SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 03/09/19 Anaheim Ducks Colorado Avalanche 1134946 Ducks give glimpse of the future in 8-2 rout over 1134978 Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog will miss 4 to 6 weeks Canadiens 1134979 Is the Avalanche’s Tyson Barrie expendable? Colorado 1134947 Ducks score 8 times in beatdown of playoff-contending has options with Cale Makar and Conor Timmins Canadiens 1134980 What lies ahead for the Avalanche without Gabriel 1134948 Ducks’ Rickard Rakell laughs off nullified goal as scoring Landeskog? drought ends 1 night later 1134981 Avalanche lose Gabriel Landeskog for 4-6 weeks with upper body injury Arizona Coyotes 1134982 How the Avalanche can survive the loss of Gabe 1134949 Arizona Coyotes Still in Playoff Hunt Landeskog 1134950 Coyotes Blank Flames – Kuemper Earns Shutout Columbus Blue Jackets Boston Bruins 1134983 Still no timetable for Ryan Murray's return 1134951 ‘They play for one another every night’. 10 thoughts on the 1134984 Blue Jackets try to work through sudden slump on offense Bruins’ latest thriller 1134985 Penguins 3, Blue Jackets 0: Five takeways 1134952 It was a wild finish, and the Bruins extended their points 1134986 ‘One dog at a time’: John Tortorella’s passion for animals streak to 18 games can’t be leashed on ‘Hockey and Hounds’ 1134953 David Backes finds ways to pitch in for Bruins 1134987 Breaking down Blue Jackets prospect Emil Bemstrom’s 1134954 Brad Marchand trolls Torey Krug in his first day on meteoric rise Instagram 1134955 Bruins assign forward Karson Kuhlman to Providence Dallas Stars 1134956 Something special is happening with this Bruins team 1134988 10 things to know about Ben Bishop: from losing some 1134957 Bruins hopeful Jake DeBrusk (left foot) can return this teeth, multiple on-ice fights and some insane saves weekend 1134989 Ben Bishop is already flirting with a Stars' single-season 1134958 Can Brad Marchand join Bruins' 100-point club? It may record, but could he bring the franchise its first come down to wire 1134990 Stars notebook: Mats Zuccarello takes step in recovery 1134959 How does this Bruins run compare with previous B's from broken arm; Radek Faksa practices following neck i Stanley Cup teams? 1134960 Why Bruins' crazy comeback vs. Panthers was historic in Detroit Red Wings its own right 1134991 Detroit Red Wings won't shut down Dylan Larkin this season Buffalo Sabres 1134992 Detroit Red Wings greats say farewell to icon Ted Lindsay 1134961 Sabres hope to keep their secondary scoring in synch in 1134993 Detroit Red Wings' young players help boost team matchup with Avalanche confidence, beat NYR 1134962 Will Borgen's physical style of play gives him puncher's 1134994 'Always a great challenge': Red Wings look to end long chance with Amerks losing streak against Lightning 1134963 Chicago Nope: Sabres’ futility at the United Center 1134995 Red Wings fans say goodbye to Ted Lindsay, 'a great continues for a 12th straight season humanitarian' 1134964 What is a fair contract for Jeff Skinner? These 1134996 Red Wings, without Dylan Larkin, try to solve Lightning comparables may tell the story 1134997 Red Wings reflect on Ted Lindsay’s tremendous impact on 1134965 Stimson: Evaluating Phil Housley’s use of the extra team, sport, society attacker and finding value in the margins 1134998 Dennis Cholowski remains (defensive) work in progress with Griffins Calgary Flames 1134999 Path to greatness for Andreas Athanasiou is defensive 1134966 ‘A lot of looks,’ but goals are scarce for Flames snipers improvement during four-game slide 1135000 Athanasiou-led Red Wings top Rangers 3-2 in SO minus 1134967 From playing defence to playing peek-a-boo: Travis Larkin Hamonic and TJ Brodie on life as a first-time father 1135001 Duhatschek Notebook: Matt Cullen’s unique path to 1,500 and Ted Lindsay’s influence on the Cup Carolina Hurricanes 1134968 A blast from the past as former Thrashers catch Edmonton Oilers Hurricanes off guard again, 13 years later 1135002 Oilers in 60: It's always a beautiful day when the Oilers 1134969 Proposed PNC Arena renovations could cost $200 million win 1135003 Stars come out at night when Oilers and Maple Leafs Chicago Blackhawks meet 1134970 The time is right for the Blackhawks to retire Steve 1135004 JONES: Oilers head coach all in on Koskinen Larmer's No. 28 1135005 Oilers forward Tobias Rieder not reading too much into 1134971 The Blackhawks power play, mired in a 2-for-20 slump, is goal drought struggling at the wrong time. But changes aren't like 1135006 Was the all-star game the impetus for Oilers forward Leon 1134972 Brendan Perlini finds new perspective during frustrating Draisaitl's hot run? season 1135007 Edmonton Oilers' Zack Kassian is here to serve, protect 1134973 Patrick Kane now 4th in points in Blackhawks history, and score passing Steve Larmer 1135008 Duhatschek Notebook: Matt Cullen’s unique path to 1,500 1134974 Corey Crawford takes another step forward in first home and Ted Lindsay’s influence on the Cup start since December 1134975 Chicago Blackhawks to open 2019-20 campaign in Florida Panthers Prague? 1135009 Panthers set new marks as they roll over the Wild 1134976 Mystery theater: Why Colliton rarely announces his 1135010 Barkov's franchise-record five assists propel Panthers' starting goalie day before a game rout of Wild 1134977 Blackhawks have no plans to change up power play units despite quiet stretch Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders 1135011 Kings demote rookie Matt Luff, the only player with a goal 1135046 Goal dip could cost Islanders captain in contract in their last two games negotiations 1135012 What we learned from the Kings' 4-0 loss to the St. Louis 1135047 The Islanders call-up who is putting some heat on Blues veterans 1135013 Quick study Jack Campbell showing Kings, others he’s 1135048 Islanders honor Bill Torrey by naming practice rink after ready in net him 1135014 FINAL – ONTARIO 3, TUCSON 1 1135049 Isles' Filppula, Trotz praise career, efforts of Ted Lindsay 1135015 LUFF ASSIGNED, RECALL COMING; SLOVENIAN 1135050 Barry Trotz bemoans lack of dedicated practice for PRESIDENT CONNECTS; THROWBACK JERSEYS Islanders 1135016 WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: MARCH 8 1135051 Isles keep Michael Dal Colle, return Josh Ho-Sang to 1135017 PREVIEW – ONTARIO @ TUCSON, 3/8 Bridgeport Minnesota Wild New York Rangers 1135018 Wild-Florida game recap 1135052 Henrik Lundqvist knows what Rangers need from last 15 1135019 Wild has trouble explaining 6-2 collapse to Panthers games 1135020 Barkov has team-record 5 assists, Panthers beat Wild 6-2 1135053 As losses mount, frustration building for Rangers 1135021 Wild's eight-game points streak comes to a crashing halt at Florida Ottawa Senators 1135022 Wild's Jason Zucker remains a believer in his ability to 1135054 Game Day: Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins score goals 1135055 WARREN: Ted Lindsay's Valley roots, catching up with 1135023 Wild wraps up road trip vs. Panthers riding eight-game Dzingel and Duchene and Noel signs with Panthers point streak 1135056 GARRIOCH: Ottawa Senators offer olive branch to fans 1135024 Wild play down to form again in ugly loss to Florida after difficult season 1135025 Wild’s Luke Kunin out indefinitely after check that left him 1135057 Lindberg finds the range, but stays mum about his future woozy 1135058 White and the Senators dream of one day becoming like 1135026 Wild’s point streak comes to an end against a beatable foe Bergeron and the Bruins in Florida 1135059 Still some hope for the Senators? Five takeaways from the NCC’s new plan for LeBreton Montreal Canadiens 1135027 Hertl’s 30th goal of the season leads Sharks past Philadelphia Flyers Canadiens 5-2 1135060 Flyers’ tall order grows taller with 5 games in 9 days, 1135028 Canadiens notebook: Tatar out with flu; Kotkaniemi back starting with Islanders Saturday in lineup 1135061 Credit Flyers for comeback, but now, GM Chuck Fletcher 1135029 Hickey On Hockey: NHLers' potential use of medical must add missing pieces | Sam Carchidi cannabis faces hurdle 1135062 Second graders visit Carter Hart and Flyers at practice 1135030 What the Puck: Canadiens coach Julien made net blunder 1135063 How the Flyers' big push could happen over the next 3 against Sharks days 1135031 Habs lose 5-2 in San Jose, where they remain winless this 1135064 Jake Voracek’s return reunites Flyers’ best line century 1135032 In the Habs' Room: 'The score doesn't always indicate the Pittsburgh Penguins effort,' Julien says 1135065 Mark Madden: Penguins helping ensure Blue Jackets lose 1135033 Canadiens at Ducks: Five things you should know ‘all-in’ bet 1135034 A loss to the Ducks raises red flags as the Canadiens 1135066 Kevin Gorman: Jake Guentzel’s goal is to push Penguins continue to stagger to the finish line into playoffs 1135035 Melnick’s GBU: Antti Niemi, Wayne Gretzky, Stompin’ 1135067 Columbus rivalry makes Penguins’ Garrett Wilson feel Tom Connors and how the three are somehow linked in right at home my min 1135068 Plenty to praise as Penguins take 1st of back-to-back 1135036 The evolution of Carey Price: From one of the most games vs. Blue Jackets divisive players in team history, to one of the best 1135069 These seven numbers help explain the Penguins' recent 1135037 Now healthy, the skill of Canadiens prospect Joni Ikonen surge is finally shining 1135070 'Let’s do something great’ — Penguins unveil big new vision for former Arena site Nashville Predators 1135071 Duhatschek Notebook: Matt Cullen’s unique path to 1,500 1135038 Since making cameo at forward, Preds defenseman Matt and Ted Lindsay’s influence on the Cup Irwin has been playing with more edge 1135072 Marshall: Making the case for Sidney Crosby and the 1135039 Catfish Corner newsletter: Ryan Johansen, PK Subban, Selke Trophy Lindsey Vonn and a Wild-Predators reunion San Jose Sharks New Jersey Devils 1135073 Erik Karlsson guarantees he’ll be healthy for Sharks 1135040 Devils' takeaways: Mackenzie Blackwood continues to playoff run impress in tough buildings 1135074 Sharks' first round opponent still up in the air as season 1135041 Offense-starved Devils shut out by Capitals draws to close 1135042 Can Devils' Stefan Noesen show last season wasn't an 1135075 Erik Karlsson contract: How Sharks fan made pitch with aberration? song parody 1135043 How they line up: Kyle Palmieri, John Quenneville return for Devils against Capitals St Louis Blues 1135044 Devils’ ugly loss to Capitals has Islanders consequences 1135076 Blues will gauge their game against San Jose 1135045 Tanking race, player auditions and experimentation: 15 1135077 Preview: Blues at San Jose storylines to watch during the Devils’ last 15 games 1135078 Just like old times for Schenn-O'Reilly-Tarasenko 1135079 Will Blues go with Allen or Binnington in goal against Sharks? Tampa Bay Lightning Websites 1135080 Lightning recalls defenseman Jan Rutta 1135113 The Athletic / Faceoff tinkering won’t significantly increase 1135081 Lightning’s self-assessment a key piece to success offence. Getting rid of them would 1135082 Lightning-Wild: Observations from Tampa Bay’s 3-0 1135114 Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' forgettable effort in Anaheim will shutout loss come back to haunt them 1135083 ‘Just a matter of time’: Teammates detail Steven Stamkos’ 1135115 Sportsnet.ca / Leafs looking for a breakthrough from path to Lightning’s goal record Matthews line in Edmonton 1135116 Sportsnet.ca / Oilers have chance to spoil Maple Leafs fan Toronto Maple Leafs invasion in Edmonton 1135084 The Leafs are waiting for Auston Matthews’ next leap 1135117 Sportsnet.ca / Truth By Numbers: Is Columbus good forward enough to make the playoffs? 1135085 Saturday NHL game preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at 1135118 Sportsnet.ca / Sweden coach Gronborg keeping close eye Edmonton Oilers on Canucks' Pettersson, Markstrom 1135086 Kadri wants to follow simple formula in return to Leafs 1135119 Sportsnet.ca / Which of these NHL forwards will 'Finnish' lineup with most goals this season? 1135087 Babcock clarifies Andersen's work load in Leafs net for 1135120 TSN.CA / Matthews: ‘We can be a lot better’ rest of season 1135121 USA TODAY / Spirit of Hockeytown glows at Ted Lindsay 1135088 Auston Matthews searching for consistency as games viewing. And it was stunning intensify in Leafs' final month 1135089 Why you shouldn’t expect Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Winnipeg Jets Sandin on the Leafs just yet 1135102 Jets storm back to top of Central with 8-1 drubbing of 1135090 ‘He’s A Tiger’: Elite skating and unending drive help Hurricanes prospect Mac Hollowell earn contract with the Maple Leaf 1135103 Trading in his antlers 1135104 Easy zone entries add insult to injuries on Jets' blue line Vancouver Canucks 1135105 Lowry back in lineup tonight as Jets venture into eye of 1135108 Rugby Sevens: Canada’s path to 2020 Tokyo Olympics Hurricanes much easier if U.S. remains hot 1135106 Jets bounce back in dominant victory over Hurricanes 1135109 Ben Kuzma: The Hughes Watch gets complicated as 1135107 Byfuglien heads back to Winnipeg, Jets brace for blue-liner hurts foot in Big Ten quarterfinals Hurricanes 1135110 Ed Willes: Alex Edler’s value to the Canucks has never SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 been more obvious 1135111 Koskinen makes 35 saves as Oilers beat Canucks for fourth straight win 1135112 Antoine Roussel is one of the league’s most underrated playmakers and that perception needs to change Vegas Golden Knights 1135091 Mark Stone signs 8-year extension with Golden Knights 1135092 Mark Stone signs 8-year, $76 million extension with Golden Knights Washington Capitals 1135093 Holtby, Capitals blank Devils 3-0 for 6th straight win 1135094 Capitals aren’t particularly sharp, but they’re sharp enough to win sixth straight 1135095 Capitals extend win streak to 6 with 3-0 win over Devils 1135096 Why playing Andre Burakovsky on the fourth line is helping the Capitals 1135097 The Caps beat up an injured Devils team for sixth straight win 1135098 Caps center Nicklas Backstrom looks to torment Devils again tonight 1135099 Celebrating the Black Girl Hockey Club this Women’s History Month 1135100 Journey to the Cup: Tom Wilson returns from suspension with something to prove 1135101 Caps’ Michal Kempny has been hit hard in the face by objects, ‘three times, four times … I don’t know’ 1134946 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks give glimpse of the future in 8-2 rout over Canadiens

By MIKE COPPINGER

MAR 08, 2019 | 10:55 PM

Max Jones threw his arms out wide and looked up at the Honda Center ceiling.

With only 10.4 seconds remaining in Friday’s contest against the Montreal Canadiens, the Ducks rookie finally registered his first NHL goal in his 17th contest with a wrist shot from the slot off the rush.

He just as easily could have been exhaling for the entire club.

The Ducks’ long-dormant offense — ranked last in the NHL — poured in eight goals with an 8-2 victory over Montreal, their largest margin of victory during this disappointing season. It’s also the first time the Ducks eclipsed the six-goal plateau.

The offensive surge comes just two days after they scored four goals in a heartbreaking loss to the St. Louis Blues. Like that visiting club, the Canadiens are a playoff team at the moment, clawing for precious playoff points, but it was the Ducks who played spoiler.

With the Ducks out of playoff contention, it finally all came together: crisp tape-to-tape passes, smooth puck movement in the offensive zone, and at long last, plenty of lucky puck bounces, the sort that has escaped them most of the season.

Adam Henrique scored two goals and Cam Fowler passed Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer as the franchise leader in points for a defenseman at 265 with an assist on Troy Terry’s second-period goal. The 21-year-old rookie standout dazzled again; he picked up three points and now has six in his last two outings.

“I’m getting some bounces now that I might not have been getting earlier in the season,” said Terry, who assisted on both of Henrique’s goals. “I’m playing with a lot more confidence now. … Every time I got the puck before, I was so rushed … I was overthinking it and I had more time than I realize, I was rushing plays.

“It’s finally just slowing down for me. I’m finally trying to use my ability more and attack people and make more plays.”

Skaters were making plays from all over the ice on this night. All but one goal was scored at even strength, the lone exception Devin Shore’s second-period goal at 3:01. The puck was sitting in the crease with Canadiens goalie Carey Price sprawled out, when Shore jumped in and slammed the puck home.

Rickard Rakell, who has struggled a season after he led the club with 34 goals, ran his point streak to four games with a third-period goal. Daniel Sprong was a healthy scratch Wednesday, but he returned to the top line alongside Ryan Getzlaf and reached double-digit goals with the game’s first score.

Perry, who missed most of the season after undergoing knee surgery, believes this is the best hockey the team has played all season.

“We found a way to play and be in hockey games and compete every single night,” Perry said. “This team, bring the kids in, they have a lot of energy, they have a lot of speed, a lot of skill. They’re starting to be selfish with the puck a little bit, which is a good thing.”

The Ducks once endured a franchise-record 12-game losing streak that began in December and spanned into January. They’re playing for nothing but pride — and maybe even to spoil the postseason hopes of their foes — but the team is finally having fun again, and showing they could be a tough out down the stretch.

“It’s been a tough year certainly. … You never want to be that team that someone thinks they can just come in and win in your building,” Henrique said. “The future is bright here. We gotta keep building, we gotta keep pushing in the right direction.”

LA Times: LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134947 Anaheim Ducks “Scotty and Paul, those guys meant so much to this franchise and helped put hockey in California on the map. It’s just a product of me being here as long as I have been. It’s a pretty special night and Ducks score 8 times in beatdown of playoff-contending Canadiens something I’ll definitely remember.”

As in their games earlier this week, the Ducks rallied around each other and refused to be pushed around. Nick Ritchie set an early tone, sticking By Elliott Teaford | PUBLISHED: March 8, 2019 at 10:05 pm | UPDATED: up for Terry after Montreal’s Christian Folin delivered a legal but high hit. March 8, 2019 at 11:34 PM Ritchie then leveled Folin with a heavy check.

Ritchie was rightly penalized for roughing, but a message was sent.

ANAHEIM — Hey Ducks, welcome to the Stanley Cup playoff race. Your The Ducks played without center Ryan Kesler, who sat out because his chances at a seventh consecutive postseason appearance rest ongoing hip issues. He didn’t skate with the team in the morning and was somewhere between slim and none, but it’s nice to see at long last that announced as a scratch just before the opening faceoff, forcing Bob you can have an impact on what’s happening far ahead of you in the Murray, the Ducks’ general manager and interim coach, to juggle his NHL’s standings. lines.

The Montreal Canadiens were the fourth Ducks opponent this week to be Sprong returned to the lineup after a one-game absence and joined locked into a playoff spot or hovering near one, and they were the fourth Jones and Getzlaf on the top line. Murray dropped Perry to the fourth opponent to learn the once-reeling team can be a handful when push line, where he was teamed with Derek Grant and Carter Rowney. Perry comes to shove and pass leads to shot. scored the Ducks’ fifth goal, with assists from Rowney and Grant.

The Ducks delivered an 8-2 beatdown to the Canadiens on Friday at Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.09.2019 Honda Center, scoring with an ease that had been lacking this season. The Ducks also denied goaltender Carey Price an opportunity to set a Canadiens’ record with his 315th career victory.

Price remained tied with the immortal Jacques Plante.

In fact, the Ducks had a lot of fun at Price’s expense, ending their week with a 3-1-0 record.

“They saved him for tonight and so we kind of took that as a challenge,” Ducks center Adam Henrique said, referring to the fact that Price didn’t play in the Canadiens’ 5-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, yielding to backup Antti Niemi.

“We went out and I thought we played a great game. You never want to be that team that somebody thinks they can just come in and win in your building. Especially at home, we’ve been so good in years past and I think we’ve been a lot better as of late.”

Henrique scored two goals, Troy Terry had one goal and two assists for his second consecutive three-point game and Max Jones scored his first NHL goal as the Ducks recorded a season-high eight goals, nearly six more than their NHL-worst average of only 2.18 per game this season.

Daniel Sprong, Devin Shore (power play), Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell also scored for the Ducks. Paul Byron and Shea Weber (power play) scored for the Canadiens, who had throttled the Ducks 4-1 when the teams played last month in Montreal.

“It’s been a tough year, certainly,” Henrique said. “It’s more fun to win. At the rink, everything is more enjoyable. Everything away from the rink is more enjoyable. Smiles are all around the room. It’s too bad we’re in the position we’re in, but it is what it is.

“The future is bright here. We’ve got to keep building, keep pushing in the right direction.”

Terry and Jones, a pair of talented 21-year-olds who spent most of the season with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, represent the Ducks’ future, but also their present. Terry gave the Canadiens fits with his speed and creativity. Jones did it with speed and physical play.

With the final seconds ticking down, Jones outmuscled a defender and raced into the attacking zone before unleashing a blistering shot that eluded Price and sent the Ducks leaping from their seats on the bench. Jones celebrated by thrusting his arms into the air as Ducks fans roared.

“The sigh of relief really felt good,” Jones later said.

Cam Fowler assisted on Terry’s second-period goal for his 265th point, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer for the most career points by a Ducks defenseman. Fowler also passed Paul Kariya for fifth place on the franchise’s all-time list of games played with 607.

Perry and Ryan Getzlaf share the top spot with 975 games.

“It’s a pretty special feeling,” Fowler said of passing Niedermayer. “It speaks to, first off, how long I’ve been here. It’s my ninth season now, and I’ve spent my whole career here, which means a lot to me and hopefully it ends that way. 1134948 Anaheim Ducks one goal and three points this season with the Ducks and one goal and four points overall in his NHL career.

Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.09.2019 Ducks’ Rickard Rakell laughs off nullified goal as scoring drought ends 1 night later

By Elliott Teaford | PUBLISHED: March 8, 2019 at 2:52 pm | UPDATED: March 8, 2019 at 2:52 PM

ANAHEIM — Right wing Rickard Rakell could laugh about it a few days later. What else could he do?

Rakell thought he scored his first goal in more than a month when he slammed a centering pass from Ducks teammate Ryan Getzlaf into the back of the Arizona Coyotes’ net, sealing a victory Tuesday.

Upon further review, after a coach’s challenge for offside, the goal was nullified. The Ducks would hold on for a 3-1 victory (instead of 4-1) over the Coyotes, but it was difficult to determine why Adam Henrique was ruled to have been offside on the play.

Rakell shrugged it off when asked about it Friday, mostly because he ended his monthlong goal drought with a power-play goal in the Ducks’ 5-4 loss Wednesday to the St. Louis Blues. His last goal was Feb. 4, in a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“The one in Arizona, I could just laugh about that one,” Rakell said. “Do they even they have that good of cameras? It’s not the Hawk-Eye (the video system for replays in professional tennis). It is what it is. If those are the things that are going to go against me, I’m just going to laugh.”

ROY REASSIGNED

The Ducks returned left wing Kevin Roy to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL on Friday. He was scoreless in three games while playing on the Ducks’ top line with Getzlaf and right wing Corey Perry, but his short stay in the NHL wasn’t pointless.

“He’s done a good job,” Ducks assistant coach Marty Wilford said of Roy. “He’s a pretty dynamic player when he’s got that puck. He can make a lot of things happen. He did it while he was here. He showed us stuff, but guys are coming back (from injuries) and numbers play into it.”

Wilford referred to the fact that forwards Derek Grant, Nick Ritchie and Devin Shore were sound again after sitting out because of injuries. Ritchie returned to the lineup Wednesday and scored a goal in the Ducks’ loss to the Blues.

SHORE UPDATE

The video didn’t match what Shore was feeling after Ian Cole of the Colorado Avalanche kneed him in the thigh in the second period of the Ducks’ victory Sunday at Honda Center. In the end, Shore said it looked far worse than it felt when Cole collided with him.

“Everyone who messaged me was really scared, but I wasn’t because I knew how it felt right away,” Shore said. “You have inklings of how you feel right away. It hurts, but there wasn’t a shock factor, where you think, ‘Things are really bad here.’”

Shore went through a battery of tests that indicated he’d suffered nothing worse than a Charley horse. He sat out the third period of the Ducks’ win over the Avalanche and didn’t dress for their victory Tuesday over the Coyotes or their loss to the Blues.

MEGNA’S MOMENT

When the moment finally arrived, when defenseman Jaycob Megna scored his first NHL goal in his 15th game of the season and his 30th overall, he wasn’t sure what had happened. He unleashed a shot from the perimeter that sailed through traffic and hit the back of the net Wednesday.

“Shock, honestly,” the 26-year-old Megna said when asked what went through his mind. “I think I’ve had two this year in San Diego. It’s been maybe a month. They don’t come that often, so it’s always nice when they do. It’s exciting to contribute on the offensive side. It’s a nice bonus.”

For the record, Megna has two goals and 13 points in 35 games this season with the Gulls. Megna, a seventh-round draft pick in 2012, has 1134949 Arizona Coyotes Chayka also pointed to the likes Kuemper, who is 20-15-5 with .918 save percentage and a 2.55 goals-against average, and rookie winger Connor Garland (12 goals in 39 games) as players that have stepped in and Arizona Coyotes Still in Playoff Hunt helped fill the void.

“You talk about it and you can put it up on a board and say, ‘Hey if this happens, this might happen,'” Chayka said. “Now they’re getting the BY THE CANADIAN PRESS MARCH 8TH, 2019 opportunity.”

And Chayka knows how big an opportunity this is for a desert franchise that’s experienced well-documented struggles on and off the ice, and has BOCA RATON, Fla. — John Chayka has a depth chart in his office to failed to reach the post-season since 2012. help him plan for when the injury bug inevitably bites. “Our phrase is ‘Scratching and Clawing.’ And that’s what they’re doing The general manager of the Arizona Coyotes just never expected to have right now,” he said. “Playing meaningful hockey … you see the crowds, this many moving pieces in one season. you see excitement. But despite missing as many nine regulars at one point and ranking near “We’re trying to build something here that’s sustainable. That would be a the top of the NHL in man games lost to injury, Arizona has hung tough in good step.” the Western Conference playoff chase. LOADED: 03.09.2019 “It’s a special group, to be honest with you,” Chayka said at this week’s GM meetings. “It’s not only the number of games we’ve lost, it’s the quality of the players in their core positions.”

The Coyotes are currently without starting goalie Antti Raanta, winger Michael Grabner, centres Nick Schmaltz and Derek Stepan, and defenceman Kyle Capobianco (lower body). They were also minus netminder Darcy Kuemper, defencemen Jason Demers, Jakob Chychrun and Kevin Connauton, as well as forwards Christian Dvorak, Alex Galchenyuk and Brad Richardson for significant stretches this season.

At one point, Raanta, Kuemper, Demers, Chychrun, Connauton, Schmaltz, Dvorak, Grabner and Richardson were all on the shelf at the same time.

Through it all, the Coyotes somehow sat only three points back of the West’s second wild-card spot ahead of Thursday’s home tilt with the Calgary Flames.

“You try to plan for a lot of things going into the season,” said Chayka, whose team has lost more than 320 man games to injury. “We never do that with nine players.”

The loss of Schmaltz, who had five goals and nine assists in 17 outings with the Coyotes, was especially frustrating after the trade that brought him over from the Chicago Blackhawks for fellow former first-round picks Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini in November.

Nick Schmaltz, Alec Martinez

“He’d be a key piece for us right now,” Chayka said.

But Arizona has persevered.

The Coyotes were nine points out of the playoffs on Jan. 1, but are 15-9- 3 since, including a 9-2-0 run before Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

Arizona has been helped by the fact no team has really taken the initiative in the wild-card race — 88 or 89 points could be in the enough to get into the post-season in the West compared to the 96 or 97 it may take in the East — but Chayka said his players deserve a ton of credit.

“Our guys have done a good job,” he said. “We’ve got a good push here.”

The 29-year-old executive, who was the youngest GM in NHL history at age 26 when he was hired in 2016, pointed to head coach Rick Tochett as the biggest reason the Coyotes have stayed afloat.

“Your ultimate leader,” Chayka said. “He’s done a great job of dealing with all that and managing the storm.”

The surge should garner Tochett some votes for the Jack Adams Awards as coach of the year.

And if the Coyotes sneak into the playoffs, who knows?

“Quite frankly I don’t think he gets enough discussion or people placing emphasis on the job he’s done,” Chayka said. “We’ve got a lot of young players, we’re the lowest-budget team in the league. When you look at the quality (of talent out), it’s staggering. You can’t quantify those types of things, but he’s done it all with a smile on his face. He’s kept our guys in a good frame of mind.

“Can’t say enough good things about him.” 1134950 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes Blank Flames – Kuemper Earns Shutout

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS MARCH 8TH, 2019

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves to shut out the Western Conference-leading Calgary Flames in the Arizona Coyotes’ 2-0 victory Thursday night.

Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun scored goals for the Coyotes, who sent the suddenly struggling Flames to their fourth straight defeat.

Clayton Keller Coyotes

Kuemper improved to 16-4-3 in goal since Jan. 1. Arizona has won seven of eight and kept pace with wild-card leaders Dallas and Minnesota. The Coyotes are three points out of the second wild-card spot in the West.

The Flames were shut out for the first time since losing 2-0 at Dallas on Dec. 18, and were held scoreless for the fourth time this season. Calgary had won the previous three meetings with Arizona by a combined score of 18-4.

Keller’s 13th goal of the season came at 10:21 of the first period, and gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead. Christian Dvorak skated up the wing with the puck and timed a pass across the Calgary zone to Keller. The Flames defender had fallen trying to block the delivery, but the puck reached Keller for a wrist shot into the net.

The Flames had a couple of quality chances miss just wide or over the net in the first.

After a scoreless second period, the Flames opened the third on a power play. Mark Giordano’s shot deflected off teammate Elias Lindholm in front of the net and pinged off a goalpost in the final seconds of the man advantage.

Chychrun fired in a rebound that came out to him at 2:49 of the third period, after Dvorak tried to stuff the puck past Smith.

The Flames challenged the goal for goaltender interference, but it was upheld.

Smith, a former Coyotes goaltender, had 23 saves including one on Keller on a breakaway in the third period.

Vinnie Hinostroza missed a penalty shot with 7:26 to play that would have extended the Coyotes’ lead.

NOTES: Coyotes F Michael Grabner played in his first game since Dec. 1, a span of 41 games he missed after taking a stick to his right eye. … D Jordan Oesterle returned after missing Tuesday’s game with an upper- body injury. … Coyotes F Josh Archibald was given a two-minute penalty for embellishment after he was taken down on a rush in the third period. … The Flames played their eighth back-to-back set of games this season after playing at Vegas on Wednesday. … Former Flames star Theo Fleury was named an inductee into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame on Thursday.

LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134951 Boston Bruins ■ Cassidy, admittedly not really a superstitious type, plans to break tradition in the second-to-last game of the season, even if the Bruins’ streak is still going. He has started the Kuraly-Acciari-Wagner line for ‘They play for one another every night’. 10 thoughts on the Bruins’ latest most of the streak, even on Feb. 26, the night an East Weymouth kid thriller made his TD Garden debut as a Bruin.

“I apologized to Charlie Coyle,” Cassidy said. “First game here back in Boston. I told him I can’t mess with the streak. Typically, you want to start By Matt Porter a guy in his hometown, but we’ll start him in Minnesota [April 4, against his old team], whether we have a streak or not. We’ll give him that.”

Boston Globe LOADED: 03.09.2019 Admit it. You knew they were coming back.

What other town can be this confident in its teams? When the Bruins are giving you the same feeling as the title-winning Red Sox and Patriots, well, it’s a good time to be a Boston fan.

So enjoy this. It doesn’t happen often.

“They play for one another every night,” Bruce Cassidy said of his Bruins, who pulled off another dramatic comeback win Thursday, and at No. 2 in the NHL’s overall standings seem to have all possibilities in front of them.

Evidence was everywhere after Matt Grzelcyk scored the tying goal with 37 seconds left against the Florida Panthers. Brandon Carlo hopped out of his seat on the bench and gave “Grizzy” a bear hug, while John Moore repeatedly pounded his arm and an assistant coach slapped his back.

The most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.

Patrice Bergeron’s winner set off a wilder celebration, which saw Zdeno Chara leaping out of his skates like a rookie who just scored his first goal.

“It’s not always perfect, but they’re great that way, and they’re happy for each other,” Cassidy said. “You don’t see that in every team, trust me. Some guys are not happy for others. They want to be the guy, and I think our guys are genuinely happy for each other’s success.”

■ This 18-game point streak has reached the point where it demands historical context. If the Bruins beat the Senators Saturday, they would become the 13th NHL team with a point streak of 19 games or more. The franchise record is 23 games in 1940-41. The league record is 35, set by Philadelphia in 1979-80.

■ Just 20 other teams in NHL history have matched this point-getting run. Consider that since the league’s inception in 1917, there have been (by my quick math) some 1,582 team-seasons.

■ The Bruins became one of only 10 teams to overcome a deficit and score the winning goal all in the final minute of regulation. That includes the Dec. 4, 1986, Bruins, who beat the Nordiques, 3-2, on goals by Tom McCarthy (19:42) and Ray Bourque (19:59).

■ This run, put another way: The Bruins have lost just three times in regulation in 2019, and it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day.

■ Another measure of David Krejci’s excellent season: He has centered at least a dozen different wingers. He had three sets Thursday, when he scored a goal and had a game-high five shots on net (10 attempts). Great centers can play with anyone. That’s Krejci, who is producing at a points-per-game rate (0.87) near his career best (0.89, set 10 years ago as a 22-year-old).

■ Marchand (three assists), whose puck protection and playmaking are a treat to watch, moved into 10th in the league in assists (a career-high 59), and cracked the 80-point barrier for the third time in his career.

With 15 games left, he is all but certain to eclipse his career high in points (85). He owned Florida’s defense in the final minute, setting up Grzelcyk’s tying blast with a fake shot-pass, and drawing three Panthers along the boards to free Bergeron for the winner.

■ Tuukka Rask made a huge play with 1:25 left, making the correct read and beating Vincent Trocheck to a loose puck. For someone widely criticized for his puckhandling earlier in the season — Cassidy deemed his work “very poor” in a Dec. 23 loss in Carolina — Rask has been sharper there, too. Then again, had Rask conceded the race to Trocheck, he probably would have stopped him on the breakaway.

■ During their off day Friday, the Bruins assigned Karson Kuhlman to Providence, though he could return Saturday if Jake DeBrusk (foot) can’t go. The bet here: all three of DeBrusk, David Pastrnak (thumb), and Marcus Johansson (bruised lung) are rolling by Round 1 of the playoffs, set to begin April 10. 1134952 Boston Bruins found himself with another new pair — Heinen and Backes — and cut the deficit in half.

Krejci, playing give-and-go with Heinen down the middle after Backes It was a wild finish, and the Bruins extended their points streak to 18 forced a turnover, chipped Heinen’s slick cross-slot feed past a sprawling games Roberto Luongo at 10:29. It was the 17th goal of the season for Krejci, who has a a 5-10—15 line in his last 11 games.

By Matt Porter “When there’s that much time left in a game, anything could happen,” Marchand said. “All it takes is for us to get one and, you know, we feel really good about our game, so . . . ”

The Bruins’ historic point streak, laboring through much of Thursday Tuukka Rask, now on a 15-0-3 heater, saved his club in the third by night’s game against the Panthers, received a last-minute blast of fresh stunting a pair of Florida power plays, which included a flashy snare of a air. Yandle backscratcher slapper. Bergeron’s long wrister at 8:50 of the period tied the game, but Rask (22 saves) couldn’t handle Huberdeau’s Matt Grzelcyk’s six-on-four power-play goal tied the score with 37 turnaround job, the Florida winger going five-hole after corkscrewing seconds left, and Patrice Bergeron’s wrister with 7.2 seconds left, a no- around Chara. doubt finish off a Brad Marchand feed, gave Boston a frenzied 4-3 win over Florida. But Chara was jumping in the air, and Rask was celebrating on the bench, when Grzelcyk’s bomb clanked off the crossbar and in. Shortly The Bruins (41-17-9), who tied the score at 2 in the third on a Bergeron thereafter, Bergeron struck nothing but net. shorthanded goal, extended their streak to 18 games with at least a point. They did it without standout sophomore winger Jake DeBrusk (foot “Everyone thought we were setting up for the three on three,” Backes injury), yet another missing puzzle piece for a club that somehow keeps said. “He had different ideas.” completing the picture. It had Charlie McAvoy beaming in the room afterward. “I felt like we were tired tonight,” admitted Bergeron, now a five-time 25- goal scorer (25-37—62 in 51 games). “Especially early on. I can’t say I “Oh man, what an exciting game,” said the 21-year-old defenseman. knew all along we had it. It wasn’t our best game by any means, or a “What an effort by us. Went down two again, and it was kind of like, perfect game. But it’s the resiliency you want to see.” ‘We’ve been here before,’ and we kind of said it as a joke since it’s been about 48 hours since we were in that same exact position in the second The Bruins, down three members of their top six (leading goal scorer period. David Pastrnak, new acquisition Marcus Johansson, and DeBrusk), were not deflated after surrendering a 3-2 goal midway through the third. “It’s just this team, you know? No one ever says die. I mean, Bergy and Someone had to be a hero, and it was Grzelcyk. Not one of the team’s Marsh [shorthanded] . . . I don’t know how those guys do it. It’s like a heavier shooters, he got all of a setup from Marchand (three assists), power play for them almost, it’s crazy. ringing it off the crossbar and in. “Just so exciting. I feel like I’m not really off that high right now.”

The most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning. Boston Globe LOADED: 03.09.2019 “I watch the D shoot the puck at the end of practice, and I didn’t think he could raise it,” said coach Bruce Cassidy, kidding the Charlestown native about his slapper. “I’ve been watching him for two years. Bang. It’s bar down.”

Grzelcyk smiled.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I guess I’ve been working on it.”

Boston, which is 14-0-4 in its last 18 games, is second in that regard to only one Bruins team: the 1940-41 edition, which ran off a 23-game points streak. Two others, 1968-69 and 2017-18, produced 18-gamers.

“It’s the way we win,” said Cassidy. “Different guys contributing, shorthanded goal, so, never quit. I love that about the guys. They play for one another every night.

“They don’t want to say, ‘Hey, we’ve had a real good run, let’s . . . it’s not our night, let’s get on to the next one.’ I think that’s a good, positive sign for us. We’ve got a bunch of gamers in there.”

It was the fifth win in a row for the Bruins, who pulled 4 points ahead of Toronto in the Atlantic Division and jumped into second in the NHL’s overall standings (91 points), behind Tampa Bay (106).

Two nights after allowing the first two goals of the game to Carolina — in a battle-back, 4-3 overtime win — the Bruins had another hill to climb, beginning early in the second period.

An Aleksander Barkov deflection, off a point shot from Milton-bred defenseman Keith Yandle, put Florida up, 1-0, at 2:48 of the frame. Barkov then pressured Zdeno Chara into a puck-over-glass penalty, and Jonathan Huberdeau connected on a mid-air swing. Credit Florida’s lead to its third-ranked power play (26.6 percent).

That prompted Cassidy to put his lines in a blender. He had Charlie Coyle playing right wing with Bergeron and Marchand. He tried Sean Kuraly at center, with Danton Heinen and David Backes.

David Krejci, his wingers in rotation for most of the season, was used to that kind of shuffling. He began the night with newbies Peter Cehlarik and Karson Kuhlman, after playing with DeBrusk and Johansson the last week. It was fitting, then, that Krejci jumped onto the ice for a change, 1134953 Boston Bruins some people’s faces on the forecheck and make them make mistakes kind of like we had (Thursday).”

That little play helped turn the game around. And Backes, in the right David Backes finds ways to pitch in for Bruins situation, can still make it.

BRUINS NOTE: The B’s returned Karson Kuhlman to Providence. That By STEVE CONROY | PUBLISHED: March 8, 2019 at 6:00 pm | could mean Jake DeBrusk, who was walking in a boot on his left foot on UPDATED: March 8, 2019 at 11:49 PM Thursday, is either ready to play Saturday against the Senators or they plan to bring up another body. Lee Stempniak maybe? We shall see.

Boston Herald LOADED: 03.09.2019 There have been times this year when it appeared the rocket ship that the Bruins have become was destined to leave David Backes on the ground.

While Backes had been a far more useful player in the first two years of his five-year, $30 million contract than the harshest critics of that deal wanted to admit, it appeared the speed of today’s game as well as several injuries and illness had finally caught up to the 34-year-old warhorse this season. In 55 games played, he has just five goals and 10 assists.

But a funny thing has happened the last couple of weeks. Backes — through his professionalism, grit and the power of his persuasion — has willed himself to be part of the B’s impressive run.

Much has been made of Backes, concussed several times, offering his services as an “enforcer” to stay relevant, but that aspect of his sit-down with coach Bruce Cassidy on the last road trip was a bit overblown by the tsk-tsk crowd that has wanted to save Backes from himself. With three fights in four games, it was easy for some to jump to the conclusion that that was all he wanted from himself.

But in the B’s 4-3 comeback over the Florida Panthers Thursday night, Backes kept his gloves on and still contributed to the victory. With the B’s down 2-0 in the second period and seemingly ready to take their first regulation loss in over a month, Cassidy decided he needed to put his lines in the blender. Backes has wanted to be remembered in such situations. And when Cassidy tapped him to hit the ice with David Krejci and Danton Heinen, he repaid the coach for doing so. First in on the forecheck, Backes caused a turnover that went to Heinen, who fed Krejci for the B’s first goal.

And then in the desperation hour, Backes was one of the six skaters on the ice when the B’s were trying to tie the game and he was there at the top of the crease to provide a screen for Matt Grzelcyk’s equalizer. That’s a pretty productive night in a tidy 9:24 of ice time, which is pretty much what Cassidy is looking for from Backes.

“I think maybe the physicality from recent games has brought out the truculence in his game where he’s getting to the net and winning pucks and maybe it’s snowballing a bit for him,” Cassidy said after the game. “You know, that was his M.O. years ago. That was his identity. And time goes by, but we’d still like to see some of that. He’d still like to bring some of that, and he did, so I’m happy for him.”

Since having his well-chronicled talk with Cassidy, Backes said he now has a better defined niche that he can attack, both mentally and physically.

“It was some clarity and it kind of cleared my head a little bit to go out there and ‘OK, it’s 10 minutes a night, but what can I do with those 10 minutes to help this team win?’ ” Backes said. “Sometimes it’s dropping your gloves, sometimes it’s getting in on the forecheck and disrupting. And sometimes hopefully it’s scoring a goal here soon. I remember the feeling, I need that feeling and I think it’s coming shortly. You spend some time in front of the net, loose pucks, . . . and hopefully the floodgates open and we can contribute in that realm as well.”

While he wouldn’t mind finding the back of the net, he feels like he’s been adjusting well to less ice time.

“I’ve felt pretty good the last two weeks — that I’ve had jump and I think I’ve said this before, but playing 10 minutes sometimes can be a lot tougher than 16 or 18 minutes when you’re in a groove and you know your next shift is coming,” Backes said. “Being spotted in — I think I might have had three shifts in the first period — and to keep the focus and trying to keep my linemates, saying we’re going to get our opportunity and when we get it, we’ve got to make good on it and show that we deserve maybe a little bit more ice time. And that competition is healthy, but I felt . . . I’ve had some jump and I’ve been able to get in 1134954 Boston Bruins

Brad Marchand trolls Torey Krug in his first day on Instagram

By NBC Sports Boston Staff March 08, 2019 7:22 PM

Just when you thought the Boston Bruins couldn't get any more fun to watch, they did.

Over the course of the past few days, Brad Marchand and Torey Krug have gotten into it with each other on social media. The two undersized teammates have taken hilarious jabs at each other via Twitter, and it doesn't seem that they will be stopping anytime soon.

On Friday, the feud crossed platforms, and it will now be taking place on Instagram, too. Marchand launched an Instagram account on Friday and immediately went after Krug with his second post.

Krug has yet to clap back at Marchand, but it seems inevitable that the defenseman will come back with something. That's been the nature of this "feud," and it seems likely to keep going as long as the fans find it funny.

Krug and Marchand will both be back on the ice on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. The two will look to extend the Bruins' point streak to 19 games in front of a home crowd at the TD Garden.

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Bruins assign forward Karson Kuhlman to Providence

By NBC Sports Boston Staff March 08, 2019 3:33 PM

Karson Kuhlman has spent his first full season in the Boston Bruins organization bouncing between the NHL and AHL. He appeared in just his fifth game for the Bruins this season in their Thursday night win over the Florida Panthers.

Kuhlman skated on the second line along with Peter Cehlarik in the place of injured wingers Jake DeBrusk and Marcus Johansson. But on Friday, Kuhlman was once again sent back to the Providence Bruins, according to the Bruins' official Twitter.

In his most recent stint with the team, Kuhlman logged only 12:14 of ice time and won his lone faceoff. On the season, he has tallied two points.

Kuhlman being sent down to the minors should be a good sign for DeBrusk. DeBrusk was out on Thursday, but he has been classified as day-to-day and may have a chance to play on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. The demotion of Kuhlman could open the door for him to return to the lineup.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134956 Boston Bruins not getting a shot on net in either of the first two periods. “But you do have to be able to come back in games like that — down by a goal with two minutes left, so you know, it’s good, but that’s a losing game so we Something special is happening with this Bruins team can’t be doing that too often.”

Now clearly the Bruins are feeling confident, playing for each other and looking like a team that’s going to be a handful in the playoffs. They’re By Joe Haggerty March 08, 2019 2:32 PM also now the second-best team in the NHL based on their 91 points thus far this season.

The problem is that the No. 1 team is the one they’re chasing in their own BOSTON – Nobody could be blamed if they’re beginning to think that Atlantic Division: the Tampa Bay Lightning. As good as the Bruins should something special is going on with this Boston Bruins team. feel right now, they also know that the Bolts will most likely be waiting for Sure, they reeled off 18 straight games with a point last season, and the them again in the second round of the playoffs after dispatching them in injury bug continues to pound away at this team with the absences of five games last spring. David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk and Marcus Johansson subtracting a lot Is it going to be different this time? Do the Bruins have the kind of of offense. But the Bruins also continue to hurdle over that adversity and formula that’s going to knock down a Tampa team that’s probably find ways to win even if it’s not the kind of complete effort that the B’s deeper, more explosive and younger at some of the key positions in their coaching staff draws up on the chalkboard during morning meetings. lineup? A little Patrice Bergeron heroism certainly goes a long way in that regard Those questions won’t be answered until April and May, but it’s okay for with the leadership on the bench and a pair of third-period goals to lead Bruins fans to start feeling like maybe, just maybe, the B’s are onto the three-goal uprising that eventually beat the Panthers Thursday night. something special here. That feeling was certainly intensified after “Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] I thought was, you know, the leadership off the Bergeron snapped the unlikely game-winner with 6.7 seconds to go in ice, but real good on the ice [as well],” said Bruce Cassidy. “He was very the third period to once again make the Black and Gold victorious. good on the bench about keep playing for the next one, and they wanted Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 it.”

Certainly Bruins management believes in this team and they went out and added Charlie Coyle and Johansson for an extended playoff run they believe is coming. Bruce Cassidy and his coaching staff believe as they pour in hours of tweaking, toggling and jostling to a group of players that’s battled injuries, slumps and all of the typical stuff that gets in the way over the course of an 82-game regular season.

B's hope Jake DeBrusk can return this weekend

The players believe as well. David Backes has taken on more of an enforcer-type role that’s clearly not much fun, but is a necessary thing for a Bruins team that’s been pushed around at times this season. Taking on those responsibilities is allowing Backes to remain in the lineup and be a vital contributor to a team that’s gearing up for the playoffs.

Then there’s Charlie McAvoy as he continues to take on the mantle of No. 1 defenseman with the Bruins after notching a couple of assists and logging 23:58 of ice time. Meanwhile Zdeno Chara was down to 17:54 in the come-from-behind win and hasn’t played as many as 23 minutes in the last month while amidst this epic point streak.

There are plenty of other examples of Bruins players buying into the team-first mentality and playing for each other. It certainly strikes a different chord than some of the egocentric battles that have gone on within the Boston Celtics dressing room down the hall this season.

“We win [coming from behind], and it’s like the way we win: different guys contributing, shorthanded goal… so never quit. I love that about the guys. They play for one another every night,” said Cassidy. “It’s not always perfect, but they’re great that way. They’re happy for each other. You don’t see that in every team, trust me. Some guys are not happy for others. They want to be the guy.

“I think our guys are genuinely happy for each other’s success. The guys want to win every night. They don’t want to say, 'Hey we’ve had a real good run... it’s not our night, let’s get on to the next one.' I think that’s a good, positive sign for us that we’ve got a bunch of gamers in there. Like I said, it wasn’t pretty from start to finish but we did enough things well.”

How does this streak compare with other Boston Stanley Cup champs?

In many ways the Bruins team is changing right before our eyes into something younger, better and scrappier that may just be better prepared for the playoffs, and is certainly giving the rest of the league all it can handle. A comeback win where the Bruins score two goals in the final 40 seconds of the game to snatch victory away from the jaws of defeat just adds to that feeling that something special is indeed going on with this B’s group.

“It just shows that we can win in different situations. We know we have a special group, we know we have a good team and a really good atmosphere in the room. Guys get along really well. We’re not going to win all those games, we can’t continue to get down 2-0 and expect to win each game,” said Brad Marchand, who finished with three assists after 1134957 Boston Bruins

Bruins hopeful Jake DeBrusk (left foot) can return this weekend

By Joe Haggerty March 08, 2019 1:09 PM

BOSTON – The good news is that the Bruins are hopeful that Jake DeBrusk can return as soon as this weekend.

The bad news is that the 23-year-old winger was spotted at TD Garden with a walking boot on his left foot during Thursday night’s 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers. So, it might be a bit optimistic to think that DeBrusk will be ready to go on Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators, or be able to play in back-to-back games with the Bruins also traveling to Pittsburgh for a Sunday night showdown with the Penguins.

Still, Bruce Cassidy sounded an optimistic tone when asked about DeBrusk's foot after the red-hot winger missed Thursday's game against the Panthers with the left foot injury.

“He tried to skate yesterday and kind of had a tough time. This morning, we didn’t go on the ice — only a couple guys went on, so we were going to see [on Thursday] when he got to the rink how he was. It hadn’t progressed very well, so we weren’t going to push it,” Cassidy said. “I’ve said this before this year, but I don’t think it’s anything major. That’s our official reports from the doctors.

“This isn’t me just making crap up, but it may be a couple days. He might be ready Saturday, it might be a week, but I don’t believe it’s anything noteworthy that’s going to keep him out for an extended period of time.”

DeBrusk was clearly favoring his left leg when he skated at B’s practice at TD Garden on Wednesday morning, and his presence was missed in a big way. With DeBrusk, Marcus Johansson and David Pastrnak all injured, the Bruins are missing a lot of offensive firepower on the wings, and David Krejci is missing all the finishers he had on his line.

Krejci scored again in Thursday’s win over the Panthers as he clearly was trying to shoulder more of the offensive load with Karson Kuhlman and Peter Cehlarik on his wings, and that’s a tough way to sustain things offensively if those three players are out for another week or two.

DeBrusk, in particular, is somebody the Bruins have come to need over the last month. He’s posted eight goals and 15 points in his last 11 games, and had essentially stepped into the goal-scoring void created when Pastrnak went out of the lineup with his thumb injury. That being said, the Stanley Cup playoffs are little more than a month away and the Bruins shouldn’t rush DeBrusk back with a playoff spot well in hand after their current 18-game point streak.

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Can Brad Marchand join Bruins' 100-point club? It may come down to wire

By Darren Hartwell March 08, 2019 12:53 PM

Don't let Brad Marchand's Twitter account and Instagram account distract you. The Boston Bruins winger is having a season for the record books.

After tallying three assists Thursday in Boston's wild win over the Florida Panthers, Marchand has a team-leading 80 points (27 goals, 53 assists) through 67 games.

That means the 30-year-old needs 20 points in the Bruins' final 15 games to reach the 100-point plateau. If he keeps up his current pace, he'll finish with... 98 (97.9, to be exact).

Marchand has made a furious push of late, though, with nine points in his last five contests. And if he stays red-hot to reach the century mark, he'll become just the 10th Bruins player ever to tally 100 points in a single season.

It's a quite the impressive list, too: Not since Joe Thornton during the 2002-03 season (101 points) has a B's player crossed the 100-point threshold. After Thornton, you have to go back another decade to Adam Oates, who amassed 112 points during the 1993-94 campaign.

Here's the full list of Bruins players in the 100-point club. You may recognize a few names. (Five of the nine are in the Hockey Hall of Fame.)

- Joe Thornton

- Adam Oates (twice)

- Joe Juneau

- Barry Pederson (twice)

- Rick Middleton (twice)

- Bobby Orr (six times)

- Phil Esposito (six times)

- John Bucyk

- Ken Hodge (twice)

As of now, Marchand is projected to fall just short of the 100-point mark. But let's just say he's used to playing above his height.

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How does this Bruins run compare with previous B's Stanley Cup teams?

By NBC Sports Boston Staff March 08, 2019 11:21 AM

The Bruins hype train is "full steam ahead" after an epic last minute win against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. It has us wondering— how does this Bruins run compare with previous Bruins Stanley Cup teams?

The Bruins had quite a run of success between 2010 and 2014. The B's won the Stanley Cup in the 2010-11 season, returned in the 2012-13 season where they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks, and won the Presidents' Trophy the following year.

The Bruins currently hold an active 18 game point streak, and are in second place in the Atlantic Division with 91 points.

The Bruins are also currently 41-17, and have not lost a game in regulation since before February.

So if past performance is any indication, how does this year's Bruins team compare with recent successful teams?

Going back to this point, March 8th, in 2011, the Bruins were 38-20 with 84 points, according to ShrpSports, a historical sports data tracking site.

In 2014, when the Bruins won the Presidents' Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL team with the most points each year, the B's were 41-17 with 87 points at this time.

So in terms of record, the Bruins have more points than in either year, a better record than the 2011 team, and are neck and neck with the Presidents' Trophy team of a few years ago.

While Tampa will likely be the Presidents' Trophy recipient this year— with a mind-boggling 106 points thus far, the Bruins have won more games than they did the last time they won the Cup, and have the most points of either Cup team.

However, the story for the Bruins this season, regardless of how and where it ends, is not one that can be quantified.

The Bruins have shown tremendous heart, and have played hard for each other and their coach, which was fully on display on Thursday night, when the B's scored a game-tying and then game-winning goal in the final moments of the game, to keep their streak alive as they march towards the postseason.

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Why Bruins' crazy comeback vs. Panthers was historic in its own right

By Darren Hartwell March 08, 2019 9:55 AM

The Boston Bruins' point streak simply will not die.

The Bruins were 37 seconds away from suffering their first regulation loss since January 19, trailing the Florida Panthers by one goal with under a minute to play Thursday night at TD Garden.

Then the impossible happened: Matt Grzelcyk potted the game-tying goal on a power play at 19:23, and with just seven seconds left in regulation, Patrice Bergeron buried a wrist shot to lift Boston to a 4-3 victory and extend its point streak to 18 games.

Not only is that 18-game streak the second-longest in franchise history -- and longest since 1969 -- but Thursday's frenzied comeback represented a feat the Bruins have accomplished just once before.

Per NHL stats, tonight's win marked just the second time in team history that we've overcome a deficit in the final minute and won in regulation.

In fact, the B's became just the 10th team in NHL history to win in regulation despite trailing in the final minute.

Not a bad way to keep the streak alive, eh?

At the risk of killing the mood, Boston has been on the other side of nearly similar heartbreak. The Bruins led the Blackhawks with 1:16 to play in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final before Chicago scored two goals in the span of 17 seconds to stun the B's and win the Cup.

But these 2018-19 Bruins currently seem unflappable, as they've erased two-goal deficits in back-to-back games to keep their historic streak rolling entering Saturday's home game against the Senators.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134961 Buffalo Sabres "Just wanted to see how it looked," the coach said.

Same for his change at defense pairs, which flipped Marco Scandella and Rasmus Dahlin. Dahlin moved to play with Rasmus Ristolainen while Sabres hope to keep their secondary scoring in synch in matchup with Scandella was paired with Casey Nelson. Avalanche Avs' top line

The Avalanche entered Friday four points out of the final Western By Mike Harrington|Published Fri, Mar 8, 2019|Updated Fri, Mar 8, 2019 Conference playoff spot but the Landeskog injury could be a crushing blow. Even more weight will be on Mikko Rantanen (29-56-85) and Nathan MacKinnon (34-50-84). DENVER — When you step back from the disappointment of Thursday's 5-4 shootout loss in Chicago, the Buffalo Sabres had one major "You have to be aware of MacKinnon's speed and try to stop him in the component of their game they had to like. neutral zone so he doesn't get that momentum," Rodrigues said. "Once you give him that time and space, no matter how good you are, it's going Their top line of Jeff Skinner-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart had no goals in to be difficult stopping him." the game but was certainly active with 10 shots on goal and 17 shot attempts. But it was the rest of the roster that got things done. Rantenen's next goal will give the Avs three 30-goal scorers for the first time since their 1995-96 Stanley Cup team. Four goals, 29 shots on goal and 47 attempts. Zach Bogosian's first career short-handed goal. Two goals from the defense for the first time The Avalanche, who posted a 6-1 win Oct. 11 in Buffalo, started the since Jan. 16. Two assists from Evan Rodrigues. Even Vladimir season 16-6-5. They are just 13-21-7 since. Sobotka's first non-garbage time goal since November. Pumped by Bogosoian's goal

"It was really good for us," center Casey Mittelstadt said Friday after Rodrigues said he was skating to the bench during the rush that led to practice in Pepsi Center. "There's always things we can do better. But it's Bogosian's nifty short-handed goal that gave the Sabres a 3-2 lead in the good to see other guys scoring and help them get some momentum." second period.

"Especially as of late, we've done a good job having secondary scoring. "I watched it gliding in," he said. "I got there and I was like, 'Whoa, we It's getting better," Rodrigues said. "'Eichs' has been hot but throughout scored.' I was fired up. It was a sick goal." the lineup we've helped contribute." Buffalo News LOADED: 03.09.2019 Sabres do a lot, but just not enough to win

The Sabres will be looking for more of that Saturday afternoon when they meet the suddenly depleted Colorado Avalanche. The Avs announced Friday afternoon that captain and top line winger Gabriel Landeskog is going to miss four to six weeks, likely the rest of the regular season, with what appears to be a shoulder injury suffered Thursday in Dallas.

Landeskog had career highs in goals (33) and points (69) and has been a key member of one of the NHL's hottest lines with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

The Avs, like the Sabres, have struggled at times with balance in their offense. The Sabres, meanwhile, have gotten a boost in recent games from the addition of defenseman Brandon Montour, who scored his second goal with Buffalo on Thursday.

"He's so dynamic," Rodrigues said. "He makes plays out of nothing, gets a couple crossovers with his stride and it seems he can beat most defensemen wide with the puck. He had a little bit of speed, something different. When he gets the puck, there's excitement going through the team that's pretty refreshing."

"It's going well," Montour said. "It's just me getting familiar with them and them seeing what I bring for my style. You create relationships, see the whole organization and I wanted to get back to the way I was playing in Anaheim."

Montour's goal came on a laser from the slot and he clearly fooled Chicago goalie Corey Crawford with a lookaway that indicated pass before he fired his shot.

"The defenseman kind of screened him as well but I think he might have been reading me for a pass first," Montour said. "I put a little fake on him and luckily enough it went in."

Montour ties it up at 2-2! #sabres #blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Z6nxoHwOAG

— Buffalo Sabres plays and goals (@SabresPlays) March 8, 2019

The Sabres are 1-4-1 in their last six games but are averaging three goals per game in that span. It hasn't been good enough because they're giving up 4.5 per game.

"We've been scoring enough to win," said coach Phil Housley. "It goes back to playing better without the puck."

Mittelstadt on the wing?

Housley gave Mittelstadt some reps at left wing in Friday's practice on a line with Johan Larsson and Jason Pominville but wouldn't commit to the move for the game. 1134962 Buffalo Sabres Syracuse pushed past the Amerks and into first place with 75 points in the North Division on Wednesday when the Crunch beat Utica, 5-2.

The Amerks had been in sole possession of first place or tied since Will Borgen's physical style of play gives him puncher's chance with October. Both teams have played 58 games. They meet three more Amerks times this season.

Notes: The AHL suspended Amerks winger Remi Elie one game for an By Bill Hoppe|Published Fri, Mar 8, 2019|Updated Fri, Mar 8, 2019 illegal check to the head of a Crunch player in Sunday’s 4-1 home loss. Elie will sit out Friday’s home game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. … Smith, a winger, has compiled 14 goals and 28 points in his last 24 outings going back to Dec. 5. Overall, Smith has scored 20 goals and 46 ROCHESTER — C.J. Smith said he kept telling Rochester defenseman points in 45 games. … Amerks goalie Scott Wedgewood’s 22nd win Will Borgen he should get into a fight. Saturday set a new career high. In his last 10 starts, Wedgewood is 5-3-2 After nearly a year in the AHL, Borgen had not yet been in a scrap. Smith with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage. knew his 6-foot-2, 187-pound teammate would hold his own. Buffalo News LOADED: 03.09.2019 “I kind of pushed him to get in one,” joked Smith, Borgen’s friend and roommate.

On Feb. 20 against the Cleveland Monsters, Borgen finally fought, dropping 6-3, 185 Ryan MacInnis by unleashing several wicked right swings as the crowd in Blue Cross Arena roared.

The frenzy of punches didn’t disappoint Smith.

“I was pumped up watching that fight,” said Smith, who was with the Sabres when Borgen fought MacInnis.

Smith added: “He was throwing some bombs.”

Borgen looked like a seasoned fighting pro.

“It was wild, I guess,” said Borgen, a fourth-round pick by Buffalo in 2015, 92nd overall. “I mean, I’ve never fought before, so I didn’t know what to expect.

“It’s not like you’re going out there trying to fight someone. It was just the heat of the moment, it just happened.”

While Borgen, 23, rarely fights, the prospect “loves the physical style of play,” according to Amerks coach Chris Taylor.

“(He’s) hard to play against and makes people pay a price,” said one scout who has watched Borgen regularly this season.

Considering Borgen’s penchant for contact, it’s surprising it took him 58 AHL games to come to blows.

“He’s definitely grown a lot of respect around the room in what he’s been doing,” Taylor said. “He’s getting better every game.”

Borgen left St. Cloud State following his junior year and was coached by Taylor for eight games last year. Still, Taylor said Borgen’s physicality and conditioning during training camp surprised him.

“Ever since then, he’s really defined himself as a good defenseman but also a person we can rely on in the offensive (zone),” Taylor said. “He’s brought some offensive upside to him. He joins the rush, he makes really good plays at the blue line. His offensive side of the puck is really good as well.”

Borgen possesses above-average speed, but so far, his offensive numbers — two goals and eight points in 57 contests — aren’t eye- popping.

But Taylor said Borgen, who represented Team USA at the Pyeongchang Olympic Games last year, has continued to develop his offense. Taylor occasionally utilizes Borgen on the power play and he likes the way the rookie can get shots on net from the point during five- on-five action.

“You kind of don’t think of that at the start,” Taylor said of Borgen’s offensive abilities. “Then over time, it’s like, ‘Wow, where did this come from?’ It’s like he keeps getting better and better right before your eyes.”

Borgen showcased some of his offensive prowess Feb. 16 in Syracuse, moving into the slot and burying Yannick Veilleux’s pass under the crossbar.

Ultimately, however, Borgen’s grittiness and defensive abilities could help him reach the NHL.

“He’ll finish hits,” Smith said. “He just plays a hard game, really simple. He’s just kind of a reliable D.” 1134963 Buffalo Sabres “It’s disappointing,” coach Phil Housley said. “These guys are working hard and they’re not getting rewarded. That’s the difficult thing and that’s the mental thing we’re facing right now. We’re going to have to keep Chicago Nope: Sabres’ futility at the United Center continues for a 12th digging in.” straight season Effort hasn’t been a problem of late for Buffalo. Yes, the 4-3 loss to Edmonton saw them get stunned for three goals late in the second period that turned the game on its head, but they did the same to Chicago in the By Joe Yerdon Mar 8, 2019 second period, scoring three times in 3:29 to go from being down 2-0 to up 3-2. The Sabres have been victimized plenty by giving up goals in

bunches. Seeing them do it to Chicago provided a spark that possibly the CHICAGO —It’s been more than 12 years since the Sabres took a 12-year winless streak in Chicago might come to an end. victory out of United Center. It’s going to be another season before they “Snowball effect. You get one, you get a little more confident, they get get another shot at it again. back on their heels a little bit and then you take advantage,” Okposo The Sabres dropped a tough 5-4 shootout to the Chicago Blackhawks on said. “That’s hockey. That’s just momentum swings and they’re apparent, Thursday and you have to go back to Jan. 10, 2007 to the last time they but they can change like that. You have to make sure you’re paying skated out of the Madhouse on Madison with a W. attention to the details and capitalizing on that momentum when you have it.” That season saw Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook in their second seasons. Jonathan Toews was wrapping up his final season at North The Sabres had done that, but not enough to carry them through the rest Dakota and Patrick Kane was in the middle of his only season with the of the game. In the third, Anisimov’s second goal made it 3-3 until London Knights before he was drafted No. 1 by Chicago in the 2007 NHL Okposo gave them a lead about three minutes later. Then the old Draft. demons showed up seconds later to make sure any joy of accomplishment was seen away. That 2006-2007 season was also the last time the Sabres won a playoff series before eventually losting to Ottawa in the Eastern Conference “This is where we’re at right now, we have to scrape and claw for every Final. Jason Pominville was a major player on that Buffalo team but he’s point we get,” Housley said. “It’s a valuable lesson. We get that one-goal learned to dislike the Blackhawks for reasons that go beyond the Sabres’ lead and now it’s time to buckle down. We’re trying to do the right thing decade-plus futility at the United Center. but they got a little puck luck.”

“I’ve got a history with this team,” Pominville said of his time with the Wild The game wasn’t exactly the most well-played defensively, but for the from 2013-17. “In Minnesota we played them quite a bit and I’ve kind of most part throughout Carter Hutton was there to stymie the Blackhawks learned to hate them playing them so much being in the same division. making 41 saves including seven in overtime. He still allowed four goals We faced them three different times in the playoffs.” and was unable to stop any of the three Chicago shooters in the shootout. The Blackhawks did not hesitate to hold back in the skills The Blackhawks ended Minnesota’s Stanley Cup hopes in all three of competition throwing each of Toews, Kane, and DeBrincat at Hutton. those postseasons, going on to win the Cup in two of them. For Pominville, there’s no doubt home ice advantage in Chicago is a very “It’s a little lazy on my part,” Hutton said. “I think you just get gassed in real thing. overtime there and I just leave my feet a little too early on… Those guys are just too good, too patient and I think the Toews one I made it too “You can tell directly from warm-ups and then the national anthem, if that easy on him. The Kane one… he’s a pretty nifty player. DeBrincat…. I doesn’t get you going I don’t know what will,” Pominville said. “It’s a fun thought I read him pretty well I just kind of almost overplayed it and it kind building, obviously they’ve had success, they’re a good team and they’ve of came back across me.” won a few Cups. They’ve got a good mix of savvy veterans and younger guys right now, but previously they’re a veteran team that learned how to The Sabres have lost five of the past six games and are 2-8-1 in the past win and made it hard on you every night you came in here.” 11 games. Compared to that, losing in Chicago once again is a drop in the bucket. The last time the Sabres won in Chicago, Pominville set up Jochen Hecht for the first goal of the game, which was followed in the second period by “It’s just frustrating; I don’t know how to put it into words right now,” a Maxim Afinogenov goal. Denis Arkhipov scored Chicago’s only goal Hutton said. “It seems like Groundhog Day here. I feel like I do my best to and Ryan Miller stood tall. If that sounds like a good old days kind of try and compete and it’s just hard not getting wins here.” story, well, it is, but a then very good Sabres team beating a then very The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 bad Blackhawks team wasn’t exactly a standout memory for Pominville.

THE #SABRES HAVEN'T WON IN CHICAGO SINCE JAN. 10, 2007. I WENT INTO OUR ARCHIVES & FOUND THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THAT NIGHT. IT'S FUNNY LOOKING BACK AT ALL THE OLD NAMES. AHHH THE MEMORIES @WKBW PIC.TWITTER.COM/3DHQORUIBH

— MATTHEW BOVÉ (@MATT_BOVE) MARCH 7, 2019

“Wow, no way, I didn’t know that,” Pominville said with astonishment. “So it’s been a while.”

It’s been more than a while. The memories can fade, but it shows how differently things have gone for both teams since then. The Sabres’ window opened almost by surprise in 2006 and 2007, with runs to the Eastern final in each season, and virtually closed after that in part due to Chris Drury and Daniel Briere signing elsewhere. Chicago’s fortunes turned on the arrivals of Toews and Kane as well as bringing on coach Joel Quenneville and GMs Dale Tallon and Stan Bowman in succession.

Yet still it was Kane and Toews factoring into another Blackhawks defeat of Buffalo on Thursday. Kane assisted on both Chicago goals in the first period by Keith and Artem Anisimov, who scored twice. Toews also had two assists, one on Keith’s goal in the first and another on Brendan Perlini’s goal in the third period that made it 4-4 just 37 seconds after Kyle Okposo gave Buffalo a brief 4-3 lead. Buffalo played a solid game in general but were overcome thanks to mental errors in the defensive zone. These things happen with a team that’s not playing with a ton of confidence. 1134964 Buffalo Sabres All three signed last offseason. The 27-year-old Kane signed a seven- year deal, while van Riemsdyk (29) and Neal (31) got five-year contracts. They set the initial salary range for Skinner at $7 million.

What is a fair contract for Jeff Skinner? These comparables may tell the Skinner has a $6 million salary this season. If the Sabres offered him the story same raise that Stone received (29 percent), that would be a $7.7 million deal – a nice bump from the 2018 market but in the same neighborhood.

By John Vogl Mar 8, 2019 One thing Skinner brings to the negotiating table is his status as an elite scorer. He’s tied for sixth in the NHL this season and is tied for 24th in goals per game since 2010. Not many players bring his level of goal- scoring consistency. The trade deadline is one of the biggest days on the NHL calendar, a time when even casual fans pay attention. So, yes, Jeff Skinner noticed There are some, however. Disregarding all-around play, here are eight when Mark Stone went to Vegas and promptly agreed to a new contract. players with a similar goals-per-game average: Corey Perry, Phil Kessel, Stone, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Max Pacioretty, Jeff Carter and “You’re aware of everything in the league that goes on,” Skinner said with Neal. his usual sheepish grin. “The scores last night and everything that goes on, you’re aware of it as a player. That’s your job. But it’s not really a The age is the first year of their contract with its annual average salary. focus.” Also noted is the contract’s percentage of the salary cap from the year it started. That’s translated to dollars in 2019-20, when the cap is estimated Stone’s contract is a focus because he’s a Skinner peer. Born three days to rise to $83 million. The contracts for Stone, Couture and Pacioretty apart, the 26-year-old wingers were set to become unrestricted free begin next season, hence the same total for the AAV and 2019-20 agents this summer. Stone is off the market, agreeing to an eight-year, comparison. $76 million contract that averages $9.5 million per season. Age AAV % cap 2019-20 That’s a $2.5 million increase from what scoring wingers got last summer and a 29 percent hike over Stone’s expiring deal ($7.35 million). Though Perry 28 $8.63 13.4 $11.12 negotiations between the Sabres and Skinner remain “pretty positive on both sides,” general manager Jason Botterill said, the Stone contract Kessel 27 $8 11.6 $9.63 certainly added a wrinkle to the extension talks. Stone 27 $9.50 11.5 $9.50

“They’re going to figure that out, I think,” Skinner said this week. “That Couture 30 $8 9.6 $8 sort of thing will figure itself out in the future, and yeah, I don’t really think about it.” Pavelski 30 $6 8.7 $7.22

Buffalo fans are thinking about it, with good reason. Skinner is filling the Pacioretty 30 $7 8.4 $7 net at the same rate as Alexander Mogilny, giving the Sabres the elite sniper they’ve lacked for years. They are 21st in scoring with Skinner’s Carter 26 $5.27 8.2 $6.81 36 goals. It’s frightening to think where they’d be without him. Neal 31 $5.75 7.2 $5.98

So until a contract is finalized, Skinner will be the Sabres’ prime story The aforementioned $7.7 million deal would put Skinner in the middle of line. the pack. He’ll be 27 when his contract starts, so he could argue he’ll be It makes sense for Skinner’s agency, Newport Sports Management, to more valuable than the older San Jose duo of Couture and Pavelski. take the Stone contract and run to Botterill with it. But while the players That would bump Skinner’s asking price above $8 million. are similar in age and position, they’re not really an ideal match. Here are Bringing all-around game back into play, the Sabres could counter that their numbers during the past five seasons, starting in 2014-15 when Skinner (.68) puts up fewer points per game than Pavelski (.79) and Stone became an NHL regular with Ottawa. Couture (.77).

Games Goals Assists Points In addition to price, Skinner and the Sabres need to negotiate the length Skinner 386 143 109 252 of the deal. Buffalo’s advantage over the other 30 teams is it can offer an eight-year contract compared to seven because the team is re-signing its Stone 348 119 186 305 own player.

Goals/game Points/game That leads to another question: Can the Sabres expect production from Skinner through the entirety of an eight-year contract, which would run Skinner 0.37 0.65 through age 34?

Stone 0.34 0.88 The answer is: probably.

EVG PPG PPP Ice time Once again, the Sabres would be signing Skinner to fill the net, not Skinner 116 27 54 17:02 provide an elite all-around game. So going back through NHL history, here are 21 players who essentially match Skinner in goals per game. A Stone 93 22 72 19:14 dozen continued to produce through age 34, while nine saw their scoring totals drop. Skinner is a better scorer than Stone, but he doesn’t match the right winger’s all-around game. Stone is a better playmaker, especially on the We’ll start with yearly goal totals for the 12 players who kept scoring: power play. Stone also kills penalties, which accounts for more than a Mike Modano, Zach Parise, Pavelski, Milan Hejduk, Pat Verbeek, Johnny minute of their ice-time disparity. Bucyk, Gary Roberts, Eric Staal, Daniel Alfredsson, Markus Naslund, Martin St. Louis and Bill Guerin. So who are Skinner’s closest comparables? Three players stand out: Philadelphia’s James van Riemsdyk, Calgary’s James Neal and San An asterisk reflects a goal total adjusted for a lockout- or injury-shortened Jose’s Evander Kane. Here are their goals and points since Skinner season. Two asterisks means the player was 35 because their age-34 debuted in 2010 and their annual average salary in millions. year was wiped out by the canceled season of 2004-05.

G/game Pts/game AAV Age Modano Parise Pavelski Hejduk

Skinner 0.37 0.68 ? 27 33* 31 31 35 van Riemsdyk 0.35 0.68 $7 28 34 31* 27* –

Neal 0.36 0.69 $5.75 29 38 29 41 24

Kane 0.35 0.66 $7 30 33 33 37 35 31 34 25 38 29 28 26 43 27

32 28 19 29 27 29 29 33 28

33 14 29* 22 23 30 – 34 24

34 27** 24 36 22 31 35 19 32

Age Verbeek Bucyk Roberts Staal 32 27 17 39*

27 22 27 41 24 33 16 10* 10

28 39 18 21* 31* 34 17

29 37 26 52* 21 Their production began to slow at age 31, when they averaged 24 goals per season. They averaged 16 goals at age 33, which would be the 30 29* 27 – 23 penultimate season of Skinner’s deal. If the left winger followed their 31 41 18 20 13 path, Buffalo would be paying a lot for a little.

32 17 30 14 28 Skinner seems to have skills that would translate to an advanced age. He relies more on shiftiness, technique and body positioning than speed. 33 31 24 23 42 Even if he lost a step, the goals figure to come.

34 17 31 29 19 Based on all that, Buffalo shouldn’t be worried about giving Skinner the maximum term of eight years. A fair dollar amount for both sides seems Age Alfredsson Naslund St. Louis Guerin to be $8 million per season, making it a $64 million contract. The cap hit 27 24 41 33 18 would tie Skinner with Kessel, Couture, Ryan Johansen, Brent Burns and John Carlson at No. 26 on the NHL’s salary chart. 28 37 40 38 30 But a Stone has been cast into the negotiating pond, and Vegas’ decision 29 27 48 – 24 to open the vault caused a ripple effect that will be felt until Skinner signs.

30 32 35 31 30 The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 31 – – 43 41

32 43 32 25 25

33 29 24 30 34

34 40 25 29 13**

Those players averaged 31 goals per season at age 30, which would be the fourth year of Skinner’s deal. They averaged 26 goals at age 34, which would be the last year for Skinner. If the left winger could put up comparable numbers, the Sabres would be very happy.

However, here are the nine players with a similar goals-per-game who didn’t fare as well: Jeremy Roenick, Gary Unger, Bernie Federko, Thomas Vanek, Pavol Demitra, Tony Amonte, Miroslav Satan, Perry and Carter. Vanek is in his age-34 season, while Perry and Carter are 33.

Age Roenick Unger Federko

27 24 39 41

28 24 30 36

29 34 32 34

30 30 30 20

31 21 17 20

32 27 10 27

33 19 13* 17

34 9 10* Retired

Age Vanek Demitra Amonte

27 26 35 31

28 43* 36 44

29 27 23 43

30 21 – 35

31 18 25 27

32 17 25 20

33 24 15 20

34 12 20 14**

Age Satan Perry Carter

27 37 28* 44* 1134965 Buffalo Sabres not roll the dice and increase your chances of earning some points by forcing overtime?

Personnel Stimson: Evaluating Phil Housley’s use of the extra attacker and finding value in the margins The other aspect of this within Housley’s control is how he changes his deployment during 6v5 situations. The traditional approach is to use four forwards and two backs, but is there an incentive in using a fifth forward? By Ryan Stimson Mar 8, 2019 Can you leverage even more scoring potential to claw your way back into the game?

Looking at data from this season, teams have spent 218 minutes in 6v5 It’s fair to say the Sabres’ season has not gone like so many had hoped. situations using five forwards and one back (according to data gathered Rather than pile on by rehashing Phil Housley’s lineup decisions, from OffsideReview. How do we determine how many forwards are on bemoaning the team’s struggle to make the playoffs once again or the ice? I looked at how ice time is divided up by position in 6v5 question the puzzling nature of why there has been no Jeff Skinner deal situations among the six skaters with the most 6v5 ice time for each announced, I thought we’d take a look at something else to evaluate game. A four forward and two back look would have 66 percent of the ice Housley and his staff by: personnel decisions in empty-net situations. time used up by forwards and 33 percent used up by backs. A five Let’s get to it. forward and one back look would be at 84 percent forwards and 16 percent back. There are times when the sixth skater’s ice time was close There are many ways to evaluate coaches. I’ve written about some of to another’s and when they were different positions it created some them with respect to Housley and his staff earlier this season. An area problems, so I settled on if a team used 80 percent of the available ice that we’ll dig into today are tactical decisions with regards to positional time or more on forwards, they could be said to be using a five forward- deployment in a 6v5 situation at the end of the games with the goalie one back set up. pulled. In these situations, the Sabres have plenty of experience as they have spent the highest number of minutes with the goalie pulled in 6v5 The results? attacking situations since Housley took over the team at the start of the 2017 – 2018 season. Observe. Both expected and actual goal-scoring were higher using five forwards:

The y-axis is how many minutes each team spent with the goalie pulled The expected goal scoring rates were closer than the actual ones, in a 6v5 situation since the start of last season. The x-axis is each team’s suggesting there is merit to changing up the personnel, but randomness expected goals per 60 minutes during this time (data from likely flatters the actual scoring rates. Still, a difference of (7.4 – 6.6) 0.8 OffsideReview). So the Sabres have spent the most amount of time with goals per 60 minutes may lead to a few goals per season. Since the the goalie pulled while remaining the least dangerous team in this leverage in 6v5 situations significantly increases the value of goals situation. Talent isn’t an excuse as each team sends out their best scored during this time of the game, each goal scored may well be worth players for these final 60 seconds or more that teams generally have. a point or two in the standings. How far off is this from their actual scoring rates? How often have the Sabres used five forwards? They haven’t. They are A little better, but still below average. Also, given how small the samples one of six teams that have not used this personnel strategy. The rank of are for teams in these situations, these numbers can be more a product those teams in terms of expected goals per 60 minutes in 6v5 situations? of randomness than anything else. This is why we’d want to look at a 28 (Buffalo), 25 (Calgary), 27 (Minnesota), 22 (Nashville), 18 (New York team’s expected rate of scoring to get an idea of the volume and quality Islanders), and 11 (Toronto). I do wonder how much higher up the list of chances they are creating in this game state. Toronto would be if they used five forwards. They’re doing fine without it, of course, but most of the teams here are below average and could use a In such a high-leverage situation (pushing to tie the game to gain at least boost to their scoring potential in this game state. a point in the standings), teams would do well to maximize their opportunities of scoring, wouldn’t they? How could the Sabres do that? Conclusion

To start to answer that we have to consider what possibilities Housley What’s a few goals across a season, right? Well, it’s all partly how you has under his control. First, how early do you pull your goalie? Ideally, evaluate a team’s decisions. A proper, balanced lineup is worth more you’d like to give your team as much time as possible to score the tying goals than a top-heavy unit. Properly assessing the best backs on the goal, right? Housley leaves it later than most other teams. According to team and assigning minutes appropriately is worth more goals than an an excellent visualization from Meghan Hall, we see that Housley is in inefficiently-managed blue line. Advantageous power play and penalty the more conservative third of the league in terms of average time to pull skill tactics is potentially worth a boatload of goals compared to current the goalie this season. ones (lots more coming on this over the next month or so when I return from the Seattle Hockey Analytics Conference). Finally, taking advantage Toronto leads the league (go look at the viz to check it out as I couldn’t fit of more aggressive personnel deployments in high-leverage situations is it all in one image) at 2:31, or almost a full minute earlier than the Sabres. worth a few goals. This season, the Sabres, when down by one goal, pull their goalie with about 1:40 left on average, slightly down from last season’s average at It’s never about one thing, but a smart hockey organization maximizes the 1:47 mark. the margins to find edges wherever it can. Are the Sabres good enough to make the playoffs? Debatable. Could they be higher in the standings At this point in the game, teams are significantly more incentivized to through more efficient and data-driven decision-making? Absolutely. score a goal rather than prevent one, given how little time is remaining in the game. For an extensive look at this idea, read Micah Blake It’s important to remember that while the standings page gets a lot of McCurdy’s paper on “Leverage” which is simply the change in value for attention, how and why the front office and coaching staff make decisions how many points in the standings a goal will gain or lose a team. This can often be the biggest clues as to how the standings page will look change is a direct reflection of the time remaining in the game and the next season. current score state. The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 Every team sees a boost in their goal-scoring rates with an extra attacker on, so it makes sense to give as much time as possible late in games to try and maximize your scoring potential. Since Housley joined the organization, the Sabres have been expected to score 2.04 goals per 60 minutes at 5v5. You can add three to that for 6v5 situations. If Housley matched Mike Babcock’s time when he pulled the goalie down a goal, the Sabres would have a higher rate of scoring for another minute.

The Sabres would also dramatically increase the rate at which they allow goals if they did this, but with so little time left, you stand to gain much more by increasing your chances of scoring than you do by allowing another goal. Think about it, you’re already down a goal with two or three minutes left, if you give up another one you’ve likely lost for sure, so why 1134966 Calgary Flames usual top-line trio of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm.

Thing is, those guys have been a lot like Calgary’s weather forecast over ‘A lot of looks,’ but goals are scarce for Flames snipers during four-game the past month and change — ice cold. slide Gaudreau has just one measly marker in 17 outings since the all-star break/bye, although he had a shoulda-been snipe overturned in Vegas.

Wes Gilbertson His centre sidekick has scored three times over that same span.

Monahan hasn’t buried a game-winner since way back on Jan. 13. The Calgary Flames might have considered an emergency stop after Gaudreau continues to lead the team in that category but hasn’t added to their fourth consecutive loss. his total of six since their first contest of 2019.

Their charter flight was waiting late Thursday on the runway at Phoenix It was the supporting-casters who carried the Flames to a recent seven- Sky Harbor International Airport. game win spree, but they are also shooting blanks during this string of back-to-back-to-back-to-back bummers. But before skedaddling home from Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, wouldn’t this be the ideal spot to find a remedy for snakebite? “It’s the whole team kind of struggling,” said Flames second-line centre Mikael Backlund. “It’s a long season, so you will always have guys that That’s precisely what this suddenly slumping squad needs. go hot and cold. But when the whole team doesn’t score, it’s a lot harder. We just have to find a way to dig us out of this hole.” During this four-game skid, their longest slide of the season, the Flames have scored a grand total of five goals and are actually trending in the There was no panic in the visiting locker room at Gila River Arena after wrong direction. Thursday’s setback, with Gaudreau and others reminding that they would rather face adversity in March than a month from now. In home-ice losses to the Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs, they potted a pair each night. Because in April, four straight losses equals a series sweep.

Their spell of bad luck continued when they mustered only one against The Flames (41-20-7) can survive a skid. They can survive a scoring the Vegas Golden Knights in Sin City. slump.

And in their clash with the Arizona Coyotes, the second stop on a two- Better now than later. games-in-two-nights getaway? “We’re playing well in our own zone. We’re playing well defensively,” said Zero. Flames bench boss Bill Peters. “We’re having a hard time getting it to go. Some of the execution could be a little bit better. But I think once we get Zilch. one or two, I think it will start to come again.” Nada. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.09.2019 “I’m not a big fan or a big believer in, ‘We’re creating chances so it’s all good’ sort of thing,” Flames alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk told reporters prior to Thursday’s 2-0 blanking by Darcy Kuemper and the Desert Dogs. “If you’re creating and not scoring, that’s a problem too. If you’re getting the opportunities, you’ve gotta put ‘em in.”

Lately, they’re not.

The Flames’ leading marksman during this four-game downer has been defenceman Travis Hamonic, who has tallied twice to boost his season total to seven.

Their dozen forwards have combined for just three on their past 90 shots. Yikes.

It won’t get any easier in Sunday’s rematch with the Golden Knights at the Saddledome (7:30 p.m., Sportsnet One/Sportsnet 960 The Fan).

Their stalwart puck-stopper, Marc-Andre Fleury, is the NHL’s reigning first-star-of-the-week. He has been tricked only twice over his past four starts.

(By the time Fleury and the Golden Knights arrive, the Flames might have lost their perch atop both the Pacific Division and Western Conference standings. The San Jose Sharks are now just one point in the rearview mirror and are in action Saturday against the St. Louis Blues.)

“There is no feeling sorry for ourselves,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano of the current offensive dry spell. “We are generating a lot. We’re getting a lot of looks. I think it’s human nature to start overthinking it and over-passing it when it’s not going in, but we just have to put pucks there and bang one home.

“It’s obvious that we’re not getting the bounces to go in for us, but we have to create our own luck here. We have to get a bit dirty around their net, get in front of the goalies and get some ugly ones.”

You cover a lot of storylines over an 82-game slate, but a sudden inability to tickle twine has certainly not been a common theme around the Saddledome.

The Flames have ranked as one of the NHL’s highest-scoring troupes for most of the season, thanks in large part to the offensive exploits of their 1134967 Calgary Flames That’s one of the first adjustments when the number of people in the household grows from two to three.

“Before Charlie, I used to take a long afternoon nap and was really From playing defence to playing peek-a-boo: Travis Hamonic and TJ regimented on what time I’d eat at home and what time I’d take my nap. Brodie on life as a first-time father Now, that’s kinda out the window,” Hamonic admitted. “I used to sleep for two hours on game days. Now at home, I’ll sleep for 45 minutes, or an hour maybe.” By Darren Haynes Mar 8, 2019 But babies need naps, right? Shouldn’t that work out perfect?

“She’s on a little bit of a different schedule,” Brodie said. “She actually For Travis Hamonic, there were plenty of things to weigh on his mind on doesn’t nap that often and when she does, it’s not for very long. She’s Thursday night, after the Calgary Flames were shut out 2-0 by the not a big sleeper, during the day, but my wife’s been great. She knows Arizona Coyotes. that game-day routines are pretty big for us.

There was the opening goal halfway through the first period. Pinching “I remember, even last year, getting home from the rink, sometimes down the wall in the offensive zone as Coyotes defenceman Jakob you’re tired after a practice and day before a game so you’ll have a nap. Chychrun rimmed the puck around the boards, Hamonic has the puck Now it depends on what she’s doing. If she lays down, you may get a glance off his skate and kick right onto the tape of Christian Dvorak, who little bit of a break. If not, you’re up and playing with her.” roars up ice with Clayton Keller on a two-on-one. Stuck helplessly watching from too far back, he sees Dvorak send a perfect saucer pass (Courtesy Amber Brodie) across to Keller, who one-times it past Mike Smith. In logging a high volume of ice time — Brodie (21:40) and Hamonic In the third period during a mad scramble around the Flames net, (20:56) are second and third on the team, behind Mark Giordano, in Hamonic loses track of where the puck is and with his back to the play as average ice time per game — do they find themselves a little extra tired he desperately tries to tie up Dvorak in front, Chychrun blasts a slap shot in games now? As any new parent will attest, major sleep deprivation can right past him and Smith, capping off a minus-2 evening. become a way of life. In that respect, it seems both have been pretty fortunate. There was the frustration of the final result. That’s four straight regulation setbacks to begin March, Calgary’s longest skid of the season. All of a Hamonic says Charlie sleeps 12 hours at night. sudden, the Flames’ grip on first place in the Pacific Division is a tenuous “We get a full night’s rest,” he said. “I find that my wife and I go to bed one with the hard-charging San Jose Sharks within one point and holding much, much earlier in the evening now than we used to, but that’s being a game in hand. a parent.”

But Hamonic admits things are different now. Brodie points out that his wife is breastfeeding, which limits his Everything that went on in Thursday’s game, all the frustration that earlier usefulness. in his career probably would have consumed him and left him lying “We just do one bottle at night before she goes to bed so if she wakes up awake at night. Now there are other things on his mind. For him, more in the night, there’s not much I can do,” said Brodie, with a smile and a important things. Hamonic is in his first NHL season as a dad and with shrug of the shoulders. “So I’m lucky that way.” the arrival last summer of his daughter, Charlie, has come a new perspective. That said, night shifts will occasionally happen. Teething, for example, can put a wrinkle in routine. “It’s really changed my approach in that I park everything at the rink when I leave now,” the 28-year-old defenceman said. “Because I’m so excited “Obviously depending on the night, she’s starting to get some teeth so — and a lot of times I can’t get home fast enough — to be able to see some nights are better than others,” Brodie said. “But for the most part, her.” she sleeps through the night.”

