

Now 22, he’s listed at 6-2 and 189 pounds. Still slender, but stronger, sturdier. No. 88 has grown up.

Necas was the 12th pick of the 2017 NHL Draft, playing in the Czech Extraliga for another season after making his NHL debut with Carolina in a cameo appearance. He chafed a bit when his first professional season 1207253 Carolina Hurricanes making this a thing unless you have any better suggestions) is out on the ice.

You’ll notice how much they have protected right in front of the net. Martin Necas’ Hurricanes breakout has reached critical mass: ‘He’s always had the confidence’ — now we see why That doesn’t come without buy-in from Necas, and many wondered if he’d be given that after finding himself on the short end of an expansion- draft loophole that allows the Canes to keep him — unprotected — By Sara Civian Mar 29, 2021 because they left him in AHL Charlotte in 2018-19.

“It was hard, that one year when I was in the AHL,” Necas said. “I was not upset, but maybe it pissed me off that I was in the AHL. But it You could consider the Hurricanes’ 4-3 win over the Lightning on happens. You’ve just got to keep getting better every day. That’s what I Saturday their best of the season for a few reasons: Their perseverance was doing in the AHL. Last year was my first year in the NHL, and this to come back after falling into an early 2-0 hole. The league’s best power year it’s better.” play staying consistent. The fact that they beat the best team in the league and by far the best goaltender. Can confirm.

But when I look back on that game, I’ll remember something that has He ended up getting Calder Cup-champion experience despite probably been quietly building all season and hit critical mass that day: the being ready to play in the NHL, and while anyone would have been unignorable emergence of Martin Necas. frustrated, he also got to work on the defensive side of the game, which is part of what has made him ready for the first line now. Necas’ career-best four-point evening left no crumbs. He factored in on every Carolina goal, assisting on Cedric Paquette and Sebastian Aho’s Patience pays off, but this is one of these situations where it truly seems goals while giving the Canes the lead twice with his own snipes. the perfect coach met the perfect player.

And he did that against Tampa Bay. Against Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021

If you watched, you’ll also recall the crossbar he hit and Vasilelevskiy’s robbery of another chance.

“I know how good he is,” Aho said when I asked him if Necas is underrated around the league. “In my mind, he’s not. Our team knows how good he is. But maybe for the media and other teams, maybe underrated. I don’t know. But our team for sure knows how good he is.”

It all brought me back to the first game of the month against the Panthers, when head coach Rod Brind’Amour benched Necas for almost nine minutes after some lazy defense. Y’all remember the rest of March 11, 2021, though? Necas came back for an assist and the game-winning goal in overtime.

“He’s never lacked for confidence,” Brind’Amour said. “From Day 1, he’s been trying to make plays. We encourage it, but I think now he has a better understanding of when and where to make plays. You can see it. He’s matured. Physically, he’s a little stronger, which goes a long way to having your own confidence. I think it’s his maturity, physically. He’s always had the confidence.”

I picked the brain of Hurricanes color commentator Tripp Tracy while writing this article, and he nailed the dynamic between Brind’Amour and players like Necas that has made this team work so well: “It’s a two-way road, and two-way players get two-way coaching.”

Necas has been one of the best players in the league in March with seven goals and 17 points in 10 games, but his impact — and Brind’Amour’s decision to put him on a line with Aho and Nino Niederreiter — has been deeper than that.

Overall, Necas ranks No. 3 among the Canes in Goals Above Replacement, according to Evolving-Hockey. His power-play production (four goals and 10 points) has contributed greatly to his point totals, but then you consider his plus-16 rating, and it’s his even-strength offense and reliability that is driving that.

And according to The Athletic contributor Shayna Goldman, Necas’ progress is likely here to stay.

“His offense looks pretty sustainable — no red flags standing out, no inflated shooting percentage (13 percent), goal scoring is close to expectations (8.02 expected versus actual 9), and the team is driving play at five-on-five with him on the ice,” she said. “When we weigh his ice time to compare how he stacks up to the team, he’s scoring at a rate of 3.18 points per 60 minutes in all situations, which is second to Vincent Trocheck (and rates 29th in the league).”

In eight games with Aho and Niederreiter, Necas has posted five goals and five assists. And when the line is on the ice at five-on-five, the Canes control 53.3 percent of the shots and 56.7 percent of the expected goal share. The team has scored at a rate of 2.22 goals per 60 minutes with them on the ice, which is just below expected (2.42 goals per 60).

Hockey-Viz shows us something Brind’Amour would love: The Hurricanes are 14 percent stronger defensively when the NAN line (we’re 1207254 Chicago Blackhawks changed really relative to our expectations for this year,” he said, referring to the playoff race.

Bowman dangled the possibility of a one-for-one trade for players who GM Stan Bowman is ‘doing a lot of listening,’ but the Chicago are at similar stages in their careers. Blackhawks’ abundant cap space and playoff prospects won’t affect his trade deadline strategy “If we have a young player that we like but we’re getting another young player that we think fits in better or fills a need, then that’s an avenue we’re going to pursue,” he said. “Or if we can get a young asset attached By PHIL THOMPSON to a veteran player, that’s another thing.”

But there are caveats.

The Chicago Blackhawks are in an enviable position as the NHL trade “We’re not going to be spending assets to bring in players who are not deadline approaches in two weeks. signed past this year” — no matter their age,” Bowman said.

By most measures, they’re ahead of schedule in the first full season of So to any Hawks fans who have harbored designs on a Taylor Hall their rebuild. acquisition from the Buffalo Sabres, consider that Hall is an unrestricted free agent after this season. So the Hawks’ trade parameters would They’re flush with cap space with almost $22 million in salary saved with seem to rule him out. players on long-term injured reserve. As Bowman alluded to, the Hawks have breathing room this season, but And they have plenty of young talent to develop, so they’re not looking to the next season or two could see a flat cap because of the league’s acquire a veteran and a costly salary — and definitely not a rental. revenue hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“No question, this is the most cap space we’ve ever had because of the The Hawks have Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook, Andrew Shaw, Zack long-term injury,” Stan Bowman, the team’s president of hockey Smith and Alex Nylander on long-term injured reserve (they’re spending operations and general manager, told the Tribune. about $3 million of $25.3 million), but the landscape could change, and certainly should next season. Bottom line, the Hawks are in no rush to spend their sizable cap space. However, they are willing to use it to help a team unload a contract — as “We’re not going to bring back the same group of 25 guys,” Bowman long as they get the asset or assets they want. said. “In the process of that happening, as we bring in new players, what might be a need as of March 2021 might not be a need and when we get “I can tell you what we’re not looking for: We’re not going to be using our to this offseason, because all of a sudden we’ve made some other young assets and draft choices to try to bring in veteran players,” move.” Bowman said of the April 12 trade deadline. The Hawks might want to add size and a right-handed shooting “So on a very short-term basis, we have a lot of flexibility. But then we defenseman, among other needs, but Bowman isn’t looking to address start getting into future years, if you’re looking at taking on a player from everything at once. He’d rather target attributes that reflect the another team, if they’ve got an additional year or two or three years, then organization’s culture than focus on measurables. at that point the fact we have a lot of cap room this year doesn’t really help us for two or three years from now because we don’t know what our “It’s never that cut and dry. There’s a lot more nuance to it,” he said. cap will look like at that point. So much changes from year to year. “We’re looking for players that can bring that relentless approach, that work ethic; that’s something that our team is built upon. “So I think in the short term, yes, we have a lot of flexibility that we’re willing to use, but it’s still early. “We’d love it if we had guys that did all that and they were big guys, that would be great. But just to get a big guy, or just to get a right-handed Bowman said he expects talks to ramp up, but “at this point, I’m just shot, and then you can say, ‘Well, I checked off that box.’ That’s looking doing a lot of listening, I’m just checking in with managers to let them at it a little too simplistically. know our situation.” “It has to be a little more holistic than that.” Blackhawks President Stan Bowman watches practice Jan. 4, 2021, at Fifth Third Arena. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 03.30.2021 Bowman said the Hawks would be receptive to trading for young players who have more than a year left on their contracts or draft picks. But the front office isn’t searching for anything in particular.

“I think what we’re going to do is react to what’s out there in the market,” he said. “There’s certain teams that are going to be trying to do certain things, and if we can capitalize on a situation and improve the long-term prospects of our group, then we’re going to do that.”

However, the Hawks could afford to stand pat at the deadline.

They’ve have been pleased with the progress they’ve seen from rookies Pius Suter, Philipp Kurashev, Brandon Hagel and Ian Mitchell — and that group certainly includes goalie Kevin Lankinen, who is in the Calder Trophy conversation.

Center Kirby Dach, a bright spot in the Edmonton bubble this summer, just returned to the ice this weekend. And the team has been encouraged by Adam Boqvist’s development this season.

The Hawks’ philosophy has been to acquire draft picks, prospects and young veterans, so any deal the Hawks make would likely align with that. There would be limits to the kind of contract the Hawks take on, of course.

“If we brought on a veteran player, it would be because the other team was attaching an asset to it that we thought would be part of our future,” Bowman said.

“I think the (current) young players have actually been a bright spot, so we want to continue to give them a chance. I don’t know if anything’s 1207255 Chicago Blackhawks • The shots they’re taking are less accurate (55.8% vs. 58.3% on goal) and less dangerous (48.9% vs. 50.0% are scoring chances), and those they’re allowing are more accurate (59.3% vs. 57.7% on goal) and more Slumping Blackhawks trying to ‘get back to the way we were playing’ as dangerous (54.5% vs. 49.0% are scoring chances). losses pile up • They’re winning fewer faceoffs (46.5% vs. 47.4%).

Having lost nine of their last 13 games, coach Jeremy Colliton believes • Their goaltending has gotten worse (.903 vs. .914 save percentage). the Hawks need to “get back to our mentality and our identity and the things we did earlier in the year.” Colliton is aware the Hawks’ struggles have spread across the board. Asked Sunday what they need to do better, he listed a dozen things in a minute.

By Ben Pope Mar 29, 2021, 2:20pm CDT ‘‘Skating, work ethic, competitiveness, relentlessness, defending hard,’’ he said. ‘‘Being willing to play a ‘zero shift’ and just leave the next line in a better spot. Being harder to play against physically. Being willing to The Blackhawks have reached a crucial point in their season. And they grind. The best thing you do may be finishing [your shift] in the offensive know it. zone, or maybe you start in the [defensive] zone and don’t get scored on. That can be a positive for the team. Draw a penalty. Do little things that One by one, wing Alex DeBrincat, goalie Malcolm Subban and coach will help your teammates have a chance at success.’’ Jeremy Colliton spoke after the Hawks’ loss Sunday to the Predators and used the same rhetoric to describe the state of the team. Fixing all that at once will be difficult, if not impossible. But the clock is ticking on the Hawks to find a way to do so. ‘‘We’ve got to figure out what our identity is,’’ DeBrincat said. ‘‘We’ve got to go back to what we were doing earlier in the season: battling hard, Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 03.30.2021 getting cheap goals, going to the net, getting pucks on net and doing all that. We’ve gotten away from that a little bit, and that’s why we’re struggling right now.’’

‘‘We just need to get back to the way we were playing,’’ Subban said. ‘‘We just need to embrace it and just be ready for the challenge and try to surpass these obstacles.’’

‘‘We’ve got to get back to our mentality and our identity and the things we did earlier in the year that allowed us to have success,’’ Colliton said. ‘‘If we do, then we’ll be fine. But it’s important that we don’t wait any longer.’’

The Hawks have lost nine of their last 13 games, have taken almost 100 fewer shots than they’ve conceded during that span and have scored only 17 goals in their last eight games.

And they’ve fallen out of a playoff spot, with the Predators holding fourth place in the Central Division on the regulation-wins tiebreaker.

Compared to the optimism at the end of February, the Hawks have slipped into a discouraging place as the end of March nears. Not even the buzz created by center Kirby Dach’s return from a wrist injury has helped reverse the downward spiral so far.

And the road isn’t about to get any easier with the Hurricanes, who at 23- 7-3 lead the NHL in point percentage, coming to town for games Tuesday and Thursday.

‘‘It’s frustrating,’’ DeBrincat said. ‘‘We’ve lost too many games in this stretch to be OK with [it].’’

‘‘All teams go through ebbs and flows through the year,’’ Colliton said. ‘‘This is ours, and we’ve got to nip it in the bud. The positive is, through how we played earlier, we’re still in a good position in the standings.’’

Colliton’s claim about the standings might not be true, but he’s right that the Hawks’ well-above-expectations play through February gave them a bit of a cushion to remain in playoff contention. Still, every metric — offensive and defensive — indicates their play has declined since then:

Blackhawks’ declining play, by the numbers

Stat category Jan-Feb March Change

Hawks' shot attempts/minute 0.843 0.808 -0.035

Hawks' accuracy 58.3% 55.8% -2.5%

Hawks' scoring chance rate 50% 48.9% -1.1%

Hawks' faceoff rate 47.4% 46.5% -0.9%

Hawks' save percentage 0.914 0.903 -0.011

Opponents' attempts/minute 0.940 0.972 +0.032

Opponents' accuracy 57.7% 59.3% +0.016

Opponents' scoring chance rate 49% 54.5% +0.055

• They’re taking fewer shots (.808 vs. .843 per minute) and allowing more shots (.972 vs. .940 per minute). 1207256 Chicago Blackhawks improvement in the four months between March and July 2020 was eye- popping.

That’s what makes Dach’s return this spring so compelling. By May, Early return gives Kirby Dach an opportunity to prove the Blackhawks are when this regular season ends, nine months will have passed since the his team now 2020 playoffs.

The Hawks are prepared to ride Dach as far as he proves able to take ‘‘It’s important for his development to get [to] playing games,’’ Colliton them this spring. And that’s an exciting opportunity for them and their said. ‘‘He’s had tremendous growth over the past 18 months or so. But soon-to-be cornerstone player. certainly when you’re rehabbing, it’s not as great for your development as [it is when] you’re playing NHL games — and playing a lot.’’

By Ben Pope Mar 29, 2021, 6:30am CDT How big a leap has Dach taken since August 2020? We’ll find out in the coming weeks, but it’s tempting to imagine a stretch run in which he puts the Hawks on his back and carries them into the postseason.

Kirby Dach returned to the Blackhawks’ lineup Saturday and will be on If that’s not how it plays out, it’ll be understandable. Dach is still only 20 the team for the final 22 games this season. and is coming off wrist surgery. But he will be given the opportunity to do so. One day after center Kirby Dach made his surprise return to the Blackhawks’ lineup Saturday, coach Jeremy Colliton made his plans for Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 03.30.2021 him this season abundantly clear.

‘‘He’s going to play a lot for us,’’ Colliton said Sunday. ‘‘He’s going to be hopefully a big part of the success we’re able to have.’’

In other words, Dach’s playing time won’t be limited. His right wrist has been cleared by doctors and won’t be a hindrance, and the coaching staff won’t shelter him.

The Hawks are prepared to ride Dach, 20, as far as he proves able to take them. And that’s an exciting opportunity for them and for their soon- to-be cornerstone player.

‘‘There’s still areas that I want to improve on as a player, whether it’s in the faceoff dot or playing down low ... or in the neutral zone,” Dach said Saturday. ‘‘Overall improvement on my game each and every day is where I want to go.

‘‘We’re right in the mix of things, and we want to be in that playoff spot. It’s gonna be a fight till the end. We’ve got to find a way to bring it each and every night.’’

Dach centered Mattias Janmark and Dylan Strome on the third line Saturday, then Janmark and Patrick Kane on the first line Sunday.

Where exactly he’ll slot into the lineup for the rest of this season will be determined in time. Colliton said Dach’s return provides flexibility with the forward lines, which will allow him to ‘‘see how it all shakes down here over the next few weeks.’’

Whether Dach ends up officially being designated the first-line center, however, makes little difference. During the Hawks’ dynasty era, they were clearly Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith’s team, even when Toews and Kane weren’t together on the first line or when Keith technically found himself on the second pair.

During this old-core-to-new-core transition season, Dach will be given as long a leash as he needs — regardless of the nominal lines — to prove the Hawks are his team now.

Defensively, Dach is already elite. The combination of his physical strength, rangy frame, stick use, positioning and hockey intelligence makes him extremely good off the puck. As his familiarity with the NHL continues to grow, he might become a legitimate Selke Trophy contender in the future.

Offensively, Dach’s skating stride, north-south style, vision and puckhandling skills give him the tools to become elite. His execution — shooting and passing — aren’t at that level yet, but it’s likely they’ll get there. His immediate placement on the top power-play unit Saturday showed the Hawks’ confidence in his offensive potential.

‘‘[He’s] a center who skates extremely well and is excellent defensively,’’ Colliton said. ‘‘[He] comes up with a lot of loose pucks, wins a lot of 50-50 [battles] and, obviously, he’s growing into a productive, skilled offensive player for us.’’

Looking purely at the numbers, outsiders might have a tough time understanding the Hawks’ sky-high projections for Dach. He didn’t score that much (23 points in 64 games) during his rookie season in 2019-20, although he averaged only 14:16 of playing time.

The playoffs were when Dach demonstrated his imminent stardom. He scored six points in nine games as his ice time jumped to 19:24, and his 1207257 Colorado Avalanche shots-for and shots-against average was the 2009-10 Blackhawks, who won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. The Avs also entered Monday leading the NHL in shot differential (+317), nearly twice as much Avalanche dominates Ducks to extend points streak to 11 games as the next-closest team (Boston +160). … Referee Tom Chmielewski of Colorado Springs worked the game.

Denver Post: LOADED: 03.30.2021 By MIKE CHAMBERS | PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 9:46 p.m. | UPDATED: March 29, 2021 at 10:19 p.m.

A familiar event unfolded Monday night at Ball Arena. The Avalanche outshot its opponent by more than a 2-to-1 margin and skated off victorious.

The Avs, who entered the game ranked first in the NHL in both shots-per- game (34.8) and shots-against (25.2), got the team-high 20th goal of the season from right winger Mikko Rantanen and the 100th career win from goalie Philipp Grubauer in a 5-2 triumph over the Anaheim Ducks.

Colorado (22-8-4), which outshot Anaheim 34-9 after two periods and 48- 15 for the game, extended its points streak to 11 games (9-0-2) — the Avs’ first double-digit point streak since Nov. 11 to Dec. 2, 2018 (also 9- 0-2). They also extended their point streak at home to nine (8-0-1) — the one overtime loss coming to Vegas on Saturday.

Rantanen scored his NHL-leading 12th goal of the month to open the scoring and fellow forwards Tyson Jost and Gabe Landeskog (power play) struck in the second period to give the Avs a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes. Forwards J.T. Compher and Valeri Nichushkin beat goalie Ryan Miller in the third period shortly after the Ducks got within 3-2.

“It was a great game for us,” Jost said. “It was a great effort by our team and we’re rolling right now. We just want to keep that up.”

Miller, 40, also took the 8-4 loss to the Avs on March 16, allowing seven goals.

Avs superstar defensemen Cale Makar and superstar center Nathan MacKinnon combined for five assists. Makar assisted on Colorado’s last three goals and MacKinnon had assists on the goals from linemates Rantanen and Landeskog. That line combined for four points in the game and 35 in its last seven.

“Obviously it’s nice to score some goals,” said Rantanen, who was tied with Washington’s Alex Ovechkin with an NHL-high 11 goals in March. “It’s not the main reason why I go to the games but obviously I know I have to help the team on the offensive side so it’s nice to capitalize on some chances. Landy and Nate are doing a good job helping me get chances. I can’t complain.”

Anaheim, which got both of its goals from former University of Denver standouts Danton Heinen and Troy Terry, was coming off an overtime victory at St. Louis on Sunday. Heinen tied it 1-1 midway through the second period and Terry beat Grubauer early in the third to get the Ducks within 3-2.

“They played yesterday. We played an afternoon game (Saturday) and then had a day off. So we were the more rested team and I think that showed as the game went on,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Good start and committed on the defensive side of things.”

He added: “I thought it was a pretty well-played hockey game by us.”

It was the 16th game in a record 17-game month for the Avs, who improved to 19-3-2 when scoring first. Grubauer won for the club-record 11th time in a month, breaking a tie with Semyon Varlamov (2014), Craig Anderson (2009) and Peter Budaj (2007).

The game was the 20th at home for Colorado, all in a fan-free environment. Fans are scheduled to be in attendance at all home games beginning Wednesday against the Arizona Coyotes. Local first responders will be in attendance Wednesday and a maximum of 4,050 regular fans (22% of arena capacity) will be allowed Friday against the St. Louis Blues and beyond.

Footnotes: The Avs again played without rookie defenseman Bo Byram, who is nursing a head injury. He missed his second straight game after absorbing a hit to the head against Vegas on Thursday. … Winger Matt Calvert missed his third consecutive game with an undisclosed injury. Calvert is on the injured list for the third time this season. … Defensemen Erik Johnson (upper body) and goalie Pavel Francouz remain on long- term injured reserve. … The last NHL team to lead the league in both 1207258 Colorado Avalanche

Chambers: College standouts Alex Newhook, Sampo Ranta, Nate Clurman on path to joining Avalanche

By MIKE CHAMBERS | PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 2:35 p.m. | UPDATED: March 29, 2021 at 2:36 p.m.

Is another Cale Makar en route to the Avalanche? Could another NCAA star join the club from the national tournament and make an immediate impact in the Stanley Cup playoffs?

No and no. But Alex Newhook is probably among three college standouts who could sign with Colorado and make a difference as soon as next season.

Boston College’s Newhook, Minnesota’s Sampo Ranta and Notre Dame’s Nate Clurman of Boulder could join the Avalanche organization in the coming days or weeks. Each Colorado draft pick saw their college seasons end last week and the NHL club has the available contracts to sign all three.

The question is, are the players willing to forgo their remaining NCAA eligibility to turn professional? Newhook is a sophomore forward, Ranta a junior forward and Clurman a junior defenseman.

It would make sense for each to jump at the chance to turn pro because they are ready for the challenge and a large portion of the 2021 season remains. In a normal year, the end of the NHL/AHL regular season is about a week after the NCAA Frozen Four. This year, the end of the NHL regular season is May 11 — more than six weeks from now.

Newhook, 20, was selected by the Avs 16th overall in the 2019 draft. His season ended Sunday when the Eagles lost 4-1 to St. Cloud State in the championship of the Albany regional. Newhook, a member of Canada’s 2021 World Junior team, assisted on BC’s only goal and has 58 points (26 goals) in 46 career games. He could become an Avalanche top-six regular next season but learn the ropes in an obscure role the rest of this season.

Ranta, 20, who played for Finland at the 2020 World Juniors, was a third- round pick (78th overall) in 2018. The Golden Gophers fell 4-0 to Minnesota State in Sunday’s regional title game in Loveland. Ranta is second in NCAA goal-scoring with 19. He likely will begin his pro career with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles — where he can continue to develop this season.

Avalanche general manager was scheduled to attend the Loveland regional. On Monday after a morning skate at Ball Arena, Avs coach Jared Bednar said he watched some of BC’s game Sunday and most of Minnesota’s.

“I have no idea on what our plans are with them,” Bednar said about Newhook and Ranta. “I haven’t got any information or discussed that with Joe.”

Clurman, 22, a sixth-round pick (161st overall) in 2016, is a shutdown defenseman and team captain for the Irish, who had to withdrawal from the NCAA Tournament last week because of COVID protocol. Notre Dame was scheduled to open against Newhook and the Eagles, who were given a free pass to the regional title game. Clurman, like Ranta, could jump at the chance to continue his 2021 development for the Eagles.

The Avs have 44 organizational players under contract. The maximum is 50. Any college player signed this spring likely will do so under a professional tryout (PTO) deal, and their entry-level contract (ELC) will begin July 1.

A rookie can play six NHL regular-season games in 2021 before their ELC kicks in. The Avs would probably want Newhook to make his NHL debut this spring but not burn the first year of his ELC. Ranta and Clurman, if they sign, will probably report to the Eagles.

Denver Post: LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207259 Colorado Avalanche

Kiszla vs. Chambers: How crucial is No. 1 playoff seed in West to Avalanche?

By MIKE CHAMBERS | MARK KISZLA PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 1:13 p.m. | UPDATED: March 29, 2021 at 1:50 p.m.

Kiszla: The Avs and Vegas have the makings of a beautiful hockey rivalry. Good teams with legit championship aspirations. Big personalities. Bone-rattling hits. Now, all we need is to build some playoff history of real hard feelings between Colorado and Vegas.

Chambers: Those feelings have been established. In Saturday’s finale of a two-game set at Ball Arena, there was an early fight and constant chirping between the benches — including one after the first-intermission buzzer which required the officials to break it up so the Zamboni could do its thing. The key antagonists appear to be Avs second-line center Nazem Kadri and Knights fourth-line winger Ryan Reaves. Which is interesting because those guys have a personal relationship as part of the nine-member Hockey Diversity Alliance. As a whole, the Avs-Knights rivalry is bound to become very interesting.

Kiz: This is a weird NHL season, in same way the pandemic has made every other aspect of our lives an exercise in making the best of a tough situation. So tell me this: Does home-ice advantage count for much this season? And how crucial is it for Colorado to finish ahead of Vegas to claim the No 1 seed in the divisional playoffs?

Chambers: The West Division’s No. 1 seed gets No. 4, and right now that’s the struggling St. Louis Blues, who are 2-5-3 in their last 10 games. Fifth-place Arizona is average at best. So, yes, there is motivation to get that No. 1 seed and avoid likely playing the Minnesota Wild in the first round. The Avs have lost two straight first-round playoff series against the Wild, both in Game 7 in Denver — whatever that’s worth.

Kiz: You and I argue about many hockey topics. You like fighting. I’m more of a lover. But on this we agree: The game just isn’t the same (or as fun) without fans at the rink. Do you think the return of spectators at even a limited capacity can give Avs a meaningful home-ice advantage in the playoffs?

Chambers: I agree with you there! I was at a recent Avs game in Arizona, where they allow a limited number of fans, and most of them were on a road trip donning Avalanche sweaters. Gabe Landeskog and Tyson Jost both said they wholeheartedly felt the support, even though it a fraction of the arena was filled. So some fans are certainly an upgrade from no fans, and if you add in home-ice advantage based on more home games than road games in a series, that No. 1 seed is key. And, hey, don’t be surprised if the Avs clinch home-ice advantage through the Stanley Cup Final, because I wouldn’t be surprised if this club wins the President’s Trophy with the league’s best record.

Denver Post: LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207260 Colorado Avalanche March madness: Colorado improves to 11-2-3 in March, tying a club record for most wins in one month with an opportunity to break that record on Wednesday.

Avalanche extend point streak to 11 games with 5-2 victory over Rantanen marches forward: Rantanen’s goal was his 12th in the month Anaheim of March, one more than Washington’s Alex Ovechkin for the most in the NHL. He is also the third player to reach 20 goals in 2021.

By Aarif Deen - March 29, 2021 “He’s a pretty good player like everyone knows,” Rantanen said of Ovechkin. “Obviously it’s nice to score some goals. It’s not the main thing or why I go to games but I know I have to help the team on the offensive side so it’s nice to capitalize on some chances.” There’s often one period of total domination from the Avalanche each game. This time around — in the last game before fans return to Ball milehighsports.com LOADED: 03.30.2021 Arena — it was the second period of a highly physical affair.

The Avalanche scored twice and outshot the Anaheim Ducks 21-2 in the middle frame Monday in a 5-2 victory of a game that included a fight and numerous post-whistle scrums. Colorado kept Anaheim from recording a shot for the final 12:17 of the period.

The Avs point streak increased to 11 games (9-0-2) as they prepare to welcome frontline healthcare workers on Wednesday against Arizona — the first game with fans in 385 days.

“Our guys are excited,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We’re looking to hopefully get the building packed at some point. Hopefully that’s a possibility so we’re pretty excited about that.”

Captain Gabe Landeskog tipped a point shot from Cale Makar past goalie Ryan Miller on Colorado’s fourth power-play chance to give the Avs a 3-1 lead. The eventual game-winner was his team-leading fifth of the season, tying linemate Mikko Rantanen.

Colorado also had goals from forwards Tyson Jost, Valeri Nichushkin, J.T. Compher and Rantanen. Makar paced the team in points, recording three assists.

“We just stuck with it,” Makar said of his teams performance. “We ended up just getting some bounces. I thought we were really tenacious.”

In goal, Philipp Grubauer extended his personal unbeaten streak to 10 games (9-0-1), winning his 100th career game by making 13 saves as the Avalanche heavily outshot Anaheim 48-15. The Ducks had just eight shots after the first period.

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf was involved in most of the chippiness from Anaheim’s side. The 16-year veteran was involved in tussles with Ryan Graves, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Landeskog. Getzlaf and Bellemare eventually dropped the gloves for a spirited bout right after Colorado’s fifth goal.

Upon exiting the box, Getzlaf continued to jaw at Landeskog from the bench.

“We’ve seen these guys a lot recently. That’s kind of how series are going,” Bednar said. “You start playing a team over and over and you get to know one another. There’s some bad blood I would say. I love the way our team responded.”

The Avs struggled early on the power play. They entered the game with two goals on their previous 13 chances, most of which were filled with grade-A opportunities. On their first chance against Anaheim, the Avalanche were unable to solve Miller before Max Comtois exited the box and quickly set up teammate Danton Heinen for a goal to tie it at 1-1.

Colorado’s inability to take advantage of the man-advantage and gain a two-goal lead kept Anaheim in the game for longer than the Avs had intended. Compher was also stopped on the breakaway, keeping the game tied heading into the first intermission.

“I didn’t like our first power play,” Bednar said. “We weren’t in great support of one another. We bobbled some pucks that came back out in the neutral zone.”

Rantanen agreed with his coach’s sentiments but both were complimentary of Colorado’s work on the man-advantage in the second period. The Avs also did not score on a lengthy 5-on-3 late in the game.

“Those two we had we were moving the puck quickly and getting a couple of chances,” Rantanen said of the power play in the second. “We capitalized on one. But I didn’t like the last 5-on-3. It wasn’t good so there’s still a lot of room for improvement.” 1207261 Colorado Avalanche

‘One of our best lines’: Avs third line continues to impress

By Scott MacDonald

It hasn’t been pretty for parts of the season on the Avs third line. But after much line shuffling by Avs head coach Jared Bednar, it seems he’s finally found his third-line trio.

Val Nichushkin — Tyson Jost — Joonas Donskoi.

Those three have combined for 11 goals and 23 points in their last 10 games. And if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

“They’ve been one of our best lines in almost every game they’ve played together,” Bednar said after Monday night’s game. “Tonight, they end up getting us two goals again.”

So what’s been going so well?

“I think we’re just using our speed. Val is using his size. Donny is using his skill,” Tyson Jost said Monday night. “We’re playing to our identity right now. We want to keep that up. It’s fun hockey right now to play that way.”

It is fun, and the Avs have now extended their point streak to 11 consecutive games with a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday.

“It was a great effort by our team and we’re rolling right now, so we want to keep that up,” Jost added.

The Avalanche really have turned a corner here over the last few weeks. Part of that resurgence is from the emergence of the team’s depth—and it starts with that third line. The 11 goals and 23 points over the last 11 games is second only to the top-line trio of Gabe Landeskog, Nate MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

The Masters

Swapping J.T. Compher for Tyson Jost on that third line seems to have made all the difference.

“I’ve liked him there,” Bednar said of Jost at the 3C position. “He’s put some work into his game, just trying to learn the position, where he needs to be, when to support the D and when he can support the D.

“He asks the right questions, he wants to learn. He’s getting better at that position for sure. With that line with Donskoi and Val, I think he’s certainly found a home… He’s doing a real nice job there.”

While Tyson Jost may arguably be the most polarizing player on the Avs roster, it’s hard to deny the level of play we’ve seen from him, especially lately. He’s turned into one of the most reliable defensive forwards in the NHL this season. He’s clearly wanting to get better, and it’s something coach Bednar has mentioned on more than one occasion. The Avs coach talks highly of Jost’s willingness to learn and his staying late to Watch video after practice and on his off-days.

But not only is it Jost who has drastically improved, but each of the three on the Avs third line have shown sizable jumps in performance.

Val Nichushkin was a guy that coach Bednar said he’d pulled into his office on more than one occasion this season to talk about his lack of consistent effort—namely in the skating department. Nichushkin has since scored three goals and eight points in his last 10 games. He’s just six goals shy of tying his NHL career-best. His effort and hounding of pucks in all three zones has also stuck out.

And then there’s Joonas Donskoi, who is having quite the March to remember. He’s scored six goals and 11 points in his last 10 games. He sits tied for second on the team in goals, and is just four shy of his career-high.

Indeed, the third line is firing on all cylinders these days, and it’s no doubt a very big part of the reason why the Avs are flying high of late. Most importantly, they’re doing it with consistency. If the Avs can continue to get these consistent performances out of their third line—and middle six—a deep run in the postseason seems inevitable.

Colorado hockey now LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207262 Colorado Avalanche Toews in the Burgundy and Blue. He’s consistently driving the bus on the blueline and creating chances left and right. Another all-around solid night in every zone.

Avs Player Grades: Colorado cruises past Ducks Cale Makar (A+) – Another big night on the stat sheet for Cale. He showed that insane burst of speed again on Nichushkin’s goal in the third period, blazing past a couple of Anaheim defenders, wrapping it around By Scott MacDonald the net and feeding an open Val in front. The dude just makes the game of hockey looks so easy. And three assists and a plus-four…that’s pretty

decent, right? Gabe Landeskog (A) – The Avs top line is firing on all cylinders right now, Ryan Graves (A) – Like Jost, Ryan Graves is up there as far as and part of that praise belongs to the leadership of Landeskog. He had a polarizing players goes. He started the year well below expectation, nice tip on the power play in the second to bag his 12th of the year. He fought some healthy scratches, and earned a couple of calls into coach has five goals and 14 points in his last 10 games. Bednar’s office. He’s since been one of the better D-men for the Avs. The Nathan MacKinnon (B) – Another vintage Nate MacKinnon game. Had dude is all heart and he puts his body on the line every shift. the primary assist on Rantanen’s opening goal and follow that up with Dan Renouf (C) – Was mixing it up all night, as he’s been known to do. I another helper on Landeskog’s goal. He has 16 points in his last 10. The like the edge and grit that he brings to the lineup each night…it’s top line is looking like the best in the NHL again, and it starts with something the Avs have lacked for quite some time now. MacKinnon, the top line’s 500-horsepower engine. Jacob MacDonald (B-) – Hardly noticed MacDonald tonight, to be honest. Mikko Rantanen (A) – Rantanen tallied his 20th of the season, moving But he wasn’t on the ice for any goals against, and that’s kind of the him into third place in the NHL in that department. It was his eighth goal name of the game for defensemen, eh? He also recorded a team-high in the last 10 games. He’s notched 15 points in that span, to boot. Again, three blocks. I can’t say this enough: the top line looks unstoppable. Sam Girard (B+) – G has been one of the most consistent, reliable, Brandon Saad (C) – A very quiet night from the Avs second line. Luckily, *insert other positive adjectives here* all season long. Tonight, they’re getting depth scoring by the boat load right now. statistically speaking, was a bit of an off-night for him. He was on the ice Nazem Kadri (C+) – His best play of the night was drawing two penalties for both goals against, so we have to dock him a bit there. back to back in third period. Kadri has had a bit of a rough go of late. Philipp Grubauer (A) – Grubauer recorded his 100th win tonight, and he He’s only managed one point in his last seven games for the Avs. was as stout as he’s always been this season. He was left hanging by his Andre Burakovsky (C-) – He failed to record a shot on goal and was a D pairs on both goals against, so we can’t mark off too much there. I minus-1. A very forgettable night for Burky. don’t think they were his fault. Either way, I’m all in on the “Grubauer for Vezina” hype train. He’s got my vote. Valeri Nichushkin (A) – About a month back, coach Bednar said that he’d had a sit-down chat with Nichushkin about his effort, particularly the lack Colorado hockey now LOADED: 03.30.2021 of it in his skating. He’s since turned a corner there, and I love the consistent hustle I’m seeing from Big Val these days. He continues to hound pucks in all three zones. He was awarded on the stat sheet with a helper tonight, while also adding the insurance goal midway through the third—his eighth of the season.

Tyson Jost (A) – There might not be any other Avs player that is more polarizing than Tyson Jost. Like it or not, the kid is playing some of his best hockey this season and is proving to be one of the most defensively- reliable forwards in the NHL this year. He’s been finding some offense to go along with that, as well. Love to see it.

Joonas Donskoi (A) – Almost had a nice spin-o-rama to open the scoring about a minute into the game, but just missed and immediately threw his head back cursing the heavens. Did pick up an assist tonight, extending his point streak to three games. He’s been a huge part of that third line’s emergence from invisible, to now very consistent contributors. Donskoi has had quite a March so far. He’s scored six goals and 12 points in his last 10.

J.T. Compher (B) – Was active on the PK and had a nice interception at the blueline in the first period as a result of his active stick. He sprung himself on the breakaway but couldn’t finish—pretty on brand for the year Compher has had. He was again capital-R robbed by Ryan Miller in the third period. But seconds later, he was able to finally beat him to score his fourth of the year. Good for him. He needed that.

The Masters

P.E. Bellemare (C+) – Stuck up for himself when Ryan Getzlaf, noted bad boy and best friend of Corey Perry, sucker punched him in the first period. Somehow Bellemare got the extra minor for roughing on that, but we won’t dock him much for that. Things finally fructified in the final period, when Bellemare and Getzlaf reconvened at center ice and duked it out. Props to Belly for that.

Logan O’Connor (C+) – I’m a big fan of O’Connor’s game. Colorado Eagles head coach Greg Cronin praises him for how “visible” he is night- in and night-out. But that said, I don’t think he was very visible tonight. He did pick up the primary assist on Compher’s goal in the final frame, though.

Devon Toews (A-) – He was exposed on the Ducks first goal, as he got nutmegged by a nice pass through his legs. But instances like that are a rare occurrence with Toews. I can’t say enough good things about Devon 1207263 Columbus Blue Jackets Detroit’s winning goal was scored 2:51 into the third period by Michael Rasmussen, who charged into the crease and poked his stick under Elvis Merzlikins’s pad to pop the puck into the net.

Takeaways from a 'Motown' letdown include a key question: Have the The play was upheld for a 2-1 lead after it was challenged for goaltender Blue Jackets quit? interference by Blue Jackets coach . The NHL didn’t get Seth Jones says 'no,' and vows there is still enough fight left in them to into specifics about why the goal stood, citing only that “Video review make a playoff push. Other takeaways include missed opportunities, a confirmed that no goaltender interference infractions occurred prior to failed challenge and another sleepy start. Michael Rasmussen’s goal,” and Tortorella wasn’t in a mood to discuss it with reporters afterward.

“Just got the (expletive) kicked out of us and you’re talking about a Brian Hedger goaltender interference,” he said. “I’m not trying to disrespect you. I don’t care about that. I challenged it. We didn’t get the challenge.”

Another sleepy start DETROIT – It wasn’t a good look. The Blue Jackets weren’t nearly as bad in the first period as they were The Blue Jackets didn’t just lose back-to-back games over the weekend Saturday, but they weren’t good either. to the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesar’s Arena. They got housed here, twice, against one of the NHL’s worst teams. Detroit scored first on Evgeny Svechnikov’s goal and forged a 7-3 edge in shots during another period the Blue Jackets were nearly invisible in No matter how motivated the Red Wings were after an embarrassing 7-1 the offensive zone. Things didn’t get much better in the second or third, loss Thursday to the Nashville Predators, no matter how close each outside of Jack Roslovic’s tying goal in the second, but the Jackets’ game was on the scoreboard, neither could change the fact Detroit came sluggish start was the biggest culprit in another head-scratching into this weekend matchup with 10 wins in 35 games. performance. These are not your father’s Red Wings or your grandfather’s for that The Red Wings didn’t play that well themselves, but it didn’t matter. The matter. There are no Nicklas Lidstroms or Pavel Datsyuks to be found on Blue Jackets were outshot 29-17 and 63-39 in the two games combined. Detroit’s roster and the only is the one watching from the general manager’s box. “We didn’t have enough shots,” Jones said. “I think we had three after the first and 11 after the second. I don’t know what we finished with, but The Blue Jackets needed to win these games or at least come out with clearly not enough action at the net … it just seemed like an easy night additional points. They did neither, gliding around like zombies on ice for them to play an easy team.” skates most of the time and the sight of it caused many to openly wonder if they’ve just given up. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.30.2021 Star defenseman Seth Jones said they haven't.

“There is absolutely no quit in this team and that’s up to each individual,” he said. “We’re still going to fight every single time we’re on the ice. We need to fight for every single inch, every single goal, every single blocked shot, every hit, because the little things are going to make us a better team. We’re obviously not quitting on this season.”

In this case, with stops in Tampa and South Florida on deck, words had better speak louder than actions. Soon.

"We can’t go into some games hoping to win," Jones added. "We have to be the aggressor in all these games, whether we win or we lose. We’re not going to go out without a fight, I can tell you that.”

Here are more takeaways from another Motown letdown:

Missed opportunities

The Blue Jackets are a combined 3-7-1 against the Red Wings and Nashville Predators. If they miss the playoffs by a handful of points, their failure against those two teams will sting most.

The Red Wings are in dead last of the Central Division and the Predators – prior to a recent surge that lifted them past the Blue Jackets – were labeled a “seller” weeks ago, after a terrible start. The Preds are now on the rise, but the Blue Jackets went 1-5-0 in the first six games of the season series and were swept in a pair of two-game sets in the Music City.

Columbus went 1-2-1 in their four games at Little Caesar’s Arena and has three games left against the Red Wings at .

Enough talk

The Blue Jackets have talked a lot in team meetings, including one that followed the loss Saturday, but Jones said those confabs don’t mean anything if they don’t lead to better results on the ice.

“There’s only so many meetings we can have and so many things we can talk about, Xs and Os wise, as a team,” he said. “It just comes down to personal, consistent effort from each individual and it comes down to just wanting to win … having pride in your individual game and playing for the guy sitting next to you in the locker room. Hopefully we can go to Florida and play the right way regardless of the results in Tampa and (South Florida).”

The failed challenge 1207264 Columbus Blue Jackets It was a heads-up play by Roslovic, who’d fallen to the ice behind the net after hitting on Detroit’s Christian Djoos. Roslovic’s fist pump was the Blue Jackets’ first sign of life, but it didn’t do a whole lot to change the Red Wings blitz Blue jackets with sweep of back-to-back games in Jackets’ fate – much like ’s goal in the second period Detroit Saturday.

Outplayed again by one of the NHL's worst teams, Columbus is off to a The Red Wings, a team that started this two-game set 10 points back of terrible start on a critical six-game road trip that heads to Florida next. the Blue Jackets, merely shook it off and retook the lead in the third on Rasmussen’s goal.

Rasmussen put Detroit up 2-1 at 2:51 on a charge into the crease that Brian Hedger resulted in his stick knocking the puck into the net after Merzlikins appeared to stop it with his left pad. Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella

issued a coach’s challenge for goaltender interference, but the call on the Elvis Merzlikins (90) stops a shot by Detroit Red Wings left wing Darren ice was upheld. Helm (43) during the second Sunday at LIttle Caesar's Arena in Detroit. The Red Wings made it stand up the rest of the way. DETROIT – Another day brought another baffling performance from the “Tie it up going into the third, all we’ve got to do is win one period and get Blue Jackets. out of here with a split, which was tough,” Roslovic said. “But it is what it A day after being outplayed by the Detroit Red Wings in a 3-1 loss is, and it just wasn’t (meant for us) I guess.” Saturday at Little Caesar’s Arena, the rematch Sunday went about the Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.30.2021 same. Detroit, one of the NHL’s worst teams, completed a weekend sweep of the Jackets with a 4-1 victory and again was the better team start to finish.

“It just seems like we took one step forward (against) Carolina and two steps back here,” said defenseman Seth Jones, referring to the Blue Jackets’ 2-1-1 record in four straight games against the Carolina Hurricanes the past two weeks. “We need to find a way to play consistent. It seems like we have brain lapses throughout games that (opponents) capitalize on and it’s in the back of our net sometimes. That’s the way it seems to be going right now.”

It was more than mental mistakes the past two games, though.

The Red Wings also outplayed the Blue Jackets in games that were never really in doubt. Columbus struggled to get anything going in either game and now heads off to Florida for the conclusion of the road trip with two games against the Tampa Bay Lightning – the defending Stanley Cup champions – and two more against a Florida Panthers bunch steamrolling toward the playoffs.

“Did we take these guys lightly?” asked center Jack Roslovic, who tied the game 1-1 late in the second period with the Blue Jackets’ lone goal. “I don’t know if that was the case, but it sure as heck seemed like it. Maybe going against Tampa, going against Florida at the end of this road trip … maybe we’ll be able to ramp our game back up.”

Evgeny Svechnikov and Michael Rasmussen scored goals for Detroit in the first and third periods, which were enough for the win. earned his second straight win in net, while Filip Hronek and Vladislav Namestnikov finished it off with empty-net goals.

Aside from Roslovic’s goal, the only other notable positive for the Blue Jackets was goalie Elvis Merzlikins – who made 25 saves and played well in handling a full back-to-back set.

He just didn’t get much help.

Detroit outplayed Columbus in the first period for the second time in as many days, only it wasn’t quite as one-sided this time. Puck-possession and scoring chances were closer than Saturday’s game, when Detroit dominated the first and built a 2-0 lead, but the Red Wings still led after the first 20 minutes and had a 7-3 edge in shots.

What the Blue Jackets had was another frustrating start, which included very little offensive success and multiple line shakeups at Tortorella’s instruction. They also allowed the game’s first goal on what should’ve been a harmless shot by Svechnikov.

After getting the puck in the Columbus zone, Svechnikov cut sharply to the middle in a 1-on-4 situation and fired a long wrister that split the Blue Jackets’ defenders. The puck got past Merzlikins, who never saw it because he was inadvertently screened by defenseman Gabriel Carlsson.

It was that kind of period for the Blue Jackets and that kind of game until late in the second, when Roslovic’s goal tied it 1-1 with 1:35 left.

Capping a play that could’ve been blown dead for icing, Roslovic got to the front of the net and tipped Oliver Bjorkstrand’s shot from the point past Pickard for his first goal since Mar. 2 – also scored against the Red Wings. 1207265 Columbus Blue Jackets goaltending prospect Veini Vehvilainen. He had three assists in nine games for Toronto.

Fix-Wolansky surgery Blue Jackets still battling inconsistency with their playoff hopes in jeopardy The Blue Jackets announced Saturday that Trey Fix-Wolansky, a 21-year old forward, had reconstructive knee surgery to repair the anterior A postgame meeting was held after 3-1 loss Saturday in Detroit. Captain cruciate ligament in his right knee. Fix-Wolansky, a seventh-round pick in Nick Foligno: 'I just think we had to understand what we’re up against.” 2018, led the Cleveland Monsters in scoring and will miss the rest of the season. He could also miss up to six months.

Brian Hedger Other moves

The Blue Jackets also recalled rookie forward Liam Foudy from the Monsters to the taxi squad Sunday. After recovering from an injury, Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno gets set during a face off against the Foudy had one goal, three assists and four points in four games for the Red Wings on Saturday. Monsters.

DETROIT – The alarms started chirping about five minutes into the Blue The Jackets also had goaltending news this weekend, as top net-minding Jackets’ 3-1 loss Saturday. prospect Daniil Tarasov was assigned to the Monsters and Cam Johnson was recalled from the taxi squad to back up Elvis Merzlikins against the After being embarrassed by the Nashville Predators in a 7-1 rout two Red Wings on Saturday. Johnson was an emergency recall because of a days earlier, the Detroit Red Wings came out with fire in their eyes at lower-body injury that prevented Joonas Korpisalo from handling the role. Little Caesar’s Arena. They owned the puck, swarmed the Columbus zone and dominated the first period of a game the Blue Jackets were Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.30.2021 supposed to use as a springboard for a six-game road trip — which included a 4-1 loss in a rematch Sunday in Detroit plus a pair of two- game sets this week against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.

The Red Wings played for pride with more intensity than the Blue Jackets had while chasing a playoff spot, which was an alarming occurrence that prompted a postgame meeting.

“I just think we had to understand what we’re up against,” captain Nick Foligno said. “There has to be an understanding of how we have to play to have success at this time of year, whether you’re a team that’s trying to get in or a team that isn’t.”

In other words, opportunities are fleeting in this 56-game season, and the Blue Jackets have reached a point where they have to make a choice. They can either raise their intensity level for every game or continue to lilt along until they’re eventually erased.

The back-to-back losses were a stinging indictment of a season-long battle with inconsistency. It also opened the door for the Jackets to be overtaken for fifth in the Central Division by the Nashville Predators, who have already let it be known they’re a potential seller.

“The league goes in levels,” Foligno said. “It raises at certain points of the season. Right now, it’s just before the trade deadline, teams are trying to figure out where they’re positioned. And we’re a team that’s fighting tooth-and-nail to get into the playoffs, so we have to know there’s levels. Everyone’s playing at a higher level and we have to get there.”

The way this road trip began against the Red Wings, it didn’t look like the Blue Jackets were fighting “tooth-and-nail" for anything, let alone the Central’s fourth-and-final playoff spot. It remains a four-team race , with 20 games left, but that could become three quickly if the Jackets can’t raise their play to a level that’s needed for a playoff push.

They’ve done it the past three years, extending their string of postseason appearances to four, but there is a lot more uncertainty now. Coach John Tortorella’s postgame assessment Saturday wasn’t exactly encouraging and he wasn't in the mood to issue any further pearls of wisdom Sunday.

“You’re going to find out a lot about who we are — as individuals, as a team — as we go on this trip,” he said after the first debacle. “I saw some terrific things out of certain people today. I saw some things that worry me terribly with others.”

So long, Matteau

The Blue Jackets assigned forward Stefan Matteau to the taxi squad on Sunday and recalled recently-acquired defenseman Mikko Lehtonen, which ended a brief stint of Matteau, Ryan MacInnis and Eric Robinson teaming up to give Tortorella a physical fourth line.

Matteau has played six games this season, including the past five in a row. He hasn't recorded a point, averaging just under 10 minutes a game.

Lehtonen, whom the Blue Jackets were unable to sign as a free agent from the KHL, was acquired Mar. 12 from Toronto Maple Leafs for 1207266 Dallas Stars

Familiar territory: Stars enter another pivotal stretch that could determine their fate this season

By Matthew DeFranks6:13 PM on Mar 29, 2021 CDT

Yet again, the Stars are at another checkpoint in a 2020-21 season that has repeatedly presented them with chances to turn around a campaign gone awry.

Beginning Tuesday night in Nashville, the Stars will start a six-game road trip that includes four games against teams they are chasing for the final Central Division playoff spot. Dallas plays the Predators, Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks twice each as they hope for some clarity ahead of April 12′s trade deadline.

“We know that time’s running out, and we can’t take any longer to figure it out,” forward Blake Comeau said.

It seems like the Stars have been in this situation before this season: a pivotal stretch that could decide the route their season takes.

When they went to Florida and Tampa Bay for a four-game road trip in late February following a winless four-game homestand, it looked like the Panthers and Lightning could bury the Stars. Yet they still had enough cushion from the beginning of the season to survive.

When they had a six-game homestand against the ripe middle of the Central (Columbus, Nashville, Chicago) at the beginning of March, this seemed like the time the Stars could gain ground on the teams they were chasing. They picked up five of 12 points and watched as the Predators continued to struggle.

Even this most recent five-game homestand gave Dallas a chance to climb.

But the Stars went 1-2-2 and were saved by Chicago’s continued tumble. The Central Division’s general incompetence (outside of Carolina, Tampa Bay and Florida) has kept the Stars season alive rather than the Stars themselves forcing the issue.

Now, the Stars reach this week, when they can no longer count on Nashville and Chicago losing to other teams. If the Stars are going to catch the Preds and Hawks, they will have to do so themselves, and they will have to be better than a 4-1 loss to Florida on Sunday night.

“You’ve heard me say many times that we’ve played a lot better than our record, and we have,” coach Rick Bowness said Sunday night. “Tonight was one of the few games that I will sit here and say we did not deserve to win that game. That’s only happened a couple of times after the number of games that we’ve played.”

Bowness and the Stars have hoped that the team’s underlying game- driving numbers would translate to wins.

Believe it or not, Dallas entered Monday as one of the top play-driving teams at 5 on 5, according to Natural Stat Trick. It was sixth in shot- attempt share (52.7%), fifth in shot share (52.9%), third in expected goals share (54.3%), third in scoring chances share (55.4%) and third in high- danger chances share (56.6%).

Those analytics suggest the Stars should be better than 11 wins in 32 games. The execution suggests otherwise, as the Stars rank 25th in the NHL in 5-on-5 shooting percentage. Finishing has been an issue across the last three seasons, as Dallas ranks last at 5-on-5 shooting percentage.

The result is a product that relies more and more on the power play to score, the penalty kill to stifle and the goaltending to hold up. Those three have not often combined concurrently.

“The style that we play, we play good defensive hockey, we grind teams down with the forecheck,” Comeau said. “We have to work hard for our goals. I feel like when our specialty teams are on, we’re a tough team to beat.”

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207267 Dallas Stars Gonzales expected to work with Robertson two or three days per week, as he does with most of his clients, but Robertson insisted on five days a week. One of Robertson’s biggest points of emphasis was getting out of Inside the workouts that transformed Stars’ Jason Robertson into one of his stance more efficiently. Gonzales’ role in that was to develop stronger NHL’s top rookies hips, so they did a lot of hip abductor and adductor workouts. Gonzales’ specialty at Work365 Fitness is training football players, specifically running backs, who also require a heavy emphasis on developing their hips to have a strong first step, so much of Robertson’s workouts were Saad Yousuf Mar 29, 2021 designed like those of a running back.

“The last six months, I’ve (developed) a stronger stride than normal,” When the Dallas Stars’ Jason Robertson left the Edmonton bubble on Robertson said. “I know it doesn’t look pretty but it certainly gets me Sept. 29, 2020, he had already flipped the page. Hockey consumed around faster than I used to go. That’s improved a lot, as much as people players in the bubble but Robertson wasn’t interested in getting away might not think so. It has. The difference is night and day.” from the game. Instead, the 21-year-old winger locked in on the most Jason Robertson. (Jerome Miron / USA Today) important and transformative offseason of his young hockey career. Gonzales’ training program was split into three phases. The first eight “As much as I practiced in the bubble, it didn’t really take a toll on me,” weeks included speed, agility and plyometrics. Following that, there was Robertson told The Athletic. “I just really wanted to get back on the ice a heavy emphasis on power and flexibility workouts for four weeks and and get back to it.” then in the final few weeks, they went back to speed and agility. In an offseason flooded with unknowns, as the world worked its way “The misconception is that in order to get stronger, you have to lift heavy through a pandemic, Robertson turned to a man who knew him as well (weights),” Gonzales said. “That’s not the case. In order to get stronger, as anybody. Over the past decade, Tommy Mannino worked with the you have to build endurance and that’s where Jason excelled at.” entire hockey-playing Robertson family, from Jason to his older brother Michael to their youngest brother Nick, a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect. Most of their days started at approximately 7 a.m. in the weight room. They would spend five to seven minutes doing work with bands, Over the course of three months, beginning on Oct. 5, Robertson went loosening up the hips, hamstrings and quads. Then, Gonzales and through an intense regiment, on and off of the ice. He altered his dietary Robertson got into the designed workout of the day, depending on which habits, shed superfluous weight and put on muscle. On the ice, he phase they were in. After that, the final 10 minutes would be spent with learned to become comfortable in uncomfortable situations, possessing Gonzales stretching Robertson out. pucks and dictating control in hard areas. Most importantly, he overhauled his skating to become quicker out of his stance and more The thing that stuck out most to Gonzales was Robertson’s consistency. efficient with his stride. Their home for workouts was usually St. Mary’s Prep School in Orchard Lake. Sometimes, due to COVID-19 restrictions or otherwise, the facility “For the decade that I’ve known him, this is the year that it was so would be closed. Instead of canceling the day of workouts, Robertson serious,” Mannino said. “He’s always been committed but this year he would insist on either finding a different facility or going through took it to another level.” everything outside. The hard work is paying off. In 27 games this season, Robertson has 21 “This is a guy that has a goal and he’s not going to let anything stop him points, second-most among NHL rookies to Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov, from achieving his goal,” Gonzales said. “That work ethic is what really who has 27 points (in five more games than Robertson). Robertson has stands out.” earned a place in the Calder Trophy discussion thanks to the incremental improvements. It paid off. Robertson left Gonzales’ program weighing 198, shedding 21 pounds while becoming a stronger hockey player. “It’s an adjustment every young player has to make of the intensity, size and physicality of our players in this league. It was an adjustment for him, To track Robertson’s progress throughout the offseason, Mannino and it still is, but I’ll tell you, he’s come a long way,” Stars coach Rick wanted to establish a baseline, so he put Robertson through a number of Bowness said. “He’s in there battling. You’re seeing him make the plays skating drills on the first day, Oct. 5, and recorded the results we hoped he’d make but we’re also seeing improvements in those areas quantitatively (time) and qualitatively (Robertson’s condition at the end). that are huge if you want to stay in this league and play in this league. This included a lot of scouting combine drills, such as skating from goal You’ve got to be able to handle the physical play and he’s doing a great line to the near blue line to simulate a forecheck, and then from the goal job with that.” line to the far blue line to simulate a backcheck.

Said Stars captain Jamie Benn: “He’s put in a lot of work. He’s a kid that There was also a shuttle drill as a start-and-stop test, but the biggest one wants to get better. Behind the scenes, we obviously see it as players, was the three-lap test. Mannino had Robertson skate three laps around and it’s translating to his on-ice play right now.” the full rink at full speed, gave him 60 seconds to rest and then had him do three more laps at full speed, clocking Robertson both times to see Mannino previously worked with Robertson on his hockey skills, but this the drop-off from the first three laps to the second set. offseason wasn’t just about tinkering with a few things on the ice. It was a lifestyle transformation. So first, Mannino introduced Robertson to James “A coach can test a player on that drill and they can see that if a guy has Gonzales, a personal trainer in Orchard Lake, Michigan, who runs a no drop-off, he can consistently give you shift after shift with elite business called Work365 Fitness. energy,” Mannino said. “The coach can count on that guy to put him on the ice a lot, regardless of how the game is flowing.” “I was like, ‘Wow, he’s tall and lanky,’” Gonzales said of his initial impressions of Robertson. “We have to definitely get some muscle mass When tested again at the end of the offseason, Robertson improved his on him.” times across the board. On the three-lap assessment, not only was Robertson’s drop-off in time minimal but he was also visibly less winded, Robertson told Gonzales that the best he felt as a skater was when he indicating an improvement in endurance. was about 20 pounds lighter, so that became a primary goal. The first step was altering Robertson’s nutrition. Gonzales organized a plan with The biggest point of emphasis was developing a stronger first step. In The LoCal Kitchen, a meal prep service in the Detroit area that uses all one baseline drill, illustrated below, Mannino asked Robertson to stand at organic, all-natural foods. one goal line and propel himself to the other goal line, but gave him no instruction as to the form. Initially, Robertson got in a high stance with his When Robertson began working with Gonzales, he checked in at 219 stick ahead of him on the ice and with his right skate ahead of his left pounds. Losing weight from his 6-foot-3 frame was also a tricky skate. Robertson pushed off with his left skate and made it the length of proposition because Gonzales wanted to get Robertson to a comfortable the ice in five strides, each time bringing his left skate closer to his right skating weight but not put him at a disadvantage when engaging in skate after he pushed off, which caused Robertson to stand a little taller. physical battles along the boards for the puck. Robertson made it the length of the ice in five strides, which took a total “In the midst of losing weight, we wanted to work on technical things like of 29 seconds. your first step, reaction, quick-twitch muscles, sinking the hips and things of that nature to help you be faster on the ice,” Gonzales said. Mannino said Robertson’s form, which included the placement of his fear of hurting his coach. They worked to improve Robertson’s body hands and skates, was not good for his balance. positioning so that defenders would have a tougher time getting the puck off of his stick. The goal with these physical drills was to create a “trapper “If you stand up straight and you put your head over your toes, you’re vs. hunter” analogy that Mannino preached to a young Robertson and going to fall forward,” Mannino said. “His weight balance is off and this is continues teaching to his younger hockey students. not going to produce a fast stride. This is going to be somebody that’s upright and (has) choppy skating.” The trapper, Mannino says, sets a trap and returns home. He comes back later to check on the trap, and some days there is something there Mannino pointed out a few things that stood out to him when he but other days there is nothing. On those unfortunate days, the trapper evaluated Roberton’s baseline stride. His non-stick hand was over his and his family starve. knee, his head was also ahead of his knee and he was bent over at his back. “That’s the reactive player,” Mannino said.

“There’s no power in that stride,” Mannino said. “That’s bad technique On the other hand, the hunter leaves the house fully equipped to do what there. We’re trying to get a long stride for power and there’s no stride it takes to get a meal for himself and his family. There’s a confidence there.” level that the hunter has, so that when he sees his prey, he’s able to pounce and claim it. During the offseason, Robertson worked on his form. In an attempt in December, Robertson again stood at the goal line, this time in a “The hunter goes out with a proactive mindset,” Mannino said. “That’s the squatting stance with both hands on his stick and his feet together. He mentality we looked for in our training sessions.” pushed off with his right skate, dropped his left hand to his side and allowed his momentum to push him as far as possible. This time, Jason Robertson. (Jerome Miron / USA Today) Robertson covered the length of the ice in only three strides, for a total of Less than two weeks ago, Mannino and Gonzales were able to see 20 seconds. Robertson play live for the first time this season when the Stars played in “When you’re training parts of the game, you really break it down and Detroit. Robertson tallied a late assist in that game, building on his strong peel back the layers,” Mannino said. “Jason really needed to work on season that has been deserving of Calder Trophy consideration. That’s skating. Skating is everything, because that’s how you get from A to B. quite a conversation to be in, given that two months ago, he played in a We’re taking one stride and breaking it down and we’re going to perfect couple of underwhelming games before being demoted to the taxi squad. that stride and get all of the technique perfect so that when we start to go “It’s been a weird year,” Robertson said. “Playing my first game in full speed, we have this elongated, longer stride, covering more ground. January was my first game in eight months because I didn’t play in the “If you practice just this drill all offseason, which we did, you are now bubble. I wouldn’t say that’s an excuse or anything, but I don’t think my more efficient. That comes from in the gym, eating right, dropping weight pace or intensity was as good in the first couple of games as it is now.” and mentality. That stuff’s not fun, but Jason did it.” Robertson, who played in three regular-season games last season, said In the December attempt, Robertson’s back leg is nearly twice as far confidence has been a big part of his elevation this season. That has behind his front leg as it was in October. Instead of his back bending evident in his decisiveness in his playmaking and shooting. But over, it looks like a smooth ramp rest on his hips, which are sunk very Robertson also took comfort in having gone through this experience at an low. Instead of resting his off hand on his knee, it’s dropped to the side earlier stage. and Robertson’s head is tucked in tightly behind his front knee as “It’s kind of similar to juniors, my first year as a rookie,” Robertson said. opposed to in front. “I’d get healthy-scratched and come back. I knew this year would be a lot “Look at the difference in his flexibility,” Mannino said after reviewing the of highs and lows. Not playing for a few weeks was the low part of the two photos. “He couldn’t get that low for that long on the first day. If you year. … I’m just trying to manage it and keep performing.” look at those side-by-side, I mean, it’s extremely telling of his stride Robertson is doing that at a high level. After seesawing between the work.” active roster and taxi squad early on, Robertson has now become an Robertson did this drill repeatedly on his own throughout the offseason, integral part of the Stars’ top line. When Bowness looked to put his three usually 15 minutes before his training sessions with Mannino were best forwards together on a line for an offensive spark, Robertson was scheduled to begin. part of that group with Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski. Robertson made his mark, scoring a goal and dishing out the game-winning assist in their Mannino and Robertson were flexible with training sessions due to ice initial game together. availability because of COVID-19 restrictions but worked out Monday through Friday from Oct. 5 to when Robertson departed for Dallas There’s never been much of a question about Robertson’s raw talent. He training camp in late December. Sessions were either from 6:30-8 a.m., showed plenty of that in his four years in the OHL. It’s why the Stars 9-10:30 a.m. or 10-11:30 a.m. If they worked out during the earliest slot, selected him in the second round of what’s shaping up to be a which was preferred, Robertson would train with Gonzales off the ice memorable 2017 draft class, along with first-rounders Miro Heiskanen afterward. Otherwise, he would train with Gonzales and then get on the and . Robertson continued to show promise last season in ice. the AHL but watching the Stars make a run to the Stanley Cup Final gave Robertson a window into what it would take to compete at the highest Robertson’s talent and potential allowed him to fall back on old level. tendencies and still thrive in lower levels of hockey, such as the OHL and AHL. But if Robertson was to graduate not just to an NHL player, but a Rather than it being daunting or allowing a pandemic to be an excuse to productive one, he knew that these changes were vital. sit back, Robertson’s motivation shot up even higher, resulting in the critical offseason of change. Mannino said many of workouts were about Robertson’s skating, but a good chunk were dedicated to increasing productivity in the dirty areas, “Some guys may be more naturally physically gifted in the gym or with specifically along the boards and in front of the net. Each drill they their stride,” Mannino said. “Jason is an example of, if you compete and executed, whether it was shooting from the top of the circle or the work and give every ounce of dedication, you can make it at the top. boards, ended the same way, with Robertson stopping at the net and You’re seeing the payout now.” then backchecking out to the red line. The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021

“Every training session, multiple reminders of stop at the net with your stick on the ice,” Mannino said. “That’s not rocket science. It doesn’t take a board to draw the Xs and Os up. It takes somebody making the decision that I’m going to stop at the net with my stick on the ice because that’s where the pucks are going to be. That’s the difference-maker when everybody is skilled and everybody is talented.”

The drills also had a tendency to become physically confrontational. One day, Mannino, who is 34 and describes himself as close to 300 pounds, put on full hockey gear to encourage Robertson to not hold back out of 1207268 Detroit Red Wings Forward Givani Smith was reassigned Monday from the Griffins to the Red Wings’ taxi squad. Concurrently, the Wings assigned forward Mathias Brome and defenseman Dennis Cholowski to the Griffins.

Detroit Red Wings' Michael Rasmussen gets back on score sheet, knows Smith has appeared in eight games with the Wings this season, most he must earn his role recently on Feb. 11. The Wings are looking for Smith to play a little more under control and become less turnover-prone.

“Probably the most important thing is he’s got to manage the puck Dana GauruderSpecial to Detroit Free Press through the neutral zone,” Blashill said. “He’s got to be a simple player through the neutral zone, so he gets it where he’s at his best, and that’s

the offensive zone.” Michael Rasmussen had to sweat out his first NHL goal in more than two Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.30.2021 years for a few extra minutes. The young Detroit Red Wings center hopes he can reach the point where he didn’t have to fret about his spot on the roster.

Detroit’s 2017 first-round pick scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period of a 4-1 victory over Columbus on Sunday. Rasmussen banged home a rebound, then slid into Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.

Columbus coach John Tortorella claimed goalie interference but the goal stood.

“I’ve had a couple called off. It’s definitely a tough feeling,” Rasmussen said. “Either way, it went in and I’m just happy with it.”

Rasmussen, who turns 22 next month, hadn’t scored an NHL goal since March 14, 2019, against Tampa Bay. He was making his 20th appearance for the Wings this season.

“It was good to get one and good to contribute in that way,” he said. “I think I’m playing well, I’ve just got to keep going, keep working hard and improving.”

Rasmussen appeared in 62 games during the 2018-19 season, registering eight goals and 10 assists, then spent all of last season with the AHL’s .

He’s been serving as the third line center recently, as well as getting some power play opportunities.

“They don’t really hand out spots or designated roles,” he said. “I think you’ve just got to earn them. That’s just what I’m trying to do, just trying to earn my job.”

Rasmussen may never develop into a prolific scorer, so he’s got to contribute in other ways. Coach Jeff Blashill believes Rasmussen has shown more maturity in his game since his return.

“Ultimately, he’s got to become a great defensive player to have a real impact five-on-five,” Blashill said. “He’s working hard at that. And then he’s got to be a guy who scores around the cage. That’s where a lot of goals are scored. The goal he scored the other night is the kind of goals he’s going to score.”

Injury report

Bobby Ryan suffered an upper-body injury in the early going on Sunday but Blashill says it’s not serious.

“I don’t expect it to be longer than a week,” he said.

Goaltender Jonathan Bernier has been doing some skating but hasn’t returned to practice. There’s still no timetable on Bernier, who suffered a lower body injury on March 18.

Gagner got the day off from practice on Monday but Blashill expects him to play against Florida on Tuesday.

Stecher takes a seat

Troy Stecher, who signed a two-year contract as a free agent during the offseason, became the odd man out over the weekend.

After Thursday’s 7-1 debacle in Nashville, Blashill opted to go with 12 forwards and six defensemen. He had been using seven defensemen prior to the two-game sweep of Columbus.

“After the Nashville game, I could have sat any one of them but you’ve got to make a decision on which guy,” Blashill said. “We ended up sitting him.”

Smith recalled; Brome, Cholowski sent down 1207269 Detroit Red Wings an RV with an IT staffer inside in general manager Bob Quinn’s driveway for the duration of the draft.

By the time players and coaches returned to the team’s Allen Park How life has changed for the major sports teams in Michigan since the practice facility in July, with no formal in-person offseason program to COVID-19 pandemic train in, the building had undergone radical change. Daily nose swabs were required to enter, social distancing was in place, players and coaches wore tracking devices to help with contact tracing, and only essential football personnel was allowed in certain areas of the building. Dave Birkett Evan Petzold Orion Sang Omari Sankofa II Chris Solari Three players, John Atkins, Geronimo Allison and Russell Bodine, opted Helene St. James out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns, and 10 more spent time on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including Matthew Stafford and Jalen Elliott twice. The COVID-19 pandemic has dominated almost every aspect of American life for the last 12 months. And the sports scene around these Stafford said he registered a false positive Aug. 1, and in early November parts has been no different. The Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons, Detroit he was deemed a close contact to a known case. Red Wings and , along with Michigan and Michigan State, Stafford quarantined in a local hotel, flew private to the Lions’ Nov. 8 have all changed how they work, travel and operate on a daily basis. game against the Minnesota Vikings and was cleared to play, after a When it comes to covering these teams, our customary access to week without practice, after passing a COVID test the morning of the players, coaches, scouts and front-office personnel inside the locker game. room, clubhouse and corridors in sports venues here and abroad has Stafford’s scare was not the only COVID issue that arose during the been filed down to Zoom call links and pre-arranged teleconferences. season. Defensive line coach Bo Davis tested positive for the virus, and Here is a team-by-team look at how major sports in Michigan has been he, interim head coach Darrell Bevell and the rest of the defensive staff impacted by the pandemic: were forced to miss a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the day after Christmas because of the NFL’s stringent coronavirus protocols. Tigers REQUEST DENIED:Why NFL refused to push back Lions vs. The COVID-19 pandemic first impacted the Tigers when spring training Buccaneers game was shut down March 12, 2020, just after the team completed a game against the Atlanta Braves at Joker Marchant Stadium. Receivers coach Robert Prince served as acting head coach for the game, quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan handled Bevell’s play calling The ensuing regular season was cut short to 60 games and didn't start duties, and an obscure assistant, Evan Rothstein, led the shorthanded until late July, forcing the players to handle a four-month waiting period. defense. Many players rely on team workouts to get into shape. This time, they were trying to prepare on their own — without any idea of when games The Lions lost big that game, 47-7, in front of a smattering of fans at Ford would resume. In early July, the Tigers opened summer camp in Detroit Field. But both the team and league came out winners for successfully to stretch out and get hitters to see live arms again. pulling off a season that when the pandemic first started seemed unlikely to happen. Left-handed Daniel Norris was among a handful of players who arrived late to camp because he tested positive for the coronavirus. Pistons Although he stopped showing symptoms, he struggled to produce two The NBA came to an abrupt halt on March 11, 2020, when Utah Jazz negative tests in a row. center Rudy Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive for 'WE LIVED IT':How Daniel Norris kept in shape and sane in a pandemic COVID-19. Then-Pistons forward Christian Wood became the third player to test positive four days later, and Pistons scout Maury Hanks Once the season began, the scenes at the ballparks were eerily lifeless. was hospitalized with the disease later that month. There were no fans allowed at Comerica Park, and scouts had to watch from home, just like the fans. This made it difficult to gather proper Dwane Casey caught the virus as well, he revealed earlier this month. evaluations. Also, the minor leagues were canceled, meaning none of the Casey, now fully vaccinated, recently revealed that he caught the virus organization's top prospects, including 2020 No. 1 overall pick Spencer around the same Wood had it. Casey had no symptoms, and the team Torkelson, could make massive strides in overall development. opted not to make his positive test public.

To combat the lack of minor leagues and allow teams to access more The Pistons, like the rest of the world, are not a stranger to the wide- players in case of an injury or health problem, an alternate training site reaching impact of the pandemic. And when it prematurely ended their was created. For the Tigers, this operation was conducted at Fifth Third 2019-20 season, it served as a harbinger for deeper changes within the Field in Toledo, home of the Triple-A Mud Hens. This is where prospects organization. Detroit had already committed to rebuilding before the Torkelson, Riley Greene, Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Isaac Paredes and pandemic hit. During the pandemic, they hired a new general manager in Dillon Dingler reported to start the season. Still, for those outside the 60- Troy Weaver, who proceeded to make sweeping changes to the roster man player pool, they had to train by themselves all year. and bring in a new core of players to build around.

The schedule wasn't normal, either, as the 60 games were organized The goal this season is to compete and help the young players grow. regionally to eliminate lengthy road trips. Inside the clubhouse, the Fans have largely watched the Pistons go through growing pains from players weren't allowed to congregate in large groups. They were home. typically confined to their lockers and had to always wear face coverings “That was some of the thought process,” Weaver said in January. “The (except on the playing field). Players underwent multiple COVID-19 tests first thought process was as we’re building, restoring, to be competitive, per week. put a competitive team on the floor. That’s the fastest way to grow, when Lions your product is competitive. What I mean by that is how we approach everything — practice, games, offseason, summer workouts, everything. While COVID-19 postponed, shortened or outright canceled most sports Absolutely. Thought about this being a year where you could grow seasons and events, the NFL went ahead with business as close-to- different ways and take those different things into account, as well as the usual as possible during the pandemic. pandemic.”

Free agency opened in March, the draft was held in April, and every By the time capacity at significantly increases, team played all 16 regular season games, though most everything perhaps the Pistons will be more competitive than they currently are. surrounding them looked and felt different. Red Wings The Lions were one of the first NFL teams to shut down their building and pull their scouts off the road March 12. They hosted draft prospects by The Red Wings flew to Washington on March 11 as had been planned, Zoom, signed free agents without doing in-person physicals and parked though they suspected their road trip would be disrupted. So it was a little past noon March 12, when the NHL officially “paused” the season. The Wings were scheduled to play the Capitals that night, but players were All of the buzz around MSU athletics last March screeched to a halt with told not to go to for the morning skate. Instead their the rest of the sports world, coming at important moments for both Tom bus took them to the airport. The Wings landed in Detroit around 5:30 Izzo’s blueblood program and Tucker’s takeover in football. p.m. — 90 minutes before they had been scheduled to start their game. Winston, the two-time All-American, played through the grief of his The March 10 game at Little Caesars Arena against the Carolina brother's death and, along with Xavier Tillman less than a month after the Hurricanes was the Wings’ last game until they hosted the Hurricanes on birth of his second child in February 2020, looked to be ready for another Jan. 14, 2021. long NCAA tournament run.

Early in the lockdown, players found ways to keep fit in the outdoors. MSU beat Ohio State on March 8 to earn a share of a third straight Hockey operations personnel worked from home and relied on video regular-season conference title. The Spartans were about to head to conference calls to perform year-end player meetings, prepare for the Indianapolis for the Big Ten tournament when Michigan and Rutgers draft and discuss free agency. During a Zoom call with reporters, general players were pulled off the court before their Thursday game and the rest manager Steve Yzerman said he could see the team moving to make of the postseason got wiped out. virtual meetings the norm, especially during the season, rather than absorb the expenditure of flying dozens of personnel to one locale to “It was disappointing to have last year's tournament (canceled), because meet in person. I think you'd all agree we were playing our best basketball at the end,” Izzo said. “Everybody acts like that's what we do, that's not what we do. When it became clear the pandemic would severely delay hockey Last year, we lost some games early. We dealt with something last year leagues in North America, the Wings loaned several of their younger that was worse than (the cancellation) in a way, because it actually did players to teams in Europe. A number of those players returned in affect an individual, life and death.” December so they could be part of training camp, but others, such as Moritz Seider and Joe Veleno, stayed in Sweden. Izzo’s assistant, Dwayne Stephens Jr., lost his father to COVID-19 on April 1, around the time MSU had been hoping to celebrate a national When the Wings started camp Jan. 1, personnel wore masks everywhere championship. The Spartans have had 13 of their 15 players contract the at the arena except on the ice. Darren Helm was the first player to enter coronavirus this season, as well as Izzo and a number of members of his the league’s COVID-19 protocol, which lasts 14 days, after testing staff. positive the first weekend of camp. A week into the season, the Wings had five players who had been in their opening night lineup test positive The basketball team struggled this winter between not having the normal for the virus. offseason development Izzo’s program typically provides and with a schedule compacted by a 20-day layoff between games in January due Following NHL mandates, only a select personnel is allowed around to COVID issues. Along with Winston’s departure, Tillman would players, including the coaching staff, trainers and equipment managers, eventually leave after his junior season for the NBA draft. Travel certain members of management, and of course medical staff. Yzerman, restrictions prevented a recruiting visit from Canadian star guard Karim for example, is in the so-called bubble, so he no longer watches home Mane, who eventually decided to turn pro but went undrafted. games from his suite in the press gondola, avoiding exposure to non- bubble management. The timing of the disruption also came at a critical program-building time for Tucker, who was hired Feb. 12, 2020, after Mark Dantonio’s The Wings have altered their travel habits in response to the pandemic, retirement. too. When possible, such as when they play at Chicago or Columbus — cities that are a half-hour in the air away — they fly in day of the game Tucker had been working to complete his staff and already welcomed rather than the night before. There’s no such thing as a complete day off, some prospects for unofficial visits in early March when the shutdown though, because even on non-practice days everyone who is in the arrived. It wiped out spring practices which he hoped to use to establish bubble has to come to LCA to get tested. his new culture, get a look at his new players and give the Spartans a taste of what changes to expect on the field that fall. It also put traditional Michigan recruiting on hiatus, leaving coaches new to the region unable to visit prospects in their homes and high school hallways. For many, sports will always be linked with the beginning of the pandemic. Who can forget when the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Players were sent home to work out on their own for three months before Jazz were pulled off the court because Rudy Gobert tested positive for returning to campus in mid-June. They experienced a COVID-19 the virus? One of the seminal moments of that first week happened to shutdown in late July and early August while prepared for Tucker’s first involve Michigan basketball. preseason camp, had a handful of practices before the Big Ten initially postponed the season, then scrambled out of a conditioning program to The news was jarring. March Madness is synonymous with college prepare a month later when the league reversed course. MSU went 2-5 basketball, which, as we all know, is near and dear to the heart of during Tucker’s first fall, upsetting Michigan and Northwestern, and also American sporting culture. The pandemic took that away — and that was had two games against Maryland wiped out due to the Terrapins’ COVID- only the beginning of the impact it would have on the university’s athletic 19 issues. department. The storied football team played just six games before its season ended due to an outbreak within the program. For the first time in Still, as Tucker prepares to finally start his first spring practices this year over a century, "The Game" was not played. on March 23, he said getting on the field during the fall helped give him an idea of what challenges are ahead in his quest to return MSU among Other programs dealt with pauses and cancelations due to their own (and the perennial league title contenders. others’) struggles with the virus. And every sport was hit by a two-week shutdown earlier this winter because of an outbreak of the United “We found out a lot about our team,” Tucker said last month. “COVID Kingdom’s COVID-19 variant within the athletic department. was a challenge for all of us. We were very fortunate to be able to practice and to play. I said that every single week during the season, Those affected included the basketball team, which was one of the best because we wanted to coach and we wanted to play. And we were able in the nation at the time of the pause and went without playing for 23 to get that done, and we were able to do that in a safe manner. So, from days. It’s somewhat fitting, then, that as the pandemic begins to wane my point of view, it was very productive, and we got a lot out of it.” and vaccination numbers rise, the basketball team is once again headed to the postseason. The rest of us will hope that things end differently than Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.30.2021 they did last year.

Michigan State

Cassius Winston kissed the Breslin Center floor after another Big Ten title. Four days later, his college basketball career — and a championship season that helped him cope with the death of his brother — came to an abrupt end.

Mel Tucker and his new staff finalized plans for their first spring practices to begin four days later. They never got started. 1207270 Detroit Red Wings ... Jonathan Bernier (lower body) worked out on his own, and Blashill said "he's making his way toward hopefully being inserted into practice at some point, but I don't know that date yet."

Lessons learned from tough rookie season paying off for Wings' Michael ... As COVID-19 vaccines become more widely available, some NBA Rasmussen teams have taken steps toward being vaccinated. But the NHL hasn't given any direction or information toward that direction, and Blashill said the team is "following the protocols as they stand today."

Ted Kulfan Red Wings at Panthers

► Faceoff: 7 Tuesday, BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida

Detroit — By all rights, Michael Rasmussen probably should have been ► TV/radio: FSD/97.1 playing in Grand Rapids two seasons ago, in his first rookie pro season. ► Outlook: The Red Wings (12-20-4) open a four-game trip through the But Rasmussen, having mastered junior hockey and technically not able Sunshine State with a two-game series against the Panthers (22-9-4). … to join Grand Rapids, was essentially stuck on the Red Wings' roster. Florida is dented with key injuries, the latest D Aaron Ekblad (knee).

It was a tough situation for Rasmussen, now 21 and then 19, but one he Detroit News LOADED: 03.30.2021 gleaned as much as he could from.

"I definitely learned a lot," Rasmussen said Monday during a Zoom call with media. "Grew a lot as a person, understood different things that I needed to do to have a good career, and just being an every day pro and player. All my experiences from then to now have kind of brought me to this point and it's been a good ride and good experience."

Rasmussen played 62 games with the Wings that season, with eight goals and 10 assists.

Rasmussen spent an injury-filled season in Grand Rapids last season, before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everybody down in March.

Being the youngest player on an older Wings' roster, Rasmussen was taken under the direction of plenty of veterans who were willing to pass along advice.

"The guys in the room lifted me up and really helped me and taught me a lot," Rasmussen said. "It was a privilege to be a young guy and look around at the guys that have played forever and had long careers. It was nothing but positives there."

It would be tough to name just one player who stood out for him, said Rasmussen, but there are several that come to mind that had, or continue to have, an influence.

"Kroner (Niklas Kronwall), and not so much even for what he said but watching him every day and seeing how he prepares and how he plays," Rasmussen said of the Wings' retired, venerable defenseman. "And guys that are still here, Glennie (Luke Glendening), I watch him and want to work as hard as him, and definitely I want to work as hard as Larks (Dylan Larkin). Those guys definitely stick out for me."

Rasmussen's first goal of the season Sunday, which broke a 1-1 tie and proved to be the winner over Columbus, was another signal the 6-foot-6, 229-pound center could be gradually moving toward a full-time spot on the Wings.

"He's been a noticeably better player when he came up then when he went down (to Grand Rapids)," coach Jeff Blashill said. "Probably a lot of it is confidence."

Smith recalled

The Red Wings reassigned forward Mathias Brome and defenseman Dennis Cholowski to Grand Rapids from their taxi squad, and reassigned forward Givani Smith to their taxi squad from the Griffins.

Smith worked out with the Wings on Monday and is likely going to replace the injured Bobby Ryan (upper body, day to day) in Tuesday's lineup in Florida.

What does Blashill want to see from Smith?

"Manage the puck through the forecheck, win puck battles and grind down low, that's when he's at his best," Blashill said. "When he struggles is when he tries to make too many plays and turns pucks over."

Ice chips

Blashill doesn't expect Ryan's injury to be "longer than a week, personally, but we'll see." Ryan's name has been prominently mentioned in rumors leading up to the April 12 trade deadline.

... Sam Gagner didn't practice Monday, either, but Blashill expects Gagner to be in Tuesday's lineup. 1207271 Detroit Red Wings Have a bag packed, just in case ►Jonathan Bernier: This one is tricky. Bernier has been out for over a

week now with a lower-body issue (maybe groin?), and there’s no With NHL trade deadline looming, here are 11 Red Wings who could be timetable for a return. That will make other teams obviously cautious. But on the move Bernier was among the better goalies in the NHL when healthy, and teams like Colorado, Washington and Pittsburgh have an apparent need to fortify the goaltending position.

TED KULFAN Now that Calvin Pickard is slowly emerging as a fallback option to replace Bernier, if needed, for the final weeks of the season, maybe the

Wings make Bernier available. Detroit — The NHL trade deadline is in two weeks, April 12, and Red But, the gut feeling remains the Wings would like to re-sign Bernier for Wings fans can’t wait. the near future. It used to be the Wings, as contenders, would add onto powerful rosters ►Luke Glendening: Same feeling here, too. The Wings would like to in hopes of winning the Stanley Cup. Now, it’s all about the future, keep the East Grand Rapids native for a few years longer. He leads the rebuilding, and hoarding draft picks. NHL in face-off percentage, and is a terrific example for young players. The Wings have had moments in the last month of teasing an upward, But, if there’s an offer the Wings can’t refuse, the team could trade surprise run. But, let’s face it, the standings, time left in the season and Glendening and hope to re-sign him in the summer (as they could the way the roster is constructed all add up to another selling season. Bernier, too).

Players understand it’s part of the business, but they aren’t thrilled about The problem with that scenario, though, is that the given player in it, either. question could always fall in love with the new team/city.

“I’ve been here for a little bit now and have seen some teammates and ►Jon Merrill: The Grand Blanc native has been a steady defenseman friends get traded,” forward Dylan Larkin said. “It’s part of the business. who has likely earned another contract with the Wings. His versatility has At some point here, hopefully we’re not in this position for much longer.” been impressive.

Players try to keep away from the abundance of speculation on social But, again, if there’s an offer too good to refuse, and Merrill would be a media, but it’s impossible to totally ignore the rumors. perfect depth defenseman for many contenders, he would be moved.

“When things are going the way they are now it gets compounded and Likely staying put talked about a touch more,” said forward Bobby Ryan, who is likely to be ►Valtteri Filppula: Filppula has dropped out of the lineup and hasn’t moved. “For me, not being a guy that’s too involved in reading the shown enough for contenders to be interested. He could reappear in the articles, it’s still making its way through. My wife is asking me about it. I lineup if some of the other forwards are traded. hear it and understand what’s going on. This is the first time I’ve been through it where I’m probably more likely to be traded than not.” ►Alex Biega: The veteran defenseman hasn’t played much at all, and isn’t going to attract interest. If the other defenseman are moved, Biega The Wings do have the assets to get assets, and likely good draft picks, would likely see his playing time inch upward a little. in return. ►Calvin Pickard: Pickard’s performance in the two weekend victories We’ll stick to the 11 unrestricted free agents on the roster, who are pure over Columbus were eye-opening. If Pickard can continue this sort of rentals for contending teams and are most likely to be traded this time of consistency, it might give Yzerman some more leeway to possibly year. moving Bernier for a valuable haul. Likely on the go Detroit News LOADED: 03.30.2021 ►: It appears defensemen might become valuable assets leading up to, and including, April 12. There are key injuries occurring around the league, and let’s face it, an experienced defenseman is always handy, and valuable insurance for a contending team.

Staal has played fairly well here, and has been a veteran presence. With his pedigree and experience, a contender will grab him. And when that happens, to have received those upcoming assets along with the second-round pick from the N.Y. Rangers for the Wings to take Staal’s contract off their books, general manager Steve Yzerman deserves credit.

►Patrik Nemeth: Again, like Staal, this is a veteran defenseman who does all the dirty work and will be a helpful addition for a contending team looking to add depth.

Returning to Colorado makes sense, but there are a lot of other teams who could use Nemeth’s experience.

►Bobby Ryan: Getting hurt Sunday against Columbus wasn’t optimal, and it’s unclear how serious the injury is. But given what Ryan has shown this season, he clearly does have the offensive instincts to produce and his personality blends in any locker room. He’s perfect for a veteran team looking to strengthen their second or third lines.

►Sam Gagner: Gagner hasn’t posted the numbers the Wings would have hoped, but in this case, you have to look deeper into numbers. His locker room presence means a lot. Maybe a return to Edmonton, where he’d fit in nicely? You get the sense Gagner could be a sneaky good addition for someone with a deeper talent pool.

►Darren Helm: The long-time Wing still is an effective penalty killer and has a role has a third- or fourth-line checking forward. Maybe his hometown Winnipeg Jets? It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Wings get a third-round pick for the valuable veteran. 1207272 Detroit Red Wings (events),” Larkin said. “I read what his teammates had to say, and I thought about Pixie and how he’s handled this season, his attitude every day coming to the rink.

Red Wings did ‘unbelievable job’ of responding after season’s low point “He just brightens up the room. He’s such a great guy, he’s a worker. He’ll do anything in practice, stay out until the last (shooter) is out there. Always has a smile, always has a joke or a one-liner. Just a great teammate, a great person to be around and a great professional. We’re Updated Mar 28, 8:54 PM; Posted Mar 28, 8:54 PM all pretty pumped for him. We know he’ll be ready and perform for us.” By Ansar Khan Confidence boost

Former first-round picks Evgeny Svechnikov and Michael Rasmussen The Detroit Red Wings were in full-blown crisis mode just three nights scored big goals. Svechnikov opened the scoring by wiring a wrist shot earlier when their season reached a low point during an embarrassing past Elvis Merzlikins at 10:40 of the first period. Rasmussen snapped a loss at Nashville. tie at 2:51 of the third with his first goal in 20 games this season.

Realistically out of the playoff picture, and with several players not likely “With those guys, whether (the puck) is going in or not, it’s the process of to be around after the April 12 trade deadline and/or next season, their your game,” Larkin said. “The way you play without the puck, doing the entire year might have unraveled. little things right, competing, winning battles. Ras was hard to play against. So was Geno. He’s a big, strong guy, has a great shot, which Instead, they responded with arguably their two-best games of 2021. you saw.

The Red Wings on Sunday repeated their performance from 24 hours “It’s good to see them get rewarded. Confidence is a dangerous thing, so before, beating Columbus 4-1 to sweep the weekend series at Little hopefully they can keep having that good feeling.” Caesars Arena. Ryan injury update “I thought it was probably our most complete effort start to finish of any game this season,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “I just thought we sustained Bobby Ryan missed the final two periods due to an upper-body injury. our forecheck way more, and because of that, I thought the ice was tilted “I don’t think it’s anything real serious, but that doesn’t mean he won’t towards their end for large parts of the game. That’s the difference in the potentially be out for the next game (Tuesday at Florida),” Blashill said. “I game, if you can get it behind them and play in their end and forecheck won’t know until I see him tomorrow.” hard, make them defend. They chip it out, you jam it back down their throats. Michigan Live LOADED: 03.30.2021 “I thought in our end, when they had the puck, we competed extremely hard. We thought it was real important we won the work ethic battle. I was real proud of the guys for how hard they played.”

One day after tying a season-low of 22 shots against, the Red Wings established a new standard by limiting the Blue Jackets to 17 shots – and few quality chances.

They did it in large part by cycling and grinding in the offensive zone, keeping Columbus on its heels.

“It started with the first period last night. We carried it over to tonight,” Dylan Larkin said. “Our D did a great job getting pucks through and moving it wide and using each other. Luke Glendening’s line (with Darren Helm, Adam Erne) set the example for the rest of us. Those guys have been leading the way for a while up front and they just work.”

The Red Wings didn’t resemble the same team that lost 7-1 to the Predators on Thursday.

“I really like our guys. I like the competitiveness, the self-accountability,” Blashill said. “They looked in the mirror after that game and came to practice Friday and practiced their tails off. They want to be a better team than our record is. They were embarrassed on Thursday and did an unbelievable job of responding.”

Pickard the ‘X-factor’

Larkin called Calvin Pickard the ‘X-factor’ after he stopped 37-of-39 shots this weekend for his first NHL wins since November 2018. He was thrust into service due to Jonathan Bernier’s injury and Thomas Greiss’ struggles.

“Picks both nights was rock solid, didn’t give up any rebounds, swallowed everything up,” Larkin said.

“One of the big things you have to do as a goalie is stop the ones you’re supposed to stop. He did that the whole weekend,” Blashill said. “And you have to make big saves at big moments, and he did that.

“The other thing, he plays the puck really well. We got a lot of free breakouts because of the way he plays the puck.”

Pickard has spent the season mostly on the taxi squad. Prior to this weekend, he had played only one game for Grand Rapids and twice relieved Greiss.

“I read something last week about (Toronto goalie) Jack Campbell being one of the best teammates, and I know Jack pretty well, being from Michigan (Port Huron), playing with him in a couple of Team USA 1207273 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings tight defensively, beat Columbus for weekend sweep

Updated Mar 28, 5:32 PM; Posted Mar 28, 5:32 PM

By Ansar Khan

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings were as tight and stingy defensively this weekend as they have been all season, resulting in back-to-back victories for only the third time in 2021.

Calvin Pickard needed to make only 16 saves for his second win in as many days and Michael Rasmussen snapped a tie in the third period, lifting the Red Wings past the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 at Little Caesars Arena.

Detroit outshot Columbus 29-17, limiting the Blue Jackets to 38 shots and few scoring opportunities in the two games.

Empty-net goals by Filip Hronek (1:29 remaining) and Vladislav Namestnikov (1:08 to play) sealed the victory.

Evgeny Svechnikov also scored for Detroit (12-20-4), which has responded well following a 7-1 loss Thursday at Nashville that might have represented the low point of the season.

The Blue Jackets (13-15-8) made no gains in their push for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division.

Rasmussen snapped a 1-1 tie at 2:51 of the third with his first goal in 20 games this season.

He corralled the rebound off the back boards following a shot by Robby Fabbri, drove to the net and slid the puck under goaltender Elvis Merzlikins’ pad. Columbus unsuccessfully challenged the goal, claiming goalie interference because Rasmussen’s stick contacted Merzlikins’ pad.

Svechnikov opened the scoring at 10:40 of the first, a period in which the Red Wings outshot the Blue Jackets 7-3.

He had just come off the bench when he skated into the zone and with four Columbus players back, wired a hard wrist shot from the high slot past Merzlikins. It was his third goal in eight games this season.

The Red Wings dominated much of the second period, doing a good job of cycling and grinding the puck in the Columbus zone. But the Blue Jackets capitalized on a turnover to tie it 1-1 with 1:35 remaining.

Christian Djoos went back to retrieve the puck on a play that Pickard thought was going to be icing, prompting him to raise his glove. But icing wasn’t called, forcing Djoos to move the puck along the boards to Michael Rasmussen. It was jarred loose, ending up on Oliver Bjorkstrand’s stick. His shot was tipped in at the net front by Jack Roslovic.

