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Home , 2300 Arena, Andrew Agozzino, Calgary Inferno, Chaos from the Top Down, Chris Wagner, Daryl Stanley

SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 03/07/19 1134535 Ducks collapse late to let Blues slip away 5-4 1134569 Analysis: Avalanche’s overtime percentages might be 1134536 Ducks put up a fight, but late collapse results in come- evening out from-behind win for Blues 1134570 Takeaways: Avalanche finally win in overtime, besting Red 1134537 ‘At the end of the day, it fueled me’ — Ryan Kesler and his Wings 4-3 drive to reach 1,000 games 1134571 Avalanche dip into Eagles roster once again, call up foward Andrew Agozzino 1134572 Another injury changes outlook for Colorado 1134538 Ironically, loss to Ducks illustrates how good Arizona Coyotes have been this season 1134539 Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet already has team in 1134573 Blue Jackets seeking to reclaim lost identity playoff mindset 1134574 Blue Jackets 2, Devils 1, SO: Five takeaways 1134540 For Arizona Coyotes, getting healthier means shaking off 1134575 G66: ‘Panicking’ Blue Jackets get much-needed win but the rust can’t explain another woeful outing Dallas Stars 1134541 Bruins’ Marcus Johansson out at least a week with a 1134576 Stars 2019 playoff tracker: Where Dallas sits in the bruised lung Western Conference standings (updated daily) 1134542 Carlo making his checks on both ends for Bruins 1134577 Stars forward Radek Faksa doubtful with neck injury after 1134543 Bruins notebook: Marcus Johansson suffers lung hit Tuesday against Rangers contusion from hit against Carolina 1134578 What’s an NHL video room like during a game? Inside 1134544 Bruins’ Johansson missing from team photo at TD Garden Dallas Stars mission control 1134545 Brad Marchand's latest troll victim: 'Mayor Of Walpole' Chris Wagner 1134546 Bruins provide update on Marcus Johansson injury 1134579 'The Russian Five' red carpet premiere set for Emagine 1134547 Maple Leafs GM had a solid retort to Brad Marchand's Royal Oak Mitch Marner jab 1134580 Filip Zadina shows why Detroit Red Wings were so happy 1134548 David Backes prepared, taking on burdensome protector to draft him role for the Bruins 1134581 Red Wings' Filip Zadina looks 'more dangerous' with each 1134549 Brad Marchand and Torey Krug can't stop ripping each game other on Twitter Oilers 1134582 WATCH: Draisaitl makes his scoring chances count 1134550 Sabres Notebook: Phil Housley seeks 'simple' game to 1134583 Zack Kassian definitely proving he's more than Oilers' end road woes fourth-line banger 1134551 Burden of captaincy, Sabres' struggles not slowing Jack 1134584 Oilers Game Day: Edmonton continues to lean on Eichel's play Koskinen in against Canucks 1134552 10 reasons why the Rochester Amerks are good again 1134585 Former NHLer Rob Brown knows Draisaitl is a multi-threat 1134553 How Brandon Montour is already making a difference for 1134586 Can Leon Draisaitl be a 50-goal man for the Edmonton the Sabres through his first four games Oilers? 1134587 JONES: Oilers among group looking to make playoff Flames mountain out of whacky mole hill 1134554 Bell: Fear and trepidation over city's NHL arena pitch 1134555 Why Flames prospect Mathias Emilio Pettersen is one of Florida Panthers the NCAA’s best freshmen 1134588 Once thought to be a trade-deadline casualty, Riley Sheahan would like to stay with Panthers 1134556 Hey, Marchand, how about Sebastian Aho? Los Angeles Kings 1134557 Bruins Sneak Past Hurricanes (Whalers) in Overtime 1134589 Matt Luff hopes his latest stay with the Kings lasts a long time 1134590 What we learned from the Kings' 3-1 loss to Montreal 1134558 'We need them to produce': Patrick Kane and Jonathan 1134591 Kings’ Alec Martinez: Poor season a ‘humbling reminder’ Toews may get extra rest to increase production 1134592 WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: MARCH 6 1134559 Breakout season or growing pains? Blackhawks 1134593 REIGN: BRICKLEY “ABSOLUTELY CLEARED TO PLAY” defenseman Erik Gustafsson is having it both ways IN TUCSON THIS WEEKEND 1134560 Blackhawks bowl for a cause — and it gets competitive: 'You don’t want to be the guy who finishes last' Wild 1134561 Blackhawks take last swing at lineup change to save their 1134594 NHL's best team — the Lightning — awaits Wild season 1134595 Gameday preview: Wild at Tampa Bay 1134562 Blackhawks agree to terms with Reese Johnson 1134596 Kevin Fiala shows Wild — and his former team — what he 1134563 Chicago Blackhawks' Kane, Toews fine with heavy can do workload 1134597 Kevin Fiala had an eventful return to Nashville, but the 1134564 Hawks goalie Delia returns to Hawks on emergency basis Predators made the right choice to trade him 1134565 Patrick Sharp tells a story of having a picnic at Wrigley's home plate in star-studded company 1134566 Why Blackhawks are exploring idea of separating Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews 1134567 Blackhawks add to pipeline, sign forward Reese Johnson to entry-level contract 1134568 Brendan Perlini finds a new motivation during trying season: having fun Flyers cont'd 1134598 Real Madrid’s problems run much deeper than the bench 1134637 Injuries to Jake Voracek, , testing Flyers' 1134599 Can the Canadiens finally win a game in San Jose this forward versatility century? 1134638 From Hart and Elliott to Talbot (and even Neuvirth): 1134600 Analyze This: Canadiens' Lehkonen transitions from Making sense of the Flyers’ goaltending situation scorer to playmaker 1134601 In the Habs' Room: Carey Price downplays milestone in Los Angeles 1134639 Penguins notebook: kill showing signs of life after 1134602 Canadiens' Jordan Weal makes a winning debut as Los rough stretch Angeles Kings fall 1134640 Heading into critical home-and-home series, Penguins 1134603 Melnick’s GBU: The Canadiens depart L.A. grateful, rather have Blue Jackets’ than the usual dead 1134641 First call: Ravens cut Mike Tomlin-favorite Eric Weddle; 1134604 The (scarred, misshapen) hands of a 30-goal scorer Bruins help Penguins 1134642 Tim Benz: Gushing over Jake Guentzel’s OT goal and what it means for Penguins 1134605 Ryan Johansen's slow shootout style quickly frustrating 1134643 Joe Starkey: Evgeni Malkin — an all-time goalies underappreciated superstar 1134606 Predators announce name for new rink in Bellevue 1134644 Jake Guentzel, a 'little turkey' with that 'it' factor, closing in 1134607 Kevin Fiala had an eventful return to Nashville, but the on 40 goals Predators made the right choice to trade him 1134645 Zach Trotman has been making the most of his Penguins promotion 1134608 What the Devils are seeing in top prospect Michael San Jose Sharks McLeod 1134646 DeBoer puts Sharks forward on alert as team gets healthy 1134609 Takeaways: Devils doing everything right in tight losses 1134647 How Peter DeBoer made two Sharks fans' day with 1134610 How Akira Schmid’s wild journey to America’s heartland locker-room tour has him shooting up the Devils’ prospect board 1134648 How Sharks look vs. Canadiens highly depends on player injury recovery 1134611 Islanders lose one top goalie, put another in net St Louis Blues 1134612 Barry Trotz wants Islanders to step up ‘commitment’ level 1134649 Del Zotto's Blues debut salvages family reunion 1134613 Trotz says it's time for the Islanders to regroup 1134650 Blues beat Anaheim with a pair of late goals 12 seconds 1134614 Islanders recall Christopher Gibson with Robin Lehner's apart status unclear 1134651 Schenn scores in his return as Blues lead 2-1 after one 1134615 As Islanders evaluate Robin Lehner’s injury status, they period face the larger reality of cleaning up their play 1134652 Del Zotto makes his Blues debut against former team Tampa Bay Lightning 1134616 David Quinn challenging Rangers to shoot the puck more 1134653 What goes into tipping a shot past the goalie? 1134617 Rescinded penalties bring no comfort to frustrated 1134654 When it comes to Lightning critics, outsiders need not Rangers apply 1134618 Mika Zibanejad, Rangers frustrated by recent run of 1134655 Lighnting’s win over provides a measuring stick one-goal losses 1134656 Why the Tampa Bay Lightning’s fourth line could be an X factor in run Senators 1134619 Two decades after replacing Crawford in Colorado, Hartley would be good choice for Senators 1134657 Leafs GM Dubas calls Marchand’s tweet on Marner’s next 1134620 Game Day: New York Islanders at contract ‘a master troll job’ 1134621 GARRIOCH: Marc Crawford returns to the Canadian Tire 1134658 Maple Leafs sign Andreas Borgman to a Centre in new role one-year contract extension 1134659 Canucks have their playoff game, rally to beat Leafs in overtime | The Star 1134622 Loss pushes clock forward on Flyers unlikely playoff quest 1134660 Leafs defenceman is in search of the perfect life of 1134623 Capitals hold off late charge from shorthanded Flyers and Morgan Rielly | The Star win, 5-3 1134661 Kyle Dubas calls Marchand tweet on Mitch Marner’s next 1134624 Carter Hart making strides toward return; Flyers opening contract ‘a master troll job’ | The Star in Prague next season? 1134662 Leafs finally blow a third-period lead as Edler wins it for 1134625 Flyers’ Nolan Patrick will be game-time decision vs. Caps; Canucks in OT Carter Hart making strides 1134663 Babcock will let the players determine the pieces on the 1134626 Flyers' late rally comes up short in 5-3 loss to Caps Leafs’ fourth line 1134627 Nolan Patrick a late scratch vs. Caps; Carter Hart making 1134664 TRAIKOS: Leafs GM Kyle Dubas takes Marchand ‘troll progress job’ tweet about Marner in stride 1134628 Failed comeback like a microcosm of Flyers' fate 1134665 The NHL’s awful playoff format has made the rest of the 1134629 Parent: Flyers Hart has a hankering for a return Maple Leafs’ season another tedious tuneup 1134630 Flyers Hart has a hankering for a return 1134666 Leafs Report Cards – Game 67 at 1134631 Capitals 5, Flyers 3: Defending champs are too much yet 1134667 ‘She will try to rip your heart out:’ Meet Sarah Nurse, again Canada’s next major star 1134632 Carter Hart getting closer to returning for Flyers 1134633 Flyers' top 5 moments from Wired: Stadium Series 1134634 What it means to be mic’d up: Flyers re-live outdoor game with NBC show 1134635 Flyers to play Los Angeles Kings in Prague, Czech Republic next season? 1134636 Flyers vs. Capitals: Game 67 preview, line combinations, broadcast info Websites 1134695 Canucks Post Game: Rally resolve, vintage Edler, major 1134704 The Athletic / ‘She will try to rip your heart out:’ Meet Markstrom, giddy-up Gaudette Sarah Nurse, Canada’s next major star 1134696 Canucks 3 Maple Leafs 2 (OT): Proving a by 1134705 The Athletic / Hold on! Right shot? Left? What decides showing some backbone which way hockey players shoot? 1134697 Patrick Johnston: Coach Green not worried Canucks’ 1134706 .ca / Leafs moving on from fan-favourite 4th line young guns have hit a hollow point as search for balance continues 1134698 Ed Willes: Canucks need to shine down the stretch before 1134707 Sportsnet.ca / Flames, Golden Knights battle through they address this mess thrilling potential playoff preview 1134699 Ben Hutton injury means another recall for Guillaume 1134708 Sportsnet.ca / Edler's value to Canucks made evident in Brisebois win over Maple Leafs 1134700 Canucks Game Day: Can fading hosts find re-Leaf tonight 1134709 Sportsnet.ca / Oilers' Draisaitl riding versatility to become against surging Toronto? one of game's top snipers 1134701 Ed Willes: Devil is in the details when developing NHL 1134710 Sportsnet.ca / The 10 most intriguing head coach players candidates for Senators 1134702 Canucks score three unanswered including winning goal 1134711 Sportsnet.ca / NHL Power Rankings: 31 Big Questions in OT to stun Leafs Down the Stretch Edition 1134703 The Athletties: The Horvat thing, the save, Aquilini’s 1134712 Sportsnet.ca / Brad Marchand says people took his Mitch leadership and how the Canucks get Jack Hughes (really) Marner tweet 'the wrong way' 1134713 TSN.CA / Five Takeaways: Canucks vs Leafs 1134714 TSN.CA / Leafs blow two-goal lead, lose to Canucks in OT 1134668 Golden Knights beat , 3-2 — VIDEO 1134715 TSN.CA / Red-hot Andersen in line for more rest down the HIGHLIGHTS stretch 1134669 Golden Knights’ Mark Stone overcame rap on skating 1134716 TSN.CA / Canucks vs Maple Leafs gameday preview ability 1134717 USA TODAY / Micheal Ferland bruises Marcus 1134670 GAME DAY: Golden Knights host division-leading Flames Johansson's lung with mammoth hit, leaves game after 1134671 Engelland helps Golden Knights edge Flames for 5th fight straight win 1134672 Late goal helps Golden Knights knock off Calgary Flames 1134673 Malcolm Subban staying sharp for when Golden Knights 1134690 Jets jockeying for playoff position as season comes down need him in goal to the wire 1134674 Why Vegas will be a desirable trade partner ahead of the 1134691 Former Rangers teammates speak glowingly of Jets new Seattle expansion draft centre 1134675 Brutal honesty and trust in players make Gerard Gallant 1134692 Laine a victim of lousy luck, more bench time the ultimate players’ coach 1134693 Injury scare changed Hayes: Jets centre carved out new path after life-altering moment 1134694 How to get the struggling Jets playoff ready — Part 1: The 1134677 Gaudreau and Peters have Flames cruising toward Problems playoffs 1134678 Ovechkin, Backstrom lead Capitals to 5-3 win over Flyers 1134679 Capitals start fast, then hold off Flyers to win their fifth SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 straight 1134680 How Alex Ovechkin gets work done in his office, step by step 1134681 The Greene Turtle to leave Capital One Arena later this year 1134682 For Capitals goalie Braden Holtby, 250 isn't just another number 1134683 Capitals go into Philly and flatten Flyers for fifth straight win 1134684 Caps-Flyers: Gritty and Flyers fans welcome Bryce Harper to Philly 1134685 Braden Holtby opens up about Mario Kart, the Cup run and more in Players' Tribune Piece 1134686 Capitals Top 20: Ranking the best goals from the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs 1134687 It looks like the Greene Turtle at Capital One Arena is closing its doors 1134688 The Caps are in Philadelphia to play a very different Flyers team than they saw in January 1134689 From college to the Capitals: Nic Dowd and Nick Jensen are teammates once again 1134535 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks collapse late to let Blues slip away 5-4

By MIKE COPPINGER

For one night — if only just a single game — the Ducks’ offense was humming.

Their four goals Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues is just the 13th time they’ve eclipsed the three-goal mark in 68 tries this season. Usually, goalie John Gibson is forced to fend off an array of shots to keep them in games they ultimately lose mostly because of their last-ranked offense.

On this night, it was the penalty kill — along with a monumental late collapse — that failed them. The Blues cashed in on their first three- power play opportunities before storming back with two goals in the final 65 seconds to top the Ducks 5-4 at Honda Center.

It appeared the Ducks would win three consecutive games for just the fourth time this season before calamity struck. With Blues goalie Jordan Binnington on the bench for the extra attacker, Robert Thomas scored at 18:56. Twelve seconds later, finished matters with a slap shot through traffic that caromed off Adam Henrique’s skate.

“We were just slow to react [on the penalty kill] and they made some plays and we didn’t challenge the half-wall, maybe, as hard as we should have,” Ducks assistant coach Marty Wilford said.

The Ducks jumped to the lead 5:28 in with a Nick Ritchie wrap-around goal off a pass from rookie Troy Terry. The Blues responded with three consecutive goals, all on the power play. Brayden Schenn’s tip-in off a Vladimir Tarasenko slap shot tied it up at 8:03 of the first.

Blues center Ryan O’Reilly got his 64th point of the season with a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle almost 16 minutes into the opening period. And then the Blues remained perfect on the man- advantage with a Thomas goal from that same spot on the ice at 13:53 of the second period.

Less than two minutes later, Rickard Rakell ensured the Ducks finally enjoyed some success on special teams with a one-kneed one-timer off a nifty cross-ice feed from Terry.

Jaycob Megna picked up first NHL goal with a shot through traffic about two minutes later to tie the score heading into the third.

Megna was back at it again early in the final period. The blue-liner’s shot ricocheted off Binnington’s pads and he was unable to corral the rebound. The goalie frantically attempted to collect the bouncing puck, but it escaped, and Henrique strode in to bury the puck into the unoccupied net.

Terry picked up an assist on the goal for his first-career three-point game.

“Hockey’s such a game of confidence and everyone’s at their best when they’re confident,” said Terry, 21. “If you have a bad shift just kind of put it behind you … I think I felt more comfortable and more confident in every game.”

Terry’s inspired play is a silver lining in the lost season, but Megna impressed as well with just 14 games remaining.

“I’m trying to solidify a spot here,” Megna said, “and prove that I can play in this league so every night’s an audition.”

Kesler honored

Ryan Kesler was presented before the game with a Tiffany’s hockey stick to commemorate 1,000 NHL games played. Fellow veteran forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry congratulated him on becoming the 25th active player to reach the milestone (333th in history).

LA Times: LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134536 Anaheim Ducks “We’ve won hockey games because of it.”

AROUND THE RINK

Ducks put up a fight, but late collapse results in come-from-behind win Brendan Guhle was scratched after suffering an upper-body injury that for Blues sidelined him for the third period of the Ducks’ victory Tuesday over the Arizona Coyotes. Jacob Larsson replaced him in the lineup against the Blues, his first appearance after he was recalled from San Diego of the By Elliott Teaford AHL. …

Devin Shore participated in the pregame warm-up, but he was scratched from the lineup. He suffered a Charley horse when he was kneed by Ian ANAHEIM — The play was over. The whistle sounded. Players gathered Cole of Colorado during the second period of the Ducks’ victory over the in front of St. Louis Blues Jordan Binnington, a 25-year-old Avalanche on Sunday. with a sparkling resume in his limited 23 games of NHL experience. Ducks right wing Corey Perry was there, of course, standing with his toes Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.07.2019 on the edge of the crease.

Perry is always nearby.

Binnington didn’t like Perry standing so close, so he reached down with his goal stick and pulled Perry’s skates out from under him. Perry leaped to his feet, infuriated, circling the net in an attempt to get at Binnington, who appeared to enjoy the attention.

Bad idea.

The Ducks were down but not out at that point, in the closing minutes of the second period Wednesday at Honda Center. They rallied to tie the score by the end of the second, went ahead early in the third and then surrendered the lead and the game in the final two minutes of a 5-4 loss.

Robert Thomas and Alex Pietrangelo scored the tying and go-ahead goals 12 seconds apart for St. Louis, Thomas off a fortunate carom off the end boards and onto his stick at 18:56 and Pietrangelo off a perimeter shot that ricocheted off the skate of the Ducks’ Adam Henrique at 19:08.

Henrique had given the Ducks a 4-3 lead at 5:07 of the third, after Rickard Rakell (power play) and Jaycob Megna had rallied them with goals late in the second, after Binnington had flipped Perry and stoked a fire within the Ducks.

“A couple of unlucky bounces, really, off the end wall, off a skate,” Ducks assistant coach Marty Wilford said. “Four (games) in six nights for us. They played extremely hard. Had a chance to win. Playing a team that’s sitting here waiting for us. They threw everything at them.

“Just some unlucky bounces.”

Troy Terry had a career-high three assists, the first Ducks rookie with three assists since Cam Fowler had three in a Jan. 7, 2011 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Terry has two goals and five points in his past five games and three goals and seven points in 21 games overall.

“Pro hockey is such a game of mental strength,” Terry said. “I thought I was playing well and I had confidence, but maybe it was me not executing on the finishing play. For me, it does feel good to execute those finishing plays and actually help the team on the scoreboard.”

Terry set up goals by Nick Ritchie in the first period, Rakell in the second and Henrique in the third. His cross-ice pass to Rakell started the Ducks’ rally from a 3-1 deficit after Binnington tripped Perry and caused a fracas that sent teammate Joel Edmundson to the penalty box for roughing.

Suddenly, the Ducks’ energy and emotion were impossible to ignore. Megna’s goal, his first in his 30th NHL game, turned it up to a fever pitch and a Honda Center crowd of 16,854 was on its feet cheering the Ducks, lauding them for showing some fight, some determination.

Henrique’s goal seemed to put the Ducks on a course for their first three- game winning streak since December, since before they would lose a franchise-record 12 in a row, since before they dropped 19 of 21, since before General Manager Bob Murray fired Randy Carlyle on Feb. 10.

The ending overshadowed some but certainly not all the Ducks had accomplished. The Ducks’ road to redemption will be a long, arduous one and it might not be completed for seasons to come. But their flurry in the final minutes of the second and the start of the third was a step in the right direction.

“That’s the one thing they’ve been doing,” Wilford said. “They’ve been sticking together for the last little while. When one guy is in, everybody is in. They’ve become a team. Team toughness, that’s what Bob’s been preaching. Credit to them. It’s brought them together. 1134537 Anaheim Ducks The people that are closest to him were in attendance. His parents, Linda and Mike. His sister, Jenny, and brother, Todd. His wife, Andrea. There was appreciation for someone that has earned his career through skill ‘At the end of the day, it fueled me’ — Ryan Kesler and his drive to reach but mostly through pure will. There was admiration for someone that is 1,000 games fighting to keep that career alive, even when the odds against seek to pile up against him.

“You also have to realize these guys that are hitting 1,000 now – Kes has Eric Stephens Mar 6, 2019 been through two lockouts,” said Kurt Overhardt, the prominent hockey agent who has represented Kesler throughout his career. “So that’s at

least 120 games off the table right there. And then you look at how he Jakob Silfverberg didn’t get his first sense of who Ryan Kesler is and plays the game – there’s not many guys that plays the game like he has what he is about on the ice when they became teammates on the Ducks played it. or when they were put on the same line and helped become two-thirds of “To make it that far. … how many players over the last five years have a heavily relied upon shutdown unit in Anaheim’s most recent run of reached 1,000. How many American forwards have reached 1,000 in Stanley Cup contention. their career. There’s not many of them.” His first up-close meeting was closer to what others have seen when Seven active American-born players and 49 past and present have done coming across Kesler’s path. it. Kesler became the 14th player to hit that magic number this season. “Actually, I remember that he was tough to play against,” Silfverberg said. There have been 319 others regardless of birthplace, which might seem “And I remember that he actually one time asked me if I wanted to fight like a large amount until you think of the tens of thousands that have him and I said I think you’re asking the wrong guy here. That’s actually competed in the 101-year history of the league. one of the things I remember. WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, “But he was always one of the guys where you kept an eye on him. You TEAMMATES, COACHES, THE @CANUCKS AND @ANAHEIMDUCKS made sure you knew when he was out there. Especially for a guy like me ORGANIZATIONS AND EVERYONE ELSE THAT HELPED ME ON MY that’s not considered a tough guy or whatever you want to say. You try to JOURNEY TO 1,000 @NHL GAMES! AND OF COURSE MY FANS, I make sure you knew when he was out there, to kind of keep your head COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE on a swivel a little extra. That was the early days.” YEARS! #RK1K

On Jan. 15, 2014, the Ducks walloped Vancouver 9-1. It was the most — RYAN KESLER (@RYAN_KESLER) MARCH 6, 2019 goals that Anaheim scored in a single game and it capped a run of 18 Part of the celebrated 2003 draft, Kesler boldly entered the league with victories in 19 games. The Canucks were patsies that night – and Kesler Vancouver as a defensive-minded center confident that he would have a wasn’t going down in embarrassment quietly. Some kind of mark had to successful career. Through 655 games with the Canucks, 345 with the be left. Ducks and another 101 heated playoff battles for both that for whatever “I just remember that he asked me,” Silfverberg said. “It ended up just reason go uncounted in total games played, the 34-year-old native of being an absolute shitshow at the end. There was a four- or five-minute Livonia, Mich., has been more than a player who’s sought to clamp down 5-on-3 and stuff like that. Guys were just going at it everywhere. All of on the opposition’s top offensive threats. sudden, he kind of asked me. He probably asked 20 guys that game to For more than a decade, Kesler was among the NHL’s top two-way fight him, so I was probably his last option. If you ask him, he probably centers. He has won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league’s best doesn’t even remember. But I remember.” defensive forward once – in his career 2010-11 season – and been a Oh, he remembers. finalist four other times. He has 258 goals and 315 assists. Played in three conference finals and one Stanley Cup final. “Yeah, I do,” Kesler said, chuckling at the memory. “I challenged half the team to a fight. … And then it got pretty heated. We had Torts (John “It means you were a good player in this league and for a long time,” Tortorella) as a coach and he didn’t like to lose. We all don’t like to lose Kesler said. “It takes a special player to do it. I’m very humbled to be able but to get embarrassed like that, you got to step up. He didn’t want to to play in this league. It’s a privilege to play in this league. To play in it for fight me. that long and play that many games, I think you need luck. I think you need the will to battle through injuries. You look at all the surgeries that I “I think Getz (Ryan Getzlaf) and Pears (Corey Perry) didn’t play the last have had, they’ve all been in the summer. I played through a lot of them.” period there. They were sitting on the bench. I had to ask someone. He was out there.” But the skate to 1K hasn’t been smooth. At times, it’s been more painful than he could imagine. How much of a challenge has it been? “That is him,” Silfverberg said, smiling. “That’s how he plays. And that’s what’s making him so successful. He gets pissed off in games and he “Hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he said. builds on it. I think that’s when he plays at his best, when he’s involved Has it been a struggle? physically and mentally. That’s what gets you going. That’s the Kes we know.” “Yeah,” Kesler conceded. “I won’t sugarcoat it. It’s been a struggle. There’s been some good days, though. The body teases you. Some When he took the ice Tuesday night against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila days, you feel really good like you’re 18 again, and other days you feel River Arena, Ryan James Kesler dressed in his 1,000th regular-season like you’re 90.” NHL game. It is a significant milestone for any player in the league to hit. It is an accomplishment that carries a world of meaning to a forward that It has never been more apparent than this 15th season. Countless body has willingly thrown his battered body into battle after on-ice battle for 15 checks have been delivered and received. Still are. Many surgeries have seasons. (He’ll be honored at Honda Center on Wednesday when the been performed. Add it all up and a toll is being paid. Ducks host St. Louis.) But it matters for him to be on the ice. When there was question as to The Ducks’ coaching staff put him in the starting lineup and on the ice for whether he would play this season – or even could – Kesler has suited the national anthem and opening faceoff, a small move but a “classy” one up for 59 of the Ducks’ 67 games. He’ll be on track to appear in over 70 in Kesler’s eyes. The ending was also right in what has been an almost two years after the major hip surgery that threw the remainder of underwhelming and difficult season for him and the team. his physically-tested career into doubt. Just as important is being a participant in virtually all of his team’s practices since the season started. “It was a fun night,” a sweatier Kesler said after logging 14½ minutes in a 3-1 Anaheim win. “Fun day. Just reminiscing on all the years in the past. I “Kes has been through a lot in his career,” Getzlaf said. “He’s put a lot of said I wouldn’t do but I ended up doing it. hard miles on his body. That’s a big accomplishment for a guy who plays as hard as he has to be able to still be playing right now at that 1,000- “I’ve had a great first 1,000 games. Had a lot of fun in this league. Met a game mark.” lot of great people and got a lot of text messages from old teammates and new teammates. Current teammates. It was a special day. I’m happy Kesler is in a fight alright. This one isn’t with a player that he has gotten we got the win.” under the skin of or one that’s annoyed him or one of his teammates to the point of dropping his gloves. This fight is between his mind and his This was a fully developed plan to deal with an 82-game schedule that is aching body. a grind even on the healthiest of players.

Damien Moroney recounts the operations that Kesler has undergone. “That’s the difficulty,” Moroney said. “You know the objective, you know the sport’s specific demands, you know the nature of the schedule and “To me, it’s not just this hip,” said Moroney, a Vancouver-based physical have a good understanding of what the load and stress and strain is. But therapist that’s part of the team – both affiliated with the Ducks and not – the challenge in making a plan is you still have to deal with the ability for the center works with year-round. “To me, it’s kind of the warrior’s the hip to manage the stress and strain. Really, all we can do is work journey. When you look back, you actually start to add the things up. He through a process whereby we looked at what he could manage and had right labral surgery in 2009. In his first game back, he fractured his control that didn’t create symptoms. That he was able to stabilize and the finger and had surgery on that. And then he had left hip labral surgery in patterns that he was good at, we could add a load to and build up some 2011. He had left shoulder labral in 2012. He had left wrist surgery in strength and some endurance and some capacity to produce power. 2012. And then the hip surgery in 2017.” Patterns that he was confident in. And then we would gradually challenge Other prior procedures set him back, but Kesler always bounced back. the difficulty of the pattern as we kept building blocks to have more Being an All-Star at 32 in a 2016-17 season where he seemed to be strength and stability around it.” heading toward a second Selke was something he cherished. He had a The ice was the final stage. Before he could get to that point, Kesler had first half where he was powering the Ducks out of their usual slow start to show that side of his body could handle an increasing load placed on it through sheer force and will. But it was the midpoint of that year where and that he could push off the leg with power. Moroney said there was “a his right hip was failing on him. lot of inhibition and atrophy in and around those muscles” that Kesler had He did what he has always done. Play on. Deal with the pain. Deal with to deal with and push through. Sessions were often twice a day. Some suddenly finding it a chore to walk or other simple movements like days, it was squatting up to 285 pounds with resistance bands. Others walking up stairs. The Ducks got to the Western Conference final and were focused on movement in the water. Gradually, they had to build up Kesler was right there in the middle of it, famously trading jabs verbal and speed and move beyond a controlled environment – and increase the actual with Nashville’s Ryan Johansen in a brutally physical series. Being player’s confidence that improvement would result from the sessions. the player you hate – unless you’re on his side. “As we worked through that, we were still faced with the ongoing ONLY IN HOCKEY YOU HEAR RYAN JOHANSEN CHIRPING RYAN symptoms of the hip,” Moroney said. “So, it wasn’t always a progressive KESLER, CALLING HIM A "LOSER" AND SAYING NOBODY LIKES build where you would say here’s the extent of work we’re going to do. HIM 👏🏻 PIC.TWITTER.COM/JE3ER2OHT7 The good thing about this offseason was there was more time available. But we did really have to go back to the basics. There’s still a lot of stress — BAR SOUTH N CELLY™ (@BARSOUTHNCELLY) MAY 21, 2017 and irritability on the hip.

“Put it this way, if you’re going to be in the bunker and you’ve got to be “We would just gradually build up the challenging pattern and then we with someone, you want him in the bunker with you,” Overhardt said. would add strength to that. We would add power to that over time. Try to “There’s obviously a lot of pushback. There’s a lot of character. And the add speed. And then over time, we would try to add and gain variability drive, the internal will that he has. There’s so many gifted players in the and unpredictability in the movements. Quicker change and direction with world and the ones that are your top athletes and they have internal load.” drive. And Ryan’s one of those guys, along with his skill set. In all, Moroney said Kesler spent 40 days in Vancouver while his family “He’s always had a chip on his shoulder and he’s always played with a was back in Michigan. The work put in to defy those who question him persona. And the persona has been pretty effective.” his viability for action this season – the kind of “I’ll-show-you” attitude he has held in his heart throughout his career – led right up until Anaheim’s The hip, though, had become intolerable. Surgery was needed after that training camp and throughout it. The goal was to be there every day, if season to deal with the inflammation that built up. Bone spurs developed. possible. Bone fragments were moving around his socket. Kesler managed to attend the NHL’s awards show in Las Vegas in June 2017 – on crutches. “These last two years have been really hard,” said Kesler, who missed the first three games of the season and five more around the All-Star Months of recovery took place and Kesler made it back to the Ducks in break. “It’s not a secret. Just being out there is fun. I have fun with my December of the following season. And over the course of 44 regular- teammates. Last year especially, you kind of feel disconnected from the season games and four more in the playoffs, it was plainly apparent to all team because I was never on the ice for practice. I was kind of a game- observers that the unyielding forward was operating at a diminished only guy. A morning skate once in a while. So just to be involved in the capacity. group again and being in the routine of practicing and playing – not Would it have been better to sit out that season? saying the hip’s ever going to be 100 percent again because everybody knows I’m limping. But I’m dealing with it. “Hindsight’s always … unfair,” Kesler said in a lengthy conversation with The Athletic last weekend. “Saying that, I think I had to go through that as “Hockey’s fun and I love playing the game. There’s nothing better than a player to understand kind of where I was and where I needed to be. I being in the locker room and going on the ice for practice with the guys. I battled through a lot that first year and I’m still battling. My days are long. think you talk to anybody when they’re done playing, that’s what they Seven, eight-hour days. I’m going home to get treatment and do a miss the most. Just the locker room and being around the guys.” workout right now. My day’s half over.” The Ducks see what he goes through behind the scenes to be ready for When practice is over, Kesler retreats to his south Orange County home the first puck drop. where he has built a gym. (A more elaborate, expansive facility is back at “The one thing I can say that he’s the guy that spends by far the most the family’s Michigan residence to use daily in the offseason.) There are time getting ready for games,” Silfverberg said. “Not only at the rink. I two hours of additional treatment and a workout with Newport Beach- know he does stuff besides being here too. He’s got almost a 24/7 based therapist David Bradley. “He comes to my house. I’ve got the operation for him, the way you call it. That just shows the passion he has better equipment than him,” he cracked. This is all after he has been for the game. How much he puts into it to just make sure that he’s as worked on in the morning by the Ducks’ staff – trainer Joe Huff, rehab prepared as can be to play. chief Kevin Taylor and strength and conditioning coach Mark Fitzgerald. “It’s amazing. There’s no one that competes as hard as he does.” And there was all the time spent getting to the point of playing this season with Anaheim and managing himself during it. A large portion of With the two playing in the Pacific Division, Getzlaf and Kesler had their last summer was spent with in Vancouver, where he has also trained with share of hostile confrontations over nine years before the Ducks acquired a regular staff of associates dating to his days with the Canucks. Kesler from the Canucks in the summer of 2015. His appreciation for his teammate over the last five was immediate. Moroney, who has worked with Kesler since 2014, viewed the few days they spent together each month as a mini-camp. The varied regimen “Anyone that plays sports, you can tell when you go up against went beyond weight training and exercises to foster greater range of somebody and you have to battle with them and compete against them, movement. Bike ride. Hikes. Running up flights of stairs. All to build up those are guys that you want on your team,” Getzlaf said. “Always had the strength in the hip and leg, while also working in strategies to reduce the respect for him and what he did. Obviously the compete level that he the pressure put on that area. produced in Vancouver, as well as since he’s been here.” Inner drive. Linda Kesler says what burns within Ryan comes from his issue is the mental challenges of getting up for every game. When you father. And it hurts when the results – most glaring the cold, hard know what you have to do to get up for every game, that gets old. That’s numbers – no longer meet the high standard her son holds himself to. where it gets old.

“It’s killing him now that he can’t play like he used to,” Linda said in a “And that to me, the older you get, I know it wore me down a little. Just November conversation with The Athletic back during the Ducks’ knowing the preparation that I put into every game – having to go back mother’s trip. “It is so hard to watch and see him after the game. and do it. That gets tough. When you play well into 1,000 games, that’s a (Because you know inside) he wants it. He still wants that. And he still lot of preparation.” has a passion for the game.” The natural question for Kesler is this: When is it enough? The trips to Vancouver kept him away. The training was necessary, and it got him to a position where he could play. But after a nice start with three Moroney wouldn’t go down that road. It was all about getting to a place goals in his first four games, Kesler had two points (one goal, one assist) where he could capably function among other NHL players. But, as he over his next 51 contests. A goal Feb. 19 in Minnesota ended a 38-game said, “It’s demoralizing for any athlete when they go out and feel like they drought. don’t function at a higher level. They hold themselves accountable to that high level of what the demands of the game are as a professional.” Back then, Linda Kesler expressed her concern. “I think he thought he’d come back, and everything would be great,” she said. “And then he finds Overhardt wouldn’t speak to the retirement inquiry but he did indicate that out he’s still hurting.” he commonly has conversations with his clients about their careers and the expectations of themselves and what they do to best help their The internal struggle between mind and body. One must wonder how teams. But those chats are often left to the summer. Especially those long can Kesler keep up the fight. Especially when the will is always with players that are on the back end of those careers. And that includes there. those he has with Kesler.

“That’s the million-dollar question, right?” he said. “The mind wants to go “It’s part of the process that we have to undertake and guide our clients and sometimes the body doesn’t. But that’s Father Time. He’s as their advisor and agent and friend and advocate,” he said. “I can’t get undefeated. With my circumstance, I’ve felt good of late. It’s an ever- into it too deeply. Every client, we always take it year to year. It’s not changing situation. Mentally it’s hard and physically it’s hard too. But I’m appropriate during a season. As his advocate, I don’t coach my players not here making excuses of it. and as his advocate, that’s not the kind of stuff that you would discuss during a year. “Honestly, it is what it is. But I think mentally when you got to think how to walk and shorten your stride and stuff like that, that’s the stuff that wears “It’s just something that we discuss how much longer a player can play, on you.” assessing what their injuries might be. Whether it’s a head injury – thankfully in Ryan’s case, it’s not. Whether it’s a shoulder or hip or leg, During his years with him, Moroney said Kesler is “extremely diligent” you always assess it in the offseason.” and has an “incredible” work ethic. “He’s 100 percent engaged in optimizing his preparation to step on that ice,” said the therapist. Kesler gets texts from his parents after each game. And they’re being more Mom and Dad than Linda and Mike, with one question invariably Still, there is no denying this latest battle back from serious injury is his being how he is feeling. He understands their concern as they’ve seen toughest yet. For a decade in Vancouver, Kesler was a demon in the the pain that he is willing to endure. “There’s only a few people that faceoff circle, in the corners, in front of the net and virtually every other understand what I’m truly going through and those are two of them,” he spot on the ice. And that carried over into Anaheim after he sought a said. trade from the Canucks, who were entering a period of rebuilding. The list is long of opponents that can attest to the marks they’ve received “They know I’m stubborn,” the center continued. “They know who I am, from the center’s stick. and they know I will only stop if my body and the pain gets too much. Right now, I’m not to that point. Some days I’m at that point. But right The Ducks got all that they wanted out the trade for the first three now, I’m not at that point. seasons, save for the Stanley Cup that Kesler was one win away from with the Canucks in 2011. Kesler was the anchor to one of the NHL’s “Do I worry that they worry? Obviously. They’re too old to worry about best shutdown lines. But now they’re dealing with a big-salaried player me. I think they just want me to have a normal healthy life after. I told ($6.875-million salary cap hit through 2022) in a diminished role. them it’s already past that so don’t worry about that. I’ll get a replacement after I’m done, and I’ll be fine. I’ll live as normal of a life as possible.” As the season kicked off, the center was no longer a permanent alternate captain as the club opted to rotate the two positions of defined leadership Overhardt recalls meeting Kesler when he was 16 and about to enter the through multiple players when they were initially unsure that he’d be U.S. National Team Development Program. This wasn’t the “Kes” that ready for action. And then just weeks ago, Kesler was shifted down to the seems to play with an ever-present scowl or welcomes the boos that rain fourth line. Both stung initially. down on him in an enemy arena or the funny man who delivers cutting remarks to teammates in a send-up of a popular online comedy show. “The “A” thing was hard,” Kesler said. “Didn’t really understand it. It’s water under the bridge now. It came to me as a surprise, but we talked it “He was a really quiet, humble, introspective teenager,” the agent said. through as a team. Got through it. I really don’t think you need a letter to “He was very polite, and he was a man of a very few words. When you lead. I think the guys know me in this room. They know what kind of talked about the game with him, he smiled. Obviously, he’s a product of leader and what kind of person I am, and what I’m going to give them his parents, who are really quality people with integrity and they’re hard- every night. working people.

“With my role, it’s no secret that I’m basically doing the best I can with my “He’s misunderstood. People say his scowl – in Vancouver, he used to circumstances. Just kind of do the best I can and control what I can break sticks when he came off the ice. People would interpret it as he’d control. Be the best teammate. Help the young guys. Just do what I can be mad at teammates if someone didn’t make a play. His scowl and his with the minutes I have to help the team win. Really that’s what we need accountability is all internalized for himself. When he’d break that stick, in this room. We need guys to accept the roles and that’s what I’m he was angry at himself that he didn’t make a play to help the team.” doing.” What people didn’t get, Overhardt insists, is that winning was what Kesler Playing at an advancing age is a challenging feat onto itself. Particularly cared most about. “He’s all about climbing the mountain and reaching the in today’s zoom-zoom NHL, where teams seek more youth and more mountain as a team,” he said. speed. Quality players with enviable resumes still have to deal with the prospect of their games fading over time. Youthful enthusiasm might be Winning has always mattered. Long ago, the young boy pitched fits when replaced with experienced know-how but if it isn’t the body that deals with he didn’t get his way in whatever games he’d play with his older siblings. the struggle of keeping up, it’s the mind. Now he can laugh about it.

“The older you get, it’s more mental,” said Carolina coach Rod “They created the monster,” Kesler said. “I would have to blame my Brind’Amour, who played in 1,484 games is 23rd all-time. “I know he’s a parents for that one, or thank them for that one. My son’s the same way. pretty hard worker. For me, that was not an issue. At 39, I was in the best He doesn’t like to lose. My daughters are the same way. My oldest, shape of my career. That’s really an issue only if you let it be. The bigger Makayla, she creates new rules just so she wins. I think it runs in the family now. “It’s a good trait to have. You’ll do anything to win and anything to There will still be those who feel he should hang up his skates. There will compete. I’ve never been the most skilled guy. But I think my will and my be calls for either Ducks general manager Bob Murray or owner Henry compete and my character speaks for itself.” Samueli to consider a buyout and free up more salary cap space for greater flexibility toward roster moves. But with plenty still to be owed There are some players who operate at their best when they’re angry. Kesler and Samueli one that typically frowns on paying players to do so Kesler and others that know him wouldn’t use that word. Edge was for Anaheim, there is the consideration that Kesler adapts to his fourth- preferred and the center’s trait on the ice is sharper than a new set of line defensive specialist role and serve as a model of experience for the knives. In Tuesday’s game, Arizona forward Alex Galchenyuk didn’t go younger players coming onto the roster. unscathed as he got a few cross checks into his back before drawing a penalty. After all, Murray was in the Canucks’ organization when then-GM Brian Burke drafted him. And he was finally successful in his long pursuit after Those were penalty minutes 917 and 918 on Kesler’s running tab. having other trade deadline offers swatted away in his attempt to get him “He’s a guy that definitely relishes that role,” said Chicago Blackhawks for the 2014 playoffs. There is genuine fondness for the player. captain Jonathan Toews, a frequent foe who readily says it has “never “From day one, you had to admire his work ethic on and off the ice,” been a friendly relationship.” Murray said. “For the way he plays the game, you know there’s lots of “I think he’s got offensive talent, but he loves being in that role where hard work and sacrifice that has to have happened in order for him to he’s going to take other top players off their game,” Toews continued. have reached this milestone.” “Once he’s got that going for him, he can create offense. He can go the Chances are that he’ll never be the Selke-level beast he once was for other way and put pucks in the net. Obviously, he’s one of those guys many years. Or anything close. It would be a minor miracle if so, a that’s meant a lot to this team over the years. Part of that hatred we had comeback for the ages – or, in his specific case, the aging. with Vancouver and probably some of it with Anaheim with that conference final series we had a few years ago. But Ryan Kesler still has some goals. He may not get to that next contract that he insisted he’d do when he signed his six-year extension “I think that builds with playoff series when things get pretty personal. with the Ducks, but he is hellbent on finishing out this one. He might not Obviously, it carries into the regular season. Each team kind of score in double digits any more, but he insists he can still win faceoffs remembers that. Each player remembers that. He’s one of those guys more than he loses them and shut down the players he’s assigned to. that you have to step your game up against.” It is that attitude that helped get him to 1,000 NHL games. And he is still Corey Perry, who’s stirred up his fair share of enmity over 14 seasons, in the fight to play many more. Keep suggesting that he can’t. was one of many to have ill feelings toward his teammate during many Vancouver-Anaheim grudge matches. The two even squared off in a fight “It was unexpected,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it fueled me. It during a 2009 preseason game. fueled me through a lot of hard times and a lot of hard days. A lot of tears, a lot of uncertainty. There’s a lot of uncertainty with my future still. Now he has seen the things about Kesler that contradict the image he We’ll see how it goes. had long held. “We’re working hard at keeping this thing together. Get as much as I can “It’s funny you ask that because around the league there’s different guys get out of this hip and go down swinging.” that you might have a few names for and dislikes,” Perry said. “And then you actually get to play with them at some point in your career, whether The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 he’s on your team like Ryan is now or just short tournaments like Olympics or whatever. You get to know the guy and they’re one of the greatest guys. They’re just normal human beings.

“When they come to the rink, the light switch goes on and it’s a different human being on the ice. He turns into a beast, a competitor, a guy that doesn’t want to lose. He’ll do anything for the 23 guys in this dressing room or whoever he’s playing with. That’s a guy you want on your team.”

Silfverberg thought back to the fight Kesler sought but didn’t get. The fierce competitor that he knows now is one that has a tenacious work ethic and demands the same from his teammates. “Because you owe it to him by the way that he’s working,” the Ducks’ veteran winger said.

High-functioning athletes love to jump on a slight, real or perceived. Kesler feasts on any perception that he is unable. During his chat with The Athletic, he offered a reminder of how some doubted that he had the capability to score 30 goals or 40.

In May, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported of the chance that he could miss the entire 2018-19 season to deal with the aftereffects of his rough recovery from surgery. The report did add that Kesler was not interested in retiring.

Which was patently true. When asked how it surfaced, Kesler said, “I have no idea. I have no clue.”

“It came to be through a text message from my buddy asking me if it’s true. I look at it and I said, ‘Not a fucking chance.’ I talked to Elliotte about it and he said he talked to both my agent and the team and they didn’t deny it. Whoever know what that means.

“I thanked him because it got me through a lot of hard days during the summer. I had to push and just push through to the pain and try to get better.”

Now he is at 1,000. Overhardt thinks back to how a young Kesler gained the confidence to be an offensive force when he was using his speed to work off the playmaking of Mats Sundin and Pavol Demitra when they were with the Canucks. Moroney thinks of the different times the center has pushed himself in trying rehabilitation sessions to get to this milestone and is only happy to have had a role in it. 1134538 Arizona Coyotes By calling out several of his players after Tuesday night’s game, Tocchet likely was setting a tone for Thursday night. Because if the Coyotes play like they did against the Ducks, they will be blown out by the Flames, Ironically, loss to Ducks illustrates how good Arizona Coyotes have been again. this season Gradually, injured players are returning to the lineup. Defenseman Jason Demers played Tuesday for the first time since suffering a knee injury in November. Forward Michael Grabner, who suffered a gruesome injury to Kent Somers, March 6, 2019 his left eye in December, has been fitted with a contact lens to improve his vision and could play against the Flames.

Deficiencies remain, however. The absence of Derek Stepan (13 goals, By losing 3-1 to the Ducks on Tuesday night, the Coyotes blew an 19 assists) for another month or so because of a lower-body injury has opportunity to win a seventh consecutive game for the first time in eight made it more difficult for the Coyotes to score, and they were hardly an years and lost ground in the race for a wild- playoff spot. offensive juggernaut to being with. But if you like irony, hockey and the Coyotes, the game also was a But on most nights, the Coyotes are entertaining. On most nights, they reminder of what a surprise this team has been this season. play hard. And they are in playoff contention. A lot less than that was Or did you think last October the Coyotes were capable of winning six expected when the season started. consecutive games? Up next Or did you have them being in playoff contention in March? Coyotes vs. Flames, 7 p.m. Thursday, Gila River Arena, FSAZ/KMVP-FM Or were you the one who thought the Coyotes would prosper, not — After seeing their six-game win streak snapped on Tuesday, the collapse, after enduring more serious injuries than any other team in the Coyotes will look to avoid back-to-back loses when they host to the NHL? Pacific Division-leading Calgary Flames on Thursday.

Or did you predict coach Rick Tocchet would have to remind us after a – Richard Morin loss on a Tuesday night in March that “we’re not going to win them all"? Reach Somers at [email protected]. Follow him on Are you a sports fan? Stay in the know. Subscribe to azcentral.com Twitter @kentsomers. Hear Somers every Monday between 4 and 4:30 today. p.m. on The Drive with Jody Oehler on Fox Sports 910 AM.

There are lots of reasons to like what the Coyotes (32-29-5) have Arizona Republic LOADED: 03.07.2019 accomplished this season. It’s just that few of them were on display Tuesday night at Gila River Arena.

The Coyotes weren’t going to go undefeated in March, but what displeased Tocchet is how his team played against the Ducks, who are in seventh place in an eight-team division.

The defense was a few steps behind all night. The power play and penalty kill special-teams units were anything but special, and offensively, the Coyotes never posed much of a threat.

“Garbage” is how Tocchet described the effort, especially after the first period.

Five or so months ago, an effort like that could have been expected, because the Coyotes have built-in excuses for losing.

Their payroll is among the lowest in the NHL, and owner Andrew Barroway is looking to sell at least a good chunk of the team.

Coyotes left wing Alex Galchenyuk misses the net on a shot during a game March 5 against the Ducks at Gila River Arena.

There are the challenges of playing in Glendale, too. On weeknights, the I-10 westbound becomes the Coyotes’ nemesis, and getting to Glendale from anywhere other than Glendale takes more effort and patience than many want to give.

So, the Coyotes have to create their own energy on nights when ’s jersey isn’t retired. More often than not, they have, but they failed miserably on Tuesday.

“I didn’t feel any urgency from some guys,” Tocchet said.

To his credit, Tocchet has helped the Coyotes avoid throwing pity parties for most of this season. The refusal to feel sorry for themselves is a major reason they are only three points behind Minnesota for the second wild-card berth.

It’s why Tocchet should be in consideration for the Jack Adams Award, given to the NHL’s coach of the year. And if the Coyotes somehow make the playoffs, Tocchet should be the favorite to win it.

To reach that point, the Coyotes can’t afford to lose again like they did on Tuesday: to a below-average team at home.

That loss seems even more damaging given the team the Coyotes face Thursday night: the Calgary Flames, the best team in the Western Conference. The Flames are 3-0 against the Coyotes and have outscored them 18-4. 1134539 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet already has team in playoff mindset

BY JAKE ANDERSON

The Arizona Coyotes have not made the playoffs since the 2011-12 season.

No Coyotes fan will ever forget that year. It’s arguably the best in team history.

Arizona won its division for the first time in franchise history, granting the team the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately, the Coyotes lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Finals in five games.

Seven years later, the Coyotes find themselves on the brink of a playoff spot with a month remaining in the season.

“There’s 16 games left,” head coach Rick Tocchet told 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Burns & Gambo.

“This is playoff mode for us. Our mindset has to be playoff mode every game.”

The Coyotes are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday that snapped a six-game win streak.

“I just think our energy level wasn’t great,” Tocchet said.

“It wasn’t great for whatever reason. We had the day off and a good practice but half the team was not good. I think we just have to flush it down and make sure we learn from our mistakes.”

“They got two power-play goals and we were 0-for-5 on the power play. That’s something that’s been a sore spot. It seemed like we were just slapping the puck around. That’s something we worked on again today in practice — probably have to simplify a couple passes, shots with people in front. That’s usually the best remedy for when you’re struggling on the power play.”

While the team is currently on the outside looking in, the Coyotes still have to play five games against teams that are also vying for one of the last two playoff spots.

Arizona still has to play the Blackhawks twice and the Oilers, Avalanche and Wild once.

The Minnesota and Colorado games are the fourth and fifth-to-last games of the season, respectively.

“The closer we get to the finish line, the games are going to get harder and the pressure is going to be there,” Tocchet said.

“I want to alleviate some of the pressure and make them understand that I don’t want them to be too tight but they have to prepare themselves every day. Just trying to prepare these guys for playoff mode. The way you’ve prepared shouldn’t change because of the pressure of the game. I want these guys to understand that they can embrace and have fun with it.

“When there’s nothing on the line, that’s easy. I want it to be hard for us and that means pressure games.”

Arizona Sports LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134540 Arizona Coyotes “But at the end of the day, you always do have a little more time than you think. I think that’s the thing, when you’re out, too, if you watch a couple games from the press box, you kind of realize that and you see where For Arizona Coyotes, getting healthier means shaking off the rust you have that extra time and space and it can help.”

It also can make a difference whether the injury causes a player to miss training camp. Brad Richardson was with the Colorado Avalanche when BY MATT LAYMAN he broke his wrist a day before the start of camp. He missed significant time and went down to the minors first before returning to the lineup

(Demers and Dvorak went to Tucson before their recent returns). GLENDALE, Ariz. — Even after a player returns from injury, his team “Your mind has to catch back up with what’s going on and getting in the might not immediately get to enjoy the full benefits of having that player right spots and feeling comfortable again,” said Richardson, who missed in the lineup. time this year with a hand injury. “I felt physically OK, and then it’s just The Arizona Coyotes have experienced that plenty this season. Leading my mind getting back where you’re in the spots you’re supposed to be in. the league in injuries, they’ve consequently had several players return But I’ve felt good ever since then.” from injury. And that sometimes means dealing with a real adjustment Ultimately, the experience is likely different for each player. And that’s from not playing at all, to practicing, to playing in an NHL game. exactly what Tocchet will have to balance with healthy bodies and a “It’s a touchy one, because we don’t have time,” head coach Rick critical playoff push. Tocchet said. “These aren’t experiments. I can’t wait for people. You “We have to find out who can play and play a playoff style the quickest,” can’t wait, ‘Oh, this guy, we’ve got to give him four or five,’ we don’t have Tocchet said. “And that’s probably a day-to-day thing with this team.” that time. Maybe that’s just the world we live in right now. Arizona Sports LOADED: 03.07.2019 “I can’t experiment right now. I have 16 games left and there’s 32 points up for grabs for us.”

Indeed, the Coyotes are making a push for the playoffs. They recently had Christian Dvorak make his season debut on Feb. 26, playing in an NHL game for the first time since March last season. Then there’s Jason Demers, who played Tuesday night for the first time since Nov. 15.

The next iteration of this phenomenon will likely be Michael Grabner, whom Tocchet said Wednesday is expected to play either on Thursday against Calgary or on Saturday against the Kings. Grabner hasn’t played since he suffered an eye injury on Dec. 1.

“It’s really hard,” Tocchet said. “Look at [Dvorak]. He’s been out for nine months, we’re expecting him all of a sudden to play top minutes as a centerman, it’s hard. He’s got some rust out there. You can tell.”

There have been others, too. Jakob Chychrun (knee) didn’t make his season debut until Nov. 13.

Once he did finally return, Chychrun had to play through not only the adjustment of NHL gameplay but also the pain of his injury, which takes time to fade away. But he said with the help of injections since the bye week, he’s felt better recently.

“When you miss a lot of time, a hundred percent, it takes a few games,” Chychrun said. “You just need to stick with it. You can’t get frustrated with yourself.

“The game speed is something you can’t really simulate unless you’re in a game and actually playing. Practices can help, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing like playing a game with regards to speed, your wind, a lot of factors that go into it.”

Chychrun had the benefit of coming back earlier in the season with more time to adjust. Dvorak and Demers didn’t have that same luxury, with both of their returns coming near the end of the regular season. It also doesn’t help Dvorak that other centers, like Derek Stepan and Nick Schmaltz, are currently out with injury.

“Unfortunately, with our center position, we have to put him in there in certain situations,” Tocchet said. “Maybe it’s unfair to him, but Dvo’s the type of kid that — he’s played well for me last year, and he’s just got to get better every game.

“I think it’s more reads with him. There’s some reads — it’s tough, because when you don’t have that fast-paced style through training camp all the way, and then you’re a young guy, there’s some situations where maybe it takes him a while to process.”

After Demers made his return on Tuesday, he said he felt good about his defense but his offense was what had the most rust (said Tocchet: “It’s hard to evaluate, because the whole team wasn’t good.”). Chychrun said that can be an issue of timing, where you get back into games and don’t realize exactly how much time and space you have.

“You’re almost overthinking and you always think there’s guys on you and you don’t want to make a rushed play or you don’t want to make a bad play, so you just try to make the simple one and move it quick,” Chychrun said. 1134541 Boston Bruins Brandon Carlo is not likely to start walking the blue line and dangling in the corners like Charlie McAvoy and Torey Krug . But Carlo’s comfort of late is clear. The third-year defenseman, who arrived as a defense-first Bruins’ Marcus Johansson out at least a week with a bruised lung prospect, is seamlessly joining the rush and firing when appropriate.

On Tuesday, that manifested itself in 11 shot attempts, nine on net. It was not unlike another 6-foot-5-inch blue liner, who plies his trade in San GLOBE STAFF By Matt Porter Jose.

“Brent Burns?” Cassidy said when Carlo’s name was mentioned. “He did his best impersonation last night. I thought it was great. Up and down the The newest Bruin, winger Marcus Johansson, will miss at least the next ice, feeling more confident. week after tests revealed a bruised lung. “He can certainly separate. He’s starting to gain the confidence, when to Johansson was kept at Massachusetts General Hospital overnight into go. Puck’s finding him. He’s getting it on net. He’s pretty accurate with his Wednesday afternoon after taking a hard hit in the first period of shot in those situations.” Tuesday’s win over Carolina at TD Garden. Carlo, whose steal and shot created a doorstep rebound that Wagner He was blasted in the left shoulder/arm/rib area by Hurricanes bruiser smacked into the net to cut the Hurricanes’ lead to 2-1, has been working Micheal Ferland, 3:15 into the 4-3 overtime win. It appeared Johansson, extra at the end of practices. who had two concussions last season in New Jersey, could have had more head trouble from the jolting hit. In a press release sent after 6:30 “Nice to see some results from that,” said Carlo, who also watches his p.m. Wednesday, the Bruins specified only the bruised lung, saying shifts after every game. Johansson would be re-evaluated in a week. Now that he’s getting shots through, the next steps in Carlo’s ADVERTISING development are puck skills and breakout composure. Part of that, Cassidy said, is knowing the league, who finishes checks, understanding Following Thursday’s 7 p.m. puck drop against the Panthers (NESN), the how to read his teammates, knowing how much time he has. Bruins host Ottawa on Saturday before a three-game road swing at Pittsburgh (Sunday), Columbus (Tuesday), and Winnipeg (Thursday). The offensive blossoming comes at a great time for Carlo, the former Johansson is likely to miss all of that. second-round pick whose entry-level contract ($789,167) expires after this year. More production (1-6—7 in 57 games) would make player and Johansson’s centerman, David Krejci, said it was an unfortunate play. team happy. “It happens once in a while,” Krejci said. “Sometimes you get hit even “We’ve encouraged it here,” Cassidy said. “Sometimes you have a harder and you’re fine.” checklist. He’s taking care of other things. He feels comfortable with his Wednesday’s practice, held at the Garden following the annual team penalty kill and defending and his partner. He’s had Torey pretty photo, had Peter Cehlarik filling Johansson’s spot on Krejci’s right wing. consistently now. Maybe that’s next on the checklist.” Cehlarik has played three games since Feb. 16, including the last two, Sticking with it and has shown flashes of offense. Pastrnak (left thumb surgery) skated before practice with a stick in his He is not Johansson, a veteran playmaker with a defensively responsible hand. Cassidy expected another update on the star winger next week . . . game who has slotted in nicely with Krejci’s sublime skill and Jake The Panthers (28-26-12) woke up Wednesday 11 points out of a playoff DeBrusk’s red-hot scoring (8-8—16 in 10 games since David Pastrnak’s spot with 16 games remaining. However, they were 5-0 winners over the injury). Bruins in Sunrise Dec. 4, a game that stands as Boston’s second-worst Cehlarik hopes to fit the same profile one day, but he has to first show his defeat of the year (after 7-0, opening night in Washington). “That’ll be the coaches that he can defend, and not force the issue with the puck on his message in the room,” Cassidy said. stick. Like many young players who rose through the ranks on the Boston Globe LOADED: 03.07.2019 strength of one skill, Cehlarik is learning what it takes to be more than a call-up guy.

“I need to find my confidence again,” said Cehlarik, who has four goals and two assists in 16 games with the varsity. “I’m naturally hard on myself. Now, here’s a chance. I’m with these players, I want to be at my best, which is when I make plays and handle the puck well.”

Coach Bruce Cassidy said he’s still trying to find out what makes the 23- year-old Slovak tick, noting that he isn’t as outwardly engaging as some other young players.

“We think he’s a good player, we just want to correct a few of the mistakes,” Cassidy said. “It seems like we see some of the same ones. So after a while, it’s like, ‘OK, we do have to fix these.’ This is the way the Bruins play. You have to manage the puck a little better. You can’t make a play every time. When he’s on, he’s on. When he’s not, he’s got to recognize it.”

Cassidy noted that DeBrusk went through a slump (13 games without a goal) before his recent run. He’s hoping Cehlarik is next.

Kuraly improves

Sean Kuraly skated in practice with usual linemates Noel Acciari and Chris Wagner , clad in a regular practice jersey (not maroon, which signifies noncontact). Cassidy said Kuraly, put into concussion protocol after a Braydon Coburn hit last Thursday against Tampa, was trending up and could play Thursday against Florida.

“I’d call him probable,” said Cassidy, who would move Joakim Nordstrom back to the left wing spot on the Charlie Coyle-David Backes line if Kuraly returned.

Burns-like burst 1134542 Boston Bruins

Carlo making his checks on both ends for Bruins

By RICH THOMPSON

Defenseman Brandon Carlo has been filling in the boxes on coach Bruce Cassidy’s expansive check list during the Bruins’ 17-game points streak.

Carlo’s offensive component received an upgrade on Cassidy’s scorecard following Tuesday night’s 4-3 overtime victory against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder unleashed 11 shots, nine of which were on net and one resulted in a goal by Chris Wagner that cut the ‘Canes lead to 2-1 in the second.

“He obviously led to the first goal being up the ice but part of that is confidence in your gaps,” Cassidy said after an abbreviated practice Wednesday morning at the Garden.

“We’ve encouraged it here and sometimes you have a check list and he’s taken care of other things. He feels comfortable with his penalty kill and his partner. He’s had Torey (Krug) pretty consistently and that’s on the check list.”

Cassidy would like to see Carlo squeeze off an equal number of shots from inside the blue line when the Bruins host the problematic Florida Panthers Thursday night at the Garden. Cassidy jokingly suggested Carlo did an acceptable parody of a bearded All-Star defenseman from the San Jose Sharks.

“Brent Burns, yeah he did his best impersonation and I thought it was great,” Cassidy said. “He’s getting up and down the ice and feeling more confident and he can certainly separate.

“He’s starting to gain the confidence when to go and the puck is finding him and he getting it on net. He’s pretty accurate with his shot in those situations.”

Carlo will make his 58th appearance this season when the Bruins match up against the Panthers. He averages 20:48 minutes of ice time and has one goal and six assists with a plus-13 and significant contributions on special teams.

Carlo has 88 shots on goal, a good number for a blueliner and third among his peer group behind Krug (127) and Matt Grzelcyk (97), both of who are offense-oriented puck moving defensemen.

“I think my offensive game is growing and after practice I’ve been working shots off from the blue line a little bit quicker,” Carlo said. “But there wasn’t anything special about Tuesday night except that the pucks were finding my stick a little bit more and thankfully that will happen again.

“Nine shots are quite a bit and I’ve been taking a step to the outside and making a quick wrist to the front of the net. That seems to be working for me and that is primarily where I got most of my shots.”

Carlo is enjoying his sorties in the offensive zone but knows that can only continue as long as he takes care of the back end.

“The defensive game is played throughout the entire ice and it’s all about getting back into the zone and backchecking,” Carlo said. “I feel like we are doing our jobs in front of the net and winning our battles in the corners.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134543 Boston Bruins

Bruins notebook: Marcus Johansson suffers lung contusion from hit against Carolina

By RICH THOMPSON

Marcus Johansson was not available for the Bruins official team photo on Wednesday morning at the Garden.

The Bruins used a substitute wearing the left winger’s No. 90 jersey and he was situated on the far left in the back row. Johansson was at Massachusetts General Hospital recovering from the vicious shoulder to shoulder hit he received from Micheal Ferland in the first period of the Bruins’ 4-3 overtime win against Carolina Tuesday night.

The B’s issued an update on Johansson via Twitter Wednesday night, saying “Testing revealed a lung contusion. He was monitored overnight and was discharged today after further evaluation by specialists. He will be re-evaluated in approximately one week.”

Johansson, acquired at the trade deadline from New Jersey for a couple of draft picks, played two seasons with the Devils but missed considerable time from two concussions, one inflicted by Bruins forward Brad Marchand. He played in 48 games for the Devils before the trade.

Johansson got acclimated to the Bruins’ system playing on the second line with center David Krejci and right winger Jake DeBrusk, who notched his 22nd goal of the season against the Hurricanes.

“From the first game he was making plays,” Krejci said. “We’ve been getting better each game and it was unfortunate that he got hurt, hopefully it’s nothing serious and he will be back soon.”

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy speculated that Peter Cehlarik, who was recalled from Providence on March 1, could take Johansson’s spot on the second line tonight against Florida.

KURALY READY TO ROLL

Fourth line center Sean Kuraly expects to be back tonight as the Bruins look to extend their 17-game points streak.

Kuraly was placed in the NHL’s concussion protocol after taking a shot to the head from Tampa Bay defenseman Braydon Coburn on Feb. 28.

“I’m feeling good and hopefully I’ll be back for the (Panthers game),” Kuraly said. “I went through the whole protocol and everything but I’m not rushing it, I’m taking it day by day.”

Cassidy said he will make a decision on Kuraly after the Bruins pregame skate.

“I’d call him probable right now,” the coach said. “Now it seems it’s trending well.”

LINE SHUFFLE

If Kuraly is cleared to play, he will return to the fourth line with Noel Acciari and Chris Wagner.

Joakim Nordstrom would move up the third line with Charlie Coyle and David Backes. Kuraly has played in 63 games, averaging 13:45 minutes with six goals and 11 assists on 120 shots.

Danton Heinen remains in David Pastrnak’s spot on first line alongside Patrice Bergeron and Marchand. Pastrnak has been out three weeks recovering from thumb surgery.

Boston Herald LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134544 Boston Bruins

Bruins’ Johansson missing from team photo at TD Garden

Body double stands in for injured forward

By RICH THOMPSON |PUBLISHED: March 6, 2019

Left wing Marcus Johansson was not available for the Bruins official team photo on Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. at the TD Garden.

The Bruins used a substitute wearing Johansson’s No. 90 jersey and he was situated on the far left in the back row. Johansson was hospitalized Tuesday night after taking a vicious shoulder-to-shoulder hit from Carolina Hurricanes forward Michael Ferland.

Johansson took the hit at 3:15 of the first period in the Bruins 4-3 overtime win at the Garden. Johansson was acquired from the New Jersey Devils for a 2019 second round pick and a 2020 fourth rounder at the trade deadline.

“He’s still in the hospital finishing up tests,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “The team will have an announcement later on but I haven’t heard anything.

“Sometimes no news is good news, but we will get it to you later.”

Johansson played two seasons with the Devils but missed considerable time from two concussions, one inflicted by Bruins forward Brad Marchand. He played in 48 games for the Devils before the trade.

Boston Herald LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134545 Boston Bruins

Brad Marchand's latest troll victim: 'Mayor Of Walpole' Chris Wagner

By Justin Leger March 06, 2019 8:57 PM

Brad Marchand was in a trolling mood on Wednesday, as the Bruins winger is on most days.

Not long after Marchand traded barbs with teammate Torey Krug, it was Chris Wagner on the receiving end of Marchand's antics. Wagner had an eventful Tuesday night, making headlines for firing a shot at Celtics star Kyrie Irving in an Instagram comment section and for scoring a goal in the Bruins' win over the Hurricanes. Marchand took notice of the media presence around the Walpole native.

Bruins looking to Backes for protection

Mayor of walpole Hates the spotlight

— Brad Marchand (@Bmarch63) March 6, 2019

Wagner responded with a simple yet effective comeback.

Yeah you do too...  https://t.co/aq8K6HfIeK

— Chris Wagner (@chriswags23) March 6, 2019

Marchand has been on a roll with his trolling lately. Even the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs had to give him credit for his expert Mitch Marner troll job.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134546 Boston Bruins

Bruins provide update on Marcus Johansson injury

By Justin Leger March 06, 2019 6:42 PM

The Bruins have issued an update on Marcus Johansson's injury that he suffered in Tuesday night's game vs the Hurricanes.

Johansson exited the game after taking a hard hit from Carolina's Micheal Ferland. Wednesday, it was revealed he is dealing with a lung contusion.

Haggerty's Power Rankings: B's are soaring

Read the B's statement below:

"Marcus Johansson was brought to the Massachusetts General Hospital during the game against Carolina on March 5 for evaluation. Testing revealed a lung contusion. He was monitored overnight and was discharged today after further evaluation by specialists.

He will be re-evaluated in approximately one week."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134547 Boston Bruins

Maple Leafs GM had a solid retort to Brad Marchand's Mitch Marner jab

By Darren Hartwell March 06, 2019 1:30 PM

Kyle Dubas would like Brad Marchand to know that two can play the trolling game.

Marchand fired the initial shot Tuesday morning in a clever tweet about Mitch Marner, urging the Toronto Maple Leafs to pay the star winger $12 million per year on his new contract ... which would hamstring their salary cap situation for years to come.

On Wednesday, the Maple Leafs' 33-year-old general manager (yes, Dubas is just three years older than Marchand) volleyed back.

"That was a master troll job, to say the least. You have to respect that element of it," Dubas said of Marchand's tweet, via TSN. "The part that I liked about it was, there's over a 90 percent probability we're going to play them in the playoffs if you just take the probabilities of it.

"So, that he woke up in the morning of a game day and was thinking about the Toronto Maple Leafs I thought was a positive thing for us."

Spoken like a true analytics guy.

Dubas is right about that probability: Boston and Toronto essentially are on a collision course to face each other in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the Atlantic Division. (The B's hold a three-point edge over the Leafs for home ice entering Wednesday.)

If Marchand was thinking ahead to a playoff showdown with the Leafs, it didn't show Tuesday night, as he tallied an assist an in overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes that stretched Boston's point streak to 17 games.

Marchand also insisted after the victory his tweet was nothing but a harmless compliment of Marner. (Sorry, Marchy. We're not buying it.)

#NHLBruins F Brad Marchand on his tweet about #LeafsForever F Mitch Marner:

“Some people really took that the wrong way. I mean give the kid credit, he’s a great player, that’s all I was trying to get at. He’s having a great year.” pic.twitter.com/QnXJq0ZN0c

— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) March 6, 2019

In any case, we're all for this Original Six rivalry getting renewed in earnest come April.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134548 Boston Bruins It’s clear at this point that Backes is never again going to be the 20-goal, 50-point guy he was once upon a time with the St. Louis Blues, and a tougher, more physical role is one that’s going to allow him to still be vital David Backes prepared, taking on burdensome protector role for the to what the Bruins do. It will also keep him in the playoff lineup more than Bruins he might have been otherwise when push comes to shove.

It all comes down to different members of the B’s roster sacrificing for the team game and getting out of their comfort zone for the team success. By Joe Haggerty March 06, 2019 12:01 PM That’s the only way the Bruins are going to become greater than the sum of their parts this spring, and Backes is showing how much he’s buying

into the Bruins way by putting himself in harm’s way to protect his BOSTON – It’s not a coincidence that 34-year-old David Backes has teammates. dropped the gloves with much more regularity over the last few weeks. As Cassidy said, hopefully it doesn’t become a regular thing as teams Backes picked up back-to-back fighting majors for the first time in his become aware that Backes is answering for other teams taking runs at NHL career last month, and has now dropped the gloves three times in Boston’s players. But the veteran winger sounded determined to respond the last four games after dropping the mitts with Carolina Hurricanes if and when it’s called for, and it seems that’s happening quite a bit over winger Michael Ferland in Tuesday night’s 4-3 overtime win. The latest the last few weeks of late season hockey. fight was in response to Ferland knocking Marcus Johansson out of the Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 game in the first period with a massive hit against the side boards, and continued to send the message that liberties aren’t going to be tolerated against the Black and Gold.

“You have to stick up for your teammates. Whether it was a liberty taken or you know, tonight’s hit which was a hard, clean hit, but if guys are running at our skilled guys we need to hold them accountable,” said Backes. “I thought there was an opportunity for me to step up and you know, fill that role. I asked Butchy [Bruce Cassidy] when we were in Vegas and we had a meeting if I could be put in roles or places that would have a bigger impact on games.

“Whether that’s with my gloves off or my gloves on I think he’s provided me those opportunities and hopefully I’ve done my job for him.”

Certainly with Kevan Miller injured and out of the lineup, the Bruins need somebody to police actions from the other team. Truth be told they’ve kind of needed that from a member of the forward group all season, and it needed to come from within the organization once they didn’t go in that direction during the NHL trade deadline.

So in order for Backes to remain in the lineup on a consistent basis once the Bruins brought in a couple more forwards at the trade deadline, it would appear that the veteran forward’s role is going to be as something of an enforcer/protector in addition to his power forward duties. That would seem to have been the gist of the recent conversation between coach and player, and it’s one that Backes has really taken hold of since the recently concluded B’s road trip.

“David, I think, is grabbing onto an area of the lineup where he feels he can contribute. We really appreciate that as a staff and the players do too, that he’s putting himself in harm’s way for the good of the team. That’s leadership,” said Bruce Cassidy. “I prefer he doesn’t do it every night, and hopefully this has just been a run where he’s had to do it. But I can’t predict the future. Again, it’s a testament to his character.”

Certainly it’s a tough job for a player that’s battled with concussions over the last few seasons, and whose season was ended last spring when J.T. Miller landed a concussive hit on him during the second round of the playoffs. But Backes also correctly points out that the statistics show the higher percentage of head injuries come from big hits on the ice than combatants dropping the and throwing punches at each other.

“My wife probably does,” said Backes, when asked if he’s worried about concussions while fighting with a bit more regularity now. “But that can’t be a thought in your head when you’re out playing in the NHL. I think there’s – she might be worried about me driving more than 65 miles per hour on the pike too and potential car accidents, or whatever else that could come.

BRUINS 4, HURRICANES 3 (OT)

Talking Points: Another great night for Krejci

Highlights: B's run points streak to 17

“I think the game is – you look at the stats and you’re not as prone to concussions actually fighting as you are from whiplash or side hits or shoulders to the face or elbows to the face. I guess it’s a calculated decision and if I’m going to stay part of this team and stay a part of a winning team, that’s maybe going to be part of my role. I’m okay with it. It’s sticking up for each other and sticking together again. It’s a staple of what we do here.” 1134549 Boston Bruins Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019

Brad Marchand and Torey Krug can't stop ripping each other on Twitter

By Darren Hartwell March 06, 2019

Forget Boston Bruins-Montreal Canadiens. The biggest hockey rivalry in Boston is Brad Marchand vs. Torey Krug.

"But wait," you ask, "aren't Marchand and Krug teammates?"

Yes, but in the hockey universe, that's license for the two to give each other endless grief on the internet.

Case in point: A few hours after the Bruins' 4-3 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, Marchand came out of nowhere to chide Krug about his height.

Yah but at least im still taller than @ToreyKrug when im on my knees#shawty https://t.co/jCCeAnCfQy

— Brad Marchand (@Bmarch63) March 6, 2019

But Krug didn't take Marchand's jab sitting down. Instead, the Bruins defenseman fired back Wednesday morning with a burn of his own:

Please excuse my friend @Bmarch63 Unfortunately, his pills didn’t wear off post game before he got on @Twitter pic.twitter.com/XCTEo2JVi5

— Torey Krug (@ToreyKrug) March 6, 2019

Marchand took a while to respond Wednesday, but he didn't disappoint. sorry for the delayed response... was watching honey I shrunk the kids.. you were so good in this scene pic.twitter.com/p4CuJzbsMD

— Brad Marchand (@Bmarch63) March 6, 2019

We have some questions here... Is the label in Krug's tweet Photoshopped? If not, how much time did Krug spend on creating it? Did he actually go find a label-maker, come up with all of these witty lines and paste them on a pill bottle just to get back at Marchand?

Given their history, we wouldn't be surprised by the latter. Take this back- and-forth from early January:

Was that a little tikes zamboni?

— Brad Marchand (@Bmarch63) January 5, 2019

Hahah  RIP me

— Brad Marchand (@Bmarch63) January 5, 2019

Or this exchange from a month ago:

He’s 3 seats behind you! Just tell him.

— Torey Krug (@ToreyKrug) February 6, 2019

...you wrote this when you were sitting in the seat right beside me

— Brad Marchand (@Bmarch63) February 6, 2019

OK, one more:

Kreauty you beauty!!!!

Your bath is ready pic.twitter.com/OQySc5zsc8

— Brad Marchand (@Bmarch63) February 18, 2019

Thanks buddy! I hope you enjoyed your spa day #BM63. If you need any help getting in your bed tonight let me know... pic.twitter.com/BjyPdlvzs8

— Torey Krug (@ToreyKrug) February 18, 2019

And that's just from the last two months.

Long live the Krug vs. Marchand Twitter rivalry, which clearly isn't affecting either player on the ice: Krug is on pace for a career high in assists with 40 through 55 games, while Marchand leads the Bruins with 77 points (27 goals, 50 assists) as they ride a 17-game point streak into Wednesday's tilt with the Florida Panthers. 1134550 Buffalo Sabres Bogosian and forward Vladimir Sobotka returned to practice Wednesday and could be available to play Thursday night in Chicago.

Bogosian was a late scratch Monday against Edmonton because of a Sabres Notebook: Phil Housley seeks 'simple' game to end road woes lower-body injury, while Sobotka has missed the past three games with a lower-body injury. Their returns likely will draw Johan Larsson and Casey Nelson out of the Sabres' lineup. By Lance Lysowski| Published Wed, Mar 6, 2019| "We’ll see how they respond from practice," Housley said Wednesday. "Both of them looked very good out there, but we’ll make that decision tomorrow." If the Buffalo Sabres are to make an unprecedented run to snap their eight-year playoff drought, they will have to figure out how to win away ••• from KeyBank Center. Rochester winger Remi Elie was suspended one game by the AHL for an Eight of their final 16 games are on the road, beginning with a two-game illegal check to the head during the Amerks' 4-1 loss to Syracuse on trip to Chicago and Denver. The Sabres (30-28-8) will face the Sunday. Blackhawks (27-30-9) Thursday night in the United Center, followed by a Saturday afternoon game against the Colorado Avalanche. Elie, who has five goals among eight points in 10 games since joining the Amerks, will sit Friday night against Bridgeport. Neither opponent is occupying a playoff spot. However, the Sabres have gone 3-14-3 in their last 20 games away from Buffalo, including seven Buffalo News LOADED: 03.07.2019 consecutive losses. They haven't won a road game since Jan. 29 in Columbus.

"It goes back to simplifying our game and playing a simple road game," Housley said following the Sabres' practice Wednesday in KeyBank Center. "Sometimes that’s just relieving pressure out of our defensive zone and getting pucks out. Managing pucks through the neutral zone and getting pucks in, trying to establish our forecheck and I think the simplification of our game. Again, we talked when we don’t have the puck, just having our guard up."

Entering Wednesday's games, the Sabres' power play at home ranked 10th in the NHL, compared to 26th on the road. They have posted a minus-26 goal differential over their last 20 road games, allowing four or more goals 12 times.

The Sabres had a pair of epic meltdowns in Toronto last week, allowing three goals in a span of two minutes, four seconds during a 5-3 loss Monday and surrendering four unanswered goals in a 5-2 defeat Saturday.

Buffalo's 26 points on the road were the third-fewest in the NHL entering Wednesday, while its 19 home wins were tied with Montreal and Washington for the fifth-most in the Eastern Conference.

Burden of captaincy, Sabres' struggles not slowing Jack Eichel's play

Defensive struggles and problems with puck management have been magnified when the opponent has a number of advantages, including the last line change and crowd noise.

"I think it’s just one of those things that varies," defenseman Zach Bogosian said of the Sabres' deteriorating road performance. "We’ve played some good road games and some not-so-good ones. I don’t know if I can really pinpoint one thing. Knowing that maybe the other team has last change at home, making sure puck management and getting pucks deep. Teams thrive on turnovers, especially at home when their crowd gets into it. Puck management would probably be the number one thing."

While neither Housley nor his players could identify one specific thread, they agreed the lack of attention to detail has been the Sabres' downfall, whether it's taking a bad penalty in the first period or a missed defensive coverage.

The Blackhawks entered Wednesday nine points back of the second wild-card playoff spot, but Patrick Kane is in the Hart Trophy conversation. Chicago defeated the Sabres, 7-3, in Buffalo last month.

Additionally, the Avalanche (29-26-12) beat the Sabres, 6-1, in October and are two points behind Minnesota for eighth in the Western Conference. Rather than discussing their road struggles, the Sabres are focused on cleaning up the myriad of errors that have caused them to tumble down the standings.

"We’ve been good at times," Jason Pominville said. "At times, again, we get away from what leads to us being a good team. I don’t know. I wouldn’t even be able to tell you what our away record is right now. It’s not something that we tend to say, ‘Oh, we’re going on the road, we haven’t been good on the road.’ We just go out there, try to play and bring the best version of ourselves. Do that to help the team in any circumstance." 1134551 Buffalo Sabres Eichel, who is completing the first season of an eight-year, $80 million contract, has not played in the Stanley Cup playoffs and endured a 25- win season last year. He has yet to experience a .500 season in Buffalo.

Burden of captaincy, Sabres' struggles not slowing Jack Eichel's play His teammates and coach Phil Housley say the losing has not changed Eichel's demeanor on or off the ice. He was a catalyst in the Sabres' win streak in November and has become a dynamic two-way player, a fact By Lance Lysowski|Published Wed, Mar 6, 2019| illustrated by Housley trusting him to be on the ice to kill penalties.

"Jack’s done a terrific job," Housley said. "He leads by example every day, whether it’s in practice or games. His energy, guys feed off it. While his Buffalo Sabres teammates filtered out of the visitors' dressing There’s a level of maturity right now in him, and he’s doing a really good room in Toronto's on Saturday night, Jack Eichel sat at job of just managing that part. It’s got to be difficult when you’re not his stall waiting for reporters to finish speaking with Jason Pominville. getting results, but you’re trying your darndest to get the results. It’s great Eichel, the 22-year-old captain, has made himself available to the media for him, the way he’s leading right now, especially with our group." all season, no matter the result. Since a 10-game win streak ended, The Sabres did not have a captain last season, instead relying on a Eichel has fielded questions about the team's continued defensive lapses leadership group that included Eichel. He vowed to not change since his and a number of epic meltdowns. In addition, he has had to try to explain approach in previous seasons earned the trust of General Manager the Sabres' inability to win consecutive games since Dec. 13. Jason Botterill and Housley. The responsibility of leading a young team or answering post-game There has been no shortage of adversity during his fourth season. Eichel questions during trying times can wear on the NHL's most experienced spoke elegantly when left the team unexpectedly in players, yet Eichel has continued to flourish on the ice. December, expressed confidence in his teammates during another ugly "He’s a special player, a special person," Sabres defenseman Zach stretch in January and has refused to blame inexperience for the slide. Bogosian, an alternate captain, said following practice Wednesday. "He’s The Sabres (30-28-8) are in danger of becoming only the second team in done a lot of really good things for this city and this organization. People NHL history to not make the playoffs in the same season in which they tend to forget he’s only 22. He’s got a lot on his plate, a lot on his won 10 games in a row. If that is weighing on Eichel, he is not showing it. shoulders for a young guy. He’s handled it well. I think at times it’s been His is focused on doing his part to ensure they aren't on the wrong side tough, but he brings his play every night – his effort, his attitude. He of history. really wants to win." "Obviously, I think every year you try to take the next step and last year I Eichel has done his part in trying to revive the Sabres. His 25 goals are thought there were a lot of good things, but it’s tough when you miss 17 one off from setting a career high, and he already has achieved his best games with injury," Eichel said. "This year, it was important for me to try totals in assists (47) and points (72) with 16 regular-season games to to stay healthy as much as I could and be in the lineup as much as I play. could. It’s a long year. It’s a physical game. It takes a toll on you. I try to He joined Rick Martin and Thomas Vanek as the only players in franchise be as consistent every night as I can." history to score at least 20 goals in each of their first four seasons. Eichel Buffalo News LOADED: 03.07.2019 is the first Sabres player to record at least 45 assists since Tim Connolly in 2009-10.

Eichel's play hasn't slipped during this final attempt at a playoff push, either. He has seven goals among 10 points in his last eight games, a grueling stretch that included contests against Tampa Bay, Washington, Pittsburgh and Toronto.

"Jack’s been good all year," Pominville said. "He’s been awesome in the room. His attitude has been great. He’s been leading the way on the ice. He’s been leading the way off the ice. He’s so young still. The upside is still tremendous. He’s going to keep growing. He’s going to keep getting better."

Eichel has multiple goals in two of his last four games and has points in eight of his last nine. His production has been steady aside from three goals in a 15-game stretch after missing three games because of an upper-body injury.

In addition to being fueled by desperation, Eichel attributed a subtle adjustment to helping his scoring touch during this recent surge. His 252 shots on goal ranked fifth in the NHL entering Wednesday's games. However, his 9.9 shooting percentage ranked 76th among 106 players who had at least 150 shots on goal.

So, Eichel now is aiming lower while quickening his release.

"I probably haven’t been the most consistent scorer this year," he acknowledged. "I think I’ve probably passed up too many opportunities to shoot the puck at times. As of recent, it’s been, for one, I’ve tried to shoot a lot more, and I think it’s not always about how hard it is. I’ve been trying to just shoot lower and release the puck quicker, surprise goalies a little bit. I think it’s been working. You can’t score, obviously, if you miss the net, so just trying to fine-tune that, I guess."

Inside the NHL: Winnipeg standout Mark Scheifele has developed friendship with Eichel

Health is another factor in Eichel's continued rise. He missed 36 games because of injury over the previous two seasons, often stifling any sort of progress. Experience has taught him how to better prepare for the grueling NHL schedule. 1134552 Buffalo Sabres the players are going through and our doors are always open,’’ Taylor said. “And we’re not going to B.S. them.’’

3. The chemistry is real 10 reasons why the Rochester Amerks are good again Some teams put 35 guys in a room and hope for the best, but this roster was assembled with talent and personalities in mind. At the start of the Leo Roth, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Published 5:40 p.m. ET year, 16 players were returnees while newcomers Scott Wedgewood, March 6, 2019 Victor Olofsson, Wayne Simpson, Lawrence Pilut, Rasmus Asplund, Jack Dougherty, Will Borgen, Yannick Veilleux, Andrew Oglevie, Tyler Randell and Brandon Hickey have helped bring the team to the next level. The thread that binds? “We all want to win,’’ Porter said. With a mix of promising prospects and steady veterans the Rochester Amerks are gearing up for the AHL playoffs. Leo Roth/Rochester 4. They’ve avoided slumps Democrat and Chronicle, Wochit The Amerks responded to an 0-2 start with a five-game win streak that From 2014-15 to 2016-17, the Rochester Americans missed the playoffs. did wonders for the club’s confidence. They have lost back-to-back games only five times, their longest losing streak is three games, and A three-year drought that was the longest in franchise history since the they have collected 29 out of a possible 42 points since mid-January. late 1960s. 5. They can score A chaotic period of annual head coaching changes and player moves so numerous, pieces of tape sufficed for name plates. The Amerks didn’t have a 20-goal scorer last season, just the second time in history that’s occurred. They’re on pace for five – Zach Redmond Don’t look now, but Rochester’s storied AHL team has done an about- (21, record for a defenseman), Olofsson (20), Simpson (19), C.J. Smith face and is streaking toward consecutive playoff berths under coach (18) and Danny O’Regan (18). Taylor Leier has 13 goals. Chris Taylor. 6. They can defend Amerks coach Chris Taylor: "Our staff, we understand what these players are going through and our doors are always open for these guys, the Veteran free agent goalies Adam Wilcox and Wedgewood have been good and the bad. We’re not going to B.S. them. We tell them the truth solid in net, with Wedgewood becoming the workhorse. The former and what we need out of them, we’re hard on them if we need them to be Albany Devils standout is a career-best 22-10-2 with a 2.70 GAA and better, but they want direction and we give them direction.'' (Photo: Max .911 save percentage. Schulte / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) 7. They're good in the clutch With the regular season entering its final five-week push, the Amerks sport a 35-18-3-2 record, good for 75 points and a first-place tie with Amerks winger Victor Olofsson, 23, of Sweden has been a huge addition Syracuse in the North Division. After making a 24-point jump in the this season. He has team-leading 46 points on 20 goals and 26 assists. standings last season, Rochester is on a 46-win, 98-point pace, which He was a teammate of Sabres rookie star Rasmus Dahlin for Team would be its best since 2006-07. Frolunda.

Why the turnaround? In extra-session hockey, the Amerks don’t flinch. They’re 3-3 in overtime and 6-2 in shootouts. Redmond has nine game-wining goals and Captain Kevin Porter said there is a long list of reasons but said it begins Olofsson has seven. with management. The parent Buffalo Sabres under general manager Jason Botterill and assistant Randy Sexton made rebuilding the 8. They are road warriors organization’s farm system a chief goal when assuming the reins in 2017. The Amerks sport an 18-6-3-1 record (40 points) away from Blue Cross They saw the system work in Pittsburgh, where player development in Arena. Only the Charlotte Checkers (20-8-2-1, 43 points) are better. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton helped the Penguins capture back-to-back 9. Special teams Stanley Cups. At the core was assembling a roster where prospects didn’t have to carry the load and could prosper in a winning environment. Can’t be a great team without them and the Amerks are very good on the power play (20.8 percent), which ranks fourth-best in the AHL, and It's no surprise that Rochester’s original roster this season consisted of penalty kill (82.0 percent), which ranks fifth. 11 Sabres’ draft picks and 11 veteran free agents. 10. They shook things up “I’ve been on teams and it’s all young guys and draft picks,’’ said Porter, who was part of two Amerks playoff teams before a three-year stint in the Buffalo Sabres forward Remi Elie (81) only scored one point in 16 games Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh organizations. “The key is with Buffalo this season, but has 5 goals and 3 assists in 12 games with management. They want us to win here, they want these young guys to the Amerks. learn how to win and I think a big part of that is bringing in some older guys who have been there before.’’ Whether it’s missing the playoffs three years in a row or getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Crunch last season, sometimes the With 18 games to play starting Friday at home against Bridgeport, here drink just needs to be stirred. Over the past two years, Sabres trades are 10 reasons why the Amerks are good again: have brought in Redmond (Nick Deslauriers), O’Regan (Evander Kane), Leier (Justin Bailey), Dougherty (Nick Baptiste) and Hickey (Hudson 1. The Sabres care Fasching), along with Scott Wilson (2019 fifth-round pick) for a spell. Amerks general manager Randy Sexton hoists the Stanley Cup as Bailey and Baptiste, once promising Buffalo prospects, had a combined director of scouting for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He starts his second seven seasons in Rochester and needed a change of scenery. Losing season of rebuilding a winning culture in Rochester, the Buffalo Sabres' defenseman Brendan Guhle (second round pick 2015) at the trade farm team. deadline was a blow for the Amerks but former Dallas Star Remi Elie, obtained on waivers last fall, is now in Rochester. Said Taylor of trades: Former Buffalo GM Tim Murray tried overseeing both the Sabres and “It can be OK, and it can be OK for both sides.’’ Amerks, virtually an impossible job. Botterill assigning Sexton, former GM of Ottawa and Florida of the NHL, as GM in Rochester puts a dedicated Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 03.07.2019 set of eyes on the team so small problems don’t become big ones.

2. A solid coaching staff

Taylor, the Amerks Hall of Famer and three-time MVP, has made a quick impact as a head coach. His rapport with players is behind the club’s winning chemistry but he’s quick to spread credit to his assistants, former Toronto Marlies head coach Gord Dineen (defense) and Toby Petersen (offense). Together, Taylor, Dineen and Petersen played in 3,553 professional games. When they talk, players listen. “We understand what 1134553 Buffalo Sabres How that’s factored into Montour’s usage with the Sabres has been easy to see so far. Even though Buffalo has won only one of the four games he’s played in, it’s allowed Housley to deploy him away from his defense How Brandon Montour is already making a difference for the Sabres partners late in games in which they’re trailing to help spur the attack in through his first four games search of a goal. We saw that work out ideally against Pittsburgh.

MONTOUR'S FIRST GOAL WITH BUFFALO PIC.TWITTER.COM/A2XRFUYANH By Joe Yerdon Mar 6, 2019 — BEN MATHEWSON (@BEN_MATHEWSON) MARCH 2, 2019

Montour’s CorsiFor rates with and without his defense partners, however, Since Brandon Montour was acquired from the Ducks a week and a half have been a good enough reason to think he’ll be just fine when it’s time ago, he’s been in more games than he has full practices with the team. for him to get into the top-four. (Numbers from NaturalStatTrick.com and Such is life when you’re moved ahead of the trade deadline. But what measure 5-on-5 play) we’ve seen out of Montour early on shows us why Sabres GM Jason Botterill was so excited to add him to the roster. Time on Ice CorsiFor% With CorsiFor% Without

Through his first four games, Montour has a goal and an assist (each Hunwick 20:33 40.6 66.7 came in a 4-3 overtime win against Pittsburgh) and he’s been on the third Scandella 18:52 32.5 66.1 defense pairing. In those games he’s matched up two times each with Matt Hunwick and Marco Scandella. Although we can imagine Montour’s With the Sabres, Montour has been at 52.3 percent CorsiFor which future will see him in the top four, for now, he’s been behind Rasmus (***small sample size warning***) is better than he’s been in his career Ristolainen and Zach Bogosian on the right side. Although it’s early in his with Anaheim. Montour has already landed as the power play Sabres career, his defense partners are excited by what he’s already quarterback with the second unit in Buffalo and even has had some shown he can do. tastes of life on the penalty kill. If the Sabres are going to employ an attack like that of Nashville, they’re going to need more of this out of “He’s a great skater; he’s always trying to press the attack,” Scandella Montour and others and to do it responsibly. said. “He moves the puck really well and jumps in the hole. He’s got great communication out there so he’s a pretty easy guy to play with. He MONTOUR UP IN THE PLAY PIC.TWITTER.COM/2ABZT3HENA likes to get the puck out using his feet.” — BEN MATHEWSON (@BEN_MATHEWSON) FEBRUARY 27, 2019 Hunwick has similar praise. “I think with guys like that you try to complement them as best you can; “I knew he was a good player but I didn’t see him a lot being in the be a good outlet, be available, be stable, and then in the D-zone it’s just Western Conference,” he said. “Just kind of his all-around game, it about talking because there are times he’ll be up on the rush and be seems like he can do it all. He’s obviously a very aggressive player and a coming back communicating those things,” Hunwick said of Montour. “He fun guy to play with, fun guy to watch.” gets back so fast it’s not like he’s out of the play.”

