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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 5/25/2021 1188671 Ducks hire former Kings executive Jeff Solomon as vice 1188698 What a perfect offseason could look like for the Dallas president of hockey operations Stars 1188672 Ducks goalie prospect Lukas Dostal shines in Gulls’ playoff defeat Red Wings 1188673 Ducks hire front office executive Jeff Solomon away from 1188699 The ' rebuild just got a little boost from the Kings the . Here's why 1188674 Kings executive jumps to Ducks: What Jeff Solomon’s 1188700 Finally healthy, Wings' prospect Jared McIsaac looking move means for each front office toward getting stronger 1188701 Red Wings excited about Moritz Seider’s progress, Coyotes eagerly await debut 1188675 Michael Bunting reprising Coyotes role, playing style with 1188702 Who could fill the Red Wings’ assistant coach opening? 15 Canada at hockey World Championships potential candidates Boston Bruins 1188676 Players added at trade deadline gave Bruins crucial depth 1188703 Shock and disbelief as Edmonton Oilers suffer early when injuries hit playoff exit 1188677 Time to play the waiting game: The pros and cons of the 1188704 PLAYOFF SNAPSHOTS: Oilers lay it all on the line but Bruins wrapping up their first playoff series quickly come up short in overtime again 1188678 Bruins Notebook: B’s must stay out of the box 1188705 Oilers forward Josh Archibald suspended for Game 4 1188679 Kase, Kampfer Ruled Out For Rest Of Boston Bruins against Jets Playoffs 1188706 JONES: Epic collapse by Edmonton Oilers brings back 1188680 Haggerty: Boston Bruins Look Every Bit The Cup painful memories Contenders 1188707 Oilers collapse once again in playoffs like they did in 2017 1188681 ‘High Emotion’ For Boston Bruins With Chara In 1188708 Blame Josh Archibald’s ‘poor ’ for a season-turning Handshake Line loss, but there’s much more that ails the Oilers 1188682 BHN Daily: TD Garden Will Be ‘Near Full Capacity’ For 1188709 NHL gifted the Oilers’ Connor McDavid; six years later, Bruins Games they have yet to adequately support him 1188683 Bruins’ clinching win over Capitals was ’s 1188710 The Oilers’ 10 biggest offseason priorities after a coronation as captain disastrous first-round playoff exit 1188684 From 'suffering' to 'tanking,' Sabres' shifting visions 1188711 Spencer Knight steadied the Panthers early in Game 5. imperiled roster build And then the floodgates opened 1188685 Regime changes, impatience impede Sabres' player 1188712 ‘He won the game for us’: 20-year-old Spencer Knight development efforts keeps Florida alive with Game 5 win 1188713 Panthers to turn to 20-year-old goalie Spencer Knight to BuffaloSabres start must-win Game 5 vs. Lightning 1188686 Breaking down the Buffalo Sabres’ record-tying playoff 1188714 Hyde: Greatness in his playoff debut — Spencer Knight drought saves Panthers’ season | Commentary 1188715 With 20-year-old Spencer Knight in net, Panthers avoid elimination with Game 5 win over Lightning 1188687 PWHPA Secret Dream Gap Tour opens with unique points 1188716 Hyde5: Giannis didn’t want Butler last year — does now; system in place Spencer Knight starts for Panthers 1188688 Flames forward Lucic's call for change of mentality carries 1188717 Panthers’ suspenseful Game 5 goalie announcement weight results in rookie Spencer Knight getting the start 1188689 Revisiting 10 bold (and not very good) predictions about 1188718 Florida Panthers starting Spencer Knight in vs. the Calgary Flames Lightning 1188719 FHN Daily: Panthers do not name starter for Lightning but Knight likely 1188690 The Hurricanes are still trying to make Svech happen 1188720 ‘Just win, baby’: Five reasons Lightning-Panthers series is against the Predators still alive Kings 1188691 The Blackhawks can look to Marian Hossa for how to 1188721 Ducks hire former Kings executive Jeff Solomon as vice handle Brent Seabrook, Andrew Shaw contracts this president of hockey operations offseason 1188722 Kings executive jumps to Ducks: What Jeff Solomon’s move means for each front office 1188723 Key Offseason Dates + All The Kings Men Preview 1188692 Kiszla vs. Chambers: Nathan MacKinnon or Joe Sakic? Which Avalanche center is better? 1188693 Avalanche in rest and recovery mode. Vegas or Minnesota 1188724 Wild-Vegas Game 5 recap next opponent in Round 2 1188725 Wild survives to fight another day, beats Vegas 4-2 1188694 Breaking the Niche: Avalanche fans should welcome the 1188726 Wild rookie defenseman Calen Addison makes his NHL bandwagon playoff debut 1188695 MacKinnon-led top group lifts Avs into 2nd round 1188727 Golden Knights open their doors to a bigger crowd for 1188696 Top 10 Recruiting Tips for Hockey Players in College Game 5 vs. Wild 1188728 Calen Addison in, Carson Soucy out for Wild's must-win Game 5 vs. Golden Knights 1188697 Blue Jackets counting on John Davidson, GM Jarmo 1188729 Let's count all the ways that Wild isn't measuring up to Kekalainen to make reunion work Vegas Wild Continued 1188730 Scoring futility puts Wild one loss from season's end 1188765 How much did Farabee accomplish? Quite a bit and now tonight in Vegas he must build on it 1188731 John Shipley: Wild’s prospects, immediate and beyond, are bright 1188732 Wild extend series with 4-2 win over Golden Knights 1188766 Tim Benz: The Penguins lost a game they couldn't 1188733 Here are some Wild players (not named Kirill Kaprizov) possibly lose. And maybe the series as a result that have taken the next step 1188767 Ilya Sorokin the latest goalie to serve as Penguins’ playoff 1188734 Wild prospect Calen Addison set to make NHL postseason kryptonite debut 1188768 Penguins fall in double overtime, one loss away from 1188735 Cam Talbot helps Wild take ‘first step in very long process’ elimination by forcing Game 6 1188769 Offense hard to find for Penguins forwards , Jared McCann 1188770 Penguins Casey DeSmith misses morning 1188736 Jack Campbell shuts down Canadiens in third period as skate Maple Leafs take series lead 1188771 Madden Monday: Penguins ‘don’t have a playoff-style 1188737 'Our goalie was our best player,' Leafs coach Sheldon team anymore’ Keefe says 1188772 Tristan Jarry and the Penguins give away Game 5 to the 1188738 The Canadiens have scored only four goals in three Islanders in double OT games and Monday's loss left them trailing the best-of- 1188773 Stick taps, chirps and observations from seve Penguins-Islanders Game 5 1188739 Canadiens' offensive woes continue in Game 3 loss to 1188774 Paul Zeise: The Penguins were dominant in Game 5 and Maple Leafs lost because they couldn’t finish 1188740 Liveblog replay: Leafs defeat the Habs 2-1 to take Game 3 1188775 Penguins notes: Net-front battles come to the forefront in 1188741 Stu Cowan: Desperate for more offence, Canadiens turn tight series to Cole Caufield 1188776 Ron Cook: Is Evgeni Malkin healthy enough to pick up his 1188742 Canadiens Game Day: Scoring continues to be a big game? problem for Habs 1188777 Yohe’s 10 observations: Tristan Jarry, an excruciating loss 1188743 The problems plaguing the Canadiens against the Maple and assessing the Penguins’ chances in Game 6 Leafs have been all too predictable 1188778 Penguins report cards: Tristan Jarry gives away Game 5 1188744 Canadiens playoffs plus/minus: Carey Price’s vote of against Islanders confidence, Shea Weber struggles, Dom Ducharme’s 1188779 GIVEAWAY: Sorokin, Islanders Steal Game 5 in Double lineup c OT on Jarry Turnover 1188780 Pressure Intensifies, Game 5: Penguins Lines, Notes & Matchups vs. Islanders 1188745 Nashville Predators keep defying odds in playoffs. Juuse 1188781 React the Right Way? What Penguins Must Do, and Can’t Saros is a big reason why. Do in Game 5 1188746 Series stealer? Predators goalie Juuse Saros has the Hurricanes on their heels after historic wins Kraken 1188747 They're vibin': Why you should count the Predators out at 1188782 Prepare to release the : What you need to your own risk know about the NHL’s newest team 1188748 TSU announces details on potential future hockey program St Louis Blues 1188783 Season in Review: Blues tumbled to mediocrity in season of injuries and COVID 1188749 Goalie Ilya Sorokin steals Game 5 for Islanders in 1188784 Blues' Tarasenko heading to world championships, report Pittsburgh, can close out at Coliseum Wednesday says 1188750 ‘Outstanding’ Ilya Sorokin paved way for Islanders win 1188751 Josh Bailey’s fluky 2OT goal gives Islanders series lead 1188752 Islanders getting boost from their -happy defense 1188785 Lightning-Panthers Game 5 report card: Making an impact 1188753 Islanders' Game 5 key was Ilya Sorokin and his 48 saves 1188786 You can forgive the Lightning for losing a game, but not for 1188754 Josh Bailey's double-overtime winner lifts Islanders past giving it away Penguins in Game 5 1188787 Jonathan Huberdeau comes up big for Panthers with 1188755 Chemistry, experience give Islanders an edge in tough two-point game series 1188788 First round: Lightning-Panthers Game 5 live updates 1188756 Isles' plan to defend Sidney Crosby working well through 1188789 Panthers have hotter goalie, deny Lightning chance to first four playoff games wrap up series 1188757 From to national television, the Josh 1188790 Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov, Mikhail Sergachev expected Bailey song gets airtime to play tonight 1188758 Oliver Wahlstrom Day-to-Day After Hard Crash into 1188791 ‘Just win, baby’: Five reasons Lightning-Panthers series is Boards in Game 5 still alive 1188759 Heist of the Century! Josh Bailey Helps Islanders Steal Game 5 Victory in Double OT 1188760 NEW YORK ISLANDERSPlayoff Gameday: Islanders 1188792 Jack Campbell shuts down Canadiens in third period as Game 5 Lineup, Matchups and Game Notes vs. Pens Maple Leafs take series lead 1188761 NEW YORK ISLANDERSWAHLLY WORLD: Islanders 1188793 Leafs-Habs series heating up on the ice, but no fans Rookie Making Most of Postseason Opportunities leaves big void 1188762 NYHN Daily: Sorokin a Game Changer for Islanders in 1188794 ‘He was an absolute warrior.’ Jack Campbell outduels Game 4 & More Carey Price and the Maple Leafs pull ahead in Game 3 1188795 Campbell shuts the door late as Maple Leafs top Canadiens to take 2-1 series lead 1188763 Nazem Kadri could be fit for glaring Rangers need 1188796 With William Nylander leading the way, Leafs grab series 1188764 Former Rangers on the state of the rebuild, part 2: The lead over Canadiens ‘no-brainer’ coach to hire, and how to add toughness 1188797 SIMMONS: Spectacular goaltending from Campbell, Price defining Leafs-Habs playoff series 1188798 KOSHAN: Maple Leafs need to keep 'absolute warrior' Campbell in net for Game 4 Maple Leafs Continued 1188799 Nylander steps up his two-way play as Maple Leafs hang 1188822 Put down the pitchforks: I admit I underestimated these on to take a 2-1 series lead Jets 1188800 Leafs to face Caufield as Habs look for goals in Game 3 1188823 Jets sweep Oilers, punch ticket to second round 1188801 SIN BIN: Enduring mystery ... who is Shania Twain 1188824 Jets win in overtime for third straight game to complete cheering for? stunning sweep of Oilers 1188802 This is the version of William Nylander the Maple Leafs 1188825 Jets provide much-needed escape from pandemic's have been waiting for in the playoffs pounding 1188803 Maple Leafs report cards: Jack Campbell steals the show 1188826 JETS SNAPSHOTS: Jets ‘second’ power-play unit played (and the game) in third period, William Nylander strik huge role in getting series with Oilers to 3-0 1188804 Through the eyes of his father: The story behind Jason 1188827 ‘The boys don’t give up’: How the Jets pushed the Oilers Spezza’s dream run with the Maple Leafs within one game of being swept SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1188828 Canucks: J.T. Miller loves Vancouver, never asked for trade, says agent 1188805 Wild save season with 1st-period outburst against Golden Knights 1188806 Column: Desperate looks good on Wild in Game 5 victory 1188807 Golden Knights fall behind early, headed back to Minnesota 1188808 Brayden McNabb returns for Golden Knights for Game 5 1188809 Golden Knights dominate Wild, but come up short in Game 5 loss at home 1188810 Golden Knights fall in Game 5 to Wild, series shifts back to Minnesota 1188811 Golden Knights can accomplish franchise first with Game 5 win over Wild 1188812 Golden Knights did everything but ‘stick pucks in the net’ in Game 5 loss to Wild 1188813 Golden Knights Lose Golden Opportunity to Close Out Series: Minnesota Holds On For 4-2 Win Before 12,156 In Ve 1188814 Plenty of Single Tickets Starting At $200 Available For Tonight’s Golden Knights-Minnesota Wild Game 5 At T-Mo 1188815 Monday Morning Gambler: Golden Knights Bettors On A Streak — Again 1188816 Vegas Golden Knights Fail to Close Out Wild in 4-2 Loss 1188817 Marc-Andre Fleury’s Early Case for Playoff MVP 1188818 After another first-round exit, where do the Capitals go from here? 1188819 Capitals' offseason direction hinges on Ovechkin 1188820 Capitals will never know if Trotz might have made the difference 1188821 Ovechkin to miss World Championship with injury, but Orlov and Samsonov will join Team Russia Websites 1188829 The Athletic / ‘It’s like a family reunion’: What it means to have the NHL playoffs and fans back in Nashville 1188830 The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: The 2021 Old Guy Without a Cup rankings 1188831 .ca / Jets rewrite playoff history vs. Oilers with series sweep in first round 1188832 Sportsnet.ca / Despite gallant efforts, Oilers continue to find ways to lose in playoffs 1188833 Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs' William Nylander exuding confidence as hot streak continues 1188834 Sportsnet.ca / Playoffs takeaways: Knight saves Panthers' season 1188835 TSN.CA / Canadiens need middle-six forwards to show some life 1188836 TSN.CA / Foligno misses skate, but good to go in Game 3 1188837 TSN.CA / Nylander thriving on retooled second line 1188838 USA TODAY / Penguins rally around goalie Tristan Jarry after gaffe in loss to Islanders; Jets sweep Oilers 1188839 USA TODAY / 'It gave them some life': Winnipeg Jets rally for 5-4 OT win after Edmonton Oilers take 'poor pena 1188671 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks hire former Kings executive Jeff Solomon as vice president of hockey operations

By HELENE ELLIOTT

Jeff Solomon, whose expertise with the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement helped the Kings navigate tricky rules while he negotiated contracts and maximized their salary cap space, has left after 15 seasons to become the Ducks’ vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager. Solomon fills a spot that opened when David McNab, who had worked for the Ducks since 1993 and had been their senior vice president of hockey operations since 2008, retired two weeks ago.

Solomon, 63, a University of San Diego law school graduate, will oversee strategic budget planning for the Ducks as it relates to the NHL’s labor agreement with the NHL Players’ Assn. In a statement issued on Monday, the Ducks said Solomon also will oversee issues related to the salary cap, contract and arbitration negotiations, and player evaluation.

Solomon was an attorney who focused on tax issues and estate planning before becoming an agent for professional players. He joined the Kings for the 2006-07 season. He managed their often difficult CBA issues while they won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014 and most recently held the titles of executive vice president of hockey operations and legal affairs. Solomon has been involved with NHL players and issues for 35 years.

The Kings missed the playoffs for the third season in a row and the fifth time in seven seasons. The time is now for GM to make the team better.

“Jeff has been a key member of our organization for several years. At Jeff’s request, we agreed to mutually terminate his employment agreement to allow him to pursue other career opportunities,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate all that Jeff has done for our hockey operations group and we thank him for his contributions.”

Helene Elliott joined the ’ sports department in 1989. She became the first female journalist to be honored with a plaque in the Hall of Fame of a major professional sport as the 2005 winner of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Elmer Ferguson Award, awarded to writers “who have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.” A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she has covered 16 Olympics. She recently crossed covering Wimbledon off her bucket list.

LA Times: LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188672 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks goalie prospect Lukas Dostal shines in Gulls’ playoff defeat

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: May 24, 2021 at 9:46 p.m. | UPDATED: May 24, 2021 at 9:48 p.m.

The evolution of Lukas Dostal continued on Monday night in Bakersfield, where the 20-year-old goaltender took a few more giant strides in his burgeoning career during the San Diego Gulls’ 2-1 overtime loss to the Condors in the decisive Game 3 of their first-round AHL playoff series.

While his more heralded young teammates, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, struggled to fight through the Condors’ tight checking, Dostal worked his magic to preserve a 1-1 tie and send the game to OT. He made 43 saves by game’s end, several of them spectacular.

Dostal couldn’t prevent Bakersfield’s Brad Malone from scoring the series-clinching goal 7:36 into sudden-death OT, however. Malone capped a scramble in front of Dostal that enabled the Condors to rally to win in OT for the second consecutive game, after a 3-2 victory in Game 2.

Dostal stopped 116 of 124 shots during the series, cementing his status as the third goalie on the Ducks’ depth chart behind John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz going into training camp next September. ’s retirement created a vacancy and Dostal could fill it.

“The performance and his record speak for itself,” San Diego coach Kevin Dineen said of Dostal. “I think he was our top player by far in this playoff series. That was just over three games, but there was a lot of build-up (during the regular season) that went into that.”

Bakersfield advanced to face the Henderson (Nevada) Silver Knights for the Pacific Division championship.

The Gulls led by the end of the first period for the third consecutive game, this time 1-0 after Andrew Agozzino converted after a Condors turnover 7:42 into the game. San Diego led 1-0 at the end of the first period in Game 1 and 2-1 in Game 2.

Adam Cracknell, a former Gulls forward who was instrumental in their run to the conference final two years ago, rallied Bakersfield with a goal at 12:18 of the second period.

Dostal warmed to the task as the Condors turned up the pressure in the closing minutes of regulation. He stopped James Hamblin from close range and Seth Griffith from even closer range a few moments later, and he then smothered Luke Esposito’s try at the third-period horn.

Orange County Register: LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188673 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks hire front office executive Jeff Solomon away from the Kings

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: May 24, 2021 at 1:14 p.m. | UPDATED: May 24, 2021 at 2:04 p.m.

The void created by David McNab’s retirement May 11 as the Ducks’ senior vice president of hockey operations didn’t last long and the team didn’t have to go far to find his replacement. The Ducks on Monday hired former Kings executive Jeff Solomon to fill the vacancy.

The Kings’ loss is the Ducks’ gain.

McNab served in various positions with the Ducks since their inaugural season, including as director of player personnel, assistant general manager, collegiate scouting guru and salary cap expert. Solomon filled similar roles with the rival Kings for the past 15 years. He also was an NHL agent for 20 years before joining the Kings.

McNab, 65, was instrumental in getting the expansion Ducks off the ground in 1993-94, and by signing under-scouted collegiate players such as Chris Kunitz, Andy McDonald and Dustin Penner, he bolstered the roster for the team’s run to the Stanley Cup championship in 2006-07.

Solomon, 63, was part of the Kings’ executive team that delivered Stanley Cup wins in 2011-12 and 2013-14. His title with the Ducks will be vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager. He will oversee salary cap concerns and contract and arbitration issues as well as player evaluations.

He is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law and was a practicing attorney in specializing in tax and estate planning before becoming an agent. Former Kings players Nelson Emerson and Tony Granato were among his clients. The Kings hired Solomon in 2007.

“Jeff has been a key member of our organization for several years,” the Kings said in a statement. “At Jeff’s request, we agreed to mutually terminate his employment agreement to allow him to pursue other career opportunities. We appreciate all that Jeff has done for our hockey operations group and we thank him for his contributions.”

Ducks goaltender Anthony Stolarz will be sidelined for the remainder of the World Championships after suffering an unspecified lower body injury during the United States’ 5-1 victory Sunday over Canada in Riga, Latvia. Stolarz was set to return to the U.S. for further evaluation, Team USA announced.

Stolarz made two saves in the game’s first 4:58 before he was injured. Jake Oettinger replaced Stolarz and stopped all but one of the 27 shots he faced. Max Comtois of the Ducks scored Canada’s lone goal.

Orange County Register: LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188674 Anaheim Ducks “Jeff is as knowledgeable as any executive in the entire NHL when it comes to analytics,” said influential player agent Allan Walsh of Octagon.

It will be a major loss for the Kings, as Solomon essentially carried out Kings executive jumps to Ducks: What Jeff Solomon’s move means for the job of three individuals, leading and having built the analytics each front office department, negotiating contracts and managing the cap. He was adept at formulating solutions when faced with salary-cap woes.

By Lisa Dillman and Eric Stephens One of his biggest salary cap challenges was early in the 2014-15 season, when the Kings were $160 short in cap room and could not call up a player making the minimum salary and had to play short one defenseman against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 8 because of an The Ducks did not waste any time — or look far — in filling an important injury to Robyn Regehr. vacancy in their front office. “The old term about being a day late and a dollar short is almost accurate This, however, was not a promotion from within. Jeff Solomon comes to the penny,” Solomon told L.A. Kings Insider. from outside their organization, but the 63-year-old executive’s new office will be just a couple of Southern California freeways away from his old Later, Solomon took on another vital task, hiring analytics guru and one. author Rob Vollman shortly before the 2018-19 season and then adding Hayden Speak to the mix in August 2019. Speak was the founder and Solomon joins Anaheim as its vice president of hockey operations and creator of prospect-stats.com. assistant general manager after spending the last 15 years with the rival . That’s where he played a crucial part in the “We had to build the analytics up from the ground floor,” Mark Yannetti, organization’s ability to become a Western Conference power, one that the Kings’ director of amateur scouting, told The Athletic in June of 2020, reached the heights of Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014. For Vollman, Solomon was an important factor in making the move from The Kings have taken a downturn, winning just one playoff game since Calgary to Southern California. 2014 and missing the postseason for three years running. It is a state the Ducks are familiar with, having also sat out three straight playoffs and “Jeff represents the organization very well in the sense that he has a real having slid down the West’s hierarchy toward the bottom of the NHL. But long-term thorough commitment to everything that can give the team an that won’t be the only similarity Solomon finds upon taking on his new edge,” Vollman said in 2020 to The Athletic. “I know his commitment to position. this field. It’s not an infatuation or a fad to him or to the organization.”

Solomon will manage Anaheim’s salary cap and be its go-to voice when Solomon got his start in the business of NHL hockey as a player agent. it comes to navigating the league’s collective bargaining agreement. He Among his clients were former Kings Tony Granato and Nelson will also oversee the team’s yearly budget that is spent on player Emerson, who is the team’s director of player personnel. contracts and he will handle negotiations on new deals. Much of those “Agents talk to other agents and bump into each other,” Walsh said. “The tasks were covered by David McNab, who announced his retirement two industry is hyper-competitive and lots of times agents bump into agents weeks ago as senior vice president of hockey operations after occupying and look the other way. I was just breaking into the business and any multiple executive roles for the Ducks since they entered the league in time I bumped into Jeff in Anaheim or in L.A, after a game waiting for 1993. clients, he always came over to say hello and was always warm and Leaving one rebuilding situation, from the Kings’ headquarters in willing to chat and to be professional. suburban El Segundo, for another just 45 miles away in Anaheim’s home “He carried and conducted himself like a pro, as opposed to some of the base in the Orange County city of Irvine, Solomon will walk into an other guys who wouldn’t even acknowledge your presence and look the offseason with the Ducks in which he will be part of some key decisions other way.” about the immediate and longer-term future of players, and for the first time in years, the Ducks will have some cap flexibility. Walsh later faced Solomon in contract negotiations after Solomon went to work for then-general manager Dean Lombardi and the Kings. Mike Futa, who worked in the Kings’ front office from 2007-20, said the Solomon’s son Drew is also in the hockey business, as an agent with Ducks are “getting an all-star at that position” when it comes to cap Octagon. management and that “it’s a huge pickup” for the franchise. In negotiating, Walsh said he dealt with Solomon 99 percent of the time “He’s as good at that job as anyone I’ve ever seen,” Futa told The when it came to Kings’ contracts. Athletic on Monday. “Meticulous. He’s very good at it. He treats the owner’s money like it’s his own and he’s very, very knowledgeable. He “He is someone who is obsessively and meticulously prepared for any was invaluable to the group.” conversation you have during a negotiation,” Walsh said. “Knowing how prepared he is and how obsessed he is with being prepared — and I This isn’t the first time the Ducks have made a hire with notable ties to mean a total obsession — you just know that whenever you’re dealing the Kings. In July 2019, Darryl Sutter was brought onto the coaching staff with him, you had better be just as obsessed and just as prepared. by general manager Bob Murray as an advisor to Dallas Eakins after spending two years in retirement. Sutter, who coached the Kings to their “Because he will leave no stone unturned in pushing the best interests of two titles before being fired after the 2016-17 season, left his Alberta the club.” cattle farm this year to helm Calgary for a second stint with the Flames. Added another prominent agent, Pat Brisson of CAA, who has also done With the departures of Futa and Solomon in less than 13 months, the deals with Solomon over the years: “Knows his role very well. He is very Kings have parted ways with two hockey operations executives who had organized and knowledgeable. Definitely talented and prepared.” a combined 28 years with the team. It will be interesting to see how the Ducks continue to shape their “Jeff has been a key member of our organization for several years,” the management structure. The organization has been criticized for being team said in a three-sentence statement Monday. “At Jeff’s request, we slow to embrace analytics when it comes to player evaluation. Given his agreed to mutually terminate his employment agreement to allow him to experience with the Kings, Solomon could make inroads there. pursue other career opportunities. We appreciate all that Jeff has done for our hockey operations group and we thank him for his contributions.” He’ll be the third assistant GM supporting Murray, the franchise’s top decision-maker. Martin Madden was promoted last summer, as the Solomon, who was hired by the Kings in 2007, represented continuity Ducks did not want their scouting chief to be lured away, with the and institutional knowledge in what has become an increasingly insular expansion Seattle Kraken pursuing him. Dave Nonis, who previously was management group. He had been their executive vice president of GM in Vancouver and Toronto, remains a top lieutenant with hockey operations and legal affairs. As the Kings enter their most longstanding ties to his Anaheim boss. important offseason in years, it is unclear if they will immediately hire a replacement for Solomon or if his responsibilities will be shared by others Futa said Solomon worked well with Lombardi, who was a “get it done” already working with hockey operations, or a combination. executive who wanted someone who could execute the strategies he had in mind. Now the one-time agent will be a key part of their rival’s brain trust. “If Dean gave him a project, everything that he did was done efficiently and professionally,” Futa said. “I think it was really fun for Solly because being an agent, you kind of don’t get to be part of a team. And I think for Solly, to be part of a team and to win a Cup as a teammate, I think that was something in his professional life that was missing, and I think it was really good for him.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188675

Michael Bunting reprising Coyotes role, playing style with Canada at hockey World Championships

José M. Romero

Team Canada is off to a dreadful start to the International Federation World Championship tournament in Riga, Latvia, falling to 0-3 following Monday's 3-1 loss to Germany.

But forward Michael Bunting, one of three Arizona Coyotes representing Canada at the event, is making the most of his opportunity to play at the international level for the first time in his life.

Bunting has played in all three of Canada's games, and on Monday tied for the team lead in shots with five. As he was with the Coyotes in 21 games this season, Bunting was active in front of the net for Canada and wasn't backing down from some physical play and dust-ups with opposing players.

Bunting is playing close to 15 minutes per game. He provided a screen for teammate Nick Paul's goal, the only one for Canada on Monday.

"That's my game, to go in front of the net and whack away at dirty goals," Bunting said. "I just tried to go home to the front of the net the whole game, and unfortunately we weren't able to get more than one. So that's just how it is."

Canada head coach said that on a team loaded with young and inexperienced players — Bunting is 25 but only has 26 games of NHL experience — the Coyotes' breakout player of the past season is doing well.

"It's a great tournament for that. The young players get an opportunity to play and play with some real good hockey players," Gallant said. "Bunting's worked real hard. He's competing real hard, battling in front of the net, he's showed a lot of emotion (Monday). I like the hockey player and he's doing a good job. I think all the players that come out of this tournament, they're going to get a good experience.

"I think we're one of the youngest teams in the tournament. Our average age is about 23, so it's good for those young players, there's no doubt," Gallant added. "We want to win, but they're getting a good experience right now."

Arizona Republic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188676 Boston Bruins of a year and a half and missing the excitement, having the energy of an incredible fanbase. And they persevered.

“It’s incredible the amount of adversity each and every one of those guys Players added at trade deadline gave Bruins crucial depth when injuries have to go through. It’s difficult. You’ve heard our players talk about it in hit pockets. To go out and perform at a level that we all, including the fans, expect them to do. It’s not an easy task and hopefully, now we can get more fans in our building to fully support them the way that we know all By Julian Benbow Globe Staff, Updated May 24, 2021, 6:15 p.m. Bruins fans will do.”

Extra rest could heal the injured

Bruins GM Don Sweeney said he saw the signs of a team that was built The downtime before the second round will give the Bruins time to to make a push during the team's first round series against the Capitals. address injuries.

Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney came into the season Sweeney said he hoped that Jeremy Lauzon and Jakob Zboril will be knowing that the team he put together would have to maneuver through a available for the start of the next series. Lauzon injured his hand trying to minefield. block a shot in Game 1 against Washington. Zboril has been out since the regular-season finale with an upper-body injury. Between the compressed schedule of a season played during a pandemic to the inevitable bouts with COVID to injuries, the hardest part “Our hope is that they’ll both be available for the next series,” Sweeney of the season felt like simply staying healthy. said. “We’ll probably have a better understanding Wednesday on how they continue to progress and get on the ice. The moves Sweeney made at the trade deadline to add Taylor Hall, Mike Reilly, and Curtis Lazar were as much about adding depth as they were “Until they’re in a practice with the main group, we won’t really know, but about adding punch. hopefully we get a little extra time and they can move along in the healing process. Then obviously getting up to full speed to become fully available As he watched the first three games of the Bruins first-round Stanley Cup for us.” Playoff series against the Capitals, he saw the signs of a team that was built to make a push. Kevan Miller is still recovering from a hit to the head in Game 4 against the Caps that left him hospitalized. Sweeney said the team will monitor “You could tell right from the start of the playoffs that we were ready to his progress throughout the week. play,” Sweeney said. “I mean, we lose Game 1, you go to overtime in Game 2, Game 3 — the emotional roller coasters that exist when one “He’s obviously back home,” Sweeney said. “When he’s in the facility, shot can make it or break.” we’ll check in. But it’s still early in the process.”

Taylor Hall had two goals and an assist in the playoff series against the Ondrej Kase has been shut down for the season. He suffered a Caps. concussion in the second game of the season only to return in January and sustain an upper-body injury that put him back on the shelf. He also As the Bruins wait on their second-round opponent, Sweeney returned at the end of the regular season and was injured again. acknowledged all the factors that go into making a deep playoff push, but also commended his team for getting this far given the difficult More vaccinations needed circumstances of the season. The Bruins still haven’t reached the 85 percent threshold to be “I’m proud of the group for fighting through all adversity during the course considered fully vaccinated under NHL protocols, but Sweeney said this of the season and trying to play their best hockey as we went down the week will allow players to get their second shot. stretch in some challenging situations,” Sweeney said. “The amount of games that we were playing and the amount of injuries we were facing — “We’re going to try and fill in a little bit of the gaps there with some of the we were fortunate that we added some players and some depth. They players,” he said. “We’re tracking the numbers with the guys.” integrated very well and the leadership group and everyone was on the Boston Globe LOADED: 05.25.2021 same page.”

The Bruins were treading water going into the deadline, sitting in fourth place in the East Division. But from that point, they won 12 of their last 17 regular-season games and rolled into the postseason.

“I think the team overall has trended in the right direction,” Sweeney said.

Two things any team needs to make a run, Sweeney said, are health and luck. The Bruins have injuries to manage, but also have the luxury of time to rest until they find out who they’ll face in the second round.

“I think the depth of our club we addressed at the deadline, and hopefully if we get rid of the injuries we’ll have some other players that can step in and play some roles,” Sweeney said. “But overall, the team has played well and the players deserve an awful lot of credit, and the staff for getting them ready.”

More fans will be at TD Garden for second round

The Bruins were able to host their playoff opener against the Capitals with TD Garden at 25 percent capacity, a welcome sight after spending most of the season playing in an empty arena. But when the Bruins play the first game of their second-round series, they’ll be able to play in front of a near-capacity crowd.

With COVID restrictions being lifted on May 29, additional tickets went on sale Monday for season ticket holders and game-plan holders.

Expect a lot more fans in the stands at the TD Garden the next time the Bruins take the ice.

“We’re fortunate that we’re moving on to the next round and able to take advantage of what looks like as much full capacity as we can within the protocols and what the league will mandate,” Sweeney said. “We need it. The players have gone through tremendous challenges over the course 1188677 Boston Bruins It was only two years ago that the Bruins swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals and waited 11 days for their matchup against the St. Louis Blues. The Bruins lost that Time to play the waiting game: The pros and cons of the Bruins wrapping series 4-3, letting a 2-1 lead slip away. The memory — and the up their first playoff series quickly disappointment — is still vivid.

How will Bruce Cassidy and the Bruins handle the rust vs. rest debate?

By Julian Benbow Globe Staff,Updated May 24, 2021, 8:46 a.m. When you have the hot hand, you want to keep it, but Cassidy said he’ll do his best to make sure the time off doesn’t turn into a double-edged sword for his team.

The Bruins defeated the Capitals in their first-round playoff series, four “Listen, I think you play the hand you’re dealt,” Cassidy said. “We’ll try to games to one. do whatever we can. We went through this a few years ago. After Carolina and St. Louis, we had a long break. If that’s the case, we’ll try to The greatest reward for wrapping any playoff series quickly is usually the build something in, some things to keep the guys sharp. rest that comes along with it. “But at the end of the day, I think guys have their eye on the prize, so to But after withstanding the challenges of a season played amid a speak, and they’ll be fine whenever they tell us we can play again.” pandemic with games crammed tightly together and injuries piling up because of it, the off days the Bruins will get after packing up the Boston Globe LOADED: 05.25.2021 Washington Capitals, 4-1, on Sunday are that much more valuable.

Without getting ahead of himself, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said that time off is precious for a team looking to make a deep postseason run.

“The rest is important,” said Cassidy. “Especially if you feel you’re in it for the long haul, which we do feel we’re a really good hockey team that’s getting better.”

The Bruins must wait to learn their second-round opponent. The Islanders defeated the Penguins, 3-2, in overtime Monday and lead the series, 3-2. Cassidy wouldn’t mind if it went to the limit.

“Obviously, [we] will watch with interest in New York-Pittsburgh,” Cassidy said. “We’ve been keeping an eye on it.”

The earliest their series could end is Wednesday. If it goes the distance, Game 7 would be Friday.

Either way, the Bruins will get at least four days off, their longest stretch of downtime since the team was forced to shut down all activity for a week in March due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

“It’s such a challenging year from the compression overall of the schedule. I honestly believe the time we have right now will be advantageous to us, to have a little bit of a reset,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. “I think if we can get in and stay healthy, we’ll be ready to go for the next round, because it’s going to be a hell of a challenge.”

The Bruins surged in the second half of the season thanks to key moves at the trade deadline. But the stretch of games was a time crunch that set them up with one of the most grueling schedules in the league. According to soundofhockey.com, they got just 0.83 days of rest between games in the second half, the third fewest in the league.

Tuukka Rask, David Pastrnak and the rest of the Bruins are going to get a couple of days to cool their heels while they await the next round.

Taking care of business against Washington buys them some of the time they lost.

“You always want to close out series as quickly as you can,” Cassidy said. “It just takes away any stress, and any possibility of losing obviously. And guys get to rest up a little bit. So I’m OK with it.”

The time would also allow the Bruins to tend to players on the mend after a bruising first-round series.

Along with the expected wear and tear that comes with playoff hockey, the Bruins are dealing with injuries to Jeremy Lauzon and Kevan Miller that have left them without two of their most physical defensemen. Lauzon hasn’t played since Game 1 when he injured his hand blocking a shot. Miller was hospitalized after Game 4 when he took a hit to the head from Dmitry Orlov.

But, by the same token, the Bruins have been on a tear. Since the trade deadline, the Bruins are 15-5. After their overtime loss to the Capitals in Game 1, the Bruins regained the momentum in an overtime win in Game 2. Each win was a building block.

“I think our main focus was to get keep getting better every single game,” said right wing David Pastrnak. “And I think that’s what we have done.”

Cassidy didn’t deny that momentum matters. 1188678 Boston Bruins “I think our team does a pretty good job understanding the schedule. When the league decides when we play, we’re going to be ready to play,” said Sweeney.

Bruins Notebook: B’s must stay out of the box The players were given both Monday and Tuesday off.

Brilliant PK covers up issue In other injury news, Sweeney said that Ondrej Kase (concussion) and Steven Kampfer, who Sweeney said elected to have hand surgery, are done for the season. By STEVE CONROY | PUBLISHED: May 24, 2021 at 4:14 p.m. | UPDATED: May 24, 2021 at 4:27 p.m. Chara decision works out for B’s

In the end, it proved to be the right decision for the Bruins to allow Zdeno Chara to walk, even if the matter is not quite as black and white as some If you were looking for difference-makers in the Bruins’ five-game series would have you think. The B’s needed to answer some questions on their victory over the Washington Capitals, the B’s penalty kill is a good place two young defensemen, Lauzon and Zboril, and those questions could to start. not be fully explored with Chara playing as significant a role as he wanted. The fact they then had to go out and get a more experienced The B’s held off 18 of the Caps’ 21 power-play advantages, sometimes hand in Mike Reilly says they did not get all the answers they wanted, but refusing to let the Caps’ potent PP unit set up, other times flinging their they still had to get a better idea of what they had in these two players. bodies in front of rockets off the sticks of Alex Ovechkin and other Caps. But perhaps the biggest upside for the B’s of Chara moving on was that it That’s the good news. The bad news is that the B’s continued their allowed Charlie McAvoy to blossom into a true No. 1 defenseman. penchant for law-breaking that they established in the regular season, when they led the league in minor penalties taken (199). And as it turned out, Chara was used as a third pair defensive specialist, which very well could have been his role with the B’s. His 5-on-5 Leading the pack in the series against Washington was Brad Marchand, numbers in the series didn’t look that bad. According to Natural Stat who was nailed with five minors. Early in the series, he was up to his old Trick, the Caps outshot the B’s 43-22 and outscored the B’s 3-2 when chicanery, getting into it with the opposition after the whistle. Then, in the Chara was on the ice. last two games, he was nailed with a pair of phantom calls. He was called for interference in Game 4 on a battle for inside position with John But he was also on the ice in Game 4 for the first two power-play goals Carlson then again in Game 5 in a puck battle with Carlson, earning a — with both coming from his side of the ice — that got the Bruins over laughable “roughing” penalty. the hump and, when the Caps were in lead protection mode late in regulation in the pivotal Game 2, coach Peter Laviolette had Chara on As bad as those last two calls may have been, Marchand forfeited some the bench. benefit of the doubt with his mischief earlier in the series. Despite making great strides in getting the type of infractions that could get him When Chara left before the season, this observer was one of the many suspended out of his game, those were reputation calls, pure and simple. who felt it might blow up in the B’s faces. In fact, they survived it quite nicely. On Monday, GM Don Sweeney acknowledged both the PK’s excellence and the troubling issue that allowed it to shine. Wilson neutralized

“I mean, we took 21 minors in the course of the series, that’s far too After Game 1, it looked like Tom Wilson was going to be a handful. He many. Self-inflicted. We had two too many men penalties and we threw it scored a goal then set up T.J. Oshie‘s magic puck OT game-winner. in the stands a couple of times. You can’t necessarily count those ones After that? Nothing. It might be a stretch to say he was a non-factor. He as being not disciplined enough,” said Sweeney. “(Marchand) early on is had a couple of crossbar shots that, if they were in an inch lower, they getting into the series, and you guys know as well as I do, he’s highly could have seriously altered Game 3 and even the Game 4 in which the competitive. He’s going to get pushed and he’s going to push back and B’s dominated. occupy space and territory. He got caught a couple of times. We all had communication with him. I think (Patrice Bergeron) in particular had But in the final four games, Wilson had a stat line of 0-0-0 and was communication with him to understand the importance that he has, to our minus-4. He was on the ice for arguably the most consequential goal of hockey club when he’s on the ice, plus not when he’s off and in the box. the series, Taylor Hall‘s late equalizer in Game 2 that allowed for And he’s one of our key penalty-killers. Overall, our staff did a really nice Marchand’s OT winner, giving the B’s a split. All Wilson could do on job. They were well prepared for what Washington was going to try to Hall’s goal was to petulantly shove the Bruin as he was beginning his throw at us. It took an awful lot of courage — you saw (Connor) Clifton, celebration. Wilson was effectively neutralized. even without his stick one time, lay down. (Brandon) Carlo, significant Boston Herald LOADED: 05.25.2021 blocks. All of our players did a really good job of dialing in on what the staff wanted them to do in all three zones of pressure. It takes a lot of courage to stand in front of some of those shots, but also a lot of discipline. And we have to exercise a little bit more of that. Being in the box 21 times in five games is too much.”

It’s wait-and-see on Miller

Sweeney said that Kevan Miller, who appeared to suffer a head injury in Game 4 on a hit from Dmitry Orlov, was doing “OK” but that it was “still early in the recovery process” to determine his availability for the next series, either against Pittsburgh or the Islanders.

Sweeney sounded more optimistic about the availability of Jeremy Lauzon (hand) and Jakub Zboril (upper body).

“Our hope is that they’ll both be available for the next series,” said Sweeney. “Again, we’ll probably have a better understanding Wednesday on how they continue to progress and get on the ice. Until they’re in a practice with the main group, we won’t really know, but hopefully we get a little extra time and they can move along in the healing process.”

Time off before the next series will certainly be beneficial to Miller, Lauzon and Zboril. But the rest of the team will have to manage their time properly in what could be a lengthy layoff. 1188679 Boston Bruins

Kase, Kampfer Ruled Out For Rest Of Boston Bruins Playoffs

May 24, 2021By Joe Haggerty

One round into the playoffs, the Boston Bruins have already ruled a couple of roster players out for the rest of the postseason.

Ondrej Kase won’t return this postseason for the Black and Gold after suffering an upper body injury in his first game back from a lengthy absence due to a concussion, and defenseman Steve Kampfer is also done for the after undergoing hand surgery. While the news wasn’t good for either of those players, Kase and Kampfer also weren’t players that the Boston Bruins would be relying on unless their depth was severely tested anyway.

The 25-year-old Kase now has one assist in nine games for the Bruins over the last two seasons and Kampfer had two goals and five points in 20 games for the Bruins this season as the perfect reserve defenseman.

“Ondrej has shut it down as well and will not be part of availability for us going forward in the playoffs,” said Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney. “[Kampfer] recently had arm surgery and he elected to have hand surgery. So, he’s in a recovery phase and not available for us.”

Sweeney didn’t address any rumors of Kampfer signing a KHL contract for next season, simply stating that he’s “still under contract” with the Boston Bruins at this point.

On the good news front, Jeremy Lauzon (upper body) and Jakub Zboril are expected to be available for a second round series after battling through injuries in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Kevan Miller (upper body) is also doing better after getting blasted with a flying Dmitry Orlov hit in Game 4 but is “at the very beginning of a recovery process” that could take some time for the rugged Boston Bruins defenseman.

“Our hope is that they’ll both be available for the next series. Again, we’ll probably have a better understanding [when practice resumes] on how they continue to progress and get on the ice. Until they’re in a practice with the main group, we won’t really know,” said Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney. “But hopefully we get a little extra time [waiting for a second round opponent] and they can move along in the healing process. Then obviously getting up to full speed [is when they could] become fully available for us.”

On another front, Sweeney also indicated the layoff between the first and second round should give adequate time for members of the Boston Bruins to also schedule their second COVID-19 vaccine shots without worry for any side effects impacting postseason performance.

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188680 Boston Bruins

Haggerty: Boston Bruins Look Every Bit The Cup Contenders

By Joe Haggerty

It might have been easy to discount the legitimate Stanley Cup chances for the Boston Bruins while watching them play .500 hockey in the middle of the hockey season. But there’s no denying the Bruins look like true contenders nowadays after dusting the Washington Capitals in five games following Sunday night’s 3-1 win over the Caps at Capital One Arena.

Truthfully, the Boston Bruins have looked like the real deal for a long playoff run since the NHL trade deadline acquiring Taylor Hall, Mike Reilly and Curtis Lazar and have gone 16-5-1 in the regular season and playoffs since the mid-April roster upgrades. Those numbers accurately reflect just how consistently good they’ve been in pretty much all areas.

“Rest is important f you feel you’re in it for the long haul. We feel we’re a good hockey team that’s getting better,” said Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy of measuring rest versus gathering momentum after closing out Washington early in five games. “You always want to close out series as quickly as you can to take away the stress and let guys rest up a little bit. Our guys have their eye on the prize so to speak and they’ll be fine once we’re set to play again.”

Nothing about that changed in a first round playoff series where Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette feigned not knowing who the Perfection Line was during a zoom conference call prior to the best-of-seven series. Well, something tells this humble hockey writer that Laviolette knows who the Perfection Line is now after they dropped eight goals and 13 points in the five-game series after a middling performance in Game 1.

It was instructive to watch Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak on the ice for Washington’s only goal in Game 5, and then the way they reacted to it after the fact. The Capitals scored on the very first shift of the third period with Boston’s best players on the ice, and after that they relentlessly attacked Washington for the rest of the period with Bergeron eventually icing the victory with a goal after stealing a puck from TJ Oshie in the Caps defensive zone.

Boston Hockey NowLOADED: 05.25.2021 1188681 Boston Bruins

‘High Emotion’ For Boston Bruins With Chara In Handshake Line

By Joe Haggerty

The Boston Bruins have experienced some high emotion handshake lines over the years in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But nothing will probably ever touch the moments following Boston’s 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals in Game 5 on Sunday night. The Bruins were certainly elated at advancing past the Capitals to the second round of the playoffs, of course, but it also ended the season of their longtime captain Zdeno Chara now playing for Washington.

So, there were extended conversations, hugs and plenty of appreciation for the 44-year-old Chara in the traditional handshake line after what might have been his last NHL game.

Zdeno Chara goes through the handshake line with all his former Bruins teammates. All respect. pic.twitter.com/WPNHLz09cf

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) May 24, 2021

The 6-foot-9 defenseman is under contract for one more season, of course, but who knows what kind of plans away for a player that’s already ticketed for the Hockey Hall of Fame once he hangs up his skates.

“We’ve had so many battles together,” said Patrice Bergeron, who replaced Chara as captain of the Boston Bruins. “It was definitely different to play him in a playoff series. Obviously, we played against each other all year, so that kind of helped getting used to it for the playoffs. But that being said, it’s always different at that time of the year. You try not to think about it, try to play your game and concentrate on what we can do as a team. I definitely feel great to finish it off right away tonight.”

It surely felt great for the Bruins to advance, and Chara played well in Game 5 delivering a massive hit on Craig Smith in front of the benches amidst his solid 15 minutes of ice time. But David Pastrnak admitted he was very emotional shaking hands with Big Zee afterward while feeling very appreciative about the way the former captain had helped him early in his NHL career.

“It was obviously a lot of emotion going through [the handshake line],” said Pastrnak. “Zdeno is a guy that helped me grow up as a person and especially how to be a pro. It was a little emotional, but I can’t wait to catch up and hope to see him back home at the end of this. The emotion was high, and I can’t thank him enough for what he did for me.”

It’s interesting to note that both Chara and Torey Krug didn’t make it out of the first round of this spring’s playoffs after exiting the Boston Bruins in free agency this season. But it doesn’t change anything about the respect and appreciation coming from the Boston Bruins group toward Chara at the end of his 23rd NHL season, which was somewhere other than Boston for the first time in a very, very long time.

Boston Hockey NowLOADED: 05.25.2021 1188682 Boston Bruins *Taylor Hall may be tearing it up with the Boston Bruins now, but his tenure with the Sabres tops the list of the eight most disappointing things from the NHL’s 2021 regular season. (Bleacher Report)

BHN Daily: TD Garden Will Be ‘Near Full Capacity’ For Bruins Games *For something completely different: Good to see teenagers taking ownership of their own health even if they have anti-vaccine parents. (NBC News) By Joe Haggerty Boston Hockey NowLOADED: 05.25.2021

The Boston Bruins won’t take the ice again for a Stanley Cup playoff game while they await their next opponent from the ongoing Penguins/Islanders playoff series, but when they do it’s going to be with a lot more fans at TD Garden for the next round. The B’s announced that second round playoff tickets for the games at TD Garden are going on sale today, and that the Garden, in accordance with City and State guidelines, will be permitted to return to near full capacity this weekend beginning on May 29. In accordance with NHL guidelines, all guests at TD Garden will continue to be required to wear masks and follow the Play it Safe Protocols as they enter the building.

The TD Garden can be at near full capacity starting this Saturday, the story this morning on @boston25: pic.twitter.com/7OSf1XFBim

— Kelly Sullivan (@ksullivanNews) May 24, 2021

TD Garden was at 25 percent capacity for the first round series against the Washington Capitals with roughly 4,500 fans allowed in the building for Games 3 & 4, which allowed for a very vocal home ice advantage that pushed the Bruins to a pair of victories. The energy and juice provided by the growing number of fans in the stands wasn’t lost on members of the B’s organization as things begin to turn back to normal in Boston, and all around the United States for that matter.

The exact number of fans allowed inside TD Garden wasn’t revealed by the Bruins in the release, but capacity for Boston Bruins games is just shy of 18,000 fans at full capacity.

“It’s loud, because we’re so used to silence,” said Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said when asked earlier this week about the crowd noise with the roughly 4,500 fans in attendance for the first round. “I can only imagine when it goes to full capacity again.

“[Double-overtime in Game 3] felt like it was a full building when it went in. I think people are making a lot of noise and the sound system is in sync with people being in the building. I thought it was great. Hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later that we can get everyone in the building safe and out of the building safe and get the numbers up. It’s a better atmosphere, home or road. It was good to hear it the other night.”

Cassidy also said that the Boston Bruins weren’t at the 80 percent vaccine rate for the organization that will allow for a loosening of the COVID Protocols with the team, but that may change with the B’s looking at a solid 4-5 days at the very least before the potential start of their next East Division playoff series.

*While it’s clear that things are getting competitive in the Penguins/Islanders series, it is just as clear that loves him some Sidney Crosby. What hockey coach doesn’t appreciate Sid the Kid and the way he goes about things? (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

*Ivan Provorov has a bright future with the Philadelphia Flyers, but he also has some defensive work to do along with the rest of the Flyers after falling short of their playoff goal. (Philly Hockey Now)

*Speaking Penguins/Islanders, look at this absolute beauty with the playoff mullet getting it going for the Islanders home crowd. Who knew the Jets could actually be good at something?

Stanley Cup playoff action is fantastic https://t.co/llkOiGZGKF

— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) May 22, 2021

*Blues GM Doug Armstrong wants the NHL to look at revamping parts of their Player Safety department in the offseason. We’ll see if that actually happens, but it always sounds like sour grapes coming from the league’s general managers. (The Athletic)

*It didn’t take long for the Boston Bruins to begin going to work on the Capitals for their Game 5 win with David Pastrnak scoring this dazzling highlight reel goal to get the offense going for the Black and Gold. (Boston Hockey Now) 1188683 Boston Bruins sent him sailing into the glass. Bergeron fell awkwardly to the ice. He was rushed to Mass General Hospital. His parents were in town for the game; his mother rode along in the ambulance, holding the hand of her 22-year- Bruins’ clinching win over Capitals was Patrice Bergeron’s coronation as old son. captain Bergeron was lucky. As horrible as the injury looked, he “only” suffered a concussion, a broken nose and other facial injuries.

By Steve Buckley May 24, 2021 He appeared at a news conference a few weeks later, and was only allowed to answer a few questions in English followed by a few questions in French. I was there that day and wondered if Bergeron would ever play again. That’s how bad he looked. As it was, he missed the remainder of The postgame handshake line at the conclusion of a Stanley Cup playoff the season. series tends to be little more than a photo op. For all the annual speech- making about the splendor, the majesty, the sportsmanship of the And here we are. It’s nearly 14 years after that injury, and Patrice handshake line, it’s not like anybody on the postgame show bothers to Bergeron, future Hall of Famer, is captain of the Bruins. break it down as though discussing the penalty kill unit or a goaltender spitting out fat rebounds. The meeting with Chara was indeed special, then. Two captains, one from yesterday, one from today, meeting in the night. Yes, Milan Lucic got into a heap of trouble when he said nasty things to members of the Montreal Canadiens in the handshake line after the Habs Too bad they don’t keep ratings of handshake lines. This one would have knocked the Bruins out of the Cup tourney in 2014. But we only found been an all-timer. about it because the Montreal players talked about it. The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 Sunday night was different. For after the Boston Bruins had wrapped up their opening-round series against the Washington Capitals, emerging with a 3-1 Game 5 victory in Washington, the handshake line was a veritable Netflix Original Series. Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins’ captain of today, was going to meet up with Zdeno Chara, the Bruins’ captain of many, many yesterdays, and, yes, absolutely, we all needed to see that.

The two men embraced. They exchanged a few words. That was about it. And that was more than enough. What makes it important — and memorable — is that Bergeron has never really had a coronation as captain of the Bruins. In a way, this was it. Chara had been captain practically from the day he arrived in Boston in 2006, and it was a big deal when that happened. A first-year Bruin and they made him captain! Now that is respect.

But then Chara, brilliant defenseman, future Hall of Famer, moved on to the Caps last December. Bergeron was named captain, as Bruins fans knew he would be, but it was all done from inside the hermetically-sealed TD Garden. A fun prank was written into the script — What??? Brad Marchand is going to be captain of the Bruins??? — but the season began and everything was masks, protocols and empty seats.

The Bruins and Caps played each other eight times during the regular season, but of course there were no handshake lines. To see them shaking hands after Game 5, then, was the Bergeron coronation that had been missing. It was right there on your TV screen. Old captain. New captain. Yesterday. Today.

Consider the totality of what you watched Sunday night. Patrice Bergeron, captain of the Bruins, went out and scored two goals and then lined up to shake hands with the man who’d worn that C on his sweater for 14 seasons.

Remember how the 2001 Patriots chose to be introduced as a team, rather than individually, when they took the field for Super Bowl XXXVI? Here’s Bergeron, when asked if being captain makes winning a playoff series feel, you know, different: “I feel like we’re a team. It feels special to win, together, everyone chipping in and contributing. I’ve said all along I have a great leadership group. We’re really close to each other. We rely on each other to lead.

“I’m just happy we got the win, we finished it off, and can look forward to Round 2.”

You were expecting anything different?

Patrice Bergeron played his first NHL game on October 8, 2003. He was all of 18 — old enough to put his blades over the boards, not old enough to buy a beer at Blades & Boards.

But to a generation of Bruins fans, Bergeron is like Chara, Brad Marchand, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask; They’ve been there for as long as you can remember.

If you’re a college freshman who watched the Bruins knock out the Caps Sunday night, it means you were eight or nine years old when Bergeron netted a pair of goals in the Bruins’ 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. But growing up with Bergeron means you were around on that terrible Saturday afternoon in 2007 when a hit from behind by the Philadelphia Flyers’ Randy Jones 1188684 Buffalo Sabres (10 years, $40 million), Matt Moulson (five years, $25 million) and Kyle Okposo (seven years, $42 million).

Okposo is the only player who might play out the duration of his contract From 'suffering' to 'tanking,' Sabres' shifting visions imperiled roster build in Buffalo, although he has not lived up to the expectations attached to a $6 million annual salary-cap hit. Leino, Hodgson and Ehrhoff were bought out – a process that impacts the Sabres’ spending for years Lance Lysowski May 24, 2021 beyond the term of the contract – after disappointing performances. Leino went so far as to depict his third season with the Sabres as 'jail' in

a painting. This is Part 3 of a project looking at why the Buffalo Bills are winning and Tim Murray, hired as general manager in January 2014, attempted to ascending toward championship level and why the Buffalo Sabres have expedite the rebuild by trading draft picks and prospects for established equaled the longest playoff drought in NHL history, even though both NHL players. O’Reilly was acquired from Colorado for recent high draft franchises are owned by the same people. Here, we look at how player picks Nikita Zadorov, Mikhail Grigorenko, J.T. Compher and another acquisition has impacted the Sabres' status. second-round draft choice. In the aftermath of a second consecutive nonplayoff season in April O’Reilly was exceptional in Buffalo, but the organization’s depth took a 2013, and after learning his job as general manager was not in jeopardy, hit. There was also the trade that sent former top draft choice Tyler Darcy Regier forewarned the Buffalo Sabres were on the precipice of a Myers, Brendan Lemieux, Joel Armia, Drew Stafford and a first-round rebuild. pick to Winnipeg for Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane. “It probably needs an understanding from our fan base that what Terry Secondary moves to recoup depth did not produce results, and failures in (Pegula) is asking us and is certainly a big part of communicating, the draft resulted in a depleted prospect pipeline. Those misfires began working – I know he's not here today, but I can tell you the before the Pegulas’ arrival. communication is almost on a daily basis – he wants to try a lot of things,” said Regier. “We have tried some things. Some things have Only one of nine Sabres picks in 2010 – first-rounder Mark Pysyk, who worked better than others. Some things have not worked very well. He is was traded by Murray – reached the NHL. Armia was the only player in search of creating a Stanley Cup championship. … It may require from the 2011 class to appear in more than 12 games and the No. 16 some suffering.” pick never developed into a top-six forward.

The suffering has yet to end. The Sabres’ 10 consecutive years outside Of Regier’s 11 selections in 2013, only one had an impact for the Sabres: the Stanley Cup Playoffs tied the record, and Rasmus Ristolainen, who was chosen at No. 8. Murray selected winger they have finished in last place in four of the past eight years. Alex Nylander over defenseman Mikhail Sergachev in 2016.

Five months after Regier's "suffering" statement, Pegula determined he Repeated coaching changes muddled the process of building a winner. was not fit to lead the Sabres through their transformation. Ownership For example, Botterill acquired the top available offensive defenseman made the same determination about general managers Tim Murray in on the market, Brandon Montour, ahead of the deadline in February 2019 2017 and Jason Botterill in 2020. Regier’s declaration preceded back-to- in exchange for a first-round draft choice and prospect Brendan Guhle. back tank seasons that allowed the Sabres to draft Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart second overall in 2015 and 2014, respectively. Montour was a perfect fit for then-coach Phil Housley’s system, but Housley was fired two months later. Montour struggled while being used Eichel and Reinhart were supposed to usher in a new era for a franchise improperly by Ralph Krueger and did not become acclimated to that is beloved in Western New York and beyond. Yet, eight years after Krueger’s preferred style of play until a month into the 2020-21 season. Regier’s infamous news conference, the Sabres might be on the verge of Montour, a pending unrestricted free agent, was traded to Florida for a tearing down a plan that never succeeded despite the individual third-round draft pick last month. accomplishments of Eichel and Reinhart. There was also an inability to retain players who could have developed Turmoil and turnover behind the bench and in the boardroom – including into permanent NHLers. Goalie Cal Petersen was drafted by Regier and four general managers and seven head coaches during the Pegula’s 10 chose to not sign with the Sabres under Botterill in 2017. Petersen, now years as owners – has created a team lacking an on-ice identity, but the 26, has become a capable goalie with the Los Angeles Kings. inability to build a winner around Eichel and Reinhart also stems from botched trades and free-agent signings. The Sabres also did not keep forwards Brandon Hagel and Colin Blackwell, the latter of which totaled 12 goals in 47 games with the New “I understand what's gone on here for the last 10 years,” Sabres General York Rangers this season. Blackwell had an excellent season with the Manager Kevyn Adams said. “I understand the fanbase, the frustration. in 2017-18 and was among the development It's real. It happened. But we can't wake up and dwell on that. And we success stories former Amerks coach Chris Taylor cited following his can't look at players and say, 'Well, this player can stay. This player can't firing last June. stay because of how long they've been here.' It's more about, are you part of the solution, and do you want to be here? And do you want to be Yet, through all the draft failings and coaching firings, the Sabres’ roster part of something great? And do you want to make this fanbase proud or at the end of the 2017-18 season had promise. That changed when don't you?” O’Reilly was traded to the St. Louis Blues for Vladimir Sobotka, Patrik Berglund, Tage Thompson and a first-round draft choice. O’Reilly won After the sale of the team to Pegula was finalized in February 2011, the the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup a year later. Sobotka and proudful, lifelong fan declared: “From this point forward, the Buffalo Berglund totaled a combined eight goals for Buffalo. Then came Sabres' reason for existence will be to win the Stanley Cup.” unsuccessful trades involving Colin Miller, Michael Frolik and Jimmy Vesey. Pegula promised to unshackle the financial restraints from a hockey department that was forced to rely on more video scouting under former Botterill also completed what was considered one of the better trades in owner Tom Golisano. To express his passion for the Sabres, Pegula, recent Sabres history in August 2018 by acquiring all-star winger Jeff who made his fortune in oil and gas, replied to a question about the Skinner for draft picks and prospect Cliff Pu. Skinner scored 40 goals intention of the purchase by stating, “If I want to make some money, I'll during his debut season with Buffalo in 2019-20, but he has only 21 in go drill another well.” 112 games since receiving an eight-year, $72 million contract from the Sabres. Skinner's recent production and no-movement clause will make His stated timeline to build a Stanley Cup contender: three years. any trade difficult. Pegula provided the financial backing he promised, bolstering hockey Each general manager has brought a different vision for the Sabres. operations with more scouts and committing big money to free agents. Adams pushed to compete in 2020-21 by signing Taylor Hall and trading He also hired Stanley Cup winning coach Dan Bylsma ahead of the for Stanley Cup winner Eric Staal. Those gambles produced a last-place 2015-16 season. Pegula’s eagerness to win at all costs sometimes team and led to Krueger’s firing 12 games into a losing streak that would worked against him and the franchise. reach 18 games. With Eichel and Reinhart facing an uncertain future, From 2011 to 2015, the Sabres gave lucrative long-term contracts to Ville Adams could pivot to a plan built around the current young core, led by Leino (six years, $27 million), Cody Hodgson (six years, $25.5 million), Rasmus Dahlin. Winning the offseason through player acquisitions, particularly two possible franchise-altering trades and drafting in the top three, will determine how long the suffering lasts.

“Obviously, you have to give us some time here to work our way through this offseason and put the roster together, but I’ll go back to the young guys,” said Adams. “I do feel there’s this light that I kind of feel very comfortable with. This bright light of these young players that are passionate about being here and have, to me, some very exciting upside to their game.”

Buffalo News LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188685 Buffalo Sabres Granato strengthened his case to stay on as coach by correcting the mistakes made by his predecessor. Ralph Krueger’s “principles” sapped the confidence from Rasmus Dahlin, a 21-year-old defenseman drafted Regime changes, impatience impede Sabres' player development efforts first overall in 2018. Krueger’s reluctance to allow defensemen to contribute offensively caused Dahlin to question every one of his moves on the ice, leading to a treacherous third season in the NHL.

Lance Lysowski May 24, 2021 Granato, on the other hand, entrusted Dahlin to use his instincts to drive play offensively at 5-on-5. This also had a positive impact on Dahlin’s

play in the defensive zone, reminding onlookers why he was considered This is Part 4 of a project looking at why the Buffalo Bills are winning and a generational talent ahead of his draft day. Now it’s unclear if Granato ascending toward championship level and why the Sabres are losing and will be retained for next season, as Adams plans to conduct a thorough have equaled the longest playoff drought in NHL history, even though coaching search. both franchises are owned by the same people. Here, we look at how “His way to play was how I learned to play hockey,” Dahlin said of player development has impacted the Sabres' status. Granato. “But the thing I felt was that he trusted me as a player. He really Tim Murray had seen enough from scouting Alex Nylander to think the saw what my potential was, and I felt comfortable playing out there. I skilled teenager could make the jump to the National Hockey League wasn’t thinking too much.” after only one season in juniors. Development isn’t linear, a fact Krueger seemed to misunderstand. He Nylander, selected eighth overall by the Sabres in 2016, arrived at wasn’t willing to allow young players to carve out a role. One mistake training camp that fall with an opportunity to earn a spot at left wing. could lead to a benching, but the approach wasn’t used with older Murray, then general manager, thought Nylander was a missing piece to players on the roster. a rebuild expedited by the team acquiring accomplished NHLers Ryan Usage and personnel also impact development. For example, multiple O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian and Robin Lehner. coaches and general managers have failed to recognize how to put Dan Bylsma was entering his second year as coach after leading the defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen in a position to succeed. A 25-year-old Sabres to a 13-win improvement in 2015-16. Nylander, then 18 years old, drafted eighth overall in 2013, he was burdened with the responsibility of showed no signs of being NHL-ready. He underwhelmed at Prospects playing heavy minutes against top competition early on in his NHL Challenge and his first training camp included – as Bylsma put it at the career. Ristolainen formed bad habits that impacted his performance. time – too much “standing around.” Struggles against other teams’ top lines can be difficult for a player’s confidence. Nylander was ultra-skilled and possessed exceptional speed, but the deficiencies in his game likely required another season with the Ontario The Sabres mostly failed to add talented defensemen to either play with Hockey League’s . Instead, Murray assigned Ristolainen or take some of that responsibility away from him. It wasn’t Nylander to the Rochester Americans, where the top draft choice spent until Jake McCabe’s emergence as a top defenseman this season that most of three seasons struggling with the same propensity to play on the Ristolainen began to show marked signs of improvement. perimeter. He never realized his potential in Buffalo and was traded to During his time as general manager, Botterill repeatedly communicated the Chicago Blackhawks in July 2019 for defenseman Henri Jokiharju. his vision of building a winning culture in Buffalo by positioning the Nylander had 10 goals and 16 assists in 65 games before a knee injury Rochester Americans to have success. He strengthened the Sabres' AHL in the playoffs required surgery and has kept him sidelined this season. affiliate with accomplished veteran players to mentor prospects and the results were promising through three years. The development blunder is one of many committed by the Sabres across the past decade, as regime changes and an urgency to win as Coach Chris Taylor led the Amerks to a combined 116-65-33 record and soon as possible derailed the franchise’s attempt to build around they were on track for a third consecutive playoff appearance when the centerpieces such as Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. AHL season was halted in March 2020. Taylor was fired three months later after verbally agreeing to a contract extension with the Sabres. He During his recent end-of-season media availability, General Manager and his coaching staff were directly involved in the development of Kevyn Adams declared that development will be a priority while he prospects that thrived in the final month of this season: Casey Mittelstadt, considers who will coach the Sabres in 2021-22. And although Adams Tage Thompson and Rasmus Asplund. does not want to dwell on the ghosts of failure that haunt KeyBank Center, recognizing the need for improving young players is a notable Jacob Bryson, Will Borgen, Victor Olofsson and Lawrence Pilut also step in the right direction. improved during their time with Taylor in Rochester. Taylor was an assistant coach under with the this season. Casey Mittelstadt, a promising center with tantalizing skills drafted eighth overall by Buffalo in 2017, signed his entry-level contract with the Sabres Taylor's replacement, Seth Appert, has an impressive track record in after totaling 30 points in 34 games as a freshman at the University of development through his time with the USA Hockey National Team Minnesota in 2017-18. On paper, the team’s center depth was Development Program and his staff's coaching helped Mattias outstanding, as Mittelstadt was expected to skate behind Eichel and Samuelsson improve this season, but the odd year in the AHL made it O’Reilly. difficult to evaluate the Sabres' new development plan involving Appert.

The Sabres traded O’Reilly and the veteran center acquired to play Sources told The Buffalo News that communication and collaboration ahead of Mittelstadt in the lineup, Patrik Berglund, could not earn a top- have been glaring issues in Sabres hockey operations. One area of the six roster spot before walking away from the team after only 23 games. department didn't know what the other was doing or why certain Berglund hasn’t played in the NHL since. This increased Mittelstadt’s decisions were made. responsibility and his confidence took a hit when he struggled to adjust to For example, Rochester coaches weren't informed which areas a player the top league in the world. It took him two years to regain his footing, as needed to improve when he returned from an NHL call-up with Buffalo. Mittelstadt had 17 points in the final 22 games of this season under Everyone in the department was not made aware of why a specific player interim coach Don Granato. was drafted, so there was no sense as to what role he will play in the Development does not end once a player reaches the NHL. Though the organization's plans and which areas he will need to improve to realize Sabres employ coaches to work with their prospects from the moment his potential. Former employees spoke highly of the way Botterill and they are drafted, these players must continue to improve upon reaching former assistant general manager Randy Sexton built a management Buffalo. structure that wasn't present in the past.

Regime changes have hindered progress, as comfort can be difficult to The Sabres' development staff was hit hard by organizational turnover obtain when players are learning under a new coach seemingly every across the past 11 months. Two development coaches were fired. two years. The Pegulas have employed seven head coaches during their Another, Adam Mair, became an assistant coach in Rochester. Matt Ellis, 10 years as owners, most recently Granato, who led the Sabres for 28 hired as director of player development last summer, became an interim games in the interim role after Ralph Krueger was fired March 17. assistant coach under Granato. So did Dan Girardi, Ellis' lone hire for the department. That left only goaltending development coach Seamus Kotyk. It's unclear if Ellis and Girardi will remain on the coaching staff if Granato is hired.

The multilayered issue that’s plagued the organization also involves player acquisitions, as failed trades and free-agent signings have failed to properly insulate prospects on the Sabres’ roster. This is another area Adams wants to address during his second offseason.

“These players care about each other,” said Adams. “You can see it. They really enjoy being together. They each made a point to say that, how much they respect each other. And some of these guys have spent time in Rochester and been kind of growing up. That's special. We have to kind of surround them with the right type of people and players, and make sure we're bringing everybody along the same way.”

Buffalo News LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188686 BuffaloSabres Jeff Skinner at eight years and $72 million

Those are just the big ones. There were plenty in the $4 million range that have also hamstrung the Sabres. Breaking down the Buffalo Sabres’ record-tying playoff drought 4. Hiring the wrong general manager

Years affected: 2011-12 to 2020-21 By John Vogl May 24, 2021 Regier received an extension before purchased the Sabres in 2011. After missing the postseason in 2011-12, the new owner had an It’s nothing to be applauded, but the Sabres’ record-tying playoff drought easy out from a guy who’d earned a pink slip, but Pegula gave Regier really is an incredible feat. Buffalo is just the third team in NHL history to another deal in January 2013. suffer for a decade, joining Florida and Edmonton. Based on the chaos “He’s a talented guy,” Pegula said. “From what I read, maybe not surrounding the organization, who’d be shocked if Buffalo becomes the everyone agrees with that, but he has all the resources now. We work first to miss 11 straight postseasons? very well together and we’re looking forward to the future.”

No one else is even close. Detroit has missed the past five playoffs. Pegula fired Regier just 10 months later. Ottawa is at four while Anaheim, Los Angeles and New Jersey are at three. It’ll be 2026 or later before anyone sniffs a decade-long drought. Murray was a freewheeling gambler whose trades had middling results. His poor drafting has already been discussed. Pegula tried to blame the “I understand what’s gone on here for the last 10 years,” general Murray era on Pat LaFontaine, who was president of hockey operations manager Kevyn Adams said. “I understand the fan base, the frustration when the Sabres hired Murray in 2014, but the owner was rendered and it’s real. It happened, but we can’t wake up and dwell on that.” speechless when it was pointed out he gave Murray an extension just six So, how’d the Sabres get here anyway? How did a team that missed 11 months before firing him. playoffs in 40 seasons, never skipping more than three in a row, Botterill went 0 for 2 on coaching hires and mangled the salary cap, suddenly go 10 for 10? putting the Sabres in major holes.

Looking back, it was a 10-step process. Adams’ first roster this season fell short of expectations, but it’s too soon 1. Lose on purpose to say whether he’s the right or wrong man for the job.

Years affected: 2013-14 to 2014-15 Adams’ predecessors were certainly flawed.

It’s impossible to make the playoffs if you’re trying to finish last and draft 5. Hiring the wrong coach first. The Tank took up two seasons of the drought. Years affected: 2013-14 to 2020-21

2. Horrible drafting The first two drought seasons featured Lindy Ruff on the bench. He was Years affected: 2011-12 through 2020-21 good, but there’s a shelf life for coaches and his time was up. Players had stopped responding. The Sabres have never had the depth to keep up with contenders. The woes started under general manager Darcy Regier. It’s been a mess ever since.

In 2010, Regier and his scouting staff made nine picks. Mark Pysyk was Ron Rolston should have topped out at the NCAA or USA Hockey level. the only one to reach the NHL, putting up five goals and 21 assists in 125 had no chance with a terrible roster. Players revolted against games with Buffalo. In 2011, Regier and company drafted six players. Dan Bylsma’s ego. Players walked all over Phil Housley, who couldn’t They got 11 games from Daniel Catenacci, seven from Nathan Lieuwen make the transition from assistant coach to bench boss. Ralph Krueger and one from Joel Armia. insisted on sticking to a failed game plan.

In other words, they got nothing for two straight drafts, starting the None of them has had head coaching jobs since being let go. decade off on the wrong foot. The search is on again for a permanent leader.

Tim Murray followed as GM and supplied almost zilch after landing No. 2 6. Subpar individual seasons picks Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Murray and his staff had five second-round picks, getting 57 games from Rasmus Asplund, 23 from Years affected: 2011-12 to 2012-13, 2015-16 to 2020-21 Brendan Guhle and none from Brendan Lemieux, Eric Cornel or Vaclav Karabacek, though Lemieux has been in and out of NHL lineups since No player’s career is a perfect arc or straight line. There are good years, getting traded. bad years, great years and average years.

Excluding Eichel and Reinhart, Murray’s crew made 23 picks. They’ve The Sabres have had a knack for getting multiple bad years totaled 231 games, 46 goals and 57 assists for the Sabres, nearly all of simultaneously. those numbers coming from Victor Olofsson. Goalie Jonas Johansson The drought started when ’s point total dropped by half and had one win in 13 games. It was a crushing run of missed picks. the numbers for Brad Boyes, Nathan Gerbe and Leino also plummeted. Jason Botterill took over as GM in 2017. His three drafts show promise The next season, , Myers, Drew Stafford and Jochen but came too late to stop the losing. Hecht failed Moulson, Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons took steps back. The trend continued with names such as Zach Bogosian, Robin It’s tough to win when there’s no one coming up to replace departing and Lehner, Chad Johnson, Patrik Berglund, Marcus Johansson, Skinner and aging players. Carter Hutton dipping in various years.

3. Bad contracts This season was off the charts. No one, not even the most pessimistic Buffalo hater, would have predicted Eichel, Taylor Hall and Eric Staal Years affected: 2011-12 through 2020-21 would total seven goals in a combined 90 games.

In a salary cap world, teams can survive one egregious contract. Two or Every team in every season has a player go through a slump. Buffalo more can be a death knell, as the Sabres have learned. The list features: usually has numerous regressions, which is too much to overcome.

Ville Leino at six years and $27 million 7. Trades that set the team back

Tyler Myers at seven years at $38.5 million Years affected: 2013-14 to 2014-15, 2016-17 to 2020-21

Cody Hodgson at six years and $25.5 million The Sabres’ trade list during the past decade is long and inglorious. Matt Moulson at five years and $25 million There have been deals that restart the rebuild clock, including moves involving Ryan Miller, Pominville and Evander Kane. There were trades Kyle Okposo at seven years and $42 million that sapped organizational depth like shipping out every goalie who could stop a puck during The Tank. Buffalo gave away third-round picks for the from it, but I’m focused on solutions and I’m focused on the proper rights to Jimmy Vesey, who didn’t sign, and for the right to hire Bylsma, conversations to point this franchise in the right direction.” who didn’t work out. The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 Then, of course, there was the 2018 blockbuster. Getting Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and Tage Thompson for O’Reilly was a historic loss. The deal made the Sabres worse in each of the past three seasons.

8. Injuries

Years affected: 2011-12 to 2012-13, 2015-16 to 2017-18, 2019-20 to 2020-21

We’ve already established the Sabres have lacked organizational depth. That’s rarely more apparent than during a significant injury.

During the first year of the drought, Miller sat for a month because of Milan Lucic. The Sabres went 3-6-1 without the goalie and missed the playoffs by three points. Heading into the season finales that season, the Sabres had 327 man-games lost to injury. The teams they fell three points short of catching, Washington and Ottawa, had 247 and 224 man- games lost, respectively.

The Lehner era began in 2015-16 with a severe ankle sprain in the season opener. O’Reilly, Kane, Bogosian and Ennis joined him on the injured list. Eichel missed time in each of the next two seasons and more than half of this year. Linus Ullmark was also hurt while six others missed games due to COVID-19.

Every team has ailments. The Sabres have suffered injuries without owning a first-aid kit.

9. Unforeseen or surreal obstacles

Years affected: 2011-12 to 2014-15, 2017-18 to 2020-21

The Sabres have faced an insane amount of adversity. They created some of it. Other impediments were out of their control.

Lucic running over Miller exposed the Sabres as a bunch of kittens. They went 9-19-5 after the hit, including 12 straight losses on the road.

The lockout-shortened season of 2012-13 rolled into The Tank years, which no player could handle. In 2017-18, the Sabres banished Moulson to the Kings’ minor-league team, which may have been a sound hockey choice but impacted his teammates negatively. Berglund quit in 2018-19 and Bogosian followed the next season.

As Bogosian left, COVID-19 arrived. The Sabres were in Montreal when the season prematurely ended. A victory would have propelled them past the Canadiens and into the final spot for the return to play, but they didn’t get the chance. Of course, if they hadn’t lost six of seven heading into the matchup, they wouldn’t have been in that hole.

Buffalo never recovered from this season’s coronavirus pause, plummeting from 4-4-2 to 6-23-4.

10. Not enough lottery luck

Years affected: 2016-17 to 2020-21

The Sabres were the worst team in 2014 but lost the lottery to Florida, which selected defenseman Aaron Ekblad ahead of Reinhart. Would Ekblad have improved the Sabres more than Reinhart? It’s hard to judge, given the different positions.

The 2015 lottery definitely made an impact. Eichel is a true All-Star, a legitimate top-10 center. The No. 2 pick in 2015 is one of the most skilled players to wear a Sabres sweater and may get even better.

But Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, the top pick, has lived up to the generational tag. He’s the best player in the game. He’ll win his second Hart Trophy and third Ted Lindsay Award. McDavid just put up 105 points in 56 games. Since 1970, the Sabres have had only six guys reach 100 points in a full season. No one has reached the milestone since LaFontaine and Alexander Mogilny in 1992-93.

Eichel is a game changer. McDavid is changing the game.

That swap alone might not have ended the Sabres’ record-tying drought. Buffalo had nine other hurdles to overcome. Looking back, it’s easy to see why the playoffs are a distant memory.

“I’m extremely focused on where we go from here and less focused on the past and the past 10 years,” Adams said. “You certainly can learn 1188687 Calgary Flames The teams will then rematch in the same fashion during two more stops — in Toronto and Montreal later this spring — to round out the PWHPA Secret Dream Gap Tour.

PWHPA Secret Dream Gap Tour opens with unique points system in “It was so fun to be back on the ice,” said Team Sonnet star Sarah place Nurse, despite the loss at Seven Chiefs Sportsplex. “I think we were all pretty giddy (Monday) morning because it was the first time we’ve been on the ice playing any games in about 14 months.” Todd Saelhof The day didn’t disappoint either.

It went down to the wire between the two out-of-town teams, with Poulin’s Forgive Marie-Philip Poulin for her memory lapse in the moment. shortie being the difference.

Her focus at the time was on giving her team insurance in the game at After goals from Team Sonnet defenceman Ella Shelton, capping a slick hand and not added cushion in the standings of the 2021 PWHPA Secret behind-the-net move and pass by teammate Loren Gabel, and Team Dream Gap Tour: Calgary edition. Bauer blueliner Erin Ambrose, converting a nice power-play shot far-side after taking a beauty cross-ice feed from Jessie Eldridge, the Montreal But the breakaway goal proved to be more than just a game-winner in side scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period. That the end. came when Rebecca Leslie tipped home Ann-Sophie Bettez’s point-shot Because it was short-handed, it gave Montreal’s Team Bauer an after Alexandra Labelle won a draw deep in the Toronto end. additional point in the standings — part of the unique return of women’s A few minutes later, veteran Poulin followed with her breakaway feat hockey north of the border in this three-team Canadian tournament. following a steal of the puck at her own team’s blueline. “To be honest, I didn’t think about that,” said Poulin, moments after Team Another Team Canada legend, Natalie Spooner, was able to draw Team Bauer’s 3-2 edge of Toronto’s Team Sonnet to kick off the seven-day Sonnet within a goal when a redirected shot went off her skate in the slot Calgary stop. to beat Team Bauer goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens, the game’s first star. “I was just surprised I was alone on that breakaway,” she continued. “It’s But it came with just 3.4 seconds left on the clock, so the Montreal crew just that when I turned around and saw the bench jumping around more was able to hang on, getting two points for the win — and the additional than usual after I scored, I realized that we were getting another point.” point for the short-handed tally by Poulin.

Indeed, the short-handed snipe — a perfect shot by the Team Canada And it will take those three points into Tuesday’s second contest of the captain top-shelf past Sonnet goaltender Shea Tiley midway late in the tour against Calgary’s Team Scotiabank at Seven Chiefs (3 p.m., third period — counts as more than simply the game-winner because of Sportsnet NOW). the tourney’s innovative point-scoring system. “I think the points system is a lot of fun,” Nurse added. “We’re always While it’s traditional in that a regulation win is worth two points and no looking for ways to be innovative and have our game be unique. It just points are awarded for a loss (unless it comes in overtime or a shootout), creates a little extra layer of competition. Montreal got that extra point a few twists have been added to the tour to give it a fresh look. (Monday) night.

It goes like this … “We want to be creative and keep people on their toes.”

Regulation win = 2.0 points Calgary Sun: LOADED: 05.25.2021

OT win = 1.5 points

Shootout win = 1.0 points

OT/Shootout loss = 0.5 points

Regulation loss = 0 points a player scores a hat-trick = 1 team point a goalie records a shutout = 1 team point a short-handed goal is scored = 1 team point team scores 5 or more goals in a game = 1 team point

“It’s exciting,” said 30-year-old Poulin, a two-time Olympic champion with Canada. “It makes things a little more exciting. At the end of the day, you want to play the game the right way. If we have to have those chances to get those extra points, it’s going to be exciting.

“To be honest, we don’t think about those extra points at first, but when it happens, it’s fun.”

TEAM SONNET VS TEAM BAUER MAY 24, 2021 SEVEN CHIEFS SPORTSPLEX – CALGARY, AB, CANADA 3:00 PM MDT – CANADIAN SHOWCASE, GAME 1

Chalk up her forgetfulness to the thrill of the day, as well.

It was, after all, a return to game action since COVID-19 has put the kibosh on women’s hockey — like it has many sports — last March.

“The excitement to just get back on the ice and play with this group has been (building) for quite a while, so just getting out there with the new jerseys and go out and have some fun was quite amazing,” Poulin said. “We were like little kids out there. First game in a while. We all came out with big smiles.”

She’ll get no argument from fellow hockey heroes, also getting a chance to shine in the showcase, which features Team Bauer, Team Sonnet and Calgary’s Team Scotiabank in a round-robin format through Saturday. 1188688 Calgary Flames Whether you believe that the Flames are a good team that underachieved this year or you think that maybe expectations were way too high heading into the season, the fact of the matter is the Flames Flames forward Lucic's call for change of mentality carries weight haven’t won a playoff round since 2015 — they’ve also only won that one round since 2004, but that history doesn’t fall on the shoulders of this current crop of players.

Daniel Austin In Lucic’s eyes, the talent the Flames have at their disposal isn’t the problem. It’s more of a mentality thing, and that goes well beyond just

getting too high or too low. There probably isn’t another player on the Calgary Flames roster who “I will tell you, when you play for individual achievements (instead of) understands what it takes to win a Stanley Cup quite as well as Milan team achievements, this is what happens: You don’t get to play in the Lucic does. playoffs,” Lucic said. “When you play for team achievements, playing to He was tied for the most regular-season points on the Boston Bruins win the division title, home ice, all that stuff, that’s when things go well for roster when they won the Stanley Cup in 2010-’11 and was a big part of you as an individual. the team that went to the Cup Finals again two years later. “Like I said, it’s between the ears and that’s the mindset we have to have So when Lucic spoke about what the Flames are missing in his end-of- this summer moving forward and the mindset we have to have going into season media availability last week, it carried real weight. This is a guy next season.” who knows what it takes and after two seasons with the Flames, he Calgary Sun: LOADED: 05.25.2021 understands what makes the team tick as well as anyone.

When the 32-year-old was asked what the Flames were missing, there was a long pause before he answered. It took him 14 seconds to gather his thoughts.

“It’s funny, this team has shown signs of greatness in the past, in the near past, resiliency and sticking with it and pulling through and all that type of stuff,” Lucic said. “It just wasn’t there (this season). How many times did we score a 6-on-5 goal this year? I remember watching in Edmonton two years ago and how many times did the Flames score a 6- on-5 goal to tie a game and take it to overtime and actually win it?

“It’s just getting back to the mindset of being resilient and getting back to the mindset of wanting to win. What’s missing? I think what’s missing is between the ears, more than anything.”

There have been some who have been wondering whether the Flames had the mental makeup to contend for a Stanley Cup for two years. In 2019, the Flames finished the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference before getting flattened by the eighth-seeded Colorado Avalanche in Round 1.

The Flames themselves always seemed to believe they could contend.

It was Lucic, mid-season, who first referred to the Flames having trouble managing the ups-and-downs that inevitably come with any season. Sometimes, the highs felt too high and the lows felt too low. That’s not where you want to be.

The hiring of head coach Darryl Sutter will, presumably, help with that. Montreal Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli wrote an article in The Players Tribune a couple of weeks ago where he told a story about how when Sutter was coaching the Los Angeles Kings, he got angry with the players for celebrating an early-season winning streak, but then propped them up later in the year when they’d lost a couple in a row.

Maybe that sort of leadership is what the Flames need. With a full training camp under Sutter, maybe it’s enough to get them back on track for the playoffs next season.

Sutter’s presence alone only does so much, though. At some point, Lucic believes the players themselves need a change of mentality, as well.

“I think the way it changes is when the individual completely buys into what the team is trying to sell,” Lucic said. “When everyone buys into it, regardless of, let’s say you want to play 15 minutes but you’re playing 11 minutes but you’re winning and you’re happy and you’re getting what you get out of it, that’s what feels good at the end of the day.

“You have to buy into it as an individual because you can have the best leaders in the world, we can bring in whoever the best coach is of all- time, whoever the best captain is of all-time, but as an individual, if you don’t buy into it, it doesn’t matter.”

There were lots of potential reasons thrown out by Flames players last week about why they fell so far short of expectations this year.

Some argued they underestimated the North Division competition. Others said that after their – relative – success in the Edmonton Bubble last year, when they beat the Winnipeg Jets in the play-in round, they thought this season would be easier. 1188689 Calgary Flames heated games, fights and rivalries, but I thought it would be a bit feistier. Another example of us overestimating things, perhaps?

Verdict: Incorrect Revisiting 10 bold (and not very good) predictions about the Calgary Flames Prediction No. 3: Salvian says Jacob Markstrom will be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy

Salvian: This certainly wasn’t a Vezina-calibre season for Markstrom. Nor By Hailey Salvian and Darren Haynes May 24, 2021 was it the debut year he likely would have wanted to have in Calgary.

He started off the season as the team’s MVP and probably masked a lot Oh, boy. of its issues with his strong play. But after starting 14 of the first 16 games, he got overworked and injured, and it took a while to get his In January, we got together and made 10 predictions about the Calgary game back to an elite level. Flames’ season. In hindsight, some of those predictions were solid. Others were … awful. Markstrom is a better goalie than his .904 save percentage this season would suggest. And I still think that, when he’s on his game, Markstrom is Did we miscalculate our expectations, as Darryl Sutter said? Or maybe one of the top goalies in the league. So, we can probably bet he will use our expectations were too lofty with our bold predictions. this year as motivation in the offseason to come back better next season.

With no more Flames games until next season, let’s dive in with a look Haynes: As you said, things looked promising early as Markstrom did back at what we got right and what we got horribly wrong. something that hadn’t been done very often post-Miikka Kiprusoff: steal games. But the blow-up games, and the frequency of them, hurt his Prediction No. 1: Salvian says the Flames will have a top-five power play numbers and ended up fueling fan anxiety about the five years remaining and penalty kill on his deal. He gave up at least four goals 10 times, and five of those Haynes: If it wasn’t for me bold-shaming you into saying top five instead times he had to fish five or more goals out of the net. of top 10, you would have been … well, also wrong. The special teams Just because he’s being paid $6 million doesn’t mean he needs to play weren’t so special, with the power play a middling 21st and the penalty all the games. Short term, the team would be well served to find a quality kill the definition of average at 15th. backup this summer and not be afraid to use him. Long term, you hope The power play did have that torrid 9-for-32 start that continued a roll that Dustin Wolf can eventually emerge behind Markstrom, just like fellow from the previous season, but as soon as I wrote about how good it was, American Thatcher Demko did in Vancouver. the equivalent of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx hit and the man Verdict: Incorrect advantage unraveled. Prediction No. 4: Haynes says Rasmus Andersson will break out with 10 As for the penalty kill, there was a 27-game stretch in which only once goals and 40 points did they give up one goal on the power play. The problem is it was feast or famine. Six times during that span, they gave up two or three on the Haynes: After a 22-point 2019-20 season and ahead of what I thought power play. Just when you thought it was good, it wasn’t. Just when you would be an impactful season on the top pairing and top power-play unit thought it wasn’t, it was. for Andersson, I quoted the Bachman-Turner Overdrive song “Baby, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.” Salvian: You’re right. Bold-shamed or not, I was way off. Seems I put the wrong 45 on the turntable, and no, “Takin’ Care of But we can probably all agree that the Flames’ special teams should Business” was not the vinyl I meant to spin. have been much better than they were. Especially their 18 percent power play, which was largely a mystery to me this year. More so, the lesser-known “Give It Time” is the most applicable BTO track here. They say player development is rarely a straight line. That Calgary has enough offensive pieces to roll out a solid first unit (Matthew applies here, too. It was a tough year overall for Andersson, who seemed Tkachuk, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm, Johnny Gaudreau and to struggle with the heightened responsibilities he was tasked with to Rasmus Andersson, for example), but it just didn’t seem to score at a start the season, but still a stride forward and important experience that consistent clip. Which, to be fair, was also true at even strength. will serve him well in the long run. Are the poor special teams an issue of players not executing? Or is it just Salvian: Not quite the season you were predicting out of Andersson, bad systems? We should get clarity on the latter in the coming weeks if Darren. In fact, he only hit the halfway mark in goals (five) and points we see any coaching changes to Sutter’s assistants who run the penalty (21). kill and power play. Coming out of the bubble, deserved or not, expectations were high for Verdict: Incorrect Andersson, and he didn’t exactly meet them. There were little to no Prediction No. 2: Haynes says Flames-Jets will produce the most hostility expectations for Noah Hanifin, however, who ultimately stood out as one of the few bright spots this year. Andersson is only 24, so he still has time Haynes: Yawn. to grow. Perhaps the breakout will come next year? Keep your ancient vinyl ready. Despite a stellar cast headlined by Mark Scheifele and Tkachuk, the Flames-Jets version of the 1990s slasher film “I Know What You Did Last Verdict: Incorrect Summer” never lived up to the hype. In fact, the movie — starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sarah Michelle Gellar — was better, and it Prediction No. 5: Salvian says David Rittich will play fewer than 20 wasn’t a very good movie. games this season

It seems Scheifele was being truthful with his “no hard feelings” Salvian: Ah, I finally got one right! comments after having his season ended by Tkachuk’s collision with him As anticipated, Rittich was an afterthought in the Flames’ crease this in the first period of Game 1 in last August’s qualifying round. Not one year before being moved to Toronto at the deadline. And really, this fight to be had in nine games, with Milan Lucic’s late-season, late-game wasn’t that bold of a prediction considering the Flames signed Markstrom paw to Neal Pionk’s head about as intense as the action got. to a six-year, $36 million contract. He was always going to be the No. 1 Salvian: Out of all six opponents in the North Division, the Flames had goalie this year. And with only 10 back-to-backs on the schedule, it was the fewest penalty minutes against the Jets (58). Not that penalty safe to assume Markstrom would carry most of the workload. infraction minutes are the ultimate indication of “hostility,” but the series We can debate whether that was smart (and it probably wasn’t, as certainly wasn’t as spicy as you’d think. I will say, though, I don’t know Markstrom got hurt), but the prediction was correct. Rittich played 19 many people who could so smoothly reference “I Know What You Did games this season and only 15 for the Flames. Last Summer” in an article about hockey, so kudos to you there. Haynes: Nailed it, Hailey! And honestly, I don’t know if any series lived up to the hype that we maybe expected heading into the season. Of course, there were some It took so long for Rittich to doff the ball cap and get into a game that I Salvian: Only Gaudreau and Lindholm had more goals than Mangiapane think a mullet was forming. Then it took even longer to get that first win, this season, so I’d say this was a great prediction. Even if it’s not which didn’t help matters. The season was six weeks old before we technically correct. finally saw Rittich and Tkachuk hug it out after a game. As you said, his 18 goals were a career-high, and he did it in only 56 Selfishly, not bumping into the affable, quirky Czech in the dressing room games, compared with the 17 he scored last year in 68 games. It’s also a was one of the most missed parts of player access being limited to video pace that could have seen him score 26 goals in an 82-game season. conferences. Great dude and you hope he finds a great fit when he hits free agency. Coming to Calgary this year, I’d heard about Mangiapane, but he definitely opened my eyes this season to how great of a player he is. It’s Verdict: Correct! Finally… no mystery why he’s become such a fan favourite.

Prediction No. 6: Haynes says the Tkachuk brothers will drop the gloves Verdict: Incorrect with each other Prediction No. 9: Salvian says the Flames will win the North Division Salvian: Hey, Darren, remember when Matthew Tkachuk said anyone who thinks he and his brother, Brady, would fight is “an idiot?” Salvian: I am more ashamed of this prediction than the time (last week) I “got boothed” on a fake tweet. Not much else to say here. Another tough prediction for The Athletic Calgary team. This started somewhat promising, with the Flames taking five of the first six points of the season, but it had disaster written all over it coming out Haynes: Awkward. of their weeklong break. After that odd stretch with no games, they lost three straight and were never able to gain traction. Look, I’m an only child myself (this isn’t firsthand knowledge), but my best friend had a younger brother, and while they loved each other, they The Sutter hire in March gave some fans hope — maybe not of winning still scrapped. Oh, did they scrap. So, I applied that same theory here. Of the division, but hope that things would turn around. As we all know, that course, then Matthew Tkachuk came out and said what he did. didn’t exactly happen.

So while this bold prediction ended up an idiotic prediction, the YouTube Even at the start of the season, this prediction made no sense, as most rabbit holes I went down to find previous examples of brothers fighting predicted the Leafs would win the division — and they did. But what fun still made it a very worthwhile exercise. In the end, perhaps less sweet is it saying, “The Flames will finish in the top four”? Although, that also and more sour was what Calgary needed from Matthew against his little would have been wrong… brother, as the Flames’ paltry series record against Ottawa was part of their undoing. Haynes: Oof. Adjust your Flames car flag to half-mast in memory of this prediction. Verdict: Incorrect Not even cracking the top four is a brutal outcome for this organization Prediction No. 7: Salvian says Johnny Gaudreau scores 25 goals and, fair or not, is an indictment on the team’s core that once again looked better on paper than it did on the ice. Turns out nobody having to Haynes: Love the aggressive target, Hailey. You’ll make a great sales sit through it live at the Saddledome was more a blessing than a curse. director in your next life. It started out promising, too, with nine goals in 15 games that had Johnny Hockey on a 49-goal pace by a regular What’s next? That’s far too loaded a question to tackle in this tiny space, season’s standards. The ending was also strong, with 22 points over the but there is plenty to dig into, speculate on and opine about, and there’s final 16 games — dating to the Monahan-Gaudreau breakup — working plenty of offseason to do it. Stay tuned. out to a 113-point pace. Verdict: Incorrect Where it fell apart for all invested was with the 25 games in the middle, when four goals and just 11 points (and only one even-strength goal) Prediction No. 10: Haynes says Chris Tanev will play all 56 games factored prominently into why Calgary lost 17 of those games. Salvian: You nailed this one, Darren!