Michigan Live LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207274 Edmonton Oilers The Montreal Canadiens won’t have newly signed first-rounder Cole Caufield, Dylan Holloway’s U of Wisconsin teammate, in the line-up against the Oilers Tuesday in Montreal.

Kyle Turris gets shot as second-line centre against Maple Leafs Caufield, the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft, has to quarantine first and he’ll start in the AHL with Laval, but the likely Hobey Baker winner as NCAA top player (30 goals in 31 games), will probably get some NHL games before the season ends. Jim Matheson • Publishing date:Mar 29, 2021 • 5 hours ago • Caufield, 20, played in the Brick Super Novice tournament at West

Edmonton Mall 10 years ago for the Chicago Junior Blackhawks. They In the long run, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will probably be were coached by Hall of Famer Denis Savard. One of Caufield’s Brick splitsville as dynamic linemates because the Edmonton Oilers need two teammates in 2011 was Alex Turcotte, the Los Angeles first-round dominant centres to go against Auston Matthews and John Tavares in selection (fifth), also in 2019. Turcotte is playing for Ontario Reign in the Toronto and Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois in Winnipeg. AHL (10 points in 16 games).

But against the Maple Leafs Monday, Kyle Turris was ticketed to start the NURSE HAS BEEN SHINING LIGHT game as the Oilers No. 2 centre with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on left-wing, Darnell Nurse continues to be the most surprising NHL defencemen this which is not how anybody forecast a change in the lineup after season. Saturday’s loss to Toronto. And Turris was noticeable all night and also scored when Adam Larsson’s shot hit him on the calf in the third period, “The one thing I really see this year is a maturity in Darnell’s game. He in only his fourth game in the last six weeks. wants to have an impact in every game. He’s a dedicated athlete. You love everything about Darnell as a coach. How he dissects the game, his Rather than move Draisaitl back to the second line to counter-balance fitness level, his knowledge. He’s all-in,” said Tippett. Tavares, Oilers coach Dave Tippett opted, at least off the hop, to keep Draisaitl with McDavid after their wonderful magic Saturday when they Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.30.2021 had five points.

Tippett wants more five-on-five from his unrestricted free-agent Nugent- Hopkins (12 points out of his 27 and just six goals). He did not move the dial much offensively Saturday centering the second line bit he was all around the blue-paint playing on the left side where the longest-serving Oiler seems more dangerous on the wing than a centre now on either the first or second line.

By playing Turris on the second line Monday, Tippett threw down the gauntlet at the forgotten team piece after hype as a free-agent signee after Nashville bought him out. And he said thanks for the opportunity and rewarded his coach, involved from the opening whistle.He was instantly pegged to be the No. 3 centre because the Oilers wanted a right-shot there, plus more historical offensive juice after No. 1 penalty- killer Riley Sheahan was playing too high up the ladder.

But the pace of Turris’s game has concerned Tippett, along with his lack of offence (one goal, four points in 21 games before Monday). Plus, the team felt Turris, who was only playing his fourth game over the last six weeks Monday night because of injury and being on COVID protocol, could be a penalty-killer in the first or second pair to get his minutes up, but Gaetan Haas has taken that role.

“He went through the COVID and missed a week. That’s hard in the middle of a season when you can’t skate, can barely do anything. He works really hard in practice. He’s got incredible skill. In practice, if you’re looking at the best goal-scorers on our team, his name comes up all the time,” said Tippett.

“We haven’t tried him at centre above the bottom two lines. The last game (before Monday) against Ottawa he played pretty well on right wing. We want to get him up and running.”

Nugent-Hopkins has been excellent on the power play with McDavid and Draisaitl and shown flashes of offence with McDavid on his left side. He’s been better with Draisaitl on his flank.

Playing Draisaitl with McDavid is doubling down but the Leafs couldn’t stop them Saturday.

“It’s a feel you go through with Leon and Connor. Some of it depends on where the rest of your group is, or the matchups or whether you’re chasing the game. Lots of factors come into it. Just a different look,” said Tippett. “They play so well together but also take the responsibility on their own line. We’ve been successful both ways. We’ll keep tinkering with it. When they’re together they’re a tough group to handle. When they’re apart, they have the ability to drag other people along with them.”

The emergence of Puljujarvi has also given Tippett another alternative. He can play McDavid with Puljujarvi as two thirds of one line and Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins on left-wing on another one.

“That’s what we’ve talked about. We’ve had Jesse with Connor and Leon. We’ve had Yamamoto with Leon. We’re trying to get the right balance,” said Tippett.

CAUFIELD AND EDMONTON CONNECTING 1207275 Edmonton Oilers “Connor and Leon will do their share but the more people that chip in the better,” said Tippett.

Mitch Marner and Matthews had the Leafs’ first-period goals on Mike Darnell Nurse has prescription for Oilers overtime winner Smith, who refused to let Toronto win this game, robbing Ilya Mikheyev in the second to keep it 2-1 and then getting over to stop Matthews on the first shift of the overtime.

Jim Matheson • Publishing date:Mar 29, 2021 • 5 hours ago • “He’s played unbelieveable for us (12-3-1). The first period we were just flipping the puck around (outshot 13-6) and he stood in there for us and

while we got better after that, what can I say? He’s been outstanding. All For the Edmonton Oilers, trying to navigate a win against the Toronto these games are tight,” said Tippett. Maple Leafs has been as difficult as being forced to make a sandwich This ‘n that: Barrie took an accidental left skate kick in the face from with cold, hard butter and two slices of soft store-bought bread, but Matthews with two and a half minutes left in the third but shook it off … Monday night they knifed their way to the right finished product. The Oilers sat Dominik Kahun and with Coming in with a 1-6-1 record against the Maple Leafs, even with several getting back in on the third line. close games, in the last of their nine meetings this North Division season, Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.30.2021 the Oilers badly needed a victory to stop the chipping away to their psyche. And they got it as Darnell Nurse slipped in and beat Leafs third- string goalie Michael Hutchinson 17 ticks into overtime for his 12th goal of the season for a 3-2 victory.

The Nurse goal, his third career OT winner, came off a Connor McDavid feed after Mike Smith had robbed Auston Matthews on a two-on-one with Mitch Marner off the opening face-off on the three-on-three.

After 34 games with only one game going to OT when McDavid scored against the same Leafs, we got two in a row in Toronto with Matthews winning it Saturday off Nurse’s leg, so the gods owed Nurse one Monday.

“Yeah, that’ll be the joke, two overtime goals back-to-back,” laughed Nurse, who shrugged off the Matthews winner, with a heavy sigh and a skate to the dressing room after the Oilers blew a 3-1 lead with eight minutes left in the third. “We shouldn’t have let it get to that point.”

Nurse, who now leads all NHL defencemen in goals, had a chance to win it with three seconds left Monday as he slid into the high slot but his shot sailed past Hutchinson’s glove and wide of the net.

“I saw Leon with the puck there at the end of the third and saw a spot I could creep into. Prime spot and I wanted to put it home there,” said Nurse, who won an OT game in Vegas and in Winnipeg in other years before this one.

He seems to relish the big moments and funny thing: he’s out there to start the last two ovdertimes with McDavid and Draisaitl, not Tyson Barrie, who runs the power play from the point.

“When you get into those high-pressure situations, there’s a little bit of fire when you do … yeah, I really appreciate getting on the three-on- three,” said Nurse, who played 28 minutes with the Oilers only playing William Lagesson 11 as they cut to five D.

Kyle Turris, playing only his 22nd game, tied the game early in the third when Adam Larsson’s shot hit him on his backside and it pin-balled past Hutchinson for the forward’s second goal of the season. The hockey gods smiling finally, on Turris, as well, after a very tough first two-and- half months. He was around the puck all game long.

“I hope so (lucky break leading to more)…it’s been frustrating and I know I have to play better,” said Turris, who actually had his best game of the season against Ottawa three weeks ago at , but then went into COVID protocol and was kicked in the head once again. “I feel like my legs are coming around and I feel I’m moving in the right direction.”

He played centre with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the left wing on the second line, the farthest the long-time offensive threat has been up the ladder as an Oiler after they tried to play him as the 3C, more of a checking role.

“I didn’t have a good however many games to the season but getting the rythym. I was feeling the puck, I was around it and I need to stay on it. I feel I can contribute more and show everybody,” he said.

“We got a break there from Kyle but I’m really happy for him. If anybody deserved one off his butt it was him because he’s gone through a lot with the COVID and having to quarantine and some struggles early on, but he did have some good games before COVID set him back,” said aid Oilers coach Dave Tippett, who also got a goal from fourth-line winger Josh Archibald on a breakaway in the first so they got much-needed support from other sources. 1207276 Florida Panthers day off Monday before hosting the Red Wings (12-20-4) at the BB&T Center.

POTENTIAL TRADES TO REPLACE EKBLAD Ekblad out 12 weeks with fractured leg. How will Panthers replace their With more than $3 million in projected cap space and one of the best top defenseman? records in the league, the Panthers are ready to buy ahead of the trade deadline and now there’s an obvious need.

BY DAVID WILSON It just so happens the biggest names likely to move next month fill Florida’s newfound vacancy. MARCH 29, 2021 12:15 PM, Defenseman Mattias Ekholm is under contract with the Nashville Predators next season and The Sports Network ranks him at the top of its “Trade Bait Board.” No. 2 is Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman The Florida Panthers were obviously rattled after Aaron Ekblad went David Savard. down with a serious left leg injury midway through the second period of their 4-1 win against the Dallas Stars on Sunday. They managed only There are a handful of other star defensemen stuck on bad teams all eight shots the rest of the game and spent part of the second across the league, including reigning James Norris Memorial Trophy intermission checking on the defenseman, giving him hugs and words of winner Roman Josi with the Predators, Miro Heiskanen with the Dallas encouragement as he feared a breakout season might be cut short. Stars, and and Seth Jones with Columbus.

Ekblad will miss 12 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture in Josi, Heiskanen and Werenski won’t move. Jones is likely untouchable, his left leg. A season with Stanley Cup promise for the Panthers will have too, although he’s only signed through next season and the Blue Jackets to go on after a devastating blow and Florida, in the thick of a playoff could opt to move him if they get an indication he won’t resign. race, has just weeks to find solutions. Brent Burns also remains stuck with one of the NHL’s worst teams, “He’s been really good,” All-Star left wing Jonathan Huberdeau said although he does have a no-trade clause with the San Jose Sharks. Still, Sunday. “Obviously, it’s going to be tough for us.” the six-time All-Star is 36, making $8 million a year through 2026 and has just 18 points in 33 games. Back-to-backs wins in Dallas over the weekend vaulted the Panthers (22- 9-4) right back into the thick of the Central Division race, two points It’d be a big, risky swing for the Panthers to take — and there’s no behind the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning, and they will have a chance indication they’re interested — but it’d be a win-now play and a clear to gain more ground this week when they host the Detroit Red Wings for indication they’re trying to capitalize on a rare cup window. Florida has a pair in Sunrise, starting with a 7 p.m. game Tuesday. the cap space to take on the star defenseman and the Sharks would be willing to pay part of the salary for a couple years, The Athletic reported. It will be the first chance to start finding a fill-in for Ekblad on Florida’s top defensive pairing, but it will be an ongoing process to find a replacement. Miami Herald LOADED: 03.30.2021 MacKenzie Weegar, for the time being, takes on the title of top defenseman, although his partner is an open question. While they have the defensive depth to move pilayers around, the Panthers could also be in the market to add before the trade deadline in April.

“You’re losing a guy that’s having one of those seasons,” Quenneville said. “You have a defenseman controlling and playing big minutes in all situations. You lose his leadership, so it’s tough. It’ll be a good test for us.”

SHORT-TERM FIXES WITHOUT EKBLAD

In the past two years, Ekblad and Weegar played more than 1,000 minutes together. Weegar played fewer than 350 without Ekblad. While Weegar ranks among the NHL’s top defensive players the past two seasons, his play is almost impossible to separate from Ekblad’s.

Together, they formed one of the best defensive pairings in the league. Ekblad’s 11 goals were tied for the league lead among defensemen at the time of his injury, he led all defensemen in power-play goals and ranked ninth in time on ice per game. He played against opponents’ top lines, and played both power play and penalty kill.

“I don’t know how long he’s going to be out,” defenseman Keith Yandle said Sunday, “but it’s one of those things where everyone’s got to step up and contribute as much as we can.”

Yandle will be one candidate to move up to the top line. He’s the Panthers’ second leading scorer among defensemen, and still a gifted passer and power-play quarterback, even if he’s nowhere near the goal- scorer Ekblad is. Pairing a good offensive defenseman with Weegar, whose defensive metrics rank among the best in the league, makes sense and Yandle hasn’t had one set partner this year.

MacKenzie Weegar's defensive numbers are basically unmatched in the NHL. But he's played 76% of his 5v5 minutes with Ekblad, which has led some to question if he deserves all that credit.

Gustav Forsling is also a willing shooter with 46 shots on goal in 22 games this season and fellow defenseman Anton Stralman, whom Florida waived Friday, could become a major contributor again after a brief stint on the taxi squad.

When Ekblad went down Sunday, Quenneville inserted defenseman Riley Stillman next to Weegar, but it was the first time they had ever played together. The coach has more time to assess his options with a 1207277 Florida Panthers

Aaron Ekblad will miss rest of Panthers season with leg fracture

Published 9 hours ago on March 29, 2021By George Richards

The Florida Panthers got news Monday that star defenseman Aaron Ekblad will be out for the season after being hurt Sunday night in Dallas.

Ekblad had surgery Monday to repair the fracture in his left leg and will out of the lineup an estimated three months.

The news Ekblad would be out was first reported by Frank Seravalli of TSN and later confirmed by GM through the team.

“To be without a player of Aaron’s caliber and character is an irreplaceable loss to our hockey club,” Zito said in a statement released by the team.

“Aaron is an incredibly driven and talented young player and a tremendous leader for our team. He has the heartfelt support of our organization, his teammates and fans as we wish him the best in his recovery and his eventual return.”

In the second period of Sunday’s eventual 4-1 win, Ekblad skated toward the end boards chasing a puck, turned and got hit.

As he was hit by Dallas’ Esa Lindell, his skate appeared to be caught between the boards and ice.

Ekblad fell to the ice seemingly in excruciating pain.

Florida’s medical staff raced over to him and quickly call for the standby EMTs to come out.

Ekblad was worked on the ice as players from both teams gathered around, some like Keith Yandle, unable to watch.

”You see your teammate, your friend on the ice, that’s never easy,” Yandle said after the game. “Whether it is a guy on your team or on the other team, it is tough to see that.”

Said Jonathan Huberdeau: “You hear him scream and it must have hurt so bad. It kind of gets you. He is a great guy, a great teammate. It sucks. It’s part of the game … I didn’t see it (happen) and I don’t really want to see it. It’s a tough play and it’ll be tough to be without him. We will be there for him and we will support him.”

Ekblad was eventually taken off the ice on a stretcher and worked on at the arena.

He flew back to South Florida with the team and was evaluated by specialists Monday.

Huberdeau said Ekblad was in a room near the visitors’ locker room in Dallas and the team was able to visit with him during the second intermission.

“Despite Aaron’s absence from our lineup,” Zito said, “we are confident in our group’s resiliency and motivation as we move forward.”

The Panthers are back Tuesday night at home against Detroit.

Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207278 Florida Panthers In the minors, former Montreal waiver claim Noah Juulsen should be ready to come back from his rehab stint with rookies Brady Keeper and Chase Priskie eagerly waiting by their phones.

With Ekblad hurt, who could the Panthers get at the trade deadline? Now, to the trade market.

The biggest defenseman who may pop into play is Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm. Published 20 hours ago on March 29, 2021By George Richards A left-handed shot, the 30-year-old would slide right in on Florida’s top pairing and give good defensive play and points as well.

The Florida Panthers are in the thick of a playoff race in the NHL Central Ekholm has one more year left on his deal at $3.75 million so, if Nashville with the trade deadline coming soon. After losing Aaron Ekblad to a decided it was going to trade him, knowing that a team has him for one serious injury Sunday night, the Panthers have to be considered serious more season at a very nice number means the cost will not be cheap. buyers on the market. There is no guarantee Nashville, a team fighting with Chicago, Columbus Make no mistake, the Panthers are definitely in go-for-it mode. and Dallas for the last playoff spot in the Central, is even going to sell.

The window to winning a Stanley Cup doesn’t open often — especially The Preds have as good a chance of anyone of that group of making it when it comes to the Panthers. and came into Monday two points back of the Blackhawks.

General manager Bill Zito, coach Joel Quenneville and — perhaps most Last week, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet floated that the Preds may be importantly — owner Vinnie Viola believe this team is as close to the looking to deal Ryan Ellis instead of Ekholm. promised land as it has been since 1996. Ellis has six more seasons remaining on his contract worth $6.25 million That was true before Ekblad appeared to seriously injury his left leg per season and is currently on the IR. Sunday night in Dallas and it is true today. If Nashville is looking in that direction then Florida would be out. The Panthers are expecting the worst-case scenario when it comes to Ekblad’s diagnosis (for this season) and plan to act accordingly. Ellis’ contract and term would be too rich for the Panthers what with other priorities (re-signing Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, etc.) in the Zito was already scouting for a top-four defenseman to add to a playoff future. run for the Panthers. Ekholm helps now and in the immediate future; Ellis, when healthy, helps Now he is actively shopping for one. now but is a long-term commitment.

As much as the Panthers hate moving on without their top defenseman, Again, if it is Ellis that Nashville is trying to move, the Panthers are likely a heart-and-soul player like Ekblad is, that ship has left Port Everglades. moving on as well.

The reality is, Ekblad is hurt and the possibility exists he does not play One player I figure Zito will go after is Columbus veteran David Savard. again until next season. Although not a top-pairing guy (in Columbus, he plays behind All-Stars Florida needs a high-end defenseman and it needs it, well if not today, Seth Jones and Zach Werenski) Savard is a hard-nosed defender who soon. blocks shots, can get up in the play and basically helps out all around.

The NHL trade deadline is April 12 at 3 p.m. and the Panthers have a few There are few more respected guys in the Jackets’ room than Savard, a things on their shopping list. guy who comes to play every night.

A top-pair defenseman is at the top of it. He definitely could play on the second pairing and would help eat a lot of Ekblad’s minutes. There will be competition, whether it comes from Winnipeg or Philadelphia or somewhere else, the Panthers have to be ready to Savard is averaging close to 20 minutes per night for a Columbus squad spend. which just lost two straight in Detroit.

The thought here is Zito will not panic because of what the Panthers Are the Jackets a playoff team? A better question: Will Columbus be currently have. sellers in the next two weeks?

Do they have a replacement for Ekblad just hanging around Sunrise or Jarmo Kekalainen, Zito’s friend and former boss, refuses to wave the Syracuse? No. And it is unlikely they replace what he brings on and off white flag but this season he may start selling a few assets. the ice by the deadline either. Savard would not have to introduce himself to everyone in the Florida Before we get into who Florida will be looking at, let us take a peek at room, either. what the Panthers have at home. Neither would New Jersey’s Ryan Murray, the No. 2 pick of the 2012 Serious injury to Ekblad casts shadow on Panthers win at Dallas draft by the previous Columbus regime.

Thanks to Zito and his staff identifying Gus Forsling’s worth when he was Zito knows him well, however, which may mean Florida isn’t interested. waived by Carolina in training camp, Florida has a very good puck- moving defenseman who may end up playing with MacKenzie Weeegar Murray never lived up to his lofty draft status due to injuries but he is a for the time being. strong defensive player who would give the Panthers an option on their second or third pairing. From going on waivers to being a top-pair guy on a legitimate contender in the span of a few months is a nice story. New Jersey gave up a fifth round pick for Murray during the offseason so he may be worth whatever the Devils’ ask is. But the Panthers need and want to upgrade what they’ve got. Murray is UFA after this season so if the ask is a fourth-round pick or Forsling is going to be a part of things going forward (and may be lost to less, he may be in play here. Seattle in the expansion draft) but there are strong options out there. Alex Goligoski’s name has been mentioned as the 35-year-old is UFA Florida also has Anton Stralman likely to return after a few days off and after this season and there have been rumblings he may not be back in veteran Kevin Connauton can also jump in. Arizona next year.

Riley Stillman was back this weekend and looked just fine. Markus Buffalo is looking to make some deals with what has gone on there this Nutivaara also played well this weekend and Quenneville hinted the season so perhaps Florida takes a look at Rasmus Ristolainen. seven-D rotation could stick around.

Gives him an easier time spreading the minutes, anyway. As is the case with Ekholm, Ristolainen is signed through 2022 ($5.4 million) and the chance he actually gets moved is good — if the Sabres can find a buyer.

Ristolainen is not the defender nor the scorer Ekholm is, but he would give Florida some NHL depth at the position.

The price (Buffalo knows it will have to eat some salary) and his defensive play scare me away but who knows?

Brandon Montour is UFA and the Sabres will probably find a trade partner for him.

If the Panthers are simply looking to add depth-type guys and let others try and fill Ekblad’s large skates, there will be guys available.

Sami Vatanen in Jersey, for instance, or even old pal Erik Gudbranson appear to be available.

Gudbranson was traded to Vancouver a few weeks after the Panthers’ last real playoff season.

It would be nice homecoming story, anyway.

Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207279 Los Angeles Kings

Kings fall to Golden Knights

By W.G. RAMIREZ ASSOCIATED PRESS

MARCH 29, 2021 10:02 PM PT

LAS VEGAS — Tomas Nosek scored in the second period and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the L.A. Kings 4-1 on Monday night.

Alec Martinez, Reilly Smith and Nicolas Hague also scored for Vegas, which has won 14 of 18 and improved to 14-2-1 at home. Jonathan Marchessault had two assists. Robin Lehner stopped 24 shots.

The Golden Knights have won six in a row, their longest win home winning streak in two years.

Matt Roy scored for Los Angeles and Jonathan Quick had 20 saves. Quick came into the game with a 6.05 goals-against average and .814 save percentage in two appearances against Vegas this season.

With the game tied 1-1, Nosek put the Golden Knights ahead after William Carrier started the attack by poking the puck loose in the neutral zone, chasing it down against the end boards, and sending it to Zach Whitecloud at the top. Whitecloud fired the puck off the end board and Nosek one-timed the ricochet past Quick to give Vegas a 2-1 lead.

Nosek now has seven points (two goals, five assists) in his past seven games.

Los Angeles was playing its first game since Wednesday, its longest layoff this season, and the Kings came out looking awfully rested. By the midway point of the first period, they had outshot Vegas, 10-3, were outhustling the Golden Knights to pucks, and had established the advantage in the offensive zone early on.

Roy opened the scoring when he fired a laser from the high slot to beat Lehner.

After Quick made a couple of saves before ending up on his back during a bevy shots during a power play, Smith was in the right spot to bang home the equalizer, giving Vegas its first goal of the game and tying it at 1-all in the second period.

Less than two minutes after Nosek put Vegas on top, Marchessault served Hague for a perfect snapshot, which went off the post and into the net, giving Vegas three consecutive goals in the period.

Vegas closed the scoring when Martinez skated into the slot and cleaned up a loose rebound to ice the game to the delight of the announced capacity crowd of 3,950.

LA Times: LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207280 Los Angeles Kings moved high to defenseman Zach Whitecloud. His missed shot from the right point banged off the end boards and popped out on the left side of the net, where Nosek was waiting for a tap-in tally.

Rested Kings can’t conquer Vegas A mere 86 seconds later, the Kings had all five defenders below the hash marks as Vegas controlled the puck behind the net. A pass to the wide- open Hague in the high slot saw him fire a snap shot past Quick.

By ANDREW KNOLL | Nosek has two goals and an assist in five games against the Kings, but just six points in his other 20 appearances. Hague has five of his 13 PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 9:51 p.m. | UPDATED: March 30, 2021 points (over 30 games) this season in five meetings with the Kings. at 1:04 a.m. The Kings’ misfortunes were compounded by a delay of game penalty at

the end of the period, but the penalty kill came through for the second As the stakes have been raised, the Kings have been prone to folding, as time in three opportunities. they did once more in a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday The Kings played a solid first period, beginning with a goal just one night at T-Mobile Arena. minute into the game. Vegas clung to its one-point division lead after second-place Colorado Off an offensive-zone faceoff win, center Gabe Vilardi, winger Jeff Carter beat the Ducks. The Kings, losers of three straight, failed to gain ground and Roy zipped the puck around the right side of the ice. Roy rifled a on fifth-place Arizona or fourth-place St. Louis, both idle on Monday, and shot from above the right circle past Lehner, through a screen and to the saw San Jose join them in a tie for sixth place in points, though the Kings stick side. still have a comfortable tiebreaker advantage over the Sharks. Carter had a sterling chance later in the period, as did winger Dustin The Kings, playing their first game since Wednesday, their longest layoff Brown. The Kings also earned the only power play of the period (one of this season, broke strong to start the game and improved their defense three on the night), they won 62 percent of their faceoffs in the opening against rush opportunities as well as long passes. But Vegas proved frame and were out-shooting Vegas 10-3 at one point. savvy and opportunistic as it pulled away in the second period, scoring three goals off plays that originated below the end line. “If you can get up another one or two, you have a cushion for some of the mistakes that we made,” McLellan said. “From that point on, I still didn’t “I thought we had a good start, and then they started playing better. We think we played a real poor game. It’s a hard game to evaluate right didn’t quite match it,” Kings captain Anze Kopitar said. now.” Defenseman Matt Roy scored for the Kings. Jonathan Quick came up Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.30.2021 with just 20 saves, though all four goals came off shots whose degrees of difficulty ranged from challenging to impossible. Quick came into the game with a 6.05 goals-against average and an .814 save percentage in two appearances against Vegas this season.

Winger Reilly Smith, center Tomas Nosek and defenseman Nicolas Hague scored for Vegas, as did former Kings defenseman Alec Martinez. Winger Jonathan Marchessault had two assists. Robin Lehner backstopped Vegas to its eighth win in its last 11 games, making 24 saves.

As their power-play has dried up a bit, the Kings’ offense has been all but completely desiccated. As they have dropped six of their last eight games, they have scored only seven goals in their six losses, and none on the power play.

“We need to find some consistency,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said of his forwards. “We’ve got to get a two-way game going with nine consistent players on a consistent basis.”

Vegas could afford to assume a defensive posture and emphasize possession over shots in the third period, but the hosts scored a back- breaking goal nonetheless.

A transition play saw the Kings outnumbered three-on-two. Winger Keegan Kolesar made a powerful move to the inside, which Quick countered with a poke check involving his stick and then his right pad. The puck squirted past center Cody Glass to Martinez, who eased a wrist shot past a vulnerable Quick with 7:25 left.

A hooking penalty against winger Carl Grundstrom opened the door for a tying goal by Vegas early in the second period, when they broke the game open. Right off the hop, Vegas won the draw and got a dangerous shot attempt from Marchessault.

Just past the 4-minute mark, winger Mark Stone set up along the goal line and sent the puck to Marchessault in the slot. Quick thwarted a backdoor play for Stone, but Smith pounced on the loose puck for a backhand goal. It was the first power-play goal the Kings had allowed in their last 10 games, a stretch that raised their penalty kill percentage to third in the NHL.

One marquee defensemen from each side disrupted opposing rushes. First Vegas rearguard Shea Theodore tracked down winger Austin Wagner on a partial breakaway, limiting the quality of Wagner’s shot. Later, Kings blue-liner Drew Doughty broke up a two-on-one rush between Stone and Kolesar.

Vegas took its first lead of the game with 3:32 left in the middle frame. Nosek battled along the end boards to secure the puck, which was 1207281 Los Angeles Kings SABRES SINK FURTHER The Buffalo Sabres lost their 18th consecutive game Monday, snatching

defeat from the jaws of victory by allowing four straight goals in the third When power-play goals dry up, so does Kings’ offense period and 42 seconds of overtime, falling 4-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Eighteen games is the longest NHL losing streak since the shootout was implemented in 2005 in order to avert ties. The Pittsburgh Penguins lost By ANDREW KNOLL |PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 8:05 p.m. | 18 straight, with one overtime loss, in 2003-2004. The Sabres have two UPDATED: March 29, 2021 at 11:18 p.m. overtime losses and one shootout loss during their skid, and they had lost nine straight in regulation heading into Monday’s game.

They will need a dozen more flops to match the longest winless stretch in Former Kings captain Dustin Brown said Monday the Kings are watching league history, 30 games by the 1980-81 Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg lost the standings and know they need to bank points within an entirely intra- 23 contests and tied seven during its freefall. divisional schedule. Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.30.2021 In order to do so, they’ll need to find some five-on-five scoring.

The Kings rank fourth in the NHL in power-play goals per game, and that has buoyed them offensively. However, they are 28th and perilously close to 29th (among 31 franchises) in five-on-five goals, a trend that has been increasingly apparent for their offense.

The Kings have scored at least one power-play goal in six of their last seven victories, and have gone without one in each of their past six losses. They did not convert on any power plays against the Sharks in a pair of frustrating defeats in San Jose, and went 0 for 3 against Vegas in Monday’s 4-1 loss.

“We’ve had a really dangerous power play all year. Teams are doing a better job on our entries and that’s making it tougher for us to set up,” Brown said. “We had a really easy time for the first 25 or so games, getting it in, because it’s a pretty dynamic entry.”

Kings coach Todd McLellan said that while most teams offer clichés about net-front traffic, taking away the goalies’ eyes, bearing down and so forth, he wanted his team to focus on those tactics in set offensive situations while continuing to generate offense off the rush.

“It’s the cycle plays, it’s the faceoff plays, the power-play opportunities and the shots from the top where we’ve got to be better in and around the eyes,” McLellan said.

Astute play around the net should prove key in this two-game set against the Vegas Golden Knights, a team that has displayed sound positioning of both bodies and sticks down low.

“(Vegas) does a really good job in and around their paint of boxing out and clearing away secondary scoring chances,” McLellan said.

TRADE WINDS

The Kings made their second trade in three days, acquiring defenseman Christian Wolanin from the Ottawa Senators and sending center Michael Amadio north of the border.

Wolanin was a junior teammate of the other recently acquired King, winger Brendan Lemieux, with the Green Bay Gamblers. Wolanin went on to play at the University of North Dakota, where he scored 35 points in 40 games as a junior in 2017-18.

He produced similarly at the American Hockey League level with Belleville the following season. He has played 58 career NHL games and contributed 18 points, three of which have come in 15 games this year with Ottawa.

Wolanin is a left-handed defenseman, and the Kings have struggled to find consistent play on the left side behind rookie Mikey Anderson, who has paired effectively with Drew Doughty. Left defenseman Olli Maatta remains sidelined with a shoulder injury, but it’s likely that Wolanin will spend some time in quarantine having arrived from Canada. He will initially report to the Kings’ AHL affiliate.

The acquisition of Wolanin, a mobile defenseman with some offensive potential, and that of Lemieux, an agitator who can also stand up for teammates, might make ice time harder to come by for Kurtis MacDermid.

MacDermid has played left defense and been counted on as the Kings’ heavyweight when he has been in the lineup. He did not dress Monday, drawing out in favor of Austin Strand.

Amadio had recently been placed on waivers, losing his footing among a crowded pack of pivots in the Kings’ organization. 1207282 Los Angeles Kings full-time job prior to the 2019-20 season, but a freak injury just before training camp resulted in a torn labrum in his shoulder. He returned slightly ahead of schedule, but only appeared in three NHL game with the Senators before the pandemic wiped out the remainder of the season. Kings continue depth reshuffle by adding defenseman Christian Wolanin When Wolanin arrived at Senators camp in January, he found himself in a trade fighting for a job — and the respect of head coach D.J. Smith. As the season progressed, it became clear the Senators preferred Mike Reilly

and Erik Brannstrom to Wolanin, ultimately deeming the 26-year-old By Lisa Dillman Mar 29, 2021 expendable. But Wolanin has a likeable swagger and confidence that could blossom in a market like Los Angeles — provided he gets the trust of Todd McLellan. Wolanin has the ability to run a second-unit power play and can stretch the ice with his passing. His skating and vision are The Michael Amadio era is officially over in L.A. The 24-year-old center, certainly NHL-caliber. If he can stay healthy and improve his play in the a third-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, was traded to the Ottawa defensive zone, he could certainly emerge into a regular NHL Senators on Monday for Christian Wolanin, a 26-year-old left-shot defenseman. defenseman in a depth trade, that more than anything, was about roster (and contract) management. The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 Only 48 hours earlier, the Kings completed another minor trade, adding Brendan Lemieux from the New York Rangers. Lemieux brings a physical element that the Kings’ forward group collectively lacked. But with Lemieux on board, pending the completion of his quarantine, Amadio was pushed even further down the depth chart.

They put him on waivers 10 days ago and he went unclaimed. With a handful of prospects pushing through the pipeline, some of whom are expected to get an NHL audition as the season moves along, the chances of Amadio playing any role in the organization — short or long term — seemed negligible. He had just two assists and no goals in 20 games this season.

Amadio’s departure is also likely tied to the emergence of Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who has looked as if he’s taken a developmental step this season and seems ready for full-time NHL employment.

In Wolanin, the Kings acquired a player who was chosen by Ottawa in the fourth round (No. 107) in the 2015 draft. Wolanin was born in Quebec City where his father, Craig, was a defenseman with the Nordiques. It’s the second trade in three days in which the incoming player is the son of a former NHLer and coincidentally, the two dads played together on the same championship team, the 1996 Colorado Avalanche.

Brendan Lemieux’s father is Claude, who won multiple Stanley Cups. In all, Craig Wolanin played 695 NHL games.

After living in both Quebec City and Denver as a youngster, Christian Wolanin grew up in Rochester, Mich., and played junior hockey in Green Bay and Muskegon, eventually spending three seasons at the University of North Dakota. He played 15 games for the Senators this season, recording three assists and averaging 13 minutes of ice time per night, and was put on waivers last week and cleared.

Wolanin is a pending restricted free agent (earning $900,000) and could become unrestricted if he doesn’t play a further 13 games in the NHL this season, per CapFriendly.

For the Kings, it’s an opportunity for the organization to get an up-close- and-personal look at a player who could ultimately become a depth option for them.

Procedurally, having a player on an expiring contract might not be the worst thing for the Kings. According to CapFriendly, the Kings are one of only four NHL teams to have 49 players under contract.

Under CBA rules, a team can have a maximum of 50 players under contract, though there are exemptions for 18- and 19-year-old players with fewer than 11 games of NHL experience. But at some point, the Kings need to whittle down that number, if they plan to be active in free agency this summer or otherwise get more aggressive on the trade market than the last two moves, which were to tinker with the bottom part of the roster.

Once Wolanin has cleared quarantine, he will report to the Kings’ AHL affiliate in Ontario. Kings general manager confirmed that Wolanin will have to quarantine for seven days.

View from Ottawa

To find out how Wolanin might fit in with what the Kings are trying to accomplish in their rebuild, I reached out to Ian Mendes, my colleague at The Athletic who covers the Senators.

Mendes: The Senators had high hopes for Wolanin, envisioning him as a puck-moving defenseman on the left side. He had an inside track on a 1207283 Los Angeles Kings way and sometimes it doesn’t. Kopi is certainly onto something with a little more of a shoot mentality, get it back, and then let’s see what happens off of that, rather than trying to break them down with a nice play. FINAL – KINGS 1, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4 – KOPITAR, MCLELLAN On if he saw some things from tonight that he liked, that was practiced over the last few days

BY ZACH DOOLEY We improved in some areas. It’s hard for me to sit here and tell you that, people are going to say what the hell is this idiot talking about, but we did MARCH 29, 20210 some things better than we did in San Jose, when we outshot a team 2-1 and lost. It’s just a simple fact that these guys will really make you pay for your mistakes, or your errors. In fact, I thought we made fewer tonight The LA Kings scored an early goal, as they capitalized on a strong start than when we beat them 3-1 last time. They had us under siege in the to the game, but were unable to make the first-period momentum count third period and we made more mistakes in that game than we made in in a 4-1 defeat against Vegas. The Golden Knights came back with four this one, and we lost 4-1. unanswered goals, including three in the second period, to win for the fourth time in five games versus the Kings on the season. Notes –

The aggressive start the Kings have sought was there, and the visitors – Defenseman Matt Roy moved into a tie for second amongst Kings were rewarded early as defenseman Matt Roy opened the scoring just 60 defnesemen in goals this season, with his second goal of the season 60 seconds in. Forward Gabriel Vilardi collected a puck in the middle of the seconds into the game. ice and teed up Roy from the slot, with the Michigan native’s shot beating – Roy’s goal was the Kings’ second-fastest goal of the season, trailing goaltender Robin Lehner inside the right post for his second goal of the only Anze Kopitar’s goal in this same building, 36 seconds into the game season. on February 7. Though the Kings had the better of the play in the opening 20 minutes, it – With the primary assist on Roy’s game-opening goal, forward Gabriel was Vegas that stormed back with three goals in the second. Reilly Smith Vilardi extended his scoring streak to three games (0-3-3). started the scoring for the Golden Knights, with a rebound goal on the power play 4:04 in, as the Kings couldn’t clear a loose puck after an – Kings forward Trevor Moore skated in his 100th career NHL game athletic save from Jonathan Quick. tonight.

Vegas then scored twice in a span of less than 90 seconds in the latter – The Kings allowed their first opponent power-play goal in nine games, stages of the second to take a two-goal advantage into the intermission. going 2-for-3 on the penalty kill tonight. This season, the Kings are 81- First, a tough bounce off the end boards kicked directly to Tomas Nosek, for-95 on the penalty kill, ranking fourth in the NHL in PK percentage who tapped it in for the go-ahead goal, 1:26 before Nicolas Hague buried (85.3%). a Jonathan Marchessault feed in the slot to make it 3-1. The Kings are scheduled for a practice tomorrow at noon at T-Mobile Neither team produced a shot on goal in the first seven minutes plus of Arena. the third period, before the Kings had a pair of good looks midway through the period, through Dustin Brown and Austin Strand. It was LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.30.2021 former Kings defenseman Alec Martinez, however, who buried a rebound against his former team for an insurance goal that put the game away.

The Kings have now lost three straight games, and six of their last eight, falling below the .500 line for the first time since February 16.

Hear from forward Anze Kopitar and Head Coach Todd McLellan after today’s game.

Todd McLellan

On the regret of not getting more than one goal off a strong start to the game

Well that’s an easy and obvious answer, of course. If you can get up another one or two, you’d have a cushion for some of the mistakes that we made. From that point on, I still didn’t think we played a real poor game. It’s a hard game to evaluate right now. We’ve been in this building where we’ve been under siege, given up 50 shots and our goalies have had to stand on their head, tonight it didn’t feel like that. I just thought that they were a lot more opportunistic than they were, they took advantage of some bounces around the net, put the puck over the goal line. When we had those opportunities, we didn’t do it. Special teams, they end up +1, we end up -1, there’s part of the result right there as well.

On the changes he made up front, and his thoughts on how it was put into practice

We need to find some consistency. We go from having a good offensive and defensive night from one group of three and one line may give you a lot of offense, but they’re a disaster defensively, we’ve got to get a two- way game going with nine consistent players on a consistent basis. I’d like to keep it as similar as much as possible, but we’ll look at it again and see if we maybe have to insert someone different in there as well.

On getting the power play back on track, and Kopitar’s suggestion of more shot volume

I think Kopi’s onto something, there’s a shooting mentality that has to exist. We’ve scored some nice goals lately, and sometimes that can mislead a group into thinking that’s always how it’s going to be. There were some opportunities tonight, close touches in and around the net, Kopi to Brownie back door was within inches, sometimes it goes your 1207284 Los Angeles Kings

GAME THREAD – KINGS @ GOLDEN KNIGHTS, 3/29

BY ZACH DOOLEY

MARCH 29, 20210

GAME THREADS

Los Angeles Kings 1, Vegas Golden Knights 4

FINAL

Game Previews: LA Kings Insider – NHL.com – Vegas Golden Knights

Fox Sports Live Stream

Pre-Game Live Show (Call-In 877-KINGS20)

SOG: LAK – 25 VGK – 23

PP: LAK – 0/3 VGK – 1/2

First Period

1. LAK – Matt Roy (2) – (Gabriel Vilardi, Jeff Carter) – 1:00

Second Period

2. VGK – Reilly Smith (7) – (Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone) – 4:04 (PP)

3. VGK – Tomas Nosek (4) – (Zach Whitecloud, Willliam Carrier) – 16:28

4. VGK – Nicolas Hague (4) – (Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson) – 17:54

Third Period

5. VGK – Alec Martinez (7) – (Keegan Kolesar, Shea Theodore) – 12:35

Monday, March 29, 2021 – 7:00 p.m. PT

T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV

Referees: #19 Gord Dwyer, #40 Steve Kozari

Linesmen: #65 Pierre Racicot, #73 Vaughan Rody

Fox Sports West, Fox Sports Go, LA Kings Audio Network

LAK Starters: G Jonathan Quick, D Mikey Anderson, Drew Doughty, F Alex Iafallo, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown

LAK Scratches: Matt Luff, Olli Maatta, Kurtis MacDermid

VGK Starters: G Robin Lehner, D Alec Martinez, Shea Theodore, F Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith

VGK Scratches: Marc-Andre Fleury, , Nicolas Roy

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207285 Los Angeles Kings games with Ottawa, he has posted three points (0-3=3) while also going scoreless in one outing in Belleville.

Selected in the fourth round (107th overall) during the 2015 NHL Draft by KINGS ACQUIRE DEFENSEMAN CHRISTIAN WOLANIN IN Ottawa, Wolanin has posted 18 points (5-13=18) in 58 NHL appearances EXCHANGE FOR FORWARD MICHAEL AMADIO with the Senators. He played in 50 AHL games with Belleville, recording 32 points (8-24=32) and a plus-9 rating. A native of Quebec City, Canada who grew up in Rochester, Michigan, Wolanin represented the United States in the 2019 IIHF Men’s World Championship. BY ZACH DOOLEY Amadio, originally selected by the Kings in the third round (90th overall) MARCH 29, 20210 appeared in 168 NHL games with the Kings, posting 39 points (16- 23=39). In 130 AHL games with Ontario, he also registered 104 points (35-69=104). The LA Kings have completed another deal. The Kings have acquired defenseman Christian Wolanin from the Ottawa Senators, in exchange LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.30.2021 for forward Michael Amadio. Wolanin will report to the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

Wolanin, 26, has 58 games of total NHL experience, all with the Senators organization. The 6-2 blueliner has tallied 18 points (5-13-18) from 58 career NHL games played, including three assists from 15 games played with Ottawa so far this season.

A fourth-round selection by the Senators in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Wolanin has also played 50 career AHL games with the Belleville Senators, tallying 32 points (7-25-32). The Quebec native amassed 31 points (7-24-31) from 40 AHL games during the 2018-19 season, with his 0.78 points-per-game the sixth-best clip amongst AHL defensemen that season with at least 40 games played.

Analytically speaking, Wolanin has been a positive Corsi player over his 15 games played so far this season, with the Senators controlling nearly 52% of shot attempts with him on the ice. Scoring chances have been slightly positively slanted, while high-danger chances have been slightly negatively slanted, while his zone starts have trended towards the offensive zone than more defensive.

Throughout his career, Wolanin has been slightly below the 50% line, though relative to his team, he has been above average. With no more than 30 NHL games played in any one season, his sample size is currently small.

The 26-year-old has been described as a skilled and mobile defenseman, backed up by his offensive totals at the AHL and NCAA levels, while posting respectable numbers for a player who has had a limited role in the NHL.

Wolanin is a free agent at the end of the season, but exactly how controlled he will be is up to his usage with the Kings down the stretch. As Ian Mendes of The Athletic reported, Wolanin is currently in a position to be either a restricted or unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, depending on how many NHL games he plays between now and then.

The newest member of the Kings organization cleared waivers on Friday and is able to be assigned to the AHL without having to clear again. The same can be said of the player he was traded for, in Michael Amadio.

Amadio began the season on the active roster for the Kings and tallied two assists from 20 games played. He was placed on waivers earlier this month, cleared, and was assigned to the taxi squad, then eventually to the AHL. Amadio has skated in two games with the Reign, and collected an assist in each game.

Amadio cracked the NHL roster last season on a permanent basis, as he skated in 68 games with the Kings, posting career-highs in games played, assists (10) and points (16). A playmaking center, Amadio was an elite-level player in the AHL, but did not hold down an NHL roster spot, despite showing glimmers of his offensive ability in the NHL. Perhaps Ottawa will offer him a better chance at becoming an NHL regular.

Everyone will be wishing Amadio the best, a good teammate and a good person, as he moves on to Ottawa.

Similar to the recently acquired Brendan Lemieux, Wolanin now enters the quarantining process. Further updates will be provided as we receive them.

From the team’s official release –

Wolanin, 26, will report to the Ontario Reign (AHL) after spending time with both Ottawa and the Belleville Senators (AHL) this season. In 15 1207286 Los Angeles Kings If Quick gets the nod, however, he has been a new goaltender since he was pulled here in Vegas in his last start here. Since that game, Quick has posted a .921 save percentage across eight appearances, including a 4-4-0 record and two shutouts, though he also missed two weeks with 3/29 PREVIEW – LINEUP NOTES, MANAGING REST & GAMES, an upper-body injury earlier this month. BROWN VIDEO, MCLELLAN ON LEMIEUX GOLDEN KNIGHTS VITALS: The hosts are expected to start goaltender Robin Lehner tonight, after Marc-Andre Fleury started each of the team’s last two games versus Colorado this past week. To date, each netminder BY ZACH DOOLEY has started twice against the Kings, with Lehner winning each of his MARCH 29, 20210 appearances. In his NHL career, Lehner is 6-5-0 with a .923 save percentage and a 2.58 goals against average against the Kings, and the six-foot four netminder has earned at least a point in each of his last six starts versus LA (5-0-1). WHO: Los Angeles Kings (13-13-6) @ Vegas Golden Knights (23-8-1) Here is how the Golden Knights lined up this morning, per David Schoen WHAT: NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME – WHEN: Monday, March 29 @ 7:00 PM Pacific Pacioretty – Stephenson – Stone WHERE: T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV Marchessault – Karlsson – Smith TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings and Golden Knights begin a two- Kolesar – Glass – Tuch game set this evening at T-Mobile Arena. The Kings are in search of their first victory of the season in Vegas, with the Golden Knights winning both Carrier – Nosek – Reaves meetings back in early-February. Martinez – Theodore HEAD-TO-HEAD: From four games played so far this season, forward Anze Kopitar leads all Kings skaters with five points (1-4-5) in the head- McNabb – Coghlan to-head series, with no player across the NHL collecting more assists Hague – Whitecloud versus Vegas so far this season. A trio of Kings have three points from four games – Dustin Brown (2-1-3), Alex Iafallo (1-2-3) and Trevor Moore Fleury / Lehner (1-2-3). Forward Max Pacioretty leads all skaters in the season series with three goals and six points, though he missed the most recent Crowded & Condensed meeting at with an injury. Nicolas Hague leads all The Kings just ended a stretch of 12 games in 20 days, and now, after defensemen with four points (1-3-4) versus the Kings, one of four Vegas four days off from games, are entering another tight, and more extended, skaters with four points so far this season. stretch to close the season. KINGS VITALS: The Kings are finally back in game action this evening, Rest was, and will continue to be, important and we typically focus on the four days after their most recent contest, a 4-2 defeat in San Jose. older players, who are managing their bodies the most throughout the The Kings were off Thursday and Friday and skated in full-team practices condensed slate of games. McLellan previously referred to the Kings as on Saturday and Sunday, with this morning’s skate being optional in “almost two separate teams” at times, when referring to the differences in Vegas. Following today’s skate, Todd McLellan said that we won’t expect what is needed for certain guys at this stage in the season. to see any changes to the 12 forwards who played in San Jose on Today however, he emphasized the importance of rest for all players, Wednesday but that the team is considering a change on the backend. including the younger guys, many of whom are going through this NHL Defenseman Austin Strand was elevated to the active roster from the taxi gauntlet for the first time. squad, which makes him the likely change that was referenced. Strand “It doesn’t matter how old you are, you need rest, both physically and made his NHL debut during the team’s last trip to Vegas, and has 7 NHL mentally,” McLellan said. “Just because you’re an entry-level player, games, as well as 11 AHL games so far this season. maybe you haven’t played 100 games, there’s still a lot of stress on the Mikey Anderson was back on the ice for the second consecutive day, body and on the mind, and they need rest time as well.” after he missed Saturday’s practice due to a non-COVID related McLellan added his level of concern for the players on the taxi squad, in situation, deemed by Todd McLellan as “just not feeling well.” Anderson the other direction, guys who aren’t regularly playing NHL games, but are is expected to play tonight without issue. with the NHL group. Those players are an area of emphasis for different In terms of the forwards, in speaking with McLellan this morning, he reasons, with more low-intensity skates and practices occurring right acknowledged that he is still looking for the right line combinations now, based around managing the heavy workload of games, which don’t behind the Kopitar line. Kopitar, with Alex Iafallo and Dustin Brown on the necessarily fill the needs for those on the taxi squad. wings, have remained a consistent line for much of this season, but the Speaking this morning with Tobias Bjornfot, in his first go-around in the makeup of the nine additional forwards have changed significantly, due NHL, he emphasized the importance of eating right, and sleeping right, to injury and a search for the most effective groupings. as keys to keeping his body where it needs to be. “We’re scrambling a little bit to find good combinations with the bottom “Yeah it’s different,” Bjornfot said, of the NHL schedule versus what he nine,” McLellan said. “For me, that [second-line] center is really experienced last year with the Ontario Reign. “I’m just trying to eat good, important. Gabe was doing a real good job, we moved him to the wing for sleep and do those things perfectly. Just trying to rest as well, keep in a short period, he’s back there now, so hopefully he can provide for us good shape.” stability in the two-hole, and then it filters on down for everybody else. The one player that’s played really well for us, but has been misfit, and Gabriel Vilardi noted similar things on Saturday. For Vilardi especially, moved all over the place, has been Kempe. Just trying to find a solid who played just a partial season with Ontario last year, this is his first full home for him. In any case, we’ll keep moving people around until we find professional season, and he’s doing so in an ever condensed NHL something that works, both offensively and defensively. It’s not just about setting. the scoring part, it’s about the preventing part and eventually, it will fall into place. He noted that it’s been challenging, but it’s what he signed up for, and he’s going to approach it as such. Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick have split games on a near half-and- half basis so far this season. When both goaltenders have been healthy “It’s different, it’s really different,” Vilardi said. “Especially with this year, and available, Petersen has made 14 starts, while Quick has made 13. If we’re playing every other day almost, it’s nice we had two days off here, Petersen earns the nod this evening, he will look to build off of his last it’s really, really nice. Just kind of let go of the game a little bit and relax. start against Vegas, in which he stopped 40 of the 41 shots he faced, in a It’s hard, but at the end of the day, it’s what I want to be doing. I’m happy, 3-1 victory. In his NHL career, Petersen is 3-1-0, with a .941 save because I get to do it.” percentage and a 2.15 goals against average versus the Golden Knights. As we progress forward, we’re not expecting to see a ton of long, extended practices left, like what the Kings had on Saturday. It’s go time in terms of games, and the schedule will be treated as such.

Dust-In Time

Hear from veteran forward Dustin Brown this morning, who touched on turning more of the team’s chances on the power play into goals, working with younger players who are struggling, player-to-player, and how much he pays attention to the standings at this time of the season.

McLellan on Lemieux

Lastly, we got our first official evaluation of the newly acquired Brendan Lemieux from a member of the Kings organization this morning. Here’s what McLellan had to say about his newest forward –

“When you put a team together, you’re looking for different types of ingredients. Skill, speed, scoring, checking, grit, toughness- those are all elements required to be a good team. Brendan’s proven that he brings a certain element, that grit, that nastiness, that toughness with some other teams in the National Hockey League. He’s still considered a young player, age wise and experience wise, and we think that he can help.”

Lemieux was added to the non-roster list yesterday by the Kings, as he begins his quarantining process. He is not expected to be in tonight’s lineup, as he completes said quarantining process.

Kings and Golden Knights Game Thread is up next in Vegas!

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207287 Minnesota Wild

Monday's Wild-San Jose game recap

MARCH 30, 2021 — 1:06AM

SARAH McLELLAN

GAME RECAP

STAR TRIBUNE'S THREE STARS

1. Erik Karlsson, Sharks: The defenseman scored twice in regulation and delivered the decisive goal in the eighth round of the shootout.

2. Kevin Fiala, Wild: The winger tied the score in the third period after setting up the Wild's first goal.

3. Marcus Johansson, Wild: Like his linemate Fiala, the winger had a goal and assist.

BY THE NUMBERS

0 Power plays for the Wild.

8 Attempts for the Wild in a shootout, the first of the season for the team.

1,757 Games played by longtime San Jose forward Patrick Marleau, who passed Mark Messier for sole possession of second place on the NHL's all-time list.

Star Tribune LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207288 Minnesota Wild Soon after a Johansson shot hit the post, Fiala corralled the loose puck and wired it past San Jose goalie Martin Jones at 9:48 for his 10th goal and third multi-point game of the season. Johansson also secured his second point of the game on the play with an assist. Wild finally falls to Sharks 4-3 in eighth round of shootout "We thought that line was real good again, likely one of Kevin's strongest games in a while," Evason said.

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MARCH 30, 2021 — 1:21AM That finish paved the way for 3-on-3 overtime where captain Jared Spurgeon had a goal disallowed for redirecting the puck in with a high

stick. SAN JOSE, CALIF. – When the Wild reunited for practice Sunday after In the shootout, Fiala and Mats Zuccarello scored after Kirill Kaprizov taking two days off, the team went through a shootout even though none missed the net on his first career try. Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc of its games this season had lasted that long. converted for the Sharks to pull even with the Wild through three The tune-up proved timely, but it didn't help the Wild outlast the Sharks, attempts, setting up a stalemate that lasted until Round 8. who prevailed in the eighth round Monday to snag a 4-3 win at SAP "I knew what I'm going to do," Fiala said. "I'm going to go left side and Center that snapped the Wild's three-game win streak at the start of a see what is open and shoot it." four-game road trip. Talbot, who was making a season-high fourth straight start, ended up "There was a lot of guys to choose from," coach Dean Evason said. with 36 saves. Jones had 22 stops at the other end. "Unfortunately we didn't score more than they did." "There's no quit in this group," Johansson said. "That's always a good San Jose's Erik Karlsson delivered the decisive goal after scoring twice in sign. You're not going to win every game, and Talbs gave us a great regulation during a game that was much more competitive than chance to win this game and in the shootout, as well. It just wasn't our expected. night." While the Wild was resting over the weekend, San Jose was getting Star Tribune LOADED: 03.30.2021 creamed by Arizona to continue its shaky season. This matchup looked like a perfect one for the Wild to rediscover its stride against an opponent stranded near the bottom of the West Division.

Instead, it was the Sharks who set the tone early — playing keep-away from the Wild in the first period while peppering goalie Cam Talbot with shots.

"We thought our energy was good," Evason said. "Our legs maybe weren't at the start, so we got off to a little bit of a slow start."

Not until the second half of the period did the Wild register its first shot, a lopsided feel reminiscent of the team's final showing before its hiatus when the Wild tied the franchise record for fewest shots in a game with 11 in a 2-0 victory over St. Louis.

Like that night, though, the Wild again opened the scoring despite getting outplayed.

BOXSCORE: San Jose 4, Wild 3 (SO)

After missing the net on a slight breakaway, Kevin Fiala scooped up the loose puck and fed Marcus Johansson for a successful shot in the slot at 12 minutes, 41 seconds. The goal was Johansson's second in as many games, the first time he's scored in back-to-back games since Oct. 7-9, 2019.

That advantage was short-lived because San Jose pulled even on a point shot from Radim Simek at 16:04. But the Wild answered back before the period ended, scoring with one minute to go on a silky sequence from a new line.

Jordan Greenway passed off to Joel Eriksson Ek, and he toe-dragged around the Sharks' Nikolai Knyzhov before sending a cross-slot pass for Nick Bonino to bury into the back of the net.

"That was one of the easiest ones I've scored," Bonino said. "It was a beautiful play."

Usually a center, Bonino lined up at right wing next to Greenway and Eriksson Ek — a promotion from the fourth line in recognition of his recent strong play, which continued at his new address in the lineup.

"For the most part, I thought it was pretty good as a line," Bonino said.

Still, the first period was mostly dominated by the Sharks, who put 18 shots on net. And they didn't go away in the second even though the Wild found some more cohesiveness in its structure, even killing off the game's only penalty.

With 4:15 remaining in the middle frame, San Jose tied the game for a second time after Karlsson finished off a 2-on-1 pass from Evander Kane.

That momentum carried over to the third, where Karlsson's blistering point shot at 4:11 gave the Sharks their first lead in the game, but it didn't last long. 1207289 Minnesota Wild Marcus Foligno (lower-body injury) and Zach Parise (COVID list) aren't on the Wild's road trip.

Foligno has been out since taking a shot off the lower right leg on March Wild GM Bill Guerin talks trades, contracts and draft prep 12. "He's progressing," Guerin said.

As for first round draft pick Marco Rossi, who was dealing with complications from COVID-19, Guerin said the prospect is doing fine and By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MARCH 30, 2021 — 1:09AM remains at home in Austria.

Etc.

SAN JOSE, CALIF. – Wild General Manager Bill Guerin expects trade • Guerin is in line to be an assistant general manager for the 2022 U.S. talks to pick up around the NHL leading to the April 12 deadline, but it's Olympic team, with Chicago's Stan Bowman expected to be Team USA's possible that day passes without the Wild making any changes. GM on Wednesday, according to a TSN report.

"I don't know how active we'll be," Guerin told the Star Tribune. "It really Star Tribune LOADED: 03.30.2021 depends. I'm really happy with our team right now. I'm happy with the job our players have done, and obviously our coaches have done a great job. Chemistry-wise, I think our team's good. Unless something really makes us better, I don't really feel the need to disrupt this group."

After a three-day layoff, the Wild resumed play Monday at San Jose in third place in the West Division.

Not only does the team have some cushion over the clubs chasing it, but the Wild is also close enough to the top spot to contend for the division title. The first four seeds will advance to the playoffs.

"If something will make us better, then we'll do it," Guerin continued. "But I do see the chemistry that our team has, and that's very important. To mix that up could be dangerous, but we'll see. We'll have to take a look."

What could limit the Wild's flexibility is the team's cap space.

The Wild is close to the $81.5 million ceiling, with less than $1 million in wiggle room, according to capfriendly.com. So someone would have to leave for someone else to arrive.

"A lot of teams are in that situation," Guerin said. "So it's money in, money out. That's not always the easiest thing to find a trade partner."

With the salary cap remaining flat until NHL revenue exceeded $3.3 billion in the aftermath of being shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, Guerin is also being mindful to not hamstring the team for the future.

Among the players up for a new contract after this season are rookie Kirill Kaprizov, Kevin Fiala, Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman. Recently, Guerin met with Kaprizov's agent Paul Theofanous, who was in the Twin Cities to visit Kaprizov, but the two were just checking in with each other and Guerin said, "There's nothing concrete."

Money matters

The Wild has approximately $23 million in cap space for 2021-22, according to capfriendly.com.

Fiala, Eriksson Ek and Hartman are restricted free agents, while Kaprizov has a special distinction since he doesn't meet free-agency requirements. He can only negotiate and sign with the Wild and isn't eligible for an offer sheet from another team.

Marcus Johansson, Nick Bonino, Nick Bjugstad, Ian Cole and Brad Hunt are among the team's pending unrestricted free agents.

"We like all these guys," Guerin said. "This team has done a lot of really good things this year, and I think we've gotten contributions from everybody — guys that been here for a long time and guys that are new here this year."

Draft prep

The 2021 draft likely will proceed as planned July 23 and 24 even though some leagues have started later than usual or not at all, affecting teams' ability to scout prospects.

"Video is definitely not the way to go, but it's a tool and [the scouts have] incorporated a lot of it," Guerin said. "I'm 100 percent confident we'll be ready."

Ahead of the entry draft will be the Seattle expansion draft, set for July 21, another event that's on Guerin's mind.

"We have ideas, but things could change very quickly," he said.

Injury update 1207290 Minnesota Wild

Wild back in action on the road vs. Sharks

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MARCH 29, 2021 — 2:11PM

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The break is over, and the Wild is back in action – beginning a four-game road trip Monday night at San Jose.

Before a three-day layoff, the team had won three in a row despite looking fatigued and in need of some time to recharge.

"It's not a secret that before we weren't playing our best hockey," coach Dean Evason said. "We were getting some success, but we've got to get back to playing Minnesota Wild hockey and that's pressure hockey. It's playing the game with pace. It's playing the game physically, energized, and playing ultimately as a team. Not that we ever didn't do that even when we didn't have our best stuff, but we're looking forward to seeing how the group responds here going forward."

Cam Talbot will be in net for his fourth straight start, the most starts he's made consecutively this season. Talbot is 5-1 over his last six starts, boasting a 1.50 goals-against average, .954 save percentage and two shutouts in that span.

Elsewhere in the Wild lineup Luke Johnson will draw in at center on the fourth line, with Nick Bonino getting promoted to the third line alongside Jordan Greenway and Joel Eriksson Ek. Bonino, a center, will play right wing.

"We think he deserves an opportunity," Evason said of Bonino. "He played real well last game. Clearly, he's going to kill penalties and take faceoffs, key faceoffs, do what he does. But we had a good chat with him about playing wing, and I know for a fact just being with the Nashville organization that he played wing."

Projected lineup:

Kirill Kaprizov-Victor Rask-Mats Zuccarello

Kevin Fiala-Ryan Hartman-Marcus Johansson

Jordan Greenway-Joel Eriksson Ek-Nick Bonino

Nico Sturm-Luke Johnson-Nick Bjugstad

Ryan Suter-Jared Spurgeon

Jonas Brodin-Matt Dumba

Carson Soucy-Ian Cole

Cam Talbot

Key numbers:

6: Wins by the Wild over its last nine trips to San Jose.

2-1: Showing by the Wild this season vs. San Jose.

16: Points for winger Mats Zuccarello in 17 career games against the Sharks.

5-4-1: Record for the Wild in its past 10 road contests.

8: Points for rookie Kirill Kaprizov in his past nine games.

About the Sharks:

San Jose is seventh in the West Division, ranking two points ahead of last-place Anaheim. The Sharks are coming off back-to-back losses in Arizona, getting outscored 9-2 in those games. Overall, they're 4-5-1 over their last 10 games. Goalie Martin Jones will be in net Monday against the Wild. He's 3-1-1 over his last five starts.

Star Tribune LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207291 Minnesota Wild

Wild suffer 4-3 shootout loss to Sharks to open week long road trip

By DANE MIZUTANI PUBLISHED: March 30, 2021 at 12:17 a.m. | UPDATED: March 30, 2021 at 12:58 a.m.

In theory, the Wild should’ve entered Monday’s game against the San Jose Sharks with tons of energy after a three-day break. In practice, the Wild once again lacked energy early on before suffering a 4-3 shootout loss.

Though the Wild still earned a point on this particular night, and actually got much better as the game wore on, it was a lesson learned the hard way. After managing three straight wins on a recent homestand despite some uninspired starts, it finally came back to bite them on this particular night.

“We got off to a little bit of a slow start,” coach Dean Evason admitted before defending his team for battling back. “We thought we competed really well. We had opportunities. Thought it was pretty even back and forth.”

Nonetheless, the Wild still failed to record a shot on goal until midway through the first period and would’ve fallen behind if not for goaltender Cam Talbot.

As the Wild started to regain their legs, Marcus Johansson scored a goal to make it 1-0. The sequence started with Kevin Fiala sticking with it after missing the net on an initial shot. He tracked the puck along the boards, then found Johansson wide open in the slot.

“It’s been working with us,” Johansson said of Fiala. “We like to play a little bit of the same type of hockey where we hold on to the puck and create room for each other out there. It’s been fun lately. I feel like my game has gotten better and better the last few games since I got back.”

That lead was short-lived, though, as the Sharks evened it at 1-1 thanks to a goal from Radim Simek a few minutes later.

With the Wild searching for a spark after that, Joel Eriksson Ek pulled off a highlight-reel move in space, then whipped a pass to Nick Bonino, who buried it to make it 2-1. That goal from Bonino came after he was elevated in the lineup as a reward from his solid play as of late.

“For the most part it was pretty good as a line,” Bonino said. “I thought we had a great night and obviously Ekker made a beautiful play to me. That was one of the easier goals I’ve scored. Just a beautiful play by him.”

That score held until late in the second period when Erik Karlsson scored for the Sharks on an odd-man rush to tie the game at 2-2. He struck again early in the third period with a blast from the point as the Sharks make it 3-2.

Though the Wild looked left for dead at that point, a couple of strong shifts helped them get back on track, and Fiala broke through with a goal to level the score at 3-3. It was a frantic play in front that featured Matt Dumba pinching up on the play, Johansson ringing a shot off the past, and finally, Fiala finding the back of the net.

That forced overtime, and after neither team scored in the extra session, the Wild ultimately fell in the shootout.

“It was strong of us to come back,” Johansson said. “There’s no quit in this group. That’s always a good sign. You’re not going to win every game. You obviously want to win and Talbs gave us a great chance to win this game. Just wasn’t our night.”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207292 Minnesota Wild Pioneer Press LOADED: 03.30.2021

Wild’s Nick Bonino earns promotion with solid play on both ends

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 3:15 p.m. | UPDATED: March 29, 2021 at 10:41 p.m.

Nick Bonino has been a mainstay in the middle of the ice since the Wild acquired him in a trade with the Nashville Predators this past offseason. He’s been masterful in the faceoff circle and responsible in both zones.

So it was interesting to see the 32-year-old center line up alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and opposite Jordan Greenway during Monday’s morning skate. Asked about the move, coach Dean Evason confirmed that Bonino will play right wing against the Sharks in Monday night’s game in San Jose.

Think of it as a promotion in the lineup by way of a position change.

“We think he deserves an opportunity,” Evason said. “He played real well last game. He’s still going to kill penalties and take faceoffs and do what he does. He played wing (with the Predators), and he’s played it before. He’s such a professional that he’ll play wherever. I think he’s excited to be with that group there tonight.”

In theory, the Greenway-Eriksson Ek-Bonino trio will form a very good shutdown line. That’s something the Wild have been searching for since Marcus Foligno was knocked out of the lineup with a lower-body injury a couple of weeks ago.

The coaching staff has struggled to find a player to slide in next to Eriksson Ek and Greenway, so the hope is that Bonino can fill that role for the foreseeable future. It sounds as if Foligno is still at least a couple of weeks away from returning.

The only downside to Bonino moving up in the lineup is that it takes him away from Nico Sturm and Nick Bjugstad. You could make a legitimate argument that the Sturm-Bonino-Bjugstad trio has been the Wild’s most reliable line over the past couple of weeks.

“It’s been real good,” Evason said. “All three of them have been good when they’ve been together. It’s just an opportunity to have another look at people in different spots.”

In the meantime, it looks like Luke Johnson will get a chance between Sturm and Bjugstad. He has bounced back and forth this season between the taxi squad and the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League.

“He went down and played center, and his faceoffs were real good down there,” Evason said of Johnson. “He played really gritty and really determined for two games. We think he deserves an opportunity to play his natural position.”

TALBOT STARTS

After guiding the Wild to three straight wins on home ice, goalie Cam Talbot was slated to start again for the Wild in Monday’s game against the Sharks. He entered the night with a 9-5-1 record, 2.34 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.

That marks four straight starts for Talbot, with Kaapo Kahkonen waiting in the wings for his next opportunity. The good news for the Wild is they can’t really make a bad choice at the moment; Kahkonen has a 12-5-0 record, 2.29 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.

“We could’ve went either way,” Evason said. “We debated it and decided to go with Cam here tonight.”

FINDING CHEMISTRY

While a lot has been made about how much chemistry Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello have together on the ice, the Wild are hoping Kevin Fiala and Marcus Johansson can replicate some of that. That duo played a starring role in last Thursday’s win over St. Louis with a beautiful goal that stood up as the game-winner.

“We really like that entire line since Johansson has come back,” Evason said. “We like to see chemistry, obviously, throughout our lineup. Hopefully we pick the right guys to play with the right people.” 1207293 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.30.2021

Canadiens return following a week off, not quite certain what to expect

Herb Zurkowsky • Publishing date:Mar 29, 2021 • 6 hours ago •

"Nobody's going to feel sorry for us," says Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher. "We know the situation we're in."

Phillip Danault compared it to a bye week without the sun. Brendan Gallagher admitted to being bored, but claimed he honed his skills on the Call of Duty video game.

Following a week away from the rink after Joel Armia and Jesperi Kotkaniemi were placed on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list, the Canadiens held their first practice Monday night at the Bell Sports Complex and will face the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday night (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio 690, 98.5 FM) at the .

The Canadiens had three games against the Oilers postponed last week along with another home contest against Ottawa on Sunday. With the revised schedule, Montreal will play its remaining 25 games in 43 days.

“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Gallagher said on a video conference. “We know the situation we’re in. It’s definitely going to be a challenge for us. We’ll see how we handle it.

“We have to take care of our business and win hockey games,” he added. “Generally speaking, we wouldn’t have wanted this situation. You want to continue to play and stay sharp. You get into a rhythm and groove. We had to pause.”

While Armia and newly-acquired centre Eric Staal, who must serve a mandatory quarantine following his acquisition from Buffalo, remain on the protocol list as of Monday, Kotkaniemi’s name was removed and he participated in practice. Winger Tyler Toffoli remains out with a lower- body injury and is expected to be replaced by Michael Frolik, making his Canadiens debut.

While the players were prohibited from the practice facility — other than undergoing daily COVID-19 tests — last week, interim head coach Dominique Ducharme tried to use the time judiciously, scheduling regular virtual video sessions to go over strategy and continue implementing his system.

Nonetheless, the timing wasn’t great for the new coach, who now must walk a delicate tightrope when it comes to practice sessions. And with so many games over a condensed period, he’ll have to be prudent so he doesn’t potentially overtax some of his veterans. At least the addition of Staal, who should be eligible to play next Monday, against Edmonton, will provide another body at his disposal.

“We knew we wouldn’t practice much,” Ducharme said. “Now we’ll almost be not practicing. We’ll need to feel our group — that’s the most important thing — to feel the energy and have the right balance between rest and going on the ice.

“It was kind of an unexpected break,” he admitted. “You’re in that rhythm of games and practices. That’s a curve ball we weren’t expecting.”

Before the health scare erupted, the Canadiens returned home from a six-game road trip, splitting a pair against the Vancouver Canucks. In its last game, Montreal finally won beyond regulation and also triumphed for the first time wearing its reverse retro uniforms. But that all now seems like a distant memory.

Danault admitted the team must become more consistent in its return to play, while understanding the club’s mettle could be pushed to the brink.

“It’s going to be a big challenge … physically and mentally,” Danault said. “That’s why you see some teams crack. We know we have a ridiculous amount of games. It’s going to be tough but, if we do this, we’re going to feel even better.”

Despite not playing for more than a week, the Canadiens remain fourth, and hold the final playoff position, in the all-Canadian North Division. Neither Calgary nor Vancouver — both two points behind — managed to overtake Montreal, which holds four to six games in hand over its nearest rivals. 1207294 Montreal Canadiens

Lightning GM BriseBois makes grant to Carabins women's hockey program

Herb Zurkowsky Publishing date:Mar 29, 2021 • 6 hours ago •

General Manager Julien BriseBois of the Tampa Bay Lightning poses with the Stanley Cup on Sept. 28, 2020 in Edmonton.

Julien BriseBois, the general manager of the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, has made a donation of $75,000 to the Université de Montréal Carabins’ women’s hockey team, it was announced on Monday.

BriseBois, 44, is a graduate of the school. His donation specifically targets the Carabins’ women’s hockey team — there is no men’s hockey at the university, which is known for its powerhouse football program. The money’s to be used to support the professional development of coaches and coaching for student athletes.

“Backing the Carabins makes perfect sense to me,” said BriseBois, who’s originally from Greenfield Park and is the second-youngest NHL GM. “It’s only natural to want to give back to my alma mater.

“As graduates, we have a responsibility to pay it forward to the university that provided us with the education we needed to realize our ambitions.”

Manon Simard, the school’s athletics director, first met BriseBois in the fall of 2019 and came away immediately impressed.

“We’re constantly on the lookout for better ways to coach our student athletes on their road to success and to encourage them in exceeding their personal best,” Simard said. “One way to do this is to partner with great people — those who inspire others to excel.

“He (BriseBois) understands that money isn’t an end to itself, but the means to accomplish great things. We’re grateful for the confidence he has in us and for his outstanding generosity. Knowing they now have a defending Stanley Cup champion backing them is a big plus for our program.”

BriseBois has been in the NHL since 2001, holding a number of positions with the Canadiens over nine seasons. He has been the GM of two American Hockey League affiliates that won the Calder Cup, and joined the Lightning, first as assistant GM, in July 2010. Over the past few days he met virtually with members of the women’s hockey team.

The university’s hockey program was founded in 2009 by Danièle Sauvageau. In its 11 years, the team has competed in the U Sports national championship nine times, producing six medals. It won the Canadian title in 2013 and ’16.

It’s the only francophone women’s university hockey team in Quebec and one of only two in Canada, along with the Université de Moncton. The Carabins have advanced to the RSEQ finals 10 times in 11 seasons.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207295 Montreal Canadiens Canadiens fans are also excited to have a natural goal-scorer in the organization. The season before the Canadiens drafted Caufield, he posted 72-28-100 totals in 64 games with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s U-18 team. His 72 goals broke the Stu Cowan: Canadiens prospect Cole Caufield will join the Laval Rocket previous record of 55 for the U-18 team that was set by Auston Matthews.

“I think I’m ready,” Caufield said about turning pro. “Obviously, there’s Stu Cowan • Publishing date:Mar 29, 2021 • 7 hours ago some things that you’ll need to adjust to, but I think I’ll have no problem. I think I have adjusted every level I’ve played at so far. Obviously, this is the toughest league. I’m excited to get going and learn everything that I In 31 games this season with the University of Wisconsin Badgers, Cole can here for the rest of the season. I’m just looking forward to getting to Caufield posted 30-22-52 totals to lead the NCAA in goals and points. work.”

After being selected in the first round (15th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft Canadiens fans are looking forward to watching him. in Vancouver, Cole Caufield made it clear he was looking for the fastest route to make the Canadiens. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.30.2021

“My goal is to play in the NHL as soon as possible,” said Caufield, who had already committed to the University of Wisconsin for the 2019-20 season. “That’s the dream of every kid and that’s the biggest goal of mine. So as fast as I can get into the NHL is my goal for now.”

Canadiens GM said after selecting Caufield that he didn’t expect the 5-foot-7 right-winger to play in the NHL right away, but also didn’t expect him to spend four years in college.

“I don’t think so … I hope not,” Bergevin said.

After playing two seasons at Wisconsin, Caufield signed a three-year, NHL entry-level contract with the Canadiens last weekend and is one step closer to playing with the Canadiens. During a video conference Monday morning from Madison, Wisc., Caufield confirmed that his pro career will start with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

“The decision kind of went in with everybody thinking what’s best for me in my future right now,” Caufield said. “It’s a great league. I’m just excited to get going. I know they have a great team. Just going to be happy to be a part of it.”

The Rocket is in first place in the Canadian Division with a 14-2-2 record. Caufield was flying to Montreal on Monday and will have to quarantine for seven days before he can join the team.

It makes sense for Caufield to start in Laval instead of with the Canadiens, especially since he will have gone 10 days without skating before joining the Rocket. Wisconsin was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament last Friday after a 6-3 loss to Bemidji State, with Caufield scoring two goals and adding an assist. Caufield finished the season with 30-22-52 totals in 31 games, leading the NCAA in goals and points, and he’s a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the top player in U.S. college hockey.

It also makes sense for the Canadiens to give Caufield a shot in the NHL before the end of this season. Since Caufield’s entry-level contract was signed as a 20-year-old, the first year of the deal will be burned this season whether he plays a game with the Canadiens or not. Giving him a taste of the NHL will only make him hungrier and you have to think he could at least help the power play with his wicked shot. The Canadiens can use a natural goal-scorer and if it looks obvious that Caufield isn’t ready, he can always go back to Laval.

When asked Monday if he thinks he’s ready for the NHL, Caufield said: “That’s a hard thing to say. I mean, I believe in myself, in my skill and work ethic and stuff. But the AHL’s a great league. A lot of good players come from it. I’m just going to try and (see how I) play, how I do and I think that will hopefully speak for itself.”

Caufield said returning to Wisconsin for a second season helped him in many ways, including the fact he was able to hit the weight room three to four times a week. When the Canadiens drafted Caufield, he weighed 163 pounds. Caufield said he feels comfortable at 170 pounds, which has allowed him to use his body more when it comes to protecting the puck, and he added that the college experience allowed him to blossom.

“College is a good place to be to grow yourself off the ice with limited games and only games on the weekend,” he said. “Getting that (second) year, extra time to put in the weight room to better yourself, I feel a lot more comfortable. Last year, I feel like it would have been forced for me to sign and go (pro) then. But this year, I feel a lot more comfortable. I feel more prepared and ready for the next step and I’m excited to take this next challenge on.” 1207296 Montreal Canadiens Buffalo in exchange for Staal. Since then, various NHL insiders have reported that the deal was in the works for days, if not a couple of weeks, and that it happened Friday mostly because the quarantine period for U.S.-based players coming to Canada was reduced from 14 to seven What the Puck: Canadiens should give newcomer Eric Staal a key role days.

The GM was not fully transparent on Thursday and Bergevin admitted as much. Brendan Kelly • Publishing date:Mar 29, 2021 • 12 hours ago So when Bergevin also said Thursday he wasn’t trying to free up more

cap space, I’d humbly suggest that, too, is a little less than totally "Well, the good part for me right now is I don’t really need to explain,” transparent. There were reports during the weekend that the Habs’ GM Eric Staal said when asked what went wrong this season with the Buffalo was on the phone trying to do exactly that, dump salary so he’d have Sabres. "I can kind of put that behind me and focus on what I can do for room to make at least one more move. the Montreal Canadiens, which is what I’m going to try and do." It’s all good. The fact is his recent deals are looking great, starting with There are three big questions on the minds of Habs fans today. the Staal trade, which feels a lot like a highway robbery of Sabres rookie GM Kevyn Adams. But let’s not pretend Bergevin is being fully open. The first, and most important, is where Eric Staal is going to end up in the Habs’ lineup? The second is if, or when, does the newest Canadien, Cole Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.30.2021 Caufield, join the big team this season? And last, but not least, was the busiest general manager in all of hockey, Marc Bergevin, possibly just a wee bit less than absolutely truthful during his news conference on Thursday? Let’s deal with these queries one by one.

I am convinced that Staal will be more than a fourth-line player and I’m just as convinced that he’ll be a big addition to the Canadiens one way or another. Who knows where he’ll end up, but I see him doing more than fourth-line minutes.

He might be the fourth centre, but will be given various special assignments, notably lending a helping hand to the power play, where you know he could be super useful. The power play is already doing way better under the direction of Alex Burrows and just picture having Staal added to the mix.

But the bottom line is that head coach Dominique Ducharme has one more option at centre and he needs that because of the inconsistent play of the four centres already on the team. If I’m Phillip (two goals) Danault, I’m feeling even more worried than usual today. He was already grumbly about Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki taking away his ice time and now there’s a seasoned veteran centre that the coach can call on in clutch situations. Let’s say just say that his reported US$30-million contract offer just moved even farther out of reach.

Like Corey Perry, Staal, even in his old age, is a clutch player. We knew that from the moment he scored the OT winner in Game 3 of the 2006 series pitting the Carolina Hurricanes against the Canadiens. That goal is etched in the minds of Habs fans. The Canadians were up two games to none, both games won on enemy territory. If Montreal had won that Game 3, the series was over. Instead Staal scored, the ‘Canes end up winning four straight games and before you can say “what the puck?” the Hurricanes win their first Stanley Cup. Like I said, clutch.

So he won’t be on the fourth line. Maybe you take TSN analyst Norman Flynn’s advice and slot Staal in as the third-line pivot, put KotkaKid on the wing and complete the line possibly with Tyler Toffoli. Sweet.

Whither Caufield: On Saturday, Caufield signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens a day after his season ended with the University of Wisconsin. On Monday morning during a video conference, he confirmed that he will be starting his professional career with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

And that’s where he should stay for the rest of this season. Habs fan chatter was in overdrive Monday and there was no shortage of dreamers talking about a Caufield-Kotkaniemi-Toffoli line. That does sound like an amazing line — for next season.

“It’s a big step in my career and the work just starts now,” Cole Caufield said after signing his NHL entry-level contract with the Canadiens. “It’s kind of surreal right now.”

The most important thing here is Caufield’s development, so the only sensible path to take is to give him a little pro tutelage in Laval under the direction of head coach Joël Bouchard. If he comes up this season, that’s simply a sign of Bergevin’s desperation to save his job at any cost. Caufield, 20, needs significant adjustment time and the best thing for the future of the Canadiens is not to rush him.

Truth and transparency: On Thursday, Bergevin suggested we should expect no significant deals for the Habs before the trade deadline. A day later, it was announced that he had traded two insignificant draft picks to 1207297 Montreal Canadiens to myself how good of a player I am and what I’ve become this past year because I think I took a big step in my development and I’m just excited to get there and show it.”

Canadiens make Cole Caufield a rich 20-year-old On how he improved his game in all three zones:

“I think my approach going into every game was just to play the D-zone first and get out as fast as you could and then go play with the puck. I Stu Cowan • Publishing date:Mar 29, 2021 • 13 hours ago think my coach, Tony Granato, helped me a lot, just understanding how important the other side of the puck is. I think everybody knows I can

score goals and do things in the offensive zone. But for me, personally, "It’s a big step in my career and the work just starts now,” Cole Caufield the No. 1 priority every game is to play in the D-zone first and spend as said after signing his NHL entry-level contract with the Canadiens. "It’s little time in there as possible. I think just having that mindset helped me kind of surreal right now." grow a lot in all three zones and as a player all around.”

Cole Caufield’s three-year, NHL entry-level contract with the Canadiens On how playing in the AHL can help his game improve: is worth US$3.925 million and includes a $92,500 signing bonus every “I think it will help me a lot. There’s a great coach down there (Joël year. Bouchard). They got a great team, too. They’re obviously all going to That’s a lot of money for the 20-year-old, who agreed to the contract help me out and I’m just going to try and soak in all I can from all those terms on Saturday after finishing his second season at the University of guys and learn the most I can. I’m just excited to get down there. It’s a Wisconsin. great league and a lot of great players have played in there and have gone on to have great NHL careers. So I can’t wait to get there and just What does he plan to do with that signing-bonus cheque? play hockey.”

“I haven’t even thought about that,” Caufield said during a video On the attention he received this season in Montreal, with RDS showing conference Monday morning from Madison, Wisc. “It’s been crazy. some Wisconsin games on TV: Things have been happening quick, so I haven’t really been able to think about that. But just want to thank my parents, obviously. I got to see “It was something special to have your college games on Canadian them yesterday for a little bit, so that was really nice. networks. I feel the support, I feel the excitement. It’s obviously exciting to play in front of a large crowd. When there’s not people in the stands, “Forty-eight hours has gone by pretty fast,” Caufield added. “It still just to know people are watching is a lot of fun. It’s pretty exciting and doesn’t feel too real. Just excited. I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls trying to special for me.” figure everything out with travel and stuff. But just excited to get there and hopefully those seven days (quarantine) go pretty fast.” On possibly winning the Hobey Baker Award:

Caufield was flying to Montreal later Monday and will have to spend “It would mean a lot to me. Personally, it was one of my goals going into seven days in quarantine before he can join the AHL’s Laval Rocket, the season and coming back to Wisconsin I just wanted to be a leader on which is where he will start his pro career. Caufield’s contract is worth the team and lead the team in the right direction. For me, personally, it $700,000 at the NHL level this season (all figures in U.S. dollars) and was just a goal of mine. My teammates obviously helped me out with $832,500 in each of the next two seasons. He will earn $70,000 per that. It was a good accomplishment for me so far.” season if he plays for the Rocket. The deal also contains performance On speaking with the New Jersey Devils’ Jack Hughes and the Anaheim bonuses up to a maximum of US$300,000 in 2021-22 and US$850,000 Ducks’ Trevor Zegras — his former teammates with the USA Hockey in 2022-23. National Team Development Program’s U-18 squad — on making the “It represents a lot for myself, personally, and then for my family as well,” jump to the NHL: Caufield said about signing his first NHL contract. “It’s a big step in my “I talked to them a lot, especially last summer, just about how they’ve career and the work just starts now. It’s kind of surreal right now. experienced things. You take from them that it’s a grind, it’s a big jump Sometimes you just forget that it’s happening. I’m just excited to get and it’s a business up there. No matter what your name is, no matter who going.” you are, you got to earn your ice time and earn it by working hard and When asked how he planned to spend his seven days alone in doing the right things. I’m prepared for that and I think I’m ready for that quarantine, Caufield said: “I think I’m going to try and do as much right now.” homework as I can to finish the school year out so that’s out of the way.” Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.30.2021 The Canadiens selected Caufield in the first round (15th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. In 31 games this season with the University of Wisconsin Badgers, the 5-foot-7, 170-pound right-winger had 30-22-52 totals to lead the NCAA in goals and points. Caufield is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the top player in U.S. college hockey.

Here’s some more of what Caufield had to say during Monday’s video conference, which lasted more than 15 minutes.

On his expectations now in pro hockey:

“I’m excited. Myself, personally, I drive myself with my own goals and stuff. So I’m just going to push myself every day to get better. Just do what I can with myself to prove to everybody that I’m a good player and can handle the heat when that happens. But just sticking with it and doing the best I can.

“For now, I think it’s all based on how I perform, I play where I’m at. As long as I perform and do the right things at a certain point I might be given that opportunity (to join the Canadiens). As for now, I’m just focused on playing where I’m at and I’m just excited to get going there.”

On how his game evolved this season after posting 19-17-36 totals in 36 games as a freshman at Wisconsin in 2019-20:

“I think just being mature as an all-around player. I think my ability in how I learned this year how to play in all three zones a little bit better is something that I took a lot of pride in. I think the compete factor’s always been there, but I’m just a lot more hungry right now. I just want to prove 1207298 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens will hold practice Monday night in Brossard

Stu Cowan • Publishing date:Mar 29, 2021 • 11 hours ago •

After a week off, the Canadiens are expected to practise around 6 p.m. Monday at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.

After a week off, the Canadiens will practise at 6:45 p.m. Monday at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.

The Canadiens haven’t been on the ice since Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia were placed on the NHL’s COVID Protocol Related Absences list last Monday and GM Marc Bergevin later confirmed that one of the two players had tested positive for a variant of the coronavirus, while the second had close contact. The NHL postponed four of the Canadiens games. They were supposed to play the Edmonton Oilers last Monday, Wednesday and Friday, followed by the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. All four games were to be played at the Bell Centre.

The NHL released an updated schedule on Sunday that has the Canadiens returning to action Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, SNW, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). The updated schedule has the Canadiens playing their final 25 games over 43 days.

The Canadiens players continue to be tested daily for COVID-19. Testing was done between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Monday at the Bell Sports Complex and there were no more positive tests, which allowed the team to practise Monday night.

When the NHL released its updated COVID-related absences list just after 5 p.m. Monday, Kotkaniemi’s name was taken off. Armia and Eric Staal remain on the list. Staal is going through a mandatory quarantine after arriving in Montreal on Saturday following his trade from the Buffalo Sabres.

The Canadiens also clarified the situation concerning COVID-19 quarantine for players arriving in Canada from the United States.

“Following discussions with the health authorities it is important to clarify that in the case of Eric and Cole (Caufield) and other players in the same situation, technically all players entering Quebec from the United States are serving a 14-day quarantine,” Paul Wilson, the Canadiens’ vice- president (public affairs and communications) said Monday morning. “They have, however, been given permission by Canada and Quebec to serve days 8-14 as a working quarantine during which they can participate in team activities and join our bubble. It would therefore not be accurate to claim that the quarantine is only seven days.”

Staal and Caufield will still be able to participate in practices and games and travel with the team after spending seven days in quarantine.

Staal arrived in Montreal on Saturday after being acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres last Friday. Caufield was flying to Montreal from Wisconsin on Monday after signing a three-year, NHL entry-level contract with the Canadiens on Saturday. Caufield confirmed during a video conference Monday morning that he will report to the AHL’s Laval Rocket after spending his first seven days in quarantine. He played the last two seasons at the University of Wisconsin.

Caufield posted 30-22-52 totals in 31 games with the Wisconsin Badgers this season to lead the NCAA in goals and points. The 5-foot-7, 170- pound right-winger is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the top player in U.S. college hockey. The 20-year-old was selected by the Canadiens in the first round (15th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207299 Montreal Canadiens “Every player is different,” Ducharme said. “Everyone learns differently, everyone adjusts differently. Some need to execute on the ice, to feel the game situation, to read it in real time. Others are able to do it a bit more with video. So it’s a mix. But with the practices we had before this break, How the Canadiens came out of their forced break and what they can coming back tonight, we’re going to use all of the time we have, whether learn from other teams that did the same that’s through video or on the ice, so that everything we want to do becomes more and more automatic. So that our players don’t need to

think as far as our style of play and our structure.” By Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine Godin Mar 29, 2021 There is a reality the Canadiens will need to face, however. They were the only team in the North Division that has had to stay away from the ice for this long. It has happened in the NHL, but not in this division. Have The Canadiens began filtering onto the ice a bit earlier than usual. A they noticed how other teams have dealt with it? week away from their happy place seemed like it was a bit too long. “Some teams have struggled,” said Gallagher, who had clearly looked jumped on and immediately mimicked a kid who was into it. “Buffalo seemed to get it early and they weren’t able to really get learning how to skate, taking very short, choppy strides. Jonathan Drouin back on track. New Jersey, when they got shut down, they got a couple jumped on and made a beeline for the first puck he saw, carried it into of wins right away and they looked like they hadn’t missed a beat. Every the slot, deked an imaginary defender and fired a puck into the empty team kind of handled it differently. We can talk to some guys and figure net. He had a beaming smile from ear to ear the entire time. out what they do, but at the end of the day, it’s pretty simple. You’ve just got to find your game as soon as possible. I think we did what we could The Canadiens returned to practice Monday evening after a forced one- to get some home workouts in, but that first game, legs are probably week break due to COVID-19 entering their universe, and when Jesperi going to be a little bit heavy, maybe you’re not as sharp with the puck. So Kotkaniemi was removed from the league’s protocol list at 5 p.m. (ET) you’re going to need to find a way. … It’s definitely going to be a and less than two hours later was on the ice with his teammates, it was challenge, so we’ll see how we handle it.” confirmed that it was Joel Armia who had tested positive for a variant of the virus that has forever altered all of our lives. Let’s see how some of those other teams handled it.

It was evident Monday night to what extent it had altered the lives of the Dallas Stars Canadiens. The Stars were the first NHL team to shut down due to COVID-19. In It was a practice that was a bit more enthusiastic than normal, with early January, they spent six days of training camp without practice and smiles across more faces, with more fun playing the game all of these once the team was allowed back, there were still 15 players missing so athletes have loved their entire lives. their first four games of the season were postponed.

“It probably has to do with the fact we haven’t really seen anyone for a When the Stars finally played a game, they smoked the Nashville week,” Brendan Gallagher said. “Any time you’re around the rink with the Predators 7-0, scoring five goals on the power play. guys, it’s always fun but you take it for granted sometimes … I think guys had a smile on their face just because we get to play hockey again.” “When your team is off a little bit as we were in the first, you’re going to need your goaltender, and (Anton) Khudobin was great,” Stars coach Tyler Toffoli, felled by a lower-body injury before this break triggered just Rick Bowness said that night. prior to the scheduled Canadiens’ game against the Edmonton Oilers on March 22, was not on the ice. Armia, obviously, was not either, though The goalie is subject to the same restrictions as his teammates, but coach Dominique Ducharme said he should be back “in a week or so.” Bowness raised an interesting point that will surely apply to the Toffoli should be back on the ice in the coming days. Canadiens. If their execution is not quite where they need it to be Tuesday evening, it would be very useful to have Carey Price serve as a But the immediate concern for the Canadiens was how they will solution to the rust of his teammates. approach the game at home Tuesday night against the Oilers, the start of a run of 25 games in 43 days that will define their season. While they In February, the Stars had to postpone four more games because of the were off the ice, the Canadiens added Eric Staal in a trade with the nasty winter storm that knocked out power in Texas. This time, they went Buffalo Sabres and their top prospect Cole Caufield signed his entry-level eight days between games, returned to practice on a Thursday and contract and will be heading to the Laval Rocket with the possibility of played their first game on the following Monday. suiting up for Montreal in the near future. “The other teams have kept playing and now you’re looking at some of The Canadiens got stronger while they were in quarantine, but neither those teams in our division are seven games ahead of us in terms of Staal nor Caufield will be in uniform Tuesday night. And one thing this games played,” Bowman said prior to their first game back against the break has done was up the level of urgency the Canadiens feel for their Florida Panthers. “So eventually, that’s going to hurt us.” final 25 games because of the frenetic pace at which they will be played. As opposed to the Stars, the Canadiens having more games left to play “We can’t waste any time, we need to push right to the end for 25 than their division rivals is not terrible news in that the teams that have games,” Phillip Danault said. “We need to take one game at a time, but played the most games in the division are still behind them in the we know we don’t have much room to maneuver so every game is standings. important. We got a break for a week, but we can’t have any excuses, Bowness was hoping the Stars could survive the first 10 minutes against unfortunately. We need to push from the very first game. Every game will the Panthers so they could find their legs. They managed that, but be huge for us.” cracked in the second period and lost 3-1. Still, it was great to watch the Canadiens enjoy themselves on the ice “Were we rusty? Yeah,” Bowness said. “Did we play through it? No.” after a week where COVID-19 was the biggest worry for them. It reinforced the fact that the game is still fun. Toward the end of practice, a Carolina Hurricanes bunch of players were practicing one-timers, and each time one went in the net, every player cheered exaggeratedly. Following their first three games of the season, the Hurricanes had to wait nine days before playing their next one. They spent six days off the But it was also clear that the light-hearted side of this practice would be ice and when they returned to practice, five players were still missing. At short-lived, that what the Canadiens are facing would quickly become their first practice, they had to be in four separated groups that could not extremely serious. Practices like the one Monday evening will be rare, if count more than six players each. not nonexistent, as the Canadiens attempt to secure their spot in the playoffs and move up the standings. Maybe it’s because they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 1-0 in their first game back, but coach Rod Brind’Amour didn’t think the break had much Ducharme did his best to fine-tune the system changes he made after of a negative effect on his team. taking over from Claude Julien, benefitting from a dead period that he didn’t get when he took over to drive home the style and system changes “Well, it’s actually probably easier, to be honest with you,” he said in an he wanted from his players through three or four online video sessions interview Monday. “And as far as Montreal now, it probably came at a with the group sprinkled in throughout the week away. good time because of the grind of the season, and now they get a good mental break. And you have a lot of energy. So I think that can be really week in quarantine because the NHL did not want the same thing to used to your advantage, to be quite honest. And that’s what happened in happen again. our case. We were missing a lot of guys still and probably didn’t match up against Tampa, but that energy was what kind of prevailed in that The Devils did not hold a single practice with everyone available before game.” playing their first game, but still found a way to beat the New York Rangers 5-2. The challenge seems to be to use that energy to override the lack of execution that results from the time away. “We knew that we had lots of excuses for maybe not playing well, and I told the team that we’ve got to find a reason to win,” Devils coach Lindy Buffalo Sabres Ruff said.