Montour’s skating ability and speed are always talked about when it The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 comes to what he brings to the back line. After all, with the NHL’s change over the past few years where the better teams are getting more of a push offensively from defensemen, players with abilities like his are going to be valued more.

“Skating has been a strength of mine but I like to skate and it seems like I have a lot of energy out there,” Montour said. “Sometimes I’m more tired than others but I think it’s just growing up with and hockey. I grew up playing both sports and I think that translated to conditioning a lot.”

During his first two-plus seasons in Anaheim, Montour played for former Norris Trophy winner Randy Carlyle but was also coached defensively by Trent Yawney. Now with the as an assistant, Yawney helped bring Montour into the NHL and worked to make him better- rounded in his game.

“He’s really improved over the time,” Yawney said. “He’s quick and when he plays with it he can use his quickness as a means of defending – it’s very effective. He’s got that little bit of bantam rooster in him, that’s a good thing, but when he gets against the bigger guys sometimes that can be a bit of a disadvantage.”

Montour gives a lot of credit to Yawney for helping him acclimate to the NHL, as the defenseman really hit his stride in his rookie season during the Ducks’ playoff run to the 2017 Western Conference Final. Figuring out the balance between playing offense and defense was something they worked on in Anaheim.

“We would always talk about joining the rush from the front of the net and not always think about leading the rush. He’s so quick out of the defensive zone that he can be that fourth guy and is very good at it,” Yawney said. “He basically limited those times where he was trying to do it by himself and I gave him the penalty kill. I felt that he needed that, that he could do it and what was funny was at the end of the year when I looked through all of the clips, all of the positive ones were around the net and stuff involved him. So he really took to that and he had a really good year offensively and that was a really good byproduct of how he played in his own zone because he was able to disrupt pucks and jump into the play and provide offense in that next layer as the fourth man and he was very good at it.” 1134554 Calgary Flames Five questions on Calgary’s four major capital projects

Jyoti Gondek, a councillor on board with the arena and the other three projects, says a couple of unnamed councillors are being “inflammatory.” Bell: Fear and trepidation over city's NHL arena pitch Some councillors do talk of fear. Gondek says the fearful probably shouldn’t be in their jobs.

Rick Bell And she says there will be no tax burden when all this dough goes out the door.

Some see it as good. Others see it as bad. But what about the city’s manager of mathematics saying four projects is too much? Gondek says city brass is all about “risk aversion” and council Either way, sometimes you just need somebody to state the obvious. is all about “making decisions.”

For two of those on the losing side of two mucho important city council Jeff Davison is the councillor heading up the arena pitch. Davison figures votes late Monday night, the offer the city will now take to the Flames he doesn’t need “an official town hall or a multi-million dollar engagement gives away too much. strategy” to tell him how to listen to the people.

Of course, we don’t know what’s on the table. We don’t even know where Meanwhile. on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the big vote, councillors the city is getting the money. try to figure out how they’re going to calm down business property taxpayers facing big tax hikes without screwing residential property Councillors wander around afraid of getting into trouble for saying too taxpayers by giving them big tax hikes. much. In the afternoon of another marathon gabfest Nenshi jokes around about But Evan Woolley is one councillor who tells us he thinks the terms are some councillors accusing past city councils of hosing businesses to too generous. keep residential property taxes lower than they should be. Woolley voted against the proposal to the Flames and he voted against “It is not in fact true the city of Calgary was run by a barrel of barely the city going ahead with four projects and a total price tag reported to be sentient monkeys prior to the great and glorious election of 2017. We $1.5 billion. really did know what we were doing.” We’re talking about the arena, the BMO Centre expansion, the Arts City hall as a barrel of barely sentient monkeys. Commons expansion and the field house. These city politicians do monkey around but no, no, not going there. Not Jeromy Farkas, Peter Demong and Druh Farrell also voted No. today. City hall’s boss bean counter, after being asked three times, finally said After all, I like monkeys. she’d be comfortable going forward with one of the four. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.07.2019 “It wasn’t the answer council wanted to hear but it was the answer we needed to hear,” says Farkas.

“The financial help tried to talk us off the ledge but council decided to jump.”

Farkas is also quick to comment on the city’s who-pays-what arena offer to the Flames and Woolley thinking it’s too much.

“Of course it’s more generous. It can’t be less generous,” says the councillor.

What would be the point? The Flames rejected the last city offer.

The city portrayed its offer as the one-third, one-third, one-third deal.

Calgary taxpayers pay a third of the cost. Flames pay a third. Those who go to the games and pay the ticket tax cover the final third of the tab.

The Flames said the city lowballed the team’s real contribution.

Farkas has to be careful what he says. He doesn’t want to rack up more time in the city council penalty box.

“I think it’s a fair question to ask council how and why they decided to sweeten the pot.”

Woolley is worried about how much dough the city is willing to fork out for the four projects. The councillor thinks Calgarians should be worried and ask tough questions. There are so many unknowns.

Farkas thinks it’s “absolutely insane” Calgarians don’t know where city council is getting the money.

One thing we kind of know is the city will drain its rainy-day fund to the bare minimum of what they have to keep in the pot.

There’s also talk of selling off city land.

Farkas says if Calgarians knew what he knows they wouldn’t go for it.

‘It would kill public support. That’s why it’s a secret,” says Farkas, adding he believes property taxes will go up by 2%, for starters.

The councillor says the Cowtown Kremlin hasn’t learned the lesson from the failed Olympic bid when a healthy majority of Calgarians voted against “secretive ways and the fudging of numbers.”

Economists question approved funding for arena, major projects 1134555 Calgary Flames Fake shot: Pettersen loads his outside foot, drives his top hand back and his front hand forward to create power the shot.

Pass: Just as the shot is about to explode off his stick, he rolls his top Why Flames prospect Mathias Emilio Pettersen is one of the NCAA’s hand up, changing the angle his blade from a shot to a cross-slot pass. best freshmen Part of Pettersen’s success has come from what he’s doing off the puck. He plays with the same hunger and speed off the puck as he does on it. By Mitch Brown Mar 6, 2019 As soon as there’s a turnover, Pettersen flies back to disrupt the play. Watch how he turns this puck over, and then immediately wins it back, follows through with the body and starts a zone entry.

Mathias Emilio Pettersen was once on a path to stardom. A highlight Pettersen keeps that effort up on the backcheck, too, where it seems like compilation of Pettersen’s puck skills as a 10-year-old went viral. By the he’s always finding ways to disrupt the puck carrier. While his defensive time he turned 15, he had committed to the University of Denver, one of zone reads are often poor, he keeps his feet moving and will make the the NCAA’s finest programs. occasional play. His defensive zone coverage has improved in the last few months, too. By the time the 2018 NHL Draft rolled around, the Pettersen hype had subdued. A slight frame, lack of pace and an underwhelming season He’s best as the F1 on a forecheck, where he can use his speed and allowed the Calgary Flames to select him 167th overall. anticipation to prod the puck carrier into making plays up the boards or turnovers. He’ll shy away from using his body and his routes can be a Not even a year later, and the Flames already look smart for taking a little too direct, but when it comes to stealing the puck and immediately gamble of the skills of Pettersen. He almost looks like a different player. creating chances, few prospects do it better. He’s still as skilled as always, but he’s playing with more speed, creativity and awareness. It often seems like Pettersen is single-handedly attacking the opposition in waves. First, he creates a chance off the rush, then he hunts down the Pettersen has been one of the NCAA’s best freshmen. He’s fourth loose puck or forechecks until he regains possession and then it’s right among under-19 freshman scoring in the NCAA with 0.81 points per back on the attack. game, ahead of notable prospects like Oliver Wahlstrom, Blake McLaughlin and Ruslan Iskhakov. As the months have gone by, Pettersen’s looked increasingly comfortable in contact. Take this play, from Jan. 12, for example. Just like that viral video from 2010, Pettersen’s puck skills are his best Pettersen makes a deft little stick lift across the defender’s hips to win trait, particularly his stickhandling. He is, even at the much higher level of possession and then he skates directly into the next defender’s lane. The NCAA hockey, a human highlight reel. defender bounces off the back of Pettersen, who connects with a Pettersen uses the three layers that many high-end NHL stickhandlers teammate on a pass through the legs of another defender. use. First, he perfectly uses weight touches to play keep away from Pettersen isn’t a heavy or particularly physical player, but that he’s defender on both the forehand and backhand. His go-to move is a fake starting to use his body to initiate controlled contact is a positive sign of with his shoulder and stick. Rather than put the puck under the development. defender’s stick or between the skates, he prefers to keep the puck out of the defender’s reach. The finer skills, such as pass reception, are also key parts of Pettersen’s game. He can receive passes at top speed and under pressure, while Pettersen couples that fake with excellent control of his speed. He can integrating the catch into a deke, shot or pass. pull away from defenders in open ice through his crossover-heavy stride, but he’s not relying solely on it. The best stickhandlers in the NHL control For all the stickhandling and playmaking skills that Pettersen has, his their speed; they slow down to draw defenders in and then pull away impact at 5-on-5 wavers for two main reasons. First, he’s not much of a when defender’s reach in and lose their feet. Pettersen does the same. goal scorer. He has just six goals in total and all but one have come on the powerplay. None have been particularly threatening or dangerous The third layer is how Pettersen attacks. By attacking defenders on an shots. arc, rather than in a straight line, he improves his odds of success because by doing so, it gives him more options. Pettersen’s shooting skills might be average at best, but he shows variety with his shooting ability, connecting with one-timers off balance or hard He’s also comfortable handling the puck in groups of defenders, drawing backhand shots. One of Pettersen’s best traits is that he’s always all the attention towards him and then finding an open teammate. moving, using that movement to take more direct routes to the net off the With 20 assists in 32 games, it’s clear that playmaking is driving puck will help him find the twine a bit more often. Pettersen’s production. Pettersen is a talented playmaker, consistently Second, Pettersen’s defensive zone puck management while under demonstrating deceptiveness, patience and skill. At the NCAA level, pressure can inhibit Denver’s ability to exit the zone. He often throws the sometimes defenders just can’t keep up with Pettersen’s vision. puck up the boards while under pressure, instead of using his speed and He’s dangerous in just about any situation. He’ll burn defenders off the vision to make plays. It’s not uncommon for rookies to have this issue rush and then slip a pass through their skates to set up a teammate. and I suspect it will improve with more experience in the NCAA.

Pettersen’s ability to find players behind the net is one of his defining Pettersen needs to get stronger and a bit faster, too, but those should traits as a playmaker. It’s such a dangerous location because it’s difficult also come with more experience and work. Overall, his weakness are for the goaltender to track the puck, and it forces the defenders to shift much easier to fix than many of the prospects picked before him. their eyes and bodies towards the puck carrier and away from their men. Although far from the NHL, Pettersen has top-six level stickhandling and On the powerplay, Pettersen takes full advantage of the extra space. playmaking. Those two skills, along with notable improvement in pace, He’s so active, moving across the zone to create weaknesses in the have allowed Pettersen to become of the NCAA’s best freshmen. His penalty kill structure, which he can then exploit. Pettersen uses the threat track record suggests that last season — the one that enabled Calgary of a shot to draw in a defender, which then turns into a pass. Sometimes, nab him in the sixth round — might be an outlier. it’s a short-range pass like this one. The improvements that Pettersen has made have taken him from just Others, he’ll wind up a one-timer, and then swiftly roll his wrists just another sixth-round pick to one of the Flames’ better prospects. before connecting to change the angle of his blade from shot to cross- The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 slot pass. This is skill isn’t unique for players at this level, but the speed and pre-pass details that Pettersen uses are.

Pettersen’s second assist from Oct. 20 demonstrates these traits.

Pre-shot movement: He steps into the open passing lane in a shooting stance, which drops the defender to a knee to block the shot. The movement also meant there were three players (including the defender) between the puck and goaltender, obscuring the goaltender’s view. 1134556 Carolina Hurricanes Asked about his two goals, Aho said he’d rather have the two points. That wasn’t playerspeak. That’s Aho.

Canes general manager Don Waddell has said contract negotiations with Hey, Marchand, how about Sebastian Aho? Aho and his agent would wait until after the season. It’s anyone’s guess as to where the price will be set but Aho, who will be a restricted free agent, likely will set a new franchise record there, too. BY CHIP ALEXANDER MARCH 06, 2019 Maybe Brad Marchand has a figure in mind.

News Observer LOADED: 03.07.2019 Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand created a stir Tuesday when he tweeted that Toronto’s Mitch Marner should get, oh, $12 million a year when he gets a new contract from the Maple Leafs. Marchand later clarified that, saying after the game against the Carolina Hurricanes, “You got to give the kid credit, he’s a great player. That’s all I was trying to get at. He’s having a great year.” Marner, 21, is a winger who has 24 goals and 81 points in 66 games this season. He’s a dynamic player, having a big year and will get a big pay day. Marchand didn’t mention the Canes’ Sebastian Aho, but what about Aho? He’s 21. After scoring twice in the 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins, the Canes’ top-line center has tied his career high with 29 goals and has 75 points in 66 games. He, too, will soon be due a very big pay day. It won’t be $12 million a year but it will be big. “He’s just a terrific player,” Canes winger Nino Niederreiter said this week. “He has great speed. He’s highly skilled. He’s tough around the net. Just a great overall player.” While the NHL’s “Three Stars of the Week” selections are a P.R. promotional tool, it had to be tough passing over Aho this week. He scored the game-winning goal in three consecutive games a week ago as the Canes moved into third place in the Metropolitan Division. Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was named first star after winning three games and having two shutouts. Winnipeg forward Blake Wheeler had five goals and three assists in three games and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby also had eight points. Granted, three solid choices. But three straight game-winners? That was a franchise record for Aho, an NHL All-Star this year. Before being traded to the Canes in January, the Swiss-born Niederreiter had seen Aho in a few NHL games and in the World Championship. But joining Aho’s line opposite right winger Justin Williams has given him a better feel for the Finn, whose youthful looks are belied by his mature play and quiet intensity on the ice. “He’s very smart,” Niederreiter said. “You always have to be ready for a pass from him. He sees the ice very well and I have enjoyed playing with him.” Being around the net allowed Aho to score his first goal Tuesday. Defenseman Calvin de Haan, back in the lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury, zinged a shot through traffic, the puck glancing off Aho’s skate in front of the crease. “A lucky bounce,” Aho said. The second, which gave the Canes a 2-0 lead, had nothing to do with luck and was more a display of Aho’s impressive speed and skill. Taking a pass from Niederreiter at the Boston blue line, he was off on a breakaway with a quick burst, beating goalie Jaroslav Halak. “When we need a big play he seems to be there,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. Mary Schwalm AP It’s the kind of play Brind’Amour, Canes players and Canes fans are coming to expect from “Nino and Fishy.” The two teamed up Saturday on the overtime goal against the Florida Panthers, Niederreiter making the perfect dish to Aho on a two-on-one. “He’s a good player, so obviously it’s easier to play with a good player,” Aho said Tuesday of Niederreiter. “He can score, he can make those passes, strong on the puck. He’s a good player, so easy to adjust.” Williams, whom Aho innocently referred to as “kind of like daddy” in a recent TV interview, tied the score in third after the Bruins had taken a 3- 2 lead on Patrice Bergeron’s shorthanded goal. But David Krejci’s overtime goal denied the Canes two points. Aho didn’t mince words after the game. Noting the Canes’ 0-5 showing on the power play, he said, “In my opinion that cost us the game.” 1134557 Carolina Hurricanes

Bruins Sneak Past Hurricanes (Whalers) in Overtime

BY MARCH 6TH, 2019

BOSTON — David Krejci scored 1:46 into overtime to lift the Boston Bruins to a 4-3 win over Carolina on Tuesday night, ending the Hurricanes’ five-game winning streak. Jake DeBrusk had a goal and an assist, setting up the game-winner after making a steal in the corner and sending a crossing pass to Krejci in the slot. Chris Wanger and Patrice Bergeron also scored for the Bruins, who have earned at least a point in 17 straight games. Jaroslav Halak stopped 35 shots for Boston. Boston Bruins Chris Wagner Sebastian Aho scored twice for Carolina. Justin Williams also scored for the Hurricanes, and Curtis McElhinney finished with 34 saves. The Hurricanes still salvaged a point after entering the night in playoff position at No. 6 in the Eastern Conference standings. After falling behind 2-0, Boston scored three straight. Bergeron scored a short-handed goal on a one-timer on a 2-on-1 with Brad Marchand 2:45 into the third, giving Boston its first lead at 3-2. The lead held until Williams’ slap shot from the point tied it again with 7:43 left. Aho gave Carolina a 1-0 lead 6:30 into the game when he deflected in a shot by Calvin de Haan. Then Aho got free for a breakaway inside Boston’s blue line and beat Halak 1:10 into the second to put Carolina up 2-0. Carolina Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho Wagner pulled Boston within 2-1 when he poked in his own rebound after tipping a slap shot by Brandon Carlo. DeBrusk scored on another rebound with 1:46 left in the second to tie it at 2-all after Krejci brought the puck in and got a shot off on McElhinney. NOTES: The Hurricanes were wearing green uniforms with blue trim, the colours of the Hartford Whalers before the franchise moved to Carolina. … De Haan returned after missing two games with an upper-body injury. … F David Pastrnak (thumb surgery) missed his 10th straight game for Boston. UP NEXT Hurricanes: Host Winnipeg on Friday night. Bruins: Host Florida on Thursday night. News Observer LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134558 Chicago Blackhawks

'We need them to produce': Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews may get extra rest to increase production

Jimmy Greenfield

At 30, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews both are on target to play the most minutes of their careers. But they haven’t been producing as much the last few games and Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton is ready to reduce their playing time just a bit to try to get them going. “Because we need them to produce,” Colliton said. “When they don’t, it’s hard for us to win.” Kane is playing a career-high 22 minutes, 30 seconds per game and could become the first Hawks player in nearly 30 years to score 50 goals in a season. Toews’ 20:59 ice-time average is eight seconds per game more than his previous career high. “I feel good,” said Kane, who has gone without a point in three of his last four games after a 20-game point streak. “I was playing good there for a while, didn't have a great trip obviously but still feel pretty confident about my game. It’s not like I really feel tired out there. When they tell me to go out there I will.” Toews, who has one goal and five assists in his last six games, is right on board with Kane. “We all realize these are our playoffs right now,” Toews said. “We have some guys in this room aside from myself that are getting a lot of ice time and a lot of pressure and have seen some tough, heavy games and never really make excuses. I don’t think fatigue should be an excuse.” Shaking up the lines: Hawks forward David Kampf has been out since Feb. 5 with a right foot injury, but he participated in practice Wednesday and Colliton said he could return for Thursday night’s game against the Sabres. Anticipating Kampf’s return and with Caggiula (concussion) still out indefinitely, Colliton experimented during practice with some dramatic line changes that included separating Kane and Toews for the first time in about six weeks. Colliton had Toews centering a line with Brandon Saad and John Hayden, while Kane was with Artem Anisimov and Dominik Kahun. “It was kind of a test run to see how they looked and obviously it depends on (Kampf),” Colliton said. “It’s an option to spread it out again. We haven’t exactly been perfect lately so it’s an option.” Ward out, Delia in: Goalie Collin Delia was back in the Hawks locker room on Tuesday a week after being sent down to Rockford when Corey Crawford returned from a concussion. Colliton said Cam Ward hurt his right knee during Sunday’s loss to the Sharks, prompting Delia’s recall. Ward is expected to be out at least a week. Delia started two games for the IceHogs last week, and Colliton said “he’ll get his starts” while he’s with the Hawks. One-timers: Forward Reese Johnson, 20, agreed to a three-year deal with a $925,000 cap hit. Johnson has 22 goals and 23 assists in 62 games with the ’s . ... The IceHogs practiced at MB Ice Arena on Wednesday following the Hawks’ practice and will practice there again Thursday. “Pretty special environment to be a hockey player in here and maybe it gives them a little bit of a push,” Colliton said. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134559 Chicago Blackhawks

Breakout season or growing pains? Blackhawks defenseman Erik Gustafsson is having it both ways

Jimmy Greenfield

It has been the Blackhawks’ good fortune that young defenseman Erik Gustafsson is having a breakout season. Few could have predicted Gustafsson, who came into the season with 30 points in 76 career games, would be among the NHL’s top 10 defensemen in scoring as the season enters its final few weeks. But the news hasn’t been all good for the Hawks, who also are dealing with a young defenseman who hasn’t yet played his position with the ferocity it requires. Yep, that’s also Gustafsson. The duality of Gustafsson’s season is not lost on coach Jeremy Colliton, who often has been his biggest supporter and biggest critic. In private conversations as well as during news conferences, Colliton has both praised Gustafsson and pushed him to reach his vast potential. “It has been a breakout year and he’s shown that he can do special things at our level,” Colliton said. “He’s been great for the power play and whenever he’s on the ice he makes plays not many guys in the league make. That’s been a huge development for him. Doesn’t mean we're not going ask him to do more away from the puck and defensively because ultimately we don’t want him to limit himself as far as (the) player he can be. “ “We want him to be dominant at both ends. Skillwise, skating (and) size he can do it. It’s just a matter of committing to it.” The committing to it has been the tricky part for Gustafsson, who knows he has to find the grit to play harder in his own zone and dish out more hits when they’re needed. At 6-foot, 197 pounds, Gustafsson isn’t tiny by any means. But when he was a smaller player he became accustomed to using his stick instead of his body and is hesitant to take on larger players. “I think so,” Gustafsson said. “Back in the day I was a small guy, so I didn’t use my body. I used my skating and stuff like that. There’s nothing you can say. If I need to hit, you’ve got to hit. Right now I’m not the shortest guy on our team, so I need to use my body a little bit more.” The answer, Gustafsson says, isn’t to head to to the gym this season and bulk up. He feels he’s big enough and strong enough to handle any good-sized NHL forward. But right now his first instinct is to use his stick rather than his body, and that's not always the right choice. “It’s just the mentality,” he said. “I’ve got to play harder in my own zone. I know I can do it with the puck. I can take a hit when I have the puck. Just when I go in one-on-one what I have in my mind is I have to use my stick to get the guy where I want him to go and use the stick to take the puck.” Gustafsson’s contributions on the power play have keyed his offensive outburst this season. He was a healthy scratch as recently as Dec. 2 against the Flames but a couple of weeks later Colliton elevated him to the first power-play unit. It had an immediate impact. In his first 31 games, Gustafsson had six goals and eight assists, including just one point on the power play. Since moving to the top unit, Gustafsson has 34 points in 32 games, including 16 on the power play. Gustafsson, who is signed through next season with a $1.2 million salary-cap hit, is still only 26. He has been in the Hawks organization since he was drafted in the fourth round in 2012 but is just now finishing his first full season in the NHL. “I know what I can do and I know I have (made) progress this season,” Gustafsson said. “But I’ve got to work on a lot of stuff too.” Chicago Tribune LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134560 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks bowl for a cause — and it gets competitive: 'You don’t want to be the guy who finishes last'

Phil Thompson

Connor Murphy, you're off the hook — there's a new worst bowler on the Blackhawks. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Corey Crawford, Murphy and other Hawks stars signed autographs, bowled some frames and mixed in a little trash talk Tuesday night at a benefit for a Chicago youth program that uses hockey as a teaching tool. None of these guys resembled professional bowlers, but it doesn’t mean stakes were involved. “I think (I’ve gotten) a little more competitive over the years,” Kane said about the 11th Inner-City Education (ICE) Bowl at Lucky Strike in Streeterville. “You don’t want to be the guy who finishes last. You’re getting a trophy if you finish first and you’re getting a trophy if you finish last. One way or the other, you just don’t want to be last.” Last year, last place belonged to defenseman Murphy. So is he really a bad bowler? “Oh, yeah,” Kane laughed. “He’s got no athletic ability.” You’d get no argument from Murphy. “Unfortunately my bowling game is terrible,” said Murphy, adding, “I just have to get a couple gutter balls out of my system.” But Murphy — who rolled at least one strike Tuesday — is now officially off the hook. Marcus Kruger’s score of 73 relegated him to this year’s distinction as worst bowler, a dishonor that also comes with a trophy. Dylan Strome is the new kingpin with a 179. “We’re pretty competitive people,” Alex DeBrincat said before the bowling started. “We always want to win. I think this is for the kids. We’ll let them have their fun. It doesn’t really matter how well we play — that could be because I’m not a very good bowler.” DeBrincat and others came to support Brent Seabrook, the charity bowl’s host and the Hawks’ main ambassador for the ICE program. Including Tuesday’s event, the 11 fundraisers have earned more than $1 million. “We’ve all had fun with this over the years, everybody’s had different events supporting different causes,” Seabrook said. “We’re all just trying to be part of this great city and give back.” “Hockey’s really the hook,” Brad Erickson, ICE’s founder and executive director, said. “The main focus of our program is academics and scholarships. We use hockey as a vehicle to get kids focused on school. So they play hockey with us twice a week. They get an hour of mandatory academic tutoring before practice, and then they get scholarships.” Kane said one of the cool things about the program is how it brings the sport to inner-city children. “We all come from different upbringings and might have different backgrounds, different races … but one thing that brings us together is we all play hockey,” Kane said. “It’s a really cool thing Seabrook and Inner-City Education puts on this event, raise some money for these kids to play hockey and be able to enjoy that. “It’s a great sport, it’s a great game, taught me a lot and gave me a lot of friendships. Hopefully these kids have the same experience.” Chicago Tribune LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134561 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks take last swing at lineup change to save their season

By Jason Lieseremail

With his team skidding and its playoff hopes shrinking, Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton went back to the lab to experiment with his lines during the three-day break after a confounding California trip. It wasn’t as extreme as blowing the whole thing up, but the makeover is significant as the Hawks take one last swing at saving a season that has often flickered but has yet to go fully dark. He loaded up with the “nuclear” line of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews when the team slumped in January but broke it apart Wednesday morning in favor of putting Kane, Toews and Alex DeBrincat on separate lines so the Hawks have one top scorer on the ice the majority of the game. “We’re looking for more positive shifts throughout the lineup,” Colliton said. “We’d like to spread the ice time around a little more, spread the burden of playing against top lines a little more.” The Hawks’ nosedive the last two weeks means there’s no such thing as a bad idea. They sit nine points out of the playoffs with 16 games left, the next being a home game Thursday against the Sabres. They didn’t get a goal from Kane, Toews or DeBrincat — a trio that has accounted for 48 percent of their scoring — the last two games, and Colliton believes fatigue was a factor. For Kane and Toews, it’s not simply the minutes. It’s having to face the opponent’s best line whenever they’re together. Injuries forced Colliton to shuffle, as well. Drake Caggiula remains out with a concussion, and his absence is underscoring how valuable he was on the Kane-Toews line. He went down a week ago and has yet to skate. Then there’s the return of center David Kampf, who was sidelined a month by a foot injury. He practiced Wednesday for the first time, and Colliton hinted that he’ll play against Buffalo. Colliton is navigating a rocky situation in net, too, where Corey Crawford recently returned from a long absence, Cam Ward is out at least a week with a knee injury and rookie Collin Delia rejoined the team from Rockford. With no back-to-back games the next two weeks, the Hawks are likely to lean on Crawford. He had mixed results in his first two games back from a concussion. “Hopefully, I can pick it up at the top of my game pretty quick,” he said. “That’d be nice. We’ll see. It’s just fun to be out there playing again, [but] we’re also chasing right now, so points are really important.” Colliton put Toews with Brandon Saad and John Hayden; Kane skated with Artem Anisimov and Dominik Kahun. He left DeBrincat with Dylan Strome, and upstart Brendan Perlini joined them after a two-goal game against the Kings and overall improvement. Kampf would anchor a fourth line with Chris Kunitz and Marcus Kruger. Colliton called it “a test run” for the new lines, so there’s no certainty he’ll stay with them, but he thinks it could jump-start Kane and Toews. “We need them to produce,” he said. “When they don’t, it’s hard for us to win.” Those two have logged around 1,000 games, including playoffs, and will never admit to being tired. They’re in their 12th season, though, and Kane is second among NHL forwards in average ice time and Toews 14th. The Hawks’ turnaround coincided with Kane’s resurgence. He put up 60 points during a 31-game span in which the team went 17-10-4 and held a brief claim on the second wild card. In their back-to-back losses on the West Coast, the Hawks’ only goals came from Perlini and Strome and defensemen Connor Murphy and Erik Gustafsson. Those were helpful, but this team is built around the firepower of its big three. “We’re getting enough from the other lines,” Kane said. “So I think at this point you count on your top guys to come through in those big moments.” Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134562 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks agree to terms with Reese Johnson

By Madeline Kenney

The Blackhawks have agreed to terms with forward Reese Johnson on an entry-level contract for next season, the team announced Wednesday. The three-year deal, which will run through the 2021-22 season, carries a cap hit of $925,000. Johnson, 20, will stay with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League, where he is a captain this season. In 62 games, he’s notched 45 points (22 goals, 23 assists), which is good for second on to the team. Playing in parts of the last five seasons with the Red Deers, Johnson, a Saskatoon, native, has scored 50 goals and 42 assists in 182 regular-season games and recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in 11 WHL postseason games. Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134563 Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks' Kane, Toews fine with heavy workload

John Dietz

Since Jeremy Colliton took over as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, he has asked Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to carry a heavy load. So much so that both superstars are going to easily set career highs for ice time, with Kane ranking third in the league at 22½ minutes per game and Toews 14th at 20:59. Ask either one if fatigue is catching up to them, though, and they're both adamant that it's not. "We all realize these are our playoffs right now," Toews said after the Hawks practiced Wednesday at MB Ice Arena ahead of their home game Thursday against Buffalo. "We have some guys in this room aside from myself that are getting a lot of ice time and a lot of pressure and have seen some tough, heavy games and never really make excuses. "I don't think fatigue should be an excuse." Perhaps not. Still, it's tough to ignore the numbers. Kane has played fewer than 20 minutes just five times in Colliton's 51 games as coach. Eight times Kane has played more than 25 minutes -- and none of those games went to overtime. Toews, meanwhile, has played 20-plus minutes in 22 of the last 23 games. All of this ice time may have contributed to Kane producing just 1 goal over the last four games, and Toews scoring just once in the last six. "We've been riding them pretty hard," Colliton said. "That's how we got into the position we were in when we were close to a playoff spot. They were coming through and they were playing a lot." With all of this in mind, Colliton made several drastic changes to his forward lines Wednesday. Chief among them were putting: • Brandon Saad and John Hayden with Toews. • Dominic Kahun and Kane with Artem Anisimov. • Alex DeBrincat and Brendan Perlini with Dylan Strome. • Chris Kunitz and Marcus Kruger with David Kampf. This was Kampf's first practice since suffering a foot injury against Edmonton on Feb. 5. Colliton said Kampf "could play," and if he does, we'll likely see these lines deployed to start the game against the Sabres. Just like Toews, Kane wasn't complaining about fatigue. "I feel good," said Kane, still second in the NHL with 94 points and third in goals with 40. "I was playing good there for a while; didn't have a great trip obviously but still feel pretty confident about my game. "It's not like I really feel tired or anything out there. When they tell me to go out there I will." As for the playoff picture, it looks awfully bleak as the Hawks are in 12th place in the West and 9 points behind Minnesota, which is in the second wild-card spot. With only 16 games remaining, that looks to be an awfully tough mountain to scale. But Kane and Toews aren't about to give up. "We're confident," Toews said. "We know we're still playing with a lot of purpose (and) if we have a good week coming up, things can flip the other way. All we can do is focus on the things we can control and that's getting a win tomorrow night and going from there." Daily Herald Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134564 Chicago Blackhawks

Hawks goalie Delia returns to Hawks on emergency basis

John Dietz

With Cam Ward (knee) expected to miss 6-9 more days, Collin Delia was called up from Rockford on an emergency basis. Delia was surrounded by reporters after practice and asked how it felt to be back. "It's nice. Feels like I never left quite honestly," said Delia, who was sent to the IceHogs when Corey Crawford was cleared to play last week. "I was home for probably five days. It was nice to be home. Nice to be in my place again, sleep in my own bed, make a couple meals. "But happy to be back. Don't know for how long." Delia is 6-4-3 this season with a .909 save percentage and 3.48 goals- against average. The Hawks have four games in the next seven days against Buffalo, Dallas, Arizona and Toronto. "He'll get his starts. We'll make sure he gets in," said coach Jeremy Colliton. IceHogs in town: For the second straight season, the Rockford IceHogs came into town to practice at MB Ice Arena. "I think it's good for them," said Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton. "We did this last year with our team in Rockford and it's nice for them to see how it works here and what the conditions are here. Pretty special environment to be a hockey player and maybe it gives them a little bit of a push." Rockford is 27-23-9 and fighting with four teams for a Calder Cup playoff berth. Anton Forsberg is third in the AHL with a .921 save percentage and 13th in goals-against average (2.56). The IceHogs' next two games are at on Saturday and Sunday. Slap shots: The Hawks agreed to terms with Reese Johnson, captain of the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League, on a three-year, entry-level deal that carries an average annual value of $925,000. Johnson, who is 6-foot-1, 192 pounds, has 22 goals and 23 assists in 62 games. The 20- year-old Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native scored 23 goals in 72 games last season for the Rebels. … Drake Caggiula, who suffered a concussion against Anaheim last week, missed games at Los Angeles and San Jose and did not practice Wednesday. "For now, when he's still having symptoms, it's just wait and see," said coach Jeremy Colliton. Daily Herald Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134565 Chicago Blackhawks

Patrick Sharp tells a story of having a picnic at Wrigley's home plate in star-studded company

By Dan Santaromita March 06, 2019 5:37 PM

Plenty of people would love to have a picnic at Wrigley Field’s home plate. Throw in Theo Epstein, Eddie Vedder and John Cusack and that’s a dream day for plenty of Cubs fans. Patrick Sharp got to live that day. Sharp told that story with Duncan Keith in a video by the Blackhawks. Sharpy and Duncs continue their trip around Chicago with a stop at historic Wrigley Field, home to some pretty special #Blackhawks memories! WATCH: 10 and 2 presented by @Uber_CHI pic.twitter.com/auX2Wwmqsj — Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 6, 2019 Sharp explains that he got a call out of the blue from Theo Epstein, asking him to come to Wrigley to “hang out for a bit.” “I was like, ‘What does Theo want?’ The Cubs are in Pittsburgh, what’s he want me to come to Wrigley for?” Sharp said. “I walked into the bullpen area, entered the field and it was Theo’s family, Eddie Vedder’s family, [Chris] Chelios was there, John Cusack was there and they were having a picnic at home plate. I just walked in and I was like ‘Am I in the right place? What’s going on?’ One of my all-time favorite days. Hitting balls to those guys in the outfield and playing on Wrigley Field like it’s a park in Lake View.” Not a bad perk, but that’s what happens when you win three Stanley Cups. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134566 Chicago Blackhawks

Why Blackhawks are exploring idea of separating Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews

By Charlie Roumeliotis March 06, 2019

A lot has changed for the Blackhawks in a short amount of time. They went from sitting in a playoff spot to being closer to the basement of the Western Conference in a matter of a week and a half. But they're not waving the white flag just yet. The Blackhawks returned to practice on Wednesday and are exploring the idea of separating Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews for balance purposes, a duo they've heavily relied on over the last couple months. "It was kind of a test run to see how they looked," coach Jeremy Colliton said. "It's an option to spread it out again. We haven't exactly been perfect lately, so it's an option." The test run featured Kane on the third line with Artem Anisimov and Dominik Kahun while the first line featured Toews with John Hayden and Brandon Saad. Alex DeBrincat, Brendan Perlini and Dylan Strome made up the second line. Ever since Drake Caggiula went down with a concussion, the Blackhawks haven't quite felt comfortable with their four-line rotation. The good news is, David Kampf returned to practice after being sidelined since Feb. 5 because of a right foot injury. He centered the fourth line in between Marcus Kruger and Chris Kunitz, and could return on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. Perhaps the more important reasoning for the shake-up in lines is to even out the minutes considering Kane and Toews have been horses for a while now. Fatigue isn't necessarily catching up to them, but the Blackhawks want to make sure they're staying fresh down the stretch. "Yeah, because we need them to produce," Colliton said on the importance of scaling back the hard minutes. "When they don't it's hard for us to win. Again, we would welcome secondary scoring and positive shifts and play in the offensive zone from the other lines. Even if they just do that, that's going to help the whole team. We can control the momentum and the tempo of the game better than we have." Kane denied the idea that fatigue is catching up to him. He wants to be out there, and feels like he had a bunch of chances on the West Coast trip but sometimes the chips don't fall your way. Same with Toews, who knows the Blackhawks are fighting for their playoff lives. "I think we all realize these are our playoffs right now," Toews said. "We have some guys in this room aside from myself that are getting a lot of ice time and a lot of pressure and have seen some tough, heavy games and never really make excuses. I don’t think fatigue should be an excuse.” Said Kane: "We got 16 games left. We know what's at stake. Not that we didn't before, but we know that pretty much every game is a must win from here on out." Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134567 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks add to pipeline, sign forward Reese Johnson to entry-level contract

By Charlie Roumeliotis March 06, 2019

The Blackhawks added to their pipeline on Wednesday, signing forward Reese Johnson to a three-year, entry-level contract that runs through the 2021-22 season and carries a $925,000 cap hit. Johnson, 20, has 45 points (22 goals, 23 assists) in 62 regular-season games this season for the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League, where he will remain. He was named team captain at the beginning of the year, showing he has the leadership qualities every team aspires to have in the organization. His 22 goals rank third on the team and 45 points ranks second. Blackhawks prospect Brandon Hagel, who signed an entry-level contract in October, ranks first in both categories with 38 goals and 92 points. Johnson missed half of the 2015-16 season and all of the 2016-17 campaign with a shoulder injury. Since then, he hasn't had an issues and has taken advantage of a larger role. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134568 Chicago Blackhawks “No,” he said. “Obviously, I want to show them what I can do and stuff, but for me, that’s how I felt: Just have fun with it. Whatever happens happens. And I went out and had a good game.” Brendan Perlini finds a new motivation during trying season: having fun Perlini has been skating with Artem Anisimov, another guy whose laid- back attitude and goofy charm can belie his competitive nature to those who don’t know him well. It’s a good fit. By Mark Lazerus Mar 6, 2019 “A big guy for me has been Anisimov,” Perlini said. “He has a very similar look to me, where he’s mentally easygoing and stuff, and he’s been very calming for me, just being around him and learning off of him and stuff. Hockey players aren’t monolithic, they just pretend to be. They’re almost Even (in L.A.), during the game, just playing together, some stuff he said forced to be. Hockey culture demands certain things from its — ‘Good play, blah blah blah” — instead of being frustrated like, ‘Oh, professionals. You don’t say “I,” you say “we.” You don’t talk about why is this not where I want it?’ Just say hey, nice try, maybe try this one yourself, you talk about your line, your power-play unit, your team. You next time. Like you’re kids again, you know what I mean? Because there don’t make waves. You don’t stand out. And you don’t have outside are so many games. Eighty-two games is a long time over whatever interests. It’s hockey, and only hockey. amount of months, including training camp. So you’re bound to do the same things a lot of the time. It’s repetitive. So if you can switch it and do Remember all the vinegar and fainting couches that had to be handed new things in any different way, it’s a positive to me.” out when Jonathan Toews dared to talk about combatting climate change on Instagram a few years ago? Notice how P.K. Subban — maybe Jeremy Colliton, of course, is a little more traditional. And the things he hockey’s most publicized figure — was voted the most overrated player wants Perlini to switch up are more conventional — win more puck in the league in The Athletic’s player poll? This is hockey. You don’t do battles, play harder in the defensive zone, utilize his high-end size, speed that. Different is frowned upon. and shot more effectively. Well, Brendan Perlini is…different. Always has been. He’s introspective, Colliton’s calling card is his ability to communicate. And let’s just say he’s open about honing his visualization and mental skills. He’s worldly, a dual communicated with Perlini a lot over the past few months. citizen of Canada and England, his personality its own cultural melting pot. He’s a big reader, and not just of topics that can help his hockey “He’s got the ability to score, we know that,” Colliton said. “It’s the same career. He thinks about his post-hockey life and what he might pursue. speech I’ve had with him a few times. I’m not so concerned about He even mentions God from time to time, a word you rarely hear come whether the pucks go in the net. I feel that’ll take care of itself. It’s the out of a hockey player’s mouth. play away from the puck, it’s the pressure on the puck, it’s the work ethic, it’s the 50/50s around the lines. That’s what allows you to have positive He’s openly interesting, which makes him unusual in a sport that so shifts. So if he does that, he’ll get his chances.” aggressively tries to strip you of your individuality. That said, it’s tougher to produce and make an impact when you’re So naturally, the “knock” on him throughout his career is that he doesn’t getting three or four shifts per period. But Colliton’s using the promise of take hockey seriously enough. It’s laughable, of course. You don’t get more minutes as a carrot, saying the more “positive shifts” Perlini has, picked 12th overall and crack an NHL roster at 20 years old without a the more ice time he’ll get. ridiculous amount of effort and dedication. “And that’s got to be his motivation,” Colliton added. But the hockey purists and old-school types might want to cover their eyes when they come to this next bit. Because Perlini — working through It is. But it’s not the sole motivation. Perlini desperately wants to make arguably the lowest point of his career — is trying to take things less the playoffs for the first time in his career. And while he said it’s not on seriously. his mind at all, he’s a restricted free agent this summer. It would only cost the Blackhawks $875,000 to qualify him, and at his age and with his After all, climbing up the depth chart isn’t quite as life-or-death as, say, ability, it seems like a no-brainer. But Stan Bowman did let Anthony climbing El Capitan at Yosemite. Duclair — another young trade acquisition from Arizona with speed to burn and a history of producing — walk last summer, so you never know. “You ever seen ‘Free Solo?’” he asked outside the Blackhawks dressing room in San Jose on Sunday evening. “Just won the Oscar (for best And even though Perlini doesn’t necessarily have that myopic obsession documentary). This guy (Alex Honnold), man, climbing this massive with hockey that Hockey Culture demands of him, he very much wants to mountain, no rope. It’s unbelievable. Literally, one mistake and he’s improve. He wants to be better in his own end, more competitive along dead, you know? Maybe I was looking at hockey (that way). And it’s like, the boards, more productive on the scoresheet. He wants to hone his hey, it’s a game. It’s hockey, you know? Look at this guy. If he makes a craft. And he wants to have a long career in the NHL. mistake, he’s literally dead. Whereas for me, I get to wake up and enjoy another day. So it’s having a little bit of an outlook like that — have fun, Because hockey is fun. It’s worth remembering that from time to time. enjoy it. I worked my whole entire life to get here. Don’t be miserable, regardless of the outcome, whatever happens. Enjoy every bit of it, have “Over the course of your career, there’s always going to be ups and fun, learn, get better. I have some of the best players to learn off here, downs — probably far more downs than ups, to be honest,” he said. “You some of the guys I grew up watching. Just have fun with it, you know?” either win or you learn, you know? I don’t look at anything as a loss, or anything like that. There’s always ups and downs with everything. Maybe Huh. Hockey’s fun. Such a novel concept. with this one, if God has a plan for me, I have to learn more this season and go through some tough times to really appreciate when the good It’s not hard to see why Perlini might have lost that attitude a bit over the times come around.” past couple of months. While Dylan Strome has seen his minutes and his opportunities increase dramatically — a top-six role alongside an elite The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 goal-scorer in Alex DeBrincat, a spot on one of the league’s best power- play units, more than 17 minutes per night — after the duo was traded from Arizona for Nick Schmaltz on Nov. 26, Perlini’s role has diminished. He averaged 13:44 per night with the Coyotes the first two months of the season, but has been down to 9:55 per night with the Blackhawks. He’s been scratched 11 times in 42 games. And he sat for four straight games — that’s when he watched “Free Solo” — before returning in Los Angeles and potting a pair of goals, his first since the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. With Drake Caggiula injured, Perlini played more than 12 minutes against both the Kings and the Sharks, a modest but noticeable bump. He said the attitude change helped. “To me, I had nothing to worry about, you know what I mean?” Perlini said of the Kings game. “I just come in and try to help the guys, really. It wasn’t as if the past four games, if I was playing, things would have gone different. I don’t know how to portray this, but I felt kind of at ease. I just come in and play. There was no pressure or anything.” No chip on his shoulder? After all, he’s not some scrub; he’s a first-round pick who scored 31 goals in his first two NHL seasons. 1134569 Colorado Avalanche

Analysis: Avalanche’s overtime percentages might be evening out

By MIKE CHAMBERS

Perhaps the tide has turned when it comes to overtime for the Avalanche. Winners of their last two games beyond regulation – making them 3-12 on the season in extra periods – the Avs enter their final 15 games feeling confident about their chances in OT. To be sure, with three NHL all-star forwards and silky defensemen such as Sam Girard and Tyson Barrie, Colorado should be confident. The Avs are certainly well-equipped to collect two points in the 3-on-3, five-minute period or the shootout, and they proved it last week against Vancouver and Tuesday night against Detroit. Nathan MacKinnon scored the winner against the Wings, taking a pass from Mikko Rantanen and making a MacKinnon-esque wrist shot to keep Colorado in the playoff hunt. “We have a team that’s supposed to be good in overtime,” said Avs left wing Gabe Landeskog, an NHL all-star along with MacKinnon and Rantanen. “Sometimes you go into overtime and all of sudden you don’t have that swagger, that confidence, whatever, but tonight, tying it up twice in the last 10 minutes, there’s no reason for us to not have confidence. “Sometimes you get the bounces your way. Sometimes you don’t. But this one feels good.” The Avs rallied from 2-1 and 3-2 third-period deficits against Detroit. After winning for just the second time in 12 3-on-3 OT situations, coach Jared Bednar suggested the percentages are evening out. “We’ve lost a lot of games with Mac and Mikko on the ice and tonight we win it,” Bednar said. “We get criticized. We lose 10 in a row with the same guys. But they’re our top guys, the guys that we coach up for 3-on- 3, the guys who see the video mostly and the guys who are in-tuned with what we’re supposed to be doing. “We got beat on some individual efforts (in OT). We got beat on the power play — we got beat in a number of different ways. But I still think they’re trying to do the right things. It comes down to winning your battles. You have to make a play here and there.” Who jumped? The Avalanche was forced to the penalty kill at 16:18 of the third period in a 2-2 game against Detroit. The infraction: Too many men on the ice, and Detroit capitalized on the power play at 17:43 to break the tie. The Avalanche’s Ryan Graves was a clumsy kid. Now he’s playing in the NHL with boyhood buddy Nathan MacKinnon “Someone jumped,” Bednar said of the costly penalty. “I think one of the forwards jumped. At first I thought it was a D and then I looked around and saw four forwards.” The Avs overcame the penalty and with Barrie’s 6-on-5 goal at 18:25 of the third period, forcing OT. Up next: The Avs have two remaining games against the Dallas Stars, both in Dallas and the first coming Thursday. The Stars (73 points) defeated the New York Rangers 1-0 on Tuesday to maintain a three- point lead over Colorado in the Western Conference wild-card race. The Avs (70 points) trail Minnesota (72) by two points for the final wild-card spot. Colorado’s lone remaining game against the Wild is March 19 in St. Paul, Minn. Minus Zadorov. Defenseman Nikita Zadorov sustained an upper-body injury Tuesday and will remain in Denver for further evaluation and treatment, Bednar said after Wednesday’s optional skate. Rookie Ryan Graves will replace Zadorov after being a healthy scratch the last three games, since Ian Cole returned from injury. Denver Post: LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134570 Colorado Avalanche

Takeaways: Avalanche finally win in overtime, besting Red Wings 4-3

By Evan Rawal - March 6, 2019

It took 15 overtime contests to do it, but the Avs finally were able to slay their demons and win a game during the 3-on-3 extra session. Nathan MacKinnon scored the game-winning goal for the Avs as they were victorious by a score of 4-3. The overtime win came after a wild third period, where the Avs were forced to come back twice to tie it, including a Tyson Barrie goal with under two minutes just to get to overtime. The team will now head to Dallas to take on the Stars on Thursday evening, in another must win game, this time against a team they are currently chasing for a playoff spot. What did we learn from this game? Desperate for a victory to keep up with the teams ahead of them, Jared Bednar has gone back to the big line. While they didn’t pick up a goal at even strength in regulation, the trio did combine for six points, with Rantanen leading the way with a goal and two assists. Nikita Zadorov appeared to injure his right arm in the third period. He left the game briefly and came back, but did not look the same after. That will be something to keep an eye on in the coming days. The Avs penalty kill continues to be a major problem. While the first goal by the Red Wings technically was at even strength, it came about two seconds after the Avs got their man out of the penalty box. They then gave up a late third period goal to Detroit on the power play after a very undisciplined too many men on the ice penalty. This has been a problem for months now, so, not sure if there’s a fix coming any time soon, but the Avs have to stop the bleeding for a little bit to get back in a playoff spot. It’s been a tough stretch for Tyson Barrie recently, with only five points in his previous 18 games coming into tonight’s matchup. However, he stepped up with a goal and an assist in this one, and was on the ice for the overtime winner. His goal sent the game to overtime, and he did a great job getting it through traffic, as Jonathan Bernier could not see a thing. Alexander Kerfoot started last game on the top line. He began tonight’s game on the fourth line, after he really struggled last game, and didn’t fair much better tonight. All members of the fourth line were at the bottom in terms of possession numbers for the Avs, as they didn’t create anything offensively. Colorado now faces the Dallas Stars on Thursday in the Lone Star State, with puck drop scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MT. milehighsports.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134571 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche dip into Eagles roster once again, call up foward Andrew Agozzino

Samuel Mustari

The will have to do without forward Andrew Agozzino — at least for now. Agozzino has been recalled by the team’s affiliate, the Colorado Avalanche. He currently leads the Eagles in goals (26), assists (31) and points (57), which ranks him in the top three in the . Agozzino, 28, recorded an assist to go along with a goal for the Avalanche earlier this season. He also appeared in 10 NHL games with Colorado in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. In other news, Eagles goaltender Pavel Francouz has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week. Francouz was 4-0-0 last week, allowing just six goals on 145 shots — 1.48 goals-agains-average, .959 save percentage — helping the Eagles move into a playoff position in the Pacific Division standings. Francouz He helped the Eagles to a 5-3 victory over San Antonio with 36 saves, then added 30 saves the next night against the Rampage for his second shutout of the season. The Eagles then overtook Tucson for fourth place in the Pacific with a sweep of the Roadrunners’ two-game weekend visit, as Francouz turned aside a season-high 43 shots in a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday and made 30 more saves in a 2-1 win on Sunday. The Eagles will return to action at 8 Friday night in a road matchup against the . Greeley Tribune LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134572 Colorado Avalanche

Another injury changes outlook for Colorado

BY AJ HAEFELE MARCH 6, 2019

Avalanche fans held their breath through the night after I reported Mikko Rantanen had gone for x-rays after the game and head coach Jared Bednar provided no update. This morning’s practice brought clarity on that front as Rantanen was described as “fine” by Bednar and will play tomorrow night in Dallas. Nikita Zadorov, however, is not in the same boat as the hulking defenseman will stay back in Denver to get more tests done to see what’s going on with him. As of now, he is listed as OUT tomorrow against the Stars with no timetable to return from an upper-body injury. Zadorov went hard into the boards last night and was slow to get up. He seemed to be in quite a bit of pain as he made his way to the bench and down the tunnel but he returned shortly after and finished the game. Here’s video (from @AvalancheReview) of him going into the boards: This video (courtesy of @AvalancheReview) shows Zadorov appearing to say “I broke my arm” as he got up. The idea of the broken arm was quelled last night upon Zadorov’s return but him not playing tomorrow and needing more tests to see exactly what’s going on certainly is not a good sign. While he’s listed as “out indefinitely”, that status is subject to change upon receiving an official injury diagnosis. The injury hurts a Colorado blue line that has been struggling for production and Zadorov’s seven goals were leading the group until Tyson Barrie’s game-tying goal tied the two. The increased willingness from Zadorov to shoot was adding a more dynamic element to his game as his ice time had started to settle in the 20-minute range. If this injury becomes anything lengthy, it will be the second time in three seasons Zadorov wasn’t able to reach the 60-game mark and given the shoulder surgery he had following last year’s 77-game season, questions about Zadorov’s durability are starting to creep in. Ryan Graves will slot into the lineup tomorrow to replace Zadorov. Bednar, per usual, declined to name his starting goaltending for tomorrow’s night massive tilt against the Stars. BSN DENVER LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134573 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets seeking to reclaim lost identity

Brian Hedger

PITTSBURGH — There is never a good time to have an identity crisis, but the Blue Jackets’ current one is especially troubling. After adding four players before the trade deadline, including star center Matt Duchene and forward Ryan Dzingel from the Ottawa Senators, they have gone 2-3-0 and have dropped outside the playoff field in the Eastern Conference. They barely edged the injury-riddled New Jersey Devils 2-1 in a shootout on Tuesday at the Prudential Center — and only 16 games remain in the regular season. “I don’t know if we took them lightly,” forward Cam Atkinson said of the Devils, who are far out of the playoff hunt and played without their entire top line. “We talked about it before the game. They have a banged-up roster, but no matter who’s on their roster, it’s almost harder to play those games because they’re going to come out and they’re going to go 100 miles an hour and they’re going to work. And we should’ve known that.” If they did, they didn’t do much to stop it. The Devils outskated the Blue Jackets and forced goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to make numerous difficult saves to keep the score tied 1-1 in the third period — just the latest example of the Jackets’ post-trade deadline haze. The first was last week in a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nationwide Arena, which was followed by a 4-0 shutout loss Saturday to the banged-up Edmonton Oilers. Two more games against the Penguins are up next, starting Thursday at PPG Paints Arena, and the Blue Jackets need to be themselves this time. “We just have to figure it out, honestly,” Atkinson said. “At this time (of the season), it’s just unacceptable.” There isn’t much time to take the proverbial long look in the mirror, either, even though the Blue Jackets were off Wednesday in Pittsburgh. What they would see in the reflection, or in a video review of the Devils game, is an unrecognizable version of themselves. “For whatever reason, our mindset changed after the deadline,” captain Nick Foligno said, referring to his team’s recent tendency to get outworked. “It just seems like we’ve kind of tried to be something we’re not … and that’s a slippery slope to go down.” Duchene and Dzingel are part of the issue, simply by their presence. Both have scored more than 20 goals, and they instantly made the Blue Jackets more menacing — on paper. On the ice, where games are actually played, it has been a different story. Coach John Tortorella is looking for the right roles for each, which is a precarious position before playing the Penguins, on the road, to start the most important stretch of the season. Pittsburgh is two points ahead in the playoff chase and has won seven straight regular-season games against Columbus dating to 2016-17. The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, are trying to figure out why they can’t make simple passes lately. “Guys are just panicking for some reason,” Atkinson said Tuesday, after scoring his career-high 36th goal 52 seconds into the game. “We have a lot of skill players and guys are afraid to make 5-foot passes, tape-to- tape passes, and guys are running around, not in position and we’re just throwing the puck off the glass and not helping our (defensemen) out.” That’s not Blue Jackets hockey, at least not since Tortorella became their coach and instilled his “Safe Is Death” motto. “We’re a blue-collar team and where we thrive is off our forecheck and banging and creating turnovers,” Atkinson said. “That’s where we get all our goals, and for whatever reason it seems like we think we’re a highly skilled team that’s just going to out-skill every team. We have to get back to the good habits and working hard.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134574 Columbus Blue Jackets Are the Blue Jackets just nervous, starting to crumble under the weight of increased pressure to win?

“Yeah, guys are just panicking for some reason,” said Atkinson, who Blue Jackets 2, Devils 1, SO: Five takeaways opened the scoring just 52 seconds into the game with his career-best 36th goal. “We have a lot of skill players and guys are afraid to make five-foot passes, tape-to-tape passes and guys are running around, not in Brian Hedger position and we’re just throwing the puck off the glass and not helping our D out.”

He wasn’t finished. NEWARK, N.J. — As far as sports analogies go, the Blue Jackets were on the ropes for most of their 2-1 shootout win Tuesday night at “We’re a blue-collar team and where we thrive is off our forecheck and Prudential Center. banging and creating turnovers,” Atkinson said. “That’s where we get all our goals, and for whatever reason it seems like we think we’re a highly- Backed into a corner by a scrappy New Jersey Devils team full of injury skilled team that’s just going to out-skill every team. We have to get back fill-ins, the Jackets continued to vice grip their sticks and took a mental to the good habits and working hard.” beating. Again. They can start Thursday in Pittsburgh. The Devils, another sub-par team, were supposed to be low-hanging fruit with a spate of injuries to their top players — a tomato can to be crushed 3) Bobrovsky delivered underfoot of the Blue Jackets, who’d received an injection of talent prior to the trade deadline. Bobvrovsky allowed four goals in the three of his past four starts before the game against New Jersey. Instead, as goalie Sergei Bobrovsky fended off numerous New Jersey scoring chances in the third period, the Jackets developed welts under Not a lot of those goals could be tagged as his fault, primarily because both eyes and had a trickle of blood running down their collective nose. Bobrovsky has allowed goals on tips, redirections and odd-man rushes They began to wobble, too, and all they wanted in those last couple that were virtually impossible to stop. minutes of regulation was to stay upright, stay relevant, stay in the game It hasn’t stopped a steady drumbeat of his critics from speaking out on — not to mention the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. social media, but the Jackets know how important their top goalie will be “I don’t know if there’s any real good parts,” coach John Tortorella said down the stretch. In fact, they got a great reminder against the Devils — after Bobrovsky also saved the day in 3-on-3 OT and the shootout, when Bobrovsky went 16-for-16 on saves in the third period, including making shootout goals by Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin stand up for several elite-caliber stops. the second point. “The best part is that we came out with two points.” Bobrovsky also made two saves in 3-on-3 overtime and wasn’t scored That, indeed, should be the main take from this game because all four upon in three rounds of the shootout. teams ahead of Columbus in the playoff chase gained at least a point 4) Plan B paid off Tuesday — including the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins within the Metropolitan Division. Atkinson glided out for his shootout attempt with a plan to throw a changeup at Devils goalie Cory Schneider. It wasn’t the Jackets’ prettiest victory, but it was a win and two more points in the bank. Even murkier waters are ahead, though, with two Rather than using his patented backhand-forehand deke, which has tied games against the Penguins next up — a home-and-home Thursday and a few goalies in knots, Atkinson used just the backhand to roof his shot Saturday that will begin in Pittsburgh. into the upper left corner of the net. It put the Blue Jackets up 1-0 in the shootout and Artemi Panarin ended it with a shot between the pads in the “At the end of the day, we need to look in the mirror and dig deep — and second round. everyone’s got to elevate their play, especially going forward,” said Atkinson, who scored his career-high 36th goal on the game’s first shift. “I was skating by their bench and the whole bench is (saying), ‘He’s “These games aren’t going to get easier. We’re playing against ‘Pitt’ two going to his forehand,’” Atkinson said. “I wanted to turn around and say, games in a row and they’re fighting for their lives, as well, so we better ‘I’m not going to my forehand,’ but every goalie knows my tendencies. get our lunch pail and be ready to go.” Sometimes I have to switch it up and I went with my ‘B’ and it worked.” Here are five takeaways from the Jackets’ great escape Tuesday from 5) One-timers ’The Rock” ... ‒ The shootout was only the Jackets’ second of the season and first 1) What it meant since Nov. 10 in Columbus, when they lost 5-4 to the New York Rangers. The win pushed the Blue Jackets up to 77 points and briefly moved them ‒ The Blue Jackets are now 14-7-1 against teams from the Metro, ahead of the Montreal Canadiens for the East’s second — and final — including a combined 10-0-1 against the Devils (4-0-0), Philadelphia wild card. Flyers (4-0-0) and Rangers (2-0-1). They’re just 4-7-0 in games against the Islanders (0-2-0), Penguins (0-2-0) and Hurricanes (1-2-0). Once the Canadiens polished off the Los Angeles Kings in a late start, the standings were the same as they were to start the day Tuesday. ‒ Columbus killed off both of New Jersey’s power plays and didn’t allow a power-play goal for the third straight game. The Jackets’ penalty-kill has The Islanders and Washington Capitals are tied in points (83) atop the allowed a power-play goal in just four of their past 28 games, dating back Metro, sporting identical 38-21-7 records. The third-place Carolina to Dec. 31 against Ottawa. Hurricanes (79 points) fell in overtime at the Boston Bruins — earning a point — and the Penguins (79 points) downed the Ottawa Senators in ‒ The win was also another road victory for Columbus, which is now 20- overtime to hang onto fourth ahead of the Blue Jackets. 10-1 away from Nationwide Arena. Columbus now has 16 games remaining in the regular season to make ‒ It was another strong night at the face-off dots for the Jackets, who win its playoff push, including four of the next five against Metro teams and 55 percent of the 51 draws taken in the game. Boone Jenner went 12-for- two against the Bruins — who are second in the Atlantic with 89 points. 16 (75 percent) and Matt Duchene went 14-for-19 (74 percent) to lead the effort. “We have a tough schedule,” Tortorella said. “Not looking too far ahead, we’ll have our hands full in Pitt, so no matter what it looks like or no Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.07.2019 matter what the reason is, as we’ve been inconsistent, we’ve just got to go each day at a time and try to find a way to get better.” 2) The jitters continued Ever since the deadline passed, the Blue Jackets just don’t look much like themselves while trying to find the best lineup fits for newly-acquired star center Matt Duchene and forward Ryan Dzingel. Their aggressiveness has vanished everywhere but the penalty-kill, they’re bobbling pucks and their passes have missed their intended targets too much. Combined, it’s effectively killing the Jackets’ forecheck, which is the exact opposite of how the coaching staff wants them to play. 1134575 Columbus Blue Jackets In one second-period sequence, Artemi Panarin failed to skate hard toward the puck along the half-wall for what would have been an easy clear out of his own zone. The Devils maintained the zone and continued G66: ‘Panicking’ Blue Jackets get much-needed win but can’t explain to swirl and grind. another woeful outing We could go on here … passes 10 feet behind their target off the rush and drop passes to nobody in particular, killing the Blue Jackets’ momentum moving up the ice. By Aaron Portzline Mar 6, 2019 Failed clearing attempts and badly played pucks deep in the Blue Jackets’ zone, keeping the Devils on the attack and giving them growing confidence. NEWARK, N.J. — All the Blue Jackets had going for them after the game Tuesday in Prudential Center was the bottom line: Thanks to goaltender Promising offensive rushes and scoring chances that went by the Sergei Bobrovsky and goal scorer Cam Atkinson, the Jackets beat the wayside because Blue Jackets shooters (trying to pick a corner?) fired New Jersey Devils 2-1 in a shootout. wide and high of the net. (The Jackets had 18 shots on goal and 17 missed shots.) But never has a postgame winning dressing room felt more like the loser’s side. The Blue Jackets bumbled and wandered for most of the 65 “Guys are panicking for some reason,” Atkinson said. “We have a lot of minutes, failing to complete simple passes, struggling to put one good skill players, and guys are afraid to make 5-foot passes or tape-to-tape shift on top of another, and playing as if they’d stumbled into a house of passes. Guys are running around, not in position and we’re just throwing mirrors or the Bermuda Triangle. the puck off the glass and not helping our ‘D’ out. After a lengthy, thoughtful answer to a question in the postgame dressing “We’re a blue-collar team. Where we thrive is off our forecheck and room, Atkinson stared angrily off in the distance and said flatly: “We just banging and creating turnovers. That’s where we get our goals. For have to figure it the fuck out.” whatever reason, we think we’re a highly skilled team that’s just going to out-skill every team. We have to get back to good habits and working A diagnosis from the lofty reaches of the press box can be dangerous, hard.” but the Blue Jackets look like they’re incredibly tense and nervous, perhaps paralyzed by the weighty expectations foisted upon them by the Atkinson scored in the first round of the shootout, and Panarin scored in massive, all-in play at the NHL trade deadline. the second. Bobrovsky made saves on New Jersey’s Blake Coleman and Drew Stafford, making the third round unnecessary. The Jackets have lost to Pittsburgh (5-2), come back to beat Philadelphia in overtime (4-3), have been blown out by Edmonton (4-0) and lost a It was a momentarily smile, a brief and reserved celebration before the tough game against Winnipeg (5-2), which, oddly, is the best they’ve Blue Jackets headed off to the dressing room. There was no loud music. played since Feb. 25. The concern was palpable. The game Tuesday was the worst of the bunch. It was, to be blunt, an Up next? A home-and-home against rival Pittsburgh, beginning Thursday abomination. Even though the game included 65 minutes of play, the in Pittsburgh. The Blue Jackets seem to look nervous against the Blue Jackets set a season low with only 18 shots on goal. Penguins on a good day, losing seven in a row in the series dating back two seasons. “Very important points, but there’s certainly some struggles,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “I’m not going to speculate (why), The Blue Jackets should be peaking, meshing the new players they either. I don’t know. picked up at the trade deadline and sorting out their lines and pairs for the Stanley Cup playoffs. “I know you guys are going to keep on asking me why. I don’t have an answer. It’s an important two points, though.” Instead, they seem to be suffering a collective nervous breakdown. The win momentarily lifted the Blue Jackets back into eighth place in the “This should be fun,” Dubinsky said. “Guys should be licking their chops Eastern Conference. (Reminder: behemoth Tampa Bay looms as the at how much fun this is, to be in a playoff race and try to get in and see first-round opponent for the eighth seed.) what happens. However, Montreal’s win in Los Angeles later Tuesday allowed the “It’s the best time of the year. We go through a hellacious training camp. Canadiens to leapfrog the Blue Jackets into that eighth spot. We train our asses off all summer long. We get killed in camp. It’s a long season. You get your Christmas break, your bye week/All-Star break. Atkinson scored only 52 seconds into the game, slapping home a perfect Now we’re in the stretch. It’s the best part of the year. carom off the end boards (David Savard shot) before Devils goaltender Cory Schneider could get to the near post. “It’s an ugly win. There are no pictures on the scoresheet, though, so hopefully, we find some confidence in this and find our game. It’s not That was it for the Blue Jackets’ highlights, though, other than a cluster of going to happen overnight. We have to go get back to better habits. Not saves by Bobrovsky, who protected the 1-0 lead and 1-1 tie with a try to do it all by ourselves.” number of sharp, controlled saves. He finished with 30 saves, 16 of them in the third period. Notebook Fourth-liners Markus Hannikainen and Brandon Dubinsky played hard • Atkinson’s goal was his 36th of the season, a personal record. He’s also and well, as did right winger Josh Anderson and Oliver Bjorkstrand. They one point away from matching his single-season points total (62). weren’t great, necessarily, but they seemed unburdened in their play. • The shootout move was absurd. Atkinson skated through the right But the rest of the group … circle, carried across the front of the net until Schneider committed, then flipped the puck over Schneider’s right pad. Atkinson, in addition to his 36 “I don’t know why our mindset changed after the deadline,” Blue Jackets goals, is 2 for 2 in shootouts this season. He’s second all-time on the captain Nick Foligno said. “Before the deadline, our game was bang-on franchise list (Rick Nash, 26) with 15 shootout goals. against San Jose in everything we did. • As Atkinson skated in for his shootout attempt, he said the Devils’ “Just seems like now we’re trying to be something we’re not, and that’s a bench (chirp, chirp) started trying to mess with him. “The whole bench slippery slope to go down.” was going, ‘He’s going to his forehand!’ ” Atkinson said. “I wanted to turn around and say, ‘I’m not going to my forehand.’ Every goalie knows my Seth Jones was skating through the neutral zone with speed in the tendencies and sometimes I have to switch it up. I went with my ‘B’ and it second period when he simply flubbed the puck off his stick, sending it worked.” ahead to a waiting Devils player who was backpedaling to save his life just seconds earlier. • Panarin took the opposite path. He skated through the left circle, slowed as he drifted to the right in front of Schneider and beat him with a quick Markus Nutivaara seemed blissfully unaware on a couple of occasions strike through the five-hole. Panarin is 7 of 12 (58.3 percent) in almost when he was under pressure by Devils checkers, leading to way-too- two years with the Blue Jackets. easy turnovers. • What made the Blue Jackets’ performance even harder to rationalize is Scott Harrington had the puck behind the net with outlet options on both the sweeping injuries suffered by the Devils. Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, sides but instead chucked the puck up the middle of the zone to a waiting Mile Wood, Pavel Zacha and Nico Hischier all missed the game, and New Jersey player in the high slot. Jesper Bratt left early in the second with a leg injury. The roster was half- The forwards took a turn, too. filled with players from AHL Binghamton. • The Blue Jackets are 18-7 vs. New Jersey since Columbus moved to the Eastern Conference for the 2013-14 season. This is the first time the Jackets have swept the Devils in a four-game season series. • Alexander Wennberg went 0-for-7 on faceoffs and took no shots on goal — he had no shot attempts, actually — but he and Foligno both had huge blocked shots near the end of a Devils’ power play in the late stages of regulation. Foligno had zero shot attempts, too, but led the team with seven hits. • Tortorella’s forward lines started scrambling late in the first period, and who could blame him? The Blue Jackets are trying to integrate two top- six forwards in Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, but they have not found a fit yet. But here’s Tortorella on the subject: “I’m not so sure it’s chemistry. I think the players they brought in are really good players. I don’t think that it’s … you ask me what the answer is, I don’t have the answer. I don’t think that’s the answer, though, as far as chemistry and all that. I don’t believe that. We have a group that’s struggling right now.” • Bobrovsky made his eighth consecutive start, but he had a different backup this time. Keith Kinkaid, acquired from these Devils at the deadline for a fifth-round draft pick in 2022, took the bench spot as Bobrovsky’s insurance policy. New Jersey welcomed Kinkaid back with a message on the big screen at the first TV timeout. • Fox Sports Ohio play-by-play voice Jeff Rimer stayed behind at the team hotel and missed the game Tuesday after falling ill. Blue Jackets radio voice Bob McElligott switched booths to fill in for Rimer, and his call was simulcast across the club’s radio network. • Before the national anthem, the Devils had a moment of silence to honor the life of NHL great Ted Lindsay, who died earlier this week. Analytically speaking The Athletic’s hockey data dynamo Alison Lukan provided these insights into the Blue Jackets’ shootout win: • The Jackets are still trying to find their offensive mojo. In five-on-five play, according to naturalstattrick.com, Columbus had just 45.74 percent of the shot attempts taken; 35 percent of scoring chances; and 27.27 percent of high-danger attempts. In terms of shot quality, moneypuck.com had the expected goal total at 2.94 to 1.58 in favor of the Devils. • It came down to the player Foligno called “the difference maker,” Bobrovsky. As the Jackets offense fought to find its footing, Bobrovsky saw 59 shot attempts, 30 of which were on target and 10 of which came from high-danger areas. According to evolving-hockey.com, the goaltender’s final unblocked shot save percentage was 4.57 percent higher than expected based on those shots he faced. That equates to plus-2.15 goals saved over average. • Hannikainen tried to be a catalyst on the ice, and it showed in his final numbers. In 10:23 of five-on-five time, he led the team in shot share (70.59 percent), had a plus-2 advantage in scoring chances and drew even in terms of high-danger chances. • Line combinations were jumbled in this game. Eight combinations had three minutes or more of five-on-five ice time. The traditional top line of Artemi Panarin, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Cam Atkinson (4:04 TOI) had the best shot share (54.55 percent), and the line of Alexander Wennberg, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel was tops in terms of scoring-chance advantage (plus-2) and went plus-1 in high-danger attempts. The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134576 Dallas Stars

Stars 2019 playoff tracker: Where Dallas sits in the Western Conference standings (updated daily)

By SportsDayDFW.com

The Stars need to finish in the top three of the Central Division or in the top two in the wild-card race to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. ROW -- regulation and overtime wins -- is the first tiebreaker for teams deadlocked in points with equal games played. Teams play 82 games. Here's the latest look at where the team sits in the standings. [Updated March 7] Central Division Wildcard Odds Making the playoffs: 82.9 percent (as of 3/7) Winning the Stanley Cup: 0.9 percent Odds via sportsclubstats.com. Sign up for our FREE Stars newsletter! Dallas' last 10 games Mar. 5 -- Win, 1-0 over NY Rangers (Home) Mar. 2 -- Win, 4-1 over St. Louis (Away) Feb. 28 -- Win, 4-3 (OT) over Los Angeles (Away) Feb. 26 -- Loss, 4-1 to Las Vegas (Away) Feb. 24 -- Win, 4-3 over Chicago (Away) Feb. 23 -- Loss, 3-0 to Carolina (Home) Feb. 21 -- Win, 5-2 over St. Louis (Home) Feb. 19 -- Loss, 5-3 to Nashville (Home) Feb. 16 -- Loss, 3-0 to Carolina (Away) Feb. 14 -- Loss, 6-0 to Tampa Bay (Away) Record: 6-4-0 Stars games this week Thursday -- vs. Colorado Avalanche (28-26-12, 68 points) Stars' record vs. the Avalanche this year: 0-2-0 Saturday -- vs. Chicago Blackhawks (27-30-9, 63 points) Stars' record vs. the Blackhawks this year: 1-1-0 Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134577 Dallas Stars three guys to move out of position. I think we sauced three or four pucks."

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.07.2019 Stars forward Radek Faksa doubtful with neck injury after hit Tuesday against Rangers

Matthew DeFranks

FRISCO -- The Stars' involuntary rotation of forwards could continue with Thursday's pivotal game against the Colorado Avalanche. Stars coach Jim Montgomery said Andrew Cogliano would return to the lineup after missing the last three games with an upper-body injury suffered last week in Vegas, but Radek Faksa is doubtful with a neck injury sustained during Tuesday's 1-0 win over the New York Rangers. Alexander Radulov will also return Thursday after he was scratched for being late to morning skate Tuesday. Faksa did not play the final 9:53 of the game against the Rangers after he was hit into the boards by Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad received a five- minute boarding major and a game misconduct. Faksa has been one of the Stars' most durable players this season, and is one of just five players to play in every game for Dallas. He's only missed five games in the last two seasons combined. Montgomery said Faksa passed concussion protocol. Montgomery did not say how his lineup would come together with the two additions and one potential subtraction. But the Stars do have another left-handed center who could draw Colorado's top line like Faksa has all season long. "The luxury we have is we have Jason Dickinson, too, who's been excellent all year long," Montgomery said. "To have him and Faksy as two centers that can match up and shut down other people's top lines is a luxury for us. We're lucky that we have both of them." Cogliano's absence was the first injury-induced one of his career, caused when his left shoulder crashed into the boards on a hit from Ryan Reaves. Radulov and Cogliano were two of a handful of Stars who participated in the optional skate Wednesday afternoon. Radulov did not speak with reporters after practice. New target? The Stars entered Wednesday just one point behind the Blues for third place in the Central Division, the closest Dallas has been to St. Louis in three weeks. They were three points up on Colorado for a playoff spot. While making the playoffs is obviously a goal for the Stars, might grabbing third place -- and avoiding a division champion in the first round -- be attainable for Dallas? "Whether we can climb to second, or we can climb to third or just make the playoffs has not been something that we really focus on," Montgomery said. "Everybody knows where we are in the standings. Every player knows, every coach knows, everybody in the organization. The Zamboni driver knows where we are. We don't have to talk about it. We have to stress what makes us successful." Scoreless power play: The Stars power play went 0 for 5 against the Rangers, the most scoreless opportunities since Dallas went 0 for 6 against Tampa Bay on Jan. 15. While the Stars were charged with an unsuccessful power play when they were given one with 1.2 seconds left, they also did not convert on 97 seconds of a 5 on 3, nor on Zibanejad's overlapping five-minute major. The Stars had five shots on goal with the man advantage but also gave up three shorts to the shorthanded Rangers. Jamie Benn was stopped twice on great saves from Alexandar Georgiev, while Tyler Seguin rang the post once. "The first 5 on 4, Seggy had the one-timer off the crossbar," Montgomery said. "That was a really good play. The 5 on 3, in the first 15 seconds, we had the open backdoor look. After that, we hung on to pucks. We were very disjointed and the disappointment of not scoring on the 5 on 3 carried on to the 5-on-4 play." Montgomery said the Stars overhandled the puck on the 5 on 3. "You should never have to sauce a puck on a 5 on 3," Montgomery said. "There's three of them, there's five of you. The puck should move crispy along the ice, which allows for one-timers, which allows for the other 1134578 Dallas Stars decided pretty quickly that if I wanted to make it to the NHL, I needed to use my degree, not my skating legs.”

Forbes made his way to Dallas, where he secured an internship with the What’s an NHL video room like during a game? Inside Dallas Stars Stars broadcast department on Fox Sports Southwest. He edited video, mission control handled various in-game duties, and worked in the truck during broadcasts during the 2008-09 season. By Sean Shapiro Mar 6, 2019 The right people took notice of Forbes’ work. When the Stars were looking for someone who knew how to both quickly cut and edit video and understood the game, Forbes’ name came up and he had an interview with then-Stars coach Marc Crawford. As the national anthem wraps up, video coach Kelly Forbes pops an earpiece into his right ear and grabs a seat in Dallas Stars mission At the end of an hour-long interview, Crawford handed Forbes a laptop control. and five DVDs. There are three monitors mounted on the wall, two on his desk and a “(Crawford) said go break down these games, come back and present it tablet on his right-hand side that monitors stats. To Forbes’ left, assistant tomorrow to me,” Forbes said. “So, I went home and stayed up until 3 or video coach Sean Andrake monitors his own station, while a white pad of 4 in the morning, I broke them down, I had never touched the software paper sits at the ready to Forbes’ notes. before. I had obviously broken down video in games and knew the game well but it was kind of a quick learn, with the software. And then I went “I got you, Stu, you got me?” Forbes says into the headset, checking in and presented.” with Stars assistant coach Stu Barnes, who is on the team’s bench. A few days after presenting his work to Crawford and assistant coach Stu Forbes then checks in with the Stars’ eye in the sky from the press box. Barnes, the Stars hired Forbes as the first full-time video coach in During home games it’s Vernon Fiddler; on the road, goalie coach Jeff franchise history. Reese. “The biggest thing I remember about Forbesy is how sharp he is,” Barnes “I got you Fidds, you got me?” said, who was an assistant from 2008 to 2011 and now with Dallas since 2017, said. “I remember him coming in with a sharp work ethic and Fiddler responds. The line of communication is running smoothly. having a good handle of what it was with the video. He had a good “Let’s go.” handle of the game because he had been around it his whole life. It’s interesting to see over the years what a huge part of the program he is.” For a franchise that has seen its share of coaching turnover, including three head coaches in the past three seasons, Forbes has been one of Nearly a decade later, Forbes focuses on the monitors as the game the Stars’ constants. He has served in his role since the start of the 2009- begins. His main viewing is of the Stars broadcast feed from Fox Sports 10 season. Southwest, while he also has access to cameras at both blue lines, above the goal, and a sky cam that plays consistently on his far-right Forbes is the seventh-most-tenured video coach in the NHL and has monitor. worked for five head coaches during his 10-year NHL career. He’s also considered one of the best at his profession. With as much staff turnover The middle monitor is the one that Forbes controls the most, stopping as the Stars have had, there is a reason Forbes has never been and re-watching every single zone entry. Roughly two minutes into the replaced. game he stops and spends an extra second re-watching an entry by Jason Spezza to see if the Stars center had lifted his foot off the ice Admittedly it’s hard to compare and properly quantify the value of when attacking the zone. different video coaches around the NHL, especially in a realm where few teams are going to grant inside access to their in-game war rooms. But A minute later Barnes buzzes in and asks about a high-sticking penalty thanks to data collected by Behind The Benches dating back to the start that was called against Roope Hintz. Forbes reviews the replay and of the 2015-16 season, we can at least compare them in the realm where confirms it was a good call; Hintz got the Ranger up high with his stick. video coaches are most publicly scrutinized: the coach’s challenge. In addition to pre-reviewing every zone entry for a potential challenge Since the start of the 2015-16 season the Stars have made 24 Forbes will chime in with updates that the bench may have missed. On a challenges and won 14 of them. The total number of challenges won is Rangers rush later in the period he checks in, telling Barnes that the tied for the second-most in the NHL, and their plus-four differential is by Stars didn’t properly gap up. He later points out a play to Barnes where far the best in the NHL over that span. the Rangers were lacking in defensive coverage. When Brett Ritchie has a chance in tight that’s turned away by Alexandar Georgiev, Forbes and Of the 31 NHL teams, only the Stars and the New York Islanders (plus-1) Barnes have a quick discussion about how the play developed. have a net positive in challenges over the past four seasons in data collected through Feb. 7. The New York Rangers have an even record at “We typically let Forbesy talk the most, him having the raw video in front 11 wins and 11 losses, while the rest of the league is deep in the of him,” Barnes said. “There is great, quick talk back and forth. negatives. The Detroit Red Wings have a 14-41 record in challenges, Sometimes less is more and with so much going on, as you saw going on while the Carolina Hurricanes are 6-30. for them in the office, and us on the bench. ” Winning challenges and knowing when not to waste them is a point of When Jim Montgomery was hired he did his research on Forbes, who he pride for Forbes. If done correctly it’s more of a science than a guessing knew nothing about at the time. He talked to outgoing Stars coach Ken game; the Stars are 4-1 in challenges this year, and it’s a path Forbes Hitchcock, who said Forbes was the best video coach he’d ever worked never thought he would end up following. with. He asked other video coaches around the league about Forbes and said he didn’t hear a negative thing about him. Forbes grew up two and half hours west of Vancouver in Nanaimo, British Columbia and was pretty accomplished in both hockey and golf. “I’ve been thoroughly impressed with him since Day 1 and I only get He always had a goal of earning a college scholarship and attending more and more impressed,” Montgomery said. “Very bright, very school in the United States, and after blowing out both shoulders as a 15- dedicated. Has great initiative. The one area I’d like him to improve on, year-old he decided golf would be a better path. and we actually talked about it today, I’d like him to never be afraid to come to me with an idea. I trust him like I trust our assistant coaches, Golf took Forbes to Ada, Oklahoma, where he played two years for East that’s how much I value his opinion and his vision of the game.” Central University. The one thing Montgomery wanted to change about Forbes’ role was “Two years in, I decided that hockey — I love golf and I still do — but getting him some help. For years Forbes was a one-man operation in the hockey was what I wanted to do,” Forbes said. video room, Montgomery wanted to double the team’s video staff and he and Forbes interviewed candidates this summer. Forbes finished his education at the University of Oklahoma and played three years for the Sooners’ club hockey team while working on a degree Through that process, it became clear that Andrake was the ideal fit to in broadcasting. He was one of the Sooners’ best players during his join the staff. three-year stay in Norman and was accomplished enough that at the end of his final collegiate season he got a call from the Oklahoma City Andrake and Forbes had worked together loosely during the 2017-18 Blazers and played two games of professional hockey in the now-defunct season when Andrake was the video coach for the AHL-affiliated Texas Central Hockey League. Stars. Forbes was impressed with Andrake’s work in the AHL and said it really was an ideal fit to promote from within the organization when a new “That was really good, great experience,” Forbes said. “It was fun to be a NHL job was created. pro for a little bit there and travel around the southwest and then I Andrake may be new to Dallas, but he has a decade of experience in between Barnes and Forbes; at one point they discuss how rebounds video departments dating back to his freshman year at the University of have been kicking back to the middle. Later there is is a discussion about New Hampshire. He’s worked for five different minor-league teams and short-side shots coming from New York. also had a stint as the second assistant on the New Jersey Devils video staff, a role where he didn’t travel and was responsible for maintaining With less than five minutes remaining, we finally get a taste of what it servers and was essentially doing what felt like video data entry. would be like if there was a challenge. The Rangers enter the zone and Forbes reviews the play twice from the blue-line camera. He confidently “He’s been around the block,” Forbes chimes in during a TV timeout. tells Barnes and Fiddler, “this one is offsides.” “I did it in college and I liked it and I said, ‘You know what? I’ll try and It quickly turns into a non-issue. Less than 10 seconds later the Stars exit make this and see if I can make it my thing,'” Andrake said. “When I the zone and Forbes is tracking a zone entry at the Rangers defensive came out of college it was still pretty new, every NHL team had a guy, blue line. but not every AHL team. So I came in at a good time when there were lots of opportunities opening up.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 Andrake’s role during the game is tagging video as the game happens, which makes it easier for the coaching staff to find certain plays and situations. During the intermission, each of the Stars coaches like to view different elements of the game. Rick Bowness, for example, will review all of the penalty-killing shifts, which he can easily access in the tagged system. The tagged plays from Andrake also go straight to iPads on the Stars bench. If Barnes wants to break down a forecheck on the fly with a player, he can easily do so by using the tagged video. “It depends on the game, but (the iPads) certainly get used every game,” Barnes said. “Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. A lot of the guys like to see things (during the game).” Before Andrake was hired Forbes would handle all of these duties by himself. “I think that gives you a pretty good idea of how much Kelly had to do before,” Barnes said. “When you see both of them working together, that’s a lot to handle and process for one guy.” Andrake handled all of this solo for a couple of weeks in January, as Forbes was back home in Nanaimo before his mother, Arlene, passed away following a battle with cancer. Arlene has been an influential figure for the Stars this season. Back in December when the team played in Vancouver, a comeback victory was dedicated to her. Jamie Benn presented a ceremonial cowboy hat to Arlene, a prize which goes to the team-chosen player of the game. When the Stars had their Moms’ Trip in February, it was dedicated to Arlene. A button with her initials adorns Forbes’ backpack, which hangs on the office door. Forbes has said that Andrake helped ease his mind during a difficult time for his family. While he would often check in with Andrake via text, he had full confidence that the assistant video coach was capable of handling things while he was gone. He also won his only challenge. “He’s undefeated, the best in the league right here,” Forbes says while scanning a zone entry on the monitor in front of him. While they have their own tasks, Forbes and Andrake work well in tandem during games. Andrake often acts as a second pair of eyes and occasionally points something out to Forbes while he’s focused on reviewing a zone entry. The game has progressed rather quickly. There haven’t been many whistles or stoppages and Forbes actually half-apologized about this fact the next day. We didn’t come across any challenges or major events that would have made nice nuggets for this story. In the second period John Klingberg picks the corner for the only goal of the game, giving Dallas a 1-0 lead. Like every goal, Forbes reviews multiple angles and checks in with Barnes. “That’s a good goal Stu, good goal, good job,” Forbes says. “Good start. That’s a good screen.” Later in the second period, Forbes takes a couple of extra looks at a zone entry that could have been challenged if a goal were scored on the play. It’s one of those situations where a player’s toe is just hovering over the ice and likely would have caused quite a bit of discussion. Early in the third period the Stars broadcast zooms in on Rangers coach David Quinn, who is drawing up a play on a whiteboard. Forbes ends up communicating that to Barnes and puts a screenshot of the image on his main monitor, which mirrors the picture on the screen that is embedded in the floor of the bench next to Montgomery. At this point it’s rather silent in the video room, which reflects the nature of the 1-0 game on the ice. There’s the occasional communication 1134579 Detroit Red Wings

'The Russian Five' red carpet premiere set for Emagine Royal Oak

Dejanay Booth, Detroit Free Press

Published 11:34 a.m. ET March 6, 2019 | Updated 12:47 p.m. ET March 6, 2019

The red carpet premiere of the 2018 documentary, "The Russian Five," will also serve as a fundraiser to benefit former Red Wings hockey player and Russian Five star Vladimir Konstantinov.

The premiere is scheduled for Emagine Royal Oak on March 22. All proceeds from the premiere in addition to 5 percent of proceeds from the theatrical run and distribution will go toward the "Vladimir Konstantinov Special Needs Trust" to pay for his medical care. Konstantinov suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a car accident in 1997 following the Red Wings' Stanley Cup victory.

The documentary opened in the Free Press' Film Festival in 2018 for the film's world premiere.

The film follows the lives of five Russian players and their recruitment to the Detroit Red Wings, who became Stanley Cup champions.

"The Russian Five is the true story of immigrants that became American heroes, teammates that became family, and a scrappy, resilient city that became a world champion, twice," stated a news release from Emagine Entertainment.

The film is directed by Port Huron native Joshua Reihl.

Reihl, who is a Red Wings fan, was also involved in a car accident, and said watching Konstantinov fight to recover from his accident inspired him to keep improving and pursue film.

“To be able to not only tell the story of Vladimir and the Russian five, but to use our premiere to find a way to give back to him, is such an incredible honor," Riehl said in a news release.

"If we can make a whole new generation aware of what an incredible player and human he is and to do so while helping Vladimir out with expenses that aren't covered by his insurance, that would make all of the years and sacrifices I spent on this film worth it."

Konstantinov's family are grateful for the film and the trust created in support of Konstantinov.

"The Russian Five" will also be shown at other Emagine theaters in Michigan in Novi, Canton, Birch Run, Macomb, Saline and Hartland. For dates and showtimes, visit www.emagine-entertainment.com.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134580 Detroit Red Wings “He looks like he is a heck of a competitor and a guy who wants to play winning hockey. He’s got the right ingredients to be a good player in this league. How good and how quick, those things you never know, but Filip Zadina shows why Detroit Red Wings were so happy to draft him certainly in the game he has played up here so far, he has taken steps in the right direction. If he can keep taking steps forward, then the remainder of the games he has with us, it will be a good sign for us for years to come.” Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Zadina will at maximum play five more games, because if he plays more Published 6:05 a.m. ET March 6, 2019 | Updated 7:29 a.m. ET March 6, than nine games his entry-level contract kicks in. At the very least, this is 2019 an opportunity for him to show how he might help the Wings as soon as next season.

DENVER — Filip Zadina showed why the Detroit Red Wings were so That goal was a nice demonstration. delighted to draft him, but more importantly, he earned trust. “It was good to see him have the puck,” Kronwall said. “He deserves it. It The Wings come home for a rare March appearance at Little Caesars was nice to see the excitement. I think we all felt very happy for him.” Arena nursing an eight-game winless streak, but those losses will help their draft lottery odds. Their young players — current ones, prospective draft ones — will forge their rebuild, and to that end, it was satisfying to Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.07.2019 see Zadina earn his first NHL goal by ripping a one-timer on a power play Tuesday at Pepsi Center.

The Wings were thrilled to find Zadina available at sixth overall last June because they see him as having the potential to be a game-changer.

“What I like is he’s looked more and more dangerous every game,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “He’s real dynamic on the power play. He’s looked that way the last few games. But I think five-on-five, he’s starting to create more. He had the shot in the second where he cut to the middle and honestly got a heck of a shot off.

“I think he played 18-plus minutes. It’s a good sign for our organization.”

The Wings wound up losing, 4-3, in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche, falling to a team fighting for playoff positioning. Next up is Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers. The Wings had some slow stretches Tuesday, but overall they’ve played more competitively than the embarrassment that marked their last home game, the 8-1 rout by Montreal.

“Mentally we have been kicked a little bit and we just have to keep getting back up,” Blashill said. “We took a step in the right direction to getting back up. Now, we have to turn them into Ws, for sure, but in the process, we were playing the right way.”

Zadina, 19, played the right way against the Avalanche. In his fourth straight game since being called up from Grand Rapids on Feb. 23, he was noticeable all over the ice. He pounced on a loose puck in front of his own net and skated the puck up the ice to create a scoring chance in the second period, and had another scoring chance during the second power play. He played physical, putting a nice hit on Ian Cole.

“I thought he was good all night,” Thomas Vanek said after assisting on Zadina’s and Niklas Kronwall’s goals. “Five-on-five, too, I thought he skated well, he created a lot of chances by himself. Obviously, he’s a shooter so that’s why he’s in that spot. He got rewarded so it was good to see, great for him. This whole game is about confidence so for him to get his first one out of the way here after four games, it’s nice. I think now we will see him be even better.”

More: How Detroit Red Wings can make most of losing Mike Green again

Zadina scored at 17:43 in the third period when he one-timed a pass from Filip Hronek.

“That was a great pass from Hronie,” Zadina said. “He saw me there and we are used to it from GR.”

Zadina’s goal gave the Wings a 3-2 lead, but Tyson Barrie spoiled things with a tying goal after the Avs had pulled their goalie. The final score was what mattered most to Zadina.

“It was a great moment, but I would be happier if we would win the game,” Zadina said. “We were so close. I’m kind of disappointed we had this game in our hands. But, it was a great moment.

“I’m getting way more ice time than I get the first two games and I’m feeling so good so far. Hopefully that will keep going and hopefully we will win some games and that will be way sweeter.”

It speaks to what kind of player Zadina is his priority is winning, not personal stats. 1134581 Detroit Red Wings This brief look-see was an opportunity for Zadina to experience the difficulty of the NHL, what he needs to do over the summer to improve, and gain some confidence that he can compete at this level.

Red Wings' Filip Zadina looks 'more dangerous' with each game So far, it looks like the promotion has worked out as well as could have been expected.

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News “It was nice to see the excitement,” defenseman Niklas Kronwall said of Zadina’s celebration after his first goal. “We all felt happy for him. He was Published 3:47 p.m. ET March 6, 2019 | Updated 3:48 p.m. ET March 6, good all over the ice. You saw him a lot more (Tuesday) than maybe in 2019 the past.”

Tough loss

Red Wings right wing Filip Zadina (11) has seen his ice time increase in Zadina gave the Wings a 3-2 lead, but Colorado scored on the next shift, each of the three games following his NHL debut. with defenseman Tyson Barrie scoring after the Avalance pulled Semyon for an extra skater. At this point in the schedule, the final result of the Red Wings’ game doesn’t matter much to most fans. Then in overtime, after Andreas Athanasiou missed on a good chance bearing down on Varlamov, the Avalanche came down on a 3-on-2 rush Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss in Colorado was disappointing — a gut- and Nathan MacKinnon scored his 34th goal to win the game. punch, actually, the way it occurred. But, ultimately, it was another loss. “I still think as a team we can be better,” Kronwall said. “We almost got But the development of certain players is what intrigues Wings’ fans, away with one. Bernie (goaltender Jonathan Bernier) played great in net. specifically Filip Zadina. Unfortunately we couldn’t hang in there.” In a season that can’t end soon enough for most fans, Zadina’s development is a huge bright spot. Detroit News LOADED: 03.07.2019 Zadina scored to give the Wings a 3-2 lead late in the third period.

