SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 03/13/18 Detroit Red Wings 1103283 Fading Ducks can’t shake the Blues 1103314 Tyler Bertuzzi 'can be a big part of solution' in Red Wings' 1103284 Ducks Gameday: Top players carrying the load, but help rebuild sought 1103315 Detroit Red Wings' losing streak at seven after 5-3 loss to 1103285 Return home fails to spark Ducks in loss to Blues San Jose 1103286 Ducks’ Ondrej Kase hits cold streak but remains 1103316 Red Wings’ Evgeny Svechnikov knows he needs to work undaunted to play 1103287 Eric Stephens’ NHL power rankings (March 12, 2018) 1103317 Life after the Joe: Big changes proposed for site 1103318 Wings continue plunge in standings with loss to Sharks Arizona Coyotes 1103319 Red Wings' skid reaches 7 in 5-3 loss at San Jose 1103288 Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet granted leave of absence due to family illness Edmonton Oilers 1103289 Rick Tocchet takes leave from Coyotes to deal with family 1103320 Oilers' Aberg likely earns another shot on McDavid's wing illness 1103321 Oilers' Bear impressively poised as he makes Battle of 1103290 Coyotes get 27 saves from Kuemper, shut out Canucks Alberta debut 1103291 ‘Yotes Notes: Tocchet granted leave of absence, Dauphin 1103322 Rest of Oilers' Klefbom's season hangs on status of ailing out long term shoulder 1103323 Oil Spills: Will Connor McDavid win the Hart Trophy? Boston Bruins 1103324 Edmonton Oilers' Pontus Aberg likely earns another shot 1103292 Starting the playoffs on the road would be no problem for on Connor McDavid's wing Bruins 1103325 Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear impressively 1103293 Conroy: Bruins still have issues to work through as they poised as he makes Battle of Alberta debut churn toward playoffs 1103294 'Livin' on a Prayer' is about to cost the Bruins the Stanley Florida Panthers Cup 1103328 The Panthers’ home winning streak may be over, but the 1103295 Haggs NHL Power Rankings: Lightning steady at the top playoff chase is alive and well 1103296 Heinen working to get back in "a good place" amid second 1103329 Panthers lose to Senators 5-3, snapping eight-game home half struggles winning streak 1103330 Denis Malgin returns after missing two weeks, makes Buffalo Sabres Panthers roster whole 1103297 Sabres Notebook: Eichel not yet at practice but Matthews 1103331 Panthers a hot ticket in Finland, will also play a preseason close to return game in Tulsa 1103298 Hurricanes interview Sabres' Greeley for GM post Los Angeles Kings 1103332 Quick shutout lifts Kings back into playoff position 1103299 The Flames have just 12 games left to try to make the 1103333 Kings’ Drew Doughty takes pride in consecutive-games playoffs. Here's a look at what's to come streak 1103300 Game Day: Five things to know before the Flames host 1103334 Kings rebound by blanking struggling Canucks the Oilers 1103335 A TOUCH OLDER, HIGHLY SKILLED SEDINS STILL 1103301 Francis: Gulutzan short on answers and patience PROVIDE A CHALLENGING “MIND GAME” 1103302 Flames feeling heat with another Battle of Alberta on the 1103336 MARCH 12: PROSPECT UPDATES; DOUGHTY’S horizon STREAK; STRIDES ON BOTH SIDES OF PUCK 1103303 Custance: The Top 10 assistant GMs ready for a 1103337 March 12 postgame quotes: Toffoli, Pearson promotion 1103338 March 12 postgame quotes: John Stevens 1103339 March 12 postgame notes Carolina Hurricanes 1103304 Vesey, Zuccarello lead Rangers to 6-3 win over Hurricanes 1103340 Wild give Darby Hendrickson a break to watch son win state hockey title 1103341 Wild face daunting schedule over final 13 games in push 1103305 With deal sealed, Blackhawks defenseman Erik for playoffs Gustafsson out to prove he’s worth it 1103342 Wild coach Darby Hendrickson cuts road trip for ‘once- 1103306 Blackhawks D Erik Gustafsson finding redemption after in-a-lifetime experience’ long Rockford purgatory 1103307 Chicago Blackhawks' defense might not be an issue Montreal Canadiens 1103343 Seth Jones leads surging Blue Jackets past Canadiens 1103344 Game Report: Canadiens limp home after yet another 1103308 Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov back in net for critical road loss in Columbus game at Minnesota 1103345 Stu Cowan: Habs' man of steel Noah Juulsen shows poise on blue line Columbus Blue Jackets 1103346 Memorial for Marlene Geoffrion, wife of Boom Boom, 1103309 Blue Jackets 5, Canadiens 2 | Jackets win fifth straight, Saturday in Georgia but Jones departs with injury 1103347 Game Day: Charlie Lindgren will start in for 1103310 Blue Jackets notebook: Aggravated injury keeps Seth Canadiens in Columbus Jones out of 3rd period as ‘precaution’ 1103348 Canadiens at Columbus Blue Jackets: Five things you 1103311 Michael Arace’s commentary | Fans take heed: this should know season’s Jackets look primed for playoffs 1103349 In the Habs' Room: Lindgren laments 'frustrating' trip after Jackets lower the boom Dallas Stars 1103350 Three things we learned in Columbus 1103312 Stars confident 'ultimate pro' Alexander Radulov can cut out noise in his return to Montreal 1103313 Stars playoff tracker: Where Dallas sits in the Western Conference standings (updated daily) St Louis Blues 1103351 Predators' Ryan Hartman, Scott Hartnell seek solution to 1103390 Goals by Barbashev, Sobotka give Blues 3-1 lead after 2 'Hartsy' dilemma 1103391 As season winds down, another big game for Blues 1103392 With goals from unlikely sources, Blues beat Ducks and New Jersey Devils jump back into wild-card race 1103352 Will Travis Zajac, Pavel Zacha make upcoming trip with 1103393 Blues notebook: Brodziak always finds a way to help, Yeo Devils? says 1103353 5 things to watch for on the Devils' road trip 1103394 Gordo: Youngest Blues still have much to prove New York Islanders Tampa Bay Lightning 1103354 Gibson showing promise as Isles look to start winning 1103395 Don’t sleep on J.T. Miller’s potential playoff impact streak 1103396 Lightning recalls goalie Peter Budaj New York Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs 1103355 Strong young defensemen proving themselves in Rangers’ 1103397 Leafs’ Auston Matthews takes part in first full practice 6-3 victory over Hurricanes since injury 1103356 How Henrik Lundqvist is dealing with the season that 1103398 Marner knows Leafs script line by line won’t end 1103399 Leafs’ Auston Matthews participates in full practice, but 1103357 Jimmy Vesey piles on Hurricanes with first career hat trick won’t play against Dallas 1103358 Jimmy Vesey nets hat trick in Rangers’ victory over 1103400 Leafs Locker: Babcock looking to power up Nylander Carolina group 1103401 Auston Matthews inching closer to return to Maple Leafs Ottawa Senators lineup 1103359 Game Day: Ottawa Senators at Tampa Bay Lightning 1103402 Penguins have a new model on display — and it's not 1103360 Burrows prepares to hit what could be his last major about winning a 'goddamn lottery' milestone 1103403 Custance: The Top 10 assistant GMs ready for a 1103361 Bobby Ryan's days in Ottawa are likely numbered - and promotion he's handling it like a pro 1103404 Bourne's notebook: Goalie interference, the Islanders 1103362 Duchene leads Senators to rare road win with two goals defense, the streaky Flyers and more 1103365 How has a league-leading number of back-to-back games affected the Senators this season? Vancouver Canucks 1103424 Willes' Musings: Draft scenarios for Canucks, Tiger's Philadelphia Flyers 'comeback' and who has Hart? 1103366 Burrows prepares to hit what could be his last major 1103425 Canucks Game Day: It's Jeff Carter vs. Brandon Sutter as milestone Canucks face Kings 1103367 Flyers fall to Vegas on late goal 1103426 The Provies: The Boeser effect, the Gagner effect, the 1103368 Flyers winger Jori Lehtera finally feels he belongs; Brian Guddy effect and a take to bring the city together Elliott returns to ice 1103427 Canucks Post Game: The captain’s concern, the Gagner 1103369 With time short, Flyers still seek an identity | Sam drought Donnellon 1103428 Kings 3 Canucks 0: Wings and prayers, is it Tanev time? 1103370 Rob Parent: Bellemare and his Vegas ‘misfits’ keep fairy 1103429 10 thoughts on the Canucks: What effect could all this tale going against Flyers losing have? 1103371 Flyers need to get up to speed vs. surprising Vegas 1103372 Up next for Flyers prospect Cooper Marody, the NCAA Vegas Golden Knights Tournament 1103405 Golden Knights’ Tatar ‘squeezing the stick’ as he struggles 1103373 Flyers 'can't keep doing this' ... but they do to adjust 1103374 Ovechkin scores a seat in an exclusive club 1103406 400! Fleury notches milestone as Golden Knights stun 1103375 Flyers handed fool's gold by expansion power Flyers 3-2 1103376 Travis Sanheim way more confident in return to NHL 1103407 Fleury wins No. 400 as Golden Knights top Flyers, 3-2 1103377 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare opens up on Las Vegas, not 1103408 Vegas Play of the Day: Hartford at San Diego being kept by Flyers 1103378 Flyers 5 takeaways: Self-inflicted mistake costs points in Washington Capitals playoff battle 1103409 Alex Ovechkin’s 600th goal is a reminder that it’s too easy to take him for granted Pittsburgh Penguins 1103410 Alex Ovechkin scores 600th career goal, marking his 1103379 Tim Benz: Pittsburgh involved again as NHL runs into latest night of history NFL-style replay debates 1103412 It’s Capitals vs. Jets, but it’s also Alex Ovechkin vs. Patrik 1103380 Penguins' Evgeni Malkin running wild since Jan. 1 Laine for the NHL goal-scoring title 1103381 Penguins join Carnegie Mellon to study hockey safety 1103413 Alex Ovechkin scores 600th career goal in Capitals’ 1103382 Penguins' Evgeni Malkin piling up NHL honors overtime win over Jets 1103383 Penguins challenge CMU students to help create safer ice 1103414 Capitals walk fine line between Grubauer, Holtby rinks 1103415 Alex Ovechkin scores 600th goal further cementing his 1103384 20 Penguins Thoughts: Evgeni Malkin mature and place among the all-time greats masterful 1103416 Tarik's three stars: Ovechkin nets No. 600... and the No. 1 star 1103385 Things to know: veteran forward says he isn’t a ‘good fit’ for the Sharks 1103386 Sharks stay above the pack in Pacific with win over Red Wings 1103387 5 Sharks score in win over Red Wings 1103388 Sharks playoff outlook with four weeks left in season 1103389 Sharks overcome slow start, beat Red Wings to wrap homestand with win Websites 1103430 The Athletic / Custance: The Top 10 assistant GMs ready for a promotion 1103431 The Athletic / LeBrun: Exploring the timeline for Seattle and possible GM candidates 1103432 The Athletic / How the Lightning took advantage of market inefficiencies to leapfrog the Canadiens and become 1103433 The Athletic / Four former goalies discuss why some of the NHL's biggest stars have struggled this year 1103434 The Athletic / Bourne's notebook: Goalie interference, the Islanders defense, the streaky Flyers and more 1103435 The Athletic / College free agents who could soon impact the NHL 1103436 The Athletic / Wild let assistant Darby Hendrickson surprise son, watch him win state title 1103437 The Athletic / Reduced minutes for Blue Jackets' top defensive pair reflects growing trust in others 1103438 Sportsnet.ca / Yet another loss proves Brock Boeser is beating Hart of Canucks 1103439 Sportsnet.ca / Don't expect Maple Leafs' Matthews back until next week at earliest 1103440 Sportsnet.ca / Oilers defenceman Klefbom's health, play 'an abject disappointment' 1103441 Sportsnet.ca / Down Goes Brown Weekend Wrap: Can flatlining Flames recover? 1103442 Sportsnet.ca / Many questions surround Flames ahead of pivotal clash vs. Oilers 1103443 Sportsnet.ca / Maroon's personality aiding transition to Devils locker room 1103444 TSN.CA / Timeline for Matthews coming into focus 1103445 TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: McDavid finishing fast 1103446 TSN.CA / Snapshot: Predators stay on top 1103447 TSN.CA / Calm, confident Marner thriving for Maple Leafs 1103448 TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Jones, Werenski among the best on the blueline 1103449 TSN.CA / Predators appear to be peaking for postseason run 1103450 USA TODAY / Five NHL players who can look forward to playoffs as second chance to return to form Winnipeg Jets 1103417 It's Caps' Great 8 and Jets' Divine 29 tonight in battle of NHL's top two sharpshooters 1103418 Jets fall to Caps 3-2 in OT on historic night for Ovechkin, Laine 1103419 Similarities between snipers Laine, Ovechkin striking 1103420 Five keys to Jets and Predators 1103421 Ovechkin reaches 600-goal milestone as Capitals beat Jets 1103422 Scheifele back on ice Jets top centre progressing, but caution prevails 1103423 Jets have a perfect replacement for Toby Enstrom in Sami Niku

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1103283 Anaheim Ducks

Fading Ducks can’t shake the Blues

By MIKE COPPINGER MAR 12, 2018 | 11:35 PM

Not this. Not now. With the playoffs hanging in the balance, the Ducks looked flat Monday night, the bounce in their step missing for most of the 60 minutes they skated against the St. Louis Blues. The Ducks played loose with the puck in their own zone, and they were sitting back there most of the game. Vladimir Tarasenko and Co. skated circles around the Ducks, and despite Anaheim's third-period rally to make it a close game on Derek Grant's goal, the Blues closed with a 4-2 victory before 16,312 at Honda Center. "They played a little bit harder than we did," said Corey Perry, whose 15th goal cut it to 2-1 in the second period. "We just weren't sharp early, and that's too bad. "You can't let it [snowball into the second period], but it does and you gotta come in, you gotta regroup. You look at the goals, we gave them a couple of them." It's a third straight setback for the Ducks, who were flying high heading into last week's two-game trip, the playoff prospects bright. A return home didn't offer any respite, and they no longer control their fate. The Colorado Avalanche, with two games in hand, are tied with the Ducks for the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference. The San Jose Sharks and Kings, with wins Monday, jumped ahead of the Ducks in the Pacific Division. Anaheim has another three games left on the homestand to right the ship. "It's a tough loss," Kevin Bieksa said, "but we'll bounce back." The veteran defenseman lamented the number of turnovers the Ducks committed (17 to nine for the Blues) against a hard-charging squad that pressed and pressed and pressed. The Blues were feistier from the opening faceoff, their legs churning on every forecheck, the desperation evident. They needed this game as much as the Ducks, and they're the club that showed up. St. Louis set up shop in the Ducks' zone and cycled. The defensemen encountered trouble when they attempted to push the puck to the forwards to exit the zone, and instead met with more pressure. When they did make it to the neutral zone, the Ducks were confronted by trapping Blues skaters. Down 2-0 in the second period, the Ducks finally responded off a beautiful Ryan Getzlaf cross-ice feed to Perry, who was sitting backdoor for the effortless score. The momentum was short-lived, though. The Blues continued to outhustle and outwork the Ducks all over the ice in a showing coach Randy Carlyle could hardly fathom. "These are the dog days of the season," Carlyle said. "You're left to scratch your head on some of the performances that you get from your hockey club." LA Times: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103284 Anaheim Ducks and 31 assists, Schenn posting 24 goals and 33 assists and Schwartz scoring 20 times with 29 assists.

“Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to get that chemistry back,” Ducks Gameday: Top players carrying the load, but help sought Schwartz told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “but I thought right off the bat we had success.” By ERIC STEPHENS | PUBLISHED: March 12, 2018 at 4:41 pm | Jake Allen (20-20-2, 2.77 GAA, .907 SV%) will get the nod in goal for the UPDATED: March 12, 2018 at 5:05 PM third straight game. Allen is 5-3-0 with one shutout and a 1.92 goals- against average lifetime against the Ducks.

Ville Husso was recalled from San Antonio (AHL) under emergency ANAHEIM – The top line for the Ducks is powering them offensively and conditions as Carter Hutton continues to deal with a neck injury. Husso it will look to keep going Monday night when they host the St. Louis Blues was in nearby Ontario as he played for the Rampage on Sunday. at Honda Center. Regular defenseman Joel Edmundson is still dealing with an arm injury Over the last six games, the combo of Rickard Rakell, Ryan Getzlaf and and will miss a 13th consecutive game. Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester Corey Perry has combined for 31 points. Rakell’s five-game goal streak is out for the season due to a bad hip while forward Scottie Upshall is out ended Friday but he scored eight times over that stretch. Ten of Getzlaf’s for at least four weeks due to a knee injury. 12 points have been assists, while Perry has two goals and six assists over that span. Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.13.2018 Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, whose team is 34-23-12 and coming off road losses to Nashville and Dallas, couldn’t ignore the production that’s taken place but he wants others to join in. “It’s a team game,” Carlyle said Monday morning. “You need a certain level of production from everybody. And right now, our big guys have been getting the job done statistically. “But, again, we’re always going to ask for them to continue that and we hope to have a little bit more of a contribution from some of the other lines.” Carlyle then pointed to the third line centered by Adam Henrique with Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase as his wingers. Henrique has scored twice in the last nine games, but Ritchie has one point (an empty-net goal) and Kase has gone scoreless. The shutdown line of Andrew Cogliano, Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg has also struggled offensively but Carlyle said it “gets a bit of a pass” because of all the defensive responsibilities that it shoulders. Silfverberg said there is comfort in the top line leading the way for them but that can only go so far. “I think it brings a lot of confidence to the team if anything,” Silfverberg said. “And knowing that they’ll do their job to get us on the board at least a couple times every night. “At this time of the year, it can’t only be one line that’s doing it. It’s got to be the full team. We’ve got to make sure that we create offense on all four lines and we get a couple goals that way too.” John Gibson (25-16-6, 2.49 GAA, .926 SV%) gets back in net after getting a rest Friday following a 24-save effort Thursday in Nashville. It appears rookie Marcus Pettersson will sit out as Carlyle will go with both Francois Beauchemin and Kevin Bieksa against the more physical Blues. Derek Grant was centering Jason Chimera and J.T. Brown in practice Sunday but it remains to be seen what the fourth line combination will be as all five exited the ice in a timely manner after the optional morning skate. Here is the projected lineup for the Ducks: Rickard Rakell-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry Andrew Cogliano-Ryan Kesler-Jakob Silfverberg Nick Ritchie-Adam Henrique-Ondrej Kase Jason Chimera-Derek Grant/Antoine Vermette-J.T. Brown/Chris Kelly Cam Fowler-Brandon Montour Hampus Lindholm-Kevin Bieksa Francois Beauchemin-Josh Manson The Blues (36-27-5) got a much-needed win over the Kings on Saturday to stop a bad stretch where they went 1-8-1 over 10 games to fall out of playoff position in the Western Conference. Seven different scorers – including three defensemen – found the net in a 7-2 win at Staples Center. But the big development that came out of that win was Coach Mike Yeo reuniting the top line of Jaden Schwartz, Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko. The three were a huge part of their first-half success before a broken ankle to Schwartz in early December threw them into disarray. They’ve combined for 164 points on the year, with Tarasenko getting 27 goals 1103285 Anaheim Ducks Yet, it wasn’t Vladimir Tarasenko or Jaden Schwartz who burned the Ducks. It was the depth guys who did the damage. Especially the fourth line, which was tuning them up with the ice time they got. Return home fails to spark Ducks in loss to Blues After Bortuzzo opened the scoring with a clean wrist shot that beat Gibson off a drop pass from Pietrangelo, Barbashev pushed the lead to 2-0 when he jumped on a loose puck as Pietrangelo threw the puck By ERIC STEPHENS | PUBLISHED: March 12, 2018 at 9:48 pm | toward the net and the Blues kept the possession alive. UPDATED: March 13, 2018 at 12:51 am “They were pressuring us hard up ice,” Bieksa said. “Especially in our end and the neutral zone. And we just weren’t sharp on the puck tonight.” ANAHEIM — Being back at home didn’t do wonders for the Ducks. Perry cut the St. Louis lead in half when he curled around the net and Sloppy play in front of their fans was more the thing to wonder about Ryan Getzlaf found him from a cross-ice pass and a scoring play that Monday night. turned the clock back to when they did that routinely. But that was one of few plays where they were able to connect on passes. Many others A critical four-game stretch on what is usually friendly ice did not start in missed the target. auspicious fashion. The Ducks made a bucket full of mistakes at both ends of it in losing their third straight game and the St. Louis Blues That Twin connection! #LetsGoDucks capitalized often in a 4-2 win at Honda Center. ➡ https://t.co/wulmwbnRPW pic.twitter.com/p2ydrlewRH The Ducks (34-24-12) had gone 7-0-2 over their previous nine home games but an announced crowd of 16,312 left the arena grumbling as — Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 13, 2018 they not only failed to improve their position in the Western Conference The Blues, who were coming off a 7-2 rout of the Kings on Saturday to playoff race but fell out altogether with the Kings winning to jump into stop a bad 1-8-1 slide, seemed to put genuine plays together. Such was third place in the Pacific Division. their third goal, when defenseman Jordan Schmaltz found Sobotka at the Robert Bortuzzo, Ivan Barbashev, Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund front of the net. It was another puck the Ducks couldn’t get out of their all scored for St. Louis to easily offset the Ducks’ goals from Corey Perry own zone. and Derek Grant. Jake Allen only needed to make 20 saves for the Blues “We’ve got to understand there’s a certain type of game that’s being while Ducks goalie John Gibson had 19 stops. played right now,” Carlyle said. “We’ve given the opposition to many gifts The Blues (37-27-5) are back in the picture, sitting just one point behind here in the last little while. Those are mental breakdowns that have to be the Ducks and Colorado. The Avalanche currently hold the second wild- corrected.” card spot in the West. The Ducks had been wishing they could get something from their “That’s what good teams do,” Perry said. “They’re fighting for their playoff collection of grinders. Trading for Jason Chimera and bringing in Chris lives. They’re hungry and they’re playing well. We knew that coming in. Kelly to form a reconstituted fourth line had no effect since they were We have to take that mentality and move forward with it.” acquired at the Feb. 26 deadline. Poor puck management was the area that those who discussed the loss Chimera did have one jam-in try during the second period as he got back focused on. Rare was the time when the Ducks either got through the into the lineup, but Kelly has remained in the lineup despite not offering neutral zone cleanly or created a high-quality scoring chance because much beyond some occasional assistance on the penalty kill. Energetic they were able to put one or two passes together. shifts creating some extensive zone time have been minimal, if not nonexistent. Because of that, the Blues had no problem executing a strong forecheck to continually pressure the hosts into turnovers. Ducks captain Ryan That changed in the early part of the third. The unit got the Ducks back in Getzlaf exhibited frustration with their inability to be consistently sharp, the game with a goal off the rush. Kelly carried the puck up toward the whether game to game or even period to period. right circle and shot it between the legs of St. Louis defenseman Carl Gunnarsson as Grant worked to get a screen of Allen. When asked what they need to do to find success, the center said, “Figure it out mentally.” And that shot grazed Grant on the way to beating Allen for a 3-2 game with 13:45 left, giving the Ducks plenty of time to find the tying goal. The “Everything we’re doing is mental mistakes,” Getzlaf said. “It’s not Blues never allowed to happen as Berglund jumped on a turnover as anything to do with physical fatigue. We’re working and doing things. Fowler couldn’t handle Bieksa’s pass back to him in the corner of the We’re skating. It’s the mental errors that aren’t allowing us to continue Anaheim zone. our success.” “There’s really no reason for it,” Bieksa said. “It’s on us as players. We Ducks coach Randy Carlyle went with the curious decision of sitting out have to execute with the puck, no matter what the situation. When you rookie Marcus Pettersson and pairing veterans Kevin Bieksa and don’t execute against a team like that, you’re play in your end a lot and Francois Beauchemin. The two have been in the lineup together you get tired like we did. You get frustrated. That’s the result.” throughout the midpoint of the season but never when they were operating as a partnership. Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.13.2018 Perhaps predictably, Bieksa and Beauchemin had their issues in eventful shifts on the ice as they’re no longer as efficient in moving the puck at this point in their careers. Blues coach Mike Yeo did what he could to get his best offensive players on the ice against them. Carlyle said his reasoning is to have a fixed top four with Cam Fowler and Brandon Montour as one pair and Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson as another to dole out heavy minutes to. With Bieksa and Beauchemin, he believes “they should be able to provide us with the 15 minutes of safe and hard hockey.” Physical play is their strength, but Carlyle doesn’t see puck movement as a trade-off. “They both can move the puck,” he said. “I don’t think they last 14, 15 years in the league with not having the ability to move the puck. That’s not the issue. The issue more, for me, is the management of the puck in the right situations and do everything firm and advance the puck. Don’t be pulling the puck back. “That’s the way I look at it. the new era of hockey is about puck movement. Join the rush when you have an opportunity. But it’s advancing the puck and playing fast.” 1103286 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks’ Ondrej Kase hits cold streak but remains undaunted

By ERIC STEPHENS | PUBLISHED: March 12, 2018 at 8:45 pm | UPDATED: March 12, 2018 at 8:56 PM

ANAHEIM — The goals for Ondrej Kase have slowed and so have the points. Even though the first half of his season was interrupted by injuries, the Ducks’ shifty winger hadn’t had a slump like the one he took into Monday’s game against St. Louis. Two road games without a point on their brief trip extended his drought to nine straight. Kase’s march toward his first 20-goal season has stalled at 17 since Feb. 17. He has 16 shots on goal since then but the nightly challenge of putting the puck in the net has become a bit more daunting. “It’s tough to say,” Kase said. “I think (maybe I get) lucky before. Now the luck, I don’t have that a little bit more. But I think we played good the last two games. The line is coming up again.” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle has kept Kase with Nick Ritchie and Adam Henrique as his third line but pointed to the entire unit as being among those that needs to raise its game. “We need more from more,” Carlyle said. “We want more from different areas of our lineup.” With the three players, Carlyle is looking for simplification. Get the puck and get open. “Nick Ritchie again has to be involved physically and has to get in on the body,” Carlyle said. “Loosen pucks. And stop progression. Where Kase and Henrique have had that knack of going in, finding pucks and finding one another. “Again, it’s not just one individual we’re asking. We’re asking everybody to step up their contribution.” For a two-week stretch in February, the Ducks’ third line was their best. Only Henrique has kept up some level of consistent offense as he has chipped in a couple power-play goals. But they need to get back to being a difference-maker when it comes to providing scoring depth at five skaters aside. “When we’re effective, we’re using our speed and getting on to our forecheck,” said Henrique, who played in his 500th game Monday. “Playing the puck in the offensive zone. As a line, I thought we had a good game last game (in Dallas). Had some great opportunities and some great looks.” Kase sounded confident that his scoring touch and that of his linemates will return. “The season is long so it’s going up and down,” Kase said. “We need to go up again.” ICE CHIPS Andrew Cogliano’s suspension in January ended his consecutive-games streak at 830 but he continues to keep an unofficial number going in terms of his eligibility to play. Cogliano has played in 854 contests from the start of his NHL career without missing one due to injury or illness. Despite missing a total of 25 games this season, Ryan Getzlaf ranks second on the Ducks with 50 points and his 1.14 points-per-game leads the team and sits eighth in the NHL. … Derek Grant and Jason Chimera were back in the lineup after being scratched Friday. Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103287 Anaheim Ducks 15. Blue Jackets (36-28-5). An All-Star pick this season, Seth Jones just continues to get better. Defenseman is leading the charge during a critical four-game win streak. (20) Eric Stephens’ NHL power rankings (March 12, 2018) 16. Panthers (34-25-7). The only loss in the last nine came in overtime at cross-state rival Tampa Bay. Yes, rival is used loosely here but an all- Florida playoff series is long overdue. (17) By ERIC STEPHENS | PUBLISHED: March 12, 2018 at 6:24 pm | UPDATED: March 12, 2018 at 6:52 PM 17. Flyers (35-23-11). They’re getting huge seasons from Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Jakub Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere and yet they still have work to do to secure a playoff spot. (15) All eyes will be on Nashville on Tuesday night when Winnipeg faces the 18. Devils (35-26-8). Keith Kinkaid came up large in Nashville on Central Division leaders in a tasty meal served up by the two best teams Saturday but they got to get main man Cory Schneider right. Missed a in the Western Conference. month due to groin injury but hasn’t won since Dec. 27. (18) Maybe all eyes won’t be watching but they should. We’re not 19. Blues (36-27-5). Saturday’s 7-2 blowout of the Kings was a soothing disrespecting Vegas and the amazing job it has done in its first season, tonic for a team in a 1-8-1 free fall. Mike Yeo has put Brayden Schenn, but we’re talking about two certain 100-point teams that could see their Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko back together. (16) seasons end in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs – because they could play each other. 20. Hurricanes (30-27-11). Scott Darling hasn’t been good but won in return to Chicago, a game Carolina had to have. Meanwhile, who’s going Blame that on the NHL’s division-based playoff setup. A first-round upset to be the new general manager? New owner Tom Dundon? (19) can happen improbably but Nashville would get the West’s second wild card and Winnipeg would draw Minnesota, barring a sudden collapse by 21. Flames (34-26-10). If they miss the playoffs, they can look right at the surging Wild. Sorry, but we’re taking Tuesday’s combatants in those their dreadful 14-16-4 record at Scotiabank Saddledome. The good fans matchups. there deserve better. (21) The Jets and Predators have the deepest set of forwards in the 22. Islanders (30-29-10). Rookie Christopher Gibson gives them 50 conference and their three prior meetings have produced a combined 29 saves to win at Calgary but that 0-3-4 stretch might have been the death goals, including Nashville’s thrilling 6-5 win at Winnipeg on Feb. 27. We knell to playoff chances. (23) could be seeing an unfortunate early-round collision course. (Records in 23. Rangers (30-32-7). Ryan Spooner is taking nicely to his new team as parentheses as of Sunday’s games): the former Boston center has two goals and 10 assists in his first seven 1. Lightning (48-17-4). Six 20-goal scorers, one of which they could games with the Blueshirts. (22) sacrifice (Vladislav Namestnikov) in order to bring in Ryan McDonagh 24. Oilers (30-34-4). Feels like Connor McDavid is playing better now and J.T. Miller. Miller has six points in his first six games. (1T) than when he won his first Hart Trophy last season. Closing strong with 2. Predators (44-14-10). It took five rounds of a shootout for New Jersey 18 points – 10 of them goals – in his last 11 games. (27) to end the streak. Still, Nashville coach Peter Laviolette is pulling a Gregg 25. Blackhawks (30-32-8). In the unaccustomed role of spoiler, Chicago Popovich and resting regulars nightly. (1T) has three games left with St. Louis. Don’t think they wouldn’t relish 3. Bruins (43-16-8). A six-game win streak ended in Chicago but they’re keeping the Blues out to pay back 2016 first-round loss. (26) still rolling without Patrice Bergeron (broken foot). Brad Marchand (upper 26. Canadiens (25-31-12). Minnesota native Charlie Lindgren getting a body) and David Backes (suspension) will be back. (3) long look as Montreal brass sees if he’s ready to assume the job as 4. Jets (41-18-9). Paul Stastny is making Winnipeg GM Kevin backup to Carey Price in 2018-19. (24) Cheveldayoff look like a genius for his big trade deadline move. Two 27. Red Wings (26-31-11). Jeff Blashill might not be all that safe as goals, five assists and a plus-8 rating in his first six games. (4) coach in Motown while the rumblings haven’t ceased that longtime GM 5. Golden Knights (44-19-5). The latest expansion mark to shatter came Ken Holland’s tenure will end, either of his own doing or not. (25) Saturday when a shootout win in Buffalo gave them 20 road triumphs, 28. Senators (23-33-11). High up on their summer wish list will be topping the 19 set by the Mighty Ducks in 1993-94. (5) attempts to shed the contract of Bobby Ryan, who has eight goals and is 6. Maple Leafs (40-22-7). Locked into a first-round battle with Boston, it’s still owed $30 million over next four seasons. (28) time to give Frederik Andersen some rest down the stretch. You don’t 29. Coyotes (22-35-11). Rick Tocchet, who has them playing well over want him wearing down, as Anaheim saw in 2015. (6) the last month, has to step away due to a family illness. John MacLean 7. Wild (39-23-7). Finishing strong and settling into that No. 3 spot in the takes over as coach in the interim. (30) Central. But we know judgment for Bruce Boudreau begins on April 11. 30. Sabres (22-35-12). Many have disappointed for them but not veteran (7) defender Marco Scandella, who’s been quietly effective in his first season 8. Penguins (40-26-4). I’d be kind of concerned about the goaltending. as he was in Minnesota. (31) The concussed Matt Murray has had a difficult season and Tristan Jarry 31. Canucks (25-35-9). They’ve lost three straight – including two to has been up and down. Might have to lean on Casey DeSmith. (9) Arizona – and are 4-11-3 since Feb. 1. Nah, they wouldn’t be tanking for 9. Capitals (38-23-7). They’re giving struggling Braden Holtby a break. Rasmus Dahlin, would they? (29) Meanwhile, Philipp Grubauer (2.25 GAA, .925 SV%) is starting to raise Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.13.2018 the question of “Could he be a No. 1 somewhere?” (8) 10. Sharks (36-23-9). San Jose isn’t banking on Joe Thornton’s return from a torn MCL but we need him and that majestic beard playing deep into April. Or, for his and their sake, beyond. (10) 11. Stars (38-25-6). Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov have snapped out of offensive funks but the lack of consistent secondary scoring is a more pressing issue. (11) 12. Ducks (34-23-12). Marcus Pettersson is playing protected minutes on defense and still needs to bulk up but the rookie has the look of a solid NHL future. Good instincts and delivers an accurate first pass. (12) 13. Kings (37-26-5). They’ve responded at other challenging times so we’ll see how they do after a 7-2 loss to St. Louis on home ice. Favorable schedule ahead with Vancouver, Arizona and Detroit. (13) 14. Avalanche (36-24-8). Mikko Rantanen flies way under the radar but he shouldn’t. The 21-year-old Finnish winger has 23 goals and 46 assists. Twenty-eight of his 69 points are on the power play. (14) 1103288 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet granted leave of absence due to family illness

Richard Morin, azcentral sports Published 10:17 a.m. MT March 12, 2018 | Updated 5:04 p.m. MT March 12, 2018

Coyotes President of Hockey Operations and General Manager John Chayka announced that coach Rick Tocchet is leaving the team temporarily to deal with a family illness, according to a team news release. Assistant coach John MacLean will assume the Coyotes' head coaching responsibilities until Tocchet returns. "Family comes first," Chayka said in the release. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Toc as he deals with this personal matter. It's important that he takes the time to be there with his family." The Coyotes, winners in nine of their past 13 games, are among the better teams in the NHL the past month, going 10-3-2 since Feb. 8. The team is 13-8-6 since Jan. 1. Tuesday's game Kings at Coyotes When: 7 p.m. Where: Gila River Arena. TV/Radio: FSAZ-Plus/KTAR-AM (620). Outlook: The Arizona Coyotes (22-35-11) continue a five-game homestand when the welcome the Los Angeles Kings (37-26-5) into Gila River Arena for a Tuesday night matchup. … The Kings enter play Monday just one point out of a playoff spot and will be playing on the second end of a back-to-back after hosting the Vancouver Canucks on Monday. … The Kings have won six of their past 10 games entering play Monday but have lost two of their past three. … This is the third of four games between the teams this season, with the Kings having won the first two by a combined score of 9-2; the teams will play again on March 29 in Los Angeles. … The Kings are led in scoring by forwards Anze Kopitar (74 points) and Dustin Brown (46 points), as well as defenseman Drew Doughty (45 points). … With starting goaltender Jonathan Quick (26-25-0, 2.49 GAA) expected between the pipes on Monday, backup Jack Campbell could get the start on Tuesday in Arizona. … Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet was granted a leave of absence from the team on Monday to deal with a family illness; assistant coach John MacLean will serve as head coach in the interim. … Coyotes players Antti Raanta (lower body) and Zac Rinaldo (upper body) are both listed as day-to-day; center Laurent Dauphin (upper body) is out indefinitely. Arizona Republic LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103289 Arizona Coyotes

Rick Tocchet takes leave from Coyotes to deal with family illness

FOX Sports Arizona Mar 12, 2018 at 2:00p ET

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Coyotes head coach Rich Tocchet has been granted a leave of absence from the team to deal with a family illness. Assistant Coach John MacLean will assume the Coyotes’ head coaching responsibilities until Tocchet returns. “Family comes first,” general manager John Chayka said Monday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Toc as he deals with this personal matter. It’s important that he takes the time to be there with his family.” The Coyotes are off Monday and return to action Tuesday with a home game against the Los Angeles Kings. foxsportsarizona.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103290 Arizona Coyotes Coyotes: Host Los Angeles on Tuesday night. foxsportsarizona.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 Coyotes get 27 saves from Kuemper, shut out Canucks

AP Mar 12, 2018 at 10:32a ET

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Darcy Kuemper bounced back nicely for the Arizona Coyotes. Just 2 1/2 weeks after being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings — and one night after being worked over in a 5-2 loss at Colorado — the goalkeeper earned his 11th career shutout with a 1-0 victory over Vancouver on Sunday night, his and Arizona’s second win over the Canucks in four days. Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored on a power play for the only goal Kuemper needed. Ekman-Larsson is now two shy of 100 career goals. Kuemper, in his fourth straight start for the injured Antti Ranta since being acquired Feb. 21 from Los Angeles, stopped 27 shots. “It’s nice to get these consecutive starts like this and just kind of get in the rhythm out there,” he said. “Every start I feel more and more comfortable with the team and how we play. Tonight was just a gutsy effort from everyone.” Kuemper’s previous shutout was Feb. 3 for the Kings against the Coyotes. “It was a very solid game. He looked big to me tonight,” Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said. “A very solid play. It looked like when they shot nothing was going to go in.” Kuemper had 24 saves in the Coyotes’ 2-1 win at Vancouver on Wednesday in his Arizona debut. Although long out of the playoff picture, Arizona rebounded from a 5-2 loss at Colorado the previous night and improved to 10-3-2 in its last games. Vancouver lost its third straight and is 4-10-3 in its last 17. “It’s frustrating,” Canucks forward Bo Horvat said. “At the same time we need to take the positives out of this one. I thought we did battle hard until the end. I think we came on a little stronger there in the second half, we just have to capitalize on our chances instead.” After mostly uneventful play through one period and most of the second, the Coyotes finally broke through on a power play. With Vancouver defenseman Derrick Pouliot in the penalty box for high- sticking, Ekman-Larsson got loose and sent a sharp shot from outside the circle, just to the right of goalie Jacob Markstrom and Arizona led 1-0 with 4:53 left in the second. It was Ekman-Larsson’s 10th goal of the season. Derek Stepan and Clayton Keller got assists. Kuemper shut down any attempts to tie it after that with 13 third-period saves. Ekman-Larsson said Kuemper has been an easy fit. “It makes it easy when he’s a great guy and you want to battle for him,” Ekman-Larsson said. “I think everybody’s doing a really good job, too. We’re playing better as a team, too. It makes it easy on everyone.” With the victory, Arizona pulled within one game of Buffalo, and two of Ottawa, to escape the bottom of the NHL standings. The Coyotes are four points behind Vancouver in last place in the Pacific Division. The Canucks know they need to step up the offensive pressure early in games. “It’s easier said than done,” coach Travis Green said. “It’s easy to say from the outside let’s go out and get 10 to 15 shots. We gave up only six (in the first period). I thought we passed up a few chances, a few shots early in the game, but I’d like to see us put the puck in the net. You got to execute, you got to make passes to get scoring chances. That was a tight game both ways.” NOTES: Ranta missed his fourth straight game with a lower body injury. … Coyotes opened a five-game homestand. … Canucks are 6-13-1 against the Pacific Division. … Ekman-Larsson has scored at least 10 goals in five consecutive seasons. He has a point in five of his last six games. … Coyotes lead season series 2-1. UP NEXT 1103291 Arizona Coyotes league in 2010-11. No defenseman has scored more game-winners in that span.

“I would rather be battling for playoff spots than scoring goals,” Ekman- ‘Yotes Notes: Tocchet granted leave of absence, Dauphin out long term Larsson said. “At the same time, it means that I’m doing something good out there. I’ve been getting some good looks lately and it’s nice to see them go in.” BY CRAIG MORGAN | MARCH 12, 2018 AT 10:22 AM LOOSE PUCKS UPDATED: MARCH 12, 2018 AT 10:37 AM — The Coyotes could officially be eliminated from the playoff race during this five-game homestand. Arizona is 25 points behind the Avalanche for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Coyotes announced Monday morning that Conference, and 25 points behind the Anaheim Ducks for third place in coach Rick Tocchet has been granted a leave of absence from the team the Pacific Division. The Coyotes can earn a maximum of 28 points. The to deal with a family illness. Assistant Coach John MacLean will assume only teams they can mathematically catch for a playoff spot are: the Coyotes’ head coaching responsibilities until Tocchet returns. Colorado and Anaheim (80 points), San Jose (81) and Dallas (82 points). The team did not provide further details out of respect for the family. — Stepan has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past five games. Clayton Keller has five points (one goal, four assists) in six March games. “Family comes first,” general manager John Chayka said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Toc as he deals with this personal — Coyotes goalies have posted three shutouts in the team’s past 10 matter. It’s important that he takes the time to be there with his family.” games. Raanta has two; Kuemper has one. MacLean was the New Jersey Devils’ head coach for 33 games during Kings at Coyotes the 2010-11 season. When: 7 p.m., Tuesday DAUPHIN OUT A WHILE Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale Coyotes general manager John Chayka said Monday that injured center Laurent Dauphin will be out “long term.” TV: FOX Sports Arizona Plus Chayka said it is unclear if Dauphin’s injury will put his availability for the Radio: ESPN 620 AM upcoming playoffs with the Tucson Roadrunners in jeopardy. The team will release more information on his Records: Kings — 37-26-5. Coyotes — 22-35-11. status when it has it. Season series: Kings lead, 1-0-1. Dauphin left Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Injury report: Kings — None. Coyotes — F Zac Rinaldo (upper body) and Center in the third period after blocking a shot with his knee. He played G Antti Raanta (lower body) are day to day. C Laurent Dauphin (lower just two games with the Coyotes after his recall on March 1. body) is out indefinitely. With Dauphin out, the Coyotes played Sunday’s game against the Kings scouting report: Los Angeles is 6-4 in its past 10 games but is Vancouver Canucks without an extra forward after re-assigning Dylan coming off a 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. … F Anze Strome to Tucson on Sunday. Chayka said Zac Rinaldo would skate with Kopitar leads the team with 27 goals and 74 points (tied for 11th in the the team on Tuesday morning before its game against the Los Angeles NHL). He has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his past seven Kings on Tuesday night. games. … Entering Monday’s games, the Kings trailed the Colorado Rinaldo has missed the past six games with an upper-body injury. Avalanche by one point for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Assuming he returns, the Coyotes would have one extra forward and one Playoffs from the Western Conference, and the Anaheim Ducks by one extra defenseman (currently Luke Schenn) on the roster after re- point for third place in the Pacific Division. assigning defenseman Andrew Campbell to Tucson on Sunday. Arizona Sports LOADED: 03.13.2018 Strome was recalled on an emergency basis because the Coyotes were concerned about Derek Stepan’s status after he blocked a shot Saturday in Denver. But Stepan skated Sunday morning and played against the Vancouver Canucks at Gila River Arena on Sunday. Had Strome also played Sunday, it would have burned one of the Coyotes’ remaining two AHL recalls. RIEDER SITS Former Coyotes forward Tobias Rieder was a healthy scratch for the Kings’ past two games, although he could be in the lineup when the teams meet at Gila River Arena on Tuesday. The Kings acquired Rieder from the Coyotes along with goalie Scott Wedgewood on Feb. 21 for goalie Darcy Kuemper. Rieder scored in his second game with the Kings, but that is his only point in six games. He has 13 shots on goal and is averaging 12:59 of ice time per game. “I think he’s most comfortable on the left side,” Kings coach John Stevens told lakingsinsider.com, countering the belief by former Coyotes coach Dave Tippett that Rieder was more effective on the right side. “He’s played a little bit of right, and we’ve asked him to play the right. “He’s such a good kid and a good team player that he’ll play wherever you want him to, but we want to just make sure that he understands that we think he’s going to help us, and he just needs to make sure when he’s not playing he’s ready to play and stays really sharp so that when he gets the chance to come back and play he can make a difference.” OEL EQUALS GWG Game-winning goals are not always a great statistic because of how the NHL awards them. Yet, they often mean something and Oliver Ekman- Larsson has a knack for producing them. Ekman-Larsson’s goal in a 1-0 win against the Canucks on Sunday was clearly important. It was his 27th game-winning goal since entering the 1103292 Boston Bruins attacks Matt Grzelcyk, Cassidy has faith that the rookie will use his feet to close rapidly and flash a quick stick to choke off the rush. If Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak need breathers before looking for offense, Starting the playoffs on the road would be no problem for Bruins Cassidy will tap his third line — David Backes between Danton Heinen and Brian Gionta is currently his preferred formation — to hunt the puck.

The deficiency Cassidy wants to address before the playoffs is faceoffs. By Fluto Shinzawa In Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Chicago, the Bruins won 22 draws while losing 35. They were especially lousy in the defensive zone, where they went 3 MARCH 12, 2018 for 14 (21 percent) during five-on-five play. They were better in their own end on the penalty kill (3 for 6). But the Blackhawks scored both of their power-play goals after the Bruins lost D- At their current pace, the Bruins will conclude the regular season in zone draws (Kuraly on one, Schaller on the other, both to Jonathan second place in the Atlantic Division. They will start the playoffs at TD Toews). Garden, most likely against Toronto. If so, Bruce Cassidy would have the last change in Game 1. Every coach likes to have this advantage. A healthy Bergeron would help in that category. Just as he would everywhere else. But if the Bruins trip over their skates, Cassidy has fewer worries than ever about starting the postseason away from home. And not just Boston Globe LOADED: 03.13.2018 because the Bruins have dropped the fewest road games (nine regulation losses) of any team in the league. Injuries are the variable that could alter Cassidy’s projected lineup. It’s possible that Patrice Bergeron and Charlie McAvoy, the team’s best player and its best two-way defenseman, could be too lame to start the playoffs because of their foot and knee injuries. But even without Bergeron and McAvoy, Cassidy is better equipped to handle the disadvantage of playing on the road and ceding the last change. The soft spots that once caused him concern no longer exist. The primary reason general manager Don Sweeney acquired Rick Nash was to get more offense from David Krejci. So far, job done. In the eight games Nash has worn Black and Gold, primarily as Krejci’s right-hand man, the center has punched in five goals and two assists. It is a limited sample size, but Krejci’s 0.88 points-per-game rate following Nash’s arrival is better than the 0.7 he averaged when his current linemate was still a Ranger. The Bruins believed Krejci’s points would come also because he’d see more even-strength shifts, especially in the defensive zone. As much as Ryan Spooner improved away from the puck, there were times when the center-turned-right wing fought to shadow opponents and position himself correctly in the Bruins’ end. Spooner’s presence was compounded by that of rookie Jake DeBrusk. As such, Cassidy was more comfortable distributing some of Krejci’s five- on-five shifts to centers with more defensively responsible wingmen. If DeBrusk and Nash start the playoffs on Krejci’s flanks, Cassidy doesn’t have to fret about letting his second line start shifts in the defensive zone. Nash is sturdy on the walls, strong on the puck, effective with his reach, and aware with his positioning to degrees that Spooner was not. Even if the opponent starts with the puck, Nash can help win it back. So if DeBrusk, Krejci, and Nash are on a shift when the Bruins ice the puck, Cassidy won’t have to panic about things going sideways. “I think Nash changes the dynamic of Krejci’s line,” Cassidy said. “He’s a guy who’s killed penalties his whole career, most of it. Can close quickly. Long stick. Little more comfort level with a young left winger on the other side if they end up against a skilled line.” The same sense of calm extends to his defense pairings. Before McAvoy’s injury and Nick Holden’s acquisition, Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo skated together on the No. 2 duo. It was a partnership that sometimes chased the puck in the defensive zone. Cassidy was quick to deploy Chara and McAvoy against top offensive lines. He was not as eager to give Krug and Carlo such assignments. Following McAvoy’s injury, Cassidy has reunited Chara and Carlo. The captain negates some of Carlo’s skittishness. Krug, meanwhile, has played with Holden moving to the right side. Or Krug has taken shifts with Adam McQuaid, his longtime partner. Based on his current setup, Cassidy isn’t waving any of his pairings desperately off the ice when opposing big boys hop over the boards. Cassidy, after all, is not ruled by matchups. He is a flow coach, one who likes it when his lines and pairings are rolling rhythmically and feeling good about their games. Cassidy does not prefer to start a shift with a defensively compromised line or tandem just to yank them off if another coach counters with a robust offensive unit. Such maneuvers do not build confidence. What works for matchup-heavy coaches like Mike Babcock and Randy Carlyle is not part of Cassidy’s playbook. The result is a balanced lineup that has gained Cassidy’s trust. He does not mind feeding fourth-liners Tim Schaller, Sean Kuraly, and Noel Acciari full-length shifts against top threesomes. If a shoot-first right wing 1103293 Boston Bruins lineup and been an immediate contributor (2-4--6 in six games). A nice long run in our town would add some nice symmetry to his career. His collegiate career concluded with him helping Boston College snap a 52- Conroy: Bruins still have issues to work through as they churn toward year NCAA championship drought. playoffs Boston Herald LOADED: 03.13.2018

Steve Conroy Monday, March 12, 2018

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Bruins are in the middle of their worst grind of the season. Between Tuesday night’s game against the Hurricanes and the April 8 season finale versus the Panthers, the Bruins will play 15 games in 27 days. With his team ensconced in a playoff spot, seven points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs with two games in hand for home ice advantage in the first round, coach Bruce Cassidy’s most important task from here will be managing his players’ health while still maintaining a level of play with which they can still pick up some points. To that end, presumably, Cassidy gave his charges the day off on a stormy Monday in Raleigh – schools were being let out early because there was just a threat of snow – and it’s expected they’ll get another one on Wednesday in Florida ahead of the Thursday tilt against the surging Panthers. So while the Bruins recharge their batteries, here are a few notes and observations: • Everyone has heard about the rookie wall, but what Danton Heinen is encountering right now has to look like that gargantuan, foreboding edifice from the Game of Thrones. Heinen has gone 15 games without a goal and has just two assists. With Brad Marchand out of lineup and the B’s skating just 11 forwards in Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Blakchawks, he saw just 11:20 in ice time. Heinen was too good for too long not to make you believe he’ll break through at some point. He helped turn the team around when it was floundering in the early part of the season. But not much has worked in attempts to get him in gear. He has had his shifts cut and he was scratched for a game to give him a different perspective, but Heinen hasn’t been able to regain his touch. Could a trip back to Providence for a weekend do the trick? There’s always a chance that a move like that could erode a player’s confidence even more. But the B’s are running out of time – and ways – to get him right before the playoffs. • It’s interesting that Cassidy has already voiced his desire to give Zdeno Chara a rest at some point down the stretch. He could not have done it on Sunday because of Marchand’s late scratch due to an upper body injury and the Bruins’ need to dress seven defensemen, but it would have been a good time. The Bruins have two more sets of back-to-back games left – a home game against the Panthers and a roadie in Philadelphia on March 31 and April 1 – and the two home games to close out the season against Ottawa and Florida. Chara has had a remarkable season and there’s been little sign of wearing down for the soon-to-be 41-year-old, but a rest in one or two of those four games could do him a world of a good. • David Backes will return to the lineup on Tuesday against Hurricanes after serving his three-game suspension. He’ll be welcomed back with open arms. In the three games the Bruins were without Backes and the injured Patrice Bergeron, the team’s faceoff win margins were 37 percent, 39 percent and 46 percent. It was a trending in the right direction, but still, that’s a lot of puck-chasing. For the season, the B’s are currently at 50.9 percent. • Marchand was named NHL’s second star of the week for four goals, four assists performance in the three games last week. In the end, Marchand may not have enough production to make real run at the Hart Trophy. On top of that, some voters will have a hard time separating the positive things he brings from all the suspension-worthy offenses he’s committed over the years. But he’ll most likely be in the top five on my ballot. He’s fourth in points per game (1.30), tied for second in plus/minus (plus-32) and tied for third in game winning goals (7). • If Matt Grzelcyk can ever find a way to make his shot from the left point a real threat, the kid from Charlestown will be a very good player for a long time to come. His stickhandling in tight quarters and poise at both blue lines are impressive while his skating ability allows him to get to pucks you wouldn’t think he could. • Count me among those flabbergasted at what Brian Gionta has been able to do in his short time with the Bruins. When his Olympics were largely unproductive, it seemed as though he’d be a player that would serve a team as last-ditch depth. But he has stepped into the Bruins 1103294 Boston Bruins

'Livin' on a Prayer' is about to cost the Bruins the Stanley Cup

By DJ Bean March 12, 2018 12:39 PM

The Bruins are the most exciting team in town right now, and that's without stars like Patrice Bergeron and Charlie McAvoy playing. Brad Marchand is one of the best players in the league, Zdeno Chara is still a top defenseman. Jake DeBrusk is already a fan favorite. Freaking Rick Nash is on the team. But now this is happening: The @tdgarden faithful was in sync this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/ehV3e8J7Cf — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 10, 2018 That's right: TD Garden has adopted "Living on a Prayer" as the Bruins' "Sweet Caroline." They play the song, turn it down for a singalong, the whole shebang. It's a thing that happened at Pats games during the playoffs, which was kind of forgivable given the Bon Jovi connection there. And thus all of the magic of this exciting, great Bruins team is undone. I'm not kidding. I don't want to watch the games anymore out of fear of hearing it and dying of douche chills. It's a health concern. This is probably an appropriate time to stress that I hate cynicism. I die on a lot of hills, but I don't think anyone should be in the business of telling someone not to have fun if they aren't hurting anyone. I'm just saying that if you want to have an in-game tradition, maybe go for something that isn't one of the most two tired songs in the history of the world (the other being "Don't Stop Believin'"). The culprit here is the Garden for making this happen, but just as much blame falls on the shoulders of the fans for participating and thus perpetuating it for multiple games. They should know better. And really, it's astonishing. Whether those are die-hards or just people who got tickets from work or something, nobody thinks higher of themselves than Bostonians. As such, it's astonishing that they would be on board with something so unoriginal, even if the song -- for as completely run into the ground as it is -- is great. Chicago has their own thing with Chelsea Dagger. Minnesota made "Let's Go Crazy" its goal song after Prince died. The Sabres play "Let Me Clear My Throat." All cool and unique to them. Know who plays "Livin' on a Prayer?" Every stadium and arena ever. It's the song you play between an icing call and the subsequent faceoff. You use that time to talk amongst your friends. Maybe say something like "oh these refs are tickin' me off." You know, sports stuff. Nobody stops to sing along because "Livin' on a Prayer" is the free space on the bingo board of a sporting event. You can't make it "your thing" because it's everybody's, and quite frankly nobody should really want it to be their thing anyway. So by all means, have fun at the game. If you need to have a singalong, pick something else. Try to be as exciting as this team is, rather than dumping a big bucket of cliche on a season that deserves better. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103295 Boston Bruins strong two-way game really sustainable thing? Yeah, I’ll have to see it to believe it.