Ralph Krueger, who has since been fired, was counting on those Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who had been felled by symptoms recharged batteries when the Sabres got back to action in mid-February. and was playing his first game in 28 days, thanked his teammates for They had spent 14 days without playing, the first seven of which were their discipline in his first game back. spent not even practicing. When they got back to practice, nine players were missing, plus Krueger. “The fact that we didn’t get in the box at all tonight, that was really important for a game like this, coming back and not playing in a long “We might not have the stamina at the moment that we had 14 days ago, time,” he said. “Any time you can spend less time in your own zone, we might not be as synchronized as a group as we’d like to be right off taking less penalties, it’s beneficial for getting your game and finding your the bat, but there’s got to be a mental and physical freshness in this legs.” break,” Krueger said. Considering all the time lost, the Devils, as of Feb. 16, were only going to But following a 3-1 loss to the New York Islander in their first game back, have one stretch of two days without playing for the rest of the season. Krueger said that the Sabres’ offensive game “seemed to dwindle with the energy that the guys had.” “We’ve probably officially shut down practice for almost the rest of the year,” Ruff said the night of their first game back. “I look at the schedule, More than a month and a half later, the Sabres are still looking to find when I look at the minutes a player is going to play, maybe some players what they lost. will get more minutes. Obviously, we’ll judge where (the) energy is at, but probably full team practices are pretty well almost done.” Colorado Avalanche Every team that’s been impacted by postponements has managed it The Avalanche were out of action in early February for 11 days between differently. But, one month after they all returned to action, they are all games. Like several teams that were slowed down by COVID-19, the essentially where we might have predicted they would be in the Avalanche benefited from three days of practice before returning to game standings. The good teams came out of it fine, the lesser teams didn’t. action. That might be the advantage of having the virus impact the team earlier in the season because there was more room to re-schedule The biggest difference for the Canadiens and the teams we looked at is games. Right now, every day counts and the Canadiens only got the one that they were forced to shut down out of precaution, and not because practice before jumping back into the fire. COVID-19 ripped through their dressing room. So while they might come out of it a bit rusty, they should be more rested. “We needed the practice after missing the time,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said after his team lost 1-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights upon its They will need it. return Feb. 14. “This is the fourth day in a row we’re on the ice, and we had to put in some good work to try and get them ready. And they were The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 up for it. But in an ideal world, I’d love to have today off and then play tomorrow. With only three days to get ready, we couldn’t give them a day off. So I kind of felt like with the three practices and travel that we might not have great legs, and this is something we had to try and work through.”

How did Bednar approach this game? By keeping it as simple as possible, which was the same message Ducharme sent to his players for their first game against the Oilers.

“We had to dig in on the defensive side of it in order to give ourselves a chance to win the hockey game,” Bednar said. “We didn’t have that extra pop in our legs that we needed to create a few more chances.”

Minnesota Wild

The Wild were also struck by the virus in the first half of February, remaining inactive for 13 days before losing 4-0 to the Los Angeles Kings upon their return. But then they won six games in a row.

“I think they did a good job when we all had it of easing guys back into the lineup, maybe not giving you the workload you were accustomed to before, but just letting you get a little bit back in shape, and then by the second or third game usually back to normal,” said Wild centre Nick Bonino, who admitted the virus took a toll on his body. “This year, it seems like there’s almost more of a rhythm than in a normal year with playing the same team at least two times in a row. Those 10 days off throw a wrench into it, but for some teams that can be a blessing, and for some teams maybe not that great.

“For us, I think guys came back with a fresh mind ready to go. We had only played 10 games, so still pretty fresh season.”

New Jersey Devils

The Devils had the longest absence of any team, 15 days without playing a game. At one point, they had 19 players on the COVID-19 protocol list. Some of those players played in games on Jan. 30 and 31 against the Sabres in Buffalo, and it is suspected this is how there was an outbreak on the Sabres. This is one of the reasons why the Canadiens just spent a 1207300 Montreal Canadiens Kelly Caufield’s father coached high school football in Stevens Point for 25 years. Cole and Brock played running back from Grades 3-6. Neither of them is very big, so that experience in football would prove beneficial when physical contact was introduced in minor hockey. The moments that prepared Cole Caufield for the Canadiens spotlight “It was the best thing we ever did because I knew they weren’t going to wind up playing football, but they learned how to take a hit and how to come off of a hit, like butter off of a hit,” Kelly Caufield said. By Arpon Basu Mar 29, 2021 If you’ve watched Caufield play with the Wisconsin Badgers, his ability to

work in close quarters and slip off contact to find space jumps out. He Cole Caufield was introduced to hockey thanks to a steady stream of first learned it by playing running back. He will need it in the professional tears during a tantrum as he watched his older brother Brock begin his hockey ranks. own journey in organized hockey by skating circles around all the other When Caufield was 10 years old, he was part of the Chicago Junior kids on the ice. Blackhawks team that competed in the Brick Invitational in Edmonton. Cole wanted to be out there, too. The problem was that he was still in The coach was Blackhawks legend and Canadiens Stanley Cup winner diapers. He was 2. Denis Savard. “I did not intend for that to happen,” said Caufield’s mother, Kelly. “Brock “Boy, was he good to Cole,” Paul Caufield said in 2019. “A very good had started skating when he was 2, but we didn’t get him into organized influence on Cole.” hockey until he was 4. He went to the first practice and he was just skating and skating and everyone else is pushing chairs. So the guy Paul, Cole and Brock Caufield pose with Chicago Blackhawks great came up to me and said, ‘Brock can’t stay in this group. We have another Denis Savard. (Courtesy Caufield family) group he can move to.’ At one point, Savard decided to provide Caufield with a bit of extra “So Cole was just crying at the rink, and he’s 2. ‘I want to skate like motivation. He pulled out a stack of hundred-dollar bills and showed it to Brock!’ There were tears down his face. So he’s standing there when him. Brock gets off, crying, and the coach looks at him and says, ‘Well Brock’s moving to the next group, so you can have his spot.’ I skate! I skate! I “Cole,” he said, “you make the NHL, this is what you get.” looked at the guy like, ‘You don’t do that! He’s 2!’ And he said, ‘I don’t “Oh my God, Cole’s eyes,” Kelly Caufield remembered. “Like, I want care.’ So I said, ‘I care!’ He had his diaper on. But he loved every second that!” of it.” Caufield’s contract with the Canadiens includes a $92,500 signing bonus Kelly Caufield shows off her buttons with hockey pictures of her sons, and, if he were to hit every performance bonus over the three-year term Cole and Brock, in a restaurant in Stevens Point in 2019. (Arpon Basu / of the deal, could be worth up to $3.925 million. For The Athletic) That’s a lot of hundred-dollar bills. This was just one of the little snapshots of Caufield’s life that we learned when The Athletic travelled to Madison, Wis., and to his hometown of The Brick Tournament was also the first time Kelly Caufield realized her Stevens Point, where Kelly Caufield recounted that memory of basically son would never be intimidated physically. being forced into having her son begin playing hockey while still in diapers. “Kids would try to hit him and he would just smile right at them, and it would tick them off to no end,” she said. “That was when I saw he knew But there are many more instances in Caufield’s life that we didn’t get to how to frustrate people. If you score, that frustrates people and if they try in our profile of him in 2019 that have led to this moment, having signed to hit you and you smile right at them, that ticks them off even more and his entry-level contract with the Canadiens on Saturday and preparing to that takes them off their game. So I didn’t worry about him because I start his professional career in the coming days and weeks. knew he could take care of himself.”

That moment at an ice rink in Stevens Point is telling in many ways. It Someone who smiles at his opponents and scores on them to get under illustrates Caufield’s passion for the game, and how it is in his DNA. His their skin? Sound familiar? father, Paul, is the all-time leading scorer at the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point. His grandfather, Wayne, played professionally for the Brendan Gallagher has made a living smiling at opponents to drive them . nuts, as Chris Tierney could probably attest. (Jean-Yves Ahern / USA Today) And then there is his brother, Brock, who led the way for Caufield to join that team at age 2 and continued to guide his little brother to become the When Caufield was 16 he tried out for the U17 team at the United States best player he could through countless hours of drills at the ice rink their National Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. father manages. The tryout featured a camp with several games to allow a proper Paul’s favourite players were Mike Bossy and Joe Sakic, both of whom evaluation of each player. The head coach was John Wroblewski, a were taken with the No. 15 pick in the draft, just like Caufield. fellow Wisconsin native who was eager to see this undersized goal- scoring wizard from his home state. In 2003, when Brian Rafalski won his second Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils, he spent his day with the trophy in Waupaca, Wis., about It didn’t quite work out that way. a half hour away from Stevens Point. Naturally, the Caufield boys were “You’re supposed to have this goal scorer from this small town in there, waiting in line for an hour for this photo. Wisconsin — and I don’t mean that as a slight in any way because I am “Growing up in our house, we’re watching TV and my big thing with from a small town in Wisconsin — and he comes to the tryout camp and having the NHL package is in between periods, watching with the kids,” we have five or six games and he goes goalless in the tryout camp,” Paul Caufield said. “Most kids are running around the house, but that’s Wroblewski, now the head coach of the Ontario Reign in the AHL, said in when you’re talking the game, understanding the game. They’d be an interview Sunday. “So then you start asking questions: can this kid listening to all that stuff. score?

“The Hockey News would come, and we’d read it together. Now, my kid’s “To me, the answer to that came in the first couple of days of practice in The Hockey News, so that’s kind of weird.” when he was just filling the net from every possible angle, not only with the U17 team, but when we meshed with the U18 team for practices too. Cole and Brock Caufield didn’t only play hockey as kids. Both of them You didn’t need to see anything more. He was just an extra special shoot from the right side in hockey because their father believes right player with just an absolute cannon for a shot.” shots have an easier angle to access a goalie’s glove hand, but Cole was also taught to throw with his left hand so he could be a left-handed Somehow, without scoring a single goal in the tryout camp, Caufield pitcher in . wasn’t cut and survived long enough to show off in those practices. Wroblewski admits cutting Caufield was discussed, but there was a But in Stevens Point, football is king. realization then that Caufield was not simply a goal scorer. Yes, he scores goals. But the primary source of many of those goals isn’t his Cole Caufield and John Brown after a game at Wisconsin this season. hands. They originate with his brain, honed while watching those (Courtesy Lynn Brown) intermissions and reading those copies of The Hockey News with his dad and brother. Last summer, Caufield was back in Ann Arbor to train at the USNTDP. He stayed with the Browns. “You go by body of work and you go with the idea that there was already a ‘B’ game built into his DNA,” Wroblewski said. “He already knew how to “This summer he’d come home, and all the drills that he would do, he’d play momentum hockey, you could see that he could make plays in tight show me them, like little miniature versions,” John said. “He would show and make his teammates better, his passing was elite already even me all the things that he would do, like the quick release and everything. though he was supposed to be a goal scorer. He was very adept at I’ve got to say, that helped me. making cross-ice passes and seeing the open ice and hitting the player in “When we were billet brothers we would talk about different things, how a weird line. His hockey IQ was off the charts despite the fact he didn’t our day was and everything. But when he was here this summer, it was score.” more of a friend relationship.”

Caufield would go on to become the most prolific goal scorer in the John is preparing to start playing high school hockey, so all of those drills history of the USNTDP, breaking records set by Auston Matthews and with Caufield will surely come in handy. Out of everything he was taught, Patrick Kane. And to think, it was almost over before it even started what does John feel will help him the most? Considering all the skill work because of a rough tryout. he did with Caufield, John’s answer was surprising, and will be music to “It turned out to be, I would say, a very fortuitous bounce,” Wroblewski the ears of the Canadiens. said. “Probably the work ethic,” John said. “Every day, after a long day, he’d When Caufield arrived in Ann Arbor to play for the USNTDP, he was come home and shoot, work out, do something like that. He was always placed with a billet family, the Browns. driving for success and he was never really satisfied.”

Lynn Brown, as coincidence would have it, is originally from Montreal. For a father, watching the influence Caufield was having on his son was Her mother and brother still live in Montreal. Her brother, David a comforting feeling for Patrick Brown. Chisholm, lives in Pointe-Claire and as soon as regulations permit will be “He always had goals, and it was good for John to watch Cole achieve ensuring Caufield does not go hungry during his time in Montreal. his goals,” Patrick said. “The first year of the program, he was one goal “(Caufield) already has been in touch with my brother via text,” Brown shy of Auston Matthews’ record. We knew — he never said it — but we said in an interview Sunday. “His wife is Italian and they were like, ‘He knew he really wanted to break that record, and he worked really hard to has to come and we’ll feed him.’ We didn’t know when this was going to do so. happen, but when he was drafted to Montreal, it was surreal. So Dave “When Cole left, I wrote him a note and told him he was a great role was like, ‘Make sure he has our number. We’ll tell him where to go and model on the ice, he just went out and played and he played hard, but he where not to go and we’ll always have a good plate of food for him.’” was also a great role model off the ice in terms of trying to get John to But more so than the coincidence of living with someone who comes understand how to set goals, how to work really hard. He was great.” from his future NHL home, Caufield’s time with the Brown family is a Patrick, John and Lynn Brown with Cole Caufield. (Courtesy Lynn Brown) window into who he is as a person. One thing stuck out to us during our visit to Madison in 2019 to visit “He’s an excellent hockey player and one of the most amazing kids that Caufield at the University of Wisconsin. It has very little to do with you’ll ever come across,” Brown said. “He was an amazing role model to Caufield’s chances for success in the NHL, but it provides a window into my son. And he still is to this day. We’re just so proud of him.” his mindset.

Lynn and Patrick Brown’s son is named John. He is 13, but he was 10 At the end of practice one day, the Badgers were practising shootouts, when Caufield arrived to live in Ann Arbor, and he is an aspiring hockey and Caufield wasn’t having the greatest day. Watch one of his attempts player. here.

“We moved into our house in Michigan a few days before Cole arrived,” Did you see what Caufield did at the end there? How he took a puck and Brown said. “So one of the quickest things that went out were a hockey put it in the net? He did that after every missed shootout attempt. Every net in the driveway with some tiles, because my son plays hockey. When single one. Cole arrived, he was out there very shortly stickhandling with John. To see him stickhandling in the driveway it was like, ‘Oh, well that’s why Caufield has become a more well-rounded player at Wisconsin, but his you’re here.’” essence will always remain this: He loves watching pucks enter the net. And it eats at him when they don’t. If Sidney Crosby had his dented dryer in his basement, the Brown family had a shed in the driveway that serves as a memento of Caufield’s early As Caufield arrives in Montreal, the real test begins, first with the Laval days of development. Rocket in the American Hockey League. From there, who knows? It would not be the least bit surprising to see him wearing a Canadiens “We have a nice hole in our shed,” Brown said. “It’s still there. We’re uniform at some point this season. going to keep it there and make him sign it.” The eyes of a hockey-mad city will be fixated on him all the time. Making Those days shooting in the driveway, the days Caufield would bring his the jump from college to the pros is not easy in the easiest of teammates over to play mini sticks in the family room or hold SuperDeker circumstances, but it will be that much more difficult to navigate because competitions, all of it was precious for John Brown. But none of it of the nature of Montreal as a hockey town. The city has eagerly awaited compared to the NHL Draft in Vancouver. his arrival from the moment he was getting that hug in the stands in The entire Brown family travelled to Vancouver for the big day. But that Vancouver. morning, Caufield made a special request to John. “The one thing I can say about my kid is I think he can survive in “That’s the kind of kid Cole is,” Patrick Brown said. “The morning of the Montreal because of his personality,” Paul Caufield said back in 2019. draft he called John and invited him to sit with him, which was just an “My older son is kind of like me; he’s intense, he’s focused, he’s driven. amazing experience.” Cole’s driven, but his personality comes across like nothing fazes him, and I don’t know how he does that. The kid hugging Caufield in the photo at the top of the story? That’s John Brown, moments after Shea Weber announced Caufield’s name as the “I think it’s all throughout the years, everyone’s told him he’s small, he’s Canadiens’ pick at No. 15 overall, hugging Caufield like his life depended not going to make it. He’s always had this negative stuff, and that would on it. bug me, but it doesn’t bug him. It’s just fuel for the fire for him.”

“It was a good experience to share it with Cole,” John said. “To be near As for Caufield himself, he has been looking forward to this for a long him.” time. Not just to reach the NHL, but to reach it in a market like Montreal. Many of the aspects of this city that might be seen as a negative, he has The relationship did not end when Caufield left for Wisconsin. If anything, seen as a positive almost from the moment he was drafted and faced all he and John have grown closer. the cameras and microphones from the Montreal media. “From what I’ve heard it’s tougher than most places, just from the media aspect of it. But for me, I love it,” Caufield said in 2019. “If people care about hockey as much as the players do, that’s even better for the team. Having that support from them, if you win, they’re going to love you. There’s obviously some downfalls from that, if you’re not doing well you’re going to hear about it. But that’s probably the best part, the fans push you to be better and be consistent on a nightly basis.”

Caufield understands what he is walking into, though there will probably be some challenges he did not anticipate. Professional hockey is not easy, but Caufield has never looked for the easy path, either.

And he’s been preparing for this moment literally since he was in diapers.

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Nashville Predators suddenly in NHL playoff contention. Here's why

Will Backus

Roman Josi was in the perfect spot.

The Nashville Predators captain closed in as Eeli Tolvanen centered the puck in front of Chicago's goal on Sunday night. His speed carried him past the Blackhawk defenders, and into a one-on-one situation with goalie Malcolm Subban.

Josi watched as Subban dipped in preparation for a shot. He made the adjustment and sent the puck airborne and into the net.

With that, Nashville took a 3-2 lead with 6:33 to go in the third period in Chicago, answering two Blackhawks goals to curb the opposition's momentum.

"That's been a lot of the differences in our game," Preds coach John Hynes said. "Our guys believe in it. They're willing to work that hard in the games to do it. That's why you wind up having success.

"That game winning goal is typical of the changes in the work ethic that the players have committed to."

Nashville's win wraps a two-game weekend sweep over the Blackhawks. The Preds have won seven of their last eight games, including the past five in a row.

It's the longest win streak in the NHL, and it has pushed Nashville from the brink of a tear-down to the tick of the playoff chase in the NHL Central Division.

The Predators entered Monday tied with Chicago with 37 points, but the Predators hold the tiebreakers. There's a pretty big gap between fourth and third, though— the Florida Panthers are 11 points ahead.

Even still, Nashville has captured momentum with two weeks remaining before the April 12 trade deadline. A team that was once trending toward a potential top-five pick in the NHL draft, along with a fire sale to jumpstart a rebuild, might instead be able to focus its attention on making a dash to the postseason.

"It's different," said Nashville wing Viktor Arvidsson, who had a goal and an assist Sunday. "We were kind of in a slump a month ago. After that road trip, I think we really found our game and we kept playing at 100%."

What's more impressive is that Nashville closed out the sweep without goalkeeper Juuse Saros, who has been on top of his game recently. He was out of the lineup on Sunday with an undisclosed injury.

In his place, Pekka Rinne made his return to the starting ranks. Despite allowing the two goals, he had 27 saves.

He turned away a ferocious Chicago attack in the last few seconds that would have sent the game to overtime.

Tolvanen, who was credited with the assist on Josi's goal, also extended his points streak to five games.

"Tonight wasn't the prettiest game, but we found a way to win," Josi said. "That's the most important part. With everything we've been through the whole year, to be close to a playoff spot right now, it's huge for us and definitely gives us a lot of energy going forward."

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Predators lock up top defensive prospect Farrance

Michael Gallagher

Nashville Predators fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

The club signed defensive prospect David Farrance to a two-year, entry- level contract on Sunday and assigned him to the taxi squad hours later, ending months of conjecture surrounding the 21-year-old’s NHL future.

Farrance’s senior season came to an end on Saturday when St. Cloud State eliminated Boston University from the NCAA Tournament. He led the Terriers in scoring with 16 points in 11 games and his five goals were third-most on the team.

Farrance led all NCAA defensemen scoring 1.45 points per game— the highest scoring clip for any defenseman in the Conference since 1995 — and ranked third in points-per game among all Division I skaters.

“He can be a guy who can change the game, especially from an offensive perspective,” BU coach Albie O’Connell told the Boston Herald on Friday. “Dave ... has been a huge part of the program for the last four years.”

For the second consecutive season, the 6-foot blue-liner was named a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the top college hockey player, and he was named a Hockey East first team All- Star. His nomination last year made him just the second-ever BU defenseman to be named a finalist.

A third-round pick of the Predators in 2017 (92nd overall), Farrance finished his NCAA career with 26 goals and 88 points in 113 games. He led or tied for the team lead in points in both of his final two seasons.

"He's an excellent skater,” Predators assistant general manager Jeff Kealty said of Farrance in December. “He can carry pucks up, he can lead the rush, he can join the rush, he can make plays (and) impact the power play.”

In 2019, Farrance was tied for the fourth-most points (43) and sixth-most assists (29) in the country, leading all defensemen in points, goals (14) and power play goals (nine). His 21 power-play points ranked third in the NCAA.

Farrance won a gold medal with the U.S. in 2017 at the U18 World Championship and helped the U.S. win the Five Nations tournaments in 2016 and 2017. He joins former teammates and Patrick Harper as BU alums in the Predators organization.

Nashville POST LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207303 Nashville Predators

Poile surprised with TN Sports Hall of Fame induction

Michael Gallagher

It may be hard to believe at age 71 that Nashville Predators General Manager is still adding accomplishments to his resume.

That’s exactly what Poile — the only GM in Predators history — did after being named to the 2021 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame class during a broadcast of Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

“When we look back at your historic career and your accomplishments — 39 consecutive seasons alone as an NHL general manager, the general manager of the Predators since their inception, the longest-tenured GM, the winningest GM, your association to U.S. hockey and of course your induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame — our board of directors, when put in front of them, had an easy decision,” HOF director Brad Willis said.

Poile is just the second member of the Predators organization to be inducted into the TN Sports Hall of Fame after broadcaster Terry Crisp was inducted last year.

Poile, who is the winningest GM in NHL history with 1,432 victories and counting, was the NHL General Manager of the Year in 2017 — a finalist in 2010, 2011 and 2012 — and he was named Executive of the Year by the Sporting News in 2006.

Inducted to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, Poile is the only GM in league history to lead two different organizations (he was also the GM Washington Capitals for 15 years) for 500 wins and 1,000 games.

Poile was the general manager of the 2014 men’s U.S. Olympic hockey team and the 1998 and 1999 U.S. National teams in the IIHF World Championship tournaments. He has also served on the NHL’s Competition Committee since its inception and was awarded the Trophy in 2001, which is given annually to recognize a recipient’s contributions to the sport of hockey in the U.S.

Under Poile’s guidance, the Predators made the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history in 2017 and captured the team’s first- ever Presidents’ Trophy the following season.

Nashville POST LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207304 Nashville Predators future, assuming everyone is healthy? You can take into consideration any players who might be traded by the deadline. — Jacob S.

Here is what I came up with: Is the NHL biased against the Predators? Will David Farrance play? Filip Forsberg (26) Mailbag Ryan Johansen (28)

Eeli Tolvanen (21) By Adam Vingan Mar 29, 2021 Viktor Arvidsson (27)

Matt Duchene (30) Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length. (19) Let’s talk about hot mics and a certain small-market team. Do you think the Predators have often gotten the raw end of the deal on calls from Yakov Trenin (24) NHL officials? Sure feels that way to Nashville fans. — Daniel S. Rem Pitlick (23) We must begin with now ex-referee Tim Peel, whom the NHL nudged into early retirement following his hot-mic moment in Nashville last week. Luke Kunin (23)

That opened the door for Predators fans to go full-on Charlie Day from Rocco Grimaldi (28) /Calle Jarnkrok (29) that “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” meme, connecting Peel’s penalty Colton Sissons (27) call on Viktor Arvidsson to a larger conspiracy to a larger conspiracy in which the league fixed the 2017 Stanley Cup Final by disallowing two Mathieu Olivier (24) Predators goals. (The Predators were 9-10 in regular-season games officiated by Peel between 2016 and 2021, according to Scouting The Roman Josi (30) Refs.) Dante Fabbro (22)

The NHL does not have it in for the Predators or any other small-market David Farrance (21) team. It wants Nashville to succeed. The scenes from the 2016 All-Star Game and 2017 playoffs set the standard for so-called non-traditional Ryan Ellis (30) markets. Without Nashville, there might not be a team in Las Vegas. Jeremy Davies (24) Take it from a New Orleans Saints fan who has seen some stuff: Referees screw up on occasion. Peel’s candid comment did not reveal Alexandre Carrier (24) anything about the nature of officiating, but hopefully it will be the impetus Notably excluded from my hypothetical lineup are , Mattias for change. Ekholm, Mikael Granlund and Erik Haula, all of whom I have traded in Does David Farrance have a chance to play for the Predators this year? this scenario. — Chris P. If other teams try to lowball the Predators in trade discussions involving Mattias Ekholm, would it be worth it to keep him for another year and try One day after completing his collegiate career, Farrance signed a two- again at the deadline next season? — John D. year entry-level contract with the Predators on Sunday. Hopefully, Predators fans will stop worrying that every college prospect will spurn The Predators are under no obligation to trade Ekholm this season and the team and enter free agency. (Jimmy Vesey is so 2016.) should not settle. Their reported asking price, according to The Athletic’s The Predators assigned the high-scoring defenseman to the taxi squad, Pierre LeBrun, is “a first-round pick, an elite prospect and a third asset” of some kind. It could be a roster player to balance out the money, for so the odds of him making his NHL debut at some point appear to be in instance. his favor.

Because Farrance is 21, his entry-level deal does not slide. He will be a Last week, LeBrun and Thomas Drance solicited trade proposals from restricted free agent next summer. league executives. One involved the Predators trading Ekholm to the Winnipeg Jets for a 2021 first-round pick, top defensive prospect Ville Do you think Philip Tomasino will get a chance to play in the NHL soon? Heinola and veteran forward Mathieu Perreault, a pending free agent — Mikael H. with a $4.125 million cap hit. That would be a solid return package.

Although Tomasino, 19, has 12 points in 13 games with the Chicago Teams interested in acquiring Ekholm might be more comfortable waiting Wolves this season, the Predators are not going to rush him to the NHL. until after the Seattle expansion draft in July, when they will have more clarity regarding their rosters. The Predators would have to protect The delay of the OHL season has been a blessing in disguise for Ekholm, though, which could complicate things for them. Tomasino, who has shown that he is more than ready to turn pro. He should get a shot with the Predators next season. Which of the rookies has most impressed you? — Chris S.

“Phil is a very good hockey player,” Milwaukee Admirals coach Karl The easy answer is Eeli Tolvanen, who we will discuss later in the Taylor said. “He wants the puck. He wants to be in the big moments. I’ve mailbag, but Alexandre Carrier has stood out to me. loved working with him in Chicago. I think he’s going to be a great NHL Carrier, who played 279 AHL games between 2016 and 2021, waited player down the road. The advantages of being in the patiently for this opportunity and is making the most of it. In 13 games when he wouldn’t have, I think it’s all positive for him. It’s a situation where he’s allowed to go against men. He’s allowed to go against people with the Predators, Carrier is averaging 21 minutes of ice time as that are professionals. He’s not the graduating senior who’s going Ekholm’s partner. The two of them have controlled play at five-on-five despite starting less than 50 percent of their shifts in the offensive zone. against younger players, which isn’t a bad thing, either. It all depends on the circumstances. On “The Gold Standard” episode with Jeff Marek, he mentioned a few “I think it’s a great opportunity for all the junior players to get a look. For potential replacements for David Poile in the event he does not return Phil especially, his goal is to be in the National Hockey League. He’s after this season. Is there someone in particular, whether Marek having success in the American League. He’s learning from some of the verbalized them or not, that you think should get a shot at revamping this organization? — Josh F. older players that we have. He’s learning what professional hockey is all about and how to be a pro and how to get through the day-to-day grind of Marek brought up some intriguing names, which he detailed at around everything. Those are very valuable lessons, but he’s also having the 48-minute mark of the podcast episode. He mentioned Boston Bruins success, so he’s showing the type of player he is.” executive director of player personnel and former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Ferguson, ex-Los Angeles Kings assistant What would be the forward lines and defensive pairs you would use for general manager Mike Futa and Colorado Avalanche AGM Chris the rest of this season if your goal was to evaluate the roster for the McFarland, among others. The heat on Poile from the fan base seems to have died down over the past few weeks, but his approach to the trade deadline will be under an intense microscope, especially now that the Predators are winning.

When the time comes for Poile to step away, his replacement should be someone with an extensive scouting background. Futa started as the Kings’ director of amateur scouting and helped rebuild the franchise before ascending to the role of AGM. Washington Capitals AGM Ross Mahoney held the same title in that organization for 16 years. Internally, Predators AGM Jeff Kealty, who cut his teeth as an amateur scout, would be a strong candidate.

What kind of package will it take for Seattle to take either Matt Duchene or Ryan Johansen in the expansion draft? I have been thinking Connor Ingram and Luke Kunin. — Lynda B.

To get a sense of what it could take to convince the Kraken to take either Duchene or Johansen, it is helpful to look at the deals that the Vegas Golden Knights made during the 2017 expansion draft.

The Tampa Bay Lightning traded two draft picks and forward Nikita Gusev to the Golden Knights, who agreed to select defenseman Jason Garrison. The New York Islanders gave up first- and second-round picks, young defenseman Jake Bischoff and injured forward to ensure that the Golden Knights would choose goaltender Jean- Francois Berube. Unlike Duchene and Johansen, Garrison and Berube were not expensive players on long-term contracts.

The Kraken would hold all the cards in negotiations. It would be tough for the Predators to lose Ingram and Kunin, two young players under team control. But it might take something like that to move Duchene or Johansen.

Can you provide some analytics to show how Eeli Tolvanen’s season has been? — Zach K.

Tolvanen has been passing the eye test. He looks confident with and without the puck and seems right at home on the Predators’ top line. (His pass to set up Roman Josi’s game-winning goal against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday was *chef’s kiss*.)

We all know that Tolvanen, who has 16 points in 27 games, possesses an incredible shot, and that is evident when analyzing his expected-goal numbers, specifically on snap and wrist shots.

Interestingly, Tolvanen’s play-driving ability is not on par with his scoring prowess.

Analytically, Tolvanen has the profile of a sniper. He scores at an above- average rate, but the Predators do not dominate play when he is on the ice.

If you could go back in time and re-do one Predators draft pick, what would you do? — Ethan L.

For this exercise, I went back through the history of Predators first-round picks. To streamline the process and be realistic, I limited myself to players drafted in the next five spots. For example, the Predators selected David Legwand at No. 2 in 1998, so I only considered the players chosen third through seventh. (I still would have gone with Legwand.)

In 2005, the Predators took Ryan Parent at No. 18. The defenseman never played for the Predators, who sent him to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2007 as part of the trade. Three picks later, the Maple Leafs drafted Tuukka Rask.

Can you imagine if the Finnish duo of Rask and Pekka Rinne were the Predators’ goaltending tandem? (My second choice would have been Dylan Larkin over Kevin Fiala at No. 11 in 2014.)

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More fans allowed at Devils games as Prudential Center capacity increases this week | How to buy Devils tickets

Updated Mar 29, 2021; Posted Mar 29, 2021

By Brian Fonseca

Beginning this week, the number of Devils fans allowed to attend home games at the Prudential Center will increase as the state eases COVID- 19 restrictions.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that, effective Friday, April 2, professional and college games played indoors in New Jersey can admit 20% of the venue’s capacity, double the current allowance of 10%.

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The Prudential Center will host its first home game with double the fans on Friday, April 2, when the Washington Capitals come to Newark.

Fans interested in attending the contest, or any Devils home game for the rest of the season, can buy tickets at TicketSmarter or StubHub.

Here is the remaining home games on the Devils’ schedule:

Friday, April 2: Capitals, 7 p.m. ET

Sunday, April 4: Capitals, 3 p.m. ET

Tuesday, April 6: Sabres, 7 p.m. ET

Friday, April 9: Penguins, 7 p.m. ET

Sunday, April 11: Penguins, 7 p.m. ET

Tuesday, April 13: Rangers, 7 p.m. ET

Sunday, April 18: Rangers, 3 p.m. ET

Tuesday, April 27: Flyers, 7 p.m. ET

Thursday, April 29: Flyers, 7 p.m. ET

Monday, May 3: Bruins, 7 p.m. ET

Tuesday, May 4: Bruins, 7 p.m. ET

Star Ledger LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207306 New Jersey Devils Janne Kuokkanen was called for a double minor early in the third period when a high stick drew blood on Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Clinging to their 1-0 lead, the Devils needed a lockdown effort from their penalty kill. How Devils’ Mackenzie Blackwood made save of the season to preserve shutout | 3 observations from win over Bruins The Devils got just that, with Blackwood making four saves over the four minutes to keep the lead in tact.

“The penalty kill has been a source of strength for us and momentum Updated Mar 29, 2021; Posted Mar 29, 2021 over the last couple of weeks,” Palmieri said. “Hopefully it continues to do that. Those guys are working really hard on making sure they’re doing By Chris Ryan the right things and keeping the puck out of our net.”

The Devils finished 4-for-4 on the penalty kill on Sunday, and in March, Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 40 saves to make Kyle Palmieri’s they’ve allowed just six power-play goals on 44 chances. Their 86.3% kill first-period goal stand up in the Devils’ 1-0 victory over the Boston Bruins rate this month is a stark improvement from the 52% kill rate they posted on Sunday at TD Garden in Boston. in February.

Blackwood’s first shutout of the season involved a hectic final two During that four-minute penalty kill, forwards Jesper Bratt and Andreas minutes, including two separate video reviews for potential Bruins goals. Johnsson were both on the ice for a shift that lasted more than two But the Devils managed to emerge from both unscathed. minutes. Defensemen Sami Vatanen and Dmitri Kulikov were out for nearly as long, skating for around 1:45. Sign up for Devils Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers With tired legs, they managed to eventually clear the puck and get off the ice without any harm. Here are three takeaways from the game. “It’s a relief for them and the new guys coming over that we can get fresh A high stick hitting the puck in the final seconds may have made legs,” Blackwood said. “Bad stuff happens when you get stuck out there Blackwood’s final save of the night unnecessary, but that didn’t retract for a long time and get tired. So they did a great job of not running from the difficulty and athleticism needed to keep it out of the net. around and getting out of position with just holding their box and being smart with when to attack and when to hold.” As the deflected puck drifted toward the left post, Blackwood sprawled out in desperation to kick it toward the wall just before it crossed the red The Devils have had the Bruins’ number this season goal line entirely. While the Devils have struggled mightily against the Washington Capitals “You just push and kick your leg out at it as best you can,” Blackwood this season, it’s been the complete opposite against the Bruins. said. “I saw it kind of going in, so I was like, ‘welp, here we go.’ Then just give it the best effort you got.” Sunday’s win pushed the Devils to 4-0-1 against Boston in 2020-21, including a 3-0-0 mark at TD Garden. Of the Devils’ three shutout wins Video review of Blackwood’s kick save upheld the call on the ice of no this season, two have come against the Bruins. goal, but it wasn’t the only drama of the final 90 seconds. The Bruins have been one of the league’s worst teams at scoring 5-on-5 The Bruins appeared to tie the game with 1:10 left in regulation when goals this season, netting just 1.96 per 60 minutes to rank 29th in the Patrice Bergeron knocked in a loose puck at the left post after they NHL, but the Devils have still allowed a remarkable zero 5-on-5 goals started skating 6-on-5. against the Bruins in five games this season.

As Devils head coach Lindy Ruff saw the play unfold and the puck enter The Devils will play their final game at TD Garden on Tuesday before the the net, he didn’t need to consult the replay before knowing what he was Bruins visit Prudential Center in Newark two times in May. going to do. Star Ledger LOADED: 03.30.2021 ”Immediately when I saw it, it looked like they pitchforked (Blackwood) when he basically had the puck covered,” Ruff said. “I said to the other coaches, I’m challenging it for sure. I think you can be wrong, you can be right. Some of these challenges are really hard, but the way my goaltender played, it’s one that you have to challenge.”

Goaltender interference challenges can be unpredictable, but fortunately for Ruff and the Devils, the officials agreed Bruins forward David Krejci dislodged the covered puck from under Blackwood’s glove, resulting in the goal getting overturned.

Blackwood felt from the get go that the goal would be disallowed, as he reacted almost immediately following the shot. On both reviews in the final two minutes, he didn’t shy away from watching the replays on the video board.

“I want to see what happened. I respect the game, so if it was the right call, it was the right call,” Blackwood said. “So I want to know if it was in or not, and I want to know if I had a cover or if I didn’t have a cover — I mean, I knew I had it covered before the replayed that one — but the way the replays go, you want to see. You want to see what’s happening from a different angle.”

On top of the two video reviews, referees went to the monitor a third time after Blackwood’s final save was upheld, just to check the time and the players on the ice following a Devils icing. Mercifully, the Devils were able to finally celebrate their win.

“It definitely felt like it took a long time,” Palmieri said. “Mackenzie played a great game. He made some huge stops there down the stretch in the third period, and we’re happy that the reviews worked out in our favor, and we’ll take it.”

A key third-period penalty kill 1207307 New Jersey Devils

NHL rumors: 3 potential trade partners linked to Sabres and ex-Devils MVP Taylor Hall

Updated Mar 29, 2021; Posted Mar 29, 2021

By Mike Rosenstein

Taylor Hall could be getting ready to pack his bags ... again.

On Thursday, Sportsnet in Canada reported the Buffalo Sabres forward “said he would ‘for sure’ listen if general manager Kevyn Adams approached him with trade options.”

By Sunday, the Boston Globe reported on the emergence of at least two potential trade partners for the former Hart Trophy winner.

Most Cup contenders will kick tires, including the Bruins, who would drop Hall at David Krejci’s left wing and then figure out how the rest of the parts fit. As for what the Sabres can expect in return, not a lot, unless one of the top dogs in the hunt feels he can be the tipping point in winning 16 playoff games. The Oilers, Hall’s home for six seasons before Peter Chiarelli wheeled him out for Adam Larsson, lack scoring punch after the dynamic Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl duo. He’d make the Oilers better, but by no means a favorite.

In addition, SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the St. Louis Blues are interested in Hall, per YardBarker.

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The Oilers traded Hall to the New Jersey Devils in 2016. Hall played more than three seasons in New Jersey, earning NHL MVP honors in 2018 after posting career highs with 39 goals, 54 assists and 93 points. The Devils traded Hall to the Arizona Coyotes in 2019.

Hall joined Buffalo before the start of the 2021 season, signing a one- year deal worth $8 million. He has two goals and 17 points in 33 games this season.

Star Ledger LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207308 New York Islanders DeSmith didn’t get the luxury of a warmup. Considering the way the Islanders came at him almost immediately, he didn’t need one. He made a series of quality stops in the early portions of the second, though Martin’s redirect 9:32 into the second ended a streak of 19 straight Islanders lose to Penguins, fall into tie for second place successful penalty kills by the Penguins.

The Islanders tilted the ice for much of the third period — including one extended stretch in which they pinned Pittsburgh in its end for more than By Associated PressMarch 29, 2021 | 10:55pm two minutes — but couldn’t solve DeSmith.

New York Post LOADED: 03.30.2021 PITTSBURGH — Casey DeSmith made 19 saves after starter Tristan Jarry’s mysterious exit and the Pittsburgh Penguins held off the Islanders 2-1 on Monday night.

Jarry left after the first period and DeSmith filled in by holding the Islanders at bay as Pittsburgh pulled even with New York for second place in the East Division by beating it for the sixth time in eight meetings.

“I think we give [the Islanders] a little bit of their own medicine,” DeSmith said. “We keep it simple. We play a grinder-type game.”

Jared McCann scored his eighth goal of the season — and fifth in his last 10 games — and Anthony Angello got the first power-play goal of his career. John Marino had two assists as Pittsburgh finished off a scorching March with an NHL-best 25 points (12-3-1).

It’s a rise fueled by the goaltending of both Jarry and DeSmith. For the first time this season, both were required to help the Penguins move into a tie for second with New York.

Matt Martin scored his seventh of the season for the Islanders and Semyon Varlamov made 20 saves but couldn’t stop New York from getting swept during its final two-game set in Pittsburgh.

Still, Martin was heartened about the way his team played after getting dismantled in a 6-3 loss on Saturday.

“Especially the second and third, I thought we were really on our game,” Martin said. “Had a lot of opportunities. Just hit a lot of posts. I think that was four in a row now that we were chasing the game. … We have to get off to a better start moving forward.”

The Penguins celebrate a goal during their win over the Islanders on Monday.

The Penguins are the rare club to get the better of the Islander this season. The Islanders are 2-5-1 against Pittsburgh and 20-5-3 against everyone else.“It seems we want to play their game more than we want to play our game when we play the Penguins,”

Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “I think we realize that. … I think we’ve got a good understanding.”

Pittsburgh forward Jason Zucker returned after missing 18 games with a lower-body injury, the first of what the Penguins hope will be a steady stream of regulars — including center Evgeni Malkin and forward Kasperi Kapanen — who make their way back into the lineup over the next few weeks.

Despite the loss of so many high-profile players, Pittsburgh has steadily made the East Division a three-team race with the Islanders and Washington. The Penguins have done it by relying heavily on their goaltending tandem, spectacular production from the top line anchored by captain Sidney Crosby and the occasional contribution from an unlikely source.

Angello, a checking-line forward known more for his physical style than scoring touch, somehow found himself pressed into duty on the power play. It paid immediate dividends. Angello planted his 6-foot-5 frame in front and swatted home a backhand off a pretty feed from John Marino 4:24 into the first.

McCann continued his scorching play of late by making it 2-0 with 1:32 to go in the first period when he streaked down the middle, called for the puck and flicked home a centering pass from Marino.

Jarry, who came in 6-1-1 in his last eight starts, had a relatively quiet first period but was nowhere to be seen when the Penguins came out to start the second. Instead it was DeSmith — who’d allowed two goals or less in each of his last six starts — tasked with helping the Penguins draw even with the Islanders in the standings. 1207309 New York Islanders

Islanders again fall behind early, fail to close gap in second straight loss to Penguins

By Andrew Gross

Updated March 30, 2021 2:45 AM

The Islanders did almost everything better on Monday against the Penguins than they had two nights previously. They were physical. They were active in the offensive zone. They got superb goaltending from Semyon Varlamov and limited the high-danger chances.

But that all came after spotting their opponent a multi-goal lead for the third straight game as they played from behind in all four games of this road trip.

So the Penguins tied the Islanders for second place in the East Division by holding on for a 2-1 win in front of 2,800 at PPG Paints Arena in a possible playoff preview. It left the Islanders an unsatisfactory 2-4-2 in the now-concluded season series between the teams.

"I didn’t think they had anything after the first period," coach Barry Trotz said. "They had 10 or 11 chances, for my count, and they had seven in the first period. I thought we did a pretty good job. But we fell short. That’s the bottom line."

The Islanders (22-10-4) and Penguins (23-11-2), who are on a 12-3-1 run, both trail the first-place Capitals by two points in the East, with Washington having played two fewer games.

The Islanders outhit the Penguins 52-23 and got 20 saves from Varlamov. The Penguins’ Casey DeSmith made 19 saves — several from point-blank range — after Tristan Jarry, who stopped all five shots he faced in the first period, exited with an upper-body injury.

"The second and third, I think we were really on our game and had a lot of opportunities," said Matt Martin, who tipped Mathew Barzal’s feed to the net for a power-play goal at 9:22 of the second period to bring the Islanders within 2-1.

"But that’s four in a row now where we’ve been chasing the game after the first," Martin added. "You’re not going to have a whole lot of success that way, so we’ve got to get off to a better start."

The Islanders spotted the Penguins a five-goal lead in Saturday night’s 6- 3 loss, which was marked by ill-timed penalties, loose defensive play and subpar goaltending as rookie Ilya Sorokin was pulled. The Islanders rallied for a 4-3 overtime win in Boston on Thursday after trailing 2-0 through one period. They also rallied for a 2-1 overtime win in Philadelphia a week ago Monday.

"We can’t let that carry on," defenseman said. "We need to fix that now. It’s tough when you’re playing tight teams like that and you give them two right away. It’s tough to come back. We need to focus on that next game and making sure we’re ready and having a better first period."

There hasn’t been one common cause for the Islanders’ slow starts, other than opponents capitalizing on mistakes.

In this loss, Anthony Angello scored a power-play goal at 4:24 of the first period after Ross Johnston, in his first shift since Jan. 26, slashed Jared McCann’s stick. Then, with the teams skating four-on-four, defenseman John Marino caught the Islanders on a sloppy change of players and fed McCann for a 2-0 lead at 18:28 of the first period.

"Just a horrible line change," Trotz said. "We had a couple of forwards that jumped off but our D jumped off as well. We changed three guys when they had possession at the red line."

It was a glaring gaffe, and the problem for the Islanders is that the margin of error is too slim when they’re playing from behind.

"As a team, we’ve got to just have a better start," defenseman Nick Leddy said. "That’s really all there is to it. I don’t see any rhyme or reason."

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Barry Trotz opts to play Ross Johnston over Kieffer Bellows

By Andrew Gross

Updated March 29, 2021 11:14 PM

Barry Trotz did not see enough from rookie Kieffer Bellows to keep the rookie in the Islanders’ lineup on Monday night.

But the coach did like what he saw from Ross Johnston in his first game since Jan. 26 despite the 2-1 loss to the Penguins that concluded a four- game road trip.

Left wing Michael Dal Colle remained sidelined with a lower-body injury. So Trotz inserted the burly Johnston on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s line with rookie Oliver Wahlstrom while reuniting Anthony Beauvillier with Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey.

Johnston logged 10:50 with six hits.

"Beau gives Nellie and Bails a little more pop," Trotz said. "I felt we needed a little more forecheck and a little more net presence and that’s where Ross Johnston came in. I thought he did a good job."

Bellows had returned after a three-game absence in Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Penguins, taking Dal Colle’s spot on Nelson’s left wing. He was a minus-1 in 11:54 with two shots.

Dobson progressing

Trotz reported defenseman Noah Dobson, who missed his eighth game after testing positive for COVID-19, has been skating on his own in New York and should be able to rejoin the Islanders for practice when the team returns home. The Islanders open a season-high, six-game homestand against the Capitals on Thursday night at .

"There’s a good chance he’ll be joining us for practice," Trotz said. "I would think there’s a good chance for our next home game."

Isles files

Beauvillier had his four-game goal streak snapped…Josh Bailey played in his 901st career game, taking sole possession of third place on the franchise’s all-time list behind Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier (1,123) and Denis Potvin (1,060)…Matt Martin’s power-play goal was the second of his career and first since March 5, 2013, against the Canadiens.

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The Isles, the Penguins and four-point games

By Andrew Gross

Updated March 29, 2021 5:08 PM

Only 20 games remain on the Islanders’ schedule after Monday night’s rematch in Pittsburgh. During a normal regular season, they would be entering their playoff push with the associated hand-wringing over wins and losses affecting positioning.

But, in this shortened, 56-game season played solely against divisional foes, it’s been like that since Day One.

"It’s been like that since the first game because every game seems to be a four-pointer and have ramifications, positive or negative, for your hockey team," Isles coach Barry Trotz said before Monday’s game. "You’re right, in the past, with 20 games to go, everybody gets the charts. Who’s playing who? The percentages. But 0.0 (%) on our end and I don’t think across the league that’s happening a whole lot."

The Islanders conclude a four-game road trip and two-game series in Pittsburgh after the Penguins scored the first five goals and won, 6-3, on Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena. Monday marks the eighth and final game between the teams.

"We knew going into the season that every game was going to be huge in the standings," defenseman Adam Pelech said. "We definitely look at the standings and see how competitive it is at the top. I think it’s a little bit of extra motivation."

The Islanders enter Monday’s game two points ahead of the third-place Penguins in the East Division but trailing the first-place Capitals by two points. The Capitals also have two games in hand on both the Islanders and Penguins after Monday.

The top four teams in each of the four divisions will qualify for the playoffs and, with the first two rounds also being played within the division, there’s a chance the Islanders and Penguins could meet in the postseason.

"You’ve got to take it one game at a time, especially the way that this year is set up," Casey Cizikas said. "You’re playing the same teams over and over again, so each game is crucial. If you’re worrying about what the Washington Capitals are doing when we have a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, you’re going to be in trouble. We’ve just got to focus on what we can do. Put our best foot forward and then move on to the next one. That’s been our mentality the entire year."

The Islanders entered Monday with a 2-3-2 mark against the Penguins. Four of those games had been decided by one goal but the Penguins dominated two of the games in Pittsburgh. The Islanders lost, 4-1, on Feb. 18 as the Penguins held a 3-0 lead in the third period. And the Islanders’ loss on Saturday was marked by ill-timed penalties, loose defensive play and less-than-stellar goaltending.

If the Islanders do meet the Penguins again in the playoffs – a team they swept in the first round in 2019 – they must do a better job containing captain Sidney Crosby, defenseman Kris Letang and top-line right wing Bryan Rust.

Rust had a hat trick on Saturday. Crosby had three goals and six assists in the first seven games against the Islanders and entered Monday with 39 goals and 83 assists in 74 career games against the Islanders. Letang has four goals and five assists in the first seven games against the Islanders.

"They’re both great players," Pelech said about Crosby and Letang. "They’ve had some success against us. I don’t watch enough of their other games to know what level they’re playing against us compared to any other team. But I know, against us, they’ve been good. They’re always a handful. Those are two guys that we definitely need to limit their chances offensively."

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207312 New York Islanders players on the active roster through the whole playoff bubble to not get in a game.

“You lean on the people you have to in these sorts of times,” he said. “My A year after brother’s death, Islanders’ Thomas Hickey reflects on grief, wife (Ashley) is there for me, even when we’re not together. When times doubt, motivation and staying in the moment are quiet in situations like that, sometimes it’s easier than you think to have one or two people to share your thoughts with. It was difficult not to play and be away from home, but every situation gives you some opportunity to reflect.” By Arthur Staple Mar 29, 2021 Coming into the 2020-21 season, Hickey was healthy. A concussion

derailed him in December 2018, paving the way for Devon Toews to step The warm wishes, the texts, the tweets and the public comments flooded into his spot and not relinquish it. Hickey took his demotion to Bridgeport in after Thomas Hickey’s first NHL game in 687 days. They are a at the end of the 2019-20 training camp with his usual professionalism, testament to who Hickey is — a hockey player with lots of connections but injuries there derailed any hope he had of showing the Islanders or through 15 years of playing at the highest amateur and professional another team he could still play, plus the weight of his brother’s illness levels, sure, but also one of the best teammates many players say made his hockey life feel exceptionally small. they’ve ever had, one of the most genuine people to be around. And now he’d been out of real game action for going on two calendar “He comes in and lights up a room even when his light is not shining very years. Even if he was the next man up for Trotz, the gulf between him brightly,” Barry Trotz said. “That is a human quality that very few people and a playing spot may have seemed vast, and the work needed to stay have.” relevant, to stay ready, could have become a slog.

All that time away from the competitive ice can weigh on the most well- “You’re sort of doing your work in a vacuum, whether it’s in the offseason adjusted NHLer. Compound time with grief, with doubt, and you have a or during the year,” Hickey said. “No one’s really seeing it, no one’s stretch of nearly two years where simply being a Good Guy doesn’t come having expectations of you, and that’s when it gets difficult. You close to getting you through. Hickey’s world was beset by mental-health obviously have a job to do and you’re paid to do something but you don’t challenges well before the pandemic hit last year. And it hit just days have tangible results. It’s difficult. I learned a lot as it went on. There’s after his brother Dan, just two years older, died after a long battle with times to be disciplined and hard on yourself, but times you have to sit brain cancer, leaving behind a young daughter in their native Calgary. back and be easy on yourself. It’s too much pressure to be looking for results every day that aren’t there.” There has been too much time to reflect. To wonder. To go through the daily grind of offseason workouts or in-season bag skates and believe it When Dobson suddenly went on the COVID-19 protocol list minutes will somehow, someday, be worth it all. before a game in Newark 15 days ago, it was Sebastian Aho who got the call — Aho dresses as the Isles’ seventh defensemen every night. He And doubt could easily creep back in. Monday in Pittsburgh will be played the first three games Dobson missed after three years between Hickey’s fifth game in the past nine days after that 687-day pause, but it NHL games, but then Hickey got the call against the Flyers nine days could be his last for a while. Noah Dobson is likely to return from the ago. COVID-19 list when the team gets back on the ice on Thursday at the Coliseum. Hickey may return to the taxi squad and the uncertainty. But His mind went straight back into his grief. There were things he’d wanted he’s learned plenty during these two years. to do for Dan during his illness — play a great game, give his brother some small joy — that never came to pass. Even though Dan was gone, “I’m having a lot of fun being in the room, playing the game; it’s easy to the feelings remained a source of motivation. make that all I’m thinking about,” he said. “You don’t realize how much you miss the grind — getting up, going to meetings, a nap, playing a “I wanted to just put a smile on his face, go out and do something good to game and then doing it all over again in a day or two. The physical make him proud and happy,” Hickey said. “And that just carried over. You anguish, the soreness, it’s really something I missed, and that’s keeping feel, what have you got to lose? The worst thing that could happen has me in the moment.” already happened. You try to channel it so it can help you.”

It was March 10, 2020, and Hickey, who’d been recalled from Bridgeport Hickey played exceptionally well last Saturday, with two first-period five days earlier, was with the Islanders in Vancouver. The thought of assists in a 6-1 win. His teammates knew how much it meant, and it getting into a game was on his mind, but so was a chance to see his meant something to them as well. brother, with the Islanders headed to Calgary next. Dan’s condition had “He played his heart out,” Casey Cizikas said. “What he’s been through deteriorated through the winter and he was home, with nothing other than definitely isn’t easy. As a friend — and I played alongside him for a long palliative care for the aggressive glioblastoma that his doctors had time here — to see him go out there and play the way that he did, that discovered the previous September. was something special.” Thomas didn’t get a chance to see his brother one last time. He was on The texts that poured in after the game were special, too. his way to Calgary when Dan died at age 33. Two days later, the world shuttered, leaving Thomas with his family in Calgary to plan a funeral that “I won’t name any names, but there were some people from the Kings barely anyone could attend. organization (Hickey was the fourth pick of the 2007 draft by L.A.), people who were there with me when I was 18 or 19,” Hickey said. “To The months after that, when he returned to Long Island and started to have those people following you after all these years, wishing you well, it resume his professional life in anticipation of the summer 2020 playoffs, means a lot.” were hard. And it may all end again after Monday. Maybe the doubt comes back. “Sometimes it’s not just OK to ask for help, you need to ask for help,” he The grief hasn’t left. The motivation becomes harder. But this has been said. “I’m not someone who looks for pity or wants it, but you’re suddenly worth it for Hickey no matter what comes next. in a situation where you feel like you really need to seek out some help. I have a lot of great people in my corner, people who have helped me with “Whether it gets noticed or not, this is just fun right now,” he said. “We’ve the grief side of things. You’re selling yourself short if you don’t take got a nice little groove going as a team, it’s great to be in the room with advantage of the resources that are available when you need them.” the guys again. That’s all I’m thinking about.”

Being back with the Islanders as they returned to the ice for the playoffs The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 last June was a boost. Hickey is the longest-tenured Islander defenseman, now one of only 10 defensemen in Isles history to have played 450 games with the club. There are many close friends in that room and others around the league.

But the pandemic meant tight controls. And the composition of the Islanders roster had changed — where Hickey might have gotten consideration to play in March, with Adam Pelech now healthy, he was back to No. 8 on the depth chart. He and Otto Koivula were the only 1207313 New York Islanders we needed a little more forecheck and a little more net presence, and that’s where Ross Johnston came in. I thought he did a good job.”

The Islanders played the pair of games against Pittsburgh without Sluggish Start: Islanders Fall Behind Early in Loss to Penguins Michael Dal Colle, who was dealing with a lower-body injury.

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021

Published 7 hours ago on March 29, 2021By Christian Arnold

For the second night in a row, a slow start to the game cost the New York Islanders a win.

The Islanders surrendered a pair of first-period goals in a 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Monday. It wrapped up the season series between New York and Pittsburgh, which saw the Islanders finish 2-4-2 in eight meetings and it was the second consecutive game that the Isles allowed multiple goals in the first period.

It was also the first time this season that the Islanders have allowed multiple goals in consecutive first periods, according to statistician Eric Hornick.

The effort on Monday was an improvement over the way the Islanders had played on Saturday night against Pittsburgh. New York mounted a small comeback in the third, but it was too little too late at that point in the game.

“Better for sure, especially the second and third,” Matt Martin said. “We were really on our game and had a lot of opportunities. Just hit a lot of posts and couldn’t capitalize. But I think that’s four in a row now probably where we have been chasing the game after the first or at least playing from behind.

“You’re not going to have a whole lot of success that way. We have to get off to a better start going forward.”

The loss allowed Pittsburgh to pull even with the New York Islanders in the East Division standings with 48 points each. New York had started the two-game set with Pittsburgh atop the division.

Semyon Varlamov made 20 saves for the Islanders in the loss and Matt Martin scored their only goal of the night.

“We can’t let that carry on,” Ryan Pulock said of the slow starts. “We need to fix that now. It’s tough when you play tight teams like that and you give them two right away. It’s tough to come back. We need to focus on that next game. Making sure we’re ready and having a better first period.”

Pittsburgh made the most of their first power play of the game. Ross Johnston was called for slashing on his first shift of the night setting up the Pittsburgh man-advantage.

John Marino went end to end with the puck driving by several Islanders defenders and making his way behind the net, where he was able to feed Anthony Angello in front of the net for the goal. The goal at the 4:24 mark was Angello’s first power-play tally in the NHL.

Marino played a hand in Pittsburgh’s second goal of the game later in the first period. Marino took the puck into the Islanders zone as they were changing and sent it to Jared McCann, who was able to redirect the puck past Varlamov to make it 2-0 at 18:28.

The New York Islanders began to chip away at the Pittsburgh lead in the second period. After goaltender Tristan Jarry was replaced by Casey DeSmith to start the second, the Islanders put the pressure on the home side.

With the Islanders firing on cylinders they capitalized on the power play nearly halfway through the second. Mathew Barzal was able to work along the boards and then send the puck towards the net, where Martin had positioned himself to redirect the puck for the goal.

The power-play goal was Martin’s second of his career in the NHL.

Islanders head coach Barry Trotz made a few lineup changes on Monday following the ugly loss to the same Pittsburgh team on Saturday. Ross Johnston returned to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 26 and Anthony Beauvillier was moved back to the wing of Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey.

“I thought Beau going with Nelly, they’ve always been a pretty good line,” Trotz said. “I think Beau gives Nelly and Bails a litte more pop. I felt that 1207314 New York Islanders PITTSBURGH PENGUINS LINEUP (PROJECTED) Jake Guentzel — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust

Jason Zucker — Jared McCann — Evan Rodrigues End Game: Islanders Lineups, matchups and Game Notes vs. Pittsburgh Zach Aston-Reese — Frederick Gaudreau — Sam Lafferty

Colton Sceviour — Mark Jankowski — Radim Zohorna Published 15 hours ago on March 29, 2021By Christian Arnold Brian Dumoulin — Kris Letang

Mike Matheson — Cody Ceci They may not say it, but the New York Islanders will surely be happy to be done with the Pittsburgh Penguins after tonight. New York and Marcus Pettersson — John Marino Pittsburgh wrap up their regular-season series tonight at 7 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena. Tristan Jarry

Of the seven other teams in the East Division, the Islanders have not Casey DeSmith fared well against their rival from the Steel City. The Islanders have gone GAME NOTES 2-3-2 in their previous seven games with Pittsburgh, which included an ugly 6-3 loss on Saturday. Bryan Rust scored three goals on Saturday against the Islanders to record his fourth career hat trick and his first of the season. The effort Ilya Sorokin gave up four goals and was pulled from the game in the extended Rust’s point streak to six games and he now has five goals second period. Semyon Varlamov surrendered one more after entering against the Islanders this season. … Sidney Crosby enters tonight’s the game. It had been by far the Islanders’ ugliest game in quite some game with a five-game point streak, in which he has had multi-point time. games in four of those five contests. … Pittsburgh has won their last “I thought we had a tough time breaking pucks out,” Adam Pelech said three straight games and is 4-0-1 in their last five. They hold a 7-2-1 this morning. “Credit to them they did a great job. We knew their power record in their last 10 games. … The Islanders have tied the franchise play was doing well going into the game. They got a couple there. I liked record for most wins in the month of March with an 11-3-0 record. The the way we battled back in the third, but ultimately it wasn’t enough and I original record was set during the 1981-82 season. … The Islanders think there’s some adjustments that need to be made going into tonight’s have outscored their opponents 43-23 in the third period for a league- game.” high +20 goal differential. … The Islanders have allowed 82 goals in 35 games, matching the fewest goals through 35 games in club history. The one thing the Islanders will want to do is get on the board first, unlike their previous three games. The Islanders are 8-8-2 when allowing the HOW TO WATCH game’s first goal and 14-1-2 when scoring first. Tonight’s game will air nationally on NBCSN and stream on NHL.tv. On The Islanders have had to play from behind in all three of their most the radio dial, the game can be heard on 1050 AM ESPN Radio, 88.7 FM recent contests this week, which included two overtime wins in WRHU and 103.9 FM LI News Radio. Philadelphia and Boston. NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 “Come out with a good first five minutes,” Casey Cizikas said in response to a question about that very topic. “That’s our main focus right now. Come out, establish what we want to do right from the get-go and then carry that through the rest of the game. If we do that we’re going to set ourselves up and put ourselves in a good position by the time the third period rolls around.”

New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz kept his cards close to the vest in terms of his lineup this morning. Trotz did not reveal any details about who would be in or who would start in goal for New York.

He would only say that the same players that were available for Saturday’s game were available tonight.

Trotz had said after the last game that he wasn’t thrilled with most of his lineup on Saturday. This morning he was asked specifically about Kieffer Bellows and if he had seen enough out of him to be back in the lineup.

“I didn’t really care for Bellows’ game,” Trotz said. “I expected a little more from him, but he’s a really good player. I’m happy with our young guys. Bellows has been pretty solid for the most part. Same with Wahlly, but last game our team was a little flat, them included.”

Pittsburgh will start Tristan Jarry in net against the Islanders tonight and Jason Zucker will be a game-time decision.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS LINEUP (PROJECTED)

Leo Komarov — Mathew Barzal — Jordan Eberle

Kieffer Bellows — Brock Nelson — Josh Bailey

Anthony Beauvillier — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Oliver Wahlstrom

Cal Clutterbuck — Casey Cizikas — Matt Martin

Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock

Nick Leddy — Andy Greene

Thomas Hickey — Scott Mayfield

Semyon Varlamov

Ilya Sorokin 1207315 New York Rangers

Rangers ‘logjam’ means third-line beginning for Vitali Kravtsov

By Mollie WalkerMarch 29, 2021 | 3:45pm | Updated

David Quinn said Brendan Lemieux was shipped to Los Angeles because of the “logjam” of forwards the Rangers have, but the head coach proclaimed that the team has yet to establish a plan for the very player that has caused the congestion in the lineup.

Vitali Kravtsov has been with the team for a week, but since Quinn has been away from the team due to COVID-19 protocols since the 21-year- old was cleared to play, there apparently hasn’t been an opportunity to discuss a course of action.

“I literally just said ‘Hi’ to him this morning for the first time,” Quinn said prior to Sunday’s 5-4 loss in Washington, his first game back behind the bench since March 15. “We have so much going on here, we haven’t talked in depth about what the plan is. The plan is obviously for him to continue to practice, and when we feel he can help, we’ll get him in there.”

Now that Kravtsov is in the mix, the Rangers coaching staff has some decisions to make. The 2018 ninth-overall pick is widely considered to be a top-six player, but the Rangers’ top two lines are pretty set in stone following a surge of offense the last handful of games.

It is most certainly that logjam up top, which will likely force Kravtsov onto the third line to start out. Lemieux primarily flanked the fourth line during his tenure, but it would be a disservice to bury Kravtsov’s skill that far down the lineup.

Vitali Kravtsov will likely have to wait to crack the Rangers top six.

Nick Homler/N.Y. Rangers

Julien Gauthier has been the third-line right wing since Brett Howden was designated to the COVID-19 protocol list. With the center set to return any day, Kravtsov would likely replace Gauthier.

“With Kravtsov here and Howden getting healthy, some guys doing well in Hartford, it just seemed like the right thing to do,” Quinn said of trading Lemieux in exchange for the Kings’ 2021 fourth-round pick. “It’s going to give [Lemieux] an opportunity to maybe play in a little bit more of a role that he’s looking for. He was a good player for us and we’re going to miss him.”

The Rangers signed defenseman Hunter Skinner to an entry-level deal set to begin next season, the team announced Monday.

Skinner, the team’s fourth-round pick (112th overall) in the 2019 draft, will join the Hartford Wolf Pack on an AHL contract for the remainder of this season.

The 19-year-old skated in 26 games with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies this season, registering seven goals and 10 assists. He was ranked third among ECHL defensemen in goals and 10th in shots on goal with 74.

New York Post LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207316 New York Rangers

K’Andre Miller has made quick leap from roster bubble to Rangers stalwart

By Mollie WalkerMarch 29, 2021 | 1:49pm | Updated

In just one year, K’Andre Miller went from defending players his own age at the collegiate level to defending NHLers who have been playing professional hockey since before he could walk.

Setting aside the fact that the rookie defenseman wasn’t even a lock to make the Rangers’ roster out of training camp — then did so after dazzling team management — Miller has made the transition look effortless.

All while managing a steady diet of Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and Brad Marchand.

“Going up against these top guys in the league every night, it’s a challenge,” he said last week. “But I’ve embraced it and I love those battles against those top lines. It just gives me more confidence, honestly — having that extra target on my back, defending those guys hard and making sure they keep the puck out of our net.”

If you analyze the opponents Miller has logged the most ice time against, the 21-year-old is consistently deployed against each team’s top guns.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Miller has skated 39:06 against Evgeni Malkin, 36:06 against Kasperi Kapanen and 35:01 against Crosby in six matchups with the Penguins. He’s faced Ovechkin for 25:45, T.J. Oshie for 24:49 and Zdeno Chara for 23:16 in five games against the Capitals. And in six meetings with the Bruins, Miller has defended ‘the perfection line’ of Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak for 20-plus minutes.

It’s a workload that would be expected to fall on a veteran defenseman’s shoulders. While Miller has primarily been paired with Jacob Trouba, it appears that the 27-year-old has taken strides in his own game following a lackluster first season on Broadway thanks to his new partner.

K’Andre Miller skates against the Capitals.

Even though Miller’s NHL career is just 31 games old, the Rangers have shown just how much they trust him.

“The team has relied on him a lot throughout the season,” said Kris Knoblauch, then the acting head coach. “He has a lot of responsibilities on the penalty kill, the power play, playing top-four minutes, even strength. That’s a lot of heavy lifting for a young defenseman in this league. He’s not only accepted it — he’s excelled at it.”

Knoblauch, who coached Miller for the first time during his six-game stretch as head coach while David Quinn was in COVID-19 protocol, pointed out how much ice the 6-foot-5 Wisconsin product is able to cover. And in addition to being an exceptional skater, Miller has a knack for coming out of scrums with the puck, because “more often than not, he’s winning those battles just because he’s so strong,” the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack coach said.

After scoring his third goal of the season in Thursday’s 8-3 win over the Flyers, Miller now has eight points (with five assists). His plus-11 rating leads all NHL rookies, while his average time on ice of 20:31 is third among first-year players.

The Rangers have also appointed Miller to quarterback the second power-play unit.

“Your confidence has to grow quick and you have to be adaptable,” Miller said. “My confidence has been growing each game.”

New York Post LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207317 New York Rangers

Kevin Rooney and Colin Blackwell's success gives Rangers glut of forwards

By Colin Stephenson

Updated March 29, 2021 4:38 PM

David Quinn couldn’t put a date on when Vitali Kravtsov is going to enter the Rangers' lineup, but it’s going to be soon. And Brett Howden, who has missed the past four games after going on the team’s COVID-19 list last week, is likely going to be getting off the list sometime this week, as well, which will make for a crowded roster among forwards.

"Yeah, it was a logjam,’’ Quinn said Sunday, when asked about the reasons behind the team trading rugged Brendan Lemieux to the L.A. Kings on Saturday night.

The emergence of free-agent pickups Kevin Rooney and Colin Blackwell, as much as anything, is what actually has created the overcrowding among the team’s bottom two forward lines. The Rangers signed Rooney from the Devils, hoping he would help them improve their penalty kill, and signed Blackwell from Nashville to be a veteran depth forward.

Rooney, 27, has established himself as the fourth-line center and a key part of a penalty killing unit that has been one of the top groups in the league most of the season. The Rangers rank fifth in the league with an 85.2% success rate as of Monday. Blackwell, who started the season on the taxi squad, scored his seventh and eighth goals of the season in Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the Washington Capitals, on his 28th birthday. The Rangers host the Capitals on Tuesday at .

In addition to the two goals he scored, the 5-9, 190-pound Blackwell also earned good teammate points Sunday when he jumped Washington forward T.J. Oshie after Oshie dropped Rooney late in the first period with a late, high hit that Blackwell thought was over the line.

"I took exception to, kind of, the hit on Roons,’’ Blackwell explained. "I know Roons would do it for me in a heartbeat. So, it's just kind of one of those things, sticking up for one another.’’

Lemieux always was willing to be the guy to step in and protect his teammates whenever an opponent tried to take liberties. But with him gone now, the Rangers will need to collectively have each other’s backs when the going gets rough. And Blackwell, who had concussion problems when he played college hockey at Harvard, didn’t shy away when a situation came up.

"I've been playing for my job ever since day one, so that's kind of how I approach every single day,’’ Blackwell said. "We’ve got a lot of good players here and everybody's been able to kind of slide up and down the lineup, and it's kind of that ‘next man up’ mentality. So [I’ve got to] continue to do the right things to try to gain everybody's trust and hopefully continue to stay in the lineup.’’

Fox a star

D Adam Fox and Deena Trupkin, a registered nurse at Northwell Health- Long Island Jewish Medical Center and a lifelong Rangers fan, have been named the NHL’s First Stars of the Week for the week ending March 28. Fox had a goal and 10 assists (11 points) in four games, including a five-assist night in last Monday’s 5-3 win over Buffalo. He became the first Rangers player to have five assists in a game since Wayne Gretzky did it in February of 1999… The Rangers signed D Hunter Skinner, their fourth-round pick in 2019, to an entry level contract. Skinner will join AHL Hartford.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207318 New York Rangers No defenseman has had that many assists or points in a season since. It’s unimaginable now, though maybe you could imagine it to some extent watching Fox post 13 assists and 14 points during his current seven- game point streak. He has a total of 29 points in 33 games this season, Is Rangers defenseman Adam Fox turning into Brian Leetch 2.0? Leetch upping the pace from his impressive rookie campaign, when he had 42 in 1.0 weighs in 70.

But the Leetch comps are less in the stats than in the way Fox gets the job done. The short passes under pressure. The sureness of getting By Rick Carpiniello Mar 29, 2021 pucks out of the zone and into the hands of forwards. The calmness everywhere, including on the power-play point. Fox, at 5-foot-11, plays at a similar size as did Leetch, who was listed at 6-feet but maybe a shade What took you so long? That’s the message, delivered with a chuckle, under. Certainly muscle isn’t part of either’s game, but skating very much from the Hall of Fame defenseman on the other end of the line. is, along with top-shelf skill. They both defend better than a lot of elite- level offensive defensemen. Both are on the ice in all situations: power Brian Leetch is surprised reporters aren’t pounding down his door to talk play, penalty kill, down a goal late, up a goal late. Like Leetch, whose about Adam Fox, the Rangers’ superb young defenseman who is starting ability to recover and get back on the ice was remarkable, Fox has an to remind so many of Leetch himself. underrated toughness about him and logs massive minutes, though we Now, let’s be clear: No matter how good he looks, you can’t compare a haven’t seen him play a full 82-game season yet, not to mention a full 23-year-old second-year NHLer to a Hall of Famer who played 18 NHL season and a playoff run. seasons, won two Norris Trophies, also won the Calder Trophy, and in Mostly, the similarity is how Fox sees a play a step or two ahead of 1994 was the first non-Canadian to win the — and that’s others, how the game slows down for him, and his, for lack of a less not what we’re doing. popular term, “hockey IQ.” But if you don’t see the many similarities in the way they play the game of “You can’t teach that, but what that allows you to do is learn more quickly hockey, then you’re either not paying attention or you don’t know much from your mistakes,” Leetch says. “Your ability is going to get you more about Leetch. ice time, so you’re going to learn more quickly because those mistakes Leetch has watched every game Fox has played for the Rangers, and he are coming quicker, and more often than not, it only takes a few times to sees it. (learn to) not keep making the same mistake over and over again or fall back into certain habits. Indeed, he says, if you watch some of the off-the-rush exchanges between the right-handed Fox and the right-handed Artemi Panarin “But overall, there’s no one who taught him to see the ice like that. He’s through a mirror image, you might think you were watching the lefty learned through experience as he’s gone along.” Leetch and the lefty Mark Messier motor into the offensive zone. This, remember, is a kid the Rangers got for a couple of draft picks: a Leetch, who is a hockey operations advisor for the Rangers, has been mega-heist. Drafted by Calgary in the third round in 2016, he was traded limited to watching on TV this season because of the pandemic. Last to Carolina along with Dougie Hamilton and in 2018, season, he watched about 80 percent of the home games in person, plus with Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm going the other way. Then the practices on either side of those games. Hurricanes gave him to the Rangers a year later, in return receiving two second-round picks. “When I’m at the rink, I’m usually in the ‘eyebrow,’ with management, which is 10 floors up,” he says. “It’s the easiest place to watch a game “When we first traded for him,” Leetch says, “there’s a guy who works and to critique a game. with a lot of the elite teams and club teams, and he sent me a text right away and said, ‘That could be one of your best trades you guys have “I always felt like a strength of mine was being able to read the play and made.’ And I had watched him at Harvard and liked him, but he had see the play down at ice level. But up there, it’s easy to read. Usually you watched him play in these different tournaments from a young age, and read the play a second ahead of the player because you can see he said, ‘He’s going to be a great pro.’ Even he didn’t think he was going everything from up above. I would say, with Foxy, he’s making the play to be this good yet in the NHL. But he just continues to do what he’s as I’m seeing it from up above. It’s not like I see the play a split-second done every step along the way. before he makes it. He’s making the same play that I can see from 10 floors up. And he’s doing it while guys are all over him and the play’s “It almost looks easier for him in the NHL, in a lot of ways, than it did at going fast, and reading the play in those seconds and making the Harvard when I was watching him there. I think it’s a little bit like K’Andre passes. Miller said, too, that in a lot of ways the NHL is easier because the players around you are better and they’re in position more, so if you can “When you’re watching on TV, you’re still halfway up the arena watching read the play and be in the right position, there’s usually an outlet or from the TV view, and the same thing’s going on when I’m watching TV. I somebody in the right spot to do something with the plays that you see the guy come open, and as I’m thinking about it, he’s making the make.” play. That’s fun for me as a fan.” The other four guys on the ice are another area of comparison. Leetch Leetch will communicate with Fox about what he’s seeing and encourage played a large portion of his career with a superb group that won two him, just as some of the veteran Rangers did for a young Leetch when he Presidents’ Trophies and, of course, the franchise’s only Stanley Cup in arrived in 1988 as a 19-year-old. the past 81 years. Fox plays on a team that is very much finding its way, “I’ll text him after some plays and say, ‘That was awesome … great game in the middle-to-later stages of a complete rebuild, but is unquestionably … keep it up,’” Leetch says. “I’ve sent him a couple of texts about talented. (maintaining) his consistency, which is what he’s doing. … That’s what “Some of what is happening with him is everything that he knows that’s keeps elevating you from a good player to a great player — keeps going on in his head, he’s got faith in others around him to be able to put moving you up the charts — when you do it game in and game out. that puck there and make those plays,” Leetch says. “Whether it’s out of That’s what he’s doing. the zone, a little three-foot pass to the middle, he takes one look over his “He’s stringing together game after game after game after game after shoulder and, boom, we’re right out of the zone because of the low game of real high-end hockey. I watch it with a critical eye, thinking about support. Or if it’s on the power play, being able to move it to the right guy the team and how we’re going to get back to the playoffs and eventually at the right time. It’s a lot of simple plays that are right at the right time win the Stanley Cup. But when I watch him play, a lot of the time it’s as a and right on the stick and in stride. fan. I enjoy the way he plays and the plays he makes. It’s fun to watch.” “The play doesn’t have to slow down because he put (a puck) in Again, don’t put the cart before the horse. Leetch, before his age-23 somebody’s skates or he waited a second too long and now the guy’s season, had already been the rookie of the year and a second-team closed out a little bit on the pressure and he doesn’t have a lot of time to postseason All-Star and had finished 11th, 10th and fourth in Norris make a play. So, a lot of little things that he does just make it easier for voting his first three full seasons. In his age-23 season, he won the the other four guys on the ice.” Norris, was a first-team postseason All-Star and was ninth in the Hart Trophy balloting. He scored 102 points, with 80 assists, that season. More specific than the overall talent level around the two, there’s the defensive partner. Leetch had one in Jeff Beukeboom who was somewhat similar to Fox’s partner, Ryan Lindgren, who is also a sophomore with his own sets of skills and level of toughness.

“Definitely the reading off of each other and the comfort level is great to see,” Leetch says. “They know each other, you can just tell, on all the little plays and passes and where they get for the outlets. For me, Beuk was a different player, but it was also a different time. Beuk, I wouldn’t be looking for him to hit me up the middle going up ice or to string it back to me as he was going up the half wall. But I knew all his strengths and the way he liked to play, and I knew he was going up the boards with it so I could jump up on the backside and get up with the forwards. I also knew if I directed anybody to the middle of the ice, he was going to come flying across with a big hit, and I could pick up the loose puck behind. Just a lot of little things of knowing each other’s game, game in and game out.

“But these guys, Lindy and Foxy, they complement each other so well — the passing plays and getting that puck out of the zone. You’ve got the physical, tough element. And I think Lindy last year surprised a lot of people with his hockey smarts and his ability. I think everybody knew he was a good team guy, a good leader, and he always played a hard- edged game. But I don’t think a lot of people realized how smart he is hockey-wise, too. So those guys, it’s a very seamless, very easy connection that they have, right from the beginning.”

So comes the million-dollar question. How does Leetch compare Fox to himself?

“Yeah, I had a feeling you were going to ask me that question, so I was thinking about it,” Leetch says. “The further I am from playing the game — I haven’t really watched any video of myself or anything — but certainly the way I see the game … what he’s doing, is what I hope is the way that I played. That’s how I put it.

“When I watch these teams from up top, usually I’m seeing the play before the other players are. I mean, (Panarin) sees the play too, the same way. He even sees plays that I don’t. As a forward, he sees passing lanes and things that I don’t see. But as a defenseman, watching Foxy: As I’m seeing it, he’s doing it. And that’s from way up above. So if I saw the game the same way, that’s good enough for me. I can’t tell you I saw it any better than that, because what he’s doing out there is impressive.

“I know that I took way more chances in my career — that I was way more reckless than he is at this early stage of his career. I was looking to go, go, go. I was encouraged to do that until I started to get the shackles put on me. The team got better, and it was a different role. … I made a lot more mistakes early in my career because of that, but I also learned a lot and was given a lot of freedom to play that role because the team needed it. I will say that there were a lot more reckless decisions early than he’s making early in his career.

“So I would say, if I saw the game just like he does, I’d go, ‘That’s good enough for me.’”

Leetch laughs.

“That’s pretty darn good, you know?”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021

1207319 Ottawa Senators Hockey’s National Team Development Program. The 18-year-old defenceman is projected to be an early pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

“You’re going to get different viewpoints from different people that think Talks heat up with Pinto, Bernard-Docker and Sanderson after North certain options are better for you,” Norris said. “At the end of the day, you Dakota's early playoff exit have to know yourself (what you want to do) and take into account all the information you’re getting from other people and then make a decision.

“I sat on it a little bit and didn’t make a decision right away and it was Bruce Garrioch probably a few weeks. My dad was really instrumental in that and told me to take my time and agents help out with that too. You’ve got to do what’s

best for yourself and listen to yourself on this.” The Ottawa Senators are hoping these contract talks will turn to action. Coach D.J. Smith is like the rest of us and waiting to see what path all of Less than 36 hours after winger Shane Pinto along with defencemen these players take. He’s watched all of them play and knows they’ve all Jacob Bernard-Docker and Jake Sanderson were eliminated from the got good upside potential. Smith has done a good job developing the NCAA playoffs in the wee hours of Sunday morning, the Senators’ faithful youngsters in the club’s lineup this season by putting them in situations were waiting with baited breath to see if the three top prospects at the to have success. University of North Dakota would sign on the dotted line. “You never know how good the players are going to be until they get General manager Pierre Dorion and assistant GM Peter MacTavish were here,” said Smith Monday. “Some guys you don’t think are ready get here expected to speak with agents for all three players Monday to try to get and they’re ready. Some guys it’s vice-versa. Certainly, we know they’re entry-level contracts in place and determine what the next steps would a big part of this franchise going forward and Pierre will put them in the be. spots to succeed.

Selected No. 32 overall by the Senators in 2019, Pinto, 20, and “I wait on what (Dorion) tells me and if I see the players, whether it’s this Bernard-Docker, 20, taken No. 26 overall in 2018, are both ready to year, next year or the following year, we know that eventually these guys make the next step. The biggest decision for both is whether they burn a are going to help us win.” year of their NHL games by playing in Ottawa this season or whether Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.30.2021 they sign professional tryouts to play with the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville.

If the duo signs PTO’s to play in Belleville, their entry-level contracts would kick in next year.

As for Sanderson, it’s a different story. The club’s No. 5 pick in the NHL draft in October, there’s a belief the 18-year-old blueliner could be ready to push for a spot in the NHL in training camp next September. There’s no question if he played the rest of the season in Belleville he’d get the opportunity to play a lot and to compete for a job in Ottawa next season.

Shane Pinto at the Ottawa Senators development camp at the Bell Sensplex on June 25, 2019.

Sure, it’s a big decision for Sanderson to leave school and there’s no question UND coach Brady Berry is trying to convince Sanderson to stay in school but there’s a good opportunity waiting for him in Ottawa. He hasn’t made a decision whether to return to school or accept the offer from the Senators to turn pro.

Leaving school isn’t an easy decision for anybody involved in this process. It was different for Josh Norris because he was injured when he opted to leave the University of Michigan at the end of the 2018-19 campaign to sign with the Senators. The 21-year-old centre knows what a difficult step this is for Pinto, Bernard-Docker and Sanderson.

In the case of Pinto and Bernard-Docker, they aren’t likely to return to school in any case. They returned this year because they wanted to win a national championship after last year was cut short. Both would actually hurt their development by returning to college and it’s time to make the next step.

Sanderson, the son of former NHLer Geoff Sanderson, will have to sit down with his father to make that determination.

“That was a really tough decision for me,” Norris said Monday. “It was a little bit different in my shoes because I had the injury and that made it a little bit more uncertain as to whether I should come out or not. I actually talked to some of the guys (Sunday), not necessarily about North Dakota, but just about leaving or not.

“It’s a tough decision for these kids. You try not to overthink but they all really want to make the right decisions and that’s hard. At the end of the day, they’ll know what’s right for them. I’m sure they’re surrounded by really good people. So, it’s an exciting time but it’s a tough decision.”

Norris said the key in this situation is to do what’s right for you. The coaching staff at school will be telling you they want you to come back while the NHL team will be giving you all the reasons to sign. You have to weigh the checks and balances. Like Sanderson, Norris’ father Dwayne played pro hockey and helped guide his son through the decision.

Montana-born Jake Sanderson, who spent several years in the Calgary minor-hockey system, skated for the past two seasons with USA 1207320 Ottawa Senators About 30 minutes before the Senators started their formal skate Monday, goalie coach Pierre Groulx was the first one on the ice and was followed not long after by Matt Murray.

SNAPSHOTS: Austin Watson wants to play before the end of the season He has missed six straight games with an undisclosed upper body injury ... Christian Wolanin dealt to L.A. ... Matt Murray returns to skate after leaving the ice only four minutes into the pre-game skate before the Senators game against the Toronto Maple Leafs March 12 at home. No, Murray likely won’t play in either of the club’s games this week against the Habs, but he’s certainly getting closer to play. Bruce Garrioch Not only did he do some pre-practice work with Groulx, Murray also stuck

around to participate in the skate for the first time since he suffered the Austin Watson during his Zoom call with media on March 29, 2021. ailment while sharing the net with Filp Gustavsson and Anton Forsberg.

Austin Watson isn’t ready to throw in the towel on his regular season. “It felt great to be back out there and competing with everybody again,” Murray said. “There was a little bit less repetitions because of three of us Speaking to the media Monday at the for the first being out there but it was good for me.” time since he broke his hand blocking a shot with 10 seconds left in a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on March 22 at home, the rugged Matt Murray, tending the net. Ottawa Senators’ winger told reporters if there’s a chance he can play Murray didn’t want to disclose any details on what happened before the again this season then he’s going to take it. decision was made — he wouldn’t be able to play that night against the Watson is scheduled to be out four-to-six weeks with the surgery on his Leafs, but it does sound like he believes the worst is behind him. hand and thumb. “We’re happy with how it’s progressing and I felt really good today,” said “Whenever this cast can come off, if it’s four weeks, then let’s go,” Murray. “It’s been getting better and better every day. And it was good to Watson said on a Zoom call. “I’m not going to sit around and pack it in. get a full practice and get tested. We’re just going to keep trying to go in I’m just going to wait and see what’s going on. If there’s an opportunity that direction.” for me to play at all this year then I’m going to want to do that but that will Make no mistake, this was a big step for Murray. He has been skating on depend on how it all heals. his own with a couple of other players for about the last seven days and “If we go ahead and look at it in two weeks and things are looking great the fact he took part in the skate means he’s closing in on a return. with how it’s healing then I think there’s good chance of (being able to “I don’t want to put anything specific on it,” said Murray. “It’s going in the play) happening. But, if you look at it and it’s not looking like it’s healing right direction and getting better every day and that’s all you can really as quickly then we might be more toward that six week timeline.” ask for at this point. Today was a big step. It was good to get back out Blocking the shot caused a lot of damage for Watson and that’s why the there again.” recovery time is long. Backup Marcus Hogberg, who suited up on the weekend for Belleville, is “I got a fracture in the thumb/hand and they went in and repaired still skating with the club’s AHL affiliate and it’s not known when he’ll be everything and they put everything back in place,” Watson said. ready to play for Ottawa.

This isn’t the kind of injury that the 29-year-old Watson can play through. Murray has liked what he’s seen from the likes of Joey Daccord, He has a huge cast on his hand that also covers his forearm. He has Gustavsson and Forsberg in this stretch. three goals and 10 points in 34 games along with 40 minutes in “Joey was playing really well and it’s tough to see him go down with an penalties. He’s also second on the team in hits with 100 this season injury too, and Hoggy went down too,” Murray said. “I thought Gus played along the leading forward in blocked shots with 49. well in both games, and Forsberg stepped in the other night and played “I wouldn’t say this is the worst (injury he’s had) it’s when it’s something extremely well so that’s awesome to see. The team’s playing really well in your hand you literally can’t play,” Watson said. “Two years ago when I in front of the guys and I’ve just really liked the way we looked as a went to the (Stanley Cup final) with Nashville I had bilateral sports team.” hernias and a couple of broken ribs but you can play through those REST IS A WEAPON things. Somewhere former Senators’ coach Guy Boucher is smiling. “It’s the same with a broken foot (he had) last year, and things like that, you can play through certain things. There’s a difference between having As a result of the postponement of two straight games against the pain and injuring something worse. In this situation, there’s no option (to Montreal Canadiens, the Senators will have had a full week off by the play with it). you get taken out of things and you have to wait to let it heal. time they face the Habs Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre. That’s the most frustrating part.” The Senators are trying to use their time wisely. The players were on the WOLANIN ON THE MOVE ice for about an hour Monday and that included a conditioning skate at the end. This shortened season has been compressed so the Senators The Senators gave Christian Wolanin a new lease on life Monday. have actually welcomed a little bit of time to spend at home, get outside After clearing waivers last Friday and moving the 26-year-old blueliner to and not spend every second day getting ready to play. their AHL affiliate in Belleville, the Senators moved Wolanin to the Los Naturally, this will be the last chance for this kind of break before the end Angeles Kings in exchange for 24-year-old forward Mike Amadio. of the season. A third-round pick in 2014, Amadio has suited up for 168 NHL games in “We can’t lie, this has been awesome the last couple of days, to get a his career. He has 16 goals and 39 points with Los Angeles in that span. little bit more rest, have a chance to get a few days off and now that the He has spent most of the season with the club’s California-based affiliate weather’s turning a little bit you get some time to go for walks outside and in Ontario. He’s a former teammate of Ottawa winger Nick Paul. get some sun,” said alternate captain Thomas Chabot. If you’re wondering why the Kings just didn’t pick Wolanin up on waivers “It’s been great to take care of the body off the ice. When we get back, it’s because they wanted the ability to get a contract off the books. Yes, we know the schedule is going to be the same, if it’s not even more busy, they need help on defence and like what Wolanin brings to the table but so it’s going to be really intense and hard. This is nice for everyone I’m to take his $900,000 deal they wanted to make sure the Senators would sure.” take on Amadio, who has one-way $700,000 contract. PLANS FOR FANS Matt Murray of the Ottawa Senators. Nepean MPP Lisa MacLeod, Ontario’s minister of heritage, sport, tourism THE RETURN OF MATT and culture, was on Quinte News radio in Belleville Monday afternoon and indicated she’s hopeful with proper safety protocols plus vaccines, fans will be able to return to rinks in the not so distant future. “One of the things we’re working on in the ministry is the season reopenings but also the reopening of sports and what those frameworks look like,” MacLeod told the station. “It’s going to require a number of different things, and this is the experience we had with the AHL and the NHL back up and running.

“Looking at how you can safely reopen and allow some level of normalcy with stringent testing protocols, rigourous sanitation protocols and then in some of these other scenarios a large degree of vaccination. These are all things we’re working on with the chief medical officer of health that he would work the public health units on. It’s no easy answer but the work is being done.”

MacLeod insinuated the province may give a green light to the Ontario Hockey League this week to return to play and there’s talk of an announcement being made Thursday.

“I’m hopeful that later on this week that we’ll have some more news on how we get sport reopened,” MacLeod said.

THE LAST WORDS

Smith came to general manager Pierre Dorion’s defence when asked about that viral video of him tossing a glass in his suite after the club’s 3- 2 OT loss to the Leafs last Thursday. “He might have picked the wrong sport, I think he could have played for my Tigers in Detroit wit that arm,” Smith joked before getting serious. “He cares, he cares like every one of the players in here, he wants to win and he wants to win now. I see that on a day-to-day basis, where other people may not, when I’m working him. He’s passionate about the team, about the way we practice and the way we play. He puts the time and the effort into helping this franchise win. (It can get) emotional sometimes for everyone, and I’m the exact same way, but that just shows how much he cares … Since Ottawa doesn’t face the Habs until Thursday, the Senators made one roster move Monday to clear up a spot. Centre ArtemAnisimov was placed on waivers Monday at noon and if he clears Tuesday he’ll likely be placed on the taxi squad. Anisimov, 32, a UFA at the end of the season, was sidelined with an injury that forced him to miss seven games but is completely healthy now. C Clark Bishop skated on the fourth line with Alex Formenton and Ryan Dzingel.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207321 Ottawa Senators level contract this season and let that first year of the deal slide to next year provided he plays six games or fewer at the NHL level this spring.

But rushing Sanderson to the NHL for next season doesn’t seem to be Weekly Senators thoughts: Decisions for UND players, Christian the ideal option, so his camp would have to ask themselves if it’s better Wolanin’s future, Pierre Dorion’s viral GIF to play another season in the NCAA or try playing in the AHL. There’s almost no downside to any option Sanderson takes here and the organization will do its best not to rush him into an NHL job. Young defencemen like Cale Makar and Charlie McAvoy essentially skipped the By Ian Mendes Mar 29, 2021 AHL portion of their development, but they spent two seasons in the NCAA. Asking Sanderson to step right into the NHL after just one collegiate season seems like a tall order, especially if the club wants to The Senators didn’t play this weekend, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t put him in a position to succeed long term. some compelling and dramatic hockey involving some of their prized prospects. What it means for the week ahead: These young men probably need a couple of days to recover from the emotional devastation of losing out on A lot of Ottawa fans stayed up until 1:30 a.m. ET on Sunday morning a national championship opportunity. But I would imagine at some point watching the dramatic conclusion of the University of North Dakota and this week, we’ll at least get some clarity on Bernard-Docker and Pinto. Minnesota-Duluth playing the longest game in NCAA history. But if you didn’t make it to the end of the game, you shouldn’t feel bad. 2. Wolanin clears waivers

On Sunday, we asked a handful of members of the Ottawa Senators if Christian Wolanin cleared waivers on Friday, a development that likely they stayed up to watch the end of the five-overtime marathon. pushes him out the door in Ottawa.