It was Zadina’s first NHL goal, in his fourth NHL game. And, judging by social media reaction, it was one of the best moments of this long season.

But for Zadina, as great as the moment was, seeing the game turn into the loss in the waning minutes lessened the joy of the moment.

“Obviously it was a great moment, but I would be happier if we win the game,” Zadina told reporters after the game. “We were so close. But it wasn’t enough. I’m kind of disappointed we had the game in our hands, but we didn’t do it.

“But it was a great moment.”

Zadina, 19, has seen his ice time increase steadily in these four games.

He’s gone from 10 minutes 38 seconds to 14:09 to 15:30 to 18:16 Tuesday in Denver, adding a career-high five shots against the Avalanche, tying for his career-high 21 shifts, and a plus-1, the first game he’s been plus in the plus-minus category.

“I’m getting way more ice time than the first two games,” Zadina said. “I’m feeling good. I’m going to keep going. I hope we win some games; it would be a lot sweeter.”

Coach Jeff Blashill told reporters after Tuesday’s loss that Zadina earned the increase in ice time with the way he was playing.

“What I like is he’s looked more and more dangerous every game,” Blashill said. “Certainly (Tuesday) was his best game. He looked the most dangerous he’s looked.

“The goal, he’s real dynamic on the power play.”

During the course of the four games, Zadina has looked increasingly confident on the ice, and has begun to create and make plays for himself and his linemates.

One play that was eye-opening occurred in the second period. Zadina split through the Avalanche, and snapped a shot that surprised Colorado goalie Semyon Varlamov with its speed.

“Five-on-five he’s starting to create more,” Blashill said. “His shot in the second, where he cut to the middle and, honestly, he got a heck of a shot off. Varlamov made a good blocker save.

“It was a good sign. He played 18-plus minutes. It’s a good sign for our organization.”

Zadina has, at most, another five games left with the Wings before he returns to Grand Rapids for the remainder of the regular season and American League playoffs.

If Zadina were to play more than nine games it would burn a year of his contract — and the Red Wings are not going to do that. 1134582 Edmonton Oilers

WATCH: Draisaitl makes his scoring chances count

SHAUGHN BUTTS, EDMONTON JOURNAL

Updated: March 6, 2019

Leon Draisaitl was one of the first players on the ice and one of the last off the ice at the Oilers practice at Rogers Place on Wednesday to work on his shot.

“I try and bear down on my chances, I take big pride in that. When I get a chance I make it count, hopefully it keeps working that way for me,” said Draisaitl in the dressing room after practice.

He has a career-high 41 goals this year, four behind Alex Ovechkin, but he refuses to answer questions about the magic 50 mark he is chasing with 16 games remaining in the season.

Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134583 Edmonton Oilers Devils took them to a shootout. Those are the type of games we have to play at home.”

This ’n’ that: Winger Milan Lucic left the ice before the practice ended Zack Kassian definitely proving he's more than Oilers' fourth-line banger Wednesday, doubled over. “He’s had a sore hip for a couple of weeks and tweaked something but he’ll be fine for the Canucks game,” said Hitchcock … Jesse Puljujarvi’s surgery on both hips was structural more Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal than due to a specific injury, but lifting weights improperly may have had something to do with it, said interim general manager Keith Gretzky … March 7, 2019 3:00 AM MST Centre Kyle Brodziak had one of his best games in a long while against Buffalo, looking like the guy who’s played 900 games. He had been in and out of the lineup. What changed? “He got a phone call from a friend,” Zack Kassian’s move from the banging fourth line to the first with Connor said Hitchcock, as he ended his press conference without saying who it McDavid has been seamless so far, with goals in three straight games was. But wasn’t Hitchcock, who coached him in St. Louis … The Oilers alongside the Edmonton Oilers captain have used the same six defencemen for three weeks now, with Oscar Klefbom with Adam Larsson in the first pair and Andrej Sekera with Matt Including one in Buffalo off a bullet one-hop pass from McDavid. Benning in the third. “We’re spending a lot less time in our zone than we “I think I have the skills to go up and down the lineup, playing anywhere,” did before. We’re not defending so much. We’re top five in zone exits. said Kassian, who nevertheless put the brakes on any revelations, given When you get out not necessarily clean but on first touch, that’s a good it’s been a small sample. thing,” said Hitchcock. “And Oscar and Sekera create separation out of coverage, they skate it out of areas and buy us time to get open.” Sekera But he previously had shots with the Sedins in Vancouver, too. is averaging 15:41 of playing time in eight games since his rehab stint in Bakersfield. “When you’re in a bottom-six role, you’re trying to create more energy and get under the other team’s skin and sometimes your emotion gets the best of you,” said Kassian. “With this, the more you play, you still have to be physical but it’s a different kind of physical. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.07.2019

“You are going from 10 minutes to 18, from dumping it in all the time to puck-possession. There’s a lot of off-the-rush when you’re playing higher up in the lineup. It takes five or six times to adapt and i think I’ve done a good job of it.”

Oiler coach Ken Hitchcock has been impressed by Kassian’s IQ with McDavid.

“We’re taking a bottom-six player who plays a territorial game, into a possession one. You don’t want a guy dumping it in, you want a player crossing the blue line to make a play. He’s got more patience than we thought. He’s making plays in traffic and not panicking,” said Hitchcock.

McDavid can beat you with his feet, in so many different ways, but playing with Henrik and Daniel Sedin in Vancouver was different. You go to the net and the puck would be there.

“The twins never beat you with their speed, it was two-on-ones, creating space. They would do their thing away from the net and you would try and get open,” said Kassian.

DECISION TIME

Oilers winger Jujhar Khaira, who didn’t go on the five-game road trip because of a possible hairline crack in his foot, skated hard in practice Wednesday.

He could play against the Canucks after last playing in Carolina Feb. 15.

“We’ll make a decision tomorrow. He was flying early in the practice. He was skating quite a bit the last 10 days, but by himself,” said Hitchcock.

If he returns, it’ll likely be on the fourth line.

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

Tobias Rieder was gob-smacked at how easily McDavid gathered up a hard pass into his skates from Darnell Nurse to set up the two-on-one short-handed goal with Leon Draisaitl in Buffalo.

McDavid made it look like infield practice.

“That play is doable, but not at speed. You can slow down and kick the puck up from your feet to your stick but then it becomes a two-on-two play. Connor did it full speed, kicked it up like it was nothing. It’s crazy to see what Connor can do. He doesn’t stop striding. Then a perfect pass to Leon,” said Rieder.

HOME-ICE DISADAVNTAGE

Hitchcock knows the Oilers have to be more better at home.

“We’ve been guilty here of looking for space rather than fighting for it. When we go on the road, we have that disposition,”said Hitchcock. “We’re in single elimination, playoff-type games now. I watched those games last night, the Rangers auditioning young players and they gave Dallas fits. New Jersey was missing six guys against Columbus and the 1134584 Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.07.2019

Oilers Game Day: Edmonton continues to lean on Koskinen in goal against Canucks

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal

March 7, 2019 3:00 AM MST

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH:

1. Room for Leon and Connor

With Brandon Sutter done for the season with hernia surgery next week, they’ve lost their two-pronged, top-six checking centre game-plan. Sutter has long done a nice job against McDavid, meaning Horvat, their captain- in-waiting, is now tasked with checking either McDavid or Draisaitl. Horvat has been playing on fumes the last while, 27 minutes the other night. That’s a lot of heavy lifting for the two-way threat, who’s expected to score, check and win face-offs. Canucks will move Jay Beagle up, too, from his fourth-line role to try and tackle Draisaitl but we could also see Calder slam-dunk Elias Pettersson in there somewhere as well.

2. Trotting out the back-up

With Jacob Markstrom playing against the Leafs Wednesday in Vancouver, we’ll probably see his caddy, Thatcher Demko, in the back- to-back situation. He’s only played three NHL games, two this season with a 4.01 goals-against average and .873 save percentage. They traded ex-Oilers player Anders Nilsson back up to Ottawa to open up room for Demko but he sprained his knee early last month and Markstrom was terrific so they were riding him.

3. Same time, same station

The Oilers have started Mikko Koskinen every game since Cam Talbot was traded to Philadelphia, so nine in a row. He’ll keep playing until the playoffs are out of reach, most likely. Koskinen has some warts — teams still keep trying to beat him high glove — but his last game in Buffalo, he did what all No. 1 goalies have to do. He held the fort when the Oilers fell behind 3-1, refusing to let the Sabres break it open in these second period, making 25 straight saves when Buffalo jumped to their lead. He’s played 41 games. The Canucks game will be No. 42. He hasn’t played that many in a season since 49 in the Finnish League in 2011-12.

4. Spooner vs. Gagner?

Maybe. Spooner, who was playing for Oilers farm team in Bakersfield when Edmonton traded for Gagner three weeks ago, is nursing a sore groin. He’s day-to-day so he might not play against his old Oilers club after the trade Feb. 16. Spooner has three assists in his six Canucks games, Gagner three goals and four points in his nine Oilers games. Gagner is averaging 15.55 minutes a night and Spooner 12 and a half minutes.

5. Let good times roll

Zack Kassian has scored in three straight games and quietly is up to 11 goals, which is the fifth most on the Oilers. He was freed from his fourth- line duties as a banger, dump-it-in-and-crash guy and has done strong work on McDavid’s right side. His one-timer off a McDavid rocket pass in Buffalo was a dandy. Not a lot of guys would have scored on that one- hopper but he blew it past Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark. Kassian had a taste of playing with the Sedins in his Vancouver days and he doesn’t want to give up this McDavid assignment.

BIG MATCHUP:

Canucks vs. Leon Draisaitl

Draisaitl is the hottest player in the league, almost a goal-a-game the last five weeks with 17 goals in his past 18 games. Draisaitl, Patrick Kane and Alex Ovechkin are the NHL’s only 40-goal scorers and Draisaitl has the best goals-to-assists ratio (41 goals, 42 assists). He’s been outstanding on the power play with 16 goals, tied with Steve Stamkos for second behind Brayden Point’s 19. His 22.8 shooting percentage is also the best in the league, a shade better than Pettersson and Point at 22.6

1134585 Edmonton Oilers

Former NHLer Rob Brown knows Draisaitl is a multi-threat

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal

March 6, 2019 8:11 PM MST

Can Leon Draisaitl be a 50-goal man for the Edmonton Oilers?

If Leon Draisaitl does gets nine more goals to hit 50 on the season, it’s a major achievement.

“But if Leon scores 50? That’s one of the biggest storylines I’m watching.”

Laine and Ovechkin are fantastic shooters, but they think shot first, and maybe second. They’re lethal, but without as many assists. The Jets’ winger had 109 goals and 69 assists in his career. Ovechkin has 653 goals and 541 assists.

“I read somewhere where Laine just got his 12th assist (of the season, it’s now 29 goals, 15 assists). He’s a goal-scorer,” said Brown. “Ovechkin is a shot-first scorer too (46 goals, 31 assists) But with Leon? He’s maybe the best passer in the NHL. He’s not throwing everything on net. He’s more selective. Maybe he finds Connor (McDavid) coming down the middle. He thinks first.

“Those two-on-ones with Connor, seven times out of 10, there’s a goal. And the other three, there’s a bad bounce or an incredible save. The goalie knows the pass is going across but the pass or the shot is so quick, they’re unable to stop them. And it doesn’t matter which one has the puck. If (Wayne) Gretzky and (Jari) Kurri were on a two-on-one, Wayne had the puck and Jari was shooting.

“Leon and Connor are both so good at shooting and passing. I was always a playmaker (in junior) but when I got with Mario, I was shooting.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134586 Edmonton Oilers close,” said former NHL forward and current CHED colour commentator Rob Brown, who had 49 goals one season playing wing with in Pittsburgh. “People think a one-timer has to be a howitzer, Can Leon Draisaitl be a 50-goal man for the Edmonton Oilers? bar-down shot but a real one-timer is the one that gets off quickly and hits the net consistently. Doesn’t matter what angle Leon’s shooting from, and he’s put himself at some weird, weird angles on the goal-line but he’s capable of hitting the net. Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal “When he’s playing with Connor or (Ryan) Nugent-Hopkins, two guys March 6, 2019 8:09 PM MST who can make passes, he also knows how to get into the open spots and that’s what goal-scorers do. In practices, third and fourth-liners go bar- down and pick the corners but never do it in a game. They don’t get into Leon Draisaitl has the skill to send a 60-foot saucer pass into a hole the the right position or get it off quick enough. But Leon finds the quiet size of Brad Marchand’s mouth, but throughout Draisaitl’s young career, spaces on the ice and when the puck comes to him, he doesn’t think. It’s scoring goals has always been somebody else’s line of work. immediate. He puts the shot on the net. It’s fast and it’s heavy.”

Until now.

So, is this an out-of-body experience for the Edmonton Oilers centre over Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.07.2019 a career year that has seen him reach 41 goals, and counting?

Is this an outlier as he tries to become the sixth guy in the last decade to score 50: along with Alex Ovechkin (five), Steve Stamkos (two), Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Corey Perry (one each)?

Can Draisaitl really do something that no Oilers player has achieved in 32 years, since Wayne Gretzky had 62 goals and 54 back in 1986-87? Only four Oilers — Gretzky (eight), Kurri four), Glenn Anderson (two) and Mark Messier (one) — have ever hit 50 and they’re in the Hall of Fame.

“I don’t even want to think about it?” said Draisaitl.

He’s scored in 33 of the Oilers’ 66 games with 24 one-goal games and nine with two. He’s five goals back of Ovechkin, who falls out of bed and gets 50, so the Maurice Richard trophy is somewhat in sight. Draisaitl will need nine goals in his last 16 games to hit 50, but he has 17 in the last 18. So why not?

He’s been fire on ice and it’s not like Connor McDavid is feeding him every goal. The captain’s been in on 23 of Draisaitl’s 41 goals in the 898 minutes they’ve been on the ice together.

But being in the same stratosphere as Ovechkin is, admittedly, humbling stuff for Draisaitl.

“Scoring 50 is pretty unbelievable and he consistently does that, year in and year out. That’s very impressive,” said the Oilers’ centre, an unabashed fan of the Capitals’ captain.

“It’s nice to be in the same category for one year. That’s good enough for me.”

But maybe it’ll be more than one season.

“This is a little bit new for me, obviously. I’m not the natural goal-scorer,” said Draisaitl, arguably the best passing centre in the league along with Jumbo Joe Thornton, especially on the back-hand. “I’ve always thought I had a decent shot and I’m trying to use it a little more and trying to get it off my stick as quickly as possible, use my one-timer as much as I can. They’re going in right now and knock on wood, I hope they keep coming.”

His 41 goals and 42 assists is the most balanced stats sheet of anybody in the top 10 in points. The closest is Patrick Kane with 40 and 54. Nikita Kucherov, who’s going to win the scoring title has 31 goals and 77 assists. McDavid is 33-59. Crosby 30-56. Nobody’s the dual threat Draisaitl is, and nobody has been as accurate. He’s scoring at a 22.8 per-cent clip with his 41 in only 180 shots. Tampa’s Brayden Point is 22.6 with 37 in 164. Nate MacKinnon is 11.7 with 34 goals in 290 shots, McDavid 16.9 with 33 in 195.

Draisaitl said his shooting percentage may be a one-off because he was 12.9 percent last year and 16.9 the year before, and Ovechkin’s career average is about 12.

“Every player has one of those years,” said Draisaitl, “but I am trying to bear down on my chances. I take pride that when I get a chance I make it count.”

Maybe he is a shooter, and not just a playmaker who had 38 goals and 67 assists in his draft year. In his first full Oiler season he was 19-32. Then 29-48 and 25 goals and 45 assists.

“I think Leon can be a 40-goal scorer every year. I don’t think it’s a one- time thing. He’s got the best one-timer on the team, nobody’s even 1134587 Edmonton Oilers Colorado Avalanche — 9-7-0

Arizona Coyotes — 9-6-1

JONES: Oilers among group looking to make playoff mountain out of Edmonton Oilers — 11-4-1 whacky mole hill Chicago Blackhawks — 12-3-1

Vancouver Canucks — 12-3-1 Terry Jones OK, so you’re not buying into the seven-way tie? March 6, 2019 3:14 PM MST As soon as you saw ‘Edmonton 11-4-1,’ your eyes kind of went wobbly?

Well, two of these teams are going to get there. What we’ve been dealing with here has been like a giant Whack-A-Mole midway game. You figure it out.

The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks keep getting hit on the The Stars will play 10 of 16 at home. Nine games are against teams head and told they’re dead. Then they pop up again and insist they’re still listed as supposedly still-in-wildcard-contention clubs. Ten are against alive. teams not currently in a playoff position.

The way we’ve been writing it, both the Oilers and Canucks, who meet The Wild have eight of their 15 remaining games at home. Only four are here Thursday, have been skating around with forks in them for weeks. against teams in the wildcard race and 11 are against teams currently in We’ve been holding memorial services for both of teams for some time. a playoff position. And they keep popping up, against all reason and logic and insisting: The Avalanche play nine of their final 16 games at home. Seven are ‘Still alive!’ against teams in the wildcard listing. Eight are against teams currently in The fans and the media had declared the Oilers to be deceased when a playoff spot. they managed but one win in a dozen games. But on the weekend, they The Coyotes have eight of their final 16 at home. Seven are against claimed not to be Orange Crushed yet. teams in playoff positions and six against teams in wildcard contention.

It started Sunday, when a significant percentage of the population, The Oilers, like Dallas, have 10 of 16 at home but only four are against inspired by three straight wins following their debacle in Toronto, seemed the alleged wildcard contenders. Nine are against teams not currently in to discover hope despite all logic and common sense. the playoff picture.

Coach Ken Hitchcock kept repeating: “Six points out of a wildcard playoff The Blackhawks have eight of 16 at home, seven against wildcard position.” candidates and nine against teams not in a playoff position.

In games Monday, however, Dallas and Colorado won, Minnesota ended Including Wednesday’s game at home against the Leafs, the Canucks up with a loser point and the Western Conference wildcard standings have the highest number of remaining home games with 11. Eight are going into Wednesday’s games looked like this: against teams on the outside looking in when it comes to playoffs and 1. Dallas Stars (66 games played) — 73 points only four are against wildcard contenders/pretenders.

2. (67) — 72 I like Dallas and Colorado.

3. Colorado Avalanche (67) — 70 Anybody know where a guy could buy one of those ‘Whack-A-Mole’ machines to keep occupied between games? 4. Arizona Coyotes (66) — 69

5. Edmonton Oilers (66) — 65 Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.07.2019 6. Chicago Blackhawks (66) — 63

7. Vancouver Canucks (66) — 63

Instead of explaining that those standings, with any study at all, illustrate that (now) seven points out of a wildcard playoff spot is really a lot further back than it appears when there are seven teams involved, the thought occurred that perhaps I should be framing this in an entirely different way.

I mean, stuff happens in sport.

I remember covering the World Curling championship in Victoria in 2005, when Randy Ferbey was involved in a six-way tie for first. It was wonderful.

The World Curling Federation didn’t know what to do. There was no procedure listed anywhere in their rules for settling a six-way tie. The officials had to invent a formula on the spot.

I mean, if there are still people out there clinging to belief the Oilers and/or Canucks can get there, maybe we should consider the possibility they all can get there.

How about a seven-way tie for the two wild card playoff spots? Or three, four or five of them?

I mean, think about it.

Lets say 88 points is the required number. These would be the records each team would need to finish up with from here to make it happen:

Dallas Stars — 7-8-1

Minnesota Wild — 8-7-0 1134588 Florida Panthers realized it was a good fit for me. At the end of the day, I would like to stay here.”

Florida coach Bob Boughner, who has been giving Sheahan more and Once thought to be a trade-deadline casualty, Riley Sheahan would like more responsibility, said he is all for the Panthers bringing back the 27- to stay with Panthers year-old.

“I love his game, you see his consistency and (he) plays so heavy. I think By George Richards he has been a great addition,” Boughner said. “I’m sure he’s a little more relaxed now that the trade deadline has come and has passed. Mar 6, 2019 “Being our third-line center, he can go out on any defensive zone draw and they can jump their big line on him and you feel comfortable. He’s a veteran guy who is big, strong, tough to play against and has great As the days counted down to the NHL trade deadline, it became obvious defensive awareness.’’ that one player the Panthers acquired from the Penguins earlier in the month would be on the move. Sheahan was not alone in making a homecoming, of sorts, on Tuesday night as the game featured a number of players suiting up against their The other would stick around — perhaps for a good bit longer than former team. originally thought. Aside from Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann, who went to Pittsburgh in Center Riley Sheahan was back in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night for the the deal for Brassard and Sheahan, former Panthers Erik Gudbranson first time since he and Derick Brassard were traded to the Panthers on and Garrett Wilson were also in the lineup Tuesday with former Feb. 1. coach/GM Jacques Martin behind the Penguins bench as an assistant. His return to Pittsburgh was not a triumphant one as the Penguins Matt Cullen, who celebrated his 1,500th NHL game, played 86 of those handed the Panthers a 3-2 loss in overtime. games over parts of two seasons with the Panthers back in 2002-04. Florida has lost its past five games, though the team has earned a point Gudbranson was traded to Pittsburgh from Vancouver just before the in four of them. deadline last week; Florida traded the third overall pick in the 2010 draft Brassard was held out of what would have been his final game with to the Canucks back in 2016. Florida on Feb. 23, then was sent down the hallway to the Avalanche two Although Gudbranson did not factor into the Penguins’ scoring Tuesday, days later when the Panthers were playing in Colorado. he did play into the first Florida goal. General manager Dale Tallon said after the deadline that the pending On Borgstrom’s early power-play goal, his attempted pass to Trocheck free agents who had not been traded — Sheahan being at the top of that went off Gudbranson’s stick and past goalie Matt Murray. list — were players the Panthers had sincere interest in bringing back next season. McCann assisted on Jake Guentzel’s game-tying goal 16 seconds into the second period. “We would like to sign them or else we would have moved them,” Tallon said of the likes of Sheahan and Troy Brouwer. “I’m real happy with — Roberto Luongo started for the Panthers on Tuesday with the injured Riley, he has played real well for us. He’s a piece we would like to keep. James Reimer making the trip and taking the ice for practice.

“He’s a guy who brings a lot to the table, plays hard and can play up and Boughner said he would wait and see how Reimer felt before deciding down the lineup. He brings physicality, size and skill and is an aggressive how the goalie rotation would go the rest of the week. player. I think those are some things we missed in the first half of the season.” Rookie Sam Montembeault is up from AHL Springfield on an emergency recall and would go back when Reimer makes his return. Sheahan, now on his third team in two seasons, says he is open to staying in South Florida. “He gave us a chance to win it,” Boughner said of Luongo, who made 34 saves. “He came up with some big saves at the right time.” “It’s a good possibility,” Sheahan said when asked about returning to the Panthers next season.

“I like it here, like the guys here, and there are a lot of skilled guys here The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 with the potential for a great team. This is a fun group to play with. I like the coaches, the management, ownership. Everything is good here, and it’s a great spot to live. I think it’s a great fit.”

As was the case for Brassard, Sheahan didn’t find a home on the ice right away and was playing some wing before settling into a spot centering one of the bottom two lines.

In the first half of the season, the Panthers had rookie Juho Lammikko centering the fourth line following the opening night injury to Derek MacKenzie.

When Vincent Trocheck returned from injury, Lammikko was sent to the minors with the thinking being that he would return fairly soon. That has yet to happen.

If Sheahan returns next season, the Panthers could probably pencil him in as the fourth-line center with Henrik Borgstrom on the third. Right now, however, it is Sheahan running the third line and logging big minutes.

After being held off the scorecard in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Sheahan has eight goals and 15 points in 66 games with the Pens and Panthers. He has a goal and six points in 17 games with Florida with 16 remaining.

As of last week, Sheahan was still living in a hotel near the beach and sounds like a guy ready to settle into something a little more permanent.

“You hear rumblings and rumors and, in my situation, to a certain extent it (would have) made sense to be dealt,” he said. “But in speaking to Dale, in getting comfortable here and having some fun playing hockey, I 1134589 Los Angeles Kings LA Times: LOADED: 03.07.2019

Matt Luff hopes his latest stay with the Kings lasts a long time

By CURTIS ZUPKE

MAR 06, 2019 | 6:10 PM

Matt Luff hopes his latest stay with the Kings lasts a long time

One of the more important goals that Matt Luff scored this season didn’t happen with the Kings.

It was in a Feb. 20 game for the Reign that Luff took a pass from Matt Moulson and scored on a breakaway against the Stockton Heat. It didn’t register in the big picture — the Reign, like the Kings, aren’t going to make the playoffs — but that play represented a breakthrough for the rookie Luff.

“Once I got my first goal in 2019, I think I re-found my game because obviously I’m a guy that scores, and when I wasn’t doing that, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself,” Luff said. “I kind of put a lot of pressure on myself to come in here and try and put up points and get some goals. I think in Ontario, I found my game and I found my confidence and just realized how I wanted to play. … I think, going down [to the minors], I found that.”

That confidence manifested itself in Luff’s latest call-up. He scored the Kings’ only goal Tuesday against Montreal, and it was his first goal with the Kings since Dec. 15. That gap is partially explained by his shuttle between Ontario and the Kings. This is Luff’s fifth recall this season, a number he would like to reduce.

“I want to show that I can play here and try to earn a spot, and not be a guy who keeps going up and down,” Luff said. “I want to be the guy who stays up and keeps producing day in and day out.”

Going by the numbers, Luff has made a case. His eight goals in 32 games are more impressive considering he averages fewer than 12 minutes a game. He played only seven minutes, six seconds on Tuesday, and his goal was scored on one of his four third-period shifts.

Coach Willie Desjardins said it was a tough situation for Luff to enter. Luff was thrown into a game against the Canadiens and goalie Carey Price. But Desjardins commended Luff when asked what he needs to see to get Luff more minutes.

“He’s got a great shot, and that’s one thing he’s got to keep using, is finding ways to get that shot,” Desjardins said. “He got an opportunity and he put it away, which is great.”

Luff might get more ice time anyway if Austin Wagner is out for an extended period. Wagner was reportedly seen on crutches postgame Tuesday. But part of being a rookie is learning how to work through lost confidence and dry spells, which Luff has done in the minors under Ontario coach Mike Stothers.

Stothers recently criticized Luff postgame for needing an “attitude adjustment,” but Stothers is generally known for his tough-but-positive guidance of younger players through the Kings’ system.

“I think he holds me pretty accountable to how I play,” Luff said. “He’s a big reason that, when they look for a guy to call up, I’m one of those guys. He makes sure I play hard and I play the right way and the way the Kings want me to play.”

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It’s unfortunate that Luff’s recall happened at the expense of Wagner. The two made a sort of pact over the summer to not only make the Kings but to play a significant number of games. Luff said he texts Wagner for support, and vice versa.

“We just work off each other well,” Luff said. “We’re good friends for that.”

Daniel Brickley is cleared to play and is expected to be in the lineup this weekend for Ontario, Stothers told Reign Insider. Brickley has been out since January with a lower-body injury.

1134590 Los Angeles Kings It’s no secret that some goalies freeze the puck strategically to give their team a stop in play. But from a game flow standpoint, there are 22 stoppages per game because of goalies freezing the puck, according to What we learned from the Kings' 3-1 loss to Montreal NHL.com.

Here’s for anything to make the game move faster.

By CURTIS ZUPKE

MAR 06, 2019 | 9:55 AM LA Times: LOADED: 03.07.2019

What we learned from the Kings' 3-1 loss to Montreal

In a season full of new lows and sullen faces, the Kings will have to settle for the bright moments that pop up here and there.

On Tuesday, that was rookie Matt Luff scoring their only goal in a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at Staples Center. It was a glimpse of what’s ahead for the Kings, while the loss itself was a reminder of what’s still here.

Luff scored against a team he grew up rooting for, in a game in which the Kings simply couldn’t match a purposeful Canadiens team and allowed a goal on an unforgivable giveaway.

That might be how it is for the Kings the rest of the way, with flashes of potential mixed with the mediocrity that’s kept them at the bottom of the standings.

Here’s what we learned:

Give Matt Luff more playing time. Luff’s eight goals in 32 games are more impressive considering he averages fewer than 12 minutes a game. He played only seven minutes, six seconds on Tuesday and put three shots on goal in a fourth-line role. His goal was scored on one of his four shifts in the third period.

This is his fifth recall this season.

“I want to show that I can play here and try to earn a spot, and not be a guy who keeps going up and down,” Luff said. “I want to be the guy who stays up and keeps producing day in and day out.”

Luff might get that chance if Austin Wagner is out for an extended period. Wagner was reportedly seen on crutches postgame. Coach Willie Desjardins has said he wants to see the kids play more, to the point where he benched Dion Phaneuf earlier this season to play other defensemen.

Now might be a good time to give Luff that longer look.

“He’s got a great shot, and that’s one thing he’s got to keep using, is finding ways to get that shot,” Desjardins said. “He got an opportunity and he put it away, which is great.”

Is it time to give Jack Campbell more starts? The Kings are not chasing a playoff berth, so there’s no need to ride their No.1 goalie hard at this time of the season. Jonathan Quick made his 13th start in 16 games Tuesday, and for one of those three non-starts he was too ill to dress.

Campbell has typically only given Quick nights off in back-to-back situations, and the Kings have one of those this weekend with games against the Ducks and Arizona Coyotes.

Is it time to adjust the goalie rotation?

Quick has only played 36 games this season, but for a goalie with a significant injury history, it would make sense to lighten his workload. Campbell is still new to the NHL, but he does have a history against Montreal, having earned his first shutout against the Canadiens on Oct.11.

If the Kings are bent on playing the younger players the rest of the way, then Campbell would seem to fall under that category as well.

More games like this, please. Tuesday’s game featured 46 total faceoffs, a remarkably low number in a modern NHL that regularly sees 60-plus faceoffs a game.

The NHL is concerned about the flow of play, specifically cutting down on stoppages. One of the changes it reportedly considered at its general manager meetings this week is not allowing teams to change lines if their goalie holds the puck for a whistle on shots that come from outside the blue line. 1134591 Los Angeles Kings Desjardins took over for John Stevens, who was fired Nov. 4 after a 4-8-1 start. The Kings are 20-26-7 under Desjardins.

THIS AND THAT Kings’ Alec Martinez: Poor season a ‘humbling reminder’ The Kings and Blues have played twice this season with the Kings winning 2-0 on Nov. 19 at St. Louis and 4-3 on Jan. 21 at Staples Center. By Robert Morales | [email protected] | Press Telegram The Blues, who are in playoff position, are paced by forward Ryan O’Reilly, who has 24 goals and 39 assists (63 points). … After Thursday, PUBLISHED: March 6, 2019 at 5:45 pm | UPDATED: March 6, 2019 at the Kings will head out on a brief two-game trip with stops Saturday at 5:45 PM Arizona and Sunday at Honda Center in Anaheim.

EL SEGUNDO — Alec Martinez is in his 10th season playing defense for Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.07.2019 the Kings. There have been ups and downs, but far more ups, as he was part of the Kings’ 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup title teams.

Still, he said he’s never been through anything like what’s happening this season.

With only 56 points with 16 games left to play, not only will the Kings (24- 34-8) almost certainly miss the playoffs for the third time in five seasons since winning the Cup for the second time, they will finish with the fewest points during Martinez’s tenure, other than the 59 the Kings had during the strike-shortened 2012-13 season that was reduced to 48 games.

As he sat down at his locker following practice Wednesday, Martinez fielded the million-dollar question: What can he take from a season like this that can prove beneficial moving forward?

“It’s a humbling reminder,” said Martinez, who scored the Cup-clinching, double-overtime goal in 2014 against the New York Rangers. “I think, perhaps, we … I wouldn’t really say rested on our laurels, but a lot of people talk about 2012 and 2014. But the reality is, that was five years ago, or more. You know, the league’s changing.”

Martinez, 31, knows how he is going to respond to this forgettable campaign.

“It’s a good opportunity to take a good, hard look at yourself individually in terms of your own game,” he said. “As a team game, obviously, it’s been incredibly disappointing the way things have gone. But I think what you can do is just utilize this experience and look at it as an opportunity to get better from it, make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“Like I said, it’s a humbling reminder. We’ve gotta get our act in gear.”

Second-year forward Alex Iafallo was short, and to the point, on the subject.

“Just make sure it never happens again, you know?” he said, of his intentions. “Gotta learn to stick together and bounce back from a season like this, learn from all the mistakes and what you need to do to fix every mistake that you can individually, and as a team.”

It will be a task, for sure. But in a season in which they traded away several players – most notably forward Tanner Pearson and defenseman Jake Muzzin – they can start by making good draft picks in a few months.

As it stands now, the Kings have 10 total picks in the June 21-22 draft. They have all seven of their own, Toronto’s first-round pick, Washington’s in the third round and Calgary’s in the fourth.

DESJARDINS’ TWO CENTS

Interim coach Willie Desjardins is hopeful the sting of an experience like this will in itself be motivation for improvement.

“Well, I think the one thing you get is you never want this feeling again,” said Desjardins, whose team next hosts St. Louis (34-25-6, 74 points) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Staples Center. “That’s just a bad feeling, so you don’t ever want it again.”

He knows what he’d like to see the players do during the offseason.

“You have to look at, ‘What can I do different, how can I prepare different, what do I have to do different to make sure this doesn’t happen again?’ ” Desjardins said. “And then you have to follow through. Right now, we’re practicing better. Our practices are better.

“If we would have been practicing like this all year, I think we could have been better. Saying that, I think each guy’s gotta look at their game and they’ve gotta find a way to improve. One sign of a good player is a player who always wants to be better.” 1134592 Los Angeles Kings

WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: MARCH 6

JON ROSEN

MARCH 6, 2019

GAME STORY

There just wasn’t much of anything Tuesday night at Staples Center – not much juice, or any juju or fortune, and there certainly wasn’t a steady stream of scoring chances directed at either net. After their cathartic offensive outburst was sparked in a fun and sloppy defensive outing on Saturday, they crash landed 3:11 into the ensuing game when Philip Danault beat Anze Kopitar off a faceoff, resulting in a deft, bang-bang Brendan Gallagher deflection of a Victor Mete shot. This was the type of game in which Danault was among the most notable players, and that’s not a complement to its aesthetic appeal. Los Angeles lost important moments, falling behind 1-0 before registering their first shot on goal and holding Montreal without a shot for the first 10 minutes of the second period, only to yield an insurance goal on their first shot after a pair of Sean Walker and Dion Phaneuf turnovers. The Canadiens were never out of control of this game and effectively channeled danger away from Carey Price, who didn’t have to exert himself particularly strenuously until the third period push when the Kings trailed 3-0 and 3-1. This team will not win hockey games without fully invested efforts from the entire lineup, a point in which Tuesday’s game serves as a pretty good example.

At some point there’s got to be a deviation from the types of minutes allotted to several younger players. There also needs to be accountability in their play, and these players will have to learn how to play The Right Way and with the detail consistently necessary to hold important spots in NHL lineup against other good players who’ve also earned the rights to those roles. Recreating this team and strengthening its culture also means ensuring there are no shortcuts or lapses in approach, preparation and work ethic. But was there something inherently wrong in Matt Luff’s play that he was held off the ice for nearly eight minutes between the end of the first period and the beginning of the second? His personal 1.06 GF/60 is tied for 49th in the league among qualified players and the team fell 16 points out of a playoff spot, so wouldn’t this be the time to boost his minutes past the 7:06 he received against Montreal? Walker was pushed back territorially through the night to a greater degree than any other King but still received 18 minutes. There have been sometimes veiled, sometimes more direct assessments of Luff’s work ethic and approach, which has room to improve as a 21-year- old second-year player and late bloomer. As recently as Sunday, Mike Stothers had said that his absence from a late-game Ontario power play was because “Luffer needed an attitude adjustment.” Firming his professional approach will be paramount in cultivating and enhancing his skill, but what’s the motivation to withhold him if he’s a 21-year-old on the active roster of a non-playoff team? Who ahead of him went out of their way to earn their minutes on Tuesday?

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134593 Los Angeles Kings Just get back in and help the team as best as I can, help the team in any way I can. I said it earlier, but to be back with the guys, I was away from it all, I felt a little out of the loop. Being in the locker room, it’s good. Guys REIGN: BRICKLEY “ABSOLUTELY CLEARED TO PLAY” IN TUCSON are laughing and having a good time, it brings everyone’s spirits up a THIS WEEKEND little bit. Just get back and help the team win.

On whether getting back into the lineup can be an outlet for him

ZACH DOOLEY One-hundred percent. Hockey’s kind of an escape for me. Once I’m on the ice, I don’t think about the outside noise. When I’m out there, it’s my MARCH 6, 2019 job and I’m not thinking about anything else except playing hockey and helping the guys. It’s just an escape.

Daniel Brickley is ready to go. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.07.2019 He is “absolutely cleared to play and he will 100 percent be in the lineup [this weekend in Tucson],” Ontario Reign Head Coach Mike Stothers said after today’s practice.

Brickley is going on two months out of the lineup, a stretch which began on January 9 in San Jose, as he suffered a lower-body injury against the Barracuda. Brickley got tangled up going into the corner with San Jose forward Antti Suomela and was unable to get up afterwards, as he was helped off the ice by Ontario Athletic Trainer Jeff Andrews and his teammates.

After what’s been a big rehab effort from Brickley, the Reign expect to have the services of the 6-3 defenseman this weekend in Tucson. Brickley’s season has consisted of 26 AHL games and four NHL games with the Kings and he seemed to be playing his best hockey at the AHL level right before his injury in January. With three regulars – Sean Walker, Matt Roy, Kurtis MacDermid – up with the Kings, and just six other defensemen currently on the Reign roster, Brickley should have the opportunity to not only re-enter the lineup, but to be a contributor as well.

Ontario travels to Arizona tomorrow to play a back-to-back set in Tucson against the Roadrunners, beginning on Friday evening at 6:05 PM Pacific. Friday’s game was announced as the AHL’s Facebook Watch Game of the Week – Fans can visit the AHL’s Facebook Page and watch Friday’s game free of charge.

Stothers on Brickley’s opportunity on the blueline

Absolutely. He’s been out a while, so he’s anxious to get back in the lineup and we’re anxious to get him back in the lineup. I think it’s one of those situations where we know he’s done all the work to make sure he’s healthy and we are somewhat thin on the backend with a lot of games coming up on the road, so we’re going to need everybody. It’ll be nice to get big Bricks back in the lineup. He’s a big man, moves well, moves the puck, has a good reach, a heavy shot. It’s been a bit of a frustrating year for him, so we’re looking at this as an opportunity for him to have a fresh start and use the remaining games, basically as his season.

Stothers on what he’s looking for from Brickley over the rest of the season

I’m not looking for him to do anything, I’m just looking for him to be Daniel Brickley. He doesn’t have to go out there and be flashy or anything, [don’t] force things, just play. Just play like you’re trying to contribute, not be the difference maker, just come in and there should be a lot of weight off of his shoulders, with the way that things have gone in the first half. Just come in and be a contributing member of the team. We’re not asking anybody on our team to be “the answer” or “the thing.” Just come in, play, play to his strengths and I think he’ll be effective for us.

Brickley on being excited to return to the lineup

Yeah, it’s been a long time, I think it’s been eight weeks this Friday I believe. I was cleared a week and a half, two weeks ago but I was home with family…I’m really excited. It’s something that I’ve been eager and looking forward to get back to playing with the guys and just being around the guys. It should be fun.

On practicing with an end in sight, as opposed to rehabbing

Yeah, it definitely makes it a little bit easier. When you’re day-to-day and conditioning, sometimes you might just be going through the motions, but now that I’m cleared, I’m back, I’m ready to go, my now conditioning is working, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. We have games this weekend, good contests against Tucson and Colorado coming up, it gives yourself a little motivation to get going again.

On what he’s trying to bring in his return to the lineup 1134594 Minnesota Wild “I don’t think there’s any reason why we can’t beat them,” Dubnyk said. “We’ve beat a lot of good teams here, and it’s going to be a fun challenge — something that can kind of catapult us forward if we get one there.” NHL's best team — the Lightning — awaits Wild Star Tribune LOADED: 03.07.2019 By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune MARCH 6, 2019 — 11:43PM

TAMPA, Fla. – The teams were still in the Play-Doh phase of the season the last time the Wild and Lightning squared off, switching shapes until eventually settling into a mold that fit their identity. And since a 5-4 overtime win for the Wild on Oct. 20, it’s become clear what Tampa Bay has emerged as and that’s unequivocally the NHL’s best operation — a distinction that will make Thursday’s visit to one of the stiffest matchups the Wild is poised to face during its continued pursuit to lock down a playoff spot in the Western Conference. “It’s just going to be a challenge,” goalie Devan Dubnyk said. “That’s all it is. I think we’re playing good hockey, and you never want to pump up the other team. You just understand they’re a very good hockey team, and we’re going to have to be at our best.” Not only has the Lightning dominated the league by today’s standards, but it’s also measured up to historical greatness. Tampa Bay’s 106 points are 17 more than the No. 2 Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division, and it recently tied the NHL record for fastest to 50 wins by reaching it in just 66 games. Amid that mind-boggling pace, the team is within striking distance of the record for most points in a season (132) held by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens. A look at the NHL standings by division, conference and wild card races. Winger Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL in points with 108, which has already tied Tampa Bay’s franchise record for most in a season, and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has won 10 in a row. The Lightning is also a spotless 8-0 in its past eight home games. “They are, I think, a cut above most of the teams in the league,” coach Bruce Boudreau. “It’ll be a great test.” This isn’t the same Wild team, though, either. After an early surge then a midseason swoon, the team’s regained form as a plucky competitor — a turnaround endorsed by its current season-high seven-game point streak (5-0-2). But while consecutive shootout losses to the Predators maintained that run, they also exposed some potential trouble spots that could undermine the Wild’s effort to continue this productivity. The power play is in an 0-for-8 rut, with the slide being exacerbated in the 5-4 shootout loss Tuesday in Nashville since the Wild failed to register a shot on goal in any of its four chances — which included a 4- on-3 look in overtime. “We’re a little impatient,” winger Jason Zucker said. “We’re trying to make plays really quick. We have a little more time. I think we gotta get on the same page a little bit more.” Building that chemistry is a process while welcoming new players into the mix, but recent acquisition Kevin Fiala seems to be getting more comfortable; he scored two goals Tuesday, while fellow winger Pontus Aberg had one — both their firsts with the Wild. Where the Wild still looks out of sorts, though, is at the beginning of the first period since the Predators converted in first half of the frame in each game. “Our starts are the things that hurt us the most,” Boudreau said “The first seven minutes of the game, it’s like we dip our toe in the water and see how the game is going to go and then react to it. We definitely can’t do that against Tampa because they get leads [and then] they prey on you because then you have to open up.” How the Wild has fared with a lead in the third period has also been an issue. In both contests, the Predators scored tying goals in the period; during the 3-2 shootout decision Sunday, Nashville capitalized with 4 minutes, 19 seconds to go. But the Wild still managed to bank a point, which has been critical to its playoff push and reinforcing its resilience, and that could certainly come in handy against the Lightning. 1134595 Minnesota Wild

Gameday preview: Wild at Tampa Bay

MARCH 6, 2019 — 9:37PM

The trip does not get easier Preview: The Wild’s three-game road trip continues with a stop in Tampa Bay to close out its season series with the Lightning. During a day off Wednesday, the Wild recalled winger Matt Read under emergency conditions. Tampa Bay is coming off a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, which was its 12th win in the past 13 games. Players to WATCH: Lightning F Nikita Kucherov, who leads the NHL in points with 108, averages 19 minutes, 39 seconds in ice time. F Brayden Point’s team-leading 37 goals are among the most in the league. G Andrei Vasilevskiy has a career .933 save percentage vs. the Wild. Numbers: Tampa Bay has outscored its opponents 56-26 in its past 13 games. The Lightning has scored five or more goals (including shootout- deciding goals) in 28 of its 67 games. The Wild is 7-2-2 in its past 11 road games. Injuries: Wild Fs Victor Rask (lower body) and Mikko Koivu (torn ACL and meniscus) and D Matt Dumba (torn pectoral) are out.

Sarah McLellan Star Tribune LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134596 Minnesota Wild every major statistical category including goals per game (3.93), first for power play (28.9 percent) and No. 1 on the penalty kill (86 percent).

Dubnyk acknowledged the obvious with short-changing the Wild. Kevin Fiala shows Wild — and his former team — what he can do “I think we’re playing good hockey, and you never want to pump up the other team,” Dubnyk said. “You just understand they’re a very good By Brian Murphy | [email protected] | Pioneer Press hockey team and we’re going to have to be at our best, but I don’t think there’s any reason why we can’t beat them. PUBLISHED: March 6, 2019 at 12:29 pm | UPDATED: March 6, 2019 at 12:30 PM “We’ve beaten a lot of good teams here, and it’s going to be a fun challenge,— something that can kind of catapult us forward if we get one there.” NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kevin Fiala walked out of the visitors’ dressing room at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday night, turned left through the double doors separating the clubs and greeted former Nashville Pioneer Press LOADED: 03.07.2019 teammate Filip Forsberg with a smile and bear hug. The scene was a far cry from the scrum that erupted between the new combatants shortly before Fiala scored the tying goal with 2:18 left in the third period to ensure Minnesota would earn at least one point in the Predators’ second straight shootout victory over the Wild. Sticks were swung. Punches were thrown. Laughs ensued. Bygones were bygones. “It was just emotion,” Fiala told reporters afterward. “Really wanted to win that game, especially when we lost in Minnesota. I got mad somehow. There were three or four minutes to go. I really wanted to win that game. That’s all. That’s it. “I love that guy.” Two games against the Predators brought out the best in Fiala, whom the Wild acquired Feb. 25 from Nashville in exchange for Mikael Granlund. Fiala bagged a pair of goals Tuesday and came within an eyelash of his first career hat trick — this after he fired four shots on goal during the Predators’ shootout victory Sunday at Xcel Energy Center. Playing top-six minutes and on the power play, Fiala betrayed the scorer’s instincts that made him a 2014 first-round draft choice who went on to post 23 goals and 48 points during his first full season in Nashville. In the first period, he deked all-star defenseman P.K. Subban wide down the left wing and sniped a short-side goal on Pekka Rinne. Late in the third, with goaltender Devan Dubnyk pulled for the extra attacker, Eric Staal won an offensive-zone faceoff right to Fiala, whose quick release beat Rinne cleanly to tie the score 4-4. Then, in overtime, Fiala coiled around the blue line, slipped into the slot and let go a wrist shot that was labeled for the far corner before Rinne flashed his glove to rob his former mate of a hat trick. “I shot it through (Ryan) Ellis’ legs and I didn’t think (Rinne) saw it,” Fiala said. “Obviously he saved it.” Coach Bruce Boudreau called it a “great shot, and probably a better save.” “He showed that he’s got some pretty good skills,” Boudreau said of Fiala. “They were on display today.” It was an emotional homecoming for Fiala, who raced home to pack a suitcase and spend some time with his house-sitting girlfriend, mother and grandmother. A rare home-and-home against his former employer following last week’s trade, and now Fiala is ready to move forward with establishing himself in Minnesota during this playoff drive. “It’s pretty nice to get it over with,” he said. “I would have been a little sad if I had to come back next year. Now it’s over and it’s done. We’ve got to look forward and go on to (Tampa).” LIGHTNING HOT The Wild have been in the scheduling meat-grinder for more than a week and they are about to face their toughest test of all — Thursday’s game against the NHL’s top team by far, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning trounced visiting Winnipeg 5-2 on Tuesday to improve their record to 51-12-4 (106 points). Entering play Wednesday they were a whopping 17 points ahead of the Boston Bruins atop the Eastern Conference. “Well, I mean, we’re playing OK, but they are I think a cut above most the teams in the league,” Boudreau said. “It’ll be a great test.” The Wild defeated Tampa Bay 5-4 in overtime Oct. 20 at the X during a six-game winning streak. Since then, the Lightning are close to leading 1134597 Minnesota Wild young guys coming up. They have a good year, and then they have a little bit of a dip. If you’re good enough and you’re mature enough to handle it, you’ll get back to where you were at and you’ll level off and be Kevin Fiala had an eventful return to Nashville, but the Predators made the player that you’re going to be.” the right choice to trade him It was easy to watch Fiala on Tuesday and lament what might’ve been if only he played with more consistency, but the Predators made the right choice. By Adam Vingan Although Granlund was invisible in his home debut and played on a line Mar 6, 2019 with Kyle Turris and Craig Smith that was creamed at 5-on-5 before being disassembled (6.48 expected goals percentage), he is a better fit for the Predators at this stage of their championship window. Granlund is more or less an evolved version of Fiala, the kind of player the Predators Perhaps it was fitting, maybe even inevitable, that Kevin Fiala scored hoped Fiala would grow to be under their care. (Of course, there is twice against the Predators on Tuesday. obvious risk in trading a 22-year-old under team control for a 27-year-old First, he disoriented P.K. Subban with a stutter step that opened enough whose next contract figures to be expensive.) space for him to sling a wrist shot past Pekka Rinne. Then, with It’s too simple to say that the trade should act as a wake-up call for Fiala, regulation creeping toward a close, he blasted the tying goal off a faceoff but there’s no doubt that he has reached a pivotal moment of his young because of course he did. (Just imagine if Fiala would’ve notched his first career. hat trick, which he came pretty close to doing in overtime.) “When I was traded, the first thing you do is look yourself in the mirror Where was this Fiala during 64 mostly maddening games with the and you say, ‘Why did I get traded?’ Why did somebody want to move Predators this season? If he would’ve done more of what he did me?’ You’ve got to analyze your own game and yourself,” Johansen said. Tuesday, then he probably wouldn’t have been traded to the Minnesota “I think when he does that, or if he does that, then he should understand Wild last week. what I touched on, that he needs to be a professional every day. It’s But that’s the thing about Fiala. His natural talent and ability to generate there. He’s got the traits. It’ll come. With being a young guy, you focus on offense, both of which were on display Tuesday in his homecoming, are scoring goals and getting points and doing fancy things. That’s good, and undeniable, but he too often teases you with them. The Predators were you’ll do some good things, but for being a counted-on guy to help your done waiting for Fiala to figure it out, so off he went. team win, that’s not usually a successful recipe. “It’s disappointing when you give up on a young player,” Predators “For Kev, it’s just about looking himself in the mirror and having an general manager David Poile said on the day he traded Fiala, 22, for understanding of what he needs to do to contribute to the team every day Mikael Granlund. “I think there’s no question that he will be a goal scorer, and every game and not just being a creative player but being a winner.” and so we’re going to have be hearing and reading about that for years to come since he’s such a young player. From that standpoint, I wish it would’ve worked out here.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 The Predators’ video tribute to Fiala, which he shared with Anthony Bitetto, was 18 seconds long. It felt like an appropriate end to his Predators career: long enough to acknowledge his contributions over parts of five seasons without overselling them. Fiala was careful with his words Tuesday morning, not wanting to dissect the circumstances surrounding the trade. “I feel like I have a good opportunity here, and I’m going to take it, for sure, and not take it for granted,” Fiala said. “I’m very thankful for (Wild GM) Paul Fenton to make this opportunity for me. I’m going to do everything to really give it back to him for the trade, not just accept it and do whatever with it, you know?” Predators center Ryan Johansen, who, like Fiala, was a lottery pick who fell out of favor with his original team, can empathize with his situation. “I had a lot of things to learn,” Johansen said. “We had a team that struggled in Columbus in my first few years. It was a difficult time just with learning on my own and understanding how to be a professional, and I think that’s Kevin’s biggest thing. “Everybody knows Kevin has a lot of talent, and he’s got tons of skill. You can see that every time he gets the puck. But like I did, he needs to understand how to be more of a professional and understanding that there’s a lot more to the game of hockey than just going out and making plays and being creative. It took me a long time to learn. … He just needs to show his teammates that he can play at both ends of the rink every shift and be counted on as a guy to help their team win. That’s something that’s sometimes hard for young players. I think once he learns that part of it, then he’ll be a very successful player in this league.” By his own admission, Fiala hasn’t always been easy to manage. Maturity remains a work in progress, and he required more tough love than any player on his now-former team. But the signs of improvement are there, at least according to Wild assistant coach Dean Evason. “What I’ve seen personally is how mature Kevin Fiala is,” said Evason, formerly the head coach of the Predators’ top minor league affiliate in Milwaukee. “You look back, I think he was 19 when he first came to us in Milwaukee. He was a kid. He is a mature human being now. He’s really grown up, and I’m saying that off the ice obviously, but his maturity on the ice has been very impressive for me. His teammates clearly appreciate his skill level, but he’s a real, real good teammate and wants to succeed, wants to win as much as he wants to score goals. I think that’s a huge feather (in his cap) for him, how far he’s come in all areas of his maturity on and off the ice. “A lot of guys have come to the National Hockey League and had success, and then it’s get harder. … It’s not just Kevin Fiala. It’s a lot of 1134598 Montreal Canadiens Missing Ramos may not have altered the result, but the sight of him sitting upstairs, tending his brand while the team burns, will be the defining image of this catastrophe. Real Madrid’s problems run much deeper than the bench Soccer stars understand how theatre works. So in the aftermath, there was no North-American-style, “our backs are against the wall” gibberish. CATHAL KELLY “We lost it all,” fullback Dani Carvajal said, capturing the funereal mood. Then he ran off in tears. TORONTO The club’s body was quickly transported from the mixed zone to the PUBLISHED 12 HOURS AGO media room so that the media could begin their autopsy. UPDATED MARCH 6, 2019 This rot started last spring with Cristiano Ronaldo agitating for – and eventually getting – a transfer out of Spain. Which in turn led to dissent in the ranks. Which in turn led to then manager Zinédine Zidane deciding to quit. At current market rates, the Real Madrid roster is worth about a billion euros, or $1.5-billion. That doesn’t include any of the club’s tangible At his going-away do, Real’s loudmouth chairman Florentino Perez assets. That’s just the players’ transfer value. described Zidane’s departure as “a sad day.” You could sell them, recruit a dozen random guys you found hanging out “It’s not a sad day for me,” Zidane replied. in a parking lot and put the total value of the Montreal Canadiens in your pocket. The good times, they were a-endin’. That’s not a hypothetical. That’s a suggestion. Real should do that. Start Always seeking the hot thing, Real poached Julen Lopetegui from the fresh. Spanish national team to be its new coach. Unfortunately, it did it hours before the start of the World Cup. Enraged at Real’s sense of By some measures, Real is the biggest sports club in the world. It is entitlement, the Spanish team fired Lopetegui immediately. certainly the most recognized. There is no desolate corner of the Earth where you will not find at least one kid wearing the Real crest. To say Lopetegui is responsible for the train wreck that followed doesn’t capture how ineffective he was. In order to wreck, a train must first leave That ubiquity has been parlayed into the prestige necessary to establish the yard. Lopetegui managed to blow up the lead engine while turning sustained excellence. It’s one thing to have the money to buy the best the ignition. He lost as many games in two months (6) as Zidane players. Plenty of clubs do. It is another to expect the best players will managed in his first two years (7). always choose you. That’s real power. Lopetegui was fired, replaced by Real Madrid B manager Santiago That is why the past week is such a disaster for Real. We aren’t watching Solari. The decline accelerated. Though Solari was only an interim a formerly great team lose. We are watching a carefully curated replacement, he is widely expected to be sacked soon. Only Real fires its mythology come apart at the seams. temps. In the space of seven days, Real has been knocked out of the Copa del The problem runs much deeper than the bench. All of a sudden, you Rey, lost the Spanish league and been eliminated from the Champions realize that Real isn’t all that good. Too old, too slow, too dreary. Ajax ran League at the Round of 16 stage. literal rings around it. The Champions League loss on Tuesday – a 4-1 demolition by Ajax of The usual Real template would be to turn the soil. Fire everyone; buy Amsterdam that occasionally viewed like a soccer skills demonstration – replacements. But it’s no longer clear that the will was the nadir. choose Madrid. The stench of death is about the place. This wasn’t David beating Goliath. It was David pantsing Goliath in front FIFA Fair Play rules now prevent a wealthy club from going truly bananas of a half-billion of Goliath’s friends. on the transfer market. Plus, Middle East oil money pays a better wage in places such as Paris and Manchester. Drowned in Their Own Blood was one headline in the Spanish press. In the short term, it’s more likely that Real will slowly bleed out, allow One commentator called it “Cristianicide” – a sweet Ronaldo reference. some of its stars to leave so that it can rid itself of dissenters and find “A sign of Armageddon,” another columnist wrote. some balance. “Go out into the streets, kill your neighbours and eat their flesh,” wrote … It goes to show – there is no such thing as patenting the winning formula well, okay, no one wrote that. But you’ll agree that they do get delightfully in sports. Eventually, the ground shifts under everyone, no matter how worked up about soccer in Spain. steady they look. That chaos is the only thing that can be guaranteed. The dramatic edge to the evening was best captured by Real’s captain, Sergio Ramos. Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.07.2019 Ramos may be the most talented sports weasel ever. In Canadian terms, he’s Bob Probert, if Bob Probert was Bobby Orr. Though not the best of Real’s current golden generation, his unapologetic ruthlessness has defined the team. Ramos was the man who judo-flipped Mo Salah in last year’s Champions League final, winning the game in the first 20 minutes. I’m not being literary there – the European Judo Union scolded Ramos for using dangerous “waki-gatame” technique on his opponent. Ramos was the man who prompted Lionel Messi – usually as serene as a turnip – to frothing rage over the weekend when they met. A sneaky trip is one thing, but it was the sneaky punch in the face that got Messi’s attention. And Ramos was also the man who sat out Tuesday’s humiliation because he had purposely sought a suspension. He wanted a clean disciplinary slate going into the quarter-final portion of the tournament, and so fouled himself out. He even admitted as much afterward, which was a tiny bit contemptuous of Ajax. Then Real got wiped out. That was already bad. What made it much worse is that Ramos showed up Tuesday in his civvies along with a documentary crew. Amazon is making an eight-part series about his life. Cameras threw up to Ramos in a luxury box, pantomiming despair while a shooter stood three feet from him, recording. 1134599 Montreal Canadiens

Can the Canadiens finally win a game in San Jose this century?

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: March 6, 2019

SAN JOSE — How long has it been since the Canadiens won a game in San Jose? For starters, the last Canadiens win here was in the last century. Jesperi Kotkaniemi hadn’t been born. The game was played in the same building where the Canadiens will play the San Jose Sharks Thursday (10:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS TSN-690 Radio), but it has undergone three name changes since it was known simply as the San Jose Arena. “20 years,” coach Claude Julien snapped Wednesday when the subject came up. The last Montreal win was on Nov. 23, 1999. It took a Saku Koivu goal in overtime to give the Canadiens a 3-2 victory. Since then, the Sharks have beaten the Canadiens in 11 consecutive home games, winning nine times in regulation, once in overtime and once in a shootout. Julien was behind the Montreal bench for two of those losses, in 2003 and 2004. Julien seems to hoping that law of averages will catch up to the Sharks. “Right now, we’re just looking at what we’re facing,” Julien said. “We’re trying to win as many games as we can. You know this is a tough building, but then again, sooner or later we’re going to win a hockey game in this building and were hoping it’s going to be tomorrow. We’re going to do whatever we can to change that outcome.” The Canadiens opened their three-game swing through California with a 3-1 win over the hapless Los Angeles Kings Tuesday, but they didn’t improve their position in the four-team race for the final three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference because the other teams involved also picked up points. The win gave the Canadiens 79 points and they maintained possession of the second wild-card spot. But Montreal has to be aware of Columbus. The Blue Jackets are two points back, but they have a game in hand. San Jose is the first half of a back-to-back set. With the Canadiens going to Anaheim Friday, Julien has a decision to make regarding his goaltending. Does he go with Carey Price in both games? Does he go with Antti Niemi here and hope he steals a point or two while saving Price for what should be a winnable game in Anaheim? Price has a 2-9-1 career record against the Sharks, and while Julien said he takes past records into consideration, he also said: “Your No. 1 goalie should always be your No. 1 goalie no matter where you play.” Julien has already decided that rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi will spend at least one more game watching from the press box. The 18-year-old Finn was a healthy scratch for the first time Tuesday. His replacement, Jordan Weal, scored the winning goal in his first game as a Canadien. After practice Wednesday, Kotkaniemi said he was fine with Julien’s decision. “The coach knows what he’s doing,” Kotkaniemi said. “He told me he’s done this before with young players and I trust him to do what’s best for me. “I‘ve said many times, it’s been my year to learn many things,” Kotkaniemi added. San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said Erik Karlsson won’t face the Canadiens. The two-time Norris Trophy winner is nursing a strained groin and the Sharks don’t want to risk further injury this late in the season. But forward Evander Kane is expected to be back in the lineup after missing time with what was described as a “mid-body” ailment.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134600 Montreal Canadiens significant uptick in goals. And Lehkonen still provides very good value given that he’s on an entry-level contract.

If he starts generating more quality chances, as he did in his rookie year, Analyze This: Canadiens' Lehkonen transitions from scorer to playmaker the goals might start to flow. But even without the goals, Lehkonen has shown he is a useful player. MARC DUMONT, SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE Updated: March 6, 2019 Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.07.2019

In a stark contrast to last season’s debacle, almost everything has gone right for the Montreal Canadiens in 2018-19. Carey Price has returned to form, Jesperi Kotkaniemi has enjoyed a very good rookie season, several forwards are enjoying career years and the Canadiens are among the best 5-on-5 teams in the NHL, ranking fourth overall. More importantly, they’ve remained relatively healthy, which is a crucial aspect when it comes to maintaining a good record in the NHL. Talent is important, so is work ethic, but injuries will derail even the best teams. Though they’re in the fight of their lives to secure one of the two wild-card playoff spots — due to the artificial parity of the NHL’s three-point system, the improvements across the board this season are impossible to ignore. But there’s one player in particular who has drawn the ire of fans and analysts: Artturi Lehkonen. Brendan Gallagher has managed to fill the net at will, while Lehkonen, who has seven goals and 24 points, has struggled through a 29-game scoring drought, unable — or unwilling — to even put one in an empty net. There’s clearly a mental aspect at play, including an obvious lack of confidence, but his season overall probably hasn’t been as bad as you might think. For openers, while he’s been on the ice the Canadiens have maintained a healthy control of the shots and goals, 53.4 per cent and 53.7 per cent, respectively. Those numbers are good, but compared with his teammates, they are fairly average. Essentially, he doesn’t hurt his team during 5-on-5 play, though he’s not driving offence as well as he has in the past. When it comes to his overall production, there’s been an interesting shift in where and how he contributes offensively. During his rookie campaign (2016-17) which saw him score a career-high 18 goals, he was a much more of a sniper than a playmaker. But this season, he’s turned into a playmaker, and has actually eclipsed his points/60 production from his first year in the league. Additionally, most of his assists have been of the primary variety, therefore he’s not padding his numbers with secondary assists. While his overall 5-on-5 production has improved, we still have no explanation for why his goal-scoring rate has plummeted. Some of it has to do with confidence, but there are also statistical reasons, including his shot rates. Lehkonen is taking fewer shots, and consequently, is generating far fewer individual high-danger scoring chances. It’s also worth noting that the decline in high-danger opportunities does not line up whatsoever with the lowered shot rate, meaning it’s not just a quantity issue, but a quality issue as well. When it comes to his defensive play, his takeaway numbers have increased and he’s stealing the puck more than ever. But he’s also hitting more and blocking more shots, a clear indication he’s spending more time chasing the play in his own zone. In many ways, Lehkonen’s 18-goal rookie season was a somewhat of a Pyrrhic victory because of the effect it had on his perceived value. In general, young players are expected to improve every season. If a rookie scored 20 goals, they should score 25 the next season. But that’s rarely the case. It set the bar far too high for Lehkonen. The expectations were that he would become a solid contributor offensively, while maintaining his position as one of the Canadiens’ best defensive forwards. He still does the latter admirably, but it might be time to readjust our expectations when it comes to his goal-scoring. It’s starting to look like his rookie year was the outlier, rather than the two following seasons. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there’s a reason to panic. He’s played a little over 200 games in the NHL, which is the roughly the same amount Max Domi had played prior to his trade to the Canadiens and his 1134601 Montreal Canadiens

In the Habs' Room: Carey Price downplays milestone in Los Angeles

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: March 6, 2019

LOS ANGELES — Carey Price doesn’t get excited very often, and he had a predictably low-key response Tuesday after he tied a team record that has stood for 55 years. “It’s a pretty cool accomplishment and I’m proud of how long it’s been throughout my career and all the things leading up to this point,” Price said after he beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 for his 314th win. That tied the team record set by the late Jacques Plante, who played his last game for the Canadiens in 1963. “I’m obviously proud of the accomplishment so far, but I don’t think I’m anywhere near the end of it,” said Price, who has seven years remaining on his contract with the Canadiens. “I want to continue to have success in this league and continue to push the envelope.” Defenceman Shea Weber, who contributed a goal to the Montreal effort, has no doubts Price will continue to shine. “It’s big, but it’s going to be even bigger when he breaks it,” said Weber. “It’s special, a very special record,” offered Brendan Gallagher, who opened Tuesday’s scoring with his 30th goal of the season. “I’ve been playing with him for the past seven years. He’s the best there is and I’m lucky to see him every game.” “It’s quite an accomplishment, and he deserves it,” chimed in coach Claude Julien. “He’s been through some good years and some tougher years, but for the most part he’s always stood tall and done a great job. You don’t reach those records without being good and finding ways to have success. Deservingly, tonight was a good game for him and a good game for our team.” While Price’s milestone is impressive, it was also predictable. The focus in the Canadiens locker room after the game was the ongoing playoff race in the Eastern Conference. “It’s huge,” Price said of the win. “I thought we played very well from the drop of the puck. We haven’t had a ton of success here, but we were able to put that behind us and put together a solid effort.” The Canadiens knew they needed that effort. The teams they are battling for a playoff spot — Pittsburgh and Columbus — both won earlier Tuesday, while Carolina, which is trying to stay ahead of those teams, picked up a point with an overtime loss. That’s why it was hard to get some players to talk about individual efforts, like Gallagher’s 30th goal. “It’s nice to win a game,” said Gallagher. “You’re just trying to win games, and that’s my job: to score goals. My linemates have done an unbelievable job, making it easy for me. It’s just a lot more fun when you’re winning.” Gallagher tipped a shot from Victor Mete, who wasn’t overly upset that he might have missed an opportunity to score his first NHL goal. “We won a hockey game,” said Mete. “I was pretty sure my shot was deflected and I saw Gally in front.” He picked up another assist on defence partner Weber’s goal, but he was most proud of the pair’s work in shutting down the Kings’ top line of Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Tyler Toffoli. “I thought we kept them from getting many scoring chances,” said Mete. The L.A. line combined for three shots on goal and had five shots blocked. The winning goal was supplied by Jordan Weal, who was playing his first game for the Canadiens. He had four shots on goal and was also the team’s best faceoff man, winning six of his nine draws.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134602 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens' Jordan Weal makes a winning debut as Los Angeles Kings fall

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: March 6, 2019

LOS ANGELES — Jordan Weal’s debut with the Canadiens was a memorable one, as he scored a goal to help the Canadiens to post a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday at the Staples Center. Weal, who was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes at the trade deadline last week, gave the Canadiens a 2-0 lead when he scored at 10:07 of the second period. The goal goes into the books as an unassisted effort, but it wouldn’t have been possible without a strong forecheck by Joel Armia. He pressured veteran defenceman Dion Phaneuf, who made a rookie mistake by carrying the puck in front of his own net. He turned the puck over to Weal, who beat Jonathan Quick with a shot from the slot. Weal’s shot became the game-winner when Matt Luff scored midway through the third period to spoil Carey Price’s shutout bid. Price, who missed practice Monday because of the flu, had a memorable night: he posted his 314th regular-season victory, which ties him with the late Jacques Plante for the most wins by a Canadiens goaltender. The victory allowed the Canadiens to hold on to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 79 points, but the race for the final playoff spots remains tight, because Montreal’s rivals all picked up points earlier Tuesday. Pittsburgh edged Florida 3-2 in overtime. The Penguins also have 79 points, but they have an edge over Montreal because they have played one fewer game. Columbus needed a shootout to beat New Jersey 2-1. The Blue Jackets remain in ninth place in the East with 77 points, but they also have a game in hand on the Canadiens. Brendan Gallagher ran his goal-scoring streak to four games when he deflected Victor Mete’s shot from the blue line to open the scoring at 3:11 of the first period. It was goal No. 30 for Gallagher, who had a career- high 31 last season. Captain Shea Weber provided the Canadiens with some more insurance when he scored at the 41-second mark of the third period. He scored on a shot from the point after Phaneuf failed to clear the puck. It was Weber’s 10th of the season, and he became the 11th Canadiens player to hit double digits in goals. Weal replaced Jesperi Kotkaniemi at centre on the third line with Jonathan Drouin and Armia. It was the first time this season that Kotkaniemi has been a healthy scratch. Coach Claude Julien said the 18- year-old had hit a wall and needed some rest. Weal also replaced Kotkaniemi on the power play, but the Canadiens enjoyed only one advantage and predictably came up empty. They are now 1-for-25 over their last 11 games. The Canadiens continue their California trip with games Thursday in San Jose and Friday in Anaheim. The San Jose game poses the biggest challenge — the Canadiens have lost 11 consecutive games in San Jose. Their last win there was in 1999, when the SAP Center was known simply as the San Jose Arena.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134603 Montreal Canadiens • Brendan Gallagher – Phillip Danault – Tomas Tatar: Now you can say it. Brendan Gallagher is a proven 30-goal scorer. The last Montreal right winger with back-to-back 30-goal seasons was Michael Ryder who hit the Melnick’s GBU: The Canadiens depart L.A. grateful, rather than the usual net precisely 30 times in both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. The dead last forward on the Habs who consistently managed to deflect or redirect pucks past opposing as often as Gallagher does was a 60- goal scorer named Steve Shutt. Danault had another strong game at both ends of the ice while setting up Montreal’s third goal and again By Mitch Melnick winning the majority of his faceoffs, as he slowly climbs closer to the 55 per cent mark. Tatar had some trouble handling the puck but managed to Mar 6, 2019 wave his stick in front of Jonathan Quick to take Quick’s eyes away from the shot by Shea Weber that gave Montreal a three goal lead. It’s the one state, three-games-in-four-days pogo stick road trip. • Jordan Weal-Joel Armia-Jonathan Drouin: It took Weal less than 10 shifts to do something Jesperi Kotkaniemi hasn’t been able to do all Start in Southern California in Los Angeles, hop to Northern California in season. His first goal as a Hab – against the team that originally drafted San Jose, before heading south again to Anaheim. him – was a gift. But there was some good work on the play by Armia behind the net and by Drouin who started the play off by jumping on a Now that’s a (not so long) strange trip. loose puck in the corner of the rink to the right of the Kings’ net. Weal But for the Montreal Canadiens the visit might as well all go down in the almost scored on the line’s first shift but couldn’t elevate a loose puck in eastern part of California – in Death Valley. front of the net while he was tied up with rookie defenceman Matt Roy. It was a very good start even if it didn’t end well as there was too much I don’t remember a damn thing about any of those games other than the standing around by the trio while another Kings’ rookie, Matt Luff, was Habs’ manic second period in Anaheim early last season when they set a allowed to walk into the slot and fire his shutout-busting shot past Price franchise record for most shots on goal in a period with 30, enroute to with less than nine minutes to play. Otherwise, Weal came as advertised losing the game 6-2. – smart, quick, shifty, strong on faceoffs (67 per cent) and with an ability to finish. I do remember drinking a lot of coffee while watching these games over the years. I might have even mainlined some caffeine a time or two. I’ve • Shea Weber-Victor Mete: Has Mete been working on his shot? It was got the scars to prove it. (Or was that from a pen and scissors after falling role reversal early when Weber fed Mete for a one-timer that had some off the sofa? Yes, I always keep a pair of scissors close by. It helps me juice on it before Gallagher deflected the puck past Quick to open the cut through the crap.) scoring just three minutes into the game. A few minutes later, they did it again but Mete’s good shot made it all the way to the net where Quick I also recall the better old days when the Canadiens used to treat the was forced into a save up high. Early in the third, Weber snapped an 11- California trip as a real in-season vacation. game goalless drought when he took something off his shot to get it on Montreal’s sage GM Sam Pollock played the original L.A. Kings and the the net while Tatar distracted Quick. The Habs were able to breathe a lot California Golden Seals for suckers after they joined the NHL as part of easier through most of the rest of the game. Mete earned the first two- the original expansion in 1967. (I love the Carolina Hurricanes donning assist night of his young career. But overall, he came out full of the old Hartford Whalers jersey but a real throwback night would feature confidence and was flying, knowing full well he could outskate almost The Golden Seals jersey, and white skates to boot!) anybody on the other side. It was perhaps his best game of the season. The Kings, owned by Jack Kent Cooke with Larry Regan as GM and the • Claude Julien: Whether it was because Kotkaniemi needed a break – Seals, owned by Charles. O. Finley and managed by Frank Selke Jr., the youngest player in the NHL has been part of intense on-ice son of the former Habs GM, were badly victimized by Trader Sam and competition since the Habs’ rookie camp in early September – or took years to undo the damage made by the deals that allowed Pollock to because he has been mostly ineffective on the road this season set up his dynasty of the 1970s. (scoreless in 32 games) or because Julien wanted to see Weal in a third line role instead of skating on the fourth line (“He’s not a checker” – Once in a while Marcel Dionne and Rogie Vachon would help the Kings Pierre McGuire) or a combination of all three, it worked. beat Montreal, and you could usually count on Montrealer Gilles Meloche to stand on his head in goal to stymie Guy Lafleur and company, or to at • Ted Lindsay: Nice touch by the NHL to slap red number 7 stickers on least prolong the inevitable, whenever the Habs visited Oakland. their players helmets following the death of one of the best, toughest and most important figures in NHL history. Think about how Lindsay and But there never was much of an issue until after the Habs took care of Doug Harvey were treated because they had the audacity to try to the Kings to win the 1993 Stanley Cup and a few years later when the organize the first ever Players Association in the 1950s. Lindsay was first newborn Sharks (1991) moved into their more competitive stage. stripped of his captaincy in Detroit by the great NHL ogre that was Jack Adams. (Memo to the NHL – please rename the coach of the year award Since then it’s as if the Habs have skated on their own San Andreas fault to honor or Toe Blake instead.) Then he was traded to line. the lowly (at the time) Chicago Black Hawks. Harvey, the six-time winner Step one, in downtown L.A., is out of the way. Other than the puck on of the Norris trophy with the Habs was banished to the New York Dion Phaneuf’s stick, there were no tremors. Rangers (where he promptly won his seventh Norris). Know your history. But now comes the hard part. THE BAD • Power Play: With a chance to grab an earlier three-goal lead than they The last time the Habs won a game in San Jose, we were all bracing for eventually did, the Habs were punchless against the second-worst the end of the world via the Y2K bug. penalty killing team in the NHL. At least they had a chance to see Weal The Sharks’ home record of 21-5-5 is eclipsed only by Tampa Bay’s 28- operate a bit after Scott Walker was sent off for high sticking Armia late in 5-2. San Jose’s 3.61 goals per game trails only Tampa Bay (3.84) and the second period. Weal won the draw and did complete a couple of Toronto (3.62). The Sharks have the highest scoring defenceman in the tricky passes in tight spaces but once he and the “second” unit left the NHL – Brent Burns with 72 points – and five players with more than 20 ice, it was the usual slow, meandering and just plain bad power play goals including 34-year old Joe Pavelski who is closing in on the second we’ve seen all season. Two bad passes by Tatar and a bad pass by 40-goal season of his career. Shaw and it was over. It’s, as usual, a daunting task. But what better way for the Habs to make • Max Domi-Andrew Shaw-Paul Byron: Not much going on here. Against the earth move than to finally win a game in Northern California? And a slow opponent that they should have been able to jump all over, the trio make it one for the record books with an exclamation point as loud as a managed to combine for just two shots on goal. Byron still looks like he’s falling Redwood? in flu-recovery mode. Besides, isn’t it where the original long, strange trip began? • Nate Thompson-Dale Weise-Artturi Lehkonen: Lehkonen began the game with so much energy, it almost like he felt he could be the next THE GOOD regular to watch a game from the press box. That won’t happen as long as Weise can be scratched. But there was a brief moment in the third • Carey Price: Locked in all the way through even when there were long period with the Habs up 3-0, when Thompson sent the puck to the front stretches of inactivity early in the game. The only thing missing was a of the Los Angeles net where Lehkonen tried to meet up with it but shutout. The only question remaining at this point is whether he can missed because his stick wasn’t on the ice. Hard to say if this trio will still break Jacques Plante’s franchise record for wins by a goaltender in be together in San Jose. If they are, they’re going to have to play better. dramatic fashion/style by stealing a couple of points in The Shark Tank. THE UGLY • Dion Phaneuf: Oooof. That was one ugly rookie mistake made by the soon-to-be 34 year old, 15-year veteran defenceman midway through the game when he handed the puck to Jordan Weal while being chased from behind by Joel Armia. To suggest that Phanuef is playing out the string is an insult to strings everywhere. In 57 games this season he has a goal and four assists. It’s been years since he’s been a top-pairing guy but he still has another two years left on his contract at 5.25 million dollars per year. His 14 minutes played in Tuesday night’s game was sixth among Los Angeles defencemen, typically where he’s been at all season. And yet, when the recent players’ poll in The Athletic had P.K. Subban listed as the most overrated player in the NHL by a wide margin (23 per cent, followed by Patrick Laine at 9 per cent), there was Phaneuf’s name alongside Erik Karlsson’s at 4%. At this stage of his career that’s just not fair. Phaneuf isn’t good enough to be considered overrated.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134604 Montreal Canadiens “The second time she couldn’t make it, but she sent my brother,” Gallagher said.

Who is also a health professional? The (scarred, misshapen) hands of a 30-goal scorer “Nah. But she made sure he had detailed instructions. Which . . . let’s just say he needed them,” he laughed. By Sean Gordon It was also plain that he would need an equipment change. Mar 6, 2019 Warrior used to manufacture most of its gloves in Canada, but by late 2015 most production had moved off-shore. The unofficial count this season for ‘No. 11 goes up the tunnel’ after Still, the company maintains a research and development facility in taking a shot or a slash on the hands stands at five. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, in Montreal’s east-end, and it contains enough foams, plastics, fabrics and sewing equipment to mock up new designs. Given the Canadiens’ offensive reliance on Brendan Gallagher, who can So they got to work. now officially be called an established 30-goal scorer in the NHL after scoring his 30th of the season Tuesday night in Los Angeles, this Using different kinds of padding, they came up with a glove that had a represents a hearts-in-mouths type of situation. stiffer, more protective “back-plate” and also more lateral cushioning. By this point, everyone knows the gory historical details. Because the Montreal plant also designs helmets, they could expose the new gloves to high-impact testing. On Nov. 22, 2015, Johnny Boychuk pinged a slapshot off the back of Gallagher’s left hand. The visual after he shook his glove off – pinkie and “The first couple of goes it was so beefed up, maybe the flexibility wasn’t ring fingers pointing in non-standard directions – is probably best exactly, uh, the greatest,” said Paul. forgotten. The scene was only marginally less gruesome 13 months later In consultation with Gallagher, they eventually settled on a design that when teammate Shea Weber inadvertently clanged one of his trademark sandwiches a section of high-density foam between two lower-density blasts off the same mitt. layers (it required some trial-and-error, a ding or two and some near- That one also required surgery, and adapting to yet another iteration of misses; Gallagher now wears the enhanced padding on both hands, all what Gallagher calls “the new normal”. the time). Here’s what that looks like: the fleshy part of Gallagher’s left hand is “We’ve had pretty much the same design for these last couple of years,” traversed by a pair of pink scars that run roughly parallel to the bottom said Paul. “He’s so low-maintenance. If everyone was like him, I’d have two fingers, and stretch several centimetres south of the knuckles. the easiest job in the world.” If you’re a normally-constituted human, the knuckles will form four distinct Another story about just how easy-going Gallagher is with his equipment: ridges when you make a fist. The minor, rounded peak attached to in the summer of 2014, Paul sent him a flexible plastic blade, which he Gallagher’s pinkie finger looks like it’s been eroded by a few million years fooled around with and eventually shaped into his preferred curve. Then of wind and rain. It’s smaller than geologically younger hills, but still the stick-makers created a mold from which to create his bespoke one- recognizably a hill. The next one over looks like someone practiced some piece stick; it’s a 70 flex, so quite whippy, and features a type of toe light mountaintop removal coal mining. curve that other NHL players have since adopted (and is known, inevitably, as the Gallagher curve). Hold a toothbrush, or a kitchen utensil, while using only your thumb and first two fingers. That’s approximately how Gallagher’s left hand grasped “We still use mold number one for him. Some guys are on to the 16th or the knob of his hockey stick after his surgeries. 17th version of their mold,” Paul said. Now try firing a puck past an NHL goaltender with some behemoth When it comes to hand protection, Gallagher isn’t exactly an outlier. defenceman breathing down the back of your shoulder pads. Multiple players have prodded their glove-makers and team equipment staff to make their gear more resistant to hacks and wayward shots. In 2017-18, the season immediately following his second operation, Some teams – Paul identified the Rangers, Jets, Ducks and Vegas Gallagher somehow managed to score 31 goals. This year he’s reached Golden Knights – have made back-plates mandatory in recent years (the the 30-goal plateau after just 67 games. trend appears to have started with the Tortorella-led New York teams, which were under orders to block any and all shots). Those numbers are impressive enough on their own, but he’s also among the NHL’s top half-dozen goal scorers at even strength, and Gallagher’s post-surgery customization efforts have gone beyond glove according to NaturalStatTrick.com’s data is at or near the top of the design. league in generating high-danger chances and rebounds. He’s also been fiddling more or less constantly with the tape job at the As The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn recently pointed out, he is also butt end of his stick – like a lot of modern NHL shooters, his top hand is leading the league in shot attempts. integral to pulling the blade through a quick release, and also for maneuvering in tight quarters. In fact, he’s demolishing the field – Gallagher averages nearly 26 shot attempts per hour of play, and has a four-shot margin on second place. Stick preparation first involves a few layers of foam under-wrapping, The last player to do that over the course of a season was Alex which athletes often use to protect their skin from athletic tape. That Ovechkin, the premier volume shooter of this or any other generation. provides a spongier surface, which can be built up and otherwise molded And that was nine years ago, basically peak Ovi. to suit however his hand feels in that particular moment. Essentially, it’s a home-made orthotic wedge for his fingers. The effect is completed with a So yeah, Gallagher’s all the way back. In fact he’s better than ever. layer or two of hockey tape. It has been a bumpy road to get here, and traveling it has involved a lot “I’m pretty much always experimenting with the knob, but I feel like I’ve of expertise and ingenuity. gotten it to the point where it’s pretty solid, I can grip the stick without much difficulty now,” he said. “(Former teammate) Torrey Mitchell used to Like that of his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Paul Martineau, his personal do his sticks that way, so I guess I stole the idea from him.” physio (who also happens to be his mom), the Canadiens’ medical and equipment staff, and the people at Warrior Hockey, Gallagher’s purveyor Grip strength is an ongoing battle for Gallagher, and there are times of choice for gloves and sticks. where the hand feels better than others. New normal, etc… Any of them can likely give you the precise tally of the occasions he has Mostly this doesn’t much affect his ability to play his trademark game. It left the bench this year. helps to have the grit, drive and bloody-mindedness to return and do stuff like this: “I hold my breath every time it happens,” said Chris Paul, a Warrior pro rep who has been working closely with Gallagher since the latter’s That shift, on Jan. 3, was his first appearance after leaving the game second year in the league. shaking his left hand after blocking a shot. See, Canadiens fans? You’re not alone. Gallagher’s summer workouts are the stuff of legend, and as he’s adapted to the changes to his body, and this is something almost every The first time Gallagher broke the hand his mother Della, who works as a NHLer must reckon with at some point, he has added arrows to his physiotherapist in Vancouver, flew out to oversee his convalescence and quiver. rehabilitation. While Gallagher has always been uncommonly adept at tipping pucks and whacking at rebounds, he is taking more one-timers than he used to. He is also creating more space for himself in the areas near the faceoff dots and side boards – rather than the netfront and behind the goal – thanks to his ever-improving edge work and stickhandling skills. “You work on that stuff,” he said. “But I still know where I have to go to be successful.” That would be the slot, and the crease, and wherever lesser players fear to tread. There is symmetry in the fact his 30th goal of the year in Los Angeles came on a tip while he was in the midst of engaging with hulking Kings defenceman Derek Forbort just above the hashmark. That’s basically the exact spot Gallagher was occupying on the ice in Dallas when Weber’s shot caught his hand in 2017. But doesn’t being able to reliably hold on to his stick help matters? “It makes a difference,” he allowed in a quick chat this past weekend. And then he quickly switched gears to heap credit on his teammates. “But if you look at the line I’m on, Phil’s a very smart player, he’s going to find you with the puck. And Tuna, you know Tuna doesn’t get a lot of credit for his hockey sense, and smarts, I think we’ve been able to figure out a lot of good areas to go. They’ve found me for a lot of opportunities. It’s been easy for me to do my job this year.” Fair enough. But someone has to take the shots, and absorb the punishment that comes with attempting them at a high rate. And that’s nobody but Brendan Gallagher, mangled claw and all.

The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134605 Nashville Predators Tennessean LOADED: 03.07.2019 Ryan Johansen's slow shootout style quickly frustrating goalies

Paul Skrbina, Nashville Tennessean Published 2:18 p.m. CT March 6, 2019 | Updated 2:55 p.m. CT March 6, 2019

Fool them once, shame on them. Fool them twice, shame on them again. Predators center Ryan Johansen left two different Wild goalies screaming in protest after he converted two shootout-winning scores in a span of three days. It wasn't that Johansen scored. It was how Johansen scored: by fast- forwarding in slow motion. The latest winner occurred Tuesday night, when the Predators won a wild one against the Wild at Bridgestone Arena. Almost-instant replay Like he did during Sunday's shootout victory in Minnesota against Alex Stalock, Johansen used a slow-and-steady-wins-the-race tactic. Stalock complained that Johansen had hit his pad with his stick on the attempt then. On Tuesday, Devan Dubnyk was upset enough that he dubbed Johansen's approach a "mockery," though he admitted when he said that he hadn't yet seen the replay. "It looked like he completely stopped," Dubnyk said. "It's frustrating. That's two games in a row. If he's not stopped, he's not stopped. I don't understand how you can stop at the top of the crease and stand there and stick-handle." Johansen did not break any rules because he stayed in motion toward the goal, and so did the puck. Slow rolled Johansen has converted on all three of his shootout attempts this season, which leads the league. But he was 0-for-6 in the previous two seasons and is 11-for-29 in his career. "I've tried a lot of different things over the years, and that seems to be the only thing that works for me," Johansen said. "I guess I have to keep it going." The move is hardly new for Johansen, who used it while he was with the Blue Jackets. Johansen, who has been criticized for not shooting enough, has been the Predators' not-so-secret weapon in those spots this season. He said the spotlight comes with, well, a spotlight that can create pressure. Slowing things down is the best antidote for Johansen. "It’s a tough spot when all eyes are just on you and you have to go down and make a play," he said. "It’s nice to be able to help the team win and contribute in that way." How'd he do that? Johansen has contributed plenty this season for the Predators, anchoring a top line that for a while was ever-changing thanks to prolonged injuries to Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson. Johansen's 54 points – 43 of which are assists – are tops on the team. But Johansen's teammates remained in a bit of awe Tuesday night about his latest heist. "I don’t know how he does it," Predators captain Roman Josi said of being so patient in shootouts. "I would be way too nervous to hold on to the puck for that long, but he does it every game and he’s pretty good at it." Predator coach Peter Laviolette called it "a nice move." "It’s worked well the past couple times, so that’s a good thing for us," he said. 1134606 Nashville Predators

Predators announce name for new rink in Bellevue

Mike Organ, Nashville Tennessean Published 10:13 a.m. CT March 6, 2019 | Updated 10:34 a.m. CT March 6, 2019

The Predators' new practice rink will be named Ford Ice Center Bellevue. The Predators and Mid-South Ford Dealers on Wednesday announced the name for the facility being built in west Davidson County. The Predators and Ford also announced the naming rights of Ford Ice Center Antioch has been extended five years. “The environment we created at Ford Ice Center Antioch is something we are more proud of than any other initiative we’ve taken on,” Predators President and CEO Sean Henry said in a statement. “We’ve broken down barriers and have grown youth hockey and skating of all ages, in part because of the support we’ve received from Ford for everything we’ve done. Extending our partnership with them into our newest facility in Bellevue is such a natural fit for both sides as we continue to build on the work we started five years ago." The 110,000 square-foot facility in Bellevue will house two sheets of ice and 12 locker rooms. It will offer enough seating to accommodate large USA Hockey and U.S. Figure Skating events in addition to the 2019 NHL Prospects Showcase in September. A number of food options will be available inside the building including a full restaurant and a grab-and-go stand similar to the Twice Daily concession locations at Bridgestone Arena. A Nashville Predators alumni lounge and private party rooms available for rent also will be in the building. “We are proud and excited to be continuing our partnership with Mid- South Ford Dealers at our new, state-of-the-art facility,” Ford Ice Center Bellevue general manager Danny Butler said in a statement. “Ford has taken an active role in helping us become an integral part of the Nashville and Antioch communities, and their support has been instrumental in bringing more ice to Davidson County."

Tennessean LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134607 Nashville Predators young guys coming up. They have a good year, and then they have a little bit of a dip. If you’re good enough and you’re mature enough to handle it, you’ll get back to where you were at and you’ll level off and be Kevin Fiala had an eventful return to Nashville, but the Predators made the player that you’re going to be.” the right choice to trade him It was easy to watch Fiala on Tuesday and lament what might’ve been if only he played with more consistency, but the Predators made the right choice. By Adam Vingan Although Granlund was invisible in his home debut and played on a line Mar 6, 2019 with Kyle Turris and Craig Smith that was creamed at 5-on-5 before being disassembled (6.48 expected goals percentage), he is a better fit for the Predators at this stage of their championship window. Granlund is more or less an evolved version of Fiala, the kind of player the Predators Perhaps it was fitting, maybe even inevitable, that Kevin Fiala scored hoped Fiala would grow to be under their care. (Of course, there is twice against the Predators on Tuesday. obvious risk in trading a 22-year-old under team control for a 27-year-old First, he disoriented P.K. Subban with a stutter step that opened enough whose next contract figures to be expensive.) space for him to sling a wrist shot past Pekka Rinne. Then, with It’s too simple to say that the trade should act as a wake-up call for Fiala, regulation creeping toward a close, he blasted the tying goal off a faceoff but there’s no doubt that he has reached a pivotal moment of his young because of course he did. (Just imagine if Fiala would’ve notched his first career. hat trick, which he came pretty close to doing in overtime.) “When I was traded, the first thing you do is look yourself in the mirror Where was this Fiala during 64 mostly maddening games with the and you say, ‘Why did I get traded?’ Why did somebody want to move Predators this season? If he would’ve done more of what he did me?’ You’ve got to analyze your own game and yourself,” Johansen said. Tuesday, then he probably wouldn’t have been traded to the Minnesota “I think when he does that, or if he does that, then he should understand Wild last week. what I touched on, that he needs to be a professional every day. It’s But that’s the thing about Fiala. His natural talent and ability to generate there. He’s got the traits. It’ll come. With being a young guy, you focus on offense, both of which were on display Tuesday in his homecoming, are scoring goals and getting points and doing fancy things. That’s good, and undeniable, but he too often teases you with them. The Predators were you’ll do some good things, but for being a counted-on guy to help your done waiting for Fiala to figure it out, so off he went. team win, that’s not usually a successful recipe. “It’s disappointing when you give up on a young player,” Predators “For Kev, it’s just about looking himself in the mirror and having an general manager David Poile said on the day he traded Fiala, 22, for understanding of what he needs to do to contribute to the team every day Mikael Granlund. “I think there’s no question that he will be a goal scorer, and every game and not just being a creative player but being a winner.” and so we’re going to have be hearing and reading about that for years to come since he’s such a young player. From that standpoint, I wish it would’ve worked out here.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 The Predators’ video tribute to Fiala, which he shared with Anthony Bitetto, was 18 seconds long. It felt like an appropriate end to his Predators career: long enough to acknowledge his contributions over parts of five seasons without overselling them. Fiala was careful with his words Tuesday morning, not wanting to dissect the circumstances surrounding the trade. “I feel like I have a good opportunity here, and I’m going to take it, for sure, and not take it for granted,” Fiala said. “I’m very thankful for (Wild GM) Paul Fenton to make this opportunity for me. I’m going to do everything to really give it back to him for the trade, not just accept it and do whatever with it, you know?” Predators center Ryan Johansen, who, like Fiala, was a lottery pick who fell out of favor with his original team, can empathize with his situation. “I had a lot of things to learn,” Johansen said. “We had a team that struggled in Columbus in my first few years. It was a difficult time just with learning on my own and understanding how to be a professional, and I think that’s Kevin’s biggest thing. “Everybody knows Kevin has a lot of talent, and he’s got tons of skill. You can see that every time he gets the puck. But like I did, he needs to understand how to be more of a professional and understanding that there’s a lot more to the game of hockey than just going out and making plays and being creative. It took me a long time to learn. … He just needs to show his teammates that he can play at both ends of the rink every shift and be counted on as a guy to help their team win. That’s something that’s sometimes hard for young players. I think once he learns that part of it, then he’ll be a very successful player in this league.” By his own admission, Fiala hasn’t always been easy to manage. Maturity remains a work in progress, and he required more tough love than any player on his now-former team. But the signs of improvement are there, at least according to Wild assistant coach Dean Evason. “What I’ve seen personally is how mature Kevin Fiala is,” said Evason, formerly the head coach of the Predators’ top minor league affiliate in Milwaukee. “You look back, I think he was 19 when he first came to us in Milwaukee. He was a kid. He is a mature human being now. He’s really grown up, and I’m saying that off the ice obviously, but his maturity on the ice has been very impressive for me. His teammates clearly appreciate his skill level, but he’s a real, real good teammate and wants to succeed, wants to win as much as he wants to score goals. I think that’s a huge feather (in his cap) for him, how far he’s come in all areas of his maturity on and off the ice. “A lot of guys have come to the National Hockey League and had success, and then it’s get harder. … It’s not just Kevin Fiala. It’s a lot of 1134608 New Jersey Devils Bergen Record LOADED: 03.07.2019

What the Devils are seeing in top prospect Michael McLeod

Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 6:48 p.m. ET March 6, 2019

NEWARK — The first time Michael McLeod was called up to the NHL the magnitude of it set in pretty quickly. Sure, there was that whole living out your dreams of playing in the best league in the world part of it all, but then he looked across the Capital One Center ice in Washington and saw Alexander Ovechkin. Reality hit him about as hard as Tom Wilson. “Right away, I just noticed the guys on the other team,” McLeod said this week at Prudential Center. “Ovechkin, (Nicklas) Backstrom and it was a little crazy at the start. But it was pretty cool.” McLeod, the Devils’ first-round pick in 2016, only played 5:36 in a loss to the Washington Capitals. It was clear the then-20-year-old wasn’t ready for the NHL and was sent back to Binghamton of the American Hockey League the next day. The Devils didn’t even keep him around for back- to-back sets. Mar 2, 2019; Boston, MA, USA; New Jersey Devils center Michael McLeod (41) checks Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (48) into the boards during the first period at TD Garden. Friday night, McLeod will visit the place where his NHL career began, this time with a little more experience under his belt. Now 21, the center has played in five games since this most recent call-up and he’s slowly finding his stride and finding his confidence. “I know when I’m playing well within the system,” McLeod said. “I’m kind of high-intensity, I’m hard on pucks with good stick detail. I think now it’s just trying to get more offense, more shots on net and more chances.” In his most recent game, the Devils’ 2-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, McLeod finally did create some offense. He didn’t capitalize but Sergei Bobrovsky didn’t give up much in a game where New Jersey dominated offensively, but he had put three shots on goal and rang two off the post. McLeod has tremendous speed and the Devils like size he brings but he hasn’t always known how to use those attributes to his advantage in order to create offense at a higher level. Scouting reports in his draft year described him as “hard to play against” which is an oft-used phrase in Newark these days. It’s taken a few games but as his confidence has grown he’s shown that toughness. He’s skating well, showing more aggression off the rush and getting physical. “His first couple of games his competitiveness and work ethic were top- shelf but it seemed like he was a little bit jittery with the puck or wasn’t as confident,” coach John Hynes said. “We talked to those guys about, when you have time and space and there are plays to be made, just make them and have confidence and do it.” He’s also proved quite tough in the faceoff circle. In his last five game,s he’s won 31-of-46 draws (67 percent). He was 50 percent in Boston on Saturday, his worst night of this second NHL stint. “I’m pretty happy with that,” McLeod said. “I’ve got to continue to stay over the top of the puck. All teams are different and you can get hot one night and then lose a few on another. You’ve got to stick to staying low to it and also do some research on who you’re going up against.” There are still times where the speed of the game is catching up to him, which may seem strange for a player who has made a name for himself because of his speed. He was surprised at how efficient line changes were in the NHL and realized decisions were made in about a split- second instead of a second. McLeod has yet to show that he can take over a game in the way you want a first-round centerman to take it over and he wasn’t doing that on a nightly basis in the AHL this season either. But with six goals and 25 assists for the Binghamton Devils in 52 games this season it’s clear he took a big step in his development. He has a chance to take another one over the next month in the NHL. “It’s time to kind of enjoy it but recognize that it’s just the beginning and stay on track,” he said. “You never want to get comfortable here.”