12. Philadelphia Flyers (35-24-11, rank last week: 15) – The Flyers have Haggs NHL Power Rankings: Lightning steady at the top pushed their way into the playoff picture, and Nolan Patrick has really begun to come on strong in his rookie season. That’s just adding another weapon to a star-studded offensive group in Philly that should be fun to By Joe Haggerty March 13, 2018 12:51 AM watch come playoff-time. 13. Colorado Avalanche (36-24-8, rank last week: 17) – It’s incredible that Nathan MacKinnon has exploded into a Hart Trophy-level candidate It’s a wide open race for NHL Awards season with Nikita Kucherov and since Matt Duchene cleared out of Colorado. The Avs are right on the Evgeni Malkin certainly the front-runners with a number of other quality playoff bubble in the Western Conference with guys like MacKinnon candidates like Taylor Hall, Nathan MacKinnon and Claude Giroux helping to lead the way. among others. You could probably also throw Brad Marchand in that conversation for the heck of it, but it sure doesn’t feel like No. 63 is going 14. Anaheim Ducks (34-23-12, rank last week: 16) – Corey Perry and to get heavy consideration this season between his suspension, his fine Ryan Getzlaf have combined for 24 goals this season. I remember when for embellishment and his complete willingness to tell the truth when he that would be little more than a half-season’s worth of production for things the Bruins have been screwed by bad calls on the ice. Perry alone. My, how times have changed for the Ducks. Certainly it feels like Kucherov is beginning to run away with it as the 15. Columbus Blue Jackets (37-28-5, rank last week: 19) – Seth Jones NHL’s best player on the NHL’s best team, but there is still plenty at play has really taken a huge step forward this season for the Blue Jackets, among a number of the major awards with little less than a month to go and is playing like a guy that wants to be in the Norris Trophy before the playoffs. conversation. The Blue Jackets are right on the playoff bubble, but would be a handful for anybody that comes across them. Anyway, without further ado here are this week’s power rankings: 16. New Jersey Devils (35-26-8, rank last week: 18) – Taylor Hall has 1. Tampa Bay Lightning (regular season record: 48-17-4, rank last pushed his way into the Hart Trophy conversation after a long point week: 1) – Nikita Kucherov is powering toward a Hart Trophy, and the streak, and the Devils are still hanging around in the playoff conversation Lightning continue to win as they finish up strong in an impressive regular as well. The Devils wanted to build up relevancy in Jersey again, and season. They’re a tremendous 9-0-1 in their last 10 games, and aren’t they’re doing just that in Newark right now. even giving an inch to the Bruins to catch up to them. 17. Los Angeles Kings (37-26-5, rank last week: 12) – Jonathan Quick 2. Nashville Predators (44-14-10, rank last week: 9) – Speaking of may not end up being the Vezina Trophy winner at the end of it all, but he awards, PK Subban is teaming toward major Norris Trophy consideration certainly deserves to be in the conversation as one of the Kings core while Nashville is once rolling with a deep, good all-around hockey team players that’s really helped hold them together this season. as the playoffs approach. You would like somebody perhaps bigger than Viktor Arvidsson as your leading scorer, but nobody is perfect. 18. Calgary Flames (34-26-10, rank last week: 14) – The Flames are 4-5- 1 in their last 10 games and treading water in a spot where they’ve got to 3. Boston Bruins (43-16-8, rank last week: 2) – The Bruins had their pick it up if they want to get into the dance. This team is too talented not six game winning streak snapped on Sunday in Chicago, but they were to make it, but they could if they don’t start stringing together some wins. also missing Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Backes and Charlie McAvoy from their lineup. The name of the game at this point is 19. St. Louis Blues (36-27-5, rank last week: 11) – The Blues became getting Bergeron and McAvoy back before the playoffs, and resting up sellers at the trade deadline despite being in the hunt for the playoffs, everybody else while avoiding any big injuries. and predictably they’ve stumbled to a 2-7-1 record in their last 10 games around the trade deadline. Better luck next year for the Blues as they try 4. Vegas Golden Knights (45-19-5, rank last week: 2) – What a to find some answers for next year and beyond. season for William Karlsson with 35 goals and 61 points. What a job done by Gerard Gallant guiding the Golden Knights to such a Cinderella 20. Florida Panthers (34-26-7, rank last week: 24) – The Panthers are season. What a story it will be if Vegas can do some damage in a surging with an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games, and Roberto Luongo Western Conference playoff that’s wide open after Nashville. is leading the way since getting healthy with a .930 save percentage this season. Florida is putting together something special late in the season 5. Winnipeg Jets (41-18-10, rank last week: 5) – Patrik Laine continues in an area that needs some things to root for. his ridiculous goal-scoring binge for the Jets, and they continue to be a team with increasing expectations as the season nears an end. It’s 41 21. Carolina Hurricanes (30-28-11, rank last week: 20) – The plot and counting for Laine. thickens for the Carolina Hurricanes as they shop for a GM in the middle of the regular season, and their new ownership begins exerting their 6. Toronto Maple Leafs (40-22-7, rank last week: 7) – It’s crazy that three influence over the organization. It makes for a weird in-season dynamic, of the top six teams in the NHL reside in the Atlantic Division right now, but could be the very best thing long term for the Hurricanes. but that’s about the long and short of it with the playoffs a month away. The Leafs, though, have definitely fallen off the pace of the other two 22. New York Rangers (31-32-7, rank last week: 22) – Rick Nash is teams and seem resigned to that third spot in the division behind Tampa gone. Ryan McDonagh is gone. Nick Holden is gone as well. The and Boston. Rangers have done well to build a collection of young players and prospects, and Ryan Spooner in particular is off and running with the 7. Washington Capitals (39-23-7, rank last week: 10) – Congrats to Blueshirts. It will be interesting to see if they can be right back in the mix Alex Ovechkin on the 600th goal of his NHL career as the gaudy next season, or if this is a 2-3 year project. numbers continue to pile up, and up, and up. One can only wonder if something like that can catapult him into a different, better outcome this 23. Chicago Blackhawks (30-32-8, rank last week: 23) – The good news time around in the postseason. is that young guys like Nick Schmaltz, Alex DeBrincat and Erik Gustafsson are all taking a step forward this season for the Blackhawks. 8. Minnesota Wild (39-23-7, rank last week: 8) – A whopping 37 goals The bad news is that they’re going to miss the playoffs in a move that and 68 points in 69 games for Eric Staal, who is having an incredible should have longstanding consequences in the Windy City. Somebody is second act to his NHL career after moving on from Carolina to likely to be losing their job over all of this. It remains to be seen who it will Minnesota. He’s given them exactly what they needed this season in be. Minnesota with Zach Parise really struggling with injuries. 24. New York Islanders (30-29-10, rank last week: 21) – The Islanders 9. Pittsburgh Penguins (40-26-4, rank last week: 13) – Evgeni Malkin is are 2-4-4 in the last 10 games and plummeting out of a playoff spot, and up there with Nikita Kucherov as a favorite for the Hart Trophy, and the that’s certainly not going to work in their benefit as they try to lock things Penguins are in position to once again at least give it a run during the up with John Tavares. Garth Snow better watch out for those billboards. playoffs. It looks like 40 goals and 100 points are well within range for Malkin, and those are some gaudy, gaudy numbers. 25. Detroit Red Wings (26-31-11, rank last week: 26) – The Red Wings have lost six games in a row as they plummet toward the bottom of the 10. San Jose Sharks (36-23-9, rank last week: 10) – It’s been an Atlantic Division standings, and fade into oblivion again without any hope interesting mix between Evander Kane and the San Jose Sharks since of the playoffs. It’s tough times in Hockeytown. his arrival at the trade deadline. He’s been a point-per-game player in the short sample size since moving on from Buffalo. 26. Montreal Canadiens (25-32-12, rank last week: 25) – The knives are out in Montreal for Jonathan Drouin and Marc Bergevin among others as 11. Dallas Stars (38-25-6, rank last week: 9) – Is a successful Dallas the Canadiens finally sputter their way to the end of the regular season Stars season that’s built on Tyler Seguin playing good defense and a while merely playing out the string. It seems that the Habs’ misfortune knows no bottom this season. 27. Vancouver Canucks (25-35-9, rank last week: 27) – It’s a tough end to a brilliant rookie season for Brock Boeser, who should still get some Calder Trophy consideration even though he’s missing out on the final month of the regular season. He’s got a brilliant future in Vancouver where they’re going to build things up the right way now under Jim Benning. 28. Edmonton Oilers (30-34-4, rank last week: 28) – The word on the street is that everybody in Edmonton was not seeing eye to eye over who got the chance to play on Connor McDavid’s line. And why not? Getting on that line means instant production and impact for a varying degree of skill levels up front. But it won’t mean Hart Trophy consideration for McDavid while running out the clock for a terrible Oilers team this season. 29. Ottawa Senators (24-33-11, rank last week: 29) – It sure looks like the Ottawa Senators are in the last days of Erik Karlsson playing for their organization, and that really means a sea change for both the player and for the team. The Sens had better hope they’ve got a great plan for rebuilding things because it was a very unsteady situation with some of their players, and that goes double for any Senators player looking to get paid in the future by the organization. 30. Buffalo Sabres (22-35-12, rank last week: 30) – It’s certainly even more of Jack Eichel’s team this season now after the trade deadline than it was with Evander Kane earlier this season, but from a greater perspective it’s just not a very good team at all beyond the obvious franchise-type player. Better luck next year with the Sabres for like the seventh year in a row as they’re looking to finally get some traction one of these years. 31. Arizona Coyotes (22-35-11, rank last week: 31) – It’s a good thing nobody handed out the Calder Trophy to Clayton Keller in the first couple of months this season when he was pacing the Coyotes offense, and putting up big names as a flashy, playmaking center. Keller has tailed off big time in the second half of this season, and has decent, but not specular numbers, with 18 goals and 49 points in his first full year. That’s a good rookie season, but it sure doesn’t look like he’s going to be taking home any hardware this summer. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103296 Boston Bruins

Heinen working to get back in "a good place" amid second half struggles

By Joe Haggerty March 12, 2018 7:12 PM

After going through a first half of the season where everything went right for Danton Heinen, the Bruins rookie is in the middle of some late season adversity with the Black and Gold. The 23-year-old winger has one point in his last 14 games and has been a healthy scratch during that stretch as well, and the offense isn’t coming quite as easily for Heinen as it did in the first few months of the season. Some of it may be about new third line combinations with Tommy Wingels and Brian Gionta stepping in as his two linemates over the last few games, and longtime center Riley Nash instead filling in for Patrice Bergeron on the Bruins top line. But it’s more about Heinen fighting through some tougher sledding in the second half of the season where his legs haven’t always been there, and when the intensity has elevated across the board for the first year player. The bottom line is that Heinen is searching for his early season confidence when everything was going right, and it’s just not consistently there for him right now. “I’ve felt alright. You don’t want to think about it, but naturally your mind goes there thinking that you haven’t had a point in a while,” said Heinen, who has watched a surging Jake DeBrusk catch him in the points department with 39 on the season that has both players still in the top-10 among NHL rookies. “It’s a lot easier mentally when the team is winning, but I take pride in helping the team offensively. When it’s not happening, you get hard on yourself and you want to help your teammates in that regard. You just keep working hard, you keep doing the little things and it will eventually work out.” Clearly it’s not quite like the beginning of last season when Heinen was a non-factor on the ice and obviously not ready for the NHL, but he’s also said some very quiet games over the last few weeks as well. He’s registered zero shots on net in four of his last seven games, and total has only six shots on net in that stretch while still getting power play time and a regular third line shift. Bruce Cassidy has seen flashes of a more confident Heinen during some recent games, but there have also been some games where Heinen hasn’t been strong enough, responsible enough or confident enough with the puck on his stick. “I think Danton is the type of kid where confidence will help him more than others, so after all of the success he had early he’s probably doubting himself, or asking himself a lot of tough questions like ‘why isn’t it happening now?’ Sometimes you need to just park that and play,” said B’s head coach Bruce Cassidy. “We’ve tried to encourage that, but by the same token he’s also a human being that’s got a lot of free time away from the rink. That’s what happens with the young guys. You need to get them back into a good place.” After going through the entire weekend of a home-and-home series against the Chicago Blackhawks without a shot on net, the “good place” appears to be a little elusive for Heinen. Clearly the arrival of 39-year-old Brian Gionta has made it more of a challenge for Heinen to find his game quickly. The gritty, experienced Gionta has six points in his five games with the Bruins since signing ahead of the trade deadline, and is pushing for a spot in the lineup come playoff-time once the B’s are fully healthy again. That will be the competition playing out over the final month of the season where the Bruins will be icing their best lineup in the playoffs. That means Heinen will have to recover his first half game if he wants to ensure that he’s a part of it, and potentially shine in the postseason like he did as a prime time performer for the P-Bruins during their extended AHL playoff run last spring. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103297 Buffalo Sabres were hired by Jason Botterill last spring to join the Buffalo front office. Sexton, who had spent the last seven years with Botterill in Pittsburgh's scouting department, is serving this year as the GM of the Rochester Sabres Notebook: Eichel not yet at practice but Matthews close to return Amerks. Greeley, 37, had spent the last two seasons as assistant director of player personnel with the New York Rangers. He spent the 2013-14 and Mike Harrington | Published Mon, Mar 12, 2018 | Updated Mon, Mar 12, 2014-15 season as an associate coach at Boston University, where he 2018 worked with Eichel, Evan Rodrigues and Danny O'Regan. He spent seven seasons (2006-13) as a scout for the Los Angeles Kings.

According to TSN, the Hurricanes are believed to be reaching out to There's no word yet on any sort of timetable for Jack Eichel's return to many candidates who have been mentioned in the Sabres' last two GM the Buffalo Sabres' lineup. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs appear searches. They would include New Jersey's Tom Fitzgerald, Los to be on the verge of getting Auston Matthews back, but his return may Angeles' Mike Futa, Nashville's Paul Fenton and Tampa Bay's Julien not come when the teams meet Thursday in KeyBank Center. Brisebois. The Sabres are 6-6-2 without Eichel, who suffered a high ankle sprain The Hurricanes currently have the longest playoff drought in the NHL, not Feb. 10 at Boston and has resumed skating on his own but has yet to qualifying since 2009. That is the only year that they have reached the practice. His timetable is officially listed by the team as indefinite postseason since they won the Stanley Cup in 2006, the year they beat although it's known the club was working on a progression of 4-6 weeks. the Sabres in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final. Eichel hit four weeks with Saturday's shootout loss to Vegas. Stats update: Matthews, who has been out since Feb. 22 with a shoulder injury, practiced Monday in Toronto in a red (no-contact) jersey but made it With a record of 10-19-5, the Sabres continue to be last in the NHL in through an entire workout that went about an hour. Afterward, Toronto home wins and points (25). They entered Monday tied with five other coach Mike Babcock ruled Eichel's friend and All-Star teammate out of teams for 17th in the league in road points at 31, with a record of 12-16- Wednesday's home game against Dallas but did not go deeper into the 7. They were tied for ninth in the East in road points with Columbus (14- schedule. 17-3) and Pittsburgh (14-18-3). "He’s obviously feeling way better,” Babcock said. "I noticed when we The Sabres continue to have the worst goal differential in the NHL at were doing the contact stuff he didn’t do as much of that, didn’t dive right minus-59 and are last in the league in per-game scoring overall (2.37 into it. I never talked to anyone about that, it’s just what I noticed. I’d goals per game) and at home (2.29). Buffalo is 27th on the road (2.46). suspect he’d be pushing, not for the Dallas game, but after, I don’t know On the overall list, Arizona is just ahead of the Sabres at 2.38. when." The Sabres' nine short-handed goals start the week one off Florida's Mike Harrington: Eichel and Matthews make their point NHL high of 10. They've also allowed nine, and only Arizona (10) and Colorado (12) have given up more. After Thursday's trip to Buffalo, the Leafs have a home game Saturday against Montreal. They have won a franchise-record 10 straight games in Buffalo News LOADED: 03.13.2018 the Air Canada Centre and host the Sabres in the ACC on March 26 and April 2. "As he feels better, he’ll get involved more," Babcock said of Matthews. "It doesn’t matter who is in the lineup, we expect to win. We have to be dialed in.” Matthews has also missed time this year with a concussion and a back problem. The Leafs are 8-6-2 in the 16 games he's sat out to date, including Saturday's 5-2 win over Pittsburgh. Matthews has 50 points in 53 games this season (28 goals, 22 assists). Eichel has 53 points in 55 games (22 goals, 31 assists). Matthews and Eichel both missed the Sabres' 5-3 win over Toronto here on March 5. Assuming Matthews doesn't play Thursday, it will mean he will go more than 18 months without playing a game in KeyBank, the building where he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2016. His last game here was on April 3, 2017, and the 2018-19 schedule would not start until October. With five days between games, the Sabres took their second consecutive day off Monday. They will return to practice Tuesday in HarborCenter. The Sabres remain 30th in the NHL's overall standing, one point ahead of last-place Arizona. But the red-hot Coyotes can overtake Buffalo with a win Tuesday night against Los Angeles. It's the second game of a five- game homestand that Arizona opened with Sunday's 1-0 win over Vancouver. The Coyotes are 10-3-2 in their last 15 games, with their 22 points in that span tied for fourth-most in the NHL since Feb. 8. The only teams ahead of them entering Monday were Nashville (12-2-2, 26 points), Tampa Bay (12-3-1, 25) and Florida (11-3-1, 23). The Sabres are 8-6-2 in that span and tied for 11th. The Coyotes, however, will be without coach Rick Tocchet for an unspecified period as he was granted a leave of absence by the team Monday afternoon to deal with a family illness. Assistant John MacLean, the former head coach in New Jersey, will run the Coyotes in Tocchet's absence. The team did not provide any other details on Tocchet's situation. The Carolina Hurricanes are in the market for a general manager after new owner Tom Dundon kicked Ron Francis into the role of president and announced a new GM would report directly to the owner's office. Their search has apparently taken them through Buffalo. TSN's Bob McKenzie reported Monday that the Canes asked for permission to interview Steve Greeley, one of the Sabres' two assistant GMs, and have completed that discussion. Greeley and Randy Sexton 1103298 Buffalo Sabres

Hurricanes interview Sabres' Greeley for GM post

Mike Harrington | Published Mon, Mar 12, 2018 | Updated Mon, Mar 12, 2018

The Carolina Hurricanes are in the market for a general manager after new owner Tom Dundon kicked Ron Francis into the role of president and announced a new GM would report directly to the owner's office. Their search has apparently taken them through Buffalo. TSN's Bob McKenzie reported Monday that the Canes asked for permission to interview Steve Greeley, one of the Sabres' two assistant GMs, and have completed that discussion. Greeley and Randy Sexton were hired by Jason Botterill last spring to join the Buffalo front office. Sexton, who had spent the last seven years with Botterill in Pittsburgh's scouting department, is serving this year as the GM of the Rochester Amerks. Greeley, 37, had spent the last two seasons as assistant director of player personnel with the New York Rangers. He spent the 2013-14 and 2014-15 season as an associate coach at Boston University, where he worked with Jack Eichel, Evan Rodrigues and Danny O'Regan. He spent seven seasons (2006-13) as a scout for the Los Angeles Kings. According to TSN, the Hurricanes are believed to be reaching out to many candidates who have been mentioned in the Sabres' last two GM searches. They would include New Jersey's Tom Fitzgerald, Los Angeles' Mike Futa, Nashville's Paul Fenton and Tampa Bay's Julien Brisebois. The Hurricanes currently have the longest playoff drought in the NHL, not qualifying since 2009. That is the only year that they have reached the postseason since they won the Stanley Cup in 2006, the year they beat the Sabres in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final. Buffalo News LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103299 Calgary Flames in the shootout — so depending on the outcome of Friday’s matchup at the Saddledome, the Flames will be shooting to either avoid a sweep or perhaps to win the regular-season series with a 2-1-1 mark. That’s a big The Flames have just 12 games left to try to make the playoffs. Here's a difference. look at what's to come MONDAY, MARCH 26: Flames at Kings, 8:30 p.m. MT It’s been almost a year since Flames sparkplug Matthew Tkachuk Wes Gilbertson cranked Kings defenceman Drew Doughty with an elbow right to the kisser, followed by an exchange of insults through the media. It has not Published on: March 12, 2018 | Last Updated: March 12, 2018 7:09 PM been forgotten. These division foes don’t like each other, plain and MDT simple, and the intensity should be cranked up a few extra notches with the stakes oh-so-high.

THURSDAY, MARCH 29: Blue Jackets at Flames, 7 p.m. It will be the Defining Dozen. The Blue Jackets are the final Eastern Conference opponent on After Sunday’s latest dud at the Saddledome, the Calgary Flames can’t Calgary’s dance-card during the 2017-18 campaign. Following Sunday’s afford many more losses as they scrap to stay relevant in the playoff race 5-2 home loss to the New York Islanders, the Flames own a 14-12-5 in the NHL’s Western Conference. mark against clubs from the other half of the NHL’s landscape. The Blue Jackets are also on the bubble and don’t forget their masked man, Sergei When their alarms sounded Monday morning, Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Bobrovsky, is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner. Giordano & Co. were only two points back of both the final wild card and the third-place perch in the Pacific Division. SATURDAY, MARCH 31: Oilers at Flames, 8 p.m. MT Trouble is, the Flames have played more games than any of the squads SP-Oilers. See above. they’re chasing. Most of the number-crunchers have their odds of punching a playoff ticket at less than 20%. TUESDAY, APRIL 3: Coyotes at Flames, 7 p.m. MT Uh oh. The Coyotes, en route to missing the playoffs for a sixth consecutive spring, will have long since been mathematically eliminated when they The Flames need to pile up victories over the final next weeks. They’ll arrive in Calgary for this run-in. For any post-season hopeful, there’s no need some help, too. excuse to drop points to a cellar-dweller in the final week of the stretch- run, especially in your own rink. Here’s a closer look at the Defining Dozen, the 12 contests — seven at home, five on the road — remaining on the Flames’ regular-season THURSDAY, APRIL 5: Flames at Jets, 6 p.m. MT calendar … You know MTS Centre in Winnipeg will be rocking — their beloved bunch TUESDAY, MARCH 13: Oilers at Flames, 7 p.m. MT is not only returning to the spring dance, but looking like a legitimate contender, too. Even if the Jets have secured their spot, they could be The Flames have now lost seven in a row to their provincial arch-rivals, a trying to aid sophomore sharpshooter Patrik Laine in his quest for the skid that dates back to the start of last season. Ouch. The Oilers will be Rocket Richard Trophy. back in the draft lottery that they’ve dominated for most of a decade, but you know they’ll embrace the opportunity to play spoilers, especially SATURDAY, APRIL 7: Golden Knights at Flames, 8 p.m. MT against their neighbours down the QEII Highway. We’re sorry, Flames fans, to deliver more frightening news, but Oilers superstar Connor There have been too many season-enders at the Saddledome that didn’t McDavid is absolutely rolling right now, with 13 points during a seven- mean squat. Will this one be any different? The Flames cap their game sizzler. workload with a visit from the Golden Knights. Thirty of the NHL’s 31 squads — including all 15 from the Western Conference — are in action FRIDAY, MARCH 16: Sharks at Flames, 7 p.m. MT on this Super Saturday, so there will be a lot of eyes glued to the out-of- town scoreboard if the Flames’ fate is still uncertain. That new guy in No. 9 for the Sharks? That would be deadline-day acquisition Evander Kane, a point-per-game producer so far in San Calgary Herald: LOADED: 03.13.2018 Jose’s silks. There were rumours the Flames were also bidding to acquire Kane from Buffalo. That’s not true, although the Sabres did call in an effort to drum up interest in the left-winger. This contest is a crucial four-pointer in the Pacific Division race. SUNDAY, MARCH 18: Flames at Golden Knights, 2 p.m. MT The party crowd in Las Vegas will be looking a touch green thanks to the after-effects of the St. Patrick’s Day shindigs from the previous evening. The out-of-town team can only be green with envy of the Golden Knights’ perch atop the Pacific Division standings. The Flames are winless in two clashes so far with the NHL’s newest squad and were thumped 7-3 last month in their only previous visit to T-Mobile Arena. MONDAY, MARCH 19: Flames at Coyotes, 8 p.m. MT This marks the final back-to-back scenario of the season for the Flames, although a late-arrival won’t be an issue because Sunday’s showdown in Sin City is a matinee. All-star netminder Mike Smith was injured for the Flames’ only other trip to his old stomping grounds, although Calgary’s staff might be tempted to give their workhorse a night off against the dreadful Desert Dogs. Smith’s former squad is currently pulling up the rear in the Western Conference standings. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21: Ducks at Flames, 7:30 p.m. MT The Ducks have mostly bullied the Flames over the past several seasons, including a four-game brooming in the opening round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. The crew from Calgary has notched a pair of victories against the Quack Pack this winter, but Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler & Co. are always a tough out. On his current clip, this could be a special night for Flames centre Matt Stajan, now just five skates shy of reaching the 1,000-game plateau and joining the NHL’s silver-stick club. SATURDAY, MARCH 24: Flames at Sharks, 2 p.m. MT Yeah, another matinee, and this one should be a biggie. The Sharks have won both meetings so far this winter — one in regulation, the other 1103300 Calgary Flames Troy Brouwer-Matt Stajan-Curtis Lazar DEFENCE PAIRINGS Game Day: Five things to know before the Flames host the Oilers Mark Giordano-Dougie Hamilton TJ Brodie-Travis Hamonic Kristen Anderson, Postmedia Brett Kulak-Michael Stone Published:March 12, 2018 GOALIES Updated:March 12, 2018 5:17 PM MDT Mike Smith David Rittich FIVE STORYLINES OILERS GAMEDAY LINES 1. TKACHUK OUT? VERSTEEG IN? Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Connor McDavid-Pontus Aberg Matthew Tkachuk left the ice in the third period of Sunday’s 5-2 loss to Milan Lucic-Leon Draisaitl-Michael Cammalleri the New York Islanders, setting off panic in Calgary. The panic continued Monday when the 20-year-old left winger was absent for the team’s skate Jesse Puljujarvi-Ryan Strome-Anton Slepyshev at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Also missing were Mikael Backlund and Drake Caggiula-Jujhar Khaira-Zack Kassian Sean Monahan, both whom have taken “maintenance” days of late. But Tkachuk’s absence was the most concerning. As for Kris Versteeg, who DEFENCE PAIRINGS underwent hip surgery in December, he was skating on the team’s third line with Mark Jankowski and Garnet Hathaway. It was the first time the Darnell Nurse-Adam Larsson 31-year-old has skated on a line and is a positive sign that his return is Kris Russell-Ethan Bear likely to happen, potentially, in Tuesday’s game. Versteeg’s last game was on Nov. 24 at Dallas. Matt Benning-Andrej Sekera 2. HAMONIC HONOURED GOALIES Travis Hamonic was a no-brainer to receive the Ralph T. Scurfield Cam Talbot Humanitarian Award, the in-house nod for exemplifying perseverance, determination and leadership on the ice, combined with dedication to Al Montoya community service off the ice. Hamonic was honoured at Monday’s Sportsnet Brightest Star Luncheon. Since being acquired by the Flames SPECIAL TEAMS last summer, the defender has poured himself into the community by POWER PLAY (prior to Monday’s action) implementing his D-Partner Program, an initiative offered to children who have lost a parent which sees them receive VIP treatment at a Flames FLAMES: 17.6% (24th) game. He has also created The Northern Project in support of Indigenous children which sees a family receive an all-expenses trip to Calgary paid OILERS: 15.2% (29th) by Hamonic and his wife Stephanie. Also honoured was Mikael PENALTY KILL (prior to Monday’s action) Backlund, who received the J.R. McCaig Award. FLAMES: 81.1% (13th) 3. MVP MCDAVID OILERS: 74.4% (31st) If there is a debate over the best player in the right now, Connor McDavid has answered it. The superstar centre SICK BAY straight up the QEII is red hot, with 18 goals in his last 19 games. He’s also amassed 233 shots this season, including 80 in his last 19 contests. FLAMES Heading into Monday’s action, McDavid sat third in NHL scoring with 33 C/LW Marek Hrivik (upper body), LW Matthew Tkachuk (upper body) goals and 51 assists for 84 points and, with 14 games remaining, it’s still possible that he earns his second straight Art Ross Trophy as the OILERS league’s top scorer. D Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) 4. AW MAN(GIAPANE) Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2018 Flames prospect Andrew Mangiapane is done for the season. The 21- year-old will undergo shoulder surgery this week which is bad news for the Flames but even worse news for their American Hockey League affiliate Stockton Heat. Mangiapane has 21 goals and 25 assists in 39 AHL games, his second season as a professional and is Stockton’s leading scorer. The Heat is 29-20-2-3 and sits fourth in the AHL’s Pacific Division. Mangiapane logged his first National Hockey League game this season and played in nine more during a pair of call-ups in January and February. 5. HERE COME THE OILERS Edmonton is riding a three-game win streak with the latest dub-ya coming on Saturday, a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild … the Flames have lost the last seven games to the Oilers, including a 4-3 shootout on Jan. 25 at Edmonton, a 7-5 decision on Dec. 2 at Calgary, and a 3-0 blanking at Rogers Place to kick off the 2017-18 campaign on Oct. 4 … Following Tuesday’s Battle of Alberta clash, they’ll be back on March 31 to close out the five-game season series at Scotiabank Saddledome … D Ethan Bear will get a first-hand look at the Battle of Alberta after making his NHL debut five games ago … Newcomer RW Pontus Aberg will skate on Connor McDavid’s line for the second straight game … LW Milan Lucic has one goal since Dec. 23. FLAMES GAMEDAY LINES Johnny Gaudreau-Sean Monahan-Micheal Ferland Sam Bennett-Mikael Backlund-Michael Frolik Kris Versteeg-Mark Jankowski-Garnet Hathaway 1103301 Calgary Flames Combine the Flames 14-16-4 home record with the fact Tuesday’s visitors – the Oilers – have beaten their provincial rivals seven-straight times and the stage is set for a humiliating kick to the groin should the Francis: Gulutzan short on answers and patience Flames lose again. Essentially, it would all but officially end the Flames playoff hopes. ERIC FRANCIS “Like I said to our guys, it doesn’t matter who we are playing – we just have to get a hard, battle mindset,” said Gulutzan, whose team has one Published:March 12, 2018 regulation win in its last 11 Dome dates. Updated:March 12, 2018 5:06 PM MDT “We just have to have a different mindset. We need a little more of that net presence, that grind and that desperation early.”

And they may very well need to do it without Matthew Tkachuk, who left Particularly unhappy with the intensity shown by his team during a Sunday’s game with five minutes left after smoking his head on the Monday morning drill, Glen Gulutzan stopped practice for a pointed boards thanks to a backwards fall over Mathew Barzal. A big concern. sermon of sorts. Mikael Backlund and Sean Monahan also missed practice Monday for With stick firmly still in hand, he offered up a few choice words for the “maintenance” and will all have their statuses updated Tuesday morning. troops before punctuating the talk with a simple question heard halfway up the stands. Smith will be back in net with en eye on getting one of the eight or nine wins the club will need in the final dozen games to have a chance at “How are we going to start tomorrow?” making the post-season. Add that to the long list of questions in Calgary where the coach is Otherwise, even more questions will be asked, giving the coach even painfully short of answers these days. more opportunities to snap back. Short on patience too. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2018 Take, for example, a simple question about the team’s poor start Sunday, which saw the lads down 2-0 less than three minutes into a game of tremendous magnitude. When a media type reiterated Mike Smith’s concerns about the team’s mental shortcomings prompting a bad start, the typically cordial Gulutzan took exception. He’s been doing that a lot more lately. “You guys are killing me with these questions because if the (Islanders) shot doesn’t go in and Chucky (Matthew Tkachuk) scores we’re talking about a great start, so you guys are beating a dead horse over and over here for me,” said Gulutzan, who said there were no Flames turnovers the first five minutes. “Am I going to write a paragraph on turnovers for the first two goals – it would be a useless endeavor.” Gulutzan looks tired, and certainly seems to be tired of the scrutiny. Strange to see him become increasingly confrontational given he’s intelligent enough to know such scrutiny comes with the territory in a Canadian market where his team is underachieving. There have certainly been plenty of critics suggesting Gulutzan should take the fall if the Flames miss the playoffs. He’s keenly aware of that possibility and is likely frustrated at being caught in a position he never fathomed he’d be in with this talented a team. One month ago, before Smith was injured, the team seemed to be in a good spot. However, Smith’s backups weren’t able to hold the fort, dropping the Flames outside of a playoff spot where they sit now. With a dozen games left in a playoff dogfight that has the Flames spotting every team around them a game or two in hand, Gulutzan’s gang is still plagued by a few puzzling pitfalls: they can’t seem to win at home, their intensity doesn’t seem to match the situation they’re in and their goaltending isn’t good enough. Faulting Smith for the four goals he let in in the 5-2 loss Sunday would be pushing it, save for the juicy rebound he coughed up early in the second to let Anders Lee put the Isles up 4-1. In his first start since going down with a lower body injury he was victimized by two bad bounces early on and got better and better as the game progressed. So did the team, but it was too late, as Chris Gibson channeled his inner Lundqvist to stop 50 shots. “You put up 94 attempts – I don’t know how much more direct you can get,” said Gulutzan, again challenging a questioner who found fault in a loss to a non-playoff team that had lost eight-straight coming into the night. “Show me the teams that have put up those attempts back to back at home. We’ve just got to have a different mindset in the fact that how we’re perceiving our games at home and how we can get over that hump.” Sure do. 1103302 Calgary Flames were no turnovers. If you remember the goal — if you watched it — they dumped it in, forechecked us, rimmed it, and took a slapshot from the point that deflected off our guy’s stick and went into the net. So, am I Flames feeling heat with another Battle of Alberta on the horizon going to write a paragraph about our turnovers for the first two goals? It’d be a useless endeavour.

“So, we just needed to start with a different mentality.” Kristen Anderson, Postmedia Gulutzan also explained their need for more traffic in front, giving more Published:March 12, 2018 on their second effort, net presence, desperation, and to start winning their battles along the wall again. Updated:March 12, 2018 7:18 PM MDT “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing — Pittsburgh, Ottawa, the Islanders,” he said. “We just have to get a hard-battle mindset.” The fact Tuesday’s game is another Battle of Alberta is basically an But there’s only so much the coach can say at this point in the season. afterthought. “Everybody’s gotta look in the mirror and be mentally prepared,” Smith It should be, at least, as the Calgary Flames continue to try and edge said. ”It has nothing to do with us physically out there. We’ve done it. their way into a playoff spot as the 2017-18 National Hockey League We’ve done it on the road, at times at home. But it’s up to how you’re season winds down, because pressure is mounting and the home losses going to be mentally to start the game. It’s up to each and every one of continue to pile up. us to look after themselves when it comes to that part of the game. There’s no time for passengers at this time of the season.” The Edmonton Oilers, winners of three straight, will try to play the spoiler role as they attempt to rattle off their eighth consecutive victory against ICE CHIPS their provincial and Pacific Division rivals. Matthew Tkachuk and centres Mikael Backlund and Sean Monahan took But the date, time, place, and opponent matters not to the Flames — only “maintenance days” on Monday. Tkachuk’s absence is the most the final score. concerning as the 20-year-old winger appeared to have hurt his head/neck area during a collision with Mathew Barzal in the third period “It has nothing to do with where we’re playing, home or away, who we’re of Sunday’s game. “We’ll see where they’re at (Tuesday) and see the playing against,” said Mike Smith after Monday’s skate at the Scotiabank health of our guys that played (Sunday) and see where they are in the Saddledome. “All that matters is what we can control and that’s how we morning after a skate,” Gulutzan said. “We’ll make our decision on our come out as a team and as a group. All the other distractions don’t mean lineup. It’s too early for me to speculate and drop 100 scenarios.” … The a thing now. Chances for, chances against, shots, shots for, shots Flames could get the services of Kris Versteeg back as the right winger against. All that matters is two points and a win and it doesn’t matter how was skating for the first time on Calgary’s third line with Mark Jankowski we get it. and Garnet Hathaway. “Other guys have to step up, right?” Gulutzan “We need to start accumulating some points in the next 12 games.” said. “If all three of those guys are out, we’re going to need a lot of guys stepping up.” Twelve games are all that remain on Calgary’s docket; a stretch that includes the next seven straight games against divisional opponents. In Calgary Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2018 fact, 10 of 12 are against Pacific Division foes, which is motivation enough for the locals. Yet after Sunday’s 5-2 drubbing by the New York Islanders, which saw the Flames give up three goals in the first period and two in the first 2:32, many are counting on the Flames to miss the post-season dance completely. At 34-26-10 and 78 points heading into Monday’s action, they were a point behind the Los Angeles Kings (37-26-5), who were facing the Vancouver Canucks, and two points behind the Anaheim Ducks (34-23- 12), who played St. Louis. The jockeying likely won’t stop until the final game of the season. That is, unless the Flames decide to pack it in early. Smith believes there is still time left to make a significant push. “There’s 12 games left,” he said, emphatically. “You’re not out of it until the last game’s buzzer goes. We control our own fate. You look at the standings, you look at who we play. It’s do-able. It’s not like we’re out of it. We’re right there in the thick of things. You look at who we play against and the schedule. It’s in here. “If guys want it bad enough, they can have it.” And that seems to be the question, especially after Sunday’s disappointing finish which saw the Flames throw 52 shots (but only score two goals) on rookie goalie Chris Gibson. By their own count, they had 94 shot attempts. But with only two goals to show for it — from their leading sniper Johnny Gaudreau and captain Mark Giordano — and a powerplay that went 0-for-four, something clearly isn’t working. Twice during Monday’s brief skate, Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan blew his whistle and stopped an expletive-filled practice. “How are we starting the game tomorrow?” he snapped at his group. The heat is clearly on and Gulutzan took his boiling frustrations out on the local media who were — yet again — forced to ask about the team’s lapse to start Sunday’s clash which eventually cost them their 16th loss on home ice. The Flames are now 14-16-4 at the Scotiabank Saddledome which, heading into Monday, was the fourth-worst home record in the NHL. “You guys are killing me with these questions because if the shot doesn’t go in and Chucky (Matthew Tkachuk) scores, we’re talking about a great start,” he growled. “So, you’re just kind of beating a horse over and over for me. A puck went in off the face-off. We should have won that draw, we need to bear down. In the beginning, in the first five minutes, there 1103303 Calgary Flames executive who came up through a law firm rather than a playing career. He manages the Lightning’s AHL franchise, which continually pumps out good, young talent for the big club. He also manages Tampa’s salary cap Custance: The Top 10 assistant GMs ready for a promotion and deserves credit for the foresight the organization had at the deadline last year and at other intervals that has helped keep the most important players around on this roster. The Lightning are proactive and progressive when it comes to roster construction, something BriseBois By Craig Custance Mar 12, 2018 would undoubtedly bring to his next team. He’s going to get his shot eventually and is smart enough to wait for the right opportunity. “They

keep adding teams,” said one NHL source. “A GM job is going to be Sabres GM Jason Botterill just successfully navigated his first NHL trade there.” deadline, the time of year where rumors are at the absolute peak. Names 3. Tom Fitzgerald, Devils – While chatting about Fitzgerald, Shero are thrown around constantly, speculated and debated. Occasionally reminded us that Fitzgerald also won a Stanley Cup as an assistant there's an actual trade. coach. Fitzgerald was on Dan Bylsma’s staff with Mike Yeo when the It’s not fun for the players. Most will tell you that they’re thrilled when the Penguins won it all in 2009. So Fitzgerald has that experience under his deadline comes and goes. And on some level, Botterill can relate to it all. belt. Shero also shared this tidbit: In Pittsburgh, with a front office staff that already included current Wild GM Chuck Fletcher at the time, Shero When you’re an assistant GM on a successful team, like Botterill was for hired both Botterill and Fitzgerald on the same day. “Chuck refers to it as years in Pittsburgh, your name hits the rumor mill much like a player at black Friday,” Shero said, laughing. But it’s a reminder how fertile that the trade deadline. When a GM job opens, like one recently did in Penguins front office has been for producing future executives. Fitzgerald Carolina, a group of names gets thrown into the mix. For years, Botterill was given more responsibility with the move to the Devils and is more was one of the regulars in that lineup. than ready to run a team. “He’s so passionate,” Shero said. “That’s the best thing about Fitzy, is he’s not doing his job because he’s chasing a “Your name comes up for jobs more than the interviews you go through,” GM job. If it happens, it happens. He’s passionate about what he does Botterill told The Athletic. “Your main focus has to be on your position and it makes an impact.” and what’s going on with your job.” 4. Bill Guerin, Penguins – Even with Botterill cherry-picked by the Just like a player. Focus on the ice, and these things tend to take care of Sabres, the Penguins front office still has candidates for openings with themselves. Guerin the next in line to get a promotion. Since retiring as a player, he But the next few months have the potential to be especially distracting for has impressed GM Jim Rutherford with his willingness to learn and the next wave of potential general managers. There’s the Carolina develop young players, a big part of the Penguins recent Stanley Cup opening. There’s also going to be lots of speculation about who will get to success. “He came into hockey ops as a character player with good run Seattle, as colleague Pierre LeBrun addressed so well here. And as leadership qualities and in a short period of time, he’s learned how the James Mirtle points out, there are a ton of GMs on the hot seat. hockey ops works,” Rutherford told The Athletic. “He is doing a very good job on the development side, getting players ready, identifying free And when those jobs open up, it’s the assistant GM with experience who agents, college free agents and, of course, he’s involved on all decisions often gets the longest look. We’ve been putting together Top 10 assistant — trades and different things like that.” Rutherford also had high praise GMs lists for five years, and the initial list on ESPN Insider in 2013 ended for Jason Karmanos, who was named assistant GM in June after three up having eight future GMs on it. And for good reason. These are the seasons as vice president of hockey operations. He’s won Cups with executives who have gained experience. They have run AHL teams. Rutherford in both Carolina and Pittsburgh, with a degree from Harvard They have been inside the war room. and fluency in analytics. “He is ready to take that next step,” Rutherford said. “He’s really good with analytics. He’s good on contracts. He’s good Botterill is a great example — he learned from both Ray Shero, who is on the CBA. He played the game, understands the game and is good at now the Devils GM, and Jim Rutherford before getting his own team. evaluating talent.” “What I have witnessed behind the scenes and working with Ray Shero 5. Kyle Dubas, Maple Leafs – This could be a moot point. Dubas, as and Jim Rutherford — those are the guys who have helped me get to my Mirtle wrote earlier this month, looks like the front-runner to replace Lou position here,” Botterill said. “I felt I was prepared because I had so much Lamoriello as GM of the Maple Leafs. He also got a long look from responsibility under both Jim and Ray. To me, that’s the key.” Colorado. Dubas got a lot of attention as a young hire in Toronto, So as the music starts to fade in for what could be a robust game of GM something that rubbed some people in the game the wrong way since it musical chairs, here’s a look at this year’s Top 10 Assistant GMs ready was interpreted somehow as self-promotion. Also, people in hockey tend for a promotion: not to like anyone who receives attention before they’re viewed as deserving it. Since his hiring, Dubas has quietly earned any promotion 1. Paul Fenton, Predators – Fenton was No. 1 on this list last season, he’s got coming his way, and those who know him argue that what truly and since then, the Predators have played for a Stanley Cup and drives Dubas is being around people he respects with a common goal emerged as a powerhouse again this season. One of the things the and passion that he believes in. “That’s a big driver for him,” said Kyle Predators have done well through the years has been drafting and Raftis, who replaced Dubas as GM in Sault Ste. Marie. “It’s not about developing with great patience. Fenton is the GM version of a prospect where he’s going and his eyes on the future. It’s in the moment.” And in who has done everything he’s needed to do at every level to earn his the moment, he’s learning a lot from guys like Lamoriello and Mike shot. You have to assume Fenton is the heir apparent in Nashville, but Babcock. “I think he really does cherish his relationship with Lou,” Raftis you can’t assume GM David Poile is going anywhere anytime soon. “I said. “Anytime I’ve talked to him, he’s embraced talking about Lou and just never think that David Poile is going to retire,” said one NHL source. enjoys that relationship.” “Those guys still have the passion.” According to LeBrun, Carolina has asked to talk to Fenton and if the Hurricanes are going to break through, 6. Mike Futa, Kings – Futa, as LeBrun first reported, is one of the early it’s going to be because of drafting, which is Fenton’s expertise. That candidates for the Carolina job. He was also in the running last year for said, you could say that for any team looking to fill a GM hole. The the Sabres' opening. When Rob Blake was promoted to the Kings' GM Predators hit again with their first-round pick in 2017, with Eeli Tolvanen job after the firing of Dean Lombardi, Futa became the GM of Los looking like a real steal late in the first round. In the case of Tolvanen, Angeles’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. It added another layer of Fenton was quick to credit director of player personnel Jeff Kealty, along experience to someone who has developed a reputation as having a with amateur scouts David Westby and Tom Nolan for the find. The fact strong eye for identifying young talent, but also has experience running that Kealty is earning a reputation around the league as a great talent teams both in the OHL and now AHL. “He’s got two rings and he works evaluator is a credit to Fenton and Poile for allowing their people to do hard,” said one NHL source. their job. Shero worked with both of them in Nashville and sees that as a 7. Bill Zito, Blue Jackets – Zito was another executive who got a long strength for Fenton. “He manages his staff well,” Shero said. “He puts his look for the Sabres' job and is highly valued by Blue Jackets GM Jarmo trust and faith in a guy like Jeff Kealty. Paul runs the farm team. He’s Kekalainen. Zito got into the business as an agent, where he built a worked with David (Poile) a long time. He pushes David, David pushes successful agency by identifying overlooked talent like Tim Thomas, him. He’s been through expansion, he’s been through rebuilds with one Brian Rafalski and John Madden. Along the way, he mastered the team and big trades. Paul is a strong candidate anywhere.” business side and contract negotiations while forging relationships with 2. Julien BriseBois, Lightning – BriseBois has long been promoted as a managers around the league, an important part of deal-making. He young, up-and-coming future GM but quietly has never been in a rush to graduated from Yale and has a law degree from Wisconsin, but leave Tampa. For good reason. “He’s in a great situation,” said one NHL Kekalainen is quick to point out that Zito's hockey background is equally executive who didn't think BriseBois was going to be overly eager to leap strong. “He’s coached and he has a great eye for talent,” Kekalainen told at the first offer. BriseBois and Steve Yzerman have built a team that is The Athletic. “The biggest mistake thinking about him is that he’s not a set up for years of success, and it’s been a great learning process for an hockey guy. He’s been on all sides of the hockey operations side. … He’s done everything from contracts to minor league to running the pro staff.” Also, this is probably a good place to point out the absurdity that someone feels like they have to defend an Ivy League-educated, builder of a multi-million dollar hockey agency with a law degree as having enough hockey-guy credentials to be the GM of a team. Fair or not, people still want to see the hockey pedigree, and Zito has it. 8. Kelly McCrimmon, Vegas – He seems like such a natural to get the job in Seattle. He’s been George McPhee’s right-hand man in Vegas, with the Golden Knights wildly exceeding every reasonable expectation. He has the blueprint to expansion success and could import it to Seattle seamlessly. But he should get consideration well beyond expansion teams. Before joining Vegas, he spent years in the WHL as Brandon’s majority owner, coach and GM. He was pursued hard by multiple NHL franchises before ending up with the Golden Knights. “The thing that Kelly has is years of experience of being a true manager,” said one league executive. “Give him two years with Vegas and he’ll be ready.” 9. Craig Conroy, Flames – The most qualified future GM on the Calgary staff under Brad Treliving is probably Don Maloney, who is vice president of hockey operations. But this is a list about assistants looking for their first job. The Flames have Brad Pascall and Conroy as assistant GMs who compliment each other well. Pascall runs the AHL team, does contract work and came up through Hockey Canada. Conroy is the big personality, grind it out pro and amateur scout who also has his hand in USA Hockey. I’m listing Conroy first only because of my bias towards Americans. If Calgary gets in the playoffs and makes a run, both of their profiles will rise. The Western Conference Canadian team with the best shot at making a run is in Winnipeg, and if that happens, the profile of assistant GMs Craig Heisinger and Larry Simmons will increase. Simmons quietly has done a fantastic job with the Jets' contracts, among other duties. 10. Pat Verbeek, Lightning – Yes, this makes two Lightning assistant GMs on the list and either one would be a strong hire. An NHL GM listed two reasons why he thinks Verbeek’s name will start popping up on GM lists: “The success of Tampa Bay and his work ethic.” One of the most impressive things Yzerman has done in Tampa is surround himself with a great front office team, much like he was part of in Detroit during the Red Wings' heyday. The Ken Holland family tree produced current GMs Yzerman and Jim Nill in Dallas. Among those still with the Red Wings, Kris Draper and Ryan Martin have popped up as future GM candidates, although Detroit's recent struggles have lowered their executive profiles. Verbeek has the best of both worlds. He was hired from Detroit as a pro scout and has now grown under Yzerman in Tampa where they’ve built a Stanley Cup contender with some longevity moving forward. “Pat is a really good scout,” said one NHL executive. “If you’re an owner and a smart guy, you might just go, 'I have somebody who can handle the CBA. I need somebody who can tell me how to go find a (Nikita) Kucherov.'” The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018

1103304 Carolina Hurricanes Buchnevich also had a nice play earlier in the period. He won a faceoff deep in the Hurricanes' zone and drove to the net before sending a pass to Vesey, who scored on a wrist shot at 1:52. Vesey, Zuccarello lead Rangers to 6-3 win over Hurricanes "He (Buchnevich) didn't tell me anything," Vesey said. "So once I saw him go forward, their D's stick kind of stopped the puck a little bit and it was a quick 2-on-1. I just tried to get open and he made a great play." BY SIMMI BUTTAR The Hurricanes rallied again. Stempniak jumped on a rebound and beat AP Sports Writer Georgiev for his second goal of the season at 7:48. March 12, 2018 11:06 PM The Rangers opened the scoring about halfway through the first period. Neal Pionk's shot from the right point missed the net and took a friendly Updated 6 hours 46 minutes ago bounce off the end boards to Zuccarello, who beat Darling stick-side at 9:06.

Zuccarello extended his goal-scoring streak to three games. Jimmy Vesey's first career hat trick came at a good time for the struggling Rangers. The Hurricanes answered 5 1/2 minutes later. Aho entered the Rangers zone and sent a quick pass to Teravainen, who immediately sent a return Vesey scored three times, Mats Zuccarello had two goals and New York pass to Aho. Aho shot it on net and Teravainen sent the rebound past beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 on Monday night. Georgiev for his 20th of the season. "It's something you definitely want to accomplish," Vesey said. "I was just NOTES: The Hurricanes re-assigned F Valentin Zykov to the American saying I remember it took me all four years in college to get one. It's nice Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers. The 22-year-old Zykov, who leads to have one. the AHL with 30 goals, did not appear in any games since his recall on "Everyone dreams when they are a kid of scoring the big goal or scoring Sunday. ... Zuccarello has a point in 15 of his past 19 games against a hat trick. I think it's something I will always remember, so it's a great Carolina. ... Rangers D Tony DeAngelo left because of an ankle injury. feeling." Coach Alain Vigneault said DeAngelo will get an MRI on Tuesday. Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for the Rangers, who ended a three- UP NEXT game losing streak and earned their first home win since Feb. 9. Pavel Hurricanes: Host Boston on Tuesday night. Buchnevich and Mika Zibanejad each had three assists. Rangers: Host two-time defending champion Pittsburgh on Wednesday Backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev made 41 saves for his second win of night. the season. News Observer LOADED: 03.13.2018 Georgiev made a key pad save on Sebastian Aho late in the third period to preserve the lead. "I knew they were coming hard," Georgiev said. "It's just instinct how I stretched that pad." Teuvo Teravainen, Lee Stempniak and Victor Rask scored for the Hurricanes. Scott Darling, who has struggled in his first season with Carolina, made 17 stops. Tied at 3 in the third, Vesey took a loose puck at the left faceoff circle and wristed a high shot past Darling at 12:15. "That's where I was going," Vesey said. "I had a shot from a similar angle in the first period and I kind of misfired and put it lower than I wanted. I was definitely trying to go high blocker and just fortunately it went in." Zuccarello added an empty-netter at 17:23 for his 14th of the season and the 100th of his career, and Vesey capped his hat trick with an empty- netter in the final minute for his 15th goal this season. The Rangers extended their home winning streak against Carolina to 15 games, dating to Jan. 5, 2011. The streak is the longest for the Rangers against one opponent in franchise history. The Rangers also have won 24 of their past 28 games overall against the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have struggled with three wins in their past 12 games as they fade from the Eastern Conference playoff race. "We are in a hole right now," Stempniak said. "We still think we are going to make the playoffs and we believe we can, but it gets harder with each loss. We have to put this one behind us, get ready tomorrow for a very good Boston team, and start getting wins and collecting points." It was Carolina's second game since Hall of Famer Ron Francis was moved from general manager to a new role as the team's president of hockey operations. New owner Tom Dundon plans to hire a new GM who will report directly to him. With the Hurricanes on the power play, Rask tied it for the third time when he skated to a loose puck at the top of the zone and beat Georgiev for his 13th at 8:23 of the third period. Tied at 2 in the second period, the Rangers took the lead with a quick power-play goal. Just 6 seconds after Noah Hanifin was sent off for slashing, Buchnevich had his shot from just inside the blue line deflected in by Namestnikov at 11:51. It was Namestnikov's 22nd goal of the season and his second as a Ranger since coming over in the deal that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to Tampa Bay at the trade deadline. 1103305 Chicago Blackhawks

With deal sealed, Blackhawks defenseman Erik Gustafsson out to prove he’s worth it

Paul Skrbina

Erik Gustafsson laughed when asked if he wished he could sign a contract extension every day. “Yeah,” he said. “No, I feel grateful for the contract. … I’m blessed.” Since signing the two-year, $2.4 million deal a week ago, Gustafsson has two goals and four assists in four games. The defenseman, who turns 26 on Wednesday, had one goal and four assists in 18 games before that. The early January call-up from Rockford had two assists in each of the last two games, including the primary assist on Patrick Kane’s game- winning goal in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over the Bruins. “It’s a coincidence,” Gustafsson said. “Of course I’m more relaxed, but I don’t think it’s anything to do with the contract.” Gustafsson said he’s just trying to fit in, contribute and be a part of the team’s future as it puts this season in the past. More importantly, he said, he’s trying to rid himself of confidence issues that have plagued him. His miscue on a neutral-zone turnover in Game 7 of the first-round series against the Blues in 2016 led to the game-winning goal — and led Gustafsson to Rockford for the next season-and-a-half. Once he was summoned from coach Joel Quenneville’s doghouse, Gustafsson was a healthy scratch the first four games after he was called up. But knowing he’s part of the team’s future has helped erase some of the anxiousness that comes with the uncertainty Gustafsson faced before signing the contract. “I don’t have to worry about anything now,” he said. “I just try to be myself … (as) I was down in Rockford.” Down in Rockford, Gustafsson had three goals and 14 assists in 25 games this season. Up in Chicago, he provides the Hawks with some sorely needed offense from the back end, though he has work to do defensively. Upon signing his deal, Gustafsson vowed to shoot more. He immediately made good on his word that night against the Avalanche, scoring 5 minutes, 8 seconds into a 2-1 overtime victory. Four days later, in a 7-4 loss to the Bruins, he had a goal and two assists. He could have had two goals had Jonathan Toews not deflected in one of his shots. “Maybe (I) play my own game a little bit more,” Gustafsson said of the increased production. “I’ve been trying to pass the puck a little bit too much. I can shoot it a little more and create some more offense. I usually don’t score many goals.” Gustafsson had no goals and 14 assists in 41 regular-season games with the Hawks in 2015-16 and one assist in five postseason games. While scoring isn’t his top priority, Gustafsson hopes to make it a bigger part of his game. In Quenneville’s eyes, Gustafsson has come a long way since that Game 7 against the Blues, even though it took a long time. Proof of that is in the number of minutes Gustafsson has spent on the power play lately, including 5:16 during Sunday’s victory. “Offensively he adds a nice ingredient to our team (with) his puck movement, support of the attack, options in the zone,” Quenneville said. “Defensively he’s fine, (but) there’s room there (for improvement). As a team our defense needs to be better than we’ve been.” The Hawks defense has been a question mark for large chunks of the season, committing turnovers uncharacteristic of seasons past. The Hawks have allowed 206 goals, ninth-most in the league entering Monday. Gustafsson, though, has been steady while playing primarily with Brent Seabrook. The two have been on the ice together for eight goals for and seven against. “I think I showed them these last couple of games they can trust me,” Gustafsson said. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103306 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks D Erik Gustafsson finding redemption after long Rockford purgatory

03/12/2018, 06:45PM Mark Potash

It was starting to look as though we might never hear from defenseman Erik Gustafsson again. After his gaffe in Game 7 of the Blackhawks’ first-round playoff series against the Blues in 2016 led to Troy Brouwer’s winning goal, Gustafsson — who was expected to be a key player from the start the next season — was banished to Rockford of the American Hockey League. He spent the entire 2016-17 season and half of this season there. Those costly errors tend to stick with coaches. When Hawks coach Joel Quenneville was an assistant with the Avalanche in the 1996 playoffs, defenseman committed a turnover in overtime in Game 3 against the Hawks that led to a game-winning goal by Sergei Krivokrasov and put the Avs in a 2-1 series hole. Wolanin never saw the ice again, and the Avs went on to win the Stanley Cup without him. In overtime of Game 7 of the Hawks’ first-round playoff series against the Canucks in 2011, Chris Campoli committed a similar turnover that led to Alex Burrows’ series-winning goal. Campoli never played for the Hawks again. Gustafsson’s neutral-zone giveaway wasn’t quite as egregious, but he committed somewhat of a cardinal sin in Quenneville’s world by trying to carry the puck up the ice instead of passing it. ‘‘We had the perfect setup there, and we did exactly what we’re not supposed to do — or what we’re not accustomed to doing — and it’s in our net,’’ Quenneville lamented after that game. Perhaps it was only coincidence, but Gustafsson didn’t play another shift with the Hawks after that mistake until he was recalled from Rockford on Jan. 9. But the Hawks have been rewarded for their patience, and Gustafsson has been rewarded for his perseverance. With two assists in the Hawks’ 3-1 victory Sunday against the Bruins, Gustafsson has two goals and six points in four games since signing a two-year contract last week. He has a plus-10 rating in his last 10 games. ‘‘It’s a coincidence,’’ Gustafsson said about his scoring output since signing the contract. ‘‘Of course, I’m more relaxed, but I don’t think it has anything to do with the contract. I’m just trying to skate a lot and move the puck quick, on the rush.’’ Gustafsson, who will turn 26 on Wednesday, is showing indications he is finding a sweet spot in his game and giving the Hawks the offensive production they’ve lacked from their defensemen for most of this season. Gustafsson has been on the ice for 12 of the Hawks’ last 14 goals in regulation. (He has been on the ice for five of their opponents’ 18 goals in the same span.) Though he still needs work defensively, Gustafsson has the potential to take his game to another level with his offensive ability. ‘‘I think maybe play my own game a little bit more,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve been trying to pass the puck too much a little bit. I think I can shoot it a little bit more and create some more offense in the offensive zone. Try to just play a simple game in my own zone and join the rush as much as I can.’’ Gustafsson, who has three goals and 11 points in 23 games since being recalled, is making a believer out of Quenneville. He has used Gustafsson on the power play the last two games, including for more than five minutes in the victory against the Bruins. ‘‘He’s got some good offensive instincts coming out of our end,’’ Quenneville said. ‘‘Makes a lot of direct plays. And him at the point . . . that’s a great strength in today’s game.’’ Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103307 Chicago Blackhawks • Columbus' Jack Johnson (3G, 6A, 19:40 TOI). Figures to be a high priority for the Blue Jackets, who have plenty of cap space to re-sign their assistant captain. Chicago Blackhawks' defense might not be an issue • Others UFAs include the Rangers' Nick Holden, Anaheim's Kevin Bieksa, Nashville's Alexei Emelin and Dallas' Dan Hamhuis. John Dietz Daily Herald Times LOADED: 03.13.2018

With the Chicago Blackhawks out of the playoff race, let's look ahead to next season -- one in which the team hopes to make the unpleasantries of 2017-18 a distant memory. To accomplish this, improved play among the defensemen is an absolute must. What is scary for many of you -- and many league experts, for that matter -- is that the 'D' corps may not look much different from what we see now. After all, general manager Stan Bowman signed Erik Gustafsson and Jan Rutta to contract extensions last week. That means, barring a trade, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Connor Murphy, Jordan Oesterle, Gustav Forsling, Gustafsson and Rutta all are coming back. GASP! What is Bowman thinking? Well, let me try to put everyone's mind to rest. First of all, I believe the last four players listed have the potential to make significant strides. They all possess speed, good instincts and can contribute offensively, an absolute must in today's NHL. All of them have gone through significant growing pains, but given more time and room to grow, they ought to give coach Joel Quenneville the consistency he's looking for in the defensive zone. Next, the Hawks obviously need Murphy, Keith and Seabrook to play better -- or at least not take a step back -- and that's certainly a decent possibility. Finally, you have to expect Bowman to bring in a veteran free agent come July. How much he will be able to spend depends on how much the salary cap rises, and whether he decides to move a higher-priced player such as Murphy or Artem Anisimov. (And I do believe they should keep Anisimov.) So whom might the Hawks target? Here's a look at the Hockey News' top six unrestricted free agents: • John Carlson, Washington (12G, 42A, 25:07 TOI). I see you all salivating, but don't get your hopes up. Barring a franchise-altering move, there's no way the Hawks will be able to afford Carlson. He's only 28 and likely will get a long-term deal valued at $7.5 million or more annually from the Capitals. • Mike Green, Detroit (7G, 25A, 22:07 TOI). Assuming Carlson re-signs with Washington, the 32-year-old Green will be the biggest name on the market. Green has averaged 11 goals per 82 games since 2013-14 and is a force on the power play. He figures to cost $5.5 million-$6.5 million per season, which only works if Bowman can pull off some magic. • Zdeno Chara, Boston (7G, 16A, 23:07 TOI). He'll be 41 in five days. There's no way the Hawks should go this route. • Calvin de Haan, Islanders (1G, 11A, 18:45 TOI). Not everyone is as high as the Hockey News is on de Haan, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in December. Still, here is their thinking on the 26-year- old: "A sturdy, physical top-four defender who blocks shots and isn't a zero on offense. Any team could use that." Especially at $3.5 million or less. • Erik Gudbranson, Canucks (2G, 3A, 18:23 TOI). Gudbranson is 6-feet- 5, 220 pounds. Sounds a lot like Cody Franson, doesn't it? No way Bowman goes this route. • Ian Cole, Blue Jackets (4G, 11A, 17:30 TOI). A shot-blocking machine, Cole would fit in nicely on a Hawks squad that has lost this dynamic with the departures of Niklas Hjalmarsson and Trevor van Riemsdyk. Cole would come with a winning pedigree -- he won Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh the last two seasons -- and shouldn't cost much more than $2.75 million a year. Don't forget about: • John Moore, Devils (7G, 10A, 19:58 TOI). Moore was born in Winnetka and played for the Chicago Mission and Chicago Steel, so this might be a perfect fit. The 6-2, 210-pounder may not come cheap, but he has the potential to really solidify the back end. 1103308 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov back in net for critical game at Minnesota

By KYLE FREDRICKSON | PUBLISHED: March 12, 2018 at 3:13 pm | UPDATED: March 12, 2018 at 3:29 PM

Colorado goalie Jonathan Bernier languished on the Avalanche bench for 10 games as the 29-year old Canadian recovered from a concussion before finally returning to the ice Saturday at Arizona. The thrill of rejoining an Avs team pushing for the playoffs was short- lived, though, as Bernier faced a familiar obstacle early in the second period of Colorado’s 5-2 victory. “He took a slap-shot to the head,” Avs’ coach Jared Bednar said. “It kind of rung his bell a little bit.” A sore neck led to a third-period departure for Bernier, Bednar added, as Colorado once again saw its hand forced making a change in net with Semyon Varlamov filling the void. Bernier did not practice Monday, and while Bednar declined to give a timeline for his return, he said Bernier “is feeling a lot better today, so we’ll see how long this takes him.” But multiple head/neck injuries over a short period of time are not to be taken lightly, and based on a Sunday roster move, it appears Varlamov will start through Colorado’s foreseeable future. The Avs recalled goalie Spencer Martin on Sunday from the American Hockey League’s San Antonio Rampage as Varlamov’s anticipated backup. Martin, 22, last played for the Avs in February 2017 and allowed 13 goals over three losses. If Bernier is unable to return before the completion of Colorado’s final 14 regular-season games, the team remains confident that Varlamov can hold down the net with poise. Although he allowed 11 goals over his last three starts (all overtime losses), Varlamov has also tallied 18 victories this season. “(Varlamov) has been great,” Bednar said. “He had some time off when he re-tweaked his groin there midseason (with) three weeks or so off. He’s been getting lots of rest on practice days, so he looks good and feels good. Not a problem there for him carrying the load right now.” Minnesota (36-21-7) will have revenge in mind when it hosts Colorado at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The Avalanche, which for now holds the final Western Conference playoff spot, dominated the Wild 7-1 at home March 2. “We’re going to expect these guys to come out hard and they’re going to want to play a lot better than they did in our building,” Colorado forward Gabe Landeskog said. “I’m sure they want to show us that they’re not ready to give up a playoff spot to us. It’s going to be a fun game.” Denver Post: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103309 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets 5, Canadiens 2 | Jackets win fifth straight, but Jones departs with injury