“You know what? I fell asleep,” admitted D.J. Smith. There are still a handful of fans hoping this is a case of Nick Paul 2.0, where the club gets away with waiving a player and then reaps a reward You’re probably thinking it’s predictable that the 43-year-old couldn’t stay down the road. up that late. As a guy in the same age bracket as the head coach, I’ll readily admit I didn’t make it to the conclusion of the game. CHRISTIAN WOLANIN CLEARS WAIVERS. TIME FOR NICK PAUL TO TAKE HIM OUT TO LUNCH AND HAVE A LONG CONVERSATION. But even the younger generation of Sens players couldn’t make it to the end of the game. — GRAEME NICHOLS (@6THSENS) MARCH 26, 2021

“It finally got to three overtimes and I had to put my phone away,” said After all, Wolanin and Paul were only born three days apart in March Brady Tkachuk. “So I saw (Sunday) that they lost.” 1995, so there are certainly some parallels to be drawn between the two players. And their numbers are quite similar when you look at their first “No, that was a little bit too late,” added Tim Stützle. “So I just saw it in four years in the organization: the morning.” First 4 pro seasons When teens and young adults like Tkachuk and Stützle are admitting the game went too late, that gives all of us an excuse — regardless of age Nick Paul bracket — to miss the ending. 56 And this leads us perfectly into the 10 things I learned about the Sens 4 last week. 4 1. UND decision time comes sooner than expected 8 We all figured the contingent of Sens prospects at the University of North Dakota would have a couple more weeks to contemplate their future. 49.7

But after their stunning loss on the weekend, the door is now fully open 214 for those prospects to sign professional contracts. Christian Wolanin And there are a few things to consider. 58 First, Jacob Bernard-Docker is the only prospect with a little bit of leverage. The talented defenceman could threaten to return for his senior 5 season and go the Jimmy Vesey route of becoming a college free agent 13 after spending four years in his program. That still seems like a long shot, but if anybody has leverage to play NHL games with the Senators this 18 season, it’s Bernard-Docker. 48.4 As for Shane Pinto, after a sophomore season that left him as a Hobey Baker finalist, it’s clear he has nothing to gain individually from returning 49 for another season of college hockey. He could claim winning a national The biggest discrepancy is in their AHL games played, where Paul had a championship would be a motivating factor for returning to UND, but this chance to play 165 more games in the minors because of Wolanin’s past season was an excellent reminder of how difficult that is to injury issues. That’s essentially two extra seasons of development for accomplish in a single-elimination tournament. The Senators could look Paul versus Wolanin, a fact that shouldn’t be dismissed. at signing Pinto to an ATO with Belleville for the remainder of this season, with the promise of his entry-level deal starting next fall. That’s Paul was waived multiple times during his first four pro seasons with the exactly what they did with NCAA prospect Angus Crookshank earlier this organization and was on waivers as recently as September 2019. And month, although Pinto certainly has a higher upside. even though they were born just a few days apart, Paul was actually drafted two years ahead of Wolanin. The issue in allowing both Pinto and Bernard-Docker to burn a year off their entry-level deals this season would mean they would be requiring My point in all of this? new contracts in the summer of 2023 — at the same time as Tim Stützle. It would be ideal for the Senators to try to stagger these deals, although it There are tangible reasons why Wolanin might be a couple of years certainly shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. behind a player like Paul in his development curve. Factor in that it often takes defencemen longer to develop and maybe Wolanin’s career arc The most fascinating case, however, is Jake Sanderson. The 18-year-old isn’t so troublesome. can already skate at the NHL level and there is a legitimate argument to be made that his development would be better enhanced by turning pro In any event, it looks as though another NHL team will potentially benefit right now. And given his age, the Senators could sign him to an entry- from Wolanin’s moderate growth. Looking at Ottawa’s blue line on the left side, the club has already pencilled in Erik Brannstrom and Jake Sanderson to complement Thomas Chabot. They’ll likely need a 4. Wait, is Filip Gustavsson suddenly the goalie the Sens should protect placeholder in there to bridge the gap and that’s exactly what Mike Reilly in the expansion draft? could be for the organization. I’m starting to feel like Senators goalies are like the reverse of those That he cleared waivers doesn’t mean other NHL teams aren’t interested Russian matryoshka dolls. Instead of each one being smaller than the in Wolanin. It just means Ottawa may have to take back a similar contract last, Ottawa’s goalies keep popping up and getting bigger and stronger in exchange for the defenceman. A team like Detroit may want to have than the previous versions we’ve seen. Wolanin take a test drive down the stretch, especially if they move pending UFAs like Marc Staal, Patrick Nemeth and Jon Merrill before the In a season that started with Matt Murray and Marcus Hogberg as the deadline. two goalies, no two netminders have taken a bigger step forward for the organization than Joey Daccord and Filip Gustavsson. Gustavsson was What it means for the week ahead: Wolanin needs to play 13 more NHL at least fourth on the club’s positional depth chart to start the season but games this season, otherwise, he’ll be classified as a Group IV free has suddenly worked his way into the conversation as a goalie Ottawa agent this summer. Unless there are injuries to Ottawa’s left side on may want to consider protecting in the Seattle expansion draft. defence, it seems unlikely that he’ll reach that threshold with the Senators. A fresh start for Wolanin seems inevitable, either through a In three NHL appearances, Gustavsson has stopped 71 of 73 shots and trade or via free agency. looked extremely calm and confident in the process.

3. Stützle scoring slump shouldn’t be worrisome It’s no coincidence that Ottawa’s six-game point streak has come with their goalies providing a .934 save percentage during that span. Even If you’re thinking Tim Stützle has been a little quiet lately, you’re not Anton Forsberg looked solid in his Senators debut, despite losing an wrong. overtime decision against Toronto.

After capturing the NHL’s Rookie of the Month award in February, Stützle One can’t help but wonder if the Senators would have had a remote has scored just once in his past 17 games and does not have a goal chance at the playoffs if they were receiving this type of goaltending since March 8. earlier in the season. Whatever criticisms you may have toward D.J. Smith, you cannot lay the blame for the substandard goaltending at his If we split Stützle’s season in half, you’ll notice that his shooting doorstep. And as he tries to build a winning culture in Ottawa, we percentage has dropped dramatically in the past few weeks. The shots shouldn’t fault the head coach for running with the hot hand in goal, even are still there. The results, however, are not: if he was projected to be the fourth-string goalie at the start of the Stützle's season split in half season.

First 16 games What it means for the week ahead: Marcus Hogberg had a solid performance for Belleville on the weekend and his return to the Ottawa 5 net could be imminent. Still, given the way Gustavsson has played lately, it seems like a certainty he’s earned the net for at least the next start. It 31 will become very interesting if Gustavsson is playing at this level and 16.5 both Matt Murray and Hogberg are ready to return. As we analyze the Senators’ goalie situation, it seems like Hogberg is the one who will need Last 17 games to use the final six weeks of the regular season to convince the organization that he’s worth signing to a contract extension. 1 5. No shutouts yet under D.J. Smith 44 Filip Gustavsson was a few minutes away from posting a shutout over 2.2 Calgary last week, only to have it ruined by a Johnny Gaudreau goal late But if we go back earlier in the season, Drake Batherson went through a in the third period. Whoops, did I say Johnny Gaudreau? I meant to say very similar stretch before busting out of his slump: Gord Miller:

Batherson's season splits LAST NIGHT, WITH OTTAWA LEADING CALGARY 1-0, OUR CREW ROLLED IN FOOTAGE OF THE SENATORS LAST SHUTOUT, WHICH First 16 games HAPPENED TWO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK. SOME SENS FANS FEEL THAT SHOWING THE FOOTAGE AND SAYING THE WORD 1 “SHUTOUT” JINXED OTTAWA’S GOALTENDER FILIP GUSTAVSSON. 38 — GORD MILLER (@GMILLERTSN) MARCH 23, 2021 2.6 It would have marked the first shutout for the Senators under D.J. Smith, Last 20 games a remarkable oddity when you consider Ottawa is the only team without a shutout to their credit over the past two seasons. 10 With the exception of the Red Wings (one shutout), every other team in 39 the NHL has at least three over that span. Boston, Vegas, Carolina and 25.6 Minnesota lead the way with 10 shutouts each since the start of the 2019-20 season. All goal scorers are streaky by nature, but younger snipers often have more dramatic peaks and valleys. Batherson himself has gone eight Last week, when the Senators came close to blanking the Calgary consecutive games without a goal. Flames, it was actually the closest they’ve gotten to recording a shutout under D.J. Smith: “Definitely not concerned. It probably means they’re going to score next game,” D.J. Smith said on Sunday when asked about Stützle and Closest Sens shutouts under D.J. Smith Batherson’s recent goal slumps. “Both of these guys get tons of chances. March 22/21 vs CGY There’s good goalies in our division and sometimes, they make the save. But that likely means that one of these nights soon, both of them will go 54:54 off.” Johnny Gaudreau The betting here says Stützle will get on a hot streak in the next two Filip Gustavsson weeks and score three or four goals in that span. 2-1 Win What it means for the week ahead: The Senators are scheduled to play Montreal and Edmonton in the next 10 days, which is good news for Jan. 18/20 vs CGY Stützle. He’s scored three goals against the Oilers this season and has four points in five games against the Canadiens. 54:09 Mark Jankowski What it means for the week ahead: The Senators have been fairly stingy against Montreal so far this season, allowing only 13 goals in their five Marcus Hogberg head-to-head meetings to date. That defensive ability is a major reason 3-1 Win why Ottawa has taken three of those five meetings.

Oct. 14/19 vs MIN 6. We saw the best offensive zone shift of the D.J. Smith era last week

49:23 When Chris Tierney scored on Wednesday to break a 1-1 tie late in the third period, it was the culmination of Ottawa’s most dominant shift of the Victor Rask season at even strength.

Craig Anderson In fact, it may have been the most impressive 5-on-5 shift the Senators have had in the D.J. Smith era. 2-0 Loss “It’s fair to say that’s as good as shift as we’ve had,” Smith said Sunday Nov. 27/19 vs BOS when I asked him about it. 45:15 A deeper look at that shift shows Ottawa completely dominated the play Brad Marchand inside Calgary’s offensive zone utilizing a forward line of Tierney, Drake Batherson and Tim Stützle. Thomas Chabot was out for the entire Anders Nilsson sequence while Mike Reilly executed a change for Artem Zub midway through the possession. 2-1 Loss Sens shift breakdown Nov. 25/19 @ CBJ Zone time 40:21 1:14 Oliver Bjorkstrand Shot attempts Craig Anderson 6 1-0 Loss Shots on goal Since the Senators don’t have a shutout, I figured I would break down the number of times they’ve allowed a certain number of goals over the past 4 two seasons: Calgary giveaways Goals allowed by game under D.J. Smith 3 1 “As we continue to get better offensively, we’re going to be able to hold 12 onto pucks and do that to teams. Ideally, that’s playoff hockey. That’s how you grind people down.” 11-1-0 What it means for the week ahead: Based on their practice lines on 2 Sunday, Tierney is going to continue to get a chance to play with Stützle 21 and Batherson. After enduring a 30-game goal drought, Tierney’s two game-winning goals last week provided a much-needed boost of 14-5-2 confidence for the veteran centre.

3 7. We’re learning who D.J. Smith trusts the most with a lead

26 As I’ve noted in this space previously, the Senators haven’t had too much experience trying to hold off an opponent with a one-goal lead this 8-10-8 season, but that happened twice against the Flames last week. 4 On Monday, Chris Tierney scored the go-ahead goal with 2:36 remaining 19 in regulation time. Here is how D.J. Smith rolled his lines to close out the game: 3-11-5 Closing out Calgary - March 22 5 Shift 1 14 Nick Paul 1-12-1 Colin White 6+ Evgenii Dadonov 15 Thomas Chabot 0-15-0 Nikita Zaitsev Looking at this chart above, the Senators are a very good 33-16-10 when they hold their opponent to three goals or fewer. But that 4-38-6 record Shift 2 when allowing four or more goals is problematic, especially since they’ve Brady Tkachuk had 48 such contests under D.J. Smith. Josh Norris Compare that with the elite teams in the league and you’ll see that Ottawa has a ways to go to catch up to them. The Islanders (27), Austin Watson Avalanche (27), Bruins (29), Lightning (30) and Hurricanes (30) have all played significantly fewer games where they have allowed the opponent Thomas Chabot to score four times or more. Nikita Zaitsev While a shutout would be a nice feather in the cap for D.J. Smith, a more Shift 3 realistic goal is to try to keep the opposition to three goals or fewer. Nick Paul Colin White Part of the reason why Gudbranson didn’t get back in the lineup is because Ottawa played two of its best defensive games of the season Austin Watson against Calgary. But it wasn’t like the third pairing saw significant ice time Thomas Chabot in any of last week’s games.

Nikita Zaitsev 3rd pairing deployment

It was interesting to watch Thomas Chabot and Nikita Zaitsev close out March 22 vs CGY the final 2:36 of that game without help from any other defencemen. Christian Wolanin Austin Watson was also double-shifted to close out the game and suffered an injury that will keep him on the shelf for the foreseeable 7:17 future. Josh Brown Then on Wednesday, Tierney scored the go-ahead goal with 7:59 remaining in regulation time. Here’s a look at how Smith rolled his lines 8:05 after the final TV timeout with 4:42 left in the contest and his club clinging March 24 vs CGY to a 2-1 lead: Christian Wolanin Closing out Calgary - March 24 8:03 Shift 1 Josh Brown Brady Tkachuk 10:11 Josh Norris March 25 vs TOR Evgenii Dadonov Braydon Coburn Thomas Chabot 10:57 Nikita Zaitsev Josh Brown Shift 2 12:31 Nick Paul Could the Senators just be playing Braydon Coburn in the hopes another Colin White team will trade for him at the deadline as taxi squad insurance for the Connor Brown playoffs? It’s possible.

Mike Reilly But it’s also possible Gudbranson has fallen out of favour with the head coach, at least in the here and now. Gudbranson had been logging close Artem Zub to 20 minutes per game this season, although his ice time dipped down to a season-low 12:21 in his last appearance. Shift 3 What it means for the week ahead: It’s hard to tell where Gudbranson’s Tim Stützle headspace is during this stretch, as he has yet to speak to the media Chris Tierney since being a healthy scratch. It stands to reason he’ll come back into the lineup at some point soon, but it will be very interesting if Jacob Bernard- Drake Batherson Docker enters the equation on the right side of the defence down the stretch. Thomas Chabot 9. Dadonov’s time on the first unit power play might be coming to an end Nikita Zaitsev Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Senators power play is in a Stützle was able to draw a penalty that put the Senators on the power deep freeze. play, but that was quickly negated when Brady Tkachuk took an interference call. So with 1:30 left — and Calgary’s net empty — the The club has gone five straight games without a power-play goal, going Senators had four skaters on the ice. D.J. Smith elected to go with Nick 0-for-14 with the man advantage during that stretch. Paul, Connor Brown, Artem Zub and Nikita Zaitsev. There was a brief period at the end of February when Ottawa scored five Paul won a pair of key faceoffs in his own zone, including the one that led power-play goals over a three-game span, where everybody figured their to Zaitsev’s empty net goal. power play issues were solved. But in hindsight, we hung the Mission Accomplished banner up a little too early on that one. The key takeaways from last week: On Sunday, D.J. Smith acknowledged that we could see a small change 1. Nick Paul is the most trusted forward for D.J. Smith with the game on in the power play deployment when the club plays its next game. the line and he’ll be the one taking a key faceoff in the defensive zone. “Yeah, we’ll look at that,” Smith said. “Not so much the guys that are on 2. Smith isn’t afraid to use Zaitsev and Zub as a pairing if needed. it, but just the units themselves. Maybe move a few guys around to spark 3. Smith also said that he was willing to use Alex Formenton to help something.” protect the lead on Wednesday until the penalties came into the mix. The smart money is on Evgenii Dadonov being moved off the first unit Considering he rolled the previous lines in succession, we’ll certainly take and replaced with someone like Josh Norris. Smith’s word for it. And this was welcome news to the ears of Sens fans who have been hoping to see the young players put in pressure Dadonov’s struggles on the power play have been well-documented. situations this season. Dadonov is one of just a handful of players who have scored fewer than 10 power-play points this season despite having more than 125 minutes What it means for the week ahead: The Senators are looking like a of power-play time. better, more composed team lately. Part of that is goaltending, but credit also needs to go to the coach for deploying the right players in this And as you can see, even the gap between Dadonov and the others on situation. this list is quite alarming:

8. Gudbranson is a healthy scratch for the first time Lowest PP productivity (125+ mins on PP)

While I did point out that Erik Gudbranson was trending toward being a healthy scratch in last week’s column, I never anticipated a scenario where he would be out of Ottawa’s lineup for three straight games. 134:43 6 I MEAN, MELNYK DID PROMISE AN EXPLOSION OF CUPS STARTING IN 2021… HTTPS://T.CO/JBONCY2YPL 3 — DOWN GOES BROWN (@DOWNGOESBROWN) MARCH 26, 2021 9 The winner of the most creative use of this GIF goes to Gatineau Greg: Mika Zibanejad PIC.TWITTER.COM/EO5JZLWTW4 130:19 — GATINEAÜ GREIG (@GATINEAUGREG) MARCH 26, 2021 5 But this whole thing got me thinking: If I was putting together a Mount 3 Rushmore of Sens GIFs, would this Dorion cup toss make it onto my 8 shortlist? Recency bias would probably tend to place it in the top four, but I’m not so sure. Nazem Kadri After putting out a call on Twitter to Sens fans, I’ve determined these are 127:36 my four all-time favourite Sens GIFs — and sadly, the Dorion cup toss doesn’t make the list. 3 1. The Karlsson wink 5 Erik Karlsson is the coolest person who ever lived in Ottawa. Case 8 closed. Gabriel Landeskog PIC.TWITTER.COM/O8SFRBOBBJ 129:37 — KYLE (@STATICROMANCE) MARCH 28, 2021 5 2. Mark Stone water bottle malfunction 2 I love the moments where athletes seem like regular people like you and 7 me. So to see Mark Stone — who is the equivalent of a hockey genius on the ice — have a water bottle malfunction is the humanizing content we Brady Tkachuk should embrace. I would be all over video of Daniel Alfredsson struggling to open a jar of pickles. 125:01 PIC.TWITTER.COM/HEZHHEF0LY 3 — RYLE MATHESON (@RYLEMATHESON) MARCH 28, 2021 3 3. Chara ragdolls McCabe 6 This should just be played on an endless loop on that giant video screen Evgenii Dadonov outside the Canadian Tire Centre near the 417. 125:07 I'M NOT AN OTTAWA FAN BUT THIS IS MY FAV 0 PIC.TWITTER.COM/GD0NN3KOWP

1 — MATTOLA (@CANUCKSREPUBLIC) MARCH 28, 2021

1 4. That Spezza smile

I thought it was interesting that Sunday both Brady Tkachuk and Tim One day I’ll do a deep dive into this GIF and find out what the camera Stützle tried to take personal responsibility for the power-play struggles. person said to Spezza to make him laugh like this. If you know me well enough, you know I can’t leave Spezza out of any Mount Rushmore in “The last power plays have been my fault, with a couple of bad turnovers. Sens history. It’s unacceptable and that shouldn’t happen,” said Tkachuk. “I take a lot of the blame for the power play. I just have to simplify a bit more and LIKE MANY, I THOUGHT DORION CUP THROWING WAS A SURE make that easy play and not try and be a hero.” BET. BUT WE'RE ALL GUILTY OF RECENCY BIAS. VERY HARD TO BEAT SPEZZA ON THE GREEN SCREEN. For his part, Stützle pointed out that zone entries are an issue. “We need PIC.TWITTER.COM/HGBG5MLCOH to get in the zone easier,” he said. When I asked him to expand on that answer, he shifted the responsibility to himself. — WALTER CHAN (@WALTERCHAN) MARCH 28, 2021

“It’s pretty obvious that I have to be better there too,” said Stützle. “I just The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 need to be quicker and get the puck in the zone and make a play as fast as possible. And if I do that, I think we will get into the zone.”

What it means for the week ahead: We’ll likely get our first glimpse at D.J. Smith’s altered power play configuration when the team practises Monday morning. As much as Tkachuk and Stützle are taking responsibility for the struggles, it would still be a little surprising to see either removed from the first unit.

10. Does Dorion’s cup-tossing make it into your Mount Rushmore of Sens GIFs?

Thursday night’s overtime loss at the hands of the Maple Leafs was somewhat overshadowed by this amazing piece of video:

SENS GM PIERRE DORION CHUCKS HIS DRINK AFTER TORONTO WINS IT IN OT. PIC.TWITTER.COM/YNMJXBPHEB

— TSN (@TSN_SPORTS) MARCH 26, 2021

It led to hundreds of memes and jokes on social media. Leading the pack is this good one from my podcast partner Sean McIndoe: 1207322 Philadelphia Flyers A defensive breakdown that had all five Flyers skaters on one side of the ice led to the Buffalo goal, scored by all-alone defenseman Henri Jokiharju, who put a right-circle shot through the legs of Elliott with 2:19 left in the first. Flyers overcome late 3-goal deficit and stun Buffalo in OT, 4-3; Sabres suffer 18th straight loss If not for Elliott, who notched his 250th career win, the Flyers would have faced a huge first-period deficit. He made saves on close-range shots by Tobias Rieder, Dylan Cozens, and Sam Reinhart.

Sam Carchidi The Sabres, who were without star center Jack Eichel (upper-body injury), continued to win puck battles early in the second period, leading

to several scoring chances. Cody Eakin made it 2-0 as he scored on a The Flyers showed all the life of department-store mannequins for most one-timer from the right circle with 17:50 left in the second, putting a shot of the first two periods Monday at the KeyBank Center. under Elliott’s glove to the short side.

But they woke up in the third period, overcame a three-goal deficit, and A short time later, Elliott kept it at 2-0 by making saves on point-blank jolted the poor Buffalo Sabres as Ivan Provorov scored early in overtime shots by Taylor Hall and Tage Thompson. But the Sabres kept swarming, to give the Flyers a bizarre 4-3 win. kept finding seams in the offensive zone, kept getting to most loose pucks. The stunning turnaround gave Buffalo its 18th straight defeat, equaling the NHL’s longest winless streak in 26 years. The relentless pressure led to another goal, this one a high shot from the slot by Montour that increased Buffalo’s lead to 3-0 with 7:17 to go in the Just 42 seconds into the extra session, Provorov (two points, six shots) second. Two of the Sabres’ goals were scored by defensemen who finished off a two-on-one pass from Travis Konecny and scored the jumped into the play. second overtime goal of his career. “They kind of took over,” said Couturier, whose team faces the Sabres With Flyers goalie Brian Elliott pulled for an extra attacker, Sean again Wednesday. “We were forcing some plays and trying to be too Couturier scored on a deflection in front -- after the Sabres missed a shot fancy. That’s not the way we need to play if we’re going to have at an empty net -- to knot the score at 3-3 with 1:29 left in regulation. success.” That set the stage for Provorov. Added Couturier: “We’re happy to get the two points, but not satisfied “The urgency was there ... in the third period,” Claude Giroux said. “We with the way we played. We can’t put ourselves in that situation too often knew if we wanted to come back, we had to play better, harder and and expect to win many games.” smarter. But the way we played in the first two periods is very frustrating because it’s not the first time it’s happened.” It marked just the sixth time in franchise history the Flyers won a game after overcoming a third-period deficit of three or more goals, per the Buffalo, which blew a 2-1 third-period lead to Boston in its previous NHL. The last time was in 2016, also against Buffalo. game, had a 4-2 third-period lead against the Flyers earlier in the month. The Flyers won, 5-4, in a shootout. Breakaways

Provorov said he wasn’t sure “why we only start playing when we’re Vigneault benched Oskar Lindblom, Nolan Patrick, and in behind. Maybe for the next game, we should come out and think we’re the third period and the overtime. ... In March, the Flyers have been down 3-0 and then maybe we’ll have a good start.” outscored in the opening period, 25-9. They have been outscored in the first period by Buffalo, 4-1, in their two meetings this month. ... Provorov Coach Alain Vigneault shortened his bench and went with three lines in had 10 shot attempts and played 25:27. the third period; he also put Couturier, Giroux, and Jake Voracek together late in the second, and they sparked the comeback. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.30.2021

“In the situation we were in, if you’re going to move forward and get the job done, your top players have got to be your top players,” Vigneault said. “We needed a push, we needed those guys to step up. ... I shortened up the bench, and the guys found a way to get it done.”

The win moved the Flyers within one point of Boston for the final East Division playoff spot; the Bruins have three games in hand.

Until they dominated the third period, the Flyers somehow made the wretched Sabres – who took an NHL-worst 6-23-4 record into the game – look like a quality team.

Outplayed for most of the first 40 minutes, the Flyers finally showed life early in the third as Kevin Hayes scored from the slot, cutting Buffalo’s lead to 3-1 with 18:10 left in regulation. Giroux made it 3-2 with 9:09 remaining, converting Couturier’s feed. About eight minutes later, Couturier tied it.

The Sabres had a “panic attack,” Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin said, describing the third period.

“This whole stretch is embarrassing, especially tonight,” Buffalo defenseman Brandon Montour said. “Any team in the NHL, I don’t care who you are, that’s a win.”

Before the game, Vigneault said he was leaning on his leadership group, which is headed by his captain, Giroux, to make sure his players didn’t take the Sabres lightly.

They apparently didn’t get the message because Buffalo controlled the first period. The Flyers were outshot (13-8), outhustled, and outplayed as they fell into a 1-0 hole.

It marked just the eighth time in 34 games this season that the Sabres had a lead after an opening period. 1207323 Philadelphia Flyers “We all know Hartsy’s a good goalie.” Gostisbehere said. “Everyone goes through their ups and downs. Right now it’s a down, and then it’s the time of year where we need wins, so I think Hartsy’s going to be fine. It’s just he has to find himself and find his game. We know he’ll be back stronger. Struggling Flyers goalie Carter Hart split with longtime sports “ psychologist; has it affected his play? Gostisbehere added: “We’re definitely not worried about Hartsy at all. He’s definitely going to be hard on himself. That’s just the type of kid he is. ... I just know his personality and his attitude toward playing the game, Sam Carchidi and his preparation is second to none. I’m pretty sure no one in this organization is too worried about the Carter Hart we’re going to see next.” The Flyers are giving Carter Hart his longest break from game action this season, hoping the extra work with goaltender coach Kim Dillabaugh will Breakaways straighten him out. The Flyers went with the same lines and pairings Monday they used in But Hart, according to a league source, split up with his longtime sports Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Rangers. ... Vigneault on the Flyers’ being psychologist and confidant, John Stevenson, before the season. And that able to have a practice -- their first in 12 days -- before the Rangers might have as much to do with his struggles as his play on the ice. The game: “We were able to work on a couple things and I think it showed on split was because of something out of either person’s control, and not the ice.” because of a conflict with each other, the source said. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.30.2021 Hart, 22, had been working with Stevenson since he was in grammar school in Alberta, and he has said being a goaltender is more about how you approach the game with your mind.

“I’d say about 90% of it is mental,” he said as he was working his way up the ranks. “Confidence is everything. Everything is between your ears.”

Hart has attributed a lot of his success to Stevenson, who has worked with numerous pro athletes, including Canucks goalie Braden Holtby, who won a Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018.

Stevenson was Hart’s goalie coach when he was 10. A year or two later, he became Hart’s sports psychologist.

“He’s helped me a ton,” Hart said in a 2018 interview, “and I wouldn’t be where I am without his help.”

Hart, who was not available to comment Monday, has said Stevenson helped him not only in hockey, “but life itself. ... He’s not only just my sports psychologist, but he’s a good friend of mine, so I can talk to him about pretty much anything, which is really nice to have. You can talk to your parents pretty much about anything, but there are some things you can’t tell your parents.”

Before the breakup, Hart said he tried to talk to Stevenson once a week during the season to fine-tune his mental approach to hockey.

Contacted in a text, Stevenson said he didn’t want to talk about the situation with Hart “out of respect for Carter.” He would not confirm or deny the split with his client.

In his first full NHL season last year, Hart was blossoming into one of the league’s best young goaltenders. He had a 2.42 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in the regular season, and was even better in the playoffs (2.23, .926).

This year, with a poor defense in front of him, he has a 4.04 GAA and an .869 save percentage. He has allowed four or more goals in 11 of his 20 starts and has been pulled in four of them.

Hart will not dress in the two games in Buffalo, and will do extra work with Dillabaugh, head coach Alain Vigneault said before Monday’s game against the Sabres. Brian Elliott started Monday and Alex Lyon was his backup.

Vigneault said Elliott or Lyon would start Wednesday in Buffalo.

Hart will thus go at least three straight games without playing, his longest stretch of the season.

After Monday’s morning skate, Hart stayed on the ice and worked with Dillabaugh. He will do the same on Wednesday (another game day) and will have a practice with the team Tuesday. Hart will continue to work with Dillabaugh when the regular session ends.

“We’re going to stay that way for a little while here,” Vigneault said. “He needs to work on his game. He needs to work harder. He needs to work better. I had a good conversation with him and Kim about my expectations about his practice habits and him stopping the puck. Just like our team, everybody benefits from our good practices.”

Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said the team hasn’t lost faith in Hart. 1207324 Philadelphia Flyers

Alain Vigneault leaning on Flyers’ leaders to make sure they don’t take freefalling Sabres lightly

Sam Carchidi

The Buffalo Sabres have lost 17 straight, an unwanted record in the post- shootout era, which started in 2005-06.

Don’t blame goalie Linus Ullmark.

Ullmark, 27, who will start Monday night against the visiting Flyers, was injured and out of the lineup during most of the losing streak before returning in Saturday’s 3-2 loss in Boston.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Sweden native missed 15 of the Sabres’ 17 straight defeats -- he was injured and had no decision in the first loss, a 4-3 overtime defeat Feb. 25 to New Jersey. Ullmark stopped all 15 first- period shots in that game, then was replaced by Carter Hutton to start the second period.

Ullmark is one of the few Buffalo players who is having a quality season. The Sabres were 6-8-2 when Ullmark was injured. They are now a league-worst 6-23-4.

Ullmark is 5-5-2 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .918 save percentage this season; he has not faced the Flyers this year. In two career games against Philadelphia, Ullmark is 1-1 with a 3.51 GAA and .899 save percentage.

He will face a Flyers lineup that has received good production lately from Sean Couturier and Shayne Gostisbehere. In the last five games, Couturier has three goals and five points, while Gostisbehere has three assists and a plus-2 rating.

Despite missing 11 games because of injuries (rib, hip), Couturier is fifth on the Flyers with 24 points . He has nine goals and 15 assists in 22 games.

Brian Elliott (8-4-1), coming off a solid performance in Saturday’s 2-1 win over the New York Rangers, will get the call for the Flyers. Elliott, who has a 2.83 GAA and .892 save percentage, has been dominant against the Sabres this season: a 3-0 record with a 0.92 GAA and .967 save percentage.

He will be facing a Buffalo team that is 0-13-1 in March, with their only point coming in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Flyers on March 9. In that game, the Flyers overcame a 4-2 third-period deficit,

According to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, if the Sabres drop the next two games in regulation against the Flyers, they would tie Detroit (0- 15-1 in March 1977) for the worst month in NHL history.

Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said he will leaning on his leadership group to make sure his team doesn’t take the Sabres too lightly.

Breakaways

Vigneault said he will use the same lineup that outlasted the Rangers on Saturday. That means the defense will again have Ivan Provorov with Justin Braun, Travis Sanheim with Phil Myers, and Samuel Morin with Gostisbehere. ... Alex Lyon will be the backup goalie Monday, and Vigneault said either Lyon or Elliott will get the call Wednesday in Buffalo as struggling Carter Hart (4.04 GAA, .869 save percentage) does extra work with goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh. ... The Flyers are 4-1 and have three shutouts this year against Buffalo; they have never blanked a team four times in a season in franchise history.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207325 Philadelphia Flyers NOTES >> The Flyers signed forward Max Willman to a two-year, two- way contract worth $750,000. … Couturier leads the Flyers with six points (three goals, three assists) in the season series with the Sabres, two of the tallies game-winners. It’s his fourth straight game with a point. Flyers Notebook: Vigneault quietly lets veterans sink or swim against Sabres Delaware County Times LOADED: 03.30.2021

By Bob Grotz

Frustrated beyond belief, the Flyers down three goals to the worst team in the NHL, coach Alain Vigneault refused to go into the dressing room for the second intermission.

Four goals later, the last one by Ivan Provorov 42 seconds into overtime, Vigneault was glad he didn’t, and his players found the way themselves with a 4-3 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.

It was Provorov’s second winner in overtime in a five-year career.

“A few guys spoke up,” said captain Claude Giroux, who netted one of the Flyers’ goals. “Scott Laughton, Justin Braun and a few of the other guys. We have leadership from more than two or three guys. I think sometimes the message is just a little louder. We were able to have probably our best period of the year in the third period. Hopefully. we can build on this.”

Vigneault stuck with his veterans from late in the second frame the rest of the way, using a core group of nine forwards down the stretch. Sean Couturier and Giroux both played more than 21 minutes, Jake Voracek and Laughton 19 minutes.

Nolan Patrick, Oskar Lindblom and Joel Farabee were anchored to the bench.

The Flyers (17-13-4, 38 points) stayed within a few points of a playoff spot thanks to those efforts and the work of Kevin Hayes, who scored the team’s first goal less than two minutes into the final frame and Sean Couturier, who tipped in a shot to tie it.

Skating six-on-five, the Flyers packed the Sabres' crease to get the equalizer with 1:29 left, Couturier tipping it either off or just past James van Riemsdyk's stick. Neither would care who got credit.

The goal came seconds after the Sabres’ Tage Thompson missed the empty net on a lunging one-hand shot off a partial breakaway.

The Sabres (6-24-4-16) tied a dubious NHL record by going winless in their 18th straight game. They share the standard with the 2003-04 Pittsburgh Penguins, 18 winless and counting.

Provorov had a stellar game, as he blocked a puck from leaving the zone with his chest to set up Giroux’s goal. Provorov also scored the winner on a backhander in the extra session, capping a night in which he played a game-high 26 minutes.

Flyers goalie Brian Elliott was wicked in the third period, stopping 10 shots. Elliott is 16-2-2 in his career against the Sabres.

The victory gives the Flyers success in back-to-back games for the first time since they defeated the Sabres in back-to-back games on the road in late February.

No one is baffled more by the Flyers’ slow starts than Provorov.

“I don’t know,” Provorov said. “The next game we should think that we’re down 3-0. Then maybe we’ll have a good start.”

• • •

The Flyers trailed, 1-0, at the first intermission and former Flyer Scott Hartnell, the NBC SportsNet analyst, suggested Vigneault go ballistic during the intermission.

“I’d break a stick, do something to wake them up,” Hartnell said.

When the lead grew to 3-0 after two periods, Cody Eakin and Brandon Montour tallying for the Sabres, intermission host Taryn Hatcher asked Hartnell about Plan B.

“Go splash some water on your face and look in the mirror,” Hartnell said. “It’s frustrating, the lack of urgency, the lack of fight.”

• • • 1207326 Philadelphia Flyers Last week Fletcher gave Hart a vote of confidence, saying, “I believe in Carter. I believe in his talent. And I believe he’ll be a very good goalie for this franchise for a long time. But clearly right now he’s not on top of his game.” Flyers' Carter Hart put on pause, heads back to goalie school The same can be said for the Flyers as a whole. Entering Monday they’d won just five of their last 15 games.

By Bob Grotz Still, the way Hart was swept to the curb was eye-opening. Vigneault was answering a question about a possible letdown against the struggling

Sabres when the truth about Hart emerged. Benching Carter Hart in favor of 35-year-old netminder Brian Elliott was "This is a game that we need,” Vigneault said. “And I expect the anything but unexpected. It was a matter of when, not if. leadership of this group to make sure that everyone is on high alert, they Tired of turning away from the flashing red light, Flyers coach Alain understand the importance of this game and that they come to play Vigneault and general manager realized they no longer tonight.” could stomp their feet and talk about what a great future Hart had each Last year Hart was the goaltender. This year, in a game the Flyers time he gave up the far side of the net or was unable to control a needed, they didn't need him. rebound. Delaware County Times LOADED: 03.30.2021 Punishing Hart by putting him through an extended training camp, as the Flyers basically did Monday, is a shocker. But that’s his lot right now just as slumping Phillies veteran Scott Kingery’s job is to be the best minor leaguer he can be.

Hart practiced with the Flyers the morning of their Monday night game at Buffalo. He’s scheduled to practice again Tuesday and Wednesday and won’t dress for an NHL game at least until Friday.

Considering his slump and the team’s urgency to stay in the playoff hunt, the Flyers might give a start or two to backup goalie Alex Lyon. In the wings is Lyon's fellow Phantom Felix Sandstrom, the other standout goalie prospect when Hart was breaking out as a junior.

Hart is 2-6 in March with a 4.00 goals-against average on the season. Lyon was promoted from the Taxi Squad Monday and backed up Elliott against the Sabres Monday night.

Until further notice Hart reports to Flyers goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh.

"He’s going to practice today and work with Kim after,” Vigneault said Monday morning. “And we’re going to stay that way here for a little while. He needs to work on his game. He needs to work harder. He needs to work better. I had a good conversation with him and Kim about my expectations, about his practice habits and him stopping the puck. Just like our team, everybody benefits from good practices and Carter’s going to benefit from practicing here.”

With Elliott looking ordinary lately, Lyon and possibly Sandstrom are a bad period or two from getting on the ice. Also, in his Monday morning video conference, Vigneault said that either Elliott or Lyon, would start the Wednesday game against the Sabres.

We shall see what happens Wednesday. Elliott entered the Monday game with a 15-2-2 career record against the Sabres, four of the wins shutouts, including two this season.

Elliott’s record aside, there is no better NHL team to play against right now than the Sabres, who are on their second coach of the season and entered the contest with a 17-game winless streak.

The Flyers took Sandstrom (6-2, 196) off the board in the third round of the 2015 draft, No. 70 overall. That was the draft where the Flyers netted Ivan Provorov with the seventh pick and Travis Konecny at 24.

Since then, Sandstrom hasn’t quite proven to be the next Pelle Lindbergh.

Sandstrom is 2-1-1 with a goals-against average of 4.40 in four games with the Phantoms. Statistically he was the Phantoms’ third-best goalie behind Zane McIntyre (2.29 GAA, 6-1-1) and Lyon (2-1-0, 3.40).

What opened the door for the backups will be the subject of debate. While Fletcher declined to name names last week, he intimated that the young Flyers who weren’t married – Hart is among them – were having a tougher time dealing with the solitude of COVID protocols.

Players basically can't go out for dinner, even in the team hotel, and basically must self-quarantine before games home and away. And let’s not forget their daily testing for the virus. That could take the fun out of the game for anybody.

There’s no denying Hart’s loss of concentration. He can look dynamic for two periods, and in the final frame like he’d just been called up from the AHL. 1207327 Philadelphia Flyers The Flyers obviously aren't selling, but don't expect them to be major buyers, either. Let's say improvements by the margins to give them a shot at the playoffs. The Flyers should be judicious in what they're willing to give up. How's your blood pressure? Flyers take everyone on another wild ride of emotions • Brian Elliott wasn't the problem. He made 29 saves on 32 shots and actually gave the Flyers a chance to come back. The deficit could have easily been larger than 3-0. Some of his saves earlier in the game should not be undervalued. by Jordan Hall Elliott will most likely get the net again Wednesday. Carter Hart is not an

option, unless the club changes its plan. Perhaps it was taking out frustration. Perhaps it was a sense of urgency. Buffalo netminder Linus Ullmark converted 32 saves but couldn't hold off Whatever it was, the Flyers' core showed guts and turned it on to prevent the Flyers' surge. what would have been arguably the ugliest loss in a month of March that • The Flyers face the Sabres again on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. has had its share of eyesores. Playing the NHL's worst team that was ET/NBCSP). Suffice it to say they'll be focused on a much, much better winless in 17 straight games, the Flyers erased a 3-0 third-period deficit start. to beat the Sabres, 4-3, in overtime Monday night at the KeyBank Center. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.30.2021 Talk about escaping disaster.

Ivan Provorov scored the overtime winner, while Kevin Hayes, Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier made it possible with third-period goals.

For the first time this month, the Flyers (17-13-4) have picked up consecutive wins. They had not won two straight games since Feb. 27- 28, when they last visited Buffalo and pitched a pair of shutouts.

The Flyers are within one point of the Bruins, who hold the East Division's fourth and final playoff spot. Boston has three games in hand on the Flyers.

The Sabres (6-23-5) are the worst team in the NHL and in full-on sell mode. On Monday night, Buffalo held its first three-goal lead since Feb. 23, which is when it last won a game. The Sabres have gone 0-15-3 since then.

• Head coach Alain Vigneault shortened his bench substantially in the third period.

Young forwards Joel Farabee, Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom did not play in the final stanza or overtime.

The Flyers' leaders steered the comeback.

"We're down by three, we needed this game, so I decided to shorten up the bench and went with what I thought was our best nine forwards at that time," Vigneault said postgame. "The guys found a way to get it done."

• This one wasn't pretty, a lot like this month.

The Flyers obviously know they shouldn't have been in a 3-0 hole against the Sabres at second intermission.

Despite the team's win, its play through the first two periods holds weight. It's seriously troubling that the Flyers have not been able to string any positives together. They've been frighteningly up and down and are still allowing an NHL-most 4.31 goals per game in March — more than Buffalo, which hasn't won a game in over a month.

But the team's comeback also holds weight. Try to find a game over this season and last season when the Flyers truly quit. You won't find many. Maybe the 9-0 loss to the Rangers in which the game unraveled by epic proportions? That's about it.

However, Flyers fans sure would like fewer we-didn't-quit efforts. And they should. The Flyers have trailed by multiple goals in 11 of 16 games in March. That's far too many holes and it won't breed a ton of outside believers.

• It would be tough to blame any fan who held reservation or pessimism going into this game or any game following a win by the team this month.

The Flyers have not been able to build any momentum in March when it looks like they might.

Prior to this victory, the Flyers were 0-4-0 and outscored 24-7 in games following a win this month.

They still have more convincing to do, especially to general manager Chuck Fletcher as the April 12 trade deadline gets closer and closer. 1207328 Philadelphia Flyers "He's definitely going to be hard on himself," Shayne Gostisbehere said Monday afternoon. "That's just the type of kid he is, he likes to compete and he wants to be out there, so we know he's going to come back stronger. Why Flyers have good plan for Hart, whose 'preparation is second to none' "I just know his personality, how he is, his attitude toward playing the game. His preparation is second to none. I'm pretty sure no one in this organization is too worried about the Carter Hart we're going to see next." by Jordan Hall Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.30.2021

The Flyers do not question Carter Hart's drive or habits.

Head coach Alain Vigneault and his staff have planned for Hart to solely focus on practicing and extra work leading into the weekend. It's an ideal time to employ that strategy for the 22-year-old goalie. The Flyers play the NHL-worst Sabres on Monday and Wednesday, then finally have two days between games before their April slate begins Saturday against the Islanders. Elliott entered Monday 16-2-2 with a 1.67 goals-against average and .943 save percentage lifetime against Buffalo. Hart is not expected to suit up for either of the games in Buffalo as Alex Lyon will dress for both.

When times are tough, Vigneault is an old-school guy that says let's put our heads down and work. Find solutions through hard work. The Flyers want Hart to work hard at practice, work hard with goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh and not worry about anything else.

It's a way to reset through repetition. That is the Flyers' hope as they mapped out this week for Hart.

Carter Hart and goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh chat during Monday's morning skate in Buffalo, New York.

"This is not a rest day for Carter, this is a workday for him," Vigneault said before Monday's morning skate. "We were able to have him skate and practice yesterday, we're going to have him skate and stay on the ice and work on his game [today]. Tomorrow is a team practice day, which we hadn't had a lot. I think you could tell the difference when we practiced prior to last game in our game. We were able to work on a couple of things and that definitely showed on the ice.

"He's going to skate today in practice, stay on after, practice with the team tomorrow, stay on after, Wednesday he will do the same thing — he's going to practice and work with Kim after. We're going to stay that way for a little while here. He needs to work on his game, he needs to work harder, he needs work better. I had a good conversation with him and Kim about my expectations about his practice habits and him stopping the puck. We were able to work with him yesterday. Just like our team, everybody benefits from good practices and Carter's going to benefit from practicing here."

Vigneault doesn't doubt Hart's work ethic, nor does the organization. Vigneault even enjoyed a laugh during training camp when he spotted the goalie in the weight room later in the afternoon following a practice and scrimmage. When Vigneault says work harder, he means Hart becoming better through hard work in practice. When he notes practice habits, he means the plan for Hart and Dillabaugh in practice, to hone in on specific areas and have them translate during games. Clearly Hart needs to continue to work on things; he has a 4.04 goals-against average and entered Monday having allowed the most goals in the NHL with 77.

Back on March 10, Vigneault said exactly what he said Monday:

"The ones that work harder, work smarter, don't feel sorry for themselves, push themselves, are the ones that become the best that they can be," Vigneault said then. "And Carter's got to do that; he's not the first player or goaltender to go through a tough time. To improve and get better, you've got to work and he's got to work harder and he's got to work smarter. A lot of times I say, 'Enough meetings, enough video, you've got to work.' That's what Carter's got to do right now."

In many ways, Hart could probably use a vacation of sorts — a time to escape the day-to-day grind of constantly thinking hockey, an opportunity to get away, relax and simply reset mentally. But Hart and the Flyers aren't in a profession that features such a luxury, so grinding away at his craft in practice, behind the scenes, is a good way to reset.

But it's not a question of drive and habits with Hart. It's a question of the best way to help Hart feel and play more like himself again at the toughest position in the game, in a city like Philadelphia. 1207329 Philadelphia Flyers manpower issue on defense resolved itself and Morin could have returned to forward, the decision was made to keep him on defense. It’s a choice that on Saturday breathed new life back into Morin’s chances to stick at the NHL level. Why Samuel Morin changed positions, why it worked and why it made the Flyers so happy: O’Connor’s Observations “(General manager) Chuck (Fletcher) told me, I’m a D-man now. I’m a D,” he recalled. “I’m going to play defense for the rest of the year. That’s kind of what I wanted and I’m extremely happy about that. I’m a D-man. For sure, I’m a D-man.” By Charlie O'Connor Mar 29, 2021 2. Morin’s teammates couldn’t have been happier

Let’s just say that the Flyers haven’t exactly been a cheery bunch over Perhaps Saturday will be remembered as a turning point for the 2020-21 the past few weeks. That’s what happens when a team goes 4-9-1 in Flyers, or perhaps it will just go down as a brief respite during a season March, a stretch that included losses of 9-0, 6-1 and 8-3. They’re best reassigned to the dustbin of franchise history. searching for answers, and luxuries like exuberant goal celebrations Either way, fans finally were given a hero to celebrate, and his name was simply become afterthoughts in the midst of the justifiable gloom. Samuel Morin. But on Saturday afternoon, in the wake of Morin’s first NHL goal, that all Morin’s goal with 4:27 remaining in the third period gave the Flyers a 2-1 changed. lead that would ultimately put a halt to their four-game skid — and also THE MOMENT SAM MORIN HAS BEEN WAITING FOR HIS ENTIRE provide both the team and its fans some semblance of revenge against a LIFE! PIC.TWITTER.COM/2QY5HNDSBT Rangers club that had won its previous two games against Philadelphia by a combined 17-3. Does a 2-1 edge make up for that degree of — NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA (@NBCSPHILLY) MARCH 27, 2021 ineptitude? Of course not. But it’s certainly better than yet another ugly defeat. That wasn’t mere happiness at a clutch goal that put the Flyers in front with less than five minutes to play. That was a group that wanted nothing In this week’s edition of O’Connor’s Observations, Morin’s unlikely more than to celebrate a teammate’s achievement, a group that was magical moment takes center stage. But it’s not enough to erase the genuinely ecstatic for their friend. disappointment of Philadelphia’s three other losses this week — losses that will only make it tougher for the Flyers to achieve their goal of a “Anyone who’s gotten to know Sam over the years knows he’s a good big second straight playoff appearance. Morin’s goal should be celebrated. young Frenchman from the farm,” coach Alain Vigneault noted after The team’s season as a whole? Not so much. Saturday’s win. “Just a wholesome young man, that everybody that’s gotten to know him really likes. There’s no doubt there was a lot of joy for 1. Morin’s path back to his natural position him and the team tonight.”

Morin’s path to the highest level of hockey was uncertain even before he It would have been very easy for Morin — a former 2013 first-round pick tore the ACL in his right knee twice in the span of 19 months. After the — to become bitter and frustrated when his pedigree didn’t earn him a injuries, there was no guarantee Morin would have a shot at a long-term quick route to the NHL. And that was even before the injuries struck, NHL career. which pushed back his timeline even further, to the point of potentially obliterating it altogether. But Morin’s teammates throughout the Suddenly, after being the hero Saturday, scoring the game-winner on his organization saw that he kept his positive attitude and his work ethic first NHL goal, a bright future looks possible again — now that’s he’s through it all, and even stayed supportive of them while his own career back on defense. faced setback after setback. They didn’t forget it. Morin’s return from the second ACL tear was always going to be difficult. “It’s pretty special. This guy’s been through a lot within the organization,” But the Flyers’ surprise announcement on New Year’s Eve that Morin Brian Elliott said. “A lot of injuries and surgeries, and he’s always come would be moving to left wing made it more so. Believing that Morin had back with a smile on his face. Every day, ready to work, can’t wait to get little chance of cracking the NHL rotation in 2020-21 at his natural back on the ice with the guys. I think that’s why everybody’s so happy. position — both because of the difficulty in “sheltering” a blueliner in When you work so hard, and guys can see it, and he brings energy every terms of minutes/usage and because of the perceived organizational day, no matter if he is in the lineup or not in the lineup, it’s something depth ahead of him — the Philadelphia front office and coaching staff special. It just rubs off on the guys and we’re so happy for him.” suggested Morin shift to forward. They were looking for a physical, intimidation element up front coming off the Islanders series, and after Travis Konecny concurred, nodding his head in agreement as Elliott striking out on acquiring a Matt Martin-type (or Martin himself) in the spoke and then adding his own thoughts soon after. offseason, decided to try to turn Morin into their own version Martin. “For him to battle and not play that many games for that long, and stay as Unfortunately, it didn’t work. positive as he has, and always smiling, always pumping up the team,” Konecny began, “whether he’s just practicing with us or doing reps on the “It was pretty hard. It’s hard when you’re a defensive defenseman and ice, he’s always working hard. To see him in there smiling and get that trying to go forward,” Morin admitted on Saturday. “I was a little bit lost goal, like he said, everybody’s just so happy for him.” out there. I think anyone (could) tell. I tried my best.” But it’s a two-way street. As Morin himself noted in the wake of his big Both of Morin’s statements are true. Anyone who watched him at practice day, he felt the support of his teammates as well, and it went a long way could tell how hard he was working to grasp the finer points of the toward keeping him on the path to potentially securing an NHL future. position: conversations with coaches, listening to tips from teammates, never giving up on a rep. But anyone who watched the four NHL games “I was in the wives’ lounge (at the Wells Fargo Center after) I tore my he played at left wing also could tell that he wasn’t comfortable there. In a ACL again,” he recalled. “I remember (Nolan Patrick) coming (and) little over 28 minutes at the position across four games, Morin was on the talking to me, all the guys had great words for me. Obviously, at the time, ice for 0.18 worth of expected goals by the Flyers and 1.45 by the I was really — not depressed, but I was really down. It was probably a opposition — a ghastly 11.04 percent xG For Percentage. It wasn’t for couple of hours after that, I was like, ‘I got to get back into this.’ I really lack of effort, but the Morin-at-wing experiment just wasn’t working. like hockey a lot. I love the game. I didn’t really care where I was, AHL, (ECHL), anywhere in Europe. I was just ready for anything.” When Morin was demoted from the NHL taxi squad down to the AHL back on March 1, the experiment wasn’t necessarily over just yet. But 3. Raffl and Aubé-Kubel’s underrated plays coach Scott Gordon knew Morin as a defenseman, and his Phantoms were short on blueliners due to injuries, Morin deserves all the glory for his dramatic game-winner; he’s earned it. so two days later, there was Morin, back on defense. It could have been But he didn’t pull it off alone. just a short-term fill-in, except for one thing: Morin impressed. The Michael Raffl was 40 seconds into his shift when a Travis Sanheim pass coaches liked what they saw from Morin back at his natural spot, and the ended up on his stick just inside the Rangers’ blueline. Raffl was alone, organizational brain trust as a whole was surprised at how little rust he facing three Rangers checkers. It would have been very easy for him to showed despite the position switch attempt and the long gap between competitive games on defense. So even after the Phantoms’ temporary simply cut his losses, dump the puck deep, and head off for a line against hope that Friday’s session would prove to be the reset the team change. so desperately needed.

But that’s not what Raffl did. Instead, he held the puck, creating a “We’re going to get an opportunity tomorrow to have our first practice in legitimate zone entry, and hoped help would arrive. And it did, in the form 12 days,” he noted in response to the very first question asked in of Nicolas Aubé-Kubel, also well into his shift. Raffl’s attempted pass was Vigneault’s post-game press conference. “We’re going to get back to deflected, but Aubé-Kubel was right there to recover it and send it back work.” up to Morin, new to the ice due to a pairing change made possible because of Raffl’s retained possession and manufactured entry. Then Friday’s practice wasn’t anything complicated. They ran lines, practiced Raffl immediately moved to create a screen in front of Igor Shesterkin, breakouts and neutral zone structure, had battle and rush drills. It wasn’t creating the circumstances necessary for Morin’s distance shot to fool like Vigneault ran his club into the ground. Would a simple dose of the Russian netminder, who had been nearly unbeatable all day. normality really be enough to pull the team out of its spiral?

The Flyers have had issues with line changes in March — think back to Well, maybe. On Saturday, the Flyers didn’t fall apart after giving up the the early change that led to Pittsburgh’s third-period game-winner on first goal. They got saves. They controlled play at five-on-five (63.61 March 6, and Aubé-Kubel’s own brain freeze on March 13, which led to a percent Expected Goals share). They didn’t hang their goalies out to dry Capitals goal. This time, however, they took full advantage of that little constantly. And of course, they came away with the 2-1 victory. extra bit of effort and an efficient change of their own to bury the It’s far too soon to say that the Flyers are truly back on the right track. But Rangers. Vigneault trusted that a single practice might be enough to stop the 4. Ghost’s call-out message bleeding, and at least for one day, it was.

Before Thursday, there really hadn’t been a single public display of “We got to work on things that we haven’t been doing properly,” Konecny undeniable, profane anger on the part of the Flyers players in the midst recalled after the win. “And it’s not like we went out there and got of their crushing March. Sean Couturier’s “we literally give (the puck) to bagged. We went out there, we worked together, we worked hard. It was them” comment on Tuesday was probably the closest — at least until a lot of positives. We just came out here and tried to do the same thing Shayne Gostisbehere set the new standard for obvious frustration on on the ice today as we practiced yesterday.” Thursday. 7. What if, quietly, the old Lindblom is back?

“It’s just straight not good enough right now. We’re letting guys just Through most of the season’s first half, the question surrounding fucking absolutely beat us up in front of the net, and it makes our Lindblom has been simple: In the wake of his cancer recovery, when goaltenders look like absolute shit and it’s just not fair,” he stated with might he regain the breakout form he showed in the first half of 2019-20 unconcealed fury. “We’ve got to be better as a team. We have to be before his season was so cruelly brought to a premature halt? better as a D core. We’ve just got to bear down.” If Lindblom’s five-on-five metrics since returning from COVID-19 are any In general, these types of comments don’t necessarily prove that a player indication, he might be closer than most think. or team cares any more than if they aren’t dropping curses on the regular. But they certainly catch the attention of the fanbase and confirm Pre 2020-21 Career for any remaining doubters that the team is truly angry at the current 1.70 situation. Gostisbehere has never been one to hide his emotions — on or off the ice — so it’s little surprise that he’s the one who finally delivered 51.72 such a statement. 54.20 5. The snowball effect 2019-20 Season It’s been a problem for the Flyers for at least the past few weeks — some would argue the past eight years as well, though the issue has reared its 2.16 head in full force again recently. It’s the tendency for one bad goal to turn 54.21 into four in rapid succession, the “here we go again” mentality that turns close games into blowouts. It happened in the 9-0 defeat in the second 53.32 period, the 6-1 loss in the opening stanza, and during the entire first 23 minutes of the 8-3 debacle. All too often, the Flyers just can’t seem to First 13 games of 2020-21 stop the bleeding. Why not? 1.19 “I really don’t know,” Gostisbehere admitted. “We keep saying it in the 41.05 room. When they score a goal, don’t get down on ourselves, but it just keeps happening. I think if you look at any of these games the past 40.81 couple weeks, every time they score a goal, I think they score in the next couple of minutes. It’s just something that we’ve got to figure out. We’ve Last 16 games of 2020-21 got to full reset.” 2.03

Resets have been hard to come by for the Flyers recently, for many 53.38 reasons. The goaltending hasn’t been the only problem, but there certainly have been stoppable goals allowed during these snowballing 56.01 stretches. The relentless schedule hasn’t done the team any favors, either, by adding fatigue into the mix (their loss to the Devils on Tuesday Prior to the Flyers’ COVID-driven pause, it was abundantly clear that was the team’s fifth game in seven nights) and removing practice time Lindblom wasn’t even close to his career norms; replicating his 2019-20 from the equation. But there’s also the fact that the team simply isn’t borderline-star turn was unimaginable. But since returning, Lindblom has getting the job done, and that can’t be brushed aside. The Flyers — at least by the numbers — basically been that same player at five-on- certainly aren’t. five.

“I think every time we let in a goal, (we’re) kind of falling apart like today,” To be clear, this doesn’t mean Lindblom is all the way back, as even he Oskar Lindblom noted after Thursday’s defeat. “It doesn’t matter if we let would freely acknowledge. There was a one-game “reset” scratching in one goal — we’re still in the game. But it (goes) one, two, three, and it from Vigneault mixed into the good portion of Lindblom’s 2020-21 just keeps going, that can’t happen.” campaign, meant to give him time to recharge both mentally and physically. Lindblom does still seem to wear down at times, and over the 6. Did Friday’s practice help? past 16 games, he’s averaged just 11 minutes at five-on-five, as compared to 13 minutes per night in 2019-20. The coaching staff is still Vigneault and the Flyers were able to put an end to one of those taking it easy on him, and for good reason. contributing factors heading into Saturday’s game: for the first time since March 14, they were able to get in a full practice on a non-game day. In But Lindblom does seem to be getting closer and closer to regaining his the wake of Thursday’s loss, it was clear that Vigneault was hoping past form. And that’s not even the best news of the week involving No. 23. After being the focus of a morning-skate celebration on Thursday, Lindblom revealed that night what had inspired his teammates to rally around him. He gave the best possible answer, which stood as a rare bit of pure positivity in a very negative Flyers month.

“I did my scans again yesterday and they came back good,” he said. “So still cleared from cancer. It’s a great feeling to still know that and I know I just have to hopefully keep it the same and be cancer-free for the rest of my life.”

8. What about Patrick?

That’s one young player returning from serious health issues trending in the right direction. What about the other?

Well, Nolan Patrick did score his first goal since March 13 and only his second since the start of February on Saturday, so there’s that.

The hard truth is that positive signs have been harder to come by for Patrick. Despite ranking sixth on the team in power-play ice time, Patrick’s goal this weekend was just his second power-play point of the season. His underlying five-on-five metrics since the Flyers’ COVID-19 pause have been better (51.22 percent expected goals for) but not nearly as promising as those of Lindblom. And the Flyers have been bulldozed from a goals standpoint with him on the ice over that span — 16-3 in favor of the opposition at five-on-five. It’s been rough.

But Fletcher says he’s noticed progress in Patrick’s game, even if it’s not necessarily showing in the numbers yet. That faith was rewarded on Saturday with a key PP goal, one that hopefully can serve as a springboard for Patrick the rest of the way.

“Obviously missing the amount of time I did, it’s not easy and I knew it was going to be a tough year coming back with the schedule we have,” Patrick noted. “It’s obviously taking a little longer than I hope to find my game, but I feel like I’m getting closer and closer.”

9. Laczynski closing in on an NHL opportunity?

Had the 2020-21 season began with a normal-length training camp, and had Tanner Laczynski been fully healthy for all of it, the 23-year old from Ohio State would have been a serious darkhorse for an NHL roster spot. He’s making up for lost time right now with the Phantoms.

His AHL career may have gotten off to a bit of a slow start offensively (two points in his first five games), but thanks to the work of Brad Keffer at Phancy Stats, we know that Lehigh Valley was controlling the shot and chance battle at five-on-five handily even as Laczynski was being held off the scoresheet. Now, however, he’s both scoring and driving play. After a four-goal Friday-Saturday back-to-back, Laczynski now has eight points in his past seven games, to match his sterling 59.39 percent Corsi For Percentage and even-better 67.17 percent xG For Percentage at five-on- five over the full season.

.@LVPHANTOMS TANNER LACYZNSKI HAS A HAT TRICK TONIGHT. HIS 3RD GOAL HERE IS NASTY. COURTESY @THEAHL PIC.TWITTER.COM/NWUNQ7AGNI

— DAN MOSCARITOLO (@DANMOSCARITOLO) MARCH 27, 2021

Sure, he’s had help. Wade Allison (six points in five AHL games) and Max Willman have been great linemates for Laczynski. But it’s Laczynski who centers the line, and it’s Laczynski who is making the strongest case currently out of the viable prospects on the Phantoms for a promotion. We’ll see if it happens soon.

10. Just how unlikely are the playoffs at this point?

The Flyers’ 5-9-1 month of March has dropped them out of a playoff spot and into the standings realm of teams like the Rangers and Devils. But has their swoon truly decimated their postseason hopes? Could they still turn it around?

Well, yes. But according to the playoff probability calculations from public advanced stat sites HockeyViz and MoneyPuck, it’s not looking likely. Entering Sunday’s action, HockeyViz graded the Flyers’ playoff chances at 18 percent; MoneyPuck was even less generous, dropping them all the way down to 11.4 percent.

Now, none of this means that the Flyers can’t make the playoffs. But it does shed light on just how deep of a hole they’ve dug for themselves, especially given the quality of the other postseason contenders in the East Division. Even if Philadelphia does things around, it’s not going to be easy to fight back into the thick of the race.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207330 Pittsburgh Penguins right leg for his second goal of the season. Marino and defenseman Mike Matheson netted assists.

It became a 2-0 game at 18:28 of the second period when Penguins Empty Thoughts: Penguins 2, Islanders 1 forward Jared McCann collected his eighth goal at 18:28 of the first period during a four-on-four sequence. Identifying a sloppy line change by the Islanders, Marino glided into the offensive zone on the right wing and from the right circle, he chipped a pass to the slot for McCann who SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, March 30, 2021 4:42 a.m. jabbed a re-direction inside Varlamov’s blocker. Marino and Matheson had assists once again.

Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, The Islanders got on the scoreboard at 9:22 of the second period with a Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. power-play goal. Pushing play up deep on the right wing of the offensive zone, Islanders forward Mathew Barzal chucked the puck to the crease. Observations from the Penguins’ 2-1 win against the Islanders: Islanders forward Matt Martin established position just to the right of the blue paint on Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin and re-directed the First things first, there was no substantive update on Penguins puck under DeSmith’s blocker for his sixth goal. Barzal and defenseman goaltender Tristan Jarry following the game. Coach Mike Sullivan Nick Leddy collected assists. indicated he was being evaluated for an undisclosed injury while backup goaltender Casey DeSmith suggested Jarry’s ailment was not “anything Statistically speaking too serious.” • The Islanders controlled shots, 25-22. Jarry left the game following the first period after the team’s medical staffers made a decision to do so. • McCann and Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues each led the game with four shots. As far as the game goes, Penguins defenseman John Marino’s fingerprints were all over this victory. • Defensemen Andy Greene, Adam Pelech and forward Oliver Wahlstrom each led the Islanders with three shots. But first, a trip down memory lane. • Dumoulin led the game with 24:46 of ice time on 28 shifts. In the first professional game he had ever played – a preseason contest against the Buffalo Sabres in State College on Sept. 16, 2019 – Marino • Leddy led the Islanders with 23:35 of ice time on 25 shifts. got smashed at center ice in the first period. • The Penguins controlled faceoffs, 35-27 (56 %). He tried to skate through the neutral zone on an end-to-end rush he • Penguins forward Sidney Crosby was 15 for 26 (58 %). presumably had tried countless times with easy only a handful of months earlier at the NCAA level. • Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau was 11 for 17 (65 %).

But Sabres defenseman Colin Miller had other ideas and slammed him to • Dumoulin led the game with three blocked shots. the ice with a hip check. • Greene and Pageau each led the Islanders with two blocked shots. Roughly 30 minutes of game time later, Marino showed that abrupt “greeting” to the NHL game would not deter him and he went deep into • Jarry actually recorded the win after making only five saves on five the Sabres’ zone on the right wing and set up a goal for forward Sam shots. Lafferty on the crease. • DeSmith made 19 saves on 20 shots. From that moment on, Marino let it be known he was not afraid to create • Varlamov made 20 saves on 22 shots. offensively, even after that rough check from Miller. Randomly speaking That brashness was on full display on Monday as he set up each of the Penguins’ goals by using his skating ability to venture far into the • DeSmith stepped into a pretty difficult spot and played pretty well. His offensive zone in the pursuit of offense. finest moment came at 5:59 of the third period when he denied Islanders forward Jordan Eberle on a backhander from the left circle then forward “If you have the open ice, obviously, you’ve got to take it,” Marino said via Casey Cizikas on the ensuing rebound. video conference. “That’s just kind of how the game went and how those plays happened.” There have been legit questions about DeSmith’s credentials as an NHL goaltender throughout his entire tenure with the Penguins. And he’s To this point of the seaosn, things probably haven’t happened quite to answered them all. If Jarry is out for any substantial period of time, the level that Marino would have hoped. Through 32 games, he has DeSmith will have another question to answer. seven points (two goals, five assists). • After Jarry was pulled, reserve goaltender Emil Larmi, currently In contrast, during his first 32 games as a rookie in 2019-20, he had more assigned to the taxi squad, actually opened the second period in full than double that figure with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists). equipment on the bench but eventually retreated to the dressing room. Points aren’t everything but there were legitimate hopes Marino would While he was available to step in should something happen to DeSmith, take a step forward in terms of offense this season after such a solid he was not technically part of the NHL roster and could not sit on the rookie campaign. bench.

Regardless, he remains a critical piece to how this team’s defense • Getting a power-play goal from Angello was really on-brand for how this contributes to the overall offensive game. team has been playing as of late. That’s to say they’re getting contributions from all corners of the lineup. “It’s so critical that our defensemen are active as far as far as helping us generating offense, both off the rush, through our transition game,” As for the goal, it was nothing pretty. But it was the kind of goal Angello Sullivan said. “Sometimes, it’s just creating offense off of our defense. … has to score to stay in the NHL. He’s a big, gangly mid-sized SUV of a But the defensemen getting involved in the offensive attack in all different power forward who needs to make a living near the blue paint. aspects of our game is essential.” • Letang had a bit of a rough game in the respect that he took two What happened penalties that wiped out power-play chances for his team. He’ll have better days. A power-play goal by Penguins forward Anthony Angello’s 4:24 into regulation put the Penguins up 1-0. Skating the puck from in his own left • Penguins forward Jason Zucker returned to the lineup after missing 18 circle, through the neutral zone and across the offensive blue line, Marino games due to a suspected left leg injury. He looked pretty good, all things navigated his way behind the Islanders’ net and dished a tight pass to the considered. His skating ability was very evident to the naked eye. He crease. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov partially blocked the puck with his logged 13:04 of ice time on 19 shifts and had one shot on one attempt. stick but Angello crashed in and tapped a backhander past Varlamov’s • Martin’s goal snapped a streak of 15 successful penalty-kill opportunities for the Penguins stretching over the previous five games.

Historically speaking

• Jarry became the third goaltender in franchise history to record a win in start while playing a period or less.

His predecessors are:

Gilles Meloche – He made eight saves on eight shots in 10:11 of ice time during a 6-0 road win against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 23, 1987.

Meloche was given a game misconduct after he jumped on top of Canucks forward David Bruce after Bruce began to pummel Penguins defenseman Jim Johnson in a fight.

Goaltender Roberto Romano replaced Meloche and made 22 saves as the goaltenders earned a shared shutout.

Ken Wregget – He made 10 saves on 11 shots during a 5-2 home win against the Ottawa Senators. Wregget left the game after the first period due to a hamstring injury. Goaltender Patrick Lalime took over, making 15 saves on 16 shots as the Senators had a then four-game winning streak snapped.

• Angello’s goal was the first power-play score of his career.

Publicly speaking

• Sullivan is high on how his team is playing:

“It was a great team effort. The last two games were just a great team effort throughout our lineup. It’s fun to coach these guys and watch these guys play the game the way they’re playing it right now. Everybody is making contributions. Everybody is excited to play for one another. There’s a certain simplicity to our game right now that makes us harder to play against. Different guys are stepping up at key times to make big plays or to make important plays. Sometimes they’re big and sometimes they’re subtle but they add up to winning. … It’s just fun to watch these guys compete hard for one another. You can sense the enthusiasm on the bench, you can sense the enthusiasm in the locker room. It’s a pretty neat feeling to have a team competing as hard as we’re competing and trying to play the game the right way.”

• DeSmith on how his team dispatched the Islanders:

“We give them a little bit of their own medicine. We keep it simple, we play really hard, play that grinder-type game. I thought we did a really good job of capitalizing on our scoring chances early. Then we’ve gotten so good lately at defending leads. That’s the biggest improvement as far as this team is concerned lately. We’re really good at holding onto leads, chipping pucks in, getting pucks out, blocking shots, all the little things.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207331 Pittsburgh Penguins The Islanders’ lone goal came at 9:22 of the second period on a power- play score by forward Matt Martin, who re-directed a puck from the right of the crease past DeSmith’s blocker on the far side.

Penguins hold off Islanders without goaltender Tristan Jarry After that, DeSmith and his teammates fended off the Islanders attack and pulled into a virtual tie with New York for second place in the East Division with 48 points each.

SETH RORABAUGH | Monday, March 29, 2021 9:43 p.m. Any possibility of surging past the Islanders or the first-place Washington Capitals (50 points) could hinge on a greater contribution from DeSmith.

Given DeSmith’s success this season – he has an 8-3-0 record – his Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, teammates profess full confidence should they need to turn to him for a Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. prolonged stretch. The last time Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jason Zucker took to the ice “We have the utmost confidence in him moving forward here,” McCann for a game, his team looked different. said. “As a team, we’ve got to play better in front of him, I think, That is to say, it was healthier. sometimes. But when there’s a big save to be made, he’s there for us.”

And a little bit older. Tribune Review LOADED: 03.30.2021

In the roughly five weeks Zucker was sidelined because of a suspected left leg injury, his team has staged a youth movement, out of necessity.

With several veteran forwards such as Zucker, Evgeni Malkin and Brandon Tanev waylaid by various ailments, the Penguins have turned to a handful of minor leaguers and rookies to fortify their forward ranks.

“Throughout the entire lineup, guys have really stepped up and played well,” Zucker said via video conference. “From (rookie forward Radim Zohorna) getting his first goal to (rookie forward Anthony Angello) and (journeyman forward Frederick Gaudreau). So many guys come to the top of my head that have been playing really well. It takes an army when you have a ton of guys out.”

That notion now might have to apply to the goaltending position for the foreseeable future.

During Monday’s 2-1 win against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena, starting goaltender Tristan Jarry left the game after the first period due to an undisclosed injury after making five saves on five shots.

He was replaced to open the second period by backup Casey DeSmith.

According to coach Mike Sullivan, Jarry’s ailment was something “the medical staff felt strongly enough to take him out of the game.”

DeSmith offered some optimism as he suggested Jarry’s malady was not “anything too serious.”

Despite only playing a single period, Jarry was credited with the win, improving his record to 15-8-2.

Any prolonged absence by Jarry, an All-Star in 2019-20, would push DeSmith into the starter’s role and lead to reserve Max Lagace, currently assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, or Emil Larmi, currently a member of the taxi squad, being promoted to the backup position.

DeSmith made 19 saves on 20 shots, including a difficult sequence at 5:59 of the third period, first denying Islanders forward Jordan Eberle on a backhander from the left circle then forward Casey Cizikas on the ensuing rebound.

“I thought Casey did a tremendous job coming in,” Sullivan said. “That’s not an easy position to put a goaltender in. I thought Casey did a terrific job for us.”

All of the Penguins’ offense came during the first period. In each instance, defenseman John Marino generated the opportunities.

The opening goal came 4:24 into regulation on a power-play opportunity. After Marino made a rush up ice from his own left circle to the Islanders’ end boards, he pushed the puck to the crease, where Angello put a backhander past goaltender Semyon Varlamov’s blocker for his second goal.

Then, at 18:28 of the first period, Marino took advantage of a poor line change by the Islanders, pushed play up the right wing and chipped a pass to the slot, where forward Jared McCann jabbed a re-direction inside Varlamov’s blocker for his eighth goal on a four-on-four sequence.

“If you have the open ice, obviously, you’ve got to take it,” Marino said. “That’s just kind of how the game went and how those plays happened.” 1207332 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins activate Jason Zucker from long-term injured reserve

SETH RORABAUGH | Monday, March 29, 2021 12:01 a.m.

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The Penguins activated forward Jason Zucker from long-term injured reserve.

A suspected left-leg injury has sidelined him since Feb. 23.

In 17 games this season, Zucker has seven points (four goals, three assists).

During Sunday’s practice in Cranberry, Zucker skated on the left wing of the second line with Jared McCann at center and Evan Rodrigues on the right wing. Zucker also worked on the left wall of the second power-play unit.

• The Penguins moved forward Evgeni Malkin from regular injured reserve to long-term injured reserve retroactive to March 16. He has missed six games because of a suspected right knee injury.

Any player on long-term injured reserve must be sidelined for 10 games and 24 days on the NHL calendar.

In 29 games this season, Malkin has 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists).

• Forward Drew O’Connor was assigned from the NHL roster to the taxi squad while forward Jonathan Gruden was recalled from Wilkes- Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) and assigned to the taxi squad.

O’Connor, a rookie, has played in 10 NHL games this season and has one assist.

A first-year professional, Gruden has played in 16 AHL games this season and has five points (two goals, three assists).

• The Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Tristan Jarry for Monday’s home game against the New York Islanders. In 24 games this season, Jarry has a 14-8-2 record, a 2.83 goals against average and .909 save percentage.

Tribune Review LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207333 Pittsburgh Penguins “So we’re looking for guys that can help us in that capacity. So we thought we’d try Freddy, and we’ve liked what we’ve seen to this point. That’s why he’s gotten continued ice time in that circumstance.”

Penguins forward Frederick Gaudreau makes impact as penalty killer Notes: Forward Jason Zucker was activated from long-term injured reserve and returned to the lineup. He had been sidelined since Feb. 23 because of a suspected left leg injury. … Forward Evgeni Malkin was moved from injured reserve to long-term injured reserve retroactive to SETH RORABAUGH | Monday, March 29, 2021 7:29 p.m. March 16. Malkin has missed seven games with a suspected right knee injury. Players on long-term injured reserve must remain there for 10 games and 24 days on the NHL calendar. … Forward Drew O’Connor Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, was assigned from the NHL roster to the taxi squad, and forward Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. Jonathan Gruden was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and assigned to the taxi squad. During Saturday’s 6-3 home win against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Frederick Gaudreau did Tribune Review LOADED: 03.30.2021 something he had not done in the NHL in quite a while.

Score a goal.

His goal 5 minutes, 48 seconds into regulation Saturday was his first at the NHL level since Dec. 31, 2018.

Before Saturday’s triumph, he already has been doing something for the Penguins he rarely had done in his previous NHL experience.

Kill penalties.

Before Monday’s rematch at home against the Islanders, Gaudreau had averaged 2:22 of short-handed ice time in six games with the Penguins.

In his first 84 career regular-season games — all with the Nashville Predators — he had a total of 3:50 of short-handed ice time, equating to an average of 3 seconds per contest.

“I haven’t done that before at the NHL level. I didn’t really have special (teams) ice time before,” Gaudreau said via video conference. “So it’s new to me at this level. But I’ve done it a lot at the (American Hockey League) level. It’s something that I’m used to. It’s something that I really enjoy.

“It’s a good way to bring momentum to your team and bring yourself momentum, too. It’s been good. The guys that I’m playing with are experienced guys. They help me a lot with their cues on the ice. So it’s been good.”

The Penguins have leaned on Gaudreau at a time when three of their leading penalty-killing forwards — Teddy Blueger, Mark Jankowski and Brandon Tanev — have missed time because of health-related issues.

Gaudreau’s most notable short-handed moment during this stretch came Wednesday during the second period of a 5-2 home win against the Buffalo Sabres.

Stealing a pass in his own zone, Gaudreau generated his own breakaway. As he approached the net, he veered to the right, drew Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski out of the crease then slipped a subtle pass to the slot for trailing forward Zach Aston-Reese, who buried a wrister into an open cage.

“Once I caught that pass in the air, I just thought that I could try something offensively,” Gaudreau said. “I saw Zach … out of the corner of my eye on the right side there. And I kind of felt he was coming with me, too. Once I figured out I didn’t have a shot at the goalie, I knew he was kind of there. But it all happened quick, and I knew he was in a good spot there. That was fun.”

Blueger’s absence — he has been sidelined for eight games because of an undisclosed injury — has created a considerable void just in terms of faceoffs on the penalty kill.

The right-handed Gaudreau has taken 15 short-handed draws for the Penguins, winning seven (46.7 %).

That’s one of the attributes that appealed to the coaches when they turned to Gaudreau to takes some of those minutes.

“He’s a smart player. He has good awareness. He plays with a lot of courage. He’s competitive. He’s willing to block shots, and he’s pretty good at the faceoffs as a right-handed shot,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’re looking for guys that can help us in that department, in that area of our game and especially under the circumstances with some of the guys that we have out. 1207334 Pittsburgh Penguins Sullivan has the Penguins playing as he wants. That’s easier to do in desperate times, and with lesser talent.

Two big questions loom: Can the Penguins keep it up? Will this hot Mark Madden: Amid adversity, resilient Penguins have taken on Sidney stretch change how Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Crosby's identity Burke approach the April 12 trade deadline?

I don’t know, and I don’t know.

MARK MADDEN | Monday, March 29, 2021 10:53 a.m. One hundred percent effort rarely breaks its own momentum. The Penguins need to get some injured players back, and who knows how the lineup falls together once that happens? The best bet is to put Jason Zucker on his own line, like Sullivan did with Phil Kessel in ’16. Zucker Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, has the puck too much to skate with Crosby or Malkin. Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. Hextall simply can’t trade draft picks or prospects. The Pittsburgh Penguins have been missing their entire second line and two-thirds of their third line. Those filling in are of marginal quality, and The Penguins only have three legit prospects in the first place. Their first- that’s a kind description. , third-, fourth- and sixth-round choices in this year’s draft belong to other teams. Yet the Penguins had won four of five going into Monday’s home game with the New York Islanders, sported an 11-3-1 record in March and are The easy move is to deal from the surplus of left-sided defensemen. But legitimately in the hunt for first place in the East division. Not bad for a how much immediate help would, say, Marcus Pettersson fetch? The team minus half its regular forwards and thought to be on the downslide cause might be better served by waiting till the offseason and trading him after not winning a playoff series since 2018. for a pick or a prospect.

So, to quote a great American philosopher, what’s causin’ all this? Would the Penguins trust P.O Joseph to replace Pettersson right now? If they did, Joseph still would be playing. Joseph is a big part of the long The East’s better teams aren’t as advertised. That’s a small part of the game, but maybe not the short one. equation. I might make a minor addition at the trade deadline, but no more. But a big part of it is mentality. The Penguins don’t take no for an answer. Enjoy what’s happening now. It could be temporary, but the Penguins Stanley Cups in 2016 and ’17 made them entitled for a spell. But that’s look like they’re onto something. been embarrassed out of them, not least by losing to No. 24 seed Montreal in the prelim round of last year’s playoffs. These Penguins give Tribune Review LOADED: 03.30.2021 100% for 60 minutes, win or lose. They never coast, never assume.

More than ever, the Penguins have assumed the identity of their captain, Sidney Crosby. That doesn’t just apply to effort. The Penguins are systemic and defense-minded to an almost shocking degree. Crosby colors inside the lines more than any superstar in hockey history, and his team is following suit. Offense comes first, but defense is a close second.

The defensemen pinch judiciously. Leads are wisely managed. It’s heady stuff.

This change is happening minus Evgeni Malkin, the least inclined to embrace what’s happening. Will that give Malkin ideas, or will it give GM ideas? It’s always difficult to get stars to stick to system. Crosby is that rare exception.

Kris Letang is buying into all this as much as he ever will. After a shaky start, Letang’s play has been inspired. He may be the MVP of this hot streak. He has two goals, 11 assists and a plus-12 mark during 15 games in March. He is a long-shot Norris Trophy (best defenseman) contender.

The Penguins are a one-line team. But it’s a great line. When did Bryan Rust turn into Mike Bossy? Rust’s improvement over the last three seasons is incredible.

The penalty-kill is 17 for its last 17. The power play is 6 for its last 19 but, just as important, is consistently generating momentum. Jared McCann isn’t a premium talent. Two goals and an assist on the top power play since joining it recently provide scant evidence to the contrary. But McCann looks to shoot, gets pucks on net and should remain on that unit even when those hurt return.

The bottom six mostly has been rotten. Few embrace the urgency of opportunity provided.

Frederick Gaudreau is an exception. He is a bit undersized but buzzes around, makes just enough plays and isn’t an empty jersey like, say, Mark Jankowski. The lineup figures to change quite a bit in the next few weeks, but Gaudreau deserves to stay in it.

All Tristan Jarry has to be is the second-best goalie in the division. He is certainly drawing a bead on that status.

Coach Mike Sullivan deserves much credit for shepherding his team through injury — not just now, but at season’s start when the defensive corps was ravaged. He’d be a candidate for the Jack Adams Award (coach of the year) except having won two Cups informally disqualifies him. 1207335 Pittsburgh Penguins • In the NCAA, forward Judd Caulfield recorded an assist for North Dakota in a 5-1 home win against American International in an regional semifinal game on Friday.

Penguins Prospect WATCH: Nathan Legare extends scoring streak to 5 Caulfield, 20, was a fifth-round pick of the Penguins in 2019 (No. 145 games overall) and has yet to sign with the team.

• In Finland’s , goaltender Joel Blomqvist made 21 saves on 22 shots for Hermes in a 3-1 home win against Hokki on Friday. SETH RORABAUGH | Monday, March 29, 2021 8:01 a.m. Blomqvist, 19, was a second-round draft pick (No. 52 overall) in 2020 and has yet to sign with the Penguins.

Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, Statistics Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. (Players currently on the NHL roster and taxi squad are excluded.) A weekly look at how Penguins prospects and minor leaguers have fared over the past seven days: Forwards and defensemen

• In the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), forward Nathan Goaltenders Legare had a goal and two assists for the Val-d’Or Foreurs in a 9-0 home *-Current team victory against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Wednesday. (All figures are through Sunday.) Legare is in the midst of a five-game scoring streak. A third-round pick (No. 74 overall) in 2019, Legare, 20, is signed to a three-year entry-level Tribune Review LOADED: 03.30.2021 contract that has yet to begin.

• Also for Val-D’Or, forward Sam Poulin had a goal and an assist in a 5-1 home win against the on Thursday.

A first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in 2019, Poulin, 20, is signed to a three-year entry-level contract that has yet to begin.

• Elsewhere in the QMJHL, forward Raivis Ansons recorded a power-play assist for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar during a 6-2 road loss to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old Ansons was a fifth-round pick (No. 149 overall) in 2020 and has yet to sign with the Penguins.

• In the American Hockey League (AHL), forward Josh Currie had a goal and two assists for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during a 6-3 home loss to the on Wednesday.

A free agent signing this past offseason, the 28-year-old Currie is signed to a one-year, two-way contract.

• On Friday, forward Jody Bellerive scored Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s only goal in a 3-1 road loss to the .

An undrafted free agent signing in 2017, Bellerive, 21, is in the second- year of a three-year entry-level contract.

• On Sunday, goaltender Max Lagace made 27 saves on 29 shots in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 3-1 home loss to Hershey.

A free agent signing this past offseason, Lagace, 28, is signed to a one- year, two-way contract.

• In the Western Hockey Leagues (WHL), forward Lukas Svejkovsky scored two goals for the Medicine Hat Tigers during a 3-0 home win against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday.

A fourth-round pick (No. 108 overall) in 2020, Svejkovsky, 19, has yet to sign with the Penguins.

• In Finland’s Liiga, forward Kasper Bjorkqvist had two goals and an assist for KooKoo in an 8-1 road win against JYP on Wednesday. They were Bjorkqvist’s first goals since Feb. 6.

A second-round pick (No. 61 overall) in 2016, Bjorkqvist, 23, is in the second year of a two-year entry-level contract with the Penguins.

• Elsewhere in the Liiga, defenseman Niclas Almari recorded a season- high two assists for Pelicans during a 3-0 home win against Luuko on Thursdsay.

A fifth-round pick (No. 151) in 2016, Almari, 22, is in the second year of a three-year entry-level contract with the Penguins.

• Also in the Liiga, forward Valtteri Puustinen recorded an assist for HPK in a 2-1 home loss to KooKoo on Tuesday.

A seventh-round pick in 2019 (No. 203 overall), Puustinen, 21, has yet to sign with the Penguins. 1207336 Pittsburgh Penguins extra contest was a point of contention among many players who voted against the proposal.

The truth hurts First Call: New questions about Ben Roethlisberger's weight; Penguins Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman came to Pittsburgh after being player roasts Philadelphia picked up off of waivers from Philadelphia earlier this year. He recently conducted an interview with the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. In it, the Toronto native seems to like the western part of the state more than he TIM BENZ | Monday, March 29, 2021 6:19 a.m. did the other end of the turnpike.

In the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, Pens’ Mark Friedman, a former #Flyers Dman, took shots: “There is more of a homier feel than Note: CCPA compliance requires embedded widgets like Facebook, Philadelphia. It’s not as busy, not as noisy, nicer people. It’s not as dirty, Twitter and inline videos be disabled in stories. especially in Cranberry where I live. It’s just a great neighborhood.” Monday’s “First Call” revisits the rebooted topic of Steelers quarterback — Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) March 28, 2021 Ben Roethlisberger’s commitment to conditioning. Click the mentions. You’ll see that opinion is going over with Philadelphia We also get some less-than-happy responses from NFL players to the fans … umm, as well as you might expect. news about the NFL expanding to a 17th game. PPG Paints Arena is ready to host the Frozen Four. And we now know which teams will be on In place for Pittsburgh the ice. The NCAA hockey championship weekend is set. The Frozen Four will Plus, a new Pittsburgh Penguin trash talks the Philadelphia Flyers from take place at PPG Paints Arena on April 8 and 10. the comfort of his new home. Three of the schools are from Minnesota. One of them is Minnesota ‘Too Big’ Ben? State. It’s the first Frozen Four for the Mavericks.

On Friday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and “Football Morning in UMass will play Minnesota-Duluth in one semifinal. St. Cloud State will America” writer Peter King discussed Steelers quarterback Ben face Minnesota State in the other. Roethlisberger. For St. Cloud State, it is a return to Pittsburgh. The Huskies went to their Specifically, the Steelers’ decision to keep him on board for one more first Frozen Four back in 2013, which was also at the (then) Consol year. And, even more specifically, Roethlisberger’s conditioning. Energy Center. They lost to Quinnipiac in the semifinals before the Bobcats lost to eventual national champion Yale. “He’d do much better if he was 20 lbs lighter and he came to camp in pristine condition,” King said. UMass and UMD squared off in the 2019 NCAA championship game. Minnesota-Duluth emerged with a 3-0 victory against the Minutemen in King went so far as to say that coach Mike Tomlin and owner Art Rooney Buffalo, N.Y. II would have been wise to instruct Roethlisberger to come into 2021’s training camp much lighter to improve his elusiveness. The Bulldogs are looking for a fourth consecutive championship game appearance. “If Ben Roethlisberger really rededicates himself and comes back to training camp in great shape — or better shape than he was in last Tribune Review LOADED: 03.30.2021 December — I’ll change my thinking on this,” King said. “But what bothered me down the stretch for the Pittsburgh Steelers … He’s a tree trunk of a quarterback anyway. But when you see what’s going on in football today and how fast football has become, and you see Ben Roethlisberger’s inability to get out of the way, and — not exclusively — but because he’s so heavy, or he was so heavy last year, that to me is part of this thing.”

Last year, in the wake of similar concerns expressed by Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, general manager Kevin Colbert said he wasn’t concerned about Roethlisberger’s conditioning. And he was only sacked 13 times in 621 dropbacks. Just three times in his last nine starts.

But when a quarterback throws the ball as quickly as the Steelers did by design (an average of 2.17 seconds) to protect Roethlisberger from having to move behind a shaky offensive line, that stat can be deceiving.

Although is that about age and bad knees or weight? I think it’s more about the former. Sure, if Ben can shed a few pounds, that would help. But he’s played most of his career a few pounds heavier than what would be considered “pristine.”

I don’t know what you do about the knees or Father Time.

Salty about 17

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is the latest to report that the NFL is destined to go to a 17-game season.

NFL is expected to expand the regular season schedule this week to 17 games. The league had played a 16-game regular season schedule since 1978, by far the longest stretch without a change in NFL history.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 28, 2021

That didn’t go over great with some NFL players, including New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara who tweeted this (not safe for work) response. Several other players expressed similar displeasure, in more PG-13 terms.

Owners got the right to expand the regular season to 17 games as part of last year’s collective bargaining agreement with players. But adding the 1207337 Pittsburgh Penguins While Sullivan was looking for more “consistency” out of Marino at times this year, the young blueliner always had the tools — poise, mobility and a Harvard-educated head on his shoulders — to reclaim the form he showed as a rookie. Two points in the first 20 minutes began to show it. Jason Zucker in, Tristan Jarry out as Penguins cap season series against the Islanders with a win “Both situations, they were on a line change,” Marino said. “If you see open ice, you’re going to take it. That’s just kind of the way the game went.”

Mike DeFabo Then, the game turned unexpectedly in net for the Penguins.

DeSmith was thrust into action. He was tested early and often, as the ice tilted significantly in the Islanders’ favor in the second period. The Based on the revolving door to the Penguins’ lineup, it’s starting to Penguins committed three separate penalties and were out-shot 14-6 in become plausible the team has the same unspoken rule as crowded the second period. South Side bars: One in, one out. “I found out a couple minutes after we got in there that [Jarry] wasn’t That was the case again on Monday during a 2-1 win over the New York going back out,” DeSmith said. “[Second] time this year I’ve had to go in Islanders. cold. I got warm real quick with a flurry at the beginning of the second.” After more than a month on the shelf, Jason Zucker’s return from a After several strong saves from DeSmith, the Islanders eventually cut the lower-body injury came even more quickly than he anticipated — and not Penguins’ lead to 2-1 mid-way through the second with a power play a moment too soon for the depleted Penguins' forward corps. However, goal. Islanders’ 6-foot-4 net-front presence Matt Martin boxed out Brian just as the Penguins welcomed their speedy 29-year-old winger back into Dumoulin in front and then redirected Mathew Barzal’s shot. his prominent role on the second line, they were hit with more unexpected adversity. The goal snapped an impressive Penguins’ penalty-killing stretch. They had gone five consecutive games (17 total kills) without allowing a power Starting goalie Tristan Jarry did not come out of the dressing room for the play goal. second period. He appeared to take at least one hard shot up high near his head area. Coach Mike Sullivan said he’s still being evaluated for an They began a new streak at a critical time, as a Mike Matheson penalty upper-body injury. carried over into the third. The Penguins were able to stuff out that opportunity. Then, they were able to ride the wave as the Islanders “I can’t really even pinpoint when it might have happened,” Sullivan said. pressed to pick up the win. “Obviously, it was something that the medical staff felt strongly enough to take him out of the game.” On a night when so many players stepped up, perhaps the only thing missing was a goal from Zucker, who smacked a grade-A chance off the Yet, the Penguins survived another speed bump by showing off many of pads of goalie Semyon Varlamov in the third. the same reasons why they went 12-5-1 in Zucker’s absence. “He had a great scoring opportunity in the third,” Sullivan said. “I don’t A suddenly surging power play clicked again. A healthy and active group know how it didn’t go in the net.” of blueliners pitched in offensively. And, a bunch of guys who spent last season (or parts of this one) in the American Hockey League stepped up The Penguins have a scheduled off day on Tuesday, so more information big when a snake-bitten team needed it most. about Jarry might not be available until Wednesday. They begin a critical two-game series in Boston on April Fool’s Day that kicks off a season- Backup goalie Casey DeSmith, who played the entirety of the 2019-20 long six-consecutive games on the road. season in the minors, tops that list. He made 19 saves in relief to earn the No. 1 star of the game. Since Feb. 1, he has a .951 save percentage Post Gazette LOADED: 03.30.2021 over nine games to surge into the NHL statistical leaderboard alongside legit Vezina Trophy candidates.

With the victory, the Penguins (23-11-2) closed out the eight-game season series against the New York Islanders with authority. In eight games, the short-handed Penguins went 6-2 against a 2020 Stanley Cup Playoff semifinalist.

The two clubs are now tied for second place in the competitive East Division standings at 48 points apiece with 20 games remaining. The Penguins now trail only the first-place Washington Capitals, who have two more points even though they have played two fewer games.

"I just thought it was a great team effort throughout our lineup,” Sullivan said. “It’s fun to coach these guys the way they’re playing the game right now. Everyone’s making contributions and playing for one another. You can sense the enthusiasm on the bench and the locker room."

Let’s start the game recap the way the scoring began, with the defensemen.

Sullivan shook up the lineup slightly in early March by moving second- year defenseman John Marino into a bottom-pairing role. At the time, Sullivan noted the sophomore was sometimes trying to do a little “too much” with the puck. Marino seemed to find a Goldilocks, just-right level on Monday.

During an early power play, Marino scooped the puck up nearly at his own goal line and carried it about 190 feet, all the way behind the Islanders’ net on the other end of the ice. He fed a pass in front. Anthony Angello was there to finish the play off for his first career NHL power play goal. The power play has now scored five goals in the last three games.

Later in the first, Marino made another impressive play with the puck. Jared McCann, promoted to second-line center due to the numerous injuries, used his speed to drive hard to the net and clapped his stick on the ice to call for the puck. Marino put the pass right on McCann’s tape to give the Penguins an early 2-0 lead. 1207338 Pittsburgh Penguins

Jason Zucker back in Penguins lineup after being activated from injured reserve

Matt Vensel

The Penguins have activated Jason Zucker from injured reserve, clearing the way for the winger to return to the lineup Monday against the New York Islanders.

At the beginning of Monday’s game at PPG Paints Arena, Zucker was back on the second line, where he skated alongside Jared McCann and Evan Rodrigues.

Zucker, who suffered a lower-body injury Feb. 23 in Washington, returned to full-team practice Sunday. He again hit the ice without contact restrictions at Monday’s optional skate. He missed 18 games before his return to the lineup, which Zucker admitted happened much sooner than he initially expected.

Unfortunately, injuries are nothing new for Zucker, who has played 72 games or more only three times in his career, which started in Minnesota. But at least he has an understanding of what must be done to ramp back up for game action.

“It’s just kind of the way it’s gone for me personally. You just do the best you can rehab-wise, trying to stay in hockey shape,” he said. “It’s impossible to stay in that type of shape, so you have to do everything you can. Then it’s a matter of trying to get back to it as quickly as you can when you do get into game situations.”

Prior to his injury, Zucker had four goals and three assists in 17 games this season.

In other news, the Penguins placed Evgeni Malkin on long-term injured reserve retroactive to March 16 and put forward Drew O’Connor on the taxi squad.

Post Gazette LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207339 Pittsburgh Penguins play. The Penguins placed O’Connor, a rookie winger, on their taxi squad prior to the game.

Penguins doing a killer job Penguins notes: Bryan Rust has evolved into a ‘real impact NHL player’ The Penguins entering Monday had not allowed a power-play goal in the previous five games. Up to that point, opponents were just 6-for-45 during March. Matt Vensel After a rocky start, their penalty kill ranked 17th in the NHL entering the day.