1134609 New Jersey Devils Bergen Record LOADED: 03.07.2019

Takeaways: Devils doing everything right in tight losses

Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 6:46 a.m. ET March 6, 2019

NEWARK — The Devils are expected to lose right now so when they dropped their fourth straight on Tuesday night at Prudential Center it wasn’t exactly surprising. What was more surprising was the way the lost, taking the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that made known its intentions to contend for the Stanley Cup when they acquired four players at the trade deadline, into a shootout. New Jersey dropped 2-1 but the final score mattered little. And the final score in the last two losses mattered even less. What mattered is that the Devils, who have eight regular players out of the lineup, kept the games close by playing a structured style of hockey. More: Devils get hard-fought point in shootout loss to Blue Jackets It’s an indicator that they’re on the right track moving forward. “More than anything, the way we’re playing is reassurance that we’re competitive when we play the right way,” forward Travis Zajac said. “When we have the right mindset and the right work ethic we’re as good as any team with whoever we’ve got in the lineup.” Here are three takeaways from the Devils’ shootout loss to the Blue Jackets. Consistent Cory The organization wants to see Cory Schneider maintain some consistency in his play through the rest of the season while Schneider himself wants to prove to his team that he’s capable of playing at a high level night after night. Schneider was tested in this game in a different way than the few previous ones in that he didn’t have much work. Offense has been hard to come by but the Devils drove the play and outshot Columbus 30-18. “He’s showing consistency and he’s managing himself through different types of games,” coach John Hynes said. “Tonight he didn’t have a ton of work but when he was called upon he was ready to make the saves needed to keep the game at (1-1).” Mar 5, 2019; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider (35) defends against Columbus Blue Jackets center Matt Duchene (95) during the first period at Prudential Center. As far as the offense goes, the Devils have only scored once in each of their last two games. Hynes wants to see more bodies in front of the net and more bodies in front of opposing goalies to take their eyes away. Making strides With Nico Hischier, the Devils’ overtime ringer, out with an upper-body injury Tuesday, Kevin Rooney was used to take the faceoff in overtime. Rooney has slowly progressed into a reliable center capable of playing at the NHL level this season and the Devils rewarded him with some 3-on-3 time. Rooney has some attribute similar to Hischier that Hynes thought would make him effective in 3-on-3 situations. “He’s good on faceoffs, he’s an excellent skater and he’s made plays offensively,” Hynes said. “On the penalty the kill, he’s an offensive threat. And because of his skating and faceoffs – and he’s so smart – he’s a guy who can play 3-on-3.” Enjoying the spoils The Devils have played a schedule loaded with playoff hopefuls as of late and while they know they’re not in the same position it’s a chance to player the spoiler role. While some of the veterans demurred that role, it’s clearly been enjoyable for the younger players. “This Columbus team is a team that really needed these two points,” forward Michael McLeod said. “I know they made some trades to go on a run in the playoffs so they’re under some pressure, but it was awesome being right there with them whole game and seeing how we could play with them.”

1134610 New Jersey Devils “It came out of nowhere. (Akira) got drafted by Lethbridge and they said they had an opening for him,” Schmid’s agent, Alain Roy said. “A player that they had the year before (Merezhko) decided to not turn pro and How Akira Schmid’s wild journey to America’s heartland has him come back to Lethbridge. You can only have two imports and that shooting up the Devils’ prospect board jammed Akira.” Roy and the Devils immediately started looking for a landing spot. Because of the WHL’s rules, Schmid was not allowed to skate at the By Corey Masisak Lethbridge arena, so he worked out daily and spent most of his time away from the rink playing NBA2K and Fortnite. Mar 6, 2019 “I can’t really do much about it,” Schmid said. “I was just trying to let them do their job and staying in shape and waiting. It was hard to wait, but it went by faster than you think. I just tried to stay calm. OMAHA, Neb. — The smoke machine filled the air inside Ralston Arena for several minutes before a disco ball was wheeled out to center ice. “I was just kind of surprised and shocked. My agent and New Jersey The lights went down. A knight in full-body armor emerged, wielding a were both like, ‘We’re going to find you a team. No worries. You’re going sword. to have a good season.’ The people (in Lethbridge) were nice. My billets were awesome. They helped me a lot.” The Omaha Lancers put on quite the pregame show, and it was a tall, lanky goaltender from Switzerland who earned the loudest cheers from Schmid spent almost a month in Lethbridge without playing, waiting for a the home crowd on a frigid Friday night before taking his place in net. chance to get his career back on track. Eventually, there was an opening, in the North American Hockey League with the Corpus Christi IceRays. Akira Schmid was 1,200 miles away from where he thought he’d be when the calendar turned to March. His first season after leaving home and The NAHL is a Tier II junior league, a step below the CHL and the United moving to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean to pursue his dream did States Hockey League, the top junior league in this country. not go the way he planned. “I didn’t know there was hockey down there,” Schmid said. “I was like, But, a little more than four months after being stranded in Western ‘Hmm, OK?’ I googled it and the rink was really nice. It was a big rink. Canada for a month without a team, Schmid has found a home in Warm city, of course. It was kind of a like a vacation, always nice America’s heartland. And the Devils may have found a late-round gem in weather. We had to wake up early every day, at like 6:30 to be at the rink the process. at like 7. The fans were awesome. I didn’t see a lot of the city, but I saw the beach.” “The transition coming over here is a tough one,” Devils assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. “Failing in one place seemed to catapult Schmid’s time in Corpus Christi turned out to be more like a vacation him into another and he took advantage of the opportunity. He didn’t drop than a prolonged detour. the ball. He pretty much took charge and the success has followed him, which is great to see.” Schmid is tied for the USHL’s lead in save percentage. (Courtesy of Chris Woodward / Omaha Lancers) Schmid grew up playing in the SCL Tigers youth system, about 20 miles east of Bern, a city the Devils got to know well during a preseason trip in The start to this season was a bit of a mess for the Lancers. Omaha had September. a strong team last season, but lost 14 players at the end of it. New Jersey selected Schmid a few months prior to that in the fifth round Roster turnover is part of the deal in the USHL, but the upheaval this of the 2018 NHL Draft. Five days later, the of the season has gone well beyond the norm for the Lancers and Western Hockey League picked Schmid in the first round of the CHL coach/general manger David Wilkie. import draft. A month later, Schmid agreed to a contract with Lethbridge and his development path appeared to be set. “We didn’t have a great draft, I think, and our play early was reflective of the fact that we had guys who weren’t good enough to play in the league, He went to Lethbridge for a few days before coming to New Jersey for truthfully. Or at least able to perform consistently,” Wilkie said. “We tried rookie camp. He played one of the three games in Buffalo at the rookie to trade our way out of it and then we started stripping away things and tournament and turned in a solid performance. going with younger guys. It’s crazy. We’ve actually traded our leading scoring four different times. Those four guys were leading the team at Everything was going smoothly, until it very suddenly was not. that time, and we actually got better each time. I don’t know if that’s necessarily textbook, but it worked out that way. “I don’t know (what happened),” Schmid said. “I went to (Devils) camp and came back and played right away and just didn’t play well. I talked “I think we’re the hottest team in the league right now. We were 25 points about it with the GM there and he was like, ‘We know you need some out at one point of the last playoff spot. Now we’re (three) points out. time to get used to everything and we’ll give you that time.’ A couple days We’re believing and pushing.” later I got waived. I didn’t expect that, but I can’t do anything about it.” The Lancers have used eight goalies this season — 10 if you count the Schmid played one game for Lethbridge, allowing seven goals on 27 two who were cut during training camp. Wilkie was interested in Schmid shots. A couple of days later, the Hurricanes waived him. The next day, when he was stuck in Lethbridge, but he didn’t have a roster spot he was a free agent. available. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I was disappointed in Lethbridge. Our Schmid went to Corpus Christi and played two games. He stopped 55 of whole organization was,” Fitzgerald said. “You bring a European kid over, 58 shots. The IceRays, who were desperate for a goaltender, had found a young 18-year-old and there is an adjustment. Camp didn’t go great for one and won back-to-back games. him there. He took some time to come with us, and we wanted to hang onto him as long as we could for obvious reasons — to have Rollie Then Wilkie had a talk with his friend, Ryan Cruthers, the coach of the Melanson and Scott Clemmensen spend as much time as possible with IceRays. him before he went back. I don’t think he got a chance to work out of a funk, and the leash was too short.” “He was like, ‘Wow, this kid is good.’ We just had a couple injuries here and that was in the back of my mind when I called him and said we need Because of the CHL’s import rules, only WHL teams were eligible to an emergency backup goalie,” Wilkie said. “He was like, ‘Do you want claim Schmid. Given the timing — right at the start of the season — none Akira?’ I said, ‘Yes, could I please?’ Then when he got here, he was of the other WHL clubs were looking for a goaltender nor had room for better than the guys we had here. It was a no-brainer in terms of our another import. decision-making. We just had to cut through the red tape and make it right by them and get everything squared away for Akira.” CHL teams are only allowed to dress two imports — players hailing from outside of North America who have not come here and established Schmid came to Omaha and played one game on a trial basis before the “local” status. There was actually a ban on European goaltenders from Lancers officially acquired him from the IceRays for future 2013 until it was lifted last year. considerations. Cruthers wasn’t the only member of the IceRays Wilkie knew was affected by the trade. Wilkie’s son, Coltan, plays for Corpus Lethbridge drafted Schmid in the first round and Belarusian defenseman Christi and is committed to Colorado College. Danila Palivko in the second round. The issue for Schmid ended up being Igor Merezhko, a defenseman from Ukraine whom Lethbridge had “Yeah, he was pretty mad about it,” Wilkie said. drafted in 2015 and played the previous three seasons for the Hurricanes. It was a season-altering move for the Lancers. Schmid is tied for the league lead with a .925 save percentage and is second with a 2.13 goals against average. None of the other seven goalies that have played for these sticks and then never use them,” Power said. “They’re just always Omaha have a save percentage better than 3.35 or a save percentage kicking at pucks and it’s like, ‘My god, where do you think it’s going after better than .892. you make that save?’ It’s going back on a shooter’s stick, and then you’re burned. So our biggest thing is (having an) active stick. “Big, athletic, played the puck very well, made saves that other guys just can’t make,” Wilkie said of his first impressions. “He sees the puck well “Not just when you go down and make a save. If that thing is loose, I when he’s on, and even when he’s off, he’s still pretty damn good. He’s want you playing it. Be a third defenseman. That’s where Akira is really prototypical, because he’s 6-foot-5, he’s athletic, he’s aggressive in the deadly. He’s getting 13, 14 puck touches per game where he’s cycling net and his fundamentals are solid. the puck up and other goalies might only be getting two.” “They’re still very much teenagers, young men growing into their Wiklie noted that Schmid’s puck-handling skills have been a huge boon maturity. I just treat the guys like my own kids at that age. Put him in a for the Lancers, to the point where he alters elements of his defensive good house, make sure he’s comfortable, keep talking to him and help system when Schmid plays versus another goaltender. him through the process. I’m sure there was a little bit of culture shock there, but I think he’s pretty laid-back and pretty laissez-faire, kind of like “We were playing a game in overtime and he skated the puck all the way water running off a duck’s butt sometimes. I could see if he was a Type A up to the blue line and then walked a guy,” Power said. “And you’re like, or a nervous, anxious personality that would affect him more, but with ‘Ooooh, Jesus,’ and then when he’s skating back to the net, I was just Akira I don’t think anything affects him too much.” thinking that we’d better win. And we did.” Schmid’s busy year continued when he left the Lancers midseason to * Staying on his feet as much as possible join the Swiss national team for the IIHF world junior championships in “I see the guys just wanting to go down on then slide around on the ice,” British Columbia. While he was gone, Wilkie changed goaltending Power said. “Guess where we are getting scored on? Nope, if you make coaches. that initial save and you can do it, we want you back up on your feet. If Enter Jason Power, a St. Louis resident who has spent two decades you make that initial save and you can count one, two and the next shot tutoring goalies in various capacities, including several who went on to isn’t there, get up. Recover to your feet. You’re always quicker moving play in the NHL. around on your feet than you are on those snowplows.” “My first week with the team, neither of our current goalies were with us,” * Being more active with his glove and catching more pucks Power said. “I think he was more scared to meet me than I was happy to “The problem is these kids, none of them played ,” Power said. see him. I saw him and I was like, ‘You’re 6-5. Act like it.’ He was kind of “It’s a crime. Not a damn one’s got a glove. You go watch film from the turtling with his shoulders. ’90s and guys are just whipping out windmills (for glove saves). You’ll “We have fun and that’s my big thing. They’re going to see a merry-go- see a kid watch the puck go over the glove and it’s like, ‘You can move round of coaches that are going to tell them everything under the sun. that thing up (to catch it).’ We’re just going to relax and fine-tune. I’m a big believer that if this is a “We’ve been working with tennis balls, reaction balls. Pattern recognition strength, we’re going to make it stronger while also working on your is another big thing off the ice. We have some card games that are really weakness. I’m not the guy who comes in and says, ‘I’m going to change mental work, pattern recognition stuff. It’s deadly, because now he’s how you play.’ I hate that shit.” getting faster and faster. It’s recognition and problem-solving and he can Schmid got off to a strong start with the Lancers, but he and the team carry it over onto the ice.” sagged a little just before he left for the WJC. Wilkie thought he was Schmid was on the Swiss WJC roster last year, but he didn’t get in a getting tired after not playing for so long at the beginning of the season. game. Before the season, he said one of his goals was to make an After returning and beginning to work with Power, he went from playing impact for his country in that tournament. well to dominating. He didn’t start the first game, a 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic. Schmid Omaha is 12-3-4 since Jan. 11 and has closed the gap on Sioux City for was in net for the second game to face the hosts, Canada, at Rogers the sixth and final playoff spot in the USHL’s West conference, to three Center in Vancouver. points with 13 games to play. One of the three assistant coaches for Canada was Brent Kisio, the head “You talk with the Devils, and Scotty Clemmensen will send me a text coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. and we have a good rapport going on because of Akira. He goes, ‘Man, he looks just relaxed and calm. He looked great,'” Power said. “It’s gotten “I was like, ‘I’ve got to show him that they made a mistake,’” Schmid said. to the point where we are so comfortable with Akira in net that during games, it’s just kind of like, ‘OK.’ You’re not coaching him in the games at Schmid stopped 29 of 32 shots, and the Swiss nearly pulled off the upset that point. He’s just focused and he’s been a fucking wall, pardon the f- in a 3-2 loss. bomb. He’s been great.” “We were at that game. That was my first viewing of him other than Schmid has obvious strengths — his size and athleticism. He is working training camp,” Fitzgerald said. “Obviously the size, and he moves really with Power on plenty of other parts of his game, but the noticeable well. He tracks pucks pretty well. He looks like the modern day, 6-foot-5 progress is part of the reason he’s a more intriguing NHL prospect now athletic goaltender.” than he might have been six months ago. “It was crazy, like 17,000 people,” Schmid said. “You don’t even really “The way I operate is every single day we identify three things, just three recognize the upper bowl of the stadium, but of course you hear them. little things — small, middle and the major thing we’re going to work on,” Especially if the whole arena is against you. After their first goal, it was so Power said. “I don’t give a shit what you do the rest of the practice. It’s loud. It was really fun to play in that game. I’m glad that I got to.” those three things. If you want to ninja-kick pucks, then so be it. But His next game did not go as well, when he stopped 34 of 41 shots in a 7- these three things are what we’re going to work on. 4 loss to Russia. He did stop 23 of 25 shots in relief during a 6-1 loss in “It’s to the point where we have practice and Akira is like, ‘OK, what’s my the semifinals against eventual champion Finland. three things?’ So, I ask him what he wants them to be to make him self- Once Schmid returned to Omaha, the Lancers have made a mad dash reflect a little. Then, throughout practice he’ll hear me yelling one, two or toward playoff contention despite not having a single skater among the three, and the other guys might not be dialed in, but he’s just, ‘Got it!’ and league’s top 65 scorers. he’s shaking his head. And you can see it immediately impact what he’s doing right there in that drill. (Wilkie) loves that stuff, because he can see Schmid’s work has saved their season, and possibly changed his status it. as a prospect. “He’s so comfortable right now that it’s an easy job. The biggest thing “I do think he can play in the NHL. Akira is adaptable,” Power said. “He’s about him is he’s a sponge for more info. He wants to learn and he likes willing to do whatever it takes, and he’s such a student of the game that it. It’s a fun environment. He said he wasn’t having fun before. If he’s he picks up on things. To me, his biggest attribute is his dialed-in focus having fun, he’s going to learn.” on perfectionism. Everything he does, he’ll do it five, six, seven times if he has to, just to make sure it’s flawless. I don’t know if somebody taught Here’s a summation of some of the tips that have ended up on Schmid’s him that or if that’s just his personality. list at various points of the season: “The other thing is you look at it and let’s be real. He’s now starting to * Using his stick more, instead of just relying on his legs to make saves dominate the USHL and it’s a great league. He’s going to be able to “The big plague in goalies today — the goalies here in the USHL are make the next step. You see kids at this junior level in the USHL and the given their sticks, but these kids in midget who go spend $200-$300 on NAHL and it’s like, ‘OK, I can see it in there’ and it will be there (eventually). With him, it’s like, ‘OK, he’s already got it.’ He’s a step ahead of where everyone is trying to be and at the same age. It’s not ‘I think this kid will be great four years from now and we’ll take a flyer on him.’ … You can see it now.” The next step could be a tricky one for Schmid. There has been interest from NCAA programs, and it’s something Schmid might be interested in, as well. But there’s a catch. Because Schmid played one game for Lethbridge, he is currently ineligible to play NCAA hockey. He and the school he attends would need to petition the NCAA to grant him eligibility. Between the game in Lethbridge and possibly the one game he played for the SCL Tigers in Switzerland’s highest league (thereby making him a professional), the NCAA could suspend his eligibility for an entire season, or flat out deny him. The other options include staying in Omaha for another year and then turning pro with the Devils, or trying to get drafted in the CHL import draft again. Even if Schmid did choose the NCAA route, he could play another season in Omaha before going to college. “We are going to wait for the season to end, but Omaha has been great to him,” Roy said. “They’ll get first dibs. The first conversation will be with Omaha.” Wilkie thinks Schmid’s path should be clear. “We want him here,” he said. “I think that’s the best thing for him and where he should be. He’s got a home and he’s comfortable and he’s as stable as he can be. “There’s been numerous goalies in the past few years who have gone from this league to the AHL and are now sniffing at NHL rosters. I know colleges want him because he’s good, but there’s a lot of red tape there and it might overcomplicate the process. Akira, in my mind, just needs to focus on getting better every day and staying steady on the rudder.” Regardless of where Schmid ends up next season, it’s going to be tough to top the chaos and adversity he faced at the beginning of this campaign. Plan A did not work out, but Plans B (and C) might end up being the tipping point for a long and successful career. “It’s a big adjustment. He’s going from Western Canada to Texas to the Midwest,” Roy said. “He’s got such a good, laid-back personality. He took it all in stride. His English is very-much improved. Honestly, it’s been a great growing experience for him. He’s been great all the way through. He’s never been one to call me and be like, ‘Oh, I’m so frustrated. I hate this.’ He’s been great. That’s the part that has amazed me about the kid is his attitude. “It’s very much a growing year for him, as a person and a player. I think now he can handle pretty much any situation, and he knows that which is great.”

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Islanders lose one top goalie, put another in net

By Brett Cyrgalis March 6, 2019 | 11:06PM

OTTAWA, Ontario — Just as it was becoming clear Robin Lehner was the Islanders starting goaltender, he got hurt. Lehner did not travel here with the team one day after he had been steamrolled by the Senators Brady Tkachuk late in the third period of what would become the Isles’ 5-4 shootout victory Tuesday night at the Coliseum. The team called up Christopher Gibson from AHL Bridgeport on emergency loan, and it’s expected he’ll back up Thomas Greiss in the second leg of this home-and-home Thursday night. Lehner was hurt while making his 22nd start in the previous 31 games, — though, like the rest of the team, he had not been quite as sharp over the past two-plus weeks. It’s assumed he went through concussion protocol after the play — when the hard-edged Tkachuk slammed into his head, leading to a controversial game-tying goal with just 4:40 left in regulation. Either by necessity or by caution, Lehner stayed home. Though Greiss was slowly moving into the role of backup, he has the net again — at least for the time being. “When you play, you play. It’s pretty easy,” Greiss said after the game, when he came in relief and made two saves before stopping both shooters he faced in the skills competition. “Stay sharp in practice, [and] when I get the call, I get ready.” Goaltending has been a huge strength of the Islanders this season, with first-year head coach Barry Trotz bringing in his two goalie gurus — Mitch Korn and Piero Greco — to work with Lehner and Greiss. They have combined for the best even-strength team save percentage in the league (.936), and overall individually, Greiss is ranked third in the league (.928) and Lehner fourth (.927) for goalies with more than 30 games. It’s in stark contrast to last season, when the Islanders finished dead last in the league in goals against — contributing to Greiss finishing the first year of his three-year, $10 million deal with an abysmal .892 save percentage. But the turnaround has been drastic, as the Islanders are now first in goals-against per game, with better defense coming in concert with better goaltending. Thomas GreissCorey Sipkin “It’s a big difference,” Greiss said. “We play good team defense, and it’s a good team game. So [as a goalie] it’s nice.” It also helps that Lehner has come in as a one-year, $1.5 million reclamation project and turned into one of the best stories in the league. Having battled through substance addiction and mental illness, the 27- year-old Swede has raised the level of competition for starting time between the Islanders pipes. “Both guys plays hard, team is playing very well in front of us, making us look good. So that helps,” Greiss said. “Just battling to do the best.”

New York Post LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134612 New York Islanders “It’ll probably do us some good to go on the road,” Trotz said. “I love [the Coliseum], but it’s probably time for us to regroup, and sometimes you regroup on the road.” Barry Trotz wants Islanders to step up ‘commitment’ level New York Post LOADED: 03.07.2019 By Brett Cyrgalis March 6, 2019 | 10:26PM

OTTAWA, Ontario — Barry Trotz didn’t want to go so far as to call his team complacent, but the Islanders coach sure wasn’t far off. What he issued was a clear-eyed, candid assessment of his squad, which has just been able to stave off collapse over the past two-plus weeks. “To me, when you’re really sharp, it’s not necessarily your legs, it’s [mental],” Trotz said after his team blew a pair of two-goal leads before winning a 5-4 game in a shootout against the last-overall Senators at the Coliseum on Tuesday night. Following a travel day on Wednesday, the Isles are set to finish up this home-and-home Thursday night — their sixth game in 10 nights, having gone 3-4-1 over their past eight. “A couple guys, it’s just a grind,” Trotz said. “But they have to be a little more focused, [show] a little more commitment. It’s all those things, just being a pro.” The sense of commitment has been the Islanders’ biggest strength during this surprising season of success. They are one of the best recent examples of how the sum is greater than the parts. They don’t have enough of the raw, top-end talent to win games when they don’t play well. When mistakes were made in the past, they were cleaned up by great team defense or great goaltending. The fact netminder Robin Lehner didn’t make the trip after taking a shot to the head when he was run over by Brady Tkachuk on Tuesday, and Thomas Greiss might have to carry the load by himself for at least a little while, is hardly ideal going forward. But, what Trotz said after the club’s inaction at the Feb. 25 trade deadline is worth repeating: “The strength of our group is the group.” Now the members of that group need to show their signature gumption and pull themselves out of this rut. “We’re just off a little bit,” Trotz said. “I’d like to say it’s everybody, but there are certain individual players that I have to get to right now. It’s been a little bit problematic lately, because one game it’s these three guys, next game it’s these five guys, whatever. You go through that. “You just have to make sure our focus and our detail [are there]. We’ll see if we’re healthier and we’ll see about our lineup.” So that’s part of it, too. There has been a stomach bug going around the locker room, which a couple guys have played through. And there is the emotional impact of this past Thursday, when former captain John Tavares returned to the Coliseum wearing the Maple Leafs sweater for one of the more memorable nights in recent franchise history. But what remains in front of the Islanders is a fate that is in their own hands. They can go back to playing the way they were for most of the first five months of the season and continue to battle the Capitals — or whomever else — for first place in the Metropolitan Division. They can continue dragging along in this malaise and slink into the postseason, which would surely then be a short-lived run. Or they could fold up the tent all together and suffer a cataclysmic collapse to miss the playoffs — they are just four points clear of Montreal in the second wild-card spot and six points clear of the Blue Jackets, the first team out. “Things haven’t been coming easy,” captain Anders Lee said, “and we’ve been a little tight of late.” That was reiterated by Trotz when he brought up the strange scenario of the back-to-back opponent — Ottawa just fired coach Guy Boucher, traded away its top three scorers and is a franchise immersed in general chaos from the top down. “They’re playing free, and there is a little more anxiety for us to win games right now,” Trotz said. “That is a different feel, when you’re expected to do something.” There were very low expectations for these Islanders when the season started, but that has changed. Now, leaving after their five-game homestand, it’s time to see how they react under a different kind of pressure. 1134613 New York Islanders

Trotz says it's time for the Islanders to regroup

By Andrew Gross [email protected] @AGrossNewsday Updated March 6, 2019 11:32 PM

OTTAWA, Ontario — Barry Trotz pointed to his forehead. “When you’re really sharp, it’s not really the legs, it’s right here,” the Islanders coach said. And there’s no doubt the Islanders have been struggling over the last two games with their mental focus as much as they’ve been ravaged by a stomach virus and now a likely injury to their No. 1 goalie. They conclude a home-and-home series with the NHL-worst Senators on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre after ending a disappointing 2-3 homestand with Tuesday night’s 5-4 shootout win as the Senators overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period. The Islanders (38-21-7) cancelled their scheduled practice on Wednesday, just as they had done on Monday, and they brought up forwards Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang on emergency recall on Tuesday just to ensure they would have enough healthy bodies. On Wednesday, goalie Christopher Gibson was recalled from the Sound Tigers on an emergency basis with Robin Lehner’s status unclear after he exited Tuesday’s win in the third period with a possible head injury after being bowled over by Brady Tkachuk. Including upper-body injuries to fourth-line wings Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck, it’s unclear who Trotz will have available on Thursday night. But Trotz also has been unsure lately of which players will be at their sharpest on a game-to-game basis. “I would like to say it’s everybody but there are certain individuals I’ve got to get to right now,” Trotz said. “It’s been a little bit problematic lately because one game it’s three guys, then the next game it’s these five players. “It’ll probably do us some good to get on the road,” Trotz added. “I love this place [NYCB Live’s ] but it’s probably time for us to regroup and sometimes you regroup on the road.” Even with Tuesday’s win, the Islanders are still in a 3-4-1 skid. They are two points behind the Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division and only four points ahead of the Eastern Conference’s last wildcard spot. The power play was 0-for-3 on Tuesday and 0-for-13 over six games. The Senators, particularly in the first and third periods, were able to beat the Islanders along the walls and to the crease. “You’re going to run through these patches and you don’t want to do that the last 20 games of the year,” captain Anders Lee said. “The season can get long. It can become a grind and things aren’t coming easy. Hockey becomes tough. You can’t seem to find a goal or a bounce, let alone a win. So, we just have to stick together.” At this point in the season, there are two types of opponents: Teams in the hunt for a playoff berth or teams playing without pressure as their players compete for jobs next season. The trade-depleted Senators are the latter. “We’ve been in that spot before,” center Brock Nelson said. “You play free and you play open and try to win games and try to ruin it for some other teams that are trying to make playoff pushes. You just have to elevate this time of year.”

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134614 New York Islanders

Islanders recall Christopher Gibson with Robin Lehner's status unclear

By Andrew Gross [email protected] @AGrossNewsday Updated March 6, 2019 5:25 PM

OTTAWA, Ontario — The Islanders recalled goalie Christopher Gibson from Bridgeport on an emergency basis on Wednesday in what is probably not a good sign for Robin Lehner’s status, at least in the short term. The Islanders conclude a home-and-home series with the Senators on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre and Lehner left Tuesday night’s 5-4 shootout win at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum at 15:20 of the third period with what appeared to be a head issue. Lehner was bowled over by Brady Tkachuk and was flat on his back in distress on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s ensuing video-reviewed tying goal. Lehner was attended to by the medical staff, tried to skate off what was bothering him, but ultimately had to leave the game. The Islanders did not have an update on Lehner on Wednesday. Gibson, 26, is 3-4-3 with a 3.56 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in 13 career NHL games with the Islanders. He is 18-9-1 with a 3.00 GAA and .857 save percentage for Bridgeport this season. Thomas Greiss, who made two saves in relief of Lehner then stopped both of the Senators’ shootout attempts to seal the win, is expected to start on Thursday night.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134615 New York Islanders hope, clearly, is that Lehner will be fine well before then, and at least by then.

The Isles got a boost on Tuesday from Michael Dal Colle, who along with As Islanders evaluate Robin Lehner’s injury status, they face the larger Josh Ho-Sang came up on emergency recalls earlier in the day. Not reality of cleaning up their play exactly the scenario we outlined the day before, but it was clear Barry Trotz’s forwards needed a jolt and Dal Colle, on a line with Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier, gave them just that. By Arthur Staple “I loved his game,” Trotz said of Dal Colle, who had an assist on Devon Mar 6, 2019 Toews’ highlight-reel goal in the second. “I’m a fan of Michael.” Whether fan enough to convert Dal Colle to a regular recall once the emergency conditions subside — and that would happen even if Martin UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Even for such an obvious trap game, things took and Clutterbuck are out long-term, since the Isles have 14 forwards on an ominous turn. the roster — is still a question. But should the Isles grind through this final month and make the postseason, it’s hard to imagine a lineup The Islanders were already without two-thirds of their most consistent without Dal Colle being their best. line, with Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck sidelined by injury. They were already scuffling into a matchup with the post-detonation Senators, One without Lehner long-term is a scary thought, as well, but this is just whose ability to play fast and carefree with nothing left to showcase or the first day after that collision. Greiss can hold down the fort in the short play for should be familiar to longtime Islander fans. term. Who can forget games like the back-to-back, 5-3 wins over the Penguins Now it’s up to the Islanders to start playing with more detail to their game, around this time in the 2011-12 season? Or the 2-0 shutout in Montreal in as Trotz might say. Even before Lehner’s injury there were too many slip- the closing week of the 2013-14 season? Well, of course you can forget ups. The Islanders have the Sens again on Thursday, another chance to them — those were forgettable seasons. But those wins over playoff- avoid the trap of facing a team with nothing to lose. bound teams remind us that a team sitting where the Isles sit can have problems with a team sitting where the Senators sit. And that was before the collision that could put a dent in the Isles’ spring The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 plans. At first glance, it seemed that Brady Tkachuk — Keith’s son and Matthew’s brother, which means he doesn’t mind getting his nose dirty — didn’t need much guidance to barrel over Robin Lehner inside of five minutes to go in a one-goal game on Tuesday. Tkachuk attacked the net, lost the puck and drove right through the Islanders goalie, leaving the puck sitting in the crease for J-G Pageau to sweep home for the tie. While the officials debated, then Toronto reviewed, Lehner tried to skate off the collision but headed off — either of his own accord or via the concussion spotter in the Coliseum — to the dressing room. The goal counted and tied the game before the Islanders won 5-4 in a shootout, which may have come at a cost. The news on Thursday was inconclusive but hardly encouraging: Bridgeport goaltender Christopher Gibson joined the Isles for the trip to Ottawa on an emergency recall and Lehner, presumably, stayed behind for the one-game jaunt, leaving Thomas Greiss in charge for the foreseeable future. As Mitch Korn, Isles director of goaltending, said to Greiss in the locker room on Tuesday: “You never know.” Lehner has been the headline story for the Islanders this season, quite likely a shoo-in for the Masterton Trophy given to the NHLer who displays perseverance and dedication to the sport. Overcoming what Lehner has in the last year — that he’s alive and functioning well, having addressed his substance-abuse problem and gotten a proper diagnosis of bipolar disorder — is just the start. He’s sitting fifth in the league in save percentage (.927) and sixth in even-strength save percentage (.932). It’s nothing short of amazing. But how about his goalie partner? Greiss, who got the win on Tuesday with one good stop in overtime and another wowzer in the shootout both on the Sens’ Thomas Chabot, is now tied for third in save percentage at .928 and is second in EV save percentage at .938. Here’s where Greiss stood last season in those measures among goalies with at least 21 games played: 53rd out of 55 goalies at .898 for save percentage and 52nd for even-strength save percentage at .902. Carey Price has had a remarkable turnaround for the Canadiens after his lost 2017-18 and is now the main reason the Habs are vying for a playoff spot. For comparison’s sake, Price went from a .900 to .917 save percentage this season, a little more than half the jump that Greiss made. What gives? Greiss returned to working with Adam Francilia this past offseason. One coach who has worked with Greiss in the past noted the 6-foot-2, 230-pound goalie looks more mobile this season. “I honestly think he got a little out of shape last year,” the coach said. “It happens. His movements are really good this year.” Now, Greiss is 33 and as was seen in 2016-17, the year he signed his three-year extension, he has struggled to carry a heavy workload in a short span of time. But the Isles have days off in between their next five games before back-to-backs in Detroit and St. Paul next weekend. The 1134616 New York Rangers

David Quinn challenging Rangers to shoot the puck more

By Greg Joyce March 6, 2019 | 10:49PM

DALLAS — Before the Rangers flew to Detroit for Thursday’s matchup against the Red Wings, David Quinn made sure he drilled a message into their heads. “We need to shoot more pucks,” the coach said Wednesday after a practice that had a heavy emphasis on exactly that. “We’ve heard that from Day 1. Just something we gotta create more of a shooting mentality.” The Rangers tallied 28 shots Tuesday in a 1-0 loss to the Stars. More concerning was the fact just three of those shots came on the four power plays the Rangers had. They recorded just as many shots shorthanded on a night when their offense went missing. Their power play woes weren’t restricted to Tuesday, though, now stuck in an 0-for-14 slump over the past four games. “[It was] much more our own decision-making and not willing to shoot pucks and not having an idea what we were going to do with the puck before we got it,” Quinn said of Tuesday’s man-advantage struggles. “The basics of our power play.” Tuesday marked the Rangers’ 36th one-goal game of the season, the most in the NHL. They have won just 16 of them. “There are things that are in our control that can put us in a situation where we’re not losing these one-goal games, we’re winning them,” Quinn said. “One of the things we have to do a better job of is get to the net more. Conversely, we have to defend our net front better.” Marc Staal and Jesper Fast were missing from practice. Fast took his usual maintenance day, but Quinn said Staal was battling the flu after playing sick Tuesday night. The defenseman’s status for Thursday was to be determined. Staal has played in all 65 games this year. Chris Kreider played on the third line Tuesday alongside Brett Howden and Filip Chytil, but was back in his normal spot on the top line Wednesday with Zibanejad and Jimmy Vesey. “Just to get a little bit of balance,” Quinn said. Lias Andersson, who was a healthy scratch Tuesday, will be back in the lineup Thursday and was centering the fourth line Wednesday with Boo Nieves on his left and Chytil on his right. Quinn said he had not yet decided which forwards would be out of the lineup. After Alexandar Georgiev started back-to-back games — including an impressive performance in Tuesday’s loss — Henrik Lundqvist will return to the nets against the Red Wings.

New York Post LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134617 New York Rangers

Rescinded penalties bring no comfort to frustrated Rangers

By Greg Joyce March 6, 2019 | 7:25PM

DALLAS — There is no known trophy that comes with the unwelcome distinction, but the Rangers are getting all too familiar with referees taking back calls by the time it’s too late. “Unfortunately, we lead the league in apologies,” coach David Quinn said Wednesday after practice at American Airlines Center, the scene of the crime. Mika Zibanejad was the latest victim Tuesday night, when he was belatedly whistled for a five-minute major boarding penalty and game misconduct during a power play with 9:53 left in the third period of a 1-0 loss to the Stars. Originally no call was made when the Rangers center hit Radek Faksa in the corner, but after Faksa dropped to the ice and stayed there, the referees got together and eventually announced the game-changing call. By Wednesday, the NHL had rescinded the major and game misconduct. Not that it did the Rangers a lick of good after the fact. “Listen, it’s a hard job. It is a hard job,” Quinn said before the team flew to Detroit for Thursday’s game against the Red Wings.

It was only 2 ¹/₂ weeks ago that referee Francois St. Laurent came to Quinn after two periods in Pittsburgh and apologized for making some bad calls. Tuesday night, according to Quinn, it was one of the linesmen who felt Zibanejad had hit Faksa in the head. Chris Kreider was tied up with Faksa in the corner of the defensive zone, battling for the puck. As Zibanejad skated over to help out, Faksa leaned down and dropped his head. Zibanejad turned just before getting to the boards as his right hip appeared to make initial contact with Faksa’s left shoulder before finishing the check. Faksa fell to the ice, with Zibanejad staying nearby to check on him. “I was just trying to get in front of him and get the puck since it was right there,” Zibanejad said. “Just unfortunate. The way he went down, I thought he hit his head on the ice, that’s why I kind of stayed. I just wanted to make sure he was OK. I didn’t think it was from the bump.” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said Faksa strained his neck but had passed concussion protocol. Instead of the original no call, the Rangers lost their best player for the rest of the night. Their power play turned into a four-on-four, and then after a soft Brady Skjei slashing penalty 17 seconds later, the Stars eventually got 1:37 of five-on-three before an extended man-advantage. The Rangers killed it all off, but it severely hindered their chances of tying the game in the final 10 minutes. “Obviously not happy with it, but can’t do anything about it right now,” Zibanejad said. “We’re not going to replay those last 10 minutes, so I don’t know.” Quinn said he did not get any further explanation on the call from the league Wednesday, other than the fact that it was overturned. “Nothing we can do about it now,” Quinn lamented. The blown penalty call only added to the Rangers’ exasperation, stuck in a five-game losing streak, all against playoff teams, in which they have been outscored 14-12 in regulation, not counting a late empty-netter against the Canadiens. “It can’t take over your game, but you have to be frustrated,” Zibanejad said. “You have to show some emotions. … We’ve been playing well, we’ve been close in games, but it’s still not enough. “We got to find a way to get a win here and hopefully that can get us going.”

New York Post LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134618 New York Rangers

Mika Zibanejad, Rangers frustrated by recent run of one-goal losses

By Colin Stephenson [email protected] @ColinASteph Updated March 6, 2019 6:34 PM

DALLAS — Mika Zibanejad had the look of a man who was frustrated. Frustrated at the fact that he got kicked out of a one-goal game with just under 10 minutes to play Tuesday night in Dallas. Frustrated that his team has lost five games in a row — four of them by one goal (the other by a 4-2 score, including an empty-net goal). “You have to be frustrated,’’ Zibanejad said after practice at American Airlines Center, where the Rangers had lost, 1-0, to the Dallas Stars Tuesday. “You have to show some emotions. If you’re OK with it, and you’re not frustrated, something’s wrong, I think. I think the way you deal with it is different. How you deal with it — you’ve just got to bear down. We’ve been playing well, we’ve been close in games, but it’s still not enough. You want to win games; you want to kind of get on a roll. That’s why we play.’’ Zibanejad was ejected from Tuesday’s game when he was given a major boarding penalty against Dallas’ Radek Faksa. The five-minute penalty comes with a game misconduct, so not only did the Rangers have to kill the major penalty without Zibanejad, one of their top penalty-killers, but the team’s leading scorer wasn’t around to try and help tie the game in the final minutes, either. Initially, Zibanejad hadn’t been called for any penalty on the play. Faksa was engaged with Chris Kreider against the boards, and he was bent over. Zibanejad came over to try and win the puck, and he hip-checked Faksa, who collided with the boards, went down and stayed down. Zibanejad stayed for a moment, looking to see if the Stars player was OK, then, when the play was over he went to the bench. The officials huddled and, upon further review, decided Zibanejad deserved a major penalty. According to Rangers coach David Quinn, it was a linesman who called the penalty and also said Zibanejad hit Faksa in the head. On Wednesday, the NHL rescinded the major penalty to Zibanejad, which, of course, didn’t help the Rangers after the fact. “Nothing we can do about it now,’’ Quinn said of the league’s changing of the call. “We’ve got to move forward and get ready for Detroit.’’ It was pointed out to the coach that it was only a few weeks ago that referee Francois St. Laurent had come up to him during a game against the Penguins and apologized for making bad calls in the game. “Unfortunately, we lead the league in apologies,’’ Quinn said. Notes & quotes: Henrik Lundqvist, who has started two of the last six games, will play in goal Thursday in Detroit… RW Jesper Fast and D Marc Staal did not practice. Fast, who has a lingering issue that the team is managing, is available to play Thursday, Quinn said, but Staal, who is battling the flu, is not a lock to play… C Lias Andersson, who sat out Tuesday’s game, will be back in the lineup Thursday, Quinn said. The coach said he hasn’t decided which forward will come out of the lineup. Tuesday, fourth-line C Boo Nieves practiced at LW on a line with Andersson and RW Filip Chytil.

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1134619 Ottawa Senators If you were him, would you? There are some qualified college and minor league coaches – including Belleville boss Troy Mann – who the Senators could afford. And Two decades after replacing Crawford in Colorado, Hartley would be obviously, they would jump at the opportunity to land a job in the NHL – good choice for Senators no matter what team. And then there’s a veteran coach who has won a championship at four Don Brennan levels (QMJHL, AHL, NHL, Swiss-A) who would probably be very interested in a chance to take over his hometown team.

Bob Hartley. UNIONDALE, N.Y. – A few hours before the fourth winningest coach in NHL history posted his 800th career ‘W’, he spoke about the “initial Bryan Murray used to say he should have hired Hartley instead of Craig change in energy” teams have immediately after a switch is made behind Hartsburg in 2008, and 11 years later Dorion can right that wrong. the bench. Hartley’s last NHL stint was a four-season run with the Calgary Flames that ended with his firing in 2016 – one year after he won the Jack He said the Senators were another such example. Adams Award as the league’s best coach. “They’re playing free right now,” suggested Islanders coach Barry Trotz. He also spent five years as coach of the , and three “And they’re playing for jobs for next year.” years after replacing Crawford as coach of the Avalanche in 1998, he led Colorado to the Cup. The same way Marc Crawford is coaching for his NHL life. The 58-year old Hawkesbury native is currently coaching Avangard Since the dismissal of Guy Boucher – a decision, by the way, that really Omsk in the KHL and without asking him, we’re going to assume he’d upset none of the players – the Senators are 1-1-1. In all three games, leave Russia for another shot in the NHL. He would be a good choice in the NHL’s worst road team dressed in the visitors locker room. The first Ottawa. was against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have a legitimate shot at posting the best regular-season record of all time. They then took three The hiring of a coach is the next biggest task on the Senators’ plate. of four points against the Florida Panthers and New York Islanders, both They need to get it right. It’s impossible to overemphasize that point. of whom were playing games of significance. Have you noticed what Trotz has done with an Islanders team that got It was only the second time this season the Senators had survived nothing back for John Tavares last year? consecutive away games without a regulation-time loss. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.07.2019 To starving men, small potatoes are better than no potatoes at all. “We know we maybe don’t have as much talent as we used to, with the three guys that were traded,” said Thomas Chabot, referring to the adios to amigos Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel. “But we know we have younger guys that are willing to take a bigger role, willing to get more ice time. And we know we still have a lot of talent in that room. We have confidence in one another.” Crawford will make his home debut as head coach Thursday, with a rematch against the Islanders. He knows how to do this job. After Tuesday’s shootout loss, he gave credit to assistant coach Chris Kelly for suggesting they split up Brady Tkachuk and Colin White, a move that paid dividends. When the Senators were outshot 26-8 in the second period – while only being outscored 3-2 because of Craig Anderson – then responded with two unanswered goals in the third to steal a point, Crawford was asked what he said to the troops during the second intermission. “I could hear them across the hall in the room, which is great,” he replied. “It doesn’t matter what I’m going to say, it matters what they do on the ice.” The comeback, said Tkachuk, “was a great answer by our team. It speaks to the character we have in the dressing room.” Where that character has been all season, we may never know. Then again, we may see it brought out by Crawford. He’s not going to go 18-0, which means Pierre Dorion doesn’t have to keep the promise of lifting the interim tag if he does. But if he does get this rag-tag bunch to play over .500 down the stretch, Crawford could provide the temptation to leave him in the office he officially moved into on Wednesday. A Stanley Cup-winning coach, Crawford needs four more victories to pass Dave Tippet and move into 21st place on the all-time wins list. He’s still 250 behind Trotz, but he’s accomplished, nonetheless. Hypothetically, could he be retained when he spent much of the last two years coaching the defence on a team that had the worst defensive numbers in the league? Possibly, if the Sens hired an expert on such matters during the offseason. Or do the Senators wipe the slate clean and go in a different direction altogether? A popular belief is that Alain Vigneault and Joel Quenneville are way out of their price range and besides, neither would work for the current owner anyway. Another is that 66-year old Jacques Martin would walk away from his job as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins to reclaim the reins he held in Ottawa from 1995-2004. The thing with that is, the guy who fired him as Senators coach 15 years ago still owns the team. Would Martin want to work for him again? 1134620 Ottawa Senators Anders Lee-Brock Nelson-Jordan Eberle Anthony Beauvillier-Mathew Barzal-Josh Bailey Game Day: New York Islanders at Ottawa Senators Andrew Ladd-Valtteri Filppula-Leo Komarov Ross Johnston-Casey Cizikas-Cal Clutterbuck Bruce Garrioch DEFENCE PAIRINGS Nick Leddy-Johnny Boychuk NEW YORK ISLANDERS AT OTTAWA SENATORS Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Canadian Tire Centre, TSN5, TSN 1200 AM, Scott Mayfield-Devon Toews Unique 94.5 FM GOALTENDERS THE BIG MATCHUP Thomas Greiss Bobby Ryan vs. Jordan Eberle: With the trade deadline over, Ryan is one of the few veterans remaining on the roster. He has 13 goals in 64 Christopher Gibson games this season and has to lead by example in what’s left of the INJURIES regular season. He did a good job going to the net and picked up an assist on the club’s third goal Tuesday. Eberle has been a strong OTT: None contributor for the Isles this season and has to be shut down for Ottawa to have success. NYI: Robin Lehner FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.07.2019 1. Start with the finish The Senators came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period Tuesday in Uniondale to earn a point in a 5-4 shootout. The Senators made a good push in the third and need that kind of start on home ice. Ottawa hasn’t always pushed the pace this year and that has to be the case to start this game. Don’t fall behind early. 2. Get back to .500 at home The Senators have a 14-15-5 record at the Canadian Tire Centre and have enjoyed the limited success they’ve had this year at home. The Senators haven’t won a game at home since a 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 9. Since then, the club has lost four straight at home. Need to turn that record around to get out of last place. 3. Game No. 601 for Zack Smith The Senators’ veteran forward suited up for his 600th NHL game against the Islanders Tuesday. His goal at 7:38 of the third period moved Smith into 20th all-time in team scoring with his 188th career point, tying him with newly named assistant coach Chris Kelly. Smith has eight goals and 11 points in 26 career games versus the Isles. 4. Go back to Anders Nilsson The way the Senators are playing, it would make sense for them to go with a rotation in net down the stretch. It gives both goalies the opportunity to play and also gives the 37-year-old Anderson a chance to get a break. Nilsson has done a solid job in his backup role and deserves the opportunity to face his old team. 5. No Robin Lehner for Isles Given his concussion history, you have to hope former Senators goalie Robin Lehner is OK and back quickly after a collision with Ottawa winger Brady Tkachuk on Tuesday. Lehner won’t be making the trip here with the Isles after the club recalled Christopher Gibson from its AHL affiliate Wednesday. Lehner left the game immediately after the collision with Tkachuk. SENATORS’ LINES Brady Tkachuk-Colin White-Brian Gibbons Rudolfs Balcers-Chris Tierney-Magnus Paajarvi Zack Smith-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Bobby Ryan Anthony Duclair-Oscar Lindberg-Mikkel Boedker DEFENCE PAIRINGS Thomas Chabot-Dylan DeMelo Ben Harpur-Cody Ceci Mark Borowiecki-Christian Wolanin GOALTENDERS Craig Anderson Anders Nilsson ISLANDERS’ LINES 1134621 Ottawa Senators “There’s no sense of urgency,” Dorion told reporters at the GMs’ meetings in Florida on Tuesday. “We owe it to our fans to make the best possible coaching decision.” GARRIOCH: Marc Crawford returns to the Canadian Tire Centre in new Crawford’s resumé indicates he is a good candidate, with 1,154 games role behind a bench along with a 550-422-103-79 record. Crawford was interviewed for the club’s coaching job when the Senators made the decision to hire Boucher in 2016 and had an impressive six-hour Bruce Garrioch discussion with Dorion. Even if Crawford has a strong finish, that doesn’t mean the Senators won’t look around before making a decision on next season because Marc Crawford will make his home debut behind the Ottawa Senators’ they owe it to themselves to do a search. bench Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Crawford just has to make the most of his opportunity, and so far he’s Coming off a comeback 5-4 shootout loss to the Islanders on Tuesday done that much. night in Uniondale, the Senators had a mandated collective bargaining agreement day off Wednesday during a short stop in Ottawa before Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.07.2019 heading out for another two-game road trip that starts Saturday in Boston. The 58-year-old Crawford, who picked up his 550th NHL win Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, is only getting an 18-game audition after being handed the interim role by general manager Pierre Dorion last Friday when coach Guy Boucher was fired with only five weeks left in the regular season. The last time Crawford stepped behind a bench as a head coach in Ottawa was on Nov. 24, 2010 when the Dallas Stars scored a 2-1 victory over the Senators. Since Crawford doesn’t have a lot of time in his new role, it’s going to be difficult for him to make major changes in such a short stretch, but he can change the channel, and judging by his three games behind the bench he’s shown the ability to make in-game adjustments. But Crawford wasn’t about to accept any credit for the club’s comeback from a two-goal deficit against the Islanders to get a point. “It doesn’t matter what I’m going to say, it matters what they do on the ice,” Crawford told reporters in New York when asked what he told the players after the second period. “Ultimately, leadership is guys going out. “I thought our first shift of the third period, where Brady Tkachuk and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, they went out and they just had an outstanding shift and they got a couple of terrific chances. I thought that really fed the rest of the group. It was a total team commitment in the third period. “You’ve got to change some things and try to get some momentum, but ultimately it’s how the players respond.” So far, the Senators have responded to what Crawford is bringing to the table, and whether that’s going to lead to more wins remains to be seen, but what’s happened so far is a small step in the right direction. Yes, the club could have sat still after dealing Mark Stone to Vegas, along with sending Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel to Columbus before the trade deadline 10 days ago, but after watching the season slip away completely Dorion determined he couldn’t sit still any longer. It’s been nearly a week since Dorion walked into Boucher’s office last Friday around 9:15 am. and delivered the news that he was no longer going to be the coach. His contract expires July 1, and instead of letting this team play out the string, the Senators decided they should act. We haven’t heard anything from Boucher publicly since he was fired. He is gone, but because Boucher is one of the finest communicators anybody has ever worked with in the hockey business, many are wondering when he might speak publicly. Whether we’re going to hear from the former Senators coach remains up in the air. If you judge by the last time Boucher was fired by the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 24. 2013, he will speak sooner or later. You can expect he’ll choose his words carefully because he wants to work in the NHL again. While the coach didn’t return an email from Postmedia sent 24 hours after he was given his walking papers, the belief is the 47-year-old Boucher was caught off guard because he expected to finish the season, especially after getting public backing from Dorion. The last time Boucher was fired in Tampa, he did speak with the local media after taking time to reflect, making his first public statements about 10 days after being let go late in the season. The reality is Boucher wasn’t going to be back with the Senators next year and, while the timing of the decision to send him packing was questionable, there was no point waiting. At the very least, the Senators can see if Crawford is a credible candidate for the full-time job. 1134622 Philadelphia Flyers ``It’s kind of a missed opportunity for us,'' said Andrew MacDonald. ``Luckily, we still have some games we can look forward to.''

Fifteen to be exact. Not a lot of room for a night like that, for late pushes Loss pushes clock forward on Flyers unlikely playoff quest or building toward the next game. Their odds just got worse, but it’s never been about that. This charge under their interim coach is as much about themselves as it is a playoff berth, about building a team from the by Sam Donnellon assemblage of parts they were just two months ago. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.07.2019 As midnight approaches, the Flyers can’t sleep on anyone. This was apparent Tuesday night, when they didn’t make one mistake, and wound up two points further behind in their already unlikely quest to reach the NHL playoffs. It was reinforced Wednesday, when they made plenty and pushed the clock forward as if daylight saving time had already arrived. One night after Pittsburgh, Columbus and Montreal all kept pace with victories, the Flyers surrendered the game’s first five goals before scoring three over the final 20 minutes and 12 seconds in a 5-3 home loss to the Washington Capitals. It left them seven points out of the playoff picture with 15 games on their schedule – 12 against teams currently inside that postseason bubble. ``It stinks,'' said Scott Laughton. ``It’s tough. When we’re playing good hockey like that for so long and then we come out, big game, good crowd , it’s loud...and we watched them play, had a front-row seat to it. ``We got walked over in the first two periods.'' Yeah, it’s a tough. And it’s why oddsmakers gave them just a 6 percent chance to pull it off even before Wednesday’s flat tire, despite recording a 17-4-2 record since their last encounter with the Stanley Cup champions back on Jan. 8. The Flyers lost that game 5-3, scoring a couple of late goals just as they did on Wednesday. It was their eighth loss in a row, and possibly the ugliest of them all. Sloppiness that sure seemed to reflect indifference left Gordon seething about the ``13 or 14’’ Grade A chances that egregious mistakes afforded the defending Stanley Cup champions, chances that did not allow their latest goaltender, Mike McKenna, any chance to earn a story he can someday tell his two small children. One night after that loss in early January, the Flyers awoke as the 31st best team in a 32-team league. Gordon awoke mulling his own narrative. He had been on the job exactly three weeks, using the players and the system that was left to him. The results, the effort, had been just as inconsistent as it had been under Dave Hakstol. Change was coming. The Flyers that lost, 5-3, to the Capitals on Wednesday night were hardly indifferent or lethargic. They were, quite simply, overmatched. They had put up a brave front earlier in the day when it became official that 59- point man Jake Voracek would again not play due a lower body injury and that it was likely Nolan Patrick would be given at least until the weekend to clear his head after a slapshot rung up the ear opening of his helmet early in Sunday’s 4-1 victory over the Islanders. That left Michael Raffl starting at left wing when the puck was dropped. Corban Knight jumped over the boards with a makeshift second line 30 seconds later. The Capitals peppered Brian Elliott with seven shots inside the first six minutes, and when a second Capitals goal tipped off his glove and under the crossbar with just under six minutes left in the first period, it was as if a dam broke. Elliott was replaced by Cam Talbot before five minutes had elapsed in the second period, surrendering a power play goal to Alex Ovechkin after a failed clear created a lethal scramble, and another shortly after when Phil Myers misplayed a puck along the boards in the neutral zone, creating a 2-on-1 that Andre Burakovsky potted without making a pass. It went to 5-0 after Radko Gudas joined Travis Sanheim in pursuit of Jakub Vrana behind the net, leaving Niklas Backstrom alone streaking down the slot – and Gordon shaking his head along the bench. Deja vu? Not even close. The 5-3 loss to these guys on Jan. 8 was Gordon’s starting point. The team that lost by the same score Wednesday had become his disciples, evident by the push made over that final 20 minutes and change, and by an unwillingness afterward to cling hopefully to any carryover effect for Saturday night’s game back on Long Island, when both Voracek and Patrick are expected to be back. ``You can’t expect to win games if you show up like that for 40 minutes,'' said rookie defenseman Myers, whose first NHL goal triggered that final period push. 1134623 Philadelphia Flyers Exit Elliott. Enter Cam Talbot. “It’s disappointing, but we’ll move on,” Elliott said. Capitals hold off late charge from shorthanded Flyers and win, 5-3 Nicklas Backstrom, left all alone in front as he took a behind-the-net- pass from Jakub Vrana, scored on the first shot Talbot faced, and the Capitals were coasting at 5-0. by Sam Carchidi, Without Patrick and Voracek, Flyers interim coach Scott Gordon used about a gazillion line combinations. Not much clicked until the third period. Nolan Patrick missed Wednesday’s game with a head injury. Jake Voracek was sidelined, again, by some sort of lower-body ailment. “We weren’t moving our feet or doing the things that made us successful in Long Island,” Laughton said, referring to Sunday’s 4-1 win. Without those two key forwards, the Flyers figured to be overmatched against the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.07.2019 And they were -- at least for the first 40 minutes. Washington built a 5-0 second-period lead and then held off a furious rally as it defeated the shorthanded Flyers, 5-3, at the Wells Fargo Center. “We weren’t jumping on pucks. We weren’t making good reads in the D zone,” defenseman Andrew MacDonald said. “It just seemed like we were a step behind in the first two periods. It took us a while to figure it out, and by the time we did, it was too late." Goalie Brian Elliott, who had compiled a 2.28 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in his previous six outings, allowed four goals on 19 shots and was removed from the game with 15 minutes, 32 seconds left in the second period. The Caps won their fifth straight, while the Flyers suffered their first regulation loss in six games (4-1-1). The Flyers are seven points out of a playoff spot with 15 games left. In other words, their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread despite a 16- 4-2 run. “Obviously, there’s minimal room for error at this point for us,” MacDonald said. “Luckily, we still have games to look forward to, and they’re important games.” Washington goalie Braden Holtby (27 saves) became the second-fastest goalie in NHL history to register his 250th win, doing it in 409 games. Ken Dryden, who played in an era when teams didn’t have a chance to turn ties into wins in overtime or a shootout, reached the mark in 381 games. It was the first of three meetings between the teams in a 10-game span for the Flyers. Washington set the tone by building a 2-0 lead and outshooting the Flyers, 15-7, in the opening period. “The way we played in the first two periods, that can’t happen in a big game like this. They outworked us ... .but we just have to build off the third period,” said Phil Myers. The rookie defenseman collected his first NHL goal, scoring from the high slot after taking a drop pass from Claude Giroux (two points) with 11.3 seconds left in a Washington-dominated second period. Myers’ punched the air repeatedly after the goal, which cut the Caps’ lead to 5-1. Ten seconds into the third period, Giroux made it 5-2. Scott Laughton deflected MacDonald’s point drive past Holtby to cut the deficit to 5-3 with 12:12 remaining. Holtby later made key stops on MacDonald and James van Riemsdyk as the Flyers’ amped up their attack. Alex Ovechkin is known for his scoring prowess, but the big left winger set up the game’s first goal with a deft pass. Falling to one knee, he whipped a feed to Tom Wilson, who scored from the slot with 14:05 to go in the first. With 5:44 remaining in the first, Brett Connolly’s left-circle shot went off Elliott’s glove and caromed into the net, increasing the lead to 2-0. The goal wasn’t awarded until a stoppage in play and a video review, which showed the puck had bounced off a camera inside the net – and not the crossbar. The Capitals then scored three goals in a 3:10 span early in the second period to build a 5-0 lead. “They were skating, making plays and walking right through us, and we watched them play,” Laughton said. While the Caps were on a power play, Ovechkin (league-high 46th goal) fired a shot through Elliott’s legs to make it 3-0 with 17:28 left in the second. Less than two minutes later, Andre Burakovsky beat a shaky Elliott to the short side from the left circle, putting the Flyers in a 4-0 hole. 1134624 Philadelphia Flyers

Carter Hart making strides toward return; Flyers opening in Prague next season? by Sam Carchidi,

Carter Hart making strides toward return; Flyers opening in Prague next season? For the first time since he injured his ankle nearly two weeks ago, Flyers goalie Carter Hart took part in a morning skate Wednesday and said he was making great progress. “I had no issues,” he said. Interim coach Scott Gordon hinted Tuesday that Hart wouldn’t be ready to play until later next week. Asked if March 14 against visiting Washington might be his target date, Hart said, “Hopefully, sooner than that. I felt pretty good. Obviously, you take things one day at a time, but I want to be back here as soon as I can.” Gordon said Hart needs to participate in a couple of full practices before he considers using the rookie goalie. Hart, 20, said the plan was for him to have full practices Thursday and Friday. The Flyers will play at the Islanders on Saturday and will host Ottawa on Monday. “I’ve just been itching to get back as soon as I can and be part of the guys again,” Hart said. “I miss hanging out with all of them. We have the right group of guys to make this [playoff push] happen.” According to Gordon, Hart injured the ankle when it got caught on the post at the morning skate in Montreal on Feb. 21. He hid the injury from the Flyers at the time, played that night, and was shelled. “I felt it there [the morning of Feb. 21], and then it kind of progressively got worse,” Hart said. “I really didn’t think anything of it and then started feeling it more the next day. We’re taking the right steps here and just making sure I’m doing my job to get back as soon as I can." In that 5-1 loss to Montreal, Hart allowed three goals on nine shots and was pulled midway through the first period. He was asked if his injury affected his performance. “I don’t know. When you’re playing the game, you don’t really think about your injury,” he said. “You have that game-adrenaline kind of mind-set, and you don’t notice those kind of things once the game starts. I wouldn’t say there was any effect.” Hart steered the Flyers back into the playoff race before he was injured. He has a 13-8-1 record, a 2.79 goals-against average, and a .917 save percentage. Flyers playing Kings in Europe? Flyers season-ticket holders were told there will be one fewer home game in the 2019-20 season, and that regular-season contest will be played in Europe, according to a source. It will be an NHL event, and the league will make the announcement March 21. The website sport.cz said the Flyers would most likely start next season in Prague in the Czech Republic. The Flyers will reportedly play two games against the Kings. The Flyers would not confirm the report. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134625 Philadelphia Flyers Holtby and other goalies of his era have an advantage because they have a chance to turn ties into wins with overtimes and shootouts.

The Caps have won four straight, and the Flyers are on a 4-0-1 run. Flyers’ Nolan Patrick will be game-time decision vs. Caps; Carter Hart making strides Flyers playing in Europe? Flyers season-ticket holders were told there will be one fewer home game in the 2019-20 season, and it appears that regular-season contest by Sam Carchidi, will be played in Europe, according to a source. It will be an NHL event, and the league will make the announcement Flyers’ Nolan Patrick will be game-time decision vs. Caps; Carter Hart March 21. making strides As part of the NHL’s Global Series, Edmonton and New Jersey opened Center Nolan Patrick took part in the Flyers’ morning skate Wednesday, their 2018-19 season in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Oct. 6, and Florida and and it will be a game-time decision on whether he plays tonight against Winnipeg played games in Helsinki, Finland, on Nov. 1 and 2. visiting Washington. The Devils and Oilers completed their training camp in Europe — the Based on how he looked in practice, it appears Patrick will play. He Devils in Switzerland, and the Oilers in Germany. showed no ill effects from blocking a shot with his head in Sunday’s 4-1 Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.07.2019 win over the Islanders. “I felt pretty good,” Patrick said after the practice in Voorhees. “Obviously, the morning skate is a lot different than a game would be.” Patrick said it was the first time he had ever blocked a shot with his head. “Just trying to get my blocked-shot totals up a little bit,” he said, wryly. Patrick, who said he needed five or six stitches to close the wound, will likely center Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny if he plays. Washington is tied with the Islanders atop the Metropolitan Division standings. Carter Hart update For the first time since he injured his ankle, goalie Carter Hart took part in a morning skate and said he was making great progress. Hart said he didn’t feel any limitations. “I had no issues,” he said. Interim coach Scott Gordon hinted Tuesday that Hart wouldn’t be ready to play until later next week. Asked if March 14 against visiting Washington might be his target date, Hart said, “Hopefully, sooner than that. I felt pretty good. Obviously, you take things one day at a time, but I want to be back here as soon as I can.” Gordon said Hart needs to participate in a couple of full practices before he considers using the rookie goalie. Hart, 20, said the “plan” was for him to have full practices Thursday and Friday. The Flyers, who are seven points out of a playoff spot with 16 games left, will play at the Islanders on Saturday and host Ottawa on Monday. “I’ve just been itching to get back as soon as I can and be part of the guys again,” Hart said. “I miss hanging out with all of them. We have the right group of guys to make this happen.” According to Gordon, Hart injured the ankle when it got caught on the post at the morning skate in Montreal on Feb. 21. He hid the injury from the Flyers at the time, played that night, and was shelled. “I felt it there [the morning of Feb. 21], and then it kind of progressively got worse,” Hart said. “I really didn’t think anything of it and then started feeling it more the next day. We’re taking the right steps here and just making sure I’m doing my job to get back out there as soon as I can." In that 5-1 loss to Montreal, Hart allowed three goals on nine shots and was pulled midway through the first period. He was asked if his injury affected his performance. “I don’t know. When you’re playing the game, you don’t really think about your injury,” he said. “You have that game-adrenaline kind of mindset, and you don’t notice those kind of things once the game starts. I wouldn’t say there was any effect.” Hart steered the Flyers back into the playoff race before he was injured. He has a 13-8-1 record, a 2.79 goals-against average, and a .917 save percentage. With Hart sidelined, Brian Elliott has started four of the last five games and has excelled. He has a 2.28 GAA and .936 save percentage in his last six appearances, including two in relief of Hart. Elliott (9-7-1, 2.50 GAA, .920 save percentage) will face Braden Holtby (24-16-4, 2.94, .909) on Wednesday. If Holtby wins tonight, he will become the second-fastest goaltender in league history to reach the 250-victory mark, behind only Ken Dryden. Dryden did it in 381 games; Holtby is playing in his 406th game. 1134626 Philadelphia Flyers “The way we played in the first two periods, that can’t happen,″ Myers said. “A big game like this ... I think we just have to play like we did in the third period. If we do that, I think we can beat a lot of hockey teams.″ Flyers' late rally comes up short in 5-3 loss to Caps Like most of the Flyers, Giroux didn’t want to use the absence of Voracek and Patrick as an excuse. Wayne Fishwww.flyingfishhockey.com “Any time you have players out of the lineup like that, it’s obviously not good for the team,″ Giroux said. “They’re big pieces of the team but we still need to find a way.″ PHILADELPHIA – If only the Flyers could have started the way they Voracek update finished. Voracek was scheduled to meet with a doctor to determine the extent of Playing error-prone hockey similar to a 5-1 loss at Montreal a couple his injury, which occurred in Friday night’s game against New Jersey. “It weeks ago, the Flyers couldn’t get out of their own way at the start of a was just a puck came around the boards and just hit him in a funny spot,″ nationally-televised game at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday Gordon said. “We won’t know anymore until he sees the doctor. You just night. want to make sure it’s not worse than what they originally thought.″ So dominant were the Washington Capitals virtually from the opening Short shots whistle that the Flyers were left reeling. The Flyers went with seven defensemen and 11 forwards. ... Philadelphia The Caps scored early and often, grabbing a 5-0 lead before the contest is off until Saturday when it returns to Long Island for its second game at was halfway old. Nassau Coliseum in six days. But the Flyers, game as usual, refused to give up and got consecutive Burlington County Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 goals from Philippe Myers, Claude Giroux and Scott Laughton (the last with 12:12 to play) to make things interesting. However, the rally stopped there and the Flyers went down to a 5-3 defeat. Starting goaltender Brian Elliott, who entered the game 4-0-1 since returning from a three-month injury absence, was gone by the 4:18 mark of the second period, having allowed four goals on 19 shots. Cam Talbot came in and calmly was scored upon with the very first shot he faced. The slow start no doubt cost the Flyers this game. What went wrong in the first 40 minutes? “Our pace of play, I didn’t think we did a lot away from the puck,″ coach Scott Gordon said. “The support in the offensive zone, we had a few turnovers. Defensive zone, on their breakouts, I thought we made it easy on them. Missed coverages in the slot.″ The players knew they showed up late for this one. “We weren’t jumping at pucks. We weren’t making good reads in the defensive zone,″ defenseman Andrew MacDonald offered. “Just seemed like we were a step behind the first two periods. It took a while to figure it out and by the time we did, it was too late.″ This was billed as a crucial game for the Flyers, who watched Pittsburgh, Montreal and Carolina all pick up points on Tuesday night. The loss leaves the Flyers seven points behind each of those Eastern Conference wild card contenders with Philadelphia having only 15 games left on its schedule. Jake Voracek (lower-body injury) and Nolan Patrick (head injury) were scratched and that was bad enough. Throw in the fact that rookie goalie Carter Hart is still sidelined by an ankle injury and the Flyers could be excused for feeling a little sorry for themselves. “They (the Caps) came out buzzing pretty good,″ Corban Knight said. “I think you have to give them some credit. they put us back on our heels.″ The Caps got things going just 5:55 into the game when Alexander Ovechkin fell to his knees in front of the net but still got a pass off to Tom Wilson for a looping shot past Elliott. It became 2-0 when Brett Connolly’s shot caromed off the in-net TV camera. Officials needed to check replay to confirm the goal. Washington wound up launching 31 shots (including missed or blocked) to just 13 for the Flyers in the first period. In the second period, Ovechkin (power play) and Andre Burakovsky scored in rapid fire order and that was all for Elliott. Talbot came in and allowed a goal to Nicklas Backstrom. Myers’ first NHL goal with 11.3 seconds left in the second spoiled any thoughts of a shutout by goalie Braden Holtby. Giroux connected just 10 seconds into the third period for his 20th goal of the season, then Laughton followed that up with his 10th of the campaign and fans decided to stick around for a while. 1134627 Philadelphia Flyers Hart has had a couple injuries in his career, including minor groin and hamstring problems, but this was a first.

“I felt it there and then it got progressively got worse,″ said Hart, who Nolan Patrick a late scratch vs. Caps; Carter Hart making progress participated in the Friday night practice preceding the Stadium Series game against Pittsburgh. “As a goaltender, you’re kind of in that position quite a bit, if there are plays behind the net or along the wall. Wayne Fishwww.flyingfishhockey.com “I didn’t really think anything of it. I started feeling it a lot more the next day. We’re taking the right steps here. I’m doing my job to get out there as soon as I can.″ VOORHEES — Nolan Patrick doesn’t like to sit, and neither does Carter Hart. Burlington County Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 That’s why both were walking around the Flyers’ locker room with smiles on their faces Wednesday morning as they pulled off their equipment. The two young players, recovering from injuries, took part in a workout at the Skate Zone as the Flyers prepared to face the Washington Capitals in a nationally-televised game this evening. Patrick was hurt in Sunday’s 4-1 win over the New York Islanders, receiving a five- or six-stitch cut behind his right ear and a headache (but no concussion). Hart has been sidelined since Feb. 22 after banging his ankle against a goal post during pre-game warm-ups at Montreal the previous night. According to coach Scott Gordon, Patrick was a game-time decision to play against the Capitals but was a late scratch. Also, the Flyers still will be without premier forward Jake Voracek, who reportedly was struck by a puck in an awkward spot during Friday night’s 6-3 victory at New Jersey and was forced to miss the Islander game, ending his ironman streak at 242 games. Patrick was close to playing but was held out of this contest. He’s probable for Saturday’s game at the Islanders. “Him coming out of the game (last) Sunday was more precautionary than anything else,″ Gordon said. “I don’t want to say his injury wasn’t severe because it was, getting hit in the head with a puck and then getting a cut on top of it. But he felt fine after he got into the locker room. Had a little ringing in his ear but he felt normal.″ Patrick reported no ill symptoms after practice. “Felt pretty good,″ he said. “Obviously morning state is a lot different than a game would be. But we’ll know closer to the game.″ The shot off his helmet was a very freak play. Patrick’s leg got caught on the leg of an opponent and he went down. As soon as he hit the ice, Cal Clutterbuck’s shot hit him near the right ear opening. “I’ve never taken a shot off my head,″ he said. “That’s first time that’s ever happened. (I) was trying to get my blocked shots totals up a little bit. “It didn’t feel good. Obviously getting a shot in the head hurts.″ Meanwhile, Hart also was in good spirits. Veteran Brian Elliott has been filling in nicely in Hart’s absence (3-0-1) but it was the rookie who carried the Flyers back into contention, so getting him back soon is also good news for the team. “He’s out doing the pregame skate so that’s a positive sign,″ Gordon said. “After that we won’t know anything until he really replicates the action that caused the injury. He’s been staying away from that. We’ll see how he is after the skate today and how close he is to being able to do the things that bother him. We’ll determine where he’s getting close to being ready to do a full practice and play.″ Gordon is a former goaltender, so he knows all about these types of injuries. “His foot jammed into the post and that’s a one-shot deal,″ Gordon said. “Now you just have to wait until it takes care of itself.″ Hart admits it’s been tough to sit and watch. “It’s frustrating when you can’t play,″ Hart said. “You’re watching your teammates battle out there. They’ve been playing good hockey so it’s good to see the guys battling hard.″ The goalie didn’t appear to be limited in anything he did on the ice. “I felt pretty good,″ he said. “Obviously we’re being careful but I felt pretty good out there.″ Though he doesn’t have a target date for a return, Hart said, “I want to be back as soon as I can.″ 1134628 Philadelphia Flyers • • • Reports are out that the NHL is pondering the Flyers as one of the teams that would open next season in Europe. Reports out of the Czech Failed comeback like a microcosm of Flyers' fate Republic had the Flyers indeed playing in Prague for what is likely two games against the Los Angeles Kings at the start of the season. By Rob Parent The league is expected to make an announcement later this month. Asked about that, team president Paul Holmgren said Wednesday, "We're not in a position to say anything." PHILADELPHIA — While reality can slap the Flyers down now and then, the nightmare of their prior season life has put them in the unenviable • • • position of chasing only an elusive playoff dream. The Flyers' goals with 12 seconds left in the second period and 10 While their first two periods Wednesday night produced 40 minutes of seconds into the third period marked the first time in club history that nationally televised humiliation, the Flyers molded a comeback much like they'd scored in the last 15 seconds followed by the first 15 of a period. ... the one they've put on for the past couple of months. But the ending was No change in the status of Voracek and Patrick. Voracek still has to be all too real. cleared by a test Thursday but he and Patrick are expected to practice and probably play on Long Island Saturday night. ... Myers on his first For this downsized dream, they fell short of the Washington Capitals 5-3. NHL goal: "Obviously it's nice to see the puck go in, and we sort of built off of that and played well in the third. But the way we played in the first For the longer-view comeback attempt from a brutal first half of the two periods, that can't happen, especially in a big game like this." season, they've managed to keep the bubble from bursting. But falling short there may be inevitable, too. Delaware County Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 "It stings," Scott Laughton said. "It's tough, when we're playing good hockey like that for so long, we come out (like that), and especially at home with a good crowd. "It was loud ... and we got walked over in the first two periods. Then it's too late trying to come back." The only loud noise in the second period was a fine sampling of Philadelphia booing, quite a natural result of the Caps pushing a two-goal lead to a five-wide margin via three goals in the space of 3 minutes, 5 seconds of early second-period ugliness. Along the way, recently hot veteran goalie Brian Elliott had his ego bruised, enough to knock him back to the bench with the score 4-0. In came recent acquisition Cam Talbot. In came gloriously skilled center Nick Backstrom – down the slot and all alone. So the first shot attempt Talbot saw made the lead 5-0. "You can't do that against a team like that," Laughton said of the defending Cup champion Caps. "They're too good, they're too skilled. They were skating, making plays, walking right through us and we watched them play. That's what happens against a team like that. You can't come back when you're watching teams like that. Not our best effort, especially at this time of year." Which brings us to numbers: The Flyers took that 5-0 deficit and ran with it, perhaps fueled only by pride. Claude Giroux set up promoted defenseman Phil Myers for the first goal of his career with just 12 seconds left in the second period. Then Giroux did the honors himself, scoring only 10 seconds into the third. It officially qualified as a potential comeback when Laughton tipped home an Andrew MacDonald drive at 7:48 of the third to cut the deficit to two... And then the comeback died when newbie Caps coach Todd Reirden called his players over to instill a little verbal reality into their dreamy eyes. "I think that took a little bit of the wind out of their sails," Reirden said of his timeout's effect on the Flyers. "So, I thought that was important from a strategy standpoint, to take the momentum out of their game. Now, what I said to the players was, we have to get back to playing how we were." Any hopes of a miracle comeback for the home team on this one game night against a Capitals team that will be on hand for two of the remaining 15 Flyers games were also hampered by the respective absences of scoring-capable stars Jake Voracek (took a puck off his knee) and Nolan Patrick (took a puck off his head). Not enough firepower for miracles on this night. And for the longer-term perspective, not enough time for the Flyers to complete what would be a rather miraculous comeback from being 16 points out of the playoffs. They remain seven points behind current wild card teams Pittsburgh and Montreal with precious little time left. Hence "the position" they find themselves in now. "There’s obviously minimal room for error at this point for us," MacDonald said. "It’s obviously not realistic to say we’re going to win every single game. These divisional games are pretty important. It’s kind of a missed opportunity for us. Luckily, we still have some games we can look forward to and they’re pretty important games." 1134629 Philadelphia Flyers Gordon called Hart's participation in a Wednesday practice skate "a positive sign," but no one is signing off on a quick return for the 20-year- old just yet. Parent: Flyers Hart has a hankering for a return "We won't really know anything until he kind of replicates the action that caused the injury," Gordon said rather cryptically. "He's been staying away from that, so we'll see how he is after the skate today and see how By Rob Parent close he is to things that bother him." But you wonder if watching one subsequent blowout loss suffered by his team might at least give Hart an extra bolt of motivation ... as if he PHILADELPHIA — Carter Hart didn't intend to make it look like he was needed one. reluctant to own up to an injury, it just turned out that way for a guy not really accustomed to being hurt. "I think we have the right group of guys to do this," Hart said of the Flyers' slim-chance attempt to make the playoffs. "We put ourselves in a hole in At least that's the story now. December, but we've dug ourselves out of it. We've kept a good, positive mindset in the locker room and off the ice. It's fun to be around. Hart did say Wednesday that he had a couple of injuries during his long junior career, but whatever they were, they didn't prevent him from being "But being hurt, not being around the guys as much as you are when a teen-aged star in the WHL and eventually on the international stage. you're playing, it just sucks. You feel kind of isolated and it's not very fun. And that's why I've just been itching to get back as soon as I can." Now 20, he's taken Flyers fans by storm in his first professional season while winning the starting job during an injury plagued (as usual) season That's the kind of itch that for Carter Hart isn't likely to ever go away. for Flyers goalies. Delaware County Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 Maybe it was difficult for him to admit to himself that he'd joined that club, too, when his ankle started hurting him. If so, that would be just another thing to really like about this most refreshing of elite junior Flyers. "Obviously, you want to play," Hart said Wednesday. "To see my teammates out there battling, it's been tough to watch. I think they've done a good job, anyway. They've been playing really hard. On the road trip there we got five out of six points, and we just have to continue to build off of that." Nice to say, but reality intervened and the building would promptly collapse Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center. Veteran Brian Elliott, sometimes brilliant after coming back from a 40-game injury absence just in time for Hart's ankle absence, was waaaayyyyy off his game against the Capitals. Elliott allowed four goals on Washington's first 19 shots before getting yanked 4:18 into the second period in favor of Hart's elder workout buddy and recent acquisition Cam Talbot. And he was promptly scored upon on the first shot he faced, a point- blank gift for a wide-open Nick Backstrom from the slot as the Flyers seemed well on the way to being routed by the defending Stanley Cup champions. Such a nationally televised embarrassment couldn't have been easy for Hart to watch. But that doesn't mean he's going to be quickly cured of the ankle problem that suddenly cropped up after recent back to back losses to Tampa Bay and Montreal. The timing of it still seems just a wee bit curious, since Hart was pulled early from both of those games, and both times with less than 11 minutes played in the first period. "I didn't really notice it at first, then I felt it in Montreal and it just kind of progressively got worse," Hart said. "But obviously before that (subsequent) outdoor game, you want to play in those kinds of situations. You want to play no matter what kind of game it is." Coming off those two road losses, the Flyers were to host the Pittsburgh Penguins in a Stadium Series game Saturday night, Feb. 23, at . The afternoon and evening before that game, the teams held practice skates. That's where Carter Hart could no longer ignore what his ankle was telling him. "You want to play every game," he repeated. "No matter what's going on. ... So I didn't really notice it (until) I felt it more in the (Friday) outdoor skate. I just felt like I couldn't be at my best then. ... It just got worse and worse and that's when I had to talk to our medical staff." Interim head coach Scott Gordon, who had talked Friday night about replacing Hart in the previous two games, without mentioning anything about an injury, clearly didn't know about it until the next day. That began with the surprising announcement that the just-returned Elliott was going to start in net. Initial injury confusion aside, however, Elliott made it all moot by bailing everyone out with terrific performances in the outdoor win over the Penguins, followed by victories over Buffalo and the Islanders as the Flyers went off on a 4-0-1 run. Now comes this Wednesday night crash against the Capitals. The question that remains is how Hart handles it. 1134630 Philadelphia Flyers Gordon called Hart's participation in a Wednesday practice skate "a positive sign," but no one is signing off on a quick return for the 20-year- old just yet. Flyers Hart has a hankering for a return "We won't really know anything until he kind of replicates the action that caused the injury," Gordon said rather cryptically. "He's been staying away from that, so we'll see how he is after the skate today and see how By Rob Parent close he is to things that bother him." But you wonder if watching one subsequent blowout loss suffered by his team might at least give Hart an extra bolt of motivation ... as if he PHILADELPHIA — Carter Hart didn't intend to make it look like he was needed one. reluctant to own up to an injury, it just turned out that way for a guy not really accustomed to being hurt. "I think we have the right group of guys to do this," Hart said of the Flyers' slim-chance attempt to make the playoffs. "We put ourselves in a hole in At least that's the story now. December, but we've dug ourselves out of it. We've kept a good, positive mindset in the locker room and off the ice. It's fun to be around. Hart did say Wednesday that he had a couple of injuries during his long junior career, but whatever they were, they didn't prevent him from being "But being hurt, not being around the guys as much as you are when a teen-aged star in the WHL and eventually on the international stage. you're playing, it just sucks. You feel kind of isolated and it's not very fun. And that's why I've just been itching to get back as soon as I can." Now 20, he's taken Flyers fans by storm in his first professional season while winning the starting job during an injury plagued (as usual) season That's the kind of itch that for Carter Hart isn't likely to ever go away. for Flyers goalies. Delaware County Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 Maybe it was difficult for him to admit to himself that he'd joined that club, too, when his ankle started hurting him. If so, that would be just another thing to really like about this most refreshing of elite junior Flyers. "Obviously, you want to play," Hart said Wednesday. "To see my teammates out there battling, it's been tough to watch. I think they've done a good job, anyway. They've been playing really hard. On the road trip there we got five out of six points, and we just have to continue to build off of that." Nice to say, but reality intervened and the building would promptly collapse Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center. Veteran Brian Elliott, sometimes brilliant after coming back from a 40-game injury absence just in time for Hart's ankle absence, was waaaayyyyy off his game against the Capitals. Elliott allowed four goals on Washington's first 19 shots before getting yanked 4:18 into the second period in favor of Hart's elder workout buddy and recent acquisition Cam Talbot. And he was promptly scored upon on the first shot he faced, a point- blank gift for a wide-open Nick Backstrom from the slot as the Flyers seemed well on the way to being routed by the defending Stanley Cup champions. It was would end in a 5-3 Flyers loss, which wouldn't be any easier for an injured goalie to watch. But that doesn't mean Hart's going to be quickly cured of the ankle problem that suddenly cropped up after recent back to back losses to Tampa Bay and Montreal. The timing of it still seems just a wee bit curious, since Hart was pulled early from both of those games, and both times with less than 11 minutes played in the first period. "I didn't really notice it at first, then I felt it in Montreal and it just kind of progressively got worse," Hart said. "But obviously before that (subsequent) outdoor game, you want to play in those kinds of situations. You want to play no matter what kind of game it is." Coming off those two road losses, the Flyers were to host the Pittsburgh Penguins in a Stadium Series game Saturday night, Feb. 23, at Lincoln Financial Field. The afternoon and evening before that game, the teams held practice skates. That's where Carter Hart could no longer ignore what his ankle was telling him. "You want to play every game," he repeated. "No matter what's going on. ... So I didn't really notice it (until) I felt it more in the (Friday) outdoor skate. I just felt like I couldn't be at my best then. ... It just got worse and worse and that's when I had to talk to our medical staff." Interim head coach Scott Gordon, who had talked Friday night about replacing Hart in the previous two games, without mentioning anything about an injury, clearly didn't know about it until the next day. That began with the surprising announcement that the just-returned Elliott was going to start in net. Initial injury confusion aside, however, Elliott made it all moot by bailing everyone out with terrific performances in the outdoor win over the Penguins, followed by victories over Buffalo and the Islanders as the Flyers went off on a 4-0-1 run. Now comes this Wednesday night crash against the Capitals. The question that remains is how Hart handles it. 1134631 Philadelphia Flyers

Capitals 5, Flyers 3: Defending champs are too much yet again

By John Boruk March 06, 2019 10:04 PM

The Washington Capitals dominated early Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center, scoring five goals in the first 25 minutes of the game on their way to handing the Flyers a 5-3 loss. Flyers netminder Brian Elliott was pulled after allowing four goals on 19 shots. It was the first time the Flyers failed to pick up a point since a Feb. 21 loss to the Canadiens. Here are my observations: • I had a suspicion that playing without Nolan Patrick and Jakub Voracek could really hamper the Flyers against a fast-paced, transitional team like the Capitals, a team that is one of the best in the league in moving the puck from zone to zone. Interim head coach Scott Gordon said Tuesday that playing with 11 forwards is not a problem if everyone is in position and where they need to be. At times, the Flyers were caught out of position. • Gordon used an assortment of different lines right from the opening jump. It was hard to get a read on who was with who to start, but he has done so much mixing and matching that it has become par for the course. Fourth-liner Corban Knight saw extensive ice time, playing over 14 minutes after 17-plus against the Islanders. • Alex Ovechkin gave us a little bit of everything in the first 23 minutes of this game. His 245th power-play goal was a gimme putt on the golf course with the way the Flyers' penalty killers overcommitted away from Ovechkin, but the play that stands out is how he swept the puck away from Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim and then threaded a pass from his knees to Tom Wilson. Sanheim was in position to make a play, but sometimes you have to tip your hat to greatness. • This marked the sixth straight home game the Flyers have given up at least one first-period goal. In four of those games, the Flyers have trailed after the opening 20 minutes. You’d like to see the Flyers have cleaner starts on home ice, but that hasn’t been the case at all this season. They’ve allowed 31 first-period goals in 34 home games. • There were very few Flyers worthy of praise in this game, but Philippe Myers played solidly through the first 40 minutes. Once again, he was physical in his own zone, he drew an early penalty to give the Flyers a power play, and then added this beauty of a wrist shot that beat Braden Holtby on the glove side. I’ve had high praise for Myers since he made his NHL debut last month, and I think by the midway point of next season, he’ll be on the top defense pairing with Ivan Provorov. • Elliott was due for a clunker after playing so well in his first six appearances back from injury. However, against the Caps, when the Flyers needed another big game out of Elliott, he yielded four goals on 19 shots. There are a couple of goals I hang on Elliott — Ovechkin’s power play that slipped through the five-hole and the one glaring mishap, Brett Connolly’s goal that slipped off Elliott’s glove and hit the camera mounted in the back of the net. Officials reviewed this Brett Connolly shot and it went in and out off the goal cam. 2-0 Caps. That's Conno's 17th of the season. pic.twitter.com/idAjSH9svx — Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 7, 2019 • With the victory, Holtby became the second-fastest goaltender to 250 wins in NHL history, and while he has been on some very prolific and successful Washington teams, this has been aided by the advent of the shootout. Holtby has 23 wins in the shootout, which ranks only 29th since it was instituted. Believe it or not, Steve Mason has the same number of shootout wins as Holtby. The Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist is the NHL’s all-time leader with 61. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134632 Philadelphia Flyers

Carter Hart getting closer to returning for Flyers

By John Boruk March 06, 2019

VOORHEES, N.J. — Carter Hart still wears his Stadium Series gear specially tailored for that outdoor game. Those black pads with orange lining will only see morning skates and practices, and right now, that’s exactly where Hart is in his recovery from a sore ankle that will force him to miss his sixth straight game against the Capitals. However, Hart joined his teammates for the first time during Wedneday’s morning skate and he’ll likely ramp up his activity level for Thursday’s practice. “I felt pretty good,” Hart said. "Obviously, we’re being careful.” Hart injured the ankle leaning up against the post during the Flyers' morning skate prior to his start in Montreal on Feb. 21. He was pulled midway through the first period after allowing three goals on nine shots, including one in which he was leaning up against the post. However, Hart maintains the injury had nothing to do with the goal itself. “It progressively got worse,” Hart said. “You play the game, you don’t really think about your injury. As a goaltender, you’re in that position quite a bit when there’s any plays behind the goal line or on the wall. I started feeling it a lot more the next day. We’re taking the right steps.” It’s the third minor injury Hart can remember. He has also strained a hamstring and pulled his groin. Both required just a couple of weeks of recovery time prior to his turning pro. The Flyers' rookie sensation wants to return to game action before next Thursday’s rematch with the Capitals. However, interim head coach Scott Gordon may have other ideas, especially considering how well Brian Elliott has played in his six appearances from reaggravating a core muscle injury. The Flyers have earned points in all four of Elliott’s starts with a 3-0-1 record. Looking ahead, the ideal game to work Hart back in would be next Monday against the lowly Ottawa Senators, a team that has won just four of its previous 19 games. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134633 Philadelphia Flyers If you missed Tuesday night’s premier, you can catch "Wired: Stadium Series" on NBC Sports Philadelphia on the following dates/times. You can also stream it here. Flyers' top 5 moments from Wired: Stadium Series Thursday, March 7 — 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 8 — 5 p.m. By John Boruk March 06, 2019 Thursday, March 21 — 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 2 — 7 p.m. It was open mic night at Lincoln Financial Field for "Wired: Stadium Saturday, April 6 — 5:30 p.m. Series" — NBC’s one-hour special on the outdoor game at Lincoln Financial Field on Feb. 23. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 Here were the top five moments from the show: Farewell to the 'Wayne Train' After scoring the game-winning goal in overtime, Claude Giroux was congratulated by teammates and eventually embraced Wayne Simmonds. “Come here, big guy. I love you. Whatever happens, I'll always love you,” Giroux said. In the locker room, the players passed around the Player of the Game helmet as Jakub Voracek gave it up for Simmonds. “Hopefully you’re gonna stay around. This is for you, buddy,” Voracek said. T.K. stirs the pot With roughly seven to eight players wearing a mic, it was just a matter of time before Travis Konecny would be caught chirping at the Penguins' players. After Nolan Patrick laid out Jack Johnson following a knee-to- knee collision, Konency let Johnson have it. “Hey, atta boy, Johnson. Atta boy! You eating that up? Karma is a f***ing b****, eh? Eat up, bud, eat up,” Konecny said. Later in the game, Konecny was giving it to Evgeni Malkin, the result of his stick-swinging incident at the Wells Fargo Center in that game 12 days prior. Konecny even refers to Malkin as a "f***ing nerd.” Travis Konecny is a legend. pic.twitter.com/w92WJe1MaX — Ryan Gilbert (@RGilbertSOP) March 6, 2019 Hagg and Malkin exchange blows When sorting out the penalties between Robert Hagg and Malkin, who received matching minors for crosschecking the other player, referee Dan O'Halloran was having none of it and proceeded to keep the rest of the guys in line. “Those two are getting crosschecking penalties. Anybody else want one? Phil, you want one? Alright, let’s get the f*** out of here. Let’s go,” O'Halloran said. Simmonds' big hit on Dumoulin Simmonds' game-changing check to Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin sparked an all-out melee that left Simmonds defending himself, with him asking the Penguins: “Who wants it? It was a clean f***ing hit.” Later, Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist told teammates on the bench, “Prison rules now, boys. Prison rules.” Just prior to the second period, Pens coach Mike Sullivan wanted to let O'Halloran know that his team’s defense was decimated with injuries, which led to this exchange: Sullivan: “So, our guy’s out with a concussion from a direct shot to the head. Simmonds leaves his feet and drives his shoulder right into his jaw. So, he’s out with a concussion, and (Kris) Letang’s out now because he got him in a headlock down to the ice. So, we lose our top defense pair on that one play. Just so you know.” O'Halloran: “Do you have a question?” Classic response from a veteran referee. Pederson's cameo Eagles head coach Doug Pederson read off the starting lineup to the players in the locker room before dropping the ceremonial first puck prior to the game. Cameras also caught the laid-back, down-to-earth head coach having a quick exchange with Giroux just before opening faceoff. 1134634 Philadelphia Flyers motorcycle helmet to Claude Giroux, who gave it to Jake Voracek, who gave it to Simmonds.