It’s not that he cares any less about hockey, but his priorities have (Courtesy Amber Brodie.) changed. Being a little more tired than you’re used to simply becomes the norm. “I realize that to have the talent and opportunity to do what I do for a Former teammate Matt Stajan warned it was coming last season. living is a blessing. I know that. But like anybody else, it is a job. It’s a pretty neat job and an exciting one, but it is a job,” Hamonic said. “I remember last year when Steph was pregnant during the season, Staj “There’s God and my family and everything else is a distant second. As would always be laughing. Wait until these young guys show up and say serious as I take my job, that’s how much it means to me to be a dad. So they’re tired the next day after a road trip,” Hamonic said. good game or bad game, before I leave the rink, I’m always checking the You’re not getting much sympathy in the Flames dressing room. monitor in my daughter’s room to see if she’s sleeping.” Giordano, Brodie’s usual D partner, has two kids including a toddler. When the team is on the road, as was the case this week, that means Others have more. FaceTime calls with his wife, Stephanie. “Whenever a guy, who has one kid, complains, there’s always guys with “I used to debrief about the game with my wife when I got home. Now I two or three, or Smitty with four that put you back in line,” Brodie said. come home and debrief on how her evening went and how bedtime went “You realize that it could be a lot busier.” because I feel like I’m missing those moments.” While neither would own up to arriving at work overly tired too often, it’s It’s been a similar evolution this season for TJ Brodie, also 28 and also a happened. It’s inevitable. first-time father. His wife Amber gave birth to their daughter Severn last In January, one couldn’t get any more tired than Hamonic would have summer. been going into the game on Jan. 18 versus Detroit.

Now those mistakes on the ice that are naturally going to occur when “I spent one of the worst weeks of my life in the hospital with my you’re logging 20+ minutes per night in the top-four, they’re not dragged daughter,” recalls Hamonic, who missed two Flames games as a result. home from the rink like they used to be. It’s a natural change in mindset “We were there for six nights. We didn’t leave her side for six nights. that comes with becoming a parent. Didn’t sleep at all because you’re so worried and concerned. Once she “Definitely easier to leave it at the rink now,” Brodie said. “Those nights came home from the hospital on Friday afternoon and I came and played happen, where you just don’t get the bounces or you have a couple that night. I think your adrenaline kicks in, more than anything, you rough plays. But when you go home, you’ve got to take care of the baby. realize you’ve got to get back to work.” It’s a nice getaway because your focus is on them and not on what Hamonic recognizes that it’s a welcome-to-the-club type of moment. happened.” “I think every parent is tired, no matter what the age of their kids,” he Hockey players tend to be creatures of habit. Babies, on the other hand, said. “Being a parent, you look back and think you used to be tired and not so much. then your 4-5 hours some nights, that’s a good night. You always find a second gear and you just push through. No one’s got pity on you if you’re I don’t really have any time to ourselves throughout the day anymore and tired as a parent because everyone’s tired.” that’s the way we like it.”

Considering how much travel is involved when you’re a professional While Hamonic takes a lot of pride in his job as a hockey player and after hockey player, it makes time spent at home that much more of a Giordano, he’s been the best of the rest this season as a stabilizing cherished thing. With eight home games coming up over the next three presence on the second pairing with Noah Hanifin, it’s his job as a dad weeks, it’s going to be an enjoyable part of the season for both Hamonic that he takes the most pride in. and Brodie. “It’s the best thing I’ll ever do with my life. My career and everything else “Usually in the morning of a normal day, I try to get up with my daughter will be a distant second,” Hamonic said, who lost his father at a young before I leave the house and spend some time with her,” Hamonic said. age. “When my time comes and my kids I can say that I was a great Dad. “There’s nothing like it. Just to be able to spend time one-on-one and be It’s something that is probably the best thing that anyone can have said there when she wakes up and have breakfast with her.” about them.”

For Hamonic, it’s full-on dad mode and he loves it. It’s a great perspective and as the intensity and scrutiny increases over the next several months, this new perspective that Hamonic and Brodie “I come to work then I go home and I spend until 7 o’clock at night where have, of not dwelling on every misplay but instead having their daughter I won’t let her out of my sight because I just want to soak it all in and to focus on, to ground them, will be appreciated even more. enjoy the time because I don’t always get to see her every day because of what I do,” Hamonic continued. “It’s probably a boring lifestyle for The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 some people, but it’s the most fitting one for Steph and I because we want to be parents, we wanted a family. Everything else can wait for a long time. I’ll check my phone when I’m on the road and that’s when I’ll do all my reading. When I’m home, I’m just going to enjoy my time with her.

“Every day, every week, she’s changing. She’s starting to walk with her walker now and she’s lifting up and she’s starting to speak a little bit. When I hear her say “dada,” it melts my heart, there’s nothing better.”

Game-day meals for home games are the best.

“My wife does the cooking and cooks my pregame meal, and my daughter and I always have a pregame meal together,” Hamonic explained. “She has her lunch on a high chair beside me and I’ll sit there and eat my pasta right beside her. It’s a cool moment.”

For what it’s worth, Hamonic claims he’s less fussy.

“She’s into all sorts of things. A little broccoli, some sweet peas, but she’s obsessed with those num-num crackers though. She tries to wait us out. She doesn’t want the sweet potatoes. She pushes those aside and tries to pick through and get the crackers now.”

While road trips are tough, video-streaming technology has made the world smaller. You never seem as far away as you are geographically.

“It’s good because for me when I’m on the road, it gives me an opportunity to be able to see bedtime, to be able to see her wake up when I’m gone. You spend a lot of time on FaceTime, because I do feel like I’m missing stuff,” Hamonic said. “I’ll look back after my career is long gone and I’ll be a father and a grandfather and those memories that you have are the ones we will cherish. To be able to use technology now in that aspect, to see the stuff that I’m missing, it’s pretty neat.”

Every now and then, kids can provide inspiration, too.

Like on Saturday, Oct. 27, when Calgary played host to the Washington Capitals. It was the first afternoon game of the season, so also Charlie’s first ever game.

“It’s funny. I’m leaving the house that day and I don’t know why — I don’t score goals ever — but I looked at her, and I knew she was coming, and I grabbed her and said dad’s going to score you a goal today. My wife kinda looks at me, yeah, sure. But right away, third or fourth shift of the game, I scored and it went off my foot and I celebrated like an idiot, but I was so happy because I actually promised her.”

While it’s been a terrific season on the ice for the Flames, led by these two important players who shoulder big chunks of important playing time every game, it’s been an even more rewarding year off the ice.

“It’s been great,” Brodie said. “It’s definitely been what everyone talks about. Everyone says how amazing it is when you have a kid and it’s definitely been that.”

That extra time that they each used to have before becoming parents, neither knows where that time went.

“I do wonder sometimes,” Brodie confessed.

But neither would change it for the world.

“When I look back on all of my spare time, you wonder what you did with all that time and truthfully, it seems wasted,” Hamonic said. “My wife and 1134968 Carolina Hurricanes

A blast from the past as former Thrashers catch Hurricanes off guard again, 13 years later

BY LUKE DECOCK MARCH 08, 2019 11:04 PM

There have certainly been worse games of hockey played at PNC Arena than what the Carolina Hurricanes perpetrated on Friday, but rarely when they had been playing as well as they have lately or been clinging precariously to a potential playoff spot. The latter condition hasn’t often been satisfied in recent years, which of course tends to limit the pool of candidates to start. It’s been so rare that the Hurricanes are this good, there haven’t been many opportunities for their good teams to be this bad. On their way to an 8-1 win, the Winnipeg Jets scored four goals in the first period and probably should have been up by more. The Jets were quicker, stronger and flat-out better in every respect. They even scored twice in the last minute. In spirit if not volume, it was reminiscent of the 9-0 loss to the Jets nee Atlanta Thrashers that put a savage end to the Hurricanes’ nine-game winning streak in November 2005, when the Hurricanes looked unbeatable until they looked incompetent. Rod Brind’Amour remembers. He remembered during the first period Friday. “When it got to 4-0, I was thinking, ‘I’ve seen this before,’ ” the player then and coach now said. “Maybe I shouldn’t have, because sometimes you think things and they do happen. It felt the exact same way.” The Hurricanes can only hope things turn out slightly as well in the end. However bad it was, the Hurricanes deserved worse. The Jets were quicker, sharper, tighter. The Hurricanes spent a good chunk of Thursday’s practice working on neutral-zone play and a good chunk of Friday’s first period playing like they had practiced just about anything else. “It’s just not us,” Justin Williams said. Sebastian Aho and Nino Niederreiter were on the ice for the first five Jets goals. Aho finished minus-5, whatever the hockey equivalent of the golden sombrero is. Le chapeau d’or. Niederreiter one-downed him, setting a new franchise record at minus-6. Le chapeau d’platine. Oh, and if the result wasn’t bad enough, Micheal Ferland took an incidental helmet to the chin in the third period and could potentially be dealing with another concussion. More good news. By the time Brind’Amour came to the podium after the game, Ferland was still in the training room and had been there almost an hour. This was the collision of a strong, heavy playoff team with one that still isn’t quite sure whether it is or not. In some ways, it was a chilling vision of Game 1 against a superior opponent, the worst-case scenario if the Hurricanes do make the playoffs and get matched up with a team that’s better down the middle and tougher everywhere else. It should be a wake-up call in that respect, if nothing else. The days when the Hurricanes saw every backup goalie ever to come out of junior hockey – and, too often, made them look infallible – are over. They’re not sneaking up on anyone. Winnipeg was ready. The Hurricanes were not. It’s going to be that way from here on out. It’s for real now. And as much as you’d like to say, hey, it happen, there’s not a lot of wiggle room here. The Hurricanes were off to Nashville immediately afterward for Saturday’s game against the team the Jets just passed in the Central Division standings, sitting at home getting worked up about that – another strong, heavy team that’s better down the middle than the Hurricanes. “No way we’re going to get through that if we show up like that against a team like Winnipeg,” Justin Faulk said, having just been proven correct in the most embarrassing way possible. News Observer LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134969 Carolina Hurricanes

Proposed PNC Arena renovations could cost $200 million

BY CHIP ALEXANDER MARCH 08, 2019 04:57 PM

The Centennial Authority was presented Friday with architectural renderings of an enhanced and renovated PNC Arena. An 80-minute presentation headed by Bill Browne, president of Ratio Architects of Indianapolis, provided the “new vision” of the arena. The discussion included proposals for a rooftop bar and restaurant on the south end facing Carter-Finley Stadium, the possibility of removing stairwells or suites for more “income-producing spaces” and removing some aisles on the lower level to add more seats. Late in the presentation came the bottom line: the cost. The projected construction cost value from the Ratio and HOK architects was an estimated $167.4 million to $201.8 million, with additional costs for planning and fixtures. And the scope of the enhancements would be contingent on the authority, the arena landlord, agreeing on a new lease with the Carolina Hurricanes and its parent company, Gale Force Sports & Entertainment. “We’ll move forward. The building is always going to be here,” authority chairman Tom McCormick said Friday. “But ultimately what we’re going to be looking for in the near future is an allocation of money which we might be able to get. How much of that we ultimately get will probably depend somewhat on what the guaranteed future of the Hurricanes here is.” The Canes’ arena lease expires in 2024. McCormick said the authority has “just begun talking” to the Hurricanes on a new lease and have hired a consultant. Recent arena enhancements, requested by Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, included the installation of a 3D projection system and theatrical lighting. Plans call for a new scoreboard to be installed before next season. N.C. State uses the arena for its men’s basketball games and commencement exercises, and the arena has hosted NCAA basketball regionals, concerts and family events. Money for the arena enhancements would come from Wake County and the City of Raleigh, provided through the Interlocal Agreement, which is funded by the hospitality industry’s hotel/motel and prepared-food tax. In its response to a request for information for hospitality projects by Wake County, the authority noted PNC Arena will have had a $4 billion economic impact for Wake County since its opening in October 1999. Other projects are being considered. If approved, the arena construction would begin in 2020, starting with new office space for the Hurricanes and Gale Force staff and additional meeting spaces. The south end entrance facing Carter-Finley Stadium could potentially be opened up to provide a view into the bowl area, or as Browne said, for fans to immediately feel the arena “experience.” The PNC Arena enhancement and renovations have been in the planning stage since 2015 and the projected cost then was pegged at about $115 million to $120 million “There are a few things in this plan that weren’t in that plan then,” McCormick said. Removing stairwells, removing aisles, adding wider seats, perhaps building lounges on the mezzanine levels below the main concourse level -- there are a number of wide-ranging proposals in the project, not that all will eventually be approved or built. McCormick, speaking for the authority, said he thought the members “probably would like to do all of them.“ “But it’s money and there are other people competing for it,” McCormick said. News Observer LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134970 Chicago Blackhawks It can and should be that easy. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 03.09.2019 The time is right for the Blackhawks to retire Steve Larmer's No. 28

Jimmy Greenfield

When Patrick Kane moved into fourth place on the Blackhawks’ all-time scoring list Thursday night he passed Steve Larmer, leading a fresh generation of young Hawks fans to have this thought. Who is Steve Larmer? It left an older generation of Hawks fans with another thought: Retire Grandpa's jersey already. Larmer, affectionately nicknamed Grandpa early in his career, deserves to have his No. 28 jersey hanging from the rafters of the United Center alongside those of Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, Glenn Hall, Tony Esposito, Denis Savard, Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson. Larmer was the second-greatest Hawks player during a highly successful era, a quiet fan favorite whom teammates beloved and respected. The Hawks never missed the playoffs during Larmer’s 11 full seasons in Chicago and likely would have won one or two Stanley Cups if it weren’t for the great Oilers teams of the ’80s. The Hawks issued No. 28 to Henri Jokiharju this season, a sign they’re not considering retiring Larmer’s number anytime soon. During an interview with Hawks President John McDonough in November, it didn’t sound as if anything were imminent. “We have not spent a lot of time because he wouldn’t be the only one,” McDonough said. “There are other numbers people have inquired as to retiring. I think everything’s on the table for that.” While it's true that great Hawks such as Doug Wilson, Jeremy Roenick and some others should receive consideration, using them as a reason to deny Larmer is a cop-out. It’s not like the Hawks are overflowing with retired numbers. Yes, a few will go up over the next decade as Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith retire, but among Original Six teams, the Hawks’ seven retired numbers are the fewest. The Maple Leafs have retired 19, followed by the Canadiens (18), Bruins (11), Rangers (nine) and Red Wings (eight). The statistics certainly favor Larmer, a two-time All-Star and the 1983 Calder Memorial Trophy winner as the NHL’s top rookie. Jonathan Toews likely will pass him on the Hawks’ scoring list in three seasons, but Larmer then should remain at No. 6 for a long time. His 406 goals are the third-most in Hawks history and his 517 assists are the sixth-most. Larmer's name appears in the top 10 of nearly every important offensive category, including those involving the postseason. Larmer’s 111 playoff points are the fifth-most in a Hawks uniform — one more than Toews in 21 fewer games. But perhaps the most important number for Larmer is 884 — his consecutive games played over 11 seasons, the third-longest Ironman streak in NHL history. It didn’t end because Larmer got hurt but because he wanted out of Chicago. The Hawks wouldn’t grant his trade request, so he held out at the start of 1993-94 season, ending the streak. The Hawks finally traded Larmer about a month later, and he went on to win a Stanley Cup with the Rangers that season. “It was time for a change,” Larmer told the Tribune during the 1994 Cup Final. “I spent a long time there, and I just felt it was time to take a different road.” If any grudge ever existed between Larmer and management, it’s not there now. The Hawks graciously invited Larmer to take “One More Shift” three years ago, and he accepted, skating again before adoring Hawks fans. Kane has a terrific love and knowledge of hockey history. After scoring the 924th point of his career, he said Larmer “probably should be in the Hall of Fame.” While I’d remove the “probably” from that statement, trying to get Larmer into the Hall is an exhaustive process that requires convincing hundreds of discerning voters that Larmer is deserving. The process is much less arduous for the Hawks to retire Larmer’s No. 28 jersey. All they have to do is say “OK.” 1134971 Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks power play, mired in a 2-for-20 slump, is struggling at the wrong time. But changes aren't likely — yet

Jimmy Greenfield

When the offense has struggled to score, Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton has juggled his lines to see what works best. Earlier in the season, the same philosophy applied to the power play while it was going through an atrocious 5-for-55 stretch in Colliton’s first 20 games. He tried several combinations before finally striking gold. Since mid-December, the power play has consisted of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Erik Gustafsson. Over a 20-game stretch with those five leading the way, the power play went 25-for-64, a 39.1 percent conversion rate. That success is not sustainable, of course, but the Hawks can’t win if the power play reverts to its early season woes. Including the final power play against the Avalanche on Feb. 22, they’re 2-for-20 over their last five-plus games. Colliton, however, isn’t considering changes yet. “They’ve earned the right to have a little bit of rope,” he said. “We had some looks. The last few games, we created some opportunities that haven’t gone in the net or maybe we’ve scored with lesser chances. When things are really going well, that’s going to happen. We don’t want to give up short-handed goals. That’s a thing we have to snuff out. “But it’s important we don’t start pressing and get frustrated. Things will deteriorate quickly if we put too much pressure on ourselves to come through every time.” Crawford working out the kinks: Goalie Corey Crawford has made three starts since returning from a concussion, and they have been uneven. Despite winning two of the three, Crawford has allowed 13 goals on 96 shots for an .865 save percentage. “The reality is he has had a lot of time off and hasn’t played much in the last two years,” Colliton said. “But the best thing for him to do is keep playing. He could get better as he goes.” Colliton wouldn’t reveal whether Crawford or Collin Delia, who is filling in for the injured Cam Ward (right knee), would start Saturday against the Stars. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134972 Chicago Blackhawks

Brendan Perlini finds new perspective during frustrating season

By Madeline Kenney

Center Jonathan Toews fired a pass that took a lucky bounce to left wing Brendan Perlini, who spun around and scored the tying goal in the third period of the Blackhawks’ victory Thursday against the Sabres at the United Center. The goal — Perlini’s third in the last three games — forced overtime, and the Hawks ultimately won 5-4 in a shootout. The last week has been a breath of fresh air for Perlini, who didn’t play for nearly two weeks before scoring twice last Saturday against the Kings. ‘‘He seems to have a little life, a little more energy,’’ Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. ‘‘He’s got to find a way to get himself going because he can be dynamic. . . . The last few games, he’s shown a little more jam, a little more willingness to get involved and win races and win puck battles. Then it’s no coincidence he’s going to produce.’’ When the Hawks acquired Perlini and center Dylan Strome for center Nick Schmaltz in a trade with the Coyotes in November, he said he was eager for a ‘‘new, fresh opportunity.’’ Perlini, who had 33 goals and 24 assists in two-plus seasons with the Coyotes, thought his shot and speed could give the Hawks a much-needed offensive boost. But that’s not what happened. Perlini has struggled to find chemistry with his linemates and has six goals and one assist in 32 games with the Hawks. Perlini also has seen a significant decline in his ice time since being traded. He went from averaging 14½ minutes with the Coyotes to just less than 10 with the Hawks. As frustrating as his season has been, Perlini realized he needed to take a step back and loosen up. He recently changed his perspective after watching ‘‘Free Solo,’’ an Oscar-winning documentary about rock climber Alex Honnold, who became the first person to scale Yosemite National Park’s 3,200-foot El Capitan without the aid of a rope, harness or other gear. ‘‘If that guy makes one mistake, he’s dead,’’ Perlini said. ‘‘Sometimes it feels like that for us out there, but you’ve gotta look at the big picture. One mistake is not costing me my life. . . . Mistakes are gonna happen; good things are gonna happen. ‘‘I just have a little bit of a different outlook, playing more relaxed and just kind of letting the chips fall into place. As long as I go out there and work hard for the team and try to give it my best effort, that’s all that matters.’’ Perlini seemingly has found his way out of Colliton’s doghouse. Now he wants it to stay that way. ‘‘I’m trying to play a team game,’’ Perlini said. ‘‘Sometimes the pucks go in, sometimes they don’t. But I’m trying to just work hard at both ends of the ice and do what I can for my teammates, and hopefully we can keep getting the points and moving on.’’ Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134973 Chicago Blackhawks

Patrick Kane now 4th in points in Blackhawks history, passing Steve Larmer

By Jason Lieseremail

Blackhawks star Patrick Kane is catching some of the franchise’s all-time legends as he puts together what might be the best season of his career. With two assists on Duncan Keith’s goal in the win over Buffalo on Thursday, Kane passed Steve Larmer for fourth in points in team history. “Larmer was a great player, probably should be in the Hall of Fame, obviously had a great career here with the Blackhawks and one of those guys who played the game the right way,” Kane said. “To get by him is pretty special. ”Just keep trucking along here, hopefully rack up some more points as my career goes on. More importantly tonight, you know got the two points to keep us in the race and gets confidence from that.” The assist got Kane to 924 points, and the next man for him to catch is Denis Savard at 1,096. Stan Mikita is No. 1 with 1,467, followed by Bobby Hull (1,153), Savard, Kane and Larmer. Kane has 40 goals and 56 assists, ranking second in the NHL with 96 points. He is 10 away from his career-high of 106 in 2015-16. “He just keeps getting better,” Hawks goaltender Corey Crawford said. “That’s really all you can say. He just keeps improving, sees the ice so well. He’s one of the best players in the league, so we need him to be at a high level and he keeps reaching even further. It’s fun to watch him play.” Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134974 Chicago Blackhawks

Corey Crawford takes another step forward in first home start since December

By Ben Popeemail

Zach Bogosian outsmarted Corey Crawford in the second period Thursday, drawing the Hawks’ veteran goalie out of the crease and then tucking the puck around him and in at the near post, all while shorthanded. But when Bogosian had another opportunity in the waning seconds of overtime, Crawford stood tall. After blocking a Jack Eichel spin-o-rama, “Crow” held the goal line with his right pad in an impressive display of strength, keeping Bogosian’s repeated jam-in attempts at bay. His five saves in OT helped the Hawks get to a shootout and eventually earn two points in Crawford’s first home start since Dec. 16. “I feel good — just trying to work hard,” he said. “I thought our D played really well, blocking shots and helping me out. I feel good out there, so just got to keep going.” Crawford’s stat line in three games since returning from his two-month concussion-related absence isn’t the prettiest: 83 saves on 96 shots for an .865 save percentage, despite going 2-1 in those games. Bogosian’s goal was his worst moment Thursday; letting a relatively unscreened Brandon Montour wrister from the high slot beat him glove high, without even much of a reaction, wasn’t great either. He also strangely forgot to tap his stick during the conclusion of one power play, though it didn’t lead to anything. Yet Crawford also showed some improvement, even if it wasn’t of the showstopping variety. He recorded a stellar 14-save first period, including back-to-back stops on Sam Reinhart at one point that required a quick blocker to save the initial attempt and then a rapid repositioning to fend off the rebound. He then stoned Reinhart again in the shootout, smoothly sliding left to right after reading the Sabres youngster the whole way in, to set up Alex DeBrincat’s winner moments later. “He made some saves. We put him in a couple tough situations,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “You don’t want to give up four goals, but there were some pretty good looks in there too.” With Cam Ward hurt and Collin Delia having allowed at least three goals in each of his past seven starts, the Hawks will likely look to ride Crawford as much as possible as they push to re-enter the West playoff race. He’s certainly gotten his sea legs back at this point, playing 185 minutes in just over a week’s span since returning in Anaheim. The key now, as the Hawks turn towards a pair of crucial games in that playoff race (Saturday in Dallas and then Monday vs. Arizona), will be to rediscover the A-game form that carried him to a .946 save percentage in his first four games of the season, way back in October. “We made a couple good plays, we didn’t get down after those three goals, had a lot of chances after that,” he said. “It was a good win for us. We don’t have many games left so we need the points right now, but I thought overall we played a good game.” Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134975 Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks to open 2019-20 campaign in Prague?

John Dietz Updated 3/8/2019 7:17 PM

It looks like the Chicago Blackhawks are going to have an interesting season opener to kick off the 2019-20 campaign. Hockey Central on Sportsnet reported Thursday the Hawks will open next season against the Philadelphia Flyers in Prague. "I saw (the report). First I've heard of it," said Jeremy Colliton, who coached Mora IK in the Swedish Hockey League from 2013-17. "Europe's a great spot. Been there a little bit." The NHL opened this season in Sweden with Edmonton facing New Jersey. Florida and Winnipeg played Nov. 1 and 2 in Helsinki, Finland. It is not clear when the announcement will become official. Daily Herald Times LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134976 Chicago Blackhawks

Mystery theater: Why Colliton rarely announces his starting goalie day before a game

John Dietz

During Joel Quenneville's 10-year run as Blackhawks coach, reporters often asked who the starting goalie would be the day before a game. In that gruff, gravely voice, Quenneville would mutter: "Crow" or "Darls" or whoever was going to man the net. That's not the case under the new regime. While we still ask, head coach Jeremy Colliton rarely tells us. It was the same story after practice Friday at MB Ice Arena when Colliton wouldn't divulge whether Corey Crawford or Collin Delia would start at Dallas on Saturday. "We'll see," Colliton said. So, finally, I had to see what the reason behind all this cloak-and-dagger stuff, and asked: "Do you hold that back for a strategic reason or do you really not know who's going to start?" Colliton responded with: "Well, sometimes we haven't talked to them yet. Or sometimes we haven't decided yet. Or sometimes it's just nice if circumstances happen at the last minute, we don't have to make a big thing out of changing our minds. When gametime starts, there'll be a goalie in there." So, does it have anything to do with keeping the opponent guessing? "Not necessarily," Colliton said, but he then added: "There's that factor sometimes. The less time you have to prepare for whoever you're playing makes it more difficult. But that's not necessarily the reason." There you have it. Mystery (sort of) solved. Power outage: The Hawks have not scored a power-play goal in three straight games, going 0-for-10 over that span. They had gone 32-for-91 (35.1 percent) in the previous 29 games. Coach Jeremy Colliton has no plans to break up the top unit of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Erik Gustafsson. They got nearly eight of the 10 minutes of power-play time in a 5-4 shootout win over Buffalo on Thursday. "They've earned the right to have a little bit of rope," Colliton said. "We had some looks. The last few games, we created some opportunities that haven't gone in the net." Not only is the PP struggling a bit, but the Hawks have also allowed 3 short-handed goals in the last five games. It's fair to wonder if leaving the first unit out for so long might be a factor in opponents getting so many good looks. "We don't want to give up short-handed goals," Colliton said. "That's a thing we have to snuff out. "It's important we don't start pressing and get frustrated. Things will deteriorate quickly if we put too much pressure on ourselves to come through every time. "But they have a high standard for themselves and I'm pretty sure they're going to score." Slap shots: Jeremy Colliton said there is no change to Drake Caggiula's condition and that he will not travel to Dallas. Caggiula has missed three games with a concussion. … Dominik Kahun has not scored in 11 straight games and has just 2 shots on goal in the last five. … Duncan Keith, who scored against Buffalo on Thursday, has 4 goals in the last 24 games. He had 2 in the previous 135. Daily Herald Times LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134977 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks have no plans to change up power play units despite quiet stretch

By Charlie Roumeliotis March 08, 2019 1:30 PM

When you lose four of five games and struggle to get consistent scoring, it forces you to think about changing things up. The Blackhawks did that on Thursday by shuffling the line combinations, and it worked as they defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 in a shootout. What about the power play though? In the past six games, the Blackhawks are 4-for-23 on the man advantage for a conversion rate of 17.4 percent. Not bad, but below their season average of 21.3. On Thursday, the Blackhawks went 0-for-5 and allowed their third shorthanded goal in six games. Fortunately for the them, it didn't prevent the team from picking up two points. And despite this weird stretch, Jeremy Colliton has no plans to change up the units because it's worked so well for them since December. "Not right now, anyway," Colliton said. "I think they’ve earned the right to have a little bit of rope. We had some looks. The last few games we created some opportunities that haven’t gone in the net or maybe we’ve scored with lesser chances. When things are really going well, that’s going to happen. We don’t want to give up shorthanded goals. That’s a thing we have to snuff out. "But it’s important we don’t start pressing and get frustrated. Things will deteriorate quickly if we put too much pressure on ourselves to come through every time. But they have a high standard for themselves and I’m pretty sure they’re going to score." The Blackhawks are still getting their looks. They've been on the power play for 43:42 total minutes over the past six games, and have generated 45 shots on goal and 39 scoring chances, according to naturalstattrick.com. The goals just haven't followed. Sometimes when things aren't clicking as well as they used to there could be a tendency to look for the perfect pass, but most of the time the answer is to simply get back to the basics. The Blackhawks have no concerns that this trend will become a larger issue. "We've just got to keep it a little more simple," Dylan Strome said. "We have so much talent on that unit that I think sometimes we try to make the extra play or whatever it is. But we're still confident. ... The shots are there, we've just got to execute. We've got to capitalize and bear down. We had a couple good chances in front that we didn't score on and obviously we could've put that game away a couple times. But I think we'll get back to the way we were and it should be good." Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134978 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog will miss 4 to 6 weeks

By THE DENVER POST | PUBLISHED: March 8, 2019 at 3:02 pm | UPDATED: March 8, 2019 at 3:03 PM

The Colorado Avalanche announced Friday that captain Gabe Landeskog will miss four-to-six weeks with an upper-body injury. Landeskog, a 26-year-old left wing who has set career-highs in points (69) and goals (33) this season, was injured during the third period at Dallas on Thursday night when he collided with Stars goalie Ben Bishop. He left the ice and did not return. The all-star forward plays on the Avs’ top line with center Nathan MacKinnon and right winger Mikko Rantanen, which is commonly considered the best line in professional hockey. Landeskog leads the NHL in third-period goals (19). Colorado (70 points), which hosts Buffalo at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Pepsi Center, entered Friday four points behind the Minnesota Wild for the final wild-card playoff spot. Denver Post: LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134979 Colorado Avalanche Denver Post: LOADED: 03.09.2019

Is the Avalanche’s Tyson Barrie expendable? Colorado has options with Cale Makar and Conor Timmins

By MIKE CHAMBERS PUBLISHED: March 8, 2019 at 8:39 am | UPDATED: March 8, 2019 at 8:40 am

Tyson Barrie has heard the rumblings and understands the situation. The power-play quarterback realizes that two younger Avalanche defensemen of his same special ilk could lead to the end of his tenure in Colorado before the final year of his $22 million contract kicks in next season. The combination of Cale Makar and Conor Timmins, the Avs’ first two selections of the 2017 draft, could make Barrie expendable. The Avs would covet two right-shot, offensive-minded defensemen, but not three — partially because they already have 170-pound defenseman Sam Girard, the savvy left-shooting playmaker from the 2016 draft. And Barrie’s $5.5 million salary next season? It could be used elsewhere, while Makar and Timmins, both 20, are on their modest entry-level contracts. Girard, also 20, is on the second year of his three-year ELC. “Obviously, I’m not blind to it,” Barrie said of the situation last week when he stood 10th in NHL scoring among defensemen with 46 points (seven goals) in 63 games. “But right now we’re in a playoff battle and that’s certainly not the focus at all for me. The focus for me is to play good hockey and help this team win some games and get into the postseason for the second time in a row. That’s so consuming in itself. It’s such a hard league to win that you don’t have time to focus on anything else.” For the record, Barrie, 27, wants to remain in Colorado. He wants to seek a contract extension with the Avs as soon as July 1, or well before he’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2020. “I love it here,” he said. “I’ve been here my whole career and I’d like to be a part of it going forward. But at the end of the day, that’s up to management and where they see this going. That’s probably a conversation for a later date. But this is the second home for me. It’s become home. I spend a lot of time here. I love the guys. I love the organization. At the end of the day, it’s a business. But I do love it here.” Makar was the fourth overall pick of the 2017 draft, and Timmins was the first pick of the second round (32nd). ESPN ranks Makar, the University of Massachusetts star sophomore, as college hockey’s No. 1 NHL prospect. Timmins signed with the Avs last March from major-junior’s Soo Greyhounds before he sustained a concussion that has prevented him from playing this season. He’s practicing with the Avs’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, but has not been cleared for full contact. Makar is expected to sign with the Avs the day after UMass’ season ends, and bypass the AHL entirely unless the Avs don’t make the playoffs and the Eagles do. Because of his entry-level contract, Makar’s cap hit will be less than $1 million. Barrie understands the math. “If you can get a guy to come in and contribute and be a big part of the team on an entry-level deal, it’s a huge benefit,” Barrie said. “You’ve seen teams that have won Cups who had guys contributing on their entry-levels. It’s a tough league to come into when you’re young and be an impact player, but obviously, there are some special players out there that they can do that.” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar thinks considering Barrie’s impending exit is premature. “Fans get really excited about guys — your fan base knows you’ve drafted guys and they get excited to see them play,” the coach said. “But you’re not an NHL player until you prove it — Tyson Barrie is not expendable until someone can prove they can take his job. We need impact players, guys who impact the game. You’re not that until you prove that you are. “So we don’t know. Everybody develops at a different rate, and defensemen and goalies usually take longer. We don’t know if (Makar or Timmins) will develop into the players we think they’ll become, but I will say this: Not everyone can come out of junior or college and just be Sam Girard. He’s an impact player for us.” With or without Barrie, the Avs should be set with impact defensemen, because they won’t trade him if they don’t believe they can replace him. 1134980 Colorado Avalanche Ducks last weekend. Compher has played sparingly with MacKinnon in 5-on-5 play, but they have logged several shifts together on a first-team power-play unit that is also going to see changes. What lies ahead for the Avalanche without Gabriel Landeskog? Landeskog played in a more central role within the team’s 1-3-1 setup that featured MacKinnon and Rantanen on the half wall. During practice Friday, those half-wall roles were occupied by Brassard and MacKinnon By Ryan S. Clark Mar 8, 2019 with Rantanen, who is 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, using his size to occupy the net front and get a few goals past Semyon Varlamov.

Bednar swapped Brassard for Compher on the first-team power-play unit April 6 against the Sharks at the SAP Center. That is the Avalanche’s a few games ago, but both were alongside MacKinnon, Rantanen and final regular-season game, and it’s also the earliest date Gabriel defenseman Tyson Barrie in practice. That means Jost, Kerfoot, Landeskog could return to the lineup. Soderberg, Samuel Girard and Erik Johnson will fill the second team. The question is, will it matter at that point? One of the aspects of Landeskog’s game that allowed him to score a career-high 33 goals was his presence in front of the net. His ability to The Avalanche confirmed Friday what was suspected when Landeskog score in the low slot or in front of the crease was paramount to the exited in a 4-0 loss Thursday against the Stars at American Airlines Avalanche’s success. Landeskog also showed he could score from other Center. Their captain, who is having the best season of his career, areas of the ice. sustained an upper-body injury that will keep him out for the next four to six weeks. Micah Blake McCurdy, a mathematician who maps and tracks numerous metrics, illustrated how Landeskog has also launched a high number of To view it another, perhaps more realistic way: The Avalanche will be attempts – per a goaltender’s view of the ice – from the right faceoff without Landeskog for their final 14 games as they try to reach the circle, high right slot and throughout the point, with a significant number playoffs in what’s becoming an increasingly more difficult Western coming from the right and center of the ice. Conference wild-card race. If Bednar sticks with Brassard and Compher, it will fall on one of them to The ideal situation? The Avalanche would welcome a scenario in which get into similar scoring positions. Landeskog returns to a team that overcame a four-point deficit and clinched a wild-card spot for a second consecutive playoff appearance. McCurdy’s findings show that Compher has a profile similar to Realistically? Nobody knows what the Avs’ playoff chances will or won’t Landeskog’s when it comes to where shots are taken. It’s just that be going into the final week of the regular season. Compher’s volume is not as high as Landeskog’s. Part of that stems from how each is used. Landeskog is asked to take a significant number of This is a team that went from being on a six-game point streak late last shots while Compher is not given the same task. month to suddenly losing three of four while its chief wild-card rivals – Arizona, Dallas and Minnesota – continued to stay ahead in the Compher, who sustained a concussion earlier this season, has played in standings. 52 games. He has a career-high 15 goals on 95 shots. If that rate holds through the final 14 regular-season games, he’ll finish with 19 goals on “It’s a huge loss for our team,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said after 121 shots. Over the course of a full 82-game season, he’d have 150 practice Friday. “That’s the second forward now that we’ve lost for the shots on goal and 24 goals. But with Landeskog out, Compher will be remainder of the regular season, and both guys are impact guys for us – under pressure to boost that production. (Matt) Nieto and now Landy. It’s going to be a great opportunity for some guys. We need some guys to step up here. Brassard, who is on his third team this season, is a little harder to assess. “Guys like (Alexander) Kerfoot and (Tyson) Jost will get more opportunities. Everyone will get a little bit more opportunity here.” For example, here’s what McCurdy found from Brassard’s 40-game stint with the Penguins, when he had nine goals from 62 shots on goal. Trying to replace Landeskog is a task that can be viewed through several Brassard was not highly active at the front of the net, with most of his prisms, beginning with the line combinations the Avalanche could use attempts coming from either faceoff circle or the right point, along with a Saturday afternoon against the Sabres at Pepsi Center. few scattered attempts in different areas. Bednar recently reunited Landeskog with superstar center Nathan OK. So what about his 10-game tenure with the Panthers, when MacKinnon and star winger Mikko Rantanen after separating the All-Star Brassard had a goal and 16 shots? Brassard, compared with his time trio for seven games. What made them successful during the team’s 17- with the Penguins, was rather active in a smaller sample of games 7-5 start was the ability to play the sort of one-two game that allowed the played. third forward to get free into open space and launch shots from prime locations. He was able to fire off more attempts in the low slow, with quite a few coming in front of the net or just to the left of the crease. Opponents started to figure out how to counter that approach, and it led to a slow down in even-strength production. Brassard did have a higher concentration of shots from the outer half of the right faceoff circle and the area just above. He also got off chances MacKinnon, as he’s done all season, remained on the first line but was from the left faceoff circle and in portions of the left point. partnered in practice alongside J.T. Compher and newly acquired Derick Brassard, who has played six games in an Avalanche sweater. Should Brassard’s run with the Avalanche amounts to two goals from 10 shots those combinations from practice hold against the Sabres, it will be the through six games, a small sampling that does provide a brief roadmap first time this year Brassard, Compher and MacKinnon will start a game of what he’s been able to do. together. Brassard is rather active in front of the net on either side of the crease. The only sequence when they’ve played together came Tuesday in a 4-3 He’s also primarily camped out on the right side of the ice and has taken overtime win against the Red Wings, and that combo was used 1.8 shots from nearly every portion of the ice. He also has some attempts percent of the time, according to data tracked by LeftWingLock.com. from the left point with the Avalanche. A natural center, Brassard started playing on the wing this season while It amounts to Brassard having 12 goals on 88 shots this season. Again, Compher has alternated between being down the middle and operating with Landeskog out, his pattern could be subject to change for these final on the flank. Compher’s ability to work the corners for possession – an 14 games. aspect of Landeskog’s profile as a player – will be utilized while he plays on the top line. Brassard can prove useful there and also in the faceoff Naturally, another question regarding Landeskog’s long-term absence circle. revolves around how this will affect the team’s on-ice leadership and how its core will manage without him. Landeskog, 26, has the seventh-longest It is likely Brassard will receive draws, a duty with which Bednar captaincy in the NHL behind Zdeno Chara, Sidney Crosby, Jonathan entrusted Landeskog. Although Carl Soderberg and MacKinnon lead the Toews, Mikko Koivu, Alexander Ovechkin and Ryan Getzlaf. Avalanche in total faceoffs, Landeskog was third on the team with 651 on the season while averaging 9.57 per game. He won faceoffs at a rate of Bednar said Johnson and MacKinnon will continue to serve as alternate 51.8 percent. Brassard, who has won 48.2 percent of his career draws, captains. Johnson, who turns 31 on March 21, is in his second stint has succeeded 51.4 percent of the time in his games with the Avs. wearing the “A,” and MacKinnon has worn it for three seasons. The dynamic was created for Johnson and Landeskog to be the primary Brassard and MacKinnon have had limited even-strength minutes voices within the dressing room who also kept the big picture in view. together but shared a few shifts in recent games. Brassard and MacKinnon’s job is to do that but also use his presence to provide energy Compher, however, started together as linemates against the Sharks and throughout the rest of the team. The plan now is to enlist a third alternate captain. us in Nieto. So every time you miss a guy, you’re looking for other guys that can possibly step in and do that job, or you have to rearrange things. “We’ll pick a guy who we feel like can help lead us here,” Bednar explained. “I don’t think it changes anything for the guys that we have. “We’re trying to rearrange some things and see if we can find some You don’t have to be wearing a letter on your jersey in order to lead in magic with guys split up on different lines and see guys can elevate their the locker room. Right now, we need guys leading by example more so game.” than what they say.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 It is possible Bednar goes with Barrie, considering he named Barrie an alternate captain earlier this season when Johnson was out with post- concussion symptoms. Or Bednar could choose to go in another direction. He could lean toward veterans in Matt Calvert, Soderberg or Ian Cole. Although Calvert and Cole are in their first season with the team, they have quickly assimilated into the Avalanche’s leadership group. The team could also lean on Brassard, who was a mentor to younger players, such as Thomas Chabot, during his time with the Senators. Bednar said during preseason camp that he typically meets weekly with the Avalanche’s leadership group to discuss such items as what topics could arise in the dressing room to how to help a player who is struggling with his game. “Whether we’re having breakfast and we’ll be like, ‘Hey, should we have a meeting today and talk about this? Should we address this within the team?’” Johnson told The Athletic earlier this season. “So it’s pretty casual. I think leadership comes naturally to guys and if you kinda force it, it can kinda seemed forced. Everyone has their own style with how they do things. “Me and Gabe and Nate and Tice and other guys get together and have casual conversations about things we need to address, and sometimes that will take place with the coaching staff. It’s a good dynamic we have.” Landeskog or not, the Avalanche are trying to qualify for the postseason amid slow starts and with a tumultuous schedule in their view. The sluggish starts are a season-long concern that has come under more criticism from both Bednar and the outside world. The Avalanche went 6- 1-1 before a two-game California trip against the Sharks and Ducks. Over those eight games, they had only one – a 3-0 loss to the Blues – when they did not score first. They fell behind early in the games against the Sharks and Ducks, going 0-2 on the trip, and those problems have continued to mount. The Red Wings scored first before the Avs rallied for an overtime win. The Stars scored four unanswered and sent the Avs to their third loss in four games. The Avalanche are 8-22-7 when opponents score first this season. Four teams – the Blues, the Devils, the Kings and the Senators – entered the week with fewer wins in that section of situational play. If that’s not damning enough, there are a few more ways to assess the Avalanche’s slow starts. The first: Slow starts have been a problem for some time. The Avs were 7-23-5 last season when opponents scored first. They were 10-44-4 the year before. The bottom line is the Avalanche have left themselves quite the chore. They have 14 games left along with a 24 percent chance of reaching the postseason, according to The Athletic’s latest playoff projection model. Colorado came into the weekend with 70 points in 68 games. Dallas has 75 points in 67 games to control the first wild-card spot. Minnesota has 74 points in 69 games to possess the second wild-card position. Arizona, also ahead of Colorado in the standings, has 71 points in 67 contests. Any attempt at cutting into those margins and overtaking those teams means the Avalanche must win games and hope those teams falter. In their finishing stretch, the Avalanche do have games at the Wild (March 19) and at the Stars (March 21), as well as a home game against the Coyotes (March 29). The Avs also have some matchups against teams out of the playoff race, including the Devils, Ducks, Oilers and Sabres. The Avalanche will need to pile up points in those matchups. Others — such as the Blues, Golden Knights, Jets and Sharks — are playoff-bound and will fight for seeding. For example, the Jets lead the Central Division by a point with three games in hand over the Predators. The Sharks are one point behind the Flames for the Pacific Division lead but have played two fewer contests. Those loom as considerable hurdles for the Avalanche. “You gotta try and find some combinations that give you some success and also a little bit of depth,” Bednar said. “You lose your top-line left winger and then we lose a middle-six winger that does a lot of things for 1134981 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche lose Gabriel Landeskog for 4-6 weeks with upper body injury

By Evan Rawal - March 8, 2019

One day after a loss to the Dallas Stars put a serious dent in their playoff chances, the Avalanche announced an even bigger loss. Captain Gabriel Landeskog, who left the game halfway through the third period, will miss 4-6 weeks due to an upper body injury. Landeskog, who has already set career highs in goals (33) and points (69), was chasing after a puck in the offensive zone when Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop backed into him. The 26-year old Swede had his right arm extended at the time, and after the collision was in clear discomfort and when straight to the bench. The 4-6 week timeframe of the injury could mean Landeskog’s season is over. In terms of immediate replacement, the Avs simply do not have one. This will be a tough injury to overcome, as Landeskog does a lot for this team, not just in terms of offense but also in the defensive zone. He has taken more face-offs this year than any season in his career, and is arguably the Avs best face-off man at 51.8 percent, despite not being a natural center. His hockey intelligence and defensive ability have allowed his line mates Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen to take off offensively since the trio were put together. In the meantime, deadline acquisition Derick Brassard will move onto the top line. Brassard has two points in the six games he’s played with the Avalanche. milehighsports.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134982 Colorado Avalanche

How the Avalanche can survive the loss of Gabe Landeskog

BY ADRIAN DATER MARCH 8, 2019

Maybe it’s just a weird quirk of mine, but I’m always pessimistic when times are good and optimistic when times are bad. So, I’m here to tell you that, while the loss of Gabe Landeskog for 4-6 weeks definitely was not good news today for the Colorado Avalanche, I am optimistic they can survive this and still sneak their way into the playoffs. Why? Because, history for one thing. Did the Avs fall apart when they lost Peter Forsberg for the rest of the playoffs after Round 2 in 2001? Did the Avs fall apart when they lost Erik Johnson to a season-ending leg injury toward the end of last season? Did the Avs fall apart when they lost both Forsberg and Joe Sakic to injury at the same time in the ’90s, only to win most every game for about 2-3 weeks? No, to all. The Avs – especially this group of core players – have sometimes played better when everybody is counting them out, when they’re the underdog. We saw it at the end last year, when Johnson’s injury meant total doom, according to the pundits. But they rallied around each other and got into the playoffs without him. Everybody said they would be horrible last season, coming off that 48- point disaster, and what happened? Injuries to top players can be good for teams in the short term. In the long term? No, not usually. But this team is perfectly capable of winning some games without Gabe Landeskog in the lineup. Here are more specifics on how that can happen, according to yours truly: Derick Brassard will take Landy’s spot on the top line. He’s capable of being a solid fill-in. Here’s a veteran can who can make plays, who has scored at a decent clip in his career. He’ll also take Landy’s spot on the first power-play unit, and I’ve liked his play on the PP so far. Has he been awesome? No, but he’s been looking for an opportunity to prove he’s a very good player again, and now he really has it. This might make Avs D-men more involved in the play offensively, which I think is a good thing. Specifically, I think Jared Bednar should turn Erik Johnson loose more offensively, maybe even spot shift him down low on the PP. It’s time to think out of the box a little bit here, get creative. Why not utilize EJ’s skill on the offensive end more? I think Bednar should just play seven D right now. Quit trying to get blood out of a stone from lower-line guys who just can’t produce much offense, and rotate seven D instead. Bednar has done it before, to some good results. I think Ryan Graves should stay in the lineup and be that seventh guy. Nikita Zadorov will be back tomorrow, but I don’t think Graves should pay the price and sit, while guys on the third and fourth line go another goose-egg game on the score sheet. Bednar will probably try to tighten up more defensively in the neutral zone, especially without the back-checking Landy. Yeah, that might cost some offensively, but it’s easier to win a low-scoring game than a higher one. It’s not like Bednar isn’t always trying to get his team better defensively, but it’s another thing to get players to buy in when they know there is still a lot of star power up top. Now that the captain is out, players know they’re going to have to play the system defensively. We’ll see what happens. Hey, if the Avs lose out from here, not the end of the world either. Their own first-round draft pick will be better. This has just been one of those seasons, hasn’t it? But hockey is a team sport. One guy doesn’t determine all. See you tomorrow. BSN DENVER LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134983 Columbus Blue Jackets Panarin has just one assist and a minus-7 plus/minus rating, while center Pierre-Luc Dubois has no points and is minus-3 and right wing Cam Atkinson has two goals with a minus-5. Still no timetable for Ryan Murray's return Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.09.2019

Brian Hedger

They are questions that get significantly more pressing with each game Ryan Murray misses because of an undisclosed injury. Will the Blue Jackets’ best puck-moving defenseman return this season? If so, when? All that has been released is that Murray has an “upper-body” injury and will be out on a “week-to-week” basis, a prognosis that was originally termed “out indefinitely” in a news release when Murray was placed on injured reserve. Asked whether he’s hopeful Murray will return this season, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said: “I am always hopeful.” Murray’s agent, Rick Valette, had a similar take after visiting his client this week. “Hopefully, he gets back in the lineup soon,” Valette said. Whether that’s possible is unknown. Murray is expected to miss his 10th straight game on Saturday when the Blue Jackets play the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nationwide Arena. It’s unknown whether the injury is related to a back issue that forced the 25-year-old to miss nearly three months last season. Regardless, Murray’s absence is a problem for the Blue Jackets, who have sorely missed his presence on the top pairing with Seth Jones. Murray’s vision, passing and composure — especially in the defensive zone — have been critical in all three zones. He also has helped the Jackets’ penalty kill to rise into the top five of the NHL rankings and has a career-high 29 points (one goal, 28 assists) in 56 games. “He’s an important piece,” said Jones, who is now working with Zach Werenski but also has worked with Markus Nutivaara and Scott Harrington since Murray’s injury. “It’s not just his point totals, but how solid he was for us in every part of the game. We feel for him and we see him in the rink every day, so he’s still around.” He’s just not practicing or playing, and there is no telling when that might change. “Hopefully, he gets back before the end of the season or as soon as possible,” said David Savard, who worked with Werenski before Murray’s absence. “It would be a huge plus for us if we can get him back, but we’ve just got to go game-by-game (until then).” Dubious streak The Blue Jackets have one more chance this season to end a losing streak to the Penguins that stretches to the 2016-17 regular season. After losing 3-0 Thursday at Pittsburgh, they have lost eight straight games to the Penguins, which is the longest streak in the series. Pittsburgh is also 9-0-1 in the past 10 regular-season meetings and has won both first-round playoff series between the two teams (2014 and ’17). Who will start? The Blue Jackets threw a curveball Thursday in Pittsburgh by starting backup Joonas Korpisalo instead of Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky’s struggles against the Penguins are well-chronicled, but coach John Tortorella said that wasn’t the reason he went with Korpisalo, who made 28 saves in a solid performance. Korpisalo is 0-2-0 against Pittsburgh this season, but Tortorella’s goaltending decision is a story line to watch heading into the the morning skate Saturday. The Jackets also have Keith Kinkaid, a trade-deadline acquisition who went 3-1-0 against the Penguins for the New Jersey Devils this season and has a 6-1-1 record against them the past two seasons. Toasted Bread The Penguins have thrown a wet blanket on Artemi Panarin and the Blue Jackets’ top line in the first three games. 1134984 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets try to work through sudden slump on offense

Brian Hedger Posted Mar 8, 2019 at 8:39 PM Updated Mar 8, 2019 at 8:39 PM

This is not how this was supposed to work. This is not how any of this was supposed to work after the Blue Jackets added three forwards and a goalie before the Feb. 25 trade deadline. Since fearlessly going all in, the lugnuts have loosened and the wheels on the Jackets’ season are starting to wobble. Since the deadline, they have lost two more games than they’ve won, have dropped from third in the Metropolitan Division to outside the playoffs, and their offense in just six games has gone from an overflowing fountain to a rusty, dried-up spigot. “We’re just not opportunistic right now — they are,” is how captain Nick Foligno put it Thursday after another humbling loss, 3-0 at the Pittsburgh Penguins (a.k.a. “they”). “That’s really the difference in this game. I thought we did a lot of good things and had a lot of good looks, and ... we’re just not scoring.” The Blue Jackets, who play the Penguins again Saturday night at Nationwide Arena in the finale of the season series, have been shut out twice in six games since the deadline. During that span they’re averaging about half of their previous goals per game, dropping from 3.2 (10th in the NHL) to 1.5 (29th). Want to talk goal differential? Well, that’s ugly, too. Since adding at the deadline, including star center Matt Duchene and forward Ryan Dzingel in separate trades with the Ottawa Senators, the Jackets are minus-12 in goals for and against, and their top scorers are either slumping or not producing at their usual levels. Artemi Panarin leads the team with a goal and five assists since the deadline, but he’s also toting around a minus-7 rating. Cam Atkinson leads in goals in that span with two, but neither Duchene nor Dzingel have a point in the past four games. “Still not totally in flow offensively,” coach John Tortorella said after losing to the Penguins. “I think we need something good to happen. They blocked 24 shots. We have a lot of shot attempts and a lot of good things, but we still ... we don’t score a goal.” That’s a big problem at any time, but especially with the playoffs still within reach and games disappearing off the schedule every other day. Whether the problem is simply nerves associated with increased expectations or something else, the Blue Jackets need to get things corrected quickly — and putting more pucks into the opposing net would be a good starting point. “Scoring and not scoring are both contagious,” Duchene said. “All of us are a little snakebit right now, and I have no explanation for it. We just have to work through it.” After adding Duchene and Dzingle, the Blue Jackets suddenly had six 20-goal scorers on their roster, the most of any team in the league. They leaped straight to the top of the league in depth scoring, statistically speaking. But players have to live up to their stats, which hasn’t happened yet. “We’ve got to find a way, because you’re not going to win a game unless you score a goal,” Foligno said, pointing out an obvious fact that has become entirely pertinent. “There’s chances to be had. We’ve just got to fight that extra inch to put them in right now.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134985 Columbus Blue Jackets During that game, a hard one-timer by Artemi Panarin injured forward Bryan Rust – who left that game, didn’t return and is still out with a lower- body injury. Thursday, leading goal-scorer Jake Guentzel was hobbled Penguins 3, Blue Jackets 0: Five takeways by a Panarin shot but stayed in and assisted on Crosby’s empty-netter to seal it.

“The flow of it, offensively, I mean, you give them credit,” Tortorella said. Brian Hedger “I mean, 24 blocked shots. We had I’m not sure how many attempts.” The Blue Jackets finished with 59 attempts, according to the stat sheet – 42 at even strength, according to naturalstattrick.com, an advanced-stat PITTSBURGH – It was better than Tuesday. site. That was the biggest thing the Blue Jackets took away from their latest 4) Korpisalo responded loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, a 3-0 shutout Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena. This wasn’t the first time Tortorella has thrown a curveball by starting Korpisalo over Sergei Bobrovsky in a big game. He also did it Jan. 12 in Two days after escaping from a near catastrophe with a 2-1 shootout win Washington, when Korpisalo picked up the win in the Jackets’ 2-1 in New Jersey, the Jackets played better, overall, in Pittsburgh – where overtime victory. they made the Penguins work for the victory. Korpisalo also started the season-opener in Detroit, getting another win The problem, however, is that it’s getting late. Columbus didn’t gain a in overtime, and started the first game this season against Pittsburgh – single point, staying at 77, while the Penguins moved to four points taking the loss in the Penguins’ 4-2 win Nov. 24 at PPG Paints Arena. ahead of them with 15 games left in the regular season. Korpisalo played well Jan. 10 against the Nashville Predators, too, It was encouraging to see the Jackets stay with the Penguins and even earning yet another overtime win while Bobrovsky was suspended. Prior take it to their oppressors at times, but it wasn’t enough. to this game, Korpisalo hadn’t started since allowing five goals in the Jackets’ 5-1 loss to the Lightning on Feb. 18 in Columbus. Pittsburgh scored the first goal, again, when Phil Kessel capped a power play just 2:22 into the game. The Penguins also got a goal late in the He finished with 29 saves, including 17-of-18 in the second periods. second for a 2-0 lead and captain Sidney Crosby put it on ice with his second empty-netter in the past two games against the Blue Jackets. “He played good,” Tortorella said. “He doesn’t care (about long layoffs). That’s the greatest thing about Korpi. That stuff doesn’t bother him.” ″(I’m) not going to pick it apart,” said coach John Tortorella, who went with backup Joonas Korpisalo in net over Sergei Bobrovsky. “I thought 5) No ‘Bread’ crumbs our effort was much better tonight. I thought we did some really good things. We just didn’t win the game. You’re not going to win the game if The Penguins have found a defensive solution to Artemi Panarin and the you don’t score a goal.” rest of the Jackets’ top line this year. They couldn’t, so they didn’t and here the Blue Jackets (37-27-3) stand – The Blue Jackets’ dynamic leading scorer, who has 73 points, was still outside the bubble in the Eastern Conference race for playoff spots. tagged with a minus-2 plus/minus rating. That brings his rating to a frigid minus-4 in three games against Pittsburgh this season. The Penguins (36-22-9) are up next on Saturday, too, paying another visit to Nationwide Arena to conclude the season series. Until then, here Panarin has one assist against the Penguins this year, but has are five takeaways from the Jackets’ latest hiccup in Pittsburgh. traditionally had good success against them. He has nine career goals, six assists and 15 points against Pittsburgh, 1) What it meant One of his linemates, right wing Cam Atkinson, didn’t fare much better. The Blue Jackets remain in fifth place of the Metropolitan Division and Atkinson also had a minus-2 next to his name. ninth in the Eastern Conference, one spot (and two points) out of a wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.09.2019 Pittsburgh moved into sole possession of third place in the Metro, the idle Carolina Hurricanes (79 points) moved down to the East’s first wild-card spot and the Montreal Canadiens are clinging to the second wild card after losing x-x Thursday in San Jose. The Blue Jackets will play 10 of their final 15 games against teams currently in playoff positions in both conferences, including the next six in a row against the Penguins, Islanders, Bruins twice, Hurricanes and Calgary. Their work, as the old saying goes, is cut out for them the rest of the way. 2) Another early hole The Blue Jackets allowed the first goal again, which has become a troubling trend. This was the 34th of 67 games Columbus has fallen behind 1-0 this season, including eight of the past 12 games. Phil Kessel gave the Penguins an early lead at 2:22 of the first period, sending a close-range shot into the net off Korpisalo lying in the crease. The Jackets fell to 11-22-1 overall in such games and 1-7-0 the past eight times it’s happened. There’s only two ways to reverse it, too. Either find more ways to win those games or ... “Try to score the first goal,” Tortorella said. “I thought we have some good minutes there early on, we have energy, we take a penalty. You try to score the first goal. We didn’t.” The Penguins did and improved to 23-11-6 in those games. 3) A Penguins block party Pittsburgh’s top skill players often get talked about, but one thing the Penguins have done well against the Blue Jackets is a blue-collar staple. They’ve stepped in front of shots with regularity, paying the physical toll that often requires. Pittsburgh prevented 24 shot attempts from getting to goalie Matt Murray after blocking 19 in the Penguins’ 5-2 victory Feb. 26 in Columbus. 1134986 Columbus Blue Jackets Anthony Rothman spotlights a different rescue during episodes of “Hockey and Hounds.” He’s pictured here with “Major.” (Courtesy of Anthony Rothman) ‘One dog at a time’: John Tortorella’s passion for animals can’t be Life-changing moment leashed on ‘Hockey and Hounds’ Rothman’s affinity for animals dates to his childhood in Chicago. He owned an English setter named Winston who pulled Rothman through By Tom Reed Mar 8, 2019 his neighborhood on a skateboard. Child and dog slept in the same bed every night.

Tortorella’s love for animals came later in life. He doesn’t recall having a COLUMBUS, Ohio — The blunt and pugnacious nature of John canine as a kid growing up in Concord, Mass. He had a dog while playing Tortorella makes him an inviting target to critics, but it’s not the guest star hockey and baseball at the University of Maine, but it wasn’t until he met of the NHL’s most unconventional and quirky coach’s show who wears a Christine, his wife of 31 years, that his “calling” took hold. bulletproof vest. The Tortorellas were living in Westchester County, N.Y., when they “Anthony is the real deal,” the Blue Jackets coach said. “He sees the discovered an animal shelter 2 miles from their home. Nobody in the animals and he helps save the animals. He is on the front line. I have so neighborhood ever saw dogs outside the facility, which aroused much respect for him.” Christine’s suspicions. Anthony Rothman is a sports talk show host for 97.1 The Fan in One night, Christine and their son, Nick, broke into the shelter and were Columbus. He’s also a volunteer humane agent for Columbus Humane, a horrified by the sight of neglected dogs. With the help of volunteers, the labor of love that requires him to rescue dogs and other beasts from facility’s owners were driven out. dangerous and abusive environments. “There were 30 pit-bull mixes and nobody knew they were there because Tortorella and Rothman are “kindred spirits” and passionate animal they were stuck in their cages,” Tortorella said. “They saw these poor welfare advocates who each week during Blue Jackets season take to animals lying in their feces. That’s what started all of this. the airwaves to discuss power plays, penalty kills and pit bulls. “We laugh about it and we cry about it, but that situation in Westchester Welcome to “Hockey and Hounds,” the only show in America where a County changed my life. I was down there every day at 8 a.m. waiting for coach can talk about a doghouse in a positive manner. For the past three the place to open to walk those dogs.” seasons, Tortorella and Rothman have combined to give fans insight on the Blue Jackets, while also educating them on issues surrounding The Tortorellas, with an assist from the Rangers, organized a dog walk in endangered animals. New York City to benefit the Westchester Humane Society in 2012. Hundreds of dog owners, Rangers fans and a few Rangers players “I’ve done a lot of these shows throughout my career because it comes participated in the mile-long walk. with the job,” said Tortorella, who earlier this season became the first American-born coach to win 600 NHL regular-season games. “This is the “I had (Rangers and Knicks owner) Jimmy Dolan out there with his Rottie most rewarding show I have been a part of.” (Rottweiler) in Riverside Park,” Tortorella said. The unique format demonstrates the powerful platform professional The coach rarely makes his private life a matter of public record. His son, athletes and coaches have during their careers. Many use it to promote Nick, is a member of the elite U.S. Army 75th Ranger Regiment, a unit causes outside the sports world. In the case of John and Christine known as one of the most skilled special operations strike forces in the Tortorella, it’s to “help those who protect children, animals and our world. environment from harm.” It’s the mission statement of Tortorella Family Two years ago, Tortorella skipped a chance to coach in the All-Star Foundation, which is run by the Stanley Cup-winning coach and his wife, Game to care for his son’s ailing dog. an author of children’s books and music. On a recent “Hockey and Hounds” episode, Tortorella spoke of touring The Tortorellas raise four rescued dogs and two rescued horses on their his son’s base and shared a story of Nick’s transition to military life. He farm outside of Columbus. The family’s love of animals has been well was an excellent high school athlete, but chose not to pursue a career in documented from the coach’s time (2009-13) with the Rangers. But it sports. wasn’t until he took charge of the Blue Jackets in 2015 and met Rothman that the family gained a weekly forum to encourage people to adopt “Nick said, ‘Dad, I just don’t love it like you do,’” Tortorella told listeners. animals from shelters, promote low-cost and free clinics and enlighten “He found his niche in service. I didn’t see it coming, but I am so proud of the public on the cruelty and neglect of dogs. him.” Rothman and Bobby Carpenter, a former Ohio State football star, co-host The coach seldom reveals lineup changes until game day and is a weekday sports talk show. They dedicate a weekly segment of about notoriously tight-lipped on injury news. And yet “Hockey and Hounds” 20 minutes to “Hockey and Hounds” in which Tortorella calls the program listeners sometimes are treated to nuggets before the media that covers and updates fans on pucks and pooches. the team on a daily basis. Several weeks ago, he told Rothman and Carpenter the upper-body injury to Ryan Murray was more long term During a Jan. 25 episode, the coach spoke of the need for center than first suspected, saying the defenseman would be sidelined for “a Alexander Wennberg to elevate his play before Rothman segued to a while.” spotlight on “Virginia,” a 4-year-old pit-bull mix who had been at Columbus Humane since Christmas. Rothman informed listeners Virginia Asked about his penchant for breaking news on “Hockey and Hounds,” would make a wonderful pet in a one-dog-only home. Tortorella laughs. “Great stuff, Anthony, great stuff,” Tortorella said. “It’s a twofold thing,” the coach said. “First, the fans deserve to hear it, but I also want them to keep listening to hear about the dog stuff, too.” Rothman followed the report with a letter from a loyal listener who works as a contractor for Lowe’s Home Improvement. The man volunteered his There’s no telling what humane agents might find on an abandonment labor to build shelters for dogs who live outdoors during the winter and call. In searching for two dogs, Anthony Rothman and Kerry Manion hinted the company might be willing to donate material for the project. found a 4-foot-long monitor lizard. (Courtesy of Anthony Rothman) “Stop right there, Anthony, stop right there,” Tortorella said. “You’ve got ‘Our calling until we drop’ to get with my wife right now because she’s in the middle of an initiative involving building doghouses. … When you finish your show today, you Despite their recent form, Tortorella has helped transform the Blue get with my wife because I think there could be a match with this man.” Jackets from a struggling franchise into a perennial playoff contender. To many Columbus sports fans, it represents his most meaningful rescue. The show has become so popular they are printing “Hockey and Hounds” T-shirts with all the proceeds going to the Tortorella Family Foundation. But his desire to have an impact on the lives of endangered animals and his work with a “rock star” like Rothman will endure long after the 60- “We are going after the same goal when it comes to animals,” Rothman year-old coach steps from behind the bench for the last time. said. “He inspires me and I think I inspire him. We both are so passionate that we don’t take no for an answer.” “I’ve told you before, I would rather be with animals than people,” the coach said. “When I’m told to stop coaching and I’m gone, we’re going to The two men frequently trade text messages. Rothman ends every text double up on animal welfare. That is going to be our calling until we with: “one dog at a time.” Tortorella responds: “Damn right.” drop.” Tortorella isn’t sure where the family will live after he retires from coaching, but he plans to remain close to animal advocates in central Ohio. Last June, former Gov. John Kasich signed landmark anti-puppy-mill legislation that implemented major reform designed to improve the lives of breeding dogs in Ohio. Tortorella and Rothman used the “Hockey and Hounds” platform to campaign for the bill and encourage listeners to sign petitions. They continually update fans on the need to keep pets indoors during cold weather and urge them to adopt dogs from an overcrowded Ross County shelter that’s been storing some animals outside. “Hockey and Hounds” listeners have responded. A local automotive shop donated four new tires for a Columbus Humane rescue vehicle that had been rolling along on bald ones. The show also produced volunteers to assist “Save Ohio Pets,” a group that goes into low-income areas and provides free vet care and spay/neuter for pets of people on government assistance. “Stuff like that makes this the most fulfilling thing I’ve done in 25 years of broadcasting in Columbus,” Rothman said. It’s not uncommon for UPS and FedEx drivers making deliveries to the Tortorellas to notify them of neglected animals they see on their routes. The coach lauds the tireless effort of Rothman and other humane agents that investigate such cases. “Christine saw a pregnant dog outside by itself and told Anthony,” the coach said. “He and other agents went out there immediately and checked on the dog. We are connected for life with Anthony no matter where he goes or I go.” Recently, Rothman and Columbus Humane agent Kerry Manion answered an abandonment call for two mastiffs when they made a surprising discovery. As they searched the house, they noticed a pair of empty aquariums with heat lamps above them. They opened a closet door and found a 4-foot-long monitor lizard that weighed 20 pounds. “They’re the ones with forked tongues,” Rothman said. “When they breathe, it sounds like a blowtorch or a gas-leak sound.” Rothman sent a picture of the lizard to Tortorella with the message: “Do you want to find a home for this?” Columbus Humane placed the lizard with Jimmy’s Reptiles and Exotic Rescue. Tortorella treasures such stories. “Both of us would rather talk animals than hockey,” Tortorella said. “But at the end of the day, we know we have to talk a little hockey.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134987 Columbus Blue Jackets Bemstrom’s pre-shot moment is a strength too, though. He does a nice job sliding off of defenders to the backdoor off the rush:

And off of set plays: Breaking down Blue Jackets prospect Emil Bemstrom’s meteoric rise And while it predominantly happens to one location, he’s also adept at sliding into open space in the more crowded slot, rather than the circle, By Scott Wheeler Mar 8, 2019 when the backdoor isn’t available: Watch how he’s constantly in motion ahead of this goal, to prevent the defenders (who have their backs turned to him) from picking him up: Here’s the thing about prospect evaluation and scouting: It’s hard. Really hard. Watch how instantaneously he attacks with his crossovers to activate from the left wing when the board-side winger sends the puck down low In some cases, talent is disguised by opportunity. Not all players are on this power-play goal, too: afforded leading roles on their teams — the kind of roles that encourage production and result in being selected highly at the NHL Draft. Some There, the goal isn’t scored if Bemstrom is stationary and doesn’t drive players are rushed to the pro level due to their athletic ability but lack the the low slot for the set play from below the goal line (a lot of shooters are skill needed to make that jump smoothly. At the junior levels, not all 17- too slow to react on a play like that, but Bemstrom anticipates it). year-old linemates are created equal. Below the major pro levels, parity Notice all of the curls and stops and starts below, as Bemstrom tracks often doesn’t exist. Context ought to be carefully considered as a result. the play from high in the zone and, rather than staying there, goes to the In many cases, when ice-time isn’t publicly available for those levels, far post ahead of the pass: data-driven analysis can be complicated and challenging. A skills-based Bemstrom is persistent. If his play doesn’t work the first time, he’ll fade evaluation becomes necessary. But our eyes miss things. They play away from it before giving it another try: tricks on us. He’s also not afraid to drive into players, rather than away from them, in What we’re left with is an imperfect science on all fronts. The best order to make himself available for passes: evaluators do their best to consider all of the factors and available information and still often come up short. Bemstrom is also a strong kid for his size and he has added muscle this season to push above 180 pounds. While he’s not an overtly physical In my annual fall series, “The Gifted” (here’s the 2017 series and here’s player, Bemstrom isn’t afraid to engage in a battle before releasing to his the 2018 series), I explore through video the variety of tools that, when spot: mastered, allow players to dominate. Or to just drive the net and bump his man along the way: The truly elite talents (the Elias Petterssons and the Miro Heiskanens) are easy to spot for the dynamic way they manage to take over games Those net-front plays give him some much-needed versatility — and and the variety of skills they can use to remain unpredictable. Others, prevent teams from stacking a forward on him at the top of the circle in players of Jordan Kyrou’s skating ability or Vitaly Abramov’s puck skills, the offensive zone. Instead of all of his goals being scored back-door or can sometimes take one skill far enough and still become stars — but it’s from the circle, he’s able to create some jam plays (the kind of plays much less predictable and takes a closer evaluation. some players his size shy away from): Emil Bemstrom has become one of those players. He’s the fourth-round The biggest issue with Bemstrom’s game translating to the NHL level is pick from the 2017 draft who went from being an ordinary forward in the that players like him need other players to get him the puck. Bemstrom is second-tier Allsvenskan to the highest scoring under-20 forward in the not going to drive a line or be the primary carrier on his line off the rush. SHL (as well as, on the date of publication of this piece, the league’s And he’s likely going to need to play with a passer to truly become a leading goal scorer with 22 goals through 44 games), and a breakout star high-end goal scorer. at the world juniors, where he was named one of Sweden’s top three players. Bemstrom is not a particularly strong playmaker. Instead, he’s more of an opportunistic scorer. Even his assists can be reliant on his shot: Due to that meteoric rise, I decided to make Bemstrom an honorary addition to “The Gifted” and dive deeper into what makes him tick as a That can work in the NHL but it requires some help and the right coach. player — and whether that skill is complemented by enough else to make This isn’t to say Bemstrom lacks skill outside of his shot altogether. He him a true star-level prospect. This analysis is founded upon viewings of doesn’t. There have been real flashes of some puck skill off the rush this the majority of his games this season. season too: It starts with his shot. His one-timer, more specifically. And when he releases the puck, rather than one-touching it, Bemstrom The vast majority of Bemstrom’s goals are scored from the same spot has the ability to pick his spots and cleanly beat goalies: (the left-wing faceoff circle), with one touch. He’s a right shot winger who That’s true even from distance: prefers to position himself on the left wing (both on the power play and at even strength). More than anything, his shot is also extremely accurate, even from awful angles: Because he’s not the biggest player in the world (he stands 5-foot-10) and he doesn’t have the leverage that length provides a player whom These are real, tangible, translatable NHL tools. But you’ll notice they they turn on a puck, Bemstrom (No. 72 in all clips) has to get low, drop rarely start with Bemstrom making the play. None of the above plays his trailing leg, and use all of that pressure to make his one-timer as hard began with a Bemstrom entry or a Bemstrom retrieval. Someone else did as it is. Look for all of that here: that for him and he had the talent to finish it off. It’s a repeatable motion that gives the shot some kick while also allowing Does this mean Bemstrom won’t be a star? Not necessarily. But it will Bemstrom to control it. While many players struggle with hitting the net likely limit his ceiling. once that shot slides out from the bottom of the circle to the top, Bemstrom doesn’t: Because while he shows the occasional flash of cross-ice vision … When he’s not releasing it from a standstill and he’s in motion, Bemstrom … those plays tend to be fleeting. also does a wonderful job, when necessary, shooting from an upright by Instead, the bulk of Bemstrom’s goals and shots (I tracked more than sliding back onto his heels and opening up to the pass even further: four dozen shot attempts for this piece), come from the same location. The other thing worth picking up on with Bemstrom’s one-timer, and Over time, opposing forwards and defenders (watch for how not one but maybe the most valuable of the bunch, is the way he gets open for it. The two close on him below) learn to anticipate and front the shot: goals above happen predominantly because A) either Bemstrom is on And so do goalies. Watch the way the goalie Malmo cheats and pushes the power play in that spot or B) thanks to the spacing international ice out to Bemstrom before the shot is even released here: affords him. He’ll continue to get those power-play looks if the right coach uses him in the right spot at the next level, but to earn those opportunities There are similar flashes as a carrier. Bemstrom has the speed needed he’s going to need skills that allow him to score at even strength. to make plays off the rush: For shooters, the ability to get open becomes their biggest asset at the But his problem is one of creativity. Because when he does activate and next level as the ice gets smaller and defenders close faster. use the speed to create an entry, his default instinct is to throw it on net, rather than look for a teammate: The end result is a player who plays a north-south game a little too much, at the expense of east-west options: And when Bemstrom does pick up assists, it often means they are byproducts of an attempt to score, rather than a heads up play to a linemate. In fact, three of Bemstrom’s 11 assists this season look exactly like this: Yes, that’s Bemstrom getting a stick on a backdoor chance and a teammate scoring off of it. His one layer is a darn good one. An elite one. It will translate. There are smaller translatable layers too. Bemstrom’s size, for example, isn’t a major concern. As highlighted above, he competes, sometimes even for great assists off of a won battle one-on-two: That skill set will allow him to battle with NHL-level competition. And when he makes a little play off of it, we know that he has the headspace to release from that battle and slide into open space. When he does, he scores a lot of goals. And if teams defend that shot threat well, he can burn them in other ways: Bemstrom’s biggest challenge, on his way to the NHL, will likely be to execute on those less-developed layers more consistently. The one-timer (and the ability to get into space to receive it) will carry him far. He’s got a good thing going with the one-timer, and his ability to score on his off wing. Despite being a right-handed shot, here’s a map of each of the goal locations tracked in this piece: That skill will make him a terror on a power play at any level. What he has done this season is remarkable. It is tied for the sixth-best goal scoring season by an under-20 SHL player ever (behind names like Nilsson, Pettersson, Forsberg and Naslund). He will inevitably score goals. Probably a lot of them. But everything else (from linemates to his coach to the way he can develop some other evident tools) will determine whether he becomes a star. The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134988 Dallas Stars

10 things to know about Ben Bishop: from losing some teeth, multiple on- ice fights and some insane saves

By SportsDayDFW.com

Editor's note: This story was originally published on May 10, 2017. Here are 10 things you might not know about Ben Bishop. 1. He's the tallest NHL goalie...ever He stands at 6-7 making him an inch taller than goalies like Devan Dubnyk and Scott Darling. That makes him a full two feet and seven inches taller than a standard NHL net. And that's before he puts his skates on. 2. He's got a mean right hook Bishop's hockey career started when he was 18 years old as a member of the Texas Tornado in 2004-2005, where he served as the goalie for the Frisco-based NAHL team. While his stats were impressive -- he was 35-8-2 in 45 games and posted a 1.93 GAA -- his lasting memory from his first stint in the Lone Star State was most definitely his participation in a brawl that ended with him taking out Santa Fe RoadRunners goalie Ryan Hatch. 3. He's probably not good friends with Brandon Prust This one is in two parts. In 2014 Bishop and Prust got into it with one another during a commercial break. Prust's stick went up into Bishop's groin and chaos ensued. A little more than a year later the two were back at it. Bishop went around the back of the net to make a play on the puck when Prust boarded him. As expected, more fighting occurred. 4. A shot to the mask knocked out some front teeth... Just take a look at this shot from Peter Holland. Amazingly enough, Bishop stayed in the game. Hockey players are tough dudes. 5. ...and the Lightning kitchen staff made him a hilarious cake because of it. 6. He attended Frisco High School Bishop told Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Bay Times that he used to watch tapes of hockey games on his VCR as a kid, and that his two favorite goalies were Roberto Luongo and Olie Kolzig. Watching the tapes also helped his game. "Ever since I was in junior, I was a big video guy," Bishop told the Times. "I would watch a lot of tape by myself, not with a coach or anything, when it was available. To this day, I still like to watch a lot of video. I was sort of self-taught, as I was able to watch those videos and kind of go back and nitpick myself." 7. He wasn't always a goalie In the same story by Erlendsson, Bishop said that he played baseball, football and hockey growing up. From Erlendsson: When he was about 8 and everyone had to take a turn playing goalie, Bishop gravitated to the position after spending the two previous seasons at forward. Getting the chance to play the entire game appealed to Bishop. So, when it came time to decide which sport to commit to full time before his freshman year in high school -- he played catcher in baseball, wide receiver in football and was recruited to play basketball, as well -- hockey was his sport of choice. 8. His glow in the dark mask He's had a couple (that we can find) over the years. 9. How he's fared against Central teams This is how he's done against Central Division teams in the regular season. Oddly enough his worst record against team is the Stars at 1-3-0 with a .871 save percentage. 10. Some insane saves he's had Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134989 Dallas Stars But then the Vezina argument turns to games played, and Bishop has only played 39 of Dallas' 67 games this season. Some of that is because of injury, and some of that is because of the stellar play of backup Anton Ben Bishop is already flirting with a Stars' single-season record, but could Khudobin. he bring the franchise its first Vezina Trophy? The last 10 Vezina winners have averaged appearances in 75.3 percent of their team's games. Unless Bishop plays every game down the stretch -- a highly unlikely scenario -- he would play the fewest games of any Matthew DeFranks Vezina winner since Patrick Roy 30 years ago. This season's Vezina race isn't a typical one, though. Most of the time, you should not notice Ben Bishop. The Islanders platoon of Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss has split games almost evenly. Jaroslav Halak and Tuukka Rask in Boston have The Stars goaltender is 6-7, so becoming invisible is a difficult task for done similarly. Vasilevskiy missed a month with a broken foot. Among Bishop. But when he's playing well -- as he has for most of the season, goalies with at least a .920 save percentage this season, only one especially the last two games -- Bishop is barely noticeable. He shouldn't (Toronto's Frederik Andersen with 49) has played more than 45 games. have highlight-reel saves. He shouldn't have to swim through the crease or lunge at pucks. He should be steady. Workhorses like Carey Price (53 games), Devan Dubyk (56 games) and Marc-Andre Fleury (57 games) lack the dominant numbers that other top In the last two games, wins over the Rangers and Avalanche, Bishop has goalies boast. So if any year was one for an atypical Vezina winner, this posted shutouts. It is the first time in Bishop's career that he's had year could be it. It's up to the league's general managers to decide. shutouts in consecutive games, and he carries a career-long scoreless streak of 144 minutes, 20 seconds. As far as the other trophy awarded to goalies (the Jennings Trophy), it will be tough for the Stars tandem to wrestle it away from the Islanders. "His game's at its best when he's quiet in the net and just in position and New York has allowed 12 fewer goals than Dallas with 15 games pucks are hitting him," goaltending coach Jeff Reese said. "Obviously, remaining. he's under full control back there, rebounds are really, really solid, and obviously his puck handling, he's very active handling the puck and "I'd much rather have the Stanley Cup than any of those other trophies," making good decisions with the puck. And then when you get shutouts, Bishop said. you need some breaks, too. Posts here or guys blocking shots really paying the price." Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.09.2019 Bishop has stopped the last 70 shots he's faced dating to Saturday's win in St. Louis when Alex Pietrangelo beat Bishop with 4:20 left in the second period. For the most part, Bishop hasn't been counted on to make huge saves to rescue the Stars. He had to deny Vladislav Namestnikov on a rush Tuesday night, and Alexander Kerfoot on Thursday night. He was also stellar in closing out the game against extra-man units, but the Stars defense was excellent in pushing shots to the outside. "I don't feel like I'm tracking pucks better or worse," Bishop said. "There's a little bit of luck involved. You get pucks that are bouncing your way. A couple big blocks by guys, no pucks going off guys and in. Just one of those things." Bishop's recent run has his season save percentage at .930, the highest it's been since the second game of the season and the second-best mark in the NHL behind Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy at .931. Bishop's goals against average dropped to 2.13, the best in the league among goalies with at least 30 games played. While Bishop has twice landed on injured reserve this season -- for a lower-body and for an upper-body injury -- he has been one of the best goaltenders in the league. "Ben Bishop has done everything we could ask from him," Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. "He's stopped pucks. He's steered pucks to corners. When he can, swallow up the rebound and prevent rebounds like he's so good at, and breaking the puck out. Most importantly, the team in front of him has been really sound as well. You combine those two things: us playing really well without the puck and him playing at the top of his game and you give up one goal in three games." Bishop is already flirting with the Stars season record for save percentage, .932 set by Marty Turco in 2002-03. He also became the fourth Stars goalie with at least five shutouts in back-to-back seasons. Might he be flirting with another first for the Stars: the Vezina Trophy? "I've had the honor of being nominated twice, and I think the big thing is you don't think about it," Bishop said. "You really have to take it one game at a time. Even when you get close to the end of the season and you think you're having a good season, once you start thinking about it with five, 10 games left is when you start slipping." Bishop was a finalist for the award in 2014 and 2016, and his save percentage this season is better than the .924 and .926 he posted in those seasons. This year, he has the second-best save percentage not only overall but also while shorthanded (.901). According to MoneyPuck, Bishop is a top-five goalie in controlling rebounds, and his quality start percentage (.658) is third best in the league. Personally, Bishop aims for 30 wins in a season. Anything above that usually means a playoff season, and Bishop sits at 22 victories this season. 1134990 Dallas Stars

Stars notebook: Mats Zuccarello takes step in recovery from broken arm; Radek Faksa practices following neck injury

Matthew DeFranks

Injured Stars forward Mats Zuccarello skated during the team's optional practice Friday afternoon at the American Airlines Center, the first time he has participated in a team practice since he broke his arm nearly two weeks ago. "Yes, definitely [a step forward]," Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. "It's more just skating shape. He's not able to handle pucks right now. That's part of the process. It's a good step to see him on the ice." Zuccarello broke his right arm Feb. 24 in Chicago when blocking a shot just one day after the Stars acquired him from the Rangers for conditional second- and third-round draft picks. He had surgery on Feb. 26 and is almost halfway through an initial four-week prognosis. In just two periods with the Stars, Zuccarello was a spark for the Dallas offense, scoring a goal and assisting on another. Should he return on time, the Stars will have seven regular-season games remaining. Zuccarello is an unrestricted free agent in the summer. Faksa update: Stars forward Radek Faksa was also on the ice for optional practice after missing Thursday night's game with a neck injury. "He's out there," Montgomery said. "He looks crisp, he's feeling good right now. It's one of those things where it's the first time he's gone after it on the ice. We'll have to see how he feels when he comes back tomorrow morning." Faksa suffered the injury Tuesday against the Rangers when Mika Zibanejad checked him into the boards. Leaning Khudobin: Despite Ben Bishop's back-to-back shutouts, Montgomery said the Stars are leaning towards starting backup Anton Khudobin against the Blackhawks on Saturday night. "I don't think we can do that (rid Bishop) because Dobby's played so well," Montgomery said. "Dobby's won his last two games. Dobby hasn't gotten a lot of home starts. Dobby played great against Chicago. Chicago is not a dump-in team, so leaning towards playing Dobby against Chicago, and having Bish on the road." On Feb. 24, Khudobin was remarkable in Chicago, stopping 44 of 47 shots. Of his 31 games played, only 11 have been at home. Picture day: The Stars took their team photo on Friday morning, a snapshot that brought back injured players like Martin Hanzal, Marc Methot and Stephen Johns, along with front office members like general manager Jim Nill and CEO Jim Lites. "Seeing a couple players in uniform again, it does make you ponder a little bit," Montgomery said. "But we're so immersed in the moment right now, you don't get sidetracked mentally from what's ahead." -- Alexander Radulov has practiced in both optional skates since he was scratched Tuesday night for being late to a meeting. Radulov scored his first career hat trick Thursday night in a win over the Avalanche. -- Colorado announced on Friday afternoon that forward Gabriel Landeskog would miss four to six weeks after a collision with Bishop behind the net Thursday night. Landeskog's absence is a big blow to the Avalanche's playoff hopes, having entered the day four points back of Minnesota for the final wild card spot. Colorado was five points behind Dallas for the first wild card spot. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134991 Detroit Red Wings Madison Bowey, the 23-year-old defenseman acquired from Washington in the Nick Jensen deal, notched his first assist with the Wings against the Rangers. Bowey is getting a long look with his new team, especially Detroit Red Wings won't shut down Dylan Larkin this season now that Mike Green is out for the season due to a recurrence of a viral infection.

"I think he's gotten better every game," Blashill said. "He's moved in the Dana Gauruder, Special to the Free Press Published 4:11 p.m. ET March right direction. Part of that is just familiarity with how we play, getting 8, 2019 more comfortable, and part of that is just confidence. He hadn't played a ton and now he's playing a little more."

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.09.2019 Jeff Blashill doesn't believe Dylan Larkin has played his last game this season.

The Detroit Red Wings' star center sat out the 3-2 shootout victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday, which snapped an eight-game losing streak. Larkin is dealing with a back issue and will be reevaluated on Tuesday. He'll miss back-to-back road games against Tampa Bay and Florida this weekend but there are no plans to shut him down.

"We've not had one ounce of discussion about that," Blashill said. "I don't know if this will be a big, big deal or if it is a big deal. Obviously, we're not going to jeopardize Dylan's career. ... I think really he's having a spasm issue and I think it'll be fine."

Larkin, who leads the club with 27 goals and 35 assists, was sidelined for just the second time this season. He missed a game against Ottawa on Feb. 2 with a minor oblique strain.

The Wings have the third fewest points in the league with 15 games remaining. But Larkin doesn't want to be a spectator unless it's necessary.

"Dylan wants to play. We've got to keep moving forward as a hockey team and Dylan's a big part of that, regardless of where we are in the standings," Blashill said. "I know he wants to continue being a big part of that."

Looking to end Lightning streak

Niklas Kronwall doesn't dwell on the Wings' futility against the Lightning.

"It's more you guys that keep reminding us," the veteran defenseman said.

Until the Wings finally break through against Tampa Bay, Kronwall and his teammates won't be able to escape those reminders. The Wings have lost 13 straight to the Lightning and have two chances to end that hex. Along with the road game on Saturday, they meet again at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday.

"There's no doubt everyone in that room know it's been awhile since we beat them," Kronwall said. "We've come close a few times but we need to make the most of the times when we do get an opportunity."

The streak was nearly snapped on Dec. 4 in the last matchup. The Wings allowed a two-goal, third-period advantage to slip away and lost in a shootout, 6-5.

"Over the last number of games, we've played them really well. Been right there," Justin Abdelkader said. "We had leads in games and we've let games get away from us. But it's always a great challenge."

The Lightning won 12 of 13 games until they were surprisingly shut out at home by Minnesota, 3-0, on Thursday. They'll finish off a four-game homestand against the Wings.

"I'm sick of not beating them," Blashill said.

Five down, four to go for Zadina

Rookie wing Filip Zadina's time with the Wings is quickly coming to a close. Their top pick from last June's draft has four games remaining before he'll be returned to the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Wings can't play Zadina more than nine games without his entry- level contract kicking in.

"We will not exceed the nine games," Blashill said. "There's no doubt he will only play nine games."

Zadina has one goal in his first five games and has looked more dangerous with every outing, according to the head coach.

Bowey getting more comfortable 1134992 Detroit Red Wings "The working and living conditions that the players enjoy today, including the salaries means you have to look back to the Fifties when Ted Lindsay who stood up and said the hell with you this isn’t right and we are going Detroit Red Wings greats say farewell to icon Ted Lindsay to stand up and be counted.”

Bruce Martyn, former longtime Red Wings broadcaster

Bill Dow, Special to the Detroit Free Press Published 11:00 a.m. ET “My first year with the Wings was the year Ted made his comeback in March 8, 2019 | Updated 1:52 p.m. ET March 8, 2019 ’64-’65. The Commissioner Clarence Campbell said at the time ‘this is a sad day for hockey.’ Ted turned out to be a real force and he helped some of the young players like Bruce McGregor. At the end of the year Campbell apologized and said ‘I made a mistake.’ The hockey world mourned Monday when Detroit Red Wings legend Ted Lindsay died at the age of 93. Free Press special writer Bill Dow asked a "When Ted got on stakes he was a different person, Jekyll and Hyde. He handful of notable Red Wings for their favorite memories of "Terrible was so much fun to watch because no one could take advantage of him. Ted," who can be viewed publicly at Little Caesars Arena on Friday: I never really saw a more competitive person. Off the ice he was a real gentleman. Scotty Bowman, Hall of Fame former Red Wings coach "When he became the general manager we kind of disliked him because “I had the good fortune to seeing Ted play in the Fifties when I was the coaches and staff got to fly first class and then suddenly he growing up in Montreal. He was a wonderful, all around, ultra- announced, ‘I’m not going to sit where my players can’t sit,’ so we were competitive, ultra-productive player. I don’t think there was line in hockey all relegated to the back of the plane. He didn’t want to do something his history than the Production Line with Lindsay, Abel and Howe that was players couldn’t do. That was Ted.” any better. Bruce MacGregor, linemate with Lindsay in 1964-65 "The comeback he did with the Wings in ’64-65 after being out of the game three years was amazing. He revived the team and they finished “Ted was pretty special. He really helped me and it was a great break in first place but lost in the semi-finals. It was quite a story at the time. He for me. He said ‘we’re not going to worry about the defensive end until is one of the few who could do something like that because he was we lose the puck we are going to press offensively.’ It was a mindset for always a work out guy. me to think more offensively and we were a pretty effective line. I sure wasn’t going to argue with him. He got me turned around and I owe it all "I got to know him when I coached in Detroit. He would be around the to him. locker room and he was a great inspiration for the younger players. I always enjoyed being with him. He always talked to the players but he "He had such a presence in the locker room. He wasn’t afraid to go in would not interfere. He tried to be positive. He was so proud that the and tell the guys who had been with us a long time what he thought. He Wings came back in the nineties. He really felt part of the team and he spoke his mind, it’s just the way he was. He was such a fierce competitor was. he wouldn’t take less.

"He was always a busy man and did so much for children with autism "It was remarkable what he accomplished after being out of the game so with the Ted Lindsay Foundation." long. Ted was probably in better condition that most of us.