The vast majority of players, even ones who as a rookie score twice in a “It starts with hard work,” Sullivan said. “And the players deserve a lot of Game 7 to send their team into the Stanley Cup final, experience ups credit for how hard they’re playing, and then their willingness to do the and downs early in their NHL careers. And some never find that night-in, little things, whether it’s blocking shots or winning puck battles and then night-out consistency. the details associated with their collective play. It’s a lot of the little things that add up to success.” Bryan Rust, after his big-game heroics in 2016 and 2017, was among that first group as recently as 2018-19. The winger went 21 games Little time for television without a goal. As he pressed, he lost track of some of the little things that got him to Pittsburgh in the first place before busting his way out of Sullivan was asked on Sunday if he happened to catch any of the NCAA the slump with a hat trick in Chicago. men’s hockey tournament games on TV a night earlier. He replied that after he went home after Saturday’s win, he began breaking down film of Two years later, there is no doubt Rust will bring it at both ends most that night’s game. nights. “I do enjoy watching hockey when it doesn’t relate to the Penguins,” he Rust had another hat trick during Saturday’s 6-3 win over the New York added. “[Coaches] always watch it with an analytical eye, trying to figure Islanders. It extended his point streak to six games and pulled him into a out what teams are doing or what we can learn or what might be the next three-way tie with linemates Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel for the evolution of the game, whether it comes from the pro game or college team lead in goals. hockey or wherever.”

Over his last 82 regular season games dating back to November 2019, Post Gazette LOADED: 03.30.2021 the late bloomer leads all Penguins with 36 goals and has 41 assists to go with them.

“He’s turned himself into a real impact NHL player,” coach Mike Sullivan said prior to Monday’s rematch against the Islanders at PPG Paints Arena. “And the consistency that he brings to the rink, for me, is one of the biggest challenges [for all NHL players], and he’s found the way to bring that every night.”

Has he ever. Only 13 NHLers have more goals over that span. And Rust has lit the lamp more often than the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Patrik Laine, Brayden Point and Artemi Panarin — a few of the most dangerous players in the game.

All the while, he continues to be a ferocious forechecker who creates chances for his All-Star linemates and is a factor defensively. Remember that game in Buffalo two weeks ago, when the 28-year-old hustled back to bust up a breakaway and later stepped in front of a slapper to help his tired teammates get a clear?

Sullivan coached Rust in the American Hockey League in 2015-16 before both were promoted to Pittsburgh and helped the Penguins win consecutive Cups. He said Rust’s professionalism has significantly “evolved” over the years. He’s on point with the game plan on the ice and puts in the work away from the rink.

The past two years, it has paid off in a big way for Rust. Sullivan said that younger Penguins players would be wise to trace the path he has taken to stardom.

“What a lot of young players can learn is that there’s no shortcuts,” Sullivan said. “Rusty, in my mind, personifies the road to success as a professional athlete. It starts with just his work ethic and his desire to be the very best. … [He is] doing everything in his power to give him the best chance to be successful.”

Positive injury news for once

The Penguins on Monday got encouraging injury news beyond Jason Zucker being activated from injured reserve and playing for the first time since Feb. 23.

Teddy Blueger and Brandon Tanev skated on an individual basis before Monday’s morning skate then joined the group, Sullivan said. For Blueger, it was his first time skating with teammates since suffering an upper-body injury March 15.

In 28 games in 2021, the 26-year-old center has four goals, 15 points and a plus-8 rating while remaining one of the better defenders at his position in his division.

With Zucker back in the lineup and Mark Jankowski activated from the NHL’s COVID protocol list, Radim Zohorna and Drew O’Connor did not 1207340 Pittsburgh Penguins trainers regarding upper-body discomfort and he was told that he was leaving the game.

I didn’t see anything that indicated there was a problem. It’s difficult not to Yohe’s 10 observations: The indomitable Penguins will their way to speculate when something like this happens, but really, it could have another win been anything. Perhaps his shoulder was dinged. Maybe he absorbed a head shot that no one noticed, which could make a concussion a concern. Tough to say. (Historical perspective: It was in the Penguins’ last game of March in 2016 when Marc-Andre Fleury suffered a By Josh Yohe Mar 29, 2021 concussion at the hands of a James Neal shot. Things worked out OK for Fleury and those Penguins. But let’s hope it was precautionary and that Jarry is back at practice on Wednesday.) It was not the prettiest victory of the season, but it may have been the most impressive. • The most impressive sequence of this performance from the Penguins came in the final five minutes of the third period. What a clinic from The Penguins lost another player to injury — goaltender Tristan Jarry left Sullivan’s team. The Islanders never had anything that resembled a after the first period with an upper-body injury, according to coach Mike scoring opportunity down the stretch, not because the Penguins’ Sullivan — and again deployed a lineup that was littered with AHL defensive work was so good in their territory, but rather because the regulars. They were playing against a very good Islanders team that was Penguins were so tenacious in terms of their forecheck that the Islanders embarrassed at PPG Paints Arena 48 hours earlier. never really had a chance. New York committed icing three times in the game’s final three minutes. It had all the makings of a loss, but instead served as yet another reminder that this team is doing some very special things. Anthony Sullivan always talks about how good defense isn’t strictly confined to Angello and Jared McCann scored early Monday night, goalie Casey playing in one’s defensive zone. He’s absolutely right and this was a DeSmith weathered a nasty second-period storm, then the Penguins strong example. During this stretch, I couldn’t help but consider what a produced a defensive clinic that would even impress the Islanders in a 2- well-coached team the Penguins looked like during that stretch. That’s 1 victory. because they are, of course.

The Penguins are now tied with the Islanders for second place in the Sullivan’s work has been a masterpiece this season. Consider how bad East Division, two points behind the first-place Capitals. Even though the the goaltending was in the early going, how bad Malkin and Kris Letang Flyers improbably beat the Sabres in overtime — Philadelphia trailed 3-0 were in the first month, and that the Penguins have dealt with a in the third period — they remain 10 points behind the Penguins, making remarkable number of injuries. Then consider that they’re one of the a playoff appearance for the Penguins look very probable. Only Tampa NHL’s best teams. Bay, Carolina and Washington have more points than the Penguins’ 48, and Sullivan’s team is now sixth in the NHL in goal differential. Coaching matters.

They are also among the NHL leaders in man games lost, making their • So does goaltending, of course. Having two good goalies matters more run all the more improbable. than just about anything in the condensed 2021 season. We don’t know what’s wrong with Jarry or how long he’ll be out. DeSmith commented “I thought it was a great team game,” Sullivan said. that he didn’t think it was a serious injury, and that’s great, but anything is in play. The Penguins historically play well when they’re short-handed. Despite being blessed with extraordinary talent during the past 15 years, they DeSmith has been one of the best stories of the season. He stopped 19 haven’t been without weaknesses, the inability to simplify their game of 20 shots in relief. His save percentage this season is now an probably their biggest historical problem. Thus, when they are required to outrageous .929. His GAA is 1.91. play a simpler game because of injuries, they often exceed expectations. Funny thing is, I don’t think he was that sharp early in the second period This is precisely what they’re doing right now and Sullivan acknowledged after entering the game unexpectedly. He made several sensational that the inexperienced players in the lineup have been a breath of fresh saves during that stretch, which is to his credit. But he looked late in air. reacting to the first few shots he faced, which is pretty compelling evidence it’s tough for a goaltender to enter a game cold. “It’s fun to coach these guys and to watch the way they’re playing,” he said. “Everybody is making contributions. There’s a simplicity to our Still, DeSmith is playing out of his mind right now and held down the fort. game right now that is making us harder to play against.” He’s been one of the most valuable Penguins this season. He was named the game’s No. 1 star and didn’t even qualify for the victory, since That point is difficult to argue against. To contend for a championship, the Penguins had the lead when Jarry departed. Quite the oddity. But the Penguins need many key players back in the lineup, namely Evgeni quite a goaltender, too. Malkin. But championships are typically won with a balance of talent and toughness. I’m not talking about fighting or even throwing hits. But things • Jason Zucker made a surprise return to the lineup after missing nearly like a commitment to team defense, playing an intelligent brand of six weeks with an ankle injury. He didn’t register a point, but I thought he hockey and overcoming adversity are always key ingredients to winning played really well. His skating looked excellent, which is the primary Stanley Cups. Otherwise, the team with the most talented players would concern when a player is returning from a lower-body injury of any kind. always win. That’s not the way it works, though. Zucker looked sharp, and let’s not underestimate his value to this team. There is a perception in the fan base that Zucker has been a When the Penguins are healthy, they ample talent to compete with disappointment since joining the Penguins, but I don’t subscribe to that. anyone. This much, we know. He’s not a great player, but he’s a really good one. The Penguins just It could be argued that all of those other attributes — the ones that, need to find the right spot for him. frankly, have eluded the Penguins in the past couple of seasons — have You simply can’t break up the top line, even though it was held in check been on display during the past couple of weeks. on this night. Maybe Zucker needs to play with Malkin when he returns, There is something to be said for that. What the Penguins are doing right or perhaps he needs to be the best player on the third line, the way Phil now is quite impressive. Kessel was once upon a time. He’s capable of playing in either role. Zucker is an important player for the Penguins and this was a good start. 10 postgame observations • The Islanders did a great job against the Penguins’ best players. Sidney • We don’t know much about what happened to Jarry. He played in the Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust combined for two shots and didn’t first period and stopped all five shots he faced. Nothing appeared the record a point among them. Letang, who has been playing exceptionally least bit wrong with him physically and he walked to the locker room in no well, had an off night. He committed two penalties while the Penguins apparent discomfort after the game’s first 20 minutes. were on the power play and seemed a touch off. Brian Dumoulin’s man, However, DeSmith was told a couple of minutes into the intermission that Matt Martin, deflected in the Islanders’ only goal. he would be entering the game. Jarry apparently said something to And the Penguins won anyway, against a very good team. There was serious tenacity from the home team in this one. • McCann scored again and is truly one of the streakiest players in Penguins history. He’s running hot right now, with six goals and 11 points in his past 12 games. His two-way game has been excellent. McCann’s first-period goal was a thing of beauty as he received a John Marino pass and chipped home his eighth goal of the season in one motion.

McCann has 16 points in 23 games this season and is a plus-13. He’s doing everything right. More than anything, watch his forechecking. His speed and tenacity are forcing turnovers every game. This is the portion of his game that goes nonexistent when he isn’t playing well. But he has his confidence now and when he does, he’s some kind of a player.

The guy who finished last season with a 25-game goalless drought has become an afterthought. The only question is, where do you play McCann when this team gets healthy? On Malkin’s left wing? Or as the third-line center? I’m leaning toward Malkin’s left wing.

• Marino is really starting to come around. He made two beautiful plays to set up both of the Penguins’ goals. Entering the game with only five points, Marino displayed the offensive prowess that was so evident during his precocious rookie season. On Angello’s goal, Marino saw defenseman Scott Mayfield take a step toward the center of the ice and took advantage by slithering down the right wing boards with the puck. Eyeing Angello crashing toward the net, Marino wisely skated behind the net and sent a pass in the big man’s direction. It was a thinking person’s hockey play.

Marino also threw a perfect feed to a streaking McCann for the second goal. I bet the points will start to come for Marino. He started the season poorly. When this happens, assistant coach Todd Reirden loves to reset a defenseman’s mindset. This starts with taking care of the defensive zone before anything else. Once they get comfortable in that department, and Marino has been much better there, more of a focus is eventually placed in the offensive game. Both goals were a creation of Marino’s offensive ability. It’s a good sign for the Penguins moving forward. I think his sophomore slump is over.

• I’m still not loving Marcus Pettersson’s game. He’s been OK. He’s not a liability. But he needs to elevate his game. The fact is he doesn’t give the Penguins much offensively, and he’s not very good in front of the net because of his strength limitations.

As a result, he needs to be a brick wall on the left side of the defensive zone. Instead, he was beaten on one-on-one plays numerous times in this game. Can’t have that.

• The Islanders appear to be in a funk right now and it’s so obvious that Anders Lee is badly missed. He means so much to them. It will be interesting to see what they do at the trade deadline. They’re a good team and they’ll be a tough out in the playoffs. Right now, however, I think the Penguins and Capitals are better.

• What a month for the Penguins. Despite being drilled with injury after injury, the Penguins went 12-3-1 in March. They’re 5-1-1 without Malkin. They’re 18-6-1 since the Ron Hextall/Brian Burke takeover. They’re 16-3- 1 on home ice. Only four teams in hockey have more points than the Penguins. Only five teams have a better goal differential. They finish the season series against the Islanders with a 6-2 record. Six of the Islanders’ 14 losses have come against the Penguins.

I still suspect trouble is in the Penguins’ short-term future if any more injuries occur. They now are facing a six-game trip that starts in Boston, where Sullivan has never won a game as Penguins head coach. So some rough times may be ahead.

But if we’ve learned anything about these Penguins, it’s that they handle the rough times with the professionalism and poise of a team that is on the verge of doing something special.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207341 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Activate Jason Zucker, Evgeni Malkin Moved to LTIR

By Dan Kingerski

The Pittsburgh Penguins will likely have Jason Zucker in the lineup on Monday night against the New York Islanders. Penguins GM Ron Hextall announced Zucker’s activation at 5 p.m. on Monday.

Hextall also moved Malkin to LTIR retroactive to March 16. To clarify, moving Malkin to LTIR means he is ineligible to return for 24 days and 10 games (from March 16), which would be April 9th in New Jersey.

Forwards Drew O’Connor (NHL) and Jonathan Gruden (AHL) were re- assigned to the taxi squad.

Zucker has played 17 games this season and scored seven points (4g, 3a). He suffered a scary lower-body injury against the New York Rangers and missed the last 18 games.

Being activated is nearly a sure sign he will play. Zucker has been a full participant in the last few Pittsburgh Penguins morning skates and practice, including on Sunday.

Malkin suffered a lower-body injury against the Boston Bruins on March 16. Boston defenseman Jared Tinordi checked Malkin in the corner. Malkin left the game after another shift and did not return.

This season, Malkin has 24 points (8g, 16a) in 29 games.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207342 Pittsburgh Penguins *Position, Player (Consecutive Games Missed, Total Games Missed) F Jason Zucker (18 consecutive, 18 total)

D Mark Friedman (13 consecutive, 13 total) Zucker GTD, Gm36: Penguins Lines, Notes & What to Watch vs. NYI F Teddy Blueger (7 consecutive, 7 total)

F Evgeni Malkin (6 consecutive, 6 total) By Dan Kingerski F Brandon Tanev (5 consecutive, 5 total)

F Kasperi Kapanen (2 consecutive, 2 total) Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jason Zucker may return on Monday night against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena. So, too might Mark F Mark Jankowski (1 consecutive, 4 total) Jankowski, whose 24-hour stay on the COVID protocol list ended on Sunday. The Penguins have a chance to tie the New York Islanders for 2020-21 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 188 second place in the MassMutual East Division and pull within two points *Penguins Taxi Squad: of the Washington Capitals for the division lead. F – Anthony Angello F – Drew O’Connor D – Yannick Weber G – Emil Update: The Penguins activated Zucker at 5 p.m. Larmi

The Penguins have won three games in a row and outscored their *On Saturday, the Penguins were 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and have opponents 15-6. If not for a few Islanders’ third period goals on Saturday, successfully killed off their last 17 penalties dating back to March 20. that score would have been even more lopsided. *Kris Letang tallied his eighth multi-point game of the season, the third- The Penguins’ top line with Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, and Jake most by a defenseman in the league. Letang’s 27 points (6g, 12a) are Guentzel has led the charge, but unsung heroes deeper in the Penguins tied for the fifth-most among NHL defensemen. lineup are also scoring, including center Frederick Gaudreau who netted his first NHL goal since Dec. 31, 2018. *Jared McCann has two straight multi-point games.

The Penguins beat New York 6-3 on Saturday, and Gaudreau opened *The Penguins have points in 11 of their last 13 games against New York the scoring for the Penguins’ third win in a row. (8-2-3) and is 11-4-3 over its last 18 games vs. the Islanders.

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said Tristan Jarry would start for the *The Penguins are 10-2-1 in their last 13 games overall. Penguins on Monday. Jarry is 14-8-2 with a 2.83 GAA and .909 save percentage. *Jake Guentzel is on a six-game scoring streak (3g, 5a).

Zucker is officially a game-time decision. Teddy Blueger and Brandon *Frederick Gaudreau has a three-game scoring streak, which is the Tanev skated with Skills Coach Ty Hennes before the morning skate and longest of his career (1g, 2a). then joined the optional morning skate. Defenseman Mark Friedman also What to Watch joined the optional morning skate. The makeshift Penguins lines and torrid offense without Evgeni Malkin, Islanders coach Barry Trotz pulled starting goalie Ilya Sorokin for Kasperi Kapanen, and Teddy Blueger cannot continue, can it? The Semyon Varlamov on Saturday. Varlamov is expected to go for New Penguins have momentum and confidence. York. This season, he has a 14-6-3 record with a 2.20 GAA and a .922 save percentage. “For me, every night is a new challenge. We’ve got to create our own momentum tonight when the puck drops, and that’s the most important Expected Pittsburgh Penguins Lines & Special Teams takeaway for me,” Sullivan said. “Those are the discussions we have with LW C RW our players. We know we’re going to get a tough Islanders team…”

Jake Guentzel Sidney Crosby Bryan Rust The Islanders are tied for the fifth-fewest goals allowed in the NHL. They would be third or fourth had the Penguins not hung a six-spot on them on Jason Zucker Jared McCann Evan Rodrigues Saturday.

Zach Aston-Reese Frederick Gaudreau Sam Lafferty The Penguins breakouts were, in part, set up by their simple play in the first period. The Penguins took what the Islanders gave them in the Colton Sceviour Mark Jankowski Anthony Angello neutral zone, chipped it deep, and chased it hard. The Penguins’ LD RD forecheck had some success, which got the Penguins on the attack and opened the game. The first goal was a textbook breakout, and the Brian Dumoulin Kris Letang Penguins had speed into the zone.

Mike Matheson Cody Ceci If the Islanders get on the Penguins, the game will turn, and the Penguins will be forced to defend. Marcus Pettersson John Marino As with much of this season, and certainly the last 15 games, the Leo Komarov Mathew Barzal Jordan Eberle Pittsburgh Penguins breakouts usually determine their fate. Anthony Beauvillier Brock Nelson Josh Bailey How to WATCH: Kieffer Bellows J-G Pageau Oliver Wahlstrom TV: AT&T SportsNet, ESPN+ Matt Martin Casey Czikas Cal Clutterbuck Radio: 105.9 The X Adam Pelech Ryan Pulock Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 Nick Leddy Scott Mayfield

Thomas Hickey Andy Greene

TEAM Power Play Penalty Kill

Pittsburgh Penguins (21 for 103) 20.4% 16th NHL (83 for 106) 78.3% 17th NHL

New York Islanders (18 for 93) 19.4% 20th NHL (72 for 89) 80.9% 11th NHL

Pittsburgh Penguins Game Notes 1207343 Pittsburgh Penguins In fact, if the Penguins were to trade Zucker before the April 12 NHL trade deadline, it might be the worst Penguins asset flip since Markus Naslund for Alex Stojanovich. Zucker’s contract has two more seasons beyond this one and has just seven points (4g, 3a) in 17 games this What Should Penguins Do with Jason Zucker? Options & Consequences season.

We’re not ruling out a trade, but we are ruling out getting much value in return. Eric Staal fetched a third and fifth-round pick. If the Penguins By Dan Kingerski decide to move Zucker, it would be for salary cap space. The current financial situation for most NHL teams nullifies Zucker’s value as a fast winger with some offensive pop and a little sandpaper. The Pittsburgh Penguins practice included a welcome face on Sunday. LW Jason Zucker shed the non-contact jersey and was a full-go for the Re-Adjusting Penguins Lines Penguins practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Zucker was PHN has steadfastly maintained that Zucker and Malkin do not mix. For beaming as he batted the puck around to Marcus Pettersson and took his the entirety of the pandemic pause, our analysis found no redeeming spot on the Penguins second-power play unit. qualities for the pair, no matter how deep or shallow. Zucker will be a game-time decision on Monday night, according to head Together, their anemic production last season, albeit in a short 60-minute coach Mike Sullivan. sample, combined with the malaise they began this season, only If Zucker doesn’t play on Monday night against the New York Islanders, supports the oil and water theory. Zucker is a straight line, don’t-look- he will soon draw into the lineup, and the question should be asked–then back player. At the same time, Malkin is…one of the most gifted players what? ever, but decidedly not a straight-line player.

What should the Pittsburgh Penguins do with Jason Zucker? While Kasperi Kapanen, who is also injured, formed chemistry with Malkin, Zucker did not. “I feel good right now,” Zucker said. “As far as the lineup goes, I feel I don’t have any updates there, but this was a good step in the right Will Sullivan try to shoehorn Zucker with Malkin again? direction to be back with the guys and, you know, being able to take A quick check of the advanced stats from NaturalStatTrick.com screams some contact and just be a part of the overall flow of the practice. So I no. In 207 minutes, Zucker and Malkin were underwater in nearly every thought that was a good next step, and we’ll just take it from here.” important category. They ceded more goals than scored (8-10), expected With Zucker, the Penguins lines are still a dorm room mix-and-match set goals-for (44%), and the scoring chances were underwater (47%), as of paper plates and plastic cups. Except, of course, for the Penguins’ top were the high-danger chances (37%). line with Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby, and Bryan Rust. McCann may have benefitted from better timing as Malkin and Kapanen Possible Penguins Lines –with Zucker found their stride, but McCann’s production with the pair was well above board. More goals for (5-3), more scoring chances (62%), expected Guentzel-Crosby-Rust goals-for (59%), and high-danger chance (56%).

Zucker-McCann-Rodrigues McCann also brings a speed game, a hard wrist shot, and a better ability to read Malkin. Aston-Reese–Gaudreau–Lafferty The Penguins coaches will have to break up the highly successful O’Connor-Jankowski-Angello Penguins third line with Blueger, Brandon Tanev, and Zach Aston-Reese. As you can see, there isn’t another line unscathed by injuries after the However, the speed of the Zucker beside Tanev and Blueger is a top line. Yet, the Penguins not only scooped four points from the lowly tantalizing thought. Buffalo Sabres trough but dominated the scoreboard against the first- It may not be $5.5 million of value, but the line could be even better with place New York Islanders on Saturday, too. Zucker. “The guys have really stepped up. Obviously, Sid’s line has been The fourth line with Aston-Reese and Frederick Gaudreau (or Mark incredibly good. But I think throughout the entire lineup, guys have really Jankowski) also doesn’t sound so bad, either. stepped up and played well from (Zohorna) getting his first goal to (Anthony Angello) and Freddy (Gaudreau) playing,” Zucker said. “So Jason Zucker Staying Put? many guys come to the top that have been playing really well. So it takes an army when you have a ton of guys out to come back and play and get As you lay out the options, unless the Pittsburgh Penguins desperately these wins.” need Zucker’s cap space, a trade would be a big loss for the Penguins, unless Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf would be interested in a But that’s not the issue that will be under Mike Sullivan’s consideration short Pittsburgh stay. Then all bets are off. next month. When Evgeni Malkin returns, and Teddy Blueger returns, and Jared McCann presumably goes back to LW, where does McCann But until that unlikelihood moves into the possible category, keeping or Zucker fit? Zucker and finding the right spot could be far more beneficial.

How about these Penguins lines: Eventually.

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021

McCann-Malkin-Kapanen

Zucker-Blueger-Tanev

Aston-Reese–Gaudreau–Rodrigues

Those lines look like a team that might be able to do some damage, no?

Penguins Trade?

That’s your first thought, right? Trade him! Recoup prospects and picks that former GM Jim Rutherford dished to Minnesota for Zucker.

It’s not going to work like that, at least this year. The 2021 NHL trade deadline is set to be the biggest buyer’s market, perhaps ever. Zucker’s $5.5 million salary might as well be a scarlet letter. The new Penguins Hockey Ops department will assuredly not get a top defenseman prospect and a first-round pick in return. 1207344 San Jose Sharks “That’s my old Barracuda warm-up,” Viel said with a laugh. “We usually go the other way from where we come on, so, I thought it was pretty funny and the guys gave me a hard time about it.”

Erik Karlsson leads San Jose Sharks past Minnesota Wild The Sharks were swept in a two-game series with Arizona last week and came into Monday with a 2-5-1 record in their last eight games and their Sharks defenseman scores twice in regulation time, then nets the winner playoff hopes hanging by a thread. The Sharks are now six points back in the shootout of St. Louis for the fourth and final playoff spot with one game in hand on the Blues.

The Sharks trailed the Wild 2-1 after 20 minutes despite their 18 shots on By CURTIS PASHELKA | PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 10:18 p.m. | goal. UPDATED: March 30, 2021 at 1:57 a.m. The Wild managed just one shot on goal through the first 12 minutes of

the first period before Jones stopped Fiala’s shot on a breakaway after a SAN JOSE — Defenseman Erik Karlsson broke one of his sticks in half defensive miscue by Radim Simek. Just seconds later, Fiala passed to Monday night after the Sharks allowed the tying goal midway through the Marcus Johansson, who turn and fired a wrist shot past Jones for a 1-0 third period after a handful of miscues in their own end. Minnesota lead at the 12:41 mark.

Karlsson used another stick that was still intact to give the Sharks a hard- Simek made up for the gaffe by tying the game less than four minutes fought win over the Minnesota Wild. later, as his shot from inside the blue line deflected off a Wild defenseman’s stick and past Talbot for his second of the season at the Karlsson’s slap shot from between the hash marks in the eighth round of 16:04 mark. the shootout beat Wild goalie Cam Talbot high to the glove side, giving the Sharks a 4-3 victory at SAP Center. The Sharks, though, gave up a dazzling goal to the Wild with a minute left in the period. Joel Eriksson Ek had the puck on a rush inside the Karlsson also scored twice in regulation time, giving him his first two-goal Sharks’ zone, toe-dragged around Nikolai Knyzhov, and passed it to an game in over three years to help prevent the Sharks’ third straight loss. open Nick Bonino for his fourth of the season.

Karlsson’s second goal at the 4:11 mark of the third period gave the Jones was making his fourth start in the last five games. In two previous Sharks a one-goal lead, but Kevin Fiala scored at the 9:48 mark of the starts against the Wild this season, Jones was 1-1-0 with an .857 save third period to tie the game 3-3, beating Sharks goalie Martin Jones from percentage. He was pulled in his last appearance against Minnesota a sharp angle, causing Karlsson to smash his stick over the net. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.30.2021 Jones finished with 22 saves as the Sharks outshot the Wild 39-25.

“I’m lucky I get free sticks,” Karlsson deadpanned after the game. “I think we deserved to win this game in regulation. (Jones) played another massive game for us and kept us in it early, and now we just got to tighten it up a little bit.”

Karlsson’ second goal came on a shot from just inside the blue line that beat Minnesota goalie Cam Talbot for a 3-2 Sharks lead. Karlsson also scored in the second period, as he had his first two-goal game since Dec. 19, 2017 when he was with the Ottawa Senators.

Karlsson tied the game 2-2 at the 15:45 mark of the second period. Evander Kane helped create an odd-man rush that started in the Sharks’ zone and on the 2-on-1, fed Karlsson with a pretty pass. Karlsson one- timed past Wild goalie Cam Talbot for his third goal of the season.

“I’m going to shoot it if I get it in positions where I can shoot it,” Karlsson said. “I’ve got to shoot a little bit more maybe sometimes, but I think today, the first goal is a 2-on-1. I know I’m getting the pass, I’m just positioning myself to shoot it when I get it. The second one, same thing, there’s no one really in front of me, I get a good pass from down low, walk the line, and have a good screen.”

Patrick Marleau played in his 1,757th career NHL game, moving one ahead of Mark Messier for second on the league’s all-time games played list. Marleau now needs 11 more games to pass Gordie Howe for the all- time lead, and he is set to play his 1,768th game on April 19 when the Sharks play the Vegas Golden Knights.

At the opposite end of the games played spectrum was Marleau’s linemate, Jeffrey Viel, who created a scoring chance on his first NHL shift.

Then, as the Sharks were finishing their salute to Marleau for passing Messier during a stoppage in play, the puck dropped, and Viel fought Wild forward Luke Johnson at the 2:57 mark of the first period. Viel landed a few shots and as he got up from the fight, clapped his hands together, clearly fired up.

“Yeah, it was obviously a huge honor,” to play in an NHL game, Viel said. “I think I played pretty good. Obviously had the butterflies for a while but I’m pretty proud of my game.”

Viel’s night started on an awkward note. Like other players making their NHL debuts, Viel got the chance to skate out on the ice alone for a few seconds before the start of warmups. The only problem was once he came out of the Sharks’ locker room and stepped onto the ice, he turned left to the side of the ice the Wild players were warming up on, instead of right toward the Sharks’ end. 1207345 San Jose Sharks

Sharks’ Bob Boughner gives injury update on Matt Nieto

San Jose Sharks forward has been bothered by a lower body injury; Jeffrey Viel to make NHL debut Monday vs. Minnesota Wild

By CURTIS PASHELKA PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. | UPDATED: March 29, 2021 at 12:36 p.m.

Matt Nieto’s lower-body injury will likely keep him out of the San Jose Sharks’ lineup for at least another week, coach Bob Boughner said Monday.

Nieto, initially described as being day-to-day, has not played since March 19 when the Sharks faced the St. Louis Blues.

Nieto was placed on injured reserve over the weekend, opening a roster spot for forward Jeffrey Viel, who will make his NHL debut Monday night when the Sharks host the Minnesota Wild at SAP Center.

Boughner said Nieto has been skating recently but “there’s not a lot of improvement. So we had to make that decision to open up a spot and I wouldn’t expect him to be in for this week at least. Hopefully next week. It hasn’t improved as much as we thought it would.”

Nieto’s injury could affect the Sharks’ ability to potentially deal him to another team by the NHL’s April 12 trade deadline. Last season, forward Melker Karlsson, a penalty kill specialist, was a candidate to be moved but was hurt at the time of the trade deadline.

Nieto, 28, is one of the faster skaters on the Sharks roster and has shined on the team’s penalty kill this season. In 28 games this year, Nieto has seven points and is averaging 14:00 of ice time per game. The Sharks signed him to a one-year, $700,000 contract in October.

Viel, 24, will skate on a line with center Patrick Marleau, who is playing his 1,757th game, and fellow winger Marcus Sorensen. Viel is in his third season in the Sharks’ organization as he spent the last two years with the Barracuda.

In 17 AHL games this season, Viel, who is not afraid to drop the gloves, has two goals, two assists, and 31 penalty minutes.

GABRIEL SITS: Kurtis Gabriel, who was given a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct for a hit on Johan Larsson of the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday, will be a healthy scratch Monday.

Boughner disagreed that Gabriel’s hit, which he felt was a little late but shoulder-to-shoulder, warranted a game misconduct, although Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said the hit also caught Larsson in the head. Gabriel also did not receive any supplementary discipline from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

At the time of the hit, the Sharks were trailing 2-0. They lost the game 4- 0, although the Coyotes did not score with the five-minute man advantage.

“To throw a guy out and give him a five-minute major for a shoulder-to- shoulder hit, I thought that was a little carried away, but not surprising,” Boughner said Monday.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207346 San Jose Sharks The Sharks (13-16-4) entered Monday in seventh place in the West Division with 30 points, eight points back of St. Louis for the fourth and final playoff spot.

Sharks’ Patrick Marleau would ‘have to consider’ potential trade for As for Marleau playing elsewhere after April 12, Boughner said, “We Stanley Cup chase want to be here with Patty when he breaks the record. That’s a special thing for his family and this organization, so if you’re writing a book or San Jose Sharks forward will pass Mark Messier on NHL’s all-time writing a story, that would be the way it goes for me. games played list tonight vs. Minnesota Wild, still on track to pass Gordie Howe for No. 1 spot on April 19 “But we’ll see what happens. We have 23 games to go and we’re just taking this thing week by week right now and trying to stay in the hunt as long as we can.”

By CURTIS PASHELKA | PUBLISHED: March 29, 2021 at 10:20 a.m. | This season, Marleau has already passed (1,731) and UPDATED: March 29, 2021 at 1:25 p.m. Jaromir Jagr (1,733) on the all-time games played list.

“I kind of pinch myself every now and then seeing these names that you’re being mentioned with,” Marleau said. “Pretty amazing to be Patrick Marleau’s stance on being dealt to a Stanley Cup contender mentioned with these great players, and I don’t take that lightly.” before the April 12 trade deadline hasn’t changed. Messier, now 60, helped the Edmonton Oilers win the Stanley Cup five Marleau reiterated Monday that he would have to consider a trade to a times over a seven-year period from 1984 to 1990. Messier also led the playoff-bound team should the opportunity arise over the next two weeks. New York Rangers to the Cup in 1994, their first in 54 years. He is the Marleau, 41, will play in his 1,757th game Monday night when the Sharks only player in league history to be captain of two Cup-winning teams, and host the Minnesota Wild at SAP Center, passing Mark Messier for is third all-time in league history with 1,887 points. He was inducted into second place on the NHL’s all-time games played list. Messier, a the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, played 1,756 games over 25 NHL Messier began his NHL career in 1979 and retired in 2005, and would seasons from 1979 to 2004. have passed Howe on the all-time games played list had there not been Marleau, should he remain healthy and with San Jose, will play his NHL work stoppages in 1994 and the duration of the 2004-05 season. 1,768th game on April 19 when the Sharks are in Las Vegas to play the Messier also battled injuries almost throughout his professional career. Golden Knights, passing Gordie Howe to become the NHL’s leader in Early in his NHL career, Marleau played against Messier fairly regularly. career regular-season games played. Messier was with the Vancouver Canucks from 1997 to 2000 when With the league’s trade deadline looming and his team well out of a Marleau was in his first three seasons with the Sharks. Messier played playoff spot, Sharks general manager will likely be a seller, the final four seasons of his NHL career from 2000 to 2004 with the with Marleau one of the players that could possibly be moved. Other Rangers. Sharks that could be traded include forward Matt Nieto and Marcus Marleau said he remembers how good Messier was “in all areas of the Sorensen and goalie Devan Dubnyk. game. He has that presence on the ice of being a competitor and being a Last week, the Canadian government waived its mandatory 14-day great player and you always knew when you’re out there against him, quarantine period for NHL players acquired by Canadian NHL teams when you were playing against him.” from those based in the U.S. Players will now need to quarantine for San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.30.2021 seven days, with daily COVID-19 testing as part of the requirement, making it more likely for teams on both sides of the border to deal with each other.

Marleau and Joe Thornton, who had played 1,658 NHL regular-season games before Monday, are the only players in the NHL’s top 10 for games played to not have won a Stanley Cup. Thornton, who signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in October, is sixth on the NHL’s all-time games played list.

“I think it’s something you have to consider, obviously, if something comes up,” said Marleau, who told The Athletic earlier this month that he would examine a move to another team. “But it’s something that we’ll have to think about and see if it’s the right situation.”

Last year, the Sharks traded Marleau to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a similar situation as they found themselves outside the playoff hunt. Marleau returned as a free agent in the offseason.

For complete Sharks coverage

Marleau also said that he would like to keep playing beyond this season. Now in his 23rd NHL season, Marleau has six points in 33 games, averaging 13:25 seconds of ice time. Still an exceptional skater, Marleau has recently spent time in the Sharks’ middle-six forward group.

“I definitely want to keep playing,” Marleau said. “And I still think I have a lot left to give and left in the tank.”

Monday, Marleau will center a line with Sorensen and Jeffrey Viel, who is making his NHL debut. Sharks coach Bob Boughner said that considering Minnesota’s depth, he needs a reliable player like Marleau to help him balance his forward lines.

“I know he wants to play a lot of minutes and be in offensive situations,” Boughner said of Marleau. “But a night like tonight where we’re playing a team that can roll four lines, I need him to play center and he’s got to play a different kind of role for us tonight.” 1207347 San Jose Sharks

Karlsson leads Sharks past Wild 4-3 in shootout

JOSH DUBOW AP Sports Writer March 29, 2021Updated: March 29, 2021 10:48 p.m.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Erik Karlsson scored twice in regulation and then added the deciding goal in the eighth round of the shootout to lead the San Jose Sharks past the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Monday night.

“We ask a lot of him,” coach Bob Boughner said. “A game like tonight shows how he can make a difference in a game. He can turn a whole game around with his skill. He did that tonight.”

Karlsson capped a stellar night by ending a streak of nine combined misses by both teams when he beat Cam Talbot with a slap shot.

Karlsson had his first two-goal game in the regular season in more than three years and Radim Simek also scored as the Sharks rebounded from back-to-back losses in Arizona. Martin Jones made 22 saves and allowed only two goals in the shootout.

“We all know that we didn't really have our physical ability in Arizona this weekend,” Karlsson said. “I felt like we did today even though it was a bit of a sloppy game for both teams. We found a way to capitalize on the chances we got.”

Marcus Johansen, Nick Bonino and Kevin Fiala scored for the Wild, who lost for just the third time in 11 games. Talbot made 36 saves.

The teams traded goals in the first half of the third period with Karlsson giving the Sharks a 3-2 lead on a blast from the blue line and Fiala answering after Johansen hit the post.

“It was strong for us to come back in the third when they got the goal. It got us going,” Johansen said. “There’s no quit in this group. It’s always a good sign. But you’re not going to win every game. (Talbott) gave us a good game and in the shootout as well. It just wasn’t our night.”

Karlsson last scored multiple goals in a regular season game on Dec. 19, 2017, for Ottawa against Minnesota. He also did it in Game 3 of the Western Conference final for San Jose against St. Louis in 2019.

The Wild took nearly 11 minutes to get a shot on goal but still managed to take a 2-1 lead after the first despite getting outshot 18-7. Johansen beat Jones from the high slot through traffic for the first goal and then Joel Eriksson Ek created a beautiful second goal to re-gain the lead after Simek tied it.

Eriksson Ek used a toe drag to elude Nikolai Knyzhov and then slid a cross-ice pass to an open Bonino, who knocked it into the open net with 1:00 remaining in the period.

“That was one of the easiest ones I’ve scored,” Bonino said. “It was a beautiful play.”

The Sharks tied it late in the second when Karlsson finished off a 2-on-1 rush on a pass from Evander Kane.

MILESTONE

Sharks forward Patrick Marleau passed Mark Messier and moved into sole possession of second place on the games played with his 1,757th. Gordie Howe has the all-time record of 1,767.

INJURY UPDATE

Sharks forward Matt Nieto will likely miss the rest of the week with a lower-body injury. Nieto has not played since March 19 and was initially listed as day to day but will now miss more time after going on injured reserve. Jeffrey Viel was called up from the AHL and made his NHL debut. Viel got a fighting penalty for a bout with Luke Johnson on his first career shift.

UP NEXT

The teams play again on Wednesday night in San Jose.

San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207348 San Jose Sharks

Marleau passes Messier for No. 2 on NHL games played list

BY ALEX DIDION

Patrick Marleau surpassed Messier for No. 2 on the league's career games played list in Monday night's contest against the Minnesota Wild, suiting up for his 1,757th NHL game at SAP Center.

Marleau was drafted second overall by the Sharks in 1997, and has played 1,585 of those games with the franchise.

The 41-year-old now trails all-time leader Gordie Howe (1,767) by just ten games, and assuming he doesn't miss one, would pass the hockey legend on April 19, when the Sharks take on the Vegas Golden Knights.

In addition to games played, Marleau is the franchise's all-time leader in shots, goals and points.

Marleau has said this season that he isn't quite ready to hang up his skates, so we could see him add to his record even after the 2021 regular season comes to a close.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207349 San Jose Sharks The Sharks surely didn't agree to pay Karlsson $11.5 million a year in anticipation of crossing their fingers and hoping for the best, yet the reality is they'll need some good fortune on their side as he plays out the remaining six years of his contract. Karlsson's confidence clear in lifting Sharks to win vs. Wild If the game is going to ride on Karlsson's stick on a nightly basis, at least he has plenty to choose from.

BY MARCUS WHITE "Yeah, I'm lucky I get free sticks," Karlsson quipped of breaking one in the third period. "I think we deserved to win this game in regulation. I

think Joner played another massive game for us and kept us in it early, Erik Karlsson calmly skated to center ice at SAP Center in the eighth and we just gotta tighten it up a little bit defensively. But it was definitely a round of the shootout Monday night, the Sharks' game against the nice win for us after the weekend that we had." Minnesota Wild riding on one of his newer sticks.E Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.30.2021 Karlsson had scored two goals in the contest -- a 2-on-1 one-timer in the second period, a blistering blue-line slap shot in the third -- but he had broken his twig on the back of goaltender Martin Jones' net after the Wild tied the game with 10:12 remaining in regulation.

That frustration faded further and further into the background Karlsson sauntered up the ice, approaching Wild netminder with a series of simple stick-handling moves -- forehand, backhand, forehand, repeat. What happened next was even simpler.

A slap shot from in the slot. A goal. A 4-3 Sharks win.

"[It's] not always going to be perfect, but we ask a lot of him," Boughner said of Karlsson and his role Monday in a video conference with reporters after the game. "A game like tonight is how he can make a difference in a game, and he can turn a whole game around with his skill."

Karlsson logged a team-high 25:07 of ice time, finishing the night with five shot attempts, three shots on goal, three scoring chances and two high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick.

Was that one of the best offensive games of his career?

"Not even close," Karlsson told a reporter, snacking on a postgame apple.

Karlsson holds himself, and is held to, a very high standard. Part of that is his contract, the richest and tied for the longest in Sharks history. Part of that is his own achievements, including two Norris Trophies and gutsy performances in the 2017 and 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs playing through significant injuries.

The 30-year-old hasn't met that standard in every game this season, and struggling at times in his own end. That included tonight, as the Sharks were out-shot with him and partner Nikolai Knyzhov on the ice. He was also on the ice for two of the Wild's three goals Monday.

That certainly didn't diminish his confidence, as evidenced by the casual cranking of a slap shot with two points on the line and the even calmer consumption of an apple in his media availability. Karlsson made confident reads in regulation and overtime, too, reading off winger Evander Kane as he intercepted a Wild pass in the Sharks' own end.

By the time winger Timo Meier realized the Sharks were breaking out of the zone, Karlsson practically was in the neutral zone, ready for an odd- man rush with Kane.

"I think I'm gonna shoot it if I get it in positions where I can shoot it," Karlsson said. "I gotta shoot it a little bit more maybe sometimes, but today, the first goal is a 2-on-1. I know I'm getting the pass, I'm just positioning myself to get it when I get it. And the second one -- same thing, you know? There's no one really in front of me, I get a good pass from down low, and walk the line and have a good screen. If I keep getting in situations like that, I'm going to shoot the puck."

The Sharks aren't having a great March -- they're 7-7-2, which is "NHL .500" but still a losing record -- and they aren't having a great season, entering Monday with an 18.5 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Moneypuck. In all likelihood, they'll be picking in the top 10 - - if not higher -- of the draft.

Yet Karlsson has nine of his 13 points this season in March alone, albeit in 16 games. That's still well below his career clip, of course, but he's showing signs of life. Perhaps a normal offseason following this truncated campaign, a roster overhaul in an expansion draft year and the continued development of the Sharks' youth can bring the best out of Karlsson in a more normal season. 1207350 San Jose Sharks compared to others, there have been a few deals lately that could suggest things are starting to pick up.

From the Sharks’ perspective, they’ll almost certainly not get another If Sharks deal Patrick Marleau, where might he end up? third-round pick like they got for Marleau from Pittsburgh last season. However, in a season in which they are already just about out of playoff contention, they should be looking to acquire as many assets as possible ahead of the offseason and draft. By Kevin Kurz So, where might Marleau end up? Here are five potential landing spots.

Hurricanes — Let’s start with one of Marleau’s former teams (kind of), the On the morning that he surpassed Mark Messier for second all-time in Hurricanes, where he was dealt from Toronto in the 2019 offseason NHL history in games played and is now just 10 behind the legendary before he decided not to play for them. Carolina had reportedly Gordie Howe for the top spot, Sharks forward Patrick Marleau reiterated discussed bringing back their former captain, Eric Staal, before he was that he’d still be open to getting traded to a contender, as he first told The traded from Buffalo to Montreal last week. They have quietly become a Athletic on March 21. legitimate contender, sitting in second in the Central Division, and also “I think it’s something you have to consider obviously if something comes have an abundance of young, fresh-faced forwards that might benefit up,” he said. “(It’s) something (I) will have to think about and see if it’s the from having someone like Marleau in the dressing room. Carolina’s right situation.” fourth-line center lately has been Steven Lorentz, a rookie and former seventh-round pick who has just three points (one goal, two assists) in 22 Marleau has been all over the Sharks’ lineup lately, and, really, all games. season. Against the Wild on Monday night, a 4-3 Sharks win in the shootout, he played with Marcus Sorensen and Jeffrey Viel, the latter of Oilers — According to multiple sources last season, the Oilers were whom was making his NHL debut. In Saturday’s 4-0 loss to the Coyotes, interested in Marleau before they ended up dealing for Andreas Marleau was with Dylan Gambrell and Timo Meier. In the two games Athanasiou after the Sharks forward was flipped to the Pens. Edmonton before that, he was in the top six with Meier and Tomas Hertl. is probably on the lookout for a top-six winger first and foremost, but they could also use more overall depth in general. Canada recently relaxed its Marleau has spent more than 50 minutes at five-on-five with 10 other quarantine requirement to seven days from the original 14, making it Sharks forwards this season, according to Natural Stat Trick. The top five more likely one of the clubs north of the border does business with an are Ryan Donato (121:04), Sorensen (83:03), Meier (82:01), Matt Nieto American-based team. Marleau to the Oilers would set up a potential (76:04) and John Leonard (74:07). It’s not exactly a Murderers’ Row of playoff series against Thornton’s Leafs, too. linemates. Islanders — Any conversation about a forward on the trade board Regardless of where he has played, his production has lagged. Marleau involves the Islanders these days, particularly after captain Anders Lee’s has six points (two goals, four assists) in 34 games this season, while season-ending right knee injury. New York, like the Oilers, is also in some of the advanced metrics haven’t been too kind, either (below chart search of a top-six wing. Still, the Islanders are run by general manager from Dom Luszczyszyn does not include Monday’s game). , who enticed Marleau to Toronto as a free agent in 2017. If the Islanders strike out finding an elite-level forward, or even if they add Still, it would probably be wrong to say that Marleau would draw any one, perhaps they have some interest in Marleau to bolster their depth. interest on the trade market, especially considering teams are always looking for depth and he makes the league minimum $700,000 this Penguins — No, it didn’t work out for Marleau on the Penguins last season. After all, he’s still spent the majority of his time this season in the season. He posted just two points (one goal, one assist) in eight regular- bottom six, and the Sharks are once again a team that has woeful depth season games, and was scoreless in four games in their qualifying round this season. Yes, Marleau has been a part of that weak depth, but so loss to Montreal in the bubble. But the Penguins have run into some was Joe Thornton last season — and Thornton is finding success now injury problems up front lately, including Evgeni Malkin, Teddy Blueger with the Toronto Maple Leafs, as sources say Mitch Marner and Auston and Kasperi Kapanen. Marleau obviously wouldn’t fill that large void, but Matthews are better linemates than Sorensen and Kevin Labanc, who in a season in which the trade deadline comes less than one month were Thornton’s most common linemates with the Sharks last season. before the end of the regular season, he could at least walk into semi- comfortable surroundings. The Penguins are under a new regime after One NHL scout said via text that while Marleau hasn’t done much in the Jim Rutherford’s abrupt departure, with Ron Hextall as the general handful of Sharks game he’s watched this season, “I could still see a manager and Brian Burke as the president of hockey operations. team grabbing him for depth.” Golden Knights — Vegas’ primary need ahead of the deadline is help on Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Monday morning that Marleau’s game its bottom six. Yes, it might make some Sharks fans shudder seeing him has been “getting better here in the last little while. It was a little stagnant in a Golden Knights jersey, and Doug Wilson might refuse to send him earlier on.” there even if it makes sense, but there’s no doubt former coach Pete Boughner admitted that he’s taking advantage of Marleau’s ability to play DeBoer has a ton of respect for Marleau. The Golden Knights are up any of the forward positions, too. against the salary cap, so if they are looking to add, it’s going to have to be on the cheap. Also notable: Marleau is currently scheduled to break “There’s nothing that he hasn’t seen,” Boughner said. “I’ve got him on the Howe’s record on April 19 at T-Mobile Arena. If he were traded April 12, second unit power play, I use him on some clean-up (penalty) kills. (He that would still be the case — so he’d be doing it against the Sharks. has played) center, on the wing, and he flip-flops wings. Sometimes he’s That alone might make this deal untenable from an optics perspective, playing right and sometimes he’s playing left. So, very versatile.” even if hockey-wise it does make some sense.

That versatility could make him more attractive to teams looking to add The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 another forward ahead of the playoffs, with the trade deadline now less than two weeks away (April 12).

And, of course, everyone in the NHL already knows Marleau’s reputation as someone that sets a good example for the young up-and-comers.

Ryan Donato, in his first season as a teammate of Marleau’s, said: “The thing I learned is he’s happy to come to the rink every day. You can truly tell that he loves the game. There’s just something about him, he brings a positive energy to the rink every day, and he’s excited to work. That’s why he’s had such a long career and made a lot of friends, he’s a guy you enjoy being around.”

While it’s unlikely that a contending team has Marleau at the top of their list in terms of players they are targeting before the deadline, perhaps the 41-year-old could be a backup plan. While multiple reports have suggested that there has been much less trade chatter this year when 1207351 San Jose Sharks

Viel Goes Wrong Way During NHL Debut Solo Warm-Up Lap

By Sheng Peng

Well, that’s literally the wrong way to start your NHL career.

Jeffrey Viel took the ice before the rest of the San Jose Sharks players during warm-ups – it was the traditional NHL debut solo lap – and he went the wrong way.

“Yeah, we got it on video,” Erik Karlsson smiled. “I’m sure we’re all gonna watch it tomorrow and have a good laugh about it.”

Viel explained: “That’s my old Barracuda warm-up. We usually go the other way from where we came on. I thought that was pretty funny. The guys gave me a hard time about it.

“I didn’t really look at [the Wild players], to be honest. I just tried to go the right way as soon as possible as soon as I realized that I was going the wrong way.”

Everything else, more or less, went right for Viel and the San Jose Sharks tonight. Viel won his first NHL fight against Luke Johnson and the Sharks pulled out a 4-3 shootout victory over the Wild.

It certainly won’t be a day that Viel ever forgets.

“This morning, I actually just found out, I saw it on the screen,” the newest San Jose Sharks player said, of when he found out that he was making his NHL debut. “I talked to all my family and friends and got a lot of messages. I haven’t looked at all of them. But yeah, they were really happy for me.”

Hopefully next time, he remembers which way to go during warm-ups!

San Jose Hockey NowLOADED: 03.30.2021 1207352 San Jose Sharks 8 minutes left: Good forecheck by Leonard to at least keep much bigger Greenway from getting going. Not a huge play, but small plays that count, keeps Wild from getting in transition.

ANALYTICS Postgame Notes #34: Karlsson Scores 2, Shootout Winner, Karlsson saved a goal there, checked Rask’s stick in front. Sharks 4-3 OT

That high-touch goal wasn’t even close. Earlier in shift, Burns holding off By Sheng Peng puck in OZ, Wild defender loses stick. Just a reminder that he’s still a load to deal with.

San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 4 minutes in: Scanning neutral zone, Donato passes it right to Wild player. File that under stuff that he has to toss out of his game to get back into middle-six for good.

6 minutes in: Wild top line has a lot of possession, but San Jose Sharks keep them to outside. Alert on their rotations, example is Labanc challenging centering pass to Kaprizov charging down slot.

8 minutes in, Sharks 5-0 shots. San Jose has done of excellent job of closing down time and space when Minnesota thinks they have an opening. Example we just saw, Bonino looks open in front, but as centering pass arrives, Meier right there, no shot.

Typical: Pretty much San Jose Sharks’ first breakdown, Fiala all alone, big Jones save. But then Jones lets in one he probably should stop from Johansson. So good start, Sharks, here’s your reward. Watching it over, didn’t like Vlasic on initial Fiala chance – Vlasic steps up in neutral zone, not close to stopping anything, Simek shuffles over to cover for him, but nobody covers for Simek’s lane, where Fiala is. Not a great read.

6 minutes left: Couture line battering Wild on forecheck.

Simek goal: Donato is the engine there. A couple of nifty, clever plays to get it in, distribute it to right person.

Eriksson Ek turns Knyzhov into dust, Bonino beats everybody up ice – maybe Kane needs to identify him on backcheck faster? – and somehow, Sharks find themselves down in period that they’ve dominated.

PERIOD 2

1 minute: After Balcers’s unforced turnover on exit, Karlsson makes a slick play to himself in corner to initiate another breakout, this time successful.

7 minutes in, loose puck in NZ, Karlsson beats Kaprizov to it. He’s had good jump tonight. Follows with slick move at blueline to free himself off point – then end of long shift, bad turnover trying to break out by himself. Seems like he had no energy at end of a long shift, there’s a place, hate to say it, glass and out would’ve been sufficient. That seems like an everything you need to know about EK65 shift this year.

10 minutes in, Labanc does nice job of absorbing forecheck along wall, giving it to open Hertl to exit. This starts a long San Jose Sharks shift that leads to Spurgeon delay of game.

7 minutes left: Burns just one-timed an aerial low-to-high pass from Donato at end of PP. Literal batting practice there, cool. Special Burns skill on display there.

That Bjugstad centering pass, by the way, was in the pair, so doubly- impressive that Kane was able to chop it down, go the other way.

3 minutes left: Fantastic Labanc chance set up by Couture. Karlsson, again end of long shift, but skating it up from DZ to red line, soft dump, get off. Small play, but good work by Karlsson there to leave puck in decent position for Couture, who takes it off Wild defenseman, then while falling, finds Labanc dead in slot. You’re not going to get a better chance than that, but Talbot better.

PERIOD 3

3 minutes in, Viel has puck down low, but Bjugstad just eliminates him. Welcome to the NHL.

Karlsson goal: Little plays were Gambrell intercepting Wild rim, then Donato getting it to Karlsson under duress. Good team work keeping it in.

Fiala equalizer: Hertl actually had 3 chances to clear, twice off pretty Karlsson plays. Karlsson breaks his stick on top of post after that goes in. 1207353 San Jose Sharks

Game Preview/Lines #34: Donato Has Boyhood Picture with Marleau, Boughner Defends Gabriel

By Sheng Peng

SAN JOSE SHARKS (13-16-4)

MINNESOTA WILD (21-10-1)

WHERE TO WATCH

Puck drop is 7:30 PM PT at SAP Center. Watch it on NBC Sports Bay Area, FOX Sports North, or NHL.tv.

MORNING SKATE

Bob Boughner didn’t think Kurtis Gabriel deserved an ejection or a five- minute major after this hit on Johan Larsson on Saturday.

Two days later, Boughner re-affirmed his opinion. For what it’s worth, NHL Player Safety did not pursue further discipline on Gabriel.

“I think the league got it right. To me, it’s just a shoulder-to-shoulder hit, albeit maybe it’s a little late. It’s a two-minute penalty, I get that, no argument here,” Boughner said. “But again, to throw a guy out, give him a five-minute major for a shoulder-to-shoulder hit, I thought that was a little carried away. But not surprising.”

Good news, Larsson returned to practice this afternoon:

However, Gabriel will not be playing tonight. Instead, Jeffrey Viel will be making his NHL debut:

At the other end of the spectrum, 41-year-old Patrick Marleau will be playing in his 1,757th regular season contest, passing Mark Messier for second on the All-Time Games Played list.

This is the first season that 24-year-old Ryan Donato has played with Marleau. What’s the biggest thing that he’s noticed about the tireless veteran?

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is he’s happy to come to the rink every day. You can truly tell that he loves the game,” Donato said. “He brings a positive energy to the rink every day. He’s excited to work. I think that’s why he’s had such a long career.”

Marleau has played so long, he played against Ryan Donato’s dad, Ted Donato.

Ryan Donato revealed that he met Marleau long before they became teammates.

“I had a picture with him when I was a little kid. I think he was in Boston,” Donato said. “I met him pregame or postgame in the elevator. And my dad was [telling me], that’s Patrick Marleau. And I was just staring up at him. That’s basically my favorite memory of him.”

Wait, Donato has another picture of himself as a youngster with a San Jose Sharks legend?

San Jose Hockey Now urged Donato to share his Marleau pic with the world.

“If I find it,” he laughed, “I will.”

San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207354 San Jose Sharks

Scouts Talk Marleau’s Trade Value

By Sheng Peng

On the morning before he passes Mark Messier for second on the All- Time Games Played list, Patrick Marleau reaffirmed his openness to be dealt to a Cup contender before the Trade Deadline.

“If something comes up,” Marleau admitted, “it’s something I’ll have to think about and see if it’s the right situation.”

It’s an additional confirmation of what we already know: Marleau said the same thing last weekend, and the San Jose Sharks have not much improved their position in the standings, going 2-2-0 since then.

If Doug Wilson does trade Marleau before the Apr. 12 Deadline, the 41- year-old would break Gordie Howe’s All-Time Games Played record in another uniform besides teal. At the moment, Marleau is scheduled to break the record on Apr. 19 at Las Vegas.

So what would Marleau bring back in a trade? Remember this isn’t even the version of Marleau that brought back a third-rounder at last year’s Deadline: The veteran forward has just two goals and four assists in 33 games this season. Three NHL scouts offered divergent opinions.

San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207355 St Louis Blues “I think it’s just the confidence in our scoring ability right now,” said O’Reilly, whose team scored more than three goals in just three games in March. “We’re just not scoring enough. Even I felt (Sunday) some of these passes I gave guys were just on edge. Usually I can get that flat to Hochman: Scratching Hoffman was a start, but Berube and Blues must a guy, give him time where he doesn’t have to settle it and he can shoot find motivation — or could miss playoffs it right away. It’s just little things like that that are kind of not giving us the best chance to score. It’s frustrating because we worked hard to get the

puck back and put ourselves in a good scoring area — and the puck’s Benjamin Hochman not going in.”

Tarasenko provides optimism. He recently scored on a one-timer. He’s making dazzling passes. He’s hustling up and down the ice on every Eleven scores and a fortnight ago, you read a column here about actual shift. But as we’re learning, one guy can’t change four lines. confidence in the Blues. Meanwhile, here’s your latest reminder that the upcoming Blues schedule But with those 11 goals in seven games, and just five added points in the is brutal. They have 21 remaining games — 17 are against the teams in standings later, the Blues have even the most-optimistic observers first, second and third place in the division. That includes Colorado. The wondering what has happened — and if it’s too late to fix the problems. Blues head there for their next two games, on Friday and Saturday.

And what’s interesting is that Vladimir Tarasenko is playing really well. So, as for that confidence, Tarasenko said Sunday, “To make it clear, Some thought a returning jolt from No. 91 would rejuvenate the Blues. there is no depression. We’re pretty confident in ourselves.” Instead, the team has gone 2-4-1. But having confidence in the Blues is tougher to do than it was 14 days There is still a good amount of hockey to play. The Blues are in a good ago — and even then, the glass was only half full. place to nab one of the four playoff spots in the West Division. But the Blues blew a golden opportunity — five of their last seven games were St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.30.2021 against teams below them. Craig Berube’s Blues are letting a lot of people down, in part because they’re not consistently playing Craig Berube hockey.

The postgame quotes are sounding similar to those from the first months of the 2018-19 season. This Blues club has a new captain and some new faces, but still has many of the same players from that infamous stretch, which is now a famous stretch, because it was a precursor to the amazing Cup run. The current Blues just seem to have so many issues. For a while, the talk was the team was playing poor defensively. Now, the team isn’t producing much much offense (while playing some inopportune defense).

“Yeah, I definitely didn’t expect us to be in this position,” Ryan O’Reilly, the Blues’ captain, said on a postgame Zoom after the club lost in overtime Sunday to last-place Anaheim. “I know how good we can be and our personnel and how good it is. This happens. I think none of us expected it, but there’s definitely growth to be had -— we have to find a way out and the only way we’re going to do this is together. If we don’t, we obviously won’t be where we want to. But it’s challenging for every one of us, coaching staff, every player, our goaltending. We have to help each other out — and it’s frustrating right now.”

One thing Berube did during the once-woebegone December of 2018 was bench a high-paid player. Blues forward David Perron was playing poorly and making maddening penalties. So, the coach made Perron a healthy scratch on Dec. 9, 2018. The Blues were demolished, 6-1. At home. But Berube pushed the right button — it seemed to push Perron. And Perron’s teammates noticed — and were put on notice. Before his scratch, Perron played in 27 games, had 16 points and was minus-five. After his scratch, Perron played in 30 games, had 30 points and was plus-eight.

That, of course, brings us to Mike Hoffman. The one-year, $4-million deal the Blues gave him seemed like a win-win — it gave him a chance to play for a a seemingly strong playoff team and boost his status, and it gave the seemingly strong playoff team a proven scorer.

Well, here we are. The Blues might not even end up a playoff team — and part of it is because the scorer isn’t a scorer. He has netted two goals since Feb. 20. So, Berube benched him. Hoffman was a healthy scratch in Sunday’s home loss. The move was a smart one — the coach is trying to find ways to shake things up, but he only has so many options. If one missed game can inspire Hoffman to play many passionate games, it’s worth it.

Some wonder if the Blues should just trade Hoffman at the deadline, get a draft pick or a young player for a guy who will become a free agent. No, don’t do that. See him through. Try to unlock the scoring he’s got in him. He’s too talented. And if he has any pride, surely the benching will motivate him. Maybe he’ll provide more in other facets of the game, too.

Hoffman isn’t the only Blue trending down now. For instance, Zach Sanford has two points in the past 11 games. Jordan Kyrou has struggled lately — and he was the energizer of the team earlier in the year, when hopes were high. 1207356 St Louis Blues back when the Blues start playing again — and get it in tune. Those are a lot of pieces to throw into the mix at once.

Berube said before Sunday’s game that he thought scoring a goal would Amid a major slump, Blues seek to reboot the sluggish offense be great for Tarasenko in getting him pointed in the right direction after having just one in his first 10 games back. Tarasenko promptly scored. The Blues need him to get going and some teammates with him.

Tom Timmermann “It does take time,” Berube said. “When you’ve been out that long, you’ve got to constantly talk to yourself about getting your feet moving and

attacking and attacking and attacking, so he can attack more than he is The NHL season has thrown a lot of strange things at the Blues (as well right now and get his feet going more and that’s going to help him. as most everyone else), but now there’s another: Four days without a “Schwartz, he’s had trouble scoring but his work ethic is excellent. He’s game. done a lot of good things and he’s got to stick with it. He scores most of The Blues played Anaheim on Sunday and didn’t have a game on his goals inside the blue paint and around that area. He knows he has to Monday. And won’t have one on Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Or Thursday. get to that area more. Not until Friday night, in Denver, will they be playing again. “Robert Thomas, he’s skating well, he’s got to execute his plays more. Of course, the way the Blues are playing right now, the less games the He’s got to start shooting more and getting on the inside more and better. But considering how the team has struggled offensively, it also getting pucks to the net himself using his shot and that’s going to open offers the Blues a chance to try something different — namely, not up more things with his passing.” playing hockey. The calendar might give the Blues the break they need to reboot their It’s a strategy familiar to anyone who’s ever called a help desk with a season. But other than that, it’s providing mostly the when, not the how computer problem: Shut off your computer, wait a bit, then turn it back or the why. on. See if that fixes the problem. “It’s nice to have some days off,” Tarasenko said. “We’re going to have a After an effectively lost weekend — the Blues did salvage one of four really tough opponent next game. It’s a big game for us. It’s always nice possible points in their weekend series with the lowly Ducks —the team to have a day off. It’s time to recharge the batteries and get prepared took Monday off and will take Tuesday off as well. With four consecutive because our next games will be even harder. Nobody says it’s going to days off, the schedule affords the team an unusual luxury. The Blues can be easy. It’s on us, how we handle our days off and be prepared. I think take those days off and still have two days to work on things before we will do well next game.” heading to Colorado for a treacherous two-game set with the Avalanche, For Your Information the start of a grueling April. Up next: 8 p.m. Friday, at Avalanche, BSM (formerly FSM) “I think,” Blues coach Craig Berube said, “our guys need to get away here for a day or two to clear their heads a little bit and I think that’ll be St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.30.2021 good for them, not to constantly be thinking about hockey. They’ve been on the road a lot and played a lot of games. I think it’s good that they can get away for a couple days and clear their heads a little bit and come back with some energy.”

Berube has sort of done this before, opting not to practice on consecutive days in March after the team came back from the West Coast, but the first of those days included the team returning from San Jose at about 4 a.m. So that wasn’t much of an off day. But with the Blues having played at home on Sunday, these should be two full days off.

“It’s important to get our rest here,” Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly said. “We don’t get these breaks often and we have to take advantage of it. We haven’t been home much. That would be nice to see families and get away from the game and just kind of get that recharged. Not only physically but mentally too, just to kind of get away and maybe not be at the rink as much. It’s a good reset for us. We know how tough this playoff hunt’s going to be, so it’s a good opportunity to completely reset for us.”

The Blues clearly have things to work on when they get back to work. While their defense seems to be back where it needs to be, the offense has yet to find itself, with four goals combined in the past four games and the power play going one for 10 over the past four games, and two for 20 over eight games.

“We need to have good practices and work on some things, work on the power play,” Berube said. “We know we’ve got to score more goals, we all know that, but l. . . I think we’re generating good chances but you got to finish. We’ve got to finish better, so we’ll get after that this week.”

The Blues originally had two games scheduled this week with Arizona, but they were moved to February when COVID issues elsewhere left the Blues and Coyotes with nothing better to do. With no games to slip in now, consider this the Blues’ own personal All-Star break.

Rest has been good for the Blues — they are 7-2-1 when coming off two or more days off, one of the best marks in the league. But the team needs more than a temporary fix that comes with a good night’s rest. It needs a new frame of mind that Berube and the players hope a break will give them.

The Blues need to take their reassembled lineup — after a steady stream of losing players, they’ve gotten Jaden Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko, Robert Thomas and Tyler Bozak back in the last three weeks (Bozak has come back twice) and defensive workhorse Colton Parayko could be 1207357 St Louis Blues Bruins, who aren’t getting much offense beyond the Perfection Line, are a logical bidder.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have become a tire fire under coach John Gordo on the NHL: Trade chatter gets loud as deadline nears Tortorella. GM Jarmo Kekalainen paid a big price to get Patrik Laine from the Winnipeg Jets and Laine has one goal and three assists in his last 16 games. Kekalainen paid a big price to get Max Domi from the Montreal Canadiens and Domi has not produced. Captain Nick Foligno might have Jeff Gordon second thoughts about re-signing with the Jackets and he could fetch a significant rental return. Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo could have value in the marketplace. Kekalainen has a big dilemma: Does he fire the coach When Blues coach Craig Berube made winger Mike Hoffman a healthy or fire the team? scratch Sunday, he sent up a flare to every NHL general manager looking to add offensive help. The Colorado Avalanche added goaltender Jonas Johansson in a minor trade, but GM Joe Sakic will likely add more significant insurance behind Clearly Hoffman has struggled to fit in here. He is headed toward Philipp Grubauer before the trade deadline. James Reimer, a pending unrestricted free agency and there appears to be little chance of him UFA who has done a nice job this season in Carolina, seems like an wearing the Note past this season. obvious target. Alex Nedeljkovic looks like the goaltender of the future for the Hurricanes. He is a power-play specialist who is not getting much time with the man advantage. He is scoring line winger who mostly plays on the third line. Buffalo defenseman Brandon Montour is another asset other GMs are So it's not hard to imagine other general managers checking in with Doug targeting. The Sabres could keep some of his salary cap hit, too, to make Armstrong ahead of the April 12 NHL trade deadline. a trade work.

But the Blues need more scoring, not less. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.30.2021 Hoffman could appeal to contenders looking for another scorer – the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs come to mind – but those teams are more likely to pay the normal rental price (draft pick, prospect) then offer Armstrong immediate help.

Then there is the Buffalo Factor. With the Sabres scraping bottom, GM Kevyn Adams could continue making trades after moving Eric Staal to the Montreal Canadiens.

Like Hoffman, winger Taylor Hall signed a one-year deal hoping to drive up his UFA value.

Like Hoffman, he has failed to score at his usual level. But like Hoffman, he could still have value as a rental acquisition. The Sabres can keep some of his $8 million cap hit to facilitate a trade.

Armstrong might have to move multiple chess pieces to make such a big deadline play, but the man is not afraid.

When Blues defenseman Vince Dunn was a late scratch Sunday, amateur GMs on Twitter began constructing all sorts of trades. But Dunn bowed because of lingering foot pain from the shot he blocked Friday, not because Armstrong had an imminent swap involving him.

With Jake Walman playing well, Niko Mikkola continuing his development and Colton Parayko working his way back from injury, the Blues will soon have an admirable surplus on the blue line.

Dunn has been the subject of trade rumors all season and understandably so, given his long-term earning power clashing with the Blues’ long-term salary cap concerns.

But . . .

Dealing Dunn ahead of the expansion draft will make it more likely that the Blues may lose a valued forward to the Seattle Kraken. Armstrong noted this factor when he broadly discussed with reporters the potential to make trades ahead of the deadline.

Then again, the Blues are struggling, the tougher games loom and Armstrong is not one to sit on his hands.

Several teams could use an offensive defenseman, including the Montreal Canadiens. The Florida Panthers joined that list Sunday when Aaron Ekblad suffered a season-ending leg injury.

Elsewhere in the rumor mill:

The pesky Arizona Coyotes are threatening to knock the Blues out of the playoff bracket. But general manager Bill Armstrong, the former Blues draft czar, is looking to overhaul the roster. So he could undercut coach Rick Tocchet by dealing away assets like defenseman Alex Goligoski and goaltender Darcy Kuemper (if he gets healthy) for draft picks and prospects.

Power forward Kyle Palmeiri could become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The New Jersey Devils must decide whether to lock him into a long-term deal or trade him to a contender as a rental player. The 1207358 St Louis Blues in all four. We don’t know how much that really matters, since home ice in a half-empty building might not be much of a factor, but it will give us some races to track.

DGB weekend rankings: How many playoff teams are locked in? Are But for those last playoff spots? Let’s cross our fingers that things tighten Blues in danger? up, because we may be headed towards an anti-climactic finish in at least a few divisions. And maybe even in all four of them.

Road to the Cup By Sean McIndoe Mar 29, 2021 The five teams with the best chances of becoming the first team in history to win a Stanley Cup in July.

We’re going to flip the calendar over to April later this week, which in a We don’t get a lot of Devils talk in the Top Five section, but we need to typical year means the regular season is almost done. This isn’t a typical recognize Mackenzie Blackwood with what might be the save of the year year, so we’ve still got about six weeks to go, and maybe more if in the dying seconds of a 1-0 win over the Bruins: rescheduled games keep pushing the finish line out. But with the trade deadline in two weeks and some teams having only 20 games left to MACKENZIE BLACKWOOD, ALL THREE ANGLES. UNBELIEVABLE play, we’re certainly headed down the homestretch. It’s time to get ready SAVE. #NJDEVILS PIC.TWITTER.COM/CZGOYQRBUE for a thrilling playoff race. — ROB TAUB (@RTAUB_) MARCH 29, 2021 Only… what if there isn’t one? 5. Washington Capitals (23-7-4, +20 true goals differential*) – They’ve It’s too early to write off any of the division races, but we’re getting close lost one of their last 11 and opened up a bit of daylight on top of the East, on a few of them. It’s not hard to imagine some scenarios where we and it still feels like the four teams ahead of them in the rankings are could soon wind up with only one or two decent races to watch down the pulling away. Tough year to be a top team. stretch. And when you take a look at Dom’s projections, you wonder if 4. Carolina Hurricanes (23-7-3, +25) – They rebounded from a tough we’ll even get that much. week with three straight wins, including a statement game against the Let’s start in the North. The Leafs, Jets and Oilers are jockeying for top Lightning on Saturday. Carolina outshot Tampa 40 to 22 in that one, so spot, with all three looking like reasonably safe playoff bets. A quick while it’s just one game, if you wanted to nudge them ahead in your glance at the standings shows a tight race for the last spot between rankings, I don’t think it would be crazy. I’m going to wait a bit; this week Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, but that glance has to be quick the Hurricanes get two each against the Hawks and Stars, so they can enough that you don’t notice how many games in hand the Habs have – help us figure out that race for that last Central spot. five on the Flames and six on the Canucks. As of yesterday, Dom’s 3. Vegas Golden Knights (23-8-1, +31) – They needed a better showing model had the Canadiens with a 92 percent chance of getting that last against the Avalanche on Saturday after getting thumped on Thursday, spot, meaning the North has four teams with playoff odds over 90 and they got it with a bit of a break leading to an overtime win. percent. That’s not over, but it’s definitely in the ballpark. That puts them back in first in the West. And while Colorado has been so The East was supposed to be the toughest race, with five or six playoff- hot that it feels temporary, you never know which game could end up worthy teams fighting for four spots. But one of those teams was the being the one that decides the race. The Knights get two against the Flyers, who are currently spiraling out of contention; Dom had their odds Kings now, which could either be easier wins or a trap. down to 7 percent yesterday. The Rangers have clawed back into the race, but are still underdogs, with just a 13 percent chance before their 2. Tampa Bay Lightning (24-8-2, +41) – A pair of 4-3 losses to the Stars loss to the Caps. That leaves us, once again, with four teams all sitting and Hurricanes gives Tampa its first two-game losing streak in over a over 90 percent. Not done, but getting there. month, and just the third of the season. They responded to each of the first two streaks by rolling off six wins in a row, so nobody’s panicking The Central does have a real race for the last spot, but only that last here. But it’s worth mentioning that Carolina’s win actually moved the spot, because the Lightning, Hurricanes and Panthers are all basically Hurricanes ahead of the Lightning in terms of points percentage. locks. That leaves us with the Stars, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and Predators in the mix for that last berth, which makes for a decent race. 1. Colorado Avalanche (21-8-4, +39) – The top spot is a logjam this We’ll see if any of those teams throw in their cards by selling at the week, with solid cases for any of the top four teams claiming it. I’m going deadline. But for now, we’ve got one race to watch. with the Avalanche, partly because it’s always nice to work a new team into the mix but mostly because they took three of four points against Then there’s the West, which looked like the easiest race to figure on Vegas in a mini-series that included one dominating performance and opening night. You had three elite teams in the Golden Knights, one that was merely pretty good. They’ve got points in 10 straight, and as Avalanche and Blues, and one spot that would probably come down to Dom points out, they’ve spent a good chunk of that streak absolutely the Wild and Coyotes. But the Wild ran away with that race quickly, and rolling teams. They’ve got singles against the Ducks and Coyotes and Dom already has them as basically a lock, meaning the West is all over then two against the team we have to talk about next… unless one of the three good teams collapses. That might actually be happening in St. Louis, and we’ll get to that in a bit, so let’s call this one *Goals differential without counting shootout decisions like the NHL does an open race for one spot. for some reason.

That’s it. That’s the whole league, in terms of playoff spots – remember, Not ranked: St. Louis Blues – Last week I did a version of that “the there’s no wild card or crossover spots this year, so if you’re not in a playoff race might be a bust” section on Puck Soup, and I mentioned the division’s top four, you’re nowhere. And right now, the races for those West being mostly wrapped up, including a spot for St. Louis. That was four spots aren’t much to look at. Dom has 14 different teams already before the Blues lost four straight, so it’s already drifting into the “this sitting with playoff odds better than 90 percent, meaning only two spots take hasn’t aged well” territory. But right after the episode dropped, up for grabs over the next six weeks unless somebody falls apart. somebody hit me with this:

For what it’s worth, Dom’s model is a little more pessimistic about an WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR @DOWNGOESBROWN ON exciting stretch run than others out there. If you check out Money Puck, @PUCKSOUPPODCAST SAY THAT 4 SPOTS IN THE WEST ARE you’ll find they agree that the North is close to over, but aren’t quite as PRETTY MUCH WRAPPED UP. HAVE YOU SEEN MY confident in the East, and their model thinks that the last spots in the @STLOUISBLUES SCHEDULE THE REST OF THE SEASON? West and Central are wide open. Dom’s not wrong often, but for the sake IT'S ALL @GOLDENKNIGHTS , @MNWILD , AND @AVALANCHE of entertainment value we’ll have to hope he is here. , AND MOSTLY AT HOME WHERE THE BLUES STRUGGLE Of course, there’s 20+ games to go, and lots of time for things to shift. Of &MDASH; GLORIA (@BRADCARRICO1) MARCH 26, 2021 those 14 teams that seemed locked in, at least one or two might completely collapse – 90 percent is a lot, but it’s not 100 percent. Some Yeah, the schedule hasn’t been completely balanced, but I doubt the bad team that we’re close to writing off will probably go on a heater and Blues are only playing those three teams. at least make it interesting. And it’s worth noting that the races for (Checks the Blues’ remaining schedule.) seeding in all four divisions could be fantastic, with top spot up for grabs Oh no. &MDASH; ANDY PROVIN (@ANDYPROVIN) MARCH 27, 2021

I mean, they don’t play only those three teams. They also have one It was actually a decent week for the Sabres in the big picture, as they game left against the Coyotes in April, two against the Ducks in May, made the first of what should be several deadline trades and finally plus that Kings game that just got rescheduled to the end of the season. started to rebuild a decimated front office. With the season already a lost And… that’s it. No, really, go check it yourself. The Blues have 21 games cause, looking towards the future is all the team has left. left on the schedule, and 17 of them are against the Knights, Avs or Wild. Including the next eight in a row. As for that losing streak record, they can tie the record tonight and break it on Wednesday. In a nearly perfect bit of scheduling, both games are That’s not great! Especially for a team that’s lost nine of its last 11 and is against another team that’s been struggling lately… now just one point up on the Coyotes for that final spot in the West. The Ducks were supposed to offer a chance to get right before the tough part Not ranked: Philadelphia Flyers – There are no must-win games when a of the schedule kicked in, but instead the Blues picked up one point in season is 32 games old. That would be silly. There are still six weeks left two games. That’s not going to cut it. for teams to sort stuff out, so let’s not get ridiculous.

So is it time to panic? Not yet, they told us over the weekend, even after That said, if the Flyers had lost on Saturday the season would have been becoming the first team in six weeks to lose to the Ducks in regulation. over and everyone would have been fired. That’s kind of what they have to say, so the rest of us can just say it for Over-dramatic? Probably, yeah. It’s late in a long column and we’re not them: Yeah, it’s time to panic, or at least to have some significant worries doing subtlety. But it’s hard to overstate how close the Flyers’ season that this whole season is falling apart. They can’t score, and at this point was getting to writeoff territory. It had been one month since the Flyers we should probably be at least a little concerned that the return of shut out the Sabres in back-to-back games, back when that still felt Vladimir Tarasenko hasn’t done much to help there (he picked up his impressive and not just mean. Since then, they’d won just four of 14, second goal in 11 games yesterday). The goaltending hasn’t been great including two embarrassing blowouts at the hands of Mika Zibanejad and either, and when you can’t get a stop and can’t get a goal [checks the Rangers. analytics] that’s bad. Would Taylor Hall help? We might find out. So heading into Saturday, the Flyers didn’t necessarily need a win, but The Blues are still holding down a playoff spot, if only barely, and I’d still they needed to at least look like they belonged on the same rink as a have them as the favorite to keep it. But it’s going to be a tougher race Ranger team that hasn’t looked all that scary to anyone else. They than most of us thought, and the schedule is brutal. There’s no quit here, managed both, delivering a solid 2-1 win that was basically exactly what according to Craig Berube. But unless they smarten up soon, there may coach Alain Vigneault wanted to see. It wasn’t a thriller, but boring is fine be no playoffs either. when the alternative is looking like the 1976 Scouts.

The bottom five So what now? They’re still three points back of the Bruins for the final The five teams that are headed towards the best lottery odds and trying playoff spot, and Boston has two games in hand, so their playoff odds to figure out if we should call this an Owen Power Ranking. are grim. Carter Hart is broken, and the question now is how quickly he can be fixed. Vigneault isn’t doing much to dispel that reputation for being Worst moment of the weekend: Florida’s Aaron Ekblad being stretchered a guy who can turn things around in year one and then immediately start off after an ugly looking leg injury: losing the room. And while Chuck Fletcher says he’ll be buying at the deadline, it’s worth asking whether his team has earned that. That’s awful, and could be a major turning point in what had so far been close to a dream season for the Panthers. At this point we don’t know Here’s the good news, which might also be awful news: The Flyers get how long he’ll be out. the Sabres Monday and Wednesday. There are no guarantees in the modern NHL, but two points against Buffalo is as close as we come. Win 5. San Jose Sharks (13-16-4, -26) – With losses in five of seven and a both of those games, and the Flyers will have a three-game streak for the debate over whether they need to start all over again, some good news: first time in a month. Then comes one against the Islanders, and then Patrick Marleau has tied Mark Messier for second spot on the all-time two against that Bruins team they’re chasing for a playoff spot. Two games played list. Marleau remains on track to pass Gordie Howe over weeks from now, we could be talking about a hot Flyers team being right the coming weeks for top spot. The question might be whether he does it back in it. as a Shark. Or, you know, they could lose to the Sabres and become the 4. Anaheim Ducks (11-19-6, -36) – Two straight wins against the Blues laughingstock of the league. No pressure. included yesterday’s overtime decision. A bigger story could be the injury to Rickard Rakell, which might derail some trade deadline plans if he’ll be The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 out for a while.

3. Detroit Red Wings (12-20-4, -36) – Leading scorer Filip Hronek goes end-to-end again! In related news, what a disaster for the Blue Jackets, who go 0-for a two-game weekend series with the Wings and miss out on banking some desperately needed points in the Central race.

2. Ottawa Senators (12-20-4, -42) – They’ve won three of six and have points in each of the losses, which passes for a hot streak when in you’re in mid-rebuild. Anton Forsberg looked sharp in his first game as a Senator, making 38 saves against the Leafs in Saturday’s OT loss that cost one brave cup its life.

1. Buffalo Sabres (6-23-4, -50) – Make it 17 in a row, one shy of catching the 2003-04 Penguins for the NHL’s all-time record for consecutive losses. They came close to snapping the streak on Saturday, leading the Bruins heading into the third period, before losing in regulation. (And yes, it is a losing streak, even if the NHL’s band of participation-trophy GMs doesn’t want us to call it that.)

One positive about the Sabres: They’re giving us no shortage of candidates for our weekly Depressing Stat About a Bad Team. John Vogl has a few here, and this was a doozy, and then there was also this one. But I’m going to stick with the losing streak theme and go with this one:

ON FEB 25 IF YOU BET $100 ON THE NJ DEVILS AT -120 TO BEAT THE SABRES THEN 2 DAYS LATER TOOK THAT $183.33 AND BET THE FLYERS AT -170 THEN CONTINUED TO BET EACH SABRES OPPONENT ALL THE WAY TO TODAY, YOU WOULD CURRENTLY HAVE $74,961 PIC.TWITTER.COM/M4YYF9I30G 1207359 Tampa Bay Lightning UP NEXT: Yanni Gourde sets example for Lightning teammates with nonstop motor

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.30.2021 Familiar foes: Are Lightning meeting Blue Jackets at right time?

Columbus’ season seems to be on the brink as it arrives at this week.

By Eduardo A. Encina

TAMPA — Which Blue Jackets team will the Lightning face when they meet their old postseason nemesis this week at Amalie Arena?

Will they see the team that played toe-to-toe with Central Division heavyweight Carolina, or the one that seemingly sleep-walked through two lopsided losses to lowly Detroit over the weekend?

If there’s one team the Lightning know not to sleep on, it’s Columbus. We won’t revisit the events of those seven days in April 2019, but Tampa Bay knows all too well the Blue Jackets have the ability to ruin another team’s season.

These days, as it prepares to play in Tampa Tuesday and Thursday, Columbus is trying to prevent its own ruin.

The Blue Jackets (13-15-8) are still very much in the playoff hunt, just three points out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division. But their place in the standings underlines how poorly they’ve played. No team in the division has allowed more goals (117), and the Blue Jackets’ minus-26 is better than only the last-place Red Wings.

Rock bottom seemed to arrive this weekend, when Columbus lost two games to Detroit by a 7-2 margin, allowing Red Wings goalie Calvin Pickard his first wins since November 2018. On Detroit’s first goal Sunday, Red Wings forward Evgeny Svechnikov was the only Detroit player in the offensive zone coming onto the ice on a line change, and he shot through four Columbus defenders and past goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.

“We played awful,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said after the 4-1 loss. “I’m not going to sit here and criticize our group. We didn’t play well. I’m not going to do any good by going up and down and saying what went wrong. A ton went wrong.”

That was supposed to be the easy part of a 12-game stretch for Columbus from March 18-April 8 . The other 10 games are against the division’s top teams — Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay.

This season has been a tumultuous one for the Blue Jackets. It began with reports of top scorer Pierre-Luc Dubois wanting out of Columbus shortly after signing a two-year, $10 million extension. Dubois’ relationship with Tortorella seemed to deteriorate after the former Lightning head coach dressed him down on the bench during a qualifying-round game against the Maple Leafs in August in Toronto.

The Blue Jackets traded Dubois to Winnipeg, where he’s now beginning to find his footing with six points in his last seven games, for forwards Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. Laine, whose strength is finding space for his rocket shot, has struggled to fit in with the Blue Jackets, who want him to play more of a power-forward game. He has just one goal in his last 16 games.

And then there’s Tortorella, who we know can be abrasive when things don’t go well. He’s received the vocal support of general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen, but with his team spiraling, there’s legitimate wonder whether his job in Columbus is on the line.

Detroit’s sweep of Columbus comes after the Blue Jackets seemed to be turning things around. They entered the series with points in six of their last seven games, including three of four against the Hurricanes.

“Maybe did we take these guys lightly?” Roslovic said of the Red Wings. “I don’t know if that was the case, but it sure as heck seemed like it. So maybe going against Tampa and going against Florida, we’ll be able to ramp our game back up.”

Never miss out on the latest with the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Florida college sports and more. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Twitter and Facebook. 1207360 Tampa Bay Lightning be some ups and downs with energy levels. There’s only one level for him, and it’s go. And I think he is a very important key to our success. And I think he really helps our consistency, because he’s a go, go guy. He drives whatever line he’s on.” Yanni Gourde sets example for Lightning teammates with nonstop motor Rookie Ross Colton said coaches have told him to try to match Gourde’s The center does all the little things right. Now he’s getting rewarded for work ethic and energy. his efforts with goals. “They’re always in meetings saying, try to emulate someone like Yanni Gourde because he just gives 100 percent every day in practice, in pregame skate, and you see it in the game,” Colton said. “He’s such a By Eduardo A. Encina workhorse, and he does all the little things right, so coming up through through camp and even this year when I got sent down at the start of the year, they said, look at Yanni Gourde and just try to have that mindset of TAMPA — Yanni Gourde isn’t the biggest player, or even the quickest. be the best player on the ice when you can and just give 100 percent, He’s not dazzling with the puck, nor does he possess the strongest shot. don’t lose puck battles and good things are gonna happen.”

But few can match his motor. • • •

And it’s times like these, the dog days of a uniquely cramped season, Sign up for Lightning Strikes, a weekly newsletter from Bolts beat writer when having a player like Gourde might be most valuable. Players are Eduardo A. Encina that brings you closer to the ice. physically and mentally fatigued, but all coaches need to do is point to the Lightning’s 29-year-old center for inspiration. Never miss out on the latest with the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Florida college sports and more. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on “I think it’s pretty contagious,” linemate Barclay Goodrow said. “If you’re Twitter and Facebook. having a night where maybe your legs aren’t feeling great or it’s just not clicking for you, I think you can just turn to Gordo and he’s always going, UP NEXT:After back-to-back losses, it’s time for Lightning to get back to he’s always buzzing, his legs are always working. He’s always giving that basics max effort. You just become so used to seeing it out of him just because Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.30.2021 he brings it every single night.”

Gourde takes pride in doing the little things well, being a nuisance defensively and a hound for the puck. Now, he’s being rewarded for his efforts in his stat line. His 13 goals through the Lightning’s first 34 games have already surpassed last year’s total of 10, in part because of a five- game goal streak that ended Saturday that is the longest by a Lightning player this season.

“I tell players all the time, when you’re attacking the net and you’re going to the net, good things usually follow you around,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “And Yanni for a lot of his career, we used to call that blue paint area his office, because he’s scored a ton of goals from there. And now he’s scoring them different ways. But he continues to go to the net, doesn’t give up on plays, and he’s getting rewarded for it. And they’re going in right now, and we’ve needed him.”

Gourde has benefitted from not only taking the puck to the net, but also his resilience when he gets there, taking advantage of rebounds and putting them over the goal line. His past two goals, including his game- winner Tuesday against Dallas, were perfect examples.

“I just try to keep it simple,” Gourde said. “I try to go to the net. I try to play simple hockey, get the puck deep and go to work. I’m familiar with the guys I’m playing with right now. I know what they’re really good at, so we play a north game, we play fast, we get pucks to the net.

On Thursday, Gourde raced to a loose puck in the offensive zone, had his shot hit Stars defenseman John Klingberg’s left hand and drop to his stick, then put his second opportunity into the net.

“I just tried to shoot it,” Gourde said. “It’s pretty embarrassing, because I hit the defender in the (hand) and then I got the rebound. But it worked somehow, so I’m just trying to keep my game pretty simple, and as a line I think we’re doing a pretty good job, too.”

It’s a dramatic change from last season, when Gourde went through a frustrating 35-game goal drought.

“I definitely feel more confident with the puck,” Gourde said. “Maybe I’m getting more looks, more breaks. It’s a different game this year than last year. I take a lot of pride in every little detail of the game, just try to play the right way every single night, and I think that’s what I was trying to do last year, as well. This year is different, obviously, with getting in a little bit more looks offensively, but that’s all I think.”

Lightning assistant Derek Lalonde thinks back to last year when players reported to summer camp following a three-month pause. While other players might have needed time to get going, Gourde set the tone from day one.

“He only knows one way,” Lalonde said. “And it’s go, go, go. Where some of our guys were warming up into the task of coming back, he was already at this level. It’s the same thing when we came back to camp this year. It’s a unique schedule, where I think it’s human nature for there to 1207361 Toronto Maple Leafs

Jets and Maple Leafs square off in battle of top North Division teams

The Associated Press

Toronto Maple Leafs (22-10-3, first in the North Division) vs. Winnipeg Jets (22-12-2, second in the North Division)

Winnipeg, Manitoba; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The two best teams in the North Division face off when the Winnipeg Jets host the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Jets are 22-12-2 against North Division teams. Winnipeg is sixth in the Nhl averaging 3.3 goals per game, led by Kyle Connor with 17.

The Maple Leafs are 22-10-3 against the rest of their division. Toronto is fifth in the league averaging 3.3 goals per game, led by Auston Matthews with 23.

In their last matchup on March 13, Winnipeg won 5-2. Mark Scheifele recorded a team-high 2 points for the Jets.

TOP PERFORMERS: Scheifele leads the Jets with 28 assists and has 43 points this season. Andrew Copp has 10 points over the last 10 games for Winnipeg.

Mitchell Marner has 44 total points while scoring 13 goals and totalling 31 assists for the Maple Leafs. Matthews has 9 points over the last 10 games for Toronto.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jets: 6-4-0, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.7 assists, 2.8 penalties and 6.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game with a .929 save percentage.

Maple Leafs: 4-5-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.9 assists, 2.8 penalties and seven penalty minutes while allowing 3.2 goals per game with an .880 save percentage.

INJURIES: Jets: None listed.

Maple Leafs: Rasmus Sandin: out (foot).

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Toronto Star LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207362 Toronto Maple Leafs Pretty much each game was a barnburner, as enjoyable to watch as it appeared to be to play in. Both teams seem destined to make the North playoffs, meaning a rematch in May is possible.

Maple Leafs close out season series with end-to-end OT loss to Oilers “If that were the case, I’m sure it would be a great matchup,” said Leafs forward Joe Thornton. “They’re a tough team to play against, a lot of good forwards up front, a lot of good defence, good goaltending. If does come that way, it would be an exciting series.” By Kevin McGran Drawing the line: Zach Hyman found himself back on the Leafs’ top line

with Matthews and Marner, and they silenced McDavid and Draisaitl A game that could have been a referendum on the Maple Leafs’ through regulation. Keefe is always looking for an edge, moving wingers goaltending depth ended up being one about the stars on both teams. on and off lines. This was in response to the Oilers playing McDavid and Draisaitl together. And though the Edmonton Oilers came through with a 3-2 win and the extra point thanks to Darnell Nurse’s overtime goal, the Maple Leafs “We didn’t give them very much room. We forced them to dump a lot of head out on the road confident they’ve got their game back. pucks — we took away the neutral zone,” said Keefe. “For the most part, the Matthews line had that matchup, but I didn’t want to disrupt our flow Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner both scored, while goalie Michael too much. Each of our lines had some time against them, and everybody Hutchinson — playing because neither Jack Campbell nor Frederik did a good job.” Andersen is healthy — put in a solid performance. The first 40: Anyone who does not have faith in Hutchinson would not “He did a good job for us,” said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. “He kept have liked how the first period started, but the Leafs had to love how it them at two goals. When you keep them at two goals through regulation, ended: with Toronto up 2-1 and leading 13-6 in shots. that’s enough to win a game. We couldn’t get that third goal.” They dominated play to start, but the Oilers caught a break and Josh Keefe, though, remained cagey about the status of the their top two Archibald got a breakaway, scoring on Edmonton’s first real scoring goalies. chance. That didn’t muster much confidence on Hutchinson, especially after Smith had made a few tough saves to that point. “No update on Andersen. We’ll let you know when we have more clarity with it,” said Keefe. “Campbell, we’re expecting with another day (off) that But the Leafs fired back quickly, with Marner controlling the puck through he should be OK for us to play next week.” the slot and tying the game, then Matthews putting himself in scoring position and ripping that shot that has been missing from his arsenal for a It sounds like Hutchinson could have a bigger role over the next week or while. two. The Oilers were much better in the second, firing nine shots at “The mindset of the goalie unit this year is next man up,” said Hutchinson, who held the fort in a goal-less middle frame. Hutchinson, who stopped 20 of 23 shots. “Come in there and try to give the team confidence and give them a chance to win every single night. It Up next: The Leafs are 6-6-1 in March with one game to go. That’s doesn’t matter if it’s Andersen, Campbell or myself. Our job is the same. Wednesday in Winnipeg, the start of a two-game series against the Jets Give the guys confidence we have their back.” with top-of-the-division implications. The Leafs will finish their four-game trip west with a pair in Calgary. But as the Leafs head to Winnipeg for a pair of games against another challenger for first place in the North Division, they feel their game is Next Gen: It was the Leafs’ annual Next Gen Game, which is typically a coming together, the woes that saw them lose six of seven now behind weekday afternoon affair with filled with kids. This them. They are 3-0-1 in their last four and their top guns are scoring year, a section was filled with cardboard cut-outs of youngsters … again. Speaking of the next generation, the Marlies beat Stockton 4-3 in an afternoon game that featured the first AHL point by Semyon Der- Marner scored his second goal in five games and has points in three Arguchintsev, an assist in his first AHL game. Der-Arguchintsev was the straight games. Leafs’ third-round pick in 2018 and largely the centre for another top Matthews buried his second goal in two games after going five without prospect, Nick Robertson, with the Peterborough Petes. scoring. He also has points in three straight. Toronto Star LOADED: 03.30.2021 Plus, Hutchinson has faced the Oilers twice and neither Connor McDavid nor Leon Draisaitl has scored.