But the idea of a 13-28-19 line next season is tantalizing and think of the When Tanev signed in Calgary in free agency, a lot of people savory boldness that trio could spark in next year’s predictions. I may immediately brought up his injury history. But you boldly stated he need a napkin. wouldn’t miss any time this year. He even played through broken ribs and Salvian: After investing over 3,000 words on Gaudreau before the a torn pectoral muscle suffered in March against the Jets when the season started, I had high hopes for his comeback season! He fell short Flames were in the playoff hunt — injuries that Tanev shrugged off and of 25 goals, but not by much. recovered from.

With 19 goals in 56 games, he tied for the team lead in goals with “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a player play through what this guy played Lindholm and led the team with 49 points. And his 19 goals were more through,” Flames general manager Brad Treliving said during his end-of- than the 18 he scored last year in 70 games, so it’s fair to say this was a season address. “So that tells you a little bit about Chris Tanev.” better year for Gaudreau. HIT FROM DUBOIS ON CHRIS TANEV.

It wasn’t his 99-point season, but Gaudreau was on pace for 27 goals TANEV WENT RIGHT TO THE ROOM, AND IS STILL NOT ON THE and 71 points in an 82-game season, which is nothing to stick up your #FLAMES BENCH. HANIFIN GOT 2 FOR ROUGHING. NO CALL ON nose at. And that pace includes the tough stretch in the middle of the DUBOIS. PIC.TWITTER.COM/QZFRTYAA50 year. Imagine what he could have done had he played with Tkachuk and Lindholm sooner? Oh, what could have been… — HAILEY SALVIAN (@HAILEY_SALVIAN) MARCH 30, 2021

Verdict: Incorrect Not only did he play every game, but he also was the Flames’ most consistent and reliable defender. He likely made a lot of fans in Calgary Prediction No. 8: Haynes says Andrew Mangiapane will lead the team in this year. goals Haynes: Yeah, baby, you can put it in the win column. Haynes: So close! Mangiapane’s career-high 18 goals were just one off the team lead, and the 2015 sixth-rounder led the club in even-strength When it comes to high-price UFAs, Treliving needed a win and got one in tallies. Tanev, who not only was everything the team could have hoped for and more but also helped Hanifin find another level to his game, with those So while it’s not a win, this wasn’t an ugly loss either. Maybe call it a two quickly becoming the top pairing. He was also one of eight players shootout setback. not to miss a game.

Mangiapane’s story is such a good one, and he continues to get better He’s considered an injury risk because he’s never played more than 70 and better while not easing off the gas pedal when it comes to his games in a season — and still hasn’t. But conveniently overlooked is that relentless work ethic. He earned himself extra playing time on the power teams haven’t played that many games either lately. Over the past two play and penalty kill this season and thrived in both. If he were a years, Tanev has not missed a game despite playing a ton and laying his ballplayer, he would be the guy with dirt on his uniform all the time. body on the line all the time. Time to kick that stereotype to the woodshed.

Verdict: Correct!

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188690 Carolina Hurricanes “That’s a tough position,” Brind’Amour said. “We’ve got a couple (young) guys in the lineup, on the back end, that’s tough. Not the easiest thing to do at this level, jumping in there. They’re doing their best.”

The Hurricanes are still trying to make Svech happen against the Cedric Paquette, who has yet to play in the series, was among the seven Predators skaters Monday.

TWO OF THE LONGEST GAMES IN FRANCHISE HISTORY

BY LUKE DECOCK The two double-overtime games in Nashville ended up being the second- and third-longest games in franchise history, trailing only the triple- overtime loss to Detroit in the . As badly as the Carolina Hurricanes are missing Jaccob Slavin, who hasn’t played since Game 1, they’re also missing Andrei Svechnikov, “It’s a tough way to lose, when you give everything like that,” Brind’Amour who has. The electric winger who is capable of turning a game around said. “I think the guys felt like the ice was tilted in our favor and it didn’t with one unstoppable shot has yet to make any kind of real impact on a work out. You have to move on. We’ve done that all year.” series where essentially every game has been decided by a single goal. The two losses also continued a disturbing trend that goes back 30 It’s been an up and down third NHL season for Svechnikov, but with the years: The Hurricanes/ are 1-7 all-time in multiple-OT Hurricanes desperately struggling to convert chances into goals with the playoff games. The only win was at Washington in Game 7 in 2019, on series against the Nashville Predators tied 2-2 heading back to Raleigh Brock McGinn’s goal. on Tuesday, they need their most talented goal-scorer to contribute. BY THE NUMBERS

That said, he hasn’t lost his confidence. Svechnikov even smiled Monday Analytically speaking, Sunday’s first period and second overtime were when asked if he was getting frustrated. the two best periods the Hurricanes have played in the series, controlling “Nothing too frustrated,” Svechnikov said. “I’m confident we’re going to 81.2% and 74.3% of five-on-five shot attempts respectively. The go the next two games and show our best game to them. It’s going to be Predators still managed to outscore the Hurricanes 2-1 in those two a little bit different game. We’re going to be fired up, especially in our periods, which is a big reason why the series is tied 2-2 going into Game building.” 5.

Despite playing for all but one period with linemates who are also getting All of that means the Game 5 keys for the Hurricanes are the oldest in plenty of scoring chances and owning some of the best possession hockey: More traffic in front, get to more rebounds, get more shots numbers on the team, Svechnikov has yet to actually get anything past through. Juuse Saros. His only goal of the series, on 21 shots, is the empty-netter “They do a great job getting in the lane, not just their first guy but their to seal Game 1. second guy, too,” Skjei said. “Maybe try to move a bit and get a few more But there’s also a balance Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour is trying to pucks through.” strike, because the Hurricanes have liked Svechnikov’s offensive game PREDATORS AT HURRICANES: GAME 5 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS overall. When: Tuesday, 8 p.m. “His effort’s been great,” Brind’Amour said. “He had a few last night, one in overtime down the wing where he ripped it and that’s his game. He’s Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh been great in the offensive zone. I don’t really say too much generally. When he needs a little tweaking in other areas, that’s when we get to WATCH: CNBC, BSSO him. He’s a creative player and he’s working hard. We’ve kind of got to News Observer LOADED: 05.25.2021 let him do his thing.”

Unfortunately, this kind of slump has been all too common for Svechnikov this season -- perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not -- with his unresolved contract extension hanging over his head. After a fast start with six goals in the first eight games, Svechnikov scored only three goals in the final 15 games of the regular season and went multiple stretches of six games or more without a goal.

On a normal, 82-game schedule, he was on a 22-goal pace, regressing from his 31-goal pace last season.

“Personally for me, I feel like I just got to drive to the net a little bit harder, find space in front of the net, put the puck in the net,” Svechnikov said. “It’s easy to say that, but we have to do that more as a team to get in front and maybe screen or something, so we can score those goals.”

WAITING ON JACCOB SLAVIN TO RETURN FROM INJURY

Slavin was not among the seven skaters and three goalies (Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, Antoine Bibeau) who practiced at PNC Arena on Monday morning, none of whom played in Game 5. His availability for Game 5 remains uncertain … and critical. Brind’Amour said there was no change in his status: Slavin will tell him when he’s ready to play after missing the past three games.

In his absence, during what amounted to more than an extra game of hockey in games 3 and 4, Brett Pesce played a total of 79:43 and Brady Skjei 79:01. The two defensemen have been absolute workhorses, but that kind of duty has to take a toll at some point, if it didn’t already as the two losses dragged deep into a second overtime.

“I feel fine,” Skjei said. “We work hard throughout the season for these kinds of moments.”

Some unexpected contributions have come from Maxime Lajoie, who jumped ahead of Jake Gardiner on the depth chart thanks to his defensive reliability despite spending the entire season in the AHL and played heavily in both road games. 1188691 Chicago Blackhawks has a lot of valuable players in need of a new contract before the 2022- 23 season.

Bowman may be able to safely maneuver this offseason and not have to The Blackhawks can look to Marian Hossa for how to handle Brent spend to the ceiling because the Blackhawks should already have Seabrook, Andrew Shaw contracts this offseason enough cap space to apply to their restricted free agents. They have roughly $9 million of cap space entering this offseason, and that’s already projecting 21 players on their NHL roster. Some of those players By Scott Powers May 24, 2021 can be assigned to Rockford next season. Others might be traded or taken in the expansion draft. Whatever the case, the Blackhawks should

have more than that $9 million figure to re-sign any combination of Nikita Marian Hossa’s contract presented a problem for the Blackhawks after Zadorov, Pius Suter, Brandon Hagel, David Kampf, Adam Gaudette and he announced he was done playing due to a skin allergy in 2017. Alex Nylander, who are all restricted free agents.

Hossa had four years remaining on his contract and a $5.275 million cap Here’s an outlook of the Blackhawks’ finances over the next three hit. That was a significant chunk of change with the cap ceiling at $75 seasons: million for the 2017-18 season. The Blackhawks were also still in win- PLAYER 2021-22 CAP HIT 2022-23 2023-24 now mode and often spending to the ceiling. They could use every dollar they could get. Patrick Kane

Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman had a few options then. $10,500,000 One, he could build his team with Hossa’s cap hit, get as close to the ceiling as possible and then place Hossa on long-term injured reserve $10,500,000 (LTIR) once the season began. That would allow the Blackhawks to UFA maneuver players up and down from the AHL and leave the possibility of adding a top player at the trade deadline. Jonathan Toews

The second option was to place Hossa on LTIR during the offseason and $10,500,000 free up that cap space to spend in free agency. They could immediately add a player who could help fill Hossa’s void. The drawback to offseason $10,500,000 LTIR is it limits roster flexibility during a season because a team is UFA already technically at the cap ceiling. It has to be dollar out to bring dollar in. Brent Seabrook

At the time, Bowman was firmly against offseason LTIR. $6,875,000

“Because if you did (use offseason LTIR), you would be essentially $6,875,000 starting the year with an inability to make any transactions,” Bowman $6,875,000 said in 2017. “And that’s why it’s a harder discussion to have because you’ve got to give examples of if this happens. But it just doesn’t work Alex DeBrincat that way. I wish it were that simple, but it’s not. It’s a much more complicated provision than people think. It’s not some easy cap solution $6,400,000 where we just go sign a player for the same amount and off we go. It’s $6,400,000 much more problematic than that.” RFA Bowman explained that further. Duncan Keith “You’ve got to be (cap) compliant Day 1 and you’ve got to have a functional team,” he said. “So there’s never been a team that’s gone all $5,538,462 year without having a recall of a player or an acquisition. So you have to have the ability to do that during the season. You can’t start the season $5,538,462 with zero cap space and then expect when two guys get hurt to play UFA short-handed all year. It’s not a functional way to run your team.” Calvin de Haan That’s why Bowman opted for in-season LTIR for Hossa during the 2017- 18 season. Bowman made some major trades that offseason to address $4,550,000 his roster and wasn’t active in free agency. He placed Hossa on LTIR once the season began and never used Hossa’s cap hit fully. The UFA Blackhawks ended up out of the playoff race and turned into sellers at Andrew Shaw the trade deadline, so the additional cap space wasn’t needed. Bowman traded Hossa’s contract the following offseason and finally freed up that $3,900,000 space for good. UFA Now Bowman finds himself in a similar predicament four years later with Brent Seabrook and Andrew Shaw both announcing this year that they Connor Murphy are finished playing because of injuries. Like Hossa, both players aren’t $3,850,000 officially retired and will remain on the books. Seabrook has three years remaining on his contract with a $6.875 million cap hit. Shaw has one UFA more year with a $3.9 million cap hit. The assumption is Jonathan Toews Dominik Kubalik returns next season, but if he doesn’t, he would also fit into the equation. He has a $10.5 million cap hit for two more seasons. $3,700,000

Bowman may want to handle this scenario much like he did the Hossa RFA situation. Bowman would likely prefer to build his roster with Seabrook and Shaw’s cap spaces included and may not even come near the cap Brett Connolly ceiling. With a number of young players, especially Kirby Dach, still on $3,500,000 their entry-level contracts, there’s a possibility some of those players trigger their bonuses next season. The last thing Bowman wants is to $3,500,000 have a cap overage for the 2021-22 season and be responsible for those bonuses come the 2022-23 season. That would be troublesome because UFA the cap isn’t expected to rise anytime soon. Bowman is also aware he $3,000,000 Olli Maatta (retain)

RFA $750,108

Riley Stillman Total

$1,350,000 $72,575,237

$1,350,000 $46,588,462

$1,350,000 $8,225,000

Ryan Carpenter Now, if Bowman does find himself wanting more cap space to hunt for, say, a No. 1 defenseman, he could use offseason LTIR in a way that $1,000,000 wouldn’t restrict his in-season roster flexibility as it did with Hossa. UFA Because the Blackhawks have at least two players they know won’t be playing next season, Bowman could place Seabrook or Shaw on Henrik Borgstrom offseason LTIR to tap into that cap space during free agency and then wait until the season begins to place the other player on in-season LTIR. $1,000,000 The Blackhawks would then have the best of both worlds. That would $1,000,000 leave the risk of those young players hitting their bonuses, but that might be worth it if Bowman believes he has a playoff-caliber team next Kirby Dach season.

$925,000 Bowman alluded to being open to the possibility of offseason LTIR during his end-of-the-season media availability. RFA “(Shaw and Seabrook’s contract are) a bit of a challenge, there’s no Ian Mitchell question about that, but we’re going to have to deal with it,” Bowman $925,000 said. “LTI is an option for us, we’ll look into that. It may be something we use. We’re hoping to work it a different way. The biggest thing is we don’t $925,000 have a lot of new contracts to sign. So that should help us from the perspective of not getting some big increases from where players were at RFA this year. That’s coming in the coming years, so it’s never a solved Wyatt Kalynuk puzzle. We’re going to work on that.

$925,000 “Part of it’ll be, if we make any changes, cap implications for players that are leaving or coming will play into that. It’s probably a bit early to map RFA that all out. We’ve had internal conversations on that and that’s probably Adam Boqvist going to be our focus between now and the free-agency opening. It’s a bit of a different timeline this year with the draft and free agency being $894,167 pushed back. We have a little bit more time to talk it through, but that’s going to be dictated by what we find out when I talk to other general RFA managers about how they’re shaping their teams and which players will Malcolm Subban be available.”

$850,000 The St. Louis Blues are an example of a team using offseason LTIR. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford wrote about it in detail here. UFA According to a source, the Blackhawks are still discussing the best way Philipp Kurashev forward cap-wise. They’re also having contract discussions with their restricted free agents and trying to determine how they want their roster $842,500 to look next season. They don’t have enough roster space for everyone. RFA Lukas Reichel could also sign and be NHL ready. Vinnie Hinostroza was one of the team’s best players after being acquired and could come back Kevin Lankinen on a cheap deal. Max Shalunov is out there waiting, and the Blackhawks are still looking at other European free agents. $800,000 Ultimately, Bowman could go in a lot of directions with the Blackhawks RFA roster, their cap space and LTIR usage. That should make for an Pius Suter interesting offseason.

RFA The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021

David Kampf

RFA

Nikita Zadorov

RFA

Adam Gaudette

RFA

Alex Nylander

RFA

Brandon Hagel

RFA

Vinnie Hinostroza

UFA 1188692 Colorado Avalanche

Kiszla vs. Chambers: Nathan MacKinnon or Joe Sakic? Which Avalanche center is better?

Nathan MacKinnon’s points-per-game average (1.43) is becoming legendary

By MIKE CHAMBERS | PUBLISHED: May 24, 2021 at 12:23 p.m. | UPDATED: May 24, 2021 at 3:31 p.m.

Kiz: We’ve waited a long time in Colorado for another chance to drink from the Stanley Cup. The current Avalanche team, led by center Nathan MacKinnon, evokes memories of Joe Sakic and the franchise’s glory days. Are the comparisons fair? Let’s start here: Is MacKinnon a better player than Sakic ever was?

Chambers: Not in my book. MacKinnon’s 560 career regular-season points are just slightly more than one-third of Sakic’s 1,641. So Great Nate has a ways to go. But, indeed, the 25-year-old is certainly a great right-shot centerman. In the playoffs, MacKinnon’s 63 career points pale in comparison to Sakic’s club-record 177, but MacKinnon’s points-per- game is becoming legendary. His average is now 1.43 — the fourth- highest all-time behind Wayne Gretzky (1.84), (1.61) and Barry Pederson (1.53). I bet MacKinnon will surpass Pederson, and maybe even Lemieux before he concludes what is certainly shaping up to be a Hall of Fame career.

Kiz: Outside of their amazing talent for scoring the puck, the thing that strikes me about Sakic and MacKinnon is they both speak quietly (if at all) and carry a big stick. Sakic scored 625 NHL goals, but never let you know how good he was. MacK is the best player in the game today, but he’d be the last to tell you.

Chambers: Similar, for sure, but MacKinnon has a bite to him. If he doesn’t like a question, he’ll tell you, but we haven’t seen that face-to- face for more than a year now because we haven’t been in the locker room. Sakic accepted the “dumb” questions and answered them based on what he thought the person wanted to hear. I respect both styles. And, for sure, they’re both modest. They’d rather talk about their linemates or other teammates than themselves, and both lead by example. Today, I think that’s a big reason why the Avs are so good. They have extraordinary leadership on and off the ice.

Joe Sakic holds the Stanley cup over his head in Civic Center Park during a giant celebration to welcome home the 1996 Stanley Cup champions.

Kiz: Sakic twice hoisted the Cup for the Avalanche and earned a spot in the Hall of Fame. So MacKinnon has a ways to go to match his current boss’ achievements. But here’s what I wonder: As the architect of a hockey roster, would Sakic use his No. 1 draft pick on the current MacKinnon or his old self, when Super Joe was in his prime?

Chambers: Can’t wait to ask that of Sakic myself. Very interesting. Given how modest he is, I bet Joe would say he’d go with Nate. And if you asked Nate who he would take, he’d say Joe. Another example of how these guys would rather throw compliments at someone else than pump up themselves.

Denver Post: LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188693 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche in rest and recovery mode. Vegas or Minnesota next opponent in Round 2

Colorado will again face a West Division opponent it played against eight times in the regular season. Colorado went 4-3-1 against Vegas and 5-2- 1 against Minnesota

By MIKE CHAMBERS | PUBLISHED: May 24, 2021 at 11:31 a.m. | UPDATED: May 24, 2021 at 2:58 p.m.

It’s R&R time for the Avalanche following its first-round playoff sweep of the St. Louis Blues.

The Avs took Monday off and will have an optional practice Tuesday. They will know their second-round opponent if the Vegas Golden Knights defeat the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of their first-round series late Monday in Las Vegas.

Colorado plays the winner of that series, which could begin as early as Thursday. The Avs are excited about having a break, however long it is.

“We’ve played a lot of hockey since mid-January, so any breaks we can get, and any days off and any recovery days we can get, I think we need it,” captain Gabe Landeskog said.

Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Game 4 against the Blues on Sunday was the best game of the series for his team, despite again playing without suspended second-line center Nazem Kadri and losing rookie forward early in the first period to injury.

“We got a little better as the series went along,” Bednar said. “It was a full 60-minute effort (Sunday). The first three games, we had some lapses in our game, some things that I didn’t like. (Sunday) I liked a lot.”

The Avs led for 127 minutes, 20 seconds in the series.

Colorado outshot the Blues 34-20 in Game 4 and 145-110 for the series.

“To come in here in a tough building to play and take two in a row against a desperate team, it’s not easy to do,” Landeskog said. “I’m happy that we got it done without giving them any sort of momentum.”

“They’re the better team, for sure,” Blues coach Craig Berube said.

Knights vs. Wild. The Avalanche will again face a West Division opponent it played eight times in the regular season. Colorado went 4-3- 1 against Vegas and 5-2-1 against Minnesota.

Avs goalie Philipp Grubauer had better statistics against the Knights, with a 1.86 goals-against average, .935 save percentage and a 4-2-1 record. Grubauer had a better record against the Wild (5-2) but with a 2.81 GAA and .886 SP.

Devan Dubnyk was the Avs’ goalie in a 5-2 loss on April 28 at Vegas and Hunter Miska took a 4-3 overtime loss at Minnesota on Jan. 31.

Footnotes. The Avs are 8-1 in May. … Colorado leads all playoff teams in goals (20), goals-per-game (5.00) and power-play effectiveness (50%). However, the Avs scored six empty-net goals in the St. Louis series… … Colorado will enter Game 1 of the next series at Ball Arena, where it has won 11 in a row and is on a 19-game points streak (18-0-1).

Denver Post: LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188694 Colorado Avalanche straying from storytelling, profiling and even quick-turnaround craftsmanship to focus on analytics, minutiae and lists. The limitations of Zoom-only availabilities during the pandemic encouraged those trends.

Breaking the Niche: Avalanche fans should welcome the bandwagon But that’s our problem.

Not yours.

By Terry Frei - May 24, 2021 Hearing a deeply knowledgeable hockey fan explaining offside, icing and the trapezoid and the significance of the Cole Harbour on a first date can be aggravating if you’re within earshot in the bar or arena. EDITOR’S NOTE: Mile High Sports Magazine contributing writer and author Terry Frei has covered the Avalanche since its 1995 arrival in But she’s trying to get the poor guy up to speed. (Yes, I’m convinced the Denver. He will be writing commentaries during Colorado’s 2021 playoff majority of deeply knowledgeable hockey fans are women.) run for the MHS site. In no other sport do you encounter this kind of snobbery. It doesn’t The Avalanche has swept the Blues and gone through the handshake happen in football, basketball and baseball, where it’s accepted that line in what remains one of the top rituals in pro sports. knowledge of the sports themselves can and will run the gamut from encyclopedic to minimal. For hockey’s proponents, it’s a bit defensive. It’s Colorado is waiting for its next opponent, most likely the Vegas Golden a reaction to a perceived lack of “respect” – there’s that word, sorry – Knights. from the media and general sports fandom. But it also creates a self- fulfilling prophecy. The hockey world and the wing of the national media that pays attention to the NHL is playing up the Avalanche as, well, must-see TV. It leans right into the punch, the image of the NHL as the most “niche” of the major leagues. Get ready for Avalanche bandwagon to become more crowded around here. The contradiction is that when many members of the media, ranging from sports talk hosts to influential columnists to sports anchors, try to jump in If the Nuggets’ Game 1 loss to Portland is a harbinger rather than a and discuss the NHL, while admitting they’re more conversant about wakeup call, the Denver postseason focus soon might be exclusively on football, basketball or baseball, they’re challenged: What the hell do you the Avalanche. know? Where have you been? Go back to talking about the tight ends! I’ve pleaded with hockey-first fans virtually from the day I started covering The truth is, though that intimidates some in the media (you’re right … the NHL — which was a long time ago. poor babies), hockey is nowhere near as complicated as some its Stop being so proprietary about your sport. proponents want to make it. It really isn’t. And we’re finally getting past the other plague of hockey in the past. That’s when the tenets of the Be an ambassador for it. NHL’s “Code” were challenged as archaic or downright stupid – as in the aftermath of the infamous Todd Bertuzzi attack on Steve Moore in 2004 – Share it. the reflexive response from many clinging to tradition was: If you Welcome casual new fans, those who are unlikely to become immersed disagree with me, you don’t know the game! but enjoy the game, to the fold. So is that image accurate? Is hockey a niche sport? Embrace the NHL trying to broaden its appeal to include more of the Of course it is. intelligent general sports fan base. After going from rabbit ears and two stations 70 years ago to literally Don’t be disdainful of fans that candidly admit they’re climbing aboard the hundreds of choices today, even among sporting events alone, bandwagon of a winning team, or of the sport itself, without necessarily everything popular in 21st century America is at best a “niche” – well, having any idea which defenseman played major junior for the Windsor except maybe when “Game of Thrones” is in its first run. Spitfires, which recent NHL stars were from Ornskoldsvik and how to interpret a ridiculous analytics graph about puck possession. Hockey-first fans. It’s a great sport. You have chosen wisely. But stop blocking the doorway. Welcome and let the general sports fan in on the Or, in this case, knowing: fun – literally and figuratively. — Who’s stepping into the void created by Avalanche center Nazem milehighsports.com LOADED: 05.25.2021 Kadri’s eight-game suspension.

— Which wings Mikko Rantanen and Gabe Landeskog play on each side of Nathan MacKinnon.

— Where Calgary native Cale Makar, now the top hybrid defenseman in the game, played his college hockey.

— Which Avalanche winger twice has played for Stanley Cup champions, is from Pittsburgh and probably puts French fries in his sandwiches to salute Primanti Brothers.

It’s almost as if to get in to the arena, you traditionally have needed more than a ticket, whether on your phone or in your hand. Or to even go to watch parties, too, or join an online discussion, you have to know the password.

Always try “Swordfish” first. Then “Gretzky.”

Hockey fans’ “it’s-our-sport” attitudes are a common phenomenon everywhere, of course, even outside of NHL markets.

In Denver, which has been a pro and college hockey hotbed now for many years; and in Colorado, one of the top youth hockey territories in the nation, that’s still true a stunning amount of the time.

One thing I’ve always known: Those hockey-first fans tend to be especially savvy and knowledgeable. More recently, the information explosion has highlighted that, with so many outlets for expression.

The negative for hockey writing, especially on this side of the border, is the increasing specialized and myopic nature of the wider coverage, 1188695 Colorado Avalanche Landeskog dropping the gloves and throwing punches — he was sticking up for Rantanen after a hit — fired up the team.

All part of his job on a top line with his two buddies. MacKinnon-led top group lifts Avs into 2nd round “It’s been fun to getting to know these two guys over the last few years as players and obviously as people,” Landeskog said. “Hopefully we can By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer continue to get better and better as we go on.”

LOADED: 05.25.2021

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog considers his role the best in hockey.

That's no line, either. Just a tribute to his linemates.

The trio of Landeskog, speedy center Nathan MacKinnon and sharpshooting right winger Mikko Rantanen combined for nine goals and 15 assists during a four-game sweep of St. Louis in the opening round. It's the third best-of-seven series sweep in franchise history, with the other two times — 1996 and ’01 — culminating with hoisting the Stanley Cup trophy.

And while that particular finish line remains a distance off, the bottom line remains this: The Avs are the odds-on favorites to get there in large part due to that top group.

“Both (MacKinnon) and Mikko have very high, high skill and are top talents in the league,” said Landeskog, whose team will face either Vegas or Minnesota in the next round. “Not only that but they work really hard. We’re trying to constantly work on our game and study each other and learn from each other. It’s definitely fun playing with those two guys.”

The chemistry didn't happen overnight. The three were allowed to go through their ups and downs, slumps and streaks without fear of a breakup. That's an assist to Jared Bednar: Landeskog said the Avs coach never wavered, even if he did sometimes separate them in an effort to provide a spark on other lines.

They rewarded that faith this season with 70 goals and 113 assists as Colorado won the Presidents’ Trophy with the best record in the NHL to guarantee home-ice advantage throughout their postseason run.

“It comes from being patient from a coaching staff’s perspective and letting us play together and letting us find that chemistry and work on it, and trusting us to be that top line,” Landeskog said. “All three of us want to be a difference maker and want to drive our team, drive the play.”

They were certainly a handful for the Blues. MacKinnon led the way with six goals and three assists, while Landeskog added two goals and six assists. Rantanen chipped in six assists along with his lone goal in Game 4, which was a big sigh of relief after coming so close all series.

“It’s always nice to score,” said Rantanen, who led the Avalanche in goals (30) and points (66) during the regular season. “That’s what everybody loves after winning.”

The 24-year-old Rantanen has been highly dependable in the postseason, logging at least a point in 14 straight playoff games.

“He’s always been so good and this year he’s especially been amazing,” teammate Tyson Jost said. “He’s a little bit underrated in that sense, where he doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves.”

That’s because he happens to play on the same line as MacKinnon, who has 63 points in 44 career playoff games for a 1.43 points-per-game average. It’s the fourth-highest mark in NHL postseason history (minimum 25 games), trailing only Wayne Gretzky (1.84), Mario Lemieux (1.61) and Barry Pederson (1.53).

“I don’t know if I’m at another level or pucks are going in right now,” said the 25-year-old MacKinnon, who had a career-high, 15-game point streak this season. “I mean, all my goals are with great screens in front. Landy, Mikko are beasts down low.”

Landeskog only smiled when asked about being MacKinnon's wingman on the ice.

“Being Nate’s wingman ... it’s definitely one of the best jobs in hockey,” cracked Landeskog, who at 28 is in his ninth season as team captain.

Landeskog is the grinder of the group and not afraid to mix it up. He recorded a “Gordie Howe” hat trick in Game 1, with a goal, assist and a fighting major penalty. It was the first one in Avalanche postseason history since Mike Ricci in 1997 against Chicago. 1188696 Colorado Avalanche your career. Go for coaches who have worked in prominent organizations and have played the sport themselves at some point in time. An example is Paul Vincent, who is considered the best coach in the area in Top 10 Recruiting Tips for Hockey Players in College Massachusetts. There are other coaches with a good reputation as well whom you can consider for your growth as an athlete.

Do Your Research By Adrian Dater When it comes to college hockey teams, research is a crucial component of the entire process. If you want your complete eat, then conduct extensive research to reach an informed decision. Go over the set (On off days such as today, I like to throw in a story for the general timeline to know how much time you have before selecting the first offers hockey fan – especially kids looking to play the game. Here’s a story for from schools for the sport. There several other things that might interest you kids who hope to play college hockey, or just take things to the next you and encourage you to choose an offer from a particular school: level in general). The size of their playing field Hockey is obviously a vigorous sport that requires a lot of energy. Athletes often find it challenging to make it through the recruitment The location of the college campus process in their hopes to play at the college level. Nevertheless, some recruiting tips like these might make it more manageable. The courses and academic programs in place for students

Be Proactive The nature of the coach employed at the school

Being proactive can do wonders in this business. Indeed, coaches can’t The coach’s sport style ask students to appear for a selection process before the 1st of January Be Aware of Eligibility Requirements every year, and only when the player is in grade 10. Before you start dreaming, you need to understand and be aware of Does this mean you should let go of any hopes you’ve had to achieve eligibility criteria for the sport; otherwise, you will be walking on a path as your dream? No. You can write an essay to show your passion for the a blind man set for . You must see the academic record you need sport and contact coaches earlier. It will help them know you’re a to maintain and the amateur status for your sport. Everything is critical to motivated player and will be interested in seeing your game! secure your position in a good team.

Start Looking for a Junior League Team You need to understand clearly which courses you must take and which Your college hockey recruiting process might take some time; you should subjects are best for you. Don’t sign up for CHL contracts and put your keep your options open to gain some experience. Try to look around and amateur status at risk. find a junior league team to learn better hockey tricks while you’re on the Take School Seriously field. You can seek advice from a family member or close friend who has been a part of an excellent junior league team. When you join a school, it isn’t just about college hockey commitments. You have to commit to academics too. You need to abide by the rules, Make sure you reach out to your coach before deciding as they can have a social life, focus on your education, understand the culture, and guide you if you should take up an offer or wait for better ones. Quick so on. It is okay to make hockey a part of your life, but don’t have it at the hockey recruiting doesn’t mean you jump at the first chance you get. center of your universe. There are multiple things you need to maintain to Go to camps and showcases do well in the sport and stay fresh.

If you are thinking about how to become a college hockey player for a Be Consistent known college, then the best way to find out about them is to visit their You need to be consistent with your practice and your academics to camps and showcases. You can contact the admissions office to find out remain on top of the game. There is no way around it. Consistency is if there are any limited tour dates for prospective athlete students; if not, what brings perfection. It is okay to take a break once in a while, but don’t then you can go whenever you please and ask them to show you around. make it a lifelong habit.

You should ask them questions and talk to their coaches. It will help you Conclusion feel comfortable and help you develop a better understanding of the NCAA hockey recruiting process. With all these tips, you are ready to begin your recruiting journey. Follow every tip to make every step of the process easier for you and bring you Watch Your Social Media one step closer to success each time. They will make your dream much When you want to participate in Division 1 hockey, you should keep your clearer for you. social media clean. Don’t post something too aggressive or something Colorado hockey now LOADED: 05.25.2021 that scares your coach away. It’s okay for you to enjoy it on your social platforms, but one should always limit it to a closed group of friends instead of everyone they know. Such sort of transparency can harm your prep school hockey recruiting.

The advice goes for parents as well. If you want to attract a college hockey recruit for your son, it doesn’t mean you post about it on social media and drive the coach away by appearing to be too overprotective.

Be Patient

Patience is the key to success. You can expect to get a big break over time. You have to work for it and put in a lot of effort. It is one of the most crucial college recruiting tips you will ever receive. You can play from school or take part in D3 hockey and still call it a career, and you don’t always have to be a part of a big club in the beginning. Getting there will be a slow process. D3 hockey offers excellent education while an opportunity to play the sport too. Just trust the process and keep giving it your best shot.

Skills Coaches

Selecting a coach isn’t only about someone you’re comfortable with but also about who can teach you new and improved ways to do your best in the field. Many names have done well on paper and only watch films and consider themselves expert coaches. Choose wisely because it is about 1188697 Columbus Blue Jackets three first-round picks in the July 23 draft, a tough decision on which goalie to trade and important contract situations involving stars Seth Jones, Patrik Laine and .

Blue Jackets counting on John Davidson, GM Jarmo Kekalainen to make Kekalainen said he and his staff had already begun the groundwork for reunion work those situations and that he doesn’t expect Davidson’s hiring to be a Davidson's rehiring as president of hockey operations puts him back in reset point or setback. control of a team Kekalainen has run the past two seasons. Can they “I think we’ll just continue,” he said. “We’ve had several conversations return to how it used to be seamlessly? already on each topic that we need to touch upon, so he’s well informed already. He’s an experienced voice in that conversation now, so it’s just going to add a bonus and we’ve just got to get through some tough Brian Hedger decisions. But that’s what we’re here for.”

Just like old times?

All of the right things were said last week about John Davidson's return to That’s what they’re saying. The Blue Jackets are moving forward by his post atop the Blue Jackets' hockey house. going back to the future, and time will tell if their tandem bike can reach the required speed. Mike Priest, the team’s president, said it was to reunite Davidson, the Jackets' new and former president of hockey operations, with general “We’re going to put together a coaching staff, we’re going to have lots of manager Jarmo Kekalainen, whom Davidson hired in 2013. Davidson energy, we’re going to go forward with big smiles on our faces and we’re said he's eager to rejoin Kekalainen and felt like he’d never left in 2019 going to get back to doing some winning,” Davidson said. “That’s what for the New York Rangers. Kekalainen called Davidson a “good friend” it’s all about.” and said he was happy to welcome him back to the Jackets' front office. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 05.25.2021 Michael Arace: Davidson's return gives hope to Columbus Blue Jackets fans

It sounded great, everybody on the same page, but skeptics may still wonder if the sequel to this Blue Jackets' movie can match the original release, which began with Kekalainen's hiring and produced the most sustained stretch of winning in franchise history prior to this season.

Can Kekalainen, who became the Jackets’ top hockey executive after Davidson’s departure, simply go back to a GM role in which Davidson has the final say? Will a power struggle emerge between the two? How is this going to work?

Short answer: Just like it did before.

Blue Jackets: Ex-assistant Brad Shaw 'disappointed' in departure, thankful for memories

“When Mike and I made the decision that I was going to return, Mike had a conversation with Jarmo and I had a conversation with Jarmo,” Davidson said during a press conference Thursday to announce his return on a five-year contract plus a two-year contract extension locking up Kekalainen through 2024-25. “It was like riding a bike. It was like we just got off the bike and we got right back on it. Here we go.”

Considering what’s happened with the Blue Jackets the past two years, it’s fair to wonder if Kekalainen truly wanted to find that tandem bicycle in storage and get back on it. After Davidson left for his dream running the Rangers — a team and city that felt like home to him after starring in New York as a goalie and becoming a hall-of-fame broadcaster there — Kekalainen gained full autonomy over the Jackets.

The buck suddenly stopped with him for all trades, signings, draft picks, hirings and firings, as well as all scouting endeavors and anything else related to the team’s hockey operations. He no longer ran the team’s roster plans through the filter of another overseeing hockey mind, and the structure of the Jackets’ front office operated in a manner similar to the majority of NHL teams.

Davidson’s rehiring makes Columbus the sixth team in the soon-to-be 32 team league — including the expansion Seattle Kraken — with a “president” position ranked higher than the GM on the front office flow chart. The other five are the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights, with the Rangers in a gray area keeping Glen Sather around as adviser to owner James Dolan while replaces Davidson as president and GM.

Among those teams, only the Kings and Rangers missed the playoffs this season and Davidson — along with deposed former GM Jeff Gorton — left New York’s roster bubbling with young talent. The Blue Jackets’ goal is to use the combined brainpower of Davidson and Kekalainen to make a return to playoff contention sooner than later after a precipitous drop to last place in the Central Division this season, but it will take both of them pedaling in unison again.

The Blue Jackets have a lot on their plate right now, starting with the search to find John Tortorella’s replacement as coach. They also have 1188698 Dallas Stars Dickinson or Radek Faksa — as unprotected. As mentioned above, it also clears up the Stars’ goaltending situation and saves the Stars from having to find a trade partner for Khudobin.

What a perfect offseason could look like for the Dallas Stars Affordably taking care of the restricted free agents

The biggest thing looming over the Stars’ front office this offseason is the By Saad Yousuf May 24, 2021 contract situation of Miro Heiskanen. Heiskanen and his camp first have to decide whether they want to pursue a long-term deal right now or wait out the flat salary cap and sign a bridge deal this offseason, then cash in even bigger in a few years when the cap recovers. The perfect scenario There’s no overstating the fact that the 2021 offseason is gargantuan for for the Stars would be a bridge deal of three years at around $5.5 million the Stars. Coming off a disappointing season and heading into a per season. That would take Heiskanen above Tampa Bay’s Mikhail potentially era-defining season brings a lot of pressure for management Sergachev and Columbus’ Zach Werenski while also not breaking bank to push the right buttons. Even more than the typical offseason, this one for the Stars. will include variables that aren’t completely in the front office’s control. There is some element of wait-and-see as to how players’ bodies The other two orders of business for the Stars on the restricted free respond and what Seattle decides to do in the expansion draft. agent front would be Dickinson and Joel Kiviranta. Bringing Dickinson back on a two-year deal around $1.8 million and Kiviranta on a one-year Perfection in sports is mostly fantasy, but what exactly does that fantasy deal around his qualifying offer of around $900,000 would be great for look like for the 2021-22 Stars? That’s what we’re going to examine the Stars. today. Before we do, it should be noted that this look at a perfect offseason is done with a dose of reality. What that means is, there will be Re-sign no trade for Connor McDavid and there will be no shopping spree to fly over the salary cap. But within realistic parameters, there’s still plenty to The top priority for the Stars in-house when it comes to unrestricted free be optimistic about. Even if it doesn’t all become reality, if the Stars can agents is trying to bring back Jamie Oleksiak. Dallas showed its get a chunk of these things to happen, chances at a title run in 2022 will intentions in wanting to do that when it held on to Oleksiak at the trade look pretty good. deadline this season, and his progression as an NHL defenseman certainly warrants that consideration. The question will be, at what cost? So, what does a perfect 2021 offseason look like for the Stars? For the Stars, getting Oleksiak at three years for $3 million to $4 million per season would be ideal. Now, Oleksiak is 28 years old coming off of a Injured players make full recoveries stellar few seasons so this might be his biggest opportunity to cash out The Stars have a number of players who either played through injuries in on the open market and another team may blow that money figure out of 2021 or weren’t able to complete their respective rehabs before returning the water. But Oleksiak has expressed interest in returning to Dallas and to the ice. Roope Hintz underwent surgery on Wednesday in New York to this is a perfect Stars offseason so let’s say Oleksiak is back for three address the avulsion injury of the left adductor tendon he’s been dealing years at $3.5 million per season. with since 2020 Stanley Cup Final. The operation went as expected and Jamie Oleksiak. (Jerome Miron / USA Today) he’s expected to make a full recovery and return to play by training camp. Radek Faksa’s wrist has been ailing him since the Cup Final as well and Agree to an extension with John Klingberg needs time to recover. Alexander Radulov missed most of the season dealing with a core injury for which he underwent surgery during the 2021 While this isn’t as high on the priority list because time is on the Stars’ season. Tyler Seguin came back from offseason hip surgery a little early side, if we’re talking about perfection, nailing Klingberg down as a part of in hopes of a playoff push but needs a little more time work to get back to the future of this team would be a great move this offseason. Klingberg, 100 percent. 28, has a year left on his deal at $4.25 million and that won’t change regardless of a new contract extension, but inking the team’s top This is a very feasible possibility. None of these players have question offensive defenseman for another six years at something like what Torey marks next to their availability, and a long offseason that will have more Krug got in St. Louis at $6.5 million per season would be a win for the semblance of normalcy as the world works out of the thick of COVID-19 Stars. ramifications should help. Young prospects make the jump Bishop gets back to at least 80 percent The Stars saw a lot of hope for the future in 2021, at multiple levels in the This injury situation warrants its own category for a few reasons. First of organization. Ty Dellandrea flashed his potential as a versatile forward all, Ben Bishop’s progress is in recovering from offseason knee surgery that has a bottom-six ceiling and could potentially crack the top-six at is murkier than the status of the players listed above. There’s also the some point, if the development trajectory continues to trend upwards. fact that Bishop has a history of dealing with injuries and he’s turning 35 Thomas Harley was able to skip the OHL and get a year of pro hockey in this year. Additionally, there’s the domino effect that Bishop’s availability, with the Texas Stars in the NHL and showed why he’s believed to be the or lack thereof, could have throughout the roster. top prospect in the Stars’ system. Riley Damiani had a phenomenal season in Texas and showing his scoring abilities, which the Stars could Given what we know, even in dreaming of the perfect scenario, it’s tough use in the worst way. Think to back to the unexpected jumps Jason to expect Bishop to return to 100 percent health and effectiveness. But Robertson and Jake Oettinger made in 2021. If Harley, Damiani and Bishop getting to 80 percent would be huge for the Stars. He’s not too far Dellandrea show in training camp that they’re ready to make the jump to removed from being a Vezina-caliber goaltender, so even if he comes the NHL, that immediately gives the Stars cheap internal upgrades to back a shade or two under that, it still clears up a lot of things for the plug in some holes where veteran depth pieces will depart in free Stars. Jake Oettinger has shown he can handle a heavy NHL workload, agency. so even if the Oettinger-Bishop tandem is a 60-40 or even 70-30 split, the Stars will be secure in net. It also allows the Stars more flexibility in Move back in the draft dealing with Anton Khudobin this offseason and looking to move the Russian goaltender, if it doesn’t happen organically. That would not only The Stars have a 98 percent chance in the draft lottery to pick at No. 15 clear the goaltending logjam but add Khudobin’s $3.33 million to cap or No. 16 in the 2021 NHL Draft. The likelihood of getting a franchise- space to address other areas of need. altering player at that point is always a lot lesser but the draft boards are going to be especially strange this year given all of the scouting Seattle takes Khudobin restrictions of the past year. While you always want quality, this would be a good draft to get quantity and take as many stabs at getting an exciting Everything that follows here is contingent on an optimistic assumption of player or two that can become a franchise cornerstone. It doesn’t mean Bishop’s health, as mentioned above. The Kraken selecting him in the the Stars should bail on the first round but if they can move back a few expansion draft would solve a lot of Dallas’ roster problems. The Stars picks and add a second, third or fourth-rounder, they absolutely should. would not only get Khudobin’s $3.3 million cap figure added to their The biggest problem would be finding a trade partner because a lot of offseason budget but by virtue of Seattle taking Khudobin, Dallas team may try to do this but there’s none of that when talking about a wouldn’t lose an exposed skater. After Joe Pavelski’s standout 2021 hypothetical perfect situation. season, the Stars will almost certainly have to protect him, leaving somebody they had planned to protect before — the likes of Jason Sign a true scoring difference-maker in free agency Let’s look at where the Stars stand, given everything discussed above. According to CapFriendly, the Stars are projected to have $16.9 million in cap space. Heiskanen’s $5.5 million, Dickinson and Kiviranta combining for around $3 million and Oleksiak’s $3.5 million come out to $12 million, which would leave the Stars around $5 million to work with. But also consider Khudobin’s $3.3 million is off the books in this perfect scenario so now the Stars have north of $8 million to work with, which gives them room for moves. While Klingberg’s $6.5 million would kick in after next season, Pavelski and Radulov’s figures would come off the books in 2022 so the Stars explore more than a one-year deal.

This is where Taylor Hall becomes interesting. Hall has shown that he wants to be in a winning situation and the Stars are a team that was in the Stanley Cup Final less than a year ago and still have a contending roster. Dallas may not be able to be the highest bidder on the market but if they can come close and sell Hall on playing with veterans like Jamie Benn, Seguin and Pavelski while meshing with young talents like Robertson and Hintz it could be an intriguing sell on a winning situation. Plus, Hall coming to Dallas right after being in Boston to play with Seguin would be an interesting next chapter in the Taylor vs. Tyler conversation from the 2010 draft.

Find impactful depth free agents

This might be pushing it, in terms of salary-cap space, if the Stars do sign a difference-maker type of player as mentioned above but a depth signing or two that can make an impact would be a prudent move. If the Stars do this though, they need to sign players that can at least be lineup staples, not bouncing between healthy scratches and low-minute players. Players of this mold would be Tampa Bay’s Blake Coleman or a reunion with Vegas’ Mattias Janmark, depending on what the market dictates. We’ve mentioned nearly the entire defensive core in this perfect offseason scenario but a Jordie Benn reunion would be an interesting dark horse as well.

If the Stars can’t dig into impactful depth free agents on the open market because they dole out cash to one-high end player, like Hall, that’s perfectly fine. Between internal options rising up the pipeline and existing bottom-six options, the Stars can fill out the bottom of the lineup. But they can’t go through free agency in silence or with throwaway signings so adding a player like Coleman would be a good move.

There you have it, the perfect Stars’ 2021 offseason. Will all of those things happen? Absolutely not. But if the Stars can accomplish more of them in some similar fashion, they’ll be set up for another deep playoff run.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188699 Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings' rebuild just got a little boost from the Boston Bruins. Here's why

Helene St. James

The Boston Bruins potentially have helped the Detroit Red Wings’ rebuild.

The Bruins eliminated the Washington Capitals Sunday, ousting them from the first round in five games. The Wings hold the Capitals’ first- round pick in the 2021 draft from the Anthony Mantha trade, and that little nugget just got a bit shinier.

The first 16 draft spots, which includes the Wings at No. 6, go to the 15 teams that did not advance to the playoffs, and to expansion Seattle.

Playoff teams that did not win the division and failed to make the conference finals — the Capitals check both boxes — will be assigned the spots starting at 17, based on points.

The Capitals finished with 77 points. Entering Monday’s games, they and the St. Louis Blues were the only teams eliminated. The Blues earned 63 points, so the Capitals slot behind them.

Division winners that do not advance to the conference finals slot into the spots 25-28. Conference final losers slot into spots 29 and 30; the Stanley Cup runner-up gets the 31st pick and the champion picks 32nd.

If every other playoff team that finished with less points than Washington is eliminated, the Capitals would slot into the 24th pick. But the Winnipeg Jets (63 points) are up 3-0 on the Edmonton Oilers, and, entering Monday’s games, the Tampa Bay Lightning (75 points) needed just one victory to eliminate the Florida Panthers.

It looks like the Capitals pick will fall somewhere in the early 20s range. That’s where the Vancouver Canucks snagged Brock Boeser (23rd in 2015), who already has posted at least 20 goals three seasons, and the Philadelphia Flyers found Travis Konecny (24th, 2015), who has posted three 24-goal seasons.

The bottom line is the Wings will get a shot at drafting a player several spots ahead of where they would have had the Capitals performed better in the playoffs.

The Vrana Factor:Why the Detroit Red Wings are taking pride in 2021: 'Our group continuously got back up'

General manager acquired the pick April 12, when he pulled off a trade-deadline swap that also yielded Washington’s second- round pick in 2022, and forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik. Vrana, 25, used the 11 games that were left in the season to record eight goals, three assists and a plus-one rating, showing he can help a team that desperately needs more scoring. Panik, 30, fits requirements to be exposed in the expansion draft and if, as expected, he’s not chosen by the Kraken, he can fit as a bottom-six guy.

And what did the Capitals get out of Mantha over the past six weeks? Like Vrana, Mantha scored in his debut with his new team.

Mantha recorded a goal in four consecutive games, but did not score again the next 10 games, and had four goals and four assists and an even rating in 14 regular-season games with the Capitals. Mantha had no goals and two assists in five playoff games, meaning he went 15 consecutive games without scoring a goal.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188700 Detroit Red Wings Simon agreed, feeling McIsaac’s best games were actually the first couple. There was a sense of relief in McIsaac’s demeanor that made those games stand out.

Finally healthy, Wings' prospect Jared McIsaac looking toward getting “His first couple games, he was fantastic,” Simon said. “(Maybe it was) a stronger little bit running on adrenaline, the excitement, kind of you could see just the relief of, ‘I get to play games.' You could see the relief of just going in and playing games instead of going in and getting bag skated, and treatment and lifting. TED KULFAN “(But) having not played that long, in quite a while, playing a ton of

games in a short amount of time, it can catch up to you.” Detroit — Jared McIsaac admits there were some difficult days. Simon saw glimpses of what McIsaac can become. How could there not have been for the young defenseman, who turns 21 “A two-way guy who can contribute offensively," Simon said. "Things Thursday, a Red Wings’ 2018 second-round draft pick, who had to happen a little bit quicker at this level, so the more you’re put in those endure back-to-back shoulder surgeries (one on each shoulder)? Then, situations, the better served you’ll be in the future, and we tried to put him just to accentuate the frustration, he sprained an AC joint in his shoulder in those situations — power play, penalty kill. to miss the final two games this season with the minor-league affiliate . “Hopefully he’ll take those experiences and be better for them next season.” That's a lot of rehabilitation, and not a lot of playing. Simon sees definite areas where McIsaac can grow and improve, namely Why is this happening to me? McIsaac thought that quite a bit over these getting physically stronger (McIsaac is 6-foot-1, 195-pounds) and last two seasons. improving his skating. “Obviously, back to back, and then something like (the sprained AC "Just getting a little quicker, the acceleration and separation speed," joint), especially when my game was starting to come around," McIsaac Simon said. "When you get stronger, just going into battles in the corner said. “But the resources were put in front of me (to get better) and I did you'll have a little more confidence. as much as I could to stay positive.” "He showed great resolve in his commitment to get back and playing. It McIsaac did stay positive. He fought through the incredible string of bad was a tough, long road, with just putting himself back in the situation and luck and is re-emerging as one of the Wings' potential future lineup back healthy. Any time you've sat out that long, you start to get your feet pieces. underneath you and put in situations you haven't been in before, so it In 10 games with the Griffins this season — McIsaac had two assists and was a little bit of a growing curve for him." a minus-1 rating — he showed flashes of the type of two-day McIsaac, done with rehabilitation, is excited heading into this summer. defenseman the Wings were thrilled to see drop in their laps that 2018 Entry Draft weekend. “I haven’t had a full summer the past two summers to actually work on my upper body,” McIsaac said. “I’ve been rehabbing both summers, so Most scouts and mocks drafts had McIsaac going late in the first round. it’s a big summer for that. It’s a big summer in general, preparing for next McIsaac's 10-game look-see with the Griffins showed the reason he was year.” so well regarded. Detroit News LOADED: 05.25.2021 “We did see glimpses of what he is and could be,” said Ben Simon, the Griffins’ coach. “He’s got a bright future. He’s just got to find a way to stay healthy.”

McIsaac had right shoulder surgery just before the start of the 2019-20 season, his final year of junior hockey.

He was limited to 28 games that junior season, with four goals and 15 assists. But he was also part of Canada’s gold medal-winning world junior team with four points in seven games.

Things were looking promising and hopeful.

The pandemic ended any chances of making his pro debut in Grand Rapids, so McIsaac was pointing to this past autumn.

The delayed starts of the NHL and AHL season led the Wings to assign McIsaac to HPK in Finland’s pro league. That assignment lasted all of one shift, before McIsaac injured his left shoulder, and ultimately needed surgery.

“It’s tough,” McIsaac said of having the consecutive surgeries. “Mentally draining, like ‘here we go again’. Same ordeal.”

But he found positives immediately. Chief among them was being around his Griffins’ teammates once he returned to North America.

“It was a little easier going around knowing what was in front of me,” McIsaac said. “A little bit smoother, this time.”

Once he got in the Griffins’ lineup, McIsaac felt surprisingly sharp given all the playing time he’s missed over almost two seasons.

“I felt like my game was pretty solid for missing that amount of time, back to back years,” McIsaac said. “I stepped in and played pretty well physically, as much as possible. The mental side of it, I made a couple of errors here and there and that comes with time and playing more games.” 1188701 Detroit Red Wings Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said he followed Seider’s season, checking in on his stats.

“I saw him play in training camp last year. He has that quiet confidence Red Wings excited about Moritz Seider’s progress, eagerly await debut about him,” Larkin said. “As a young player coming into the league, it’s huge to have that. It’s huge to believe in yourself, not in an arrogant way, but to believe and know that you can come in and help the team. We’re all hoping he can come in and do that.” Posted May 24, 2021 The Red Wings likely will pair the right-shooting Seider with an By Ansar Khan experienced left-shooting defenseman. Danny DeKeyser is their only such player as of now. Yzerman said they need to add a couple of left- shooting defensemen. At least one noted draft analyst rated Moritz Seider as the No. 1 NHL- affiliated prospect in early April. Seider last week was named Swedish One could be Marc Staal, one of only two Red Wings to play all 56 Hockey League defenseman of the year. games (Filip Hronek was the other). Staal, an unrestricted free agent, could be a good fit as Seider’s partner and mentor. The buildup for the Detroit Red Wings’ top 2019 pick appears justified, and general manager Steve Yzerman noted that Seider had “a great “I think my best fit is playing with a skilled, right-handed shot defenseman year” in Sweden, playing in all situations on a strong team in a good where I can make them feel as comfortable as possible making plays, men’s league. and just being solid for them and positioning,” Staal said. “Communication is huge on the ice. That’s the most under-developed But Yzerman also wanted to slow the hype train just a bit. skill. I try to do that as much as possible. I think it helps more when you’re playing with a young defenseman who’s trying to find his way.” “I want to temper the enthusiasm or the excitement,” he said. “He’s a great young player, his next move is to the NHL. We’ll see how training Michigan Live LOADED: 05.25.2021 camp, the preseason goes. It’s a huge step from the American League or the Swedish League to the National Hockey League, but he probably exceeded our expectations last year going into the American League. I’m not surprised he did well in the Swedish League.”

The start of the German league’s season was delayed due to COVID-19, so Seider – who was loaned to – decided to play for Rogle BK in Sweden.

The 6-4, 207-pound Seider tallied seven goals and 21 assists in 41 games and picked up a goal and four assists in 13 playoff games as Rogle advanced to the championship series before losing to Vaxjo.

“He’s got a great head on his shoulders, he’s got good hockey sense,” Yzerman, who in his first draft as Detroit GM selected Seider No. 6 overall. “He’s very competitive. He’s got size, his skills are good. He’s got a lot of work to do, but there’s a lot of potential for him. We’re excited to have him here next year. Our hope is he’s ready to play for the Red Wings at the start of the season.”

TSN’s Craig Button wrote that “there’s plenty of hope and excitement for the future” for the Red Wings after rating Seider No. 1 and , the fourth pick in the 2020 draft, No. 3 on his annual list of prospects.

“(The) German blueliner has elevated his play to the next level with his size, physicality, puck-handling and offensive skill,” Button wrote of Seider.

Yzerman said he is not committing to Seider and Raymond being on the NHL roster at the start of next season. Raymond might need some development time with the Grand Rapids Griffins. But there is little doubt Seider is NHL-ready; it would be shocking if he didn’t earn a roster spot out of training camp.

“I want them to make the team and have a positive impact,” Yzerman said. “Our expectation and our hope is that Moritz is ready to go. We’ll see that next fall. Lucas, I don’t want to rule it out, but we’ll let the situation play itself out and if they prove they’re ready to go they’ll be on the team.

“I’m not going to force it or rush it. We have high expectations for them. Is it next season or the season after? I’m not sure. We’d love them to play but they’re going to need to earn it.”

Seider, 20, spent last season with Grand Rapids (two goals, 20 assists in 49 games) after being one of the final cuts in Red Wings camp.

“I thought Mo did a real good job in the American League a year ago,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “When camp starts, it’s always exciting to see where guys are at and the development they’ve shown. I will watch Mo even more throughout the course of the summer and have a bit of a feel. He’s going to face challenges here that he didn’t face in the American League, that he didn’t face in Sweden, and how he responds to those challenges will dictate how quickly he’ll have success here.” 1188702 Detroit Red Wings at 24.8 percent and in 2019-20, his clocked in at 22.8 percent, good for third in the league.

Karl Taylor Who could fill the Red Wings’ assistant coach opening? 15 potential Taylor spent the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons as head coach of the candidates Milwaukee Admirals, who opted out of the AHL this season. In 2019-20, though, he was named the AHL’s coach of the year, and Milwaukee turned in a dominant 25.2 percent power-play effort in the process. He By Max Bultman May 24, 2021 has a lengthy resume, working his way up from an assistant at the University of New Brunswick in 1997, but has yet to reach the NHL as a

coach (he spent one year as a scout for Vancouver in 2012-13). After Dan Bylsma left the franchise last week to pursue other John Wroblewski opportunities, the Red Wings’ search is on for a new assistant coach. And it’s not expected to be a quick one. Wroblewski made the jump to AHL head coach for the first time this season, after spending the previous four seasons coaching the top young The Red Wings need someone to work with their forwards and power prospects in the country at the United States National Team play, with the latter especially a key area of need. Detroit’s power play Development Program. His had a tough season, finishing converted at just 11.4 percent in 2021, the ninth-worst mark of the past toward the bottom of both the league standings and power-play 40 years. Clearly, that phase of the game (and offense in general) needs effectiveness, which makes it less than ideal timing for Wroblewski’s to be a point of emphasis with this hire, and by all indications, it will be. candidacy. But there is a lot to like with his track record. He was the head “I would use probably the word ‘tactician,’” said head coach Jeff Blashill, coach for the most impressive age group in NTDP history, featuring Jack describing what the team is looking for. “Especially a guy with an Hughes, Trevor Zegras, Cole Caufield, Matt Boldy, Alex Turcotte, Cam offensive kind of mindset, somebody that brings some different, York and more. That’s obviously an elite group of offensive talent to work potentially unique, ideas.” with, but Wroblewski brought them along, and the player development aspect of that experience should be no small matter for a Red Wings By definition, “different” is hard to find. But for a team that scored just team that figures to be working in more and more young offensive talent 2.23 goals per game last season, the Red Wings certainly need to in the coming years. (I picked Wroblewski as my head coach in The change something from what they’ve been doing. That likely means Athletic’s NHL Mega-Mock Draft, so you can certainly count me as a casting a wide net in their search. believer.)

Times have been tough in Detroit in recent seasons, and it remains to be From the NHL seen how the team’s status as a rebuilder impacts this process. But the Red Wings still have real selling points, including the franchise’s history Geoff Ward and the looming infusion of high-pedigree talent with which to work over Fired from his head coaching job in Calgary (after taking over midseason the coming years. The chance to turn around such a struggling power last year), Ward was on the same staff as Red Wings assistant coach play as exciting young players arrive could be a real selling point for a Doug Houda in Boston, including when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup coach looking to build a reputation. in 2011. It’s hard to know the Red Wings’ stance on pulling from the It didn’t sound like the Red Wings had made much headway into their existing NHL pool while calling for “fresh ideas” and “different thought search when Blashill and Yzerman met with the media last week. But as processes,” but Ward’s name could certainly come up as Yzerman and it gets going, here are 15 potential names to consider from a wide range Blashill poll their contacts. Calgary’s power play was a combined 20.1 of candidate pools. percent in 2018-19 and 2019-2020.

From the AHL

Benoît Groulx This one feels like a long shot, for multiple reasons. First, he’s another longtime NHL coach, and that makes it tough to know how he fits with The current head coach of the AHL Syracuse Crunch — Tampa Bay’s Detroit’s criteria. Second, he’s been a head coach for nearly his entire minor-league affiliate — Groulx has been described by Lightning GM career, with his only stint as an assistant coming in the IHL in 1995-96. Julien BriseBois as “a hockey genius.” Certainly, Yzerman will be plenty Boudreau was believed to be a candidate for an assistant coach job with familiar, as Groulx joined the Lightning organization when he was still the Maple Leafs this past season, which is why we’ll list him (along with Tampa Bay’s GM. And the players who have come through Syracuse in the fact the Wild had a 20.7 percent power-play percentage during his that time are an impressive bunch: Anthony Cirelli, Yanni Gourde, Adam tenure). But Toronto obviously has a lot to offer that Detroit does not, Erne, Mathieu Joseph, Carter Verhaeghe, Cal Foote, Erik Cernak, Alex both in terms of its roster and that Toronto is Boudreau’s hometown. Barré-Boulet and Ross Colton have all since become NHLers, in Tampa and elsewhere. Groulx recently signed a contract extension in Syracuse, David Oliver but said, “my goal is still to coach in the NHL, as a head coach or as an Oliver was let go as part of the Rangers’ house-cleaning this spring, and assistant coach. I want to coach in the NHL. And if there’s a good it’s possible he simply accompanies former Rangers head coach David opportunity for me, I’ll look at it closely.” Quinn to his next stop. But a few things stand out about him. First, New Ben Simon York’s power play clicked at a 21 percent rate during his tenure from 2018-19 through this season. Second, his previous stop was as the While the Red Wings’ power play struggled this season, the results in director of player development in Colorado, which could be desirable for AHL Grand Rapids were substantially better. The Griffins had the a young team. And third, he has some ties to the area, as he played his league’s fifth-best power play at 21.5 percent and checked in sixth (20.9 college career at Michigan in the early 1990s. The conversion rate in percent) last season. Simon has been Grand Rapids’ head coach for New York jumps out above all, but a key question the Red Wings would three seasons, but was with the Griffins as an assistant for three years have to consider, if Oliver is interested, would be how replicable the before that, so he has plenty of familiarity with some of the team’s top success might be, transitioning from a unit that featured Artemi Panarin young (and still rising) players and prospects. He’s drawn strong reviews and Adam Fox to their own personnel. for his work ethic and preparation. Blashill’s comments that the search would not be quick would seem to indicate an external hire is more likely From junior hockey, college and beyond here, but if the Red Wings have interest in a young candidate with AHL Mitch Love experience, Simon certainly fits that description, with plenty of organizational knowledge already. The head coach of the WHL’s , Love has also had a real presence with Team Canada internationally, serving as an assistant Ryan Warsofsky on the past two world juniors teams and the Hlinka-Gretzky team that On the very young side of things is Warsofsky, who, at 33, is younger won gold in 2018-19. He’s young (36) and the experience working with than some of the players on the Red Wings’ roster this past season. He’s elite young players would be an asset for Detroit. been an AHL head coach for two seasons, with strong power-play results Willie Desjardins in each. His Chicago Wolves finished fourth in the AHL this past season Desjardins’ stint as an NHL head coach didn’t go swimmingly, inheriting jobs on two teams on the downslope in the Canucks and Kings (the latter on an interim basis). But since he returned to Medicine Hat as coach and GM in 2019-20, the Tigers have had one of the top power plays in the (24.1 percent in 2019-20, and an absurd 37 percent in the shortened 2021 campaign). He’s also been named AHL coach of the year, dating back to his time in the Stars organization. After taking on the dual GM-coach title in the WHL, though, it’s not clear if he’d be interested in a position as an assistant.

Greg Carvel

Carvel has arguably the best answer to the great “what have you done for me lately?” question, as the coach of the 2021 NCAA champion UMass Minutemen. He also coached Cale Makar, the most exciting young defenseman in the NHL right now, for two years there. Carvel spent a decade in the NHL prior to his current post, working first as a scouting coordinator and then assistant coach for the Ducks and as an assistant coach for the Senators. If there’s a hang-up, it might be that he worked with the Senators’ penalty kill while the power play is Detroit’s need with this job. But he has spoken in the past about sitting upstairs, sharing observations and looking for in-game adjustments, especially on special teams. That could be translatable, and the success at UMass is hard to deny when it comes to his overall coaching ability.

Rikard Grönborg

Grönborg’s name rose to prominence following a decade of coaching Sweden at various levels and tournaments internationally. He’s spent the past two seasons coaching in Switzerland, where he had Zurich in first place in 2019-20 and guided them to the league semifinals in 2021. He has recently been considered a head coaching candidate in the NHL and perhaps he’d prefer to wait for a top job. But his profile is such that Detroit would be wise to call to see what he’s thinking. One point of contact the Red Wings might have as they do their vetting: Nicklas Lidstrom served as a consultant for Sweden during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey while Grönborg was the head coach for the Tre Kronor.

Dave Barr

Barr spent a decade as an NHL assistant with six different teams — the Avalanche, Wild, Devils, Sabres, Panthers and Sharks — before being let go in San Jose along with head coach Pete DeBoer last season. A resume that long might not necessarily scream “fresh ideas,” but Barr has a progressive view on using analytics, which should be a selling point, and he was most recently the head coach of Canada’s gold-medal winning team at the U18 World Championships. Barr also spent five seasons as a player in Detroit, where he was Yzerman’s teammate.

Paul McFarland

McFarland, who is 35, has already been an NHL assistant, working for the Panthers from 2017 to 2019 and running Toronto’s power play in 2019-20. The Leafs’ 23.1 percent conversation rate with the man advantage is certainly appealing, although the Maple Leafs had some of the most dynamic power-play weapons in the league with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. But the circumstances surrounding his exit make him an extreme long shot: He left Toronto for the OHL to pursue being a head coach. Detroit can’t offer him that.

Igor Larionov

Nicknamed “The Professor” as a player, Larionov won the Stanley Cup three times in Detroit alongside Yzerman in 1997, 1998 and 2002. Naturally, that history, combined with Larionov’s recent international coaching, has made him a popular suggestion among fans. He doesn’t have a long coaching track record, but his experience as a player is relevant and he led the Russian U20 team to win a senior international tournament earlier this season (although the Russian team did not medal at the world juniors). In an interview with NHL.com last winter, Larionov said of his coaching philosophy, “I enjoy the smart team play and playing an offensive style that requires imagination. We will play with skill, play for each other and give maximum effort.” A Larionov return to Detroit would certainly be quite the story as the Red Wings look to return to their former glory.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188703 Edmonton Oilers even any fan noise to rattle them, they blew third period leads in back-to- back games before losing in overtime.

On the heels of a tepid exit from their unsuccessful play-in attempt in last Shock and disbelief as Edmonton Oilers suffer early playoff exit year’s bubble, it’s looking like this post-season thing isn’t quite agreeing with them yet.

“In the playoffs, everything happens quickly,” said Ethan Bear. “You have Robert Tychkowski to make the right plays. You have to have that will to win. They say (playoff hockey) is a different animal, yeah, but we still have to have our Publishing date:May 25, 2021 • 28 minutes ago • poise and make plays and try to score goals.”

Are they a better team than the one that lost last year? Of course. But the It’s almost impossible to fathom. steps they’ve taken aren’t as big as they’d hoped.

After everything the Edmonton Oilers accomplished this season, after “We’re a group that expects more from ourselves,” said McDavid. “We how they man-handled the Winnipeg Jets all year, how on earth did they want to push and continue to grow. Obviously we didn’t do that in the get punted out of the playoffs in four games? playoffs.”

How, after a season in which everything went so right, did the playoffs go The commonly held belief is that these are typical playoff growing pains so horribly wrong? and teams have to go through it a few times (Maple Leafs) to temper the core and identify the most pressing secondary needs. “There are things we could have done better here, but… I honestly don’t know how to answer that one,” said defenceman Darnell Nurse, who Or, in simpler terms, they have to learn how to win in the playoffs. logged a staggering 62:07 in a heartbreaking triple overtime loss in The same goes for the entire organization. In the end, management Game 4. didn’t build a strong enough team, so that’s where lessons have to “We played hard. It sucks that we’re sitting here after four games and it’s resonate loudest. They weren’t good enough, either. a sweep and we took three to overtime.” “That’s an evaluation you go through every year,” said Tippett. “As you There is a massive sense of disbelief for everyone in the wake of this try to get better you evaluate your personnel and see where you are. You painfully early playoff exit. The Oilers went 17-6-2 in their last 25 games see who handles situations like this and make adjustments accordingly.” to finish with the second most regulation wins in the NHL. They had the Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.25.2021 two best players in the world. Their special teams were best in the league. Their goalie was running hot. They were a good team that truly believed it could go deep in the playoffs.

Instead, the deepest they got was six feet under.

“Three overtimes games in four, there’s not much to say except it’s tough to swallow right now,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who is still waiting for the Oilers playoff breakthrough 10 years after being drafted.

“It’s tough to watch another year go by. You can look back and want to change a few things, but we battled all series.”

They did. With three overtime losses and a Game 1 that wasn’t decided until an empty netter, this series could have easily gone the other way.

But it didn’t. And that’s a problem. As much as the Oilers can take solace in how hard they played, and how valiantly they fought in triple overtime, despite knowing they had no chance to win the series, they must also examine why they got swept in the playoffs by a team they had beaten seven of nine times in the regular season.

“It just shows the fine line,” said Nurse. “You go over the four games, for a lot of that series we played good hockey. There are a lot of things you can look back and watch and be happy about. It sucks sitting here right now for all of us, but it was a fine line.”

We all thought the Oilers had this figured out. They made a living off of winning tight games in the regular season and closing things out in the third period. Of keeping their composure when the heat got turned up late in the game. Of scoring the big goal and getting the big save when they needed it.

But all of that seemed just out of reach in the fog of playoff war.

“It’s playoffs, you have to find a way to win and we weren’t able to do that,” said defenceman Tyson Barrie. “We gave everything we had. All the guys battled. It’s disappointing because we feel we have a lot of hockey left in this room. Tough way to go.”

The games with Winnipeg were all close, but most playoff games are close — the difference between winning and losing is a fine line that the Oilers were on the wrong side of four times in a row.

“It’s a weird series, it’s a weird sweep for sure,” said Connor McDavid, who played like a man possessed in the elimination game. “You look at the two games here in Winnipeg, we had leads and we didn’t find a way to close them out.”

Good example.

The Oilers were a relentless 26-1-2 when leading after two periods in the regular season. Yet, somehow, in an empty building where there wasn’t 1188704 Edmonton Oilers and don’t let those mistakes turn into critical mistakes, that’s what bothers me about (Sunday) night.”

Earlier in the third in Game 3, Archibald was clipped with a high stick PLAYOFF SNAPSHOTS: Oilers lay it all on the line but come up short in under his eye by Jets defenceman Derek Forbort, which went undetected overtime again by referees Marc Joannette and Brad Meier. Jujhar Khaira went on to score seconds later to give the Oilers a 4-1 lead with 15:17 to play in the third.

Derek Van Diest Ehlers scored at 9:13 of overtime to give the Jets the victory and the commanding series lead. Kyle Connor scored at 6:52 of the third Publishing date:May 25, 2021 • 1 hour ago • overtime to win the series for the Jets the following night.

Edmonton Oilers forward Josh Archibald speaks with Winnipeg Jets The Oilers looked like a team that didn’t get much rest Sunday night, defenceman Logan Stanley after he hit him low and was penalized in trying to figure out what went wrong and how they found themselves in a Game 3 of a Stanley Cup playoff series in Winnipeg on Sun., May 23, 3-0 hole to the Winnipeg Jets heading into Game 4 on Monday. 2021.

They were still at a loss on how they blew a 4-1, third-period lead in EHLERS EFFECT Game 3, but didn’t have much time to dwell on it heading into Game 4 Ehlers missed the last nine games of the regular season and first two of where they again were on the wrong end of a one-goal decision, falling 4- the playoff series against the Oilers with a shoulder injury, but made a 3 in triple overtime to get swept out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. massive impact on his return. “I think it’s the little mistakes, it’s not like it’s earth-shattering stuff,” said Ehlers scored twice in Game 3, putting the Jets a victory away from Oilers captain Connor McDavid following the loss, which extended into advancing into the second round heading into Game 4 on Monday. He early Tuesday morning. “We don’t need to leave here and think we need didn’t have a point in Game 4, but had plenty of chances, including a to re-right the ship here. It’s little things, it’s a fine line. number in overtime and finished with five shots. “We talked about those lessons we’ve learned throughout the years and “Having him back in the lineup helps us offensively, creates a lot more it’s obviously another lesson we have to take with us moving forward.” chances and takes some pressure off the other guys,” said Jets forward The Oilers had been outstanding this regular season holding third-period Paul Stastny. “I thought (Sunday) for missing what he missed — three leads. They were 26-1-2 when winning going into the third. But they blew weeks — he didn’t skip a beat. He wasn’t rusty at all. Maybe his legs a three-goal lead in Game 3 and a one-goal lead in Game 4 en route to were a little tired, but that’s to be expected.” being swept out of the playoffs. Nikolaj Ehlers #27 of the Winnipeg Jets takes a shot against Mike Smith Three of the four losses were in overtime and the other was essentially a #41 of the Edmonton Oilers during the overtime period in Game Four of one-goal game with a pair empty-netters conceded. the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 24, 2021 at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg. “It shows the fine line,” said Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse. “You go over the four games and you don’t get a couple of bounces in an eight- Ehlers had 21 goals and 46 points in 47 games for the Jets this season minute stretch (Game 3) and for a lot of the series we played good before he was injured against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 24. hockey and the way we drew it up. Selected by the Jets No. 9 overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Ehlers “There are a lot of things that you go back and watch and be happy for scored on the power play in the second period to put the Jets on the the group that we adapted and played hard. It sucks. Sitting here right board and then the overtime winner to put the dagger in the Oilers. now it sucks for all of us, but there is a fine line.” “The biggest thing, throughout the year what has helped us be successful Edmonton Oilers goalie Mike Smith (41) reaches for the puck with has been our special teams and the difference in the game was that Winnipeg Jets forward Paul Stastny (25) looking for a rebound during the power-play goal to make it 2-1 to give us some life and then scoring to second period in game four of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup make it 4-2 to get the comeback going,” Stastny said. “Ehlers scored the Playoffs at Bell MTS Place. first goal and on the second one, he makes things happen and all of a sudden makes that (power-play) unit all that more dynamic, they can ARCHIBALD SUSPENDED come at you from different angles. It paid off and that was a big reason we won.” If opening the door for the Winnipeg Jets’ comeback in Game 3 was not bad enough, Edmonton Oilers forward Josh Archibald had to sit and On the game winner in Game 3, Ehlers took a clean face-off win from watch his team get eliminated in Game 4 on Monday. Stastny and snapped a shot over the shoulder of Oilers goaltender Mike Smith. Archibald was suspended one game for his chop block on Jets defenceman Logan Stanley on Sunday, which was a catalyst for the Jets’ “The overtime winner, he wanted that play, I think,” Stastny said. “He’s 5-4 overtime victory to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. had a few plays like that earlier in the year, whether he scored or didn’t score, but he’s got such a quick release that when it happens that fast, The Oilers were up 4-1 when Archibald took the penalty on Stanley at his anything on net is a dangerous shot.” own blue line with 8:49 left in the third period. Mathieu Perreault scored on the ensuing power play to make it 4-2 with 8:19 left. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.25.2021 Blake Wheeler scored with 5:32 left to make it 4-3 and Josh Morrissey scored 16 seconds later to tie the game, sending it into overtime where Nikolaj Ehlers won it.

The Jets closed out the series in Game 4, advancing to the Scotia North Division final against either the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens.

“The penalty that Arch took, that’s just one (mistake) that started the ball rolling,” said Oilers head coach Dave Tippett prior to the loss Monday. “Then there were turnovers that happened. But the thing about the turnovers that bothered me — there are turnovers that happen all over the game all the time — it’s how you react around them.

“Whether it’s helping a guy out, getting a blocked shot, getting a save, there are all those things that you can take a mistake and turn it into a void issue. Those are the ones that bother you, the ability to stay strong 1188705 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers forward Josh Archibald suspended for Game 4 against Jets

Derek Van Diest

Publishing date:May 24, 2021 • 11 hours ago •

Edmonton Oilers forward Josh Archibald has been suspended for one game and will not play against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 of the Scotia North Division semifinal Monday.

Archibald was assessed a tripping penalty for low-bridging Jets defenceman Logan Stanley on Sunday in a 5-4 overtime loss in Game 3, which gave the Jets a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Oilers were up 4-1 when Archibald took the penalty on Stanley at his own blue line with 8:49 left in the third period.

Earlier in the third, Archibald was clipped with a high stick under his eye by Jets defenceman Derek Forbort which went undetected by referees Marc Joannette and Brad Meier. Jujhar Khaira went on to score seconds later to give the Oilers a 4-1 lead with 15:17 to play in the third.

Archibald’s penalty opened the door for the Jets’ comeback.

Mathieu Perreault scored on the ensuing power play to make it 4-2 with 8:19 left.

Blake Wheeler scored with 5:32 left to make it 4-3 and Josh Morrissey scored 16 seconds later to tie the game.

Nikolaj Ehlers scored at 9:13 of overtime to give the Jets the victory and the commanding series lead. Only four teams in NHL history have overturned a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series.

The Oilers went into the series at the No. 2 seed in the North and favoured over the Jets after winning seven of the nine regular season games between the teams, including the last six.

If necessary, Game 5 would be in Edmonton on Wednesday.

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188706 Edmonton Oilers Sunday in Winnipeg it may, indeed, have looked like Miracle On Manchester II. There were certainly similarities. But for most of this night the Oilers were actually illustrating the growth they’d achieved during the season and the lessons they’d learned. JONES: Epic collapse by Edmonton Oilers brings back painful memories It was at 11:11 of the third period with the Oilers up 4-1 when Josh Archibald took the penalty that will be remembered for years by today’s generation of Oilers fans. Archibald not only ended up the goat of the Terry Jones game but had a hearing Monday morning with the NHL for his clipping Publishing date:May 24, 2021 • 14 hours ago • infraction on Jets Logan Stanley.

The Oilers came completely unraveled. They gave up a goal on the power play to Mathieu Perreault followed by two more in short order. Nik It was the Miracle on Manchester II. Ehlers scored his second of the game at 5:13 of overtime to win it.

Except it was on Portage. It was the 10th time in Stanley Cup playoff history that a team rallied from three goals down in the final 10 minutes of regulation time. Blake When it happened in Los Angeles in 1982, the Edmonton Oilers had to Wheeler and Josh Morrissey combined for the two fastest in Jets-Atlanta share the same plane with the Kings to fly back to Edmonton for a fifth Thrasher history only 18 seconds apart after the power-play goal with and deciding game of a best-of-five series where they lost 7-4 and were Archibald in the penalty box. eliminated. All of that instantly went down in hockey history. Monday the Oilers only had a short walk back to the rink from the hotel in Winnipeg for a late game against the Jets. So decidedly devastating was The Oilers had been proving the extent they had grown as a group by the their colossal collapse the night before, it was a walk of shame to go way they had handled the double defeats. They came to Winnipeg and back lace them up again to attempt to become only the fifth team in 197 grabbed the game by the throat and dominated play. Indeed, Edmonton Stanley Cup playoff series to lose the first three games of a series and had played a near perfect playoff game and were well in control when come back to win it. Archibald took his exceedingly stupid penalty and everybody came unglued. Yes, 1982 is now a long time ago in Oilers history. Goaltender Mike Smith was only 19 days old when the Miracle On Manchester happened When it was over I asked coach Dave Tippett if he’d ever experienced to Wayne Gretzky and that future glory gang. But what happened in an anything remotely like it. empty arena in Winnipeg Sunday ranked right down there with that never-to-be-forgotten night in hockey history. “You have ups and downs in your career but in a playoff game like this it’s really disappointing to see some of the things we did to let a team It was the Oilers third year in the NHL, the year that Gretzky had first back in the game,” he said. produced 102 points to break Phil Esposito’s record for the fastest to get to 100 points and then, a couple of days later, on Dec. 30, scored five on “Especially with a team that’s been pretty good all year with it. It’s Philadelphia to make it 50 goals in 39 games. It was a year that Connor disappointing to have it come out in a game like that with the mistakes McDavid made memorable with his accomplishments in a coronavirus we made.” shortened pandemic. It was a nightmare game that will live with them for life. Edmonton, a year after upsetting the Montreal Canadiens in the first Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.25.2021 round of the playoffs, opened their first-round series against the Kings at home and jumped to a 4-1 lead in Game 1. Then they gave the game away in spectacular fashion. Everybody forgets that game.

“Panic seemed to set in,” said coach Glen Sather. “All of a sudden the puck was like a hot potato. Our entire game fell apart. We made dreadful mistakes.”

It was a forerunner to what would happen in Los Angeles.

The Oilers lost it 10-8 but bounced back to win Game 2.

I was there in the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood for the Miracle on Manchester Game 3.

How could two of the most major meltdowns in Stanley Cup playoff history happen to the same team all these years apart?

In L.A. it was also in the third period when the Oilers imploded. Edmonton led 5-0. And lost it.

The No. 1 goat of the game in L.A. was Garry Unger who took a five- minute high sticking penalty with five minutes to go. But there was stuff that happened that night in L.A. that didn’t compute with that happened this night. Those young Oilers were cocky and arrogant. When they were up 4-0 the Oilers were hooting and booing the Kings power play on the bench. This group maintained respect for the Winnipeg Jets throughout the season, even the stretch were they lost nine of 11.

The ’82 Oilers won Game 4 in L.A. 3-2 but lost Game 5 back in Edmonton 7-4.

When it was over, an Oilers doll hung from the ceiling in the Kings dressing room. It had been quickly constructed by the Kings using an oil can body. Attached were wobbly legs highlighted by weak knees and a pea-sized head.

And so it was that I was inspired to write ‘The Paragraph’:

“From today, until they win a playoff series again, they are weak-kneed wimps.” 1188707 Edmonton Oilers defensive zone). Only Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (4-1) had a winning record—but Stastny beating Khaira on the last face-off was maybe to be expected. Khaira, while scoring his first-ever playoff goal on a deft tip of Adam Larsson’s shot, only won three of 12 draws, one in his end. Oilers collapse once again in playoffs like they did in 2017 Stastny was 50-50 (7-7) until he won the 15th and got it to Ehlers.

6. So Draisaitl and McDavid get 10 shots and six points, the power play looks better, and the Oilers still lose. They finally break loose but they’re Jim Matheson • Publishing date:May 24, 2021 • 14 hours ago on for the tying goal, trying to get the team one shift to get them to a TV time-out and can’t do it. What is painfully clear, and not surprising, is the Oilers have one line. They don’t have a second line at five-on-five that is OK, what was a bigger gut punch? dangerous until Draisaitl is on it. Kassian started on the second line but he was with the big guns when he scored. The Jets have Stastny, Ehlers Anaheim scoring three in 181 seconds with John Gibson pulled in Game and Pierre-Luc Dubois on their No. 2 line (first game Dubois has played 5 on May 5 2017, to tie it and winning it on Corey Perry’s goal seven in a long while where he was noticebable). minutes into double OT in California? Or this total collapse in Winnipeg on Sunday? 7.Yes, that was Kailer Yamamoto with the puck on his stick, all alone early in the overtime. An offensive guy but when you’re struggling like This was the first time the Jets have beaten in the Oilers in the playoffs in Yamamoto is, he tried it put it through Connor Hellebuyck. Again, we love Winnipeg in 31 years, one week and two days as Hockey Night in his gumption, love his will. But he can’t score. Dave Tippet moved him Canada’s Scott Oake said. He must have a calendar in his bedroom as down from the second to the fourth line to play with Gaetan Haas and he trotted out that stat, before the OT winner by Nikolaj Ehlers. Tyler Ennis, and he certainly helped on Draisaitl’s power-play goal, but That previous Jets’ post-season win in Winnipeg came off a goal by he hasn’t scored in 16 games now. Just one in 28. defenceman Dave Ellett, also in the second overtime, April 10, 1990. 8. What makes Puljujarvi so much fun to watch is how oblivious he is to That gave the Jets a 3-1 lead and the Oilers pulled it out in seven. who he’s battling with for space and loose pucks. Like Stanley, who’s a That team had Messier and Kurri, Anderson and Kevin Lowe, all in the few floors from Zdeno Chara as a high-rises go but still six-foot-seven Hall of Fame, and current Jets’ assistant coach Charlie Huddy. Plus, they and 230 pounds on the toledos. Yet, when Stanley grabbed Puljujarvi in knew how to win in the playoffs. Not sure this Oilers team does, even a headlock in the first period, the Finn fired off a punch. It wouldn’t go with McDavid and Draisaitl. well in a fight, but he doesn’t back down.

The Oilers have done this to another team. They stunned Dallas on April 9. Tippett thought Ethan Bear played well as he moved the right D beside 20, 1997 when down 3-zip with four minutes left, Doug Weight scored, Darnell Nurse. There were some wobbles, though, like the giveaway to then Andrei Kovalenko and Mike Grier scored in 12 seconds to tie it, and Stastny that Mason Appleton almost scored in the first. He also looked Kelly Buchberger won nine minutes into OT. like he was scrambling when the heat was on full blast late in the third, but was he alone? Nope. Moving Tyson Barrie beside Slater Koekkoek People were scrambling back into the building parking lots with the rally. was fine and they had shifts against the Stastny line. The shift of Bear to Sunday, people were watching on TV at home, choking on their popcorn. Nurse, who played more than 30 minutes as usual, wasn’t as good. There were many shifts where they had trouble getting out of their end. But, this loss? This was setting themselves on fire, folks. Just as it was for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 05.25.2021 Larsson in 2017.

Here’s some observations:

1.There’s lots to love about Josh Archibald. He’s a heart-and-soul player and might be one of their protected forwards in the expansion draft if they protect seven but not sure where his head was taking that low-bridge, nastyhit on Logan Stanley in the third period with the Oilers up 4-1 and cruising. There was no need for it and he could be suspended for it. Maybe if it’s a scoring chance, no problem. A hook or a hold. But Stanley was 60 feet from the Oilers net. The Oilers didn’t kill it, and the walls started to close in. The coach called it a poor penalty, and under his mask, he might have been saying more than that when Jets scored to make it 4-2.

2. Ehlers is a better player, hands-down than Patrik Laine, who got all the hype before his trade to Columbus. He’s in the battle more; he’s not a one-trick, shooting pony like Laine. The Jets end-of-season collapse coincided with Ehlers hurting his shoulder after a Jake Muzzin hit. First game back, two goals, and the Laine type shot on the winner. Guess his shoulder isn’t hurting him anymore.

3. Paul Stastny will never be confused for pops Peter because he’s in the Hall of Fame but he’s got game. He had the winner in OT (his ninth in the playoffs), using a double-screen (Dmitry Kulikov and Adam Larsson) in Game 2 and wins a draw on Jujhar Khaira cleanly to set up Ehlers. He’s not fast, he’s not aggressive, he’s just good and knows how to make stuff happen. In his 100th playoff game, a highlight.

4. Zack Kassian looked like the 2017 playoff Zack Kassian. Engaged is the right word here in his 16 minutes work. Not just his goal when Kassian came on for Jesse Puljujarvi on a line change with McDavid and Draisaitl staying out. He was involved with Derek Forbort, tying him up front of the net, on a Draisaitl goal. He took the dirty road in this one, and apart from McDavid and Draisaitl, he was the Oilers third best player. He’s had a forgettable season, not just breaking his hand and hurting his hip, missing two months. When he was playing there was nothing to grab onto it. But there was Sunday.

5. Before the winning goal off a draw, the Oilers did not have a good night in the face-off circle (23 out of 62 and barely any wins in the 1188708 Edmonton Oilers The Oilers were down 2-0, even if Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was a huge reason the series wasn’t closer.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl had moments of brilliance in Game Blame Josh Archibald’s ‘poor penalty’ for a season-turning loss, but 3, but it took into the seventh period of the series for them to get on the there’s much more that ails the Oilers scoresheet. The Oilers are often in a canoe without a paddle when that happens, and that proved to be the case in the first two games.

Tippett felt like he needed to spark his offence by shuffling his lineup By Daniel Nugent-Bowman May 24, 2021 heading into Game 3. In terms of quantity and the uniqueness of them, the moves were more akin to Tippett using a lit stick of dynamite.

Aside from keeping his top line of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Jesse Though not apparent in the moment, it was crystal clear by the time the Puljujarvi together plus his No. 2 defensive pairing of Kulikov and Adam collapse was through: Josh Archibald cost the Oilers a pivotal game — Larsson, there were many drastic alterations. and probably a series, too — by taking a penalty even his coach couldn’t defend. Two lines were used that hadn’t played a minute together all season. It had the appearance of a coach throwing a plate of spaghetti at the wall Archibald’s clip on Jets defenceman Logan Stanley has earned him a and seeing which noodles stick. hearing with the NHL’s department of player safety, which means he’ll likely be suspended for what could be the Oilers’ final game of the Naturally, some of his moves worked and others didn’t. season. On the blue line, Tippett moved Tyson Barrie to the third pair with Slater That all hurts now, and it will sting even more in the weeks and months Koekkoek and pushed Ethan Bear to the top duo with Darnell Nurse — ahead unless they can rally for an epic comeback by winning four straight pairings that started the season together. The Barrie-Koekkoek tandem times to recover from a 3-0 series deficit. controlled play (both over 61 CF%) but the Nurse-Bear team struggled (both below 41CF%). What Archibald didn’t do, however, was cost the Oilers their season. Zack Kassian, who’d been mired in an inconsistent and injury-riddled Because even with some of the unbelievable talent on a roster trending season, was elevated to the top six and easily played his best game of toward greatness, this was never going to be the season for the Oilers. the season. He scored Edmonton’s third goal, which put the Oilers up 3- Think back to the trade deadline. Remember when the Oilers added only 1, and occupied two Jets defencemen in front on Draisaitl’s opening blueliner Dmitry Kulikov for a mid-round draft pick? Well, a bigger splash marker. wasn’t made because management knew this team wasn’t ready quite The hulking winger skated on the right side of Nugent-Hopkins and yet to be a true Stanley Cup contender. rookie centre Ryan McLeod and on the maiden voyage for a revamped “I don’t know that you can be all-in every year,” Oilers general manager second line. Ken Holland said that day. “I think you pick and choose.” Nugent-Hopkins slid over to left wing, a position he’s played regularly Holland wants to build a sustainable winner, one that improves annually over the past few years, but never with McLeod and Kassian as his and gets crack after crack after crack at possible playoff glory. There will linemates. That was eyebrow-raising enough. More shocking was that be heartbreaking defeats and dreams dashed along the way as the Tippett trusted two players in his top six whom he used just 9:03 and Oilers grow. 10:04, respectively, in Game 2, a game that even went into overtime.

Sunday was the ultimate example. Archibald was the catalyst in a McLeod and Kassian weren’t the least likely linemates for Nugent- shocking, nightmarish breakdown that saw the Oilers blow a three-goal Hopkins, but they would have been high on that list. McLeod was playing lead with less than nine minutes left in regulation before losing 5-4 in in his 13th NHL game and the two players had scored two big-league overtime. Per the NHL, the Oilers became the 10th team in playoff history goals this season heading into Sunday — both from Kassian. to lose a game in which it led by three or more goals in the final 10 They mostly fared well at five-on-five with the Oilers coming out ahead in minutes of regulation. The same fate last befell the Oilers against shot attempts at five-on-five with all but McLeod on the ice. Both goals Anaheim in Game 5 of the 2017 postseason. Kassian factored in on came after Puljujarvi made a line change. “Winning is hard and there are painful lessons you need to learn to win,” Kailer Yamamoto and Dominik Kahun — one player in an awful scoring Oilers coach Dave Tippett said. drought and another miscast as an offensive winger — were moved The Oilers were in full command of the game — cruising to an outcome down the lineup and out of it altogether to make room for McLeod and that would put them one more victory from tying the series on Monday — Kassian. when Archibald couldn’t help himself. Also out were both main net front guys on the power play, Alex Chiasson The Edmonton winger low-bridged Stanley, appearing to make contact and James Neal, leaving the up-and-coming Puljujarvi as the with his knees and was penalized with 8:49 left in the third period. replacement. The Oilers played just three games without one of Chiasson and Neal dressed all season – and Chiasson was suspended Regardless of Archibald’s intention, the submarine-style hit was for one of them. completely unnecessary — especially since he’s known for being one of Edmonton’s best body-checkers. Coming into the lineup for Kahun, Chiasson and Neal were Tyler Ennis, Devin Shore and Gaetan Haas. Mathieu Perreault scored 30 seconds later on the Winnipeg power play, and disaster was quick to strike. Tippett wanted to insert Ennis for his speed, a worthwhile but surprising move. But Ennis, who started last year’s playoffs as the second-line left “The Archibald penalty is just a poor penalty to take, and it gave them winger before sustaining a knee injury, was scratched 26 times during some life,” Tippett said. the season and played three times in April and May before Game 3.

The Oilers surrendered two more goals in 3:03 to see a seemingly Ennis, Haas and Yamamoto formed an effective fourth. All were positive secure advantage ripped from their grasp. possession players who even got power-play time together.

“We shot ourselves in the foot a little bit,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. That just left Shore to be reunited with Jujhar Khaira and Archibald — a line that was used so frequently in the latter stages of the season. “It was all trouble we brought on ourselves,” Tippett said. Save for a beautiful tip from Khaira that resulted in his first NHL playoff Tippett also called Archibald’s penalty a “huge turning point in the game.” goal and point, things didn’t go particularly well for the trio — especially It will likely also be the defining moment of the season. late. If or when that turns out to be true, again remember that it was already They played most of their minutes against Winnipeg’s top line of Mark not the season anyway. Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler at five-on-five and hung with them in shot attempts. But they couldn’t clear the puck on the Jets’ third goal by Wheeler.

They struggled against the rest of their lineup, too. The winning goal was scored on a lost faceoff by Khaira that landed on Nik Ehlers’s stick and was in the back of the net in a flash. It was Ehlers’s second goal of the game after missing Games 1 and 2 with an injury.

All that came after Archibald’s undisciplined penalty.

“We did enough good things in this game to win. We gave a game away,” Tippett said. “We’ll see how we respond.”

“It was collective and individual mistakes,” Draisaitl said.

Archibald’s mistake was the largest.

It’s so baffling that Archibald was the culprit of the game-changing play, considering he’s been one of Tippett’s most reliable foot soldiers all season, and really since he signed with the Oilers in July 2019.

He’s been counted to play with McDavid in the event of injury or underperformance. He’s asked to protect one-goal leads in the dying minutes when the opposing team pulls its goalie. He’s Edmonton’s most- trusted forward on the penalty kill.

This time, he wasn’t around to kill off a penalty because he was the one in what Sportsnet’s Harnarayan Singh so appropriately calls “the box of punishment.” There hasn’t been a penalty that punished the Oilers this season like Archibald’s on Sunday.

“It’s a penalty, but we’ve got a pretty good penalty kill — obviously, he’s part of it,” McDavid said. “We need to get a kill there, but that’s not the only part that goes wrong.”

It sure was a big part.

The blame belongs to Archibald for a season-turning loss. But it’s not his fault the Oilers aren’t a championship team.

This is a team with two all-world superstars, a defenceman in Nurse emerging as a Norris Trophy candidate, and 39-year-old goalie Mike Smith having a renaissance season.

There are a few other nice or emerging players, but the Oilers are largely a bunch of players finding their roles. And several of them won’t have those roles by the time this team actualizes into one of the league’s elite.

That’s not title quality, at least not yet.

We might eventually remember it as the team Archibald ruined, but the truth is this wasn’t a championship-calibre team to wreck.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188709 Edmonton Oilers As we criticize, it’s also only fair to point out that Holland and Tippett have done many things well. It wasn’t all that long ago that back-to-back playoff appearances seemed like an unattainable goal for Edmonton. If the Oilers have been overly conservative, well that’s something everyone NHL gifted the Oilers’ Connor McDavid; six years later, they have yet to knew they were going in. There was good reason Tippett had to answer adequately support him a barrage of questions about being a defensive coach at his introductory news conference.