By Steve Gorten Posted Mar 12, 2018 at 11:01 PM Updated at 1:09 AM

That winning streak the Blue Jackets desperately needed arrived at the most opportune time, and better yet, continues to grow. The Jackets’ fifth consecutive triumph on Tuesday night, a 5-2 defeat of the same Canadiens that snapped their season-best six-game stretch on Nov. 27 in Montreal, ended with some cause for concern, however. Defenseman Seth Jones, who scored on a power play in the first period and has potted the winning goal each of the past three games, left following the second period after aggravating an upper-body injury and didn’t return. There was no update given after the game on the severity of his injury. It was otherwise a joyous night for the Jackets, who swept their four- game homestand and stepped over the idle New Jersey Devils into the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. With the Flyers losing 3-2 to the Golden Knights, the Jackets can pull even with the Flyers for third in the Metro Division with a regulation win on Thursday in Philadelphia. “You ask any team, you want to be playing in April, and this is when you want to hit your stride,” said left wing Boone Jenner, whose goal 2:34 into the second period pushed the lead to 4-1. “Throughout the year, we’ve gone up and down. It’s the time of year we want to lock down our game.” The Jackets moved closer to securing a playoff spot despite “being on our heels too much” in the third period, coach John Tortorella said. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 of his 38 saves in the final 20 minutes to make sure Jonathan Drouin’s goal on a breakaway with 4:14 left in the second period didn’t trigger a comeback. Center Alexander Wennberg tallied three assists and a goal for his second career four-point night. Nick Foligno and Ian Cole also lit the lamp in the team’s sixth consecutive win at Nationwide Arena, which have come by a combined score of 25-12. “We understand the importance of these games at home,” Foligno said. “You can’t really predict what’s going to go on (on) the road, but you can control a lot more at home. We knew this needed to be a big homestand for us to have a chance to be in the playoffs.” The Jackets surrendered a goal just 34 seconds into the game — the fastest they’ve allowed one to start a game this season — when Brendan Gallagher deflected in Jeff Petry’s shot. “It didn’t affect us,” Tortorella said. “We just kept on playing.” Listen to the Cannon Fodder podcast: Foligno scored unassisted less than four minutes later after he intercepted the puck in the Jackets’ offensive zone, skated in and scored on a shot that struck at least one Canadiens player on its way past goaltender Charlie Lindgren. Lindgren allowed five goals on 25 shots. Foligno’s finish was the first of four consecutive goals by the Jackets, who scored on their first two power plays and led 3-1 after the opening period. Tuesday marked the third consecutive game the Jackets have won when their opponent has scored first. Before coming back in those games, they were 9-18-1 when giving up the first goal. “We took care of business here at home,” Jenner said. “We just want to keep that going.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103310 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets notebook: Aggravated injury keeps Seth Jones out of 3rd period as ‘precaution’

By George Richards Posted Mar 12, 2018 at 10:41 PM Updated Mar 12, 2018 at 11:15 PM

The Blue Jackets are extremely deep on defense. Good thing. On Monday night, Markus Nutivaara returned from injury after missing close to a month; Seth Jones — he of two goals in each of the past two games — didn’t return for the third period against the visiting Montreal Canadiens. Jones played the final shift of the second period but did not come back for the final 20 minutes with what the team is calling an upper-body injury. Coach John Tortorella said he pulled Jones as a “precautionary” measure after he aggravated a previous injury. Tortorella said Jones wanted to play the third but decided it was best to keep him out. “We wanted to keep him out for the third period; we’ll see what the report is tomorrow,” Tortorella said. “I want Jones on the ice as much as possible, but we felt at this point in time, it was precautionary to make sure we didn’t get anything else aggravated.” Jones started a run of five goals in three games by netting the game- winner in overtime Thursday against Colorado. Jones took a cheap shot in the side by Carl Soderberg as he went to celebrate that goal and has been wearing protection on that side since. Jones scored twice Friday in a 3-2 win over Detroit. On Sunday, he missed practice for a “maintenance day.” On Monday, he scored two power-play goals in the opening period to give the Jackets a 3-1 lead in an eventual 5-2 win over the Canadiens. “He’s definitely a key guy,” goalie Sergei Bobrovsky said of Jones’ importance to the team. “He is terrific offensively and defensively and has unbelievable skating ability.” Said Nick Foligno: “He speaks for himself. What he does on the ice, not many guys in this league can.” Nutivaara was back in the lineup as Tortorella scratched Ryan Murray, saying before the game that he was “nicked up.” With Nutivaara activated off injured reserve, the Jackets have nine defensemen on their active roster. Scott Harrington hasn’t played since Feb. 24; Taylor Chorney has yet to make his Jackets debut after being claimed off waivers Feb. 21. Nutivaara missed almost a month with an undisclosed upper-body injury; he was activated on Sunday after practice, with Tortorella saying he wasn’t changing his defensive pairings. “I’m always ready, and I’ve been having a couple good practices,” Nutivaara said before he was put back with Jack Johnson and faced the Canadiens. “I feel fresh out there, my legs are working, and I feel fine on the ice.” Nutivaara wasn’t the only player to come back Monday: Lukas Sedlak returned and played on the fourth line. Sedlak filled in for a sick Matt Calvert. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103311 Columbus Blue Jackets

Michael Arace’s commentary | Fans take heed: this season’s Jackets look primed for playoffs

Michael Arace Posted Mar 12, 2018 at 9:56 PM Updated Mar 12, 2018 at 11:11 PM

You watch your favorite hockey team on a nightly basis, and you notice its flaws more than anything else. You want the roster tweaked or completely remade every three days. Everyone stinks, except for this guy, maybe. If you are a Blue Jackets fan, you have been let down for the better part of two decades. Your team has made the playoffs three times, and been bounced in the first round each time. Shoot, your Jackets have won just three playoff games, one in regulation. You are conditioned for disappointment. This year is different. There, I said it. Currently, the Jackets aren’t a major threat to win the Stanley Cup — but they’re going to get in the playoffs, and that is something. Monday night, they beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 in Nationwide Arena. A crowd of 15,864 (which, in MLS terms, is either 5,324 or 26,768) was on hand. They enjoyed themselves. They should. The Jackets have won five in a row and moved into the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. That is big. If they can hang on there, they can avoid a first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a murderous team. If the Jackets can claw their way into third place in the Metropolitan Division, they would face the Washington Capitals or the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. I know what you are thinking. Given recent postseason history, the thought of the Penguins is worrisome. This should be said: The Jackets themselves aren’t kvetching about it. They just want in, and they like their chances. They should. “When we’re playing well, man, we’re a pretty good hockey team,” captain Nick Foligno said the other day. “This is a way better team (than last year’s), all-around, depth-wise. We’ve got full confidence.” The Jackets have five home games remaining. They have seven road games remaining, including a swing through western Canada that does not include Winnipeg. Their remaining schedule isn’t brutal, and they’re on a roll. Sure, they have some flaws — just as every other team has flaws. But their strengths must be acknowledged. Their defensive corps is talented and deep. They also have one of the best goaltenders in the world. I know what you’re thinking, and I’ll say this: Most teams would kill to have a Sergei Bobrovsky problem. Dig on this: The Jackets might have the best defense and goaltending in the Eastern Conference, with the possible exception of the Lightning. I asked a couple of scouts from other teams about this. They agreed. They also agreed that the Jackets wouldn’t trade their defense and goaltending for the Lightning’s (and vice-versa). What does this mean? It means the Jackets are built to get through this stretch run, and to be a hella tough out in the playoffs. “Winning teams seem to forget what happened during the year and (understand) that the playoffs are a whole ’nother matter,” Foligno said. The Jackets have ridden a roller coaster for five months and now they’re smoothing out their trip at just the right time. The power play is coming around, as is the penalty kill. The Jackets aren’t coursing with elite offensive players up front, but they have a deep roster of forwards, the lines are settling and they’re rolling four. Expectations, inflated and punctured already this season, are level. The trade deadline has come and gone. The free-agent season is months away in the future. This is your team, Jackets fans. Enjoy the run. It’s a wonderful time of year to be a hockey fan, and your team is on the come. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103312 Dallas Stars

Stars confident 'ultimate pro' Alexander Radulov can cut out noise in his return to Montreal

By Mike Heika ,

MONTREAL -- The biggest story in the biggest hockey city in North America is, how did the Montreal Canadiens let Alexander Radulov escape as a free agent last summer? The problem for the Stars is, it isn't a story for them as they concentrate on making a run at a playoff position. So when Radulov returns Tuesday to play at Molson Centre for the first time since signing a five-year deal with Dallas in July, the expected circus could be just what the Stars don't need right now. "It is an emotional distraction," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said. "But I think just where everything's at playoffs-wise, we've all got to just get beyond all of that stuff right now." Hitchcock said he has no doubt Radulov can handle himself. The 31- year-old winger has already faced the Canadiens in Dallas on Nov. 21 (a 3-1 Stars win) and also has been booed in his returns to Nashville, where he also has some history. "I think since he's played against Montreal already, part of that is over," Hitchcock said. "He's gone and performed awful well in Nashville, and he played well against Montreal, so I anticipate that he'll be able to do the same again." Radulov is accustomed to change. He was drafted 15th overall by Nashville in 2004 and moved from Russia to play junior hockey in Quebec. He then played two seasons with the Predators before he broke his contract and returned to the KHL in 2008. He played four seasons there before coming back to the Predators in 2012. The Predators suspended him after he was spotted in a bar at 5 a.m. the night before a playoff game, and he returned to the KHL for four more seasons. Radulov has always maintained he has learned from his earlier experiences, and that was one reason he returned to the NHL last season and signed a one-year with the Canadiens. "When you're young, you look at some things differently than you do when you get older. You learn it's about preparing and working on your game and understanding how to play the right way on the ice and off the ice," Radulov said earlier in the season. "We're all human. We all make mistakes. That's not the point. It's how you respond after that and how you manage that." He has managed it quite well this season with the Stars. Radulov said in November that he loved his time in Montreal but that when negotiations didn't work out in the summer, he turned quickly to the Stars and signed a five-year deal that averages $6.25 million. Canadiens fans have been discussing all season why the organization let Radulov even get to free agency, so that should be a hot topic Tuesday. The Stars, obviously, are more focused on getting a win. They are 4-5-2 in their last 11 games and need to start collecting points on this six-game road trip. Radulov will be a big part of that. He is third on the team in scoring with 60 points (25 goals, 35 assists) in 69 games and has already exceeded the 54 points he had in Montreal last season. He also has brought energy and drive to the Stars' locker room. "I think it's because he's such a focused athlete," Hitchcock said. "He's just tenacious on the forecheck, he's tenacious on the puck. He's not a big guy, but he plays with such strength that he just suits small-rink hockey really well." And the Stars couldn't be happier that they signed him. "He's like an ultimate pro -- just on the way he takes care of himself, the way he approaches it, the way he prepares during a game," Hitchcock said. "He cuts out the noise. That's the best way to describe it is, he cuts out all the noise just so he can play hockey." That's a skill he could definitely use Tuesday. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103313 Dallas Stars

Stars 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 13] Central Division Team GP W L OT ROW Points Nashville 68 44 14 10 39 98 Winnipeg 69 41 18 10 39 92 Minnesota 69 39 23 7 36 85 Wild-card race Team GP W L OT ROW Points 1. Stars 69 38 25 6 34 82 2. Colorado 68 36 24 8 35 80 3. Anaheim 70 34 24 12 30 80 4. St. Louis 69 37 27 5 34 79 5. Calgary 70 34 26 10 32 78 Odds Making the playoffs: 72.2 percent Winning the Stanley Cup: 1.6 percent Odds via sportsclubstats.com. Dallas' last 10 games March 11 -- Loss, 3-1 to Pittsburgh (Away) March 9 -- Win, 2-1 over Anaheim (Home) March 6 -- Loss, 2-0 to Nashville (Away) March 5 -- Loss, 3-2 to Ottawa in OT (Home) March 3 -- Win, 3-2 over St. Louis in OT (Home) March 1 -- Loss, 5-4 to Tampa Bay in OT (Home) Feb. 27 -- Win, 2-0 over Calgary (Home) Feb. 24 -- Loss, 5-3 to Winnipeg (Home) Feb. 22 -- Win, 2-0 over Los Angeles (Away) Feb. 21 -- Loss, 2-0 to Anaheim (Away) Record: 4-4-2 Stars games this week Tuesday -- at Montreal Canadiens (25-32-12, 62 points) Stars' record vs Montreal this year: 1-0-0 Wednesday -- at Toronto Maple Leafs (40-22-7, 87 points) Stars' record vs. Toronto this year: 0-1-0 Friday -- at Ottawa Senators (23-33-11, 57 points) Stars' record vs. Ottawa this year: 0-0-1 Dallas Morning News LOADED: 03.13.2018

1103314 Detroit Red Wings

Tyler Bertuzzi 'can be a big part of solution' in Red Wings' rebuild

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 6:08 p.m. ET March 12, 2018

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Tyler Bertuzzi is showing how much a contributor he may be in helping the Detroit Red Wings regain competitiveness. In the aftermath of the Tomas Tatar trade, Bertuzzi has made himself at home with a bigger role, and hinted at goals to come. He’s brought his hard-nosed style of play onto Henrik Zetterberg’s line, and looked good doing it. “You can see how well he’s playing away from the puck,” veteran forward Frans Nielsen said Monday. “Bert plays a hard game, he goes to the net, and he competes hard. He’s taken huge steps this year. You can see his game coming around now and you can see what kind of player he’s hopefully going to develop into. “He’s one of those players we need in here. We have a lot of young guys who are very skilled, but he really has that other dimension to his game that’s important, too, like going where it hurts.” Bertuzzi, 23, goes into corners to fight for the puck, hovers around the net for tips or rebounds. He plays well away from the puck, which is key to his earning more minutes. “A coach has to be able to trust you and not be afraid to put you out there,” Nielsen said. “He’s making good decisions with the puck, when to make a play and when to get it deep, and he’s keeping his game simple that way.” Last Friday, Columbus saw Bertuzzi play 18 minutes, 51 seconds, a season high. He was one of the team’s better players in the game, even if it has yet to translate into scoring. “He hasn’t had the production and the production needs to come certainly when you’re on that line, but he’s kept tons of plays alive with his work ethic and his stick,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “He’s a net-front presence guy but he’s got lots of poise with the puck as well, so he can make lots of little plays. He keeps getting those chances, he’s got good enough hands he’ll finish them for sure. He’s shown that in the past. “Tyler’s a hockey player. Some guys get wowed by making fancy plays and some guys and some guys just do whatever it takes to score a goal and create a chance and that’s what Tyler does. He’s not fancy, he doesn’t look for the harder play, at all — he looks for the simplest play.” A Bertuzzi shot hit a goal post early in the Columbus game, and he’s hit a few of those lately, leaving him with two goals and 13 assists in 34 games. Monday morning saw assistant coach John Torchetti tell Bertuzzi not to let it affect him, to just keep shooting. Part of it is Bertuzzi still acclimating to the NHL. “Sometimes I think I have to shoot it right away and maybe I have an extra second to take an extra step and get a better shot,” Bertuzzi said. “That’s the learning part. “We’ve been generating a lot of chances. We get pretty good looks every game, so hopefully it will start going in the net.” Playing with Zetterberg is good for Bertuzzi’s growth, as it was for Dylan Larkin in his rookie year, and as it has been for Anthony Mantha. “Every game you can learn something from him — his work ethic all the way until he gets to the bench,” Bertuzzi said. “It’s awesome to play with him, and I think it’s going to help my career. “Going into draws he’s always talking about what we are going to do and where I should be. He makes it pretty black-and-white for me, and that makes it easier for me to just go out and play.” Part of rebuilding is tipping younger, and seeing a young building block do well is tantamount to going in the right direction. The Wings are going to miss the playoffs again, but that doesn’t mean the last month lacks purpose. “One of the things when we traded Tats, it was a real opportunity for Tyler and this was the type of ice time I think he needs in order to grow as a player,” Blashill said. “Ultimately I think he’s part of the solution here. I think he can be a big part of the solution so hopefully he gets great experience here now.” Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103315 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings' losing streak at seven after 5-3 loss to San Jose

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 1:33 a.m. ET March 13, 2018 | Updated 1:42 a.m. ET March 13, 2018

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Detroit Red Wings started well and kept the game close, before falling 5-3 to the San Jose Sharks on Monday at SAP Center. Tyler Bertuzzi had three assists. The Wings looked like a team hungry to overturn what was a six-game losing streak. Trevor Daley made it 1-0 at 5:01 of the first period when he connected on Henrik Zetterberg’s pass from behind the net, after Bertuzzi fanned on the puck. Daley got the puck on his stick and swept the puck in from the slot. How are the Red Wings' top prospects faring? The Wings had a 7-1 edge in shots when they went on a power play at 6:31. It did not help. The Sharks created two scoring chances during the stretch, and built that momentum into a 2-1 lead. Joonas Donskoi scored off an odd-man rush at 10:55, and Eric Fehr tipped a puck during a delayed penalty at 12:31. So much for that good start by the Wings. They fell behind 3-1 a minute into the second period. Jimmy Howard stopped Chris Tierney’s shot but the puck lay loose in the paint and Kevin Labanc knocked it in. The Wings creptt within a goal when Gustav Nyquist scored at 5:05. A second Detroit power play saw Howard forced to make a stop on Logan Couture after he got by Niklas Kronwall. The Sharks took a 4-2 lead on their second power play, at 5:12 of the third period, but Zetterberg scored off a Nyquist setup 41 seconds later to again make it a one-goal game. Tierney found empty net with 1:34 to go in regulation. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103316 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ Evgeny Svechnikov knows he needs to work to play

Ted Kulfan, Published 4:35 p.m. ET March 12, 2018

Detroit – Sure he’d like to play more, but Evgeny Svechnikov understands. The young Red Wings forward, 21, hasn’t proven himself in the NHL – far from it – and coach Jeff Blashill’s job is to win games. In his first two games since being called up from Grand Rapids, Svechnikov played 9:09 in his debut against Vegas, then 5:25 Friday in Columbus. “I don’t complain, I’m happy with however much minutes I get,” said Svechikov Sunday, as the Red Wings prepared to head out for their West Coast trip. “The thing for me is just learn and take in as much as I can, as quick as I can, because it’s such an important time for me.” Svechnikov was recalled from Grand Rapids when Frans Nielsen (concussion symptoms) was injured last week. The Red Wings plan on keeping Svechnikov the remainder of this season to get a good evaluation on the 2015 first-round draft pick. But coach Jeff Blashill admits finding ice time for Svechnikov has been difficult – though Blashill intends to change that on this trip, which begins with a Monday night game in San Jose. “I haven’t played him enough probably, yet,” Blashill said. “I played him nine minutes the first night, five the other night. I’d like to get him more minutes. “(But) he’s got to grab onto those minutes when he gets them, to play him more. That’s part of this business, not just being given stuff, but you have to make sure you grab it. “I anticipate him seeing more minutes.” Having little practice time with the Red Wings hasn’t helped Svechnikov, either. “Part of it for me is we hadn’t practiced really all week leading up to those games,” Blashill said. “Grand Rapids had a combination of days off. Hopefully he feels more comfortable now where he’s ready to be able to excel and gain some more minutes.” There’s also the delicate balance of the Red Wings attempting to win games and putting their best lineup on the ice, and Svechnikov taking someone else’s minutes. “I’m asking our guys to compete like crazy, work their tails off, and I’m going to put the guys out there that will help us win the hockey game,” Blashill said “Certainly we want to get a good look at Svech, but he’s got to make sure he’s good enough that he’s outplaying somebody so that I’m putting the guys out there to win a hockey game.” Svechnikov figures whatever playing time he gets right now, it’s a learning experience, first and foremost. “No matter if it’s five minutes, nine minutes, I try to focus on those five minutes and give everything I can,” Svechnikov said. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll just give everything I can every shift. “That’s the only way I’ll get another chance.” Svechnikov understands that are a lot of things he has to do to show he is ready to be a regular NHL player. “I want to be a 200-foot player,” Svechnikov said. “I want to shoot the puck and be around the puck, be on the right side of the puck and don’t make any turnovers. “This is a game, and it’s (turnovers) going to happen, but right now, I don’t want to make any mistakes. “I just want to go out and play my game. I have the skill and talent, and I want to make plays.” Detroit News LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103317 Detroit Red Wings last month. FGIC wouldn’t comment, citing the lawsuit. The study was commissioned by the city and nearby land owners, including FGIC, and was completed in November. It was done by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Life after the Joe: Big changes proposed for site LLP, a Chicago-based architectural, urban planning and engineering firm. FGIC contends the city is sending mixed signals for what it wants developed. The original agreement states FGIC was to find a partner to Louis Aguilar, The Detroit News Published 11:32 p.m. ET March 11, build a hotel with a minimum of 300 rooms and be no taller than 30 2018 | Updated 11:51 p.m. ET March 11, 2018 stories, according to the bankruptcy agreement. Development could include “office, retail, commercial, recreation, residential.”

But city officials have since backed off that hotel component, the lawsuit The city of Detroit is working on a plan to use the demolition of Joe Louis contends. Several downtown hotels have either opened — or Arena as the first step in big infrastructure changes around the arena. construction on them has started — in the years since the bankruptcy. The goal: to make the isolated property more accessible to the riverfront Citing the lawsuit, other nearby property owners wouldn’t comment, and connect it with the blossoming downtown. including representatives for the Cobo Center authority, Riverfront Towers apartments and Wayne County Community College. A study done for the city and private land owners near the arena shows there are talks to find the money and create a consensus to tear down The arena site has long been considered too hemmed in by the major structures, including a freeway exit, along with the vacant arena infrastructure that the city wants to remove, according to various later this year. New pedestrian links to the West Riverfront area and commercial real estate developers. possibly nearby streets would be created, according to a copy of the study obtained by The Detroit News. “A major issue for downtown Detroit is how you connect it back together,” said Frederick Liesveld, regional managing director of Newmark Grubb “We are looking at the demolition of Joe Louis Arena as way of turning Knight Frank, an international commercial real estate research and around the site, from what’s now considered the back door of everything, consulting firm. “Now there is so much investment around it. It will be to the front door of the West Riverfront area,” said Maurice Cox, director interesting to see what opportunities that provides to removing some of of the city’s Planning and Development Department. those physical barriers.” The city is in talks with major land owners — including the authority that Detroit News LOADED: 03.13.2018 controls the adjoining Cobo Center, the company that acquired the Joe Louis property during the city’s bankruptcy and DTE Energy — to come up with funding to “create a holistic development framework,” according to the study. The area being looked at is generally bounded by Cobo Center to the east, West Riverfront Park to the west, Lafayette Street to the north and the Detroit River to the south. Joe Louis Arena is slated to be razed later this year. There also is an effort to get rid of some of the infrastructure around the 5.1 acres of land occupied by the arena. The city wants to demolish several structures as part of the plan: ■The ramp for Exit 1A from the John C. Lodge Freeway that leads to the arena parking garage and Jefferson Avenue. ■The Cobo Center circular parking ramp on Congress between Second and Third avenues. The area would then be used for a possible Cobo expansion. ■The pedestrian tubes that link Cobo to the arena parking garage, and a walkway that links the garage to the arena. The study proposes a bridge for pedestrians and bicycles over the Lodge to connect with Third Avenue. That’s the street on the western edge of the arena that’s now cut in two by the freeway. The street leads to the DTE Energy campus headquarters and MGM Grand Detroit casino. The study outlines four options on how the West Riverfront area could be overhauled, including creating more pedestrian and bike paths, and closing and widening nearby streets. Estimates for the various options range from $33 million to $97 million. The razing of the former home ice of the Detroit Red Wings is months away. The city is seeking consultants to perform environmental assessments. Those assessments alone could take several months. The state has loaned the city $6 million to raze the arena. The study estimates it will take another $2.6 million to demolish other pieces of infrastructure; Cox said various owners of the property would have to contribute to tear down those structures. The arena and its adjacent parking garage were among the last pawns in the deal to help Detroit escape Chapter 9 bankruptcy in late 2014. The land beneath the arena and the parking garage were given to bond insurer Financial Guaranty Insurance Co. The New York firm was a major creditor that lost $1.1 billion in the bankruptcy. FGIC seeks to get its money back by developing the arena land after the venue is demolished. An obstacle to the plan rose in late February, when a lawsuit was filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court by Gotham Motown Recovery, the company created by FGIC to develop the site. FGIC says it needs up to two years to come up with a development plan for the arena land. The city has so far refused, giving FGIC until August. The West Riverfront study is mentioned by Financial Guaranty Insurance in its lawsuit, contending the firm was given the 61-page document only 1103318 Detroit Red Wings Detroit News LOADED: 03.13.2018

Wings continue plunge in standings with loss to Sharks

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 1:59 a.m. ET March 13, 2018 | Updated 5:29 a.m. ET March 13, 2018

For those fans wishing hard for the Red Wings to sink to the bottom of the standings — increasing the odds for a better draft pick — it’s taking shape. They’re losing, all right, and doing it on a consistent basis. Monday was more of the same, with the Wings losing 5-3 in San Jose, extending their winless streak to seven (0-6-1). Trevor Daley, Gustav Nyquist and Henrik Zetterberg all had a goal and assist, and Tyler Bertuzzi had three assists, arguably one of Bertuzzi’s best games since he joined the Red Wings. Joonas Donskoi, Eric Fehr, Kevin Labanc, Tino Meier (power play) and Chris Tierney (empty net) had Sharks goals. The Sharks outshot the Red Wings 34-26, with the Red Wings failing to convert two power play opportunities (San Jose was 1-for-3). Daley’s goal gave the Red Wings an early lead, but San Jose scored two quick goals and never lost the lead. “We started good, scored early, didn’t take advantage of a power play, had some turnovers, and suddenly we put ourselves on our heels,” coach Jeff Blashill told Fox Sports Detroit. Zetterberg’s 10th goal, at 5 minutes, 53 seconds of the third period, cut San Jose’s lead to 4-3 — after nice work from Nyquist and Bertuzzi along the boards developed the play — just 41 seconds after Meier had given the Sharks a two-goal lead on a deflection. But the Red Wings couldn’t get the equalizer, and Tierney’s empty-net goal ended the Red Wings’ hopes. Don’t look now, but the Red Wings (26-32-11) are positioning themselves for an early pick with their selection in the first round (they also have Vegas’, which will be further down the first round). Only Arizona (55 points), Buffalo (56) , Ottawa (59), Vancouver (59), and Montreal (62) have fewer points than the Red Wings. And with three difficult games remaining on this West Coast trip (Los Angeles, Anaheim, Colorado), plus games against Philadelphia, Washington and Toronto next week, the schedule hardly looks any easier. Which makes one wonder, how low in the standings can the Red Wings actually finish? Here are other random observations from Monday’s game: ■Evgeny Svechnikov still isn’t getting a lot of ice time. But he’s not helping his own matters, either. Svechnikov was minus-2 in 7:13 with one shot on net. He needs to be harder on the puck, and might be pressing attempting to make an impact in a short period of time. ■Zetterberg’s line, alongside Nyquist and Bertuzzi, were outstanding against the Sharks. Nyquist’s goal ended an 11-game goal-scoring drought and was only his second goal in 19 games. Zetterberg ended an 8-game drought, while also moving past Ted Lindsay all alone into 336 goals. But Bertuzzi was particularly noticeable at both ends of the rink, and his three assists were a testament to his hard work along the boards and near the net. Bertuzzi has found a home on Zetterberg’s line. ■Daley, with his ninth goal of the season — including four in the last nine games — and assist on Nyquist’s goal, continues with a second half offensive surge. And, looking ahead to next season, if the Red Wings are in similar dire straits, Daley will be a very attractive piece at the trade deadline for a team looking for a steady, playoff-tested veteran defenseman (with one more year left on his contract after next season). 1103319 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings' skid reaches 7 in 5-3 loss at San Jose

Updated March 13, 2018 at 1:25 AM; Posted March 13, 2018 at 1:16 AM By The Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Eric Fehr scored his first goal with San Jose and the Sharks closed a six-game homestand by handing the Detroit Red Wings their seventh straight loss, 5-3 on Monday night. Joonas Donskoi, Kevin Labanc and Timo Meier also scored to help the Sharks win for the fourth time on the homestand and remain in second place in the Pacific Division. Chris Tierney added an empty-net goal to seal it. Martin Jones made 23 saves for San Jose. Henrik Zetterberg, Trevor Daley and Gustav Nyquist scored for the Red Wings, who matched their longest losing streak of the season. Jimmy Howard stopped 29 shots. Fehr gave the Sharks the lead for good during a long delayed penalty in the first period. With San Jose having the extra attacker, Fehr got in front of the net where he deflected Brenden Dillon's point shot past Howard for his first goal in eight games with the Sharks since being acquired from Toronto last month. The Sharks made it 3-1 early in the second when Labanc poked in a rebound after Howard stopped Chris Tierney on a breakaway. The Red Wings made it a one-goal game later in the second when Tyler Bertuzzi appeared to deflect the puck with a high stick off the post and Nyquist knocked it in off the goal line. Detroit appeared to get the equalizer on the power play later in the second but Anthony Mantha's goal was immediately waved off because he redirected it into the net with his skate. The teams then traded goals early in the third, with Meier scoring on the power play when he deflected a shot from Mikkel Boedker and Zetterberg answering for Detroit off a nice pass from Nyquist. The Sharks looked flat at the start in a game that meant much more to them than the Red Wings, who are 15 points out of playoff position. But Detroit took seven of the first eight shots on goal and led 1-0 after Daley took a pass from Zetterberg in the slot and beat Jones. The momentum shifted after San Jose killed a penalty and the Sharks took the lead with a pair in a span of less than two minutes. The first came off the rush when Evander Kane took a cross-ice pass from Joe Pavelski and slid it back across the crease to Donskoi, who tapped it into the open net for his 14th goal. Fehr added his goal 1:44 later for his first since Jan. 18, 2017, for Pittsburgh against Montreal. NOTES: Bertuzzi had three assists. ... Zetterberg took over sole possession of fifth place in goals for the Red Wings with his 336th, breaking a tie with Ted Lindsay. ... The Sharks allowed the first goal in five of six games on the homestand. Michigan Live LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103320 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers' Aberg likely earns another shot on McDavid's wing

Robert Tychkowski Published on: March 12, 2018 | Last Updated: March 12, 2018 7:49 PM MDT

It’s not exactly like winning a lottery, but being promoted to Connor McDavid’s line is pretty close. And recently acquired winger Pontus Aberg made enough of his golden ticket Saturday that he will likely get another look there Tuesday in Calgary. “He played with a lot of fire in the first three games he was here and let the fourth one get away on him,” said McLellan. “After having a talk with him and giving him a chance with Connor, I thought he performed fairly well. “The one thing he has is good smarts and a shot. He’s willing to use it on Connor’s line. He wasn’t productive with it, but he did try to use it.” Aberg hasn’t been here long enough though, for the coaching staff to really figure him out as a player. “It’s much too early to formulate a really strong opinion. We’ve got to let him play more games,” said McLellan. “We’ll see where’s he’s at after 10 and have a better indication.” Forward trio sticks together While there has been juggling all over the roster this season, the third line of Jesse Pujujarvi, Ryam Strome and Anton Slepyshev remains a constant lately. When a line sticks together for more than a few games, it’s usually for one reason: “They’ve been productive,” said McLellan. “They’ve created some chemistry. Jesse has played well on his off wing, he’s created a number of chances. Anton is playing with more confidence and the best we’ve had Ryan Strome play all year has been the last three weeks to a month. What’s common is those three playing together. We’re not about to tinker and tear it apart.” Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103321 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers' Bear impressively poised as he makes Battle of Alberta debut

Robert Tychkowski Published on: March 12, 2018 | Last Updated: March 12, 2018 7:49 PM MDT

Ethan Bear will get his first look at the Edmonton-Calgary rivalry from ice level Saturday, a nice little reward for the poise and progress the Edmonton Oilers defenceman has made since making his National Hockey League debut five games ago. “A lot of young players come in early with energy and excitement and perform really well and it tends to fall off,” said Oilers head coach McLellan. “He hasn’t shown signs of that. We’re going to play against our rival in Calgary, and we’ll see how he responds in that game.” It’s been so far so good for the 20-year-old defenceman, who was drafted in the fifth round in 2015. After going minus three in his first game, he went minus one with two assists in his next four and is looking more at home every night. “He’s been looking calm out there,” said defenceman Adam Larsson. “It always depends on the personality, but he looks like he has that grounded, calm personality.” Like all young defencemen, there are weaknesses in Bear’s game that need to be addressed, which is what they’re doing right now. “He’s getting there,” said McLellan, adding his aren’t so lax in those areas that it’s a risk to play him. “He’s not hurting us a lot, but there are segments of his game that he has to work on. It’s interesting because we’re talking about a guy who’s played five games. We’ve got guys who’ve played 800 games who need to do that. “But he’s a very fast learner. He has a high IQ and he picks things up quickly so we think that he can continue to improve.” Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103322 Edmonton Oilers

Rest of Oilers' Klefbom's season hangs on status of ailing shoulder

Robert Tychkowski Published on: March 12, 2018 | Last Updated: March 12, 2018 7:50 PM MDT

Oscar Klefbom practiced Monday after receiving a treatment believed to be a cortisone shot in his troublesome shoulder. The Edmonton Oilers defenceman missed Saturday’s game against Minnesota and won’t play in Calgary. Anything after that remains to be seen. “There was no body contact or anything involved (in practice),” Oilers head coach Todd McLellan said. “And there’s a good chance that he’ll play Wednesday.” It’s been a season-long struggle for Klefbom, whose production dipped to 19 points in 63 games after scoring 38 in 82 last year. He’s been playing through the shoulder issue most of the year. He was not made available to the media after practice to discuss his situation, but it’s possible he could be done for the season. Or not. It all depends on how the shoulder feels and what happens later this week during a summit meeting on the subject. “The procedure will dictate further down the road what will happen,” said McLellan. “He and his agent and everybody else will participate in the decision. There’s nothing written in stone. There is a really good chance he will play the rest of the season, train in the summer and come back.” Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103323 Edmonton Oilers

Oil Spills: Will Connor McDavid win the Hart Trophy?

Greg Southam, Published on: March 12, 2018 | Last Updated: March 12, 2018 11:20 AM MDT

Should Connor McDavid get some consideration to be the league MVP this year and win the Hart Trophy for a second year in a row. According to NHL writer Robert Tychkowski, it’s “a hard no.” “If you’re going to give it to a player whose team isn’t in the playoffs then I think that player has to be blowing the doors off the league.” If Hart Trophy judging was not based on the player judged most valuable to his team, but instead based on being the best player in the league, McDavid might be able to win it again, says Tychkowski. Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103324 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers' Pontus Aberg likely earns another shot on Connor McDavid's wing

Robert Tychkowski Published:March 12, 2018 Updated:March 12, 2018 7:49 PM MDT

And recently acquired winger Pontus Aberg made enough of his golden ticket Saturday that he will likely get another look there Tuesday in Calgary. “He played with a lot of fire in the first three games he was here and let the fourth one get away on him,” said McLellan. “After having a talk with him and giving him a chance with Connor, I thought he performed fairly well. “The one thing he has is good smarts and a shot. He’s willing to use it on Connor’s line. He wasn’t productive with it, but he did try to use it.” Aberg hasn’t been here long enough though, for the coaching staff to really figure him out as a player. “It’s much too early to formulate a really strong opinion. We’ve got to let him play more games,” said McLellan. “We’ll see where’s he’s at after 10 and have a better indication.” FORWARD TRIO STICKS TOGETHER While there has been juggling all over the roster this season, the third line of Jesse Pujujarvi, Ryam Strome and Anton Slepyshev remains a constant lately. When a line sticks together for more than a few games, it’s usually for one reason: “They’ve been productive,” said McLellan. “They’ve created some chemistry. Jesse has played well on his off wing, he’s created a number of chances. Anton is playing with more confidence and the best we’ve had Ryan Strome play all year has been the last three weeks to a month. What’s common is those three playing together. We’re not about to tinker and tear it apart.” Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103325 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear impressively poised as he makes Battle of Alberta debut

Robert Tychkowski Published:March 12, 2018 Updated:March 12, 2018 7:49 PM MDT

"He has a high IQ and he picks things up quickly so we think that he can continue to improve" Ethan Bear will get his first look at the Edmonton-Calgary rivalry from ice level Saturday, a nice little reward for the poise and progress the Edmonton Oilers defenceman has made since making his National Hockey League debut five games ago. “A lot of young players come in early with energy and excitement and perform really well and it tends to fall off,” said Oilers head coach McLellan. “He hasn’t shown signs of that. We’re going to play against our rival in Calgary, and we’ll see how he responds in that game.” It’s been so far so good for the 20-year-old defenceman, who was drafted in the fifth round in 2015. After going minus three in his first game, he went minus one with two assists in his next four and is looking more at home every night. “He’s been looking calm out there,” said defenceman Adam Larsson. “It always depends on the personality, but he looks like he has that grounded, calm personality.” Like all young defencemen, there are weaknesses in Bear’s game that need to be addressed, which is what they’re doing right now. “He’s getting there,” said McLellan, adding his aren’t so lax in those areas that it’s a risk to play him. “He’s not hurting us a lot, but there are segments of his game that he has to work on. It’s interesting because we’re talking about a guy who’s played five games. We’ve got guys who’ve played 800 games who need to do that. “But he’s a very fast learner. He has a high IQ and he picks things up quickly so we think that he can continue to improve.” Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103326 Edmonton Oilers

Rest of Edmonton Oilers defenceman Oscar Klefbom's season hangs on status of ailing shoulder

Robert Tychkowski Published:March 12, 2018 Updated:March 12, 2018 7:50 PM MDT

Oscar Klefbom practiced Monday after receiving a treatment believed to be a cortisone shot in his troublesome shoulder. The Edmonton Oilers defenceman missed Saturday’s game against Minnesota and won’t play in Calgary. Anything after that remains to be seen. “There was no body contact or anything involved (in practice),” Oilers head coach Todd McLellan said. “And there’s a good chance that he’ll play Wednesday.” It’s been a season-long struggle for Klefbom, whose production dipped to 19 points in 63 games after scoring 38 in 82 last year. He’s been playing through the shoulder issue most of the year. He was not made available to the media after practice to discuss his situation, but it’s possible he could be done for the season. Or not. It all depends on how the shoulder feels and what happens later this week during a summit meeting on the subject. “The procedure will dictate further down the road what will happen,” said McLellan. “He and his agent and everybody else will participate in the decision. There’s nothing written in stone. There is a really good chance he will play the rest of the season, train in the summer and come back.” Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103327 Florida Panthers

Rest of Edmonton Oilers defenceman Oscar Klefbom's season hangs on status of ailing shoulder

Robert Tychkowski Published:March 12, 2018 Updated:March 12, 2018 7:50 PM MDT

Oscar Klefbom practiced Monday after receiving a treatment believed to be a cortisone shot in his troublesome shoulder. The Edmonton Oilers defenceman missed Saturday’s game against Minnesota and won’t play in Calgary. Anything after that remains to be seen. “There was no body contact or anything involved (in practice),” Oilers head coach Todd McLellan said. “And there’s a good chance that he’ll play Wednesday.” It’s been a season-long struggle for Klefbom, whose production dipped to 19 points in 63 games after scoring 38 in 82 last year. He’s been playing through the shoulder issue most of the year. He was not made available to the media after practice to discuss his situation, but it’s possible he could be done for the season. Or not. It all depends on how the shoulder feels and what happens later this week during a summit meeting on the subject. “The procedure will dictate further down the road what will happen,” said McLellan. “He and his agent and everybody else will participate in the decision. There’s nothing written in stone. There is a really good chance he will play the rest of the season, train in the summer and come back.” Miami Herald LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103328 Florida Panthers Ottawa didn’t get its first shot on goal in the period until just 6:19 remained in the second.

5. Happy birthday, Daddy: Panthers first-line winger Evgenii Dadonov The Panthers’ home winning streak may be over, but the playoff chase is scored on his 29th birthday, showing his great speed on the rush. alive and well Dadonov has been red hot for a while now with 16 goals in his past 26 games. By Walter Villa Miami Herald LOADED: 03.13.2018 March 12, 2018 11:15 PM

The streak is over. Matt Duchense and Magnus Paajarvi scored two goals each as the Ottawa Senators snapped the Florida Panthers’ franchise-record eight- game home winning streak with a 5-3 win on Monday night at the BB&T Center. Florida’s Aleksander Barkov nearly gave the Panthers their first lead of the game when he got a breakaway, shorthanded attempt with 5:51 left in the third period. But Barkov failed to fool Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson, a Broward County resident and a former Panther. After Barkov came up empty, Duchense scored the game winner with 3:00 remaining in the third. Jean-Gabriel Pageau added an insurance goal 75 seconds later. Here are five takeaways from the Panthers loss: 1. The Panthers are still in good shape. With 75 points, the Panthers are three points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card playoff spot, currently held by the New Jersey Devils (78 points). But the Columbus Blue Jackets (79 points) won their fifth straight game on Monday night and are making a statement that they will not be easy to catch. The Devils, who are one game into a brutal six-game road trip that goes all the way out west before heading all the way east for a game against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, appear to be the team most vulnerable to the Panthers. Florida also has two games in hand over the Devils New Jersey and three over Columbus. Related content 2. Tough Trocheck takes a licking and keeps on dishing. Vincent Trocheck took a hard hit from Ottawa right winger Tom Pyatt and left the ice briefly in the second period. But Trocheck came back and finished with two assists. He was Florida’s best player on the night, twice making the key play to tie the score. With 2:32 left in the second period, Trocheck made a great move along the right boards, controlling the puck and then firing a cross-ice pass to Mike Matheson to tie the score 2-2. Then, with 4:23 expired in the third, Trocheck made a pinpoint pass to set up Jonathan Huberdeau on the doorstep to tie the score 3-3. 3. Sweet night for Anderson. Senators goalie Craig Anderson made 35 saves to earn the win. Before the game, he hosted the state championship hockey team from Stoneman Douglas High, leaving 60 tickets for the players and their families. The entire Senators team showed up to greet the Douglas kids, handing them signed jerseys. Anderson’s wife, Nicholle, was also there. She announced in May of 2017 that she was free of throat cancer. She is a teacher in the Douglas school system. And Douglas High, of course, is still reeling from the Feb. 14 shooting that claimed the lives of 14 students and three teachers. 4. Lineup change. Panthers winger Denis Malgin, who had missed seven games due to a knee injury, returned to action and was placed on the second line with Trocheck and Huberdeau. But at the start of the second period, Panthers coach Bob Boughner went back to Frank Vatrano on the second line, moving him up and Malgin down. That seemed to work as the Panthers outscored the Senators 2-0 in that period and also enjoyed a 17-2 advantage on shots on goal. In fact, the first 11 shots on goal in the period were fired by the Panthers as they clearly dominated. 1103329 Florida Panthers “People know that we’re playing pretty good hockey,” Boughner said. “I think everybody’s ready for us now no matter who comes in here, whether it’s a playoff team or a non-playoff team. I think everybody’s Panthers lose to Senators 5-3, snapping eight-game home winning trying to play us hard.” streak On Monday, Ottawa capitalized on its early chances. Duchene struck just 57 seconds into the first period for his 20th goal of the season, before he later won the game with his 21st. Matthew DeFranks Magnus Paajarvi scored the first of two goals Monday night with less than five minutes left in the first by deflecting a Fredrik Claesson shot past Luongo. He scored again on a rebound just 43 seconds into the The border between owning top-end talent and receiving good fortune is third period. a dangerous one to live on in the final month of the hockey season. Especially when lodged in a playoff race, every miscue is magnified and Jonathan Huberdeau scored his 23rd goal of the season when a every slow start could mean missed points in the standings. Trocheck pass bounced off Huberdeau’s left skate and into the Ottawa goal. In the games leading into Monday night’s 5-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators, the Florida Panthers straddled that line, surviving lackluster The Panthers last loss at home was Feb. 9 against Los Angeles and the openings to continue a hot streak since the All-Star break. They couldn’t team has not lost back-to-back home games since early December. do it again on Monday night, losing in front of 11,585 at the BB&T Center. “We didn’t execute the way that we have been,” Yandle said. “We just The Senators scored twice in the first period, digging just the fourth two- kind of looked a little flat. We ended up with a good second and, at the goal deficit for Florida in the 20 games since the All-Star break. But the end of the day, didn’t find a way to win.” Panthers stormed back, tying the game at 2 in the second period and at 3 in the third, before Senators forward Matt Duchene ultimately won the Sun Sentinel LOADED: 03.13.2018 game with three minutes remaining in the game. “I thought we had enough chances to win the game,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “Give them credit, they battled hard. It was one of those nights where no matter what we did, it seemed like we weren’t destined to win this game.” The loss snapped Florida’s franchise-record eight-game home winning streak. It also dropped the Panthers’ record to a still scorching 15-4-1 since the All-Star break. For the Panthers, it was the first loss against a team currently behind them in the standings since Jan. 5 in Detroit. With Columbus’ win over Montreal on Monday night, the Panthers fell four points behind the Blue Jackets for the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They are three points behind New Jersey for the second wild card spot. “I don’t know if it was just something [where] we took them lightly,” defenseman Keith Yandle said. “But no, there’s no lack of energy this late in the season. Everyone’s ready to go.” Duchene’s second goal of the night beat a sprawled out Roberto Luongo and capped a possession in which Ottawa had the Panthers defense scrambling. It also came less than three minutes after Aleksander Barkov had a chance to give the Panthers the lead. Barkov broke in on Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson shorthanded, but his snap shot was denied and the game stayed tied. “Goalie was deep in the net, there was no sense to try to deke,” Barkov said. “Good goalie. Bad shot.” Boughner added: “I know everybody’s excited. We were all standing up, thinking that [Barkov will score]. Anderson’s a good goalie and you’re not going to score 100 percent of the time on every chance you have. It was big save for them. They needed a big save and they got it. We just couldn’t crack him at the end.” Evegnii Dadonov scored his 22nd goal of the season, a top corner snipe after speeding out of the defensive zone. For Dadonov, the goal was his ninth one off the rush since the All-Star break. Only one other Panther (Barkov’s 10 goals) has more overall goals since the break than Dadonov has off the rush. Mike Matheson tied the game with 2:32 left in the second period by burying a feed from Vincent Trocheck past Anderson. Panthers forward Frank Vatrano didn’t appear on the scoresheet for goal, but screening Anderson in front of the net, then dodged the puck by jumping. Dadonov and Matheson’s goals were part of a resurgent second period for the Panthers in which they outshot the Senators 17-2. Ottawa did not even register a shot on goal until 13:41 passed in the period. The Senators only attempted nine shots in the period. The Panthers attempted 35. In games against Montreal and the New York Rangers on this homestand, the Panthers needed late power-play goals to escape the first periods with leads. They counted on Luongo to make key saves as the team emerged from an early-game slumber. Boughner said the Panthers were “lucky” to have a lead on the Rangers on Saturday. On Monday, he said Florida didn’t do the small things — boxing out and breaking out — well enough in the first period. 1103330 Florida Panthers

Denis Malgin returns after missing two weeks, makes Panthers roster whole

Matthew DeFranks

The Florida Panthers finally have their team. They no longer are waiting for Frank Vatrano and Denis Malgin to heal. They are not wondering if Roberto Luongo could continue his dominance. The club has their roster as they try to chase down a playoff spot in the final month of the season. The Panthers entered Monday two points behind Columbus for the second wild-card spot with three games in hand. Malgin’s return to the lineup was the most recent addition for the team, and the 21-year-old forward will play against Ottawa on Monday night. He missed seven games across two weeks with a knee injury. “This is what we envisioned obviously for the last month with Vatrano playing and Malgin playing and everybody being healthy and Louie at the top of his game,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. Vatrano made his Panthers’ debut on Saturday night against the New York Rangers after Boston traded him to Florida on Feb. 22. He missed nearly five weeks with a high-ankle sprain before scoring in his first game as a Panther. Luongo has been excellent since he returned from a groin injury. In 10 games, he has a .933 save percentage and 2.36 goals against average. For Malgin, he’ll look to build on a solid season. Entering Monday night, he had 10 goals and eight assists in 39 games. Malgin had 10 points in the 14 games after he was a healthy scratch in mid-January. “I’m very excited, very happy to be back finally,” Malgin said. “It was around two weeks. It wasn’t bad, I was working hard and finally, I can help the team.” Boughner put Malgin back on the second line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Vincent Trocheck, where he played for 13 consecutive games before suffering an injury Feb. 24 against Pittsburgh. Without Malgin, Huberdeau and Trocheck cycled through a handful of linemates: Radim Vrbata, Connor Brickley, Jamie McGinn and Vatrano all got a shot. Although Boughner said “you could make a case for both guys,” he decided to bump Vatrano down to the third line and reunite the Huberdeau-Trocheck-Malgin line. “They both play really well on that line,” Boughner said. “I like the fact that Malgy’s a right[-handed] shot on that line. I think Vatrano is really going to, doesn’t matter if he plays on the third line or the second line, I liked what I’ve seen. I think he’s really going to make that third line an offensive line, a better offensive line.” Vatrano will play with Jamie McGinn and Jared McCann on the third line. Maxim Mamin, who played 10 games alongside McGinn and McCann, will be a healthy scratch. Boughner kept the fourth line of Micheal Haley, Derek MacKenzie and Colton Sceviour intact. Mamin has two goals in his last nine games. Boughner said the decision was “a numbers thing.” “It’s going to be a competition every night for spots and to see who’s going to play up front,” Boughner said. “That’s a good thing. I think it’s been a while since we’ve had that. I think it can only help our team moving forward. Mamin’s game has been fine. I think he’s playing well, as well.” Prior to Malgin’s injury, Boughner found some stability in his forward lines. The top-six forwards remained the same for 13 games in a row. The forward lines remained unchanged for a season-high four consecutive games. While Boughner said he’d “like to move forward and have the same lines,” he acknowledged that they likely won’t. “I hate to keep talking about other teams, but you look every night [at lines],” Boughner said. “Pittsburgh, [Sidney] Crosby’s playing with somebody different every night. Tampa Bay does it a little bit. I see Toronto does it on a nightly basis. I think that we all strive to have four lines working great every night, but that’s not the case every time.” Sun Sentinel LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103331 Florida Panthers

Panthers a hot ticket in Finland, will also play a preseason game in Tulsa

Matthew DeFranks

The Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets are a big draw in Finland. Tickets for a pair of Panthers-Jets games next season went on sale Monday morning at 3 a.m. Eastern and sold out shortly after. As part of the NHL’s Global Series, Florida and Winnipeg are playing two regular- season games at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, on Nov. 1 and 2. On Ticketmaster, the games are labeled “Fully booked, for now.” Ticket prices started at 89 euros (about $110) and ranged up to 240.95 euros (about $300). For Panthers star center Aleksander Barkov, the games will be a homecoming. Barkov is from the Finnish city of Tampere, about 110 miles away from Helsinki. For the Panthers, Barkov may not be the only Finnish player next season. Forward prospect Henrik Borgstrom (currently playing college hockey in Denver) could be with the team. Henrik Haapala, who signed with the Panthers last summer but returned to his team in Finland this season, could rejoin the roster. The club also has Finnish prospects Aleksi Heponiemi, Juho Lammikko and Sebastian Repo, though they figure to be longer-term projects. Winnipeg forward Patrik Laine is also one of the most popular players in Finland. The 2016 No. 2 overall pick is from the same hometown as Barkov and has scored 40 goals this season. “It’s going to be probably one of my favorite moments in my hockey career,” Barkov said when the games were announced in January. To Tulsa The Panthers and Dallas Stars will play a preseason game at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., next season on Sept. 22, the teams announced Monday. The Stars are hosting the neutral-site game. The two teams previously played a neutral-site preseason game in London, Ontario, last season. “We're excited to bring our team to the city of Tulsa so that our wonderful fans in Oklahoma can see the Stars live,” Stars CEO Jim Lites said in a statement. “As an organization, the Stars are committed to growing the game throughout the entire southwest region, and there is no better way to show that than by bringing the NHL to a tremendous facility like Tulsa BOK Center.” The Panthers also played the New Jersey Devils in West Point, N.Y., during the 2016 preseason. Monday’s projected lineup against Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Evgenii Dadonov – Aleksander Barkov – Nick Bjugstad Jonathan Huberdeau - Vincent Trocheck – Denis Malgin Frank Vatrano – Jared McCann – Jamie McGinn Micheal Haley - Derek MacKenzie – Colton Sceviour Keith Yandle – Aaron Ekblad Mike Matheson – Mark Pysyk MacKenzie Weegar – Alexander Petrovic Roberto Luongo James Reimer Scratches: Maxim Mamin, Connor Brickley, Radim Vrbata, Ian McCoshen. Sun Sentinel LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103332 Los Angeles Kings

Quick shutout lifts Kings back into playoff position

By Curtis Zupke Mar 12, 2018 | 11:40 PM

The questions of how the Kings would align their forwards and which goalie would start were not answered at their morning skate Monday. The optional practice was just that — optional — with so few veterans on the ice. Those questions were answered, definitively, in the evening when the Kings played the Vancouver Canucks, who were no match for a fully engaged and aggressive Kings attack in front of Jonathan Quick in a 3-0 Kings victory at Staples Center. The Kings jumped into third place in the Pacific Division with their fifth win in seven games. Quick's 48th career shutout wasn't much in question as the Kings clicked with new lines and goals by Tyler Toffoli, Anze Kopitar and Tanner Pearson. "It's good to get the win here, and in a good way too," Pearson said. "We had a good solid defensive game and when we're that way, we create a lot of stuff going the other way. We've just got to keep looking at this as a positive game and go into the next one like this." Kopitar's second-period goal summed up the Kings offensively. His shot from the corner was deflected into the net by Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher, but everything leading up to it demonstrated how well the Kings clicked: Alec Martinez dived to poke the puck forward to Drew Doughty and Doughty whipped the puck up to Kopitar to start a rush. Pearson, reunited with linemates Toffoli and Adrian Kempe, finished an outstanding game with a drive to the net to score against Vancouver goalie Anders Nilsson. "I was really happy for the Kempe line tonight," Kings coach John Stevens said. "I thought Ty really skated tonight, Tanner made a really strong power move coming out of the corner. We talked to that line on just how much we needed them to play like they did … earlier in the year. It could really balance out our attack, and I thought they did tonight." The Kings' embarrassing 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues last Saturday, their worst home defeat in a decade, prompted changes. Tobias Rieder returned from a two-game benching and played on a line with Jeff Carter and Trevor Lewis. Carter was stopped on a two-on-one and on the power play in the first period as Nilsson looked like he'd make life difficult for the Kings. But the Kings grabbed the game tightly in the second period and broke through with Toffoli's breakaway goal. Jake Muzzin hit Toffoli in stride with a 90- foot breakout pass from the corner and Toffoli snapped the puck past Nilsson's glove for his 22nd goal. Vancouver went into the game with a young lineup because of various injuries. But the Canucks still had Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the former stopped by Quick with an extended leg save late in the second period. Doughty relished the Kings' last game against the twins this season. "When I play against them, it's a mind game," he said. "They're definitely very good passers and good shooters. But they're not physical. They battle hard but they're not like a physical presence out there. They're thinking the game ahead of everyone, so I have to try and think ahead of them. That's why I like playing against them. It's just a mental battle and a mental challenge." KINGS AT ARIZONA COYOTES When: Tuesday 7 p.m. PDT. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 790. Update: Arizona coach Rick Tocchet is on leave because of a family illness and assistant John MacLean will take over in the interim, the Coyotes announced. Darcy Kuemper got his first shutout with Arizona on Sunday. LA Times: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103333 Los Angeles Kings

Kings’ Drew Doughty takes pride in consecutive-games streak

By Robert Morales | Orange County Register March 12, 2018 at 7:40 PM

LOS ANGELES — Drew Doughty has accomplished quite a bit in his Kings career, and he’s still going strong. The 10th-year defenseman just this season surpassed Jim Fox for ninth- place on the team’s all-time assists list, moved ahead of Butch Goring for eighth in games played, overtook Steve Duchesne for second in goals by a defenseman and recorded his 400th point. Doughty, just 28, is now closing in on the team record for consecutive games played. His streak is at 314, with teammate Anze Kopitar holding the mark at 330. Doughty describes the secrets to a streak that began Oct. 8, 2014. “Yeah, as long as you take care of yourself and when you do get bangs and bruises, as long as you take care of those … we have great trainers in this organization, they take great care of you,” he said Monday at the morning skate ahead of his team’s game against the Vancouver Canucks at Staples Center. “Like I said, you’re just maintaining all those things, and you’re going to be fine out there. “Injuries and stuff happen, but you’ve just gotta play through them sometimes and I’ve been fortunate enough that I haven’t had any serious ones lately. So, hopefully, it continues.” Doughty acknowledged he takes some pride in his iron-man run. “Yeah, obviously,” he said. “I’ve been kind of (dumped) on my whole career for not being in shape and being one of the guys who’s the worst in shape on the team. So to be able to put that many string of games together, kind of shows maybe I am doing something right off the ice.” Doughty had played in 756 games before Monday and had 101 goals and 306 assists for 407 career points – all with the Kings. His coach, John Stevens, is impressed. “It’s pretty remarkable that Kopi, Brownie (Dustin Brown), Drew seem to be in the lineup every night,” Stevens said. “They play big minutes, they play hard minutes. Drew plays big minutes every night against the best players on the other team and just, we think, is a ferocious competitor. “… So it’s pretty impressive that he can do what he’s done, as taxing as the game is for him and as much of a difference as he makes.” Stevens suggested it would take a lot for Doughty to miss a game. “He’s one of those guys who doesn’t miss practices, doesn’t miss games, wants to be on the ice, loves to play,” he said. “And he’s probably a guy who plays with sometimes nagging injuries who doesn’t let it bother him, that might keep other guys out of the lineup.” TAKING IT TO HEART Stevens is a former defenseman who played several years in the minors and a combined 53 games in the NHL with Philadelphia and Hartford. With his team having given up seven goals in a lopsided loss to St. Louis on Saturday, Stevens was asked the next morning how much it bugged him when when a team he was playing on gave up a lot of goals. “I hated it, and hate’s not too strong a word,” he said. “I hated getting scored on. And I think a lot of our guys feel that way. Drew’s probably the guy I’ve coached in my career that … I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a guy it affects more in terms of how much it bothers him when he gets scored on. “He doesn’t like getting scored on in practice and I was like that. I always thought it was my job to do whatever I could to keep the puck out of the net.” Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103334 Los Angeles Kings “It’s a back-to-back,” Canucks forward Henrik Sedin said. “It’s a really tough team to play, and we have to score goals. We did a better job tonight, but it’s not good enough.” Kings rebound by blanking struggling Canucks The Kings now hit the road for one game at Phoenix on Tuesday, before coming back for a short two-game homestand against Detroit on Thursday and New Jersey on Saturday. By Robert Morales | PUBLISHED: March 12, 2018 at 10:28 pm | UPDATED: March 13, 2018 at 12:06 am Orange County Register: LOADED: 03.13.2018

LOS ANGELES — All the Kings needed Monday was Tyler Toffoli’s goal on a sweet play in the second period. But they got another goal by Anze Kopitar in the second and Tanner Pearson added some insurance with a third-period tally as the Kings defeated the lowly Vancouver Canucks 3-0 before a sellout of 18,230 at Staples Center. The victory allows the Kings (38-26-5, 81 points) and the Anaheim Ducks’ 4-2 loss to St. Louis allowed the Kings to move past the Ducks into third place in the Pacific Division. A third-place divisional finish guarantees a team a playoff spot. The Kings, who won for the fifth time in seven games, have 13 games left in the regular season. They were coming off a 7-2 loss to St. Louis on Saturday afternoon at Staples Center. Goalie Jonathan Quick stopped 35 shots to earn his fourth shutout of the season. Toffoli’s goal at 1:57 of the second period was about as good as they come. Toffoli received a beautiful pass from Jake Muzzin, who delivered it from deep in the Kings’ end to where Toffoli was streaking near mid- ice. Toffoli came in alone on Canucks goalie Anders Nilsson, and blasted it over Nilsson’s left shoulder for a 1-0 lead. It was No. 22 on the season for Toffoli, with Adrian Kempe getting the other assist. As soon as the doors to the Kings’ locker room were opened, the first question Toffoli fielded was the obvious one – what about that pass from Muzzin? “Yeah, we were talking about it,” Toffoli said. “It’s a great pass. We just executed a good play.” Coach John Stevens liked it, too. “Yeah, it was quite a play,” Stevens said. “Just out the back side and I think he (Muzzin) saw some open ice there.” Stevens also liked the way his team checked, especially after his team’s poor effort against St. Louis. “Yeah, very much,” he said. About 13 minutes after Toffoli’s goal, at 14:54 of the second, the Kings took a 2-0 lead on Kopitar’s 28th of the season. The goal was originally credited to Dustin Brown, who appeared to tip in a pass from the corner by Kopitar. As it turned out, the puck went in off the stick of Vancouver defenseman Troy Stetcher. Assists went to Derek Forbort and Drew Doughty. It was Kopitar’s 75th point of the season, bringing him within six of his career high of 81, which came in 2009-10. Kopitar had only 52 points last season. Pearson’s goal came at 10:53 of the third period. It was No. 13 on the season for him. He suggested the loss Saturday, which was called embarrassing and unacceptable by team members, was a motivating factor. “Yeah, I think we got a wake-up call last game,” Pearson said. “Bouncing back is probably the best thing we can do for our club. We had a solid defensive game tonight and Quickie did a good job out there, too.” Pearson also liked his team’s checking. “Yeah, I think, you know, we’re a good checking team and we created a lot of stuff off the forecheck,” he said. Kempe and Toffoli had the assists on Pearson’s goal, giving the Kempe line with Toffoli and Pearson a total of five points. “I was really happy for the Kempe line tonight,” said Stevens, who shuffled his lines following the loss to St. Louis, getting the response he was looking for from his three emerging stars on offense. Vancouver (25-36-9, 59 points) was shut out for the second consecutive game and has scored just three goals during a four-game losing streak. The Canucks are 4-12-3 in their last 19 games. 1103335 Los Angeles Kings

A TOUCH OLDER, HIGHLY SKILLED SEDINS STILL PROVIDE A CHALLENGING “MIND GAME”

JON ROSENMARCH 12, 2018

OPPOSITION Adrian Kempe grew up in Kramfors, under an hour down the road from the city where he played junior hockey and cut his teeth professionally. Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, home of MODO Hockey, provided a wealth of opportunity for the forward who grew up well north of Stockholm in Sweden’s High Coast. One of those opportunities was the ability to skate with Henrik and Daniel Sedin – both Örnsköldsvik natives – during late-summer training with MODO and before the NHL’s most recognizable set of twins would depart for the Pacific Northwest. “There are a lot of good guys from back home that have been in the league for a long time that have been really successful, and the Sedins are two of them, for sure. They’re unreal players,” said Kempe, whose agent, Claes Elefalk of CAA, also represents the Sedins. “They’ve been in the league for a long time. I just remember growing up watching them, and they’re really good players and obviously really, really smart and they like to find each other. I’m excited to play against those guys. They’ve been in the league for a really, really long time and they’re really good players. It’s fun, but we’ve just got to go out there and try to play them hard because we know how good they are with the puck and everything like that. Just try to make them play in their own zone.” Tonight will be Kempe’s sixth career game against Vancouver. It will be Drew Doughty’s 41st, and that doesn’t include a pair of emotional playoff series waged between the teams in 2010 and 2012. It will be Henrik Sedin’s 69th career game against Los Angeles, and Daniel’s 66th. Both players will turn 38 in September and are eligible to become free agents on July 1. Neither has signed an extension. Even though the two players are past the primes of peak Sedinery, when their power play and offensive zone wizardry lifted the Canucks to some of the greatest offensive highs of the current era and within one win of the 2011 Stanley Cup, they’re still highly intelligent figures and – dare we say, “fun?” – match-ups for other top players. “Yeah, it’s fun. They’re hard to play against, but they’re the kind of guys that I like playing against,” Doughty said. “They’re smart hockey players, and I kind of pride myself and believe I’m obviously a pretty smart hockey player, too, so when I play against them, it’s a mind game.” Doughty explained that the Sedins battle hard, even if they’re not exactly archetypes of physical authority. Instead, their speed, their craftiness, their ability to find open areas of the ice and, most of all their ability to see and read the game are what separates the two future Hall-of-Famers from other skilled offensive players. “They’re thinking the game ahead of everyone, so I have to try to think it ahead of them, and that’s why I like playing against them, because it’s just a mental battle and a mental challenge,” Doughty said. “It’s different playing against them as playing against some other guys.” When Doughty was asked about the league’s most impressive on-ice thinkers and cerebral players, he was quick to respond with “Ryan Getzlaf, the Sedins, obviously Crosby’s a good thinker.” “A guy like Kane, Toews, those guys, they’re smart players,” he continued. “There are so many. I could like keep going on and on and on, but I think Ryan Getzlaf’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever seen play.” Of course, one of the smartest players at reading the play – and one of the smoothest skaters of any generation – was Scott Niedermayer, a former teammate of Doughty’s at the 2010 Vancouver Games. “I got to play with him at the Olympics my first year, and he’s a smart player, obviously. He was amazing. I don’t really play, I think, similar to him. I don’t have his skating abilities, but I really looked up to the way he did play the game.” LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103336 Los Angeles Kings points in 66 games for WHL-Spokane. Kale Clague (2nd / 2016), now with WHL-Moose Jaw, has 11 goals and 71 points in 53 games. Gabriel Vilardi (1st / 2017), who you may have heard a thing or two about, scored MARCH 12: PROSPECT UPDATES; DOUGHTY’S STREAK; STRIDES two more goals on Saturday and has 20 goals and 53 points through 29 ON BOTH SIDES OF PUCK games. -Though the most recent picture of the team is a forgettable 7-2 loss to St. Louis, that game was not at all representative of the larger-picture JON ROSENMARCH 12, 2018 developments that are more clearly in focus for a team one point out of a playoff berth.