“That’s something maybe at the end of the year you look back on,” the goalie said. “Right now our team is focused on keeping on improving and just trying to help the team win.”

McDavid, of course, couldn’t be completely denied, setting up Nurse’s overtime effort. Josh Archibald and Kyle Turris also scored for Edmonton, while Mike Smith stopped 29 of 31 shots.

Bye bye, Oilers: The Leafs won the season series 6-1-2. The ninth game between teams that usually only see each other twice a year had the same exciting flow as the previous eight. They went long stretches exchanging chances.

“It would have been really nice to get the extra point because we’re not seeing them again until maybe playoffs, so this one kind of stings,” said Matthews.

And because both goalies kept the game close, the defence tightened up as the game went along. But there was always a feeling that the next shift would bring a game-changing play, and woe be the team that made a mistake.

The Leafs might want to bottle how they play against Edmonton.

“At different times (the ways) we played against Edmonton this season are really the model of what we’re capable of as a team,” said Keefe. “In these (last) two games, we haven’t done it for all three periods, but the way we focused in and defended. We didn’t give them a lot of room.” 1207363 Toronto Maple Leafs when two Canadiens were placed on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list. The Leafs, meanwhile, open a four-game road trip through Winnipeg and Calgary on Wednesday.

Edmonton Oilers cap season series against Toronto Maple Leafs with 3- Down 2-1 through 40 minutes Monday, the Oilers evened things up 1:20 2 OT victory into the third period when Adam Larsson’s point shot that was sailing wide went in off Turris, who was on the COVID-19 protocol list from March 9 to 15 and returned to the lineup after sitting out the last eight games, for his second goal of the campaign. By Joshua Clipperton “I was starting to get my legs back and starting to feel better,” Turris said.

“(Going into protocol) at that time, it was a bit frustrating.” TORONTO - The Edmonton Oilers didn’t want to put too much emphasis William Nylander and Alex Galchenyuk came close to putting Toronto on their ninth and final regular-season meeting with the Toronto Maple back in front midway through the period, but were both denied before Leafs. John Tavares rang a shot off the crossbar. But it was evident this one mattered a little more than most. Smith then played his part again early in OT to set up the winner. Darnell Nurse scored 17 seconds into overtime Monday as the Oilers “He’s been unbelievable,” Nurse said. “Whenever you have a guy back battled back to down the Leafs 3-2 and snap a four-game losing streak there playing like that, it’s a lot of confidence within the group.” against the North Division leaders. Edmonton opened the scoring at 6:15 of the first when Josh Archibald “We knew what we were capable of,” said the defenceman. “A big win for blew past Toronto’s defence following a faceoff in the Oilers’ end and us.” beat Hutchinson on a breakaway move to the backhand for his sixth. Nurse buried his 12th goal of the campaign — which leads all NHL blue- But Marner replied for the Leafs just 1:44 later when he took a pass from liners — off a pass from Connor McDavid after Oilers netminder Mike Zach Hyman down low, stepped around Tyson Barrie and outwaited Smith robbed Auston Matthews right off the opening faceoff in the extra Smith before burying his 13th. period. Matthews then gave Toronto the lead at 11:08 when he collected a loose The clincher came 48 hours after Matthews pinballed a shot home in puck at the side of the net, wheeled out to get a better angle and roofed Toronto’s 4-3 OT victory on the same ice, with the last touch coming off his 23rd upstairs on Smith’s short side. Nurse’s skate. Ilya Mikheyev had a chance to put the Leafs up 3-1 five minutes into the “That’ll be the joke — two overtime goals back-to-back,” Nurse said with second, but Smith was at full stretch to stop the speedy winger and keep a grin. “It’s good to be on the other side.” the Oilers within striking distance. Josh Archibald and Kyle Turris had the goals in regulation for Edmonton “They’re a measuring stick team in our division,” Tippett said of Toronto. (22-13-1), while Smith stopped 29 shots. McDavid, who tops the league “We wanted to come in and play well.” with 63 points, found the scoresheet for an 11th consecutive game. Notes: McDavid’s point streak includes seven goals and 16 assists. ... The Leafs swept the Oilers three straight by a combined 13-1 total in the Vehvilainen, who has 10 minutes 40 seconds of NHL game experience, Alberta capital earlier this month, but the matchups have been close was acquired March 12 from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for otherwise in 2021. defenceman Mikko Lehtonen. “We look at the body of work,” said Nurse, whose team is now two points This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2021. back of Toronto in the standings with one more game played. “Obviously we have those three games where they smoked us on home ice. The six Toronto Star LOADED: 03.30.2021 (other) games we played tight, played hard.

“That’s more indicative of our play and how we are as a team.”

Matthews, with his league-leading 23rd goal, and Mitch Marner, with a goal and an assist, replied for Toronto (22-10-3), which got 20 saves from Michael Hutchinson. Justin Holl chipped in with two assists as the Leafs fell to 6-1-2 against the Oilers.

“We’re both teams that like to play fast and like to play with the puck,” Matthews said. “Throughout this year we played pretty solid against them. It would have been really nice to get this extra point here tonight because we’re not seeing them again until maybe playoffs.

“It still kind of stings, but all in all so far this year we played pretty well.”

Nurse, who scored his 11th of the season Saturday to set a career-high, has taken massive strides offensively in the NHL’s pandemic-shortened season.

“Guys that put the work in and are passionate to get better, you like to see them get the results,” Oilers head coach Dave Tippett said. “It’s a great feather in the cap, and there’s a lot of young players that should be looking at what he’s doing and recognizing that’s how you get better.”

Hutchinson got the start with Jack Campbell (leg) not at 100 per cent and Frederik Andersen out with a lower-body injury. Campbell, who moved to 6-0-0 this season with Toronto’s 4-3 OT win over Edmonton on Saturday, got the night off with No. 4 option Veini Vehvilainen serving as the backup.

Hutchinson made 31 saves in a 3-0 shutout of the Oilers on March 1 as part of that sweep, but was pulled after allowing two goals on three shots against the Ottawa Senators in his last start.

The Oilers will now head back to Montreal for a Tuesday contest at the Bell Centre to make up one of the three games postponed last week 1207364 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs goalie Michael Hutchinson to start against Oilers tonight

By Kevin McGran Staff Reporter

In another twist in the Maple Leafs goaltending saga, Michael Hutchinson will start for Toronto against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night as coach Sheldon Keefe suggested goalie Jack Campbell was not 100 per cent.

Keefe chose his words carefully, trying not to set off alarm bells when it comes to describing the situation with Campbell, a career backup who has taken over the top job in Toronto while No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen recuperates from an undisclosed injury. Campbell himself is recovering from a leg injury.

“We’ve got to be smart with how we manage Jack’s workload,” said Keefe. “The reality is he hasn’t been playing at 100 per cent and the games take a toll on him. The combination of the fact that he’s not used to playing multiple games in a row, and the fact that his body hasn’t quite co-operated with him the way he’d like it to, we have to be really smart.”

Campbell skipped practice Sunday because “he wasn’t feeling his best” after the game, Keefe said. “He’s feeling better today, but I think us continuing to roll him out there when he’s not 100 per cent is not smart, so we’ve got to manage.”

By the numbers, Campbell has been the Leafs top goalie, with six wins in six games, with a 1.48 goals-against average and .945 save percentage.

Hutchinson is having a better year this year with the Leafs than last, with a 3-2-0 record as the third stringer, and a 2.39 GAA and .922 save percentage.

Andersen (13-8-2, 2.91, .897) has been up and down all year with the heavier workload, but struggled through an injury while Campbell recuperated.

Toronto Star LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207365 Toronto Maple Leafs revelation … Matthews, with his goal in the first, proved his wrist is at, or close to, 100%.

LOOSE LEAFS Oilers get last laugh, but Maple Leafs can take forward defensive habits The Leafs reassigned defencemen Martin Marincin and Calle Rosen to from season series the taxi squad and loaned defencemen Mac Hollowell and Timothy Liljegren and forward Scott Sabourin to the … Semyon Der-Arguchintsev on Monday made his Marlies debut a memorable one, Terry Koshan assisting on the game-winning goal by Adam Brooks in the third period as the Marlies beat the Stockton Heat 4-3 at the Coca-Cola Coliseum.

Nic Petan, Liljegren and Taylor Gaudet also scored for the Marlies, who The Maple Leafs have washed their hands of the Edmonton Oilers in this improved to 9-8-0-1. Der-Arguchintsev played for Nizhny Novgorod of the pandemic-impacted National Hockey League regular season. KHL this season, recording six points in 17 games, and recently completed quarantine after arriving in Toronto. That’s too bad from a Toronto perspective, considering the hold that the Leafs had on the Oilers in the nine games between the clubs. Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.30.2021

While the Oilers had the final say on Monday night in a 3-2 overtime win at Scotiabank Arena, there’s plenty the Leafs can take forward.

We would love to see a playoff matchup involving the Leafs and Oilers, considering the superstar attractions on both sides, and you have to think Toronto would be fine with that.

The Leafs were 6-1-2 against the Oilers and take into account how they kept Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in check, especially during the past five meetings. The three-game sweep in Edmonton four weeks ago, and at various points in the past two games in Toronto, illustrated what can be accomplished when the Leafs play with five-man structure and pay attention to every little detail.

McDavid and Draisaitl each had 10 points against the Leafs this season. In the past five meetings, however, they combined for seven points, and five of those came in the Leafs’ 4-3 overtime win on Saturday.

Of the Leafs’ 21 remaining games, they will see the Winnipeg Jets andMontreal Canadiens the most. Six games are left against each club, including a two-game set in Winnipeg starting on Wednesday.

The Leafs play the Vancouver Canucks four more times, the Calgary Flames three and the Ottawa Senators two.

How can the success against the Oilers be applied to what remains on the schedule?

“We just need to stay above the puck and track hard like we were throughout the night, and no matter what line is out there, limiting their time and space,” Auston Matthews said. “Make sure guys are coming back into the D zone and helping out and all five guys in sync.

“Against this team especially, because of the two guys who are so dangerous over there, those were big points of emphasis for us. We have to take that and carry it over into everybody we play and have the same urgency on both sides of the puck.”

Certainly, there shouldn’t be any worry on the Leafs’ side should the Oilers become a playoff opponent.

“It would certainly make for a fun series,” defenceman Justin Holl said. “Any time you play a team so many times throughout the year, there’s a certain amount of animosity and bad blood that develops.”

GAME ON

Little to quibble with regarding the performance of goalie Michael Hutchinson, who finished with 20 saves. Josh Archibald scored on a clear breakaway in the first period and the tying goal by Kyle Turris in the third came on a deflection. Neither could be hung on the goalie, and the same goes for the Darnell Nurse OT winner … Ex-Leaf Tyson Barrie was no defensive match for Mitch Marner in the first period. Marner got the puck from Zach Hyman, skirted around Barrie and took a couple more strides before putting the puck behind Oilers goalie Mike Smith. Marner, with 44 points in 35 games, would be on pace for 103 points had this been an 82-game season. If you think Marner is overpaid, please keep it to yourself … Kailer Yamamoto managed to get away with giving Marner a cross-check/shove into the boards in the second period. You would think some of these calls would be rather obvious, but apparently that’s not the case … Ilya Mikheyev failed to convert on a glorious scoring chance, about the 1,000th time that has happened this season. Rather than remark that Mikheyev was robbed again, announcers just press a button now … Alex Galchenyuk is playing like someone who knows this could be his last shot in the NHL. His hustle with the Leafs has been a 1207366 Toronto Maple Leafs 1967-68 Red Wings eight times, the ’89-90 Blues and ’92-93 Lighting seven each.

Edmonton did cash its first good chance, a puck that bounced over TJ Oilers get measure of revenge against Leafs with OT win Brodie’s stick at the Oilers line and led to a Josh Archibald breakaway.

But Zach Hyman, this time starting with Matthews and Marner instead of another mid-game switch at left wing with Wayne Simmonds or Joe Lance Hornby Thornton, took a great break-out pass from Justin Holl to set up Marner for a nice move in front. Then came Matthews with his signature snap,

having managed just one fluke goal the previous six games as he Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers battles for the puck against gradually recovered from a wrist issue. He and Marner clicking in the Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on same match is usually a good sign, the goal and helper giving Marner a March 29, 2021 in Toronto. place in the top 30 of franchise scoring as he passed Bill Derlago to reach 335 points. Article content The 41-year-old Thornton, without a goal since Feb. 18, has also been If a team must protect its first-place standing, it starts with the first line. on a fourth line with Jason Spezza and Alex Kerfoot.

That meant Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner had to be equal or better “Put me anywhere, I love it,” Thornton insisted before the game. than Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in all facets on Monday, the last of nine games between the Maple Leafs and the hot-in-pursuit Oilers in Simmonds, however, was chiding himself for a slow recovery from a wrist the battle of the North stars. injury and vowed better on the coming trip.

Matthews and Marner both scored, while their counterparts with 115 Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.30.2021 combined points didn’t get on the board until Darnell Nurse scored on their overtime feed in a 3-2 win. The Leafs split the two extra-time decisions, keeping a two-point lead on Edmonton with a game in hand, while Winnipeg, where the Leafs are headed this week, is wedged in between.

“We were staying above (McDavid and Draisaitl), using our speed, doing a good job cutting them off quickly,” said Marner. “In our zone we were breaking out with the puck in our hands, really talking, getting it out of our end quickly.”

“We had some really good stretches, all five of our guys in sync, throughout all three zones,” Matthews added. “But they’re elite, they’re going to find a way to make plays.”

Monday was also a story about goaltending with a semi-happy ending for the Leafs. Without undefeated goalie Jack Campbell (6-0-0), Michael Hutchinson made 20 saves after getting yanked early eight days ago against Ottawa. He preserved a point after Kyle Turris’ tying goal on a fortunate deflection early in the third period.

“Nice to get back out there,” Hutchinson said. “As the game went on, I got more comfortable. Nice to know you can play against Edmonton (he shut them out a month ago before three losses).

“Our mindset all year has been being a goalie unit — next man up.”

Edmonton’s Mike Smith made a huge overtime save on the two big Leafs on their only 3-on-3 rush. The Leafs won six of the nine games.

“Hutch did his job,” praised coach Sheldon Keefe. “You keep a team at two goals through regulation, that’s enough to win a game. We just couldn’t get the goal we needed.”

Campbell wasn’t at the Leafs’ full practice Sunday, a harbinger of his absence.

In a year when playing goalies who are coming off injury has cost him, Keefe didn’t hesitate going with Hutchinson.

“It’s what we’ve talked about previously, we have to really smart with how we manage Jack’s workload,” Keefe said of Campbell’s lingering lower- body injury. “The reality is he hasn’t been playing at 100% and the games take a toll on him. It’s a combination of him not being used to playing multiple games in a row and his body hasn’t quite co-operated the way he’d like it to through this season.

“He wasn’t feeling the best coming off of (Saturday). It’s a little better today and that’s positive, but us continuing to roll him out there when he’s not 100% is not smart.”

Especially with a four-game Western road trip coming. Campbell was not even on the ice Monday, with Veini Vehvilainen backing up, though he should be fine for Wednesday in Winnipeg. Acquired in the recent Mikko Lehtonen trade with Columbus, Vehvilainen was added to Toronto’s taxi squad on the weekend.

The Leafs were trying for seven wins over Edmonton this year to tie the second highest one-season total since expansion. Toronto beat the 1207367 Toronto Maple Leafs difference makers. They had chances but couldn’t finish. Their third line got another strong performance from centre Engvall. There was a lot for coach Keefe to be happy about.

SIMMONS: The better team lost in OT for second straight Leafs game From the first line, Mitch Marner and Matthews scored. McDavid and Draisaitl didn’t score. McDavid may win the Hart Trophy and almost certainly will be the scoring leader, with Draisaitl finishing second, the two finishing 1-2 for the second year in a row, albeit a different order; but the Steve Simmons Leafs controlled the pair about as well as you can control these generational players.

Oilers goaltender Mike Smith covers the net during scramble in front with Matthews won’t finish first in scoring in the NHL anything but goals and Maple Leafs centre William Nylander at the Scotiabank Arena last night. Marner will be in the top 10 scoring, but on Monday night, those two held the advantage in play, scoring chances and opportunities. Article content They were the best two players on the ice. They were dangerous. They On Saturday night, the Maple Leafs beat the Edmonton Oilers in were difficult to play against. overtime on one bounce, then another bounce, then another after that. They did what was expected of them. It was that close between the teams. Matthews had a chance to win the game nine seconds into overtime. On Auston Matthews scored the winning goal on a shot deflected first by a Marner pass. You can’t ask for anything more than that on a night like Leon Draisaitl, then off the skate of Darnell Nurse. this. Now you wait, hoping there is more to see from the Oilers and the Leafs. Hoping there is a playoff round with all this talent. Wouldn’t that be They wound up with that goal after William Nylander put the game into fun? overtime, the puck coming to him when Alex Galchenyuk banked a pass inadvertently off Justin Holl’s stick. The first Leafs goal, that one went off Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.30.2021 Pierre Engvall’s body, then goalie Mike Smith’s head, before bouncing into the Edmonton goal.

To recap. One goal on a bounce. One goal on a pass that bounced. The winning goal on two bounces.

Hockey can be like that sometimes. You can take all your statistics, add up all your measurements, and your shot attempts and shooting percentages and win on bounces and breaks, win a lot of games the way the Leafs did on Saturday.

The Leafs played better against Edmonton on Monday night than they did on Saturday, in the last of nine meetings between these two explosive teams. This time, they lost in overtime. The tying goal was a slapshot that went off Kyle Turris’ hockey pants and deflected past Michael Hutchinson. The way Turris’ career has turned, this is about the only way he can score anymore.

Nurse scored the winning goal — not in his own net this time — after Matthews had an excellent chance nine seconds into overtime, a clear shot from in close, that could have ended the game rather early in extra time.

This is how close these teams are right now, all of two points between them in the standings, the Leafs having played one fewer game, looking like the deeper of the two teams and maybe the better defensively of the two, but they didn’t find a way to get it done in the end. They had the better of the play, not the better of the score.

That happens sometimes. But the Leafs conclude the nine-game portion of the regular season knowing this much: They are the better team. They are the smarter team. They know how best to control the Oilers.

If the Leafs and Oilers do play again this season, it will be in the playoffs. Almost certainly in the second round of the playoffs. The winner advances to the Stanley Cup semi-finals. It may well come down to these two teams. And that’s a good position for the Leafs to find themselves in, considering the way in which these nine games were played.

Edmonton beat the Leafs once in regulation time in nine games. Just once.

At the end of nine games, Toronto won six, lost one in regulation, lost two in overtime. Wound up with 14 points out of a possible 18. You can’t expect any better than that against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. It’s not perfect — it’s hockey — but it’s pretty darn close to it.

In three games earlier this month in Edmonton, the Leafs played their three most complete games of Sheldon Keefe’s term as Toronto coach. They obliterated Edmonton in those games. The game Monday night at Scotiabank Arena looked lot closer to the games to Edmonton than most of those Leafs have played since then.

But never mind the result for a moment last night. Consider what was accomplished: The Leafs quieted McDavid and quieted Draisaitl. That is not easy to do. Their first line outplayed the Oilers first line. Their emerging second line of John Tavares centring William Nylander and Alex Galchenyuk had chance after chance and could have been 1207368 Toronto Maple Leafs front of the net. But with his skating ability and shot, you always knew there was more to give.

“The NHL is the best hockey league in the world — it’s a hard hockey TRAIKOS: Oilers' Nurse shooting his way into the Norris Trophy league to play in,” said Nurse. “I think especially for a D-man that’s conversation — and a spot on Canada's Olympic roster coming into this league, there’s a lot of ups and downs and frustrations and happiness they go through. It takes time.”

Slowly, Nurse is putting it all together. In 2017-18, he had 26 points and a Michael Traikos plus-15 rating as a defence-first defencemen. The following year, he took off the training wheels and racked up 10 goals and 41 points.

This year, with Oscar Klefbom out for the season because of a chronic Oilers blueliner Darnell Nurse is congratulated after scoring a goal shoulder injury, Nurse has stepped up and found a balance that has against the Canadiens. Nurse had 11 heading into Monday night's game made him effective at both ends of the ice. against the Maples Leafs, tying him with Montreal’s Jeff Petry for the most goals scored by a defenceman this season. “Coming into the season I wanted to show that I could be an impact player every night, someone who can be leaned upon on the back end,” If you want to know how Darnell Nurse went from average-looking he said. “There’s a big void that needs to be filled and I wanted to show defenceman to someone who might end up as a finalist for the Norris that I was capable of stepping into that role and being a presence each Trophy this season — and quite possibly, on Team Canada’s 2022 and every night. That’s where my mindset is. It’s been good, so far. But Olympic roster — the goal he scored against the Toronto Maple Leafs on you have to continue to do it night after night and that’s my goal.” the weekend is as good a place as any to start. If it continues, don’t be surprised if Nurse joins Hedman, John Carlson Nurse had just taken a pass off the rush from Connor McDavid on and Drew Doughty in the Norris Trophy conversation. And with Oilers GM Saturday and was in a shooting lane with nothing between him and the responsible for scouting the North Division for Canada’s goalie. What happened next seemed pretty obvious. And yet, a year ago Olympic team, an even bigger honour could be awaiting him next year. it wouldn’t have been quite as obvious to Nurse. That is, as long as he keeps using that shot of his. A year ago, he might have tried to force a pass back to McDavid. Or he might have hung on to the puck, while considering all his other options. “It’s kind of come together a little more now,” said Nurse, who then added: “There’s more steps to be made.” This time, he didn’t think pass. He didn’t think period. He just took the shot and scored his 11th goal of the season. Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.30.2021 “Change the mindset,” Nurse said of that goal. “I was watching my games and I’d get to those high-scoring areas and I would look to make another play or take too long to get my shot off. I kind of wanted to come into this season and when I got myself in a good spot, just let my shot go. I always felt like I had a pretty good shot, but I never used it.”

He’s using his shot more these days. A lot more.

Heading into Monday’s rematch against the Leafs, only five blueliners had taken more shots on net than Nurse. None of them have found the back of the net more often than the Oilers defenceman, who is tied with Montreal’s Jeff Petry in goals scored this season.

It took six years and nearly 400 NHL games for Nurse to realize he has a heck of a shot. It has taken him just as long to develop all the other tools necessary to become a No. 1 defenceman.

Now that he has, the sky is the limit for the 26-year-old.

On a team where McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are 1-2 in league scoring, it’s easy to overlook what Nurse brings on a nightly basis. But without him, the Oilers would not be anywhere close to where they are in the standings.

Nurse ranks in the top-10 among defencemen with 26 points, is second with a plus-22 rating and is fourth in ice time (25:37). He has more hits (79) than Zdeno Chara, more blocked shots (63) than Victor Hedman. He has been doing it all — contributing on the power play, killing penalties and playing in all situations.

This has been the breakout season Edmonton fans have been waiting for since Nurse was drafted with the seventh-overall pick in 2013.

Ask Nurse, and he’ll tell you that he has been waiting for it even longer.

“I’ve been confident in my game a long time,” said Nurse. “I think it’s just the growth of it and another level I can take my game to. I feel confidence that there’s a lot more work to be done and even more that’s happening too.”

There is no timeline on the maturation of an NHL defenceman. Some, like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, are able to jump into the league as rookies and become all-stars. For others, like Mark Giordano and Petry, the journey is a long-and-winding road.

Nurse falls somewhere in between.

In his first five seasons, he was steady — if not, unspectacular. Part of it is because he’s not one-dimensional. With his size and strength, the 6- foot-4, 221-pound Nurse can make a living moving opponents from the 1207369 Toronto Maple Leafs Tavares irked many of them. Justin Holl, who exchanged words with Kassian right after, as did many of Toronto’s bench, agreed that “intensity” would likely be heightened because of the dangerous nature of the check. Hutchinson gets start for Leafs vs. Oilers as Campbell not 100% “We’ll see what specific instances happen tonight,” Holl said. “That particular play was a huge hit and obviously you’d like to have some sort of team response. But with one minute left, you don’t want a penalty. Lance Hornby We’re just trying to play hockey out there.”

Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.30.2021 Toronto Maple Leafs’ goaltender Michael Hutchinson (30) makes a save on the Edmonton Oilers during first period NHL action at Rogers Place in Edmonton, on Monday, March 1, 2021.

Article content

Michael Hutchinson, who was pulled after two early goals in his last start, will have to redeem himself against the two leading scorers in the NHL on Monday night.

Out of an abundance of caution, Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe announced that Jack Campbell (6-0-0) will rest while, No. 3 Hutchinson (Frederik Andersen is hurt) will get the call in the ninth and final meeting against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers.

Hutchinson, while stung at being yanked eight days ago against last- place Ottawa, did have a road shutout victory over the Oilers four weeks ago, his last win before a three-game losing streak.

Campbell, who gave up three goals to a combination of McDavid and Draisaitl during Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win, has been battling a lower body injury that has increased a need for extended recovery after each start.

“It’s what we’ve talked about previously, we have to really smart with how we manage Jack’s workload,” Keefe said. “The reality is he hasn’t been playing at 100% and the games take a toll on him. It’s a combination of him not being used to playing multiple games in a row and his body hasn’t quite co-operated the way he’d like it to through this season.

“He wasn’t feeling the best coming off of (Saturday), a little better today and that’s positive, but us continuing to roll him out there when he’s not 100% is not smart.”

Monday morning skate.#LeafsForever #NextGenGame pic.twitter.com/pRPx0uz7w9

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 29, 2021

If Campbell can’t back up — he skated on Monday — the only other healthy goalie on the scene with the AHL Marlies playing Monday is Veini Vehvilainen. Acquired in the recent Mikko Lehtonen trade with Columbus, the Finn was added to Toronto’s taxi squad on the weekend.

The Leafs have won six of the eight-game series versus third-place Edmonton so far and with a game in hand, won’t lose first place in the North should they lose in regulation and runner-up Winnipeg win. The Leafs are in Manitoba for a pair later this week.

Keefe said no other lineup changes are planned, but it will be interesting to see where left-wingers Joe Thornton and Wayne Simmonds are positioned at game time. Keefe has used both veterans with first-liners Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, only to switch to Zach Hyman in the course of games.

The 41-year-old Thornton, who has also been on a fourth line with Jason Spezza and Alex Kerfoot, insisted “put me anywhere, I love it. I’m starting to feel comfortable (on his new team). As long as we keep winning, that’s all that matters.”

Meanwhile, McDavid and Draisaitl, with a combined 115 points, continue to do just about everything right against the Leafs but win games. Coach Dave Tippett alternates playing them together and apart.

“It changes a little bit, it’s harder to match against them on separate lines,” Keefe observed. “That said (when together) they’re also that much more dangerous when you make a mistake.

“We’ve tried to get the matchups with the Matthews and (Pierre) Engvall lines going, but the difficulty is those two play so much. That has the (consequence) if disrupting your own flow.”

Another matter to monitor is how the Leafs respond to Zach Kassian. The Oiler forward’s late-game bowling ball hit on Toronto captain John 1207370 Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews (C, No. 34): I sometimes struggle to correctly jam a few forks in their dishwasher compartment and Matthews is out here putting a puck through the thinnest space on his first-period goal.

Maple Leafs report cards: Oilers win in battle of top 2 teams in North MATTHEWS' DOUBLE TAKE AFTER RIPPING THE PUCK OFF THE Division BAR IS PLEASANT PIC.TWITTER.COM/XSX8KEMYJZ

— OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MARCH 29, 2021

By Joshua Kloke Mar 29, 2021 His defensive play was excellent as well, as he was a force down low in his own zone.

Mitch Marner (RW, No. 16): Marner going off during another Next Gen With the final regular season meeting between the Maple Leafs and game, a Leafs game put together with kids in mind, is way too on the Oilers in the books, I can’t be the only one thinking about these two nose, and I’m into that. teams meeting in the playoffs after another entertaining affair with this kind of excitement: MARNER ENDED BARRIE PIC.TWITTER.COM/OCGJA8NNRL

In the final regular-season meeting between the Maple Leafs and Oilers, — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MARCH 29, 2021 who still occupy the top two spots in the North Division, Edmonton came He had a goal and an assist and, while he might have drifted a bit in the away with a 3-2 overtime win, making for the third time this season these third period, he generally played well all game. teams went to overtime against each other. Also, there was no call on this play, and I really don’t know why, given Even if the Leafs lost a game they generally dominated, it’s hard to that the referees called a similar penalty against Wayne Simmonds in the complain from an entertainment perspective: back-and-forth action, third period. creative skill from the league’s best offensive players and some questionable decisions from the referees. This game was the NHL at its YAMAMOTO CROSS CHECKS MARNER WHO GOES DOWN INTO most optimal. THE BOARDS

On to the observations! THAT'S NICE. PIC.TWITTER.COM/LARUSKM4P5

Player reports — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MARCH 30, 2021

1st star: Zach Hyman (LW, No. 11): If we’re talking about who the B+ strongest Leafs are, do we think Hyman would get a lot of votes? Watching him break free of Jesse Puljujarvi’s hold of him to skate freely William Nylander (RW, No. 88): Nylander was backchecking in the through the neutral zone, then outmuscling Connor McDavid and Darnell neutral zone, maintaining a good cycle game and making slick passes in Nurse to break free with the puck on his stick below the Oilers goal made the offensive zone, and doing so with continued speed and energy. me think he should get more than a few of those votes. He had one Justin Holl (RD, No. 3): I am here for Justin Holl, the nasty, physical assist Monday and moved with his feverish pace through 22:12 TOI, a defenceman. He threw his weight around playing yet again against team-high, while also leading the Leafs with an impressive five-on-five McDavid, following through on his promise that morning that the intensity expected goals of 74 percent. level would be raised. And he did so while also putting up two secondary Dad strength definitely pales in comparison to mom strength, but it’s assists, earning praise, along with Muzzin, for the way he defended clear Hyman’s juicing with that sheer dad strength right now (Hyman and against McDavid. wife Alannah recently became parents). “They defend them well,” coach Sheldon Keefe said. “They’ve got good 2nd star: Jake Muzzin (LD, No. 8): Muzzin set the tempo early by literally sticks. they play them hard. I think they really get excited about the standing up McDavid as he tried to barrel into the Leafs zone, and then chance to play against them. Certainly, there’s a lot to be said for the job corralling a mid-air puck with his hands before Mitch Marner’s goal, and those guys do.” then rescuing the puck before it escaped the Oilers zone right before Alex Galchenyuk (LW, No. 12): Early, Galchenyuk lived up to the billing Auston Matthews’ goal. Muzzin gave him Sunday when he called him the “hardest working” Leaf "HEY CONNOR, THE NAME'S JAKE." right now with a tenacious nose for the net and notable physicality along PIC.TWITTER.COM/SMZ7ZJSKZZ the boards.

— OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MARCH 30, 2021 ALEX GALCHENYUK IS BUZZING EARLY

Muzzin looked far, far younger than a 32-year-old Monday through his GOOD SCORING CHANCE PIC.TWITTER.COM/ADEJEU29BN 22:10 TOI, second on the Leafs. I think the 30-plus readers might marvel — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MARCH 29, 2021 at the hop he had in his step, given how those kinds of days are few and far between the older you get. Muzzin was 67 percent on five-on-five Galchenyuk really likes being a Leaf right now, I’d say. expected goals, which is nothing to sneeze at considering his assignment all game. MATTHEWS AND GALCHENYUK BUMPING THE FISTS PIC.TWITTER.COM/6X61QQISKE JAKE MUZZIN AND JUSTIN HOLL TONIGHT IN NEARLY 14 MINUTES AGAINST CONNOR MCDAVID AND LEON DRAISAITL: 77 PERCENT — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MARCH 29, 2021 EXPECTED GOALS. He continued to block shots, throw his body around and just bring — JONAS SIEGEL (@JONASSIEGEL) MARCH 30, 2021 consistent energy.

3rd star: John Tavares (C, No. 91): Tavares continued to show the B chutzpah that’s been evident in his game as of late, driving to the net and Travis Dermott (LD, No. 23): Dermott’s been playing fine lately, but connecting really well with Alex Galchenyuk. He won 70 percent of his somewhat quietly, he put out a really good effort against the Oilers. He faceoffs and led the Leafs with four shots on goal. It’s starting to look like got in good spots, fired three shots on goal, his highest total of the he is turning a corner in his season and balancing his offensive and season, and his 15:46 was tied for his third-highest total of the season. defensive responsibilities far better than he was earlier in the year. Ilya Mikheyev (RW, No. 65): It’s gotten to the point that when Mikheyev JOHN TAVARES IS POSSESSED PIC.TWITTER.COM/ZNDQ1JXNEP has a rush chance and I start wondering if he’s going to score, a line from — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MARCH 30, 2021 this Albert King banger immediately pops into my head:

A SMITH ROBS MIKHEYEV ON THE CROSS-ICE PASS PIC.TWITTER.COM/G7RO67WNNH

— OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MARCH 30, 2021 HOW MANY TIMES HAVE ANNOUNCERS SAID "….ABSOLUTELY Heat map ROBBING ILYA MIKHEYEV!" THIS SEASON? Natural Stat Trick helps us out with a snapshot of where the shots were — JEFF MAREK (@JEFFMAREK) MARCH 30, 2021 coming from Monday:

Really though, I loved plays like this from Mikheyev. If you can focus on Final grade: B- these types of plays, and maybe just turn away when Mikheyev bursts in on goal, imagine what you’d think of him. A strong first period from the Leafs was followed by a little less energy in the second period and some good pushback in the third, but this was still MIKHEYEV FIGHTS OFF TWO OILERS TO GET THE PUCK TO a game they could have won. They once again outshot the Oilers while BOGOSIAN also owning the majority of the five-on-five expected goals and high danger chances. RESULTS IN A GOOD SHOT FOR DERMOTT PIC.TWITTER.COM/WYFX7AUCLC “I think in these last two games against Edmonton here we haven’t done it quite for three periods,” Keefe said. — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MARCH 30, 2021 The power play continues to struggle, which is probably putting it politely B- given their poor puck movement and inability to execute much of a Joe Thornton (LW, No. 97): I liked Thornton’s efforts to put the puck in controlled plan with the man advantage. dangerous places on the power play, even if it didn’t amount to much of The concerns over the lack of calls from the referees again in Monday’s anything. game is valid, I’d say, but the lack of calls was hardly the reason for the C+ loss. The Leafs got beat on a rush in overtime in a game they mostly dominated. Not a ton of time to stew about it, though, as they still have Michael Hutchinson (G, No. 30): He made a few surprising saves, but I four games over the next seven nights. thought he probably could have had the Josh Archibald goal, even if it was a breakaway. It looked like his confidence grew as the game went Stay ready squad: Alex Barabanov, Martin Marincin, Nick Robertson, on. Otherwise, as Keefe put it postgame, “When you keep them to two Calle Rosen goals through regulation, that’s enough for you to be able to win a game.” What to watch for Wednesday vs. Winnipeg: It’s an obvious one, but will He made 20 saves on 23 shots. Jack Campbell be healthy and ready to play? It seems like that will be the Zach Bogosian (RD, No. 22): Bogosian dealt with the physical pressure case, but with the Leafs’ rotating goalie carousel as of late, you can coming from the Oilers and played his typically stable game. never be too sure. The Leafs are undefeated with Campbell in goal this season and seem to play with a serious sense of confidence in front of Morgan Rielly (LD, No. 44): Strange one for Rielly. Though not every one him. of his breakout passes hit the mark, I thought Rielly was making efforts to advance the puck really well. Still, he was the lone minus-3 among all The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 Leafs. Even if you don’t care for plus/minus as a stat, which I’m sure is the case with many readers, that’s a tough one to ignore in a 3-2 loss.

Pierre Engvall (C, No. 47): Engvall was everywhere early, working to begin rushes from the neutral zone and trying to create offence close to the goal.

A little more urgency from him close to the opposition instead of just trying to get his stick out probably would have helped his case with Keefe, who still wants to see more physicality from him.

C

Alex Kerfoot (C, No. 15): That’s two consecutive games when I had to squint to see Kerfoot make a difference. It wasn’t until there were less than three minutes left in the second period Monday that Kerfoot appeared, like a mirage, to send a drop pass to Nylander and then force a turnover behind the Oilers’ goal seconds later. Still, the stretches of him not impacting the play are starting to grow as of late.

Jason Spezza (RW, No. 19): There was a good, simple pass that led to Mikheyev’s second-period chance from Spezza, but it also wasn’t his best night at the dot, winning just two of his six faceoffs.

C-

Wayne Simmonds (LW, No. 24): Simmonds getting pesky and aggressive in front of Mike Smith didn’t bring much of a reaction from the Oilers, so he just kept plugging away, trying to make life difficult. Not much came of it offensively, however, as he had just 43 percent of the five-on-five expected goals.

D

T.J. Brodie (RD, No. 78): Look, you’re not going to find a bigger Brodie fan than me, but I was surprised to see his awkward body positioning that allowed a bouncing puck to skip by him at the blue line ahead of the Oilers first goal.

He then made a few questionable passes in his own zone and, even with some pressure on him, he just sort of froze with the puck close to his own goal ahead of the Oilers’ second goal. This was a very un-Brodie-like performance from Brodie as he had a team-worst 42 percent five-on-five expected goals.

Game Score

Game Score is a metric developed by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn to quickly measure a player’s performance in a single game. 1207371 Toronto Maple Leafs that at 21, he’s closer to hitting his ceiling than you’d want in a developing prospect.

Another noted that his hands and skill with the puck are strong, but his Why the Maple Leafs signed Alex Steeves: Video analysis, coaches’ selfishness with the puck probably makes him a power-play specialist at insight, depth chart fit best.

Where does he fit with the Leafs?

By Scott Wheeler and Joshua Kloke Mar 29, 2021 Although he won’t begin his ELC until next season, there is still plenty of time for Leafs skating development consultant Barb Underhill and the Leafs development staff to work on one of his biggest flaws: his skating.

What do NHL players Anders Lee, Bryan Rust and Anders Bjork have in The questions about his skating and off-puck awareness that Larsson common with Alex Steeves? heard from NHL teams during Steeves’ draft year are the same being asked now. And assuming he begins next season with the Marlies, he According to University of Notre Dame men’s hockey assistant coach will have to learn how to work within more structured defensively, which Paul Pooley, they showed serious improvement from season to season could present a challenge. at Notre Dame and that continued growth pushed them to the next step in their careers. “That’s one thing he’s going to have to figure out: can he get an extra stride or more quickness in his first step,” said Pooley. “(Steeves) was a guy we certainly needed to get better, and he did,” said Pooley. Steeves makes sense as a Leafs signing given the importance places on intelligence on the ice. If all goes well and he can The Maple Leafs are hoping that improvement continues. Sunday, they master some of the defensive responsibilities that Marlies head coach inked Steeves to a three-year entry-level contract beginning in the 2021- Greg Moore demands of his forward and develop more explosiveness in 22 season. his stride, he could work toward earning fourth-line and power-play NHL The 5-foot-11, 187-pound undrafted forward’s production rose in each of minutes. If he can do that by the final season of his contract in 2023-24, his three seasons in the USHL, followed by the same trend in three that’s the last year the Leafs’ core four forwards are all under contract seasons at Notre Dame, finishing with a team-high 15 goals and 32 and a cheap entry-level deal like his could have value. points in 29 games as a junior in 2020-21. But it is also entirely possible that Steeves’ development stalls in the AHL It’s those offensive abilities, puck skills and deception that the Leafs and he spends the entirety of his time in the organization as a Marlie. undoubtedly like, and hope to foster with the resources available to him Those who know Steeves believe in his ability to find his way. within the Leafs’ development model. “He has a real desire to show his worth. Even yesterday, in texting with “Alex has the potential to be an offensive guy, because of his skill, once him, you can see where his mind is at. He said, ‘I’ve come a long way, he figures out the pro game,” said Pooley. “Can he keep improving? I but there’s still more to do.’ He’s in the right frame of mind to take on this know he wants to.” new project in his early career,” said Fighting Saints head coach Oliver But what could he become with the Leafs? Here’s what we’ve learned David. about Steeves. For the Leafs organization, it’s a low-risk signing. They have the financial What are people saying about him? might to try to turn another undrafted experiment into an NHL player. It also sends a message to other free agents: the Leafs are serious about Former coaches rave about his intelligence. He’s a versatile player who turning question marks into sure things. That belief could increase the can play on both the power play and penalty kill. The business major was interest among future free agents in signing with Toronto. named to the Dean’s List in 2019-20, is a fan of studying video and was always eager to share his opinion with teammates or coaches on which It might not always work out, as evidenced by the gamble with Mikko NHL team won recent trades. Lehtonen and other standout college free agents like Brady Ferguson and Josh Kestner, but if you’re going to be an organization that invests in “He’s an intellectual,” said Kalle Larsson, general manager of the USHL’s development, then swings like the one they’re taking on Steeves are part Dubuque Fighting Saints, where Steeves played two seasons. of the game.

That intelligence has allowed his deceptiveness with the puck, whether it What does the tape tell us? be throwing defenders off balance or slipping the puck between their skates or sticks, to become one of his defining traits. The following video comprises a complete analysis of all 46 of Steeves’ shifts on March 14 (his last college hockey game, against Penn State) “He doesn’t look like he’s going fast,” said Pooley, whose son Scott plays and Feb. 20 (vs. Wisconsin) as well as a collection of highlights gathered for the Marlies, “then all of a sudden he’s by you.” over the course of this season. Steeves wears No. 16 in all sequences.

Steeves also became a more prolific shooter this season, logging 125 The first thing a video analysis of Steeves’ game reveals is his excellent shots in 29 games (4.3 per game), fourth among all NCAA players, which skills of finesse and touch with the puck. represents a jump from the 116 shots he took in 36 games in 2019-20 (3.2 per game). Steeves was, without question, the most purely gifted player on Notre Dame in each of his last two seasons as a sophomore and junior. “It’s different,” Larsson said of Steeves’ shot. “Almost every goal he scored is on an outside shot where he pulls the puck just a few inches Though his point totals in both of those years may not pop, his ability to one way or another to throw the goalie off. It’s a really good but different create for himself and his teammates on a low-scoring, defensively kind of shot and he gets it off well,” said Larsson. oriented team, distinguished him. He scored 14 of his 15 goals at even strength because of how much Notre Dame’s power play, which he “There’s guys that shoot the puck, there’s others that shoot to score. anchored from the point, struggled throughout the season. At 5-on-5, When he’s coming off the half-wall, he’s always looking to score. He has playing primarily on his off-wing as a left-handed shot on the right side, a plan in his head,” said Pooley. Steeves was the clear-cut best player on one of college hockey’s best lines in the second half of the year while playing alongside the Slaggert There is some division about Steeves’ game among scouts, though. brothers. One said that if the Leafs development staff pay specific attention to his His hands, in particular, gave his game a one-on-one highlight-reel skating, there’s enough intelligence in his game to make him a bottom-six quality in college. Steeves’ game in tight against defenders and goalies NHL player sometime in 2022 or 2023. can really flash with how quickly he pulls and drag pucks laterally: Others were far less optimistic and pegged his ceiling as a Marlie. Steeves’ hands also help make him a dangerous player off the rush in One scout expressed concern that while his hockey IQ is reliable, the the way he’s able to open up defenders and beat them in a variety of tools he does possess are not high-end enough for him to stand out and ways with the puck: Notice, above, the way that he led the drag with a faked pass through a His defensive game should hold up fine, though. Steeves isn’t a subtle lift of his leg which dropped the defender to the ice to open up his dominant player off the puck, but he’s a committed one and does a good inside-out lane. job applying back pressure …

That deception is a hallmark of Steeves’ game and something that’s … As well as forecheck pressure: evident on most of his rush sequences when he’s transporting the puck in transition (which he so often did at Notre Dame). All told, a level-headed evaluation of Steeves’ game probably sets reasonable expectations for him as a player whose small-area skills, Watch the stutter he tries to execute here before pulling up to make an puck protection ability and roundness should make him a good AHL east-to-west pass through the seam: forward who could enter the Leafs’ depth conversation in the same tier as players like Nic Petan, Joey Anderson, Adam Brooks and Alexander Good hands aren’t just about beating players or defenders individually, Barabanov. either. Finesse in hockey is about touch and executing small-area plays consistently. And Steeves has that feel in spades off his forehand and his But the development of his north-south speed and acceleration is backhand. probably going to determine whether or not he can become the NHL regular that those players haven’t yet turned into. Watch the drop-pass play he makes under pressure off the heel of his backhand here: The good news is that at 21, he’s coming out of college fairly young and he’s got the luxury of time. Or the backhand pass he makes off the toe of his blade here: The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 Or the series of soft little plays he makes on this power play off both his forehand on the chip and his backhand to the inside off the wall:

Over the course of a game, those fakes and light passes into space result in chances and goals too.

Watch, below, the leg-kick fake out of the corner, the light intentional pass off the goalie’s pad, and then the way his hands take over so that he can shoot off his backhand to create a second rebound and the goal:

Despite being 5-foot-11, Steeves also isn’t the physically disengaged type that we often wrongly assume comes with a highly skilled individual creator at lower levels.

In fact, his ability to gain inside body positioning and protect the puck along the cycle is a legitimate strength of his game.

Notice the way he shields and fights for the puck on this secondary assist, which finishes with another play off the wall to the inside:

Or the way he protects the puck in transition with another one of his fakes below, this time in the neutral zone (before rotating back to the slot for a chance of his own backdoor):

Or the way he pulls up against coverage here:

The variety of his skill in puck protection also helped him score one of the best goals of the college hockey season.

On that goal, it’s his hands at the top of the offensive zone that grab you and earn their five-second place in the highlight pack, but it’s his puck protection along the wall 15 seconds before the goal is scored that makes it all happen:

There are two natural questions that follow the 11 sequences above, though:

OK, he’s skilled, so why wasn’t he drafted?

OK, so where might he project?

The answer to the first question is in part because of his lack of north- south explosiveness as a skater, especially for a medium-sized forward.

Steeves’ footwork and edges through his crossovers are an asset and help him play his east-to-west game quite effectively. Here’s one example of that movement going against the grain:

And here’s another of him building speed through his crossovers with the grain moving forward below the goal line:

But you may have also noticed in some of the earlier rush sequences the pick-up that happens in his stride, his occasional pitch-forking with his stick and some of the dragging of his feet that happens through his recoveries.

You can see all of that below when he comes to a standstill in his own and has to get moving. He takes the space that’s given to him and works hard to get to his rebound in the right-wing corner, but it doesn’t look pretty up the ice. That could limit him in the NHL and does on smaller ice (Wisconsin play on an Olympic sheet):

If he can’t develop an extra gear in transition, he will also find it harder to execute with his puck skill at the pro level, something that was also occasionally a problem in college hockey when he tried to do too much and the play went the other way: 1207372 Toronto Maple Leafs “I know I can’t sacrifice that part of the game and only worry about producing and not taking care of my own end,” Tavares said.

Keefe added: “I think his production — while we have high expectations Monday Morning Leafs Report: Trade deadline wish list and what the of him and he does of himself — I think if you look around the league, Leafs need from John Tavares he’s still in a pretty good place … and there’s a lot of teams in the league he would be leading in scoring and he would be top two on over half the league. He’s done a lot of really good things for us. He’s been a big reason why we are where we are through this season in the standings. By Jonas Siegel Mar 29, 2021 All that said, I think we’re obviously looking for ways to get him more involved on the offensive side without sacrificing on the other end because we can’t win if we don’t get it done on the other end.” Over the weekend, John Tavares buried his fourth 5-on-5 goal of the season. More Tavares lurking around the net would be a start. That’s where Tavares did his best work during that monstrous first season in Toronto. Among the Maple Leafs players with more this season: Jason Spezza And to Keefe’s point: Heading into Sunday’s games, Tavares’ 28 points (seven), Zach Hyman (six), Alex Kerfoot (five) and Ilya Mikheyev (five). would in fact have led, or tied for the lead, on 10 other NHL teams. Jimmy Vesey had notched five before the Vancouver Canucks swiped him off waivers. Dan Hamilton / USA Today

“It’s a big part of my game,” Tavares said of scoring goals, “and this year But few, if any, teams are built like the Leafs — with four players eating hasn’t seemed to be as consistent as I’d like.” up half of the salary cap. The puzzle works as it should only if those four players — Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares — are stars and It’s hard to believe it was only two seasons ago that Tavares scored 47 impact the game as such. goals, third-most in the NHL in 2018-19, and the most by a Leafs player in 25 years. Tavares led the league with 33 5-on-5 goals. Moving past two Canadian rivals in the playoffs will likely demand it.

As the Leafs captain noted, the 2021 campaign has been a different If the Leafs face the Oilers, for instance, Matthews’ crew might be able to experience entirely, bumpy with the exception of a power-play scoring keep things square with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The binge to start the season. advantage needs to come when Tavares and Nylander go head-to-head with the Ryan Nugent-Hopkins line. (And Saturday, the Leafs outscored Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe has celebrated Tavares’ increased the Oilers 2-0 when Tavares was out there against RNH.) commitment to defence and ensuring he’s not cheating for extra offence. But Tavares has logged over 200 minutes more than Spezza 5-on-5 and “I think he’s done a terrific job of that,” Keefe said before his team came has one fewer point (14-13). back to beat the Oilers in overtime Saturday. “It’s been a major improvement in that way.” Over the first 10 games in March, the 30-year-old fired only 12 shots on goal 5-on-5, one less even than Pierre Engvall. His unusually low To that point: Last season, Tavares had a minus-9 goal differential at 5- shooting percentage this season doesn’t mean quite as much if he’s not on-5 and so far this year it’s plus-6. His expected goals rate has jumped generating quality opportunities, especially the ones around the net. to 56 percent. The good news for the Leafs: Tavares is starting to look more like his old To compete for the Stanley Cup, though, the Leafs will need more than a self. He attacked the net twice in the first period on Saturday, twisting up checker. To win four rounds, the Leafs will need Tavares to score, or be, Darnell Nurse at one point on a menacing look and finished with four at the very least, threatening around the opponent’s net. shots. A defensive pick-pocket in the neutral zone even spurred an important goal that cut the Oilers lead in half. “I’m still trying to figure some things out, I think,” said Tavares of his diminished goal-scoring this season. “(It’s) not a perfect science. Some of His net drive in OT helped Matthews land the winner. them — I just gotta bear down on some of my opportunities. Obviously I’m good around the net, finding rebounds and plays in tight, and I THAT PASS #LEAFSFOREVER PIC.TWITTER.COM/WHWIXTE32K haven’t seemed to get as many of those as I’d like. I think that’s one — TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (@MAPLELEAFS) MARCH 28, 2021 area. And then just try to generate more, find ways to get to the middle of the ice, and obviously you get your opportunities you gotta beat the His spirits appear to have lifted. Playing a shooting game with Nylander goaltender.” and a couple of others on Sunday afternoon, Tavares beat Veini Vehvilainen and raised one arm in triumph as he skated right off the ice. March has been indicative of what the Leafs look like when that’s not happening. With Tavares scuffling and Auston Matthews first playing hurt It’s also not as if Tavares is alone in stumbling offensively in this and then suffering through a spell of bad luck, the Leafs haven’t looked punishing season. As of Sunday morning, the players with the same all that dangerous, a point that’s been compounded by a struggling number of 5-on-5 goals included Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, power play. Anze Kopitar, Ryan O’Reilly and Patrice Bergeron.

They rank 10th in goals per 60 at 5-on-5 in March, and eighth in that Still, the Leafs will have a hard time climbing the championship mountain respect this season. without more from Tavares. The Leafs were outscored 5-1 with Tavares on the ice 5-on-5 against the Blue Jackets in last year’s play-in series. After Matthews and Mitch Marner, the contributions need to come next from William Nylander and Tavares. (Who else can they reasonably “I want to be good in all facets of the game,” Tavares said, “and be relied count on? Maybe Hyman?) And while Nylander has come around in the upon, and obviously an elite player in all these facets. So I’ll just continue last month, Tavares, up until the last couple of games, hasn’t been able to work at it and find a balance and hopefully you’re able to really to put a dent on most games. connect those two parts of your game.”

Even Saturday, in his most notable performance in weeks, Tavares Wish list played only 15 minutes and four seconds. He’s played less only once in his entire NHL career. The trade deadline is two weeks away!

Perhaps some of his struggles can be attributed to that balance he’s And while we’ve addressed in broad strokes what the Leafs need, with a trying to strike between offence and defence. top-six forward topping the wish list, we should delve a little deeper into the whys of it all and also look at other areas of need. “It’s just recognizing when it’s time to play offence and when it’s time to defend,” Keefe said. “I think a lot of our players last season hung around A sticky cap situation means the Leafs are unlikely to be able to address a little bit too long on the offensive side of it. When it was time to defend all these concerns, but maybe a couple of them at least. we delayed in that decision-making process and we needed to shorten Top-six forward that time to get back on defence quicker.”

Tavares was obviously in that group. Why: Keefe has had four names written in Sharpie on his top two lines: When healthy, Rasmus Sandin is likely the next man up on defence at Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares. It’s the remaining two spots this point. However, he’s had a bumpy year, has only 29 games of NHL that have been in flux all season. experience, none of which have come in the playoffs.

Keefe has tried just about everyone: Joe Thornton, Vesey, Mikheyev, Ideally, the Leafs add a more experienced piece in that 7/8 role. Maybe Hyman, Kerfoot, Wayne Simmonds, Alex Galchenyuk and even someone like Jon Merrill, playing nearly 20 minutes a night for Detroit Alexander Barabanov. For one game, Keefe left the spot beside ($925,000 cap hit, expiring contract), or Sami Vatanen ($2 million, Nylander and Tavares open, plugging and playing various guys expiring contract), who can play the left and right side. throughout (mostly Mikheyev). (Mattias Ekholm would be a more impactful — and costly — addition, In an ideal world, Hyman is grabbing a spot next to Matthews and Marner obviously.) on the top line. The problem: The Leafs badly need him elsewhere, specifically with Mikheyev and Engvall on a defensive third unit. When Need level: Low Mikheyev and Engvall play with Hyman, the Leafs have an expected Campbell in the No. 1 chair goals mark of 65 percent. When they play without him, that number falls to 48 percent. The line, which had a rough night against the Oilers on It’s going to be really interesting to see if Campbell can run away with the Saturday, simply doesn’t pack the same punch when Hyman isn’t top job. His first three starts with Andersen out of the picture were a bit around. rocky, with a pair of puck-handling miscues in Ottawa and at least one stoppable goal against the Oilers. He also mixed in a shutout against It explains why Keefe keeps trying Thornton up top, and why the Leafs Calgary. need to add another bona fide top sixer to the mix. “I think it is, for sure,” Keefe said of the adjustment for Campbell taking That player, whether it’s Mikael Granlund, Taylor Hall or Nick Foligno (if over as the starter. “Not a huge one given that for most of their lives the Jackets decide to sell), is likely hooking up with Nylander and they’re used to playing a lot. But certainly when it comes to this level and Tavares. So far, no one has offered the necessary spark there, though you’re not used to playing, and haven’t played as much, it is different how Galchenyuk, with helpers on two third period goals against Edmonton, you manage it mentally and physically. Add in the fact that he’s a guy has an outside chance. that’s fighting injuries this season, so that’s a whole ‘nother side of it, and In that case, the winger in question joins Matthews and Marner, and we’ve gotta manage that well.” Keefe can keep Hyman elsewhere. (Hyman appears set to rejoin the No. An example of managing that situation: Campbell got the day off from 1 line yet again.) Sunday’s practice.

Either way, the Leafs need an upgrade here. They can’t hope that It’s the mental side of things, especially, that Campbell will have to learn Thornton, Simmonds or Galchenyuk, will be the answer. to navigate with starts every other night. Not getting too high or too low. Need level: High The 29-year-old tends to be hard on himself, taking full, and sometimes undue, ownership of his mistakes. Depth forward “When you give up three in a period, it’s not acceptable whatsoever,” he Why: With Vesey and Travis Boyd both swiped by the Canucks on said after the Edmonton game. “There is no grey area. I’ve gotta shut the waivers, the Leafs have thinned out up front. Galchenyuk plugs one hole, door. The guys deserve that. They just deserved a better effort.” potentially. But who’s the next man up after that: Barabanov? Nick Robertson? Joey Anderson? Kenny Agostino? Nic Petan? Marc DesRosiers / USA Today

One injury up front and someone from that bunch is going in. And it’s Old guy probably wise to assume an injury at some point. At age 37, in the 18th season of his NHL career, Jason Spezza is I liked Matt Nieto (expiring contract, $700,000 cap hit) for this, among winning a career-high 58.6 percent of his faceoffs. other reasons, when we looked at trade targets recently. Maybe Bobby Jason Spezza faceoff history Ryan (expiring contract, $1 million) fits too. 2020-21 More worrisome is the third centre spot: Can the Leafs really trust Engvall, caught puck-watching on the Oilers’ third goal? And if not, can 58.6 they find an outside solution? 2018-19 Need level: Medium 58.2 Goaltender 2012-13 Why: It’s looking less and less like Frederik Andersen will be an option 57.1 for the Leafs anytime soon. And there was reason to at least consider replacing him before his injury problems bubbled back up to the surface. 2010-11

Elliotte Friedman reported on “” that Andersen’s 56.3 injury isn’t considered to be season-ending, and that the Leafs aren’t looking to add in goal. 2017-18

That seems like a risky approach. 55.8

Jack Campbell is days into running the crease himself. Behind him sits 2015-16 Michael Hutchinson. And behind him? Joseph Woll? Veini Vehvilainen? 54.8 That’s … precarious. 2013-14 There isn’t a lot out there obviously, and maybe the Leafs will simply count on Andersen to return — either as Campbell’s backup or the starter 54.0 once more. Some insurance — Aaron Dell? Devan Dubnyk? — wouldn’t hurt. 2014-15

Need level: Medium 54.0

Depth defenceman 2019-20

Why: When Jake Muzzin got hurt midway through the Columbus series 54.0 last summer, the Leafs had to plug Martin Marincin into the lineup with 2011-12 their season on the line. Not someone you’d want to use in a playoff game. 53.5 2008-09

53.3

2016-17

52.2

2009-10

50.5

2007-08

50.5

2003-04

47.7

2002-03

45.8

Spezza (and look at where he started!) has become the Leafs’ faceoff specialist, their go-to guy for most important draws.

First, it was on the PK, with Spezza hopping out there with Hyman to start penalty kills. He’s aced that, sitting just inside the top-10 leaguewide in winning 58.4 percent of his shorthanded draws. The Leafs took 20 seconds off the clock after he won his first one against Edmonton last time out.

The Leafs also use him for key defensive zone draws, where Spezza has also excelled (57 percent).

Remember, Spezza wasn’t known for his defence back in his All-Star days. He’s taken 161 defensive zone draws to lead the Leafs.

Of late, Keefe has added another element to Spezza’s faceoff repertoire. He’s had Spezza take offensive zone draws here and there with Matthews and Marner. The thinking seems clear: Have Spezza get those two stars some extra O-zone time by winning the draw.

Spezza has won over 60 percent of his O-zone faceoffs compared with just under 52 percent for Matthews.

“It’s been really handy, especially that he’s a right-handed shot,” Keefe said.

And the only right shot in the middle; Matthews, Tavares, Kerfoot, and Engvall are all lefties.

The Leafs weren’t using Spezza like this last season. The more he’s won the more they’ve expanded his opportunity.

Bonus point

Speaking of faceoffs … one overlooked positive from Tavares’ season: He’s won almost 58 percent of his draws, a career high.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207373 Vegas Golden Knights Los Angeles started with plenty of energy in its first game since Wednesday, creating a handful of chances early and taking the lead exactly one minute after the opening faceoff.

Golden Knights top Kings for 6th straight home victory Gabriel Vilardi backhanded a pass to defenseman Matt Roy in the high slot, and Roy beat Lehner with a one-timer to the stick side for his second goal.

By David Schoen “We did a good job being able to answer after the first 10 minutes,” Smith said. “We were a little slow, but I think for the rest of the game we carried March 29, 2021 - 9:20 PM the pace and the momentum.” Updated March 29, 2021 - 10:34 PM LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 03.30.2021

The Golden Knights never have been known as hospitable hosts at T- Mobile Arena.

This season, they might as well have one of those video doorbells mounted out front considering they’re sending away almost all of their visitors disappointed.

Boosted by a three-goal second period, the Knights cruised to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night before an announced crowd of 3,950.

“Can you imagine what our record would be if we had a full house here?” coach Pete DeBoer said. “The guys love playing at home. I think we’re still living off the energy of the memories of this building full, and hopefully we’re going to see that again soon.”

The Knights won their sixth in a row at home, the longest home winning streak since they won seven straight from Feb. 13, 2020, to Feb. 28, 2020. The franchise record is eight straight set from Oct. 15, 2017, to Nov. 24, 2017.

The Knights, who opened a four-game homestand, improved to 14-2-1 at T-Mobile Arena and trail only Pittsburgh (16) for most home wins in the NHL.

That matches the franchise’s best start at home through 17 games set during the inaugural season and is a significant improvement over last season when the Knights were 8-6-3 at that point.

“We wanted to make sure it was a tough place to play,” winger Jonathan Marchessault said. “We take a lot of pride to be good at home. … We go on the road, and there’s no fans sometimes. It’s an amazing difference, so we definitely fuel off the energy.”

Tomas Nosek and Nic Hague scored 1:26 apart in the second period after Reilly Smith converted on the power play to tie the game at 1.

The Knights (24-8-1, 49 points) remained in first place in the West Division with 23 games remaining, one point ahead of Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Anaheim Ducks on Monday.

Goalie Robin Lehner withstood an early flurry to record his third straight victory. He has stopped 62 of the 66 shots he’s faced since returning from a concussion.

Lehner made 12 saves in the first period and turned away Austin Wagner on a breakaway in the second. Blake Lizotte was denied from close range late in the third period for the last of Lehner’s 24 stops.

“I thought Robin was solid,” DeBoer said. “Thankfully, he was good early when we weren’t in the first 10 or 12 minutes of the game. He settled in as the game went on.”

Smith buried a rebound on a power play at 4:04 of the second period for his seventh goal before Nosek put the Knights ahead.

Zach Whitecloud fired a shot wide, but the puck took a hard bounce off the wall and Nosek banged in his fourth goal with 3:32 left in the second.

Nosek had seven points (two goals, five assists) in his past seven games.

“Right now, it seems to be our line is clicking,” Nosek said. “It’s always good when all four lines can play and coach can trust us to put us on the ice.”

Defenseman Alec Martinez added a goal in the third period, and Marchessault finished with two assists. 1207374 Vegas Golden Knights DiLiberatore was a sixth-round pick in 2018 and had 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 29 games as a junior to help Quinnipiac reach the NCAA Tournament.

Is Alex Pietrangelo close to returning for Golden Knights? He was a third-team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference selection in 2019-20 and finished his three-year career with 60 points (15 goals, 45 assists) and 113 penalty minutes in 101 games.

By David Schoen LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 03.30.2021 March 29, 2021 - 10:37 am

Updated March 29, 2021 - 8:19 PM

Alex Pietrangelo is another step closer to returning to the Golden Knights.

The defenseman participated in Monday’s morning skate wearing a red, noncontact jersey and is day to day, according to coach Pete DeBoer.

Pietrangelo remains on long-term injured reserve and did not play Monday night against the Los Angeles Kings at T-Mobile Arena.

“Obviously getting closer,” DeBoer said after the morning skate. “It’s just all how he responds the next day to what we did today. Had a good skate (Sunday) and responded well today, and we’ll see how he is (Tuesday).”

Pietrangelo missed the past 12 games after he blocked a shot with his left hand/arm in the final three minutes of a March 6 victory at San Jose.

He is eligible to be activated from long-term IR on Wednesday.

Pietrangelo, who also missed three games in February while in NHL COVID protocol, has two goals and 10 points in 18 games.

The Knights won seven of their first 11 games without Pietrangelo, as rookie defenseman Dylan Coghlan logged major minutes on the blue line.

“I particularly really liked how he played the last 10 games prior to the injury,” DeBoer said of Pietrangelo. “He was starting to really look comfortable. Hopefully he can come in and pick up where he left off. With our schedule in April, we’re going to need all hands on deck.”

Glass returns

Center Cody Glass was called up from the taxi squad, and his play during this upcoming stretch of games could determine whether the Knights become active at the April 12 trade deadline.

The No. 6 pick in the 2017 draft continues to develop slowly following major knee surgery in 2020 and hasn’t locked down a permanent spot in the lineup. Before Monday, Glass had one goal in his past nine appearances and one even-strength assist since Feb. 13.

The Knights have used Tomas Nosek at third-line center this month with some success and experimented in that spot with other players such as Nicolas Roy trying to find consistent production.

Glass skated on the third line with wingers Alex Tuch and Keegan Kolesar against the Kings and also saw time with the No. 2 power-play unit.

“For me, he started to look a little fatigued toward the end of the stretch of games we were playing,” DeBoer said of Glass. “It’s something that happens all over the league with young players, and it’s something that we expected.”

Video game all-stars

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and leading goal scorer Max Pacioretty were voted West Division Hockey Ultimate Team all stars for EA Sports’ NHL21 video game.

They were joined by Colorado forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty and St. Louis defenseman Torey Krug.

College defenseman signs

Quinnipiac defenseman Peter DiLiberatore signed a three-year, entry- level contract. He is expected to start his career with the Silver Knights in the American Hockey League. 1207375 Vegas Golden Knights “It’s the best feeling to see that everybody’s going in big games and big wins,” Marchessault said. “It’s definitely a positive game for our group and we cannot take that team lightly the next game.”

Tomas Nosek rolling since COVID-19 scare, scores game-winning goal LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 03.30.2021 vs. Kings

By Justin Emerson

Monday, March 29, 2021 | 10:49 p.m.

It’s been an eventful year off the ice for Golden Knights center Tomas Nosek.

He left the Feb. 9 game against the Ducks after that morning’s test for COVID-19 came back positive. He quarantined at home with his pregnant wife, who gave birth to their second child a week later. He didn’t return to action for Vegas until March 1.

Considering what he’s gone through, he’d deserve a little slack if his head wasn’t all the way in the game. Instead, he’s shaken off his bout with the virus to play some of the best hockey of his career over the past few weeks, including the game-winning goal in Monday’s 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at T-Mobile Arena.

“COVID isn’t exactly what I wanted, but my son was born so that was a good thing, one of the greatest things in my life, so I was happy I was able to be there,” Nosek said. “Right now it seems our line is clicking, so hopefully we keep going like that. It’s always good when all four lines can play and coach can trust us on the ice.”

Nosek’s goal gave him seven points in his last seven games dating back to a two-assist game on March 17 against the Sharks. He has 10 points this year, and all but one have come since his return to the team.

He scored on opening night for the Golden Knights, then went 14 games without a point. His tally on Monday was his first game-winning goal of the season and third in the regular season with Vegas. He also had a rather famous game-winning goal back in the 2018 postseason.

“He came into camp, I thought had an exceptional camp, then got COVID and had the baby and the family ended up getting COVID, so he had a three-week ordeal there where he really lost some of the momentum he built up,” Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said. “It took him a little while to get it back again, but he looks like he’s back now where he was during camp.”

Nosek’s whole line is rolling right now. That 14-game scoreless drought earlier in the year coincided with tough stretched from usual linemates William Carrier and Ryan Reaves, who are both clicking with Nosek. Carrier for instance scored in the Golden Knights’ last game, and also battled the puck out of the corner Monday to set up Nosek’s goal.

Nosek, Carrier and Reaves spent 7:40 on the ice together Monday and in that time Vegas generated nine shot attempts and 77.5% of the expected goals, according to advanced stats site Natural Stat Trick. Both those totals were second among Vegas’ forward lines.

“The first 15 or 20 games we didn’t produce much, so right now we get some bounces in and it feels good to help the team win a game,” Nosek said.

Nosek has perpetually had to earn his spot on the Golden Knights. He’s played all four seasons on an expiring contract, getting a new one-year deal every offseason since he was selected in the expansion draft. The latest was a one-year, $1.25 million deal he signed in October, the most money he’s made in his career.

He’s played up to that contract with a career-best season. He recorded 15 points in his first year with Vegas, then 17, then 15 again last year, all in 67 games or more. He’s already at 10 this year in 25 games, a 33- point pace over 82 games.

He doesn’t garner many headlines because of the role he plays on the team — a defensive-first bottom-six forward. The spotlight often goes to scorers like Jonathan Marchessault, who sat to his left in the postgame press conference, or leadership players like Reilly Smith and Alec Martinez, who followed Nosek and Marchessault at the podium.

Monday night though was a night for Nosek, who has been one of the Golden Knights’ best players over the last two weeks. 1207376 Vegas Golden Knights leading a turnover. The shot was turned aside, but the Kings almost scored.

And nine seconds later, the Kings did score. Gabe Vilardi pushed off a Golden Knights use second period to run away from Kings Vegas check and found Matt Roy, who stepped in from the blue line and ripped it through traffic to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead one minute into the game.

By Justin Emerson (contact) The first half of the first period was a mess for the Golden Knights. When Nicolas Hague took a holding penalty at the 7:06 mark, it sent Vegas to Published Monday, March 29, 2021 | 3 p.m. the penalty kill in a 10-3 deficit in shots on goal. The Kings didn't have a Updated Monday, March 29, 2021 | 9:20 p.m. shot goal during the power play, but spent almost the full two minutes in the Vegas zone.

In fact Vegas held the Kings without a shot for over nine minutes The Golden Knights used a three-goal second period tonight in a 4-1 win including the Los Angeles power play, and started to push the puck down over the visiting Los Angeles Kings to extend their home winning streak the ice well. The Golden Knights created havoc in front of the Kings goal to six games. and though they didn't score, looked like a different team after killing the initial penalty. Vegas improved to 14-2-1 at T-Mobile Arena, where on Wednesday it again will host the Kings looking to finish March with an undefeated home Los Angeles led in shots on goal 13-9. record. Pre-game Vegas trailed 1-0 entering the second period, but an early power-play goal by Reilly Smith erased the deficit and marked the last time the Since the Golden Knights entered the league in 2017, no Western Golden Knights trailed. Tomas Nosek and Nicolas Hague scored about Conference team has had a better points percentage. In that same span, 90 seconds apart, and Vegas left the second period in a 3-1 lead. no Western Conference team has accumulated fewer points than the Los Angeles Kings. Former Los Angeles defenseman Alec Martinez added an insurance goal for Vegas in the third period, scoring on a rebound attempt after shot The on-ice meetings between the teams have not played out that way. from Keegan Kolesar was blocked. The Golden Knights have lost more regular season games than they've won against the Kings (8-7-2), a conundrum they'll look to decode in their The Kings scored first exactly a minute into the game on a Matt Roy 7 p.m. game today at T-Mobile Arena. snipe. The Kings had 10 of the first 13 shots in the game in the first 10 minutes, but sizzled after that with just 14 in the final 50 minutes. They "It's almost the same team we played in the playoffs," Vegas forward still finished with a 25-24 edge in shots on goal. William Carrier said. "The big guys, they hit hard, they got some speed and you've got to respect that. It's so tight in this league, anyone can Robin Lehner started in net and picked up the win for Vegas making 23 beat anyone any night." saves. Since his return from a concussion on March 19, Lehner has stopped 62 of 66 shots in three games for a 3-0 record save percentage The Kings reached the postseason in 2018 and were promptly swept by of .939. the inaugural Golden Knights. They've been rebuilding since, but not so much in the games against Vegas. Remember, it was Los Angeles that The Golden Knights entered the second period in a one-goal deficit and kept the Golden Knights from a franchise-best nine-game winning streak left it with a two-goal lead. last year, and the Kings outplayed Vegas last weekend, even if the Golden Knights are 3-1 against them this year. Vegas scored three times in the middle period and kept the Kings scoreless, flipping the game around and grabbing a 3-1 lead after two The Kings will be dangerous in a few years when their abundance of periods at T-Mobile Arena on Monday. prospects arrives, but even now they're a top-heavy team with remnants of their Cup winners that has given Vegas fits. Captain Anze Kopitar The Golden Knights' puck movement on their first power play of the remains a true top-line center, defenseman Drew Doughty is enjoying a game was pristine and resulted in their first goal of the game. A smooth bounce-back season and Dustin Brown leads the team with 14 goals. zone entry led to some tic-tac-toe passing and when it didn't lead directly to the goal, it had goalie Jonathan quick on his back and out of position Those three also run one of the league's best power plays. Los Angeles to turn away Reilly Smith's offering to tie the game 4:04 into the second connects at a 24.3% clip that is eighth in the NHL and tops in the West period. Assists went to Jonathan Marchessault and Mark Stone. Division. Throw in solid goaltending on most nights, and it's easy to see why even a struggling team can be a problem any given night. Each side followed up Vegas' successful power play with an unsuccessful one as the Golden Knights continued to control play. They "When you have that formula — if your goaltender's on and your power had the ice tilted for much of the second period and cashed in again late play finds a way to get on the board — you're really giving yourself a in the frame. good chance to win, both home and on the road," Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said. "It's a good hockey team, well-coached, and it's going to be It was a bit of a broken play that scored for Vegas, as Zach Whitecloud's a good test for us." attempt at the net went wide. It took a fortuitous bounce behind the Kings goal and right to the crashing Tomas Nosek, who put it home for a 2-1 Vegas returns home after a quick two-game trip to Colorado to a barn in Golden Knights lead. It also continued Nosek's personal hot streak with which it has been dominant. The Golden Knights have a 13-2-1 record at his fourth goal of the season and eighth point in his last eight games. T-Mobile Arena, and only the Penguins have more wins this season on home ice. Vegas struggled at times last season to win at home, but this The goals just kept coming from the bottom of the Golden Knights' lineup. year the built-in advantages are paying dividends. Nosek's fourth-line goal put Vegas on top and Nicolas Hague's third-pair goal extended it. Marchessault set the puck on a tee for Hague, who "We're comfortable here," defenseman Shea Theodore said. "We like walked it and slapped it into the net for a 3-1 lead with 2:06 to go in the playing here and I think we have some of our best games at home." period. The Golden Knights won't have Alex Pietrangelo, who has missed the The Kings led in shots on goal 20-19 through two. Vegas will have 19 last 11 games with an upper-body injury, back tonight, but he's getting seconds of carry-over power-play time when the third period begins. closer. He participated in morning skate, the first time he's been on the ice since the March 6 game in San Jose. He is considered "day-to-day," Golden Knights fall behind Kings after first period DeBoer said. It wasn't a great first period for the Golden Knights, but after some TV: AT&T SportsNet (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760) rockiness to start they settled in well. Still, the Los Angeles Kings scored the only goal of the period and Vegas trailed 1-0 at the first intermission Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM on Monday at T-Mobile Arena. Betting line: Golden Knights minus-220, Kings plus-190; over/under: 5.5 Vegas was almost a victim of a freak play early in the game when Shea (minus-115, minus-105) Theodore stick-handled the puck into a referee's skate in his own zone, Golden Knights (23-8-1, 47 points; 1st place, West Division)

Coach: Pete DeBoer (second season)

Points leader: Mark Stone (39)

Goals leader: Max Pacioretty (18)

Assists leader: Mark Stone (27)

Expected goalie: Robin Lehner (2.55 GAA, .898 save percentage)

Kings (13-13-6, 32 points; 6th place, West Division)

Coach: Todd McLellan (second season)

Points leader: Anze Kopitar (37)

Goals leader: Dustin Brown (14)

Assists leader: Anze Kopitar (29)

Expected goalie: Jonathan Quick (2.91 GAA, .898 save percentage)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Forwards

Max Pacioretty—Chandler Stephenson—Mark Stone

Jonathan Marchessault—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith

Keegan Kolesar—Cody Glass—Alex Tuch

William Carrier—Tomas Nosek—Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Alec Martinez—Shea Theodore

Brayden McNabb—Dylan Coghlan

Nicolas Hague—Zach Whitecloud

Goalies

Robin Lehner, Marc-Andre Fleury

LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207377 Vegas Golden Knights for himself and he can make plays and be the offensive player that he’s going to be at this level.”

Perhaps the best example of Glass creating space for himself came Golden Knights’ Cody Glass answers with energetic performance after midway through the first period. sitting out After entering the offensive zone, Alec Martinez dropped a pass to Glass, who was immediately marked by Kings captain Anze Kopitar. Not only did Glass lean into Kopitar, but he also used his right hand to shield the By Jesse Granger 2h ago puck from a potential stick check. Once Kopitar tried to muscle through that, Glass quickly shifted and cut back to create a ton of time and space.

It’s an impressive play by Glass, especially considering it’s against one of Entering Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings, young the strongest, defensively responsible players in the league. Kopitar has Golden Knights forward Cody Glass had something to prove. two Selke Trophies at home, and Glass held his own. The 21-year-old had been left out of the lineup in the previous three These are very small plays, and Glass needs to produce them much games, serving as one of the team’s healthy scratches. Coach Peter more consistently to become the player the Golden Knights hope he can DeBoer had mentioned he wanted to see more energy out of Glass, and be. He hasn’t done that nearly enough at even strength, and it’s a major Monday night he answered the bell with one of the most complete games reason he hasn’t been a permanent staple in the lineup yet. Monday of his brief NHL career. night was a great step toward that. Glass didn’t register a point on the night but was noticeable in all three “Coming back into the lineup after a couple games (off), the young guy zones and made several plays that demonstrate why the Golden Knights brought a lot of energy,” Martinez said. “He’s a really smart player. He’s think so highly of their 2017 sixth-overall draft pick. very skilled.” “I thought Cody (played) one of his best games of the year,” forward If there’s one thing Glass doesn’t lack, it’s adulatory compliments from Jonathan Marchessault said. “He didn’t necessarily get on the his teammates. Whether it’s Mark Stone, Pacioretty, Martinez, or a scoreboard, but he got out there and just wanted to play hockey and number of other Golden Knights players, they have nothing but great didn’t think.” things to say about Glass. Early in his NHL career, Glass has struggled to regularly drive offense That’s obviously partially part of being a good teammate, but there’s the way he did in junior hockey and at lower levels. It’s not unusual for a more to it. The compliments for Glass are often more over-the-top than young player adapting to the increased speed, physicality and intensity of for other teammates, and it’s probably partially because they want to help the best league in the world. a young player’s confidence but even more so because they believe in On the power play, Glass has been incredibly effective and is often Glass. They see a great person who works hard and has obvious talent, lauded as one of the most important pieces to the Golden Knights’ unit. and they want it to shine at the highest level. But at even strength, without as much time and space to operate, Glass’ There’s still plenty of work to be done for Glass to reach his potential. But offensive skill hasn’t shown through as often as he — or the coaching after sitting out three straight games, Monday night’s performance was staff — would like. the exact answer the team was hoping for. Monday night, Glass had plenty of energy, starting offensive rushes in The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 the neutral zone and distributing the puck to his linemates Alex Tuch and Keegan Kolesar. In the 12:37 of even-strength ice time that Glass was on the ice, the Golden Knights held an 18-8 edge in shot attempts, 9-2 edge in shots on goal, 10-1 advantage in scoring chances and 1-0 advantage on the scoreboard.

In other words, complete domination by Vegas.

“We talk quite often before the game, and I think he’s at his best when he just moves his feet,” Marchessault said of Glass. “Tonight it was a full 60 minutes of him just moving his feet, creating in the offensive zone, playing well in his defensive zone. I thought he had a really complete game, and he definitely needs to build off that game because I thought it was a perfect game for him.”

It wasn’t the first time Glass was a healthy scratch this season. Earlier in the season when DeBoer was asked why Glass had been taken out of the lineup, he was very positive.

“He’s joining a long list of very good NHL players who, as young guys, sometimes had to take a step back to take two steps forward,” DeBoer said. “I talked to Max Pacioretty, who played parts of three seasons in the American League. I would hope he would take out of it that this is normal. What guys like (Connor) McDavid do at a young age is the exception, not the rule.”

On what he hopes Glass takes away from the experience, DeBoer said, “To watch, to jump back in and make sure you bring a ton of energy with you, which he should.”

Energy has been a constant theme when it comes to DeBoer’s lineup- related answers. On March 22 he said, “We’re going to look at lineup options in order to maybe throw in some fresh legs and some guys who can bring us a little bit of that energy.”

Monday night after Glass’ impressive performance, DeBoer hinted that Glass might have needed a slight recharge.

“I thought Cody had some good energy, which was nice to see,” he said. “This is a tough grind and a tough schedule, especially for a young guy. (After) sitting for four or five days, I thought he came out today with good legs and some jump in his step. When he has that, he creates the space 1207378 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights Start Busy Week In Vegas With 4-1 Win Over LA Kings Monday

March 29, 2021 Alan Snel

It’s going to be a busy week at the Big Ice House by the Strip. The Vegas Golden Knights began a six-day stint that will include four games, including Monday’s showdown with the Los Angeles Kings.

The Knights looked sluggish in the first 20 minutes, yielding a goal to the Kings’ Matt Roy a mere 60 seconds into the match.

The VGK didn’t play with a lot of juice in period one after a two-game set in Denver, which resulted in a split and the Knights holding onto first place after the Battle of the Rockies.

“I thought the second half of the first period, we started to get our legs and started skating. In the second and third, we really found our game,” VGK coach Pete DeBoer said after the game.

The Knights trailed after one period before picking up the pace in period two tonight.

Reilly Smith knotted the score at one before Tomas Nosek put the puck past Kings netminder Jonathan Quick thanks to a nice puck bounce off the boards behind Quick to give the Knights a 2-1 lead. Nosek said after the game: “Right now we’re getting some bounces and some tips and it feels good to help the team win a game.”

Then VGK defenseman Nic Hague notched the third goal of the period, and his fourth of the season, to give Vegas a two-goal lead heading into the third period.

In the third period, the Golden Knights salted the game away when former LA Kings defenseman Alec Martinez fired in a goal with 7:25 left to give the Knights a 4-1 lead.

“It was a good feeling, but I was more concerned about just really trying to close it out in the third,” Martinez said during the media zoom session..

The four-year-old NHL franchise plans on asking state and county officials for increased capacity in the venue for games later in April. The team said attendance was 3,950 Monday night, a bit over 20 percent capacity. Since allowing fans back in T-Mobile Arena, the VGK are 6-0 in the arena since March 1.

Lehner saved 24 of 25 Kings shots and the Knights came away with the 4-1 victory. The two teams return to T-Mobile Arena Wednesday. The Knights are 24-8-1. Vegas plays Minnesota, currently in third place in the West, at home Thursday and Saturday.

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Slow Start Doesn’t Deter Robin Lehner, Vegas Golden Knights

Published 3 hours ago on March 29, 2021By Tom Callahan

After giving up a goal just one minute into the game, Lehner shut the door the rest of the way. He turned aside the next 12 shots he saw in the first period, and then faced just 12 shots in the second and third periods combined. Meanwhile the Vegas Golden Knights finally got the offense rolling, scoring four unanswered goals for a 4-1 win.

Lehner made 24 saves to earn the win, improving his record to 6-1-1 on the season. Oscar Dansk backed up as Marc-Andre Fleury earned the night off.

“Thankfully he was good early when we weren’t in the first 10 or 12 minutes of the game,” said head coach Pete DeBoer. “I thought he settled in… as the game went on and looked really solid, couple big saves there in the third. Even though they didn’t get a lot of shots he made some timely saves.”

While the Golden Knights didn’t have the quick start we’ve all been hoping for right along this season, you can’t underestimate the importance of the goaltending to keep the team in the game just like Lehner did tonight. It’s so important for the VGK that Lehner continues to have solid starts down the stretch to give Fleury a rest and sharpen his own game to continue to press for the starting role. Healthy competition pushes both netminders to be the best they can.

Keep in mind it’s also important for Robin Lehner mentally to bounce back from the early goal and have a solid game. Coming back from his extended time on IR with a concussion it’s important for him to feel comfortable and back on center.

This start will go a long way towards getting him back there quickly.

Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207380 Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas Starts Cold, Ends Hot in 4-1 Win Over KingsPublished 3 hours ago on March 29, 2021

By Tom Callahan Reilly Smith

I guess you can’t have everything. The Vegas Golden Knights checked almost every box I emphasized before Monday night’s game against the LA Kings, but still couldn’t get off to a good start. They allowed the game’s first goal just one minute into the opening period but rebounded nicely in a 4-1 win.

Probably the most encouraging thing that happened in the game was the re-establishment of the Vegas Golden Knights forecheck. Time after time the VGK got the puck in deep and followed up with some serious work along the boards to generate plenty of scoring chances and a few goals as well.

It was a good look for a team preparing to get Alex Pietrangelo back in the lineup, possibly as soon as Saturday. After a tough series split against the Colorado Avalanche it was good to see Vegas take the fight to the Kings and take care of business.

Also worth mentioning was the power play, which looked especially good on the first chance that resulted in Reilly Smith scoring a power play goal. Puck movement was crisp, movement off the puck was active, and the VGK were able to open up seams and generate a goal against a penalty kill that hasn’t allowed a power play goal against since March 6 vs. the St. Louis Blues.

To illustrate how the game swung after the halfway mark of the first period when Vegas woke up, starter Robin Lehner faced 13 shots in the first period and only 12 total the rest of the way. Also, Marc-Andre Fleury had the night off as Oscar Dansk backed up Lehner for the game.

Tom’s Takeaways:

The slow starts continue, but the Golden Knights woke up a bit quicker this time. By the halfway mark of the first period the VGK had the momentum and except for small stretches for the rest of the game controlled the play.

Reilly Smith recorded his first point in nine games with that power play goal.

Vegas has now defeated the Kings in five-of-six meetings this season.

The Golden Knights stay one point ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for first place in the Honda West Division as both teams won on Monday.

Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207381 Vegas Golden Knights

Alex Pietrangelo Practicing With Golden Knights, Nears Return

Published 4 hours ago on March 29, 2021By Tom Callahan

Alex Pietrangelo practiced with the Vegas Golden Knights today wearing a red no-contact jersey. After morning skate Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer called Pietrangelo day-to-day.

“It’s just all how he responds the next day to what we did today,” DeBoer said. “(Pietrangelo) had a good skate yesterday and responded well today… we’ll see how he is tomorrow.”

The Golden Knights have been without Pietrangelo in the lineup for 12 games including tonight’s matchup with the LA Kings. He also missed a stretch of three games earlier this season.

In 18 games this season the King City, Ontario native has eight assists and 10 points to go with a plus-8 rating. More importantly his GF% (57.6), DFF% (53.5), Rel DFF (3.2), CF% 53.1, Rel CF (2.3) (PuckPedia) are all solid and the Golden Knights are clearly a better team with him in the lineup.

Alex Pietrangelo won’t play tonight but could potentially return for Wednesday’s game against the Kings.

Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207382 Vegas Golden Knights

Time to Silence the Doubters for Vegas Golden Knights

Published 4 hours ago on March 29, 2021By Tom Callahan

Fans are a fickle mistress in sports. To keep them happy you have to keep winning. Moral victories exist only in post-game platitudes spouted by teams that don’t leave the building with two points in their pockets. So after the Vegas Golden Knights got an ass kicking from the Colorado Avalanche last Thursday night, suddenly there was some unease among the VGK faithful.

Vegas responded with a much better effort and won the game 3-2 in overtime, coming from behind twice against the Avalanche and showing tremendous resolve in doing so.

After the game, VGK head coach Pete DeBoer made mention of keeping your conviction in the face of doubters.

“For the believers out there, thanks for sticking with us. I know there were some doubters out there after the last game but I knew our group would respond with a real good effort. We did that tonight.”

What does a team have to do around here to keep people from breaking their ankles as they jump off the bandwagon?

Maybe I’ve been around the game too long. Maybe I’m just too cynical. Maybe I’m missing something. But if you’re letting that one 5-1 loss be the reason to put this team on blast I don’t think we’re watching the same hockey team.

Sure, there are real reasons for concern. At times the scoring goes dormant. The starts can be slow and the second periods can be dreadful. There are games where if your goalie isn’t keeping you in it, you’re not in it.

Now if I posted that sentence on Twitter and said tell me which team I’m talking about, every fan of every team could identify with it in one way or another and think I was talking about them.

Put another way, bad games happen to good teams. It’s a long (shortened) season.

That’s why not only for the Vegas Golden Knights fans but the team itself they must take care of business against the LA Kings this week. The Kings are a bit of a surprise, contending for the fourth and final playoff spot due to the St. Louis Blues being unable to remember how they won a Stanley Cup 20 months ago and the Arizona Coyotes occasionally figuring out how to shake out the sand and score goals. Both of those teams have three more games played than the Kings and sit within six points of LA.

This season the Kings have been getting it done not from youthful contributions as much as veteran guile. Anze Kopitar and the resurgent Dustin Brown have rediscovered their games. Goaltending is solid. The Kings are scrappy and competitive most nights. And that’s exactly the type of team that could sneak up and steal a game from the Vegas Golden Knights.

To really put the doubters to rest (for now), Vegas needs to win both games and do so with a persistent forecheck, team defense and a full 60- minute effort. If there is one concern I have right now it’s seeing this team play a full game. If they could do that every night they’d dominate. Instead, they seem to rely on flipping the switch at the right time and being able to power through whatever situation they’re in. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Tonight I’d really like to see Vegas come out and unload on the Kings for the first five minutes, get that first goal and just put the game in the rearview mirror. Show that they can dominate over three periods. And show that they can beat the teams they’re supposed to beat.

Until that happens, there will still be some rumblings.

Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207383 Washington Capitals the top four — something the Capitals have lacked in the recent past — can create a dilemma for opponents as they contemplate matchups.

“It’s subtle offense,” defenseman Nick Jensen said. “It is not super flashy Justin Schultz needed a reset after the 2020 season. He got it with the all the time, but he is very offensively involved. It is not always right-in- Caps. your-face involved, but he is always finding ways to generate offense, whether it is skating up the ice and moving it to the forwards and joining as a second wave.”

Samantha Pell Washington, which faces the Rangers on Tuesday, tries to give the pairing of Orlov and Schultz a lot of offensive-zone faceoff starts to take March 29, 2021 at 4:54 p.m. UTC advantage of Schultz’s skill set. They then have the chance to keep the puck in that part of the ice and drive the offense forward. Because neither plays on the penalty kill like the other four regular defensemen — To Justin Schultz, the situation was pretty simple: The Pittsburgh Carlson, Jensen, Brenden Dillon and Zdeno Chara — power-play Penguins just didn’t want him anymore. Then-Penguins general manager opportunities and extra offensive-zone starts help to even out ice time. Jim Rutherford made that clear when deciding to “move on” from Schultz after he had spent five years with the organization, but not before Schultz and Orlov also have benefited from extended time together. The criticizing the defenseman after the team’s abrupt postseason exit last blue line hasn’t suffered any injuries since Schultz took that puck to the year. face. It has allowed the Capitals to dress the same three defensive pairings — Dillon-Carlson, Orlov-Schultz and Chara-Jensen — for many “Well, they could have been better,” Rutherford said of Schultz and his games. defense partner, Jack Johnson. “I know everybody picks on Jack and they have for a long time, but I think, in that pairing, Justin Schultz had a “We have really got into a groove and chemistry with partners, and there lot more to give.” is something to be said about that,” McCarthy said. “When you have the same pairs together, you start to form that bond you need, you know?” So the two-time Stanley Cup champion in Pittsburgh found himself in need of a new home. He quickly landed in Washington, where he signed Washington Post LOADED: 03.30.2021 a two-year, $8 million contract in October.

Schultz’s addition to the blue line has paid dividends for a team that at times struggled defensively last season. He has solidified his spot on the second pairing next to Dmitry Orlov, and with only 22 games left in the regular season he has helped balance out the group. It has also been a welcome chance to reset.

“I think there was a little bit of extra motivation when a team doesn’t really want you anymore,” Schultz said. “You know, it gives you some motivation to work hard and prove yourself again.”

Schultz has two goals and 15 assists in 30 games this season, including two assists in a win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night and one in a victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday. He recorded three goals and nine assists in 46 games with the Penguins last season.

“Obviously, it didn’t go the way we wanted to in the playoffs in the bubble,” Schultz said of the Penguins’ surprising loss to Montreal. “I didn’t play my best, and it’s a business and I understand that now. I’ve been in the league for a while. It is what it is, and [I’m] thankful I got a chance here in Washington and hopefully we can make a good run at it this year.”

Schultz had a fast start with the Capitals, a stretch he called some of the best hockey of his career.

He then missed four games after he took a puck to the face in late January. He had to wear a full bubble shield, which can impede a player’s vision, for a month after he returned to practice. He has not fully reached his early-season form, but he said he is close.

“As a person, he’s right up my alley,” Capitals defenseman John Carlson said. “He is laid-back, loves sports — we talk about sports a lot — watch whatever is on TV, shoot the breeze. He’s been great for us, too. He’s been having an unbelievable year. I think he’s playing as good as I’ve ever seen him play.”

Capitals assistant coach Kevin McCarthy, who works primarily with the defensemen, remembers the version of Schultz from the 2017 Stanley Cup finals, when McCarthy and Capitals Coach Peter Laviolette were in Nashville.

At the time, McCarthy mainly took note of Schultz’s offensive skill set, but now he has seen the strong defensive side of his game after being around him consistently.

“He sees the ice well. He is a smart player,” McCarthy said. “He defends well. He’s got a really good stick and you can appreciate his all-around game. He is a very strong 200-foot player. That part of it, you look at the offense and you forget that from a defensive standpoint you don’t have any issues playing him against any line that is out there, so it gives you the confidence to put him out there in any situation.”

McCarthy said Schultz brings balance on the right side of the defense to complement Carlson. Having two strong offensive-minded defensemen in 1207384 Washington Capitals

Since returning from suspension, Wilson has been a difference-maker for Capitals

By Andy Kostka - The Washington Times - Monday, March 29, 2021

The double-edged sword that Tom Wilson can so often be unsheathed itself fully in the Capitals’ 5-4 win on Sunday.

The winger was a thorn in the Rangers’ side, scoring twice. But he also picked up two minor penalties, and the latter one led to New York’s fourth goal late in the third period. To Washington, though, those infractions are worth the dominance Wilson otherwise brings when he’s on the ice.

Since returning from a seven-game suspension for his rough hit on the Bruins’ Brandon Carlo along the boards, Wilson has notched five points in four games — and four points in his last two contests. Wilson played a major part in the Capitals’ five-win homestand, and he’ll continue to be a difference-maker as Washington begins a road trip Tuesday with a rematch against the Rangers.

“Willy’s just an all-around great player for us,” defenseman Brenden Dillon said. “First and foremost, he creates a lot of room for his teammates when he’s playing physical, he’s getting into the forecheck. And offensively, the skill he has and how much offense he creates. He can make plays. He’s tough to handle when you get the cycle game going.”

Wilson’s return from his seven-game suspension was easier than the returns for some of his teammates who missed time through the coronavirus protocols. While his teammates couldn’t continue practicing with the team, Wilson could.