“In the situation we are (in), I don’t know what’s gonna happen Monday,” What it means to be mic’d up: Flyers re-live outdoor game with NBC Voracek said that night, referencing the trade deadline, “but I’ve got to show give it to one of my best friends. We don’t know what’s gonna happen with him. He deserves it for eight years that he’s been here. Simmy, whatever happens we love you. Hopefully you’re gonna stay around. This Dave Isaac March 6, 2019 is for you, buddy.” NBC couldn’t claim that moment as an exclusive in their show. Most had already seen it. VOORHEES — In Scott Laughton’s draft year he remembers watching HBO’s "24/7" leading up to the Winter Classic when the Flyers played the The players were too winded from the game and soaked in rain to have New York Rangers. cared or noticed where the cameras were in the Eagles locker room. But it was still a genuine moment. Most people watched it for entertainment. Laughton, then of the ’s , used it as a tool to see what the “He spent so much time here and had such an impact on me personally NHL is really like. and on a bunch of young guys coming in,” Laughton said. “You see Simmer from the outside as this big, tough guy who goes out there and “When you’re not in the league, I think it’s really cool to go inside a locker does everything but you don’t see the background and what he does for room and see what everything’s about and what the different guys are younger guys and how he treats people. I got choked up a little bit at the like, the different personalities and everything like that,” Laughton said. “I end to see that there. Him and Jakey used to room together and thought it was really cool to see everything like that and how big the everything. That’s definitely genuine and I think the guys definitely felt it.” rivalry was and everything like that. You go into pregame meals and see what the guys are eating and doing in pregame meals.” Courier-Post LOADED: 03.07.2019 A week and a half ago, Laughton was on the other side of it. He was one of several players mic’d up during the outdoor game against the Pittsburgh Penguins for use on an NBC show called "Wired: Stadium Series," which first aired Tuesday night. The Flyers have had videos on their team website with players wearing microphones during play before, but they also had the power of editing. This, a national show taking viewers inside one of the most-watched games of the season, was a little different. “There’s definitely some worse things are said out there that I don’t think can be aired,” Laughton said with a laugh. “I think they did a really good job. It was really good job, especially for fans, to see what it’s like to be on the bench and things like that. I thought it was really cool. “There’s a couple comments that you say and then one of the boys would grab you and tell you, ‘Hey man, you’re mic’d up.’ It’s definitely a little different, what you’re saying in the locker room and stuff like that. Other than that, it’s pretty much the same thing you go through (normally).” Travis Konecny was one of the stars of the show. The pesky winger was chirping anyone who would listen and even those who wouldn’t. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, at one point, slammed a bench door on his way off the ice and pleaded for Konecny to shut up. Among his one-liners in the show, Konecny asked Evgeni Malkin, “Oh, ya gonna 2x4 us in the head again?” referencing the prior game between the Flyers and Penguins when Malkin swung his stick at Michael Raffl’s head and was served a one-game suspension for it. Konecny also told Penguins defender Jack Johnson to “eat up” after he tripped Nolan Patrick and Patrick later responded with a thundering hit behind the Pittsburgh net. “You don’t remember (the microphone is) on there in the moment,” Konecny said after Wednesday’s morning practice. That exchange was one that Travis Sanheim heard live and couldn’t wait to see how it looked on the show. “I think everyone was kind of expecting that one,” Sanheim said, “and I’m sure guys around the league look at it and saw TK and got a good laugh out of it and the type of player that he is. “I think it’s pretty comical, some of the stuff that goes on, on the ice. To be able to sit back and watch it and not experience it live and have the emotions there and just kind of take that all out of it, it was pretty funny. It was pretty entertaining and there’s some stuff that goes on in the game where you don’t necessarily see or hear. To get that perspective of it was kind of cool.” One of the subplots of the show, having the benefit of the game being hindsight, was playing up the fact that it was Wayne Simmonds’ last game as a Flyer before he was moved to Nashville at the trade deadline. Simmonds threw a big hit on Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin, the aftershock of which caused a concussion when Dumoulin’s head hit the glass. He was also mic’d up during the game so it was clearly audible when the Penguins didn’t like the hit and a scrum ensued that Simmonds said, “Who wants some? It was a clean f—ing hit!” The night of the game the Flyers released their own video of the postgame scene, in which Oskar Lindblom gave the player-of-the-game 1134635 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers to play Los Angeles Kings in Prague, Czech Republic next season?

Dave Isaac, March 6, 2019

VOORHEES — When invoices went out this week, Flyers season ticket holders noticed they were charged for 43 games next season instead of 44. The missing game, it appears, may be played overseas. Back in November, The Fourth Period reported that the Los Angeles Kings would open their season in Prague, Czech Republic. Website nhlprague2019.com uses NHL branding, but a domain search does not disclose to whom the domain is registered or if it is property of the league. The landing page for the site is a countdown clock ticking down to 7:30 p.m. local time on Oct. 3. Another page of the site has a photo of Czech-native Jake Voracek and Kings captain Anze Kopitar, who hails from Slovenia. The website also says the game would be played at Prague’s 18,000-seat O2 Arena. The NHL is expected to make an official announcement on March 21 about its European games for next season. If the Flyers do indeed play a game overseas, it would be their first part of the NHL’s “Global Series,” which started in 2017 when the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche played two games in Stockholm, Sweden. This season, the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers opened their seasons in Gothenburg, Sweden after each playing an exhibition game against non-NHL clubs and the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers played two games in November in Helsinki, Finland. “That would be cool,” Scott Laughton said when asked if he’d like to see the Flyers be part of such a thing. “Especially at the start of the year if you go over there, there’s a bunch of team bonding and a flight for however long and you’re spending so much time together instead of being here at training camp and coming to the rink in two separate groups and going home. I think it will be a special experience for a lot of guys if we go and just a really cool thing that everyone’s involved in.” Laughton played in the Czech Republic for the 2012 under-18 World Championship a couple months before the Flyers drafted him. “It’s a different atmosphere. It’s really cool,” he said. “Just a different vibe to the games and stuff like that.” Courier-Post LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134636 Philadelphia Flyers 70-Braden Holtby (1-Pheonix Copley) Flyers vs. Capitals: Game 67 preview, line combinations, broadcast info Injuries/suspensions none Dave Isaac, NHL writer Published 7:00 a.m. ET March 6, 2019 Courier-Post LOADED: 03.07.2019

Tonight: Flyers vs. Washington Capitals Site: Wells Fargo Center / Philadelphia, Pa. Time: 7:30 p.m. TV/Radio: NBCSN, 93.3 FM Records: Flyers 32-26-8 | Capitals 38-21-7 Last game: Flyers beat NYI 4-1 on Sun. | Capitals beat NYR 3-2 on Sun. Bovada odds: Flyers +1.5 | O/U 6.5 It's scoreboard watching season and the Flyers can't get enough. Not out of sheer curiosity, though. In order to make the climb past two more teams — whether they be Columbus, Montreal, Pittsburgh or Carolina — they need other teams to lose. "It’s tough. I mean, every team that we’re trying to catch, they’re playing (Tuesday)," Claude Giroux said after Tuesday's practice. "Trying to concentrate on Washington and what we’re doing, it’s not easy but we have to do it and maybe I’ll peak (at the scores). I think I will but you can’t worry about that stuff. If they all win or they all lose, it doesn’t change the way we have to play (Wednesday) and how we gotta take care of business." FLYERS PROJECTED LINEUP Forwards 28-Claude Giroux, 14-Sean Couturier, 23-Oskar Lindblom 12-Michael Raffl, 21-Scott Laughton, 11-Travis Konecny 25-James van Riemsdyk, 10-Corban Knight, 38-Ryan Hartman 44-Phil Varone, 27-Justin Bailey Defense 9-Ivan Provorov & 6-Travis Sanheim 8-Robert Hägg& 3-Radko Gudas 53-Shayne Gostisbehere & 61-Phil Myers 47-Andrew MacDonald Goalie 37-Brian Elliott (33-Cam Talbot) Injuries/suspensions RW Jake Voracek – lower-body injury, day-to-day C Nolan Patrick – head laceration, questionable G Carter Hart – ankle injury, out a week G Michal Neuvirth – lower-body injury, injured reserve CAPITALS PROJECTED LINEUP Forwards 8-Alex Ovechkin, 92-Evgeny Kuznetsov, 43-Tom Wilson 13-Jakub Vrana, 19-Nicklas Backstrom, 77-T.J. Oshie 62-Carl Hagelin, 20-Lars Eller, 10-Brett Connolly 65-Andre Burakovsky, 26-Nic Dowd, 72-Travis Boyd Defense 6-Michal Kempny & 74-John Carlson 9-Dmitry Orlov & 2-Matt Niskanen 44-Brooks Orpik & 3-Nick Jensen Goalie 1134637 Philadelphia Flyers Later this month, the Flyers’ alumni will gather their tough guys and some of the players they dropped the gloves with for a celebration of old-time hockey. On March 22 at South Philly venue , fans can Injuries to Jake Voracek, Nolan Patrick, testing Flyers' forward versatility meet some local alumni like Dave Schultz, Dave Brown, Daryl Stanley and Bob Kelly as well as ex-Bruin Terry O'Reilly and journeymen Chris Nilan and Marty McSorley. More participants are expected to be announced. Dave Isaac, NHL writer Published 3:39 p.m. ET March 5, 2019 Tickets are available for $100 at 2300arena.com. VIP tickets are also available and include a catered dinner, beverage and a pre-event private meet-and-greet with alumni. VIP tables ($2,400 for a table of eight) are VOORHEES — Whether the Flyers play with 11 forwards or 12 it doesn’t available for purchase through Brad Marsh at 215-952-5946 or seem to matter because one way or another the lines are getting [email protected]. jumbled. Hart not ready yet That’s been the case for a while now and it’s going to come in handy Wednesday when the Flyers will be without Jake Voracek due to a lower- As part of general manager Chuck Fletcher’s injury report he filed from body injury and perhaps also Nolan Patrick, who was hit in the head with Boca Raton, Florida, at the NHL’s GM meetings, he mentioned that Hart Cal Clutterbuck’s shot Saturday night. is “doing very well” after injuring his ankle and he may join the team for Wednesday’s morning skate. Even if he does, don’t expect an immediate “I think everyone’s had an opportunity to play with everybody at this point return. so it’s not unfamiliar territory when you get out there. You’ve played with a lot of the guys,” Travis Konecny said. “I think it’s good, too, because “I don’t think he’ll be ready for the weekend,” Gordon said. “I haven’t when you run into situations like we did last game (when the plan was to talked to anybody but given the fact that he hasn’t had one practice in, go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen and Patrick’s injury took it to what is it, two weeks now? He was on the ice today. I don’t know what 10 forwards) you’re ready for whatever’s thrown at you throughout the the end result was as far as how he felt but I do know we can’t even think game.” about putting him in a game until he’s had a few practices and feels comfortable enough to say that there’s nothing that’s gonna lead to a Patrick is questionable to play against the defending champion setback.” Washington Capitals Wednesday. He did not practice with the team Tuesday but did skate and shoot on injured goalies Michal Neuvirth and Courier-Post LOADED: 03.07.2019 Carter Hart before the full team took the ice. The Flyers will see how Patrick feels Wednesday morning and go from there. If he can’t play, the Flyers will go with 11 forwards and seven defenseman against the Caps. Justin Bailey, recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, will be among the forward group. “Practice today was kind of weird missing a lot of players,” Claude Giroux said. “We know the position we’re in right now. These two points tomorrow are gonna be huge for us. We need to find chemistry and find it fast. “(Patrick and Voracek are) big pieces to our team. We’re not too sure what’s going on with them too. The best thing we can do right now is worry about Washington. If Patty and Jake play or don’t play it’s about playing as one unit and taking care of business.” There’s certainly no time to sulk with only 16 games remaining on the schedule and the Flyers needing to make up ground in a tight playoff race. They are in desperation mode to produce offensively and get wins. They have been playing “playoff hockey” for a while now. “I think it’s been that way for too long,” James van Riemsdyk said. “It’s our new normal I guess where we have these games that mean so much for a while and we’ve had good responses so that’s definitely played to our advantage.” So it won’t necessarily be a fight-or-flight scenario against Washington because the Flyers have dealt with new lines before and have dealt with must-win games in their stretch of seven out of nine games against divisional opponents. Behind the bench, interim coach Scott Gordon seems to have pushed a lot of the right buttons as a mad scientist with line combinations changing from shift to shift. “I think the important piece is the consistency with system play. If everybody’s in the right position it shouldn’t matter who’s on the ice,” Gordon said. “Obviously there’s some chemistry that guys develop over the course of the year but given we’re in the situation where we have some injuries, we’ve gotta adjust on the fly here. I think it has more to do with there’s a lot of stuff we’re doing in the neutral zone that has allowed us to create some chemistry. We’re on the same page and as a result it’s really just a question of who’s in the right place at the right time and gets the benefits of all the good work.” “I think the fact that we’ve been doing a little bit of the 11-forward thing, it’s a little easier,” van Riemsdyk added. “When you’re mixing and matching things it makes it a little tougher to get into a rhythm but since we’ve been doing it a little bit, it makes it a little easier of an adjustment to play. You’ve got a little more of a feel for how you’re gonna get out there and stuff and then certainly makes it easier for everyone to get into the groove of the game.” Friday Night Fights 1134638 Philadelphia Flyers So Hart could be back with his teammates on the ice as soon as Wednesday morning. Does that mean his return to game action — or least active status on the roster — is imminent? Not so fast. From Hart and Elliott to Talbot (and even Neuvirth): Making sense of the “I don’t think he’ll be ready for the weekend,” Gordon said after Flyers’ goaltending situation Tuesday’s practice. “I haven’t talked to anybody, but given the fact that he hasn’t had one practice in, what’s it, two weeks now (11 days to be exact)? Yeah, he was on the ice today, (but) I don’t know what the end By Charlie O'Connor Mar 6, 2019 result was as far as how he felt. But I do know that we can’t even think about putting him in a game until he’s had a few practices, and feels comfortable enough to say that there’s nothing that’s gonna lead to a setback.” Gordon was then asked if a mid-next-week return was realistic, For the past 20-plus seasons, goaltending in Philadelphia has never and he responded with skepticism: “If he doesn’t practice this week, I been a simple exercise. But when presumptive savior Carter Hart seized don’t know if that’s realistic.” the starting job in December — and turned himself into a viable candidate for the Calder Trophy in the process — it appeared that The overarching mindset from Fletcher and Gordon regarding Hart complexity was about to go the way of the dodo when it came to seems to be patience and restraint when it comes to his return to the netminding in the City of Brotherly Love. lineup. The best case scenario for Hart’s return (assuming he practices this week) would seem to be next Monday against the Ottawa Senators, Apparently, there was room for one more round of wackiness. but that feels unlikely based on the mentalities of Fletcher and Gordon. With only a month remaining in the season, a whopping four goalies are Realistic optimism would place his return at March 14, giving him a full technically with the Flyers: the injured future-of-the-franchise, the former week of practices before being tossed into a game. No. 1 turned afterthought turned temporary No. 1 again, the just-traded- And truthfully, that might even be too bullish. Fletcher showed his cards for veteran now relegated to surprise backup status and the Guy Who in a sense by not sending Hart to the AHL in a trade deadline paper Can’t Stay Healthy. The bizarre situation is enough to confuse anyone. move last Monday — the absence of which makes him ineligible to So what exactly is the organization’s plan for the final four weeks of appear in the playoffs for the Phantoms, which Fletcher previously stated hockey? When will Hart return to action? Will he return to action? Is was the plan. “I don’t want there to be any time pressure here on Carter. I Elliott being overworked? Could he be part of the future beyond 2018-19 just want to get him right. I don’t want this to linger,” Fletcher said when or is this just a case of the coach riding a hot hand? If Cam Talbot was asked why Hart was not sent down. As recently as Jan. 28, Fletcher’s worthy of being acquired to potentially be the lesser half of a tandem with response to the same question was as follows: “I’m hoping we’re in the Hart moving forward, why has he fallen behind Elliott on the depth chart? playoff race here (in Philadelphia) but if we’re not in the playoff race here, Is he still an option to be re-signed? And is Michal Neuvirth still at all and they’re in the playoff race, absolutely. Absolutely (Hart will) play for relevant? them.” What changed in a month’s time? The obvious answer is the ankle injury. Let’s dive into these questions, and try to get a better read on where the Flyers stand with goaltending. There is only a month remaining in the season, after all. It’s at least possible — considering the pushbacks of his timeline, the stated desire Carter Hart for patience regarding his return to action and the fact that he’s been ruled out for the AHL playoffs — that Carter Hart might have played his In terms of the future with the Flyers organization, no goalie these days last game of the season. One positive if that scenario plays out? With has a clearer path toward his eventual role. Hart is expected to be the only 22 NHL appearances, he remains three below the cutoff line for franchise goalie long-term, the player who can man the net for the next losing Calder Trophy eligibility. Not that such a perk is playing into this 10-plus years, and is close to a lock to be one of the two netminders on decision at all, but if Hart does sit out the rest of the year, he would the NHL roster to start the 2019-20 season. remain a candidate for Rookie of the Year honors in 2019-20. His present, on the other hand? A bit more murky. Brian Elliott Hart’s last game was on Feb. 21, when he allowed three goals on nine Just as Carter Hart appeared to be the Flyers’ workhorse for the shots against Montreal and was pulled after just 10 minutes of play. Hart, remainder of the season as recently as two weeks ago, Brian Elliott of course, practiced the following day at Lincoln Financial Field, but looked like an afterthought on Feb. 15, when Fletcher traded Anthony informed the training staff after the session that he had suffered an injury Stolarz for Cam Talbot. That night, Elliott was beginning a two-game during the pregame skate on Thursday (prior to facing Montreal). He rehabilitation stint in the AHL, which concluded with an 0.877 save acknowledged that it was hampering him. On Saturday morning, the percentage for the veteran. With Talbot in the mix and Hart rolling, there Flyers officially announced that Hart had suffered a lower-body injury — didn’t appear to be a clear path for NHL playing time for Elliott. later revealed by general manager Chuck Fletcher to be an ankle issue — and would be out a minimum of 10 days. Later that day, interim head But circumstances quickly changed. As Talbot worked through visa coach Scott Gordon put the timeframe later at seven to 10 days. issues, Elliott was recalled from his conditioning assignment on Feb. 19 to back up Hart against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hart was quickly pulled That timeframe has now passed, as yesterday was the 10th day since in that game, and Elliott did an admirable job in relief. He would repeat the Flyers’ initial announcement. So where exactly does Hart stand? the trick two nights later in Montreal, and as a result of Hart’s struggles The first piece of new information came on trade deadline day last (and the subsequent discovery of his injury), Elliott nabbed the start in Monday, when Fletcher threw cold water on the idea that Hart would the Stadium Series game two Saturdays ago. He’s now appeared in six require only the minimum recovery period. “With Carter’s lower-body of the Flyers’ last seven games, posting a stellar 0.936 save percentage injury, I was told seven to 10 days initially and then I was told maybe it in the process. will be 10,” he explained, noting that the timeframe was not merely fluid, With Hart’s status still in question, Elliott is now firmly cemented at the but it was trending away from optimism. “I just know with a goalie with top of the NHL depth chart in goal. Does that mean that he’ll receive this type of injury (believed to be a high ankle sprain), not that I’m almost every start the rest of the way? Not exactly — he remains a soon- skeptical of our medical assessment, but I’ve seen these types of injuries to-be-34-year-old coming off repeated major injuries to his hip. But based and sometimes they have a life of their own. We just want to make sure on Gordon’s explanation regarding Elliott’s workload, it seems like as we’re careful with Carter and if he’s ready in 10 days (from Feb. 25), long as he’s playing well, he’ll continue to get starts — so long as the great, or ready 10 days from (Feb. 22 or 23), that’s great. We’re gonna schedule isn’t too demanding. make sure he’s 100 percent. If it takes more days than that, that’s fine.” “We didn’t practice on Saturday. There’s no pregame skate on Sunday, Hart next saw the ice two days later at the Flyers’ practice facility in we didn’t practice on Monday, so a game Wednesday — we’re looking at Voorhees, N.J. — with no pads on, in what was a mere first step in his quite a bit of time off for everybody, and right now, that’s not a concern,” on-ice recovery process. The team then left for its road trip, as Hart Gordon said when asked of workload concerns in deciding if Elliott would continued to rehabilitate and recover. Yesterday, Hart again hit the ice in receive the nod on Wednesday versus the Washington Capitals. “It’s Voorhees — this time in full pads prior to the start of practice on the when you get into playing every other day, trying to work in a practice, secondary rink. Shortly thereafter, Fletcher (who currently is in Florida for travel — those are the situations that make it tough.” NHL GM meetings) released the following statement regarding Hart’s health and timeline: “(Hart) is skating, doing very well. He will not practice From March 14-24, Philadelphia’s schedule does pick up — seven with the team today, but if everything goes well with him on the ice and games in 11 days, including two back-to-backs and four road games. off the ice today, he will join the team for the morning skate (on March One assumes that Elliott won’t be ridden too hard during that stretch, 6).” even if he continues to produce strong results. But when the schedule allows for sufficient rest days, the status quo seems to be that Elliott will hear his number called. The present pecking order leads to an intriguing question: If Elliott has With Hart injured and Elliott regaining top-dog status in goal, Talbot is been deemed superior to Talbot now, when it comes to winning games in now the clear backup. In fact, he’s made just one appearance with the a playoff race, is it possible that he could be deemed the superior option Flyers since being acquired — a 30-save victory last Friday in New when it comes to serving as the 1B next season behind Hart? After all, Jersey. As Talbot admitted after Tuesday’s practice, it wasn’t easy both Elliott and Talbot are pending UFAs, and just because the Flyers jumping back in after sitting for nearly a month (his last start for the Oilers traded for Talbot doesn’t require them to choose Talbot as their long-term came on Feb. 9). tandem/backup option. What if Elliott is simply the better goalie and the better choice? “I thought that as the game went on, I progressively got better,” Talbot said. “The third period, I thought was my best period by far. That goal According to Elliott, he isn’t thinking about his future right now. “It’s not doesn’t go in (with) two minutes left, it looks like a lot better game than it even on the radar,” he said after Tuesday’s practice. “We’re so close was. My legs were a little tired, just (due to) not playing in 20 days or right now to a playoff spot, that every game counts and personal goals whatever it was, but as the game wore on, I felt more comfortable, I felt are set aside this time of year. If it’s good for yourself, it’s good for the like I was getting back to my game, controlling the game. You could tell, team.” the first couple periods, I gave up some rebounds that I didn’t really want to give up. In the third period, I just controlled everything, didn’t give them Yet surely he’s at least pondered the possibility, and it’s a certainty that any second opportunities.” Fletcher and the Flyers’ front office are doing so. It’s really a two-part question: Is Elliott the better goalie? And if he is, can he be trusted to Talbot held his own, but the chances of him performing well enough in take on the 35-40 game workload that might be required to support Hart that one game — after such a long layoff — to convince Gordon he through potential growing pains as a 21-year-old netminder? deserved to usurp Elliott on the depth chart were slim-to-none. Unsurprisingly, Elliott retained his stranglehold on the No. 1 job on Evolving Wild’s Goals Above Replacement metric at least provides a Sunday, delivering his best performance yet. rough idea of goalie performance while accounting for shot quality by both Elliott and Talbot over the last four seasons. Elliott comes out on top So where does that leave Talbot for the remainder of the season, — but it’s not an overwhelming edge. especially if and when Hart returns? Year Elliott GAR/60 Talbot GAR/60 After all, the whole point of acquiring Talbot prior to free agency was to get a firsthand look at him before making a decision as to whether he 2015-16 0.782 0.312 was a long-term fit as 1B. Now, his path to regular starts is cloudy, 2016-17 0.187 0.550 raising the question of whether he’ll remain in the Flyers’ plans beyond 2018-19 if he only gets to make three or four starts in a Philadelphia 2017-18 0.155 0.405 uniform. When asked if he would take Talbot’s situation into account when choosing nightly starters, Gordon — understandably, since he is 2018-19 0.665 -0.113 coaching for his job and the team remains in the playoff race — would not commit to giving Talbot starts. Overall 0.393 0.362 “There really is only one decision, and that’s who’s playing on Talbot delivered more value to his club on a per minute basis in 2016-17 Wednesday,” Gordon said. “I don’t go beyond that. I can’t anticipate and 2017-18; Elliott brings massive edges both in 2015-16 and so far this when Carter’s gonna come back, I can’t anticipate are we or are we not season. When viewed as a four-year whole (Talbot became the starter in going to make the playoffs. We just have to worry about Wednesday. We Edmonton in 2015-16, which is why that season is the starting point for (didn’t) know what to expect from Brian when he (went) down and this analysis), Elliott comes out a bit ahead, and deserves an extra boost (rehabbed), if he’s gonna be physically able to go. If he’s not, then that for recency as well, since Talbot brings the risk that the aging curve has creates a different situation with Cam. If Carter doesn’t get hurt, it’s a hit him hard this year and that he won’t rebound. If the offseason 1B different situation for Cam, it’s a different situation for Brian. So there’s a decision was purely being made on which goaltender would be more lot of things that factor into it, but at the end of the day, the only thing that likely to lead the Flyers to a win in Game No. 2 of the 2019-20 season, we’re worried about is the game that’s in front of us, which is Washington Elliott would be the logical choice — and this helps to explain why Elliott on Wednesday.” is above Talbot on the current depth chart as well. That sure doesn’t sound like Talbot is going to get a lot of games the rest Yet true talent isn’t the only factor in this decision. Injury risk must be of the way, even if the compressed schedule between the 14th and 24th factored in — a lesson the Flyers learned all too well this season when it should provide him at least a couple opportunities. A potential Hart return came to goalies. The soon-to-be 32-year-old Talbot has been the picture would only serve to complicate the situation further. So what was the of health, even starting an incredible-for-this-era 73 games in 2016-17. value in trading for Talbot after all? Fletcher was already subtly pivoting Elliott, on the other hand, will be 34 in April and has dealt with recurring in his post-trade deadline comments. “With Cam, just having him around hip issues since his initial injury in Arizona last February. every day practicing, getting to know him, that’s an important part of it, Sometimes, past injuries are not a predictor of future ones for a player, too,” he said. but at the goaltending position, lower-body issues don’t simply disappear, My read of the situation is that — despite falling behind Elliott on the considering the physically demanding nature of the position (particularly depth chart — Talbot remains Philadelphia’s preferred option for 1B in when it comes to the lower body and in the case of older players). Elliott 2019-20. Elliott might be better now, but the reliability factor skews might be the better goalie, but can he be trusted to stay healthy next heavily in Talbot’s direction, and there isn’t much in the way of viable season? That’s a question that an organization with access to Elliott’s alternative options to either of them in free agency. medical history is best qualified to answer, but from the outside, Elliott’s slight true-talent edge over Talbot doesn’t seem to outweigh the Of course, it takes two to tango, and is it possible that Talbot’s relegation significantly larger risk of injury that he brings to the table. to backup status could cut down on his willingness to re-sign with the Flyers? Based on his comments on Tuesday, though, that doesn’t appear Cam Talbot to be the case. When Fletcher made the move 18 days ago to acquire Talbot, the “Obviously, the main thing I want to do is play behind the guys, I think assumption was that the Flyers would want to take a long look at him — that’s gonna determine — more so for (the Flyers front office) than for me both in practices and games — to determine if he was a fit to be re- — if (a contract extension is) gonna be a thing,” Talbot said. “For me, signed as the 1B behind Hart. Fletcher’s comments the day of the trade being around the guys, being in the room, practicing, knowing the supported that assumption. facilities a little better, getting to know the city, and all those little things “For us, it’s an opportunity to see what (Talbot would) look like playing for outside the game, too, that matters a little bit, too, when you have a the Orange & Black and see how he does, it’s as simple as that,” the family. It’s a bit of a feeling-out period there. To me, Philly seems like a Flyers’ GM said. “I guess it’s a calculated risk, but to me, it makes perfect great place to play, seems like a first-class organization, which is sense for us to get to know Cam and for Cam to get to know us. And if it obviously something that I would love to be a part of. So if there’s a fit for fits well, we can move forward; if not, then it doesn’t. It’s just as simple as me here, if I get a few more games down the stretch to prove myself, that.” that’s obviously something that I would love to explore. Hopefully, they feel the same.” At the time, it looked like Talbot — once his visa issues were resolved — would slide into the spot behind Hart vacated by the traded Stolarz. It’s not necessarily an ideal scenario to re-sign Talbot after only seeing Elliott, once finished his rehab assignment, would serve as the No. 3 him play in practices and just three or four games, but at this point, it’s as behind both of them, and maybe receive a game or two to prove to likely of an outcome as any. He certainly still seems open to the potential suitors in free agency that he could still play at the NHL level possibility. after all of his injuries. Obviously, since then, the status quo in net for Michal Neuvirth Philadelphia has dramatically changed. And finally, we come to Neuvirth, who still is around, working his way back from his most recent injury (suffered in early January). Neuvirth isn’t a ghost — he made an appearance on the ice without pads alongside Hart last Wednesday, and showed up in full pads yesterday prior to practice on the secondary rink. He even was a surprise inclusion on Fletcher’s latest injury report: “(Neuvirth) continues to progress and will have a follow up appointment with the doctor on Friday (Mar. 8).” Unlike his other teammates (Hart, Jakub Voracek and Nolan Patrick) on the report, who all were given specific target dates to return to practice with teammates, Neuvirth’s update included no endgame — just another doctor’s visit. And as the fourth goalie on the depth chart when healthy and a lock to be allowed to leave via free agency this summer, it’s easy to infer that Neuvirth is completely out of the team’s plans for the remainder of the year. In any case, there remains no set timeline on a potential return to game action, or anything in the way of a guarantee that if he was cleared, he would ever dress for the Flyers again. “Well, he’s still here, so he’s part of the team,” Gordon said Tuesday when asked about the chances of Neuvirth playing for the Orange & Black again in 2018-19. “He’s got to live up to his end, and we’ve got to live up to our end, as far as coaching, treatments and all that. There’s nothing more to it than that. He’s no different than any other player, he just hasn’t been around because of his injury. He’s still going to go through the process like it’s a normal situation. The fact that we’ve got three goalies here doesn’t change how the approach is.” In other words, the Flyers will do all they can to help Neuvirth get back to full health — but don’t expect him to factor into their on-ice plans away from Voorhees, N.J. The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134639 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins notebook: Penalty kill showing signs of life after rough stretch

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Wednesday, March 6, 2019

As the Pittsburgh Penguins have begun to ramp up their play heading down the stretch, picking up points in the standings in five straight games, a serious flaw remains that could easily sink their progress. The Penguins are struggling on the penalty kill. The Penguins have allowed at least one power-play goal in 14 of their last 20 games, successfully killing just 68.4 percent of penalties during the stretch. In the first 46 games of the season, conversely, their penalty kill percentage (85) was among the league leaders. The Penguins are hopeful recent events have begun to turn the tide back. In Montreal last Saturday, they went 3 for 3 on the penalty kill. On Tuesday against Florida, they allowed a Henrik Borgstrom power-play goal in the first period, but successfully killed off an Evgeni Malkin offensive-zone minor in the third period of a tie game. They went on to win 3-2 in overtime. “On the PK, it’s almost a feeling that creeps in when you start getting scored on consecutively,” winger Zach Aston-Reese said. “You have that little bit of doubt. When you get big kills like that, the kill needs confidence. I thought we definitely got it off of that. I thought all three units, we were pretty aggressive up ice, kind of sniffing it out.” Getting Phil going A day after the PPG Paints Arena crowd gave an encouraging ovation to winger Phil Kessel as his scoring drought reached 16 games, his teammates offered support at Wednesday’s practice in Cranberry. During a special teams drill, the team’s top power-play unit was on the ice alone against goalie Matt Murray, working on concepts in a five-on- none situation. As Kessel wired a shot in under the crossbar, his teammates slammed their sticks on the ice while hooting and hollering. Kessel pumped his fist and raised both arms in the air. It’s clear the Penguins are doing all they can to help drag Kessel out of his slump. “Everyone’s really supportive of him,” Aston-Reese said. “When he’s going, he’s such a dangerous player. He’s such a big part of this team on and off the ice. I feel like guys give him crap, but everyone wants him to do well. “You saw (Tuesday) night. They put him on the Jumbotron, and the people want him to do well, too. You think of a place like Toronto where they could be booing their own guys. I think for him to be in this atmosphere, I think it’s really good for him. And it’s just a matter of time. It might not happen the next one or two games, but I feel like it’s inching closer and closer each day.” Injury report Winger Patric Hornqvist blocked a shot with his arm in the first period of Tuesday night’s game against Florida. He did not practice Wednesday, but coach Mike Sullivan said he had the day off for maintenance. Kris Letang, out with an upper-body injury since Feb. 23, skated with the team in a red, no-contact jersey for the second straight day, taking part in practice with few restrictions, if any. Bryan Rust (lower body), Chad Ruhwedel (upper body) and Olli Maatta (shoulder) have not yet returned to practice with the team. Guentzel’s goals One of the most impressive features of Jake Guentzel’s team-leading 33 goals is the way he’s amassed the total with little power-play time. He has 29 even-strength goals this season, which is fourth-best in the league, trailing only Alex Ovechkin, John Tavares and Patrick Kane. Tribune Review LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134640 Pittsburgh Penguins “This time of year, you’ve got to trust your habits and trust what you do out there, regardless of who’s playing in net,” Crosby said. “You’re always aware of tendencies and things like that, but at this point in the Heading into critical home-and-home series, Penguins have Blue year, you’ve got to believe in what you do and what gives you success.” Jackets’ number Tribune Review LOADED: 03.07.2019

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Wednesday, March 6, 2019 2:42 p.m

There’s a big home-and-home series that could have a massive impact on the Eastern Conference playoff race coming up in the next few days. On Thursday, the hammer hosts the nail. On Saturday, the windshield visits the bug. OK, that’s not what it says on the official NHL schedule. It says the Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, and the teams will play again in Ohio’s capital two days later. But given the recent results between the clubs, it’s easy to frame it that way. The Penguins have won seven straight meetings against the Blue Jackets, including a pair of victories by a combined score of 9-4 this season. “We knew if we wanted to advance in the playoffs, we were going to have to beat these guys. We had two playoff series against them that didn’t go well,” said defenseman Jack Johnson, who signed with the Penguins in July after spending the previous six-plus seasons with the Blue Jackets. “But I don’t know what their mindset is now, and I don’t care.” It’s possible the Penguins have had the Blue Jackets’ number over the last few seasons because of a style matchup. When it comes down to crunch time, the Penguins’ speed-based attack has finished more chances than the Blue Jackets, who focus a little more on grit and physicality. Johnson isn’t so sure of that, though. “Everyone plays a pretty similar style of play. No one’s reinventing the wheel. It’s a copycat league, pretty much,” Johnson said. “It really just comes down to the individuals executing the plays.” There’s no doubt that’s true. Jake Guentzel, for example, owns the Blue Jackets. Counting regular season and playoffs, he has 12 goals and 17 points in 14 career games against them. “I just think you know it’s going to be a battle between two teams that don’t like each other, and it’s going to be a hard-fought game,” Guentzel said. “We’re both fighting in the standings right by each other. It’s going to be a hostile game. As a player, this is a game you want to be a part of.” Then there’s the matter of goaltending. The Penguins have tortured Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky relentlessly over the past two seasons. He’s 0-2-3 with a .882 save percentage against them. When facing the rest of the league over the same span, his save percentage is .916. The numbers sure paint the picture that the Penguins have Bobrovsky’s number, though Matt Murray isn’t sure the idea of one team having a hex on a particular goaltender is a real thing. “You see so many different plays and so many different shots,” Murray said. “You’re not seeing anything you haven’t seen before. I don’t think it makes a difference.” Whether it’s a real thing or a small-sample size phenomenon, Columbus coach John Tortorella has a serious goaltending decision on his hands. The Blue Jackets picked up Keith Kinkaid from New Jersey at the trade deadline, and he’s 6-1-1 with a .925 save percentage against the Penguins over the past two seasons. Starting Kinkaid on Thursday and/or Saturday would be tantamount to publicly admitting his No. 1 goalie has a Penguins problem, even if it gives his team a better chance to win. At the risk of over-dramatizing the decision, the fortunes of two teams hang in the balance. The Penguins, Carolina and Montreal are the last teams in the Eastern Conference playoff field at the moment, tied with 79 points. The Blue Jackets are two points out. 1134641 Pittsburgh Penguins That’s win No. 800 for Islanders coach Barry Trotz. The teams rematch Thursday. Washington is in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Is honesty the best policy? First call: Ravens cut Mike Tomlin-favorite Eric Weddle; Bruins help Penguins Now that Bryce Harper is under contract for the next 13 years in Philadelphia, he’s trying to find a few good players to join him.

Mike Trout certainly qualifies. TIM BENZ | Wednesday, March 6, 2019 7:54 a.m The former American League MVP and Los Angeles Angels outfielder can be a free agent after the 2020 season. Harper is already in recruiting A Mike Tomlin favorite from Baltimore is hitting free agency. The Bruins mode. helped the Penguins…a little bit. And Bryce Harper is so rich he may “If you don’t think I’m not going to call Mike Trout in 2020 to have him think that he can buy the definition of “tampering” out of the Oxford come to Philly, you’re crazy,” Harper told Sportsradio 94.1 WIP in dictionary. Philadelphia. We want Weddle? What’s the opposite of “statute of limitations?” How far out does The Ravens released Eric Weddle. tampering exist? The Steelers could use another safety since Morgan Burnett wants to be Tribune Review LOADED: 03.07.2019 traded after he washed out in just one year. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin loves himself some Eric Weddle. I don’t say that as some sort of flippant turn of phrase. Tomlin literally said, “I love Eric Weddle.” Granted, that was three years ago. And the Steelers still have Sean Davis and Terrell Edmunds. But ever since then, anytime Weddle’s name has come up, it appears Tomlin’s man-crush remains. Weddle’s departure saves the Ravens $7.5 million in cap space. He’s coming off a season with 68 tackles but just three pass break-ups and no interceptions. Baltimore is also letting C.J. Mosley test free agency. I wonder if they are creating cap space for a certain running back from their own division who is hitting the open market? Thanks for the assist And that’s quite an assist. Take it away, Jake Debrusk. Beast mode.@JDebrusk | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/27DW6wqm0p — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 6, 2019 That great play by Boston’s 22-year-old winger got the puck to David Krejci. And Krejci won the game in overtime, 4-3 over the Hartford Wha … uh, Carolina Hurricanes. That result helped the Penguins since the Hurricanes only picked up one point, and the Penguins got two by virtue of their own overtime win against the Panthers. The Penguins and Hurricanes are now tied with 79 points for third place in the Metro Division. For now, Carolina has one more win than Sidney Crosby and company, so they own the tiebreaker. It didn’t stop there The Penguins and Bruins weren’t the only teams in the Metro to enjoy an overtime win. So did Columbus. Actually, the Blue Jackets needed a shootout to finish off New Jersey. Artemi Panarin had a chance to show off his slick hands. and a two… pic.twitter.com/RmsPS2mRqm — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 6, 2019 Those two points got the Blue Jackets up to 77 and kept them two points behind the Penguins. The teams play each other twice over the next four days. The Blue Jackets visit PPG Paints Arena on Thursday. The Penguins go to Central Ohio on Saturday. Bounce back After losing two in a row, the Islanders got a 5-4 shootout victory over Ottawa. It gets New York up to 83 points. That’s good for a tie atop the Metro with the Capitals. Goalie Thomas Greiss came in to relieve an injured Robin Lehner, and he made this ridiculous save in the shootout. #YesYesYes ? pic.twitter.com/i9TGWEvHsE — New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 6, 2019 1134642 Pittsburgh Penguins “Coming with that speed, you are just trying to get it on net,” Guentzel said. “But once I got him on the fake, and he got on his back, it was in the net.” Tim Benz: Gushing over Jake Guentzel’s OT goal and what it means for Guentzel claims he wasn’t “very confident” about his chances of Penguins escaping Matheson in the first place. Could have fooled me. TIM BENZ | Wednesday, March 6, 2019 The moment The Penguins had been only 4-7 in overtime before this win. That made When it comes to praising the Sidney Crosby-Evgeni Malkin-era little sense given all of the pure scoring talent on the Penguins bench. Penguins, as a fanbase — and media corps — we can get a little … That should manifest in 3-on-3 play more often, shouldn’t it? What’s the word I’m looking for? “It’s been a frustration point from my standpoint this year because we’re capable of a lot better,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “When you think about Gushy? Effusive? Flowery? Fawning? the overtime opportunities that we haven’t maximized, we’d be in a lot better position if we did.” Yeah. Any of those fit. Big picture, given the franchise’s accomplishments over those years, that applause is undoubtedly warranted. The team has To underscore Sullivan’s point, that was a crucial extra point. It allowed had a fantastic run. the Penguins to wake up this morning in the top wild-card spot with 79 points. That’s tied with Montreal, who defeated the Los Angeles Kings on Game-to-game, or moment-to-moment, sometimes we go overboard. Not Tuesday to stay in the No. 2 wild-card spot, and two points better than every Crosby goal batted out of the air reinvents the game. Not every Columbus, which defeated the New Jersey Devils in a shootout Tuesday. Marc-Andre Fleury snow angel was the greatest save of all-time. And not every positive Kris Letang play has to be “proof that he’s a Norris The extra point also allowed the Penguins to gain ground on the candidate.” Hurricanes, who lost 4-3 in overtime in Boston. Both Carolina and Pittsburgh now have 79 points. But when it comes to the Crosby-Jake Guentzel connection on the overtime game winner last night to beat Florida, 3-2, I don’t mind leaning Yeah, get gushy over that one. It’s more than worth it. in that direction. Tribune Review LOADED: 03.07.2019 Two goals for Guentzel ?? Two points for the Penguins ?? pic.twitter.com/ymq9NqOJqZ — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 6, 2019 That was a sight to behold. There was just so much to like about it. The steal We’ll get to the pass and the shot . None of it happens, though, if Guentzel doesn’t hustle to poke the puck free from Mike Matheson in the Penguins’ defensive zone to begin the play. Then, how about how quickly he got up to speed through Matheson’s traffic and sensed that the flip pass was coming from Crosby? The pass As I referenced earlier, we tend to heap so much praise on Crosby for his hockey “sixth sense” — the vision, creativity, and intelligence that make the subtle beauty of his game cease to be so subtle. Sometimes a nice little play from Crosby is honestly that. Just a nice little play. And, at times, you can see Crosby get uncomfortable in postgame Q&A sessions when excessive kudos of the basics surrounding his game get bestowed upon him. But, c’mon. That aerial flip pass to Guentzel was truly something else. It was the perfect read to make. It was precisely lofted and angled to give Guentzel time to get free. And it was deftly dropped onto the ice surface for Guentzel to corral. “I saw (Guentzel) was even with their defenseman,” Crosby said. “I just tried to put a puck in an area and hoped he’d skate into it.” In Pittsburgh, we so often say, “That’s something only Sidney Crosby can do,” it’s a wonder anyone else is allowed to create a highlight at all. But in that situation, to pick up the loose puck and immediately go backhand-forehand and place the flip with that type of precision, that genuinely was an “only-Sid” type of pass. The goal Pfft! What an effort by Guentzel. He wasn’t to be denied. Matheson is about 4 inches taller and 15 pounds heavier than Guentzel. Yet, Guentzel powered through Matheson to gain initial separation. Then he fought through a stick check once he got to open ice. The finish? That was pure filth to beat Roberto Luongo. It was especially impressive because Guentzel was working so hard to get free that he didn’t have time to think about what moves to use. 1134643 Pittsburgh Penguins Then-New Jersey Devils scouting director David Conte put it this way: “(Malkin) is an exceptional talent, and it’s not unreasonable to think the guy who goes second could be better than the guy who goes first.” Joe Starkey: Evgeni Malkin — an all-time underappreciated superstar We could debate for days if that is in fact what happened. This much is indisputable: Evgeni Malkin is a civic treasure, not to mention one of the most talented and productive players in the history of the game. Joe Starkey Pittsburgh Post-Gazette I’m not sure we talk about that enough.

Joe Star•key: It’s Milestone Week around here. Matt Cullen played his 1,500th game Tuesday. Sidney Crosby notched his 1,200th point. Post Gazette LOADED: 03.07.2019 Evgeni Malkin is next — and not for barely missing a hat trick of offensive-zone tripping penalties Tuesday. This is no time to focus on Geno’s bad habits. Or on what has admittedly been a subpar season (so far, anyway). Rather, with Malkin just four points shy of 1,000, it’s the perfect time to celebrate one of the under-appreciated superstars in Pittsburgh sports history. And to consider his place in hockey’s pantheon. I’m guessing we can do better than the 58 voters who embarrassingly excluded Malkin in choosing the NHL’s Top 100 all-time players two years ago. Let’s set aside the three Stanley Cups, the Hart Trophy and the Conn Smythe and use a simple statistic: points per game. I’m sure there’s a fancier stat for measuring offensive production, but there cannot be a better one. Points. Per. Game. Have you ever looked at the all-time list and considered Malkin’s place on it? It’s mind-blowing, mostly because of the names just behind him. Malkin has averaged 1.18 points per game over his 13-year career — all in the dead-puck era. That puts him 14th all-time and second to Crosby among active players. The only players ahead of Malkin who did not play in the two highest-scoring decades (1970s, ’80s) are Crosby and Peter Forsberg. The story, however, is who’s directly behind him. Jean Beliveau and Jaromir Jagr are behind him. Steve Yzerman and Alex Ovechkin and and Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe are behind him, too. So are Gilbert Perreault, Pat LaFontaine, Eric Lindros and Mark Messier. In fact, you will find 16 consecutive Hall of Famers just behind Malkin on that list. Which is to say, 14 already in, plus Ovechkin and Jagr. I’m thinking about all of that as the Columbus Blue Jackets come to town for the first of a back-to-back set. But I’m also thinking of how Malkin has endeared himself to this city and performed one of the great second- fiddle acts in sports. The best comparable might be Scottie Pippen, a superstar in his own right — a Top 50 NBA player — but one who was mostly content winning championships in Michael Jordan’s immense shadow. Malkin has always thrived in Crosby’s shadow, largely free of the media glare Crosby absorbs so adroitly. It’s not always this way with superstars. Alpha males naturally want to lead the pack. Kyrie Irving wanted his own team after a few years with LeBron James. Mr. Big Chest (Antonio Brown) couldn’t stand the fact that no matter what he did, at least one player (Ben Roethlisberger) was always going to be the bigger and better-paid star. I’m thinking, too, of how Malkin has grown up here. How he picks his spots to talk and often speaks the bluntest of truths. He always has the pulse of the team. I think of his big-game acumen and the fact he is second among active players in postseason points per game — behind Crosby — and just behind the likes of Phil Esposito, Guy LaFleur and Toe Blake, for goodness sake. And how, even in a “bad year,” he has 66 points in 60 games with the biggest ones dead ahead. Ovechkin was the prize of the 2004 NHL Draft. A generational talent the Penguins were going to miss out on. The joke was that they were so bad, they couldn’t even win the draft lottery. But as draft day approached, several unbiased observers told me they believed Malkin would at least be Ovechkin’s equal. 1134644 Pittsburgh Penguins “I was sitting in the family room with my wife and she as kind of half- watching, and I don’t know if he said a word but all the sudden it’s in the net,” Lechner said. “That little turkey.” Jake Guentzel, a 'little turkey' with that 'it' factor, closing in on 40 goals Lechner, who also coached Guentzel’s two older brothers at Hill-Murray, used to playfully tweak Jake in practice by saying, “If you ever want to skate with Sidney Crosby someday…” And now he is. Matt Vensel Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Crosby and Guentzel have clicked for a few reasons. They both like to wreak havoc on the forecheck. They both have high-level hockey IQ, making them a dangerous give-and-go duo. And both players are more Late Tuesday night, not long after Jake Guentzel buried a breakaway in than willing to dig around in the corners or go to the net, where many overtime to give the Penguins a 3-2 win, Mike Sullivan tried to put into goals are scored. words Guentzel’s penchant for such moments. Guentzel and Crosby have five goals apiece over the past five games, “I’ve always been a believer that Jake has that I-T. He just has ‘it,’” he helping the Penguins, who are scrambling for a playoff spot, secure eight said. “He can finish. It’s hard to describe ‘it,’ but you know it when you out of a possible 10 points in the standings. They host the Blue Jackets, see it. He has ‘it.’ We’ve seen that from the very first game that he’s another team in the mix, Thursday before playing them in Columbus on played for us. I think that’s part of the reason why he has such chemistry Saturday. with Sid.” Guentzel has never scored 40 goals in a season, not at Hill-Murray, not Back in Minnesota, Bill Lechner knows exactly what the Penguins coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, obviously not during his brief stay was talking about. in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and not yet in Pittsburgh. “He’s stealing my line,” he said Wednesday, chuckling. “But he does “It would be cool, but I’m just trying to try to help the team win,” he said. have it. It’s so true.” “If the goals come, they come. But I’m just trying to help and do whatever it takes right now because we’re in a playoff push.” Lechner, the athletic director and boys’ hockey coach at the Hill-Murray School outside of St. Paul, first saw Guentzel on the ice at a summer Whether he gets there or not, Guentzel has already established himself hockey camp prior to Guentzel’s freshman year there. as one of the top young wingers in hockey, a reputation that is only bolstered by when he scores goals, not just how many. “I knew it right then,” he said of the youngest Guentzel boy. “The ‘it’ factor I saw when he was a puppy was basically that he had great vision for the In 37 playoff games, Guentzel has scored 23 goals, including 13 during game, was unselfish and he knew where to go with or without the puck. the 2017 Cup run. He would give up the puck and was already thinking, ‘Where do I go next?’” “It’s something that’s really hard to coach. Even though it’s a fast game, he adjusts and he adapts to everything. The game slows down for him,” That’s exactly what happened Tuesday, when the Penguins scored a big Lechner said. “I really believe it’s a gift.” win at PPG Paints Arena. Lechner reports that it has been a down year for the boys hockey team at Guentzel pounced on Florida Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson Hill-Murray. The Minnesota state tournament started this week. But the during 3-on-3 play and forced a turnover inside the Penguins zone. He Pioneers couldn’t make the cut this season. ducked around Matheson and started streaking toward center ice. Sidney Crosby was flipping the puck into open space when Guentzel turned his “We couldn’t quite get the kids to have a little bit of Jake in them,” head. Lechner lamented. Guentzel jostled with Matheson to gain possession of the puck at the far Post Gazette LOADED: 03.07.2019 blue line, hung on to it when Matheson chopped at his stick, then had the presence of mind to freeze Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo with a flick of his stick blade before turning it over to his backhand and sliding it home. “Coming with that speed, I think you’re just trying to get it on net,” Guentzel said Tuesday after scoring his 32nd and 33rd goals of the season. “Once I got him on the fake, I went to the back-hand.” Guentzel, with 16 regular-season games left in his third NHL season, is on pace to pass the 40-goal plateau. In the past 22 years, the only Penguins to have done that are Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal and Crosby. That’s pretty impressive company. What makes what Guentzel is doing even more remarkable is that only three of his goals have come on the power play, since the stacked Penguins usually utilize him on their second unit. Entering Wednesday, only Patrick Kane, Alex Ovechkin and John Tavares had more even-strength goals than Guentzel, who has 29. Guentzel has also scored short-handed once this season. “It’s been a crazy year. The bounces are going my way and you just try to ride it as long as you can,” he said. “The puck just keeps finding me right now, and with the way Sid’s playing, I’m just trying to find the lanes, and Jared [McCann] has made an impact for our line, so it’s definitely been fun.” Lechner likes to keep tabs on Guentzel and sends him the occasional text during the season. He watches many of his games, even if he has to record some for a later date. He is still laughing about a play that Guentzel made in December to set up Bryan Rust in a win over the Minnesota Wild. Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk ducked behind his net to play the puck. Guentzel cruised in along the boards into the corner behind him, where Dubnyk figured his defenseman would be. It’s unclear if Guentzel called for the puck, but Dubnyk passed it right to him. Guentzel quickly found Rust, who scored. 1134645 Pittsburgh Penguins “All you can do is go play,” he said. “When you get your chance, make sure you’re at your best.”

Post Gazette LOADED: 03.07.2019 Zach Trotman has been making the most of his Penguins promotion

Matt Vensel Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

When the Penguins called up Zach Trotman early last week, after the injuries to fellow defensemen Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin, he wasn’t sure if he would even get to play in a game. “I had no idea,” the 28-year-old said after Wednesday’s practice in Cranberry. “I just tried to prepare as if I was playing and then take it hour by hour and go with it and see what happens.” Trotman did play in Columbus, in part because Erik Gudbranson was unable to join the team there because of an immigration holdup following his trade from Vancouver. Trotman got in two more games over the weekend. And he stayed in the lineup Tuesday despite Dumoulin’s return. With Juuso Riikola sitting in the press box instead, Trotman logged more than 16 minutes of ice time Tuesday as the Penguins defeated the Florida Panthers, 3-2, at PPG Paints Arena. In four games since getting the call from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Trotman has put up a plus-2 rating and is looking much more comfortable here than in his three-game stint last season. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan feels Trotman has been playing with a “certain level of confidence that he knows he belongs” in the NHL, which maybe wasn’t the case in the fall of 2017. “That's the main thing that I see,” Sullivan said Wednesday. “He’s a much more confident player out there. He skates well for a big guy. He defends well. And he can make an outlet pass. But he has a certain confidence about him, that he wants to be on the ice, he wants the puck.” Trotman, his locker stall at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex blocked by reporters who swarmed to chat with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, plopped down at another player’s stall. Jack Johnson walked into the room right as Trotman was asked to give a self-assessment of his play. “Awesome,” Johnson sarcastically chimed in, emphasizing it with an unprintable adjective. “His words, not mine,” Trotman joked, before continuing. “There’s always stuff you want to clean up, but I think I’ve done a pretty good job of representing my game. I’d like to be a little more physical. … I’m doing good so far, but I would like to improve and continue to stay in.” That might be challenging, with the Penguins starting to get healthy on their blue line. Letang, who for a second straight day Wednesday wore a red non- contact jersey while skating in a practice setting, could return to the lineup in the coming days. Olli Maatta has also gotten back on the ice, though skating on his own, as he works his way back from a separated shoulder. But even if his services may no longer be needed in a week or two and he gets sent back to the AHL, Trotman has proved, most importantly to himself, that he can still hang at the NHL level. Trotman played 77 games for the Boston Bruins between 2013 and 2016. He joined the Los Angeles Kings organization in 2016 but lost most of that season to shoulder surgery. He spent last season, his first with the Penguins organization, trying to get his stamina and skating fully back. “It was pretty much my first year back after almost a whole year off,” he said. “I feel like my skating is back to normal now. My stamina has gotten back to its usual point. I think those two things have allowed me to play a little bit more like I normally play, be a little bit more mobile.” Garrett Wilson, his teammate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season and now with the NHL club, can relate a little bit to what Trotman has gone through. Wilson broke into the NHL with the Panthers but had to wait a couple of years before getting another shot here in Pittsburgh. “Any guy that gets a taste then has to spend a lot of time back in the minors, they start wondering if they’re ever going to get a shot again,” Wilson said. “You just have to go down there and have the right mindset and work hard every day. He did that and now he’s getting rewarded.” Trotman agreed, saying that he has learned not to dwell on things that are out of his control. 1134646 San Jose Sharks “The one thing with Donny is that he always works,” the Sharks alternate captain said. “He’ll always give a full effort and work as hard as he can. You appreciate that on the bench when you know things are going tough DeBoer puts Sharks forward on alert as team gets healthy for someone.” Pete DeBoer suggested that Joonas Donskoi’s spot in the Sharks lineup Still, Donskoi will need to show more than just effort if he’s going to could be in jeopardy. maintain a spot in the Sharks top-six forward group in the wake of Nyquist’s addition. Despite the uncertainty surrounding his role down the stretch, Donskoi insists that he isn’t overly concerned about the prospect of getting demoted or losing his spot in the lineup. He has charted these By Paul Gackle | March 6, 2019 waters before. “I’m not worried. What I want is the best-possible lines. At this point, I just want to win,” Donskoi said. “If it’s me on the fourth line, then it’s me on SAN JOSE — Sharks coach Pete DeBoer is putting Joonas Donskoi on the fourth line. I don’t really mind. You just know you have to do alert: get your game in shape or you could be the odd man out. something better and work yourself back up.” With Evander Kane’s return to practice on Wednesday, the Sharks Things to know: Sharks coach confirms the nature of Erik Karlsson’s forward group is on the verge of being fully healthy for the first time since injury they acquired Gus Nyquist at the trade deadline last week. As a result, someone will be getting bumped from the lineup in the near future, and at — Erik Karlsson will miss the Sharks next two games as he continues to this point, Donskoi is a leading candidate, struggling through another cold recover from a groin injury that has sidelined him for 12 games in 2019. stretch on the scoresheet. “Making progress, but he’s not going to play this week,” DeBoer said. “He’s done enough in those droughts to be in the lineup and still be an “We’ll look at next week based on the progress he has through the end of important part so far,” the Sharks coach said. “But you’re in the last 20 the week.” games, and if we get healthy, there’s a lot of healthy bodies around here.” — Brent Burns and Pavelski both missed practice on Wednesday to recover from a flu bug that’s sweeping through the Sharks dressing DeBoer took Donskoi off Tomas Hertl’s right wing at practice on room. Wednesday, replacing him with Nyquist to give the line more scoring punch. Instead of skating with Hertl and Kane, Donskoi served as a San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.07.2019 placeholder for Joe Pavelski on the top line as the Sharks captain missed practice to recover from a flu bug. At this point, it’s unclear whether Kane will suit up for Thursday’s clash with the Montreal Canadiens at SAP Center after missing two games with a “middle” body injury. Kane labeled himself as questionable after Wednesday’s practice. But if Kane is healthy enough to play on Thursday, Donskoi will likely get demoted to the fourth line or bumped out of the lineup all together. “He’s a streaky guy, always has been,” DeBoer said. “When he’s on, he’s a dominant player. It’s all about extending those streaks as long as you can and then trying to shorten up the time between them.” Donskoi is at risk of losing his spot in the lineup because he’s mired in another cold spell, the type of scoring slump that appears to infect his game a couple of times a year. Prior to his two-point game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, Donskoi went eight straight games without finding his way onto the scoresheet. He earned just five points in a 19-game span between Jan. 12 and March 1 and hasn’t scored a goal since he recorded his 14th of the year on Jan. 10. The Sharks need more production from a player who’s skating on a line with a 29-goal scorer and a 27-goal scorer. Enter Nyquist. Still, Donskoi’s dry spell isn’t exactly triggering alarm bells in Sharks territory. The ups and downs are the story of Donskoi’s four-year NHL career. After he played a key role in the Sharks run to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, Donskoi struggled through a sophomore slump in 2016-17, producing just 17 points in an injury-plagued season. Though he put together a bounce-back campaign last winter, Donskoi still hit the skids on a pair of occasions, recording just four points during an 18-game stretch in the first half and five points during a 19-game run in the last quarter of the season. Donskoi used one word to explain his streaky play: confidence. “It’s all about confidence — I’m not going to lie,” Donskoi said. “When you don’t get points in a while, you start to think about it in the back of your head. Maybe starting to force plays, trying too much.” Despite the continued inconsistency in his production, Donskoi’s game is showing maturity this season. In past years, Donskoi’s slumps would infect every aspect of his game, leaking into his defensive play, puck management decisions and possession game along the boards. Now, he’s doing a better job of maintaining his effort away from the puck when the points aren’t coming so easily. “I’m a little bit too hard on myself,” Donskoi said. “Now, when I’m not getting points, I tell myself to just relax, keep going. I know that I can play in this league.” Logan Couture said the change is noticeable from the Sharks bench. 1134647 San Jose Sharks

How Peter DeBoer made two Sharks fans' day with locker-room tour

By Chelena Goldman March 06, 2019

SAN JOSE — Sharks fans travel from many different places to watch the team take the ice on practice days in the South Bay. For Sunny Boparai, that meant a drive on Tuesday morning from Fairfield, with a stop in Livermore to pick up his nephew, Jay. “I took his older sister last year, and she had a blast,” Boparai said in a phone interview with NBC Sports California on Wednesday. “Jay was sick last year and couldn’t go, and he’s been asking me for about a year if he could go.” After finding out at 6 a.m. Tuesday that he had the day off work, Boparai made arrangements to go pick up his nephew, who turns 5 in June, and make the rainy drive down to San Jose to watch Team Teal practice. There was only one problem: They didn’t know until they got to Solar4America Ice that Sharks practice that morning had been canceled. Boparai said he and Jay checked out Barracuda practice before he realized the NHL squad wasn’t holding practice that day. After taking Jay, noticeably disappointed, to check out the pro shop, the duo took a final gander at the South Rink, where the Sharks usually practice. He then noticed Peter DeBoer was on the ice. In a final push to catch something close to a practice, Boparai took his nephew to meet the Sharks’ bench boss. “I was here, and I ran into them outside,” DeBoer recounted to NBC Sports California on Wednesday. “He had driven from quite a ways away for practice, and we’d canceled practice.” So, DeBoer did the next-best thing. He gave Boparai and his nephew a personal tour of the Sharks’ dressing room at their practice facility. “I felt bad for him, and so we gave them the best alternative, which was a tour of the room,” DeBoer said. “I was happy to.” Huge shout out to @SanJoseSharks coach Pete DeBoer! I took my nephew, Jay, down to San Jose for #SJSharks practice today, which got canceled. Coach DeBoer was there and took us into the dressing room for a private tour. Thanks for your personal time, coach! #SharksTerritory pic.twitter.com/NESu9UuQe9 — Sunny B. (@Sunny_sf) March 6, 2019 After the tour, DeBoer took a photo with Jay near the stall of the young fan’s favorite player — Sharks captain Joe Pavelski. Boparai was particularly struck with how “down to earth” DeBoer was, and loved how open he was to showing them around. “It wasn’t more than five minutes, but it really turned my nephew’s day around,” Boparai said. “He was already a fan for life, but now …” After getting a personal tour of the Sharks’ dressing room, how eager is Jay to get out to a full practice? “We were on the drive home, and he was like, ‘Can we come back tomorrow,’ “ Boparai said with a laugh. “I think now I need to take him to an actual game.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134648 San Jose Sharks

How Sharks look vs. Canadiens highly depends on player injury recovery

By Chelena Goldman March 06, 2019 1:15 PM

SAN JOSE — The Sharks resumed team practice after taking two days off, but they were missing a few bodies as the team deals with a mix of injury and illness. Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski and Erik Karlsson all were absent from morning skate Wednesday. Burns missed both practices ahead of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks because he had the flu. After that game, Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said the flu bug was going around the dressing room. “Anyone who wasn’t out there was dealing with that,” DeBoer said after Wednesday’s skate, before adding: “Other than Karlsson.” Karlsson has been missing from practice since aggravating a groin injury Feb. 26 against the Boston Bruins. DeBoer said Wednesday that Karlsson isn’t quite ready to return yet, meaning the defenseman likely will miss the rest of the Sharks’ current homestand. “Making progress, but he’s not going to play this week,” the coach said. “We’ll look at next week, based on the progress he’s made through the rest of (this) week.” On a positive note, winger Evander Kane participated in Wednesday’s practice after missing the last two contests with an undisclosed injury. Kane told the media that “things are progressing,” but he’s “not sure yet” if he’ll be ready to play in San Jose’s next game. “He went out for a skate today,” DeBoer said. “He wasn’t 100 percent, but we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. That was the first step.” The Sharks continue their four-game homestand Thursday as the Montreal Canadiens make their only trip of the season to San Jose. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134649 St Louis Blues The Blues’ other scratches Wednesday were Robert Bortuzzo and Robby Fabbri.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.07.2019 Del Zotto's Blues debut salvages family reunion

Jim Thomas

ANAHEIM, CALIF. • When Michael Del Zotto was traded to Anaheim from Vancouver in mid-January, his parents planned a March vacation to Southern California to visit their son and watch him play for the Ducks. Alas, the veteran defenseman was traded again on Feb. 25, to the Blues. “It was too late for them to cancel their vacation, and Toronto’s cold this time of year,” Del Zotto said. “So they went out there to enjoy some sun.” But the NHL schedule-makers smiled on the Del Zottos. St. Louis played the Ducks on Wednesday at Honda Center, and Mom and Dad were on hand, still on vacation, to watch their son make his Blues debut. “They put their years in at work, so they’re enjoying retirement right now,” Del Zotto said. “So they’re traveling, enjoying life, enjoying the sunshine here. It’s a little cold back home in Toronto, so I can’t blame them.” Del Zotto’s parents have been vacationing in nearby Palm Desert, but they had dinner with their son and Blues teammate Alex Pietrangelo on Tuesday night, then attended Wednesday’s game. “So it was nice to catch up with them,” Del Zotto said. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen them, and obviously since they’ve seen Petro.” Pietrangelo has known Del Zotto since their youth hockey days in Toronto; they played on a summer team together. Appropriately enough, the team was called the Toronto Blues. “But the craziest part was our dads coached,” Pietrangelo said, laughing. “They had no idea what they were doing. They still don’t know what they’re talking about.” But with a roster that included Pietrangelo, Del Zotto, Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos and Toronto’s John Tavares as 10-year-olds, even the dads couldn’t mess that up. “I think we lost one game,” Pietrangelo said. “We might have been like 49-1 or something like that. We had a good stretch.” With all that future NHL talent on the roster, how did they lose that one game? “I don’t want to throw anybody under the bus,” Pietrangelo replied. There were no Toronto Blues stories at dinner Tuesday night, and no Italian food despite Del Zotto’s ancestry. “We ate at a healthy food place,” Del Zotto said. “I don’t eat Italian too much. It’s not the same unless my mom’s cooking it, to be quite honest with you. But we had a great time and that’s all that matters.” SANFORD SITS With forward Brayden Schenn (upper body) coming off injured reserve and returning to the lineup against the Ducks, Zach Sanford was a healthy scratch. Interim coach Craig Berube said he wants to see more urgency and bite in Sanford’s game. “I talked to Sanford about just having more energy out there, skating harder, being more physical, getting to the net more,” Berube said. “Little things like that. He’s a good player.” It marked the second time in five games Sanford has been a healthy scratch, but only the third time he has been benched since Jan. 3. In 46 games for the Blues, Sanford has seven goals and seven assists, and is plus-6. But he has only two goals and one assist over the past two months, and he wasn’t playing as effectively as he did early in the season. In one stretch in late October and the beginning of November, he had three goals and four assists in a five-game stretch, playing on a line with Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron. “He looked like he had maybe more jump or pop to his game (earlier),” Berube said. “He was with O’Reilly and Perron — they were a good line for a while and he was producing a little bit. But I just find right now that he’s not really moving his feet very well. He’s a big body and he needs to get in there and be a heavier player.” 1134650 St Louis Blues "I couldn't believe how much time I had," Pietrangelo said. "They all kind of went to the front of the net thinking Schenner was gonna throw it there." Blues beat Anaheim with a pair of late goals 12 seconds apart Down in the left corner, Schenn instead passed to Pietrangelo on the right point _ his shot deflected in off the skate of Ducks center Adam Henrique. Jim Thomas "I wasn't trying to go off their guy's skate but there wasn't really an angle to the net so I was just trying to find a stickblade," Pietrangelo said. ANAHEIM, CALIF. • For all their trials and tribulations over the first 3 1/2 Until then, it appeared Henrique would be the night's hero. months of the season, the Blues never lost more than three consecutive games in regulation. And three in a row happened only once _ against That 3-1 second period lead for the Blues became a 4-3 third-period San Jose, Los Angeles and Nashville just before Thanksgiving. deficit on arguably the worst goal allowed by Binnington this season. He couldn't quite handle a long-distance wrist shot from defenseman Jaycob After losses to Carolina and Dallas this past weekend, the Blues were in Megna. It plopped out of Binnington's glove, he left the crease to grab it, jeopardy of having it happen again on Wednesday. After building a 3-1 but couldn't. lead, the next three goals belonged to Anaheim, which has the NHL's most feeble offense at just 2.15 goals per game. That led to a scramble, with Henrique getting to the loose puck and sending a backhand by Binnington to snap a 3-3 tie with 14:53 to play. As the clock ticked away, it was hard to escape that sinking feeling. With But the Blues, who hadn't scored more than two goals in any of their past Dallas, Minnesota, Colorado and even Arizona nipping at their heels, a six games, found a way to score twice in the final 64 seconds. crushing loss appeared imminent for the Blues. "We were pretty resilient tonight," Pietrangelo said. "We didn't play the But then lightning struck. Twice. Robert Thomas scored in a 6-on-5 way we wanted to. Especially when you're having trouble scoring, you're situation with goalie Jordan Binnington pulled in favor of an extra attacker starting to grip the stick a little tighter than you want to. We just found a to tie the game at 4-4 with just 1:04 to play. Twelve seconds later, way to score. They weren't pretty goals, but this time of the year we'll captain Alex Pietrangelo broke the tie, and the Blues left Honda Center take anything." with a 5-4 victory over the Ducks. Thomas, who hadn't scored since Jan. 10 in Montreal, tied the game at It was a stunning turn of events and the narrowest of escapes. 4-4 with his second goal of the night and seventh of the season. Colton Parayko's long-distance shot bounced off the end boards and right to "Especially after a couple games that we weren't too proud of," Thomas in front of the net. Pietrangelo said. "So this is a good way to get things going. This is an important week for us. Obviously, teams are winning right now. Some "I just tried to get it on net as quick as I can," Thomas said. "That was a teams won last night. So we gotta make sure we keep pushing forward." big character win for us. You could tell by how excited we were on the bench to get that comeback at the end." At 35-25-6, good for 76 points, the Blues moved three points ahead of Dallas in third place in the Central Division. They're four points ahead of A much better feeling, than say, losing three in a row. Minnesota, which holds the second wild-card spot (behind Dallas) in the Western Conference. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.07.2019 "You can't blow leads this time of the year, especially on the road," Brayden Schenn said. "We did a good job of sticking with it and finding a way to win a hockey game. "Maybe compared to the start of the year, when it wasn't going our way, you'd find ways to come up with an excuse. . . .But now, there's (16) games left, you have to dig in, and we're doing a good job of that right now." On a night when Binnington was merely human in net, the Blues almost dug themselves a grave against lowly Anaheim (26-33-9), seventh in the Pacific Division and well out of playoff contention. Thomas, the 19-year-old rookie, had the first two-goal game of his fledgling NHL career, ending a 16-game goal drought. "I don't really focus on (the drought)," Thomas said. "But yeah, it was definitely a great relief to see a couple go in for me, and yeah, it's a good confidence booster." Schenn returned after missing six games with an upper-body injury, and looked like he never left that line with Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko "I thought he was fine," interim coach Craig Berube said, managing a brief chuckle. "That line, they have great chemistry and they just move the puck real quick with each other. They move it and jump the holes. I thought they were pretty good for most of the game." For sure. Schenn and O'Reilly each had a goal and an assist. For O'Reilly, it gave him 65 points for the season (25 goals, 40 assists), establishing a new career high. Tarasenko had two assists, putting him over 200 for his career (201). The Blues' previously struggling power play unit scored a season-high three times, the first time that's happened since Nov. 25, 2017 against Minnesota. What got into that group? Berube broke it down to the most basic of elements. "We shot it," he said. "We had 11 shots on net tonight on the power play. That's a lot. That's pretty good." As for Pietrangelo, he now has four goals in his last five games. More importantly, Wednesday's was the 22nd game-winner of his career which ties the franchise record for a defenseman held by Hall of Famer Al MacInnis. 1134651 St Louis Blues

Schenn scores in his return as Blues lead 2-1 after one period

Tom Timmermann

Welcome back, Brayden Schenn. After missing six games with an upper-body injury thought to be a concussion, Schenn returned to the lineup on Wednesday night in Anaheim, Calif., and scored just over 8 minutes into his first game back as the Blues led the Ducks 2-1 after one period. Just 13 seconds into a power play, Vladimir Tarasenko was left alone on the left side and skated in and shot, with Schenn, in front of Anaheim goalie John Gibson, jumping in the air and deflecting the puck in. Even though it was a power-play goal, the line of Schenn, Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly combined on the goal, with Tarasenko and O'Reilly getting the assists. That goal tied the game after Anaheim had gone up 1-0. The Blues went ahead on another power play goal, this time by O'Reilly. The two points gave O'Reilly 65 on the season, a career high. His 40 assists area also a career high, while his 25 goals are three off his career-best. The Blues killed one penalty in the first period and will have 52 seconds to kill on a Schenn penalty to start the second. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134652 St Louis Blues Extras: Sanford, Fabbri Defensemen Del Zotto makes his Blues debut against former team Edmundson-Pietrangelo Bouwmeester-Parayko Jim Thomas Dunn-Del Zotto Extra: Bortuzzo ANAHEIM, CALIF. • Almost since the day of the trade deadline deal that Goalie brought Michael Del Zotto to the Blues from Anaheim, interim coach Craig Berube has talked about getting the veteran defenseman in the Binnington lineup. ANAHEIM PROJECTED LINEUP Well, Wednesday's the day. Del Zotto will make his Blues debut against Forwards his most recent team, the Ducks. Roy-Getzlaf-Perry "I'm excited to play," Del Zotto said. "It's been a week or so now. I was playing good hockey before I got traded. You know, playing big minutes Rakell-Steel-Silfverberg here in Anaheim. I felt like I was myself again. Sprong-Henrique-Terry "So tonight it's just a matter of getting comfortable, playing with (Vince Dunn). I think any time you have a D-partner, it's takes a little bit of time Jones-Kesler-Rowney to get some chemistry and be each other's eyes and ears. But just go out Defensemen there play, have fun. Play my game. Lindholm-Manson "Try to initiate and just enjoy it. I think that's the biggest thing is not think too much. . . .It's nice being able to play meaningful hockey this time of Guhle-Fowler year. I'm excited for that and tonight's a big game for us." Megna-Holzer For 13 of the previous 14 Blues games, Berube had gone with the same three pairings on defense. But tonight, Del Zotto is in and Robert Goalie Bortuzzo is out on the Blues' third pairing. Gibson Berube doesn't seem like the most sentimental type, so the fact the Del St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.07.2019 Zotto is playing his former team didn't factor much into the decision. "Not a whole lot," Berube said. "He wasn't here that long. He did play here, but again, we had a plan of getting him there." Del Zotto, who began the year with Vancouver, had played in only 12 games for the Ducks before the Feb. 25 trade to St. Louis for a sixth- round pick in the 2020 draft. He had been traded to the Ducks from Vancouver on Jan. 16 so he was only with Anaheim for about five weeks. The Blues' 5-1 victory here over Anaheim on Jan. 23, which started the team's franchise-record 11-game winning streak, was Del Zotto's Anaheim debut. This will be Del Zotto's first game since Feb. 23, or two days before the trade to St. Louis. SCHENN RETURNS Brayden Schenn once again was on a line with Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko during the team's morning skate at Honda Center as he returns to action tonight for the first time since Feb. 19. "He's looked good in practice so I expect him to get involved right away, which would be important in the game," Berube said. "Be physical right away. That'll be important for him and it's important for our team." Based on the morning skate, Schenn also will see duty on the Blues' first power play unit tonight, along with O'Reilly, Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo and Tyler Bozak. The second power play unit, based on the morning skate, will consist of Dunn, Colton Parayko, Robert Thomas, Pat Maroon and Jaden Schwartz. BINNINGTON IN GOAL Jordan Binnington makes his 20th start for the Blues tonight. If he doesn't play at least 30 minutes in 28 games, he becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. Counting two relief appearances in which he topped 30 minutes of playing time, Binnington will be at 22 such games after tonight _ just five short of 27. So barring injury, Binnington looks like a lock to reach 28 such games, in which case he becomes only a restricted free agent after this season. BLUES LINEUP Forwards Schenn-O'Reilly-Tarasenko Maroon-Bozak-Thomas Schwartz-Sundqvist-Steen MacEachern-Barbashev-Blais 1134653 Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman is and where the goalie is to decide between a screen and a tip.

“Since I’ve been pro, I’ve been working a lot on tips,” Gourde said. “A lot What goes into tipping a shot past the goalie? of goals are scored around the net, so whenever you find yourself there A deflected shot is one of the highest scoring plays in hockey, but not an and there’s a shot from the point. If you can get a stick on that, it easy one. obviously improves the chance it goes in.” Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 By Diana C. Nearhos

TAMPA — Phil Esposito used to stay out on the ice with Bobby Orr. He had Orr shoot at him until he had tipped four of 10 shots. That number went up to seven or eight, but Esposito never got to 100 before Orr had enough of it. As inexact as that sounds, it’s largely how Yanni Gourde practices tips now. He stands in front of the net and has someone shoot at him, often Braydon Coburn. [ Up Next: vs. Wild, 7:30 p.m. Thursday| TV/Radio: Fox Sports Sun, AM- 970 ] There’s an art to a good tipped shot. Assistant coach Todd Richards calls it a craft. Either way, there’s more to it than just holding your stick out and getting lucky when the puck hits it and lands in the net. “There’s a lot of things that go into it,” Richards said. “Some of these guys are great at that craft, at tipping a puck. You see a lot of guys after practice spend a lot of time out there working on that skill. It’s not an easy skill. It creates a lot.” Why is the tip so important? It changes the pucks direction. If a goalie can see a puck coming at him, he has a high probability of stopping. So, what if that puck changes direction just before reaching the net? It becomes a lot harder to stop. Tip, redirect and deflect are pretty much interchangeable. For the sake of clarity, let’s call a tip when a player intentionally puts his stick on a puck in the air to change its direction (as opposed to on the ice or when the puck unintentionally hits a player). Not only is the tipper changing where the puck comes from, he may also be screening the goalie, so he can no longer see the shooter or the actual tip. There’s a reason you often need a replay to see the tip. “It’s certainly one of the highest scoring plays, when it’s executed properly,” goalie coach Frantz Jean said. So what does it take to properly execute a deflection into the net? For one, a well-placed shot in the first place. Sometimes, a random shot is tipped, but often, the shooter is setting up the tipper. All of that practice shooting at Gourde comes into play here for Coburn. “Different guys set their tips a little differently,” he said. “Guys like Gordy, since he’s a smaller guy he’s not going to plant himself in front, so he does a lot of moving tips. By putting it around his body, it puts it in a good area for him to tip it.” Then comes the tipper’s part. He has to get the three-inch blade (or sometimes the one-inch shaft) of his stick on the one-inch puck, which might be coming at him around 90 miles an hour. It can be compared to baseball, but there are more variables. “There’s a lot more motion in front of you, there’s traffic, maybe you lose sight of the puck for a second,” Richards said. “You’re being pushed. You might have someone on your back pushing you, someone might be spinning you.” And like baseball, a hard, fast shot (fastball) is easier to find than a wobbly, floater (knuckleball). With all of that to contend with, is it safer just to let the original shot stand? “Sometimes that’s the case, where it hits the wrong part of the blade and instead of going one way, it goes the other way and misses the net,” said Anthony Cirelli, who deflected a puck into the net in the Feb. 25 game against the L.A. Kings. “But, it’s so hard to know and goalies are so good so anytime you can get a piece of it, and try to change its direction, it fools the goalie.” Gourde did say there are some shots he won’t tip, like a Steven Stamkos one-timer from the outside. Cirelli evaluates where he is, where the 1134654 Tampa Bay Lightning So is the process working? Is the Lightning properly preparing for the playoffs, regardless of regular season results? Have all the lessons been learned? When it comes to Lightning critics, outsiders need not apply “I don’t know,’’ Cooper says as he walks away. “You tell me.’’ How do you tie the NHL record for fastest path to 50 victories? By Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 refusing to buy into your own hype.

By John Romano

TAMPA – Forget the scoreboard for a minute. At this point, it’s not important. In this final month of this extraordinary regular season, try looking at the Lightning through the eyes of coach Jon Cooper. It’s not the score that you worry most about, but the process. You have that luxury. Fifty wins by the first week of March isn’t just a number, it’s a safety net. So let them check the standings daily in Boston. Let them watch the scoreboard nightly in Toronto. Around here, the landscape is larger. Lightning players clearly have enough talent to win the Stanley Cup, so now you want to make sure they have the proper perspective. Every blessed night. This is how Cooper can be chasing down history’s greatest regular season teams, and still not be satisfied. Proud? Sure. Happy? More often than not. But never satisfied. So the Lightning can batter the pitiful Ottawa Senators 5-1 the other night, and defenseman Ryan McDonagh can stand in the locker room with a straight face and talk about the excessive number of giveaways the team had been compiling. (He was right, by the way. Tampa Bay had been averaging 8.3 giveaways per game, but had 45 in the previous three games.) “It’s when you recognize that what’s important is not the 5-1 win, but how you got to that 5-1 win,’’ Cooper said. “Do we feel good about ourselves in how we played to get that 5-1 win, or did we just make some really skilled plays and get away with it? “It starts with a group of leaders who are willing to pay attention to the details of what is not necessarily going to win in January, February and March, but what’s going to win in April, May and June.’’ For the Lightning, this is not a mindless slogan. Since Cooper took over as head coach in 2013-14, the Lightning has won more regular season games than any team in the NHL. More than the Capitals – the 2018 Stanley Cup champions. More than the Penguins – the 2016 and “17 Stanley Cup champions. More than the Blackhawks (2015 champions) and more than the Kings (2014 champions). Some of these Tampa Bay players were two wins away from being Stanley Cup champions in 2015. They were one win away from returning to the Stanley Cup finals in 2016 and again in 2018. That’s an impressive run of success, and a frustrating amount of disappointment. And it explains how a team can continue winning at a record pace this season and still not take its foot off the gas. It also creates a tight rope that Cooper must walk across daily. When do critical reviews start to sound like nagging? When does asking for more become asking for too much? “There’s such a balance that goes on and that’s where, having been around this group for a while, my feel has gotten better,’’ Cooper said. “There’s a level of communication to understand when they need time off, when they don’t, and when they need to be pushed. “It is a different kind of push when you’ve won 50 in the first week of March and that’s where you have to rely on the room a little bit to be able to handle those situations.’’ And this is where the Lightning is at today. Too far ahead to worry, but too many painful memories to ignore. So the players focus on the now. On the idea that every game is a proving ground. You want to know how a team can go 67 games and lose back-to-back in regulation only once? By understanding the difference between a bad game and bad habits. The Lightning has been far ahead of the rest of the Eastern Conference for so long, any objects in the rear view mirror really are as far away as they appear. 1134655 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lighnting’s win over Winnipeg provides a measuring stick Tampa Bay played a complete game in terms of ‘effort, execution, commitment to defending.’

By Diana C. Nearhos

As the regular season races to the finish, there is a lot of talk of measuring sticks. The Lightning, as the top team in the league, serves that role for many of the opponents. So what is Tampa Bay’s measuring stick? Tuesday’s game was one. Not just because Winnipeg is a good team and tough opponent. The game the Lightning played on Tuesday, as a complete effort, can be the example to which other games are held. “That has to be our standard of effort, execution, commitment to defending,” assistant coach Todd Richards said. The Lightning dominated that game throughout on the way to the 5-2 win. Tampa Bay outshot the Jets 14-5 in the first period. That wasn’t just a matter of limiting shots by playing good offense, which was the case for the Lightning earlier this season. “When we really commit to being on top, pressuring pucks and puck pursuit through the offensive zone, through the neutral zone, we can create a lot of turnovers,” Richards said. “On top of that, our talent level, once we create our turnovers, we can create plays.” With some tough opponents in the final 15 games (Toronto and Boston twice each, Washington three times), that game becomes something of a template to follow. Though, it still wasn’t the perfect game. Richards pointed to a couple of easy chances in the final five minutes, saying the team would like to finish games out a little more cleanly. Like any team, the issue of consistency is a constant battle. Whether it’s from game to game or within the 60 minutes of play, there are some ups and downs. Ideally, the Lightning can limit them. “Have we played our best hockey?” Richards said. “I think we’ve played some really, really good hockey.” Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134656 Tampa Bay Lightning Remember the Lightning’s win over Montreal last month when Erne’s feisty play drew two Canadiens penalties?

“It’s not my whole game, but it’s definitely part of my game where I feel I Why the Tampa Bay Lightning’s fourth line could be an X factor in can make an impact,” Erne said. “When you do stuff like that, people Stanley Cup run don’t realize that it’s not always there. It’s about opportunity. (It’s) not every time you’ll have a chance to line guys up. As long as you’re finishing hits, not every hit will be crazy, but they add up.” By Joe Smith Mar 6, 2019 Erne showed off his shot Tuesday, finishing off a 2-on-1 with Joseph midway through the second. He had missed the net on a similar opportunity early in the first. So after Erne scored his first goal since Dec. TAMPA, Fla. — The Winnipeg Jets were wobbly on the ropes Tuesday 29 — spanning 26 games — he let out some emotion by leaping into the night, but they still had some fight late in their showdown with the league- boards. leading Lightning. “I think we’ve been playing well for some time, but it’s good to see some It was four minutes into the third period, Tampa Bay was up 3-1 and production,” Erne said. “It was kind of eating at us. You can play as well Winnipeg was pressuring in the offensive end with its heavy hitters on the as you want. But it feels different when you can finally get some ice. Mark Scheifele. Blake Wheeler. Patrik Laine. production.” The Lightning countered with their ferocious fourth line of Mathieu It’s easy to forget that Joseph, barely 22, is still in his first NHL season. Joseph, Cedric Paquette and Adam Erne. The fourth-round pick forged a unique path to the Lightning’s opening- “They were probably the best line out there,” All-Star Nikita Kucherov night roster, then played so well that he couldn’t be sent down. (He is the deadpanned. reason why Cory Conacher was put on waivers, then assigned to Syracuse in the AHL.) But Joseph hit a snag in December, missing seven But Kucherov wasn’t kidding. games with a lower-body injury. In a seven-second span on that third-period shift, Joseph, Paquette and The issue appeared to linger, as Joseph struggled to be as dynamic in Erne would deliver the knockout blow in a 5-2 victory at Amalie Arena. the subsequent months when he was in and out of the lineup. He was And, in arguably their best collective performance of the year, the three sent to Syracuse twice in paper transactions because he was the only players showed why they could be an X factor in Tampa Bay’s playoff forward waiver eligible. run. But you saw on Tuesday Joseph’s game-breaking speed and how he can Paquette started it off with a hit on Laine, separating him from the puck be a force in the bottom six. Remember, part of the reason the Lightning near the sideboards in Tampa Bay’s end. Erne pounced on the loose told veteran Ryan Callahan he’s the 13th forward is because younger puck, pressing it up the ice to Joseph, who used his disruptive speed to players like Joseph needed — and had earned — a longer look. drive defenseman Sami Niku deep into the Winnipeg zone. Joseph crunched Niku face-first into the boards, then set his sights on “He’s a pretty explosive skater,” coach Jon Cooper said of Joseph. “I defenseman Ben Chiarot, standing him up. Joseph and Erne forced a think there was a little stretch there where he wasn’t having an impact on turnover behind the net and the puck went right to Paquette, who roofed the game because he wasn’t using his legs. The last couple, especially the puck past goalie Connor Hellebuyck for a crushing goal. (Tuesday), pucks were put in the space for him and he’s the first one there.” “Obviously that’s a little more wind out of the sails,” Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba said. Case in point was the back-breaking goal on Tuesday night. Joseph’s elite speed on the forecheck forced a turnover, and he kept after it. What makes this historic Lightning (51-12-4) team special is its stars. Paquette reached double digits in goal with his snipe. Kucherov’s Hart Trophy-caliber season reached another milestone Tuesday as he tied Vincent Lecavalier for the single-season franchise “The hits don’t have to be huge, but they add up,” Erne said. “When the record for points (108) — with 15 games left. Steven Stamkos snapped a defense goes back in (its) third, maybe they make a play faster than they season-high six-game goalless drought, pulling within one of Lecavalier wanted to knowing you’re breathing down their neck.” for the franchise career mark of 383. Tampa Bay’s other-worldly power play struck twice. Victor Hedman is now the franchise leader in power- Twenty-two-year-old rookie Mathieu Joseph has impressed beyond all play points among defensemen. expectations this season, scoring 13 goals with nine assists in 56 games for Tampa Bay. (Kim Klement / USA Today) But if the Lightning are going to hoist the Stanley Cup, they’re going to need impactful contributions from their third and fourth lines. Postgame thoughts Remember when Kucherov and Stamkos went dry the final three games 1.) Another game, another record for Kucherov. This time, Kucherov tied of the Eastern Conference final against the Capitals? No one could pick Lecavalier for the team’s single-season points mark (108), and there’s them up. The fourth line doesn’t have to score like it did Tuesday, still a month of the regular season to go. notching two goals and five points. But it needs to have the type of relentless, momentum-swinging efforts that can change games. “It’s OK, I’m trying to work on my game every day and see what happens,” Kucherov said. “Obviously, it’s good. I like it.” The final tally for the fourth line on Tuesday? Eleven hits, five points, plus-5 in 15 even-strength shifts. Cooper had more superlatives for Kucherov, who has shown off not only his elite hockey IQ this season but also a growing maturity on and off the The third line of Anthony Cirelli, J.T. Miller and Alex Killorn was strong ice. too. Those are the types of guys who can turn into unsung heroes in the spring and summer. “To watch his growth in that area, it’s been remarkable,” Cooper said. “I think about myself coming into the league and things that would eat you “You look at a team like Washington that beat us last year,” Erne said. up. You sit back and say, ‘OK, does it really need to eat you up that “Their third and fourth line was really big for them. They did a number on bad?’ He’s a star now. That’s what he’s really become. I understand he’s us physically by finishing hits. It’s something I think we can take note of playing on a good team that’s doing all these good things. But when and try to be better, for sure.” you’re the best player on a good team, it really says something about his talent.” Adam Erne has had a breakout season for the Lightning, posting career- high totals in nearly every statistical category while playing in 52 games. 2.) Andrei Vasilevskiy has quietly won 10 straight starts, second in (Kim Klement / USA Today) franchise history to his backup, Louis Domingue, who had his 11-game winning streak snapped last Thursday in Boston. This year has been Erne’s coming-out-party, a breakthrough season in which he has finally become a regular in an NHL lineup. Vasilevskiy and Domingue are the first goalie tandem to each have 10- game winning streaks in the same season. “This is the best I’ve felt at this level,” he said. Remember all those years the Lightning struggled to find a No. 1 Erne, 23, has the size of a power forward at 6-foot-1, 214 pounds and goaltender? How spoiled Tampa Bay has been the past six or seven some sneaky-good skills. seasons with Ben Bishop and now these two. The physical part has been a given for Erne, who has gotten into several 3.) Ondrej Palat may be getting his groove back. While Palat’s two-way fights and drawn the ire of veterans like Stars captain Jamie Benn. game won’t always be reflected in the box score, he’s been up and down the past few months. But Fox Sports Sun analyst Brian Engblom pointed out that Palat may have been Tampa Bay’s best player in Thursday’s loss in Boston. And Palat was rolling Tuesday, including his slick stretch pass on Yanni Gourde’s goal 94 seconds into the game. YANNI ROCKETS!#WPGVSTBL | #GOBOLTS PIC.TWITTER.COM/QPFIKHVWTI — TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (@TBLIGHTNING) MARCH 6, 2019 4.) The Lightning power play — when it is clicking — can be nearly impossible to stop. Just ask the Jets about Brayden Point’s shot from the slot that sealed Tuesday’s win. STAMKOS TO KUCHEROV TO POINT. THE LIGHTNING ARE STILL UNFAIR #GOBOLTS PIC.TWITTER.COM/YJHQ7P6UY8 — SHAYNA (@HAYYYSHAYYY) MARCH 6, 2019 5.) Tweet of the day: WOW. @TBLIGHTNING LOOK UNSTOPPABLE. #BELIEVE #BRINGITHOME — EVAN LONGORIA (@EVAN3LONGORIA) MARCH 6, 2019 Joe Smith can be reached at [email protected] Follow @JoeSmithTB. The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134657 Toronto Maple Leafs with teams that have had a number of injuries – Boston and Tampa – and they’ve been able to withstand them.”