Anything short of making the playoffs would be a significant MORNING SKATE NOTESVIDEO disappointment, but the means of reaching that goal indicate that Los Angeles has made strides in what it set out to do. It’s a game-day, Insiders. The Vancouver Canucks make their second and final Staples Center visit to close out the teams’ season series (7:30 The Kings’ goals-for per game have raised from 2.43 to 2.87, while their p.m. / FOX Sports West / FOX Sports GO / FUBO TV / KABC 790 / I goals-against have risen only incrementally, from 2.45 to 2.54. These Heart Radio). Vancouver has won two of the first three games in adjustments come as offense has risen across the league. regulation, so a Los Angeles win forces a series split. More importantly, L.A. is one point out of the second wild card (having played the same 2017-18 1st-ranked offense: 3.58 GF/GP amount of games as Colorado), one point out of the third divisional slot (with a game in hand on Anaheim) and two points behind the second 2016-17 1st-ranked offense: 3.39 GF/GP divisional slot (having played the same amount of games as San Jose). 2017-18 15th-ranked offense: 2.87 GF/GP The Kings (35 ROW) are well clear of the Sharks (32 ROW) and Ducks (30 ROW) in the regulation/overtime wins tiebreaker, but currently tied 2016-17 15th-ranked offense: 2.72 GF/GP with the Avalanche. Anaheim host St. Louis tonight, while San Jose hosts Detroit. 2017-18 30th-ranked offense: 2.38 GF/GP* -Their vitals: Vancouver is banged up. They’re without Brock Boeser 2016-17 30th-ranked offense: 2.01 GF/GP (back), Chris Tanev (leg), Loui Eriksson (rib), Sven Baertschi (shoulder), *There are 31 teams in 2017-18, though the 30th and 31st-ranked teams Brendan Gaunce (foot) and Mikael Granlund (ankle). Tyler Motte will tied with 2.38 GF/GP. draw in for Jussi Jokinen, while Anders Nilsson will start in net. Nilsson is 1-10-2 in his last 15 games but picked up a win at Staples Center by Rankings-wise, Los Angeles jumped from 24th place tie to 15th in goals stopping 30 of 32 shots on November 14. That was a game in which the per game, while also climbing from sixth to a second place tie in goals- Kings led 2-0 before the Canucks registered their first shot on goal, if against per game. Their goals-against has climbed marginally but to a you’re looking for a woulda-shoulda-coulda moment this afternoon. lesser extent than the rest of the league’s rise. #Canucks have taken points in 6 of their last 7 road games vs @LAKings “Power plays, for whatever reason, have found ways to have more (4-1-2). Over those 7 games, @Canucks have outscored LAK 19-16… success,” Stevens said. “There’s been 13 power plays at any given time that are operating at over 20% in the league, which I don’t know if I’ve — Joey Kenward (@kenwardskorner) March 12, 2018 ever seen before. I think we’re all trying to find ways to create more -Drew Doughty will play in his 315th consecutive game, dating back to offense. There was a period of time where we were jumping between the start of the 2014-15 season. The Kings record for consecutive games 15th and 20th in the league, and I think sometimes when you want to played is 330, set by Anze Kopitar between March, 2007 and March, score more, it still is relative to the rest of the league. If we’re going to 2011. base our numbers today on the mid-80s with the Gretzky era, that always changes. Even from year-to-year it can change.” If you remember back to the end of the 2013-14, Doughty missed the final four games of the regular season with a shoulder injury that may The goal at the outset of the year, of course, was to improve the have triggered a temporary breakdown or two across the fanbase. offensive output without sacrificing anything from the team’s tried-and- (Spoiler: Los Angeles went on to win the Stanley Cup that year.) true defensive identity. That, by and large, is reflected in the statistics, and has been impacted by the team’s 15-7 record in games decided by “As long as you take care of yourself, and when you do get bangs and three-or-more goals. bruises, as long as you take care of those, we have great trainers. In this organization they take great care of you. Like I said, you’re just While the rising tide of offense across the league may be rooted in more maintaining all those things, you’re coming to be fine out there. Injuries potent power plays, Los Angeles’ structure in even strength play has and stuff happen, but you’ve just got to play through ‘em sometimes, and impacted their offensive surge to a greater degree. I’ve been fortunate enough that I haven’t had any serious ones lately, so “In the past we played more of a possession game, Doughty said. “Now, hopefully it continues.” we just play a moving-forward, getting pucks up. We make tape-to-tape Doughty shared his brutal honesty when asked whether there was a plays still, but for the most part we’re trying to get pucks in deep and just “pride factor” attached to his games played streak. get it going forward. Maybe that’s the reason to why our goal scoring’s up a bit, but other than that I don’t really know. We’ve got some new young “Yeah, obviously,” he said. “I’ve been kind of [—-] on in my career for not players. We’ve got some more guys who are offensively talented and being in shape and being one of the guys who’s the worst in shape on have good vision and have good vision, which I think we lacked in the the team, so to be able to put that many string of games together, it kind past.” of shows me I am doing something right off the ice.” Surely Alex Iafallo, who has served as an effective forechecking and It’s not hard to imagine Doughty being on the receiving end of some puck retrieval cog alongside Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, has locker room ribbing with that in mind, but those days in which his increased the offense. Kopitar’s and Brown’s resurgences have also conditioning is mocked are long gone. The 2016 Norris Trophy winner’s been major factors in the improved offense and are representative of the average time on ice, per season, since the start of his consecutive wider effort of not shirking any defensive duties. Adrian Kempe has games played: 29:00, 28:01, 27:09, 26:39. jumped from a two-goal scorer to a 16-goal scorer and admirably held down the second line center role in Jeff Carter’s absence, while Trevor That’s Mikey Eyssimont’s second goal of the game and an overtime Lewis set a career high in goals and will eclipse his career-high in overall game-winner that sent St. Cloud State to St. Paul, where they’ll face scoring with his next goal or assist. North Dakota in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinal Friday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center. The other semifinal pits Denver against Minnesota- “I think the old conversation is you’ve like to see some more secondary Duluth Friday night, with the losers meeting for a third-place game offense,” Stevens said. “We still think we can get some more offense Saturday afternoon and the winners meeting for the NCHC title Saturday from our blue line, which we’d like to get more off, certainly as part of the night. The championship game will air on the CBS Sports Network. The rush attack. So, we think we’ve made some inroads there, but we’ve still skilled 21-year-old Eyssimont, selected in the fifth round in 2016, has set got lots of work to do.” career-highs across the board for the Huskies, totaling 17 goals and 39 points in 36 games. Defensively, it has helped that Jonathan Quick has been healthy all season and, through February, was backed up by a highly capble back- Kehler is coming off a 28-save shutout of a red-hot Everett team on up in Darcy Kuemper. Los Angeles’ save percentage jumped from a Saturday and finished the week 3-0-0 with a 1.23 goals-against average 23rd-place tie at .905 to .920, which ranks third in the league in 2017-18. and a .947 save percentage. Elsewhere, Jaret Anderson-Dolan (2nd round / 2017) is approaching the 40-goal mark with 37 goals and 88 “I think our goaltending’s been great all season, and that’s usually where our defense really starts. They make huge saves for us,” Tyler Toffoli said. “…It’s just kind of been the foundation of our team ever since I’ve been here and from before, as well. Just kind of sticking with it and things like that definitely help with the overall defensive game.” –Tonight’s officials are referees Brian Pochmara and Garrett Rank and linesmen Bryan Pancich and Scott Driscoll. Mandie Pinto will perform O, Canada, while Dr. Drew will perform The Star Spangled Banner. For friends north of the border, I’ll join Dan Murphy for a Kings update during the second intermission of Vancouver’s Sportsnet broadcast. Let’s talk soon, Insiders. Enjoy your Monday. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103337 Los Angeles Kings

March 12 postgame quotes: Toffoli, Pearson

Jessi McDonaldMarch 12, 2018

Postgame quotes Tyler Toffoli, on how well the team played in front of Quick: Yeah, I mean obviously you can see by the way the score ended up. We were really confident in our game tonight and came up with a big two points. Toffoli, on Adrian Kempe centering him and Tanner Pearson: We’ve played together majority of the season, so it’s nothing new. Toffoli, on what worked well for them tonight: I mean we had some good chances and I think we just capitalized. We skated well and just created opportunities and did a good job. Toffoli, on moving past Saturday’s loss: Yeah, we didn’t even talk about what happened. Kind of let that go and started worrying about the game tonight and we did a really good job. Toffoli, on playing a solid defensive game: Yeah, I think I was not even just the defense. I think it was just play in all three zones we did a really good job of executing our game plan. Toffoli, on whether he looks at the standings at all: The standings are in our dressing room, yeah. (Reporter: So you’re aware with the game tonight you know you’re up ahead of Anaheim?) I mean I don’t pay that much attention, I just see where we are, if we’re inside or if we’re outside, and go from there. Toffoli, on whether the urgency was raised a little in this game: Yeah, I mean, like I said we just kind of executed what we wanted to do and we shut them down and kind of took away their offense and their rush-play and overall we’re really happy and now we’ve got to move forward to tomorrow. Tanner Pearson, on what he saw on his goal: Actually, to be honest, I remember when Juice did it against Montreal and they did a good job of giving us a kind of a scouting job before the game and where to shoot and what to do and so you know, just tried to be patient and let the goalie fall down there and tried to just put it over his pad. Pearson, on what the shutout does for the team as they head into game two of the back-to-back: I think when we spend less time in our zone I think it’s easier to win the game. So you know, when we’re quick in and quick out it makes it easier on us and we can go to work on the offensive zone and I mean everyone was playing in the offensive zone, but you know definitely a big game for us and you know we have to keep on racking points here together. Pearson, on winning in the manner that they did: I think obviously the last game wasn’t what we wanted and it’s good to get the win here and in a good way too. We had a good solid defensive game and when we’re that way we create a lot of stuff going the other way. So we’ve got to keep looking at this as a positive game and go into the next one like this. Pearson, on the boost that Toffoli’s goal gave the team: Yeah, I think anytime you get the first goal it gives your team some confidence and momentum. And you know, Ty on the breakaway there, he’s not going to miss those too often, that’s for sure. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103338 Los Angeles Kings

March 12 postgame quotes: John Stevens

Jon RosenMarch 12, 2018

Postgame quotes On whether he was happy with the commitment to checking: Very much. Unlike last time out in Vancouver, that was exactly what we didn’t do, and we kind of knew it was going to be a rush game right away and we got behind the eight-ball early, and tonight I thought we did a much better job of not allowing their speed. They do a really good job leaving the zone quickly with zone quickly with speed, and a lot of them, it’s a little bit different. They do it away from the puck, so if you’re not paying attention, they get behind you in a hurry, and I thought our guys did a good job with that. I thought the second period, it wasn’t that we weren’t checking well, it just seemed like field position shifted a little bit where they came at us for a little bit, and long change, second period, but I thought we got it righted again with a much better effort without the puck, for sure. On Jake Muzzin’s pass to Tyler Toffoli: Yeah, quite a play, just out the back side, and I thought he saw some open ice there. I was really happy for that Kempe line tonight, and I thought Ty really skated tonight and Tanner made a really strong power move coming out of the corner. We talked to that line, just how much we needed them to play like they did on the road trip earlier in the year and it could really balance out our attack, and I thought they did tonight. That was a great play – a high-end pass, and a high-end finish by Ty. On shifting the centers among the forward groups: Juice – Adrian’s done a good job at center all year. We like his speed in the middle of the ice. We thought we’d put Toby back in tonight. He’s been working hard in practice, and we thought his speed would really help us, and it just gives us more veteran players down the middle with speed as well as size. I thought all lines balanced out of that. Kopi was Kopi tonight, I thought Jeff’s line was good with two speedsters with him there, and I thought the Kempe line was really good, and I think the Thompson line gives us really productive minutes, and those guys are really solid on the penalty kill, so I really thought the changes evened out our minutes, and we got some quality time from all four lines. On whether Anze Kopitar’s goal was representative of doing the “little things”: Yeah, I thought there was a period of time there, Kopi, he’s been a dominant player at times this year and he probably could’ve been rewarded with a little more offensive output there because he was around the net a lot, but Kopi, I think he’s an elite player in the league on both sides of the puck, and we need him to be our leader in terms of the team game and leading the charge in the checking game, and he’s done that all year for us, so we’re going to need him to continue to do that. [Reporter: Does Kopi need votes for MVP?] Not from me. He’s got my vote already. It’s interesting you say that. I’m surprised – I don’t read the paper much, though, so maybe it’s been out there, but I haven’t heard a lot of talk about it. I don’t know why he wouldn’t be in the conversation, because he’s been as important to our team as any other player in the league has been to their team. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103339 Los Angeles Kings

March 12 postgame notes

Jon RosenMarch 12, 2018

Postgame notes -With the win, Los Angeles moved to 110-104-36 all-time against Vancouver, a record that includes a home mark of 67-42-18. The win ended the Canucks’ three-game point streak at Staples Center (2-0-1). The two teams finished the season series with identical 2-2-0 records, with each team winning once at home and once on the road. -With the win, the Kings improved to 18-17-4 against the Western Conference, 11-10-3 against the Pacific Division, 20-3-2 when scoring first, 13-5-0 when tied after the first period, 22-2-1 when leading after two periods, 17-16-3 when outshot by their opponent and 16-7 in games decided by three or more goals. -Jonathan Quick stopped all 35 shots he faced to earn his 48th career shutout, fourth among active goaltenders. His four shutouts on the season are tied for sixth in the league this year. His five career shutouts against the Canucks are the second most he has against any team, trailing only Arizona/Phoenix (six). -Anze Kopitar (1-0=1) registered his 28th goal of the season and his 75th point. It is the fourth time in his career he has reached at least 75 points in a season, and he is just six points shy of tying his career-high (81, 2009-10). He extended his point-streak to four games (1-4=5). -Tanner Pearson (1-0=1) tallied his 13th goal of the season. He has points in four of the last five games (3-1=4). -Adrian Kempe (0-2=2) recorded his 16th and 17th assists and now has 33 points in his rookie season. His 33 points are the most by a Kings rookie in a single-season since Anze Kopitar had 61 in 2006-07. -Derek Forbort (0-1=1) notched his 15th assist of the season, one shy of his career-high set last season. His 16 points (1-15=16) are also just two points shy of the career-high he set last season (2-16=18). -Los Angeles attempted 65 shots (33 on goal, 15 blocked, 17 missed). Vancouver attempted 58 shots (35 on goal, 12 blocked, 11 missed). Tyler Toffoli and Bo Horvat tied with a game-high five shots on goal. All skaters on Vancouver other than Henrik Sedin registered a shot. -The Kings won 31-of-54 faceoffs (57%). Adrian Kempe won 6-of-10, Anze Kopitar won 11-of-15, Nate Thompson won 5-of-10, Tanner Pearson won 1-of-1, Torrey Mitchell won 0-of-3 and Jeff Carter won 8-of- 15. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 03.13.2018

1103340 Minnesota Wild

Wild give Darby Hendrickson a break to watch son win state hockey title

By Kent Youngblood Star Tribune MARCH 12, 2018 — 9:22PM

After the Wild won in Vancouver on Friday night, coach Bruce Boudreau made assistant Darby Hendrickson an offer he couldn’t refuse: Go home. “I didn’t know if he was serious,” Hendrickson said. “But he said, ‘What do you think about going home to see your son?’ ” The Wild was heading to Edmonton to play the Oilers on Saturday. But Boudreau — after consulting with General Manager Chuck Fletcher — decided to offer Hendrickson the chance to get home in time to watch son Mason play for Minnetonka, which defeated Duluth East in the Class AA state boys hockey title game Saturday night. “You know what? Chuck brought it up, and I think it was a good idea,” Boudreau said after Wild practice Monday. “Darby didn’t want to leave at first. But once he had a chance to think it through? It’s maybe a once-in- a-lifetime thing.” To be fair, once Hendrickson got the offer, no arms had to be twisted. He had been following the Skippers’ run through the tournament — even streaming Minnetonka’s semifinal win over Centennial in the Wild locker room between periods on Friday. So Hendrickson stayed in Vancouver as the Wild flew to Edmonton. He got up and caught a 6:30 flight home — not telling wife, Dana, he was coming — and arrived in the Twin Cities by 11:30 in the morning. “I walked through the door and my wife is like, ‘What are you doing?’ ” Hendrickson said. “I said, ‘We have a game here.’ It was fun.” They texted Mason, a junior, that his dad was in town. Then Hendrickson got a chance to be just another proud parent. “It was just so fun to be a dad, to be a fan, to see two really good teams play,” Hendrickson said. “Those are moments you can never get back. They fact they let me do it was unbelievable.” Hendrickson played in one state tournament, in 1991, for Richfield. He remembers losing a first-round game to Duluth East that spring. He hasn’t had a lot of chances to get back to the tournament. But being allowed to go home for this one was special. “It was classy,” he said of the Wild. “And it’s something I’ll never forget.” Something owed? When the Wild plays host to Colorado Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center, will the Wild feel like a little payback is in order? “I think it’s in the back of your mind,” center Eric Staal said. All sorts of motivation can be found in this one-game homestand. The Wild is fighting for playoff position. The schedule ahead is daunting. But there is also this: The last two times the two teams played — both in Colorado — the Avalanche won both by a combined score of 14-3. Colorado — which has earned 14 of a possible 20 points in its past 10 games — has worked its way into playoff position. “Well, whether we think we owe ’em or not, we know we need to win,” Boudreau said. “There is an opponent in front of you. At this stage of the year you have to just come out and play.” And contain the Avalanche top line, which includes Nathan MacKinnon, Gabe Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. In the Wild’s 3-2 shootout victory over Colorado in St. Paul Nov. 24, neither MacKinnon nor Rantanen had a point. But in two games in Denver, MacKinnon had three goals and eight points, Rantanen two goals and seven points. “They have some pretty effective players,” defenseman Ryan Suter said. “A lot of speed. Their defense jumps up in the play. I don’t know why we struggled the last couple of games there. Tomorrow we have to make sure we’re ready to go.” Etc. • Defenseman Nick Seeler, back from both a biceps injury and the flu, practiced with the Wild on Monday and should be available Tuesday. Star Tribune LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103341 Minnesota Wild

Wild face daunting schedule over final 13 games in push for playoffs

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: March 12, 2018 at 7:35 pm | UPDATED: March 12, 2018 at 7:35 PM

With 13 games left in the regular season, the Wild are in for a bumpy ride, facing arguably their most difficult stretch of games this season. Nine games are against teams currently in position to make the NHL playoffs. And the two perceived pushovers on the schedule, the Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers, both have beaten Minnesota in the past couple of weeks. Holding on to third place in the Central Division won’t be easy. “We have a tough schedule,” veteran defenseman Ryan Suter said. “We know our travel is tough and the teams we play are tough. We have to make sure we get rest when we can and we’re ready to go when the games start.” It starts Tuesday night with a home game against the Colorado Avalanche, which embarrassed the Wild 7-2 and 7-1 in the teams’ past two meetings. “You know, whether we think we owe them or not, we know we need to win,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It wouldn’t matter if a team had beaten us by 30 goals each game, if there’s an opponent in front of us, at this stage of the season, we have to come out and play.” On Friday, the Wild travel to play the Vegas Golden Knights, the second- best team in the Western Conference, following by a road game the next night in Arizona against the Coyotes. “We know every point matters (over the course of the season),” captain Mikko Koivu said. “That said, it’s a different feeling playing a game in March. … It’s a good feeling to come to the rink. It’s all business this time of the season.” Sometimes it’s easier to get up for games against contenders because both teams know they have everything to play for at this point in the season. “We know how important every game is no matter who we’re playing against,” said forward Eric Staal, the Wild’s leading scorer with 37 goals. “Sometimes playing against a team that’s completely out of it can be a different dynamic with the way they play. They have nothing to lose and no fear of making mistakes it really doesn’t matter to them.” Luckily for the Wild, they won’t have to deal with that much down the stretch, especially with a couple of home-and-home series against the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars and a game against the Boston Bruins spliced in between. After that, the season ends with a home game against the Oilers before arguably the toughest road trip in the league, a three-game set on the West Coast against the Anaheim Ducks, the Los Angeles Kings, and the San Jose Sharks. “I think since Christmas we’ve played really sold and gotten contributions from up and down the lineup,” Staal said. “We just want to keep building on that and put ourselves in a good spot and hopefully go on a good run in the playoffs.” Pioneer Press LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103342 Minnesota Wild

Wild coach Darby Hendrickson cuts road trip for ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: March 12, 2018 at 2:15 pm | UPDATED: March 12, 2018 at 2:43 PM

Perched in the press box at the Rogers Center over the weekend, Wild assistant coach Darby Hendrickson swears he wasn’t watching the live stream of the boys state hockey tournament. Well, at least not while the Wild game against the Vancouver Canucks was actually going on. “Yes, I was watching our game,” Hendrickson said with a laugh. “I had the live stream going between periods.” Who could blame him? His son, Mason, was back home playing for Minnetonka in the Class 2A semifinals, and he was missing it with the Wild on a two-game road trip. A consummate professional, Hendrickson did not to ask for the time off with the Wild battling for playoff position late in the season, but after the Wild wrapped up a 5-2 win over the Canucks on Friday night, general manager Chuck Fletcher and coach Bruce Boudreau decided it was best to send Hendrickson home. “It was Bruce after the game,” Hendrickson said. “He kind of called me up and I didn’t know if he was serious. He goes, ‘What do you think about going home to see your son?’ I just said, ‘That’d be awesome.’ ” Hendrickson spent the night in Vancouver while the rest of the team flew to Edmonton. He hopped on a plane destined for the Twin Cities the following morning and surprised his wife, Dana, at home before the couple headed over the Xcel Energy Center to watch Minnetonka take on Duluth East in the Class 2A championship game. “We actually got down to St. Paul at like 4 p.m.,” Hendrickson said, adding that he hasn’t been to the boys state hockey tournament in nearly a decade. “There was a lot going on obviously. It was fun to be a dad and be a fan and see two really good teams.” Minnetonka beat Duluth East 5-2 for its first state championship. Hendrickson called the entire thing a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” that he’ll hold near and dear to his heart forever. “It was something I’ll never forget just being there with my son,” he said. “It was fun just to be a parent. Those are moments that we can never get back, so the fact that (the team) let me do that was unbelievable.” SEELER PRACTICES After missing the past three games with a strained right bicep, Nick Seeler was back practicing with the Wild on Monday morning and could play against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. “We are going to talk about it and see how he feels,” Boudreau said. “He’s been skating all week here. This is the first time he’s practiced with a group of guys.” BRIEFLY Zach Parise and Matt Cullen both missed practice on Monday to attend the funeral of a family friend. “They just phoned this morning,” Boudreau said. “It’s obviously family first. That’s what it was. That’s why they’re not here today.” Pioneer Press LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103343 Montreal Canadiens

Seth Jones leads surging Blue Jackets past Canadiens

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED MARCH 12, 2018 UPDATED MARCH 12, 2018

Seth Jones was the driving force behind two first-period power-play goals, and the Columbus Blue Jackets won their fifth straight, 5-2 over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. Alexander Wennberg had a goal and three assists, and Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and Ian Cole also scored for Columbus. Behind a run of eight wins in 11 games overall and a season-high six straight at home – including a just-completed four-game homestand – the Blue Jackets moved past idle New Jersey into the first wild-card position in the Eastern Conference. Columbus also edged within two points of third-place Philadelphia in the Metropolitan Division. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Down 4-2 until late, Montreal put Sergei Bobrovsky to the test in the third period. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner stopped all 24 shots the suddenly energetic Canadiens threw his way. He had 38 saves overall. Brendan Gallagher and Jonathan Drouin scored for banged-up Montreal, which has lost five straight and has three wins in its past 16 games. The Canadiens have been playing without Carey Price, Max Pacioretty and Shea Weber. Charlie Lindgren was weak on his glove side, finishing with 20 stops while battling traffic in front. A bright spot for Montreal came early. Gallagher scored the fastest goal against Columbus this season to start a game, only 34 seconds in. He redirected a high shot alone at the crease for his team-leading 25th. Columbus scored the next three to close out the period. Foligno countered four minutes later on a steal in the Canadiens' zone. His backdoor pass to Oliver Bjorkstrand ping-ponged off two Montreal players and skidded into the net. Jones then helped add two more for the Blue Jackets, giving him four goals – three of them game-winners – and three assists in his last three games. He set up Wennberg's tip-in goal at 7:51 and scored his own at 14:03, his 14th this season. Jones' 48 points are three short of the franchise record for a blueliner, set in 2013-14 by James Wisniewski. Early in the second period, not long after Zach Werenski saved a goal by swiping away the puck before it could cross the goal line, Jenner stuffed home his own rebound, the entire play nicely set up by Wennberg. Drouin scored on a breakaway – spurned by a blocked shot – at 15:46 of the second with a backhander to pull the Canadiens within two. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Cole capped the scoring with a floating wrister with 2:19 left in the game. NOTES: Columbus scored its three first-period goals on its first seven shots. ... Jones, who left after the second period with an upper-body injury, has a goal in three straight games. He also scored twice Friday against Detroit. ... The Canadiens dropped to 9-22-4 on the road. ... Montreal wrapped up its six-game trip with a 1-4-1 mark and allowed nine power-play goals. UP NEXT Columbus: At Philadelphia on Thursday. Montreal: Hosts Dallas on Tuesday. Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103344 Montreal Canadiens

Game Report: Canadiens limp home after yet another road loss in Columbus

Stu Cowan, Montreal Gazette Published on: March 12, 2018 | Last Updated: March 12, 2018 9:52 PM EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The good news for the Canadiens is they get to go back home. The bad news is that Montreal is expecting a snowstorm on Tuesday — which sort of sums up this season for the Canadiens. The Canadiens ended a 12-day, six-game road trip with a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets Monday night at Nationwide Arena. The Canadiens finished the road trip with a 1-3-2 record and are now 9-22-4 on the road, the worst record in the NHL. Brendan Gallagher and Jonathan Drouin scored for the Canadiens. For Gallagher it was his career-high 25th of the season, beating the 24 he scored during the 2014-15 season. For Drouin, it was only his 11th of the season. Defenceman Seth Jones scored two power-play goals for the Blue Jackets, while Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and Ian Cole added singles. Coming into the game, the Blue Jackets had the worst power play in the NHL, clicking at only 14.5 per cent, while the Canadiens ranked 28th in penalty killing with a 78.3 per cent success rate. The Blue Jackets finished 2-for-3 on the power play for the night, while the Canadiens were 0-for-2 with the man advantage. Jones now has five goals and two assists in the last three games, giving him 15-33-48 totals for the season, and the Blue Jackets have won six in a row at home as they cling to a playoff spot, something that is only a distant memory for the Canadiens. More bad news for the Canadiens is that they won’t get much rest at home with another game Tuesday night against Alexander Radulov and the Dallas Stars at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio 690). The good news is the Canadiens are 16-10-8 at home. Quick start: Gallagher opened the scoring only 34 seconds into the game on the Canadiens’ first shot when he was left alone in front of the Blue Jackets net and deflected a high point shot by Jeff Petry past goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Foligno tied it up at 4:17, banging in a loose puck in front of goalie Charlie Lindgren and defencemen Petry and Jordie Benn. Jones scored his first power-play goal at 7:51 with Petry in the box for tripping and his second at 14:03 with Nicolas Deslauriers in the box for tripping. Both of Jones’s shots were from the point as the Blue Jackets outshot the Canadiens 11-10 in the first period and led 3-1 after 20 minutes. Second effort: The Blue Jackets took a 4-1 lead at 2:34 of the second period when Jenner drove hard to the net past a back-checking Jacob de la Rose and managed to deflect a centring pass from the left wing by Alexander Wennberg that Lindgren made a nice toe save on, but Jenner was still able to bang home the rebound. Drouin cut the lead to 4-2 when he scored with a beautiful backhand move up high on Bobrovsky at 15:46 of the second period, which ended with that score and the total shots 20- 16 for Columbus. Protecting the lead: The Blue Jackets and Bobrovsky protected their two- goal lead in the third period before Cole scored at 17:41. The final shots were 40-25 for the Canadiens, who put up a good fight in the third period, but it wasn’t enough. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103345 Montreal Canadiens However, none of them is likely to become P.K. Subban, Mikhail Sergachev or Ryan McDonagh, who were traded by the Canadiens.

When asked what role he sees Juulsen playing in the future, Canadiens Stu Cowan: Habs' man of steel Noah Juulsen shows poise on blue line coach Claude Julien responded: “It’s always tough with a young kid. The potential for a young player is unlimited. How much of an impact they have in two or three years from now will depend a lot on him. We as Stu Cowan, Montreal Gazette coaches can help players out. The best way for players to get better is to help themselves. In (Juulsen’s) case, I think he’s got a great attitude. Published on: March 12, 2018 | Last Updated: March 12, 2018 9:53 PM He’s a smart player, skates well enough. He’s been good, but you can EDT see that at times he’s learning from his mistakes. There’s still some mistakes made out there by our young players that you hope down the

road will minimize itself and we’ll be better for it.” COLUMBUS, Ohio — When my wife saw Noah Juulsen during a recent Julien isn’t expecting Juulsen to become Superman. But if he can turn TV interview, she said: “Oh, my God. He looks like Clark Kent!” into Kevin Bieksa that would be OK. Turns out she’s not the only one who thinks the good-looking Canadiens Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2018 rookie defenceman resembles the fictional character who was Superman’s alter ego. “Actually, Andrew Shaw told me that yesterday,” Juulsen said with a chuckle when told about the Clark Kent comparison after the Canadiens’ morning skate Monday at Nationwide Arena. “I had a person in the elevator tell me that a few days ago, too, so I’m starting to get that a little bit.” If Juulsen wore glasses he’d look even more like Clark Kent, but the Canadiens aren’t expecting him to wear a cape and become Superman on their blue line. The 20-year-old’s first nine games in the NHL heading into Monday night’s matchup against the Blue Jackets were impressive, however, as Juulsen averaged 19:59 of ice time, scored his first goal and was plus-1. Sure, there were some rookie mistakes, but the 6-foot-2, 175-pounder looked poised with the puck and confident in most of his decision-making. “We like defencemen and he’s a good one,” Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin told Sportsnet shortly after selecting Juulsen in the first round (26th overall) of the 2015 NHL draft, adding he is a puck-mover who can eat up minutes. “A good young gentleman, good family, so we’re really proud.” Juulsen’s parents, Neil and Kimberly, were in attendance at the Bell Centre on Feb. 22 when he made his NHL debut against the New York Rangers. They were joined by Juulsen’s girlfriend Brooke Visco — who he met in Grade 10 and has been living with him this season in Laval — her father and her younger brother. Juulsen’s father is a firefighter in Surrey, B.C., and his mother is a secretary at Bradner Elementary School in Abbotsford, B.C., where he grew up. Juulsen is the third of four children, with older brothers Tyler and Nick and younger sister Kaitlyn. Juulsen’s father never played hockey — he was a football player — but put all four of his kids in hockey with Noah learning to skate when he was 3. “My brothers and sister were always there for me along with my parents,” Juulsen said. “My dad got us into hockey and my brothers and I were always battling, whether it was on the ice or street hockey. We were always pushing each other to get better and they really helped me a lot.” Juulsen’s favourite player as a kid was Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa, who is in his 13th NHL season with the Anaheim Ducks. “I just liked the way he played,” Juulsen said. “He was simple, he was physical. He was always there sticking up for his teammates. For me, that was the part of the game I liked about him. He was a simple D-man.” Une famille fière que celle des Juulsen ce soir au Centre Bell! / A very proud-looking Juulsen family at the Bell Centre tonight! #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/oqJR9ZKfpi— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 23, 2018 Juulsen’s season got off to a bad start when he broke his foot in the Canadiens’ first exhibition game. After recovering, he played 31 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, posting 1-5-6 totals, before getting called up by the Canadiens. Juulsen said the chartered jets are the most cool thing so far about playing in the NHL, adding with a smile: “It isn’t a bad option compared to the bus in junior and the AHL.” As for his performance on the ice, Juulsen said: “Right now, the goal is just to stay in the lineup, play my game and keep it simple. I think for me the biggest thing is just being simple, making the easy play when it’s there and not overthinking the game.” Juulsen and 19-year-old Victor Mete — who is out for the rest of this season with a fractured finger — provide some hope for the future on the Canadiens’ blue line, possibly along with Mike Reilly, a 24-year-old acquired from the Minnesota Wild at last month’s NHL trade deadline who had five assists in his first six games with Montreal and was plus-4. 1103346 Montreal Canadiens

Memorial for Marlene Geoffrion, wife of Boom Boom, Saturday in Georgia

Pat Hickey, Published on: March 12, 2018 | Last Updated: March 12, 2018 4:35 PM EDT

A memorial service will be held Saturday in Marietta, Ga., for Marlene Geoffrion, the widow of Montreal Canadiens great and Hockey Hall of Fame member Bernie (Boom Boom) Geoffrion. She died on March 2 at age 84. Geoffrion was the daughter of Canadiens Hockey Hall of Famer Howie Morenz and her early life was marked by tragedy. She was three years old when her father died of complications from a broken leg suffered during a game in 1937. Her brother, Donald, died of pneumonia two years later and her mother died when she was eight. Marlene was skating with an ice show at the Forum when she met Canadiens prospect Bernie Geoffrion and they were married for 54 years. He died of cancer on March 11, 2006, the same day his No. 5 was retired at the Bell Centre. Marlene kept a promise to her husband to travel from their home in Georgia to represent him. She described the moment when she spoke at a Hockey Ministries International breakfast during the 2009 NHL All-Star Game festivities in Montreal. “My dear husband died from cancer on March 11, 2006 — the very day he was so looking forward to, as his Canadiens jersey, was to be retired at the Centre Bell that night,” Marlene said. “Boom had made me promise to attend the ceremony even if he couldn’t be there. This was not easy, I can assure you. All our children were there. We were so filled with pride that evening as we watched jersey No. 7 — my father’s — come down and meet jersey No. 5 — Boom’s. Together, they made hockey history once again.” The Geoffrions’ son, Dan, was the Canadiens’ first-round draft choice in 1978. He played 77 games with the Quebec Nordiques before playing 111 NHL games with Montreal and Winnipeg. His son, Blake, won the Hobey Baker Award as the outstanding player in U.S. college hockey at the University of Wisconsin. He became a fourth- generation Canadien after playing for the Nashville Predators. His career was cut short when he suffered a fractured skull while playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs at the Bell Centre on Nov. 9, 2012. Marlene’s daughter, Linda, is married to former NHL player Hartland Monahan. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103347 Montreal Canadiens I’ve been disappointed in the effort of our team, more or less, game in, game out.

“With the roster that we have and all the injuries, you play against teams Game Day: Charlie Lindgren will start in goal for Canadiens in Columbus like Boston, you lose (2-1) in overtime, you lose to Tampa (3-2) in overtime or a shootout, it’s all the same,” the coach added. “It’s one of those situations where the guys are putting in the effort. Our roster isn’t Stu Cowan, Montreal Gazette strong enough right now, but it’s good enough to compete and make every game an interesting game. Except for the Florida game, which was Published on: March 12, 2018 | Last Updated: March 12, 2018 2:08 PM 5-0, we’ve been there. At the same time, I think that’s where you got EDT some guys that are getting better in all areas, whether it’s on the ice, whether it’s their play, whether it’s their preparation and all that stuff.

There’s an opportunity there. I keep saying it: every time there’s COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Canadiens will wrap up a six-game road trip something bad that happens, it’s an opportunity for something good that when they face the Columbus Blue Jackets Monday night at Nationwide hasn’t happened yet to happen.” Arena (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio 690) and rookie Charlie Lindgren Happy birthday to #Habs forward Byron Froese @ByFroese who turns 27 will get the start in goal. today #HabsIO #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/K0y5AxScu0— Stu Cowan “Tonight it’s going to be Lindgren and hopefully tomorrow (Antti) Niemi,” (@StuCowan1) March 12, 2018 coach Claude Julien said after the Canadiens’ morning skate. “I think it’s Where they stand the right thing to do on the back-to-back and with the travel included in there.” The Canadiens (25-31-12) are in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, 15 points behind the Blue Jackets (36-28-5), who are in eighth place and The Canadiens will fly home after Monday’s game and play the Dallas hold the final wild-card playoff spot. The Blue Jackets are on a five-game Stars Tuesday night at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN winning streak at home, outscoring the opposition 20-10 during that Radio 690). span. Lindgren has a 4-6-2 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and a While the Canadiens haven’t officially been eliminated from playoff .914 save percentage with the Canadiens this season. Niemi has a 4-2-4 contention yet, the sportsclubstats.com website has them with a 0.0 per record with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage cent chance of making the postseason. since the Canadiens claimed him off waivers from the Florida Panthers in November. This Date in #Habs History: March 12, 1967 – During a 2-2 tie with the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, goalie Gump Worsley was injured Forward Phillip Danault, who suffered a facial injury during Saturday’s 3- when hit on the head by an egg tossed from the crowd. He was replaced 2 shootout loss to the Lightning in Tampa, won’t be in the lineup and by rookie Rogie Vachon. #HabsIO #GoHabsGo: https://t.co/Yk7osyae41 neither will defenceman Rinat Valiev, who suffered a lower-body injury in pic.twitter.com/cB0NBmoMik— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 12, last Thursday’s 5-0 loss to the Panthers in Florida. Forward Nikita 2018 Scherbak is expected back in the lineup after missing Saturday’s game in Tampa. Canadiens numbers As for any other possible lineup changes, Julien said: “I don’t have my The Canadiens rank 29th in the NHL in offence, scoring an average of final lineup because there’s lots of question marks (including Andrew 2.51 goals per game, and rank 23rd in defence, allowing an average of Shaw). But we should know by later this afternoon. Some may be game- 3.06 goals per game. They rank 17th on the power play (20.0 per cent) time decisions after warmup as well. We’re at that stage right now.” and 28th in penalty-killing (76.3 per cent). The Canadiens are 1-2-2 in the first five games of this road trip. Brendan Gallagher leads the Canadiens in scoring with 24-17-41 totals, followed by Alex Galchenyuk (16-24-40), injured captain Max Pacioretty You can Watch video of the Canadiens’ morning skate and get a look (17-20-37), Jonathan Drouin (10-23-33) and defenceman Jeff Petry (10- around Nationwide Arena on the HI/O Facebook page. 22-32). Former #Habs @SergioMomesso36 of @TSN690 Radio trying to defuse Kirk Muller working with forwards at #Habs morning skate in Columbus the cannon at Nationwide Arena in Columbus where Habs play Blue #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/gNxsM26ybn— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) Jackets tonight #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/6vGAeeMadl— Stu Cowan March 12, 2018 (@StuCowan1) March 12, 2018 Blue Jackets numbers No update on Carey Price The Blue Jackets rank 26th in the NHL in offence, scoring an average of Goalie Carey Price hasn’t played since suffering a concussion 3-2 2.64 goals per game, and rank 11th in defence, allowing an average of overtime loss to the Flyers in Philadelphia on Feb. 20. When the 2.74 goals per game. They rank 31st (dead-last) on the power play (14.5 Canadiens left on this road trip they said there was a chance Price might per cent) and 25th in penalty-killing (77.4 per cent). join them at some point. Artemi Panarin leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 21-39-60 totals, “Obviously, he’s not,” Julien said after the morning skate. “The last I followed by defenceman Seth Jones (13-33-46), Pierre-Luc Dubois (15- heard he was still skating on his own, but I don’t have much more on the 22-37), Oliver Bjorkstrand (10-25-35) and defenceman Zach Werenski situation. We’re going back home … we’ll find out more tomorrow when (14-18-32). we’re in Montreal. Panarian is on a four-game point streak, during which he has 3-4-7 Price has a 15-22-6 record this season with a 2.98 goals-against average totals. The undrafted 5-foot-11, 168-pound left-winger is in his third and a .904 save percentage. season in the NHL after posting 30-47-77 and 31-43-74 totals during his Antti Niemi in goal during #Habs morning skate in Columbus. Charlie first two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blue Jackets Lindgren will start tonight vs Blue Jackets (7 pm, TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio acquired the 26-year-old — who previously played in the KHL — from 690) #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/aNLyqDtsWq— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) the Blackhawks last summer, along with a sixth-round draft pick last year March 12, 2018 (Jonathan Davidson) in exchange for Anton Forsberg, Brandon Saad and a fifth-round pick at the 2018 NHL Draft. Home, sweet home Jones has 3-2-5 totals in the last two games. The Blue Jackets acquired The Canadiens will be happy to return home to the Bell Centre, where the 6-foot-4, 210-pound defenceman from Nashville on Jan. 6, 2016 in they have a 16-10-8 record this season. Their 9-21-4 road record exchange for centre Ryan Johansen, who has 11-34-45 totals this heading into Monday’s game is the worst in the NHL. season with the Predators. The Canadiens have been on the road for 12 straight days without Price, No. 1 Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has a 29-21-5 record with a captain Max Pacioretty (knee injury) and No. 1 defenceman Shea Weber 2.43 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage, while backup (season-ending foot injury). Joonas Korpisalo has a 7-7-0 record with a 3.19 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. “The fact that we have a lot of our key players back home with injuries, a lot of young guys have had to kind of step up and take a bigger role,” What’s next? Julien said about the road trip. “Not just on the ice, but in the dressing room as well. We’ve got some other guys, some veteran players — the The Canadiens are scheduled to fly back home after Monday’s game, upfront leaders, I guess — and I think throughout this road trip I can’t say arriving in Montreal at 12:30 a.m. and then face the Dallas Stars Tuesday night at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio 690). The Canadiens will have the day off on Wednesday before facing the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby Thursday night at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio 690). The Canadiens have a practice scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday in Brossard before heading to Toronto, where they will face the Maple Leafs and Tomas Plekanec Saturday night (7 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690). Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103348 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens at Columbus Blue Jackets: Five things you should know

Pat Hickey, Published on: March 12, 2018 | Last Updated: March 12, 2018 6:30 AM EDT

Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-Blue Jackets game at Nationwide Arena Monday (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN-690 Radio): End of the road: This is the final game on the Canadiens’ six-game road trip, and the team with the worst road record in the NHL has a chance to finish at .500 in terms of points. They have collected four of a possible 10 points in the first five games after dropping a 3-2 shootout decision to the Lightning Saturday in Tampa to bring their record to 1-2-2. They have a 1-0-1 record against the Blue Jackets this season. Columbus won 2-1 in overtime at the Bell Centre on Nov. 14, but Carey Price made 37 saves as the Canadiens avenged that loss with a 3-1 win when the Blue Jackets returned to Montreal on Nov. 27. The playoff race: The Canadiens aren’t going anywhere after the regular season ends on April 7, but they could have an impact on the playoff race. Their five previous games on this trip were against teams that were (a) trying to earn a playoff spot or (b) trying to hold or improve their position. They dealt the Islanders’ hopes a blow with a victory to start the trip and they can do the same to the Blue Jackets. Columbus is eighth in the Eastern Conference, but they are in danger of being passed by Florida. The Panthers are two points back, but have three games in hand. Reilly’s stock rises: Coach Claude Julien has been giving his young players more ice time, partially because he is looking forward to next season and partially because he’s running out of healthy players. Mike Reilly, who was acquired from the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline, has seen his stock rise in his first six games as a Canadien. He has been playing on the top pair with Jeff Petry and he was singled out for his effort in Tampa Saturday. Reilly has averaged more than 21 minutes a game and has shown an ability to move the puck, and he has earned five assists in his six games. Bob struggling: The Blue Jackets rely heavily on Sergei Bobrovsky, but the goaltender they call Bob has seen his numbers tail off after winning his second Vezina Trophy last season. Bobrovsky has won 29 games — off from the club record 41 he won last season — but he has also lost 21 games in regulation and five more in overtime. He has a 2.49 goals- against average and a .920 save percentage. Those are decent numbers but far out of Vézina range. Columbus can’t expect much help from backup Joonas Korpisalo. The 23-year-old Finn has a 7-7-0 record with a 3.19 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. Numbers don’t look good: Goaltending is important because the Blue Jackets rank 26th in the NHL in scoring with an average of 2.64 goals a game and they have the worst power play in the league, capitalizing on a mere 14.5 per cent of their opportunities. The team’s leading scorer is Artemi Panarin with 21 goals and 60 points. There’s a drop-off to defenceman Seth Jones with 13 goals and 46 points. Thomas Vanek, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Vancouver, has 19 goals and 44 points and has scored two goals and an assist in six games with Columbus. Josh Anderson has scored 18 goals while rookie centre Pierre-Luc Dubois has contributed 15 goals and 22 assists. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103349 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2018

In the Habs' Room: Lindgren laments 'frustrating' trip after Jackets lower the boom

Stu Cowan, Montreal Gazette Published on: March 12, 2018 | Last Updated: March 12, 2018 11:16 PM EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio — During the Canadiens’ morning skate Monday at Nationwide Arena, former Hab Sergio Momesso joked he was going to defuse the cannon that goes off each time the Blue Jackets score a goal — even posing for a photo pretending to do it. Momesso is now a colour commentator for Canadiens games on TSN Radio 690 and knows from previous visits to Columbus that the loud sound of the cannon going off in his headset can almost make his ears explode. The Canadiens and goalie Charlie Lindgren must wish Momesso really did defuse the cannon after Monday night’s 5-2 loss to the Blue Jackets to end their six-game road trip with a 1-3-2 record. Brendan Gallagher and Jonathan Drouin scored for the Canadiens, while Jacob de la Rose was on the ice for every Columbus goal — including two on the power play. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! “It was pretty loud … it’s louder than I thought it was,” Lindgren said after giving up the five goals — including three in the first period — on 25 shots during his first game in Columbus. “But it’s a rowdy building, too, and those buildings are fun to play in. I enjoy playing in those type of buildings, but I heard it too many times tonight. That’s the disappointing part.” It was a disappointing road trip for Lindgren, who was 0-3-0 while allowing 16 goals. “I just got to keep on working hard,” the 24-year-old said. “It’s obviously a pretty frustrating road trip, way too many goals. It’s really unacceptable. I got to turn the page. I’m not worried about confidence at all. I still got confidence, I know I can play well. I just got to worry about the next game now. Adversity is a good thing … it’s how you respond to it. So I expect to respond in the right way, in a positive way and become better because of it.” Former #Habs @SergioMomesso36 of @TSN690 Radio trying to defuse the cannon at Nationwide Arena in Columbus where Habs play Blue Jackets tonight #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/6vGAeeMadl— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 12, 2018 Sergei Bobrovsky was the much better goalie on this night, stopping 38 of the 40 shots the Canadiens fired at him, including 24 in the third period. “He battles hard and competes,” Lindgren said about Bobrovsky. “He’s one of the best goalies in the league for a reason. I think you saw that tonight. I look forward to going up against that challenge (again), but unfortunately I came out on the wrong end of it. But I look forward to more meetings against him.” Things don’t get easier for the injury-riddled Canadiens, who returned home after the game and will face Dallas Tuesday night at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio 690) in Alexander Radulov’s first game back in Montreal since signing with the Stars as a free agent last summer. The Stars enjoyed a day off Monday in Montreal. “You got a team waiting at home for you,” Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. “You’re coming off a 12-day road trip and you’ve played six games on the road. We all know how tough that first game back home is and not only that, but you got a team that’s going to be waiting for you that’s going to be fresh. So we’re going to be challenged again. “We can’t control that, we can’t just use excuses. We just got to battle through it. And battling through it to me is just building character in a lot of these guys. That’s what we got to strive for is go out there and give it a good effort. Hopefully we start the game tomorrow night like we did in the third (period). But it’s going to be a 60-minute grind for a tired team.” Antti Niemi will be in goal for the Canadiens against Dallas. At least he won’t hear a cannon go off each time the Stars score at the Bell Centre. 1103350 Montreal Canadiens

Three things we learned in Columbus

By Marc Dumont 8h ago

Canadiens 2, Blue Jackets 5, There's no stopping Brendan Gallagher. He only has one gear, and that gear is all out intensity no matter the situation. Against the Blue Jackets, it took him just 34 seconds to score a goal, which happened to be his 25th of the season, a new career high. It came via a great, if not incredibly subtle deflection off a Jeff Petry point shot. It's also worth noting that it was the 10th time this season Gallagher scored the first goal of the game. He leads the NHL in that department. He followed up his goal with two strong shifts which resulted in scoring chances for the Canadiens, and then sent a great saucer pass to a streaking Petry which led to a high-danger scoring chance. It's gotten to the point that I simply expect Gallagher to make a significant impact on the game. That's setting the bar high, but thanks to his relentless work ethic, Gallagher rarely fails to reach it. The season is a failure and every loss means the Canadiens improve their odds of picking higher in the draft, but Gallagher doesn't care. Nor should he. Besides, he can't beat opposing teams by himself, especially if most of his teammates are having a rough season, which brings us to the next point… Jordie Benn continues to struggle. The first goal against was the result of a comedy of errors by Benn. First, he gave the puck away, then he actually managed to steal it back, only to give it away once again. The puck eventually found its way into Lindgren's crease, where Benn attempted to clear it, but it ended up hitting Jacob de la Rose's skate and finding its way into the back of the net. He also managed to continue his tendency of losing very important puck battles, as evidenced by the sustained offensive zone pressure the Blue Jackets applied after Benn lost a puck battle to Nick Foligno in the second period. In the third period, he was outworked by Pierre-Luc Dubois, which led to a good scoring chance for Artemi Panarin. The Canadiens put Benn on their expansion protection list last summer, stemming from a very limited sample size in 2016-17 which saw Benn play some decent hockey. If the process were to be repeated this summer, I doubt we'd be seeing Benn on the protection list. In fact, given his performance this season, there's a decent chance that several of the younger players push Benn out of the defensive rotation at training camp. Charlie Lindgren has not looked great lately, but it's not entirely his fault. He's allowed 19 goals in the last four games, but the players in front of him aren't doing him any favours. The first goal against was due to an awful clearing attempt by Benn. The second and third goals against came during the power play. This is what Lindgren had to deal with during both goals: De la Rose does his best to create traffic in Lindgren's field of vision on the first one. I know he's simply trying to block the shot, but he's not helping out his goaltender, especially seeing as he failed to block the shot and only provided a screen. During the second Jones goal, De la Rose once again provides a screen, although the biggest issue is that no one bothered to challenge Dubois, who stood unmolested in front of Lindgren. During the fourth goal against, De La Rose failed to cover Boone Jenner properly, which resulted in an easy tap-in after Lindgren made the initial save. The fifth goal against resulted from a weak backhand pass from Brett Lernout that was easily intercepted. Lindgren can be better, no doubt about it. We've seen him put together fantastic performances, but lately, his team is making life very difficult for him. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103351 Nashville Predators

Predators' Ryan Hartman, Scott Hartnell seek solution to 'Hartsy' dilemma

Adam Vingan, USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee Published 6:42 a.m. CT March 12, 2018 | Updated 3:12 p.m. CT March 12, 2018

An empty Chicago Blackhawks equipment bag lay discarded outside the Predators' dressing room in Winnipeg two weeks ago, the last remnant of Ryan Hartman's former life. Acquired by the Predators in a trade-deadline move, he was one of them now. They welcomed "Hartsy" into the fold. Slight problem — the Predators already had a “Hartsy.” Scott Hartnell has answered to it since he was a rookie nearly two decades ago. “I said after the first game in Winnipeg, I’m like, ‘We need a name for this guy,' " Hartnell said. "It is a little confusing if he’s talking to a couple guys over there, ‘Great pass, Hartsy.' I’m like, ‘Oh no, not me.’ " When your team has lost once in the past three weeks and recently reeled off a franchise-record winning streak, this qualifies as drama. As a way to avoid further confusion with Hartman, Hartnell has tried to make "Deuce" happen. “You know, just being the second ‘Hartsy’ here,” Hartnell said. So has it caught on? Depends on whom you ask. “There’s a select few that go with it,” Hartman said. “It hasn’t fully stuck yet, but I can definitely see it getting there.” “I don’t think it has caught any fire,” Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne said. “I haven’t heard anybody call him ‘Deuce.’ I think that’s a one-man mission trying to get that (to) stick.” Proper names have no place in the dressing room. Hockey players, however, aren’t the most inventive when it comes to assigning nicknames. “To me, obviously I’ve known (Hartnell) for years," Rinne said. "For me, I always call Scott ‘Hartsy,’ and then (Hartman) so far, I’ve been calling him Ryan.” It's pointed out to Rinne that his choice might present another name- related dilemma, seeing as there are three Ryans — Hartman, Johansen and Ellis — on the Predators' roster. “But I never call ‘Elly’ Ryan,” Rinne said. This whole thing might seem trivial, but the shared nickname actually can be an occupational hazard. When Predators coach Peter Laviolette is shouting instructions and calling for line changes during games, there's little time to clarify. “There might have been one time where he said ‘Hartsy' and we had to verify," Hartman said. “You’d think it’d be easy, Hartman and Hartnell, but you hear the first part and you don’t hear the second half of the name," Hartnell said. "We’ve just got to communicate on the bench and know who’s going out there.” Nickname aside, Hartman has impressed since being traded to Nashville, playing on all four forward lines and totaling four points in seven games, including two game-winning goals. Call him whatever you'd like. Just don't call him ineffective. "He’s a big addition to our club," Hartnell said. "He's going to help us go a long way this year." Tennessean LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103352 New Jersey Devils

Will Travis Zajac, Pavel Zacha make upcoming trip with Devils?

Updated March 12, 2018 at 1:10 PM; Posted March 12, 2018 at 11:53 AM By Chris Ryan

Forwards Pavel Zacha and Travis Zajac both skated on their own on Monday but did not practice with the Devils. Zajac (upper body) will travel with the team on Monday when they head to Las Vegas for a Wednesday game against the Golden Knights. Zacha (upper body) will not travel on Monday, but he could join the Devils later in their five-game road trip. They also play games against the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins. Devils coach John Hynes said both players remain day-to-day, and the team isn't at a point of making a decision on Zajac's availability for Wednesday. "I think it's still too tight to tell," Hynes said of Zajac. "He has made good progress. He skated today with (skills coach Pertti Hasanen), so we'll see how he feels again tomorrow and take it day-by-day." Forward Marcus Johansson (concussion) also continued to skate on his own on Monday. He will not travel with the Devils on the road trip. Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri and Andy Greene all sat out of Monday's practice in Newark for maintenance days. They will all travel and will have the chance to practice on Tuesday in Las Vegas. How Kinkaid delivered needed performance Zajac and Zacha both missed Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. It marked the second straight game missed for Zacha, who suffered an upper body injury on Tuesday, March 6 in a 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens. He sat out Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, where Zajac left in the second period after taking a big hit to his right side. With both out on Saturday, the Devils turned to Brian Gibbons to move to center along with usual suspects Nico Hischier, Brian Boyle and Blake Coleman. Bergen Record LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103353 New Jersey Devils "He's playing some very good hockey right now," Hynes said. "He can handle those type of minutes. It's something that, usually you don't tell him that we want you to play 27 minutes. It's more that he's a 22 to 23 5 things to watch for on the Devils' road trip minute guy, but he's increased his ice time based on his performance and his ability he's shown to be able to handle those types of minutes."