And while coach Peter Laviolette said Wilson’s first game back on March 20 involved “getting his feet under him a little bit,” he still chipped in an assist.

Wilson’s most recent performances have fueled Washington to another two wins despite playing three games in roughly 72 hours. He notched two assists in a 4-0 win Friday against the New Jersey Devils before his two-goal performance Sunday.

His first tally came on a rebound, tracking teammate Jakub Vrana’s drive to the crease before flicking in the deflection. His second came with him crashing the net again, batting the puck out of the air and into the back of the cage. Those efforts were much needed in a tight contest, giving the Capitals their 10th win in their last 11 games.

“I think just getting his timing back in that first game was important, but since then, he’s been really dominant out there,” Laviolette said. “He’s been physical, he’s been fast, he’s been producing, he’s been a good defensive player for us.”

As Washington prepares for a five-game road trip, the team enters tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for most points in the NHL. Big contributions from several attackers have propelled a run of 14 wins in 16 games, with Alex Ovechkin chief among those threats (he scored his 11th goal in his last 11 games Sunday).

Part of that string of positive results came with Wilson missing from the lineup. But his return only bolsters an attack that’s firing on all cylinders right now — and that’s worth a few minutes in the penalty box.

“Obviously, there are some linemates that are really hot, so just trying to jump on the bandwagon a little bit and help them out,” Wilson said of his strong form since returning. “It’s nice when they go in, for sure.”

Washington Times LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207385 Washington Capitals

Laviolette lauds Ovechkin for doing the ‘dirty work’ on offense

BY MATT WEYRICH

Alex Ovechkin has his office, but he doesn’t need to stay there in order to get work done.

The Capitals’ future Hall of Famer is in the midst of one of the best stretches of his career. In his last 11 games, Ovechkin has scored 11 goals, added two assists and averaged 4.1 shots on goal per contest. His stellar play has Washington in the hunt for the President’s Trophy with just over six weeks left in the regular season.

As remarkable as Ovechkin’s recent tear has been, head coach Peter Laviolette talked Monday on the Sports Junkies about how impressed he’s been by the 35-year-old’s ability to score from all over the ice.

“What impresses me is, from an offensive standpoint, he works for that offense,” Laviolette said. “He’s not somebody who stands over on the side — the power play is a little bit different, he’s set up to shoot the puck — but…he [is] doing the dirty work [and] he’s willing to do the work, whatever it takes, to be a productive offensive player and to me, that’s great leadership with regard to our team and setting the example of what you have to do and where you have to be to score goals.”

Ovechkin got off to a slow start this season, scoring only seven goals in his first 19 games. After missing a few games due to COVID protocols, he took a few weeks to find his rhythm. Now, he’s tied for fifth in the NHL with 18 goals and sits just four behind Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews for the most in the league.

“As far as the goals go, before they started dropping you could see there was a lot of pucks going towards the net,” Laviolette said. “Obviously, he’s good at what he does and I think for him, one of the most important things is opportunity. When you see him start to take ice and move towards the net looking to release the puck, usually good things will happen.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207386 Winnipeg Jets Pierre-Luc Dubois, left, checks Calgary Flames' Chris Tanev during the first period.

The Flames didn’t wait long to find pay dirt. New line works wonders for Jets as they dominate Flames 5-1 A hooking penalty against Andrew Copp led to a Calgary power play just 33 seconds into the game and Elias Lindholm made it a 1-0 game.

Jeff HamiltonBy: Jeff Hamilton The Jets fought back to tie and then take the lead before the end of the period, scoring twice over a span of 1:54. Posted: 12:21 AM CDT Tuesday, Mar. 30, 2021 Nate Thompson redirected a pass from Dylan DeMelo with his skate to even the game at the 16:19. The goal was reviewed but the call stood. Scheifele then converted on a perfect 2-on-1 pass from Connor to put the Of all the line juggling the Winnipeg Jets have done this season, there Jets on top. was one combination head coach Paul Maurice seemed to resist. Scheifele was back at it in the second period, jamming home his own Mark Scheifele has anchored the No. 1 line all year, but never had he rebound just minutes in to make it a 3-1 lead. The goal was set up by played with both Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor on his wings. On some fancy footwork by Ehlers, who drove the net and beat a defender Monday, Maurice finally gave the trio an honest look, dropping Blake by dropping the puck from his stick and kicking it up with his skate before Wheeler and Paul Stastny to the second line to play with Pierre-Luc feeding it to Scheifele in front. Dubois. The Jets lead swelled to 4-1 before the second period was over, with The move paid off in spades. Andrew Copp scoring his 11th goal of the season. Scheifele scored twice and added an assist, Ehlers recorded three That would set up a third period that opened with a goal from Dubois just assists and Connor chipped in two assists as the group combined for more than a minute in. eight points in a dominating 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.30.2021 It was the kind of performance that made you wonder "what took so long?"

"Some of it had to do with the matchup from our last game, but some of it had to do with the lines you write out six weeks ago, or two months ago after we get Pierre-Luc back in our lineup," Maurice said. "When you get to the end of a really, really long road trip and your team has played well and had a tough loss, sometimes you need something to kind of almost fill up a little interest, if that makes sense."

The victory capped off a season-high seven-game road trip for the Jets, who opened the stretch with two straight losses against the Edmonton Oilers, followed by a pair of wins over the Vancouver Canucks before finishing off in Calgary for a three-game set. The Jets and Flames split the first two games, setting up a rubber match Monday.

What made Saturday’s loss so disappointing for the Jets was that their top two lines were held off the score sheet. It’s not often that happens, making a rebound evening for the new Scheifele line all the more rewarding.

"It was a bounce-back game for everyone tonight. It was a bounce-back game for the team," Ehlers said. "That’s what we do, that’s kind of how our playoff mentality is, to bounce back after a loss and we’ve been able to do that really well this season. Obviously, you don’t want to lose games, but being able to go out and play the way we played tonight after a loss shows how special this group is."

The Jets are now 22-12-2 on the year, and remain in second place in the Canadian Division, one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the top spot. The Jets were briefly in third place Monday evening after the Oilers salvaged a single point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Leafs, but now sit one point behind with an equal amount of games played.

The loss puts Calgary’s playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. The defeat dropped the Flames to 16-18-3, putting them tied for fifth place with the Vancouver Canucks,with 35 points.

The Flames and Canucks are just two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the fourth and final playoff spot, but the Canadiens have six games in hand on both clubs.

Connor Hellebuyck returned to the net after a break Saturday. He finished with 29 saves, including on a number of quality chances from the Flames, to improve to 17-9-2.

"If one beats me, it doesn’t change my game plan," Hellebuyck said. "I want to show that I’m a rock back there and anytime that I get beat, I’m going to force them to make the perfect shot, or at least try to, and I’m going to show my team that I’m not fazed."

Jacob Markstrom was back between the pipes for Calgary, but lasted just two periods before being replaced by David Rittich. Markstrom finished his night allowing 4 goals on 23 shots. 1207387 Winnipeg Jets two weeks and see what happens. Because if we don’t get a defenceman in here we can’t win?’ We’re winning hockey games now."

Winnipeg has been active at the deadline before. They picked up Paul What's the deal on a trade? Stastny for a long playoff run in 2018 and went back to the well the next year to obtain Kevin Hayes, who wasn’t nearly as effective.

The Jets’ next best option, and perhaps only other option, is to look Jeff Hamilton within. There have been some major developments on the blue line this year, including the play of Logan Stanley, who after being drafted 18th Posted: 7:40 PM CDT Monday, Mar. 29, 2021 overall in 2016 is making an argument to be a regular. Waiting in the wings, currently starring with the , are Ville Heinola and Dylan Samberg. The noise around the Winnipeg Jets will get louder and louder as the NHL’s April 12 trade deadline inches closer. Winnipeg should also expect more from the likes of Morrissey, who has struggled at times this year but is a very important piece, as well as With the Jets in contention for first place in the Canadian division nearly Dylan DeMelo. After a slow start, DeMelo has started to morph back into two-thirds into the season, making them a clear buyer over seller, the No. his usual consistent self. 1 demand coming from outside the locker room is for an upgrade to the defence. According to media reports and fans’ pleas, the only thing "We’ve been improving throughout the course of the year. We’ve had stopping the Jets from going on a long playoff run is the absence of some new pairings and I think guys have taken some huge steps another top-pairing defenceman. forward. Having Derek Forbort come in … he’s been outstanding in what he brings to the team, on and off the ice," Morrissey said. Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm and David Savard from Columbus are just two names that have been connected to the Jets. No doubt either would "Then you see (Logan Stanley) come in with (Nathan Beaulieu’s) injury help Winnipeg in a bid for a Stanley Cup. and he’s just been outstanding as well, just getting better every game. I like where we’re trending and we’re gonna have to keep pushing But as calls for trade deadline frenzy reach a deafening pitch, there’s a forward." group inside the Jets locker room that feels they’re doing just fine. It’s less about thinking what might happen and more about focusing on the Then there’s the concept of improving team defence, rather than just players who are here. focusing on the blue line. Better overall play from the forwards in the defensive zone should only help take pressure off the defence. "All of it’s outside our dressing room. That’s something that people are gonna speculate on and have their own opinions on, on every team in the "We know what it takes. We know we need to help each other out at both league, and what they should do … that’s the nature of the business," ends of the ice and we got two goalies that have been incredible again defenceman Josh Morrissey said following Monday’s morning skate. this year," forward Nikolaj Ehlers said. "So, yes, I do think that we have the team to do some good things this year." "Everyone hears about it … it’s impossible not to, especially when you play in Canada. What’s key as players is to try and block that out. It’s out Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.30.2021 of your control.

"Your job is to play the game and be ready to go and adjust on the fly to whatever happens. That’s all you can do."

It’s not as if the Jets haven’t seen results this season, even if at times their play hasn’t always impressed. They’ve lost consecutive games just twice, and just once without earning at least a point. At 21-12-2, they entered Monday’s action second in their division, two points back of first- place Toronto Maple Leafs.

When it comes to the playoffs you need to be more than just good to make a long run — you need to be a complete team in all areas. While the Jets have one of NHL’s top forward groups, as well as arguably the best goalie on the planet in Connor Hellebuyck, where they lack in comparison is on the blue line.

While the players might consider it above their pay grade to suggest who should join the team at the deadline, that doesn’t apply to head coach Paul Maurice. It would be Maurice working closely with general manager to decide the direction of the club, at the deadline.

So, are the Jets in need of a defenceman?

"You can’t go into any game feeling you need more ever, right? And that really is important in the room, in the coaching staff, that you’ve got to have a belief that the group that you have now can win, and be solely focused on that. Because there’s just too long a list of trades that didn’t make the team better. There are guys that step out of nowhere in the playoffs and you sit there and go, ‘Thank God,’ or you get an injury that you think is devastating and some kid comes in and plays and the next thing you know your hockey team’s better," Maurice said.

"Your job is to play the game and be ready to go and adjust on the fly to whatever happens. That’s all you can do," Josh Morrissey said.

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES

"Your job is to play the game and be ready to go and adjust on the fly to whatever happens. That’s all you can do," Josh Morrissey said.

"And then making all of the great trades that I read about that are just so much harder to do than people think. ‘Why don’t they just make that trade, right?’ I have an opinion on areas that we can improve, for sure. But there won’t be any part of my day (spent) saying, ‘Well, we’ll wait for 1207388 Winnipeg Jets you create a lot of chemistry with different guys, and that can help you in the long run, when things aren’t going.”

The Jets now have a 5-2-1 record against the Flames this season and Scheifele shines after line change as Jets take rubber match against they took two of three games in this most recent mini-series in Calgary. Flames “I think it’s very important, no matter who we’re playing, to win the series,” Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck said. “There are a lot of good teams in this division and it’s very tight and I’m sure everyone wants Ted Wyman home-ice advantage. So if we can continue to win these series, that’s going to put us on top. That’s our goal.” Publishing date:Mar 30, 2021 • 3 hours ago As they head home to play two games against the first-place Maple Leafs

Wednesday and Friday, the Jets are looking like a team that has all the There are many Winnipeg Jets fans who thought it was high time centre pieces to go on a deep playoff run. Mark Scheifele got a chance to play with the team’s two most productive Hellebucyk, the reigning Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender, is doing his wingers. thing, the Jets are getting scoring from all four of their lines and their Coach Paul Maurice clearly agreed on Monday night and his decision to blue-liners are playing a consistent, if unspectacular game. put Scheifele with Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers paid off in a big way. All four of the Jets lines contributed at least one goal Monday night. Scheifele, the Jets leading scorer, replaced Pierre-Luc Dubois on the line “I would say we have a lot of different looking players here that mesh well and scored two goals and added an assist, with Connor and Ehlers together,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “There’s a lot of pieces now that assisting on both of his markers, in a 5-1 win over the Calgary Flames at are movable. Each line can do different things. This would be the first the Saddledome. bench that I’ve run, in 25 years, that’s built like that, that has a spectrum “You know, it’s just the end of a road trip, not our greatest showing by our of talent and grit. It’s a pretty good group and I think it’s getting better and whole team the game before, so a little changeup isn’t always a bad better.” thing,” Scheifele said. Hellebuyck made 29 saves for the win, while Jacob Markstrom and David “The lucky thing on this team is there’s so many good players. No matter Rittich combined to stop 24 in a losing cause. who you’re playing with, you’re playing with pretty fantastic players. The shuffling of the lineup didn’t pay off for Scheifele alone. Dubois also There’s different game styles, but we’re so blessed with such great scored his seventh of the season in the third period — beating backup forwards on this team, no matter who you’re playing with it’s always fun.” goalie Rittich with a high shot — with Wheeler and Stastny picking up the The win improved the Jets record to 22-12-2 and moved them back into assists. second place in the North Division, one point ahead of the Edmonton The Jets moved 11 points ahead of the Flames in the standings. Calgary Oilers and one back of the Toronto Maple Leafs. is tied with the Vancouver Canucks for fifth place at 35 points. Only the Scheifele leads the Jets with 43 points on the season, good for fifth in the top four teams in the division will make the playoffs. NHL, but before Monday night he gained most of those points while The Jets went 4-3 on their seven-game road trip and stayed in contention playing with captain Blake Wheeler and, recently, converted centre Paul for first place despite playing 12 of 14 games on the road in March. Stastny on his wings. They’ve also been a very tough team to beat in consecutive games — it On Monday, Maurice put Dubois with Wheeler and Stastny and gave has only happened once this season — and they showed that to the Scheifele a chance to play with two players who entered the game with Flames after losing 4-2 on Saturday night. 33 points apiece in 35 games. “I think it’s just that we have a great room,” Scheifele said. “We have a lot “It’s obviously very different,” Scheifele said. “You have two skilled, fast of professionals, we have a lot of guys that have a lot of character and guys in (Ehlers) and (Connor), so you’ve got to keep your speed going, have been through a lot and have seen a lot in this game. I think it comes let them get going. And then get roaming around in the offensive zone. from that. There’s no quit in us, we know what makes our team good. So there’s two very different lines, but obviously four very talented Sometimes we get away from it, but we know what to do to get back to players that you’re playing with. It’s fun no matter who you’re playing it.” with.” Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.30.2021 Elias Lindholm opened the scoring for the Flames on a power play just 2:24 into the first period, but the Jets held a 2-1 lead after the first period.

Veteran centre Nate Thompson got the Jets on the board at 16:19 with his second of the season — a goal that went off his skate and had to survive video review — and Scheifele scored a beauty on a feed from Connor at 18:13.

In the second period, the Jets started to pull away, with Scheifele scoring again just 3:31 in and then setting up Andrew Copp during a line change at 14:31 to give Winnipeg a 4-1 lead.

Ehlers assisted on that goal as well, giving him three helpers on the night.

Ehlers now has 15 goals and 36 points in 36 games — it’s clearly been his best season as an NHL player — but that doesn’t mean he’s complacent enough to believe there won’t be line juggling during any given game.

“Sometimes you have a great line combination and it’s working out for you and something changes,” he said. “That’s just the way it is. When it’s not going for the team, when it’s not going for you and it’s not working, you change it up a little bit. Sometimes it happens during games, sometimes it happens before games.

“We’re professionals. Most of the guys here have played together at some point. It’s nothing new. We’re not the only ones that do it. So, it’s fun, you get to play with a bunch of different guys throughout the season, 1207389 Winnipeg Jets you come down the line, closer to the deadline, and there’s speculation. Everyone hears about it … it’s impossible not to, especially when you play in Canada.”

JETS SNAPSHOTS: North Division games not exactly like the playoffs “I think what’s key as players is to try and block that out. It’s out of your right now, but it’s pretty close control and I think those things are often speculation based on people outside the organization. As a player, your job is to play the game and be ready to go and adjust on the fly to whatever happens. We hear it, it’s impossible not to. but that’s way outside our job description. Our job is to Ted Wyman go out there every night and try to get two points in the big games we Publishing date:Mar 29, 2021 • 7 hours ago have here, coming down the stretch. That’s all you can do.”

Maurice, who has iced the same lineup of skaters for 10 straight games, said the best thing to do is plan for trying to win with what you have and As they wrapped up yet another mini-series against a Canadian division then adjust if you get reinforcements before the trade deadline. rival on Monday night, the Winnipeg Jets were exactly 20 games away from the end of the pandemic-shortened NHL season. “There won’t be any part of my day saying, ‘Well, we’ll wait for two weeks and see what happens, because if we don’t get a defenseman in here, So it wasn’t too surprising to hear players and coaches compare the we can’t win?’ Maurice said. series with Calgary and the upcoming two-game set with the Toronto Maple Leafs as having a playoff feel. “We’re winning hockey games now. You can’t go into any game feeling you need more ever, right? And that really is important in the room, in the It’s clearly not exactly the same intensity as you would get in post-season coaching staff that you’ve got to have a belief that the group that you games but there’s no question the games have an added amount of have now can win, and be solely focused on that.” desperation and there’s a premium on mistake-free hockey. DEFENCE IMPROVING? “I think the intensity ramps up, for sure,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said Monday morning at Calgary’s Saddedome. Morrissey has taken a lot of heat over his play this season (and last season) but he continues to try to work through and eat up the minutes “It’s never the same as a playoff game, right? It’s almost impossible to on the blue-line. get to that level and usually the fans have a huge part to do with that. It’s just the fans, and there’s so much more energy in the building in a playoff The Jets alternate captain believes this defence group has improved game. And then we don’t have any out here. But, for sure, you saw a consistently since the start of the 2019-20 season, when it was different level of desperation in teams, I would say in our last four decimated by the departures of Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, Jacob games.” Trouba and Ben Chiarot.

The Jets beat the Flames 3-2 on Friday night but lost 4-2 on Saturday to “I think guys have taken some huge steps forward,” Morrissey said. a team that is much higher up on the desperation scale. Calgary entered “Having Derek Forbort come in — he’s been outstanding in what he Monday’s game with 35 points (nine fewer than the Jets) and were two brings to the team, on and off the ice. The way he plays the game is points behind a Montreal team that occupies the fourth and final playoff infectious on guys around him. spot and had played five less games due to a recent COVID-19 outbreak. “We’ve had some big contributions throughout our entire back end. And “For Calgary, with where they’re at, this is a playoff game,” Maurice said then you see (Logan Stanley) come in with (Nathan Beaulieu’s) injury ahead of the game. “And then we have to find a way to get to that energy and he’s just been outstanding as well, just getting better every game, level, which is a really good testing ground for your hockey team. It’s not seeing more what he can do every single game. exactly like a playoff series because it’s not the same kind of “As a whole, our back end, going back to the start of last season, was environment around it. But this schedule says it is, that now we’re going sort of rebuilding from losing all of the guys that we lost. From then on, to get into really heavy games. And I think we’re gonna see that right we’ve just had to focus on getting better every day, watching video, trying down the stretch.” to improve individually and as a group and we’ve come a long way. Clearly, since all the games are being played within the seven-team There’s still a long way to go and there’s some really good prospects in North Division this season, there’s been a little more urgency every night, the organization. I like where we’re trending and we’re gonna have to right since the beginning of the season. The proverbial four-point games keep pushing forward.” happen every second day. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.30.2021 Every win is meaningful, every loss damaging. Overtime wins and losses are critical, when everyone knows the standings could come down to a point here or there.

“Every game is a little bit different, but you’re definitely getting closer to that playoff style hockey,” Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers said. “You know, (the Flames) lose, they bounce back, we lost, we’re going to bounce back, and that’s playoffs — you lose a game you got to bounce back the next. So, it’s exciting.”

EYE ON THE DEADLINE?

With the April 12 trade deadline two weeks away, there’s been plenty of talk about the Jets being active, likely in the form of adding a defenceman to their current group.

Most observers see the Jets as Stanley Cup contenders, given that they have a Vezina Trophy-winning goalie in Connor Hellebuyck and an impressive and deep set of forwards.

The blue-line has been, and still is, an area of concern and many believe the Jets could take another huge step by adding a top-four blue-liner.

How does that sit with the current group of defencemen, who’ve been battling every night to this point in the season?

“All of it’s outside our dressing room,” Jets rearguard Josh Morrissey said. “That’s something that people are gonna speculate on and have their own opinions on, on every team in the league, and what they should do. And that’s the nature of the business. I think, as a player, every year 1207390 Winnipeg Jets That’s had a cascading effect in terms of how Maurice runs the bench. Essentially, it’s allowed the veteran coach to run his top dogs less, spreading out more minutes up and down the lineup.

BITS BY BILLECK: Stanley endears; exposing Morrissey? Please... Harkins’ inclusion could throw a spanner into that. If Harkins came in and Maurice’s trust dipped, you’d begin seeing the top lines more and the fourth line less.

Scott Billeck But it’s also arguable that there’s nothing wrong with the fourth line at all. Their possession numbers aren’t there but their expected goal numbers Publishing date:Mar 29, 2021 • 21 hours ago are just fine.

And they’re being used in key moments of the game, both defending a Saturday night was a long-time coming for Logan Stanley. lead and chasing down a game well into the third period.

A giant on skates, Stanley has proven to be a monster for the Winnipeg There’s a long leash there right now for the line. It’s far from optimal for Jets this season. A revelation, if you will. Harkins, but as Maurice has pointed out several times, it’s about the team and not the individual. After getting 13 games earlier in the season, Stanley was then forced to wait. The recap of his short stint in the big leagues was glowing. He Heinola? I’d expect him back with the Moose following Monday’s game. improved every shift and if a mistake occurred, he’d quickly correct it, He was the insurance policy for Winnipeg’s season-long road trip. rarely making the same error twice. Exposing Morrissey in the expansion draft? And then there was his seeing-eye, heavy shot. It came in droves, It’s been tossed out there in the Twittersphere. It’s also insane. continually finding its way on goal for a chance. When he returned to the lineup following Nathan Beaulieu’s hand injury, Stanley hadn’t skipped a Not because Josh Morrissey is having a tough year (he is, and it’s a bit beat. Instead, there was a player who took advantage of every second on worrisome given how last year went as well), but because it would be the taxi squad and was better emerging from it than he was when he was terrible asset management by the Jets. taken out of the lineup. Seattle would snap Morrissey up in a heartbeat. And the Jets would get On Saturday, that all culminated in his first NHL goal, a wrister from the nothing for it other than alleviating his contract. right circle that pinged off the crossbar and then down behind David Rittich manning the net for the Calgary Flames. Sure, but who is replacing him? If you really want to get rid of Morrissey — and I doubt general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is even thinking If you were watching the broadcast of the game, you would have heard about this — you’d at least want a return for him. That way, you get rid of — loud and clear — what it meant to him. the contract and you get a return. Two birds, one stone, right?

“F—ing rights,” Stanley bellowed. The Jets aren’t going to allow Morrissey to go for free. They’re not going to let him go at all, in my mind. In a more G-rated setting, Stanley called the feeling “pretty cool” in the post-game Zoom call with the media following Winnipeg’s 4-2 defeat to But to think the Jets would expose a guy who embodies everything the the Flames. Once he sleeps on it, the milestone will probably elicit a Jets, as an organization, stands for, is a heck of a stretch. good deal of vindication, too. The Jets will lose someone for free in the expansion draft. They may Here’s a guy that was written off from the moment he was drafted 18th even pay to lose someone, ensuring they protect someone else. overall in 2016. The Jets took Patrik Laine in the two-hole and traded up to select Stanley, a move that puzzled many. But Morrissey is a player with plenty of trade value if the Jets ever went down that road. Losing someone like Tucker Poolman, Dylan DeMelo or The marinating period was far too long for most, and when he arrived in a prospect like Harkins or Kristian Vesalainen wouldn’t net anywhere the NHL this season, many were expecting him to implode. near the same return.

He’s done nothing of the sort. His haters have been silenced. He’s a guy Odds and ends people now want to see higher up in the defence pairings. He reminds them of Dustin Byfuglien. He can hit like Byfuglien, too. Watery Slurpees are gross. Full stop.

But perhaps what’s helped him most is how he’s endeared himself to his Yes. That was random. So was a poll I ran Saturday night. Ever listen to team. He didn’t complain when he came out. He kept his head down and the in-house announcer ask people everywhere to rise and stand, if able, came back with vengeance. He puts in the work, long after practice has for the national anthem? ended. I asked if people at home ever do this. He’ll blow up another player in the corner. A massive majority (94%) of around 1,700 votes said no. The other 6% He’ll step in and drag a couple of people out of a scrum. lied. Irrefutable scientific evidence.

And if the game calls for it, he’ll drop the mitts with his unmatched reach. Also, the Formula One season is underway. Thank goodness.

His teammates love him, his coach loves him and the fanbase has now And this year, unlike the past seven, there seems to be competition for caught up in that regard as well. Mercedes in the form of Red Bull. Max Verstappen might just have the wings to pip Sir Lewis Hamilton and the sports’ juggernaut German You shouldn’t find him in the press box as a healthy scratch again. automaker this season.

What about the other young guys? Not in Round 1, however, as Hamilton staved off Verstappen in Bahrain after one the best race endings in years in the sport — *chef’s kiss. When will Jansen Harkins get his shot? What about Ville Heinola? If you’re a UFC fan like myself, you would have had one eye on the The answer is not any time soon, barring injury. heavyweight championship bout from Saturday night between reigning Some feel Harkins would give the lineup a boost of youth, but the reality champion Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, a physical freak of nature is it might hamper the team more than it would help — and how much with decapitating power. The latter avenged a 2018 loss to the most Harkins’ inclusion in the lineup would tip the scales is debatable. successful heavyweight in UFC history with a brutal second-round knockout. I’d argue it’s far more complex than that. First, Harkins, as Jets head coach Paul Maurice has said, isn’t a special teamer at this point. Nate Ngannou is a scary, scary man. And the thought of a matchup against Thompson, Trevor Lewis and Mathieu Perreault all are. Secondly, that Jon Jones later this year has “Biggest Fight Ever” draped all over it. fourth line in its current construction is a trusted line of Maurice. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.30.2021 1207391 Vancouver Canucks All that is above ’s pay grade, but the Canucks coach has lauded Hamonic’s progress after missing 18 games with an upper-body injury suffered Jan. 20.

For Canucks, NHL trade deadline a matter of dollars, sense for cap- “Hammer has been a good addition to our group,” said Green. “He’s got strapped club good size, closes hard and has a heavy stick. We like him as a player and individual. He’s hard to play against and is everything we hoped he’d be and hopefully he can stay here.”

Ben Kuzma Jake Virtanen has been linked to several potential deals, but moving him before the NHL trade deadline means getting another club to bite on his Publishing date:Mar 29, 2021 • 10 hours ago • cap hit next season in addition to what remains of this season.

Extensions for restricted free agents Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and In snooker, it’s not what you make, it’s what you leave. Thatcher Demko are obvious priorities and waiver-wire claims Jimmy Vesey and Travis Boyd, who are both 27 and UFAs on $900,000 and The same sporting principle applies to the Vancouver Canucks in what $700,000 deals respectfully, are intriguing. If the versatile forwards are they may, or may not, accomplish in advance of the NHL trade deadline part of the future here and Vasili Podkolzin makes the transition from the on April 12. KHL, Jake Virtanen and Adam Gaudette may be expendable.

The simple summation for suitors interested in unrestricted free agents Virtanen has been linked to many deals, but moving him before the Tanner Pearson, Brandon Sutter, Alex Edler and Jordie Benn is that they deadline means convincing a suitor to bite on the $2.55 million cap hit must balance the salary-cap equation. Money coming in, even as rentals, next season and $3.4 million in total salary. It’s why a swap of struggling can be justified if similar money is going out — unless owner Francesco wingers — Danton Heinen, 25, of Anaheim and Virtanen, 24 — made Aquilini retains cash on expiring contracts. some sense last month.

That’s probably a moot point because the Canucks currently have no Heinen is an RFA with an expiring $2.88-million cap hit and unless the current or projected cap space. Add no-movement and modified no- Canucks retained salary, it wouldn’t be a one-for-one trade. The Ducks movement clauses — plus current injury situations and family wanted an add-on and the deal died. It’s why you wonder if another trade preferences — and trading UFAs for draft picks gets more complicated. of underachieving wingers in first-round picks Jake DeBrusk and Virtanen could be broached. It’s not surprising that Travis Hamonic, 30, won’t waive his NMC, even though there’s interest from the Carolina Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets. NEXT GAME The right-shot defenceman has always preferred to play in Western Canada for professional and family purposes. It could be the same Wednesday scenario with Edler and his NMC. Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks As for Pearson and Sutter, their value as experienced depth forwards is 7:30 p.m., Rogers Arena, TV: Sportsnet Pacific, Radio: Sportsnet 650 tempered by salaries and ailments. AM Pearson, 28, has missed four games with an ankle injury and the left- DeBrusk, 24, is in COVID-19 protocol with Boston, has but three goals winger hopes to start skating this week. Sutter, 32, has missed the last and is a frequent healthy scratch. He’s far removed from 19 goals last two games with an undisclosed injury and may play Wednesday, but the season and 27 in 2018-19. And with a $3.675-million cap hit next season centre has a history of core-related health issues. and $4.85 million in actual salary, the Canucks would ask the Bruins to Pearson’s expiring cap hit is $3.75 million (all figures in U.S. dollars), and retain money to equal Virtanen’s deal. That could be a big ask and with no movement in a contract extension, any possible trade scenario perhaps a big gamble on DeBrusk. may only include a provisional pick because of the ankle ailment. The Of course, the elephants in the room are those bottom-six contracts, more he plays, the higher the pick. That’s plausible. especially the extra year afforded Antoine Roussel and Jay Beagle. Sutter has been coveted for a month by Edmonton as a third-line solution The struggling Roussel, who has slid from the third to fourth line, has and penalty-kill specialist, but is a $4.375-million cap constraint. The another season remaining on his four-year, $12-million contract. And so Oilers have a fourth-round pick to dangle, but money changes does the injured Beagle, who signed an identical deal. If they were three- everything. year commitments, the Canucks would have another $6 million coming The Oilers are also in cap hell and would have to move a body out — like off the cap and the combined $4.1 million they’ll earn next season in total struggling centre Kyle Turris — or have the Canucks eat part of the salaries. remaining Sutter deal. He wants to sign an extension here and his For Roussel, 31, just four points (1-3) in 33 games is behind the 13 modified NTC has a list of 15 teams he can’t be dealt to. points (7-6) in 41 games last season and light years behind 31 points (9- It’s why the Oilers’ focus may shift to UFA centre Luke Glendening, 31, of 22) in 65 games during the 2018-19 season. Roussel has added the Detroit because of lower cap hit ($1.8 million) and familiarity with former penalty kill to help him hound pucks, but the lack of points brings Wings general manager Ken Holland. frustration.

Travis Hamonic, who has trade value but won’t waive no-movement “In the production part, there probably is,” he said. “I thought I was clause, checks Paul Stastny during March 1 meeting in Winnipeg. playing way worse last year than this year. I’m making plays, generating offence and feel like I’m way faster and still feel like I’m relevant in this Benn, 33, would be a depth fit for many clubs and the Canadiens lauded league. That’s encouraging. That’s what keeps me positive and going his two full seasons in Montreal before joining the Canucks. However, his every day. expiring $2-million cap hit is a challenge with the Canadiens trading for Eric Staal on Friday and signing prospect Cole Caufield on Saturday. “Obviously, I’d like to score more, but I’ve never been a shooter. It’s always been on tips and by working pucks in the corner and I feel like it’s Then there’s the other side of all this. rewarding for me. My standards are higher, so it’s not perfect but it’s not totally negative either.” As much as the Canucks have to get Olli Juolevi, Jalen Chatfield and eventually Jack Rathbone into their back-end mix — and also make a OVERTIME — RFA winger Justin Bailey, who suffered a separated decision on Group 6 UFA Brogan Rafferty — they need a support shoulder Feb. 11 against Calgary on a hit from Milan Lucic and was system. limited to three games this season, had surgery in New York on Monday after consulting with a specialist. Does Hamonic, who signed a one-year, team-friendly $1.250 million deal Jan. 12 to get the NMC and has meshed well with blue-line partner Quinn Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.30.2021 Hughes, get an extension that’s palatable to both sides? And what about Edler from a culture perspective? 1207392 Websites come playoff time. Think Barclay Goodrow and his impact in Tampa during its run to the Stanley Cup last summer. While Glendening isn’t going to come close to commanding the kind of price Tampa paid San Jose for Goodrow, Glendening has the potential to be a nice fit as a The Athletic / Who stays, who goes? Predicting which players from the fourth-line center who can help on the penalty kill and is good in the NHL trade deadline board will actually be dealt faceoff circle. He’s on an expiring deal with a $1.8 million cap hit and a mid- to late-round pick should get a deal done.

Kyle Palmieri, forward, New Jersey Devils By Scott Burnside Mar 29, 2021 Good fits: Islanders, Hurricanes, Bruins

We moved Kyle Palmieri into “pack your bags” territory because he is the Less than two weeks until the most unusual of NHL trade deadlines. kind of player who has the potential to be “that guy” on a contending There are many challenges ahead for NHL teams that want to move team like the New York Islanders or Carolina and might be the most players, including a salary cap flattened for the foreseeable future by the attractive rental player on the market. Palmieri epitomizes character and COVID-19 pandemic, the looming Seattle expansion draft, and the is a consistent producer despite a lull this season, the final year of his border restrictions that continue to exist for NHL players moving from current deal. He is someone who can slide anywhere into your top nine, U.S.-based teams to Canadian-based teams. The recent easing of add value on the power play and even as a secondary penalty killer. restrictions on the quarantine protocols from 14 days to seven is a boon Could you pry a first-round pick out of the Islanders? Maybe if the Devils to North Division teams looking to add, but it’s still a hurdle. eat some of Palmieri’s $4.65 million salary and throw something back the Isles’ way. Palmieri has an eight-team no-trade list, and the attractive And then there are the ever-shifting standings in this now wildly play for general manager Tom Fitzgerald, who has spoken openly about compressed divisional schedule that turns buyers into sellers and vice- his admiration for Palmieri and desire to keep him in New Jersey, is to versa on a weekly, if not daily, basis. turn Palmieri into assets at the deadline, then circle back to sign him in the offseason. There remains the potential for the Devils and Palmieri to But players will be dealt before 3 p.m. ET on April 12. agree to an extension tomorrow and all this is moot, but for our money, In fact, we already had to take Eric Staal off our list as he was traded Palmieri is going to garner lots of attention. Friday from Buffalo to Montreal, and we have shuffled probably half a Sam Bennett, forward, Calgary Flames dozen players to different levels of trade probability. Good fit: Oilers We dissected the latest iteration of The Athletic Trade Board and tried to predict whose bags better be packed, who needs to keep a suitcase Calgary has not seen the expected bump in results since Darryl Sutter close at hand, and who can put that suitcase back in the closet and put took over as head coach and is most likely a fifth-place club in the North the winter coats on top because they’re not going anywhere. Division. That means GM needs to start to pare down this roster for what should be an important offseason of reloading, which Pack your bags (most likely to be traded) prompted us to upgrade Bennett to the “definitely on the move” category. Taylor Hall, forward, Buffalo Sabres Bennett is a curious case. The fourth pick in the 2014 draft is still just 24 years old, so there’s plenty of time to revive a career arc that stalled early Good fits: Islanders, Maple Leafs in Calgary. He can play with an edge. He can play on the side and in the We moved Taylor Hall into the “pack your bags” category after he told middle. And, as our good pal Eric Duhatschek noted a month ago, he has reporters following the Sabres’ 16th straight game without a win that he had playoff success. But Bennett doesn’t really fit in Calgary as a would be open to being moved. Hardly a surprise that the former Hart restricted free agent, and there have been earlier discussions about Trophy winner will be eager to move on from the hellscape that the finding a new home for him. Given his age and if an acquiring team Buffalo Sabres represent, but Hall has a no-move clause so he controls figures they’ve got the room to re-sign Bennett, you might get a third- his own fate. Finding a suitor or two shouldn’t be a problem as we round pick in return. operate under the assumption the Sabres would eat upward of half of Dmitry Kulikov, defense, New Jersey Devils Hall’s monster $8 million salary or take significant salary back in any deal. The Staal deal is a kind of precedent as the Sabres are eating half Good fits: Bruins, Oilers of Staal’s salary to the tune of $1.625 million. As for a return, we keep As solid as the 14th overall pick in 2009 has been for the Devils, there’s hearing buzz of a first-round pick being involved. That seems beyond simply no good reason for them to hang on to the 30-year-old pending fanciful given the reality that Hall hasn’t been very good for quite some unrestricted free agent when teams should be calling on him. Kulikov has time dating to his trade to Arizona early in the 2019-20 season. The one- been an excellent partner for P.K. Subban, and as a left-hand shot on an time league MVP has two goals in 33 games this season. Please. A third- expiring deal he could help the Bruins, who need to bolster their left side. round pick and some other bits and baubles? Maybe even that’s too Kulikov is a depth defenseman who can play minutes in a team’s top-four much. Although teams like the Islanders, the Maple Leafs and the Oilers with a more offensive partner, which is never a bad thing for a team want to add a top-six impact winger, so that could create what will pass hoping to enjoy a long playoff run. Think Tampa Bay with Zach Bogosian for a bidding war in this strange season. The big question is whether Hall and Luke Schenn last summer. Kulikov could be that kind of guy and still qualifies as an elite player. maybe more. And the ask would be modest, likely a mid-round draft pick. Bobby Ryan, forward, Detroit Red Wings There’s always the possibility the Devils could circle back and re-sign Kulikov, especially if Subban doesn’t end up being plucked up by Seattle Good fit: Penguins in the expansion draft, given the nice partnership they’ve formed.

Bobby Ryan was signed by Detroit to do exactly what he’s done for the Ryan Murray, defense, New Jersey Devils Red Wings: provide a measure of leadership to a young club, try to regain his mojo after some difficult off-ice issues in Ottawa and return a Good fits: Bruins, Jets draft pick or two at the deadline. Ryan’s productivity has been spotty after Murray is kind of Kulikov lite. Both are left-hand-shot defenders a nice start, but he still has 32 points in 51 career playoff games. A trade (appealing in theory to Boston), although Kulikov has established himself to Pittsburgh might make sense as the Penguins are looking for depth as the more valuable commodity in New Jersey. Murray, 27, is also players who can move up and down their lineup and provide help on the headed toward unrestricted free agency and has been a healthy scratch power play. Ryan, 34, is making just $1 million on an expiring contract, at times, though of late he has settled into a nice groove with Sami so the return will be modest, likely a late-round pick or a collection Vatanen, another pending unrestricted free agent (are you sensing a thereof. trend in New Jersey?). A trade for Murray would be for needed Luke Glendening, forward, Detroit Red Wings reinforcements, so you’d have to expect his return would be less than what might come in a deal for Kulikov, or Vatanen for that matter. It’s the Good fits: Hurricanes, Penguins kind of quiet deal that almost always gets done at the deadline.

Speaking of the retooling Red Wings, Luke Glendening is the kind of Tanner Pearson, forward, Vancouver Canucks small deadline acquisition who often has a larger-than-expected impact Good fits: Maple Leafs, Islanders, Hurricanes parts off the roster in Nashville. To us, it’s simple: If you’re going to trade Ekholm, you might as well be all in, no? And vice versa. If Ekholm stays, The Canucks appear to be very much cooked. That much seems obvious doesn’t it stand to reason that Granlund, on an expiring contract worth a as they languish in a battle with Calgary for fifth place in the North modest $3.75 million and playing well in the top six for the suddenly Division. With injuries blunting thoughts of a late-season run to the dynamic Preds, stays, too? It has taken longer than expected for playoffs, GM has to try to pitch as much stuff over the side Granlund to find a groove in Nashville since he arrived from Minnesota at as he can before April 12 as he embarks on the difficult journey of trying the 2019 trade deadline. So there is an element of buyer beware. As long to reset his team for next season. He doesn’t have a lot of options, but as you’re not expecting him to be “the guy” but rather a complementary Pearson, a Stanley Cup winner in Los Angeles on an expiring contract player, Granlund would be worth a third-round pick, in our opinion. with a $3.75 million cap hit, is one of those assets. Assuming the 28- year-old returns to the lineup in a timely fashion from injury, he can play Alex Goligoski, defense, Arizona Coyotes on your team’s scoring lines and chip in on a secondary power-play unit. Cost? So much depends on his return to health, but if he gets back in the Good fits: Bruins, Jets Vancouver lineup there will likely be some competition for his services. We downgraded Goligoski from “pack your bags” because the Coyotes Of course, as our Thomas Drance pointed out, if the expectation was that continue to hover on the edge of the West Division playoff picture, which Pearson would be ready for the playoffs, he could be placed on LTIR and now looks like a two-team battle between St. Louis and the Coyotes for traded to a team with cap issues that wouldn’t have to accommodate his the final playoff spot in the division. The veteran defenseman still has cap hit. So there is that. The fact that Eric Staal, a center and not a game, according to one Western-based scout we spoke to who likes him winger like Pearson, garnered a third and a fifth bodes well for the on both sides of the puck, even at age 35 and despite a down offensive Canucks. But that might have been an outlier, and Benning could simply season. He has a big price tag ($5.475 million) and an eight-team no- re-up Pearson. trade list. So those waters must be navigated by rookie GM Bill Ryan Dzingel, forward, Ottawa Senators Armstrong, who has some serious cupboard restocking ahead of him. The Coyotes have a plethora of defensemen on expiring contracts, and Good fits: Maple Leafs, Oilers Goligoski looks to be the most attractive of the lot. The big question, of course, is whether Armstrong makes a hard call and moves players, It’s been a strange career arc for the 29-year-old, who had 45 goals in especially those who don’t really figure into the long-term plan in Arizona, two seasons with Ottawa between 2017 and 2019. But moves to even if the Coyotes stay close. Columbus and Carolina before heading back to Ottawa earlier this season have not been kind to Dzingel in terms of his production and his Rickard Rakell, forward, Anaheim Ducks value. So, if you’re Toronto or Edmonton and looking to add a little scoring punch, the cost to acquire Dzingel would be modest as he is on Good fits: Islanders, Bruins, Maple Leafs, Hurricanes an expiring contract with a $3.375 million cap hit — likely a third- or The Ducks are homing in on a lottery draft pick, and GM Bob Murray has fourth-round pick at most, and he steps right into your lineup. That is not a passel of free agents to deal with between this offseason and next. an inconsequential factor. Rakell, 27, has one year left on his current deal at $3.789 million, which Timothy Liljegren, defense, Toronto Maple Leafs makes him more attractive than your run-of-the-mill rental. But is Rakell the kind of guy who commands a first-round pick in return? After topping Good fits: Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks the 30-goal mark in 2017 and 2018, he has seen his totals fall off the map, so that would be a strong “no” on the first-round pick. But he’s an We have the 21-year-old defensive prospect in the “pack your bags” attractive possibility for a team thinking beyond this season and one that category because he seems the most likely candidate to be part of a wouldn’t be hamstrung by acquiring him when it comes to the Seattle package that goes the other way if Toronto acquires a skilled forward. expansion draft. There will be pressure on Murray to do something with Whether that’s a Rickard Rakell in Anaheim, a Taylor Hall in Buffalo, or his roster, but he won’t sell at a loss on Rakell because he doesn’t have Mikael Granlund in Nashville, or any of the other names that have to. The uncertainty after what appears to be a head injury sustained in a popped up, Toronto GM Kyle Dubas is going to have to move some game against St. Louis could further complicate any deal for Rakell. By salary (likely Alex Kerfoot) and a package of picks and prospects. the way, we put Boston in the “fit” box because of the notion that a deal Liljegren is likely going to be the cost of doing business in such a deal. including Jake DeBrusk might work for both teams.

Keep those suitcases handy (maybe on the move) Jake DeBrusk, forward, Boston Bruins

Mattias Ekholm (Kim Klement / USA Today) Good fits: Kings, Sabres, Ducks

Mattias Ekholm, defense, Nashville Predators This is such an interesting dilemma for the Boston Bruins, who are Good fits: Flyers, Bruins shockingly sputtering along in fourth place in the East Division. Depth scoring continues to be an issue, along with some holes on the blue line We downgraded (in our minds, at least) Ekholm from “definitely on the created by the departure of Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug. As our Fluto move” to “maybe on the move,” in part, because the Preds have taken Shinzawa noted, there is a real concern that if the Bruins move on from advantage of Chicago’s midseason swoon to pull back into the hunt for DeBrusk that he would suddenly light it up in a new home. Which is why fourth place in the top-heavy Central. In fact, we flirted with the idea of we imagine that any kind of deal involving the 14th draft pick from 2015 is moving all the Preds down to “not going anywhere” given their surge. So likely to involve teams outside the normal Eastern Conference to prevent it’s a tough call for GM David Poile. Does he keep the veteran D-man, a constant reminder of an error in personnel, a la trading Tyler Seguin. A who has another year left on his deal at a bargain $3.75 million, for a pending restricted free agent, DeBrusk has gone from a breakout player possible playoff run? Or does he punt and take what would likely be the in 2018-19 when the Bruins went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to biggest package of assets on the move at the deadline, including a first- an enigma. Injuries and inconsistency in play mean the Bruins might round pick and picks and prospects? Boston, maybe Toronto, consider some sort of hockey deal, as they still have the players required Philadelphia and Winnipeg could all be in the hunt for the big man. And to make another long playoff run, hence the discussion of the merits of a maybe it’s time to make that kind of move in Nashville anyway. But the Rakell-DeBrusk deal. The problem is Boston would be selling low on Preds are a team for which making the playoffs is critical, and they are DeBrusk. In the end, it might be too big a risk to move the 24-year-old. currently playing their best hockey of the season. Ekholm is essential to that, so the next couple of weeks loom large for him and the entire trade Brandon Montour, defense, Buffalo Sabres market. Good fit: Jets

Mikael Granlund, forward, Nashville Predators Seems like a million years ago when the Sabres anted up a first-round Good fits: Maple Leafs, Islanders pick and a prospect (Brendan Guhle) to acquire Montour from Anaheim. And it seems like about that long ago that Montour impressed in Anaheim Nashville, Columbus, Chicago or Dallas will be the fourth team in the with a strong playoff performance and then a 32-point campaign (it was playoffs in the Central Division. Chicago is ahead of its own internal actually the spring of ’17 and the following season). Sadly, few of the schedule and is less likely to deviate from a plan to retool that is already traits the Sabres were hoping to transplant — confident puck movement well underway by adding at the deadline. But the remaining three are and solid two-way play plus an ability to help out the power play and veteran teams that need the playoffs for a host of reasons. That more — have been evident in Montour’s play in Buffalo. Does whatever complicates what looked a month ago to be a definite move to shave passes for the next wave of rebuild in Buffalo unlock Montour’s skills? Or does he try to do that somewhere else? A pending UFA with a $3.85 (see above) is likely the closest asset who warrants first-round pick million cap hit, Montour is a right-shot defender whose real value is discussion, and if Lamoriello sends a first-round pick to Anaheim, expect difficult to determine given the situation in Buffalo. Of course, we said the that he’s getting something else of value in the deal. Instead, we’re same thing last season about Zach Bogosian and all he did was play guessing Lamoriello finds a fit he likes without having to spend a first, meaningful minutes on the way to a Stanley Cup in Tampa. perhaps with a straight-on rental in the form of Kyle Palmieri.

Jason Demers, defense, Arizona Coyotes Sam Reinhart, forward, Buffalo Sabres

Good fit: Hurricanes Good fits: Rangers, Ducks

Demers is one of five veteran defensemen on the Coyotes roster who are I know Buffalo fans are in favor of trading every single body, stick and pending UFAs, and he would come at a nominal cost given a role as a puck in the locker room. With good reason, we might add. But someone’s depth add for a contending team like Carolina. With an injured Niklas got to stay and play next season, right? And why not Reinhart, who has Hjalmarsson, another of the five, it’s possible Demers’s stock will rise turned into a pretty decent top-six right winger and has shown he can incrementally. The fact he’s a right-hand shot is another bonus, as is the complement a top-line center like Eichel and before that Ryan O’Reilly? fact Florida is still paying $562,500 of his $3.937 million salary. Could you pry a first-round pick out of a team for someone who is a perennial 20- to 25-goal guy and is set to become a restricted free Marcus Pettersson, defense, Pittsburgh Penguins agent? Maybe. But to what end? This draft is unusual, and even if you Good fits: Sabres, Red Wings aim for a 2022 first-round pick instead, it seems counterintuitive to the job of starting once again to pick up the pieces in Buffalo. Unless another It’s not like Pittsburgh wants to deal Pettersson, who has evolved into a NHL player in roughly the same age bracket and with term left beyond more-than-useful left-side defender. But the Penguins may be forced into the end of next season comes back in the deal — let’s say a guy like making him available due to circumstances that include injuries down the Johnny Gaudreau — it makes little sense to move Reinhart. Which, given middle, including to star Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins are in, more or how Buffalo has handled personnel decisions in recent years, guarantees less, a dollar-in, dollar-out situation at the deadline, so if they get a top- a horrific trade, but we digress. six winger or a depth center, which is something new GM Ron Hextall is looking at, it’s going to take some cap gymnastics. Pettersson, who was Josh Manson, defense, Anaheim Ducks basically stolen from Anaheim for Daniel Sprong in 2018, has no trade Good fits: Senators, Devils, Sabres protection and a new deal that carries a $4.025 million cap hit through 2024-25. That’s the kind of term and cap hit that will be attractive to an This is a situation where if GM Bob Murray really wants to move some emerging team even if the surging Pens would be just as happy to keep cap space and create some organizational room for a kid like Jamie the 24-year-old. Drysdale, who is another right-shot defender, then it would likely make more sense to wait until the draft to try to move Manson, unless he feels David Savard, defense, Columbus Blue Jackets he can hit a home run at the deadline. Murray doesn’t need to move Good fits: Oilers, Hurricanes Manson, who has one year left at $4.1 million and a 12-team no-trade list, or for that matter fellow defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who also These are nervous times for Columbus GM Jarmo Kekäläinen, who has has another year left on his deal at $5.205 million and is on LTIR. Will never been afraid to push his chips into the middle. Thanks to Chicago’s one or both want to sign on long-term with the retooling Ducks? That’s as return to earth, Columbus is very much in the hunt for fourth place in the big a question as confronts this team organizationally, and it dictates, in Central Division. But the Blue Jackets are also maddeningly inconsistent, part, Murray’s level of urgency to move one or the other. Manson could which is why we first dropped Savard and Elvis Merzlikins to “not going net a nice return even though injuries have limited his play this season. anywhere” status, then after a week of poor play upgraded both to “may He’s big, had 37 points in 2017-18 and is still in his prime at 29. Just be moved.” Savard would fit nicely with any team looking to shore up the don’t see how Murray maximizes the return at the deadline unless it’s a blue line with a rugged performer who blocks shots, kills penalties and is team that strikes out on Mattias Ekholm and needs to move to a Plan B. on an expiring contract ($4.25 million cap hit). The same can be said for captain Nick Foligno, who is also a pending UFA and would be coveted Chris Driedger, goaltender, Florida Panthers by teams looking for grit and leadership and someone could slide up and Good fits: Sabres, Sharks down the top-nine forward group. A week of inspired play and we’ll move all the Blue Jackets down in our list, but right now Kekäläinen has to be You can understand the reasoning for having the 26-year-old pending looking at moving players. UFA on the Big Board, but there’s zero chance Florida deals him even if he ends up walking into free agency. In fact, if we’re GM Ron Francis in Elvis Merzlikins, goaltender, Columbus Blue Jackets Seattle, we’re putting a little asterisk beside Driedger’s name and having Good fits: Sabres, Oilers a chat when the free-agent window opens for the Kraken to talk to players on expiring contracts. But Driedger figures very prominently into Unlike his teammates Savard and Foligno, who are pending UFAs, the short-term plans for Florida, which looks ready to do some playoff Merzlikins is a 26-year-old who still has a year left on his deal at $4 damage. Unless Bill Zito is going to turn around and add another NHL- million. Is he the future of goaltending in Columbus, or is it Joonas worthy netminder (maybe one of the Columbus netminders whom he Korpisalo, who also has a year left on his deal at $2.8 million? Both knows well from his days with the Blue Jackets?), don’t see any played well in the team’s play-in-round upset of Toronto, and it’s likely movement here before the end of the season. both would factor into a stretch run to the playoffs if Columbus decides to keep its powder dry and make a run at the postseason, a la 2019. Dylan Strome (James Guillory / USA Today) Eventually, Kekäläinen is going to have to move a goalie, and he’ll likely Dylan Strome, forward, Chicago Blackhawks find a better market at the draft, where there will be more teams, such as Buffalo or Edmonton, looking to improve their goaltending depth. Good fit: Penguins

Put that suitcase back in the closet (not going anywhere) I’m with Mark Lazerus on the Strome debate. Why trade a talented young pivot even if you can’t imagine he’s a fit for the next five or six years? Islanders first-round pick With the uncertainty surrounding the future of captain Jonathan Toews, Good fits: Ducks, Devils who has not played this season, and the fact that Strome has another year on his current deal at a nice $3 million cap hit, what’s the hurry? Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello is going to do his best to help fill the void Unless someone shows up with a first-round pick, which isn’t likely to created by captain Anders Lee’s season-ending knee injury, and it would happen, it’s likely the return on the third pick in 2015 will be seem the team is willing to spend a first-round pick to get the job done, underwhelming. If something comes up at the draft, OK, or next season if as it did a year ago by sending a conditional first-round pick to Ottawa as the Blackhawks take a step back, fine. But not now, with Chicago in an part of the package for J.G. Pageau. Is it possible a guy like Johnny unexpected playoff hunt. It might be best to find out how Strome and the Gaudreau is that type of player if Calgary continues to struggle? We’re rest of the young roster react to being in the heat of such a race as guessing Calgary GM Brad Treliving will save a major roster overhaul in opposed to rushing to offload young talent. Calgary until the offseason. Does pending restricted free agent Sam Reinhart in Buffalo move the first-round-pick needle? Maybe. But he’s Matt Dumba, defense, Minnesota Wild one of the few useful forwards Buffalo has. The streaky Rickard Rakell Good fits: Flyers, Jets The moment that Minnesota signed Jonas Brodin to a long-term contract extension, the assumption was that at some point GM Bill Guerin would move the right-hand shot Dumba, who has two more years left on his current deal at $6 million. And to be sure, Dumba has struggled to maintain the offensive production that saw him hit double digits in goals in four consecutive seasons. But with the Wild in the thick of an unexpected playoff race in the West Division, don’t expect Guerin will be looking to move Dumba. Although it’s possible he will revisit this possibility in the offseason before the draft, lest Dumba end up in Seattle for free. But that might be the cost of doing business, and making the playoffs is good business for the Wild.

Jonathan Bernier, goaltender, Detroit Red Wings

Good fits: Avalanche, Capitals

We’d have had Bernier in the “pack your bags” category until a soft tissue injury in mid-March left him sidelined. The Red Wings were calling the injury day-to-day, and the 32-year-old wasn’t placed on LTIR, so there’s that. But a team looking for veteran goaltending depth, such as Colorado or Washington, won’t be interested if there’s a hint of core-body injury issues. Too bad, too, as Bernier was quietly having a solid season for rebuilding Detroit and given his modest cap hit ($3 million) could have been a nice insurance policy at a very modest return, presumably a late- round pick. But unless the news gets better in a hurry on Bernier’s health, it’s hard to imagine he goes anywhere.

Antti Raanta, goaltender, Arizona Coyotes

Good fit: Avalanche

As we noted with Goligoski, the Coyotes are in a curious limbo land between obvious buyer and seller. Bill Armstrong, hired after the ugly departure of former GM John Chayka, must reseed a bare draft asset larder in any way he can. Until starting netminder Darcy Kuemper went down with an injury, the return for Kuemper might have trumped any other asset who might have been in play for the Coyotes. Now, Kuemper and Raanta, who is on an expiring contract with a $4.25 million cap hit, are on the shelf with their returns to action uncertain. As much as we liked the 31-year-old Raanta as a fit in Colorado, we don’t see how the Avs can take a run at either of these netminders with so much uncertainty regarding their health. Plus, if one or both get healthy enough to help Adin Hill, there are the playoffs to think about.

Barrett Hayton, forward, Arizona Coyotes

Good fit: Red Wings

A number of young players in the Coyotes organization have not lived up to their pre-draft billing. It’s fair to say that Hayton, the No. 5 pick in 2018, has not exactly soared yet, but still it seems a mite too early for the Coyotes to be giving up on a 20-year-old kid, especially since there’s no way the return matches where he was selected. Unless Armstrong finds a team looking to trade a similarly aged, skilled player who hasn’t worked out somewhere else, or a collection of draft picks that includes a first- rounder, we don’t see Hayton going anywhere in the immediate future. If he does, it will represent a colossal risk on the part of the Coyotes.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207393 Websites in all four. We don’t know how much that really matters, since home ice in a half-empty building might not be much of a factor, but it will give us some races to track.

The Athletic / DGB weekend rankings: How many playoff teams are But for those last playoff spots? Let’s cross our fingers that things tighten locked in? Are Blues in danger? up, because we may be headed towards an anti-climactic finish in at least a few divisions. And maybe even in all four of them.

Road to the Cup By Sean McIndoe Mar 29, 2021 The five teams with the best chances of becoming the first team in history to win a Stanley Cup in July.

We’re going to flip the calendar over to April later this week, which in a We don’t get a lot of Devils talk in the Top Five section, but we need to typical year means the regular season is almost done. This isn’t a typical recognize Mackenzie Blackwood with what might be the save of the year year, so we’ve still got about six weeks to go, and maybe more if in the dying seconds of a 1-0 win over the Bruins: rescheduled games keep pushing the finish line out. But with the trade deadline in two weeks and some teams having only 20 games left to 5. Washington Capitals (23-7-4, +20 true goals differential*) – They’ve play, we’re certainly headed down the homestretch. It’s time to get ready lost one of their last 11 and opened up a bit of daylight on top of the East, for a thrilling playoff race. and it still feels like the four teams ahead of them in the rankings are pulling away. Tough year to be a top team. Only… what if there isn’t one? 4. Carolina Hurricanes (23-7-3, +25) – They rebounded from a tough It’s too early to write off any of the division races, but we’re getting close week with three straight wins, including a statement game against the on a few of them. It’s not hard to imagine some scenarios where we Lightning on Saturday. Carolina outshot Tampa 40 to 22 in that one, so could soon wind up with only one or two decent races to watch down the while it’s just one game, if you wanted to nudge them ahead in your stretch. And when you take a look at Dom’s projections, you wonder if rankings, I don’t think it would be crazy. I’m going to wait a bit; this week we’ll even get that much. the Hurricanes get two each against the Hawks and Stars, so they can help us figure out that race for that last Central spot. Let’s start in the North. The Leafs, Jets and Oilers are jockeying for top spot, with all three looking like reasonably safe playoff bets. A quick 3. Vegas Golden Knights (23-8-1, +31) – They needed a better showing glance at the standings shows a tight race for the last spot between against the Avalanche on Saturday after getting thumped on Thursday, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, but that glance has to be quick and they got it with a bit of a break leading to an overtime win. enough that you don’t notice how many games in hand the Habs have – five on the Flames and six on the Canucks. As of yesterday, Dom’s That puts them back in first in the West. And while Colorado has been so model had the Canadiens with a 92 percent chance of getting that last hot that it feels temporary, you never know which game could end up spot, meaning the North has four teams with playoff odds over 90 being the one that decides the race. The Knights get two against the percent. That’s not over, but it’s definitely in the ballpark. Kings now, which could either be easier wins or a trap.

The East was supposed to be the toughest race, with five or six playoff- 2. Tampa Bay Lightning (24-8-2, +41) – A pair of 4-3 losses to the Stars worthy teams fighting for four spots. But one of those teams was the and Hurricanes gives Tampa its first two-game losing streak in over a Flyers, who are currently spiraling out of contention; Dom had their odds month, and just the third of the season. They responded to each of the down to 7 percent yesterday. The Rangers have clawed back into the first two streaks by rolling off six wins in a row, so nobody’s panicking race, but are still underdogs, with just a 13 percent chance before their here. But it’s worth mentioning that Carolina’s win actually moved the loss to the Caps. That leaves us, once again, with four teams all sitting Hurricanes ahead of the Lightning in terms of points percentage. over 90 percent. Not done, but getting there. 1. Colorado Avalanche (21-8-4, +39) – The top spot is a logjam this The Central does have a real race for the last spot, but only that last week, with solid cases for any of the top four teams claiming it. I’m going spot, because the Lightning, Hurricanes and Panthers are all basically with the Avalanche, partly because it’s always nice to work a new team locks. That leaves us with the Stars, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and into the mix but mostly because they took three of four points against Predators in the mix for that last berth, which makes for a decent race. Vegas in a mini-series that included one dominating performance and We’ll see if any of those teams throw in their cards by selling at the one that was merely pretty good. They’ve got points in 10 straight, and as deadline. But for now, we’ve got one race to watch. Dom points out, they’ve spent a good chunk of that streak absolutely rolling teams. They’ve got singles against the Ducks and Coyotes and Then there’s the West, which looked like the easiest race to figure on then two against the team we have to talk about next… opening night. You had three elite teams in the Golden Knights, Avalanche and Blues, and one spot that would probably come down to *Goals differential without counting shootout decisions like the NHL does the Wild and Coyotes. But the Wild ran away with that race quickly, and for some reason. Dom already has them as basically a lock, meaning the West is all over Not ranked: St. Louis Blues – Last week I did a version of that “the unless one of the three good teams collapses. That might actually be playoff race might be a bust” section on Puck Soup, and I mentioned the happening in St. Louis, and we’ll get to that in a bit, so let’s call this one West being mostly wrapped up, including a spot for St. Louis. That was an open race for one spot. before the Blues lost four straight, so it’s already drifting into the “this That’s it. That’s the whole league, in terms of playoff spots – remember, take hasn’t aged well” territory. But right after the episode dropped, there’s no wild card or crossover spots this year, so if you’re not in a somebody hit me with this: division’s top four, you’re nowhere. And right now, the races for those Yeah, the schedule hasn’t been completely balanced, but I doubt the four spots aren’t much to look at. Dom has 14 different teams already Blues are only playing those three teams. sitting with playoff odds better than 90 percent, meaning only two spots up for grabs over the next six weeks unless somebody falls apart. (Checks the Blues’ remaining schedule.)

For what it’s worth, Dom’s model is a little more pessimistic about an Oh no. exciting stretch run than others out there. If you check out Money Puck, you’ll find they agree that the North is close to over, but aren’t quite as I mean, they don’t play only those three teams. They also have one confident in the East, and their model thinks that the last spots in the game left against the Coyotes in April, two against the Ducks in May, West and Central are wide open. Dom’s not wrong often, but for the sake plus that Kings game that just got rescheduled to the end of the season. of entertainment value we’ll have to hope he is here. And… that’s it. No, really, go check it yourself. The Blues have 21 games left on the schedule, and 17 of them are against the Knights, Avs or Wild. Of course, there’s 20+ games to go, and lots of time for things to shift. Of Including the next eight in a row. those 14 teams that seemed locked in, at least one or two might completely collapse – 90 percent is a lot, but it’s not 100 percent. Some That’s not great! Especially for a team that’s lost nine of its last 11 and is bad team that we’re close to writing off will probably go on a heater and now just one point up on the Coyotes for that final spot in the West. The at least make it interesting. And it’s worth noting that the races for Ducks were supposed to offer a chance to get right before the tough part seeding in all four divisions could be fantastic, with top spot up for grabs of the schedule kicked in, but instead the Blues picked up one point in Over-dramatic? Probably, yeah. It’s late in a long column and we’re not two games. That’s not going to cut it. doing subtlety. But it’s hard to overstate how close the Flyers’ season was getting to writeoff territory. It had been one month since the Flyers So is it time to panic? Not yet, they told us over the weekend, even after shut out the Sabres in back-to-back games, back when that still felt becoming the first team in six weeks to lose to the Ducks in regulation. impressive and not just mean. Since then, they’d won just four of 14, That’s kind of what they have to say, so the rest of us can just say it for including two embarrassing blowouts at the hands of Mika Zibanejad and them: Yeah, it’s time to panic, or at least to have some significant worries the Rangers. that this whole season is falling apart. They can’t score, and at this point we should probably be at least a little concerned that the return of So heading into Saturday, the Flyers didn’t necessarily need a win, but Vladimir Tarasenko hasn’t done much to help there (he picked up his they needed to at least look like they belonged on the same rink as a second goal in 11 games yesterday). The goaltending hasn’t been great Ranger team that hasn’t looked all that scary to anyone else. They either, and when you can’t get a stop and can’t get a goal [checks managed both, delivering a solid 2-1 win that was basically exactly what analytics] that’s bad. Would Taylor Hall help? We might find out. coach Alain Vigneault wanted to see. It wasn’t a thriller, but boring is fine when the alternative is looking like the 1976 Scouts. The Blues are still holding down a playoff spot, if only barely, and I’d still have them as the favorite to keep it. But it’s going to be a tougher race So what now? They’re still three points back of the Bruins for the final than most of us thought, and the schedule is brutal. There’s no quit here, playoff spot, and Boston has two games in hand, so their playoff odds according to Craig Berube. But unless they smarten up soon, there may are grim. Carter Hart is broken, and the question now is how quickly he be no playoffs either. can be fixed. Vigneault isn’t doing much to dispel that reputation for being a guy who can turn things around in year one and then immediately start The bottom five losing the room. And while Chuck Fletcher says he’ll be buying at the The five teams that are headed towards the best lottery odds and trying deadline, it’s worth asking whether his team has earned that. to figure out if we should call this an Owen Power Ranking. Here’s the good news, which might also be awful news: The Flyers get Worst moment of the weekend: Florida’s Aaron Ekblad being stretchered the Sabres Monday and Wednesday. There are no guarantees in the off after an ugly looking leg injury: modern NHL, but two points against Buffalo is as close as we come. Win both of those games, and the Flyers will have a three-game streak for the That’s awful, and could be a major turning point in what had so far been first time in a month. Then comes one against the Islanders, and then close to a dream season for the Panthers. At this point we don’t know two against that Bruins team they’re chasing for a playoff spot. Two how long he’ll be out. weeks from now, we could be talking about a hot Flyers team being right back in it. 5. San Jose Sharks (13-16-4, -26) – With losses in five of seven and a debate over whether they need to start all over again, some good news: Or, you know, they could lose to the Sabres and become the Patrick Marleau has tied Mark Messier for second spot on the all-time laughingstock of the league. No pressure. games played list. Marleau remains on track to pass Gordie Howe over the coming weeks for top spot. The question might be whether he does it The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 as a Shark.

4. Anaheim Ducks (11-19-6, -36) – Two straight wins against the Blues included yesterday’s overtime decision. A bigger story could be the injury to Rickard Rakell, which might derail some trade deadline plans if he’ll be out for a while.

3. Detroit Red Wings (12-20-4, -36) – Leading scorer Filip Hronek goes end-to-end again! In related news, what a disaster for the Blue Jackets, who go 0-for a two-game weekend series with the Wings and miss out on banking some desperately needed points in the Central race.

2. Ottawa Senators (12-20-4, -42) – They’ve won three of six and have points in each of the losses, which passes for a hot streak when in you’re in mid-rebuild. Anton Forsberg looked sharp in his first game as a Senator, making 38 saves against the Leafs in Saturday’s OT loss that cost one brave cup its life.

1. Buffalo Sabres (6-23-4, -50) – Make it 17 in a row, one shy of catching the 2003-04 Penguins for the NHL’s all-time record for consecutive losses. They came close to snapping the streak on Saturday, leading the Bruins heading into the third period, before losing in regulation. (And yes, it is a losing streak, even if the NHL’s band of participation-trophy GMs doesn’t want us to call it that.)

One positive about the Sabres: They’re giving us no shortage of candidates for our weekly Depressing Stat About a Bad Team. John Vogl has a few here, and this was a doozy, and then there was also this one. But I’m going to stick with the losing streak theme and go with this one:

It was actually a decent week for the Sabres in the big picture, as they made the first of what should be several deadline trades and finally started to rebuild a decimated front office. With the season already a lost cause, looking towards the future is all the team has left.

As for that losing streak record, they can tie the record tonight and break it on Wednesday. In a nearly perfect bit of scheduling, both games are against another team that’s been struggling lately…

Not ranked: Philadelphia Flyers – There are no must-win games when a season is 32 games old. That would be silly. There are still six weeks left for teams to sort stuff out, so let’s not get ridiculous.

That said, if the Flyers had lost on Saturday the season would have been over and everyone would have been fired. 1207394 Websites defenseman who can skate at the NHL level and move the puck very well is a major asset. His skating isn’t explosive, but his stride and edgework are excellent. He can evade pressure very well. Power’s offense comes from a great first pass and an ability to find seams in the offensive zone The Athletic / 2021 NHL Draft prospect ranking: Dylan Guenther rises in well. Defensively he’s not that physical, but he closes on checks well with Corey Pronman’s updated ranking his range and reach.

4. Matthew Beniers, C, Michigan-Big Ten

By Corey Pronman Mar 29, 2021 Nov. 5, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 175 pounds

Games: 24 | Goals: 10 | Points: 24

I typically avoid doing multiple in-season draft board updates because of Previous ranking: 2 how slowly things change over the course of a season, but this is not a typical season. Since we last spoke a month ago, countries have held Beniers was very good in college as one of the youngest players in the their first under-18 international events of the season, the WHL began its NCAA and played a top-six role for the U.S. in its gold medal effort at the season, and many QMJHL and USHL games were played. world juniors. Beniers has a quality NHL caliber skill set, but not a lot that jumps off the page. He is a top prospect, though, because he is an elite As part of this new information, I have a new No. 1 prospect in Dylan competitor. His work ethic shows in how hard he forechecks, how he Guenther, whose Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) are off to a roaring start. backchecks, how every play is made with speed, how he wins a ton of Guenther looks like an excellent prospect. Compared to last year’s class, battles and how fearless he is getting to the high-traffic areas. Beniers Guenther wouldn’t be in a group with Alexis Lafrenière and Tim Stützle wills his way to puck possession and scoring chances, while also able to — as I’ve mentioned already it would be rather close for me today to pick set up a lot of plays. between those two for the top spot — but it would be an open debate for me between Guenther and Quinton Byfield as the third-best prospect 5. Kent Johnson, C, Michigan-Big Ten among those four players. Oct. 18, 2002 | 6-foot-1 | 167 pounds Now that we are full steam ahead to the draft being held July 23-24, the Games: 26 | Goals: 9 | Points: 27 next draft board update will come sometime in the summer. Previous ranking: 5 Statistics are as of March 24. Johnson, who scored a ton in the BCHL, has seen that offensive touch Tier 1: Bubble of NHL All-Star and top of lineup player carry over into scoring a lot of points as a draft-eligible freshman. 1. Dylan Guenther, RW, Edmonton-WHL Johnson is the player you want to know about in this year’s draft in terms of dynamic skill and playmaking ability. He has incredible hands with the April 10, 2003 | 6-foot-2 | 175 pounds ability to make between-the-legs and behind-the-back plays look routine. He’s a very creative playmaker who can make difficult plays in small Games: 6 | Goals: 8 | Points: 15 areas consistently, although you could argue he may be too fancy at Previous ranking: 4 times. Johnson has a decent wrist shot, too. His game can lack pace and he’s not that hard to play against, but he does get to the tough areas of Guenther has come out of the gates firing as a leading player on a top the offensive zone. CHL team. He’s also grown a bit since we last saw him, shooting up about two inches. He is a forward with a ton of NHL attributes and no real 6. Chaz Lucius, C, U.S. NTDP-USHL flaw in his game other than he doesn’t play center. He has tremendous May 2, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds skill, while able to make skilled plays through defenders and to teammates at an NHL pace. He can run a power play with his Games: 8 | Goals: 10 | Points: 15 playmaking, while also having the shot to score from a distance. He has a lot of talent, but also works off the puck, forcing turnovers and playing Previous ranking: 9 in traffic. He has the best chance of anyone in this draft to become an Lucius missed most of the season with a lower-body injury but has been NHL star. great since he’s returned. Lucius is a player with tremendous skill and Tier 2: Top-line forward, top-pair defenseman or good starting goaltender goal-scoring ability. His goal-scoring ability isn’t due to launching long- range bombs, but rather he is high end at creating around the net and 2. Luke Hughes, LHD, U.S. NTDP-USHL slot, and gets a ton of chances in that region because of his skill, compete and frame. He can dangle players easily to create chances, but Sept. 9, 2003| 6-foot-2 | 180 pounds also sets up plays very well. Lucius’ main drawback will be his skating, Games: 18 | Goals: 4 | Points: 15 which lacks explosiveness.

Previous ranking: 1 Tier 3: Bubble of top-line or pairing and second-line or pairing

Hughes is a 6-foot-2 elite-skating defenseman with offensive ability, 7. William Eklund, LW, Djurgarden-SHL which is a highly appealing toolkit for an NHL projection. Like his Oct. 12, 2002 | 5-foot-10 | 176 pounds brothers, Jack and Quinn, Luke’s edgework is fantastic. His skating and skill combination allows him to generate a lot of controlled exits and Games: 38 | Goals: 11 | Points: 21 entries. His playmaking isn’t at the same level as his brothers, but he has enough skill and vision to be on an NHL power play and be a driver at the Previous ranking: 7 top level. The size and skating combination also allows him to make a Eklund has been a useful player on an SHL team as an 18-year-old, a fair number of stops, even if his D-zone coverage isn’t completely refined rare feat for a first-year draft-eligible player. His skating ability helped him yet. He can be a bit risky and turnover-prone with the puck, and translate easily to the SHL level. He has good straightaway speed to go managing that is the main area of concern with scouts. He recently along with fantastic edgework. He shows tremendous elusiveness to suffered a foot injury that will cause him to miss the rest of the season. evade pressure and create space for himself with his skating. Eklund 3. Owen Power, LHD, Michigan-Big Ten skates fast, but it’s his skating plus his compete that earned the trust of big minutes as he showed he could be responsible off the puck. He Nov. 22, 2002 | 6-foot-6 | 213 pounds combines that with a high skill level, a very imaginative brain offensively, and the ability to execute difficult plays at speed. His ability to play in the Games: 26 | Goals: 3 | Points: 16 high-traffic areas and win battles but also play on the perimeter and be a Previous ranking: 3 primary setup guy will make him a versatile NHL player.

Power was a big-minutes, all-situations player for Michigan as a young 8. Brandt Clarke, RHD, Nove Zamky-Slovakia freshman and one of the best overall defensemen in his conference. His Feb. 9, 2003 | 6-foot-2 | 185 pounds offensive toolkit won’t jump out immediately to you, but a 6-foot-6 Games: 26 | Goals: 5 | Points: 15 13. Fabian Lysell, RW, Lulea-SHL

Previous ranking: 10 Jan. 19, 2003| 5-foot-11 | 172 pounds

Clarke started his season in Slovakia where he was very good and is Games: 26 | Goals: 2 | Points: 3 now preparing for a U-18 worlds and possible OHL season. He is a dynamic player with the puck on his stick because of his puck skills and Previous ranking: 15 playmaking ability. He has the poise and vision to make high-end plays Lysell’s season has been up and down with good flashes at the junior from both ends of the rink. He can beat opponents with his skill level, but he also had a divorce with Frolunda and ended up with Lulea, consistently. He projects to play on an NHL power play. The concern on where he’s had good SHL flashes but been overall just OK. Lysell is a Clarke is his skating as he has an awkward stride. He defends well in dynamic forward. He’s one of the most skilled players in the draft and junior because of his excellent IQ and decent reach, but the pace will be beats defenders consistently with his puckhandling displays. That he’s a a concern in that regard as he advances levels. great skater, with both good speed and edgework, and can make very 9. Nikita Chibrikov, RW, SKA-KHL skilled plays at full flight makes him a handful to defend. On his best shift, Lysell is using his skill and speed to get around guys and take pucks to Feb. 16, 2003 | 5-foot-10 | 170 pounds the net, or making tremendous plays with pace to his teammates. His physical effort comes and goes off the puck, and he needs to work to be Games: 16 | Goals: 1 | Points: 2 more consistent, but with the puck he plays with courage.

Previous ranking: 14 14. Aatu Raty, C, Karpat-Liiga

Chibrikov impressed early at the junior level this season, earning a quick Nov. 14, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 185 pounds promotion to playing against men, where at the VHL, KHL and senior international levels he’s shown his game will translate. He’s undersized Games: 30 | Goals: 3 | Points: 6 and not an amazing skater for his size, but he’s done well versus pros because of his tremendous playmaking ability and his ability to win Previous ranking: 8 battles despite his size. He can make slick one-on-one plays, creative Raty’s a guy I talk about with scouts constantly because of how tough plays under pressure and find seams consistently. He’s physical and he’s been to figure out. His season has been a major disappointment at responsible defensively. He could be a more explosive skater ideally, but the pro and junior levels, so the debate is how to balance his iffy the other elements of his game pop. campaign with his great toolkit and underage profile. He’s a 6-foot-2 10. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Lulea-SHL center who has very good skill and is a quality skater. His playmaking and shot are both solid and NHL quality, but neither are spectacular. He Nov. 14, 2002 | 6-foot-3 | 214 pounds has some physicality to his game and brings energy to shifts. There are a lot of strong opinions about him on both sides of the spectrum in the Games: 22 | SV%: .908 scouting community.

Previous ranking: 11 15. Zachary Bolduc, C, Rimouski-QMJHL

Wallstedt has been a top goalie for years, excelling at the junior, Feb. 24, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 175 pounds international and now pro levels, although he’s struggled a little lately in the SHL, which is a very high level for his age. Wallstedt’s athletic toolkit Games: 27 | Goals: 10 | Points: 29 doesn’t jump out to you immediately. He’s about 6-foot-3 and moves well, but not at an elite level. What makes him such a good goaltender is his Previous ranking: 17 elite sense and puck-tracking ability. He makes the right read at a Bolduc hasn’t scored at the pace expected to start the season but has remarkably high frequency. Wallstedt can make a tough save when he been better of late. He can skate well and make highly-skilled plays on needs to and has some lateral quickness, but it often seems like he the move. He doesn’t have the long-range rifle, but Bolduc has shown he doesn’t have to adjust his technique much. can score goals and do so by capitalizing on his chances in the slot and Tier 4: Second-line forward, second-pair defenseman or starting net area with a great wrist shot. He can see the ice well, making creative goaltender plays and moving the puck where he needs to even if that’s not his top asset. His compete is good enough. Bolduc won’t run guys over, but he 11. Oskar Olausson, RW, Sodertalje-Allsvenskan gets to the middle third of the ice and has some off-puck hustle.

Nov. 10, 2002 | 6-foot-1 | 180 pounds 16. Kirill Kirsanov, LHD, SKA-KHL

Games: 11 | Goals: 3 | Points: 6 Sept. 19, 2002 | 6-foot-1 | 198 pounds

Previous ranking: 12 Games: 29 | Goals: 0 | Points: 3

Olausson was impressive versus both juniors and pros this season, and Previous ranking: 20 has a lot of NHL elements in his game. He has NHL caliber speed and skill to go with good size, so you can easily envision him generating Kirsanov has worked his way into a regular on one of the best KHL clean zone entries with control versus pros. Inside the offensive zone, teams, and was excellent at the world juniors and for Russia’s senior he’s more of a shooter than a passer. He can make good plays and do national team. He is an interesting player because he’s a well-rounded so with pace, but his main offensive threat is his shot and ability to finish but boring player. You’re not going to see him make an end-to-end from range. Olausson works fine off the puck, he’ll get to the net and get highlight-reel rush. He’s 6-foot-1 and doesn’t put up a ton of points, but back defensively, but he’s not overly physical. every coach he plays for leans on him. He’s very intelligent with the puck, he skates quite well, kills a lot of rushes, and has enough offensive skill 12. Corson Ceulemans, RHD, Brooks-AJHL to play on a power play. I could see him being a solid two-way defenseman at the NHL level. His conditioning is a minor issue. May 5, 2003 | 6-foot-2 | 198 pounds 17. Logan Stankoven, C, Kamloops-WHL Games: 5 | Goals: 3 | Points: 7 Feb. 26, 2003 | 5-foot-8 | 170 pounds Previous ranking: 13 Has not played this season Ceulemans’ season was put on pause, but he’s back playing now. He is a complete defenseman as a 6-foot-2, right-shot defender who is mobile, Previous ranking: 19 hard to play against and has offensive ability. At the AJHL level, he showed great one-on-one skill and the ability to move the puck. He kills a Stankoven scored 29 goals and was a driver for a top WHL team in lot of rushes with his skating and physicality, and picks off a lot of Kamloops last season. His game has a high level of pace due to his passes. At the higher levels of play, I’ve questioned if his offense will skating and compete. He creates chances by pressuring turnovers and translate at the top level, but I can see him becoming a tough-minutes, winning puck battles despite being 5-foot-8. His skating is more elusive two-way defenseman with some offense in the NHL. than fast and doesn’t have a great top gear for a small player. He has extremely quick hands, showing the ability to beat defenders one-on-one and control pucks in tight. Stankoven has a great wrist shot and projects Poltapov always stood out to me the last two seasons at the junior and to be able to beat NHL goalies from range. He can make some plays, but international levels. His game has a lot of pace and energy. He can wind his game is more direct as opposed to being a cerebral playmaker. pucks up through the neutral zone with speed, and often takes it wide and drives right to the net. The amount of effort he puts forth to go with 18. Zach Dean, C, Gatineau-QMJHL great hands, vision and speed will allow him to create offense versus Jan. 4, 2003 | six-foot | 176 pounds men. He is the type who will endear himself to fans and coaches.

Games: 22 | Goals: 10 | Points: 20 23. Daniil Chayka, LHD, CSKA-KHL

Previous ranking: 16 Oct. 22, 2002 | 6-foot-3 | 187 pounds

Dean didn’t get off to too a hot start this season statistically, but he’s Games: 11 | Goals: 1 | Points: 2 been more productive lately. He is a well-rounded hockey player. He Previous ranking: 22 brings NHL-caliber skill to the table to go along with quality skating ability and a high work level. He can beat opponents with his hands, but also by Chayka has played limited minutes versus men this season, playing taking the puck wide and making a hard play to the net. He wins a fair some junior games and going up and down for Russia’s U20 team over number of battles and creates turnovers with his hustle. I wouldn’t call the course of the season. His very good stretches showed the promise of him a dynamic playmaker, which may hinder his offense at higher levels, what you saw in the OHL. He’s a big defenseman who can skate like an but he has enough of a puck game to score. NHLer and make a good first pass, which has a lot of value. The offense in his game will never be flashy, but he’s smart and quick enough to play 19. William Stromgren, LW, MODO-Allsvenskan well at faster paces. With his reach and feet he’ll make enough stops to June 7, 2003 | 6-foot-3 | 175 pounds justify not having a ton of offense.

Games: 27 | Goals: 3 | Points: 9 24. Mason McTavish, C, Olten-Switzerland

Previous ranking: 21 Jan. 30, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 207 pounds

Stromgren is one of the top risers this season, excelling versus juniors Games: 13 | Goals: 9 | Points: 11 and looking good versus men though not getting many minutes. His Previous ranking: 27 physical tools are easy to spot when he’s on the ice. He’s 6-foot-3, can skate and has great hands. He has the ability to create clean zone exits McTavish is a talented offensive player who scored 29 goals in the OHL and entries with a high frequency due to his reach, speed and skill. The last season and has been scoring a lot in Switzerland this season. He offensive touch in his game popped more than I thought it would entering can attack defenses in numerous ways in the offensive zone due to his the season, showing the ability to make plays and drive a line with his NHL-caliber skill, vision and shot. He is a creative player who tries to skill. He’s not a physical player or a PK option, but Stromgren gets to the make things happen. He has the shot to score from range against pros. net and creates around the tough areas of the ice. He works hard enough to win pucks but won’t run guys over. The main flaw in McTavish’s skill set is his skating, as he will be OK in the NHL in 20. Fedor Svechkov, C, Togliatti-VHL that regard but will struggle to create separation. McTavish hasn’t played April 15, 2003 | six-foot | 187 pounds much this season but will get some games in Switzerland.

Games: 38 | Goals: 5 | Points: 15 25. Cole Sillinger, C, Sioux Falls-USHL

Previous ranking: 25 May 16, 2003 | six-foot | 190 pounds

Svechkov was a productive player this season playing against men in Games: 24 | Goals: 20 | Points: 38 Russia’s second division. He is a well-rounded player who isn’t Previous ranking: 23 spectacular at any one thing. He’s very skilled, showing a lot of confidence and creativity as a puck handler. He skates well and can Sillinger transferred from the WHL to the USHL to get games in and he’s make highly skilled plays on the move. Svechkov can create for his been excellent so far as one of the top players in the league. He is a very teammates and shows half-wall playmaking ability to go with the play he smart player who can make seam passes consistently and make creative can make at pace. He’s physical, responsible defensively and has killed plays with pace. Sillinger also has great individual skill and can beat penalties at the VHL level. defenders with his stick handling. He can play on the perimeter because of his vision and great one-timer/wrist shot combo. He can also play 21. Simon Edvinsson, LHD, Vasteras-Allsvenskan inside. He wins battles, gets to the net, is reliable defensively and doesn’t Feb. 5, 2003 | 6-foot-4 | 198 pounds mind playing physically. His skating is an area of concern, and he likely won’t be able to drive entries at the top level. Games: 14 | Goals: 0 | Points: 5 26. Wyatt Johnston, C, Windsor-OHL Previous ranking: 6 May 14, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 178 pounds This is one I’m sure I’ll get some pushback on, because if I was doing a mock draft I would have Edvinsson going in the six-to-12 range. Has not played this season Edvinsson stands out as a 6-foot-4 defenseman with legit offensive skill. Previous ranking: NR It’s rare to see a player his size lead a rush, make a play off the blue line or dangle through opponents consistently. He is also a good skater for I’m sure this one will raise some eyebrows given Johnston hasn’t played his size. His straightaway speed is just OK, but he’s got great edgework, a game in a year. This is where the odd year plays into just going back showing the first step and quick turns to elude pressure, and create clean and watching kids more to dig into them. Johnston is a skilled forward exits and entries. Defensively his size and skating allow him to close who can make plays. He has great in tight hands, showing the ability to gaps and make stops. He’s not a dynamic playmaker, but Edvinsson can beat defenders one-on-one and move pucks through small areas. make the heads-up first pass and show some power-play poise. I think Johnston can create chances under pressure and has the ability to run a that package is appealing, but I don’t think his skating, skill or brain are power play off the flank. He isn’t a perimeter player, though. He attacks truly elite, and I don’t think his performance this season at the junior, pro the hard areas of the ice, shows good effort winning loose puck and is a or U18 international level merits being in the higher tiers. responsible defensive center. But he lacks NHL quickness in his skating. According to NHL Central Scouting, he’s shot up about two inches from 22. Prokhor Poltapov, LW, CSKA-MHL last season.

Feb. 1, 2003 | six-foot | 176 pounds 27. Sasha Pastujov, RW, U.S. NTDP-USHL

Games: 61 | Goals: 25 | Points: 52 July 15, 2003 | six-foot | 181 pounds

Previous ranking: 18 Games: 14 | Goals: 8 | Points: 24

Previous ranking: 24 Pastujov has been a very productive player with the U.S. NTDP for the Previous ranking: 29 last two seasons. He stands out with the puck on his stick because of his elite hands, his great vision and his ability to finish plays. He scores Lambos has had a tough go this season, being OK in Finland before an wherever he goes and shows the ability to run a power play at a high unspecified medical issue caused him to only get a couple WHL games level. The concern with Pastujov is whether his game translates to the in before his season ended. Lambos’ skating is good and he projects to NHL at a high level given he’s not a great skater. There are times he be able to rush pucks in the NHL and stay with fast forwards defensively. looks sleepy on the ice due to the skating, but he does compete well He has good speed and excellent edges, and is able to pivot quickly and enough off the puck that I could see him be a useful even-strength player escape pressure at a high level. Lambos is hard to play against and given how good his puck game is. regularly punishes opponents physically. The main question is his offensive upside. He makes a strong first pass and has good enough 28. Zachary L’Heureux, LW, Halifax-QMJHL hands, but isn’t a dynamic offensive type.

May 15, 2003 | 5-foot-11 | 196 pounds 33. Justin Robidas, C, Val-d’Or-OHL

Games: 26 | Goals: 14 | Points: 29 March 13, 2003 | 5-foot-8 | 173 pounds

Previous ranking: NR Games: 31 | Goals: 15 | Points: 31

L’Heureux is hard to miss when he’s on the ice. He’s a little fireball who is Previous ranking: NR full of skill. He is a very imaginative puck handler with some of the best hands in the draft. If he can’t get through someone with his skill, he Robidas has been an important player for a top QMJHL team this shows no fear to lower his shoulder and attack the hard areas of the ice season. He plays the game with a lot of speed and energy, which is why consistently. He’s also quite physical off the puck and competes at a high despite being 5-foot-8, his game could translate to higher levels. He’s a level. For a 5-foot-11 player, he lacks the skating ability you’d like to see burner as a skater, who often takes pucks up the ice with speed and at that size to separate from checks. He was suspended at one point this charges right for the net. Off the puck he hustles to win battles and can past season for spitting on an opponent. kill penalties. Robidas shows great instincts as a playmaker and flashes of good puck skills, but I wouldn’t call his puck game what gets him to the 29. Xavier Bourgault, C, Shawinigan-QMJHL NHL.

Oct. 22, 2002 | six-foot | 172 pounds 34. Samu Tuomaala, RW, Karpat-Finland Jr.

Games: 25 | Goals: 20 | Points: 34 Jan. 8, 2003 | 5-foot-10 | 174 pounds

Previous ranking: 28 Games: 30 | Goals: 15 | Points: 31

Bourgault has been a highly productive forward in the QMJHL for the last Previous ranking: 31 two seasons. He’s a very skilled forward who stands out with the puck on his stick. He’s confident, attempting to make difficult dekes and passes, Tuomaala has been just fine at the Finnish junior level, not scoring at the and executing at a solid frequency. He’s not an exceptional skater, but he rate expected coming into the season. There’s enough talent and track will be able to skate at an NHL level, and has shown he can make skilled record there for him to sneak in at the end of this list, though, including a plays on the move and play with pace. I wouldn’t describe Bourgault as a strong recent under-18 camp for Finland. Tuomaala is an excellent skater physical player or first guy over the boards on the PK, but he backchecks and his shifts have a lot of energy to them because of how quickly he can well enough, he is hard on pucks and he creates turnovers with his transition pucks and pressure opponents. He has very good skill and can hustle. make plays, but his offense comes through his shot and how he can score from range. For an undersized forward he stays on the perimeter 30. Matthew Coronato, RW, Chicago-USHL too much, though, and isn’t hard to play against.

Nov. 14, 2002 | 5-foot-11 | 183 pounds The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021

Games: 41 | Goals: 39 | Points: 72

Previous ranking: 26

Coronato has been one of the best players in the USHL, scoring nearly two points per game. He has a lot of skill and can make plays with pace. He’s a strong skater, not elite for a small guy, but good enough to be an NHL player. He’s able to create controlled entries with his speed and skill, and make tough plays to his teammates on the move. Coronato is also able to play the half-wall on the power play and find seams at a high frequency. He killed penalties for Chicago and works hard enough to advance levels and win battles despite his size. He may not be the quickest or most skilled small guy, but the sum of the parts equals a very good player.

31. Sebastian Cossa, G, Edmonton-WHL

Nov. 21, 2002 | 6-foot-6 | 210 pounds

Games: 6 | SV%: .956

Previous ranking: NR

Cossa has been great to start the season, picking up where he left off in the WHL. His athletic toolkit is very intriguing as a 6-foot-6 goalie who can move well for that size and cover a lot of net. He has some quick twitch in his frame in how he moves around the net, and gets in and out of his butterfly. Cossa’s reads are typically good. He loses track of some pucks but usually anticipates the play very well. He can be aggressive with his positioning and take away angles with his size well, even at times being too aggressive.

32. Carson Lambos, LHD, Winnipeg-WHL

Jan. 14, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 197 pounds

Games: 2 | Goals: 0 | Points: 0 1207395 Websites So, whether it’s before the April 12 deadline or an offseason decision, the goalie carousel will be going again. Let’s examine some goalies who are available, both as rentals and in hockey deals:

The Athletic / LeBrun: NHL’s goalie carousel could be set in motion James Reimer or Alex Nedeljkovic, Carolina Hurricanes ahead of the trade deadline As our Canes beat writer Sara Civian recently unearthed in her Q&A with Carolina GM , the Canes would move one of those two goalies for the right price. Reimer would be a rental as he’s a UFA after By Pierre LeBrun Mar 29, 2021 the season and Nedeljkovic is an RFA, so that’s a hockey deal. The Canes need to be careful here and not overthink this. They’ve got a Cup-

contending team, and there’s nothing wrong in my books with being three In-season goalie trades are fascinating in large part because most teams deep in goal. If they act, the acquisition cost better be worth it. try to avoid them … until they’re forced to do one. The majority of GMs Elvis Merzlikins or Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets I’ve spoken to over the years believe you address your goaltending in the offseason and don’t touch it again. Either one has been available since the offseason; the Jackets can’t keep both No. 1 goalies forever. Both are signed through next season so Remember how Ryan Miller to St. Louis at the deadline in 2013-14 made this would be a hockey deal, which perhaps can wait until the summer. so much sense but didn’t work out? That’s the concern with in-season But I think there are two teams that should be looking hard at either goalie trades. goalie right now: Colorado and Buffalo. The Avs are all-in or should be, “It is true, goalies take longer to acclimate,” said former NHL netminder and aside from providing the insurance in goal as noted above with the and NHL goalie coach Jamie McLennan, my colleague at TSN. injury to Francouz, there’s the benefit of having a netminder signed through next season, which also provides insurance given that Grubauer “They need to learn the system and the players’ habits in front of them. It is a pending UFA. It’s a win-win both short-term and long-term if the Avs takes some time.” trade for either Merzlikins or Korpisalo.