Ultimately the responsibility for plotting the cautious course the Oilers By Jonathan Willis May 25, 2021 have taken falls to the man who hired Holland and Chiarelli before him: Oilers president Bob Nicholson. As we complain about Edmonton’s cap situation and uncertain goaltending it’s worth remembering that Two years after the Oilers fired Peter Chiarelli, the ex-general manager’s Nicholson gave Chiarelli the go-ahead to award current backup Mikko shadow still looms over the roster. Edmonton’s early playoff departure Koskinen a three-year starter’s contract on the same day he was fired. owes something to his mistakes, but he wasn’t wrong about everything and in one respect at least he understood something current coach Dave The timing of that contract was unsettling, and spawned obvious Tippett still seems skeptical about. questions about letting a GM ink a long-term deal even as he had one foot out the door and the other on a banana peel. “As a manager, I think you’re winning a Cup with (Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl) – at the end of the day in the average of games – you’re “Peter did not make that deal all by himself. … We really believe in going to win a Cup with those guys in the middle,” Chiarelli told TSN’s Mikko,” Nicholson told reporters. “We had to make a decision between Bob McKenzie in fall 2017, when the Oilers were widely regarded as a Mikko and Cam (Talbot). We made that decision to go with Mikko and team on the rise and coming off their most successful season in a sign him to a three-year deal.” decade. “Both in the middle.” As the years continue, the number of contracts that can be hung around Chiarelli did much to change the contract market for RFAs with the Chiarelli’s neck falls. Neal, the residue of the ill-advised 2016 signing of massive contract he gave Draisaitl, and he did it predicated on the idea Milan Lucic, is the most onerous. Next is probably Koskinen. Kris that McDavid and Draisaitl could imitate the one-two punch of Sidney Russell’s four-year deal expires this summer, as does the one-year-too- Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on so many successful Pittsburgh teams. He early buyout of Benoit Pouliot. Andrej Sekera’s money is still on the never managed to sell Todd McLellan on the idea and obviously lacked books, but even the most ardent critics of Chiarelli should acknowledge the necessary force of will to compel his coach to comply with his that the defenceman’s back-to-back injuries were unforeseeable. articulated blueprint. (I checked with one. He does.) Tippett shouldn’t have fallen into the same trap as McLellan. His best Chiarelli of course committed other sins, too numerous to mention. To moment as Oilers coach came in the back half of the 2019-20 season, pick a single oft-cited example: The Oilers look a lot different if they’re when Edmonton went from playoff bubble to second in the division running Mathew Barzal as a long-term top-six forward as opposed to the courtesy of a 17-8-5 run powered by a Draisaitl-centered top line that long-past handful of games they received from Griffin Reinhart. But there excluded McDavid. Draisaitl won the Hart; it was kind of a big deal. has to be a statute of limitations on those errors. It’s been six years since Yet after a Game 1 loss in which Draisaitl’s line crushed all comers and the Reinhart trade and five since the Taylor Hall-Adam Larsson swap. McDavid was only slightly off, Tippett reached for the comforting Nicholson certainly still wears the decision to gift a good young core and familiarity of an overloaded top line, exacerbating Edmonton’s well- a newly drafted McDavid to Chiarelli, even as he will bear the ultimate known depth issues. Game 2 went badly, and in Game 3, an responsibility for whatever happens under Holland. overmatched Jujhar Khaira-centered defensive zone line coughed up both a critical third-period marker and the overtime winner. The decision to hire a conservative general manager and coach was a decision to endure short-term pain in the hopes of long-term gain, and if Tippett further loaded his eggs into that one basket by denuding the the regular seasons haven’t hurt, the playoffs have made up for it and bottom six of the few available offensive players. No Oilers left wing then some. Entering the postseason as the higher seed twice, the Oilers scored at a better clip during the season than Tyler Ennis, who despite have won a single game and lost seven. this was a frequent healthy scratch to close out the season and sat for the first two games of the playoffs. There’s still a chance for that long-term gain. Holland enters the offseason with more money than he’s ever had to play with, and a clear The downside to such an approach is obvious, especially in a series with picture of the limitations of Edmonton’s supporting cast, particularly as interminable overtimes and a set of back-to-back games on the schedule. handled by his chosen head coach. The prospects drafted on his watch, Playing three lines and just four defencemen in Monday’s decisive 4-3 including Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, are nearing their NHL triple-overtime loss underscored that. debuts. If the coaching staff failed to take full advantage of the options available He’d best deliver, both for his own sake and for the sake of a franchise to it, we should also note how limited those options were. which is now, incredibly, six years into McDavid’s career and seven years There’s a line of thinking that general manager Ken Holland has been a into Draisaitl and has never managed to adequately support the duo. A mostly helpless passenger, handcuffed to an inherited salary-cap lot of general managers and coaches would kill for this kind of situation over which he had no control. Though not without some basis in opportunity. None of the ones to pass through Edmonton have yet shown reality, this mentality is wrong. Holland could have used third-party they can take advantage of it. brokers at the deadline, as so many other clubs did. He could have The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 bought out James Neal in the summer and reinvested the money in a depressed free-agent market or via trade with one of the many teams looking to shed dollars.

Perhaps Holland would have had greater ambitions in those directions if not for last season’s misjudgment of Andreas Athanasiou. He couldn’t have known that the salary cap was going to stay flat, but he knew of the deficiencies in Athanasiou’s game, he knew the temperament of his coach, and he had to know the difficulty of plugging a one-dimensional shooter into one of the most intensely checked lines in the league.

Holland’s error there is perhaps excusable, but there’s no question that the assets expended upon it prevented him from being more aggressive at the 2021 deadline. It’s also notable that his first long-term contract extension as GM went to Zack Kassian, who came alive late in the first round but who spent most of the season being vastly overpaid for his meager contributions. 1188710 Edmonton Oilers They’ll probably need more than that, though. Draisaitl’s flexibility to play centre or wing is a huge asset and allows

Holland to target a second-line centre to improve the mix if such an The Oilers’ 10 biggest offseason priorities after a disastrous first-round option presents itself. But the understanding here is that Draisaitl is best playoff exit projected to play up the middle. Scoring wingers must be high on the shopping list.

3. Determine Dave Tippett’s fate By Daniel Nugent-Bowman May 25, 2021 A playoff loss like this means the coach’s job performance needs to be evaluated carefully, especially when he’s entering the last year of his contract. An excellent Oilers regular season and a promising first-round matchup in the playoffs ended in spectacular failure early Tuesday morning. Dave Tippett has done a lot of good things over his two-season tenure behind the bench. He has provided a calm demeanour and has been The Oilers entered their first-round series against the Jets as favourites creative and flexible in how he tweaks the top six to play McDavid and — arguably prohibitive favourites — but bowed out after shocking losses Draisaitl both together and apart. at home in Games 1 and 2 and marathon overtime (and multiple- overtime) losses in Games 3 and 4. Even before Game 4 went to three Only Hall of Famer Glen Sather has a better regular-season points overtimes, the result seemed inevitable, really from the moment Josh percentage as Oilers coach than Tippett’s .610. Archibald’s penalty led to the Oilers’ Game 3 unravelling. It was exactly the type of devastating turn that’s nearly impossible to recover from. However, some of Tippett’s lineup decisions were puzzling — probably never more so than in Game 3 — and his usage, or lack thereof, of Important decisions now loom for general manager Ken Holland and his players like Evan Bouchard and Tyler Ennis has left him open to staff as a critical offseason begins. After years of mismanagement from criticism. his predecessor, dead money and bad contracts are coming off the books, and Holland finally has some financial and roster flexibility. Holland has preached a steady approach to building the Oilers, and his track record in Detroit suggests firing coaches isn’t his preferred path. He Though there are four key unrestricted free agents on the roster, Holland had four full-time coaches in his 21 seasons as Red Wings GM. Scotty has more than $25 million to work with. It’s time for him to put his stamp Bowman and left on their own volition, and Jeff Blashill is on the team — especially with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the still the coach. primes of their careers and an expected return to what should be a lousy Pacific Division. The outlier is , who posted two excellent regular seasons but won just one playoff round and wasn’t brought back to coach after the There’s no time to waste. What does Holland need to do? would-be 2005 lockout season ended. Will Tippett also be a two-and- done coach, will he be extended, or will he coach out the final year of his Here are the 10 biggest priorities that need to be addressed to turn the deal? Oilers into the contenders they hope to be: 4. Assess Oscar Klefbom’s long-term health and if he fits in 1. Re-sign Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — or not? This is one of the more fascinating question marks of the offseason — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the beloved, longest-serving Oiler, and he and a situation over which they have next to no control. brings so much to the team when he’s on. He plays centre and left wing and is a reliable contributor on the power play and the penalty kill. Oscar Klefbom was their No. 1 defenceman before missing this past Sounds like a no-brainer to bring him back, right? season with a shoulder injury, which required surgery in March. Though there’s optimism about a return to the lineup as early as the fall, there’s Well, Nugent-Hopkins turned 28 last month, is coming off a $6 million also no guarantee he’ll ever play again. Talk about a wild card. average-annual-value deal and regressed to his pre-2018 production levels this season. It can even be argued it was the worst season of his A healthy Klefbom would be a wonderful addition. He’d provide an career. In 733 minutes at five-on-five, RNH had seven goals and seven excellent one-two punch on the left side of the top four with Darnell assists — and only two of those helpers were of the primary variety. Two. Nurse, and his $4.167 million salary for two more years is perfectly manageable under the salary cap. His versatility is such an asset, and he was a big contributor in Game 4 of the Jets series, when he had a goal and an assist in 39:58 of ice time. Having Klefbom back would almost certainly make Tyson Barrie But it wasn’t a good look for RNH that he was playing the wing while expendable (if he isn’t already) — a cost-saving measure since the latter rookie Ryan McLeod centred the second line in the critical Game 3. It’s is reportedly seeking a raise on a long-term deal. clear that if McLeod isn’t a full-time winger now, he will be one soon. Any concern about Klefbom’s health probably means the Oilers will leave The Nugent-Hopkins contract is tricky. There had been reported progress him exposed in the expansion draft. And whether the Oilers lose him to on a new deal at various points of the season, but nothing got done. the Kraken or injury, not having him in 2021-22 would mean a big hole to Holland must be careful not to offer too much money or too much term — fill in the lineup — one they never adequately filled this season. if he even brings RNH back at all. 5. Say goodbye to Tyson Barrie, re-sign Adam Larsson (probably) There are also expansion-draft ramifications at play in retaining him. More on that later. It’s easier to talk about the two right-handed defencemen in the same section, even though everything about them — playing styles, seniority 2. Chart a course for finding more top-six forwards with the team, etc. — couldn’t be more different.

Another wrinkle in the decision to bring back Nugent-Hopkins: The Oilers Let’s start by talking about youngster Bouchard. I’m told a path will be needed more top-six forwards, not fewer of them. cleared so Bouchard can become a regular right-side defenceman next season. That means it’s all but certainly that Barrie, Larsson or Ethan Losing RNH would mean the Oilers need at least two legitimate offensive Bear won’t be back. talents at forward, and maybe even three. McDavid, Draisaitl and Jesse Puljujarvi are the locks in this capacity. A trade involving Bear or not re-signing Larsson is possible, but the smart money is that the Oilers will let Barrie walk in free agency. Losing Barrie Restricted free agent Kailer Yamamoto didn’t produce like sure-fire top- shouldn’t be taken lightly. He did lead NHL defencemen in scoring, after six player in the back half of the year. He then missed the last two games all. But Bouchard is a younger, cheaper option with a similar skill set. And of the regular season with an injury and spent four periods on the fourth it’s not the preferred course of action to have Barrie and Bouchard, two line in the playoffs. players who seldom kill penalties, in the same lineup. Ideally, the Oilers can get RNH back on a reasonable contract and get As for Larsson, there were reports before the playoffs that the Oilers bounce-back campaigns from him and Yamamoto, who turns 23 in were closing in on a contract extension with the defensive blueliner. I September. That would mean they’d only need to replace Dominik Kahun understand that to be the case, too. Holland’s longstanding policy is to as a second-line winger. not negotiate during the playoffs. We’ll see if anything’s changed after the Klefbom (if healthy) and Larsson (if re-signed) serving as the potential loss to the Jets. frontrunners.

6. Clear up the goaltending situation Where things get interesting is if Nugent-Hopkins re-signs. The Oilers would probably have to go to the 7-3-1 model under that scenario. AHL The good news is that the Oilers have two of the three from standout Tyler Benson seems like the next logical forward option for their NHL roster under contract for next season. The bad news is neither protection. There isn’t really an obvious seventh choice. It might be one is their starter from this past season, the guy who deserves to be in Archibald. the Vezina Trophy conversation. Either way, there will be few decisions to make. It’s hard to believe the Oilers have much clue what they have in Mikko Koskinen and Alex Stalock. Koskinen’s struggles down the stretch were 10. Find more scoring punch in the bottom six so painfully obvious, and Stalock didn’t even appear in a game, almost exclusively acting as the third-string goalie. Here are the goal totals, excluding power-play markers, for Oilers who spent their time on the third or fourth lines: It’s easy to say they should just bring back 39-year-old Mike Smith on a one-year deal. Given his age and inconsistency before this past season, PLAYER GOALS GAMES a reliable 1B goalie would be a good insurance policy under that Josh Archibald scenario. It’d be tough to bank on Koskinen and Stalock based on what transpired, and getting rid of both won’t be easy. 7

Another option is finding a netminder they like more than Smith in free 52 agency or via trade, so Koskinen or Stalock or someone else — Stuart Devin Shore Skinner? — wouldn’t have to play as much as the backup. 5 It’s clear as mud right now. 38 7. Decide on buyouts James Neal Holland could clear up more money by choosing to buy out a player or two. This could be an easier pill for owner to swallow since 4 Benoit Pouliot’s contract comes off the books and Andrej Sekera’s payment drops to $1.5 million from $2.5 million. 29

There are three candidates worth mentioning here. Alex Chiasson

The most obvious one is James Neal, who was acquired from Calgary for 4 Milan Lucic, in part, because his contract could be bought out. 45 Neal had five goals and 10 points in 29 points this season and spent time Tyler Ennis on the taxi squad. He was scratched during the playoffs, too. Buying out the last two years of his deal would result in a cap hit of just over $1.9 3 million for the next four seasons. It would save the Oilers more than $3.8 million against the cap for this season and next, minus the cost of finding 30 a replacement for him in the lineup. Jujhar Khaira The next possibility is Koskinen, who had a challenging season after a 3 sound 2019-20 campaign and has one year remaining on his contract. 40 Koskinen’s save percentage plunged to .899 from .917, and his goals saved above average was minus-6.4 compared with plus-9.3 a year ago. Gaetan Haas Buying him out would cost the Oilers $1.5 million against the cap for the next two seasons but save them $3 million for 2021-22. Another 2 possibility the Oilers could consider with Koskinen is retaining salary in a 34 trade. Kyle Turris Lastly, there’s Zack Kassian, who was either barely noticeable or injured this season. His Game 3 performance was really the first time Kassian 2 stood out; he had just two goals and five points in 27 games. 27 Kassian has three more years on his deal, so he’d be on the books for six more seasons if bought out. That makes such a move unlikely. He’s Zack Kassian also the only one of the three players Holland signed. 2

8. Extend Darnell Nurse 27

No defenceman in the NHL had more even-strength goals than Nurse, Patrick Russell who put himself in the Norris Trophy conversation with an outstanding season — done in Klefbom’s absence, to boot — and broke a league 0 record with his 62:07 of ice time in Game 4 against the Jets. 8 He’s an unrestricted free agent next summer and will command a raise from the $5.6 million salary he’s pulling in now. Nurse still having a Joakim Nygard contract makes this a smaller item than others on this list. However, it’s 0 important for Holland to make some progress here. 9 If an extension isn’t signed by puck drop in the fall, the Oilers should at least want Nurse to be close to signing on the dotted line. Ryan McLeod

9. Set the expansion draft list 0

As colleague Ryan S. Clark and I wrote earlier this month, the 10 understanding right now is the Oilers will protect eight skaters. McDavid, One of Holland’s objectives from the moment he became GM in May Draisaitl, Puljujarvi, Yamamoto, Nurse and Bear are the current locks, 2019 was to bring in more players capable of hitting double digits in and there are options to round out the final two spots on defence, with goals. Only Archibald would have been on pace to do that over an 82- game season.

The Oilers need more players with goal-scoring potential. There’s no other way to put it.

Bonus: Bring in a right-handed centreman

The Oilers haven’t had a trusted righty pivot in the faceoff circle since Kyle Brodziak stopped playing after the 2018-19 season. Gaetan Haas won 45 percent of his draws but wasn’t a playoff regular. Offseason acquisition Kyle Turris hasn’t been in the picture for quite some time.

The Oilers rely on Draisaitl, a lefty and a superstar, to take so many faceoffs. It got to the point where Tippett had him out to take draws on the penalty kill just hoping he’d win it, so the Oilers could ice the puck and he could change.

Worth noting on this point: It was a lost defensive zone draw by lefty Jujhar Khaira on his weak side that immediately led to Nik Ehlers’ winning goal in Game 3.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188711 Florida Panthers

Spencer Knight steadied the Panthers early in Game 5. And then the floodgates opened

BY ADAM H. BEASLEY

MAY 24, 2021 11:49 PM

The Florida Panthers needed every bit of Spencer Knight’s marvelous playoff debut Monday simply to stay in the series.

But he couldn’t win Game 5 game himself — even though he certainly tried his best.

Instead, Spencer needed his teammates to come along for the ride.

It took some regrouping, and more than a bit of dressing room soul searching, in the first intermission. But ultimately, his teammates joined the party.

The defense tightened and the offense woke up with three goals over a 15-minute stretch in Periods 2 and 3, powering the Panthers past the Lightning 4-1 and sending both teams back to Tampa for Game 6.

“We came into the room thinking, ‘Boy were we lucky,’” Panthers coach said of the conversations during the first break in action. “That was our worst period in a long time.”

That stats would agree. If not for Knight’s brilliance — he gave up a two- on-one goal 53 seconds into regulation and then made 36 straight saves the rest of the way Monday — the Panthers might have trailed 3-0 or 4-0 instead of heading to intermission down just one.

The Lightning had 13 five-on-five scoring opportunities — including seven high-danger chances — in the first period. The Panthers had one.

Tampa put 22 shots on goal in the first 20 minutes.

But Knight keep Florida within striking distance with poise belying his age. With each save, the home crowd of 11,551 — South Florida’s largest indoor sporting event attendance since the pandemic began — hit new decibel levels.

They were loud enough to wake up Knight’s supporting cast. The Panthers absolutely throttled Tampa Bay in the final 40, out-shooting the Lightning 23-15 over the final two periods.

And most importantly, they capitalized on those opportunities in a way that they hadn’t for much of this series.

MacKenzie Weegar tied the game 6:19 into the second period with the first playoff goal of his career, a wrist shot off a face-off.

“I wanted to get it off as fast as I could,” Weegar said. “Faceoffs are key. They’re key in the playoffs and it was nice to get one for the boys tonight.”

Some 10 minutes later, Weegar helped put the Panthers ahead for good, assisting on Mason Marchment’s second goal of the series.

“Tough first [period], but he had a great last 40 minutes,” Quenneville said of Weegar. “Obviously scoring a goal helped. He had a lot more composure with the puck.”

That was a bit of found treasure for Florida. ’s impactful game — probably his best of the series — was a big part of the turnaround too. Barkov assistant on two goals in the second period and forced the issue throughout the evening.

“I think everyone just kind of bought in,” Marchment said. “We know we can do it, so just kind of locking it down in tight and playing that team game. Knighter was [expletive] unbelievable and he stood on his head, and we tried to keep everything to the outside for him and lock down the slot there. They always try to find that little pocket there and just like I said, playing the team game and playing team defense.”

Miami Herald LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188712 Florida Panthers Panthers on to the ice for their pregame warm-ups in Sunrise and situated himself in goal to face the defending Stanley Cup champion with his season on the line.

‘He won the game for us’: 20-year-old Spencer Knight keeps Florida alive In just 53 seconds, he fell behind. with Game 5 win In the opening minute, defenseman Keith Yandle got caught in no-man’s land and the Lightning got an early 2-on-1 chance. Tampa Bay winger Blake Coleman zipped a pass from right to left across the front of the net BY DAVID WILSON and Lightning center Ross Colton banged home the opening goal to give Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead. MAY 24, 2021 10:42 PM, “Once you let one in, you kind of reset and you’re like, Alright, well you

can’t do anything to change it and let’s just go play now,” Knight said. “It Spencer Knight stood alone, halfway between the blue line and his goal, was a good goal by them, a great play. I just tried to recover after that, while the Star Spangled Banner played before the biggest game of the and just smile and have fun.” Florida Panthers’ season and certainly the biggest of his young NHL It was Knight’s only blemish, even as he faced a first-period onslaught career. from the Lightning. Tampa Bay fired 22 shots at Knight — it only With the best season in franchise history on the line, the Panthers turned averaged 28.7 total in the last three games — and he stopped 21 in a to him — a 20-year-old rookie with just four games of NHL experience row to end the first for the second most saves in a period in franchise and less than two months as a professional under his belt — and he playoff history. He helped shut down all three of the Lightning’s power- delivered with 36 saves and a 4-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning play opportunities, including five saves on a critical penalty kill in the final on Monday to extend Florida’s season. five minutes of the period to keep the score at 1-0.

The five other starters stood behind him while he fought back a smile and “We don’t have to say anymore,” Quenneville said. “The goalie won the basked in the energy from the largest crowd of the season. The Panthers game.” upped attendance to nearly 11,551 for their must-win Game 5 and almost With 13:41 left in the second period, Florida finally tied the game at 1-1, everyone inside the BB&T Center shouted the goaltender’s last name setting up star defenseman MacKenzie Weegar for a slap shot on a when the lyrics to national anthem presented the opportunity. designed play off a faceoff. With 3:05 left in the second, left wing Mason “...gave proof through the ‘KNIGHT!’ that our flag was still there...” Marchment put the Panthers ahead for good at 2-1, finishing off a pass from behind the net from Barkov, who drew three defenders while he “He won the game for us,” star center Aleksander Barkov said. danced with the puck.

After he gave up a goal on the first save he faced in the opening minute, Less than a minute into the third period, Florida beat star goaltender Knight stopped 36 in a row to let Florida rally for a season-saving win in Andrei Vasilevskiy again when Barkov fired from the slot on a power-play Sunrise and cut the Lightning’s series lead to 3-2. and right wing Patric Hornqvist deflected another puck past the star goaltender for a 3-1 lead. The Panthers are headed back to Tampa for another must-win Game 6 on Wednesday and are now two wins from completing the 30th 3-1 Although the Panthers only had a 38-37 edge in shots on goal, Knight series comeback in NHL history. outdueled the Vezina favorite to keep the Panthers’ season alive for at least two more days. First, they just had to win their first elimination game since 1996 and they took an unprecedented path to pull it off. “Knighter,” Marchment said, “was [expletive] unbelievable.”

At 20, Knight is the youngest goalie to start a playoff game since 1992, Miami Herald LOADED: 05.25.2021 the seventh youngest goalie in history to start a game in the Stanley Cup playoffs and the youngest ever to start a playoff game with his team facing elimination.

“I just approached it like I did every other hockey game, like the first game, second game here. Whatever it may be, it’s all the same,” Knight said. “I was a little nervous, but then I kind of just remembered it’s just playing hockey.”

It was certainly not the original plan. When they took Knight with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, the Panthers signed to a seven-year, $70-million deal less than two weeks later. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner was the primary starter throughout the regular season and fellow goaltender was one of the league’s best backups, tied for the NHL’s fourth best save percentage in the regular season. Through four games, Florida exhausted its option, though.

Bobrovsky started twice and posted a 5.33 goals against average with an abysmal .841 save percentage. Driedger started twice and posted a 3.70 goals against average with a nearly-as-bad .871 save percentage.

Knight didn’t dress for any of the first four games. The original plan was only for him to play one game in the regular season and then the plan was to not use him at all in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. He only turned 20 in April and was playing for the Boston College Eagles in March. He only played four games in the regular season and, even though he’s the No. 27 prospect in ESPN.com’s rankings, he had a pedestrian .875 save percentage in his last two starts. The rookie was clearly third in the pecking order heading into the postseason.

The last two games from Bobrovsky and Driedger didn’t give Florida a choice. Driedger gave up five goals on 12 shots in the second period of Game 3 and got benched. Bobrovsky gave up five goals on 13 shots in Game 4 and got benched. On Sunday, Quenneville told Knight he’d start Game 5, so the young American — who might not even be old enough to legally drink when the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs begin — led the 1188713 Florida Panthers

Panthers to turn to 20-year-old goalie Spencer Knight to start must-win Game 5 vs. Lightning

BY DAVID WILSON

MAY 24, 2021 11:17 AM,

With their season on the line, the Florida Panthers will turn to a 20-year- old goaltender to try to extend their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Spencer Knight will start in goal for Game 5 after leading the team on to the ice for pregame warm-ups Monday at the BB&T Center in Sunrise. The rookie will be the third goaltender to start for the Panthers in five playoff games after both Sergei Bobrovsky and Chris Driedger were benched midway through the last two games in Tampa.

Through four postseason games, Bobrovsky has the second worst save percentage in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs and Driedger has the third worst. While Bobrovsky is the highest paid player on the team and Driedger was tied for the fourth best save percentage in the NHL this season, Knight has the talent, poise and track record for coach Joel Quenneville to trust him for a must-win game.

Knight, who was just playing for the Boston College Eagles in March and made his NHL debut in April, played in four games in the regular season, going 4-0 with a 2.32 goals against average and .919 save percentage. In his first two outings, Knight allowed just one goal on 43 shots, but he posted only a .875 save percentage in his final two starts, which left him behind Bobrovsky and Driedger in the “batting order,” as Quenneville put it. Knight did not dress for any of Florida’s first four playoff games.

Driedger dressed as the back-up for Game 5. Bobrovsky — who has five years left on a seven-year, $70-million deal — is inactive for the first time in the postseason.

Knight has an unquestioned big-game pedigree. In January, he was the starting goaltender for the United States and shut out Canada in the gold- medal game of the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He finished the tournament with a 1.63 goals against average and .940 save percentage.

Knight was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft is the No. 27 prospect in hockey, according to ESPN.com. He’s the youngest goalie to start a playoff game since 1992.

Florida, trailing 3-1 in its first-round series, needs to win three games in a row to win its first playoff series since 1996. Only 29 times in NHL history has a team overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series. First, the Panthers will have to win their first elimination game since 1996.

Defenseman Keith Yandle returned to Florida’s lineup Monday after the Panthers scratched him for the previous two games in Tampa.

Yandle replaces fellow defenseman Markus Nutivaara, who was a healthy scratch for Game 5, and paired up with fellow defenseman Brandon Montour for the first time this season.

Before his two scratches last week, Yandle hadn’t missed a game since 2009. He still has the longest active regular-season games streak at 922 games, leaving him 42 shy of tying the NHL record. Postseason games don’t count against his streak.

Florida also knocked winger Anthony Duclair back to the fourth line — where he played in Game 3 on Thursday — after he spent Game 4 on Sunday playing with the top line. Left wing Mason Marchmen returns to the top line, where he played in Game 3, next to star center Aleksander Barkov and forward Carter Verhaeghe.

Miami Herald LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188714 Florida Panthers Tampa Bay’s talented offense quit thinking it would be as easy as one minute and one goal. They quit playing the mind games to a rookie — the crowding of him, maybe even bump into him after the whistle like in the first period. Hyde: Greatness in his playoff debut — Spencer Knight saves Panthers’ season | Commentary Near the end of the second, when Knight stopped a jammed rebound attempt by Tampa’s Ross Colton, there was the idea something special was happening.

By DAVE HYDE He stopped a deadly double — Jan Rutta’s slapshot and Patrick Maroon’s rebound — and midway through the third period. Then came MAY 24, 2021 AT 11:48 PM the kind of angled shot by Nikita Kucherov after Tampa Bay pulled its goalie that Knight slid across the goal to stop.

Where does he go from here? What does he do for an encore? “You didn’t see any nervousness from him,” Barkov said. “He’s been in the nets for us before. Obviously a playoff, an elimination game, is huge. Spencer Knight saved the Florida Panthers season, shut down the … He’s so young, he’s so confident, technically good. I could be here defending champs, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and just made the tomorrow if you want saying everything about Spencer — he’s just great.” youngest playoff debut by a NHL goalie in nearly three decades — and the youngest in an elimination game. There are questions about why Driedger was the backup and not Bobrovsky — and more questions about what this means for Bobrovsky At 20. with five years left on a $70 million contract.

In his fifth NHL game. That’s for later. This win was the moment, the season, the reason you go to go watch sports. The Panthers haven’t had a debut like this since … By giving up a goal 53 seconds into Monday night and making the next well, ever? 36 saves in the Panthers’ 4-1 win against Tampa Bay in Game 5 of their playoff series. “That was fun — I’m happy for him,” Quenneville said.

[Popular in Sports] Dolphins focused on improving run game, which What can he do next? starts with the offensive line » “We’re excited to go to Tampa right now,” Barkov said. “He won the game for us,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. Right, there’s Game 6 coming. No question who is in goal. The season is One by one, his teammates lined up to him after the buzzer to tap his again on the line. Knight had a show-stopping debut on Monday. Can the helmet and give a word, Mason Marchment followed by Patric Hornqvist kid do it again? and Barkov. Sun Sentinel LOADED: 05.25.2021 There was Chris Driedger, now Knight’s backup, congratulating him. Somewhere behind the mask, Knight was smiling a kid’s smile — and didn’t stop when the mask came off after being named the game’s No. 1 star and interviewed on Bally Sports.

“The guys were just awesome tonight,” he said of his teammates. “I thought we just played a great team game and really just emphasized haiving fun.”

And he laughed. “Heh-heh.”

As he said, “I was just trying to have fun. It’s still hockey, right?”

[Popular in Sports] Dolphins focused on improving run game, which starts with the offensive line »

South Florida has had phenoms before. The Marlins’ Miguel Cabrera was 20 when he hit a World Series home run off Roger Clemens. The Heat’s Dwyane Wade was 21 when he hit a running jumper to win his first playoff game. The Dolphins’ Dan Marino was 23 when he had a rookie season like no other.

Their great starts foreshadowed Hall of Fame careers. No one’s putting that on Knight — not yet. But this showing gives him a heckuva start to be somebody someday, doesn’t it?

“I approached it like I did every other hockey game,” Knight said. “My first game, second game here — all pretty much the same. I was a little nervous, but then I just remembered, ‘Just play hockey. Have fun.’ "

Introductions haven’t even been made, to South Florida and he’s suddenly the Panthers most important player. It was a gusty decision by coach Joel Quenneville to play a kid with four previous starts and who hadn’t played in three weeks with the season on the line. Or maybe not considering the way this series had gone.

“We didn’t have anything to lose,” Quenneville said of the Panthers, down 3-1 in the series entering Game 5.

Knight didn’t just do what the starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and Driedger couldn’t this series. He won over the skeptics and the curious over a rookie thrust in this spot — and the Lightning by the time it was over, too.

The Lightning got that quick, easy goal on after defensive lapse by Keith Yandle. But just when you were wondering who could have a worse start Monday — the Heat or the Panthers — the Panthers found their footing and Knight saved their season. 1188715 Florida Panthers The Panthers added an empty-net goal with 14.6 seconds left as Frank Vatrano scored.

The Lightning scored 53 seconds into Monday’s action on their first shot With 20-year-old Spencer Knight in net, Panthers avoid elimination with against Knight, a tough 2-on-1 for the rookie. Ross Colton put the puck in Game 5 win over Lightning the net off the primary assist from Blake Coleman.

Knight recovered.

By DAVID FURONES “He was just a rock all night,” said Weegar. “He was really solid. I didn’t think he let [the opening goal] affect him at all, and he just kept playing MAY 24, 2021 AT 11:52 PM hockey after that, kept kicking for us and he was a big part of the reason why we won tonight.”

Barkov one-upped him on that sentiment: “He won the game for us.” SUNRISE — Spencer Knight’s first playoff game didn’t get off to an ideal start, but the 20-year-old goaltender ended up having the postseason Marchment was so excited to talk about Knight in his postgame web debut of his dreams. conference that he mistakenly dropped an F-bomb before describing his play as “unbelievable.” After the first shot against him went into the net, Knight stopped the next 36 shots that came his way. The Florida Panthers went on a scoring The Panthers came up empty on three power plays in the first period. surge between the second and third periods and staved off elimination They actually had the puck go in the Lightning net, but Keith Yandle’s with a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of their first- would-be goal was negated as play had already been blown dead due to round series on Monday night in front of 11,551 rowdy fans at the BB&T a high stick. The second was quickly undone and turned into a 4-on-4 Center. when Huberdeau was called for hooking a mere seconds after the Lightning’s Ryan McDonagh was penalized for roughing against Sparked by the anticipated insertion of the rookie goalie by coach Joel Marchment. Quenneville, the Panthers remain alive, down 3-2 in the series, as it shifts back to Tampa Bay for Game 6 on Wednesday night. Game 6 is Wednesday night at Tampa’s Amalie Arena. The start time is yet to be announced. “His composure gave me every indication that he’s capable of handling any kind of situation,” Quenneville said. “He’s got some real good Sun Sentinel LOADED: 05.25.2021 anticipation in the net, positioning aware. Systematically in his game, he’s got some really good things to look forward to.

“I don’t think nothing’s going to bother him. It’s the biggest stage you’re going to see at this time.”

After uneven play from fellow goalies Sergei Bobrovsky and Chris Driedger over the first four games against the defending Stanley Cup champions, Knight wasn’t revealed as the Game 5 starter until he led the Panthers onto the ice for pregame warmups. Quenneville had the 2019 first-round pick that was playing for Boston College earlier this year in the starter net at Sunday’s practice and Monday’s morning skate, but the Florida coach did not name him the starter on either occasion.

Knight, the youngest goaltender to start a playoff game since Martin Brodeur did it for the New Jersey Devils days before his 20th birthday, pulled off his Monday performance on only four career regular-season appearances of experience. He is the second-youngest goalie in NHL history to win his playoff debut, behind only Don Beaupre (19 years, 202 days) for the 1981 , and the youngest to start an elimination game.

Hyde: Greatness in his playoff debut — Spencer Knight saves Panthers’ season | Commentary »

“I just remembered to play hockey,” said Knight, who said he found out on Sunday he would get the start. “I do it every day. Whether it’s practice, games, playoff games, it’s hockey. I just want to compete the same.”

Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 34 saves.

Florida took the lead with 3:05 remaining in the second period when Mason Marchment slapped in a goal off a slick feed from Aleksander Barkov from behind the net while surrounded by three Lightning players.

“Barky made a great pass to me there,” Marchment said. “For me, it’s not really about personal success right now. It’s about winning games.”

The Panthers added to it early in the third period on the rollover of the power play from late in the second period when Tampa Bay defenseman Luke Schenn held Anthony Duclair to prevent a breakaway. Patric Hornqvist tipped in a Barkov pass, while Jonathan Huberdeau also had an assist on the goal that put Florida up two goals.

The Panthers first got even with the Lightning at 1 earlier in the second. Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, who also had an assist on the go- ahead goal, blasted a snap shot past Vasilevskiy after Huberdeau tapped the puck to him following Sam Bennett’s win on a face-off.

With Huberdeau’s assist, he set a new Panthers record for points in a playoff series with nine. Later adding a 10th, he entered Monday tied with Reilly Smith (8 in 2016, first round) and Ray Sheppard (8 in 1996, conference quarterfinals). 1188716 Florida Panthers Alexsander Barkov? The best guess is we’re going to find out after the series that he hurt his hand, arm, shoulder — something went wrong two shifts into the second game of the series when he went off the ice for the rest of that period. He hasn’t been the player he usually is — or the one Hyde5: Giannis didn’t want Butler last year — does now; Spencer Knight in Game 1. starts for Panthers 5. That’s just what Tampa Bay needs. Another title. Bucs won the Super Bowl. The Lightning already won the Cup last year. The Rays made the World Series. By DAVE HYDE Sun Sentinel LOADED: 05.25.2021 MAY 24, 2021 AT 7:45 PM

Where did the stars go?

And can they step up now?

The Panthers and Heat faced similar problems while losing in dissimilar situations over the weekend. Their biggest stars disappeared. Now it’s a busy, two-television-set Monday as the Panthers (8 p.m) and Heat (7:30 p.m.) need wins for different reasons.

The stars on the other side have played like stars. Tampa Bay is full of big-series players from goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to forwards Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn. The Milwaukee Bucks, too, saw a different Giannis Antetokounmpo from the start of these playoffs.

In direct contrast to their Game 1 meeting last season, Giannis wanted to guard Jimmy Butler and was a prime reason the Heat start stumbled to four-of-22 shooting.

“I like the challenge,” Giannis said.

Last year, Butler scored 40 points in Game 1 — 15 in the fourth quarter — and the Milwaukee star never asked to switch onto Butler.

“To guard him?” Giannis said then. “No, I didn’t. Why would you ask that? I’ll do whatever coach wants me to do.”

Different year. Different Giannis. And the Heat, like the Panthers, need to respond Monday.

2. So what has to happen? First, the Panthers. If they haven’t given up again on their $72 million investment in goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for the second time in four games, they’re walked closer to that line. Rookie Spencer Knight warmed up as the starter in the win-or-go-home Game 5 on Monday night. This isn’t a message being sent — and this isn’t the message-sending time of year.

This is about Knight being considered the best chance for a Panthers win. Bobrovsky and Chris Driedger haven’t been the solution thus far in this series. The question: Is Knight? At 20, he’d be the youngest player to start a playoff game since 1995. He was 4-0 since called up late in the year, but hasn’t played in three weeks.

Tampa Bay’s top talents have been characteristically great this series while the Panthers defense has been suspect without the injured Aaron Ekblad. It’s not just the goalie. It might not even start with the goalie.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. Are the Panthers this desperate? To start a rookie who has played just four NHL games and hasn’t played in three weeks? To lay out they have no faith in Bobrovsky with him having five years left on his big contract?

The decision goes beyond Game 5.

3. Now the Heat: Butler and Bam Adebayo struggled in Game 1 against Milwaukee. It’s one game, just one, and they’ve done enough that there’s no panic button to hit as I wrote in my column after the game. But Monday in Game 2 tells of their need to do more. A lot more.

Butler, covered by Giannis Antetokounmpo, shot four-of-22. Adebayo, who countered the sagging defense of 7-foot Brook Lopez, shot four of 15. The Heat lost by a point.

Butler vs. Giannis is each team’s best against the other and that’s statement enough both ways. But this is an especially notable game for Adebayo vs. Lopez. The issue is two-fold. First, Adebayo is now averaging 12 points and shooting 40.9 percent in the four games against Milwaukee this year. Second, by playing off Adebayo, Lopez is clogging the lanes the Heat especially likes to cut through in their offense.

4. The Panthers’ other stars? Jonathan Huberdeau is doing everything possible with eight points (two goals, six assists) in four games. 1188717 Florida Panthers In his short time with the Panthers, he has drawn the confidence of his teammates.

“Just kind of watching him a little when he’s not looking, he just seems Panthers’ suspenseful Game 5 goalie announcement results in rookie like a professional already at a young age,” said defenseman MacKenzie Spencer Knight getting the start Weegar on Sunday. “It’s weird because he’s always got the routine down, everything’s already so elite, so high-level that, when he gets in the net, it’s almost like you trust him already.

By DAVID FURONES “When he first got his first game, we all looked at each other, it was almost like he was going to be almost a Hall of Famer.” MAY 24, 2021 AT 7:49 PM Added defenseman Brandon Montour: “He’s obviously really excited if

he’s in the net there. We have three really good goalies that, no matter SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers’ goalie carousel — and suspense who’s in net for us, we’re going to bring it. They’re going to bring their leading up to the announcement for a Game 5 starter — led coach Joel game. … We just got to back those guys, no matter if it’s the young guy Quenneville to go with 20-year-old rookie Spencer Knight in net on in net or whoever.” Monday night. Attendance increase Quenneville had all but shown his hand ahead of the reveal 30 minutes Panthers players appreciate that the team increased BB&T Center before the 8 p.m. puck drop at the BB&T Center when Knight led the capacity to “just under” 75 percent for Game 5, up from around 50 team onto the ice for warmups. Knight was in the starter net at Sunday’s percent for Games 1 and 2 earlier in the series. The uptick could fit practice and Monday’s morning skate ahead of the elimination game somewhere in the vicinity of 14,000 fans in the Sunrise arena. against the Tampa Bay Lightning. “Even what it was before, [9,646], the energy was awesome, and now Quenneville played it close to the vest, nonetheless. they’re adding a few more thousand, it’s going to be great,” said forward “We’re going to announce it tonight,” was all Quenneville said after Frank Vatrano after Monday’s morning skate. “The fans have been great Monday’s morning skate. here through our stretch here at home.”

Asked specifically about Knight, Quenneville said, “could be.” Added Brandon Montour: “It was a tough season, and playing with no fans factors in the mood of the game. We’re going to have [around After Sunday’s practice, Quenneville called Knight “an option of 14,000] screaming Florida Panthers fans coming at us. … We’re going to something to consider” but didn’t want to delve too deep into discussing be excited. They’re on our side.” the possibility of starting the 20-year-old with four games of NHL experience. Sun Sentinel LOADED: 05.25.2021

Knight became the youngest goalie to make his postseason debut since Martin Brodeur in 1992, at 19 years, 357 days.

The move comes with the Panthers down 3-1 in the first-round series against the defending Stanley Cup champions, due in large part to uneven play from goalies Sergei Bobrovsky and Chirs Driedger.

Bobrovsky is a two-time Vezina Trophy winner who is two years into his seven-year, $70 million contract. Driedger was top five in the league in save percentage and goals against average during the regular season. Neither has been consistent in net in the playoff series against the Lightning.

Bobrovsky got the Game 1 start against the Lightning. He gave up five goals on 40 Lightning shots, and Quenneville went with Driedger for Game 2, citing an opportunity for Driedger rather than the performance of Bobrovsky, whom he deemed “fine” after three of the goals came against the potent Tampa Bay power play.

Driedger was solid in Game 2, stopping 26 of 28 Tampa shots, but didn’t get the goal support from his skaters in a 3-1 defeat (one Lightning goal was on an empty net). It was Driedger again in Game 3, where it started well until he allowed five goals in the second period.

Quenneville went back to Bobrovsky to start the third period of Game 3, and he clamped down on the Lightning, saving all nine shots he faced in relief, allowing the Panthers to come back from a 5-3 deficit for a 6-5 overtime win.

That performance granted Bobrovsky the Game 4 start, but he allowed five goals on 14 shots on goal and was pulled in the second period. Driedger then saved 11 of 12 shots against him.

Knight, the No. 27 prospect in hockey, according to ESPN, was drafted by the Panthers with the 13th pick in 2019. In January, he shut out Canada to lead the United States to a gold medal at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He was playing with Boston College earlier this year before signing with Florida on March 31.

Debuting a day after his 20th birthday on April 20, Knight was 4-0 in his four regular-season appearances. Winning starts against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars down the final stretch of the regular season, he also won his April 27 appearance in relief of Bobrovsky at the Nashville Predators, shutting the door in the third period for a comeback Panthers victory. He had a .919 save percentage and 2.32 goals against average. 1188718 Florida Panthers During the season, Quenneville said the thing that impressed him the most was that nothing seems to faze Knight as he remains calm and cool under pressure.

Florida Panthers starting Spencer Knight in goal vs. Lightning “Man, the kid’s got some composure,” Quenneville said after Knight made 24 saves in an overtime win at Chicago last month. “We like what we’re seeing.”

Published 9 hours ago on May 24, 2021By George Richards PANTHERS ON DECK

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS, ROUND 1

When the postseason started, the Florida Panthers were not considering GAME 5: LIGHTNING AT PANTHERS playing rookie goalie Spencer Knight against the Lightning. TAMPA BAY LEADS BEST-OF-7 SERIES 3-1 Things have most definitely changed. When: Monday, 8 p.m. Knight will be Florida’s starter Monday night in Game 5 after the Panthers’ tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky and Chris Dreidger have provided Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise mixed results in the first four games. Tickets: AVAILABLE HERE Bobrovsky started the opener, relieved Dridger in Game 3 and was Regular season series: Florida won 5-2-1 pulled after giving up five goals on 12 shots in Saturday’s 6-2 loss to the Lightning. The series so far — Sunday Game 1: Tampa Bay 5, Florida 4; Tuesday Game 2: Tampa Bay 3, Florida 1; Thursday Game 3: Florida 6, Tampa With the Panthers down 3-1 in the best-of-7 series and facing elimination Bay 5 (OT). Saturday Game 4: Tampa Bay 6, Florida 2. Monday night, playing the 20-year-old rookie out of Boston College has a “why not?’’ feel to it. TV: CNBC, BS-FLA

Subscribe to Florida Hockey Now for complete coverage of the Panthers Radio: WQAM 560-AM

Coach Joel Quenneville would not say who would start on Sunday after Florida Hockey NowLOADED: 05.25.2021 Knight worked with goalie coach Robb Tallas in the traditional ‘starter’s net’ in practice at BB&T Center.

“I don’t want to talk too much about an option,’’ Quenneville said. “He’s one of two other options and we like them, as well.’’

Get FHN+ today!

On Monday, Quenneville again refused to name a starter instead allowing Knight to lead the team onto the ice for warm-ups as he announcement.

Chris Driedger will back up Knight; Sergei Bobrovsky will be a healthy scratch.

The Panthers are looking for a spark — and some saves from their goalies — as they play for their season tonight at 8.

One more loss and it’s time to pack up for the summer.

Florida selected Knight with the 13th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft just a few days before signing Bobrovsky to the largest contract in franchise history (seven years, $70 million).

Knight left Boston College after two seasons following the Eagles’ ouster from the NCAA tournament and ended up playing in four games for the Panthers down the stretch.

He become the youngest goalie to start his career 4-0 after he beat Dallas in overtime on May 3.

Playing Knight is a desperate move by a desperate team trying to keep its season alive.

But, Knight has always shown a maturity beyond his years and has drawn praise from coaches and teammates alike for his calm demeanor and professionalism.

MacKenzie Weegar said he and some teammates commented after Knight’s debut that he looked like a guy destined for the Hall of Fame and compared him to Montreal’s Carey Price.

Let’s not jump too far ahead. A good start Monday is all the Panthers need from Knight right this second.

“Just watching Spencer, when he’s not looking, he just seems like a professional already at a young age,’’ Weegar said.

“He already has the routine down, everything is already at such an elite level that when he gets into the net you trust him. … I can’t wait for the chance to play in front of him. He’s a great goalie and a great guy. He’s already a professional with a bright, bright future in front of him.”

This winter, he led Team USA to gold at the World Juniors and Quenneville said one reason Knight became an option, aside from the play of his two veterans, is he has “been on the big stages before.” 1188719 Florida Panthers — Boston players said it was an emotional handshake line with former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. (BHN)

— Game 5 is a big one for the Penguins. They do not want to head to the FHN Daily: Panthers do not name starter for Lightning but Knight likely Coliseum down 3-2. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

— The Avs made things look easy in sweep of the Blues. (Colorado Hockey Now) Published 15 hours ago on May 24, 2021By George Richards — Vegas has some scoring depth. We knew that, right? (Vegas Hockey Now)

Joel Quenneville said he would announce who would start Game 5 in — A goalie change definitely helped the Isles. (NYI Hockey Now) goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning and did not. Still, all signs point to 20-year-old rookie Spencer Knight. — The Oilers got back in their series by taking a 4-1 lead in the third. Wait, what? Jets now in complete control after comeback win Sunday This being the playoffs and all, Quenneville not saying who is in net is not night. (TSN) the most surprising thing in the world. The Lightning know everything about Sergei Bobrovsky and Chris Driedger but can only Watch video of — So, what happened to the Oilers anyways? (TSN) Knight. LOCALS ONLY Still, based on what we have seen the past two days, it looks like Knight The Miami Heat is back in action tonight in Milwaukee and know it needs goes. to shoot better than it did in the OT loss in Game 1. Milwaukee didn’t On Sunday, Knight was in the starter’s net as he was again on Monday exactly shoot the lights out, either. (Miami Herald) morning. You cannot make the assumption he is starting based on that, — The Marlins got another nice start from rookie Cody Poteet, take however; Sunday was a loose practice and Monday was an optional series from the Metropolitans. (MH) skate. — Greg Cote has a podcast. He talks about the Panthers. (MH) Full coverage of the Florida Panthers every day — from the playoffs and beyond. Subscribe to Florida Hockey Now today! — Inter Miami/Fort Lauderdale loses at Solider Field. (MH)

What we can safely assume is the goalie tandem will be Knight and — The Stoneman Douglas Eagles already won a state baseball title now Driedger. Archbishop McCarthy and North Broward try to do so as well. (Sentinel)

On Sunday, both worked the nets while Bobrovsky played “forward” in a PANTHERS ON DECK full-team goof game. STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS, ROUND 1 Monday, Bobrovsky stayed on and did a lot of extra work with the scratch players and then went to the other end to work with Robb Tallas. GAME 5: LIGHTNING AT PANTHERS

If Bobrovsky was starting, he would not be doing this much work on a TAMPA BAY LEADS BEST-OF-7 SERIES 3-1 game day. He probably would not if he was backing up and thinking he When: Monday, 8 p.m. could come on in relief, either. Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise So, we’re thinking Knight starts and Driedger is the backup with Bobrovsky scratched. Tickets: AVAILABLE HERE

Unless there is a mystery goalie within the Panthers organization coming Regular season series: Florida won 5-2-1 out of retirement… The series so far — Sunday Game 1: Tampa Bay 5, Florida 4; Tuesday Knight is also wearing his new mask. Game 2: Tampa Bay 3, Florida 1; Thursday Game 3: Florida 6, Tampa Bay 5 (OT). Saturday Game 4: Tampa Bay 6, Florida 2. Looks like the BC Eagle (pictured above) has been retired. TV: CNBC, BS-FLA, Fox Sports Go (streaming) Quenneville said there would be another lineup move and it may just be Keith Yandle back in the lineup after being scratched the past two Radio: WQAM 560-AM games. Florida Hockey NowLOADED: 05.25.2021 Florida could go with seven defensemen again, but Markus Nutivaara may just be out. Kevin Connauton and Matt Kiersted, the two d-men who could slide in worked with the scratches Monday.

PANTHERS/LIGHTNING LINKS

Game 5 is do-or-die time for the Panthers. Thanks for the newsflash, George. (Florida Hockey Now)

— The Panthers are opening the doors, allowing over 14,000 for tonight’s game. (FHN)

— Please remember to throw your rats after the game. (FHN)

— Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper wasn’t happy with the Panthers nor the officials. He wondered how the game got as chippy as it did. What has he been watching? Or, is this just coaching gamesmanship? Likely. (FHN)

— Kucherov, Sergachev questionable for Game 5? No, they’re playing. (NHL)

— Time for Heat, Panthers stars to get going says Dave Hyde. (Sentinel)

— With second round in sight, Lighting need to keep its cool. (Tampa Bay Times)

AROUND THE NHL

The Boston Bruins are on their way to the second round after taking care of the Capitals in 5. (Boston Hockey Now) 1188720 Florida Panthers Sasha Barkov is Florida’s most dangerous player, but he got way too much attention behind the net on this play. The Lightning didn’t pick up their players once the Panthers entered the zone, and as a result, you saw Gourde dart behind the net, one of three Tampa Bay players in that ‘Just win, baby’: Five reasons Lightning-Panthers series is still alive area, as Mason Marchment cruised into the slot for a gimme.

“It’s bad coverage,” Cooper said. “You could see it coming a mile away. It was a mistake on the track in and we chased it. It’s something where we By Joe Smith May 25, 2021 know better.”

The defensive play of the game The Lightning had slowly navigated their way past the rubber rats and Brayden Point put it best when he said the Panthers beat the Lightning in streamers that fell onto the ice late Monday night when the game’s No. 1 footraces Monday night. star popped on a headset on the opposite bench. There’s no greater example than during arguably a turning point in the There was prized 20-year-old Panthers goalie prospect Spencer Knight game. smiling ear to ear. The interview on the JumboTron was interrupted by a standing ovation and the 14,000-plus fans chanting “SPEN-CER! “SPEN- The Lightning were up 1-0 about five minutes into the second period CER.” He can’t legally drink, and he’s already the toast of the town. when Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat were sprung on a two-on-one. Kucherov, on the right side, flipped a backhand pass across the middle to Spencer gave up a goal on the first Lightning shot, then stopped the next a streaking Palat near the crease. But defenseman Gustav Forsling 36 to help the Panthers stave off elimination in a 4-1 victory at the BB&T hustled back and got a stick on the pass, denying a goal. Center. Had Tampa Bay scored there, it’s 2-0 and the crowd would have been “I was just trying to have fun,” he said. “It’s still just hockey, right?” quieted. It would have been tough for the Panthers to come back — not Knight might grab all the headlines — and deservedly so — but he’s not impossible, but a challenge. the only reason the defending Stanley Cup champions have to go back to MacKenzie Weegar scored off a faceoff less than two minutes later to tie Tampa and play a Game 6 on Wednesday night at Amalie Arena. Does it up, energizing the crowd. And the Lightning didn’t generate many Florida have new life? Or is it just a blip for the Lightning? quality looks after that. “That’s a good team over there,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. “We just played slow tonight,” Stamkos said. “We talked about that at “They weren’t just going to roll over and die. It’s two really good teams intermission. We weren’t coming back and supporting the ‘D.’ We were going at it. We knew it’d be a tough series from the beginning. There’s no standing still too much, didn’t allow the ‘D’ to get up in the play. It was point in dwelling on the past. We’ll expect a better effort from our team.” self-inflicted a bit, not utilizing our speed.” Here are a few other reasons Tampa Bay hasn’t closed out the Panthers. It was clear which team was more desperate Monday, and you Penalties are ‘killing’ them understand that with the Panthers’ season on the line. But Stamkos said the Lightning still need to grind it out more in the tough areas if they want The Lightning couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. to win Wednesday.

Fifty-three seconds into the first period, Blake Coleman blew by Keith “We stopped winning races with our feet,” said Point, who was the only Yandle near mid-ice and started a two-on-one with rookie Ross Colton, Lightning forward without a shot on goal. “We started playing slower in who finished a centering feed. The Lightning were up 1-0, scoring on the neutral zone. We dumped a lot of pucks in. They were winning the their first shot on Knight, the touted rookie. races to the puck.”

“We got some momentum,” Stamkos said. “We got a boost.” No power plays

Then the Lightning got undisciplined. With the Panthers holding the edge in five-on-five expected goals percentage, five-on-five scoring chances and high-danger chances At the three-minute mark of the first, Victor Hedman took a hooking throughout the series, the Lightning’s power play has been a major penalty. Ryan McDonagh was called for roughing four minutes later. difference-maker. The unit scored seven goals on its first 12 chances, Midway through the period, Ondrej Palat got baited by agitator Ryan including a couple of more in Saturday’s Game 4 win. Lomberg and went to the box for interference. But the Panthers were more disciplined Monday, giving Tampa Bay just Now, the Panthers didn’t score on those three power plays. And Tampa two power plays, which amounted to 2:08 of time with the man Bay finished the period up 13-1 in scoring chances at five-on-five. But advantage. having to spend so much time killing penalties zapped the Lightning of momentum and energy. This wasn’t Yanni Gourde or Blake Coleman’s Unlike Saturday, it was the Lightning who lost their cool by the end of this best game, but they spent 2:23 short-handed. McDonagh (3:43) and Erik one, with Pat Maroon cross-checking Noel Acciari right off the faceoff Cernak (3:51), the shutdown pair, logged nearly four minutes in those with 10 minutes left, starting a scrum at center ice. high-leverage situations. The kid Then, after a Mikhail Sergachev turnover late in the second period, Luke Schenn was forced to race back and commit a holding penalty to thwart a You’ve got to give Knight credit. breakaway attempt. The Panthers scored on the ensuing power play for In his first NHL playoff game, he gives up a goal on his first shot, and a 3-1 lead. he’s completely unfazed. “It’s killing us,” Cooper said. “It’s killing our game. It’s killing our “Once you let in one, you just reset,” Knight said. “‘All right, this is how it’s momentum. You can’t keep giving them freebies. It swings momentum in going to go.’ You can’t do anything to change it. Let’s go play now. It was pockets of games. We definitely got to take less penalties. a good goal by them. I just tried to recover after that, smile and have fun.” “And for whatever reason, they must not take very many. They do a good Knight, the former Boston College standout, reflected on how he was in job because it seems like we’re the only ones taking them.” quarantine and not even in the gym yet at this time last year. He told Defensive zone breakdowns himself this year to be grateful every time he got to play in a game, so the four NHL games he appeared in during the regular season were a blast. The Lightning have had their share of issues with defensive zone coverage this season. It’s no secret. They’ll sometimes lose track of the Knight made some key saves during a Lightning first-period power play, most dangerous player on the ice, leaving the middle wide open. and then in the third, including on a shot by Maroon on the doorstep. The Lightning want to challenge him more in the next game, feeling they That was the case on the Panthers’ go-ahead goal with three minutes left didn’t get enough traffic in front. in the second period. “He hung in there,” Cooper said. “I thought they defended well in front of him. We left a lot of plays out there.” It’s hard to imagine the Panthers beating the Lightning in three straight games. Tampa Bay didn’t lose two in a row all of last year’s postseason on its run to the Cup. But Knight gave Florida some life, a lot of belief, where if he can steal a game Wednesday, all of a sudden it’s Game 7 back in Sunrise on Friday.

This is an experienced, battle-tested championship team in the Lightning that knows what it has to do to close a series out. It’s the same thing Cooper told the media this morning when asked about how his team should handle the emotions and message-sending in the series.

It’s the same phrase Cooper wrote on the board before Game 7 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Final in Madison Square Garden before beating the Rangers in a shutout. It’s what longtime Raiders owner Al Davis was known for always saying.

“Just win, baby.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188721 Los Angeles Kings

Ducks hire former Kings executive Jeff Solomon as vice president of hockey operations

By HELENE ELLIOTT

MAY 24, 2021 3:24 PM PT

Jeff Solomon, whose expertise with the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement helped the Kings navigate tricky rules while he negotiated contracts and maximized their salary cap space, has left after 15 seasons to become the Ducks’ vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager. Solomon fills a spot that opened when David McNab, who had worked for the Ducks since 1993 and had been their senior vice president of hockey operations since 2008, retired two weeks ago.

Solomon, 63, a University of San Diego law school graduate, will oversee strategic budget planning for the Ducks as it relates to the NHL’s labor agreement with the NHL Players’ Assn. In a statement issued on Monday, the Ducks said Solomon also will oversee issues related to the salary cap, contract and arbitration negotiations, and player evaluation.

Solomon was an attorney who focused on tax issues and estate planning before becoming an agent for professional players. He joined the Kings for the 2006-07 season. He managed their often difficult CBA issues while they won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014 and most recently held the titles of executive vice president of hockey operations and legal affairs. Solomon has been involved with NHL players and issues for 35 years.

The Kings missed the playoffs for the third season in a row and the fifth time in seven seasons. The time is now for GM Rob Blake to make the team better.

“Jeff has been a key member of our organization for several years. At Jeff’s request, we agreed to mutually terminate his employment agreement to allow him to pursue other career opportunities,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate all that Jeff has done for our hockey operations group and we thank him for his contributions.”

LA Times: LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188722 Los Angeles Kings “Jeff is as knowledgeable as any executive in the entire NHL when it comes to analytics,” said influential player agent Allan Walsh of Octagon.

It will be a major loss for the Kings, as Solomon essentially carried out Kings executive jumps to Ducks: What Jeff Solomon’s move means for the job of three individuals, leading and having built the analytics each front office department, negotiating contracts and managing the cap. He was adept at formulating solutions when faced with salary-cap woes.

One of his biggest salary cap challenges was early in the 2014-15 By Lisa Dillman and Eric Stephens May 25, 2021 season, when the Kings were $160 short in cap room and could not call up a player making the minimum salary and had to play short one

defenseman against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 8 because of an The Ducks did not waste any time — or look far — in filling an important injury to Robyn Regehr. vacancy in their front office. “The old term about being a day late and a dollar short is almost accurate This, however, was not a promotion from within. Jeff Solomon comes to the penny,” Solomon told L.A. Kings Insider. from outside their organization, but the 63-year-old executive’s new office Later, Solomon took on another vital task, hiring analytics guru and will be just a couple of Southern California freeways away from his old author Rob Vollman shortly before the 2018-19 season and then adding one. Hayden Speak to the mix in August 2019. Speak was the founder and Solomon joins Anaheim as its vice president of hockey operations and creator of prospect-stats.com. assistant general manager after spending the last 15 years with the rival “We had to build the analytics up from the ground floor,” Mark Yannetti, Los Angeles Kings. That’s where he played a crucial part in the the Kings’ director of amateur scouting, told The Athletic in June of 2020, organization’s ability to become a Western Conference power, one that reached the heights of Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014. For Vollman, Solomon was an important factor in making the move from Calgary to Southern California. The Kings have taken a downturn, winning just one playoff game since 2014 and missing the postseason for three years running. It is a state the “Jeff represents the organization very well in the sense that he has a real Ducks are familiar with, having also sat out three straight playoffs and long-term thorough commitment to everything that can give the team an having slid down the West’s hierarchy toward the bottom of the NHL. But edge,” Vollman said in 2020 to The Athletic. “I know his commitment to that won’t be the only similarity Solomon finds upon taking on his new this field. It’s not an infatuation or a fad to him or to the organization.” position. Solomon got his start in the business of NHL hockey as a player agent. Solomon will manage Anaheim’s salary cap and be its go-to voice when Among his clients were former Kings Tony Granato and Nelson it comes to navigating the league’s collective bargaining agreement. He Emerson, who is the team’s director of player personnel. will also oversee the team’s yearly budget that is spent on player contracts and he will handle negotiations on new deals. Much of those “Agents talk to other agents and bump into each other,” Walsh said. “The tasks were covered by David McNab, who announced his retirement two industry is hyper-competitive and lots of times agents bump into agents weeks ago as senior vice president of hockey operations after occupying and look the other way. I was just breaking into the business and any multiple executive roles for the Ducks since they entered the league in time I bumped into Jeff in Anaheim or in L.A, after a game waiting for 1993. clients, he always came over to say hello and was always warm and willing to chat and to be professional. Leaving one rebuilding situation, from the Kings’ headquarters in suburban El Segundo, for another just 45 miles away in Anaheim’s home “He carried and conducted himself like a pro, as opposed to some of the base in the Orange County city of Irvine, Solomon will walk into an other guys who wouldn’t even acknowledge your presence and look the offseason with the Ducks in which he will be part of some key decisions other way.” about the immediate and longer-term future of players, and for the first Walsh later faced Solomon in contract negotiations after Solomon went time in years, the Ducks will have some cap flexibility. to work for then-general manager Dean Lombardi and the Kings. Mike Futa, who worked in the Kings’ front office from 2007-20, said the Solomon’s son Drew is also in the hockey business, as an agent with Ducks are “getting an all-star at that position” when it comes to cap Octagon. management and that “it’s a huge pickup” for the franchise. In negotiating, Walsh said he dealt with Solomon 99 percent of the time “He’s as good at that job as anyone I’ve ever seen,” Futa told The when it came to Kings’ contracts. Athletic on Monday. “Meticulous. He’s very good at it. He treats the “He is someone who is obsessively and meticulously prepared for any owner’s money like it’s his own and he’s very, very knowledgeable. He conversation you have during a negotiation,” Walsh said. “Knowing how was invaluable to the group.” prepared he is and how obsessed he is with being prepared — and I This isn’t the first time the Ducks have made a hire with notable ties to mean a total obsession — you just know that whenever you’re dealing the Kings. In July 2019, Darryl Sutter was brought onto the coaching staff with him, you had better be just as obsessed and just as prepared. by general manager Bob Murray as an advisor to Dallas Eakins after “Because he will leave no stone unturned in pushing the best interests of spending two years in retirement. Sutter, who coached the Kings to their the club.” two titles before being fired after the 2016-17 season, left his Alberta cattle farm this year to helm Calgary for a second stint with the Flames. Added another prominent agent, Pat Brisson of CAA, who has also done deals with Solomon over the years: “Knows his role very well. He is very With the departures of Futa and Solomon in less than 13 months, the organized and knowledgeable. Definitely talented and prepared.” Kings have parted ways with two hockey operations executives who had a combined 28 years with the team. It will be interesting to see how the Ducks continue to shape their management structure. The organization has been criticized for being “Jeff has been a key member of our organization for several years,” the slow to embrace analytics when it comes to player evaluation. Given his team said in a three-sentence statement Monday. “At Jeff’s request, we experience with the Kings, Solomon could make inroads there. agreed to mutually terminate his employment agreement to allow him to pursue other career opportunities. We appreciate all that Jeff has done He’ll be the third assistant GM supporting Murray, the franchise’s top for our hockey operations group and we thank him for his contributions.” decision-maker. Martin Madden was promoted last summer, as the Ducks did not want their scouting chief to be lured away, with the Solomon, who was hired by the Kings in 2007, represented continuity expansion Seattle Kraken pursuing him. Dave Nonis, who previously was and institutional knowledge in what has become an increasingly insular GM in Vancouver and Toronto, remains a top lieutenant with management group. He had been their executive vice president of longstanding ties to his Anaheim boss. hockey operations and legal affairs. As the Kings enter their most important offseason in years, it is unclear if they will immediately hire a Futa said Solomon worked well with Lombardi, who was a “get it done” replacement for Solomon or if his responsibilities will be shared by others executive who wanted someone who could execute the strategies he had already working with hockey operations, or a combination. in mind. Now the one-time agent will be a key part of their rival’s brain trust. “If Dean gave him a project, everything that he did was done efficiently and professionally,” Futa said. “I think it was really fun for Solly because being an agent, you kind of don’t get to be part of a team. And I think for Solly, to be part of a team and to win a Cup as a teammate, I think that was something in his professional life that was missing, and I think it was really good for him.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188723 Los Angeles Kings Obviously much more to come this offseason, and we look forward to bringing it to you here on LAKI.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 05.25.2021 Key Offseason Dates + All The Kings Men Preview

By Zach Dooley16 hours ago

Insiders, it’s an interesting offseason ahead.

I joined Jesse Cohen late last week to take a look at several facets of this offseason. We discussed the upcoming Draft Lottery, the first of several key dates to come over the next few months. We also dove, not too deeply at this time, into possible options for the Kings in terms of their protected list for the Seattle Expansion Draft, plus details surrounding the NHL Draft and free agency, with all three events slated to happen within a very exciting seven-day span this summer.

Key Dates

June 2 – Draft Lottery

July 17 – Protected Lists Submitted

July 21 – Seattle Expansion Draft

July 23 & 24 – 2021 NHL Draft

July 26 – Qualifying Offers Due for Restricted Free Agents*

July 28 – Free Agency Opens

*Per CapFriendly

The Kings will have the eighth-best odds at winning the lottery, which this season is just the first two selections. The Kings have an 11.8 percent chance of selecting in the Top 2, and a 5.8% chance of selecting first overall. Those odds are slightly higher, however, with Arizona’s first- round pick forfeited. If the Coyotes win the lottery, a re-draw will occur.

Heading into the expansion draft, the Kings will have some decisions to make, regarding which players they decide to keep, protecting eight skaters versus seven forwards and three defensemen, and who to expose to be selected by the Seattle Kraken. Whether or not the Kings agree to terms with some of the restricted free agents below will play into that process, as well as possible trades in advance of July 17. Regardless of how it shakes out, the Kings will have no problems meeting the expansion criteria for exposed players.

The next event to hit is the NHL Draft, in which the Kings currently have eight selections. As of this writing, LA has the following picks at its disposal –

1st Round (LAK)

2nd Round x2 (LAK, STL)

3rd Round x2 (LAK, TOR)

4th Round (CGY)

5th Round (LAK)

6th Round (LAK)

Looking at free agency, the Kings have the following collection of free agents throughout their organization –

UFA – Mark Alt, Daniel Brickley, Troy Grosenick

RFA – Lias Andersson, Andreas Athanasiou, Kale Clague, Mikey Eyssimont, Boko Imama, Blake Lizotte, Matt Luff, Trevor Moore, Jacob Moverare, Drake Rymsha, Austin Strand, Christian Wolanin

*Lists Via CapFriendly

A full list of free agents around the NHL can be found here.

At this time, the Kings have substantial flexibility in terms of both cap space and contracts available. The organization has more than $20 million in projected cap space, with two goaltenders, seven defensemen and 13 forwards, that played at least one game with the organization in 2021, signed for the 2021-22 season. The Kings also currently have 34 players signed to contracts, well below the league maximum of 50. 1188724 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Vegas Game 5 recap

MAY 25, 2021 — 12:26AM

SARAH McLELLAN

GAME RECAP

STAR TRIBUNE'S THREE STARS

1. Cam Talbot, Wild: The goalie fended off 38 shots by the Golden Knights, including 21 in the second period.

2. Jordan Greenway, Wild: The winger capped off a three-goal first period for the Wild with the eventual game-winner.

3. Alec Martinez, Golden Knights: The defenseman scored during a second period dominated by Vegas.

BY THE NUMBERS

1 Shot by the Wild in the second period, a franchise low for a period in a playoff game.

3 Goals by the Wild on six shots in the first period.

14 Shots by the Wild, the fewest for a playoff game in team history.

Star Tribune LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188725 Minnesota Wild Overall, the Wild scored three times on just six shots. The three goals are also the most by the Wild in the first period in the team's playoff history.

BOXSCORE: Wild 4, Vegas 2 Wild survives to fight another day, beats Vegas 4-2 But much like the first, the Golden Knights were in control to begin the second.

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MAY 25, 2021 — 1:42AM And again, they took advantage.

Soon after winger Marcus Foligno saved a goal by sweeping a puck away from the goal line after it got behind Talbot, defenseman Alec LAS VEGAS – The Wild won't be the only team traveling back to Martinez scored on a one-timer from inside the right faceoff circle on the Minnesota. power play at 9:43. Vegas' power play finished 1-for-2, while the Wild didn't get an opportunity. So will the Golden Knights. Ultimately, the Golden Knights outshot the Wild 14-0 before the Wild put After shrugging off its scoring funk with a less-is-more strategy, the Wild its first shot on net of the period – a 30-plus foot wrister by winger Nick extended its season and forced a Game 6 back at Xcel Energy Center by Bonino with 7:15 to go in the second. And that was the lone shot the Wild outlasting Vegas 4-2 on Monday in front of an announced crowd of had in the period, a franchise low for a single period in a playoff game. 12,156 at T-Mobile Arena to trail the best-of-seven series 3-2. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights continued to swarm the Wild. Winger The next must-win for the Wild is Wednesday at 8 p.m. in St. Paul. Alex Tuch nearly tied the game on three shots before the period "We're not going to start dreaming about winning the series until we get it mercifully ended for the Wild with the team still sporting a slim one-goal done," defenseman Ian Cole. "But this was a great first step in that lead despite giving up 22 shots that tied the franchise record for the most process." given up by the Wild in a period in the playoffs.

Forwards Kirill Kaprizov, Zach Parise and Jordan Greenway each scored "Some guys were out there for two, three icings in a row and couldn't get their first goals of these playoffs, combining in the first period to give the off," Talbot said. "But we never quit. We were doing everything we could Wild a lead it'd narrowly preserve after coming close to blowing it on putting everything we could in front of the puck." multiple occasions while managing a franchise-low 14 shots. Vegas applied similar in the third period, but the Wild handled it better Center Nico Sturm banked a puck off the boards that trickled into an and mixed in a few more shots to hold on in the game and the series. empty Vegas net with 39 seconds to go. "It's the first step in a very long process, very long journey to getting this Wild goalie Cam Talbot made 38 saves, and Marc-Andre Fleury had 10. done," Cole said. "We just have to keep going. The series isn't over. We've got to win Game 6." "It was a grind," Talbot said. "But those are the kind of games you have to win on the road in a hostile environment like this, and we were able to Star Tribune LOADED: 05.25.2021 do that."

This breakthrough by the Wild offense started early and after the team fell behind to the Golden Knights.

While the Wild was still searching for its first shot on net, Vegas opened the scoring after captain Mark Stone got loose in the Wild's zone and wired a puck by Talbot's glove 8 minutes, 14 seconds into the first period for his series-leading fourth goal.

But the Wild responded only 52 second later, converting on its first shot of the game.

Late in his shift, winger Mats Zuccarello led a rush into the offensive zone and dished off to a wide-open Kaprizov for a rising shot that handcuffed Fleury.

"That definitely gave us a boost," Wild coach Dean Evason said.

Not only did the finish snap the Wild's scoreless skid at 120:36, but the goal was Kaprizov's first in the playoffs. He's the seventh Wild rookie to record a playoff goal.

On the team's third shot, the Wild scored again – this time after Parise batted a bounce off the end boards off Fleury and into the net at 11:57. Parise, who was promoted from the fourth line to skate alongside winger Kevin Fiala and center Ryan Hartman, is the Wild's all-time leader in playoff goals (15) and points (35).

"I was pretty happy to see that one go in and give us a lead at the time," Parise said.

And then with 3:26 to go in the first, Greenway put the Wild up 3-1 on his third straight shot against Fleury – a determined finish after Greenway hauled the puck through the neutral zone and into Vegas territory for his first goal of the series and second career in the playoffs.

"It was rewarding for obviously myself but for the entire squad just to know that if we take advantage of our opportunities and create the quality chances that we did we can score and we can have the success that we had tonight," Greenway said.

Rookie defenseman Calen Addison, who was making his postseason debut in place of the injured Carson Soucy, earned his first career point on the play for his assist during a give-and-go with Greenway. 1188726 Minnesota Wild "We've liked that line in the past. They've fed off each other and had a nice chemistry."

New standard Wild rookie defenseman Calen Addison makes his NHL playoff debut Joel Eriksson Ek was officially credited with two goals through the first four games against the Golden Knights, but in reality he scored four times. By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MAY 24, 2021 — 11:18PM The center had a goal disallowed in Games 3 and 4, both due to successful coach's challenges by the Golden Knights, but the production continued Eriksson Ek's best season to date with the Wild. LAS VEGAS – Calen Addison made his NHL debut in February with the Wild, and on Monday he achieved another milestone: skating in the "Impressed? Yeah, for sure," Evason said. "Surprised? No, definitely not. Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time. He plays so hard every night. You ask somebody to do the right things or want to watch somebody do the right things in all areas of the game, on The rookie defenseman played Game 5 against the Golden Knights at T- and off the ice, it's him. Mobile Arena, replacing Carson Soucy, who was out with an upper-body injury. Addison, a right shot, worked on the Wild's third defensive pairing "Obviously, he's continued to do what he did all season." with veteran Ian Cole. After racking up a career-high 19 goals in 56 regular-season games, "He's probably definitely going to have some nerves going, but he's a Eriksson Ek emerged as the Wild's steadiest player against Vegas early good player," winger Jordan Greenway said. "When he did play for us in the series. earlier in the season, he had a great impact for us. He did a lot of good things. So, I think if he just focuses on doing what he does and not try to He capitalized in overtime for the Wild's 1-0 win in Game 1 and converted do anything crazy, I think he'll be fine. He'll get the job done." again in Game 3. His other goal that night was called back after video review determined the play was offside. Eriksson Ek then had another Addison picked up his first NHL point in the first period Monday, assisting tally erased in Game 4 because of goaltender interference. on Greenway's first period goal. Still, he showed he's capable of delivering in important situations. A prized prospect at the time he was acquired by the Wild in the Jason Combine that offense with his clutch defensive performance, and this Zucker trade with the Penguins last season, Addison has lived up to that prowess at both ends of the ice is now the standard for the 24-year-old hype since becoming a full-time pro. Eriksson Ek, who is up for a new contract before next season — which will be his sixth in the NHL. He helped fill out the blue line when the Wild resumed its season shorthanded after a COVID-19 shutdown, logging a hefty 19 minutes, 41 "The work ethic standard was always there," Evason said. "He just didn't seconds in his first game on Feb. 16 at Los Angeles. Addison played have the results, and now that you go through your career and the next to top-pairing defenseman Ryan Suter, appeared on the power play confidence that he has now, that's not going to waver. The way that he and was even on the ice late in the game. plays the game is not going to change. So, we don't expect any part of his game to change course from what it was this year and through these The 21-year-old remained in the lineup for two more games before going playoffs." back to the minors, but he left an impression. Star Tribune LOADED: 05.25.2021 "He was great," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "Provided us with a lot defensively, offensively. Moved the puck extremely well. He's had a real good year in Iowa."

This was Addison's first full-length professional season since being drafted in the second round 53rd overall by Pittsburgh in 2018. Overall, in 31 games in the this year, the 5-11, 180-pound Addison picked up six goals and 16 assists, finished a plus-7 and accrued 78 shots. He ranked second with Iowa in assists and shots and tied for third in scoring.

Among all AHL defensemen, Addison tied for first in shots and ended up third in scoring while sitting second in scoring among rookie defensemen.

"Happy to have him in," veteran forward Nick Bonino said. "He's a great player. I'm sure there's nerves but seems like the younger guys these days are getting more and more self-assured and ready to go whenever they're called on."

Lineup shuffle

Addison's addition to the back end wasn't the only change the Wild made for Game 5 against Vegas.

Nick Bjugstad returned to the lineup after he was scratched for Game 4, in his usual post on the fourth line next to Bonino and center Nico Sturm. Kyle Rau, who suited up for Game 4, didn't play.

The Wild also reorganized two other lines, reuniting wingers Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello with center Victor Rask and moving center Ryan Hartman between wingers Zach Parise and Kevin Fiala.

Kaprizov, Zuccarello and Rask were a dominant line for the Wild early in the season.

"The nice thing about this season is that we've gone through a process where different people have played with different people," Evason said. "That's what we do so that when we get to this spot if we do make a couple of tweaks and a couple of changes, you go back to what you believe is something that's worked in the past and something that can work in the future. 1188727 Minnesota Wild The reporter did not travel for this game. This article was written using the television broadcast and video interviews after the game.

Star Tribune LOADED: 05.25.2021 Golden Knights open their doors to a bigger crowd for Game 5 vs. Wild

By Randy Johnson Star Tribune MAY 24, 2021 — 9:50PM

After playing in front of an announced 8,683 in Games 1 and 2 at T- Mobile Arena and 4,500 for Games 3 and 4 at Xcel Energy Center, the Golden Knights were looking forward to relaxed COVID-19 restrictions that will allow for more than 11,000 beginning with Monday's Game 5 in Las Vegas.

"Obviously, that's an advantage for us for sure and there's no doubt we would love nothing more than to close them out at home in front of our home crowd," Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said. "But the elimination game is always the toughest and you're playing a really good hockey team. The margins in every game so far have been razor-thin."

Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, in his first season with the Golden Knights after spending 12 in St. Louis, was relishing the opportunity to close out a series at home.

"When I was an opposing player coming in, this is obviously a fun place to play,'' he said. "Being the home team now, it's been real fun so far. Even before we increased capacity, it keeps on getting better. It's always special to play in games and close out at home. It's hard to do that, but I think this group's up for it. The way we played these last couple games, we really built something special here heading into the end of the series.''

Flower blooming

Through four playoff games, Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had given up four goals. In Saturday's 4-0 victory over the Wild, he posted his 16th career playoff shutout, which moved him into a tie with Curtis Joseph for third most in NHL. Only Martin Brodeur (24) and Patrick Roy (23) have more.

Fleury and Robin Lehner had been alternating starts in the regular season, but DeBoer is playing the hot hand.

"I'm sure they're both going to play a role at different points,'' DeBoer said, "but right now Flower's rolling.''

Last year, DeBoer faced a goalie controversy when he started Lehner for 16 games and Fleury for four as the Knights reached the Western Conference final. Fleury's agent, Allan Walsh, even put out a tweet during the postseason with a Photoshopped picture of Fleury being impaled by a sword with DeBoer's name on it.

"Everyone realized this year coming in that whatever the situation rolled out that we were going to make sure it was handled property,'' DeBoer said. "Robin Lehner's role is understated. The support he's giving Flower isn't just what you see on Twitter. It's in the dressing room, it's between periods, it's genuine.''

Paying off

After Pietrangelo swept the puck off the goal line just before Wild forward Jordan Greenway could nudge it into the net for a goal late in Game 3 on Thursday, Fleury said, "I might have to owe him a beer or something. Or Diet Coke.''

On Monday, Pietrangelo confirmed he received the beverage. "Yeah, we shared a nice Diet Coke after the game, I'll tell you that,'' Pietrangelo said with a smile. "It's desperation. At that time of the game, this time of the year, you have to do everything you can to keep the puck out of the back of the net. I didn't have a stick, so I saw Greenway coming. Not much of a choice but to put your body on the line.

"Flower's definitely covered my butt a few times,'' he added, "so I think I should be the one buying him a Diet Coke.''

Injury update

Brayden McNabb, who missed Game 4 because of an undisclosed injury, was a game-time decision but played in Game 5, as did fellow Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez. Forwards Max Pacioretty and Tomas Nosek did not play. 1188728 Minnesota Wild 4: Goals by the Wild in the playoffs. 116: Saves by Talbot on 126 shots in the playoffs.

0: Goals in eight power plays for the Wild. Calen Addison in, Carson Soucy out for Wild's must-win Game 5 vs. Golden Knights About the Golden Knights:

Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb skated Monday morning after missing Game 4. Coach Pete DeBoer, however, said the team hadn't By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MAY 24, 2021 — 2:52PM made a decision on whether McNabb would play in Game 5. DeBoer also called forwards Max Pacioretty and Tomas Nosek and defenseman Alec Martinez game-time decisions. Pacioretty (upper-body injury) hasn't LAS VEGAS – Rookie defenseman Calen Addison will make his playoff played yet in the series. Nosek has been out since Game 2. Martinez has debut for the Wild on Monday night at T-Mobile Arena, a must-win Game suited up for every game in the series so far. 5 for the Wild to extend its season after falling behind 3-1 in the best-of- seven series to the Golden Knights. Scoring futility puts Wild one loss from season's end tonight in Vegas

Carson Soucy is out with an upper-body injury. Scoring futility puts Wild one loss from season's end tonight in Vegas

"He's a great player," veteran forward Nick Bonino said of the 21-year-old The Wild hasn't scored a goal in 111 1⁄2 minutes against the Golden Addison. "I'm sure there's nerves but seems like the younger guys these Knights, who could end Minnesota's season by winning Game 5. days are getting more and more self-assured and ready to go whenever Star Tribune LOADED: 05.25.2021 they're called on."

Acquired in the Jason Zucker trade with the Penguins last season, Addison skated in three regular season games with the Wild – receiving rave reviews for his composure on the ice. He'll draw in on the Wild's third defensive pairing alongside veteran Ian Cole, who was Soucy's partner before Soucy got hurt.

"He was great," coach Dean Evason said of Addison's regular-season performance. "Provided us with a lot defensively, offensively. Moved the puck extremely well. He's had a real good year in Iowa. Yeah, really liked his game."

The Wild also changed its forward lines ahead of Game 5 with the team stuck in a scoreless rut of 111 minutes, 30 seconds. Wingers Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello were reunited with center Victor Rask, a line that was extremely productive for the Wild earlier in the season.

Kevin Fiala, who's still searching for his first goal of these playoffs despite leading the series in shots with 18, skated Monday morning with winger Zach Parise and center Ryan Hartman.

Nick Bjugstad also appears to be back in the lineup after getting scratched for Game 4 when Parise and Kyle Rau played. Bjugstad was back on the fourth line with Bonino and center Nico Sturm. The Wild's top line of Jordan Greenway, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno remained intact. Goalie Cam Talbot will be back in net.

When the Wild gathered on the ice for that warm-up session, the vibe was energetic as the players participated in a game of shinny.

"Let the guys have some fun, right?" Evason said. "We're struggling to score goals. There's no sense in squeezing the pucks even tighter. We like our looks that we've had. We just need to finish them off, catch a break here and there.

"We need to play with desperation, and we need one win at a time. That's what we tried to stress to the group today. We had a real good meeting. When the puck's dropped, we're going to be intense and we're going to work. But there's no sense being tight here this morning."

Projected lineup:

Jordan Greenway-Joel Eriksson Ek-Marcus Foligno

Kirill Kaprizov- Victor Rask-Mats Zuccarello

Zach Parise-Ryan Hartman-Kevin Fiala

Nick Bonino-Nico Sturm-Nick Bjugstad

Ryan Suter-Jared Spurgeon

Jonas Brodin-Matt Dumba

Ian Cole-Calen Addison

Cam Talbot

Key numbers:

11-10: Record for the Wild when facing elimination.

4-7: Record all-time for the Wild in Game 5. 1188729 Minnesota Wild They declined to add Matt Boldy to the playoff lineup, and didn't use Parise until Game 4, even though he was healthy and should be a useful player in the playoffs.

Let's count all the ways that Wild isn't measuring up to Vegas It's fair to give Guerin and Evason time to build a team capable of winning in the playoffs. It might be premature to assume they have the right answers.

MAY 24, 2021 — 8:17AM • After splitting the first two games in Vegas, the Wild talked about the importance of getting back to the Xcel Energy Center. That sentiment Jim Souhan should have stayed in Vegas.

The Wild fell to 2-10 in its past 12 home playoff games. Packaged for your convenience, here is everything you don't want to If the Wild finds a way to win this series, it will be one of the great upsets know about your Wild: in Minnesota sports history. We probably should have been thinking that • You don't need analytics to figure out why the team trails 3-1 in its way all along. playoff series with Vegas. The eye test will do. The Wild hasn't scored a goal in 111 1⁄2 minutes against the Golden Both teams have impressive skill players, but there is a reason boxing Knights, who could end Minnesota's season by winning Game 5. and wrestling divide competitors by weight, not skill. Star Tribune LOADED: 05.25.2021 If a 220-pound man leans on a 180-pound man, the 180-pounder might hold up for a while, but he will lose in the long run. The Wild is losing in the long run.

After winning Game 1, the Wild played Vegas evenly in Game 2 before losing, and dominated play in the first period of Game 3. Then the Golden Knights started leaning on the Wild.

Suddenly, Vegas was easily getting to the goal front, putting away loose pucks and blocking Cam Talbot's vision. Since the beginning of that second period, the Wild has not scored.

Among Vegas' most skilled wingers are Mark Stone (6-3, 205) and Alex Tuch (6-4, 217.)

Among the Wild's most skilled wingers are Kirill Kaprizov (5-9, 185), Kevin Fiala (5-10, 193) and Mats Zuccarello (5-8, 184).

Vegas' defense is large, while the Wild relies on smaller, leaner players.

The longer the series has gone on, the more the Wild has looked like the little brother getting taught a lesson by the bigger brother.

Vegas' might have more skill as well. One Wild player scored more than 40 points this season — Kaprizov. Four Vegas players scored more than 40 points.

Big, skilled players beating smaller skilled players? That shouldn't be a surprise.

When you're relying on Matt Dumba (6-0, 182 pounds) to be one of your tough guys, your team just isn't that tough.

• The Wild is losing the battle at the most important position in hockey.

Talbot has played well this season and he isn't solely to blame for the Wild's deficit in this series. But his counterpart, Marc-Andre Fleury, has been spectacular, and Fleury's ability to hold the Wild at bay in Game 2 might have saved the series for Vegas.

• Vegas has the more experienced roster, and that experience includes playoff success.

Kaprizov is at the end of his first NHL season and has been asked to carry a lot of weight for a rookie. He'll probably learn from this experience, but the lesson might continue to be painful.

Last year, Fiala was the best player on a team that won its first playoff game, then was swept out of the playoffs. He still has to prove he can dominate a postseason series.

The Wild's most experienced quality players, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, are playing lesser roles than they did the last time the Wild won a playoff series.

Vegas has proved itself. The Wild has not.

• Similarly, Vegas has proved itself a shrewd organization ever since it stole Tuch from the Wild in the expansion draft. The Wild's brain trust remains unproven. Bill Guerin sounds like a quality general manager, but he isn't responsible for the acquisitions of the Wild's best players. Dean Evason seemed to have the right touch with this team during an impressive regular season, but will have to win on Monday night to keep his postseason record from being 2-7. 1188730 Minnesota Wild That's how the Wild has typically capitalized against Vegas, a relatively successful track record that includes a history of playing well at the Golden Knights' T-Mobile Arena.

Scoring futility puts Wild one loss from season's end tonight in Vegas "It may be something that we can feel good about going down there that we have been able to win games down there in that building," Parise said.

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MAY 24, 2021 — 5:48AM But an even better boost might come from embracing the urgency of its situation.

"We can't say to the guys, 'We're OK,' " Evason said. "We're not OK. Kevin Fiala smacked his stick over the back of the Vegas net. We're down 3-1. We're not OK. We have to have desperation in our He had darted in between the Golden Knights defense before getting off game." a backhand that narrowly missed. Seconds later, The Wild winger -went After going 0-for-2 in six minutes with the man advantage in Saturday's 4- to his forehand and that puck stayed out, too. 0 Game 4 loss to Vegas, the Wild power play is 0-for-8 in the series, and Finally, after scooping up the rebound, he shuffled it toward the crease coach Dean Evason is looking for answers. only to have the puck skirt a vacant net and get cleared out by Vegas. Star Tribune LOADED: 05.25.2021 "It's frustrating," Fiala said. "It's not just shots. It's great opportunities that aren't going in."

A scoring recession has dropped the team into a 3-1 hole against the Golden Knights in this best-of-seven first-round series. And if the Wild doesn't snap out of this slump to stave off elimination in Game 5 on Monday night at Vegas, its downfall will look like the epitaphs of other early exits.

"We are getting pucks to the net," coach Dean Evason said. "We are getting people to the net. We are real close to getting that bounce. You gain some of that momentum, and it starts snowballing."

The lopsided ledger for the series isn't the only eyesore the Wild is trying to fix.

After getting shut down 4-0 by the Golden Knights on Saturday in Game 4 at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild hasn't scored in 111 minutes, 30 seconds — a skid that started in the first period of Game 3.

Oddly enough, this rut began right after the Wild had its best execution of the postseason. The team went up 2-0 and then center Joel Eriksson Ek buried a third goal, but a coach's challenge for offside reversed it. Since then, the Wild offense has stalled.

In Game 4, Eriksson Ek did get a puck by Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury but it, too, was called back because of a coach's challenge (this time for goaltender interference).

"We caught a couple of bad breaks with a couple of disallowed goals that don't help our ability to have momentum positively in the scoring end of it," Evason said. "We expect that to turn around."

An opportunistic power play could also help, but the Wild has blanked on all eight of its chances in the series — after finishing the regular season in a 2-for-20 slowdown.

"We just have to move the puck quicker," said Fiala, who has zero goals despite a series-high 18 shots. "They're running around. They're doing a great job, especially on our breakouts. We couldn't get in clearly and make something happen."

Fiala, however, isn't the only Wild goal scorer who's been bottled up.

Rookie sensation Kirill Kaprizov has just one point, an assist, and the rest of the Wild forwards have combined for only seven points. The Wild has shuffled its lineup, adding in Zach Parise and Kyle Rau for Game 4 after the wingers were healthy scratches previously in the series, and Evason juggled combinations on the fly Saturday night.

Still, the Wild is facing a familiar decline in production; the team was limited to two goals or fewer in nine of its last 14 playoff games before this postseason.

Now, the Wild is getting upstaged by the depth of the Golden Knights, who have outscored the Wild 12-4 despite missing No. 1 goal scorer Max Pacioretty because of injury.

"They do a good job at blocking shots and being in shooting lanes," said Eriksson Ek, whose two goals lead the Wild. "I think we have to find ways to get the puck through to get to those rebounds and get in behind their 'D.' " 1188731 Minnesota Wild Matt Dumba, 26, is having his best postseason, and Kevin Fiala, 24, put 18 shots on net through Game 4 after a 20-goal regular season.

Here is a young core worth building around, and there are solid veterans John Shipley: Wild’s prospects, immediate and beyond, are bright already on the roster in forwards Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Hartman, blue liners Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgoen, and others. And, of course, Talbot. As he did in Game 1, a 1-0 victory at T-Mobile, Talbot saved the Wild through the tough times, stopping 38 of 39 shots on goal. By JOHN SHIPLEY | PUBLISHED: May 25, 2021 at 12:35 a.m. | UPDATED: May 25, 2021 at 1:46 a.m. “That was huge,” Greenway said. “He’s been there for us all year.”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.25.2021 The Wild might not win this series against the Vegas Golden Knights, but after winning Game 5 late Monday at T-Mobile Arena, it’s obvious that this team is made of a stronger cloth than its immediate predecessors.

For the first time in a long time, the Wild appear to have a future.

Now that it’s headed back to St. Paul for Game 6 on Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild’s prospects — for the immediate future and beyond — look even better.

The Wild had every reason to phone it in Monday and head into what will be a long, complicated offseason. Instead, they responded with a three- goal first period that carried them to a gutty, 4-2 victory.

Minnesota still hasn’t lost three consecutive games this season, but Monday’s was a heart-stopper, never in the bag until Nico Sturm’s empty-net goal with 39 seconds left. In some ways, it was a miracle. Minnesota was outshot in the second period, 22-1.

The same thing happened in Game 3, a hot start squelched in the second period of a 5-2 loss at Xcel Energy Center last Thursday, but this time the Wild survived, mostly on guts and goaltender Cam Talbot. Now the Wild have a chance to extend their postseason into the second round for the first time since 2015.

Zach Parise is one of the few Wild players left from that team and he scored the go-ahead goal midway through the first period in just his second game of the playoffs. A healthy scratch for the first three games, he replaced Marcus Johannson, who broke his arm at the X last Thursday, and gave the team what it needed most. Scoring.

He took a rebound behind the net and bounced it off Marc-Andre Fleury’s back and into the net at 11:57 of the first period.

“Unfortunately, we found ourselves down 3-1; now we’ve made it a series, and we’re going to a place where we’re comfortable playing — and we’ll see what happens,” Parise said. “It’s difficult to compare the two teams, but hopefully the results in the first round will be the same.”

No matter what happens Wednesday, there is reason for excitement.

In some ways, it’s all about rookie winger Karill Kaprizov, the long- awaited KHL start who finally signed with Minnesota and led the Wild in scoring in his first NHL season. He led the Wild in regular-season scoring, displaying the skill, speed and will that Minnesota has needed in a winger since Marian Gaborik left for New York after the 2008-09 season.

After showing only bursts of brilliance against the Knights’ best efforts to contain him, Kaprizov, 23, finally found the net Monday, tying the game 1-1 within seconds of the Golden Knights taking a 1-0 lead in the first period.

“It was huge, you know,” winger Jordan Greenway said of the equalizer. “We talked before the game about no matter what happened — we score first, they score first — we had to stick with. It’s always helpful to come back and get a quick response like that. That was huge.”

But Kaprizov was not alone, by a longshot. Greenway, 24, scored Monday, an effort goal that was virtually 1 on 4, pushing his own rebound past previously impenetrable Marc-Andre Fleury to give the Wild a 3-1 lead late in the first period. In the third, he narrowly missed giving his team a two-goal lead when he hit the near post on a breakaway pass from big center Joel Erikkson Ek.

Erikkson Ek, 24, had a good regular season, scoring a career-high 19 goals, but has been a revelation in the playoffs, centering the Wild’s best line with a heavy, responsible game and a nose for the goal. He has scored three times in the postseason, although two were called back after replay reviews that had nothing to do with him. 1188732 Minnesota Wild “We aren’t going to start dreaming about winning the series until we get it done,” Cole said. “But this was a great first step in that process. ”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.25.2021 Wild extend series with 4-2 win over Golden Knights

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: May 25, 2021 at 12:13 a.m. | UPDATED: May 25, 2021 at 1:55 a.m.

LAS VEGAS — Kirill Kaprizov finally woke up.

After going the first four games of the Wild’s first-round playoff series without a goal, the 24-year-old Russian rookie found the back of the net on Monday night at T-Mobile Arena.

He might have saved the Wild season in the process.

Trailing by a goal early in a must-win Game 5, the Wild were down for the count. Luckily for them, Kaprizov made sure the deficit only lasted 52 seconds. He did so by collecting a pinpoint pass from Mats Zuccarello and unleashing a blistering shot that beat Marc-Andre Fleury clean.

“It’s quite a momentum shift,” coach Dean Evason said. “That definitely gave us a boost.”

Indeed. That gave the Wild some belief, sparked an offensive onslaught, and ultimately led to a 4-2 win over the Golden Knights.

Cam Talbot also proved to be a hero for the Wild, finishing with 38 saves to help force a Game 6 on Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center. Puck drop has been set for 8 p.m.

“He’s been fantastic for us,” Ian Cole said. “All series. All season. It’s more of the same for him. That’s kind of like his baseline.”

After both teams slogged their way through the start of the first period, Mark Stone made it 1-0 in favor of the Golden Knights, scoring a beautiful goal that ignited the announced crowd of 12,156 fans in attendance.

Less than a minute later, Kaprizov tied the score at 1-1 with a snipe from the right circle.