Bergen Record LOADED: 03.13.2018 Sean Farrell, Published 4:09 p.m. ET March 12, 2018 | Updated 5:47 p.m. ET March 12, 2018

John Hynes has some decisions to make. And the stakes have never been higher. The Devils' are off to Vegas to continue a six-game, 14-day road trip that could make or break their season. They go into Monday in the first Wild Card spot, one point over Columbus and three over the streaking Florida Panthers. A Wednesday night matchup with the division-leading Golden Knights is next. Here are five storylines as the Devils head west. 1. Sit the franchise goalie or bench the hot hand? The Devils have somewhat of a goalie dilemma with 13 games left. Keith Kindaid has been sharp by winning four of his last five outings and stealing a game for the Devils on Saturday. Kinkaid stopped 34-of-36 shots in Nashville and turned away Craig Smith to end the shootout. Cory Schneider has shown signs of getting back on track from a groin/hip injury, but is winless in his last 10 appearances. Hynes said on Monday afternoon that he has yet to name a starter for the next game. If Kinkaid is the choice, it would be his career-high 28th start of the season. "He's gotten a nice opportunity here with Cory being hurt," Hynes said. "He really grew through that process. It wasn't all roses for him. He had some tough games in some tough stretches, but it's nice to see that he's gathered himself. He's now a mentally tougher goalie. He feels more confident having gone through a little bit of adversity. He's earning the starts he's getting, so hopefully that continues. To be a good team, I think you got to have two guys in net who can play really well." 2. Who plays center? The Devils could be without a pair of starting centers again. Pavel Zacha and Travis Zajac skated on Monday, but their lingering injuries give the Devils some uncertainty. Zacha won't travel to Vegas and will miss his third straight game. Zajac is day-to-day and will be re- evaluated Tuesday. The challenge of slowing down Vegas isn't easy, even at full strength. The Golden Knights are deep at forward with four 60-point scorers to the Devils' one. The top unit of Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith and William Karlsson has more even-strength goals than any other line in hockey. 3. Can secondary scorers make an impact? Offense hasn't come easy over the last few weeks. The Devils averaged just 2.3 goals per game in their last 10 contests with nearly half the production coming from two forwards. Taylor Hall (six goals since Feb. 20) and Kyle Palmieri (four) lead an offense that's looking to become more well-rounded. 4. Will the Devils' special teams stay hot? Special teams have gone from a weakness to a strength this season. That's especially been the case recently since the Devils have killed off 19 of the last 20 shorthanded situations, including a 3-on-4 overtime one against Nashville. "The attention to detail has been good," Hynes said. "We feel like we have good penalty killers and they've done a nice job with entries and denying possession entries. Our pressure has been pretty good. We have guys who've blocked a ton of shots, which is a big part of it. It's that hard-working, gritty part of the penalty kill that's been very good." 5. Can Sami Vatanen handle the minutes? The 26-year-old defenseman leads the team in average ice time and is starting to get a workload similar to the Ryan Suters and Drew Doughtys of the world. Vatanen played 26:52 against Nashville and 27:46 last week against Winnipeg. His offense has picked up as well with eight points in the last nine games. 1103354 New York Islanders

Gibson showing promise as Isles look to start winning streak

By Andrew Gross Updated March 12, 2018 10:37 PM

A win was a start. A winning streak now is necessary for the Islanders to climb back into the playoff chase. The Islanders, who traveled back from Calgary on Monday after snapping an 0-4-4 slide with Sunday’s 5-2 win over the Flames, must wait until Thursday night’s start of a home-and-home series with the Capitals at Barclays Center to build upon their first victory since Feb. 16. But even if the just-completed 1-0-3 road trip ultimately was disappointing, a couple of areas of the team’s play can be considered promising as the Islanders play six of their next seven games at home. Most important is 25-year-old Finnish goalie Christopher Gibson, who made 50 saves against the Flames and stopped 37 of 38 shots in the final two periods. That followed his 35-save performance in Thursday’s 2- 1 shootout loss at Edmonton. Gibson also started the trip-opening 3-2 overtime loss at Pittsburgh on March 3 by making 47 saves. “Gibby, ever since he’s been in the organization, he’s been a great goaltender and tough to score on,” Anders Lee said. “So we always know the potential that these guys have. But when you come into the game and play as calm as he has, it’s a wonderful surprise.” Gibson, who has played seven games for the Islanders — and in the NHL — since being acquired from the Maple Leafs on Sept. 17, 2015, as part of a package for Michael Grabner, is 1-0-2 with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage this season. “He’s obviously coming off a year where he was injured,” Islanders coach Doug Weight said of Gibson, who played only seven games in 2016-17. “The way he’s playing, it’s a great thing for us. We have to play a little better in front of him. But it’s a big win.” Gibson became the second Islanders rookie goalie to make at least 50 saves in a game, joining Hall of Famer Billy Smith, who made 55 saves against the Flyers on Nov. 22, 1972. “He’s been playing really well,” defenseman Johnny Boychuk said. “When he’s been in net, he’s been stopping a lot of pucks. Even the one in Edmonton went off a stick and off his head and in.” That was Connor McDavid’s equalizer at 18:10 of the third period. Gibson likely also would like to have back Johnny Gaudreau’s shot from below the left faceoff circle that beat him over his right shoulder inside the near post to cut the Islanders’ lead over the Flames to 2-1 at 7:23 of the first period Sunday. Otherwise, he was essentially flawless. Another good sign for the Islanders was the way they built their early two- goal lead over the Flames with goals 18 seconds apart from Boychuk and defense partner Nick Leddy. The Islanders need their defensemen up on the attack more. They have been getting that lately, with Thomas Hickey getting the lone goal at Calgary. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103355 New York Rangers

Strong young defensemen proving themselves in Rangers’ 6-3 victory over Hurricanes

Justin Tasch Monday, March 12, 2018, 9:46 PM

NHL rinks right now are serving as proving grounds for four of the Rangers' young defensemen, all of whom have spent at least half the season in the AHL. They see this an opportunity to establish themselves as NHL players and prove they should be considered for a role next season. "Absolutely," Neal Pionk says. "I think all of us young defensemen are in the same boat. We're all here to show what we can do." Pionk thus far is making the most of his chance. Even in a short NHL sample size, there are enough signs so far that Pionk has what it takes to play in the league and should definitely be in the top-six mix this fall when the Blueshirts begin anew. He and John Gilmour have both shown well in the 16 games each have under their belt through Monday's 6-3 win over Carolina. Pionk is particularly intriguing because he's still just 22 years old and fills a hole as a right-hander. He's impressed with the puck, both passing and showing a willingness to shoot, which earned him an assist on the first of Mats Zuccarello's two goals Monday, just as he notched a helper on a Zuccarello goal Saturday in the Rangers' shootout loss to Florida. Pionk has five assists in his last seven games. The Rangers snapped a three-game losing streak Monday. "I'm making adjustments as the games go on, gaining confidence with the puck, having more composure with the puck and letting plays develop more," said Pionk, an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota-Duluth who signed last May. Pionk isn't burly at 6-foot, 190 pounds, but he's shown toughness and competitiveness that translates well. That was on display during the third period in Edmonton on March 3 when he was involved in a box-out battle with the 6-3, 236-pound Milan Lucic to keep the Oilers forward away from the crease. "He just stood there toe-to-toe with him," Alain Vigneault said of Pionk. "I like his compete, I like his skill and he's smart on the ice. Right now in our last few games, we've had him with Marc, we've had him against other teams' top lines and he's done a pretty good job for us." The Rangers' young defensemen are using NHL rinks as proving grounds. As the Rangers play out the string, Vigneault hopes the younger players gain a greater understanding of the NHL game, what works and what doesn't. Not every player pans out, but Pionk is showing potential that can fit as part of the Rangers' rebuild. "The more they get the opportunity the play, the better they should become if they have the skill, the attitude and the work ethic," Vigneault said. "(Pionk's) come to play. I like a lot of the things I see from him." Tony DeAngelo left in the second period with an ankle injury after jamming his leg into the boards and didn’t return. Vigneault said he’d know more Tuesday after an MRI. … Jimmy Vesey finished his first career hat trick with an empty-netter and Pavel Buchnevich had three assists. … David Desharnais returned to the lineup Monday after missing Saturday's game despite not yet passing kidney stones. New York Daily News LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103356 New York Rangers Lundqvist has gotten out of his plan — think the fourth goal in Tampa Bay on Thursday when caught scrambling after a puck-moving snafu behind the net — and thus, he has been pulled from five of his last 15 How Henrik Lundqvist is dealing with the season that won’t end starts and eight overall. “It bothers me to be taken out of so many games, absolutely,” he said. “There are some games where I understand, but there are games like By Larry Brooks March 12, 2018 | 6:14PM Tampa where there’s a lot of chaos and 22 chances against in 30 minutes, and I feel like I should still be out there battling.

“It’s not easy. I’m not saying it’s easy for any of us now. Like I said, I just Game 70 at the Garden on Monday night against the Candy Canes, so a want to take whatever positive I can out of these next few weeks. After dozen games will remain for Henrik Lundqvist to take something positive it’s over, I’ll look ahead.” out of this Longest Season. New York Post LOADED: 03.13.2018 “For me, the rest of the year is about wanting to be able to feel good about myself and about us,” Lundqvist, who was set to back up Alex Georgiev for this one, told The Post. “I don’t want to look at the big picture and break everything down. I’m not looking ahead to next year. I’m not thinking about whether to play in the World Championships. “I just want to take it day by day and play my best for this team. That’s the challenge. When it’s over, there will be time to reflect about what happened and look ahead. But not so much now.” Lundqvist started 56 of the first 69 games and could post his highest number of starts since he got the call 67 times in 2010-11. But the Blueshirts’ position in the standings combined with the desire to see more of the 22-year-old Bulgarian-born Georgiev likely will reduce Lundqvist’s workload the rest of the way. “I’ve talked a little bit about it with Benny,” Lundqvist said, referring to goaltending coach Benoit Allaire. “There’s nothing set in stone, but I’ll let it play out instead of just telling you the plan.” The plan for Lundqvist to remain the core piece of the rebuild remains in place. The 36-year-old has not had second thoughts since first declaring his loyalty to the program in a Feb. 2 conversation with The Post. “Nothing has changed,” he said. “I haven’t talked to [management], I haven’t analyzed everything or asked too many questions. I just want to finish this season the best I can. “I also want to believe that we can be a competitive team in the fall and build off that. I think we can be.” The middle of the conference is pudding soft, with the chase for eighth place and a tournament spot littered with flawed teams such as Carolina, which entered Monday with 30 victories in 68 games. Hence, the bar to be competitive in 2018-19 is a relatively low one that the Blueshirts should be able to clear if general manager Jeff Gorton can pull off a savvy move or two while avoiding major blunders. Still, this is the season that has Lundqvist’s attention and it’s one unlike any of the 12 that preceded it. This has not only been a roller-coaster season for the Swede, but a Kingda Ka ride, aptly named for the Six Flags Great Adventure structure that features the world’s longest drop. For after an October in which he went 3-4-2 with an .898 save percentage and 3.21 GAA, Lundqvist carried the Blueshirts for 12 weeks of Hart-worthy performance in which he posted an 18-8-2 record with a .932 save percentage and 2.32 GAA. But that was followed by a steep drop through which the goaltender buckled under the strain of consistent defensive deficiency and delinquency in front of him and put up an ugly 4-10-2 record with an .896 save percentage and 4.08 GAA. It was that level of inconsistency that Alain Vigneault inelegantly referenced before the Blueshirts-Flames game at the Garden on Feb. 9 while seeming to point the finger at Lundqvist as a primary culprit in the club’s demise. The goaltender was not especially pleased. Of course, the coach was not especially pleased that management a day earlier had pledged to break up his team. “It came up once between us,” Lundqvist said Monday. “I understand his angle, sort of. When I look back on my season, the first half I felt as good as I had in years. I felt really sharp. But then as a team when we started to go left and right, my game wasn’t as consistent for a couple of weeks. So he definitely had a point about that. Beyond that, we can leave it there.” The traditional overall numbers will lie about Lundqvist’s season. They won’t necessarily depict a man trying to stem a flood by putting 10 fingers in the dike until overwhelmed by the task and drowned under the onrushing flood. “When you know you’re going to get maybe 30 scoring chances against, you wind up trying to do too much even though you have it in your mind not to,” he said. “A lot of times, you don’t give up goals on the big chances but on routine ones because you’ve gotten out of your plan.” 1103357 New York Rangers

Jimmy Vesey piles on Hurricanes with first career hat trick

By Larry Brooks March 12, 2018 | 10:18pm | Updated

So now it’s 4-2-1 since the trade deadline for the Rangers’ best seven- game stretch since late December. “No one is going to take it easy on us because we have a young lineup or anything like that,” 24-year-old sophomore Jimmy Vesey said following Monday’s 6-3 Garden victory over the Hurricanes. “We have to go out and play with passion and pride every night, and think we are doing a good job of it.” Vesey contributed a hat trick to the effort that included a pair of goals from Mats Zuccarello, one from Vladislav Namestnikov and a 41-save night from Alexandar Georgiev with his team outshot 44-23. “Sometimes it’s easier to play with so many shots,” the 22-year-old goalie said following his second straight victory. “You don’t have to keep refocusing.” This represented a refocus for Vesey, who’d come in with just 12 goals overall and one in the last 13 games. The winger, a pending restricted free agent whose Broadway future is anything but secure off this disappointing season, scored his first goal from the left doorstep at 1:52 of the second period in converting a gorgeous backhand feed from Pavel Buchnevich, who went forward with the puck after winning a right wing draw. His second that broke a 3-3 tie at 12:15 of the third came on a rising wrist shot from a sharp left angle near side over Scott Darling’s blocker, again on a feed from Buchnevich. The third came into an empty net at 19:36, just over two minutes after Zuccarello’s own empty-netter. “[The hat trick] is definitely something you want to accomplish,” said the 2016 free agent signee out of Harvard. “I was just saying I remember it took me all four years in college to get one. “Everyone dreams when they are a kid of scoring the big goal or scoring a hat trick. I think it’s something I’ll always remember, so it’s a great feeling.” And the good feeling is beginning to spread among the players on this psychologically battered group of athletes. “I think our game has been progressing,” Brady Skjei said. “We’re becoming more confident that we can win any game.” Tony DeAngelo sustained a left ankle injury going into the corner boards at 7:22 of the second period and did not return after being helped off the ice. Further information may be available Tuesday. If the Blueshirts need a righty replacement, it would likely be Ryan Sproul, who played four games with the club the middle of February. New York Post LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103358 New York Rangers knee in a game against Calgary on Feb. 9, took shots from some of his teammates after the morning skate.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 03.13.2018 Jimmy Vesey nets hat trick in Rangers’ victory over Carolina

By Colin Stephenson Updated March 12, 2018 10:49 PM

They won’t get there themselves, but the Rangers may still have a say about who makes the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Much to the chagrin of the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina entered Monday night’s game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden six points out of a playoff berth, though with a game in hand on Columbus, which was occupying that second wild- card spot. But the Rangers own the Hurricanes, especially at the Garden, and they dealt a damaging blow to Carolina’s playoff aspirations with a 6-3 victory powered by Jimmy Vesey’s first career hat trick and two goals by Mats Zuccarello. Vesey’s hat trick included the game-winner with 7:45 remaining in the third period and an empty-netter with 23.8 seconds to go, and Zuccarello had the game’s first goal and an empty- netter of his own with 2:37 left that was the 100th of his NHL career. The win was the Rangers’ third in three games over the Hurricanes this season, and their 15th straight home win against Carolina. The teams play against each other one more time this season, in Raleigh, North Carolina, on March 31. After Columbus’ victory, Carolina is seven points behind the Devils for the final wild-card spot. “We play well against them,’’ Mika Zibanejad said, with a shrug, of the Rangers’ home dominance over the Hurricanes. “I don’t know what the reason is — you just have some of those teams.’’ Vesey’s second goal broke a 3-3 tie, when he beat Carolina goalie Scott Darling with a bad-angle shot off the rush up the left wing that went over the goalie’s right shoulder and dinged in off the crossbar on the near side. Zuccarello’s first goal came on a similar play, from nearly the same spot. “The difference was goaltending,’’ Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “Their goaltender had a tough night, and our young goaltender [Alexandar Georgiev] had a good night, made some timely saves [41 overall]. We got a couple goals there, I’m sure their guy [Darling] would like to have back.’’ The victory didn’t come without a cost for the Rangers, however. Defenseman Tony DeAngelo left the game midway through the second period after he slid awkwardly into the boards. DeAngelo remained on the ice on all fours for several moments, unable to get up, as play continued. Finally, he got up and limped to the slot area before the referees stopped play. Vigneault said DeAngelo suffered an ankle injury and will undergo an MRI on Tuesday. The Rangers opened the scoring on Zuccarello’s first goal at 9:06 of the first period. The goal was the 13th of the season for Zuccarello and it marked the third straight game in which he had scored, following a stretch in which he’d gone seven games without a goal and 11 games with only one goal. Teuvo Teravainen equalized for Carolina at 14:32, but Vesey put the Rangers back on top with his first goal at 1:52 of the second period. Carolina tied it again on a rebound goal by Lee Stempniak at 7:48, and Vladislav Namestnikov’s power- play goal put the Blueshirts up 3-2 at 11:51 of the second period. Victor Rask’s power-play goal tied it one last time, at 3-3, before Vesey potted the winner. When he completed the hat trick, Zibanejad (who had three assists) got the puck for him. “It’s nice to have [a hat trick],’’ Vesey said. “Everyone dreams, when they’re a kid, of scoring the big goal or scoring a hat trick. I think it’s something I’ll always remember.’’ Notes & quotes: Forward David Desharnais, who missed Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Panthers in Florida Saturday because of a kidney stone issue, was in the lineup, despite the fact that, as of the morning skate, he had not passed the kidney stone, according to Vigneault . . . Backup goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, who suffered a sprained MCL in his 1103359 Ottawa Senators Ottawa Senators’ Ryan Dzingel. FRED CHARTRAND / THE CANADIAN PRESS

LIGHTNING GAMEDAY LINES Game Day: Ottawa Senators at Tampa Bay Lightning Forwards

Steven Stamkos-Tyler Johnson-Nikita Kucherov DON BRENNAN Yanni Gourde-Brayden Point-J.T. Miller

Alex Killorn-Anthony Cirelli-Adam Erne OTTAWA SENATORS at TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING Chris Kunitz-Cedric Paquette-Ryan Callahan Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Amalie Arena Defence TV: TSN5, RDS2; RADIO: TSN1200, 94,5 Unique-FM Victor Hedman-Jake Dotchin THE BIG MATCHUP Mikhail Sergachev-Anton Stralman Ryan Dzingel vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi Dzingel is enjoying a breakout season. Heading into Monday’s game he had 19 goals, tying him with Matt Duchene and Mike Hoffman for second Goalies most on the team, one behind Mark Stone. He has scored three goals in nine career games versus the Lightning, and all three have been in the Andrei Vasilevskiy last two meetings. Vasilevskiy was on the bench for Saturday’s win Louis Domingue against the Habs and should get the nod here. The Vezina Trophy candidate has had only moderate success against the Senators, with a 4- SICK BAY 3-0 record that includes a 2.85 GAA and .901 save percentage. Senators: Mark Stone, Chris Wideman, Clarke MacArthur FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Lightning: Peter Budaj, Ondrej Palat EXTENDED PLAY: You have to be ready for a long day when you play Tampa. Seven of their last eight games have gone beyond three periods. SPECIAL TEAMS The Lightning are on a 9-0-1 run and they currently lead the race for the Senators PP 16.4% (27th) PK 76.3% (27th) Presidents’ Trophy. Lightning: PP 23.8% (3rd) PK 77.5% (24th) DYNAMIC DUO: The Lightning are led by two of the top offensive players in the league. Nikita Kucherov tops the scoring race with 88 points in 67 Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 03.13.2018 games, while Steven Stamkos is sixth with 79 points in 69 games. Kucherov has eight goals and 21 points in 19 career games versus Ottawa, while Stamkos has 15 goals and 29 points in 33 games versus the Senators. BATTLING THE BOLTS: Despite the large gap between the teams in the standings, the Senators have fared decently against the Lightning this season. They lost the first meeting 4-3 in a shootout in Tampa on Dec.21, won 6-3 in Ottawa on Jan. 6 and lost 4-3 at Canadian Tire Centre on Feb. 22. DREAM KILLER: Chris Kunitz has scored just five goals in 31 career regular season games against the Senators, but he also represents a haunting memory for Ottawa fans as the scorer of the double overtime goal last May that prevented the Senators from advancing to their second Stanley Cup final. Kunitz now plays on a fourth line with the Bolts that has a combined 1877 games of NHL experience. The Senators fourth line has 1015, only because Alex Burrows is at 899. BLUESHIRTS BLUELINE Lightning coach Jon Cooper has reunited a pair of defencemen that played together for much of seven years with the New York Rangers. Former Blueshirts captain Ryan McDonagh, who was acquired at the trade deadline, is once again partnered with Dan Girardi, giving the Lightning three strong pairings. SENATORS GAMEDAY LINES Forwards Ryan Dzingel-Matt Duchene-Mike Hoffman Bobby Ryan-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Marian Gaborik Magnus Paajarvi-Zack Smith-Tom Pyatt Max McCormick-Jim O’Brien-Alex Burrows Defence Fredrik Claesson-Erik Karlsson Ben Harpur-Cody Ceci Mark Borowiecki-Thomas Chabot Goalies Craig Anderson Mike Condon 1103360 Ottawa Senators

Burrows prepares to hit what could be his last major milestone

DON BRENNAN

SUNRISE, Fla. — Alex Burrows will play his 900th NHL game on Tuesday in Tampa, and he’s realistic enough to know that he may very well never reach 1,000. In fact, less than a month from his 37th birthday, Burrows understands he might not get a chance to fulfill the final year of his current deal next season with the Senators, who could opt to buy him out. “The body feels good,” Burrows, who is scheduled to make $2.5 million again in 2018-19, said before Monday’s meeting with the Florida Panthers. “We’ll see how things go. “Obviously the last couple of months have been tough on the team, tough on myself. But we’ll re-evaluate in the summer. Obviously it would be nice to get that magic number.” Burrows, who had four goals and nine points in 56 games heading into Monday, believes he still has some hockey in him. “I feel I can contribute in some aspects,” he said. “I understand the situation of the league. The league is getting younger. When I first came in, it seemed like there was a lot of late 30-(year-old) players playing in the league where now there’s only a handful. “I understand the business side of things, too. The cap era you’ve got to make sure you develop some young guys, especially in the situation we’re in right now. If the organization is feeling they want to kind of rebuild or retool or whatever you want to call it, normally that goes with a lot of young guys. But for me, I still enjoy coming to the rink every day, and I still enjoy competing out there. Especially I enjoy watching these young guys coming in, trying to make a career out of playing hockey.” Reaching the 900-game mark was special for Burrows, who was never drafted. “It means that I’m old, pretty much,” he joked. “I’ve been around for a long time now. As a kid, I never thought I’d play one. My first goal was to play in the NHL, then my second goal was to play as long as I could. Once you start playing and become a regular, your ultimate goal is to win a Stanley Cup. So this is the second goal, I’m at 900 now. But still chasing that silver cup”. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103361 Ottawa Senators Nathan MacKinnon and Nikolaj Ehlers. Now Weegar is a blueliner with the hottest team in hockey. Did he always know this day was coming? “Not when I was playing Junior B, but maybe after that,” said Weegar, Bobby Ryan's days in Ottawa are likely numbered - and he's handling it who is partnered with Alexander Petrovic on the Panthers blue line. “I like a pro started to progress pretty quickly.” Weegar entered Monday with a goal and four assists in 44 games.

BETWEEN THE PIPES DON BRENNAN Mike Condon will start in goal against the Lightning on Tuesday, looking for his first road victory since Dec. 1. He has lost 11 straight away from Canadian Tire Centre, and is 0-6-1 in his last seven starts. Condon did SUNRISE, Fla. — The day before the NHL trade deadline, Bobby Ryan turn in a solid performance against the Flames on Friday, stopping 37 thought he was gone. shots. As has often been the case, he didn’t get any run support from his teammates in the 2-1 loss. His numbers on the season: 4-13-5, with a The Senators veteran winger heard there had been a deal worked out 3.19 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. “Obviously stats that would send him and Erik Karlsson to a Western Conference hockey are stats and records are records, and that’s going to be etched in stone team. His time in Ottawa, he believed, was over after four and a half forever,” Condon said. “But I know that through all this stuff, when things seasons. aren’t going well, you’ve held your head high and fought through every “I heard on Sunday it was done and somebody backed out at the last single day no matter what the circumstances. For me, I think there’s a lot second,” Ryan said Monday morning at BB&T Center. “Karl and I were of value in that. It’s easy to get negative and hard to stay positive. I try to like, ‘pack it up’. We thought we were gone. That’s just the way it goes. do the hard things and stay positive, and keep pouring coal on the fire.” Then you’re like, I’ve got to move again? Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 03.13.2018 “I guess I’ll just wait and see how it goes in the summer. That’s all you can do.” Now, teams may have thought they were close to making a deal with the Senators, but only GM Pierre Dorion knows for sure. Either way, there’s no doubt conversations will pick up again after the season. The Senators will surely entertain trade talks for Karlsson at the draft, and in order to get the captain, they’ll ask that Ryan is included in the package. The Senators will try and move the former 30-goal scorer, not because he’s a bad player or bad person — the opposite is true in both cases, actually — but because he’s not worth the $7.25-million cap hit they have him at for four more seasons. Ryan gets it. Both he and wife Danielle like Ottawa and want to stay. But he also sees the writing on the wall. Chances of him starting next season with the Senators are slim. Ryan will be a buy-out candidate if he’s not dealt. “I understand with my contract and the obligations, that I haven’t performed up to a $7-million player,” he said. “But that’s something that happens. That’s the business side of things. I try to separate it when I get to the rink. I don’t worry about what’s going on over there, in the other hallway, I just worry about what’s in front of me. That’s all you can do.” Indeed, Ryan has handled the uncertainty of his future like a pro. He hasn’t whined or knocked on Dorion’s door to seek some clarification. He just goes about his business, trying to rediscover his groove after missing almost two months with more hand injuries, trying to help the team win. “Generally you don’t talk to anybody within the organization about it, because … I don’t want to say you’re crossing the line by asking, but you know it’s out of your hands,” he said. “Other than you going in and solidifying yourself with them by saying ‘I don’t want to be here’ it’s not going to do anybody any good. The GM has that right to listen to every team and every option available. So I think in the room guys generally understand that, and they don’t take it personally, as you get older. “Me, in particular, I reached out to my agent and said hey listen, I’m sure you’re aware of what’s going on here, and I’m hearing it, and if I’m hearing it, you are. So he told me on Friday (before the deadline) that (being traded) was a very real possibility. And that was the most communication I had. Then it was just kind of sitting. I caught myself looking at stuff online, things like that, Twitter and whatnot, trying to figure out if anybody knew anything. Most of the time it’s just guys speculating. So I tried not to get wrapped up in it.” If the Senators do buy him out, Ryan will wind up elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent. Most every team would like to have him — just not at $7 million per. STARTS AND STOPS More information regarding the leg damage that has Mark Stone shelved should be provided on Tuesday. Stone missed nine games with a knee injury earlier this season, but it sounds like this is something different. “It’s not a knee,” coach Guy Boucher said. “It’s not a knee. It’s not a knee.” … Boucher’s post-morning skate media briefing lasted one minute and 15 seconds. It was an unofficial record for the Senators coach, who usually likes to chat much longer … The road to the pros for Barrhaven’s MacKenzie Weegar’s included playing for St. Joseph High School in Grade 8. He was also a defenceman for the Winchester Hawks and the Nepean Raiders before he was claimed off waivers by the Halifax Mooseheads, where he was teammates with Jonathan Drouin, 1103362 Ottawa Senators and we didn’t do a good enough job defusing them. Having said that, when a team is determined like that, it’s pretty tough.”

Anderson’s shutout bid was halted 12:36 into the second on a Dadanov Duchene leads Senators to rare road win with two goals shot that beat him over his left shoulder off a semi-break that should have never been. Marian Gaborik gave a weak effort in the offensive zone to allow the Panthers to move up ice. Dadanov outraced Claesson Don Brennan Published on: March 12, 2018 before rifling his shot into the net. Matheson tied the score from the left circle with a shot Anderson should have stopped. SUNRISE, Fla. — Matt Duchene’s leadership role with the Senators is becoming more evident every day. The Senators regrouped during the second intermission and Paajarvi restored the Ottawa lead after a couple of lucky bounces. Thomas Two hours before they faced the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center on Chabot’s point shot hit a Panther stick and deflected high, then hit Monday night, Ottawa players met with students from nearby Marjory Alexander Petrovic in the back. The puck dropped at Paajarvi’s feet, and Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 kids were killed by a gunman he promptly swiped it past Luongo. last month, to hand out tickets and signed jerseys. The idea originally belonged to Erik Karlsson, while Nicholle and Craig Anderson, who live The Panthers evened the count again when Huberdeau raced Karlsson near the school, pulled it together. to the Senators net and had a pass from Vincent Trocheck go in off his skate. Duchene ran around with a handful of jerseys, making sure all his teammates had one to hand out and all the students received one. Taking in the game was Clarke MacArthur, the Senators winger who has missed the entire season after failing to pass training camp medicals. “Ahh, that’s a crazy thing,” Duchene said of the senseless shooting when MacArthur, who is living in Florida, was with his friend Dominic Bozzelli, a asked about meeting the kids. “Hopefully people are learning from this member of the PGA Tour. kind of stuff. That’s I guess all I can say from that end of it. You feel for those kids, having to go through what they went through. I’m sure some After the game the Senators took a 25-minute flight to Tampa, where of them lost some friends. they will face the Lighting on Tuesday night at Amalie Arena. “It was a great job by Andy setting that up, and having those kids come Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 03.13.2018 and see us play tonight.” When the teams took the ice, Duchene wore the assistant captain’s ‘A’ that is usually on the jersey of the injured Mark Stone, who will be out “week to week” with a leg injury that is not as bad as the Senators originally thought, Duchene should have one permanently next season. Fifty-seven seconds into his first game with an Ottawa letter, Duchene grabbed a share of the team goal-scoring lead with his 20th of the campaign. He also hit a post and was victimized by a Roberto Luongo save off a deflection later in the period. The Senators turned that good start into a horrid second period in which they were outshot 17-2, then rebounded in the third. Duchene’s second goal of the night and 21st of the season, with three minutes to go in the third, broke a 3-3 tie as the Senators went on to take a 5-3 decision, stopping Florida’s home winning streak at eight games. It was only the Senators 10th road win in 34 road games this season. Duchene’s winner, like his first, was set up by Mike Hoffman, who wheeled around the net before finding his centre open in front. Alex Burrows scored the insurance marker with 1:45 left, deflecting a Karlsson shot from the point. Magnus Paajarvi had two goals for the Senators. He now has four in 21 games since being claimed off waivers by Ottawa. Evgenii Dadonov, Mike Matheson and Jonathan Huberdeau scored for Florida. Anderson made 35 saves, including a breakaway stop on Aleksander Barkov with the score tied and just under six minutes left in the third. The night meant more than just a ‘W’ for Anderson. It presented a chance to do something for his neighbourhood. “It’s big for our family,” he said. “We live here in Parkland, we’re raising our kids here. We’re living through (the tragedy) just like everyone else in the community. For us to give these guys out a night at the hockey game and watch a sport they love playing is the least I can do for the community.” Loungo stopped 20 shots in the Panthers’ net. Duchene’s early goal was assisted by Karlsson and Mike Hoffman and it came on a short-side shot that had Roberto Luongo throw his head back like he knew he should have had it. Paarjavi’s first was a shaft deflection off a point shot by Fredrik Claesson. Again, Luongo reacted like he was at fault. “We were outstanding in the first, I thought we could have had at least another two goals,” Duchene said. “That’s a team really desperate for points right now. We knew we were going to get their best in the second, 1103363 Ottawa Senators Nathan MacKinnon and Nikolaj Ehlers. Now Weegar is a blueliner with the hottest team in hockey. Did he always know this day was coming? “Not when I was playing Junior B, but maybe after that,” said Weegar, Bobby Ryan's days in Ottawa are likely numbered - and he's handling it who is partnered with Alexander Petrovic on the Panthers blue line. “I like a pro started to progress pretty quickly.” Weegar entered Monday with a goal and four assists in 44 games.

BETWEEN THE PIPES Don Brennan Mike Condon will start in goal against the Lightning on Tuesday, looking for his first road victory since Dec. 1. He has lost 11 straight away from Canadian Tire Centre, and is 0-6-1 in his last seven starts. Condon did SUNRISE, Fla. — The day before the NHL trade deadline, Bobby Ryan turn in a solid performance against the Flames on Friday, stopping 37 thought he was gone. shots. As has often been the case, he didn’t get any run support from his teammates in the 2-1 loss. His numbers on the season: 4-13-5, with a The Senators veteran winger heard there had been a deal worked out 3.19 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. “Obviously stats that would send him and Erik Karlsson to a Western Conference hockey are stats and records are records, and that’s going to be etched in stone team. His time in Ottawa, he believed, was over after four and a half forever,” Condon said. “But I know that through all this stuff, when things seasons. aren’t going well, you’ve held your head high and fought through every “I heard on Sunday it was done and somebody backed out at the last single day no matter what the circumstances. For me, I think there’s a lot second,” Ryan said Monday morning at BB&T Center. “Karl and I were of value in that. It’s easy to get negative and hard to stay positive. I try to like, ‘pack it up’. We thought we were gone. That’s just the way it goes. do the hard things and stay positive, and keep pouring coal on the fire.” Then you’re like, I’ve got to move again? Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.13.2018 “I guess I’ll just wait and see how it goes in the summer. That’s all you can do.” Now, teams may have thought they were close to making a deal with the Senators, but only GM Pierre Dorion knows for sure. Either way, there’s no doubt conversations will pick up again after the season. The Senators will surely entertain trade talks for Karlsson at the draft, and in order to get the captain, they’ll ask that Ryan is included in the package. The Senators will try and move the former 30-goal scorer, not because he’s a bad player or bad person — the opposite is true in both cases, actually — but because he’s not worth the $7.25-million cap hit they have him at for four more seasons. Ryan gets it. Both he and wife Danielle like Ottawa and want to stay. But he also sees the writing on the wall. Chances of him starting next season with the Senators are slim. Ryan will be a buy-out candidate if he’s not dealt. “I understand with my contract and the obligations, that I haven’t performed up to a $7-million player,” he said. “But that’s something that happens. That’s the business side of things. I try to separate it when I get to the rink. I don’t worry about what’s going on over there, in the other hallway, I just worry about what’s in front of me. That’s all you can do.” Indeed, Ryan has handled the uncertainty of his future like a pro. He hasn’t whined or knocked on Dorion’s door to seek some clarification. He just goes about his business, trying to rediscover his groove after missing almost two months with more hand injuries, trying to help the team win. “Generally you don’t talk to anybody within the organization about it, because … I don’t want to say you’re crossing the line by asking, but you know it’s out of your hands,” he said. “Other than you going in and solidifying yourself with them by saying ‘I don’t want to be here’ it’s not going to do anybody any good. The GM has that right to listen to every team and every option available. So I think in the room guys generally understand that, and they don’t take it personally, as you get older. “Me, in particular, I reached out to my agent and said hey listen, I’m sure you’re aware of what’s going on here, and I’m hearing it, and if I’m hearing it, you are. So he told me on Friday (before the deadline) that (being traded) was a very real possibility. And that was the most communication I had. Then it was just kind of sitting. I caught myself looking at stuff online, things like that, Twitter and whatnot, trying to figure out if anybody knew anything. Most of the time it’s just guys speculating. So I tried not to get wrapped up in it.” If the Senators do buy him out, Ryan will wind up elsewhere unrestricted free agent. Most every team would like to have him — just not at $7 million per. STARTS AND STOPS More information regarding the leg damage that has Mark Stone shelved should be provided on Tuesday. Stone missed nine games with a knee injury earlier this season, but it sounds like this is something different. “It’s not a knee,” coach Guy Boucher said. “It’s not a knee. It’s not a knee.” … Boucher’s post-morning skate media briefing lasted one minute and 15 seconds. It was an unofficial record for the Senators coach, who usually likes to chat much longer … The road to the pros for Barrhaven’s MacKenzie Weegar’s included playing for St. Joseph High School in Grade 8. He was also a defenceman for the Winchester Hawks and the Nepean Raiders before he was claimed off waivers by the Halifax Mooseheads, where he was teammates with Jonathan Drouin, 1103364 Ottawa Senators

Burrows prepares to hit what could be his last major milestone

Don Brennan

SUNRISE, Fla. — Alex Burrows will play his 900th NHL game on Tuesday in Tampa, and he’s realistic enough to know that he may very well never reach 1,000. In fact, less than a month from his 37th birthday, Burrows understands he might not get a chance to fulfil the final year of his current deal next season with the Senators, who could opt to buy him out. “The body feels good,” Burrows, who is scheduled to make $2.5 million again in 2018-19, said before Monday’s meeting with the Florida Panthers. “We’ll see how things go. “Obviously the last couple of months have been tough on the team, tough on myself. But we’ll re-evaluate in the summer. Obviously it would be nice to get that magic number.” Burrows, who had four goals and nine points in 56 games heading into Monday, believes he still has some hockey in him. “I feel I can contribute in some aspects,” he said. “I understand the situation of the league. The league is getting younger. When I first came in, it seemed like there was a lot of late 30-(year-old) players playing in the league where now there’s only a handful. “I understand the business side of things, too. The cap era you’ve got to make sure you develop some young guys, especially in the situation we’re in right now. If the organization is feeling they want to kind of rebuild or retool or whatever you want to call it, normally that goes with a lot of young guys. But for me, I still enjoy coming to the rink every day, and I still enjoy competing out there. Especially I enjoy watching these young guys coming in, trying to make a career out of playing hockey.” Reaching the 900-game mark was special for Burrows, who was never drafted. “It means that I’m old, pretty much,” he joked. “I’ve been around for a long time now. As a kid, I never thought I’d play one. My first goal was to play in the NHL, then my second goal was to play as long as I could. Once you start playing and become a regular, your ultimate goal is to win a Stanley Cup. So this is the second goal, I’m at 900 now. But still chasing that silver cup. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103365 Ottawa Senators Czeisler’s research showed lack of sleep can also slow reaction time and increase the risk of injury.

“The other thing is what happens when you lose sleep or don’t have your How has a league-leading number of back-to-back games affected the full rest is mental mistakes,” Anderson said. “Sometimes your legs aren’t Senators this season? going to be there and you get it. It’s a tough game in back-to-backs. Trying to stay mentally sharp through those can help alleviate some of the problems. That’s kind of the biggest thing that teams go through is By Chris Stevenson Mar 12, 2018 just probably the mental challenges of just trying to be sharp the whole time.”

The Senators have won five of 15 games (5-8-2) in the second half of Ottawa Senators forward Mike Hoffman likes his sleep. back-to-backs this season and are on a five-game losing streak in the second game. Their points percentage is worse in the second game of He is usually good for nine or 10 hours a night in normal circumstances back-to-backs (.400) compared to the rest of their season (.432). It’s not during the season. like the back-to-backs have been the make or break factor in this So this year’s league-leading 19 back-to-back games for the Senators is Senators season, but their impact is worth examining. messing with his shuteye (the average this season is 14 back-to-backs). The Senators power play has been particularly awful this season and The Senators faced the start of their 16th back-to-back set Monday when after their decent start to the season, for what it’s worth, the Senators they played the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Fla. They play the Lightning power-play performance in the second game of back-to-backs has really in Tampa on Tuesday. declined. “Every game in this league you need to be at your best, your best shape, Since Nov. 11, the Senators are 3-for-34 (8.82 percent) in the second every team is so good that you need to be performing at your best to game of back-to-backs compared to 18-for-113 (15.9 percent) in the rest win,” Hoffman said. “We don’t control the schedule. It’s what we’re given. of their games since then. We have to deal with that, but it’s not something you’d recommend or prefer. At the end of the day, it’s things we can’t control and we just go Since Dec. 9, they are 1-for-21 (4.8 percent) on the power play in the out there and do what we can do.” second game of nine back-to-back games compared to 16-for-85 (18.8 percent) in their other 31 games. After the game on Monday, the Senators will be lucky to get to their hotel rooms in Tampa by 2 a.m. That’s the biggest challenge of the back-to- As Anderson wondered the other day, how many back-to-backs do other back situation, Hoffman said. teams play? “It’s not getting as much rest as is needed for games,” he said. “After When told the Pittsburgh Penguins are tied with the Senators with 19 games it takes a while to wind down. You don’t get to bed until around 2 back-to-backs, he said: “They’re in the playoffs. You have to deal with it. o’clock and then you’ve got to go play a game as opposed to if you At the end of the day, if you’re making excuses, you shouldn’t be weren’t playing, you’re probably in bed at 10:30 or 11. Sleep is huge for playing.” performance, your stamina, how your brain reacts, how it works. FYI, the Penguins are 7-6-2 in the second game of their back-to-backs, “Over a period of time, the season is long and tough as it is, you add compared to 33-20-2 in the rest of their games. those in there and it makes it that much more difficult.” As Anderson summed it up: “You can’t piss away games that you’re (Hoffman had five goals in three games in the second game of back-to- supposed to win due to the scheduling that you know is going to come up backs to start the season; since then he has two in 12 games). and you’re going to have some tough games. You’ve got to make the most of the games you’re supposed to play well in. You’ve got to make Said Senators goaltender Craig Anderson: “You get off your routine so sure you play well in those games.” normally if the night before a game you’re in bed by 10 o’clock, back-to- back you’re in bed by 2 or 3, there’s five hours right there so now your The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 whole next day routine is all off. We try to adapt as best we can.” The large number of back-to-backs is not an excuse for the way this season has cratered for the Senators, but when it comes time after this season for the post-mortem on this train wreck of a season, the schedule is one of the factors that should be examined. If the goal is to give your team a schedule that gives it the best chance of being successful, the Senators organization failed miserably in that regard this season. The back-to-backs, the trip to Sweden, the decision to host the Olympic curling trials at Canadian Tire Centre, forcing the Senators to go 18 days between home games, they all added up to give the Senators another hurdle to overcome. To be clear, this isn’t making an excuse for the Senators disappointing performance this season. It is just one other thing that needs to be discussed and analyzed to determine its impact on the season. Teams can control their schedule, to a certain extent, by the number of available dates they submit to the league when it embarks on its schedule matrix. The Senators are playing almost half their season in back-to-back situations. One coach said the back-to-back situation can affect the first game, as well, because players tend to pace themselves knowing they have to play again in 24 hours. “It’s human nature,” he said. How to overcome the lack of rest and the impact of sleep on performance has been a growing area of interest for NHL teams. It has been investigated by the Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins, among many teams. Sleep researcher Cheri Mah of the University of California, San Francisco, has worked with the Sharks and the Golden State Warriors. Her research has shown more sleep improved speed and explosiveness in athletes. Dr. Charles Czeisler of Harvard University gave the Bruins advice on rest before a transcontinental return to Vancouver to play the Canucks and win Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final, according to The New York Times. 1103366 Philadelphia Flyers

Burrows prepares to hit what could be his last major milestone

Don Brennan

SUNRISE, Fla. — Alex Burrows will play his 900th NHL game on Tuesday in Tampa, and he’s realistic enough to know that he may very well never reach 1,000. In fact, less than a month from his 37th birthday, Burrows understands he might not get a chance to fulfil the final year of his current deal next season with the Senators, who could opt to buy him out. “The body feels good,” Burrows, who is scheduled to make $2.5 million again in 2018-19, said before Monday’s meeting with the Florida Panthers. “We’ll see how things go. “Obviously the last couple of months have been tough on the team, tough on myself. But we’ll re-evaluate in the summer. Obviously it would be nice to get that magic number.” Burrows, who had four goals and nine points in 56 games heading into Monday, believes he still has some hockey in him. “I feel I can contribute in some aspects,” he said. “I understand the situation of the league. The league is getting younger. When I first came in, it seemed like there was a lot of late 30-(year-old) players playing in the league where now there’s only a handful. “I understand the business side of things, too. The cap era you’ve got to make sure you develop some young guys, especially in the situation we’re in right now. If the organization is feeling they want to kind of rebuild or retool or whatever you want to call it, normally that goes with a lot of young guys. But for me, I still enjoy coming to the rink every day, and I still enjoy competing out there. Especially I enjoy watching these young guys coming in, trying to make a career out of playing hockey.” Reaching the 900-game mark was special for Burrows, who was never drafted. “It means that I’m old, pretty much,” he joked. “I’ve been around for a long time now. As a kid, I never thought I’d play one. My first goal was to play in the NHL, then my second goal was to play as long as I could. Once you start playing and become a regular, your ultimate goal is to win a Stanley Cup. So this is the second goal, I’m at 900 now. But still chasing that silver cup. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103367 Philadelphia Flyers Vegas had five shots on its power play, including a pass by Erik Haula that deflected off the stick of goaltender Petr Mrazek and into the net. Haula was at the goal line to the right of the net when he tried to throw a Flyers fall to Vegas on late goal pass out front that Mrazek misplayed. The Golden Knights, an expansion team that leads the Pacific Division and is setting many NHL records, got the power play when the Flyers by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER were whistled for too many men on the ice, a call that infuriated Dave Hakstol, their normally placid coach.

Fleury made a key save on Couturier (redirection) in the first period, and The Flyers are making things difficult on themselves as they try to stay in made a glove save to rob Voracek from scoring on a left-circle drive with the race for the Metropolitan Division title. 8:38 left in the second. With a little over three minutes remaining in the second, he made consecutive point-blank saves on Patrick and the They played solidly Monday night but lost for the sixth time in seven snake-bitten Oskar Lindblom (rebound). games, dropping a 3-2 decision to upstart Vegas at the Wells Fargo Center. Mrazek, Fleury’s counterpart, denied Alex Tuch as he broke in alone early in the first period, and he stopped Haula after Vegas had a three- Ryan Carpenter scored from the left circle to snap a 2-2 tie after Cody on-one following a MacDonald turnover with 15:26 to go in the second. Eakin won a board battle behind the net and threaded a pass to the third- line right winger with 2 minutes, 40 seconds left in regulation. The Flyers controlled the second period, scoring the session’s only goal and having a 16-8 shots domination against a team that was completing “We’ve go to do a better job on the battles,” right winger Wayne a five-game road trip. Simmonds said. But they faltered at the end and they are now just 17-12-6 at home — a Radko Gudas, Andrew MacDonald, and Val Filppula were the Flyers big reason they are not atop the Metro standings. behind the goal line. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.13.2018 Marc-Andre Fleury made 38 saves and became the 12th goalie in NHL history to register his 400th victory. It was the second time in three games that the Flyers lost late in the third period. They allowed a goal with 22 seconds left in a 3-2 defeat in Boston on Thursday. The lost points could be killers. “We’re letting these games get away from us. It’s March, we can’t be doing this,” Shayne Gostisbehere said. “We need every point we can get.” “We have to refocus,” Simmonds said. The Flyers had a 40-29 shots advantage Monday, but you don’t get points for shots. “We played solid, but we didn’t get the two points and that’s what matters, right?” said Simmonds, whose team fell four points behind Metro-leading Washington. Vegas was 2 for 2 on its power play, while the Flyers were 1 for 4. “We played a good game, five-on-five,” center Sean Couturier said. “Our [penalty kill] needs to be better. We have to move on and forget about this one as soon as possible.” The Flyers are six points ahead of Florida, which has three games in hand and is fighting to get into the last wild-card spot. Simmonds tied the game at 2-2 by scoring from close range with 12:54 left in regulation, beating Fleury with a perfectly placed shot to the short side that went over the goaltender’s right shoulder while the Flyers were on a power play. The Flyers were in a 2-for-28 power-play funk before Simmonds converted a slick feed from Jake Voracek. William Karlsson had given Vegas a 2-1 lead by scoring on a power-play rebound with 14 minutes left in the third period. The Golden Knights capitalized on a high-sticking penalty against defenseman Travis Sanheim. Ten seconds before his penalty, Sanheim was robbed by Fleury, who gloved his ticketed shot from the high slot. Claude Giroux’s 10th goal in the last 16 games enabled the Flyers to tie the game at 1-all with 18:33 left in the second period. Travis Konecny took the puck away from Shea Theodore near the offensive blue line, and Sean Couturier fed Giroux for a left-circle wrist shot that sailed over Fleury’s glove for his 25th goal, three shy of equaling his career high. About two minutes later, former Flyer Pierre-Edouard Bellemare leveled Nolan Patrick, and the rookie had to go to the locker room and be tested for a concussion. Patrick returned to the ice about five minutes later. The Flyers were the stronger five-on-five team – holding a 9-4 shots advantage — but Vegas won the special-teams battle in the opening period. 1103368 Philadelphia Flyers “Every night. we’ve had something that’s added a little extra,” he said. “There’s has not been one night where we’re like, ‘Ah, we don’t care about this one.’ It’s been working quite well.” Flyers winger Jori Lehtera finally feels he belongs; Brian Elliott returns to In 59 games, Bellemare has five goals and 13 points, and he has been ice one of the team’s top penalty killers. Elliott on ice by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER For the first time since he had abdominal surgery Feb. 13, goalie Brian Elliott was on the ice before the Flyers’ morning skate Monday. Flyers general manager Ron Hextall hopes Elliott can return to action before the After failing to score a goal in his first 40 games, Flyers winger Jori end of the regular season. Lehtera has made an impact in the last three weeks. Breakaways Lehtera has three goals in the last 11 games, including a shorthanded tally, and has done a solid job on the penalty kill. The Flyers will use the same lineup that produced Saturday’s 2-1 win over Winnipeg. … The Flyers entered Sunday with a league-best 53.6 “I’ve been feeling way better,” the 6-foot-2, 212-pound Finn said after the percent success rate in faceoffs. … In the last eight games, the Flyers’ Flyers’ morning skate Monday at the Wells Fargo Center, where they power play is just 2 for 26 (7.7 percent) and their PK is 17 for 22 (77.4 were preparing for Monday night’s game against visiting Vegas. “I’ve percent). been on the roster for a long time now. I haven’t been a healthy scratch for a while, so it gives me confidence. Scoring a couple goals brings Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.13.2018 confidence, and I know better now what the coach wants from me.” Acquired with a pair of first-round picks last June in the deal that sent Brayden Schenn to St. Louis, Lehtera said it took him a while to get acclimated to his new team. “At the start, I didn’t know my role and what the coach wanted from me,” he said. “… It was frustrating because I didn’t know what they wanted from me. Now it feels like I’ve found my spot and it’s easier.” Lehtera, who lately has been on the Flyers’ fourth line with Scott Laughton and Matt Read, said coach Dave Hakstol wants him to play “steady defense and keep it simple and win the battles. Play smart in the defensive zone and on the PK.” Hakstol called Lehtera “such a constant presence in all the little things he does, the important areas of the game. It starts with his intelligence and his competitiveness. And when you add the consistency he brings, he’s just a real effective player regardless of the combination of the forwards we have him with.” Goalie matchup Peter Mrazek will face the Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury, who is aiming for his 400th career win. Fleury, 33, has been outstanding this season. The former Penguin is 24- 9-3 with a 2.16 goals-against average and .930 save percentage. But he has struggled in his career against the Flyers, compiling a 2.89 GAA and .899 save percentage. Mrazek, 26, has been up and down in his eight games with the Flyers, putting together a 4-3-1 record, 2.82 GAA, and .899 save percentage. He is coming off a strong effort in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Winnipeg. Bellemare returns Former Flyer Pierre-Edouard Bellemare returned to Philadelphia for the first time since Vegas picked him in the expansion draft. After Vegas’ morning skate Monday, Bellemare revealed that the Flyers told him before the draft that he was going to be exposed. “I was 32 years old. … I had eight points [last year], so it’s not like I was a guy they couldn’t replace,” said Bellemare, who turned 33 last week. “I understand it. It doesn’t mean I was happy about it because my life was in Philadelphia, but I knew it was a great opportunity. “If they would have protected me, it would have been ludicrous. You have young guys [like Scott Laughton to protect].” Bellemare, who still owns a home in Philadelphia, had dinner with some of his ex-Flyers teammates Sunday and said he was “excited” to return to the Wells Fargo Center. Having broken into the NHL in Philadelphia, “this is a special place,” he said. Bellemare said it seems as if every time the Golden Knights play an away game, one of their players is returning to face his former team. That, he said, has helped the players rally together because they want to win the game for that player. “Every night, we’ve been helping that guy win against his old team,” Bellemare said. “Maybe that’s also one of the reasons we’ve been so focused every night.” He said his teammates want to “help him win” Monday. 1103369 Philadelphia Flyers So where do they go from here? Well, there’s your silver lining of this uneven playbook. Columbus is Thursday’s home opponent. Three of their next four opponents after that have announced they are rebuilding. With time short, Flyers still seek an identity | Sam Donnellon They still have games with Pittsburgh, Washington, and Boston, but the final three games of their season are against teams on the outside looking in. by Sam Donnellon, STAFF WRITER Then again, if the Flyers don’t fix things soon, they might be out there with them. These games were supposed to be their mid-terms.

It’s been so dismal, they may not be allowed to take even one final. Over the last decade, a stack of statistics have been added to the various ledgers that account professional hockey, some more germane than Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 03.13.2018 others. Monday, as the Flyers prepared for their game against the Vegas Golden Knights and their fourth top-tier power play in as many games, Matt Read mused why there wasn’t at least one more out there. “When we have an opportunity to clear it, we’re clearing it,” said the veteran, a recent call-up. “I don’t know if there is a stat out there that keeps track of that. But if you don’t get that puck deep or out of the zone, that’s when things get scattered. That’s when you lose people. I think the last couple of games we’ve done a better job of not losing people.” The numbers that are crunched backed that up. In the three games prior to Monday night’s, against the league’s first, second, and fourth power plays, the Flyers’ much-maligned penalty kill unit successfully defended nine of 11 power plays. It gave them at least a chance to grab a point in Boston (they didn’t) and to hold onto two at home against Winnipeg. The end of each game, however, foretold Monday night’s 3-2 loss to the Knights, and underlined a basic truth: Like the Phillies of the early 2000s, and the current Sixers, the Flyers are a team in transition, streaking this way and that, undoing ugly plays with beautiful ones, and vice versa. They lost to Boston on Saturday when Brad Marchand bull-rushed a puck into their net with 22 seconds left. They lost Monday night when Vegas scored inside of the final four minutes after the Flyers botched numerous chances to clear the puck from their own zone. They also lost last night because they surrendered two power-play goals in two power-play tries, and coughed up another game-deciding late goal when their third line of Wayne Simmonds, Michael Raffl, and Val Filppula could not handle the forecheck of a mishmash of Vegas’s third and fourth line, centered by our old friend, Pierre-Edouard Bellamare, who gained a second assist by keeping the puck from clearing the zone. “We’ve seen this story before,” said Flyers captain Claude Giroux, whose 25th goal tied the game at one early in the second period. “And it’s frustrating. We played a hell of a game. We played the way we wanted to, and everybody was going. A couple minutes left and they find a way to put it in. It’s frustrating. “We’re letting these games get away from us,” echoed Shayne Gostisbehere. “It’s March. We can’t be doing this. We need every point we can get.” A quick glimpse of the standings tells you how true that was. It seems eons and not weeks ago that the Flyers rented first place in the Metropolitan Division for a day. Still in third, the Flyers hold a three-point lead over New Jersey for the last wild-card spot and have played one more game. And Florida, with three fewer games played, is just six points back and charging (despite a slip against Ottawa on Monday night). It’s convenient and misleading to pin this on a sudden slump. Yes, this team had a remarkable 10-0-2 streak in February, but toward its end, the errors that are proving toxic against a string of much better teams were often masked by the competition they sometimes played down to. They won ugly against the moribund Rangers and won ugly twice against the struggling Canadiens before Carolina delivered that 4-1 streak-breaking wake-up call at the start of the month. That game marked the start of a string of measurement games against teams that were having either much better seasons than they are, or coming on strong — teams with characteristics that gained them points even on off nights. Tampa Bay beat them late. Florida swamped them. Pittsburgh beat them good, too. The Flyers’ most consistent characteristic this season has been effort. The power play that once looked so mighty has been, for quite a while, predictable and easily solved by opponents . The penalty kill, a ray of hope amid this lull that allowed them to hang with Boston and outlast Winnipeg, went AWOL On Monday night, one goal was actually knocked into the net by their own goaltender, Petr Mrazek. “Your goaltender has to be your best penalty killer,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol had said earlier in the day. He was not on that play. 1103370 Philadelphia Flyers substance of what we saw when we were out there a couple of weeks ago backs up everything that their record tells you about them.”