But injuries, slumps and a chance to win force in-season decisions from The Sabres as noted above need to upgrade in goal and either one of time to time. these guys would be just that. But they could wait until the summer to do it. Robin Lehner going to Vegas on deadline day last year was something else, with the Golden Knights deciding they needed to better protect Interesting sidenote, colleague Aaron Portzline reminded me Sunday that Marc-Andre Fleury in terms of wear and tear. Which ended up having Merzlikins is exempt from the Seattle expansion draft. So the Jackets other ramifications come the bubble when Lehner took over as the No. 1, could protect Korpisalo and not worry about losing Merzlikins to Seattle. but let’s not revisit that. Then again, they may trade him before then. If it were me, I would actually keep Merlzikins, who I feel still has more ceiling, and trade The point is that Vegas felt then and still does that it can win the Stanley Korpisalo. He’s a good goalie. But not above that. Cup and has arguably the best one-two punch in goal to do it, with a resurgent Fleury looking amazing this season. Darcy Kuemper or Antti Raanta, Arizona Coyotes

All of this is why I’m waiting for divisional rival Colorado Avalanche to Well, they’re both on injured reserve right now, so there’s that. And respond in kind. Raanta doesn’t sound short-term, either. So that might hurt his market value before April 12 as a pending UFA rental. The long-term injury to Pavel Francouz has created concern. No. 1 Philipp Grubauer is playing out of this world this season, but the injuries I never really thought the Coyotes would move Kuemper before April 12. in the bubble last summer to both their top goalies should be reason He’s signed through next season. My sense all along was that unless a enough for the Avs to go out before the deadline and add some veteran team really forced their hand, they would wait until the offseason before insurance. I say that with all due respect to recently acquired Jonas either extending Kuemper or trading him. Johansson, who to me should be the No. 3, not the No. 2. There’s also the fact the Coyotes are in a playoff battle with the Blues for And from talking to sources around the league over the weekend, the the last playoff spot in the West. Avs are indeed still looking at goalie options. I don’t see Kuemper moving, but I could be wrong. Come the offseason? “It’s no slight on Grubauer, he has fantastic stats, but they’re one groin If Arizona can’t extend him, I would like to see the Sharks investigate that injury from having uncertainty in the net,” McLennan agreed. “Joe Sakic possibility. needs to go get a goalie. That’s a team that should have been in the Cup Final last year (before the injuries in goal). I’ve said all along, the Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings Avalanche are the class of the West. Vegas is really good of course. The two-time Stanley Cup champion has two more years on his contract “You’re Colorado, you need to go get another goalie,” McLennan added. after this season at a $5.8 million AAV. “Grubauer is your guy, I’m not challenging that. But you need another I would be utterly shocked if the 35-year-old was dealt before April 12. goalie, you need depth at the position.” Besides, the Kings are quite happy to keep him as he continues to serve The Cup-contending Washington Capitals might — stressing might — as a good mentor to youngster Cal Petersen. also trade for a goalie, as colleague Tarik El-Bashir chronicled over the weekend. I don’t see a Quick trade.

Frederik Andersen has struggled and remains injured, but Jack Campbell Chris Driedger, Florida Panthers is 6-0 and I’m not sure the Toronto Maple Leafs should spend any capital looking for a goalie. But I guess you never know. Such a wonderful story for the former ECHLer, but since he’s a pending UFA it leads to some interesting possibilities for a Panthers team headed The Buffalo Sabres should be looking ahead to upgrade in goal ahead of to the playoffs. next season. Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton are pending UFAs. I would definitely try to re-sign Ullmark but also go out and find another 1. Just keep him for the playoff run and live with the fact he may walk netminder. They could get that done before April 12 instead of waiting for after the season. the offseason. 2. Try to sign him to an extension, which could make him even more Similarly, the San Jose Sharks will also try to upgrade in goal ahead of attractive to would-be buyers now or after the season. next season, that is very much a certainty. Could they try now or wait 3. Trade him as a rental and bring in highly touted prospect Spencer until the summer? Knight before the end of the season as the backup. The Edmonton Oilers will also need to look around this summer, and I do 4. Trade him and then replace him with a cheaper backup goalie before think they will wait until then to do so. Other teams will also have to react the deadline. A Keith Kincaid-type if you will. depending on Seattle’s goaltending decisions in the July expansion draft. I think all these options are being looked at by the Panthers. Option 1 is probably the best route.

The other rentals (pending UFAs)

Jonathan Bernier, Detroit (he’s been out since March 18 with a lower- body injury, listed as day to day); Devan Dubnyk, San Jose; David Rittich, Calgary; Ryan Miller, Anaheim.

If the Avs don’t trade for a Columbus goalie under contract, then Bernier for me is the next-best fit; they know him from 2017-18. Miller would be another solid option. Dubnyk or Rittich to Washington makes all kinds of sense to me. Of course, the Flames are fighting for a playoff spot in the North Division so maybe they don’t move Rittich.

Are we in for a surprising goalie trade before the April 12 deadline? No doubt. Should be fun.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207396 Websites word from social media had spread like wildfire and most on the call already knew the devastating news that was about to be delivered.

The message they received from Bell Media executives was somewhat The Athletic / Is Canadian sports talk radio dying? Bell, Rogers and the cold and detached — the exact opposite of the intimate and personal future of a changing industry touch many of the hosts strived for with their radio shows.

“They just told us, ‘Thanks for your service. The station is no more,’” said one staffer who was laid off. “And that was it.” Ian Mendes and Sean Fitz-Gerald Mar 29, 2021 The news was earth-shattering to those affected. In hindsight, warning signs of impending doom were clearly visible ahead of time.

On a normal day, Kyle King will work a shift at the grocery store, then Bell Media announced it was reducing the hours and salary of a number return home to make dinner for his wife and their young daughter. He will of employees by 25 per cent last April. The financial cutbacks were give his daughter a bath, put her down to sleep, then log on to his justified as a temporary, pandemic-related measure. In reality, they computer and host a sports talk show that might end up being six hours served as a harbinger of a more seismic shift on the radio horizon. long. “Pre-COVID, I would say most stations were celebrating if they were He hosts a show every night except Wednesday, so he can watch breaking even,” said the Canadian radio executive. “Then COVID hit and , and Saturday, which is date night. From his home it just decimated everybody’s bottom line. … So I think COVID just in Houston, King has broadcast to as many as 20,000 users, and to as accelerated what we all saw coming in the industry.” few as 10, using a platform that has been drawing interest from Canadian sports radio hosts who are searching for a lifeboat in turbulent industry In October, TSN 1290 in Winnipeg announced it was walking away from waters. its broadcast agreement with the Jets, despite the fact there was still a year remaining on the deal. It was clear to insiders the station had no On Twitch, a service known largely for its gaming users, King can talk intention of re-negotiating an extension, a smoking-gun sign something sports and play video games and engage with his audience. After trying was amiss. to break into conventional radio for years — he lost a part-time job hosting at a country music station last spring — King believes he has The storm clouds were also visible in Vancouver, where TSN 1040 found his future. suddenly lost a major, long-time sponsor in January. Sponsors should have been excited to jump on board with regular-season hockey back for “I am doing everything in my power to make this a career,” he said. “I told the first time in nearly a calendar year, so the timing was curious. my wife when I started on this: In September 2021, I want to be able to sit at our kitchen table on date night, while we’re eating pie and getting But it was another example of a sales deal that fell through the cracks for ready to watch ‘Schitt’s Creek’ on Netflix, that I want to be able to have a TSN Radio property. Across Canada, hosts privately grumbled that the conversation with her that I can start working from home.” nobody was specifically selling advertising for TSN Radio.

King’s story is set in the United States, but it may also provide a look at Instead, sources said, Bell Media account executives tended to focus the future in Canada, where traditional sports radio is shrinking — a trend their energy on selling the higher-profile properties under the umbrella — that has unfolded dramatically in public view this year. In February, Bell such as its CTV stations — because those television spots are believed Media shuttered three of its seven TSN-branded stations, turning to be more lucrative. Selling TSN Radio was almost an afterthought, and Hamilton, Winnipeg and Vancouver over to cheaper programming. many across the country believe this was a factor in the demise of the stations in Vancouver and Winnipeg. At Rogers, Sportsnet parted ways with Dave Cadeau, the long-time radio program director at 590 The Fan, and announced that, for the first time, it Bell Media did not respond to requests for comment about its sales would not have a dedicated radio play-by-play crew for Toronto Blue strategy with TSN Radio. Jays games. The company has said the Blue Jays decision was based “Sports talk radio is a hyper-niche product and you have to know how to on COVID-19 precautions rather than cost-cutting, but it has also not yet sell it specifically,” said the Canadian radio executive. “When you’re not committed to returning a radio crew for next season. marketing the product or selling the product, you’re essentially starting to The pandemic has accelerated underlying trends. Last year, the write the obit and just waiting for the day that you’re going to put it out to Canadian Association of Broadcasters — an industry advocacy group — press.” issued a stark warning that the pandemic could force 200 radio stations The question many asked themselves in Vancouver and Winnipeg was, to close. Advertising revenue has plummeted. Sports fans who would “Why us? Why not the other TSN stations?” normally tune in from their car are instead working from home. The simplest explanation is that TSN Radio properties in Montreal, Household names have been cut, then swept out the door. Meanwhile, Ottawa and Toronto have major rights contracts with the local NHL other platforms such as podcasts and streams — and others, such as teams. TSN 690 in Montreal has the rights to the Canadiens for another Twitch — are offering new options, including for those who have been season. TSN 1200 in Ottawa has the Senators locked in through 2025- underrepresented in the traditional mainstream. 26. In Toronto, where Bell and Rogers co-own the Leafs, it’s believed the “I have a hard time — as someone who’s focused on the business, who’s rights will remain under their umbrellas as long as the ownership focused on buying media — to recommend to advertisers that radio’s a structure is in place. platform you should be investing in to grow your audience,” said Adam These deals could save the stations in the short-term, but the general Seaborn, director of sales and media operations with Kingstar Media, in feeling around the industry is this could simply be a stay of execution. Toronto. Once those rights deals expire, the stations could vanish along with “Will there be sports talk radio on AM in five years?” said one long-time them. Canadian radio executive, who asked for anonymity. “I would say no.” Some NHL teams, like the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, The blade of a telecommunication giant’s guillotine seems to fall at least have already moved away from traditional broadcast deals with terrestrial once per calendar year, so there is a sense of predictability associated radio stations. Those California-based teams have eschewed AM radio with job cuts for radio industry veterans. for arrangements with digital providers — a possible blueprint for audio broadcasting deals in the future. In Canada, the outlier is Edmonton, But there was a different tone in what unfolded on Feb. 9, and it caused where TSN 1260 survived this latest round of cuts despite not holding legitimate panic for even the most hardened radio personalities in the broadcasting rights to the Oilers. A theory circulating in the industry is the business. Edmonton station had much lower production costs than counterparts in Vancouver and Winnipeg — that it was paying less for talent and This wasn’t saying goodbye to a long-time anchor or co-host. This was producers. saying goodbye to entire radio stations. And in many ways, it felt like saying goodbye to an entire industry. Its afternoon drive show, for example, has a unique format. Host Jason Gregor buys the four-hour block of air time from the station and in turn, Employees from TSN 1040 in Vancouver and TSN 1290 in Winnipeg he is allowed to sell the advertising and keep the profits for himself, were told to gather for mandatory conference calls that morning. By then, sources said. The Athletic reached out to Gregor, but he was not And yet, there are also benefits to operating under the banner of a permitted to speak about the nature of his arrangement with Bell Media. telecommunications giant. One long-time radio executive pointed out how, at Sportsnet, The Fan has access to television guests who would Some in the industry believe Gregor’s model could be the secret to otherwise cost too much money for an independent station to regularly profitability for both the station and the host, with many envious of his invite on air. unique setup. There is also the added promotional might of a company with powerful “What is happening there could be the future of radio. We’ll sell you the levers to pull. At TSN 1050 in Toronto, as an example, the network’s air time, you bring us the programming,” says Jim Toth, a former TSN afternoon drive program, OverDrive, has been promoted on television 1290 morning show host in Winnipeg. “There’s money to be made in and had signage splashed around Maple Leafs games at Scotiabank sports talk radio.” Arena.

Another former TSN Radio talk show host, who asked for anonymity, That would have been prohibitively expensive for an independent station. believes Bell Media could have saved the stations in Vancouver and Winnipeg if they had adopted a Gregor-style formula across the board. Jon Pole still believes in sports radio, and he said the corporate owners are missing out on both revenue and a deeper connection to the “It’s one part hilarious, one part sad,” the person said. “They had this communities the stations cover. He is president of My Broadcasting solution under their noses and they didn’t realize it.” Corporation, which operates radio stations in more than a dozen markets Bob McCown was asked about the cuts. across Ontario.

“The thing that’s shocking to me is that you have so many levels of deep “The big companies have gotten so far away from the independent thinkers in a company like Rogers or a company like Bell, so surely to brands that they don’t have anybody out there championing them,” he God somewhere along the line, somebody would say, ‘Whoa, guys, what said. “So there are these great things that are happening on TSN 1050 or the fuck are you doing?’” he said. “What exactly is the philosophy here? on The Fan, but there is not one guy or gal who are just out there saying, You’re not in the packaged goods business anymore. You’re in an ‘Hey, you gotta be a part of this.’” industry where the product is your people.” The reality of the pandemic impacted Pole’s company, too: Its all-sports McCown was a keystone piece of Canada’s first all-sports radio station. station in Peterborough switched formats last year, when professional He was part of 590 The Fan when it launched in 1992, signing onto the sports were forced to shut down. airwaves as the Blue Jays were en route to the first World Series win in Steve (Dangle) Glynn lives in a pleasant house on a quiet street in franchise history. Even the Leafs were turning around, having acquired Oshawa, Ont., about an hour’s drive east of Toronto, and he has built a Doug Gilmour that January. digital media empire on the force of his personality and the repeated Rogers Media swooped in to take control a decade later. The company failure of the mediocre hockey team that he loves. He yells — a lot — acquired the Blue Jays for $165 million in September 2000, bought about the Maple Leafs. Sportsnet 10 months later and picked up The Fan two months after that, More than 145,000 users have subscribed to his YouTube channel. His in a 13-station deal reportedly worth $100 million. videos have drawn more than 39 million views, or a little more than one CHUM Group Radio launched its own all-sports network with eight for every woman, man and child in Canada. Glynn has written a book. He stations in 2001, opening shop in markets from Halifax to Vancouver. co-hosts his eponymous podcast, records personalized videos for fans The company dissolved the network within 15 months, laying off dozens on Cameo, dabbles in Twitch, posts regularly on Twitter and has been of employees after failing to establish what it maintained was sustainable trying to figure out where he might fit on TikTok. growth. Along the way, he has also signed on to work at Sportsnet and, perhaps Bell and Rogers have largely carved the Canadian sports media in two. most surprisingly, has become captain of his own armada. Fans of his Even after the closures, Bell is still operating TSN-branded stations in work have taken to calling themselves part of “Dangle Navy,” a tongue- Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Edmonton. Sportsnet maintains in-cheek nod to a joke from the podcast. frequencies in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. At 33, he has become an avatar for finding a new way into the sports talk McCown had 18 months left on his contract when Sportsnet bought him ecosystem. He has grown his audience independent of any mainstream out two years ago. media company.

“The broadcast division of Rogers is an asterisk in the annual report,” “I think the problem is, a lot of people do think it’s magic, and it’s said McCown. “If you’re a Rogers shareholder and you go through their overnight,” he said. “Sometimes, I’ll get an email, like, ‘What’s your annual statement, radio and television is literally ‘miscellaneous income.’” secret?’”

Dwayne Winseck is a professor in the school of journalism and Glynn chuckled: “If there was a secret to this, it wouldn’t have taken me a communication at Carleton University, in Ottawa, and is also director of decade-and-a-half.” the Canadian Media Concentration Research Project. Sports radio has The nature of his content set him apart on YouTube, where he was the been swept into that discussion. exasperated voice for fans who have gone more than 50 years between “If your legal obligation is to maximize profits for shareholders, where do Stanley Cup appearances. Viewers have moved with him to the various you focus your energies?” he said. “You focus it in on the side that’s platforms. And unlike relationships in traditional sports radio, where the much bigger.” host is clearly separate from their audience, Glynn interacts with listeners. The media divisions are not the bigger side. “Generally, the more the better,” he said. “I don’t think there should really According to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, private radio be a hierarchy.” stations were headed for a drop of $383 million in year-over-year advertising revenue last year. Among stations at risk of closing, it noted, Ashley Docking spent a year in traditional sports radio as co-host of the “the most vulnerable are AM stations.” morning show at 590 The Fan. She parted ways with the station last year and has been creating short, postgame videos for Raptors fans on “These are not the crown jewels on anybody’s desk,” said Winseck. TikTok since late January. “These media operations, I think, are just tolerated. And so long as they continue to do really well, they’ll be tolerated. As soon as they fall She recirculates the videos on Twitter, where her monthly impressions beneath that threshold, then I think we get what we’re getting now.” grew to 1.9 million in February, from around 900,000 a month earlier. The videos feature a fast-moving mix of basketball strategy, pop culture Sports radio is expensive to produce. Beyond the salaries for references and humour. (“You know, Kyle Lowry’s evolution is a little bit announcers, the stations often have to pay rights fees to carry the games like Bitcoin: I don’t really understand how we got here, but I know for sure of local professional teams. When Bell Media closed its sports stations in it’s a thing.”) Hamilton, Winnipeg and Vancouver, it replaced them with business news and low-cost comedy programs. Docking, who teaches both at the College of Sports Media and Seneca College, said one goal with her growing social media presence is to secure a brand partnership: “Is it a snack, like Doritos, and chips, The initial feedback has been positive, with Paterson providing Winnipeg because people usually have a certain menu for game day?” fans with local content they’ve been craving since TSN 1290 abruptly closed its doors last month. She is talking sports, but with a different delivery, and on a different platform. As that content develops more of a following, it can lead to what “Our podcast numbers have been amazing,” said Paterson. “And we those inside the industry might call fragmentation. Docking does not think have all these TSN 1290 orphans in our chat room. People who used to the term should have a negative connotation: It should suggest listen to us on radio and now they’ve shifted over here. It’s like we’re a opportunity. brand-new community.”

“It means you can now diversify your offerings, and you can go after In Vancouver, the situation is a little more complicated. The market still demographics that never gave a shit about anything you were doing — has an all-sports radio station, and Sportsnet 650 just announced plans that never felt included,” she said. “You can open the door for marketing to bring over a handful of ex-TSN 1040 employees such as Mike Halford, dollars from companies that you just haven’t thought of yet, or that Jason Brough and Karen Surman. However, those additions came at a haven’t been interested in you because you haven’t served their core price, as Sportsnet 650 simultaneously cut ties with James Cybulski, audience.” Perry Solkowski and Andrew Walker.

According to research from Ryerson University in Toronto, women Matt Sekeres and Blake Price, the popular afternoon drive hosts from accounted for fewer than 5 per cent of voices heard on Canadian sports TSN 1040, did not land with their ex-rivals at Sportsnet 650. Instead, the radio two years ago. And that was before the pandemic-related job duo has reunited under a format they now control. The goal is to losses. eventually create a live-streaming show from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. each day, with the episodes available for fans to download later. Shireen Ahmed is a co-creator and co-host of the podcast “Burn It All Down,” which describes itself as “the feminist sports podcast you need.” Sekeres is confident they can succeed without the corporate backing of a She is a sports activist and contributor at TSN who is pursuing a Masters behemoth like Bell Media. in Media Production at Ryerson. “You could say we have a brand. We have a following, And we have Podcast, she said, is another platform that is more representative of community partners,” Sekeres said. “We can do this.” independent media. In many ways, Bell and Rogers have functioned as a middleperson in the “I think it’s a part of the future,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many sports radio equation over the past 20 years. And now many hosts who listeners of ‘Burn It All Down’ email us or call us or tweet us or message have been left without jobs are realizing they can disseminate their own us and say, ‘Where were you? This is exactly what I was looking for.’” programming without the corporate barriers. Some have described the feeling as “oddly liberating” to host a radio show without worrying about Conventional sports talk radio is dominated by white men, she said. And crossing any corporate lines. while that is a significant part of the listenership, Ahmed said it does not speak for everyone who cares about sports. “It’s almost like we just took over the station ourselves,” said Paterson. “If some big company wants to come back, we’ll have a turnkey operation “In the margins, there’s lovers of sport waiting to feel like there’s a for them. Otherwise, we’ll be more than happy to keep doing this reflection of them somewhere,” she said. “And they’re starting to find ourselves.” those places.” Don Kollins is a former program director at Sportsnet 590 The Fan who If sports talk radio in Canada is a sinking ship, Steve Warne had a two- moved to California, where he helps connect radio personalities with a year head start in his life raft. home on Twitch. He said that a host with a decent presence on social For almost two decades, the affable Warne was the co-host of the media could expect to attract 130 to 140 users to their show at the start. popular TGOR morning show on TSN 1200. But in March 2019, he fell Within a few months, he said the host would not likely be getting rich, victim to a significant round of cuts at Bell Media. “but you could be putting a couple thousand bucks into your jeans, and “I miss what sports talk radio used to be — like even in 2015,” said then it starts to build from there.” Warne. “Right now, it’s not a place where I’d want to be working.” Kollins said most of the revenue comes from fans of the show, who can In the 24 months since his exit from Bell Media, he’s launched a daily effectively tip hosts during the broadcast. There is also space for Ottawa Senators podcast and helps produce a handful of other shows on advertising. the side. His message to those entering the podcasting industry is “If you are not on multiple platforms, and you think you’re just going to do simple: Expect to roll up your sleeves and do a lot of grunt work. the radio show and survive in the new world, you’re dead,” he said. “It’s absolutely possible to make a living doing this, but I’m not going to “You’re walking dead already. Radio is dead. And radio needs to expand present it as something that’s easy to do,” said Warne. “There’s a part of to another platform. me that feels like I’m a kid hustling out of university. I’m juggling so many “Streaming, digital and that social media world is where it’s going.” projects and wearing so many hats. That’s the hardest part of this job, doing all the marketing and sales. If all you want to do is sort of jump on Seaborn, the media buyer in Toronto, said the downward trends extend and continue your sports talk radio show, stop right now. Don’t do it, beyond just sports. Listenership for traditional radio is not growing. because that’s the easy part.” “At the end of the day, everyone’s fighting for a smaller piece of the pie,” Across the country, new sports talk podcasts are sprouting up on a he said. “The cumulative audience on radio is down in Toronto, and down weekly basis. In the markets where TSN Radio closed its doors, there is across the country. There are no net new radio listeners being added.” a race to feed fan bases suddenly starving for local content. The pandemic has been especially punishing, and as an example, Andrew Paterson, better known as “Hustler” in Winnipeg, is living up to Seaborn said both of Toronto’s all-sports stations have seen double-digit his nickname. percentage drops in average minute audiences over last year.

Earlier this month, he launched the new Winnipeg Sports Talk podcast, “It’s hard for me to say that we’re not going to be talking about radio,” he and he’s been busy hosting the show, as well as selling sponsorship said. “Radio is going to be around. But the ad dollars are going to opportunities to local companies. continue to slide out of it and, unfortunately, that’s the only revenue stream for radio.” Paterson estimates more than two dozen local companies have reached out to him about potential deals, and he sees a future where he is Montreal Canadiens creating up to six hours of new content each day — possibly with the help of his ex-teammates at TSN 1290. In Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, Bell’s TSN Radio stations still have broadcast deals with the NHL teams, providing some stability — at least “I think the potential for this is massive,” said Paterson. “I mean I put out for now. (Eric Bolte / USA Today) a video announcing this and it blew up. It got more than 130,000 views.” Nelson Millman, a Toronto-based broadcast media consultant, declared his bias before wading into the topic. He is another former program director at The Fan, and he described himself as a “radio guy” before providing a slightly less drastic outlook.

“The future isn’t bleak,” he said. “It’s a readjustment of the boats floating up and down: ‘How does radio make sure there’s still room for that platform in the midst of all the other ones?’”

Sports radio has begun to churn out its content in podcast form. In Toronto, TSN 1050 chops and posts hour-long segments of its three-hour afternoon drive show, OverDrive, while the show is ongoing. The forward-looking stations are active on social media and pay increasingly close attention to audio starts and downloads.

Broadcast executives have also been preparing for a potential deluge of advertising revenue that should follow the arrival of legalized single-event sports betting in Canada.

“Radio was going to die when TV started a million years ago,” said Millman. “But it’s not dead.”

Kyle King had been working as a weekend host at 100.3 The Bull, a country station in Houston, before he was dismissed last year. He said he has been on Twitch since September, and that he has grown his base to more than 550 subscribers.

His show can run anywhere from 90 minutes to six hours, depending on the mood, the topic and how much his audience is interacting with him that night. There have been times, he said, where he logged on at 8 p.m., planning to broadcast for two hours, but looked up and realized it was after 1 a.m.

King always dreamed of being on sports radio. He volunteered as host of a fantasy football show on a local station for a while. He never got an opportunity to try sports broadcasting full-time, but Twitch is providing an opening, and he is finding an audience.

Since he launched last fall, King said he has been doubling revenue every month.

“In January,” he said, “I made enough to literally pay my mortgage.”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207397 Websites instead passing the puck to himself and going skate to stick before taking the Flames defenceman wide and then finding Scheifele alone in the slot for a one-timer.

Sportsnet.ca / Jets show with dominant win vs. Flames they've mastered This was sheer brilliance from a player that continues to turn heads this art of the rebound season.

“I don’t think I’ve done that ever before, to be honest,” said Ehlers, asked to describe the play. “I just thought I could separate myself a little bit from Ken Wiebe that defenceman, (Scheifele) would have just been standing still with the puck, and it worked. After that, I tried to use my speed to go around him March 30, 2021, 2:10 AM and (Scheifele) was in a great position to get a pass.”

Scheifele has been chipping in points all season long, but the goal well WINNIPEG — This is the Winnipeg Jets' calling card. had been running a little dry with only two markers in his previous 16 games. To put it in the simplest terms possible, it’s how they roll. But with the sixth two-goal game of his career, Scheifele is suddenly up Go ahead and call it the art of the rebound. to 15 on the season — just one behind Ehlers and two behind Connor for the team lead. There’s a maturity within this group, a genuine belief they are never out of the game no matter what the scoreboard displays and a willingness to Scheifele, who is tied for fifth in NHL scoring with 40 points, is the kind of do whatever it takes to minimize the valleys during this gruelling and player that can go on impressive hot streaks and he figures to have some compressed 56-game season. additional bounce in his step as he gets set to go head to head with Auston Matthews and John Tavares later this week. Sure, the Jets missed an opportunity to tie a season-high with four consecutive victories Saturday night, but they weren’t about to allow the The Jets also got an important goal from the fourth line and it was not Calgary Flames to beat them in consecutive games. without controversy as it went off the skate of Nate Thompson, whose left leg was fully outstretched before the puck made contact with the There was too much at stake and the Jets had a reputation to uphold. extended skate blade. They’ve only lost consecutive games in regulation once this season and Were the Jets confident the goal was going to count when it went to had no interest in seeing that number double. video review? By the time the final buzzer sounded Monday night, the Jets had earned “You know what, you never really know,” said Ehlers. “I’m not sure what a decisive 5-1 win over the Flames in what was a downright dominant exactly the rules are. I didn’t think there was a kicking motion. He can’t performance from the newly constructed line of Mark Scheifele (two get his stick on the ice so he tries to get his stick on that puck and he did goals, one assist) between Nikolaj Ehlers (three assists) and Kyle that perfectly. To be honest, I had no idea what was going to happen Connor (two assists). because I don’t exactly know the rules about skate goals. All I know is “It was a bounce-back game for everyone. It was a bounce-back game that, to me, it was not a kicking motion.” for the team. That’s what we do,” said Ehlers, who is up to 36 points in 36 By the time Andrew Copp and Dubois rounded out the scoring, it meant games this season. each of the Jets' four lines had a part of the offensive output — even if “That’s kind of our playoff mentality, to bounce back after a loss, we’ve former's goal came on a blended shift. been able to do that really well this season. You don’t want to lose “We have a lot of guys that have been around a long time and played a games, but being able to go out and play the way we played tonight after lot of playoff hockey and know what it takes, so I think that's a big part,” a loss shows how special this group is.” Jets forward Trevor Lewis said recently. “The leadership group here is The Jets wrapped up a season-high, seven-game road trip with a record good and gets the message across when it needs to be said. of 4-3 as they improved to 22-11-2 and leapfrogged the Edmonton Oilers “We've got four pretty good lines and, like I said before, everyone knows into second place in the North Division, just one point behind the Toronto their role and no one's complaining about whether they should be up and Maple Leafs. down the lineup or whatever it is. It's a great group up front, for sure, What does it mean when a group has that reservoir of resilience built up we've got four good lines that can play against anyone so it's a good when the intensity begins to ramp up and the stretch run is just around combo there.” the corner? The other development for the Jets is that goalie Connor Hellebuyck has “It’s an important strength to build over time, that you can suffer a tough found his happy zone. one and come back,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “I’ll go back to Although he wasn’t giving up many, if any, soft goals, a recent stretch what I’ve alluded to earlier, they have a really strong understanding of the saw the reigning Vezina Trophy winner give up three or more markers in game. In Game 2 of this three-game series, the pressure had shifted to eight consecutive starts. Calgary. They came hard, we handled it right, and then just some bad breaks around our net. They didn’t leave the game feeling the other team Since that time, he’s given up only five goals over the past five games is better than we are, or we failed in the game. There are some and posted his first shutout of the campaign. adjustments we need to make, but we’re right there. Somewhat quietly, Hellebuyck has raised his save percentage to .917 “I think that’s been pretty consistent with all our games...There is an and lowered his goals-against average to 2.57 as he’s recorded more intelligence and a maturity for that to take place. They rebound well. saves than any other goalie in the NHL. They’re rested, as much as you can be in what we’re going through. They’re rested and they’re smart.” An early power-play goal was all the Flames could manage on Monday night. This sets up what figures to be another showdown series with the Maple Leafs that goes Wednesday and Friday in Winnipeg. “It doesn’t really affect me a whole lot. I’m trying to pitch a perfect game no matter what. If one beats me, it doesn’t change my game plan,” said Sensing his group needed a bit of a spark at the end of a long trip, Hellebuyck. “I want to show that I’m a rock back there and anytime that I Maurice made a swap of his centreman, flip-flopping Scheifele and get beat, I’m going to force them to make the perfect shot or at least try Pierre-Luc Dubois, who slid between captain Blake Wheeler and Paul to and I’m going to show my team that I’m not fazed.” Stastny. The Jets haven’t run four lines very much during Maurice's tenure as Ehlers was right in the middle of the action, delivering what was a head coach, but given the nature of the schedule, it’s been a critical virtuoso performance. element to surviving this stretch that featured 12 of the past 14 games on the road. The most impressive of the numerous highlight-reel moves was an incredible entry with speed that included Ehlers faking a drop pass, but With one game remaining in a month that included 17 games in 30 days, the Jets have done more than just survive.

They remain right in the thick of things in the battle for top spot. With 20 games left in the regular season (including 12 on home ice), the Jets' fate remains in their hands.

They’ve clearly established a template of how they need to play and they’ve displayed an impressive level of consistency.

“There’s a lot of things that we’ve improved on in our game over that span and I think sometimes getting on the road can be a good thing in the NHL. You try to play a simplified game, a greasy road game, so to speak,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “We’ve made a lot of strides in the course of those games. We’re definitely happy with the improvement and how we’ve been able to handle the tough schedule.”

There was a scary moment for Flames defenceman Chris Tanev early in the first period.

Tanev was off-balance as he went back to retrieve a puck and was drilled into the end boards by Dubois.

It was a clean hit with an unfortunate result, as Tanev’s right shoulder and head went into the end boards.

But after heading down the tunnel for further evaluation, Tanev returned to the ice late in the first period and finished the game.

Given how big an impact Tanev is having during his first season with the Flames, this was an important development for a team that doesn’t have a wide margin for error during the stretch run.

The Jets are now 5-2-1 in the season series with the Flames, who are going to need to go on an incredible heater to get themselves back in this race for fourth place with the Montreal Canadiens.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207398 Websites “You’re going up against the deepest opponent that we face in our division in terms of their forward lines and the depth that they have,” he said. “We’ve got to have that level of focus every shift. That’s something for us to take away, for sure, but we’ve shown what we’re capable of.” Sportsnet.ca / Leafs can take solace in defensive play vs. Oilers despite latest loss They will discuss what worked against Edmonton while navigating the final 21 games on the schedule and could very well see the Oilers again in May. Even with both teams likely to change in the meantime — “we’ve still got a lot of room to grow,” noted veteran forward Joe Thornton — a Chris Johnston seed has been planted. March 30, 2021, 12:52 AM “If it does come that way, it’d be an exciting series,” said Thornton.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.30.2021 TORONTO — If the Toronto Maple Leafs step back on the same ice as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl again this season, it will be part of a playoff series.

But they will definitely make time to reflect on these nine games against the Edmonton Oilers, even if they’ve already seen the last of them.

“I think at different times in the games that we’ve played against Edmonton this season (it has) really been the model of what we’re capable of as a team,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said after Monday’s 3-2 overtime loss.

The 6-1-2 record they amassed against the Oilers could ultimately make the difference in Toronto finishing ahead in the standings — although there’s still far too much runway left on the schedule and far too little separating the North’s top three to say that with any certainty now.

Results aside, it’s the focus the Leafs channelled in this season series that they’ll be looking to replicate down the stretch.

Lining up across from McDavid and Draisaitl was enough to perk their defensive interest. The Leafs surrendered just 43 total shots in the final two games at Scotiabank Arena and still saw Edmonton’s top duo combine for five points on Saturday night before McDavid found Darnell Nurse on Monday’s overtime winner to stretch his points streak to 11 games.

“When you don’t do it, you look real bad, real quick,” said Keefe. “That in itself kind of shocks the system and gets you dialled in and focused on it.”

This was not up to the gold standard the Leafs established while reeling off three straight wins in Edmonton from Feb. 27 to March 3, but there were some echoes of those performances.

Dave Tippett loaded up his top centres on a line with Jesse Puljujarvi here and on Monday the Leafs outchanced that trio 15-4 at evens. Those minutes were largely countered by Zach Hyman, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner up front and the Jake Muzzin-Justin Holl defensive pairing.

“Our forwards were really good at helping out and swinging with them, not allowing them to get the puck with speed and space,” said Holl. “I thought as a five-man unit it was really encouraging that way.”

Added Matthews: “I thought we had some really, really good stretches, especially early on in the first period and throughout the game where it really seemed like we were all five guys in sync and all throughout all three zones didn't give them much.”

McDavid still punched through with a big play in overtime after Mike Smith stopped a 2-on-1 chance at the other end. You don’t score 15 more points than every NHLer not named Draisaitl without finding a way even on the tough nights.

But his line certainly didn’t terrorize Toronto to the degree it is capable of.

“I just thought we didn’t give them very much room,” said Keefe. “I thought the neutral zone was real tough for them. I thought we forced them to dump a lot of pucks. Forced them to play a lot on the forecheck, which, obviously they can do that too, but that takes away a lot of the strength of their game, which is playing on the rush or playing in transition and playing with the puck on their stick.”

As the Leafs seek to claim the division crown, they will need similarly effective five-man efforts against the Winnipeg Jets — starting Wednesday with the first of six remaining meetings against the other team vying to be Kings of the North.

The Jets won’t load up one super-charged line like Edmonton did, but Keefe sees plenty of trouble when he scribbles their entire lineup on the whiteboard in the dressing room. 1207399 Websites Sunday. Mike became very emotional discussing the aftermath. His voice cracked a couple of times during our call.

“When I saw that — there’s no greater honour than that. The respect he Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: Aaron Ekblad injury a massive blow to showed to the other team, the other player. It’s sad someone had to lose Panthers that game. For Ryan to be a sportsman in that moment, I can’t be more proud.”

“I’m not surprised my father was so emotional discussing it with you,” Elliotte Friedman Ryan said. “I call him a bit of a burnt marshmallow. He’s hard on the outside, soft on the inside.” March 29, 2021, 12:52 PM Like many children, Ryan began his goaltending career as target practice

for an older sibling. He’s two years younger than brother Jared, who was At puck drop of Saturday night’s NCAA Midwest Regional between top- a pretty good defenceman in his competitive days. seeded North Dakota and two-time defending national champion “When [Ryan] was five, he went to his first organized tryouts,” Kellianne Minnesota-Duluth, Ryan Fanti’s father (Mike) and mother (Kellianne) sat said. “He said he wanted to be the goalie, and I would say, ‘No, go down to watch in their Thunder Bay, Ont., homes. skate.’ Finally, he put his hands on his hips and said he wasn’t playing Six hours later, both were emotionally drained and incredibly proud. hockey unless he was the goalie. That’s how it started. Kellianne accidentally destroyed her smartphone’s charging cord in “The only rule we had was, ‘No crying if you lose games.’ NHL goalies celebration, Mike moved to tears by his son’s act of sportsmanship. All lose games, too.” on a night Ryan wasn’t supposed to play. He was cut three times from Thunder Bay’s biggest minor hockey Minnesota-Duluth blew a 2–0 lead with less than two minutes remaining, organization, which limited his options. Fanti spent two seasons with the had an overtime winner overturned because it was offside by the North American Hockey League’s Minnesota Wilderness. When slimmest of margins, but prevailed 3—2 in the fifth extra period — the Minnesota-Duluth called to offer him a scholarship (and needed a quick longest game in NCAA Tournament history. Ryan Fanti dressed as answer), he was on vacation in the country of San Marino and had to find starting goalie Zach Stejskal’s backup. Four minutes into the fourth somewhere where a cellphone could even get one bar of service. overtime, Stejskal couldn’t continue. In 2018–19, he played one period of one exhibition game as the Bulldogs “Going into that fourth overtime, some guys were talking about cramping won their second straight NCAA crown. This season, he was the starter up,” Ryan said Sunday night, after the bus trip home from Fargo, N.D. “I until head coach Scott Sandelin began to alternate him with Stejskal in could see (Zach) resting between whistles, not 100 per cent. I warmed up recent weeks. The Frozen Four begins April 8 in Pittsburgh. Mike and in the tunnel, in case I was called upon.” Kellianne are both considering how a trip could be possible. His calisthenics were noted by the broadcast team of Leah Hextall and For a city with a population of 100,000, Thunder Bay has great hockey Dave Starman. lineage. The Staals, the Pyatts, Patrick Sharp and three current NHL “When (Ryan) is playing, I’m right in front of the television, very stressed,” goalies — Mackenzie Blackwood, Carter Hutton and Matt Murray. New Kellianne laughed. “(Saturday night), I was still nervous, but I was sitting Jersey’s starter sent Fanti a text after the game; “Good stuff. Coming in on the couch. When they said he was stretching, I flew in front of the TV; late, that’s hard to do.” my eyes probably blew out of my head a little bit. When you’re the parent Yes it is. Ryan Fanti added another chapter to local lore. Now he’s going of a goalie, it’s a whole different ball game.” for more. “Actually, it was the least nervous I’ve ever been,” Mike said. “I knew he’d 31 Thoughts: The Podcast want to seize the moment.” Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey “You have to be ready if anything happens, stay mentally in it,” Ryan world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what said. they think about it. You weren’t nervous about sitting there for five hours, then going into an 31 THOUGHTS elimination game? 1. It was awful to watch Florida’s Aaron Ekblad on the ice in agony during “I was less nervous compared to sitting on the bench, not being able to the Panthers’ 4–1 win in Dallas. help out there,” he answered. “Once you get in your crease, you’re focused on the puck, not worried about much else.” “It must have hurt so bad,” teammate Jonathan Huberdeau said. “I really didn’t want to see it.” Stejskal made 57 saves in 125 minutes. Fanti stopped six of six shots in 17:36 before Luke Mylymok won it for the Bulldogs at 2:13 of the fifth The Panthers announced Monday night the star defenceman underwent overtime. surgery to repair a fracture in his lower extremities and will be sidelined 12 weeks. That’s a massive loss for Florida. Their assistant captain was If the game reached another intermission, there was going to be a having a brilliant season — very much in the Norris Trophy conversation conversation about calling a temporary halt and resuming on Sunday. In — tied for the NHL lead in goals by defencemen (11, with Darnell Nurse the celebration, Fanti noticed the Bulldogs’ third goalie, Brampton, Ont.’s and Jeff Petry), playing 25:05 a night for a team flirting with first overall. Ben Patt, “jump over the bench and get his feet caught on everyone else. He landed flat on his back. We’re in the corner celebrating — he’s on the The Panthers were looking at adding a defender even before this ice.” occurred. This will add to the urgency, but what an enormous challenge to fill Ekblad’s spot. All the best to him. Just terrible. But everyone else noticed Fanti’s next move: skating away from his jubilant teammates to console North Dakota’s Adam Scheel, who made 2. I will admit this even if it makes me look unprofessional, but I’m rooting 51 saves in defeat. for a Buffalo victory. No one deserves this level of on-ice misery in such a mentally challenging isolation season. “You get to that point in a game — five overtimes — there’s no better goalie or better team,” Ryan said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re playing a With two weeks until the trade deadline, no GM is using more data than rival. You feel for them. It could’ve went the other way. They hit the post Kevyn Adams. The Sabres are out of the race and not pretending right before we won.” otherwise. I thought he did well to get two picks for Eric Staal, and Adams tried for a second-rounder before committing to Montreal. The “That’s who he is,” Kellianne said. “I spoke to him (Sunday) morning advantage for him right now is some other teams (Arizona, Columbus, while he was packing up at the hotel and told him how proud I was. Nashville among them) are holding because they’re suddenly in the race. That’s their biggest rival. He knew how (Scheel) would feel. That he had it in his heart in that moment — I’m super proud of him.” Adams was believed to be discussing something with struggling St. Louis. I wondered if it would be Taylor Hall, but received pushback on Because of COVID and the Canadian border, parents and child haven’t seen each other since August. Father and son FaceTimed at 3:30 a.m. that idea, so we’ll see where it goes. There are a ton of teams calling to Their biggest advantage is depth. Michael Frolik hasn’t played all season, see what he’s willing to do, and what it will take. and he’s an NHLer. They’ve got bodies.

3. Hall will be interesting, and I think it’s possible he stays in Buffalo a bit 11. Yeah, I’m still not convinced Marc Bergevin is done. I think he had longer so his cap hit goes down. I said last week on my weekly Buffalo hit something going with Artturi Lehkonen to create cap space. It’s possible (Instigators) that it will be hard for the Sabres to get a first-rounder unless the Canadiens need to be clear of the COVID shutdown before anything there’s a bidding war. That seems insane, but look at it this way: In a flat- else happens. cap world for the foreseeable future, first-round picks are seen as even more valuable. You’re going to need entry-level talents who can make a 12. Edmonton head coach Dave Tippett offered his players a day off last difference. Tuesday, once the Oilers were told their games in Montreal were postponed. It’s unfortunate for the Sabres and for pending unrestricted free agent Jake McCabe that he’s out for the year. He would have been an excellent “They said no. They wanted to go to the rink,” Tippett said. trade chip. A good team needing defenders would gladly have added I get that — the Oilers were on the road, and it’s not like you can drop him. In addition to some of the veterans, I’m wondering if 2017 first- into Stogie’s for an afternoon Rocky Patel. rounder Casey Mittelstadt gets a change of scenery, too. Tippett divided his practice time as follows: small-area games on 4. Will Arizona hold now that that the Coyotes are a point behind St. Tuesday, scrimmages Wednesday, structural stuff and face-off drills Louis? GM Bill Armstrong: “Our team will lead me to that conclusion.” Thursday, regular day-before-game brisk practice on Friday. (The taxi I’m surprised the Blues are in this position, although they’ve been squad was included the first three days so no one felt like an outcast.) hammered by injuries on the blue line. Eighteen of their final 21 games “Sergei Zubov always used to tell me we need to scrimmage more, so I are against Colorado, Minnesota and Vegas. made time for it,” Tippett laughed.

One thing about their GM, — he is utterly fearless and I didn’t get a chance to ask him about it, but I’m wondering if the could do anything. Chatter around the Blues is increasing. He is decreased quarantine gets any of Edmonton’s talented AHLers a look at someone who got first-rounders for rentals (Kevin Shattenkirk in 2017 some point. Bakersfield’s Cooper Marody and Tyler Benson are one-two and Paul Stastny in 2018) without harming the long-term future of his in league scoring; Ryan McLeod is 10th. team. 13. Tippett was very complimentary of Nurse. 5. Awful weekend for Columbus. Low-energy performance in Detroit. “He deserves a ton of credit,” the coach said. “On and off the ice, he’s a I’ve written it before, and I’ll say it again: Do not underestimate how much great leader and he’s backed it up with his play. He plays a lot of minutes reaching the playoffs means to the bottom line. Even if you can’t get and has gone to another level with the way he reads situations. He’s many fans this year, does it increase your season-ticket sales for next learned to control his emotions — use them for you, not against you. And year? he took a lot of that responsibility on his own. Older and wiser.”

I can see the Blue Jackets weighing this as they map their future. He added Ethan Bear, whose season was derailed by a fluke They’ve got some good depth options in Michael del Zotto and Riley concussion, “is coming. He looks to be back where he was. He’s back to Nash. I’m most curious to see what happens with David Savard. I think doing the things he did last year. We knew he’d work his way through it.” Colorado is there, and, in stealth mode if they can fit it, Tampa Bay. The Lightning think they can repeat (and certainly could). He makes sense for I asked if Jesse Puljujarvi might get more first-power-play time, and them. Tippett hinted yes.

6. Carolina asked Vancouver about Travis Hamonic. The right-shooting “We like what he’s doing. It’s really been positive, and he plays hard. defender has made it clear several times he chooses to stay in Western He’s coming. We just wanted to take things carefully, make sure Canada for family reasons. He stayed consistent to that philosophy and everything’s going in the right direction.” won’t be traded. 14. I’m another one who believes Luke Glendening is very much on The Hurricanes are looking for someone like Hamonic, a right-shot with Edmonton’s radar. (Tippett is not the source for this.) Makes too much an edge. Tanner Pearson’s injury doesn’t appear as serious as initially sense, but the challenge for the Oilers is getting outbid by a higher pick feared, so we’ll see where this goes. The Canucks have made some nice than they want to exchange. waiver claims, and that could change the trajectory of Adam Gaudette’s I heard that his Detroit teammates jokingly compared Glendening — future. when in the face-off circle — to a dog eying a ball. His eyes never leave 7. In an interview with The Athletic’s Sara Civian, Carolina GM Don the puck in a linesman’s hand. He’s completely focused on it and ignores Waddell indicated an extension with head coach Rod Brind’Amour is all else. Guess that’s why he’s at 64 per cent. getting closer. That is certainly the expectation around the NHL. 15. Cole Caufield is a Montreal Canadien. Dylan Holloway, Edmonton’s 8. What is Tuukka Rask’s health going to do to Boston’s decision- 2020 first-rounder, gamely tried to play through a broken thumb for making? NCAA Wisconsin, and the recovery time will affect his decision on Oilers or Badgers. 9. Plenty of mystery surrounding Frederik Andersen’s status, with Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe saying last weekend the goalie is Other decisions coming down after weekend results: undergoing “different evaluations,” and his return is not imminent. • Spencer Knight (Boston College/Florida Panthers). This is a big one. Here’s the best info I can find: The Maple Leafs do not believe — as I The Panthers have a crowded crease with and 2021 write this — that Andersen’s injury is season-ending. They are not eager revelation Chris Driedger (who can be a UFA). They have another good- to eat their precious cap space on another netminder unless they looking prospect, Devon Levi. Knight can’t be a free agent for two more absolutely have to. I do suspect GM Kyle Dubas has a move or two in his seasons, and everyone’s watching what he chooses to do. The best thing back pocket, and is waiting until the numbers work — or something else the Panthers have done here is show that who plays well determines drops on his lap. who gets the net. It’s not about contract — it’s about performance. That’s all a prospect can ask for. 10. Not sensing a ton from Calgary, yet. The Flames aren’t loaded with UFA types (although Derek Ryan is a good idea for a contender). As • ALSO: Knight teammates Matthew Boldy (Minnesota) and Alex Montreal gets back to work, the Canadiens have five games in hand on Newhook (Colorado). the Flames and six on Vancouver — with a two-point lead. My biggest • Free agents: North Dakota’s Matt Kiersted and Jordan Kawaguchi. concern for the Canadiens is their schedule. Starting Tuesday, it’s 25 Kiersted is in the process of preparing his game plan to make this games in 43 days. That’s….not easy. I look at Dallas. The Stars, to me, decision. I’ve heard Kawaguchi has a couple of teams he’s considering, are better than their record indicates, and their players are doing an but no confirmation yet. Finally, one overage Canadian junior I wanted to unbelievable job of competing through the meatgrinder created by a mention: WHL Vancouver’s Tristen Nielsen. He’s got seven points in two COVID outbreak and the Texas power failures. That is one banged-up games for the Giants. He’s a free agent, and someone will give him a group. Montreal’s created itself some runway, but this will be a challenge. shot. *I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time. of Famers, and they couldn’t agree. By the next season, that number was down one penalty per game. (This season, it’s at 3.04.) 16. Lots to unpack in the aftermath of Tim Peel’s removal. There was a Twitter brushfire last Thursday when referee Eric Furlatt covered his Players say they know referees are going to call stick fouls on the hands microphone during a conversation with Toronto’s Wayne Simmonds. I (that was re-inforced as important in the aftermath of Peel’s microphone wondered if the officials considered refusing to wear them. A few of them mishap). I think they’d like more emphasis on boarding and slew-footing, indicated the answer is no, it was never seriously discussed. They felt but I’d be lying if I claimed I talked to everyone. I liked what Anson Carter this was one-time human error, not something requiring pushback said last week: be consistent. If you’re going to call the rulebook in the against being mic’ed up. first period, do it in the third. If you’re going to “let them play” in the first, “let them play” in the third. 17. There are two separate, in-depth conversations surrounding this situation. One is about officiating itself. The other is about business. “I don’t think you should be able to pick and choose what is called based Much of the dialogue surrounded the former. I’ve been more interested in on the score of the game,” one veteran texted. the latter. The biggest surprise, to me, was how swiftly the NHL acted in taking Peel out of the rotation. We’re used to, “We’re going to take our 20. Two more “thoughts” on this. First, this happened as officials and time and investigate this — we’ll let you know when we have a finding.” players are in closer contact than normal. They don’t usually stay at the same hotels, but COVID protocols dictate it. They also mix during testing. Nope, not this time. After Jeff Marek and I discussed it on last week’s podcast, a couple of officials said they actually liked it — because you could create some kind Peel was out 12 hours after it occurred. According to multiple sources, of a relationship — but others aren’t crazy about it, because it Peel, devastated by what happened, threw himself on the grenade and exacerbates raw feelings. There’ve been some uncomfortable moments. took full responsibility, apologizing to the Predators post-game. Apparently, he’d seen a replay of his call on the video screen, realized it Earlier in the year, a few teams complained about officials travelling on was a miss, and was annoyed at himself. planes with the general public, because it wasn’t necessarily safe. That’s a tough one, because if you put them on, say, the Leafs’ team plane, Most of the current and retired officials who were willing to discuss the Toronto could hypothetically bribe them for calls with tasty lobster, good incident said they understood the decision. They didn’t like it, and felt wine and a souffle. Another challenge in a year full of them. terribly for Peel, but they understood. A couple of them brought up disgraced ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who was caught betting on 21. Finally, I don’t understand the idea that removing Peel a month games in 2007. (Let’s just state for the record, I don’t believe Peel was before his final game wasn’t a significant punishment. For one thing, it’s a doing anything remotely similar or unethical.) harsh public rebuke. Bryan Lewis, a referee and NHL director of officiating from 1966 to 2000, gave an excellent interview on The Fan “When that happened,” one said, “the NHL immediately reached out to 590’s Writer’s Bloc with Jeff Blair and Stephen Brunt. He discussed what us. They asked us if there was anything they needed to know.” losing a “goodbye game,” scheduled for April 24 in St. Louis, would mean There were deep conversations about how damaging it is to your league to Peel. during a crisis of consumer confidence. The CBA between the NHL and “That to me is the biggest kick in my backside I could ever think of as an its officials now contains specific code-of-conduct references: “Each official,” Lewis said. official agrees to abstain from habits of intemperance, gambling, immorality or other conduct likely to bring himself and/or the NHL and/or 22. Wanted to come back to Leboff, who says, “I want more bettors to bet the game of Hockey into disrepute or which results in the impairment of on the NHL because I think the sport is the best to bet on. The puck public confidence in the honest and orderly conduct of NHL games or the drops, you get 10 guys chasing after a little piece of rubber on ice. It integrity and good character of its officials.” makes no sense in the most beautiful way.”

It’s one thing to believe calls are evened up. It’s another to hear a referee I have a friend who loves betting NHL parlays. He loses more than he accidentally admit it. It’s very, very bad for business. wins, but when he wins, the payouts are excellent, so he’s up money. Leboff said that fits with his experience, explaining there’s only been one 18. If you don’t believe me, maybe you’ll believe Michael Leboff, a season since 2005–06 where favourites won more than 60 per cent of longtime Islanders fan who is senior editor at The Action Network, an the time — the lockout-shortened season of 2013. influential media entity that covers sports betting. (Leboff leads its NHL coverage.) “(French philosopher) Albert Camus would have loved betting hockey,” he says, “because if you can embrace suffering, you can take the two or “When it happened, my boss told me, ‘Hey, we’re going to need to do a three losses in a row, but come out ahead when the Senators beat the newser on this — it’s definitely a thing,” Leboff said. “They wanted to Maple Leafs.” know what Tim Peel’s history was. No matter how you shake it, this is a gambling story.” 23. Because there’s less money on NHL games than say, the NFL, Leboff says a bad line won’t change as quickly, something sharp bettors Leboff’s boss is Chad Millman, who, 12 years ago, wrote a great can take advantage of. Last week, a wagerer I know did very well on the gambling book, The Odds. Formerly editor-in-chief of ESPN the over of a game when he heard the goalie matchup, racing to his site Magazine and ESPN.com, he’s highly respected in the industry. The before the odds changed. (His winnings evaporated Sunday, thanks to Action Network’s lead sports business reporter is Darren Rovell, who has Anthony Stolarz’s brilliant performance for Anaheim in St. Louis.) two million Twitter followers. (He was very interested in the story, and tweeted a link to Leboff’s work.) Leboff’s best advice: “The public data on the NHL is very good. A regular bettor should get familiar with sites like Evolving Wild and Natural Stat As puritan North America finally clues into the fact everyone else in the Trick. They are good and helpful.” world embraces gambling, it will be critical to rebuilding the NHL’s economic structure in the post-pandemic world. You can’t have people He looks for “predictive metrics” like expected goals at five-on-five, and like Millman and Rovell questioning your integrity in that space. You just how that relates to actual goals scored. can’t. So when you ask me why I think the NHL acted so swiftly, this is it. (We’re going to come back to Leboff later in the blog.) “Block out the noise,” he said, “like Friedman and Marek talking about the Leafs all the time, because it drives up their value. What’s said does not 19. As for how the games are called, the biggest problem is that there’s matter — look at the numbers in front of you.” no consensus as to what is “right.” “Call the rulebook” is a common refrain, but is that truly what players, coaches, executives and fans want? There you go; don’t say I never do anything for you degenerates. (By the When Brendan Shanahan’s summit led to the biggest adjustment we’ve way, if you’re looking to write on this topic, Leboff is seeking contributors seen in recent memory (2005–06), power plays jumped to 5.85 per team at [email protected].) per game. That’s the highest number in NHL history. Some loved it, 24. Antoine Morand, traded from Anaheim to Tampa Bay in the others hated it. Alexander Volkov deal, went from scoring a goal to switching teams in Shanahan once joked that when then-teammate Steve Yzerman, who one second. As word of the move was leaking out, Morand was in action, thought that standard was unrealistic, disliked a call, the captain would playing for AHL San Diego against Ontario. The Ducks’ organization did needle him with something like, “Nice job, Brendan.” These are two Hall everything it could to prevent his name from getting out, so they could make sure he was informed face to face. Morand, on ice to protect a one- goal lead, scored an empty-netter at 19:59 of the third to clinch the 5–3 afforded that honour, especially on the road. He loved the city, and the victory. After the buzzer, he was officially dealt. city loved him.

25. A couple of NHL executives asked an interesting question: Is the 31. Wanted to shout out Steve Konchalski, officially retiring after 46 years “new” tanking going to be to finish in the bottom 11? The changed draft as the men’s basketball coach at St. Francis Xavier University. lottery rules mean — starting next season — you can only move up a Konchalski arrived as a player in 1962, leaving his native New York for maximum of 10 spots. If you’re 12th or 13th from the bottom, what do you Acadia. He was MVP of the Axemen’s national championship run in do? 1965, and I was in my final year at Western in 1993 when he won his first as a coach. That was his 18th season on the bench, and Konchalski had 26. Heading into his interviews at the 2016 NHL Draft Combine, I heard been taking heat for not winning it all. The Final Eight was in Halifax, and Jakob Chychrun memorized the names of each team’s scouting the building went berserk with the victory — Xavier students charging the personnel to make a good impression. He confirmed that was true. court to make a giant X from corner to corner.

“I had 20-something teams,” he said on the 31 Thoughts podcast. “I I interviewed him while he wore the net as a necklace. Konchalski would would look (online), guess who would be in there and do my best to win two more titles and coach the Canadian national team. Very, very remember it before I’d go meet with the teams. That was important to nice man. Great career. me. I think it’s just good manners.” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.30.2021 It’s great advice for anyone preparing for a job interview — or any situation where you’re trying to impress. That definitely made an impression. Chychrun, selected 16th overall by Arizona, said another story I’d heard was incorrect; that he’d worn Coyotes colours on that day because he thought they’d take him. The contact info of that source was deleted.

27. Chychrun, developing into one of the NHL’s top defenders, turns 23 on Wednesday. He’s in his fifth NHL season, a road littered with challenges. In the lead-up to the 2016 draft, he was, at one time, right up there with Auston Matthews as North America’s top prospect. But shoulder surgery after his first season at OHL Sarnia set him back.

“I was frustrated, hard on myself,” he said, as his ranking dropped.

He had 20 points in 68 games during his rookie season, and the Coyotes told him he’d be Alex Goligoski’s partner the next year. That summer, he injured a knee stepping into a pothole while doing hill sprints. He returned on Dec. 3, 2017, lasting 50 games before a slew foot caused another knee injury on April 3, 2018.

“I remember, when that happened in Calgary, I broke down right away,” he said. “I knew I was going to go through the same thing…. Another rehab summer. I had my little time to myself that night, and then the next morning I woke up and I texted (my doctors) and said, ‘Guys, we’ve got to buckle it in again. We’ve got the same thing (to) go through again.’ It was tough. I was tested mentally. I never lost hope. I never (doubted) myself. I always knew I was going to come back and be myself again. I never lost that drive and mentality.”

28. Through Sunday, Chychrun was 16th among defencemen in scoring, with 22 points. Victor Hedman is first, with 33. We asked if Chychrun could catch Hedman, pointing out the 2018 Norris Trophy winner also has a game in hand.

“He does, eh?” Chychrun laughed. “Well, maybe not, then.”

His nine goals are two back of Ekblad, Nurse and Petry for the lead. His 23:12 per night leads Arizona and is 29th overall.

“Big jump for me this year. I want to continue to take those big jumps.”

29. Capitals' 2019 first-rounder Connor McMichael, who is playing at AHL Hershey, told NBC Sports Washington, “I honestly want to stay here and just play pro hockey. I think it would be best for my development.”

If he’s not on the NHL roster, the CHL Transfer Agreement states that McMichael must go back to the . He’s not the only one. Los Angeles’s Quinton Byfield (Sudbury), Montreal’s Jan Mysak (Hamilton) and Carolina’s Ryan Suzuki (Saginaw) would be in the same boat. (Looks like Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras are Anaheim Ducks now.)

Other junior players have already migrated back to Quebec and Western League locations, but the Ontario government’s dilly-dallying over a start date to the OHL season is extremely challenging for these particular players. Even though they’d be eligible for the shortened quarantine if crossing the Canadian border, it sure sounds like McMichael isn’t alone in this thinking. Some already did an extended quarantine prior to the World Juniors and say it’s unfair to be asked to do another one, citing mental health.

30. Everything you needed to know about the love affair between and the St. Louis Blues was on full display the night the team won the 2019 Stanley Cup in Boston. He was on the ice with the team and lifted the Cup. I can’t remember another alumnus in an ambassador role 1207400 Websites As for the opportunity the Canadiens have in front of them, Gallagher said he’s not thinking about the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames, who are chasing his team in the standings.

Sportsnet.ca / Well-rested Canadiens get opportunity to assert “We’ve got to take care of our business and win hockey games,” themselves in North Division Gallagher said. “If we do that, we’re going to be able to catch those teams ahead of us. When you speak of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, very good hockey teams, we feel like we compete with them on any given night. We want that opportunity to prove ourselves. We’re going to Eric Engels get a chance to play these teams coming up, very good hockey teams, March 29, 2021, 9:41 PM and we feel like if we put our best effort forward we’re going to be right there with them. So, it’s a chance for us to go out there and prove it.”

*I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time. BROSSARD, Que.— Jesperi Kotkaniemi, after spending one week on the NHL’s Covid Protocol list, joined his Montreal Canadiens on the ice Staal has new lease on season for their first practice since last Monday morning. It’s easy to look at the $3.25 million Eric Staal is making this year, and Joel Armia, who was the other Montreal player placed on the list, remains the $86 million he’s made over his career, and downplay what he’s been in protocol and will be unavailable to the Canadiens for at least the next through—especially with the pandemic affecting people in such drastic three games. and awful ways.

Following practice, Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme couldn’t say Staal has a good life, access to whatever he wants whenever he wants it, much regarding Armia’s status. and he plays a game for a living. It’s why the 36-year-old said on Sunday, in his first comments as a Canadien, he knows “there’s a lot of people “He’s still in the protocol and that’s something I cannot go deep into,” dealing with a lot tougher situations.” Ducharme said. “But within the next week or so, we should be having him back.” But we shouldn’t diminish what he’s been through mentally—separated from his young family and isolated in Buffalo, where the Sabres started It might take a little less time for Canadiens leading scorer Tyler Toffoli, their season in turbulence, had a Covid crash and then went 17 who suffered a lower-body injury on Mar. 19, to return. consecutive games without a win before he was traded to Montreal for a third- and a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Toffoli, who has 18 goals and 27 points in 30 games, wasn’t at Monday’s practice, but he’s expected to be at Tuesday morning’s skate. “I had a few moments on the phone with my family back home and some tough times, for sure,” Staal said from his Montreal condo, while serving He won’t play Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers at the Bell the second day of his third quarantine since December. “I have three Centre, but Ducharme confirmed forward Michael Frolik will make his boys — they’re 11, 9 and 6 — and they all play hockey and they all are Canadiens debut after spending the entirety of the season to date on the busy with a lot of different things. They love having dad around. So, when team’s taxi squad. I’m not around and going through some of the things that I went through Lines and defence pairings: over the last couple of months, it was for sure difficult.”

Jonathan Drouin-Nick Suzuki-Josh Anderson And now Staal is in Quebec, where the third wave of the pandemic is in full swing and restrictions don’t allow for his family to visit or join him any Tomas Tatar-Phillip Danault-Brendan Gallagher time soon.

Paul Byron-Kotkaniemi-Artturi Lehkonen Had Staal been traded to a team in the United States, that reunion would (Laurent Dauphin) Michael Frolik-Jake Evans-Corey Perry be imminent. Now’s it’s on hold for the foreseeable future.

Joel Edmundson-Shea Weber And there’s only one way for Staal to make that sacrifice worth something, and that’s to go out and prove he’s a much better player than Brett Kulak-Jeff Petry the one who had three goals, 10 points and a minus-20 rating through 32 games. Alexander Romanov-Victor Mete “It’s an exciting time for me as a hockey player,” he acknowledged, “and After practice, Canadiens defenceman Ben Chiarot, who’s recovering I’m going to try and take full advantage.” from surgery to repair a fracture in his right hand, skated on his own. And it’s the chance to be standing at the end, once again hoisting the Schedule will be challenging, but it offers Canadiens opportunity to prove Stanley Cup overhead, that has Staal reinvigorated. themselves Even if he’d like to play a top-line role, he knows he’s joining a deep team Tuesday’s game against the Oilers is the first of 25 the Canadiens will and he’ll have to earn whatever he gets. play in 43 days to finish their season. It comes after a week without skating and just one quick practice under their belts, and there’s no "I just want to win, I want to be out there and win, be competitive, and try diminishing how big of a task that will be. and help our group win games, wherever that is in the lineup,” Staal said. “I will do what I can. I feel like I've got some games left in me and that I The week then ends with games against the Senators—one in Ottawa on can be a contributor. Wherever they have me start, I will work as hard as Thursday and the other in Montreal on Saturday—and it’ll be the last one I can to make sure that I'm out there more than not. It's about trying to that features only three games for the Canadiens between now and May win games. That's what I'm here for and looking forward to." 11. They’ll have no more than two days between games and play five sets of back-to-backs. It’s going to be a grind. 31 Thoughts: The Podcast

But damn the excuses. The Canadiens have had more rest than any Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey other team in the North Division, they’ve been relatively healthy all world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what season and just had an extra seven days to heal up bumps and bruises. they think about it. They haven’t lost any ground to the teams behind them, and with multiple games in hand on them and the teams in front of them, it’s time for them Staal knows winning. He’s a member of the Triple Gold Club, having won to assert themselves in a way they hadn’t over their first 31 games, over the Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and medals with Team which they went 14-8-9. Canada at the 2007 World Championships and 2010 Olympics.

“Hopefully we can get back and pick up where we left off and make sure His view on what it takes? that those bad habits don’t seep back into our game,” said Brendan “When you're with a group that is together and everybody is committed to Gallagher about the team’s inconsistent first half. “Because those doing whatever it takes to find success, individually everybody does,” things—especially with the limited practice time we’re going to have—it’s Staal said. “That's how I've tried to approach every team I've been on just something we can’t afford to happen.” and every situation I've been in—being a contributor, but also having the team in mind and trying to do whatever it takes to win games nightly. But Caufield probably recognized it then—and certainly does now—that That may not be me scoring two or three a night, but it may be blocking a the decision to go back to school was going to serve him well, both shot or doing a little thing at the end of a game to help ensure a win. It physically and mentally. takes everybody in different roles. When you find that or you have that, it becomes pretty fun to be a part of and it just snowballs." “Just maturing on and off the ice,” Caufield said of the benefits of playing his sophomore season at Wisconsin. “College is a good place to be to He has won on the international scene alongside Canadiens captain grow yourself off the ice, with limited games and only games on the Shea Weber and fellow Triple Gold Club member Corey Perry. He has weekend. Getting that next year, extra time to put in in the weight room to seen Brendan Gallagher and Carey Price do the same and watched Joel better yourself, I feel a lot more comfortable. Last year I feel like it Edmundson, Jake Allen, Tyler Toffoli and Michael Frolik win the Cup. He would’ve been forced for me to sign and go then, but this year I feel a lot knows the Canadiens have what it takes in their room. more comfortable and I feel more prepared and ready for the next step. I’m excited to take this next challenge on.” As for on the ice, Staal sees some other key ingredients. On the gains he made, Caufield said, “I’m 170 pounds now. I think that’s “I think the pace that they play at is a level to be successful nowadays in something that I feel a lot more comfortable with myself in, and I think the NHL,” the Thunder Bay, Ont., native said. “I think this is a fast team, I just being more mature out there using my body protecting the pucks is think they move the puck quick, they transition the puck. Obviously, something I also grew out this year. they’ve got a strong back end starting with Weber and (Jeff Petry). They’ve got great goaltending with Carey (Price). There’s a balance up “Getting to spend those extra three-four days in the weight room each front that they can come at you in waves. With the amount of games we week pays off during the season—and especially right now. I feel great.” have, the type of season it is, you’re going to need everybody in your lineup. Badgers coach Tony Granato challenged Caufield right at the start and felt he rose to the occasion immediately and throughout the season. “I think the way that they played in the (post-season) bubble, beating Pittsburgh, I just think there’s a lot of mix of some guys that have been “I think my approach going into every game was to play the D-zone first around a while and understand the game and veteran experience, but and get out as fast as you could and go play with the puck,” Caufield also some youthful energy and that pace and play as a group is what said. excites me and I look forward to diving in and practise and then starting He executed. Even Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin recently noted how the games.” much better the kid was away from the puck, saying recently he was Staal’s earliest opportunity to play in one would be Saturday, at the Bell impressed with his performance in helping Team USA capture a gold Centre, against the Ottawa Senators. We’ll see if he suits up for it. medal at the world junior championship and his work to lead Wisconsin to a Big-10 championship. Cole Caufield to debut with Laval Rocket next week Continuing to do it in Laval, under coach Joel Bouchard, isn’t going to There was little doubt the Canadiens would assign Cole Caufield to the hinder Caufield’s progress. As for the risk, hey, he could get hurt getting AHL immediately after signing him to his three-year entry-level contract out of bed—even if the risk is imminently higher in a hockey game. on Saturday. They’ve got a cap space issue and there’s no reason to keep him on the NHL roster while he quarantines for seven days starting But we’ll see what happens over the coming week. The last one was a Monday. pretty good example of how much can change in seven days.

But I was very skeptical, after hearing the news, that Caufield would play It’s also possible that, even if Bergevin makes a cap-clearing move or a game for the Rocket before suiting up for one with the Canadiens. two, that the Canadiens delay on promoting Caufield. I don’t think the GM is done trying to improve the roster, and neither does Elliotte Friedman. I wasn’t alone on that. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.30.2021 “There aren’t any good reasons to send him to Laval, outside of the money situation,” said an Eastern Conference executive who reached out after seeing this tweet.

“They’ll clear the space,” the exec continued. “Get him some NHL games, see what he can do and send him to Laval if he needs to go there. He will be happy to go there if he’s struggling in the NHL.

“Also, they need to see what they have. It will help determine what they need before the (April 12 trade) deadline. And the AHL isn’t the best place to see what they have in Caufield, even if it won’t hurt him.”

Also, Caufield is a game-breaker—a player who scored 30 goals and 52 points in 31 NCAA games with the Wisconsin Badgers and a shoo-in for the Hobey Baker Award—and risking him suffering an injury with the Rocket before giving him a chance to show he can be one with the Canadiens doesn’t seem wise.

But the current cap situation practically makes it necessary, unless something changes between now and when Caufield is able to start participating in team activities on Day 8 of his mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The 20-year-old confirmed on Monday that the plan is for him to first play for the Rocket, even if he feels prepared to step right into the NHL.

“I believe in myself and my skill and work ethic and stuff,” the Wisconsin native said before packing up and leaving for Montreal. “But the AHL’s a great league. A lot of good players come from it. So, I’m just going to try and play how I do and I think that will hopefully speak for itself.”

“I think it’s all based on how I perform and play where I’m at,” Caufield continued. “So, as long as I perform and do the right things, I think at a certain point I might be given that opportunity. As for now, I’m just focused on playing with where I’m at and I’m just excited to get going there.”

He wanted to be a pro a year ago, after he led the Big-10 in scoring as a rookie in Wisconsin. 1207401 Websites While we are slowly beginning to hear Nurse’s name tied to the 2022 Canadian Olympic team, Turris is another ineffective half-season away from the possibility of collecting two buy-out checks from two different teams. Everyone wants to see him succeed — that’s how well-liked Sportsnet.ca / Oilers' comeback over Maple Leafs further cements Turris is within the game — but it comes down to production, and the growth of Nurse, Turris veteran knows it.

*I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time.

Mark Spector Meanwhile, that third-line centre gig is still sitting there, waiting to be claimed. Or reclaimed. March 30, 2021, 12:08 AM “Yes,” Turris acknowledged. “Like I said, I know I need to play better. I

didn’t have a good first however many games this season. I know what I EDMONTON — At 31, Kyle Turris can see the end from here. He’s in the can do, and I know what I can contribute. I just need to show everyone fight of his hockey life to push it back, to become a player that gets that I can.” counted on again, the way he used to be through most of his 748-game And isn’t it the same with his team? career. The Oilers knew they could beat Toronto — they’d beaten them twice At 26, Darnell Nurse has found a new level. A place in the game he’s already this season — but the cold hard fact was that a loss on Monday never been before, right there among the best defencemen in the and Toronto would be able to lord a five-game winning streak over National Hockey League. As he approaches his 400th game, he has Edmonton, should they meet in the playoffs. figured out what so many said he would never solve. Toronto was the better team in the game’s first half, and perhaps on the Now the play builds when he carries the puck over the blue line, where it whole. But Mike Smith continued his renaissance season in goal, and used to fizzle out. stoned Matthews in overtime to create the rebound that went up ice and Each player scored for Edmonton in a crucial, 3-2 overtime win at ended up in Toronto’s net. Toronto on Monday, Nurse solidifying himself as Edmonton’s No. 1 It closes the season series at 6-1-2 for Toronto, 3-5-1 for Edmonton. But defenceman, Turris, jabbing his claws into that third-line centreman job take away that three-game Leafs sweep in Edmonton, and you likely get that he lost early this season. a better picture of the parity between the two clubs. “We played a stronger second and a better third. We’re coming together “We look at the body of work,” Nurse said. “The six games that we played as a team,” said Turris. tight, hard, are more indicative of who we are as a team. They’re good Nurse buried a shot on a two-on-one with Connor McDavid for the games. You never know — you may be meeting late on in the playoffs.” overtime winner, the kind of goal Turris used to score. Turris, meanwhile, There was more on the line in this game than the Oilers were letting on. had an Adam Larsson shot carom off his pants and into the Leafs goal — You knew it, they just wouldn’t say it. the exact type of goal that went off Nurse in overtime the previous game, when Auston Matthews’ shot ricocheted off his foot and past Mike Smith “I sat here this morning and you all had questions about if we’re a team for a Leafs game-winner. that was afraid to play in this type of series against this type of team,” Nurse told the media. “This shows what we’re capable of as a team.” “That’ll be the joke, right? Two overtime goals, back-to-back,” Nurse chuckled. “It’s good to be on the other side of it this time.” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.30.2021 Nurse’s goal, his 12th of the season, makes him the leading goal scorer among NHL defencemen. He’s never scored more than 10 in a season — an 82-game season — and was always that defenceman who made the right play all the way to the offensive blue-line, but incrementally the wrong one, the closer he was to the opposing goal.

What’s changed?

“I’m generating more from the chances I have,” Nurse said. “Over the years I’ve found a way to get into good scoring positions, but I haven’t really capitalized. This year I’m getting myself back to those spots, and just shooting. We have great players on our team who find you when you get open. I just try to get to those spots.”

Turris is all in on getting back to those spots, areas on the ice and places in the game that he once owned but now rents, periodically.

He came here as a free agent, billed as the right-shot, third-line centreman that would round out the Oilers’ top-nine. With the trade deadline approaching, that GM Ken Holland is shopping for a right- handed third centre who can win faceoffs tells you all you need to know about how Turris’ season has gone.

“I know I have to play better, and I want to contribute more,” the likeable veteran said, happy to have scored — even if the puck went in off his butt, just his second goal of the season. “The timing of it has all been frustrating, but the bounce tonight, I feel like my legs are starting to come around… I know I need to play better, but I feel like I’m moving in that direction.”

Nashville thought Turris was done. That’s why they bought him out.

Then he came to Edmonton and played like Predators GM David Poile was right. Turris played his best game of the season, finally, on March 8. He went into COVID protocol and didn’t play again until Monday, where he matched up pretty well against a deep, good Maple Leafs team.

“I was happy for Turris. He’s gone through a lot,” head coach Dave Tippett said. “If anybody deserved to have one go in off his ass, it’s him.” 1207402 Websites Among the goalies likely available are James Reimer or Alex Nedeljkovic in Carolina; Elvis Merzlikins or Joonas Korpisalo in Columbus; Anaheim’s Ryan Miller; and Detroit’s Jonathan Bernier, who is nursing his own injury at the moment. Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs' goaltending uncertainty a cause for concern The Leafs are allowing fewer shots and high-danger chances than in previous seasons and are basically middle of the pack with a team-wide .909 save percentage. They’re getting by and have stayed atop the North Chris Johnston Division standings all year long. March 29, 2021, 1:16 PM But as they embark on six games in nine days, the need for more goaltending depth seems more apparent than ever.

TORONTO -- In this episode of how the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.30.2021 turns … it will be Michael Hutchinson taking back duties from Jack Campbell for Monday’s regular-season finale against the Edmonton Oilers.

In and of itself the decision doesn’t raise alarm bells with Hutchinson having delivered a 31-save shutout in his previous start against Connor McDavid and Co. last month.

But it speaks to some potentially serious underlying issues at that position.

Hutchinson entered the season as the organization’s No. 4 option in goal and will be appearing in his seventh game -- one more than Campbell, who has won all six of the starts his injured left leg allowed him to make. Aaron Dell, the No. 3 option coming out of the off-season, was long ago lost on waivers to New Jersey while No. 1 Frederik Andersen hasn’t been on skates since March 19 while dealing with his own lower-body injury.

Put another way: Andersen played through injury until he couldn’t any longer and is now turning a “day-to-day” absence into week-to-week, at minimum. Campbell was rock solid behind him but isn’t considered fit enough to play Monday after making three starts in the previous 10 days.

“We’ve got to really be smart with how we manage Jack’s workload here,” said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. “The reality is that he hasn’t been playing at 100 per cent and the games take a toll on him. The combination of the fact that he’s not used to playing multiple games in a row and the fact that his body hasn’t quite co-operated with him the way he liked to through this season, we’ve got to be really smart.”

With six weeks remaining in the regular season, this is not where a Stanley Cup hopeful wants to find itself.

Campbell at least took part in an optional skate at Scotiabank Arena on Monday morning after missing Sunday’s practice. But it was somewhat telling that Keefe declined to confirm he’d even serve as Hutchinson’s backup against the Oilers -- potentially leaving newcomer Veini Vehviläinen to do it after just two on-ice sessions since finishing a 14-day quarantine following a trade from Columbus.

Hutchinson has been steady this season with a .922 save percentage, but was pulled six minutes into his last start after giving up two goals on three shots to Ottawa. It’s hard to imagine the organization giving him a run of games unless it was left with no other choice.

Where things stand with Campbell isn’t entirely clear.

He’s already endured two extended absences with his leg issue this season -- the second of which, from Feb. 28 to March 20, where he skated basically the entire time but couldn’t get comfortable. He stopped 17 of 20 shots during Saturday’s 4-3 overtime against the Oilers and then promptly missed practice.

“He took the day yesterday because he wasn’t feeling the best coming off of the game and I think he’s feeling a little bit better today and that’s positive, but I just think us continuing to roll him out there when he’s not 100 per cent is not smart,” said Keefe. “So we’ve got to manage it.”

To this point, Leafs management has been resistant to the idea of acquiring another goalie through trade -- in part because they don’t want to use up more valuable cap space on the position while also hoping to make a move to upgrade their forward group before the April 12 deadline.

That would be much less of an issue if Andersen was deemed unable to return for the regular season because his $5-million cap hit could be placed on long term injured reserve and allow the team to exceed the cap ceiling.

So far that hasn’t happened. 1207403 Websites the final Central berth by virtue of having more non-shootout wins than Chicago.

It took a bit longer than some hoped, but 2017 first-rounder Eeli Tolvanen Sportsnet.ca / NHL Weekend Takeaways: Ovechkin, Zibanejad is starting to make good on the promise he showed as a prospect. Fellow terrorizing opponents Finns Juuse Saros and Pekka Rinne have been sensational in the crease of late, especially Saros and his .977 save percentage during his past five outings.

Ryan Dixon Also — and perhaps we’re all guilty of overlooking this a bit — Nashville has been battered by injuries to key players like Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis March 29, 2021, 11:29 AM and Matt Duchene. This weekend marked Josi’s third and fourth games back in the lineup, while Ellis and Duchene could both return around the April 12 trade deadline. Will this soaring team really still be sellers The two deadliest shooters from last season had a rough start to this odd leading up to that day? year. But as we tear through the small patch of schedule that sits between the halfway point and the home stretch, Alex Ovechkin and • It was awful watching Aaron Ekblad writhe around in panicked pain on Mika Zibanejad are once again terrorizing opponents. Sunday evening after he got tangled up in the corner with Dallas’s Esa Lindell. Both players found the net on the weekend, with Ovechkin bagging a brace on Friday in Washington’s 4-0 whitewash of the New Jersey Here’s hoping the Norris-calibre defenceman — whose overtime winner Devils, while Zibanejad was the only Ranger to score in the New York’s for Florida versus Dallas on Saturday was his 11th goal of the season, tough 2-1 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday. giving him a share of top spot for goals by D-men — is back to his dominant self whenever he’s able to return to the Panthers blueline. Ovechkin tallied again when the two went head-to-head on Sunday, as Washington pulled out a 5-4 win in a wild affair that featured six third- • It took two tries, but the National Women’s Hockey League was finally period goals. able to hand out the 2021 Isobel Cup on Saturday. The league’s original championship tournament in Lake Placid, N.Y., was cut short in January Ovie, of course, won his eighth Rocket Richard Trophy in the past nine because COVID-19 couldn’t be contained. This time out, playing at the seasons last year thanks to his 48 goals in 68 games. No. 8’s 0.71 goals- Boston Bruins practice facility, the hometown Boston Pride beat the per-game clip, however, was actually the second-best mark in the NHL Minnesota Whitecaps 4-3 in a “re-match” of the 2020 Isobel Cup that had last season behind Zibanejad’s 0.72. to be cancelled just before it happened 12 months ago.

The Rangers centre notched 41 goals in 57 contests, a huge spike for a Weekend Warrior guy who’d previously scored more like a 30-goal guy than a 50-goal guy. Phil Kessel scored a hat trick on Saturday night, 24 hours after ripping That jump created a lot of interest around Zibanejad entering this season home a goal on Friday in his 1,100th career NHL game. Arizona defeated and, man, did he ever fall short of expectations out of the gate. When the San Jose Sharks in both contests, as the Coyotes keep hanging Zibanejad woke up on March 17, he had three goals on his scoresheet, around in the West Division playoff picture. Kessel’s first goal on fewer than 269 players in the league. Seven guys on the Rangers alone Saturday was exactly what I’ll always remember this guy for; low, deadly had found the net more frequently than the 27-year-old Swede. accurate wrister to the corner of the net.

Zibanejad unlocked something when he notched a hat trick that night, Remaining Time -2:00 though, and he has a league-leading eight goals in seven games since his luck turned on St. Patrick’s Day. Five of those tallies have come with Phil Kessel lights up Sharks for his 7th career hat trick the man advantage, two were even-strength markers and he even threw Fun fact: Kessel leads Arizona with 14 goals this year, but if you remove in a shorty as 33.3 per cent of Zibanejad’s shots have been finding the his first two outings of the season and his most recent three, he actually net. has just six tallies in 30 contests. He may not be the model of As for Ovechkin, the greatest goal-scorer of his — and possibly any — consistency in the desert, but he still leads the league in “guy who kinda generation was always going to get the benefit of the doubt in terms of makes you grin any time you think of him.” finding his stroke. That said, the Capitals captain did have a particularly The Week Ahead lousy go of it for the first six weeks of the season. • After tying Mark Messier on the weekend, Patrick Marleau will move Ovie was one of four Capitals to be suspended four games for breaking into sole possession on the all-time games played list when he suits up league COVID-19 protocols at the end of January. When February for No. 1,757 on Monday night in San Jose. Marleau is two weeks away concluded, the usually lethal left-winger was tied for 75th in goal scoring from passing “Mr. Hockey” for first place. with six tallies. • After being waylaid for a week due to a positive COVID-19 test on the Since the calendar flipped to March, though, the 35-year-old has been in team, the Habs — if all tests go the way they hope today — will be back vintage form. Ovechkin’s 11 goals in the month tie him with Colorado’s in action Tuesday night, hosting the Edmonton Oilers. Montreal still Mikko Rantanen for most on the circuit. Along the way, he passed Phil managed to stay busy on the weekend, trading for Eric Staal on Friday Esposito for sixth place on the all-time goals list. and signing Hobey Baker finalist Cole Caufield on Saturday. Washington — which hasn’t won a playoff series since claiming the 2018 Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.30.2021 Stanley Cup — is slugging it out with the Islanders and Penguins for top spot in the East Division. The Rangers, meanwhile, are struggling to stay relevant in the East playoff picture — especially after going zero-for-four on available points this weekend

Even if the Blueshirts can’t hang with clubs of the Caps’ calibre just yet, it will be interesting to see whether Zibanejad can keep scoring and prove he belongs in the conversation perpetually headlined by Ovechkin about the best goal-scorers on Earth.

Other Takeaways

• Is it time to reconsider those Nashville trade proposals? While we’ve all been busy finding potential landing spots for the likes of Mattias Ekholm and Filip Forsberg, the Preds have managed to completely turn their season around. Nashville put together back-to-back victories in Chicago on Saturday and Sunday, thus leapfrogging the Blackhawks team it was chasing in a Central Division playoff race that seemed to have long ago left the Predators in the dust. Nashville is 7-1-0 in its past eight and holds 1207404 Websites The Leafs were able to grab two points on Saturday, because the John Tavares line outscored Edmonton's second unit by two goals.

"We need to be able to contribute just like those [top-line] guys," said TSN.CA / Hutchinson starts as Campbell injury remains an issue for Kailer Yamamoto. "Maybe not as much, but we need to be able get in Leafs there and contribute points. It's definitely a challenge for me and I need to be better."

Yamamoto registered just one shot while playing 15 minutes and 50 By Mark Masters seconds in his first game back from injury.

"It felt different, but it's game one. I got another one tonight so just trying to improve on it," Yamamoto said. "The biggest thing for me is the speed After missing Sunday's practice, Jack Campbell was back on the ice at of the game and getting your timing back. It's a fast game and you have the morning skate, but will not start against the Oilers tonight. to react quick." "We've got to really be smart with how we manage Jack's workload "Connor's line generated most of our chances," acknowledged coach here," head coach Sheldon Keefe explained. "The reality is that he hasn't Dave Tippett. "So, we'll look to tweak things a little bit to see if we can been playing at 100 per cent and the games take a toll on him. The generate more." combination of the fact that he's not used to playing multiple games in a row and the fact that his body hasn't quite co-operated with him the way Dominik Kahun projects to be a scratch while Kyle Turris took reps he'd like it to through this season, we've got to be really smart." alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Yamamoto at the morning skate. Turris hasn't played since March 8. He recently spent time on the NHL's Campbell initially sustained a left leg injury on Jan. 24 in Calgary. He COVID protocol list. returned to the lineup on Feb. 27 in Edmonton posting a shutout, but also aggravating the issue and being forced to the sideline again. "We'd like to get him back up and going," Tippett said. "He missed a week and that's hard on players. You take a week in the middle of the Campbell has won three straight starts since returning to the lineup on season where they can't skate, can't really do anything so it's taken him a March 20. However, he wasn't happy with his performance on Saturday few practices to get up and going. He works hard in practice. He's got despite improving to 6-0-0 on the season. unbelievable skill. You talk to our goaltenders about the best goal scorers "He took the day [off] yesterday, because he wasn't feeling the best on our team and his name comes up all the time." coming off of the game and I think he's feeling a little better today, and Oilers' not fazed by Saturday's third period: 'We're confident against that's positive," Keefe said. "I just think us continuing to roll him out there anyone in this division' when he's not 100 per cent is not smart. We've got to manage it.” The Oilers know they let one get away against the Maple Leafs on So, Michael Hutchinson will get his seventh start of the season. He Saturday as they were unable to hold a 3-1 lead in the third period. Their posted a 31-save shutout in Edmonton on March 1, but has struggled in confidence playing with leads has been evident for most of the season his past two starts. He was pulled after allowing two goals on three shots and Darnell Nurse believes the Oilers put themselves in that position and in his last outing on March 14 in Ottawa. just have to play better. Keefe wasn't sure if Campbell would be available to dress as the backup Joe Thornton started Saturday's game on the top line, but was dropped goalie. The recently acquired Veini Vehviläinen, who has played just one down to the fourth line with Alex Kerfoot and Jason Spezza. What's it like NHL game with Columbus, will suit up for the first time if Campbell isn't bouncing around the lineup? available. The 24-year-old Finn has only skated twice with the team since emerging from a post-trade quarantine. "I love it," he said enthusiastically. "I love it. Just put me anywhere. It don't matter. I'm starting to feel good. I'm starting to feel comfortable. It Frederik Andersen remained off the ice on Monday as the team awaits doesn't matter where I play as long as we keep winning. That's all that further clarity on his lower-body injury. He hasn't skated since March 19. matters." Mike Smith will start again for the Oilers. Thornton was asked about the unlikely bond he's formed with 22-year-old Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remained on the same line at the defenceman Mac Hollowell, who has been on and off Toronto's taxi Oilers morning skate. Edmonton's dynamic duo had a hand in all three squad of late. goals scored by the team in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss. "He's just a super kid," the 41-year-old said. "He's a fun guy to be "It can seem like a two-on-two [rush] and all the sudden it's in the back of around. The guys like him being in the locker room. He just lightens your net so that's the element they bring," said Leafs defenceman Justin things up. He's 20 years younger than me, but we have the same Holl. "It's just a reminder that you have to be absolutely perfect against interests and it's kind of cool. He's teaching me a lot of things and I'm them." teaching him some things and it's a good friendship."

It's a big challenge for the coach as well. In Saturday's game Keefe What are they teaching each other? looked to get either the Auston Matthews line or the Pierre Engvall line "He's got some different music than me," Thornton said. "I'm trying to out against Edmonton's big boys. teach him stuff about The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Def Leppard so we can "It's harder to match against them when they're on separate lines," Keefe teach each other lots of different things." said. "When they're together, you can control the matchup a little bit Jumbo Joe strikes up unlikely bond with Hollowell better and they're also that much more dangerous when you make a mistake. Between the Matthews and Engvall line, we really tried to get When asked about his moving up and down the line-up, Joe Thornton that matchup going, but the difficulty is that they play so much. It has the said he is happy to play anywhere, just as long as the Leafs keep ability to really disrupt your own flow. I actually felt some of that through winning. Thornton also spoke about his bond with prospect Mac Hollowell the game where you're worried about that matchup and you lose your after an Instagram post showed the two together on a flight. flow a little bit with your own bench. I've got to manage that here tonight. Certainly, there's that much more heightened awareness and narrowed With his sister Kia Nurse starring as part of TSN's basketball coverage, focus when they're together." Darnell Nurse was asked if he's interested in being an analyst one day.

'They can make you pay': Leafs focused on trying to stop high powered "It might intrigue me," the Oilers defenceman said with a smile. "Seeing McDavid-Draisaitl line her do it and how well she's been doing it for TSN, for me, that's a lot of pressure to step in behind that. I don't know if I have the confidence to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl's line registered at least a point on all hop in behind Kia, because she's been doing such a great job. It's been three of Edmonton's goals on Saturday night, and the Leafs say that they fun to watch. I know she did the Raptors game with the first all-female have to be perfect when the two Hart candidates are on the ice together, broadcast last week and, I mean, she can do it all. Not just an analyst in or they will pay the price. between games, but also during the game, so it's so cool to see her do it. So, like I said, it might be a little too much pressure." Darnell Nurse in awe of sister Kia's broadcasting work: 'She can do it all'

Darnell Nurse had high-praise for his sister Kia and the job she has done on both TSN's NCAA Basketball coverage and the work she did during the all-female broadcast of the Raptors' game last week. Asked if he could do a similar job, Nurse quickly responded by saying 'it might be too much pressure.'

Projected Leafs lineup based on Sunday's practice:

F

Hyman - Matthews - Marner

Galchenyuk - Tavares - Nylander

Mikheyev - Engvall - Simmonds

Thornton - Kerfoot - Spezza

D

Rielly - Brodie

Muzzin - Holl

Dermott - Bogosian

Projected Oilers lineup based on Monday’s skate:

F

Draisaitl - McDavid - Puljujarvi

Turris - Nugent-Hopkins - Yamamoto

Shore - Khaira - Archibald

Ennis - Haas - Kassian

D

Nurse - Barrie

Lagesson - Larsson

Russell - Bear

TSN.CA LOADED: 03.30.2021 1207405 Websites Outside of the superstars (and even they have had a relative step down in performance) in McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the entire team just hasn’t been good enough against tougher competition.

TSN.CA / Oilers’ season has been a tale of two teams The good news? They have seven more opportunities against the Toronto, Montreal, and Winnipeg triumvirate, and a chance to position themselves for a run beyond postseason qualification.

By Travis Yost TSN.CA LOADED: 03.30.2021

It would take a minor miracle for the Edmonton Oilers to not reach the postseason this year.

Playing at a 101-point pace (82-game adjusted) and with an eight-point lead over the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks entering play Monday, Dave Tippett’s team is well-positioned to play beyond the end of the regular season.

Reaching the postseason is not an insignificant milestone. In the six-year era of Connor McDavid in Edmonton, the Oilers have just two playoff berths – a disappointing showing for an organization icing the best hockey player on Earth.

One of those (2019-20) came during the pandemic-paused season, and the Oilers ended up losing in a 3-1 upset at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks in the qualifying round.

It goes without saying that the organization and fan base alike are looking for a little bit more than qualifying for the round of 16.

But one of the points of concern with the Oilers so far this season is that they really have been a tale of two teams.

There is one that pummels lower-tier teams, especially ones that can’t contain the pace and speed of the Oilers’ attacking units.

There is a second that struggles when the competition stiffens. To be sure, it is not merely the fact that the Oilers have had a hard time accumulating wins against more talented clubs. It is more so how significant the splits in performance between the two are.

The North Division already has notable separation between playoff and non-playoff teams – Toronto, Edmonton, Montreal, and Winnipeg all have an 85 per cent or greater chance of qualifying. As such, we will bifurcate the division into two and measure results.

Edmonton is 7-9-1 against playoff-bound teams, and 13-5-0 against non- playoff teams. That’s well within reason. But consider the splits underpinning those games:

The Oilers have absolutely bludgeoned the weaker teams in the North, outscoring them 76 to 44 (+32) in the process. The opposite has been true against tougher competition, with the Oilers being outscored 57 to 43 (-14) there.

Expected goal rates indicate that Edmonton’s had a bit of poor luck against the playoff teams, but consider the splits there between playoff and non-playoff teams. On the offensive side, the Oilers have been about 15 per cent less effective at creating dangerous offence.

Some of this is percentage driven. The shooting and save percentage splits, as one would envision from the rate goal numbers above, are significantly variant:

Another important point: Edmonton seems to be trading these goals off everywhere when they have to step up against better competition.

The one area that has held, ironically enough, has been their defensive play at even strength. But scoring at even strength has been a nightmare for the Oilers against playoff-calibre clubs, and those failures so far this season carry over (significantly) to the man advantage.

Compounding the issue: a penalty kill that looks Jekyll and Hyde, depending on who they are playing:

If you aggregate just the special teams results here, you can explain why Edmonton is in the middle of the playoff pack instead of sitting atop the division.

Against playoff teams, the Oilers net special teams advantage is -7 goals, and we know that’s the result of a slowed power play and a leaky penalty kill. In nearly the same amount of minutes against non-playoff teams, the Oilers are +13 goals better than their opponents – a 20-goal swing between the two.