Mark Howe, Hockey Hall of Famer and son of Gordie Howe: "I remember that he year he got into it with Vic Hadfield of the Rangers who was a big and tough player. Years later Vic recalled it. He said, “The Howe family sends our condolences to the Lindsay family. My dad ‘Ted’s coming after me and I’m thinking he really wants to fight? There always told me the stories of how he, and Ted and all the guys lived were a few punches thrown. I remember Teddy chirping at Vic,‘ten years together and how dad and Ted spent a lot of time after practice working ago you’d never hit me with that punch.’” Ted wasn’t afraid of anybody on things together. The Production Line had such great talent and and would take anyone on.” chemistry. With Ted’s passing it’s a huge loss for the family, the organization, hockey and the City of Detroit. Bryan Watson, former Red Wing enforcer

"Ted earned the nickname “Terrible Ted” for a reason. He may have “Ted was a role model for me. I ended up doing a lot of work with the been small in stature but he was a warrior but with the skills to go with it. Special Olympics and he was an inspiration. He was a helluva a hockey Back when Ted and my dad played it was a different game and you had player but what he personified for me is what a professional hockey to make room for yourself to allow you a little more time for your skills to player should be on and off the ice. take over. Nobody did it better. "Ted was all about, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” He was "Losing dad, Mr. Ilitch and now Ted has made it a tough two years.” even like that when we played together in old-timer’s games and the Heroes of Hockey games. Marty Pavelich, former Red Wings teammate and business partner "When I passed him in all time penalty minutes I sent him a telegram and “Ted and I went all the way back to the 1943 training camp. I can’t say said, “I thought we were good guys,’ and he laughed. enough about him. I loved him as a friend, a teammate and a business partner. His first love was hockey. He was such a great competitor and I "He was such a great quality man with great principles. I really loved him think he pushed Howe because he was easy going at first. I was always and we were great friends. He really hit it off like two peas in a pod.” said that if 15 guys were going to kick the hell out of me, I want Ted there because we may go down but we would take a few with us. I had to try Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.09.2019 and calm down Teddy all the time and said don’t get some dumb penalties tonight or a game misconduct. All around he did a great job as our leader."

Mickey Redmond, Red Wing telecaster and former player

“What’s most impressive about the man is his spirit for giving to the less fortunate. He was certainly a legend on the ice, the way he played the game and his four Cups, all the stuff you can find on a computer. What you can’t find on a computer is the heart that he had to help others in need, like the children with autism. He understood that he was in a position to make a difference and he made a huge difference.

"The game of hockey is just a small part of this whole big world, and as much as we think at times it’s everything, it’s a small piece. You have to look outside of that box to really find the measure of men like Ted Lindsay. 1134993 Detroit Red Wings “He got in my ear a little bit after I missed the open net,” Bertuzzi said, laughing. “But you know, what makes us so good together is that we’re always supporting each other and little jabs here and there, it’s going to Detroit Red Wings' young players help boost team confidence, beat NYR make the guy work harder.”

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.09.2019

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 6:00 a.m. ET March 8, 2019

As they head back on the road, the Detroit Red Wings do so having earned a shot of much-needed confidence.

Importantly it was some of their younger players who led the way, with Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Bertuzzi putting in big performances to end an eight-game losing skid. The Wings face quite the weekend with back-to-back games at Tampa Bay and Florida, followed by a jaunt to Montreal, but they feel better about themselves after pulling out a 3-2 shootout victory over the New York Rangers Thursday at Little Caesars Arena.

“We kept working hard,” Bertuzzi said. “We’re headed in the right direction, we just have to keep working hard.”

Bertuzzi was working hard in front of the Rangers net when he tipped Madison Bowey’s shot to make it 1-1. It was Bowey’s first point since joining the Wings Feb. 22.

“That’s how this team plays — we want to get traffic in front of the net and pucks towards it,” Bowey said. “When us D are doing that, I know our forwards are skilled enough to get those sticks on it. I was fortunate to have a tip there by Tyler and it was a great goal to get us going.”

Bertuzzi could have had two or three goals with the chances he had, but so could Athanasiou. He was electric every time he had the puck.

“Him and Bert had some great looks,” Jimmy Howard said after making 32 saves. “With AA, it’s all about using his speed — when he uses his speed, whether it’s to the outside or straight up, he can create a lot of havoc out there.”

Blashill spoke after the Feb. 25 trade deadline of the opportunity to play Athanasiou at center, to see if that’s a viable spot long-term for him. With Dylan Larkin missing the Rangers contest because of a back issue, Athanasiou’s role grew to center the top line between Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha, and, with overtime, saw Athanasiou play 24:13.

“It’s a different use of his speed,” Blashill said. “On the wing, he uses his speed to get into breakaway situations. This way, he uses his speed to really transport the puck up the ice from the center position. I think it’s a good step. Every game he plays where he is dynamic as a center, it’s a real good step.

“Now, one of the things if you want to win, you have great two-way centers. It’s something that Larks has been really working on, and he’ll have to do the same thing - he just has to be really, really good defensively. You look at the teams that win, they’ve got great two-way centers. If he can be dynamic and still be real good from the defensive side, then he puts us in a position where he looks like he can really help us win at that center position.”

Athanasiou spoke of liking the responsibility. He has been one of the brighter spots this season, showing a maturity and consistency in his game. He delivered his 23rd goals of the season when he scored off a rush Thursday, and nearly had no. 24 only his attempt to protect the puck between his skates ended with him falling into the boards.

“I tried my move,” Athanasiou said. “It just didn’t go in.”

That was one of five shots on net he had. Bertuzzi had four. Another young player who looked good was prospect Filip Zadina.

“He’s way more confident with the puck now than when he first got here,” Blashill said. “Certainly way more than earlier in the year. He’s certainly developing at a good rate.”

Blashill had Zadina fifth in the shootout rotation had it been needed, behind Frans Nielsen, Athanasiou, Bertuzzi, and, had it gone past three rounds, Thomas Vanek. Athanasiou was the only one to score.

Bertuzzi and Athanasiou often jaw at one another on the bench, their good-natured way of pushing for more. 1134994 Detroit Red Wings Blashill is pleased with the progress of forward Filip Zadina over the rookie’s first five games.

“He’s gotten more dangerous as he’s stayed here,” Blashill said. “The 'Always a great challenge': Red Wings look to end long losing streak depth in his game is pretty good for a young player. He stops on pucks, against Lightning he blocks shots, he doesn’t circle a ton. He’s not perfect but he’s ahead of the game that way more than a lot of young players.”

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 7:41 p.m. ET March 8, 2019 | Zadina will remain with the Wings for four more games before returning Updated 9:42 p.m. ET March 8, 2019 to Grand Rapids, so as not to burn a year off his entry level contract.

Red Wings at Lightning

Detroit — The Tampa Bay Lightning don’t lose often to anyone in the Faceoff: 7 p.m. Saturday, Amalie Arena, Tampa, Fla. NHL these days, and especially the Red Wings. TV/radio: FSD/97.1 FM

The Lightning have defeated the Wings 13 consecutive times in the Outlook: The Lightning (51-13-4) have beaten the Wings 13 consecutive regular season, including twice this season. times in the regular season. … Tampa is coming off a surprising 3-0 The last time the teams met, Dec. 4, the Lightning rallied to defeat the defeat Thursday against Minnesota, ending an eight-game winning Wings 6-5 in a shootout. streak. … RW Nikita Kucherov (108 points) is the leading candidate to win the NHL’s MVP award. “They’re a good team,” forward Justin Abdelkader said. “Over the last number of games, you look back at those games, we played them real Detroit News LOADED: 03.09.2019 well. We’ve been right there, we’ve led games, we’ve let games get away from us.

“It’s always a great challenge. We’ve had some good games, good rivalries with them. I would say right now, they’re the top end of the league.”

In an age of parity around the NHL, it’s amazing what the Lightning are accomplishing this season.

With 106 points (51-13-4), the Lightning are 15 ahead of the next team (division rival Boston).

The Lightning have both the No. 1-ranked power play (29.0 percent) and penalty kill (85.6 percent) in the NHL.

Forward Nikita Kucherov is the leading contender for the Hart Trophy (most valuable player) with a league-leading 108 points, while defending Norris Trophy (best defenseman) Victor Hedman (42 points) and potential Vezina Trophy (best goaltender) winner Andrei Vasilevskiy (.931 SVS, 2.24 GAA) are also having outstanding seasons.

And we haven’t even gotten to forwards Brayden Point (37 goals) or Steven Stamkos (34 goals).

“They have the complete package,” defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “You have to be structurally sound defensively and try to take away all their time and space. When you talk about all the best teams and players, you try to take away their time and space and be strong in front of your net.

“They have some unbelievable talent.”

Playing the Lightning is always an experience for coach Jeff Blashill, as some of his best friends in the game include Lightning coach Jon Cooper and assistant coach Derek Lalonde.

As friends do, Blashill has occasionally heard about the streak in a good- natured way.

“But you know what, in the end you win lots you can stick your chest out a little bit,” Blashill said. “That’s life. All we can do about it is go and play great hockey and try to win a hockey game.”

Larkin still out

Forward Dylan Larkin will miss the games in Tampa and Florida this weekend with a back strain.

Blashill said Larkin will be re-evaluated before Tuesday’s game in Montreal. Larkin will also get a second opinion to confirm that there’s nothing structurally wrong.

“Precautionary reasons,” Blashill said of the second opinon. “Get a second opinion and make sure there’s nothing more to it. We’ll know more Tuesday where he’s at.”

Blashill likened the situation to “a spasm.”

With Larkin's availability uncertain, forward Christoffer Ehn will remain with the Wings through the weekend.

Zadina 'more dangerous' 1134995 Detroit Red Wings said. “But, everything he did off the ice is probably what Ted would tell you he’s been most proud of. And, that just speaks volumes for exactly what Ted Lindsay is all about.”

Red Wings fans say goodbye to Ted Lindsay, 'a great humanitarian' Lou Issel has worked in girls' and women’s hockey in Metro Detroit for 40 years, raising a daughter, Michele, who plays, helping establish teams and leagues, and writing about them. Gregg Krupa, The Detroit News Published 6:16 p.m. ET March 8, 2019 | Updated 11:18 p.m. ET March 8, 2019 “I had a lot of hours of bleacher time with Ted, enjoying watching senior women play the great game,” Issel said, after paying his respects to Lindsay and his family on the carpet-covered, curtain-shrouded ice in Little Caesars Arena. Detroit — Among those who gathered early Friday at Little Caesars Arena to pay their respects to Ted Lindsay, Michael Klug talked about the “In the 1980s, at Eddie Edgar Ice Arena in Livonia, at 7 on Saturday man more than the hockey player. mornings, he helped teach the women to skate and how to play hockey. And now, there are 43 teams in the Michigan Women’s Senior Hockey “My dad was of the generation of Ted Lindsay,” said Klug, of Wyandotte. League that grew out of that. “I learned about him later on, when I found out about the movie ‘Net Worth’ and what he did for the players union and things like that. I kind of “When there got to be five teams in 1993, they established the league,” became a fan of his. Issel said.

“Then I was aware of the work he did in Detroit, that he was still around “At the end of the year tournament, there’s Ted Lindsay, doing the and that he was a great humanitarian. honors at every championship game, dropping the puck, handing out prizes.” “And so, I had the time, today,” said the schoolteacher. “And I’m here to pay my respects.” Red Berenson, the former Red Wings player and coach at the University of Michigan, arrived in Detroit as the president of the NHL Players After he arrived in Detroit from northern Ontario as 19-year-old in 1944, Association, the union that Lindsay had tried to establish in 1957, and Ted Lindsay achieved fame with the Red Wings as one of the greatest which finally came to be a decade later. hockey players of his generation. “He was so respectful,” Berenson said. “And I eventually ran into him at But as those who mourned him Friday made clear, Lindsay also weaved more hockey banquets and charity events and things he didn’t have to go himself inextricably into the community, establishing a reputation for to. He would go to just about everyone he was asked to go to. kindness and work that transcends sport. “It might have been a single team of women’s hockey, as they were “I think Ted was probably the one who encouraged me the most to do trying to get women’s hockey going around Michigan. Ted Lindsay was the work in the community and charity work,” said Henrik Zetterberg, the the first guy to stand up and say that was the right thing to do. He was retired Red Wings captain. terrific.” “All the stuff he has done here in Detroit, and for autism. He’s a true role Since his death Monday in Oakland Township, Lindsay’s usual place at model for everyone.” Lino’s Italian Restaurant in Rochester has remained set, in his honor. That included his early efforts at organizing a union for the players in the “His own chair, with a sign that says, Mr. Lindsay’s table,” said Lino National Hockey League, Zetterberg said. Borraccio, who arrived early to pay his respects Friday. “I loved him. “No one who plays now or in the past 20 years would have had the life “I missed him last night. I sat there by myself,” Borraccio said. “It felt and luxury we’ve had, it if weren’t for Ted,” he said. empty without him. Wonderful, wonderful memories. He was a great Current and former Red Wings players shared their memories Friday of guy.” Lindsay's visits to their dressing room, where he'd pull up a stool and Detroit News LOADED: 03.09.2019 critique their performances.

General Manager Ken Holland and Coach Jeff Blashill said Lindsay never hesitated to offer managerial and coaching advice, even decades after he coached and managed the team in the 1970s.

“Lots of times,” Holland said, when asked how often Lindsay would walk into his office, sit down and talk about managing the team. “Ted had passion.”

But Holland also quickly mentioned Lindsay’s social responsibility and his leadership role in Michigan.

“Ted lived here,” Holland said. “He was part of the community, and he gave back.

“Today and tomorrow is the celebration of an incredible life, on the ice. But, I also think, just as importantly off the ice.

“What he meant to this game, to this sport, to this city, the respect that he gave and got, the passion that he had for the sport, the passion that he had for the people of this area,” he said. “He is a great role model for so many people who have been in this game, and for a long time.”

Like Lindsay, Kris Draper won four Stanley Cups with the Red Wings. Draper talked about his first, awestruck encounter with Lindsay in the Wings' dressing room.

He had planned to arrive first. But, Draper said, he found the retired, 68- year-old Lindsay lifting weights.

“The opportunities that we had, all of my teammates, to walk in and see Ted Lindsay in our dressing room, he just made us better. “He made us better people too.

“The amazing thing with Ted is, everything he did on the ice has obviously been applauded, and he’s been recognized for that,” Draper 1134996 Detroit Red Wings “Over the last number of games, we played them really well, we’ve been right there, had leads in some games,” Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader said. “We’ve had games get away from us but it’s always a great challenge, Red Wings, without Dylan Larkin, try to solve Lightning always enjoyed playing those guys.”

Michigan Live LOADED: 03.09.2019

Posted Mar 8, 5:39 PM

By Ansar Khan

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings will face the best team in the NHL, one that has dominated them like no other in recent years, without their best player.

They visit the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday (7 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit) without Dylan Larkin, who’ll miss his second game with what the team believes is a neck strain.

On the bright side, it doesn’t appear to be a long-term injury, general manager Ken Holland said Friday.

“Did a CT scan last night, doctors are looking at it,” Holland said. “Don’t think it’s anything significant, but we want to make sure. Obviously, he’s young and very important to this franchise. We’ll know more in a day or two.”

Holland said Larkin isn’t likely to play this weekend (the Red Wings are at Florida on Sunday) but might return Tuesday at Montreal if all goes well following a second opinion.

Coach Jeff Blashill said the club has not contemplated shutting down Larkin for the rest of the season.

“I don’t know that this (injury) would be a big deal,” Blashill said. “If it is a big deal, obviously we’re not going to jeopardize Dylan’s career.

“I know Dylan wants to play, we got to keep moving forward as a hockey team and Dylan’s a big part of that regardless of where we are in the standings.”

The Lightning (51-13-4, 106 points) are No. 1 in the standings, 15 points ahead of anyone else and well on their way to their first Presidents’ Trophy.

They have made life miserable for the Red Wings, with a 13-game winning streak against Detroit, which has picked up only two points during this stretch (in overtime and shootout losses). The Red Wings’ most recent regular season victory against the Lightning was on Nov. 3, 2015.

Tampa Bay has won 12 consecutive home games vs. Detroit in the regular season, dating back to Feb. 17, 2011.

Blashill was asked if his good friend, Lightning coach Jon Cooper, reminds him of the streak.

“I got another buddy there, Derek Lalonde (an assistant coach), h’s like the little yip on the side and he likes to yap a lot, like a little dog yaps a lot,” Blashill said. “Coop doesn’t do much talking, he’s got his sidekick there.

“No, I’m kind of kidding. But in the end, when you win lots, you can stick your chest out a little bit more and that’s life. All we can do about it is go and play great hockey, try to win a hockey game.”

Asked how cognizant they are of the Lightning’s streak against them, Niklas Kronwall said, “I think it’s more (media) that keep reminding us. But there’s no doubt that everyone in that room knows it’s been a while since we beat them. We’ve come close a few times.”

The Red Wings (24-33-10, 58 points), 29th overall, snapped an eight- game winless streak with a 3-2 shootout victory over the New York Rangers Thursday.

“I don’t think the discrepancy in teams in today’s NHL is outlandish,” Blashill said. “Certainly, I’m sick of not beating them.”

Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov leads the league with 108 points (31 goals, 77 assists). Andrei Vasilevskiy is No. 1 in save percentage (.931).

The Lightning lead the NHL in goals per game (3.78), power-play percentage (29.0) and penalty kill percentage (85.6). 1134997 Detroit Red Wings made sure everyone got their time and made everyone feel great about themselves.”

Lindsay, 5-8 and 163 pounds as a player, spoke to the team before the Red Wings reflect on Ted Lindsay’s tremendous impact on team, sport, 1997 Stanley Cup final, telling them not to be intimidated by society Philadelphia’s size advantage. The Red Wings swept the Flyers to end a 42-year championship drought.

Posted Mar 8, 4:44 PM “He’s talking about our hockey team and what we’ve done and how fast and competitive we are -- don’t worry about the size,” Kris Draper said. By Ansar Khan “He made us better people. He made us better hockey players. My favorite times were playoff hockey and Ted Lindsay being in the locker room on gameday. It just elevated our intensity and our emotion. When DETROIT – Ted Lindsay will be remembered not only as a great hockey you have the nickname Terrible Ted, there’s a reason for that.” player but someone who cared about the sport, his fellow players and people in general. Then there’s this: “He’d say when you have an opportunity to sign an autograph for a younger fan, make sure you stop and do it,” Draper said. He was as nasty and competitive as they come on the ice and as kind and charitable as you’ll find away from the rink. Justin Abdelkader recalls the message from Lindsay about playing with heart -- “You can be good player, you can be big, strong, it doesn’t Players, past and present, and hockey dignitaries paid their respects to matter. Whoever comes out of the corner with the puck, that’s who I want the Detroit Red Wings legend Friday during a public visitation at Little on my team.” Caesars Arena. Lindsay died on Monday at age 93. “It was like the moment I met Gordie Howe, you’re just in awe,” “Ted had an unbelievable impact on anybody he was around,” Red Abdelkader said. “Right away you look at him and it’s like, for them Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “You could honor him for the player he calling him Terrible Ted, he’s not the biggest of stature. But obviously, as was, you could honor him for how hard-nosed he was, you could honor nice a person as he was off the ice, he was a tough customer on the ice. him for starting the (Players Association), you could honor him for getting From what you’ve heard, he played the game hard and the right way.” wives and children invited to the Hall of Fame, you could honor him for his work with autism, you could honor him for making sure the history of Said Berenson: “If he was on the other team, he was your worst enemy. the Detroit Red Wings stayed prominent to the current players. If he was on your team, he was your best friend.”

“Every time he walked into the room, he had every guy’s attention. You The Red Wings remained Lindsay’s passion long after he retired as a could also honor him for what an example of a human being he was. He player in 1965 and well after his three-year stint as the club’s general worked out until the end, he was in unbelievable shape. He said what he manager ended in 1980. believed. You just had so much respect for him.” “He’d come into my office and sit for an hour and just talk hockey, talk The left wing on the Red Wings’ famed Production Line of the 1950s about the state of the team, things he saw,” Red Wings GM Ken Holland (with fellow Hall of Famers Gordie Howe and Sid Abel), Lindsay made said. “He watched all the games. He had a passion for hockey, he had a personal sacrifices in his effort to form a players union in the 1950s (the passion for the Red Wings. He wanted the team to be good.” NHLPA was founded in 1967). Zetterberg’s 1,000th game on April 9, 2017, was the last at the Joe. He’s “He just felt the players were mistreated (by owners),” former Red Wings glad Lindsay was on the ice to present him with a gift from the NHL player and Michigan coach Red Berenson said. “There wasn’t much during a pregame ceremony with Zetterberg’s wife, Emma, and son, structure in the game and the players didn’t have much to stand on and it Love. was the salaries. I came out of Michigan in 1962 and was offered a job at U.S. Steel for $6,000 a year and the minimum in the NHL was $7,000 a “That was very special,” Zetterberg said. “That picture is blown up both in year. I don’t think there was a pension until Ted Lindsay bartered to have my home and in my mom and dad’s home in Sweden. a pension. I don’t know if there was any healthcare, moving expenses if “Over the years we got closer and closer. He was so involved with the you got traded or sent down.” team. He knew what was going on. If you needed a confidence boost, he Said Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall: “He changed life for a lot was there. Just to see the rookies’ faces when they’d see Ted walk in the of people, and we should be extremely grateful for where we are as room was pretty cool.” hockey players today.” Michigan Live LOADED: 03.09.2019 Lindsay also was committed to helping people who didn’t play the game. His Ted Foundation, formed in 2001, has raised more than $4 million to support research and educational programs focusing on the cause and treatment for autism.

“Ted was probably the one that encouraged me the most to do work in the community and with charities,” former Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “All the stuff he’s done in Detroit for autism, he’s a true role model for everyone.”

Lindsay frequently visited Joe Louis Arena, meeting with players, coaches and the front office and working out in the exercise room, well into his 80s and even after turning 90.

Former Red Wing Kirk Maltby, during his first full season with the team in 1996-97, recalled walking into the room and hearing the sound of weights banging.

“I thought it was a trainer,” Maltby said. “No, it was Ted, getting a good workout in early in the morning. I didn’t want to interrupt his workout and get him mad at me. Afterwards he’d always sit down and talk with the guys.”

Kronwall remembers how Lindsay addressed everyone.

“When he came into the room, he would always call everyone by their full first name -- it wouldn’t be Nik, it would always be Niklas,” Kronwall said. “It didn’t matter if you were Nick Lidstrom or someone barely playing, he 1134998 Detroit Red Wings

Dennis Cholowski remains (defensive) work in progress with Griffins

Posted Mar 8, 12:22 PM

By Peter J. Wallner

GRAND RAPIDS - Dennis Cholowski has been the most productive players on the Grand Rapids Griffins since he was sent down three weeks ago.

Of course, offense wasn't the issue with the touted defenseman with the Detroit Red Wings, and it hasn't been with the Griffins, either.

Chowlowski has five assists in the seven games heading into the 7 p.m. Friday home game against Iowa.

The assists are second on the team in that span, but it's the defensive play that has Detroit brass watching most closely.

The verdict from Grand Rapids so far?

“Progressing and getting better, but I still think there’s continued room for improvement on the defensive side of the puck,” coach Ben Simon said of the 20th overall draft pick in 2016. "Being a little more assertive with his defensive play with leaning into guys and ending plays quicker in the d zone.

"And that's going to come with getting your legs underneath you down here and having some confidence."

Caledonia's Erin Dean will drop first puck at Griffins' annual Purple Community Game.

Chowlowski, paired in Wednesday’s 5-2 win against Texas with Brian Lashoff after teamed most of the previous games with Dylan McIlrath, is also gaining experience on special teams, including more work on the penalty kill.

"We're putting him in situations where maybe he hasn't been in a while," Simon said. "I don't know how many D-zone starts he's had, how many times he's played against teams top lines, and he's getting a lot of heavy minutes and killing penalties. So, different situations he's got to grow into, and with a young player it takes a little time to do that.

Simon also noted: "He's putting in the time. His care-meter is there; he cares and wants to get better."

Defenseman, sent to AHL team after tough week, picks up an assist in first game with the Griffins.

Barring an injury in Detroit, Cholowski is expected to remain with the Griffins for the duration. The goal is to give the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder a chance to develop defensively and be exposed to new challenges. He hasn’t played with the Red Wings since Feb. 10 but remains third among defensemen in scoring with 16 points (7-9-16). He was a minus-20 plus/minus with the Red Wings; he’s plus-six so far with the Griffins.

"Yeah, it's going good. Just trying to play well and not worry about too much of anything else," Cholowski said of the adjustment. "Just be with the team and play my best."

Cholowski has played point on the first-unit power play. Against Texas, he delivered a cross-ice pass in deep to Chris Terry who quickly passed back to an incoming Martin Frk for a goal to tie it 2-2 at 8:54 of the second period.

“Just D-zone play and asserting on the penalty kill, too, now,” Cholowski said. “So, just going into the corners and winning my battles and boxing guys up in front of the net, tying up sticks and being a little more assertive, aggressive and intense. Just continue to work on it and whatever happens, happens.”

Michigan Live LOADED: 03.09.2019 1134999 Detroit Red Wings

Path to greatness for Andreas Athanasiou is defensive improvement

Posted Mar 8, 6:00 AM

By Ansar Khan

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings have seen plenty from Andreas Athanasiou to conclude he can continue to be an offensive force, with his elite speed and finishing ability.

Now, as he gets settled into his new center position, they want his game without the puck to grow. They’re not expecting him to become a Selke Trophy candidate, just a responsible defensive player.

“If you want to win, you have great two-way centers,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “It’s something that Larks has really been working on and (Athanasiou) will have to do the same. You just got to be really good defensively. You look at the teams that win in the league, they got great two-way centers. If he can be dynamic and still be real good from the defensive side, then he puts us in a position where he looks like he can really help us win in that center position.”

Athanasiou helped the Red Wings top an eight-game slide (0-5-3) Thursday by scoring a goal and assisting on the other in regulation and then notching the lone shootout goal in a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena.

Athanasiou stepped into the top-line center spot, between Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha, in place of Dylan Larkin, who sat out due to a nagging back issue. He logged a career-high 24:13 in ice time and won 13-of-16 faceoffs, a sharp improvement from his success rate entering the game (36 percent).

“I thought Doubles was really going and when he’s really going and feeling it, he’s super-electric,” Blashill said. “I thought he was electric every time he touched the puck.”

Athanasiou, in his fourth game since being moved from wing to center, assisted on Bertuzzi’s goal at 5:46 of the second period and fired in a shot during a two-one-one at 6:15 of the third. He has 23 goals and 41 points.

“He’s had dynamic nights at both positions now,” Blashill said. “It’s a different use of his speed. On the wing he uses his speed to kind of get into breakaway situations. This way, he uses his speed to really transport the puck up the ice from the center position. I think it’s a good step and every game he plays where he’s dynamic as a center, it’s a real good step.”

Athanasiou said he enjoys assuming the added responsibility at center.

“I think it’s just getting better with every game, every shift and every faceoff,” Athanasiou said. “I think you just grow as a player here and mature in that center role. I think it’s just going to keep getting better these last few games.”

Blashill said the key to Athanasiou’s defensive improvement comes down to stopping on pucks.

“Coming back into his zone, stopping,” Blashill said. “He likes to kind of keep his momentum so then he can take off. But he’s too fast, he doesn’t need to do that. So, it’s just a habit of stopping and making sure that when he comes back into his zone, he either outnumbers right away or he stops and sorts. The thing if you don’t, if you drift as a player, nobody else knows what you’re doing. If you start and stop, then you can define who’s got who and what your responsibilities are. It’s just a habit that you can get away with a little bit more at wing than you can at center.”

Athanasiou’s razzle-dazzle instincts aren’t lost at center. He attempted a slick between the skates move during a break late in the game that didn’t work.

“I’m not really sure what I was thinking,” Athanasiou said. “I wanted to get a shot off and I thought if I kind of got it between my legs I could protect the puck. I ended up almost tripping myself. It was a chance and I tried my move. It just didn’t go in.”

Michigan Live LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135000 Detroit Red Wings

Athanasiou-led Red Wings top Rangers 3-2 in SO minus Larkin

By LARRY LAGE

AP Sports Writer

Mar 7, 2019 Updated Mar 7, 2019

DETROIT (AP) — Andreas Athanasiou scored in the third period and had the only goal in a shootout, lifting the Detroit Red Wings over the scuffling New York Rangers 3-2 on Thursday night to snap an eight-game losing streak.

Tyler Bertuzzi also scored and Jimmy Howard made 32 saves for the Red Wings, who ended their longest skid of the season.

Detroit played without leading scorer Dylan Larkin and top-scoring defenseman Mike Green. Larkin was out with a back injury and Green will miss the rest of the season because of a virus.

The Rangers have lost a season-high six straight.

New York's Pavel Buchnevich made it 2-all with 5:31 left in the third by scoring his second goal of the game on a breakaway.

Athanasiou put the Red Wings ahead at 6:15 of the third. He had a chance to do it again late in regulation, but missed the net after putting the puck between his legs. Henrik Lundqvist prevented Athanasiou from scoring midway through overtime, but couldn't deny him in a 1-on-1 situation in the shootout.

Athanasiou previously beat Lundqvist with a shot from the inside of the right circle, scoring on a 2-on-1 set up by saves at the other end of the ice by Howard and defenseman Danny DeKeyser. Howard stopped Brett Howden's shot and DeKeyser prevented Tony DeAngelo from scoring off the rebound.

Lundqvist made 43 saves and some were spectacular, including a stop that prevented Bertuzzi from scoring a second goal to give the Red Wings a two-goal lead midway through the third period.

Buchnevich broke a scoreless tie midway through the first period in which Lundqvist stopped each of the 14 shots he faced. Bertuzzi redirected the puck past Lundqvist early in the second, standing with his back facing the net.

NOTES

The Red Wings played their first home game since Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay died on Monday. There was a long moment of silence for Lindsay before the game and during it, players honored him by tapping their sticks on the ice as the crowd stood and cheered. A visitation for Lindsay is scheduled at Little Caesars Arena on Friday from 9:07 a.m. to 7:07 p.m., with starting and ending times that are a nod to his No. 7 jersey. ... Rangers D Marc Staal was in the lineup after being questionable with the flu. D Kevin Shattenkirk was a healthy scratch. ... Detroit recalled C Christoffer Ehn from the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins and played him on the fourth line.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

Red Wings: Play at Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Macomb Daily LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135001 Detroit Red Wings Generally, with age and the passing of time, every player loses a step, which thus far has not happened to Marleau. Just as with Cullen, Marleau’s speed helps him keep up.

Duhatschek Notebook: Matt Cullen’s unique path to 1,500 and Ted But it’s interesting to track the evolution of the NHL’s demographics Lindsay’s influence on the Cup specifically to age.

In Marleau’s first season, 1997-98, the average age of an NHL player By Eric Duhatschek Mar 8, 2019 was 27 years and 254 days, an increase of almost two full years from 1980-81, when the average age of the players on the NHL’s season- opening rosters was 25 years and 239 days.

This week, Matt Cullen became just the 20th player in NHL history to play SEASON PLAYERS AGE/YEARS AGE/YEARS in 1,500 career games, which would be an extraordinary feat in any era, but is practically unheard of in this one – because the NHL has 1980-1981 378 25 329 increasingly become a young man’s league. 1981-1982 378 25 181

Once upon a time, there was a value placed on leadership and 1982-1983 398 25 195 experience, but that is diminishing as dozens of 30-something players disappear from the league with every passing season. 1983-1984 399 25 236

A look at the hard data shows that from the 2005-06 season, when there 1984-1985 398 25 133 were 301 30-year-olds who played at least one game into the NHL, reveals that the number has fallen off a cliff (to 215 thus far in the 2018- 1985-1986 399 25 133 19 season). 1986-1987 399 25 229

Teams want younger, faster, cheaper players and it often it comes at the 1987-1988 398 25 307 expense of players such as Cullen, who broke into the NHL as a 22-year- old with the 1997-98 Anaheim Ducks, following two years at St. Cloud 1988-1989 400 25 338 State. Cullen was the 35th overall pick in the 1996 NHL entry draft, which 1989-1990 400 26 93 is arguably one of the five least distinguished drafts of all time. The only other player from Cullen’s draft year still playing is Zdeno Chara (56th 1990-1991 400 26 73 overall to the New York Islanders). 1991-1992 420 26 216 Nowadays, because of advances in nutrition and a generally greater awareness of good health habits, people like to say 60 is the new 40. 1992-1993 456 26 218 Well, in the NHL, it’s trending in the opposite direction – the new 40 is 1993-1994 495 26 333 actually 30. 1994-1995 494 27 240 But what makes Cullen’s achievement so noteworthy is that almost every other player to get to 1,500 career NHL games has either made it to the 1995-1996 495 27 42 Hockey Hall of Fame already – or is going to get there soon. Fifteen are already in, from Gordie Howe and Mark Messier to Ron Francis and 1996-1997 495 27 200 Chris Chelios. Most people believe Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla will 1997-1998 495 27 254 get voted in during their first years of eligibility. Joe Thornton is still active but he’s got Hall of Fame credentials. That’s 17. The two others who’ve 1998-1999 515 27 335 gotten to 1,500 games played and aren’t necessarily sure things are Shane Doan, who recently had his jersey retired by the Arizona Coyotes; 1999-2000 534 27 281 and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Patrick Marleau, who has quietly crept up 2000-2001 569 27 300 to No. 7 on the all-time games played list (1,642). 2001-2002 571 28 9 If Marleau remains healthy for the duration of the Leafs’ season, he will pass both Chelios (1,651) and Mark Recchi (1,652) and vault into fifth 2002-2003 572 28 105 place. Howe is the all-time games-played leader at 1,767, which is within Marleau’s reach – although the Leaf would have to play beyond the final 2003-2004 571 28 2 year of his current three-year contract to do so. 2005-2006 571 28 254

Ultimately, what makes Cullen positively unique is he’s the only pure 2006-2007 572 28 197 journeyman to get to 1,500 career games played. Cullen only spent 27 games in the minor leagues, but has never topped 50 points in a single 2007-2008 571 28 162 NHL season (he managed 49 twice, for the ’06 and ’08 Carolina Hurricanes). But he has also been part of three Stanley Cup 2008-2009 571 28 58 championship teams and the common denominator there is Jim 2009-2010 570 28 24 Rutherford, who was the general manager in Carolina when Cullen won there and is also the GM of his current team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. 2010-2011 572 27 247 Rutherford celebrated his 70th birthday 19 days ago. Maybe it helps to 2011-2012 570 27 303 have a senior citizen as your employer if you hope to play in the league as a 42-year-old. 2012-2013 573 28 107

But Cullen’s milestone – and the fact that against long injury odds, Ryan 2013-2014 571 27 298 Kesler managed to play his 1,000th game this past week – got me thinking about how older players have become an endangered species of 2014-2015 572 27 263 late, which is a development I wanted to run past Marleau during the 2015-2016 571 27 222 Leafs’ annual trip through Western Canada this week. 2016-2017 571 27 151 Marleau is 39 – and he’ll turn 40 this coming September. 2017-2018 592 27 85 As an older player in a young man’s game, how does he keep going? 2018-2019 592 27 29 “I don’t really look at a number,” Marleau said. “I go by how I feel – and I feel really young and I feel fit and still love playing. I feel like I’ve got lots For most of the 1980s, however, players aged out of the NHL in their of energy still.” early to mid-30s, largely because the across-the-board commitment to physical conditioning just wasn’t there. Once in a while you’d see an incredibly fit athlete, such as Jamie Hislop how much Red Wings’ owner Mike Ilitch spent on players – and it was of the 1982 Calgary Flames, and his teammates would be in awe of his OK for future Hall of Famers such as Robitaille and Hull to play relatively abilities – Hislop once did so many sit-ups in fitness testing that coach limited roles. Bob Johnson finally made him stop because it looked as if he could go on forever. Tim Hunter was another early adopter of good fitness habits. Nowadays, on social media, Marleau sometimes gets criticized – not for his play, or his speed, or his ability to mentor young players or any But they were the exceptions rather than the rule and for a time, the tangible factor, but because of his salary ($6.25 million per season, with percentage of players who figured out the value of conditioning held a one year remaining after this one on his contract), which may limit the decided edge. Leafs’ ability to sign their younger players and still stay cap compliant.

In time, as the salaries increased, the vast majority of players got with the If he earned half that, it would be no issue. If there were no salary cap, it program and began to understand if they wanted to stay and play in the wouldn’t be an issue. As coach Mike Babcock says over and over, league, it was on them to treat professional hockey like an 11-and-a-half Marleau has a value to the team. People would just like to see him bring month a year job. those values to the mix for a much lower salary.

Summers required full-on sport-specific training and for some, additional Last Monday, prior to a Calgary-Toronto game, one of the prominent skill development. storylines featured the Norris Trophy race for the NHL’s top defenceman, which had two candidates on display – the Flames’ Mark Giordano and Eventually, training camps stopped being for getting into shape. Instead, the Leafs’ Morgan Rielly. they required players to arrive in shape because fitness testing was conducted on the first day and the evaluation process started right away. But instead of focusing on what they did so well, the narrative centered on their respective ages – Rielly being a decade younger than Giordano. That, in turn, caused a demonstrable demographic shift – and allowed Recently, just about every story on Giordano isn’t that he’s having a careers to last longer. career season. Instead, it is framed almost entirely as, ‘he’s having a The 2001-02 season marked the first time that the average age of an great season and he’s 35 years old’ – as if he was practically the second NHL player on an opening day roster crept above 28 – 28 years and nine coming of Methuselah. days to be precise. Recently, Giordano became the fifth player on this year’s Flames’ team The age of NHLers peaked in 2005-06, which came a year after the to reach the 60-point threshold, which in and of itself was remarkable. lockout shut down the league for a full season. That wasn’t a coincidence But the real focus was on the fact that Giordano did it at his age – either. Two things happened then to swing the pendulum back in the becoming only the fourth defenceman in NHL history to produce a 60- other direction. point season at the age of 35 or better. He was precisely 35 years and 147 days when he did it. The others were Lidstrom, who did it four times; One – the rule changes that came out of the Shanahan Summit to Al MacInnis, who did it twice, and Sergei Zubov, who did it once. minimize the effects of hooking, holding and interference allowed smaller, quicker players to survive and thrive in the NHL. Like Giordano, Marleau also seems to take questions about his age in relative stride, pointing out that in the early days of his career, “the better Two – the introduction of the salary cap limited the amount teams could teams were all the older teams – like Detroit. The experience they had spend on a player. Young players, on entry-level contracts, where their was pretty amazing. They knew how to work the game and how to put compensation was capped, suddenly became a cost-effective option. Nor themselves in the right positions out there.” did the salary-cap system entirely anticipate how players coming out of their first-entry level contracts could become stars right away – and As for Cullen, the Penguins did a nice job of honoring him in his 1,500th would want to be compensated as such. NHL game. In the warm-up, every teammate wore his No. 7 sweater. In the game, Cullen wore a different jersey in each period, so each of his That put a further squeeze on older players. Because there are only so three sons would have a memento from the game. His teammates gifted many dollars in the system that a team can spend on its players, him an all-terrain vehicle, in the Penguins’ black and gold colors, to use something had to give. The casualties, by and large, have been older in retirement. His coach, Mike Sullivan, gave perhaps the best players. This time, they started to age out of the league not because of assessment of why Cullen has done something so rare and unique, fitness or commitment issues but because of simple economics. If there noting his career was a really a reflection of two qualities – his passion weren’t enough dollars to go around, teams figured they spend their and his professionalism; and that few players train the way he does and limited resources on younger talent, which had a chance to get better, live the way he does, which gave him the opportunity to continue playing rather on older players, who were only going to get worse. As Kesler at an NHL level long after others have fallen by the wayside. noted: Nobody beats Father Time forever. The best game I ever covered, Part 2 Now in his 21st full season, Marleau straddles two eras – when experience and maturity were prized; and now, when they tend to be a Not sure if everyone had a chance to read Richard Deitsch’s excellent rarer thing. series last week, in which he compiled a series of reflections from some of us veteran scribes about the “best” game we ever covered. Just how “When I first came in, that thing where you’d come into camp to get to define “best” made it an intriguing exercise. For many of us, “best” ready was on the way out,” Marleau said. “Guys were starting to put in translated into most meaningful, which is why I settled on a fairly obscure the work in the offseason before they came to camp. event – trying to report a story on a 1987 pre-Olympic hockey tournament in Russia when it was still politically the Soviet Union and the logistical “You always try to find an edge – and at that point, working out in the challenges that contributed to making it a journalistic ordeal like no other. summer and being ready could give you an edge. Now, everybody’s working out, but everybody’s trying different things to find an edge. That But on another level, what made that one easier to report was that there hasn’t stopped.” were no time constraints because Moscow was 12 hours ahead of Calgary, where my newspaper was based. Most times, newspaper work Some of Marleau’s current teammates – such as Mitch Marner – are in the 1980s was limited by deadlines, which were usually so tight as the almost young enough to be his children, a development that has him story unfolded, you could really only ever tell half of it – from the locker smiling. room of the team you covered. “It’s one of those things, people don’t really know what it’s like to be you, The other story I considered spinning for Richard’s project happened in so you just do your thing,” Marleau said. “It’s more about what I can Game 7 of the NHL’s 1986 Western Conference semifinal between the control and how I feel and how I prepare myself for games. I feel great Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames, which is arguably the most and I enjoy the game, so why not?” controversial in the history of the Battle of Alberta. Marleau started out playing for Darryl Sutter in San Jose and even in his That year, the Oilers were the two-time defending Stanley Cup fifth full season with the Sharks, averaged only 14:04 in ice time (in Year champions and had amassed 119 regular-season points – something 6, he jumped to 18:31). But that fifth season coincided with the 2002 Red they’d done only once before (in ’84) and not something they would ever Wings’ Stanley Cup championship, a team that featured a vast collection do again. On talent alone, many believe that the ’86 Oilers might have of 30-somethings, including Dominik Hasek, Chelios, Igor Larionov, been the best team of their dynasty era. Wayne Gretzky scored 215 Nicklas Lidstrom, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Brendan points, the most in NHL history. Paul Coffey scored 138 points, the Shanahan and Steve Duchesne. In pre-salary cap days, it didn’t matter second most by a defenceman in history (Bobby Orr had 139 in the 1970-71 season). Jari Kurri was fourth in the scoring race – and led the impressive offensive pedigree could get one goal back easily – except it league with 68 goals in 80 games. The Flames were 30 points behind took them too long to process what happened. them in the regular season, but managed to get the series to 3-3. Then in the third period of the deciding game, came a moment that changed NHL “There was massive disruption on their bench – and nothing changed on history forever – Oilers’ rookie defenceman Steve Smith banking a shot ours,” Berezan said. “They’re wondering, what the heck happened? Then off the back of goalie Grant Fuhr’s leg for an own goal that proved to be as it got down to three or three-and-a-half minutes, the Oilers cranked it the winner for Calgary – and effectively ended what could have been a up – and Vernie (goaltender Mike Vernon) did too. He made incredible five-year Stanley Cup run. saves to get the win.”

Officially, the goal in question was credited to Perry Berezan, the last Nowadays, of course, even in the newspaper business, updated stories Flames’ player to touch the puck. Naturally, Berezan was already on the can be posted online, so there is a far greater chance of telling a more bench, with his back turned, when the puck went in. How do you properly complete story right away. In the online world, there is no crew in the tell this story when, because of deadlines, you’d file your story for the first press room waiting for your copy; no drivers who distribute the physical edition on or before the buzzer sounded to end the game? Usually, then paper waiting for it to come off the presses. As Bob Dylan says – things you had about 30 minutes to turn it around for a second-edition ‘write- have changed. In the storytelling world, that’s a good thing. thru,’ which meant a mad dash to the dressing room, for a few snippets The Ted Lindsay chronicles of quotes, and then back to your word processor, to update the story; and that was it. Ted Lindsay was, indisputably, one of the most influential figures in NHL history – and many of Lindsay’s accomplishments, on and off the ice, My story was about the jubilation in the Flames’ dressing room amid the have been documented this past week. How he led the league in goals, weirdest of circumstances and how, after all those years of being a assists, points and penalty minutes. How his activism led to the NHL punching bag for Edmonton, the Flames managed some measure of players association and the better life that all players who subsequently revenge. It was such a big deal that my newspaper produced and sold a came down the path now enjoy. commemorative sweatshirt that featured the front page of that day’s sports section. I still have own at my summer cottage. There was a lot of Lindsay chatter back and forth on the NHL grapevine this week after he passed away at the age of 93, including a conversation What you learn, over time, about these sorts of momentous, franchise- I had with David McNab, the long-time Anaheim Ducks’ assistant general altering games is that the best story is actually in the losing locker room – manager about a tradition Lindsay inadvertently started when the Red how Smith was there to face the music after the game; took the loss on Wings won the 1950 Stanley Cup. his own shoulders; and publicly anyway, wasn’t getting much support from his more experienced teammates at that moment in time. McNab is from one of hockey’s first families.

But I only learned of that development after the fact, from my friends in His brother Peter played in three Stanley Cup finals and now works as an the Edmonton reporting contingent, who were focused on the losing team analyst on Colorado Avalanche broadcasts. – and what happened, and how it went all so wrong. Over time, of Their father, Max, was a long-time NHL executive, who also played for course, you fill in the gaps. Smith eventually finished an impressive 16- the Red Wings’ 1949-50 Stanley Cup championship team, which was year career playing for Calgary and later became an assistant coach Lindsay’s first as a player. here. I got to know him very well – and a more grounded individual, you’ll never find, which is why he was able to recover from that early misstep That final was memorable for a couple of reasons, including the fact that and forge a successful career, instead of having it crush him. But he the eventual runners-up, the New York Rangers, couldn’t play any games never much liked to talk about it. at home because the circus meant the ice was not available at Madison Square Gardens. New York was forced to play Games 2 and 3 of the Berezan was eventually traded to the Minnesota North Stars months series at a neutral site – Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens – and held a 3-2 before the 1989 Flames won the Stanley Cup for Brian MacLellan, now series lead after Game 5 in Detroit. the Washington Capitals’ GM, which is how MacLellan got his name on the Cup for the first time. But 33 years after the fact – a full third of the But the Red Wings rallied back to win a nail-biter in Game 6 – 5-4 – and century – Berezan says it is still the defining moment of his career and then prevailed in the seventh and deciding game of the series, 4-3 in the play that everybody talks to him about. double overtime on a goal by Pete Babando (it was April 23, by the way, the day they clinched – a story for another day). “Once guys retire, almost everybody has some badge that they wear for the rest of their lives, where somebody goes, ‘oh you were the guy that That day, NHL president Clarence Campbell presented the Red Wings …’ – and the Steve Smith goal was my thing,” Berezan said. “I’ve told with the Stanley Cup – but it was a far different ceremony back then, and that story hundreds of times. That was my first full year in the NHL – and according to McNab, it was Lindsay’s spontaneous response to the I couldn’t believe how even keel people were after wins and losses. Next victory that changed the course of the celebration forever. Sid Abel was shift is your next shift, it doesn’t matter what happened. Next day is the the Detroit captain, Lindsay an assistant. next day, it doesn’t matter what happened. And it was like that in that game. Badger (coach Bob Johnson) had me with (John) Tonelli and According to McNab’s father Max, Lindsay’s teammate, Lindsay lifted the Lanny (McDonald). I was in good company. Cup over his head in celebration as so many traditions do, as a complete accident. “I remember how the puck was in our end. I got it on the board side closest to the bench and crossed the line and dumped it in. The bench is “My dad and I were talking about Stanley Cup tradition after we won ours three feet from me. I go off – and because those benches were so small, in Anaheim (in 2007) and he told me what happened with his in 1950,” I had to wait for everyone to shuffle over to get a seat. I hadn’t even sat said McNab. “He always said, ‘you remember everything that went on in down. My back was to the play, so I didn’t even see what happened. the locker room for the rest of your life.’

“All I remember is the oxygen in the Northlands Coliseum disappeared – because there was this collective gasp and then there was silence, “He told me they talked about it in the locker room afterward – how Ted maybe a little cheering from our bench. I turned around and said what Lindsay lifted the Cup over his head – because nobody knew where that happened? Someone answered: ‘I think we scored. But in those days, came from. In those days, it was almost taboo for a player on the ice to there was no replay – so we didn’t have a replay and no one in the touch the Cup. It wasn’t anything that was planned. It stemmed strictly building saw a replay, except up in the press box. But we, as players, from the emotion of the game. They were down 3-2 in the finals and didn’t see anything. Steve Smith was crying, so they had to get him off down by two goals in Game 6 and rallied to win. Then they rallied from the ice. And then, the puck’s dropped and you’re playing again. In a lot of behind in that Game 7, which is still the longest deciding game in finals ways, that’s the way you want to get a lead in someone else’s building – history. quietly. Because if it was a highlight reel goal, the team almost gets too “Back in those days, you only had the Cup in the locker room for about pumped up and it’s not business as usual. It took them about four an hour and then it was gone, never to be seen again. So, when (NHL minutes to recover, because you could tell they were stunned and they president) Clarence Campbell brought it out on the ice, where usually were reeling.” you just stood around and took a picture with it and that was it, Ted That helped run half the remaining time off the clock. It wasn’t just the Lindsay grabbed it in the heat of the moment – and shocked everybody fact of Calgary scoring the go-ahead goal. It was the crazy circumstances because he really wasn’t supposed to do that. The tradition of the captain of the goal that left the Oilers temporarily in shock. A team with their getting the Cup and putting it over his head started there – as just a fluke. “The rest, as they say, is history – and in that particular case, you can really say that. It made history. Maybe as time went on, it would have happened anyway. But every time I watch the finals now and you see somebody lifting the Cup, I always think of how it all started – with Ted Lindsay.”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135002 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers in 60: It's always a beautiful day when the Oilers win

TREVOR ROBBUpdated: March 8, 2019

Edmonton might be in the middle of a snowstorm Friday but that hasn’t done anything to dampen Oilers’ fans spirits.

Winning makes everything seem so much better. And the Edmonton Oilers are on a four-gaem winning streak now thanks to a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks last night at Rogers Place.

The Oilers got goals from Alex Chiasson, Zack Kassian, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with assists from—guess who?—Connor McDavid, who tallied his 60th and 61st apple of the season.

.@cmcdavid97, impressive as always. pic.twitter.com/wS1ZKzqhYf— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) March 8, 2019

The Oilers came away with a much-needed two points to keep pace in the Western Conference wild card race. Both the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars won last night, so the Oilers were not able to make up any ground there.

But the win helped the Oilers leapfrog ahead off the Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks in the standings as the Oilers now have 67 points on the season, seven points back from the Wild and eight of the Stars.

With 15 games left in the season, there’s still plenty of time for the Oilers to make a run at this thing provided they get some help on the scoreboard. The Oilers will play the Stars on March 28 so circle that game in your calendar.

Moving on

The Oilers continue their four-game home stand at Rogers Place against the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday. Puck drop at 5:00 p.m.

Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135003 Edmonton Oilers “Playing Connor and Leon separately gives me better options, match-up wise,” said Hitchcock. “Against Vancouver, they wanted Bo Horvat against Connor every time but we wouldn’t give it to them. But when they Stars come out at night when Oilers and Maple Leafs meet have Horvat and (injured Brandon) Sutter, that negates things. I mean, Toronto’s got a three-headed thing with Kadri too so they have an advantage most nights. We have to find something to negate that, maybe use Connor more, and we also have Leon (at wing or centre).” Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal The Oilers have three centres, too, with Nugent-Hopkins but they have

such a shallow pool of weapons on the wing, they have to use him on The Clash of the Titans marquee always screams CONNOR MCDAVID McDavid’s left side. Hitchcock thinks Nugent-Hopkins is a better centre and AUSTON MATTHEWS when the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto — so do most people — but he has no choice but to have him on the top Maple Leafs are on the NHL playbill, as if Leon Draisaitl, Mitch Marner line for now, until they trade or sign somebody this summer. and John Tavares are merely supporting actors, never up for the big How do the Oilers avoid the same meltdown they suffered in Toronto, roles. where they were all over the Leafs for the first 19 minutes but Toronto got And Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nazem Kadri are simply walk-ons? five goals in the next 10 minutes and crushed them 6-2 — a recurring theme for the Oilers, who can’t seem to keep up to fast, clever, resolute Let’s face it, there’s plenty of star power when these teams meet. teams that can score often and score quickly, like San Jose and Tampa and the Leafs? Lots of storylines, too. Draisaitl knows they got eaten up in Toronto, with the Leafs slicing and • Who checks McDavid? Tavares or Kadri? dicing them like a chef at Japanese Village, twirling his Ginsu knife. • How about Matthews vs. Draisaitl instead of McDavid, two big asteroids “Very dangerous team and if you have too many mistakes, they’ll colliding? capitalize,” he said. “They’re too skilled.” There should be ample drama when Canada’s Team and Canada’s Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.09.2019 broadcaster are on the stage Saturday with McDavid and Draisaitl, absolutely the best tag-team in the league with 74 goals and second-best in points (178) behind Nikita Kucherov and Steve Stamkos (187), third and sixth in NHL scoring.

Whether there’s the same suspense team-wise, on the scoreboard, we’ll see because the Maple Leafs rolled over the Oilers like a cement mixer on a baby-stroller 10 days ago in Toronto.

Both teams need the win, with the Leafs chasing the Bruins for second in the Adams, while the Oilers, with four straight wins and only two regulation losses in their last 10, trying to stay alive for a wildcard spot in the West.

The Leafs have nine guys in double figures in goals. The Oilers have five. The Leafs have 87 points, 20 more than the Oilers.

So, gentlemen, start your engines.

In Toronto, Tavares, who has 73 points, checked McDavid. But maybe it’ll be the abrasive Kadri, back after missing eight games with a concussion. Double the trouble.

“No, Kadri won’t be against Connor,” said Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock, who will have the advantage of owning the last line changes. “I’ll have something to say about that.”

McDavid is always the focal point in the Oilers-Leafs matchup. Is the hype too much?

“Connor gets excited playing against top players. He relishes those opportunities. I mean, we got spanked the last time we played Toronto and I’ve found that the bigger the stage, the better Connor plays, so you get excited for your team,” said Hitchcock. “If he has a poor game, he’ll follow it up with two or three good ones.”

McDavid wasn’t available in the dressing room Friday, but it’s Saturday night, Hockey Night in Canada. So it’s appointment viewing.

“As a fan, I want to see Connor vs. Matthews or Tavares or Connor vs (Jonathan) Toews. It’s good for the game but more importantly, every time Connor’s up for those challenges he meets them head-on,” said Hitchcock.

But maybe Matthews will have his hands full with Draisaitl.

“Leon’s patience is better than it’s ever been and its allowed him to wear the opposition out, and when he does, he can strike. Plus, as he’s said, he’s not trying to pick corners with his shots, he’s just getting them away on net and quickly. You talk to all goal-scorers, all they want to do is hit the middle of the net and fast, and Leon’s doing that, on the rush, in zone,” said Hitchcock.

Maybe the McDavid-Draisaitl tag-team is a saw-off with Matthews- Tavares.

But Marner, with 82 points and playing with Tavares, obviously swings it the Leafs’ way. 1135004 Edmonton Oilers “People who haven’t been there, they don’t even have a clue how they have pressure on all the players and coaches and management there. It’s crazy.”

JONES: Oilers head coach all in on Koskinen More crazy than here?

“Oh, yeah,” he said of what he suggests is a more soccer-like crazy. “It’s Terry Jones different. But it’s fun, especially those games in the playoffs.”

Published:March 8, 2019 He said he can’t wait to experience Stanley Cup playoff games with the Oilers. Updated:March 8, 2019 7:22 PM MST Asked about the difference in the nets over there compared to here, he said it’s mostly one thing.

It was a short and simple statement. Four words. “It’s coming all the time. You can’t be relaxed. It’s like every second you have to be ready for shots from every bad angle. I still can be better. I “He’s the real deal,” said Ken Hitchcock. have to keep working every day to try and get better.” The Edmonton Oilers head coach was headed to the dressing room not It’s been a roller-coaster year. long after Mikko Koskinen had left the ice following practice in preparation for Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I don’t know how to describe it. The start was pretty good,” he said of opening with an 11-3-1 record, 2.20 goals-against average and .927 save Hitchcock made a detour to where the columnist sat, exchanging some percentage. ribbing before eventually inquiring of what storyline would bring me to the rink on such a miserable morning? He’s back to that now since the Oilers gave him the contract extension and then gave him the net when they shipped Cam Talbot out on the I informed him it was Kolmen Metrin Koskinen. trade deadline. That’s Finnish for ‘Three Metres of Koskinen,’ the nickname for the six- “It means nothing. It’s not going to help me that I have a three-year deal. foot-seven netminder. That isn’t going to help tomorrow’s game at all. It does help to be playing Koskinen hasn’t exactly been a unanimous ‘He’s the real deal’ with many all the games to get the rhythm and everything. members of the paying public in the pews or the people in the press box Koskinen says so far it has been an excellent experience for him in at Rogers Place. Edmonton, where he lives with his wife, Carlena, and 18-month-old son Too many spectacularly bad goals, like the first one the night before Lucas. His wife lived with him for his five seasons in Russia. against the Vancouver Canucks. Too many over his shoulders while “This is a much better place to raise our kids.” down on his knees. Too many where he has not been in position for the next shot. The family at the rink has been great, too, he said.

Hitchcock said there’s been a reason for most of that. “The guys have been great. They’ve helped me a lot and we’re all committed to each other to battle to the end, believing in our chances.” In the KHL, where Koskinen has been laboring for the past five years, all the shots come from between the faceoff dots. He’s never seen what Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.09.2019 he’s seeing here.

When we got to his media session, I asked Hitchcock to expand on all that involving his goaltender, who was in a firestorm of controversy upon arrival after signing for $2.5 million as a back-up, and then again when he was given a three-year $13.5 million extension a couple days before Peter Chiarelli was fired as GM.

“You see right away how competitive a guy is at practice. When I first came here, I saw a really, really competitive guy at practice that still had a lot of learning to understand the North American game.

“Over here, there are a substantial number of shots taken from outside the dots. In Europe, there are none. He’s had to learn about all the fire balling going on from those areas. Instead of looking at 20 shots a game, he’s looking at 40 shots a game. Once he started getting used to that, he’s become more comfortable in the net.

“The part that I really like is that whatever happens, he comes back to work. Like against the Canucks, he didn’t like that first goal that went in at all. He was really unhappy with himself. He came back to practice and put the work in. He comes down from the highs or the lows so quickly to get back on task. I think that’s what makes this guy really good. He can just let it go, walk out of the building and be back and ready to work the next day. So from a coaching standpoint, you really trust the guy.”

Koskinen posted his 20th win of the season against Vancouver on Thursday and has started every game since Feb. 15, earning a 2.47 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.

You’d figure Koskinen would be having trouble dealing with the pressure of being the netminder of a five-time Stanley Cup champion that has been out of the playoffs 11 of the last 12 years, and counting. But that hasn’t been the case, said the 30-year-old who backstopped St. Petersburg KSA to the Gagarin Cup in 2015 and 2017.

“The game is different but the pressure you feel there and the pressure of where you live in St. Petersburg, the biggest team in the KHL, is huge,” Koskinen revealed in a one-on-one interview after practice. 1135005 Edmonton Oilers RUNNIN’ GUN

Draisaitl’s 12-game point streak is the seventh longest this season, the best current run. Patrick Kane (20) is tops with Mike Hoffman (17), Mikko Oilers forward Tobias Rieder not reading too much into goal drought Rantanen, Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Larkin (14) and David Perron (13) ahead of the Oilers centre.

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal He has 18 points (9-9) in this span.

Published:March 8, 2019 “What I see with Leon now is patience with the puck. He’s comfortable hanging on to it and not trying to hit home runs offensively. Look at the Updated:March 8, 2019 5:17 PM MST first point he got against Canucks on the goal by (Zack) Kassian. He bought time on the wall for 15 seconds, tired people out (got it to

McDavid) and next thing it’s in the net,” said Hitchcock. If you’re Tobias Rieder what do you do when you haven’t scored in 53 This ’n’ that: Vegas has told the Oilers they can’t talk to assistant general games? manager Kelly McCrimmon about their vacant GM job until the Golden Do you go out after another hair-pulling night and pour back six beers, Nights’ playoff season is over, but they’re not the only team that’s done like a sportswriter? Do you blow off the morning skate, come to the rink the same. That gums things up because Edmonton probably doesn’t at game-time in a T-shirt and jeans instead of a suit? want to talk to two or three guys now, then wait a month. Bill Guerin (Pittsburgh), Bill Zito (Columbus) and maybe Al Murray (Tampa) might be How about taking a different route to Rogers Place? on the wait-awhile list … Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ goal against the Canucks was point No. 57, a single-season high. He had 56 points twice “I, uh, only know one way to the rink,” said Rieder, sheepishly. before … Sam Gagner’s 300th Oilers point came on a feed to Alex For a forward who has the NHL’s longest streak without a goal, 75 shots Chiasson on Thursday, six-and-a-half years after his first on Oct. 4, 2007, and counting, the Edmonton Oilers winger hasn’t been found face-down, when he set up Tom Gilbert … Winger Milan Lucic didn’t practise Friday, floating in the Whirlpool. We haven’t seen him on the bench after another nursing a bad hip. “He was sore after the game last night (against fruitless shift making like former Oilers player Jaroslav Pouzar, who Vancouver). He didn’t play a lot in the third period. We’re assuming he’ll made a chopping motion on his hands back in the 1980s when he play (against Toronto) but we were told to keep him off the ice today,” couldn’t score. said Hitchcock. Lucic is one of five Oilers who have played all 67 games, along with Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl, Adam Larsson and Darnell Nurse. “Cut them off,” said Pouzar. “They are no good.” He hasn’t missed a game with the Oilers in his three years, 231 straight … Winger Jujhar Khaira played just 8:40 against Vancouver after missing Rieder says he’s tried taping his stick differently, but not grabbing nine games with an injured foot. “I don’t think it’ll get better until I get a somebody else’s. Like, say, German countryman Leon Draisaitl, who has month off (after the season),” said Khaira … Former Oilers coach Ralph 41 goals. Krueger is apparently ready to return to North America as a hockey “I’m not much of a stick-switcher. It would probably get worse,” Rieder coach after being Southampton’s soccer chairman in the British said. “Leon’s stick is a little large for me.” Premiership. He was offered the Pittsburgh head coach job in 2014 but turned it down before Mike Johnston got it. He has thought of not sleeping in the afternoon of a game to change things up. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.09.2019

“Haven’t done it, but maybe I can skip the pre-game nap,” said Reider, who also sticks with the same pre-game meal. “I’m always chicken and pasta. Maybe I could go with salmon? We’ll see.”

He won’t be coming to the rink with a hang-over.

“Don’t think I’ll try that,” he said with a laugh.

Rieder’s last goal was April 5, 2018 when playing for Los Angeles against the Minnesota Wild in the final game of last season.

SWEET ON LAGESSON

Swedish national team coach Rikard Gronborg, who was here Thursday scouting for the world championships in Slovakia this spring, loves Oilers farmhand defenceman William Lagesson.

“I’ve coached him on two world-junior teams and he’s a warrior. In the last minute of a game, you want him on the ice,” said Gronborg, adding he’s not the prettiest player but he’s very strong and plays to his limitations.

Lagesson, who played last year with Djurgardens in the Swedish Hockey League, and farm goalie Shane Starrett have moved up the Oilers organizational depth chart the most this season.

“(Lagesson) will play in the NHL, I would bet on it,” said Andrej Sekera, who partnered with the Swede in his rehab stint.

FULL GO FOR MIKKO

Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen played his 42nd game Thursday, one more than in any of his KHL seasons, and the most since he had 47 for KalPa in the Finnish Elite League seven years ago.

Is he better when he plays more, like 10 straight after the Cam Talbot trade to Philadelphia three weeks ago?

“I don’t know if we’ve got enough data on that to be honest with you,” said Hitchcock. “He doesn’t look overwhelmed by the responsibility and he’s past his comfort zone. He hasn’t played this many games in a season in a long time. We’ll get a better read down the line but we’re running with him now.” 1135006 Edmonton Oilers

Was the all-star game the impetus for Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl's hot run?

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal

Published:March 8, 2019

Updated:March 8, 2019 4:57 PM MST

Leon Draisaitl’s break-out scoring run coincides with going to the all-star weekend for the first time.

Did he grasp anything there in late January, hanging around of the NHL’s bigger guns, even if the three-on-three games are hardly life and death?

Maybe. The Edmonton Oilers centre, who has 14 goals in 17 games since the all-star break and is currently on the NHL’s longest point streak at 12 games, seems to have a hunger for more.

He wants playoff games, for sure, but he’d love to score 50 and get 100 points, too. He has 41 goals and 84 points.

“It was a great experience to be around those guys and it seems I came back with more confidence and more jump,” said Draisaitl.

Added Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock: “What you learn at the all-star game is how busy that time is for a player and a coach and how professional guys are. There’s a professional way to get ready to play, even if it’s just an all-star game. Leon learned how the older players respect people, how much time they have for the media and the fans and how much they appreciate them.That’s a big lesson.

“The first time (Steve) Yzerman and (Wayne) Gretzky were involved in these things, it was impressive how they prepared and the younger players were in awe of their professionalism.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135007 Edmonton Oilers were down 3-1 and came back and found a way. That’s what the consistent playoff teams do every year.”

That’s four wins in a row. Last time they did was Dec. 5-11 against St. Edmonton Oilers' Zack Kassian is here to serve, protect and score Louis, Minnesota, Calgary and Colorado. That’s their longest winning streak.

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal LUCIC BATTLING HIP ISSUE

Published:March 8, 2019 Oiler winger Milan Lucic only played eight and a half minutes, the second least ice-time all season. Updated:March 8, 2019 9:39 AM MST That was 8:08 in Tampa Bay in November but that was the night he chased Mathieu Joseph down after he cut Kris Russell and got thrown out of the game, getting a fine for his trouble. If Zack Kassian has scored in four straight games before, it was when he wasn’t as follicly challenged. Lucic went into last night’s game with a sore hip and only played two third-period shifts. “Have I done it before? I dunno, if I did, it was way back,” said Kassian, now 28 and 451 games into his NHL career. “Didn’t have anything (few minutes) to do with his play,” said Hitchcock.

Kassian bolted for the blue-paint in the first period to take Connor CHALLENGE DENIED McDavid’s feed, right on his tape for his 12th goal, following scores in Ottawa, Columbus, Buffalo and now Rogers Place. Edler got burned on McDavid’s play to Kassian for the goal but he had terrific night and could have been a star, on the ice against either “Kass was giving me a hard time saying he’d set me up for more goals McDavid or Leon Draisaitl all night long. He scored, had five shots, four earlier and I hadn’t set him up for any. Glad I was able to find him there,” blocked and three wide, also four hits in 29 and a half minutes. laughed McDavid. Hitchcock tried to get Edler’s goal erased, feeling Bo Horvat might have Right now, Kassian looks eminently comfortable on right-wing with interfered with Koskinen’s glove on the Edler shot, but the challenge was McDavid, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the left side. He’s there to serve denied. The league ruled incidental contact in the white-area, outside the and protect like a good beat cop, but the clenched fists have been blue-paint. replaced by sweet mitts. And it’s not just with McDavid, although that helps. Fact is, he’s scored 10 goals in the last 22 games, nobody matter KHAIRA RETURNS what line he’s on, going back to about two months to when he popped Hitchcock said he’s found some right player combinations on his lines but two against Buffalo Jan. 14. feels he has to move Jujhar Khaira up from his fourth-line spot.

Ten goals in 37 shots over that span, scoring on his only one on “We have to get him up the ladder. He was playing too well before he got Thatcher Demko in the 3-2 win over Vancouver Canucks. His career high hurt. He needs more ice and more responsibility. He’ll get elevated next is 14, and he’s got 15 games left to exceed that. game (Saturday vs Toronto),” said Hitchcock.

“In this game, I just went hard to the net and Connor gave me a tap-in Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.09.2019 basically,” said Kassian, who ripped a wicked one-hop pass from McDavid past Linus Ullmark in Buffalo the game before, so no gimme, at all.

“You see Connor skating so fast on the wing, you just try and beat your defender and get inside. If you’re open, he’ll find you,” said Kassian, who watched McDavid juke ’n jive around Alex Edler, going at warp speed. “Just get your stick on the ice, exactly like with the Sedins (Vancouver).

Putting Kassian with McDavid was an experiment but maybe it’s past that stage.

“I think he’s figured out how to play with Connor. Any smart player knows how to get Connor the puck and that’s what he’s doing. By the time he counts to four it should be in Connor’s hands,” said Oiler coach Ken Hitchcock. “That’s an easy thing to say but a hard thing to do. He knows if he gives it up, Connor will get it back to him in good spots, like on the goal.”

Kassian, who played 16 minutes, hasn’t forgotten why he’s out there, though.

In the second period, McDavid weaved his way into the Canucks end and got tangled up with a checker and Vancouver disturber Antoine Roussel skated over and got in McDavid’s face. Kassian sized it up and was quickly there, no mulling it over. No fight, but he was there to serve and protect.

Which is what the Oilers did, but it was closer than it should have been because the Canucks, like they’ve done all year with a depleted lineup, refuse to go quietly into the night, against anybody.

They had 37 shots on Mikko Koskinen and another 17 that went wide.

“The second period we let them back into the game (up 3-0) and we got into penalty-trouble in the third,” said Kassian, “but found a way to win.”

“Our confidence now is a little bit like that feeling of two years ago, when we could be down two goals in the third period but we had that good feeling that we could come back, that we could turn it around,” said Oiler defenceman Oscar Klefbom.

“We didn’t panic tonight. We knew we could do it and that’s the kind of feeling we have in this room right now. We showed that in Buffalo. We 1135008 Edmonton Oilers Generally, with age and the passing of time, every player loses a step, which thus far has not happened to Marleau. Just as with Cullen, Marleau’s speed helps him keep up.

Duhatschek Notebook: Matt Cullen’s unique path to 1,500 and Ted But it’s interesting to track the evolution of the NHL’s demographics Lindsay’s influence on the Cup specifically to age.

In Marleau’s first season, 1997-98, the average age of an NHL player By Eric Duhatschek Mar 8, 2019 was 27 years and 254 days, an increase of almost two full years from 1980-81, when the average age of the players on the NHL’s season- opening rosters was 25 years and 239 days.

This week, Matt Cullen became just the 20th player in NHL history to play SEASON PLAYERS AGE/YEARS AGE/YEARS in 1,500 career games, which would be an extraordinary feat in any era, but is practically unheard of in this one – because the NHL has 1980-1981 378 25 329 increasingly become a young man’s league. 1981-1982 378 25 181

Once upon a time, there was a value placed on leadership and 1982-1983 398 25 195 experience, but that is diminishing as dozens of 30-something players disappear from the league with every passing season. 1983-1984 399 25 236

A look at the hard data shows that from the 2005-06 season, when there 1984-1985 398 25 133 were 301 30-year-olds who played at least one game into the NHL, reveals that the number has fallen off a cliff (to 215 thus far in the 2018- 1985-1986 399 25 133 19 season). 1986-1987 399 25 229

Teams want younger, faster, cheaper players and it often it comes at the 1987-1988 398 25 307 expense of players such as Cullen, who broke into the NHL as a 22-year- old with the 1997-98 Anaheim Ducks, following two years at St. Cloud 1988-1989 400 25 338 State. Cullen was the 35th overall pick in the 1996 NHL entry draft, which 1989-1990 400 26 93 is arguably one of the five least distinguished drafts of all time. The only other player from Cullen’s draft year still playing is Zdeno Chara (56th 1990-1991 400 26 73 overall to the New York Islanders). 1991-1992 420 26 216 Nowadays, because of advances in nutrition and a generally greater awareness of good health habits, people like to say 60 is the new 40. 1992-1993 456 26 218 Well, in the NHL, it’s trending in the opposite direction – the new 40 is 1993-1994 495 26 333 actually 30. 1994-1995 494 27 240 But what makes Cullen’s achievement so noteworthy is that almost every other player to get to 1,500 career NHL games has either made it to the 1995-1996 495 27 42 Hockey Hall of Fame already – or is going to get there soon. Fifteen are already in, from Gordie Howe and Mark Messier to Ron Francis and 1996-1997 495 27 200 Chris Chelios. Most people believe Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla will 1997-1998 495 27 254 get voted in during their first years of eligibility. Joe Thornton is still active but he’s got Hall of Fame credentials. That’s 17. The two others who’ve 1998-1999 515 27 335 gotten to 1,500 games played and aren’t necessarily sure things are Shane Doan, who recently had his jersey retired by the Arizona Coyotes; 1999-2000 534 27 281 and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Patrick Marleau, who has quietly crept up 2000-2001 569 27 300 to No. 7 on the all-time games played list (1,642). 2001-2002 571 28 9 If Marleau remains healthy for the duration of the Leafs’ season, he will pass both Chelios (1,651) and Mark Recchi (1,652) and vault into fifth 2002-2003 572 28 105 place. Howe is the all-time games-played leader at 1,767, which is within Marleau’s reach – although the Leaf would have to play beyond the final 2003-2004 571 28 2 year of his current three-year contract to do so. 2005-2006 571 28 254

Ultimately, what makes Cullen positively unique is he’s the only pure 2006-2007 572 28 197 journeyman to get to 1,500 career games played. Cullen only spent 27 games in the minor leagues, but has never topped 50 points in a single 2007-2008 571 28 162 NHL season (he managed 49 twice, for the ’06 and ’08 Carolina Hurricanes). But he has also been part of three Stanley Cup 2008-2009 571 28 58 championship teams and the common denominator there is Jim 2009-2010 570 28 24 Rutherford, who was the general manager in Carolina when Cullen won there and is also the GM of his current team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. 2010-2011 572 27 247 Rutherford celebrated his 70th birthday 19 days ago. Maybe it helps to 2011-2012 570 27 303 have a senior citizen as your employer if you hope to play in the league as a 42-year-old. 2012-2013 573 28 107

But Cullen’s milestone – and the fact that against long injury odds, Ryan 2013-2014 571 27 298 Kesler managed to play his 1,000th game this past week – got me thinking about how older players have become an endangered species of 2014-2015 572 27 263 late, which is a development I wanted to run past Marleau during the 2015-2016 571 27 222 Leafs’ annual trip through Western Canada this week. 2016-2017 571 27 151 Marleau is 39 – and he’ll turn 40 this coming September. 2017-2018 592 27 85 As an older player in a young man’s game, how does he keep going? 2018-2019 592 27 29 “I don’t really look at a number,” Marleau said. “I go by how I feel – and I feel really young and I feel fit and still love playing. I feel like I’ve got lots For most of the 1980s, however, players aged out of the NHL in their of energy still.” early to mid-30s, largely because the across-the-board commitment to physical conditioning just wasn’t there. Once in a while you’d see an incredibly fit athlete, such as Jamie Hislop how much Red Wings’ owner Mike Ilitch spent on players – and it was of the 1982 Calgary Flames, and his teammates would be in awe of his OK for future Hall of Famers such as Robitaille and Hull to play relatively abilities – Hislop once did so many sit-ups in fitness testing that coach limited roles. Bob Johnson finally made him stop because it looked as if he could go on forever. Tim Hunter was another early adopter of good fitness habits. Nowadays, on social media, Marleau sometimes gets criticized – not for his play, or his speed, or his ability to mentor young players or any But they were the exceptions rather than the rule and for a time, the tangible factor, but because of his salary ($6.25 million per season, with percentage of players who figured out the value of conditioning held a one year remaining after this one on his contract), which may limit the decided edge. Leafs’ ability to sign their younger players and still stay cap compliant.

In time, as the salaries increased, the vast majority of players got with the If he earned half that, it would be no issue. If there were no salary cap, it program and began to understand if they wanted to stay and play in the wouldn’t be an issue. As coach Mike Babcock says over and over, league, it was on them to treat professional hockey like an 11-and-a-half Marleau has a value to the team. People would just like to see him bring month a year job. those values to the mix for a much lower salary.

Summers required full-on sport-specific training and for some, additional Last Monday, prior to a Calgary-Toronto game, one of the prominent skill development. storylines featured the Norris Trophy race for the NHL’s top defenceman, which had two candidates on display – the Flames’ Mark Giordano and Eventually, training camps stopped being for getting into shape. Instead, the Leafs’ Morgan Rielly. they required players to arrive in shape because fitness testing was conducted on the first day and the evaluation process started right away. But instead of focusing on what they did so well, the narrative centered on their respective ages – Rielly being a decade younger than Giordano. That, in turn, caused a demonstrable demographic shift – and allowed Recently, just about every story on Giordano isn’t that he’s having a careers to last longer. career season. Instead, it is framed almost entirely as, ‘he’s having a The 2001-02 season marked the first time that the average age of an great season and he’s 35 years old’ – as if he was practically the second NHL player on an opening day roster crept above 28 – 28 years and nine coming of Methuselah. days to be precise. Recently, Giordano became the fifth player on this year’s Flames’ team The age of NHLers peaked in 2005-06, which came a year after the to reach the 60-point threshold, which in and of itself was remarkable. lockout shut down the league for a full season. That wasn’t a coincidence But the real focus was on the fact that Giordano did it at his age – either. Two things happened then to swing the pendulum back in the becoming only the fourth defenceman in NHL history to produce a 60- other direction. point season at the age of 35 or better. He was precisely 35 years and 147 days when he did it. The others were Lidstrom, who did it four times; One – the rule changes that came out of the Shanahan Summit to Al MacInnis, who did it twice, and Sergei Zubov, who did it once. minimize the effects of hooking, holding and interference allowed smaller, quicker players to survive and thrive in the NHL. Like Giordano, Marleau also seems to take questions about his age in relative stride, pointing out that in the early days of his career, “the better Two – the introduction of the salary cap limited the amount teams could teams were all the older teams – like Detroit. The experience they had spend on a player. Young players, on entry-level contracts, where their was pretty amazing. They knew how to work the game and how to put compensation was capped, suddenly became a cost-effective option. Nor themselves in the right positions out there.” did the salary-cap system entirely anticipate how players coming out of their first-entry level contracts could become stars right away – and As for Cullen, the Penguins did a nice job of honoring him in his 1,500th would want to be compensated as such. NHL game. In the warm-up, every teammate wore his No. 7 sweater. In the game, Cullen wore a different jersey in each period, so each of his That put a further squeeze on older players. Because there are only so three sons would have a memento from the game. His teammates gifted many dollars in the system that a team can spend on its players, him an all-terrain vehicle, in the Penguins’ black and gold colors, to use something had to give. The casualties, by and large, have been older in retirement. His coach, Mike Sullivan, gave perhaps the best players. This time, they started to age out of the league not because of assessment of why Cullen has done something so rare and unique, fitness or commitment issues but because of simple economics. If there noting his career was a really a reflection of two qualities – his passion weren’t enough dollars to go around, teams figured they spend their and his professionalism; and that few players train the way he does and limited resources on younger talent, which had a chance to get better, live the way he does, which gave him the opportunity to continue playing rather on older players, who were only going to get worse. As Kesler at an NHL level long after others have fallen by the wayside. noted: Nobody beats Father Time forever. The best game I ever covered, Part 2 Now in his 21st full season, Marleau straddles two eras – when experience and maturity were prized; and now, when they tend to be a Not sure if everyone had a chance to read Richard Deitsch’s excellent rarer thing. series last week, in which he compiled a series of reflections from some of us veteran scribes about the “best” game we ever covered. Just how “When I first came in, that thing where you’d come into camp to get to define “best” made it an intriguing exercise. For many of us, “best” ready was on the way out,” Marleau said. “Guys were starting to put in translated into most meaningful, which is why I settled on a fairly obscure the work in the offseason before they came to camp. event – trying to report a story on a 1987 pre-Olympic hockey tournament in Russia when it was still politically the Soviet Union and the logistical “You always try to find an edge – and at that point, working out in the challenges that contributed to making it a journalistic ordeal like no other. summer and being ready could give you an edge. Now, everybody’s working out, but everybody’s trying different things to find an edge. That But on another level, what made that one easier to report was that there hasn’t stopped.” were no time constraints because Moscow was 12 hours ahead of Calgary, where my newspaper was based. Most times, newspaper work Some of Marleau’s current teammates – such as Mitch Marner – are in the 1980s was limited by deadlines, which were usually so tight as the almost young enough to be his children, a development that has him story unfolded, you could really only ever tell half of it – from the locker smiling. room of the team you covered. “It’s one of those things, people don’t really know what it’s like to be you, The other story I considered spinning for Richard’s project happened in so you just do your thing,” Marleau said. “It’s more about what I can Game 7 of the NHL’s 1986 Western Conference semifinal between the control and how I feel and how I prepare myself for games. I feel great Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames, which is arguably the most and I enjoy the game, so why not?” controversial in the history of the Battle of Alberta. Marleau started out playing for Darryl Sutter in San Jose and even in his That year, the Oilers were the two-time defending Stanley Cup fifth full season with the Sharks, averaged only 14:04 in ice time (in Year champions and had amassed 119 regular-season points – something 6, he jumped to 18:31). But that fifth season coincided with the 2002 Red they’d done only once before (in ’84) and not something they would ever Wings’ Stanley Cup championship, a team that featured a vast collection do again. On talent alone, many believe that the ’86 Oilers might have of 30-somethings, including Dominik Hasek, Chelios, Igor Larionov, been the best team of their dynasty era. Wayne Gretzky scored 215 Nicklas Lidstrom, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Brendan points, the most in NHL history. Paul Coffey scored 138 points, the Shanahan and Steve Duchesne. In pre-salary cap days, it didn’t matter second most by a defenceman in history (Bobby Orr had 139 in the 1970-71 season). Jari Kurri was fourth in the scoring race – and led the impressive offensive pedigree could get one goal back easily – except it league with 68 goals in 80 games. The Flames were 30 points behind took them too long to process what happened. them in the regular season, but managed to get the series to 3-3. Then in the third period of the deciding game, came a moment that changed NHL “There was massive disruption on their bench – and nothing changed on history forever – Oilers’ rookie defenceman Steve Smith banking a shot ours,” Berezan said. “They’re wondering, what the heck happened? Then off the back of goalie Grant Fuhr’s leg for an own goal that proved to be as it got down to three or three-and-a-half minutes, the Oilers cranked it the winner for Calgary – and effectively ended what could have been a up – and Vernie (goaltender Mike Vernon) did too. He made incredible five-year Stanley Cup run. saves to get the win.”

Officially, the goal in question was credited to Perry Berezan, the last Nowadays, of course, even in the newspaper business, updated stories Flames’ player to touch the puck. Naturally, Berezan was already on the can be posted online, so there is a far greater chance of telling a more bench, with his back turned, when the puck went in. How do you properly complete story right away. In the online world, there is no crew in the tell this story when, because of deadlines, you’d file your story for the first press room waiting for your copy; no drivers who distribute the physical edition on or before the buzzer sounded to end the game? Usually, then paper waiting for it to come off the presses. As Bob Dylan says – things you had about 30 minutes to turn it around for a second-edition ‘write- have changed. In the storytelling world, that’s a good thing. thru,’ which meant a mad dash to the dressing room, for a few snippets The Ted Lindsay chronicles of quotes, and then back to your word processor, to update the story; and that was it. Ted Lindsay was, indisputably, one of the most influential figures in NHL history – and many of Lindsay’s accomplishments, on and off the ice, My story was about the jubilation in the Flames’ dressing room amid the have been documented this past week. How he led the league in goals, weirdest of circumstances and how, after all those years of being a assists, points and penalty minutes. How his activism led to the NHL punching bag for Edmonton, the Flames managed some measure of players association and the better life that all players who subsequently revenge. It was such a big deal that my newspaper produced and sold a came down the path now enjoy. commemorative sweatshirt that featured the front page of that day’s sports section. I still have own at my summer cottage. There was a lot of Lindsay chatter back and forth on the NHL grapevine this week after he passed away at the age of 93, including a conversation What you learn, over time, about these sorts of momentous, franchise- I had with David McNab, the long-time Anaheim Ducks’ assistant general altering games is that the best story is actually in the losing locker room – manager about a tradition Lindsay inadvertently started when the Red how Smith was there to face the music after the game; took the loss on Wings won the 1950 Stanley Cup. his own shoulders; and publicly anyway, wasn’t getting much support from his more experienced teammates at that moment in time. McNab is from one of hockey’s first families.

But I only learned of that development after the fact, from my friends in His brother Peter played in three Stanley Cup finals and now works as an the Edmonton reporting contingent, who were focused on the losing team analyst on Colorado Avalanche broadcasts. – and what happened, and how it went all so wrong. Over time, of Their father, Max, was a long-time NHL executive, who also played for course, you fill in the gaps. Smith eventually finished an impressive 16- the Red Wings’ 1949-50 Stanley Cup championship team, which was year career playing for Calgary and later became an assistant coach Lindsay’s first as a player. here. I got to know him very well – and a more grounded individual, you’ll never find, which is why he was able to recover from that early misstep That final was memorable for a couple of reasons, including the fact that and forge a successful career, instead of having it crush him. But he the eventual runners-up, the New York Rangers, couldn’t play any games never much liked to talk about it. at home because the circus meant the ice was not available at Madison Square Gardens. New York was forced to play Games 2 and 3 of the Berezan was eventually traded to the Minnesota North Stars months series at a neutral site – Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens – and held a 3-2 before the 1989 Flames won the Stanley Cup for Brian MacLellan, now series lead after Game 5 in Detroit. the Washington Capitals’ GM, which is how MacLellan got his name on the Cup for the first time. But 33 years after the fact – a full third of the But the Red Wings rallied back to win a nail-biter in Game 6 – 5-4 – and century – Berezan says it is still the defining moment of his career and then prevailed in the seventh and deciding game of the series, 4-3 in the play that everybody talks to him about. double overtime on a goal by Pete Babando (it was April 23, by the way, the day they clinched – a story for another day). “Once guys retire, almost everybody has some badge that they wear for the rest of their lives, where somebody goes, ‘oh you were the guy that That day, NHL president Clarence Campbell presented the Red Wings …’ – and the Steve Smith goal was my thing,” Berezan said. “I’ve told with the Stanley Cup – but it was a far different ceremony back then, and that story hundreds of times. That was my first full year in the NHL – and according to McNab, it was Lindsay’s spontaneous response to the I couldn’t believe how even keel people were after wins and losses. Next victory that changed the course of the celebration forever. Sid Abel was shift is your next shift, it doesn’t matter what happened. Next day is the the Detroit captain, Lindsay an assistant. next day, it doesn’t matter what happened. And it was like that in that game. Badger (coach Bob Johnson) had me with (John) Tonelli and According to McNab’s father Max, Lindsay’s teammate, Lindsay lifted the Lanny (McDonald). I was in good company. Cup over his head in celebration as so many traditions do, as a complete accident. “I remember how the puck was in our end. I got it on the board side closest to the bench and crossed the line and dumped it in. The bench is “My dad and I were talking about Stanley Cup tradition after we won ours three feet from me. I go off – and because those benches were so small, in Anaheim (in 2007) and he told me what happened with his in 1950,” I had to wait for everyone to shuffle over to get a seat. I hadn’t even sat said McNab. “He always said, ‘you remember everything that went on in down. My back was to the play, so I didn’t even see what happened. the locker room for the rest of your life.’ “He told me they talked about it in the locker room afterward – how Ted “All I remember is the oxygen in the Northlands Coliseum disappeared – Lindsay lifted the Cup over his head – because nobody knew where that because there was this collective gasp and then there was silence, came from. In those days, it was almost taboo for a player on the ice to maybe a little cheering from our bench. I turned around and said what touch the Cup. It wasn’t anything that was planned. It stemmed strictly happened? Someone answered: ‘I think we scored. But in those days, from the emotion of the game. They were down 3-2 in the finals and there was no replay – so we didn’t have a replay and no one in the down by two goals in Game 6 and rallied to win. Then they rallied from building saw a replay, except up in the press box. But we, as players, behind in that Game 7, which is still the longest deciding game in finals didn’t see anything. Steve Smith was crying, so they had to get him off history. the ice. And then, the puck’s dropped and you’re playing again. In a lot of ways, that’s the way you want to get a lead in someone else’s building – “Back in those days, you only had the Cup in the locker room for about quietly. Because if it was a highlight reel goal, the team almost gets too an hour and then it was gone, never to be seen again. So, when (NHL pumped up and it’s not business as usual. It took them about four president) Clarence Campbell brought it out on the ice, where usually minutes to recover, because you could tell they were stunned and they you just stood around and took a picture with it and that was it, Ted were reeling.” Lindsay grabbed it in the heat of the moment – and shocked everybody because he really wasn’t supposed to do that. The tradition of the captain That helped run half the remaining time off the clock. It wasn’t just the getting the Cup and putting it over his head started there – as just a fluke. fact of Calgary scoring the go-ahead goal. It was the crazy circumstances of the goal that left the Oilers temporarily in shock. A team with their “The rest, as they say, is history – and in that particular case, you can really say that. It made history. Maybe as time went on, it would have happened anyway. But every time I watch the finals now and you see somebody lifting the Cup, I always think of how it all started – with Ted Lindsay.”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135009 Florida Panthers

Panthers set new marks as they roll over the Wild

BY WALTER VILLA

MARCH 08, 2019 10:15 PM

Florida Panthers defense Mike Matheson (19) celebrates with this teammates after scoring against the Minnesota Wild in the second period of a hockey game at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida on Friday, March 8, 2019.

A record-setting performance by the captain … the first-ever win for a rookie NHL goalie … and an abundance of goals from a pair of defensemen — there was a lot for Florida Panthers fans to cheer on Friday night.

Indeed, Aleksander Barkov set a franchise record with five assists, and defensemen MacKenzie Weegar and Mike Matheson scored twice each to lead the host Panthers to a 6-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.

Panthers rookie goalie Sam Montembeault, making just his second NHL start, stopped 25 shots for his first win.

Meanwhile, Barkov leads the Panthers with 74 points, and Matheson is a productive defenseman with 24 goals in his three years in the league.

But Weegar, who had just returned after having missed four consecutive games due to a lower-body injury, had entered this game with just three career goals in 112 games. His two first-period goals proved to be a positive omen for Florida.

Jonathan Huberdeau and Mike Hoffman also scored for the Panthers. Huberdeau, who added three assists, has set a career high with 71 points, and Hoffman tops the team with a career-high 31 goals.

Florida’s top line — Barkov, Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov — combined for 12 points.

Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk, who on Thursday shut out the best team in hockey, the Tampa Bay Lightning, lasted just one period, making four saves while allowing three goals.

Florida opened the scoring just 61 seconds into the game as Barkov, operating from behind the net, fed Huberdeau on the doorstep.

Weegar followed with his two goals in succession, including the first one that went in off Wild defenseman Ryan Suter’s backside.

Florida took a 4-0 lead with 3:34 expired in the second period as Hoffman took a pass from Barkov and drilled a one-timer for his team-best 14th power-play goal of the season.

There were three more goals in the second period, with goals coming from – in order —Minnesota’s J.T. Brown on a deflection, Florida’s Matheson on a wrist shot and the Wild’s Marcus Foligno on a tap-in.

Matheson’s second goal — which occurred with 9:37 left in the third period — came on a wrap-around.

THIS AND THAT

▪ Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad had a goal taken away from him in Friday’s opening period. He made a nice move to evade a defender and then scored with a backhander, but the Wild appealed, and the goal was nullified due to offsides.

In addition, Barkov nearly scored in the second period. But his would-be goal went into the net a split-second after the period ended.

▪ The Panthers signed 18-year-old forward Serron Noel — their second- round pick in 2018 –— to a three-year contract. Noel, the 34th overall selection, is a 6-5, 210-pounder and the son of former Canadian Football League running back Dean Noel.

Miami Herald LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135010 Florida Panthers His first goal gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead when his wrist shot from the point bounced off the back of Minnesota's Ryan Suter and across the goal line at 16:51.

Barkov's franchise-record five assists propel Panthers' rout of Wild Weegar stretched it to 3-0 on his second goal, a shot from the top of the right circle that got past Dubnyk at 18:31.

Paul Gereffi A potential goal by Aaron Ekblad midway through the first period was disallowed after Minnesota successfully challenged for offside. Barkov The Associated Press would have had another assist if the goal had counted.