Maybe so ... but it doesn’t mean it’s logical. The Golden Knights are no Rob Parent: Bellemare and his Vegas ‘misfits’ keep fairy tale going mirage, but they remain a mystery. against Flyers Sean Couturier is still the Flyers’ leading goal-getter, although linemate Claude Giroux is closing fast with his 25th goal of the season against By Rob Parent, Delaware County Daily Times Vegas Monday. Meanwhile, Couturier, who has 29 goals, has gone 12 games without one. What he did have was a terrific play in which he picked off a Vegas HILADELPHIA >> Perhaps for the first several weeks of the season, outlet and shoveled the puck over to Giroux, who rifled it past goalie surprised observers around the NHL figured that the early success of the Marc-Andre Fleury for a game-tying goal in the second period. Vegas Golden Knights was best characterized by the name of one of their city’s iconic meccas — The Mirage hotel and casino. Couturier has been an offensive revelation this season, not coincidentally since he was paired with Giroux and was put at center to free Giroux to By the time Vegas had risen to near the top of the league standings at work on the wing. the turn of the year, no one believed this was just an expansion team fantasy any longer. Coaches and players throughout the league were It’s worked wonders for both, as Giroux is having almost a career year essentially crowning general manager George McPhee with an Executive and Couturier (now with 64 points in 70 games) is definitely having one. of the Year award, and coach Gerard Gallant — whose NHL head But Couturier still has many of his old responsibilities, like being the coaching resume had listed rather short, mostly failed stints with Flyers’ premier penalty killer and a player frequently double-shifted. With Columbus and Florida — was being hailed as a miracle worker. this streak of games without a goal then, there might be a natural Oh, and Reilly Smith was being hailed as a star. assumption that Couturier is a bit weary. Especially since he skipped practice Sunday for a “maintenance day.” Before this year, Smith’s most productive seasons had seen him compile 51 points with Boston in 2012-13 and 50 with Florida in 2015-16. But then again... Entering the Knights’ game at Wells Fargo Center Monday, Smith was “I don’t know how I can be any more plain. I don’t see fatigue in Coot’s out with an injury, but he’d already put up 22 goals and 60 points. game,” Hakstol maintained. “I see him playing really well. Teams might Of course, the story with an expansion team is that for the first several be checking that line with a little more purpose because of the success expected tough seasons, somebody has to get the points. they had for a good stretch. But he’s still playing really good hockey both ways. Count Smith in, and well-traveled forward James Neal (24 goals, 40 points), too. But the reality is this expansion team is different from most “I don’t see much difference in his game now than it was during the year.” or all the rest. General manager Ron Hextall seems to agree. The Golden Knights are stocked with solid NHL vets such as “You’re going to go through your little ups and downs through a season, defenseman Deryk Engelland and forwards David Perron and Cody no matter who you are,” he said. “Coots, I guess you could say, Eakin. But there are also younger players like Erik Haula, who Monday offensively he is a little down right now, but we’re not concerned about it.” night scored his 26th goal to give the Knights an early lead on the Flyers, Jonathan Marchessault (22 goals and 65 points) and Lars William “Wild Bill” Karlsson, a Columbus castoff (despite his marketable name) who had scored 15 goals in 162 games with the Blue Jackets the previous Meanwhile ... both injured Flyers goalies, Michal Neuvirth and Brian two seasons ... and Monday got his 36th of the season in the Knights’ 3-2 Elliott, have resumed skating. New goalie Petr Mrazek has played well win over the Flyers. the last few games but has been up and down. He should have had center Ryan Carpenter’s game-winning shot late in the game Monday. All This team also has the one player selected from the Flyers’ unprotected of this should make for an interesting situation in a couple of weeks for list for the expansion draft, 32-year-old Pierre Edouard-Bellemare, who the Flyers’ goaltending, which is always an interesting subject. would assist on Vegas’ game-winning goal late in the third. Bellemare should have a couple of good years with this team before he’s ready to Delaware County Times LOADED: 03.13.2018 settle down and join the Vegas marketing department. “He was a good role player here, and a great guy,” former teammate Matt Read said of Bellemare. “Can’t say a negative thing about him. One of the friendliest guys I ever played with and I’m sure the fans will have some signs out there for him.” Other than bad signs by the Flyers on the ice — they have lost six of their last seven games, by the way — there weren’t many to be seen for Bellemare. After the Knights’ morning skate at Wells Fargo Center, Bellemare spent time telling Philadelphia reporters about his fond feelings for the Flyers organization, and also talked about how it felt to be part of this feel-good first season with the NHL’s team from the desert. Along the way, Bellemare said, “... You have 23 guys that arrived here, all kind of misfits. If you’re coming to Vegas it’s because somebody in the organization you were in before, even if they wanted to have you, they didn’t protect you. Somehow, you’re here for a reason.” Granted, other expansion teams have felt the same. But before their season began, the emotions were ramped up by the Oct. 1 mass shooting in the city that left 58 people dead. Since then, the Golden Knights have been part of the public mission that is the city’s recovery, immediately earning a fond place in the hearts of many. They quickly became a hot ticket. The puzzling fact that they’re also one of the best teams in the league has only added to the luster. The Knights are 45-19-5, running away in the Pacific Division with the second-best record in the Western Conference. “I was impressed with everything that they did,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said Sunday of the Golden Knights, who were beaten by the visiting Flyers on Feb. 11. “Obviously their record speaks for itself. The 1103371 Philadelphia Flyers prepare my team much differently than anyone else does. For me, it’s having fun and having a good attitude and make sure your players are ready to play.” Flyers need to get up to speed vs. surprising Vegas Proof what happens in Vegas certainly shouldn’t stay there. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 By John Boruk | NBC Sports Philadelphia March 12, 2018 2:10 PM

Of all the headliners that can be found on the Vegas strip, who would have imagined the Golden Knights, in their expansion year, would be right up there with Cirque du Soleil, Inferno and Chris Angel? They shoot, they score, they entertain, and most impressively, they win. Only Tampa Bay averages more goals per game than Vegas does this season. Vegas coach Gerard Gallant has performed a miracle that’s one part Herb Brooks, another part David Copperfield. How can a coach bring together a collection of castoffs from across the league and build not just the best expansion team in league history, but one of the top hockey teams in the entire NHL, all while playing an uptempo, fan-friendly system? “That’s a good question,” Flyers forward Jakub Voracek said. “They’re just skating very well, all of them. Obviously it’s hard to play against someone that’s skating so well.” When these two teams played for the first time in Las Vegas in early February, the Flyers found out firsthand as they were outshot 39-18, the most lopsided shot total of any game this season, but were opportunistic in a 4-1 win. Under Gallant, the Golden Knights have developed into one of the quickest puck-moving teams in the league and are constantly on the attack. Sean Couturier doesn’t believe there’s another team in the league that plays that style as well as Vegas does. “I don’t think so,” Couturier said. “Not as good as they do. I think a lot of teams try and play like they do — spread the offensive zone, cycle the puck, control the play and get defenders out of position, but they’re really good at it.” So if it works for the Golden Knights, why couldn’t the Flyers adopt a similar system? For starters, Vegas general manager George McPhee was able to handpick his entire roster from a list of unprotected players — good players, at that. So if speed, puck control and skating ability were key attributes, then McPhee had the luxury of assembling that type of roster. “What stands out when you watch them and when you play against them? Their speed presents a real challenge,” said Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol, whose team has 81 points, good for third in the Metro behind Pittsburgh (84) and Washington (83), and three points ahead of New Jersey (78). Washington hosts Winnipeg Monday night. “You have to be ready to defend that and you have to be ready to counterattack against it.” Secondly, the Golden Knights possess balance with no real “star power.” For most of this season, every line that Gallant has assembled has had to prove it's worthy of ice time, including the current top line of leading goal-scorer William Karlsson (35 goals) at center and Jonathan Marchessault (22 goals) and recent pickup Tomas Tatar (17 goals), formerly of the Red Wings. That trio has combined 74 goals on the season. The Knights also have 20-goal scorers in Erik Haula (24), James Neal (24) and Riley Smith (22). “The biggest part of it is to have 23 players here, all kinda misfits who were left unprotected. So when they came with a simple system, it has to be 20 guys every night. You can’t have one line hot and the other three coasting,” said former Flyers forward Pierre Edouard-Bellemare, whom Vegas plucked in the expansion draft last summer. “[Gallant] played the guys who were working the hardest, and that was the indicator for the other guys, it doesn’t matter who your name is.” Which probably wouldn’t work for Hakstol if Voracek, Couturier or Claude Giroux didn’t exactly bring their best effort every game. Gallant has been dealing from the same deck all season, a “use-it-or-lose-it” philosophy, you could say. Impressively, it’s the same approach Gallant took with the Summerside Capitals of the Maritime Junior Hockey League back in the mid-1990s. “The way I coach is the same I coached in junior hockey,” Gallant said. “Come to the rink, have fun, work hard and be competitive. I don’t 1103372 Philadelphia Flyers Buckeyes will play at Notre Dame Saturday for the Big Ten Tournament . #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/30U7g2fLwH

— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) March 11, 2018 Up next for Flyers prospect Cooper Marody, the NCAA Tournament The Buckeyes will face No. 5 Notre Dame Saturday in the Big Ten championship game. By Tom Dougherty | NBC Sports Philadelphia March 12, 2018 9:35 AM • Isaac Ratcliffe had a goal and an assist in three games for Guelph, and while he did not score on this breakaway Saturday, he did flash some silky hands. Before this week begins, it’s time for our weekly check-in on the Flyers’ prospects. Merkley (2018) had a good game tonight. Here's his pass to spring Isaac Ratcliffe (PHI) that was just chef kissing fingers good. Cooper Marody, C, 21, 6-1/185, Michigan (NCAA) pic.twitter.com/deDl2umj4r Marody did all he could, but it wasn’t enough to send Michigan to the Big — Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) March 11, 2018 Ten title game. • Matthew Strome had a two-goal game Saturday vs. Niagara. He leads Still, the No. 11-ranked Wolverines are a near lock for the NCAA Hamilton with 37 goals. Tournament. GOOOOALLL @Mstrome16 ties it up again with another assist from Saturday, Marody potted two goals against No. 6 Ohio State, but @RThomas_27! 2-2. pic.twitter.com/E92fOKST44 Michigan fell, 3-2, in overtime. — Xy - Hamilton Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) March 11, 2018 Michigan's Cooper Marody with the #SCTop10 candidate.pic.twitter.com/0DHxvvsP6W • German Rubtsov is working with a point streak of his own, as the 2016 first-round pick had a goal and two assists in three games. He has seven — NCAA (@NCAAIceHockey) March 11, 2018 points during his five-game point streak. COOOP THERE IT IS! pic.twitter.com/BkZlZlMeFj • Carter Hart’s ridiculous 2017-18 season continued. He stopped 62 of 66 shots in two games. His six-game win streak ended Sunday night with a — Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 11, 2018 2-0 loss. The junior leads Michigan with 32 assists and 46 points in 37 games. His • Phantoms center Mikhail Vorobyev added a goal and two more assists. 14 goals are second on the Wolverines. Nationally, Marody’s 32 helpers He has four assists and seven points in his past six games. are second-most and his 46 points are tied for seventh. • Owen Sound’s Maksim Sushko tallied his 30th goal. Four of the Flyers’ Pascal Laberge, C, 19, 6-1/162, Quebec (QMJHL) 2017 draft picks have reached the 30-goal mark this season. Sushko joins Frost, Strome and Ratcliffe in that club. Make it eight straight for Laberge. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 Laberge extended his point streak to eight games last week, adding two assists Thursday and a goal and an assist Friday. During his streak, Laberge has collected five goals and 13 points. Following a trade to Quebec, Laberge has started to find the consistency that’s been missing over the past two seasons. In his last 27 games, Laberge has 11 goals and 15 assists — he was pointless in his first three games with the Remparts. On the season, Laberge has 17 goals and 46 points. Morgan Frost, C, 18, 5-11/172, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) With the OHL season winding down, time is running out for Frost to regain the scoring lead. But it’s still possible. Frost’s point streak reached 11 games last week. During this streak, he has 11 assists and 19 points. In 64 games, Frost has 40 goals (fourth), 67 assists (second) and 107 points (second). GOAL! WHAT a goal!! Individual effort all the way by @_morganfrost_10 to slip right through the entire OS line, finds the five hole on Lafreniere and we're back within 2 after a STUNNER of a play! | #SOOvsOS pic.twitter.com/tzuX7fKcnQ — xyz Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) March 11, 2018 TIE GAME! What a goal! Who else but @_morganfrost_10 to tie the game at 5!! You heard it here first, NEVER count these boys out. | #SOOvsOS pic.twitter.com/qrVL1XfxoY — xyz Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) March 11, 2018 Not only does Frost’s plus-68 rating lead the OHL but it also leads all of the CHL. The centerman trails Barrie’s Aaron Luchuk (110 points) for the OHL scoring lead. Quick Hits • OSU’s Tanner Laczynski picked up the primary assist on Matthew Weis’ OT winner Saturday. Kick off the day with a look back at last night’s gamewinner over the Wolverines! 1103373 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers 'can't keep doing this' ... but they do

By John Boruk | NBC Sports Philadelphia March 13, 2018 12:15 AM

The Flyers' margin of error is paper thin right now. Against the Bruins last Thursday, it was a failure to clear the puck out of their zone in the final minute that set up the game-winning goal. Facing the expansion Golden Knights Monday, all it took was losing one board battle late in the third period that led to another regulation loss and a 3-2 setback at the Wells Fargo Center (see observations). “It was a scrum in the corner and they play a good triangle down low and we knew that before the game,” defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said. “We just needed a little winger support, and they made a great play.” Former Flyer Pierre-Edouard Bellemare fought off Wayne Simmonds, Valtteri Filppula and Radko Gudas to gain possession along the boards and behind the Flyers' net, which ultimately led to Ryan Carpenter’s one- timer goal from the left circle that beat Petr Mrazek with 2:40 remaining in regulation. “I felt like we controlled this one,” head coach Dave Hakstol said. “We didn’t get a puck out and that whole shift we didn’t get the puck under control. We had an opportunity to push it out at the blue line, and then we got caught outside of our coverage down in the slot.” One mistake overshadowed another solid 60-minute effort in which the Flyers controlled possession and neutralized the Golden Knights' fast- paced attack, limiting Vegas to just 19 even-strength shots. “We should have gotten a point obviously,” Simmonds said. “We've got to be focused. We played solid but we didn’t get the two points and that’s what matters. I guess it doesn’t really matter here. We've just got to make sure we play the full 60. If it’s not 60, it’s not good enough.” And right now, as well as the Flyers have played recently, it simply isn’t good enough. In seven of their last eight games, the Flyers have scored two or fewer goals. “We’re pretty pissed. We’re letting these games get away from us right now,” Gostisbehere said. “It’s March. We can’t keep doing this. We need every point we can get.” After racing to the top of the Metropolitan Division following a 1-0 shootout victory over the Canadiens on Feb. 26, the Flyers have mustered just three points (1-5-1) over their last seven games. Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury came up with some spectacular saves to earn his 400th career victory. Perhaps the biggest was a sprawling glove save on rookie Travis Sanheim in the first four minutes of the third period. The former Pittsburgh Penguin also beat the Flyers for the 28th time in his career, which ranks third all-time behind New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur and New York Rangers great Henrik Lundqvist. “We’ve had such a good rivalry,” Fleury said. “I thought it was always intense games and tough games, tough place to win. The crowd is into it, too, usually. With this team, it’s still fun to win here.” As for the Flyers, they need to discover that enjoyment rather quickly. Thursday they host the Blue Jackets, who are now just two points behind the Flyers in the standings. March is not a good time to be a bubble team, no matter what sport it is. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103374 Philadelphia Flyers

Ovechkin scores a seat in an exclusive club

By The Associated Press March 12, 2018 10:30 PM

WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin scored twice to reach 600 goals and Evgeny Kuznetsov had the overtime winner as the Washington Capitals returned to first place by beating the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Monday. Ovechkin scored in each of the first two periods to get to 42 this season. The Russian winger became the 20th player and fourth-fastest in NHL history to 600 goals and is on pace to lead the league in goals for the seventh time. Kuznetsov made it a night of celebration for Washington by scoring on a breakaway 4:11 into overtime. Ovechkin's historic performance was crucial on a night when Jets winger Patrik Laine scored his 16th in the past 12 games to get to 41 this season. Nikolaj Ehlers also scored a 4-on-4 goal for Winnipeg, which got 40 saves from Connor Hellebuyck. Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer stopped 26 shots in his third consecutive start (see full recap). Jones, Blue Jackets continue to surge COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Seth Jones scored two first-period power-play goals, and the Columbus Blue Jackets won their fifth straight, 5-2 over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and Ian Cole also scored, Alexander Wennberg had three assists and Artemi Panarin recorded two assists for Columbus. Behind a run of eight wins in 11 games overall and a season-high six straight at home -- including a just-completed four-game homestand -- the Blue Jackets moved past idle New Jersey into the first wild-card position in the Eastern Conference. Columbus also edged within two points of third-place Philadelphia in the Metropolitan Division. Down 4-2 until late, Montreal put Sergei Bobrovsky to the test in the third period. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner stopped all 24 shots the suddenly energetic Canadiens threw his way. He had 38 saves overall (see full recap). Vesey, Zuccarello help Rangers down Hurricanes NEW YORK -- Jimmy Vesey scored three times, Mats Zuccarello had two goals and the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 on Monday night. Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for the Rangers, who ended a three- game losing streak and earned their first home win since Feb. 9. Pavel Buchnevich and Mika Zibanejad each had three assists. Backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev made 41 saves for his second win of the season. Teuvo Teravainen, Lee Stempniak and Victor Rask scored for the Hurricanes. Scott Darling, who has struggled in his first season with Carolina, made 17 stops. Tied at 3 in the third, Vesey took a loose puck at the left faceoff circle and wristed a high shot past Darling at 12:15. Zuccarello added an empty-netter at 17:23 for his 14th of the season and Vesey capped his hat trick with an empty-netter in the final minute for his 15th goal this season (see full recap). Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103375 Philadelphia Flyers Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018

Flyers handed fool's gold by expansion power

By John Boruk | NBC Sports Philadelphia March 12, 2018 9:38 PM

The NHL’s feel-good story of the year is leaving Philadelphia feeling a whole lot better. Golden Knights winger Ryan Carpenter fired a snap shot past Petr Mrazek wth 2:40 remaining in regulation to give Vegas a 3-2 win at the Wells Fargo Center Monday night. It marked Marc-Andre Fleury’s 400th career win to become the 12th goaltender in NHL history to reach that milestone. Flyers captain Claude Giroux extended his point streak to seven games after scoring his 25th goal of the season. That marked the fifth season Giroux has reached the 25-goal mark in a season. Wayne Simmonds scored his first goal in nearly a month that tied the game at 2-2. The Flyers outshot the Golden Knights, 40-29, including a 16-8 advantage in the second period. The Golden Knights and Flyers split their two regular-season matchups with each team winning on the road. • Sean Couturier has been so good on faceoffs, but he lost a crucial one in the defensive zone with 17 seconds remaining on the Knights’ power play in the first period. That gave Vegas one last chance before time expired. The resulting draw led to Erik Haula beating Petr Mrazek from the goal line and a 1-0 Golden Knights’ lead. Haula tried a centering pass that Mrazek attempted to poke check and instead it ramped up over his shoulder and into the net. • In a game featuring two players that should receive a high number of votes for the Selke trophy, Couturier along with Travis Konecny set up the Flyers’ first goal. They intercepted a pass in the offensive zone and gave it up to Giroux, who fired a snap shot that beat Fleury high and to the glove side. Once again, Giroux scored the Flyers’ first goal and now has points in 15 of his last 17 games. Look out, Giroux's coming through! It's all tied up in the second period. pic.twitter.com/lVha2aBeDf — NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 13, 2018 • The Golden Knights made it a perfect 2 for 2 on the power play when William Karlsson scored on a wide-open net after the initial shot from the point was blocked and then kicked aside reactively by Mrazek. • Mired in a 2-for-28 slump, the Flyers’ power play came through when it desperately needed it against Vegas. Shayne Gostisbehere lasered a perfect saucer pass to Simmonds down low, who roofed a shot after Fleury dropped into the butterfly position. For Simmonds, that was his first goal since Feb. 16. Simmonds SNIPE It's all tied up in the third! pic.twitter.com/fIBA1WjsaR — NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 13, 2018 • If I’m a good lip reader, then I could have sworn Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said, “What the f--- are you talking about?” in regards to the too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty in the first period. Giroux and Hakstol clearly felt the Flyers didn’t have a sixth skater out when the whistle was blown. Regardless, it’s the most animated you’ll see Hakstol on the bench challenging an official. • There were shades of Fleury during his time wth the Penguins on Monday night. Fleury was all over the place as he tossed his body around the ice in the first period. The Flyers had him out of his net on several occasions, but they couldn’t capitalize. The goalie, who had a history of falling apart against the Flyers, finished with 38 saves. • The Flyers survived a near catastrophe when Andrew MacDonald hung on to the puck too long just inside the Knights’ blue line, which resulted in a turnover and a 3-on-1 chance. However, Vegas couldn’t failed to take advantage and just settled for a shot that Mrazek saw all the way. • Much like the game in Vegas between these two teams, the Golden Knights attempted to catch the Flyers leaky on those sharp-angled shots and get the goalie out of position with very quick east-west passes. 1103376 Philadelphia Flyers Elliott on ice

It looked like another coach out on the ice for the start of Monday’s morning skate because he was in a track suit. The goalie stick was a Travis Sanheim way more confident in return to NHL giveaway that it wasn’t. It was Brian Elliott, his first time on the ice since having abdominal surgery on Feb. 13.

The goalie was one of the Flyers’ MVPs in the first half of the season and Dave Isaac, @davegisaac Published 5:12 p.m. ET March 12, 2018 one of their more reliable veteran voices. Even seeing him out there offered a boost. PHILADELPHIA — His confidence shot from sitting in the press box for “Moose is such a big part of our dressing room,” Hakstol said. “It’s tough. nine out of 10 games in the NHL, Travis Sanheim got a big role when he When a guy is injured it’s tough for him to continue to have that type of returned to the minors. presence, but Moose certainly has that presence with us. We know that we’ll get him back at some point in time and to see him in the room and Last season he cut his teeth with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and it around the guys is a step in the right direction.” appeared as though his days in the AHL were over when he made the NHL out of training camp. After 35 games with the big club, GM Ron Courier-Post LOADED: 03.13.2018 Hextall sent Sanheim back down. He was a shut-down defensemen playing alongside Phil Myers and still nearly had a point per game. Now he’s back in the NHL thanks to an injury to Robert Hägg, who is out two weeks after blocking a shot with his left heel. “I just went down motivated,” Sanheim said. “I wasn’t happy with how my play had been up here the last few games that I was in. To get back up here, I wanted to prove that I belonged here. “Playing in all situations allowed me to develop all aspects of my game. I played so much defensively against top lines down there that could easily be third or fourth lines in the NHL, so I was getting to play against some top guys and try to shut them down defensively.” Wednesday the Flyers opened the doors of the renovated gym and nutrition areas of the team's practice facility to the media. Wochit Sanheim, 21, hasn’t had the smoothest rookie season. Toward the end of his NHL stint, he had trouble in his defensive zone and sometimes made the wrong reads on plays for the opponents. He cleaned that up with the Phantoms while adding to their offense and had been playing like an NHLer the whole time. He certainly looked like he belonged in Saturday’s win over Winnipeg, his first game back with the Flyers. “Any reports that we heard (from the Phantoms) were all good,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “He went down and he embraced the opportunity to play a specific role there. He did that I think day in and day out. I was asked about what’s different with Sandy since he came back, I think he went there and recaptured his confidence and was playing the exact same game he was playing for a good portion of the year here. As things got a little tight and a little tense, some of those characteristics left his game. For him to be able to go back there and reset was really good for him.” Sanheim is up with the Flyers on an “emergency recall,” meaning without him they’d have fewer than six healthy defensemen. Johnny Oduya is skating but is still considered day-to-day with a “lower-body injury.” If he or Hägg returns the Flyers will have to either send Sanheim back or make him a normal recall, of which the Flyers have three left before the playoffs. If he performs well, they’ll keep him. “The main message coming up here was to not try to do too much,” Sanheim said. “The way I was playing down there is something they wanted me to bring up here and play that style of game. I was finding success down there with the way I was playing and if I am able to come up here and do the same thing I was doing down there, I’ll help this team win hockey games and that’s the main goal.” Bellemare returns with Vegas The upstart Vegas Golden Knights have had somewhat of a ritual before every game. Because they’re an expansion team, each game is a revenge match for at least one of their players who was cast off that team. Monday they were all fighting for Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in his return to Philadelphia. The Frenchman started his NHL career with the Flyers when they signed him out of the Swedish Hockey League in the summer of 2014. That doesn’t mean there’s any bad blood, though. “They had no choice and if they would have protected me it would have been ludicrous, I’ve got to be honest with you,” he said. “I’m 32. They have young guys. How long am I going to be in this league? How long are they going to be in the league? They made a choice. It’s Vegas. You make a choice. You play. You gamble.” 1103377 Philadelphia Flyers On Marc-Andre Fleury going for his 400th career win... "You know what, since the beginning of the year, because of the nature of our team and everybody comes from (somewhere else), every night Pierre-Edouard Bellemare opens up on Las Vegas, not being kept by somebody is playing against his old team. It has been a thing every night. Flyers We’ve been helping that guy. Maybe this has been one of the reasons we’re so focused every night. It’s easy. You go to Pittsburgh, Flower’s going to play against Pittsburgh. We just want to win for him. And I know Dave Isaac, March 12, 2018 guys are going to try to do the same to help me win this game. Every night we’ve had something that’s added a little extra. There hasn’t been one game yet where we’re like, ‘Ah, we don’t care about this one.’ No." PHILADELPHIA — Expectations couldn't have been lower before the Courier-Post LOADED: 03.13.2018 season began. How on Earth could the Vegas Golden Knights be anything but the worst team in the league? They were an expansion team built from castaways of last year's 30 NHL teams. In Bovada's preseason odds, the Edmonton Oilers were 9 to 1 odds to win the Stanley Cup. Vegas was one of six teams paying off at 100 to 1. Um, oops. Edmonton won't make the playoffs and Vegas is now looking like a team of world beaters. Ex-Flyer Pierre-Edouard Bellemare has been there from the start, which couldn't have been much worse for the community. On Oct. 1, only a couple hours after the Golden Knights' preseason finale at home, a shooter opened fire on a crowd at a music festival, killing 58 people and injuring more than 800 more. "Then after what happened in Vegas, to be honest the first few meetings were about what kind of people they want in the locker room," Bellemare said. "Not especially that they want you to have a 50-point season. It was about what kind of players they wanted to have in the locker room and it kind of worked. We understand that and what happened Oct. 1 kind of helped us all mature to be able to play for the city and not for anything else really. When you build a foundation, as we did after that, there’s no chance you are moving backward. As soon as the game is not the way it’s supposed to be, we’re all like, ‘OK, this is not hard to play.’ Because of that we have been able to win more games than we lost." Here are some more snippets from Bellemare's chat with reporters after Monday's morning skate in Philadelphia, his first game back since he was a member of the Flyers. On the players who were selected in expansion... "I guess part of it is you have 23 players arrive here, all kind of misfits. If you’re coming to Vegas it’s because somebody in the organization you were in before, even if they wanted to have you, they didn’t protect you. Somehow, you’re here for a reason. Because if you had been better, you would have been protected. We were all kind of kidding around about that, but we know that’s the case. When we came to Vegas, we all decided to be better. When they came with a simple system it was like, ‘OK, if you want to win it has to be 20 guys every night.’ You cannot have one line that is hot and the other three are coasting. It’s a system that required a lot of skating and every night we’ve had a lot of people involved and it’s tough to beat us." On the Flyers not protecting him in the expansion draft... "I had a talk with Hexy and Hak. I’m 32-years-old. I had eight points (last season). And even if they signed me to a way-too-good deal, to be honest I still had eight points. It’s not like I was the kind of guy you cannot replace. When they talked to me about it and explained their thought, I understood it. It doesn’t mean that I was happy about it because my life has been in Philly, but I knew there was an opportunity that it could happen. From that point, you guys know the way I am. It was all right. Move on and see what happens. That’s what I told them when they called. I said, ‘OK, we’ll see what happens on Tuesday.’" So the Flyers told you they were going to expose you? "Yeah. I don’t expect less. It’s a good organization. They take care of their players. What happened to me is just part of the business. They had no choice and if they would have protected me it would have been ludicrous. I’ve got to be honest with you. I’m 32. They have young guys. How long am I going to be in this league? How long are they going to be in the league? They made a choice. It’s Vegas. You make a choice. You play. You gamble. Any player you pick, it would have been a loss for them anyway. I’m in this situation but it could have been someone else. For me, it was a great opportunity. I come to a new franchise, staple myself into it, have an opportunity to talk to the young guys and have them understand my way to think and my way to work. Maybe if I touch one of those kids, he helps another kid later on. That’s all you can do. At the end of the day when your career is over, it’s like what have you done with your situation? I think it was a great opportunity for me." 1103378 Philadelphia Flyers “I just tried to cut the pass. It hit my edge of the stick and went in,” Mrazek said. “That was a bad bounce because so many times you want to cut the pass and it will hit your stick. But this just hit the piece ... the Flyers 5 takeaways: Self-inflicted mistake costs points in playoff battle edge of the stick, and went in.” The Golden Knights only had two power plays and scored on both. Dave Isaac, @davegisaac Published 11:23 p.m. ET March 12, 2018 “The second one, again they scored in the last 30 seconds of it,” Hakstol said. “We couldn’t get the clear, we got ourselves under pressure and a high-tip off our goaltender and they were in the right spot for the rebound. Not gonna overreact to anything there.” PHILADELPHIA — The sound you hear is footsteps, and the Flyers hear them too. There was progress on the power play, though. The Flyers had been 2- for-28 before Simmonds backed up from the crease, took a pass and Two of their last three games have ended in heartbreak and no points roofed a shot over Fleury. when they could have had two but certainly deserved at least one. “It was a big goal for us,” Gostisbehere said. “We were hot and we got “We’ve seen this story before,” Claude Giroux said after a 3-2 loss to the another power play after that and couldn’t really capitalize. It’s tough. Vegas Golden Knights. “It’s frustrating. We played a hell of a game. We When we play that good of a game and that’s the end result, it’s tough for played the way we wanted to and everyone was going. A couple minutes us. We’ve just got to take some positives and keep going.” left and they find a way to put it in. It’s frustrating.” Lindblom’s cursed With the loss, the Flyers are three points shy of the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place and only three points ahead of the New Jersey Devils, More on Oskar Lindblom in Wednesday’s Courier-Post, but he’s played who have the last wild card spot. about as well as he can with nothing to show for it in his first 11 NHL games. As was the case in Boston last Thursday, they Flyers got outmuscled in their own end and allowed a late goal. “I don’t know. I’m getting chances,” he said. “I just have to keep going here. I’m trying not to be too negative.” This time it was Ryan Carpenter who scored with 2:40 left on the clock after Valtteri Filppula failed to clear the zone and Wayne Simmonds got That can be hard for a 21-year-old who is new to the league, but it outworked by ex-Flyer Pierre-Edouard Bellemare along the boards. sounds like his teammates and the coaching staff have picked him up enough to keep his confidence afloat. “Obviously that sucks. We can’t be doing that to ourselves,” Simmonds said. “We fought back, tied it up and to lose that way sucks.” Veteran presence “We’re letting these games get away from us right now,” Shayne Hakstol has said several times this season that he values the work of his Gostisbehere added. “We can’t be doing this. We need every point we more tenured players and that’s why they see the ice in crucial situations. can get.” He’s got to be close to rethinking that strategy because he continues to Marc-Andre Fleury made 38 saves on 40 shots and got his 400th career get burned by it. win. The Flyers came back to tie the game twice and couldn’t get themselves a lead. Brandon Manning had some failed clears of his own and lost his coverage on the second goal. Simmonds and Filppula were beaten along They’re not in danger of missing the playoffs yet. More nightmares like the boards leading to the game-winning goal. Would the play of younger this however, and they may not be far off. players make them any more vulnerable? “We weren’t back on our heels tonight,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “We Dave Isaac; @davegisaac; 856-486-2479; [email protected] had one shift where we didn’t do the job. That’s just honest. I don’t feel like there’s any trend. The game in Boston, that’s completely different. I GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, FLYERS 2 felt like we controlled this one. We didn’t get a puck out. That whole shift, Up next: vs. Columbus Blue Jackets we just didn’t get the puck under control. We didn’t get an opportunity to push it out at the blue line and then we got caught on the outside of our When: 7 p.m., Thursday coverage down in the slot.” TV/Radio: NBCSP/97.5 FM Here are four more takeaways from Monday’s game… Courier-Post LOADED: 03.13.2018 Patrick’s gotta keep his head up Back in October the Flyers hosted the Anaheim Ducks and Nolan Patrick took a shoulder-to-shoulder hit from Chris Wagner and missed nine games with a concussion. He admitted he needed to be more aware on the ice and better positioned. Same could be said Monday night. The rookie ran right into Bellemare and stayed down on the ice for a while. He went to the locker room, presumably for concussion protocol, and later returned. Nolan Patrick leaves the game after being hit by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. pic.twitter.com/K8f4kO54Vc — Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) March 13, 2018 The positive, of course, is that he wasn’t seriously hurt. The learning experience is that he needs to be more aware still. Patrick had just cut to his left, so he was on his edges rather than standing upright and that likely played a factor. One thing to look for in seasons to come is that Patrick will have a full summer to add some weight (he didn’t last summer after surgery) and should be stronger next season. Special teams split The Flyers’ power play took a step forward and the penalty kill a step back. Erik Haula got a gift of a goal when he tried to pass it across the goal crease to Colin Miller and Flyers goalie Petr Mrazek pokechecked it. 1103379 Pittsburgh Penguins But understand you can't get rid of the obvious Briere-type offside, without the "cheesy" ones from Hornqvist, Subban and Drouin being subject to review as well. I would rather prevent egregious errors from Tim Benz: Pittsburgh involved again as NHL runs into NFL-style replay happening, even if it means some delays in the name of accuracy and debates consistency. Much like I've said about the James debate, the answer lies in how replay is applied , not the elimination of it. TIM BENZ | Monday, March 12, 2018, 6:03 p.m. If those offside calls are "cheesy," then make the act of challenging more punitive. For instance, Dallas challenged that goal call even though it didn't have a timeout because such an act results in a penalty if you are Mr. James, meet Mr. Dumoulin. wrong, not a loss of a timeout. Mr. Dumoulin, meet Mr. James. Will Mr. Hornqvist and Mr. Malkin be Make it both. You can't challenge without a timeout, AND you get joining us as well? penalized while losing the timeout if you are wrong. Maybe that will restrict replay being used so often. Pittsburgh was at the epicenter for the NFL's replay earthquake. Why not have it occur here for the NHL's as well? Replay is here. It's here to stay. In all sports. The logic of its application is what needs to be fixed. The cry to adjust NFL instant replay exploded during a Steelers game when tight end Jesse James had his touchdown against the Patriots If it isn't, I'm sure the next hot button will be pressed somewhere in the overturned in December. 412 area code again. It did on the ice as well Saturday when Penguins defenseman Brian Tribune Review LOADED: 03.13.2018 Dumoulin had an apparent goal negated for goaltender interference while he was scoring in Toronto. So not only did Dumoulin's goal fail to count, he had go to the penalty box. It was the most hotly contested in a string of debates this year about goaltender interference. As Stars forward Jamie Benn tweeted after the play, "2 mins (in the box) for scoring. Huh?" At least James didn't get a penalty flag for illegal contact with the ground that he allegedly "didn't survive." "I don't think anyone really knows what goalie interference is and what isn't," said Penguins coach Mike Sullivan after the 5-2 loss. Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist added more tequila to the replay cocktail Sunday night when Hornqvist scored against Dallas. That goal was overturned for offside because Malkin's skate blade was barely off the ice entering the offensive zone well in advance of the goal being scored, and well across the ice. Jonathan Drouin and P.K. Subban are screaming "karma" at the top of their lungs right now, and Danny Briere is grinning sheepishly. "At least they got it right," Hornqvist said after the win. Therein lies the rub. On the one hand, you've got the case for replay — Making sure a goal is scored legally. On the other, you've got the case for pace and spontaneity — Don't bog down a game by ruining a highlight moment in the name of an inconsequential technicality. A ball scraping a blade of grass beyond the goal line, or a skate blade being an inch above the ice (all the way across the rink from the puck) both fit that description. Yet in the case of Dumoulin, they won't review a play if a whistle was improperly blown, even though the play has to stop to fish out the puck and send the player to the box. "Even if they call a penalty on the play, that should be challengeable," Sullivan on Saturday. "That's just common sense." Sullivan is applying common sense, the league is not. I understand the NHL is trying to protect the health of goalies and the integrity of the crease. But how about the integrity of logic and the health of the game? Shouldn't this league want more goals on the board instead of erasing them? It's not as simple as "Mongo no like replay! Replay bad!" For example, after Malkin's offside call, former NHL player and current Sportsnet analyst Nick Kypreos tweeted: "Cheesiest disallowed goal/offside call of the year. Straddling the line has been in our game forever. How many goals in NHL history would have been disallowed with this video review, 10,000? Please let's get rid of this #ASAP." Unfortunately, saying "we've had it wrong for 100 years, so let's just keep getting it wrong" isn't a good argument. If the opinion is offside isn't deemed to be egregious enough to overturn a goal anymore, OK. Stop reviewing those plays then. 1103380 Pittsburgh Penguins Pairing up Malkin with speedy left wing Carl Hagelin has been a home run. When the duo is on the ice together at even strength, the Penguins average 3.69 goals per 60 minutes. When Malkin is on the ice without Penguins' Evgeni Malkin running wild since Jan. 1 Hagelin, the Penguins average 2.55 goals per 60. 9. Home games help. JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Monday, March 12, 2018, 7:45 p.m. Malkin is having a good season on the road (38 points in 34 games), but he's having a great season at home (49 points in 32 games). The only bigger homer in the league is Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon (59 points in 32 games). By the numbers 10. Still, Malkin probably won't end up the NHL's all-time leading No matter how you slice it, Evgeni Malkin has been one of the NHL's Russian-born scorer. most dangerous scorers this season. Here's a look at league points leaders at five different starting points on the calendar. With a goal and an assist against Dallas on Sunday night, Malkin (919) passed Pavel Datsyuk (918) for fifth place on the NHL's all-time Russian Since Nov. 1: 1. Malkin, 74. 2. Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, scoring list. At his current pace, there's a good chance Malkin will pass 73. the current leader, Sergei Fedorov (1,179), before his contract is up in 2022. The problem? Ovechkin has a 188-point lead on Malkin and is still Since Dec. 1: 1. Malkin, 66. 2. McDavid, MacKinnon, Claude Giroux, 53. going strong. Since Jan. 1: 1. Malkin, 51. 2. Sidney Crosby, 41. Tribune Review LOADED: 03.13.2018 Since Feb. 1: 1. Malkin, 32. 2. McDavid, 30. Since March 1: 1. Malkin and Brad Marchand, 11. Evgeni Malkin doesn't have a hard time explaining why he's in the middle of such a stellar season. He credits good health, good linemates and a growing sense of confidence for the prolific path he's cut through the last four months of the NHL schedule. What's harder to pinpoint is just how many trophies Malkin will be adding to his collection by the time the regular season draws to a close. Can he lead the league in goals for the first time in his career? Can he lead the league in scoring? Might he earn enough votes to take home MVP honors? All possibilities are on the table with a month left in the season. “I just want to not think about that. I want to sleep at night,” Malkin joked. “It's very important for me. It's a good challenge for me. I challenge myself. I'm ready every game, and I try to help the team win, and I do my best. If I win, it's good. If not, next year.” Here is a look at 10 remarkable aspects of Malkin's remarkable season: 1. There's a really good chance Malkin wins the Rocket Richard Trophy. Coming into Monday night's games, Malkin had 39 goals, one behind league leaders Alex Ovechkin and Patrik Laine. In the second half of the season, Malkin has been scoring at a greater rate than either. Malkin has 25 goals in his past 30 games. Laine has 22 in his last 30. Ovechkin has 17. 2. Winning the Richard would put Malkin in a class by himself. Malkin is one of five players to win the Calder, Art Ross, Hart and Conn Smythe trophies in his career. The other four are Mario Lemieux, Bryan Trottier, Bobby Orr and Patrick Kane. None of those four won the Richard, which was inaugurated in 1999. 3. There's a really good chance Malkin wins the Art Ross Trophy, too. Malkin has 87 points, one behind league leader Nikita Kucherov and two ahead of Connor McDavid. Malkin has been scoring at a much more prolific rate since Jan. 1, averaging 1.70 points per game compared to 1.34 for McDavid and 1.10 for Kucherov. 4. If Malkin wins the Art Ross, it would be an age-defying accomplishment. Malkin is 31. The last player older than 30 to lead the NHL in scoring in a full season was Lemieux, who did it at 31 in 1996-97. 5. Malkin has more multipoint games than scoreless games this season. Malkin has recorded 11 two-point games, 10 three-point games and two four-point games. He has been held off the scoresheet 17 times. 6. Malkin's defense hasn't suffered at the expense of his scoring. Malkin is a plus-15. No other forward on the Penguins roster is better than plus-8. 7. Health helps. Malkin missed between 13 and 25 games due to injury in each of the previous five seasons. This year, he's missed four. 8. Hagelin helps. 1103381 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins join Carnegie Mellon to study hockey safety

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Monday, March 12, 2018, 1:34 p.m.

The Penguins are harnessing the brain power of Carnegie Mellon engineering students to try to make hockey safer. The team announced a “Rethink the Rink” project Monday in collaboration with CMU and Covestro, the high-tech polymers and plastics company. Starting with a five-day “Make-a-thon” at CMU this week, students will work to produce prototypes that would change the design and composition of the glass and dasher boards to increase player safety without compromising game performance. The next step would be submitting prototypes to experts at the NHL and USA Hockey and potentially testing them at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. If the project is successful, it also could expand to address player equipment and rink construction issues. “We challenge our students to take on unusual problems, to be innovative, to be inquisitive and to take full advantage of hands-on learning projects,” James H. Garrett Jr., dean of CMU's College of Engineering said in a release. Tribune Review LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103382 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins' Evgeni Malkin piling up NHL honors

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Monday, March 12, 2018, 12:48 p.m.

In the middle of a stellar season, Penguins center Evgeni Malkin continues to pile up NHL honors. After being named one of the league's top performers of the month in January and February, Malkin was named third star of the week Monday. Malkin had three goals and five assists in four games last week, including three multipoint efforts. He had a goal and two assists last Monday against Calgary, recording his league-leading 12th three-point game of the season. Winnipeg's Patrick Laine scored five goals in three games and was named top star of the week. Boston's Brad Marchand was second. Tribune Review LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103383 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins challenge CMU students to help create safer ice rinks

JOYCE GANNON

Engineering students at Carnegie Mellon University are spending this week trying to make ice rinks safer for the hometown hockey team and other players. The students are being challenged by the Pittsburgh Penguins to develop solutions to improve ice rink dasher boards and glass and are developing prototypes that eventually could be submitted for review by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey, a youth hockey association. To develop the prototypes, the students are using materials from Covestro, the German plastics maker which has its North American headquarters in Robinson. The Penguins recently named Covestro as its official innovation partner and the challenge at CMU, dubbed “Rethink the Rink,” is the first project the partnership has undertaken. “Players are bigger, faster and stronger than ever before, and so our challenge is to find new ways to keep them safer and reduce injuries,” said David Morehouse, the Penguins’ president and chief executive. “This can be a meaningful research project that, if we achieve our goal, could help make a long-term impact on the game.” Future projects using Covestro materials may focus on player equipment and rink construction and the prototypes could be tested at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. Covestro’s plastics and resins are used in industrial and consumer products including electronics, insulation, furniture and automobile parts. The company said the idea for a collaboration with CMU students evolved from conversations between Mr. Morehouse and Jerry MacCleary, chief executive of Covestro’s North American operations, about how to apply Covestro’s materials to hockey safety. “We’re writing the playbook as we go, but that’s how innovation happens — by pushing boundaries,” said Mr. MacCleary. Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103384 Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant general manager Bill Guerin brought up something else while discussing Malkin’s game and comparing it to what he did in 2009.

“Geno has come a long way as a leader,” Guerin said. “I think Geno is 20 Penguins Thoughts: Evgeni Malkin mature and masterful always going to be himself. He’s going to march to the beat of his own drum. JASON MACKEY “I think when it comes down to it, he knows exactly what he has to do and what he’s responsible for.”

This manifests itself in dressing-room stuff but also on the ice. Evgeni Malkin insisted that he’s not focused on winning the Art Ross Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL’s leading scorer. 6. An example of this occurred midway through the first period of Sunday’s game. Or scoring the most goals, which would net him the “Rocket” Richard Trophy. Malkin came all the way to behind his own goal line to force a turnover and start the rush the other way. One of the last things he did was deliver It also wouldn’t be wise to hold your breath while waiting for Malkin to a hit on Wampum native Stephen Johns. mention how he’s thrust himself into the Hart Trophy discussion as the league’s most valuable player. A 200-foot game, anyone? “I want to sleep at night,” Malkin said. “That’s very important for me.” “Just overall responsibility-wise, you see how he’s played during the playoffs the past couple of years; he knows when to make certain plays,” Whatever Malkin is doing, however he’s approaching things since the Guerin said. “I think Geno, naturally, is always going to have a bit of risk- start of 2018 … just keeping doing you, Geno. taking in his game. That’s who he is. That’s how good he is. That’s why he’s been able to be as good as he is. Malkin has been incredible. He could easily win all three awards due to a dominant stretch that has one of his closest friends comparing Malkin’s “We’d never want him to totally lose that, but I think when you look back game right now to that of the 2009 postseason, when he won the Conn at it … when a guy like him gets married, he has a child or something like Smythe Trophy with 14 goals and 36 points in 24 playoff games. that, it all helps in the maturation process. He’s no different.” As of late Sunday night, Malkin (39 goals, 87 points) was one point shy of 7. Sergei Gonchar and Malkin are tremendously close. You know that. Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov and one goal back of Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine. Gonchar agreed on the wife/son element with Malkin and added the departure of guys like Chris Kunitz, Marc-Andre Fleury, James Neal and Since Jan. 1, nobody has more than Malkin’s 24 goals and 49 points, and Pascal Dupuis — ex-teammates who were part of the Penguins fabric for that second category isn’t close; Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid are many years. Even Matt Cullen and other key parts of the past two Cup a distant second with 39 points apiece. runs. “Confidence,” Malkin said of the biggest thing that has led to all of this. “Being a family man is one thing,” Gonchar said. “It gives you another “No injury. I play all year. I feel it. If you score every one or two games, level of maturity. But also with some of the older guys gone, he probably you feel so much better.” has more responsibility leadership-wise. 2. If this keeps up, Malkin should win the Hart Trophy. He has been the “That’s something else that brings his game to another level. Those two Penguins’ best player and has flipped their season from a 19-18-3 mess things give him that extra push.” into a 21-8-1 masterpiece since the start of 2018. 8. Is this the best Gonchar has ever seen Malkin play? Kucherov has been great, too, but he has nine goals in the same amount of time where Malkin has 24. Plus, Kucherov has 17 fewer points. Isn’t “In a while, for sure,” Gonchar said. “The best I’ve ever seen him was the this the most important stretch of the season? playoffs in 2009. The way he’s playing right now is very close.” Ovechkin and Laine are incredible scorers. At this point, however, Malkin 9. Malkin has been tremendous this season, but so has Gonchar. How might surpass them. Even if he doesn’t, they’re wingers who’ve great of a find was Jamie Oleksiak? combined for 55 assists – only seven more than Malkin. Game-winning goal Sunday. Has four goals and 10 points in 35 games Carl Hagelin’s resurgence has been tied to Malkin’s success. Ditto for with the Penguins after producing just one goal and three points in 21 Bryan Rust resuscitating his season after a slow start. The Penguins with the Stars. could set the franchise record for power-play prowess, and Malkin has a Working with Gonchar has been huge for Oleksiak. team-high 13 power-play goals. “He’s a guy who’s on the team, but he’s not working the bench,” Oleksiak “I’m ready every game,” Malkin said. “I try to help the team to win. I do said. “It’s kind of nice to have that other perspective. Obviously, he’s a my best.” guy who’s been there and done it all. He’s not afraid to tell you that you 3. The run to the Rocket and the Art Ross could have a Russian flavor need to work on things. Definitely fortunate to have a guy like that out with Kucherov, Malkin and Ovechkin all in the mix, but Malkin said he’s there. It’s kind of nice to have another perspective.” not too worried about that, either. 10. If there was an assistant coach of the year award, Gonchar seriously It’s more about the challenge, the pursuit, being in that conversation once might get it. You have Oleksiak but also Justin Schultz, Trevor Daley, again, and also focusing on winning games. Chad Ruhwedel and even Ian Cole. Gonchar made them all better, in addition to probably a bunch I’m not naming. “It’s a good challenge for me,” Malkin said. “I’m excited. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in this situation. It’s more fun. It’s hard to win. “Obviously, it makes me happy,” Gonchar said of the idea that he’s some sort of defensive wizard. “I’m happy when the guys are improving “Kucherov, Ovechkin, Laine … they’re amazing players. If we win every themselves and start feeling better, start playing better hockey. It’s really game, I will be a little bit lucky. But why not?” fun for me. 4. A few more numbers before adding some context to Malkin’s success “If you think about it, the guy was maybe on another team, he wasn’t sure … of himself. He was doubting whether he can be in the league. Then he comes he and starts playing better and better. It makes him feel Malkin has been the league’s most productive player since Jan. 1, as comfortable. He’s getting his confidence back. They become NHLers outlined above. He’s also riding a six-game point streak (3-8—11) and again. They’re doing well. It makes me happy.” passed Pavel Datsyuk on Sunday for fifth place among Russian-born NHL players with 919 career points. I don’t know if Gonchar was talking about Oleksiak. Or Schultz. Or someone else. Tough to tell how many defensemen Gonchar has flipped. Maybe the most ridiculous part of this is the consistency. Malkin has at least one point in 25 of 29 games, multiple points in 16 of 29 and three or 11. You may have wondered about Daniel Sprong whenever Josh Jooris more points in nine of 29. was recalled last week. 5. Where has all of this come from? One, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan Guerin, who serves as general manager of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has talked about putting Malkin with two “workers” and asking him to Penguins, offered many salient points on the topic. shoot a little more. The best one involves Sprong’s consistency … or his search to find it. “He’ll go in spurts where he’s proven to us that he can do certain things,” So head equipment man Dana Heinze, like me, is a Deadhead. We Guerin said. “He can play in the defensive zone. He can finish hits. He’s routinely talk tunes and shows. Dana was showing me some old pics he shown us. He’s proven it to us. We know it. Now it’s finding the found from a tour back in the 1980s – I can’t remember which year consistency. That’s one of the hardest things for a younger player to do. because of what happened next. Especially with things that don’t come natural to you.” Lemieux, whose fantasy camp was last week, tapped Heinze on the 12. Guerin also said he feels as though the Penguins made a mistake by shoulder. One of his campers needed a stick. Mario smiled, laughed and having Sprong start with the NHL club in 2014-15. gave a wink, almost like he was messing with Heinze. Either way it was fun. “We should have never had him here as an 18-year-old,” Guerin said. “He wasn’t ready. I think he wowed all of us with his shot and the way he 20. I was going to spend part of my Thoughts talking about goaltender can skate. It would’ve been better for him to go back to junior for two interference and the offside call Sunday, but I didn’t want to get in years and keep maturing that way. Now, he’s working.” trouble. Also isn’t worth the effort. 13. It’s tough to see Sprong playing an impactful role this season given Post Gazette LOADED: 03.13.2018 all the stuff Guerin said. The right job simply isn’t available. Fans will continue to clamor for Sprong, but if the issue is truly consistency, maybe it is best to let Sprong find it in the AHL. Guerin believes the Penguins are in a good place with Sprong right now. “The fact that we don’t have him here right now, it’s not a punishment,” Guerin said. “It’s not that we’ve given up. He’s working on his game. He’s better off down there at this point in time of his career, playing the minutes he’s playing, getting the opportunity he’s getting and maturing that way. “Everybody has a different path. Everybody has a different timetable. To be honest with you, I think we’re right on it. He’s getting better. But we don’t have to force him in.” 14. Casey DeSmith isn’t your average goaltender. You may have noticed that hockey players are insane about their routines. Well, only about 99.9 percent of them. DeSmith isn’t that. Although Penguins team policy – this is the norm league-wide – is for goalies to not be available the morning of games, DeSmith would have no problem speaking if it were asked of him. “It’s necessary to live,” DeSmith said. “You have to talk to people. I don’t understand the whole ‘not talking to people.’ I don’t think I could live like that on any day, never mind game day.” 15. DeSmith also plays soccer before games when he starts. “I’ve never seen that before – where a starting goaltender plays soccer,” Tom Kuhnhackl said. “I enjoy being around the guys,” DeSmith said. “It’s always fun – a camaraderie kind of thing. It’s a good warmup.” At that point in our conversation, I pointed out that DeSmith was definitely in the minority with his beliefs. “Some goalies are really uptight and don’t talk to people,” DeSmith said. “That’s definitely the opposite of what I am.” 16. Especially when it comes to this: “I guess that’s another weird thing: I don’t have to nap, but I also don’t have to not nap,” DeSmith said. “It just depends on how I feel. I usually nap. I’ve had bad games where I do nap. I’ve had good games where I napped and vice versa. It’s not something that’s make-or-break for me. I don’t need to do either one. It’s just depending on how the body feels.” No nap on a gameday? C’mon, Casey. 17. Bunch of talk last week about Carolina shifting Ron Francis out of the general manager’s role. I think it would be an intriguing add for the Penguins, but I also don’t see it happening. From what I understand, Francis is pretty firmly extrenched in the Raleigh area. Stuff that should be kept private, but serious enough that it would probably prohibit a move north. 18. Terrific Patric Hornqvist moment in Philly last Wednesday. Hornqvist came off the ice and bounded into the dressing room, a usual occurrence for him. He proceed to complain – good-natured, not serious – about having to wait until 8 p.m. to start the game. As intense as they get, Hornqvist said he wanted to go right then and there. The man is good at a lot of things, but waiting isn’t one of them. 19. Funny interaction with co-owner Mario Lemieux. 1103385 San Jose Sharks — Paul Gackle (@GackleReport) March 12, 2018 “You try not to (scoreboard watch). I’m not going to lie to you, you do,” DeBoer said. “You really try not to because we just have to take care of Things to know: veteran forward says he isn’t a ‘good fit’ for the Sharks our business. We have no control over that stuff, and really, those scores, we shouldn’t waste any energy on it, positive or negative, because we’ve got enough to concentrate on. By PAUL GACKLE | PUBLISHED: March 12, 2018 “We’re trying to stay in the moment, take care of our business and trust that the standings will take care of themselves.” SAN JOSE — Jannik Hansen followed every cliché in the book. He Evander Kane, who’s hoping to get his first taste of playoff action this worked hard in practice, he waited for an opportunity, and when it came, spring, isn’t checking scores on his phone during intermissions. he played his best hockey as a member of the Sharks. “Absolutely not. No, no, no, I’m focused on the game,” he said. Still, after the Sharks swung a deal to acquire Evander Kane from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline last month, Hansen got bumped out Kane wasn’t even aware of the Ducks and Kings’ opponents Monday of the lineup again, erasing any delusion about where he stands with after the Sharks morning skate. head coach Pete DeBoer. “Who they playing,” Kane asked. “Obviously, we’re aware that it’s a mess When the Sharks square off with the Detroit Red Wings at SAP Center in the west, if that rhymes. You’ve got to embrace it, you’ve got to enjoy Monday, Hansen will serve as a healthy scratch for a sixth-consecutive it. game and the 32nd time this season. “It means so much more, you’re just that much more amped up.” Prior to the trade deadline, Hansen, a pending-unrestricted free agent, 3. No changes. told the Mercury News that he wanted to finish the season with the Sharks even though he’s struggled to earn playing time under DeBoer. DeBoer blew up his lines in the third period of Saturday’s loss to the Now, he appears to be stuck in purgatory for the remainder of the Washington Capitals as his squad struggled to find offense. season. Nevertheless, he’s going to back to the lineup that he started with Saturday against the Red Wings Monday. “That was obviously for family reasons,” Hansen said. “For hockey reasons, this obviously isn’t a very good fit for me. It’s been proven now. #SJSharks lineup the same as last game at am skate: 9-8-27, 48-39-89, It is what it is. Show up at work every day, good attitude. That’s about all 28-50-62, 23-16-20; 44-61, 47-88,4-74 I can control.” — Paul Gackle (@GackleReport) March 12, 2018 Get Sharks news in your inbox. Sign up now for the free Sharks Report newsletter. Sharks’ takeaways: ‘it wasn’t offside’ … or was it? The numbers paint a fairly accurate picture of why Hansen has spent No dispute: Sharks fall flat in loss to Washington Capitals nearly half of the season in the press box. In 52 games since the Sharks Sharks-Capitals pregame: Will ‘The Great Eight’ reach a career acquired him at the trade deadline last season to skate on Joe Thornton milestone in San Jose? and Joe Pavelski’s left wing, Hansen has scored two goals and produced just 15 points. “You have a handful of those games a year where nothing’s working. No one feels great,” DeBoer said. “The good thing about it is that we still Hansen is also one of six Sharks forwards, along Chris Tierney, Joel found a way, structurally, to stay in the game and give ourselves a Ward, Mikkel Boedker, Marcus Sorensen and Melker Karlsson, who’s chance. We didn’t end up taking advantage of that, but that’s the produced a possession rating (49.94 percent) below 50 percent this important piece from last game. season. “Really, you’re a bounce away or a power play goal away from getting Regardless, the 31-year-old Dane put together a string of quality points.” performances after injuries to Ward, Joe Thornton and Tomas Hertl created an opportunity for him to join the lineup in mid-February. Hansen San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.13.2018 produced four assists in nine games, but still wound up in the red, possession wise, five times, which clearly wasn’t enough to earn favor with DeBoer. “The one thing we’ve done is we’ve made decisions fairly around here,” the Sharks coach said. “Everyone that has played has gotten the opportunity to show their stuff. We’re going with the guys that we think can help us win tonight. That’s the only agenda.” Like our Sharks Facebook page for more San Jose Sharks news, commentary and conversation. Hansen said he’s received “no message” from DeBoer on why he hasn’t been able to crack the lineup since the trade deadline. “It’s out of my hands. I can’t really do anything about it,” Hansen said. “It’s just his preference. “If I get in, great. If not, I still have peace of mind.” 2. No scoreboard watching. DeBoer admitted that it’s tough to resist the temptation to scoreboard watch at this time of year. It isn’t a habit he wants his team getting caught up in, though. With two points separating the Sharks (81 points), the Anaheim Ducks (80 points) and the Los Angeles Kings (79 points), the Pacific Division standings could look wildly different after Monday’s action. A Sharks loss combined with Ducks and Kings wins over the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks would bump DeBoer’s team from second place in the Pacific Division into the Western Conference’s second wild card spot. Let’s try this again. An #SJSharks loss tonight combined with Ducks + #LAKings wins would drop SJ down to 2nd wild card spot pic.twitter.com/nK0bMYYAGw 1103386 San Jose Sharks Meier’s goal was the Sharks second with the man advantage in 35 tries over a 15-game span. Both goals have been scored by the second unit.

The Red Wings opened the scoring at 5:01 of the first when Henrik Sharks stay above the pack in Pacific with win over Red Wings Zetterberg fed the puck to Trevor Daley in the slot and he beat goalie Martin Jones with a shot to his glove side. Gustav Nyquist scored the Red Wings second goal at 5:05 of the second, and Zetterberg cut the By PAUL GACKLE Sharks lead to 4-3 just 41 seconds after Meier’s game-winning goal in the third, punching in a pass from Nyquist on the doorstep.

The Sharks went 2 for 2 on the penalty kill, completing the homestand SAN JOSE — On a night where the Sharks needed a win to stay above with perfect grades by going 8 for 8. The NHL’s top-ranked penalty kill the pack in the Pacific Division, the team managed to fend off the Los shifted the momentum of the game by killing off a tripping penalty to Angeles Kings and gain two points on the Anaheim Ducks by completing Barclay Goodrow just 3:30 after the Red Wings scored the opening goal. their six game homestand with a 4-2 record. Donskoi tied the game less than two minutes later. Clinging to a one-point lead over the Ducks and a two-point edge over the Kings, the Sharks handed the Detroit Red Wings their seventh “That’s when our game started to come,” Pavelski said. “That was some consecutive loss Monday by picking up a 5-3 win at SAP Center on a of the talk when it happened: if we get this kill, we can get a little night where all three California teams were in action. The Ducks, who momentum going. The game was already 1-0 at that point, so that was entered the night in third place, dropped out of a playoff spot by losing to huge for us.” the St. Louis Blues, showing just how tightly-packed the race is right now. The Kings moved into third place by beating the Vancouver Canucks. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 03.13.2018 A loss combined with wins by the Ducks and Kings would have bumped the Sharks into a wild card spot. “We’ve got to keep trying to build that (lead in the standings),” captain Joe Pavelski said. “You know how hard you’ve worked to get a couple points ahead. You can’t expect to let that go and then climb back.” The Sharks stayed ahead of the fray by getting goals from three of their four lines, the type of balance attack that is crucial to success in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The top line opened the scoring at 10:55 of the first when Jones Donskoi recorded just his third goal in 26 games on a Sharks rush play. Evander Kane, who’s earned six points in six games with the Sharks, set Donskoi up with a shot into a wide-open net after he received a cross-ice pass from Joe Pavelski, forcing an overcommitment from goalie Jimmy Howard. What a pass. What a goal!#DETvsSJS pic.twitter.com/P43fFT3KPl — San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 13, 2018 The fourth line scored 1:44 later when Eric Fehr gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead by scoring his first goal with the team. Fehr, who joined the Sharks in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 20, recorded his first NHL tally since Jan. 18, 2017 by redirecting a point shot from Brenden Dillon on a delayed Red Wings penalty. Now that’s a Fehr-ly good tip! pic.twitter.com/z2AvgdH3lj — San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 13, 2018 After spending all but four games this season in the minor leagues before joining the Sharks, Fehr couldn’t even remember his last NHL goal. “Sadly, I don’t,” he said. “I’ll remember this one. It’s always nice to get your first with a team.” The veteran center, who’s won 58.9 percent of his draws with the Sharks, has closed the revolving door at fourth line center after Ryan Carpenter, Barclay Goodrow, Joel Ward and Danny O’Regan failed to lock down the job earlier in the season, compromising the team’s four line attack. “He’s solidified that fourth line spot,” Pavelski said. “He’s giving us some good-hard minutes on the PK, forechecking, holding onto pucks.” Kevin Labanc gave the Sharks goals from three lines when he made it a 3-1 game at 1:39 of the second, poking the puck in between Howard’s pads in a scrum after Chris Tierney put a backhanded shot into the crease on a half-breakaway. The goal was Labanc’s second in 18 games. Straight to the bank pic.twitter.com/HdcRBgmllk — San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 13, 2018 Timo Meier, who earned the secondary assist on Labanc’s goal, picked up his second point of the game by scoring the game winner on the power play at 5:12 of the third. Meier recorded his 18th by redirecting a Mikkel Boedker shot in the slot. Dylan DeMelo earned the secondary assist, his second of the game, giving him seven points on the homestand. “He hasn’t had it easy here. He hasn’t been handed anything,” head coach Pete DeBoer said, referring to DeMelo. “He just keeps hanging around, getting the job done and he’s become a big part of our group.” 1103387 San Jose Sharks

5 Sharks score in win over Red Wings

By Ross McKeon Updated 11:20 pm, Monday, March 12, 2018

The Sharks capped a six-game homestand with a pivotal 5-3 win over Detroit on Monday. Now comes the hard part. In front of division rivals Los Angeles by two points and Anaheim by three, second-place San Jose dives into the busiest part of its March schedule hoping it has enough game to hold onto a playoff spot. “This was an important win for us,” Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said. “We’ve got a tough schedule coming up on the road in some tough buildings.” The Sharks open a stretch of three games in four nights on Wednesday in Edmonton before moving to Calgary and Vancouver on Friday and Saturday, respectively. It begins a segment of 10 games in 18 nights, only three of them at home. That’s why it was important to make it a 4-2 homestand instead of looking past the Wings. “This whole homestand we could have started better, but it didn’t really stop us from playing, competing, and we found ways to win games,” captain Joe Pavelski said. “Tonight we understood if we won this game, it would be a pretty successful homestand. And now we get to leave with a little momentum.” Five skaters scored goals and goalie Martin Jones made 23 saves on a night when the game was played a little more open than maybe DeBoer wanted. “We did enough to get the win,” he said. “It wasn’t a textbook game. I thought the Red Wings played really hard. We found a way.” Timo Meier was credited with the game-winning goal when he struck on the power play at 5:12 of the third period for a 4-2 lead. Meier redirected a drive from the slot by Mikkel Boedker for his 18th goal of the season. Detroit made it close when at 5:53 Henrik Zetterberg punched home his 10th on a great pass from Gustav Nyquist from behind the goal line. Chris Tierney scored his 17th of the season into an empty net at 18:26 of the final period. After allowing the game’s first goal for the fifth time during the homestand, the Sharks rallied for two in quick order during the middle portion of the first period to take a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes. Joonas Donskoi capped a pretty tic-tac-toe passing play by tapping Evander Kane’s cross-ice feed into a half-empty net at 10:55 to tie it 1-1. San Jose needed only another 1:44 to take the lead. Skating with a 6-on- 5 advantage during a delayed penalty, the Sharks’ fourth line did a good job of playing keep away long enough for defenseman Brenden Dillon to fire a drive that Eric Fehr could redirect past goalie Jimmy Howard. Acquired at the recent trade deadline, Fehr scored his first goal with the Sharks at 12:39. Kevin Labanc was Johnny-on-the-spot to nudge a loose puck between the pads of Howard, who had stopped Tierney on a mini-break. Labanc’s ninth goal of the season came at 1:39 to stake San Jose to a 3-1 lead. The Red Wings had an answer at 5:05. Nyquist poked a puck out of midair that slipped behind Jones for his 17th goal of the season. Nyquist was on the doorstep on the weak side and unmarked as a redirected drive by Tyler Bertuzzi struck the crossbar. San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103388 San Jose Sharks for their playoff lives, so the schedule isn’t as rosy as it appears at first glance. They’ll need all the wins they can get to keep pace.