“It was huge,” Jordan Greenway said. “I think we were able to change the momentum there pretty quickly in our favor.”

That continued a few minutes later as Zach Parise silenced the crowd completely with his first goal of the playoffs to give the Wild a 2-1 lead. He let out an enormous fist pump in the immediate aftermath, a cathartic release for him amid the most difficult stretch of his career.

“There was a lot of emotion behind that one,” Parise said. “I was pretty happy to see that go in to give us a lead at the time. It felt good.”

Not long after that, Greenway went beast mode to stretch the lead to 3-1. He accepted a pass from rookie Calen Addison, fended off a couple of defenders, and hammered home a rebound after his initial shot bounced off of Fleury.

In complete control of the game at that point, the Wild responded with a ghastly stretch of play in the second period. It might’ve been the worst 20 minutes of the season for the Wild, who looked allergic to the offensive zone and were outshot 22-1 in the frame.

It was hard to believes the Wild weren’t trailing after the second period, with the Golden Knights only getting a power-play goal from Alec Martinez to cut the deficit to 3-2.

If it weren’t for Talbot, the game might’ve gotten away from the Wild. But after the game, with his teammates singing his praises, Talbot immediately credited the guys in front of him.

“We got hemmed in our zone quite a bit there,” he said. “We never quit. We were doing everything we could and putting everything we could in front of the puck. It was a grind. those are the kind of guys we have to win on the road in a hostile environment like this.”

That set the stage for the third period where the Wild got another solid effort from Talbot between the pipes. His biggest save came on a backhand shot from Reilly Smith late in the game to keep the Wild in front. Not long after that, Nico Sturm added an empty-net goal in the final minute of play to finalize the score at 4-2. 1188733 Minnesota Wild

Here are some Wild players (not named Kirill Kaprizov) that have taken the next step

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: May 24, 2021 at 6:26 p.m. | UPDATED: May 24, 2021 at 8:50 p.m.

LAS VEGAS — No matter what happens on Monday night at T-Mobile Arena, the Wild can feel good about where they are heading as a franchise.

Not only do they have superstar rookie Kirill Kaprizov leading the way for the foreseeable future, they have a handful of players that have taken the next step this season.

Though that hasn’t manifested itself on a wide scale in the playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights — in fact, Joel Eriksson Ek was the lone bright heading into Game 5 — it doesn’t take away from the growth over the course of the 56-game regular season.

Here are some players that took the next step:

JOEL ERIKSSON EK

Long viewed as an elite shutdown defender in the league, Eriksson Ek proved to be a legitimate offensive threat this season. The 24-year-old center scored 19 goals and added 11 assists during the regular season while continuing his ascension as a top-tier defensive stalwart. What’s his ceiling at this point? Maybe something along the lines of Boston Bruins star Patrice Bergeron. The gold standard when it comes to defensive forwards, Bergeron also proved to be a 30-goal scorer throughout his career. If that’s the type of player Eriksson Ek turns into down the road, the Wild will be in good shape.

KEVIN FIALA

While it’s easy for haters to poke holes in Fiala’s game because of how streaky he can be, the fact of the matter is he’s an offensive juggernaut when he’s firing on all cylinders. The 24-year-old winger scored 20 goals and added 20 assists this season, yet somehow flew under the radar as Kaprizov garnered most of the attention. That said, if Fiala can continue to develop his scoring touch, the Wild will have a dynamic one-two punch moving forward. You need that type of firepower to contend for a Stanley Cup.

JORDAN GREENWAY

For as long as Greenway has been in the league his biggest problem has been consistency. He’d dominate for a few games early in his career, then disappear for a few weeks. That wasn’t the case this season as Greenway proved himself as a legitimate power forward. The 24-year-old winger led the Wild with 26 assists and brought a physical presence to the game with his 6-foot-6, 240-pound frame. That’s something Greenway needs to continue to do on a nightly basis.

MARCUS FOLIGNO

As much as Foligno deserves credit for setting a new career high with 26 points this season, his biggest step forward came as a leader in the Wild locker room. Even though he doesn’t wear a letter on his sweater, aside from captain Jared Spurgeon, there might not be a player whose words carry more weight. In other words, when Foligno speaks, everyone around him listens. His leadership has helped change the culture in the Wild locker room this season. He’s also a pretty darn good player, too, capable of impacting the game up and down the ice.

KAAPO KAHKONEN

Most people are going to point to the fact that Kahkonen struggled down the stretch. That said, the 24-year-goaltender proved this season that he belongs in the NHL. He finished with a 16-8-0 record, a 2.88 goals against average, and a .908 save percentage. More importantly, he kept the Wild afloat when starter Cam Talbot landed on the COVID list. If it weren’t for Kahkonen’s incredible stretch midway through the season, the Wild might’ve been scrapping to make the playoffs. Instead, they punched their ticket a few weeks before the regular season ended.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188734 Minnesota Wild Not that anyone on the Wild is surprised with his imapct. “Impressed? Yeah, for sure. Surprised? No, definitely not,” Evason said.

“Gosh, he plays so hard every night.” Wild prospect Calen Addison set to make NHL postseason debut Is this the new standard for Eriksson Ek?

“Absolutely,” Evason said. “The confidence that he has now, that’s not By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: May 24, 2021 at 3:01 p.m. | going to waver. And the way he plays the game is not going to change. UPDATED: May 24, 2021 at 3:01 p.m. We don’t expect any part of his game to change course from what it was this year and through these playoffs.”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.25.2021 LAS VEGAS — Wild prospect Calen Addison will make his NHL postseason debut Monday night at T-Mobile Arena. It will come in an elimination game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

No pressure, kid.

The 21-year-old defenseman was thrust into the Wild lineup when fellow defenseman Carson Soucy suffered an upper-body injury late in the 4-0 loss to the Golden Knights on Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center. There is no timeline for his return.

The Golden Knights lead the best-of-seven-games first-round series 3-1 entering Monday’s Game 5.

Addison is slated to play alongside Ian Cole on the blue line, and coach Dean Evason said he feels confident in that pairing heading into the must-win game. He noted that Addison played three games in the NHL a few months ago and held his own.

“He was great,” Evason said. “He provided us with a lot offensively and defensively. He moved the puck extremely well. We really liked his game.”

There’s reason to believe Addison could make an immediate impact. He moves the puck extremely well through the neutral zone and boasts a heavy shot from the point. Those things helped him score 22 points (6 goals, 16 assists) in 31 games with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League this season.

While the Wild did not make Addison available for comment, his teammates had nice things to say about him.

“I went up to him this morning and told him we were happy to have him in,” veteran winger Nick Bonino said. “He’s a great player. I’m sure there’s nerves. But it seems like the younger guys these days are getting more and more self-assured and ready to go whenever they’re called on.”

That’s something to which winger Jordan Greenway can attest. A couple of years ago, Greenway made his NHL postseason debut under similar circumstances.

“He’s probably definitely going to have some nerves going,” Greenway said. “But he’s a good player. When he did play for us earlier in the season, he had a great impact for us, and he did a lot of good things. If he just focuses on doing what he does and not try to do anything crazy, I think he’ll be fine.”

LINE CHANGES

In an effort to spark some offensive, Evason made a couple of tweaks to his lines, most notably reuniting the trio of Victor Rask centering Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. That proved to be the most dynamic line in the league for a short stretch this season, and the Wild are hoping they can rediscover that chemistry against the Golden Knights.

“We’ve liked that line in the past,” Evason said. “They fed off each other and had some nice chemistry. We hope they continue it here tonight.”

In addition to that change, Evason also had Ryan Hartman centering Zach Parise and Kevin Fiala.

“We have to find a way,” the Wild coach said. “But it’s not being negative and squeezing the sticks even tighter and putting pressure on ourselves. Let’s go out there and do what we do, and continually get pucks to the net, and honestly believe that there’s an opportunity for us to breakthrough.”

NEW STANDARD

Joel Eriksson Ek has been the Wild’s best player throughout the playoffs. He entered Game 5 with a pair of goals — and a pair of disallowed goals. 1188735 Minnesota Wild Kaprizov’s tying goal 52 seconds after Mark Stone gave Vegas a 1-0 lead burst the dam for the Wild and was the answer the team desperately needed.

Cam Talbot helps Wild take ‘first step in very long process’ by forcing Parise, less than three minutes later, made it 2-1 in typical Parise fashion Game 6 by banking a rebound off Fleury and in. You can tell by his celebration how much that goal meant to him after being scratched in the first three games of the series and playing on the fourth line in Game 4. On this night, he was elevated into the top nine with Ryan Hartman and Kevin By Michael Russo May 25, 2021 Fiala.

“There was a lot of emotion behind that one,” Parise said with a sly grin. LAS VEGAS – Taking a page from Monty Python’s Holy Grail, the Wild “I was pretty happy to see that one go in and give us a lead at the time.” are Not Dead Yet! Later in the period, Greenway scored his first goal of the series by Oftentimes in hockey, the term “steal” is overused, but the latest odds at following up his own shot. Calen Addison, the Wild’s top blue line the BetMGM King of Sportsbooks have it at 2-1 that the Wild’s charter prospect who was making his Stanley Cup playoff debut after playing flight home will be surrounded on the tarmac by Las Vegas Metro PD and three games earlier this season, picked up his first NHL point. Cam Talbot placed in handcuffs. The second period is often a period of horrors for the Wild, but this one In a game where the Wild were outshot 40-14 for the fewest shots was as ugly as they’ve ever had. they’ve had in their playoff history, their goaltender deserved a They were outshot 22-1, and the scoring chances seemed just as celebratory beer, cold tub and naturally the fiery-red Hero of the Game lopsided. Turnovers, lost assignments, dimwitted icings, careless hydration bucket for the umpteenth time this season during a 38-save penalties by Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba, and the result was the Wild extravaganza and 4-2 victory to force a Game 6 Wednesday night at 8 being pinned in their own end for basically 20 minutes that had to feel like p.m. in St. Paul. 40. With the Colorado Avalanche patiently awaiting the winner of this series, Let’s put it this way: When Nick Bonino took a 33-foot wrist shot at 12:51 the Wild had to put some doubt into the collective mind of a team that of the period to awaken Fleury from his siesta, many in the crowd of tied the Avs for the most points in the NHL. more than 12,000 fans mock-cheered the visiting club. The last two times the Golden Knights have held a 3-1 series lead? “We’d like to spend a lot more time in the O-zone, but at the end of the Last summer, the Vancouver Canucks rallied from 3-1 down to force a day, this time of year when you come out with the win, doesn’t matter Game 7 before Vegas survived and advanced. But in 2019, the Golden how you do it,” Parise said. Knights were the last NHL team and 29th since 1942 to cough up a 3-1 The reason was Talbot, who somehow only gave up one goal – an Alec series lead to the . Martinez one-timer off Brodin’s skate to cut the deficit to 3-2 – in the And, sure, while the cast of characters is completely different, Minnesota second. pulled off the feat twice in 2003 by rallying from consecutive 3-1 series “He’s been fantastic for us, not just today but all series and all season,” deficits against Colorado and Vancouver. Cole said of Talbot. “So it’s just more of the same from him. It’s kind of “We’re not going to start dreaming about winning the series until we get it like his baseline now. We liked the first period. He was able to save us done,” two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Ian Cole said. “But this there in the second and I thought we did a pretty decent job locking it was a great first step in that process. Coming here to a tough barn to win down in the third.” in and they came out hard and we were able to handle it and turn the The shots in the third were only 11-6 in favor of Vegas, but Talbot made tides a bit as the game went and able to survive. a couple of huge stops down the stretch. Finally, a big Dumba block led “It’s the first step in a very long process, very long journey to getting this to Nico Sturm’s banked 137-foot empty-net goal. It’s the first time since done. We just have to keep going. We can’t rest on our laurels. The 2016 that the Wild have won two games in a playoff series. series isn’t over. We’ve got to win Game 6.” The victory came after an interesting morning skate where the Wild were Marc-Andre Fleury entered the game having given up four goals in four loose, loud and you’d never know their season was in danger of ending. games, but the Wild beat him three times in the first period on the first Coach Dean Evason created a 200-foot game of shinny that had the goal of the series by three players – Kirill Kaprizov, Zach Parise and guys howling and energetic. The morning skate came after a productive Jordan Greenway. pre-skate meeting where apparently a lot of the leaders stood up and addressed the team. It then became the Talbot show. “The theme all along the last couple of days has been, ‘Win a game,’” Naturally, Talbot credited the players in front of him. They blocked 21 Parise said. “Just win a period, win a shift, win a game, and go from shots, saved a couple of goals at the goal line (most notably Marcus there. If you look at, ‘Hey, we’ve got to win three in a row against Vegas,’ Foligno in the second) and battled valiantly. that seems like a pretty tough task.

“We got hemmed in our zone quite a bit there in the second period,” said “Our mentality was just, ‘Let’s go down there and give it a great effort and Talbot, who ranks fourth in the NHL in saves and shots against. “Give our bring the series back to Minnesota.’ That was the first step for us. Now guys credit. They were dog tired out there. Some guys were out there for we get ourselves ready for the next one.” two, three icings in a row and couldn’t get off. But we never quit. We were doing everything we could putting everything we could in front of That leadership trickled into the second intermission when the the puck and it was a grind, but those are the kind of games you have to shellshocked team tried to make itself up for a needed, big third period. win on the road in a hostile environment like this, and we were able to do “We had our chat ready (as coaches) and the door was opening and that tonight.” closing and guys were coming in and out of the coaches room and we It took the Wild a wee bit longer than they wanted to get going. could hear them saying exactly what we were going to say,” Evason said. “We went in there and just said, ‘We just heard what you guys said and In the must-win game, the Wild’s first registered shot didn’t come until 9 you said all the right things and all the things that we have to do.’ minutes, 6 seconds on Kaprizov’s first career playoff goal. Mats Zuccarello wheeled up the ice, into the offensive zone and found “We had a couple of tweaks systematically that maybe we could make. Kaprizov, who let her rip for a much-needed, confidence-building goal But they correct themselves. We’ve talked about this a lot all year. When after being held to one assist in the first four games. you can give the room to the group and the team and the leaders, it’s a good feeling for us as a coaching staff.” But it wasn’t like the team came out flat. The Golden Knights just packed the middle and blocked everything that came Fleury’s way. Addison makes his playoff debut

Remember, the Golden Knights and Wild were 1-2 in the NHL in blocked Addison, the man with the caterpillar mustache and Danny McBride shots during the regular season, and that trend has continued all series. haircut from “Eastbound & Down,” entered the lineup instead of Brad Hunt to add some mobility, offense and to allow Cole to get to his natural left D spot because of an injury to normal third-pair defenseman Carson Soucy.

Soucy was hurt late in Game 4 and was visibly struggling as he went down the tunnel after the game. Soucy has an upper-body injury, but Evason wasn’t sure how long he’d be out.

Evason felt Addison didn’t look out of place.

Addison played three games during the regular season and scored six goals and 22 points in 31 games for AHL Iowa. He led AHL rookie defensemen in shots, ranked second in scoring, third in assists, tied for third in goals and tied for seventh in plus-minus.

“A ton of poise for his first playoff game coming into a very loud, tough building to play in against a team that’s really, really good,” Cole said. “Creative puck plays. We talked about communication and I was going back for pucks and he was giving me great calls and helping out quite a bit. It’s tough for a young guy to do that. You need to not only be willing to communicate, but you have to make the right reads to communicate, too, and communicate good information. And I think he did a fantastic job. Smart player, obviously skillful. So it’ll probably be a first playoff game and a first playoff point of many for him. He’s going to be a great player.”

The Athletic’s 3 stars

Cam Talbot, Wild: Improved to 12-3 when he gives up two goals or fewer in a playoff game with 38 saves, 21 of which came in the second period

Alex Tuch, Golden Knights: Scoreless for a change but had two shots and nine attempted.

Zach Parise, Wild: Scratched in the first three games of the series, Parise scored a big goal less than three minutes after Kaprizov scored to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead

Turning point

Down 1-0 in the first period, Kaprizov answered 52 seconds after Stone’s early tally for the first of three straight goals by the Wild to take a 3-1 lead into the second period.

By the numbers

1: Assist for Calen Addison, the first Wild player to record his first career NHL point in his playoff debut

3: First-period goals by the Wild, a playoff team record (60 first-period goals in regular season ranked second in the NHL)

22-1: Shot deficit by the Wild in the second period (one goal)

15: Career playoff goals for Parise, first in Wild history (first since April 17)

They said it

“You have to get to the net, you have to get to the crease, you have to get to the rebounds. The pretty goals are not there a lot. Especially against these guys. They play really well defensively. You’ve got to get to the net with a goalie like him and get in his eyes and get ugly ones.” — Zach Parise on getting to Marc-Andre Fleury.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188736 Montreal Canadiens Toronto was 2-for-6 with the man advantage in its Game 2 victory, but was unable to score on its first power play. Price made a spectacular save on a sharp wrist shot by Jason Spezza to prevent the Maple Leafs from getting a lead. Nylander set up the opportunity with a beautiful Jack Campbell shuts down Canadiens in third period as Maple Leafs cross-ice feed. take series lead Montreal got another opportunity with the man advantage late in the first and again failed to get off a shot. The game remained scoreless as the teams went to the first intermission. Only 13 shots were generated MARTY KLINKENBERG between them. PUBLISHED MAY 24, 2021 The second period was as eventful as the first was mostly dull. UPDATED MAY 24, 2021 Nylander scored on a long wrist shot to put Toronto ahead 1-0 a little more than seven minutes in. Nick Suzuki then knotted the score at 1-1 less than two minutes later. The Maple Leafs won for the second time without injured captain John Tavares on Monday to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series with the Rielly put the Maple Leafs ahead for good when he flicked a puck over Canadiens. Morgan Rielly had the winner and William Nylander scored Price’s shoulder three minutes and 25 seconds before the players for the third game in a row in the 2-1 victory at Montreal’s Bell Centre. headed to their dressing rooms for the second time. It was Rielly’s first of the series and came after a nice pass by Mitch Marner. Toronto goaltender Jack Campbell had another excellent outing for the Maple Leafs in just his third career playoff start, stopping 28 of 29 shots The period ended with Toronto on the power play as a result of a melee to preserve the victory. The scorer of the winning goal was only too around the Montreal crease. Price made three rapid-fire saves – one on happy to deflect praise in his netminder’s direction after the game. Auston Matthews and two on Marner – and a scrum ensued. The Maple Leafs had much the better 20 minutes, outshooting the Canadiens 20-7. “All the credit in the world goes to Jack,” Rielly said. “He was a warrior tonight and he has been that for us all year.” The Canadiens played desperately in the third but could not get the equalizer. They outshot the Maple Leafs 14-3 over the final 20 minutes Campbell outdueled the Canadiens’ Carey Price, who was also but could not beat Campbell. On this night, he was Toronto’s best player. outstanding as he turned away 27 of 29 pucks directed at him. “It was a great win by the boys,” Wayne Simmonds, the Maple Leafs “He was playing phenomenally for them but ultimately we were able to winger, said. “We grinded it out. I thought we could have played a little bit get two by him,” Campbell said. “For me, I was just trying to focus on the better in the third, but in the playoffs [you] just try to find a way to win and next shot and not mess it up for the boys. we did that. Obviously, [Jack] was our No. 1 star tonight. He was unbelievable for us. We owe this to him for sure.” Toronto can leave the Canadiens in a deep hole with another triumph on Tuesday in Montreal. The first to win four times advances to the next Toronto played without Nick Foligno, who is ailing with a lower-body stage of the Stanley Cup playoffs. That is something the Maple Leafs injury. The veteran centre sat out the morning skate, and then scratched have not done since 2004. himself after struggling in pregame warm-ups. Keefe said he will be re- evaluated on Tuesday. This was the sixth time the long-time rivals have been tied 1-1 after two games in a best-of-seven series – and the winner of Game 3 has gone With Tavares missing and Foligno hurting, other players have to pick on to advance in four of those occasions. It is the 16th time they have things up. Nylander certainly has. met in the post-season but the first time in 42 years. “The game’s harder [during the playoffs] and you learn over the years,” Tavares, who had 19 goals and 50 points during the COVID-abbreviated Nylander said. “Every time you lose, it digs even harder. You want to regular season, suffered a concussion and knee injury last Thursday in battle and battle and get better every year.” Game 1. He is unlikely to return for at least two weeks. Globe And Mail LOADED: 05.25.2021 After a 2-1 loss to begin the series, Toronto rallied for a 5-1 triumph without him in Game 2 – and then did it again. Nylander opened the scoring at 7:18 of the second period. He has seven goals in 13 games now against Montreal this year, including the regular season.

“We love seeing Willy play like this,” Campbell said. “This is the Willy we know. He can be a dominant player.”

With Eric Staal and Jake Evans both sidelined, the Canadiens dressed rookie Cole Caufield for Game 3. The 20-year-old had four goals and one assist after he was called up near the end of the season, but sat out the first two games of the series.

Dominique Ducharme, the Canadiens’ interim coach, decided it would be better for Caufield, this year’s Hobey Baker Award winner as the best hockey player in the NCAA, to watch from the bench in Games 1 and 2.

Caufield played well but was unable to get on the scoreboard. He hit the bar with an early shot and had one dangerous chance in the third that was blocked by Justin Holl.

Both teams sputtered at the start.

Montreal failed to register a shot after it was handed a four-minute power play only a minute into the game when was called for a high stick that left Brendan Gallagher with a bloody mouth. Caufield was the only Canadien that came close when he banged a puck off the crossbar.

The Maple Leafs actually got off the only shot – short-handed by Ilya Mikheyev from 46 feet away.

Campbell, who had a .943 save percentage over the first two games, made the first big save on a rush by Gallagher. He also stopped a dangerous deflection by Corey Perry. 1188737 MontrealCanadiens It was Nylander’s third goal of the series, becoming the first Leafs player since Alexander Mogilny in 2003 to score in each of the first three post- season games.

'Our goalie was our best player,' Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe says Nylander had a decent season, with 17 goals and 42 points in 51 games. Nonetheless, he took some heat from Toronto media at various points. Even Keefe suggested he wanted more from him.

Herb Zurkowsky • Publishing date:May 25, 2021 • 4 hours ago • “He’s competing a lot harder,” Keefe said Monday night. “He’s really engaged and, with that, offence comes. That obviously was a huge goal

he scored for us here today. He’s playing a huge game, which is huge for We weren’t sure what to make of Toronto goaltender Jack Campbell — a us.” 29-year-old veteran, but a playoff rookie as a starter — before this North The Leafs, it seems, are receiving production throughout their lineup. The Division series against the Canadiens. defencemen, for example, have produced seven points through three Through three games, not only has Campbell matched Montreal games. Conversely, the Canadiens are still seeking their first point from a netminder Carey Price, he arguably has outplayed him — although on blue-liner. most nights Campbell can rely on greater offensive support than Price “Our defencemen have been involved,” Keefe said. “We also like how receives. they’ve defended as a group and how they’ve moved the puck out of their Campbell stopped 28 of 29 shots on Monday night for a stellar save end. That’s been the biggest positive.” percentage of .966, his play proving pivotal in the Maple Leafs’ 2-1 Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.25.2021 victory over the Canadiens at the Bell Centre.

“All the credit in the world goes to Jack Campbell,” said defenceman Morgan Rielly, whose second-period goal at 16:35 proved to be the difference. “He was an absolute warrior for us. He was competing all night. Down the home stretch, he was outstanding. He’s an absolute stud.

“We’re pretty lucky to have him back there.”

Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was more succinct, calling Campbell his team’s “best player” on this night, when Toronto took a 2-1 lead in the series.

And it was hard to argue with Keefe.

Campbell’s challenge through two periods was to remain mentally sharp, considering he faced only 14 shots. But the third period proved to be more gruelling for Campbell and his teammates.

Nursing that one-goal lead, the Canadiens came at him in waves, outshooting the visitors 15-2.

“We don’t like defending as much as we did, but our guys defended very hard,” Keefe said. “That was a tough period. They’re coming at us really hard. This was a very important game, and period, and I thought our guys battled hard. And, of course, our goalie was our best player.”

The Leafs have been Frederik Andersen’s team for the longest time, but the Finnish netminder battled injuries and inconsistent play this season. With the door opened, Campbell seized the starting position from him over the second half of the regular season, and has displayed no signs he’s willing to relinquish that responsibility.

While the Canadiens remain an offensively challenged team, Campbell has surrendered only four goals through three games.

“For me, I’m just trying to focus on the next shot and trying not to mess up for the boys,” Campbell said.

He admitted this game was challenging and tougher than it appeared, only because he had to go from one extreme to the other over the final period.

“Montreal, when they do get chances, they have dangerous players,” Campbell said. “You have to be ready. Credit to our team. We were playing so well they weren’t getting a ton of shots. I’ll take that any night.

“In the third, they got their fair share of opportunities. Our guys were there to battle and get the job done. It was a fun third period.”

The Leafs were forced to scratch Nick Foligno, their second-line centre following an injury to John Tavares, after the pregame warm-up because of a lower-body injury. That meant Riley Nash was activated after being a healthy scratch last game. It also meant winger William Nylander, once again, had a new centre on his line, whether it was Nash or Alex Kerfoot.

While Kerfoot won only 33 per cent of his faceoffs, he was successful on one seven minutes into the second period, dropping the puck back to Nylander, who manoeuvred into the high slot before opening the scoring for Toronto. 1188738 MontrealCanadiens He was back at centre stage in the third period when he played nine of his 19 shifts and he was on the ice in the final minute as Montreal pressed for the tie. He had a shot from in close in the dying seconds, but defenceman Justin Holl sprawled on the ice to block it. The Canadiens have scored only four goals in three games and Monday's loss left them trailing the best-of-seven North Division semifinal Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.25.2021 2-1.

Pat Hickey Publishing date:May 25, 2021 • 5 hours ago •

Carey Price insists he’s not frustrated by the Canadiens’ failure to score goals.

“I believe in these guys,” Price said after his teammates managed only one goal in a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre Monday night. “These are talented guys. I see their shots in practice every day and I have no doubt they have the ability to score goals. They’re trying out there, I know that they are. It’s going to come.”

The problem is that it’s going to have to come soon.

The Canadiens have scored only four goals in three games and the loss Monday left them trailing the best-of-seven North Division semifinal 2-1. There’s no time to make adjustments because Game 4 is back at the Bell Centre Tuesday night (7:30 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN-690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

And this is not a question of coming out of a temporary slump. The Canadiens’ failure to mount an offence in the playoffs is reflected in the record. They have scored only 63 goals in their last 31 games. That’s a shade over two goals a game.

Brendan Gallagher said the scoring drought was a combination of the Canadiens’ failing to take advantage of their chances and strong defence from the Leafs.

“(The Leafs are) playing well, you’ve got to give them credit,” Gallagher said. “I think we’ve had some looks. We’ve had some chances. We could obviously do a little bit more. It’s the same both ways. There are a lot more tight-checking games in the playoffs. They’re dealing with the same thing we’re dealing with. It’s just a matter of finding a way. We’ve had enough looks. We’ve just got to put one in, find a way to beat the goalie. One shot can change the game.”

The Canadiens did manage to keep Auston Matthews off the scoresheet, but William Nylander scored for the third consecutive game and Morgan Rielly added the winning goal in the second period when the Leafs outshot Montreal 20-8.

Coach Dominique Ducharme said he felt his team played even with the Leafs in the first period, but allowed the Leafs to dominate the second.

“The Maple Leafs did a good job in certain aspects of the game,” Ducharme said. “I thought we generated more scoring chances, especially in the third period. We want to play with that kind of rhythm. We weren’t able to do that for 60 minutes.”

Montreal did outshoot the Leafs 15-2 in the third period, but that was mostly because Toronto fell into the predictably bad habit of dropping back to protect the lead.

The Canadiens escaped with a 0-0 tie in the first period because Price made a spectacular save on Jason Spezza.

“It was just desperation” Price said of the sprawling stick save. “They had a guy (Nylander) in a pretty good shooting position. I thought he was going to shoot the puck, so I bit pretty hard on it. The puck went back door and I just reached out and was able to get a stick on it.

The game marked the NHL playoff debut for rookie Cole Caufield and he seemed to be at home on the main stage, although he wasn’t able to be the difference.

It was a game in three acts for Caufield.

He saw a lot of action early in the first period as the Canadiens enjoyed three power plays and he had his best scoring chance when he hit a crossbar.

He got lost on the bench as the Leafs had some power plays later in the period and in the second period, when the Leafs had the Canadiens on their heels. 1188739 MontrealCanadiens The Canadiens lost Artturi Lehkonen after he had a first period collision with Rasmus Sandin. Lehkonen was on the receiving end of suicide pass when Sandin’s shoulder made contact with his head. The Canadiens said Lehkonen had an upper-body injury, but he showed the signs of a Canadiens' offensive woes continue in Game 3 loss to Maple Leafs concussion as he headed to the dressing room.

Montreal went 0-for-3 on the power play and is 0-for-9 for the series. The Leafs went 0-for-4. Pat Hickey • Publishing date:May 24, 2021 • 7 hours ago Both teams were missing centres. Jake Evans continues to be day-to-

day with an undisclosed injury, while coach Dominque Ducharme said Leafs' Wayne Simmonds crowds Canadiens goaltender Carey Price as veteran Eric Staal was “not 100 per cent.” The Canadiens had planned Leafs centre Jason Spezza looks on Monday night at the Bell Centre. to bench Tomas Tatar to make room for Caufield, but Staal’s injury allowed Tatar to stay in the lineup. Byron moved into Staal’s position as Carey Price did his job, but his teammates continued to fire blanks as the the fourth-line centre. Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 2-1 Monday to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven North Division semifinal series. John Tavares is out of the Leafs lineup with a knee injury and concussion suffered in Game 1. Nick Foligno, who took Tavares’s spot on the Leafs’ Price made 27 saves to give Montreal a chance, but the Canadiens put second line, was a last-minute scratch with a lower-body injury. only one of 29 shots behind Leafs goalie Jack Campbell. The Canadiens have scored only four goals in the three games. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.25.2021

Game 4 is scheduled for the Bell Centre Tuesday (7:30 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN-690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

After a first period marked by the failure of both teams to capitalize on the power play, the Leafs outshot the Canadiens 20-8 in the second period and took a 2-1 lead.

William Nylander snapped a 0-0 tie when he scored at 7:18. The Leafs sent out some fresh legs after the Canadiens were called for icing. Alex Kerfoot beat Phil Danault on a faceoff and directed the puck to Nylander, who scored on a shot that deflected off Ben Chiarot’s skate. Nylander has goals in each of the three games.

Nick Suzuki pulled the Canadiens even when he beat Campbell off the rush, but Morgan Rielly restored the Leafs’ lead less than three minutes later.

Toggle full screen modePrevious Gallery Image

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell (36) looks around Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Justin Holl (3) as Holl holds Montreal Canadiens right wing Corey Perry (94) in a tight grip and drives him in to Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin (38) and Montreal Canadiens right wing Paul Byron (41) during NHL playoff action in Montreal on Monday, May 24, 2021.

Montreal Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher (11) hits the puck after taking a hit from Toronto Maple Leafs center Alexander Kerfoot (15) during NHL playoff action in Montreal on Monday, May 24, 2021.

Montreal Canadiens left wing Phillip Danault (24) knocks the puck up the ice after taking a hit from Toronto Maple Leafs center Mitchell Marner (16) during NHL playoff action in Montreal on Monday, May 24, 2021.

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell (36) makes a save against the Montreal Canadiens during NHL playoff action in Montreal on Monday, May 24, 2021.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) watches the final minutes of the game from the bench as the Canadiens failed to use the man advantage to score against the Toronto Maple Leafs during NHL playoff action in Montreal on Monday, May 24, 2021. The Leafs beat the Canadiens 2-1 in round 1 game 3.

Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) and Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (22)reacts as they watch the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate winning round one game 3 by a 2-1 score during NHL playoff action in Montreal on Monday, May 24, 2021.

Montreal received an early gift when former Canadien Alex Galchenyuk was assessed a double-minor penalty for high-sticking Brendan Gallagher, but the Canadiens were unable to take advantage.

The Canadiens failed to get a shot on goal, although rookie Cole Caufield made an impact in his NHL playoff debut. He rang a shot off the crossbar and if there had been a crowd on hand, he would have brought them to their feet as he made a strong entry and threaded his way to the crease before Justin Holl poked the puck off his stick.

The Leafs had the best scoring opportunity of the period when Nylander set up Jason Spezza with a cross-ice pass on a power play. Price, who had been guarding against a shot from Nylander, had to dive across the crease and he managed to get his paddle on Spezza’s shot. 1188740 MontrealCanadiens

Liveblog replay: Leafs defeat the Habs 2-1 to take Game 3

Erik Leijon • Publishing date:May 24, 2021 • 7 hours ago

Cole Caufield will make his NHL playoff debut for the Montreal Canadiens against the Toronto Maple Leafs Monday night as the first- round playoff series heads to the Bell Centre for Game 3. Puck drop at 7 p.m. (CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

The rookie forward will replace Eric Staal in the lineup. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who entered the lineup in place of Jake Evans in Game 2, will stay in. Evans remains out with an undisclosed injury.

Canadiens Game Day: Cole Caufield will be in Habs’ lineup for Game 3

The series is currently tied 1-1. The Canadiens won the opener 2-1, while the Leafs won the second 5-1.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188741 MontrealCanadiens you get in the lineup you got to be 100 per cent and you got to compete and work hard and do the right things. That’s all I’m focused on right now.”

Stu Cowan: Desperate for more offence, Canadiens turn to Cole Caufield Caufield won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in U.S. college hockey this season after posting 30-22-52 totals in 31 games. He then scored three goals in two games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket and four goals in 10 games with the Canadiens — including two OT winners — Stu Cowan • Publishing date:May 24, 2021 • 6 hours ago • before being made a healthy scratch to start the playoffs.

“I think I’m in here to spark the team, give us energy and help us win,” There’s a belief in some corners that defence wins championships, but Caufield said. “I’m going to do everything I can, play in the offensive it’s not really true when it comes to hoisting the Stanley Cup. zone, play 200 feet, do all the right things and play with a high compete level.” While defence — and especially goaltending — is very important during the NHL playoffs, it usually takes at least one dominant offensive player In a recent the Players’ Tribune article, the Canadiens’ Tyler Toffoli said to win the Cup. about Caufield: “He’s special, man. For real. He’s got that it factor. I’ve only seen it in a few guys in the league. He’s got it.” When the Canadiens won the Cup in 1986, Mats Naslund finished eighth in the NHL scoring race that season with 43-67-110 totals. He also led When asked about Toffoli’s comment, Caufield said: “Hearing that does the team in scoring during the playoffs with 8-11-19 totals in 20 games. give you a little bit more confidence. The guys believe in you in the room and they trust you just like you do them.” No Canadiens player has finished in the top 10 in NHL scoring since, which is astonishing for a franchise that used to be known as the Flying Defence is important in the NHL playoffs, but the team that scores the Frenchman and has won a record 24 Stanley Cups. most goals wins. The Canadiens have now scored four goals in the first three games against the Leafs. The Canadiens were able to win the Cup again in 1993 when Vincent Damphousse finished 24th in NHL scoring with 39-58-97 totals and led Finally putting Caufield in the lineup was a smart move. the team in scoring during the playoffs with 11-12-23 totals in 20 games. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.25.2021 Montreal hasn’t held another Stanley Cup parade since and a big reason is that since the 1998-99 season, only twice have the Canadiens had a player finish in the top 25 in NHL scoring. Alex Kovalev finished 11th in 2007-08 when he had 35-49-84 totals and the Canadiens advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals before losing to the Philadelphia Flyers. Max Pacioretty finished 21st in 2014-15 when he posted 37-30-67 totals and the Canadiens again advanced to the conference semifinals before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canadiens haven’t won a first-round playoff series since that year.

The Canadiens’ Tyler Toffoli finished 48th in NHL scoring this season with 28-16-44 totals in 52 games. So in the last 22 seasons, Kovalev and Pacioretty are the only two Canadiens to rank among the top 25 NHL scorers.

Remarkable.

It’s not so remarkable that since the Canadiens’ last championship in 1993, only four teams have won the Stanley Cup without having a player in the top 25 in NHL scoring — the 1995 and 2003 New Jersey Devils, along with the 2011 Boston Bruins and the 2019 St. Louis Blues. Nine of the last 16 Stanley Cup champions have had at least one player who finished in the top 10 in NHL scoring.

Which brings us to Cole Caufield.

There’s absolutely no guarantee — and at 5-foot-7 and 162 pounds it seems unlikely — that Caufield can become a top-25 scorer in the NHL, but there’s no doubt the kid knows how to put the puck in the net. Caufield scored 72 goals in 64 games with the USA Hockey National Team Development program’s U-18 team in 2018-19, breaking the previous record of 55 set by Auston Matthews, now with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Matthews led the NHL this season with 41 goals and finished fifth in scoring with 41-25-66 totals. Teammate Mitch Marner finished fourth with 20-47-67 totals. That dynamic duo is a big reason why the Maple Leafs are favourites against the Canadiens in their first-round playoff series and have a 2-1 lead after winning Game 3 by a 2-1 score Monday night at the Bell Centre.

Caufield was a healthy scratch for the first two games, but after the Canadiens scored three goals and their power play went 0-for-6, head coach Dominique Ducharme finally decided to put the 20-year-old right- winger in the lineup for Game 3. Caufield didn’t score, but he did ring a shot off the crossbar while the Canadiens were on the power play early in the first period and had three shots on goal in the game. He certainly didn’t look out of place.

“It’s obviously a learning experience,” Caufield said Monday morning about being a healthy scratch. “I’m a younger guy, you got to earn your way into the lineup. It was nice for me to be able to study the game and see it live in person and kind of learn from the guys, too, talking to them after and during practices and stuff like that. There’s no frustration. When 1188742 MontrealCanadiens Caufield impressed Gallagher with his performance. “He was very good,” Gallagher said. “He had a good game. He had some

looks, like most of us. I think he added something to our group. I thought Canadiens Game Day: Scoring continues to be a big problem for Habs that he played a good game.”

Price said Caufield has a great attitude.

Stu Cowan • Publishing date:May 25, 2021 • 4 hours ago “The kid’s got a lot of enthusiasm,” the goalie said. “It’s great to see. He’s got a quick release and it’s not a muffin, either. He’s got a great shot.”

Tout simplement ridicule. Maybe the Canadiens should put Jake Allen in net for Game 4 of their playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs and let Carey Price play Save of the night forward to see if he can score. Price made an outstanding save on Jason Spezza midway through the Almost nobody else on the Canadiens can. first period with the Leafs on a power play.

The Canadiens lost Game 3 by a 2-1 score Monday night at the Bell William Nylander carried the puck toward the Canadiens net and looked Centre as the Leafs took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series with like he was going to shoot before sending a perfect pass to Jason Game 4 set for Tuesday night in Montreal (7:30 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Spezza, who was standing all alone at the side of the net to Price’s right. Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). The goalie lunged across and stuck out his stick, somehow managing to get a piece of the puck and deflect it over the glass. The Canadiens have scored only four goals in the first three games of the series. Nick Suzuki scored Monday night, while Josh Anderson, Paul “It was just desperation is basically what it comes down to,” Price said. Byron and Jesperi Kotkaniemi have also scored in the series. That’s it. “They had a guy in a pretty good shooting position and I thought he was going to shoot the puck, so I bit pretty hard on it. The puck went back Meanwhile, Price has stopped 91 of 98 shots for a .929 save percentage. door and I just reached out and was able to get a stick on it.”

Many of the players have changed over the years in front of Price and so Power-play problems have the coaches, but one thing remains constant when the Canadiens do get into the playoffs: they struggle to score. The Canadiens were given an outstanding chance to take the lead early when the Leafs’ Alex Galchenyuk took a four-minute penalty for high- Going back to 2015, the Canadiens have played 31 postseason games sticking Gallagher and drawing blood only 1:02 into the game. and scored 63 goals, an average of 2.03 per game. They have a 14-17 record in those games and have scored two goals or less in 21 of them The Canadiens failed to get a single shot on goal during the ensuing while winning only one first-round playoff series in 2015, along with a power play, although Caufield did ring one off the crossbar. The qualifying-round series in last year’s expanded postseason. Canadiens went 0-for-3 on the power play and are now 0-for-9 for the series. “I’m not frustrated at all, to be honest,” Price said after Monday’s game about the lack of offensive support he gets in the playoffs. “I believe in “We just got to find a way to get going,” captain Shea Weber said. “It is these guys. These guys are talented guys. I see their shots in practice frustrating You want to make a difference and right now we’re not. We’re every day and I have no doubt that they have the ability to score goals. going to keep trying to make adjustments and keep working at it and They’re trying out there, I know they are. It’s going to come. They’re we’re going to just have to make a difference when it counts here.” playing some pretty solid defence on their side, but we’re going to find a The Leafs went 0-for-4 on the power play. way to get through that. Their goaltender’s playing well. We’re going to have to make it more difficult for him.” Second-period problems

The Canadiens also have to make it easier for Price, who will be back in All the scoring came in the second period with Nylander opening the goal for Game 4. scoring at the 7:18 mark, followed by Suzuki at 13:56 and then Morgan Rielly with the winner for the Leafs at 16:35. The Leafs totally dominated The question is: Can they? the second period, outshooting the Canadiens 20-8. The Leafs outshot “They’re playing well … got to give them credit,” the Canadiens’ Brendan the Canadiens 20-6 in the second period of Game 2 while scoring twice Gallagher said about the Leafs. “But I think we’ve had some looks, we’ve en route to their 5-1 victory had some chances. You can always do a little bit more. It’s the same The Canadiens outplayed the Leafs in the third period in Game 3, both ways. It’s low-scoring, tight-checking games in the playoffs. I mean, outshooting them 15-2, but they couldn’t beat goalie Jack Campbell. they’re dealing with the same thing we’re dealing with. It’s just a matter of finding a way. I think we’ve had enough looks. Just got to put one in and “In the first (period) I thought it was a pretty even period,” Ducharme said. find a way to beat the goalie. It’s one shot could change the game.” “In the second, Carey kept us in there and the third that’s the way we wanted to play at that pace.” De retour pour le match 4 demain. Gallagher said the Canadiens didn’t really make any adjustments after Caufield makes debut the second period. The Canadiens’ Cole Caufield made his NHL playoff debut after being a “Nothing really changed,” he said. “We were just able to put a few shifts healthy scratch for the first two games of the series. together ourselves and get in those positions where we were probably The 20-year-old right-winger rang a shot off the crossbar early in the first doing a better job of going line after line and creating momentum. period with the Canadiens on a power play and finished the game with “It’s a tight series,” Gallagher added. “Taking away Game 2, where we three shots and 15:50 of ice time, including 3:20 on the power play. felt it was kind of taken out of our hands (with penalties), I think both Caufield was on a line with Suzuki and Joel Armia and was the Game 1 and and Game 3 here it’s the way it’s going to be the rest of the Canadiens’ most dangerous forward when he was on the ice. Caufield series. It’s going to be one-goal games. We just got to find a way to win had only 9:34 of ice time after two periods before being used more often these hockey games. They did a better job than we did tonight. We get a in the third period. chance to bounce back tomorrow and see what we can do.”

When head coach Dominique Ducharme was asked why he was De retour pour la 3e période. reluctant to use Caufield more early in the game, the coach responded: Gallagher struggling “Reluctant? Nine minutes … almost 10 (in the first two periods) is like playing 15. At one point, you guys got to look at the game. Power play, Gallagher missed the last 21 regular-season games with a fractured PK, those influence time on ice for guys. And in the first and second thumb and has no points and only five shots in the first three playoff that’s one thing and when guys are getting caught on the ice for two games, along with a minus-2. minutes, well that’s another thing. He played 15 and a half tonight. That’s pretty good.” “Game 1 I thought it was going a little quick for me,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I did all that much. My legs felt good Games 2 and 3. There’s certain areas that I got to keep getting better at, but I felt pretty good here. I think pretty close, and I think that’s just something that he wanted to do for the everyone’s going to look at goals. I know goals are hard to come by and I guys.” know I’m going to have to score an important one here as this series goes on. Canadiens' Cole Caufield lurks around the net after Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell makes a save Monday night at the Bell Centre. “I’ve had enough looks here the last couple of games,” added Gallagher, who had only 13:15 of ice time in Game 3. “I just got to find a way to put 'Our goalie was our best player,' Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe says one by the goalie and contribute that way. But I feel good.” The schedule

Some stats Here’s the rest of the schedule for the Canadiens-Leafs first-round The shots were 29-29 in Game 3 and the faceoffs were split 50/50. The series. All games will be televised on CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports and Canadiens outhit the Leafs 37-28. will be available on radio on TSN 690 and 98.5 FM:

Weber led the Canadiens with 24:51 of ice time, followed by Jeff Petry Game 4: Tuesday, May 25, 7:30 p.m., at Montreal with 22:24 and Ben Chiarot with 20:35. Phillip Danault led the forwards Game 5: Thursday, May 27, 7 p.m., at Toronto with 20:14, followed by Suzuki with 20:04 and Anderson with 19:58. Game 6: Saturday, May 29, time TBD, at Montreal, if necessary Anderson and Petry tied for the team lead with four shots each, while Suzuki and Caufield both had three. Anderson had six hits, while Tomas Game 7: Monday, May 31, time TBD, at Toronto, if necessary Tatar had five and Joel Armia and Petry had four each. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.25.2021 Danault won 10 of the 24 faceoffs he took (42 per cent). Kotkaniemi went 7-4 (64 per cent) and Suzuki went 9-8 (53 per cent).

Evans and Staal sidelined

The Canadiens’ Jake Evans missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury, while Eric Staal was also sidelined for Game 3.

Staal took part in the morning skate, but it was decided afterward that he wouldn’t play.

“He’s not at 100 per cent and I want guys who are at 100 per cent,” Ducharme said about Staal.

Artturi Lehkonen was added to the injury list when he was hurt in the first period of Game 3 and didn’t return.

Praise for Caufield

Canadiens defenceman Jon Merrill had some nice things to say about Caufield after Monday’s morning skate.

“He’s a confident kid,” Merrill said. “He’s not cocky … he’s confident. He’s sure of himself as a player and as a person, which is really refreshing to see. He doesn’t walk around like he’s better than anyone, but he definitely walks around and knows that he can make an impact. So we’re excited to see what he can do tonight and we all have the utmost confidence that he’s going to come in and do a job for us.”

Like Caufield, the 29-year-old Merrill played for the USA Hockey National Team Development program’s U-18 team and was asked if there was any player on that team he could compare to Caufield, who is nine years younger than the defenceman.

“I think an easy comparison, other than being a left shot, is Patrick Kane,” Merrill said. “I think the quick hands, the quick feet, the way that he can score. But, obviously, those are some pretty big shoes to fill and we’re just looking for him to come in tonight, bring some energy and I know he’ll do that for us.”

Kane scored 33 goals in 55 games over two seasons with the USA Hockey U-18 team. Caufield’s 72 goals in 64 games in 2018-19 broke the previous U-18 team record of 55 set by Auston Matthews and Caufield’s 126 goals in 123 career games broke the old team mark of 104 set by Phil Kessel.

The four-finger salute

After scoring the only goal for the Canadiens in Game 2, Kotkaniemi took off his right glove and raised four fingers while looking up into the stands.

“We had a good week of practice with the (four) guys who didn’t play tonight, so we’ve been in the locker room before so that was our thing,” Kotkaniemi explained after the game.

Caufield was one of those players sitting in the stands for Game 2 that Kotkaniemi gave the salute to.

“I think just a lot of us are close,” Caufield said Monday morning. “They’re the guys that you’re sticking around with after practice and stuff. You form a close bond, so a lot of us became pretty tight. Just a little celebration he had. You’ve got to stick to what’s working and I’m sure he’ll bring it again tonight. Being in the lineup is a big deal and you got to do the right things to stay in there. But I think the team as a whole, we’re 1188743 MontrealCanadiens Caufield at the right faceoff dot. Suddenly, he found himself in the exact same situation he worked on in warmup, just on the opposite side of the ice. Still, the angle of attack, the distance, everything about the shot he was about to take was the same as the shot he executed perfectly The problems plaguing the Canadiens against the Maple Leafs have maybe a half-hour earlier in warmups. been all too predictable It was almost as if he predicted it.

Caufield did not hesitate. He ripped a shot from that spot and, again, it hit By Arpon Basu May 25, 2021 the crossbar. Except instead of going bar down, it went bar up.

A big reason Caufield has always looked up to Gallagher is his effectiveness as a fellow undersized player, how well he plays along the Dominique Ducharme was asked a rather simple question Monday walls and in the areas where a player his size is not supposed to be morning about what he likes about defenceman Jon Merrill, and he gave effective. But it is also how consistently he has done it. How predictable a rather complicated answer. he is. Ducharme began talking about a card game and how when you put a Much of Gallagher’s success the past three years has been tied to his card on the table, you know what its value is and you always want that role on a line with Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar, a line that is value to remain the same from the time you have it in your hand to the expected to face the top opponents and spend most of its time playing in time you put it on the table. It was a bit confusing, but basically what the offensive zone. That didn’t happen over the first two games of the Ducharme was trying to say that he knows what he has in Merrill and he series, so in Game 3, Ducharme broke up the line. can rely on that. Danault’s role is to win big faceoffs, play well on the penalty kill and Merrill is not the best defenceman in the world, but he is what he is, and check. Danault has won 43.1 percent of his faceoffs in the series, and it Ducharme knows what he is and can reasonably expect that is what he is even worse in the defensive zone, 38.1 percent. The Leafs’ opening will get from him in a game. goal came directly off a lost faceoff by Danault in the defensive zone “You can’t jump on the ice and be a 10, or whatever card you are, pick a against Alexander Kerfoot. Tatar’s role is to score, and he hasn’t done number, and then suddenly be an ace, and then be a three,” Ducharme that, nor had he created nearly enough chances in the first two games. said. “You can’t be unpredictable.” He was supposed to be a healthy scratch in Game 3 and would have been, except Eric Staal revealed he had an injury, and so Tatar dressed Merrill is not the point here. Predictability is the point. Ducharme is hardly and played better. But he didn’t manufacture a goal. the only coach who wants this quality from his players, but predictability became a far more overarching theme for the Canadiens when they But the one who normally drives the line is Gallagher. played Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Gallagher did not play poorly in Game 3, but he knows that is not what he Maple Leafs later Monday. is judged on in the playoffs. He has yet to find the scoresheet in the They lost 2-1, and so much of that loss was rooted in that word. series and has only five shots on goal in three games. Predictability. “Everyone’s going to look at goals, I know goals are hard to come by, Cole Caufield found out Monday morning that he would be making his and I know I’m going to have to score an important one here as the Stanley Cup playoff debut that night. As soon as he got on the ice for the series goes on,” Gallagher said. “I’ve had enough looks the past couple morning skate, Alexandre Burrows had a quick word with him. Then of games, I just need to find a way to get one past the goalie.” Ducharme took a few laps around the ice with him as they chatted about Unfortunately for Gallagher, we have seen this movie before. It’s not what would come that evening. quite predictable, but the fact remains that last year in the bubble, Though just about everyone wanted to see Caufield right from Game 1, Gallagher did not score his first goal until Game 5 of the first round this really was an ideal scenario for him to enter the series. It was tied 1- against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Canadiens can take some solace in 1, the Canadiens were playing at home, so Ducharme can control the the fact they managed to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the preliminary matchups and there wasn’t an undue amount of pressure on him or the round without Gallagher scoring, so perhaps they can do it again here. Canadiens to win the game. But it would make it much easier for them if Gallagher were a bit more During power-play drills that morning, Caufield was set up on the right like his normal self, peppering the opposing net with shots and scoring flank when Jesperi Kotkaniemi had the puck on the opposite side. He big goals at important moments. If he were more predictable. sent a pass up to Jeff Petry, who sent it over to Caufield. In the slot, he The reason Gallagher knows how important it is for him to score is that quickly found Brendan Gallagher, who deposited a shot behind Jake he has been in Montreal a long time, and if there is one thing that has Allen. This was going to be Caufield’s first game as Gallagher’s become extremely predictable about this team, it has been the inability to teammate and it is someone he has looked up to for a long time. score in the playoffs. Players come and go, coaches have come and Gallagher came over and gave the rookie a little fist bump after the goal. gone, but this one fact remains. It probably meant a lot to him. Last season in the playoffs, the Canadiens scored 23 goals in 10 games. “Toronto’s a really good team and they showed it all year long, but I think In 2017, they scored 11 goals in six games. In 2015, it was 25 goals in 12 so are we,” Caufield said after the skate. “I think I’m in here to spark the games (six of which came in one game). This has been a thing for a team, give us energy and help us win. I’m going to do everything I can — while. play in the offensive zone, play 200 feet, do all the right things and play with a high compete level. As long as we all do that and stick to the plan, You could almost say it’s become predictable. I think we’ll have success tonight.” Gallagher knows this, but so does Carey Price, the one whose Before the game, just as warmup was winding down, the Canadiens performances over that span have been most affected by this predictable were doing “last puck,” a game essentially every hockey team plays at inability to score at the most important time of year. Since 2015, among the end of the warmup, where a group of them attempt to score on the goalies who have played at least 10 playoff games, Price’s .929 save backup goalie before leaving the ice. Caufield wasn’t taking part; he had percentage and 2.03 goals-against average are each second best in the a puck and was waiting patiently at the left faceoff dot for the guys to NHL. And yet his record over that same span is 14-17, because the finish. Canadiens have scored an average of 1.94 goals for every 60 minutes of playoff hockey Price has played. Once it was over, Caufield settled in and worked the puck to the four corners of that faceoff dot, left to right, diagonal, before he settled it and This is nothing new for him, and you would think he would be frustrated ripped a wrist shot off the crossbar and in. He got another puck, did it by it. again, bar down again. One more time, same result. No one would expect Price to throw his teammates under the bus, but On Caufield’s very first shift of his first playoff game, the Canadiens were Price did more than that when asked about that frustration that must be on a power play and Kotkaniemi had the puck on the left flank. This time, there for him. But if he were actually frustrated, if the predictability of this instead of going up to Petry, Kotkaniemi found a seam directly to situation were getting him down, he could have at least dodged the question. He could have said his job is to stop pucks and he will concentrate on that.

Instead, he said this: “I’m not frustrated at all, to be honest. I believe in these guys. These guys are talented guys. I see their shots in practice every day. I have no doubt that they have the ability to score goals. They’re trying out there. I know they are. It’s going to come. They’re playing pretty solid defence on their side, but we’re going to find a way to get through that. Their goaltender’s playing well. We have to make it more difficult for him.”

It was a real moment of leadership for Price, which we have often heard is something he does behind the scenes. But for him to do it in such a public way after a loss like that was, well, unpredictable.

For the Canadiens to get back into this series Tuesday night, for them to force a Game 6 that would be played at a Bell Centre with 2,500 fans in the building Saturday, a moment this city and this country desperately need, they will need to be the opposite of what Ducharme is seeking from his third-pairing defencemen. They will need to break this pattern of coming up short offensively at this time of year, of overly relying on their goaltender to give them a chance to win games they probably don’t deserve to win, as he did in Game 3.

They will need to be unpredictable.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188744 MontrealCanadiens from one end of the zone to no man’s land. Caufield played like the team’s most dynamic forward. It’s a good thing for him, but considering the offensive options the Canadiens have, it’s a bit concerning that Caufield has that honour. Still, kudos to him for being fearless in his Canadiens playoffs plus/minus: Carey Price’s vote of confidence, Shea playoff debut. Weber struggles, Dom Ducharme’s lineup choices Nick Suzuki: He got himself a goal after Morgan Rielly failed to shut him down sufficiently in the second period. He almost produced a pretty sweet goal while brushing off Leafs defenders before being stopped by By Julian McKenzie May 25, 2021 Jack Campbell. He also had his flashes with Caufield in the offensive zone. Even his faceoff numbers weren’t bad, at 53 percent (including a perfect 100 percent in the defensive zone). Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Carey Price is standing on his head trying to keep his team afloat while his team can’t score or generate Jesperi Kotkaniemi: In back-to-back games, Kotkaniemi has had faceoff much offence at all. rates above 50 percent. Sixty-four percent was what he had in Game 3, to be specific. He’s been the team’s best faceoff man since he was It took until Game 3 for the Montreal Canadiens to really have their backs added to the lineup. against the wall against the Toronto Maple Leafs. As they now face a 2-1 series deficit, their goalscoring woes are on display. Through three The minuses games, the Canadiens have scored only four times. Two of those goals Dominique Ducharme: Ducharme deserves some sympathy for how he’s came in Game 1. tried to shepherd the Canadiens through the second half of their season. If you take away the second and third periods of Game 2, the Canadiens He was given the reins partway through the season and pretty much had have mostly kept the Maple Leafs forwards at bay. But if they aren’t able to implement whatever philosophies and strategies he would’ve liked to score goals themselves, they can’t expect to win. through a condensed schedule that had the team playing dozens of games with little to no break. But it’s hard to come to Ducharme’s During the broadcast Monday night, Sportsnet flashed a noteworthy defence when two players he didn’t start at the beginning of the series graphic that detailed how little help Price has had in front of him. Price have shone as two of the team’s brightest once added. His best player has a goals-in-support average of 1.97 in the playoffs since 2014-15, the (aside from Price) in Game 3 was Caufield, making his playoff debut. As year he won the Hart, Vezina and a smorgasbord of other honours. It’s mentioned above, Kotkaniemi has been the Canadiens’ best player in the less than the 2.12 average that Petr Mrazek received while playing for faceoff dot and scored the only goal in Game 2. If Montreal doesn’t win three teams and less than Craig Anderson’s 2.19. the series, Ducharme will face more criticism for excluding Caufield and Kotkaniemi. Price could’ve used Monday night’s media availability, after a 2-1 Game 3 loss, to call out his teammates for not doing enough to put the puck in The power play: Replace “guy” with power play. Repeat. the net. He didn’t. Instead, he lent his support behind them with a vote of confidence. Montreal had six minutes of power play time in the first period Monday and registered no shots (despite Caufield’s chance that rang off the “I’m not frustrated at all, to be honest,” Price said. “I believe in these crossbar). Montreal has yet to score with the man advantage in this guys. These guys are talented guys. I see their shots in practice every series. day. I have no doubt that they have the ability to score goals. They’re trying out there. I know they are. It’s going to come. They’re playing Shea Weber: He’s been there for the rough stuff after the play is over, or pretty solid defence on their side, but we’re going to find a way to get even friendly (and unfortunate) fire on his own teammates. through that. Their goaltender’s playing well. We have to make it more The best the Canadiens can do right now is deploy him as a bottom- difficult for him.” pairing shutdown defenceman. He almost can’t even be relied upon to It should be noted that the Canadiens did get 15 shots on net in the third handle the puck. He was on the ice for the final few moments of Game 3 period and held Toronto to just two. But that came after they managed and had trouble keeping the puck in the offensive zone. Anyone who just 14 total through the first two periods. thought Weber might be able to strike fear in Auston Matthews or any other Leaf has been sorely mistaken. Game 4 is Tuesday night. It’s without a doubt the Canadiens’ biggest game of the season. For Price’s sake, the Canadiens need their offence “You look at all these playoff series and you want to make it difficult on to wake up. They cannot afford to give themselves a mountain to climb in the other team’s top players. That’s just the way it is in the regular Game 5, and it would be a shame if they were unable to take advantage season. I think it just ramps up a little more in the playoffs. It’s something of having an audience for Game 6 at home. we’ve got to continue to do and try and shut down those guys as much as we can,” Weber said. All right, on to the good and bad. Phillip Danault: He is who he is: a defensive forward who can go up The pluses against a team’s best player. He will be called upon by fans to produce offence, but he isn’t the most reliable in that domain. If he’s good Carey Price: He had the blocker save in Game 1 on Mitch Marner. In defensively, Canadiens fans can usually live with him. Monday night, Game 3, he robbed Jason Spezza with an outstanding stick save. however, saw him lose a lot of faceoffs against Matthews. Forty-two Through three games, Price already has his share of saves that could percent isn’t good enough. eventually be considered among the best of the entire playoffs. Brendan Gallagher: There were games in the latter half of the regular “Desperation, basically, is what it comes down to,” Price said of his save season when the Canadiens were without the feisty Gallagher. He’s been on Spezza. “(William Nylander was) in a pretty good shooting position. I described as the team’s heartbeat. Well, we might need a pacemaker thought he was going to shoot the puck. So, I bit pretty hard on it. The because Gallagher still has yet to make an impact in this series. He had puck went backdoor. I just reached out and was able to get a stick on it.” 13:15 of ice time, more than only Paul Byron and Corey Perry among He followed it up with a handful of saves in the second, flashing the Canadiens forwards who didn’t leave the ice early because of injury. leather whenever he could. Through three games, he has been the Jeff Petry: It’s been a forgettable second half of the season, including Canadiens’ best player, and he’s saved his best performances for the playoffs, for a defenceman who was once thought of as a dark horse playoffs. If only the offence in front of him could give him a bit more candidate for the Norris Trophy. The Canadiens need more out of him, support. especially on offence, where — as mentioned — the team needs help. Cole Caufield: One game is enough to deliver this take: There is no The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 reason the Canadiens benched Caufield for Games 1 and 2. He rang a shot off the crossbar on his team’s first power play of the night (which didn’t officially count as a shot). He even carried the puck through the neutral zone before being stifled by the Leafs defence near the net later in the frame. He even tried to connect with Nick Suzuki on a play in the offensive zone in the third period. The threat of offence died when the puck reached the stick of Joel Edmundson, who promptly fired the puck 1188745 Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators keep defying odds in playoffs. Juuse Saros is a big reason why.

Paul Skrbina

Thanks to consecutive double-overtime victories in Games 3 and 4, the Nashville Predators have managed to turn their seven-game first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes into what could feel like an eight-game series.

Then again, maybe that's not surprising considering that a little more than two months ago the Predators had less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs. Considering as recently as a few days ago, when they trailed the series 2-0, their chances of advancing to the second round seemed even lower.

That's what a Matt Duchene winner in double-OT will get a team, along with a Luke Kunin double-OT winner two days later, when he went 95 minutes, 13 seconds between goals. That's what having a goalie setting franchise records will get a team, too.

Juuse Saros, no longer no doubt not Pekka Rinne's backup, has played 310 minutes – the equivalent of more than five full regulation games packed into four in a series that's somehow tied 2-2.

"He's a stud and he's going to keep doing his thing," center Ryan Johansen said Sunday, when Saros set a franchise playoff record (and personal high for the second game in a row) when he made 58 saves in a 4-3 victory at Bridgestone Arena. He tied the franchise record Friday with 52.

"We're going to keep counting on him."

At this point, the Predators don't have a choice, really. Saros, in large part, defied those less-than-1% odds by being the best goalie in the league for two-plus months.

But things could be much different when the Predators head to Raleigh, hoping to rally for a Game 5 road victory Tuesday (7 p.m. CT, CNBC).

Sure, they'll be playing in front of a large, raucous crowd. But unlike at Bridgestone Arena, where a little over 12,000 sounded, looked and felt closer to 20,000, most of the screams won't be of encouragement, something the Predators have credited after each of the two home games they've played.

The Central Division champion Hurricanes have lost three times in regulation at home this season. The Predators are 13-15-2 on the road this season, including the playoffs.

The Predators can't continue to rely so heavily on Saros, who became just the second goalie in NHL history with back-to-back 50-save games in playoff history.

"He's been our best player all year," Kunin said. "He's a beast back there, and we want to help him out as much as possible."

Saros is going to need it should the Predators somehow turn this into a 10-game series.

The Predators will take Monday off, save for their charter flight to North Carolina, after playing 191 minutes, 4 seconds Friday and Sunday.

"We want to try to regroup and get back to neutral and try to go do the same thing (Tuesday)," Kunin said.

And not go in reverse.

Tennessean LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188746 Nashville Predators As recently as March, when Saros had a 3.10 goals-against average and .895 save percentage through his first 13 appearances this season, there was skepticism that he had what it took to be a franchise goaltender. He was too small, too inconsistent. Series stealer? Predators goalie Juuse Saros has the Hurricanes on their heels after historic wins Those doubts gradually disappeared as Saros, one of three sub-6-foot goaltenders in the league, turned in a virtuoso performance over the final two months of the regular season and attracted some Vezina Trophy buzz. By Adam Vingan May 24, 2021 Saros might never develop into the workhorse that Rinne was for a

decade, but the Predators’ future at the position appears very bright. The NHL began tracking saves in 1955. In the six-plus decades since First-round pick Iaroslav Askarov, who posted a 1.21 GAA and .951 save then, there have been two instances of a goaltender recording 50-plus percentage in nine KHL games this season, waits in the wings. Askarov, saves in consecutive playoff games. 18, and Saros, 26, have the makings of a formidable tandem, if all goes according to plan. Only one of those goaltenders, Juuse Saros, won both. (The other was Curtis Joseph for the 1992-93 St. Louis Blues.) Saros, a restricted free agent whose three-year, $4.5 million contract expires in July, picked the right time to have a career season. A shorter- Saros’ Predators teammates are running low on superlatives to describe term deal similar to the one Philipp Grubauer received from the Colorado him, though they are willing to try to come up with new ones. Avalanche in 2018 — three years, $10 million — would make sense. (Saros is one year away from UFA status.) “He’s a stud,” center Ryan Johansen said. That is a discussion for another time, though. The Predators winning four “He’s a beast back there,” forward Luke Kunin said. of five against the Hurricanes seemed impossible. With Saros in goal, Either will suffice. None of this — the back-to-back double overtime wins two of three is conceivable. against the Carolina Hurricanes in front of 12,135 delirious fans at “He’s a big part of our team success and our success right now in Bridgestone Arena or the Predators’ improbable playoff berth — is winning these last two games,” Johansen said. “He’s going to keep doing possible without Saros, who made a franchise-record 58 saves Sunday his thing, and we’re going to keep counting on him.” and made this once-lopsided series a lot more interesting. — Data via Sportlogiq. At the outset of the series, goaltending was the one advantage the Predators had over the Hurricanes. Saros was the key to an upset. The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 Questions remained, though, about whether Saros, who was subpar in four games against the average Arizona Coyotes inside the Edmonton bubble last year, could steal a series against a high-powered opponent.

The Hurricanes had a distinct territorial advantage in Game 4, especially in the early going. They possessed the puck for 3:54 in the first period, compared to 32 seconds for the Predators. By the end of regulation, it was 8:03-3:38 in favor of the Hurricanes.

Saros’ counterpart, outstanding rookie Alex Nedeljkovic, made more highlight-reel saves Sunday, but Saros was calm under pressure, stopping 18 of 20 slot shots, including seven of eight from the inner slot.

“He always had the physical ability,” Predators coach John Hynes said. “His work habits, just his office-ice training, how he practices, how he prepares himself, they are top notch, so you (knew) physically that he (would be) able to step into that role. The biggest adjustment is being able to mentally focus for as long as he has, as many games as he’s played, but then also what are you doing in between games, a tough loss, a big win. Those are all the things that really come down to being a goaltender that can play very consistently at the level he’s played (at). I think that’s a credit to him. It’s a credit to (goaltending coach) Benny Vanderklok. I think it’s a credit to (Pekka Rinne). Those guys have a real tight relationship.

“(Saros) puts in the work, but the maturation of the player mentally and I think emotionally are the big differences now.”

Juuse Saros against the Hurricanes

1 (L)

17/21

9/11

2 (L)

9/11

3/4

3 (OTW)

26/27

12/13

4 (OTW)

18/20

7/8 1188747 Nashville Predators

They're vibin': Why you should count the Predators out at your own risk

MICHAEL GALLAGHER MAY 24, 2021

It took Nashville Predators forward Luke Kunin just 57 seconds to score his first goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 at Bridgestone Arena on Sunday.

The 23-year-old forward had to wait exponentially longer for his second. Ninety-five minutes and 13 seconds, to be exact.

Kunin, who found himself without a stick as the second overtime period dipped below the four-minute mark, raced over to the Predators’ bench, where he was met by the quick-reacting equipment manager Pete Rogers.

Rogers passed along a fresh stick to Kunin, who skated uncontested into the Carolina zone, splitting the faceoff dots where Mikael Granlund found him all alone and fed him a pass that he one-timed stick-side past Hurricanes goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic for the 4-3 double overtime win that tied the series 2-2.

It was the fourth-longest amount of time between goals by the same player in NHL history. Kunin now leads the Predators in hits (19) and is tied for the most goals (two) and fifth-most shots (10) in the postseason.

“We actually gave Pete a round of applause after the game,” Predators coach John Hynes said. “A veteran equipment manager, he’s been around and (was) plugged into the game. (Kunin) breaks his stick, Pete jumps back… he’s high stepping it back to the stick and gets it right away and gives it to (Kunin)… It was a heck of a play by Granlund to find him there. So tip of the cap to Pete Rogers, for sure.”

While Kunin may have had his coming out party, Sunday’s game was just the latest example of how good the Predators can be with Juuse Saros between the pipes.

After making a career-high 52 saves in Friday’s double overtime win, Saros topped himself with a franchise-record 58 saves on Sunday. He became just the second player in NHL history with back-to-back games with 50 or more saves.

In total, Saros saved 110 of the 117 shots he faced (.940 save percentage) in the last two games while playing 191:04.

Through four games, the 26-year-old has faced the most shots (184) and made the most saves (171) of any goalie in the playoffs. He also has the fourth-best save percentage (.929), and he is tied for the fifth-best goals- against average (2.52) of all goalies to start four or more postseason games.

"He's a stud," center Ryan Johansen said of Saros. "He's a big part of our team success and our ... winning these last two games. He's going to keep doing his thing and we're going to keep counting on him."

Now, Nashville — which appeared to be on the verge of a quick playoff exit after falling behind two games to none — has Game 5 in Carolina on Tuesday, Game 6 in Nashville on Thursday, and if necessary, Game 7 in Carolina on Saturday.

While the Predators may not like the idea of being the underdog in the series, they certainly seem to play their best hockey with their backs against the wall. It worked for the final 28 games of the regular season, and now, it appears to be working just the same.

“I think that’s just how our group is made up,” Johansen said. “Since Day 1, we’ve loved the character in our room. We know there’s no quit and the resilience is showing when we need it most.”

Nashville Post LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188748 Nashville Predators

TSU announces details on potential future hockey program

MICHAEL GALLAGHER MAY 24, 2021

As the Post reported last month, Tennessee State University is exploring the possibility of starting an NCAA ice hockey program, beginning with a feasibility study to gauge interest from students and the community, the school confirmed on Friday.

The university is working in conjunction with College Hockey Inc. and the Nashville Predators, who partnered with TSU in March 2020 for the “$1 million in 1 month” fundraising campaign to benefit merit- and need- based scholarships for TSU students, an effort that raised $1.7 million to fund more than 500 scholarships.

TSU would be the first-ever HBCU to field a college hockey program.

"The idea of establishing a collegiate hockey program at TSU is a tremendous opportunity as the nation's first HBCU to take on this endeavor," TSU President Glenda Glover said. "This allows us to expand the sport, increase diversity, and introduce a new fan base.

"Our partnership with the Nashville Predators and [franchise President and CEO] Sean Henry continues to cultivate groundbreaking programs that will have a lasting impact on the University and our students. We are appreciative for the leadership from the National Hockey League and NCAA College Hockey Inc. in helping to lay the foundation for this process with hopes of bringing college hockey to TSU."

Through the feasibility study, TSU officials will be examining the sustainability of men’s and women’s varsity hockey teams, in addition to determining what the school would need in terms of funding, facilities and everything else that encompasses running a successful college hockey program. Results of the study are expected sometime in the fall.

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have sponsored feasibility studies in the past for colleges looking into adding NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey to their stable of athletics.

"Despite the absence of a Division-I hockey program, the state is filled with talented prospective student-athletes that could build a winning program at Tennessee State University," TSU Athletic Director Mikki Allen said.

"We are extremely excited about the prospect of adding men's and women's ice hockey to our athletics programs," Allen added. "Having the support of the Nashville Predators and the NHL is truly phenomenal and it speaks to the commitment that these two organizations have to growing the game of hockey."

Middle Tennessee has become a hot bed for youth hockey since 2010, and the area has seen the second-largest percentage increase in youth hockey in the United States, according to TSU. High school hockey is a staple of the prep sports scene as well with the GNASH hockey league fielding 14 teams comprised of 29 schools (through co-ops).

The demand for the sport is growing exponentially as well. Since 2014, the Predators have worked to open Ford Ice Center Antioch and Ford Ice Center Bellevue, with plans to open a Ford Ice Center in Sumner County by 2023 and an ice center in Clarksville in the Montgomery County Events Center by 2022.

"The passion and vision of President Glover, Dr. Allen and all of Tennessee State University's leadership in pushing to make hockey a more diverse and inclusive sport through this feasibility study is both inspiring and humbling," Henry said. "Through their passion and track record they will be able to create another success story for other schools and communities to chase and ideally emulate.”

Follow Michael Gallagher on Twitter @MGsports_

Nashville Post LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188749 New York Islanders Pittsburgh center Evgeni Malkin had opened the scoring with a wicked top-shelf wrist shot over Sorokin’s blocker on the power play 8:20 into the first.

Goalie Ilya Sorokin steals Game 5 for Islanders in Pittsburgh, can close But Beauvillier undressed Jake Guentzel with a terrific move and beat out at Coliseum Wednesday Jarry up top with 54.4 remaining in the first to send the game into the first intermission tied at one apiece.

Sorokin’s one tough moment came on a deep one-timer from Bryan Rust By PAT LEONARD from the top of the right circle 7:37 into the second period for a 2-1 Isles deficit. MAY 24, 2021 AT 11:11 PM He then bailed out his team on the penalty kill, though, with a terrific save

on Guentzel on the Penguins’ power play a few minutes later to keep it a The Islanders are the Ilyas, not the Isles, until further notice. one-goal game into the third.

Rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin was the savior of the Isles’ 3-2 Game 5 That’s how the Isles stayed close enough to pull out a critical win. double overtime win at PPG Paints Arena on Monday night that pushed “Outstanding,” Trotz said of Sorokin. “I can use all the [words] you wanna the top-seeded Penguins to the brink of first-round elimination. write. They all apply. He gave us a chance. Our first two periods weren’t Sorokin made 48 saves to offset a 50-28 Penguins shot advantage and pretty, and he allowed us a chance to hang around. It all goes up front on hold on until Jordan Eberle tied it 8:50 into the third period and Josh Ilya. We don’t have a chance if he doesn’t have an outstanding game.” Bailey won it 51 seconds into double OT. New York Daily News LOADED: 05.25.2021 That included two big third-period stops on Penguins center with the game tied — a poke check in the crease and a kick save of a shot in close — and a big blocker save on a Kris Letang wrist shot 15:39 into the first overtime.

“Soroko was giving us a chance,” Bailey said. “We knew we weren’t playing up to their caliber, but we knew we had a chance. So it was, ‘Let’s just tie this thing up and see what happens.’ Then in overtime again Soroko stood on his head. It’s a big one for us.”

The Russian Sorokin, 25, set new Islanders records for shots faced and saves made by a rookie goalie in team playoff history. The Ilyas — er, the Isles — are now 3-0 in the series with Sorokin in net, rather than veteran Semyon Varlamov.

That includes a 2-0 record in overtime games this series, counting the Isles’ 4-3 OT win in Game 1 in Pittsburgh.

Winger Anthony Beauvillier had a terrific night, too, with a nifty first period goal, a penalty drawn in the third, and the speed to hassle Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry into his fateful turnover to Bailey early in the second overtime.

The No. 4-seeded Isles now have a 3-2 series lead and a chance to close out the Penguins in Game 6 on Wednesday night at Nassau Coliseum.

On home ice, the Isles often effectively use their physicality, forecheck and loud crowd to establish the tone and pace of a game. They were on their heels most of Monday night in Pittsburgh. But they were fortunate to have Sorokin between the pipes.

The shots were 38-15 in the Penguins’ favor midway through the third period when JG Pageau bullied Pens defenseman Brian Dumoulin off the puck behind the net and Leo Komarov fed it in front for Eberle’s finish and a 2-2 tie.

It marked Eberle’s second goal in two games and gave him a point in three straight.

It was the Islanders’ first shot on goal of the entire period. They had trailed for almost 32 minutes (31:58) prior to the goal. Eberle caught a break when he fanned on his initial shot and Jarry went down, allowing Eberle to corral the sliding puck and bury.

This is how teams win on the road, though: by weathering the lulls and capitalizing when chances arrive.

“Once we scored that goal, I felt pretty good about our team,” Isles coach Barry Trotz said. “It was one of those nights where when you got it tied up and you got it overtime, I was thinking this was gonna be our night.”

The Islanders played overtime with only 11 forwards due to a scary injury to winger Oliver Wahlstrom 11:57 into the third period. Wahlstrom appeared to hurt his right leg and possibly his head on a hit and a high stick from Pens defenseman Mike Matheson.

The Isles squandered a late power play with just one shot on goal, a trip of Brock Nelson set up by a Beauvillier drop pass. But they also held the Penguins without a shot on Sorokin for a seven-minute stretch late in the third, giving him a brief respite from the early-night onslaught. 1188750 New York Islanders New York Post LOADED: 05.25.2021

‘Outstanding’ Ilya Sorokin paved way for Islanders win

By Mollie WalkerMay 25, 2021 | 12:40am | Updated

Rookie netminder Ilya Sorokin stole Game 5 for the Islanders, coming up with a franchise rookie playoff record 48 saves on 50 shots as the Isles pulled out a 3-2 win over the Penguins in double overtime Monday night.

With the victory, his third of the series, Sorokin became the first rookie goalie in franchise history to win each of the first three playoff games of his career.

“Outstanding,” head coach Barry Trotz said. “I can use all the ones that you want to write, they all will apply. He was outstanding. He gave us a chance. The first two periods were not pretty and he allowed us to hang around.”

With eight stops in the first extra period and one on Penguins forward Bryan Rust just before Josh Bailey’s game-winner in the second, Sorokin allowed the Islanders to remain competitive throughout the game. The Islanders acknowledged that the 25-year-old netminder’s play through the first two periods was the only reason why it was only a one-goal game heading into the final frame.

“Ilya was playing great, just a real backbone for us,” Bailey said. “He gave us some confidence that he was going to get the job done and we just had to stick with it. “

Sorokin made a sprawling save on Penguins fourth-line winger Brandon Tanev during a Penguins odd-man rush just over a minute into the second period. And when the Islanders went on the penalty kill, Sorokin came up with saves on Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel.

Bailing out several Islanders in the opening 20 minutes, Sorokin made two crucial saves on the Penguins’ Teddy Blueger to make up for a Nick Leddy turnover and another on Rust following a Scott Mayfield gaffe.

“It’s impressive for his first year how calm he is back there, especially in a game like tonight in Pittsburgh and with the crowd on him,” Jordan Eberle said. “He stands tall.”

Oliver Wahlstrom went to the locker room in the second half of the third period and never returned in the double-overtime win, after absorbing a hit from Penguins defenseman Michael Matheson.

The Islanders rookie winger collided with Matheson near the corner and fell awkwardly on his right leg. Wahlstrom struggled to get to his feet and needed assistant off the ice.

“Right now, I’d say he’s day-to-day,” Trotz said after the win, which gave the Isles a 3-2 series lead. “Hopefully when we get him back and see where he is [Tuesday], we’ll have a better idea.”

Coming off his best game of the series in Game 4 on Saturday, in which he had one power-play goal and an assist in the Isles’ series-tying win, Wahlstrom had begun to look more comfortable in the first playoff run of his NHL career. He’s totaled one goal and two assists in five games.

The 20-year-old finished with three shots on goal and three hits in 11:56 of ice time Monday.

“It’s never fun to lose a teammate and Wally has been a big player for us all year,” said J-G Pageau, who has skated on the third line with Wahlstrom. “Even in the playoffs, he’s scored big goals, making hard plays and for his first year, it’s very impressive. I was lucky to play with him. We’re going to hope he’s OK. When one guy goes down, some other guys have to step up.”

The winner of the Islanders-Penguins series will face the Bruins in the second round, after Boston defeated the Capitals in five games Sunday. Since Trotz won the Stanley Cup in Washington in 2018, the Capitals have won just five playoff games.

“Everybody saw that that series ended,” Trotz said prior to Game 5. “Everybody’s conscious of it. But I don’t think it gives you extra motivation, I just think that you have to focus on the moment and the task at hand.” 1188751 New York Islanders

Josh Bailey’s fluky 2OT goal gives Islanders series lead

By Mollie WalkerMay 24, 2021 | 10:52pm | Updated

There’s a reason why they call it the “pivotal Game 5.” And it was only fitting that one of the tightest series of the first round needed double overtime to decide it.

Josh Bailey was the hero for the Islanders, scoring 51 seconds into the second extra period to secure a 3-2 win over the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Monday night. The victory gave the Islanders a 3-2 series lead and sets them up with a chance to advance as they head back to Long Island for Game 6 on Wednesday.

One team was going to come out of Game 5 with its backs against the wall, and the Islanders just barely escaped being that team.

Despite dictating play for a majority of the game, the Penguins fell short after netminder Tristan Jarry’s failed clearing attempt was scooped up by Bailey and carried in for the soft shot from between the circles for the game-winner.

“I just said, ‘Listen, dig in, play the right way, and there’s not a bad shot,’ ” head coach Barry Trotz said of his message to the team in between the first and second overtimes. “Keep the shifts short, be on the right side of the puck and it’s going to be all about who wants it more. I know you’re tired, but stick with it, this is about character and care for each other.

“Nothing’s easy in this league, it’s hard, and this is a hard division. This is a very good hockey team that we’re playing. It’s gonna take every ounce we have of everything we have to win this.”

Josh Bailey celebrates scoring the game-winning goal for the Islanders in Game 5 on Monday night.

The Islanders’ sense of urgency didn’t come through until the third period, when they were trailing 2-1. They didn’t record their first shot of that period until 8:50, but it happened to go in. Jean-Gabriel Pageau forced a turnover in the corner with a hit before Leo Komarov dished to Jordan Eberle, who lured Jarry out of the crease before burying it to knot the game 2-2.

It revitalized the Isles, but shortly after, Oliver Wahlstrom had to be helped to the locker room after falling awkwardly to the ice following a hit from Penguins defenseman Michael Matheson.

The Islanders had just 19 shot attempts through two periods, bowing to the Penguins’ speed particularly in the second period, getting outshot 20- 4 on the way to a 50-28 disadvantage in attempts. Despite having some offensive-zone time, including a power play, the Islanders struggled to put the puck on net but the Penguins only came away with a 2-1 lead.

That the game was that tight could be chalked up to the play of goalie Ilya Sorokin, who finished with an Islanders rookie playoff record 48 saves on 50 shots, including nine in overtime. If not for the individual efforts of Sorokin and Anthony Beauvillier, who willed himself to the net with a swift move around Penguins top-line winger Jake Guentzel to tie the game 1-1 with 54.4 seconds left in the opening frame, the first two periods could’ve been game-defining.

“It was big for us,” Beauvillier said of his goal, “But we couldn’t have done it without Ilya, he kept us in the game.”

The team which has scored first had won the series’ first four games, but that trend ended in Game 5. The Islanders’ shaky play through a majority of regulation nearly kept that streak alive. They can thank their lucky stars for this one, and their names are Sorokin and Bailey.

“There’s one thing I know about this group of guys, we left it all out there,” Pageau said. “Just to get rewarded, might not have been our prettiest one, but to leave it all out there and to get rewarded for our work. Just to stick with it, is just an amazing feeling. We got to turn the page, we’re definitely happy about this one. But we got to really focus on that next one.”

New York Post LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188752 New York Islanders

Islanders getting boost from their shot-happy defense

By Mollie WalkerMay 24, 2021 | 7:02pm | Updated

The Islanders’ defensemen have accounted for roughly 30 percent of the team’s shots through the first four games of the first-round series against the Penguins, and it’s played a crucial role in balancing the offensive responsibilities throughout the lineup.

Of the Isles’ 135 shots this series entering play Monday, 41 have come from defensemen, along with two goals and seven assists. Scott Mayfield had led the defense with 13 shots, plus a goal and three assists. But the offensive contributions from the top four in particular have been invaluable.

“It’s important,” head coach Barry Trotz said of the defense’s part in the offense. “I think that teams do a really good job of taking care of things around the net a lot more so in the playoffs than they do in the regular season. The forwards come a little deeper and a little more committed, all that stuff. You have to spread it out a little bit.

“I think the defense has the mindset of shooting the puck more, I think the forwards have the mindset of getting to the net a little bit more as well. So it’s important, it’s extremely important to get contributions through your whole lineup, not just your forwards.”

The top defensive pairing of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock had combined for a goal, an assist and 16 shots. While Pulock had the goal and assist, Pelech had totaled 11 shots on goal in those first four games.

“I think it’s huge, creating point shots and creating other ways to score,” said Nick Leddy, who had one assist and four shots. “Just to get guys moving around the offensive zone, I think that’s huge. I think the forwards have been doing a great job also getting us the puck early and giving us time to find lanes.”

The winner of the Islanders-Penguins series will face the Bruins in the second round, after Boston defeated the Capitals in five games Sunday. Since Trotz won the Stanley Cup in Washington in 2018, the Capitals have won just five playoff games.

“Everybody saw that that series ended,” Trotz said. “Everybody’s conscious of it. But I don’t think it gives you extra motivation, I just think that you have to focus on the moment and the task at hand.”

Nick Leddy

Trotz planned to roll with the same skaters for the fifth straight game Monday night. He said that everybody was healthy and available, but noted that he expected depth to play a role this postseason.

“I don’t think anybody’s having a really bad stretch, but some guys we can get more out of,” he said. “Depth is going to come into play at some point. We’re fortunate to have some of that with some experience, like a guy like Travis [Zajac], for instance. Someone goes down at center ice, I think that’s where he’s really going to benefit us. If someone goes down on the wing, he can play wing, but I think he’s better at center ice. We have some options on the wing.”

New York Post LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188753 New York Islanders Trotz said it is impossible to know what a defining moment for a season is until the season is over. But Eberle’s goal, and Sorokin’s saves, helped ensure it will not be over on Wednesday night.

Islanders' Game 5 key was Ilya Sorokin and his 48 saves "To me, that’s what good teams do," Trotz said. "When you’re not at your best, you find a way to hang in there. You find a way to win. That to me shows a lot of character to our group."

By Neil Best Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.25.2021 Updated May 24, 2021 11:56 PM

The crisp white sweaters did have the Islanders logo on them, but other than that, for 2 ½ periods, the visiting team at PPG Paints Arena was unrecognizable on Monday night.

That was before a series of plot twists in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series against the Penguins turned what looked like a dispiriting dud into a potentially season-defining triumph.

Thanks mostly to a brilliant performance by rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders escaped Pittsburgh by stealing a 3-2, double- overtime victory on Josh Bailey’s goal 51 seconds into the second extra period.

Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry attempted a long clearing pass that Bailey intercepted and sent back past Jarry.

The Islanders lead the series, 3-2, and can end it at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night.

Game 5 was another example of their habit of slow starts in this series, and another example of the veteran poise that has gotten them this far.

"Just to leave it all out there and get rewarded for our work and just to stick with it is an amazing feeling," Jean-Gabriel Pageau said.

Sorokin is 3-0 in the series, and thus 3-0 in his NHL playoff career. He is the presumed No. 1 goaltender of the near future, but he also has become the No. 1 goaltender of the present.

"Couldn’t have done it without Ilya, obviously," Anthony Beauvillier said.

"Outstanding," coach Barry Trotz said. "I can use all the [words] that you want to write. They all will apply."

Trotz said he delivered a blunt message when his team trailed 2-1 at the second intermission: "Enough is enough, boys."

Then Jordan Eberle tied the score at 8:50 of the third period, which seemed finally to rouse the Islanders from their gamelong slumber.

For most of the night, everyone — including the Islanders themselves — surely wondered what happened to the guys who routed the Pens, 4-1, on Saturday at the Coliseum.

Where was the hitting? The lockdown defense? The veteran savvy? Gone.

The only thing that kept the score from not being worse was Sorokin.

The Islanders would have been happy to trail by only one after how things went in the first period, but they did better than that, thanks to a fantastic individual effort by Beauvillier.

With the Penguins’ defenders caught up ice and Jake Guentzel left to fend for himself, Beauvillier went around him with speed and a nifty move, then beat Jarry high to his stick side with 54.4 seconds left.

(Am I allowed to say Beauvillier’s move around Guentzel reminded me of Trae Young’s move around the Knicks’ Frank Ntilikina on Sunday night? Too soon?)

Shortly after killing off a penalty, the Penguins regained the lead when Bryan Rust scored at 7:37 of the second, beating Sorokin on a long blast that seemed to catch the rookie set up too deeply in his crease.

At one point, the Penguins were outshooting the Islanders 17-1 in the second period. By the middle of the third, they had a 40-15 edge in shots for the game.

Then Eberle scored on the Islanders’ first shot of the period.

It began with a forecheck of Brian Dumoulin by Pageau, which created an opening for Leo Komarov to set up Eberle for a score over a sprawling Jarry. 1188754 New York Islanders would give our guys a lot of credit for hanging in there. We knew we’d have to be really good tonight and we didn’t have enough guys good enough tonight."

Josh Bailey's double-overtime winner lifts Islanders past Penguins in Whether rookie sharpshooter Oliver Wahlstrom will be available for Game 5 Game 6 is questionable. He exited after defenseman Mike Matheson shouldered him hard into the wall at 11:57 of the third period, snapping his head against the boards. Trotz said he did not have an update and listed Wahlstrom as day-to-day. By Andrew Gross Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.25.2021 Updated May 25, 2021 12:23 AM

PITTSBURGH — After 40 minutes of hockey proved that rookie goalie Ilya Sorokin deserved to win but the rest of the Islanders did not, Barry Trotz had a simple message during the second intermission Monday night.

"I said, ‘Enough is enough, boys,’ " the coach recounted. " 'We need everybody.’ "

It took a while, but the Islanders, outskated and outshot significantly in regulation, pushed the Penguins to the brink of elimination with a 3-2 double-overtime win in Game 5 of their first-round series at PPG Paints Arena.

Josh Bailey scored the winner 51 seconds into the second extra period after intercepting Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry's attempt to clear the puck.

Game 6 will be played Wednesday night at Nassau Coliseum as the Islanders look to close out a series in that building for the first time since 1993.

Sorokin, who has won all three of his playoff starts, was brilliant in stopping 48 shots, including 19 in the second period.

It was the Islanders' second overtime win of the series in Pittsburgh after taking Game 1, 4-3, with a single extra period. Sorokin made 39 saves in that victory.

"He was really big for us tonight," said Anthony Beauvillier, who gave the Islanders some life with a great individual effort to tie the score at 1 with 54.4 seconds left in the first period. "Key saves. He kept us in the game."

"You need good goaltending to get a win," said Jordan Eberle, who tied the score at 2 at 8:50 of the third period after Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s forecheck forced Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin into a turnover. "His poise and his athleticism to get across to make big saves and how quick he does it is very impressive."

"We stuck with it," Pageau said. "It definitely wasn’t our best start. Soroky kept us in there. Beau scored a big goal to give us life on the bench. After that, on the bench, I think we just believed in our chance. When we go into overtime, the longer it goes, we have a solid group here that sticks together. We played solid after that."

The winner of this series will face the Bruins in the second round after they eliminated the Capitals in the East Division’s other first-round series with a 3-1 win in Sunday night’s Game 5 in Washington.

"Everybody saw that series ended and everybody is conscious of it," Trotz said. "But I don’t think it gives you extra motivation. You have to focus on the moment and the task at hand. These are two really good teams and there’s not much separating them. You’ve just got to leave everything out there. Whatever happens at the end of the game, we have to flush it, good, bad or indifferent. We have to move on to the next one and really have a micro-focus."

Evgeni Malkin’s power-play goal off a crisp passing sequence from Bryan Rust and Kris Letang gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 8:20 of the first period. He beat Sorokin to the near side from the left circle.

Rust regained a 2-1 lead for the Penguins at 7:37 of the second period on a screened slap shot from the right point to the far post. The Islanders were outshot 20-4 in the second period and Sorokin had to stop two-on- one chances for Sidney Crosby and Brandon Tanev within the first 61 seconds, stretching out his right leg to stop the latter.

Overall, the Islanders’ zone entries and exits and physicality did not resemble their effort in Saturday’s 4-1 Game 4 win at the Coliseum.

"I thought they established their game quicker than we did," Trotz said. "I just thought they were spot on with their game early and we weren’t. I 1188755 New York Islanders The lack of turnover also speaks to another truth about the current roster: It’s not young, with 16 players born in 1991 or earlier, 11 of whom were expected to dress Monday night.

Chemistry, experience give Islanders an edge in tough series So as much as they seem to enjoy one another’s company on and off the ice, the actuarial tables of professional sports will be stacked against them over the next several years.

Updated May 24, 2021 6:22 PM By Neil Best Their bond is tight, but so is their timetable.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.25.2021 The fact that 16 players were part of all four Islanders' Stanley Cups in the early 1980s was an achievement then and is inconceivable in the modern, free-agency era.

But by 21st century standards, the current Islanders have an impressive list of longtime players, continuity that in theory bodes well in a long, contentious playoff series like their current first-rounder against the Penguins.

That is the sort of pressure the Islanders faced entering Game 5 on Monday night in Pittsburgh — a best-of-three series with two games on the road.

The good news for them and their fans is that the moment figures not to be too big for them.

Island Ice: Newsday's podcast about the Islanders. Island Ice: Newsday's podcast about the Islanders.

Andrew Gross, Neil Best and Colin Stephenson discuss Game 4 of the Islanders-Penguins, a 4-1 win for the Isles that evened the first-round playoffs at 2-2.

This is the Islanders’ sixth time in the playoffs in nine years, and their third in a row. And there have been an array of familiar faces on the journey.

Consider the 2013-14 roster, so long ago that the team still was a season away from its first farewell to Nassau Coliseum.

Eight players on that year’s roster are on the current roster, and six are expected to play in Game 5: Josh Bailey, Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin, Scott Mayfield and Brock Nelson.

Anders Lee is out for the season with a knee injury and Thomas Hickey is on the taxi squad.

What about 2017-18, the season before coach Barry Trotz arrived? There are 17 players on the current roster who were on that one, including 11 expected to play Monday night.

That is an unusual lack of turnover for this era, more so given the arrivals since of a new coach and a new general manager in .

"It’s nice," said Nelson, a 2010 first-round draft pick by the team. "We’ve formed a bond over the years, guys that have been here and want to win. Guys are going out there and playing hard, playing for each other.

"The chemistry is obviously there from being familiar with each other for so long. We’re just trying to enjoy each moment and go out there and play for one another."

There have been some comings and goings along the way. Martin was not one of the 11 players from 2017-18 who were set to play Monday night. He was in the second year of a two-year detour to Toronto at the time.

Now he is back, a fan favorite and key member of the team’s "Identity Line."

"The situation here on Long Island is that the families and the guys can become very close because of where everybody lives, family-wise," Trotz said after practice on Sunday. "But there is a group of individuals, the core group, that were draft [picks] or were here for a number of years, and there hasn’t been a lot of turnover.

"The core group has been together, and they’ve evolved, and I think they hang out together. There are no cliques in our locker room or anywhere on our team, so I think that blends to the guys relying on each other and trusting each other."

That matters more at playoff time than in the regular season, particularly in a back-and-forth series such as the current one. 1188756 New York Islanders

Isles' plan to defend Sidney Crosby working well through first four playoff games

By Colin Stephenson

Updated May 24, 2021 6:21 PM

Defending Sidney Crosby is more than a one-man, one-line, or one- defense pair job.

The Penguins' superstar center is the leader in playoff scoring among active players, with 190 points in 172 games entering Game 5 of Pittsburgh’s first-round series against the Islanders Monday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. And Crosby, 33, is second in scoring among active players (behind 41-year-old ), with 1,325 points in 1,039 regular-season games over 16 seasons.

You don’t stop a guy like that, as the saying goes. You only hope to contain him. And the Islanders have made the task of containing Crosby a whole-team thing, with all four forward lines and all three defense pairs getting turns against the Penguins' captain throughout the first four games of the series, which were split, 2-2.

"I mean, it has to be done by committee,’’ Islanders forward Josh Bailey said of keeping Crosby in check. "It's important for all of us to be on the same page, and working together, and doing what we need to do to limit their opportunities.’’

Islanders coach Barry Trotz, who has faced Crosby in many playoff series -- both with the Islanders and with the Washington Capitals -- was asked if running all these different defenders at Crosby was by design, or by circumstance.

"Sometimes it's dictated on shift-length situation, rotation, [the question of] ‘Do I have the last change, or do they have the last change?’’’ Trotz said. "But we've always tried to approach all good players the same way; you've got to make sure that when you're against them you have to respect them, and you have to be on the right side. You have to make them make good plays through you, and take pride in going against those top players. And I think we have four lines that take pride in doing that.’’