But Gardiner and Dermott both went down after the NHL’s Feb. 25 trade Leafs GM Dubas calls Marchand’s tweet on Marner’s next contract ‘a deadline, meaning the Leafs were unable to plug the potential holes master troll job’ externally. “If you have injuries, if they’re going to be long-term, you’d like to know JOSHUA CLIPPERTON that when you can still make different additions to the roster,” Dubas said. “But I don’t know that we would have really been willing to part with anything significant given that these are just week to week.” Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas had to hand it to Brad GM MEETING WRAP Marchand – that was a great tweet. Unlike years past when hot-button issues such as headshots or goalie A star winger and resident pot-stirrer for the Boston Bruins, Marchand interference dominated discussion, this year’s GM meetings were mostly mused on social media Tuesday about how many millions of dollars in about where the game stands. annual average value Mitch Marner will see on his next contract with Toronto after the NHL’s public-relations department touted the young Players safety – managers want a new rule that would force skaters that forward’s offensive prowess. lose their helmets to immediately go to the bench or be penalized – and speeding up the pace of play were the main items on the docket. “I cant wait to see this kids new deal... 12m AAV?? It better be,” Marchand wrote before adding the hashtag #Marnerwatch. GMs also mused about changing the first tiebreaker in the standings from the combined tally of regulation and overtime wins to only regulation Dubas smiled when asked about the tweet Wednesday at the conclusion victories, but the idea didn’t garner enough support. of the league’s GM meetings at the swanky Boca Beach Club. BETTMAN TALKS SENS “Oh man, I think it was a master troll job, to say the least,” Dubas said. “You have to respect that element of it.” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to the media at the conclusion of the meetings Wednesday. Marner, who had 81 points in 66 games this season heading into Wednesday’s road tilt against the Vancouver Canucks, can become a And while he echoed most of what was said about the health of the game restricted free agent on July 1 and will be looking for a significant raise. on the ice, Bettman was inevitably asked about the Ottawa Senators, who have seen their proposed move to a new downtown arena fall apart The 21-year-old is the first member of the Leafs to record 80 points since as owner Eugene Melnyk and his former business partner sue and Phil Kessel in 2013-14, and the eighth player in franchise history to countersue each other. require 66 or fewer games to reach the mark. Thanks to a string of missteps that have plagued the beleaguered Marchand said following Tuesday’s victory over the Carolina Hurricanes franchise, consumer confidence in the nation’s capital has dipped that he was just trying to point out Marner’s accomplishments, but drastically since the club got to within a goal of reaching the 2017 Stanley Boston’s superpest appeared barely able to contain a smirk as he Cup final. answered. The Senators dealt their top three scorers – forwards Mark Stone, Matt “Some people really took that the wrong way,” Marchand said in Boston. Duchene and Ryan Dzingel – before the NHL trade deadline after also “You gotta give the kid credit. He’s a great player, that’s all I was trying to shipping captain and star defenceman Erik Karlsson out of town in get at. September. “Just giving some credit where credit’s due.” All four players were unable to agree on new contracts with Ottawa and could have left as unrestricted free agents this summer. The Bruins beat the Leafs in seven games in the first round of last year’s playoffs, and the Atlantic Division rivals appear on another collision “Teams go through ebbs and flows both on the ice and with their course this spring as the No. 2 and 3 seeds behind the Tampa Bay fanbases,” Bettman said. “Eugene Melnyk is doing what’s expected of Lightning. him as an owner in terms of meeting the team’s obligations. Management, ownership, for any franchise at any given point in time may Apart from helping Boston’s top line combine for 30 points, Marchand think it’s time for a rebuild, and that’s what has to be done. was at his antagonizing best in the back-and-forth series, including an infamous lick to the face of Toronto winger Leo Komarov. “Teams go through cycles.” “The part that I liked about [the tweet] was there’s over a 90-per-cent NHL PLAYS HOST TO SAFETY SUMMIT chance we’re going to play them in the playoffs, if you just take the probabilities of it,” Dubas continued. “He woke up in the morning of a The NHL is also playing host to a “safety summit” with 15 hockey leagues game day and was thinking about the Toronto Maple Leafs. and organizations, including and the country’s top junior leagues, Wednesday and Thursday in Florida. “I thought [that] was a positive thing for us.” Deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly said a wide range of topics will be Dubas and the Leafs have already dealt with the contracts of two other discussed, including injury surveillance, analysis, protective equipment, potential star RFAs in recent months. testing, rules, enforcement, officiating and supplementary discipline. Toronto signed William Nylander to a six-year US$45-million contract on The league held a similar gathering last year that focused on Dec. 1 to end an impasse that saw him miss the first two months of the concussions, but widened the scope to overall player safety in 2019. season before Auston Matthews reached a five-year US$58.17-million extension on Feb. 5. Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.07.2019 Nylander’s AAV is US$6.962-million, while Matthews has an AAV of US$11.634-million. Marchand no doubt knows the Leafs could be in a salary cap crunch with Marner’s looming payday, and likely couldn’t help but needle the organization and its fans. “It’s become a great rivalry,” Dubas said. The first-year GM added the injury to Jake Gardiner, who is out week to week with a sore back, is not related to the back spasms that kept the defenceman out of two games before January’s all-star break. Fellow blueliner Travis Dermott is also on the shelf with a shoulder ailment for at least another three weeks, pressing the likes of Justin Holl, Igor Ozhiganov and Martin Marincin into service. “It’s unfortunate,” Dubas said. “We need Jake, we’d love to have him and Travis Dermott, but injuries happen during the year. We’re in a division 1134658 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs sign defenceman Andreas Borgman to a one-year contract extension

THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenceman Andreas Borgman to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The contract, which kicks in next season, has an NHL salary of US$700,000. The 23-year-old has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 39 games with the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies this season. In 2017-18, the Stockholm native had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 48 games with the Maple Leafs and nine points (four goals, five assists) in 25 games with the Marlies. Borgman originally joined the Maple Leafs as a free agent on May 16, 2017 after he was named the Swedish Hockey League’s rookie of the year. Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134659 Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday night was Andersen’s 49th game; the Leafs have 15 games remaining, which would mean to hit 56 — if it is 56 — Andersen would have to start seven and backup Garret Sparks, who usually only handles Canucks have their playoff game, rally to beat Leafs in overtime | The the second nights of back-to-backs, would start eight. Babcock has Star stubbornly stuck with his usage of Andersen the last two years. To commit to this while fighting with Boston for home-ice advantage is fascinating. By Bruce ArthurSports Columnist Oh, and Andersen absolutely robbed Bo Horvat to close the second period, sprawling and flashing his glove and afterwards Horvat just stood there, stooped, stick across his knees, as everyone else slowly left the ice. VANCOUVER—Look, the game was fun. The Leafs scored two and then the Canucks somehow did the same, surprising probably just about The five-foot line: With Frederik Gauthier out, the Leafs’ fourth line was everyone in the building, and in the third period the joint was jumping. the trio of Nic Petan between Trevor Moore and Tyler Ennis. Moore is Toronto went into overtime, and Vancouver defenceman Alex Edler won listed at 5-foot-10; Ennis and Petan are listed at 5-foot-9. All three may it on a wrist shot. Canucks 3, Leafs 2. First time all year the Leafs lost be generous. Babcock is rotating through his fourth-liners, but this one when leading after two periods, in 33 tries. likely aligns most closely with GM Kyle Dubas’ vision of what a fourth line should be: skilled. First, a note about the beginning. In Calgary on Monday, the moment of silence for the late Ted Lindsay was utterly silent. It was perfectly “Well, I couldn’t use it too much in D-zone,” said Babcock. “Know what I solemn. That’s how it should be. mean? Everybody loves players, that’s great, but you’ve got to be able to use lines, and everyone’s got to have a role, someone’s got to penalty Alexander Edler scored the overtime winner as the Canucks rallied from kill, and someone’s got to take faceoffs, so I don’t think I gave our team a 2-0 deficit to beat the Leafs. with that lineup as good an opportunity as I might’ve.” But here in Vancouver during the moment of silence someone yelled Through the last couple games Petan has been winning faceoffs, and something, and someone yelled Shut Up, and someone yelled Go Leafs Moore has been used to kill penalties, but at even strength, all three were Go, and someone yelled Leafs Suck, and it multiplied into competing in the seven- to eight-minute range. Oh, and defenceman Justin Holl got shouts from knots of disrespectful, bellowing boors. in for Igor Ozhiganov, and apparently will go right back out again. Lindsay was a giant, and maybe the most significant player in hockey It’s important to take stock: Before the game, young Canucks star Elias history, all told. It shouldn’t be hard to respect that for 30 seconds. There Pettersson was critical of his seven-game goalless streak, saying, “I feel were piles of Leafs fans in Calgary, and everyone acted the way you’re like, I don’t know, I don’t think I’m playing at my absolute best right now. I supposed to. It wasn’t necessarily just one fan base or the other. It was feel like I’m trying to do things, but it hasn’t gone my way the past couple far from everyone. But it was a disgrace. days ... Maybe I need to be a little more selfish and shoot the puck a There was also a game: It was scoreless until Mitch Marner got away couple times.” He had one shot on goal. Leafs winger Kasperi Kapanen short-handed on a 2-on-1 with ... uh, Ron Hainsey, and Marner bobbled said of his line with Auston Matthews and Andreas Johnsson, “These last the puck, then controlled it as it bounced, then slipped the pass under couple games we’ve been mediocre ... thank God we still have games Troy Stecher’s stick for the goal. And 34 seconds later, after Patrick left before the playoffs.” They were fine. And Green talked about film Marleau had forced a turnover deep in the Vancouver zone against two study of Vancouver’s awful 3-0 loss in Vegas on Sunday. “There was a of their red-jacketed-Star-Trek-security-guard defencemen, hometown lot of things we pointed to. Not a lot of good things, but there was a lot of kid Morgan Rielly zipped a shot short side on Jacob Markstrom. 2-0. things we pointed out.” It really felt like the Leafs could have ridden that brief burst to a win, but The takeaway: The Leafs are much better than the Canucks, but hockey the Canucks got two quick goals in the third: the first assisted by former games are funny things, sometimes. This was probably the game the Leaf Luke Schenn for his first point of the season, and the second scored Calgary game probably should have been. But they haven’t had much on a power-play rush by former Leaf Josh Leivo, who escaped Mike fun in Vancouver lately, and this was a blast. Babcock’s healthy scratch hell in December. The building got good and Up next: Saturday night in Edmonton. Last week the Oilers came to raucous after that, and it was just great. It felt like Vancouver’s playoff Toronto and after a strong first period, mostly looked like a collection of game for the year. sandbags surrounding four or five good players. But the Canucks have At least the Leafs avoided the shootout: only Toronto and the Dallas looked like that at times, too, and look what happened. Stars haven’t had one yet. Toronto Star LOADED: 03.07.2019 Rielly was a little casual on the winner, but Frederik Andersen could have gotten it, too. Rielly wasn’t made available after the game, in his hometown. “I mean, of course I want to save that one,” said Andersen, who made 28 saves. “I thought I took my eyes off it a little too quick, thinking about the next play, and it dipped on me a little bit, so obviously one I’ve got to stop. I thought we deserved more today, but that happens.” “I didn’t think we started great, I thought we had a real good second, I didn’t mind our third to tell you the truth, I don’t think it tilted or anything like that,” said Babcock. “But any way you look at it we went into the period, we led 2-0 and lost in overtime. And we should find a way to win that game.” “We were good tonight, really good,” said Canucks coach Travis Green. “We had a great game tonight.” Freddie ready to rest: And at the morning skate, unprompted, Babcock announced for the first time that Andersen has a specific game limit; after the Dane had started 66 games in each of the past two seasons, ranking second and third in the league, Babcock seemed to indicate the team had come up with a target he will adhere to. “I thought Freddie had a real good night the other night,” said Babcock. “There was obviously a period of time prior to getting hurt and after he got hurt that he wasn’t Freddie-like. It looks like he’s got his game back, that’s important for us. The other thing that happened when he got hurt is he got rested, which is real important. The way we look at it is his max total can get to 56 (games) or something, that’s a real good number for him. He’s an important part of our team and he’s got to play well every night for us to have success.” 1134660 Toronto Maple Leafs “The good players are able to move on from it faster,” he says. “So I like it. That’s part of the mental growth I want to go through. That’s part of the battle, that’s why you want to do it, that’s why you enjoy it: because you Leafs defenceman is in search of the perfect life of Morgan Rielly | The learn new things about yourself, and new things about the game that you Star have to get better at.” He is told he could be in the Norris Trophy conversation, and that self- assurance and comfort gives way to butterflies in the stomach. “Well, By Bruce ArthurSports Columnist easy now,” Rielly says. “We’ll see. I don’t want to talk about it.” It used to be coming back to Vancouver would give him the jitters. But now, Morgan Rielly is learning to feel at home almost anywhere he lands. VANCOUVER—Ask Morgan Rielly his worst moment this season and he Toronto Star LOADED: 03.07.2019 grimaces. He doesn’t write them down, so much as they stick in his brain the way you remember your screw-ups — the time you called somebody by the wrong name, the time you lost a wallet, the time you dinged another car in the parking lot. Like that. “I mean, there are plays,” said Rielly, before his annual homecoming game with the Toronto Maple Leafs in Vancouver. “It’s not games necessarily, but plays. New York, in MSG, first shift, I turned it over, they scored. Just s--- like that. That happens from time to time, and you don’t want to do that often, but when you do, it hurts, and you want to ... not do that so often.” He laughs. “I mean, I remember the bad stuff a lot easier than the good stuff. When you’re feeling really confident and you’re feeling really good about yourself it’s good to remember that it’s not always like that, and you can be a dummy sometimes too.” That’s where Rielly finds himself as he comes home, playing top minutes for a team that entered the night tied for the fourth-best record in the league, second among all defencemen in points with 63, first among defencemen in goals with 16. He used to get nervous when he would play back in Vancouver, in front of family and friends, returning to the town where he grew up. That’s over, now. At 25, Rielly is having the year he has always wanted. Or one of them, anyway. “I love the way he plays,” said Calgary’s Mark Giordano, who entered Wednesday night one point behind Rielly among defencemen. “I met him a few times and he’s a great guy and a great person, but I love the way he plays ... The hardest thing to do as a young guy is defend. It takes a few hundred games to really get that understanding of not running around and being positionally sound. And like everything else, when you get that confidence in your own end it translates all over the ice.” “I’ve known him for a long time, a real long time,” said Calgary coach Bill Peters, earlier in the trip. “He’s got way more offence than people think, you’re starting to see that here this year ... I think as he gets more comfortable in the league, as (players) get more and more comfortable, they revert back to what they were as a junior and as a youth hockey player, and that’s what he’s done. And as he’s gotten better, the team around him has gotten better, and it’s easier.” Easier doesn’t mean easy, though. Rielly is trying to live up to his own expectations in every game now. He wants to eliminate mistakes entirely, whether that’s possible or not. He is comfortable, but not satisfied. “I mean, it might just be a shift or a period in a game, but when you are at the point where you want to be really good every night, you know, those bother you more than they used to,” Rielly says. “But at the same time, you have to be mature enough to move on from them.” “I mean, you can watch the best D-men in the league, like (Victor) Hedman, like (Drew) Doughty, (Erik) Karlsson, (Brent) Burns and those guys, and they make mistakes all the time. So I think you realize that no one’s perfect. I mean, you want to be as close to perfect as you can be, and when you’re not, it annoys you. “And you want to get better and you don’t want to have that happen all the time. But you do realize when you watch those games late at night, when you watch those guys go head to head, they make mistakes too. So that helps you deal with it. But you want to be really good all the time, on and off the ice.” In the most basic analysis, Rielly was a minus-70 for his career before this season, and this year he is a plus-31 while playing heavy minutes with the declining Ron Hainsey. The Leafs score 61 per cent of the 5-on- 5 goals with those two on the ice: when Rielly shares the ice with Mitch Marner and John Tavares, often against top competition, the number is 67 per cent. Those two drop to 52 per cent without Rielly, while he goes down to 56 and 59 per cent, respectively. They all make one another better. So it’s not that Rielly broods over the mistakes, or obsesses; it’s that they stand out more, with the fewer he makes. And he is enjoying figuring out how to deal with that. 1134661 Toronto Maple Leafs

Kyle Dubas calls Marchand tweet on Mitch Marner’s next contract ‘a master troll job’ | The Star

By Joshua ClippertonThe Canadian Press

BOCA RATON, FLA.—Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas had to hand it to Brad Marchand — that was a great tweet. A star winger and resident pot-stirrer for the Boston Bruins, Marchand mused on social media Tuesday about how many millions of dollars in annual average value Mitch Marner will see on his next contract with Toronto after the NHL’s public relations department touted the young forward’s offensive prowess. “I cant wait to see this kids new deal ... 12m AAV?? It better be,” Marchand wrote before adding the hashtag #Marnerwatch. Dubas smiled when asked about the Twitter post Wednesday at the conclusion of the league’s GM meetings at the swanky Boca Beach Club. “Oh man, I think it was a master troll job, to say the least,” Dubas said. “You have to respect that element of it.” The 21-year-old is the first member of the Leafs to record 80 points since Phil Kessel in 2013-14, and the eighth player in franchise history to require 66 or fewer games to reach the mark. Marchand said following Tuesday’s victory over the Carolina Hurricanes that he was just trying to point out Marner’s accomplishments, but Boston’s super pest appeared barely able to contain a smirk as he answered. “Some people really took that the wrong way,” Marchand said in Boston. “You gotta give the kid credit. He’s a great player, that’s all I was trying to get at. “Just giving some credit where credit’s due.” The Bruins beat the Leafs in seven games in the first round of last year’s playoffs, and the Atlantic Division rivals appear on another collision course this spring as the No. 2 and 3 seeds behind the Tampa Bay Lightning. “The part that I liked about (the tweet) was there’s over a 90 per cent chance we’re going to play them in the playoffs, if you just take the probabilities of it,” Dubas continued. “He woke up in the morning of a game day and was thinking about the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I thought (that) was a positive thing for us.” BLUE-LINE BLUES: The first-year GM added the injury to Jake Gardiner, who is out week to week with a sore back, is not related to the back spasms that kept the defenceman out of two games before January’s all- star break. Fellow defenceman Travis Dermott is also on the shelf with a shoulder ailment for at least another three weeks. “It’s unfortunate,” Dubas said. “We need Jake, we’d love to have him and Travis Dermott, but injuries happen during the year. We’re in a division with teams that have had a number of injuries — Boston and Tampa — and they’ve been able to withstand them.” But Gardiner and Dermott both went down after the NHL’s Feb. 25 trade deadline, meaning the Leafs were unable to plug the potential holes externally. “If you have injuries, if they’re going to be long-term, you’d like to know that when you can still make different additions to the roster,” Dubas said. “But I don’t know that we would have really been willing to part with anything significant given that these are just week to week.” BORGMAN EXTENDED: The Leafs signed defenceman Andreas Borgman to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The contract, which kicks in next season, has an NHL salary of $700,000 (U.S.). The 23-year-old has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 39 games with the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies this season. In 2017-18, the Stockholm native had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 48 games with the Leafs and nine points (four goals, five assists) in 25 games with the Marlies. Borgman originally joined the Leafs as a free agent on May 16, 2017 after he was named the Swedish Hockey League’s rookie of the year. Toronto Star LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134662 Toronto Maple Leafs The Leafs scored two goals 34 seconds apart in the second period. Ron Hainsey has become one of the Leafs’ most dependable penalty- killers, though the last thing Babcock would expect out of the veteran is a Leafs finally blow a third-period lead as Edler wins it for Canucks in OT short-handed goal. But, when Marner is killing penalties, that increases the chances of any Leaf on the ice scoring, no matter that the opponent is alleged to be at an advantage. Terry Koshan And so it was that Marner and Hainsey broke in on a two-on-one as Patrick Marleau served a hooking minor. Marner waited and finally passed off to Hainsey, who easily put the puck into the net past VANCOUVER — Frederik Andersen’s concentration broke for a split Markstrom at 12:28. The assist was Marner’s 11th point in his past five second. games. That was all Alexander Edler required to send the Maple Leafs to an In his previous 1,053 NHL games, Hainsey scored one short-handed overtime loss on Wednesday night at . goal. That came two seasons ago when the 37-year-old was a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. The Vancouver Canucks defenceman snapped a shot past Andersen at 3:11 of the extra period, giving the Canucks a come-from-behind 3-2 Rielly, who was not made available to reporters after the game, scored at victory before a boisterous crowd of 18,871 that featured more than a few 13:02 after Marleau caused a turnover and Tavares took control of the Leafs sweaters. puck. Tavares fed Rielly, who scored on Markstrom’s short side. “Of course, I want to save that one,” Andersen said. “I thought I took my The goal was Rielly’s 17th, the even-strength point his 47th, both of eyes off it a little bit too quick, thinking about the next play. It dipped on which lead all NHL defencemen. The San Jose Sharks’ Brent Burns is me a little bit. It’s one that I’ve got to stop. I thought we deserved more, second in even-strength points with 42. but that happens.” Toronto has little choice but to get by without injured defencemen Jake For the first time this season, the Leafs failed to win when leading after Gardiner and Travis Dermott, and on Wednesday, Babcock went with a two periods as a 2-0 lead was erased by the Canucks. Toronto is 32-0-1 third pair of Martin Marincin and Justin Holl, choosing to sit Igor when leading after two, and was the NHL last team to be perfect in that Ozhiganov. After the game, Babcock said Ozhiganov will be in the lineup situation. in Edmonton. “Our team doesn’t quit,” Canucks coach Travis Green said. “We have Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.07.2019 battled back all year. We had a lot of guys who played well tonight.” The Leafs, who lost for the second time in seven games, finish their three-game trip through Western Canada on Saturday night against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. Toronto has 87 points, two behind the second-place Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division. The Leafs have 15 games remaining, the Bruins 16. Centre Frederik Gauthier was a healthy scratch as Mike Babcock used Nic Petan between Tyler Ennis and Trevor Moore on the fourth line, a move that might have limited the coach’s options. “Everybody loves players, it’s great, but you have to be able to use lines and everyone has to have a role,” Babcock said. “Someone has to penalty- kill and someone has to be able to take faceoffs, so I didn’t think I gave our team with that lineup as good an opportunity as I might have.” Babcock indicated earlier in the day that Andersen will be rested more as the regular season winds down. “I don’t know,” Andersen said. “I don’t care about the number (of games he plays). Just play when they tell me to and rest. “It’s a little different because of the time I missed (with a groin injury in December and January), so I don’t know how that will add up, but I try to get a little rest in and get Sparky in there as well to keep him sharp.” Did the coaching staff ask for Andersen’s input? “I’m going to keep that between us,” Andersen said as his scrum ended. Toronto killed a penalty to defenceman Morgan Rielly, playing in front of family and friends, with less than seven minutes remaining in the third. But the Leafs couldn’t hold off a determined Canucks club in the final 20 minutes of regulation, as Vancouver tied the game in a span of less than two minutes. scored at 2:21, beating Andersen with a backhand. Ex-Leaf Josh Leivo then brought Vancouver even at 4:13 as Auston Matthews served a Leafs bench minor for too many men on the ice. Leafs fans watching on television, and in the building, would have nodded with familiarity when Leivo snapped a quick shot past Andersen. We saw it every so often in Toronto in the rare times Leivo was used by Babcock. Leivo got free when defenceman Jake Muzzin went to the puck carrier, giving Leivo, who was acquired from the Leafs in December, an open lane. “He is a guy who we like in this locker room a lot,” Mitch Marner said. “It’s great seeing him do well over there. It sucks seeing him score tonight.” Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom made a lunging glove save on John Tavares in the third period, while Andersen did the same on Bo Horvat as the second period ended. 1134663 Toronto Maple Leafs In others words, it sounds like backup Garret Sparks will get more action in the final month than he has been. Sparks has played in 14 games this season, going 7-5-1. Babcock will let the players determine the pieces on the Leafs’ fourth line And it means Andersen won’t get close to 66 appearances, which he has made in each of the past two seasons. That rest, presumably, should be of benefit in the playoffs. Terry Koshan .

LOOSE LEAFS VANCOUVER — The Maple Leafs’ fourth line isn’t settled quite yet. The Leafs will get a day off on Thursday and practise at Rogers Arena on With 15 games remaining in the 2018-19 regular season after the game Friday before travelling to Edmonton. On Thursday, there’s a social against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night, coach Mike gathering planned for the players at Morgan Rielly’s house in North Babcock will let his players determine who is on that line on the opening Vancouver … A day after signing Sparks to an extension through 2019- night of the Stanley Cup playoffs. 20, the Leafs did the same with defenceman Andreas Borgman, getting him on a one-year, two-way deal with an NHL salary of $700,000 next “Every night, when you have good depth, you have those opportunities season. The Leafs continue to steel themselves for the idea that the blue (to look at other players),” Babcock said. “In the end, though, you’re not line will have some changes, as Jake Gardiner, Ron Hainsey and Martin just rolling people in and out. In the end, the best guys play. It’s the Marincin are all headed for unrestricted free agency this summer. National Hockey League. They’re going to decide that and then we’re Borgman, Calle Rosen, Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin are under going to play them.” contact for next season. Rosen’s contract is one-way and he clearly is in the Leafs’ plans … Kadri, Gauthier, defenceman Igor Ozhiganov and Babcock went out of his way to stress that Frederik Gauthier “did nothing Sparks took part in the Leafs’ optional skate on Wednesday. wrong” after announcing that Nic Petan would centre the fourth line versus the Canucks. Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.07.2019 Gauthier had not missed a game since mid-December, playing in 32 in a row, but the acquisition of Petan from the Winnipeg Jets at the deadline has given Babcock another option up the middle, making Gauthier a healthy scratch. When all Leafs forwards are healthy — and provided they all will be in the final weeks — it’s going to be intriguing to see who sits. Centre Nazem Kadri on Wednesday was one of the few Leafs on the ice for an optional morning skate, and we have to think that if he manages to take some bumps in practice on Friday, he will be in the lineup on Saturday night when the Leafs visit the Edmonton Oilers to end their three-game swing through Western Canada. Kadri’s absence has been stretched to eight games since he suffered a concussion on Feb. 19 in a game against the St. Louis Blues. Once Kadri is in uniform again, he will return in his spot on the third line, and, in all likelihood, have William Nylander on his right wing. Having said that, we won’t be surprised if Nylander finds his way back to Auston Matthews’ right side prior to the end of the regular season. A native of nearby Delta, B.C., Petan was enthused with the chance to get into his second game with Toronto. Before making his Leafs debut last Saturday against Buffalo, Petan had not played since Dec. 22. “Whatever opportunity you do get, playing on the fourth line, get a little bit of power play, you have to make the most of it,” said Petan, who scored against the Sabres. “There is (a mental adjustment involved) but I don’t really think about it too much. I feel like I’m back in the mix of things.” What has been Babcock’s initial impression of Petan? “The biggest thing to me is he has skill,” Babcock said. “Any time your people acquire someone, and they put time into going through the process to figure out if this guy can help, then you try to give him the best chance. “No different than the other guys — when he gets his chance, he has to do something with it. That’s the toughest part. To get the opportunity, you get comfortable, you feel confident and are you able to execute? We’re just going to watch.” Petan was going to have plenty of support in the stands at Rogers Arena. “It’s going to be a hefty bill,” Petan said with a smile. FRED’S REST BEST That goaltender Frederik Andersen missed eight games in December and early January because of a groin injury wasn’t necessarily a large negative. “After he got hurt, he was not Freddie-like,” Babcock said. “But he looks like he got his game back. The other thing that happened when he got hurt is he got rested, which is really important. “The way we look at it, the max total he can get to is 56 (games) or something. That’s a real good number for him. He has to play well every night for us to have success.” 1134664 Toronto Maple Leafs that Washington had to get over the hump and beat Pittsburgh on the way to winning a championship last year.

That means dealing with Marchand. TRAIKOS: Leafs GM Kyle Dubas takes Marchand ‘troll job’ tweet about Marner in stride “We have Laurence Gilman on our staff and he talks about the same thing with Chicago and Vancouver much earlier in the decade,” Dubas said of the team’s assistant general manager, who was previously Michael Traikos employed in the same role with the Canucks. “I think it’s a great opportunity for us to have those other two teams in our division. I know some people and you hear them in the stands say, ‘Oh BOCA RATON, Fla. — Brad Marchand has managed to get under the geez, depending on what day it is, three of the top-four teams are in the skin of Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas. And for once, the Bruins pest didn’t same division and at least one of them is going to be out in the first even have to use his tongue. Or even step on the ice, for that matter. round.’ I think for us, it always keeps us on our toes and keeps us moving ahead, knowing that we’re in a division with extremely incredible All he did was tweet out that Toronto’s Mitch Marner, who recorded his competitors with Tampa and Boston.” 81st point on Monday, deserves to be paid $12-million per year on his next contract. That being said, if Dubas wants to get back at the Bruins, he could always tweet out that defenceman Charlie McAvoy is also a restricted “Oh man,” a laughing Dubas said at the GM meetings on Wednesday. “I free agent this summer. And based on his play, he deserves not a penny think it was a master troll job to say the least. You have to respect that less than $8-million a year. element of it.” Different back injury for Leafs’ Gardiner In some ways, Marchand’s tweet was just as nasty as an unwelcomed lick to the face. Jake Gardiner has been out with a back injury since Feb. 26. But Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said on Wednesday that the back spasms Marchand knows that the Leafs, who have committed almost $30-million that the defenceman suffered earlier in the season are not causing his to John Tavares, Auston Matthews and William Nylander next season, current injury. are going to be cap-strapped this summer. He also knows that Boston and Toronto, which are battling for home-ice advantage in the playoffs, “The two injuries are not related,” Dubas said of Gardiner, whose status are more than likely going to face each other in yet another heated first remains week to week. “It’s unfortunate. We need Jake, we’d love to round series. have him and Travis Dermott (who is also out week to week), but injuries happen during the year.” And so, it’s never too early to deliver the first salvo — or speckle of saliva, if you will — even if it was directed at a fan base worried that Still, it was the timing of Gardiner’s and Dermott’s injuries that hurts the management won’t be able to afford everyone. most. Had they occurred prior to the Feb. 25 trade deadline, the Leafs might have added pieces to the backend. Instead, the team has had no “From my end, the part that I liked about it was there’s over a 90% choice but to rely on minor-leaguers to fill the roster spots. chance we’re going to play them in the playoffs if you just take the probabilities of it,” said Dubas. “So (Marchand) woke up in the morning of “If you have injuries, if they’re going to be long-term, you’d like to know a game day and he was thinking about the Toronto Maple Leafs. I that when you can still make different additions to the roster, but I don’t thought was a positive thing for us. It’s become a great rivalry.” know that we would have really been willing to part with anything significant given that these are just week to week,” said Dubas, adding If Marchand is thinking about the Leafs, then Dubas is certainly thinking that recent injuries to minor-leaguers Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman about the Bruins. This is the one team that no Toronto fan wants to face. also hurt. “They’re certainly not season-ending injuries for either one, Boston, which is more physical and more experienced, has had Toronto’s though things can always change with injury.” number in the playoffs and the regular season this year. There was the historic Game 7 collapse in 2013 and a 7-4 defeat in Game 7 last year. Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.07.2019 Both times, Toronto looked overmatched. Both times, Marchand had set up shop inside the Leafs players’ heads. “They’re an excellent team, (Marchand’s) a great player and their staff does a great job year-in and year-out,” said Dubas. “To see the ability of the players to persevere, even when injuries are a factor with them, so I think it will be a great test for us down the stretch as we battle for position with them and continue to have the rivalry increase if we meet them in the playoffs. “Anything can change. You can say it’s probably going to be Boston and then it could change. But the percentages — the chances of it being Boston — they told me the other day was over 90%. So does that help? I don’t know. We’re pretty familiar with them. We’ve already played them four times this year, we played them last year in the playoffs, and I think for us we just continue to refine our process until the end of the year. We’re a younger group. They’re more mature. They’ve got more experience. And for us, it’s just trying to ready ourselves for the playoffs, whoever it is.” This is sort of what the NHL was hoping for when it changed the 1- versus-8 playoff format and instead placed more emphasis on divisional battles. Familiarity breeds contempt. It’s what made those Leafs- Senators playoff series so great. The same is now happening with Toronto and Boston. And yet, it doesn’t really seem fair that for the second straight year two of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference will play each other in the first round of the playoffs. That means at least one will be out by the second round and that at least two will be gone by the conference final. In a just world, the second-ranked Bruins would play the seventh-ranked Penguins, and the third-ranked Leafs would play the Hurricanes, who are ranked sixth in the conference. But where is the fun in that? Maybe it’s good that the Leafs have to face the Bruins. If Toronto hopes to win a Stanley Cup, it eventually has to slay its dragon in the same way 1134665 Toronto Maple Leafs sleepwalk. The Leafs have had a few of those games against lesser opponents of late, too, with Wednesday against Vancouver a game that they likely dig in and win if there’s more on the line. The NHL’s awful playoff format has made the rest of the Maple Leafs’ So what you end up with is some of your high-end talent teams that have season another tedious tuneup little to play for over a quarter of the season – or more. Throw in all the teams like the Canucks who are effectively out of it and By James Mirtle Mar 7, 2019 boy are there a lot of meaningless games ahead. The Leafs, in particular, are facing an incredibly soft schedule for the rest of the month, with 10 of 12 games against likely non-playoff teams. VANCOUVER – You can’t really call it the elephant in the dressing room. CURRENT PLAYOFF ODDS OF TOR'S NEXT 12 OPPONENTS Not when it’s out in the open at this point. ACCORDING TO @MONEYPUCKDOTCOM: Now that we’re into March, the Maple Leafs are all actively talking about 1% it already, with more than a month and 15 games left in their season. 5% Boston. 100% “It’s pretty evident who we’re going to play. Everybody knows it. Getting home ice is big,” was how Zach Hyman put it here in Vancouver, before 1% the Leafs went and dropped a 3-2 game in overtime to the struggling 8% Canucks. 0% “It’ll be fun,” added Nazem Kadri. “It’s kind of hard not to look into the future and see what things could be.” 99% There’s some fatalism about the matchup. It’s looked that way most of 1% this season. Thanks to the NHL’s goofy playoff format, and the Lightning’s rocket ride to what could be an insane 130-point season, the 0% fourth-best team in the league (Leafs) has been locked in to get the third- 1% best team (Bruins) in Round 1 for some time now. 8% That’s even more punishing than last year, when Toronto sat seventh and Boston was fourth and they had to do the first-round dance. 0% It’s a format that the majority of NHL players we polled last month wants — DRAGLIKEPULL (@DRAGLIKEPULL) MARCH 6, 2019 to see changed. There just won’t be many measuring-stick games the rest of the way. So “Give more advantage for finishing first and then reseed after that,” said they’ll have to find a way to be better motivated late in the year than they one of the anonymous players our staff talked to for the piece. “I really were last season, when some bad habits set in around this time and hurt don’t like this format that we have.” them early against the Bruins. “It should be 1-to-8 and then reseed again after that instead of doing the You’ll recall how poorly they fared in Games 1 and 2, which basically cost wild card and the division stuff,” added another. “I don’t like that. them the series, given how close it ended up being. Oftentimes, you get the top two teams playing each other in the second round, which I have been a victim of a few times.” “It’s tough,” Hyman admitted of the fact the Leafs can’t improve their Round 1 matchup the rest of the way. “You play the whole year, and This year will be time No. 2 for the Leafs in terms of getting a formidable you’re one of the top-five teams in the league. And there’s lots of hockey Round 1 opponent. Expect there to be many more in the future, given it left (in the regular season). sure doesn’t look like the Lightning are going anywhere anytime soon. “Listen, you’ve got to play them at some point. You’ve got to battle the Let’s pause here and point out why the NHL likes the format, which it good teams at some point. So you can argue the different formats and instituted in 2014. There are defensible reasons for it, reasons that mean whatnot – and maybe it would be better if we had a 1-8, 2-7 – but the it’ll remain in place for at least the next few seasons. good teams end up going to the top anyway.” No. 1: Having more evenly matched teams facing one another in Round Perhaps. But only after going a tougher route – a road they didn’t 1 (and to a lesser extent Round 2) creates better, longer series. Longer deserve – to get there. series = more games = more revenue. Longer series also = better ratings. And ratings are also helped by the fact some rivalries are “I guess for what the league wanted, it does create a rivalry,” Hyman building. added. “We’ve got to go through Boston.” No. 2: Keeping teams locked into divisional play for two rounds means Yep. So we wait for that glorious day. the majority of the games in the Stanley Cup playoffs are in either the The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 same time zone or pretty damn close. Roughly 80 percent of playoff games take place in the opening two rounds; keeping the games in the same time zone (and with lesser travel) makes for better ratings and keeps the interest level higher. So, yes, those arguments make sense from a business perspective. Now, you can quibble with some of them. How many rivalry series are there, really, each season? I count two in the works among the current playoff matchups: Bruins-Leafs and Capitals-Penguins. Those would be great series, no doubt. But with the way the wild card works, you often get weird divisional crossovers anyway, diluting the chance for annual rivalries, outside of situations where teams get rutted into those 2-3 matchups repeatedly. Tampa, for example, could easily open the playoffs against Carolina or Columbus or some other Metro team. That’s the opposite of a rivalry series. To me, the bigger problem with the format is what it does to the regular season. Not only does it diminish its value, but it makes the final 30-odd games for teams like the Leafs and Bruins incredibly anticlimactic. The players can say they’re motivated by going for home-ice advantage, but in practice? The end of last season was basically a boring, endless 1134666 Toronto Maple Leafs His secondary assist on Rielly’s goal is what started it all off as he turned the exit the other way, allowing Tavares to curl around and find Rielly. It wasn’t a super eventful game, but that moment was a highlight in an Leafs Report Cards – Game 67 at Vancouver otherwise poor game for the team. William Nylander – Another night, another game where Nylander is the Leafs’ best player in transition, leading the way with seven controlled By Dom Luszczyszyn Mar 6, 2019 entries – though it’s always disheartening to see him enter, curl, look and … see very few options. On one such opportunity he just did it himself and burned Pouliot with speed and got a clean break, but couldn’t beat Markstrom. He had another chance in 3-on-3, but couldn’t bury that one Going into this game, Toronto was undefeated entering the third period either. He’s looking good and the points will come, but he needs some with a lead, winning 32 straight. Up 2-0 against the lowly Canucks, you’d help. figure this game was in the bag. Not so as the Leafs lost in overtime while once again playing down to their competition. The team looked 䈏䈏䈏 anemic for most of the game, a pretty bad showing for an elite offence against one of the league’s worst defences. Toronto had just five high Kasperi Kapanen – Great speed throughout the game as he burned danger scoring chances all game, their second lowest total of the Vancouver’s defence on multiple occasions. He was terrific on the season. By expected goals, the Leafs’ 1.09 was their worst mark all year penalty kill and created a few of Toronto’s many rush chances. During 3- and just the second time they’ve been under 1.5. on-3, he had an epic sliding pass block that would’ve saved a sure goal (not that it mattered in the end). How did the team look? Connor Brown – Really strong game on the penalty kill which included a Even Strength – Once again, the Leafs fell asleep at the wheel to start, point thanks to some good vision to get Marner the puck up ice for a 2- letting the Canucks take the play to them. After that the game was pretty on-1. He had another shorthanded rush chance later in the game with even, albeit slow-paced in terms of actual quality shots taken. The Leafs Marner again, but couldn’t get the puck through. At 5-on-5 he was pretty usually look more dangerous than that, but didn’t register as many good underwhelming though and didn’t really leap off the page. looks as they usually do. During 3-on-3, it was surprising to see a team as talented as the Leafs look so ordinary against a Canucks team that is 䈏䈏 much thinner. Auston Matthews – Had a number of good chances, tying for the team Power Play – The team had just two chances tonight and looked mostly lead in shots with four and had a few good takeaways also. But he was disjointed both times. Puck movement wasn’t smooth and they just didn’t far from his dominant self in a game where the team desperately needed look very dangerous. their superstar centre to break the thing wide open. I also couldn’t help but notice how lazy he looked during 3-on-3 as he was coasting around Penalty Kill – Toronto’s biggest strength tonight. Somehow, this was allowing the Canucks to rush up ice and blowing the zone early soon where the team looked most explosive and dynamic as they had three or after. four, maybe five, odd-man rushes down a man. It was strange to see and they even cashed in on one. They also allowed a goal, but I’m sure they’ll Frederik Andersen – I’m conflicted here. On the one hand, Andersen take the even goal differential. The fourth kill was a pivotal moment in a made some tough stops to keep the Leafs up including a huge glove game that was tied with six minutes left and they came through big time. save on Horvat in the dying seconds of the middle frame. On the other hand, the tying goal and the winner were both relatively weak goals, Player Reports goals we really haven’t seen Andersen give up all too often this season. 䈏䈏䈏䈏䈏 This one is far from his fault, but he had some moments of weakness relative to his usual high bar. Best player(s) on the ice: Ron Hainsey – Yes. You read that right. The man. The myth. The legend. The Hainsey. I can’t imagine Hainsey will be John Tavares – Nice assist for Tavares on Rielly’s goal, but man was he bestowed this honour ever again, but he damn well earned it tonight. ever invisible for the rest of the night. He spent a lot of time in his own Hainsey looked like he was still in his prime out there, denying zone zone without the puck as his line got caved in at evens. Tavares did have entries, breaking up passes, having a good stick, making big open-ice a nice one-time chance from a tough angle, but couldn’t beat Markstrom. hits, jumping into the rush, going end-to-end – I seriously wondered The Fourth Line – The undersized mites were a bit underwhelming in whether I had stepped into a time machine and gone back to 2009. Oh their first try, a disappointing outcome considering who they were up yeah, and he scored. It was an easy one, but one he deserved with his against. At times the trio overwhelmed the Canucks with their speed as effort. both Moore and Ennis showcased some flash down the wing for Morgan Rielly – OK, so maybe giving Hainsey BPOTI honours was a chances, but there were other times where they were stuck in their own token award during a rough game because it’s hard to imagine he’ll ever zone a fair bit. They looked better than they actually played. be this close to the sun ever again. Sometimes, you’ve got to give a guy Zach Hyman – Great hustle, good work in the corners, some nice his lifetime achievement award before it’s too late and he was close playmaking, but it’s hard to ignore a night where the Leafs got outshot by enough. Really, it probably belongs to Rielly, who was all over the ice. He 13 with Hyman on the ice. There were a few times in his own end where was joining the rush early and often and was second on the team with six he struggled to get the puck out. controlled entries. That’s hard to do as a defenceman, but it’s a testament to Rielly’s game tonight with the puck. More impressive Martin Marincin – Not the worst defenceman on the ice tonight, which is might’ve been his two set-play dump-ins off the end boards right to a an upgrade over his first game back (though he did play better in the two streaking Marner. Very cheeky, and they almost worked too. Rielly’s games in between). Marincin struggled with the puck, giving it away a ability to jump into the play, something he did very well tonight, resulted couple times including one he flubbed right in front of the net. It’s also a in his goal, and he made some excellent plays at the line to keep the bit worrying that against the dregs of the Canucks he was a minus-seven Leafs in on some chances too. Overall, the Leafs outshot the Canucks in Corsi in just 11 minutes of 5-on-5 ice-time. 29-19 with Rielly on the ice. Without him, it was 41-24 Canucks. 䈏 Mitch Marner – His line got caved in more than any other, but it feels wrong to fault Marner for that, as he was easily Toronto’s best forward. Jake Muzzin – Did not look great tonight and I’m wondering if that’s him He had four shots, including two off set plays from a Rielly dump-in that or his partner. Muzzin was billed as a puck-mover, but I’m not sure I saw almost worked really well. The puck was following him around and it a single clean exit he completed. He took a penalty after allowing his showed on the Leafs opening goal as he blocked it, jumped ahead for a man to walk behind him for a 2-on-1 and looked lost on the first goal 2-on-1 and then made a beautiful pass to Hainsey for a tap-in. If there along with his partner on a communication mixup. The tying goal was the was a stat for expected goals created from a pass, I’d bet Marner would icing on the cake, though, as Muzzin, for some reason, went to the be way up there in the league given how many tap-ins he’s created for opposite side on the PK allowing a clear lane behind him for Leivo to take his teammates this season. That play itself was beautiful and a great advantage of. There’s times to be aggressive and that was not it. example of Marner’s effectiveness on the penalty kill, something he exhibited often as the man-disadvantage was where the team looked the Worst player on the ice: Nikita Zaitsev – Led all Leafs players in ice time most lethal. at 24:48 because of course he did. Twice in one shift he struggled to make a D-to-D pass and both times it ended with the Canucks 䈏䈏䈏䈏 regrouping back into the Leafs zone. There were a couple of giveaways and plenty of times where Zaitsev was hemmed in. On the first goal it Patrick Marleau – I thought Marleau looked really strong on the boards, didn’t seem like he was defending anyone in particular. Zaitsev had the keeping possession up on the cycle and looking strong on the forecheck. worst Corsi of any Leafs defender, but hey, at least he had six blocks. Are we sure he actually played tonight? Andreas Johnsson – The only thing I remember Johnsson doing was getting pushed around on the power play and losing the puck. His Corsi was good, but I can’t really recall a single tangible thing he did to make that so. Justin Holl – Sorry, just used to him being in the press box. Didn’t do anything of note (Ian is already in my DMs about his two zone exits), but also didn’t mess anything up either – we’ll call that a positive. Game Score Most important GIF of the night What the… RON HAINSEY DOES A GOOD JOB AT PROTECTING THE PUCK AND THEN STARTS THE RUSH GOING THE OTHER WAY. #LEAFSFOREVER PIC.TWITTER.COM/PWHEANNMXV — MAPLE LEAFS HOTSTOVE (@LEAFSNEWS) MARCH 7, 2019 Final thoughts from the game It wasn’t a totally awful game to watch at face value, but when you factor in who they were up against this should’ve been a cake walk. It’s amazing to think that this team and the one that beat the West’s best 6-2 on Monday are the same club. Final Grade: D+ The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134667 Toronto Maple Leafs “She is the one, when things are going crazy in the house, she’s just sits there and is like ‘OK everyone just get a grip here,’” her father said with a laugh. “She’s just very chill, very laid back, and she loves to shop … I ‘She will try to rip your heart out:’ Meet Sarah Nurse, Canada’s next mean the woman loves her shoes.” major star Jackie Crum, an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin, where Nurse played college hockey, could tell when Nurse was most focused: “If she was singing Beyoncé before a game, you know she’s going to By Hailey Salvian Mar 6, 2019 have a good game.” The Furies took Nurse second overall in the CWHL draft last year, and she rewarded them by finishing second in the rookie scoring race. She Roger Nurse was watching his only daughter play hockey when he heard averaged a point per game with the Furies, with 14 goals and 12 assists the voice. It was from another father in the stands during a youth game in in 26 games this season. (Victoria Bach led the way with 32 points for the Hamilton, Ont., about a decade ago, and the father appeared to be .) scolding his son for “letting a girl beat him.” Nurse still lives at home with her parents and two brothers. They do not Nurse’s daughter, Sarah, was only 11 years old, but the frustrated father compare statistics there. made her the focus of his ire. It seemed to take root, too. When the teams met again, the little boy was far more belligerent around her. “We compete, day in and day out for our sports, so when we get together it’s just about celebrating each other and talking about normal things,” “She was taking a bit of abuse out there,” Roger Nurse said. “At one she said. “I have a little cousin in Houston, and she did an ice dancing point, the boy came after her and she leaned into him, dropped her competition and got a participation trophy. And we were like ‘yes! That’s shoulder on him, picked up the puck and went in and scored.” amazing!’” He said it was only one of the three goals she ended up scoring that day. Her specific brand of calm can help at home. When Isaac was stuck in an early-season slump with the Bulldogs, their father was busying searching “She was kind of like ‘Oh you are going to treat me like this?’ her father for a solution. Roger Nurse could not stop thinking about things to say or said with a laugh. ‘Well I’m going to light you up!’” do to get his son back on track. Nurse is from one of the most impressive families in Canadian sports. His daughter had an idea: Don’t do anything. Leave him alone. Slumps Her cousin Kia is on the national team and a rising star in the don’t last forever. WNBA. Her cousin Darnell is a defenceman with the Edmonton Oilers. Her uncle Richard made a name for himself in the CFL, and her aunt “She’s just sensible,” said Roger. “She’s that voice of reason telling me Cathy played basketball at McMaster University. Donovan McNabb is ‘you got to calm down because you’re going to give yourself a heart another uncle, and a former NFL quarterback. Her brother, Isaac, is a attack going crazy like that.’” forward with the in the OHL. Furies general manager Sami Jo Small said Nurse drifts easily through And none of that lineage guaranteed her a smooth path into professional dressing room, socializing with teammates in every corner. She also sports. There were the fathers who rooted against her in minor hockey, suggested it was folly to confuse the amiable, cool veneer with the and there were the rejections later on, when the national team kept her substance just beneath the surface. off a world championship team as she was getting ready to graduate university. Nurse jumped onto the team’s first line with Olympic veteran this season. She finished in the top-10 among CWHL scorers, Now, Nurse is a star. She is a 24-year-old with an Olympic silver medal and she helped the Furies qualify for post-season play for the first time in and a lethal shot that has lifted her onto the top line with the Toronto three years. Furies. She broke the franchise rookie scoring record and, on the final day of the regular season, she scored the first goal in a must-win game “When I think of people with ice in their veins,” said Small, “they don’t that sent the Furies into the playoffs. have the emotional fortitude that Sarah has.” As the Furies prepare to face the first-place Calgary Inferno in the Sportsnet hockey analyst Elliotte Friedman interviewed Nurse during a semifinal this week, the 11-year-old girl who humbled an weeknight broadcast in January, then talked about it his 31 Thoughts angry hockey dad is poised to drop her shoulder on a much larger stage. podcast with Jeff Marek. Nurse has arrived as an elite player, and some around the game believe she could turn into nothing less than a transformative face for hockey in “She is a really nice girl and I thought she was really good in her Canada. segment,” he said. “But you give her something to compete in and she will try to rip your heart out.” “We need players like her,” said Canadian mainstay Meghan Agosta. “There is no doubt in my mind that Sarah Nurse has a really bright future Some paths to the national team follow a straighter line than others. with Hockey Canada for a really long time.” Marie-Philip Poulin, for example, went straight from her two years on the under-18 team to the senior national team. She played for the big Nurse was angry. Well, mock-angry, anyway. Canadian team at the 2009 world championships and, by 2010, was ready for her debut on the Olympic stage. It was a Wednesday morning in November, and she was sitting inside FirstOntario Centre, in Hamilton, to watch her brother play an early Nurse was cut from her first U18 team. She made it on the second try, matinee. Conversations about Nurse inevitably tend to drift to talk of her but then didn’t get invited to try-out for her first development team. In her family: “I’ve always been ‘daughter of … niece of …’ kind of thing.” senior season at Wisconsin she was left off all four senior national team rosters including the world championships. It was then she started to She dialed up the mock anger in her voice. think about moving on from hockey and finding a job when she graduated. “So many people just assume we are all brother and sister like Kia and Darnell,” she said. “Like you should know this by now! You ask us so She held off on finding an office job, and now she has been on every much.” event roster since the Olympics and will likely be on the world championship team bound for Finland in April. They were cousins. Isaac was her brother, and he was down on the ice playing the at 10:30 a.m., with thousands of schoolchildren As Crum, her old university coach said: “I think If you didn’t know having been bused in to scream from the seats above the ice. Sarah and anything about hockey and walked into the rink and you sat down, you Isaac were not the only athletes in their household — Roger, their father, would immediately be like ‘who is that number 16 out there?’” was a national-level lacrosse player in his youth. Nurse has an explosively fast skating stride. Furies coach Courtney For the product of a successful family filled with hyper-competitive Birchard-Kessel often finds a way to combine that speed with her ability athletes, Sarah Nurse comes across as remarkably easygoing. She sat to read the play in the offensive zone. She said Nurse could be the third in the stands with her phone tucked inside a team-issue Canadian jacket, forward across the blue line, but all of the sudden, the puck is on her where it remained, ignored, for most of the morning. She watched intently stick and on its way to the back of the net. when her brother was on the ice, but she also giggled during breaks in play when the video board filled with Images of happily dancing children. With four game-winning goals in 26 appearances, Nurse has also developed a reputation with her shot, which she releases quickly. She is “When I asked my brother for a ticket today, he said, ‘uh Sarah you know smooth with the puck, but also willing to be physical. The versatility has it’s a school day game right?’” she said with another giggle. “I had no made her invaluable with the Furies. idea.” “She can play on the power play, she can play on the penalty kill,” said Agosta. “And I think with a little more experience and a little more development she is going to be so dominant for Canada.” At the club level, Birchard-Kessel, said: “She’s been our horse the whole year.” Roger Nurse was watching his only daughter play hockey when he heard another voice. She was still in university, when Wisconsin was competing at a tournament in San Jose, Calif., which had been an NHL market for a quarter-century before Sarah Nurse arrived. This time, rather than an angry father, his daughter had drawn the attention of a fan. A young girl. She had always wanted to play hockey, and now she was watching Nurse, a biracial university star. “When she saw Sarah, it kind of made her think that it’s OK for a girl of colour to play,” Roger Nurse said. “She roots for Canada now because of Sarah.” Angela James, a member of Canadian hockey royalty, believes Nurse has the potential to reach out to new fans across Canada, as well. James was inducted into the in 2010, after her pioneering career on the ice when women first competed for a world championship, and she suggested Nurse would “definitely will be a role model for young girls of colour.” “I always kind of go back to the old cabbage patch dolls analogy,” said James. “All the black cabbage patch dolls were left on the shelves and everything else was sold out. But when I went shopping, I went shopping for the black one because that’s who I identify with.” “And you need role models who you can identify with and so I think it’s important that Sarah is looked at as a role model and people identify with Sarah. It makes kids think ‘OK I can be there too because Sarah is there, and Sarah is like me.’” Small said the team sells plenty of Nurse-branded shirts. On social media, when the team is losing, she said their Twitter feed is filled with tweets urging the Furies to “put Sarah back out there, because she will put the puck in the net.” Along with Spooner and Renata Fast, Nurse is one of the three pillars upon which the Furies have tried to build a marketing plan. They have appeared in marketing campaigns and appear at events such as adult skating clinics, panel talks and surprise appearances at youth hockey practices. There is a challenge: There is not a lot of money for marketing in the CWHL. Katrina Galas, the director of business operations for the Furies, said the team did a photo shoot with the three Olympians before practice one day early in the season. They have relied on the material from that shoot for the entire year. “It can be hard,” Galas said. Galas said her dream would be to see a campaign in affiliated with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which is already a corporate partner. (She would also love to work with Toronto Tourism, or the City of Toronto.) “How amazing would it be to see Sarah within a campaign that is driven by Toronto hockey as a whole?” Galas asked. “You’re going to get the Leafs, you’re going to get the Marlies, you’ll get the Furies and it really would show everyone in this market together.” Until then, Nurse and the Furies are left on their own. Nurse, luckily, is engaging and presents well to the media, as she did while on a press tour for the CWHL All-Star Game in January. The All-Star Game was hosted in partnership with the Maple Leafs and held at Scotiabank Arena. Hundreds of kids and girls’ minor hockey teams crowded the stands with signs made up for their idols like Poulin and Nurse. Nurse said playing at the home rink of her childhood favourite team was “surreal,” but also showcased how the game is growing. Nurse grew up as a Leafs fan, an hour down the highway in Hamilton. And now, with the Furies in the playoffs, she will have the chance to put her name on the city’s professional hockey marquee. “Growing up so many kids in Ontario look up to the Leafs,” she said. “Now I want to be able to be that for little girls in Ontario who look up to (our team) and want to play for the one day.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134668 Vegas Golden Knights Gaudreau appeared to tie the score 1-1 with 4:49 remaining in the first when he swooped in to collect a long rebound and backhanded a shot as Fleury was doing a barrel roll in his crease. Golden Knights beat Calgary Flames, 3-2 — VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS The Knights challenged for goaltender interference, and NHL video replay officials overturned the ruling on the ice. By David Schoen / Las Vegas Review-Journal Theodore put the Knights ahead at 8:34 of the first period when he sent a torpedo into the top corner on a power play for his 11th goal after Mark Stone’s initial shot was kicked out by Rittich. The Golden Knights-Calgary Flames game was the hottest ticket in the “We were getting pucks to the net and it kind of just bounced out,” NHL on Wednesday and also cost more than the most expensive NBA Theodore said. “Sometimes you got to get it back there as fast as you game, according to a secondary market reseller. can and I guess it found a hole.” The announced crowd of 18,422 at T-Mobile Arena won’t be asking for a Theodore set a franchise record for goals by a defensemen in a season, refund. surpassing Colin Miller’s mark of 10 from last year. Deryk Engelland scored the decisive goal midway through the third Calgary answered with 8:06 left in the second period on Hamonic’s blast period and the Knights held on to beat first-place Calgary 2-1 for their from the top of the right faceoff circle one second after a penalty to fifth consecutive victory. Marchessault expired. Gallant and the Golden Knights reflect on their win over the Calgary LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 03.07.2019 Flames Vegas Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant and players talk about protecting Marc-Andre Fleury when push came to shove. The team defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 at the T-Mobile Arena and will take their 5-game win streak on the road. Volume 0% Next Up: Gallant after the Knights loss: We've got to find the misfits again 00:00 02:59 02:59 Shea Theodore had the other goal and William Karlsson added two assists for the Knights, who trail the Flames by 10 points in the Pacific Division with 14 games remaining. The teams wrap up their season series Sunday at Calgary. “It’s huge. They’re a good team. They’ve been playing well lately,” Theodore said. “To really battle that out and grind out that one-goal game right to the end, it was a good feeling.” Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, coming off back-to-back shutouts, finished with 33 saves for his league-leading 33rd victory. He tied Jacques Plante for eighth on the all-time list with 437 career wins. Fleury, the NHL’s First Star of the Week, had his career-long scoreless streak halted at 200:30 when defenseman Travis Hamonic scored in the second period. In his hot streak, Fleury has stopped 109 of 111 shots. The Flames were intent on creating traffic in front of Fleury and had a Johnny Gaudreau goal in the first period overturned by video review for goaltender interference. Calgary agitator Matthew Tkachuk backed into Fleury with 18.4 seconds left in the second period to spark a fracas that ended with a staredown between Fleury and Flames goalie David Rittich. Engelland, who spent three seasons with Calgary before being selected in the expansion draft, notched his second goal and first since Dec. 6 at 9:30 of the third. He zipped a shot from the point through traffic that Rittich never saw thanks to a great screen in front by Jonathan Marchessault. “It’s always nice to see guys score against their former teams and score game-winning goals,” said Knights forward Reilly Smith. “It was good to see. He steps up time and time again for this team. He did that again tonight.” Calgary dropped its third straight and lost for the first time in the opening game of a back-to-back (7-1-0). The Flames remained winless at T-Mobile Arena and have been outscored 15-4 in their four visits. Rittich suffered the loss in Monday’s 6-2 pounding against the Maple Leafs but came back to finish with 36 saves. The Flames entered Wednesday fourth in the league in goals per game (3.55), and coach Bill Peters changed his No. 1 line with Tkachuk joining Gaudreau, the team’s leading scorer, and center Sean Monahan. 1134669 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ Mark Stone overcame rap on skating ability

By Ben Gotz / Las Vegas Review-Journal

Mark Stone’s scouting report starts with the same four words every time: Great with his stick. The 26-year-old winger is excellent at creating turnovers, causing deflections and winning the puck along the boards because he’s worked hard to use his blade in ways other NHL players can’t. That commitment to his craft is why the 2010 sixth-round pick is expected to sign an eight- year extension worth $9.5 million annually with the Golden Knights. “As a young player, I had to do a lot of things to even make it here,” Stone said. “I wasn’t a very good skater. That was documented when I was 12 years old. Everyone told me I couldn’t skate.” That Stone is able to survive in the pros despite the knocks on his skating is testament to the skills he’s developed through years of work in his native Winnipeg, spending hours at a time on outdoor rinks with his friends. “That’s what we did in Winnipeg,” Stone said. “We were always working on little skills. That’s one of the good things about having the winters that we had in Winnipeg. We were on the ice just messing around with buddies daily.” Those skills, along with his physical play and instincts, are why Stone has made plenty of scouts look silly in the last nine years. He was the 178th player drafted in 2010, and among the players picked in that draft ranks eighth in career points (312). “I played with Stone for a long time, and he is a really good guy and obviously a really smart and talented hockey player,” said Florida Panthers forward Mike Hoffman, who was teammates with Stone for six seasons with the Ottawa Senators. “You know they got a good player over there, and he is going to be good for a long time, one of the best sticks in the league and very good in front of the net. He is a great addition for (the Knights).” Big baller Knights defenseman Nick Holden coached a basketball team of local celebrities to a 136-124 win over a team coached by teammate Ryan Carpenter at Faith Lutheran High School on Tuesday night. “I’d probably say it was like 90 percent coaching and maybe 10 percent skill by the players,” Holden joked after a team that included Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Xavier Grimble and former UNLV standout Warren Rosegreen emerged victorious at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes “Rise Up” event. “I have all the bragging rights (over Carpenter). He lost, I won and it wasn’t even close.” Holden was happy to participate in the event, which also featured a 3- point shootout and dunk contest for local high school players. “I think it’s awesome to be able to come out in the community,” he said. “For me, faith is a big part of my life so to be able to come out to an event like this has been pretty special.” State of hockey Defenseman Nate Schmidt, a St. Cloud, Minnesota native, was excited for the start of the 75th Minnesota high school hockey tournament Wednesday. Schmidt’s alma mater, St. Cloud Cathedral, is the No. 2 seed in the class 1A bracket and won its first game 7-0 over North Branch at Xcel Energy Center, the home of the Minnesota Wild. Schmidt and the Crusaders placed fourth in the 2008 and 2009 state tournaments. “The closest thing I can compare it to is what our games are like,” Schmidt said. “It’s that kind of atmosphere.” Haula update Coach Gerard Gallant said injured forward Erik Haula is skating a “few times on the ice a week.” Haula injured his right knee in a 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 6 and had surgery. He started skating again last week. “It’s good news when he gets on the ice,” Gallant said. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134670 Vegas Golden Knights Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury GAME DAY: Golden Knights host division-leading Flames LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 03.07.2019

By David Schoen / Las Vegas Review-Journal

The Golden Knights will try to gain ground on the Pacific Division leaders when they host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena. Opening faceoff is 7:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. The Knights (36-26-5, 77 points), who have won four straight, trail first- place Calgary by 12 points with 15 games remaining. “They’ve got a lot of talent on their hockey team. They remind me of us last year a little bit, to be honest with you,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “They don’t lose too many games, and they’re battling. … They’ve been consistent all year. They’re playing real well, and their top players are playing great.” Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will start for the Knights and is coming off back-to-back shutouts. The NHL’s First Star of the Week has not allowed a goal in 168:43, the longest scoreless streak of his career, and has stopped 76 of the past 77 shots he’s faced. Fleury leads the NHL in shutouts (eight) and games played (56), and his 32 wins are tied with Toronto’s Frederik Andersen for the league lead. With a victory, Fleury would tie Jacques Plante for eighth on the all-time list with 437 career wins. Gallant said he will go with the same lineup from Sunday’s 3-0 win over Vancouver. The Flames (41-18-7, 89 points) are coming off back-to-back home losses, including a 6-2 drubbing from Toronto on Monday. Calgary had not endured consecutive regulation losses since mid-November. “They probably want to rebound after that, so we’ll have to match that intensity,” defenseman Deryk Engelland said. “Their power play’s extremely talented, so we’ve got to stay out of the box.” Goaltender David Rittich is projected to start for Calgary after he suffered the loss against the Maple Leafs. Left wing Johnny Gaudreau leads the Flames with 84 points, matching his career high. He is expected to be joined by center Sean Monahan (30 goals) and right wing Matthew Tkachuk on a new-look first line. The Flames, who are fourth in the league in goals per game (3.55), are starting a back-to-back. The Flames are 7-0-0 in the first game of a back- to-back. The Flames lead the Western Conference with 21 road victories and have recorded points in five straight away games (4-0-1). Former Golden Knights wing James Neal (lower body) missed Calgary’s past nine games and is not expected to play. The clubs meet twice in five days, with the season series wrapping up Sunday at Calgary. “I think if we can get in on our forecheck — you don’t have to run the (defensemen) or anything, but get in their way because guys like (Mark Giordano) and (TJ Brodie) and those guys are going to jump in the play and be the fourth, fifth man all night long,” Engelland said. “If you can take a second off them, it gives the other guys a better chance.” Golden Knights projected lineup Forwards Max Pacioretty-Paul Stastny-Mark Stone Jonathan Marchessault-William Karlsson-Reilly Smith Brandon Pirri-Cody Eakin-Alex Tuch Ryan Carpenter-Pierre-Edouard Bellemare-Ryan Reaves Defensemen Nate Schmidt-Deryk Engelland Brayden McNabb-Shea Theodore Jon Merrill-Colin Miller 1134671 Vegas Golden Knights

Engelland helps Golden Knights edge Flames for 5th straight win

By Justin Emerson

If you had to predict before Wednesday’s game who would score the game-winning goal, how many guesses would it take to get to Deryk Engelland? “I wonder what the odds would have been,” defenseman Brayden McNabb joked. Engelland scored at 9:30 of the third period, just his second goal of the season, to a break a tie game with the Calgary Flames and give the Golden Knights a 2-1 victory at T-Mobile Arena. “I wouldn’t say I’m the offensive guy, that’s for sure,” Engelland said. “It doesn’t matter who scores the goal, it’s the end result that matters.” It was his first goal since Dec. 6, a span of 37 games. His shooting percentage of 1.2 is the worst on the team, and he leads only Valentin Zykov and Erik Haula (21 combined games) in points. But Engelland is seldom asked to score. He’s asked to play defense, and he did that admirably Wednesday night. It used to be Nate Schmidt and McNabb tasked with shutting down the opposition’s top line, but since Engelland and Schmidt were paired together three weeks ago, that responsibility fell on the new pair. When Engelland was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Golden Knights were even in shot attempts against Calgary’s deadly trio of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk. The latter two had assists on Calgary's lone goal, but Engelland was not on the ice. “They’re top, top players in the league those guys, and they’ve had an outstanding year,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “We had to shut them down, and we did a pretty good job tonight.” Vegas pulled seven points behind second-place San Jose in the Pacific Division and 10 behind first-place Calgary. The Golden Knights have won five straight since acquiring Mark Stone from Ottawa at the NHL trade deadline. Engelland’s goal was a continuation of an offensive trend from the Vegas defensemen. From October to January, 20 of the Golden Knights’ 156 goals came from defensemen, or 12.8 percent. Since the start of February, 15 of 44 (34.1 percent) have come from the blue line. A lot of that is courtesy of Shea Theodore, whose first-period goal gave him 11 on the season and five since the start of last month, but the change is noticeable. Theodore said it’s nothing in particular that’s led to the change, just putting pucks on net. And sometimes that’s all you need to take out the Western Conference’s top team. “On (Engelland)’s goal there was a lot of traffic and sometimes when you put it on net, you’ll find some holes,” Theodore said. “To really battle that out and grind out that one-goal game right to the end, it was a good feeling." Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 33 shots for his league-leading 33rd win of the season. The 15-year veteran netminder has allowed just one goal in his last 228 minutes, 43 seconds. Vegas improved to 14-5-2 against the tightly contested Pacific Division, and 3-0-0 in March. The Golden Knights are 5-2-0 against Calgary all- time, including a perfect 4-0-0 mark at home. LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134672 Vegas Golden Knights "They remind me of us last year," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. "They've been consistent all year. They're playing real well, and their top players are playing great." Late goal helps Golden Knights knock off Calgary Flames Johnny Gaudreau will get some Hart Trophy love this offseason after a season which, so far, has him atop the team leaderboard in points (84) and assists (54) and tied in goals (30). Sean Monahan shares the goals By Justin Emerson (contact) lead with him while chipping in 71 points, and Elias Lindholm has 72 points.

Calgary averages better than 3.5 goals per game and leads the Western The game had a playoff atmosphere Wednesday night, and like many Conference with a plus-42 goal differential. A lot of firepower is coming playoff games last year, the Golden Knights did not lose. the Golden Knights' way tonight, which makes a tough task for their defensemen. A third-period goal was the difference in a low-scoring affair between high-flying teams, and the Golden Knights defeated the first-place "You look at how many goals they've scored throughout the season — Calgary Flames 2-1 at T-Mobile Arena. they've been playing that (2017-18 Vegas) style — and you know it's tough to stop," Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore said. "But I The arena had a tense feeling near the midway point of the frame, and think if we're good defensively as a team tonight, I think we can really Deryk Engelland was the one to pop the bubble. He collected a Reilly limit those chances and those opportunities from them." Smith pass and wristed it on net for just his second of the season to give the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead at 9:30 of the second. Emerson's Prediction: Flames 4, Golden Knights 3 The assist gave Smith his eighth point in his last eight games, and Season record for predictions: Keefer 5-5, Emerson 19-8 William Karlsson's second assist of the game have him his first multipoint game in nearly a month. TV: AT&T Sports Net (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760) The Golden Knights led in total shots on goal, 38-34. Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM Calgary sends game to third tied Betting line: Golden Knights minus-145, Canucks plus-135; over/under: 6.5 (plus-100, minus-110) Vegas was good on both of Calgary's first two penalties until the very end of the second one. As the penalty expired, Travis Hamonic wound up and Golden Knights (36-26-5) (20-10-4 home), third place, Pacific Division slapped a shot that beat Marc-Andre Fleury low to the glove side to even the game at 11:54. Coach: Gerard Gallant (second season) The goal ended Fleury's career-best shutout streak at 200:41, dating Points leader: Mark Stone (63) back to last Monday's game against the Dallas Stars. Goals leader: Mark Stone (28) On the Flames' two penalties, the Golden Knights allowed one shot on Assists leader: Mark Stone (35) goal. Hamonic's goal was one second after Jonathan Marchessault's interference penalty ended. Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (2.52 gaa, .911 save percentage) Near the end of the period, Paul Stastny and Mikael Backlund both went Flames (41-18-7) (21-11-2 road), first place, Pacific Division to the box for coincidental roughing minors, opening up the ice for 4-on-4 hockey. Almost immediately Calgary threw a puck on net that beat Coach: Bill Peters (first season) Fleury, but Deryk Engelland batted the rolling puck out out of the crease. Points leader: Johnny Gaudreau (84) With 18 seconds left in the period, Matthew Tkachuk ran into Fleury as Goals leaders: Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan (30) Colin Miller jumped in to help his goalie. Tkachuk popped up and had words with Fleury, which triggered another scrum in front of the net. Assists leader: Johnny Gaudreau (54) Tkachuk drew a goalie interference call, and Tkachuk and Miller each Expected goalie: David Rittich (2.66 gaa, .910 save percentage) drew roughing penalties. Golden Knights expected lineup Shots on goal were even at 23-23 after two periods. Forwards Knights take lead Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Max Pacioretty, Both sides got the puck into the net in the first, but only the Golden Paul Stastny, Mark Stone, Brandon Pirri, Cody Eakin, Alex Tuch, Ryan Knights' goal counted as they grabbed a 1-0 lead over the Calgary Carpenter, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Ryan Reaves Flames after the first period. Defensemen The first power play didn't do it for the Golden Knights, but they still managed a tally with an extra man in the first few minutes. Brayden McNabb, Nate Schmidt, Shea Theodore, Deryk Engelland, Jon Merrill, Colin Miller Calgary goalie David Rittich made the first save on Mark Stone shot, after which Shea Theodore walked in from the blue line and blasted the Goalies puck by Rittich's shoulder for his 11th of the season at 8:34 of the first. Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban It was Theodore's fourth game in a row with a point and he has five LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 03.07.2019 points in that span. Stone and William Karlsson had the assists. The Golden Knights caught a break at 15:11 of the frame, when Johnny Gaudreau's shot bounced off Marc-Andre Fleury and into the net, but Matthew Tkachuk caught Fleury's blocker and stick on the initial shot and review ruled it interference to maintain the Golden Knights' 1-0 lead. Calgary led in shots on goal, 14-9. Pre-game The Calgary Flames have a terrific group of young, fast forwards who can out-skate and out-skill just about everyone they share the ice with. In other words, they look like last year's Golden Knights. The Flames come to town at 7:30 p.m. and bring with them an enviable group of forward talent that has vaulted them to first place in the Western Conference and which the Golden Knights will be tasked with slowing down. 1134673 Vegas Golden Knights

Malcolm Subban staying sharp for when Golden Knights need him in goal

By Justin Emerson

The least exciting job in sports, one could argue, is the backup quarterback for the New England Patriots. You come to work every day knowing you’re not going to start, but doing everything you can to absorb information and advice from an all-time great. Such is life for Golden Knights backup goalie Malcolm Subban. “It’s easy to get lazy in your habits in practice and workouts and stuff, just slack off because you’re not going to play for another month,” Subban said. “That’s the toughest part, but you’re watching a future Hall of Famer, so it could be worse.” Subban’s situation isn’t as dire as the one posed to Tom Brady’s backup — Brian Hoyer, who completed one pass for seven yards last season — but it’s still a tedious job. Subban started just seven times in Vegas’ 59 games through Feb. 14, although he was on injured reserve for part of that stretch. But even then, Maxime Lagace, the backup’s backup, started just once. It’s not an indictment on Subban so much as an endorsement of Marc- Andre Fleury, who on Sunday recorded his league-leading eighth shutout. The Vegas starting netminder is ninth all-time in NHL wins, has three Stanley Cup rings and was the Golden Knights’ All-Star this season. “He’s a good kid, so easy to get along with,” Fleury said. “He’s very encouraging when I play also, and when he goes in I try to do my best to keep him upbeat and low stress. Just go out there and play. “He practices hard, he works hard, and you never hear him complain about his ice time or anything like that. He’s been very good for me and for the team.” If there’s any light for Subban at the end of the tunnel, it’s that he’s starting to play more, and may see more action down the home stretch of the season as well. He has three starts since mid-February, including three of six games from Feb. 16-28. He played well in a defeat of Nashville and a loss to Colorado, and although he allowed five goals against Florida, he locked down the win with a perfect shootout. The Golden Knights have three more sets of back-to-back games this year, including this weekend against Vancouver and Calgary. His start against Florida was the front end of a back-to-back, after which coach Gerard Gallant mentioned he may split the remaining three instances among his two goalies. “I don’t know how many games he’s going to play, but we’ll see where it goes and go from there,” Gallant said. “He’s played really good hockey for us.” Eighteen of the 31 goals Subban has allowed his year came in his first four starts of the year, and since then has a 2.15 goals-against average and .937 save percentage. As the Golden Knights head toward the postseason and try to keep their star goalie rested, Subban will be just as important as anyone on the roster. And he’ll be ready. LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134674 Vegas Golden Knights that Vegas will have had ample time to build up its depth chart and should be subject to the same protection list issues and lose a player in the draft just like every other team. Why Vegas will be a desirable trade partner ahead of the Seattle Daly responded firmly and rather simply, saying that since Vegas isn’t expansion draft getting a slice of the expansion draft money from Seattle, it shouldn’t lose a player. That’s what was promised to Vegas and the league isn’t changing its mind on it. By Pierre LeBrun Mar 6, 2019 It’s also worth noting that when Daly updated the Seattle situation in the GMs meeting on Wednesday, the deputy commissioner said not a single manager raised any objections. BOCA RATON, Florida — In what was perhaps the NHL’s quietest GM meetings in history, a little spice surfaced on Wednesday in regards to Vegas aside, what will be interesting this time around is whether GMs the expansion draft. around the league have learned from the recent expansion process and how will they use that knowledge this time around. During the NHL media session, the league made it clear that it will keep a close eye on how Vegas figures in the Seattle expansion process given There’s this prevailing sense at the outset that Seattle won’t be as that the Golden Knights are exempt from the draft. fortunate in taking advantage of side deals like Vegas did. That teams will just accept they’re losing a player and leave it at that. The fact Vegas gets to skip the expansion draft has drawn the ire of some GMs — more on that later — but because the Knights don’t have Maybe. We’ll see. to worry about losing a player in the Seattle draft or protecting anyone, the speculation has already begun that the same clever guys who “It’s easy to look after the fact and say, `Oh geez, we shouldn’t have leveraged the rest of the league in building up the Vegas roster, will now done that,’’’ Flames GM Brad Treliving said. “But it’s no different than examine the possibilities at hand with teams trying to navigate its with any deal. You don’t know how things are going to turn out. I think protection list issues a second time around. teams are going to approach in the same manner in the sense that you’re going to make the decision for your team at that point. Are people going And teams will want to look at Vegas as a trade partner is because the to be a little more hesitant because of the history and success Vegas has Knights will be the only team not worried about adding players at a time had of doing side deals? Maybe. But at the end of the day, you’re not when teams are trying to determine their protection list. going to say, `I’m not going to do this because something did or didn’t happen last time.’ You’re going to make the best decisions for the club. On Wednesday, NHL Deputy Commission Bill Daly responded to the It’s always easy to Monday morning quarterback it, but the biggest thing suggestion that some teams might use Vegas as a safety valve option to is that everyone is going to be more familiar with the process. It’s the get around a tough protection list issue ahead of the Seattle draft. same rules.’’ “I don’t see that happening, they’re just not part of this expansion,” Daly Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello has one interesting prediction for how this said. “Obviously, we’ll make sure that Vegas isn’t used in the process by process will play out this time around after Vegas had so much success other clubs to circumvent the purpose of intent of the expansion draft leveraging assets out of it. rules, but I don’t anticipate that happening.’’ “I think George (McPhee) did a tremendous job on how he approached To which I said, “How do you ensure that?’’ that,” Lamoriello said. “I think now teams will pro-act more to exactly what their thoughts are going into it rather than waiting. I think we looked at the And Daly responded that every single transaction must be approved by past expansion as an example, now we look at what George did and I the NHL. Hint: the league will be closely examining any Vegas trade in think it’s going to be approached a little differently … and around the Seattle expansion process. “I think you’ll see transactions prior between teams rather than between “You can’t park players on Vegas,’’ Daly said. the teams and the expansion team.’’ Meaning if a club had a player they didn’t want to lose to Seattle, they That’s an interesting thought. And not a comforting one if you’re Seattle. couldn’t trade that player to Vegas and then expect the league to sign off on a trade back to them after the draft. That part is fairly obvious. “I don’t like losing a player but you kind of have to resign yourself to it,’’ Capitals GM Brian MacLellan, who lost Nate Schmidt to Vegas, said. “I But what other transactions involving Vegas around the Seattle draft (to mean, the two-for-one thing (side deal with Vegas), we considered it. But be held in June 2021) might the league frown upon? it just didn’t make sense. And I don’t know that it made sense overall to “There are other things they could do that we might not approve,’’ Daly go with that strategy. You’re going to lose a player, you got to be said. “But I’m not going to create my own hypotheticals. I’ll know it when I resigned to that.’’ see it.’’ Still, some teams will no doubt end up seeing value in negotiating outside Any trades involving Vegas during that period will need to pass the smell the draft with Seattle. test, is what the league is really saying here. “I guess every team will be in a different situation,” Avalanche GM Joe Golden Knights GM George McPhee declined to comment when Sakic said. “But you just look at it, you’re going to lose a good player. apprised of all this. Which is smart, no benefit for him in dipping his toes Now, you’re going to look at your own team’s situation just to see if that in those waters publicly. makes sense. You’re going to look at who you think you might be losing and then is it worth to try to make a deal to keep that player? Or there’s But the question remains, how will the league deny what looks to be a the general philosophy, I’m losing a good player but they’re spending bonafide trade? For example, let’s use Nashville. For argument’s sake, $650 million. You lose a player.’’ we will say that this time around the Predators don’t protect four defencemen as they did with Vegas but instead go the 7-3-1 protection The fact that teams have more prep time with Seattle is also a factor. route, meaning a very good blueliner will be available. We will use P.K. Already you’re seeing some teams hold back the promotions of certain Subban as the hypothetical example since he makes the highest salary prospects to make sure they remain exempt from the Seattle draft. of the Big 4. If I’m Preds GM David Poile, I’m trying to trade Subban to “For us, we try to make decisions and take in those considerations Vegas for a top prospect and/or top pick, some kind of valuable asset sometimes a year in advance because you understand the rules,” Sharks rather than just lose him for free to Seattle in the expansion draft. GM Doug Wilson said. “There are choices you make on players and if Does the league OK that kind of trade between Vegas and Nashville? I they become eligible. But do I think Seattle will have the ability to acquire can’t see how that doesn’t pass the smell test. It’s a bonafide trade good players? Yeah I do. Whether it’s the same or different than Vegas, I between two teams exchanging assets. don’t know. I think there’s always experiential knowledge that you go through on both sides.’’ Unless, of course, for the $650 million Seattle is paying to join the league, the determination is made that Seattle should, in fact, have The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 access to that fourth Nashville defenceman. For that reason alone, it’s going to be fascinating to follow along with anything Vegas-related on the trade front. Now, back to the part of Vegas being exempt for the Seattle expansion draft. That fact has greatly annoyed a few GMs who brought it up with me this week. They feel with Seattle’s puck drop delayed until the fall of ’21 1134675 Vegas Golden Knights “He’s honest,” Eakin said. “Sometimes it’s brutal, sometimes it’s good, but it’s better knowing than being in limbo.”

Gallant said he harnesses the years of experience as a player — little Brutal honesty and trust in players make Gerard Gallant the ultimate things that his coaches did that he liked, and things he didn’t like — and players’ coach implements it now as a coach. “That’s a guy who gets it,” Reaves said. “That’s a guy who has played the By Jesse Granger Mar 6, 2019 game and understands the grind of the game.” Gallant has been through the wringer of an NHL season as a player many times. The back-to-back games in different cities with different time Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt skated to his bench. As he zones. Hopping on red-eye flights, arriving late at the team hotel only to heaved his skates over the boards and took his seat, he knew he was wake up a few hours later to jump on the bus for morning skate. going to receive an earful. It’s a major reason why Gallant schedules shorter practices and often During the previous shift he sent a pass through his own zone that was tries to incorporate some sort of game or competition near the end to immediately intercepted by the opposing team, creating an odd-man rush keep the mood light. the other way. He knew it wouldn’t be long before coach Gerard Gallant let him know about it. “I think it’s tough to have a really good practice when you wake up in the morning and you’re like ‘oh man, I don’t want to be at the rink,’” Reaves “He comes over and just lights me up on the bench,” Schmidt said. “He’s said. “But when you wake up and whether you’re winning or losing you’re screaming at me, ‘You can’t make that play!’ I’m kind of bummed out and excited to get back to the rink, it makes the team stronger.” he just keeps ripping into me.” Gallant has also established a line of communication with his leaders on But minutes later Gallant and defensive assistant coach Ryan McGill the team — Deryk Engelland and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, among deployed Schmidt right back onto the ice for a power play, and he others — to gauge the pulse of the team and decide when to take days responded by dishing a gorgeous pass to help set up a goal. off entirely. “He comes over to me right after that and yells, ‘I love the way you’re “You don’t get a lot of coaches like that,” Reaves said. “A lot of coaches playing tonight! You’re playing amazing,’” Schmidt says with a laugh. are set in their way, and they have their way of doing things and if they “The way he can just put things away and have a short memory is have a schedule they stick to it.” impressive. Yeah, he gets fired up and we know he’s an emotional guy, but you know underneath it he really cares about his players. When The players know not to misuse Gallant’s leniency when it comes to off things go right he is even more fired up, in a good way. He quickly days. forgets about all of the bad things, which is something I admire in a “If he’s going to trust us that when we say we’re tired that we’re actually coach.” tired, then we have to go out and show him that it was worth taking that Last week The Athletic used its army of beat writers to conduct its first day off,” Reaves said. “So it definitely goes both ways.” annual player poll. The 198 players voted anonymously on everything That’s the key. Gallant’s willingness to excuse the players from practice from best overall player to best goalie, and a slew of other topics. When also works as a weapon of motivation. asked which coach they’d most like to play for other than their own, 23 percent answered Gallant. “It keeps everybody accountable,” Schmidt said. “It gives us the platform to choose how we want to go about things and create our own culture. Gallant finished tied with Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper as the most We get to decide these things, but you better show up when it’s time to popular coach in the NHL, and it’s not hard to see why. In his first year in show up or you lose that privilege.” Vegas, Gallant led the expansion team to a Pacific Division title and an appearance in the Stanley Cup final. The players are obviously in favor of that style of coaching, and it showed in the poll results, as Gallant was chosen over coaches with longer But success on the ice is only part of the equation. There are plenty of resumes. winning coaches who aren’t viewed fondly by their players. Word of Gallant’s hands-off, player-friendly coaching style clearly spread “ how people coach and how people treat their players, throughout the league. and obviously you’re proud of that,” Gallant said. “It’s just my personality. I come to the rink and I want to have fun, but I want a team that plays “It’s not surprising,” Ryan Reaves said of the poll results. “He’s one of hard. Obviously the success we have had helps that reputation.” those guys who has a reputation that he just lets the players play.” It’s important not to mistake his player-friendly demeanor for weakness. Reaves joined the Golden Knights just before last season’s trade Gallant has mastered the art of motivation, while maintaining a great deadline and was immediately enthralled by the culture Gallant created. relationship with his players. He’s somehow found a way to have it both “I think when everybody got here you see how much fun this team has,” ways. Reaves said. “We work hard but we have fun, and that’s what every When he sends a player right back onto the ice after a mistake, the hockey player wants to do. You want to come to the rink and have a player may view it as him being easier on them, when it’s actually the good time when you’re getting your work in. I guess other teams can see opposite. we’re having fun here.” “They’re not sitting on the end of the bench,” Gallant said. “I think that’s Gallant doesn’t frequent the Golden Knights’ dressing room after games. the easy way out. He gives the players breathing room and trusts in his leadership group. “You trust your players. When a guy makes a mistake he wants to go “I don’t have to be in there making sure they’re doing what they’re back out on the ice as soon as he can to prove to your teammates that supposed to be doing,” Gallant said. “I know there’s guys in there making you’re not going to make that mistake again. For the most part our sure the young players are doing the right things. The less we as players do that real well.” coaches have to do with the players in their office, the better off we’re going to be. That way when I have to step up and talk, it means a lot There’s no doubt it’s working. more.” “You want to make the plays so bad,” Schmidt said. “If you don’t, you feel There’s certainly no lack of consequence when Gallant does speak to his like you’re not only letting your group down, but you’re letting him down.” players. That’s partially due to his intimidating personality — the guy did rack up 1,674 penalty minutes during his NHL career — but more so The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 because of the sincerity of his words. “There are no hidden messages,” Cody Eakin said. “He says what he needs to say right to your face, and be done with it. It’s nice to know that if you get into a disagreement with him there’s no hard feelings, or no grudges. You come back to the rink and be ready to work hard. It’s fun to play for him.” It sounds simplistic, but Gallant’s blunt honesty serves him well. Players prefer coaches to voice their displeasure immediately rather than sitting in silence while the player continues repeating the same mistakes. 1134676 Washington Capitals “He’s honest,” Eakin said. “Sometimes it’s brutal, sometimes it’s good, but it’s better knowing than being in limbo.”