Calgary Flames (Fifth in the Pacific/10th in the West, 78 points) Sharks playoff outlook with four weeks left in season Games Remaining: 11

On the Docket: 3/13 vs Edmonton, 3/16 vs San Jose, 3/18 at Vegas By Marcus White March 12, 2018 9:35 AM Outlook:The Flames are still burning, but may not for much longer after Sunday’s loss to the New York Islanders. With the least amount of It was around this time last year when the San Jose Sharks’ season games remaining, Calgary will need a lot of help to climb over three began to unravel. After beating the Buffalo Sabres in their 69th game of teams in the Pacific and two in the Wild Card. Beating the Pacific’s top the season on Mar. 14, the Sharks would not win another game for two two teams this week would add plenty of oxygen, though. weeks. A seven-point lead atop the Pacific Division with 13 games to go Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 turned into a six-point deficit at the end of the season, with San Jose in third place. On Monday night, the Sharks will play their 69th game of the season when they host the Detroit Red Wings at SAP Center, and there’s even less breathing room than around this time last year. San Jose sits second in the Pacific, a point ahead of the Anaheim Ducks and just two up on the Los Angeles Kings, who are out of the playoff picture entirely. How does that playoff picture look with less than a month until the postseason? Let’s see where the Sharks, their closest rivals, and the Wild Card teams stand headed into the week. San Jose Sharks (Second in the Pacific, 81 points) Games Remaining: 14 On the Docket: 3/12 vs Detroit, 3/14 at Edmonton, 3/16 at Calgary, 3/17 at Vancouver Outlook: With three games against cellar-dwellers and one against a bubble team (Calgary), the Sharks can give new meaning to ‘controlling their own destiny’ with a successful week. They’re 7-2 in their last nine against non-playoff teams, and won two of three on their last swing through Western Canada, so the opportunity to solidify a playoff spot is there. Anaheim Ducks (Third in the Pacific, 80 points) Games Remaining: 13 On the Docket: 3/12 vs St. Louis, 3/14 vs Vancouver, 3/16 vs Detroit, 3/18 vs New Jersey Outlook: The Ducks are disadvantaged having played one more game than the Sharks, but begin a four-game homestand on Monday. Anaheim’s lost two in a row, but the homestand may be what it needs to turn things around, with all but one game coming against teams on the outside looking in. Dallas Stars (First Wild Card, 82 points) Games Remaining: 13 On the Docket: 3/13 at Montreal, 3/14 at Toronto, 3/16 at Ottawa, 3/18 at Winnipeg Outlook: The Sharks don’t yet have to worry about catching and/or passing the Stars, but could if they slip out of the Pacific’s playoff spots. Dallas, in the midst of a season-long six-game road trip, has a brutal schedule over the next seven days. Games against two of the league’s six-best teams (Winnipeg, Toronto) could dim the Stars’ chances, and create openings for those chasing them. Colorado Avalanche (Second Wild Card, 80 points) Games Remaining: 14 On the Docket: 3/13 at Minnesota, 3/15 at St. Louis, 3/16 vs Nashville, 3/18 vs Detroit Outlook: The Avalanche have picked up points in all but two of 11 games (5-2-4) since Nathan MacKinnon’s return, but have a pretty difficult slate this week. San Jose is just a point clear of Colorado, and has three fewer ROW (32). If the Avalanche can stay afloat and the Sharks fade, the Wild Card could quickly appear out of reach. Los Angeles Kings (Fourth in the Pacific/Ninth in the West, 79 points) Games Remaining: 14 On the Docket: 3/12 vs Vancouver, 3/13 at Arizona, 3/15 vs Detroit, 3/17 vs New Jersey Outlook: The Kings are currently on the outside looking in, but will play the league’s worst, fourth-worst, and sixth-worst teams this week. However, Arizona’s played better lately, and the Devils are also fighting 1103389 San Jose Sharks

Sharks overcome slow start, beat Red Wings to wrap homestand with win

By Associated Press March 12, 2018 10:03 PM

SAN JOSE -- Eric Fehr scored his first goal with San Jose and the Sharks closed a six-game homestand by handing the Detroit Red Wings their seventh straight loss, 5-3 on Monday night. Joonas Donskoi, Kevin Labanc and Timo Meier also scored to help the Sharks win for the fourth time on the homestand and remain in second place in the Pacific Division. Chris Tierney added an empty-net goal to seal it. Martin Jones made 23 saves for San Jose. Henrik Zetterberg, Trevor Daley and Gustav Nyquist scored for the Red Wings, who matched their longest losing streak of the season. Jimmy Howard stopped 29 shots. Fehr gave the Sharks the lead for good during a long delayed penalty in the first period. With San Jose having the extra attacker, Fehr got in front of the net where he deflected Brenden Dillon's point shot past Howard for his first goal in eight games with the Sharks since being acquired from Toronto last month. The Sharks made it 3-1 early in the second when Labanc poked in a rebound after Howard stopped Chris Tierney on a breakaway. The Red Wings made it a one-goal game later in the second when Tyler Bertuzzi appeared to deflect the puck with a high stick off the post and Nyquist knocked it in off the goal line. Detroit appeared to get the equalizer on the power play later in the second but Anthony Mantha's goal was immediately waved off because he redirected it into the net with his skate. The teams then traded goals early in the third, with Meier scoring on the power play when he deflected a shot from Mikkel Boedker and Zetterberg answering for Detroit off a nice pass from Nyquist. The Sharks looked flat at the start in a game that meant much more to them than the Red Wings, who are 15 points out of playoff position. But Detroit took seven of the first eight shots on goal and led 1-0 after Daley took a pass from Zetterberg in the slot and beat Jones. The momentum shifted after San Jose killed a penalty and the Sharks took the lead with a pair in a span of less than two minutes. The first came off the rush when Evander Kane took a cross-ice pass from Joe Pavelski and slid it back across the crease to Donskoi, who tapped it into the open net for his 14th goal. Fehr added his goal 1:44 later for his first since Jan. 18, 2017, for Pittsburgh against Montreal. NOTES: Bertuzzi had three assists. ... Zetterberg took over sole possession of fifth place in goals for the Red Wings with his 336th, breaking a tie with Ted Lindsay. ... The Sharks allowed the first goal in five of six games on the homestand. UP NEXT Red Wings: Visit the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. Sharks: Visit the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103390 St Louis Blues

Goals by Barbashev, Sobotka give Blues 3-1 lead after 2

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Ivan Barbashev staked the Blues to a 2-0 lead just three minutes into the second period Monday in Anaheim when he slammed home a rebound of a shot from the point. It was Barbashev's seventh goal of the season _ and all seven have come in the second period of games. But Anaheim got on the board just 77 seconds later when Corey Perry scored his 15th goal of the season, going back door to beat Jake Allen on a great setup by Ryan Getzlaf. That gave Anaheim some momentum, but the Blues didn't back down. Their forechecking remained strong and late in the period, Vladimir Sobotka's first goal in 19 games restored the Blues' two-goal lead at 3-1 with just 3:10 to play in the period. Taking a feed from defenseman Jordan Schmaltz, Sobotka's backhand shot somehow got underneath Anaheim goalie John Gibson for Sobotka's 10th goal of the season. (First period) Believe it or not, Robert Bortuzzo got the Blues going again. In his first 261 NHL regular season games, Bortuzzo had scored all of nine goals. But he opened the scoring in game 262 with a goal Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings. And he did it again in game 262 Monday, staking the Blues to a 1-0 lead against Anaheim after one period at the Honda Center. Trailing on the play, Bortuzzo took a drop pass from Alex Pietrangelo and beat Ducks goalie John Gibson stick side at the 17:30 mark of the first period. It gave Bortuzzo three goals on the season _ a career high. And it gave him goals in successive games for the first time in his career. The Blues picked up where they left off in Saturday's 7-2 rout of the Kings, getting the puck out of their zone quickly and going north and south quickly. The result once again was a lot of offensive zone time and pressure on the opposing defense. The Blues outshot Anaheim 10-7 in the period. Jake Allen, making his third successive start, had several impressive saves, including a glove save on a mini-breakaway by Ryan Getzlaf just two minutes in, and a save on wrist shot from about 30 feet from Adam Henrique in traffic at the 14:37 mark. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103391 St Louis Blues Soshnikov-Barbashev-Thorburn Defensemen As season winds down, another big game for Blues Gunnarsson-Pietrangelo Dunn-Parayko By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch Schmaltz-Bortuzzo Goalie ANAHEIM, CALIF. -- Games outside a team's division seldom qualify as Allen four-point games, games that potentially have a big swing in the standings. DUCKS But that's the case for the Blues again on Monday night when they face Forwards the Ducks at the Honda Center at 9 p.m. Central time. It's the third Rakell-Getzlaf-Perry straight game on this trip where the difference between winning and losing is big. Had the Blues lost to the Kings on Saturday, they would Cogliano-Kesler-Silfverberg have been six points back of them. Now, they're two points back of the Kings and three points back of Colorado, which has the second wild-card Ritchie-Henrique-Kase spot. (And who the Blues play on Thursday in yet another game with big Kelly-Grant-Brown implications.) Defensemen "Every game from here on out is going to be huge," center Kyle Brodziak said. "We know where we're at in the standings and we know the Fowler-Montour situation we're in. There's not a whole lot of games left so we know what's at stake and what we need to do and hopefully we'll come in Manson-Lindholm tonight and get the job done." Petterson-Beauchemain The Western Conference wild card race is still pretty complicated. Dallas and Colorado hold the two spots going into Monday's play, but three Goalie teams, Los Angeles, Calgary and the Blues are within three points. Gibson Meanwhile, further complicating things, is that the Pacific Division race is so tight that which team is in the wild-card race and which team is in third St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2018 seems to change just as often. Tonight, for instance, if the Kings and the Blues both win, the Kings will jump into third in the Pacific, dropping the Ducks into third in the wild card race, a point ahead of the Blues. If the Kings win in and the Blues lose, the Blues would be four points out of a playoff spot and would now be trying to catch the Kings instead of the Avalanche. And that's before you even get into overtime games. The Blues haven't won two games in a row since Feb. 8 and 9, when they beat Colorado and Winnipeg in an uncharacteristic 48 hours in which they outscored opponents 11-3. The Blues are coming off a 7-2 win over the Kings that has raised team spirits about as high as they've been in a while. "That's definitely something we hope we can build off," Brodziak said. "Obviously scoring goals has been an issue for us for a little while. To come out and get seven, we hope everyone individually can gain a little confidence off that. And the same thing as a group. When the group goes out and does something like that, you get a little extra jump in your step, and hopefully we'll feed off that tonight." STILL NO EDMUNDSON Defenseman Joel Edmundson took part in the team's morning skate, but coach Mike Yeo said he wouldn't be in the lineup on Monday. After today, the Blues have two off days before they face Colorado at Scottrade Center on Thursday. The Blues recalled goalie Ville Husso from San Antonio to serve as Jake Allen's backup. Carter Hutton was back on the ice in practice for the first time since he hurt his neck on Thursday in San Jose, and while he's not ready to return yet, he said he's getting there. Husso played for San Antonio on Sunday in a game not far away from Anaheim in Ontario. He stopped 21 shots in that game to post a shutout. On hand for the game were Blues GM Doug Armstrong, coach Mike Yeo and goalie coach David Alexander. Also in that game, forward Sammy Blais, in his first game at any level since suffering a concussion on Feb. 20, had a hat trick, the first of his professional career. LINES More of the same for the Blues on Monday. After scoring seven goals, why change? BLUES Forwards Schwartz-Schenn-Tarasenko Berglund-Brodziak-Steen Jaskin-Sobotka-Thompson 1103392 St Louis Blues “We were on our toes again tonight,” Allen said. “It was similar to the LA game. I think guys are playing with their instincts, they were making the first play they saw, they were supporting each other. I think in previous With goals from unlikely sources, Blues beat Ducks and jump back into games we were getting too spread out and trying to make rink-wide wild-card race passes and get them intercepted. Tonight was cycle, cycle, cycle, work hard, tire the team down, goal. It was impressive. A lot of it stems from our forecheck and a lot of guys are doing a good job out there.” By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch And then in another case of deja vu, Barbashev scored for his second game in a row. This time, Thorburn dug the puck out of the corner, got it to Pietrangelo at the blueline, whose shot hit the stick of Nikita Soshnikov in front of the net and came to Barbashev, who put it in. It was the ANAHEIM, CALIF. • The problem for the Blues is apparently they were second goal in as many games for Barbashev since he was moved from looking for goals in all the wrong places. the top line alongside Tarasenko to the fourth line, and his third goal in Like finding coins in the sofa cushions, the Blues got goals from people four games. who aren't supposed to score goals, or in some case, are supposed to The Ducks cut the lead to 2-1 but the Blues were able to extend the lead score goals but haven't been doing it. Who needs goals from Vladimir back to two before the second period ended. Barbashev got his second Tarasenko when you can get them from Robert Bortuzzo? point of the night by passing to Jordan Schmaltz, who got his first point of The Blues finished out their three-game California swing with a second the season by getting the puck to Sobotka, who spun around and put the win, beating the Anaheim Ducks, one of the teams they are chasing in puck in off of goalie John Gibson's left pad. the Western Conference wild-card race, 4-2 at the Honda Center on The Ducks cut the lead to 3-2 early in the third and the Blues answered Monday. After starting the trip with a 2-0 loss to San Jose in which you again, this time through Berglund. Anaheim's Kevin Bieksa played the couldn't find the Blues' offense with radar, they woke up and had a 7-2 puck behind his goal toward Cam Fowler, but he couldn't stop it and the romp over Los Angeles and a four-goal game against Anaheim. Talk puck went to Kyle Brodziak, who sent it to Berglund who beat Gibson to about a spa weekend. the short side with 8:32 to go. The Blues got goals from Bortuzzo, Ivan Barbashev, Vladimir Sobotka Anaheim pulled Gibson for a sixth attacker with 2:30 to go, which raised and Patrik Berglund, and all that was missing was goals from Carl the level of anxiety as they swarmed the Blues zone, but they couldn't Gunnarsson or Chris Thorburn. They showed resolve, scoring twice score and the Blues, in the course of 72 hours, had revived their season. when the Ducks cut their lead to a goal to push it back to two. It was the first time the Blues had won back-to-back games since Feb. 8 and 9 – St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2018 which was the last time it looked like the Blues had something good going – and gave Jake Allen consecutive wins for the first time since Dec. 9 and 10. After losing seven straight, the Blues have gone 3-1-1 and are back in the thick of a Western Conference wild-card race that looks exceedingly wide open. The Blues are one point behind Colorado for the second wild-card spot and play the Avalanche on Thursday. “We've had a good team from a long time,” said Allen, who stopped 20 of 22 shots he faced, “and I think we were going through a rough patch. We lost a few big bodies to our team. We needed guys to step up. Our last stretch was terrible, you can put it that way, but we're still in a dogfight. A lot of people I think counted us out with (Jay Bouwmeester) gone and (Paul Stastny) gone and (Scottie Upshall) gone, but we still have a lot of pride in here and we're going to fight to the last fight and if we get in. If we don't, we don't, but we're going to go down swinging. "I think that was our mentality coming into this trip and finding a way to get points. I think if we went 0-3 on this trip, we might have had our backs to the wall, it might have been too late. But two big wins for us, we're still not there but it keeps us in the race.” For Bortuzzo, it was his third goal of the season. For Barbashev, his seventh. It was Sobotka's 10th, and his first since Jan. 23, and for Berglund, who was scratched on Feb. 28 when the team was at its nadir, it was his first since Feb. 9. “It’s always a great feeling to score a goal, especially when you win games too,” Berglund said. “I think it was big for us, definitely. It’s helping the big dogs out on our team, too, not just rely on them … the other guys will help out too and today was one of those days.” Bortuzzo matched his career high when he had two for Pittsburgh and one for the Blues in 2014-15 and has two goals in three days. The goal came right after Allen made a save on a three-on-two break by the Ducks. The Blues got the puck back, with Brayden Schenn dropping the puck for Alex Pietrangelo, who fed a trailing Bortuzzo who flicked it in from the high slot. Coming into this weekend, Bortuzzo had nine career NHL goals in 261 games. Then he had two in two games for the first time since Midget AAA hockey in Thunder Bay, Ontario. “Hey, whoever is scoring is scoring,” Pietrangelo said. “He scored from the same spot twice. Maybe we'll keep him there.” “It's just about contributing,” Bortuzzo said. “Everyone's doing there part right now, we're getting goals from a lot of different sources and it's easier to build energy and good morale. It was nice to get four points on this trip. It's a big weekend for us but obviously we're going to take this win, park it and get ready for Thursday.” No goal may have been more important, since the Blues are much better playing from ahead than behind. Allen has helped with that. In three games from Feb. 23 to Feb. 27, when the Blues were trying to jumpstart Allen's game, he allowed eight goals on 35 first-period shots. In three games since then, he's allowed zero goals on 33 shots in the first period. In the past two games, that gave the Blues a chance to take a lead. 1103393 St Louis Blues

Blues notebook: Brodziak always finds a way to help, Yeo says

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ANAHEIM, CALIF. • Amid the flurry of goals the Blues scored Saturday against the Kings was one by Kyle Brodziak that made the score 6-1. That goal was the 10th of the season for Brodziak, giving him a milestone he hadn’t reached in a while. The last time he was in double figures in goals was 2011-12, when he scored 22 for Minnesota. Since then, his season totals had been eight, eight, nine, seven and eight. Brodziak has been one of the most consistent players on the Blues this season, first as the anchor of the team’s fourth line, and, in the post- Stastny world, as the center on the team’s second line, playing between Alexander Steen and Patrik Berglund. “Physically I feel this is the best I’ve felt in a long time,” Brodziak said. “Getting an opportunity now with the way things went down, there’s a chance for some guys to get a bigger role and just trying to make the most of it. “I’m just trying to help out and chip in. Obviously with a little bigger role lately, that’s what’s needed. Hopefully our line can continue to do that.” “He’s obviously a veteran presence that understands his game and he’s a competitor,” Blues coach Mike Yeo said. “He’s going to find a way to go out there and be effective in games, whether he scores, whether he doesn’t. He’s going to find a way to contribute. It could be faceoffs, it could be penalty-killing, it could be momentum as far as getting to the offensive zone and being on the body. He does little things right, and that’s why as coaches you like those guys.” HUSSO IS BACK The Blues sent goalie Ville Husso back to the minors Saturday so he could get in a game for San Antonio just down the road in Ontario, Calif., on Sunday, then called him back Monday so he could back up Jake Allen while Carter Hutton continues to recover from a sore neck. (Hutton skated with the team Monday for the first time since Thursday.) Playing in front of GM Doug Armstrong, Yeo and goalie coach David Alexander, Husso made 21 saves in posting a shutout. “I didn’t know that they came to the game,” Husso said. “After the game, David texted me and said, ‘Good game.’ It was a good thing.” Though San Antonio has struggled at times, Husso has put up good numbers. He’s third in the AHL with a .928 save percentage and is tied for sixth with a 2.31 goals-against average. Since the start of 2018, he’s best in the league at .934 and 2.11. “He played well yesterday,” Yeo said. “Had a good shutout, wasn’t tested a ton in the game but looked solid, looked in good position. It seems like as the year has gone on he’s earned more and more opportunities to start games and to win games and that’s what you want. You want to develop the skills as much as anything else, you want to develop a mindset that you can be counted on, that you can prepare, that you can go in and win night after night, and that’s why it’s important for young guys to get those opportunities.” Forward Sammy Blais, getting in his first game since suffering a concussion Feb. 20, had his first professional hat trick in the game. “I thought as the game went on you could tell he’d been out for a little bit,” Yeo said. “He started to get a little bit tired as the game wore on, but still finds a way to make plays. His play with the puck is very, very strong. We still would like to see certain areas that he’s got to continue to work on, but he’s making a lot of progress and he’s having a really solid year down there. There are certain times where he gets the puck and there’s not a player that’s smoother on the ice than him.” BLUENOTES Joel Edmundson is still skating with the team but isn’t back in the lineup yet. Next up for the Blues, and the next chance for Edmundson, is Thursday against Colorado at Scottrade Center. … Oskar Sundqvist was the only healthy scratch. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103394 St Louis Blues Forward Patrik Berglund made a nifty cross-crease move on Quick, drawing him out of the net, before feeding defenseman Colton Parayko for the open-net goal. That was just Berglund’s seventh assist in 43 Gordo: Youngest Blues still have much to prove games. Surely he can make such plays more often, right? Jeff Gordon Forward Vladimir Sobotka turned back the clock to his more combative days, banging along the walls and in front of the net. Even wiry rookie Blues forward Tage Thompson joined the fun by delivering a reverse shoulder check with some oomph! Fans watching the Blues roll in Los Angeles Saturday afternoon had to rub their eyes and refocus on their television. Was this really happening? Yeo reunited Vladimir Tarasenko with Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz, and that line became a buzzsaw, generating 13 shot attempts. For one game, anyway, the Blues regained their earlier form (and then Tarasenko and Schwartz kept firing until each scored. some) while winning 7-2. “They had playoff fight on the puck, we didn’t,” Kings coach John Stevens told reporters after the game. “I thought they But when these three forwards play together, the other three forward were tougher on pucks all over the ice.” units are loaded with third- and fourth-line types. That alignment worked during one offensive outburst in Los Angeles, but it is not a recipe for Can the Blues repeat that effort and rally into the playoffs? The Blues Cup contention. must win most of their remaining 13 games, so skepticism remains. So Armstrong keeps watching, assessing and plotting his next steps. The bigger picture is this: How those final games play out will help While he waits for the promising young talent to come, he must decide determine general manager Doug Armstrong’s summer priorities. who in the current group must go. He already decided that this group wasn’t good enough. Armstrong St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 03.13.2018 signaled that by trading center Paul Stastny and his expiring contract to the rival Winnipeg Jets to add a first-round pick and prospect Erik Foley to his rebuilding blocks. More change is likely. Everybody is under management scrutiny — players, assistant coaches, head coach Mike Yeo — so these final weeks will matter even if the Blues miss the playoffs. This franchise’s larger goal is to build a Stanley Cup contender. Armstrong is still assessing who should and shouldn’t be part of that process. Some of these guys still have time to make their case. That is why Saturday’s game was so illuminating. Player after player suddenly looked like the performer Armstrong hoped to see all season. Let’s start with the most beleaguered of all Blues, Jake Allen. He was at his acrobatic best in goal against the Kings while stopping 38 of 40 shots. He was particularly good in the first period, making 17 saves while the game was in doubt. Carter Hutton’s neck injury gave Allen another chance to play and he did fine at San Jose and Los Angeles. But who is this guy really? His season has unfolded in stages. Allen was terrific when the team rolled back in October. He wasn’t as sharp the next month, but he won some high-scoring games. He was much better in December, but his losses mounted as the Blues offense sputtered. Then came Allen’s back-to-back nightmare games, the Carter Hutton “hot goaltender” interlude and Allen’s struggles after briefly regaining the keys to the net. Had Hutton remained healthy, it’s tough to say how many more chances Yeo would have given Allen. That raised obvious questions about next season and beyond. He is not the only Blue facing uncertainty. Many Blues do, and several of them woke up at once in Los Angeles. In a play that defined “depth scoring,” defenseman Robert Bortuzzo hammered a pass from Ivan Barbashev past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick to get the Blues started. That was Bortuzzo’s second goal all season and just Barbashev’s fifth assist in 39 games. Later, Barbashev, 22, scored his sixth goal with a burst down the middle, splitting the Kings’ defense. Yeo has given him chance after chance after chance this season, hoping to see such plays. Barbashev has flashed potential but failed to sustain his performance during parts of two NHL seasons. Is he just a placeholder? Could he become a trade chip? Or might he earn a spot in the team nucleus? We’re all still wondering. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo charged the net and scored as an extra attacker, just as he did earlier this season. He looked like a Norris Trophy candidate in LA while registering a plus-5 rating. As captain of a sinking team, Pietrangelo is taking heat in the message boards and chat rooms. Fans are putting this team’s late-season collapse on him. While he may never offer up fiery, fan-pleasing quotes to reporters, he can certainly lead by example at both ends of the ice. That is what this team needs from him. 1103395 Tampa Bay Lightning The Lightning is hosting a "go green" night for Tuesday's home game against Ottawa; fans are encouraged to ride bikes to Amalie Arena the next few weeks, with cyclists entered into a raffle to win a free custom Don’t sleep on J.T. Miller’s potential playoff impact Lightning beach cruiser at the end of the next five games. To be eligible, take a photo at the bike valet and post it on social media with hashtag #BiketotheBolts. Staff Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.13.2018

TAMPA — Defenseman Ryan McDonagh was the headliner in the Feb. 26 blockbuster with the Rangers, the highly-coveted top-four defenseman the Lightning badly needed. But it has been the other Ranger acquired — forward J.T. Miller — who has made the biggest splash. Miller, 24, has six points in his first six games with the Lightning (two goals). He earned a spot on the top line with stars Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov late in Saturday's game and in Monday's practice. And Miller has quickly earned coaches' trust, logging 17 or more minutes in all but one game. He's taking key draws, playing at crunch time. What the Lightning believes is that Miller, at 6-foot-1, 218 pounds, brings the kind of size, versatility and faceoff prowess (54 percent) that could loom large in a playoff run. "He's just an element of what we've been searching for a number of years now," coach Jon Cooper said. "To give up (Vladislav Namestnikov), a really good skill player, that stings. But in return you're getting a heavy body that does those little things, winning puck battles on the wall, going to the net hard. "Those are the things you're going to need, especially if you're going to make the playoffs and you're hoping to go on a long run. You need guys that are going to be durable during that long run and he's proven to be that." Miller, a 2011 first-round pick of the Rangers (12 picks before Namestnikov went to Tampa Bay), had an up-and-down tenure in New York. Miller spent 101 games in the AHL in his first three seasons as the Rangers wanted him to hone his two-way game. But Miller, who is on pace for his third straight 20-goal season (has 15 now), has been reinvigorated from a fresh start in Tampa Bay. The fact that he's played for Cooper before, both in an AHL All-Star Game and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, helps. So does the fact there are four other former Rangers in the room. And they all know what Miller is capable of. Former Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi thinks Miller is coming into his own, finding that consistent game. "He plays the game the right way," Girardi said. "He plays a heavy game, makes some plays. He'll make the right decision at the right time. He has a little bit of playoff experience as well." Miller uses his size well, with the perfect example his assist on Brayden Point's goal in Dallas March 1. Miller went hard on the forecheck, winning a puck battle behind the net before feeding Point in front. In the same game, Miller flashed his skill, making a stellar stretch pass from his own end to free Steven Stamkos for a breakaway goal. Miller goes to the dirty areas, with Cooper using the example of Miller crashing the crease for a rebound goal March 10 against the Flyers. "He's got the skill to make plays," said McDonagh, who made his Lightning debut Saturday after dealing with an upper body injury. "He can finish around the net, make passes to set up guys. He's got a big shot too, and likes to use that. He's just got really good hockey sense on when is the chance to make a play and when is it time to make a high- percentage play and not turn the puck over." Miller said the initial shock of the trade has subsided. He's settled into an apartment with his wife, Natalie, who is expecting their first child (a girl) in April. The baby will come during playoff time, which is where Miller might shine brightest. And Miller is thrilled to have this chance after leaving the rebuilding Rangers. "I think a fresh start anywhere is always a good thing," Miller said. "It's new to me. This year was tough on a lot of (Rangers) players. We're not used to having more of a losing culture there. We were a winning team for a long time. This year was different for sure. It's hard to handle for a lot of people; sometimes it brings out the worst in people. But I'm super excited to be part of this team." Notable 1103396 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning recalls goalie Peter Budaj

By Joe Smith Published: March 12, 2018

TAMPA — The Lightning recalled veteran backup goalie Peter Budaj from AHL Syracuse Crunch on Monday. Budaj had played two games while on a conditioning assignment (0-1-1, 2.95 goals against average). Budaj has been sidelined since suffering a lower body injury Dec 29. With the Crunch planning on sticking with its current goalie tandem, it looks like both Budaj and Louis Domingue will stay with the Lightning for now. Tampa Bay can carry three goalies as there are no roster limits after the trade deadline. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103397 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs’ Auston Matthews takes part in first full practice since injury

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews has taken another step towards returning to Toronto's lineup. The 20-year-old suited up for his first full practice Monday since suffering a shoulder injury on Feb. 22. He was still wearing a red non-contact jersey, but head coach Mike Babcock was encouraged to see his young star last an entire session. "He's obviously feeling way better," Babcock told reporters. Matthews has been skating on his own, and was a brief participant in a pair of practices last week. He also missed four games in November with a back injury before sitting out six more in December because of what was believed to be a concussion. "He'll be in better shape when he comes back than he was when he left just because two of his previous injuries he couldn't skate during that time," Babcock said. "I think that's important for him. It'll still take him a bit for timing." Babcock said Matthews will likely miss Wednesday's game at home against Dallas – his seventh in a row – but added he could suit up either Thursday in Buffalo or when Toronto hosts Montreal on Saturday. "I would expect that he's going to be pushing not for the Dallas game, but after that sometime," said the coach. "I don't know when that is exactly, but I imagine that as he's feeling better he'll be part of the plan." Despite missing 16 games this season, Matthews still leads the Leafs in goals with 28 and sits second in points with 50. Globe And Mail LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103398 Toronto Maple Leafs

Marner knows Leafs script line by line

By KEVIN MCGRAN

At this point of the season, Mitch Marner of the Maple Leafs has played on every line. Not just one-offs. He’s had long stretches as a first-liner, second-liner, third-liner and, infamously, as a fourth-liner. And with the continued absence of Auston Matthews, Marner worked out Monday with the injured centre’s regular linemates. Marner was at right wing with Zach Hyman on the left and William Nylander at centre, the same spot he played Saturday against the Penguins — when he picked up a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win at the Air Canada Centre. “Mitch is an elite passer, elite vision, makes plays,” said Hyman, two days before the Leafs host the Dallas Stars. “It’s fun playing with both guys. Auston does his thing — one of the best goal scorers in the league, great both ways, a great scorer. Mitch creates so many chances.” In Buffalo a week ago, Marner played with Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau. Lately, he’s thrived no matter what line he’s been on. “I try to adjust to them, I’d say,” said Marner. “Try to make the plays off knowing who I’m with. I adjust to who my linemates are. “The thing about our team is that all our lines are very similar. We have a guy that can always get the puck back, that’s always around the net. There’s a guy that makes plays (and) a guy that works down low and does all the work.” Marner still gets out with Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk — the two he launched his career with last year and stuck with for most of this season — on the power play. “He’s one of those wingers that’s able to drive a line,” coach Mike Babcock said of Marner. “We try to put him in a spot to generate offence. Home and away (with last line changes) is a little bit different. We adjust accordingly.” The 20-year-old Marner leads the Leafs in scoring with 19 goals and 37 assists for 56 points. He has goals in back-to-back games and five of his last seven. He’s risen to the occasion with Matthews continuing to nurse a sore shoulder — although he practised in full Monday and, while he’s expected to miss Wednesday’s game against Dallas, could be back by the end of the week. “We’re like a brotherhood.” said Marner. “We try to protect each other. When one of us goes down, we try to step up.” Marner’s next goal will establish a career high. He’s developed a bit more of a shoot-first mentality, despite elite pass-making skills. “Just hanging on the puck a bit more, and the puck is going in right now,” said Marner. “When that starts happening, you gain more confidence.” Of course, some of it can be credited to puck luck — shots going off legs and in — something his teammates are quick to remind him about. “I’ve noticed a lot of pucks going off people and in,” said defenceman Morgan Rielly. “I don’t know whether that’s on purpose, but he’s playing great. Mitch has been outstanding. You can tell he’s playing with a lot of speed, great on the power play. He’s just trying to do his thing.” Marner probably doesn’t get enough credit for the defensive side of his game, a strength lately. Early in the season, when he struggled and played on the fourth line, it was his backchecking that was in question. But he’s seventh in the league in takeaways with 66 and knows that getting the puck back on defence is what leads to offence. “You work back to get the puck and you get good chances off that,” said Marner. “Teams are changing, or you catch teams flat-footed, you get a good number of chances off that.” Babcock said the difference in Marner’s game since the start of the season is work ethic: “He started slow, but he’s got confidence right now and confidence is everything in the game. He feels good about himself. He got back to work. If you work all the time, you don’t have to worry about much.” Toronto Star LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103399 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs’ Auston Matthews participates in full practice, but won’t play against Dallas

By KEVIN MCGRAN

Auston Matthews participated in his first full practice with the Maple Leafs on Monday, but won’t be ready to play on Wednesday against the Dallas Stars. Matthews wore a red shirt, indicative of non-contact participation. “He’ll be in better shape when he comes back than when he left,” Babcock said of Matthews. “It will still take him a bit for timing. I would expect he’s still going to be pushing, not for Dallas game, but after that some time. As he’s feeling better, he’ll get involved more.” The Leafs play in Buffalo on Thursday and are home to Montreal on Saturday. Matthews hurt his shoulder in a game Feb. 22 against the New York Islanders. It’s his third injury of the season, costing him 16 games and counting. He has taken part in partial practices, but his teammates were glad to see him out there for the full workout. “Yes, very happy,” said defenceman Morgan Rielly. “You obviously want him back sooner not later,” said forward Mitch Marner. “It’s always good having a guy that’s injured out for a full practice, having him out there, and joking around with him on the ice. He’s a big part of this team.” Defenceman Nikita Zaitsev missed practice with a suspected flu. He also missed Saturday’s game. Toronto Star LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103400 Toronto Maple Leafs 5-7and Rielly 1-6-7. Andersen won nine of 10, getting lifted for one game because of injuryy … Garret Sparks made 20 saves Monday in the Marlies 4-1 win over Laval to set the AHL franchise’s record of 72 wins, Leafs Locker: Babcock looking to power up Nylander group passing Justin Pogge. Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.13.2018 Lance Hornby

“That’s a good question,” is Mike Babcock’s favourite way of not answering a question, followed by quickly switching to another topic. He invoked that Monday when pressed on why the power play unit featuring Mitch Marner, Nazem Kadri, Morgan Rielly, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk is doing better of late than Patrick Marleau, William Nylander, Connor Brown, Leo Komarov and Jake Gardiner. “We have to get that fixed,” Babcock said earlier of the imbalance. “You need two units with fresh guys going out there. Our penalty kill is really good and won us lots of games, our power play has been really dangerous on one group and not as good on the other.” The aforementioned Group 1 has six of the last seven goals with the man advantage, dating from the Auston Matthews’ shoulder injury. “We feel we have the depth, we have to come up with a scheme and the work ethic and execution to make that happen,” Babcock said. “That will happen more when Matty’s back, but in the meantime, we still need power play goals out of that other group.” DOZE WERE THE DAYS Practicing 24 hours after daylight savings kicked in and an hour’s sleep was lost, no Leafs were seen nodding off or getting a puck in the head because of slow reflexes. While some pro teams employ a sleep doctor and the Leafs do have a large sports science team, the players were on their own to reset body clocks. “If you asked them about it, they would certainly have an answer,” said Rielly, teasing the team specialists. “They tend to be pretty prepared. But my answer would just be to sleep.” Frederik Andersen faced 40 shots on Saturday night, then lost an hour of shut-eye, but the team had Sunday off to recover. “It’s like traveling one time zone, you take a day or two, but you shouldn’t feel it after that,” Andersen said. “We were pretty dialed in knowing what to do. You don’t want to take too long of a nap if you’re going to try and go to bed an hour earlier than you’re used to. Maybe the big coffee drinkers in here would hold off on their third or fourth cup.” FORE A GOOD CAUSE Zach Hyman has always had a special place in his heart for kids, through his children’s books and hospital visits. Now he hopes to raise money for various youth facilities through his first annual charity celebrity golf tournament, July 30 at the Lebovic course in Aurora. “It’s important to give back,” Hyman said. “I’ve been to a bunch of golf tournaments last summer and part of that was raising money. This is our first, for Sick Kids Hospital and other youth charities such as the OJHL, were I played and which helps get kids into hockey. The third part of our event is going to be a scholarship fund. I’m really excited. “I have a passion of interacting with kids and helping them through my books (author of three and counting). Our team does the Sick Kids visit every year and that’s very inspirational. One of my good buddy’s neighbors was in there and we went to visit a bunch of times and cheer him up. And when I played at Michigan, our athletic department had a program with C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital (Ann Arbor) that we’d go every Tuesday and visit.” Hyman will announce at a later date which teammates and other celebs will participate. LOOSE LEAFS After making a rare start on Saturday and getting an assist, winger Josh Leivo dressed as a defenceman at Monday’s practice. Part of that was a second day away from the team for Nikita Zaitsev, who was at the doctor to have a persistent flu bug checked out. Matt Martin was on the fourth line, but as for guessing whether Babcock is going to add him for toughness on Wednesday against Dallas, the coach quipped “I wouldn’t try reading my mind. I don’t even know what’s going on in there.” … Some notable performances from the Leafs’ record 10-game home win streak so far: Marner had eight goals and nine assists for 17 points, Kadri 8-7-15, Marleau 3-5-8, Gardiner 1-8-9, van Riemsdyk 4-3-7, Nylander 2- 1103401 Toronto Maple Leafs Winger Josh Leivo, despite getting an assist in just his 15th game, dressed as a defenceman for practice purposes Monday. It could mean Babcock intends on taking a tougher stance against a big Stars’ team, Auston Matthews inching closer to return to Maple Leafs lineup tapping Matt Martin over Leivo. “I wouldn’t try reading my mind,” Babcock quipped. “I don’t even know what’s going on in there.” Lance Hornby Toronto Sun LOADED: 03.13.2018

If and when Auston Matthews comes back to the Maple Leafs lineup, his absence could turn out to be better for him and the team. Don’t expect Matthews to agree — he’s been a caged tiger for more than two weeks now with a bum shoulder, his third injury this season — but it’s not the past that should matter once the first round of playoffs arrives. The Leafs are still going to make the NHL post-season and their run could be lengthened with a fresh Matthews who is not subject to wear and tear, nor encumbered by speed bumps such as club’s sluggish 10- day road trip. The leading scorer prior to being caught in a Cal Clutterbuck meat grinder hit on Feb. 22, Matthews is now in full practice mode. However, folks will have to wait a few more days for his return to game action. Leafs coach Mike Babcock says the No. 1 centre will miss at least Wednesday’s home date against the Dallas Stars, likely making Thursday in Buffalo versus the Sabres doubtful as well. A better bet is Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, just 11 games away from the end of regular season schedule. Matthews was still wearing his red no-contact jersey on Monday. But he came out with the full team, stayed right through the nearly hour-long workout, participating in some power play drills and staying on after the crowd left for the showers. The 20-year-old was not made available to the media and later dressed in a private area of the complex. “He’s obviously feeling way better,” Babcock said. “(But) I noticed when we were doing the contact stuff he didn’t do as much of that, didn’t dive right into it. I never talked to anyone about that, it’s just what I noticed. “I’d suspect he’d be pushing, not for the Dallas game, but after, I don’t know when. As he feels better, he’ll get involved more. It doesn’t matter who is in the lineup, we expect to win. We have to be dialed in.” Practice wrapping up with some skating Matthews stayed out for the whole workout making this Auston's first full practice since sustaining the shoulder injury on Feb. 22 Matthews skated in Toronto while the others were away and losing four straight. They looked a lot better here Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, making their record this year 8-6-2 minus Matthews, when combined with suspected back and concussion issues earlier. Meanwhile, he’s been getting the full diagnostic from the Leafs’ sports science team. “It will help him for sure,” Babcock said of the break. “He’s done some skating and he’ll be in better shape when he comes back than when he left. In his previous injuries, he couldn’t skate and that’s really important for him. It will still take him a bit for timing.” Defenceman Morgan Rielly was encouraged to see his friend stay the duration on Monday. “We have an outstanding medical staff,” said Rielly, who dealt with a high ankle sprain a couple of years ago. “We respect what they ask us to do. “It’s business as usual for him in the sense you come to the rink and work as hard as you can. He’s a motivated individual.” The Leafs did manage to keep up their home win streak alive without Matthews in the lineup, raising it to a club record 10 games. Nylander and newcomer Tomas Plekanec have played at centre in Matthews’ spot, with mixed results. Absent on Monday was defenceman Nikita Zaitsev, a late scratch on Saturday with the flu. “He didn’t bounce back the way we expected,” Babcock said. “He’s seeing the doctor today. We think it’s the flu, but it wasn’t done as soon as we expected.” For now, Connor Carrick and Roman Polak remain on the blue-line for the Dallas game. 1103402 Toronto Maple Leafs The NHL is a copycat league, so it’s not surprising that other teams are once again starting to follow Pittsburgh’s lead. The best example of this is the Leafs, who were able to defeat the Penguins 5-2 on Saturday night Penguins have a new model on display — and it's not about winning a in part because they also had three lines that are equally dangerous. 'goddamn lottery' Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, who are Toronto’s top two scorers, rarely play together, while the Leafs’ top three goal-scorers (Matthews, Nazem Kadri and winger James van Riemsdyk) each anchors a separate Michael Traikos line. Winnipeg, Nashville and Vegas are loaded with similar forward depth.

“There’s a trend out there that these deep forward teams are tough to TORONTO — The Pittsburgh model — the one that former Maple Leafs handle,” said Hainsey, who mentioned Winnipeg’s impressive depth. GM Brian Burke derisively laughed at so many years ago because, “The third line’s (Paul) Stastny, (Nikolaj) Ehlers and (Patrik) Laine — if “what’s the Pittsburgh model? They won a goddamn lottery and got the you number them. Laine’s second in goals.” (Laine is now tied with best player in the game” — has changed over time. Washington’s Alex Ovechkin with a league-leading 40 goals.) Yes, the Penguins reached back-to-back Stanley Cup finals, winning in The secret, according to head coach Mike Babcock, is having centres 2009, because they tanked and then selected first or second overall in who are strong enough to distribute the puck. four consecutive drafts. And yes, teams such as the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers have tried copying that model “I think if you have good depth down the middle, no one’s starving to with varying degrees of success. But after winning back-to-back death on the wing,” Babcock said. “If you don’t have enough centres, you championships in 2016 and 2017, it’s a different blueprint on display put guys out there together because the guy out there by himself never these days. gets the puck and pretty soon things aren’t going good. So I think the depth at centre allows people to drive their own line. And they’re all Well, it’s not so much a blueprint as it is a battle plan — one that is being capable of doing it.” copied again. Of course, in the Leafs’ case of drafting Matthews, it also helps that they The Penguins are the only team with three players ranked in the top 10 in won a goddamn lottery. scoring. And the crazy thing is, except for the power play, those three players usually skate on different lines. National Post LOADED: 03.13.2018 Evgeni Malkin, who centres the second line with Carl Hagelin and Patric Hornqvist, is one point behind Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov in the Art Ross Trophy race with 87 points. Phil Kessel, who plays wing on a third line with Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan, is eighth with 78 points, while Sidney Crosby, who anchors the top line with Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel, was tied for ninth with 76 points. They collected five of the eight points the Penguins recorded in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Dallas. Three players. Three lines. And for opposing teams, who are continually forced to pick their poison and decide which one deserves the most attention, three potential headaches. “I wouldn’t be concerned about numbering them,” said Leafs defenceman Ron Hainsey, who won a Cup with Pittsburgh last year. “I would just be concerned with all of them. Obviously, they’ve got great talent and scoring ability up and down the lineup.” Not every team has the luxury of having a Crosby, never mind a Malkin and a Kessel. If they did, however, they usually would have stacked them together on one or two lines. That’s what Philadelphia does with Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier, and what Boston does with Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Even Tampa Bay loads up its top line with Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. Judging by their places in the standings — Tampa Bay leads the NHL with 100 points, while Boston has the second-best record and Philadelphia is secure in a playoff spot — it’s hard to argue with the results. And yet, Edmonton’s inability to spread out its offence is part of the reason why the Oilers have struggled this season. If you can shut down Connor McDavid or limit him and Leon Draisaitl (something that Minnesota failed to do the other night), then you have a fighting chance. It’s harder to do that against Pittsburgh, where even if you manage to keep Crosby and Malkin’s lines off the board, you still have to contend with Kessel going against your third line. It’s a rolling wave of attack that most teams simply cannot handle. “We have a lot of depth. Obviously, that’s the way they won the last couple of years,” said Brassard, who was acquired right before the trade deadline from the Ottawa Senators, where he was playing in a second- line role. “Sid and Geno are going to get the top pairs every night, so it’s a great opportunity for me and Phil to be the difference. He’s almost an 80-point guy and he’s playing against a third pair. That’s a good matchup.” Again, Pittsburgh is able to do this because of its personnel. Crosby, Malkin and Kessel are so good that they can practically carry a line by themselves. “We’re fortunate to have the guys we have,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s the balance that makes us a hard, potential matchup for teams. When you look at the scoring production of our top nine, five-on-five it’s pretty even. And so on any given night, any one of those lines can be better than the others.” 1103403 Toronto Maple Leafs 2. Julien BriseBois, Lightning – BriseBois has long been promoted as a young, up-and-coming future GM but quietly has never been in a rush to

leave Tampa. For good reason. “He’s in a great situation,” said one NHL Custance: The Top 10 assistant GMs ready for a promotion executive who didn't think BriseBois was going to be overly eager to leap at the first offer. BriseBois and Steve Yzerman have built a team that is set up for years of success, and it’s been a great learning process for an executive who came up through a law firm rather than a playing career. By Craig Custance Mar 12, 2018 He manages the Lightning’s AHL franchise, which continually pumps out good, young talent for the big club. He also manages Tampa’s salary cap and deserves credit for the foresight the organization had at the deadline Sabres GM Jason Botterill just successfully navigated his first NHL trade last year and at other intervals that has helped keep the most important deadline, the time of year where rumors are at the absolute peak. Names players around on this roster. The Lightning are proactive and are thrown around constantly, speculated and debated. Occasionally progressive when it comes to roster construction, something BriseBois there's an actual trade. would undoubtedly bring to his next team. He’s going to get his shot It’s not fun for the players. Most will tell you that they’re thrilled when the eventually and is smart enough to wait for the right opportunity. “They deadline comes and goes. And on some level, Botterill can relate to it all. keep adding teams,” said one NHL source. “A GM job is going to be there.” When you’re an assistant GM on a successful team, like Botterill was for years in Pittsburgh, your name hits the rumor mill much like a player at 3. Tom Fitzgerald, Devils – While chatting about Fitzgerald, Shero the trade deadline. When a GM job opens, like one recently did in reminded us that Fitzgerald also won a Stanley Cup as an assistant Carolina, a group of names gets thrown into the mix. For years, Botterill coach. Fitzgerald was on Dan Bylsma’s staff with Mike Yeo when the was one of the regulars in that lineup. Penguins won it all in 2009. So Fitzgerald has that experience under his belt. Shero also shared this tidbit: In Pittsburgh, with a front office staff “Your name comes up for jobs more than the interviews you go through,” that already included current Wild GM Chuck Fletcher at the time, Shero Botterill told The Athletic. “Your main focus has to be on your position hired both Botterill and Fitzgerald on the same day. “Chuck refers to it as and what’s going on with your job.” black Friday,” Shero said, laughing. But it’s a reminder how fertile that Penguins front office has been for producing future executives. Fitzgerald Just like a player. Focus on the ice, and these things tend to take care of was given more responsibility with the move to the Devils and is more themselves. than ready to run a team. “He’s so passionate,” Shero said. “That’s the But the next few months have the potential to be especially distracting for best thing about Fitzy, is he’s not doing his job because he’s chasing a the next wave of potential general managers. There’s the Carolina GM job. If it happens, it happens. He’s passionate about what he does opening. There’s also going to be lots of speculation about who will get to and it makes an impact.” run Seattle, as colleague Pierre LeBrun addressed so well here. And as 4. Bill Guerin, Penguins – Even with Botterill cherry-picked by the James Mirtle points out, there are a ton of GMs on the hot seat. Sabres, the Penguins front office still has candidates for openings with And when those jobs open up, it’s the assistant GM with experience who Guerin the next in line to get a promotion. Since retiring as a player, he often gets the longest look. We’ve been putting together Top 10 assistant has impressed GM Jim Rutherford with his willingness to learn and GMs lists for five years, and the initial list on ESPN Insider in 2013 ended develop young players, a big part of the Penguins recent Stanley Cup up having eight future GMs on it. And for good reason. These are the success. “He came into hockey ops as a character player with good executives who have gained experience. They have run AHL teams. leadership qualities and in a short period of time, he’s learned how the They have been inside the war room. hockey ops works,” Rutherford told The Athletic. “He is doing a very good job on the development side, getting players ready, identifying free Botterill is a great example — he learned from both Ray Shero, who is agents, college free agents and, of course, he’s involved on all decisions now the Devils GM, and Jim Rutherford before getting his own team. — trades and different things like that.” Rutherford also had high praise for Jason Karmanos, who was named assistant GM in June after three “What I have witnessed behind the scenes and working with Ray Shero seasons as vice president of hockey operations. He’s won Cups with and Jim Rutherford — those are the guys who have helped me get to my Rutherford in both Carolina and Pittsburgh, with a degree from Harvard position here,” Botterill said. “I felt I was prepared because I had so much and fluency in analytics. “He is ready to take that next step,” Rutherford responsibility under both Jim and Ray. To me, that’s the key.” said. “He’s really good with analytics. He’s good on contracts. He’s good So as the music starts to fade in for what could be a robust game of GM on the CBA. He played the game, understands the game and is good at musical chairs, here’s a look at this year’s Top 10 Assistant GMs ready evaluating talent.” for a promotion: 5. Kyle Dubas, Maple Leafs – This could be a moot point. Dubas, as 1. Paul Fenton, Predators – Fenton was No. 1 on this list last season, Mirtle wrote earlier this month, looks like the front-runner to replace Lou and since then, the Predators have played for a Stanley Cup and Lamoriello as GM of the Maple Leafs. He also got a long look from emerged as a powerhouse again this season. One of the things the Colorado. Dubas got a lot of attention as a young hire in Toronto, Predators have done well through the years has been drafting and something that rubbed some people in the game the wrong way since it developing with great patience. Fenton is the GM version of a prospect was interpreted somehow as self-promotion. Also, people in hockey tend who has done everything he’s needed to do at every level to earn his not to like anyone who receives attention before they’re viewed as shot. You have to assume Fenton is the heir apparent in Nashville, but deserving it. Since his hiring, Dubas has quietly earned any promotion you can’t assume GM David Poile is going anywhere anytime soon. “I he’s got coming his way, and those who know him argue that what truly just never think that David Poile is going to retire,” said one NHL source. drives Dubas is being around people he respects with a common goal “Those guys still have the passion.” According to LeBrun, Carolina has and passion that he believes in. “That’s a big driver for him,” said Kyle asked to talk to Fenton and if the Hurricanes are going to break through, Raftis, who replaced Dubas as GM in Sault Ste. Marie. “It’s not about it’s going to be because of drafting, which is Fenton’s expertise. That where he’s going and his eyes on the future. It’s in the moment.” And in said, you could say that for any team looking to fill a GM hole. The the moment, he’s learning a lot from guys like Lamoriello and Mike Predators hit again with their first-round pick in 2017, with Eeli Tolvanen Babcock. “I think he really does cherish his relationship with Lou,” Raftis looking like a real steal late in the first round. In the case of Tolvanen, said. “Anytime I’ve talked to him, he’s embraced talking about Lou and Fenton was quick to credit director of player personnel Jeff Kealty, along enjoys that relationship.” with amateur scouts David Westby and Tom Nolan for the find. The fact 6. Mike Futa, Kings – Futa, as LeBrun first reported, is one of the early that Kealty is earning a reputation around the league as a great talent candidates for the Carolina job. He was also in the running last year for evaluator is a credit to Fenton and Poile for allowing their people to do the Sabres' opening. When Rob Blake was promoted to the Kings' GM their job. Shero worked with both of them in Nashville and sees that as a job after the firing of Dean Lombardi, Futa became the GM of Los strength for Fenton. “He manages his staff well,” Shero said. “He puts his Angeles’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. It added another layer of trust and faith in a guy like Jeff Kealty. Paul runs the farm team. He’s experience to someone who has developed a reputation as having a worked with David (Poile) a long time. He pushes David, David pushes strong eye for identifying young talent, but also has experience running him. He’s been through expansion, he’s been through rebuilds with one teams both in the OHL and now AHL. “He’s got two rings and he works team and big trades. Paul is a strong candidate anywhere.” hard,” said one NHL source. 7. Bill Zito, Blue Jackets – Zito was another executive who got a long look for the Sabres' job and is highly valued by Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen. Zito got into the business as an agent, where he built a successful agency by identifying overlooked talent like Tim Thomas, Brian Rafalski and John Madden. Along the way, he mastered the business side and contract negotiations while forging relationships with managers around the league, an important part of deal-making. He graduated from Yale and has a law degree from Wisconsin, but Kekalainen is quick to point out that Zito's hockey background is equally strong. “He’s coached and he has a great eye for talent,” Kekalainen told The Athletic. “The biggest mistake thinking about him is that he’s not a hockey guy. He’s been on all sides of the hockey operations side. … He’s done everything from contracts to minor league to running the pro staff.” Also, this is probably a good place to point out the absurdity that someone feels like they have to defend an Ivy League-educated, builder of a multi-million dollar hockey agency with a law degree as having enough hockey-guy credentials to be the GM of a team. Fair or not, people still want to see the hockey pedigree, and Zito has it.

8. Kelly McCrimmon, Vegas – He seems like such a natural to get the job in Seattle. He’s been George McPhee’s right-hand man in Vegas, with the Golden Knights wildly exceeding every reasonable expectation. He has the blueprint to expansion success and could import it to Seattle seamlessly. But he should get consideration well beyond expansion teams. Before joining Vegas, he spent years in the WHL as Brandon’s majority owner, coach and GM. He was pursued hard by multiple NHL franchises before ending up with the Golden Knights. “The thing that Kelly has is years of experience of being a true manager,” said one league executive. “Give him two years with Vegas and he’ll be ready.”

9. Craig Conroy, Flames – The most qualified future GM on the Calgary staff under Brad Treliving is probably Don Maloney, who is vice president of hockey operations. But this is a list about assistants looking for their first job. The Flames have Brad Pascall and Conroy as assistant GMs who compliment each other well. Pascall runs the AHL team, does contract work and came up through Hockey Canada. Conroy is the big personality, grind it out pro and amateur scout who also has his hand in USA Hockey. I’m listing Conroy first only because of my bias towards Americans. If Calgary gets in the playoffs and makes a run, both of their profiles will rise. The Western Conference Canadian team with the best shot at making a run is in Winnipeg, and if that happens, the profile of assistant GMs Craig Heisinger and Larry Simmons will increase. Simmons quietly has done a fantastic job with the Jets' contracts, among other duties.

10. Pat Verbeek, Lightning – Yes, this makes two Lightning assistant GMs on the list and either one would be a strong hire. An NHL GM listed two reasons why he thinks Verbeek’s name will start popping up on GM lists: “The success of Tampa Bay and his work ethic.” One of the most impressive things Yzerman has done in Tampa is surround himself with a great front office team, much like he was part of in Detroit during the Red Wings' heyday. The Ken Holland family tree produced current GMs Yzerman and Jim Nill in Dallas. Among those still with the Red Wings, Kris Draper and Ryan Martin have popped up as future GM candidates, although Detroit's recent struggles have lowered their executive profiles. Verbeek has the best of both worlds. He was hired from Detroit as a pro scout and has now grown under Yzerman in Tampa where they’ve built a Stanley Cup contender with some longevity moving forward. “Pat is a really good scout,” said one NHL executive. “If you’re an owner and a smart guy, you might just go, 'I have somebody who can handle the CBA. I need somebody who can tell me how to go find a (Nikita) Kucherov.'”

The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103404 Toronto Maple Leafs @AGretz

That is the 6th time this season the Islanders have given up 50 shots in a game. Bourne's notebook: Goalie interference, the Islanders defense, the streaky Flyers and more Since the start of the 2015-16 season (nearly three full seasons!) no team in the league has had more than three such games.

Amazing. By Justin Bourne Mar 12, 2018 1:43 AM - Mar 12, 2018

14 Once again it’s time to dig into the ol’ notebook as the random thoughts and tidbits have piled up. Let’s get the complainy portion out of the way See Adam Gretz's other Tweets first, shall we? 11 Mar Goalie interference Corey Masisak This weekend Pittsburgh’s Brian Dumoulin had a goal called back, after he beat Toronto’s Ron Hainsey wide and cut across the front of the net @cmasisak22 with Hainsey leaning on him, before stuffing the puck in the far side. #Isles have now tied the record (dating back as far as @hockey_ref can Pittsburgh Penguins go -- 1987-88) for most games allowing 50+ shots on goal in season with 6. https://www.hockey-reference.com/play- ✔ index/tgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=season&is_playoffs=N&game_nu m_type=team&game_month=0&game_type%5B%5D=R&game_type%5 @penguins B%5D=OT&game_type%5B%5D=SO&c1stat=shots_against&c1comp=gt Goaltender interference. &c1val=50&order_by=date_game …

9:59 PM - Mar 10, 2018 Corey Masisak

2,955 @cmasisak22

1,515 people are talking about this What's even crazier is all 6 games with 50+ shots on goal allowed for the #Isles have happened ... in a span of 25 games since Jan. 15. His arm clipped Andersen on the way by … clipped-ish, I'd say, but sure, there was contact – so the goal was called back. Bah. 9:49 PM - Mar 11, 2018

I don’t know exactly what the solution is to the NHL’s issue with 6 goaltender interference — there may not be a good one — but watching See Corey Masisak's other Tweets that play I do know one thing: that’s gotta be a goal. There's a famous line from a United States Supreme Court Justice used when trying to No team has ever had it happen seven times in one season. You can do define what would constitute “pornography,” a simple, “I know it when I it, fellas! see it,” and that's how I feel about goals. But, it's that subjectivity that makes this such a challenge. Video review has really complicated Amidst all this, somewhat remarkably, they could still conceivably make matters. the playoffs. As I wrote in that longer systems breakdown, to my eye it’s a combination of personnel and a lack of attention to detail, which you But man, when a guy drives wide, sticks his leg in, cuts in hard and stuffs would generally look toward the coaching staff to fix. And for those of you one far side … that's basically every good thing every player has ever about to suggest maybe they just give up lower quality, perimeter shots – had every coach tell them to do. We’re at the point where even some yeah, nope. They give up more scoring chances per 60, and high danger goaltenders have seen enough. Take it away Byron Dafoe! attempts against than any other team in the league.

Byron Dafoe The Flyers are … weird

@ByronDafoe34 Calling the Flyers streaky is like calling a Brad Marchand “unpopular with opponents.” Like, juuust a bit. The bigger issue now is goalies will start to work on their acting skills and embellish any potential contact and not even worry about stopping the So far this season they’ve **deep inhale** lost 10 straight games(!), puck. Already happening. When will we see the first unsportsmanship followed immediately by a six-game win streak. They had two four-game call against a goalie? No different than a player diving. win streaks in January, a four-game and a six-game win streak in https://twitter.com/byrondafoe34/status/972665706809507840 … Febuary, then they opened up March with five straight losses. That's seven streaks of four-game runs or more. 12:32 PM - Mar 11, 2018 · Central Okanagan, British Columbia Imagine losing streaks of five and 10 games in the same season … and 142 somehow still finding your squad just three points behind first in your 78 people are talking about this Division. How is that even possible? (Oh, the Metro kinda sucks? Right, right, that.) I understand that’s a dangerous area of the ice, and goaltenders need to be protected. But if offensive players can’t cut across the front of the net But really, what a crazy streaky team. I guess if you’re heading into it’s gone too far. If nothing else, goaltenders might want to ask their playoffs, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Just gotta flip the switch at defenders to stop pushing players into them trying to save face after the right time. getting roasted, maybe? That even might make for an easier stop for Malkin makin’ mad moves Frederik Andersen if Dumoulin is able to make his cut higher, as opposed to keeping Andersen pinned so deep in his crease with Hainsey shoving Don’t look now, but over the past week Evgeni Malkin has put up some him in. points. In those four games:

The Isles hand out shots like a bartending academy Vs. Calgary: 1+2 for three points

I wrote about the Islanders defensive woes a month back, which you can Vs. Philadelphia: 1+1 for two points read here. But it’s really pretty incredible just how badly they get peppered, and it ain’t gettin’ better. They actually won the game on Vs. Toronto: 1 assist Sunday against Calgary, but they surrendered 50 shots for the sixth time Vs. Dallas: 1+1 for two points. this season. Check out how rare those games are: He’s on a six game point streak that’s seen him add 11 points, meaning Adam Gretz he now sits one point behind the league leader (Nikita Kucherov). His goal Sunday night has him one goal behind Alex Ovechkin and Patrik Laine for the league lead. This, below, is a great point by Ian:

Ian McLaren

✔

@iancmclaren

Malkin winning Richard, Art Ross and Hart the year after the Top 100 snub would be so nice.

9:39 AM - Mar 12, 2018

141

41 people are talking about this

When he’s on, I don’t know if there’s a player not-named Connor McDavid who's better. Huge, smooth, smart, can shoot it. That's a decent package I guess. He has a real chance to do something special as an individual this season.

Not Luuuusing often

The Roberto Luongo situation down in Florida is pretty impressive. He’s been injured multiple times, and hasn’t really got a chance to get in much of a rhythm. He also turns 39 in a few weeks. And yet somehow he’s second in the entire NHL in save percentage, rocking a .930 through 25 games, winning six of his past seven starts. He’s a huge reason the Panthers, once presumed dead, have skyrocketed up the standings and appear to be a team that’ll sneak into the post-season.