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 03.09.2019 The Florida Panthers bounced back from a crushing loss in a big way.

Aleksander Barkov set a franchise record with five assists, and defensemen MacKenzie Weegar and Mike Matheson each scored twice as the Panthers beat the Minnesota Wild 6-2 on Friday night to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Panthers lost 4-3 in Boston on Thursday night when the Bruins scored twice in the final 37 seconds.

"It was probably the toughest loss we ever had, 30 seconds away from a perfect 60-minute game against a really good team," Barkov said. "Coming here, we had two choices — either forget about the last game and play as hard as we could this game, or just feel sorry about ourselves. I think we really played our butts off and deserved the win."

Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and three assists, Mike Hoffman also scored and Evgenii Dadonov added three assists. Sam Montembeault made 26 saves in his second career start for his first NHL win.

"It's great," Montembeault said. "It's obviously good to put it behind me. Now next game I can just go out there and play my game and not even think about anything."

Barkov appeared to have scored a goal as well, but it came a split second after the second period ended. He expressed appreciation to his teammates for helping him break the assists mark.

"Of course, it's a nice milestone," Barkov said. "I just gave the puck to my own players and they scored. I'm thankful for them."

The line of Barkov, Huberdeau and Dadonov combined for 12 points.

"We needed that today," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "We needed someone to put us on their back and carry us a little bit early and that was Barky's line, for sure."

Weegar and Matheson's two goals apiece marked the first time in Panthers history two defensemen scored two or more in the same game.

Marcus Foligno and J.T. Brown scored for the Wild, who had their eight- game point streak stopped. Devan Dubnyk allowed three goals on seven shots before he was replaced by Alex Stalock to start the second period. Stalock stopped 19 shots.

The Wild had beaten Tampa Bay 3-0 on Thursday night.

"Obviously, we didn't have the same kind of jump that we had against Tampa," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Those are the things that make coaches go nuts because we needed it and we didn't show up."

Florida stretched its lead to 5-1 when Matheson scored with a wrist shot from the right circle at 17:40 of the second period. The Wild answered 15 seconds later on Foligno's tap-in.

Matheson's second goal came on a wraparound at 10:23 of the third and made it 6-2.

Hoffman's one-timer from the right circle during a 5-on-3 power play gave the Panthers a 4-0 lead at 3:34 of the second.

Brown deflected a shot by Jonas Brodin into the net to make it 4-1 at 9:02 of the second.

The Panthers took a 3-0 lead on seven shots in the first period. They went up 1-0 on Huberdeau's goal 61 seconds in. Barkov passed from behind the net to Huberdeau in front and he skipped the puck into the net.

Weegar, who had one goal in 49 games this season, scored two in a span of 1:40. 1135011 Los Angeles Kings Update: Arizona goalie Darcy Kuemper has 16 wins since Jan.1, which ties him with Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jordan Binnington for the most in the NHL in that span. Another former Kings player, Brad Richardson, leads Kings demote rookie Matt Luff, the only player with a goal in their last two Arizona with 16 goals. The Coyotes have won eight of 10 games to move games into the playoff picture.

LA Times: LOADED: 03.09.2019

By CURTIS ZUPKE

MAR 08, 2019 | 5:45 PM

The only goal scored by the Kings in the last two games was by Matt Luff, but that wasn’t enough to keep the rookie up with the big club.

Luff was re-assigned to the minors Friday and the Kings are expected to recall another forward, likely Carl Grundstrom, for Saturday’s game at the Arizona Coyotes. The Kings need to give their other prospects a look in the final weeks of the season, and this happens to be at the expense of Luff, who has had a busy commute between Ontario and Los Angeles.

If it seems like a curious decision to demote a player with eight goals in 32 games, coach Willie Desjardins said not to read into it too much.

“I think he’s a guy that’s growing and learning, so I think guys like that will go up and down,” Desjardins said of Luff. “I think that’s just what will happen. There’s other guys we need to look at.

“It’s not like, when he went out, that he was bad. He wasn’t bad in his game. But I think it’s just matter of … we want to look at a few guys. He needs to play. If he’s not going to play minutes up here, then it’s better he gets more ice time down there. It’s just for his development.”

Irvine showcases Ducks' new practice facility at the Orange County Great Park

Desjardins played Luff fewer than 10 minutes in each of the last three games, which was fewer than his fourth-line linemates Kyle Clifford and Trevor Lewis. On Thursday, Luff played a team-low three minutes, 12 seconds in the first period.

Desjardins said it’s a difficult line to toe in giving a young player enough ice time to get fully assessed while “at the same time, you have guys like Clifford and Lewis that deserve ice time as well, like those guys have played hard for us all year. It’s tough if you have a young guy that comes that hasn’t proved it [and] gets more ice time than them. It’s a bit of a balancing act, as you go. But when we bring a young guy up, we do want to give him some time to play.”

Desjardins would have to work that balancing act with Grundstrom if Grundstrom makes his NHL debut. The former second-round draft pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs arrived in the Jake Muzzin trade and totaled three goals and seven assists in his first 13 games with Ontario. He has 16 goals in 55 minor league games this season.

Austin Wagner has not practiced with the team and is at least three or four days out from returning from a lower-body injury, Desjardins said.

Leipsic vs. Maroon

It was an odd sight when Brendan Leipsic confronted Pat Maroon after the St. Louis Blues winger went after Leipsic at the end boards Thursday. The two exchanged words from the benches.

“We were just kind of jawing back and forth and he took a run at me from the blue line,” Leipsic said. “I just got out of the way. It was a cheap shot and he was just coming with his hands up. But it’s part of the game.”

Leipsic is listed at 5 feet 10, 182 pounds and last received a fighting major two years ago in the minors. Maroon is 6-3, 225 pounds and has more than 50 fights on his NHL resume. Leipsic said the size disparity is why he took exception to the play.

Asked if he would have dropped the gloves, Leipsic said, “Maybe if he wasn’t expecting it and there were a couple of guys around me and I had a little bit of backup. But he’s got about 50 pounds on me.”

UP NEXT

AT ARIZONA

When: Saturday, 5 p.m. PST.

On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: iHeartRadio (LA Kings Audio Network). 1135012 Los Angeles Kings

What we learned from the Kings' 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues

By CURTIS ZUPKE

MAR 08, 2019 | 9:50 AM

The Kings and St. Louis Blues fired their coaches within 15 days of each other back in November, because of seasons that were sinking fast.

It was painfully clear Thursday which team emerged from those depths. St. Louis looked like it had eyes on a playoff berth while the Kings remained stuck in neutral after a 4-0 loss at Staples Center.

In what is supposed to be a time to correct bad habits and play for one another, the Kings were just outplayed, and again left Jonathan Quick to fend for himself in a too-familiar angle that’s egregious given some of the saves Quick made Tuesday.

Here’s what we learned:

The Kings’ lack of speed was exposed. Coach Willie Desjardins admitted as much postgame when asked about the high number of odd-man rushes allowed. St. Louis’ top line feasted on it, as Ryan O’ Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn combined for two goals and three assists.

The Blues have been known as more of a physical team in the past, in the same vein as the Kings, but they showed they can skate as well. Their third goal, a tic-tac-toe redirect by O’Reilly, was a dagger with 1.1 seconds left in the second period, when Drew Doughty and Derek Forbort couldn’t get back to defend it.

“One of our defensemen went down on the play,” Desjardins said. “He’s trying to make something happen. They just broke out four-on-two. You break out four-on-two, they’re going to have an open guy, and they found him going to the net.”

The disparity in top lines was glaring. O’Reilly and his linemates have barely been together this season, but they’ve clicked when united. They have 56 points in 13 games, according to Lou Korac of NHL.com.

Schenn, a former Kings prospect, looked particularly good in back-to- back games against the Ducks and the Kings. Tarasenko delivered a laser shot from left wing with Doughty preoccupied with Schenn on the inside lane.

Tuesday wasn’t one of the memorable ones for the Kings’ top line. Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Tyler Toffoli were a combined minus-6. Brown has moved to left wing and Toffoli is new to the line in a recent reshuffle, but those minus numbers are difficult to ignore.

Kyle Clifford spoke generally when asked about the Kings’ performance.

“It’s too easy all around, and we let our goalie [hang] out to dry tonight,” Clifford said.

Give credit to St. Louis. The Blues were 7-9-3 when they fired coach Mike Yeo on Nov.19, following a 2-0 loss to the Kings and rookie goalie Cal Petersen. They’ve turned it around and moved to four points behind the Winnipeg Jets for second place in the Central Division with back-to- back wins against the Ducks and Kings.

St. Louis didn’t let the Kings get under their skin with physicality, and it helped to have Jake Allen. The goalie improved to 6-3 with two shutouts and a 1.62 goals-against average and .947 save percentage in 10 games against the Kings.

“I thought the guys did a good job in the third [period], to be honest,” Allen said. “That was the most important period for us. They didn’t let [up]. You know, sometimes you get a 3-0 lead, you get on your heels and play a little passive. But the guys really stepped on the gas still and didn’t give them much.”

LA Times: LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135013 Los Angeles Kings “Maybe if he wasn’t expecting it, and there were a couple of guys around me and I had a little bit of backup,” Leipsic said, smiling. “But I think he’s got about 50 pounds on me and several inches.”

Quick study Jack Campbell showing Kings, others he’s ready in net Desjardins liked Leipsic’s backbone there.

“Leipsic’s got lots of energy and he plays with that,” he said. “In lots of By Robert Morales | PUBLISHED: March 8, 2019 at 3:55 pm | ways we need more of that. We need more guys that are battling a little UPDATED: March 8, 2019 at 4:14 PM bit, so it was good to see that.”

SCOUTING ARIZONA

EL SEGUNDO — Going by the numbers, it seems Jack Campbell has The Coyotes were last in the Western Conference a season ago with a proved he can be a No. 1 goalie in the NHL. But he plays on a Kings record of 29-41-12 (70 points). But at 33-29-5 (74 points), they were team that has Jonathan Quick, and Quick is signed through 2022-23. within three points of a playoff spot ahead of Friday’s slate of games.

Then again, Campbell, 27, will become an unrestricted free agent after Arizona has won seven of its last eight and is coming off a 2-0 victory next season. over Western Conference leader Calgary on Thursday.

He was asked after practice Friday about the possibility of signing with The teams have split two games this season. The Coyotes defeated the another team so he can fulfill his dream of being the top dog on a team. Kings 2-1 on Dec. 4 at Staples Center, the Kings returned the favor with A friendly sort, Campbell was obviously uncomfortable with the inquiry. a 2-1 win Dec. 27 at Staples Center.

“Not to be a downer on the interview, but realistically, it’s a one-day-at-a- Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.09.2019 time kind of thing,” he said. “The way things are going now, of course, I’ve gotta do what’s best for my career. But that being said, a lot can happen each day and I’ve just gotta make sure I’m getting better each day.

“If you do that, good things typically happen and we’ll go from there.”

Campbell played one game for Dallas in 2013-14 and one for the Kings during the 2016-17 season. He got into five games last season and played to a 2.48 goals-against-average.

This season? He has a 2.24 GAA in 23 games with one shutout.

In 37 games, Quick’s GAA is an uncharacteristic 3.32, but part of the blame for that goes to having a less-than-stellar team in front of him. The Kings are in last place in the Western Conference and will take a record of 24-35-8 (56 points) into Saturday’s 5 p.m. game at Arizona.

Campbell said what he did last season, though the sample size was small, told him he belongs.

“Yeah, I mean, I think getting an opportunity last season to prove to myself ultimately and to my team that I can play in this league was a big step,” he said. “Having Quickie every day to look up to and learn from is such a tool that I’ve always tried to take full advantage of and I feel really confident in my game.

“Can’t really control how many games I get to play or what not, but I definitely feel when my number’s called I’m ready to perform at a high level.”

If Campbell doesn’t play Saturday, he figures to get in there Sunday when the Kings play at Anaheim.

When he was asked how much it would mean to him to get a No. 1 job, the look on his face told the story.

“I mean, that’s always been my ultimate goal is to be a No. 1 goalie in the NHL and to be a winning goalie,” Campbell said.

Kings interim coach Willie Desjardins didn’t hesitate when queried as to whether Campbell is equipped for the job.

“Oh, I think he’s ready,” Desjardins said. “I think you look at his numbers, you’ve gotta feel pretty confident.”

LEIPSIC BIG ON FEROCITY

Forward Brendan Leipsic is the smallest player on the Kings. He’s listed at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds and he might not be quite that big. Either way, he’s considerably smaller than St. Louis forward Patrick Maroon, who is listed at 6-3, 227.

Leipsic didn’t like the way Maroon took a run at him during Thursday’s 4- 0 Blues victory over the Kings at Staples Center, so he went back at Maroon. The two were separated before anything could happen.

Leipsic said Friday it was just a little “jawing back and forth, part of the game.”

He showed his sense of humor when asked if he would have dropped the gloves with Maroon. 1135014 Los Angeles Kings Sometimes, it’s tough if a lot of those shots are high quality, but you don’t really get to choose what you get. If it’s 40 one night or 20 the next night, I’ll try to do the same stuff every single night.

FINAL – ONTARIO 3, TUCSON 1 On the team’s improved play as of late and if things feel like they’re starting to change for the better

ZACH DOOLEYMARCH 8, 2019 Yeah, I hope. Obviously we’re at the bottom of the league and there’s nowhere to go but up. Hopefully, guys are maybe playing with a little less weight on their shoulders and just kind of going out there, because we don’t really have a ton to lose right now. I think this is the part of the The hurdles were different but the resiliency remained for the Ontario season where you see which guys are packing it in and which guys Reign, which overcame an early injury to defenseman Kale Clague and actually want to play this season to the end and play hard. I think, you powered past the Tucson Roadrunners by a 3-1 final on Friday evening can tell by tonight, by our last seven games, that the majority, if not all in Tucson. the guys in there want this season to end on a high note and aren’t It was an incredibly gutsy effort by the five bluelienrs that remained after happy with where we’re at right now. I think this is a good way for us to at Clague left the game, with what was deemed a “lower-body injury” by least put together some wins and feel good about some effort and work Head Coach Mike Stothers after the game, after he blocked a shot early that we’ve put in. in the contest. The gritty performance on the blueline, combined with an Mike Stothers on Cal Petersen’s play tonight outstanding performance from Cal Petersen in net, guided the Reign to their fifth win over their last seven games as the team continued its He was alright. They only had 47 shots, I mean, if it gets up in the 60 strong run of form. range then we’ll talk about how good he is *laughs*. No, he was terrific. He was terrific. He’ll be the first, I bet you he’ll be the first to compliment All that separated Petersen from his first shutout of the season was a the D in front of him that blocked a ton of shots for him. That’s got to be nasty bounce in the second period – Brayden Burke’s centering feed took at least 10-12 right there and that 47 could have easily been 57 or 60. a really tough hop off of the back of Chaz Reddekopp’s skate and kicked Our guys did a good job on the PK tonight, getting in front of pucks for past Petersen for Tucson’s only goal of the game. It was an unfortunate Cal and then he just did the job for us, closed the door and he looked development at the time, but inconsequential in the long run and took good in doing it too, like he was composed, there was no extra none of the luster away from Petersen’s performance, as he stopped 46- movement. He looked like he was dialed in. of-47 in the win. On the gutsy effort put in by the five defensemen that finished the game Tonight is the sixth straight game in which Cal Petersen has gone the distance that he's faced 40+ shots. Has been terrific so far tonight. Oh it’s terrific, and it happened early. We lost Kale, and he did it blocking a shot, so that was a heavy load that we put on, again, a young and — Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) March 9, 2019 inexperienced group. To play the majority of the game with five D, heck All five blueliners put in a strong shift – Alex Lintuniemi seemed to play of a job by them. I’m extremely proud of all five of them and I’m extremely every other shift for the entire game. The fourth-year defenseman was a proud of Kale for blocking the shot too. horse on the depleted Reign blueline, playing in all situations throughout On Daniel Brickley’s play in his return to the Reign lineup the evening. Well, he’s had plenty of time to rest up. He might be a little tired The Reign tallied three of their own goals, with forwards Sheldon tomorrow, maybe he’ll still be running on adrenaline, I don’t know, but Rempal, Philippe Maillet and Mike Amadio each finding the back of the that was a lot of minutes and that was not the intent to throw him into that net, while defenseman Craig Wyszomirski and forward Matt Moulson much activity, that quickly, but it’s the nature of the game. He put a lot of each tallied a pair of assists. With the second helper, Moulson tied the time in, he worked hard to get himself healthy and back into shape to Reign’s single-season franchise record for points in a season (55), play. I guess, if you’re going to get back, might as well get back and matching that of his brother-in-law Sean Backman from the 2015-16 really get back. season. On Alex Lintuniemi’s play tonight and taking on a larger role down a After a scoreless first period, that saw an Ontario goal disallowed for a defenseman kicking motion, the Reign opened the scoring at the 8:10 mark of the second as Sheldon Rempal finished off a nice no-look feed from forward Well, the Bird was the elder statesmen on the backend. He’s got the Zack Mitchell for his 14th goal of the season. most experience and he was out there in all situations for us and you’re right, it seemed like every time you looked up, #10 was on the ice for us The Reign doubled their mark less than two minutes later as forward and we needed that. There were power plays, penalty kills, regular shifts Philippe Maillet used a spinning move in the right-hand circle to beat and he was out there for all of them. I haven’t even seen the minutes yet Tucson netminder Adin Hill through the five hole along the ice. Amadio but there wasn’t a defenseman that can complain about their icetime would add an insurance tally inside the game’s final three minutes to seal tonight. the victory. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.09.2019 The two teams are back in action tomorrow evening for a rematch in Tucson. Puck drop is slated for 6:05 PM Pacific, 7:05 PM local time.

Post-Game Quotes

Cal Petersen on the play of the five defensemen in front of him tonight

They were outstanding. They blocked a ton of shots, I think that was the main reason our PK was so good, because guys blocked a ton of shots. It was good for them to get some credit, that’s a good opportunity for them when we go down to five defensemen, guys get to play a lot of situations, so they did an awesome job.

On whether he felt like he was “on” tonight

I mean, I guess I just tried to do the same things I do every night. I was fortunate enough that bounces came my way. Like you said, I felt good, but I was just trying to not do anything special, just stick to my game and it’s one of the nights where it works out.

On his heavy workload as of late

It definitely helps to get a lot of shots. It’s good, it’s fun, it gets you into the game early, you don’t have to sit at the other end just thinking. 1135015 Los Angeles Kings His advocacy projects are all charitable undertakings. Kopitar’s annual golf tournament has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the pediatric department of Jesenice General Hospital, disadvantaged LUFF ASSIGNED, RECALL COMING; SLOVENIAN PRESIDENT families and individuals and young Slovenian athletes. He also runs a CONNECTS; THROWBACK JERSEYS hockey academy in Bled with former national team captain Tomaz Razingar, which is adjacent to Jesenice and a locus of Slovenian hockey and year-round outdoor activity.

JON ROSENMARCH 8, 2019 “The one thing I want to do is I want to help kids, and my golf tournament benefits mostly kids and a local hospital that I grew up near,” he said. “If

the project is right, promoting Slovenia, I’m all for it. … On our national Prior to departing for Phoenix, the LA Kings took the Toyota Sports team logo we have the lynx, so I actually shot a commercial last year to Center ice at 11:00 a.m. and aligned differently than they had against St. help preserve the species.” Louis. First, Tyler Toffoli was moved alongside Adrian Kempe, while Alex While on a Kopitar YouTube wormhole, I came across this Jaromir Jagr Iafallo returned to the left of Anze Kopitar, thus flipping Dustin Brown interview with Slovenian television last summer in which the Czech over to the right. Also, Kurtis MacDermid was holding a spot alongside legend compared their skill sets and offered respect to Kopitar’s two-way Kempe and Toffoli as the club skated one forward short. Hey, that game. “He reminds me of myself and the way he’s built, I play that way,” sounds like news! Jagr said before letting out a good laugh. “I was stronger than him.” Notes! Alex Iafallo didn’t have any strong opinions towards the major redesign –Matt Luff was assigned to AHL-Ontario this morning. There was no his hometown Sabres undertook in the late 1990’s when they abruptly corresponding move today, but “I would expect somebody will be coming switched from their traditional blue and gold palette to the red, silver and up,” Willie Desjardins said. Keep in mind teams are permitted four recalls black scheme seen in a lot of Dominik Hasek highlights. Iafallo also from the American Hockey League after the trade deadline and used one owned a white Coyotes jersey growing up that he’d wear “just go out on on Kurtis MacDermid. Luff’s recent stay was on an emergency recall, the pond or something.” which doesn’t count against the four. During some light polling, players and coaches offered support for the Luff, who has the team’s only goal in the last 120 minutes, played 8:19 in more classic styles, though several 1980’s and 1990’s get-ups drew Thursday’s shutout loss to St. Louis and will have a wider opportunity recognition. when he rejoins the Reign, allowing the Kings use the time to evaluate “I’m a big fan of New Jersey when they wear the green pants,” Alec other forwards at the NHL level. Luff is expected to join the team on their Martinez said, referencing their look from the NHL video games of his current trip through Tucson and Colorado. youth. Nostalgia is important here, and certainly an influence in other “I think he’s a young player, he’s a guy that’s growing and learning, so I teams like Los Angeles, Calgary or Anaheim reintroducing vintage looks think guys like that will go up and down,” Desjardins said. “I think that’s at various points in recent years. just what will happen. There are other guys we need to look at. You just “I wish they’d bring the actual Mighty Ducks jerseys – the green with the have so many call-ups through the league. It’s not like when he went out actual duck on it. Charlie Conway or Adam Banks,” he said before that he was bad – he wasn’t bad in the game. He scored the one. But I quoting D2. “Adam Banks woke up and the pain was gone.” think it’s just the matter of a young guy, we want to look at a few guys. He needs to play. If he’s not going to play 10, 11 minutes up here, then And perhaps this was just a ruse to talk to Martinez about Detroit-area lots of times it’s better that he gets more ice time down there. It’s just for jerseys. Even the Pistons, an NBA franchise with a storied legacy, fell his development. He wasn’t sent down because he was bad, he was sent into the sordid later stages of the 1990’s teal revolution. down for development.” “Oh yeah, the horse and all that. Grant Hill. I wasn’t a huge fan of that Desjardins was then asked about the balance between issuing enough [color scheme]. I liked the ones now that say Motor City on them, I think ice time that’s fair for both parties in which the player benefits from NHL- that’s pretty cool. There’s been some good throwbacks this year with level hockey and the team is able to get a realistic assessment of his Adidas allowing the third jersey,” Martinez said. ability. He responded that it’s important for players to be put in a situation in which they’ll have the opportunity to succeed, while “at the same time, “I liked the old Detroit [Red Wings] jerseys, where they had the stripe – you have guys like Clifford and Lewis that deserve ice time as well.” they didn’t have the logo, they just had “DETROIT,” he said of their early 1990’s reprisal. “I think of Bob Probert in those.” “It’s funny, because when I look at Luff or Wagner, I don’t quite see those guys as young guys, I see those guys as guys who have been with us, so Willie Desjardins referred to himself as a “traditionalist” but also they’re not quite the same as if you bring guys who haven’t played at all,” understood the appeal of something new and unique. And he, like the he said. players, spoke favorably of the Kings’ black-and-white uniforms while also complementing others. Austin Wagner (lower-body) skated in a track suit and a helmet under the watch of team trainers one hour before the practice. He’s no longer on “The Blackhawk jersey is a good jersey, there are all kinds, the crutches and is probably looking at Thursday’s game against Nashville Canadiens. The Original Six all have great jerseys,” he said. as the earliest realistic return date. Regardless of what they’re wearing, Arizona should provide a stiff –Anze Kopitar awoke to a pleasant surprise on Thursday: Borut Pahor, challenge. The Coyotes have won seven of eight to make some serious the President of Slovenia, had left a touching message on social media noise in the playoff race, showing good resolve amidst 328 man-games thanking the family for art created by Kopitar’s daughter and passed lost to injury. (Los Angeles is at 233 man-games entering Saturday.) along by one of his advisors. “For us, we better be ready. Like, if we think they’re the Arizona of old, “We have hand-written letters from him for each of our kids we’re wrong, because they’re not,” Desjardins said. “They’ve gone into a congratulating us [on their births], so I thought that was really cool,” said lot of tough buildings and won, and they’re going to be playing hard Kopitar, who became friendly with the President earlier this decade. tomorrow.” “After the second Cup he invited me to the Presidential Palace, so we LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.09.2019 hung out a little bit there. One of Ines’ really good friends is a special advisor to him and she was here, and Neza drew him a picture – a rainbow.”

Their bond is built purely on friendship and not out of any political coalition. The Presidency, while the state’s highest and most respected public office, is more involved in diplomacy than the day-to-day governing and direction of legislation spearheaded by the Prime Minister. “I’m a Slovenian citizen and I obviously love my country, but I don’t need to be on one side. I’m right down the middle,” said Kopitar. 1135016 Los Angeles Kings

WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: MARCH 8

JON ROSENMARCH 8, 2019

GAME STORY

What to say that hasn’t already been said? Any of the previous carbon copies of this column suffice. Nothing too new to report here: Jonathan Quick bore the brunt of the so-so investment around him; the detail lacked structure, slowing the team down in transition and resulting in a surplus of missed passes; they generated little attack after the first five or six minutes; they allowed a goal in the first 65 seconds of a period for the fourth time in six games as well as two late second period strikes that turned a narrow game into one in which they trailed by three heading into the third period; Jake Allen was his usual impenetrable forcefield against them when tested. There were actually some prime moments for the Kings to jump ahead in this game. Tyler Toffoli had a great first shift during a fast-paced start and was robbed by Allen on a dead-on look from the slot. An on-side Brendan Leipsic breakaway was mistakenly whistled down in a scoreless game. But in this type of slog, and against a surging team that could power a small city with its juju right now, them go the breaks.

Adam Pantozzi/NHLI

So, I don’t know. Maybe over the last month of the season instead of Waking up with the Kings I’ll schedule sports and lifestyle columns for the days after games. We can talk about things other than hockey. Like, sometimes Deadspin will post a story titled “Holidays, Ranked,” and the entire copy will just be a list, 1-through-13, of the one writer’s favorite holidays, and it will generate pages of snarky comments. While brainstorming story ideas a few summers ago, I once thought, “hey, maybe for fun, I’ll just ask a bunch of players about their favorite chicken fingers” and was told, “yes, that sounds great, go do it.” I decided against following through on that, but hey, there are another 15 of these, so is it Ludo Bird or Popeye’s, Trevor Lewis? It’s an interesting dynamic finding the right focus when a team has lost 12 of 13. I do give a lot of credit to the broadcasters, emcees, hosts and personalities for striving to entertain and keep an audience when the on-ice product is what it was on Tuesday and Thursday. Often when the Kings go on an extended skid, some of us who are in the room every day are more inclined to give the players their space and think of the bigger picture. Those are often the days to talk life away from hockey – TV shows, family stuff, fantasy football, their college or junior teams – or stay out of the room altogether. Reporting and storytelling function best with good relationships with players and coaches, and it’s important for a day here or there to know when to pull back instead of press. Right now, this team is past any sort of threshold. They’re off the map a bit, and it’s hard for the players and their families as impending change approaches. Those who took the ice Thursday, of course, certainly weren’t neutral arbiters in these developments. Rather, many were complicit in the type of performance that deviated little from their performance Tuesday, providing no sustenance beyond the negligible change in their draft lottery probability.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135017 Los Angeles Kings games, the Reign have points in two straight on the road, and points in five of seven.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.09.2019 PREVIEW – ONTARIO @ TUCSON, 3/8

ZACH DOOLEYMARCH 8, 2019

GAME PREVIEWONTARIO REIGNUNCATEGORIZED

WHO: Ontario Reign (19-26-5-2) @ Tucson Raodrunners (25-20-5-2)

WHAT: AHL REGULAR SEASON GAME

WHEN: Friday, March 8, @ 6:05 PM

WHERE: Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, AZ

HOW TO FOLLOW: Video: AHLTV & Facebook Watch – AUDIO (Away Feed) – Fox Sports Radio – TWITTER: @ontarioreign & @reigninsider

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign have hit the road for a stretch with five games away from home, beginning this evening against Tucson. Last time out, the Reign were unable to complete a perfect weekend on Sunday, as they fell 5-4 against Iowa to finish the weekend at two wins and one loss.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: This weekend, the Reign and Roadrunners faceoff for the final times this season in Tucson, with games tonight and tomorrow in Arizona. Ontario sits at 2-2-1 in total on the season against Tucson, though the Reign are just 0-1-1 in Arizona, after a pair of defeats in December. All-time, the Reign have struggled in Tucson, posting just a 3-6-2-1 record at Tucson Convention Center. The Reign skated this morning, with goaltender Cal Petersen off first, while defenseman Cliff Watson and forward Jamie Devane were on late after morning skate, though not for much longer than the rest of the group.

THE ROAD-RUNNERS LESS TRAVELED: Tonight’s opponent, the Tucson Roadrunners, have struggled as of late after a strong start to the season. Tucson is winless in its last five games and has won just two of its last 14 games, with a 2-9-3 record over that span. The Roadrunners have four of their top five scorers from the head-to-head series with the Reign not currently on the roster, including Conor Garland, currently with the Arizona Coyotes, who leads all skaters with nine points (4-5-9).

WE GOT THAT POWER: The Reign and Iowa Wild put on a power-play display over their two games on the weekend. The two sides combined for 10 power-play goals over the two games, with the Reign at 4-of-6 on Saturday and the Wild at 4-of-6 on Sunday. Iowa converted six of their nine power plays in total over the two games, while Ontario scored four times on a single major penalty on Saturday, including the overtime winner.

APPROACHING THE TOP: Reign forward Matt Moulson is approaching Ontario Reign single-season franchise records in both goals and points. Moulson has tallied 25 goals and 53 points to date during the 2018-19 season and sits two points shy of Sean Backman’s franchise record of 55 points from the 2015-16 season. Moulson is also two goals behind Jonny Brodzinski’s total of 27, posted during the 2016-17 season.

MOULS AND HIS GOALS: Speaking of Moulson, the veteran winger has been on a tear since the start of 2019, leading the AHL with 16 goals and ranking tied for third with 30 points (16-14-30), one shy of Chicago’s Daniel Carr in that timespan. Moulson has nine multi-point efforts in total in the 2019 calendar year, including five games with multiple goals scored and four games with three points or more.

THE AMAD COUPLE: Ontario forward Mike Amadio led the Reign with three points on Sunday, as he collected a goal and two assists versus Iowa. Amadio tallied seven points (2-5-7) on the weekend, tied (with Moulson) for the lead amongst all skaters in the AHL thus far in the month of March. Amadio has now collected 18 points (4-14-18) from 17 games played thus far this season with Ontario.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Ontario Reign capped off a six-game homestand on Sunday, finishing the slate with a 4-2-0 record over the six games. Ontario won 2-of-3 games on back-to-back weeks, including wins on Friday and Saturday, before falling on Sunday this past weekend. While they’ve played away from home just three times in their last 16 1135018 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Florida game recap

MARCH 8, 2019 — 11:49PM SARAH McLELLAN

STAR TRIBUNE’S THREE STARS 1. Aleksander Barkov, Panthers: The Florida captain tallied a franchise- record five assists. 2. Jonathan Huberdeau, Panthers: The winger finished with four points, including a goal. 3. MacKenzie Weegar, Panthers: The defenseman had a pair of goals in the first period. BY THE NUMBERS 1 Successful coach’s challenge for the Wild. 2 Goals by the Wild’s fourth line. 4 First-period saves for goalie Devan Dubnyk on seven shots. Star Tribune LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135019 Minnesota Wild

Wild has trouble explaining 6-2 collapse to Panthers

By Sarah McLellan MARCH 8, 2019 — 10:24PM

SUNRISE, FLA. – Wild coach Bruce Boudreau searched for an answer. Was it a lack of a morning skate? Too much down time at the hotel? Boudreau wasn’t sure, but he did know the display put on by the Wild that paved the way for it to get trounced 6-2 by the Panthers Friday at BB&T Center and nix its season-high eight-game point streak wasn’t a result of the group being tired. “They flew from Boston and got in a lot later than we did, and it was a back-to-back,” Boudreau said of the Panthers. “Fatigue should not have come down to it. Obviously, we didn’t have the same jump that we had against Tampa and those are the things that make coaches go nuts because we needed it.” The Wild skated like a completely different team than the one that cruised to a 3-0 win over the NHL-leading Lightning Thursday in Tampa. Its entire on-ice approach seemed out of sync, with routine saves coming off as challenging, passes missing their mark and an overall lack of execution that made the group appear slow. “It was tough sledding the whole game,” center Eric Fehr said. “We just weren’t able to sustain any pressure. Pucks were bouncing. I think they took advantage of those situations. I think we took some chances that we’re not used to taking. Maybe it’s because we were behind, but we let them have odd-man rushes and really got away from the way we were playing.” Translating what worked Thursday when the Wild was precise – especially in its defending – seemed like a no-brainer, but that template didn’t show up. The team fell behind 3-0 after the first period and never clawed its way back in the game. “It’s demoralizing,” Boudreau said. This loss continued an unusual trend of the Wild thriving against the NHL’s best and sagging against its worst. The Panthers are out of a playoff spot and had five fewer wins than the Wild entering the game, but they completely outmaneuvered the Wild – in all three zones. “When we play playoff teams, it seems like the fear of losing makes us play great,” Boudreau said. “When we play teams underneath us in the standings, we just haven’t come ready to play.” Perhaps fortunately for the Wild, its schedule the rest of the way is heavy with teams above it in the standings. Only three upcoming opponents (the New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes) are currently below the Wild. “I guess it only has to change a couple times because our schedule is pretty good,” goalie Devan Dubnyk said. “But every game you just don’t know which one’s going to be the difference. It’s about feeling good about what we were doing and working to get to the playoffs and make sure we’re playing the right way and the way we want to play. “We’ve been doing that for night-in, night-out here for two-and-a-half, three weeks. It’s important to understand why it didn’t work tonight but not go crazy and dwell on it and just get back to working on what we were doing.” That seemed to be a theme among players after the game, to treat this outcome like any other loss and move on from it. After a day off Saturday, the Wild practice Sunday before it opens a five- game homestand Monday against the San Jose Sharks. “It doesn’t matter if we’re playing at home or on the road right now,” Fehr said. “Points are so important for us. We’ve got some tough opponents coming up. We’ve got to make sure we’re prepared for them.” Star Tribune LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135020 Minnesota Wild A potential goal by Aaron Ekblad midway through the first period was disallowed after Minnesota successfully challenged for offside. Barkov would have had another assist if the goal had counted. Barkov has team-record 5 assists, Panthers beat Wild 6-2 NOTES: Panthers G James Reimer returned after missing five games with a lower-body injury and backed up Montembeault, who is now a regular recall. The Panthers will go with three goalies the rest of the By PAUL GEREFFI Associated Press MARCH 8, 2019 — 10:35PM season. ... Wild C Luke Kunin was scratched with an upper-body injury sustained in Thursday's game at Tampa Bay.

UP NEXT SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers bounced back from a crushing loss in a big way. Wild: Host the San Jose Sharks on Monday. Aleksander Barkov set a franchise record with five assists, and Panthers: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. defensemen MacKenzie Weegar and Mike Matheson each scored twice as the Panthers beat the Minnesota Wild 6-2 on Friday night to snap a Star Tribune LOADED: 03.09.2019 six-game losing streak. The Panthers lost 4-3 in Boston on Thursday night when the Bruins scored twice in the final 37 seconds. "It was probably the toughest loss we ever had, 30 seconds away from a perfect 60-minute game against a really good team," Barkov said. "Coming here, we had two choices — either forget about the last game and play as hard as we could this game, or just feel sorry about ourselves. I think we really played our butts off and deserved the win." Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and three assists, Mike Hoffman also scored and Evgenii Dadonov added three assists. Sam Montembeault made 26 saves in his second career start for his first NHL win. "It's great," Montembeault said. "It's obviously good to put it behind me. Now next game I can just go out there and play my game and not even think about anything." Barkov appeared to have scored a goal as well, but it came a split second after the second period ended. He expressed appreciation to his teammates for helping him break the assists mark. "Of course, it's a nice milestone," Barkov said. "I just gave the puck to my own players and they scored. I'm thankful for them." The line of Barkov, Huberdeau and Dadonov combined for 12 points. "We needed that today," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "We needed someone to put us on their back and carry us a little bit early and that was Barky's line, for sure." Weegar and Matheson's two goals apiece marked the first time in Panthers history two defensemen scored two or more in the same game. Marcus Foligno and J.T. Brown scored for the Wild, who had their eight- game point streak stopped. Devan Dubnyk allowed three goals on seven shots before he was replaced by Alex Stalock to start the second period. Stalock stopped 19 shots. The Wild had beaten Tampa Bay 3-0 on Thursday night. "Obviously, we didn't have the same kind of jump that we had against Tampa," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Those are the things that make coaches go nuts because we needed it and we didn't show up." Florida stretched its lead to 5-1 when Matheson scored with a wrist shot from the right circle at 17:40 of the second period. The Wild answered 15 seconds later on Foligno's tap-in. Matheson's second goal came on a wraparound at 10:23 of the third and made it 6-2. Hoffman's one-timer from the right circle during a 5-on-3 power play gave the Panthers a 4-0 lead at 3:34 of the second. Brown deflected a shot by Jonas Brodin into the net to make it 4-1 at 9:02 of the second. The Panthers took a 3-0 lead on seven shots in the first period. They went up 1-0 on Huberdeau's goal 61 seconds in. Barkov passed from behind the net to Huberdeau in front and he skipped the puck into the net. Weegar, who had one goal in 49 games this season, scored two in a span of 1:40. His first goal gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead when his wrist shot from the point bounced off the back of Minnesota's Ryan Suter and across the goal line at 16:51. Weegar stretched it to 3-0 on his second goal, a shot from the top of the right circle that got past Dubnyk at 18:31. 1135021 Minnesota Wild Only 15 seconds later, winger Marcus Foligno put a rebound past goalie Sam Montembeault — who racked up 25 saves — before Florida added a sixth on a wraparound by Matheson 10:23 into the third. Wild's eight-game points streak comes to a crashing halt at Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov recorded a franchise-record five assists. By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MARCH 9, 2019 — 12:49AM “We put ourselves in a position where you can’t afford to take a night off like this,” Boudreau said.

Star Tribune LOADED: 03.09.2019 SUNRISE, FLA. – Wild goalie Alex Stalock took off for the bench, hustling so another skater could get on the ice during a delayed penalty against the Panthers. The only problem was the Wild wasn’t getting a power play. Not until the Panthers had chased the puck into the offensive zone and were staring down an empty net did Stalock reverse course and charge back to the crease. By then, the whistle had blown — a decision that corrected the confusion caused by the official who raised his arm for an infraction and then changed his mind. And while the second-period sequence had no bearing on the result, it still fit perfectly in Friday’s action because of how bizarre a head- scratching 6-2 letdown to the struggling Panthers in front of 12,388 at BB&T Center felt on the heels of the Wild’s methodical dismantling of the NHL-leading Lighting the previous night. “We didn’t show up,” coach Bruce Boudreau said of an effort that left some destruction in its wake at the conclusion of a 1-1-1 road trip. Not only did the Wild’s season-high, eight-game point streak end, but the team failed to gain ground on Arizona and remained just three points up for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Coyotes have two games at hand. VideoVideo (01:05): Coach Bruce Boudreau discusses the 6-2 loss to the Panthers Friday. The meltdown also rubbed some of the shine off the 3-0 masterpiece Thursday over Tampa, a jarring side-by-side that questioned how it’s possible for a team to rise to its best and then sink to its worst in less than 24 hours. “I’m not sure exactly what happened,” center Eric Fehr said. “It seemed from the start of the game we didn’t bring any part of the game we brought last night. It’s unfortunate. This was a game we needed to win, and we let it go.” Just 1 minute, 1 second into the first period, winger Jonathan Huberdeau slid the puck between goalie Devan Dubnyk’s pad and the near post — an early gaffe that seemed to set an ominous tone for how discombobulated the Wild would look. Florida scored again at 11:18 when defenseman Aaron Ekblad walked in for a backhander, but the goal was disallowed after the Wild challenged for offside — improving its record to 4-for-9 in coach’s challenges. But the Panthers recovered quickly on a pair of goals from defenseman MacKenzie Weegar. His point shot bounced off defenseman Ryan Suter at 16:51 before another wind-up sailed in just 1:40 later. “That’s hard to play the game that you want to play when you’re playing catch-up,” said Dubnyk, who finished the period with four saves on seven shots before getting replaced by Stalock, who made 19 stops in relief. The change, however, didn’t help wake up the Wild. VideoVideo (00:54): Sarah McLellan recaps the 6-2 loss to the Panthers in her Wild wrap-up. Back-to-back penalties gave the Panthers a 5-on-3 setup, and they capitalized on a one-timer from winger Mike Hoffman only 3:34 into the second. Florida went 1-for-3 with the man advantage, while the Wild was 0-for-3. “I’d like to think that after beating the best team in the league that we could come back with a better performance than we did,” winger Zach Parise said. “But that didn’t happen.” Eventually, at 9:02, the Wild scored — a Jonas Brodin point shot that banked in off winger J.T. Brown — but the Panthers retaliated on a blistering shot from defenseman Mike Matheson at 17:40. “We were lost,” Boudreau said of the Wild’s defense. 1135022 Minnesota Wild Star Tribune LOADED: 03.09.2019

Wild's Jason Zucker remains a believer in his ability to score goals

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MARCH 9, 2019 — 12:52AM

SUNRISE, FLA. – Ever since winger Jason Zucker broke into the NHL with the Wild almost seven years ago, his production has bobbed up and down like a seesaw. He is currently in the midst of one of his upswings, recording his second career hat trick in Thursday’s 3-0 victory at Tampa Bay to boast six goals in his previous six games and reach the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in his career. It also signaled just the 23rd time in NHL history that a player scored all his team’s goals (at least three) in a shutout victory. Zucker also accomplished the feat last season for the Wild when he converted his first career hat trick Nov. 9, 2017, vs. Montreal. And while Zucker hasn’t been able to shake the streaky label, he is confident he can score consistently enough to eclipse the career-high 33 he posted last season. “I think I have more,” he said. “I do, and that’s why the beginning of this year was so disappointing for me because I feel like I can score 40 in this league. I feel like I can put up 30 every year.” Before his six-goal outbreak, Zucker was mired in a 10-game drought. He also had two seven-game slides earlier this season and had just 10 goals through his first 41 appearances. Perspective helped him weather that adversity — “You’ve just got to realize it’s all a game. It’s hockey,” he said — and the 27-year-old’s remained steadfast in his belief he can be a regular goal scorer in the NHL. “It’s about maintaining that and getting to that point and not being satisfied with it and just keep going,” Zucker said. Injury update Winger Luke Kunin (upper-body injury) did not play Friday against the Panthers after getting leveled with an open-ice hit in the second period Thursday from Tampa Bay’s Cedric Paquette that knocked him out of the game. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau hoped the issue wasn’t long-term. With Kunin unavailable, winger Matt Read slotted on the second line and rookie Jordan Greenway lined up at center. Kunin had just played the puck up ice after Paquette connected, and he was slow to get to his feet before he struggled to the bench — at one point falling. It was a scary sequence just days after Kunin briefly left last Saturday’s game in Calgary when Flames winger Garnet Hathaway smacked Kunin’s head on the top of the boards in front of the Wild’s bench. “You hate to see a player coming off the ice like that,” Boudreau said, referring to Thursday’s game. “But his character, he was going to make it. That’s Luke.” ‘Riding the wave’ Ryan Donato wasn’t with the Wild when it spiraled into a slump out of the All-Streak break, as the team’s surge coincided with his arrival from a trade with Boston. And what the winger has noticed about vibe he walked into is players were simply tired of being in a funk. “Guys are sick of losing,” Donato said. “And I think now we’re on kind of a winning streak and maybe a loss here and there, but I think the guys are — they call it, ‘Riding the wave.’ I think they’re staying high as possible, staying positive as possible, and I think that brings us a better mentality heading into the games.” It’s also a comfortable environment to ease into as a newcomer, and Donato has seemed to fit wherever he’s played — most recently on the top line next to Zucker and center Eric Staal, as Donato set up two of Zucker’s deflections against the Lightning by heaving the puck on goal. “He’s got great stick skills,” Boudreau said. “If you give him a chance, he’s one of those guys that can stickhandle in very tight corners and tight spaces and he loves to shoot the puck. Those guys that love to shoot the puck and love to score, they usually are around the net.” 1135023 Minnesota Wild

Wild wraps up road trip vs. Panthers riding eight-game point streak

By Sarah McLellan MARCH 8, 2019 — 8:21AM

SUNRISE, Fla. – This has already been a fruitful road trip for the Wild, as it’s gone 1-0-1, but the team has a chance to make it even better Friday when it wraps up the trek against the Panthers. The night before, the Wild had arguably its best performance of the season – blanking the NHL-leading Lightning 3-0 at Amalie Arena. Winger Jason Zucker recorded his second career natural hat trick, while goalie Devan Dubnyk secured his second career shutout after making 25 saves. “We had some tremendous energy,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. Look for Dubnyk to be back in net, and he’s been steady in his career against the Panthers – going 9-1 with a .948 save percentage and 1.38 goals-against average in 10 games. In his last seven starts, Dubnyk is 6-0-1 with a .943 save percentage and 1.69 goals-against average. But the rest of the Wild’s lineup could change. That’s because winger Luke Kunin suffered an upper-body injury Thursday after absorbing an open-ice hit from center Cedric Paquette. Kunin struggled to get up and skate to the bench; Boudreau expected to learn more on Kunin’s status after the game. The Wild did not host a morning skate Friday. Winger Matt Read has been with the team recently on an emergency basis, and he could be ushered into action. Read had a goal Saturday in the 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames. If Kunin can’t suit up, it’s possible rookie Jordan Greenway plays at center. Boudreau will address the media approximately two hours before puck drop. Projected lineup: Ryan Donato-Eric Staal-Jason Zucker Zach Parise-Luke Kunin-Kevin Fiala Jordan Greenway-Joel Eriksson Ek-Pontus Aberg Marcus Foligno-Eric Fehr-J.T. Brown Ryan Suter-Jared Spurgeon Jonas Brodin-Greg Pateryn Nick Seeler-Brad Hunt Devan Dubnyk Key numbers: 299: Career points for defenseman Ryan Suter with the Wild. 99: Points for winger Kevin Fiala in his career. 8-2-2: The Wild’s record in its last 12 road games. 6-4-2: How the Wild has fared in the second half of a back-to-back this season. 10: Points for center Eric Staal during a season-high eight-game point streak. About the Panthers: Florida has fallen 11 points back of the playoff pace in the Eastern Conference and is coming off a 4-3 loss to the Bruins Thursday in Boston. The Bruins scored twice in the final 37 seconds of play to rally against the Panthers. It was Florida’s sixth straight setback. Captain Aleksander Barkov leads the team in points with 70. Winger Mike Hoffman’s 30 goals are best on the Panthers. Star Tribune LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135024 Minnesota Wild At least the Wild’s fourth line came to play. J.T. Brown and Marcus Foligno scored second-period goals to show the team had a pulse. But the deficit was too deep to overcome. Wild play down to form again in ugly loss to Florida After playing five games in seven nights the Wild will have Saturday off to regroup and clear snow before returning practice Sunday to prepare for a five-game homestand that could determine their playoff fate. By Brian Murphy | PUBLISHED: March 8, 2019 at 8:58 pm | UPDATED: March 8, 2019 at 9:24 PM “It doesn’t matter of we’re playing at home or on the road right now,” Fehr said. “Points are so important for us. We’ve got some tough opponents coming up. We’ve got to make sure we’re prepared for them.” SUNRISE, Fla. — Bruce Boudreau saw it coming, as sure as a 5 o’clock Pioneer Press LOADED: 03.09.2019 Florida thunderstorm. The Wild head coach essentially predicted the classic Minnesota meltdown two hours before Friday night’s faceoff against the woebegone Panthers. “To me, the first period is the key to tonight’s game. You have to put them away and beat them down,” he said. There was a first-period beat down all right. Florida blitzed Minnesota with three goals in the opening 20 minutes to chase goaltender Devan Dubnyk and inevitably tattoo the Wild with a 6-2 loss at BB&T Center. Show the Wild an inferior opponent and they will show you how to play down to one — a modus operandi that might be the postseason death of them. “It’s very frustrating as a coach to come out like that,” Boudreau huffed afterward. “I don’t know if it was no morning skate, they just laid in the hotel room all day or as it’s been this season here, when we play playoff- teams, it seems like the fear of losing makes us play great. When we play teams underneath us in the standings, we just haven’t come ready to play.” Twenty-four hours after shutting out the league’s most prolific offense in Tampa, the Wild sailed into Sunrise for what should have been a perfunctory two points that would have extended their points streak to nine games. The Panthers are going nowhere as usual. There were practically more players on the ice than fans in the seats. But the Wild treated the puck like a live grenade, defended their net like jelly and Dubnyk was a shell of the netminder who blanked the Lightning. He was sluggish in the crease and wore the body language of defeat. The rest of the team left their legs and gumption in Tampa, until they played with desperation in the third period. By then, the game was lost. “We were lost,” said Boudreau. “You can play as good and preach about it as much as we have and then all of a sudden everybody thinks it’s going to be point night and you’re going for goals and swinging and you’re getting what you did the night before. It’s demoralizing.” Nothing new with this group. Spot them an emotional win over the NHL’s alpha dogs and they’ll roll over against an also-ran. Anaheim waltzed into St. Paul in mid-January mired in a 12-game losing streak and promptly scored three goals in the first nine minutes of a 3-0 victory over the listless Wild. The Ducks, Detroit, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Edmonton — all teams that will not make the playoffs — defeated Minnesota on home ice while the Wild found ways to defeat Vegas, Toronto, St. Louis (twice) and Winnipeg (twice) on the road — all juggernauts heading to the postseason. To filch Randy Moss, the Wild play when they want to play. The Panthers were coming off a crushing loss at Boston the previous night in which they allowed two goals in the final 30 seconds to blow a 3- 2 lead. They were hardly sulking, though, erupting for three first-period goals by Jonathan Huberdeau and two from defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, who had one goal in 49 games entering play. Aleksander Barkov had a career-best five assists. Goaltender Sam Montenbeault earned his first NHL victory after coming into play with a .846 goals-against average. The Wild were that vulnerable. Alex Stalock was summoned to start the second period and mop up. A hooking penalty on Joel Eriksson Ek and a high-sticking foul by Eric Fehr promptly put the Wild down 5-on-3. It took Florida 50 seconds to capitalize and the rout was on. “It’s tough, there’s not a lot of excitement in the building,” said Fehr. “You don’t want to sleep through a period. It just felt like we weren’t ready when the puck dropped and we got behind early and we weren’t able to get the shifts back to back to get the momentum back.” 1135025 Minnesota Wild

Wild’s Luke Kunin out indefinitely after check that left him woozy

By Brian Murphy PUBLISHED: March 8, 2019 at 5:13 pm | UPDATED: March 8, 2019 at 7:14 PM

SUNRISE, Fla. — Rookie center Luke Kunin is out indefinitely with what the team is calling an upper-body injury after he was knocked out of Thursday night’s game at Tampa by an open-ice check that left him woozy. Coach Bruce Boudreau said before the game that Kunin would not play Friday against the Panthers but declined to elaborate on the injury. “He won’t be playing tonight,” he said. “That’s as much of an update that I can give you.” Boudreau was asked if Kunin would be out long. “I certainly hope not. Everything’s day to day,” he said. Kunin, 21, had just released an outlet pass eight minutes into the second period when Lightning forward Cedric Paquette nailed him with a clean check. Kunin struggled to get up and wobbled dazed toward the bench and into the arms of trainer John Worley. Referees stopped play realizing how seriously hurt he was. Kunin went into the dressing room and did not return. It was Kunin’s second similar injury of the week. Saturday in Calgary, Garnet Hathaway slammed Kunin’s head into the dasher board in front of the Minnesota bench and was ejected from the game. Kunin left the ice momentarily but returned to play. Meanwhile, veteran right winger Matt Read returned to the lineup against Florida after spending the week traveling with the Wild as an emergency call-up to hedge against Zach Parise, who missed last week’s game against the Flames because of a foot injury. Teams are allowed an emergency recall if they do not have 12 forwards to fill a game roster. Otherwise, the Wild would have to change Read’s status to a regular recall. However, they have already burned three of four “regular” recalls allowed after the trade deadline. So Read remains an invaluable enigma. ZUCKER SURGING The Wild traded Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund before the deadline and reportedly dangled winger Jason Zucker to Calgary before the deal fell through. Since then, Zucker has been on a tear with six goals and eight points entering Friday’s game against the Panthers. Before that, he had gone 16 games with only one goal. “He’s going good right now; let’s hope it continues,” said Boudreau. “His history says it’s not, but I think he’s in a good place right now, when he’s got that touch he’s shown that he can score a lot of goals and did that last night.” Zucker, whose hat trick powered the Wild to a 3-0 win at Tamp on Thursday, offered some grounded perspective when asked how he handles his streaky play and the criticism that comes with it. “You’ve just gotta realize it’s all a game. It’s hockey,” Zucker said. “I have a great family at home, and that stuff is what’s most important. So, when a season is tough, it’s a really small thing in this world. Obviously I’m going to do everything I can to make sure I get out of that and play my best, but realistically, my family at home is what keeps me going.” HE SAID IT Boudreau on rookie winger Ryan Donato, who had two goals among nine points in his first eight games with the Wild after being swapped for Charlie Coyle near the trade deadline. “He’s got great stick skills. If you give him a chance he’s one of those guys that can stick-handle in very tight corners and spaces. And he loves to shoot the puck. You give me those guys that love to shoot the puck and love to score and they usually are around the net.” Pioneer Press LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135026 Minnesota Wild The Wild looked lost in their own zone, could barely make it into the offensive zone without being whistled for offside and could not execute successive passes. Wild’s point streak comes to an end against a beatable foe in Florida Legs were heavy, turnovers were plentiful and Marcus Foligno said during an intermission TV interview that only half the team showed up ready to win battles. By Michael Russo 4h ago On one power play, the Wild made four soft plays along the wall, turned the puck over three times, gave up two shorthanded rushes, showed no urgency and were tagged with an intentional offside whistle. SUNRISE, Fla. — It’d be disappointing if it wasn’t so darn predictable. Still, even down 1-0, the Wild had chances to tie it. But they couldn’t Of course, the Wild would follow up their most complete and best victory execute. Kevin Fiala made a fancy move but couldn’t finish. J.T. Brown, of the season on the west coast of Florida by laying one giant, stinky egg who would ultimately score his second goal of the season, hit the post across Alligator Alley right on the edge of the Everglades. with the side of the net open, Eric Staal had a tap-in pass from Jared Spurgeon handcuff him because it hit his skate. This is what they do. And this wasn’t against future Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo or even They make you buy in, start to believe that things are different, and then James Reimer. they do what they did Friday night at BB&T Center against the Florida Panthers. This was against a kid, Sam Montembeault, who was 0-0-1 with a goals- against average near four. They’re able to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning with a perfect template of how to defeat the league’s most dominant team one night, then look like He’d finish with 25 saves for his first NHL victory. they’re incapable of playing any semblance of good hockey against an inferior opponent the next. From there, some defenseman named MacKenzie Weegar scored two goals and Dubnyk was given an early gate for Alex Stalock, who’d give So, 24 hours after shutting out the Lightning, the Wild naturally found up two goals to Mike Matheson and one to Mike Hoffman. themselves down by three goals after 20 minutes and would go on to suffer one of their worst losses of the season, 6-2. It was just a pear-shaped game from the outset and made all the more disconcerting because the Wild had played so well the night before. “I’m not sure exactly what happened,” fourth-line center Eric Fehr said of the Wild’s first regulation loss in nine games. “It seemed from the start of The big question after Thursday’s game was if the Wild were actually for the game we didn’t bring any part of the game we brought last night. It’s real. They answered that question Friday. unfortunate. This was a game we needed to win and we let it go.” Even with a largely overhauled roster the past six weeks, they still didn’t This is precisely why the Wild freefell from third place in the Central lose what has been their MO. Division starting five weeks ago, and this is precisely why they find themselves stuck in the second wild-card spot with the Arizona Coyotes Now, to be fair, this was their fifth game in seven nights starting last climbing fast from the rear. Saturday in Calgary. Since Nov. 15, the Wild are 10-13-3 against teams that are currently So, after such an emotional and hard-fought win the night before across outside a playoff spot. the state, maybe the gas tank finally hit empty. “It’s very frustrating as a coach to come out like that,” Bruce Boudreau It certainly looked that way. said. “I don’t know if it was no morning skate, they just laid in the hotel After all, how can each and every player play so well in Tampa only to all room all day — or as it’s been this season here, when we play playoff collectively stink the next night against a much worse opponent? teams, it seems like the fear of losing makes us play great. When we play teams underneath us in the standings, we just haven’t come ready Boudreau, for one, refused to use fatigue as an excuse. to play.” He pointed out that the Panthers played the night before in Boston, so This after Boudreau said prior to the game that the first period would be they arrived at Fort Lauderdale Airport well after the Wild. And they the key to the game. suffered what should have been an emotionally devastating loss by giving up two goals in the final 37 seconds for a shocking regulation loss. “You have to put them away and beat them down,” Boudreau said. But instead the Panthers bounced back and pounced on the sluggish, The Panthers must have been listening to the coach’s pregame speech out-of-sync Wild right off the hop. because they did just that. “It’s tough,” Fehr said. “There’s not a lot of excitement in the building. Coming off a 25-save shutout, Devan Dubnyk started for a second You don’t want to sleep through a period. It just felt like we weren’t ready consecutive night and promptly gave up a goal to Jonathan Huberdeau when the puck dropped and we got behind early and we weren’t able to 61 seconds in. Dubnyk thought Aleksander Barkov was going to execute get the shifts back to back to get the momentum back. a forehand wraparound. But Barkov didn’t wrap. Instead, the star hit the brakes when Dubnyk slid left and put the puck in front. Huberdeau “It was tough sledding the whole game. We just weren’t able to sustain scored an easy goal. any pressure. Pucks were bouncing. I think they took advantage of those situations. I think we took some chances that we’re not used to taking. The Wild had zero answer for Barkov’s line. Maybe it’s because we were behind but we let them have odd-man The forward assisted on a franchise-record five goals and was on the ice rushes and really got away from the way we were playing.” for all six Florida goals. Believe it or not, he almost was on the ice for a Luke Kunin became the latest sidelined player with an upper-body injury. seventh and eighth goal. An Aaron Ekblad first-period goal was With Victor Rask working his way back from an injury, Mikko Koivu done overturned after a successful offside challenge by the Wild and Barkov for the year and Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund traded, this moved also scored a goal a fraction of a second after the second period ended. youngster Jordan Greenway into the middle. He didn’t look comfortable. Barkov’s five assists were the most ever by an opponent against the The Wild have two off-days until they next play against San Jose on Wild. Monday. That opens a five-game homestand, so it’s critical the Wild, as “I felt like they had the puck the whole night. We didn’t really get much,” Dubnyk said, “wash” this poor effort away, forget about it and respond. said Zach Parise, who was minus-4. “I feel like they made plays right “In the end you just get over it. It’s a loss,” Boudreau said. “For an hour through us all night through the neutral zone, on entries, in our zone. … you bitch and moan about it, but then we get up tomorrow and we’ve got I’d like to think that after beating the best team in the league that we to start something new. At this stage, every point is so vital that you look could come back with a better performance than we did, but that didn’t at it and you scoreboard watch all the time. Even though nobody really happen.” advanced on us tonight, other teams have games at hand on us, and that It sure didn’t. ends up catching up with you.” You could see it throughout, frankly, a gross first period. The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135027 Montreal Canadiens Sharks. … Montreal rookie F Jesperi Kotkaniemi was a healthy scratch for a second straight game.

Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.09.2019 Hertl’s 30th goal of the season leads Sharks past Canadiens 5-2

JOSH DUBOW THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED 21 HOURS AGO UPDATED MARCH 8, 2019

With several players dealing with the flu, the San Jose Sharks managed to find a way to pull out a win that moved them closer to Calgary in the race for first place. Tomas Hertl scored his career-high 30th goal of the season, Martin Jones made 37 saves and the Sharks extended their two-decade home dominance over the Montreal Canadiens with a 5-2 victory Thursday night. “I think we gutted out a win tonight,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “I think we’re dealing with a little bit of flu going through the team and a little short-handed. I thought our goalie was our best player tonight, which gave us a chance, and I thought our third period, when we had to have a big period, we got our best period of the game. We did enough to win an important game.” Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns both missed morning skate with the illness and several other players have flu symptoms, leaving the Sharks a step slow for much of the night against the Canadiens. But a couple of fortunate bounces and big saves by Jones were enough to give San Jose its 12th straight home win over Montreal since last losing on Nov. 23, 1999. “You could just tell the lungs weren’t with the guys,” said Joe Thornton, who scored the winner on a pass that deflected off a Montreal player’s stick. “Gutsy effort by a lot of guys tonight.” Marcus Sorensen and Timo Meier each scored for the third game in a row, and Gustav Nyquist added an empty-netter for his first goal since joining the Sharks. San Jose pulled within one point of Calgary in the race for first place in the Pacific Division and has a game in hand. Artturi Lehkonen and Andrew Shaw scored for the Canadiens, who remained two points ahead of Columbus in the race for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Antti Niemi made 20 saves. “This place isn’t an easy place for us to win,” Lehkonen said. “We had our chances to get ourselves back in the game after trailing by two goals, but we couldn’t.” The Sharks took a one-goal lead into the third and responded with their best period of the night, getting an insurance goal when Meier got a pass in front from Joonas Donskoi and knocked it into an open net. Nyquist’s empty-netter provided the capper. The teams had traded goals off odd deflections in the second period. Thornton’s centring pass to Sorensen hit off the stick of Montreal’s Phillip Danault and went into the net to put San Jose up 3-1 despite getting outshot 23-8 at that point. But the Canadiens answered later in the period when Paul Byron’s shot pinballed toward the net before hitting off Shaw and trickling past Jones to make it a one-goal game heading into the third. The Canadiens controlled the play in the opening period, outshooting San Jose 16-5, but were on the short end of the scoreboard thanks to a couple soft goals allowed by Niemi. Hertl scored on a wraparound early in the period, and Sorensen then beat Niemi to the short side midway through the period to make it 2-0. “We did a lot of little things right, but we had a couple of mistakes that allowed them to put the puck in the back of the net,” Shaw said. “I had a turnover causing that first goal. That was a little mistake that ended up costing us the game.” Montreal struck late in the first when Lehkonen’s centring pass got past Jones. Notes: San Jose’s Brent Burns assisted on Sorensen’s goal, giving him 60 on the season. The only defencemen to record 60 assists in a season since the start of the 1996-97 season are Nicklas Lidstrom (2005-05, 2007-08) and Erik Karlsson (2015-16). … Karlsson (groin) and F Evander Kane (undisclosed) remained sidelined for a third straight game for the 1135028 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens notebook: Tatar out with flu; Kotkaniemi back in lineup

PAT HICKEY, Updated: March 8, 2019

ANAHEIM — Tomas Tatar, who has been one of the Canadiens’ most effective forwards on the road, will miss Friday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m.,. TSN2, RDS, TSN-600 Radio). Coach Claude Julien said Tatar is suffering from the flu. Tatar’s absence means Julien had to do line-juggling. Jonathan Drouin will move to one of the top lines with Brendan Gallagher and Phillip Danault. Rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi moves back into the lineup and he’ll centre the third line with Jordan Weal moving to left wing and Joel Armia on the right side. Weal is expected to handle some of the faceoff duties on that line. There will be a change on defence with Mike Reilly replacing Brett Kulak. Carey Price is back in goal after getting a night off in San Jose on Thursday. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135029 Montreal Canadiens Les Canadiennes coach Caroline Ouellette will serve as an assistant coach. The head coach will be Perry Pearn, who was once fired as an assistant coach by the Canadiens because he was a friend of head Hickey On Hockey: NHLers' potential use of medical cannabis faces coach Jacques Martin. He’s looking for his second world championship hurdle gold. He led Canada’s junior team to a gold medal in 1993. Game 2 in the Les Canadiennes-Markham series is at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard. Game 3, if necessary, will be PAT HICKEY, Updated: March 8, 2019 Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in Brossard. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.09.2019 Can cannabis help hockey players suffering from the effects of concussions and other injuries? The National Hockey League Alumni Association and Canopy Growth, an Ontario-based grower of legal cannabis, are trying to find the answer. The alumni group, which advocates for retired players, is joining Canopy Growth in a blind study of the effects of cannabis on former players who suffer from the lingering effects of concussions sustained during their careers. While the initial study is limited to 100 former players, a positive result could have an impact on current players. However, the road to widespread acceptance of medical cannabis by NHL teams faces legal challenges. The NHL has adopted an unusual policy toward cannabis. Use of the drug by players is banned and random tests screen for cannabis use. But a positive test doesn’t really matter because there’s no discipline involved. Presumably a player who tests positive is subjected to a lecture on the possible harmful effects of cannabis use, but that conversation might take on a different tone if tests show that it has a positive effect. There might already be some players who have experimented with cannabis’s effectiveness in treating pain because NHL players have more access to legal cannabis than athletes in any of the other major North American pro leagues. After Canada legalized recreational cannabis last summer, players in 15 NHL cities had access to legal pot. In addition to the seven Canadian franchises, players in Las Vegas, Washington, Detroit, Boston, Denver and the three NHL cities in California are free to indulge in cannabis products. There are five other states, including New York, which have decriminalized cannabis and violators in Dallas are handed a ticket. But there is one serious barrier to widespread use of cannabis even if it is found to have magical medical properties. While the NHL has adopted a laissez-faire approach to cannabis, the U.S. federal government is still using Reefer Madness as a policy guide. Under U.S federal law, possession of cannabis is illegal for any purpose. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified cannabis as a Schedule I drug with a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. The current administration in the U.S. has ramped up enforcement. That means Canadians — and other foreigners — can be barred entry into the U.S. if they admit to having used cannabis products. You can also be barred if you lie about using cannabis or refuse to answer a question about the use of cannabis. You can imagine the embarrassment for the NHL if a couple of players are stopped at the border for using a potentially beneficial medicine. Female stars are busy: The Canadian Women’s Hockey League semifinals are underway and Les Canadiennes are hosting the defending champion Markham Thunder for the best-of-three semifinal. Montreal leads the series 1-0 after a 3-0 win Friday night in Laval. The winner will face the winner of the second semifinal, which pits regular-season champion Calgary Inferno against the Toronto Furies, in the Clarkson Cup final on March 24 in Toronto. While the Clarkson Cup marks the end of the CWHL season, most of the top players in the league will continue playing into April as they head to Espoo, Finland, for the world championship. Les Canadiennes will be well represented in Finland. Marie-Philip Poulin, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, is one of seven Montreal players named to the Canadian team. She’ll be joined by forwards Jillian Saulnier, Ann-Sophie Bettez, Mélodie Daoust, blue-liner Erin Ambrose and goaltenders Emerance Maschmeyer and Geneviève Lacasse. Les Canadiennes forward Hilary Knight has been named to the U.S. team. Bettez will be making her first appearance at the world championship and her selection is long overdue. The 31-year-old McGill grad finished second in the CWHL scoring race this season with 48 points, two behind Poulin. 1135030 Montreal Canadiens wouldn’t be so close to a playoff spot if it wasn’t for Kotkaniemi’s strong defensive play.

One last thing. If Julien is so great why hasn’t he been able to make any What the Puck: Canadiens coach Julien made net blunder against progress with that sad-sack power play? That, too, might well cost them Sharks a playoff spot. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.09.2019 BRENDAN KELLY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: March 8, 2019

It is time to take off the kid gloves in our discussion of Canadiens head coach Claude Julien. I have been critical of Julien on social media for a couple of days because I thought it was a mistake to pull Jesperi Kotkaniemi out of the lineup for the games in Los Angeles and San Jose and I stick by that opinion. Unsurprisingly, I was pilloried on Twitter by the usual suspects from the rose-coloured-glasses set who appear to believe that you have to support every move by Canadiens management. If you don’t, clearly you are a traitor and must immediately head down Highway 401 to cheer for the Leafs. The argument that kept rearing its ugly head was that anybody who questioned Julien’s decision to sit KotkaKid has no right to do that because Julien is a seasoned National Hockey League coach who has won a Stanley Cup. That’s ridiculous. That’s what sports talk is all about. We get to debate what the coach does. Only in the strange, irrational Montreal hockey community is that not understood. So off come the gloves. Julien has made two big mistakes this week and those blunders might well contribute to the Canadiens missing the playoffs. The other mistake, of course, is Julien’s decision to start Antti Niemi in San Jose Thursday night. If Julien had gone with Carey Price, the Habs would’ve been flying south from San Jose with two points in their pocket and they’d be sitting comfortably four points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Instead Niemi stunk out the joint and before any of us could say ‘Hey, why don’t we have a real backup goalie?’ — Montreal was down 2-0 after 10 minutes on two garbage goals on Niemi and the game was over. The Canadiens were by far the better team for the first 40 minutes Thursday and they would’ve won the game if they’d had an NHL netminder between the pipes. Julien decided to go with Niemi Thursday because he felt he needed to rest Price, who had played 15 consecutive games and because the Habs had two games in two nights, with a bout coming Friday against the lowly Anaheim Ducks. Most of us believe he went with Niemi because he figured they’d lose the Sharks game in all likelihood. Julien rolled the dice and lost his gamble. And if the Canadiens miss the playoffs by one or two points, fingers will be pointed at him for this decision. Many believe the real culprit here is general manager Marc Bergevin for not getting a backup for Price. If Price has played 15 straight games prior to Thursday it’s because Julien has completely lost confidence in Niemi — and who can blame him? So why didn’t Bergevin find another goalie? It’s been clear for a while that Niemi is no longer up to the job. And goalies were available. The Columbus Blue Jackets nabbed Keith Kincaid from the New Jersey Devils in return for a fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft. This is not a rebuild. This is a team fighting to get into the playoffs, so the GM failing to get a backup is simply irresponsible. Trading bottom-six forwards is easy-peasy. They come a-dime-a-dozen and adding Jordan Weal to the lineup does not move the needle. Speaking of Weal, he was invisible Thursday in San Jose and that leads us back to Julien’s first mistake of the week. Explain to me why, heading into Friday’s game against the Ducks, Julien made Kotkaniemi a healthy scratch for two games. The youngest player in the NHL told reporters that he wasn’t tired, directly contradicting what the kindly ol’ coach said. Of course, the rookie added that “the coach knows what’s best for me.” He’s a smart kid. His father is a professional hockey coach. He is not about to start an all-out war with Julien. RDS analyst François Gagnon said Friday on TSN 690 that when he heard that Kotkaniemi was a healthy scratch, the first thing he thought was “Did something happen?” So something’s up, and the thing about him being tired is a lame excuse. Fact is the Canadiens have a better chance to win with Kotkaniemi in the lineup than with Weal. Olivier Bouchard had a jaw-dropping piece in The Athletic suggesting Kotkaniemi should be in the discussion for the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the league and he says the Habs 1135031 Montreal Canadiens

Habs lose 5-2 in San Jose, where they remain winless this century

PAT HICKEY, Updated: March 8, 2019

SAN JOSE — The Canadiens played as well as they could but it wasn’t good enough Thursday night as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the San Jose Sharks, extending their record of futility at the SAP Center to 12 games. Montreal fell behind 2-0 in the first 10 minutes and played catch-up for the rest of the game. They outshot the home team 39-25 and cut the San Jose lead to one goal on two occasions, but Timo Meier’s third-period goal sealed the deal. Despite the loss, the Canadiens held on to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, because Pittsburgh blanked Columbus 3-0 earlier in the evening. The Canadiens have a two-point edge on Columbus, but the Blue Jackets still have a game in hand. The Canadiens were holding their own and had a 6-2 advantage in shots before Tomas Hertl opened the scoring at 6:55 of the first period. Andrew Shaw lost the puck along the boards in the neutral zone and Hertl was off to the races. He blew past Jeff Petry, skated around the net and tried to beat Antti Niemi on a wraparound. Niemi made the initial save, but the rebound went in off Petry’s stick. It was Hertl’s 30th goal of the season. Marcus Sorensen made it 2-0 at the 10-minute mark. He beat Niemi on the short side from close range. That gave San Jose two goals on five shots, but it was also the Sharks’ last shot on goal in the period. The Canadiens dominated the final 10 minutes and finished the period with a 16-5 edge in shots. Brendan Gallagher came close to scoring when he hit a post with 5:30 to play and Artturi Lehkonen cut the lead to one goal when he scored on a shot from the corner that found its way through the traffic in front at 17:56. Earlier in the day, coach Claude Julien said he was happy with his fourth line but said it would be nice if it produced a goal or two. Lehkonen obliged with his eighth goal, which ended a 29-game drought for the Finn. The Canadiens came out with the same intensity in the second period. Martin Jones had to stop a Paul Byron breakaway in the first minutes and San Jose went another four minutes without a shot. The worst power play in the league looked good in its first appearance of the night, but the Sharks extended their lead to 3-1 when veteran Joe Thornton was credited with a goal at 7:46. Thornton threw a blind backhand pass intended for Sorensen, who was going hard to the net. Phillip Danault had Sorensen tied up, but the puck hit Danault’s stick and went in. Shaw cut the lead to one goal when he scored on the rebound of a shot by Byron at 15:18. Byron’s shot was blocked and went high in the air. It took a strange bounce as it landed and Shaw scored with an assist from the Sharks’ Joe Pavelski. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135032 Montreal Canadiens

In the Habs' Room: 'The score doesn't always indicate the effort,' Julien says

PAT HICKEY, Updated: March 8, 2019

SAN JOSE — There were several audible obscenities as the Canadiens left the ice at the SAP Center Thursday night after losing 5-2 to the San Jose Sharks. The shouts were a reflection of the frustration the players felt after they lost their 12th consecutive game here, a string of losses that dates from the Canadiens’ last win here in 1999. The players were upset because they played well, outshooting the Sharks by a wide margin, 39-25, and outworking them over the first two periods. But San Jose took advantage of mistakes to grab a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes and Montreal was forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the game. “They’re a good team and that’s what they do,” said coach Claude Julien. “You look across and see all the experience they have on their team and it certainly helps.” The Canadiens’ fast start was negated by a turnover by Andrew Shaw in the neutral zone that led to a scoring chance for Tomas Hertl. Antti Niemi, who played so that Carey Price could be rested for Friday’s game in Anaheim (10 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN-690 Radio), made the save, but when Jeff Petry came in to help, the rebound went in off his stick. Marcus Sorensen made it 2-0 at the midway point in the first period and Niemi couldn’t have been faulted on this one, because the San Jose player had too much room in the slot. “We played hard and we played well,” said Julien. “The score doesn’t always indicate the effort. For two periods, we were really, really good. In the third period, they played better. That was probably their best period and they took away some of the offence we had for the first two periods. “We were good — we were good everywhere,” aded Julien. “We had lots of O-zone time and opportunities. We had overall not a bad game.” What the Canadiens didn’t have were any points to help them in their drive for a playoff spot. They had an opportunity to open a gap on the Columbus Blue Jackets, who lost 3-0 to the Penguins, but the battle for the second wild-card spot remained the same with Montreal holding a two-point lead over the Blue Jackets, who have a game in hand. “The boys came out hard from the drop of the puck and we played really hard,” said defenceman Victor Mete. “I thought we battled really hard. Obviously, the score didn’t go in our favour, but we have to put this game behind us and get ready for the game tomorrow.” While Brendan Gallagher and Paul Byron both had breakaways foiled by San Jose goaltender Martin Jones, it was Shaw and Artturi Lehkonen who scored the Montreal goals. It was Shaw’s 17th of the season, while Lehkonen ended a 29-game goal drought. “I didn’t even know it was my goal,” said Lehkonen, who threw a puck from the corner that found its way through a jumble of bodies and sticks in front. “I thought it was (Dale) Weise’s goal.” In fact, the first announcement credited the goal to Weise, but it was changed after he said he didn’t touch the puck. The San Jose win tightened the race for first place in the Pacific Division. Calgary, which lost to 2-0 to Arizona, has 88 points and is only one point ahead of the Sharks. San Jose also has a game in hand. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135033 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens at Ducks: Five things you should know

PAT HICKEY, Updated: March 8, 2019

Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-Ducks game at Honda Center Friday (10 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN-690 Radio). The matchup: The Canadiens are hoping to end their three-game swing through California with a victory over the struggling Ducks. The teams met at the Bell Centre on Feb. 2 and the Canadiens skated to a 4-1 win as Brendan Gallagher scored two goals and Carey Price made 24 saves. Montreal will be at a bit of a disadvantage because this is the second half of a back-to-back series after losing 4-2 Thursday night in San Jose. The Canadiens are in the thick of the wild-card chase in the Eastern Conference, while Anaheim has the fourth-worst record in the NHL. Price not focused on record: Price is poised to pass the late Jacques Plante as the Canadiens goaltender with the most regular-season wins. They are currently tied with 314, but Price says he’s not focused on the record. Price, who had a night off Thursday, said the priority is to collect points and secure a playoff spot. After a shaky patch in November, Price has regained his spot among the NHL’s elite goaltenders. He has a 28- 19-5 record and his win total ranks fifth in the NHL. He is 11th in goals- against average at 2.51, tied for 13th with a .917 save percentage, and has three shutouts. Gallagher plays it even-steven: For the second straight season, Gallagher has scored 30 goals, which ranks 18th in the NHL. But the most interesting statistic connected to Gallagher’s output is that most of his goals have been scored at even strength. Gallagher has scored only four of his goals on the power play and there are only six players who have scored more even-strength goals than Gallagher’s 26. For some reason, Gallagher doesn’t get much time on the first power-play unit and you would think his willingness to go to the net would be an asset for the worst power play in the NHL. Julien likes his fourth line: While Julien has engaged is some line juggling over the past two weeks, he has no intention of tinkering with a fourth line that features Nate Thompson centring Artturi Lehkonen and Dale Weise. Julien said it would nice if the trio contributed some offence and Lehkonen delivered Thursday night when he scored to end a 29-game goal drought. Thompson has been wining faceoffs at a 60-per-cent clip since coming to Montreal and he and Lehkonen have become staples on the penalty-kill. Change doesn’t help Ducks: General manager Bob Murray fired coach Randy Carlyle last month, but there hasn’t been much of a change on the ice with Anaheim going 5-8-0 since the change. Anaheim has played large portions of the season without star defenceman Cam Fowler and veteran forwards Corey Perry and Patrick Eaves. Perry and Fowler are back, but are not playing to their usual standard while Eaves is in the minors. The team’s leading scorer is Ryan Getzlaf but he has only 39 points. including 11 goals. The team’s leading goal-scorer is Jakob Silfverberg with 18. The only other Ducks with double-digit goals are Adam Henrique with 14, Ondrej Kase with 11 and Rickard Rakell with 10. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135034 Montreal Canadiens you very far in the NHL. Yet, as we saw in January, you can get away with a scoring slump if you tighten up defensively.