Gallant said he harnesses the years of experience as a player — little Brutal honesty and trust in players make Gerard Gallant the ultimate things that his coaches did that he liked, and things he didn’t like — and players’ coach implements it now as a coach. “That’s a guy who gets it,” Reaves said. “That’s a guy who has played the By Jesse Granger Mar 6, 2019 game and understands the grind of the game.” Gallant has been through the wringer of an NHL season as a player many times. The back-to-back games in different cities with different time Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt skated to his bench. As he zones. Hopping on red-eye flights, arriving late at the team hotel only to heaved his skates over the boards and took his seat, he knew he was wake up a few hours later to jump on the bus for morning skate. going to receive an earful. It’s a major reason why Gallant schedules shorter practices and often During the previous shift he sent a pass through his own zone that was tries to incorporate some sort of game or competition near the end to immediately intercepted by the opposing team, creating an odd-man rush keep the mood light. the other way. He knew it wouldn’t be long before coach Gerard Gallant let him know about it. “I think it’s tough to have a really good practice when you wake up in the morning and you’re like ‘oh man, I don’t want to be at the rink,’” Reaves “He comes over and just lights me up on the bench,” Schmidt said. “He’s said. “But when you wake up and whether you’re winning or losing you’re screaming at me, ‘You can’t make that play!’ I’m kind of bummed out and excited to get back to the rink, it makes the team stronger.” he just keeps ripping into me.” Gallant has also established a line of communication with his leaders on But minutes later Gallant and defensive assistant coach Ryan McGill the team — Deryk Engelland and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, among deployed Schmidt right back onto the ice for a power play, and he others — to gauge the pulse of the team and decide when to take days responded by dishing a gorgeous pass to help set up a goal. off entirely. “He comes over to me right after that and yells, ‘I love the way you’re “You don’t get a lot of coaches like that,” Reaves said. “A lot of coaches playing tonight! You’re playing amazing,’” Schmidt says with a laugh. are set in their way, and they have their way of doing things and if they “The way he can just put things away and have a short memory is have a schedule they stick to it.” impressive. Yeah, he gets fired up and we know he’s an emotional guy, but you know underneath it he really cares about his players. When The players know not to misuse Gallant’s leniency when it comes to off things go right he is even more fired up, in a good way. He quickly days. forgets about all of the bad things, which is something I admire in a “If he’s going to trust us that when we say we’re tired that we’re actually coach.” tired, then we have to go out and show him that it was worth taking that Last week The Athletic used its army of beat writers to conduct its first day off,” Reaves said. “So it definitely goes both ways.” annual player poll. The 198 players voted anonymously on everything That’s the key. Gallant’s willingness to excuse the players from practice from best overall player to best goalie, and a slew of other topics. When also works as a weapon of motivation. asked which coach they’d most like to play for other than their own, 23 percent answered Gallant. “It keeps everybody accountable,” Schmidt said. “It gives us the platform to choose how we want to go about things and create our own culture. Gallant finished tied with Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper as the most We get to decide these things, but you better show up when it’s time to popular coach in the NHL, and it’s not hard to see why. In his first year in show up or you lose that privilege.” Vegas, Gallant led the expansion team to a Pacific Division title and an appearance in the Stanley Cup final. The players are obviously in favor of that style of coaching, and it showed in the poll results, as Gallant was chosen over coaches with longer But success on the ice is only part of the equation. There are plenty of resumes. winning coaches who aren’t viewed fondly by their players. Word of Gallant’s hands-off, player-friendly coaching style clearly spread “Word gets around how people coach and how people treat their players, throughout the league. and obviously you’re proud of that,” Gallant said. “It’s just my personality. I come to the rink and I want to have fun, but I want a team that plays “It’s not surprising,” Ryan Reaves said of the poll results. “He’s one of hard. Obviously the success we have had helps that reputation.” those guys who has a reputation that he just lets the players play.” It’s important not to mistake his player-friendly demeanor for weakness. Reaves joined the Golden Knights just before last season’s trade Gallant has mastered the art of motivation, while maintaining a great deadline and was immediately enthralled by the culture Gallant created. relationship with his players. He’s somehow found a way to have it both “I think when everybody got here you see how much fun this team has,” ways. Reaves said. “We work hard but we have fun, and that’s what every When he sends a player right back onto the ice after a mistake, the hockey player wants to do. You want to come to the rink and have a player may view it as him being easier on them, when it’s actually the good time when you’re getting your work in. I guess other teams can see opposite. we’re having fun here.” “They’re not sitting on the end of the bench,” Gallant said. “I think that’s Gallant doesn’t frequent the Golden Knights’ dressing room after games. the easy way out. He gives the players breathing room and trusts in his leadership group. “You trust your players. When a guy makes a mistake he wants to go “I don’t have to be in there making sure they’re doing what they’re back out on the ice as soon as he can to prove to your teammates that supposed to be doing,” Gallant said. “I know there’s guys in there making you’re not going to make that mistake again. For the most part our sure the young players are doing the right things. The less we as players do that real well.” coaches have to do with the players in their office, the better off we’re going to be. That way when I have to step up and talk, it means a lot There’s no doubt it’s working. more.” “You want to make the plays so bad,” Schmidt said. “If you don’t, you feel There’s certainly no lack of consequence when Gallant does speak to his like you’re not only letting your group down, but you’re letting him down.” players. That’s partially due to his intimidating personality — the guy did rack up 1,674 penalty minutes during his NHL career — but more so Washington Post LOADED: 03.07.2019 because of the sincerity of his words. “There are no hidden messages,” Cody Eakin said. “He says what he needs to say right to your face, and be done with it. It’s nice to know that if you get into a disagreement with him there’s no hard feelings, or no grudges. You come back to the rink and be ready to work hard. It’s fun to play for him.” It sounds simplistic, but Gallant’s blunt honesty serves him well. Players prefer coaches to voice their displeasure immediately rather than sitting in silence while the player continues repeating the same mistakes. 1134677 Washington Capitals

Gaudreau and Peters have Flames cruising toward playoffs

By Stephen Whyno | AP March 7

Bill Peters deadpanned that it was the first time he had heard the question. What did you learn about Johnny Gaudreau that you didn’t know before you started coaching him? Midway through his first season with the Calgary Flames, Peters has his answer scripted by now. “Just his competitiveness,” Peters said. “Everyone fully understands his skill set and the vision, and what they don’t understand is the competitiveness. And what he’s added to his game a little bit more than what he’s had in the past now is good defensive awareness and commitment.” A well-rounded “Johnny Hockey” and Peters have been a perfect match for Calgary, which is atop the Pacific Division and cruising toward a return to the playoffs despite an unheralded goaltending tandem of Mike Smith and David Rittich. While Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers are floundering again, their rivals lead the Western Conference and can be considered Stanley Cup contenders in large part because of Gaudreau and what Peters has unlocked in him. Gaudreau had already tied his career high with 84 points with more than a dozen games left. The point total far and away leads the Flames and is tied for sixth in the NHL. General manager Brad Treliving thinks the 5- foot-9 winger from Carney’s Point, New Jersey, has always had that kind of offensive talent and that this season is evidence that Gaudreau’s game has matured to the point he can play against anyone. “(It’s) his play away from the puck,” Treliving said. “When you play against top lines, you’d better be smart without it because you can get hemmed in. So I think his play away from the puck, as crazy as it seems with all the points, I think it’s helped him obviously get the puck more and have it more.” The notion that the best defense is having the puck is right out of the Mike Babcock school of coaching, not surprising because Peters spent three seasons as an assistant in Detroit before getting a head job in Carolina. The Hurricanes finished in the bottom 10 in the league in scoring in three of Peters’ four seasons there and never made the playoffs. His Flames are scoring at the NHL’s fourth-best rate (3.55 per game through Tuesday). Elite offensive talent helps, though Peters also deserves some credit for how his style suits his personnel, from Gaudreau and Sean Monahan to an active defense led by Norris Trophy candidate Mark Giordano. “He’s a real student of the modern game in terms of how you have success now,” Treliving said. “You have to play fast, your D have to be part of your offense, your attack has to be five men not three and you have to defend fast.” Rod Brind’Amour, who worked four seasons under Peters in Carolina before succeeding him as coach, said the 54-year-old implements a lot of structure with his teams. Gaudreau figured out fast that Peters demands 200-foot play from everyone as a prerequisite for ice time, a recipe that has worked for Calgary. “He knows how to win,” Gaudreau said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re top line, bottom line, if you’re not playing well you’re not going to be on the ice. He’s not going to put you over the bench there. He expects a lot out of his players and it’s been great playing for him this year.” Gaudreau is already on his third coach in just his fifth NHL season after mixed success with Bob Hartley and Glen Gulutzan. A playoff appearance under each was fine, but Peters has already proven to be a better fit as a tactician and as a communicator who knows how to squeeze the most out of his talent. “There’s no gray area with Bill,” Treliving said. “He outlines very clearly how he wants our team to play as a group, how he wants individuals to play and I think that’s probably his greatest strength is he’s very clear in his communication and very strong in his beliefs. I think that structured approach I think has really helped our group.” Washington Post LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134678 Washington Capitals

Ovechkin, Backstrom lead Capitals to 5-3 win over Flyers

By Aaron Bracy | AP March 6 at 11:13 PM

PHILADELPHIA — Washington goalie Braden Holtby reached a milestone with some help from Alex Ovechkin, who got closer to his own special achievement. Holtby stopped 27 shots for his 250th career victory, and Ovechkin had a goal and an assist to pull within a point of 1,200 for his career in the Capitals’ 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night. Holtby reached the mark in his 409th career contest to become the second-fastest goalie to get to 250 wins. Ken Dryden did it in 381 games. “It’s pretty crazy when you think about it,” Holtby said. “But I’ve been pretty fortunate to be on some pretty good teams.” Ovechkin will become the third active player and 49th all-time to reach 1,200. “It would be cool,” Ovechkin said. “Not many players do that.” Nicklas Backstrom added a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division while winning their fifth straight and seventh in the last eight. Washington began the night tied with the Islanders atop the division. Brett Connolly, Tom Wilson and Andre Burakovsky also scored for the Capitals. “We’re playing with a different confidence lately,” Backstrom said. Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist, and Scott Laughton and Philippe Myers also scored for the Flyers, whose rally from a 5-0 deficit fell short. Philadelphia had won 16 of 21 to close within reach of a postseason spot after sinking to the NHL’s worst record in January. The Flyers remained seven points out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. After taking a 2-0 lead in the first, Washington pushed its lead with three goals in the first 5:37 of the second. “We set the tone right away,” Ovechkin said. Ovechkin opened the second-period scoring with a power-play tally at 2:32 with a wrist shot through goalie Brian Elliott’s legs. It was the league-leading 46th goal for Ovechkin, who is four shy of reaching 50 goals for the eighth time in his career. Burakovsky beat Elliott with a wrist shot from a sharp angle just under two minutes later to end Elliott’s night. It was the first poor performance for Elliott since his return from a 40-game absence due to a lower body injury. He entered 3-0-1 in six appearances (four starts) since his return but allowed four goals on 19 shots against Washington. The Capitals greeted Elliott’s replacement, Cam Talbot, with more of the same, making it 5-0 on the first shot Talbot faced when a wide-open Backstrom fired a wrist shot high over the netminder from the slot. “We didn’t do a lot away from the puck,” Flyers interim coach Scott Gordon said. “We made it easy on them to gain the zone.” Philadelphia got on the board with 11.3 seconds left in the period when Myers netted his first career goal. Giroux then got his 20th on a backhander 10 seconds into the third, and it was 5-3 when Laughton’s deflection beat Holtby at 7:48. NOTES: Philadelphia forwards Jakub Voracek (lower body) and Nolan Patrick (upper body) didn’t play. ... Flyers rookie G Carter Hart (lower body) missed his sixth consecutive game. ... Washington has won both games this season against the Flyers. The teams will meet twice more in the regular season, next Thursday in Philadelphia and March 24 in Washington. ... Ovechkin has 57 points (34 goals, 23 assists) in 51 games against Philadelphia. Washington Post LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134679 Washington Capitals strength as skaters has helped the Capitals move the puck out of their own end more efficiently to spend more time in the offensive zone. It was that same kind of roster tweak, the addition of blue-liner Michal Kempny, Capitals start fast, then hold off Flyers to win their fifth straight that helped Washington hit its stride this time last season. Though the Capitals have been a so-so defensive team all season, they have allowed just eight goals in the past four games, getting back to the By Isabelle Khurshudyan March 6 at 10:34 PM suffocating style that won a championship nine months ago. “We’re finding the way we played last year,” Burakovsky said. “The last couple of games here, I just think mentally we’re starting to get ready for PHILADELPHIA — After what seemed to be a routine blowout was the playoffs.” suddenly a close game again, Coach Todd Reirden called a timeout to stop the bleeding. The Washington Capitals turned their attention behind Washington Post LOADED: 03.07.2019 the bench as Reirden leaned forward and told them, “We have to get back to playing how we were.” He was referring to earlier in the game, but the Capitals have been steadily working toward getting back to playing how they were at the end of last season, when they won a Stanley Cup. The first two periods of Wednesday’s matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers were awfully close, and while it got dicey early in the third period, Washington still held on for a 5-3 victory. The fifth straight win was a statement of sorts that the Capitals are surging again at just the right time, a month to go until the playoffs and back atop the Metropolitan Division. [From group texts to air saxophones, Carl Hagelin and Nick Jensen find fit] “We’re playing with a different confidence lately,” center Nicklas Backstrom said. “Everyone is aware of the situation, how we have to win a lot of games that’s left here. We’re in a good position right now, but it’s a tight race there with a lot of teams coming from behind.” Of Washington’s past six opponents, just one was in playoff position, the New York Islanders — and they were playing a second game in as many nights. The Capitals have tougher times ahead on the schedule, including games at Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Carolina, making a win against a team such as the Flyers all the more important. For the first time since Feb. 21 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, six games ago, the Capitals scored the game’s first goal. As captain Alex Ovechkin was on his knees and falling to the ice, he managed to pass to right wing Tom Wilson in front of the net, and Wilson scored his 19th goal just 5:55 into the game. Wilson is one point shy of matching his career- high 35, which he set last season in 78 games. He has played just 48 this season, suspended for 16 and injured for another three. Washington’s second goal was so sneaky that it went unnoticed at first. Forward Brett Connolly collected a stretch pass from Carl Hagelin, and his shot from the right faceoff circle initially appeared to clang off the post. But at the next stoppage of play, a video review determined that Connolly’s shot deflected off goaltender Brian Elliott’s glove and then hit the camera in the top corner of the cage, meaning it was a goal, his 17th. The Capitals took that 2-0 lead into first intermission, at which point the home crowd first booed its Flyers. “It didn’t really make a sound,” Connolly said of his goal. “It kind of went in weird. I thought it went in, and then [referee Kelly Sutherland] kind of waved it off right away, and he was in good position. Then I was like, maybe I didn’t [score]. . . . It was good to obviously get another one. It’s been a good stretch for our team lately.” [Is a 60-goal season out of the question for Alex Ovechkin?] Washington continued to pour it on in the second frame. Ovechkin scored his league-leading 46th goal with a wide-open look on a power play from his left faceoff circle sweet spot 2:32 into the period, and less than two minutes later, winger Andre Burakovsky beat Elliott on a rush. Philadelphia then switched goaltenders, pulling Elliott for Cam Talbot. Backstrom scored on Talbot 84 seconds in, off a terrific feed from Jakub Vrana. Including Backstrom, the Capitals have seven players with at least 16 goals, a testament to their depth. “That’s kind of our DNA and why we were successful last year — everybody was chipping in,” Connolly said. “It’s starting to get that feel. Guys are starting to get confident.” But Washington made the mistake of assuming the game was over after that 5-0 lead. The Flyers responded with three unanswered goals to cut the deficit to two with 12:12 left in the third period. But Philadelphia got no closer. With 27 saves, goaltender Braden Holtby recorded the 250th win of his career. Perhaps not coincidentally, Washington’s five-game winning streak started when trade-deadline acquisition Hagelin and defenseman Nick Jensen joined the lineup. Each tallied a point Wednesday, and their 1134680 Washington Capitals Whether on a power play or at even strength, Ovechkin’s office goals are most often set up by one of two positions: the defenseman at the point or the center at the half wall. For the past few seasons, that’s been John How Alex Ovechkin gets work done in his office, step by step Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom, respectively. Carlson alone has tallied 19 primary assists on Ovechkin’s left-circle goals over just the past two seasons. It may sound ironic, given how By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times - Wednesday, March 6, 2019 Ovechkin leads the NHL in goal scoring yet again and draws so much focus, but teammate Brett Connolly thinks Carlson is adept at “not really letting anyone know who he’s going to give it to.” It’s called his “office,” the “Ovi spot” or even the “Ovi-zoid.” No matter “He’s not really looking at [Ovechkin] half the time anyway, so Ovi just what you name it, it’s where Alex Ovechkin does some of his best work. needs a little bit of room, like we all know,” Connolly told reporters during the Capitals‘ California trip last month. “If there’s a little bit of traffic in Washington Capitals fans are well aware by now how potent Ovechkin is front, the goalie’s kind of looking around.” when he shoots from the left circle or above. Actually, opposing players and coaches, and pretty much everyone around the NHL, are just as Other times, if a team is focused on taking away Ovechkin, Carlson sees aware. a lane to shoot. The blueliner recently won the “hardest shot” contest at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition (how would you like a puck soaring at It’s one of the most predictable things in hockey, but that doesn’t make it you at 102.8 miles per hour?). any easier to defend. Carlson scored a power-play goal from the point position on Feb. 26 Entering Wednesday, according to statistics from NHL.com, 283 of the against Ottawa, but he didn’t think the Senators were expecting him to Russian’s 652 career goals came from the left circle or above. That’s pass to No. 8. 43.4 percent of his goals all-time. On the power play alone, 95 of Ovechkin’s 244 career tallies were one-timers from his office (38.9 “No, I think that they’re just trying to take (Ovechkin) away as best they percent). can,” Carlson said. “I don’t think I’ve done a good job of (scoring) this year, but getting one tonight was nice. When they’re gonna play like that, It’s become his signature move, especially since the 2012-13 season that’s pretty much the only good look you’re gonna get, and I’ve got to when there was an uptick of these goals. Finding a comparison in hockey make the most of it when teams do that.” is difficult; it might be more apt to invoke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook, Derek Jeter’s jump-throw from shortstop or Bruce Smith’s 3. The shot frightening pass rush. Then-St. Louis Blues goaltender Carter Hutton said last season that Some of Ovechkin’s new teammates had to cope with this while playing Ovechkin’s office slapper is “an almost unsave-able shot.” on their old teams’ penalty kill units — players like forward Carl Hagelin and defenseman Nick Jensen, who came to Washington via trades in “I don’t think it’s physically possible when he picks his spot to be able to February, and center Nic Dowd, who signed during free agency last year. save it,” said Hutton, who now plays with the Buffalo Sabres. Jensen said Ovechkin has “the best shot in the league,” and his old Red Let’s not get hyperbolic: The shot isn’t unstoppable. In the Capitals‘ last Wings penalty kill unit focused on eliminating his opportunities. outing Sunday against the New York Rangers, backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev saved all six of Ovechkin’s shots on goal, many of which came “We tried to take him away as much as possible,” Jensen said. “What from the office. that does is that kind of takes a piece of your penalty kill and focuses a lot of resources on just that one guy. And you look at the other guys who At this point in the season — and at this point in his career — Ovechkin are on this power play, and they’re no schlumps either.” doesn’t view a game like that as anything to worry about. The others had similar answers: Part of what makes Ovechkin so lethal “I think every player, you always try to find something new,” Ovechkin on power plays is the quality of the unit around him. said, but “I think right now, this time of year, you don’t have to try something new because maybe it’s not gonna work. You have to stick “I think the hard part is they have so many weapons. That’s what it with what you have.” comes down to,” Hagelin said. “If you take away Ovi, then you’ve got Oshie in the slot. You’ve obviously got Carlson now, with one of the Like the zone entries, unpredictability comes into play on this step as harder shots in the league from up top. I guess as a PK you just have to well. Players around the league will agree that it’s different preparing for pick your poison and that’s a tough one.” an Ovechkin office attempt because he mixes in wrist shots with slap shots, and because his shots fly in “at weird angles.” Ovechkin himself doesn’t brag about his signature move, perhaps to keep a lid on whatever secrets he might have. He once told NHL.com, “I “Most of your standard one-timers are pretty flat and they kind of rise,” just try to do my best to shoot the puck and we’ll see what’s going to Dowd said. “You watch goalies make a lot of easy saves on one-timers. happen with it.” But Ovi’s seems to knuckle. It dips, it dives, it rises, it moves and somehow he gets it through almost every time. It rarely ever gets blocked Ovechkin will go down as one of the game’s all-time greats, but still — is even though people know it’s coming.” it really that simple? Let’s analyze each part of an Ovechkin office goal, from setup to finish. Hagelin has played most of his career for the Rangers and Penguins, and between division rivalries and countless playoff series, he’s stymied 1. The zone entry the Capitals many times before. But for the countless times he’s played against Ovechkin, he has just a few words to describe the shot. Words Coach Todd Reirden knows power plays forward and backward. He was like “special” and “crazy.” in charge of the Capitals‘ power play while an assistant on Barry Trotz’s staff, and it was among his duties while a Pittsburgh Penguins assistant Hagelin struggles to think of any obvious comparison for Ovechkin’s shot. too. “You can’t,” he said. “There’s nothing like it.” Reirden’s philosophy on gaining the offensive zone in setting up a power play is to be unpredictable — especially with the Capitals and what he Washington Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 called “the amount of air time” and attention their power play gets. “It’s something that lots of teams research on how they can duplicate it. They also start to figure out ways they can stop it, too,” Reirden said. “Throughout the league it’s a challenge that we have to try to stay one step ahead.” To that point, Reirden thinks puck recoveries are beginning to “rival” proper zone entries because teams these days are more prepared. “That’s where T.J. Oshie takes it to a whole different level,” Reirden said. “That’s off rebounds or scrum plays or not-clean entries. He’s our worker that comes up with those pucks. Nick (Backstrom) has an unbelievable knack of being able to come out of piles with pucks as well.” 2. The pass 1134681 Washington Capitals

The Greene Turtle to leave Capital One Arena later this year

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times - Wednesday, March 6, 2019

The Greene Turtle will leave its familiar spot inside Capital One Arena. The local sports bar and grille chain announced Wednesday it accepted a lease buyout to leave Capital One Arena with three years left on its lease at the home of the Washington Wizards and Capitals. Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns the arena and the teams, plans to build a “proprietary business concept” on that side of the building in the Greene Turtle’s place, according to a press release. Wizards and Capitals fans still have time to enjoy the Greene Turtle during the 2018-19 NBA and NHL seasons. The restaurant will operate as usual through April 9, when the Wizards’ regular season concludes. During the postseason, the establishment will run “The Shell Raiser Lounge” at home games, which will serve fans food and drinks in an “open gathering space.” After that, it will fully vacate while remaining one of Monumental’s advertising partners. The Greene Turtle has been a fixture at the arena since 2007. The restaurant has 45 locations, primarily clustered in Maryland, Virginia and the District. Washington Times LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134682 Washington Capitals

For Capitals goalie Braden Holtby, 250 isn't just another number

By Brian McNally March 06, 2019 11:13 PM

Braden Holtby became the second-fastest goalie to reach 250 career victories when the Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 on Wednesday. Holtby needed just 409 games to get there. Only Hall of Famer Ken Dryden did it faster (381). Holtby accomplished it before Jacques Plante (430), like Dryden a Hall of Famer who played for Montreal, and multiple- time Stanley Cup champion Chris Osgood (450). “It’s pretty crazy when you think about it, but I’ve been pretty fortunate to play on some really good teams,” Holtby said. “Wins is a stat that is shared with your whole team and is a consistency thing in the regular season so it shows the commitment we’ve had in this organization. Hopefully we can continue that.” Over the past six games, Holtby has solidified his game. He has a .921 save percentage with 163 saves on 177 shots. It’s all about ramping up for the playoffs, which start in five weeks. He has started six of Washington’s last seven games. Only Olie Kolzig (303) has more wins in franchise history. Holtby is 12 wins away from moving into the top-50 all time. At age 29, he has one year left on his contract with the Capitals after this season and it’s unclear what the future holds. Holtby is in the fourth year of a five-year, $30.5 million contract signed in 2015. But that’s still far enough down the road that the Capitals can focus on defending their Stanley Cup title. Unlike last year, Holtby will be the starter when the playoffs begin the second week of April. “[Holtby] was great out there and he’s been great for us for so many years,” Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom said. “It’s impressive. For us as players we’re so happy for him and for us as players we’re so proud of him and happy for him. Second goalie to reach that milestone. That says it all about him. How important he is for us and the franchise.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134683 Washington Capitals

Capitals go into Philly and flatten Flyers for fifth straight win

By J.J. Regan March 06, 2019 10:11 PM

The Capitals jumped out to a five-goal lead and rode that lead to a comfortable 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, Washington's fifth straight win. Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist to come within one point of 1,200 career points. The game was also career win No. 250 for Braden Holtby. He is the second-fastest goalie to reach 250 wins, doing so in 409 games. Here are five reasons the Caps won. A good start Coming into Wednesday’s game, the Caps had given up a goal in the first four minutes in five straight games. As the game began in Philadelphia, however, it was clear Washington was ready to go. They dominated from the opening faceoff and did not look back. An incredible assist Alex Ovechkin is used to making highlight plays for scoring, but his best play of the night was an assist he delivered to Tom Wilson for the first goal of the game. Dmitry Orlov fired a shot from the blue line on goalie Brian Elliott. The shot had some power behind it and the rebound bounced out. Ovechkin was circling the net and continued his path as he backhanded the puck out of traffic. His momentum knocked him to one knee, but he still managed to pass the puck right to the top of the crease for the quick shot by Wilson. A late review Brett Connolly very nearly made it 2-0 for the Caps when he fired a shot off the glove of Elliott and off the crossbar and out. At least, that’s what it looked like. Even on the first replay angle showed on the broadcast it looked like the puck hit the crossbar. The NHL’s Situation Room, however, saw something different. From an overhead angle, you could clearly see the puck hit off the goal camera inside the net and bounce out. The Situation Room stopped play to inform the referees and suddenly, the Caps were up 2-0. A very aggressive penalty kill Washington got its first power play in the second period. It became very clear very quickly that the Flyers penalty kill was going to be very aggressive. The Caps quickly took advantage. John Carlson managed to keep in a puck at the blue line and chip it up the wall to Nicklas Backstrom. With the puck on the wall on the right side of the offensive zone, all four penalty killers cheated over to that side. That left Ovechkin by himself on the left and if there is one guy you can’t leave alone, it’s him. Backstrom fired the pass from the wall to Ovechkin’s office where he had all day to tee-up his shot. He took aim and delivered an off-speed shot through Elliott’s five-hole to make it 3-0. Five goals in the first half Andre Burakovsky ended Elliott’s night less than two minutes after Ovechkin’s goal with a wrister off the post and into the net. Backstrom scored just over a minute after that as both Flyers defensemen got caught puck watching and bit on a wraparound attempt by Jakub Vrana. Instead of trying to stuff the puck, however, Vrana passed it back out to the slot for the trailing Backstrom who roofed the shot past Cam Talbot. That gave Washington a 5-0 lead before the midway point of the game. Philadelphia would go on to score three unanswered goals, but it didn’t matter because the Caps had built too big of a lead for the Flyers to overcome. It made the third period a bit closer than perhaps many Caps fans would have liked, but the result was never really in doubt. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134684 Washington Capitals

Caps-Flyers: Gritty and Flyers fans welcome Bryce Harper to Philly

By Sammi Silber March 06, 2019 8:09 PM

Although Gritty's gained a league-wide fandom, the Flyers mascot wasn't necessarily loved by D.C. sports fans Wednesday. The Philadelphia mascot, along with Flyers fans packed in Wells Fargo Center, welcomed former Nationals star Bryce Harper to the City of Brotherly Love with a "Welcome to Philly!" sign. The tribute appeared on the jumbotron in the final minutes of the first period of Wednesday's game against the Capitals. Flyers welcoming a Golden Knights fan to town, how nice pic.twitter.com/ecehkuyzwF — NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) March 7, 2019 Harper, 26, signed a 13-year, $330 million dollar contract with the Phillies on Feb. 28. He spent seven seasons with the Nationals and also was the National League's Rookie of the Year in 2012 and a six-time All-Star, so fans were less than thrilled (and a little betrayed) by his decision. Despite the jab, the Capitals went to the locker room leading 2-0 after the opening frame to lessen the pain and now have a 5-0 lead after two periods. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134685 Washington Capitals

Braden Holtby opens up about Mario Kart, the Cup run and more in Players' Tribune Piece

By Sammi Silber March 06, 2019

Braden Holtby's usually not the loudest in the room or one to show emotion, but that changed Wednesday. In a piece he penned for the Players' Tribune titled "...And Then We Got Mario Kart Tattoos!" the 29-year-old talked about growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan with "900 cows," becoming an NHL goalie, playing Mario Kart with his teammates and ultimately, winning the Cup. The story started with Holtby talking about his teammates' Mario Kart obsession, which started when former Caps blueliner Nate Schmidt buying a used Nintendo 64. It started off with a couple guys competing in Schmidt's hotel room, but quickly became a playoff tradition, with half of the team crowded around a TV watching and playing in high-stakes races, which led to teammate T.J. Oshie promising to get a Wario tattoo if they won a Cup title. "A part of it was the fact that there's so much pressure and stress during a playoff run. You're away from your family for such long stretches," Holtby said. "Guys just needed to have that feeling of freedom and fun, kind of like when you're at a tournament with your buddies growing up." He then went more into his past and talked about growing up on his family's farm, where he'd pretend to play for the Toronto Blue Jays and play goalie by himself by throwing a ball against the wall with one hand and making a save with the other. "I probably saved 10 million shots off that wall as Patrick Roy," Holtby wrote. "Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, everything on the line. In our little unfinished basement in the middle of nowhere." Growing up, Holtby, against his father's wishes, decided to play gaolie and suited up to his local team, which wasn't necessarily the best performing; they got outscored 22-4 at one point. And taking after his idol in Roy, Holtby acted as he would, shouting at his teammates and breaking his stick on the crossbar. "I'd go crazy, because that's what I thought was cool," Holtby said, adding that his father finally told him, "'Braden, I'm only going to tell you this one time. You break the stick, you buy the stick. That's it." En route to his NHL career, Holtby mused about making the WHL's , just as his father did years before him. There, he met goalie coach and sports psychologist John Stevenson, who helped him develop his "only the next shot matters" mentality that sticks with him to this day and led to his water bottle squirt ritual. He also discussed "the save" in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, which he hadn't been completely vocal about in the past but was still a life- changing – and game-changing – play. "You're never supposed to be in that position in the first place," Holtby explained. "You never want to be in that position, where you're making a save in desperation. When I reached out with my stick, he had to shoot it exactly where I thought he'd shoot it. There's luck involved for sure." The play ultimately served as a turning point in the Vegas series and was a big reason the Caps went on to win the Cup, and in turn, party for hours straight. Holtby mentioned that a lot of those memories are "blurry," but he does remember that despite being exhausted, he continued to party with his teammates. His most vivid memory was how he and a few of his temamates ended up at Tattoo Paradise in D.C., where he held Jakub Vrana's hand while he got his tattoo and saw Oshie follow through on that promise to get that Wario tattoo to symbolize all their playoff memories. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134686 Washington Capitals

Capitals Top 20: Ranking the best goals from the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs

By Sammi Silber March 06, 2019 5:36 PM

There was no shortage of scoring for the Washington Capitals en route to their first Stanley Cup championship. From Evgeny Kuznetsov's overtime winner against Pittsburgh to Devante Smith-Pelly's game-tying goal in Game 5 of the Final, the Caps made every goal count, regardless of whether it was scored crashing the net or on a highlight-reel breakaway. Some goals were prettier than others for the Caps, but all of them shared the same significance and kept the season alive en route to them finally ending their 44-year Stanley Cup championship drought. And without critical tallies from all four lines, despite having Braden Holtby between the pipes and Alex Ovechkin leading the charge, the Capitals wouldn't have made it far. With that being said and the 2019 playoffs on the horizon, we're counting down the top-20 goals from the Caps' historic 2018 playoff run that D.C. fans will remember for a lifetime. Top 20 Caps goals from the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs: 20. Alex Chiasson's Game 6 goal vs. Pittsburgh With Pittsburgh leading 1-0 in a critical Game 6, Alex Chiasson scored the game-tying goal that would eventually put an end to the Caps' second-round exit skid. 19. Andre Burakovsky's second Game 7 goal vs. Tampa Andre Burakovsky struck twice against the Lightning in Game 7 to secure a 4-0 win and a trip to the Cup Final. His second goal was the most important for the Caps. 18. Matt Niskanen's Game 3 tally vs. Pittsburgh Matt Niskanen tied Game 3 at three in the third in what would turn into a 4-3 Capitals victory and put Washington up 2-1 in the second-round series. 17. Devante Smith-Pelly's Game 4 goal vs. Vegas Devante Smith-Pelly scored in the first period against the Golden Knights to put the Caps up 3-0 early and secure an eventual 6-3 win for a 3-1 series lead. 16. Alex Ovechkin scores early in Game 2 vs. Pittsburgh The Caps needed to win Game 2 against the Penguins after dropping the first game of the series, and Alex Ovechkin led the way and opened the scoring. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134687 Washington Capitals

It looks like the Greene Turtle at Capital One Arena is closing its doors

By Caroline Brandt March 06, 2019 5:58 PM

The Greene Turtle will no longer be a part of Capital One Arena as soon as April 9, the Wizards' last home regular season game. Monumental Sports and Entertainment reached an agreement with the Greene Turtle Wednesday that will end the lease three years ahead of schedule. The agreement was reached in order to allow Monumental to, "commence construction on a proprietary business concept planned for the side of the building that includes the space in which The Greene Turtle is located," according to the press release. While The Greene Turtle will close April 9, the Shell Raiser Lounge will re-open in its place for all Wizards and Capitals postseason games. The Greene Turtle has been a part of Wizards and Capitals home game experiences since its opening in 2007, but will, however, remain a sponsor for Capital One Arena. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134688 Washington Capitals

The Caps are in Philadelphia to play a very different Flyers team than they saw in January

By J.J. Regan March 06, 2019 1:24 PM

The last time the Capitals met the Philadelphia Flyers, the Flyers were hitting rock bottom. In the midst of a seven-game losing streak, Washington extended that streak to eight on Jan. 8 in a game that appeared close on the box score, but never really felt that way. Philadelphia had fired general manager Ron Hextall in November and head coach Dave Hakstol about three weeks before they visited Washington. They were reeling. The only real bright spot on the team was the young goalie Carter Hart who had been recalled from the AHL…but who was not playing against the Caps as Philadelphia was on the second leg of a back-to-back. Instead, Mike McKenna started making him the seventh goalie to play for the Flyers this season to that point. Washington jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second period, took their foot off the gas late in the third allowing the Flyers to get to within one before T.J. Oshie scored the empty-netter to seal the deal. Don’t expect another pushover on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Washington). Since that loss to the Caps, Philadelphia has gone 17-4-2. Though they may run out of time to fully climb back into the playoff picture, this is a team that seems to be finding its stride late in the season. Hart has been every bit as good as advertised and boasts a 2.79 GAA and .917 save percentage at the age of 20. Wayne Simmonds may be gone, traded at the deadline, but Claude Giroux (19 goals, 51 assists), Sean Couturier (27 goals, 34 assists) and Jakub Vroacek (18 goals, 41 assists) are not. The standings may say the Flyers are not a playoff team, but they certainly have looked like one lately. Game notes Keep the change No changes in the lineup as the Caps are expected to go with the same players they have used for the last four games, all wins. Carl Hagelin remains on the third line with Andre Burakovsky on the fourth. Braden Holtby is expected to make his 400th career start. If he wins, it will be his 250th career win, a mark that only 55 goalies in NHL history have reached. Standings watch The Caps are tied for first place with the New York Islanders at 83 points, giving Washington an opportunity to reclaim sole possession of first place on Wednesday. The Pittsburgh Penguins and surging Carolina Hurricanes sit four points behind Washington. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134689 Washington Capitals Because of the long-time friendship between the two, Dowd is able to give a scouting report on Jensen both on and off the ice.

“He’s a quiet, hard-working, humble guy,” Dowd said. “He opens up quite From college to the Capitals: Nic Dowd and Nick Jensen are teammates a bit when you know him. He’s loyal and humble, all the good qualities.” once again Friends back together in DC: Paige Dowd, Nic Dowd, Jenner Jensen, Nick Jensen. (Submitted by the Jensen family) By Chris Kuc Mar 6, 2019 And as a player? “He can skate, he’s hard on pucks and a great penalty killer,” Dowd said. As freshmen at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, Nic Dowd and “He’s got some offensive qualities in him, for sure. Those are going to Nick Jensen lived across the hall from one another in Sherburne Hall on slowly come out when he gets more comfortable and more confident.” the north end of campus. During his four games with the Capitals, Jensen has looked right at home The following two years they lived in a house with two other guys while skating alongside Brooks Orpik on the third defensive pairing and has juggling school work and playing hockey for the Huskies. been a good fit on the penalty kill. In those three years did they ever discuss the possibility of someday Jensen will have 16 regular-season games, including Wednesday night playing on the same team in the NHL? against the Flyers in Philadelphia, to adapt to the Capitals’ systems before the postseason hits. It will mark the first time Jensen has “That was too far-fetched,” Dowd said. “I think we were just worried about appeared in the playoffs and to say he’s looking forward to it is a bit of an playing that night or if it was in the spring, about what bar we were going understatement. to go to that night.” “I watch it on TV and it’s night and day the level of play in playoffs That pretty much sums up the conversations, according to Jensen. compared to the regular season, in my opinion,” Jensen said. “It’s just a whole new level and it’s hard but at the same time when you’re on a “At that point in time we were just enjoying our time in college,” Jensen good team and you’re rolling it looks like a lot of fun. I think that’s what said. “It was a long time ago. We weren’t looking this far in the future but I’m most excited about.” now that’s it here it’s pretty cool.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 As unlikely as it may have seemed during their college years, the friends who were groomsmen at their respective weddings are together again on the ice playing for the Capitals. Dowd’s journey took him through stops with the Kings and Canucks before the forward signed with the Capitals as a free agent this summer. Jensen, meanwhile, was honing his skills with the Red Wings before arriving to the Capitals via a Feb. 22 trade that helped solidify the defending Stanley Cup champions’ defensive corps. When Jensen’s phone blew up with text messages in the aftermath of the trade, among the first was from Dowd, who offered congratulations and expressed how excited he was that the two were now teammates. “We’d see each other every summer and we kept in touch during the season and we’d always joke around, like, ‘hey, there’s always room on Detroit,’ ” Jensen said. “When he got traded to Vancouver, I said, ‘it’s too bad you didn’t get traded to Detroit, I would have loved to have you here.’ Now that it’s actually happened it’s kind of funny. It’s weird, but it’s cool.” Dowd and Jensen are now in the same place figuratively and literally: 28- year-old NHL players who both live in Minneapolis during the offseason and have wives (Paige and Jenner, respectively) who are close friends as well as dogs (Arlo and Murphy, respectively) that love to play together. “It’s always nice to have one of your best buddies on the team,” Dowd said. “And in the NHL, it’s so rare. It will be great to be able to spend some time with him.” Having Dowd around has helped ease Jensen’s transition to a new team and city. “It’s nice coming to a new place and having a familiar face,” Jensen said. “If I have any questions, I’m going to ask him. Anything with the team, with living situations and where we need to be for team events and what not.” In Jensen’s first hours with the Capitals, Dowd took him to dinner in downtown Washington, D.C., and also showed him where the team’s practice facility was located in Arlington, Va., before dropping him off at the hotel in which he is staying. “When you get traded the first thing you have to worry about is hockey and then everything else kind of falls into place,” Dowd said. “He’s going to do it the right way. I think what’s important right now is the rest of this season and then he’ll have four years to figure Washington out.” Upon his arrival to the Capitals, Jensen signed a four-year, $10 million contract extension and agreed with Dowd that his attention will be centered around on what happens on the ice. “My main focus right now is hockey,” Jensen said. “I know there’s a lot of other noise around right now with, where am I going to live? I’m married and have a dog, when am I going to get to see them down here? Right now, I just want to focus on playing hockey and get ready for playoff hockey which I’ve never experienced so I’m excited and nervous about that coming up.” 1134690 Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien is currently with the team on its four-game road trip.

"We’re a little more challenged on our exits right now on pucks that we Jets jockeying for playoff position as season comes down to the wire are usually pretty strong with," Maurice said following the Tampa game. Byfuglien is the closest to returning, and he may resume skating with the By: Mike McIntyre team as early as Thursday's practice in Raleigh. He would still likely be at least a week away from playing. Injured defenceman Joe Morrow is on a similar timeline, while Morrissey isn't expected back until early April. TAMPA — First place one day. Second place the next. Such is life right Not that the ailments are being used as an excuse around the club. now for the Winnipeg Jets, who have been trading places with the Nashville Predators on a regular basis lately. "The way we’re looking at this right now is that you can fully expect to get to the playoffs and have injuries. Nobody cares what your lineup looks The latest flip-flop happened Tuesday night as the Jets lost 5-2 in Tampa like. It just means your game is going to look a little bit different. We and the Predators won 5-4 in a shootout at home against Minnesota. aren’t going to move the puck as easily. Both of those defencemen really excel at that," said Maurice. It's beginning to look like the battle for Central Division supremacy might just come down to the final days of the season. Not to mention figuring "We certainly are a more physical team than we were, with a couple of out who exactly they'll be facing off against once the playoffs begin. St. big hitters out. But (that’s) just a factor, not an excuse. We want to get Louis? Dallas? Minnesota? Colorado? Arizona? All five are legitimate ourselves mentally prepared to hit the playoffs and be able to survive two possibilities with one month left on the regular-season schedule. or three injuries." So who has the upper hand? And how important is it to finish on top? After crunching the numbers, a few things stand out. Sure, the Jets have With the Jets enjoying an off-day Wednesday in the middle of this four- three extra games than the Predators (16 to 13). But they also have four game eastern road swing, we thought we'd break down the road ahead more games against teams currently in playoff spots than their closest for both teams. rivals (11 to 7). Winnipeg has one extra home game (7 to 6), but two more road games (9 to 7) and two extra divisional games (5 to 3). Nashville (39-25-5) has 83 points through 69 games. Winnipeg (39-23-4) has 82 points through 66 games. Those three games in hand the Jets The strength of schedule would appear to favour Nashville, especially have on the Predators are certainly looming large, as is the final head-to- with the Predators mostly healthy and the Jets nursing some wounds. head meeting between the teams on March 23 at Bell MTS Place. Did we mention that head-to-head game on March 23 might be a big (The St. Louis Blues, who had been red-hot until cooling off over the past one? week, are eight and nine points back of both clubs and would need another huge run in order to make it a three-team race). Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.07.2019 The obvious bonus is the winner is guaranteed home-ice advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and possibly the Western Conference final should they finish with more points than the Pacific Division champ. St. Louis Blues' goalie Jordan Binnington has been pivotal in getting his team back into the playoff picture. Now, it's debatable how much that really means. After all, the Jets went into enemy territory last spring and beat the Predators in a winner-take- all Game 7. After also winning Game 1 and Game 5 on the road in that series. Nashville, meanwhile, took Game 4 and Game 6 at Bell MTS Place. It was more like home-ice disadvantage in that series. Maybe that's why you haven't heard a peep from any Winnipeg players in recent weeks talking about how important a first-place finish is to them. Yeah, it would be nice to get a banner for Bell MTS Place. But the bigger priority is clearly getting their game exactly where they want it to be when the first post-season puck drops in early April. "We feel we’re at the early stage of turning a corner and getting our game right. And it’s a different game now that we’re playing than even in December when we had a pretty good run. So we are talking about those things that will be so important in the playoffs and we’re starting to see it in our game," Jets coach Paul Maurice said prior to Tuesday's game at Amalie Arena. Indeed, signs are pointing to the Jets being on the right track, despite falling to the NHL's top team in Tampa. Winnipeg has notched big wins in the past couple weeks on the road in Vegas, at home against Nashville and back on the road again in Columbus this past Sunday to kick off the road trip. They'll look to get back to their winning ways when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes Friday night in Raleigh, then visit the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals Sunday night in D.C. Then it's back home for three more challenging games next week against San Jose, Boston and Calgary, all legitimate contenders. That will conclude a stretch of nine straight games against teams that were in a playoff spot at the time the game was played. So far, Winnipeg is 2-2-0 during that stretch. "We feel that our month is a positive challenge here. We’re running nine straight playoff teams here. Some good ones. We feel that’s the right challenge to prepare us for hockey in five weeks," said Maurice. It's worth noting that all of those games have been played without injured defencemen Josh Morrissey and Dustin Byfuglien. Their absence was certainly apparent against the Lightning, as the Jets had trouble at times getting the puck out of their own zone with ease. 1134691 Winnipeg Jets Had the score remained 5-1, it would have been Hellebuyck's loss. A similar thing happened in November when Hellebuyck was pulled after giving up three early goals to the Calgary Flames. Brossoit entered Former Rangers teammates speak glowingly of Jets new centre midway through the first period, down 3-0, but was tagged with the loss in the eventual 6-3 defeat because the Jets once again scored just enough goals to make it "his" game. By: Mike McIntyre The NHL rules are different from MLB, where the pitcher of record stays that way regardless of how many runs his team might score, provided they never end up tying the game. TAMPA — is still finding his way around a new locker room, with new teammates and new responsibilities. But the key trade deadline Brossoit's official record this year is 11-5-2, but it's really more like 11-3-2 addition for the Winnipeg Jets had a bit of a homecoming this week when given the way things have gone down. he got to see three former friends. Adam Lowry will return to the Jets lineup Friday night in Raleigh after Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller and Dan Girardi all played with Hayes when finishing up his two-game suspension. Now the question is who comes they were members of the New York Rangers. McDonagh and Miller told out? the Free Press this week that Winnipeg got a good one in Hayes, who was swapped for a first round draft pick and Brendan Lemieux. The likely candidate would be newcomer Par Lindholm, who got into the lineup in Lowry's place. But coach Paul Maurice has liked what he's seen "He’s got a great attitude, wanting to be part of a winning team and from the Swede, who was obtained in a swap with the Toronto Maple wanting to make an impact. I think right off the bat I knew he was going Leafs with Nic Petan going the other way. to do whatever was asked of him and fit in well with the group there. Just try to get to the strength of his game. For him, he’s a big guy that skates Lindholm played 15 shifts for 9:39 in Tuesday's game, including some really well. One of the more patient guys in the middle of the ice as far as time on the penalty kill. waiting for plays to happen and not forcing things. He certainly has a If not Lindholm, perhaps Jack Roslovic is the one to sit. The young knack for scoring goals around the net, too, and finding ways to forward has seen his role increasingly reduced in recent weeks, and he contribute. I think he’s going to be a big pickup for this team," said played a team-low 8:18 in Tampa on the fourth line with Lindholm and McDonagh. Mathieu Perreault. The Tampa defenceman, who was traded from New York at last season's Roslovic was named the NHL's first star of the week in early February deadline along with Miller, got to see Hayes' evolution as a player first- after scoring five times in four games. At the time, he was on the top hand. power play unit and the second line. Now, with the return of Nikolaj "Coming out of college for him, he was that go-to guy offensively and Ehlers from injury, the return of Patrik Laine to the main PP unit and the never really was depending upon to be in a defensive role or maybe addition of some bodies at the trade deadline, Roslovic's spot in the penalty killing role. I think that was the biggest thing for me that I saw for lineup appears to be hanging by a thread. him in those years in New York together, his willingness to learn and be We might get some hints on Thursday afternoon as the Jets hit the ice for coachable defensively," said McDonagh. practice in Raleigh ahead of Friday night's game with the Carolina "He ended up being a huge penalty-killing player for us and kind of Hurricanes. became that shutdown centremen for us at times and still found a way to Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.07.2019 contribute offensively for us and not lose that offensive side. I think he’s really taken it upon himself to be a two way player there and someone that can be a difference in a lot of areas." Miller was one of the first to speak to Hayes last week after he was traded to Winnipeg and offered his good buddy some advice. "A really good talented hockey player. He fits in great with that team. Just adds to their big powerful skillful players. He’s a big guy, skilled, he can play 200 feet on any situation. Great add for them," said Miller. Hayes has one empty-net goal and two assists through his first four games with the Jets. He's been solid in the face-off circle, winning more than 55 per cent of his draws. "The first game was a bit emotional. It was a long day of travel and not a lot of sleep and my bags didn’t show up. From there, it’s been pretty great. A great group of guys in here, a tight group, great leadership and a really good team. It’s a lot of fun to come to the rink and to get on the road too and play some good teams out east, where I’ve played my whole career. It’s always fun playing against friends," Hayes said prior to the Tampa game. Did Laurent Brossoit do something to anger the hockey gods? It sure looks that way given the fact the Jets backup goalie has now been handed a pair of somewhat ridiculous losses this season. Brossoit took the "L" on Tuesday night in Tampa after giving up one goal on two shots in 3:16 of ice time. Unfortunately for him, he was beaten for the Lightning's third goal of the night, which ended up being the winner in the 5-2 game. Laurent Brossoit was the losing goalie of record Tuesday night in Tampa after giving up one goal on two shots in 3:16 of ice time. Brossoit was minding his own business on the bench when starter Connor Hellebuyck took a hellacious shot to his mask courtesy of NHL leading scorer Nikita Kucherov. The shot dazed and cut Hellebuyck who had to go to the dressing room for repairs before he returned to action. Tampa captain Steven Stamkos greeted an ice-cold Brossoit with a spectacular one-time blast to the top corner just 15 seconds later. Brossoit inherited a 2-1 deficit, and the Stamkos goal made it 3-1. Hellebuyck would be beaten two more times on the night, but Brossoit became the goalie "of record" when Jacob Trouba's dump-in attempt took a bizarre bounce off the glass and into the Lightning net in the late stages of the third period. 1134692 Winnipeg Jets There’s no doubt that there have been issues with Laine’s game this season on the defensive side, but it’s clear to me that his inconsistent goal scoring has more to do with converting on high-slot shots than a Laine a victim of lousy luck, more bench time player who is genuinely struggling to create opportunities for himself. The combination of not converting on his usual bread-and-butter chances and a severe decrease in ice time starting around Game 35 left Laine By: Andrew Berkshire without a leg to stand on to score at even-strength. He ranks 82nd this season in five-on-five goals per minute played, which is a far cry from his fifth-place ranking in his first two years, but remains comparable to Tyler Seguin. After the worst slump of his career, Patrik Laine is scoring again with five goals in his last six games and eight points in his last seven games. The Despite his inconsistency and defensive struggles, the biggest factor in scoring has coincided with an increase in Laine’s ice time, playing more his drop in goal scoring at even-strength this season is just bad luck. than 18 minutes a game in his last five after playing fewer than 15 He’s doing the right things to score — more than he has the last two minutes per game the previous seven games as Paul Maurice seemed to seasons, but the puck just hasn’t bounced the right way for him. grow frustrated with the struggling winger. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.07.2019 Laine is a bit of a unique case because when he stops scoring, the warts in his defensive game tend to be a lot more obvious — and he’s never been quite as streaky as he has this season. If you were to take the long view and see that Laine is on pace for 36 goals over an 82-game season, while his shooting percentage is three percentage points lower than his career average, it’s tough to throw too much criticism his way, offensively. It's just that the way he's done it is... absurd. Laine has scored 13 times when playing five-on-five. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but per minute played it ranks third on the team, so it’s not exactly bad. The weird part is that Laine went 17 games without scoring five-on-five, then scored eight goals in seven games, and then just five in the following 41 games. Scoring can be streaky for all shooters; even the best players aren’t at their peak every game. Performance, as a rule, is highly variable. That doesn’t just go for point totals or goals either. The things players do in order to create those goals and points can be highly variable. The question I have with Laine is whether his goal scoring has been randomly distributed or more performance-based? One thing we have to control for is ice time, as Laine gets less when he’s not scoring, which makes it tougher to bust the slump. So, let’s look at his shots on net and goals scored at five-on-five every 60 minutes of ice time, using a five-game rolling average. That means each point on the graph represents five games worth of ice time, and it gives us a better idea of how things trend over time. Examining Laine’s rolling averages, his bumps in goal scoring seem to line up pretty well with his shots in a few places, but the first section of his season looks extremely unlucky. Through the middle of the season, while Laine was inconsistent in his shooting performance, his shot peaks did not coincide with an increase in goals, and things look a bit more random. The question then becomes, what kind of shots was he taking? An increase in shots can be less effective if a frustrated player is just throwing pucks on net from the perimeter, so let’s look at the same shot data, but split up by location. It’s likely not a coincidence that Laine’s biggest goal-scoring streak of the season at five-on-five came while he was shooting from the inner slot or high-danger area more than at any other point, as shots from that location beat goaltenders about 20 per cent of the time at even-strength. Thus far in his career, Laine has been more of a high-slot shooter, which makes sense for someone with his talent. Snipers tend to prefer the high slot for a few reasons: they have a bit more room to receive passes and evade shot-blockers, they have a bit more time before sticks get into lanes to put pressure on the shooter and they’re less likely to have their stick tied up. Most goal-scorers of Laine’s stature shoot far more often in the high slot than the inner slot and, for whatever reason, he hasn’t really seen much of a benefit at even-strength this season for shooting from there. With his struggles dragging on, Laine started to get his shots more into the inner slot again around Game 51, and eventually he broke his goal drought and seems to be playing much better now. But, I think it’s important to talk about Laine’s performance in context, as well. Looking at Laine’s rolling averages from this season alone gives us an idea of how widely variable his performance has been, but on the whole compared to past seasons, he’s shooting from better locations on average, sacrificing shots from the perimeter for shots from the slot, and scoring less often. 1134693 Winnipeg Jets Hayes has been a quick study since entering the league. “We brought him in as a winger and the one thing about him is that he did a great job of coming in and learning the NHL game,” said Washington Injury scare changed Hayes: Jets centre carved out new path after life- Capitals assistant coach , who spent the previous five altering moment seasons as an associate coach with the Rangers. “With him having to learn how to play centre, that’s a tough assignment. People questioned his foot speed, but he ended up finding a way to not make that an issue. Ken Wiebe Off the ice, he got himself in tip-top condition and he learned the game and learned how to defend. He’s a guy who is responsible and you can put him out in any situation. He can play a checking role, an offensive role. He can do it all. TAMPA – Perspective can sometimes be a difficult thing for a young hockey player to find. “He can read situations and can think the game. He recognizes who he is against and where he needs to be. Going to the west is a bonus because For Kevin Hayes, spending several weeks in a hospital bed and having of his size. He’s got the tools and he’s got playoff experience at a young his hockey mortality questioned, was a turning point in his life. age.” Hayes seemingly had the world by the tail at the time of his injury, Coaches around the NHL noticed the growth as well. suffered on what appeared to be a routine play in a game on Feb. 26 of 2013 between Boston College and UMass-Lowell. “He was always one of those players that he just played in every situation,” said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. “He was on the power The quad contusion required surgery and there were additional play, he was on the penalty kill, he was taking big faceoffs. It was complications and more time under the knife to treat compartment deceptive because he never really looked like the fastest guy, but he was syndrome. always in the right spot all of the time, so that usually means you’re a At one point, there was discussion about possibly needing to amputate pretty good thinker of the game. If you have any deficiencies in the game, the left leg. that will make sure for almost anything. And then he’s always shown that big game mentality, and so you look for that in guys, especially when Talk about a serious wake-up call. you’re looking for guys who are going to help in the playoffs.” “It was at a point in my life where I was probably having too much fun in The Jets are counting on Hayes being a big-game player, both during the college and it obviously set me back as a hockey player, but it made me stretch run and into the playoffs. realize what’s important in life,” Hayes said earlier this week. “You take things a little more serious. I was in there for 22 days, had four surgeries The early returns from Hayes have been solid and by the time he gets and was told that I would never play hockey again. fully comfortable, he could be the type of guy that allows the Jets to go deeper into the post-season than they’ve ever been before. “It was the worst best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Kevin Hayes file The Jets used Wednesday as a mandatory day off under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and will be back on the ice Thursday to Chosen in the first round, 24th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the prepare for Friday’s tilt with the Carolina Hurricanes. 2010 NHL Draft After Hayes recovered from the injury, he came back with a renewed Acquired by the Winnipeg Jets from the New York Rangers for left-winger passion for the game and put together an outstanding senior season with Brendan Lemieux, a 2019 first round draft pick and a conditional fourth Boston College, skating on a dynamic line with Bill Arnold and current round pick in 2022 if the Jets win the Stanley Cup in 2019 Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and recording 27 goals and 65 Age: 26 points in 40 games. Position: Centre Hayes was drafted 24th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, but opted to become a free agent and signed with the New York Rangers. Height: 6-foot-4 Things were going pretty well as a pro for Hayes, who made the team out Weight: 216 pounds of training camp in 2014 and spent no time in the minors, but there was another turning point that is easy for him to identify. 2017-18 stats: 51 GP, 14 G, 28 A, 42 P, 119 SOG, 11.8 shooting %, 10 PIM, 19:27 TOI with New York Rangers, 4 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, 7 SOG, “This is a fun job. You get into the league and you’re just happy to be 14.3 shooting %, 0 PIM, 17:12 TOI with Winnipeg Jets there. You like the paycheques that come in and you like the perks that come with being an NHL player,” said Hayes. “Then you grow up a little Career NHL stats: 365 GP, 88 G, 131 A, 219 P, 685 SOG, 12.8 shooting bit and see the dedication that it takes, not only on the ice but off the ice %, 98 PIM, 15:45 TOI — with your body, your sleep and nutrition and then you realize you’re going to be here for a while and try to excel at everything.” Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.07.2019 In the summer of 2017, the Rangers dealt versatile centre Derek Stepan to the Arizona Coyotes and Hayes saw a significant shift in his role under head coach Alain Vigneault. “I really challenged myself to be the D-zone guy,” said Hayes, who has 88 goals and 219 points in 365 games to go along with two goals and 10 points in 34 playoff games. “(Vigneault) worked with me, helped me and told me he was going to give me this chance. That led into the penalty kill and we had a good offensive year as well.” Since being acquired in a deadline deal from the Rangers, life has been coming at Hayes quickly. He’s taking the move in stride and quickly found his way in his new surroundings, making an immediate impact on the second line, playing mostly with speedsters Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor, chipping in a goal and three points in four games. “He’s got a great attitude on wanting to be part of a winning team and wanting to make an impact,” said Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Ryan McDonagh, a former teammate with the Rangers. “Right off the bat, I knew he was going to do whatever is asked of him and fit in with the group there and just try to get to the strength of his game. He’s a big guy who skates really well and is one of the more patient guys in the middle of the ice, as far as waiting for plays to happen and not forcing things. He certainly has a knack for scoring goals around the net and finding ways to contribute. He’s really taken it upon himself to be a two-way player and someone who can make a difference in a lot of areas.” 1134694 Winnipeg Jets Maurice said. “Our number comes down a little bit with Big Buff not in the lineup — we’re not moving the puck quite as well.”

According to Maurice, the key to successfully outgunning opposing How to get the struggling Jets playoff ready — Part 1: The Problems defences when attacking their blueline is simple — add a second layer to your attack by activating your defence. This is a hallmark of Byfuglien’s game, of course, and a meaningful part of Morrissey’s game, too. By Murat Ates Mar 6, 2019 Whatever the circumstances, Winnipeg is still struggling to move the puck up ice and it’s still trying to break it into the offensive zone with even numbers or worse. Paul Maurice is well aware that the Winnipeg Jets have struggled to start 2019. “How do you create the odd-man situation?” Maurice asked, rhetorically. “If you move the puck very cleanly against a heavy forechecking team, “We want to play a hard gap game,” Maurice told The Athletic, “But I you’ve got a chance to go the other way. Or if you catch one of their high can’t sell that to you based on you watching the team lately. That’s the forwards a little deep and you get a quick send. But for me, it’s almost problem.” always having a D up the ice in the rush. We’ve got some banged up guys and we’re not getting up the ice with our back end nearly as much The Jets do have some clearly apparent trouble spots. as we’d like to.” Since January 1, Winnipeg has not been elite by any of the most Without a defenceman joining the rush up ice, it takes all three forwards common metrics we use to evaluate teams. They’re 16th in points, have committed to skating up the ice hard. To me, the only way this happens the 27th best 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage, the ninth best power play, is with smooth transition through the neutral zone and the only way that the 28th best penalty kill, and the ninth best save percentage in 2019. happens is with a clean, crisp breakout. To be fair, Winnipeg has spent the majority of this stretch without Dustin I asked Copp to call bull-shit on my zone-entry theory: Wouldn’t stronger Byfuglien and Nikolaj Ehlers — and some of it without Josh Morrissey — puck support on breakouts lead to more offensive success? but if you’re looking for reasons to believe the Jets are rolling like Stanley Cup favourites, you won’t find them in the numbers. “You can take it even one step further back than that,” Copp said. “So right now our gap isn’t very good, right? We’re giving them a lot of time At this stage of the season, the most common criticism of the Jets- – that and space to play because — a lot of different reasons — but our D don’t their power play, goaltending, and occasionally spectacular goal scoring understand where our forwards are because our forwards aren’t often masks mediocre 5-on-5 play — is well-trodden ground. reloading as we can be so we’re not creating as many turnovers. That’s We covered it in October, when Winnipeg kept winning despite struggling why you see a lot of 2-on-2, 2-on-3, their guys are on top of ours out of the gate at 5-on-5. We covered it in November, when a dominant because we’re just kind of fighting to get the puck out. It’s towards the power play kept the Jets rolling despite continued even strength end of a shift, guys are changing, it’s just we’re just kind of dumping it in struggles. Early December told the same story and then Byfuglien and and then they’re setting their breakout and everyone’s changing, right?” Ehlers got hurt. One response in and we already have a lot to unpack. I asked him about The Jets 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay, then, is not the pretense for this story. It Winnipeg’s zone entries at the offensive blueline because I thought is a response to a lengthy body of work. Winnipeg’s puck support on its breakouts would have a big influence. Copp agreed but then added more layers: Consider the Jets’ season-long trend when it comes to expected goals at 5-on-5, as expressed by Sean Tierney. Zone entry trouble starts with breakout trouble. The dark line in the middle of this chart represents exactly 50 percent Breakout trouble starts with defensive zone trouble. expected goals and, for the better part of 2019, Winnipeg falls well below Defensive zone trouble starts when forwards don’t reload hard enough, that line. forcing Jets defencemen to back off and give opponents space. That said, it’s one thing to identify these trends and point at them in an Copp’s coach agrees with him on the first point — that there is a strong attempt to show that Winnipeg — despite its place in the standings — relationship between breakouts and zone entries. isn’t the 5-on-5 juggernaut that one might have expected when the season began. It’s another thing to search for answers — practical “What Andrew’s saying is right,” Maurice said. “If we get back, get first considerations that might help the Jets down the stretch run. touch and we have early support, our weak side D is an option to get up into the hole. If he’s digging it off the wall and he’s just been hit and For those answers, we turn to Paul Maurice. Maurice spoke to The we’ve been there for 30 seconds, then he’s just changing so you never Athletic at length about the state of the Jets, diving into Winnipeg’s get that other layer that comes in. If you’re 3-on-3, even 2-on-3 on your biggest 5-on-5 trouble spots and what it will take to push its play back way to the far blueline, if you get your D into that hole it changes an awful into the upper echelon of the NHL. lot of things.” I also spoke with two of Winnipeg’s best defensive forwards — Adam What does this really mean? Lowry and Andrew Copp — plus a defenseman pushed far up the Jets depth chart this season — Ben Chiarot. Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine It means that a lot of those chip-and-change shifts you see from also shared thoughts, all in the name of dissecting Winnipeg’s play at 5- Winnipeg’s defence are costing the Jets their transition game. on-5. At first glance, the fix should be simple — just don’t chip it out — but, The result is a two-part series designed to identify Winnipeg’s most when the team spends too much time in its own zone before recovering significant issues and their solutions as well. After all, the Jets are almost the puck, it’s much easier said than done. certainly going to make the playoffs. With help from Maurice and some of his most systems-savvy players, it’s helpful to investigate what the team I want to show you a quick, three frame example. can do to ensure a long and fruitful playoff run. Against Colorado on February 20, Winnipeg gave up an odd man rush. The Problems Colorado shot, recovered the puck, cycled, and shot again. That leads us to Mark Scheifele picking up the puck in the corner. A troubling trend: Jets forwards outnumbered and shut down at the opposing blueline Notice Hellebuyck still recovering. That’s my attempt to show you that it was chaotic in Winnipeg’s zone leading up to this moment. In this first Maurice made the first incision. frame, Scheifele is not only about to pick up the puck but he’s also about to find out he doesn’t have very many options. I asked about a troubling trend — Winnipeg’s forwards, puck in hand, trying to gain the opposing blue line 2-on-2, 2-on-3, or even 2-on-5 as With pressure behind him, Scheifele can’t reverse it to his D. With you see here against Montreal. In my viewing and reviewing of pressure right on top of him, he doesn’t have a lane at Kyle Connor, the Winnipeg’s 5-on-5 play from January to now, one of the most common near forward in this second frame. and glaring trouble spots was their zone entries. Still, he makes a deft stickhandle and takes the best play available — Winnipeg has frequently found itself outnumbered at the opposing Wheeler on the far side. blueline. The problem is that, after scrambling to play defence in Winnipeg’s zone, “Zone entries (are) a function of how you move the puck from your back Wheeler is standing absolutely still. Notice that Scheifele is below the end and how much speed you generate through the neutral zone,” hashmarks as he makes the pass. Here’s Scheifele at the blueline with Wheeler in the exact same spot. puck up the ice and backchecks hard 100 percent of the time and plays solid in-zone defence. Scheifele made the best play available to him but, with a tired team and a stationary Wheeler, Winnipeg is left to chip the puck out. And that’s a problem. If you watched the Jets’ loss to Tampa Bay, you saw this play in many No matter which players Maurice is talking about, he’s clear on one thing. different forms — nearly every member of Winnipeg’s defence corps and many of its forwards were forced to lob the puck out of the Jets zone. “You’ve got to back pressure and you’ve got to do all of the hard things.” Don’t get me wrong: In any given moment, chipping it out can be the It’s time to wrap up Part 1: The Problems. Thanks to some sharp hockey safest play. The problem is when you’re forced to do it all the time minds, we have identified zone entries, breakouts, and back pressure as because you’re stuck in your own zone for long stretches of time. It might the three biggest areas of improvement for the 2019 Winnipeg Jets. buy you time to change your lines but a chip play without speed to track it But how does Winnipeg fix those things? down is just a giveaway. Thursday, in Part 2: The Solutions, we’ll get continue to get insights from Recall what happened when I tried to blame Winnipeg’s trouble at the Maurice, Copp, and Chiarot and add Lowry, Laine, and Wheeler to the offensive blueline on breakouts like the one in the example above to conversation — all in the name of playoff proofing these Jets. There are Copp. a lot of sharp minds and talented players associated with the team and, I wanted to investigate the points with a defenceman. Chiarot, whose with their insights, we can chart the path forward. three-minute increase in average ice time this season was Winnipeg’s The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 biggest defensive change until the trade deadline, gave The Athletic his point of view. How does Winnipeg’s breakout change when forwards don’t come back hard enough? “When the gap between our D and our forwards gets too big defensively, then that puck comes in and our forwards are still coming back,” Chiarot said. “It kind of delays the whole process. We give room so then we go back and get the puck and our forwards are still coming back. There’s just more room between the two of us which makes it more difficult to break out.” That’s why, as Copp told us, the quality of Winnipeg’s breakouts depends — in part — on the quality of its backpressure. “The game is very cyclical in that way,” Copp said. “If one guy’s not where he needs to be, then the D give ice and then they have time and space to play on, they cross, they make skilled plays, and then all of a sudden we’re kind of off it.” What does that difference — being “off it,” in Copp’s words — feel like from a defenseman’s point of view? “When you’re in playoff mode, you’re not even thinking about where the puck’s going or where it is,” Chiarot said. “You know where the guy’s gonna be and it’s just a matter of connecting on the plays. I go back and touch it and I know my centre’s going to be in the middle, I know my winger’s going to be there on the wall and it’s just a matter of making the play — that’s the biggest thing.” But when that centre and winger aren’t there — or if they’re out of position because they’ve spent too much time scrambling in their own zone — problems develop. “I don’t think we’re quite there yet,” Chiarot said. “You touch it and maybe it’s a ‘one Mississippi’ kind of thing where you have to kind of look and wait and see. Maybe the centre’s still coming back or maybe our winger’s not quite there. Those are the things we’re still working out right now.” Ben Chiarot and Patrik Laine defend a 3-on-2 while Sami Niku chases. What does the Jets head coach think about our theories so far? “There’s an awful lot of truth,” Maurice said. “It’s the flow of the game concept. If nothing happens in the offensive zone for (our opponent) but they’re in there for 35 seconds, you know what’s going to happen: We’re dumping and changing. We’re coming off. That’s the flow of the game.” That would validate Copp and Chiarot’s points about defensive zone trouble leading to poor transition play and a lack of quality zone entries at the other end of the rink. What about that hard gap, high back pressure game that depends on Winnipeg’s forwards? “Our rush defence was really strong last year and it’s not very strong this year,” Maurice said. “You’ve got more offensive minded young players that are more interested in hanging around in the offensive zone and not reloading because they never had to before and they’ve scored a lot of goals.” When I hear “offensive minded young players” who score a lot, I tend to interpret “Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Nik Ehlers,” each of whom come with their own defensive weaknesses. Of the three, Ehlers’ speed through the neutral zone makes him the most effective at moving the puck out of his zone while Laine is perhaps the best at in-zone, man-to-man coverage. Not one of the three moves the 1134695 Vancouver Canucks “My body definitely felt better today, so that’s always nice when you have your legs,” said Edler. “It was just believing in your game that has been successful for us before. We talked about doing that for 60 minutes and if Canucks Post Game: Rally resolve, vintage Edler, major Markstrom, you can do that, it can pay off. giddy-up Gaudette “It’s always nice when you have a good game throughout the lineup and you’re battling with the other guys.” Ben Kuzma His modesty wasn’t lost on Jacob Markstrom. “He’s a leader and he’s been here a long time and when you look at him, that’s what it means to be a Canuck,” he said. “It’s how professional he is Points to ponder as the Canucks erased a 2-0 deficit and claimed a 3-2 on and off the ice and how he carries himself. It’s really good for our overtime win over the Maple Leafs on Alex Edler’s winner Wednesday at younger group to have a guy like that in our lineup.” Rogers Arena to end a three-game losing streak: Green Day: Coach’s words don’t ring hollow Not going so quietly into the night It wasn’t just a litmus test for the players. It was also a test for the coach. The Canucks could have folded like a cheap tent. Travis Green’s message wasn’t received on Sunday in Las Vegas. The After all, the Leafs had built a two-goal cushion — were 32-0-0 when mantra got mangled and Green labelled the lethargic effort the worst in leading after two periods — and were looking like a good bet to win the the last two years. The repetitive rallying cry could have got trampled on second leg of their annual Western Canada swing in convincing fashion. by Toronto. Then came the unexpected. There was plenty of reason for concern. Loui Eriksson found himself in the slot with the puck and the winger let a The Maple Leafs sport the NHL’s second-ranked offence, are first in backhander go to the far side at 2:21 for his 10th goal of the season and even-strength scoring, have nine players with at least 30 points and own his first in 18 games. the seventh-ranked power play. Blessed with skill, speed, quick-release snipers and enviable depth, everything was in place at Rogers Arena to “I was just trying to get it away quick because someone was coming with send a large contingent of Leaf Nation into a tizzy. his stick against mine and it was nice to see it go in for once,” said Eriksson. “The last game was embarrassing and we knew we were going If that wasn’t enough, Mike Babcock even stirred the motivational pot. to be hungry today and I thought we battled pretty hard.” “For me, when we travel it’s important for those people,” the Toronto That effort not only drew the Canucks back into the fight, they got on the coach said of life-long Leaf loyalists. “They come to the game, they power play and former Leaf winger Josh Leivo then unloaded a shot to expect you to play well.” the far side at 4:13 to even the count. However, the Canucks had their own incentive. “Obviously, that’s a goal I’m going to remember for a while — it felt great, but even better because the boys battled back and we got the win,” said They were embarrassed in their last outing, Brock Boeser and Elias Leivo, who took a pass from Nikolay Goldobin and simply let it go instead Pettersson were determined to end scoring slumps and the defence of trying to do something more creative, which has hampered the 29th- vowed to tighten up despite the loss of Ben Hutton to a foot injury ranked power play. Sunday. “We just want to keep it (power play) simple now and I think we were “We had a great game tonight,” said Green. “Proud of how our group getting too fancy with it and making too many plays.” responded after our last effort. We were good tonight. Really good. Top to bottom. Our team doesn’t quit and we’ve shown that all year. We Said Green of Leivo: “When he’s consistent and is skating and hard on battled back a lot this year and had a one-off in Vegas. the puck, he’s a dangerous player.” “Toronto had two quick-strike goals and they’re explosive like that, but Horvat sounds the alarm, gets result our guys stuck with it tonight. They’re not looking just to play out the last games. They know the (playoff) odds are against them, but they’re not The comeback said something because if the Canucks couldn’t find a done yet.” way to get back into this litmus test, you have to wonder where the resolve would be Thursday in Edmonton. Thirty-four seconds of major mayhem After all, it was Bo Horvat who came up with the money line Tuesday: “If It looked like a prime opportunity to open scoring because the Canucks you can’t get up for this one, you shouldn’t be playing,” he said. were more than holding their own. On Wednesday, he rightfully had a lot more to say. Adam Gaudette’s hustle along the wall in the offensive zone forced Patrick Marleau to draw a hooking minor in the second period. But “That one felt good,” he added. “The relentlessness and the character in instead of applying consistent pressure, the Canucks got caught up ice this room to battle back against a team like that — it’s not easy to do. We as Mitch Marner sped away with Ron Hainsey on a shorthanded break. played a heck of a 60-minute game and what better way than against a great team.” With Troy Stecher the lone defender, Marner fed a cross-ice pass that Hainsey easily deposited ahed of a trailing Boeser and Markus Granlund. Horvat had seven shots and besides drawing the tough shutdown assignment against the John Tavares line, he showed plenty of moxie to Then, just 34 seconds later, Derrick Pouliot was stripped of the puck to help pull the Canucks into the fight. He was also robbed of a goal with start a scoring sequence than ended with Morgan Rielly picking the short .01 seconds remaining in the second period. side. “I wasn’t sure I was going to get it off in time and if it would have Markstrom doesn’t get the respect counted,” said Horvat. “But he made a heck of a save.” In a TSN game preview, the Canucks weren’t even mentioned. The ‘Vintage’ Edler rides to the rescue majority of the segment dealt with the rejuvenated Frederik Andersen and rightfully so. In his previous 15 starts, the starting goaltender had It was fitting that Alex Edler scored the overtime winner. gone 11-2-2 with a sparkling .926 saves percentage and was tied for the most wins to gain Vezina Trophy consideration. With everything the veteran defenceman has gone through — an early season knee injury that sidelined him for 15 games and a gruesome For a club always a little nervous about its last line defence, this is a concussion from a freak fall that kept him out another 10 — it was turn good story. So is Markstrom. back the clock night for the unrestricted free agent. The game could have got away early because the Leafs move puck He was dynamic in logging 27:06 and finishing with six shots and four quickly and release shots without hesitation. The first four Leaf shots hits in a first pairing with Troy Stecher, who finished with 27:47 and four were of the Grade-A variety. Marner showed off his release before shots. Markstrom got a glove of a hot Auston Matthews slot shot. He also had to sprawl to thwart Marner when he took a long pass off the end boards and “He was a horse tonight,” Green said of Edler. “That was a vintage tried to go backhand. Then came getting a piece of a Kasperi Kapanen game.” effort that was heavy and accurate. “They’ve got good players with quick releases and hard shots,” said Markstrom. “I wanted to make sure I stopped them and didn’t leave rebounds and the defence played really well in front of me. We obviously wanted to respond after that game in Vegas and I thought we did a good job tonight.” His biggest save was going post to post in the third period in a 2-2 deadlock to get a glove on a Tavares wide-angle effort. “Marner came down and I had a little momentum going back and he pulled up and went sideways, so I stopped and went sideways and he dished it over to Tavares,” recalled Markstrom, who finished with 28 saves. “I tried to get there as quick as possible and cover as much net as possible.” Gaudette’s game keeps on growing Gaudette stuck his toe in the deep end of the competitive waters in a hurry. In the opening minutes, the quickly-improving centre got into position to take a corner feed from Tanner Pearson and got a hot shot away. Then came drawing that hooking minor and then came an assist on Eriksson’s goal and another on Leivo’s tying effort. “Coming off a tough game, you’ve got to be engaged and I just put my head down and went to work out there,” said Gaudette, who now has 12 points (5-7) in 41 games. “I was feeling good today and felt fast and strong and went out and just played my game. It’s good to get rewarded like that (two assists) and it’s just playing hard and trying to make the right decisions and good things will happen. “My goal this year was to get better game in and game out. I knew it was going to take time to get adjusted to the league and every game I’m feeling more comfortable and like I belong out there.” Said Green: “He keeps getting better and that’s what we want. He was one of the guys who struggled in Vegas and he responded with a game and it wasn’t just him, we had a lot who did tonight.” Pettersson could have pulled triggers This is what happens when you haven’t scored in the previous seven games and you have just one in the previous 10. You pass on shooting chances and you don’t go where you normally venture. Pettersson had the puck in the high slot in the first period and instead of unleashing his wicked writer, he looked cross ice for Leivo, who was tied up. He had another chance on a rush through the neutral zone and instead of beating the defender and getting to the net, he threw a backhander across the ice. He finished with just one shot. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134696 Vancouver Canucks gone 11-2-2 with a sparkling .926 saves percentage and was tied for the most wins to gain Vezina Trophy consideration.

For a club that’s always been a little nervous about its last line defence, Canucks 3 Maple Leafs 2 (OT): Proving a point by showing some this is a good story. So is Jacob Markstrom. backbone The game could have got away early because the Leafs move pucks quickly and release them without hesitation. The first four Leaf shots Ben Kuzma were of the Grade-A variety. Marner showed off his release, then Markstrom got a glove on a hot Auston Matthews slot shot. He also had to sprawl to thwart Marner when he took a long pass off the end-boards and tried to go backhand. Then came getting a piece of a Kasperi Here’s what we learned as the Canucks rallied from a 2-0 deficit before Kapanen effort that was heavy and accurate. Alex Edler scored at 3:11 of overtime for a 3-2 victory: His biggest save was going post-to-post in the third period in a 2-2 Compete. Pay the price. deadlock to get a glove on a John Tavares wide-angle effort. That Vancouver mantra got mangled in Las Vegas on Sunday — Travis • LISTEN: In this week’s White Towel podcast, columnist Ed Willes joins Green labelled the lethargic effort the worst in the last two years — and Paul Chapman to delve into the debate over Brock Boeser either being a the repetitive rallying cry could have got trampled on by Toronto on great young player or merely a good piece of the Canucks’ puzzle. Ed Wednesday. and Paul also ask if Vancouver is a toxic market considering news that Jonathan Dahlen had to delete his social media accounts because of There was plenty of reason for concern. abuse from Canucks fans. The Maple Leafs sport the NHL’s second-ranked offence, are first in Gaudette has game, Horvat has nightmare even-strength scoring, have nine players with at least 30 points and own the seventh-ranked power play. Blessed with skill, speed, quick-release Adam Gaudette stuck his toe in the deep end of the competitive waters in snipers and enviable depth, everything was in place at Rogers Arena to a hurry. send a large contingent of Leaf Nation into a tizzy. In the opening minutes, the quickly-improving centre got into position to If that wasn’t enough, Mike Babcock even stirred the motivational pot. take a corner feed from Tanner Pearson and got a hot shot away. Then came drawing that hooking minor and then came an assist on Eriksson’s “For me, when we travel it’s important for those people,” the Toronto goal and another on Leivo’s tying effort. coach said of life-long Leaf loyalists. “They come to the game, they expect you to play well.” Horvat had five shots through two periods and seven overall. And besides drawing the tough shutdown assignment on the Tavares line, he However, the Canucks had their own incentive. showed plenty of moxie to help pull the Canucks into the battle. He was They were embarrassed in their last outing, Brock Boeser and Elias also robbed of a goal with .01 seconds remaining in the second period. Pettersson were determined to end scoring slumps and the defence Pettersson could have pulled trigger vowed to tighten up despite the loss of Ben Hutton to a foot injury Sunday. This is what happens when you haven’t scored in the previous seven games and you have just one in the previous 10. You pass on shooting “We had a great game tonight,” said Green. “I’m proud how our group chances and you don’t go where you normally venture. responded after our last effort and we were good tonight. Real good. Top to bottom. Our team doesn’t quit and we’ve shown that all year. We Pettersson had the puck in the high slot in the first period and instead of battled back a lot this year and Toronto had two quick-strike goals and unleashing his wicked wrister, he looked cross-ice for Leivo, who was they’re explosive like that, but our guys stuck with it.” tied up. He had another chance on a rush through the neutral zone and instead of beating the defender and getting to the net, he threw a Here’s what we learned as the Canucks rallied from a 2-0 deficit before backhander across the ice. Alex Edler scored at 3:11 of overtime for a 3-2 victory: Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.07.2019 Not going quietly into the night They could have folded like a cheap tent. After all, the Leafs had built a two-goal cushion and were looking like a good bet in the second stop of their annual Western Canada swing. Then came the unexpected. Loui Eriksson found himself in the slot with the puck and the winger let a backhander go to the far side at 2:21 for his 10th goal of the season and his first in 18 games. That not only drew the Canucks back into the fight, they got on the power play and former Leaf winger Josh Leivo then unloaded a shot to the far side at 4:13 to even the count. It said something because if the Canucks couldn’t find a way to get back into this litmus test, you have to wonder where the resolve would be Thursday in Edmonton. Thirty-four seconds of mayhem It looked like a prime opportunity to open scoring because the Canucks were more than holding their own. Adam Gaudette’s hustle along the wall in the offensive zone forced Patrick Marleau to draw a hooking minor in the second period. But instead of applying consistent pressure, the Canucks got caught up ice as Mitch Marner sped away with Ron Hainsey on a shorthanded break. With Troy Stecher the lone defender, Marner fed a cross-ice pass that Hainsey easily deposited ahead of a trailing Boeser and Markus Granlund. Then, just 34 seconds later, Derrick Pouliot was stripped of the puck to start a scoring sequence that ended with Morgan Rielly picking the short side. Markstrom doesn’t get the respect In a TSN game preview, the Canucks weren’t even mentioned. The majority of the segment dealt with the rejuvenated Frederik Andersen — and rightfully so. In his previous 15 starts, the starting goaltender had 1134697 Vancouver Canucks He said a couple weeks ago that while the schedule may be gruelling physically at times, he actually prefers the high volume of games compared to the schedule in Sweden, where most games happen on the Patrick Johnston: Coach Green not worried Canucks’ young guns have weekend, with weekdays usually devoted to practices. hit a hollow point “I like it this way, say if you have a bad game, it’s not going to take four days (to get over it),” he said. “I like the schedule when the games are tight, when you can focus mostly on games.” Patrick Johnston Canucks’ coach Travis Green isn’t worried about the drop in production and doesn’t think the young star is wearing down. Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson have both struggled to score lately. “The one thing about elite players is they figure it out,” he said of Pettersson’s struggles. “Things just aren’t going right now and he’ll figure The numbers tell us that when rookie Elias Pettersson is on the ice, the it out. I’d like to see him shoot the puck a little bit more but I don’t want Vancouver Canucks are still getting plenty of shots off in the right him taking away his creativity.” direction. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.07.2019 But some other NHL numbers reveal a less upbeat story — they show us a player who hasn’t scored in seven games and has just three assists in that time. It’s a similar story for Brock Boeser. The Canucks aren’t flying quite the same heights shots-wise as they are when Pettersson is playing, but it’s still acceptable. And yet he’s also in a scoring funk. Boeser is goalless in six games, also with just three assists in that span. His last two goals came on a fluttering misfire that San Jose goalie Morgan Jones mishandled and a gimme tap- in on an Adam Gaudette setup. For both players, the numbers reveal this is a somewhat predictable statistical funk for both; in Petterson’s case, his shooting percentage is well north of 20 per cent. Boeser’s is at 13 per cent. Both numbers are well above the league average, which this year is 9.6 per cent. (Boeser’s is actually down from the 16.2 per cent he hit a year ago.) That they’re above-average shooters is obvious just from watching them. That they’re seeing a lack of results lately is inevitable, too, as most players score in bunches. But even so, the eye test suggests both are struggling to find space to produce. Teams are checking them tighter than in the past and perhaps they’re battling through some nagging injuries. Every player goes through physical challenges in the season and most of the time players don’t bring it up, not wanting to be seen as using slumps as an excuse. • LISTEN: In this week’s White Towel podcast, columnist Ed Willes joins Paul Chapman to delve into the debate over Brock Boeser either being a great young player or merely a good piece of the Canucks’ puzzle. Ed and Paul also ask if Vancouver is a toxic market considering news that Jonathan Dahlen had to delete his social media accounts because of abuse from Canucks fans. Even if he, his coach or his GM won’t admit it, Boeser looks like he’s having issues with his skating and his shot hasn’t looked right in weeks. He scored a pair of goals about a month ago, against Colorado and Calgary, which came off wicked wristers. But since then his shot has looked laboured and is a far cry from what he’s managed in the past. For Pettersson, it’s become a frustration. He’s put on a positive face, but the all-star rookie’s competitiveness is well documented, as is his desire to be the team’s best player. Like his teammates, the look on his face after Sunday’s drubbing in Las Vegas told a story. “Of course it stings, especially when you don’t play a good game in such a fun rink,” he said Wednesday of his mood post-game. But Pettersson said he didn’t let the sour feeling linger, especially once he’d returned home to Vancouver and was able to start a new day. “I thought about the game, but you’ve got to have short memories, learn your lesson but forget about the game.” Over the last five games he’s managed just seven shot attempts, a far cry from the usual three or four he gets each game. (Boeser, on the other hand, continues to try and get shots off, even if they don’t have the same zip.) “Part of that is not creating a lot,” Pettersson said. “Maybe I need to be a little more selfish and shoot the puck a little more … the player I am, I always want to be the playmaker.” 1134698 Vancouver Canucks with an increased workload. Antoine Roussel gives the team what he can but there’s a reason he’s averaged just over 10 goals a season in his seven-year career. Ed Willes: Canucks need to shine down the stretch before they address Are those players who can contribute to a winning team? Who knows. this mess The same can be asked of Jake Virtanen, Chris Tanev, Alex Edler and Tanner Pearson. In the Canucks’ world, they are also important players. As for the rest of the lineup, well, they do have an impressive collection Ed Willes of seven-goal scorers. We could go on. In the next couple of weeks or so, it’s likely Quinn Hughes will step into this mess. In a perfect world, Hughes would slide The last thing the Canucks need is another regime change, but they’re seamlessly into the lineup and excite fans with his dazzling talent. also facing an issue with consumer confidence. Can they sell another season of GM Jim Benning if the free-fall continues? In the Canucks’ world, however, there will be pressure on him to make an immediate impact on a bad team, and that might be unrealistic and At 6 p.m. Wednesday, the Vancouver Canucks held the sixth overall spot uncomfortable for a 20-year-old defenceman fresh out of college. in the NHL Entry Draft lottery with a realistic shot at falling to fourth before the end of this season. Fans’ frustration over the Canucks has also spilled over to Utica, which has failed to supply any solutions to the team’s problems. Green, This, according to Camp Draftist, represents a massive development for meanwhile, enjoyed the benefit of the doubt last year and for most of this the organization. year, but the coach has to bear some of the responsibility when a team implodes down the stretch. The Canucks, as this season has demonstrated none-too-subtly, aren’t close to competing for a playoff berth. The only way to dig themselves So that’s the picture as the Canucks face the final month of their regular out of the pit in which they’re buried is to acquire another premium season. They have 15 games left to change that picture; 15 games to prospect. demonstrate their modest gains over the first four months weren’t illusory and there are the makings of a decent team here. Add a Dylan Cozens, Kirby Dach or Bowen Byram to their existing core of young players and you have the foundation of an elite team. And who All things considered, that’s more valuable than another top-five pick. knows, maybe, just maybe, this is the year the hockey gods determine Canucks fans have suffered long enough and the ping-pong balls finally Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.07.2019 bounce the team’s way. It might be cruel to suggest such a possibility exists, but we can dream, can’t we? Now, this position has clear and obvious merits and the intent here isn’t to change anyone’s mind. But those who are fixated on the draft tend to view things in isolation while tuning out the faithful’s suffering and the deeper meaning of another marquee draft pick. There are consequences, after all, to picking at the top of the draft four seasons running, and if you’re rejoicing at the thought of another blue- chip prospect, you’re missing everything that’s at stake for general manager Jim Benning, head coach Travis Green and every Canucks player not named Elias Pettersson or Jacob Markstrom. So let’s review what the Canucks are playing for over their final 15 games. For starters, fingers are being pointed at Benning, and while you’re never quite sure what the Aqulinis are thinking — see Linden, Trevor — the least you can say is the GM will be answering some difficult questions this off-season. We’re not going to conduct a forensic audit of his five years on the job in this space, but something has clearly gone wrong when you finish 28th, 29th, 26th and are now facing another spot in the mid- to high-20s. Ownership just fired Linden. The year before that they changed coaches. Three years before that they cleaned house, firing the existing GM and coach. The last thing the Canucks need is another regime change, but they’re also facing an issue with consumer confidence. Can they sell another season of Benning if the free fall continues? We’ll have a better idea after these final 15 games. This, we remind you, wasn’t an issue a month ago when the Canucks were sitting two games over .500 and in the thick of a playoff race. Their improvement, in fact, was largely viewed as a testimonial to Benning, the players he’d assembled and Green’s work as head coach. The faithful would have been happy if that storyline had held. The problem, as you may be aware, is before Wednesday’s game with the Maple Leafs, the Canucks had three wins in 14 starts and the conversation around the franchise has changed — again. This season gifted Canucks fans Pettersson and revealed Markstrom to be an answer in goal. But, considering the way this team has performed when games really mattered, how can you look at any other player and say they’re part of the solution? OK, Troy Stecher has stepped up this season and the Canucks have bigger problems than Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser. But their lineup against the Leafs featured three players who’ve hit double digits in goals for the Canucks this season. The Leafs, just so you know, had 10. The last month has also exposed virtually every one of those players. Ben Hutton looked to have taken a step this season but he’s struggled 1134699 Vancouver Canucks

Ben Hutton injury means another recall for Guillaume Brisebois

Patrick Johnston

The Canucks could have a short-staffed lineup on Wednesday night. Ben Hutton’s sore foot is going to keep him out of the lineup on Wednesday night when the Vancouver Canucks face up against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canucks have recalled Guillaume Brisebois from the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League, the team announced Wednesday morning. Hutton took a shot off his right foot late in Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights; after the game he spoke to the media with a large ice bag wrapped on his foot. Brisebois appeared in two games, his first in the NHL, last month. Canucks coach Travis Green said Derrick Pouliot, who has been a healthy scratch lately, will draw into the lineup. He also said that Ryan Spooner’s sore groin is going to keep him out of action. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134700 Vancouver Canucks Boeser is second on the team in shots and had a six-shot outing Thursday in Arizona. General manager Jim Benning said the restricted free agent isn’t having back issues, and those close to the winger say Canucks Game Day: Can fading hosts find re-Leaf tonight against he’s only having minor issues most players experience. surging Toronto? “I know I haven’t been playing my best,” Boeser said. “You learn from these things and how teams are raising their games and I have to make sure I’m raising mine. I’m still confident, but I need to be better. Ben Kuzma “You see how little mistakes are made. Vegas made no mistakes and were hungry for pucks. It’s something we can learn from and improve on.” It's look-in-the-mirror time for the Canucks who are all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth consecutive season. 3. Roussel keeps setting example NEXT GAME: WEDNESDAY It’s not always pretty with Antoine Roussel. Sometimes you wonder how the league’s second-ranked penalty-minute man goes about his business Toronto Maple Leafs at Vancouver Canucks to drag the Canucks into the fight. But you can’t argue with the bottom line. 6 p.m., Rogers Arena, TV: Sportsnet; Radio: Sportsnet 650 AM With everything that’s amiss on left wing — indifferent play, injuries and THE BIG MATCHUP newcomers — the gritty veteran has been beyond a pleasant surprise. The compete level vs. The Globetrotters He scored twice on the last road trip and his 29 points (9-20) equal the career high he reached in Dallas in 2013-14 and 2015-16. Their warm-up music could be Sweet Georgia Brown because the Maple Leafs can display a dazzling and deadly balance of quick-strike scoring 4. No shooting gallery for Markstrom and depth, with the NHL’s second-ranked offence that is tops at even Goalies like a lot of shots to get in a rhythm. What Jacob Markstrom saw strength and seventh on the power play. on the last road trip was ridiculous. He faced 48 shots Sunday in Las The Leafs are coming off Monday’s 6-2 dousing of the Flames in Vegas and 45 Wednesday in Denver. Calgary, in which Tyler Ennis recorded his first hat trick to overshadow He was the only reason the Canucks were even in those games and the Mitch Marner becoming the first Leaf to hit the 80-point plateau since Phil one big takeaway from this season is those doubts about his ability to Kessel in 2013-14. handle the physical and mental strain of being a starter have even What does this all mean for the Canucks, who on Jan. 5 were blanked 5- erased with a .914 saves percentage. 0 in Toronto? After a 0-2-1 road trip dropped the club eight points below 5. How long until the Mix-Master? the wild-card playoff bar with five teams to pass — and the collective compete level called into question Sunday after an embarrassing 3-0 loss Green mixes his lines to try to find symmetry at even strength and even in Las Vegas in which the Golden Knights held a 48-19 shot advantage the pitiful power play. With the 27th-ranked offence and 29th-rated power — it’s look-in-the-mirror time. play, it might not take long to go away from starting lines tonight or even PP units. Part of it is necessity and part of that is to see who wants to If Minnesota, which lost 5-4 in a shootout Tuesday in Nashville and holds push the pace. the final wild-card spot with 72 points, goes a reachable 8-7 in its final 15 games to finish with 88 points, the Canucks would have to reel off a CANUCKS’ LINES ridiculous 13-3 run to get to 89. Their longest win streak is three and they reached it three times in 2018. All but mathematically eliminated from Forwards playoff contention for the fourth consecutive season, the mantra of meaningful games in March has become audition season for next fall. Tanner Pearson — Bo Horvat — Nikolay Goldobin FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Josh Leivo — Elias Pettersson — Brock Boeser 1. The Big Three requires big support Antoine Roussel — Adam Gaudette — Markus Granlund Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson are the future, but it’s the Loui Eriksson — Jay Beagle — Tyler Motte present that’s the problem. Defence Horvat has shouldered a massive load and three goals in his last nine Alex Edler — Troy Stecher games speaks to tenacity. But Boeser hasn’t scored in six and the two goals he managed in the past 10 games were off a fluttering release and Derrick Pouliot — Alex Biega a tap-in. And an increasingly frustrated Pettersson hasn’t scored in seven games and has one goal in his last 10. Ashton Sautner — Luke Schenn It speaks to time and space being taken away from the ultra-creative Goalies: Jacob Markstrom, Thatcher Demko Pettersson and how much the intensity has ramped up in the second half LEAFS’ LINES of the season. Pettersson has 26 goals, Horvat has 23 and Boeser 21. The drop-off is severe after The Big Three. The injured Jake Virtanen has Forwards 12 goals and a trio has but nine. As for Pettersson, adjusting to the toughest part of the season has been an eye-opener, but not one he isn’t Zach Hyman — John Tavares — Mitch Marner embracing. Andreas Johnsson — Auston Matthews — Kasperi Kapanen “The one thing about elite players is they figured it out — especially Patrick Marleau — William Nylander — Connor Brown young ones,” Travis Green said Wednesday morning about Pettersson. “He’s a smart kid and we’ve talked about when he’s struggling to Tyler Ennis — Nic Petan — Trevor Moore simplifying and playing a little more direct, but things just aren’t going right now. I’d like to see him shoot the puck at little bit more, but I don’t Defence want to take away his creativity. He’s an elite passer. He’ll be fine. He Morgan Reilly — Ron Hainsey seems fresh. It’s a grind, but he’ll find his way.” 2. Is something bugging Boeser? Jake Muzzin — Nikita Zaitsev It’s natural to assume a year after a back injury shut down his season — Martin Marincin — Igor Ozhiganov and a groin strain that morphed into an adductor irritation in November Goalies: Frederik Andersen, Garret Sparks sidelined the right-winger for 13 games — that it was going to have some effect this season. SICK BAY However, 10 goals in a 14-game spurt following the latest injury were Canucks: Ryan Spooner (groin, day-to-day), Ben Hutton (shot block, day- encouraging. Still, the stride doesn’t quite seem the same and his release to-day), Chris Tanev, (ankle, IR), Brandon Sutter (sports hernia, surgery), isn’t as heavy or accurate. Jake Virtanen (rib fracture, IR) Leafs: Nazem Kadri (concussion, day-to-day), Jake Gardiner (back, day- to-day), Travis Dermott (shoulder, day-to-day) SPECIAL TEAM POWER PLAY Canucks: 29th (15%) Leafs: 7th (22.7%) PENALTY KILL Canucks: 16th (80.2%) Leafs: 20th (79.9%) Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134701 Vancouver Canucks It was instructive, in fact, listening to Higgins talk about how he worked on his skating after he signed with the Habs, how he became an adept penalty-killer, how he learned the subtle art of the soft dump-in and Ed Willes: Devil is in the details when developing NHL players taking pucks cleanly off the boards. You know, the details. Ed Willes Higgins was never a star, but he was a productive player who enjoyed NHL paycheques and the NHL life for 12 seasons, and if it was that easy, more would do it. Canucks farm team has come under fire in recent months for failing to Every drafted player, of course, wants to become a star; but of the NHL’s produce NHL talent top 10 scorers, six were taken within the first three picks of the draft and 21 of the top 30 scorers were taken in the first 10. These are the chosen In an interesting bit of timing, Utica Comets GM Ryan Johnson found ones, the players whose talent and skill set allows them to be front-liners himself in Vancouver around the NHL trade deadline when the long- in the world’s best league. simmering frustration of Canucks fans erupted into something approaching mass outrage. But the vast majority of NHLers are worker bees, players who’ve studied their game and their situation and found a way. That’s what Higgins did The trigger point seemed to be the abrupt trading of Jonathan Dahlen, and it’s Johnson’s goal to turn a couple of the Comets into those kind of until recently considered a core piece in the NHL’s team rebuild but, in players. reality, the dissatisfaction with the Canucks’ development plan stretches farther back. The faithful believe they were promised results. They look at That’s how he’ll measure success. That would also be a massive boost a Canucks lineup with a substandard talent level and a Comets team for the Canucks. which has been unable to improve that lineup and feel the promise has been broken. “If you look at the younger players, the second-year guys, MacEwen, (defencemen Guillaume) Brisebois are continuing to develop,” Johnson The resulting anger spilled over to the public airwaves and Johnson said. “Our first-year guys have come a long way. It’s an overwhelming wants the faithful to know he feels their pain. But while he’s grateful for step. But our guys have continued to make good strides. the limitless offers of free advice he’s been given, he would point out that turning star juniors into NHL-ready players is a complicated process. “We have measurables we look at every month and if we don’t see it, we address it.” A complicated and tedious process. And if that sounds like detailed work, that’s the point. “Most of our players were 80-, 90-point guys in junior but they’re not going to be 80-, 90-point guys in the NHL,” Johnson said over the phone. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.07.2019 “So what are they going to be in the NHL? That’s something they have to figure out and something we have to help them with. “We have a very clear understanding of what it takes to play in the NHL. The details, the consistency, the play at both ends of the ice. We have to see the progression. If we’re not sharpening those details, we’re doing an injustice to the player.” LISTEN: In this week’s White Towel podcast, Ed Willes joins Paul Chapman to delve into the debate over Brock Boeser being a great young player or merely a good piece. The podcast also asks if Vancouver is a toxic market in light of Jonathan Dahlen deleting his social media accounts because of abuse from Canucks fans. Which is something Canucks fans don’t want to hear, but that’s the reality of the job in Utica. Somewhere between the failings of the parent club and the Comets’ inability to supply ready-made solutions, the Canucks’ AHL affiliate has come under fire over the last couple of months. The reasoning goes that Johnson and Comets head coach Trent Cull have been provided the raw material in prospects like Dahlen, Kole Lind and Jonah Gadjovich but there have been few signs of their progress. Comets forward Jonah Gadjovich (left) celebrates after scoring his second goal of the season. Lindsay Mogle / Utica Comets Yes, Zack MacEwen has had something of a breakout year in his second season as a pro, but Dahlen has now been traded for marginal prospect Linus Karlsson and Lind and Gadjovich, both second-rounders in the 2017-draft, have been healthy scratches throughout the year and both sit with just two goals. Canucks fans — at least the reasonable ones, and we’re here assuming there is such an animal — might not have expected huge seasons out of Lind and Gadjovich but they expected more than two goals by the first week of March. So what gives? “Kole Lind will be the first to tell you how hard this step is,” Johnson said. “We’re working consistently on the details of Kole’s game. He has to be first on the forecheck. He has to play the body. This is a normal first step. “He’s playing every night. The opportunity is there.” Now, all this might sound like a rationalization from Johnson but, as luck would have it, your agent was on a radio show with former Canucks winger Chris Higgins when this subject was brought up. Higgins was the Canadiens’ first-round pick, 14th overall, in 2002 and the ECAC player of the year when he turned pro. He then ground out a 711-game NHL career, not because of his prolific offensive production but because he found a way to stay relevant. 1134702 Vancouver Canucks