Through the first four games, Crosby, the No. 1 pick overall in the 2005 draft, had been limited to a single point – a brilliant, tip-in goal in the Islanders 4-3 OT win in Game 1. His wingers, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust, each had been held to one point in the series as well. Guentzel got an assist on Crosby’s goal, while Rust scored the first goal in the Penguins’ Game 2 victory – the soft wrist shot from above the right circle that Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov inexplicably missed.

The most significant play Crosby made before Monday in the series was when he dove across the slot to lunge and get his stick blade on Brock Nelson’s shot, deflecting it over the crossbar and preventing Nelson from scoring the tying goal late in the Penguins’ Game 3 win.

According to Trotz, the plan against Crosby – who he’s praised effusively, calling him "the gold standard’’ – is the same, regardless of who is out there against him. But, the coach acknowledges, each line will execute the plan a little differently.

"Everybody has different styles,’’ Trotz said. "I mean, a guy like Casey Cizikas is probably a little more physical than Mathew Barzal, so they all have their own individual styles. Casey can't do what Matthew does, so, just use your strengths against their top players.

"But make sure that you respect them, and make them have to go through you all the time.’’

The longer the series goes, though, the more likely it is Crosby will eventually break out. The odds are simply against the Islanders being able to keep him under wraps for the entire series.

But if they are to ultimately win the series and advance to the next round against the Boston Bruins, the Isles are most likely going to have to beat those odds.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188757 New York Islanders

From Nassau Coliseum to national television, the Josh Bailey song gets airtime

By Andrew Gross

May 24, 2021 12:29 PM

PITTSBURGH – Josh Bailey is getting some national airplay. Or at least the song chanted to him by the Nassau Coliseum crowd is.

"Yeah, it’s fun to have that many people behind you supporting you," Bailey said on Monday at PPG Paints Arena before the Islanders faced the Penguins in Game 5 of their first-round series, which is tied 2-2. "It’s a good feeling. Then, for me, personally, to have my wife and kids at the game was pretty cool, too. The boys are pretty excited."

Long a staple at Islanders’ home games for the playmaking wing, the "Hey, Josh Bailey," chant came through loud and clear on NBC Sports’ broadcast of Saturday afternoon’s Game 4. The Islanders won, 4-1, with Bailey scoring the game’s first goal at 8:07 of the second period.

Bailey and his wife, Megan, have three children, two sons and a 14- month old daughter.

The Coliseum crowd serenaded Bailey several times during Game 4, including during a television timeout. That’s when coach Barry Trotz heard it, apparently for the first time since his concentration is obviously elsewhere during game play.

"I didn’t even know that Bails had a song," Trotz said on Sunday before the Islanders traveled to Pittsburgh. "They were singing that one. I didn’t even know he had one. So, I’ll have to get the lyrics and the music for it and make sure I’ve got it on my phone."

For the record, the lyrics are: "Hey, Josh Bailey [ooh, aah], I wanna know, will you score a goal?"

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188758 New York Islanders

Oliver Wahlstrom Day-to-Day After Hard Crash into Boards in Game 5

Published 6 hours ago on May 24, 2021By Christian Arnold

It was a sight that no one wanted to see. Oliver Wahlstrom down on the ice after an awkward collision with Pittsburgh Penguins defender Mike Matheson that sent the rookie off the boards and his head violently bouncing from one side to the other during Monday’s 3-2 comeback win in Game 5.

Wahlstrom was down on the ice for several moments before he was helped to the locker room by a team trainer and Scott Mayfield. The rookie had been having a very strong playoffs before Monday’s incident, which included his first career playoff goal in Game 4 on Long Island.

“It’s never fun to lose a teammate and Wahlly has been a big player for us all year and even in the playoffs,” linemate Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “Scoring big goals, making hard plays and for a first-year (player) it’s very impressive. I was lucky to play with him. We’re going to hope he’s okay. When one guy goes down, some other guys have to step up and they did tonight. We’re very happy with the win tonight.”

Islanders head coach Barry Trotz did not have much of an update on the rookie after the game. He characterized him as day-to-day.

“Hopefully when we get him back and see where he is tomorrow we’ll have a better idea,” Trotz said after the game.

Game 6 of the series between the Islanders and Pittsburgh is scheduled for Wednesday at Nassau Coliseum and the team is likely to skate at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow on Tuesday. A time has still not been announced for Game 6.

Oliver Wahlstrom has three points (one goal, two assists) in five playoff games this season. He had 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) in 44 regular-season games with the Islanders this year.

If Wahlstrom is not able to play for Game 6 it would open the door for Michael Dal Colle or Kieffer Bellows to likely make their postseason debut in his place.

NYI Hockey NowLOADED: 05.25.2021 1188759 New York Islanders Wahlstrom left the ice with the help of Scott Mayfield and a team trainer. Trotz did not have an update on Wahlstrom after the game.

Game 6 is scheduled for Wednesday at Nassau Coliseum. Heist of the Century! Josh Bailey Helps Islanders Steal Game 5 Victory in NYI Hockey NowLOADED: 05.25.2021 Double OT

Published 6 hours ago on May 24, 2021By Christian Arnold

If Barry Trotz wasn’t aware of the Josh Bailey song after before Game 4, the New York Islanders head coach will be more than familiar with it by the time the team’s flight lands back on Long Island.

Bailey played the hero on Monday night, along with Ilya Sorokin, delivering the game-winning goal 51 seconds into double overtime to give the Islanders a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. In what can only be described as the heist of the century, the Islanders rallied from down 2-1 in the third period to take a 3-2 series lead back to Long Island with a chance to close things out on Wednesday at the Nassau Coliseum.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “There’s one thing I know about this group of guys and it’s we left it all out there. Just to get rewarded, it might not have been our prettiest… it’s an amazing feeling. We turn the page, we’re definitely happy about this one, but we have to focus on the next one.”

Tristan Jarry went to clear the puck up the ice and had his pass attempt picked off by Bailey. The Islanders forward skated into the slot and put the puck past Jarry for the game-winner and his third goal of the playoffs.

“At first I was just trying to settle it down and get a good shot off,” Bailey said about the goal. “I ultimately ran out of time and tried to let one go. Happy to see it go in.”

The goal capped a night that saw the Islanders severely outplayed for much of the game and have to battle back twice during the 60-minute affair. Anthony Beauvillier scored the New York Islanders first goal of the night and erased a 1-0 deficit in the final minute of the first period and Jordan Eberle scored on the Islanders’ first shot of the third period.

Ilya Sorokin was lights out again in his third start of the series, making 48 saves on 50 shots and holding off Pittsburgh when the Islanders were at their most vulnerable on Monday night. Sorokin was named the game’s second star for his efforts.

Sorokin helped guild the Islanders through a turbulent first and second period, where he had to make 32 saves in the first 40 minutes of the game.

“Outstanding. I can use all the ones that you want to write, they all will apply,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said. “He was outstanding. He gave us a chance. The first two periods were not pretty and he allowed us to hang around.”

Trotz added: “It all goes up front to Ilya. We don’t have a chance without him.”

Pittsburgh scored the opening goal of the game 8:20 into the first while on the power play. Evgeni Malkin found the back of the net for the first time in the series with a hard wrist shot that went over the shoulder of Sorokin.

While Pittsburgh continued to dominate the Islanders in the first period, they still managed to find a way to even the score in the final minute of the first. Beauvillier took the puck through the neutral zone and into the Pittsburgh end, while weaving through defenders, before flipping it over Jarry to even the game at one with 54.4 seconds left in the period.

Pittsburgh regained the lead after Bryan Rust ripped a shot from just above the faceoff circle that beat an extended leg of Sorokin. Sidney Crosby had the primary assist on the goal, which was his first point of the series since Game 1.

“We weren’t playing very well,” Eberle said. “We were getting outshot and outchanced and Beau finds a way to beat a couple of guys and get us a big goal. It reenergized us a little bit. We hung in there.”

While the New York Islanders picked up a massive win, it did come at a cost. Oliver Wahlstrom left the game in the third period after colliding with Mike Matheson and going awkwardly into the boards. 1188760 New York Islanders Mike Matheson — Cody Ceci Marcus Pettersson — John Marino

Tristan Jarry NEW YORK ISLANDERSPlayoff Gameday: Islanders Game 5 Lineup, Matchups and Game Notes vs. Pens Maxime Lagace

GAME NOTES

Published 16 hours ago on May 24, 2021By Christian Arnold Pittsburgh is 10-3 at home in Game 5s all-time when a best-of-7 series is tied. They have a series record of 15-9 in best-of-seven playoff series

when entering Game 5 tied 2-2 in the series. … Evgeni Malkin is the The New York Islanders have a chance to take back the lead in their best leading points scorer among active players against the Islanders with 16 of seven series with the Pittsburgh Penguins when the puck drops for points (three goals, 13 assists) in 12 playoff games. … Tristan Jarry is 5- Game 5 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. 1-0 against the New York Islanders (regular season + playoffs) with a 1.96 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage. … The The Isles took Game 4 of the series on Saturday in a commanding 4-1 Islanders are 6-2 in playoff games against Pittsburgh under Head Coach win off the stellar effort of rooking goaltender Ilya Sorokin and an Barry Trotz, including 3-1 in Pittsburgh. … The Islanders scored two offensive explosion from the team’s skaters. Now the Islanders can take third-period power-play goals 24 seconds apart in Game 4. It was their a 3-2 lead with a win tonight and eye the chance to close things on fastest two goals in a playoff game since 2002 (April 23 vs. TOR) and the Wednesday at the Nassau Coliseum. first time in franchise history the team scored two power-play goals in that time span. … The Islanders lead the league in hits (196) through four That will be far from an easy task for New York, which suffered a tough postseason games. They recorded 72 hits in Game 1, the 7th-highest loss in Game 2 last week in the same building. A soft goal allowed by total of any team in the playoffs since the 2005-06 season. Semyon Varlamov in the opening minutes of the game turned the tide in what would be a 2-1 loss. HOW TO WATCH

Pittsburgh will be hungry after the ugly loss they had Saturday and being Tonight’s game will air locally on MSG and MSG+. Nationally the game back in their own building in front of their own fans. The Islanders will try will air on NBCSN. On the radio dial, the game can be heard on 98.7 FM to maintain the momentum they had in Game 4 into tonight’s contest. ESPN New York, 88.7 FM WRHU and 103.9 FM LI News Radio.

“Playoffs is all about momentum,” Nick Leddy said. “Whenever you can NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 05.25.2021 create that as a team, especially scoring a goal that will give you that momentum. You want to try and ride that wave as long as possible.”

In Game 2, Pittsburgh had a capacity crowd of 9,344 and they will have the same number of fans in the building tonight.

“They have a great atmosphere here in Pittsburgh,” head coach Barry Trotz said. “We know that they have a great crowd here. It should be packed from what I understand and in Pittsburgh, the fans here and the Penguins have a good love affair. I’ve been in many playoff series. It’s a tough atmosphere to come into, but you have to understand as a visiting that it’s a tough atmosphere but at the same time that’s what can galvanize us as well.”

Barry Trotz is expected to ice the same lineup that he did in Game 4 on Saturday on Long Island. Trotz told reporters this afternoon that everyone was available.

The expectation is that Sorokin will get the start in Game 5. The Islanders held an optional morning skate at PPG Paints Arena where Cory Schneider and Varlamov were the only goaltenders on the ice.

Pittsburgh had the same lines as Game 4 during their morning skate.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS LINES (PROJECTED)

Leo Komarov — Mathew Barzal — Jordan Eberle

Anthony Beauvillier — Brock Nelson — Josh Bailey

Kyle Palmieri – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Oliver Wahlstrom

Matt Martin — Casey Cizikas — Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock

Nick Leddy — Scott Mayfield

Andy Greene — Noah Dobson

Ilya Sorokin

Semyon Varlamov

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS LINES (PROJECTED)

Jake Guentzel — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust

Jason Zucker — Evgeni Malkin — Kasperi Kapanen

Jared McCann — Jeff Carter — Frederick Gaudreau

Zach Aston-Reese — Teddy Blueger — Brandon Tanev

Brian Dumoulin — Kris Letang 1188761 New York Islanders

NEW YORK ISLANDERSWAHLLY WORLD: Islanders Rookie Making Most of Postseason Opportunities

Published 18 hours ago on May 24, 2021By Christian Arnold

Sometimes it’s just a matter of putting the puck on the net, and that’s what Oliver Wahlstrom did on Saturday afternoon and most of the New York Islanders’ First Round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Islanders rookie scored his first career playoff goal in as fortuitous a way as any. Wahlstrom took a pass from Mathew Barzal and fired it on net, where Tristan Jarry made the initial stop. In an effort to clear the puck Teddy Blueger swiped at it accidentally sending it into his own net.

It wasn’t a pretty goal by any means, but it was a shining example of why putting the puck on the net is usually the best decision. It’s a philosophy that has gone a long way for the Islanders rookie during the regular season, and now the postseason.

Wahlstrom’s three shots on net were tied for second-most among Islanders skaters in Game 4 on Saturday. Prior to his third-period goal on Saturday, one of Wahlstrom’s previous shot attempts lead directly to Ryan Pulock’s goal in the second

Wahlstrom’s initial shot was stopped, but the fortuitous rebound led to Pulock giving the Islanders a two-goal lead.

“He’s been great. He’s really enjoying the moment,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said on Sunday afternoon. “Personally I remember my first playoffs, so it’s something that he’s going to remember. And the way he’s playing he’s going to remember for sure. I think he’s leaving it all out there.

“He’s playing strong on the puck, making the right decision with the puck considering the time in the game, so I really see the maturity in his game and that’s only good for his future.”

Pageau had been paired with Oliver Wahlstrom for most of the 20-year- old’s time during the regular season and the two had created good chemistry with one another. The veteran NHLer said that part of the ease has been the strong communication that Wahlstrom has had with Pageau and Kyle Palmieri on the third line.

Isles head coach Barry Trotz said that the play of Oliver Wahlstrom hasn’t been much of a surprise to him. The team and its coaching staff had an idea of how the series could go for the rookie forward.

“I’ve seen young players react extremely well and I’ve seen young players go the other way,” Trotz said. “He’s done pretty well, but he’s built for the playoffs. He’s got a playoff-style body. He’s a big thick guy and he’s strong as an ox. As long as he’s not getting overwhelmed with things all those other attributes just come and I think he’s had a pretty solid playoffs.”

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188762 New York Islanders So talk about his expiring contract or anything else that comes next will have to wait. (NHL)

Ryan O’Reilly said he blamed himself following another first-round exit NYHN Daily: Sorokin a Game Changer for Islanders in Game 4 & More from the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the St. Louis Blues, this time to the Colorado Avalanche following a 5-2 loss in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup First Round at Enterprise Center on Sunday. “I’m very disappointed in myself; it was pretty pathetic,” the Blues captain said. (NHL) Published 21 hours ago on May 24, 2021By Stefen Rosner The Edmonton Oilers have no choice but to forget about their Game 3

collapse and try to extend their season by winning Game 4 of their best- The New York Islanders are back in Pittsburgh Monday for Game 5 of-7 Stanley Cup First Round series against the Winnipeg Jets on against the Penguins with the series tied at two apiece. In Game 4, Ilya Monday. The Oilers blew a 4-1 lead with less than nine minutes Sorokin helped pave the way to a critical win on home ice. This story and remaining in the third period and lost 5-4 in overtime Sunday. (NHL) more in today’s daily links! The Boston Bruins will play the winner of the series between the Islanders rookie netminder Ilya Sorokin did not seem phased by the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Second atmosphere or the moment on Saturday. He was calm, compact, and, Round. Boston, the No. 3 seed in the MassMutual East Division, more importantly, confident right from the get-go. And that is exactly what defeated the No. 2-seeded Washington Capitals in five games in the first his team needed after some questionable goaltending in Game 2 and round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (NHL) Game 3. (NYI Hockey Now) The Colorado Avalanche will play the winner of the series between the The day after they tied their first-round playoff series with the Pittsburgh Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild in the Stanley Cup Second Penguins at two games apiece, the Islanders couldn’t say enough about Round. Colorado, the No. 1 seed in the Honda West Division, defeated the support they got from the 6,800 fans who cheered them on at Nassau the No. 4-seeded St. Louis Blues in four games in the first round of the Coliseum for the last two games. But now, its “them against the world” Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Golden Knights, the No. 2 seed, have a 3-1 when the puck drops for Game 5 in front of the hostile Penguins crowd. lead against the No. 3-seeded Wild in the best-of-7 series. Game 5 is at (Newsday) Vegas on Monday. (NHL)

Sidney Crosby and Brock Nelson headed into a corner together at Josh Archibald will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, an all-time great against an all-time, Safety on Monday. The Edmonton Oilers forward is facing discipline for under-the-radar Islanders stalwart. By now you know how that battle clipping Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley. The incident turned out. Nelson fashioned a nifty-but-subtle move to block Crosby’s occurred with 8:49 remaining in the third period of Winnipeg’s 5-4 stick, regained control of the puck and found Josh Bailey in the left circle overtime win at Bell MTS Place on Sunday. (NHL) for the first goal of the game. That score jumpstarted a 4-1 victory for the The Leafs struggled to draw penalties during the regular season finishing Islanders in Game 4 of the teams’ first-round NHL playoff series, and it tied for 20th in power-play opportunities (2.8 per game). But Toronto has served as the latest evidence Nelson can be a pain in the neck for already been on the man advantage 10 times through two playoff games. opponents come playoff time. (Newsday) “Montreal has made it very clear that they want to be very physical,” The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders have developed some noted coach Sheldon Keefe following Saturday’s win. “I think the term animosity during their East Division first-round playoff series. There is they used was they want to make it a ‘war.'” (TSN) more than likely some underlying professional respect there, too. But one Colorado forward Nazem Kadri is appealing his eight-game suspension thing is clear coming from the Islanders: Coach Barry Trotz holds for an illegal check to the head of St. Louis defenseman Justin Faulk, Penguins center and team captain Sidney Crosby in high regard. The looking to get it reduced with the Avalanche moving on to the second highest regard, actually. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now) round. The NHL Players’ Association filed the appeal Sunday night on The Washington Capitals are headed home as the Boston Bruin win Kadri’s behalf. The first appeal goes to NHL Commissioner Gary Game 5 by a score of 3-1. Here are the talking points from the win. Bettman, and Kadri could then take his case to a neutral arbitrator if he (Boston Hockey Now) so chooses. (TSN)

The Florida Panthers know exactly what is on the line Monday night Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber has been fined $5,000, when they play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of their the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for opening-round playoff series. Win and the Panthers season lives for at cross-checking Toronto Maple Leafs forward Wayne Simmonds during least a few more days. Lose and that is that. (Florida Hockey Now) Game 2 of the teams’ first-round playoff series on Satu(TSN)

Prior to the series against the Colorado Avalance, St. Louis Blues captain NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 05.25.2021 Ryan O’Reilly told the media that his team would beat the juggernauts. Ultimately his team would get swept and Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was asked about O’Reilly’s words and if that statement motivated his team. (Colorado Hockey Now)

Timur Ibragimov is projected to return to North America next year. The San Jose Sharks’ 2019 sixth-round pick, who played most of the season with TPS Turku in , made his North American pro debut last Wednesday in Irvine. Ibragimov had scored eight goals and 14 points in Finland, helping TPS to the Liiga championship round. (San Jose Hockey Now)

Nikolaj Ehlers scored his second goal at 9:13 of overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 5-4 win against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup First Round at Bell MTS Place on Sunday. (NHL)

Luke Kunin scored his second goal at 16:10 of the second overtime, and the Nashville Predators evened the Stanley Cup First Round with a 4-3 win against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Sunday. (NHL)

Alex Ovechkin wasn’t ready to start thinking about his or the Washington Capitals’ future following a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup First Round at Capital One Arena on Sunday. The Capitals captain was too busy absorbing the disappointment of being eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight season. 1188763 New York Rangers lack of discipline may have cost the Maple Leafs both of their first-round, seven-game series against Boston in 2018 and 2019. This is certainly something to consider.

Nazem Kadri could be fit for glaring Rangers need Also to consider is that Kadri would fall under the NHL’s repeat-offender definition and would be watched more closely than ever playing for the franchise that excoriated the department of player safety for its failure to suspend Wilson. By Larry BrooksMay 24, 2021 | 2:25pm | Updated But the Rangers need someone who doesn’t always have to wear the

white hat and doesn’t always go to work wearing a white collar and Maybe Nazem Kadri returns from his eight-game suspension (that is doesn’t approach opponents wearing white gloves. under appeal), leads the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup and is rewarded Kadri may not be the guy — heck, he may not be available, he may cost with a contract extension that would prevent the center from becoming an too much, he may just be too unreliable — but it would be remiss of unrestricted free agent a year from now. Drury not to consider it. Or, returning to a much more plausible universe, regardless of what the New York Post LOADED: 05.25.2021 Avalanche or the recidivist do the rest of the way, Kadri is thereafter immediately dangled on the trade market as a depressed asset and sent away following his third suspension in the last four playoffs and sixth overall in nine full NHL seasons.

The question in front of Chris Drury — the Rangers’ president-general manager who is holding his coaching search open to accommodate candidates who might become available upon first-round defeats — is whether Kadri represents too much of a gamble on whom to make a short-term wager or whether the veteran’s profile fits the club’s needs to such an extent that the potential reward would be worth the risk.

Because in Kadri, who will be 31 at the start of next season and carry a $4.5 million cap hit, the Rangers would be getting the type of nasty, jagged-edged, checking-type center who can score — an average of 24 goals per 82 games over nine full seasons — and is proficient at faceoffs. The organization only has a crying need for that.

Of course the cost would be paramount in arriving at the ultimate decision. You wouldn’t recommend that the Rangers exchange any of their brightest prospects for a guy with one year left on his deal leading to free agency. That wouldn’t make sense. But not everyone under the age of 26 can be walled off, either, if the intent is to bolster the lineup.

Avalanche center Nazem Kadri

Kadri has the type of unsavory on-ice reputation the Rangers seem to make a business of staying away from at least since Daniel Carcillo’s brief 2013-14 run. He may not be of the Tom Wilson grade when it comes to lack of conscience, but each one of Kadri’s six suspensions relate to some sort of an illegal blow to the head. That includes this current one for when he blasted St. Louis’ defenseless Justin Faulk into smithereens.

But the man sure has some value in the middle beyond — or that mitigates — his recklessness. His offense has dipped a bit in his two years in Colorado following seven in Toronto, with Kadri getting 32 points (11-21) in 56 games this season, and he was the only regular on the Avalanche to be on for more goals against than goals scored (29/31), but his possession numbers remained strong and so did his xGF%.

And so did his work at the dots, where Kadri won 52.8 percent of his draws this season and he ranks 26th in the NHL at 53.2 percent over the last four years among players taking at least 3,000 faceoffs. The Rangers rank last in the league over that span at 47.1 percent with Mika Zibanejad’s 49.2 percent the club leader.

And he can be a pain in the, uh, on the ice.

There has been way too much talk lately about the Rangers’ need to bulk up in order to act as a deterrent to Wilson and to prevent the type of incident in which the unhinged Washington winger went WWE on Artemi Panarin. But let’s be serious, there is no deterrent for that kind of behavior other than strict league sanctions. The Rangers should not react to Wilson. That is not what the offseason reconstruction should be about.

Rather, the Rangers must finally react to Carolina under the bubble. They must react to being humiliated by the Islanders three times within 12 days with the playoffs on the line. They must become less homogenous, more diversified in style, able to create and win battles, and tougher to play against. And they probably could use a hard edge or two as much in the room as on the ice. These guys just seem too nice. Seem too vanilla.

There are vivid red flags with Kadri, who has left two of his own teams in a hole three times in the last four years in the playoffs. Who knows? His 1188764 New York Rangers Player D: Listen, today, you’ve got to find a happy medium. Do you want a babysitter or do you want a coach? Do you want a tyrant or do you want a coach? You’ve got to find a happy medium. I love Tortorella, but he’s just so hard on the guys. The guys today, some of them can’t handle Former Rangers on the state of the rebuild, part 2: The ‘no-brainer’ coach it. He breaks them. And I love Tortorella. Don’t get me wrong. He’s very to hire, and how to add toughness demanding. He holds his players accountable. I don’t think there’s enough of that league-wide. It’s like you’ve got to kiss everybody’s ass

today. It’s like, “Oh, poor Johnny, poor Johnny, he got benched.” And it’s By Rick Carpiniello May 24, 2021 like, “You can’t bench me. I make $10 million.” You’ve got to find that happy medium, somebody who’s able to get the most out of his players, motivate somewhat, but also change their fucking diapers and powder their little bums. In Part 1 of our conversation with six anonymous ex-Rangers, we discussed the shocking end of the season, the front-office reshuffling and Player E: Not to know every last detail on David Quinn, but the the state of the franchise’s rebuilding process. perception out there is he was a good development type of guy. But when it comes to getting teams now to the next level — conference final, Today, in Part 2, our half-dozen ex-Rangers discuss what’s next … what Stanley Cup Final — we’re certainly leaning more toward experience. type of coach, or which specific particular coach, should be hired in the That puts Gerard Gallant at the forefront. Can Rick Tocchet, without ongoing search by new team president and general manager Chris having the pedigree of a Stanley Cup Final as a coach, come in and be Drury, and what types of players need to be added this offseason: that guy? I think probably. I see them going with an experienced guy that Your thoughts on the coaching search: Which specific coaches should be can come in. I think Gerard Gallant probably fits the bill better than most considered or which types of coaches? right now.

Player A: I think they wait to see what happens with a couple of teams in I think a guy like Mike Babcock would be too much of a gamble for Chris the first round, and I think if there happens to be a team that loses out in Drury this early in the process. the first round again this year, (a coach who) has ties to the Rangers, has Player F: It should start and end with Gerard Gallant in my mind. I just won a couple of Stanley Cups, and he loses his job — then, to me, I think love the way he coaches, from what I’ve seen. I think he’s been a victim that would be the guy at the front of the line, and I think that would be a of circumstances every time he’s gotten fired. Like in Florida, (general no-brainer. manager Tom Rowe) came in with all the analytics and stuff, and the way (Editor’s note: Player A is referring to Mike Sullivan, the Penguins coach they fired him was a joke. I think in Vegas what he did with that young who was a Rangers fourth-round draft pick in 1987 and served as an , a bunch of players that nobody else, in theory, really assistant coach to John Tortorella. Another ex-Ranger suggested they wanted … wait, too, to see if Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy would survive if Boston I like how he says, “Listen, don’t worry about making mistakes. In fact, lost its first-round series, which didn’t happen.) you are going to make mistakes. So just give your effort, get back out Player B: It seems to me that the trend now is to get somebody who there, make plays.” Also, he didn’t make it — like, I’m not a fan of the played in the league, that has experience and can relate. I don’t know Mike Babcocks, the Ken Hitchcocks, those kind of guys who want to talk enough about any of the younger generation (of coaches) that’s out to the media all the time about all the things they know about coaching, there. But I do look and it looks to me that a veteran, he’s got to have a and that it’s their coaching that makes the team win. With Gallant, it’s the willingness to understand today’s player. Whatever generation that guy other way around. It’s the players. He stresses it’s the players who need played in, whether it’s (Rick) Tocchet or it’s (Gerard) Gallant or (Rod) to go out and play. “Yeah, I need to put the players on at the right time” Brind’Amour — Brind’Amour certainly seems to be a success; (the and all that. But he really makes it about players. He doesn’t Hurricanes) play hard, honest, and I’m sure he’s got a lot of respect and overcomplicate the game, and he gives these kids confidence to know, he can go into the room and say what he says. He’s won a Cup and he “Listen, go make plays. And if it doesn’t work, I’ll put you right back out was that top guy that paid a price to win. So I do think it’s a veteran there and go do it again” kind of mentality. That kind of guy is the guy to coach who ideally played in the league and can understand that this have. I’m surprised he hasn’t been hired by somebody else after he got generation of players is different. fired by Vegas. To me, that’s the guy to have.

The thing with Torts, it’s a grind with Torts, and I don’t think Torts would Toughness and grit are keywords when it comes to the Rangers’ be the answer here and now, and I do think he’s a pretty good coach. I shortcomings and needs this offseason. But Drury is also expected to think everybody who’s young should have Torts at some point when pursue a top-two center and a veteran defenseman with the assets and they’re young. But you can’t have 12 guys that are young and him. That’s new cap space he has available. What do you see as areas for not going to work. When he wants (Vitali) Kravtsov to play like Ryan improvement for this young team? Callahan, that’s not going to work. I don’t know who they’re going to hire Player A: Could they use a center-iceman, a distributing center-iceman? that will work anyway. A hundred percent. Do they have the assets to go out and get that guy? To answer your question, I thought they had the perfect coach, you Yeah, I think they do. Now we saw what happened in the Tom Wilson know? A guy that understood the younger guys, made them work. Now, game, and people making comments about not enough toughness or was he going to have to kind of learn over time that two or three years of whatever. Yeah, OK. If you want to split hairs, you go get a distributing rah-rah-rah, do this, do that? The guy’s got to learn that as the younger center-iceman, a facilitator, and you go get a (tough player) — these two guys get wealthier that might not work. But I was always impressed that guys are not easy to get, either. I think everybody’s looking for these he was smart enough to understand that maybe the method and guys. madness might have to change a little bit. So, I thought they had the Maybe the back end can use a little bit of experience, just a little bit perfect coach. harder guy back there, maybe a (David) Savard type of guy back there. Player C: I know Gerard Gallant. I know him personally. I know what he And the goalies, to me, are fine. did in Vegas, and I know players who have played for him. He’s a Player B: See, to me, when it comes to physical players, a physical players’ coach. But he will design his team based on what he knows is a presence, a guy like Ryan Callahan epitomized how this game should be proper balance. That’s going to be some toughness. He’s not a loud guy. played physically, honestly, and if you had to get after somebody you get He’s a likable guy. I think he’s good. In that same vein, Rick Tocchet. after somebody. That’s the mentality that you need, to me, especially Those are my two guys. Tortorella — I would love to see Tortorella now. You say what you like about a guy, and I’ve been saying about a because of the entertainment value. And he may work. I don’t know. He guy like Wilson that every team would like (to have) him because I think may spark some stuff in some of these players. Either you’re going to that enables a guy who is an outlier on so many fronts. But I just think push and shove and get in the fight, or you’re not playing. That might when it comes to being physical, it’s a collective willingness to play spark them to take some players to a different level and to get them out physically, to play honestly, and that to me is Ryan Callahan. He’s an of their comfort zone, but I don’t know that. I like the idea of Tortorella example. That guy competed and it rubbed off. He’s one of your top only because he’s softened up a little bit. But he’s more a coach for players and it rubbed off. There’s just too many unknowns yet. This is the veteran players. But I’d be fine with him. But to me, it’s Gallant and way this has been built and, if that was the decision, great, that was the Tocchet. decision. But you’ve kind of got to let it fester a little bit, I think. If we agree that the league is getting younger, honestly, the whole But my concern is, and it showed more this year, that whenever the experience angle, it’s almost, if the league’s getting younger and you’re game’s gotten more physical, when they targeted him, he didn’t push young to begin with, just let it be. I guess, ideally, you want to find a top- back. In fact, he went the other way. So to me, that’s a question mark. six guy that’s got a competitive meanness. OK. How do you find that? I think (Alexis) Lafrenière is going to be meaner as he gets older. I like I don’t think he’s a real leader as far as verbally being a leader. He plays what I see there. So, moving forward, do you want a little depth on your like a leader. But the question is, is that who you’re going to want to be blue line? OK, it seems to me everybody wants that. The next wave, one of your leaders, that kind of player, at least my opinion of him? To there are two or three defensemen that sound like they’re bona fide me, this is the character issue. Now, Lafrenière, he’s 19 years old. So the candidates to be pretty good players. So maybe move them to bring in leadership or character part of the game, he’s just trying to stay alive somebody with more experience on the blue line? I don’t know. I just right now in the National Hockey League. I turned pro at 21 years old, he think if you’re committed to doing it one way, you’ve got to live with the turned at 18. At 18, I was a freshman in college, I was a mud-head. consequences and believe that what you’ve done and who you’ve drafted Trying to be a National Hockey League player and trying to be on this are going to work. I think, if there’s enough there that are assets, then at young team, kind of turning into a character/leader type of guy is a certain point you start adding. I don’t think there’s a player or two out impossible for him to do. But those guys are going to grow. (Filip) Chytil’s there that guarantees them a playoff spot, is there? going to grow. Kaapo Kakko’s going to grow. Physically they’re going to grow, mentally they’re going to grow, the leadership. But I do think there’s an awful lot there to work with. I really do. It sounds like there’s a couple of guys on the blue line that are coming, but you’re You look at those teams that are successful — whether it’s Tampa or going to have to live with that for a couple of years. It’s all a matter of, is Washington or St. Louis — they’ve just got that certain, it’s like the there anybody out there that they can move some young guys (for) that learning part is gone. Like, the whole Tom Wilson thing, although it was will get them into the playoffs? It sounds like that might be the next goal. I for real, it was a rare situation. To overreact to that and try to build a don’t know. Is it? team to counter that, to me, it doesn’t make sense. You need to be team- tough, like a whole bunch of Adam Graves-type of guys. I shouldn’t say a Player C: The priority right now is adding some toughness, at least one whole bunch, but a few Adam Graves-type players who maybe aren’t guy that can play on a top-two line, like a Wilson. And they’re hard to quite as talented but have that kind of grit to them. find. Do you know why they’re hard to find? They’re not making them anymore. I watched the World Juniors, Canada and the U.S. this past To me, some of these young kids, they’re going to be that, too. From year, and I couldn’t tell who the Canadians were or the Americans. It was what I understand with Lafrenière, that is part of his game. He’s a all the same on the ice. I’m like, where are these Canadians that played character guy. Again, I think they’ve got all the pieces to accomplish that, in the NHL that played with an edge? What? Did they stop hitting in and I think they understand that’s what they need to do as well. hockey in Canada? Like, what’s happened? So they’re hard to even find. The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021

The fact that (Brendan) Lemieux was happy to leave, that there was stuff going on in the dressing room that wasn’t lining up with his character, and Tony D (DeAngelo), how do you get rid of this kid? He was fighting. Yeah, he plays with an edge. Guys who play with an edge, it comes with sometimes a little lack of discipline in a game, and that’s where you have to know how to manage them. A good example of that: Look at Brad Marchand. The Rangers would probably have gotten rid of him, the way he plays the game, the way things went this year. And Wilson. Would Wilson still be a Ranger this year, playing the way he does?

Those guys, they become a little harder to manage, but you want those guys on the team. You need to know how to speak to them and manage them. You can’t just get in their face. Those two guys, they probably wouldn’t have lasted with the Rangers because they will take a bad penalty. They will slam the door, they will get angry, they will break a stick. If you’re a coach and you just came out of college hockey and you’re like, “Oh, no, you’re not allowed to do that,” well, an experienced NHL coach who’s played the game in the NHL understands that those type of guys, they will possibly take a bad penalty occasionally, they’ll get fired up and angry, but overall you want them on the ice.

Player D: Every team could use a center-iceman. C’mon. But losing the DeAngelo kid didn’t help, as far as the player. He was starting to play pretty well. I look at center ice, yeah, they could use another center- iceman. But it would be nice to surround those better players. I mean, they’ve got one of the better players in the league in (Artemi) Panarin and he gets fucking mugged like he got mugged — you can’t have that happen. What’s going to happen the next time they play the Capitals and they have the same lineup? (Zdeno) Chara and Wilson. What are you going to do? I feel bad for Panarin. I’d love to suit up and say, “Go ahead. Do what you want out there, and I’ll be here for you.” He should have somebody there to take care of him, you know?

Player E: Who wouldn’t want a Tom Wilson on their team? They don’t exactly grow on trees. But they’re going to have to find someone who can really bring it.

It’s kind of funny watching hockey get, it’s kind of cyclical, where for a few years it’s all about speed and passing and now we’re back to toughness and standing up for your teammates again. The Rangers need to go through that cycle again. They’ve got to get tougher. They’ve got to get guys that can initiate and be in a position to initiate and stop worrying about retaliating. Be the guys that start the fire, not the guys that try to put it out.

Player F: My question marks are … I think the world of (Mika) Zibanejad as a player. He’s played sometimes like — I think Patrice Bergeron is one of the best two-way players of the last 50 years — and I think at some points in his seasons, Zibanejad has been right in that category. 1188765 Philadelphia Flyers on. I'm excited, definitely going to try to get a little bit stronger, a little bit bigger this summer like I did last year. Just keep trying to get better."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.25.2021 How much did Farabee accomplish? Quite a bit and now he must build on it

BY JORDAN HALL

Joel Farabee said he had high expectations for himself entering his sophomore NHL season at 20 years old.

"But I never thought about scoring 20 goals this year," Farabee said last week.

The 2018 first-round draft pick accomplished the feat with two goals in the Flyers' season finale, a 4-2 win over the Devils on May 10. It punctuated Farabee's big-time jump from his rookie season in which he finished with eight goals and 21 points over 52 games. This season, Farabee broke out for his team-leading 20 goals to go along with 38 points through 55 games.

His progress served as a beacon of light in a dark and disappointing 2020-21 campaign for the Flyers. The Flyers experienced regression almost across the board and were eliminated from postseason contention with six games left on their schedule a season after finishing one win shy of the Eastern Conference Final.

"I think everyone was affected differently this year," Farabee said. "It's a tough year and I can speak from experience, when things aren't going great, sometimes it can be really hard to find your game and stuff like that. I have a lot of faith in my teammates here, I think we have a really good group, we have a lot of good young guys. I think this summer will be really useful, it's kind of a normal summer and we'll be heading into a more normal camp and more normal season. So hopefully with that, guys are ready, and I'm pretty confident that all the young guys are going to take a step forward next year.

"I'm really confident that next year, we're really going to figure things out. I know that we have such a good team here and such a good group of guys, you saw glimpses of it a little bit this year, when we got rolling, we were a tough team to beat. Hopefully we can keep that momentum, kick it off early and keep that throughout next year."

Farabee's numbers were no joke. At 21 years, 74 days old, he became the second-youngest player in Flyers history to lead the club in goals during a season. Only Hall of Famer Eric Lindros pulled it off at an earlier age, a month younger than Farabee, when he scored 44 goals in 1993- 94. Seventeen of Farabee's 20 markers came at even strength, more than guys like Alex Ovechkin (15 in 45 games), Leon Draisaitl (15 in 56 games) and Sebastian Aho (14 in 56 games).

Following a stretch of one goal and four assists in 19 games from late March to the end of April, the winger closed strong with five goals and two assists over the team's final six games.

"I definitely think I found a lot of confidence this year, so hopefully I can just build on that," Farabee said. "I think for me, one of the big things I want to focus on is just keeping it consistent, try not to have those 10-, 15-game stretches where things are going bad. ... If I can eliminate that and kind of bring it a little bit more every night, I think I can really help the team a bit more."

The key for Farabee and the Flyers is having the youngster lengthen those strides in this crucial 2021-22 season. In 2020-21, the Flyers had too many players fail to build off of success from last season.

"I would say really with the exception of Joel Farabee, I would say the majority of our young players either plateaued or took a step back this year," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "That’s a big concern for me. Since 2014, this franchise has put a lot of time and effort into drafting and developing young players. Frankly, for us to take a step forward, we’re going to need that group of players to take on a bigger role, play better and help us win games."

Training back home in the Syracuse, New York area, Farabee will set the bar higher.

"Should be set up for a pretty good summer," Farabee said. "After this year for me, I think I have a good grasp on some things I need to work 1188766 Pittsburgh Penguins even gotten to a Game 5. The Islanders may have managed a second sweep of the Penguins since 2019.

“You’ve got to give him some credit. He made some big saves. We had a Tim Benz: The Penguins lost a game they couldn't possibly lose. And significant amount of scoring chances. Rebound chances. Deflection maybe the series as a result chances. Traffic at the net. There was a lot of opportunity there,” Sullivan said.

Not only do the Penguins now have to figure out how to overcome TIM BENZ | Tuesday, May 25, 2021 1:00 a.m. Sorokin’s goaltending, but they also need to figure out how to overcome a gut punch of a loss.

“A lot of guys in that room have seen a lot of different circumstances. We The Penguins’ Jason Zucker and goaltender Tristan Jarry react to the the have had our backs against the wall before in various situations, and we Islanders’ Josh Bailey’s game-winning goal in the the second overtime know what it takes to win,” forward Bryan Rust said. “We were pretty period during Game 5 on Monday, May 24, 2021 at PPG Paints Arena. strong tonight. And if we bring a game like that — maybe even better — It was a game the Penguins couldn’t lose. that’s going to give us a good chance.

• A game where the Penguins had leads of 1-0 and 2-0. “I don’t think it matters if we lose 10-0 or if we lose a game like tonight. It’s the same mindset in the playoffs. You learn from it. You move on. • A game that saw them outshoot the Islanders 50-28 (20-4 in the second You get better. And you try to win the next one.” period). That all sounds good. But if the Penguins can’t win a game where so • A game that featured a 36-17 Penguins’ edge in scoring chances much went right, how will they manage to win two more if a few things go through the first four periods. wrong?

• A game where the power play clicked for a goal and the penalty kill I mean, things that may go wrong before the goalie has another chance came up clutch twice. to give the puck away in double overtime again.

• A game where the Penguins only took two penalties after their parade I had been steadfast in saying that the Penguins would win in seven to the box in Game 4. games ever since the playoff matchups were finalized. Now I fear the Islanders essentially won it in five. • A game where the Penguins won the faceoff battle after getting roasted in that department last time out. Tribune Review LOADED: 05.25.2021 But they did lose it. They lost because, despite getting 50 shots on goal, only two got by New York goaltender Ilya Sorokin.

And they lost it because their goalie did his best Neil O’Donnell impersonation.

STEAL. SCORE.

The @NYIslanders WIN GAME 5 in DOUBLE OVERTIME! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/fEV4mJaKlO

— NHL on NBC Sports (@NHLonNBCSports) May 25, 2021

That was Larry Brown, unassis … oops, sorry … Josh Bailey, unassisted 51 seconds into the second overtime to give the Islanders a 3-2 win in Game 5 of the East Division first-round playoff series.

It also gives them a 3-2 lead in the series itself, putting the Penguins on the brink of being one and done in the playoffs for a third straight season.

“There was a lot to like about this game,” coach Mike Sullivan said after the defeat. “There are a lot of positives that we can draw on moving forward. That’s the approach we’ll take.”

It’s been hard enough for the Penguins to win games in this series when they are being played relatively evenly. Now the Penguins just gave one away when they dominated. Yet the team’s skaters are refusing to lay the result at the feet of their goaltender despite his game-deciding gaffe.

“It’s a team game. It’s nobody’s fault,” said Penguins defenseman Kris Letang. “We win as a team. We lose as a team. You gotta shake it off, and he is going to bring his A game (in Game 6) like we did tonight. And we’ll go (to Long Island on Wednesday) and try to win a game.”

Letang is right there. For as good as the stat sheet looks, one truth remains. If a team that is as allegedly gifted as the Penguins can generate 50 shots on goal (77 attempted) against the vaunted Islanders defense, more than two need to go in.

Especially with the quality of looks they got, as opposed to the ones they allowed. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Penguins had 14 high- danger scoring chances. New York only created four in over 80 minutes of hockey.

“We had tons of chances,” Letang said. “Their goalie made great saves. We were not able to get that goal, but we kept playing. Eventually, they are going to go in.”

Maybe. But Sorokin has stopped 116 of the 122 shots he’s faced from the Penguins in three victories during this series. If Islanders coach Barry Trotz had kept him in net for Games 2 and 3, this series may not have 1188767 Pittsburgh Penguins It remains the only game during 2021 the Penguins did not score. The Penguins, though, got to Sorokin for four goals in less than half a

game’s worth of minutes during a March 27 game. Ilya Sorokin the latest goalie to serve as Penguins’ playoff kryptonite That clearly did not carry over into the playoffs — especially during Game 5.

CHRIS ADAMSKI | Tuesday, May 25, 2021 “He was obviously really big for us tonight,” New York forward Anthony Beauvillier said. “We couldn’t have won it without Ilya.”

A third-round pick of the Islanders in 2014, Sorokin didn’t make it over to New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin makes a pad save on the North America to play until this season. He has starred, though, in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Brandon Tanev in the second period during Game 5 Kontinental Hockey League and in international play. He led CSKA on Monday at PPG Paints Arena. Sorokin made 48 saves in a 3-2 Moscow to the Gagarin Cup two years ago, being named the playoffs double-overtime New York win. MVP in what is generally regarded as the world’s second-best hockey league. Sorokin also led Russia to the 2018 Olympics gold medal and Pittsburgh Penguins fans of a certain age to this day detest Jaroslav three times medaled in world championship play. Halak. In short, he’s not your average NHL rookie — especially after going 13-6- Those of more recent vintage get a sour taste in their mouths when 3 with a 2.17 GAA and .918 save percentage during his first regular someone brings up Robin Lehner. season. And don’t dare mention Glenn Healy to Pittsburgh hockey fans from the During a game in which his team was by far outplayed, Sorokin showed early 90s. he’s up to the challenge of playoff pressure, too. Penguins fans awash in misery, meet Ilya Sorokin. He’s the latest goalie “Ilya played great, a real backbone for us,” Bailey said. “He gave us to flummox your team. some confidence that he was going to get the job done, so we just had to Sorokin made 48 saves Monday night during Game 5 at PPG Paints stick with it find away to get it. And ultimately, we did.” Arena and served as the primary reason the New York Islanders Tribune Review LOADED: 05.25.2021 prevailed, 3-2, in double overtime to take a 3-2 series lead.

“It all goes on Ilya,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “We don’t have a chance if he doesn’t have an outstanding game.”

After a double-overtime loss in Game 5 @PPGPaintsArena, the #Penguins are one step away from being at the end of their season. #NYIvsPIT https://t.co/UaZTfFNbvU

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) May 25, 2021

The Penguins were statistically dominant, particularly in regulation. Before overtime, the Penguins had sizable edges in shots on goal (41- 20), attempted shots (67-26), scoring chances (28-12) and “high-danger” scoring chances (12-3, per naturalstattrick.com).

But Sorokin was up to the task, as he has been all series. The Islanders have won each of the three games he’s started.

“You’ve got to give him credit,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He made some big saves. We had a significant amount of scoring chances. Rebound chances. Deflection chances. Traffic at the net. There was a lot of opportunity there. We put a lot at the net.”

An NHL rookie appearing in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time, Sorokin has stopped 116 of the 122 shots he’s faced in his 218 minutes in the series. That’s a 1.65 goals-against average and .951 save percentage.

In none of the three games he’s played in this series was Sorokin better or more tested than Monday. Contrasted to the Penguins’ Tristan Jarry — whose puck-playing gaffe cost his team the game — it’s safe to safe the chasm of the difference in the goaltending during Game 5 provided the result.

Sorokin’s performance was reminiscent of former Islanders goalies Healy (1993) or Lehner (2019), or former Montreal Canadiens backup-turned- star-of-the-series Halak (2010) – each of whom stymied the Penguins during the playoffs.

“I can’t stress enough how well Ilya played tonight,” Islanders forward Josh Bailey said.

What a save from Sorokin! pic.twitter.com/B9v8097Ahl

— x - Isles on MSG+ Tonight (@IslesMSGN) May 25, 2021

Sorokin spent much of the season as a backup to fellow Russian Semyon Varlamov. But Sorokin started Game 1 because Varlamov was dealing with an undisclosed injury. Trotz went back to his 33-year-old, 13-year NHL veteran for Games 2 and 3, each of which the Penguins won.

But Sorokin was back in the net for Saturday’s Game 4 and came within 2 minutes and 35 seconds of a shutout. He had three shutouts among 21 regular-season starts, including Feb. 28 against the Penguins. 1188768 Pittsburgh Penguins “We’ve got to put (Game 5) behind us,” Sullivan said. “We’ve got to look for the next one. We’ve got to win one hockey game. That’s the way I look at it. That’s what I said to the players after the game. We have a lot of leadership that has been through a lot of experiences in this league, Penguins fall in double overtime, one loss away from elimination especially in the playoffs. We’ll just keep this thing in perspective.

“We’ll go to (Long Island), we’ll put our best game on the ice.”

SETH RORABAUGH | Monday, May 24, 2021 10:42 p.m. Tribune Review LOADED: 05.25.2021

Even though they won the East Division title — and did so partially thanks to a 6-2-0 record against the New York Islanders during the regular season — the Pittsburgh Penguins did not anticipate an easy go of things in their first-round series with the fourth-seeded Islanders.

They were fully prepared for a challenge. And boy, have they have received one.

“We’re playing against a tough opponent,” coach Mike Sullivan said via video conference. “We knew that going into it. We knew it was going to be a hard series, and here we are in the middle of it.”

After Monday’s 3-2 double-overtime loss in Game 5 at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins are one step away from being at the end of their season.

Buoyed by a goal from forward Josh Bailey — his third of the postseason — 51 seconds into the second overtime period, the Islanders claimed victory and a 3-2 series lead.

An errant clearing attempt by Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry was intercepted by Bailey in the offensive zone and converted into an easy game-winning goal.

Immediately after the defeat, the Penguins professed support and belief in their goaltender.

“He’s going to bring his A game (in Game 6),” defenseman Kris Letang said. “We’ll go in there and try to win that game.”

Game 6 is slated to be staged Wednesday at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., rarely a comfortable venue for the Penguins, particularly in the spring.

Even with an unappetizing result in Game 5, the Penguins expressed satisfaction in how they played. By any measure, they dominated puck possession, outshooting the Islanders, 50-28. A gallant effort by Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin, who made 48 saves, stymied a constant barrage by the Penguins’ typically dynamic offense.

“We played well tonight,” forward Bryan Rust said. “Obviously, we would have liked to get another puck past their goalie. We’ve got to give him credit. He played well. For us, we did a lot of good things. There were obviously some breakdowns in there that we can learn from and some areas we can get better. But I think we were playing on our toes tonight. We had a lot of good looks. We’ve just got to try to carry that attitude and game into (Game 6).

The Penguins took a lead 8:20 into regulation when forward Evgeni Malkin recorded his first goal of the postseason — and first since March 15 — with a power-play score.

Late in the first period at the 19:05 mark, the Islanders took advantage of a defensive miscue by the Penguins’ top pairing of Letang and Brian Dumoulin and tied the game. With each Penguins defenseman pinching in aggressively, Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier was able to take advantage of Penguins forward Jake Guentzel in a one-on-one battle and collected his second goal by putting a wrister over Jarry’s blocker.

At 7:37 of the second, the Penguins reclaimed a lead 2-1 when Rust scored his second goal with a one-timer from the right point.

Another defensive faux pas by Dumoulin allowed the Islanders to tie the score again, 2-2, at 8:50 of the third period. Under pressure by forechecking Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Dumoulin lost the puck on his own end boards. Islanders forward Leo Komarov claimed it and fed a pass to the front of the slot for linemate Jordan Eberle. Getting Jarry to scramble out of position, Eberle was able to lift a wrister into the cage for his second goal.

Jarry made 25 saves on 28 shots in a loss that put the Penguins at the edge of elimination and an uncertain offseason. 1188769 Pittsburgh Penguins Reserve goaltender Maxime Lagace served as the backup to starter Tristan Jarry for the fifth consecutive game.

Tribune Review LOADED: 05.25.2021 Offense hard to find for Penguins forwards Jake Guentzel, Jared McCann

SETH RORABAUGH | Monday, May 24, 2021 7:40 p.m.

Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy grabs the jersey of Penguins forward Jake Guentzel during the third period of Game 3 of a first-round playoff series on Thursday May 20, 2021 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

You won’t find Jake Guentzel’s name in the NHL’s record books.

That’s because the NHL quit publishing such tomes a handful of years ago in the pursuit of posting that information exclusively online.

But Guentzel always will have a place in NHL history, having introduced himself to the hockey world by tying a league record for most postseason points by a rookie with the 21 he collected in 25 games during the Pittsburgh Penguins’ run to the Stanley Cup in 2017.

He further galvanized his postseason credentials in 2018 when he tied a franchise record held by franchise icons Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens as he scored four goals during Game 6 of a first-round series against the rival Philadelphia Flyers.

Guentzel long ago established himself as a prolific playoff performer.

Yet, though the first four games of his ongoing first-round series with the New York Islanders, Guentzel had not scored despite leading the Penguins with 19 shots.

Despite that futility, Penguins management has professed optimism Guentzel will begin to convert his chances.

“Obviously, we’d like him to find the back of the net,” coach Mike Sullivan said via video conference. “There’s not doubt about that. But as a team, as a coaching staff, as a group of players, all we can control is the process. That’s what we look at. (The first line) has had a fair amount of looks. Jake’s had a number of opportunities. The puck hasn’t gone in the net for him to this point. But he’s had a fair amount of opportunities to finish.

“Our feeling is that if he just stays with it, he’ll find the back of the net. He’s too good a player.”

During the regular season, Guentzel was the Penguins’ second-leading scorer with 57 points (23 goals, 34 assists) in 56 games.

McCann slowed, too

Penguins forward Jared McCann also failed to score a goal through the first four games of the series while recording nine shots on net.

Limited to a single assist by the Islanders, McCann’s production has seen a significant drop from how he finished regular season by recording 21 points in the final 23 games.

“Just average right now, I think,” McCann said when asked to evaluate his play this series. “I know I’ve got a lot better. Obviously, you can’t control that kind of stuff. Sometimes, that’s just the way hockey goes. Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn’t. You’ve got to give their (goalies) credit. They’ve played well. I’m just going to keep pushing here I’m not going to dwell on it. You’ve got to stay positive through things like this. That’s what I’m going to do.”

Said Sullivan: “All that Jared is can control is just the process, trying to play the game the right way, making sure that he’s doing his job shift to shift. If he does, he’ll get the looks. When he gets the looks, I think Jared has the ability to finish. We all know that.”

DeSmith down again

Backup goaltender Casey DeSmith missed his eighth consecutive game when he was scratched for Game 5 on Monday at PPG Paints Arena.

Sidelined since suffering an undisclosed injury May 3, DeSmith did not participate in Monday’s morning skate. Sullivan did not provide an update on his status. 1188770 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith misses morning skate

SETH RORABAUGH | Monday, May 24, 2021 11:49 a.m.

Penguins backup goaltender Casey DeSmith has not played since May 3 due to an undisclosed injury.

Penguins backup goaltender Casey DeSmith is not expected to dress for Game 5 of his team’s first-round series against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena on Monday.

He did not participate in Monday’s morning skate. Coach Mike Sullivan did not provide an update on DeSmith’s status.

Should DeSmith be scratched, it will mark the eighth consecutive game DeSmith has missed due to an undisclosed injury he suffered May 3.

In 20 games this past regular season, DeSmith had a 11-7-0 record, a 2.54 goals against average, a .912 save percentage and two shutouts.

Reserve goaltender Maxime Lagace will likely serve as the backup to starter Tristan Jarry for the fifth consecutive game.

The Penguins and Islanders enter Game 5 with the best-of-seven series tied, 2-2.

Notes:

• The Penguins’ lines and pairs remained status quo at the morning skate:

59 Jake Guentzel - 87 Sidney Crosby - 17 Bryan Rust

16 Jason Zucker - 71 Evgeni Malkin - 42 Kasperi Kapanen

19 Jared McCann - 77 Jeff Carter - 11 Frederick Gaudreau

12 Zach Aston-Reese - 53 Teddy Blueger - 13 Brandon Tanev

8 Brian Dumoulin - 58 Kris Letang

5 Mike Matheson - 4 Cody Ceci

28 Marcus Pettersson - 6 John Marino

• Their power-play groups also remained unchanged.

The top unit included Crosby, Guentzel, Letang, Malkin and Rust. The second unit involved Carter, Kapanen, Marino McCann and Zucker.

• The Islanders had an optional morning skate. They are expected to start goaltender Ilya Sorokin. In two games this series, he has a 2-0 record, along with a 1.76 goals against average and a .944 save percentage.

• Islanders coach Barry Trotz indicated he will dress the same lineup he has used for the past three games of the series.

Tribune Review LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188771 Pittsburgh Penguins

Madden Monday: Penguins ‘don’t have a playoff-style team anymore’

TIM BENZ | Monday, May 24, 2021 6:07 a.m.

New York Islanders center Brock Nelson takes down the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin as he tries to pass during Game 4 of their playoff series on Saturday May 22, 2021 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Yet again, the Pittsburgh Penguins are finding it difficult to score goals in the postseason. It’s been that way since they eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 2018 playoffs.

It looked like they may have figured things out offensively against the New York Islanders in a 5-4 win on Long Island in Game 3, only to trudge through a 4-1 defeat in Game 4.

In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive doesn’t mince words about the big-picture problem for the Pens once the calendar flips from the regular season.

“I just don’t think the Penguins have a playoff-style team anymore,” Madden said. “And I think they think they do. I think they think it is 2017. I think that they think everything is going to be OK. I think that they feel that if they just stay the course, eventually things will work out.

“But if they go one and done in this year, you won’t recognize the roster at training camp.”

Does that include goalie Tristan Jarry?

“I think they need a new goalie,” Madden continued. “I’ve seen enough of him to see that he is not good enough. And if you are waiting for him to develop into that, how long are you going to wait for him to develop into that?”

Madden also reiterated his belief that the Penguins need to shake up the line combinations in this series against New York. And he wants to see that happen for Game 5 Monday night at PPG Paints Arena.

He wants to see Jeff Carter move from third-line center to top-line right wing with Sidney Crosby. And he would prefer to see Bryan Rust dropped down to the third line with Jared McCann and Evan Rodrigues.

“Sid’s line is being overwhelmed physically by the Islanders,” Madden said. “I want to get Sid a 6-foot-3 guy who can open up space for him and (Jake) Guentzel. And who’s a great finisher who is red hot.”

Madden found some static when he advanced that opinion.

“I’ve had it said on Twitter, ‘Why would you want to get Carter out of his rhythm?’ I don’t think anyone has ever been taken out of his rhythm by playing with Sidney Crosby,” Madden added.

Mark and I also get into some memories of the 1991 Stanley Cup as the 30th anniversary approaches on Tuesday. Roster concerns for the Steelers. The recent slide of the Pirates. And silly unwritten rules in both hockey and baseball.

We’ll have plenty more conversation in this week’s “Madden-Benz: Unfiltered” at 9:30 a.m. Monday morning.

Tribune Review LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188772 Pittsburgh Penguins “I was really proud of the group,” Sullivan said. “I thought we played with some swagger. We had some confidence. We were on our toes. I thought we played a speed game. It was unfortunate we didn’t find the net a little more often.” Tristan Jarry and the Penguins give away Game 5 to the Islanders in double OT The Islanders did early in double OT, due to Jarry’s stunning blunder. Now the Penguins will return to Nassau Coliseum with their season on the line.

Matt Vensel 5/25/2021 “The result was not what we wanted tonight,” Kris Letang said. “But I think we made a statement. That’s the way we need to play going in the

arena. So I’m pretty confident that if we play the same way [in Game 6] For 48 minutes Monday, the Penguins did pretty much everything right. we’ll get the result.”

Their relentless puck pursuit suffocated the New York Islanders. They The Penguins seized an early lead in Game 5 with Malkin’s power-play buried an early power-play goal. Two of their top players, Evgeni Malkin goal. and Bryan Rust, came through. And the Penguins fired 37 of the game’s After the Penguins publicly grumbled about the officiating following Game first 51 shots on goal. 4, there was little doubt they would get the first power play of Monday’s But it would all come crashing down. game at home. The question was whether they would actually do something with it. They coughed up another third-period lead, allowing the Islanders to steal a 3-2 victory 51 seconds into double overtime at PPG Paints Arena. They reloaded after another lost faceoff and charged inside the offensive The Penguins, down 3-2 in the series, face elimination Wednesday at zone. They wheeled the puck around the perimeter, made a quick pass Nassau Coliseum. into Rust at the bumper spot to relieve the pressure then got the puck over to Malkin. Tristan Jarry’s stickhandling gaffe was the final nail in their coffin in Game 5. Malkin, who displayed great energy all night, skated down the left flank and fired a shot over the blocker of Sorokin, his Russian countryman. It One of the NHL’s most daring passers at his position, the goalie vacated was his 172nd career playoff point, tying Mario Lemieux for second in his crease to play the puck. He had an open teammate on each wall but team history. inexplicably opted to fling it up the middle. Josh Bailey picked off his pass and flipped a shot past Jarry, who had slid out of position as he Anthony Beauvillier tied it up late in the first period, after Pittsburgh’s scrambled back into his net. aggressive approach backfired. Letang and Dumoulin both stepped up, leaving Jake Guentzel as the lone man back. Beauvillier skated around It was the second game that Jarry has given away to the Islanders. Guentzel then beat Jarry. Unless the Penguins find a way to regroup and win the series, Monday may go down as one of the most infamous losses in franchise history. That late-period goal could have been deflating. But the Penguins shrugged it off. And after a smothering penalty kill a few minutes into the “We’ll rally around him,” said coach Mike Sullivan, who projected a second period gave them more energy, Rust ripped a one-timer past positive front during his postgame video conference. “He’s been a really Sorokin to restore their lead. good goalie for us all year long and he’ll continue to be a good goalie for us moving forward.” You can give an assist to his newfound “dad strength” for that one. Rust and his wife, Kelsey, welcomed their first child, Hunter, into the world on He added: “He had a heck of a game up until that point. He made a Sunday. mistake.” But the Penguins would give away the game, spoiling that feel-good The guys in front of Jarry had a heck of a game up until that point. It was story. their best of the series. The Penguins outshot the Islanders, 50-28; had about 50% more offensive zone time and doubled them up in shots from “We would have liked to have that win but I think we’re all going to grow the slot, per Sportlogiq. closer as a team. I think we’re going to work together. And we’re going to lift our heads up and get out there and try to win,” Rust said. “Obviously, It was largely due to Pittsburgh’s puck pursuit. Playing with speed and this is a race to four.” renewed energy after they were dominated in Game 4 on Long Island on Saturday, the Penguins sent skater after skater after skater in waves at Do the Penguins have more in them? Or was Monday’s loss their last their frazzled opponents. gasp?

“We had guys skating. We had guys working together. We were working “We’ve got to put it behind us. We’ve got to look for the next one. We’ve as a cohesive unit out there for a large portion of this game and I think it got to win one hockey game,” Sullivan said. “We have a lot of leadership showed. We had the puck a lot. We had a lot of good looks. We had a lot that’s been through a lot of experiences in this league, especially in the of good time in the offensive zone,” said Rust, who tallied two points. playoffs, so we’ll just keep this thing in perspective. We’ll go to the Island “That’s something we have to carry over.” and we’ll put our best game on the ice.”

Jordan Eberle took advantage of a rare Penguins breakdown to tie the Post Gazette LOADED: 05.25.2021 score, 2-2, with 11:10 left in the third period. The Islanders forecheck gobbled up Brian Dumoulin and Leo Komarov got the puck to Eberle, left all alone in front. And after it rolled off his stick, Eberle regathered it and flipped it past a flopping Jarry.

But the Penguins kept pushing and had their chances in the first overtime.

Freddy Gaudreau redirected a shot that hit an unsuspecting Ilya Sorokin in his right pad. The Islanders goalie was standing up and looking elsewhere, his five-hole so wide open there you could have slid a few Freddy Gaudreaus through it.

Rust sent one rising shot just over the crossbar. And the Penguins had a prolonged shift inside the offensive zone with four tired Islanders stuck on the ice.

They just couldn’t beat Sorokin. Nine of his 48 saves came in sudden death. 1188773 Pittsburgh Penguins up big for the second time in the game to kill off a Freddy Gaudreau minor that began with 5:57 remaining in the third and the score tied at 2. Carter plucked a puck off the blue paint in one of the more critical plays of the sequence. Stick taps, chirps and observations from Penguins-Islanders Game 5 Jarry’s key OT save: While Jarry surely wants his miscue back, the goaltender also helped the game get to that point with a key save in the first overtime. Eberle had a shot to end it in overtime on a partial Mike DeFabo breakaway. He fired at Jarry’s glove side, but the Penguins’ netminder was there to shrug it off.

Stick taps, chirps and observations from Penguins-Islanders Game 5 They said it:

Despite playing arguably their best team game of the series, the Kris Letang on what his message will be for Jarry: “It’s a team game. It’s Penguins dropped Game 5 in double overtime, 3-2, and now they’re nobody’s fault. We win as a team, we lose as a team. We’re going to down in the series, too, 3-2. shake it off and [Jarry] is going to bring his A-game like we did tonight and we’ll go in there and try to win our game.” It was over when: Just 51 seconds into the second overtime, Tristan Jarry misplayed a puck in his own zone. It gifted New York’s Josh Bailey Mike Sullivan on the style of hockey the Penguins played: “I was really an opportunity that he turned into the game winner. proud of the team. I thought we played a really solid hockey game. All four lines were going. All six defensemen. Tristan made a couple big Turning point: The Penguins had played about as close to a complete saves for us. I was really proud of the group. I thought we played with game as they had the entire series for the first two periods. Then, they some swagger. We had some confidence. We were on our toes. I held the Islanders without a shot for the first 8:50 of the third period. But thought we played a speed game. It was unfortunate we didn’t find the when Jordan Eberle finally recorded New York’s first shot of the period, it net a little more often, but sometimes that happens in this game.” tied the score and set the stage for the stunner. Bryan Rust on the value of leadership: “A lot of guys in that room have Chirps: seen a lot of different circumstances. We’ve had our backs against the wall before in various situations. We know what it takes to win. Those Jarry’s stickhandling miscue: Jarry’s stickhandling is typically one of his guys in the room are going to have to lead by example.” best attributes. However, when he came out of his crease to play a puck, he either didn’t see Bailey or fired his clearing attempt off target. Either Barry Trotz: “A really gutsy win, finding a way to win when you're not at way, it hit Bailey in stride. Instantly, Jarry knew what he had done. He your best.” scrambled to get back into position but it was too late, as Bailey picked his spot. Thoughts from Twitter:

Letang/Jarry miscommunication: Just after the Penguins took a 1-0 lead — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 25, 2021 in the first period, they nearly gave it back. Jarry and Kris Letang had a Sidney Crosby assisted on Bryan Rust’s’goal to give the @penguins a 2- miscommunication around the crease that very nearly ended with the 1 lead. Crosby (69-122—191 in 173 GP) eclipsed (103-87— defenseman banking the puck off Jarry and into the Penguins’ own net. 190 in 202 GP) for sole possession of seventh place on the NHL’s all- Situational hockey: The Penguins controlled tempo and territory for the time playoff points list. #StanleyCup #NHLStats: https://t.co/c3tqaQagQu overwhelming majority of the first period. But they went to the dressing pic.twitter.com/LvEsS8e9uY room with the score tied at 1 after Anthony Beauvillier scored with just — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 25, 2021 54.4 seconds left in the period. Jake Guentzel was the only Penguin back on the play, as Letang pinched up the boards in the offensive zone and Jarry in double OT???? #Pens #NHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/gcxaPzjNwq then Brian Dumoulin whiffed on his attempt to break up the play in the neutral zone. Beauvillier eventually turned on the jets and then beat Jarry — Benstonium (@Benstonium) May 25, 2021 high on the blocker side. Next up: The Penguins go back to Long Island with their season on the Puck luck: The Penguins ended regulation leading in shot attempts (64- ropes. They’ll need to win the road game on Wednesday to force a Game 28), scoring chances (32-13) and expected goals (2.99-1.17). But the 7 back in Pittsburgh on Friday. game went to overtime because the Islanders capitalized on two key Post Gazette LOADED: 05.25.2021 sequences. Jarry could have been better on both goals he allowed in regulation. The Penguins also generated more than enough chances to put the game away. But they didn’t get a bounce in a game they appeared to dominate.

Stick taps:

Malkin’s bounce-back game: Evgeni Malkin received a fair share of criticism on Saturday, when he committed three penalties in the Game 4 loss. From his first shift, the big Russian was buzzing to create a number of scoring chances. He tallied the first goal of the game when he uncorked that big left-handed shot from the left circle.

Malkin line’s good first-period shift: Malkin opened the scoring when he sniped Ilya Sorokin on the power play. But the goal was made possible thanks to some good work his line did at 5-on-5 play. Malkin and Jason Zucker won a couple puck battles along the boards to keep offensive zone possession time alive before Kasperi Kapanen drew a penalty.

Momentum-building penalty kill: The Penguins were down a skater on the ice when they began to gain an advantage on the scoreboard. The penalty kill snuffed out the Malkin minor in the second period, including when Jeff Carter ripped a deceptive shot in transition. With the crowd buzzing after the kill, Bryan Rust scored just seconds later.

Dad strength: Rust’s wife, Kelsey, gave birth to their first child on Sunday. Hunter Timothy Rust checked in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces. One day later, Rust netted his first goal as a dad.

Late third-period penalty kill: The Penguins penalty kill has been up-and- down this year. But in a potential season-defining sequence, they came 1188774 Pittsburgh Penguins But they won’t win if they don’t start to bury the puck when they have the opportunity to do so. The Penguins have way too much skill and talent to not be able to score in these situations. Sorokin was really good and made some excellent saves but the Pens also helped him out as they Paul Zeise: The Penguins were dominant in Game 5 and lost because shot a number of times right at him. they couldn’t finish The Penguins had their opportunities and they squander too many of them. They led 1-0 and couldn’t push the score to 2-0. They led 2-1 and couldn’t push their lead to 3-1. The difference between a one-goal lead Paul Zeise and a two-goal lead against anyone is huge.

The difference between a one- and two-goal lead against an offensively Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin didn’t steal Game 5 of the Penguins- challenged, defensive-minded team like the Islanders is often the Islanders first-round playoff series Monday night. I am sure that will be difference between winning and losing games. The Penguins need to find the storyline, that will be the talk and there is some merit to the idea that their scoring touch quickly in Game 6 or they will be starting their summer he gave his team a chance by holding the Penguins in check for almost vacation prematurely. three periods. Post Gazette LOADED: 05.25.2021 Sorokin was spectacular as he faced 50 shots and made 48 saves. He was tested the entire night as the Penguins had high danger scoring chance after high danger scoring chance. He stood tall under fire, kept his poise and just kept the puck out of the back of his net for nearly the final 54 minutes of the game.

You look at the statistics and you wonder how the Penguins lost the game. The Penguins outshot the Islanders 50-28. They won 53% of the faceoffs and although they were outhit, 47-46, it sure seemed like they were the more physical team.

They did everything right, except winning the game and that’s because they did everything right except for scoring.

“The result was not what we wanted tonight,” Kris Letang said. “We made a statement and that’s the way we need to play going in there, so I am confident if that is the way we play we will come away with win.”

The Penguins know they let one get away. They know this was a game they were supposed to win. They know they blew it, some might say choked it away, and now they have to scramble as they have no margin for error. They will have to win Wednesday on Long Island and then again Friday at PPG Paints Arena or they will be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the third year in a row.

“We played well tonight, we would have liked to put another puck past their goalie, he played well so give him credit,” Penguins forward Bryan Rust said. “We were on our toes tonight, we had a lot of good looks but we need to carry that attitude into the next game.

“We have had our backs against the wall before in various situations and we have found a way to win.”

Sorokin has been so good the last two games that it probably is a fair question to ask why Islanders coach Barry Trotz didn’t play him in Games 2 and 3. If he did play, there may not have been a Game 5 as the Islanders might have swept the series, but that is a different story for a different day.

Here’s the thing: As great as Sorokin was — and as shaky as Pens goalie Tristan Jarry was — the Pens didn’t have this game stolen and didn’t lose because their goalie wasn’t as good as the other goalie,

That was a big part of it and don’t get me wrong, Sorokin was fantastic. But the Penguins lost because they couldn’t finish some of those dangerous scoring chances. That’s a problem when you are a team that is built on a high-powered offense that is based on speed and skill.

You have to finish some of those chances and you need to not allow a team like the Islanders to hang around. Saturday’s loss to the Islanders was different because the Pens were dominated from start to finish. That was disappointing in its own right.

This was a more typical Islanders win as they did what they do best — hung around, took advantage of a few mistakes by the other team and found a way to win the game in the end.

Jarry played well enough to win until the second overtime period when he turned over the puck in front of his net and Islanders center Josh Bailey cashed it in for the game winner.

As both Letang and Rust said, if the Penguins play with this kind of intensity and passion and put this kind of pressure on the Islanders defense and Sorokin Wednesday, they will have a chance to win the game. They will have a good chance to win the game, actually. 1188775 Pittsburgh Penguins Over an entire stretch of the series, the Penguins are just 1-for-8 on the power play with seven total shots. Even those shots have been mostly from the outside, other than Jeff Carter’s game-tying goal in Game 3. The Penguins will enter Game 5 still looking for their first power play shot Penguins notes: Net-front battles come to the forefront in tight series from the inner slot, according to data from Sportlogiq.

“They block a lot of shots,” said forward Jared McCann, who has split time on both units this series. “They’re always in the shooting lane. Mike DeFabo They’re a hard team to get pucks to the net against. We have to find a way to do that, whether it’s spread them out or working in closer, small areas.” Brett Hull etched his name onto the Stanley Cup for the first time in 1999 with a triple-overtime, championship-winning shot. But it was the Dallas In addition to finding ways to get the puck on net more frequently from Star’s skate that began to rewrite the rule book. better areas of the ice, the Penguins can improve their face offs and zone entries with the man advantage. Entering Game 5, the Penguins’ At the time, players were not permitted to enter the crease before the controlled entry success rate was just 50% (15th out of 16 teams) and puck. However, after Hull sparked controversy and ended the series with they had won just 22.2% of their offensive zone draws on the power play his skate in the blue paint, the NHL revised that hard-to-officiate rule (16th out of 16 teams). ahead of the next season to permit players to enter the crease so long as they didn’t interfere with the goalie. “We know going in that the islanders have a real good penalty kill,” Sullivan said. “They’ve very aggressive. They’re aggressive all over the More than two decades later, if a team is going to get its name on the rink. They’re going to put pressure on us. We’re going to have to be able Cup alongside Hull, crashing the crease to win net-front battles remains to support the puck and make sure that we have people in the right as critical as ever. places to support the puck so that we can beat the pressure.”

“I just think it’s the nature of the game at this time of year,” Penguins Something coming? coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s one way to manufacture offense. You’ve got to go to the net. You’ve got to impede the goalie’s sight lines. You’ve Through four games, Jake Guentzel led the Penguins in shots, shot got to try to make his mobility difficult.” attempts and scoring chances. But, as he enters Game 5, a skater who netted 23 goals in 56 regular season games is still looking for his first This series, the Islanders have done everything they can to get in goalie tally of the postseason. Tristan Jarry’s grill. “Obviously, we’d like him to find the back of the net,” Sullivan said. The Game 3 line brawl that landed all 10 players in the box started when “There’s no doubt about that. But as a team, as a coaching staff, as a the Islanders pushed Jarry all the way into the net with a stick. In the third group of players, all we can control is the process. That’s what we look period of the same game, Jarry was looking at the referees for a penalty at. They’ve had a fair amount of looks. Jake has had a number of after getting tangled with Casey Cizikas on a goal the Penguins at least opportunities. The puck hasn’t gone into the net for him to this point. … briefly considered challenging. And in Game 4, Kris Letang bumped Our feeling is that if he just stays with it, he’ll find the back of the net.” Anthony Beauvillier into Jarry. By the time the goalie got square, the puck was in his net. ‘Ignore the noise’

“It’s not anything that’s revolutionary,” Sullivan said. “We’ve got to do as Before the series even began, Sullivan began priming his team for the good a job as we can at getting box outs and seals and try to give Tristan “ebbs and flows” of a seven-game series. an opportunity to see the puck and find the puck. We continue to preach “We’re going to win a game and there’s going to be all kinds of praise,” that to our guys. We’re working on those details.” Sullivan said. “We’re going to lose a game and there’s going to be all To this point, the Islanders have been getting bodies and pucks to the kinds of doubters. For us, we’re just going to focus on the task at hand. front of the net frequently and effectively. According to Sportlogiq, 10.3% We’re going to try to ignore the noise and learn from every experience of the Islanders’ shots on net have been screened. That’s the third- that we go through. highest percentage among playoff teams. “We’re playing against a tough opponent. We knew that going in. We At the same time, the Penguins have allowed the third-most shots from knew it was going to be a hard series. Here we are in the middle of it.” the slot (25.4 per game) among playoff teams and the second-most Around the boards rebounds attempts from the slot (2.89). As the series continues, the battles in front of the net will continue to be crucial on both ends of the The lines remained unchanged at puck drop on Monday. … Sullivan had rink. no new updates on backup Casey DeSmith, who remains sidelined with a lower body injury. … Jarry was the first goalie off the ice at morning “[It would be beneficial] if we can box them out early and try to stop the skate and will be in net for his fifth consecutive playoff game. traffic from getting there,” defenseman Brian Dumoulin said on Saturday. “We’ve been fronting a lot, and I think if we can establish the box-outs, Post Gazette LOADED: 05.25.2021 especially out of the corner, it can help us.

“We have to fight for the net front just as much as they do. We have to keep grinding.”

Islanders limiting power play opportunities

The Islanders have followed a two-pronged process to become one of the NHL’s best penalty-killing teams.

First, they stayed out of the box better than any team in the league during the regular season, with just 223 penalty minutes throughout the 56- game season. Then, in the instances they were in the box, the Islanders maintained an aggressive defensive style that squashed any chances. Only five teams in the league had a better penalty killing percentage (83.7%).

Four games into the series, the Penguins have experienced both sides of that formula.

In Game 4, the Penguins got just 21 seconds of power play time, while committing six penalties of their own. By the time Pittsburgh entered the zone and began to set up shop, they were sending two guys to the box themselves and switching out special teams units. 1188776 Pittsburgh Penguins “He’s such an ultra-competitive guy,” he said of Malkin. “He likes this time of year. He’s shown the ability to be at his best in the biggest games. He can be a real difference-maker for us.”

Ron Cook: Is Evgeni Malkin healthy enough to pick up his game? But on one good leg?

Post Gazette LOADED: 05.25.2021

Ron Cook

Evgeni Malkin is a big man, every bit of the 6-foot-3, 195 pounds that the Penguins say he is. That is a lot of body for an opponent to hit. So why is it always his right knee that seems to take the beating?

It happened in a game against Boston March 16 when Malkin collided with the Bruins’ Jarred Tinordi. That knee injury forced Malkin to miss 23 games. The Penguins went 16-5-2 without him.

It happened again in the final regular season game against Buffalo on May 8 when Malkin ran into the Sabres’ Dylan Cozens. That forced Malkin to miss the first two games of the first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders. The Penguins split those two games.

And it happened for a third time Saturday when Malkin knocked knees with the Islanders’ Ryan Pulock midway through the second period of Game 4. Fortunately for the Penguins, Malkin was able to stay in the game. They still lost, 4-1, sending the series back to Pittsburgh tied 2-2 with Game 5 on Monday night at PPG Paints Arena.

“I feel great,” Malkin said Saturday evening. “I skate a lot before I start playing. I step on ice and no pain, nothing like that. I feel better every game.”

I wonder.

Malkin clearly wasn’t the same player in the four games he played after the initial injury from the hit by Tinordi. He wasn’t the same player in the past two games against the Islanders. He’s wearing a knee brace and isn’t skating as freely or as powerfully.

Malkin still did some good things to help the Penguins win Game 3. He had the primary assist on goals by Jason Zucker and Jeff Carter, becoming the 14th player in NHL history with 50 multi-point playoff games. Only Sidney Crosby with 63 has more among active players. Malkin’s pass that set up Carter’s power play goal and a 4-3 lead for the Penguins in the third period was a real beauty.

Malkin also did some good things in Game 4 that could have led to a better result for the Penguins. He set up Kasperi Kapanen with a great scoring chance just a minute in, only to see Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin make the save. Later, Malkin set up Mike Matheson with a nice drop pass, but Matheson failed to get off the shot.

The man is a playmaker even with only one good leg.

“He’s a generational talent,” Mike Sullivan said of Malkin before these playoffs began. “They see the game and think the game in a way other players don’t.”

But Malkin didn’t have a shot on goal in Game 4 after getting only two on net in Game 3. He didn’t even attempt a shot Saturday. The Penguins need better from him — a lot better.

What the team doesn’t need from Malkin is penalties. He took three in Game 4, putting the club at a big disadvantage. Not only did he have to go to the box each time, high-scoring teammates Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust virtually were tied to the bench because they weren’t used to kill his penalties. That hurt the Penguins’ cause a lot.

Malkin’s first penalty just 4:07 into the game was especially egregious. He mixed it up with Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck with both being sent off with roughing calls. The Islanders will take that trade off every day of the week. Clutterbuck is a fourth-liner. Malkin is a star.

“They give me penalties every game, and I’m not surprised,” Malkin said. “It’s hard to walk away every time. They push your goalie. They push your partners. You need to be strong.

“We understand how they play. After the whistle, we need to stay together but not talk too much to them. They play physical, but we need to play smarter. Play our game. Next game, we need focus and discipline. I will be more disciplined next game.”

Sullivan is counting on it. 1188777 Pittsburgh Penguins Perhaps the Penguins should thank Barry Trotz for going with Semyon Varlamov in Games 2 and 3. But would this series already be over had Sorokin played in each game? It’s a valid question. Make no mistake, the Penguins have been the better team in four of the five games in this Yohe’s 10 observations: Tristan Jarry, an excruciating loss and series. But they’ve won only two games, and Sorokin is the man most assessing the Penguins’ chances in Game 6 responsible for that. He’s become the story of this series and I have to think he’s the goaltender of the Islanders’ present and future.

• No one wants to touch this subject, but it can’t be ignored. Sidney By Josh Yohe May 25, 2021 Crosby and Malkin don’t take over playoff series the way they once did. Oh, they’re still great. Crosby remains one of the best players in hockey, and Malkin, who is clearly playing in pain, has been very noble battling The Penguins, who controlled play almost exclusively in Game 5 on through clear discomfort. It was a great moment when Malkin opened the Monday at PPG Paints Arena, sustained one of the more brutal losses in scoring in the first period in his first home game in more than two months. franchise history at the hands of their long-time tormentors. He provided glimpses in this game, but he’s not himself. And really, do we know what a fully healthy Malkin looks like? He’s been banged up a Josh Bailey scored 51 seconds into double overtime as the Islanders lot in recent years. We know he’s not the player he was five or 10 years added another chapter in their longtime playoff mastery of the Penguins, ago, but what is his current ceiling? I don’t know. I’m not sure anyone giving New York a 3-2 series advantage in a 3-2 victory. does. What do and Brian Burke think about this? It was ultimately a story of goaltending. The Penguins outshot the Crosby has six points in his past 13 postseason games. For mere Islanders 50-28 but could only solve rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin twice. mortals, that number isn’t anything offensive. For Crosby, it’s a problem. Meanwhile, Tristan Jarry looked shaky throughout the night and coughed He’s got two points in this series. In his past nine playoff games against up the puck to Bailey on the game winner, an inexcusable turnover that the Islanders, he has three points. It’s a concern. Even though the was an utterly unforced error and nothing else. Penguins are deeper than they’ve been in recent years, they still need Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust scored for the Penguins, who will be Crosby and Malkin to carry them from time to time. I’m not sure that they forced to win at their house of horrors at the Coliseum on Wednesday to can any longer. prolong their season. Win that game, and the Penguins will host Game 7 If they can, Wednesday on Long Island would be a good time to show it. in Pittsburgh on Friday night. Lose that game, and a promising season will be gone in the blink of an eye, while a summer of significant change • Jake Guentzel is having a horrible series. He hasn’t scored a goal and could be triggered. is getting absolutely smothered by the bigger Islanders players. The book on Guentzel is becoming clear: beat him up. There was nothing wrong with the Penguins’ performance, as they were exceptional most of the game, outshooting the Islanders by a whopping Shea Weber beat him to a pulp last summer in the Toronto bubble, and 20-4 margin in the second period. However, the Islanders never went the Islanders are following that plan. It’s working. Guentzel looked a little away and took advantage of three Penguins blunders on each of their hesitant at times in this game, something I’ve never said about him. He’s goals to steal a victory. tough as nails, a little guy who isn’t afraid to take a beating. Well, Guentzel looked a little tired of taking the beating in Game 5. 10 postgame observations He also was constantly looking for penalty calls. I get it. The officiating in • Let’s start with the obvious: Jarry wasn’t good enough in this game, he the playoffs has been pretty puzzling at times. But this is clearly a hasn’t been good enough in this series, and this game concluded thanks distracted player, which is exactly what the Islanders want. Guentzel to one of the great mental blunders in franchise history. The way the needs to light the lamp. The Penguins’ top line isn’t working and I’d game ended wasn’t a physical mistake in the least. He put the puck suggest some line changes for Game 6. Mike Sullivan is a great coach, precisely where he was aiming. I just don’t know what he was thinking on but he is too loyal at times. The Penguins’ top line has been great all the play. season, but it’s not working right now. It hasn’t all series. I’d strongly Having a goalie who excels at playing the puck is a nice luxury. What suggest moving Guentzel to Malkin’s line, where he’s been very often happens, however, is that goaltenders who possess that ability productive in the past. sometimes take unnecessary chances. This is precisely what happened. I think we’ve seen enough of Jason Zucker on Malkin’s line. Put Guentzel It was simply a mindless play. You can’t make those kinds of mistakes in there. It’s clearly time to change things up. the playoffs, let alone in overtime. There has been visible immaturity in his game in recent weeks. This is the goaltender who attempted to score • Speaking of Zucker … he had an absolutely glorious chance in the a goal and subsequently allowed one, while giving up five goals in one second period, with the Penguins ahead 2-1. For some reason, he period against New Jersey last month. To his credit, he rebounded well passed the puck into the slot while enjoying a fabulous look, with Sorokin from that incident. And also to his credit, he rebounded well from his out of position. It was an absolutely baffling decision. awful Game 1 performance in this series. Zucker is a solid player. He’s a great guy by all accounts. He works hard. It’s difficult, though, to feel good about Jarry if you’re the Penguins right But is he really that good? I’m not seeing it. The skill level and skating now. His body language was shaky at best all evening. He stumbled ability just don’t reach the levels that everyone expected when the when returning to the net late in the third period after playing the puck in Penguins sold the farm for him more than a year ago. Seeing him play the corner. He made himself very small on the Islanders’ second goal. with Malkin is getting painful. They don’t click in the least. Then, there is this. It was bad enough that Jarry committed the horrendous turnover to Bailey. Even worse was how he responded. Jarry • Let’s talk about the Islanders’ first goal, scored by Anthony Beauvillier. looked like he was trying to poke check Bailey from about 25 feet. I From the Penguins’ perspective, there was much to hate about it. The haven’t a clue what he was doing. It was a sign of immaturity, a sign of a Penguins were totally dominant in the first period and were a minute goaltender who was 100 percent rattled. It’s not exactly the body away from heading to the locker room with a 1-0 advantage. That’s when language you want to see from your goaltender in the playoffs. Letang decided to pinch deep into New York territory. It wasn’t The Penguins have no choice. Casey DeSmith isn’t healthy. Jarry will be necessarily a bad read, and Letang played a fairly strong game. It wasn’t, the guy Wednesday. He has to be. But is he really the guy? It’s a fair however, a good display of situational hockey. Why take a chance that question to ask after what we’ve witnessed in this series. late in a period when your team has the lead? It just wasn’t sensible.

• If we’re going to spend this much time on Jarry — and it’s warranted — As the Islanders broke away with the puck in the neutral zone, Brian we need to talk about Sorokin, too. This is a spectacular goaltender. Dumoulin didn’t retreat as much as he should have. Dumoulin needed to Sorokin, from the Islanders’ standpoint, was absolutely the story in this realize that Guentzel was the last line of defense. It wasn’t a good game, and he’s been the story in the series. He showcases serious decision. athleticism and was particularly good in overtime. I thought, from my Then, there is Guentzel’s effort on the goal. I know he’s not a position in the press box, that Kris Letang had the game won in the first defenseman and it was a tough spot for him, but that was a pretty rotten overtime when he fired a rocket to the blocker side. Sorokin, however, effort. made a brilliant save to keep the Islanders alive. Just a bad goal that was born of mental mistakes by the team’s two best defensemen.

• Dumoulin committed a bad turnover on the Islanders’ second goal, scored by Jordan Eberle. Jarry played this goal horribly, but the majority of the blame must go to Dumoulin, who didn’t handle the Islanders’ pressure well.

It’s been a strange series for Dumoulin. He’s enjoyed a couple of exceptional games, but much like Jarry, Dumoulin wasn’t good in Games 1 and 5. The Penguins’ best players need to be better. This is something we rarely say about Dumoulin, who has been so wonderful all season, but he made his share of mistakes in this one.

• I don’t mean to sound like an alarmist, but there’s a chance that Malkin and Letang have played their final game in Pittsburgh.

I doubt it, on both counts. But it’s conceivable and worth discussing. If the Penguins lose this series, they will have lost four consecutive playoff series. Changes will be coming if it continues, as they should. We don’t know what Burke and Hextall have in mind, but it would be madness to keep the same core together if they can’t win a playoff series, let alone four.

Letang has been terrific most of the season following a bad start. I’d be surprised if he were dealt. Malkin has a full no-trade clause, thus, he has all the power. Maybe they won’t want to trade him, but a Malkin trade feels more possible than a Letang trade. It’s going to be an interesting summer regardless of what transpires in this series.

• And what happens to Sullivan if the Penguins lose this series? Is his job in jeopardy? I haven’t heard that it is, but again, Burke and Hextall are new to Pittsburgh. We’ve yet to witness their vision for the future of this team. For all of Sullivan’s wondrous accomplishments, if he loses four consecutive playoff series, it’s fair to wonder about his future.

Then again, I’d suggest that his team has outplayed the Islanders for most of this series. Great goaltending will beat below-average goaltending every time, and that’s what we’re seeing right now.

• I believe the Penguins will put up a great fight on Long Island on Wednesday. This is a prideful group that has outplayed the Islanders for the majority of this series. The Penguins must be extraordinarily frustrated.

The odds and history, however, would appear to be against them. They’ll be playing in a building where they rarely have success, and they’re showing up on The Island with a very shaky goaltender.

I don’t know how much better the Penguins can play. But their goaltender needs to be a heck of a lot better. Given the situation they’re facing, even that might not be enough. If they lose this series, it’s going to sting. And I suspect it’s going to produce serious changes.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188778 Pittsburgh Penguins Tristan Jarry: He was as bad on Monday as he was in Game 1. Zero comfort, zero confidence. Folks were focused, rightfully, on Letang- Dumoulin-Guentzel for Beauvillier’s goal, but there was Jarry, deep in his net as ever. The third goal was abysmal based only on the tape-to-tape Penguins report cards: Tristan Jarry gives away Game 5 against pass to Josh Bailey. How Jarry played the shot somehow made it worse. Islanders Was he trying … to poke check a guy at the top of the circles? Is that what happened? The Penguins are a game away from elimination

because of Jarry. Period. F By Rob Rossi, Sean Gentille, and Josh Yohe May 25, 2021 Rossi’s grades

Evgeni Malkin: His effort called back to former Penguins captain Jaromir It’s tough to win a short series against a good opponent when your goalie Jagr’s one-legged performances in Games 6 and 7 of a first-round series gives away a game. against the Devils in 1999. Like Jagr then, Malkin gave his teammates whatever his body could. He was not perfect, but his opening goal was a Whether it’s impossible to win a short series against a good opponent vintage Malkin ripper. Here’s hoping it’s not the last goal Malkin scores when your goalie gives away two games — well, the Penguins are about with the Penguins in Pittsburgh. A to find out. Mike Sullivan: The Penguins played arguably their finest game of the They’re in that unenviable position, down 3-2 in a best-of-seven season, and probably their best since Game 6 of the 2017 Stanley Cup showdown with the Islanders, after a 3-2 loss in double overtime at PPG Final. Their goalie blew it. That’s not on the coach. Especially when the Paints Arena on Monday night. As was the case in their series-opening coach’s regular backup goalie is unavailable. Sullivan has no choice but loss, also in overtime, the Penguins dominated for long stretches — even to ride-or-die with Jarry, who’s killing the Penguins. A more so in Game 5 than Game 1, actually — but were done in partly, if not mostly, by Tristan Jarry proving true that old adage: It’s not the saves Bryan Rust: He wasn’t quite “Big Game Bryan,” as Rust was known early you make; it’s the ones you don’t. in his time with the Penguins. Still, Rust’s Game 5 was his strongest of the series. The Penguins will need at least more of what Rust provided in Also, it’s never a good idea to pass a puck directly to an opposing player, Game 5 if they are to somehow force a Game 7. A-minus as Jarry did to the Islanders’ Josh Bailey in double overtime. That decision will go down as one of the most infamous in the Penguins’ Kasperi Kapanen: His speed has been problematic for the Islanders. storied postseason history. If the Penguins lose early for a third Kapanen’s Game 5 was a microcosm of his first postseason series with consecutive postseason and a new management team determines the Penguins; he’s been better than the stats might suggest. B what’s best for business is breaking up a band that features three of the Sidney Crosby: His struggles on faceoffs continued and remain greatest, most beloved players in franchise history — those being Sidney perplexing. He also doesn’t seem to be looking to shoot as much as Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang — then Jarry’s Games 1 and 5 usual with the Penguins’ scrapping to score goals. He’s judged against performances might end up unceremoniously ending the greatest hockey the highest standard, but such is the burden for one of the five greatest era in Pittsburgh. players in NHL history. Just being good, or fine, is not nearly enough for “You shake it off and have to bring your A-game for the next one,” Letang a player of Crosby’s stature. B-minus said after Game 5 of what message he would give Jarry, who made only Jake Guentzel: He’s becoming increasingly noticeable only when lying on 25 saves compared with 48 by Islanders counterpart Ilya Sorokin. “It’s a the ice. Sure, he’s taking a beating. But Guentzel also doesn’t look ready team game. We win as a team. We lose as a team. for the challenge of fighting through the Islanders’ physical tactics and “He’s going to bring his A-game, like we did (Monday night).” contributing. He’s been one of the best per-game postseason scorers in Penguins history. But his Game 5 continued a miserable series for Reporters from The Athletic graded players and coach Mike Sullivan for Guentzel. D Game 5. Jason Zucker: Here’s how bad Zucker was in Game 5. During one Gentille’s grades intermission, Gentille wondered aloud if Zucker should actually be a right- shot because he keeps appearing to have spun himself the wrong way to Cody Ceci: All of Ceci’s numbers generally check out. With him on the take a pass. Absurd as Gentille’s musing might seem, a lot of us on the ice at five-on-five, the Penguins held a 26-20 edge on shot attempts and Mike Lange Media Level started giving it serious consideration. If it’s to controlled 56 percent of expected goals, and he did it while generally the point that people wonder if a player is basically doing things seeming to either keep Mike Matheson from going off the rails or backward — well, that’s not good. F affording him the space to do his thing. The big fella cleans up mistakes. He continues to make himself quite a bit of money. B Yohe’s grades

John Marino: Nothing not to like about his performance; 17 shots for, four Jeff Carter: He didn’t have a point, but I thought he was terrific. Carter against and an 8-2 edge in scoring chances. Plenty of would-be chances won 14 of 19 draws and is the only reliable faceoff man the Penguins erased on his own. Didn’t notice him much. B have had in this series. His penalty killing was excellent. He certainly produced some chances. He’s been the Penguins’ best forward in this Mike Matheson: He tied for the team lead in shots (six, on nine attempts) series, and he was good again in Game 5. B-plus and didn’t make The Big Mistake, though he came close a few times. He had a big hit on Oliver Wahlstrom, a blow Isles fans understandably Brandon Tanev: He was good. Really good. He had six hits, created didn’t appreciate. B energy throughout the night and played at the level you’d expect. Quite frankly, I’m not so sure he shouldn’t be elevated in the lineup. I’ve been Kris Letang: So we have the aforementioned mistake on Anthony saying that for quite some time, and I still feel the same. B-plus Beauvillier’s goal. There were also some other averted disasters mixed in with the territorial dominance he and Dumoulin helped to create. It’s a Zach Aston-Reese: I thought he played his best game of the series. This tough performance to grade, which isn’t new for Letang. There was much was as physical a game as I’ve seen from him, and it was encouraging to more good than bad, but the bad was … bad. B-minus see. He used his body well to create leverage all game. Sure, you’d love to receive more offense from the fourth line. But Tanev and Aston-Reese Marcus Pettersson: Unnoticeable as ever, and the beneficiary of playing do have goals in this series, and it’s the job of the fourth line to protect its with Marino. If the Penguins play long enough, he’s going to burn them. defensive zone and to provide energy. Mission accomplished. B-plus On Monday, he didn’t. B-minus Frederick Gaudreau: The puck was following him all night, and he played Brian Dumoulin: It took a village of Penguins players to create the Isles’ a perfectly fine game. You’re only going to get so much offense from him, first goal — four, actually — and Dumoulin was one of them. His neutral- but he was solid in his zone and played at a relatively high level. B-minus zone pinch was the second course in a meal that started with Letang and finished with Jake Guentzel and Jarry. His play on the Isles’ second goal Jared McCann: He’s not been the same player in this series. Hasn’t been wasn’t any better, when Leo Komarov forced a turnover near the net and terrible. This isn’t the disappearing act that we’ve seen from him in the set up Jordan Eberle. Are those plays enough to nuke the rest of his 30- past two postseasons. Still, he doesn’t have a goal in this series, and he plus minutes? Functionally, sure. But the body of work could’ve been wasn’t especially noticeable against the Islanders on Monday. C much, much worse. C-plus Teddy Blueger: He was pretty slick in the defensive zone and his line was excellent most of the night. Still, you’d like to see Blueger finish one of the chances he’s getting at some point in this series. He also won only one of his five faceoffs. Draws have been a substantial problem for the Penguins in this series, and Blueger is one player who needs to be better. C

The Penguins trail the Islanders 3-2 in this best-of-seven East Division semifinal series. Game 6 is at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188779 Pittsburgh Penguins their scoring chances, while the Penguins pounded the net with Grade A chances.