Unfortunately for their playoff hopes, not only have the Canadiens failed A loss to the Ducks raises red flags as the Canadiens continue to stagger to score very much in March, but they’ve also completely unraveled when to the finish line it comes to preventing goals. They’ve controlled just 47.4 percent of the 5-on-5 goals, their worst result By Marc Dumont Mar 8, 2019 since November. We all remember how terribly things went that month. It’s a team-wide issue that’s hitting at the worst possible time, and they’re quickly running out of time to get things back on track. After a scheduled loss the previous night against the San Jose Sharks, the Canadiens were in desperate need of a strong showing on Friday The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 versus the Anaheim Ducks. There’s less than a month remaining in the regular season, and seeing as their last four opponents of the year are the Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs, the Canadiens have no choice but to bank as many points as possible, especially against teams that aren’t in a playoff position. But it was the Ducks who played with desperation, whereas the Canadiens played as if they had already booked an early-April vacation. The ice in Anaheim was sloppy but the Canadiens’ play was sloppier, leading to a morale-crushing 8-2 loss. Adding to the embarrassment for the Canadiens, seven of the eight Ducks goals were scored at 5-on-5. Going into the game, the Ducks averaged just 1.8 goals at 5-on-5 per game, the lowest rate in the entire NHL. The Canadiens completely collapsed against one of the worst offensive teams in the league, an inexcusable result at this time of the year. But he’s good at faceoffs The first Ducks goal was the result of an incredibly lazy play by Nate Thompson in the neutral zone. Instead of taking control of the puck or directing it into an open corner 200 feet away from Carey Price, he attempts a high-difficulty deflection to his linemate, Dale Weise. It was the worst possible night for Thompson to put on his fancy pants. The gambit fails miserably and once the Ducks easily take control of the puck, the Canadiens defenders give up the bnlue line and Daniel Sprong unleashes a perfect shot that beats Price far side. September effort There’s bound to be criticism sent Jonathan Drouin’s way for his play on the second Ducks goal, but he’s hardly the only one at fault. Phillip Danault shoulders most of the blame, as his positioning not only allows a pass to Adam Henrique, but he then fails to cover his man as he drove to the net. Drouin is rather non-committal when it comes to the backcheck, which doesn’t help the situation, but it never should have gotten to that point in the first place. It was the type of defensive coverage you’d expect to see in preseason, and it wasn’t just limited to the forwards, either. Statue defence Removing Brett Kulak from the lineup was a questionable decision, but perhaps Claude Julien was simply saving him from the defensive mess that was about to take place at the Honda Center. Time and again, the Canadiens simply gave up the blue line instead of challenging Ducks forwards. Once they were in, the Ducks were given free rein the offensive zone, with defenders failing to shut down passing lanes or even apply basic defensive coverage, as we saw from Shea Weber on the fourth Ducks goal. Sloppy is as sloppy does To add an extra layer of frustration to the game, the Canadiens decided to shoot themselves in the foot as they were being chased by an angry group of hornets. There are bad line changes, and then there’s this: A picture is worth a thousand mistakes While the above videos give us ample evidence of how poorly they played, this still frame from the Ducks’ sixth goal really epitomizes the situation in the Canadiens defensive zone all night long. It was pure chaos. But not the fun kind. Final Word The Canadiens are getting outscored by a significant margin in March, and run support has been a major cause. Scoring twice a night won’t get 1135035 Montreal Canadiens punkish about the way Gallagher emerges from a scrum with, among others, Brent Burns in front of the San Jose net, with a crooked smile on his face. Melnick’s GBU: Antti Niemi, Wayne Gretzky, Stompin’ Tom Connors and · Victor Mete: Now that Lehkonen has broken his drought it’s Mete’s turn. how the three are somehow linked in my mind The big, strong and quick physical San Jose forwards did not slow down Mete’s night. He looks loose, confident and free carrying the puck and heading to the net. Late in the first period he was able to break in alone By Mitch Melnick Mar 8, 2019 on Jones but couldn’t corral the rolling puck while sending it over the net with just one hand on his stick. That would have been something. Late in the second period, shortly after Andrew Shaw’s weird goal – a seeing eye puck that was sent to the net by Paul Byron but eventually bounced I tried hard to remember the night of Nov. 23, 1999 but, in addition to in off Shaw’s skate after Jeff Petry looked like Chris Taylor at the plate – brain cells that are gone and never to be recovered, I do have a Mete just missed the net wide left after a nice set up by Phillip Danault. legitimate reason to have no memory whatsoever of the night the It’s coming. Canadiens last won a game in San Jose. · Jeff Petry: The veteran defenceman played his 300th game as a It was an historic week for hockey that had nothing to do with the Habs. member of the Canadiens. While Antti Niemi might have played his last. For the record, the win came about on an overtime goal by Craig Rivet, THE BAD set up by the late Sergei Zholtok (who had earlier scored his fourth goal of what would eventually be a team-leading 26 goals that season) and · Claude Julien: A winnable game was pissed away largely because Eric Weinrich (a guy I was frequently mistaken for while roaming the Julien went with his backup goalie instead of Carey Price. Conventional downtown streets. In the late 90s, I was either Weinrich or, east of the wisdom seemed to be to rest Price to give yourself a better chance of downtown core, especially on my way into Olympic Stadium, singer- capturing two points the next night against an inferior opponent. But the songwriter Michel Rivard). The goal gave the Canadiens a 3-2 win that Habs were catching the Sharks without two key players – Erik Karlsson shall now remain etched in my memory until their next visit to San Jose. and Evander Kane – and with a bunch of guys who had been so sick they were given two full days off to recover from the flu. Silly me for Checking the box score from that night, I discovered three names I had thinking that the way Price is rolling he could earn a win and then be completely forgotten had ever played a single game for Montreal. And I rested, not only in Anaheim but for another four days before his next start defy anybody who is not a family member, friend, or former Tuesday at home against Detroit. It’ll be a moot point if they grab back teammate/opponent or coach of these guys who could aptly describe the two points they just lost, but the task in Anaheim just got more what Miloslav Guren, Matt Higgins or Scott Lachance even looked like. difficult. Expecting Montreal to play as well or better than they did in San What jogged my memory was a quick glimpse back to the previous Jose (at one point they held a 23-7 shot advantage) 24 hours later is a night’s game the Habs won, 2-1 in Anaheim. It was a Monday night. And reach as long as the beak on Brad Marchand. that’s a night I’ll never have an issue recalling. · Empty Net: It might be a small thing in the big picture but does it ever It seemed to be in the tarot cards that Wayne Gretzky would be work for Montreal? They always seem to get scored on. Have they enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto as part of the last managed to score even a single goal this season with an extra attacker ceremony of the 20th century, even if voters had to waive the usual on the ice? (Editor’s note: They have literally scored a single goal. Once. three-year waiting period. All season). Come to think of it, why should they? It’s just another version of a power play. Number 99 went into the Hall of Fame on Nov. 22, 1999. THE UGLY I was there, with my producer at the time Cathy Newton. To this day there are three takeaways from that night. · Antti Niemi: That wasn’t ugly. It was gruesome. The Canadiens would have had a better chance of winning the game if they had started no – Would anybody ever remember the two others enshrined? (Referee goalie at all. A Shooter Tutor would have stopped the first two San Jose Andy Van Hellemond and former Referee-in-Chief Scotty Morrison.) goals. But spare me the “If they miss the playoffs it’ll be because of Niemi or not getting a better backup” claptrap. His last two starts have been – Gretzky’s speech. It was warm and typically down to earth. But it was horrid, no doubt. But his team bailed him out in Florida when they came barely five minutes long. The Great One understood the concept of less back to tie the Panthers 3-3 before they got steamrolled by Aleksander is more. Barkov. There are no points awarded for style, in a win or a loss. The fact – Stompin’ Tom Connors. The Canadian music icon performed live. I is Niemi’s 8-6-2 record in 17 starts as a backup is fairly consistent with think it was part of the after party. What I clearly remember is getting right what you might expect from a goalie who plays as infrequently as he to the lip of the stage as he and his band broke into “The Hockey Song”. I does. Most contending teams lean on two guys. Here’s a quick sample had never seen him live. A few seconds in, it was obvious that Tom was from playoff bound teams (or on the cusp) who don’t: In the 13 starts he over-refreshed. He stumbled a couple of times, as if he had been tripped has made behind Freddie Andersen, for a much better team in Toronto, up from behind, and forgot some of the lyrics to his own anthem. But I Garrett Sparks is 7-5-1. In 18 starts for Columbus, Joonas Korpisalo is 9- found it all so very electric. A little on the punk side. I waited for another 6-2. Aaron Dell has made 16 starts behind Martin Jones in San Jose. His tune. I don’t know if somebody thought it would be a bad idea for him to record is 8-6-3. Alex Stalock doesn’t get to play very often behind Devan keep going or if the original plan was for him to sing just the one song, Dubnyk in Minnesota. When he does, he’s 6-6-2. And in Vegas, where but he was moving kind of sideways when he left the stage, and any Marc-André Fleury, who at 34 is three years older than Price, has started thought I had of approaching him ended when it was clear his work for 57 of his team’s 68 games, backup Malcolm Subban has won just four of the night was done. It’s an image that’s hard to shake, but I say that with his 10 starts. So go ahead and knock yourself out with fist-clenching fury nothing but joy and good cheer. It makes me smile. over the backup goalie position. But then you’d just be shadow boxing. I’ll stay in my corner and keep jabbing away at the real culprits, especially Thursday night in San Jose, a National Hockey League goalie made me the historically bad power play that’ll end up a Secretariat-like 32 lengths think of Stompin’ Tom Connors and Wayne Gretzky. ahead of a top-9 winger who in a 29-game span prior to Thursday night in San Jose was scoreless while managing to pick up just four assists. Or While some Montreal fans might be angry over what went down at The Micheal Haley numbers. Niemi? I’m back to smiling and thinking of Shark Tank, I keep laughing my ass off. Stompin’ Tom on a Saturday night in Sudbury. Or is it Long Gone to the THE GOOD Yukon? · Artturi Lehkonen: Mercy. All he had to do was send a soft rolling shot at The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 the net to finally break his embarrassing scoreless streak at 29 games. The fourth line of Lehkonen, Nate Thompson and Dale Weise had an excellent start, buzzing down low early and often. Their shifts had the feel of a goal-in-the-making. Unfortunately, their mostly strong night skidded to a halt early in the third period when Thompson gave the puck away in his own zone and then stood and watched as Timo Meier gave the Sharks their third two-goal lead of the game. · Brendan Gallagher: He had his usual strong night even though his scoring streak was snapped at four games. He did beat Martin Jones cleanly with what has become a patented wrist shot after the Habs had fallen behind 2-0, but it rang off the goal post. And there’s something also 1135036 Montreal Canadiens more special to me because I knew Jacques and I just thought really highly of him. For the brief time we had together, he just had a real positive influence on my life.” The evolution of Carey Price: From one of the most divisive players in Jerry Price might not have spent much time with Plante, but it was long team history, to one of the best enough to get a good read of what type of coach he was. And when listening to his description of Plante, it’s difficult not to think he might be describing his son, as well. Arpon Basu Mar 8, 2019 “He was the same kind of goalie coach as he was a player, very studious and meticulous and detail-oriented in everything,” Jerry Price said. “He picked up on everything. Very innovative. In the brief time I knew him, he Examining Carey Price’s time with the Canadiens, a time that has led him could just see everything that was going on as far as the goalie was to the pinnacle of franchise history in a statistical measure many goalies concerned. He just had a passion for the game and that just really consider to be the most important of them all, shows a man that has showed when you spent time with him, watching or talking about your been a study in contradictory duality. own game or whatever.” On the one hand, Price has long been considered the best goaltender in When Carey Price was asked after tying Plante’s record in Los Angeles the NHL, or at the very least a member of a very exclusive club who can on Monday if he knew anything about Plante before arriving in Montreal, rightfully lay claim to that title. Price hasn’t always played that way, but this is why he might have thought the question was a bit ridiculous. his technical prowess on the ice, his ability to intimidate opposing shooters and take control of any given game has always been “Yeah,” Price deadpanned, “I knew who he was.” unquestioned among his peers. The latest proof came in The Athletic’s first annual NHL player poll, where Price easily won the category of The original source of Price’s divisiveness among the fan base dates which goaltender players would want in their net in Game 7 of a Stanley back to June 17, 2010, the day Pierre Gauthier – the Canadiens’ general Cup final. manager at the time – decided to trade Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues and keep Price around. This, of course, came after Halak had I remember once, during Team Canada’s training camp in preparation for become a cult hero in Montreal, with stop signs being redesigned after he the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, I was watching Price turn aside some of performed miracles in leading the Canadiens past the powerhouse the best players in the game, one by one, during drills in the first practice Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins into the Eastern of camp. It was a doubly important practice for Price because not only Conference finals. was he preparing for a best-on-best international tournament, it was his first time on the ice in any official capacity since injuring his knee one It was not a popular decision at the time, even though it has proven to be season prior, an injury that completely derailed the Canadiens’ 2015-16 the correct one, but the residual effects of that disappointment for some season. fans have stuck to Price ever since. After practice, I went up to Sidney Crosby in the dressing room and It is telling, now that Price is on the verge of passing Plante, that he was asked if he noticed any signs of rust on Price in practice, a question I unsure whether his career with the Canadiens would continue past that knew was ridiculous because I had just watched that practice, but one I summer in 2010. When he left Montreal that offseason, he did so had to ask anyway because of the unique circumstances involved. determined to become a starter again and make sure his work ethic Crosby didn’t say a word. He stopped removing his equipment for a would never be questioned. But he didn’t know if he would be the moment, looked up at me and laughed. The only response he gave was Canadiens’ starter. He was a restricted free agent, Halak had just done to shake his head and, after a few seconds of doing that, simply saying, what he did, nothing was certain. “No.” Clearly, he thought the question was just as ridiculous as I knew it “I thought at the end of that season my playing career in Montreal might to be. have been over,” Price told me in 2014. “I kind of went into that summer John Tavares, Steven Stamkos, Brad Marchand, one by one they all had thinking about the possibilities of what could happen.” the same reaction, that Carey Price doesn’t show rust because, well, he’s On June 17, 2010, Price was in Jerry’s kitchen making a sandwich when Carey Price. His reputation among players has a lot to do with how they he heard the news that Halak was traded. It was Jerry who delivered it, view him, sure, and perhaps recent performance becomes after finding out while he was at work, giving a presentation to a group of overshadowed by past greatness. All Price did after that training camp school kids. As soon as he got home, he was able to put his son’s mind was go out and prove that reputation right with an incredible tournament, at ease. leading Canada on an undefeated run to the title. But up until that very moment, the thought of one day becoming the But there is the other side of this duality, and it’s how a player held in Canadiens franchise wins leader was the furthest thing from Price’s such high esteem by his NHL colleagues with near unanimity can be mind. Jerry’s too, for that matter. such a divisive player among Canadiens fans. “I thought he might get traded because I’d heard rumours before,” Jerry This is what makes Price such a fascinating figure and what makes said. “I wasn’t convinced that he’d be traded, but I wouldn’t have been breaking Jacques Plante’s Canadiens franchise record for wins, as he surprised if he’d been traded. I always wished I could speak to Bob will have an opportunity to do Friday night in Anaheim, so remarkable. Gainey to tell him how much I appreciated him kind of having Carey’s After all the pitfalls of that other side of the coin, Price is still here doing back at different times when he was young. That really meant a lot. From what he does and will be here for many years after this, pushing a record a parent’s perspective, to have somebody go to bat for your son when that stood for more than 50 years to an astronomical level. things weren’t going well really meant a lot to me, that’s for sure.” Price passing Plante has a very special significance to his family Gainey was the GM who drafted Price with the No. 5 pick in the 2005 because Plante holds a special place in the heart of the man who draft. He was the GM who traded away Cristobal Huet to give Price the introduced Price to the game, his father Jerry. starter’s net at 20 years of age in an attempt to fast track his Jerry Price was a goaltender who was taken by the Philadelphia Flyers in development and provide the experience necessary to survive in the the eighth round of the 1978 NHL draft and his first training camp with the Montreal fishbowl. He was the GM who warned the “bullies” at the Bell Flyers was leading into the 1978-79 season. That was also the final Centre who mock cheered a routine save Price made in Game 4 of a season of Bernie Parent’s career and Jerry was over the moon. first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Boston Bruins in 2009 to be careful who they boo out of town. And he was surely the GM who “Bernie Parent couldn’t sneeze without me trying to sneeze the same advised his successor, Gauthier, to hang onto Price and trade Halak on way,” Jerry Price told The Athletic this week. “I studied Bernie Parent the day that sandwich was made in Jerry’s kitchen. from the time I was in junior, trying to play exactly like he did. In fact, my nickname was Bernie.” It could be argued that Gainey was also the GM that got the whole ball of divisiveness rolling when he called Price a thoroughbred after that 2009 The Flyers, unusually, had a goalie coach at the time, so Jerry Price got playoff defeat, presenting him as the Canadiens next young superstar to work with him as well. That goalie coach was Jacques Plante, the man and perhaps unwittingly placing the bar too high, too soon. But it’s Jerry’s son is on the verge of supplanting as the winningest goalie in obvious that Jerry Price doesn’t see it that way. Canadiens history. When he thanks Gainey today, it shows to what extent those difficult “I think Jacques liked me because Bernie patterned his style after times at the beginning of Price’s career, those boos he heard in his own Jacques, so I just remember spending quite a bit of time with Jacques building – including the very first preseason game he played after the listening to his stories,” Jerry said. “I just really enjoyed spending time Halak trade – those mock cheers, that divisiveness had an impact on the with him. I’d sit up in the stands with him and watch the other goalies. So father, maybe more so than it did on the son. with Carey and the wins record and all that, it makes it just a little bit “I always remember how Andrew Raycroft, when he went to Toronto and That’s the Price duality that really matters. It’s that the guy we see he didn’t have the success they were expecting, and how the fans would speaking into microphones and in front of cameras saying it’s a pretty boo him. I remember thinking at that time, ‘I wonder how his parents feel cool accomplishment is not the real Carey Price. The real Carey Price is about that,’” Jerry said. “But I think by and large the fans have been really the one we saw in that video at Scotiabank Arena, consoling a young boy good to Carey; he’s spent nearly half his life there. But there have been who had lost his mother to cancer. It’s the one who greeted a kid from times you hear the boos. the Starlight Children’s Foundation after a bitter loss to the Bruins in December and gave him a moment he will remember the rest of his life. “As a parent you always want your child to just enjoy life, to enjoy what It’s the one who works to support indigenous youth, hosting groups of they do. Somebody asked me one time what I thought about it and I just kids of every year, giving them a chance to see that hard work and said, ‘How would you feel if they booed your daughter off the stage in a dedication can allow them to reach their dreams, just like he did. school play?’ So from a hockey perspective, booing is part of the game. I certainly never begrudge the fans. Fans are fans, and if they boo that’s Carey Price is likely to play his entire NHL career in a Canadiens OK. You just want Carey to be OK with how things are going. It’s not that uniform. As divisive as his career has been to date, he is just as likely to you’re angry at the fans, you’re just thinking about your child.” go down as one of the best players to ever wear the uniform, whether he wins a Stanley Cup or not. That last statement serves as a perfect The booing didn’t stop there, nor did the mock cheers or the divisiveness. example of what has made Price’s career so complicated because there What changed was Price’s ability to handle it, to let it bounce off the thick is probably a good portion of you who read that and disagreed. exterior he developed playing the position he plays in the city he plays it in. But overall, Canadiens fans should feel lucky to have a man like Carey Price representing their beloved team, because through it all, through the “That’s one of the things I’m most proud of Carey for, how he’s handled booing and mock cheers and fake rumours about his personal life, the certain challenges around that and the years playing in Montreal,” Jerry one thing Price has never wavered on is his desire to win a Stanley Cup said. “It’s a pressure cooker, and I’m proud of him for the way that he’s and parade it through the streets of Montreal. He’s never wanted to handled all that. I certainly couldn’t have handled it as well as he has.” leave, never said he was fed up with the noise, never sought out a The player on the Canadiens who has seen how Price has handled it the quieter place to play. most, the one who has marveled at Price’s ability on the ice, seen him at And maybe, as a result, the divisiveness that has defined Price’s career his best and yet still had to watch as Price would be targeted by his own is also starting to change. He was greeted with a standing ovation in the fans, is Brendan Gallagher. This is only his seventh season with the last home game of last season when he passed Plante on the Canadiens Canadiens, but that makes him the longest tenured player on the team games played list, one that moved him close to tears, admitting after the aside from Price. game “that video and that ovation was something that I really needed.” “I think his personality is probably perfect for this market,” Gallagher said. Then there was the pivotal game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on “It’s not for everyone, but for him, he’s so even-keeled. But he’s got the Saturday, a game where the Canadiens fell behind 3-0 in the first 10 competitive spirit that he’s only really focused on the one thing. Goalies minutes, a game where Price was less than his best, and a game where are unique, I think they have to be a little bit stronger mentally than the we didn’t hear a single boo or mock cheer pointed in his direction. rest of us. Instead, after making a number of big saves in the second period, we “He’s certainly got that.” heard the Bell Centre fans chant Price’s name. One way Price has learned to handle it is by being as purposefully boring Maybe this home stretch of Price’s career in Montreal can be different. as possible in interviews. Why? Because the brief moments he’s been Maybe he can become less of a polarizing figure for the first time in his frank and honest with the media have blown up into massive professional life. It would be a career denouement befitting the controversies. Just Google “Carey Price” and “chill out” and “hobbit in a winningest goaltender in Canadiens history. hole” to see just two examples. The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 It was after the summer of “hobbit in a hole” in 2013 – when his postseason description of how reclusive he is living in Montreal was discussed for literally the entire summer – that Price decided he’s going to be as bland as possible in interviews to avoid situations like that from happening again. Which is what leads to reactions like this when he tied Plante’s record Monday. “It’s a pretty cool accomplishment” should practically be trademarked at this point. The problem with such a media strategy is it can give the impression that Price is aloof, that he doesn’t care what happens. This is a bad impression to give off to those fans who already doubt what you do because, well, it’s just not true. Price cares very deeply about what happens, about winning, about performing up to his own standards. He just doesn’t show it, at least to us. But it’s there. “I got to be around him this summer a little bit, and just to hear him talk and see him work, he was really motivated to get better this year, and that’s a side that probably not a lot of people get to see,” Gallagher said. “There was really no doubt he was going to be one of the best goaltenders in the world, and to his standards he wasn’t happy with last year. We put a lot of that on ourselves, and I still think that, but he’s come in here and really been himself. “To say we wouldn’t be in this situation (fighting for a playoff spot) without him is an understatement.” Price is likely to never shake the divisiveness. The latest trigger is his contract, the mammoth eight-year, $84-million deal that is in its first year, and though Price has largely lived up to it this season, he will be judged through the prism of that contract for the rest of his career. There is no doubt about that, there is nothing he can do to change that, and there will always be a portion of fans who feel he is worth every penny and another portion who will feel it is an anchor that will weigh this team down for years. At this point, Price has to be used to it. If he even cares anymore. Which he probably doesn’t. But when people talk about Price, what is often left out of the conversation is the type of person he is. How every teammate he has ever had loved him. How compassionate he is. It is something he doesn’t actively share about himself, but something that’s an important part of his legacy, one he is still building. 1135037 Montreal Canadiens and funnels the player toward the point. While Ikonen’s stick placement could’ve been better, his coverage prevents a dangerous look, and immediately leads to a breakaway for Ikonen. Now healthy, the skill of Canadiens prospect Joni Ikonen is finally shining On the breakaway, the subtle skills of Ikonen shine again. Ikonen handles the puck to his backhand, while pushing the puck across. This move forces the goaltender to move across the crease because he has By Mitch Brown Mar 8, 2019 to respect a shot coming to the glove hand, which opens up his five hole. Ikonen taps the puck to his forehand and immediately shoots five hole, while the goaltender still thinks the shot is headed glove-side. Since entering the Canadiens organization in 2017 as a second-round Ikonen’s better off-the-puck reads are most evident on the forecheck. draft pick, luck has not been on Joni Ikonen’s side. After an Ikonen compensates for a lack of speed with directness, allowing him to underwhelming draft-plus-one year in Liiga, one where the percentages thrive in KalPa’s commonly-used two-man forecheck. In the sequence cratered his production, Ikonen missed a vital offseason of training and below, he turns a steal into a scoring chance with a backhand feed two-thirds of this season due to a leg injury. through a defender’s skates. Unfortunately, the recipient heels the pass. Because of some poor luck, a player once considered as one of the One of Ikonen’s assists came from a similar-looking play. Ikonen kept the organization’s most promising prospects has slipped off the radar a bit. pressure up during a line change, denied the breakout on one side, and Ikonen’s back now, and he’s already surpassed his goal total from last then recovered possession on the other. season (4) in just 13 games. Once recovering possession, Ikonen’s clever skills created a goal. In total, Ikonen amassed 10 points in 13 games with KalPa in Liiga, the Ikonen’s route shows a net drive, but instead he wraps behind the net. top tier of men’s hockey in Finland. His fake wraparound turns into a cutback to the way that he came. This route forced the goaltender to move from sealing the short-side post to The two factors driving Ikonen’s success are regression and role. Last sliding all the way to the other post and back again. The defenders, season, Ikonen was horribly unlucky with an on-ice shooting percentage meanwhile, are all watching the puck behind the net, with their backs of 5.7, 298th out of 318 Liiga regulars. Not only was Ikonen not scoring, turned to Ikonen’s teammates. Ikonen sends a perfectly weighted pass his teammates weren’t either with him on the ice. It’s tough to get points into space through a half-foot opening beside the net for a shot from the that way. slot. In terms of role, Ikonen has already played as many minutes on the man- That sequence, however, is one of those plays where it’s important to advantage as he did all of last season. Much of it was on KalPa’s first remember it’s the process, not the result that matters. Ikonen could have unit, where Ikonen is most dangerous. taken that puck right across the crease if he took another stride. It’s The primary weapon in Ikonen’s arsenal remains a wrist shot with a arguably the better play, even though what Ikonen did resulted in a goal. significant step in. He skates towards the net once receiving the puck, While Ikonen has no trouble going to the slot without the puck, he tends showing that he’s shooting through the entire motion. He generates to be more hesitant with it. enough power off his outside foot to occasionally blow the puck past With that said, Ikonen has played more conservative than normal, rarely Liiga goaltenders, but it’s predictable. flashing his stickhandling ability or really any sort of extended puck Continuing the trend toward the end of last season, Ikonen is recapturing carrying. Ikonen’s normally a brazenly confident playmaker along the the shooting diversity that he had in Sweden’s junior league, SuperElit. boards, using cutbacks and handling to locate the perfect lane, but he He’s incorporating an angle in his shot more often, while shooting off his hasn’t done much of that yet this season. inside foot. Ikonen’s one-timer is getting more usage, which is a positive This change is evident in Ikonen’s transition game. Ikonen’s carrying the development. puck less, passing off to his teammates instead. Accordingly, his In the clip below, you can see why Ikonen’s one-timer is so dangerous. controlled entry success rate has increased from 11.5 percent below It’s about as perfect of a one-timer as you’ll see with that type of pass: He KalPa’s average last season to 3 percent above it. Overall, he’s steps into the pass, adjusts his grip by sliding his bottom hand down and attempting more controlled entries, improving from 8.05 percent below keeps his front skate pointed towards goal. He drops down to one knee, average to 4.5 percent above it. which allows him to maintain control on his stretched out swing at the So far, this change has come with a trade off. Ikonen’s more careful puck puck. carrying has led to an influx of breakouts via dump out, which is basically Although Ikonen’s been used more as a shooter on the power play, his throwing the puck to the other team if not integrated into a breakout playmaking still stands out. His passes are often subtle displays of strategy (it isn’t). Ikonen’s percentage of exits with control has dropped deception, ranging from transitioning his step-in wrister to a backhand from 3.5 percent below KalPa’s average to 13.5 percent below. pass, to a cross-ice pass after tricking defenders into moving their sticks However, such a trade off doesn’t need to exist. Ikonen can make more out of the lane. controlled breakouts while also mitigating risk. This trend could also be Strong power play performance is encouraging, but Ikonen’s lack of linked to Ikonen’s lack of games this season; he’s still finding his timing. separation tools, like speed and strength, limited his impact at 5-on-5 last As alluded to multiple times, the most significant problem with Ikonen’s season. It took Ikonen 27 games to score a goal last year, and even after game is skating. Despite his improvements, Ikonen still looks slow. breaking the slump, strong offensive performances were few and far Projecting him as a NHL average skater might overstate his ability. He between. When Ikonen started controlling body contact and using his doesn’t have the ability to separate from the opposition To his credit, his teammates more, he found more space, and strung together solid skating looks stronger than in previous years. The clumsiness of his performances later in the season. stride last year, with ankles shaking back-and-forth and imbalance on his Examining a 17-game sample of offence data from last season and his outside edges later in shifts, has been mostly eradicated. games from this season indicates that Ikonen is mostly the same level of When, and where, those reps come is now a significant question. KalPa producer he was down the stretch last season – which is fine considering has just three games remaining in their season. If Ikonen plays in all his injury. three, he will have played in 16 games this season. This season, Ikonen’s scoring chances per 60 have dropped from 5.7 to There’s also the Laval option. Laval will have 14 games remaining once 4.5; however, he’s actually moved from the fourth-highest rate on KalPa Ikonen’s season is over. While the playoffs are unlikely, Ikonen could to third. His scoring chance assists per 60 have dropped by 0.02 to 1.67, provide a much-needed offensive lift to the AHL’s third-lowest scoring which maintains his position at sixth on KalPa. So, while the raw totals team. dropped, so too have KalPa’s overall chances. Ikonen’s journey in the Canadiens organization is a reminder that Much of Ikonen’s offensive success in this short season can be traced development isn’t linear. Luck is such a significant factor in prospect back to better off-the-puck habits. Ikonen’s always put in the effort to development, which Ikonen didn’t have last year with one of Liiga’s make defensive plays, but his positioning and reads often left that energy lowest on-ice shooting percentages and with a leg injury wiping out a wasted. His lack of strength in battles remains a significant hurdle, but summer and two-thirds of a season during a crucial time of development. there’s improvement. He’s become more attentive down the middle of the ice. But unstable development hasn’t erased Ikonen’s skill. He’s still one of the most talented players in the Canadiens’ prospect pool. The improved awareness is evident on his fourth goal of the season. KalPa’s playing man-on-man defence in a box. After the defensive The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 structure becomes unsettled, Ikonen correctly exits the box in a hand-off 1135038 Nashville Predators forwards on other teams thinking it's easy to get to our net. That’s my job, to keep them away from it."

And while he prefers to keep wearing his own sweater on game nights, Since making cameo at forward, Preds defenseman Matt Irwin has been Irwin might want to get an extra one for practice, in case Subban sticks to playing with more edge his word. "He looked good out there with that jersey on," Irwin said. Paul Skrbina, Nashville Tennessean Published 4:57 p.m. CT March 8, Tennessean LOADED: 03.09.2019 2019

P.K. Subban has never met a fashion risk he wasn't willing to take. So when the Predators defenseman took the ice for practice Friday at Centennial Sportsplex wearing a Matt Irwin sweater, it begged a question about his wardrobe choice. Neither would fess up about exact reason behind the change of clothes, but Subban jokingly hinted it may be a good-luck charm going forward. "Can you believe? That's the best I've looked on the power play in practice all season," Subban said with a grin. "It was the only blue jersey left. Maybe every practice I'll switch with him." A switch is exactly what Irwin has seemed to flip during the last couple of weeks. The man who has been a regular on the healthy-scratch list this season has been noticeably more physical and playing with an edge. Shifts in momentum Irwin shifted from defenseman to forward for a few shifts Feb. 25. The Predators were shorthanded that night after dealing Kevin Fiala to the Wild for Mikael Granlund and Ryan Hartman to the Flyers for Wayne Simmonds and a conditional draft pick. That left the Predators with slim pickings that night against the Oilers, leaving Irwin in unfamiliar territory in front of Wayne Gretzky and Garth Brooks, who sat together during the game. When Irwin said he hadn't played forward since "Atom," he wasn't referring to biblical times. It only seemed that long ago. Instead, Irwin was talking about when he was 9 or 10 years old and was an "offensive forward." A notion he now laughs at. "A little bit (shocked)," he said of seeing his spot in the lineup that night. "I ... was told I was going to play a couple of shifts at forward. So I just tried to read the notes, see exactly what we do. "It was all new to me. It was a lot more skating, but it was cool to be on the other end of a forecheck for a change." 'Tis the season Something seemed to change that night for Irwin, a 31-year-old in his seventh season. He's played in the team's last seven games, accounting for 20 percent of his total for the season. His 69 hits are the sixth-most on the team, despite his limited ice time. He played 11:56 during Tuesday's victory against the Wild, up more than two minutes from his previous three games and more than three minutes more than the two before that. SUBSCRIBE. IT'S FREE: Catfish Corner newsletter: Ryan Johansen, PK Subban, Lindsey Vonn and a Wild-Predators reunion His Corsi-for of 52.24 is fourth among Predators defensemen. The Predators have scored 17 times while he was on the ice, and have allowed 11 goals. Irwin's cameo at forward wasn't meant to suggest he is some sort of scoring machine — he has a goal and four assists this season — but it may have inadvertently served as a jolt for a defenseman who fights for every minute he plays. "I wasn’t out there to create too many scoring chances," he said. "It was just to work hard and keep the puck in their end and forecheck. I had a couple of shifts and I think I was able to do that." Any correlation between the time of year and the energy in Irwin's game? "You try to be consistent throughout the whole year," he said. "Maybe it's just the competition has ramped up a little bit more for both sides. Every game means so much right now for points. ... Emotions run high. It’s a physical game. Part of my game is to be hard to play against. I don’t want 1135039 Nashville Predators

Catfish Corner newsletter: Ryan Johansen, PK Subban, Lindsey Vonn and a Wild-Predators reunion

Paul Skrbina, Published 6:13 a.m. CT March 8, 2019

What happens in GnashVegas stays in GnashVegas. Well, mostly. The playing surface at Bridgestone Arena was transformed into a casino floor Thursday night for the team's annual fundraiser. Lindsey Vonn and boyfriend P.K. Subban were there, along with most of the rest of the Predators, who spent a good part of the night posing for pictures and mingling with fans. There was plenty of reason to celebrate, what with the Predators in first place in the Central Division and on a two-game winning streak thanks to a pair of slow-motion shootout goals from Ryan Johansen that angered Wild goalies. He did it Johansen's first slo-mo goal happened Sunday in Minnesota, where there was a reunion of many Preds and former Preds. Oops, he did it again Johansen gave the Predators a 5-4 win two days later in Nashville, where he left Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk to call his approach a mockery. Oh, and Kevin Fiala scored a pair of goals for Minnesota. Speaking of Vonn The greatest female skier of all-time returned to her native town of St. Paul, Minn., on Sunday and dropped the ceremonial first puck as Subban looked on. Speaking of Subban The Predators defenseman said he isn't happy with his season, but added he embraces the adversity that's come with it. It happens Filip Forsberg took a stick to the face. The Jets' Adam Lowry was suspended for it after the Winnipeg came from behind to beat the Predators. Catfish Corner: The podcast We discuss the moves the Preds made at the trade deadline and what they might mean. Plus, hear from Forsberg about his favorite player and Swedish Fish. SUBSCRIBE. IT'S FREE: Catfish Corner newsletter: Granlund arrives after baby is born; Simmonds trying to fit in Quote of the week Devan Dubnyk of the @mnwild was not a fan of the slow motion shootout game winner by @PredsNHL Ryan Johansen. Believes players have an unfair advantage vs goalies. #InTheCrease#nhlpic.twitter.com/7avZQbuJv1 — Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) March 6, 2019 "It’s a mockery. We’re trying to make the playoffs. Obviously I’m frustrated because we’re on the wrong side of it, but you got a guy standing at the top of the crease not moving, stick handling. I’m down and out and he stands there and looks at me while I’m trying to lift my pad up and still waits and then shoots the puck in the net." Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk after Johansen beat him for a shootout-winning goal Tuesday. Video of the week Stat of the week Johansen is 3-for-3 in shootout attempts, leading the NHL. Tennessean LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135040 New Jersey Devils

Devils' takeaways: Mackenzie Blackwood continues to impress in tough buildings

Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 11:03 p.m. ET March 8, 2019 | Updated 11:04 p.m. ET March 8, 2019

WASHINGTON — The Devils continue to live and lose by their mantra for the season: Process over results. It’s tough to see the forest through the trees when the losses begin piling up but New Jersey continues to keep the focus in each of their last 15 games. The goal is to develop some of the young players and as long as they continue to make strides, a 3-0 loss, like the one the Devils suffered to the Washington Capitals on Friday night, isn’t detrimental. “I thought we had opportunities to score, I thought we worked for them, we had some Grade-A chances,” coach John Hynes said. “Unfortunately, the puck didn’t go in for us.” Here are three takeaways from the Devils’ loss to the Capitals. Big game Big Mack Washington Capitals left wing Andre Burakovsky (65) scores a goal on New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (29) in the first period at Capital One Arena. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 32 of 35 shots, continuing his stellar rookie campaign. Part of the development plan for Blackwood was to have him play in tough buildings on the road to see how he can handle the atmosphere. He’s passed nearly every road test with flying colors, playing well in Montreal before he was sent back to Binghamton of the American Hockey League, and more recently, Boston and Washington in his latest stint. “He’s played very well on the road and in these buildings, against a team like this that has some strong firepower and fan support,” Hynes said. “It’s nice to see him continue to play well in these environments. That’s a nice step for his development but it’s also a good sign for our team and organization.” In 16 games this season, Blackwood has a 2.23 GAA and a .932 save percentage. “I feel pretty good about where my game is at right now, other than a few small details I said I wanted to clean up,” Blackwood said. “I think that’s part of maturing and learning your game with reps and starts. I feel good about where I’m at but the key for me is putting it together.” Powerless play The Devils’ extended their dismal power play streak to 0-for-24. Kyle Palmieri said it’s been tough for the power play to get into a groove with so many players rotating in and out of the special teams groups but Hynes disputed that notion. It was less about the personnel and more about the decision-making with the man-advantage. “Our decision-making was slow and we wanted to dust the puck off,” Hynes said. “We did have some good looks but I thought the decision- making and the execution weren’t where they needed to be. It doesn’t matter who is on it, the guys that are on it have to do that better.” Solving the riddle New Jersey Devils center Blake Coleman (20) shoots the puck on Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby (70) as Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen (3) defends in the second period at Capital One Arena. New Jersey has faced three quality goaltenders in their last three games and the Devils have been unable to solve them. In this latest game, Braden Holtby didn't have a ton of work facing only 25 shots but his excellent rebound control significantly limited the Devils' ability to capitalize on second-effort. “I think we had a couple chances and some he came up big and made some good saves,” Palmieri said. “But some we shot it into him a little bit and we weren’t able to get to those second tries.” Bergen Record LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135041 New Jersey Devils finish a back-to-back road set against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. … With so many injuries, New Jersey had no healthy scratches for the second game in a row. Offense-starved Devils shut out by Capitals Bergen Record LOADED: 03.09.2019

Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 9:38 p.m. ET March 8, 2019 | Updated 10:58 p.m. ET March 8, 2019

WASHINGTON — A New Jersey player factored into a win on Friday night, but it wasn’t a player for the New Jersey Devils. John Carlson, who played youth hockey in Newark and spent three years at St. Joseph’s, sent a perfect pass through traffic to Nicklas Backstrom, who tipped it past Devils’ goalie Mackenzie Blackwood 4:35 into the third period. That power play goal was the dagger for the Devils, who fell 3-0 to the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. It was their fifth straight loss (0-4-1) and 22nd on the road this season (8-22-3). “There’s no discouragement in there,” coach John Hynes said. “You’ve got to continue to focus on the process. Guys are getting good opportunities, our team is highly competitive but unfortunately, the last few games we haven’t found a way to win.” The Devils have scored just one goal in their last three games, which is par for the course for a team missing most of its firepower. Braden Holtby turned aside all 25 shots the Devils threw at him and is now 17-3-3 against New Jersey in 23 games. “We had a couple scoring chances and he made some big saves,” forward Kyle Palmieri said. “Some of them, maybe we made it a little easy on him.” Blackwood had all but kept the Devils in the game after an early goal, but with the way things are going for the Devils offensively these days a 2-0 hole might as well be a 10-0 hole. He stopped 33 of 35 shots. Washington Capitals left wing Andre Burakovsky (65) scores a goal on New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (29) in the first period at Capital One Arena. Just 2:40 into play the Devils’ fourth line was caught on the wrong side of a 3-on-2 and Andre Burakovsky finished off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence to put New Jersey in a 1-0 hole. The Devils then spent much of the period on the penalty kill, starting when Kurtis Gabriel crushed Dmitri Orlov on the boards and was whistled for charging. Just over a minute into the penalty, Blake Coleman hooked T.J. Oshie on the rush and Washington had a two-man advantage. No sooner had the Devils killed off the Gabriel penalty were they were caught on a bad change and slapped with a bench minor for too many men on the ice, giving one of the most dangerous power play teams in the league a 5-on-3 once again. But they killed it off, continuing to play to their biggest strength this season. New Jersey Devils center Blake Coleman (20) shoots the puck on Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby (70) as Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen (3) defends in the second period at Capital One Arena. However, the power play continued to be a glaring weakness. The Devils have failed to convert on their last 24 chances with the man-advantage including five in Washington. The power play was so bad they allowed a shorthanded empty-net goal to Lars Eller with 59 seconds left. Palmieri and John Quenneville, who has been successful on the power play at every other level of hockey, returned to action after missing four games. The additions of the two forwards were expected to bolster a scuffling unit but nothing seems to be clicking with the man-advantage. Palmieri had a few good looks on one power play in the first period but other than that both units went quiet, squandering the best opportunities the team had to tie the game. “I think tonight we had a couple chances in the first couple of power plays and then maybe got a little cute in the later ones,” Palmieri said. “The power play is a pretty hot or cold thing.” Notes New Jersey was shut out for the second time in three games and just the fourth time this season. … Alexander Ovechkin was held off the scoresheet and continues to look for his 1,200th career point. … Center Kevin Rooney and defenseman Sami Vatanen did not make the trip to Washington with the team but could return Saturday when the Devils 1135042 New Jersey Devils goals, assisted on 13 and more importantly, prevented many more from being scored by helping to shut down top lines throughout the league, wasn’t a fluke. Can Devils' Stefan Noesen show last season wasn't an aberration? “It’s hard to stick around when you’re injured and you battle through stuff like that,” he said. “It makes a big difference being healthy and trying to figure out your game and that everybody knows that last year was’t a Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 1:58 p.m. ET March 8, 2019 one-off.” Bergen Record LOADED: 03.09.2019 WASHINGTON — Stefan Noesen has been many things in his hockey career. He was once a first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators who showed just how much the game has grown in the southern states, a top prospect with offensive abilities for the Anaheim Ducks and a shutdown forward on the Devils’ top checking line. Last season, after several years of trades, transactions, injuries and long American Hockey League bus rides he was finally able to say he was a full-time NHL player. “You got a taste at the level below and you were there four or five years,” Noesen said. “Then you get a taste at the top and you want to stick.” NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MARCH 05: Stefan Noesen #23 of the New Jersey Devils helps teammate Mackenzie Blackwood #29 of the New Jersey Devils with his mask during warm ups before the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 05, 2019 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. But the 26-year-old was also tagged with the label of oft-injured early in his career, having torn his ACL and MCL and Achilles in back-to-back years. He thought those days were finally behind him until this summer when he came into training camp with the Devils knowing something was wrong once again. Fast-forward to now, with 15 games left on the slate for New Jersey. That dominant checking line that helped propel the team to the postseason a year ago has been broken up. While Travis Zajac and Blake Coleman were able to play together much of the season, injuries and inconsistencies found Noesen out of the lineup completely more often than not this sason. Noesen played in just 28 of games this season and scored only twice, although it’s less about offense and more about his defense. “I play a certain way, I play a certain style of play,” Noesen said Friday before the Devils faced the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. “I love being in that checking line role. I love playing against the top line whenever we get a chance to do that and go out there and do my best to try and shut them down, aggravate other players. I’ve done that my whole life while also being able to put up some numbers too.” However, even when healthy this season that newfound identity of being a gritty, defensive player wasn’t always there. Maybe it’s because the “nagging” injuries nagged at him so much that at one point he questioned whether or not he would be able to finish out the season. “My game was kind of deteriorating because of it,” he said. “We took a step back, had to reassess and had to figure out the best way to relinquish the fire.” Or, maybe it's because he lost some of that identity. Coach John Hynes said even when healthy, he didn’t see always see that same player that was one-third of the Devils’ shutdown line in 2017- 18. “I think the big thing for Noes here coming down the stretch is, it’s not so much about points,” Hynes said. “I think guys get in and say, ‘Ok, why did I have success? Well, I had 12-13 goals.’ But it was the style of play, the consistency of play, it was the role he played on the team and that’s wavered this year, whether it was his own play or the injuries.” The Devils will try to work with Noesen to get him back to playing that style of play that made him successful last season and the team is confident he can find that identity once again. For his part, Noesen doesn’t seem to think he’s lost his identity at all, he just needs a chance to play out the rest of the schedule at full-strength. Jan 4, 2018; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars left wing "With me being healthy, I can see my game growing and becoming that everyday kind of agitative player who is defensively responsible, a third- or fourth-line shutdown guy," he said. With injuries having decimated the lineup already, Noesen’s spot is secure. He’ll get the chance to show that last season, when he scored 12 1135043 New Jersey Devils Michal Kempny - John Carlson Dmitri Orlov - Matt Niskanen How they line up: Kyle Palmieri, John Quenneville return for Devils Brooks Orpik - Nick Jensen against Capitals Brayden Holtby

Phoenix Copley Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 11:45 a.m. ET March 8, 2019 | Updated 12:29 p.m. ET March 8, 2019 Scratched: Dmitrij Jaskin, Christian Djoos Injured: None WASHINGTON — Good morning from the nation’s capital, where the Bergen Record LOADED: 03.09.2019 depleted Devils are getting two healthy bodies back in the lineup. Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey’s scoring leader, and John Quenneville, one of the top forward prospects, skated at Capital One Arena for the team’s morning skate ahead of their Friday tilt against the defending Stanley Cup champs. New Jersey is still missing several regulars so the lines have been shuffled for about the fifth time in as many games against the Washington Capitals. But at this point in the season coach John Hynes wants to start putting some of the young players into different situations so we may not see the same the lineup in two games from here on out. Feb 15, 2019; Saint Paul, MN, USA; New Jersey Devils right wing Kyle Palmieri (21) celebrates after scoring a goal on a powerplay against the Minnesota Wild in the third period at Xcel Energy Center. The Devils defeated the Wild 5-4 in overtime. The Devils have struggled to score in the last few games and Palmieri, the team’s leader in goals with 26, will aid in that. Hynes said the team needs to be better about setting screens and being advantageous with tips and rebounds and while Palmieri, who missed the last four games with a lower-body injury, might have a shot that can beat many goalies clean, but he’s adept in getting to the net. The last time the Devils were here they called up Michael McLeod to make his NHL debut. It didn’t quite go as planned but he learned from that experience and his confidence has grown in each of his last five games. The coaches are comfortable giving him about 15 minutes per game, even more in the last few. The next step for him is to start generating some offense and given the fact that he rang two off of the post in the last game against Columbus it seems like he’s on the right track. Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8), of As for the Caps, Alexander Ovechkin is once again chasing the 50-goal mark. He hit 46 with a power play goal Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers and he needs just one more point to become the 48th player in NHL history to record 1,200 career points (653g, 546a). He has 57 of them in 51 games played against the Devils so you can probably bank on him reaching that milestone on Friday night. Here are the projected lineups for the Capitals and Devils. Devils (25-33-9, 59 points) Kenny Agostino - Travis Zajac - Kyle Palmieri Stefan Noesen - Blake Coleman - Drew Stafford Nick Lappin - Michael McLeod - Joey Anderson John Quenneville - Blake Pietila - Kurtis Gabriel Andy Greene - Damon Severson Will Butcher - Connor Carrick Egor Yakovlev - Steven Santini Mackenzie Blackwood Cory Schneider Scratched: none Injured: Nico Hischier, Pavel Zacha, Miles Wood, Mirco Mueller, Nathan Bastian, Sami Vatanen, Kevin Rooney, Taylor Hall Capitals (39-21-7, 85 points) Alexander Ovechkin - Evgeni Kuznetsov - Tom Wilson Jakub Vrana - Nicklas Backstrom - T.J. Oshie Carl Hagelin - Lars Eller - Brett Connolly Andre Burakovsky - Nic Dowd - Travis Boyd 1135044 New Jersey Devils

Devils’ ugly loss to Capitals has Islanders consequences

By Associated Press March 8, 2019 | 11:04PM

WASHINGTON — Andre Burakovsky and Nicklas Backstrom scored, Braden Holtby stopped 25 shots and the Capitals extended their winning streak to six games with an ugly 3-0 victory over the last-place Devils on Friday night. Burakovsky extended his goal streak to three games after he wasn’t traded at the deadline. Holtby made the coaching staff look smart for giving him a fifth consecutive start by robbing Devils All-Star Kyle Palmieri and making a handful of other important saves in a game that shouldn’t have been so close. With his 35th career shutout, Holtby tied Olie Kolzig for the most in franchise history. It wasn’t the prettiest performance for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who won despite taking six minor penalties. The Capitals had just three shots to show for more than four minutes of power-play time in the first period and didn’t look crisp in almost any aspect of the game. Assistant coach Blaine Forsythe said on the team’s radio broadcast at the first intermission that the first period was “garbage” and the Capitals were outworked. Two valuable points broke a tie with the Islanders to put Washington in sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division, but more consistency will be needed down the stretch to stay in that spot. The Devils sent out a patchwork lineup with many players who started the season in the minors. The Devils were without last year’s NHL MVP, Taylor Hall, and six other regulars in what has turned into a lost season. Mackenzie Blackwood did his best to keep the Devils in the game by making 33 saves, but the rookie goaltender had little chance of stopping Burakovsky’s shot on the rush 2:40 in or Backstrom’s power-play tap-in in the third period. The Devils went 0 for 6 on the power play to drop to 0 for their last 24 and lost their fifth game in a row. Lars Eller sealed it with an empty-netter with 58.4 seconds left. New York Post LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135045 New Jersey Devils Poor goaltending is one of the biggest reasons the Devils slipped to the bottom of the NHL standings after a hot start. At one point during this season, Cory Schneider was sporting the worst save percentage in the Tanking race, player auditions and experimentation: 15 storylines to league and Keith Kinkaid was slumping badly after a strong couple of watch during the Devils’ last 15 games weeks in October. The other goaltenders in the system didn’t offer much hope. Mackenzie Blackwood had a sub-.900 save percentage in the AHL last season and By Corey Masisak Mar 8, 2019 spent time in the ECHL. Giles Senn was stuck as a backup in Switzerland. Akira Schmid was cut by his WHL team after one game and was homeless, professionally speaking. Recent draft pick Evan Cormier was playing Canadian college hockey after the Devils declined to offer The Devils are going to end this season without a trip to playoffs for the him a contract. sixth time in seven years. Goaltending looked like a massive problem, in both the short and long It is going to be a fascinating offseason. New Jersey general manager term. Fast forward a few months, and suddenly it looks like an overall Ray Shero will be armed with an overstuffed assortment of draft picks strength for the organization. and a large chunk of salary cap space, and improving the chances of this being the last spring without playoff hockey at Prudential Center for a Blackwood had a strong start in the AHL (some of his recent games there long time will be of paramount importance. haven’t been so great with a severely depleted roster in front of him), but more importantly he is sporting a .931 save percentage in 15 NHL Given where the Devils are in the standings, and the current games. Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy leads the NHL’s qualified overcrowding in the team’s infirmary, these final 15 games of the 2018- goaltenders, also with a .931 save percentage. 19 campaign are, in part, about waiting. Waiting for this season gone awry to be gone and for the hope of a new beginning, complete with a Schneider has rebounded from a terrible start and an extended absence shiny, new prospect and possibly some other impact additions. to produce a .923 save percentage in 10 appearances since his return. If the Devils had received goaltending like this earlier in the season, the Still, there’s more to take away from the final month before it concludes playoffs would still be a possibility. April 6 in South Florida than the pain of the losses piling up for the Devils’ overmatched roster. Here are some of the most interesting storylines to Blackwood and Schneider have combined to play 25 games, which is still watch out for: a very small sample size. Even 40 wouldn’t be enough to proclaim anything beyond the Devils probably feeling confident in the two of them 1. Playing to “win” to pump the brakes on seeking any significant outside help this summer. OK, the 20 players who take the ice every game are not going to try to Still, it’s a significant improvement from where the Devils were in net a lose. The coaching staff is not going to try to lose. few months ago. However, the Devils now face the conflicted reality of being one of the “I think if we can both provide solid goaltending down the stretch, worst teams in a league where losing is rewarded. The NHL has tried to whatever the plan they have for next year, hopefully they’d have tweak the rules for the draft lottery, to incentivize teams not to “tank.” The confidence in both or one of us or some sort of tandem,” Schneider said. league is mostly looking to avoid outwardly embarrassing moments, like “You can say these games don’t mean much in the standings, but for a a team scratching healthy star players. lot of us they are very meaningful games. I’m just getting back and re- establishing my game and feeling good about it. These aren’t Individually, there is plenty to play for. Collectively, adding points in the meaningless at all to me. Just like everyone else, I’m playing to earn my standings does not help the franchise in the long term. There is a needle playing time going forward.” to thread here — the organization does not want its players to give up and get blown out every game, so hard-fought losses become the ideal Beyond the NHL level, the organization’s goaltending depth appears to result. be improving, as well. Akira Schmid found a home, and is one of the top goaltenders in the USHL. Cormier ended up in Binghamton because of What happened during the last trip to Madison Square Garden, when the injuries to Schneider and Blackwood, and played so well that he earned Rangers rag-dolled the Devils and won every battle in front of the net an AHL contract and then the entry-level NHL deal that New Jersey during the first period, is the opposite of what they’re looking for. John wouldn’t give him this past summer. Hynes was angry and the days and games since then have reflected a group of players, while undermanned because of injury, that are still Senn’s team, HC Davos, struggled mightily at the start of the season, but showing up and giving an honest effort. he’s earned more playing time in the second half. While he’s played in just 20 of the team’s 50 games, he has the opportunity to add more starts A quick primer on the draft lottery odds: The NHL draws numbers for the to his resume as HC Davos has a long, complex relegation battle to fight. top three picks. Any non-playoff team can land in one of the top three spots, and any one near the top of the draft can move back as much as It’s no secret that goaltending is an unpredictable business. “Voodoo” is a three positions. popular term for it. Development is rarely linear and spurts of strong play can disappear as quickly as they arrive. All of that said, the Devils have New Jersey is currently the fourth-worst team in the league, so if the to feel better about the overall goaltending outlook right now than they season ended today, the Devils would have a 9.5 percent chance of did earlier in the season. getting the first pick, a 9.6 percent chance at second, a 9.7 percent chance at third, a 2.8 percent chance of staying put at fourth, a 26.1 3. Escape from the infirmary percent chance of dropping to fifth, a 34.0 percent chance of sliding to The list of Devils currently on the injury report is longer than the list of sixth and an 8.3 percent chance of ending up at No. 7. That’s a nearly 69 guys who have played more than 30 games for the team this season. percent chance of moving back in the draft, which is not all that assuring. From the opening night lineup in Sweden, three of the six defensemen There are two players considered to be a level above everyone else in did not practice Thursday, while five forwards (plus two others who have the 2019 draft — Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko — so ending up with a joined the team recently) were missing. That’s not even counting the four top-two pick is the dream outcome. Finishing with the worst record would players who have been traded, nor Kyle Palmieri and John Quenneville, mean a 35 percent chance at a top-two pick, and the second-worst who did practice but remain questionable after missing time with injuries. record gets a team a 26.5 percent chance to draft Hughes or Kakko. Palmieri and Quenneville might return as soon as Friday against the While it might seem like that formula has taken away the incentive to Washington Capitals. Sami Vatanen and Kevin Rooney are sick, though tank, it’s not really true. The NHL has limited the ceiling for the worst Vatanen is also sporting an upper-body injury. teams, but the high floor remains. Whoever finishes 30th and 31st are Taylor Hall, Miles Wood and Jesper Bratt have not been ruled out to play still guaranteed a top-5 pick. Well, Ottawa will be giving that pick to again this season, but time is running out. Rooney and Nathan Bastian, Colorado, but the point remains. in particular, could use as many games as possible at this level before The Senators are almost certainly out of reach for everyone else at this next season. point, while Los Angeles and Detroit were only three points “ahead” of 4. Milestone watch, part one New Jersey entering Thursday night. Kyle Palmieri set a career-high with 30 goals in 2015-16, his first season For a daily look at the draft lottery odds, check out Tankathon. with New Jersey. For much of this campaign, Palmieri looked like a cinch 2. The suddenly strong goaltending to fly past that mark and establish a new personal best. But he hasn’t played since a Feb. 25 win against Montreal, and before 8. More from the “Super Buddies?” that he had just four goals in 18 contests. Right now, he’s sitting on 26. Should he return soon, there’s still plenty of time for him to reach 30 Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian were New Jersey’s first two picks in again, or push past it. But it’s far from a sure thing, particularly without the 2016 draft, and they’ve been friends and teammates for a long time. guys like Hall and Hischier around to help generate more scoring Up to this point, neither has fully lived up to the expectations placed on chances. players drafted where they were, but they’ve both also shown flashes of NHL-level qualities in their brief time with the big club. “I think it would be cool. It would be something to look at in a positive way at the end of the year,” Palmieri said of reaching 30. “I think one of the McLeod has to turn more of his positive attributes — speed, willingness goals I had going into the season was to stay healthy and play a full 82 to engage in physical battles, puck-handling skills — into tangible games. That’s not possible anymore, but I think being able to be a outcomes. He is fast, but will he be able to create offensive chances consistent figure in the lineup and contributing on a nightly basis was consistently? His point production did perk up a little after a slow start in something … it would be cool, but I’m also just focusing on trying to get Binghamton. healthy and finishing the season on a high note.” Bastian has improved his skating but still has more work to do in that 5. Milestone watch, part two area. He finds his way to the front of the net, but does he have the hands to make himself useful once he gets there? Each player has a chance to Like Palmieri, Blake Coleman at one point was at on pace to obliterate nudge his way closer to a lineup spot next season, though offseason his career-high (granted, he’s only played one full season in the NHL roster alterations could affect their shots. before this). Coleman has already established new marks in goals (18) and points (30). 9. Experimenting with lines, positions? He had 18 goals in 50 games, but now hasn’t scored in 13 straight Hynes has been shuffling the lineup for several games now, and from games while his role and linemates have shifted on nearly a game-to- shift-to-shift in many contests, because of the injuries. That’s been by game basis. necessity. He said Thursday that he will experiment with forwards at different positions, specifically naming Blake Pietila as a potential center “I’d definitely like to score a few more than have in past 13 games,” and Bastian and McLeod as forwards he’ll move around to test their Coleman said. “Obviously to hit 20 goals, it would be great. I think 25 versatility. would be the real goal right now, I guess. I think getting 40-plus points would be great. We need some scoring right now, so I’d like to contribute He was also asked about moving younger players up in the lineup, and more.” specifically whether he’d give McLeod’s line a tough matchup to see how he/they respond. Hynes was pretty clear that he wants to take the Coleman has shown he’s capable of scoring in bunches. He has “shelter them, don’t overexpose them” approach. Some guys are already stretches of seven goals in 17 games and and nine goals in 14 games at getting extra minutes/responsibilities because of the injuries, but he’s different points this season. going to avoid putting the youngest players in positions for them to get taken advantage of by top-end opponents. 6. Finding solid ground So don’t expect to see McLeod centering Palmieri, or Bastian or Kevin One of Coleman’s linemates at the end of last season, Stefan Noesen, Rooney getting a lengthy audition on the top line, although it seems like has spent much of this campaign in injury purgatory. He struggled at the anything is possible given how bad the injury luck has been of late. start of the year, slipping backwards in the lineup and then spending time as a healthy scratch. It turned out he really wasn’t healthy and was still 10. Possession problems dealing with the effects of an offseason injury. Hall’s last game was Dec. 23 against Columbus. Since then, the Devils Noesen returned to the lineup Tuesday and by the end of the game was have attempted 44.83 percent of the shots at even strength. That is the taking shifts back with his old mates, Coleman and Travis Zajac — only worst Corsi For percentage in the NHL in that timespan. this time, he was technically playing on the team’s top line and not the third, like a season ago. Kurtis Gabriel and Blake Pietila have two of the six worst individual CF% among players with 10 games played or more. Steven Santini is in the Coleman and Noesen were both restricted free agents last season. bottom three among defensemen. It’s not just the bottom of the Devils’ Coleman signed a three-year contract, while Noesen opted for a one- roster that has struggled — everyone’s possession numbers have year pact. These final 15 games could be very important for him. sagged without Hall, and now several others, too. “If you’re not under contract for next year like myself, you’re tying to earn The only players still in the organization running at better than 48 percent one still,” Noesen said. “It doesn’t matter how shitty the situation is that since the Christmas break with 10-plus games played are recent waiver you’re in, you can always find something positive to build off of. wire addition Kenny Agostino (52.94 percent in 12 games), Joey Anderson (49.73 percent in 10) and Blake Coleman (48.01 percent in 28 “The hardest part for me was not knowing and having the uncertainty of games). the season looming, and your career looming, all that stuff. I’m not under contract next year, so I think it was important for me to come back that I Part of the problem might be the conservative system given the still have what I contributed last year and it wasn’t just like a one-off sort personnel. Regardless, it’s been grisly at times. of thing. It was a decent first game, so hopefully I can build off it.” 11. Butcher-Vatanen? 7. Finding new ground By the end of Will Butcher’s rookie season, he and midseason trade Connor Carrick was an interesting addition to the Devils’ return in the addition Sami Vatanen were the team’s two most effective defensemen trade that shipped Ben Lovejoy to the Dallas Stars. Carrick has had stops at the offensive end of the ice. Hynes played them together some, often in Washington, Toronto and Dallas. He played well at times for the Maple when there were offensive zone faceoffs and a chance for them to lean Leafs, but also dealt with serious injuries while with both of his last two on their offensive instincts. clubs. There was some clamoring from the analytically-friendly corner of the He is an RFA after this season, so this stint is like a 20-game audition Devils’ community to see them play together for real, in an extended run with a new employer. Five games in, it’s going pretty well considering the of all types of matchups and zone starts, to see if they could help New circumstances. The final stretch of games could be his chance to make Jersey control play. the roster heading into next season, even with what could be a crowded defense corps. Given that Andy Greene and Damon Severson have settled in as the most-used pairing this season, and Butcher has earned the trust of the “As a player, you only get so many lives, right? Like a cat,” Carrick said. coaching staff to get second-pairing minutes instead of third, it was a “You are trying to run with the ball when you get the opportunity, to keep natural fit to put him with Vatanen to round out the top four. Again, the it as cliche as possible. Frankly, I’ve had a couple of chances in my pairing has been mostly successful — the Devils have nearly 54 percent career. of the shot attempts and more than 55 percent of the scoring chances when they’re on the ice together. “You are always waiting for the opportunity. There are a lot of guys out there who deserve a jersey. The Vegas Golden Knights are a great A lot could change for the defense corps between now and next season. example. Every fringe player is going to point to that team until the end of Butcher and Vatanen were not at practice Thursday, but a run of strong time. I’m thrilled to be here. Super impressed with the culture. Super games together before this season ends could help Hynes figure out how excited about what I can add, and I can go to bed at night thinking I could to piece together the defense for next season, pending any external be a Devil for a long time. It starts with one game, and then five, and then improvements. you put together 10 and you hope it stretches out all the way to 500.” 12. March/April Madness While the Devils will not be in the playoffs, several of their prospects will be participating in the postseason. Ty Smith and Xavier Bernard, the team’s first two picks in the 2018 draft, will both be in the CHL playoffs. Smith’s Spokane Chiefs in the WHL and Bernard’s Charlottetown Islanders in the QMJHL are likely to face similarly tough teams in the first round. Akira Schmid has helped the Omaha Lancers rally from a huge standings deficit to within three points of the final playoff spot in the USHL. Given how well they’ve played since mid-January and Schmid’s status as one of the league’s top two goalies, teams might be wishing for Omaha not to complete the magical comeback, so they can take their chances with Sioux City instead. The most visible postseason in this country is the NCAA Tournament. Jeremy Davies (Northeastern) and Reilly Walsh (Harvard) could both end up playing in it. Matthew Helickson (Notre Dame) is unlikely to get there. After it’s over, Davies and Walsh will need to make a decision about continuing their college careers or turning pro early. It’s more likely that Davies, a junior, would leave school than Walsh, a sophomore. 13. More reinforcements? If players keep getting injured, there are going to be more arrivals from Binghamton. But assuming this stretch of incredibly bad injury luck ends, will any other prospects wind up spending some time with New Jersey? Marian Studenic had a strong first half to his rookie season, but he has two goals and one assist in the past 17 games. Brandon Gignac leads the current roster with 29 points, and could earn a call-up after missing most of last season with torn ligaments in his knee. Colton White is the top defensive prospect in Binghamton and leads all B-Devils defensemen with 25 points this season. If New Jersey needs another defenseman, the Devils could also turn to a more experienced prospect like Josh Jacobs or a veteran such as the recently demoted Eric Gryba. 14. Last-minutes cameos? This is largely connected to the prospects who are participating in the postseason. If one of the college prospects ends up out of the NCAA Tournament early and does sign a contract/leave school, they could get in a few games with Binghamton or maybe a brief stint with the big club. The same goes for Smith, if Spokane doesn’t get out of the first round, or Bernard with Charlottetown. A note: CHL players like Smith and Bernard can join an AHL team at the end of one season and then return to their CHL club the following year. For NCAA players, the move is permanent. 15. Last chances? While players like Noesen and Quenneville are not locks to remain with the Devils because they will be RFAs and have not secured a regular place in the lineup this season, it’s rare for a club to cut bait on a young player who is still under control. The Devils do have several role players who are unrestricted free agents, and their future with the organization is less certain. Will Drew Stafford try to play another season in the NHL? What about Egor Yakovlev, for a different reason (he could opt to go back to Russia)? There are three guys currently with the team — Blake Pietila, Nick Lappin and Kurtis Gabriel — who are going to be Group VI UFAs, meaning they will be 25 or older, have played three pro seasons or more and have fewer than 80 NHL games. Gabriel has earned praise from Hynes, and the Devils could try to bring him back on a similar two-way contract next year. As for Pietila and Lappin, both have proven they can produce at the AHL level but have yet to show it in the NHL. This stretch run could be a chance for them to do that, given all of the injuries and extra opportunities available. The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135046 New York Islanders

Goal dip could cost Islanders captain in contract negotiations

By Brett Cyrgalis March 9, 2019 | 3:15am

Every player in the NHL has a good idea, if not an exact one, of where he stands statistically. That could create some concern for a player such as Islanders captain Anders Lee, who is on the final year of his contract and whose numbers don’t quite add up to those of the previous two seasons. Lee, 28, tries to downplay the importance of his individual production, but he knows it’s important in negotiations for a long-term deal. “That part, you notice it. But I think I’ve laid the groundwork pretty well for the understanding of everything,” Lee said Thursday in Ottawa. “I don’t think this one year is going to really matter too much — I hope.” Lee has 23 goals and 43 points through the first 67 games. One of the best net-front players in the league, he is on pace for 28 goals — fewer than the 40 he scored last season or the 34 he scored a year earlier. Of course, both those teams missed the playoffs. This season’s Islanders, who got Friday off before facing the Flyers at the Coliseum on Saturday night, are battling for first place in the Metropolitan Division while defending a lot better — going from last in the league in goals against to first — and scoring a little less — from 3.18 goals per game to 2.87. “Look, we’ve been a first place team for a month and a half, so you don’t really think about that kind of stuff,” Lee said. “I think anyone on this team would trade any numbers they had last year for the numbers they have this year to see where we are. Thankfully, it hasn’t been something I’ve had to worry about or anything.” It is also a pretty safe assumption that team president Lou Lamoriello didn’t bestow the captaincy on Lee if he didn’t feel pretty confident a long-term deal could get done. It was also good that Lee’s agent, Neil Sheehy, spent time in New York last week speaking with Lamoriello and hanging around the team’s practice facility. There was never any need for Lamoriello to rush for a new contract, and Lee’s value is certainly judged on more than just his offensive production. But at this point in the season, the math is unavoidable and there has to be concern it could be taking millions out of his pocket. “I know the numbers aren’t there, necessarily,” Lee said. “But it’s all relative, I think.” New York Post LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135047 New York Islanders New York Post LOADED: 03.09.2019

The Islanders call-up who is putting some heat on veterans

By Brett Cyrgalis March 9, 2019 | 2:09am

What the Islanders lack in top-end talent, they are trying to make up for in depth. Every lineup spot is earned, and nothing is guaranteed — for veterans and rookies alike. This is the no-nonsense philosophy established by team president Lou Lamoriello and enforced by head coach Barry Trotz. It has created an internal competition the likes of which this franchise has not seen in a long time, forcing players out of complacency and making them raise their levels of play if they want to stay in the lineup or get the requisite ice time. So, Thursday night in Ottawa, there was Michael Dal Colle, 22 years old and on the verge of being thought of as a first-round mistake at No. 5- overall in 2014, back in the lineup for the second straight game. He was an emergency recall from AHL Bridgeport on Tuesday, but his steady two-way game with flashes of offensive talent changed that to a regular recall on Friday — meaning the Islanders have two left this season. It’s hard to think Dal Colle will come out of the lineup any time soon, either, as Trotz can’t help but cover him in praise. “Every time he’s come up, he’s played really well,” Trotz said. “He’s pushing some of the veterans to earn their keep.” Barry Trotz Then on Friday, with the team having the day off following an ugly sweep of the home-and-home with the league-worst Senators and the red-hot Flyers coming to the Coliseum on Saturday night, they sent Josh Ho- Sang back to the Sound Tigers, ending his emergency call-up. The mercurial and super-talented 23-year-old winger did not play a game in this stint, and he has not been treated with kid gloves. When Trotz was asked if it was frustrating Ho-Sang hasn’t been able to find the consistency to stick in the NHL despite his huge offensive upside, the coach almost balked. “Not for me,” Trotz said. “You either get it done or you don’t.” Speaking of frustrating, how do you think defenseman Thomas Hickey feels every time he is bag-skated while being made a healthy scratch? In the first year of a four-year, $10 million deal, Hickey was a top-four stalwart before suffering a concussion in Denver on Dec. 17. When he returned after a 10-week absence, he played one game on Feb. 26 and sat the next five in a row. But who would he replace? Rookie Devon Toews has now sustained his high level while playing every game since coming up from Bridgeport just before Christmas. Trotz even moved the 25-year-old into a bigger role Thursday night, putting him with Johnny Boychuk while moving the struggling Nick Leddy down with Scott Mayfield. It wouldn’t be shocking if Trotz decided to give Leddy a night or two off, hoping he can reenergize and be ready for the stretch run and the postseason. They need him to be the elite-skating, puck-mover he has proven to be in the past, and if he didn’t previously know players were breathing down his neck for ice time, he does now. When it comes to an embarrassment of depth, how about what the club has gotten from Ross Johnston over the past four games? The 6-foot-5, 240-pound pugilist has shown he can play with his gloves on, as well. The burst of speed wide and one-handed shot on net in Ottawa may have made some teammates chuckle, but he has shown a value beyond his physicality. “He’s one of those guys, when he’s in the lineup, everybody loves him,” Trotz said. “He’s a fantastic teammate. And he’s played really well for us, he really has.” It makes it more imperative that when Matt Martin returns from injury (likely Saturday), he plays well to stay in the lineup. The same goes for when Cal Clutterbuck gets back from his ailment, for Andrew Ladd (a $5.5 million healthy scratch Thursday) and for Tom Kuhnhackl, who got into that game only for his penalty-killing ability. “And that’s what you want, people pushing,” Trotz said. “They’re pushing for ice time.” And the Islanders are better for it. 1135048 New York Islanders Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.09.2019

Islanders honor Bill Torrey by naming practice rink after him

By Mark Herrmann Updated March 8, 2019 10:50 PM

The names “Bill Torrey” and “New York Islanders” always have seemed synonymous, and probably not by accident, either. It was at the news conference on Feb. 15, 1972, called to introduce Torrey as the team’s general manager, that the expansion franchise’s name was revealed. The familiar logo was unveiled that day, too, and the fact that it still has such resonance on Long Island is a tribute to the man who put the franchise together and led it to greatness. Torrey, who died last May, will be saluted in a ceremony before Saturday night’s game against the Flyers at his beloved Nassau Coliseum. And the words “Bill Torrey” will continue to be connected with the team in a special way. During a ceremony Friday at the Northwell Health Ice Center, the Islanders formally named one of the facility’s two ice surfaces — the one on which the players practice every day — the Bill Torrey Rink. Former Islanders president and general manager Bill Torrey, Former Islanders president and general manager Bill Torrey, “It’s gratifying. It’s surreal,” his son Rich said, his voice carrying emotion, as he stood near the end boards along with his three brothers and their families. “I honestly am speechless.” The same could not be said for the more than 20 Islanders alumni who were at the function. They were buzzing with stories about the man whom they respected, feared and loved. “Because of him, I was an Islander,” said David Volek, who flew all the way in from his home in Prague, Czech Republic. He recalled how, at the 1984 Canada Cup, Torrey asked him if he was interested in defecting from what was then Czechoslovakia. “From that moment, he put the idea in my head. He fought for me.” Dave Lewis showed up as a sign of gratitude for what Torrey did for him. “Besides trading me before winning four Stanley Cups,” the former defenseman said, referring to the legendary deal that sent him (with Billy Harris) to the Kings for Butch Goring. No hard feelings. “It was a great experience for me for those 7 1⁄2 years, whatever it was. With Al and Bill and the trainers, everybody was involved, and all they wanted to do was win,” Lewis said, acknowledging that the lessons he learned on Long Island helped him to win Cups as an assistant coach with the Red Wings. John Tonelli’s departure from the Islanders, in a trade to Calgary for Rich Kromm and Steve Konroyd 33 years ago this Monday, was not a happy one. Again, no hard feelings. “Oh my God, without Bill, we wouldn’t have had the guidance and leadership. He was the guy at the top and he had to piece it all together,” the former All-Star winger said. “The decision he made with me was a decision he felt in his heart he had to make for the future of the team. On the other hand, I had a different opinion, but the boss always wins. But I would never give up all the years of playing for the Islanders . . . I’m watching the team now and I’m so proud of the way they’re playing.” Stefan Persson remembered having told Torrey he was going to retire in 1986 and quickly being traded to Winnipeg. Persson declined to report, and Torrey later paid him for the rest of the season. Clark Gillies remembered being “a softie” in negotiations with Torrey, a hard bargainer. Ken Morrow recalled being in awe the first time he met Torrey and added, “I believe the organization kind of took on his personality. He was tough but fair. He was the consummate general manager in that he managed people. He got the best people he could find. He brought them in and let them do their jobs.” Current general manager Lou Lamoriello said of Torrey, “Without question, he was the best at what he did.” Torrey went on to have success in building the Florida Panthers. “To me, I don’t think he ever recovered from leaving here, I really don’t. I just wish he could see this,” Rich Torrey said. “But you know what? A little piece of him will be here forever.” 1135049 New York Islanders “Thankfully, it hasn’t been something I’ve had to worry about,” Lee added. “I know the numbers aren’t there necessarily. But it’s all relative, I think.” Isles' Filppula, Trotz praise career, efforts of Ted Lindsay Cizikas battles illness Scrappy Casey Cizikas, like many in the NHL, plays through a myriad of Updated March 8, 2019 10:49 PM aches, pains and minor injuries. But the stomach virus that ripped through the Islanders’ room this week hit the fourth-line center hard, By Andrew Gross forcing him to twice retreat to the team’s room during last Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Flyers at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum.

He was asked how tough it was to leave the game. Valtteri Filppula understands exactly how important Ted Lindsay was to the earning power of the modern-day NHL player. “At the time, it wasn’t,” Cizikas said, with a laugh. “You want to try and do whatever you can to get back in. It just wasn’t happening at the time.” But during his seven seasons in Detroit, Filppula also came to know the Red Wings Hall of Famer, who passed away Monday at 93, a bit more First-round scorecard personally. The Islanders brought up their two first-round picks from 2014, forwards “He did a lot of good things for hockey and he did a lot of good things for Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang, on emergency recall from the community in Detroit,” said Filppula, who signed a one-year, $2.75- Bridgeport on Tuesday. Dal Colle remains with the team but Ho-Sang million deal with the Islanders and whose total contracts in his NHL was sent back after being a healthy scratch for two games. Here’s how career are close to $45 million. recent Islanders’ first-round picks have fared: “Before the season, he always had this big golf event where I got to 2018 spend a little bit of time with him,” Filppula, 34, added. “He’s such a nice man to everybody. He loved being around the guys.” F Oliver Wahlstrom (11th overall) — Boston College freshman, seven goals, nine assists, 31 games Lindsay’s dogged groundbreaking efforts in the 1950s ultimately led to the formation of a players’ union, to the detriment of his own career. D Noah Dobson (12th) — Acadie-Bathurst (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League), nine goals, seven assists, 28 games. Traded to Rouyn-Noranda But that was more than six decades ago so it’s not surprising that not all (QMJHL), six goals, 27 assists, 23 games players are well-versed on Lindsay’s battle to create a better working environment and to loosen the owners’ once-absolute control over 2017 contracts. Some approached in the Islanders’ room said while they knew None who Lindsay was, they didn’t necessarily have all the facts on what he had done. 2016 “I think there’s a big appreciation,” Filppula said. “I’m not sure if F Kieffer Bellows (19th) — Bridgeport (AHL) first season, 11 goals, five everybody knows. But, for sure, everybody who does know has a big assists, 58 games appreciation.” 2015 Islanders coach Barry Trotz said it’s not just players who should be indebted to Lindsay. F Mathew Barzal (16th) — Islanders second season, 17 goals, 36 assists, 67 games “To me, Ted Lindsay is a staple for every player playing this game and everybody getting paid at the rate we are,” said Trotz, who met Lindsay F Anthony Beauvillier (28th) — Islanders third season, 16 goals, seven during an All-Star weekend “a few years back.” “We owe a lot to Ted assists, 66 games Lindsay. He was one of the first guys who said, ‘You know what? I don’t LEE NOT WORRIED think this is right,’ and he held his ground. He’s made some great changes.” Captain Anders Lee has maintained all season that conversations have been “good” toward a contract extension with the Islanders and president Lindsay was the first player to lift the Stanley Cup and skate it around the and general manager Lou Lamoriello has indicated his desire to retain rink after a Red Wings’ championship, starting one of the NHL’s greatest the impending unrestricted free agent, who is coming to the end of a four- traditions. year, $15-million deal. “I didn’t know this, but I read that even when you were inducted into the Of course, there are no certainties until a new contract is announced. But Hall of Fame, they didn’t allow families to come,” Trotz said. “Lindsay Lee said he is not concerned that in a contract year, he won’t duplicate said, ‘Then I’m not coming either.’ He changed the whole process. He the 40 goals he reached for the first time in his career last season. More made a lot of changes in the game. Every player in the game today than likely, he won’t surpass the 34 goals he had in 2016-17. should recognize his contribution.” “That part you notice but I think I’ve laid the groundwork pretty well,” Lee Lee not worried said. “I don’t think this one year is not going to matter too much. I hope.” Captain Anders Lee has maintained all season that conversations have The Islanders missed the playoffs the previous two seasons and they are been “good” toward a contract extension with the Islanders and president now battling for the Metropolitan Division lead under the new and general manager Lou Lamoriello has indicated his desire to retain management team of Lamoriello and Trotz. the impending unrestricted free agent, who is coming to the end of a four- year, $15-million deal. Lee entered Saturday night’s game against the Flyers at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum with a team-leading 23 goals and 20 assists in 67 Of course, there are no certainties until a new contract is announced. But games after compiling a career-high 62 points in 82 games last season. Lee said he is not concerned that in a contract year, he won’t duplicate the 40 goals he reached for the first time in his career last season. More “I think you always know where you stand,” Lee said. “But we’ve been a than likely, he won’t surpass the 34 goals he had in 2016-17. first-place team for a month and a half so you don’t really think about that stuff. I think anyone on this team would trade any numbers they had last “That part you notice but I think I’ve laid the groundwork pretty well,” Lee year for the numbers they have this year to be where we are. said. “I don’t think this one year is not going to matter too much. I hope.” “Thankfully, it hasn’t been something I’ve had to worry about,” Lee The Islanders missed the playoffs the previous two seasons and they are added. “I know the numbers aren’t there necessarily. But it’s all relative, I now battling for the Metropolitan Division lead under the new think.” management team of Lamoriello and Trotz. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.09.2019 Lee entered Saturday night’s game against the Flyers at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum with a team-leading 23 goals and 20 assists in 67 games after compiling a career-high 62 points in 82 games last season. “I think you always know where you stand,” Lee said. “But we’ve been a first-place team for a month and a half so you don’t really think about that stuff. I think anyone on this team would trade any numbers they had last year for the numbers they have this year to be where we are. 1135050 New York Islanders

Barry Trotz bemoans lack of dedicated practice for Islanders

By Andrew Gross Updated March 8, 2019 10:48 PM

Practice has not made perfect for the Islanders of late, mainly because there have been so few of them. Could a lack of practice time explain the recent slippage in the team’s performances? “Yeah, it does,” coach Barry Trotz said. “For any player, it doesn’t matter the sport, the reps are key for him. It’s hard to correct in the middle of the season when you’re playing every day. You get some bad habits. I think we picked up some.” The Islanders, who will open a three-game homestand on Saturday night against the Flyers at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum after sweeping a home-and-home series with the Senators, did not practice Friday. It was one of their four mandated days off this month per the collective- bargaining agreement. But with a rotating cast of players being affected by a stomach virus, planned practices on Monday and Wednesday also were canceled. With health returning to the team, the Islanders returned forward Josh Ho-Sang to Bridgeport on Friday off his emergency recall, likely a sign that left wing Matt Martin will be available after missing four games with an upper-body injury. Right wing Cal Clutterbuck also has missed two games with an upper-body injury. Forward Michael Dal Colle, who also was brought up on emergency recall on Tuesday, was switched to a regular recall, one of four the Islanders have after the Feb. 25 trade deadline. He had an assist in Tuesday night’s 5-4 shootout win over the Senators and again skated on Mathew Barzal’s line with Anthony Beauvillier in Thursday night’s 4-2 win at Ottawa. Dal Colle has two goals and three assists in 22 games for the Islanders this season. Ho-Sang, a healthy scratch in both games against the Senators, has a goal and an assist in 10 games. The Islanders showed some improvement on Thursday night — Trotz said they played two good periods instead of the one they played on Tuesday — but the Senators still created too much traffic in front of goalie Thomas Greiss. “We definitely had a few shifts where we got running around a little bit,” defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “Most of the year, that’s not been our style. It’s an area on some of the goals that is affecting us right now are those where we get out of control and aren’t able to find our sticks in front and they’re getting tipped goals.” “We just want to get back on the right side of people,” Trotz added. “Physically, we’re fine. If you’re not in shape now, it’s way too late. It’s the mental focus.” While Trotz believes his team needs practice reps to sharpen its focus, captain Anders Lee said off-ice work can accomplish the aims of practice. “At this point of the year, we know how to play,” he said. “The sharpness comes from the mental detail. We can achieve that in a video session at this point of the season.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135051 New York Islanders

Isles keep Michael Dal Colle, return Josh Ho-Sang to Bridgeport

By Andrew Gross March 8, 2019 12:59 PM

The Islanders on Friday returned forward Josh Ho-Sang to Bridgeport (AHL) from his emergency recall while changing forward Michael Dal Colle’s status from emergency recall to a regular recall. All NHL teams are allowed just four call-ups after the Feb. 25 trade deadline, excluding emergency recalls. The Islanders had availability issues this week between a stomach virus ripping through the roster and fourth-line wings Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck both being sidelined with upper-body injuries. The Islanders did not practice on Friday, but Ho-Sang’s re-assignment signals one of the Islanders’ veterans is ready to return to the lineup for Saturday night’s game against the Flyers at the NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum. Martin has missed four games, though he did participate in Thursday’s morning skate before that night’s 4-2 win at Ottawa. Clutterbuck has missed two games. Ho-Sang and Dal Colle were brought up on emergency recall before Tuesday night’s 5-4 shootout win over the Senators at the Coliseum. Ho- Sang, 23, was a healthy scratch in both games of the home-and-home series with Ottawa. Dal Colle, 22, skated in both games on Mathew Barzal’s right wing along with Anthony Beauvillier and had an assist on Tuesday. In all, Dal Colle has two goals and three assists in 22 games for the Islanders this season, while Ho-Sang has a goal and an assist in 10 games. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135052 New York Rangers

Henrik Lundqvist knows what Rangers need from last 15 games

By Greg Joyce March 9, 2019 | 3:44am

There are now 15 games left for the Rangers, just about a month until attention can be fully turned to the draft and free agency, when they will try to address the future again to avoid stretches like this. The six-game losing streak in which the Rangers are mired in has made it a slower drag for a team that knows it will not make the playoffs. The trade deadline dealt the official blow, in case it had not set in already, and the Rangers have not won since despite being in every game late. But their most veteran leader is not among those counting down the minutes until the season’s end. He doesn’t believe the Rangers can afford it. “I think we all need to understand how important this stretch is for us for next year,” Henrik Lundqvist said after Thursday’s 3-2 shootout loss at Detroit. “I think we [need to] understand how important is how we should play in a tie game. The decisions we make with and without the puck. We’re creating habits right now for a lot of these guys that haven’t played that many games. “So it’s important that we try to take every game as a big, important game. There was a lot of good. But I think puck management at times really hurt us. Going down the stretch, creating good habits, understanding what it takes to win games — it’s been hard for us to win games. But we’ve got to continue with the positives here.” There were some positives to be found Thursday after the Rangers came back in the third period to force overtime thanks to Pavel Buchnevich’s second goal of the night. The 23-year-old winger bounced back from a tough game Tuesday in Dallas and has now recorded six goals and four assists over his past 12 games. Brendan Lemieux (who is 22) chipped in two assists while rookie Brett Howden (20) and Tony DeAngelo (23) tallied the others. Rookie Libor Hajek (21) continued to make a strong first impression on the blue line while Filip Chytil (19) and Boo Nieves (25) played well enough to join Mika Zibanejad on the first line in the third period. But Lundqvist’s request was about more than just individual results and progress. It was about how the Rangers played as a team in key situations with points to be had, the kind they have been unable to grab hold of during their current slump. “I think it’s mental focus more than anything and being purposeful when the game starts and being dialed in and understanding your responsibilities and winning hockey games,” coach David Quinn said. “Playing the right way and playing to win hockey games — we’ve got to get that back into our game.” The points may not be valuable now — in fact, some fans may argue they are hurtful, jockeying for a better draft pick for the Rangers come June — but reinforcing the style of play it takes to get them is. “Hopefully some of these bounces and these losses we’ve been taking in the shootout and some of the stuff the last four or five games, we’ll get down the line and they’ll be big points for us that really matter,” Lemieux said. “Not that these don’t matter, but they’ll be Stanley Cup points.” The Rangers’ losing streak started with five games against playoff teams. Thursday night’s loss came against a team below them in the standings, as will Saturday’s match with the Devils back at the Garden. “We haven’t won those close games in a while, so I think it’s maybe a little bit of the swagger that’s not really there when it comes to the closing minutes and the closing time for the games,” Zibanejad said. “It’s not enough. It’s as simple as that.” New York Post LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135053 New York Rangers

As losses mount, frustration building for Rangers

By Colin Stephenson Updated March 8, 2019 5:59 PM

The Rangers stopped talking about getting back in the playoff race weeks ago. At this point, it’s about taking each game on its own and trying to win every night. The players and coaches, they get that. And that’s where the frustration lies. “I’m starting to get sick and tired of standing here talking about how close we are,’’ a glum-looking Mika Zibanejad said in the Rangers’ locker room Thursday night after the Blueshirts’ 3-2 shootout loss to the lowly Detroit Red Wings extended their winless streak to six games (0-2-4). “We don’t seem to find a way to win right now, and it’s starting to be harder to kind of look for the good things and the fact that we’re getting points… it’s just really frustrating.’’ Coach David Quinn wasn’t happy, either. He shook up his forward lines in the third period Thursday, trying to spark the team by putting fourth- line wingers Boo Nieves and Filip Chytil up with Zibanejad on the first line. It ended up not being enough. “I just feel over the last two games we haven’t been as dialed in as we were in the previous four or five games, since the trade deadline,’’ Quinn said. “And we’ve got to get back playing much more purposeful hockey if we’re going to finish strong here.’’ Henrik Lundqvist, who made 43 saves in regulation and overtime against Detroit — in what was his 850th career game — takes a more pragmatic view, though. With 15 games to go, the Rangers (27-28-12, 66 points) were 13 points out of the nearest playoff spot on Friday, and according to Lundqvist, they are really playing for next year. So, from that point of view, the more close games the Rangers play in, the better. “It’s hard, but you’ve got to just continue to battle,’’ the 37-year-old Lundqvist said. “I think we all need to understand how important this stretch is for us for next year. To understand… how we should play in a tied game; the decisions we make with and without the puck. Because we create habits right now for a lot of these guys that haven’t played that many games, so it’s important that we try to take every game as a big, important game.’’ Since their last win, Feb. 23 against the Devils — when forwards Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes, and defenseman Adam McQuaid were first held out of the lineup prior to being traded — the Rangers have lost two games in shootouts, two in overtime and one by the score of 1-0. The one loss that was by more than one goal was 4-2 to Montreal on March 1, with the Canadiens’ fourth goal being an empty-netter. They face the Devils again Saturday night in the Garden, before going back on the road for four games next week in Western Canada and Minnesota. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135054 Ottawa Senators Mark Borowiecki-Ben Harpur GOALTENDERS Game Day: Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins Craig Anderson Anders Nilsson Bruce Garrioch BRUINS’ LINES Published:March 8, 2019 Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Danton Heinen Updated:March 8, 2019 8:09 PM EST Peter Cehlarik-David Krejci-Karson Kuhlman Joakim Nordstrom-Charlie Coyle-David Backes Ottawa Sun Sports Hockey Ottawa Senators Sean Kuraly-Noel Acciari-Chris Wagner Ottawa (23-39-6) at Boston (41-17-9) DEFENCE Saturday, 7 p.m., TD Garden, City TV, TSN 1200 AM, Unique 94.5 FM Zdeno Chara-Charlie McAvoy THE BIG MATCHUP Torey Krug-Brandon Carlo Mark Borowiecki vs. Zdeno Chara: The Senators’ alternate captain has John Moore-Matt Grzelcyk stepped into a big role since the trade deadline passed on Feb. 25. Borowiecki is a rugged competitor and the TD Garden has always been a GOALTENDERS tough place to play. The Bruins are on a roll and their captain has helped Tuukka Rask lead the way this season. Chara is still one of the best defencemen in the game and he’s a force every night. A big challenge ahead for Ottawa. Jaroslav Halak FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME INJURIES 1. Don’t let your play slip OTT: None The Senators had a good effort against the New York Islanders in a 4-2 BOS: F David Pastrnak, F Marcus Johansson, F Jake DeBrusk, D Kevan loss Thursday at home. Borowiecki noted the players can’t just mail it in Miller and then get ready to go to the Bahamas at the end of the season. There were portions of the game versus the Isles the club was solid. Need a 60- Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.09.2019 minute effort in this one. 2. Big night for Brady Brady Tkachuk has made an impact for this team and scored his 15th of the year against the Isles on Thursday. He made his NHL debut here in October after return from injury and he played his college hockey just down the road at Boston University. There will be family and friends on hand. 3. Break out of the slump The Senators are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games. Yes, the season slipped away a long time ago, but there are 15 games left and the Senators can go out with their heads held high. A victory in Boston would be a good confidence-booster. This is a difficult two-game trip, with a stop in Philadelphia on Monday. 4. Stop the roll by the Bruins In 2016-17, the Senators completed a season sweep of the Bruins for the first time in franchise history and knocked Boston out of the playoffs with a victory in five games in Round 1. That was the last time the Senators beat Boston, losing seven straight since then. This game will complete the season series. 5. Score on the power play The Senators lost plenty of offensive talent at the trade deadline, but they need the power play to get back on track. The club has just two power- play goals in six games since the deadline and didn’t score with the man advantage against the Islanders. Defenceman Thomas Chabot hasn’t scored in nine games. SPECIAL TEAMS OTT: PP 20.5% (13th); PK 79.1% (22nd) BOS: PP 26.7% (2nd): PK 81.2% (10th) SENATORS’ LINES Brady Tkachuk-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Anthony Duclair Zack Smith-Colin White-Bobby Ryan Brian Gibbons-Oscar Lindberg-Mikkel Boedker Rudolfs Balcers-Chris Tierney-Magnus Paajarvi DEFENCE Thomas Chabot-Dylan DeMelo Christian Wolanin-Cody Ceci 1135055 Ottawa Senators recall a forward from Belleville of the AHL … Belleville played the second game of back-to-back games in Cleveland Friday. On Thursday, Cleveland defeated Belleville 2-1, ending the B-Sens’ 17-game streak WARREN: Ted Lindsay's Valley roots, catching up with Dzingel and without a regulation loss Defenceman Christian Jaros remained in Duchene and Noel signs with Panthers Ottawa, nursing a hamstring injury. Crawford says there’s an outside chance Jaros could join the Senators in time for Monday’s game against Philadelphia. Ken Warren THE NUMBERS GAME Published:March 8, 2019 The stats will change soon enough, but the dearly departed Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel and Mark Stone have yet to put up big numbers Updated:March 8, 2019 7:59 PM EST with their new teams. Duchene, traded to Columbus for prospects Vitaly Abramov, Jonathan Davidsson and a first-round pick, has one goal and two assists in eight When Detroit Red Wings great Ted Lindsay died at the age of 93 earlier games with the Blue Jackets. this week, it hit the hockey world hard. Dzingel, dealt to the Blue Jackets for Duclair and two second-round The Ottawa Senators paid tribute by honouring Lindsay with a moment of picks, has two assists in six games. Duclair has two goals and two silence before Thursday’s game against the New York Islanders. assists in seven games with the Senators. It also hit home for Grant McCagg. A writer and hockey scout who knows And did anyone expect Oscar Lindberg to outscore Stone – even for a the roads and rinks of the Ottawa Valley better than anyone, McCagg game or two? Lindberg, who came to the Senators in the swap, along has translated his passion for the game and his community into a self- with top prospect defenceman Erik Brannstrom, has three goals in six published book that chronicles the rich histories of the best and brightest games with Ottawa. Stone has two assists in five games with Vegas. players who have come out of the valley. Strange, but true. Valley Snapshots is headlined by Lindsay, a Renfrew native who McCagg interviewed back in 2001. NOEL SIGNS WITH PANTHERS “He really was a legend,” McCagg said of Lindsay, a Hall of Famer who Ottawa native Serron Noel, who has scored 32 goals and 43 assists in 62 played on Detroit’s famed Production Line alongside Gordie Howe and games with the Oshawa Generals, signed an entry-level deal with Florida Sid Abel. Lindsay was a pioneer for improving players’ rights and Friday. Noel was drafted by the Panthers last summer. His father, Dean, compensation in an era when NHL owners tried to blackball skaters who was a running back with the Ottawa Rough Riders and Hamilton Tiger- challenged the salary status quo. Cats. “I didn’t know what to think going in (to the interview),” said McCagg. “I Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.09.2019 knew he had a reputation as being crusty, tough and rough and tumble, and I didn’t know how he would treat me. But he was so respectful. We got into his career and he told some great stories.” THE LINDSAY BACKGROUND As McCagg’s profile outlines, Lindsay’s roots in hockey came naturally enough. His mother, Maude, was born in Renfrew and she married Bert Lindsay, a former Montana ranch hand who moved to the valley and became a goaltender for the legendary Renfrew Millionaires. The Millionaires challenged for the Stanley Cup in 1910. Ted was born in Renfrew in 1925, the youngest of nine children. During the Depression, the family moved to Kirkland Lake – “the largest gold mines in the British Empire,” according to Ted – and Ted eventually found his hockey calling in Northern Ontario in the 1940s. NAMES AND NICKNAMES McCagg, a second cousin of late great Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray, was born in Shawville and grew up in Renfrew and Pembroke. Over the years, he has published several newspapers and magazines in the valley and spent countless nights in arenas, exercising his hockey passion by scouting young prospects. Through all of that, he was always intrigued by the tales of the star hockey players from the region who tasted life in the NHL. From Frank Nighbor to original Senator Frank Finnigan to the Slaters (Terry, Peter, D’Arcy and Mark) to the Murrays (Terry and Bryan) to Rod Schutt to Jim Peplinski to Ray Sheppard to Dale McTavish, McCagg says it’s remarkable how so many of the players and/or families are linked to each other in one way or another. “The one thing I realized is how small the hockey world is,” he said. Anyone interested in learning more about Valley Snapshots can check out recrutes.ca. SENATORS STAY AT MINIMUM Following Thursday’s workout at Canadian Tire Centre, the Senators flew to Boston with a bare minimum 18 skaters – 12 forwards and six defencemen. That included Anthony Duclair, who was nursing a swollen foot after taking a shot off the foot during the 4-2 loss to the Islanders. Interim head coach Marc Crawford says he expects Duclair to be able to play Saturday against the Bruins. If he’s unable to play, the Senators will 1135056 Ottawa Senators Aimee Deziel, the club’s chief marketing officer, noted in an interview with TSN 1200 on Thursday that the club has either frozen or dropped the price of 86 per cent of the seats. GARRIOCH: Ottawa Senators offer olive branch to fans after difficult “That level of re-scaling hasn’t been done, to our knowledge, in a very, season very long time,” Ruszkowski said. “The last time there was a freeze was the lockout (in 2013) and the last time that beyond a freeze there was a reduction in prices goes back even further.” Bruce Garrioch MELNYK COMMITTED TO WINNING Published:March 8, 2019 Eugene Melnyk wants to win. Updated:March 8, 2019 7:31 PM EST Chief operating officer Nicolas Ruszkowski has heard and read the criticisms of the Senators’ owner after unrestricted free agents Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel were all dealt at the deadline BOSTON — Not only are the Ottawa Senators trying to rebuild on the with the club in a full rebuild. All three were offered extension and opted ice, they’ve got a big challenge ahead of them off the ice as well. to move on. As the club launched its season-ticket campaign with a campaign called Ruszkowski said Melnyk is in this for the long haul and wants this to get “The Seventh: Season Seat Members Club” this week, the organization this rebuild right. is well aware, after what’s been a difficult season with no shortage of on- ice and off-ice distractions, they have a lot of hard work to do to get “Nobody wants to win more than Eugene,” said Ruszkowski. “Nobody people back to the Canadian Tire Centre. has invested more in Ottawa from a sports perspective to allow a team to win than Eugene has. You can cite me any sports owner in Ottawa, Speaking in an interview before the Senators faced the New York whether it’s baseball, football, hockey or soccer, nobody has invested Islanders on Thursday at home, chief operating officer Nicolas more to put a winning product on the ice or on the field than Eugene Ruszkowski told this newspaper the club knows it won’t be easy, but it’s Melnyk. listening to its customers and recognizes the disappointment with the club sitting in last place in the NHL standings. “The emotional investment of our fan base is so intense that when the team has seasons like this one or the last one, that are uncharacteristic In a reset aimed specifically at getting more bums in seats, the Senators and off-pattern from the historic performance that we have enjoyed as have done a media blitz in the past few days and launched an initiative the Ottawa Senators, it sometimes becomes understandably easy to that targets season-ticket holders. The club’s average home attendance forget the track record that precedes our journey here.” has fallen from 15,422 last season to 14,344 in 34 games this season. Ruszkowski said if fans want proof, all they need to do is look at the “The best thing I can tell you about The Seventh is, by expressing directly success the club has had in the past. to the fan base, ‘We appreciate you, we need you, we value you,’ and we’ve created a program that is based entirely on the feedback to us, “So that they can once again look at that track record with a little bit more we’re living our values,” said Ruszkowski. of an open mind and understand that they are dealing with an owner who cares more about the success of this franchise and his place in the The Senators know trust is a factor, and after the LeBreton Flats project community than anybody realizes.” fell through Feb. 28, the key for the organization is getting fans focused on the fact they’re going to be in Kanata for the foreseeable future. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.09.2019 “How do we get to a place where we restore trust?” Ruszkowski said. “Where we communicate to the fans, ‘We understand your concerns about on-ice performance, we understand your concerns about the in- stadium experience that you’ve had.’ “What are we doing to make that better? In addition to the steps we’ve already taken this year on the in-game front, we can start talking about getting the fan base more enthusiastic about their involvement in the game.” Ruszkowski said the organization is listening to the season-ticket holders and trying to alleviate concerns. “Any time your most loyal customers are talking to you about their desire to see you do better, it’s not only incumbent on your fan base to think about the team in a new light, it’s incumbent on me and on us to give them the experiences to allow them to look at the team in a new light,” Ruszkowski said. “The market has spoken to us and it’s our job to listen, to learn and to understand and to react accordingly.” Ruszkowski said an area where the Senators need to capitalize to grow the ticket base is through the casual buyers. The club has sold 85,000 to 90,000 seats through single-game seating this season and those are people who may be interested in ticket packages. “The one story that has been under-reported this year is that, in spite of a drop in our season-seat base and in spite of the fact the difficulties we’ve had getting buy-in for the hockey portion of the rebuild experience, we’ve actually got a segment of our population that’s embracing the team,” said Ruszkowski. “We have 12 per cent growth year-over-year on casual-ticket sales. We’re going to have our best casual-ticket sales season in the last eight (years). We’re doing that when all the head winds would suggest that’s not feasible. That’s because we’re now marketing an experience, and the experience we’re marketing is corresponding to the experience people are actually getting in the stadium.” The Senators are trying to give their season-ticket holders added value. They will offer some season-seat holders the opportunity to visit the locker room with a player or, perhaps, have a lunch with a group of the players. The club will offer a 20 per cent discount on concessions and merchandise. 1135057 Ottawa Senators

Lindberg finds the range, but stays mum about his future

Ken Warren Published:March 8, 2019 Updated:March 8, 2019 4:02 PM EST

So far, so good for Oscar Lindberg. But he’s not getting ahead of himself after scoring in consecutive games and with three goals in six games since joining the Senators. “You have to find things to motivate you to go out there and play hard, but as soon as you go out there and try to chase points, you are in trouble,” said Lindberg, who came to the Senators, along with defence prospect Erik Brannstrom, in the Mark Stone trade. Lindberg, 27 and a pending unrestricted free agent, says he isn’t thinking about whether he could re-sign in Ottawa or what’s next in his career. “You can’t focus too much on that, it would just drive you crazy,” he said. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135058 Ottawa Senators continue to grow and play better. If we don’t show up, every single guy, we don’t give ourselves a chance.”

The Senators have gone 1-2-1 since Crawford replaced the fired Guy White and the Senators dream of one day becoming like Bergeron and Boucher, including a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders Thursday. the Bruins Anderson sees optimism in the fact the Senators have been more creative in the offensive zone. Ken Warren “We have a little more freedom to handle the puck. I think that’s the key. Published:March 8, 2019 We don’t just have to throw away the puck for nothing. We’re allowed to (pass from defence to defence). We’re allowed to build speed through Updated:March 8, 2019 3:59 PM EST the neutral zone. In the offensive zone, we’re free to make plays if they are there.”