Canucks score three unanswered including winning goal in OT to stun Leafs

DARRYL DYCK/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Alex Edler scored 3:11 into overtime as the Vancouver Canucks rallied past the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Wednesday night. Vancouver was down 2-0 heading into the third period but battled back to force the extra time. It was the first time this season that Toronto has lost when leading after two periods. Loui Eriksson and Josh Leivo scored for the Canucks (28-30-9) in regulation, and Adam Gaudette had a pair of assists. Morgan Rielly and Ron Hainsey both had goals for the Leafs (41-21-5). Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom made 28 saves and Frederik Andersen stopped 29 for Toronto. The Leafs went into the contest having scored at least five goals in five of their last six games, all wins. The victory snaps a three-game losing skid for the Canucks, who are fighting to keep their dim playoff hopes alive. Toronto’s first of the night was a short-handed goal midway through the second period after Patrick Marleau was called for hooking. Canucks centre Markus Granlund turned over the puck high in Leafs territory, resulting in a two-on-one for Mitch Marner and Hainsey. Marner stayed patient as he streaked into the Canucks zone, waiting for the perfect opportunity to slide the puck underneath the out-stretched stick of Vancouver defenceman Troy Stecher. Hainsey took the pass on his tape and popped it behind Markstrom. Just 34 seconds later, Rielly added to Toronto’s lead. Defenceman Derrick Pouliout couldn’t clear the puck from behind the Vancouver net and John Tavares picked it off. He slid it up to Rielly at the face-off dot and sent a snapshot flying through Markstrom’s five-hole. The Canucks roared back early in the third, starting with a goal from Eriksson 1:21 into the period. It was the left-winger’s 10th goal of the season and his first point in 15 games. Two minutes later, the Leafs were called for having too many men on the ice, sending the Canucks to their third power play of the night. Nikolay Goldobin fed Leivo a cross-ice pass and the former Leaf put the puck past Andersen to tie the score at two. Vancouver has struggled with the man advantage recently, capitalizing on just 7.5 per cent of chances in their last 19 games. The Canucks are now off to Edmonton, where they’ll face the Oilers on Thursday. The Leafs will visit the Oilers on Saturday Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134703 Vancouver Canucks “If I’m in his shoes, sitting in the stands for two years and then coming here and scoring against your old team, a huge goal, a tying goal, I bet there’s no better feeling than that icing on the cake.” The Athletties: The Horvat thing, the save, Aquilini’s leadership and how It was some goal too, with Leivo ripping a pass Goldy sauced into his the Canucks get Jack Hughes (really) blades. LEIVO: “You have to take the pass however you can. I practise every By Jason Botchford little thing, including taking passes like that.” That commitment to practice is one of the things which has grabbed his teammates’ attention here with the Canucks. BEST INTERRUPTION HORVAT: “If you guys go out, you’ll see he’s always the first out in Bo Horvat cuts me off and I’m not even done asking my first question practice. He’s also always in the gym and working hard and trying to get about this game. better. “First of all,” he says, and he’s clearly amped to tell me what he’s got in “It’s showing because he’s playing well at both ends of the rink and store. scoring big goals.” “I love beating the Leafs.” Asked about that work ethic, Leivo said he learned it from watching how Patrick Marleau, Auston Matthews and John Tavares prepare He has that look in his eye too. themselves in Toronto. Your city feels you. BEST SIGN If you don’t want to see Horvat representing the Canucks playing in If Stecher can execute hits like this on Auston Matthews, Stecher can impactful moments in a consequential playoff game, you have no soul. play on a pairing with Quinn Hughes. In a game that felt like it could have been the Canucks last with meaning BEST SAVE this season, Horvat had seven shots on net and spent much of his evening in control of his matchup, which just happened to be a monster On the greatest hot streak of his career, Jacob Markstrom just made his line featuring two stars, John Tavares and Mitch Marner. signature save of the season. At the very least, it was a sign of things to come if the Canucks ever do The Canucks had tied the game at two when Marky pulled off a glove get good enough to play weighty games in the spring. save as dramatic as any I’ve ever seen from him. It was also a nod to what Horvat could do if the Canucks ever manage to It’s not just that he stoned a superstar by closing the backdoor, he did it get him a difference-making winger to play with because you can’t be a while tracking Hollywood North, Mitch Marner, who was freely dangling star in the NHL if you don’t play with one. through the slot. Tonight, Horvat’s wingers were Tanner Pearson and Nikolay Goldobin. MARKSTROM: “I was playing Marner really aggressively. Unfortunately, much work has to be done, both to get the Canucks into a “It’s tough when he comes down on you with that speed and then he position where big games really matter and to get Horvat a winger who pulls up and goes sideways. can help take him to another level. “I had to stop my momentum and go backwards. You know, so passes like this Horvat between-the-legs dish with Justin Holl unable to move him, don’t go wasted. “If the puck goes behind me like it’s really tough so I just tried to reach back and cover the ice first and build with my glove.” HORVAT: “One of my dad’s buddies chirped me today on the phone and he said ‘Watch out for my Leafs.’ BEST LAMENT “I said ‘We’ll see.’ I’d take Kapanen for Tanev now, thanks. “It feels great to get that win.” SO CLOSE Being from the London area, Horvat said he mostly watched junior Earlier this season, this is a goal. hockey growing up but “If I had to pick a team, it would be Detroit. BEST MAKES YOU THINK “I was definitely not (a Leafs fan). Jason Botchford

“I’m really a fan of whatever team I play for.” ✔ The Canucks lowest point of the season until now was Sunday’s pathetic @botchford performance in Vegas. · 7h How did the could-be captain rebound from it in this game against Toronto? this is the game for pettersson-horvat-boeser Like this: Ryan Little BEST FEELING @rLittle67 Josh Leivo didn’t hear the “Go Leivo” chants that circled around the I don't think Green likes offense. Reid Boucher is having a career and Rogers Arena lower bowl for breath or two franchise record breaking season. Can't think he is any worse than half these guys. “Too bad, because that would have been cool,” he said. 2 “What really fired me up was getting the win. 3:44 AM - Mar 7, 2019 “There was a couple chirps out there, a couple of cross-checks and some sticks in my feet.” Twitter Ads info and privacy None of it really fazed the former Leaf who spent much of his Toronto See Ryan Little's other Tweets career a healthy scratch because Mike Babcock didn’t have much use for him. BEST IMAGINE “He said it was hard, and obviously it’s got to be hard not playing and Jason Botchford watching your teammates succeed,” Horvat said. ✔ “He’s got a chance here and he’s definitely proven himself. @botchford · 5h i didn't think it possible but the Cancuks have legit managed to make @MikeMartignago their power play worse Lol. Francesco the #lyft Max 34 @Maxsch121 4:31 AM - Mar 7, 2019 imagine if the pens powerplay is struggling and your solution is to split up crosby and malkin to make them play on separate units with grinders See Mikey Martignago's other Tweets instead of each other. Twitter Ads info and privacy 6:05 AM - Mar 7, 2019 BEST REQUEST Twitter Ads info and privacy Shane🏳️ See Max's other Tweets @SocialAssassin2 BEST HOLY ISH MOMENT Can someone screenshot mirtle’s tweet that everyone is retweeting? Damn, he’s right. 3:06 AM - Mar 7, 2019 Jeff Paterson Twitter Ads info and privacy ✔ See Shane🏳️'s other Tweets @patersonjeff BEST CANT ARGUE THIS ONE · 5h James Mirtle with win, Markstrom moves into T-5 on #Canucks all-time wins list ✔ Mike Yehia @mirtle @MikeYehia · 7h He also tied Brandon Sutter in assists on the season @botchford We've got some Leafs Suck chants here in Vancouver. 16 *looks at standings* 5:10 AM - Mar 7, 2019 Derrick Jenkins Twitter Ads info and privacy @dmjenkins39 See Mike Yehia's other Tweets Zaitzev sucks that's one thing that is certain! BEST THAT TIME 3:06 AM - Mar 7, 2019 That time the Leafs had five skaters on the ice while they were shorthanded and the player who jumped on early created the turnover Twitter Ads info and privacy that led directly to Toronto’s first goal. See Derrick Jenkins's other Tweets The screen grab: BEST SELF DEPRECATION The play: BEST EXPLANATION BEST TRIBUTE WORST CHIRP View image on Twitter Cringe. View image on Twitter BEST CHIRP Sean zukewich Mike Johnson @zuke31 @MJVanCity @botchford just for your pleasure. Leafs fans rattled that Hughson has the audacity to actually talk about 5:07 AM - Mar 7, 2019 both Canadian teams on a national broadcast. Isn’t it past their bedtime? @botchford See Sean zukewich's other Tweets Brown Guy Twitter Ads info and privacy @devenp BEST CATCH So far goldobin is talented and pettersson is beautiful, according to View image on Twitter Hughson.... It's gonna be a long night. #Leafsforever View image on Twitter 117 Powerz 2:54 AM - Mar 7, 2019 @MikePowerz Twitter Ads info and privacy @botchford not the best shot I was laughing to hard made my hand See Mike Johnson's other Tweets shake 3-2 Canucks beat leafs BEST COMPROMISE 5:47 AM - Mar 7, 2019 BEST IDEA See Powerz's other Tweets I’m all about getting drunk on Biega but at this point, shouldn’t it be Twitter Ads info and privacy “Shotgun for any Canucks goals?” BEST STORY Wayne O Embedded video @WaynesPlanet Mikey Martignago @JasonBroughTSN there should be a shotgun Biega option while JAKE is hurt 1 and get to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, have often been used as scapegoats but the haul the Canucks got from that veteran group was 3:18 AM - Mar 7, 2019 · Abbotsford, British Columbia surprisingly substantial. Twitter Ads info and privacy It could have been more too and would have been better utilized if the See Wayne O's other Tweets team was motivated to tear it down and commit to a rebuild but there’s a lot here. BEST OMG This part is on the owners as much as it is the managers. This is kinda mind-blowing. Bieksa – second-round pick which was moved for Sutter BEST NARRATIVE Garrison – second-round pick which was moved for Vey Stephen King Kesler – package of third pair D, a 3L C and a first-round pick. The first- @stephenVking round pick became McCann and he was moved for Gudbranson @botchford on the plus side, Boeser’s next contract shouldn’t be as Alex Burrows – moved for a B-level prospect expensive for the Canucks as once feared. Hansen – moved for a B-level prospect 3:33 AM - Mar 7, 2019 · San Francisco, CA Prime Chris Tanev – never traded but he was worth a lot back then Twitter Ads info and privacy Dan Hamhuis – never traded, NTC used as reason, though he did waive See Stephen King's other Tweets it in the end I see this increasingly around Vancouver and have even seen it Prime Alex Edler – never traded, NTC used as reason and team always suggested Boeser is the next Michael Ryder, willingly dismissing the fact wanted him back Ryder had zero NHL goals before he was 23 and Boeser just turned 22. Sedins – retired, not moved This is Boeser compared to some of the biggest stars in their two seasons before signing their long-term contracts. Kassian – traded for Prust Spoiler alert, Boeser outpaces them all. Lack – traded for a third BEST CALL OUT Higgins – had 39 points during the Torts year but the Canucks held on to him Francesco Aquilini Richardson and Matthias – held on to both though there were ✔ opportunities to trade each of them @fr_aquilini A second was moved for Baertschi Re comments I get, like “Trade so-and-so” or “Bench that guy.” I don’t Bonino, who could have moved for futures, was traded for Sutter make hockey decisions. My job is to provide Jim and Travis and their A second was moved for Gudbranson group with the resources they need to build a competitive team over the long term. I am reminded of all of this now because there is noise that Canucks owners are doing an audit on some of the moves which have been made 705 in the past five years. 8:11 PM - Feb 26, 2019 If so, just stop. Twitter Ads info and privacy Stop looking back, because it’s an aggressively defensive style of 232 people are talking about this leadership, and instead commit to a long-term project of leading the Canucks hockey team out of the situation it’s in. Vancouver is among the most important franchises in the NHL. The Computer Boys were on the job for only a few months in Florida but This is a grand, diverse, wealthy Canadian city with a fan base which, spent much of their summer at the wheel figuring out how to trade Dave despite cheering for a team with the fewest points in the league for the Bolland’s millstone $5.5-million-per-year contract. They pulled it off in past four seasons, continues to fill seats, buy gear and fuel engines August, getting valuable futures in return while 80-90 percent of the NHL which drive several media outlets, including this one and two all-sports had their toes dipped in lake water by the cottage. radio stations and they are all dedicated, essentially, to one hockey club. Instead of auditing history, how about the Canucks work on something On some level, I see the point Francesco is making that the notoriously similar with Eriksson who is more valuable, and cheaper, now than hands-on, micromanaging owners have let Jim-John do what Jim-John Bolland was then and hey, he just scored. thinks needs to be done. Swing hard to hit home runs. Good, smart leaders chase majestic, But, with all due respect, your job as owners of the Canucks is to provide moonshots without being so overconfident they take on senseless risks. this adoring, vast NHL market with a team of people who will make the very best hockey decisions for what is ultimately the city of Vancouver’s Kyle Dubas was the interim general manager for a couple of months hockey team. before the Leafs traded Phil Kessel, a move which he was roasted for at the time because he apparently didn’t get enough back, not unlike the Any team failures are on you as much as the successes. And so is every reaction from the national media to the Computer Boys after the decision the group of people you hire make. Gudbranson-to-Vancouver trade. The guy at the top doesn’t get to wash his hands of it all because the guy In return, the Leafs got a 19-year-old Kasperi Kapanen knowing they at top never does the tangible hands-on, day-to-day work. weren’t going to get a payout from him for many years. If your company is building a condo and your concrete crew blows it so Oh, and a first-round pick. horribly part of the building collapses, the owner sure as hell is responsible. Four years later, the deal looks brilliant. Kapanen is a blazing, young, productive forward with huge potential and the first-round pick helped get The best leaders are accountable. The best leaders look forward and put the Leafs Frederik Andersen who is currently a favourite to be a Vezina together teams of decision makers who can create the most effective finalist. solutions rather than looking back to assign blame, rationalizing things like this regime’s lack of bias for action. In Toronto, Dubas hired a large analytics staff and now has two of the sharpest cap minds working alongside him in his front office. (A bias for action really means your default state is instinctually opting for action over inaction whenever a choice presents itself so you actually The Canucks front office has discounted the importance of analytics — have to talk yourself into doing nothing). Bruins didn’t need any of that stuff — and ushered out two of their front office executives in a three-year span because the pair of them didn’t For the last half of a decade, a group of really good players and their agree with some of the franchise-altering decisions being made and it contracts, which allowed the Canucks to win two Presidents’ Trophies lopped off the team’s brainpower at the top. Dubas, and the Computer Boys, rarely focused financial resources on which would be added to this year’s first Canucks pick and also a 2021 fringe roster players and instead committed to big picture signings, like first-round pick. Tavares and Barkov, while looking for value and upside on the lower end of the salary . It would be essential the Canucks don’t move an unprotected 2020 first- round pick because, lord knows, there’s every chance they will be back The Computer Boys uncovered Marchessault, meanwhile Dubas has right here and in the lottery next spring. Tyler Ennis on his fourth line and he has 12 goals in 40 games. Making a move of this significance takes a lot of planning and, yes, The Canucks keep prioritizing bottom of the roster players and find forward-thinking leadership and, yes, a bias of action. themselves spending $12 million on a fourth-line centre. It’s moves like that one which eat up valuable cap space — and I’ll explain soon why Stop arguing about past moves. Stop re-adjudicating the Kesler trade. that is so important — while wasting substantial time and effort on roster Start figuring out how this thing is going to move forward and who can holes which could be filled just as effectively if they treated these spots get it done. like afterthoughts. Lead. In five years there hasn’t been any market pressure on the Canucks to Now, I ask you, can Jim-John pull off something like this on their own? “win now,” but they’ve never done anything innovative with cap space and instead followed Hockey Men into the trap of overpaying aging Can they make the types of moves this offseason that will get this veterans like Eriksson. organization on a path to being a contender? Dubas and his crew will be working to sign their core and we’ll see how it I’m not sure. unfolds but they’ve already put together an intriguing cap plan for Nylander and found a way to manage Matthews. I just don’t want to hear they were shocked when they were turned down after offering a package of Sutter, a second and the 2019 first. The Computer Boys, in their few months of power in Florida, locked up their young core long term and came within an eyelash of signing BEST STORY Kucherov to a $7.5-million offer sheet. The NHL can be cruel and fickle at times. In the end, this is five years after Linden was hired and the players who It can also be amazing. were on the roster when he took the job (Horvat, Markstrom, Edler, Tanev and Hutton) have been worth 6.7 wins based on a WAR model One moment, Laurence Gilman is a major part of a Batman-and-Robin — this season. or is it Gilly and Gil — front office and is one of the essential architects of what was the best team in the hockey. The rest of the players, who were all acquired in the Linden-and-Jim- John era, have accounted for 3.9 wins total this year on that same WAR The next, it seemed, he was squeezed out of the league and no one was model. clear how, or even if, he was going to get back in. It doesn’t seem like a good ratio. Just a year ago, Gilman had to have been wondering himself. BEST TAKE He had accepted a job to be the next commissioner of the ECHL. What follows could be the most important take of the season. The last of his paperwork, which had been expedited, was being finalized when, on May 11 he watched from home as Dubas gave his first press Multiple people have reached out to tip me that the player Francesco conference following the announcement that he would be the next Maple Aquilini really wants most this offseason is Jack Hughes. Leafs general manager. Sure, Aquilini and 30 other owners. Right? During his media availability, Dubas displayed deference for the Hockey But Hughes in Vancouver is different because he is not only an elite, Man he was replacing, Lou Lamoriello, and somehow successfully game-changing prospect, he’s also a lottery-winning ticket for Canucks trumpeted Mike Babcock as a guy with an open mind who had an marketing if he’s playing on the same team as his brother Quinn. eagerness to consider new ideas. This is the type of player addition dreams are made of and it wouldn’t (Really?) surprise me at all to hear more and more talk during the next few months It was a commanding tour de force for a 32-year-old, new age manager that the Canucks will do what it takes to try and trade for him if they do who was taking over a heritage brand in a league which generally loathes not win the NHL’s draft lottery. change and marginalizes smart people who haven’t, you know, played Now, here’s the part I need Aquilini to read, it’s entirely possible for the the game. (ugh) Canucks to pull this off. I’m not entirely sure what twigged Gilman the most that day. Maybe he It will be complicated and the chances of doing it go up exponentially the could relate but what do I know. Struck by the way Dubas handled more the Canucks lose down the stretch and the higher their own first- himself and motivated by nothing but thoughtfulness, Gilman reached round pick is at the draft. out, sending a simple but considerate text to Dubas to let him know he was impressed. The pair had met before and knew of each other but they If the Canucks get the No. 2 slot, this becomes plausible and some real really didn’t know one another. fun could begin if the Canucks are drafting in the 3-to-5 range. What happened next is the amazing part. From someone in the NHL: Possibly realizing he could use the help, Dubas immediately got an idea “It’s easily doable actually (if the Canucks are in the top five). to hire Gilman from this one text and two weeks later LG was announced as an AGM in the Leafs front office, but not before he asked and the “But impossible for this group and with the current asset mix. ECHL graciously freed him from his commitment to that league. “Only way it works is to harvest a boatload of assets league-wide by Funny world, this. making deals, taking on cap space and retaining and acting as a middle man and doing every little thing you can until you have such a stockpile BEST SPEECH so big they have to think about it.” I’m asked all the time if Gilman would ever consider coming back to the These are the types of moves it would take to get the Canucks closer to Canucks. the type of asset haul it would cost to buy the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. My gut says no, but people change and so do circumstances. Vancouver Trade Stecher (and this kills me) and take on a bad expiring contract to is home, he’s a Canadian and there are a finite number of these jobs. get two second-round draft picks back. Plus the best stories are always the ones about comebacks and Trade Markstrom for a second. redemption and righting wrongs. Trade Virtanen for a second. Oh, and I can’t resist any of this because someone sent me a speech from Aquilini’s future where he announces Gilman and in so doing Trade Madden and Gaudette together for one pick. basically becomes immortal in the city of Vancouver. Do moves like this, and find others using available caps space as a ::Francesco calls a presser:: weapon — see why the Beagle contract matters? — until you have enough assets to move up with a pile of second- and third-round picks “Winning is hard. That’s why it’s so great,” Future Aqua starts. “To win you need to constantly be learning. I’ve grown as an owner because that’s my duty to you as fans. “I’ve learned we need an innovative and realistic approach to building this team. “It’s why I’m hiring someone who helped get us there before — and given him the ability to hire the smartest and most progressive men and women in the game. “Now buy some fucking tickets because we’re taking Jack Hughes” The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134704 Websites “She is the one, when things are going crazy in the house, she’s just sits there and is like ‘OK everyone just get a grip here,’” her father said with a laugh. “She’s just very chill, very laid back, and she loves to shop … I The Athletic / ‘She will try to rip your heart out:’ Meet Sarah Nurse, mean the woman loves her shoes.” Canada’s next major star Jackie Crum, an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin, where Nurse played college hockey, could tell when Nurse was most focused: “If she was singing Beyoncé before a game, you know she’s going to By Hailey Salvian Mar 6, 2019 have a good game.” The Furies took Nurse second overall in the CWHL draft last year, and she rewarded them by finishing second in the rookie scoring race. She Roger Nurse was watching his only daughter play hockey when he heard averaged a point per game with the Furies, with 14 goals and 12 assists the voice. It was from another father in the stands during a youth game in in 26 games this season. (Victoria Bach led the way with 32 points for the Hamilton, Ont., about a decade ago, and the father appeared to be Markham Thunder.) scolding his son for “letting a girl beat him.” Nurse still lives at home with her parents and two brothers. They do not Nurse’s daughter, Sarah, was only 11 years old, but the frustrated father compare statistics there. made her the focus of his ire. It seemed to take root, too. When the teams met again, the little boy was far more belligerent around her. “We compete, day in and day out for our sports, so when we get together it’s just about celebrating each other and talking about normal things,” “She was taking a bit of abuse out there,” Roger Nurse said. “At one she said. “I have a little cousin in Houston, and she did an ice dancing point, the boy came after her and she leaned into him, dropped her competition and got a participation trophy. And we were like ‘yes! That’s shoulder on him, picked up the puck and went in and scored.” amazing!’” He said it was only one of the three goals she ended up scoring that day. Her specific brand of calm can help at home. When Isaac was stuck in an early-season slump with the Bulldogs, their father was busying searching “She was kind of like ‘Oh you are going to treat me like this?’ her father for a solution. Roger Nurse could not stop thinking about things to say or said with a laugh. ‘Well I’m going to light you up!’” do to get his son back on track. Nurse is from one of the most impressive families in Canadian sports. His daughter had an idea: Don’t do anything. Leave him alone. Slumps Her cousin Kia is on the national basketball team and a rising star in the don’t last forever. WNBA. Her cousin Darnell is a defenceman with the Edmonton Oilers. Her uncle Richard made a name for himself in the CFL, and her aunt “She’s just sensible,” said Roger. “She’s that voice of reason telling me Cathy played basketball at McMaster University. Donovan McNabb is ‘you got to calm down because you’re going to give yourself a heart another uncle, and a former NFL quarterback. Her brother, Isaac, is a attack going crazy like that.’” forward with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the OHL. Furies general manager Sami Jo Small said Nurse drifts easily through And none of that lineage guaranteed her a smooth path into professional dressing room, socializing with teammates in every corner. She also sports. There were the fathers who rooted against her in minor hockey, suggested it was folly to confuse the amiable, cool veneer with the and there were the rejections later on, when the national team kept her substance just beneath the surface. off a world championship team as she was getting ready to graduate university. Nurse jumped onto the team’s first line with Olympic veteran Natalie Spooner this season. She finished in the top-10 among CWHL scorers, Now, Nurse is a star. She is a 24-year-old with an Olympic silver medal and she helped the Furies qualify for post-season play for the first time in and a lethal shot that has lifted her onto the top line with the Toronto three years. Furies. She broke the franchise rookie scoring record and, on the final day of the regular season, she scored the first goal in a must-win game “When I think of people with ice in their veins,” said Small, “they don’t that sent the Furies into the playoffs. have the emotional fortitude that Sarah has.” As the Furies prepare to face the first-place Calgary Inferno in the Sportsnet hockey analyst Elliotte Friedman interviewed Nurse during a Clarkson Cup semifinal this week, the 11-year-old girl who humbled an weeknight broadcast in January, then talked about it his 31 Thoughts angry hockey dad is poised to drop her shoulder on a much larger stage. podcast with Jeff Marek. Nurse has arrived as an elite player, and some around the game believe she could turn into nothing less than a transformative face for hockey in “She is a really nice girl and I thought she was really good in her Canada. segment,” he said. “But you give her something to compete in and she will try to rip your heart out.” “We need players like her,” said Canadian mainstay Meghan Agosta. “There is no doubt in my mind that Sarah Nurse has a really bright future Some paths to the national team follow a straighter line than others. with Hockey Canada for a really long time.” Marie-Philip Poulin, for example, went straight from her two years on the under-18 team to the senior national team. She played for the big Nurse was angry. Well, mock-angry, anyway. Canadian team at the 2009 world championships and, by 2010, was ready for her debut on the Olympic stage. It was a Wednesday morning in November, and she was sitting inside FirstOntario Centre, in Hamilton, to watch her brother play an early Nurse was cut from her first U18 team. She made it on the second try, matinee. Conversations about Nurse inevitably tend to drift to talk of her but then didn’t get invited to try-out for her first development team. In her family: “I’ve always been ‘daughter of … niece of …’ kind of thing.” senior season at Wisconsin she was left off all four senior national team rosters including the world championships. It was then she started to She dialed up the mock anger in her voice. think about moving on from hockey and finding a job when she graduated. “So many people just assume we are all brother and sister like Kia and Darnell,” she said. “Like you should know this by now! You ask us so She held off on finding an office job, and now she has been on every much.” event roster since the Olympics and will likely be on the world championship team bound for Finland in April. They were cousins. Isaac was her brother, and he was down on the ice playing the Barrie Colts at 10:30 a.m., with thousands of schoolchildren As Crum, her old university coach said: “I think If you didn’t know having been bused in to scream from the seats above the ice. Sarah and anything about hockey and walked into the rink and you sat down, you Isaac were not the only athletes in their household — Roger, their father, would immediately be like ‘who is that number 16 out there?’” was a national-level lacrosse player in his youth. Nurse has an explosively fast skating stride. Furies coach Courtney For the product of a successful family filled with hyper-competitive Birchard-Kessel often finds a way to combine that speed with her ability athletes, Sarah Nurse comes across as remarkably easygoing. She sat to read the play in the offensive zone. She said Nurse could be the third in the stands with her phone tucked inside a team-issue Canadian jacket, forward across the blue line, but all of the sudden, the puck is on her where it remained, ignored, for most of the morning. She watched intently stick and on its way to the back of the net. when her brother was on the ice, but she also giggled during breaks in play when the video board filled with Images of happily dancing children. With four game-winning goals in 26 appearances, Nurse has also developed a reputation with her shot, which she releases quickly. She is “When I asked my brother for a ticket today, he said, ‘uh Sarah you know smooth with the puck, but also willing to be physical. The versatility has it’s a school day game right?’” she said with another giggle. “I had no made her invaluable with the Furies. idea.” “She can play on the power play, she can play on the penalty kill,” said Agosta. “And I think with a little more experience and a little more development she is going to be so dominant for Canada.” At the club level, Birchard-Kessel, said: “She’s been our horse the whole year.” Roger Nurse was watching his only daughter play hockey when he heard another voice. She was still in university, when Wisconsin was competing at a tournament in San Jose, Calif., which had been an NHL market for a quarter-century before Sarah Nurse arrived. This time, rather than an angry father, his daughter had drawn the attention of a fan. A young girl. She had always wanted to play hockey, and now she was watching Nurse, a biracial university star. “When she saw Sarah, it kind of made her think that it’s OK for a girl of colour to play,” Roger Nurse said. “She roots for Canada now because of Sarah.” Angela James, a member of Canadian hockey royalty, believes Nurse has the potential to reach out to new fans across Canada, as well. James was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010, after her pioneering career on the ice when women first competed for a world championship, and she suggested Nurse would “definitely will be a role model for young girls of colour.” “I always kind of go back to the old cabbage patch dolls analogy,” said James. “All the black cabbage patch dolls were left on the shelves and everything else was sold out. But when I went shopping, I went shopping for the black one because that’s who I identify with.” “And you need role models who you can identify with and so I think it’s important that Sarah is looked at as a role model and people identify with Sarah. It makes kids think ‘OK I can be there too because Sarah is there, and Sarah is like me.’” Small said the team sells plenty of Nurse-branded shirts. On social media, when the team is losing, she said their Twitter feed is filled with tweets urging the Furies to “put Sarah back out there, because she will put the puck in the net.” Along with Spooner and Renata Fast, Nurse is one of the three pillars upon which the Furies have tried to build a marketing plan. They have appeared in marketing campaigns and appear at events such as adult skating clinics, panel talks and surprise appearances at youth hockey practices. There is a challenge: There is not a lot of money for marketing in the CWHL. Katrina Galas, the director of business operations for the Furies, said the team did a photo shoot with the three Olympians before practice one day early in the season. They have relied on the material from that shoot for the entire year. “It can be hard,” Galas said. Galas said her dream would be to see a campaign in affiliated with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which is already a corporate partner. (She would also love to work with Toronto Tourism, or the City of Toronto.) “How amazing would it be to see Sarah within a campaign that is driven by Toronto hockey as a whole?” Galas asked. “You’re going to get the Leafs, you’re going to get the Marlies, you’ll get the Furies and it really would show everyone in this market together.” Until then, Nurse and the Furies are left on their own. Nurse, luckily, is engaging and presents well to the media, as she did while on a press tour for the CWHL All-Star Game in January. The All-Star Game was hosted in partnership with the Maple Leafs and held at Scotiabank Arena. Hundreds of kids and girls’ minor hockey teams crowded the stands with signs made up for their idols like Poulin and Nurse. Nurse said playing at the home rink of her childhood favourite team was “surreal,” but also showcased how the game is growing. Nurse grew up as a Leafs fan, an hour down the highway in Hamilton. And now, with the Furies in the playoffs, she will have the chance to put her name on the city’s professional hockey marquee. “Growing up so many kids in Ontario look up to the Leafs,” she said. “Now I want to be able to be that for little girls in Ontario who look up to (our team) and want to play for the Toronto Furies one day.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134705 Websites “If you think about this from a cognitive perspective for young kids, the more they can learn authentically to move, crawl, kick, get up, throw, catch, skate, the better,” Donskov said. “If you think of the brain as a big The Athletic / Hold on! Right shot? Left? What decides which way hockey computer, (that means) they end up having a lot more movement to players shoot? choose from.” USA Hockey also espouses player preference. Alison Lukan Mar 6, 2019 “We’ve said if you were to lay a broomstick down in front of a kid and say ‘pick it up with one hand,’ obviously there is no curve, what hand do they pick it up with?” said Ken Martel, technical director of USA Hockey’s American Development Model. “If the child picks it up with their right The universe has a funny way of conspiring to let you know when you’re hand, then they’re probably left-handed (stick-wise).” wrong, and quite frankly, I should have seen this one coming. But even with everyone preaching the same method for handedness, It started with a text: “Where is the player’s dominant hand on a stick?” McCudden has noticed a tendency for kids from the United States to play Without hesitation, I responded, “on the bottom … the hand on the shaft.” right. In a recent peewee clinic run by the Jackets’ coaches, 12 of 15 players were right-handed. Fast forward a few weeks. As media gathered before a Blue Jackets practice, we got to looking at a player’s stick and discussing how it’s held. That kind of skew isn’t a surprise to Martel. I again offered what I thought to be the answer. “We’re the only country, if you look at stick sales, that sells more right- It wasn’t until a couple of days later, while chatting with a former All- handed sticks than left-handed by quite a bit, it’s about 60 percent right, American, that I teased her about being a lefty and she said, “Well, I’m 40 percent left,” Martel said. “Our unscientific take is that when a new right-handed! Your dominant hand goes on top of the stick.” family goes to a hockey shop here in the U.S., sometimes they don’t have much experience (with the game) and when asked ‘what hand is Oh. your child?’ most parents answer ‘right-handed, he writes with his right My paradigm of how I thought one was to hold a stick started to crumble. hand,’ and they give him a right-handed stick.” So the next day, after a quick review of the Jackets’ stick rack, I set out to In part because of that, USA Hockey advises children to play with their find the truth. dominant hand on top of the stick. It’s about educating families and players who are new to the sport. But that’s not a hard and fast rule. USA First up, Boone Jenner. A left-handed shot. What hand is on the top of Hockey doesn’t have their coaches intervene to switch handedness for a his stick? His right. What hand does he write with? His right. Not in line player. with what I had thought! “From a USA Hockey perspective, the recommendation is dominant hand Undeterred, down the row of lockers I went. On to Brandon Dubinsky, at the top of the stick,” Martel said. “But if a child picks up the stick a another lefty. different way, it’s always what the child prefers. Whatever they feel comfortable with, is fine by us.” How do you sign your name, Brandon? Bucking the trend, finding the skill? “With my right hand, I’m a natural lefty.” Matt Duchene is among the players who place their dominant hand at the I’ve been so wrong. top of their stick, (Duchene writes with his right hand and shoots left). But Dubinsky, thankfully, kept talking. For him, there is no “rule” to how a And when it comes to how to hold a stick, he’s also in favor of preference player should hold a stick, It should come down to comfort. With two of over “rule,” but one of the newest Jackets also sees an interesting trend his three sons starting to play around with sticks, Dubinsky is going to let in players whose dominant hand sits within the range of a stick’s flex each one choose his handedness. versus at the top. “As a kid, you don’t know what your dominant hand is, you just do “There are more left-handed shots than right-handed shots because (so whichever is more comfortable,” Dubinsky said. “I bought a couple many players) are right-hand dominant (and play with that hand at the (sticks) a righty and a lefty and whatever he feels comfortable to play with top of the stick),” Duchene said. “But the guys that do shoot right are to start — and he could turn into the other — whatever the kids feel more better shooters because their dominant hand is on the power part of their comfortable with is what we should use.” stick. Lefties are usually better stickhandlers and better passers.” Hope renewed, I seek out Cam Atkinson, a multi-season 20-plus goal The idea intrigues Donskov, who says while he isn’t aware of any scorer. scientific data to support such a theory, he wouldn’t doubt it. He’s read studies that show dominance in one leg over another can dictate which Cam, what hand do you write with? direction you feel more comfortable stopping on the ice, so it’s possible that having your dominant hand low could give you extra torque on your “My right.” stick thus, increasing shooting velocity. So your left (non-dominant) hand is on the top of your stick? Having a dominant hand low is a concept that has also intrigued Paul “Yep.” Caufield. A right-hand dominant right-handed shot, Caufield played four years at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (Division III) and still While I was probably far more enthusiastic than anyone should be upon holds the career scoring title (126-128-254) for the program. It was during learning someone’s dominant hand, I knew now there was a question to his playing days that a man asked, “How do you score so many goals?” be answered: Is there any right way to hold a stick? Now the coach for Team Wisconsin’s U16s and rink manager in Stevens The ABCs and USAs of picking a stick Point, Caufield remains intrigued with finding the answer to that question from years ago. “I’m a firm believer in that, whichever way you pick up (a stick) when you’re 5 and you’re swinging at a street hockey ball, that is the way you His passion project has led him to explore theories surrounding goal handle a stick,” said Blue Jackets skills coach Kenny McCudden. scorers being predominantly right-handed shooters. He’s dug into ideas such as playing with your dominant hand low, bringing your dominant eye “My dominant hand is my right for writing, but I’m a left (shot). So (my even a few inches closer to your hand allowing for better focus; and dominant hand) is at the top of the stick. But thousands and thousands of having your dominant hand low on a stick allows a player to have more others do it the other way.” coordination and be quicker in his release. Anthony Donskov agrees. Currently the strength and conditioning “I looked at a lot of goal scorers and they are right-handed,” Caufield director at Donskov Hockey Development and pursuing his doctorate in said. “Most goalies catch left-hand, and you can score straight ahead, not physiology and biomechanics, he suggests that giving a child a stick with across your body.” a flat blade and letting them experiment is the proper path to determining handedness. Are right shots better goal scorers? Much like Atkinson, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Josh Anderson both write and shoot right. While you might take time down the road to correct grip or hand placement, as hockey is a late-specialization sport (meaning it’s not But Caufield’s theory still isn’t without fault. routinized or strict in technique), Donskov said the more a child can explore how they prefer to hold their stick the better. When his first son, Brock, was born, he showed to be right-hand dominant; so Caufield put a right-handed stick in his mitts. Brock put up 18 goals and 40 points in 2017-18 playing with the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL), and now in his first year at University of Wisconsin has six goals and five assists through 34 games. But Caufield’s second son, Cole, who ranks 15th among NHL Central Scouting’s North American skaters, is left-hand dominant but shoots right. Currently with the U.S. National U18 team, Cole has a 43-22-65 stat line in 47 games. “Cole’s a goals scorer but his dominant hand is on top so he kind of defeats my purpose,” Paul laughs. “He blew (my theory) out of the water. There’s always an exception to the rule.” Strength at the top There’s another wrinkle to holding a stick that Markus Hannikainen — also a natural lefty — brings into focus. “No matter what, the top hand is stronger,” Hannikainen said. Do you mean grip? Overall control? “Yes, hand strength,” the Finn responds. “Because you always do stuff with one hand. You forecheck or you try to poke, you always have the stick in your top hand. Your bottom hand does not do as much work as your top hand. When you’re stickhandling, your bottom hand isn’t doing a lot. Your top hand is the ‘stronger’ one that is doing the motion.” This is also part of what guides USA Hockey’s recommendation. “Our feeling is in you do a lot with one hand on your stick,” Martel said. “Having that dexterity to be able to do that when you’re young and just getting started, may allow players to be more successful.” This is particularly relevant to defensemen who do so much one-handed. It’s worth mentioning that of the Jackets blueliners we talked to (Seth Jones, David Savard, Zach Werenski), each plays with his dominant hand at the top of his stick. But at the end of the day, it all seems to come down to what makes sense for the individual player, regardless of level, and even regardless of sport. Jones has the hand he writes with (left) at the top of his stick, but when it comes to handedness and sports, he’s “all over the place.” “It just depends,” Jones said. “I play golf right, baseball right, tennis left. Write left. Throw a ball left. “I think it should just be natural. I think if you have a kid and he picks up a stick and holds it like that, most likely that’s the way he wants to play. That’s what I’ll eventually end up doing. Same as with anything.” The Athletic LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134706 Websites because of the time I missed, so I don’t know how that will add up to the same thing. Try to get a little rest in and get Sparksy in there as well. Keep him sharp.” Sportsnet.ca / Leafs moving on from fan-favourite 4th line as search for In Vancouver, the Leafs weren’t quite sharp enough. They had a slow balance continues start, then roared ahead 2-0 and took two third-period penalties to open the door just enough. Chris Johnston | March 7, 2019, 1:55 AM They certainly didn’t overwhelm a weaker opponent. And so the experiment continues. VANCOUVER — The five-foot-nine line is dead almost as quickly as it Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.07.2019 began. In fact, Mike Babcock went so far as to say the decision to unite skilled waterbugs Trevor Moore, Tyler Ennis and Nic Petan limited his ability to properly manage the Toronto Maple Leafs bench during Wednesday’s 3- 2 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks. “I couldn’t use it as much in D-zone, you know what I mean?” said Babcock, after replacing trusted six-foot-five centre Frederik Gauthier with the five-nine Petan on his fourth line. “Everybody loves players, that’s great, but you’ve got to be able to use lines and everyone’s got to have a role and someone’s got to penalty-kill and someone’s got to be able to take faceoffs. So I didn’t think I gave our team, with that lineup, as good an opportunity as I might have wanted.” We’ve reached the experimental portion of this Leafs season and you can understand the coach’s inclination to continue tinkering after the first blown third period lead all year. Against the 25th-place Canucks, no less, who rebounded from a woeful performance in Las Vegas and injected some life inside Rogers Arena. Mere minutes after Alex Edler’s overtime winner, Babcock had already announced that Igor Ozhiganov would replace Justin Holl on his third defensive pairing in Edmonton on Saturday night. The creation of a Moore-Petan-Ennis line was greeted with fanfare because it offered a departure from what NHL teams typically roll out for their fourth unit. It’s a Kyle Dubas creation and it enjoyed some moments against the Canucks — drawing one of two penalties on the evening and creating the only scoring chance that occurred when it was on the ice. But Babcock clearly didn’t share in the enthusiasm, and will be left with some interesting lineup decisions with Nazem Kadri likely ready to return from his concussion when Toronto faces the Oilers. Should that happen, two of Petan, Ennis, Moore, Gauthier and Connor Brown would have to be scratched at Rogers Place. With Boston basically locked in as a first-round opponent, these last 15 games are as much about trying to find the best version of themselves as anything else. That might explain the lack of outward frustration expressed after dropping to 32-0-1 in games they’ve led after 40 minutes this season. “Just little mistakes that we’ve got to fix,” said Mitch Marner, who produced a sparkling assist on a Ron Hainsey short-handed goal. “Going forward, we’re going to look at it and be better at it. We’ve been pretty good all year at holding those leads so we can’t get frustrated about this one.” Frederik Andersen continued his strong play, particularly during a 15- save first period, but acknowledged letting his mind wander a touch on Edler’s winner. It was just enough to let a dipping puck get past. Among the more intriguing experiments the Leafs are planning is a more even rotation between Andersen and backup Garret Sparks down the stretch, perhaps even splitting them down the middle to keep Andersen under 60 regular-season appearances for the first time in three years. “There was obviously a period of time prior to getting hurt [in late December] and after he got hurt that he wasn’t Freddie-like,” Babcock said before the game. “It looks like he’s got his game back, that’s important for us. The other thing that happened when he got hurt is he got rested, which is real important. The way we look at it is his max total can get to 56 [games] or something, that’s a real good number for him. “He’s an important part of our team and he’s got to play well every night for us to have success.” Inside the losing dressing room, Andersen declined to say what degree of input he had in that decision. When asked if the coaching staff had spoken with him about it, he replied: “I’m going to keep that between us. He can share whatever he wants to share.” “I don’t care about the number, per se,” Andersen added. “I just play when they tell me to and rest [when they don’t]. It’s a little different 1134707 Websites “I don’t think it was a good day for me — we lost,” said Rittich of his bounce-back performance, which included a game-winner he had a hard time flagging as he’d been hit inadvertently by a teammate seconds Sportsnet.ca / Flames, Golden Knights battle through thrilling potential earlier. playoff preview “I felt good but we don’t have points so it’s not a good day for me. Last goal their guy hit me so I couldn’t get there.” Eric Francis | March 7, 2019 The Knights, who’ve now won five in a row with prized newbie Mark Stone on board, sit a distant third in the Pacific Division currently being led by Flames. Should the Flames lose their three-point cushion on San Jose atop the west, the two would meet early in April in a first-round LAS VEGAS — A goaltending duel in almost every sense of the word. matchup. After swapping endless kick-saves and glove-grabs, Marc-Andre Fleury Fleury, who was the second star with 33 saves, was under siege in the and David Rittich even contemplated mixing in a little tete-a-tete. third when an extremely game Flames club pressed hard for an equalizer that never came. In the midst of a wildly entertaining defensive battle between two teams that most certainly seem destined for a playoff showdown, the Vegas The Flames have now lost three in a row, following a seven-game win netminder skated to the hashmarks, laid down his stick and enticed streak. Calgary’s crease-minder to skate over for a fight. “I’m pretty firm and I’ve said it all season, whether it’s a win or a loss, I Standing at the far blue line with a keen eye on the series of facewashes, think we do a good job of resetting — that’s not even going to creep into bear hugs and bruises being administered behind Fleury thanks to a our mindset at all,” said Hamonic of the losing string they’ll try snapping Matthew Tkachuk accidental-on-purpose collision with the netminder, in Arizona Thursday night. Rittich shrugged it off. “We’re parking it when we win seven in a row and we’ll park that stat right “Maybe he want but I don’t want to cross the red line for taking a now too. But we know that we have to get better. We’ve got a lot better penalty,” said Rittich, when asked about the invite. as a group in here. We just have to turn it up a couple degrees. It’s not far off but we can get better.” “We don’t want him fighting obviously,” added Knights coach Gerard Gallant of Fleury, whose career-best 200-minute shutout streak ended Simply put, you won’t see many better hockey games than that one, as it when Travis Hamonic tied the game 1-1 midway through the second was filled with plenty of great scoring chances and emotion. period. “It’s a tough one to swallow because it was a really, really good hockey “He’s one of the top goalies in the league, if not the top goalie. His job is game,” said Giordano. to stop the puck and that’s what he does. “They’re a great team. It’s not going in right now but we know its coming. “You don’t like to see your goalie get bumped, but it was about the game It’s an atmosphere we better get comfortable with because that’s what it’s tonight. As much as the guys get pissed about it they went out and were going to be like in the playoffs and down the stretch here.” smart and won a game against a real good team.” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.07.2019 Cooler heads prevailed in the third period despite a playoff-type atmosphere and intensity the large number of Flames fans in attendance at T-Mobile Arena can only hope is recreated Sunday when they meet again in Calgary. In the end it was a familiar face that broke a 1-1 deadlock when former Flame Deryk Engelland’s top-shelf wrister from the blue line gave the Golden Knights the eventual game-winner in the third. The tight battle could have ended much differently had a Johnny Gaudreau goal late in the first period been allowed to stand. Tkachuk, who was a menace all night playing on the top line with Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, was deemed to have interfered with Fleury’s ability to make the save. “It’s a tough way to lose,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano of a controversial call that saw Tkachuk make contact with Fleury outside the blue paint. “I never talk about calls but that’s a huge call in the game to get that one disallowed. We’ll look at it — we thought it should have counted. “It was a tough call. That’s the difference. A one-goal game. It was a pretty even match throughout.” Coach Bill Peters was vexed about the officiating in general. “I didn’t like the fact the officiating standard changed — I thought the calls early were poor, especially the call on (Garnet) Hathaway — a real poor call, real soft call this time of year,” he said of a roughing call that led to Shea Theodore’s game opening power-play goal. “And then they put the whistles away in the third, right? So in the first, everything is a penalty. And in the third, nothing is a penalty. The (Cody) Eakin play on Gaudreau with about four-and-a-half minutes to go in the offensive zone, when there is no puck and he throws a hip into him, that’s as obvious a penalty as anything that was called in the evening. So that’s disappointing. “I thought that standard definitely changed, and it doesn’t help you when you’re either chasing the game or trying to score to get it tied up. It is what it is. We’ll move on. Our guys played hard and played well.” Two nights after Rittich was given the Bronx cheer at the ‘Dome late in a 6-2 loss to Toronto, the 26-year-old Czech sophomore was the star in a game both teams wanted desperately to win as a post-season setup. All told, he made 36 saves in a game that saw him make a stellar kick save 15 seconds in that set the evening’s tone. 1134708 Websites There was a lot of talk among players and the coaching staff – and everyone who follows the Canucks – about the response they needed on Wednesday. Sportsnet.ca / Edler's value to Canucks made evident in win over Maple “We never really talked about playoffs, never really talked about winning Leafs and losing,” Biega said. “We talked about how we have to play, the culture we have to establish. Tonight was evidence of that.” Iain MacIntyre | March 7, 2019 Ron Hainsey and Morgan Rielly scored goals 34 seconds apart midway through the second period to put Toronto up 2-0. Hainsey was set up by Marner on a shorthanded three-on-one that began with Markus Granlund getting his shot blocked, while Rielly scored short-side on goalie Jacob VANCOUVER – “I love beating the Leafs,” Bo Horvat said. “There’s Markstrom after Derrick Pouliot lost the puck deep in the Vancouver nothing better. All the Leafs fans back home, all my buddies and stuff. . . zone. I like beating the Leafs.” But long, lost Loui Eriksson snatched a goal for the Canucks on a quick We’d have put that quote even higher but there’s not much room before backhand at 2:21 of the third period. And 112 seconds later, former Leaf the first paragraph. Josh Leivo tied it by blowing a wrist shot past Andersen’s blocker. Horvat is from Rodney, Ont., near London. He grew up cheering for the Toronto’s goalie looked poor on Edler’s winner, but the Canucks Detroit Red Wings and has spent all of his National Hockey League so defenceman looked terrific. The career Canuck is a potential unrestricted far with the Vancouver Canucks. On the West Coast, he hasn’t grown free agent on July 1 and there is a degree of uncertainty about his future, any fonder of the Toronto Maple Leafs. even as Edler and the team try to negotiate a contract extension. His sentiment is in perfect harmony with his environment. Out here, the But his value was evident on Wednesday. He was a beast, physical and Maple Leafs are about as popular as pipelines, except for the many mobile and always out against Toronto’s best players, then scoring the thousands of Ontario transplants who cheer for them and transform visits winner from 40 feet after a stretch pass by Brock Boeser. by the Leafs to Rogers Arena into the hockey equivalent of West Side Story. “I think you knew before the game that the effort was going to be there,” Edler said of his team. “That’s what we talked about. That was the Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, biggest thing, the biggest difference from last game. blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley “We’ve been realizing more and more this season about what makes us Cup Playoffs and more. successful, how we play when we play good and how important every guy is. We need all the guys every single game. You have to learn that Thankfully, there isn’t any actual fighting among fans, which would be you’re not going to feel great every game, but you have to push through it tricky anyway because everyone is dressed in blue and it’s hard to tell and still get up for the challenge and do your job for your teammates.” one side from another. Plus, any genuine animosity among both sets of fans is probably saved for the Montreal Canadiens. He showed them how. But the Canucks still love beating the Leafs. Truth be known, they’d have Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.07.2019 been happy to beat anyone on Wednesday, when the Leafs’ annual visit to Vancouver became a referendum on the Canucks’ character. The Canucks won the referendum and the game, overcoming a two-goal, third-period deficit to win 3-2 on Alex Edler’s quick shot from the top of the left-wing circle that eluded Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen at 3:11 of overtime. The win was a bonus. The effort and drive were essential after the Canucks, free-falling out of the playoff race with a 3-8-3 record the previous month, were putrid in a 3-0 loss Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights, who outshot Vancouver 48-19 and could have won by triple their margin. Canucks coach Travis Green questioned not only his players’ effort, but their desire. “I thought we had some guys that weren’t hungry enough,” he said. Which brought them to Wednesday. Unlike the Leafs, the Canucks aren’t going to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. But to have any hope of doing so next season – or any season – they have to compete and battle. They have to be hungry. Against the Maple Leafs, they were starving. “It’s kind of been this way all year,” said Vancouver defenceman Troy Stecher, who logged 27:47 of ice time defending against Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and John Tavares. “There haven’t been too many games where we weren’t very happy. For the majority, we put a good effort in every night. So I don’t question the character in this room or our belief. “I think every guy enjoys coming to the rink every day and being around each other. Tonight, I think that transferred on to the ice; the guys were playing for each other. That’s a good feeling.” We’ll see how they feel late Thursday after they play their second game in two nights against Connor McDavid and the Oilers in Edmonton. But the Canucks came to play against the Leafs, outshooting them 15-8 in the first period and rallying in the third. “Collectively, as a group, we challenged each other,” defenceman Alex Biega said. “That was unacceptable in Vegas. We have to understand what makes us successful. And it’s really simple: working hard and skating. We did that tonight.” 1134709 Websites really isn’t one signature goal for the big German, which makes him harder to defend.

“To me the one thing that’s common with the top guys is, they know how Sportsnet.ca / Oilers' Draisaitl riding versatility to become one of game's to hide outside coverage,” said head coach Ken Hitchcock. “He knows top snipers how to hide, then he comes into the scoring area when the puck’s coming.” Mark Spector | March 6, 2019 Hitchcock had Brett Hull in Dallas, who found that soft spot in the defence and could unleash a hard shot on goal no matter where the pass was in relation to his feet and stick. EDMONTON — When Tobias Rieder’s path first crossed with Leon “I try to learn from everyone,” said Draisaitl, whose father Peter was a Draisaitl’s, on Team Germany at the 2013 World Juniors in Ufa, Russia, long-time German pro and coach. “My Dad was always a guy who told Rieder thought of Draisaitl what we all would, eventually. me to get my shots off quick. Be ready for when the puck gets to you, and get it off as quick as you can.” “I thought he was more of a passer, a set-up guy,” Rieder said on Wednesday. So he can score off an offensive-zone possession, and he can keep up to the fastest player in the game to score off the rush. Does that make That’s who the Oilers picked with the third pick in the 2014 Draft, a lanky Draisaitl a player who will become one of the top goal scorers of his centreman who, like most pass-first players, had two junior seasons with generation? Prince Albert where he posted roughly twice the amount of assists as he had goals. We’re not there yet, but its worth keeping an eye on. But something happened this season in Edmonton. Something not many “To me, natural goal scorers score off the rush,” Hitchcock said. “Guys saw coming, and a topic that Draisaitl would rather not talk about. that have career years (score) once in a while, they go from a 30- or 35- goal season and then they’re down to 15; They score in-zone. He scores The 23-year-old has 41 goals with 16 games to play, and is on pace to off the rush.” be the first 50-goal Oiler since Wayne Gretzky (62) and Jari Kurri (54) turned the trick in 1986-87. He’s had three 25-goal seasons before his 24th birthday, on a team that is tragically short of wingers and has made the playoffs just once since He’ll have to hustle to hit 50, but with 17 goals in his past 18 games, his arrival. suddenly Draisaitl is just four goals back of Alexander Ovechkin as the top goal scorer in the NHL. At $8.5 million per season for the next six seasons, is anyone talking about Draisaitl being overpaid anymore? “Scoring 50, it’s pretty much unbelievable these days, and he consistently does that every year, year in and year out,” Draisaitl said of Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.07.2019 Ovechkin. As for himself? “I’m not going to think about that.” It must be nice to be in the same conversation as Alex The Great though? “It’s nice to be in the same category for one year, yes,” he said. “That’s good enough for me.” Draisaitl has become a guy who shoots when he’s playing with Connor McDavid, and passes when he’s running his own line. Almost all the top point-getters have always been guys who score one goal for every two assists, while the top goal scorers are usually like Ovechkin, who has only had more assists than goals in four of his 14 seasons. The 100-point, 50-goal man has become a rarity, with only Evgeni Malkin turning the trick since 2010. This century it’s been done a dozen times, by Hall of Fame names like Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, Joe Sakic and Ovechkin. Draisaitl isn’t in with those players yet, to be sure. But he’s only 23, so in theory, this shouldn’t be his best season. “Every player has one of those years, right?” he said. “I hope I can maintain that, or at least get close to that and keep scoring in the future. I try and bear down on my chances. It’s the one thing I take pride in: When I get a chance, I want to make it count. “I always knew that I had a decent shot, I try to use it a little more, shoot it a little more. Try to get it off my stick a quickly as possible. Try and use my one-timer as much as I can.” There might not be a better overtime three-on-three duo in the game than McDavid and Draisaitl. Or on a two-on-one, for that matter, where the two centremen are money. But what’s changing here is that Drasiaitl has been productive without McDavid as well, more so this season than in the past. Some stats: • McDavid has assisted on 23 of Draisaitl’s 41 goals, while Draisaitl has assisted on 17 of McDavid’s 33 goals this season. • Among Draisaitl’s 41 goals, he has 16 on the power play, two short- handed and 23 at even strength. He does not have a hat trick, and perhaps the most impressive stats of all is the fact that Draisaitl has scored in 33 of 66 Edmonton games. Draisaitl possesses a one-timer that he executes from further below the dot than, say, Ovechkin. He hits the net from a sharp angle down low, and has also has become a lethal finisher off the rush for McDavid. There 1134710 Websites considered for the full time position. Having worked as an associate coach under Boucher since 2016, Crawford understands the situation here and knows the players as well as anyone. It will be up to Dorion to Sportsnet.ca / The 10 most intriguing head coach candidates for decide if he wants a fresh voice or feels Crawford represents enough of a Senators difference from Boucher. Crawford, 58, has mellowed some from the wild man who coached Colorado to the 1996 Stanley Cup.

Troy Mann Wayne Scanlan March 6, 2019 Here’s another coach who knows the Ottawa kids. Mann, 49, has done a terrific job with AHL Belleville this season, where a late charge has made the scorching-hot B-Sens a surprising playoff contender. And yet, Mann Pierre Dorion is nothing if not sure of himself. will be judged not by wins and losses but on the development of young Logan Brown, Drake Batherson, newly acquired defenceman Erik In May of 2016, when the Senators’ newly promoted general manager Brannstrom etc. So far, so good. He just might be the Mann for the job, presented Guy Boucher as his first head coach hire, Dorion couldn’t have an easy, organizational promotion that won’t break the bank. sounded more sure of himself. Brad Shaw What goes around comes around, and so it’s somewhat amusing to look at the Senators’ recent publicized job description for their new head Here’s an NHL assistant who deserves a shot at a head coaching gig. An coach. Dorion said he will be looking for a "teacher," a "listener," a outstanding defenceman for the Ottawa 67’s Memorial Cup champs of "communicator" and "tactician" who brings structure and game planning. 1984, Shaw went on to be a co-captain of the early Senators in the mid- 1990s. Currently an assistant coach with Columbus, Shaw, 54, would Looking back, these are almost precisely the virtues he extolled about instill defensive structure. He was a strong candidate for the Senators job Boucher less than three years ago. during the process that hired Boucher, and remains a strong one now. "Guy checks all the boxes," Dorion said when he hired Boucher, A weekly deep dive into the biggest hockey news in the world with hosts referencing his abilities as a "communicator," his defensive structure and Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek. New episodes every Thursday. his knowledge of the Xs and Os of the game. Sheldon Keefe Ah, well, that was then. This is now. This would represent a slick steal from the Maple Leafs’ backyard. Keefe, Stream over 500 NHL games blackout-free, including the Flames, Oilers, a former Pembroke Lumber Kings coach, is one of the AHL’s best — a Leafs and Canucks. Plus Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown 2018 Calder Cup winner and franchise wins record holder for the Toronto Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey and more. Marlies. The 38-year-old Keefe has street cred in the Ottawa Valley as After firing Boucher last Friday with 18 games remaining in the season, the guy who resurrected the Pembroke Lumber Kings. Leafs GM Kyle Dorion clearly grew impatient overnight, having told a reporter a day Dubas appreciated Keefe’s success coaching the OHL Soo Greyhounds, before the firing that all staff would be reviewed at season’s end. where Dubas and Keefe crossed paths. To his credit, Keefe escaped the dark shadow of his former agent David Frost and appears to be the Given Dorion’s abrupt change of heart, and the inevitability of Boucher’s Maple Leafs coach in waiting, unless another NHL team grabs him first. demise with his contract expiring and the Senators mired in last place, the coaching search begins anew. Luke Richardson We present here not Dorion’s expected list of candidates, but rather, Local royalty (Ottawa West), Richardson has already done the dance as some interesting coaches for consideration. Keeping in mind that the the Senators head coach heir apparent, but didn’t get a sniff from Dorion Senators have not historically spent money on elite NHL coaches, and in 2016 despite his long stature as AHL coach at Binghamton and former owner Eugene Melnyk has said he’d spend "close to the cap" by 2021 as assistant coach in Ottawa. Richardson, 49, has done a nice job as an the Senators roster matures, it makes sense for the club to hire a strong assistant in Montreal, where the Canadiens are having a turnaround teacher to get Ottawa’s prospects where they need to be in a couple of season. Can’t see how he’d be in favour now if he wasn’t three years years. ago, but he should be so he’s on our list. For these reasons, we don’t include expensive, recently-fired coaches Greg Carvel such as Joel Quenneville and Todd McLellan as it’s not realistic that the A Bryan Murray favourite, Carvel was an assistant coach for two Murray- Senators will go that route. managed NHL teams that reached the Cup finals, the 2003 Anaheim In no particular order, here’s our list of ten intriguing candidates: Ducks and 2007 Senators. More recently, Carvel, 48, has shown the ability to revive a moribund college hockey program, posting the first Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and winning season for UMass-Amherst in ten years. Ranked No. 2 in fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the America, the Minutemen are 26-7 overall and 18-5-0 in their conference, country’s most beloved game. sitting atop the Hockey East standings for the first time in school history. Hockey East includes Northeastern, Boston University, Boston College Alain Vigneault and UMass Lowell. Dig deep in the Way Back Vault and you’ll discover Vigneault was an Dallas Eakins assistant to Rick Bowness on the expansion Senators before going on to NHL head coaching jobs in Montreal, Vancouver and New York. A Roger Neilson disciple and fitness freak with Leadville 100 bike race credentials, Eakins has personal relations skills that are off the charts. Vigneault, 57, a local guy who played for and coached the QMJHL Hull The 52-year-old coach of the AHL San Diego Gulls is likely to step up (now Gatineau) Olympiques, might be a bit rich for the Senators blood. into the vacant Anaheim Ducks coaching job in the off-season. Eakins But at least he has a year left on his Rangers contract (at $4.25 million) was adored by his Toronto Marlies players and was thrust into the coach- so the Rangers would eat part of that bill. It would be intriguing to see if eating Edmonton Oilers organization as their bench boss from 2013-15. Vigneault sees this turbulent Ottawa situation as a fit. Deserves a second chance in the NHL. Jacques Martin Mike Yeo Speaking of deja vu all over again, Martin is the sentimental choice of a Yeo was interviewed for the job but lost out in 2016. Whether that brings lot of fans and media in Ottawa who remember the stability he brought to him back for another shot remains to be seen. Fired by the St. Louis a dysfunctional Senators organization – sound familiar? — in 1996. Blues in November, Yeo, 45, had an extended run with the Minnesota Martin, 66, is an excellent teacher, works well with young players and Wild from 2011-16, where he was once the NHL’s youngest coach. The has guided the Pittsburgh Penguins defence as an assistant coach. But Blues have caught fire under new coach Craig Berube. would Melnyk re-hire the guy he fired after the 2004 playoff loss to the Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.07.2019 Toronto Maple Leafs? That was the series of Melnyk’s "We’re going to kill them!" quote after a Game 6 OT win in Ottawa. The Senators fell meekly in Game 7. Marc Crawford The man they call "Crow" is undergoing a working audition as interim coach for the balance of the season. Dorion has said Crawford will be 1134711 Websites Can a team with such a pitiful power play (a league-worst 12.4 per cent conversion rate) turn it around enough with the addition of Wayne Simmonds, especially when special teams are so critical to playoff Sportsnet.ca / NHL Power Rankings: 31 Big Questions Down the Stretch success? Edition 12. New York Islanders Can the Islanders sustain such an excellent run with the NHL’s 22nd- Luke Fox | March 6, 2019, 9:00 AM ranked offence (2.83 goals per game), the worst among all Eastern Conference teams in playoff position?

13. St. Louis Blues With the trade deadline shrinking away in the rear-view mirror, we can shift our full attention to the playoff races. Does Jordan Binnington look nervous? The Tampa Bay Lightning’s wagon ride through the Atlantic aside, the 14. Columbus Blue Jackets race for first in the other divisions could be decided by a point or two. Can the Blue Jackets please qualify for the playoffs and go on a run, Every night matters. encouraging more GMs to take aggressive trade risks? Lower down the standings, plucky underdogs Arizona and Carolina have So defenseman Adam McQuaid will be a healthy scratch for #CBJ a embraced the upset while a failure for Pittsburgh, Columbus or Dallas to second straight game. McQuaid acquired by Jackets before deadline qualify could spell chaos. from #NYR In our NHL Power Rankings: 31 Big Questions Down the Stretch Edition, — Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) March 5, 2019 we ask one pivotal query for each team. 15. Montreal Canadiens As always, the clubs are ranked below according to their current awesomeness. Will Marc Bergevin regret not adding a significant piece at the trade deadline if his Habs come up a point or two short of the dance? The Stanley Cup playoffs start exactly one month from today. It’s go time. 16. Arizona Coyotes With 6 grams of delicious, crunchy, energy-giving protein, there’s nothing you and almonds can’t do. Visit Almonds.com for more ways to slay your If the injury-riddled Coyotes — winners of six straight — can squeeze into day. the postseason with this roster, can coach Rick Tocchet come from behind to steal the Jack Adams Trophy from Barry Trotz? 1. Tampa Bay Lightning 17. Philadelphia Flyers Steamrolling through the league with a mind-boggling .788 points percentage and plus-84 goal differential, the Lightning have turned the Is Gritty hiding around the corner? Presidents’ Trophy race into a cakewalk. Can Tampa break the 1976-77 Canadiens’ record of 132 standings points? They have a shot. 18. Dallas Stars 2. Boston Bruins If Dallas — forever on the bubble — fails to make the cut, does Jim Nill take the fall? Undefeated in regulation — incredibly — with David Pastrnak on the shelf, can the Bruins secure home-ice advantage in Round 1 and force 19. Minnesota Wild the Maple Leafs to defeat them in hostile TD Garden? Is there a Western Conference franchise facing a steeper climb to 3. Toronto Maple Leafs legitimate Cup contender status than the Wild, who still have more than $15 million in annual cap space tied up in 34-year-olds Ryan Suter and With the Leafs’ blue-line depth exposed by the double whammy of the Zach Parise through 2025? Travis Dermott and Jake Gardiner injuries — and one of the few skaters with grit, Nazem Kadri, concussed — can Toronto get back to full health 20. Colorado Avalanche for the post-season? Can a team with only one excellent forward line return to the playoffs? If 4. Calgary Flames so, what does that say about the strength of the Western Conference? The forward group and defence corps are elite, but can Calgary’s 21. Florida Panthers goaltenders hold their own against the likes of San Jose and Vegas? Enduring another season plagued by injury and seeing his save 5. San Jose Sharks percentage (.897) drop to a career low, how many more seasons of Roberto Luongo will we get to watch? How serious, really, is Erik Karlsson’s recurring groin injury? 22. Edmonton Oilers 6. Winnipeg Jets Drawing within striking distance of Alex Ovechkin, can piping-hot Leon Can the Jets hang on to the top spot in the Central, ease into the playoffs Draisaitl (41 goals) win the Rocket? with a soft wild-card opponent, and avoid the dreaded 2-3 matchup against a resurgent St. Louis? 23. Buffalo Sabres 7. Washington Capitals Considering the Sabres haven’t strung together consecutive wins since mid-December, how significantly will their performance in this final month How hilarious would it be if the Capitals held on to first in the Metropolitan impact Phil Housley’s job security? Division and drew, as their wild-card opponent, Pittsburgh? 24. Chicago Blackhawks 8. Carolina Hurricanes Who loses their job if the Blackhawks finish as they sit now, with the Is this actually going to happen? Will this bunch of jerks in Carolina — NHL’s worst penalty kill (72.8%) and most goals allowed (3.77 per the Metro’s hottest team — snuff out the NHL’s longest playoff drought at game)? nine seasons? 25. Vancouver Canucks 9. Pittsburgh Penguins After five months of rightfully earning props for their work ethic, have the Sniper extraordinaire Phil Kessel didn’t score a goal in February and has Canucks hit a wall? Do they coast to finish or embrace the role of yet to find the net in March. As the Penguins fight for their playoff lives, spoiler? how long does the drought last? 26. New York Rangers 10. Vegas Golden Knights Who will the Rangers pursue hardest this summer with all the cap space Is Marc-Andre Fleury the best goaltender in the West, or the best they’ve cleared? goaltender it the NHL? 27. New Jersey Devils 11. Nashville Predators Why did it take the Devils’ doctors so long and so many lost games to realize that Taylor Hall — the MVP of the freaking league — needed knee surgery? 28. Anaheim Ducks Which is more difficult for Bob Murray, trying to manage his franchise out of trouble or trying to coach it out of trouble? 29. Detroit Red Wings Do the Red Wings purposely tank a bit here to increase their chances of landing Michigan-local Jack Hughes and expedite their rebuild? 30. Los Angeles Kings Will Norris-winner Drew Doughty finish the campaign with the worst plus/minus in the league? (Right now, only Buffalo’s has a more dismal rating than Doughty’s dash-25.) 31. Ottawa Senators The way things have been going, no one will be surprised when the Senators’ best odds of winning the draft lottery come through and they sheepishly hand the first-overall pick to Colorado, will they? Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134712 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Brad Marchand says people took his Mitch Marner tweet 'the wrong way'

Sportsnet Staff | @Sportsnet March 6, 2019, 10:42 AM

As it becomes more and more likely the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs will meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second season in a row, we’ll happily welcome any trolling that sets the table for the series. On Tuesday, Boston’s professional pest Brad Marchand got a lot of attention in and around Toronto for a tweet he sent after Marner’s second straight three-point game in which he became the eighth player in Maple Leafs history to record 80 points in 66 games or less. In the tweet, Marchand threw praise at Marner and pondered what his next contract could look like. “12m AAV?? It better be,” Marchand tweeted. Kyle Dubas, with a smile, on Brad Marchand’s Mitch Marner tweet: “a master troll job.” #Leafs #Bruins — Joshua Clipperton (@JClipperton_CP) March 6, 2019 This, of course, was taken as a troll job by the Bruin because an AAV that high would make Marner the highest-paid Leaf and put the team in a more difficult position against next season’s cap. With William Nylander ($6.962 million) and Auston Matthews ($11.634 million) already signed, Marner is the last of Toronto’s big three RFAs to get a deal done. Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson are also in need of new contracts before next season. Marchand was asked about the tweet following his team’s 4-3 overtime win against Carolina Tuesday night. “Some people really took that the wrong way,” Marchand said. “You gotta give the kid credit. He’s a great player that’s all I was trying to get at. He’s having a great year. It’s a big milestone for him. Just giving some credit where credit’s due that’s all.” #NHLBruins F Brad Marchand on his tweet about #LeafsForever F Mitch Marner: “Some people really took that the wrong way. I mean give the kid credit, he’s a great player, that’s all I was trying to get at. He’s having a great year.” pic.twitter.com/QnXJq0ZN0c — Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) March 6, 2019 With 81 points in 66 games, Marner is Toronto’s highest-scoring player with a nine-point lead on John Tavares. He’s tied for ninth in scoring league wide, but while those numbers are great, wingers tend to get less than centres on these big contracts. Only three of the 10 highest-paid NHL players against the cap are wingers, with Patrick Kane’s $10.5 million AAV the highest in the league at the position. We’ll chalk this up to Marchand doubling down on his troll job of Leafs Nation. Later in the day from the GM Meetings, Toronto’s Kyle Dubas chimed in on Marchand’s “help” in the negotiations. “I think it was a master troll job to say the least you have to respect that element of it,” Dubas said. “From my end, I think the part that I liked about it was that there’s over a 90 per cent chance we’re going to play them in the playoffs if you just take the probabilities of it, so that he woke up the morning of a game day and was thinking about the Toronto Maple Leafs I thought was a positive thing for us.” Bring on the first round series. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134713 Websites

TSN.CA / Five Takeaways: Canucks vs Leafs

Jeff Paterson

TAKEAWAYS 1) Give the Canucks credit. Although their effort was considerably better than Sunday's no show in Vegas, they still trailed Toronto 2-0 after two periods on Wednesday and there was reason to believe the team was on its way to a second straight shutout loss. But games are three periods and 60 minutes for a reason and the Canucks made good use of the third period against the Leafs scoring twice to force overtime and then beating the Buds on Alex Edler's long shot off left wing 3:11 into OT. For a fragile team, the Canucks showed some resolve in the third that wasn't there at any point on Sunday in Sin City. Loui Eriksson started the comeback with his 10th of the season -- and first in 18 games since January 18th against Buffalo -- and two minutes later Josh Leivo torched his former team for his 13th goal of the season. It was Leivo's ninth in 35 games since being acquired by the Canucks on December 3rd (that's a 21 goal pace over 82 games). The goal was scored on a power play moments after the Leafs had been called for too many men on the ice. The win was just the second of the season -- and first since October 31st -- where the Canucks did not get a goal from any of the Big 3 (Pettersson, Horvat or Boeser). 2) The numbers certainly weren't in the Canucks favour on the night. The Leafs were 28-6-1 when opening the scoring and untouched at 32-0 when taking a lead to the third period this season. Also, the Canucks were just 8-25-7 when giving up the first goal. But they turned the tables on all those statistics. As well, Wednesday was the first time this season the Canucks have won when trailing 2-0 at any point in a hockey game. Twice they had battled back to force overtime only to lose in Nashville in December and Chicago last month. 3) All things considered, the Canucks did a solid job on Toronto's top scorers. Mitch Marner and John Tavares each had an assist, but Auston Matthews was relatively quiet on the night. Marner, Tavares and Morgan Rielly were on the ice in overtime when Edler scored the winner. In the extra session, the Canucks outshot the Leafs 4-1 repeatedly forcing Toronto to regroup in the neutral zone rather than allowing the visitors to attack the Vancouver net. On the night at even-strength, the Canucks controlled 56.1% of all shot attempts, outchanced the Leafs 19-15 and held a 5-3 edge in high-danger scoring chances. On Sunday in Vegas, the Canucks were bombarded with 89 Golden Knight shot attempts. On Wednesday, the Leafs managed just 58. 4) The Canucks power play continues to struggle, although it managed to redeem itself in the third period after giving up a short-handed goal to Ron Hainsey to open the scoring midway through the second. On the night, the Canucks went one for four but really they merely broke even since each team scored once with the Canucks up a man. In the past 13 home games, the Canucks power play has barely outscored opponents (3-2) in the past 36 opportunities since December 20th. 5) With the victory, Jacob Markstrom moves into a tie for fifth on the Canucks all-time wins list with 72. He matches Gary Smith at that total and now trails only Roberto Luongo (252), Kirk McLean (211), Richard Brodeur (126) and Dan Cloutier (109). As he's done so often this season, Markstrom provided enough goaltending on the night to allow the Canucks to hang around. He gave up the two Leaf goals 34 seconds apart midway through the second period, but from there closed the door including a terrific glove save off John Tavares after the Canucks had tied the game 2-2. In 177 career appearances with the Canucks, Markstrom is 72-73-22 with a 2.70 GAA and 91.2% save percentage. In 51 games this season, Markstrom is now 24-19-8 with a 2.70 GAA and 91.5% save percentage. The win against the Leafs establishes a new career-high for Markstrom for victories in a season. He's likely to get the night off in Edmonton on Thursday. TSN.CA LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134714 Websites positional save. The goalie followed that up with stops on a couple of tough shots from the slot and survived a late-period push by Vancouver to hold the score at 0-0 while the Leafs were outshot 15-8. TSN.CA / Leafs blow two-goal lead, lose to Canucks in OT In the second, Toronto started playing better in front of Andersen and holding the Canucks to the outside to give their goalie clean looks – and help keep him from being continually run over. Andersen has bore the Kristen Shilton brunt of bodychecks and manhandling in his crease regularly, as opponents are going relatively unchallenged around his crease. Given that Toronto doesn’t play a physical brand of hockey, the more they can do to keep the area around Andersen clear, the better off he’ll be. The Maple Leafs blew a two-goal third period lead against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, en route to a 3-2 overtime loss that snapped Vancouver was increasingly motivated in the third period, and Andersen Toronto’s two-game win streak. Defencemen Ron Hainsey and Morgan made a rare bad read early on Eriksson, looking surprised when the Rielly did the scoring for Toronto, before former Leaf Josh Leivo netted veteran’s shot snuck under his arm on the far side. Then Andersen the game-tying goal on the power play, and Alex Edler potted the game- overplayed Leivo’s shot on the power play, and the cushion he’d helped winner in OT. Toronto drops to 41-21-5 on the season. Toronto to create all night was gone in short order. TAKEAWAYS Andersen hung in from there and got Toronto to the extra frame, where Edler beat him cleanly glove-side, a trouble spot for Andersen throughout Break on through the season. He finished with 28 saves and a .903 save percentage. It took the Maple Leafs nearly two periods to build their two-goal lead on Marner the magician Wednesday, only to have that disappear in less than two minutes of the third period. From there, the Leafs did something they haven’t done all On a team filled with fast, skilled players, Marner still manages to rise season – lose a game they were leading after two periods. above night after night for the Leafs. He was impossible not to notice in Vancouver, where the puck seemed to follow him everywhere, and he But before both sides scored in bunches, the Leafs and Canucks took a often had it on a string. long time feeling each other out on the ice. Before Marner teed up Hainsey’s opening goal, he was Toronto’s most The pace from puck drop between the clubs was blistering, a classic effective player at both ends of the ice and on the penalty kill. His second track meet with end-to-end action and quality, high-danger scoring period helper gives Marner 13 points in his last seven games, and chances for each club. Vancouver had more intensity, though, cycling the pushes him into ninth place overall in the NHL with 82 points on the puck well and keeping the one-and-done Leafs on their heels with 63 per season. cent possession. The real growth in Marner’s offensive game was on full display against But as the game wore on, Toronto’s edge in speed over the Canucks the Canucks, though, in the way he makes the smallest adjustments – a became markedly wider, and the visitors began to take over in the curl of the stick here, a change of direction there – and creates a whole second by doing what they’ve done a lot lately – score in bunches. new point of attack. Past the halfway point of the frame, Mitch Marner made a great play on So much of what he does well also boils down to being in the right spot the penalty kill to spring a two-on-one with Hainsey, sending the veteran on the ice and fighting soft spots in Vancouver’s coverage to exploit. an incredible pass to set up his first goal in 20 games while spotting Marner is so quick with his stick, both backchecking and forechecking, Toronto a 1-0 lead. that he gave Toronto a couple more odd-man rushes they could have Only 34 seconds after that, John Tavares fed Vancouver native Rielly for used to pull back ahead of Vancouver in the third, but couldn’t feed a a shortside goal that made it 2-0 Toronto. That was the first goal Rielly teammate to finish. had ever scored against his hometown team, in his 12th matchup against While the rest of the Leafs lacked energy at times in the final frame, them. Marner remained consistent, putting four shots on goal in 21:58 time on Down 2-0 entering the third period, a hungrier Canucks team emerged ice. and they earned their own set of back-to-back goals. First, Loui Eriksson Muzzin struggling? cut the Leafs’ lead to 2-1 with a perfectly placed backhanded shot under Frederik Andersen’s arm. Then, after a sloppy line change by the Leafs Jake Muzzin has had some trouble adjusting to the speed Toronto plays put too many men on the ice, Leivo’s wrister made it 2-2 on the power at, and on Wednesday he fell behind the play a few times and was totally play one minute, 52 seconds after Eriksson’s goal. turned around trying to defend Leivo’s shot on the power play (the only shot Vancouver generated with the extra man). Wednesday was the first time Leivo had played against his former team, for whom Leivo dressed from 2013-18. Toronto traded him to Vancouver While some of Muzzin’s issues can be attributed to learning a new in early December, when the return of William Nylander from a contract system, he’s also carrying a heavier load now with Jake Gardiner out of holdout made the winger expendable. Leivo missed the first matchup in the top-four rotation battling a back injury. Muzzin, too, may be hindered Toronto with an injury. by a back ailment, with the Leafs’ Instagram story from pre-game in Vancouver showing him wearing a back brace of sorts while playing pick- Still knotted 2-2 after regulation, the game went to overtime, and Toronto up soccer. chased Vancouver around the ice while barely touching the puck themselves. Edler finally settled the score and completed the Canucks’ Muzzin’s ice-time topped out at 23:57 against Vancouver, the most comeback with a one-timer past Andersen. The Leafs are now 6-5 in minutes he’s taken on since joining the Leafs in January. With his old overtime this season. team, the L.A. Kings, Muzzin frequently played more than that, but the Kings are a slower, more methodical group, and the fast-paced transition In the ongoing battle of wills, Vancouver came through as the winner, game Toronto plays could be wearing on the veteran defenceman early outworking Toronto when it mattered most in the third and not taking the in his tenure. With playoffs looming, the Leafs will have to take a same ill-timed penalties the Leafs did that contributed to their undoing measured approach with Muzzin to make sure he’s as up to speed and (Vancouver was 1-for-4 on the power play Wednesday, while the Leafs comfortable as possible. were 0-for-2). Going smaller? Andersen's hot start fizzles Leafs coach Mike Babcock went with an untraditional fourth line Rielly said prior to Wednesday’s game that what Andersen, who’s tied for combination for Wednesday’s tilt, subbing out 6-foot-5 defensive centre most wins by a goaltender in the NHL with 32, means to the Leafs is Frederik Gauthier and tapping speedy 5-foot-9 Nic Petan to play with “hard to explain.” The way Andersen played for much of the night against equally quick (and small) wingers Tyler Ennis (5-foot-9) and Trevor Vancouver required no explanation, and when he faltered down the Moore (5-foot-10). stretch, so too did the Leafs. The decision came after that unit with Gauthier had a fantastic game on Lately, Andersen has been called upon a lot to keep Toronto in good Monday in Calgary, where Ennis registered the first career hat trick and stead after scattered first periods, of which Wednesday’s was no Moore added two assists. Babcock was clear on Wednesday that exception. Andersen was incredible in the opening frame, anticipating the Gauthier hadn’t done anything wrong, but wanted to establish a rotation Canucks’ attack and reading the play extremely well. that encourages competition and better depth for the Leafs approaching Andersen handled a quick spell of adversity with ease, too, when Tyler the playoffs. Motte hit him in the face with a stick right before he had to make a strong Petan had only just made his debut with the Leafs last Saturday after being traded from Winnipeg before the Feb. 25 trade deadline, tallying his first goal with Toronto. What the trio lacked in size, they made up for in relentlessness, keeping pace with the heavier Canucks in the defensive zone and producing some good offensive zone shifts, too. They were too fancy in the second with good chances in the zone, where errant drop passes and too many puck touches halted their momentum. Still, they capitalized on a matchup against slow-footed former Leaf defenceman Luke Schenn to gain extra time in the Vancouver end. With the game tied in the third, Petan only saw two shifts, while Moore and Ennis saw three. Their time together as a line didn’t produce a whole lot in the game, where Moore finished with a team-low 25 per cent possession. But on the whole, Petan showed he can step in as a serviceable centre if needed and that helps Toronto’s depth. Blue and White Trending Tracking Leafs’ trends all season long Auston Matthews has gone five straight games without scoring a goal, the fourth time in 53 games this season he has endured a stretch of five games or longer without a goal. Next game The Leafs finish off their three-game road swing through Western Canada in Edmonton on Saturday. TSN.CA LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134715 Websites you are on a nightly basis. I think it's a real good thing. I think Moore has really given us an addition. He's hard on the puck, he forechecks, he tracks, he's got real good details. Goat (Gauthier) is a real good defender TSN.CA / Red-hot Andersen in line for more rest down the stretch and other guys have got skill. When you add it together, the four of them have done a nice job ... Goat did nothing wrong, it's just a matter of we've got a rotation right now." Mark Masters Petan skated as a left winger while scoring in his Leafs debut Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, but will move over to play centre tonight.

"The biggest thing to me is he's got skill," Babcock noted. "I think any TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes time your people acquire someone and they've put time into going on the Maple Leafs. The Leafs and Canucks held optional morning through the process of figuring out, 'Can this guy help?' Then you try to skates at Rogers Arena ahead of tonight’s game in Vancouver. give him the best chance. No different than these other guys. When he gets his chance, he's got to do something with his chance. That's the With an 11-2-2 record and .926 save percentage over his last 15 starts, toughest part. Do you get the opportunity? Do you get comfortable? Do Frederik Andersen is one of the hottest goalies in hockey. you feel confident? And are you able to execute? Just going to watch." "Fred’s been the backbone for us, he’s been outstanding," said Leafs Ice Chips: Petan in, Goat out as 4th line goes small and skilled defenceman Morgan Rielly. "I think especially recently he’s been playing real good. What he means to this team is hard to explain ... he's one of Frederik Gauthier will be a healthy scratch for the first time since the best goalies in the league so we’re lucky to have him. He’s a leader December as Nic Petan centres the fourth line of Tyler Ennis and Trevor for our group and really comes in every day with the same attitude. He's Moore. Mark Masters has more on the new-look fourth line vs. the a guy you can look up to, the way he approaches the game and the way Canucks. he plays." After missing January's game in Toronto due to injury, Josh Leivo will suit After a strong start, Andersen's momentum was slowed in December up against his former teammates for the first time. Any added motivation? when he played through a groin injury, which eventually forced him to miss some games. As it turns out, the break actually may have helped "Yeah, for sure," he said with a smile. "I spent six years of my career in the 29-year-old, because Andersen now looks fresh and focused. Toronto and developed there and everything so there's a little bit of motive there to get a win." "I thought Freddie had a real good night the other night," head coach Mike Babcock observed. "There was obviously a period of time prior to The Innisfil, Ont., native loved playing in Toronto, but struggled to earn getting hurt and then after he got hurt that he wasn't Freddie-like, but it consistent minutes under Babcock. Tonight he's expected to slot in on a looks like he got his game back and that’s important for us. The other line with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. thing that happened when he got hurt is he got rested, which is real important. The way we look at it is his max total can get to 56 or "Just trying to stay patient is I think what you got to do," Leivo said of something, that’s a real good number for him." waiting for his chance. "You have some ups and downs, but if people believe in you, I think you get the opportunity and you get excited for it. Andersen started 66 games last season and has already played 48 this You get to show what you got. And I think that's what they've done for me year. Toronto has 16 games left including tonight's tilt in Vancouver and here and I just feel re-energized and happy to be part of this only three more back-to-back sets so Andersen is in line for a few more organization." nights off down the stretch even though the Leafs are still jockeying with the Boston Bruins for second place in the Atlantic Division. Leivo, who has eight goals and 14 points in 34 games with the Canucks, created some close bonds with several Leafs over the years, including Andersen seemed to wear down a bit in the playoffs last April, posting an Matthews. .896 save percentage in seven games against the Bruins. "Right when he got into the league it already seemed like he was a pro, Kasperi Kapanen believes his line with Auston Matthews and Andreas like a man," Leivo said. "He was taking care of his body right when he got Johnsson can produce a lot more. into the league and everything and works on his game every day so I learned a little bit from him just watching him do those things." "I don't think we're nearly as good as we could be," the 22-year-old Finn admitted. "We've done a lot of video and we've talked to Babs and we "He's a great guy," said Matthews. "He was a popular guy on the team know we're a great line once we get going and these last couple games and I still keep in touch with him. It's good to see a change [of] scenery we've been mediocre. But today's another day and just got to pick it up." has done him well. I'm really happy for him." Kapanen and Matthews have one assist each in the last three games Leivo admits to extra motivation vs. Leafs; learned a lot from Matthews while Johnsson has zero points in the stretch. Josh Leivo admits that he'll be playing with some added motivation "We've played against good teams, but once we're going it doesn't matter tonight when he faces his former Leafs teammates, and explains how he what team we're playing against," Kapanen said. "We can play against learned a lot from Auston Matthews from their time together in Toronto. anybody so it's just us kind of not being 100 per cent, but thank God we still have games left before the playoffs. We just got to get going." Like Leivo, Pettersson also missed the game in Toronto due to injury, but he's already earned a lot of respect from Babcock. What's the issue? "I know him well ... we talked a ton about him at the draft and I saw him in "Now, we're going in and they're breaking out and we're not keeping Michigan at the summer tournaments and I've seen him since," the Leafs them in the defensive zone long enough," Kapanen explained. "We play coach said. "Obviously, he's an elite talent. What I like about him is his well defensively, but that's not the zone we want to play in. We want to brain, it makes the rest go. He's not the biggest guy, but he's faster with play in their zone. I got to get heavier on pucks and get onto pucks more the puck than without it, he can shoot it off the pass like no one, he and more for our line so we can play in that zone. But no rush, no panic. generates offence for the players around him, he creates space. I don't We'll be all good." know what it is, no different than (Mitch) Marner, when the other team slows down, when you have it, you seem to go faster. He's a real Kapanen says his line's been 'mediocre...Thank God we still have games intelligent player, a real good player and he'll be fun to watch. Ideally, we left before the playoffs' better not give him much space." The line of Auston Matthews, Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen Pettersson is goalless in seven, the longest drought in his incredible has struggled as of late, combining for only two assists in the last three rookie season, and has fired just nine shots on target during that stretch. games. While not discouraged, Kapanen admits that they have been In recent years, Marner has stressed the need to adopt more of a mediocre and have room for improvement. shooting mentality in order to offset his natural playing instincts and keep the defence honest and it seems Pettersson is following suit. Toronto's three smallest players will be joining forces tonight. Nic Petan, who stands 5-foot-9, will play his second game as a Leaf skating "I'm not creating a lot as I used to," the Swede said. "Maybe I need to be between the 5-foot-9 Tyler Ennis and 5-foot-10 Trevor Moore on a line a little more selfish and shoot the puck a couple times more, because I'm short on size, but heavy on skill. Frederik Gauthier will sit as a healthy always looking for the pass ... I don't think I'm playing up to my absolute scratch for the first time since Dec. 18. best right now. Hopefully I turn it around today." "It's important if you're going to have any success long term, you've got Amid scoring slump, Pettersson looking to be a little more selfish and to have depth on your roster," said Babcock. "The more competition you shoot more have from within, by having good players, probably the more competitive With just one goal in his last 11 games, rising Canucks star Elias Pettersson discusses his goal-scoring slump, and explains that he needs to be a little more selfish with the puck and shoot more. Pettersson also doesn't feel like he's hit a wall in his rookie season, and describes the emotional and physical challenge over the course of an 82-game NHL season. Defenceman Igor Ozhiganov was on the ice at Toronto's optional morning skate while Justin Holl was not, which means Holl is likely in tonight. Projected Leafs lineup for tonight's game in Vancouver: Forwards Hyman-Tavares-Marner Johnsson-Matthews-Kapanen Marleau-Nylander-Brown Ennis-Petan-Moore Defencemen Rielly-Hainsey Muzzin-Zaitsev Marincin-Holl Goaltenders Andersen starts Sparks TSN.CA LOADED: 03.07.2019 1134716 Websites POSSIBLE CANUCKS LINE-UP Pearson-Horvat-Goldobin TSN.CA / Canucks vs Maple Leafs gameday preview Leivo-Pettersson-Boeser Roussel-Gaudette-Granlund Jeff Paterson Eriksson-Beagle-Motte Pouliot-Stecher The Vancouver Canucks (27-30-9) are out to snap a three-game losing Edler-Biega streak when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs (41-21-4) at Rogers Arena tonight. Sautner-Schenn The Canucks were shutout for the ninth time this season on Sunday in Markstrom Las Vegas falling 3-0 to the Golden Knights who held a 48-19 edge in POSSIBLE MAPLE LEAFS LINE-UP shots. That followed setbacks in Colorado last Wednesday and Arizona on Thursday. For just the second time this season, the Canucks did not Hyman-Tavares-Marner have a power play opportunity in the game in Vegas. Johnsson-Matthews-Kapanen Tonight will be new Canuck Tanner Pearson’s home debut. He has a goal in Phoenix to show for his first three games since being acquired Marleau-Nylander-Brown from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline. Josh Leivo will face his former Ennis-Petan-Moore team for the first time since being dealt to Vancouver on December 3rd. Leivo missed the Canucks lone visit to Toronto on January 5th with back Rielly-Hainsey spasms. Elias Pettersson also missed that game due to a knee sprain suffered in Montreal two nights earlier. Muzzin-Zaitsev The Canucks top scorers have gone quiet lately. Pettersson has gone Marincin-Ozhiganov seven games without a goal and has one in his last 11 games. Brock Boeser has gone six without a scoring and has two in his last 10 games Andersen while Bo Horvat has three goals in his last nine contests with two of them TSN.CA LOADED: 03.07.2019 coming in the team’s last victory – a 4-0 win over Anaheim on February 25th. Overall, the Canucks have scored 12 goals in their past seven games and the win over the Ducks was the only time the team has scored more than twice in a game over the past seven. In those seven games, Antoine Roussel (3+2=5) and Alex Biega (1+4=5) lead the Canucks in scoring. The Canucks will be forced to make a pair of line-up chances. Ben Hutton will miss his first action since being a healthy scratch in the first two games of the season. He blocked a Shea Theodore shot in the third period in Vegas on Sunday and will not be available tonight. Ryan Spooner is nursing a nagging groin strain and will sit out tonight. Derrick Pouliot and Markus Granlund draw back into the line-up as replacements. Toronto arrives in town following a 6-2 win in Calgary on Monday to launch a three-game Western Canadian road swing. Tyler Ennis recorded the first hattrick of his NHL career while Zack Hyman added a pair of goals and Mitch Marner rounded out the scoring. Frederik Andersen stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced extending his personal win streak to five straight and pushing his record to 10-2-1 in his last 13 decisions. He has a 2.55 GAA and 92.7% save percentage over that span. As a group, the Leafs have won five of six and are 12-4-2 in their last 18 games. John Tavares enters action tonight first on the Leafs -- and tied for fourth in the NHL -- with 37 goals on the season. Marner leads the team and is T-9 in the league in scoring with 24+57=81. He rides a four-game point streak into tonight’s game scoring 3+7=10 in that time. With Auston Matthews and West Vancouver’s Morgan Reilly, Toronto has four players with 60 or more points. Reilly leads all NHL defensemen with 16 goals on the season and is second to San Jose Brent Burns in scoring among blueliners with 16+47=63. Toronto is second to Tampa Bay in overall offense with 239 goals on the season. But no team has scored more than the Leafs since the All-Star break. With all their firepower, the Maple Leafs have the seventh best power play in the league operating at 22.7%. They are also the second best face-off team in the NHL winning 52.8% of their draws. Only Philadelphia has a better winning percentage at 55.2%. The Leafs boast top end talent and plenty of depth, too. They have nine scorers who have reached the 30 point mark on the season. The Canucks, on the other hand, have just three. Toronto has been among the league’s top teams on the road season sporting a 20-9-3 record away from Scotiabank Arena however the Leafs are just 1-2-1 in their last four games away from home. Michael Hutchinson made 28 saves in a 5-0 Leaf win when these teams met in Toronto. Auston Matthews led the way offensively with a goal and two assists while John Tavares opened the scoring on a deflection and that goal turned out to be the game winner. 1134717 Websites

USA TODAY / Micheal Ferland bruises Marcus Johansson's lung with mammoth hit, leaves game after fight

Mike Brehm, USA TODAY

A mammoth NHL hit Tuesday night led to one player going to the hospital and the other eventually leaving the game. Boston Bruins forward Marcus Johansson spent the night at Massachusetts General Hospital after absorbing the hit from the Carolina Hurricanes' Micheal Ferland early in the first period at Boston. "It looks encouraging," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters after the game, "but I don't want to speak out of turn. When tests are done, we'll have a better answer." That answer came Wednesday evening when the Bruins announced that Johansson has a bruised lung and had been released from the hospital and would be re-evaluated in a week. The diagnosis eased worries about a head injury to Johansson, who has had concussion issues. Johansson was down on the ice for a minute or more after the clean but hard shoulder-to-shoulder hit, and he had problems getting to a standing position. He skated off while bent over. Marcus Johansson gets lit up by Micheal Ferland & is injured pic.twitter.com/FhmVh6sgXK — Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) March 6, 2019 Ferland went airborne during the hit and fell hard but stayed in the game. On his next shift, though, he and Bruins forward David Backes dropped their gloves while standing on opposite sides of the faceoff circle and squared off to fight. The fight was over quickly, with few punches thrown and Ferland ending up on top of Backes. David Backes fights Micheal Ferland #NHLBruinspic.twitter.com/25Q1m1cPYX — Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) March 6, 2019 THINGS WE'D CHANGE: Seed playoffs by best records regardless of conference HURRICANES: Evander Holyfield joins postgame celebration But Ferland held his arm as though he hurt his shoulder. He left the game and didn't return because of an upper-body injury. Coach Rod Brind'Amour had no update on his condition after the game. Ferland, one of the most physical players on the Hurricanes, has missed nine games with injury this season. The Bruins had acquired Johansson from the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline. He was playing his fourth game with them. The Bruins won 4-3 in overtime to extend their point streak to 17 games (13-0-4). USA TODAY LOADED: 03.07.2019