The final shot tally was 50-28. GIVEAWAY: Sorokin, Islanders Steal Game 5 in Double OT on Jarry But only the final result matters. Turnover Kris Letang was credited with 10 hits. Tanev had six, as did Jason

Zucker (after one OT period). By Dan Kingerski Brandon Tanev & Bryan Rust

If it moved, Tanev hit it. Zach Aston-Reese played his finest playoff game The Pittsburgh Penguins could have had mail delivered to the New York and was stout on the walls, as well as creating a few rushes too. Both Islanders zone for nearly 60 minutes. Despite more than doubling New were all over the ice. York’s shot total and greatly out-chancing New York, the Penguins lost Jake Guentzel & Bryan Rust another third-period lead, and the deafening PPG Paints Arena crowd had to wait for a conclusion. Rust lit the lamp, but they share the “honor” their games were intertwined. They combined for 10 of the Penguins’ first 45 shots. And And wait as one overtime wasn’t enough. they were good shots in Game 5. Less than one minute into the second OT, Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry Ilya Sorokin turned the puck over in the slot to Josh Bailey who ended the game, gave New York a 3-2 series lead and New York will have a chance to It should have been an easy Penguins win. The Penguins should be eliminate the Penguins at the Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday. headed to Long Island full of dominating confidence. The Islanders goalie just couldn’t be beaten. Evgeni Malkin was clearly a different play in the first period. The soft- kneed center gritted through the last two games but had that explosive Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 05.25.2021 spring in his step Monday night. Malkin garnered a couple of takeaways and helped the Penguins tilt the ice for most of the first period.

In fact, that lasted for four periods.

“I think we made a statement,” Kris Letang said of the domination. “We have to forget about it, (and) bring the same intensity and urgency (in Game 6).”

Eight minutes into the game, Malkin lit the lamp for the first time in the series. After Islanders forward Josh Bailey slashed Kasperi Kapanen, the Penguins executed a perfect power-play set up which freed Malkin in the left-wing circle. He took a big tide and ripped a top-corner wrist shot past New York goalie Ilya Sorokin.

The Penguins dominated the first 18 minutes of the first period. However, the Islanders took advantage of Jake Guentzel, who cycled high in the offensive zone to cover Kris Letang. Defenseman Brian Dumoulin also made a mistake at center ice as Anthony Beauvillier (2) blew past Dumoulin, then turned Guentzel inside-out for a point-blank chance on Tristan Jarry.

In a flash, New York undid all of the Penguins’ work in the first period.

There was also a statistical oddity in the first period. The Pittsburgh Penguins outhit New York, 19-17, and did it with a vast majority of the puck possession.

The PPG Paints Arena crowd was in vintage form on Monday. With every hit, every big moment, the place erupted. The Penguins fed off the crowd and added their own desperation for a thoroughly dominating second period.

Through the first 17 minutes, the Penguins outshot New York 21-1. Now, that’s not a typo. I triple-checked my typing. The Penguins did get one goal–also in vintage form.

After the Penguins killed a hooking minor to Evgeni Malkin, the center stayed on the ice with Sidney Crosby, who had just one point in the first four games of the series, and Bryan Rust. For a moment, the two-headed monster was reborn. And for a moment, it looked like old times. The trio owned the puck for nearly a minute in the Islanders zone before Rust (2) blasted a shot from the high RW circle past Sorokin.

For all of the Penguins domination, however, they led only 2-1 after two periods.

And on cue, the Penguins made a few mistakes on one shift early in the third period, and New York tied the game. As the Penguins were caught overloaded on the wall, Jordan Eberle (2) was open in front of the net. He waited out Jarry and scored yet another third-period tying goal.

It was the eighth third-period goal the Islanders scored in the series, and New York has erased four Penguins third-period leads in the series, including two in the Penguins Game 3 win.

The Pittsburgh Penguins continued to dominate play, however. The shots after 60 minutes were 41-20. New York seemingly scored on each of 1188780 Pittsburgh Penguins

Pressure Intensifies, Game 5: Penguins Lines, Notes & Matchups vs. Islanders

By Dan Kingerski

The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders have alternated wins in the most hotly contested Round One series in the NHL. Perhaps no two teams hate each other quite as much as the Penguins and Islanders. Game 5 is back in Pittsburgh. The puck drops at 7 p.m., though it is on NBCsn, so expect the game to start fifteen to 20 minutes later.

The series is tied 2-2 after the Islanders’ thorough Game 4 win.

The Penguins held the lead for most of the series until Game 4, in which the Penguins never led. The team that has scored first in each game has won.

The physicality in the series has become an issue. Not only are the Islanders a more physical team, but their ability to be disciplined in Game 4 stood in contrast to the Penguins’ loose discipline. Head coach Mike Sullivan alluded to the Penguins’ lack of playoff time.

“…It’s tough to evaluate it when you get 30 seconds of power play time, and that’s all we got last game…but we know going in that the Islanders have a real good power play,” Sullivan said. “They’re very aggressive…They’re going to put pressure on us. We’re going to have to be able to support the puck and make sure that that we have people in the right places to support the puck so that we can beat the pressure.”

The goalies are set. Tristan Jarry and Ilya Sorokin will stay in goal unless Barry Trotz is crazy enough to back to Semyon Varlamov. Sorokin has won both of his starts in the series and is clearly outplaying the Islanders starter.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188781 Pittsburgh Penguins rookie on the 2018 Penguins team, which advanced to Round Two but was part of the Penguins’ last two cratering thuds.

Cody Ceci was a member of the 2017 that made it all React the Right Way? What Penguins Must Do, and Can’t Do in Game 5 the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Penguins. Otherwise, Ceci has zero series wins in his eight-year career. Mike Matheson played in Florida, which hasn’t won a playoff series since Bill Clinton was a first-term President. By Dan Kingerski Frederick Gaudreau was a depth player on the 2017 Nashville Predators

which lost to the Penguins in the Stanley Cup. He did play eight games Imagine the Pittsburgh Penguins playing Game 6 facing elimination in and seems to have playoff blood. front of the rowdy, blood-thirsty New York Islanders fans at Nassau But that’s a lot more failure than success above. Coliseum. There isn’t a more forgotten-child organization or fanbase in all sports, and when the New York Islanders have a chance to stick it to the So, it’s an open-ended question. Do the Penguins know how to react the heralded Penguins, that place rocks. right way?

Despite four Stanley Cups, my Islanders friends (looking at you, Mark 1. NYI Fourth Line Lazerus of The Athletic) who grew up in the Islanders culture still revel in David Volek ending the Penguins Stanley Cup reign in 1993. Sure, they We are about to see how much heart the Pittsburgh Penguins have. We mention Mike Bossy and Denny Potvin, but they love bringing others thought the Penguins cracked the Islanders in Game 3, but the Islanders down more than they loved winning. played their best game of the series in Game 4.

If the Penguins don’t win Game 5, they’re going into the aptly named There is no question the New York Islanders live for this; they feed on Coliseum facing the lions, who by way of ethos, need to bring them upsetting the teams, which get the attention and glory. If they were a down. superhero, they would be Underdog (not to be confused with Underdog Lady from Howard Stern). And to win Game 5, the Penguins will need to change a few things, or more specifically, a few things need to change. The Penguins have not shown heart in the playoffs since 2018. They didn’t show the proper fortitude in Game 4 or channel it in productive What Pittsburgh Penguins Must Change ways.

3. Balanced Scoring / Get Between the Dots Perhaps Evgeni Malkin should goad Casey Czikas or Cal Clutterbuck into penalties. The New York fourth line has been THE biggest driver of Jeff Carter has been scoring. Sidney Crosby has been doing everything the Islanders’ attack. Far and away, they’ve been the catalyst, the spark, that Sidney Crosby does. The Penguins fourth line have been doing their the straw that stirs the drink. job to hold the New York top-liners off the scoresheet. Sarcastically, I wonder if Malkin should take one of them off the ice Everyone else is on notice. Nine Penguins, including Crosby, have just because they’ve been the Islanders’ best line in the series, and not by a one point in the series. As noted by PHN on Sunday, Jake Guentzel, small margin. Bryan Rust, and Jared McCann have been shooting from the rafters–but no closer. The Penguins need an answer for them while creating more problems for New York. The Penguins wingers must get between the dots. It won’t be easy, but you don’t win the series by shooting from 48 feet (unless there is heavy Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 05.25.2021 traffic in front of the net).

Guentzel had six shots in Game 4. Only one inside 25 feet. That must change.

Three Penguins, Mike Matheson, Teddy Blueger, and Marcus Pettersson, do not have any points in four games. Blueger and Pettersson get a pass. Points aren’t what they are paid to do, but the Penguins need Matheson to put some ink on the score sheet.

2. React the Right Way?

Head coach Mike Sullivan assured us the Pittsburgh Penguins have been through this physical playoff hockey before. They know how to react the right way.

But do they?

“…these guys have been through it an awful lot. So they know exactly what we’re what’s in store. And we’re well prepared for it. We’ve just got to make sure we react the right way.”

New York got the laugh in Game 4. The Penguins came for a street fight, and the Islanders pulled back into a disciplined, conservative hockey game until they cracked the Penguins. It was vintage 2019 when New York swept the Penguins with the same strategy.

THAT should worry you. If the Penguins are disciplined, New York wails on them. If the Penguins want to get chippy, New York pulls back. And THAT is why the Islanders have found a way to bedevil the Penguins.

Only six Penguins remain from the Stanley Cup victories (Crosby, Rust, Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin). Guentzel was a rookie and late-season addition in 2017.

Jeff Carter has a pair of Stanley Cup rings from Los Angeles.

Most of the Penguins players have not seen playoff success. Brandon Tanev has been a part of only one series victory in his five-year career. Jason Zucker has one series win in nine years. Zach Aston-Reese was a 1188782 Seattle Kraken Note: While the NHL Draft will allow the Kraken to build a prospect base, free agency will give them the chance to add more players to their roster after the expansion draft.

Prepare to release the Seattle Kraken: What you need to know about the Key Names NHL’s newest team and : The co-founders and co- majority owners of the Kraken. Bonderman is a billionaire businessman who is also a minority owner of the . Bruckheimer is an By Lauren Kirschman American film and .

Ron Francis: Francis was hired as the Kraken’s first general manager in July 2019. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Francis had a 23-year Hall The Seattle Kraken will take the ice this fall as the NHL's 32nd team. of Fame career with the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Here are some key facts and dates to look out for as the team begins Carolina Hurricanes. Named the Hurricanes’ general manager in 2014, their inaugural season. By Joshua Bessex Francis served for four seasons before he was fired in 2018. There will soon be hockey in Seattle. Ricky Olczyk: Olczyk will be an assistant general manager. A The Seattle Kraken will take the ice this fall as the NHL’s 32nd franchise, professional scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018-19, Olczyk also although you’ll have to wait a little longer to find out the exact date of spent four seasons as assistant general manager for the Hurricanes their debut. Until then, we have you covered with everything you need to under Francis. know about the upcoming season — from important dates to key figures Jason Botterill: The former Buffalo Sabres general manager was named to how you can watch and listen during the 2021-22 season. an assistant general manager in January. Botterill was with the Sabres Let’s get started. from 2017 until he was fired in June 2020. He also spent 10 years in the personnel department for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Background Luke Hemman: The 21-year-old became the Kraken’s first player in May. On April 30, the Kraken officially became the 32nd NHL club when they Heman, a team captain and center for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada made the final payment for the $650 million expansion fee. They will be in the Quebec Major Juniors Hockey League, agreed to a two-way the first professional hockey team in Seattle since the Totems’ final contract. season in 1974-75. The Kraken made their name official in July 2020, debuting a color scheme of icy blue and navy blue with red accents. The Is there a coaching staff? primary logo features an ’S,’ which is a nod to the Metropolitans, Not yet, and that’s the biggest item on the Krakens’ to-do list. The search Seattle’s original professional hockey team that played in the Pacific is ongoing, and could include candidates who are currently coaching. Coast Hockey Association. Recently, reports surfaced that Rick Tocchet would interview to become Expansion draft basics Seattle’s first head coach. He’s the first known candidate for the job.

The Kraken will start putting together their roster during the expansion Tocchet was the interim head coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning in draft on July 21. The rules will be the same as the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2008-09 and the head coach in 2009-10. He was fired after that season draft in 2017. Seattle will select players from 30 of the 31 teams — and was an assistant for the Pittsburgh Penguins before the Arizona excluding Vegas. Coyotes hired him as a head coach in 2017. He parted ways with the Coyotes after the 2020-21 season. Teams will submit a list of protected players before the draft. They must expose at least two forwards and one defenseman that played 40 games TV and radio information in the 2020-21 season or more than 70 days in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 The Kraken have a broadcast rights deal with , season. They must also expose a goaltender that is under contract for which will televise about 75 of the team’s regular-season games. John 2021-22 or became a restricted free agent in 2021. Forslund will serve as the television play-by-play announcer. One of his The Kraken must select at least 20 players that are under contract for signature calls after a noteworthy play is, “That’s hockey, baby1” 2021-22. They must also pick a minimum of 14 forwards, nine Sports Radio 950 KJR will be the flagship station. Fans will also be able defensemen and three goaltenders. to stream all home and road games via the iHeartRadio app. Some When will the season start? games will be available on KJAQ-JACK-FM (86.5). Broadcaster Everett “Fitz” Fitzhugh will be the team’s radio voice, and the first full-time Black In typical seasons, teams play exhibition games in September before the broadcaster in NHL history. regular season begins in October. After a 2020-21 season that was disrupted by COVID-19, the NHL is reportedly targeting an Oct. 12 start Tickets date for the 2021-22 season with training camps starting on Sept. 22. Seasons tickets are already sold out. The Kraken received 33,000 What division will Seattle play in? season-ticket deposits and now have a wait list for season tickets. More information about tickets can be found on the Kraken’s website. The Kraken will play in the Pacific Division of the NHL Western Conference, along with Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, San News Tribune LOADED: 05.25.2021 Jose, Vancouver and Vegas. Arizona moved to the Central Division to make room for the Kraken.

Arena information

The Kraken will play at , where the capacity for hockey is 17,100. The venue is expected to host more than 200 events annually, including NHL games, WNBA games and concerts.

Dates to know

July 17: Teams submit protected lists for the Expansion Draft

July 21: Expansion Draft

July 23-24: NHL Draft

July 28: Free agency opens 1188783 St Louis Blues After a so-so debut with the Blues in 2019-20, Justin Faulk was easily the team’s top defenseman this season. He logged heavy minutes, especially during the late-season playoff push. He was a more physical presence, gave ground grudgingly, and rediscovered his offense. Season in Review: Blues tumbled to mediocrity in season of injuries and COVID Losing him early in the third period of Game 2 against Colorado on Nazem Kadri’s cheap-shot hit was another blow to any chances of an upset.

Jim Thomas The silver lining to all the injuries on the blueline was the opportunities it gave Niko Mikkola and Jake Walman. Mikkola needs to add more

strength and bulk; his passing and puck management need work. But he For the second year in a row, the Blues experienced a playoff crash-and- has some snarl to his game and has the long reach of Blues D-men of burn. Sure, there were plenty of extenuating circumstances — more than recent seasons. any sports team should have to bear. Walman may be the fastest skater on the team other than Kyrou, and has But the Blues haven’t been the same team since entering the Edmonton the puck-handling skill to get out of trouble. He isn’t shy about shooting bubble for the 2019-20 season postseason. The team is 29-30-10 since the puck, or asking for it. He needs to refine his defense and guard then. Sub-.500 hockey for a team that won it all two years ago. against being over-aggressive at times in terms of moving up the ice.

So there are lots of questions for general manager Doug Armstrong and The defense coach Craig Berube in the offseason. It took a shutout by Ville Husso on the second-to-last day of the regular Is a retool or a rebuild in order? season to prevent this from being the first Blues squad to allow three goals per game since the 2006-07 team finished at 3.02. The ’20-21 How much should injuries and COVID issues be factored in to avoid an Blues squeaked in at 2.98 after a 7-3 win over Minnesota in the final overreaction? game with Jordan Binnington in net.

Why have Colorado and Vegas, who were looking up at the Blues in the Even with improved play over the second half of the season, this defense Western Conference just a year ago, zoomed past them this season? did not come close to the standard of excellence set by its predecessors over the past decade. Did the Blues miss Alex Pietrangelo and Jay And perhaps most importantly, is the window of opportunity closing more Bouwmeester that much? rapidly than anticipated on the Blues as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders? As was painfully obvious in the playoff series against Colorado, the D- corps wasn’t stout enough net front over the course of the season. Injuries/COVID Opposing forwards, too often, were allowed to set up shop in There were times during the regular season when the Blues had seven Binnington’s lap. players on injured reserve, encompassing $30 million of payroll. And it There were too many coverage breakdowns and communication lapses wasn’t just the number of injuries, it was the fact that many were on the back end. Zone exits frequently were adventures. sidelined for long periods of time The goalies And while teams with COVID issues got to postpone and reschedule games, the injury-depleted Blues got no such leeway. They had to keep Binnington was strong down the stretch, with a 2.41 GAA and a .921 playing. But there’s this peculiar thing: At the height of all the injuries, the save percentage since April 7, both of which ranked seventh among Blues were 14-8-2. goalies with at least 10 appearances over that span. His 8-3-3 record in that span helped get the team in the playoffs. It was only when the injured players started returning, starting with Vladimir Tarasenko, that the team began slumping. Over the middle part However, he was middle of the road for the full season, ranking 14th in of the season, they won only five of 21 games (5-11-5), threatening to fall goals-against (2.65) and 15th in save percentage (.910) among goalies out of playoff contention. with 25 appearances or more.

It’s up to Armstrong and Berube to figure out why that was the case. It His playoff numbers continue to be a mess. He has lost nine straight took the team forever to develop chemistry with most of its lineup intact, postseason games since Game 7 against Boston in 2019, with a 4.19 going 8-1-3 down the stretch. goals-against and .875 save percentage. Regardless of the circumstances, those are alarming numbers. Until the 54th game of the season, the Blues could say — with some pride — that they had avoided the COVID issues that seemed to bother Ville Husso ended his rookie season on an upbeat note with that 31-save just about every other team in the league. The only Blues to show up on shutout May 12 against the Wild. He improved as the season went along the NHL COVID list until then — Sammy Blais and Zach Sanford — were and could be in line for more work next season backing up Binnington. false positives. Special teams Then, just as the rest of the NHL, and the United States in general, slowly started turning the page on COVID, Jake Walman tested positive The addition of “quarterback” Torey Krug and sniper Mike Hoffman May 10. Nathan Walker showed up on the list a few days later. And then during the offseason was supposed to propel the Blues’ power play to the biggest blow of all — on the day the team left for Denver and its new heights. Although they finished as one of the league’s top units in playoff opener against Colorado, leading scorer David Perron showed up the regular season — 6th at 23.2 percent — it took forever to get there. on the list and didn’t play again. As late as April 8, or more than 2/3rds of the way through the season, the If it were the regular season, the Blues could’ve simply postponed Blues lagged at 24th in power-play efficiency at 17.5 percent. But with games. But there was no leeway once the playoffs started. Krug getting comfortable on the first unit, and Hoffman getting hot after (finally) getting regular duty on the first unit, the power play took off. Bright spots From April 9 through the remainder of the season, the Blues led the We will avoid the obvious here in terms of bedrock players Ryan O’Reilly league in power-play percentage at 39.0. and Perron. The penalty kill dug itself a huge hole when it gave up five power plays to What a huge step forward for Jordan Kyrou, who was an every-game Colorado in the second game of the season, and never could dig out NHL player for the first time. Kyrou’s speed can be dazzling. He has despite improved play late. Injuries to key PK personnel such as Oskar shown himself to be a deft passer, and has a goal-scorer’s mentality. He Sundqvist, Tyler Bozak, Ivan Barbashev and Robert Bortuzzo didn’t help. isn’t hesitant to shoot the puck or charge the net, which can’t be said Even so, the unit appeared too passive in times, sitting back in a shell about all of his teammates. and allowing the opponent to dictate. Yes, he sometimes gets too fancy with puck-handling. His defense and checking still need work, but this was a breakthrough season. The Blues ranked 25th in the league in PK efficiency, and their 77.8 percent kill rate was the franchise’s worst in nearly a third of a century. The 1988-89 squad finished at 76.7 percent.

False starts

Scoring the first goal is so important in hockey, and it was a trait that escaped the Blues for the most part this season. Even though they improved in this area down the stretch, the Blues trailed first in 33 of 56 regular-season games.

That was the most among all playoff teams and tied for third-most in the entire league. In comparison, West Division heavyweights Vegas and Colorado trailed first in only 20 regular-season games apiece, tying for the league low.

It was more of the same in the playoffs. Colorado scored first in three of the four games, and the Blues led for only 7 minutes 12 seconds in the entire series.

Given the fact that the Blues were involved in so many one-goal games — a league-high 31 — getting off to quicker starts was even more critical for them this season.

Blueline scoring

Scoring by defensemen has been part of the success formula for the Blues in recent years. In four of the previous five seasons, they were among the NHL’s top 10 in defensemen goals.

The 2019-20 Blues led the league with 45 goals by defensemen; the 2018-19 Stanley Cup champs finished second with 46.

This year’s team dropped all the way to a four-way tie for 15th with just 23 goals by defensemen in 56 games. Faulk led the way with seven goals; Vince Dunn had six despite missing 13 regular-season games and all four playoff games. No other Blues D-man scored more than three goals, with Torey Krug and Colton Parayko way off their usual production (two apiece).

During their four playoff games, the Blues got no goals and a modest four assists from the back end.

Fourth-line scoring

For all the talk about roster depth, when the injuries mounted — which was often — the impact was felt deeply on the fourth line.

Fourth-line scoring was down 43 percent this year compared to the 2019- 20 season. Fourth-liners combined for 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists).

In the first 56 games of last season, the fourth line had 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists).

The Stanley Cup team got 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists) from the fourth line in the first 56 games.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188784 St Louis Blues

Blues' Tarasenko heading to world championships, report says

Tom Timmermann

The Blues’ season ended on Sunday but for at least one player, there are still some games to be played.

Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who hasn’t gotten into many games in the past two seasons because of injuries, is headed for the world championships that are going on now in Latvia. According to the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, Tarasenko is one of three NHL players who will join the team at the worlds. The Blues have not confirmed the announcement, or indicated whether any other players will be taking part in the worlds.

Tarasenko will have to quarantine for six days once he arrives in Latvia, so that will mean at least a week off for him. Tarasenko said Sunday that he had been dealing with a groin injury at the end of the season which had kept him out of eight of the team’s final nine games before he played in the four playoff games with Colorado. After going without a point in the first three games, Tarasenko scored twice in the final game on Sunday.

According to the Russians, two members of the Washington Capitals, who were also eliminated on Sunday, will also go to the worlds, defenseman Dmitri Orlov and goalie Ilya Samsonov. Alexander Ovechkin will not be going because of an injury.

Tarasenko has gone to the worlds twice before, in 2011 and 2015. Both of those times the Blues either didn’t make the postseason or went out in the first round. The timing of the worlds means they usually are contested by the best players whose teams didn’t make the Stanley Cup playoffs or are eliminated in the first round.

Tarasenko also has played for Russia in the Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey.

Tarasenko could use the games. Because of his shoulder surgeries, and then his groin injury, he has played in just 42 games over the past two seasons. This season, he played in 28 games in total, 24 in the regular season and four in the playoffs.

Russia is 2-1 in the seven-game first round, and Tarasenko would likely miss at least three more first-round games while in quarantine. Russia is very likely to advance to the elimination rounds, where he could play up to three games if Russia got to the final.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188785 Tampa Bay Lightning Good Knight After surrendering 19 goals over the first four games, the Panthers were

desperate to find a solution in net. They turned to 20-year-old rookie Lightning-Panthers Game 5 report card: Making an impact Spencer Knight, who had played just four regular-season games, going 4-0. Patric Hornqvist has seemed distracted at times, but twice in this series he’s scored pivotal goals. The move didn’t look good when Knight allowed Colton’s goal on the first shot he faced less than a minute into the game. But it looked a lot better when Knight stopped the next 21 in the period and 36 of 37 in the game.

By Frank Pastor To watch the 13th overall pick in the draft two years ago, you would never have guessed he was playing at Boston College just a couple of

months ago. He was aggressive yet calm in net, gave up few rebounds When playing a team that is facing elimination — let alone one that and came up with big saves when he needed them. hasn’t won a playoff series in 25 years — you have to match their Now, Knight has a chance to help Florida win a postseason series for the intensity. first time since before he was born. And few players compete with more emotion than Panthers power Grade: A-plus forward Patric Hornqvist. Can’t save face For much of the first-round series against the Lightning, Hornqvist seemed more frustrated than anything, seemingly distracted by the We hear all the time about the importance of winning faceoffs, and there shenanigans taking place after the whistle and complaining vociferously was no better example than on the Panthers’ first goal early in the to the officials when he thought he had been wronged. second period.

Before Monday, he probably was best known to Lightning fans for being With a faceoff deep in the Lightning zone, Sam Bennett won the faceoff knocked on his backside by Yanni Gourde after hitting the Tampa Bay cleanly from Steven Stamkos and pulled the puck back to Mackenzie center high after a whistle during Game 2 or for the dangerous blindside Weegar at the point. Weegar whipped a shot just over the glove of hit into the boards that sent defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to the locker Vasilevski, who didn’t appear to see the shot as he had Ryan McDonagh room late in Game 4. in his field of vision.

But when you’re as active in front of the net as the 5-foot-11, 189-pound Grade: D Hornqvist, you’re bound to make an impact sooner or later. Twice in this series, Hornqvist has made a big one. Finding some space

The two-time Stanley Cup champion (with the Penguins) started the The Panthers are a more dangerous team the more Aleksander Barkov Panthers’ comeback from a two-goal, third-period deficit in their Game 3 has the puck on his stick, as the center is both an outstanding passer overtime win Thursday when a Jonathan Huberdeau pass into the crease and adept at controlling the puck on the rush or on the power play. His 26 deflected off one of his skates and into the net. goals during the regular season led all Florida players.

And Hornqvist put Game 5 away Monday when an Aleksander Barkov McDonagh and Erik Cernak, who have logged the most ice time against shot went off his shoulder into the net while he was down on the ice after Barkov’s line during 5-on-5 play, did a great job of neutralizing Barkov in being upended by Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The goal the first four games, limiting him to two even-strength points. gave Florida a two-goal lead that Tampa Bay could not overcome. But Barkov found some space to work with behind the Lightning net late Here is how we graded the Lightning’s performance in their 4-1 loss in in the second period, and he made the most of it. His pass from below Game 5: the goal line set up Mason Marchment, who beat Vasilevskiy gloveside to give the Panthers their first lead of the game at 2-1. Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight is named the number one star of the game as they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 in game five Grade: C of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday in Sunrise. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.25.2021 Striking first

The team that scored first won the first four games, and the Lightning didn’t leave anything to chance in Game 5.

Less than a minute into the game, Blake Coleman banked the puck off the sideboards back to himself to get around Panthers defensemen Keith Yandle, then beat two Florida players down the ice. Coleman backhanded a pass to Ross Colton, who scored from the back door to open the scoring just 53 seconds in.

The Lightning couldn’t have asked for a better start. Unfortunately, the trend didn’t hold.

Grade: A

Undermanned

The Lightning spent six minutes in the penalty box in the first period, but goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy turned away all seven shots he faced and got some help from Steven Stamkos, who forced a turnover along the wall that resulted in a clear by Anthony Cirelli on the first penalty kill.

The Panthers short-circuited their second power play, as Huberdeau was penalized for hooking Sergachev just eight seconds into the man- advantage opportunity. Victor Hedman and Sergachev blocked shots on the third Florida power play. A great stick by Hedman also spoiled a great chance for Carter Verhaeghe.

Though Hornqvist scored a power-play goal in the third period, the Lightning killed four of five in the game.

Grade: B 1188786 Tampa Bay Lightning second or third period. They blew a lead in the second period or later only six times in 22 games last postseason.

So is this a problem with the defense, or a symptom of Florida’s offensive You can forgive the Lightning for losing a game, but not for giving it away strength?

The physical play continues after a faceoff in the final seconds as the More than likely, the credit should go to the Panthers. They were one of Florida Panthers defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 in Game 5. the top scoring teams in the league, and their offense is relentless. But it’s a little too convenient to absolve the Lightning of any responsibility.

“We talked about that at intermission. We weren’t coming back and By John Romano supporting the D. We were standing still a little too much,” Stamkos said. “I think it was self-inflicted a little bit in not using our speed.”

The good news is the Lightning have been here before. They had a SUNRISE — This was not how the final 10 seconds were supposed to chance to close out a series against both New York and Dallas last look. postseason and lost Game 5 in double overtime on both occasions. This was supposed to be a celebration for the Lightning, a vindication for They also came back and clinched the series in Game 6 both times. their hard work. This was supposed to be the end of the first-round series, and the beginning of Tampa Bay’s quest for back-to-back NHL So, no, the Lightning will not be nervous. But will they be disciplined? titles. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.25.2021 Instead, the final 10 seconds included a pitiful attempt at a fight and one final indignity in a night full of them.

Pat Maroon tried to take out Noel Acciari after a faceoff with 10 seconds remaining but ended up in a scrum of bodies at center ice in a fitting metaphor for a team that did not go down swinging.

The Lightning lost 4-1 to the Panthers in Game 5 on Monday night with an effort that was even more disappointing than the final score.

“Undisciplined,” team captain Steven Stamkos called it.

“They elevated and we didn’t,” coach Jon Cooper said.

“We’ve got to try to match their intensity,” forward Brayden Point said.

The Lightning had momentum, they had an early lead, they had a 20- year-old goaltender in his first postseason game in the opposite net. And still they managed to give Florida new life in the final 34 minutes of Game 5.

It’s one thing to lose a hockey game, it’s something completely different to lose your way.

Florida had five power plays to Tampa Bay’s two and, for the second consecutive game, Cooper seemed to suggest the disparity was not warranted. But the truth is, the Panthers only scored one power-play goal, and that was on a penalty that was entirely justified when Luke Schenn pulled down Anthony Duclair on a breakaway.

Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight is named the number one star of the game as they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 in game five of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday in Sunrise.

You could argue the penalties robbed the Lightning of momentum and offensive scoring opportunities earlier in the game, but you could also argue that a team with as much experience and talent as Tampa Bay should not be giving up four power plays per game in the postseason. Is it a question of being undisciplined, as Stamkos suggested? Is it emotions in a series that has gotten nasty? Is it just silly plays?

“I don’t know, when you’re taking that many it feels like it’s probably a mixed bag,” Cooper said. “Some were drawing, some were probably being sucked in to plays. The (issue) for us is we have to stop taking penalties at the amount we are, but it would be nice to draw a couple, too. That’d be nice, as well.”

A grand celebration was in their sight. A much-needed respite was theirs for the taking. Just hold, or even build on, that lead for another 33 minutes, and the Lightning would have had a minimum of four days off before the start of the second round.

Instead, the Panthers tied the game midway through the second period after winning a faceoff and then took the lead 10 minutes later when the Lightning defense over-pursued Aleksander Barkov behind the net and left Mason Marchment free in front of the goal.

We didn’t see this last year. When the Lightning took a lead, you could usually count on going to bed happy.

That reliability has been absent in this series. Tampa Bay has blown a lead five different times in the five games, including four times in the 1188787 Tampa Bay Lightning GOAL: #FlaPanthers' Hornqvist finds the open net on the power-play for the 3-1 lead 35 seconds into the third period. #GoBolts trail by two. pic.twitter.com/XCvNCWZdaQ

Jonathan Huberdeau comes up big for Panthers with two-point game — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021

His nine points in five games tie Nikita Kucherov for most in the series. The Panthers have 100 penalty minutes in the series, compared to 94 for Monday was his fourth game with two or more. the Lightning. A combined 92 minutes came in Game 4.

“Penalties came back to bite us a little bit (Monday),” captain Steven Stamkos said. “We were a little undisciplined. ... (It) kind of sucks the By Mari Faiello momentum away from us in the first.”

Loose pucks

SUNRISE — Rookie goaltender Spencer Knight may have stolen the • Tampa Bay moved to 13-12 all time in Game 5 of best-of-seven series. show Monday as the Panthers held off elimination with a 4-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. But the work from • The Lightning are 6-2 when leading a series 3-2. wing Jonathan Huberdeau cannot go unrecognized. • Maroon’s 12 penalty minutes led both rosters. A cross-check to Florida The forward had two assists, his fourth game in the series with two or forward Noel Acciari on the faceoff with 11 seconds remaining led to a more points. In two of those games, he had three points. skirmish at center ice and Maroon receiving a misconduct.

Huberdeau’s nine points in five games tied the Lightning’s Nikita #GoBolts' Maroon starts a scrum right off the face-off against Kucherov for most in the series and surpassed Reilly Smith and Ray #FlaPanthers' Acciari. pic.twitter.com/eHurT51De3 Sheppard for most in a playoff series in franchise history. — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021 GOAL: And of course, #FlaPanthers' Huberdeau scores on the They said it Bennett shot rebound on a wide open net on the power-play. #GoBolts lead 2-1 with 11:11 remaining in the first period. The Panthers were rightfully ecstatic about Knight’s performance in net. pic.twitter.com/YZ95YYqYuA Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar: “(Knight) was a rock back there. We — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 22, 2021 were excited to play in front of him. He’s got that calm demeanor to him. He just went out there and had fun and enjoyed the crowd, he brought His assist on MacKenzie Weegar’s second-period goal was the first of momentum to our team and hopefully we can keep this thing going with four straight for Florida. Huberdeau also assisted on Patric Hornqvist’s him there.” power-play goal that gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead early in the third period. Coach Joel Quenneville: “(Knight’s) whole career coming up to joining us this year gave you every indication that he’s capable of doing it. Now it’s SAVE: #FlaPanthers' Huberdeau takes a long pass, but is denied at an opportunity. When he did play for us right off the bat (4-0-0 in the the crease by #GoBolts' Vasilevskiy pic.twitter.com/2jJpVFjvnp regular season after signing March 31), his composure gave you every — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021 indication that he’s capable of handling any kind of situation.”

Huberdeau’s presence on the ice this series has been a key factor for the Forward Aleksander Barkov: “We trust (Knight), he’s confident and calm Panthers and will need to continue to be if they hope to push the series in the net. He has a lot of fun there. We enjoy that, we enjoy playing in to seven games Wednesday in Tampa. front of him. ... He won the game for us.”

Kucherov, Sergachev back Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.25.2021

Kucherov and defenseman Mikhail Sergachev played after leaving Game 4 in the third period with injuries.

Kucherov didn’t have a point and had four shots on goal in 18:37 of ice time. Sergachev had one hit and three blocks in 21:14.

Penalties ‘killed’ the Lightning

There was one clear message from Tampa Bay that came out of Monday’s game: The team is taking too many penalties, and the cost is adding up.

“They’re killing us,” coach Jon Cooper said. “It’s killing our game. It’s killing our momentum. And we did a really good job getting through that first period, but you can’t just keep giving them freebies.”

The Lightning had 22 penalty minutes in the game, compared with six for the Panthers. If you take out Pat Maroon’s misconduct and cross- checking penalties (12 minutes) in the last 15 seconds and Blake Coleman’s roughing penalty during the same sequence, the Lightning still spent more time in the box than the Panthers. And it was those eight minutes that cost them.

The team put its penalty kill to work three times in a 10-minute span of the first period. And while it killed those off successfully, a late second- period holding call on defenseman Luke Schenn cost the team in the early in the third.

PENALTY: #GoBolts' Schenn takes the penalty for holding. Stopped #FlaPanthers' Duclair, but it'll cost #TBLightning for the next 2 minutes. (Well, first 58 seconds this period.) pic.twitter.com/fV12OmQ7lo

— ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021

Hornqvist scored on the power play to give Florida a 3-1 lead. 1188788 Tampa Bay Lightning Spencer Knight catches Ross Colton wrist shot from the right circle off the rush

Ondrej Palat just misses converting a pass from Nikita Kucherov as First round: Lightning-Panthers Game 5 live updates Owen Tippett gets a stick on the puck. Gustav Forsling slides to take away the shot option from Kucherov Florida staves off elimination with a 4-1 victory in Sunrise. Game 6 will be Wednesday in Tampa. Vasilevskiy with a kick save on a Hornqvist shot and a poke check on a follow-up attempt

PANTHERS GOAL: Mackenzie Weegar scores top shelf to tie the game. By Frank Pastor Sam Bennett won the faceoff cleanly from Stamkos and pulled the puck back to Weegar. Vasilevskiy didn’t appear to see the shot, as he had

Ryan McDonagh in his way. Lightning 1, Panthers 1. The Florida Panthers staved off elimination with a 4-1 victory over the GOAL: #FlaPanthers' Weegar scores right off the face-off for the 1-1 Lightning in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series Monday at BB&T tie vs. #GoBolts with 13:41 remaining in the second frame. Huge Center in Sunrise. momentum for the FLA team on the brink of elimination. Tampa Bay continues to lead the series three games to two, with Game pic.twitter.com/qtjObsw8QU 6 Wednesday in Tampa. — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021 Mackenzie Weegar and Mason Marchment scored in the second period Vasilevskiy gets a piece of a wide-open shot from the slot from Brandon as Florida took its first lead of the game. Patric Hornqvist scored on the Montour, deflecting the puck up over the net. Mikhail Sergachev, trying to power play early in the third period, and Frank Vatrano added an empty- make a play along the side boards, inadvertently put the puck into net goal. Montour’s pads. Rookie Spencer Knight, the youngest goalie in NHL history to start an Carter Verhaeghe wrist shot misses wide elimination game, stopped 36 of 37 shots in his first career postseason start. Ryan McDonagh blast goes off ’ leg

Ross Colton scored less than a minute into the game to give the SHOT BLOCK: #FlaPanthers' Gudas with a big shot block on Lightning an early 1-0 lead. #GoBolts' McDonagh. He's definitely in some pain here... pic.twitter.com/0gemS3GiJ6 Here’s how it happened: — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021 Third period Owen Tippett unable to convert a short-side chance Lightning defenseman David Savard (58) checks Florida Panthers Sam Bennett (9) during the second period. Victor Hedman puts a puck on net with Stamkos waiting for a rebound in front, but Knight covers the puck PANTHERS GOAL: Patric Hornqvist tips a shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy on the power play. Panthers 3, Lightning 1. Hedman takes a big hit from Noel Acciari

GOAL: This one counts! #FlaPanthers' Marchment breaks the tie and Vasilevskiy stops sharp-angle shot from Montour from near the goal line gets a 2-1 lead with 3:05 remaining. #GoBolts trailing for the first time on a 3-on-1 tonight. pic.twitter.com/7rT4N7XOsh Knight gloves a Hedman shot from above the circles after a clean faceoff — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021 win by Stamkos

Brayden Point got in tight but missed high and wide Officials look at a replay to see if an Erik Cernak shot went over the goal line, but it did not Nikita Kucherov upset after getting hit with a high stick PANTHERS GOAL: Aleksander Barkov, from behind the net, sets up Erik Cernak snap shot is deflected up out of play Mason Marchment, who beats Vasilevskiy to the glove side. Panthers 2, Ross Colton has a wraparound chance, but Aleksander Barkov sweeps Lightning 1. the puck out of harm’s way GOAL: This one counts! #FlaPanthers' Marchment breaks the tie and Spencer Knight stops Pat Maroon from in front gets a 2-1 lead with 3:05 remaining. #GoBolts trailing for the first time tonight. pic.twitter.com/7rT4N7XOsh Vasilevskiy stops Jonathan Huberdeau on a breakaway chance — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021 Owen Tippett shot goes wide on a 2-on-1 Luke Schenn penalized for holding Anthony Duclair on a potential Anthony Cirelli gives Tippett a big hit breakaway

Lightning pull Vasilevskiy for an extra attacker (Panthers lead 2-1 after two periods)

Stamkos prevents an empty-net goal First period

Alex Killorn stops an empty-net chance for Jonathan Huberdeau Lightning players hit the ice for warmups before the start of Game 5.

PANTHERS GOAL: Frank Vatrano scores an empty-net goal. Panthers Andrei Vasilevskiy stops slap shot from the left point from Gustav 4, Lightning 1 Forsling

GOAL: #FlaPanthers all but seal 4-1 win over #GoBolts with 14.6 Vasilevskiy saves Mason Marchment wrist shot seconds remaining as Vatrano gets the empty-netter. The rats come flying out... pic.twitter.com/GzJV0Z85rj LIGHTNING GOAL! Ross Colton tips in a centering pass from Blake Coleman, who used the sideboards to get around Keith Yandle and — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021 Brandon Montour. The goal comes on Tampa Bay’s first shot, just 53 seconds into play. Lightning 1, Panthers 0. (Panthers win 4-1) GOAL: #GoBolts open the scoring 53 seconds into the period. Second period Coleman to the rookie, Ross Colton. #FlaPanthers trail #TBLightning 1-0. Andrei Vasilevskiy saves quick shot from Patric Hornqvist pic.twitter.com/SPLzCcusk3

Anthony Cirelli loses his helmet after hit from Hornqvist — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021

Redirected shot deflects off Vasilevskiy’s helmet up over the net Victor Hedman penalized for hooking Steven Stamkos forces a turnover along the wall, and Anthony Cirelli On the brink of elimination, it appears that the Panthers will start their clears the puck out of the zone third different goalie of the playoffs. Rookie Spencer Knight worked in the starter’s net during Sunday’s practice as well as today’s morning skate. A Keith Yandle shot that goes into the net is waved off due to a whistle for playing the puck with a high stick that came before the shot The Lightning know staying out of the penalty box and keeping their cool as the Panthers try to lure them into skirmishes will be keys to their Vasilevskiy stops Aleksander Barkov one-timer from the right circle success. Both of Florida’s goals Saturday came on the power play, and Vasilevskiy deflects shot from Patric Hornqvist up over the net Tampa Bay can ill afford injuries to key players as they aim to move forward in the postseason. Ryan McDonagh penalized for roughing, getting his stick up as Mason Marchment takes a run at him along the side boards The Lightning also will have a larger (and likely louder) crowd to contend with. The Panthers raised capacity to 75 percent for the game, meaning Almost immediately afterward, Jonathan Huberdeau penalized for more than 14,000 fans will be inside BB&T Center. hooking Mikhail Sergachev, so we’ll have 4-on-4 play for 1:52 Follow our live coverage, starting at 8 p.m., as the Lightning hope to put Spencer Knight catches Anthony Cirelli shot during a 2-on-1 with Alex the Panthers in the rearview mirror as quickly as possible and turn their Killorn attention to the winner of the Hurricanes-Predators series in the second round. Anthony Duclair unable to get backhand shot away on a breakaway Setting the scene After Vasilevskiy makes a save on a Forsling shot from the slot, Knight stops Kucherov shot on a breakaway in the other direction. Kucherov And we have puck drop for #GoBolts-#FlaPanthers Game 5 was sprung by a bank pass off the side boards pic.twitter.com/KF5dRm1KF9

Colton wrist shot saved by Knight — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021

Wrist shot by Killorn goes off the post Per roster report, #GoBolts' Schenn is IN, Joseph OUT. 11-7, again, tonight just like Games 2 and 4 Panthers upset after Jan Rutta hits Noel Acciari near center ice — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 24, 2021 HIT: #GoBolts' Rutta collides into #FlaPanthers' Acciari in the neutral zone. No penalty. pic.twitter.com/T9yxKGvNiF #Gobolts’ Sergachev and Kucherov on the ice for Game 5 vs. #FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/GWlBnrti6E — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021 — ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 24, 2021 Ondrej Palat penalized for interference with Ryan Lomberg The #TBLightning take the ice for pregame warmups before Game 5 in Sam Bennett shot goes wide Sunrise.#gobolts #FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/hpZP3jq0qA Sergachev blocks Huberdau shot — Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) May 24, 2021 Hedman blocks Barkov shot All business. pic.twitter.com/wm8VQDkcyn Barkov snap shot blocked — Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 24, 2021 Great stick by Hedman spoils great chance for Carter Verhaeghe Mikhail Sergachev on the ice at today’s morning skate.#gobolts Lightning kill penalty. Just one Panthers shot got through to Vasilevskiy #tblightning pic.twitter.com/odNSnzTstg

Keith Yandle wrist shot hits Luke Schenn in the back and rolls in on — Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) May 24, 2021 Vasilevskiy, who covers the puck Nikita Kucherov on the ice this morning. #gobolts #tblightning David Savard checks Hornqvist heavily into the boards pic.twitter.com/34qMSTPGY4

Knight stops Palat backhander after a nice individual move — Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) May 24, 2021

Colton down after a hard hit into the boards by Radko Gudas and then Nikita Kucherov back on the ice at today’s #TBLightning morning skate in Mason Marchment. Marchment receives a boarding penalty Sunrise.#gobolts #FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/EEoOins55B

Stamkos one-timer goes wide — Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) May 24, 2021

Knight stops Kucherov shot Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.25.2021

Lightning applying all kind of pressure but can’t get a shot past Knight

TENSION: #FlaPanthers kill off #GoBolts power-play. Puck stays loose, #TBLightning's Point knocked over by Marchment and tensions are hot. Huge roar from the home crowd. pic.twitter.com/0DDiVxZ6sh

— ���� ������� (@faiello_mari) May 25, 2021

Colton back on the ice

(Lightning lead 1-0 after one period)

Your pregame scouting report

Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov warms up before the game.

First things first: It appears that forward Nikita Kucherov and defenseman Mikhail Sergachev will play tonight in Game 5 of the Lightning’s first- round playoff series against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise.

Tampa Bay’s chances of closing out the series will be enhanced considerably by their presence in the lineup. Both were injured late in the Lightning’s 6-2 win Saturday in Game 4 but were full participants at today’s morning skate. 1188789 Tampa Bay Lightning “If you’re going to win a playoff series, you can’t be on and off,” Cooper said. “We’ve got to be on our game for the entire game, and our second wasn’t our best, and we paid for it.”

Panthers have hotter goalie, deny Lightning chance to wrap up series The Lightning power play, which got star wing Nikita Kucherov back after he left Game 4 with a left leg injury, was 0-for-2. Tampa Bay didn’t have Rookie Spencer Knight gives up an early goal, then settles down and a power play after the first period. stops any shot coming his way, with 36 saves on the night. Panthers 0-2-2—4

Lightning 1-0-0—1 By Eduardo A. Encina First Period—1, Tampa Bay, Colton 2 (McDonagh, Coleman), 0:53. Penalties—Hedman, TB (Hooking), 2:53; McDonagh, TB (Roughing), 7:18; Huberdeau, FLA (Hooking), 7:26; Palat, TB (Interference), 10:36; SUNRISE — As Lightning players disappeared down the tunnel following Marchment, FLA (Boarding), 15:09. a 4-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series, rubber rats strewn across the ice at the BB&T Center, the crowd gave a Second Period—2, Florida, Weegar 1 (Bennett, Huberdeau), 6:19. 3, standing ovation to Florida’s newly crowned series savior. Florida, Marchment 2 (Weegar, Barkov), 16:55. Penalties—Schenn, TB (Holding), 19:01. After their other two goaltenders allowed 18 goals in the first four games, the Panthers, facing elimination, turned to a 20-year-old rookie with all of Third Period—4, Florida, Hornqvist 2 (Huberdeau, Barkov), 0:35 (pp). 5, four NHL games under his belt to save their season. Florida, Vatrano 1 (Hornqvist), 19:45 (en). Penalties—Maroon, TB (Cross Checking), 19:49; Maroon, TB (Misconduct), 19:49; Coleman, TB Spencer Knight had a humbling initial welcome, allowing a goal on the (Roughing), 19:49; Montour, FLA (Cross Checking), 19:49. first shot he faced, by Lightning rookie forward Ross Colton 53 seconds into the game. Then he allowed nothing else, recording 36 saves in his Shots on Goal—Tampa Bay 22-9-6_37. Florida 15-11-12_38. Power-play first playoff start to send the series back to Tampa for Game 6 on opportunities—Tampa Bay 0 of 2; Florida 1 of 5. Goalies—Tampa Bay, Wednesday at Amalie Arena. Vasilevskiy 3-1-0 (37 shots-34 saves). Florida, Knight 0-0-0 (37-36). A— 11,551 (19,250). T—2:48. Referees—Francois St. Laurent, Kelly “That’s a really good hockey team,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos Sutherland. Linesmen—Bevan Mills, Jonny Murray. said of the Panthers. “They weren’t going to just roll over and die there. We knew it was going to be a tough series from the beginning. We put Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.25.2021 ourselves in a good position to go home for Game 6 and try to win a series. … We’ll expect better effort from our group next game.”

Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight is named the No. 1 star of the game.

Lightning center Brayden Point said the Panthers were more desperate.

“We’ve got to be better in Game 6,” said Point, who had just two shot attempts and no shots on goal. “We’ve got to bring that intensity, we’ve got to bring that desperation more.”

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The Lightning matched a team playoff record with 22 shots in the first period. They had twice as many scoring opportunities in the first as the Panthers (18 to nine), but three straight penalties kept Tampa Bay defending its net instead of attacking.

Knight, 20, who played this season at Boston College before signing an entry-level contract March 31, seemed to gain confidence with every save. He faced a flurry of shots at the end of a Lightning power play in the first and turned the Lightning away at every turn from there.

“He hung in there,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “I thought they defended well in front of him. We left a lot of plays out there. If we could have had a few of those plays back, we would.”

While the Lightning conceded that Knight played well, they thought they the outcome had more to do with their failings.

“After (the first period), I don’t think we generated many scoring chances, to be honest,” Stamkos said. “We’ll review the tape, and we know we have to be better. We’re going to have to grind a little harder in those tough areas to create some second or third chances. I didn’t think we had that many (Monday).”

The Lightning were burned on a critical power-play goal early in the third period after a holding calling against defenseman Luke Schenn that followed a turnover by defenseman Mikhail Sergachev at the blue line with 59 seconds left in the second. Patric Hornqvist scored on a tip-in 35 seconds into the third to give Florida a 3-1 lead.

Forward Frank Vatrano’s empty-netter with 14.6 seconds left provided the final margin. 1188790 Tampa Bay Lightning The Lightning have done their homework on Knight, Cooper said. “You’re not doing your job unless you’re checking every box and you look

at goalies,” Cooper said. “For instance, Florida has played multiple Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov, Mikhail Sergachev expected to play tonight goalies during the regular season and so you have to have a book on them and some are easier than others. You know just because some Both players left a chippy Game 4 against the Panthers with injuries. The players have played in the league longer. (Goaltending coach) Frantz Lightning can close out the first-round series tonight. Jean does that for us. He’s exceptional at it.”

No worries for Stamkos

By Eduardo A. Encina Lightning captain Steven Stamkos was in obvious discomfort on the bench in the third period of Saturday’s Game 4, getting his right side

checked by head trainer Mulligan. SUNRISE — The Lightning likely will have both star wing Nikita Kucherov But Stamkos said he’s okay. Replays showed that he collided with and key defenseman Mikhail Sergachev back in the lineup for tonight’s defenseman Victor Hedman as Hedman was trying to block a shot in the potentially decisive Game 5. Lightning zone. After leaving Saturday’s first-round playoff win with injuries, both players “All good,” Stamkos said. “I think it just was either a puck or I collided were participants in Monday’s morning skate at the BB&T Center. Asked with someone trying to block a shot so no problems, just part of the whether both will be active tonight, Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, game.” “Yeah, they should be.” Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 05.25.2021 Kucherov left in the third period of Saturday’s game with an apparent left leg injury after he was slashed by Panthers forward Anthony Duclair. He was on the ice writhing in pain for several minutes as head athletic trainer Tom Mulligan looked at Kucherov’s left knee. Kucherov was able to skate off, but struggled to put weight on his leg and eventually disappeared down the tunnel and did not return.

Nikita Kucherov on the ice this morning. #gobolts #tblightning pic.twitter.com/34qMSTPGY4

— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) May 24, 2021

Sergachev left minutes later after he was blindsided by a hard hit from Panthers forward Patric Hornqvist. He also had to be attended to on the ice and skated off under his own power but didn’t return.

Both players were full participants in Monday’s morning skate, ending the session practicing on their respective power-play units.

Lightning forward Barclay Goodrow also returned to the ice, but Cooper said he wouldn’t be available for Game 5. Goodrow hasn’t played since the penultimate game of the regular season May 8.

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Knight in net for Florida?

Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight clears the puck from behind the net during a May 3 game against the Stars.

On the brink of elimination, it appears that the Panthers will start their third different goalie of the playoffs tonight.

Starter Sergei Bobrovsky and backup Chris Driedger both mostly struggled in the first four games against the Lightning. Twenty-year-old rookie Spencer Knight worked in the starter’s net in Sunday’s practice and Monday’s morning skate.

Panthers coach Joel Quenneville wouldn’t announce a starter Monday morning, but said Knight was a possibility.

Knight has won all four games he’s appeared in (three of them starts), becoming the youngest goaltender in NHL history to win his first four decisions. He has allowed an average of 2.32 goals per game and has a .919 save percentage.

This would be his first career start against the Lightning.

Bobrovsky was benched in favor of Driedger after allowing five goals on 40 shots in the Lightning’s Game 1 win. Driedger played well in Game 2, but was pulled after allowing five goals on 13 shots in the second period of Game 3. Bobrovsky stopped all nine shots in relief, but was pulled in Saturday’s Game 4 after allowing five goals on 14 shots.

Well after the #FlaPanthers morning skate has concluded, Sergei Bobrovsky getting some extra work in.

Channeling my good friend Captain Obvious here, but he’s not starting tonight’s Game 5 vs #TBLightning.#GoBolts #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/Eeb99Z8I1p

— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) May 24, 2021 1188791 Tampa Bay Lightning That was the case on the Panthers’ go-ahead goal with three minutes left in the second period.

Sasha Barkov is Florida’s most dangerous player, but he got way too ‘Just win, baby’: Five reasons Lightning-Panthers series is still alive much attention behind the net on this play. The Lightning didn’t pick up their players once the Panthers entered the zone, and as a result, you saw Gourde dart behind the net, one of three Tampa Bay players in that area, as Mason Marchment cruised into the slot for a gimme. By Joe Smith May 25, 2021 “It’s bad coverage,” Cooper said. “You could see it coming a mile away. It

was a mistake on the track in and we chased it. It’s something where we The Lightning had slowly navigated their way past the rubber rats and know better.” streamers that fell onto the ice late Monday night when the game’s No. 1 The defensive play of the game star popped on a headset on the opposite bench. Brayden Point put it best when he said the Panthers beat the Lightning in There was prized 20-year-old Panthers goalie prospect Spencer Knight footraces Monday night. smiling ear to ear. The interview on the JumboTron was interrupted by a standing ovation and the 14,000-plus fans chanting “SPEN-CER! “SPEN- There’s no greater example than during arguably a turning point in the CER.” He can’t legally drink, and he’s already the toast of the town. game.

Spencer gave up a goal on the first Lightning shot, then stopped the next The Lightning were up 1-0 about five minutes into the second period 36 to help the Panthers stave off elimination in a 4-1 victory at the BB&T when Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat were sprung on a two-on-one. Center. Kucherov, on the right side, flipped a backhand pass across the middle to a streaking Palat near the crease. But defenseman Gustav Forsling “I was just trying to have fun,” he said. “It’s still just hockey, right?” hustled back and got a stick on the pass, denying a goal. Knight might grab all the headlines — and deservedly so — but he’s not Had Tampa Bay scored there, it’s 2-0 and the crowd would have been the only reason the defending Stanley Cup champions have to go back to quieted. It would have been tough for the Panthers to come back — not Tampa and play a Game 6 on Wednesday night at Amalie Arena. Does impossible, but a challenge. Florida have new life? Or is it just a blip for the Lightning? MacKenzie Weegar scored off a faceoff less than two minutes later to tie “That’s a good team over there,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. it up, energizing the crowd. And the Lightning didn’t generate many “They weren’t just going to roll over and die. It’s two really good teams quality looks after that. going at it. We knew it’d be a tough series from the beginning. There’s no point in dwelling on the past. We’ll expect a better effort from our team.” “We just played slow tonight,” Stamkos said. “We talked about that at intermission. We weren’t coming back and supporting the ‘D.’ We were Here are a few other reasons Tampa Bay hasn’t closed out the Panthers. standing still too much, didn’t allow the ‘D’ to get up in the play. It was Penalties are ‘killing’ them self-inflicted a bit, not utilizing our speed.”

The Lightning couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. It was clear which team was more desperate Monday, and you understand that with the Panthers’ season on the line. But Stamkos said Fifty-three seconds into the first period, Blake Coleman blew by Keith the Lightning still need to grind it out more in the tough areas if they want Yandle near mid-ice and started a two-on-one with rookie Ross Colton, to win Wednesday. who finished a centering feed. The Lightning were up 1-0, scoring on their first shot on Knight, the touted rookie. “We stopped winning races with our feet,” said Point, who was the only Lightning forward without a shot on goal. “We started playing slower in “We got some momentum,” Stamkos said. “We got a boost.” the neutral zone. We dumped a lot of pucks in. They were winning the races to the puck.” ROSS COLTON OPENS THE SCORING EARLY PIC.TWITTER.COM/3B4UIP2OF0 No power plays

— SHAYNA (@HAYYYSHAYYY) MAY 25, 2021 With the Panthers holding the edge in five-on-five expected goals percentage, five-on-five scoring chances and high-danger chances Then the Lightning got undisciplined. throughout the series, the Lightning’s power play has been a major At the three-minute mark of the first, Victor Hedman took a hooking difference-maker. The unit scored seven goals on its first 12 chances, penalty. Ryan McDonagh was called for roughing four minutes later. including a couple of more in Saturday’s Game 4 win. Midway through the period, Ondrej Palat got baited by agitator Ryan But the Panthers were more disciplined Monday, giving Tampa Bay just Lomberg and went to the box for interference. two power plays, which amounted to 2:08 of time with the man Now, the Panthers didn’t score on those three power plays. And Tampa advantage. Bay finished the period up 13-1 in scoring chances at five-on-five. But Unlike Saturday, it was the Lightning who lost their cool by the end of this having to spend so much time killing penalties zapped the Lightning of one, with Pat Maroon cross-checking Noel Acciari right off the faceoff momentum and energy. This wasn’t Yanni Gourde or Blake Coleman’s with 10 minutes left, starting a scrum at center ice. best game, but they spent 2:23 short-handed. McDonagh (3:43) and Erik Cernak (3:51), the shutdown pair, logged nearly four minutes in those WHAT'S A GAME BETWEEN THE PANTHERS AND LIGHTNING high-leverage situations. WITHOUT AN OUTBURST FROM THE FLORIDA MEN PIC.TWITTER.COM/NRP2LX7GFL Then, after a Mikhail Sergachev turnover late in the second period, Luke Schenn was forced to race back and commit a holding penalty to thwart a — SHAYNA (@HAYYYSHAYYY) MAY 25, 2021 breakaway attempt. The Panthers scored on the ensuing power play for a 3-1 lead. The kid

“It’s killing us,” Cooper said. “It’s killing our game. It’s killing our You’ve got to give Knight credit. momentum. You can’t keep giving them freebies. It swings momentum in In his first NHL playoff game, he gives up a goal on his first shot, and pockets of games. We definitely got to take less penalties. he’s completely unfazed. “And for whatever reason, they must not take very many. They do a good “Once you let in one, you just reset,” Knight said. “‘All right, this is how it’s job because it seems like we’re the only ones taking them.” going to go.’ You can’t do anything to change it. Let’s go play now. It was Defensive zone breakdowns a good goal by them. I just tried to recover after that, smile and have fun.”

The Lightning have had their share of issues with defensive zone Knight, the former Boston College standout, reflected on how he was in coverage this season. It’s no secret. They’ll sometimes lose track of the quarantine and not even in the gym yet at this time last year. He told most dangerous player on the ice, leaving the middle wide open. himself this year to be grateful every time he got to play in a game, so the four NHL games he appeared in during the regular season were a blast.

KNIGHT IS DEFENDING HIS KEEP PIC.TWITTER.COM/RDNIFMUHQI

— X – JAMESON OLIVE (@JAMESONCOOP) MAY 25, 2021

Knight made some key saves during a Lightning first-period power play, and then in the third, including on a shot by Maroon on the doorstep. The Lightning want to challenge him more in the next game, feeling they didn’t get enough traffic in front.

“He hung in there,” Cooper said. “I thought they defended well in front of him. We left a lot of plays out there.”

It’s hard to imagine the Panthers beating the Lightning in three straight games. Tampa Bay didn’t lose two in a row all of last year’s postseason on its run to the Cup. But Knight gave Florida some life, a lot of belief, where if he can steal a game Wednesday, all of a sudden it’s Game 7 back in Sunrise on Friday.

This is an experienced, battle-tested championship team in the Lightning that knows what it has to do to close a series out. It’s the same thing Cooper told the media this morning when asked about how his team should handle the emotions and message-sending in the series.

It’s the same phrase Cooper wrote on the board before Game 7 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Final in Madison Square Garden before beating the Rangers in a shutout. It’s what longtime Raiders owner Al Davis was known for always saying.

“Just win, baby.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188792 Toronto Maple Leafs from getting a lead. Nylander set up the opportunity with a beautiful cross-ice feed.

Montreal got another opportunity with the man advantage late in the first Jack Campbell shuts down Canadiens in third period as Maple Leafs and again failed to get off a shot. The game remained scoreless as the take series lead teams went to the first intermission. Only 13 shots were generated between them.

The second period was as eventful as the first was mostly dull. MARTY KLINKENBERG Nylander scored on a long wrist shot to put Toronto ahead 1-0 a little more than seven minutes in. Nick Suzuki then knotted the score at 1-1 less than two minutes later. The Maple Leafs won for the second time without injured captain John Tavares on Monday to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series with the Rielly put the Maple Leafs ahead for good when he flicked a puck over Canadiens. Morgan Rielly had the winner and William Nylander scored Price’s shoulder three minutes and 25 seconds before the players for the third game in a row in the 2-1 victory at Montreal’s Bell Centre. headed to their dressing rooms for the second time. It was Rielly’s first of the series and came after a nice pass by Mitch Marner. Toronto goaltender Jack Campbell had another excellent outing for the Maple Leafs in just his third career playoff start, stopping 28 of 29 shots The period ended with Toronto on the power play as a result of a melee to preserve the victory. The scorer of the winning goal was only too around the Montreal crease. Price made three rapid-fire saves – one on happy to deflect praise in his netminder’s direction after the game. Auston Matthews and two on Marner – and a scrum ensued. The Maple Leafs had much the better 20 minutes, outshooting the Canadiens 20-7. “All the credit in the world goes to Jack,” Rielly said. “He was a warrior tonight and he has been that for us all year.” The Canadiens played desperately in the third but could not get the equalizer. They outshot the Maple Leafs 14-3 over the final 20 minutes Campbell outdueled the Canadiens’ Carey Price, who was also but could not beat Campbell. On this night, he was Toronto’s best player. outstanding as he turned away 27 of 29 pucks directed at him. “It was a great win by the boys,” Wayne Simmonds, the Maple Leafs “He was playing phenomenally for them but ultimately we were able to winger, said. “We grinded it out. I thought we could have played a little bit get two by him,” Campbell said. “For me, I was just trying to focus on the better in the third, but in the playoffs [you] just try to find a way to win and next shot and not mess it up for the boys. we did that. Obviously, [Jack] was our No. 1 star tonight. He was Toronto can leave the Canadiens in a deep hole with another triumph on unbelievable for us. We owe this to him for sure.” Tuesday in Montreal. The first to win four times advances to the next Toronto played without Nick Foligno, who is ailing with a lower-body stage of the Stanley Cup playoffs. That is something the Maple Leafs injury. The veteran centre sat out the morning skate, and then scratched have not done since 2004. himself after struggling in pregame warm-ups. Keefe said he will be re- This was the sixth time the long-time rivals have been tied 1-1 after two evaluated on Tuesday. games in a best-of-seven series – and the winner of Game 3 has gone With Tavares missing and Foligno hurting, other players have to pick on to advance in four of those occasions. It is the 16th time they have things up. Nylander certainly has. met in the post-season but the first time in 42 years. “The game’s harder [during the playoffs] and you learn over the years,” Tavares, who had 19 goals and 50 points during the COVID-abbreviated Nylander said. “Every time you lose, it digs even harder. You want to regular season, suffered a concussion and knee injury last Thursday in battle and battle and get better every year.” Game 1. He is unlikely to return for at least two weeks. Globe And Mail LOADED: 05.25.2021 After a 2-1 loss to begin the series, Toronto rallied for a 5-1 triumph without him in Game 2 – and then did it again. Nylander opened the scoring at 7:18 of the second period. He has seven goals in 13 games now against Montreal this year, including the regular season.

“We love seeing Willy play like this,” Campbell said. “This is the Willy we know. He can be a dominant player.”

With Eric Staal and Jake Evans both sidelined, the Canadiens dressed rookie Cole Caufield for Game 3. The 20-year-old had four goals and one assist after he was called up near the end of the season, but sat out the first two games of the series.

Dominique Ducharme, the Canadiens’ interim coach, decided it would be better for Caufield, this year’s Hobey Baker Award winner as the best hockey player in the NCAA, to watch from the bench in Games 1 and 2.

Caufield played well but was unable to get on the scoreboard. He hit the bar with an early shot and had one dangerous chance in the third that was blocked by Justin Holl.

Both teams sputtered at the start.

Montreal failed to register a shot after it was handed a four-minute power play only a minute into the game when Alex Galchenyuk was called for a high stick that left Brendan Gallagher with a bloody mouth. Caufield was the only Canadien that came close when he banged a puck off the crossbar.

The Maple Leafs actually got off the only shot – short-handed by Ilya Mikheyev from 46 feet away.

Campbell, who had a .943 save percentage over the first two games, made the first big save on a rush by Gallagher. He also stopped a dangerous deflection by Corey Perry.

Toronto was 2-for-6 with the man advantage in its Game 2 victory, but was unable to score on its first power play. Price made a spectacular save on a sharp wrist shot by Jason Spezza to prevent the Maple Leafs 1188793 Toronto Maple Leafs fans on a holiday weekend had a total of 10 guests — including three travelling hockey reporters.

And on a sun-soaked Monday afternoon when patios would normally Leafs-Habs series heating up on the ice, but no fans leaves big void already be filling up with jersey-clad supporters of both teams, there wasn’t a single fan in the plaza next to the arena featuring statues of the Canadiens’ greats.

JOSHUA CLIPPERTON “There’s not much going on,” Filosa said. “That’s just the way it is.”

A jam-packed Bell Centre, with arguably the best atmosphere in the league, can be a huge advantage for the home side. Canadiens legend Ziggy Eichenbaum has one word to describe his city on a warm spring Larry Robinson said before the playoffs that while not the same as the night when the local hockey team is in the playoffs. old Montreal Forum, it’s as close as it gets in an era of cookie-cutter “Crazy.” stadiums.

And what would the vibe be like in Montreal for a dream matchup — not “There’s nothing like it,” he said. “There’s really nothing like it.” during a pandemic, of course — between the Canadiens and Toronto But as Filosa points out, it can also be a detriment to the team in red, Maple Leafs? white and blue. After dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, a rejigged “Party time,” added Eichenbaum, the owner of Ziggy’s Pub. “It would schedule and a number of key injuries down the stretch, the Canadiens have been totally, totally crazy between the Leafs and Habs. limped into the playoffs of the league’s 56-game campaign.

“This is different.” “It’s a fan base that’s very involved, very engaged,” he said. “But they can’t turn on you. The end of the season, in a way, was a blessing in a It certainly is. way that Montreal didn’t have fans in the stands. Because if they think they’ve had it tough, I mean, oh boy. Montreal and Toronto are battling in the postseason for the first time since 1979, and while a dormant rivalry is beginning to heat “Had they played the way they played the last two months in front of fans, up on the ice, continuing COVID-19 restrictions mean fans are still it would have been terrible for them.” watching from afar. Even a Hall of Famer such as Robinson felt that at different points during Like the rest of the country, the May long weekend in Montreal is his career. normally the unofficial start of summer, with the Formula 1 Grand Prix a couple weeks away, and with any luck, the Canadiens in the middle of a “The only talk in town was hockey and the playoffs,” he recalled. “But playoff run. God forbid you lost early in the playoffs because people just stayed away from businesses and were in mourning. Patios are full, bars are jammed and the downtown core’s crowded, bustling streets are electric. “You felt every loss, but at the same time it was absolutely wonderful when you won.” The race, however, was cancelled for a second straight year because of the pandemic and the city remains under a curfew until Friday. If the Filosa said these playoffs, whether it’s the fact Toronto finished 18 points best-of-seven series between Montreal and Toronto makes it to a sixth clear of Montreal in the Canadian-based North Division, the lack of fans game Saturday, the province will allow 2,500 fans into the Bell Centre — in the building or something else, feel very different. the first crowd to attend an NHL game in Canada since March, 2020. “It’s not where it would be normally,” Filosa said. “We’re really, really, “It’s a shame because Montreal versus Toronto could have been like the really looking forward to the day where sports can go back to the way it’s Grand Prix,” said Eichenbaum, whose bar on famed Crescent Street has supposed to be played.” been closed for seven months. “Especially with the fans that come from Globe And Mail LOADED: 05.25.2021 all over … Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario. Every time Toronto plays in Montreal it’s beautiful.

“Businesses aren’t going to benefit.”

Patios will be allowed to open later this week when restrictions are eased, but with distancing measures and no indoor service permitted, it still won’t feel anything close to normal.

“It’s good the Canadiens are in the playoffs,” said Peter Sergakis, who owns a number of bars and restaurants in and around Montreal. “But are we going to benefit from it? We don’t know, unless they make the second round.”

Jeremy Filosa of talk radio station 98.5 Montreal said there’s next to no atmosphere anywhere in the city centre these days because of coronavirus rules.

“There’s usually tailgate parties, where even if you don’t have a ticket to the game, you can participate,” he said. “There’s a lot of games for kids. None of that is happening. I mean, it’s dead in downtown Montreal right now.

“That takes a lot away — just the fact that you have so many people in and around the building and the downtown area on game days. It’s just not there.”

And it’s of course much the same in Toronto, where Maple Leaf Square outside Scotiabank Arena, usually packed with fans watching the games on a massive screen attached to the building, has sat empty. Bars and restaurants also remain closed except for takeout.

The night before Monday’s Game 3 in Montreal with the series tied 1-1, the streets again had to be clear by 9:30 p.m, while a 600-room hotel a few blocks from the arena that would usually be teeming with tourists and 1188794 Toronto Maple Leafs even with Price on the bench. And, phew, that was a deeply grateful group hug the Leafs bestowed on Campbell afterwards.

Such is Sheldon Keefe’s confidence in Campbell that the coach will likely ‘He was an absolute warrior.’ Jack Campbell outduels Carey Price and trot the 29-year-old out for Game 4 as well, back-to-back starts in the Maple Leafs pull ahead in Game 3 Montreal.

“We’ll wait to see how we get through the game here tonight,” Keefe said in the a.m. “I’m less concerned about the back-to-back, because we’re By Rosie DiManno just taking it a game at a time.” (Yes, he really did roll out that hoary cliché.) “But also the fact that it’s back-to-back in the same city, it’s the

same opponent. It’s less of a concern to me.” Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. No prob for Campbell, if that be the case: “Skaters have to do it every Check. Check. time, so nothing to complain about.”

Jack be pretty slick too, for the Maple Leafs. Early nights yet, but goaltending has scarcely been a concern for the Leafs, after a good deal of angst less than a fortnight ago — at least in Toronto’s breastplate back there in the playoffs, at the opposite end of Leafs Nation — about whether Campbell should hang onto the crease or the ice from the goalie he came of age idolizing. As if he also, like cede the job to Freddie Andersen, coming off a lower-body injury. counterpart Carey Price, had 73 post-season games under his belt rather than … um … three, as of Monday night. It was never actually much of a debate internally. And Campbell hasn’t done anything to make Keefe regret the decision. Now two career post-season wins for Jack Campbell. It’s seems too facile to say that goalies have left their fingerprints all over He was marginally, consequentially, better than Price in Game 3, almost these playoffs thus far. But tending net with aplomb and high-leverage flawless as Toronto nailed a 2-1 W at the Bell Centre in Montreal, seizing craft has been the narrative, more so than furious offence and highlight- a two-to-one edge in their first round wrangle. reel scoring. Saves versus goals are the thing.

Factoid: Historically, teams that win the third game when tied 1-1 had a Philipp Grubauer stopped 103 of 110 shots in Colorado’s sweep of the 223-107 record (67.6 per cent) in best-of seven NHL playoff series. Just St. Louis Blues, winning six consecutive starts dating back to the regular sayin’. season. Tuukka Rask, bouncing back from a tough Game 1 overtime loss, propelled Boston past Washington in five games, the Bruins Campbell withstood a dominant Montreal third period and a frantic reaching the second round for the fourth consecutive year. concluding couple of minutes with Price on the bench for an extra attacker, the Habs bellicose and combative after every whistle. And In the mano a mano between Connors, Hellebuyck had rendered Campbell had the nettle to later describe that siege as “fun.” McDavid goal-less and Edmonton was facing elimination late Monday, Winnipeg on the verge of strutting into round two against either Toronto “It’s just playoff hockey. It’s a big battle. There’s a reason the Stanley or Montreal. Andrei Vasilevskiy, with Tampa Bay prevailing in a pair of Cup is such an iconic thing. Everybody’s going as hard as they can, one-goal outcomes, likewise has Florida on the ropes, leading the series through the whistle and sometimes after.” 3-2. And Marc-André Fleury continues his Vezina worthy form, with a The pressure was on Campbell to match Price save for save, protecting neon 0.99 goals-against average for Vegas and the Wild staring at a five- that slim one-goal margin. set dispatch.

Leafs goalie Jack Campbell tries to track the puck through a logjam on But these stalwarts are all playoff-wizened and Hellebuyck the reigning his doorstep in the second period of Monday night’s win in Montreal. Vezina Trophy titlist. Campbell is 50 shades of green by comparison.

“I couldn’t ask for more from the guys in front of me. They’re blocking What’s been most impressive about Soupy — on the heels of a lights-out shots, they’re in the right lanes, they’re getting the clears. Just a great saviour season for Toronto when Andersen was sidelined for 28 games effort so far, but we’ve got to continue that.” — is his quiet and steady playoff performance. A tall, cool glass of water. Which is what the Leafs will continue to need from him, particularly with Both netminders were on their game and on their toes, Toronto surviving the Habs clearly looking for more offensive gumption, inserting flashy a double-minor unscathed right out of the chute, Alex Galchenyuk cited rookie Caufield into the lineup on Monday. four minutes for drawing blood with a high stick on Brendan Gallagher. At this juncture in his career, all that Campbell has in common with Price The Habs could muster only one good scoring chance, and that was a is that both were drafted in the first round: Price fifth by Montreal, wrister off the crossbar by rookie Cole Caufield. Actually, Campbell Campbell 11th by Dallas. Price made his NHL debut just weeks after his wasn’t called upon to make a single save in that PK stretch and the Leafs 20th birthday. Campbell was a mere 18 years old when he was deployed withstood three Montreal power plays in the rather thumpy opening 20 for an exhibition game, which of course doesn’t count. And then, despite minutes — at that point having killed 22 consecutive short-handed being bruited as the Stars’ next great hope in goal, he was immediately situations. sent down.

Entering the third game of their engagement with Montreal, Campbell It was three years before Campbell got another sniff at an NHL net. They had stopped 50 of 53 shots for a .943 save percentage, fourth-best weren’t easy-time years either, as he struggled in the OHL, the AHL, was among all netminders who’ve minded the cage in these playoff labours. A demoted to the ECHL and, at one point, the native of Port Huron, Mich. tiny sample size, to be sure. By game-over horn, 78 shots faced even considered walking away from hockey to join the Navy SEALs. cumulatively and just four goals surrendered. He took all the setbacks hard, until solidifying a backup gig to Jonathan In Campbell, the Leafs trust. Quick before the Leafs got their hands on him 15 months ago.

While in William Nylander, the Leafs have faith burgeoning — a goal in Throughout all the trials and tribulations Campbell earned a reputation for each of the first three games, which no Leaf has pulled off since his hard-work ethos, unflappable character and constantly sunny Alexander Mogilny in 2003. Off the draw to put Toronto on the board 1-0, disposition. Smiling Jack, as he’s known, beloved by teammates. a lead then erased by Nick Suzuki, who beat Campbell under the blocker just over six minutes later in the second frame. Now the Leafs are both beholden to him and leaning hard into him.

Morgan Rielly restored the lead within some 2 1/2 minutes, his winner Just like Price. orchestrated by Mitch Marner finding the seam, shot off Price’s shoulder. Toronto Star LOADED: 05.25.2021 But he gave full chops to his goalie: “Here tonight, all the credit in the world has to go to Jack Campbell. He was an absolute warrior for us.”

Through 40, Toronto had outshot Montreal 27-14 while being outhit 29- 16. In the concluding 20, outshot 14-1. To no avail for the Canadiens, 1188795 Toronto Maple Leafs career with the U.S. National Team Development Program and two standouts seasons in the NCAA with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Toronto opened the scoring at 7:18 of the second when Alexander Campbell shuts the door late as Maple Leafs top Canadiens to take 2-1 Kerfoot won an offensive zone faceoff back to Nylander, who fired quick series lead shot that glanced off Canadiens defenceman Ben Chiarot and past Price.

“We love seeing Willy playing like this,” Campbell said. “This is the Willy we know. He’s a dominant player when he’s on his game. By Joshua Clipperton The Canadian Press “He’s such a special player.”

A lightning rod for criticism at various points of his career in Toronto MONTREAL - Jack Campbell stood in his crease and watched Carey because of an immense skill set and a work ethic that hasn’t always Price make save after save through 40 minutes. followed suit, Nylander said the team’s past post-season failures have fuelled him. Toronto’s goalie stayed focused and returned the favour — especially late — in a frantic final period to secure a precious victory. “You learn over the years,” he said. “Every time you lose, it digs even harder. You want to battle.” Campbell made 28 saves, including all 15 shots he faced in the third, as the Maple Leafs hung on to beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 and take a After Price denied Pierre Engvall on the doorstep on a long Toronto shift 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Monday. in the Canadiens’ end, the home side started to find some life, and Suzuki eventually tied it at 13:56 when his shot off the rush beat “All the credit in the world has to go to Jack Campbell,” said Toronto Campbell under the blocker. defenceman Morgan Rielly, who solved Price on the winner in the second period. “He was an absolute warrior for us. But Rielly restored the Leafs’ advantage 2:39 later when he took a pass from Mitch Marner and fooled Price upstairs before celebrating with “Down the home stretch he was outstanding. He’s been there for us all teammates inside the fan-less venue. year and tonight was no different. He’s an absolute stud.” “It can be discouraging at times because you’re getting chances and he’s Campbell has allowed four goals and owns a .951 save percentage making great saves,” Rielly said. “With our group we just have to stick through nine periods in the series, and was under siege late as the with it, be a confident bunch.” Canadiens desperately pressed for an equalizer. Coming off a three-point night in Game 2, Auston Matthews was denied “They’re coming at us real hard,” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. by Price on the doorstep before Marner was also stopped as Toronto “I’d like to see us relax and make a few more plays so we can settle the outshot Montreal 20-7 in the period. game down. But it’s a very important game, it’s a very important period. “He was playing phenomenal for them and kept them in the game,” “Our guys battled hard, and of course our goalie was our best player.” Campbell said of Price. “He’s done that all series. It’s really fun to play a William Nylander, with his third goal in as many games, also scored for guy that has a great experience.” Toronto, which hasn’t won a post-season series since 2004, but will look Caufield wired a shot over Campbell’s net on a chance midway through to go up 3-1 in this physical Original Six showdown in Game 4 back at the third, and the Leafs goaltender was there again on another sharp- the Bell Centre on Tuesday. angle effort off the winger’s stick. “A great win by the boys,” said bruising Leafs winger Wayne Simmonds. Campbell then stopped Josh Anderson, Tomas Tatar and Phillip Danault “We grinded it out. We could have played a little bit better. (Campbell) in quick succession as Montreal pushed desperately to tie. was the No. 1 star. Toronto defenceman Justin Holl then blocked a late Caufield chance in Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) adjusts his helmet after the dying seconds as the Leafs held on to take a 2-1 lead in the series. the second goal scored by Toronto Maple Leafs' Morgan Rielly (44) during second period NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey action in Montreal, “Montreal is tough, they’re opportunistic, they have a lot of skill,” Monday, May 24, 2021. Campbell said. “Our guys were doing a great job peppering Carey at the other end. “He was unbelievable. We owe this to him.” “We knew they’d push and they did, but thankfully everybody was Nick Suzuki replied for Montreal, which has struggled to generate offence battling.” in the series, including an 0-for-9 showing on the power play. Especially the man between the posts. “I’m not frustrated at all,” Price, who finished with 27 saves, said of his team’s meagre attack. “I believe in these guys. Notes: Candiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said Price will start Game 4. … Keefe said he would wait until Tuesday to decide on his “They’re trying. It’s gonna come.” goalie, but that it depends on how Campbell is feeling. … Montreal It better soon or Montreal will be facing elimination in Toronto on winger Eric Staal sat out with an undisclosed injury, which spared Tatar Thursday night. being healthy scratched. … If there’s a Game 6 on Saturday in Montreal, the Quebec government will permit 2,500 fans into the Bell Centre — the Price’s best save of Game 3 — one that will be replayed over and over first Canadian NHL crowd since the start of the pandemic. — was a terrific diving effort with his stick on a double-clutching Jason Spezza at the tail end of a Toronto power play in the first period. Toronto Star LOADED: 05.25.2021

“Desperation,” Price said. “(That’s) what it comes down to.”

First in the Canadian-based North Division during the NHL’s pandemic- shortened campaign, 18 points clear of Montreal, the Leafs remained without captain John Tavares, who’s expected to miss at least two weeks with a concussion and knee injury suffered on a frightening Game 1 collision.

Nick Foligno wasn’t on the ice for the morning skate — Keefe emphatically declared him fit to play — and took the warmup, but missed out with a lower-body injury. Riley Nash took his spot the lineup.

The Canadiens dressed rookie sniper Cole Caufield after generating just three goals in the first two games of the series in Toronto. The 20-year- old scored four times in 10 outings towards the end of the regular season, including one in overtime against the Leafs, following a dominant 1188796 Toronto Maple Leafs That’s when Montreal was pressing for the equalizer and Nylander showed off some defensive acumen in getting the puck and clearing the zone.

With William Nylander leading the way, Leafs grab series lead over “He’s playing a real nice complete game,” said Keefe. “It’s obviously Canadiens huge for us. You look at losing Tavares and then you lose Foligno, two guys that started out with him on his line and he’s just continuing on, and produced and playing hard and giving us real good shifts.”

By Kevin McGran Staff Reporter While the Leafs dominated play for most of the game, both in offensive possession time and shots, they had themselves to blame — namely a

meek power play — for letting Montreal hang around. The Leafs went 0- MONTREAL – William Nylander appears to have found an extra gear for for-5 with the extra man, though Montreal’s was just as feeble (0-for-4 the playoffs. including no shots on a four-minute power play early in the game).

Nylander scored the game’s first goal as the Maple Leafs beat the Fans in the stands Montreal Canadiens 2-1 on Monday night, to take a 2-1 lead in the best There weren’t many, about 250, but the Canadiens invited some fans to of seven Stanley Cup opening round series. take in the game in private boxes. One of the boxes was dubbed the Nylander has scored in all three games. “Hero’s box” for health care workers who have helped this province through the pandemic. On Friday, Quebec is expected to lift its curfews “He’s a dominant player when he’s on his game and we need that from and other lockdown measures, and will allow paying fans into games. him,” said goalie Jack Campbell. “He’s such a special player. He’s That means about 2,500 fans — about 12 per cent of capacity — can bringing it. He’s getting the boys going and other guys are stepping up take in Game 6 on Saturday, if the series goes that far. and up. Everybody’s doing the best they can and Willie is leading it.” Simmonds starts Morgan Rielly scored the winner after Nick Suzuki tied the game with all the scoring coming in the second period. Campbell, who had a light For the second game in a row, the Leafs started Simmonds for the workload for the first 40 minutes, held the Canadiens at bay in the third, opening draw. He played the first 30 seconds or so with Auston ultimately outduelling Carey Price over 60 minutes. Matthews and Zach Hyman, in a peace-keeper role, let’s say, given Montreal’s physicality. It all means the Leafs are halfway to winning a playoff series for the first time since 2004, with Game 4 Tuesday night, again in the Bell Centre. Asked why he did it for Game 2, Keefe said: “Just Wayne’s ability to Those first-round playoff losses that have haunted the Leafs in recent forecheck and be a presence to start the game. Really as simple as that.” years seems to have motivated Nylander. War of attrition “I mean the (playoff) games are harder,” said Nylander. “You learn over If nothing else, the playoffs are already proving to be a war of attrition. the years and every time you lose things get even harder. So we want to Both teams claim to have depth, and both teams have had to dig into it, battle and battle and get better every year.” meaning game-by-game roster changes and in-game challenges for Foligno hurt coaches trying to figure out line combinations on the fly.

The Leafs won without Nick Foligno, a late scratch for an undisclosed So when it’s all said and done, it could all come to down to which general reason. manager provided his coach with the enough players to get through the first round. “He didn’t feel like he’d be able to get through (the game) and then ultimately thought he’d be hurting the team,” said Leafs coach Sheldon The Leafs lost Tavares (concussion, knee) after Game 1 and Foligno Keefe. “We made the decision to give him the night off. He’s day-to-day.” (lower body) didn’t dress for Game 3.

More to the point, Nylander has produced offence in each game playing The injury situation was just as dire for Montreal coach Dominique with a different centre: John Tavares, Foligno and for Game 3, mostly Ducharme, who lost Jake Evans (undisclosed) in Game 1, Eric Staal Alex Kerfoot. after Game 2, and Artturi Lehkonen (head) early in Game 3. -hyped rookie Cole Caufield saw his first playoff action, suiting up for Staal “I’ve played with Kerfoot a lot before, so that wasn’t a big deal,” said (lower body). Nylander. “We know where we are out on the ice and we play the system we want to play.” Toronto Star LOADED: 05.25.2021

Quotes quotient

Nylander has had his polarizing moments in Toronto, sometimes for his contract, sometimes for a non-chalance towards defence. Until now, Nylander’s personality has mostly shown through his hair styles. But lately, his post-game quotes are almost as good as his in-game performances. It’s unusual because Nylander is not usually one to run up his quotient of quotable quotes. He doesn’t seek the spotlight in that way, usually happy to offer up “get pucks deep” level comments.

But when asked early in the series about where Rasmus Sandin gets his confidence, he answered “from me.” The reasoning – when pressed — was that they live together, and Nylander figured some of his personality was rubbing off.

It was a good line for a player not known for good lines. Pressed then on Monday, after his third goal in three games, he was asked where his confidence came from: “Born that way” was his off-the-cuff comment that drew some laughs.

Game star

But it’s what Nylander’s doing on the ice that matters, and against Montreal, he’s been terrific.

“He’s competing a lot harder,” Keefe said of Nylander. “He’s really engaged. With that, offence comes. Obviously he’s scored huge goals. But I think I was most impressed with him in the third period.” 1188797 Toronto Maple Leafs the unusual playoff schedule of back-to-back games. This is normally a rest game for NHL goalie. Tonight. The night off. Price and Campbell played Monday night. Almost certainly they will play again Tuesday night.

SIMMONS: Spectacular goaltending from Campbell, Price defining The Leafs have scored eight goals in three games. Montreal has half that Leafs-Habs playoff series many. The Habs can win a lot of nights with just two goals scored, with Price being this kind of Price. That puts a certain pressure on Campbell, who seems almost averse to pressure, in a way welcoming the challenge. The last two games they only scored one goal each night in Steve Simmons defeat.

And the more demanding the situation has been this season, the better From some 200 feet away, Jack Campbell gets to watch the goaltender Campbell has responded. of this generation with a certain sense of appreciation and a competitive “It’s fun to play a guy as great as he is,” Campbell said of facing Price. understanding of all that is expected of him. “He was making (all) those saves. He was playing phenomenal for Carey Price started his 73rd Stanley Cup playoff game Monday night at them…Ultimately, we found a way to get two by him.” the Bell Centre looking every bit like the legendary Carey Price. Two goals, now two wins. Price allowed two. Campbell just one. Campbell started his third post-season game — yep, that’s just three — Campbell made 28 saves. Price 26. leaving a clear impression behind that this just the beginning for him, his story is just in the early chapters and now he matters so much when the “This is the best time of the year,” said Jack Campbell, who has never game matters most. really known this time before. This is the first Stanley Cup playoff hockey of his life. One goaltender was brilliant in a 2-1 defeat. The other goalie was brilliant in a 2-1 win for the Maple Leafs. And it was hard to tell which one, if any, Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.25.2021 was better than the other. Both were exceptional. Both were breathtaking.

Price had to be spectacular last night in the second period to keep Montreal in a game it didn’t really seem to be in. Campbell had to be spectacular in the third period to enable the Leafs to win the game and go ahead 2-1 in the best of seven series.

Price took a Jason Spezza sure-thing goal in the first period and somehow got the paddle of his goal stick to make a save. He took that away from Spezza in the first, with so many stolen moments in the second period dominated by the Leafs. The Leafs fired 20 shots at Price in the middle 20 minutes.

Price took a Wayne Simmonds shot off his mask in the second, made a kick save on Pierre Engvall, shot out his pad to take one away from Auston Matthews, stopped just about everything that came at him, except William Nylander’s deflected wrist shot in the first period and Morgan Rielly’s giant up high winning goal in the second. That was just some of what him exceptional in Game 3.

And then with the game seemingly one-sided, the Leafs dominating everywhere but the scoreboard, the team hung back too much in the third period, wobbled ever slightly like a fighter on the ropes, hanging on, and all Campbell did was what he’s done most of the season.

He played like Price. He matched him shot for shot and save for save. That hasn’t happened historically to the Leafs at playoff time. It’s happening right now in this young series in which the Canadiens have managed just four goals in three games. Campbell left behind reason to talk about him today.

“Our goalie was our best player tonight,” said Sheldon Keefe after the game. No doubt Dominique Ducharme would have said precisely the same thing. Goalies steal playoff games all the time. We see it every series and every year.

But how often do you see this? A game going one way in the second period, going another way in the third. With each goalie giving his team a chance to win. Campbell has been close to exceptional all year in goal for Toronto.

And as good as he’s been, Keefe has never seen him better than in the third period of Game 3.

Price didn’t have the best or healthiest of seasons in Montreal. The last time he looked like this — like the unstoppable sure-thing Hall of Fame Sochi Olympic goalie — was last summer in the Toronto bubble. But in between, there has been a battle to clear his head, find his form, raise this Montreal team to a level they thought they were going to have. And so far, in two of the three games against the Leafs, he has been that Carey Price.

The difference-maker.

Now this is a series of difference makers. Price at one end. Campbell at the other. Two teams of different size, style and shape, with one similarity. A tale of two goaltenders of such varying pedigree. And with 1188798 Toronto Maple Leafs The save was one that gets more impressive with each view … As he did for Game 2, Keefe started Wayne Simmonds on the top line with Auston Matthews and Zach Hyman, taking the place of Mitch Marner for the opening shift. Why? “Just Wayne’s ability to forecheck and need a KOSHAN: Maple Leafs need to keep 'absolute warrior' Campbell in net presence to start the game, as simple as that,” Keefe said. Simmonds’ for Game 4 desire and love for getting involved has been an element the Leafs missed in recent playoffs … Lehkonen left the game in the first period

and did not return … Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme put Terry Koshan Caufield in a tough spot. Caufield and his knack for scoring should have been in the lineup for Game 1, especially on a Montreal team that doesn’t score by the bushel. Instead, Ducharme got around to using Caufield in Game 3. Caufield said in the morning he was playing “to bring the spark Back-to-back Jack? we need.” That’s a lot to put on the shoulders of a 20-year-old, no matter By all means. how much Caufield has excelled as a prospect. Caufield had three shots on goal and six attempts … Twice in the series Matthews has smiled The Maple Leafs don’t, by nature, start the same goaltender in games on widely during post-whistle scrums. Not sure why anyone would have consecutive nights. problem with that. One Matthews trait that has been evident since his first It didn’t happen once in eight back-to-back sets during the regular NHL game: Nothing done to him on the ice bothers him … Rielly could season. have closed quicker on Nick Suzuki’s goal, though it was a shot that Campbell probably should have had … Nylander has scored in each Coach Sheldon Keefe should go off-course now and stick with Jack playoff game, marking his first three-game goal streak since early March Campbell for Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night. … Not only is Rasmus Sandin doing smart things for the Leafs in the present, the 21-year-old going to be a vital piece on the blue line next On Monday in Game 3, Campbell was stellar in the Leafs’ 2-1 victory, season and beyond. Good on Keefe for keeping Sandin in the lineup especially in the third period. He made 15 saves in the final 20 minutes, after a bumpy Game 1, when no would have blinked had Keefe dressed turning aside each Canadiens shot, and finished with 28. Travis Dermott and taken Sandin out.

After the game, Campbell sounded like he would be ready to go again in Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.25.2021 24 hours.

“During the regular season I understand why maybe you don’t do that as much,” Campbell said of using the same goalie on consecutive nights. “But in playoff hockey, whoever coach puts in will be ready to go, whether it’s Freddy (Andersen) or I.

“It’s a challenge. It’s playoff hockey. Skaters have to do it every time. Nothing to complain about. It’s fun to get out there.”

Keefe said the decision would be made on Tuesday morning. What factors will go into that, we asked?

“Really just on how Jack feels, that’s going to be the big one,” Keefe said, “both on health and energy.”

It’s not as though Andersen demonstrated in the final stretch of the regular season that he could step in and play well if required.

Granted, Andersen did not get that chance as he was recovering from a lower-body injury. When he finally started on May 12, it was his first game with the Leafs in nearly two months.

But Andersen wasn’t consistent before he got hurt, and now he is cold. Campbell is not, and has been sharp through the first three games of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Canadiens.

In his post-game media availability, Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly called Campbell “an absolute warrior.”

That’s not the kind of performer a coach puts on the bench, no matter the circumstances.

Go back to Jack. It makes the most sense.

GAME ON

That was vintage Rielly firing a high shot past Carey Price to give the Leafs a 2-1 lead late in the second period. And by vintage, we mean two years ago, when Rielly was in consideration for the Norris Trophy. Rielly is best, and better at it than most NHL defencemen, when he using his offensive talents with confidence. Toronto needs more of that … Nick Foligno didn’t participate in the morning skate, and Keefe said he would play in Game 3. Foligno took part in the pre-game warmup, but was a late scratch with a lower-body injury and will be a game-time decision on Tuesday. Though Keefe inserted Riley Nash, who was a scratch in Game 2, the effort and energy brought by Alex Kerfoot has helped fill the gap … The Leafs escaped from a hole early, killing off a double-minor for high sticking, called on Alex Galchenyuk at 1:02. The Canadiens didn’t have a shot on goal during the four-minute man advantage, though Cole Caufield hit the cross bar … And then there was a chance for Jason Spezza as Artturi Lehkonen served a delay-of-game minor. Instead of hitting an open net after a pass from William Nylander, Spezza was stunned when Price lunged across the crease to thwart Spezza’s shot with his stick. If not a candidate for save of the year, it is for the playoffs. 1188799 Toronto Maple Leafs Alex Galchenyuk, he had Montreal’s first good chance, pinging the crossbar.