Anderson insists he’s not distracted by his own personal losing streak of As a proud Bostonian with hopes of one day becoming a well-respected 12 games, dating back to Dec. 17. two-way centre in the NHL, it only makes sense that Ottawa Senators rookie Colin White has spent the past decade studying Patrice Bergeron. “I started out my career 0-11-5, or whatever it was (actually 0-11-4),” he said. “You come to work and you worry about the process. You give the “Still, when I watch clips, a lot of it is him and the little things he does team a chance to win – we’ve been close a few times – and make the around the ice,” White said of going head-to-head against Bergeron and saves for the guys to give them an opportunity.” the red-hot Bruins in Boston Saturday. “That’s the player I’ve looked up to since I’ve been 12 years old. Ultimately, that’s what I want to be. Easier said than done against Bergeron and company. Anything you can take from his game…he’s pretty special to watch.” Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.09.2019 White couldn’t aim much higher. Bergeron, 33, has scored 25 goals and 37 assists in 51 games this season, seemingly well on his way to win his fifth Frank Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward. He’s the steady-as-she goes 15- year veteran, a vital piece in the Bruins current 14-0-4 run that has them sitting second overall in the standings, behind only the Atlantic Division leading Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins have also won their past nine games at TD Garden. Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins takes a shot on goal against the Florida Panthers. Intimidating, of course, but according to White, there’s no better classroom than seeing his idol live, up close and in person. “When you’re on the ice, it’s the little things he does in the defensive zone, on the faceoff, things like that,” he said. “Even when you’re on the bench, watching him in key moments, he’s always making the right plays and smart decisions.” The Senators, dead last in the NHL standings, four points shy of 30th placed Los Angeles, can only dream of one day seeing their rebuild take them to such lofty heights. At least White is putting in as much homework as possible while learning from the best. While White spent most of the season on a line with another two-way star — Mark Stone – the current situation calls for him to assume more responsibilities quicker than if he was surrounded by a more veteran lineup. With 13 goals and 22 assists, he currently ranks fourth in team scoring, behind Thomas Chabot, Chris Tierney and Bobby Ryan. “You move forward, we all have to move forward,” interim head coach Marc Crawford said of White losing Stone. “He recognizes now that it’s about his speed, about his consistency. It’s about (continuing) to add dimensions to his game.” Crawford says the ability to hold on to the puck longer and to contain opposition players deep in the defensive zone are areas where White will become better as he gains more experience, eventually “becoming a 200-foot player in the NHL.” The Senators bench boss says White has already proven himself as an offensive threat, both as a scorer and a playmaker. The natural evolution for a player who was drafted as a guy who could play at both ends of the ice is for him to given more defensive challenges. “We haven’t really touched much on him as a penalty killer, but I would suspect that one day, he’ll be a guy that we would use someday similar to Bergeron,” Crawford said. “Bergeron plays power play, penalty kill, he plays big minutes, those sorts of things.” As a whole, Crawford earns understatement of the year honours for suggesting that the Bruins present a “robust challenge” for the Senators. Ever since the Senators knocked out the Bruins in the first round of the 2017 playoffs, they’ve gone 0-for-7 against Boston. “They’re due?,” goaltender Craig Anderson mused when asked about trying to derail the Bruins train. “There’s no secret there, everyone knows they are a good team and they have always been a good team for pretty much the past decade. They bring a consistent game and we’re going to have to make sure we 1135059 Ottawa Senators 5. According to the NCC’s revised timeline for the development of the site because of the delays caused by the falling out between Melnyk and Ruddy, the earliest any of the site will be developed is 2021. We still Still some hope for the Senators? Five takeaways from the NCC’s new don’t know if a rink will even be on the board. A new rink would have plan for LeBreton meant tapping into a new stream of revenues that could have been used to spend to the cap, as the owner promised, beginning in 2021. He’s going to have to find some other way to come up with the money to fuel the five-year period of Unparalleled Success™. By Chris Stevenson Mar 8, 2019 The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019

I know it may sound somewhat foolish to keep believing in the idea of the Ottawa Senators playing in a new rink as a centrepiece of LeBreton Flats, given what we’re dealing with, but here we are. So call me foolish (you won’t be the first, not even today). After seeing what the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park has meant to that part of the city, especially in the summer months with the Ottawa RedBlacks in their new stadium, there’s reason to keep hoping. Lansdowne has revitalized that strip of Bank St. and given a new energy to a part of the city that had been neglected. A sports franchise as the cornerstone tenant has been largely responsible. RedBlacks games have become as much a social gathering as a sporting event, a new place for a sense of community. After listening to the National Capital Commission’s repositioning for LeBreton on Thursday, it’s still possible to think about that same kind of community building being duplicated in the winter months on LeBreton Flats. The NCC had to regroup after the embarrassing (not for them, but for Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and developer John Ruddy) collapse of RendezVous LeBreton. The NCC seems to have emerged wiser for the experience. Here are my five takeaways from what the NCC had to say: 1. The NCC left the door open to a rink. With the site being developed in stages, it’s conceivable they can keep a plot open for a rink and leave that spot to the very end of the development process. That allows the NCC to play the long game when it comes to a potential move by the Senators downtown. “On a site this large, with the phasing occurring over many years, we can be open to locating a major events centre on LeBreton Flats should there be interest and opportunity in future … the important thing is on a site that is 56 acres we have time. This is not going to be done overnight,” new NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum said. “There will be opportunities and we want to ensure that we maintain opportunities. Should there be the idea or an interest in siting an arena or major event centre of any kind on the site, that we offer that kind of flexibility.” 2. I thought the way Nussbaum framed the importance of a rink or “major event centre” to LeBreton was well done, too. “It’s not essential. It’s possible. We’re not conditioning the development of this project on an arena or a major events centre,” he said. He basically told Melnyk this project is going ahead with or without a new barn for the Senators. The message: get on the LRT (if it ever actually works) or be left out. BUILDING LEBRETON : NCC CHAIR MARC SEAMAN REAFFIRMES OUR STRONG COMMITMENT TO BRING BACK A VIBRANT COMMUNITY BENEFITING FROM EARLY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC. #OTTAWA PIC.TWITTER.COM/7TPFHFEKYD — NATIONAL CAPITAL COMMISSION (@NCC_CCN) MARCH 7, 2019 3. The NCC said it was going to apply the lessons it learned from the ill- fated RendezVous LeBreton coalition between Melnyk and Ruddy. It degenerated into $1.7 billion worth of lawsuits, wound up with the NCC voiding their deal with them, wasting three years and brought us to Thursday. “While we’re still processing those lessons from the recent RFP, we do see a few opportunities to do things differently,” Nussbaum said. This time around, the NCC is going to avoid getting into bed with one proponent and strike deals with a number of different parties to develop different areas of the site. “This process will be open to new players as well as those who participated in the 2015 RFP process,” Nussbaum said. Good move. 4. Undertaking the project in stages means the NCC can put out an RFP on the first parcel to be developed, the Library District, by the end of this year. RFPs for more districts will go out next summer. I think seeing some tangible evidence of developing the site is going to get people more invested in the importance of this project to Ottawa. Some concrete (pun intended) progress is going to get people excited. Maybe even an NHL owner. 1135060 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers’ tall order grows taller with 5 games in 9 days, starting with Islanders Saturday by Sam Donnellon,

Flyers’ tall order grows taller with 5 games in 9 days, starting with Islanders Saturday The Flyers expect to have both Jake Voracek and Nolan Patrick back in the lineup when they face the New York Islanders on Saturday night at the Nassau Coliseum. Voracek, who owns two of the Flyers’ longer streaks of consecutive games played, has missed two games since a puck caught him on the side of a knee in practice, requiring an MRI. Patrick was injured early in the first period of Sunday’s 4-1 victory over the Islanders after a slap shot caught him on the side of the head, creating a six-stitch cut and requiring him to pass the NHL concussion protocol. Patrick was not in the lineup for Wednesday’s 5-3 home loss to Washington that stalled the Flyers’ long-shot march. The Flyers stood seven points behind Montreal and Carolina for the final playoff spot before Friday night’s games, with 15 games left. After Saturday, the Flyers will have four games in seven days against Ottawa (Monday), Washington (Thursday), Toronto (Friday), and Pittsburgh (Sunday). With the loss to Washington and rookie goaltending sensation Carter Hart’s return still uncertain — Brian Elliott will start against the Islanders — the Flyers’ tall order has become taller. ``Every game means pretty much everything,’’ defenseman Radko Gudas said. Voracek had been, in the words of teammate and Czech countryman Gudas, ``one of our two best players’’ as the Flyers have run off a 16-4-2 record to at least be mentioned in the playoff hunt. He had three goals and six assists in the four games that preceded his injury, and his offense has been sorely missed, particularly on the power play. ``I’m good to go,’’ Voracek said. ``The days off helped. When I came off the bye week, I was re-energized again. Especially when you’re not winning like you’re supposed to, it can be tough on you. I went away, got some rest, and have felt great since then. Hopefully, this will feel the same as after the bye week.’’ His and Patrick’s absences forced interim coach Scott Gordon to scramble lines to the point that they were hardly recognizable. ``I think I played with everyone on the team tonight,’’ Travis Konecny mused after the unlikely victory Sunday over the Islanders. Elliott was the game’s second star against the Islanders, stopping 29 of 30 shots. But he faltered against Washington, allowing four goals over the first 24 minutes, and was replaced by Cam Talbot. ``I’ve been in a similar situation in the American League where we had to go 13-3 to get in, and we had goalie issues then, too,’’ Gordon said. ``What I found is when you have to play that kind of hockey to get into the playoffs, you’re playoff-ready. You’ve had a certain mindset for a while. Sometimes it’s hard when you’re at the top, you’re waiting around for the playoffs to happen, and you can lose some of your sharpness. ``But we can talk about the playoffs all we want. We have to get the job done against the Islanders.’’ Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135061 Philadelphia Flyers Most important, for the first time in eons, the Flyers have their goalie of the future. And present.

That’s an advantage Ron Hextall didn’t have during his GM tenure, and it Credit Flyers for comeback, but now, GM Chuck Fletcher must add makes this offseason so much more intriguing. missing pieces | Sam Carchidi If Fletcher adds the right pieces, the Flyers won’t consider an outdoor game in a football stadium (or games played in Europe next season) to by Sam Carchidi, be the highlight of their season. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.09.2019 There’s a great feel-good photo of the Flyers, sticks raised as they salute their fans for sitting through the rain at Lincoln Financial Field, after an epic late comeback that produced a 4-3 overtime win over the hated Pittsburgh Penguins a couple of weeks ago. That victory, most likely, will be the pinnacle of their turbulent season, and their mini-version of the Stanley Cup playoffs. But, with apologies to the fans who were clamoring for the Flyers to keep losing to increase their chances of drafting star-in-the-making Jack Hughes, give this team credit for at least making the last few months of the season entertaining — and meaningful. Two months ago, the Flyers were 31st — dead last — in the NHL in points. That created a must-win situation, or close to it, every single game. Instead of caving to that type of pressure, the Flyers embraced it. Since then, they have huffed and puffed and won a vast majority of their games to get their playoff deficit, which was at 16 points on Jan. 15, to a more manageable (but unrealistic) number. “Every game has been like a playoff game,” defenseman Robert Hagg said Thursday. “It motivates you to go out and play your best. I think it keeps everyone on their toes because you know you have to win, no matter what." Travis Konecny agreed. “You know everything is important: every game, every shift, every decision you make,” the coming-of-age right winger said. “It holds you accountable and makes us play the right way.” “I think it’s helped us because we’re playing more as a team,” Hagg said. The Flyers are on a 16-4-2 run entering Saturday’s game against the Islanders. They enter the weekend seven points out of a playoff spot with 15 games left — and it appears it will take a 12-2-1 spurt to play in the postseason. “Obviously, we made some adjustments,” said center Nolan Patrick, whose team’s goals-against average has dropped significantly since interim coach Scott Gordon installed a 1-3-1 neutral-zone forecheck around the time the Flyers went on a hot streak. “I think a lot of guys’ play has gotten better, and I think we got our confidence back. That’s kind of what’s gone on during that streak.” Knowing every game has been critical the last two months could have made the Flyers squeeze their sticks tighter. “I don’t think that’s stressful. That’s fun,” Patrick said. “That’s the way hockey should be. Obviously when every game is a big game, it’s a lot easier to get up for. Those are the games that, personally I love playing in.” “It hasn’t felt like a strain,” defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said of the keep-winning-or-make-the-season-meaningless predicament that has been hanging over the Flyers, “because our mentality is to just take it a game at a time. We’ve just focused on what’s in our control.” Like last year, that urgency hasn’t always been there during a season in which the Flyers have seen their general manager, an assistant GM, their head coach, and an assistant coach fired. The good teams find ways to be consistent for 82 games, not just a few months. This summer, general manager Chuck Fletcher, who will be armed with lots of cap space, will try to add the pieces that will make that happen. From here, he needs to add a second-line center, a sniper, a first-pairing defenseman, and a dependable goalie (re-signing Cam Talbot?) to back up Carter Hart. The good news is that the second-half run has shown he has many quality pieces in place, and that the young players — including Patrick, Oskar Lindblom, Travis Sanheim, Konecny, a revived Ivan Provorov, Phil Myers, and Hart — look as good as projected. 1135062 Philadelphia Flyers

Second graders visit Carter Hart and Flyers at practice

By John Boruk March 08, 2019 1:43 PM

VOORHEES, N.J. — Best field trip ever. Second graders from Mary C. Howse Elementary School in West Chester, Pennsylvania, made the long bus ride to the Skate Zone in Voorhees, New Jersey, to watch Flyers practice with a pizza party for lunch. But the best part came afterward when Flyers goaltender Carter Hart arrived with a box of autographed pucks to give to the students, who won over Hart with hand-written, heart-filled Valentine’s Day cards with personalized messages. “It was the only valentines I got this year from like 30 second graders,” Hart said. “I actually keep them in my cubby where I change.” Hearts for Hart! After receiving cards from teacher Barb Wackerman and her 2nd grade students from Mary C. Howse Elementary School, Carter will host the class today at practice. 李 pic.twitter.com/nRJRPyXx21 — Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 8, 2019 The cards all seemed to have one thing in common. “Every single one asked me to come visit their school,” Hart said. “I think this was actually better.”

Dishing out  and ! pic.twitter.com/868woQER02 — Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 8, 2019 As Hart passed around the pucks, the second graders also had some hand-written questions they needed the goalie to answer. Here’s a sampling of some of the questions: How many saves do you get in a game? Why did you pick No. 79? Why are you a goalie? “Because I like stopping pucks more than I like scoring goals,” Hart said. Why did you want to join the Flyers? How do you feel when you’re out on the ice? As for when Hart will return to the ice, even interim head coach Scott Gordon couldn’t answer that, only saying he needs to discuss the situation with general manager Chuck Fletcher. Brian Elliott will start Saturday’s game against the Islanders, but no word on if Hart or Cam Talbot will serve as the backup. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135063 Philadelphia Flyers

How the Flyers' big push could happen over the next 3 days

By John Boruk March 08, 2019 1:30 PM

VOORHEES, N.J. — Scott Gordon half-heartedly joked recently that he’s been watching games simultaneously on his computer, his TV and his phone. Right now, the Flyers' interim head coach just needs one device, or perhaps none at all. “I’m done watching,” Gordon said. “I’ll just check the scores, but watching the games doesn’t work.” The one game Gordon and the Flyers will be refreshing on their phones as it pertains to the playoff chase involves the Montreal Canadiens in Anaheim Friday night to face the Ducks — a 10 p.m. ET start at the Honda Center. If the Canadiens come up short, losing in regulation, the Flyers could creep to within three points of Montreal for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. To get there, the Flyers simply need to win Saturday against the Islanders and follow that up with another victory Monday at home against the Ottawa Senators — the worst team in the East — and hope the Blue Jackets fail to gain more than two points in games against the Penguins Saturday and the Islanders Monday. It would be the closest the Flyers have been within striking distance of a playoff spot since Nov. 15, the same day Brian Elliott got hurt against the Devils and proceeded to miss the next three months. “I don’t really think there’s a psychological boost [if that happens],” Radko Gudas said. “We know we can beat the Islanders. We were there last weekend. Fifteen games left and every game pretty much means everything.” That wasn’t the only sense of optimism at Friday’s early practice as Jakub Voracek joined teammates on the ice for the first time since last Friday's 6-3 victory at the Prudential Center. Teammates gave Voracek the stick tap as he stepped onto the practice rink Friday morning after missing the previous two games. The right winger took a puck in an awkward spot in last Friday’s game in New Jersey. “I’m good to go right now,” Voracek said. “I needed that timeframe to get back to where I was before, or at least 80 percent. Those days off helped.” Voracek has been an offensive catalyst with nine points during his current four-game point streak that saw the Flyers go 3-0-1. “For me, I’ve felt pretty good physically, which is more important to me than the points,” Voracek said. “I was pretty good in Columbus. Then in Jersey, I wasn’t very good. I didn’t feel really good. I go the way I feel. Hopefully, I’ll be at the same level as I was before.” Voracek may not need the points, but the Flyers do, and in order to earn those much-needed points is to have a healthy Voracek, or something close to it. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135064 Philadelphia Flyers “When you’re running 11 forwards or 10 forwards against the Islanders last week (once Patrick got hurt), you have to change it up a little bit,” Voracek said. “Obviously me and Patty are good to go so he can have 12 Jake Voracek’s return reunites Flyers’ best line forwards and run those 12 lines for a little bit longer than the past few weeks.”

Courier-Post LOADED: 03.09.2019 Dave Isaac, NHL writer Published 3:00 p.m. ET March 8, 2019

VOORHEES — It’s hard enough to get three players to find chemistry, let alone to have four on the same page and make an effective line. That’s what the Flyers have now that Jake Voracek is ready to return to the lineup after a puck hit him last Friday in Newark. “I’m good to go right now,” Voracek said after Friday’s practice. He’ll be in the lineup Saturday when the Flyers take on the New York Islanders. “It was just that timeframe that I needed to get back to where I was before or at least 80 percent. Those days off helped.” Voracek missed two games, including last weekend’s visit to Long Island, and the Flyers’ most effective line of he, Sean Couturier and Oskar Lindblom (or sometimes Claude Giroux instead of Lindblom) can reunite. It broke a 242-game ironman streak for Voracek who hadn’t missed a game since 2016 when he had a broken bone in his left foot. Considering the task in front of the team, a seven-point playoff deficit Friday afternoon with 15 games remaining, it’s a good time for the Flyers to get weapons back. Nolan Patrick, who missed Wednesday’s game with a head injury, will return to the lineup as well. “Your whole makeup of your lines gets disrupted so there’s a trickle-down effect and it has an impact on every line when you look at taking guys off two different lines,” interim coach Scott Gordon said. “Obviously we’re a better team with those guys in the lineup and we feel better going into a game knowing that they’re there.” Voracek in particular has 20 points in his last 16 games and is averaging nearly 20 minutes per game during that stretch. Perhaps with almost a week off he comes back rejuvenated. “When I came off the bye week I think I was reenergized again,” Voracek said. “When you’re going every other day and especially when you’re not winning as much as you’d like to, it can be tough on you. We went away. I got some rest and I’ve felt great since then. Hopefully it’s gonna have the same impact it did after the bye week.” “He’s a great player,” Couturier added. “It’s always fun playing with him. He can make some of those plays you don’t really expect and just gotta be ready at all times. Find the open areas and he’ll find you. That’s kinda the way I see it playing with him and having Oskar on the other side, he’s kind of the same way. he’s really smart, knows where to find the open ice and get open for shots, passes and the chemistry’s been great.” Regardless of whether it’s been Lindblom on the left or Giroux, the line has been the Flyers’ most effective recently. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the line of Lindblom, Couturier and Voracek posts a positive ratio of high danger scoring chances for/against and has been deployed in the defensive zone 38 percent of the time. The sample size with Giroux instead of Lindblom is about 30 minutes fewer in the 63 games that they’ve been put together but is used mostly in the offensive zone. Gordon has typically deployed Giroux with the line when the Flyers are in need of a goal or at least a shift in momentum. Lindblom, a defensively responsible player, is a fit for a unit that typically gets matched up against opposing top lines. “I think we’re playing the right way, being on the right side of pucks,” Couturier said. “I think we have enough offensive abilities to just play and when we’re solid defensively, that’s when I feel we play our best games offensively. We don’t give up a lot and our offense kind of takes over. Just about playing the right way, I guess.” Getting two forward pieces back means the Flyers can deploy four actual lines for the first time in a while. They’ve played the last two games with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Gordon typically makes a lot of moves up front in-game anyway, but there was even more when the Flyers didn’t have enough forwards to roll four full lines. Gordon, in the interim role, is trying to push buttons to help win games and improve his chances of becoming the full-time coach next season. Players usually prefer to know what line they’re going to play on and at least get a few shifts together before they’re broken up. 1135065 Pittsburgh Penguins In the era of tanking — pioneered in this zip code in 1984 — Columbus general manager Jarmo Keikalainen has been commended for going for it. Mark Madden: Penguins helping ensure Blue Jackets lose ‘all-in’ bet The motivation might have been on a lower plane than winning a Stanley Cup. Mark MaddenMARK MADDEN | Friday, March 8, 2019 6:49 p.m The Blue Jackets are the only NHL team to never have won a playoff series. If that embarrassment hasn’t created an air of desperation in the organization, it should. As the NHL’s Feb. 25 trade deadline beckoned, Columbus was half- It’s no surprise Kekalainen’s effort is failing. He acquired Duchene, expected to trade goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and winger Artemi Dzingel, Kinkaid and McQuaid, not Giordano, Kucherov, McDavid and Panarin, each in the final season of his contract. A rebuilding of sorts Price. Having a lot of one-foot-out-the-door guys probably lessens the seemed likely. locker room’s investment. But there were no obvious suitors for Bobrovsky. The legit Stanley Cup Columbus didn’t play terribly Thursday. They killed a five-on-three for contenders all have legit goalies. 1:55 early in the third period, then used the momentum created to generate lots of pressure and a few excellent chances only to be stymied So the Blue Jackets went in the opposite direction. They acquired by Penguins goaltender Matt Murray, who made 25 saves to post the forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, defenseman Adam McQuaid shutout. and goalie Keith Kinkaid, all rentals. The Blue Jackets went “all in.” In the end, Columbus lost to the Penguins. But the question begs: “All in” for what? What can realistically be achieved? It’s what Columbus does. Columbus, even after those additions, is no better than a marginal playoff Tribune Review LOADED: 03.09.2019 team — as evidenced by the Jackets’ presence in the margin of the Eastern Conference postseason talk. They were two points out of a wild- card spot before last night’s action. They are 2-4 since the trade deadline. It’s also evidenced by losing eight straight regular-season games to the Penguins. (The Penguins also won a playoff series vs. Columbus, four games to one, within that timeline.) It’s an age of parity. The NHL uses a salary cap. How do the Penguins win eight in a row against a team that made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and trails them by a mere four points now? It’s a question the Penguins coaches and players hesitate to answer. The teams play again tonight at Columbus, after all. “I’m not sure there’s a valid explanation,” coach Mike Sullivan said after the host Penguins topped Columbus, 3-0, on Thursday. “Every game we play them is a hard-fought battle, and the margin for error is slim. Most of the games are close. They’re a real good team. Fortunately, we’re finding ways to win. But I don’t think there’s a real valid answer.” Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson played for Columbus from 2012-18. He was on the losing side in the first five games of the current streak, and in the aforementioned playoff series. Johnson seemed uncomfortable discussing the Penguins-Blue Jackets dynamic. “I don’t know if I have a good answer for you,” Johnson said Thursday. “We played well tonight.” Do the Penguins have a lot of confidence playing Columbus? Johnson: “We have a lot of confidence playing anybody.” Spoken like a 13-year NHL vet and a veteran of many interviews, too. If there’s any reason for the Penguins’ subjugation of the Blue Jackets, it might be their pronounced edge at center, which Columbus alleviated only slightly by getting Duchene. But Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin dominate a lot of teams. It might also be Bobrovsky’s failure against the Penguins, which was doubtless a factor in Columbus starting backup Joonas Korpisalo on Thursday. Bobrovsky has zero wins and five losses with a 3.87 goals-against average and a .882 save percentage against the Penguins dating through last season. Not good. His numbers were nearly identical in the 2017 playoff series loss to the Penguins: 1-4, 3.88 goals-against average, .882 save percentage. If the Penguins aren’t in Bobrovsky’s head, they are certainly in his net. If the Blue Jackets can’t find a way to end the streak and win Saturday, they might board that train to Palookaville less than two weeks after going “all in.” 1135066 Pittsburgh Penguins

Kevin Gorman: Jake Guentzel’s goal is to push Penguins into playoffs

KEVIN GORMAN | Friday, March 8, 2019 7:45 p.m

Jake Guentzel doesn’t deny he is goal-oriented, even if the Pittsburgh Penguins winger is focused more on the standings than his statistics as he approaches a meaningful milestone. It’s more about the race than the chase. Guentzel’s overtime winner against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night was his 33rd goal in 67 games this season, which is more than Sidney Crosby (31), Phil Kessel (21) or Evgeni Malkin (22). Not only is Guentzel on pace to become the first Penguins winger to record a 40- goal season since James Neal in 2011-12 but he also is positioned to become their first player not named Crosby or Malkin to lead the team in goals in a full season since Ryan Malone in 2003-04. That’s incredible, even to Guentzel. “Just those two guys and what they’ve done in their careers, being prolific scorers, it would be a pretty special feeling,” Guentzel said. “But you know those guys are going to get their points and score. That’s what they do day-in and day-out. But it would be a pretty cool feeling.” That Guentzel is outpacing a pair of Penguins all-time greats is eye- opening in this era of hockey, when a scoring winger such as Kessel has six seasons with 30-plus goals but hasn’t cracked the 40-goal mark. “It’s impressive in any era of hockey,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “That’s a lot of goals. He’s played extremely well for us this year. I’ve spoken about this a lot this year: What we’ve really been appreciative of Jake and his game is his consistency. That’s one of the biggest changes from last year. He’s brought it every night. When he does that, he’s a really good player for us, and it shows in his production.” Most impressive about Guentzel’s scoring is he doesn’t have the benefit of being on the Penguins’ first-team power play. Only Chicago’s Patrick Kane (31) and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Toronto’s John Tavares (30 each) have more even-strength goals than Guentzel’s 29, with three coming on power plays and one short-handed. That’s why his Penguins teammates rave about the hockey IQ of the 5- foot-11, 180-pounder, who has an instinct for finding the soft spots on the ice and scoring with a shot that stands out even to Crosby. “He knows where to go, and when he gets it, he gets it off quick,” Crosby said. “I think he’s accurate, but he scores in different ways. The shot comes to mind, but he scores in and around the net, deflections and he’s not afraid to go to those tough-to-score areas, too. He can do it a lot of different ways, and that’s why he’s scored so many.” That Crosby trails Guentzel by only two goals should make the final 15 games of the regular season even more riveting, not only to see who scores the most goals but also whether the linemates can propel the Penguins into the playoffs. Two of Guentzel’s four career hat tricks have come against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who trail the Penguins by four points in Eastern Conference standings going into their game Saturday. Guentzel has scored goals against eight of the 10 remaining opponents, all but Nashville (whom he hasn’t played) and Detroit. “I think the main thing right now is to win games,” Guentzel said. “If I score, I score. I’m just trying to do whatever to help. We’re in a tight race, so I’m trying to get points and get wins. If the goals come, they come. I’m just trying to play good. If I’m doing my part, scoring goals or creating chances, if that leads to us getting a better chance to win, that’s the main thing.” Leading the Penguins in goals would be something special, especially if Guentzel pushes them into the playoffs. Tribune Review LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135067 Pittsburgh Penguins

Columbus rivalry makes Penguins’ Garrett Wilson feel right at home

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Friday, March 8, 2019 1:05 p.m

A home-and-home series – like the one the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets are currently in the middle of – is a relatively rare occurrence in the modern NHL. The Penguins, for instance, have only three of them on their schedule this season. For someone like winger Garrett Wilson, though, it’s old hat. Wilson has split time between the NHL and the AHL throughout his eight- year NHL career. In that league, home-and-home series are commonplace. For example, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will play nine sets of consecutive games against the same opponent this season, four in a home-and-home setup and five others consisting of back-to-back games against the same foe in the same city. For Wilson, who plays with a physical edge to his game and has collected 46 fighting majors in his professional career, that means one thing first and foremost: Animosity. “Anytime you see a certain player or team a few times in short period of time, you start to get a hate on for them,” Wilson said. “The things in the first game carry over a little bit sometimes.” While Thursday’s game between the teams – a 3-0 Penguins victory – was hardly a bloodbath, it was very obviously a physical, hotly contested late-season matchup between two rivals. In the second period, after Adam McQuaid knocked Patric Hornqvist to the ice with a shove to the back behind the play and a minor melee developed, Wilson dropped the gloves with Columbus captain Nick Foligno. Given the stage of the season and the tightness of the standings, Wilson doesn’t expect any rampant fisticuffs when the teams meet again Saturday night in Columbus. He does, however, expect another physical test for the Penguins. “They’re a hard team,” he said. “They’re a physical team. We know they’re going to give us their best game. We’re coming down to the wire in this playoff race. Don’t have many games left.” It would be virtually impossible for any team to unseat the Flyers as the Penguins’ top historical rival. Even Jack Johnson, who is at the epicenter of the Penguins-Blue Jackets rivalry because he played for one team for six-plus years then signed with the other in July, knows that. “The Penguins-Flyers one, that’s the first big rivalry that I’ve really been a part of,” Johnson said. “When I was in LA, there was kind of a Kings- Ducks, but we had never played in the playoffs. Rivalries are different in the playoffs. For me, the biggest rivalry for sure has been Pittsburgh- Flyers that I’ve been a part of. “There’s history there. There’s a long history. It’s not just two playoff series. Columbus-Pittsburgh is what, four years old?” In the moment, though, in the middle of a home-and-home series, animosity between the Penguins and Blue Jackets runs hot. The Penguins have a four-point lead over Columbus, which is stuck in ninth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. A loss on Saturday would put the Blue Jackets in a terrible spot. The Penguins, of course, would like to give it to them. “Right now this one might be more intense, just because of the standings,” Wilson said. “Every division game is a big test and a big rivalry. We know it’s a game we have to win.” Tribune Review LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135068 Pittsburgh Penguins

Plenty to praise as Penguins take 1st of back-to-back games vs. Blue Jackets

TIM BENZ | Friday, March 8, 2019 8:14 a.m

In the most important stretch of the season, the Penguins are starting to get hot. Thursday night, they won the first of two crucial games against the Blue Jackets, with a return match coming Saturday in Columbus. The Penguins blanked the Blue Jackets, 3-0. And a lot went right along the way. Matt Murray pitched a shutout. Phil Kessel finally scored. The banged-up defense held its own again. Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann continued to mesh with their new teammates. And Mike Sullivan’s team continued its mastery of Columbus. LISTEN: Plenty to praise as Penguins take 1st of 2 against Blue Jackets That’s eight straight wins for the Penguins over their neighbors down I- 70. The victory propelled Pittsburgh into third place of the Metro Division. That’s two points clear of the two wild-card teams: Carolina and Montreal. The team is four points in front of the slumping Blue Jackets, who have lost four of six. Meanwhile the Penguins have won four of five. Our Penguins beat writer, Jonathan Bombulie, joined me at PPG Paints Arena to wrap it up in our Sided.co podcast. Tribune Review LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135069 Pittsburgh Penguins 4 – Consecutive games with a power-play goal for the Penguins, their longest streak in two months.

This is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. One, the power play has been These seven numbers help explain the Penguins' recent surge better after a recent funk that saw them go without a power-play goal 12 times over a stretch of 16 games. Two, and most important perhaps, is that they are getting more cracks at the piñata. The Penguins, who MATT VENSEL somehow rank in the bottom five in the NHL in power-play opportunities this season, have gotten 13 the past four games. MAR 8, 2019 2:32 PM Now, the execution hasn’t been perfect. They still have not scored on a single 5-on-3 opportunity, including nearly two full minutes of a two-man advantage Thursday. But things are trending in the right direction. The Penguins, previously waddling toward a playoff spot, have picked a good time for one of their best stretches of a season during which they 58 – This, of course, is the number Kris Letang wears. You may have have rarely played more than a couple of good games in a row. one of his jerseys in your closet. They have picked up points in six straight games, earning 10 of a Anyway, Letang was amid one of the finest seasons when he suffered an possible 12 in the standings during that span. By beating the Columbus upper-body injury in Philadelphia two weeks ago. Losing Letang, along Jackets, 3-0, at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday, they have now won with his top-pairing partner Brian Dumoulin, looked like it might spell three consecutive games, something the Penguins have stunningly done doom for the Penguins. But the defensive corps, led by Justin Schultz only three times this season. and Jack Johnson and bolstered by the additions of Erik Gudbranson and Zach Trotman, has played admirably with Letang out. If you are waiting for the other shoe to drop, no one would blame you given what we have seen from this team so far. But a deeper dive into Letang, who returned to a practice setting Tuesday in a non-contact the numbers explains why the Penguins have been so good recently — jersey, seems poised to get back in the lineup in the coming days, and gives hope that they might be taking flight just in time for a deep perhaps even this weekend. Assuming he looks like the Norris Trophy playoff run. contender we saw prior to this injury, the Penguins will probably feel confident in their blue-line group going forward. Here are seven noteworthy numbers as they head into another big game Saturday in Columbus: plus-9 – Speaking of Johnson, what a turnaround it has been over the course of this season for the veteran defenseman, who has quietly put up Penguins defenseman Erik Gudbranson skates during the first period a plus-9 rating over the Penguins’ last 37 games. March. 1, 2019, against the Sabres. The Penguins were scrutinized for signing Johnson to a five-year deal in 68 – Total high-danger chances for the Penguins during 5-on-5 play over the offseason, in large part because his career plus-minus rating was in their previous six games. triple digits — and not in a good way. The grumbling continued after There is no perfect statistic for quantifying a team’s dominance when it Johnson struggled to find his footing early, in part because he had about comes to possession and controlling play. Corsi, for example, counts the three dozen different partners. number of shots attempted. But not all shots are equal. That’s why high- Since the middle of November, though, he has been rock solid while danger chances are probably the best stat currently available for often defending alongside Marcus Pettersson and now Schultz. Johnson evaluating how a team plays. and Schultz have worked so well together the past couple of weeks that All that said, the Penguins have been really good in this advanced stat the Penguins will have a difficult decision on what to do once Olli Maatta the past two weeks. They have 68 high-danger chances compared to just returns. Of course, as we have been reminded a few times already, 30 going the other way in their last six games. In every one of those another injury can end such a hypothetical debate in a hurry. games, the Penguins led in this critical category — and three times by a 1 – Goal for Phil Kessel in his last 17 games. So, why is that a good wide margin. So it’s no fluke they went 4-0-2. If there’s any surprise, it is thing? As we have seen over the past few seasons, Kessel can be a that they didn’t have an even better record. streaky player. When he gets on a roll, look out. Kessel has admitted a 73 – Goals, including seven in the past six games, the Penguins have couple of times now that his 16-game goalless skid, the longest of his scored at 5-on-5 with Sidney Crosby on the ice. Entering Friday, that career, had shaken his confidence a bit. Now that he finally got a goal ranked first in the NHL among forwards. The Penguins have also allowed Thursday, don’t be surprised if he starts burying them in bunches. only 33 goals with Crosby on at full strength. That 68.9 goals-for Shortly after the Penguins traded Tanner Pearson to Vancouver for Erik percentage is best in the league among skaters who have played more Gudbranson minutes before the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 25, many on than 900 minutes, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. social media wondered whether general manager Jim Rutherford had Crosby probably has too much ground to cover in the MVP race to lost his mind. overtake Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, who entering Others weren’t nearly so kind. Friday led the league with 108 points in 68 games for a Tampa team that could lock up the Presidents’ Trophy in the next week or two. But since Four games into his Penguins career — admittedly a small sample size the start of February, Crosby has maybe been the NHL’s best player — the doomsday scenario many predicted has yet to happen. In fact, while trying to lug this inconsistent bunch back to the playoffs. Gudbranson has produced some rather solid numbers, the same sort of stuff he was skewered for in Vancouver. .930 – Matt Murray’s save percentage while starting a season-high six consecutive games in goal. Meanwhile, Gudbranson has provided the rough-and-tumble presence the suddenly simple Penguins needed on the back end. For much of the season, the Penguins tried to limit Murray’s workload for a few different reasons. One, he has missed games due to three different Penguins goaltender Matt Murray makes a glove save on Blue Jackets injuries, including one that sidelined him for four weeks. Two, he hasn’t center Matt Duchene on Thursday, March 7, 2019, at PPG Paints Arena. always played well when given starts. And three, Casey DeSmith has been solid. “I’m just trying to play my game, Gudbranson said after finishing a postgame workout late Thursday. “So far, so good.” Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin celebrates his goal in the first period against the Dallas Stars Wednesday Nov.. 21, 2018 at PPG It would be hard for the Penguins to complain about what they’ve gotten Paints Arena. thus far from Gudbranson, and they’re certainly not going to. Consider: But with the playoff push apparently reaching a critical point, coach Mike • Only Justin Schultz (plus-4) has produced a better plus/minus rating Sullivan has started Murray six games in a row, including, for the first than Gudbranson’s plus-3 among Penguins defensemen since the trade. time all season, starts on back-to-back nights last weekend. Murray has seized the opportunity, allowing 11 goals in regulation with a .930 save • Furthermore, Gudbranson has been on the ice for just one five-on-five percentage overall. goal-against in four games. Sure, he could have helped them pick up that extra point in overtime • His Corsi For Percentage — a measure of five-on-five shot attempts — losses in Philadelphia and Buffalo. But he now looks to be locked in, is 55.7, which ranks second-best among Penguins defensemen, while he having allowed just three goals during this three-game winning streak, and Marcus Pettersson are controlling scoring chances at better than a including a 25-save shutout Thursday. Now will Murray actually keep it 60-percent clip. going this time around? Not bad for a guy who was among the worst or the worst in the league in those categories, including an NHL-low minus-27 at the time of the trade. After averaging just 17:59 in Vancouver, Gudbranson has not played less than 19:27 in Pittsburgh. On Thursday, in a 3-0 victory over Columbus, Gudbranson saw 20:30, including 2:14 on a penalty-killing unit that went three for three and snuffed out a high-sticking minor on Patric Hornqvist in the third period. Gudbranson, who’s every bit of 6-foot-5, has been making his presence felt with physical plays along the boards and has handled the puck well enough to warrant the additional ice time. “Obviously I like it,” Gudbranson said of playing more in Pittsburgh. “Didn’t really have any expectations in terms of minutes when I came here. Never have anywhere I’ve been. “We have some injuries as well. We need some guys to come back. For now, I’m just happy to chip in.” Much was made of Penguins coach Mike Sullivan starting Evgeni Malkin’s line — and Phil Kessel — instead of Sidney Crosby and Co. to try to get Kessel going. Another coaching move made, this time in the second period, paid dividends as well. Sullivan flipped Jared McCann and Dominik Simon on his first and third lines, in the process having Jake Guentzel move back to left wing. Nick Bjugstad, McCann’s new/old center, scored after an extended shift for that line, which seemed to take off immediately. “It was good for both lines,” Sullivan said. It sounds like Sullivan might try to do something similar if previous games go a certain way; perhaps one opponent requires more speed (McCann) or a give-and-go game (Simon) might work better against another. Either way, the Penguins have a couple options. “The way our coaching staff has looked at it is we tend to go in tandems with our lines,” Sullivan said. “Then we move people around them based on how guys are playing or what our opponent looks like, what the matchups look like on a given night. We try to complement those tandems as best we can.” Torts not happy Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella didn’t agree with the league when it determined that Patric Hornqvist did not interfere with Joonas Korpisalo on Kessel’s first-period goal. “I do think it’s goaltender interference,” Tortorella said. “The first shove by Hornqvist turns Korpisalo, to where he can’t get to the side of the net. But you never know what you’re going to get with those calls. I just totally don’t understand the definition of it all.” Tortorella said he thought about challenging the Penguins’ second goal but chose not to because they couldn’t see the puck on replay. Numbers and nuggets • With an assist on Kessel’s goal, Malkin is now three points shy of 1,000 for his career. • The Penguins are now 9-1 in their third jerseys. • Matt Murray picked up his fourth shutout of the season and improved to 8-1-1 in his career against the Blue Jackets. • Thursday was just the 11th time in 27 games the Penguins have won this season when they have more shots on goal than their opponent. • The Penguins power play has five goals in its last four games. It had six in its previous 16. Post Gazette LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135070 Pittsburgh Penguins What emerged was the latest template, one tailored more toward urban redevelopment with mixture of uses spread throughout the site. New elements include more housing, the music venue and the 10,000-square- 'Let’s do something great’ — Penguins unveil big new vision for former foot food hall, which will feature local chefs and food outlets. Arena site “The goal is that you don’t know where it starts and where it ends,” said Chris Buccini, president of the Buccino/Pollin Group. MARK BELKO Kevin Acklin, the former chief of staff for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto who is now spearheading the development for the Penguins, said the MAR 8, 2019 6:00 AM idea is to make the site “welcoming to everyone,” with the potential to perhaps even resurrect Hill icons like the Crawford Grill.

It should be “an attractive place for Pittsburgh,” he said. The Pittsburgh Penguins are ready to get rolling on development of the former Civic Arena site this year with a brand new vision that includes Designing the office and commercial structures will be Gensler, the same offices, housing, a music venue, retail, a hotel and a food hall, all architectural firm that did the Tower at PNC Plaza and Three PNC Plaza interwoven over 28 acres. Downtown. Handling the design of the first 500 units of residential will be Michigan-based OHM Advisors. With two developers in place, the team expects to start construction on the first 274 units of housing in the fall, to be followed by development of The first 274 apartment units will be built on a tract of land at Centre a 200,000-square-foot office building with 50,000 square feet of retail in Avenue and Fullerton Street. In keeping with the community agreement, the winter. 20 percent of the units will be affordable to households at 80 percent of the area median income. The Penguins have hired the Buccini/Pollin Group, a Wilmington, Del.- based real estate company with a portfolio valued at more than $5 billion, Intergen’s second phase would be built along Centre adjacent to the to develop the office space and the other commercial aspects, including existing Crawford Square development. The Penguins originally tapped a 50,000-square-foot music venue and the food hall. St. Louis-based McCormack Baron Salazar to do the housing. That developer no longer is involved. The team has tapped Pittsburgh-based Intergen, a minority-owned developer led by KBK Enterprises, to do the first piece of the housing as Leading Intergen are Keith B. Key, the CEO of KBK; developer Bomani well as a 250-unit second phase, with 20 percent of the apartments in Howze, son of former city councilman Sala Udin; and business executive both rounds designated as affordable. Robert Agbede. The site of the former Civic Arena on Wednesday, Nov 8, 2017 in The first office building likely will be constructed on Centre Avenue near Uptown. Washington Place. A “signature tower” that could include up to 450,000 square feet of office is under consideration at the other end of Both companies have been tasked with jump-starting a development that Washington Place. stalled after U.S. Steel in 2015 backed out of a deal to build a new headquarters there. ‘Calls from people daily’ Instead of dividing the publicly owned site into sections with one for Mr. Buccini said his firm is in “advanced discussions with numerous office residential, one for office and one for commercial as in the original plan, and retail tenants” interested in locating on the site. Mr. Morehouse said the Penguins — who hold the development rights to the 28 acres — now the demand is strong, providing incentive to get development going. intend to spread the various components throughout. “We’re getting calls from people daily. I’m trying to sell hockey tickets and That means, for example, there could be housing and retail connected to people are asking about the development,” he said. the music venue. Much of the retail will be concentrated on Centre Avenue as part of broader office and residential developments, although Construction of a $26.4 million park over the Crosstown Expressway, it also will be spread along Wylie, in part to cater to the residential. being handled by the Sports & Exhibition Authority, is expected to start in June. The new vision also includes nearly four acres of parks and green space — an acre more than required by the city — including a wide expanse Under their agreements with the two public authorities that own the land, along Wylie Avenue as it connects into the Hill District and the park to be the Penguins must start development on 6.45 acres by October 2020 or built over the Crosstown Expressway linking Downtown. forfeit 20 percent of the parking revenue now generated from the site. “Architecturally significant” kiosks are to be placed throughout the 28 After a series of setbacks, Mr. Morehouse said the team should have no acres and designed to serve as incubators for local small businesses. trouble meeting the deadline and could have most of the first two phases Room will be made available for food trucks. done by then. “We’re moving at breakneck speed right now,” he said. “We think this development will be the center of energy for the region,” “We’re going to start construction. That’s the message. We’re ready to said David Morehouse, Penguins CEO and president. go,” he added. “It’s better than anything we contemplated when we first started thinking about it. Time has helped.” In all, the new master plan calls for up to 1,420 units of housing, 810,000 square feet of office space, 190,000 square feet of retail, 50,000 square Embracing the Hill’s needs feet of entertainment, and a 220-room hotel. City Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle, who has expressed frustration in the The site of the former Civic Arena in November 2017 in Uptown. past about the team’s inability to get the development moving, said he is more confident that the latest team assembled by the Penguins can get It is expected to produce more than $750 million in private investment, the job done. 4,000 construction and 3,000 permanent jobs, and about $25 million in annual state and local tax revenues. “I know they have the wherewithal and the capacity to do it. But I also know they have the heart and willingness to do it, which is different than I An estimated $25 million would be generated by a Local Economic think where we may have been in the past,” said Mr. Lavelle, who Revitalization Tax Assistance Act district set up as part of the represents the Hill. development, with the funds to be used to invest in the middle and upper Hill. That is one aspect of the community agreement worked out with Hill The developers, he added, not only have embraced high standards for leaders to ensure that the neighborhood benefits from the development. the development but also the social and economic aspects as they relate to the Hill. ‘Do something great’ In a statement, Mr. Peduto — another who has chided the Penguins in The genesis for the team’s new vision came during a February 2018 the past about the lack of development — lauded the latest plan. meeting with Penguins co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle. “It was worth the time to listen closely to our Hill District partners and get “We kind of looked at what we were doing and the direction we were this right,” he said. “With the help of the Penguins and their development going in and that’s when Ron said, and Mario agreed, ‘Let’s do team, we’re delivering on promises of new jobs, affordable housing, and something great,’” Mr. Morehouse related. a historic reconnection between the Hill and the heart of the Downtown business district.” Team officials toured developments like the 27-acre Hudson Yards in New York and The Wharf in Washington, D.C., in reassessing their Team officials also are considering the idea of moving the location of the plans. long-delayed Curtain Call public art project to the former arena site. The work — consisting of a rain-garden walkway lined with glass panels holding historical Hill District photographs — was set to be located between PPG Paints Arena and the Epiphany Catholic Church. It has been stymied by a lack of funding. Post Gazette LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135071 Pittsburgh Penguins In Marleau’s first season, 1997-98, the average age of an NHL player was 27 years and 254 days, an increase of almost two full years from 1980-81, when the average age of the players on the NHL’s season- Duhatschek Notebook: Matt Cullen’s unique path to 1,500 and Ted opening rosters was 25 years and 239 days. Lindsay’s influence on the Cup SEASON PLAYERS AGE/YEARS AGE/YEARS 1980-1981 378 25 329 By Eric Duhatschek Mar 8, 2019 1981-1982 378 25 181 1982-1983 398 25 195 This week, Matt Cullen became just the 20th player in NHL history to play 1983-1984 399 25 236 in 1,500 career games, which would be an extraordinary feat in any era, but is practically unheard of in this one – because the NHL has 1984-1985 398 25 133 increasingly become a young man’s league. 1985-1986 399 25 133 Once upon a time, there was a value placed on leadership and experience, but that is diminishing as dozens of 30-something players 1986-1987 399 25 229 disappear from the league with every passing season. 1987-1988 398 25 307 A look at the hard data shows that from the 2005-06 season, when there 1988-1989 400 25 338 were 301 30-year-olds who played at least one game into the NHL, reveals that the number has fallen off a cliff (to 215 thus far in the 2018- 1989-1990 400 26 93 19 season). 1990-1991 400 26 73 Teams want younger, faster, cheaper players and it often it comes at the expense of players such as Cullen, who broke into the NHL as a 22-year- 1991-1992 420 26 216 old with the 1997-98 Anaheim Ducks, following two years at St. Cloud 1992-1993 456 26 218 State. Cullen was the 35th overall pick in the 1996 NHL entry draft, which is arguably one of the five least distinguished drafts of all time. The only 1993-1994 495 26 333 other player from Cullen’s draft year still playing is Zdeno Chara (56th overall to the New York Islanders). 1994-1995 494 27 240 Nowadays, because of advances in nutrition and a generally greater 1995-1996 495 27 42 awareness of good health habits, people like to say 60 is the new 40. Well, in the NHL, it’s trending in the opposite direction – the new 40 is 1996-1997 495 27 200 actually 30. 1997-1998 495 27 254 But what makes Cullen’s achievement so noteworthy is that almost every 1998-1999 515 27 335 other player to get to 1,500 career NHL games has either made it to the Hockey Hall of Fame already – or is going to get there soon. Fifteen are 1999-2000 534 27 281 already in, from Gordie Howe and Mark Messier to Ron Francis and Chris Chelios. Most people believe Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla will 2000-2001 569 27 300 get voted in during their first years of eligibility. Joe Thornton is still active 2001-2002 571 28 9 but he’s got Hall of Fame credentials. That’s 17. The two others who’ve gotten to 1,500 games played and aren’t necessarily sure things are 2002-2003 572 28 105 Shane Doan, who recently had his jersey retired by the Arizona Coyotes; and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Patrick Marleau, who has quietly crept up 2003-2004 571 28 2 to No. 7 on the all-time games played list (1,642). 2005-2006 571 28 254 If Marleau remains healthy for the duration of the Leafs’ season, he will 2006-2007 572 28 197 pass both Chelios (1,651) and Mark Recchi (1,652) and vault into fifth place. Howe is the all-time games-played leader at 1,767, which is within 2007-2008 571 28 162 Marleau’s reach – although the Leaf would have to play beyond the final year of his current three-year contract to do so. 2008-2009 571 28 58 Ultimately, what makes Cullen positively unique is he’s the only pure 2009-2010 570 28 24 journeyman to get to 1,500 career games played. Cullen only spent 27 2010-2011 572 27 247 games in the minor leagues, but has never topped 50 points in a single NHL season (he managed 49 twice, for the ’06 and ’08 Carolina 2011-2012 570 27 303 Hurricanes). But he has also been part of three Stanley Cup championship teams and the common denominator there is Jim 2012-2013 573 28 107 Rutherford, who was the general manager in Carolina when Cullen won there and is also the GM of his current team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. 2013-2014 571 27 298 Rutherford celebrated his 70th birthday 19 days ago. Maybe it helps to 2014-2015 572 27 263 have a senior citizen as your employer if you hope to play in the league as a 42-year-old. 2015-2016 571 27 222 But Cullen’s milestone – and the fact that against long injury odds, Ryan 2016-2017 571 27 151 Kesler managed to play his 1,000th game this past week – got me thinking about how older players have become an endangered species of 2017-2018 592 27 85 late, which is a development I wanted to run past Marleau during the 2018-2019 592 27 29 Leafs’ annual trip through Western Canada this week. For most of the 1980s, however, players aged out of the NHL in their Marleau is 39 – and he’ll turn 40 this coming September. early to mid-30s, largely because the across-the-board commitment to As an older player in a young man’s game, how does he keep going? physical conditioning just wasn’t there. “I don’t really look at a number,” Marleau said. “I go by how I feel – and I Once in a while you’d see an incredibly fit athlete, such as Jamie Hislop feel really young and I feel fit and still love playing. I feel like I’ve got lots of the 1982 Calgary Flames, and his teammates would be in awe of his of energy still.” abilities – Hislop once did so many sit-ups in fitness testing that coach Bob Johnson finally made him stop because it looked as if he could go Generally, with age and the passing of time, every player loses a step, on forever. Tim Hunter was another early adopter of good fitness habits. which thus far has not happened to Marleau. Just as with Cullen, Marleau’s speed helps him keep up. But they were the exceptions rather than the rule and for a time, the percentage of players who figured out the value of conditioning held a But it’s interesting to track the evolution of the NHL’s demographics decided edge. specifically to age. In time, as the salaries increased, the vast majority of players got with the Last Monday, prior to a Calgary-Toronto game, one of the prominent program and began to understand if they wanted to stay and play in the storylines featured the Norris Trophy race for the NHL’s top defenceman, league, it was on them to treat professional hockey like an 11-and-a-half which had two candidates on display – the Flames’ Mark Giordano and month a year job. the Leafs’ Morgan Rielly. Summers required full-on sport-specific training and for some, additional But instead of focusing on what they did so well, the narrative centered skill development. on their respective ages – Rielly being a decade younger than Giordano. Recently, just about every story on Giordano isn’t that he’s having a Eventually, training camps stopped being for getting into shape. Instead, career season. Instead, it is framed almost entirely as, ‘he’s having a they required players to arrive in shape because fitness testing was great season and he’s 35 years old’ – as if he was practically the second conducted on the first day and the evaluation process started right away. coming of Methuselah. That, in turn, caused a demonstrable demographic shift – and allowed Recently, Giordano became the fifth player on this year’s Flames’ team careers to last longer. to reach the 60-point threshold, which in and of itself was remarkable. The 2001-02 season marked the first time that the average age of an But the real focus was on the fact that Giordano did it at his age – NHL player on an opening day roster crept above 28 – 28 years and nine becoming only the fourth defenceman in NHL history to produce a 60- days to be precise. point season at the age of 35 or better. He was precisely 35 years and 147 days when he did it. The others were Lidstrom, who did it four times; The age of NHLers peaked in 2005-06, which came a year after the Al MacInnis, who did it twice, and Sergei Zubov, who did it once. lockout shut down the league for a full season. That wasn’t a coincidence either. Two things happened then to swing the pendulum back in the Like Giordano, Marleau also seems to take questions about his age in other direction. relative stride, pointing out that in the early days of his career, “the better teams were all the older teams – like Detroit. The experience they had One – the rule changes that came out of the Shanahan Summit to was pretty amazing. They knew how to work the game and how to put minimize the effects of hooking, holding and interference allowed smaller, themselves in the right positions out there.” quicker players to survive and thrive in the NHL. As for Cullen, the Penguins did a nice job of honoring him in his 1,500th Two – the introduction of the salary cap limited the amount teams could NHL game. In the warm-up, every teammate wore his No. 7 sweater. In spend on a player. Young players, on entry-level contracts, where their the game, Cullen wore a different jersey in each period, so each of his compensation was capped, suddenly became a cost-effective option. Nor three sons would have a memento from the game. His teammates gifted did the salary-cap system entirely anticipate how players coming out of him an all-terrain vehicle, in the Penguins’ black and gold colors, to use their first-entry level contracts could become stars right away – and in retirement. His coach, Mike Sullivan, gave perhaps the best would want to be compensated as such. assessment of why Cullen has done something so rare and unique, noting his career was a really a reflection of two qualities – his passion That put a further squeeze on older players. Because there are only so and his professionalism; and that few players train the way he does and many dollars in the system that a team can spend on its players, live the way he does, which gave him the opportunity to continue playing something had to give. The casualties, by and large, have been older at an NHL level long after others have fallen by the wayside. players. This time, they started to age out of the league not because of fitness or commitment issues but because of simple economics. If there The best game I ever covered, Part 2 weren’t enough dollars to go around, teams figured they spend their limited resources on younger talent, which had a chance to get better, Not sure if everyone had a chance to read Richard Deitsch’s excellent rather on older players, who were only going to get worse. As Kesler series last week, in which he compiled a series of reflections from some noted: Nobody beats Father Time forever. of us veteran scribes about the “best” game we ever covered. Just how to define “best” made it an intriguing exercise. For many of us, “best” Now in his 21st full season, Marleau straddles two eras – when translated into most meaningful, which is why I settled on a fairly obscure experience and maturity were prized; and now, when they tend to be a event – trying to report a story on a 1987 pre-Olympic hockey tournament rarer thing. in Russia when it was still politically the Soviet Union and the logistical challenges that contributed to making it a journalistic ordeal like no other. “When I first came in, that thing where you’d come into camp to get ready was on the way out,” Marleau said. “Guys were starting to put in But on another level, what made that one easier to report was that there the work in the offseason before they came to camp. were no time constraints because Moscow was 12 hours ahead of Calgary, where my newspaper was based. Most times, newspaper work “You always try to find an edge – and at that point, working out in the in the 1980s was limited by deadlines, which were usually so tight as the summer and being ready could give you an edge. Now, everybody’s story unfolded, you could really only ever tell half of it – from the locker working out, but everybody’s trying different things to find an edge. That room of the team you covered. hasn’t stopped.” The other story I considered spinning for Richard’s project happened in Some of Marleau’s current teammates – such as Mitch Marner – are Game 7 of the NHL’s 1986 Western Conference semifinal between the almost young enough to be his children, a development that has him Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames, which is arguably the most smiling. controversial in the history of the Battle of Alberta. “It’s one of those things, people don’t really know what it’s like to be you, That year, the Oilers were the two-time defending Stanley Cup so you just do your thing,” Marleau said. “It’s more about what I can champions and had amassed 119 regular-season points – something control and how I feel and how I prepare myself for games. I feel great they’d done only once before (in ’84) and not something they would ever and I enjoy the game, so why not?” do again. On talent alone, many believe that the ’86 Oilers might have been the best team of their dynasty era. Wayne Gretzky scored 215 Marleau started out playing for Darryl Sutter in San Jose and even in his points, the most in NHL history. Paul Coffey scored 138 points, the fifth full season with the Sharks, averaged only 14:04 in ice time (in Year second most by a defenceman in history (Bobby Orr had 139 in the 6, he jumped to 18:31). But that fifth season coincided with the 2002 Red 1970-71 season). Jari Kurri was fourth in the scoring race – and led the Wings’ Stanley Cup championship, a team that featured a vast collection league with 68 goals in 80 games. The Flames were 30 points behind of 30-somethings, including Dominik Hasek, Chelios, Igor Larionov, them in the regular season, but managed to get the series to 3-3. Then in Nicklas Lidstrom, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Brendan the third period of the deciding game, came a moment that changed NHL Shanahan and Steve Duchesne. In pre-salary cap days, it didn’t matter history forever – Oilers’ rookie defenceman Steve Smith banking a shot how much Red Wings’ owner Mike Ilitch spent on players – and it was off the back of goalie Grant Fuhr’s leg for an own goal that proved to be OK for future Hall of Famers such as Robitaille and Hull to play relatively the winner for Calgary – and effectively ended what could have been a limited roles. five-year Stanley Cup run. Nowadays, on social media, Marleau sometimes gets criticized – not for Officially, the goal in question was credited to Perry Berezan, the last his play, or his speed, or his ability to mentor young players or any Flames’ player to touch the puck. Naturally, Berezan was already on the tangible factor, but because of his salary ($6.25 million per season, with bench, with his back turned, when the puck went in. How do you properly one year remaining after this one on his contract), which may limit the tell this story when, because of deadlines, you’d file your story for the first Leafs’ ability to sign their younger players and still stay cap compliant. edition on or before the buzzer sounded to end the game? Usually, then If he earned half that, it would be no issue. If there were no salary cap, it you had about 30 minutes to turn it around for a second-edition ‘write- wouldn’t be an issue. As coach Mike Babcock says over and over, thru,’ which meant a mad dash to the dressing room, for a few snippets Marleau has a value to the team. People would just like to see him bring of quotes, and then back to your word processor, to update the story; and those values to the mix for a much lower salary. that was it. My story was about the jubilation in the Flames’ dressing room amid the There was a lot of Lindsay chatter back and forth on the NHL grapevine weirdest of circumstances and how, after all those years of being a this week after he passed away at the age of 93, including a conversation punching bag for Edmonton, the Flames managed some measure of I had with David McNab, the long-time Anaheim Ducks’ assistant general revenge. It was such a big deal that my newspaper produced and sold a manager about a tradition Lindsay inadvertently started when the Red commemorative sweatshirt that featured the front page of that day’s Wings won the 1950 Stanley Cup. sports section. I still have own at my summer cottage. McNab is from one of hockey’s first families. What you learn, over time, about these sorts of momentous, franchise- altering games is that the best story is actually in the losing locker room – His brother Peter played in three Stanley Cup finals and now works as an how Smith was there to face the music after the game; took the loss on analyst on Colorado Avalanche broadcasts. his own shoulders; and publicly anyway, wasn’t getting much support Their father, Max, was a long-time NHL executive, who also played for from his more experienced teammates at that moment in time. the Red Wings’ 1949-50 Stanley Cup championship team, which was But I only learned of that development after the fact, from my friends in Lindsay’s first as a player. the Edmonton reporting contingent, who were focused on the losing team That final was memorable for a couple of reasons, including the fact that – and what happened, and how it went all so wrong. Over time, of the eventual runners-up, the New York Rangers, couldn’t play any games course, you fill in the gaps. Smith eventually finished an impressive 16- at home because the circus meant the ice was not available at Madison year career playing for Calgary and later became an assistant coach Square Gardens. New York was forced to play Games 2 and 3 of the here. I got to know him very well – and a more grounded individual, you’ll series at a neutral site – Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens – and held a 3-2 never find, which is why he was able to recover from that early misstep series lead after Game 5 in Detroit. and forge a successful career, instead of having it crush him. But he never much liked to talk about it. But the Red Wings rallied back to win a nail-biter in Game 6 – 5-4 – and then prevailed in the seventh and deciding game of the series, 4-3 in Berezan was eventually traded to the Minnesota North Stars months double overtime on a goal by Pete Babando (it was April 23, by the way, before the 1989 Flames won the Stanley Cup for Brian MacLellan, now the day they clinched – a story for another day). the Washington Capitals’ GM, which is how MacLellan got his name on the Cup for the first time. But 33 years after the fact – a full third of the That day, NHL president Clarence Campbell presented the Red Wings century – Berezan says it is still the defining moment of his career and with the Stanley Cup – but it was a far different ceremony back then, and the play that everybody talks to him about. according to McNab, it was Lindsay’s spontaneous response to the victory that changed the course of the celebration forever. Sid Abel was “Once guys retire, almost everybody has some badge that they wear for the Detroit captain, Lindsay an assistant. the rest of their lives, where somebody goes, ‘oh you were the guy that …’ – and the Steve Smith goal was my thing,” Berezan said. “I’ve told According to McNab’s father Max, Lindsay’s teammate, Lindsay lifted the that story hundreds of times. That was my first full year in the NHL – and Cup over his head in celebration as so many traditions do, as a complete I couldn’t believe how even keel people were after wins and losses. Next accident. shift is your next shift, it doesn’t matter what happened. Next day is the next day, it doesn’t matter what happened. And it was like that in that “My dad and I were talking about Stanley Cup tradition after we won ours game. Badger (coach Bob Johnson) had me with (John) Tonelli and in Anaheim (in 2007) and he told me what happened with his in 1950,” Lanny (McDonald). I was in good company. said McNab. “He always said, ‘you remember everything that went on in the locker room for the rest of your life.’ “I remember how the puck was in our end. I got it on the board side closest to the bench and crossed the line and dumped it in. The bench is “He told me they talked about it in the locker room afterward – how Ted three feet from me. I go off – and because those benches were so small, Lindsay lifted the Cup over his head – because nobody knew where that I had to wait for everyone to shuffle over to get a seat. I hadn’t even sat came from. In those days, it was almost taboo for a player on the ice to down. My back was to the play, so I didn’t even see what happened. touch the Cup. It wasn’t anything that was planned. It stemmed strictly from the emotion of the game. They were down 3-2 in the finals and “All I remember is the oxygen in the Northlands Coliseum disappeared – down by two goals in Game 6 and rallied to win. Then they rallied from because there was this collective gasp and then there was silence, behind in that Game 7, which is still the longest deciding game in finals maybe a little cheering from our bench. I turned around and said what history. happened? Someone answered: ‘I think we scored. But in those days, there was no replay – so we didn’t have a replay and no one in the “Back in those days, you only had the Cup in the locker room for about building saw a replay, except up in the press box. But we, as players, an hour and then it was gone, never to be seen again. So, when (NHL didn’t see anything. Steve Smith was crying, so they had to get him off president) Clarence Campbell brought it out on the ice, where usually the ice. And then, the puck’s dropped and you’re playing again. In a lot of you just stood around and took a picture with it and that was it, Ted ways, that’s the way you want to get a lead in someone else’s building – Lindsay grabbed it in the heat of the moment – and shocked everybody quietly. Because if it was a highlight reel goal, the team almost gets too because he really wasn’t supposed to do that. The tradition of the captain pumped up and it’s not business as usual. It took them about four getting the Cup and putting it over his head started there – as just a fluke. minutes to recover, because you could tell they were stunned and they “The rest, as they say, is history – and in that particular case, you can were reeling.” really say that. It made history. Maybe as time went on, it would have That helped run half the remaining time off the clock. It wasn’t just the happened anyway. But every time I watch the finals now and you see fact of Calgary scoring the go-ahead goal. It was the crazy circumstances somebody lifting the Cup, I always think of how it all started – with Ted of the goal that left the Oilers temporarily in shock. A team with their Lindsay.” impressive offensive pedigree could get one goal back easily – except it The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 took them too long to process what happened. “There was massive disruption on their bench – and nothing changed on ours,” Berezan said. “They’re wondering, what the heck happened? Then as it got down to three or three-and-a-half minutes, the Oilers cranked it up – and Vernie (goaltender Mike Vernon) did too. He made incredible saves to get the win.” Nowadays, of course, even in the newspaper business, updated stories can be posted online, so there is a far greater chance of telling a more complete story right away. In the online world, there is no crew in the press room waiting for your copy; no drivers who distribute the physical paper waiting for it to come off the presses. As Bob Dylan says – things have changed. In the storytelling world, that’s a good thing. The Ted Lindsay chronicles Ted Lindsay was, indisputably, one of the most influential figures in NHL history – and many of Lindsay’s accomplishments, on and off the ice, have been documented this past week. How he led the league in goals, assists, points and penalty minutes. How his activism led to the NHL players association and the better life that all players who subsequently came down the path now enjoy. 1135072 Pittsburgh Penguins raw impact on the defensive side of the puck, especially with regards to expected-goal impacts, was much greater than it is on the offensive side of the puck. To me, that is not indicative of someone who is good Marshall: Making the case for Sidney Crosby and the Selke Trophy defensively by proxy. Don’t take this as a criticism of Crosby’s offense. Realistically speaking, there is no argument to be made in that fashion. Crosby is an elite By Jesse Marshall Mar 8, 2019 offensive performer by any measure of the word. This is a compliment to what Crosby is accomplishing on the other side of the ice. Crosby’s defensive results stand on their own merits, separate from what he’s accomplishing offensively. I don’t get the impression from these results Before we dive into this, let’s get one thing straight: Sidney Crosby didn’t that Crosby’s defense is simply a byproduct of his offense. suddenly become good at defense in the last few years. We can also visualize Crosby’s impact on shots against via heat maps Rather, the reality of what Crosby does on a nightly basis in the from HockeyViz.com. In this visualization, we’ll put Crosby’s on-ice defensive zone is just finally getting recognition and traction that it results side-by-side with the Penguins on-ice results without Crosby. This deserves outside of the city of Pittsburgh. will allow us to tangibly gauge Crosby’s impact on shot rates against Crosby’s lack of plaudits surrounding his defensive game come from the relative to the rest of the team. Remember, on these maps, red is fact that he’s too good offensively. That seems silly when you say it out indicative of an excess amount of shots relative to league average. Blue loud, but when Crosby’s game gets discussed on a national level, it’s is indicative of allowing fewer shots relative to league average. always over high-vision passes, baseball swing-like goals, and offensive In looking at this map, remember that Crosby is a center. His skills that seemingly defy all logic and physics. With all that he assignments defensively often take him to the slot area in the middle of accomplishes offensively, people aren’t exactly lining up to watch the ice. That’s the area where the Penguins allow significantly fewer highlights of Crosby’s work in the neutral and defensive zones. shots with Crosby on the ice than they do without him. Micah Blake Crosby’s defensive cognizance is on display on a nightly basis, but in the McCurdy’s Threat statistic also tells us that the Penguins defense with interest of figuring out whether or not a “Crosby for Selke” campaign has Crosby (minus-11 percent) is a lot better than without Crosby (plus-5 any basis in reality, we can go to the data to get a good look at where percent). Crosby ranks among his forward peers in a variety of defensive metrics. All this is to say that if you were campaigning online to get Crosby in the For the purposes of today’s article, we’ll take a look at any NHL forward Selke conversation, you are not spouting anything off the wall or who has played over 800 minutes at even-strength this season. Why inaccurate from a statistical standpoint. Crosby’s defensive metrics put even-strength? Well, to start, that’s where the overwhelming majority of him among the league’s best regardless of what he’s doing offensively. the game is played. Furthermore, The Selke Trophy isn’t won on the Even when the puck is in the Penguins zone, Crosby’s work in the slot power play. Filtering out sub-800 minute performers allows us to ensure and in the critical scoring areas of the ice is evident in the heat maps we that our Selke discussion is only including data from players getting looked at above. significant minutes. All of this information will be presented by rate per Whether we look at the data or the video, it all tells us the same story: hour to account for differences in ice time. There are a total of 149 Crosby is an elite defensive talent worthy of having his work in the forwards in the league that meet these criteria. defensive zone recognized on a national level, and his name certainly Evolving Hockey was utilized for all of the data in this piece, including belongs in the conversation among the games best defensive centers. their Impact data. Per their web site, Impact is an implied overall total The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 specific to a players time on ice. Impact takes the rate stats we’re looking at, considers a player’s specific time on ice, and shows the overall impact that player had on the team as a whole. This chart will show the defensive metric, where Crosby ranks among the rest of the league’s forward crop, and in relation to the league leaders where applicable. At a glance, it’s not ludicrous to put Sidney Crosby’s name among the league’s elite with regards to his defensive results. This lines up well with the eye test. Crosby’s efforts in the defensive zone are on display shift by shift. Crosby’s biggest boast defensive is his low goals-against totals, but save percentage isn’t something forwards have a ton of control over. Even with that in mind, the rest of Crosby’s work defensive is within the top 20 of eligible NHL forwards. Perhaps the biggest boast out of this data set to Crosby’s Selke resume is his direct impact on expected-goals against metrics. No player in the league has made a bigger impact on shot quality for his team than Crosby has. In essence, while Crosby might be 13th in expected-goals against rates, when you consider the impact he’s had on the Penguins specifically, no forward has done better to mitigate shot quality for his own team than Crosby has. The defensive results are there whether you look at the on-ice results or the video. Now, let’s veer this conversation into an argument about semantics. The main critics of Crosby’s perceived lack of defensive impact come via how he goes about accomplishing it. Something I hear quite frequently on social media is the notion that Crosby’s not necessarily great defensively (the numbers don’t support that), he’s just in the offensive zone so much, it impacts his metrics on the other side of the ice. For me, good defense isn’t limited to draping yourself all over a forward and playing 1994-style hockey against them. The best defense is not having to play defense in the first place. The data from Josh & Luke that we looked at earlier support Crosby as a strong defensive presence, but lends credence to the argument that he’s only accomplishing it via his attack. Let’s take a closer look at his offensive results this season to get a gauge of where he sits there. This will allow us to discern where Crosby has had the biggest impact this season. We’ll use the same parameters and player population as we discussed earlier with data again provided by Evolving Hockey. Crosby is piling up the goals this season and putting up offensive numbers that seem to defy the laws of aging. But consider these results against the defensive metrics and impacts we viewed above. Crosby’s 1135073 San Jose Sharks “That’s what everyone is telling me,” DeBoer added. “I’m at the mercy of what the experts tell me in these things, so you believe them.”

The Sharks have been doing just fine in Karlsson’s absence. The team is Erik Karlsson guarantees he’ll be healthy for Sharks playoff run 11-3-1 without Karlsson and has pulled to within one point of the Calgary Flames for first place in the Pacific Division. The division winner will avoid a first-round match-up with the defending conference champion Vegas By Paul Gackle | PUBLISHED: March 8, 2019 at 2:21 pm | UPDATED: Golden Knights. March 8, 2019 at 5:07 PM Assuming Karlsson is healthy enough to rejoin the team before the playoffs, the question turns to how quickly he can get up to speed once he returns. Will he rejoin Marc-Edouard Vlasic on the Sharks’ shutdown SAN JOSE — Erik Karlsson issued a guarantee on Friday: He “definitely” pairing, or is he running out of time to develop chemistry with the Olympic will be ready for the playoffs. gold medalist? At this point, the Sharks aren’t setting a timetable for Karlsson’s return Either way, DeBoer firmly believes that Karlsson can pick up where he from groin issues that have sidelined him for 13 games over the last left off in mid-January — a tall order considering that he had collected 27 three months. Karlsson says he won’t be back “any time soon,” but the points in 19 games before the injury. hope is to get him on the ice for a “few games” before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin April 10. “He can,” DeBoer said. “There’s special athletes that can — I don’t doubt he can. I’m not going to put a timeframe on it, but I don’t anticipate that The chances of Karlsson being ready then? his first game is going to be the first game of the playoffs. I would anticipate that he’s back quite a bit before that. That’s my “One-hundred percent,” he said Friday. “It’s just whether I can get a few understanding.” games in before, which would be nice. If that’s not the case, then that’s not the case.” San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.09.2019 The plan is to give Karlsson as much as he needs to avoid another setback with a groin issue that has nagged him for seven-plus weeks. He missed nine games after sustaining the injury Jan. 15, then re-injured it in his fourth game back Feb. 23. Karlsson skipped the Feb. 24 game, but made the call to play two days later in Boston. The two-time Norris Trophy winner left the Boston game late in the second period after he appeared to re-aggravate his injury while making a lateral move in the defensive zone. He returned roughly seven minutes later, struggling throughout the remainder of the period before he limped off the bench heading into the second intermission. Karlsson, 28, disputes the notion that he aggravated the injury by playing in Boston. He says this is a “different” injury that’s also in the groin area. He did allow that the latest setback could be the result of compensation from playing through the original injury. “It might have happened anyway. It just would have been further down the stretch,” Karlsson said. “It might have been a good thing that it happened now when we have some more time to figure everything out.” But head coach Pete DeBoer described the issue with less ambiguity, saying the setback is clearly related to the initial injury. “My understanding was that it’s a groin injury. I don’t know what piece or part,” the Sharks coach said. “They’re all related, everything that’s gone on. It’s not like there’s anything new. It’s all interrelated from the first time he (injured) it.” Regardless, Karlsson took responsibility for trying to play in Boston and also for returning to the ice after after limping off in the second period — decisions that have stirred questions about who’s calling the shots in Sharks territory. “That was me,” Karlsson said of the decision to play and also the decision to return to the ice. “I didn’t feel great, but it was one of those games where I didn’t want to leave in the fashion that I did. I tried to come back and really couldn’t do much; aggravated it again fairly easily, so it was a no-brainer to step off. “At the end of the day, I decide whatever I want to do. I get the advice that I do and then it’s up to me to make the decision.” With that in mind, how will the Sharks determine when Karlsson is ready this time around? How will they ensure that he won’t suffer another setback that takes this saga into the playoffs? Can they trust the judgement of a player who played with two hairline foot-fractures while willing the Ottawa Senators to within a goal of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final? Karlsson said a final determination will be made on the basis of how he performs in groin-injury tests, the medical staff’s opinion and an honest assessment of how he feels. Said DeBoer: “You take all the pictures and MRIs and everything. That basically paints the picture for the doctors. The other step is that he’s got to get out in practice and push it in practice full tilt.” Though DeBoer said last week that the team wouldn’t be shutting Karlsson down to get him healthy for the playoffs, it’s clear that time is on the Sharks’ side with four weeks left in the regular season. DeBoer said there “isn’t any doubt in anyone’s mind that he’s going to be back 100 percent.” 1135074 San Jose Sharks

Sharks' first round opponent still up in the air as season draws to close

By Chelena Goldman March 08, 2019 1:46 PM

SAN JOSE – As we predicted midway through February, the San Jose Sharks are going to be battling with the Calgary Flames for first place in the division right down to the wire. Heading into the fourth and final game of their current homestand, San Jose sits on the cusp of taking over the top seed, just one point behind Calgary in the standings. So, of course, there’s one question on everyone’s minds: Who might the Sharks face in the first round of the playoffs? As many already know, the Las Vegas Golden Knights are the likely opponent should San Jose remain in second place. While the Vegas squad has lost some of its oomph in its sophomore season, they’ve held on to that third place spot in the rankings for the latter portion of the regular season. San Jose has battled Vegas with mixed results this season, including a 6-0 shutout loss on November 24 and an emotional 3-2 victory on January 10. Both games took place at T-Mobile Arena, which has quickly gained a reputation for being a tough building for visiting teams to compete in. The Golden Knights play the Sharks tough, and to top it off, Marc-Andre Fleury is the winningest netminder in the league this season. But again, this isn’t the same Golden Knights team that steamrolled everyone in their inaugural season, and the Sharks are certainly a more stacked team than they were last year -- especially when they’re healthy. Long story short: An opening series against the Golden Knights would be a winnable series for the Sharks, but challenging nonetheless. But things could be different if the Sharks take first place in the Pacific division. If the playoffs started today, the top team in the Pacific would match up against the Wild in Round 1. Minnesota has gone 6-2-2 in their last 10 contests, including a 3-0 shutout of the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. The Sharks have taken the first two games of their season series with the Wild, outscoring Minnesota 8-3 in those games combined. In addition to being a change of pace from the teams San Jose has squared off against in the playoffs in recent years, a series against Minnesota would definitely be interesting -- if not also one the Sharks could take control of. But things don’t stop with Minnesota. Should the Sharks take first place in the standings, the teams still in the hunt for a playoff berth shouldn’t be ignored. The Coyotes, who currently sit three points out of a wild-card spot, have gone 8-2-0 in their last 10, including a 2-0 shutout of the Flames that helped the Sharks make up ground in the standings. The Colorado Avalanche are only four points out of a wild-card spot, and while they just received news they’ll be without Gabriel Landeskog for about a month, this is the team that squeaked into the playoffs last season. The Edmonton Oilers are seven points out of a wild-card spot, but riding a winning streak that could potentially boost them into competition with Arizona, should Colorado falter. With San Jose playing their next game on Saturday and Calgary not playing again until Sunday, the standings could shift within the next 48 hours. With just 15 games left in the season, it’s going to be a wild race to the finish to see who the Sharks will face off against in the first round of this year’s playoffs. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135075 San Jose Sharks

Erik Karlsson contract: How Sharks fan made pitch with song parody

By Marcus White March 08, 2019 11:01 AM

How do you convince one of the best hockey players in the world to stay with your favorite team? You could always follow Sharks fan Emily Hall’s lead. Hall wrote and sang “Time Is Nigh,” a parody of Blondie’s 1980 hit “The Tide Is High,” centered on San Jose defenseman (and pending free agent) Erik Karlsson. When Blondie came on while she was grocery shopping back in December -- in an aisle with teal gummy sharks and Swedish Fish, no less -- she had her inspiration. “I’m like, (singing) ‘the tide is high … the time is nigh,’ and literally, that’s how it hits me,” Hall recalled in a phone interview with NBC Sports California on Wednesday. “I just hear a phrase, and it comes together … and it sometimes never leaves my head until I actually finish it.” This was shortly after Karlsson walked out of a press scrum that began moments earlier with The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell telling him “the time is nigh” for his first game against his former team, the Ottawa Senators. Karlsson opened his press conference in Ottawa the next day with the same four words, and they were soon stuck in Hall’s head. But Hall, a Berkeley resident who has parodied songs with a teal twist on her YouTube page for over a decade, knew that a clever turn of phrase could only go so far. “I actually try to take a song that has a feel of what it is,” she said. “In the case of ‘The Tide Is High,’ that song is about longing.” That’s a feeling familiar to anyone who’s held a boombox outside of a window, flipped cue cards on a doorstep, or mouthed “you complete me.” Hall employed all three iconic romantic-comedy tropes in her video, and for good reason. Since Feb. 25, Karlsson has been eligible to sign an eight-year contract extension with the Sharks. The defenseman can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and, like a rom-com lead making their dramatic pitch, Sharks fans (including Hall) are smitten and don’t want to see him leave. "He has a lot to offer, right? His skating ability is amazing, and he just seems to have a really good attitude on the ice,” Hall said. “There's something about his personality that seems to fit. But not only that, when he's top of his game and the Sharks are clicking, just look at we went through. That last part of December and part of January was amazing.” Hall recorded “Time Is Nigh” at some point after that run, and shot the video with her husband on a dreary February weekend in San Jose, just before the NHL trade deadline. She uploaded the video to YouTube on Monday, as well as the song recording and its lyrics to the karaoke app Smule to encourage other Sharks fans to sing along. At least one Karlsson has heard it. Melinda Karlsson, Erik’s wife, tweeted on Monday that she was a fan.

Omg, this is amazing!! ❤️ https://t.co/4aYsfxlu7u

— Melinda Karlsson (@MelindaCurrey) March 5, 2019 The Karlssons have some time to ruminate on Hall’s parody pitch, and however the Sharks try to top it. In the meantime, Hall just wants him to get healthy. Karlsson has missed 13 of the Sharks’ last 18 games with a recurring groin injury, and Hall thinks they should rest him as much as possible prior to playing “a few games before the playoffs to get playoff-ready.” Hall has followed this team since 1998, ever since she first attended a game on what was just her second date with her then-husband. With Karlsson in the fold, this San Jose team is as good as any she’s seen. “I think the Sharks have a shot [at the Stanley Cup],” Hall said. “I do. I think this is the best roster we’ve ever had. … I think that we can beat Calgary. I think that we can beat Tampa, really.” And if they do, Hall will have plenty to sing about. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135076 St Louis Blues • Before scoring his ninth goal of the season Thursday, Ivan Barbashev had gone three games without even an attempt — be it shot on goal, blocked shot or missed shot. Blues will gauge their game against San Jose • Rookie Robert Thomas is perking up, with 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in his last 15 games. By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 5 hrs ago St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.09.2019

SAN JOSE, CALIF. • With back-to-back wins for the first time in two weeks, the Blues believe they’re getting back on their game. “I liked our game tonight,” interim coach Craig Berube said after a 4-0 win Thursday over the Los Angeles Kings. “I thought that we had the puck a lot. Power play looked good again, moving it around, shooting. They blocked quite a few shots on us, but we had the puck, making plays, doing they right thing. “I think it’s coming.” The Blues get a much better read on if they’re truly rounding into form — you know, 11-game winning streak form — Saturday afternoon against one of the NHL’s elite teams. The San Jose Sharks (40-19-8) have the fourth-best record in the NHL and are trying to run down Calgary for Pacific Division and Western Conference supremacy. Entering the 3 p.m. (St. Louis time) contest at SAP Center, the Sharks trail the Flames by one point in the standings and have a game in hand. First place in the Pacific almost certainly means you avoid the Vegas Golden Knights in the opening round of the playoffs, so the Sharks should be highly motivated against the Blues. (36-25-6). Just minutes after the shutout win over the Kings, the Blues already were thinking San Jose. “We went on that run,” defenseman Jay Bouwmeester said. “We were playing really well. I think towards the end of it we were still winning, getting points. But your game kind of slips a little bit. We’re just in the process of kind of getting it back. “I think the next game (San Jose) will be good. Because this trip, you kind of build on it. The next one’s gonna be the hardest game on this trip. So it’s a good test to end things off, and then we get to go home for one.” That would be Tuesday at Enterprise Center against the Arizona Coyotes. The Sharks have been hot lately, going 12-3-1 since Jan. 22. The teams have split the first two games of the season series, in games that were mirror Images of each other. On Nov. 9 in St. Louis, the Blues caught the Sharks playing the back end of a back-to-back and playing for the third time in four days. The Blues cruised to a 4-0 win. Eight days later in San Jose, the Sharks caught the Blues playing the tail end of a back-to-back and playing for the third time in four days. The Sharks cruised to a 4-0 win. But that was nearly four months ago. Mike Yeo was still coaching the Blues. Chad Johnson was the Blues’ goalie in both games. Aaron Dell was in goal both times for San Jose. Johnson, of course, is long gone from the Blues. And Dell doesn’t play that often. Martin Jones has started 51 of the Sharks’ 67 games and has been the goalie of record in 32 of their 40 wins. CHART CLIMBER By scoring first in Thursday’s shutout, Vladimir Tarasenko was credited with the game-winning goal against the Kings. That was his fifth game-winner of the season. Career-wise, it was his 35th, tying him with teammate Alexander Steen for fifth place on the Blues’ career list. Garry Unger and Bernie Federko are tied for third with 40 game-winners, and Pavol Demitra is second with 45. But catching the leader will take some doing. Brett Hull had 70 game-winning goals as a member of the Blues. BLUENOTES Ryan O’Reilly is among only seven forwards in the league averaging at least two minutes a game on both the power play and penalty-killing. 1135077 St Louis Blues

Preview: Blues at San Jose

By Jim Thomas 6 hrs ago

BLUES AT SAN JOSE When, where • 3 p.m. Saturday, SAP Center TV, radio • FSM, KMOX (1120 AM) About the Sharks • The Shark Tank is one of the NHL’s toughest venues. San Jose is 22-5-5 there for 49 points, which is the third best home record in the NHL. At 40-19-8 overall, the Sharks are strong across the board, ranking in the top 10 in scoring, power play, penalty kill, shots for and shots against. They do allow a few goals, ranking 19th on defense with a 3.06 team GAA, but usually have the firepower to overcome that with five 20-goal scorers. Joe Pavelski (36 goals) and Tomas Hertl (30) are among the league’s top 20 in goals. It’s the first 30-goal season in Hertl’s career. Erik Karlsson is out with a groin injury; Evander Kane has missed the past three games with an undisclosed injury, and his status is uncertain for the Blues. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135078 St Louis Blues But there was Schenn, net front to tip in a Tarasenko shot for his 12th goal of the season, just eight minutes into the Anaheim game.

He was also net front, creating traffic and trying to take goalie John Just like old times for Schenn-O'Reilly-Tarasenko Gibson’s eyes away from the shooter on two other goals against the Ducks, including Alex Pietrangelo’s game-winner with 52 seconds left. By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 6 hrs ago “That’s how you score goals,” Schenn said. “You gotta go to the net. It’s a prime example, the game-winner. Petro shoots from the point, it goes off the D-man’s skate, and if you don’t have guys going to the net chances are that doesn’t go in.” SAN JOSE, CALIF. • It was probably optimistic to think they could pick up where they left off. Obviously skill’s involved as well. All three players are good passers. O’Reilly is a stickhandler deluxe; he doesn’t surrender the puck easily. After all, Brayden Schenn, Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko had been together for only 12 games before Schenn’s upper-body injury 2½ Their vision and sense of timing are exemplary, as evidenced by weeks ago. O’Reilly’s goal with 1.1 seconds left in the second period against the Kings. Tarasenko passes to Schenn, Schenn sends it toward the net, And the first of those 12 was an inconsequential one, way back on Nov. O’Reilly hustles toward the crease to flip it past Jonathan Quick. It was a 17 against the San Jose Sharks — a 4-0 Blues loss. back-breaking goal for the Kings, giving the Blues a 3-0 lead. Of course, the next 11 were something else. Starting with the Blues’ 5-1 “I had to put it on the net right away,” O’Reilly said. “I didn’t know how victory over Anaheim, the trio combined for 17 goals and 45 assists. The much time really was left and I felt the guys were gonna shoot it. So I Blues won all 11 to set a franchise record for consecutive victories. was just doing what I can to create room and get to the net.” Then Schenn went down. The Blues cooled off, winning only two of six O’Reilly is the Blues’ leading scorer with a career-high 66 points on 26 games (2-3-1) without him. O’Reilly and Tarasenko got downright chilly. goals and 40 assists. He was the team’s lone representative in the All- Star game and has displayed a knack for making everyone around him After getting a goal and an assist in a 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars, the better. first game without Schenn, O’Reilly went five games without a point, his longest drought of the season. Tarasenko also scored in that Dallas But he’s the first to admit that things just weren’t the same without game, then went without a goal over the last five games without Schenn. Schenn in the lineup. Schenn returned to lineup — and that line — Wednesday against “When he goes down, it’s just a new look,” O’Reilly said. “It’s not a good Anaheim. And wouldn’t you know? The line of Schenn, O’Reilly and look, an effective look.” Tarasenko picked up precisely where it left off. But things are looking very good, once again, for that line with Schenn They combined for two goals and four assists in the 5-4 win over the back on the ice. Ducks. On Thursday at Staples Center, the tally was two goals and three assists in the 4-0 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.09.2019 “I think we were confident and impacting the game for a while there (before Schenn’s injury),” O’Reilly said. “We get back together and get back to our game — it’s huge. “We’re a line that plays a lot of minutes. We have to be leading the charge that way.” In 13 games together since the start of the win streak, Schenn, O’Reilly and Tarasenko have been leading the charge to the tune of 21 goals and 35 assists. The trio has produced at least one goal in all 13 games. “You see how much Schenner means to that line, means to our group,” goalie Jake Allen said. “I don’t how many games he missed, I want to say five or six. You know, we weren’t playing like we did. ... He just adds so much to our top six. “To have that No. 1 line like that is key. It’s vital in this league. You have to have it to win. And we’re glad to have him back.” Interim coach Craig Berube likes the way Schenn and O’Reilly chase pucks down low, working for possession below the goal line and creating zone time and chances. And that helps Tarasenko do what he does best — fire the puck. “They know where each other are,’” Berube said. “They move the puck quick. They attack all the time. Schenner’s physical and he’s a power forward-type guy. Gets in on the forecheck. O’Reilly’s in there with him, hounding pucks. And you know, Vladi’s a shooter.” O’Reilly thinks work ethic is a key. “We’re not fancy and beating guys one-on-one,” he said. “It’s kind of coming together and supporting each other. And we find a way to support each other. When we do that, you can see we make little plays and stuff opens up. “We find ways to break down teams and it’s just that kind of mentality of playing fast but reading off each other really well.” And remember, they’ve only been together for a little while. “As games go on, we get more and more confident with each other,” O’Reilly said. A strong work ethic is a big factor in their success, as is a willingness to do the dirty work. Case in point: Schenn establishing a net presence in his first game back. Players returning from injury sometimes aren’t all that eager to set up there. Sooner or later, you’re going to get hit by opposing players and hit by pucks. 1135079 St Louis Blues "Definitely," Berube said. "I think the power play was really good. They did a good job of moving the puck and shooting it. . . .That situation with the penalty and late in the game when you're down a goal, you gotta get Will Blues go with Allen or Binnington in goal against Sharks? your goalie out. I think that way anyhow." CHART CLIMBER By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 11 hrs ago By scoring first in a shutout, Vladimir Tarasenko was credited with the game-winning goal Thursday against the Kings.