“There is a lot of excitement,” he said before the game, with five points Nylander steps up his two-way play as Maple Leafs hang on to take a 2-1 (including a goal against Toronto) in seven regular-season games in May series lead following his 30-goal, Hobey Baker-winning season at Wisconsin. “I was put in here to help the team win and increase our chances.”

There wasn’t much of a de-escalation in the rough stuff after Game 2 Lance Hornby ended with the teams hacking and whacking. Montreal captain Shea Weber had been fined $5,000 for a cross-check on Wayne Simmonds

and there was some crease pile-ups around Price. Toronto captain John Sheldon Keefe could let his offensive horses run free, but knew at playoff Tavares remains out after spraining his knee on a hit by Ben Chiarot and time they’d have to be as stubborn as mules in their own end. a concussion in an accidental ensuing collision with Corey Perry.

Perhaps no Maple Leaf adapted better in Monday’s 2-1 Game 3 win in “We just keep our nose down, work through things,” said Leafs winger Montreal than William Nylander. Chided for being marginalized in post- Joe Thornton before the game. “That’s playoff hockey, there are going to seasons past, his two-way play this season has helped realize the be a lot of emotions out there tonight, you have to stay focused on the coach’s vision of a team that could win the close spring games that they task ahead.” failed to do against Washington, Boston and Columbus. Toronto earned its first playoff win in Montreal since April 29, 1967, 4-1 at After three goals in his first 20 playoff games, which hurt the optics of his The Forum, that set up a Cup clinching victory back in Toronto a few big contract, Nylander, who opened the scoring in the second period, nights later. Since 1918, the Leafs have a playoff record of 12-26 in now has five in his past eight, including one in each of the first three Montreal. games of this series that Toronto leads 2-1. Under that flowing hair and Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.25.2021 easy-going nature is a maturing player in the biggest part of the season.

“The game is harder. You learn over the years and every time you lose it makes it even harder,” Nylander said. “You want to battle and get better every year.”

And compete the Leafs did in the third period, outshot 14-2, but making big defensive plays to help out goalie Jack Campbell. Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Alex Kerfoot and the rest won another of those tight contests when the goals were hard to come by against Carey Price at the other end.

“We don’t like defending as much as we did, but we defended hard,” praised Keefe. “Guys competed in a tough period when they were coming at us hard.

“To me, Willy is competing a lot harder and is really engaged. With that, the offence comes. He had a big (opening) goal, but I was most impressed in the third that he battled his ass off and won a battle along the wall and got a puck out for us.”

After Nick Suzuki tied it for the Habs, beating Campbell on the far side off a two-on-one, defenceman Morgan Rielly scored the eventual winner, moving into the unguarded slot to bury a Mitch Marner pass.

But Keefe rightly called Campbell “our best player,” the latter unfazed by the Habs swarming his crease, sometimes getting too close.

“It’s fun,” Campbell insisted. “You look around at the other series, it’s playoff hockey, it’s a big battle. There’s a reason the Stanley Cup is such an iconic thing. Everybody is fighting as hard as they can, through the whistles and sometimes after.”

Game 4 is Tuesday night back at the Bell Centre.

“It’s obviously a good feeling (to hang on), especially in the playoffs when you’re coming down the home stretch,” Rielly said. “It can be nerve- wracking. We know what’s at stake, but here tonight, all the credit in the world has to go to Jack. He was an absolute warrior.”

Toronto had many chances to pull away, with four power plays in the game.Nylander’s goal made him the first Leaf since Alex Mogilny in 2003 against the Flyers to strike in the first three games of a series.

Price had made a desperation divingpaddle save on Jason Spezza to prevent an earlier deficit.

There was lineup intrigue all day, as Nick Foligno did not participate in the Leafs’ morning skate, though Keefe said he’d play. Foligno took the warm-up, but was scratched with a lower body injury and is day-to-day for Game 4. Riley Nash was dressed and ready to go.

The Canadiens made the switch many expected. Cole Caufield made his playoff debut, one of the few offensive options coach Dominique Ducharme had with his roster and game plan mostly geared to wearing down Toronto’s top two lines. Unfortunately, Artturi Lehkonen was hurt in the first period and Montreal was down to 11 forwards.

Caufield, replacing the banged-up Eric Staal, got in a few late-season games against Toronto. Following an early double-minor stick foul by 1188800 Toronto Maple Leafs depending on Monday’s workload, given there’s no travel involved and it’s the same team.

Toronto will be hoping for its first playoff win in Montreal since April 29, Leafs to face Caufield as Habs look for goals in Game 3 1967, 4-1 at The Forum, that set up a Cup-clinching victory back in Toronto a few nights later. Since 1918, the Leafs have a playoff record of 11-26 in Montreal, though it’s a stark 5-18 since 1951.

Lance Hornby Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.25.2021

The Canadiens hope their smallest player comes up big as the playoffs continue Monday night in Montreal.

With the best-of-seven series at 1-1, rookie forward Cole Caufield is set to make his playoff debut versus the Maple Leafs. He’s one of the few offensive options coach Dominique Ducharme can turn to with his roster mostly geared to physical hockey against Toronto’s various armaments.

After carving out a Game 1 win mostly with their muscle, checking and penalty killing, Montreal generated little in all areas of a lopsided loss on Saturday, hence the 5-foot-7 but very effective Caufield coming in. Caufield, replacing the banged-up Eric Staal, got in a few late-season games against Toronto.

“There is a lot of excitement,” said Caufield, who planned to call his parents in Wisconsin right after the morning skate to spread the good news. “I was put in here to help the team win and increase our chances.”

Game plan #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/u87awF2vWW

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) May 24, 2021

Caufield had five points in seven regular season games in May, with a goal against Toronto in three starts. That followed a 30-goal, Hobey Baker-winning season at Wisconsin.

Without last change as the series shifts to the Bell Centre, the Leafs’ checking plans must divert between Caufield and linemate Nick Suzuki and Montreal’s other scoring wingers such as Tomas Tatar, Tyler Toffoli and Brendan Gallagher.

“Cole we like, but he’s one of 18 skaters,” Ducharme said. “We need to be at our best (as a team). We had a good start the first game with that lineup and from here, we were open to everything.”

There won’t likely be a de-escalation of the rough stuff after Game 2 ended with the teams hacking and whacking. Montreal captain Shea Weber was fined $5,000 for a cross-check on Wayne Simmonds. Toronto captain John Tavares remains out after spraining his knee on a hit by Ben Chiarot and a concussion in an accidental ensuing collision with Corey Perry.

“We just keep our nose down, work through things,” said Leafs winger Joe Thornton. “That’s playoff hockey, there are going to be a lot of emotions out there tonight, you have to stay focused on the task ahead.

“It was a huge step for us last game, we’re trying to make another one tonight.”

For Johnny.

The Leaf: Blueprint Moment presented by @Molson_Canadian. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/ZCBQuqZfuy

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 24, 2021

This is the first time the longest-serving Leafs such as Zach Hyman have had the luxury of starting a series at home, casting the Canadiens in Toronto’s usual role of having to rebound from a loss as the series changes venues. The first shifts will be important as, so far, the road team has scored first.

“They always come out strong and I expect no different,” Hyman said. “You always want to respond and I’m sure they have that mentality. Especially in this building, where you know there are no fans, but they’re still home and they play well here.”

Winger Nick Foligno was a non-participant in Toronto’s morning skate, in which all forwards wore blue to disguise any lineup changes. But coach Sheldon Keefe said he’ll play.

Keefe added the back-to-back component of the Montreal part of the series meant it was possible he uses Jack Campbell in both games 1188801 Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Sun LOADED: 05.25.2021

SIN BIN: Enduring mystery ... who is Shania Twain cheering for?

Brad Hunter

Country songbird Shania Twain has never kept her love of hockey a secret.

But the question is: Who does the Timmins-reared superstar put her pipes behind? It’s true Twain does don the local team’s colours when she’s performing.

The Nashville Predators. Calgary Flames. Edmonton Oilers. Winnipeg Jets. Vancouver Canucks. Ottawa Senators.

With the Maple Leafs-Canadiens series, that may create confusion about who she’s cheering for. We think it’s the Leafs. Habs fans aren’t so sure.

It’s called playing to your audience. She also has pictures in Flames, Oilers, Canucks, Sens themed stage outfits. Not sure if she toured when the Jets were around.

— Curtis Thomson (@curtiswt) May 23, 2021

#LeafsForever Shania pic.twitter.com/MXr4tMigR1

— LEAFNATION (@mariocosentino7) May 23, 2021

Neither. This was definitely your best look... #Isles pic.twitter.com/umP2EDxjBm

— JB (@Barzikas) May 23, 2021

You look so much better in your Habs outfit!

— Tom Wharry (@tomwharry29) May 23, 2021

Alright, so the mystery endures. Maybe we’ll have to wait until the end of the series to find out that, yes, Shania is a massive fan of the Leafs and only wore her Habs ensemble to be nice.

Me? My money is on the Habs. Nicola Rizzuto was eyed as the mastermind on the Violi hit. Two decades later he was taken off the board with a bullet. POSTMEDIA

CANADIENS HISTORY WITH CORRUPTION

It’s a long-ago Habs scandal that has long been swept under the rug. But thanks to Montreal’s Coolopolis blog, we caught the four-year-old post this week.

Montreal has long been known as Canada’s Capital of Corruption. From construction to other kickbacks, it should come as no surprise that Les Canadiens should also be tinged by the brush.

Take Montreal Forum timekeeper Andre Dandurand, for example.

Dandurand took a $12,500 bribe to “manipulate the time clock to help dictate the time goals” were recorded. He allowed the clock ticking even after the puck was in the net.

At the time, from 1968 to 1969, there were underground lottery tickets in Montreal where punters would pick what time goals were scored. First five minutes, or an odd second or an even one.

All he had to do was stop the clock. What it ensured was that EVERY lottery ticketholder was a loser.

They are back on the beaches of Eastern Ontario.

SUNSHINE GIRLS

It’s that time of year when Quebec sun-seekers flood Prince Edward County for the rays and sand. Keep your Habs gear at home!

WICKED WHISPER

Which participant in the Leafs-Habs hoedown has his very own homemade porno tape that’s found its way online? In the video — seen by the Toronto Sun — the player in question romps with his pretty blond playmate. All a bit of a giggle, really. Of course, some fans among the self-righteous might call his antics offside. 1188802 Toronto Maple Leafs In just three playoffs games in 2021, he has already buried a pair of five- on-five goals, ripped five such shots and equaled his high-danger shot attempts from the two previous postseasons combined.

This is the version of William Nylander the Maple Leafs have been Nylander at five-on-five in the playoffs waiting for in the playoffs Games

3 By Jonas Siegel May 25, 2021 5

7 Maybe the most interesting part of William Nylander’s Game 3 7 performance wasn’t that he scored for the third time in three games, though that was certainly striking. 6

It was that Sheldon Keefe chose to put Nylander on the ice to protect a Goals one-goal lead in the waning minutes of regulation. That is not something Keefe typically does with Nylander in normal times, let alone during a 2 crucial sequence of a playoff game. 0

“That just speaks to the confidence that he’s gaining, the trust that he’s 1 gaining, not just from me but from his teammates and stuff as well,” the Maple Leafs coach said. 1

The absences of John Tavares and Nick Foligno surely had something to 1 do with it. Both would have been on the ice in that spot, pushing Nylander down the depth chart. But as Keefe noted proudly, Nylander Assists “battled his ass off” earlier in that third period, fighting for pucks the way 0 the Leafs need him to. 1 “To me, he’s competing a lot harder,” Keefe said. “He’s really engaged, and with that, offence comes.” 2

It was about three months earlier that Keefe struck an entirely different 2 tone with the team’s most polarizing player. 2 Nylander had gotten off to a sluggish start before he broke out on Feb. Points 24 with two goals, including the overtime winner, in a 2-1 win over Calgary. 2

Afterward, Keefe said the perception of Nylander as “misunderstood” was 1 partly of his own making. 3 “He and I have talked a lot about those kind of things,” the Leafs coach said, citing Nylander’s engagement with and without the puck. “Part of it, 3 perhaps, is being misunderstood, but part of it is just (that) he’s still got to 3 grow as a player.” S His early performance in these playoffs speaks to that growth. 5 Nylander has scored in each of the first three games against the Canadiens, leading the Leafs — up 2-1 in the series, with Game 4 on 6 Tuesday night — in goals (three) and points (four). 14 “We love seeing Willy play like this — like, this is the Willy we know,” Jack Campbell gushed after a strong night of his own in Game 3. “He’s a 10 dominant player when he’s on his game, and we need that from him.” 18 ANOTHER GAME, ANOTHER @WMNYLANDER GOAL iHDCF #LEAFSFOREVER PIC.TWITTER.COM/VAKIMSO6U2 2 — TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (@MAPLELEAFS) MAY 25, 2021 1 And that’s really the thing: Nylander hasn’t always played “like this,” particularly at playoff time. 1

He was maybe the Leafs’ most dangerous player in a tight 2017 series 6 against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals. He had 23 shots over six games, scoring once and assisting on three goals. 5

Increasingly, though, he struggled to reach new levels that rose around iSCF him in the postseason. 4 That’s changing. 7 Often, it’s subtle stuff. Like in Game 1, when Nylander dug in for a puck 10 battle with Shea Weber along the boards. Or later that night, when he threw a pretty serious hit on Brett Kulak, who jawed at Nylander angrily in 16 response. 13 Nylander scored the Leafs’ first goal of the playoffs on a rebound in tight shortly thereafter. It’s all about the extra effort, like when Nylander fought just a half-second longer in the offensive zone Monday night to poke a puck to the point and He didn’t score at all five-on-five against Columbus in the playoffs last outmaneuver an opponent. That led to an extended shift in the second August and landed only six such shots in five games. period in Montreal territory for the Leafs. That’s the stuff on the margins that can swing a series. The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021

“He looks very, very driven now,” Joe Thornton observed of Nylander before Game 3.

Driven is what the Leafs need from Nylander. Drive, with that (ridiculous) amount of skill, makes for a truly special player.

It’s what the organization has long desired from Nylander, what it hoped he would eventually become as he got older (he’s 25 now) and more experienced and continued to develop.

When that drive is there, the Leafs have a star. And it’s showed up at times in regular-season play, including the second half this season, when Nylander put up 28 points in the final 31 games (beginning with that game against the Flames).

The playoffs were still in question.

Amid all this — the engagement above all — it’s probably time to send a few extra shifts Nylander’s way. He played exactly 16 minutes and 40 seconds in each of the first two games of the series. He logged 16:47 in Game 3.

Nylander averaged 16:30 a night during the regular season, so this is the par for the course (and not just a side effect of Tavares being out and Keefe using that line less frequently).

Maybe the easiest, most obvious way to get Nylander more involved is to have him rejoin the No. 1 power-play unit.

He took Thornton’s place there to start the third period in Game 3, a move that should stick. Nylander would give that unit another real shooting threat beyond Auston Matthews and, to a much lesser degree, Rasmus Sandin.

Without Tavares around, he’s almost wasted on the second unit.

The Jason Spezza look that Carey Price somehow denied started with Nylander, who set it all up.

WILLIAM NYLANDER GOALS BY POSTSEASON:

2017: 1

2018: 1

2019: 1

2020: 2

2021 THROUGH 2.5 GAMES: 3

— JONAS SIEGEL (@JONASSIEGEL) MAY 25, 2021

He’s not the only Leaf who has kicked things up a notch in the playoffs.

Since Pierre Engvall re-entered the lineup in Game 2, he has done nothing but work, finally putting that gigantic frame to good use, as Keefe has long wanted. Shot attempts are 22-8 for the Leafs when he’s been on the ice.

Alex Kerfoot struggled to cement a spot for himself in the lineup during the regular season, but he thrived in Game 3 with Tavares and Foligno out. He logged a season-high 18.5 minutes, competing as hard as he could against much larger competition.

He also set up Nylander’s goal, winning a rare faceoff.

Campbell has delivered in his first NHL postseason.

That Nylander continues to make a mark without Tavares — and later Foligno — is also a sign of progress. He’s powering his own line, without Grade-A help, in a way we haven’t seen or expected from him before.

The Leafs are more difficult to stop that way, when Nylander is rolling (typically with Tavares) and Matthews and Mitch Marner are wreaking havoc up top. It’s a dimension that’s not been seen much at all in the playoffs.

This is truly new territory.

“You grow,” Nylander said of his own evolution. “The game’s harder (in the playoffs), and you learn over the years, and I mean, every time you lose, it digs even harder. You want to battle and battle and get better every year.”

Said Campbell: “He’s such a special player, and he’s bringing it.” 1188803 Toronto Maple Leafs What I appreciated about the Nylander goal was that it seemed to bring the Leafs to life: They had some really dominant shifts afterward, showing Nylander’s overt confidence.

Maple Leafs report cards: Jack Campbell steals the show (and the game) “He battled his ass off along the wall,” Sheldon Keefe said of Nylander. in third period, William Nylander strikes again 3rd star: Alex Kerfoot (LW, No. 15): So, playoff Alex Kerfoot is a different player. Who knew?

By Joshua Kloke May 25, 2021 That his 18:32 TOI was the second-highest total during his two seasons as a Leaf should tell you a lot about how well he’s playing and how much Keefe has also been digging his game.

Jack Campbell, everyone. There was more and more energy from Kerfoot, especially in the corners. His stick-handling was strong, and he showed more playmaking flair than The Maple Leafs goalie played very well through Games 1 and 2 of the in Games 1 and 2, continuing his strong postseason. His smart play first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens but elevated his game along the boards and no-look pass to Alex Galchenyuk on a two-on-one to new heights in Game 3. He stopped 28 of 29 shots, including 15 shots in the third period was a highlight. Then there’s the assist on the (!) in the third period, to propel the Leafs to a gritty 2-1 win. The Leafs Nylander goal, too. lead the series 2-1. “No matter what we’ve asked him to do — play wing, play centre, play The Leafs dominated the first two periods before a chaotic third in which up, play down, power play, penalty kill — he’s been really good for us,” Toronto mustered just two shots and spent most of the frame clinging to said Keefe of Kerfoot. “Again, there’s another guy that’s really stepped up its lead. Throughout, Campbell looked resilient, making save after save his game and given us a lot of really good minutes and taken on a lot of from in tight and under pressure. The Leafs will ultimately feel a lot more responsibility.” confident knowing they have a goalie who, in just his third NHL playoff game, is capable of stealing a win almost entirely on his own. A

“The work he put in before the playoffs started shows what it takes to Morgan Rielly (LD, No. 44): It looks like Rielly is playing with more compete at this level and that’s what he’s done,” said William Nylander of confidence and as a result moving the puck in a more precise manner Campbell. “He’s been unbelievable for us.” than he was to end the regular season. He used his stick well to thwart Canadiens’ attempts to create offence off the rush. On to the observations! There are obviously many elements to Rielly’s game. While I still think Player reports Campbell could have made the save on the Suzuki goal, perhaps Rielly 1st star: Jack Campbell (G, No. 36): Wayne Simmonds, postgame: could have also pressured the shooter a little more. And judging by his “Obviously, Soupy was the No. 1 star tonight. He was unbelievable.” face on the bench, Rielly knew it.

No argument there, Wayne. But hey, as soon as I finished typing that previous sentence, Rielly had scored a slick goal with a near perfect shot. Overall, he made really Campbell positioned himself well, and tracked the puck even better, to smart decisions with the puck and his quick thinking and aggressive play make timely saves early. with the puck far outweighed that one play on the Suzuki goal. His 83 percent five-on-five expected goals sticks out, too. BIG SAVE BY JACK CAMPBELL PIC.TWITTER.COM/OVZHTWAS4W A- — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MAY 24, 2021 Mitch Marner (RW, No. 16): Once again, but perhaps more notably than It was surprising to see Campbell not make the save on the Nick Suzuki he has been in a while, Marner made life difficult for the opposition on the goal, given how easily he could see the puck. That’s a save he has to penalty kill with his stick work. That included excellent peskiness during make. But hey, he made more than enough saves afterward, showing the those chaotic few minutes to end the game. kind of poise, athleticism and overall confidence in his abilities that are hallmarks of good goaltenders. I was most impressed by how tall he And I know so many people want Marner to shoot the puck more (I wrote stood when multiple Canadiens tried to jam the puck in close to the goal. something like that after Game 2!), but the list of people who can make as strong a pass as he did for the primary assist on the Rielly goal is He caught pucks well and continually settled the Leafs down. His run of short. form in the third period was exceptional and exceptionally calm. Given the circumstances, it would be fair to call this his most important WHAT A PASS BY MITCH MARNER performance as a Leaf, no? PIC.TWITTER.COM/T2KRMDU8BH

“I’m trying to focus on the next shot and trying not to mess up for the — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MAY 25, 2021 boys,” Campbell said. That is a teammate you want on your side. He led all Leafs with 24:25 TOI, got involved in many different ways and HIS NAME IS JACK CAMPBELL PIC.TWITTER.COM/RTH1LOH1NI ended up having five shots, second among all Leafs, so he can’t be faulted for his effort. — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MAY 25, 2021 Auston Matthews (C, No. 34): Keefe ahead of the start of the series after 2nd star: William Nylander (RW, No. 88): Nylander just keeps playing being asked about Matthews matching up against Phillip Danault: “I don’t better and better with the puck throughout these playoffs. feel the need to protect Auston from anybody.” “This is the Willie we know. He’s a dominant player when he’s on his AUSTON MATTHEWS WITH A BIG HIT ON DANAULT ALONG THE game. And we need that,” Campbell said. “He’s getting the boys going.” BOARDS PIC.TWITTER.COM/YINLV4NM1P Regular readers will know I hold Nylander in high regard for his ability to — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MAY 24, 2021 create opportunities on his own. What he’s showing as of late is an ability to not overthink things: He’s skating with confidence through the neutral Aside from his typically dynamic plays with the puck, Matthews’ zone and, if there’s a lane, he just puts the puck on net. And that’s where physicality in his own zone again made a difference as he attempted to his goal, the Leafs’ first of the game, came from. While some Leafs are separate Canadiens from the puck. inclined to make one more pass, Nylander has no time for that and scored his third goal in three playoff games. Also, if the next line of Maple Leafs hoodies doesn’t include photos of Matthews’ middle-of-the-scrum grin, they’re missing out on some serious NYLANDER LOOKS FOR THE PASS, SEES NOTHING AND TAKES cash. THE SHOT PIC.TWITTER.COM/ZXDFYXKICC SMILING THROUGH IT ALL, CAN’T BELIEVE THIS MY LIFE — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MAY 25, 2021 PIC.TWITTER.COM/F4KMZXY1NR

— STEVE SLADKOWSKI (@SLADKOW) MAY 25, 2021 Matthews was (again) strong on draws, winning 15 of 27 faceoffs. He led Joe Thornton (LW, No. 97): I really didn’t see much from Thornton after the Leafs with six shots. the first period, and when I did, it was him not making the most of chances near the goal. T.J. Brodie (RD, No. 78): Mr. Consistent wasn’t exactly Mr. Noticeable in Game 3. But with 19:10 of five-on-five time, the most of any Leaf, he put C- up 70 percent expected goals. He also had an assist. Impressive stuff. Riley Nash (C, No. 20): Nash made himself known on the penalty kill B+ early with good clears. His efforts limited the Canadiens to zero shots on the double minor. But he didn’t make a difference, either way, afterward. Rasmus Sandin (LD, No. 38): Sandin’s ability to separate himself from He won just two of five faceoffs. I’m really curious what his role is in the Canadiens and come away with the puck in the corners is encouraging lineup for the rest of the series. for his growth long term. There was not nearly as much offence from Sandin compared to Game 2, but he played well. Game Score

Zach Hyman (LW, No. 11): Hyman hasn’t consistently looked like the Game Score is a metric developed by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn to energetic player we saw at his best in the regular season, but he showed quickly measure a player’s performance in a single game. flashes of his tenacity in puck battles below the goal. His checking was effective, and he came into the game as it wore on. He has more to give Heat map offensively, and I think we’ll eventually see it this series. Natural Stat Trick helps us out with a snapshot of where the shots were B coming from Monday:

Jake Muzzin (LD, No. 8): I saw a lot of responsible plays from Muzzin on Final grade: B+ the penalty kill and in the third period. This was a weird game at times in that it felt uneven with penalties Pierre Engvall (LW, No. 47): I continued to like Engvall’s quick decision slowing down any serious momentum. The Leafs owned 58 percent of making with the puck in the neutral zone and his eagerness to move the five-on-five expected goals, thanks largely to having just 17 percent directly to the goal. He didn’t shy away from any nastiness close to the in the third period. It was during that third period, though, that the goal, which has to make Keefe happy. Canadiens really generated much in the way of dangerous looks.

B- “We don’t like defending as much as we did, but our guys defended very hard,” Keefe said. Zach Bogosian (RD, No. 22): Maybe not as much offensive play as in Game 2, but Bogosian was still doing Bogosian things. He was solid later Each goalie made a ton of controlled saves and deserved credit for in the game. keeping his respective team in the game.

SOME ZACH BOGOSIAN GAP CONTROL And so with the Leafs’ ability to create scoring opportunities having PIC.TWITTER.COM/MW1YORIDDE seemingly disappeared after Rielly’s eventual game-winning goal late in the second period, Campbell had to be brilliant. Yes, we’re only three — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MAY 24, 2021 games into the Leafs’ playoff run, so every assessment needs to be taken with liberal doses of salt. But if you’re a believer that a team cannot Wayne Simmonds (RW, No. 24): I liked Simmonds’ willingness to move go deep in the playoffs without elite goaltending, Campbell’s performance to the ugly areas of the ice in an effort to disrupt the Canadiens’ puck in Game 3 could have people thinking a little differently about what this possession. He threw his weight around and just as he has all series, Leafs team is capable of. Simmonds seemed to enjoy getting in the ear of every Canadien he could. I’m starting to think he’s been waiting all season for the opportunity What to watch for Tuesday in Game 4: Will Campbell play back-to-back to do just that. games? He essentially said postgame that he’d be up for it, and he’s clearly brimming with confidence. I don’t see why you don’t stick with the WAYNE SIMMONDS IS POPPING OFF ON THE HABS hot hand.

"ALL YOU F–KING GUYS!" PIC.TWITTER.COM/BLIDKBGYYH THE LAST TIME JACK CAMPBELL STARTED FOR THE SECOND — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MAY 25, 2021 TIME IN AS MANY NIGHTS: FEB. 8, 2020 IN MONTREAL.

Alex Galchenyuk (LW, No. 12): A difficult double-minor for Galchenyuk to CAMPBELL STOPPED 28-OF-30 SHOTS IN AN OT LOSS. take early on. But I thought he recovered well and showed no hesitation — JONAS SIEGEL (@JONASSIEGEL) MAY 25, 2021 trying to lay the body on Canadiens players with much bigger frames. Also, will Nick Foligno return after not being in the lineup with a lower- C+ body injury that made him a surprise exclusion Monday? Keefe said he’s Justin Holl (RD, No. 3): I didn’t love Holl’s game. The puck didn’t seem to day to day and will be a game-time decision. Nash is not a bad shutdown come off his stick quickly enough, especially in his own zone, and his option, but the Leafs are a better team with Foligno. pinch ahead of the Suzuki goal put Rielly in an unfortunate position. The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 But Holl did this during a frantic end to the game …

WHAT A BLOCK BY JUSTIN HOLL PIC.TWITTER.COM/QZOUPPMBQ0

— OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MAY 25, 2021

C

Ilya Mikheyev (RW, No. 65): Full marks to Mikheyev, and every one of the Leafs penalty killers, to start the game. Mikheyev had a few good touches in the offensive zone, but he wasn’t as much of a difference- maker as his linemates.

Jason Spezza (C, No. 19): More of a Carey Price note than a Jason Spezza one, but in case you’re one of the three people who has not seen Price’s save on Spezza yet:

CAREY PRICE ROBS JASON SPEZZA BLIND WITH THE PADDLE PIC.TWITTER.COM/MTYHM1COYD

— OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) MAY 24, 2021

Spezza won three of his six faceoffs in Game 3. 1188804 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL superstars. But he believed he still had more to give, even at age 36 — both to the Leafs’ young players but also individually on the ice.

“I want to play as long as I’m contributing,” Spezza told Mike Heika of Through the eyes of his father: The story behind Jason Spezza’s dream NHL.com in the fall of 2018, right before he played his 1,000th game. “I run with the Maple Leafs think I can play a few more years at a high level. And that’s what I’m going to try to do.

“Sometimes I think people were trying to read me my obituary last year, By James Mirtle May 24, 2021 and I wasn’t having it. I don’t think this is the end for me.”

It’s hard to picture now, given Spezza’s success in Toronto, but expectations were extremely modest when he signed with the Leafs two It was June 30, 2019 — the day before NHL free agency officially opened years ago. — and Jason Spezza had a secret. The deal was announced on the same day that fan favourite Nazem He hadn’t told anyone — even his father, Rino — what he was about to Kadri was moved to Colorado in a controversial trade for Alex Kerfoot do, even though for his family, it would change everything. and Tyson Barrie, a transaction that overshadowed an aging former star After 16 years and more than 1,000 games in the NHL, he was coming of a rival coming home on a league minimum contract. home. He was going to be a Maple Leaf. The Leafs had recently been burned by their experience with Patrick “He wouldn’t tell me,” Rino Spezza remembers. “I said ‘You better tell me Marleau, who signed a bloated contract and struggled to contribute, who it is.’ When he said Toronto, I was screaming. I was ecstatic. I just leading to the franchise packaging him with a first-round pick just to move couldn’t believe it. He’s playing for my Leafs. And coming home.” the deal.

Rino became a Leafs fan 52 years before his son joined the franchise. Spezza coming to Toronto was obviously different, given the lack of He was 10-years-old and had only recently immigrated with his family to salary cap implications, but his recent track record wasn’t exactly Toronto from the small town of Torre de’ Passeri on the Adriatic side of promising. Italy. In Dallas, he had back-to-back seasons with only eight goals and fewer Being good Italians, the Spezzas were soccer-crazy at that point. But a than 30 points. He was a healthy scratch by the 2018-19 playoffs, strange new game in Canada played with a puck on ice captured the replaced by veteran journeyman Justin Dowling for multiple games. newcomers’ imagination quickly. Spezza seemed destined to be a fourth-line reclamation project in Especially when the Leafs won the Stanley Cup almost right away. Toronto, a veteran who would come in and out of the lineup and chip in offence on the second power play unit from time to time. “I told Jason before the playoffs, what made me fall in love with the game of hockey was watching George Armstrong score in the open net to The fact he was scratched on opening night by then-coach Mike make it 3-1 when the Leafs won in ’67,” Rino said. “I came (to Canada) in Babcock, while a controversial decision at the time, only seemed to ’65 and thought ‘Boy, we’ll be winning the Cup every year!’ reinforce that.

“My passion for hockey grew so much it overtook soccer. And I passed it What’s happened since that point — and especially under coach Sheldon onto him.” Keefe — has been nothing short of remarkable.

Rino watched his beloved Leafs on Saturday night from his home in In Spezza’s final two seasons in Dallas, he finished 433rd in point Etobicoke with his wife, Donna. Recently retired from his role as a production among forwards at five-on-five, with just 1.03 per 60 minutes. building inspector for the city of Toronto, he doesn’t enjoy viewing In his two seasons in Toronto, he sits 24th in the NHL in that stat, with parties, as he gets anxious and intense for games, especially big ones 2.50 points per 60 minutes. like these against the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. While his ice time has remained low, Spezza’s minutes have been The elder Spezza was fired up when his son — a 37-year-old greybeard tailored to his strengths, which has allowed him to make the most of on a team full of young stars — scored the tying goal early in the them. And more than simply producing points, Spezza has filled a wide proceedings. Since his real allegiances are to the team, however, he variety of roles, moving up and down the lineup, playing both wing and explained that he was more pumped about the win, which evened the centre, on both special teams, and winning key faceoffs. series as it heads to Montreal for Game 3 on Monday night. He has also quickly endeared himself in the Leafs dressing room to his “I didn’t care who scored!” Rino said, laughing. “Obviously, it was a much younger teammates, as was evident after his big goal in Game 2. bonus when he scored. It was just exciting the boys got rolling there. That was great to see.” “He’s so calm, cool and collected out there,” marvelled Auston Matthews. “Nothing really rattles him. For a guy like that to just continue to make a Jason Spezza’s family had never really expected this particular moment. difference every single night for this team, it’s been pretty incredible to Ever since he was drafted by the Ottawa Senators 20 years ago, he had watch. That was a huge goal to get us back in the game tonight. He’s told his father that he simply couldn’t play for the Leafs. been playing great for us.” Not with the rivalry between the franchises. Not with how much his heart Stars GM Jim Nill, who acquired Spezza and brought him to Dallas in had been in Ottawa, after 11 seasons, including the final one as captain. 2014, isn’t surprised by the relationships he has forged already in It was only after five years in Dallas, including a couple of trying seasons Toronto. He believes he is the perfect fit for what the Leafs need given to end his tenure there, that Spezza had a change of heart. With his role the expectations and pressures they face. and ice time dwindling, and some in the game questioning if he was “Jason was such a big part of us changing the culture,” Nill said. “Really, reaching his best before date, he decided he could break his promise to what he’s doing in Toronto, he did in Dallas for us. He did a great job of not play for the Leafs. mentoring our younger leadership group. He did everything you could Spezza wanted to come home for a number of reasons. One was ask of him. obvious, in that he wanted to be closer to family and friends, given his “When the wheels were coming off and the team was struggling, he was four young daughters had grown up in Texas, a world away from the the calming voice that settled things down. I know he was so good for childhood he had known in Mississauga. Jamie Benn and some of our other players that way. He just has that But Spezza also wanted to feel useful again, instead of being treated like calming voice, and he has experience.” a declining asset. He wanted to win, yes, but he also wanted to be put in Those who have known Spezza for years aren’t surprised at his success a position to succeed and to pass on what he had learned after so long in with the Leafs. They have watched him put in tireless hours preparing for the league. these seasons in Toronto, knowing they could be his last. He had already started his transformation into a mentor in the years with the Stars, helping guide Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin as they became They are cheering him on, throughout the hockey world, explaining that he stands out as one of the kindest and most genuine people they’ve met in the game.

“He’s just an amazing guy,” said Stan Butler, his former junior coach. “We were an expansion team (in Brampton), and we won eight games. And it didn’t matter. Every game, he never gave up. He’s the most positive guy in the world. That’s just him.

“If he was your son and you went to parent-teacher interviews, they’d ask you ‘Why are you here?’ He’s one of those guys. He loved hockey. He loved everybody. And his dad is probably the best hockey parent I ever dealt with.”

“I’m so happy for them,” Butler added. “Not a lot would bring me to tears but seeing Jason win a Stanley Cup would. They are as good a hockey family as you’re going to meet.”

Rino Spezza explains that his son really takes his career at this point game by game, even if that’s become a hockey cliché. For Jason Spezza, it’s a lived reality, as he has watched opportunities slip away in the past, as he has fallen down the depth chart and, at times, out of the lineup.

He doesn’t take his success so far in Toronto for granted. He also doesn’t assume anything about his time with the Leafs lasting beyond this season, especially given he is the fourth-oldest skater currently playing in the NHL playoffs, behind only Zdeno Chara, Andy Greene and teammate Joe Thornton.

With the way he has played, however, even with his 38th birthday a few weeks away, it feels all but certain Spezza will be back next season. And perhaps even longer than that.

“He trains so hard,” Rino Spezza said, explaining how his son used to study tapes of how players like Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman played back when he was only eight or nine years old. “But he loves it. I think he took two weeks off this year, after the bubble. He wanted to be ready.”

Jason Spezza has made it clear Toronto will be his final NHL stop, telling other teams he will retire if claimed on waivers. But if this late-career renaissance stretches for another few seasons, before he moves into a front-office role, it’ll be a swan song few could have imagined back in 2019.

However long he plays, it’s clear his father will always be watching, and yelling at his TV, hoping his Leafs can finally end the more than 50-year drought that he has followed the whole way along.

His son is now wearing the jersey, but the goal remains the same.

“It just hasn’t happened,” Rino Spezza said, recalling some of his favourite Leafs players — led by Borje Salming — and the years Toronto has come close. “Hopefully these boys can do it.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021

1188805 Vegas Golden Knights

Wild save season with 1st-period outburst against Golden Knights

By Adam Hill May 24, 2021 - 11:07 PM Updated May 24, 2021 - 11:26 PM

The Minnesota Wild scored three goals in the first period of a playoff game for the first time in franchise history Monday night at T-Mobile Arena. They then held on for dear life in a 4-2 win over the Golden Knights to cut their deficit in the best-of-seven series to 3-2. Game 6 is 6 p.m. Wednesday at Minnesota. After scoring three times on seven shots in the first period, the Wild managed just seven shots the rest of the game, including an empty-net goal by Nico Sturm in the final minute that secured the victory. Minnesota still found itself ahead after two periods despite getting outshot 22-1 in the second. “We liked the first period, and (goaltender Cam Talbot) was able to save us in the second and then we did a pretty decent job locking down the third,” defenseman Ian Cole said. “Obviously the second period didn’t go as planned.” The Wild had scored just three regulation goals in the first four games before matching that output in the first 20 minutes Monday as they looked like a team desperate to stave off elimination. After Mark Stone scored his fourth goal of the series to put the Knights ahead, rookie star Kirill Kaprizov answered 52 seconds later with his first postseason goal. Kaprizov was playing on a reshuffled line with Mats Zuccarello and Victor Rask, a unit Minnesota coach Dean Evason had split up late in the regular season. The move paid immediate dividends. Their tally snapped Marc-Andre Fleury’s shutout streak at about 120 minutes and briefly opened the floodgates for the Wild. Veteran Zach Parise, a healthy scratch in the first three games, banked one in off the back of Fleury’s back to give Minnesota its first lead since the second period of Game 3. “There was a lot of emotion behind that one,” Parise said of the fist-pump celebration on his first goal since April 17. “I was pretty happy to see it go in and give us a lead at the time.” Jordan Greenway followedwith his first goal of the series on a tremendous individual effort, busting into the offensive zone and knocking home his own rebound. When the period was over, the Wild had set the team record for goals in the first period of a playoff game. They also had three goals in the first period of Game 3, but one of them was overturned on replay. The fast starts have been a signature of the Wild. Minnesota was second in the NHL with 60 first-period goals in the regular season. The Wild went 30-4-3 when scoring three or more goals. “We’re not going to start dreaming about winning the series until we get it done, but this was a great first step in the process,” Cole said. “It’s the first step in a very long journey to getting this done. Now we have to win Game 6.” LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.25.2021 Vegas Golden Knights So, for now, any thoughts and chatter that might eventually commence 1188806 should a Knights-Colorado playoff series actually become official have been paused. Column: Desperate looks good on Wild in Game 5 victory This one isn’t over. Put those seats in their upright position and secure those tray tables, is right. By Ed Graney Welcome (back) to Minnesota. May 24, 2021 - 10:51 PM LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.25.2021 Updated May 24, 2021 - 11:34 PM

You know what they say about giving life to a team that was straddling death’s doorstep in a best-of-seven-series … Um, be certain your seatback is straight and your seat belt is fastened and welcome to Minnesota? You betcha. It isn’t over yet, this divisional playoff matchup between the Knights and Wild, things being extended with Minnesota posting a 4-2 victory in Game 5 on Monday night at T-Mobile Arena. The announced crowd of 12,156 again sounded even more ear-piercing than the number suggests. Its lone consolation: Should the series reach its apex of a seventh game, it too will be contested here. “Obviously,” Knights captain Mark Stone said, “they were playing for their lives.” Starting off hot Minnesota was always going to dictate the opening 20 minutes. Teams can either become inspired by desperation or swallowed whole by it. The Wild chose the latter. They played that first period while grabbing a 3-1 lead with the desire you might expect a team straddling the reality of elimination. The Knights would allow just seven shots but weren’t always the more focused bunch. Like when four bodies allowed the not-so-speedy Jordan Greenway to blow (maneuver?) past them and score via his own rebound against Marc-Andre Fleury. Think of an uncontested layup during pickup ball at the Y and you get the idea about Minnesota’s third goal. But if you’re looking for a little pick-me-up when things go bad, discover what it is the Knights consume between periods. As in Game 3, they dominated the second 20 minutes as a group of teenagers might a playground full of elementary school kids. They would outshoot Minnesota 22-1 over the second and — yeah, this sounds crazy — it seemed even more one-sided than that. Five players for the Knights had more shots on goal in the period than the Wild. Like you know, the entire team. Minnesota merely survived. It wasn’t as strong a push from the Knights in the third, but they were still the better team. I’m also not sure defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore ever came off the ice. “They were opportunistic in the first period,” said Knights coach Pete DeBoer. “The looks they got, they found a way to put them in. I thought we pushed hard. There was a lot of good that happened. … If you replay that game, nine times out of 10 you probably win. We didn’t.” Little sticky? Here things go, then, back to Xcel Energy Center. The Knights took Games 3 and 4 there, essentially assuming control of the series while simultaneously removing that large monkey off their collective backs for having never won a game in regulation at the Wild’s home. But while the humidity level in Minnesota hadn’t yet made walking 10 feet to your car seem as though you just took a long shower, things were beginning to feel a tad steamy in the capital city of St. Paul. Think how hot under ‘the ol’ sweaters the Knights might feel if they can’t close things out in Game 6 on Wednesday night. History still likes them in this spot. They have in their short existence held a 3-1 lead four times and won three of the those series. Of course, the only one anyone remembers was — hello, Cody Eakin — when a certain San Jose team coached by a certain guy named DeBoer rallied back to eliminate the Knights in 2019. Vegas Golden Knights “It was one of those nights where the looks they got, they found a way to 1188807 put them in” coach Pete DeBoer said. “The puck was bouncing their way. They were opportunistic. I think we weren’t. I thought we pushed hard. There was a lot of good that happened tonight. Just didn’t stick enough Golden Knights fall behind early, headed back to Minnesota pucks in the net.” LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.25.2021 By David Schoen May 24, 2021 - 10:11 PM Updated May 24, 2021 - 11:24 PM

Alex Tuch lingered on the ice after the final buzzer, hunched over, the forward’s stick resting across his knees. The Golden Knights exerted maximum effort Monday night trying to come back from a first-period hole, but were left gasping for air at the end. Wild goaltender Cam Talbot finished with 38 stops, and the Knights missed an opportunity to close out their West Division first-round playoff series with a 4-2 setback in Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena. The best-of-seven series continues with Game 6 at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Knights lead 3-2, with the winner advancing to face Colorado. “I think if we come with the same effort we’ll get a different result, but we can’t be down 3-1 after the first period,” Knights captain Mark Stone said. “It finally cost us. We’ve been down in a couple games and been able to claw our way back, but today we just couldn’t get it done.” The Knights were looking to close out a series at home for the first time in franchise history, but their comeback fell short after Minnesota scored three goals in the first period. The road team has won four of the games in the series. Kirill Kaprizov, Zach Parise and Jordan Greenway had first-period goals, and Nico Sturm added an empty-net goal for the Wild. Alec Martinez scored on a power play in the second period to cut the Knights’ deficit to 3-2. Talbot stopped 21 of 22 shots in the period and helped Minnesota stave off elimination with a handful of key stops in the third. The Knights have lost seven of their past nine potential series-clinching games after going 3-0 in that scenario during their inaugural season en route to the Stanley Cup Final. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury allowed three goals on 13 shots and fell to 14- 20 during his career in potential series-clinching games, including four straight losses with the Knights. “I think we just have to be a little smarter, have a little more urgency with the puck the first period,” winger Reilly Smith said. “I really don’t think it’s anything major. We can’t wait until we’re down a couple goals to start upping our intensity.” Minnesota debuted new forward lines and stunned the announced crowd of 12,156 with three straight goals after Stone snapped a shot past Talbot for a 1-0 Knights lead at 8:14 of the first period. Less than a minute later, Mats Zuccarello weaved through the Knights defense and found an opening through the middle of the ice when Chandler Stephenson and Brayden McNabb collided. Zuccarello’s cross-ice pass connected with Kaprizov, and the rookie of the year favorite ripped a dart past Fleury’s glove for his first goal of the series that ended Minnesota’s streak of 120:36 without scoring. Veteran Zach Parise, who entered the Wild’s lineup in Game 4 after Marcus Johansson sustained a broken arm, banked a shot off Fleury from the side of the net following a hard bounce from the end boards. Jordan Greenway put the Wild ahead 3-1 with 3:26 remaining in the period when he jammed in his own rebound on the third attempt. The Knights responded with an onslaught against Talbot in the second period, tilting the ice for almost the entire 20 minutes. They finished with lopsided advantages in shot attempts (40-3) and shots on goal (22-1) as Minnesota bunkered down and tried to protect its lead. Martinez converted on a power play midway through the period, cutting the Wild’s lead to 3-2. The defenseman launched a one-timer from the right circle with nine seconds remaining on a delay of game penalty to the Wild’s Matt Dumba. 1188808 Vegas Golden Knights

Brayden McNabb returns for Golden Knights for Game 5

By David Schoen May 24, 2021 - 2:24 PM Updated May 24, 2021 - 9:39 PM

The Golden Knights received a boost on defense for Monday’s Game 5 of the West Division first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild at T-Mobile Arena. Brayden McNabb returned to the lineup after a one-game absence after coach Pete DeBoer termed him a game-time decision following the morning skate. “(McNabb has) been a key guy, especially against this team,” DeBoer said. “They’ve got some big, heavy forwards, and he’s a guy that makes people pay a price to go to those areas. The nice part is our depth on defense has allowed us to survive him being out for a night.” McNabb was scratched for Game 4 in Minnesota with an undisclosed injury. With McNabb back in his usual spot alongside Shea Theodore, Nick Holden remained in the lineup. Nic Hague was a healthy scratch for the second time in the past three games. Leading goal scorer Max Pacioretty and forward Tomas Nosek did not play after being game-time decisions again. Pacioretty hasn’t appeared in the series because of an upper-body injury sustained May 1 at Arizona, and Nosek left early in Game 2. Defenseman Alec Martinez, who hasn’t participated in morning skates recently, was in the lineup after also being listed as a game-time decision by DeBoer. “With these injuries, if there’s a knee and the guy’s out for months and we know he’s not going to be back or it’s a broken bone and we know it’s going to be three or four weeks, that’s obviously information that we would give you,” DeBoer said. “There’s a lot of injuries that aren’t those. Literally, a guy gets up and could be feeling great and could be an option to play with 24, 48 hours. That’s what we’re dealing with with all those guys.” Coke and a smile After Alex Pietrangelo swept the puck off the goal line late in Game 3 to help preserve the Knights’ win, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said he owed the defenseman a drink. “We shared a nice Diet Coke after the game, I’ll tell you that,” Pietrangelo said. The Knights led 4-2 when Joel Eriksson Ek jammed a loose puck past Fleury, only for it to kiss off the post and rest on the line. Pietrangelo, who didn’t have his stick, dropped to his knees and dived back, knocking the puck away with his right hand before Wild forward Jordan Greenway could get to it. “It’s desperation, you know? At that time of the game, this time of the year, you have to do everything you can to keep the puck out of the back of the net,” Pietrangelo said. “(Fleury’s) definitely covered my butt a few times, so I think I should be the one buying him a Diet Coke.” Captain Celly Mark Stone’s enthusiastic celebration after his short-handed goal in Game 4, punctuated by a “Let’s go, baby!” was all the rage on social media. What many didn’t see, according to DeBoer, was his reaction when Mattias Janmark blocked a shot in the final seconds to help preserve the shutout. “Stone’s on the bench and jumps up with his hands in the air like we scored an overtime winner,” DeBoer said. “That’s happening all the time. That’s why he’s our captain. That emotion he brings to our group is critical.” LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188809 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights dominate Wild, but come up short in Game 5 loss at home

By Justin Emerson (contact) Monday, May 24, 2021 | 11:59 p.m.

Alex Pietrangelo couldn’t catch up to the puck that sealed the Golden Knights’ fate on Monday night. It was a 137-foot bank shot by the Wild from the other end of the ice that landed in an empty net. Pietrangelo, after giving chase, also fell helplessly into the goal. The Golden Knights were dominant for 40 minutes of Game 5 of the first round playoff series, outshooting the Wild by an astonishing 32-7 margin in the final two frames. But a three-goal first period from Minnesota proved to be too much, and the empty-netter ended Vegas’ hopes of a comeback in a 4-2 loss at T-Mobile Arena. “If you replay that game, nine times out of 10 you probably win,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “We didn’t tonight.” Instead of clinching the series at home, Vegas will again attempt to eliminate the Wild on Wednesday in Game 6. If Vegas plays like to did Monday, even though the end result was a defeat, it should have a good chance to close the series. After all, there were some notable positives in the loss, including Mark Stone scoring his fourth goal of the series. The Golden Knights also broke through on the power play with Alec Martinez scoring in the second period with the man advantage. Vegas entered 1-for-11 on the power play in the series. But after allowing Minnesota to score three times on its first six shots, Vegas dug itself too big of a deficit. “The looks they got, they found a way to put them in. The puck was bouncing their way,” DeBoer said. “They were opportunistic, and I think we weren’t.” This game bore a lot of similarities to Game 3 in Minnesota last week, where the Wild had a terrific first period to grab a two-goal lead, but only had nine shots to rest of the game. Vegas came storming back with five goals for the win. The Golden Knights couldn’t again rally in Game 5, knowing they missed a chance to close out a series at home for the first time in franchise’s four-year history. “I think if we come with the same effort, we’re going to get a different result but we can’t be down 3-1 after the first period,” Stone said. “It finally cost us.” It’s hard for any team in this league to play from behind and win, even though the Golden Knights did just that in Games 2 and 3. Still, Vegas made things interesting in the second period by outshooting the Wild 22- 1. They had 40 attempts on goal in the second; Minnesota managed just three. So, the series will continue. The Golden Knights will travel back to Xcel Energy Center, a building in which they couldn’t win before last week, and in which they looked like they couldn’t lose in Games 3 and 4. It’s a shame for the Golden Knights because they had all the opportunities in the world to pack for Denver for a second round series with Colorado, and not St. Paul for another game with the Wild. “We could have easily tied the game up, could have easily been ahead,” Stone said. “If we capitalize on a few chances, I think we’re sitting here with a different outcome.” LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 05.25.2021 Vegas Golden Knights held to just one assist in the first four games, but he collected a beauty of 1188810 a pass from Mats Zuccarello and buried it into an open net just 52 seconds after Stone's goal. Golden Knights fall in Game 5 to Wild, series shifts back to Minnesota Kaprizov's goal ended the Golden Knights' shutout streak at 120:36 dating back to the first period of Game 3.

The desperation on the Minnesota bench was evident, and the Wild By Justin Emerson (contact) weren't ready to go home. Zach Parise, the former face of Wild hockey who was a healthy scratch for much of the season, but his team on top at Published Monday, May 24, 2021 | 3 p.m. 11:57, banking the puck in the net off Marc-Andre Fleury's back. It was Updated Monday, May 24, 2021 | 10:13 p.m. the first goal since April 17 for the former Devils captain when Pete DeBoer was coach there, and gave Minnesota a 2-1 lead.

Jordan Greenway was next, crashing the net and potting his own The Golden Knights gave everything they had in the second and third rebound at 16:34. It was the first time this series the Wild had three goals periods, but couldn’t score the equalizer against the Wild. in a game, much less a period, and it came on their first six shots of the game. Vegas surrendered three first-period goals in Game 5 of the best-of- seven first round playoff series, and despite a furious push in the final 40 Vegas and Minnesota each had seven shots in the first. minutes fell 4-2 at home on Monday. Fleury, defense have Golden Knights one win from series victory over The Golden Knights still hold a 3-2 series advantage as play shifts to Wild Minnesota for Game 6 on Wednesday. It's been 111 minutes, 30 seconds of game action since the Golden Vegas finished with a 40-14 edge in shots on goal — and, yet, still lost. Knights allowed the Minnesota Wild to score a goal this series. That After falling behind 3-1 in the first period, the Golden Knights held the stretches back to the first period of Game 3 when the Wild netted two. Wild to six shots for the remainder of the game while firing 33 Since then, Vegas has scored the last nine goals. themselves. Much of that is thanks to Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, whose .966 The onslaught led to a Vegas goal in the second period from Alec save percentage and 0.99 goals-against average lead all goalies this Martinez on the power play, but it couldn’t pull even and the Wild added postseason. And while Fleury has been tremendous, his defense is an empty-net goal with 38 seconds remaining to seal the win. helping him out too. The Golden knights have been able to keep the Wild's best offensive players in check, and another strong performance Vegas opened the scoring when Mark Stone got free and connected on a tonight could just be enough to end the series. clean look 8:14 into the contest for his fourth goal and fifth point of the series. Puck drop for Game 5 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas leads the series 3-1 and can clinch a playoff series at home for The Wild responded with three goals of their own, from Kirill Kaprizov, the first time in team history tonight. Zach Parise and Jordan Greenway. The three goals marked the most the Wild had ever scored in the first period of a playoff game, and was the "You don't build up a 3-1 lead in a series without contributions from all second time this series they had a multiple-goal lead. areas," Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said. "It's been different people in different areas every night that have helped put us in this position. But, The advantage was just enough, especially considering how the Golden obviously, that area in net has been key for us all year." Knights applied pressure in the second period, out-attempting the Wild, 40-3. The Wild thrived in the regular season on second- and third-chance opportunities against the Golden Knights, and those haven't been there The Golden Knights clearly didn't take kindly to falling behind multiple this postseason. The Wild have just four goals this series, and while goals in their own building. Because they looked angry in the second Minnesota has generated plenty of chances, the Golden Knights defense period, and turned it to a one-goal deficit heading to the third. has been good at allowing Fleury to make the saves. Vegas netted a power-play goal as part of a puck-possession clinic in the "They're good at taking us away on the points in the 'O' zone, so we middle stanza, and brought Game 5 with the Minnesota Wild within one really have to be strong in front of our net and do our best to create at 3-2 after two on Monday at T-Mobile Arena. offense in front of their net," Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. The Golden Knights decimated the Wild to start the second period, firing "They're going to get opportunities. I think the important part for us is off two quick shots in the first 20 seconds of the frame and never letting when they do get a chance is that (Fleury) is going to save the first one. up. At the second TV timeout of the period, the Golden Knights had 14 We've just got to make sure they don't a second opportunity and as a shots to zero for the Wild. group, collectively, I think we've done a great job of that so far." That stretch also included a goal. Vegas had struggled on the power play That's not to diminish Fleury's play, which has been spectacular. He for much of the series, but not this particular power play. There was good arguably stole the team to a Game 2 victory with a stellar first period. His puck movement all around and near the end of Matt Dumba's delay of 6.14 goals saved above expected (according to Evolving Hockey) lead all game, Alec Martniez unleashed a one-timer that found twine, his first NHL goaltenders, showing just how good he's been. point of the series. He's expected to return to the net tonight, starting his fifth game in a row. Vegas was just 1-for-11 with the man advantage entering the game, and The defense should get a nice boost with the expected return of Brayden Martinez's tally brought the game to within 3-2 at 9:43 of the second. McNabb. The veteran blue liner had a surprise absence at morning skate ahead of Saturday's Game 4, and he did not play that night, the first The Wild din't get their first shot of the period until there was 7:15 left in it, Vegas playoff game he had missed. He was back at skate today in his and it was the only shot of the period as Vegas led 22-1. usual place alongside Shea Theodore. Golden Knights fall behind Wild after one in Game 5 Nick Holden, who had two assists in a Game 3 appearance, is also The Golden Knights looked like they may have finally shaken the first- expected to play his third game in a row in favor of second-year player period woes that plagued them earlier in the series by scoring first in Nicolas Hague, who played Games 1, 2 and 4. Game 5. It went south after that. "The nice part is our depth on defense has allowed us to survive The Golden Knights scored first in Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild (McNabb) being out for a night," DeBoer said. "We haven't made a on Monday at T-Mobile Arena, then allowed three unanswered and decision yet on him for tonight. If he goes, he's a great addition for us. If trailed 3-1 entering first intermission. he can't, we're very comfortable with the six defensemen we're going to put out there tonight because of our depth." Maybe it wasn't crashing into the net and losing his mind, but Mark Stone still had quite the celebration when he opened the scoring at 8:14 of the Vegas has a 3-1 series lead for third time in three years, excluding last game. He had a clean look at the net and the way he's been playing year's first-round series against Chicago, where the Golden Knights led lately, you could have guessed what was going to happen. He beat Cam 3-0 and lost Game 4. In 2019 against the Sharks and last year against Talbot to the glove side to put Vegas up 1-0, but that was about it for the Canucks, a 3-1 lead needed a Game 7, with a 1-1 record in those good news for the home team in the first. games. The Wild had not scored all series after Vegas scored its first of the game and finally had an answer, and it was necessary. Kirill Kaprizov had been All-time, the Golden Knights are 3-4 in Game 5. They are 5-6 in games where a victory would eliminate the opponent, but just 2-6 in the last two seasons. Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Series: Golden Knights lead 3-1 TV: AT&T SportsNet (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760) Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM Betting line: Golden Knights minus-185, Wild plus-165; over/under: 5.5 (plus-110, minus-130) Golden Knights (3-1, West Division No. 2 seed) Coach: Pete DeBoer (second season) Points leader: Mark Stone (4) Goals leaders: Mark Stone, Alex Tuch (3) Assists leader: Chandler Stephenson (3) Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (0.99 GAA, .966 save percentage) Wild (1-3, West Division No. 3 seed) Coach: Dean Evason (second season) Points leaders: Five players (2) Goals leader: Joel Eriksson Ek (2) Assists leaders: Jonas Brodin, Marcus Foligno, Jordan Greenway (2) Expected goalie: Cam Talbot (2.52 GAA, .921 save percentage) Golden Knights projected lineup Forwards Alex Tuch—Chandler Stephenson—Mark Stone Jonathan Marchessault—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith Mattias Janmark—Nicolas Roy—Keegan Kolesar William Carrier—Patrick Brown—Ryan Reaves Defensemen Alec Martinez—Alex Pietrangelo Brayden McNabb—Shea Theodore Nick Holden—Zach Whitecloud Goalies Marc-Andre Fleury, Robin Lehner LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 05.25.2021 Vegas Golden Knights 4 to the tune of 0.13 on-ice expected goals at 5-on-5. When the fourth 1188811 line is shutting down a player like Kaprizov, it allows Vegas’ other lines to play without the rookie sensation on the ice. Golden Knights can accomplish franchise first with Game 5 win over Wild The Golden Knights have continued to struggle against the Wild’s line of Joel Eriksson Ek, Jordan Greenway and Marcus Foligno. Those three have three of the four highest expected-goals figures of any players in the series, including an eye-popping 76%, mostly against the Stone line By Justin Emerson (contact) and Shea Theodore pairing. Monday, May 24, 2021 | 2 a.m. And while the Golden Knights haven’t been able to completely blank Eriksson Ek and his line, they’ve been able to contain them with just two goals and six points — not exactly game-breaking. The Golden Knights can do something tonight against the Wild that they haven’t done in franchise history: Claim a playoff series at home. LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 05.25.2021 They’ve won five series all-time, but the clinching games came in Los Angeles, San Jose and Winnipeg in the inaugural season of 2017-18, and two in the Edmonton bubble last year. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena, with the Golden Knights holding a 3-1 series advantage. Here are three keys to ending the series tonight. Don’t panic The Golden Knights gave up the first goal in the first three games of the series and trailed 2-0 after the first period in Game 3. They won two of those games. Vegas has shown a knack for coming back this season, as evidenced by its 6-9-1 record when trailing after two periods — a number that doesn’t seem great but is more impressive considering the Wild were 5-13-2 in that situation. Coach Pete DeBoer half joked the other day that he’s going to stop talking about fast starts considering how poorly the first periods were in Games 2 and 3. There’s always the chance Minnesota scores first tonight. The Wild will be desperate to stave off elimination, knowing if they can steal Game 5 in Vegas, they’ll get Game 6 at home. Win that and who knows what will happen in a Game 7. That’s another aspect of the not panicking. The Golden Knights have held a 3-1 series lead three times in the last two years, and two of those required a Game 7, including the infamous 2019 collapse against the Sharks when Vegas surrendered four goals in the third period and fell in overtime. The Golden Knights can’t allow a Wild team with its back to the wall to grab a lead and keep it. It matters less if the Golden Knights score first and more that they don’t allow the Wild to ride any momentum generated from an early goal. Control possession Vegas took command of the series on Saturday in Game 4 with a 4-0 victory. While the score would indicate a dominating performance, a closer look at the stats reveals only 18 shots by the Golden Knights. That’s the fewest shots the team has ever had in a postseason game and a formula for a losing in Game 5. The easy explanation is that the Golden Knights capitalized on what few chances they had on Saturday. Mark Stone and Alex Tuch each created breakaways for their goals, and Nicolas Roy’s second goal was against an empty net. On the other end, Vegas allowed 35 Minnesota shots to force goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to once again be brilliant. While Fleury answered the challenge, the Golden Knights simply can’t rely on their goalie to maintain his current .966 playoff save percentage. The Golden Knights need to return to what makes them one the league’s best teams in keeping the puck away from the opposition and peppering repeated shots on goal. Keep Minnesota’s best players in check Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov will likely win the Calder Trophy as the league’s Rookie of the Year by a large margin, but he’s been kept in check with just one assist this series. Kevin Fiala had 20 goals and 40 points in the regular season but has yet to record a point against Vegas. What gives? The Golden Knights’ defense has stepped up, sometimes from unexpected places. While Vegas has used the William Karlsson line as the primary defense against Karizov’s line, the fourth line of William Carrier, Patrick Brown and Ryan Reaves neutralized him in Games 3 and Vegas Golden Knights The line of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Smith was 1188812 particularly good. In their 17:10 of shared even-strength ice time, the Golden Knights held a 25-4 edge in shot attempts and 10-2 advantage in shots. Golden Knights did everything but ‘stick pucks in the net’ in Game 5 loss to Wild “I thought that was our best line tonight,” DeBoer said. “I thought those guys were dangerous every time they were on the ice. (Karlsson) is the center on that line that really kind of stirs the drink. But those guys were real good all night.” By Jesse Granger May 25, 2021 Golden Knights fans have seen this movie before. Outshooting the opposition by a ridiculous ratio and still losing is something they’ve grown There’s a direct correlation between the Golden Knights’ frustration as a somewhat accustomed to. But despite the frustration a loss like this team, and the number of times coach Peter DeBoer uses the phrase causes, staying the course is the proper way to proceed, and the team “stick pucks in the net” after the game. knows that. There have been nights over the past couple of seasons when Vegas “It was one of those nights where the looks they got, they found a way to controlled the pace of play, held the vast majority of possession, outshot put them in,” DeBoer said. “The puck was bouncing their way and they and out-chanced the opposition, but left the ice without a victory. were opportunistic, and we weren’t. I thought we pushed hard. There was a lot of good that happened tonight, just didn’t stick enough pucks in the Monday was another one of those nights. The Golden Knights attempted net.” 83 shots to Minnesota’s 32. They had 40 shots on goal and held Minnesota to a franchise playoff low of only 14. They generated 36 There’s that phrase again. And he’s right. A similar performance in Game scoring chances while the Wild created only 15. 6 should yield a second-round appearance for the Golden Knights. But that’s easier said than done against a good, desperate Wild team playing They just didn’t stick enough pucks in the net. for its lives. And with that, the Wild escaped T-Mobile Arena with a 4-2 win and The Golden Knights now head back to St. Paul needing to do just about forced a Game 6 in St. Paul on Wednesday. everything they did on Monday in Las Vegas, and then stick a few more pucks in the net. “I thought we pushed hard,” DeBoer said after the game. “There was a lot of good that happened tonight, just didn’t stick enough pucks in the net. I The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 think if you replay that game nine times out of 10, you probably win. We didn’t tonight. But we knew this wasn’t going to be easy coming in.” Vegas has been prone to slow starts for nearly the entirety of this series. It looked like the Golden Knights bucked that trend when Mark Stone opened the scoring with a well-placed wrist shot to give Vegas a lead 8:14 into the game. It sent the capacity crowd of 12,156 jumping to its feet, and was Vegas’ 10th unanswered goal dating all the way back to Game 3. Everything was trending for a quick end to the first-round series, until it wasn’t. At that point, the Wild had scored only four goals on 116 shots in the series. But Minnesota would score three goals on its next six shots to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. “I think if we come with the same effort we’re going to get a different result,” Mark Stone said. “But we can’t be down 3-1 after the first period. It finally cost us. We’ve been down a couple goals and been able to claw our way back, but today just couldn’t get it done.” Minnesota scored the first goal in each of the first three games of the series. Prior to Monday night, the only game that didn’t happen was Game 4, when the Wild didn’t score at all. Overall, they’ve outscored Vegas 5-2 in the first period. “I think we just have to be a little smarter and have a little more urgency with the puck in the first period,” Reilly Smith said. “I really don’t think it’s anything they did. I think it’s self-inflicted wounds. We can’t wait until we’re down a couple goals to start upping our intensity.” A lack of intensity to begin the game is certainly a concern, and something that must obviously be cleaned up moving forward if Vegas is going to win this series. It’s a clear trend and a troubling one at that. But after the first period, the Golden Knights didn’t do much wrong. They outshot Minnesota 22-1 in the second period alone, and spent the final 40 minutes throwing pucks at Talbot, but managed to get only one past him. “I thought we played a pretty solid game,” Stone said. “We had lots of chances and could’ve easily tied that game up, or could’ve easily been ahead. If we capitalize on a few chances, I think we’re sitting here with a different outcome. Obviously, they were playing for their lives. They’re blocking shots and their goalie played well. We just have to capitalize on some more looks.” Minnesota deserves credit for limiting Vegas’ grade-A chances considering all the time spent in that zone. The Wild created a shell around Talbot and didn’t allow second opportunities in front. Building a two-goal lead early allowed them to employ that strategy in the first place. As this shot attempt chart from Natural Stat Trick shows, the game turned heavily in Vegas’ favor after the opening frame, but it wasn’t enough. According to Money Puck’s “Deserve to Win O’Meter,” which simulates 1,000 games and determines a win probability based on the quantity and quality of shots, Vegas had an 80.5 percent chance of winning the game. Vegas Golden Knights More than 12,000 insane fans came away are disappointed. But it was 1188813 the biggest indoor crowd in Las Vegas in the 15 months since a worldwide novel coronavirus virus killed nearly 600,000 Americans. LVSportsBiz.com learned this afternoon that Clark County government Golden Knights Lose Golden Opportunity to Close Out Series: Minnesota granted permission for the Golden Knights to have a capacity of 12,156 Holds On For 4-2 Win Before 12,156 In Vegas Monday fans for tonight’s game 5. Artist Sandra Nguyen Zalewski is selling each painting for $100. Contact her at [email protected] to buy this painting. By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com Fleury looked shaky. He has been brilliant this series leading into the game, coming off a 35-save shutout Saturday. Just the facts: Minnesota Wild 4 Vegas Golden Knights 2 Buy this painting from Sandra Nguyen Zalewski by emailing her at Shots on goal: VGK 40 Wild 14 [email protected] VGK goal scorers: Mark Stone, Alec Martinez LVSportsBiz.com LOADED: 05.25.2021 Series: VGK 3 games Wild 2 games Takeaway: Golden Knights have not closed out a playoff series at home Next game: In St. Paul at 6 PM Vegas time Wednesday *Mark Stone scored in the first period and the hockey arena’s fans erupted with a collective primal roar not heard in more than 15 months because of a brutal novel coronavirus pandemic. The Vegas Golden Knights had more than 12,000 rowdy, insane fans in the building and you heard all of them when Stone snapped a wrist shot past Minnesota Wild goaltender Cam Talbot 8:14 into period one of Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena Monday evening. It was a strange but welcome sound — a mighty blast of emotions to celebrate a 1-0 lead and a hopeful wish that the Golden Knights can close out this first round series and face the Colorado Avalanche in round two. The Knights have Clark County’s permission to fill the venue to 70 percent of capacity — 12,156 fans in an arena with 17,367 fixed seats. But the Wild would have nothing of it. Minnesota scored three straight goals against shaky VGK netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, with the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov (the rookie-of-the-year favorite), Zach Parise and Jordan Greenway all scoring their first goals of the series to give the Wild a 3-1 lead after the first 20 minutes. *The Golden Knights climbed back into this game on the power play, when defenseman Alex Pietrangelo fed Alec Martinez, who slammed home a goal with a one-timer. And at 9:43 into the middle stanza, the Knights were down, 3-2. Vegas dominated on defense, limiting Minnesota to no shots well into the second half of the period. With eight minutes left in the second period, the VGK were outshooting the Wild, 21-7. The Knights outshot Minnesota by a stunning 22-1 in the second period, which ended with the Wild hanging on to a 3-2 lead. The Knights dominated the third period. They outshot Minnesota, 40-14, overall but the Wild ended up with two more goals. And empty-netter in the final minute sealed the Wild’s Game 5 win. For the record, Nico Sturm scored with Pietrangelo crashing into the VGK net trying to stop the puck. Final: Minnesota 4 Golden Knights 2. Off to Game 6 in St. Paul, Minnesota Wednesday. It was 5PM, a full two and a half hours before the 7:30PM puck drop for the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild and the fans were already gathering in front of T-Mobile Arena. The DJ was blasting tunes and ol’ reliable, Matt Hefst the chess-playing flag guy, was in full flag-waving mode. So many VGK jerseys bearing the 29 number of Fleury, who is relishing a bounce-back season after enduring a back-up goalie role in last season’s postseason bubble, were scattered all over the plaza that serves a Las Vegas Strip town square between the 17,367-seat arena, the NY NY and Park MGM hotel-casinos and the NY NY parking garage. This Minnesota team has haunted the Golden Knights during their first four seasons in the National Hockey League. But my have the tables turned. After losing a gut-wrenching 1-0 overtime decision on home ice, the Knights have reeled off three straight wins, including the last two in St. Paul. 1188814 Vegas Golden Knights

Plenty of Single Tickets Starting At $200 Available For Tonight’s Golden Knights-Minnesota Wild Game 5 At T-Mobile Arena

May 24, 2021 Alan Snel Fleury By Alan Snel

If you are looking for one single seat, the Vegas Golden Knights have a seat for you at tonight’s potential series-clinching game between the VGK and the Minnesota Wild. It will cost you at least $200. ADD: Just learned from Clark County government this afternoon that the Vegas Golden Knights are approved for 12,156 fans for tonight’s game 5 vs Minnesota at T-Mobile Arena — via county spokesman Dan Kulin. The VGK did say more than 11,000 is fan capacity for Monday’s game. There are literally dozens of available single seats all around the 17,367- seat hockey arena for Monday’s Game 5 between the Knights and Wild. The Golden Knights are up, three games to one, after sweeping two games on Minnesota’s home ice Thursday and Saturday. The previous fan capacity was 8,683, or 50 percent. The Golden Knights are beefing up fan attendance capacity to more than 11,000 fans for tonight. It will be the biggest indoor crowd in Las Vegas since the COVID-19 pandemic struck and shut down the country in March 2020. Ticket prices range from $202 to more than $650. Single seats are available in many sections, especially in sections 104-117. Buy a painting by artist Sandra Nguyen Zalewski for $100 by emailing her at [email protected] It appears red-hot goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will be start again for the Golden Knights. Minnesota has been starting Cam Talbot in goal this series for all four games. If the Knights win tonight, they move on to play Colorado in the second round. Both the VGK and Avs each finished with a league-best 82 points during the amended 56-game pandemic season. But the Avalanche won the tie-breaker because it won more games in regulation. From the NHL: Thursday, May 27 The start time of Game 5 of the First Round series between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs has been set for 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 27, in Toronto. The game will be televised on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports in the Canada. In the U.S., the game will be on NBCSN. The start time of Game 6 of the First Round series between the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators has been set for 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 27, in Nashville. The game will be televised on NBCSN in the U.S. In Canada, the game will be on SN360 and TVA Sports. The starting times and national broadcast information for Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round games scheduled on Wednesday, May 26 will be announced following tonight’s games. LVSportsBiz.com LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188815 Vegas Golden Knights

Monday Morning Gambler: Golden Knights Bettors On A Streak — Again

May 24, 2021 By Dan Behringer

If you stepped up to the line and bet the Vegas Golden Knights after their Game 1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, well, good job. The Wild, as the world knows by now, stunned the VGK in Game 1, 1-0, but the price hadn’t really changed. You were laying around -170 but could have earned a more rewarding +170 on the puck line. And of course, the Golden Knights responded with a 3-1 win. Which set up pivotal Game 3. On the road at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Knights were a mere -110 this time. Was that a bargain price? Perhaps, and of course, the Las Vegas team won the game, 5-2, the first (and so far only) over in the series. Feeling more confident about backing the Golden Knights at the window by now? Confident enough to roll that winning ticket over at -120? Or even +200 on the puck line? Hindsight is easy in the world of sports betting, but if you kept the pressure on, you were once again rewarded as the Knights, with Marc-Andre Fleury in the net, blanked the Wild, 4-0. Fleury There was, of course, another way to play the Golden Hats in this series and that was to bet the series at around -250. If you did so, you may have had a queasy feeling after Game 1. But you’re obviously feeling better now and have some hedging opportunities with the Knights at home Monday in a potential series clincher. The price on the Las Vegas team is -185 for Monday’s game at T-Mobile Arena with the total again at 5.5. You can find the puck line around +150. — Weather WATCH: How much is wind a factor at the Las Vegas Ballpark? With a 30 mph wind blowing out to centerfield on Thursday night, the Las Vegas Aviators romped over the Salt Lake Bees, 16-8. The winds had died down the following evening but was still 12 mph out to center. The game was trending under — until the Aviators put up a 9 spot in the bottom of the seventh to win the game, 12-6. Both times the total was 12.5. The Aviators’ series with the Bees concludes with games on Monday and Tuesday. — Longshot: Yes, that was Phil “Lefty” Mickelson who won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, South Carolina on Sunday. If you were bold enough to bet the 50-year-old Mickelson, your ticket read something like +22500 or 225-1 — perhaps enough for some 50-year-old Scotch. Unless, of course, you plan to keep it as a souvenir. — Underdogs: Playing favorites in the eight games of the NBA Playoffs on Saturday and Sunday could have been hazardous to your bankroll. In those weekend games, the only two favorites who covered were the Brooklyn Nets (-8.5 vs. the Boston Celtics) and the Phoenix Suns (-2.5 vs. the Los Angeles Lakers). The Memphis Grizzlies, +8 vs. the Utah Jazz, topped off the weekend by beating the Jazz outright, 112-109. The Grizzlies were around +300 on the money line. — UFC in Arizona: A rematch between UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori is set for UFC 263 on June 12. Adesanya is currently around -265 and Vettori +225 for the bout at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. — Laugher of the week: If you played the Atlanta Braves vs. the overmatched Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, you were able to enjoy one of the laughers of the week. The Braves, who were -190 or even +110 on the run line, scored in every inning but one on their way to a 20-1 beat down of the Bucs. LVSportsBiz.com LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188816 Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas Golden Knights Fail to Close Out Wild in 4-2 Loss

Published 3 hours ago on May 24, 2021By Tom Callahan

Needing a victory to advance in the NHL playoffs, the Vegas Golden Knights instead dropped a difficult 4-2 decision to the Minnesota Wild on Monday night. Vegas now leads the series 3-2. Things looked good for the Golden Knights as Mark Stone scored to get the VGK on the board first at 8:14. But less than a minute later the Wild struck back on a Kirill Kaprizov goal at 9:06, his first of the playoffs. After that, the Wild scored twice more to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. Vegas would get a little closer with Alec Martinez’s power-play goal, his first of the playoffs. But despite putting on the pressure late, the Golden Knights were unable to score and an empty-net goal from Nico Sturm sealed the win for Minnesota. The Takeaways Marc-Andre Fleury faced only 13 shots on the night, stopping 10 of them. While not his best outing, Fleury still played a good game in taking the loss. Minnesota only registered one shot on goal in the second period. Vegas had 22 shots in the second period and 11 more in the third, but Cam Talbot stood tall and held it together for the Wild. Even with tonight’s result, the Vegas Golden Knights still look to clearly be the better team in the series. But as we’ve seen, this team struggles to finish sometimes and tonight was another one of those nights. Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 05.25.2021 1188817 Vegas Golden Knights

Marc-Andre Fleury’s Early Case for Playoff MVP

Published 10 hours ago on May 24, 2021By Tom Callahan

Marc-Andre Fleury is making an early case for why he should be the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the playoff MVP every year. Fleury is joined by other candidates like Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nathan MacKinnon from the Colorado Avalanche. There’s no arguing that Fleury has been the best player on the Vegas Golden Knights so far. He’s already made a litany of highlight-reel saves and kept the VGK in games or periods they had no business sticking around in. The stats say 3-1 record, 0.99 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage. The last two stats are tops in the league right now, with Hellebuyck ranking second in save percentage (.958) and third in GAA (1.55). Those numbers are all the more impressive against the Edmonton Oilers, who are struggling and find themselves down 3-0 to the Jets. MacKinnon and Kucherov have been pure forces of nature in their respective series. Both players have nine points, and MacKinnon leads all playoff scorers with six goals. No other player has more than three (Kucherov is one of them). While the St. Louis Blues didn’t look like they were presenting a challenge to the Avs at any point in that series, MacKinnon has still looked like an absolute beast. So really, there are three players I think have stood out in the first round so far as early finalists. Fleury, Hellebuyck and MacKinnon have been the most dominant players so far. To argue Marc-Andre Fleury further, consider that a bounce or a break going the other way would see Minnesota already eliminated instead of winning Game One 1-0 in overtime. And even that shot had to deflect off his own defenseman to beat him. If you want some high degree of difficulty saves Fleury has those too. In fact, I don’t know if the quality of chances he’s faced in this series will be fully appreciated because there’s too much of a tendency to say “well, it’s Minnesota” based on outdated impressions of the Wild. What will really advance the cases of either Fleury or MacKinnon will be the individual’s success in the pending second-round matchup between the Golden Knights and Avalanche. Colorado has already advanced, and it would appear that Vegas is poised to do the same. The interesting side effect of this pending matchup is that it completely eliminates one of the top two playoff players so far when the dust settles. For me, the real argument for MVP boils down to which player his team could least have had success without. Who had the biggest impact? Not always an easy question to answer. For every clear-cut winner, there are two more that requires serious debate. Sometimes it can feel like an honorarium instead of a deserving award. And remember, that player is going to come from the last two teams standing in the Stanley Cup Final. At this point, I can see a Stanley Cup Finalist coming from the Honda West Division. In a way, the anticipated matchup between the Golden Knights and Avs is a Stanley Cup in miniature, a series that will be labeled a classic even before it reaches its climax. Given what Marc-Andre Fleury has done in the first round not only with numbers but highlight-reel saves, I can’t help but feel he has put himself in a prime position to claim the Conn Smythe when the time comes. The Vegas Golden Knights aren’t there yet, but this team is looking better and better as the first round wears on. Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 05.25.2021 Washington Capitals Capitals drop Game 5 to Bruins, make another first-round exit from the 1188818 Stanley Cup playoffs

It is unknown whether Chara, 44, will keep playing. The contract he After another first-round exit, where do the Capitals go from here? signed before this season was a one-year deal. Samsonov’s restricted free agent status opens the goaltending question. The 2015 first-round draft pick has long been dubbed the team’s Samantha Pell goaltender of the future, but the 24-year-old missed extended periods after numerous off-ice issues that mirrored Kuznetsov’s. May 24, 2021 at 1:50 p.m. UTC Like Kuznetsov, he was also unavailable to start the postseason after landing on the covid-19 protocols list May 4. He started Games 3, 4 and When the Washington Capitals look back at their 2020-21 season — 5, the first time in his NHL career he had made three consecutive starts. marred by injury, a suspension, coronavirus problems and disciplinary He was 13-4-1 with a 2.69 goals against average and a .902 save issues — there is no mistaking the feeling of another missed opportunity. percentage in the regular season. He was 16-6-2 with a 2.55 goals A franchise with an aging roster built around a veteran core made a against average and a .913 save percentage in the 2019-20 season statement with the offseason hiring of Peter Laviolette as coach: The while backing up Braden Holtby. Capitals were ready to win — and win now. When on the ice, he was the team’s best playoff goalie — despite his But after Washington was ousted in the first round for the third straight miscommunication with defenseman Justin Schultz that ended Game 3 in season after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Capitals are left with a double overtime. burning question: Where do they go from here? Moving forward, management will have to decide whether Samsonov’s Any such question starts, as it often does, with Alex Ovechkin. The continued progress makes him worthy of being the team’s starter or if the captain will be 36 when the puck drops on the 2021-22 season, and he is Capitals need to look externally to find their No. 1. Washington also could set to become an unrestricted free agent July 28. Ovechkin, who has look for a veteran to pair with Samsonov next season — similar to last been negotiating with General Manager Brian MacLellan, did not want to offseason, when it signed Henrik Lundqvist. comment on contract talks Sunday night. Rookie Vitek Vanecek, injured early in Game 1, remains an option after Other issues include the goaltending situation, what to do with the he demonstrated his ability to fill in as the No. 1 goaltender early in the inconsistent Evgeny Kuznetsov and July’s Seattle Kraken expansion season after Samsonov went on the covid-19 list in January. But draft. Vanecek was the team’s third option heading into the season, and he could be exposed in the expansion draft. Svrluga: The Capitals bowed out early again. Now they have plenty of questions to answer. Washington Post LOADED: 05.25.2021 After Ovechkin, Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie are the biggest names with uncertain futures. Kuznetsov, 29, just finished the fourth season of an eight-year, $62.4 million deal, and there is frustration in the organization over his lack of on-ice production coupled with off-ice problems, according to those familiar with the situation. He was absent from 15 of the team’s 56 regular season games and had only 29 points (nine goals and 20 assists) while missing time for violating covid-19 protocols and for disciplinary reasons. He was a non-factor in three playoff games after he was unavailable for two weeks after testing positive for the coronavirus for the second time this season. If the team decides to move on from Kuznetsov — either via trade or by making him available in the expansion draft — it would open up a spot at center, perhaps making room for a prospect (such as Connor McMichael) or to bring in another top-level forward in a trade or free agency. Oshie, who suffered an injury near the end of the regular season that appeared to linger into the series against Boston, has long been the subject of speculation for the expansion draft because of his costly contract. For the July 21 expansion draft, teams can protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender, or they can protect any combination of eight skaters and one goaltender. While Ovechkin would be a lock to shield under contract, there has been speculation the team could let him go unsigned heading into the expansion draft. That would allow the Capitals to protect another forward. Seattle could select Ovechkin, but there is a risk of losing him in free agency when he is allowed to negotiate with whatever team he wants starting July 28. The Capitals left Oshie exposed in the 2017 Vegas expansion draft; he signed an extension with the Capitals days later. Oshie, 34, has four years remaining on his contract, which carries an annual salary cap hit of $5.75 million. Oshie, who had 22 goals and 21 assists this season, showed he can still play at a high level, but there could be concerns about pairing his production with his contract. His heart-and-soul impact on the team, however, is widely acknowledged as crucial to the culture and core of the club. The decisions on Ovechkin and Oshie — and other expansion draft moves — also will have ripple effects on the roster and salary cap. The biggest pending unrestricted free agents are Ovechkin, Michael Raffl, Zdeno Chara, Daniel Carr and Craig Anderson. Ilya Samsonov is the team’s lone marquee restricted free agent, and he also has arbitration rights. Washington Capitals 2.69 goals against average — available for the Kraken. Washington 1188819 seems primed for another season of uncertainty in net.

Beyond Vanecek, winger T.J. Oshie could be another option for Seattle Capitals' offseason direction hinges on Ovechkin to select in the expansion draft. The 34-year-old has four years remaining on his deal, which is valued at $5.75 million a year. The Kraken might not be willing to take on a contract of that size for a player of Oshie’s age. By Andy Kostka - The Washington Times - Monday, May 24, 2021 Washington is the oldest team in the NHL, with an average age of 30.26. The New York Islanders, at 28.77, are the next oldest squad. The Capitals started 12 players aged 30 or over on Sunday, and just two The players milled about the ice, raising their sticks into the air, saluting were under 25: Daniel Sprong and Samsonov. the limited crowd at Capital One Arena there to witness another first- The Capitals seemed to run out of gas by the end of Game 3, facing round disappointment. Then those Capitals skated toward the bench, double overtime after two overtime games to begin the series. Boston hopped off the ice and walked down the tunnel into the offseason. has its fair share of veterans, but several younger stars stand out, such The Capitals flamed out of the postseason Wednesday in the first round as 24-year-old David Pastrnak. for the third straight year, this time losing to the Boston Bruins in five By Game 5, Washington peppered the cage with shots but couldn’t break games. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, Washington has through. Ovechkin recorded four points in the series, but many of the remained a regular-season power before dulling in the playoffs. other stars were transparent in the postseason. And now the Capitals will enter an offseason of intrigue, full of unknowns “I can tell you this: the guys that were here, the core guys that you’re and potential player movement. The futures of individual stars are talking about, are a big reason we had success in the regular season that uncertain and the direction of the team as a whole remains unclear. we did,” Laviolette said. “They’re terrific players; they’ve been terrific Much of that hinges on Alex Ovechkin, who will become an unrestricted players here. … They’ve been the cornerstone of this team for a long free agent this offseason. time, and they were of this team for the regular season.” But there are other considerations, too, spanning from possible trades to After a strong regular season, though, Washington fell flat for the third the Seattle Kraken’s expansion draft. There’s another element, too. For straight playoff series. The Capitals have won five of the 17 playoff an aging core group of players who looked gassed by the end of the games they’ve competed in since winning the Cup in 2018. series, there’s wonder if Washington’s playoff window is sliding shut — or if it has already slammed closed. That leaves a long offseason to wonder if the window is closing on this Capitals team — and for its aging stars — to hoist the Stanley Cup With Ovechkin on the ice, there is a star to build the team around. But will together again. he be on the ice in Washington next season? “Every year you have a chance of winning and it’s just it’s a matter of “Well, I’d like to think he’s going to be back,” coach Peter Laviolette said. how we play out there,” center Nicklas Backstrom said. “That’s pretty “This is his team. That’s business that gets taken care of on a different much the answer to that. Every time you’re lacing up the skates when the day.” season starts, you’ve got a chance of it. That’s what we believe.” The chances Ovechkin departs for another NHL team appear slim. His Washington Times LOADED: 05.25.2021 13-year deal is coming to an end, but he and general manager Brian MacLellan have said discussions have taken place. And in a Russian- language interview in November, Ovechkin said he’d like to finish his NHL career with the Capitals before returning to Dynamo Moscow of the KHL. But Ovechkin was less outwardly certain last time he publicly commented on his contract, appearing on 106.7 The Fan in April. When asked if he saw his future in Washington, Ovechkin said: “We’ll see, yeah. We’ll see.” Ovechkin again dodged the topic Sunday night after the 3-1 loss to the Bruins in Game 5. “We just lost in a playoff series,” Ovechkin said. “Let’s talk about my contract and all those stuff later on.” Ovechkin is the critical piece in the puzzle for Washington this offseason, but there are other considerations as well. With another inconsistent season from center Evgeny Kuznetsov — he had 29 points in the regular season and was a nonfactor in three playoff games — the Capitals could aim to trade the 29-year-old. Kuznetsov and goaltender Ilya Samsonov were suspended earlier this season one game for being late to a team meeting, and the pair landed on the coronavirus protocol list twice — forcing them to miss the series’ opening two games. Kuznetsov still has four years left on an eight-year, $62.4-million deal, and TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported earlier this month that Kuznetsov began to “irritate” some members of the organization. His potential departure could open a place for a younger prospect, such as Connor McMichael, at center. Washington must also commit to a goaltender again this offseason. After allowing Braden Holtby to depart in free agency last summer, the Capitals planned for Samsonov and veteran Henrik Lundqvist to split time. That’s not how it worked out; Lundqvist missed the season because of a heart condition, leaving Samsonov and rookie Vitek Vanecek as the two primary netminders. The duo performed about as expected, with as many ups as downs in their first years of concentrated NHL action. But Samsonov is a restricted free agent this offseason, meaning the Capitals must commit to him or move for an external option. And in the expansion draft, Washington can only protect one netminder. That likely leaves Vanecek — who posted a .908 save percentage and Washington Capitals Samsonov, would become Kuznetsov’s partner in crime with a lack of 1188820 maturity on and off the ice?

And now we sit with all sorts of questions about the future of this team, Capitals will never know if Trotz might have made the difference as they squandered three seasons in the twilight of Alex Ovechkin’s career – a career that is now in question. He is set to become a free agent this off-season. When asked about his contract following their 3-1 elimination loss to Boston Sunday, Ovechkin said, “We just lost a playoff By Thom Loverro - - Monday, May 24, 2021 series. Let’s talk about my contract and stuff later on.” No one seriously expects Ovechkin to leave. Everyone assumes the I wonder what that meeting was like back in June of 2018 between Ted business of arrogance that has put this franchise in this position doesn’t Leonsis and his men of intelligence, empathy and compassion. extend so far as to say goodbye to one of the greatest athletes this town has ever seen. They were likely still basking in the glow of their Stanley Cup victory. Heck, they may have had the Cup sitting right there on Ted’s desk while But hey, Morgan Moses is gone. they discussed the business of happiness. Anything’s possible — even showing the door to the coach who helped Barry Trotz, the coach of their Stanley Cup championship team — the lead you to your only Stanley Cup title. first one the franchise had won in its 44-year history — wanted a new Washington Times LOADED: 05.25.2021 contract that would take him from being among the lowest-paid coaches in the league to one of the highest, at $4 million a year. But Trotz had a deal that the men of intelligence, empathy and compassion were determined to hold him to — a two-year extension of his existing contract with a $300,000 bonus for bringing the franchise its greatest single moment. After all, they had Todd Reirden, Trotz’s assistant and apparently the real architect of the team’s success. “Todd has played an integral part in helping lead our team to the Stanley Cup championship,” general manager Brian MacLellan told reporters upon the departure of Trotz and the hiring of Reirden. “We feel his appointment as head coach will enable our organization to transition seamlessly into the next season and beyond.” Maybe these men of intelligence, empathy and compassion sat in that room, looked at the Cup, and said, “How hard can it be?” Apparently, after the Washington Capitals’ third straight first-round exit from the NHL playoffs, it’s harder than it looked in 2018. Maybe somebody should write a book called, “The Business of Arrogance.” There has been little seamless since Trotz left. “Beyond” didn’t last long for Reirden, fired after two seasons of first-round failures. On Sunday, the Caps were again shown the playoff door early, this time with their Trotz replica, Peter Laviolette, a coach who, like Trotz, had won a Stanley Cup and would wind up being paid the money that Ted and his brain trust could have paid Trotz. But they were too smart for that. The Capitals’ current coach, one with a Stanley Cup on his resume, wasn’t good enough to change the outcome from the two previous seasons. All that money to Laviolette and still the Capitals managed to nab just one of five games from the Boston Bruins. And despite all sorts of reasons — similar and dissimilar — for the early exits since Trotz left, it’s impossible to ignore the line that connects those events. Based on his remarkable 2018 Stanley Cup playoff performances, the powers that be likely believed Evgeny Kuznetsov was about to step up to become one of the top scorers in the league. They likely didn’t count on him being suspended for cocaine use and becoming an irresponsible teammate who has embarrassed the organization with COVID protocol violations and disciplinary benchings. That could have happened under Trotz as well. We’ll never know. Instead, they took place under a rookie head coach and then this year with an unfamiliar face in charge of the volatile Russian star. The chaos around the net this season could have happened under Trotz as well. They let Braden Holtby leave for free agency because of salary cap restraints and signed legendary goaltender Henrik Lundqvist for one year as a bridge and mentor to the team’s young goaltenders. But who could have predicted that Lundqvist would miss the season with heart surgery and one of those young, promising goaltenders, Ilya 1188821 Washington Capitals

Ovechkin to miss World Championship with injury, but Orlov and Samsonov will join Team Russia

By Andy Kostka - The Washington Times - Monday, May 24, 2021

The Washington Capitals’ season ended Sunday night with a loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of the first-round playoffs matchup, but defenseman Dmitry Orlov and goaltender Ilya Samsonov aren’t done playing yet. The duo will join Team Russia at the 2021 World Championship, which began May 21 and runs through June 6 in Minsk, Belarus and Riga, Latvia. Alex Ovechkin, meanwhile, wasn’t included in the Russian team “due to injury,” according to the International Ice Hockey Foundation’s release. Ovechkin missed seven games late in the season with a lower-body injury, but he returned against the Bruins, scoring two goals and adding two assists in the first four games of the series. Ovechkin was one of several key players nursing injuries before and during the series. “We all played,” center Nicklas Backstrom said. “I feel like at this time of the year, everyone on every team have players that’s banged up. No excuses there.” Samsonov started the final three games of the series — starting three straight games for the first time in his NHL career — and provided mixed results. He recorded 40 saves in Game 3, but one miscommunication in double overtime with defenseman Justin Schultz led to Boston finding the winner, casting a pall over his performance. In Game 4, the 24-year-old posted 33 saves in the 4-1 defeat, and he stopped 16 of the 19 shots he faced in the series-ending Game 5. Samsonov had missed two weeks entering the postseason, landing on the coronavirus protocol list for the second time this season. “There were things that he did — I mean, you guys watched the series, so you know the highs and the lows and the goods and the bads,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “He’s a young goaltender that went in. He did it coming off a big layoff.” And Orlov contributed three assists during the first-round series, but he was part of a defense that crumbled against the Bruins’ speed in the latter portion of the matchup. Team Russia also called up winger Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues to the World Championships team. Before Tarasenko, Orlov and Samsonov can play, they must quarantine for six days while receiving daily coronavirus tests. Washington Times LOADED: 05.25.2021 Winnipeg Jets Once again, I was wrong. So very, very wrong. Although, let the record 1188822 show that my other playoff picks are looking pretty good right now. Colorado and Boston both advanced quickly. Tampa Bay, Vegas and Toronto are leading. Carolina is tied. Other than whiffing on Winnipeg, Put down the pitchforks: I admit I underestimated these Jets the only other one in immediate peril is Pittsburgh, who trail the New York Islanders 3-2.