That was his fifth game-winner of the season. Career-wise, it was his SAN JOSE, CALIF. • It was last year at this time, with the Blues on a 35th, tying him with teammate Alexander Steen for fifth place on the California swing, that de facto starting goalie Carter Hutton aggravated a Blues' career list. neck condition in practice prior to a March 8 game at San Jose. He was sidelined for 2½ weeks. Garry Unger and Bernie Federko are tied for third with 40 game-winners, and Pavol Demitra is second with 45. All of whom are within reach for Jake Allen, who had started only seven of the previous 20 games, Tarasenko in the next couple of years. stepped in and went 8-2 over the next 10 games, nearly getting the Blues into the playoffs. But catching the leader? That will take some doing. Brett Hull had 70 game-winning goals as a member of the Blues. This year, rookie phenom Jordan Binnington has no injury issues, but interim coach Craig Berube indicated after Thursday's 4-0 win over the BLUENOTES Los Angeles King that his staff will consider starting Allen on Saturday The faceoff slump continued for the Blues against LA. They won only 44 against the Sharks. percent of their faceoffs (25 of 57) and have now gone six straight games "Yeah, we'll discuss it and talk about it," Berube said. "See what's going under 50 percent, matching their season high. on for next game." • Before scoring his ninth goal of the season Thursday (and meeting St. Allen has started only five of the past 21 games as Binnington has taken Louis actor Jon Hamm), Ivan Barbashev had gone the three previous over the net with stellar play. Nonetheless, Binnington has allowed seven games and four of his last five without even an attempt _ be it shot on goals on 47 shots over the past two games. Meanwhile, Allen looked goal, blocked shot, or missed shot. very sharp in posting his third shutout of the season, stopping all 28 Los • Thomas is perking up. The 19-year-old rookie has 11 points (two goals, Angeles shots. nine assists) in his last 15 games and five points (two goals, three His most dazzling save came on Adrian Kempe to preserve the shutout assists) in his last four contests. He had a secondary assist on Tyler with the Kings on the power play and a little more than eight minutes to Bozak's goal against the Kings. play. Kempe's shot went off Allen's pads, and deflected behind him • After traveling to San Jose on Friday, the Blues did not practice. This toward the goal. But Allen spun around and was able to stop the puck late in the year, almost 70 games into the grinding NHL season, and with with his paddle. three games in four days, Berube is opting for a little more rest. "Pretty lucky to be honest," Allen said. "I bit on the shot. He slid it back St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.09.2019 door and I just tried to throw a pad there. I think if he would've took his time he would've scored." Just a week ago, Allen had one of his worst nights of the season against Carolina, allowing four goals in a 5-2 setback _ with the go-ahead score coming on an awful misplay in the trapezoid area. But Thursday's performance was one of Allen's best of the season and his second shutout in four games. Asked if he altered anything in his practice routine after Carolina, Allen said: "No. Nothing. Carolina wasn't good for anyone. We all moved on." "That Carolina game was just some bad bounces," Ryan O'Reilly said following the Kings game. "So it was nice to see (Allen's performance) tonight. He made some huge saves for us that killed their momentum." As a tight Western Conference playoff race enters its closing stretch, Allen's impressive road numbers also are a factor. He has a 2.25 goals against average on the road, which ranks third in the NHL among goalies with 15 or more road starts. His road save percentage of .925 ranks seventh. Allen hasn't started a home game in two months _ since Jan. 8. SUCCESSFUL GAMBLE Prior to Wednesday's dramatic 5-4 victory over Anaheim, the Blues had pulled the goalie 16 times this season while scoring only once in late- game situations. Conversely, the opposing team had scored eight times into the empty net. Not very good odds. So it was a gamble, for sure, when Berube pulled Binnington trailing 4-3 in the game's final minutes. But Berube isn't averse to taking a chance every now and then. The Blues actually had a 6-on-4 situation for a while because they were on the power play. "We talked and I said a minute goes by I'm gonna get the goalie out with the power play," Berube said. "It worked out well. A lot of times you don't get that opportunity or whatever, but it worked out well. We got the second unit out there, got the goalie out and got a goal." The power play actually had ended 14 seconds before a Robert Thomas goal tied the game at 4-all in a 6-on-5 situation. The success of the power play earlier in the game _ the Blues scored a season-high three power play goals _ created some confidence in the 6-on-4 and 6-on-5 scenarios. 1135080 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning recalls defenseman Jan Rutta

By Diana C. Nearhos Published Yesterday Updated Yesterday

TAMPA — With defenseman Anton Stralman day to day with a lower- body injury, the Lightning on Friday recalled Jan Rutta from AHL Syracuse. Rutta has been called up twice before since Tampa Bay acquired him in a trade with Chicago on January 11. Both times were when other defensemen were injured and Rutta’s presence was a precaution in case the Lightning needed him. Rutta has played 18 games with Syracuse in the AHL. He has three goals and eight points. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135081 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning’s self-assessment a key piece to success

By Diana C. Nearhos Published Yesterday Updated Yesterday

TAMPA — The Lightning hasn’t gotten to this point by kidding itself. When this team plays a bad game, Tampa Bay owns it. Then fixes it. One of the reasons this team sits atop the league by 17 points and is eyeing the record for most wins is its ability to correct issues. Sometimes it’s within a game, sometimes it’s between games, but when something goes wrong, it rarely stays that way. “We evaluate our games pretty honestly,” J.T. Miller said. “When it does dip a little bit, we understand it has to come back up to the level we’re trying to hold right now.” Those dips have been relatively brief for the Lightning, which has only lost consecutive games twice, largely because of that honesty. Self-assessment has two pieces: knowing when something is going wrong and knowing how to fix it. The second is typically harder than the first, and can take some trial and error. “We have a lot of experience in this locker room,” Miller said. “You have to be able to evaluate yourself in a fair way. When it comes down to crunch time, what you think is getting it done in the regular season is not going to get it done at the end of the year.” After Thursday’s loss to Minnesota, players and coaches said they didn’t manage the puck well and let the Wild push them off their game. Last Thursday’s loss to Boston had Ryan McDonagh commenting on bad decision-making and how that slowed the Lightning down. Even after Saturday’s win over Ottawa, the Lightning felt the team hadn’t defended well enough. [ Sign up for our Lightning Strikes! email newsletter to get Bolts news delivered daily to your inbox ] “When you can self-assess and not let egos get in the way, you can correct things,” coach Jon Cooper said. “When that happens, your game comes around and that kind of epitomizes consistency when that happens.” Assistant coach Todd Richards credited the team’s leadership with saying the right things at the right time, be it on the bench, between periods or between games to make adjustments. “We can make adjustments in between periods, we can talk things out in between periods, as coaches,” he said, “but a lot of times, these guys have to make these adjustments fast when they’re on the ice.” [ RELATED: Observations from the Lightning's 3-0 loss to the Wild ] Miller stressed the Lightning’s long-term outlook on this season, meaning everything the team does is geared toward June. Tampa Bay feels it has a lot more to accomplish, and that requires taking hard looks at itself. “It’s hard playing great all the time, it really is,” he said. “It’s an exhausting season, but if you want to be the best, have the record we have so far, be the best team when it matters in the spring, you have to evaluate yourself the right way this time of year.” Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135082 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning-Wild: Observations from Tampa Bay’s 3-0 shutout loss

By Mari Faiello Published Yesterday

TAMPA – The Lightning looked sloppy Thursday night. It’s not often a team out-skates and outplays the No. 1 team in the league, but it happens. It happened Thursday night when Tampa Bay gave up its second shutout of the season to Minnesota 3-0, losing a playoff berth and breaking its home game win-streak at eight games in the process. But when a team like Minnesota comes in with the hunger it did for a win Thursday night, not much else could be expected. It’s the same hunger that the Lightning will face the remainder of the season against teams fighting for a spot and teams fighting because they don’t have anything to lose. “You’re not going to win them all,” coach Jon Cooper said. Here are some odds and ends from Tampa Bay’s 3-0 shutout loss: Stamkos takes on goaltending. As goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy sat the bench in the last few minutes of the Lightning-Wild matchup, the Lightning were forced to play offense and defense with no protection between the posts if the puck made its way toward its goal. At one point the puck did get loose and forced Steven Stamkos to deflect a shot off his own glove as the Wild tried to get a three-goal lead on the night. However, moments later the Wild got on the board again with a Jason Zucker empty-netter, securing the second hat trick of his career and first of the season. The odds are still in Tampa’s favor. With just 14 games left on its regular season schedule, the odds are still in Tampa Bay’s favor in terms of series wins. The Lightning have only dropped two series all season long – against the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild – and both series ended in sweeps against the Lightning. Vasilevskiy still strong in the net. Thursday’s shutout loss was the first time Andrei Vasilevskiy has seen his team lose in regulation since Jan. 30 at Pittsburgh. He came into the matchup on a 10-game win-streak, looking to tie Domingue’s franchise record of 11-straight wins as a starting goaltender. It was a slow night for milestones. Even with Columbus losing, the Lightning couldn’t clinch a playoff spot, instead being shut out for just the second time this season in losing just its 13th game. In other news, Steven Stamkos did not tie Vinny Lecavalier for most goals with the Lightning, Nikita Kucherov did not set the record for most points in a Lightning season and Andrei Vasilevskiy did not tie a franchise record with his 11thconsecutive victory. Playing like you’re fighting for the playoffs. The Wild played like a team fighting for a playoff spot, which it is. The Lightning, feeble even on the power play, displayed a lethargy befitting a team that has been a playoff lock forever. It was seriously outplayed. And it better get used to this kind of scrappy, tight-checking hockey. Eleven of Tampa Bay’s final 14 games are against teams either currently in playoff position or close to it. NHL teams keep it classy. Arena signage can overwhelm and sometimes nauseate, but nothing captures the NHL’s sentiment like the red stenciled “Ted 7” in Amalie corner boards, honoring Detroit Red Wings Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay, who passed away Monday. All NHL arenas are saluting Lindsay in this fashion. By the way, Lindsay is believed to have begun a tradition when he skated the Stanley Cup around the rink after Detroit won it in 1950. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135083 Tampa Bay Lightning same spot. They’re two of the best shooters I’ve ever seen. (Stamkos) is one of my favorites. So fun to watch.”

Stamkos said the night he scored No. 60 — during the regular-season ‘Just a matter of time’: Teammates detail Steven Stamkos’ path to finale in Winnipeg on Apr. 7, 2012 — was a moment he’ll never forget. Lightning’s goal record “Never in your wildest dreams do you think you’re going to get that,” Stamkos said. “It’s tough. There’s so much video and teams pre-scouting Joe Smith Mar 8, 2019 and goalies getting better. This year, there seems to be more offense, so I think it’s eventually going to happen again.

“But it’s as close to a once-in-a-lifetime as you’re going to get.” TAMPA, Fla. — Vincent Lecavalier heard about Steven Stamkos before he arrived in Tampa as an 18-year-old prodigy, the No. 1 overall pick in What Stamkos pointed out, too, is that the Lightning missed the playoffs 2008. the year he scored 60. They also missed them the following season, the 2012-13, lockout-shortened slate when he tallied 29 in 48 games. How could he not? “It was a different situation,” Stamkos said of his 60-goal year. “We were The “Seen Stamkos” marketing slogan blanketed the area, popping up kind of in and out of the playoff mix all year and at the end of the year, so on everything from billboards to bumper stickers and T-shirts. It wasn’t you can be a little bit more focused on individual goals. quite the “Michael Jordan of hockey” label that former owner Art Williams unfairly thrust on Lecavalier as the No. 1 pick and savior a decade “It’s much better to be in the position we’ve been in the last five, six, earlier, but there was still plenty of pressure on Stamkos, the pride of seven years here where you’re in the playoffs. You’re focused on Markham, Ontario. winning, and whatever happens, happens individually. I’d probably trade that anyways to be in that spot.” And when Lecavalier finally did see Stamkos shoot for the first time, the former Lightning captain knew he was witnessing something special. It Jeff Halpern, Stamkos’ former teammate and now assistant coach, saw a was during an informal pre-training camp workout in late August of 2008, maturity and confidence in him at an early age while trying to find footing and Stamkos, the skinny rookie that Gary Roberts called “a wet noodle,” in a locker room full of veterans. Remember, Lecavalier was there as wound up for a slap shot from the spot that later became known as his was Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis. “office,” the left circle. “(Stamkos) wasn’t the savior because they had Vinny and Marty and “And it went exactly where it does now: top shelf, right corner,” Lecavalier those guys,” Halpern said. “But he was the No. 1 pick, he was the saving said. “Just the way the puck went and how precise and how hard it was, grace of that season before, kind of starting a new direction. But when he you could tell that not everybody could do that. He’s a very special goal got there, he wasn’t a guy at 18 who was ripping through the league. He scorer. was a younger guy on an older team, a tough spot for an 18-year-old to come in. “I’m not a baseball guy, but you hear from a lot of guys that hit home runs that you can hear the unique sound the bat makes. In hockey, you can “To watch the maturity that he has, where he was able to find a niche and tell the way he shoots it. It’s, ‘Oh, wow.’ I don’t think there’s anybody, then start creating more and start driving plays, there were a couple maybe one or two guys like him in the league.” moments when you took notice. You could see the big plays, the creativity, and how he’s able to draw it. That was the growth and maturity So when Stamkos ties Lecavalier’s franchise record of 383 goals with his of him not just physically but mentally. And it happened quick. next tally, it won’t be surprising to anyone. Even to Lecavalier. “It was easy as an older player to criticize and say, ‘Where’s our savior?’ “It was just a matter of time,” said the now-38-year-old Lecavalier. “I’m Then you start seeing it, it’s impressive.” happy for him.” Stamkos said he learned a lot from Lecavalier, St. Louis and the other Stamkos, a two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner as the league’s top veterans about how to be a pro, and — eventually — how to be a leader. goal scorer, is on pace for just his second 40-goal season since he tallied You see glimpses of both former Lightning stars in how Stamkos handles 60 in 2011-12. Nobody has touched that number since. the captain role.

While Stamkos, 29, may not be as prolific a scorer as he was earlier in Former Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier (center) poses with his career, the captain and face of the franchise is a more complete defenseman Victor Hedman (left) and center Steven Stamkos (right) as player. his No. 4 is retired at Amalie Arena on Feb. 10, 2018. (Kim Klement / USA Today) Having gotten used to his “new norm” following surgeries to repair a broken leg and torn lateral meniscus, Stamkos is now back to fearlessly “When he came in at 18, what I remember is how humble he was, how skating through the middle of the ice. “Like he did at the beginning of his respectful he was of veteran players,” Lecavalier said. “Wanting to learn career,” Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman said. Stamkos has grown into from guys, and so, for me, there are some guys that get into the league Tampa Bay’s main faceoff man (at a career-high 53 percent), is getting and are not like him. He’s very humble. shifts on the penalty kill and is trusted on the ice defending in high- leverage moments. “There’s a lot of pressure when you’re No. 1. But at the end of the day, I’m sure in minor hockey there was a lot of pressure, at 16 years old they “He finally feels good,” said Lightning assistant GM Pat Verbeek, a long- are saying he was going to be the No. 1 pick. He always coped with it time NHL winger. “He can trust his body, doesn’t have anything in the and produced.” back of his mind. There are certain things you have to overcome mentally when you come back from injuries, and the toughest part is trusting Stamkos has made his living in his “office,” the left circle on the power everything 100 percent and not worrying about getting hurt again. play.

“He seems like he is and is playing as well as I’ve ever seen him play. He Teams know it’s coming, but they can’t stop it. might not be scoring as many goals, but he’s a more complete player and Stamkos’ shot isn’t known for movement; more so its power and leader.” precision, oftentimes soaring over a goalie’s left shoulder as he slides Stamkos may not crack 60 goals this season, but he still has 34 goals across to his right. and 45 assists in 68 games for the Lightning. (Kim Klement / USA Today) “It comes in clean, hard and fast,” said Tampa Bay backup goalie Louis Jets star wing Patrik Laine grew up in Finland watching the likes of Domingue. “You hope you move and it hits you.” Stamkos and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, two of the greatest scorers of “Goalies think they are there,” Lecavalier said. “And they’re not.” this generation. You look at where Stamkos has done the most damage, and it’s pretty “Obviously that season he scored 60 goals, it’s still hard to believe clear. Ninety-two of his goals have come on slap shots, a large portion somebody scored that many,” Laine said. “Actually, still. We know and from that left circle. Sixteen of Stamkos’ 34 goals this year have been on every other team knows, especially on the power play, it’s going to him. the power play, as shown by Sean Tierney’s @ChartingHockey. And he still scores. Kind of the same thing with (Ovechkin). Exactly the “We’re different players, obviously,” Ovechkin said. “He’s a center and uses a different curve, different stick. But I think, for us, we like to play in that spot on the power play. He works a lot on his shot, and you can see all those goals come basically in the same spot.”

Halpern said what struck him about Stamkos early in his career was how he had the confidence and “audacity” to drive pucks through the middle of the ice. “That became his signature thing, how he’s been able to drive the middle with his speed, hands and get off quick shots,” Halpern said.

Stamkos began his career with a pretty normal shot selection, mostly wrist shots and a lot of snap shots, but heavier on the slap shots than most forwards. Tierney notes that over time, Stamkos began to use his slap shot nearly as much as his wrist shot.

“That is extremely rare,” Tierney said. “Only Ovechkin shoots the slapper as much as the wrister.”

Halpern said he showed Lightning rookie Mathieu Joseph a goal Stamkos scored Feb. 2 in Madison Square Garden. It was a wrist shot off the rush, but Halpern used Stamkos’ approach as a model.

“As soon as he gets the puck, his eyes never leave the net,” Halpern said. “If you can shoot to a spot you see is open, it’s probably easy. I don’t know if it feels that way. But that’s something you want a young guy to copy. It’s the ability to shoot with your head up. (Stamkos) can do it.”

Halpern works with the Lightning centermen on faceoffs after most every skate and practice. It’s an area Tampa Bay has made a significant improvement on since last season, going from 27th overall (48.2 percent) to 10th (51.0). Halpern said Stamkos is the one who will often lead the meetings, offering tips and insight on other centers.

“Stammer has really taken charge,'” Halpern said.

That’s what Stamkos is most proud of. The franchise goal record is special, of course, but Stamkos’ focus has been on improving and evolving as a player with only the Stanley Cup in mind. He wants to be the guy depended on in key moments, playing the most significant minutes.

Stamkos has scored plenty of goals for the Lightning, but his sights are set on something greater: bringing a Stanley Cup to Tampa Bay. (Kim Klement / USA Today)

“Everything about his game has gone to another level,” Lecavalier said. “Everybody knows about his shooting and skating. But everything else, he took it to another level: his passing, his vision of the game. He’s just bringing everything together.

“Stammer has the ability to score 50 goals every single year — and more. He’s that good, and now he’s got a lot of guys that can give him the puck, and that obviously helps. He’s doing his best right now to bring the team to another level, and I think we all believe here in Tampa that he can do it.”

Lecavalier still lives in Tampa, and between carpooling his kids and coaching his son’s youth hockey team, he still attends many Lightning games at Amalie Arena. Lecavalier won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning 15 years ago and said this current team is as good as the league has seen in a decade.

“Honestly, I hope people realize how lucky they are to watch a team like the Lightning every night.”

Lecavalier, who assisted on Stamkos’ first career goal back in 2008, has seen a good portion of his 382.

Which goal has been Stamkos’ favorite?

“Hopefully,” Stamkos says with a smile, “my favorite one will come this summer.”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135084 Toronto Maple Leafs “But it’s really important not to be one and done, because at the end of the season that’s where the game’s at, it’s down low, below the dots, and the neutral zone’s pretty jammed up. So it would be a good test for us The Leafs are waiting for Auston Matthews’ next leap forward tomorrow night to get back on track. I thought we did a better job against Vancouver ... kind of generating more chances off the cycle, but we can always be better.” By BRUCE ARTHUR That’s the thing: You get the sense that he can. With Kapanen and Matthews on the ice the Leafs have scored 56 per cent of goals at 5-on- Fri., March 8, 2019 5; Matthews and Johnsson clock in, in more limited time, at 64 per cent. As Kapanen says, “I think once we’re going, it doesn’t matter what team

we’re playing against, I think we can play against anybody.” VANCOUVER—Auston Matthews was asked to evaluate his season, Well, feel free. The playoffs are coming, and Boston awaits, and incomplete as it is. Someone said, the numbers were still pretty good. He Matthews had one goal and two points in that seven-game playoff loss to sighed. the Bruins last season. He expected better. He probably still does. “Yeah, I mean they’re fine,” the Toronto Maple Leafs centre said. “I don’t Toronto Star LOADED: 03.09.2019 know what you really want me to say to that. I just try to go out and play hockey, do what I do, and help this team score and play a 200-foot game and just do my thing, and obviously, help the team win games.” He’s right: The numbers are fine. He missed 14 games with a left shoulder injury, but has 30 goals and 30 assists in 53 games. It’s just that, while Matthews hasn’t fallen backward, he hasn’t leapt ahead. The numbers bear that out. According to the website Natural Stat Trick, Matthews produced 1.82 goals per 60 minutes last season, and 3.36 points; this year he is at 1.85 and 3.71, respectively. He is scoring fewer 5-on-5 goals, but producing more 5-on-5 assists, so his points there are identical. He’s still really good. But he came into the season wanting to produce more and hasn’t, quite. Matthews is third in goals per 60 overall, behind only Alexander Ovechkin and Nashville’s Viktor Arvidsson; he was second last season. He is 10th in points per 60, and last year was 11th. Other than the variations at 5- on-5, he’s hovering at the same altitude. It’s a great place to plateau; the view’s fantastic. But it’s been a plateau. Mitch Marner is scoring slightly more points than Matthews per minute played, and jumps off the page when you watch the games; John Tavares is scoring more goals at 5-on-5 than Matthews, the master of that art. When you ask Matthews about the improvements he had worked toward, it sounds like it hasn’t been what he was expecting. “Yeah, I mean the injury sets you back a bit,” he said. “Probably about a month or two after, I felt like I got my legs back and skating was a lot better, just more comfortable out there. I think as the season goes on, obviously it gets harder and harder and things tighten up, and it’s our job to make adjustments as players.” He also talked about his touch not coming right back after the injury, though the numbers don’t totally reflect that: He had 16 points in his first seven games, went scoreless in four, and got crunched by Jacob Trouba. He had 11 points in his first six games back after the injury, and has 33 points in the 37 games since then. Anecdotally, it feels like he has fewer visibly dominant shifts this season. Toronto’s share of goals-for with him on the ice at 5-on-5 has dropped from an absurd 67 per cent last year to 50 per cent, even. He’s been without William Nylander on his wing, of course, due to the forward’s holdout and deployment. Nylander was on the third line with Patrick Marleau and Nazem Kadri in practice Friday, as Kadri returns against Edmonton Saturday night after missing eight games with a concussion. Matthews has seen less Zach Hyman but more Patrick Marleau, as Marleau slows. Again, the 21-year-old Matthews is great; he just hasn’t accelerated the way the team’s de facto first-line stars have, and they get most of the toughest competition. It’s fine. Earlier this week linemate Kasperi Kapanen said of the Matthews-Kapanen-Andreas Johnsson group, “I think these past couple games we’ve been mediocre ... it’s just us not being 100 per cent, but thank god we still have games left before playoffs, and I guess we’ve just got to get going.” “They’re proud guys, they want to be good, they think they’re good, we think they’re good, and we think it’s important they’re good,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. “Consistency in the National Hockey League is the toughest thing to have, but we need those guys to be effective. But when they take care of the puck, and especially when Auston’s really skating — when he’s skating — he’s a load. So that’s important that that happens.” “Yeah, I mean, it’s a matter of us,” Matthews said. “We’re the ones out there, so we’ve got to do a better job and the (defencemen) that are out there as well, making sure you get pucks to the net, have good structure, you know, use some creativity, not just do the same stuff over and over again. 1135085 Toronto Maple Leafs

Saturday NHL game preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Edmonton Oilers

By MARK ZWOLINSKI Fri., March 8, 2019

ROGERS PLACE FACEOFF: 7 p.m. Connor McDavid, left, and Leon Draisaitl are trying to lead Edmonton on a late push for a playoff spot. TV: Sportsnet, CBC RADIO: TSN 1050 KEY PLAYERS Draisaitl/Tavares Two top-goal scorers having special seasons. Leon Draisaitl leads the Oilers with 41 goals. He has a chance to become just the sixth player to score 50 in the last decade — joining Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Corey Perry — and the first Oiler to reach that plateau since Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri in 1986-87. John Tavares has 37 goals for the Leafs, one shy of his career high set in 2014-15 with the Islanders. NEED TO KNOW The Oilers are on a four-game winning streak, and have gone 6-1-1 in their last eight, with plenty of help from Draisaitl (12-game point streak) and captain Connor McDavid (seven-game streak). The one regulation loss? A 6-2 loss in Toronto ... There’s plenty of talk in Edmonton about the lack of help on the wings for centres Draisaitl, McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers have gone with Zach Kassian on McDavid’s line of late, with some good results. They are also pondering using Sam Gagner on Draisaitl’s line, and dropping Milan Lucic to the fourth line ... Edmonton is still holding out hope for a playoff spot but the Oilers entered Friday seven points out of a wild-card berth, needing help from other teams. UP NEXT Monday vs. Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. Toronto Star LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135086 Toronto Maple Leafs indicated was coming … Morgan Rielly turns 25 on Saturday. Rielly’s defence partner, Ron Hainsey, will turn 38 on March 24 … The Leafs have won seven of their past 10 games in Edmonton, including their past Kadri wants to follow simple formula in return to Leafs lineup two. Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.09.2019 Terry Koshan Published:March 9, 2019 Updated:March 9, 2019 12:07 AM EST

VANCOUVER — Nazem Kadri’s game plan for Saturday isn’t complicated. “I’m just going to get in the game early, get involved and engaged,” Kadri said. “Banging that first shift out right off the bat and after that, it just feels like a regular hockey game. I’m excited, to say the least.” We can only imagine. Kadri will play against the Edmonton Oilers after missing the past eight games with a concussion, centring a line with Patrick Marleau and William Nylander on his wings. “We’ve had lots of experience playing with each other, so we should catch on pretty quick,” Kadri said. “It’s a line that has brought some success before the injury and we would just like to spread out that offence even more.” Kadri, who was hurt on Feb. 19 when he was rocked with an open-ice hit by St. Louis Blues defenceman Vince Dunn, isn’t being rushed back. He skated several times on his own before joining his teammates at practice. “We just wanted to be safe and cautious and know that come mid-April and playoff time is where you want to feel your best,” Kadri said. “It was better to take an extra couple of days.” In 59 games, Kadri has 15 goals and 20 assists. “When you get injured, sometimes it can be a bit of an advantage,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. “You get a real freshen-up. We need Naz to come back and be as good or better than he has been all year and be a real important player for us. It’s good to have him back.” HOME-ICE THOUGHTS The Leafs, of course, would prefer to enjoy the perceived advantage of home ice in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but it’s not an issue that is consuming them with four weeks remaining in the regular season. “You would love to have it, but I don’t think that’s really the main focus right now,” Auston Matthews said. “We’re just trying to win hockey games and give ourselves a chance to compete every night. I think (home ice) is maybe in the back of our minds, but I don’t think it’s too much of a main focus.” Matthews knows well what the Boston Bruins have been doing, as the Atlantic Division rivals have gone 14-0-4 in their past 18 games. The Bruins have not lost in regulation since Jan. 19. “They have been extremely hot as of late,” Matthews said. “It’s good for us to see that and make sure we take our game to another level as well.”’ The Bruins and Leafs both have 15 games remaining. Boston has a four- point bulge, 91-87, on Toronto for second place in the division. FAMILIAR TERRITORY The Leafs’ lone visit in the 2018-19 regular season to Edmonton has been anticipated by forward Tyler Ennis for some time. The Edmonton native lives in the city during the NHL off-season. He was planning to meet his parents and other family members for dinner on Friday night. Ennis estimated he went to one Oilers game a year when he was a kid. Doug Weight usually caught his attention. “I loved him,” Ennis said. “I missed the (Wayne) Gretzky days a little bit, but Gretzky is still an idol of pretty much every hockey player. “When I was watching the Oilers, Weight was my favourite. Great passer. He competed and he was really fun player to watch.” LOOSE LEAFS Igor Ozhiganov practised with Martin Marincin as the Leafs’ third defence pair on Friday, so Justin Holl will be a healthy scratch after playing against the Canucks on Wednesday, something that Babcock had 1135087 Toronto Maple Leafs

Babcock clarifies Andersen's work load in Leafs net for rest of season

Terry Koshan Published:March 8, 2019 Updated:March 8, 2019 6:47 PM EST

VANCOUVER — Hold it on the idea that Frederik Andersen is going to get some more time off in the Maple Leafs’ final 15 games of the regular season. Leafs coach Mike Babcock raised eyebrows earlier this week when he said that an ideal number of games for the team’s No. 1 goaltender would be “56 or something.” Andersen has played in 49 games, and if 56 games were correct, it would have meant he and backup Garret Sparks would more or less split the remainder of the schedule. Babcock clarified the issue on Friday when we asked if there really was a plan to give Andersen more rest in the final month. “No,” Babcock said. “Just so you know, I misspoke. “No one misquoted me, just so you understand that. The math was wrong. This is on me. We got the schedule all laid out. I feel he is going to get to be around that — 60 (games). But who knows? The 56 is on me.” If Andersen gets to 60, then Sparks would get one more start on top of the three he is expected to have in the second game of the Leafs’ remaining back-to-back sets. In each of the past two seasons, Andersen has played in 66 games. So just to be sure, Andersen will start in net against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday? “You betcha,” Babcock said. “That’s what I do know.” Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135088 Toronto Maple Leafs “They’re fine, I don’t know what you really want me to say to that,” Matthews said of his points total. “I just try to go out and play hockey, do what I do, which is help this team score and play a 200-foot game. Auston Matthews searching for consistency as games intensify in Leafs' “The injury sets you back a bit. Probably about a month or two after, I felt final month like I got my legs back and skating was a lot better. “As the season goes on, it gets harder and things tighten up, so it’s our Terry Koshan job to make adjustments as players.” Published:March 8, 2019 Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.09.2019 Updated:March 8, 2019 6:42 PM EST

VANCOUVER — Satisfaction doesn’t come easily for Auston Matthews. Never mind that the 21-year-old Maple Leafs centre again has scored 30 goals and has set a career-high with 30 assists. There’s another level for Matthews and linemates Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen to achieve in the Leafs’ last 15 games of the regular season, or for as long as the line is together. We’re of the mind that William Nylander will be back on Matthews’ right side before the playoffs begin. For the time being, it’s on the shoulders of Matthews, Johnsson and Kapanen to produce as a trio. “I feel we can be a lot better,” Matthews said after the Leafs practised at Rogers Arena on Friday. “Our strength is our speed and I think when we take care of the puck and we get in (the opposition’s) zone, we’re fast, pretty agile, can make plays. “It’s really important not to be one-and-done (in the offensive zone), because especially toward the end of the season, that is where the game is at, is down low below the dots and the neutral zone is pretty jammed up. “It will be a good test for us (Saturday) night to get back on track. I thought we did a better job against Vancouver (on Wednesday), generating more chances off the cycle, but we can be better.” When the Leafs take on the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, Matthews will search for different ways to be creative. Though he has 18 shots on goal in his past five games, Matthews has not scored, contributing just a pair of assists. In the bigger picture, Kapanen this week used the word “mediocre” to describe the line’s play. “They are proud guys,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. “They want to be good, they think they are good, we think they are good. “Consistency in the NHL is the toughest thing to have, but we need those guys to be effective and when they take care of the puck, especially when Auston is really skating, he is a load.” As the Matthews group strives for greater consistency, there will be changes among the Leafs forwards against an Oilers club that has won six of its past eight games, with their lone loss in regulation in that span coming on Feb. 27 in Toronto. Nazem Kadri will return after missing eight games because of a concussion and will centre the third line between Patrick Marleau and Nylander. Frederik Gauthier didn’t practise on Friday as he was not feeling well, though Babcock said the club is “counting on” Gauthier playing in Edmonton. Gauthier was a healthy scratch against the Canucks. The fourth line during practice had Nic Petan between Tyler Ennis and Connor Brown. Gauthier would replace Petan versus the Oilers, and though it appeared at practice that Trevor Moore was the odd man out, Babcock would not commit to that. “I don’t know 100%,” Babcock said. “We’re going to talk about that on the flight and go from there. All those guys have played pretty well. I thought the Moore-Goat-Ennis line in particular was really effective for us. “I made that decision last game and didn’t play the Goat and that line was not as good. With Naz coming back in, it moves our pieces around a little bit.” Matthews missed 14 games this season with a left shoulder injury, but he has been back since the end of November and has played some terrific hockey in the ensuing months. Sixty points in 53 games, however, has Matthews wanting more. 1135089 Toronto Maple Leafs Both Liljegren and Sandin are acutely aware of the chatter about them being the next impact blueliners for the Leafs but chose to ignore what

people say about their play. Instead, they both say they are just trying to Why you shouldn’t expect Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin on the have fun and develop their game with the Marlies. Leafs just yet “We aren’t in a rush to play on the Leafs,” Liljegren said. “I think it’s a good development here in the Marlies and I think (I could make the jump) next year or the year after that, we will see. Once I get up there, I want to By Hailey Salvian Mar 8, 2019 be ready.”

All that being said, I believe the fact that they are so young and excelling in the AHL has played a role in why so many people want to see them Since coming back from injuries that kept them out of the lineup for an jump to the next level. As it is, 18-year-old defencemen in the AHL are extended period of time, Maple Leafs defence prospects Rasmus Sandin few and far between, but 18-year-old defencemen who can play in the and Timothy Liljegren have been racking up minutes with the Marlies and NHL are even harder to find. turning heads in the organization. Keefe said the young Swedes are playing well for teenagers in the AHL. “They’ve both played awfully well,” Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said recently. But he said just because they are ahead of many of their peers currently The AHL does not make time on ice available to the media, but by my playing junior hockey, doesn’t mean they are ready to move on. tracking, Liljegren and Sandin are playing more shifts than any other “The decision was made that for their development they would be best defencemen. They both get minutes at even strength, on the power play suited to play here,” Keefe said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that and the penalty kill. Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe also indicated that in they are on the development path.” back to back games last weekend against the Syracuse Crunch, the pair of Swedes led the team in ice time. What are scouts saying?

With two major injuries on the Leafs blueline in Jake Gardiner and Travis I decided to do a bit of canvassing to see what some scouts and other Dermott, many fans have looked at the boost in Liljegren and Sandin’s writers with eyes on the Marlies thought about the pair. The opinions on minutes as a sign that they are getting primed for a call-up to the NHL. Sandin are mostly positive, whereas Liljegren is a bit more of a polarizing prospect. MAKES YOU WONDER IF THEY ARE PUSHING HIM EXTRA HARD FOR A PUSH TO THE LEAFS DUE TO ALL THE INJURIES In his rookie season, Sandin, a left-shot defenceman, has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) through 30 games. He is a solid two-way — SHAWN SAJUS (@SAJEWASTELANDS) MARCH 3, 2019 defenceman with a nice shot when he chooses to use it. He has And while Dubas seemed to be impressed with his prospects, he did tell incredible hockey sense and has adapted to playing professional hockey reporters he doesn’t think they are “quite ready yet.” But still, since the faster than most people anticipated. He is patient with the puck on his Leafs’ injuries occurred – and quite frankly since I joined The Athletic in stick and moves out of his own zone with ease for his age. September – the questions about Sandin and Liljegren persist. So, I Corey Pronman, a prospects writer for The Athletic, said the main issue thought I would dig into why they won’t be getting an NHL promotion just with Sandin that may keep him out of the NHL seems to be his skating. yet. He said he isn’t explosive enough yet. No need to rush Some scouts who said they didn’t evaluate Sandin as a first-round pick The easiest argument to make here is age. Sandin just celebrated his cited his skating as the reason why. When I asked Sandin what he 19th birthday on Thursday. Liljegren won’t turn 20 until the end of April. thought he needed to work at, he agreed that his “quickness” needs to improve. They are teenagers. What’s the rush? “I think I need to be a little quicker in all situations,” he said. “And The reality of the Leafs being a good organization means they don’t need obviously some strength, I mean we are playing bigger players all the to rush their prospects anymore. Gone are the days of 19-year-old Luke time … so I think I need to get stronger as well.” Schenn cracking the NHL roster before he’s had a chance to develop. The Leafs now have the luxury of developing their prospects and taking My colleague Scott Wheeler said Sandin just needs time to develop and their time to ensure that when they eventually make the leap, the team is didn’t see one stylistic trait in his game as a “major flaw.” getting a finished product. “He has exceeded expectations this year,” he said. “And now looks to be Look at Kasperi Kapanen, for example. Kapanen played over 100 games a solid bet as a second-pairing option down the line.” with the Marlies before graduating full-time to the Leafs. Under Keefe, Liljegren, a more offensive defenceman, is in his sophomore season and Kapanen developed into a penalty killer and a bonafide weapon on the has nine points (three goals, six assists) through 28 games. A high-ankle ice, as my colleague Jonas Siegel recently wrote. sprain forced him to miss a large chunk of time in the middle of the “I think if you want to look at a model of how to handle prospects the season, including the world juniors, which has set him back a little bit. absolute best, he’s the guy,” Mike Babcock recently said of Kapanen. It seems some scouts’ opinions on Liljegren have trended more negative “You can keep him there too long, it might frustrate the crap out of him, than optimistic this season, mostly because of turnovers or mistakes he you just keep putting him there until he’s ready to be a real hockey player makes in the game. and then you put him in and he’s a real hockey player.” “There are issues in his game that would prevent him from being on an This appears to be the strategy for Liljegren and Sandin, and all NHL trajectory right now,” Pronman said. “There is some work to do on prospects going forward for that matter. decision making and he has to become more impactful all around.” So again, what’s the rush? Nilsson, who has represented Liljegren since he was 15, said he thinks Neither player has had a lot of time playing senior professional hockey. his client has the potential to be a superstar. Coming from Sweden it takes time to adjust to the North American game. “He just needs to mature a little bit and realize the highlight moves you As of Friday morning, Liljegren has played 72 games in the AHL. Sandin, see every time you turn Twitter on isn’t how you play every single minute only 30. of a shift,” he said. “I’m young still,” Sandin said after Marlies practice early this week. “We “I think that’s something all young creative D-men need to learn, is are both still young. We need to get the ice time to develop at players.” sometimes you just need to do the easiest solution not the most Liljegren’s agent, Martin Nilsson, said he believes people get caught up creative.” comparing players to the Connor McDavids of the world and expect Liljegren said he is happy with his play this year but feels his point young, talented prospects to walk into the league and be dominant. production should be higher. He said he thinks he has “a couple more “That isn’t really the reality,” he said. “No matter the player’s potential.” levels” he can get to before the end of the season. Blocked by veterans I could continue to wax poetic about why Liljegren and Sandin are too young and that there’s no rush to bring them up, but ultimately, I think there are a couple of veterans who are ahead of them on the depth chart when it comes to potential NHL call-ups, anyway.

Calle Rosen has been one of the best defencemen in the AHL this year and will most likely be on the Leafs’ roster next year, at least that is what his recent two-year, $750,000 contract extension would indicate. The 25- year-old ranks second in the league in points by a defenceman with 44 in 52 games and has the most assists by a blueliner with 37.

Last season he skated in four NHL games with the Leafs. I believe if the Leafs opt to call-up another player, it will be Rosen who gets tapped first once he has recovered from a foot injury.

Behind Rosen would be Andreas Borgman. Borgman, 23, also has experience playing up with the Leafs, having played 48 games last season before being sent back down to the Marlies. Similar to Rosen, Borgman could find himself on the Leafs’ roster next year and was recently locked into a one-year contract extension worth $700,000. Borgman has struggled with injuries as of late and has been out of the lineup since Feb. 16 with a concussion, but he has shown promise of becoming an NHL regular when healthy.

Both of these players would be the natural first and second options to get called-up before Liljegren and Sandin. At 23 and 25 years old respectively, Borgman and Rosen are no longer considered prospects to some. As Wheeler says in his prospect rankings: “Data suggests that by the time a player turns 23, he is more or less done developing along his aging curve.”

There is certainly room for improvement, all players are capable of that, but with these two older Marlies what you see is what you get. They may not be dominant yet, but they are more settled in the game and more acclimated to senior professional hockey and the more natural choice for a call-up.

Final thoughts

Personally, I think both Sandin and Liljegren are solid NHL prospects, but neither of them is quite ready. The consensus seems to be that they could both get called up for games next season but ultimately won’t make the full-time jump until training camp of 2020. When I asked Keefe when he knows a player is ready to make the jump and never look back, he said he looks for the players that “take over the game.”

“It’s a sign that they have developed to the point where they need a new challenge,” he said. “When there is ups and downs and inconsistencies, I think it’s more of a sign that you can see potential, but you have to continue to work at things.”

He pointed to Trevor Moore as the most recent player who was dominating at the AHL level. Travis Dermott was one before him.

Neither Liljegren or Sandin are taking over the game at the moment. They show you flashes of their potential, but they also make mistakes, which is normal for prospects who are still developing. They both just need time to make their mistakes in the AHL, and when they get to the point where they are dominating the game like Dermott did last year … then Leafs fans, that’s when you will see Liljegren and Sandin in the NHL.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135090 Toronto Maple Leafs “I’m still working on it because I’m always trying to improve,” said Hollowell. “My skating’s good but you can always improve and get

stronger legs or get more powerful.” ‘He’s A Tiger’: Elite skating and unending drive help prospect Mac And that is the type of attitude that has endeared him to his coaches. Hollowell earn contract with the Maple Leafs When you talk to people in the game about Hollowell, similar themes begin to appear.

By Sunaya Sapurji Mar 8, 2019 He doesn’t complain. He doesn’t cut corners. He’s coachable. He comes to work every day.

A perfect illustration is a story told by his agent, Jeff Jackson. In the Rick Ferroni remembers the 10-year-old kid he coached back with the summer his agency, Orr Hockey Group, had put together workouts for Niagara Falls Rivermen. He was smaller than the other kids, and frail. He some clients with a personal trainer in Burlington, Ont., some 70 had a mop-top of red hair. kilometres from Hollowell’s home in Niagara Falls. In addition to that, there were on-ice development sessions another 30 kilometres east in And when he was cut by his Triple-A team, Ferroni went to bat for him — Oakville, Ont. because there was something about Mac Hollowell that stood out. “Mac is showing up on time every day,” said Jackson. “One day I’m just “I told the coach, ‘This kid’s got raw talent, he’s got grit and you can just talking to him and I ask him, ‘How are you getting to Oakville? Is your tell he’s got the X-factor, so we should keep him,'” said Ferroni. “So I mum driving you? Or are you coming with a buddy?’ And he said, ‘No. I made sure we called him up all the time and then I started working with take the bus.’ He had been taking the bus from Niagara Falls all summer him like crazy. with his hockey equipment, sticks and workout gear to the gym; getting “There were kids who were bigger, there were kids who were stronger, or off, working out and then taking a bus to Oakville to our skates, working better or with more resources, but Mac’s just a resilient kid. He’s gritty out and then taking a bus home. He was doing that two or three times a and literally one of the best and nicest kids I’ve ever trained in my life. His week. attitude and character is why he will play in the NHL one day.” “I said, ‘This kid’s got a chance to make it’ because he didn’t say a word Cut multiple times in minor hockey and passed over — twice — at the about anything. He just did it. He just wants it so bad.” NHL Draft, Hollowell’s story is one of perseverance and hard work. Of course, for Hollowell, it was no big deal. Making The Show is not yet a given, but after this season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, the defenceman has at least put himself in a “It was about an hour ride on the GO bus (each way),” he said. “It was a good position to succeed at the pro level. different way, but I had to do it to get where I am now.”

Taken in the fourth round (118th overall) of the 2018 draft by Toronto, the According to those who know him well, much of Hollowell’s work ethic Leafs signed him to a future three-year entry-level contract on Thursday. and drive comes from his mom, Jenn. She raised her three boys — Mac, And since Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas drafted Hollowell when he Ford and Riley — with what Hollowell describes as tough love. was GM of the Greyhounds, there’s no doubt the Leafs know exactly what they’re getting (not to mention Leafs scout Victor Carneiro and “She’d work a full-time job, make dinner and then we’d be off to hockey,” assistant director of player personnel Wes Clark were also with the Soo said Hollowell. “She never made any excuses, she’d always get us there. at the time). I never once heard her complain. Whatever we needed she’d always be there for us. A request to speak with Carneiro or anyone authorized to talk about Leafs’ prospects was declined by the team because scouts and “Growing up she’d never sugar-coat anything. If we needed to get development staff are not permitted to conduct interviews. something done, we’d go do it and she’d make sure we did it.”

It was Dubas that made the call to Hollowell welcoming him to the Leafs. When he was drafted, she got the first hug. And despite growing up as a diehard Leafs fan (he doesn’t know why, but Darcy Tucker was his “He was the guy who drafted me to both the Soo and Toronto,” said favourite player as a kid) when he was finally chosen by his childhood Hollowell. “He told me he likes what I do and what I bring to the table and team, it was his mom’s happiness that meant the most. to keep working. For him to take me in both (drafts) definitely made me feel good. Not too many people can say a GM in the NHL also drafted “She was really happy,” said Hollowell. “I’d say she was even more you in the OHL, so it was good to know there was someone who excited than I was. It was definitely a big moment for her, too.” definitely believed in me.” It’s a cold night in mid-December and the Ontario Hockey League game With the Soo, he’s become an offensive force from the blueline and leads between the Mississauga Steelheads and the Soo Greyhounds has just all defencemen in the Canadian Hockey League in scoring with 23 goals, gone into overtime. 49 assists and 72 points in 52 games. Not bad for a kid who was The extra frame does not last very long. constantly told he was too small to make it in the game. In less than a minute and a half, Hollowell has corralled the puck deep in “I’ve always been an underdog, definitely,” said Hollowell. “I was always the Soo zone and is skating it down the right side. Entering the between getting cut when I was younger and being the smallest guy (on Mississauga zone on a 2-on-1 he decides to shoot himself, handily a team). It’s just always been like that. beating goaltender Jacob Ingham’s glove hand. “I heard about my size a lot when I was younger, but as the game It is fitting Hollowell scores the winner because there are times — changes now I’m hearing it a lot less.” particularly in the third period — where he never leaves the ice. Drew Bannister, head coach of the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, According to the Greyhounds, Hollowell logged 29:55 of ice time during coached Hollowell for three seasons with the Greyhounds. He says the the game, including overtime. Niagara Falls, Ont., native’s strengths make it easier for coaches to Prospects-Stats.com has his estimated time on ice per game at 20:78, overlook any perceived shortcomings. among the highest minutes in the league — and even that seems low “For a guy his size, he uses everything he’s got,” said Bannister. “He has when watching individual games. quickness and he has length in his stride. He’s an extremely smart So how is he coping with the massive workload? hockey player too, so the way he’s able to retrieve pucks and get back into tight areas and the way he uses the net — in my opinion — he’s “If I’m up next for a shift and I’m still breathing hard from the shift before, probably one of the best defencemen at the junior level at how he does I’ll just say, ‘Let me get one shift break here,'” said Hollowell. “They’re that.” definitely good with that. If we have a practice and I’m a little sore or banged up, they’ll let me get my body right and take some time off.” One of the main reasons Hollowell’s hearing less about his size — listed at 5-foot-10, 163 pounds — is because of his elite skating. Ferroni, who This is the most minutes he’s ever played in his career, but that’s what has served as Hollowell’s skating coach for the past decade, figures the you’d expect for an overager who is also one of the top defencemen in 20-year-old has spent close to 3,000 hours — some 300 hours per year the OHL. — working on perfecting his stride. Hollowell said he’s been lucky in the Soo because he’s had coaches who have allowed him —encouraged him even — to step-up offensively and use his skating to his advantage as a fourth forward on the Greyhounds’ attack. It’s something he’s been doing since he was a kid in minor hockey.

“I used to tell him, ‘when you have the puck, you’re a forward. When you don’t, you better be up in the play trying to get (the puck),'” said Ferroni. “He’s been doing that since he was 11.”

According to Hollowell, the Leafs have asked him to focus on his defensive game, so he’s been picking his spots. But Bannister doesn’t see his defensive game being an issue.

“With Mac he’s able to defend well with his skating,” he said. “He’s so good at using his gap and cutting guys off and killing plays even before the red line. He’s so smart at doing that, that it eliminates a lot of the battle he has to do below the goal line or net front. He’s smart enough to know that he’s not going to outmuscle some guys so he has to use his feet and his body position to be able to defend.”

Now that he’s coaching in the AHL, Bannister has a good idea of what Hollowell is in for at the next level. The former NHLer said he has no doubt that the blueliner has what it takes to be successful as a pro.

“I think (the Leafs) got a heck of a player,” said Bannister. “He might take a little time but you see how he is with his peers right now and watching our league (the AHL), I think he’s going to fit in fine next year and be an important player for that Marlies team. I’m sure he’s going to get a shot in the NHL.”

And that is something Ferroni saw more than a decade ago in the scrawny, red-haired boy with a drive that more than made up for his size.

“Mac was a kid where if you told him to go through a wall — he would. He just has this grit where even if he’s undersized, he’ll do whatever it takes to get the puck from you and he’s had that since he was 10. He’s like a tiger. He just wanted to be a hockey player.

“He’s 100 percent committed.”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135091 Vegas Golden Knights

Mark Stone signs 8-year extension with Golden Knights

By Ben Gotz / Las Vegas Review-Journal

Mark Stone visited Las Vegas three times before the NHL’s trade deadline, twice for games with the Ottawa Senators and once with a few friends. That was apparently enough for him to commit to living in Southern Nevada for years to come. The Golden Knights announced Friday that Stone signed an eight-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $9.5 million, which will pay the winger through the 2026-27 season. “The ownership is unbelievable here,” Stone said Friday morning. “They treat the guys great. Whether it’s meals or the flights, everything is done very high-class. “Then management bringing in the team that they brought in just for year one, that’s something that as players, it gets you excited. When I heard I had the opportunity to possibly play for Vegas, I couldn’t have been happier.” The extension was considered a fait accompli after the Knights traded prospect Erik Brannstrom, forward Oscar Lindberg and a 2020 second- round pick to the Senators to acquire Stone on Feb. 25. General manager George McPhee said that day that the team and Stone’s representatives had “a couple things to iron out, but we can get there.” “There” involved making Stone, 26, the highest paid player on the team next season. His $9.5 million cap hit will be tied for the 12th-largest in the league in 2019-20, according to the website CapFriendly.com, and the site also said he was given a full no-move clause. The Knights declined to disclose details beyond length and value. It’s a hefty price, but that’s what McPhee was willing to pay for the skilled two-way forward, who has matched his career-high with 64 points this season. “You don’t get players like this very often,” McPhee said. “Players this good aren’t available through trade very often. Usually you draft a player like this and hang onto him and he plays his whole career with you.” Stone has played five games for the Knights and is plus-3 with two assists. He has yet to be on the ice for a goal allowed, although he also has not scored himself. “I like everything he’s doing,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “We’re 5-0 since he’s been here. He’s playing good, strong hockey. I’m sure he wants to put the puck in the back of the net sooner or later, but I don’t care if he scores all year as long as we win every game.” Schedule quirk The Knights’ last two games were against the Vancouver Canucks on March 3 and the Calgary Flames on Wednesday. Their next two games are at the Canucks on Saturday and at the Flames on Sunday. The four days between Flames games ties the Knights’ shortest break between meetings against the same opponent. The six days between Canucks games is tied for the third-shortest. “It’s good practice for the playoffs,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “It’s going to have a lot of intensity. We’re trying to win, we’re trying to get better and ramp up for the playoffs.” Carrier update Gallant said forward William Carrier, who is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, is not joining the team on its upcoming two-game road trip. Carrier last played Feb. 16 and has yet to resume skating. “He’s still a little ways away,” Gallant said. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135092 Vegas Golden Knights

Mark Stone signs 8-year, $76 million extension with Golden Knights

By Justin Emerson Friday, March 8, 2019 | 1:40 p.m.

The newest Golden Knight is going to be a Golden Knight for a long time. The team announced today its anticipated extension with winger Mark Stone for eight years, with an average annual value of $9.5 million. Stone was acquired at the trade deadline from the Ottawa Senators. “You’ve got everything here,” Stone said. “You’ve got great neighborhoods, an unbelievable practice facility. We have the downtown area, which is obviously awesome. We have an unbelievable fan base for home games, and even on the road we get tons of fans. “So far, it’s been pretty easy to get used to,” he said. The extension carries a full no-move clause. More than half of the contract — $48 million of $76 million — is paid in signing bonuses. There is a $7 million signing bonus in 2020-21, which would be the potential lockout season, giving Stone financial protection. Stone, 26, will see the extension go into effect next season and keep him under team control through the 2026-27 season. Stone reportedly agreed in principle to the extension minutes after he was informed of the trade, which he said was in part due to the team’s reputation. “When I heard I had the opportunity to possibly play for Vegas, I couldn’t have been happier,” he said. “Everything is done very high-class.” Stone has two points in five games, all wins, with the Golden Knights and has 64 points in 64 games between Ottawa and Vegas. He has slotted into a line with Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny, as well as being featured heavily on the power play and occasionally on the penalty kill. “He’s doing a good job; he’s playing well; he’s fitting in with our guys great, and he’s a top player for us,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “He’s an all-around player that can do real good things for us. He’s making our team better, and that’s what we got him for.” LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135093 Washington Capitals Montreal and Carolina are in the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots with 79 points apiece — but the Hurricanes and the ninth-place Blue Jackets, who have 77 points, both have two games in hand on the Holtby, Capitals blank Devils 3-0 for 6th straight win Canadiens. Washington Post LOADED: 03.09.2019 By Associated Press March 9 at 2:06 AM

WASHINGTON — Andre Burakovsky and Nicklas Backstrom scored, Braden Holtby stopped 25 shots and the Washington Capitals extended their winning streak to six games with an ugly 3-0 victory over the last- place New Jersey Devils on Friday night. Burakovsky ran his goal streak to three games after he wasn’t traded at the deadline. With his 35th career shutout, Holtby tied Olie Kolzig for the most in franchise history. New Jersey sent out a patchwork lineup with many players who started the season in the minors. Mackenzie Blackwood did his best to keep the Devils in the game by making 33 saves. The Devils went 0 for 6 on the power play to drop to 0 for their last 24 and lost their fifth game in a row. Lars Eller sealed it with an empty-netter. JETS 8, HURRICANES 1 RALEIGH, N.C. — Andrew Copp scored twice, Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists, and Winnipeg rode a four-goal first period to an easy win over Carolina. Kevin Hayes, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor and Ben Chiarot each had a goal and an assist. Adam Lowry also scored as Winnipeg posted its largest victory of the season. The Jets scored three times in the first 10 minutes to jump ahead early and then three times in the final 10 minutes to turn it into a rout. Laurent Brossoit made 28 saves and Winnipeg moved ahead of idle Nashville into first place in the Central Division. Curtis McElhinney stopped only 21 of 29 shots for the Hurricanes. Greg McKegg scored their lone goal midway through the third period. PANTHERS 6, WILD 2 SUNRISE, Fla. — Aleksander Barkov set a franchise record with five assists, and MacKenzie Weegar and Mike Matheson each scored twice as Florida beat Minnesota to snap a six-game losing streak. Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and three assists, Mike Hoffman also scored and Evgenii Dadonov added three assists. Sam Montembeault made 26 saves in his second career start for his first NHL win. Marcus Foligno and J.T. Brown scored for the Wild, who had their eight- game point streak stopped. Devan Dubnyk allowed three goals on seven shots before he was replaced by Alex Stalock to start the second period. DUCKS 8, CANADIENS 2 ANAHEIM, Calif. — Adam Henrique scored twice, rookie Troy Terry had a goal and two assists, and Anaheim interrupted Carey Price’s pursuit of Montreal’s career wins record. Corey Perry and Devin Shore had a goal and an assist apiece during the Ducks’ highest-scoring performance of their miserable season. Daniel Sprong and Rickard Rakell also scored and John Gibson made 35 saves for the Ducks, who have won three of four for only the second time since mid-December. Rookie Max Jones even scored his first NHL goal with 10.4 seconds to play. Shea Weber had a power-play goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who have lost five of eight. Paul Byron also scored and Price stopped 21 shots as Montreal completed a three-game California road swing with two losses while giving up a whopping 14 goals. After getting a rare night off Thursday in San Jose, Price was in position to become the Canadiens’ career victories leader after tying Jacques Plante’s record with his 314th win Tuesday in Los Angeles. Instead, Price gave up eight goals in a game for the first time this season behind his befuddled defense. At least now the 31-year-old former NHL MVP will get a chance to make Canadiens history in front of his Montreal fans on Tuesday against the Red Wings. 1135094 Washington Capitals Bay Lightning. The Capitals remain atop the Metropolitan Division, but they know an effort such as this one against a less-depleted team likely would yield a different •result. Capitals aren’t particularly sharp, but they’re sharp enough to win sixth “They all count the same,” ­Carlson said. straight “I feel like games like this are going to happen,” Backstrom said. “Even if we didn’t play our best, it’s a good thing that we came out of it with two By Isabelle Khurshudyan March 8 at 10:01 PM points. But we’re a smart group in here. We realize we can play a lot better. We’re going to take these two points and move forward.”

Washington Post LOADED: 03.09.2019 This one wasn’t pretty, but at the blare of the final horn, the Washington Capitals again exited their bench, hugged their goaltender and lifted their sticks to celebrate a victory. During this six-game winning streak, Washington has prevailed in nail-biting fashion, in blowouts and in defensive struggles. On Friday, the Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils, 3-0, because they were simply better than their banged-up opponents — and because their goaltender was the best player on the ice. On a night his team wasn’t always sharp, Braden Holtby was, making 25 saves for his third shutout. “I thought Braden was outstanding right from the very beginning and gave us a chance to kind of settle in there,” Capitals Coach Todd Reirden said. “He was ­obviously a huge, huge difference-maker tonight.” With the Capitals clinging to a 1-0 lead entering the third period, Devils forward Kenny Agostino was called for tripping at 3:23, and Washington finally seized an opportunity to pull away when center Nicklas Backstrom redirected John Carlson’s feed at the back door for his 17th goal at 4:35. Center Lars Eller added the final tally with an empty-netter in the final minute. The Capitals held the Devils to five shots on goal in the third period, but their play to that point had been lackluster, in part because of poor ice conditions that hindered both teams. With his team on a winning streak, Reirden has kept his lineup the same, including playing left wing Andre Burakovsky on the fourth line. That has been a successful experiment. The •24-year-old, who struggled for much of the first half of the season, scored his third goal in as many games Friday night. ­Defenseman Michal Kempny set up Burakovsky’s snipe from the left faceoff circle on a rush 2:40 into the game, and Washington held that lead the rest of the way. Burakovsky has 11 goals and 12 assists on the season, with four goals and three assists coming in the past nine games. The Capitals are benefiting from having someone of his offensive skill on the fourth line. “For him personally and for us a team, I think it’s great that he’s started scoring,” Backstrom said. “He’s got a terrific shot, I think. It’s good to see him get his confidence back. That’s the kind of player he is. He needs that confidence, and right now he’s playing really good hockey for us. I feel like this time of year, you need scoring from all the lines, and that’s what we get for now.” The rest of the first period was forgettable for the Capitals. Against a Devils team that was missing six regulars — not to mention the players they dealt before the trade deadline last week — Washington had to count on Holtby to make several •challenging saves. The Capitals also failed to capitalize on their many opportunities. They had a five-on-three power play for 1:48 but got just one shot off. And 10 seconds after that man advantage ended, Washington was awarded another because New Jersey had too many men on the ice. The Capitals didn’t score on that chance, ­either. Against a better opponent, squandering those opportunities probably would have loomed larger. Against the cellar-dwelling Devils, Washington was able to get away with it, even as the team took — and successfully killed — six minor penalties. Play was often disjointed, but the Capitals put 13 shots on goal in the second period, all of which were turned away by Devils rookie Mackenzie Blackwood. Holtby made his fifth straight start; with the team’s next back- to-back set of games not until March 19-20, this seemed like a natural opportunity to play No. 2 netminder Pheonix Copley. But with his team rolling, Reirden decided to roll with Holtby. “I was just trying to be into it right from the start,” Holtby said. “I know playing a team like them with a ton of injuries, you don’t really know. It’s hard. Sometimes you come out a little flat. I was just trying to be prepared thinking that might happen and be there, do my job.” Although six of the Capitals’ past seven opponents are out of playoff position, Washington has a challenging schedule to finish the regular season. Ten of their remaining 14 games are against teams that are in the postseason mix, including three meetings with the NHL-best Tampa 1135095 Washington Capitals Washington Post LOADED: 03.09.2019

Capitals extend win streak to 6 with 3-0 win over Devils

By Stephen Whyno | AP March 8 at 11:07 PM

WASHINGTON — Braden Holtby worried the Washington Capitals might come out flat against a last-place New Jersey Devils team that was missing several regulars, so he made sure he was on his game from the moment the puck was dropped. He was right, and he was ready. Holtby stopped 25 shots to help the slow-starting Capitals shut out the Devils 3-0 on Friday night for their sixth consecutive victory. It wasn’t pretty, but it was good enough to put the defending Stanley Cup champions back in sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division. “Playing a team like them with a ton of injuries, you don’t really know,” Holtby said. “I was just trying to be prepared thinking that might happen and be there (and) do my job.” Holtby did his job by robbing All-Star Kyle Palmieri in the first period and making a handful of other important saves in a game that shouldn’t have been so close. With his 35th career shutout, Holtby tied Olie Kolzig for the most in franchise history. Andre Burakovsky extended his goal streak to three games by finishing off a rush 2:40 in, and Nicklas Backstrom scored on the power play in the third period. Lars Eller sealed it with an empty-netter in the final minute of a game that was hardly a masterpiece with the puck bouncing all over bad ice and a playoff contender at times playing down to its competition. “I feel like games like this are going to happen,” Backstrom said. “Even if we didn’t play our best, it’s a good thing that we came out of it with two points. But we’re a smart group in here. We realize we can play a lot better. We’re going to take these two points and move forward.” There were some positives, such as a 6-for-6 showing on the penalty kill and scoring from the fourth line. But after the Capitals had just three shots to show for more than four minutes of power-play time in the first period, assistant coach Blaine Forsythe was sharply critical at the first intermission. “We have every reason to be motivated given the standings,” Forsythe said on the team’s radio network. “That was garbage, that period, to be honest with you. We got outworked in every aspect of the game. That can’t happen. We’ve got to be way better.” Washington took six minor penalties over the course of the game but got better as it went along. “We progressed and figured out a way,” defenseman John Carlson said. “They all count the same.” The same couldn’t be said of the Devils, who lost their fifth in a row. Without last year’s NHL MVP, Taylor Hall, and five other lineup mainstays, New Jersey went 0 for 6 on the power play to extend its drought to 0 for 24 over its past nine games. Rookie goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood did his best to keep the Devils in the game by making 33 saves, and coach John Hynes was proud of his team’s work ethic against long odds. “I thought we had opportunities to score,” Hynes said. “I thought we worked for them. I thought we had some Grade A chances. Unfortunately, the puck didn’t go in for us, but you can’t fault the effort.” NOTES: Palmieri returned after missing four games with a lower-body injury. ... Devils forward John Quenneville returned after missing four games with an upper-body injury. ... C Nico Hischier and F Jesper Bratt didn’t make the trip after being injured Tuesday. ... Capitals D Brooks Orpik played his 40th game of the season and cashed in on a $250,000 contract incentive. .. A moment of silence was held before the game in honor of late Hockey Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay, who died earlier in the week. UP NEXT Devils: Cory Schneider is expected to start in goal at the New York Rangers on Saturday. Capitals: Look for their seventh consecutive victory when they host the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. 1135096 Washington Capitals

Why playing Andre Burakovsky on the fourth line is helping the Capitals

By Isabelle Khurshudyan March 8 at 12:29 PM

It started as a demotion, forward Andre Burakovsky bumped down to the fourth line and back below 10 minutes per game. Recently acquired winger Carl Hagelin took Burakovsky’s spot on the third line halfway through the Washington Capitals’ game against the New York Islanders, and Coach Todd Reirden kept that formation for the team’s next game, at the New York Rangers. Both players scored with their new linemates and then Burakovsky scored again in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, his first two-game goal streak of the season. What started as a demotion might stick, both Burakovsky and the Capitals reaping the rewards of having some skill on the fourth line. “The growth of successful teams in the NHL were kind of revolving around having three lines of depth,” Reirden said. “For me, the next level is to get to four lines of depth, and if you can add that, then you become an extremely dangerous team and a really difficult matchup team. It’s been a look that’s worked for us. Does that mean we’re going to stay with it? We’ll continue to move things around. It’s worked well for us the past few games, and he’s been able to convert sometimes against a little bit of lesser quality of competition.” After struggling to score for the first half of the season, Burakovsky has scored three goals and three assists over the past eight games — and that’s without any special teams time and averaging 10:44 per game. Right wing Brett Connolly is arguably the shooter on the third line, but Burakovsky now has that role to himself with the fourth trio. “It seems like he’s kind of just taking charge with those guys,” Connolly said. And putting Hagelin with Connolly and center Lars Eller gives those two a speedy and aggressive forechecker who has complemented them well. After scoring his first goal with Washington against the Rangers, he then set up Connolly’s goal against the Flyers. “I like the things the third line has done in terms of being able to, I just thought they were excellent in the first period in terms of offensive zone time and possession,” Reirden said. “We’ll continue to move things around, but when they’re going to start like that there’s not a lot of reason to.” With the team on a five-game winning streak, this has been a rare period of lineup stability. Especially with his bottom two lines, Reirden has tinkered often to experiment with different combinations, but with the playoffs just 15 games away, the focus is on building chemistry with the hope of sustaining it. Burakovsky skating beside center Nic Dowd and Travis Boyd on the fourth line may not be permanent, but the Capitals now know they have that as an intriguing option. “Andre is a really skilled player and has a lot of offensive ability,” Boyd said. “And I think that Nic and myself, obviously we understand the role that we’re in and kind of how you have to play in that role, but at the same time, I think now that we’ve got Andre on the line, it’s three guys who can make a lot of plays. You can kind of see that at times. Instead of just chipping it in, I think we have the ability to try and make a play or go off the rush. The last two games, we’ve seen some good results from that.” Washington Post LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135097 Washington Capitals

The Caps beat up an injured Devils team for sixth straight win

By J.J. Regan March 08, 2019 9:38 PM

WASHINGTON – The New Jersey Devils limped into Washington, and the Capitals took advantage with a 3-0 shutout victory on Friday for their sixth-straight win. With no Taylor Hall or Nico Hischier, the Devils looked badly outmatched against a surging Caps team. After an early goal, however, Washington could not pull away from New Jersey until an early power play in the third period when Nicklas Backstrom finally put the Caps up by two and the game out of reach. Here are five reasons the Caps won. Andre Burakovsky stays hot It took Burakovsky less than three minutes to extend his goal streak to three games. Travis Boyd carried the puck into the offensive zone and passed back to Michal Kempny. Kempny looked like he was shooting the whole way and even lifted his leg to get his full weight behind the shot, but delivered the puck instead to Burakovsky. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood reacted slightly to the fake and that was all the time Burakovsky needed. He put the puck in the back of the net before Blackwood could stretch his blocker in front of the shot. Burakovsky now has three goals in three games, all of which came after head coach Todd Reirden moved him down to the fourth line. The penalty kill Washington took far too many penalties in this game and it should have cost them in such a close game. Instead, the penalty kill stood tall for the Caps. Washington gave up six power play opportunities, but managed to kill off all five for a perfect night. Carl Hagelin has already established himself as one of the team’s top penalty killers and logged a team-high 8:18 of kill time. Braden Holtby The Caps’ netminder was strong when called upon on Friday making 25 saves for the shutout. This game could have gone very differently as Stefan Noesen was left all alone on top of the crease very early in the game forcing two huge saves from Holtby. Holtby also made a diving save on the penalty kill to deny Kyle Palmieri when a shot went wide, hit off the backboard and came out on the opposite side of the net. The shutout effort is the 35th of Holtby's career, pulling him even with Olie Kolzig for the franchise all-time lead. It also came one day before the anniversary of his first shutout which he got back on March 9, 2011 against the Edmonton Oilers. The coffin nail The Caps held only a 1-0 lead heading into the third period. After killing off their fifth power play on the night, Washington was given the man advantage as Kenny Agostino was caught tripping Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Caps put the finishing touch on this game in the resulting power play. Washington showed a lot of different looks on the power play and could not convert on their first three chances. The fourth proved to be the charm. Nicklas Backstrom stood in front of Blackwood for the screen, then quickly moved to the side of the net with his stick on the ice. John Carlson found him with the pass and Backstrom scored on the backhanded tip. Lars Eller would add an empty-net shorthanded goal with less than a minute remaining. Injuries New Jersey’s roster featured 10 players who came into Friday’s game with 100 games of NHL experience or less. Injuries are really taking their toll on New Jersey as former MVP Taylor Hall is on IR and Nico Hischier, Miles Wood, Jesper Bratt and Pavel Zacha were among the team’s scratches on Friday for injuries. Plus, New Jersey traded away Marcus Johansson, Ben Lovejoy and Keith Kinkaid at the trade deadline. The bottom line is that New Jersey brought a weak roster with them to Washington and this was a game the Caps had no business losing. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135098 Washington Capitals Devil’s bargain New Jersey is a disaster. The Devils are in last place in the Metro with 59 points. They dealt starting goalie Keith Kincaid and contributing players Caps center Nicklas Backstrom looks to torment Devils again tonight Brian Boyle, Marcus Johansson and Ben Lovejoy by the Feb. 25 trade deadline. They have lost four in a row. They are still missing former NHL MVP Taylor Hall (knee), top defenseman Sami Vatanen (illness) and By Brian McNally March 08, 2019 2:45 PM second-year forward Nico Hischier (upper-body injury), who was second on the team in scoring as a rookie.

They do welcome back 2019 NHL All-Star Kyle Palmieri to the lineup, ARLINGTON -- For Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom, being underrated which helps. But backup goalie Mackenzie Blackwood will start. The 22- is just part of the gig. He is cruising along at a Hall-of-Fame pace, but will year-old rookie makes his 14thcareer start, though he has an impressive always be overshadowed by star teammate Alex Ovechkin. .931 save percentage. Backstrom has never cared about that. He has had personal success Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 and won a Stanley Cup so he’s fine. But there’s one NHL team that won’t take what Backstrom does for granted. Okay, yes, the Capitals. But also the New Jersey Devils, who visit Washington tonight at Capital One Arena (7 p.m., NBC Sports Washington). Backstrom has torched other teams for longer. He is a point-per-game player against Philadelphia (1.23), Tampa Bay (1.19), Pittsburgh (1.09), Boston (1.08), Carolina (1.05), Toronto (1.03) and the New York Islanders (1.0). But New Jersey has been a particular target recently. Backstrom has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in his past six games against the Devils. He had a hat trick against them on Nov. 30 at Capital One Arena with three goals and an assist. Backstrom has three goals and four assists in Washington’s past five games and is catching fire again at the perfect time for a team tied for first place in the Metropolitan Division with the New York Islanders. Backstrom isn’t near the very top of the NHL leader board in points (tied- 36th) or assists (17th). But with 63 points, he is seven away from reach 70 for the sixth straight year. Only Sidney Crosby has done that - it’s possible Dallas forward Tyler Seguin (61 points) will get there, too. He’s sitting on five in a row like Backstrom. But that’s the list. It’s a level of consistency few can match. Backstrom is three points shy of becoming the only player in the NHL with at least 50 assists in each of the past six seasons. Only 25 others have accomplished that six years in a row and 23 of them are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. San Jose center Joe Thornton is the only other active player to have six straight 50-assist seasons Henrik Sedin, Backstrom’s Swedish countrymen, just retired last year and isn’t eligible yet. Backstrom (637 assists) will move into the top 70 all-time in assists with his next one. He has 862 points and is 30 away from passing Peter Bondra (892) for second in franchise history behind Ovechkin (1,199) and by the end of next season could move into the top 100 all time. Only 113 players ever have reached 900 points. Backstrom should get there by next season if he stays healthy. And he can add to all those numbers tonight against a team he’s tortured lately. One of several reasons to watch the Capitals and Devils. Here are some others: Holtby starts If a game against the injury-decimated Devils looked like an opportunity to get backup goalie a Pheonix Copley a start, that isn’t happening. Braden Holtby goes against New Jersey. Maybe a message from coach Todd Reirden that this game will be taken seriously. The Capitals can’t exactly afford to slip. They are tied for first place in the Metropolitan Division with the New York Islanders and only four points ahead of Pittsburgh and six up on Carolina with 15 games to go still. Over the past six games Holtby has a .921 save percentage with 163 saves on 177 shots. It is his seventh start in eight games. Ovechkin’s point Alex Ovechkin is one point away from 1,200 in his career and that would tie him with former Capitals forward Dino Ciccarelli for 48thon the all-time NHL list. Ovechkin has scored four goals in a game before so reaching 50 tonight is a long shot, but can’t be ruled out. He has 77 points (46 goals, 31 assists) and is on pace to top 90 for the first time since 2009- 10. No changes Why mess with what’s working? The Capitals have won five games in a row with the same lineup. The only change during that stretch is Carl Hagelin moving up to the third line and Andre Burakovsky dropping to the fourth line at left wing. And both players have scored goals anyway. 1135099 Washington Capitals "It's amazing, probably something I didn't think I would ever see," Smith- Pelly added. "Group of 40 black women coming together and just for the joy of hockey. It's amazing that the game has grown that much." Celebrating the Black Girl Hockey Club this Women’s History Month "Renee took it upon herself to create a space," Dowd said, "and I mean you look around and there's a ton of willing participants." By Meredith Violi March 08, 2019 2:06 PM Since the meetup, the BGHC has continued to make their way around the nation. They’ve made stops in Nashville and New York, and most recently back in D.C., where Hess got to meet Willie O’Ree, the NHL’s first player of color. With the regular season coming to a close, Hess has Renee Hess has always been a fan of hockey, but her love of the game her sights set on the future. She is currently raising money to turn BGHC grew after she attended her first live game. into a non-profit organization before the beginning of next season. "I finally worked up the courage to go to a game and I was hooked, I fell Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 in love with it." She fell in love with the sport's speed and tenacity, and the vivacious crowds cheering on the players. "The vibe is upbeat and a lot of fun and the crowds are just - it's amazing, it's so much fun to be at a live game." Shortly after, she started looking for other women of color who enjoyed watching hockey as much as she did, but she found the task was tougher than expected. Thus, Black Girl Hockey Club was born. "I was kind of looking around for other black girls that like hockey and it was hard to find, and so after a year of kind of putting together people and finding out who was where, this came about." After careful planning, the club chose a spot for their inaugural meetup: A trip to Washington, D.C. to watch the reigning Stanley Cup champions take on the Buffalo Sabres. "D.C. has two black hockey players, and two black owners and we thought it was the perfect place to have the inaugural meetup for the Black Girl Hockey Club." The players at the time were Devante Smith-Pelly, who has since been assigned to the Hershey Bears after clearing waivers during the trade deadline, and Madison Bowey, who was traded to the Detroit Red Wings last month in exchange for Nick Jensen. Hess traveled from her home in Riverside, California to meet with over 40 members in the nation's capital. The group boasted people of all shapes and sizes, aging from 6-91. The group got tours of both the Capitol and the Smithsonian's Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) on Friday before heading to the arena for the game on Saturday. Once they arrived at Capital One Arena, the club held a Q&A with the on- ice officials, and was addressed by Earl Stafford, one of the Capitals' owners of color. Stafford brought with him Lonnie G. Bunch III, the Founding Director of the NMAAHC, who flew in just for the event. "What it's really convinced me is to think more about how hockey plays a role in shaping this community," Bunch III said, "and thinking a little bit more about how hockey can play a bigger role within the museum itself." "In many ways what you see is you've got Canadians, Russians, African Americans... a whole array of people who put aside national or regional identity to come together as a team to make a city better." "That's the America I love, people of different races of different politics coming together for the greater good. That's what the Capitals symbolize." After a quick visit and photo op with some of the NHL's mascots, it was time for puck drop. Devante Smith-Pelly had been sitting at 99 points for ten games, waiting anxiously to notch that 100th point. That night, it finally happened, on the first goal of the game. Smith-Pelly pressured Buffalo netminder Carter Hutton on the forecheck, got a hold of the puck and found Brett Connolly in front of the net for the score. "It's funny how things work," Smith-Pelly said after the game "we got this group here and I finally get it so I don't know, maybe just a little more jump in my step tonight." The Caps gave the group a game worth watching, winning 4-3 in a shootout. As if that weren't exciting enough, they got to meet Braden Holtby, Devante Smith-Pelly, Madison Bowey, Nic Dowd, and Brooks Orpik afterward. All of whom were amazed at the club's turnout. "I'm just so proud to be an NHL player of color," Bowey commented, "to have this here it's just amazing and I'm so honored and so happy they could make it out and we could get a win for them." 1135100 Washington Capitals

Journey to the Cup: Tom Wilson returns from suspension with something to prove

By J.J. Regan March 08, 2019 12:10 PM

The Capitals did not start off the season like they had hoped. As the defending champs with largely the same roster, Washington was looking to avoid the dreaded Stanley Cup hangover to start the season. They did not. Under head coach Todd Reirden, the Caps limped out to a 7-6-3 start to the season. They needed a spark to get them out of their funk. They got one on Nov. 13 with the return of Tom Wilson. General manager Brian MacLellan raised eyebrows around the league over the summer by re-signing Tom Wilson for six years at a cap hit of over $5.1 million. To many, Wilson is nothing more than a glorified goon not worth nearly what the Caps were paying. Wilson, however, was a first round draft pick and seemed to find a home on Washington’s top line last season. Playing alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, Wilson does not seem out of place at all, but was finally put in a position in which he could use the skills that made him a first round draft pick. The Caps had enough faith in Wilson to give him a big contract, he needed to live up to those expectations. He came into the 2018-19 season with something to prove. Things did not get off to a great start. In the preseason finale, Wilson delivered a high hit to St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist that earned him a 14-game suspension. When he finally returned to the ice, he needed to make up for lost time. Wilson made his season debut on Nov. 13 against the Minnesota. He scored in typical Wilson fashion, with a physical play in front of the net that saw him crash into Devan Dubnyk. Wilson was awarded the goal and a goalie interference penalty in a bizarre turn of events. Wilson would go on to score eight goals and 14 points in his first 10 games back, tied with Nicklas Backstrom for the most points on the team during that stretch. For the season, Wilson has already surpassed his career high in goals with 19 and, with 34 points, is one point away from matching his career- high of 35. Oh, and did I mention he has played in only 48 games this season? Wilson will always be a polarizing player. There were many who snickered at his contract when it was first announced and those people were probably laughing pretty hard after he was suspended to start the season. With 34 points in just 48 games and still at the young age of 24, it certainly looks like Wilson and the Caps will get the last laugh. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135101 Washington Capitals “The numbers kind of speak for themselves,” coach Todd Reirden said of Kempny. “He’s so much more comfortable now. It’s been a pretty amazing year for him. We’ve gone through that a couple of times when Caps’ Michal Kempny has been hit hard in the face by objects, ‘three he’s had some positives and negatives and at different points of the times, four times … I don’t know’ season we’ll get together and meet again and be like, ‘can you believe all of this happened in a year?’ He’s hard on himself and wants to continue to improve and feels like he can improve. By Chris Kuc Mar 8, 2019 “To see his game grow, it’s a really amazing story obviously for our organization and how we were able to find that type of player and bring him in. Just an amazing story for hockey players that sometimes get pushed to the side. Sometimes you do have a second chance and if you Thanks to some extraordinarily bad luck this season, Michal Kempny is take advantage of it some pretty awesome things can happen.” drawing some odd looks in the produce aisle of his local grocery store. Kempny is determined to continue the career arc that led to him hoisting “Sometimes you go to Whole Foods and people are looking at you like the Stanley Cup last June, and has helped the Capitals win five you’re an idiot or something,” Kempny said with a laugh. “They don’t consecutive games as they ramp up for another postseason run this know. It’s part of hockey.” season. The part of hockey the Capitals’ defenseman is referring to is how his “I feel like I still have some room to be better,” Kempny said. “Hopefully, I face has suddenly become a road map of pain. Currently sporting a red can prove it. My style of hockey is about hard work so I’m going to stick mark under his right eye and another across the bridge of his nose, with it and hopefully it’s going to get me to a next level.” Kempny has no idea why his face has become a magnet for pucks, sticks and helmets this season. He has been left bleeding on the Capitals The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 bench so many times he has lost count. And don’t even ask how many stitches he’s taken, he has no idea. “My face has been through a lot of trouble,” Kempny said. “I’ve been hit three times, four times … I don’t know. It’s part of hockey and things like that happen. I can’t do anything with it. It’s probably bad luck.” It’s the kind of luck that has led to frantic text messages from his mother, Ladislava, from the Czech Republic. The latest came following Sunday night’s game against the Rangers, when Kempny was left bloodied after an open-ice collision with Lias Andersson. MICHAL KEMPNY TOO HANDSOME PIC.TWITTER.COM/JPX2UP35LN — ZEE (@REDSHIFTVOID) MARCH 3, 2019 “My mom was a little bit freaking out,” Kempny said. “She’s always like that. I just texted her after the game that I’m OK and it’s all good. She’s worried every time if something happens. She’s my mom.” It has been a potpourri of pain for Kempny, who suffered damage in November when he was inadvertently head-butted in the face by teammate Travis Boyd during a goal celebration. Last month, the Capitals took the ice for pregame warm-ups wearing camouflaged hats and sweaters on Military Appreciation Night and, you guessed it, Kempny was hit by some friendly fire, taking a puck to his right cheek. The culprits appeared to be teammates Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky. “They were passing between each other; it took a bounce,” Kempny said with a shrug. All of the face shots have taken their toll on Kempny’s nose, though he doesn’t believe it has been broken. “Every contact with my nose makes some troubles — it’s been a lot,” Kempny said. “I don’t think there’s a reason. Bad spots at bad times, something like that.” Other than the blows to his face, there haven’t been many times this season when Kempny has been in the wrong spot at the wrong time. One year after being acquired in a trade with the Blackhawks that revitalized his career and put the final piece of the puzzle in the Capitals’ run to their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, Kempny has become one of the team’s most consistent defensemen. “I think I’m a better hockey player for sure than I was last season — I believe in that,” Kempny, 28, said. “I just try to build my game up every game, every practice, every day and be better and better. “Last year, I got traded and I played (22) games in the regular season and then had a long grind in the playoffs so this season is a little bit different for me. It will be a different situation than it was in Chicago when I played maybe 50 games every season. This is my first season when I’ve played every game so I’ve had to learn how to play consistently.” Kempny leads the Capitals and ranks 15th in the NHL with a plus-23 plus-minus rating. Among teammates who have skated more than 500 minutes this season, he ranks fourth with an even-strength Corsi For Percentage of 50.15. Kempny also has a career-high six goals (three of them game-winners) and 15 assists. 1135102 Winnipeg Jets especially since December. One of the best teams in the league obviously. To come into a building like this and quiet it pretty quickly, it was nice," said Brossoit. Jets storm back to top of Central with 8-1 drubbing of Hurricanes The fourth line got in on the scoring with 31 seconds left in the second period as Mathieu Perreault and Jack Roslovic set up Andrew Copp. Mike McIntyre Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Staal and Winnipeg Jets' Jacob Trouba chase the puck during the first period. Posted: 03/8/2019 9:16 PM | Last Modified: 03/8/2019 10:36 PM| Updates Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Staal and Winnipeg Jets' Jacob Trouba chase the puck during the first period.

Carolina finally got a puck past Brossoit near the midway mark of the RALEIGH – They arrived in town looking to prevent a Storm Surge. third period as Greg McKegg re-directed a point shot just seconds after a Instead it was the Winnipeg Jets who came in waves Friday night, Jets penalty expired. pouring cold water over one of the hottest teams in the NHL. But the Jets got that back a few minutes later as Connor took a pass An 8-1 beatdown of the Carolina Hurricanes in their own backyard would from Wheeler, spun around in front of the net and beat McElhinney from certainly qualify as making a big splash. It's the largest margin of victory in tight on the power play. for the Jets all season. Wheeler has points in eight straight games, with seven goals and eight "It was great. Right from the drop of the puck, that’s a full team ready to assists over that span. With 83 points on the year and 15 games play. And we took it to them early and got them out of the game early. remaining, a 100-point season is not out of the question. The rest, you can tell they were a little intimidated and we carried the play. The boys made it pretty easy for me," said goalie Laurent Brossoit, Copp scored his second of the game with one minute left, once again off who made 28 saves on the night to improve to 12-3-2 in 17 games this a great pass from Roslovic. Then Chiarot put the exclamation point on a season. big night for his team, firing a shot with 19 seconds left that was tipped by Adam Lowry, who returned from a two-game suspension and was also Winnipeg is now 40-23-4 and back into first place in the Central Division, battling a virus. one point ahead of the idle Nashville Predators. The Jets also have two games in hand. Add it all up and the Jets got goals from all four lines, with 15 of 18 skaters recording at least a point. Winnipeg Jets goalie Laurent Brossoit deflects a shot on goal during the first period Friday. "We want to play four lines. We think when we’re able to do that we can play a really fast, heavy game. Our team looks really good when we’re Winnipeg Jets goalie Laurent Brossoit deflects a shot on goal during the healthy. Obviously we’re still missing some key pieces (defencemen Josh first period Friday. Morrissey, Dustin Byfuglien and Joe Morrow are all injured). But up front, when we can roll out four lines like that and play at a really high pace, The Jets were looking to rebound from a tough loss Tuesday night to the that’s what we want to get to every night," said Wheeler. league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. After a full day off Wednesday and a practice Thursday, Winnipeg came flying out of the gate against a Lowry caused a bit of a ruckus at the final buzzer when he did a mock Carolina team that had gone 5-0-1 in its past six games and 8-1-1 in the "Storm Surge" motion with his hands which a few players on Carolina last 10 to move into a playoff spot, playing especially well at PNC Arena took offence to and let him know. The Jets, it appears, are starting to where they celebrate each win with an elaborate "Storm Surge" show a bit of swagger as they gear up for the playoffs. celebration that has become the talk of the NHL. Winnipeg is now 2-1-0 on this four-game eastern road trip, which "This team’s been one of the best teams since All-Star break. We used it concludes Sunday night in Washington against the defending Stanley to see where we were against top teams in the East and we did pretty Cup champs. It will be another chance to see how they measure up and well tonight," said centre Kevin Hayes, who got things started when he try to make a statement. scored just 2:58 into the game. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.09.2019 It was his second goal since joining the Jets at the trade deadline five games ago, but his first one on a goalie following an empty-netter last week. Linemate Nikolaj Ehlers set it all up with a terrific, high-speed zone entry and feed to Hayes, who had 14 goals with the New York Rangers prior to being traded to Winnipeg. Captain Blake Wheeler made it 2-0 just under three minutes later, converting on a nice pass from Patrik Laine for his 19th goal – and seventh in his past four games. "My game’s not predicated on goals. I’m just trying to drive the play towards the other team’s net, trying to get around the net a little bit more. Obviously Patty and (Mark Scheifele) are incredible goal scorers and maybe they lose track of me a little out there. Gotta give those guys a lot of credit, they’re making some great plays finding me, putting me in some great spots. It’s nice to see a few go in," said Wheeler. Carolina Hurricanes' Dougie Hamilton and Winnipeg Jets' Patrik Laine chase the puck during the first period. Carolina Hurricanes' Dougie Hamilton and Winnipeg Jets' Patrik Laine chase the puck during the first period. The goals kept coming for Winnipeg in the dominant opening frame. Kyle Connor found defenceman Ben Chiarot all alone in the slot, and the Jets defenceman beat goalie Curtis McElhinney with a shot 9:16 into the period. And then Hayes paid Ehlers back, setting up the speedy winger at 18:44. "He’s a great player, him and Kyle Connor. They’re both elite players in this league. They’re easy and fun to play with. This road trip definitely helped a lot, off the ice and feeling comfortable with some guys and stuff. It’s not always easy being the new guy. But I mean, everyone’s been great. I think I’ve become pretty close with Nik here," said Hayes. A message sent? You bet, according to Brossoit. "All these games, leading up to playoffs, are playoff games. You have to get all the habits right. This is a playoff team and they’re playing like it, 1135103 Winnipeg Jets – Sami Niku "I just needed to be patient and wait for my chance. When I got my chance, I just had to do my best," said Niku. "The first few games this Trading in his antlers year, they weren’t good and I wasn’t happy. But after that, I played more and more and now I usually play 15 minutes per night, almost. It helps when I play more and more. It’s much easier for me." By: Mike McIntyre NHL teams had until Feb. 25 to send players back to the AHL in so- Posted: 03/8/2019 8:27 PM called paper transactions so they'd be eligible for the playoffs with the farm team. Curiously, Niku was not one of those who got papered.

"I think it was really an assessment of his game," Maurice said when RALEIGH — Sami Niku's days as a member of the Manitoba Moose asked why that wasn't done. "He’s at the point where we didn’t want him appear to be over. And that's good news for those who believe the sitting here for 20 games and not playing. He’s at a place where he talented, 22-year-old Finn was overdue for a promotion. wouldn’t be out of the lineup. We’ve got a number of defencemen, when we get healthy. But we go through defencemen here. That’s been our Niku, the reigning AHL defenceman of the year, has quietly carved out a run, we’ve always had banged-up blue-lines." role with the Winnipeg Jets this season and seems unlikely to be heading back to the farm. Sure, it took several injuries on the blue-line for him to Morrow, out since Feb. 14, is the closest to returning, as he's on the road become a regular in the lineup. But he's shown enough in that time to trip and has been skating on his own in recent days. earn plenty of trust, and praise, from the coaching staff. Byfuglien also skated on his own earlier in the week, but flew back to "I’m not going to describe him as the same player as Josh Morrissey, but Winnipeg on Thursday for further treatment on an ankle injury suffered what changed for Josh was an awareness of how to use his speed as his Feb. 14. It was a surprising development, considering Maurice had been most effective weapon. They’re a different style of player. So Sami Niku, hopeful Byfuglien might join the full team for a skate towards the end of as all of these young skating defencemen in amateur hockey, would the week. never have had to go that fast, they were just faster than everybody else. You get to the NHL and he’s not a big man, so he needs then to learn to But plans have obviously changed, although Maurice wouldn't describe it use his speed to defend and get into holes to make offence happen. That as a setback. would be the area that we’ve seen the biggest improvement," Paul Maurice said prior to Friday night's game against the Carolina "He went back to get a new treatment. Not as a change of course of Hurricanes. action, just it was something they thought they could do after a certain period of time. So he went back to get that taken care of," said Maurice. "We see it in his practice habits, he’s moving quite a bit quicker all over the ice. So he’s effective, even against big men, he’s been moving to go Byfuglien initially suffered an ankle injury on Dec. 29, which kept him out back and get pucks. He can make that tight turn and put it on of the lineup for 15 games. He then returned in early February, played somebody’s tape. One of the things that he does, Winnipeg will five games, got hurt again and will now miss a ninth straight game remember Toby Enstrom’s game, that ability to tight turn in a corner in a tonight. A return is still at least a week away, if not longer. heavy area and get it into the middle of the ice. They all have that same Morrissey, who suffered either a shoulder or collarbone injury on Feb. 24, attribute." isn't expected back until early April. Comparisons to Morrissey and Enstrom would count as high praise from It was interesting to hear Maurice mention Enstrom on Friday, as he's a Maurice. Niku's offensive skills were never in question, but it's his ability player who built great chemistry on a pairing with Byfuglien. Does that to defend at an NHL level that will decide whether he stays with the big mean Niku might slide into that role once Byfuglien returns to health? club and in the lineup. "It’s a possibility for sure," said Maurice. However, Niku has been playing "We see it in his practice habits, he’s moving quite a bit quicker all over on his off-side in the pairing with Chiarot, which the coach believes might the ice. So he’s effective, even against big men, he’s been moving to go actually serve him better. back and get pucks. He can make that tight turn and put it on somebody’s tape" "So Sami came into the league as a lefty, played the left side until he got with the Moose, now he’s one of those guys..for your slighter built guys, – Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice playing their off-side allows you to escape a little easier, to get pucks off "He’s doing very well. So you’ll remember his first game in Montreal (last the wall. So he’s really comfortable on the right and may stay there," said season) where he scored a goal and there was some unusual d-zone Maurice. coverage reads. That is something those guys have to go through to Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.09.2019 learn. And he has. So now his reads, if he’s off on a read you understand what he was thinking, there was a process to it, he just picked up the wrong guy or he was gapping him somewhere else. He’s done well with it," said Maurice. Niku suited up for his 20th game of the year Friday night, once again on a pairing with Ben Chiarot that has been effective in recent games. He told the Free Press he's getting more comfortable with each passing day. "I feel better and better, the more I play. I'm really happy right now," said Niku, who scored his first goal of the year (and second of his career) to kick off the four-game road trip Sunday in Columbus. "I’ve had a lot of chances before this year and I haven’t scored. When it went in, it felt very good." Contrast that to how he was feeling back in late November when he made his season debut against Chicago. Niku was extremely critical of how his second-ever NHL game had gone, calling his play terrible. Niku played four more games on that call-up before a stint as a healthy scratch and a return to the Moose, but he's been a fixture now in the lineup since mid-February as Dustin Byfuglien, Josh Morrissey and Joe Morrow are all nursing hurts. Niku admits he struggled to start this season with the Jets but believes he's made significant strides. "I just needed to be patient and wait for my chance. When I got my chance, I just had to do my best. The first few games this year, they weren’t good and I wasn’t happy. But after that, I played more and more and now I usually play 15 minutes per night, almost. It helps when I play more and more. It’s much easier for me” 1135104 Winnipeg Jets Not only does Byfuglien’s presence intimidate opponents into not trying for entries as often and dumping the puck in, but when he does break up an entry in the defensive zone, he has the highest rate on the Jets of Easy zone entries add insult to injuries on Jets' blue line recovering that puck and sending it over the blue line, with a full third of the entry attempts he faces being sent back into the neutral zone. That ranks 36th in the NHL, tied with Boston's Zdeno Chara, one of the best neutral zone defenders in the business. Andrew Berkshire Posted: 03/8/2019 2:59 PM The Jets’ next best player in this area is Dmitri Kulikov, who has been really solid of late and ranks 73rd in the league, but after that we drop down to Josh Morrissey at 140th, and he’s out with an injury as well. With the Winnipeg Jets struggling a little bit over their last stretch of games, the team's few structural weaknesses have begun to get some So two of the Jets’ best at not just denying entries but denying them and attention. sending the puck the other way are out of the lineup, and the team struggles in that area to begin with. The main weakness I’ve focused on this season has been the team's propensity to give up chances off the rush. The Jets have also struggled It’s just one facet of the game, but it’s one explanation of why they can at times to generate chances off the rush, but with Nikolaj Ehlers back in get into trouble for stretches. the lineup and the addition of Kevin Hayes in the middle I don’t think that’s an area of deep concern at the moment. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.09.2019 There are plenty of factors that go into how many chances off the rush a team gives up. For example, the New York Islanders give up barely any because they play a dump-and-chase style to the extreme — generating less offence, but also carrying fewer risks of odd-man rushes against because of failed passes or a puck carrier being stripped in the neutral zone. Limiting risk also limits reward, so for a team as offensively talented as the Jets, I don’t think that’s a solution that makes sense. The focus then shifts to how defenders handle controlled-entry attempts, and we can break that down by player. Looking at controlled-entry attempts where an opponent targeted each defenceman, you can make a few inferences based on the total number of entries attempted alone. Opposing attackers don’t like to attempt to enter the Jets’ zone against Dustin Byfuglien; the combination of his long reach and the possibility of being crushed by a bodycheck is likely enough to scare some players away. The order each defenceman is placed on the chart is no coincidence — by highest to lowest entry denial rate, from top to bottom. That means that it’s not just physical attributes and reputation that drives opponents away from Byfuglien on entries — he’s also one of the toughest to get past in practical situations. While he isn’t the most porous entry defender on the team, it’s clear that opponents mark Joe Morrow as someone who can be exploited defensively. Despite playing third-pairing minutes against weaker competition — something that lowers the number of entry attempts against for Tyler Myers and Sami Niku — he’s still the Jets’ defenceman that faces the most tries. Newly acquired Nathan Beaulieu has the lowest denial rate on the team overall, which shouldn’t be a huge surprise given his reputation as a poor defensive player. One interesting thing is that his neutral zone denials are vastly higher than any other Jet. In a perfect world, you would want to deny a controlled entry in the neutral zone instead of the offensive zone, because even if you knock the puck away in the defensive zone, it’s already crossed the blue line and there’s still plenty of risk. This season, aside from Beaulieu, the Jets just aren’t very aggressive when defending in the neutral zone, with Myers leading the pack at just 0.82 neutral zone denials per 60 minutes. To put that into some context, among 206 defencemen this season who have played at least 400 minutes, Myers ranks 135th in neutral zone denials. I think this might be part of the problem. The Jets are relatively efficient at disrupting entries once the puck crosses the line, but because they allow opponents to access their zone so freely, they’re still susceptible to attackers recovering with the puck still in their zone. If Beaulieu was a better defensive player in his own zone he might be able to make a small difference in that regard, but he’s too easily beat on passing plays and his man-to-man coverage isn’t great either. As a result, despite being an aggressive neutral zone defender, he’s still the leakiest defenceman off the rush on the Jets’ roster. Opposing attackers don’t like to attempt to enter the Jets’ zone against Dustin Byfuglien; the combination of his long reach and the possibility of being crushed by a bodycheck is likely enough to scare some players away One reason why this weakness may be rearing its head a little bit right now is that the Jets are coming up on a month without Byfuglien, and he is clearly the biggest impact player on the roster in this area. 1135105 Winnipeg Jets

Lowry back in lineup tonight as Jets venture into eye of Hurricanes

By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 03/8/2019 12:34 PM

RALEIGH — Could a Storm Surge be in the forecast tonight? The Winnipeg Jets certainly hope not, as they try to get back in the win column against a red-hot Carolina Hurricanes team. Backup goalie Laurent Brossoit gets the start in net, while shutdown centre Adam Lowry returns to the lineup after finishing up a two-game suspension. Lowry missed Thursday's practice in Raleigh due to illness but participated in this mornings skate and is good to go, coach Paul Maurice said. Trade deadline acquisition Par Lindholm is expected to come out of the lineup for Lowry, who will likely go back to anchoring the third line between Bryan Little and Brandon Tanev. Andrew Copp slides back down to the fourth line between Mathieu Perreault and Jack Roslovic, while the top two lines remain intact. No other lineup changes are expected, meaning Matt Hendricks and Bogdan Kiselevich will also be healthy scratches. Winnipeg (39-23-4) begins the day in second place in the Central Division, one point back of the Nashville Predators, with three games in hand. Right behind them are the St. Louis Blues, now just four points back of the Jets. "Every game counts. It has been all season. Right now, everything is so tight, it’s fun hockey," Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers said this morning. "It’s hard to explain. If you lose one game, you go down maybe one or two spots. If you win one, you go up one or two. We’ve got to find our game. We don’t want to worry too much about what happens in those other games. We want to give ourselves the best chance we can to put ourselves in a good spot." The Hurricanes (36-23-7) have gone 5-0-1 in their last six games, 8-1-1 in the past 10 and 11-2-1 in the past 14. They are in a Eastern Conference wild-card playoff spot, two points up on Columbus. They've been riding a wave of momentum lately and taking the league by "storm" with their creative, post-victory Storm Surge celebrations at PNC Arena. Winnipeg beat Carolina 3-1 in their only other meeting this season on Oct. 14 at Bell MTS Place. Maurice did have one notable update this morning, saying injured defenceman Dustin Byfuglien has flown back to Winnipeg for further treatment on an ankle injury suffered Feb. 14. Byfuglien skated by himself earlier in the week, and Maurice had been hopeful he might join the full team for a skate towards the end of the week. But plans have obviously changed, although Maurice wouldn't describe it as a setback. "He went back to get a new treatment. Not as a change of course of action, just it was something they thought they could do after a certain period of time. So he went back to get that taken care of," said Maurice. Byfuglien initially suffered an ankle injury on Dec. 29, which kept him out of the lineup for 15 games. He then returned in early February, played five games, got hurt again and will now miss a ninth straight game tonight. A return is still at least a week away, if not longer. The Jets began the road trip with a 5-2 win Sunday night in Columbus, then lost 5-2 Tuesday night in Tampa to the league-leading Lightning. They wrap things up with a visit to the nation's capital Sunday and a date with the defending Stanley Cup-champion Washington Capitals. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.09.2019 1135106 Winnipeg Jets But Jets defenceman Dmitry Kulikov came to the rescue and prevented the Hurricanes from breaking the shutout, clearing the puck out of harm’s way. Jets bounce back in dominant victory over Hurricanes For the record, that was not a new breakout the Jets were trying to implement. Ken Wiebe “We didn’t write that up. We’ll have to work on that one, not sure what we were doing there,” said Brossoit. “It’s just one of those nights where we were getting the lucky bounces.” RALEIGH — Complete and utter domination. Jets head coach Paul Maurice was thrilled with the effort his team put forth, but was left shaking his head at what transpired during that That’s about the only way to describe the Winnipeg Jets 8-1 victory over sequence of events. the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night at PNC Arena. “I’m not sure what was going on there. But they thought it was funny,” Sure, the Jets padded the margin of victory with a pair of goals in the said Maurice. “The coaches didn’t think it was quite as humourous, but final minute of the contest, but this tilt was lopsided, with the visitors (the Jets players) enjoyed it.” scoring four times in the first period and cruising from there. Hurricanes forward Greg McKegg used a nifty redirection to prevent “All facets of our game were clicking,” said Jets centre Adam Lowry, who Brossoit from recording the second shutout of the season at 9:37 of the rounded out the score with a nifty redirection with 18.9 seconds to go in third period. regulation. But that was the only shot to beat Brossoit, who made 28 saves to Lowry was bang-on, there wasn’t an area of the Jets game that wasn’t improve to 12-5-2 on the season. operating close to optimally. NIKU FLOURISHING The Jets got at least a goal from each of their four lines, the power-play clicked, the penalty kill was as sharp as it has been in weeks, another One of the by-products of the recent rash of injuries to the Jets blue line goal came during four-on-four action and backup goalie Laurent Brossoit has been the ability to get Sami Niku some valuable experience during once again stood tall. the stretch run. Fifteen of the Jets 18 skaters recorded at least a point in the offensive Niku suited up in his 20th NHL game of the season on Friday night, a outburst, which represented the most lopsided win of the campaign to number that may have seemed nearly impossible to him when he went date — eclipsing the 7-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in December through a lengthy dose of health scratches earlier this season. and the 9-3 triumph over the Anaheim Ducks last month. Niku’s playing time has increased on the pairing with Ben Chiarot and his When it comes to the template of how the Jets are trying to play, this was comfort level is rising on a daily basis. as close to Exhibit A as you’re going to get. “Yeah, the first few games this year, they weren’t good and I wasn’t Going into the contest, the Hurricanes were one of the hottest teams in happy. But after that, I played more and more and now I usually play 15 the NHL, going 5-0-1 during their past six games and 11-2-1 in the past minutes per night, almost,” said Niku, who scored his second NHL goal 14 games to jump above the playoff line in the Eastern Conference. on Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. “It helps when I play more and more. It’s much easier for me.” Coming off a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Jets knew they’d need to be sharp to get back into the win column. Sure, there is more work to do — as is the case for any young player — but Niku is working on his defensive game and finding a way to strike a “Absolutely. All these games, leading up to playoffs, are playoff games. balance between when to join the rush and when to use a more You have to get all the habits right,” said Brossoit. “This is a playoff team conservative approach and not be too aggressive. and they’re playing like it, especially since December. One of the best teams in the league, obviously. To come into a building like this and quiet “Of course it’s hard, but I like (working on) that,” said Niku. “Sometimes it it pretty quickly, it was nice. happens when I go and I shouldn’t go and then they get a three-on-two or a two-on-one. It happens a few times, but I’m doing better with that. I “Right from the drop of the puck, that’s a full team ready to play. And we have work to do still.” took it to them early and got them out of the game early. The rest, you can tell they were a little intimidated and we carried the play. The boys At the NHL trade deadline, Niku wasn’t assigned to the Manitoba Moose made it pretty easy for me.” of the American Hockey League — not even as a paper transaction to make him eligible for playoff participation. With the victory, the Jets leapfrogged the Nashville Predators to move back into first place in the Central Division standings — and moved six Earlier this week, Moose head coach Pascal Vincent explained that Niku points up on the St. Louis Blues. was a member of the Jets now and he wasn’t expecting to see him back. “Every game counts. It has been all season. Right now, everything is so “Of course, it means a lot if he thinks that I’m ready to play in the NHL tight, it’s fun hockey,” said Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers. “If you lose one full-time,” said Niku. “It’s a big thing and it feels good.” game, you go down maybe one or two spots. If you win one, you go up one or two. We’ve got to find our game. We don’t want to worry too much Maurice is impressed by Niku’s commitment to get better away from the about what happens in those other games. We want to give ourselves puck. the best chance we can to put ourselves in a good spot.” “He’s doing very well,” said Maurice. “So you’ll remember his first game Andrew Copp scored twice, Kevin Hayes, Kyle Connor, Ehlers, Ben in Montreal (last season) where he scored a goal and there was some Chiarot and Blake Wheeler all had a goal and an assist. unusual d-zone coverage reads. That is something those guys have to go through to learn. And he has. So now his reads, if he’s off on a read Wheeler has notched a goal in four consecutive games and extended his you understand what he was thinking, there was a process to it.” point streak to eight games — and he has seven goals and 15 points during that stretch. Maurice said Niku’s transition was similar to Josh Morrissey’s, where the improvement in his game was evident once he learned to play with a bit “My game’s not predicated on goals. I’m just trying to drive the play more urgency and pace, especially when going back to retrieve pucks in towards the other team’s net, trying to get around the net a little bit the defensive zone. more,” said Wheeler. “Obviously (Patrik Laine) and (Mark Scheifele) are incredible goal scorers and maybe they lose track of me a little out there. “I’m not going to describe him as the same player as Josh Morrissey, but Got to give those guys a lot of credit, they’re making some great plays what changed for Josh was an awareness of how to use his speed as his finding me, putting me in some great spots. It’s nice to see a few go in.” most effective weapon,” said Maurice. “They’re a different style of player. So Sami Niku, as all of these young skating defencemen in amateur The Jets, who improved to 40-23-4, wrap up a four-game road trip on hockey would have never have had to go that fast, they were just faster Sunday against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. than everybody else, you get to the National Hockey League and he’s not a big man, so he needs then to learn to use his speed to defend and get THE BREAKOUT? into holes to make offence happen. That would be the area that we’ve seen the biggest improvement.” There was a strange play roughly seven minutes into the third period as Jets defenceman Tyler Myers tried to get the puck in front of his own Maurice used another comparison familiar to Jets fans when discussing end, but his pass went off the back of the skate of Brossoit. Niku’s development curve. “He’s moving quite a bit quicker all over the ice,” said Maurice. “So he’s provided exactly what he was brought in for, providing an impressive all- effective, even against big men, he’s been moving to go back and get around game and a guy who is effective in all areas of the ice. pucks. He can make that tight turn and put it on somebody’s tape. One of the things Josh defends incredibly well is he’s got a great defensive stick. The hit One of the things that he does, Winnipeg will remember Toby Enstrom’s Swan River product and former Brandon Wheat Kings winger Micheal game, that ability to tight turn in a corner in a heavy area and get it into Ferland left the game in the third period after taking a hit from Jets the middle of the ice. They all have that same attribute.” defenceman Dmitry Kulikov. It was a clean check, but the force of the hit Since Maurice brought up Enstrom, it was only natural for him to be had Kulikov’s helmet catch Ferland in the chin/jaw area. Ferland was asked if he could see a time down the road where Niku could serve as a shaken up and stayed down on the ice before finally heading down the defence partner for Dustin Byfuglien. tunnel once he got to his feet. “It’s a possibility, for sure,” said Maurice. “When Toby and Dustin got On the board together, Toby had kind of come off the offensive defenceman, he had Jets winger Jack Roslovic snapped a seven-game pointless drought by some 51 point years and then that kind of came out of his game. So drawing assists on both of Andrew Copp’s goals. Since producing his first Sami came into the league as a lefty, played the left side until he got with hat trick and four-point game against the Anaheim Ducks, Roslovic had the Moose, now he’s one of those guys. For your slighter built guys, just the one assist in 12 games going into the contest. And while his ice playing their off-side allows you to escape a little easier, to get pucks off time has been reduced since the return of Ehlers, Roslovic needs to find the wall. So he’s really comfortable on the right and may stay there.” a way to be effective in limited minutes. That’s exactly what he was able To recap, don’t expect Niku and Byfuglien to become a pairing anytime to do on Friday with Copp and Mathieu Perreault. soon, but Maurice didn’t completely rule it out for down the road. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.09.2019 BYFUGLIEN BACK HOME Byfuglien skated earlier this week in Tampa following the morning skate, but has been sent back to Winnipeg to continue treatment for his ankle injury. “He went back to get a new treatment. Not as a change of course of action, just it was something they thought they could do after a certain period of time,” said Maurice. “So he went back to get that taken care of.” Byfuglien sat out a ninth consecutive game since getting his left ankle tangled up in a chase for a puck with Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen and he’s missed 24 out of the past 29 games. Maurice had been hoping Byfuglien would be skating with his teammates by the end of this week, so it’s hard to imagine him returning to the lineup for at least another seven-to-10 days. However, the most important thing for Byfuglien right now is to get fully healthy and ready for the end of the stretch run and the post-season. VESALAINEN AVAILABLE With Jokerit eliminated from the Kontinental Hockey League, Jets forward prospect Kristian Vesalainen would be eligible to return to North America to finish the season. Vesalainen, who exercised a one-time clause in his contract to return home to play for his hometown team in November, had six goals and 17 points in 31 games with Jokerit during the regular season and added one goal in six playoff games — finishing the campaign as the 13th forward. With the Jets adding forward depth at the NHL trade deadline in Par Lindholm and Matt Hendricks and the emergence of Mason Appleton before he was returned to the Moose, it would seem like the logical place for Vesalainen to go would be the AHL. Prior to returning to Finland, the 24th overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft had one assist in five games with the Jets and three goals and eight points in eight AHL games with the Moose. FIVE TAKEAWAYS Brossoit delivers (again) After being hit with the hard-luck and ridiculous loss while playing just over three minutes of relief on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brossoit made his 17th start and 19th appearance of the season, improving to 12-5-2 overall. Outside of the two relief losses he’s suffered – neither of which should have been charged to him – Brossoit has a sparkling record and has provided some stability to the backup position. Still streaking Jets captain Blake Wheeler didn’t need long to extend his point streak to eight games, burying a pass from Patrik Laine 5:48 into the contest. Wheeler is also on a four-game goal streak and is up to 19 goals on the season. The right-winger is on the verge of a sixth consecutive 20-goal season and the seventh of his NHL career. With 15 games to go, Wheeler has 83 points and is quickly closing in on his career-high of 91, which he set last season. Fitting right in With his second multi-point game since joining the Jets in a trade with the New York Rangers, Kevin Hayes is up to five points (two goals, three assists) in five games. Hayes has lived up to the advance billing and 1135107 Winnipeg Jets Micheal Ferland-Jordan Staal-Teuvo Teravainen Andrei Svechnikov-Jordan Martinook-Brock McGinn Byfuglien heads back to Winnipeg, Jets brace for Hurricanes Warren Foegele-Lucas Wallmark-Greg McKegg Defence Ken Wiebe Jaccob Slavin-Dougie Hamilton Brett Pesce-Justin Faulk RALEIGH – Once again, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice was Calvin de Haan-Trevor van Riemsdyk careful to suggest that it wasn’t a setback Dustin Byfuglien had suffered. Goalies But with the Jets defenceman heading back to Winnipeg to continue treatment for his lower-body, Byfuglien doesn’t appear to be any closer to Curtis McElhinney returning to the lineup. Petr Mrazek Byfuglien is set to miss his ninth consecutive game on Friday as the Jets Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.09.2019 face the Carolina Hurricanes. “He went back to get a new treatment,” said Maurice. “Not as a change of course of action, just it was something they thought they could do after a certain period of time. So he went back to get that taken care of.” Since suffering an ankle against the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 29, Byfuglien has suited up in five games and has four goals and 30 points in 37 games this season. The Jets, who are looking to regroup after a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, will be getting centre Adam Lowry back tonight after he served his two-game suspension for high-sticking Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg. Lowry figures to step back onto the checking line with Brandon Tanev and Bryan Little, while Andrew Copp drops back down to the fourth line with Mathieu Perreault and Jack Roslovic. Although Maurice wouldn’t confirm who was coming out of the lineup, Par Lindholm, Matt Hendricks and Bogdan Kiselevich stayed on for extra work, so they’re expecting to be the healthy scratches. Laurent Brossoit makes his 17th start and 19th appearance of the season, while the Hurricanes are expected to give Curtis McElhinney the nod. The Hurricanes, who are 5-0-1 during the past six games, currently hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference as they attempt to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Jets enter Friday’s action in second place in the Central Division, one point behind the Predators while holding three games in hand, but they’re only four points up on the surging St. Louis Blues. “Every game counts. It has been all season. Right now, everything is so tight — it’s fun hockey,” said Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers. “It’s hard to explain. If you lose one game, you go down maybe one or two spots. If you win one, you go up one or two. We’ve got to find our game. We don’t want to worry too much about what happens in those other games. We want to give ourselves the best chance we can to put ourselves in a good spot.” Winnipeg Jets Forwards Patrik Laine-Mark Scheifele-Blake Wheeler Kyle Connor-Kevin Hayes-Nikolaj Ehlers Brandon Tanev-Adam Lowry-Bryan Little Mathieu Perreault-Andrew Copp-Jack Roslovic Defence Nathan Beaulieu-Jacob Trouba Dmitry Kulikov-Tyler Myers Ben Chiarot-Sami Niku Goalies Laurent Brossoit Connor Hellebuyck Carolina Hurricanes Forwards Nino Niederreiter-Sebastian Aho-Justin Williams 1135108 Vancouver Canucks

Rugby Sevens: Canada’s path to 2020 Tokyo Olympics much easier if U.S. remains hot

Patrick Johnston

If the United States finishes near the top of the 2018-19 World Rugby sevens standings, Team Canada will be a lock to punch its ticket to Tokyo. Canadians are no strangers to cheering on Americans, but when it comes to this season of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, it’s a must. The Americans have played in all five finals this tournament season and finally won their first title a week ago. That all adds up to first place overall in the series standings, a powerful statement about where the American program has progressed in four years under head coach Mike Friday. It also comes with a hefty dose of good news for the Canadians. In fact, Canadian coach Damian McGrath is brutally honest about what it means. “The USA are doing us a big favour,” he said this week. A favour? Well, if the Americans finish this season in the top four of the standings, they’ll automatically qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. (This season’s top four teams qualify for Tokyo.) Automatic qualification for the Americans would remove them from the North American Olympic qualifying tournament that’s slated for July 6-7 in the Cayman Islands. Canada will be the odds-on favourite to win that tournament as all the other teams will be fully amateur. Jamaica was the only other North American team to play in last summer’s Rugby World Cup Sevens and they finished last. For rugby sevens’ 2016 Olympic debut in Rio, the Canadians lost the North American qualifying final to the Americans. They played in a last- chance tournament for the 12th and final spot at Rio but bombed out of that event. If the Americans qualify and the Canadians are handed the easiest road they can find, McGrath insists his squad will take full advantage. “If we’re prepared properly and we’re given the opportunity … I just think that in the next 12 months we’ll see a different Canada. We’ve got a focus,” he said. “What’s just happened over the last six to eight months, I’m not surprised we’re struggling a little bit,” he said, alluding to a contract dispute last summer between his players and Rugby Canada management. The players missed nearly two months of preseason training as a result. “We’re a long way off the pace physically. Plus we don’t have an S and C (strength and conditioning coach, cut because of funding constraints). It’s like going into a boxing match with both hands tied behind your back. Given the circumstances, I’m happy … We’re getting stronger as the year goes on,” McGrath said. “The dispute brought the group together.” Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135109 Vancouver Canucks Hughes, a former forward who switched to defence at age 13, is a left- shot difference-maker who has erased concerns about his 5-10, 175- pound frame. And if you think Hughes is blowing smoke about making an Ben Kuzma: The Hughes Watch gets complicated as blue-liner hurts foot instant NHL impact once he makes the transition, here’s how he in Big Ten quarterfinals responded to a pre-draft query about being in the NHL crosshairs and making a miscue:

“The biggest thing I learned is once you make a mistake, don’t let it Ben Kuzma define you,” he said. “Brian Burke said when you give one (goal) up, go and get one. Once you make a mistake there’s no way to get it back.

“The worst thing I’ve seen happen to players is that you make a mistake Quinn Hughes could be signed, sealed and delivered next week. and you fall apart — which is just unacceptable. I don’t make a lot of mistakes as it is, but if I do, that’s my mentality. And with the way the Or maybe not. game is going and being played, everybody needs one or two guys who The heavily hyped Vancouver Canucks prospect could see his college can do what I can do. career wrap up Saturday or Sunday — or have it prolonged. It depends “I can really help a team. I feel very confident in my abilities and I’ve how his Michigan Wolverines fare against the host Minnesota Golden taken the size question out of the mix.” Gophers in a Big Ten best-of-three quarterfinal series that opened Friday. That’s a lot of moxie, but the family hockey tree and excelling at every level has a lot to do with it. It also depends upon the health of Hughes. His younger brother, Jack, is the consensus first-overall pick for the 2019 He blocked a shot off his foot in the third period, didn’t play in overtime of NHL draft in Vancouver. His father, Jim, was a defenceman and team a 3-2 loss to the Golden Gophers and went for X-rays to determine his captain at Providence College and then served as an assistant coach. He playing status for Saturday. Wolverines coach Mel Pearson said the was also director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs. injury isn’t serious and it was revealed late Friday that there was no fracture. Hughes reportedly suffered a bruise and if the swelling subsides His mother, Ellen, was a three-sport star and University of New so he can get his skate on, he is expected to play. Hampshire Hall of Fame inductee. His youngest brother, Luke, was playing triple-A Bantam. And if the Wolverines are eliminated, Jim Benning won’t wait long to make the call. Former Canucks winger Jeff Tambellini, who served as a Michigan assistant last season, couldn’t believe what he was seeing in Hughes. “We’ll get right on it,” the Canucks’ general manager said Friday morning. “We want him to concentrate on the weekend and his team and as soon “He makes people make bad decisions trying to jump in on him because as he’s out, we’ll contact the agent and family and see what their he just accelerates,” said Tambellini. “People are so surprised by his first intentions are and go from there.” two steps. I can’t see him not being an outstanding NHLer.” It’s not a stretch to suggest the intention is to go pro and join the Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.09.2019 Canucks’ roster as soon as possible — maybe in time to face the New York Rangers on Wednesday at Rogers Arena. But if the swelling doesn’t subside and there’s significant discomfort, there would be no rush to burn a contract season by signing and playing in the NHL this season. Then again, if Hughes is only sidelined briefly, it might be a different story. He had 33 points (5-28) in 30 games this season, and was the seventh- overall selection in the 2018 draft. The diminutive defenceman packs an eye-popping array of puck-moving wizardry and bravado to back the belief that he has an NHL-ready game. Whether it was looking comfortable with the United States’ entry at the world championship as the event’s youngest player at age 18, competing in two world junior tournaments, the family hockey lineage or dominating at the NCAA level, the 19-year-old Orlando, Fla., native has drawn rave reviews. Comparisons to Bobby Orr, Phil Housley or Kris Letang arise because the U.S. National Development Team product has a cool head for the game and speedy transition that will be like a get-out-of-jail card for the Canucks. And with uncertainty on the back end — Alex Edler’s contract, Ben Hutton’s foot, Chris Tanev’s ankle, struggling restricted free agent Derrick Pouliot and Olli Juolevi’s recovery from season-ending knee surgery — there’s something to be said if the fresh-faced kid arrives with a low-panic threshold and high-end talent. “It will accomplish a couple things,” said Benning. “It will give him the experience for the feel of the NHL and he’ll help us. He gets back fast and can beat the first forechecker to either skate the puck out or pass it — and he’ll help the power play. “He can control the game from the back end and from a team perspective, that’s something we need. For him and our group — if that (signing) is what ends up happening — it’s a shot in the arm.” LISTEN: In this week’s White Towel podcast, Ed Willes joins Paul Chapman to delve into the debate over Brock Boeser being a great young player or merely a good piece. The podcast also asks if Vancouver is a toxic market in light of Jonathan Dahlen deleting his social media accounts because of abuse from Canucks fans. If Hughes is healthy enough to sign and make the NHL leap, he can only play 10 games the remainder of this Canucks schedule so he doesn’t have to be protected for the Seattle expansion draft in 2021. If he exceeds 10 games down the stretch, he would be a third-year player by 2021 and need to be included on the protected list. 1135110 Vancouver Canucks when asked if he remains invested in the Canucks’ future, he answered simply: “Of course.”

There’s no reason to think this deal will not get done. Then again, it had Ed Willes: Alex Edler’s value to the Canucks has never been more better get done. obvious Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.09.2019

Ed Willes

A contract extension for the Swedish defenceman seems inevitable, but what will the terms be? Alex Edler doesn’t think along these lines but if he wanted to make a case for a lucrative contract extension, he need only point to his last two games on the Vancouver Canucks’ blue-line. Thursday against Edmonton, Edler logged 28:46 of ice time, scored a goal, recorded five shots on net, four hits and four blocked shots. True, he went minus-one while matched up against Connor McDavid, but he had a shot from the point deflect off the crossbar late in the third period of the Canucks’ 3-2 loss. That was also the lesser of his two games on back-to-back nights. Wednesday against the Leafs, Edler played 27:06, scored the game winner in overtime, had six shots on net with four hits while going plus- two. With injuries to Chris Tanev and Ben Hutton, the Canucks’ defence consists of Edler; the estimable Troy Stecher; three players who’ve spent time in the minors this season in Alex Biega, Ashton Sautner and Luke Schenn; and Derrick Pouliot, who’s been a healthy scratch throughout this year. The Canucks’ defence isn’t great as things stand, but imagine what it would be without Edler. • LISTEN: In this week’s White Towel podcast, columnist Ed Willes joins Paul Chapman to delve into the debate over Brock Boeser being a great young player or merely a good piece to the Canucks’ puzzle. The podcast also asks if Vancouver is a toxic market in light of Jonathan Dahlen deleting his social media accounts because of abuse from Canucks fans: Coach Travis Green, for one, would rather not. “I’ve talked to Eddy a lot,” said the Canucks’ bench boss. “I’m the coach, not the GM, and I understand the dynamics. Eddy knows what we think about him. It’s obvious in how much we play him and how we treat him as one of our main leaders. I like having him on our team. You hope it works out.” Since word first broke of negotiations between Edler and the Canucks over a month ago, the presumption has been the 32-year-old defenceman would re-up with the only team he’s played for in a 13- season NHL career. Edler is fiercely loyal to the organization. Over the years, he’s rejected all requests to waive his no-trade clause. A new deal seems like an inevitability and, Friday morning, Canucks GM Jim Benning said: “I think it will get done.” But Edler also becomes an unrestricted free agent this off-season and that opens up a world of uncertainty for the Canucks. On a team that’s trying to renovate its defensive corps, Edler has demonstrated he’s indispensable. But until he signs, there will be questions about his future. Now, there are counter arguments for any extension over a two-year term and that’s likely the holdup with a new deal. Edler has missed 25 games this season with an assortment of injuries. Since 2012-13, he’s missed 37, 19, eight, 30, 14 and 12 games in each succeeding season. The silent Swede also turns 33 in April, which is viewed as a red flag in a lot of circles. But this is also interesting. A review of the NHL’s top defencemen reveals a list which includes Brent Burns, Mark Giordano, Kris Letang, Keith Yandle, Ryan Suter, Duncan Keith and Dustin Byfuglien, who are all 32 and older. Of the league’s top-20 scorers among forwards, Alex Ovechkin and Blake Wheeler are the only players 32 or over. Good defencemen, it seems, age differently than good forwards, and when he’s healthy, Edler is still a good defenceman. “It thought he was a horse again tonight,” Green said after the tough loss to the Oilers. “He had another strong game. It’s not easy, logging those minutes and doing it in back-to-backs.” Edler, for his part isn’t exactly an open book at the best of times, and he doesn’t reveal much when he’s asked about the state of negotiations. But 1135111 Vancouver Canucks

Koskinen makes 35 saves as Oilers beat Canucks for fourth straight win

Shane Jones

The Edmonton Oilers haven’t given up yet. Connor McDavid had a pair of assists and Mikko Koskinen made 35 saves as the Oilers continued to make a late playoff push with a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Alex Chiasson, Zack Kassian and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored for the Oilers (30-30-7), who have won four straight games and are 6-1-2 in their last nine outings to move within seven points of Minnesota for the second wild card in the West. “We just have to keep it going,” said Oilers defenceman Oscar Klefbom. “We cannot be satisfied. We’re still out of the playoffs. Every game is like a playoff game for us. It’s important. There’s a lot of teams in it right now and Minny won tonight in Tampa and Dallas won and they’re winning some games, too. We cannot be happy, we have to keep winning games because we’ve put ourselves in this situation and now we have to make sure we keep going here.” “You continue to build confidence through wins, and it helps you get better at managing that,” added Oilers forward Sam Gagner. “We’re getting better at finding ways to get wins.” Jay Beagle and Alexander Edler replied for the Canucks (28-31-9), who have lost four of their last five. “We have a lot of resiliency and a lot of heart and have a lot of guys who don’t quit,” said Beagle, whose team came back from a 3-0 deficit to make a go of it against the Oilers after staging a successful comeback against Toronto on Wednesday. “But when you go down by three it is tough, especially on a back-to-back on the road. We showed a lot of heart in never quitting.” Edmonton started the scoring just over five minutes into the first period when former Canuck Gagner stole a puck behind the net and fed it in front to Chiasson, who sent a shot through the legs of Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko for his 19th of the season. The Oilers made it 2-0 with six minutes left in the opening frame when McDavid shrugged off a check at full speed and sent it in front for Kassian to deflect it into the net, the fourth consecutive game in which he has scored a goal. Koskinen kept that lead intact late in the first, making a pad save on a point-blank shot by Josh Leivo. The Oilers added to their lead one minute into the second period when McDavid saw Nugent-Hopkins at the back door and he was able to redirect in his 21st goal of the season. Vancouver got on the board with 1:30 left in the second when Koskinen mishandled a shot and Beagle poked in a puck that was sitting on the goal-line. The Canucks cut the lead to one seven minutes into the third period on a point shot from Edler, a play which survived a challenge for goaltender interference. Both teams return to action on Saturday, with the Oilers hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Canucks returning home to face the Vegas Golden Knights. Notes: It was the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season, with Vancouver winning two of the previous three matchups Oilers forward Jujhar Khaira made his return to the lineup after missing the last 10 games with a lower-body injury Canucks defenceman Edler played his 800th NHL game. Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135112 Vancouver Canucks Overall, consistently getting say 25+ points at 5-on-5 from middle-of-the- lineup players like Roussel doesn’t sound terribly impressive, but as the left winger’s scoring comparables suggest, it really does represent a Antoine Roussel is one of the league’s most underrated playmakers and coup. that perception needs to change How sustainable is Roussel’s production? On the surface, there’s nothing incredibly odd or peculiar about Roussel’s By Harman Dayal Mar 8, 2019 production this season. His individual points percentage (the percent of on-ice goals he gets a point on) is a tad high as are his on-ice and individual shooting percentages, but it’s nothing that screams major regression. The perception surrounding Antoine Roussel needs to change. But to go a step deeper we need to analyze microdata. Shots and It’s true that he’s a feisty character who gives the Canucks a much- scoring chances are what lead to goals and if Roussel consistently needed dose of grit and tenacity, but for far too long it’s become a contributes to them, we’d expect his production to be more than just an defining characteristic that overshadows his tangible value. extended run of luck. That ability to drive quality two-way play was something The Athletic’s The importance of using microdata in predicting future performance is very own JD Burke highlighted in a piece advocating for the 29-year-old outlined by Athletic colleague Ryan Stimson as part of a piece that Frenchmen in the aftermath of his July 1st signing. unveiled his expected points model. Then in November, I took it a step further and claimed Roussel was an (Table by Ryan Stimson) underrated playmaker and had the tools and offensive results to warrant an extended opportunity in a top-six that was cycling through wingers like Primary shot assists are more than two times better at predicting future Tim Schaller on Bo Horvat’s line. primary assists than past primary assists, while danger zone assists are more than four times predictive. The results this season are certainly congruent from both perspectives. Of course, this data isn’t available publicly and thus requires manual On the scoring side of things, Roussel’s nestled in as a valuable tracking. Fortunately, I’ve collected a significant sample that I can share. secondary contributor with 29 points in 63 games. On first glance, it doesn’t sound too impressive, until you realize that all but one of those Primary shot contribution (PSC) is counted when a player either shoots points has come at even-strength. His 26 5-on-5 points this season are or makes a pass that directly leads to a shot attempt tied with Horvat for third on the team and just one behind Brock Boeser’s 27. The data above shows that Roussel doesn’t drive a ton of volume as far as contributing to shot attempts. The issue with using just this lens is that It’d be easy to scoff at those results in the name of a fluke season and it doesn’t take shot quality into account — a pass back to the point that while I’m sure the numbers will regress to some extent, the fact of the leads to a low percentage chance is treated equally as a pass across the matter is Roussel’s been a really productive offensive player at 5-on-5 slot in a high danger scoring position. over a span of the last three seasons. The most encouraging factor is that he’s attained his production without reliance on secondary assists. It’s why someone who often settles for low danger plays like Jake Virtanen gets overvalued through this lens, while Horvat doesn’t reflect Roussel ranks 92nd among all NHL forwards since 2016-17 with 1.44 as positively. To account for this we can isolate and look at just the primary points per hour — scoring at a higher rate than Jonathan primary contributions to scoring chances. Huberdeau, William Nylander, Max Pacioretty and more during that span. Roussel ranks fourth among Canucks forwards in scoring chance When dividing the production by point type it’s evident that the majority of contributions per hour. His playmaking proficiency is highlighted when his scoring has come on the back of his playmaking acumen — ranking you look at the passes that directly lead to scoring chances. 37th among all NHL forwards in primary assists per hour. A danger shot assist includes Royal Road (an east-west pass that goes It’s hard to believe the cohort of players that he finds himself in and while across the slot), behind the net and any other pass that leads to a shot in we’ll certainly investigate the sustainability of his offence later in this what’s considered the “home plate region.” piece, we’re dealing with a sample of roughly 200 games for each skater. Roussel is behind only Pettersson and Horvat in making these kinds of Naturally, these results will be met with skepticism when you consider high danger setups. He also leads Canuck forwards in my dataset for that this looks to be the first season where he’ll crack 30 points. How can Royal Road passes — arguably the most dangerous passes of them all. Roussel be such an efficient point scorer and yet fail to hit such a reasonable plateau? Shots preceded by these Royal Road passes typically carry a shooting clip in the 25-30 percent range. There are many reasons for this, but I think the biggest factor is that we tend to underrate just how drastically powerplay time inflates point In simple terms, this means that while Roussel may not contribute to a production. Last season, for example, only seven forwards in the entire ton of shots when he does, it’s typically a high-quality chance. Quality league hit 50 5-on-5 points. A significant chunk of a top forward’s total over quantity it seems. points comes from special teams and it’s not uncommon to have 40 It’s certainly a unique situation, but when examining past microdata, it’s percent or even more of their production come from the man advantage. evident that it’s been a constant throughout Roussel’s career. A great example of this from last year is Sidney Crosby who scored 89 (Graphic by Ryan Stimson; data above doesn’t include 2018-19 tracking) points despite getting just 35 at 5-on-5. SCB% represents the percentage of on-ice shot attempts that a player Powerplay scoring is important and I think as a whole the analytics contributes to. The higher this rate, the more volume the player is driving. community tends to undervalue special teams performance, but the Having said that, the metric below is expected primary points per hour flipside is that players like Roussel who don’t play special teams are and is what we’re really concerned about. naturally bound to have deflated final point totals and thus get underrated. Roussel’s produced expected primary points at a legitimate second-line rate. It’s unrealistic to expect Roussel to hang around star playmakers for With less than 50 NHL forwards reaching 40 5-on-5 points last season, primary assists moving forward, but there’s no denying he has legitimate I’m sure you can understand why it’d be so difficult for someone like offensive value at 5-on-5. Roussel to pile up points and create attention when he doesn’t play on the man advantage. Naturally, the next question pertains to how a player with Roussel’s reputation creates offence. The other factor, of course, is linemate quality. Roussel has spent a significant chunk of his ice-time with Horvat this season and it’s led to The answer goes back to my November piece where I highlighted significant gains for both players (more on this later). Roussel’s ability to setup teammates on the rush. He hadn’t gotten an assist from a zone entry+pass play at that point in the season but Roussel never had that consistent opportunity in Dallas, though it’s worth Roussel’s speed, smarts and underrated passing skills all stood out in mentioning he scored at a top-six rate with Tyler Seguin. Of course, the video as tools that could lend itself in that regard moving forward. there’s also the fact that the Stars have never really employed a quick counterattack type system that would suit to Roussel’s offensive Sure enough, Roussel has created some gorgeous goals on the rush. strengths, whereas the Canucks love to hit teams in transition. A lot of these plays fly under the radar because they’re not overly dynamic or flashy setups, but Roussel displays subtle deception in how he’s able to create passing lanes for himself. The proof is in the pudding too — Roussel leads Canuck forwards in completing a pass after 50 percent of his zone entries and is third on the team in passes off the rush. As my research and analysis showed in a piece last month, zone entries with passes are far more likely to result in scoring chances and goals. This is also significant as far as projecting future production as I’ve found that the zone entry passing data was highly correlated with point production and more predictive of future points than virtually every public stat and many microstatistics. Correlation between passes off the rush and points; all data collected at 5-on-5 This means that so long as Roussel can continue producing these chances off the rush and plays with linemates who can actually finish off his setups, we can continue to expect top-six like production at 5-on-5. How Roussel has elevated Bo Horvat’s play There’s no doubt that Roussel has benefitted from playing with Horvat — 13 of his 26 5-on-5 points have come when playing on his line. Intuitively it makes sense — you’re going to get more points as a playmaker if you’re setting up a good finisher like Horvat. At the same time, it’s also crucial to point out how significantly Roussel has elevated Horvat’s play. The Canucks have controlled a whopping 54.8 percent of shot attempts and 58 percent of scoring chances in the 250 minutes that Roussel and Horvat have spent as a duo. Without Roussel, Horvat’s line has been drastically outshot, outchanced and outscored. Individually, Horvat has also struggled mightily — scoring just 1.25 points per hour away from Roussel — a rate equivalent to Loui Eriksson’s 5-on-5 pace. Of course, this isn’t meant to undermine Horvat’s contributions. He’s arguably had the toughest deployment of any NHL centre this year and it’s completely unfair to expect him to produce against top competition when he’s spent the season with decisively inferior linemates. Instead, this is meant to positively highlight just how much of a difference Roussel has made when deployed in the top-six with Horvat. The point production difference might be surprising, but the two-way results shouldn’t be a surprise given Roussel’s historical ability to tilt play in the right direction for his team. (Graphic by Micah McCurdy) Whenever you can combine 5-on-5 offensive production and excellent two-way play, you’re bound to be seen as one of the team’s most useful contributors. This much is reflected in Evolving Hockey’s WAR data — Roussel ranking as the Canucks’ third most impactful forward this season after Pettersson and Boeser. (Table and data above from Evolving Hockey) Conclusion Playmaking is one of the last things that comes to mind when thinking of Antoine Roussel and yet the 29-year-old has been one of the more underrated setup guys around the league. He’s been terrific at scoring 5- on-5 points and is among some superstar talent as far as primary assists per hour since the start of the 2016-17 season. We obviously don’t expect Roussel to hang around those names moving forward, but there’s more than enough apparent in his offensive profile to suggest that he can continue to produce points at a top-six rate at even- strength. The scoring chance assist numbers are strong and there’s no denying his crafty knack of being able to find his linemates on the rush. It’d be premature to label this a great free-agent signing as we’re only in season one of a four-year deal, but the early results are extremely encouraging as far as Roussel’s ability to drive two-way play and chip in offensively. Mix in his ability to function as a sort of Energizer bunny and add physicality on the ice as well as his undrafted, underdog story and it’s no wonder why Roussel has drawn comparisons to former fan favourite Alex Burrows. The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135113 Websites a minute it makes sense – Ovechkin’s not taking the draw. John Carlson’s not taking the draw. TJ Oshie is having a bad year. That leaves a couple of left-handed shots. They don’t have a lot of good options. The Athletic / Faceoff tinkering won’t significantly increase offence. Looking at this, you can see that most teams tend to be around the Getting rid of them would mean, with a few teams that really struggle on one side or the other. Edmonton having the biggest differential isn’t surprising. The Oilers were running with a five left-shot power play for a while this year and it didn’t By Tyler Dellow Mar 8, 2019 really feature anyone who was great at faceoffs, let alone great at winning them on his weak side. Boston’s presence is a little more surprising but Patrice Bergeron has missed some games this year and there’s a bit of an additional issue that we’re going to encounter when we An interesting idea percolated out of the GM meetings in Florida this contemplate how much of an impact this rule change might have – week. I first saw it on Twitter from Friend of The Athletic Frank Seravalli sample size. Boston’s difference in left vs. right faceoffs is being driven at TSN, although it was subsequently discussed on Sportsnet during their by an absurd 61-20 record on the left dot for the first faceoff of a 5-on-4 broadcast on Wednesday. situation. They’re 40-39 on the right side, which isn’t actually that bad. Now, I am anti-faceoff. If it was up to me, the only time we’d have For the sake of completeness (and because I know people will ask if I faceoffs would be at centre ice. Other than that, I’d just give the puck to don’t provide the information), here are the numbers on the right and left the team closest to the opposition goal. My reasoning for this is pretty dots on faceoffs to start a power play for the league. straightforward: hockey’s at its most fun when it’s littered with scoring chances and the team closer to the opposition net is more likely to create It’s one thing if you’ve got a big differential on one side because you’ve a scoring chance. As fascinating as the drama of a linesman trying to done spectacularly well, like Boston; another if it’s because you’ve done settle down two centremen who are doing everything possible to cheat is, poorly, like Edmonton and Washington on the right side. I’d be willing to trade it in for more scoring chances. Call me crazy. The critical question is this: how many extra faceoff wins might a change The funny thing about this is that I think the NHL’s hockey operations like this produce? Let’s do some back of the envelope math. Assume that kind of agrees with me. They’re constrained by faceoffs being a part of the numbers teams have achieved this year represent their true talent the game historically but they’ve already taken a step to try and make it and that every team in the NHL would choose to take faceoffs exclusively more likely that the team closer to the attacking zone wins the faceoff by on their strongest side to start the power play, if given that opportunity. forcing the other player to put his stick down first. This would be another My math – with some favourable assumptions – suggests that we’d have step toward what I’d like: a de facto 100 percent faceoff rate for the seen an extra 188 faceoff wins to start power plays so far this year. attacking team. (It would be nice if we could skip past this only applying Prorating that to a full season, we’re talking about an extra 232 offensive for the first faceoff after a penalty is called but, one supposes, baby zone faceoff wins to start a power play. steps.) To put a goal value on that, I’m going to use the numbers just from power How much of a difference would this rule change make? Well, let’s start play opening faceoffs. They’re very similar to the numbers discussed by identifying the difference in outcomes between a faceoff win and loss. above for offensive zone faceoffs but the shifts last slightly longer on As I’ve mentioned before, I slice the game into shifts at the team level average, which makes sense. My estimate comes out to something like based on the location and result of the preceding faceoff, with certain an extra 12 goals scored. By the entire league. Over the course of a events triggering a transfer to what I call on-the-fly play. The difference season. Some of that would be given back in an unseen fashion because between winning and losing an offensive zone faceoff at 5-on-4 is we’d get more power-play goals earlier in power plays, returning the immense. game to a 5-on-5 state in which goals occur less often. It’s not a game- altering change. Through games played on Tuesday, the average shift starting with an OZW (offensive zone win – if you see anyone asking what an OZW is in What if we did away entirely with faceoffs to start power plays? If you use the comments, please throw buns at the person asking for failure to read the numbers for shifts starting with an offensive zone faceoff win only, closely) lasted 40 seconds. An OZL (offensive zone lo … come on – do I you end up with an extra 185 goals scored when you prorate it out. In really have to define this given the context) shift lasted 43 seconds on other words, the real gains aren’t going to be found in making marginal average. When you think about it, that makes sense: an OZW shift is changes to how faceoffs are conducted that add a few points to the much more likely to result in a really short shift after a puck is fired at a attacking team’s likelihood of winning a faceoff; the real changes will goalie who freezes it than an OZL shift, where pucks are generally come from just giving the attacking team the puck and letting them get cleared right away. after it. In terms of process, unsurprisingly, shots are attempted and put on goal You can imagine what a change we’d see if we got rid of all offensive by the team on the power play at a much higher rate when they win the zone faceoffs and just gave the puck to the attacking team. You can see faceoff than when they lose it. When the team on the power play wins an the same tendency in 5-on-5 hockey, although it’s not as extreme. If a offensive zone faceoff, they attempt 128.6 shots per 60 seconds with team wins an offensive zone faceoff at 5-on-5, there is nearly 30 percent 69.8 of those becoming shots on goal. If they lose the faceoff, those more offence that occurs on the shift than there is if they lose it. numbers fall to 82.4 and 45, respectively. Unsurprisingly, teams score more when they win the offensive zone faceoff at the start of a shift too: Is this too drastic a change for hockey? I don’t think so. To me, there are 9.7 GF/60 vs. 5.5 GF/60. There’s a shooting percentage bulge in there things that the general managers, as custodians of the NHL game, have this year but it’s not remotely surprising that more shots leads to more to protect. They have to protect the essential nature of the game, the goals. things that make NHL hockey NHL hockey. Some things are absolutely central to that. I can’t imagine endorsing, say, the elimination of ice from So how big might this impact be? Well, the change as reported by the game and turning NHL hockey into floor hockey. Fighting is an Seravalli would apply only to the first faceoff on a power play. I’m focused example of something that a lot of people argued for a long time was on 5-on-4 here, so let’s look at how many 5-on-4 faceoffs might be central to the game and then, as decisions by teams all but eliminated it, impacted. In order to figure this out, I looked for all 5-on-4 offensive zone we started to see a shift toward a conclusion that it’s not really central to faceoffs this year in which the preceding second of play was not 5-on-4 the sport. hockey. That gave me a group of 5,208 faceoffs so far this year. I have 2,643 of them on the right side of the ice and 2,565 on the left side. We’ve seen changes like this in other sports, so it’s not really something Unsurprisingly to me, as a league, teams have done better on the left that can’t be done. Soccer banned goalkeepers from picking up the ball side of the ice. There are more competent left-handed faceoff guys than when it’s passed back to them by a teammate. The NBA added the right-handed faceoff guys and players are being selected for power play three-point line and then experimented with different distances for it. units primarily on the basis of skills other than winning faceoffs – coaches Major League Baseball added the designated hitter and lowered the want guys out there who can make plays after the faceoff is won. mounds. Sports are constantly evolving – the choice that custodians of the game have is how to respond to those changes and how to keep the As I’ve discussed here before, there are significant differences between games exciting while simultaneously preserving the essence of the sport. taking faceoffs on the right and left, depending on what hand you are. I won’t revisit that discussion – there’s a lot of it out there – but let’s take a Faceoffs, to me, are a lot more like fighting than they are ice. Nobody look at how much better teams have been at winning faceoffs on the left gets out of their seat for a faceoff win. They aren’t central to what hockey as compared to the right side of the ice. or the NHL are selling. And while, yes, it would be devaluing a skill that some people have spent years perfecting, it would simultaneously be It’s a little bit funny that both Seravalli and the Sportsnet Wednesday increasing the value that other skills – defending and creating offence – Night Hockey gang highlighted the possibility of Washington doing this to provide. Those skills, particularly the latter, are a lot more fun to watch. set up Ovechkin in his office. The Capitals are actually struggling to win While I wouldn’t expect it to happen for a long time, the fact that the faceoffs on the right side of the ice this year. When you think about it for managers are prepared to tinker with faceoffs suggests to me that there might be a day where they simply do away with them altogether. The Athletic LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135114 Websites — Eric Engels (@EricEngels) March 9, 2019 Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s (un)eventful return to the lineup Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' forgettable effort in Anaheim will come back to The 18-year-old rookie with 32 points on the season was scratched from haunt them the 3-1 win in Los Angeles on Tuesday and scratched from Thursday’s loss to the Sharks.

You had to wonder how Kotkaniemi was going to respond to that. Eric Engels March 9, 2019, 1:44 AM Without singling him out — because none of the Canadiens were good against the Ducks — it would be impossible to suggest he responded well. An 8-2 loss to the lowest-scoring team in the league, the Anaheim Ducks, suffered a night after a heartbreaking loss to a formidable San Jose Canadiens coach Claude Julien put Kotkaniemi on a line with Artturi Sharks team they dominated? It’s going to cost the Montreal Canadiens. Lehkonen and Jordan Weal and played him 10:51 at even strength. The kid finished minus-3 and didn’t appear to have his rhythm at any point of Exactly what? We’re not quite sure yet. If they’re lucky, it’ll just be the the game. two-point edge they hold over the Columbus Blue Jackets in the race to one of the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. If they’re Kotkaniemi also took nine faceoffs and lost seven of them, and he was unlucky, well, you can figure it out. credited with two giveaways in the game. With 13 games remaining in their season, currently sitting in the second Carey Price will have to wait for 315 wild-card position, we’re not yet prepared to say the loss against the If it was destiny for the Canadiens to struggle in California, perhaps it’s Ducks Friday has effectively killed Montreal’s chance to participate in the destiny for Price to seize the outright lead in franchise wins in front of his post-season. But if the team can’t rebound immediately come Tuesday, fans at the Bell Centre. against the Detroit Red Wings at the Bell Centre, its chances diminish significantly. He remains tied with Jacques Plante after stopping only 21 of 29 shots in the game. While the Canadiens rest idle until then, the Blue Jackets will play the two games in-hand they own. The Carolina Hurricanes, who are even in Friday’s game marked the first time all season Price was beaten for eight points with the Canadiens, will play their two as well. And the Pittsburgh goals. He was hardly the reason they went in, but it’s not as if he was at Penguins, who are two points ahead of Montreal, will make up one of the height of his abilities. their two games in-hand. It was a night to forget for the 31-year-old goaltender and his Canadiens, In other words: The heat is on. intimated Julien in his post-game press conference. Looking back a week, a trip to California all but promised this outcome for “Hopefully we get a little bit of rest here and get ourselves ready on the Canadiens, who were losers of 20 of their last 23 games in the state. Tuesday,” he added. “Get back on track here.” Now that the prophecy’s been fulfilled, we’ll see what else destiny has in store for them. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.09.2019 Will they continue to be the team that has shocked the hockey world for most of the season by continuing to achieve results as soon as their backs get pressed up against the wall? Or will they fizzle down the stretch with more losses to non-playoff teams like the Wings, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres before having to close out the year with games against upper-echelon teams like the Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs? It’s all much more up in the air now than it was prior to puck-drop in Anaheim. About Friday’s game, here are some takeaways from it: The Canadiens, a night after tilting the ice in a losing effort against the Sharks, after traveling across the state in preparation for their third game in four nights, didn’t have the regular zip at even strength in this one. So, if there was ever an opportunity for their power play to bail them out, this was it. But the woeful Canadiens power play, which came into the game having whiffed on all but one of its last 26 outings, failed on its first chance of the game. A shift later, Daniel Sprong took advantage of a turnover by Nate Thompson and opened the scoring for Anaheim with a laser of a shot over Carey Price’s blocker. Montreal’s power play got five more chances — most of them coming with them down by just a goal or two — and it converted just once, on a Shea Weber blast from the point that counted as the 200th goal of his career. It was 62 seconds later that Troy Terry picked up a goal to make it 4-2 Ducks just over halfway through the second period. An easy goal, tipped from the middle of the slot without a Canadien in sight. The type of play Montreal hasn’t found a way to manufacture with the man-advantage all season long. Habs this year: Gave up 6 in a loss to BUF, beat VGK 5-4 next game; gave up 6 to EDM, beat CGY their next game; gave up to 7 to MIN, beat CAR 6-4 next game; lost 6-5 to TB, beat DAL 3-2 next game; 6-3 loss to FLA, beat CBJ 3-2 next game; 6-3 L to TOR, 8-1 win vs. DET 2 gms later. — Eric Engels (@EricEngels) March 9, 2019 They have bounced back from the bad ones all season long. We’ll see if they can continue to do that. 1135115 Websites Feb. 27 — a night where Johnsson scored one at even strength and another on the power play — and are looking for ways to curb the trend.

“Once we’re going, it doesn’t matter what team we’re playing against. I Sportsnet.ca / Leafs looking for a breakthrough from Matthews line in think we can play against anybody,” Kapanen said this week. “It’s just us Edmonton not being 100 per cent, but thank God we still have games left before playoffs.” Chris Johnston | March 8, 2019, 7:20 PM For Matthews, it boils down to a simple formula. A set of steps that should lead to more scoring chances and sustained shifts at the proper end of the ice. VANCOUVER — Mediocre is not a word often associated with Auston “Making sure we get pucks through, guys to the net, have good structure, Matthews, and so when Kasperi Kapanen used it to describe the recent use some creativity and not just do the same stuff over and over again,” quality of the line he shares with Matthews and Andreas Johnsson, it he said. stood out like a blown third-period lead by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Heading to Edmonton, the Matthews line is looking for a breakthrough. The towering centre agrees, too. There’ve been signs of life, such as the Something fresh, with a chance to produce the old results. strong possession game and five scoring chances generated against the Canucks this week, but as they set off for Edmonton, it felt as though Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.09.2019 they were in search of something. “I think we can be a lot better,” said Matthews. “Our strength is our speed. When we take care of the puck and we just get it in their zone, I mean we’re fast. Pretty agile, can make plays, move around in the offensive zone. “I think a good goal for us is just to spend more time in the O-zone, hang on to pucks and [start] creating chances below the dots.” Matthews identified that as the area where the game is played during the stretch drive and into the playoffs. He’s already felt the space in the neutral zone tighten and seen opponents collapse around their goaltenders. Ingenuity might be his greatest asset — the special ingredient that makes him something more than a big centre with a deadly shot — and the task before him now is to find a way to break through, to be unpredictable, to find new ways to generate goals. Before Matthews went up against Connor McDavid and the Oilers last week, he spoke of working towards the best version of himself: “Obviously there’s guys that are in the league like Connor, like Sid, that are kind of on their own level. I think guys look at that and they want to be on their level, obviously. But for myself, I measure myself to my own standard and I just want to be the best player I can be.” He’s taken steps in his third NHL season, but can’t escape the echo of the left shoulder injury that cost him 14 games and virtually all of November. He’d scored 10 goals through 11 games when he took that jarring hit from Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba. He’s added another 20 in the 42 games since returning to the lineup, a hair below his typical otherworldly pace. “The injury sets you back a bit,” Matthews said after practice at Rogers Arena. “Probably about a month or two after, I felt like I got my legs back.” That was roughly a month ago. It’s been a journey. “It takes time, it’s hard. You can do so much stuff in the gym, but until you really get back in the game it’s really tough to get into game shape without playing games and practising every day and being in that setting, the pace,” said Matthews. The season is in full gallup now and the Leafs are due to get stronger with Nazem Kadri ready to rejoin the lineup for Saturday’s game. He sat out the last eight while recovering from a concussion and head coach Mike Babcock hopes that layoff will provide a silver lining for his third-line centre — a little extra rest before the playoff grind sets in. On the Johnsson-Matthews-Kapanen trio, Babcock was encouraged by how they played in a 3-2 loss to Vancouver on Wednesday. That game saw Kapanen use his speed to chase down pucks and disrupt defenders, while the only thing that kept Matthews from cashing on a couple Grade- A opportunities was sharp positioning from Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom. “I thought they were pretty good last game, to be honest with ya,” said Babcock. “I didn’t like ‘em as much in Calgary [on Monday], but they’ve done a pretty good job. The biggest thing is taking care of the puck. Auston’s a big man, he can roll around, and Johnny has that skill-set and so does Kappy. “You’re playing in one zone or the other, pretty much. If you don’t have it, they have it, and that means you’re playing defence. It’s way more fun playing in the offensive zone.” Hence why the trio has spent time reviewing video during this road trip. They’ve been held without a goal since the 6-2 victory over Edmonton on 1135116 Websites The man they called ‘Low-tide’ might watch a period or two, once his golf game is complete or he returns from a Cactus League game.

“There’s disappointment again. It’s a tough go right now, in Edmonton,” Sportsnet.ca / Oilers have chance to spoil Maple Leafs fan invasion in the old goalie admits. “It’s tough on Oilers fans. They’ve gone through a Edmonton lot of stuff man, and they’re still hanging in there. I give ’em full credit. “That’s a hell of a fan base.” Mark Spector | March 8, 2019, 6:31 PM Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.09.2019

It sucks to lose. But it REALLY sucks to lose in Toronto, to the Maple Leafs, the way the Edmonton Oilers did 10 days ago. Then there’s the way they lost — the Oilers dominated the first period, yet ended up on the wrong end of a 6-2 score. The Leafs had to play about 18 minutes to collect the two points. It was embarrassing. On Saturday, the Oilers hook up with the Leafs again on Hockey Night in Canada. Of course, it’s a 5 p.m. start in Edmonton, because, you know, THE LEAFS are here, and the TV station really only cares about when a Leafs fan wants to sit down in front of a game, right? The Canucks fan? The Flames fan? The Oilers fan? Let’s face it: Out here in the colonies, we should just be happy the Maple Leafs go to the trouble of traveling all the way out here. It’s their world, right? Our teams, they’re just playing in it. That’s how it goes out here on the prairie, where a fresh six inches of snow greeted the Leafs when they flew into Edmonton on Friday, delaying their arrival as long as possible by practicing for two days in Vancouver after their Wednesday game against the Canucks. One of my favorite Edmonton Oilers coaches was Ron Low, the old goalie who ran the Oilers’ bench from 1995 ‘til 1999. The Oilers were at the beginning of a prolonged period of futility when they gave Low the reins, and under Low the Oilers were never a .500 team. Nor did they ever play a home game against the Leafs where it seemed like more than 50 per cent of the fans were cheering for the Oilers. It ticked Low off, something fierce. “Generally, you’re 50-50 (Leafs and Oilers fans), and that’s disturbing,” said Low on Friday. “It’s the same thing when Montreal comes to town. As a coach, when the ‘Go Leafs Go’ chants get going? It’s a different scenario.” Low is a snowbird now, splitting his time between Edmonton and the warm Arizona desert. But him and the Leafs? They’ve never really seen eye to eye. Even as a kid growing up in southwest Manitoba, near little towns named Foxwarren and Birtle, close to the Saskatchewan border, he was outnumbered by Leafs fans. “In the 50s, 60s and 70s, you were one of two things: A Leafs fan or a Canadiens fan, and my Dad was a hell of a Leafs fan,” said Low, who turns 69 in June. “We had six people in the house and I was the only Canadiens fan. Ironically, I got drafted by the Leafs. How weird is that?” Low was an eighth-round pick in 1970, a time when there were only 14 NHL teams and players were under near-total control by the owners. As Toronto property, he bounced around in Tulsa and Richmond, then split the Leafs net in the 1972-73 season with Jacques Plante. The great Plante was at the very end of his career and was, by all accounts, a lousy partner by that point in his career, on a mediocre Leafs team. To Low, even a move to the expansion Washington Capitals in 1974-75 was better than hanging around Toronto. When he eventually became a head coach in Edmonton, Low’s motto was simple: “There’s nothing better than beating them, and sending a bunch of Leafs fans home unhappy,” Low said. “It’d be nice if the Oilers could start to turn that trend around again.” Remember 1997 in Dallas, when Todd Marchant went around Grant Ledyard to score that goal in overtime of Game 7, vanquishing the Stars right in old Reunion Arena? While his players dog-piled on Marchant in the offensive zone, Low left the Oilers bench and went the other way to hug his goalie, Curtis Joseph, who moments before had robbed Joe Nieuwendyk with that miraculous save. A year later, Curtis Joseph walked out of Edmonton as a free agent. He went to the Leafs. Today the Leafs roll into Edmonton with a fabulous, exciting, playoff- bound team. Oilers season-ticket holders have made their profits by selling tickets to Leafs fans, while business owners are bringing customers to the rink who will arrive in blue and white sweaters. 1135117 Websites at the deadline and are poised to lose at least Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky in the off-season, so Steve Dangle asks:

“Should we expect Columbus to make the playoffs? They loaded up, but Sportsnet.ca / Truth By Numbers: Is Columbus good enough to make the is the team playing well enough to force someone else out?” playoffs? I’m on record saying that I like Columbus’ decision to keep Panarin and Bobrovsky and go for it this year, but I’m a little dubious on the heavy Andrew Berkshire March 8, 2019, 11:44 AM buying they did at the deadline. I like Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, but adding them at a high cost puts even more pressure on the team for the rest of the season. With the playoff races in full swing, this week Andrew Berkshire looks at The Blue Jackets are in a tight race with the Montreal Canadiens, how important Brendan Gallagher‘s rise as a goal scorer has been to Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins for one of the two wild card Montreal’s wild card bid. spots in the East, or even the third place spot in the Metropolitan Division. Which of these teams has an advantage over the final stretch of He also looks at the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are now 2-4-0 since the season? the trade deadline, to try and figure out what is going wrong with them and how they’re post-season hopes stack up to the others in the race. Let’s look at how they’ve all been playing since the New Year. Those topics, and more, in this week’s Truth By Numbers column. Looking at this field of teams, the Canadiens are the only one that remains positive by all four measures. The Penguins are what they’ve SPOTLIGHT PERFORMANCE been for the past three seasons, only okay in the more general metrics, but brilliant at controlling the most dangerous plays on the ice. The Now that he’s accomplished the feat twice in a row, we can officially call Hurricanes seem to be controlling volume better than quality, and the Brendan Gallagher a 30-goal scorer in the NHL. That’s something I’ve same goes for the Blue Jackets, except their high-quality plays are been expecting of him all the way back to his junior and AHL days slightly further in the negatives than Carolina. because his shot rate was so obscene, I figured based on where he shoots from eventually the volume was going to overtake a poor shooting Three of these teams can squeeze in, so the Blue Jackets only need to percentage and produce results. be better than one of them, but getting shutout 3-0 by the Penguins Thursday night isn’t a good sign. And actually, looking at the play of After breaking his right hand twice in two years, first blocking a shot by these four teams if I had to guess which one ends up on the outside, it’d Johnny Boychuk and then trying to provide a screen on a Shea Weber be Columbus. blast, Gallagher’s utility as a top line player was highly questionable. That would be a heart breaker for the franchise, but the Canadiens look However, even when he posted a career-low shooting percentage of 5.3 strong, the Hurricanes are red hot, and I just wouldn’t bet against the while struggling to get his hand back to full health the underlying Penguins with Sidney Crosby kicking things up a notch. numbers proved that his impact on the Canadiens was among the best in the NHL for his position. Gallagher ranked as the ninth, 12th, and 11th BUY OR SELL best right winger in the NHL the past three years when I broke everything down. • He’s not really talked about for his offence, but my eyebrow raised a bit when I noticed Bo Horvat has the sixth-most scoring chances on net in For a large portion of his career, Gallagher rode shotgun with another the NHL this season with 143. He’s probably getting more power play one of the best play-driving wingers in the game in Max Pacioretty. But time than he would on most teams, but he’s getting to the right spots. unlike other players who saw huge boosts alongside Pacioretty, Strangely, his shooting percentage this year is lower than his career Gallagher never saw much of a drop off when he was away from him – average, but the shot volume has lifted him to a career high in goals the two were just even better together. With Pacioretty now a Golden anyway. Knight, Gallagher has spent most of the season playing tough matchup minutes with Phillip Danault and one of the players Pacioretty was traded • I mentioned Tomas Tatar having a career year earlier. He’s one of only for, Tomas Tatar. 23 regulars in the NHL this season with a high danger scoring chance differential over 60 per cent, and he has the second-best Corsi at 59.4 Danault isn’t considered a high-end offensive centre and Tatar was per cent, behind only Erik Karlsson and a hair ahead of linemate Brendan coming off a down season, but put them both with Gallagher and what Gallagher. The Habs have to be pretty happy he’s got another two years happens? They’ve formed a dynamite line that’s led to career-best left on his current deal, because a $4.8 million cap hit looks like a steal seasons for all three, even though the Canadiens’ power play has been right now. terrible, because they’ve been absurdly good at 5-on-5, led by Gallagher’s huge breakout in shooting. • Nazem Kadri’s streak of 30-goal seasons will end at two, but he has quietly had a fantastic season. No Leafs forward has a better high danger I included league ranks here in order to account for the NHL’s growing scoring chance differential and only Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi number of scoring chances overall. You can see clearly that after Kapanen have a better Corsi. Gallagher’s hand was broken in 2015-16 he started to shoot more often from the high slot, dropping from more high danger chances than anyone • Losing Robin Lehner to injury is going to hurt the Islanders. For the past in the league down to the 66th-most. Since then he’s had two seasons three months, he’s second behind only Andrei Vasilevskiy in save where he’s climbed up the rankings in high danger chances. percentage at .934, and the other option the Isles have is all the way down at… the sixth-best save percentage in the league over that time. The thing is, moving out of the inner slot gave Gallagher more Thomas Greiss has a .930 save percentage in the same period… Never opportunity to contribute off the cycle with one-timers, and more room to mind. get his shot off. As it turns out, he’s actually quite efficient at scoring from further out as well. And though his high danger chances are increasing to Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.09.2019 career-high levels, just 47.5 per cent of his scoring chances on net are from the inner slot now. That’s the lowest mark of his career and it’s because he’s absolutely spamming goalies with shots from the high slot. Adding a new shooting option to his repertoire has made Gallagher a much better goal scorer, and he’s proved that two brutal injuries to the same hand haven’t hurt his ability to be a high impact player. Being forced out of his comfort zone allowed Gallagher to discover that he’s more than just a net-front goal scorer, and the Canadiens have benefitted. Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the country’s most beloved game. THE QUESTION The Columbus Blue Jackets have only been okay recently, going 4-6-0 in their past 10, and are on outside looking in at playoffs. They bought big 1135118 Websites develop into that type of player. It’s such a pressure job, if you make one mistake it’s a goal. I really enjoy watching him this year. You can see his confidence is shining. It’s a breakthrough season for him, for sure.” Sportsnet.ca / Sweden coach Gronborg keeping close eye on Canucks' A weekly deep dive into the biggest hockey news in the world with hosts Pettersson, Markstrom Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek. New episodes every Thursday. Markstrom is 24-19-8 this season with a .915 save percentage and since Iain MacIntyre | March 8, 2019, 3:41 PM November has been one of the best goalies in the NHL. Only Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury, Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk and Montreal’s Carey Price have logged more minutes than Markstrom, and it’s questionable whether he would want to pile on more work by playing at the worlds, VANCOUVER – Meaningful games in March are supposed to be which start May 10. preparation for more meaningful games in April. Nine points out of a National Hockey League playoff spot, the Vancouver Canucks aren’t Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko and winger Brock Boeser are on USA getting either. Hockey’s radar for the world championship, and Bo Horvat could be among Team Canada’s invitees. But Calder Trophy favourite Elias Pettersson, among other Canucks, should play meaningful games in May at the world championships in “We have a tricky job because we don’t know what players are going to Slovakia. be available when the world championships start,” Gronborg said. “We won in 2017 and won in 2018, and those were two totally different teams. Swedish national team coach Rikard Gronborg is making his annual late- We only had three players play on both those teams. season tour around the NHL to see players from his country, and the 50- year-old would love to have Pettersson play in Slovakia if he’s available. “If you want to have any chance of these guys committing to the world championships, we have to pay attention to what they’re doing and Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom should also be an automatic spend some time with them. I grew up with most of these guys coming choice for Sweden, although the 29-year-old may decline an invitation to through the federation (as younger players). It’s fun for me to see these the worlds after what could be a 60-game breakthrough season in the guys coming into our program at 16 or 17 years old and suddenly they’re NHL. big stars over here.” “Fortunately, we have a lot of players in the National Hockey League,” Gronborg is seeing nine NHL games in 11 days. There are Swedes on Gronborg said Wednesday between periods of the Canucks’ game every NHL roster except Florida’s. against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Rogers Arena. “But Elias is definitely a player we’d like to have for Swedish world championship teams and the Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.09.2019 Olympics, if they allow NHL players to play. He’s the future, for sure. “He’s always been an exceptional player. But the second half of last year we saw he was special. I’m not surprised (by his rookie season in the NHL), but I’m tremendously happy for his sake that he’s taken these steps.” Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and more. After his MVP season in the Swedish Hockey League, Pettersson played as a 19-year-old for Sweden at the 2018 world championships in Denmark, where the forward broke his thumb. Pettersson scored 10 goals in his first 10 games for the Canucks this fall – just the fifth player in 100 years to start his NHL career that way – and with 57 points in 57 games has a 20-point lead in the rookie scoring race despite generating just one assist in his last five games. Among the 83 Swedes who have skated in the NHL this season, only four have more points than Pettersson and at least two of them, Calgary’s Elias Lindholm and Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom, are going to be busy with the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring. “He started this year as he ended last year,” Gronborg said of Pettersson, who turned 20 in November. “After Christmas (last season) something clicked. He was good before, but after he was something special. During the whole playoffs in the Swedish League, he was unbelievable. He was part of our world championship team and unfortunately he got hurt and couldn’t play the last few games. “He’s got special skills. You can tell watching him he does the work. He’s not just an offensive player but does the dirty work also.” Gronborg has been involved with Sweden’s national-team programs the last decade, and previously coached his country’s world junior and Under-18 teams. The bearded coach first came to North America in 1990 to play hockey at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. He played professionally in the short-lived Roller Hockey International before beginning his coaching career. He was an assistant coach on Sweden’s 2013 world championship team that featured Canucks Daniel and Henrik Sedin and won gold medals on home ice. Markstrom, then a rookie with the Florida Panthers, was one of Sweden’s goaltenders. As a member of the Canucks, Markstrom played at the 2016 world championships and made Sweden’s roster for the World Cup of Hockey that fall. “We always saw that Markstrom was a good player, but now he’s a great player,” Gronborg said. “It takes a little longer for a goaltenders to 1135119 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Which of these NHL forwards will 'Finnish' with most goals this season?

Mike Johnston March 8, 2019, 2:03 PM

If you’ve ever scrolled through hockey reddit you’ll know it’s a place where plenty of fascinating stats, facts, observations, GIFs, tidbits and random thoughts get posted from fans worldwide on a daily basis. One user pointed out that after Thursday’s slate of games Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov and Patrik Laine are tied for top spot among forwards from Finland with 29 goals, so it had us wondering which of those players has the best chance to complete the season on top? Laine is the only Finnish player to reach the 30-goal plateau since Teemu Selanne did it for the 10th and final time of his career in 2011. This year, barring injury or a staggering season-ending cold streak, at least four Finns will get there – something that has never happened before in NHL history. Prior to the season, the Winnipeg Jets sniper was among the odds-on favourites to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. The 2016 second-overall pick had a modest start to the season with three goals in the opening 12 games but November saw him score a whopping 18 times in 12 games, including this memorable five-goal performance against the Blues. Laine went ice cold after that stellar month, though, scoring just four times in the next 36 games. He has gotten back on track with four goals and eight points in the past seven games. It’ll be a stretch for him to match the 44 he scored one year ago but Laine is more than capable of going on a hot streak, especially considering he skates on a line with elite playmakers Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Carolina Hurricanes eccentric owner Tom Dundon said after his team failed to qualify for the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs that some major roster changes were coming but that one player was untouchable. That player was Aho and the breakout campaign he’s in the midst of has reflected well on his owner dubbing him the de facto franchise player. Aho finished last season with 29 goals in 78 games. It took him 66 games to reach 29 goals this year. He has scored in four straight after snapping a 10-game drought. Rantanen has a 10-point lead on Aho for most points among Finns, so the overall scoring race should be his, but based on games remaining and trajectory his path to the Finnish goal title is most difficult. Rantanen only has six goals in his past 20 games but is still being productive on an elite line beside Colorado Avalanche teammates Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon, however the Avs will be in tough down the stretch with Landeskog expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury. The 23-year-old Barkov is the elder statesman of this quartet. The Florida Panthers centre set a new career high when he registered his 29th in Thursday’s heartbreaking loss to the Bruins and is on a serious heater with 10 goals in his past 11 outings, one of which was a legitimate goal of the year candidate. The success of the four players above is symbolic of the Finnish revolution the NHL is currently seeing. Last year, 33 Finns suited up for at least one NHL game; this year 41 have seen action. Last year 13 Finns scored double-digit goals; this year there have already been 12 with four players within two goals of doing it. A Finnish player has been a top-three selection at the NHL Draft for three years running (Laine in 2016, Miro Heiskanen in 2017, Jesperi Kotkaniemi in 2018) and that trend should continue with Kaapo Kakko, the consensus No. 2 prospect eligible for the 2019 draft behind American Jack Hughes. The country’s hockey momentum doesn’t appear as if it’s going to be slowing down anytime soon, so considering everything above, what say you? Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.09.2019 1135120 Websites With 30 goals and 30 assists in 53 games, the numbers suggest Matthews is having a great season.

"Yeah, I mean, they're fine," he said with a sigh when the statistics are TSN.CA / Matthews: ‘We can be a lot better’ mentioned. Matthews then smiles when asked to assess his season to date. By Mark Masters "I don’t know what you really want me to say. But, I just try and go out and play hockey, do what I do, which is obviously help this team score and play a 200-foot game and just do my thing." TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs, who practised at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Matthews would be on pace for an even better season had he not Friday before flying to Edmonton ahead of Saturday’s game against the sustained a shoulder injury on Oct. 27, which forced him to miss 14 Oilers. games. Auston Matthews believes he and linemates Andreas Johnsson and "The injury sets you back a bit," he noted. "I mean, probably about a Kasperi Kapanen have more to give. month or two after I felt like I got my legs back and skating was a lot better, just more comfortable out there." "I feel we can be a lot better," the 21-year-old centre admitted after Friday's practice. "Our strength is our speed. I think when we take care of Really? It took that long to get back to feeling right? the puck and we just get in their zone, we're fast, you know, pretty agile, "Yeah, I mean, it takes time," he explained. "It’s hard. I mean, you can can make plays, move around in the offensive zone. I think a good goal only do so much stuff in the gym, but until you really get back in a game, for us is just to spend more time in the O-zone, hanging onto pucks and it’s really tough to get into game shape without playing games and creating chances below the dots." practising every day and being in that setting and that pace so it’s tough. With Nazem Kadri returning from injury Saturday in Edmonton, there was It’s not easy, but once you get back to where you were prior to the injury an opportunity for coach Mike Babcock to shuffle William Nylander, who’s you start to feel more and more like yourself and kind of back to where been filling in down the middle, back to the Matthews line. But Nylander you were at the beginning of the season." remained on the third line at practice and Babcock made it clear he saw While Matthews is happy with his improved skating stride this season, no pressing reason to change things with the Matthews group even he's also proud of how the playmaking part of his game has grown. One though they haven't produced a goal in four straight. objective at the start of the season was to have more assists than goals. "I thought they were pretty good last game, to be honest with you," "I think just trying to find guys," he explained. "Teams Watch video and Babcock said. "I didn’t like them as much in Calgary, but they've done a they make adjustments and they know I like to shoot the puck so maybe pretty good job. The biggest thing is taking care of the puck and then you draw a couple guys to you and you find a linemate or something like Auston's a big man, can roll around, and Johnny has that skill-set so that ... so a lot of areas where you want to improve in and that was does Kappy." definitely one of them." Matthews has just two assists in five games matching his quietest five- Matthews has already reached a career high in assists. game run of the season. He’s one of the game's most dynamic scorers so you can understand why this dry spell doesn't sit well with him. He Did Matthews’ hot start to the season change our expectations for him? said establishing more of a cycle game is a priority. Leafs Lunch guest host Gord Miller with Dave Feschuk discuss how the "It's really important to not to be one and done because, especially matchup of Auston Matthews vs. Connor McDavid hasn’t really lived up towards the end of the season, that's kind of where the game's at, it’s to the hype and debate if Auston Matthews has performed up to the level down low, below the dots and the neutral zone's pretty jammed up so it that is expected of him. will be a good test tomorrow night to kind of get back on track. I thought we did a better job against Vancouver and generating more chances off Babcock raised eyebrows on Wednesday morning by saying the team the cycle, but we can always be better." was planning to cap Frederik Andersen at around 56 starts this season. Andersen, who made 66 starts in each of the last two seasons, wasn't "Consistency in the National Hockey League is the toughest thing to really interested in discussing the matter after the loss to the Canucks – have," noted Babcock, "but we need those guys to be effective and when "I don't care about the number, per se," he said, "I just play when they tell they take care of the puck, especially when Auston’s skating, when he's me" – and then the team took off Thursday. skating he’s a load, and that’s important that happens." “I misspoke, no one misquoted me,” Babcock said when asked about the Matthews unhappy with line's play of late: 'I feel we can be a lot better' team's plan to rest Andersen down the stretch. "When I asked the question about the math, the math was wrong, this is on me." With only two assists in his last five games, Auston Matthews admitted today that he feels his line has more to give. The Leafs' young centre Babcock suggested that 60 starts is the more likely goal for Andersen. noted that with the speed and skill the trio has, they should be able sustain pressure in the offensive zone for much longer. Mark Masters "We got the schedule all laid out," he said. "I feel he's going to get to be has more. around that, 60, but who knows. The 56 is on me. How’s that." Adding to the sense of urgency is the play of the Bruins, who are 14-0-4 One thing we know for certain is Andersen will make his 50th start of the since Jan. 29 and have moved four points clear of the Leafs in the race season on Saturday. He's 10-0-1 with a .927 save percentage in his for second place in the Atlantic Division. career against the Oilers. "They’ve been extremely hot," Matthews said. "They’re playing well and After playing in Edmonton, the Leafs will have 14 games left with only it’s good for us to see that and make sure we take our game to another three back-to-back sets. level as well." Babcock misspoke on Andersen's starts target; number closer to 60 How important is the race for home-ice advantage? Before the Leafs' loss against the Vancouver Canucks, head coach Mike "I mean, it's important," Matthews said. "You’d obviously love to have it. I Babcock indicated the target number for starts for Frederik Andersen on don’t think that’s really the main focus right now. We’re just trying to take the season was 56. Well, today while addressing the media Babcock it one game at a time and obviously win hockey games and give admitted he may have misspoke and the number may actually be a bit ourselves a chance to compete and win every night. I think that’s maybe larger. in the back of our minds, but I don't think it’s too much of a main focus for Kadri will return to the lineup after missing eight games with a concussion us." and expectations are high for the centre down the stretch. If Bruins pull away, could boredom be a concern for Leafs down the "I think when you get injured sometimes, to be honest with you, it can be stretch? a bit of an advantage, you get a real freshen up," said Babcock, "and we If the Bruins continue their winning prowess and pull away from Toronto need Naz to come back and be as good or better than he's been all year in the standings, could boredom be a factor down the stretch for the and be a real important player for us so it's good to have him back. Maple Leafs with nothing to play for heading into the playoffs? That's Obviously, he's had lots of skating opportunity so he's not coming back Hockey discuss. not ready to go. He’s ready to go and now he’s got to get himself used to the games, but it’s important to get him back and get everyone in their right spots so that we can move ahead with the group we have." Kadri, who only missed eight games combined in the previous three Marleau seasons, has been out since taking a big hit from Vince Dunn on Feb. 19 against the Blues in St. Louis. TSN.CA LOADED: 03.09.2019 "Just going to try and get into the game early," Kadri told a group of reporters including Leafs Nation Network, "get involved and engaged so I think just banging that first shift out right off the bat and after that it just feels like a regular hockey game. So, I'm excited to say the least, for sure." Kadri slots right back in between Patrick Marleau and Nylander. "We should catch on pretty quick," Kadri vowed. "It was a line that brought some success before the injury." With Kadri’s return, the competition to play on the fourth line is getting more fierce. Frederik Gauthier, who sat as a healthy scratch on Wednesday, missed practice due to illness, but is expected to play on Saturday. "He’s not feeling good today, but obviously we’re counting on him playing tomorrow," Babcock stated. Connor Brown shifts down to the right wing spot on the fourth line while Edmonton native Tyler Ennis, who picked up his first career hat trick against the Flames on Monday, was the left winger at practice. Trevor Moore appeared to be the odd man out. "I don’t know 100 per cent," Babcock said when asked if the plan is for Moore to sit. "We're just going to talk about that here on the flight and go from there. All those guys have played pretty well. I thought that the Moore-Goat-Ennis line, in particular, was really effective for us over a period of time." Nic Petan skated as the centre on the fourth line at practice, but would likely sit should Gauthier be good to go. Against the Canucks, Babcock went with Ennis-Petan-Moore, but said afterwards it was a mistake because he didn’t feel comfortable playing that trio as much in the defensive end. "I made that decision last game, no one else, and didn’t play the Goat and that line wasn’t as good." Leafs Ice Chips: Goat returns as Babcock takes blame for fourth-line experiment With Frederik Gauthier a scratch against the Vancouver Canucks, the Leafs opted for a small, skilled fourth line featuring Trevor Moore, Nic Petan, and Tyler Ennis. The line ultimately disappointed, and Mike Babcock said on Friday that Gauthier would return to the lineup against the Oilers, taking responsibility for the fourth-line experiment. Lines at Friday’s Leafs practice: Forwards Hyman-Tavares-Marner Johnsson-Matthews-Kapanen Marleau-Kadri-Nylander Ennis-Petan-Brown Moore Defencemen Rielly-Hainsey Muzzin-Zaitsev Marincin-Ozhiganov Holl Goaltenders Andersen Sparks Absent: Gauthier (Illness) Power play units at Friday’s Leafs practice: Rielly Matthews-Kadri-Marner Tavares Muzzin Ennis-Johnsson-Nylander 1135121 Websites “I thought it was a great time, this morning, to get a chance to be up close and meet his family and pay our respects,” Kronwall said. “The legacy he leaves behind is amazing.” USA TODAY / Spirit of Hockeytown glows at Ted Lindsay viewing. And it The current players and coaches wore dark suits, which was somehow was stunning fitting. “Ted Lindsay, if he were at this event, he would wear a shirt and tie — Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press Published 7:13 p.m. ET March 8, 2019 | out of respect,” former Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson said. “I just Updated 11:25 p.m. ET March 8, 2019 talked to his daughter. She said, ‘Our dad would wear a shirt and tie to the bathroom if he thought it was important enough.’ ”

The players stopped and looked at tables filled with trophies. A solemn red light glowed inside Little Caesars Arena on Friday morning, like someone had cut through the heart of Hockeytown, as the entire One of the tables held the Ted Lindsay Award, formerly known as the Detroit Red Wings team and coaching staff walked slowly down a red Lester B. Pearson Award, which is awarded annually to the NHL's most carpet toward Ted Lindsay’s casket. outstanding player, as voted on by the players. There was a display of red roses in front of the casket — from the Ilitch And that’s probably all you need to know about Terrible Ted. family, the franchise owners — during a public memorial visitation, He was a living legend who was always around. honoring Lindsay, who died Monday at age 93. This moment was the essence of the Wings, the essence of Hockeytown. “We are celebrating an icon,” Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “But I also think it’s not only what the players do on the ice — and that’s The current group of players learning from past greatness. the most important —- but it’s what they do off the ice. How they lead their life. How they give back. That’s what Ted did. He gave back.” “I can’t say enough how Ted carried himself and his presence around our hockey team and our organization, it’s something very special,” former Pallbearers, clockwise from left, Dylan Larkin, Terry Zangkas, Al Red Wing Kris Draper said. Sobotka, Jeff Lindsay, Lew LaPaugh, Mike Bayoff, Eddie Mio and Joey Kocur move the casket of former Detroit Red Wings player Ted Lindsay One year, Wings coach Jeff Blashill was getting ready for training camp. at a public viewing, Friday, March 8, 2019, in Detroit. Lindsay pioneered “What are you doing?” Lindsay asked. the first NHL hockey players' union despite intense opposition from team management, began the tradition of taking the Stanley Cup closer to fans “Mr. Lindsay, we are getting ready for training camp,” Blashill said. “We by skating it around the ice and refused to attend his own Hall of Fame are getting our message ready." induction ceremony because only men were allowed. Lindsay died Monday at the age of 93. “He said, ‘Coach, you just tell them, if they go into the corner with another guy, and if they don’t come out with the puck, they are a horse-(crap) Red and white banners hung above the casket, creating the perfect hockey player.’ And I thought that was awesome. It was true in 1950 and backdrop and tribute to one of the greatest players in team history. The it’s true today. And that was my first message to our team.’ " banner that was raised when Lindsay’s number was retired was positioned directly above the casket. The banner itself was brought out of Mourners visit the casket of former Detroit Red Wings player Ted retirement, special for this moment, after it had been used in Joe Louis Lindsay at a public viewing, Friday, March 8, 2019, in Detroit. Lindsay Arena. And that banner was sandwiched between four Stanley Cup pioneered the first NHL hockey players' union despite intense opposition banners that Lindsay played a role in winning for the Wings. from team management, began the tradition of taking the Stanley Cup closer to fans by skating it around the ice and refused to attend his own To the current players, Lindsay was not some forgotten star in the history Hall of Fame induction ceremony because only men were allowed. books. Lindsay died Monday at the age of 93. Lindsay was the guy who was working out in the weight room, well past At the far end of the receiving line, there were several tables that his 80th birthday. honored Lindsay's charity work. He was a force in the community, and those are important lessons for these young Wings. He was a man of courage and conviction, who played a major role in forming the players union. “Today is a celebration of an incredible life,” Holland said. “Just as important, off the ice. What he meant to this game, to this sport, to this Mourners visit the casket of former Detroit Red Wings player Ted Lindsay city. The respect that he gave and got. The passion he had for the sport, at a public viewing, Friday, March 8, 2019, in Detroit. the passion. He was a fierce competitor. Great role for so many people.” He was the guy who would walk around the dressing room and greet This was an important moment for this young hockey team. It is how the players by their full name. spirit of Hockeytown gets passed from one generation to the next. “Myself, it wouldn’t be Nik; it would be Niklas,” Niklas Kronwall said. “And You could feel it. he took the time to talk to each player. It didn’t matter if you were Nicklas Lidstrom, or someone barely playing. He made everyone feel great about You could see it. themselves.” As the players passed the casket, in the red glow. Lindsay, a Hall of Famer, was the guy who would call Henrik Zetterberg on the phone to talk about the team. USA TODAY LOADED: 03.09.2019 Always on the landline, never his cell. “Over the years, we got closer and closer,” Zetterberg said. “I think he meant a lot, just coming in the locker room, too. He was so involved in the team. He always knew what was going on. If you needed a confidence boost, he was there for you.” Zetterberg, who retired in September, became emotional talking about Lindsay. “We are celebrating a legend, a true gentlemen, and he will be missed,” Zetterberg said. When Zetterberg had surgery on his back, Lindsay was one of the first to call him. “He called my wife and asked how Henrik is,” Zetterberg said. “She said, ‘He wasn’t really woken up, so I don’t really know.’ ” About 20 of Lindsay’s family members lined up near the casket and greeted everyone who visited. As the players and coaches paid respects to the family, it wasn’t a quick, empty greeting. There were long conversations.