As for Jets vs Oilers, I had no rooting interest, other than wishing the Mike McIntyre 5/25/2021 games would have ended a lot quicker so I could easily meet late-night newspaper deadlines. But as a proud, born and raised Winnipegger, I'm happy just because I know so many of you folks are happy. We can How sweep it is for the Winnipeg Jets, vanquishing some of the ghosts of certainly use a healthy dose of good news around here given the sorry playoffs past by wiping out the Edmonton Oilers in the wee hours of state of affairs caused by COVID-19, way-too-high case numbers, Tuesday morning in a brief, but certainly memorable, series. hospital overcrowding and ongoing public health restrictions. Three straight overtime contests, including the clincher going to a My social media timelines, often filled with nothing but dread and anger, franchise-record three extra sessions. A comeback for the ages. And were a beacon of light over the long weekend, thanks largely to what was every second of the epic action played in empty rinks with a global happening with the local hockey club. A friend of mine, a nurse run off pandemic still calling the shots. her feet in a city hospital, said this of Sunday's improbable triumph: "The game was a much-needed boost for people feeling overwhelmed and Winnipeg and Edmonton have now shaken hands seven times following negative." NHL post-season battles dating back to the early 1980s, but this marks the first time it ends with the Jets being the ones who get to keep playing. I saw it again walking into the downtown barn prior to an even bigger If only the late, great Dale Hawerchuk was still around to see it. "Ducky," victory Monday night, as an impressively long parade of vehicles circled who died of cancer last summer, would have loved every second. the streets, honking to the tune of "Go Jets Go" in unison, dozens and dozens of them, with fans waving pom-poms and shouting their support. Now be honest: Who could have seen this coming? Certainly not me, considering I picked Winnipeg to bow out quickly and quietly to mighty COVID-19 means no street parties and no crowds, but fans have still Connor McDavid and company, suggesting they'd win but a single game found a way to show their support. Dubois, the 22-year-old acquired in on their way to being eliminated in five. the blockbuster mid-January trade, noted Monday how he's still yet to play a home game in front of a crowd of any kind, but heard folks loud CP and clear as he left the building late Sunday which gave him "goosebumps." Whoops. The demands for a public apology started arriving by email shortly after CP the Game 1 victory in Edmonton last Wednesday, really picked up steam "This year hasn’t been easy for anybody. It’s been really tough, whether after the 1-0 overtime triumph on Friday and reached a crescendo after it’s friends or family or just people you know, and with these playoffs, to Sunday's 5-4 rally for the ages. Heck, one reader suggested I had a see people excited, to see people happy even if they’re not in the stands, bright future working for Environment Canada given the accuracy of my it means a lot," said Dubois. forecast. Zing! Jets coach Paul Maurice told a funny story on Monday afternoon about a And now, the pitchforks will really be pointed in my direction. So with that family friend who had their Apple watch fire off a warning that he was in mind, here's my mea culpa folks: I was wrong. Like really, really wrong. over-exerting himself during exercise. Except he wasn't running laps or It was never personal, nor was it an attempt to prove I'm not a "homer" by on a cross-trailer — he was sitting on his couch. going against the grain. The Jets winning this series is a hell of a story, "They were just watching the game. The fitness alarm went off that the the kind that hockey scribes like yours truly love to tell to the local heart rate was too high. So at the very least for one person in Manitoba audience. In that sense, it's good for business, just as it was when we're working on their conditioning," said Maurice. Winnipeg went all the way to the Western Conference final back in 2018. As I said, it's a terrific story. And I look forward to telling the next chapter I just didn't see it happening, not with the way Winnipeg limped towards of it, with the Jets set to take on either the Maple Leafs or Canadiens in the regular-season finish line, had question marks about the health of key the second round. I'll likely offer my public opinion on that one, too, and I forwards and were getting ready to face an opponent that had the NHL's can't promise it will favour the home club. top two scorers and dominated them in head-to-head play, including six straight regulation victories and seven of nine. But there's no question that, after what I witnessed over this past week, the Jets have gone a long way to making more of a believer out of me. CP Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 05.25.2021 And just as I clearly underestimated the team I cover for a living, I also overestimated the Oilers. Once you take McDavid and Leon Draisaitl out of the picture, there's not a whole lot of depth upfront. Certainly not enough to compete with what the Jets have with the likes of Nikolaj Ehlers, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Paul Stastny and Andrew Copp in the lineup to go with their top trio of Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and game 4 hero, Kyle Connor. Ehlers, Dubois, Stastny and Copp, may I remind you, were question marks heading into the series when I gazed into my crystal ball. Copp and Stastny were ready to go by Game 1, Dubois joined the party in Game 2, and Ehlers got cleared for takeoff by Game 3, where he made an immediate impact. Not that I'd ever take him for granted, but Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck served up a reminder of why he's among the best at his craft, outplaying 39-year-old Mike Smith which gave the Jets an advantage in every game. According to Natural Stat Trick. the Oilers outchanced the Jets 135 to 94 over the four games, yet never found a way to get a single win. That, folks, is getting Hellebuycked. Throw in some clutch special teams and a truly impressive commitment to team defence and self-sacrifice that wasn't always there in the otherwise low-stakes regular season — Winnipeg blocked an incredible 47 shots in Game 4 alone, none bigger than the one their captain and highest-paid player, Wheeler, stopped with his groin late in the third period — and perhaps it's not really a surprise that we are where we are. Winnipeg Jets through, your penalty kill come through, your goaltender come through. 1188823 There was an awful lot."

With no injuries from Sunday's match, Jets head coach Paul Maurice Jets sweep Oilers, punch ticket to second round went with the same lineup, including running Connor Hellebuyck on back- to-back nights despite a busy 44-save affair in Game 3. Maurice said earlier in the day he wasn't concerned by the workload and wasn’t willing to take any chances, adding "there isn't a chance in hell he's not starting Jeff Hamilton12-15 minutes 5/25/2021 tonight." Hellebuyck has been exceptional in the series, stopping 114 of 119 shots The Winnipeg Jets certainly have a flair for the dramatic. for a .958 save percentage. He stole the first two games for Winnipeg, including a 1-0 shutout in Game 2, and bounced back nicely on Sunday, Entering a best-of-seven series against a high-flying Edmonton Oilers putting together a solid third period and overtime to help secure the team that had their number all season, few expected to see the Jets comeback. escape victorious from the first round in the 2021 NHL playoffs. When you lose to a team six straight games in the regular season, it’s easy to On Monday, he was back to being a sturdy presence, ending the night be counted out. with 37 saves. Yeah, well, about that. “They’re a good team over there, but you know what, it’s a testament to the guys in the locker room that grinded and stayed with our game for the Kyle Connor scored at the 6:52 mark into the third overtime in Game 4 to last 36 hours. This is the result.” – Connor Hellebuyck seal a 4-3 victory Monday night at Bell MTS Place. The win completed the series sweep for Winnipeg and ended Edmonton's bid for the Stanley "We weathered the storm, that’s what I’d call it," Hellebuyck said. "They Cup. It was the third straight game to require extra time, and the second made a big push. They’re a good team over there, but you know what, within 24 hours. it’s a testament to the guys in the locker room that grinded and stayed with our game for the last 36 hours. This is the result." In total, the game ran 106 minutes and 52 seconds, making it the longest game in Jets history. The Oilers went back to the 39-year-old Mike Smith. Smith, who returned to the Oilers on a one-year deal, had started five games in net against CP the Jets in the regular season, posting a sparkling 4-0-0 record, with a 2.06 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage. He didn’t get "You don't want to miss out on that opportunity to close a team out, the goal support he needed in the playoffs, but he did give his team a especially a team that's capable of coming back, winning four games chance every night. straight as Edmonton is," Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. "Nobody wanted to make a mistake and everyone was exhausted. It's not often Smith, who finished with 39 saves, was busy early on, flashing the glove you see a breakaway in triple overtime to solve it but tell you what: we on three separate occasions before the game was even five minutes old. had the right guy on the breakaway. We’re pretty gassed but we’re The third snag, off a nifty backhanded play from Scheifele, marked the pumped up in our room." beginning of a Jets power play – the first of three for Winnipeg in the opening period. It was also the first playoff series the Jets have won since 2018, when they defeated the Nashville Predators in a deciding Game 7 to advance Scheifele was responsible for drawing the holding call on Adam Larsson, to the Western Conference final. More notable, though, is the Jets added and he would finish off the man-advantage by blasting home a one-timer to the history books with their first-ever series sweep, breaking a streak off a Wheeler pass 6:16 into the frame. It was Scheifele's first goal of the that dates back to the Original NHL Jets, when Winnipeg would routinely playoffs. get steamrolled by the dynasty that was the 1980s Oilers. The lead was short-lived, however, as McDavid regained some of his How times have changed. Even if there wasn’t ever an easy game. magic from Game 3 to even the score just 77 seconds later with a nice wraparound goal that seemed to trick Hellebuyck. The Scheifele line, "They were a battle. It definitely didn’t feel like a sweep, that’s for sure," consisting of Wheeler and Connor, were caught on the ice for the goal. Jets No. 1 centre Mark Scheifele said. "We had to grind every single They would make up for it combining for six points. game. There was no easy ice out there. They played fantastic too. They came back in games. They pushed us to the limit, but we just were on "We expect a lot of ourselves, especially with the guys they have on the the right side of it for those four games. We had every guy out there other side, like Connor and Leon," Scheifele said. "You have to bring it sacrificing, taking hits, making hits, blocking shots. It was a full team every single night or they’ll make you pay." effort and I’m definitely proud of every single guy in this room." The Jets had tried to match McDavid and Draisaitl with centre Adam “Nobody wanted to make a mistake and everyone was exhausted. It's not Lowry and the rest of Winnipeg's designated shutdown trio that also often you see a breakaway in triple overtime to solve it but tell you what: includes wingers Andrew Copp and Mason Appleton. It was fitting, then, we had the right guy on the breakaway. We’re pretty gassed but we’re that Appleton would put the Jets back up, 2-1, ending a dominating shift pumped up in our room.” – Jets captain Blake Wheeler against the Oilers top players with a nice tip off a Josh Morrissey shot. Indeed, the Jets needed every last bit in the tank to secure the win – and, If the Jets owned the first period, the second belonged to the Oilers. ultimately, the series. Not even 24 hours removed from Sunday’s nail- biting 5-4 overtime victory, the biggest question mark heading into the Ryan Nugent-Hopkins evened the game at 2-2 just 3:44 into the frame, night was who would have the best response. collecting his own juicy rebound before beating Hellebuyck with a backhanded deke top shelf. Alex Chiasson, who was a healthy scratch Maurice offered somewhat of a caveat to the rematch Monday, noting Sunday, buried another rebound in front, this time on the power play, to that playing on back-to-back nights, though not unfamiliar territory in the put the visitors up 3-2. regular season was a new experience for him and his teams in the playoffs. "The cost of each one of these games is so much higher than in The goal came on the second of four straight penalties called on the Jets regular season," Maurice said. "There's some unknown to it in how you'll late in the second period. Winnipeg hadn't shown that level of come back." undisciplined play through the first three games, with just seven power plays for the Oilers leading up to Monday. He would get his answer in a big way, watching as his team found yet another way to win a game. Throughout the series, the Jets have fought Just like Sunday, the Jets put up a fight in the third period. The deficit back from behind, leaned on special teams, played disciplined hockey wasn’t as great, but the result was the same, with Winnipeg mounting a and held their breath as they attempted to limit two of the best players in comeback and forcing overtime. the NHL in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. It was Scheifele who made it 3-3, snapping home his second of the game They’ve now punched their ticket to the second round, where they await at the 6:01 mark of the period. The play started with Wheeler beating a the winner between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. defender with a toe-drag of the puck before dishing it to Connor. Connor then passed behind him to a waiting Scheifele, who fired another one- "If you just broke down the statistics of a four-game sweep, you would timer top shelf, over the glove of Smith. think there was domination there in the series or that you weren’t tested. And the opposite would be true," Maurice said. "Big come from behind "It took all pieces of our game. I think the idea going into this series was win, they scored the first goal in Game 1 and stayed in the fight, scored that the regular season was a tell, somehow, and I didn’t feel that way," empty-net goals with the goaltender pulled, had your power play come Maurice said. "At the end of this, it’s four games of one shot, and we had to weather storms at times, they were dominant, and then we had those times as well. A really, really close series; the 4-0 isn’t particularly fair or indicative of how tight that was." Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 05.25.2021 Winnipeg Jets “I feel like I’ve been saying this all year, that this team and these guys 1188824 can do everything,” Hellebuyck said. “We need to shut down a game, we shut down a game, we need to score, we score. We need a comeback with 10 minutes left in the third, we do that. Being behind these guys has Jets win in overtime for third straight game to complete stunning sweep been a pleasure and it’s been fun to watch.” of Oilers The Oilers put up a hell of a fight in an elimination game that was being played just a day after the Jets staged an incredible comeback from three goals down to win Sunday night. Ted Wyman Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler (second from right) shakes hands Publishing date:May 25, 2021 • 2 hours ago • with Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl after the Jets swept the Oilers in a Stanley Cup playoff series in Winnipeg on Monday.The two teams then went out and played the equivalent of almost two more In a series that was so much tighter than the final result would indicate, it games on the second half of a back-to-back, a remarkable test of internal was only fitting that a dog-tired group of Winnipeg Jets finished it off with fortitude in itself. yet another exhilarating overtime victory. It was the longest game in Jets history. After four games of fearless shot blocking, hard checking, energy- sapping end-to-end action and three games that went into overtime, the It also marked the first time the Jets ever swept an opponent in their NHL Jets finally emerged with a sweep of the Edmonton Oilers in the North playoff history and it was their first NHL playoff series win ever over the Division semifinal. Oilers. Winger Kyle Connor was the hero this time, scoring the Game 4 winning It had been 31 years since the two teams even met in a playoff series but goal at 6:52 of triple overtime Monday night at Bell MTS Place. It was the few long-time fans in Winnipeg could ever forget their team blowing a 3-1 Jets second overtime win in as many nights, coming after Nikolaj Ehlers lead and falling in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup champs in scored in extra time Sunday night to give the Jets a 5-4 win and a 3-0 1990. That loss marked the sixth straight time the Oilers beat the Jets in lead in the series. the playoffs and it stung more than any other. Connor finished the Oilers off with a goal on a partial breakaway. He beat But Winnipeg fans can finally celebrate after the modern Jets did so Oilers goalie Mike Smith with a wrist shot to the blocker side to end the much right on their way to the four-game series win. marathon. “It took all pieces of our game,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “Those games were a battle,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who led “(Edmonton) is a very, very good team (with) the two best offensive the Jets two goals Monday night. “It definitely didn’t feel like a sweep, players in the world. In a bunch of those games it was very close, much that’s for sure. We grinded every single game, there was no easy ice out like the series. They’re all one-goal games. there. (The Oilers) played fantastic too. “There was a piece to our game that got better in each one of those. “They pushed us to the limit and we were just on the right side of it for “At the end of this, it’s four games of one shot, and we had to weather those four games. It was a battle each and every game, each and every storms at times, they were dominant, and then we had those times as shift. But we had every guy out there sacrificing, taking hits, making hits, well. A really, really close series, the 4-0 isn’t particularly fair or indicative blocking shots. It was a full team effort and I’m definitely proud of every of how tight that was.” single guy in this room.” McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Alex Chiasson scored for the Oilers The Jets will move on to play either the Toronto Maple Leafs or the and Smith made 39 saves in a losing cause. Edmonton Oilers in the North Division final. The Leafs currently lead that series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Tuesday night in Montreal. Mason Appleton had the other Jets goal. Emblematic of the kind of sacrifice the Jets players made throughout the For the second straight night, the Oilers led going into the third period, series, captain Blake Wheeler blocked a slap shot late in the third period but the Jets tied it up, this time getting Scheifele’s second goal of the with his nether regions. He was on the ice in immense pain and went night. straight to locker room when he got up, but he was back out there for the first overtime. The Oilers had plenty of chances to win the game in the overtime periods, but Hellebuyck came up big time and time again. “I’m sure everyone has had experiences like that or something similar, not necessarily a slap shot,” Wheeler said. “We have three beautiful kids “You know, it was pretty crazy,” Hellebuyck said. “We weathered the and we’re not having anymore, so … ” storm, that’s what I’d call it. They made a big push. They’re a good team over there, but you know what, it’s a testament to the guys in the locker “I mean, everyone on our team did that all series long, all game long. room that grinded and stayed with our game for the last 36 hours. This is Early in this game we put an emphasis on getting to the shot at the point, the result.” and Matty Perreault blocked two shots. So then and there set the standard that every single guy was going to put their body in front of the Winnipeg Sun LOADED 05.25.2021 puck. And third period of a tight game, you’ll put anything in front of it.” The Jets blocked a remarkable 47 shots in the game, with all but two players credited with at least one block. Stalwart defenceman Josh Morrissey led the way with seven blocks and led all Jets with 41:54 of ice time. That was a low number compared to Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse, who came close to an NHL record with 62:04 of ice time in the five-plus period game. The Jets swept the series despite playing against NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid and 2020 Hart Trophy winner Leon Draisaitl. Those two stars were very dangerous in Games 3 and 4, combining for nine points, but the Jets shut them down when it counted most, late in games and in the overtime periods. For the complete summary, Click here. Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck wound up making 151 saves on 159 shots in the series (.949 save percentage) and only allowed one goal after the end of the second period in any of the games. The 2020 Vezina Trophy winner was quick to credit his hard-working teammates. Winnipeg Jets “The pandemic is at a high and a lot of people are stuck at home and you 1188825 can’t really do anything, you can’t really go outside unless it’s with your family on the long weekend,” he said. “So in that sense, they get to watch the game, it takes their minds off it a little bit.” Jets provide much-needed escape from pandemic's pounding Stastny sees the crowds returning in the U.S. and feels hope.

“You hope the vaccine speeds up a little and there are no bumps in the Paul Friesen road.” Publishing date:May 25, 2021 • 3 hours ago We’re on the roughest stretch of road right now. One group of ICU docs will hold a news conference Tuesday to plead with officials to shut things down further. The hits just keep on coming. And that’s off the ice. It’s numbing. And it’s frightening. It seems surreal that this historic Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup playoff series was being played alongside a historic But for a few hours here and there, a team provides a respite. A silly pandemic, with Manitoba currently suffering its worst onslaught of game to take minds off stuff that’s dead-serious. COVID-19. Monday night provided some of that relief, the Jets with a chance to It’s shocking to hear we’re airlifting intensive-care patients to places such sweep a Stanley Cup playoff series for the first time in their history, 1.0 or asThunder Bay, Windsor, Ottawa, even North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, 2.0. Ont. Those last two just happen to be the hometowns of Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea and Jets boss Paul Maurice, respectively. They scored first, gave up the lead, took it again and gave it up again. The games go on, though. Mark Scheifele on the power play. Mason Appleton on a deflection. It’s sobering to hear we’re so desperate that we’ve asked the fedteral The Oilers took their first lead on a power play late in the second period, government for nurses and respiratory therapists. as the Jets began taking penalties. But how about that Connor Hellebuyck? Playing a rare playoff back-to-back, both teams looked spent from the long night before. Monday’s news had the feds sending epidemiologists, lab techs and contact tracers to try to help Manitoba escape the clutches of the virus. Edmonton had desperation fuelling it. The Jets were looking for their killer instinct. Can you believe Sunday’s comeback? And how about the game Nikolaj Ehlers had? The seats were empty again. But tired eyes from around the province were glued to it from their own little worlds. Worlds turned upside-down. ICU doctors and nurses are overwhelmed with the influx of patients. Worlds needing an escape from the pounding. “They just keep coming,” ICU doc Heather Smith (@DrHeatherICU) said in a series of tweets a few hours before the Jets and Oilers squared off Six minutes into the third period, a dazzling display of passing — Blake for Game 4, Monday. “Healthy, 30-50, no comorbidities. Working in Wheeler to Kyle Connor to Scheifele — and it was tied again. manufacturing/service industry. Vaccine just given or scheduled Somewhere, a nurse smiled. A doctor nodded. appointment within the next 2 weeks. The pace quickened. The minutes ticked away. “Admit. Escalate. Optiflow. Intubate. Prone. Stabilize. Transfer to Ontario. Repeat.” And for a third straight game, they went to overtime. Just before those frightening tweets, Smith retweeted a photo from inside The ultimate escape. the arena, where a large banner, sponsored by the province, covered the seats behind the south-end net. Back and forth they went. Chance after chance, one period bleeding into another. Then another. “Miss these seats?” the banner read. “Get vaccinated.” Finally, the longest game in Jets 2.0 history ended when Connor scored Chaos around us. on a partial breakaway just after 1 a.m., nearly 47 minutes into overtime. Hockey to distract us. The sweep was complete. When provincial health officials cleared the Jets’ plan to stage an After the cheers, it was back to the real world. abbreviated 2021 season, Dr. Brent Roussin pointed to the escape it would provide to a public that needed something to cheer for. For many, there’s something to look forward to, at least: another round of relief. That escape has never been more needed than it is now. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 05.25.2021 Smith isn’t the only health-care worker getting a respite from the carnage around them through the Jets’ remarkable play in this first-round series. Some nurses are wearing white for home games, streaming games on their computers as they work. Inside the Jets’ bubble, empty seats draped in white to create a faux whiteout, players aren’t able to see much of the support. But they seem to feel it. Pierre-Luc Dubois, the newest Jet, caught just a small glimpse of it after Sunday’s overtime win in Game 3. “I’ve never experienced playing at home here in Winnipeg, with fans,” Dubois said before Monday’s game. “Just leaving the rink, you could see everybody in the streets, with the flags and honking their horns. It was fun just leaving the rink… a pretty special moment. “To see people excited, to see people happy even if they’re not in the stands, it means a lot.” Dubois’ linemate, Paul Stastny, remembers what it was like three years ago, when the Jets went on a playoff run. “Imagine what the square would have been like outside,” he said. Saying how lucky the Jets are to get to play, Stastny feels for everybody. Winnipeg Jets The Jets had a stellar night in the faceoff department on Sunday, winning 1188826 63% of the draws, which was highly beneficial on special teams and played a significant role in the game-winning goal. JETS SNAPSHOTS: Jets ‘second’ power-play unit played huge role in Stastny, who was the Game 2 overtime hero, won a draw in the getting series with Oilers to 3-0 Edmonton zone and Ehlers immediately ripped a wrist shot over the glove of Oilers goalie Mike Smith to end the game.

“Ideally a shooter would love to line up behind the centre every time, win Ted Wyman it clean and score like that, but it doesn’t happen like that,” Stastny said. “It’s not that easy. But it’s nice to switch it up sometimes and keep the Publishing date:May 24, 2021 • 13 hours ago • other team guessing a little bit. That one actually worked out so it was good.” One of the key factors in Sunday’s stunning 5-4 comeback victory by the HE SHOT IT BETTER Winnipeg Jets was the work of the team’s second power-play unit. Before Sunday’s game, Ehlers said his game plan in his first game back We use the term “second” liberally here, because the group that gets the from injury was simple: Skate well, play simple and “Shoot like Stas.” second most power-play minutes on the Jets has been first-rate all He was referring to the seeing-eye puck Stastny put on net in Game 2 to season long. win that game in overtime by a 1-0 score. The unit, which includes Nikolaj Ehlers, Mathieu Perreault, Andrew Copp, Apparently, he meant it. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Neal Pionk, scored twice in Game 3 of the NHL North Division semifinal against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. “I think he shot it better than me,” Stastny said with a laugh. “I think having (Ehlers) back gives us another dimension,” Dubois said. “I “I’ve talked about it before, having him back in the lineup obviously helps think dangerous power play units are the ones that that can attack you us offensively, helps us create a lot more chances, takes some pressure from every angle and every position. Having (Ehlers) back, he can shoot off the other guys. I thought he didn’t skip a beat. He wasn’t rusty at all, the puck, he can pass the puck and skate it down, you can draw guys to maybe his legs were a little tired, but that’s to be expected. him.” “His overtime winner was — he wanted that play. We set up a few plays Ehlers was playing his first game in a month. He missed nine regular- like that earlier in the year, whether he scored or hasn’t scored, but he’s season games and two playoff games with a shoulder injury. got such a good release, a quick release that when it happens that fast anything on net is a dangerous shot.” Ehlers scored the Jets’ first goal, on a beautiful wrister off the post in the second period, and Perreault got the second one, banking a rebound off BALANCING THE HIGH Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear with just over eight minutes left in the third period. The Jets were in a terrific spot, heading into Game 4, with a chance to sweep a series for the first time in their NHL history and to beat the Oilers The latter goal sparked a tremendous comeback by the Jets, who got two in a series for the first time ever in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. more goals within the next three minutes and three seconds, tied the game at 4-4 and then won in overtime on another magical snipe from The last time Winnipeg beat Edmonton in the playoffs was in the 1979 Ehlers. AVCO Cup final, which made them champions of the World Hockey Association. That gave the Jets a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven and they were looking to complete the sweep in Game 4 at Bell MTS Place on Monday night. They were also coming off an incredible high of staging a big comeback on Sunday and winning in overtime before playing again 24 hours later. “I thought we moved the puck really well and supported it on entries,” Dubois said. “We always had a guy in front of the net, getting there for “Well, we tried to deal with it Sunday night,” Maurice said. “You get to rebounds and what-not, like that second goal we scored.” enjoy it for an hour and then we tried to get into our recovery as fast as we could, to make sure everybody ate and to make sure everybody got a The Jets’ top power-play unit, which features leading scorer Mark lot of water in them and then hopefully went home and got some sleep. Scheifele, captain Blake Wheeler, top goal-scorer Kyle Connor, Paul Stastny and Josh Morrissey, was nowhere near as effective in Game 3. “I would say about an hour after (Sunday’s) game, the room was really quiet, just calm. And that’s kind of what we wanted in the morning “The biggest thing throughout the year, to be successful, has been our (Monday). We don’t want them wound up. So there was no pump up special teams and the (Ehlers) unit, the (Dubois) unit, that was the video, we just did some detail stuff. Got everybody fed, got them back for difference in the game,” Stastny said. a rest.” “Whether it was scoring that goal to make it 2-1 to kind of give us some Winnipeg Sun LOADED 05.25.2021 life, and obviously scoring that goal to make it 4-2 to kind of get that comeback going. All of a sudden (having Ehlers) makes that unit so much more dynamic because they can come at you from different angles, and yesterday it paid off and I think that’s a big reason.” ARCHIBALD SUSPENDED When Oilers forward Josh Archibald went low to take down towering Jets’ defenceman Logan Stanley midway through the third period on Sunday, it led to a costly penalty that gave Winnipeg some life. Perreault scored on the ensuing power play and the Jets came back to win the game. And as if that weren’t punishment enough already for Archibald, he also was suspended by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for one game for “clipping” Stanley. “I’m glad it was handled the way it was handled,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “When I came into the league that was the scourge of the league … once they started suspending those guys we stopped seeing and you just don’t see it anymore. And it was pretty obvious (Sunday) and I think they handled it right, because it can’t come back into the game, especially with the speed of these guys. If you start clipping guys at their knees at the speed these guys are going at now, the ramifications could be disastrous.” FACEOFF KINGS Winnipeg Jets Then, just 16 seconds later, Morrissey beat goaltender Mike Smith all by 1188827 himself, handcuffing Smith with a knuckling wrist shot through a partial screen. ‘The boys don’t give up’: How the Jets pushed the Oilers within one “Obviously, then we got a little momentum and scored a couple goals,” game of being swept Morrissey said. “We won the draw, got the puck in deep and I got a great pass from (Adam Lowry) first of all — great vision — and I just tried to get a shot through from the point. Thankfully it went in and it was just an exciting moment.” By Murat Ates May 24, 2021 It was Winnipeg at home to Nashville, Game 3, 2018 all over again — except this time with an overtime game-winning goal at the end of it. Just under 12 hours before Nik Ehlers scored the goal that gave the Jets “That’s our team,” Ehlers said. “I mean, we don’t give up. That’s what’s a 3-0 series lead, he made a joke. so fun playing on this team and after the OT winner, you can see the joy. Asked about his approach heading into Sunday night’s Game 3 against I mean, it’s a wonder no one got injured at the end there during the the Oilers — his first game back since an upper-body injury against celebration. But it’s awesome. And it’s like I said, the boys don’t give up. Toronto on April 24 — Ehlers shook his head and collected his thoughts. We showed a battle at the end and it paid off.” “Skate, play simple, and shoot the puck like Stas,” he said, referencing Wheeler, the captain, put the game in perfect perspective. Paul Stastny’s overtime winner against Edmonton in Game 2. “Coming back from three goals, it was exciting for our group, no doubt. Then Ehlers added his punchline: But I think the biggest takeaway is you need to win another game,” Wheeler said. “Definitely a thrilling game, definitely an exciting game but “It’s pretty easy,” he said. we’ve got to start focusing on tomorrow pretty quick here. It’s just too damn bad our fans weren’t in the building because that would have been Then he smiled a big, wry, shift-beating grin, which he held for 10 full something.” seconds. Did he know the future? Can you imagine? Three hours and 21 minutes before Ehlers scored the goal that gave Winnipeg its 3-0 series lead, he went bar down in warmup. Not just any That goal in that game in that arena … But with 15,321 fans in a post- kind of bar down, mind you. Ehlers sauntered into the slot against pandemic world? Laurent Brossoit and fired a laser beam of a snapshot that beat Brossoit and pinged its way into the net off the junction where the crossbar meets “As Wheels said, I couldn’t even imagine what the arena would have the post. been like with fans,” Morrissey said. One and a half seconds before Ehlers scored the goal that brought “Honestly, I wish there were fans in this building,” Perreault said. “For a Winnipeg to within one game of a 4-0 sweep of the Edmonton Oilers, he game like this, this would have been absolutely insane. I can’t even lined up for a faceoff behind Stastny in the offensive zone. imagine, if this building was full, how crazy that would have been … The roof would have come off this building.” Stastny, apparently willing to forgive having being used as a punchline earlier in the day, won the puck cleanly. “The only disappointing thing of the game is there weren’t Jets fans in the building,” said head coach Paul Maurice. “Because that would have been And then Ehlers scored this rocket: something for them to experience and that would have been momentum, right? You could feel it building.” — NHL (@NHL) MAY 24, 2021 Every seat at Bell MTS Place was adorned with a white towel as if there From jokester to prophet in 12 hours flat, Ehlers won Game 3 in overtime had been a person to wave it. White banners advertised businesses and just as Stastny’s goal won Game 2. promoted vaccinations. Even the promotional Nissan Rogue that sits in one corner of the rink was replaced with a white model. Several cars did It was an outcome that looked impossible less than a full period earlier. laps around the arena before the game, chanting “Go Jets Go!” as they Edmonton had stormed out to a 4-1 lead on two goals from Leon Draisaitl honked their horns. Other vehicles and passersby joined in, including and one each from Zack Kassian and Jujhar Khaira. Draisaitl and Connor transit buses. One car even had the Stanley Cup mounted on the back. McDavid had three points each, the Jets were struggling to find a third- But the Cup was a replica and the seats inside the building were empty. period spark, and it seemed like the Oilers were certain to take their first game of the series. All of it was impressive; none of it was a Winnipeg Jets whiteout. It simply All of the Jets’ late-game attempts to fuel a comeback failed to create a wasn’t real. spark. At 3-1, the Jets were trying but failing to carve through the neutral The one thing that is real about what happened at Bell MTS Place on zone and establish sustained offensive pressure. When Khaira’s goal Sunday evening is that it gives Winnipeg a chance to win Round 1 on made it 4-1, Winnipeg’s response was to take a delay of game penalty. Monday night. Then Josh Archibald handed Winnipeg lighter fuel and a match. The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 He lined Logan Stanley up for a hit in the neutral zone and then ducked before contact, submarining Stanley with his shoulders to Stanley’s thigh. It was a dangerous hit on a player who didn’t have the puck and it dropped the 6-foot-7 Stanley to the ice. And not only did it gift the Jets a power play with 8:49 left in the third period, but it also provided the emotional fire for a comeback that Winnipeg hadn’t created on its own. Mathieu Perreault scored just 30 seconds later, cashing in on a rebound off a Pierre-Luc Dubois shot from the circle. Perreault said Archibald’s hit gave the Jets’ power play the extra edge it needed. “I think this is the best way to make him pay for what he did,” said Perreault. “We don’t like what he did, we don’t really like to see it. It wasn’t a very good play on his part. And we’re pissed about it and we go out and score a goal and there’s no better way to (get) payback.” Perreault’s payback brought Winnipeg to life, leading to a frenzied forecheck which eventually created a Dmitry Kulikov turnover, leading to extended zone time and a shot from Josh Morrissey that Blake Wheeler finished off on the rebound with 5:32 to play. Vancouver Canucks having a rough game and playing four in six nights. It was very hard and 1188828 taxing and I hope we never have to go through it again.”

Miller was also the Canuck who spoke up publicly on behalf of the Canucks: J.T. Miller loves Vancouver, never asked for trade, says agent players after the team went through its COVID-19 outbreak, saying that it was “dangerous to a lot of players,” to have the team resume action so quickly. Steve Ewen How well his comments worked is debatable. The NHL only pushed Vancouver’s first return game back two days. Miller’s statement did get Publishing date:May 24, 2021 • 10 hours ago some considerable play around the NHL, though. “It was frustrating that J.T. had to do it but it just proved the kind of leader J.T. Miller is happy right where he is, says his agent. he is,” Canucks winger Antoine Roussel said in his year-end Zoom meeting with the media. There were various suggestion on sports talk radio and among media types on Twitter that certain Vancouver Canucks might ask for trades Vancouver Province: LOADED: 05.25.2021 after it became clear that the team wasn’t going to make any major changes in its front office. There was also a Tweet with a fake Miller quote about the Canucks struggles that gained some traction as well. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman talked about it during a Hockey Night in Canada segment on Saturday: “I reached out to the source today and here’s J.T. Miller’s exact comment: ‘No, he does not want to be traded. He does not want to leave. He wants to be a Vancouver Canuck. He has no intentions of leaving. We have a good team here and he wants to be a part of it.” Brian Bartlett, who’s Miller agent, reiterated those thoughts in a text message on Monday morning. “I’m not even sure how this turned into a story,” replied Bartlett. “J.T. has loved Vancouver and we’ve never discussed him wanting out. It seems like someone just made up a meme with a totally fake quote then J.T. was able to quickly set the recordstraight. No fire at all for fake smoke!” Miller, 28, came to the Canucks on June 22, 2019, in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning during the NHL Draft at Rogers Arena. The package that Vancouver sent back to Tampa Bay included a conditional first-round pick, which became Shakir Mukhamadullin, a Russian defenceman. The New Jersey Devils chose him who 20th overall in 2020 after receiving the Canucks’ first round pick from Tampa Bay as a part of a deal for forward Blake Coleman. Miller has two more years on a five-year deal that he signed with Tampa Bay that has him with a US$5.25 million cap hit. Both he and captain Bo Horvat are will become unrestricted free agents after the 2022-23 season. General manager Jim Benning’s most pressing contract issues are getting centre Elias Pettersson and defenceman Quinn Hughes signed to extensions, as they’ll both be restricted free agents with their entry-level deals expiring. That’s in addition to getting head coach Travis Green’s assistants sorted out, including goalie coach Ian Clark. Vancouver inked Green to a two- year extension on Friday. Miller wasn’t as good this past season as he was in 2019-20, but there are various Canucks you could say that about. He took heat in the press for giveaways. There were mentions of how frustrated he looked at times. In the 56-game regular season, Miller (15-31-46) still finished second on the Canucks in scoring to Brock Boeser (23-26-49) and he was third (20:58 per game) in ice time, finishing behind only Hughes (22:48) and Tyler Myers (22:05). Miller was seventh in the NHL among forwards in ice time in the regular season. The list of players that finished ahead of him in that category reads like an all-star game roster: Mitch Marner, Patrick Kane, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Anze Kopitar. Miller showed chemistry playing on the left side with Pettersson and Brock Boeser in his first season in Vancouver and the hope is that Pettersson is healthy and ready to go for 2021-22 after missing the final 30 games of this year with a wrist injury. Miller had 27 goals and 72 points — both career highs over his nine-year NHL career — in 69 regular season games during the 2019-20 regular season. Pettersson’s injury did lead to Green playing Miller at centre, and the veteran has said that he feels comfortable in that spot. “It was just very mentally challenging. I’m happy with how I grinded through. But it brings a lot of frustration,” Miller told the media in his year- end Zoom availability about this season. “You guys obviously hear it (in the empty arenas) and we’ve talked about it before. I wear my heart on my sleeve and it’s a lot different with no fans in the stands when you’re Websites Nathaniel Bone with members of the Predators in March 2020. (Courtesy 1188829 Nathaniel Bone)

Maybe that’s what the past year-plus has taught us, or should have The Athletic / ‘It’s like a family reunion’: What it means to have the NHL taught us. playoffs and fans back in Nashville Not to take anything for granted and to celebrate those moments that make us happy and whole. Scott Burnside May 24, 2021 And let’s be frank. A lot of shit has happened in this town during the pandemic.

There was a bombing in downtown Nashville on Christmas Day. Parts of NASHVILLE — Nathaniel Bone is wearing a striking Nashville Predators the vibrant downtown core remain encased in metal fencing. sport coat when he and his father, David, enter Peg Leg Porker in The Gulch section of downtown Nashville. There were killer tornados on the front edge of the pandemic and devasting floods toward the end. He’s also wearing a crown that catches the light in the popular barbecue spot. Predators president Sean Henry recalled vividly the tornados. His eldest son and fiance took shelter in the bathtub of their townhome. It might Which makes sense since Nathaniel Bone is The King of Smashville. have saved their lives. Bone was bestowed the honor and the crown to go with it by the In the immediate aftermath of the tornadoes, the Predators opened the Predators on March 2, 2020, just before the NHL went into its COVID-19 doors to Bridgestone Arena and began serving lunch to those who pause. needed it. The event was especially meaningful because it was well understood that And maybe, as it is with teams and players, the measure of an it was entirely possible that would be the last Predators game Bone organization is in how they respond to adversity. would attend. During the pandemic, the team launched a series of programs to provide The tumor in his brain he had been determinedly fighting since it was first food to frontline workers at area hospitals and fire and police stations. discovered in January 2012 was, after a period of dormancy, growing Henry recalled preparing to make the case to ownership why he didn’t and it seemed as though Bone, now 25, had run out of options. want to lay off any staff or demand salary reductions. He didn’t need to worry. Ownership was on board from the get-go. Bone told the players and staff in attendance they were just going to have to win a Stanley Cup without him. A couple of days before the Predators welcomed fans back to Bridgestone Arena, allowing for an NHL-high 12,125 for Game 3 and 4, Players wept. Henry was part of a video call with 25 remote staff along with a handful of Bone had agreed to go into palliative care rather than risk the downside senior executives in a boardroom at Bridgestone. of another surgery, the side effects which might have left Bone with very One of the key themes was how it was important for the staff to try to little quality of life if he survived at all. remain upbeat in spite of having dropped the first two games in Carolina. But after an impassioned discussion with his childhood oncologist, Bone In some ways, it was the same message that head coach John Hynes changed his mind and a week after being dubbed the King of Smashville would have presented to his team. he underwent the latest operation aimed at keeping the tumor at bay. Six In spite of the disappointing start to the series, interest in Nashville consecutive scans since that surgery have revealed shrinkage in the remained high. Local television viewership was three times higher than tumor. the regular season. But the years of battling cancer have taken their toll on Bone. He has Plans were laid out for how the Predators would help enthuse the fans’ limited use of his right side and he is blind in the right side of both eyes. It return to their hockey home, LED rally towels and T-shirts, disc jockeys is, he explained, a little like looking through blinds. and live music outside the building and the smashing of the Carolina There are some cognitive issues too and some short-term memory loss. Hurricanes car, part of a playoff tradition known as Smash Car. The post-surgery treatment is grueling. Bone is on a twice daily, seven On Friday night, everywhere around Bridgestone Arena, as fans made days a week oral chemotherapy regimen, which Bone acknowledges their way through security checkpoints or those who attended a sometimes kicks him in the butt. sponsorship event on one of the parking decks, there were hugs and But all things considered, Bone does pretty damn well. He’s active in embraces. politics and lives with a roommate in an apartment with the help of “It’s like a family reunion,” Henry said. community assistance. He and his father are faithful supporters of the local soccer and baseball teams. On the concourse, fans could be seen lining up for a Rotier’s burger. An iconic Nashville eatery near Vanderbilt University, the restaurant closed But nothing comes close to what Bone feels for the Predators. And as it earlier this spring as a result of the pandemic so the team reached out to turns out, nothing really comes close to what the Predators feel for him. the owners to see if they wanted to set up shop at Bridgestone Arena. In 2015, Bone, who first connected with the Predators through the team’s Closing in on 600,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States, Henry foundation, got a job at the rink as a greeter at home games. He chatted wondered aloud at the ripple effect of all that tragedy, how the families with visitors from out of town and made restaurant recommendations and and the friends and colleagues of those who have died or who suffered in got to know the season ticket holders. other ways are left to try and make sense of it all and move on. “It’s the greatest dream that anybody could ever think about,” Bone said, The Predators are unequivocally part of the equation when it comes to his face lighting up. moving on and picking up the pieces in this community. He and his father are unequivocal about the role the team has played in It’s a short walk from Peg Leg Porker to Arnold’s Country Kitchen. his journey. Scott Scovill is easy to find because he’s the only patron — so far — “Outside of sticking a needle in my arm, they are responsible for me wearing a Predators sports coat and matching Predators pants and gold beating this,” Bone said. “It gave me hope. It’s the power of sports.” canvas sneakers. What does it mean to have the NHL playoffs back, with fans in the An award-winning producer of concerts, tours and special events, Scovill stands, in Nashville? It means everything. To Bone and to so many built Moo TV into a small empire since coming to Nashville to work with others in Nashville. Alan Jackson on his tours in 1992. “I’ll cry. I’ll cry like a baby,” Bone said when asked what it would be like As a young professional, he toured with U2, and when he enters the arena for Game 3 of the Predators’ first-round series David Bowie. against Carolina. “I want to cry just sitting here thinking about it.” But Nashville has become his home. And if truth be told, there were tears at that moment for all who sat at that table in Peg Leg Porker. It’s where he has set down roots and it’s where he learned everything about the sport that now consumes him. It began innocently enough. One of Scovill’s staff approached him about Kimmerer began taking his hockey gear on the road hitting up local arena sponsoring their beer league hockey team. Not only did Scovill ante up connections along the band’s travels to get out to skate. for jerseys and a logo and money for the league, he went to watch. When the Ice Holes scored, there was Scovill in the near-empty arena banging Soon, many in the band were sharing in Kimmerer’s enthusiasm for the on the glass. game. After sound checks on the road, especially if they happened to be out west, they would put up Predators’ games on the video scoreboard. He was hooked. They would watch the games with the sound up until literally minutes before the doors opened for the show. Scovill’s been a Predators season ticket holder for 17 years and now regularly buys up tickets in his area of Bridgestone Arena creating, in “That doesn’t happen for our band with baseball or football,” Kimmerer effect, his own little section of diehard fans mostly from the music and said. entertainment business. During shows, sometimes Kimmerer will get scoring updates from one of He bought a tour bus from Joe Perry of Aerosmith and for the past few the technical crew in his earpiece and on occasion, a member of their years, he and friends who are also Preds devotees have ridden around road crew will set up stage left with a tablet to keep tabs on the the country following the team on their playoff runs. Predators. Occasionally, high-profile music acts will call about doing some things Along the way, Kimmerer has connected with a handful of NHL players, during these playoff quests and Scovill politely tells them that it’s best if including Predators forward Matt Duchene. Kimmerer has a small they don’t make him choose between hockey and them. recording studio and occasionally Duchene, who scored the double- overtime winner in Game 3, will stop by to try out a song or two or send He has developed lasting friendships with many involved with the team. along an offering digitally. Former Predators head coach Peter Laviolette once asked him to help produce a team video as a bonding exercise. “A lot of hockey players are really fascinated by music,” Kimmerer said. “There are a lot of common ground and parallels between the two.” Seems there was a lot of shirtless men and loud music and beer and maybe some air guitaring and it’s probably just as well it’s never made its Whether it’s the preparation and practice needed for success or the way into public circulation. travel routines even playing in some of the same arenas there is a shared experience. And during the pause, there were shared feelings of When the pandemic hit, Scovill found himself swimming against the isolation and disjointedness. current, like many business owners and like many in the entertainment business. As players and other members of NHL teams wondered what life would look like when the NHL returned, or if they would have jobs, the same In 2019, he was involved in 30 different musical tours. Suddenly no one questions were being asked by those in the entertainment industry. was touring. No one was booking his video facility or rehearsal hall. He was forced to furlough staff, going from 160 staff down to a skeleton crew “You wonder, did we peak in 2019? Was that the height of all our of 20. careers?” Kimmerer said. “You’re thinking, ‘I gave up everything to move here.’” He lost a company in New York he was involved with and sold property he had in Los Angeles to keep finances afloat. He thought about selling His band stopped touring and playing. His fledgeling recording studio the tour bus but who buys a tour bus during a pandemic? was silent. One day he had to tell a longtime employee in his late 50s that he had no “I lost every booking we had in about 72 hours,” he said. work for him. Sometimes a small group would gather outside at Kimmerer’s home for a “He wasn’t ready for it,” Scovill said. “He just couldn’t stop crying and he socially distanced drink, including some of the Predators players. just couldn’t stop telling me it was going to be OK — for me.” “We all shared in the fears of what was happening to our careers,” the And maybe that’s why the return of hockey and specifically the playoffs 37-year-old said. “It was a very confusing and unsettling time. You realize was a kind of beacon, a signal that maybe, just maybe, we’re through the how fragile it all is.” worst of it. The return of hockey and the lead-up to the playoffs, though, has allowed His business is slowly coming back. Kimmerer to sink his teeth into something he loves. It has also brought with it the realization that he, too, has a chance to create the same kind And what is his business but the business of making people cheer, of feelings of being alive, of being connected after such a long dark making them forget whatever else is going on in their lives in the same period for music fans now that he and his band are back performing on a way that he feels deeply and passionately about hockey and the regular basis. Predators. “That’s a powerful part of this moving forward,” he said. Slowly, Scovill’s hockey pals trickle into Arnold’s as the Predators prepared to take the ice in Raleigh for Game 2. Kimmerer checks his watch. He and his bandmates have to meet to record a bit for the CMT Music Awards in June. They’ve got some There’s animated discussion of the Preds’ lineup and whether Rocco festivals set for June and July and then they’ll hit the road in mid-August Grimaldi should be in, how Eeli Tolvanen might fare now that he’s playing for a U.S. tour. Life is good and it’ll be even better if the Preds get back in and their affection for Juuse Saros. And there is a feeling, listening to the this playoff series. longtime friends, that life is good even if the Predators’ power play still sucks. Among the most closely guarded secrets heading into the weekend was the identity of the anthem singer for Game 3. Who gets to sing the In some ways, drummer Chris Kimmerer is the opposite side of the Scott anthem has become a calling card for the team especially in the playoffs. Scovill coin. “We haven’t had one person yet that we had to buy a jersey for. I mean, Kimmerer grew up east of Toronto playing hockey like most of his pals. think about that,” Henry said. “In so many places the tag’s still on the cuff He was studying music, mostly jazz, at a local community college and (of the team jersey), they get dropped off at the loading dock, they decided on a whim to buy two tickets to a Jewel concert with the idea of rehearse the anthem, they do the anthem and they’re gone before puck asking a girl he was interested in to join him. He never got up the nerve drop.” and ended up going alone where he was drawn to the opening act, a That’s not how it is for Keith Urban. He and his wife, Nicole Kidman, are group from Nashville. regular attendees at Predators games. They’ve got their own jerseys He switched schools and moved to Nashville, “interning” with different although Henry recalled recently dropping into a suite to say hello and bands starting in 2003. He’s been here ever since and has made a home they were both sporting the T-shirts the team had given out. for himself most recently playing and touring regularly with country artist The first time Urban ever sang the U.S. anthem in public was at a Thomas Rhett. Predators game. A few years ago, Kimmerer decided he needed to broaden his horizons And it was the multiple Grammy-winning artist who stepped out of the and find something to help bring balance to his life. darkness and onto the ice on Friday night for Game 3, to the delight of Fatefully, Kimmerer was playing at a summer festival in British Columbia the Preds faithful. put on by the family of Predators team services guru Brandon Walker. It’s always an honor to be asked to sing the anthem, Urban told The The two connected and became friends and his connection to the Athletic moments after completing the performance, but on this day, after Predators helped rekindle his affection for the game. all that transpired in the community, this was special. “It’s really hard to put into words,” he said of the moment. The connection between the team and the entertainers and the fans in Nashville is an important one, “and I feel very much a part of that community,” Urban said. He mentioned how he’d been walking along the Broadway Street strip before coming to the game and seeing the bars filled with customers and hearing the musicians playing their music. “It was so good to see everyone just so alive,” Urban said. During the pregame ceremony, the video scoreboard flashed a picture of Nathaniel Bone in his Predators garb and crown. Nathaniel’s stepmom, Amie, excitedly began announcing to those around their seats that Nathaniel was their son. Two men in the row in front of the couple turned and simply nodded. “Oh yeah, he’s the King of Smashville,” one of them said matter of factly. The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 Websites anywhere from about 27 to 36 and I’d believe you. But as it turns out, 1188830 he’s 33 and just finished his 11th NHL season, meaning he meets our cut-off. He’s got a solid case, having had to battle to become a star in a league where everyone is twice his size, overcoming major injuries and The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: The 2021 Old Guy Without a Cup coming close with the Rangers in 2014. The major strike against him, rankings other than not being all that old, is that like Foligno and a few others, he wouldn’t be the best OGWAC story on his own team.

15. Mike Smith, Oilers By Sean McIndoe May 24, 2021 Goalies are always a tough call. The very best part of any OGWAC story is seeing the guy get that first Cup handoff from the captain, and for The playoffs are here, and longtime readers know what that means: It’s reasons nobody’s quite clear on, that never happens with goalies. Has OGWAC ranking time. there ever been a truly great Old Goalie Without a Cup story? Probably Dominik Hasek in 2002, and that’s about it. Still, in theory, a goalie could The OGWAC is the Old Guy Without a Cup, and he’s one of the be a great pick, and somebody like Henrik Lundqvist getting their first postseason’s greatest traditions. Most champions will have at least one Cup would be an all-timer. So … yeah, goalies are weird, which is why I OGWAC who’s been toiling away in the league forever without ever can’t find room on this year’s list for guys like Carey Price, Devan getting to lift the Cup. Sometimes he’s a grizzled depth guy, sometimes Dubnyk, Semyon Varlamov, Jaroslav Halak or even personal favorite he’s a superstar and often he’s somewhere in between, and all those James Reimer. scenarios can work. Be warned: When an especially great OGWAC story plays out, you will cry a little. I’ll get Smith in here, though. He’s 38, has played for five teams over a 15-year career, he’s having a phenomenal rebound season and this The greatest OGWAC of all time was Ray Bourque in 2001, taking the could be his last year in Edmonton and maybe even his last chance crown away from Lanny McDonald in 1989. Teemu Selanne in 2007 was anywhere. Should he rank higher? Maybe — but goalies. a great one, as was Kimmo Timonen in 2015, and more recently we had Jay Bouwmeester in 2019. 14. Pekka Rinne, Predators I love a good OGWAC, which is why I’ve been coming up with an annual If goalies like Smith are tough to slot, you can imagine how hard it is to ranking since the Grantland days. Needless to say, we have to do it make the case for a backup. Rinne might not even see the ice, so you again this year. We’ll use the same criteria as last season — to qualify for could argue that he shouldn’t qualify for the list at all. But he’s a genuine OGWAC status, a player needs to be at least 33 when the Cup is handed star, maybe even a borderline Hall of Famer, and he’s spent his entire out, have at least 10 seasons in the NHL and be playing a regular role for 15-year career with one franchise. He was there when they had never his team (or in the case of injured players, expected to return during the won a round, he was there when they emerged as contenders and he playoffs). Anyone who meets those standards qualifies for consideration, was there when they came within two games of winning the Stanley Cup but the higher spots on the lists will go to players who’ve waited the in 2017. Now he’s lost the starter’s job, and this certainly feels like his longest and/or been the biggest stars. Bonus points if a player has had to final run as a Predator. (He’s already done his goodbye lap in front of the overcome significant adversity or has come agonizingly close to winning fans.) in the past before missing out. As Joe Rexrode put it in that piece, Rinne “isn’t just the greatest player in Can anyone give Bourque a run for his money? One guy might be able franchise history, he’s the foremost crowd pleaser as well.” He has to be to, but we’ll get to that. Let’s set the cut-off at 20, which still rules out on the list, even if I can’t put him all that high as he watches what will some solid honorable mentions like Cal Clutterbuck and Nick Holden. probably be a first-round exit from the bench. But if the Predators can pull Keep getting older and not winning guys, and maybe you’ll crack the list off a run, and Rinne gets any action at all, he jumps up the rankings. next year. 13. Ryan Reaves, Golden Knights 20. Nate Thompson, Jets You’d think that tough guys would make for ideal OGWAC stories. They A classic hard-nosed veteran, Thompson is 36 and has bounced around literally fight and bleed for a team, after all, and are often among the most the league, playing for nine teams in his 14-season career. He’s not a popular players. But there hasn’t really been a great OGWAC enforcer star, or even all that close, but that’s fine and sometimes can even be that I can find — New Jersey’s Randy McKay got first Cup handoff part of the appeal. The question is how much love he can get on a Jets honors in 2000, but he’d already won in 1995 — and Reaves might roster that’s crowded with OGWACs. represent one of the last chances for it to happen. He came close with Vegas in 2018, and he also left St. Louis shortly before they won and had 19. Jeff Petry, Canadiens a stint in Pittsburgh right after their back-to-backs. Petry barely clears the age bar, having turned 33 in December and 12. Blake Wheeler, Jets played 11 seasons, but some of those were in Edmonton so they count double. He’s a decent candidate, but not the best OGWAC defenseman Wheeler doesn’t feel like he should be old enough for OGWAC status, on his own team. Yes, I am going to be using some of these early entries but he actually clears the bar fairly easily — he’s 34 and this is his 13th to set up future ones, thanks for noticing. season. He’s only had one deep playoff run, in 2018 when the Jets went to the conference finals. But he has an even better claim to near-miss 18. Kris Russell, Oilers status; he was on the Cup-winning 2010-11 Bruins before being traded away at the deadline. I think we’ve safely reached the point where you can mention Russell’s name without immediately starting an analytics vs. old school bar brawl, One problem with Wheeler’s candidacy: The Jets are crawling with so let’s all agree that he’s spent 14 seasons doing a lot of thankless work OGWACs, with more than any other team. We’ve already mentioned for five different teams, and doesn’t have much playoff success to show Thompson, there’s one more still to come, and we’ve left Jordie Benn for it. We’ll need him to get healthy in time for any kind of Oilers run and Mathieu Perreault off the list entirely. That makes for a cool dynamic, before he can move up the list, and the way the Jets are playing that isn’t but it’s tough for any one player to stand out. looking likely, so for now we’ll slot him in here. 11. Anton Stralman, Panthers 17. Nick Foligno, Maple Leafs He’s 34 and in his 14th season, and he lost in the Stanley Cup Final There’s this narrative that the Leafs are swimming with OGWACs, which back-to-back with the Rangers in 2014 and Lightning in 2015. He stuck isn’t quite true — Wayne Simmonds is the fourth-oldest player on the around in Tampa long enough to be part of the record-breaking 2018-19 team but he’s only 32. There are two other names we’ll get to a little team that was swept in the first round, then left right before they won the further down, but for now let’s focus on Foligno, a 33-year-old who’s Cup in 2020. Now he gets to face those same Lightning in the first round, already 14 seasons into his career. He’s never had a near-miss, debuting which is a nice touch. (Checks how series is going.) Yeah, let’s get him in Ottawa the year after their run to the final, and has never played more on the list while we still can. than 10 playoff games in a postseason. Still, he’s an easy guy to root for, especially in Columbus, and that his dad had a long career without a Cup 10. Keith Yandle, Panthers adds some drama. The Maple Leafs’ OGWAC energy is focused Our other Panthers defenseman is a bit tricky, since he’s already been a elsewhere, though. healthy scratch in the first round so there’s a chance he wouldn’t play a 16. Mats Zuccarello, Wild prominent role in any deep Panthers run. On the other hand, the scratching does lend a real “the end might be near” sense of urgency, I don’t know about you, but Zuccarello is one of those players on my even as Yandle is only 34. He’s been to the conference finals once, with “absolutely no idea how old this guy is” list. You could give me a number the Coyotes in 2012, and was on some good Rangers teams, and there was a time when he was a genuine star in the league. Those days are Like Spezza, you could argue that neither guy being the clear-cut best past, which is often part of an OGWAC story. story on his own team should work against them. But that their careers in Minnesota have been so tied together almost makes them feel like one 9. Andy Greene, Islanders mega-OGWAC. It’s hard to beat a tag team for top spot, but there’s one Greene definitely clears the “old guy” bar, at 38 and with 15 seasons on guy left who can do it … his resume. And while he’s not anyone’s idea of a star, he’s the sort of 1. Joe Thornton, Maple Leafs hard-nosed veteran that any fan can get behind. I can’t decide if he’s the best Islanders option, and in fact, I’m not even sure if he’s the best ex- Sorry, not much suspense here. Thornton’s been topping this list for Devil of the Islanders options. So let’s slot him in right behind … years, with the exception of last season when he wasn’t even in the playoffs. He’s back now, in his 23rd season and about to turn 42, and this 8. Travis Zajac, Islanders really does feel like it might be his last chance. The 36-year-old Zajac is already in his 15th season, and until April they’d The Hart Trophy days are long over. So are the days as a legitimate top- all been with the Devils. Some of history’s best OGWACs have been six forward. Instead, he’s a fourth-line depth guy, basically doing deadline pickups; there’s just something about a Cup-less veteran being whatever the team asks him to while a younger core leads the way. airlifted off a floundering team and onto a contender that inspires hope Pretty soon, he won’t even be able to do that anymore. The clock isn’t for the rest of us. Zajac also had a near-miss in the 2012 final, so he just ticking, it’s following him around on every shift. checks a lot of boxes. He’s been one of the great personalities in a league that doesn’t have 7. James Neal, Oilers many, and just about everyone loves the guy. (Settle down, Blues fans, I Let’s get another Oiler in here while we still can. Neal is in his 13th said just about.) Even on the Maple Leafs, he’s hard to root against. Mix season, and you may wonder if he doesn’t already have a ring from his in all the near misses, disappointments and outright collapses in San years with the Crosby-era Penguins. He doesn’t — he arrived two years Jose, and he’s more than paid his dues. after their 2009 win and left two years before their back-to-back Cups in Thornton finally getting his hands on the Cup would rank as the best 2016 and 2017. To make his story even more painful, he was on the OGWAC moment since Bourque. Now imagine him skating it around and 2017 Predators team that lost to those Penguins in the final, then went to then handing it off to Spezza. Even the (many) fans out there who’d hate the Golden Knights and lost in the final again in 2018. He’s only 33, but to see the Leafs’ drought end could surely enjoy that for a few minutes with 111 career playoff games without a Cup, he’s had more postseason before they resumed retching. action than anyone we’ve met on our list so far. And probably more near- misses. The Athletic LOADED: 05.25.2021 6. Shea Weber, Canadiens Who’s the best defenseman to never win the Cup or a Norris? I think Brad Park would be the consensus pick, but Weber at least gets into the conversation once his career is over. Unless … At 35 and four years removed from his last fully healthy season, he may have run out of time for the Norris. But depending on how you feel about the Canadiens’ future, a Cup is still in play. As the captain, he’d be the one to get his hands on it first, and a moment like that with a franchise like Montreal would remove any lingering doubt about his first-ballot Hall of Fame status. 5. Paul Stastny, Jets You always want to see an OGWAC contribute to the cause, so Stastny already having an overtime winner in the bank helps him here. He’s also been around longer than you might think — he’s 35 and this is his 15th season. And like Foligno, we can also give out a few bonus points because not only has Stastny not won a Cup, but his Hall of Famer dad Peter didn’t either, and neither did his two NHL uncles, Marian and Anton. The whole family is well into its fifth combined decade of OGWAC accrual, so let’s get that name on a Cup, right? 4. Jason Spezza, Maple Leafs Spezza’s stint in Toronto has been a genuinely great story. He’s not a Hall of Famer, but he certainly had a few years where he was considered a legitimate star, and now at the end of his career he signs with his hometown team to chase an elusive Cup. And he’s been pretty darn good in a depth role, putting up his best offensive numbers in four years this season. Mix in his leadership both on and off the ice, and that he’s 37 and in his 18th season, and he’s a near-perfect OGWAC story. In fact, you could make a strong case for him to be No. 1 on the list, except for one thing: He’s not the top OGWAC on his own team. 3. Ryan Suter, Wild 2. Zach Parise, Wild We may as well treat this like free agency and consider these two a package deal. Both are 36. Both are in their 16th season. They arrived in Minnesota together on matching mega-contracts in 2012, with the idea being that they’d push an also-ran franchise to true contender status. That didn’t quite happen, at least not right away, but now the Wild have a Cup-worthy roster while these two are still playing a role. Well, sort of. Suter is still an important player for the Wild, but Parise’s clock is ticking loudly. He was almost traded a year ago and has been a healthy scratch this year. If the Wild could manage a comeback against Vegas and go on a real run, you could imagine him being back in the press box for most of it. But that just adds drama to his OGWAC case. He’s a local kid who came home, and this feels like it could be his very last chance to see it pay off with a championship. That’s stuff. Websites team that's capable of coming back, winning four games straight as 1188831 Edmonton. I mean, razor-thin margin.

“They easily could have won every one of those games. So, to answer Sportsnet.ca / Jets rewrite playoff history vs. Oilers with series sweep in your question, I think once we got into the second overtime, it was kind of first round just almost robotic. Nobody wanted to make a mistake and everyone was exhausted. We played an overtime game yesterday. We played four Stanley Cup playoff games in six days. It's not often you see a breakaway in triple overtime to solve it but, tell you what, we had the right Ken Wiebe guy on the breakaway. We’re pretty gassed, but we’re pumped up in our May 25, 2021, 3:21 AM room.” When the Jets power play struck on Mark Scheifele’s first goal of the playoffs after a brilliant cross-seam feed, the home side was off and WINNIPEG - The stage was set and the props were out in full force — running. even if they weren’t brought into the building. McDavid wasn’t ready to see his team go quietly into the night and his Although fans aren’t allowed in Canada during the pandemic, a parade of wraparound gave his team hope. vehicles circled around BellMTS Place hours before puck drop, with plenty of fans waving brooms out the windows as horns honked wildly. While the Jets restored a one-goal cushion on a nifty redirection from Mason Appleton late in the first period, it was the Oilers that responded With one more victory, the Winnipeg Jets would have the opportunity to with a goal from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and a power-play marker from celebrate something that hadn’t happened since the final season of the Alex Chiasson in the second. World Hockey Association. Remaining Time -2:18 Yes, the history is a bit complicated when it comes to the 2.0 version of the Jets, but many fans in friendly Manitoba haven’t forgotten the Jets' best players came through in biggest moments to sweep Oilers dominance of those dynastic Oilers teams of the 1980s and 90s. Discipline was an issue for the Jets, who took four consecutive minor And while this was officially the first meeting between the Smythe penalties after the Oilers took the first three. Division rivals, folks of a certain vintage around these parts still have Just when it looked like the Oilers might build a two-goal cushion, the some emotional scar tissue to sort through. Jets were able to kill off the minor to Josh Morrissey and Scheifele Remaining Time -1:08 scored his second of the game after a costly turnover from Ethan Bear. Jets' Kyle Connor scores in triple OT to eliminate Oilers Wheeler chipped in a pair of assists and continued his excellent play, but left the game late in the third period after blocking a shot in a sensitive The 1.0 version of the Jets dropped six consecutive playoff series to the area below the belt from Kris Russell. Oilers, including the one in 1990 — the one considered to provide the biggest heartbreak. Wheeler, who is known for having a pain tolerance and played with cracked ribs earlier this season, came out of the tunnel for overtime and Dave Ellett scored in double overtime to put the Jets up 3-1 in the series finished the game. that year and it was supposed to be a chance to rewrite history. “He's been doing it all series,” said Connor. “That was a huge block. Instead, the Oilers overcame a 3-1 deficit in Game 5 and won the final Fired me up. It's obviously tough to see a guy go down like that. But it's three games of the series, leaving the Jets and their fan base to feel part of the job. And we've got a whole lineup of guys buying in. It's the another dose of agony. playoffs. He's a warrior, and right back at it.” After the Jets took a commanding 3-0 series lead by winning consecutive Wheeler wasn’t looking for any sympathy when asked about the play in overtime victories in Games 2 and 3, the pent-up energy was palpable. question. Would the Jets be able to close the series out after rallying from a 4-1 “I'm sure everyone on this call has had experiences like that or deficit in the third period of Game 4 to win 5-4 in overtime? something similar, not necessarily a slap shot,” said Wheeler. “I mean, everyone on our team did that all series long, all game long. We put an The answer was a resounding yes, though the Oilers didn’t exactly go emphasis on getting to the shot at the point, and Matty Perreault blocked quietly as six periods were required before a winner would be declared. two shots. So that then and there set the standard that every single guy But after Neal Pionk forced Oilers captain Connor McDavid to turn the was going to put their body in front of the puck. And in the third period of puck over, Kyle Connor got in alone and beat Mike Smith with a wrist a tight game, you'll put anything in front of it." shot at 6:52 of triple overtime to secure a 4-3 victory and a 4-0 series The Jets’ reunited top line of Scheifele between Wheeler and Connor sweep in what was the longest game in franchise history. embraced the challenge of going head-to-head against McDavid and Talk about an unlikely turn of events for a Jets team that had dropped they did a solid job while splitting the responsibility with Adam Lowry’s seven of nine games to the Oilers in the regular season, including the line. final six meetings. In the close out game, Scheifele scored twice and Connor closed it out, The Jets seemingly hit rock bottom in a 6-1 loss to the Oilers that with Wheeler adding a pair of assists as something of an exclamation featured five goals allowed on the rush. point. That one-sided defeat helped the Jets make a renewed commitment to This wasn’t just about recording the points, it was about the effort in all three zones, which was part of the reason McDavid and Leon Draisaitl defending and to not feeding the transition game of the opponent. were held without a point in the first two games. Although that didn’t immediately translate into results, the Jets didn’t let a “We expect a lot out of ourselves, especially with the guys they have on seven-game losing streak sink their season. the other side,” said Scheifele. “With Connor and Leon, you’ve got to Neither did dropping nine of the final 12 regular-season games. bring it every single night or they’ll make you pay. Instead of folding and suffering a third consecutive early exit, the Jets “The biggest player who kept us in there was this guy beside me.” used the difficult stretch to embolden their belief in what the group could accomplish if they stuck to their structure. That guy beside Scheifele on the Zoom call was Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who came into this series as a man on a mission, When players talk about not wanting to give an opponent any life after determined to deliver a performance for the ages. taking a 3-0 series advantage, Wheeler speaks with first-hand experience as a member of the 2010 Boston Bruins team that ended up Hellebuyck stopped 70 of 71 shots he faced through the two road games, losing in Game 7 to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference then came home to post 44 saves in Game 3 and another 37 in Game 4. final. Remaining Time -1:45 “It was kind of just a crazy day because you knew what was at stake Scheifele describes challenges of playing in multiple overtimes tonight. Listen, I've been on the wrong side of being up 3-0 and losing it all, so for me, it was kind of like, you just don't want to lose,” said The Vezina Trophy winner level has returned and it’s one of the reasons Wheeler, who finished with two goals and five points in the series. “You nobody will view the Jets as an easy out as the playoffs continue. don't want miss out on that opportunity to close a team out, especially a Naturally, Hellebuyck was tossing around compliments to his teammates instead of basking in the glory. “I feel like I’ve been saying this all year, that this team and these guys can do everything,” said Hellebuyck. “If we need to shut down a game, we shut down a game. If we need to score, we score. If we need to come back with 10 minutes left in the third, we do that. “Just being behind these guys, it’s been a pleasure and it’s fun to watch.” One of the biggest benefits for the Jets was that after needing to play five overtime periods, now they’ll have an opportunity to recuperate before the next round starts. “It definitely didn’t feel like a sweep, that’s for sure,” said Scheifele. “We grinded every single game, there was no easy ice out there. It was a battle each and every game, each and every shift.” The Jets would love to go on a run that’s reminiscent of the 2018 run to the Western Conference final, but they know this is nothing more than the first step. A necessary one, but nowhere near the ultimate goal. “You've got to be really careful to start putting into context after the first round of the playoff experience,” said Wheeler. “It's certainly what I envisioned, what Kyle (Connor) envisioned, I could go through a locker- room full of guys that have committed to this team and this city. Because we committed to each other, right? And with the idea that we believed that we could win. “So this is just a step in that progression. We built some experience over the last few years. We've had some success, some heartbreak at this time of year. And we're trying to draw off those experiences. More than anything, I think there's a certain maturity that we've accumulated. I can go through the guys that have been here for a while. They're not kids anymore. They're entering the primes of their career and those are the guys that committed long-term and give us a chance to win. That's all you can ask for. Ask for a chance.” A first-round elimination of the Oilers won’t erase the nightmares of Jets 1.0, but a first-round sweep over a team that features two of the best players in the NHL will certainly help to dull some of the pain. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.25.2021 Websites But Edmonton can’t get caught looking at this as some kind of statistical 1188832 anomaly. A sweep is a sweep.

They got their rear ends handed to them by a team they’d beaten six Sportsnet.ca / Despite gallant efforts, Oilers continue to find ways to lose times in a row this season. in playoffs “The regular season means absolutely nothing right now,” admitted McDavid. Mark Spector He’s right. May 25, 2021, 3:38 AM It’s another season of his great career without a playoff victory. That’s got to end soon.

“Tough to watch another year go by,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a EDMONTON — It was fitting. pending free agent who may have just played his last game as an Oiler. “There’s not a whole to say. They finished it off. We couldn’t get it done. In the end, the Edmonton Oilers blinked first. A bad dump, an untimely change and a broken record for a team that was second in line every “We just couldn’t find a way.” time a break or some good fortune was handed out in this playoff series. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.25.2021 After losing this clincher in triple overtime — the third consecutive overtime game in this series — you could ask why the puck kept finding a way into the net for a Paul Stastny, a Nikolaj Ehlers, or on Monday a Kyle Connor? And never for a guy wearing orange? You could also be reminded that the Oilers blew third period leads in Game 3 and 4, a serious tell on a team that simply does not know how to win in the playoffs. A team that, as gallantly as they played Monday night, still finds ways to lose. “It’s the little mistakes,” said Connor McDavid, who couldn’t be asked for more than he gave in Game 4. “Just the little ones. Not earth shattering stuff here. We’re not leaving here thinking we have to re-right the ship here. It’s a fine line.” In the end it was McDavid’s small mistake, coupled with Ethan Bear’s timing miscue that sunk the good ship Oiler. Remaining Time -0:42 McDavid proud of how the Oilers played despite Game 4 loss We’re not criticizing a captain who played 45 minutes on Monday. Not in this space. But it was his unfortunate flip into the zone that got picked off and sent the other way to Connor, who had a wide open lane to the net because Bear had spotted a good time to make the long change. Neither mistake was major. But combined, they opened the door just enough to lose. Edmonton had at worst 50 per cent of the play in this series, but was swept. I can say, I’ve seen six-game series where one team dominated the other more than Winnipeg did Edmonton, but that’s not worth a busted Warrior stick right now. “There are some hard lessons you learn along the way,” said head coach Dave Tippett, who is right in tune with who made which mistakes and why. “Some of these lessons are hard to learn, but next time you recognize situations better. There are things that happen in a game where the only way you can learn how to handle them is to go through them.” Darnell Nurse set a new team record with 62:07 of ice time, as the pair of Bear and Slater Koekkoek never saw the ice after coughing up the game- tying goal at 6:01 of the third period. Not until the final, fatal Bear shift, that is. “It wasn’t too bad,” Nurse said of the ice time. “You want to go out there and be a part of it the whole night, not sitting back and watching. As crazy as it sounds, it wasn’t too bad.” Remaining Time -3:06 Oilers' mistakes, lack of depth proved costly in sweep to Jets Watching Nurse play so much is a testament to why Winnipeg was one goal better every night. They have superior depth, especially up front. And they shut down McDavid and Leon Draisaitl just enough to allow that depth to win the day — even if all the analytics point to a series that should not be over yet. “It’s a weird series, a weird sweep for sure,” said McDavid. “We got leads and we don’t find ways to close them out. That’s just the way it is.” Through the first three games of the series, the Oilers had led for 50:48, while Winnipeg held the lead for 10:46. It was one of the many cruel statistics floating around this series — shots, scoring chances, all kinds of analytics — that had the Oilers wondering how on earth they were trailing 3-0 in the series? Websites “Just skating is important,” he said of what he’s learned. “Moving your 1188833 legs out there and getting on the forecheck regardless. I mean you might not touch the puck one shift, but you’ve just gotta keep going at it shift after shift.” Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs' William Nylander exuding confidence as hot streak continues You need to grind out goals any way you can, too. Auston Matthews has arguably been the most impactful Leafs player of the series with an eye-popping 30 shot attempts already, but his line with Chris Johnston Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman can’t be counted on for all of the offence. (They did, however, produce Rielly’s game-winner with Marner finding May 24, 2021, 10:03 PM the defenceman shortly after Nick Suzuki tied it 1-1 for Montreal on Monday). If you’re going to chase down a Stanley Cup while investing heavily in The key to a long playoff run is found in spreading the wealth. four forwards, you need those players to retain the ability to find another It tends to hinge on patching offensive holes long enough to overcome level when the team most needs it. injuries or bouts of poor shooting luck. It’s about having a core player like The Toronto Maple Leafs are basically banking on the kind of Tavares go down with his concussion and knee issue and then promptly performance they’ve received from William Nylander to start this first- seeing Nylander become the first Leaf to open a playoff series with goals round series with Montreal, getting goals from him in each of the three in three straight games since Alex Mogilny in 2003 against Philadelphia. games while seeing linemates John Tavares and Nick Foligno suffer He’s already established his own career best for one post-season. And injuries that have required him to skate with teammates further down the he’s engaged in puck battles, generated 10 shots on goal and exuded an depth chart. undeniable level of self-assuredness. On Monday, that meant starting with Alexander Kerfoot, who was strong, “You learn over the years and every time you lose it digs even harder,” and Alex Galchenyuk, who took a double-minor for high-sticking on his said Nylander. “You want to battle and battle and get better every year.” first shift and failed to recover any form or his coach’s trust from there. The battle renews again Tuesday with Game 4. While that obviously impacted Nylander’s ability to settle into a rhythm, it didn’t prevent him from contributing a big goal to a tight 2-1 victory over Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.25.2021 the Canadiens. And it says something about the way he’s made his presence felt in this series that Sheldon Keefe had him tabbed for a 5-on- 6 shift in the final minute after Carey Price had been pulled for an extra skater. “To me he’s competing a lot harder, he’s really engaged and with that offence comes,” Keefe said of Nylander, his team’s early playoff leader with four points. “You look at losing Tavares and then you lose Foligno, two guys that Will started out with on a line and he’s just continued on and produced and played hard and given us real good shifts.” Remaining Time -0:35 Gotta See It: Price makes diving paddle save to stun Spezza Toronto grabbed a 2-1 series lead on a night where Price played well enough to steal his team a victory and Jack Campbell withstood a frantic third period barrage to keep it from happening. It was a swing game -- the first in this best-of-seven where Dominique Ducharme controlled the last line change -- and goals were hard to come by. In fact, there could have been the smallest seed of doubt planted on the Toronto bench when Price made an early desperation save that hinted at his top form. He dove across the crease and angled the paddle of his stick just right to keep Jason Spezza from potting a sure goal. “When you’re playing against a goalie who's … in the zone it can be discouraging at times,” said Morgan Rielly. That’s what made Nylander’s seeing-eye strike so important. He swung across the right circle after Kerfoot won a faceoff and beat Price low at 7:18 of the second period to stake Toronto to its first 1-0 lead of the series. They might otherwise have let a solid first half of the game go to waste. Foligno was a surprise scratch for Game 3 after being declared in by Keefe earlier in the day and taking the warmup. He’s been dealing with a lower-body issue that kept him out of two games late in the regular season and was concerned about being able to make it through the entire 60 minutes, so the decision was made to give him another night off. The Galchenyuk-Kerfoot-Nylander line was formed in the 20 minutes before the national anthem while Riley Nash took a spot in Toronto’s bottom-six. Remaining Time -0:45 Maple Leafs’ Rielly waits and the rips goal by Price No matter the circumstances in front of him, Nylander has entered these playoffs trying to stay mentally in the battle. He’s actually been a reasonably productive post-season player throughout his NHL career despite going quiet in a couple key moments -- failing to register a shot in either Game 7 loss against Boston, for example. Websites Beyond that opening period, however, it was all Vegas and the lone 1188834 reason the Wild were able to hold on for the W was Cam Talbot in net.

The Golden Knights outshot the Wild 22-1 in the second period yet Sportsnet.ca / Stanley Cup Playoffs takeaways: Knight saves Panthers' Talbot only allowed one goal, an Alec Martinez power-play tally. The last season time a team was outshot 22-1 in any period was in 1993. The Wild were being outshot 29-8 after 40 minutes and by the end of the game, Vegas had nearly triple the output. The final shots were 40-14 but Mike Johnston 25, 2021, 2:31 AM the scoreboard read 4-2 as the series now shifts back to Minnesota for Game 6 on Wednesday.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.25.2021 Allowing a goal on the first shot you face just 53 seconds into an elimination game is not how you want to begin your Stanley Cup Playoffs career. Stopping the next 36 consecutive shots, being named the No. 1 star of the game and helping your team stay alive for another day is exactly how you’d want to finish that rough start, though, and that was the story of Spencer Knight and the Florida Panthers on Monday. Knight, who turned 20 in April, became the youngest goalie in NHL history to make his playoff debut in an elimination game and the second- youngest netminder to win his playoff debut as the Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of their Central Division series. “I was just trying to have fun,” Knight told reporters following the game. “You know, it's still hockey, right? I'm on this ice every single day. It's just a different setting.'' The 13th-overall pick from 2019 signed his entry-level contract with the Panthers less than two months ago and began his regular-season career 4-0-0. Panthers coach Joel Quenneville wisely decided to start Knight after toggling between Sergei Bobrovsky and Chris Driedger over the first four games. It became clear that with each save the rookie made, his teammates’ confidence in him grew. “I could be here until tomorrow if you want me to say everything I want about Spencer,” Aleksander Barkov said. “He's just great.” Game 6 goes down Wednesday in Tampa and Coach Q will undoubtedly go with Knight in net as the Panthers look to force Game 7. The Sorokin Show stymies Penguins yet again Pittsburgh Penguins fans are going to have nightmares about Ilya Sorokin. The New York Islanders faithful, on the other hand, will likely be peacefully dreaming of a bright future with the Russian netminder in their crease. Sorokin is now 3-0 in the post-season with a .951 save percentage after another stellar performance in a 3-2 double overtime Islanders win. Jordan Eberle praised his goalie’s quickness prior to the game, saying “laterally, side to side, some of the saves he makes are pretty amazing.” We saw plenty of examples of Sorokin’s ability to take away the bottom half of the net on Monday. The Penguins outshot the Islanders in each of the first three periods plus the first overtime session and the 25-year-old made 48 saves, establishing a new Islanders franchise record for saves by a rookie goalie in a playoff game. “It all goes on Ilya,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz told reporters in Pittsburgh following the game. “We don't have a chance if he doesn't have an outstanding game in the first two periods, either.” The Islanders have a chance to eliminate the Penguins for the second time in three years in Game 6 on Wednesday back on Long Island where a rowdy fan base awaits. Kaprizov, Parise arrive but Wild had no business winning Mark Stone opening the scoring with his fourth of the post-season for the Vegas Golden Knights could’ve sucked the air out of the Minnesota Wild but it didn’t. The very next shift, Calder Trophy shoo-in Kirill Kaprizov scored his first- career playoff goal in the NHL and less than three minutes later Zach Parise, a healthy scratch earlier in the series, banked in the go-ahead goal for his first point in a dozen games dating back to mid-April. Jordan Greenway added an insurance marker late in the frame and the Wild were up 3-1 after 20 minutes. 1188835 Websites

TSN.CA / Canadiens need middle-six forwards to show some life

By Travis Yost

On one hand, splitting the opening pair of games in their first-round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs was a victory for the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens are a very game team, but a matchup that neutralizes Montreal’s core competencies was a concern heading into the series; so too was the sheer team strength of their historic rival this season. It’s hard to say the first two games have done much to change that math. In the midst of a series-opening split, the Canadiens’ underlying numbers have been abysmal. The team is getting just 44 per cent of the shots and 38 per cent of the expected goals at even strength; for a team that finished at 55 per cent and 51 per cent respectively over the course of the regular season, that’s a big problem. There are two distinct challenges for the Canadiens right now. The first: the majority of the team has been deeply underwater in their respective matchups over the first two games, save for an admirable effort from the Montreal top line of Brendan Gallagher, Tomas Tatar, and Phil Danault. This line has delivered for multiple seasons but there was concern about whether they would hold up here, especially in a tough draw against the Auston Matthews line. So far, so good on that front. It’s the rest of the lineup that has been beaten up. If we look at each player’s respective matchup in the series so far, you can see where the weakness is for Dominique Ducharme’s club: If your chief concern was the Matthews line running wild – well, that hasn’t happened quite yet. The Matthews line has managed just one goal at even strength over the first two games. The real damage is being done further down the lineup, with the Nick Suzuki line (mixed top-six competition) and the Eric Staal line (head-to-head with the Jason Spezza line) running into some trouble. Perhaps the biggest concern for the Canadiens is on the blueline. The pairing of Brett Kulak and Ben Chiarot has struggled in every matchup so far, and they have also been on the ice for two of Toronto’s four even- strength goals. Small samples aplenty here, but this is sort of the problem with drawing in against a deeper team like Toronto – if you do have a weakness somewhere in the lineup, it’s going to be exposed. So what does all of this head-to-head shot data really mean? Sometimes, pictures are worth a thousand words. If we take team-level data from both games and create shot profiles at even strength, we see how territorially one-sided this has been – the Maple Leafs getting much more volume, and also more effective at pushing into dangerous scoring areas of the interior and between the circles (via NaturalStatTrick): Why are the even-strength numbers so important? Matchups aside, that’s where Montreal’s competitive advantage has been, and that’s true spanning multiple years at this point. Look at the 2020-21 regular season as a reference point on this: The Canadiens did have success counterattacking on penalty kills all season, but that’s never something you want to hang your hat on, especially when your penalty killing unit was 25th in the league in suppressing goal-scoring. (Interestingly, remember Toronto’s unstoppable power play from the first half of the season? That appears to have cooled off considerably.) Bringing this back for Game 3 perspective, I think it’s critical that Montreal’s middle-six forwards show some life over the remainder of the series. The Canadiens top line is in a daunting matchup and faring admirably, but if we know one thing about Matthews this season, banking of getting the better of him is a fool’s bet long-term. The Canadiens need to win further down the lineup. So far, it hasn’t happened. Keep an eye on Ducharme heading into the pair of home-ice games where he will be able to control matchups more aggressively. It’s likely we will see the line blender go to work on the forward group and the Kulak-Chiarot pairing if this trend continues. Enjoy Game 3! TSN.CA LOADED: 05.25.2021 Websites Prior to the series, Keefe said his team had adopted Thornton's stress- 1188836 free persona when it comes to handing playoff pressure. Where does that zen-like approach come from? TSN.CA / Foligno misses skate, but good to go in Game 3 "Growing up with my household with two older brothers pounding you every day," the 41-year-old said with a grin. "That's the way I was raised with my mom and dad and I've always had that type of attitude and it won't change." By Mark Masters "No matter what the circumstances are, he brings that attitude," Hyman confirmed. "I think it's a great way to live ... He's such a great, positive Nick Foligno was absent from Toronto's morning skate, which raised figure in our locker room and just somebody that everyone gravitates eyebrows because the team did not hold a practice on Sunday and the towards." 33-year-old also missed time late in the regular season with an upper- The Leafs have already faced a lot of adversity in this series losing body injury. Tavares to a scary injury and eventually falling in Game 1. Riley Nash, a scratch on Saturday night, skated in Foligno's spot on the "It was a huge step last game for us," Thornton said. "We're trying to second line between Alex Galchenyuk and William Nylander. make another big one tonight. Losing John definitely hurt in that first What's Foligno's status? game, but we responded well and we got to respond again tonight." "Nick will play tonight," coach Sheldon Keefe said concisely. Thornton on origin of stress-free persona: 'Older brothers pounding me every day' That's important for the Leafs because, as Keefe noted following the injury to John Tavares, Toronto doesn't have a lot of options to fill in as Joe Thornton relaxed approach has been rubbing off in a good way on the second-line centre. In Game 2, Foligno shifted to that spot while his teammates and he explained where that temperament comes from Galchenyuk, a scratch in Game 1, slotted in on left wing and Nylander while Zach Hyman explains why he has been such a positive influence in remained on the right side. the locker room. Head coach Sheldon Keefe has seen how Thornton's influence on the younger players has played a big role in their "They did a good job," said Keefe. "They had some good opportunities. development. They had some good pressure in the offensive zone. They were on the ice for the goal against there in that first period, but I thought as the game With Game 3 and Game 4 on consecutive nights, Keefe was asked about got moving those guys were good. Nick did an excellent job at the face- his goaltending plan. off dot." "We'll wait and see how we get through the game here tonight," the Foligno won 13 of 16 draws on Saturday. coach said. "That's really my only focus. I'm less concerned about the back-to-back mainly, because we're just taking it a game at a time." Nash didn't stay out late with the other projected scratches this morning so it appears he's on standby if someone can't play. Although Keefe pointed out that this isn't a normal back-to-back situation. Leafs Ice Chips: Foligno misses skate, but will play tonight "The fact that it's back-to-back in the same city against the same opponent, it's less of a concern to me," he said. The Maple Leafs held a morning skate this morning and Nick Foligno's absence raised some eyebrows but head coach Sheldon Keefe did Jack Campbell will start again on Monday and has played well in his first reveal Foligno will play tonight, which is good news for a team already ever Stanley Cup playoff appearance posting a .943 save percentage. thin for options at second line centre. Mark Masters has more. Campbell, who has twice missed time with a leg injury this year, hasn't Nylander scored on the power play on Saturday night giving him a goal in played on consecutive nights this season. both games in the series. He's tied with Auston Matthews with three Leafs 3-in-3: How should Leafs handle goaltending moving forward? points. After racking up costly penalties in Game 2, is the Habs' physical style "He's been great," said veteran forward Joe Thornton. "He's just so coming back to bite them? What was the difference-maker for Toronto in strong. Just an incredible shot. Great skater. He looks very, very driven the second game? How should the Leafs handle goaltending moving right now and it's been fun to watch him through the two games." forward? TSN's Mark Masters and Kristen Shilton shared their thoughts "He's competing on both sides of the ice," Galchenyuk observed. "He's on the series so far. shooting the puck really well, but what he creates off the puck and how Lines at Monday's morning skate: hard he's working and competing, that also is encouraging. It's great to watch and it rubs off on the guys." Hyman - Matthews - Marner At times, Nylander has faced criticism for not being consistently engaged. Galchenyuk - Nash - Nylander Keefe, who also coached Nylander in the American Hookey League, will often push and prod him to find another gear. Keefe even benched the Mikheyev - Kerfoot - Engvall 25-year-old during the third period of a game in Montreal earlier this Thornton - Spezza - Simmonds season. Malgin, Brooks Right now, however, the reviews are all positive. Rielly - Brodie "He's played extremely well," Keefe said. "He's been on the puck. He's been looking to make plays and make a difference. I've liked a lot about Muzzin - Holl his game. He's been really engaged on both sides of the puck and that's been good to see. I think he's got a whole other level to get to like a lot of Sandin - Bogosian our players do ... His confidence should be real high coming into this Hutton, Dermott, Marincin game tonight." Campbell Nylander has never had more than two goals or four points in a playoff series in the NHL, but he possesses the potential to be a dominant force. Andersen "When Willy's playing his game, he’s one of the best players in the Rittich world," said forward Zach Hyman. "He's obviously producing right now, which is huge for us." Hutchinson 'He looks very, very driven': Leafs enjoying Nylander's playoff style TSN.CA LOADED: 05.25.2021 William Nylander has contributed two goals and three points through the first two games of the Maple Leafs' series against the Canadiens and according to Joe Thornton, 'he looks very, very driven right now and it's been fun to watch him.' Head coach Sheldon Keefe has noticed how Nylander has been 'really engaged on both sides of the puck' and believes he has another level he can still get to. Websites Montreal is already second in Hits/60 (49.50) among the NHL’s playoff 1188837 field, and Toronto anticipates the Canadiens will be even more energized back on their home turf for this upcoming back-to-back set of games. TSN.CA / Nylander thriving on retooled second line “They always come out strong,” said Hyman. “I expect no different tonight, especially coming off a loss. You always want to respond, so I'm sure that they have that mentality and we have to be ready for that, especially in this building. Even though there are no fans, they're still at By Kristen Shilton home and they play well in this building so we've got to be ready for a big test tonight." TORONTO — William Nylander knows when to pick his moment. And it’s TSN.CA LOADED: 05.25.2021 happening right now. Following the loss of his linemate John Tavares to a concussion and knee injury in Game 1 of Toronto’s first-round playoff series against Montreal last Thursday, Nylander has stepped up with some of his best hockey. The winger scored Toronto's only goal in a 2-1 defeat in Game 1, and then added another goal and an assist in Saturday’s 5-1 win in Game 2. As the series shifts to Montreal for Game 3 on Monday, Nylander’s teammates are wholly impressed at how he’s been rising to the occasion with Tavares out of the lineup indefinitely. “When Willy is playing his game, he's one of the best players in the world,” said Zach Hyman after the Leafs’ morning skate on Monday. “There's no question he's a dynamic player and someone who brings a ton to our team. He's producing right now, which is huge for us. It's great to see.” With Tavares unavailable, Nylander is now part of a retooled second line centred by Nick Foligno and with Alex Galchenyuk on the other wing. Nylander essentially played this entire season with Tavares, and knows making up for his absence won’t be easy. But the Leafs challenged one another to step up, and Nylander’s been trying to oblige. “It's tough to lose a guy like that who's meant a lot to myself and who I've learned a lot from,” Nylander said on Saturday. “We want to get together here and win [these] games for John and hopefully he can get back and play later on. It's tough not having him there because of how big he is for our line, but I just try to play the same way and create scoring chances.” Through two playoff games, Nylander is leading the Leafs with two goals and tied with Auston Matthews for most points at three. Nylander has also been credited with the second-most takeaways on the team at four. But it’s not so much the stats that have Nylander jumping off the page. It’s the way he’s battling on the ice. Nylander is often criticized for his defensive inconsistency and lack of physical presence offensively, and the winger has improved upon both aspects early in this postseason. “He's played extremely well,” said coach Sheldon Keefe. “He’s been on the puck, he's been looking to make plays and make a difference. I've liked a lot about his game. He's been really engaged on both sides of the puck and that's been good to see. He’s made a mark in both games to me and has shown very well, so his confidence should be real high right now coming into this game tonight.” Keefe thought Nylander's line eventually found its footing as a group on Saturday as well, after weathering a rocky start. "They were on the ice for the goal-against [by Jesperi Kotkaniemi] in that first period, but I thought as the game got moving those guys were good," said Keefe. "They did a good job. They had some good opportunities, and they had some good pressure in the offensive zone." Nylander has also helped spark some more optimism in Toronto’s flailing power play. The Leafs have been abysmal with the extra man since mid- March, entering the postseason on a 5-for-73 run (6.9 per cent) in their final 29 games. After going 0-for-4 with the extra man in Game 1, Nylander scored one of two power-play goals for the Leafs in Game 2 to give that unit a much-needed boost. “[Nylander] looks very driven right now,” said Joe Thornton. “He’s just so strong, he’s got an incredible shot and he’s a great skater. It’s been great to see, and it’s fun to watch him.” The Leafs will try to keep their positive momentum rolling now into Monday’s Game 3. While Foligno was absent from the team’s morning skate for undisclosed reasons, Keefe confirmed he will play against Montreal. And as the Canadiens look to get back on a winning track, Cole Caufield has been tapped to make his NHL postseason debut. Montreal has scored the first goal in both games to start this series, a pattern the Leafs don’t want to see continue. But they are fully expecting a motivated - not to mention hard-hitting - Canadiens group to greet them for Game 3. 1188838 Websites Nashville at Carolina, 8, CNBC. Series tied 2-2. USA TODAY LOADED: 05.25.2021

USA TODAY / Penguins rally around goalie Tristan Jarry after gaffe in loss to Islanders; Jets sweep Oilers

Mike Brehm

New York Islanders forward Josh Bailey was given a gift early in the second overtime Monday night when Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry's up-ice pass went straight to him. "At first, I was just trying to settle it down and wanted to get a good shot off and then I kind of ran out of time and let it go," he told reporters. His shot beat Jarry glove side, the same place where the goalie has given up other goals in the series, for a 3-2 win and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. But the Penguins are rallying around Jarry as they face a must-win road game on Wednesday. "It’s a team game," defenseman Kris Letang told reporters. "It’s nobody’s fault. We win as a team. We lose as a team. We’re going to shake it off and he’s going to bring his A game like we did tonight, and we’ll go in there and try to win that game." The Penguins were stymied for the second consecutive game by Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin (48 saves). Jarry finished with 26 saves, but Penguins coach Mike Sullivan noted that if the goalie hadn't come up big on Jordan Eberle in the first overtime, there wouldn't have been a second OT. "We’ll rally around him," Sullivan said. "He’s been a really good goalie for us all year long. He’ll continue to be a good goalie for us as we move forward." Jets sweep Oilers The Winnipeg Jets are moving to the next round after completing a shocking four-game sweep of the Edmonton Oilers with a 4-3 triple- overtime win. The Jets shut out the NHL's top scorers, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, in the first two games and rallied from a 4-1 third-period deficit to win Game 3. Monday, McDavid scored his first goal of the series, but Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele tied it in the third period with his second goal of the game, and Kyle Connor scored the winner in the longest game in Jets history. The final three games of the series went into overtime. Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse played more than 62 minutes in the game, third most in NHL history. The Jets will play the winner of the Toronto Maple Leafs-Montreal Canadiens series. Toronto went up 2-1 with a 2-1 victory Monday. McDavid scored 105 points in 56 games, including 22 points against the Jets, during the regular season. "The regular season doesn't mean anything," he said. Panthers, Wild stay alive After goalies Sergei Bobrovsky and Chris Driedger were pulled in Florida's last two games, the Panthers gave Spencer Knight his first playoff start. The Tampa Bay Lightning scored on their first shot against him on a 2- on-1 break, but that was it as he finished with 36 saves in a 4-1 win that staved off elimination. "He was just a rock all night," defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said. "He just put that one behind him. He matured after that." Knight, 20, is the youngest goalie to start an elimination game. "I don't think about the result, detach from it and just have fun in the moment," he said. -Minnesota rookie Kirill Kaprizov and veteran Zach Parise scored their first goals of the postseason as the Wild stayed alive with a 4-2 victory in Game 5 at the Vegas Golden Knights. The Wild were outshot 40-14. Tuesday's playoff games Toronto at Montreal, 7:30, NBCSN. Maple Leafs lead 2-1. Websites The NHL Players' Association filed an appeal of the eight-game 1188839 suspension that the NHL handed forward Nazem Kadri for an illegal check to the head of Blues defenseman Justin Faulk. Kadri has already served two games. USA TODAY / 'It gave them some life': Winnipeg Jets rally for 5-4 OT win after Edmonton Oilers take 'poor penalty' USA TODAY LOADED: 05.25.2021

Mike Brehm

Edmonton had everything going for it in Game 3 as stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl got points for the first time in the series and the Oilers held a 4-1 lead with less than nine minutes left. Instead, the Oilers are on the brink of elimination after the Winnipeg Jets staged a major rally for a 5-4 overtime victory. "That’s our team," said Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who scored twice, including in overtime, in his return from injury. "We don’t give up. That’s what’s so fun playing on this team. After the OT win, you could see the joy. It’s a wonder no one got injured in the celebration." The rally began after Edmonton's Josh Archibald was penalized for a low hit on Winnipeg's Logan Stanley at 11:11. Mathieu Perreault scored 30 seconds later, and the Jets later got goals from Blake Wheeler and Josh Morrissey 16 seconds apart to tie the game. "The Archibald penalty was a poor penalty to take," Oilers coach Dave Tippett said. "It gave them some life." Archibald won't get a chance for redemption Monday. The NHL suspended him for one game for clipping. OPINION:Game 4 overtime win was Saros' masterpiece for Predators The Oilers will try to avoid elimination Monday night in Winnipeg. “Not much time to think about it," said McDavid, who combined with Draisaitl for six points. "Just go out and play tomorrow.” Bruins looking dangerous The Boston Bruins followed up their 2019 trip to the Stanley Cup Final with a second-round loss to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning. As they await their next opponent after knocking off the Washington Capitals in five games, the Bruins are in better shape than in the 2020 playoffs. Last season, goalie Tuukka Rask left the bubble for family reasons and Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak were dealing with injuries that led to offseason surgery. But Rask is back and focused with a 1.81 goals-against average and .941 save percentage. He stopped 40 of 41 shots in the clinching 3-1 win against the Washington Capitals. "He seemed very composed and sure of himself," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "It makes it easier for everybody when you see your goalie completely under control." Marchand had an overtime goal in Game 2 and Pastrnak had a highlight- reel goal in Game 5. Captain Patrice Bergeron, the third member of the line, scored twice in the clincher. The Bruins are deeper, too. Boston took a chance on slumping Taylor Hall (two goals) at the trade deadline and the former Hart Trophy winner scored eight goals down the stretch plus two more in the playoffs. The loss of free agents Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara hurt on defense, but it allowed Charlie McAvoy to blossom. And while the Bruins struggled with blue line injuries in the regular season, their younger defensemen got experience, allowing them to overcome the loss of Kevan Miller in Game 4. "We played a solid series," Rask said. "I thought game by game, we got better. .... Everybody contributed, offensively, defensively and we did a lot of little things right. I think that probably ended up being the difference. We were a better team overall." Kadri suspension appealed The Colorado Avalanche also advanced Sunday with a 5-2 win that completed a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues. As they prepare to face the winner of the Minnesota Wild-Vegas Golden Knights series, there is some off-ice news.