And all of this is to say nothing about his incredible work in the aftermath of the tragedy at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. His speech was powerful and moving and couldn’t have been easy to do.

Between the great play and the support for his city, his success at his “old for hockey” age, or even just his Twitter account, it’s really hard not to be a fan of the guy.

Rules are stupid

This goal was called back:

Cheesiest disallowed goal /offside call of the year. Straddling the line has been in our game forever. How many goals in @Nhl history would have been disallowed with this video review, 10,000? Please let’s get rid of this #ASAP. @penguins @DallasStars

9:29 PM - Mar 11, 2018

1,408

526 people are talking about this

What sucks is that, by the way the rule is called, it actually was offside – he was on his right blade (offside) while his left was still in the air. But I’m with Kypreos here – you have a player making a clear effort to stay onside, he is onside (at least his body is), but by the book … nope. This seems like something we'll clean up with technology over time — hell, we can tell if a squashed tennis ball nicked a line or not in a matter of seconds — but until we get there, I guess this is what we're stuck with.

And finally,

While I'll stay away from a review of Tiger Woods the man, I grew up watching his greatness as a golfer at a time when I myself was a young teenager at peak obsession with the game of golf. He was must-see TV. You'll find a lot of hockey players — most from cold weather climates who have summers off — share that passion. Having him in the mix yesterday on the back nine on a Sunday, just weeks before the Masters, OH BUDDY. Get excited, folks!

The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103405 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ Tatar ‘squeezing the stick’ as he struggles to adjust

By STEVE CARP

PHILADELPHIA — Tomas Tatar admitted he’s struggling to adjust with his new team. The veteran forward has one goal in six games since being acquired by the Golden Knights from Detroit at the NHL trade deadline Feb. 26. He has bounced from line to line, trying to find a home, get comfortable and do what he was brought in to do — produce offensively. “Yeah, I’m squeezing the stick and it’s kinda hard right now,” he said prior to Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. “You’re trying to fit in and play your best. When you see how well everyone’s playing, you want to contribute.” Coach Gerard Gallant has played Tatar on all four lines and he may have clicked best with Erik Haula and Tomas Hyka. Tatar skated with them Saturday against Buffalo after starting the game in Reilly Smith’s spot with William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault. Monday, Tatar was paired with Haula and David Perron as Alex Tuch went to the first line with Karlsson and Marchessault. Tomas Hyka, who skated with Haula on Saturday, was with Cody Eakin and Ryan Carpenter. “I’m not worried about Tatar one bit,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “I’m worried about Reilly Smith not playing (Monday) and James Neal not playing so we’re trying to fit our lines together. “Tatar shouldn’t have to worry about gripping his stick. He’ll be fine. One thing about injuries with me, you have to switch up your lines once in a while, so it’s not a big deal. Tomas wants to play better and he will. No issues there.” Also, defenseman Jon Merrill returned to the lineup Monday with Brad Hunt a healthy scratch. Flyers’ Elliott skates While the Golden Knights wait for injured goaltender Malcolm Subban to come off injured-reserve, the Flyers got some good news on one of their goaltenders. Brian Elliott, Philadelphia’s starter most of the season, skated with the team Monday. Elliott has been on IR since suffering a lower-body injury Feb. 10 and has missed 15 straight games. “Moose is such a big part of our dressing room,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said of Elliott. “It’s tough when a guy is injured to maintain that kind of presence. But we know we’re going to get him back at some point and to see him around the guys is a step in the right direction.” Petr Mrazek started in goal Monday for the Flyers. He is 4-3-1 since being acquired from Detroit Feb. 19. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103406 Vegas Golden Knights

400! Fleury notches milestone as Golden Knights stun Flyers 3-2

By Steve Carp / Las Vegas Review-Journal

PHILADELPHIA — Marc-Andre Fleury has a great appreciation for hockey history. He also enjoys making some history of his own. Fleury’s stellar performance Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center put the 33-year-old goaltender in select company as he became just the 13th goalie to reach 400 wins in his NHL career after he stopped 38 shots and led the Golden Knights to a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. “It’s nice,” he said of the achievement. “Maybe it’s something I’ll be more proud of when I’m done. But I’m still playing so I’m looking forward to the next game.” Among those Fleury joined in the 400-win club were Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Terry Sawchuk, Jacques Plante, Tony Esposito, Glenn Hall and current contemporaries Roberto Luongo and Henrik Lundqvist. “It’s a nice number to reach and all the guys in front of me I have great respect for and it’s cool to be part of that list,” Fleury said. It took some grit on the part of Fleury’s teammates to help him get the win as the Knights wrapped up their five-game road trip 4-1. Coach Gerard Gallant had shortened his bench and moved Pierre-Edouard Bellemare up to play with Cody Eakin and Ryan Carpenter late in the game. The trio forechecked effectively, pressuring the Philadelphia defense and maintaining possession which led to Carpenter getting the puck from Eakin and beating Flyers goaltender Petr Mrazek with 2:40 to play. “Those are the ones you practice and it’s nice when you bury them in the game,” Carpenter said of his winner, which was his eighth goal of the season. “But if it wasn’t for ‘Flower,’ we wouldn’t have won the game.” The Knights had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 on goals from Erik Haula and William Karlsson, both coming on the power play. Haula’s first-period goal was the result of trying to make a pass from behind the Flyers net and seeing the puck go off Mrazek and in for his 25th of the season. Karlsson’s goal, his team-leading 36th, came six minutes into the third period after he put home the rebound of Shea Theodore’s shot from the point. Though the Flyers solved him twice as Claude Giroux tied it 1-1 in the first period and Wayne Simmonds made it 2-2 in the third, Fleury frustrated the Flyers and the announced crowd of 19,723. He robbed Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom late in the second period with consecutive saves from close range. Then he denied Travis Sanheim from the slot early in the third period with a great glove save. “He had some time in the slot and I just tried to react to it and catch it,” Fleury said of the theft of Sanheim, which was arguably the best of the 38 saves he made Monday. In the brief time he has coached Fleury, Gallant has learned to appreciate what a special talent he has in the crease. “It was great. He played an awesome game tonight and he won the last three games on the road trip,” Gallant said. “To get his 400th win is a tremendous accomplishment. I hope we’re around for 500. (Wes Rand/Las Vegas Review-Journal) “Marc was the difference in the game but I thought our team played real well tonight.” Fleury was glad the attempt to reach the milestone didn’t linger. He didn’t want it to become an overriding issue with the team as the Knights (45- 19-5, 95 points) are looking to lock up the Pacific Division title and get as high a seed in the Western Conference as possible with just 13 games remaining. “The last few days the media has asked about it and talked about it,” he said. “I’m happy I don’t have to think about it any more. We’re done with it and we can move forward.” LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103407 Vegas Golden Knights

Fleury wins No. 400 as Golden Knights top Flyers, 3-2

By Jesse Granger

Marc-Andre Fleury became only the 13th goalie in NHL history to record 400 wins, making 38 saves in the Golden Knights’ 3-2 victory over the Flyers Monday night in Philadelphia. Fleury, who did it in only 728 career games, became the second-fastest goalie to reach the milestone in league history. He is only one win behind Chris Osgood for 12th all-time, and only eight wins away from passing Glenn Hall to vault into the top-10. Ryan Carpenter broke a 2-2 tie with only 2:40 to play, lifting the puck into the top corner of the net after getting a pass from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who was playing his former team. The Golden Knights struck first with a power play goal by Erik Haula in the first period. David Perron fed the puck to Haula behind the Flyers net, and Haula’s centering attempt bounced off the goaltender’s stick and into his own net. In an attempt to intercept the pass, Petr Mrazek accidentally tipped the puck backwards for the first goal of the game. It was Haula’s 25th goal of the game and his team-high ninth on the power play. The Flyers tied the game 1-1 after two periods with captain Claude Giroux’s 25th goal of the season. Vegas would regain the lead with another power play goal early in the third period. Tomas Hyka fired the puck at the net, and the rebound bounced right onto the stick of William Karlsson. Karlsson put it into the empty net for his 36th goal of the season. A little over a minute later, Wayne Simmons again tied the game for Philadelphia with a power play goal over the right shoulder of Fleury. Carpenter’s late third period-goal put the Golden Knights up for good, as they held the Flyers off in the final two minutes. Vegas finished off the five-game road trip with a spectacular 4-1-0 record and will now head home for a four-game homestand, which starts Wednesday night against the New Jersey Devils. LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103408 Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas Play of the Day: Hartford at San Diego

By Ray Brewer

We’ve entered the fourth season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1. Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. A participant's failure to place a bet on their scheduled day results in a $200 bankroll penalty. Ray Brewer won back-to-back titles in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-15. Hartford at San Diego, Total Over 138.5, $990 to win $900: It doesn’t matter how many points the teams playing in college basketball’s lower- tier tournaments scored per game during the regular season. In the first round of these events, there’s little defense being played. Some teams are excited to be in the postseason and give a solid effort. But many others could care less and the contest turns into street basketball with quick offensive shots. For example, in the initial CollegeInsider.com games today, both went over the points total. In the Central Michigan-Fort Wayne game, 183 points were scored. In the last CIT game of the day, expect a similar effort from Hartford and San Diego. San Diego only yielded 65 points per game this season, which ranks 31st nationally out of more than 300 teams. San Diego also struggles to score with an average of 69 points per game, or 279th nationally. On a normal day, those two stats would yield to a wager on the total under. But, remember, at this stage of the season, all the numbers are meaningless. LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103409 Washington Capitals the Eastern Conference finals — would make Ovechkin’s position as one of the game’s greats solid, indisputable. Monday night, he scored multiple goals for the 119th time in his 990th game — which means Alex Ovechkin’s 600th goal is a reminder that it’s too easy to take him for roughly once in every eight games you had the chance to see Ovechkin granted score not once, but twice. Separate that kind of winter wizardry from what has happened in past springs. There’s a lot of joy there.

So there was joy Monday, too. The Capitals are in a precarious position, By Barry Svrluga tussling with Pittsburgh atop the Metropolitan Division, just back from an arduous West Coast road trip in which goals were hard to come by. And yet Ovechkin scored not five minutes in, this on a five-on-three advantage. Child’s play, even for a 32-year-old. It shouldn’t take a number, an arbitrary number at that, to get us to this point of appreciation. Yet here we are, with Kirk Cousins headed to free The 600th goal, though, wasn’t such a layup. It was a rebound of a agency and the NCAA tournament starting and the Nationals gathering rebound, his own hard work in front of the cage. When they build a statue steam toward another playoff run. We could be distracted by the of Ovechkin to display somewhere outside MCI Cen — uh, sorry, Capital peripheral issues, but Alex Ovechkin grabs our attention again, because One Arena — it’ll be of Ovi firing from the left circle, a slapshot that no he just scored the 600th goal of his career. one can see until it rips the twine in the back of the net. But here he was against Winnipeg down low, whacking at a loose puck until he willed it in. The marker in question came in the second period Monday night against Winnipeg at Capital One Arena, and he was the author of the home We can wring our hands over what hasn’t happened, and believe me, team’s only two regulation goals in what became a 3-2 overtime victory. when the playoffs come, I’ll be there leading the charge. But look not just When considering the accomplishment, think about the building in which around his sport, but around town. Ovechkin has outlasted and it came and its moniker, because when Ovechkin scored goal No. 1 — outperformed Mark Brunell and Jason Campbell and Kirk Cousins. He on Oct. 5, 2005 — the place on F St. was known as MCI Center. We was here during Gilbert Arenas’s rise and his fall. He reported for work were all younger then, weren’t we? before Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper were drafted, willed the Capitals to the playoffs while the Nats were still losing 100 games a year. The first goal, way back when, came via assists from Dainius Zubrus and Jeff Halpern, Caps from yesteryear long since retired. Ovechkin followed He’s not perfect, not by a long shot. But to say that hockey in this town it with another that same night, just like No. 599 was followed by No. 600 would have reached this level — both of achievement and of interest — Monday. This was the 990th game of his career, so it’s worth recounting without Alex Ovechkin is to willfully ignore the facts of the case. What we what that means. You’ll hear this a lot, but drink it in. Here is the list of have seen are 600 goals from one man in one uniform representing one players who reached 600 goals in fewer games than Ovechkin: Brett city. Don’t forget, for a single moment, how fun that has been. Hull. Wayne Gretzky. Mario Lemieux. That’s it. Heady stuff. Washington Post LOADED: 03.13.2018 It’s instructive that Ovechkin’s first goal feels so distant, because it came in a different era in the sport around here. Back then, we saw only the potential. He represented hockey hope in Washington, a quantity that was not available to the masses. The sport was different here back then, marked by an arena that seemed more half-empty than half-full. We can fall into that trap, too, because it’s easy to concentrate on what Ovechkin has not accomplished rather than what he has. We know the spring stats, that the three Hart Trophies as the NHL’s most valuable player have not been followed with even a modicum of playoff success. These are Ovechkin’s Caps, and they have been for a dozen years, so their failure to advance past the second round of the playoffs is his failure to advance past the second round of the playoffs. They’re linked, for sure. But focusing on that connection — even as these current Capitals work their way through a goaltending controversy and try to maximize a limited roster — also minimizes what we have witnessed since that first goal back at the place then known as MCI Center. And what we have witnessed has been mesmerizing. The first time I talked with Ovechkin came in January 2006. He was in his rookie year with the Capitals and simultaneously headed into his first Olympics for his pride, his joy, his Russia. His hair was not gray, as it is now. He wasn’t married, as he is now. He was 20, not 32. There was no disappointment, only promise. “This is fun,” he said. Each goal was celebrated as was his 600th, with pure, raw exuberance. “With this kid, whatever’s good for Alex is good for the Washington Capitals,” Caps owner Ted Leonsis told me back then. “He’s made that much of an impact in just this amount of time.” It’s worth remembering that sentiment, even as we also process the franchise’s travails since then. Without Ovechkin, there’s no Winter Classic in Pittsburgh or a home date on New Year’s Day at Nationals Park, each among the seminal moments in franchise history. Without Ovechkin, there are no star turns for the Caps on visits to Toronto or Montreal, among his favorite places to play, not to mention no place in the center of the NHL universe, with Ovechkin’s Caps and Sidney Crosby’s Penguins pitted against each other both on the marquee and on the ice. In the same breath, it’s understandable that people will point out that the three players who reached 600 goals in fewer games than Ovechkin all won Stanley Cups. Several Stanley Cups. Six hundred goals places Ovechkin 20th on the all-time list, with Jari Kurri just one ahead of him in 19th. Of those with more goals than Ovi, only four never won a Stanley Cup — Marcel Dionne and Jarome Iginla (who is still active), sure, but Mike Gartner and Dino Ciccarelli, too, each of those two with deep Capitals ties. These are the nits that people will pick, and they’re significant, for sure. Maybe a Stanley Cup — or even a run to the finals, or even advancing to 1103410 Washington Capitals Ovechkin shared the ice with one of those members of the next generation Monday. Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine grew up on Ovechkin highlights, modeling his game after the power forward. The 19-year-old Alex Ovechkin scores 600th career goal, marking his latest night of Finn loved how physical Ovechkin played, and Laine developed his own history dangerous shot. He scored his 16th goal in the past 12 games early in the third period to tie the score at 2. He was also on the ice when Ovechkin recorded his 600th goal. By Isabelle Khurshudyan March 12 “I was pretty close watching it,” Laine said. “I was in a good spot. Just behind him. I was there when he made history, so I can maybe watch that someday and show that I was there getting the minus on the ice.” Alex Ovechkin had already taken a seat on the bench, but his audience Ovechkin and Laine entered this matchup tied for the NHL lead with 40 stayed standing, cheering all the while. This was his show, and Capital goals. Asked whether Ovechkin sees “a young Ovi” in Laine, he One Arena has been his stage for the past 13 years. He obliged, countered, “Well, I’m still young.” He then rubbed his chin and pointed standing once more, waving to the crowd and applauding it back. Chants out how he had recently shaved. By the end of the game, Ovechkin of “O-vi!” started. Ovechkin handed his stick to the Washington Capitals’ pulled ahead of him in the goal-scoring race with 42 goals to Laine’s 41. equipment manager in favor of a new one. He’d be saving the original. “Ovi’s still king,” Trotz said. “It’s going to be in history,” Ovechkin said. “You’ve got to collect the stuff.” [It’s Capitals vs. Jets, but it’s also Alex Ovechkin vs. Patrik Laine] In a sequence befitting one of the NHL’s most prolific scorers of all time, “I didn’t have any doubt he was going to get the record tonight,” owner Ovechkin notched his 600th career goal only after multiple whacks. Ted Leonsis said. “The pantheon that he’s in with Gretzky and Lemieux There was a scramble in front of the net early in the second period, with and Hull is really amazing, and he’s that kind of player. My hope is that Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck sprawled across the we can win a Stanley Cup. I have to keep doing everything I can to try crease. The first shot was blocked. Hellebuyck saved the second. and make a team that’s as generationally supportive and as great as Ovechkin scored on the third, gleefully skating behind the net, dropping Alex has been for our franchise.” to a knee with a leg kicked up as his teammates jumped into his arms. Since his rookie season in 2005-06, Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals, “I was just screaming at him,” said Tom Wilson, who recorded the points, power-play goals, power-play points, game-winning goals, primary assist. overtime goals and shots. Ovechkin’s two-goal game helped the Capitals to a 3-2 overtime win and And he’s already on to the next goal, the next big milestone. made Ovechkin just the 20th player in NHL history with 600 goals on his résumé. He is just the fourth player to reach that mark within 1,000 “Of course it’s special,” he said. “Of course you want to do it more and games, joining Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Brett Hull. With more. It’s 600. Now you have to score another one to make 601.” Washington back in its home rink for the first time in nearly two weeks, Washington Post LOADED: 03.13.2018 Ovechkin ended the much-anticipated wait for his 600th tally less than 24 game minutes after the puck dropped. “When you look at those numbers, you don’t even think it’s 599, 600,” said the Capitals’ Evgeny Kuznetsov, who scored the overtime winner. “But then when you understand, holy f---, that’s a lot of goals. I can’t score 20 in a year. This is 600.” [Svrluga: Alex Ovechkin’s 600th goal is a reminder that it’s too easy to take him for granted] The 599th goal was quintessential Ovechkin. Two penalties by the Jets within 35 seconds of each other gave the Capitals a two-man advantage early in the first period. Ovechkin has scored roughly 70 percent of his goals at even strength this season, but his career highlight reel is full of one-timers from the left faceoff circle, referred to as his office. Taking a pass from defenseman John Carlson, Ovechkin skated into his sweet spot and wristed the puck past Hellebuyck, building even more anticipation that the milestone 600th tally might follow by the time the night was over. Ovechkin’s wife, Nastya, just returned from Moscow and was in the stands. Before the game, she told him she had a feeling he would score two. He had a whopping eight shot attempts after the first period, and he finished the night with eight shots on goal, the most dominant player on the ice. “This morning, he was really quiet,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “He knew he was going to get it done today. The great thing about Ovi is, when he puts something to it in his mind, he was going to get it done tonight. We were all talking as a coaching staff about it this morning that he’s getting it tonight.” [The Alex Ovechkin museum already spans two continents and keeps getting bigger] It’s a testament to Ovechkin that he has scored so frequently from that same beloved location in the left faceoff circle. Teams expect it, plan for it, but still can’t stop it. Earlier this season, St. Louis Blues goaltender Carter Hutton called it an “almost unsaveable shot.” The threat of Ovechkin’s shot has never been a question, but in the past four seasons under Trotz, his game has evolved. Trotz challenged him to be more defensively responsible, and Ovechkin bought into Trotz’s system while still authoring two 50-goal campaigns. Last season was a down one by his standards, and he scored just 33 goals, with 17 of them coming on the power play. The Capitals challenged Ovechkin to make some changes this summer, to trim down so he could move quicker on the ice in a league that’s getting faster with the infusion of young, talented stars. 1103411 Washington Capitals Ovechkin shared the ice with one of those members of the next generation Monday. Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine grew up on Ovechkin highlights, modeling his game after the power forward. The 19-year-old Alex Ovechkin scores 600th career goal, marking his latest night of Finn loved how physical Ovechkin played, and Laine developed his own history dangerous shot. He scored his 16th goal in the past 12 games early in the third period to tie the score at 2. He was also on the ice when Ovechkin recorded his 600th goal. By Isabelle Khurshudyan March 12 “I was pretty close watching it,” Laine said. “I was in a good spot. Just behind him. I was there when he made history, so I can maybe watch that someday and show that I was there getting the minus on the ice.” Alex Ovechkin had already taken a seat on the bench, but his audience Ovechkin and Laine entered this matchup tied for the NHL lead with 40 stayed standing, cheering all the while. This was his show, and Capital goals. Asked whether Ovechkin sees “a young Ovi” in Laine, he One Arena has been his stage for the past 13 years. He obliged, countered, “Well, I’m still young.” He then rubbed his chin and pointed standing once more, waving to the crowd and applauding it back. Chants out how he had recently shaved. By the end of the game, Ovechkin of “O-vi!” started. Ovechkin handed his stick to the Washington Capitals’ pulled ahead of him in the goal-scoring race with 42 goals to Laine’s 41. equipment manager in favor of a new one. He’d be saving the original. “Ovi’s still king,” Trotz said. “It’s going to be in history,” Ovechkin said. “You’ve got to collect the stuff.” [It’s Capitals vs. Jets, but it’s also Alex Ovechkin vs. Patrik Laine] In a sequence befitting one of the NHL’s most prolific scorers of all time, “I didn’t have any doubt he was going to get the record tonight,” owner Ovechkin notched his 600th career goal only after multiple whacks. Ted Leonsis said. “The pantheon that he’s in with Gretzky and Lemieux There was a scramble in front of the net early in the second period, with and Hull is really amazing, and he’s that kind of player. My hope is that Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck sprawled across the we can win a Stanley Cup. I have to keep doing everything I can to try crease. The first shot was blocked. Hellebuyck saved the second. and make a team that’s as generationally supportive and as great as Ovechkin scored on the third, gleefully skating behind the net, dropping Alex has been for our franchise.” to a knee with a leg kicked up as his teammates jumped into his arms. Since his rookie season in 2005-06, Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals, “I was just screaming at him,” said Tom Wilson, who recorded the points, power-play goals, power-play points, game-winning goals, primary assist. overtime goals and shots. Ovechkin’s two-goal game helped the Capitals to a 3-2 overtime win and And he’s already on to the next goal, the next big milestone. made Ovechkin just the 20th player in NHL history with 600 goals on his résumé. He is just the fourth player to reach that mark within 1,000 “Of course it’s special,” he said. “Of course you want to do it more and games, joining Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Brett Hull. With more. It’s 600. Now you have to score another one to make 601.” Washington back in its home rink for the first time in nearly two weeks, Washington Post LOADED: 03.13.2018 Ovechkin ended the much-anticipated wait for his 600th tally less than 24 game minutes after the puck dropped. “When you look at those numbers, you don’t even think it’s 599, 600,” said the Capitals’ Evgeny Kuznetsov, who scored the overtime winner. “But then when you understand, holy f---, that’s a lot of goals. I can’t score 20 in a year. This is 600.” [Svrluga: Alex Ovechkin’s 600th goal is a reminder that it’s too easy to take him for granted] The 599th goal was quintessential Ovechkin. Two penalties by the Jets within 35 seconds of each other gave the Capitals a two-man advantage early in the first period. Ovechkin has scored roughly 70 percent of his goals at even strength this season, but his career highlight reel is full of one-timers from the left faceoff circle, referred to as his office. Taking a pass from defenseman John Carlson, Ovechkin skated into his sweet spot and wristed the puck past Hellebuyck, building even more anticipation that the milestone 600th tally might follow by the time the night was over. Ovechkin’s wife, Nastya, just returned from Moscow and was in the stands. Before the game, she told him she had a feeling he would score two. He had a whopping eight shot attempts after the first period, and he finished the night with eight shots on goal, the most dominant player on the ice. “This morning, he was really quiet,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “He knew he was going to get it done today. The great thing about Ovi is, when he puts something to it in his mind, he was going to get it done tonight. We were all talking as a coaching staff about it this morning that he’s getting it tonight.” [The Alex Ovechkin museum already spans two continents and keeps getting bigger] It’s a testament to Ovechkin that he has scored so frequently from that same beloved location in the left faceoff circle. Teams expect it, plan for it, but still can’t stop it. Earlier this season, St. Louis Blues goaltender Carter Hutton called it an “almost unsaveable shot.” The threat of Ovechkin’s shot has never been a question, but in the past four seasons under Trotz, his game has evolved. Trotz challenged him to be more defensively responsible, and Ovechkin bought into Trotz’s system while still authoring two 50-goal campaigns. Last season was a down one by his standards, and he scored just 33 goals, with 17 of them coming on the power play. The Capitals challenged Ovechkin to make some changes this summer, to trim down so he could move quicker on the ice in a league that’s getting faster with the infusion of young, talented stars. 1103412 Washington Capitals Michal Kempny-John Carlson Brooks Orpik-Jakub Jerabek It’s Capitals vs. Jets, but it’s also Alex Ovechkin vs. Patrik Laine for the Scratched: Madison Bowey, Christian Djoos NHL goal-scoring title Goaltenders

Philipp Grubauer (starter) By Isabelle Khurshudyan March 12 Braden Holtby

Washington Post LOADED: 03.13.2018 Patrik Laine was sitting on the edge of the Winnipeg Jets bench. Alex Ovechkin was casually standing on the ice during a stoppage in the Capitals’ game in Winnipeg last month. Ovechkin skated over to where Laine was seated for a lighthearted moment between competitors. “You still want to play video games?” Ovechkin asked him, referencing a Players’ Tribune story in which Laine expressed a desire to have a Call of Duty session with Ovechkin, his idol growing up. The two have a different competition to settle first. Entering Monday’s game between Washington and Winnipeg at Capital One Arena, Ovechkin and Laine are tied for the NHL lead with 40 goals apiece, a Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race that will come down to the wire with fewer than 15 games left in the season. [The Alex Ovechkin museum already spans two continents and keeps getting bigger] “If you’re close to top three or top five, of course you pay attention,” Ovechkin said. “I think it’s normal thing. I don’t believe when someone says, ‘I don’t care about the stats,’ and all of this kind of stuff. Of course they want points, they want goals. It’s a normal thing, especially if you’re a forward.” Said Laine: “It’s always been one of my dreams to win it. It’s something that every goal scorer dreams about. … There’s a lot of things that can happen, but that’s good motivation to me. With our team goals, it’s a good motivation for me.” Laine, a 19-year-old Finn, studied Ovechkin highlights and became a Capitals fan as a result. He loved how physical Ovechkin played, and he started to model his game after him. But he has emerged as an elite goal scorer in his own right. Through 141 NHL games entering Monday, Laine has 76 goals and 51 assists. Ovechkin had 86 goals and 92 assists in his first 141 NHL games. Since Laine’s rookie year last season, he has the most goals of any NHL player. He also has 15 goals in his past 11 games. [Philipp Grubauer pulls out all the stops as Capitals blank Sharks] Ovechkin is just two goals away from 600, enjoying a resurgent season at 32. He has his sights set on his eighth 50-goal campaign, and he would be just the fifth player to reach that mark at 32 or older. Asked Monday whether he sees a “young Ovi” in Laine, Ovechkin’s response was immediate. “I’m still young,” he said before pointing out how he shaved recently. But their powerful shots are often compared. “They are able to sort of contort and put pucks off their stick in areas where it’s hard to read,” Capitals Coach Barry Trotz said. “It’s got some bite to it when it comes at you, and it gets on the goalies quick. It’s hard to react to. Both of them are exceptional at it. Ovi’s done it for a long, long time. Laine has done it for the last two years, and it looks like he might be able to do it for a long, long time. So it’ll be pretty special. You’ve got Ovi, who’s the king at it, and a young guy who’s making some noise around the league. … “I think Ovi will be dialed in today. He’s very competitive in these situations. You’ve seen it right through his career. I expect Ovi to be jumping tonight.” Here’s how the Capitals are expected to look against the Jets on Monday night in Capital One Arena: Forwards Alex Ovechkin-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Tom Wilson Brett Connolly-Nicklas Backstrom-Andre Burakovsky Jakub Vrana-Lars Eller-T.J. Oshie Chandler Stephenson-Jay Beagle-Devante Smith-Pelly Scratched: Alex Chiasson, Travis Boyd Defensemen Dmitry Orlov-Matt Niskanen 1103413 Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin scores 600th career goal in Capitals’ overtime win over Jets

By Matthew Paras

For a moment, Alex Ovechkin was alone, dropped to his knee and celebrated. As he got up and skated toward the boards, his Capitals teammates rushed to greet him. Ovechkin was enjoying an accomplishment that only 19 other players in NHL history could say they achieved. Only three other players have done it faster. On Monday, Ovechkin scored his 600th career goal in the Capitals’ 3-2 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets at home. He joined Brett Hull, Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky as the only players to score 600 goals in under 1,000 games. He also leads the NHL with the most goals since the 1998-99 season, despite not debuting until 2005. “Pretty amazing feeling,” Ovechkin said during the second intermission. “Pretty great feeling. My wife is here. She just got back from Moscow. She said, ‘I have feeling you’re going to score 600 tonight.’” Ovechkin’s record-tying goal came in an unfamiliar fashion. In the second period, Ovechkin stood in front of the net, knocking in a rebound past Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck with 16:07 left. Normally, Ovechkin’s goals come from the left circle with plenty of space. It’s rare for him to throw himself in the trenches. But he was determined. This was a mark that Ovechkin admitted to chasing, and acknowledged he was counting down with each goal scored. Prior to Monday’s game, he needed two goals to get to 600. Ovechkin didn’t have to wait long for his 599th goal. Just three minutes into the first period, Winnipeg’s Bryan Little was called for tripping, setting the stage for a power play. Then only 35 seconds later, the Jets’ Matt Hendricks committed a tripping penalty — giving the Capitals a 5-on-3 advantage. Ovechkin and Capitals thrived off the extra space, with the puck zipping around the bunched group of Jets defenders. With 43 seconds left on the two-man advantage, Ovechkin fired off a shot from the left circle — which went right through Hellebuyck’s legs. The first goal sparked Ovechkin, who fired off shot after shot attempt. By the end of the first period, the Russian had eight shot attempts with three on goal. On another power play, Ovechkin drifted around the ice with his stick raised slightly, ready to fire off a one-timer. Ovechkin, though, eventually broke through, and the fans at Capital One Arena gave him a standing ovation. The Capitals even had a montage ready to honor the accomplishment, airing it during a stoppage a few minutes later. Ovechkin’s 600th goal was also a reminder of how this season has been a return to form for the 32-year-old. Last season, the Russian had only 33 goals with a career-low 16 goals at even strength. But Ovechkin is back to dominating. He entered the Jets matchup tied with Winnipeg forward Patrik Laine for leading the NHL in goals with 40. Unlike Ovechkin, Laine is just 19 years old — making him another young star that Ovechkin has to fend off. “Well, I’m still young,” Ovechkin said before the game. “I shaved.” Washington Times LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103414 Washington Capitals

Capitals walk fine line between Grubauer, Holtby

By Matthew Paras - The Washington Times - Monday, March 12, 2018

It would be natural for longtime backup Philipp Grubauer to relish the opportunity of becoming the Capitals’ starting goaltender. Grubauer, who steps in for the benched Braden Holtby for a third straight Capitals game on Monday, is a restricted NHL free agent at the end of the season — so the unexpected chance to showcase his skills couldn’t have come at a better time. But right now, Grubauer said he’s focused on the task at hand. “I’m not trying to show off or impress anybody,” Grubauer said. “I just want to play my game. I want to play solid back there, consistent. I think first year was a little up and down and last two years has been a little bit better. That’s all I’m looking for.” The Capitals, after all, are focused on trying to regain their form and retake the Metropolitan Division lead — which changes almost daily. Coach Barry Trotz maintained he would decide the Capitals’ starting goaltender from game-to-game, but Grubauer, for now, has the edge on Holtby. Grubauer hasn’t started this many consecutive games since the 2013-14 season when he started five straight. Trotz said Grubauer “has earned the right” to start. The 26-year-old is coming off a shutout in San Jose where he recorded 24 saves. Since the All-Star break, Grubauer is 5-2 with a .941 save percentage. “We’ll re-think every game,” Trotz said. “It’s just right now we’re in a playoff mode where we’ve got to put the people in that we feel we need all the components in right now. We need wins to make sure we’re guaranteed an invitation to the dance.” The coach said Grubauer’s increased playing time also allows for Holtby to “reset” his game. With 14 games left in the regular season, the Capitals are walking a fine line, trying to balance the need for wins with the desire to get Holtby back on track. Holtby, Trotz said, has to get back to basics. Holtby, who is giving up 4.62 goals per game since the break, said his struggles aren’t related to fatigue or technical aspects of his game. Holtby added he needs to do a better job of avoiding the “snowball effect” of letting games get out of hand. “Even though sometimes you try too hard or you relax a little too much, it’s hard to find that comfortable medium where you’re not thinking, you’re just playing,” Holtby said. “As much as you can tell yourself that’s it’s all talk and mental prep, really the only way is to grind your way and work your way through it to get back. Because you don’t lose things overnight.” Holtby said he’s a believer in earning playing time, adding Grubauer is giving the Capitals the best chance to win. He called Grubauer’s performance a “fortunate thing in an unfortunate situation.” “He’s been able to play extremely well,” Holtby said. “And I can take a little time to clean up a couple of things, and can clear my head, clear the team’s head with that kind of stigma that’s kind of going on with me in net. Those things happen and the biggest thing is setting the right example to the young guys and everyone on the team that we’re all in this together, no matter who is playing.” Washington Times LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103415 Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin scores 600th goal further cementing his place among the all-time greats

By J.J. Regan March 12, 2018 8:17 PM

Alex Ovechkin certainly has a flair for the dramatic. After being held scoreless on the Capitals' California road trip, he returned to Washington in a highly anticipated matchup with Patrik Laine and scored twice to reach No. 600 for his career. He is just the 20th player in NHL history to reach that mark. After being limited to only 33 goals in 2016-17 and now at the age of 32, many wondered if Ovechkin's days as an elite goal-scorer were over. He entered the season 42 goals away from 600 and it was fair to wonder if he would even reach that mark this season or if the chase would stretch into the 2018-19 campaign. That seems like a long time ago now. After scoring 15 goals in his last 11 games, Laine entered Monday's contest with the hot hand. His latest scoring tear had pulled him even with Ovechkin for the league lead in goals with 40. Ovechkin rose to the challenge against the 19-year-old phenom. Goal No. 599 came less than five minutes into the contest as a wrister from Ovechkin sneaked through the five-hole of goalie Connor Hellebuyck. With over 55 minutes left to play, there was never a doubt that 600 would not be far behind. The historic tally came in the second period as he chipped a rebound over a sprawled Hellebuyck. As the puck dropped to restart play, fans serenaded Ovechkin with chants of, "Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!" Take a moment to appreciate the historic moment. The last time a player scored his 600th goal was when Jerome Iginla did it on Jan. 5, 2016. Ovechkin is the only player in the NHL with 600 goals (Jaromir Jagr is playing in Europe, Iginla is playing for Providence in the AHL). It could be a long time before we see another player reach that mark. Patrick Marleau is the only active player with more than 500 as he sits with 529 and, at 38 years old, seems unlikely to score another 71 goals in his career. In addition to being his 600th goal, Ovechkin's tally was also his league- leading 42nd of the season. He leads all players in goals since 1998-99, despite the fact that he did not make his NHL debut until 2005. While Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal mark of 894 still remains very far in the distance, there are still several players very much within reach of Ovechkin. By season's end, Ovechkin could climb pass Jari Kurri (601), Dino Ciccarelli (608) and Bobby Hull (610). A 50-goal season also remains very much within reach. If he reaches that point, it will be for the eighth time in his remarkable career, pulling within one of Gretzky and Bossy who recorded nine 50-goal seasons. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103416 Washington Capitals NBC Sports Washington is on Apple News. Favorite us! Bringing home two points out of a possible six on a three-game road trip is not a great result. The Caps won only one of their three games in Tarik's three stars: Ovechkin nets No. 600... and the No. 1 star California. As they are locked in a tight division race, leaving four points on the table could prove costly. 6-7 minutes But there are a few reasons why fans should not be overly upset about how the Caps performed in California.

First, Washington went 0-3-0 last season on the California gauntlet. As you may have heard by now, Alex Ovechkin became the 20th player Managing even two points is not insignificant, especially when those two in NHL to net 600 goals by scoring a pair on Monday night in D.C. points came in San Jose where the Caps had not earned a regulation win in nearly 25 years. Second, Philipp Grubauer played well in his two And, oh yeah, the Caps also beat one of the league’s hottest teams, starts. He stopped 50 of the 52 shots he faced and earned the shutout downing the Jets, 3-2 in overtime, at Capital One Arena. win against the Sharks. The immediacy of getting Braden Holtby back on track is relieved somewhat by Grubauer's play. While getting Holtby over Tarik’s three stars of the game: his slump remains one of the top priorities until the playoffs begin, 1-Alex Ovechkin, Capitals Washington at least can feel comfortable with letting Grubauer play this out as long as he needs to. With Patrik Laine in the building, was there any doubt Ovechkin would do everything possible to show the teenager that he’s not going to concede Third, and most important, the road trip did not do all that much damage the Rocket Richard Trophy easily? Well, there shouldn’t have been. to the Caps in the standings. Ovechkin was determined to outdo Laine AND net No. 600 on this night. Washington returns home in second place in the Metropolitan Division And, of course, No. 8 did both. trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins by one point with two games in hand. 2-Philipp Grubauer, Capitals The Philadelphia Flyers trail the Caps by two points and have played one more game than Washington. For the third straight start, Grubauer (26 saves) gave the Caps a chance with an array of critical stops at key times. The German’s timeliest save There are no moral victories in professional sports. The California road came with about six minutes left to play when he robbed Bryan Little with trip was not a successful one for the Caps, but there are enough a flashy glove save to preserve the 2-2 deadlock. positives to come from it that it may not be as disastrous as some fans think. 3-Patrik Laine, Jets Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 03.13.2018 Early in the third period, the Caps lost a board battle and Paul Stastny threaded a crossing pass through Dmitry Orlov’s skates and right onto Laine’s stick. The 19-year-old did not miss. Laine sniped a low, hard shot through Grubauer’s pads to even the score, 2-2, with 14:58 left to play. Agree? Disagree? Let us know what you think in the comments. Alex Ovechkin certainly has a flair for the dramatic. After being held scoreless on the Capitals' California road trip, he returned to Washington in a highly anticipated matchup with Patrik Laine and scored twice to reach No. 600 for his career. He is just the 20th player in NHL history to reach that mark. After being limited to only 33 goals in 2016-17 and now at the age of 32, many wondered if Ovechkin's days as an elite goal-scorer were over. He entered the season 42 goals away from 600 and it was fair to wonder if he would even reach that mark this season or if the chase would stretch into the 2018-19 campaign. That seems like a long time ago now. After scoring 15 goals in his last 11 games, Laine entered Monday's contest with the hot hand. His latest scoring tear had pulled him even with Ovechkin for the league lead in goals with 40. Ovechkin rose to the challenge against the 19-year-old phenom. Goal No. 599 came less than five minutes into the contest as a wrister from Ovechkin sneaked through the five-hole of goalie Connor Hellebuyck. With over 55 minutes left to play, there was never a doubt that 600 would not be far behind. The historic tally came in the second period as he chipped a rebound over a sprawled Hellebuyck. As the puck dropped to restart play, fans serenaded Ovechkin with chants of, "Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!" Take a moment to appreciate the historic moment. The last time a player scored his 600th goal was when Jerome Iginla did it on Jan. 5, 2016. Ovechkin is the only player in the NHL with 600 goals (Jaromir Jagr is playing in Europe, Iginla is playing for Providence in the AHL). It could be a long time before we see another player reach that mark. Patrick Marleau is the only active player with more than 500 as he sits with 529 and, at 38 years old, seems unlikely to score another 71 goals in his career. In addition to being his 600th goal, Ovechkin's tally was also his league- leading 42nd of the season. He leads all players in goals since 1998-99, despite the fact that he did not make his NHL debut until 2005. While Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal mark of 894 still remains very far in the distance, there are still several players very much within reach of Ovechkin. By season's end, Ovechkin could climb pass Jari Kurri (601), Dino Ciccarelli (608) and Bobby Hull (610). A 50-goal season also remains very much within reach. If he reaches that point, it will be for the eighth time in his remarkable career, pulling within one of Gretzky and Bossy who recorded nine 50-goal seasons. 1103417 Winnipeg Jets FORWARDS: Connor-Little-Wheeler It's Caps' Great 8 and Jets' Divine 29 tonight in battle of NHL's top two Ehlers-Stastny-Laine sharpshooters Perreault-Copp-Roslovic

Tanev-Hendricks-Armia Mike McIntyre DEFENCE:

Morrissey-Myers Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press

Washington's Alexander Ovechkin and Winnipeg's Patrik Laine both have 40 goals so far this year Chiarot-Byfuglien with Ovechkin needing just two goals to hit 600 for his career.

Morrow-Poolman Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press SCRATCHES: Scheifele (injured), Lowry (injured), Matthias (healthy), Washington's Alexander Ovechkin and Winnipeg's Patrik Laine both Dano (healthy), Trouba (injured), Enstrom (injured), Kulikov (injured), have 40 goals so far this year with Ovechkin needing just two goals to hit Mason (injured) 600 for his career. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.13.2018 WASHINGTON — The NHL's top two goal scorers go head-to-head tonight as the Winnipeg Jets continue a season-long road trip against Washington Capitals. Patrik Laine and Alexander Ovechkin are both at 40 goals for the season and will be sharing the spotlight at Capital One Arena. Ovechkin has a chance to make history, needing just two goals to hit 600 for his career. "We’re real pleased our young guy’s got 40. And that’s a good man to be chasing and competing with. We’d clearly like our guy to have a better night than their guy. That’s true most nights. We’ll see how it plays out," coach Paul Maurice said following the morning skate. The Jets (41-18-9) are comfortably in second place in the Central Division, seven points behind Nashville and six points ahead of Minnesota. Washington (38-23-7) is also in second place in the Metropolitan Division, but in a much tighter race. The Caps are one point behind Pittsburgh and two points ahead of Philadelphia. Winnipeg is 3-1-0 through the first four games of this eastern swing and will go with the same lineup that fell 2-1 in Philadelphia Saturday afternoon. Connor Hellebuyck gets the start in net, while Mark Scheifele, Toby Enstrom, Dmitry Kulikov and Steve Mason all remain out after getting hurt earlier in the trip. Mason was sent home to Winnipeg and had his knee scoped Sunday, with an expected recovery time of two to three weeks, Maurice said. Kulikov has also flown back for further evaluation on an upper-body injury suffered last Thursday in New Jersey. Both Scheifele and Enstrom are considered day-to-day but won't play tonight or tomorrow in Nashville in the last game of the trip, Maurice said. Injured forward Shawn Matthias has recovered from his injury and will essentially be a healthy scratch, joining Marko Dano in the press box. And Jacob Trouba and Adam Lowry have both shed their non-contact jerseys and were full participants in this morning's skate. Trouba could return as early as Thursday's game at Bell MTS Place against Chicago, while Lowry should be a few days after him, Maurice said. Laine was named the NHL's First Star of the Week this morning after scoring five goals over his last three games. He said there's no additional pressure going up against Ovechkin, his longtime idol. "We just feel pressure about our team stuff. That's the only thing we're worried about. We've got to get the two points, and that's the only thing we care about," Laine said following the morning skate. "It's pretty awesome just to be in this position to race for the goal-scoring title as a 19-year-old. It's pretty unreal. But the work is not done yet. There's still a lot of games to go and hopefully we can play good hockey, including myself." Laine said he's thrilled to see Ovechkin closing in on the 600-goal milestone — with one caveat. "Hopefully he's not getting the two goals tonight. But 600 goals in under 1,000 games, it's pretty unreal. Hopefully he's getting it maybe the next game but not tonight," he said. PROJECTED JETS LINEUP: GOAL: Hellebuyck Hutchinson 1103418 Winnipeg Jets "I guess I’m so invisible in front of the net that nobody saw me. I was pretty surprised there was a lot of room. (Stastny) found me with a nice backhand pass and I just tried to (shoot) quickly to the net," said Laine. Jets fall to Caps 3-2 in OT on historic night for Ovechkin, Laine That makes six straight games Laine has scored, with 10 goals in that span. He also extended his point streak to 12 games, with 16 goals and six assists in that span. By: Mike McIntyre On the overtime winner, Wheeler and Little had a two-on-one rush that didn’t produce a scoring chance. Dustin Byfuglien tried to pinch on the play, and Kuznetsov smartly got around him with the puck and was off to WASHINGTON — Catch me if you can, kid. the races. Alex Ovechkin and Patrik Laine certainly lived up to the hype Monday "So you get your two-on-one, and you don’t make it good, and it’s a night, with the NHL’s top two scorers each netting milestone goals in their bobbling puck, and usually the ice is just brutal at the end of it. Keep it in careers. But it was Washington’s other talented Russian skater who put a and you’re going to get a chance. You don’t and you give up a pretty punctuation mark on a memorable night of hockey, as Evgeny Kuznetsov good one," is how Jets head coach Paul Maurice explained it. scored on a breakaway with 48 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg is 2-8 in overtime games this season. Ovechkin pulled ahead of Laine in the NHL goal-scoring race with two The Jets have been struggling to get much scoring lately from anyone goals to reach 42 for the season and 600 for his NHL career. The "Great other than Laine and his linemates. He has eight of the 12 goals on this 8" is just the 20th player in NHL history to reach 600 goals, and the fourth road trip, and his line has 11 with Ehlers having two and Stastny one. to do it in less than 1,000 games. Only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux Joel Armia, currently playing on the fourth line, has the other. and Brett Hull reached the milestone faster. Rookie Jack Roslovic hasn’t scored in 15 games, veterans Mathieu Laine did his best to keep up, scoring a milestone goal to tie the game Perreault and Little have both been blanked in 10 straight, while Wheeler early in the third period. His 41st of the year was also the 77th of his and rookie Kyle Connor are on eight-game scoring droughts. All play career, which leaves him alone in third place in NHL history for most significant roles in Winnipeg’s group of top-nine forwards, logging big goals scored by a teenager. Only Jimmy Carson (92) and Dale minutes. Hawerchuk (85) have more. Now the scene shifts to Nashville, where the Jets wrap up the road trip "I’m not satisfied with that. We were looking for the win and didn’t get it, tonight. Michael Hutchinson is expected to get the start in net for the so I’m not satisfied. And I’m not happy that I scored and he scored. But Jets. Centre Matt Hendricks was hurt in Monday night’s game and is not maybe later," the always candid Laine said following the game. expected to play against the Predators. Laine admitted he had a good view of Ovechkin’s historic goal, as he was "Opportunity to have a real strong road trip. Always a challenge back to on the ice at the time. back, especially going into there. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for our guys. 3-1-1, could be a real good trip for us," said Maurice. "I was pretty close watching it. I was in a good spot. Just behind him. I was there when he made history, so I can maybe watch that someday Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.13.2018 and show that I was there getting the minus on the ice," said the 19-year- old. Winnipeg fell to 3-1-1 on the six-game road trip, their longest of the season. The Jets are 41-18-10 overall, which has them comfortably in second place in the Central Division, six points back of the Nashville Predators and seven points ahead of the Minnesota Wild. "I think the general feeling is disappointment. I thought we should have probably got two (points) there. But you put yourself down in a tough building against a good team, it’s a lot to ask for. It was there for us, we just didn’t do it," said captain Blake Wheeler. Ovechkin came out flying, with eight shot attempts in the opening period including the opening goal with his team enjoying a five-on-three power play. Bryan Little was flagged for a hooking call he vehemently argued on the way to the box, and Matt Hendricks tripped up a Capitals forward just 35 seconds later. Nikolaj Ehlers tied the game just 58 seconds later, scoring his 27th of the year during four-on-four action. He intercepted a Lars Eller drop pass and skated in on a breakaway, beating Capitals goalie Philipp Grubauer. Ovechkin joined Club 600 early in the second period, getting several whacks at a loose puck before finally roofing it over Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. Capital One Arena erupted and gave Ovechkin a prolonged standing ovation. Officials even delayed dropping the puck to allow the moment to sink in. He got another huge round of applause when a video tribute played in the arena a few minutes later during a timeout. Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers celebrates his goal with his teammates in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Monday, March 12, 2018, in Washington. "Talk about some bad bounces. It hits my glove and absolutely rockets out of it. I had made a couple of saves before that, too. It was his turn to score, I guess," said Hellebuyck, who noted he was also the goalie of record when Sidney Crosby recorded his 1,000th career point. "I definitely have an appreciation for that. I seem to be on the wrong end of all these milestones," said Hellebuyck. "I’m definitely going to be in some historical film." Not wanting to be completely overshadowed, Laine responded early in the third period. He was inexplicably left all alone in front of the Washington net, Paul Stastny fed him a perfect pass, and Laine did what he does best. 1103419 Winnipeg Jets He said competing for the Rocket Richard Trophy against Ovechkin, his boyhood idol, was hard to believe.

"Washington, they've always been my favourite team when I was growing Similarities between snipers Laine, Ovechkin striking up. It's always been my dream to play against them and just overall to be here at the rink and now we're playing here. It's pretty cool," said Laine, who added there was no extra pressure for this particular showdown. By: Mike McIntyre "We just feel pressure about our team stuff. That's the only thing we're worried about. We've got to get the two points, and that's the only thing we care about," he said. "It's pretty awesome just to be in this position to WASHINGTON — Mathieu Perreault has seen this play out before. A race for the goal-scoring title as a 19-year-old. It's pretty unreal. But the struggling team, looking to reverse their fortunes, hits pay dirt at the draft work is not done yet. There's still a lot of games to go and hopefully we by selecting a franchise-changing forward. can play good hockey, including myself." It happened when the Washington Capitals nabbed Alexander Ovechkin Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 03.13.2018 with the first-overall pick in 2004. He's become the face of the club, and the most feared goal scorer of his generation. Jets froward Perreault, who spent five seasons in the Washington organization, believes that's exactly what is starting to happen with the Winnipeg Jets in the form of Patrik Laine, whom they selected with the second-overall selection in the 2016 draft. "The organization wasn’t having a whole lot of success, and then they get Ovie as a young kid and he starts scoring goals, and all of a sudden the team starts winning. They became a very dominant team for many years," Perreault said prior to Monday's game against the Capitals. "So you kind of sense that here, where the team’s been struggling for many years, not making the playoffs. And then you get this young kid coming in and scoring goals for your team and helps your team win games. I think coming up in Winnipeg we’ll have a dominant team for many years." Perreault said he still considers Ovechkin a friend and cherished the time spent playing with him in the NHL. "I can tell my grandkids, my kids, I played with Ovechkin. He’s going to be a legend of the game. That’s something I’m happy I had the chance to be around," said Perreault, who sees plenty of similarities with his current teammate in Laine. "Two great shooters, who you can give them one chance and they can put it in the back of the net," said Perreault. "(With Laine), you give him one opportunity and it’s in the back of the net. Right now every shot it seems goes in. It helps us win games when he scores like that. It’s been fun to see." Laine received plenty of media attention during this East Coast road swing when the Jets hit major hockey media markets in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. The spotlight got even bigger Monday in Washington before the game featuring the two leading NHL goal scorers this season in Laine and Overchkin, each with 40. "It’s really impressive when you factor in he’s still learning the game. His scoring has taken off of late, but so has his game, his all-around game. That was true before Paul (Stastny) got here and they clearly have a nice chemistry together," Jets head coach Paul Maurice said prior to Monday's game. "To do that at 19 is special. As much as you’re left kind of smiling when the puck goes in because it happens so often now and it’s fun to watch, there have been an awful lot of games where he could have had two or three more." Maurice was asked what the ceiling might be for Laine, considering many players don't really come into their own until they are well into their twenties. "He’s an impressive young man at 19. At any age, those numbers would be elite. But at 19, that’s pretty exciting because again, there’s lot of room as he physically matures, for his game to change and become a power forward and a big, strong man who can score off the rush, take pucks to the net. There are lots of places (Laine) is going to improve over the years," said Maurice, who added he's not getting caught up in goal- scoring numbers. "The overall game (Laine) will play will become far more important than whether it’s 40, 50 or whatever that number (of goals) ends up being. With Mark (Scheifele) out of the lineup, you’re already seeing them start to draw the shutdown pair of D and their A line. So that’s a bit of an adjustment he’ll have to deal with," said Maurice. "Then at some point, (Laine) is going to play 20 minutes a night. Maybe not at 19, but when that happens, he’ll be playing against the A group. It’s not as easy to keep scoring like Ovechkin has when you move up the lineup and you play more minutes and you play against the other team's best. It doesn’t take much for either one of those guys (Laine or Ovechkin) to get it off their stick, that’s for sure." Laine, named the NHL's first star of the week Monday after scoring five times in three games, had another huge media scrum following Monday's skate. He answered every question with his usual honesty and candour. 1103420 Winnipeg Jets NASHVILLE PREDATORS Forwards Five keys to Jets and Predators Filip Forsberg-Ryan Johansen-Viktor Arvidsson Kevin Fiala-Kyle Turris-Craig Smith Ken Wiebe Scott Hartnell-Nick Bonino-Ryan Hartman Colton Sissons-Mike Fisher-Austin Watson Winnipeg Jets at Nashville Predators Defence 7 pm CT, Bridgestone Arena. TV: TSN3. Radio: TSN 1290 Roman Josi-Ryan Ellis THE BIG MATCHUP Mattias Ekholm-P.K. Subban Blake Wheeler vs Roman Josi Alexei Emelin-Yannick Weber The captains of their respective clubs will be under the microscope on Goalies Tuesday as the Jets close out a six-game road trip. Wheeler leads the Jets in scoring, while Josi is an excellent, two-way defender who also Pekka Rinne had five assists the last time these two teams met. Jusse Saros KEYS TO THE GAME Special Teams Tighten things up POWER PLAY In the last meeting between the two clubs the Jets were unable to hold Winnipeg: 24.4% (2nd) onto a pair of two-goal leads, falling 6-5 in regulation time to the Predators, who just had a 10-game winning streak snapped in a shootout Nashville: 21.9% (5th) loss to the New Jersey Devils. The two teams have combined for 26 goals in three meetings this season, so both coaches would prefer to PENALTY KILLING avoid another high-scoring affair. Winnipeg 82.9% (5th) Four lines required Nashville: 82.2% (T11th) The Jets are set to reach the end of a six-game spread over 11 days. Injuries After playing five consecutive games against teams from the Eastern Conference, the Jets are back in action against a Central Division rival. Jets: G Steve Mason (lower body, two-to-three weeks), D Jacob Trouba The Jets are 11-7-2 against the Central this season, while the Predators (ankle, IR), D Dmitry Kulikov (upper body, indefinitely), D Toby Enstrom are 15-4-2 – which is one of the reasons they have a cushion in the (lower body, day-to-day), LW Shawn Matthias (upper body, IR), C Adam chase for top spot. Lowry (upper body, IR), C Mark Scheifele (upper body, day-to-day) What’s next for Hutchinson? Predators: None With Jets backup Steve Mason sidelined for two-to-three weeks after Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.13.2018 getting a scope done to his knee, Michael Hutchinson is thrust back into the role. After Connor Hellebuyck started 15 of the past 17 games, Hutchinson is getting the call against the Predators. It will be the third NHL start of the season for Hutchinson, who is 1-1 with a 3.33 goals- against average and .857 save % in two prior meetings against Nashville. Pay close attention Predators centre Ryan Johansen is having another strong season, sitting third on his team in assists (34) and tied for fourth in points (45). The top- line pivot has 11 goals and 22 points in 17 career games against the Jets, so trying to limit his production will be a priority. Stastny cruising Jets centre Paul Stastny found immediate chemistry with linemates Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers and he’s very familiar with the Predators from his time with the St. Louis Blues. Stastny has seven goals and 25 points in 43 career games against the folks from Music City. GAME DAY LINEUPS Winnipeg Jets Forwards Kyle Connor-Bryan Little-Blake Wheeler Patrik Laine-Paul Stastny-Nikolaj Ehlers Mathieu Perreault-Andrew Copp-Jack Roslovic Brandon Tanev-Matt Hendricks-Joel Armia Defence Ben Chiarot-Dustin Byfuglien Josh Morrissey-Tyler Myers Joe Morrow-Tucker Poolman Goalies Michael Hutchinson Connor Hellebuyck 1103421 Winnipeg Jets Jets captain Blake Wheeler tried to find Little with a cross-ice pass on a two-on-one rush in overtime, but Capitals forward Chandler Stephenson hustled back to break up the play. Ovechkin reaches 600-goal milestone as Capitals beat Jets Capitals centre Evgeny Kuznetsov chipped the puck past a pinching Dustin Byuglien, walked in on a breakaway and beat Hellebuyck high to the blocker side with 48.3 seconds remaining in overtime. Ken Wiebe The Jets have won just two of the 10 games that have been decided in overtime and this was another example of being a bit too aggressive during three-on-three play. WASHINGTON — Patrik Laine is always going to remember where he was when Alex Ovechkin scored his 600th NHL goal. “So you get your two on one, and you don’t make it good, and it’s a bobbling puck, and usually the ice is just brutal at the end of it,” Maurice Here’s a hint, Laine didn’t like his vantage point. said. “Keep it in and you’re going to get a chance, you don’t and you give up a pretty good one.” The Winnipeg Jets forward was too close for comfort and felt he didn’t do enough to prevent the Washington Capitals captain from scoring his It didn’t take long for Ovechkin to show he was tired of being stuck on second goal of the game, reaching an impressive milestone in the goal No. 598, firing eight shot attempts in the opening period and scoring process. during a two-man advantage at 4:35 of the opening stanza. “I was pretty close watching it. I was in a good spot. Just behind him,” Ovechkin finished with eight shots on goal, 15 shot attempts (five were said Laine, whose Jets fell 3-2 in overtime on Monday night at Capital blocked, two missed the net) and he added five hits in what a vintage One Arena. “I was there when he made history, so I can maybe watch performance from The Great 8 — who received a lengthy standing that someday and show that I was there getting the minus on the ice.” ovation after becoming the 20th player to hit 600 goals (and fourth fastest) behind Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Brett Hull). The Jets, who slipped to 41-18-10 on the season, close out this six-game road trip on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators, who have gone 10- “It wasn’t talked about, trying to keep him off the board or where he stood 0-1 in their past 11 games to build a six-point cushion atop the Central in terms of career goals,” Wheeler said. “Obviously every time you play Division standings. this team, you have a tremendous amount of respect for where he is on the ice and what he’s done. Six hundred goals is incredible, especially at With 13 games left to go in the regular season, the Jets hold a seven- his age. It wasn’t something we focused on, but I’m sure every guy point edge over the Minnesota Wild in the race for second place in the probably acknowledged at some time on the ice “congrats.” It’s a pretty Central. rare accomplishment, especially nowadays.” Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck had another strong performance for the The Jets are 3-1-1 on this road trip and they’ll attempt to even the series Jets, finishing with 40 saves. with the Predators. It was a hopeless feeling for Hellebuyck, who was down on the ice and “Opportunity to have a real strong road trip,” said Maurice. “Always a had made several saves in the sequence before Ovechkin finally chipped challenge (playing) back to back, especially going into there. But there’s his third attempt over him for his 42nd goal of the season. a light at the end of the tunnel for our guys. (It) could be a real good trip “Talk about some bad bounces. It hits my glove and absolutely rockets for us.” out of it. I had made a couple of saves before that too,” said Hellebuyck. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.13.2018 “It was his turn to score I guess. “Every point is earned. I liked the way we battled. Obviously, we can learn from this. We didn’t get the two points. That’s what we want and what we need right now.” Hellebuyck was upset about being the goalie who gave up the milestone marker, but still had an appreciation for Ovechkin reaching 600 goals in 990 NHL games. “Absolutely, I definitely have an appreciation for that. I seem to be on the wrong end of all these milestones. I was there for (Sidney) Crosby’s (1,000th point). (Evgeni) Malkin got one on me, I think even (Phil) Kessel got one on me, I don’t know. And now Ovechkin,” said Hellebuyck. “I’m definitely going to be in some historical film.” Laine was another big part of the reason the Jets were able to rally from a 2-1 deficit in the third period to earn a point in this one — getting open in the slot and burying a feed from Paul Stastny at 3:53 to even the score and eventually force overtime. “I guess I’m so invisible in front of the net that nobody saw me,” Laine said. “I was pretty surprised there was a lot of room.” Laine’s goal was his 41st of the season, gave him at least a goal in six consecutive games and extended his point streak to 12 games (16 goals, 22 points during that span). Nikolaj Ehlers had the other goal for the Jets, who are having trouble getting enough secondary scoring of late. During this road trip, the Jets have scored 12 goals — eight for Laine, two for Ehlers, one for Stastny and one for Joel Armia. For a team that has nine guys in double digits this season, the Jets have been too reliant on one line of late – even if goals are much tougher to come by during the final quarter of the season. The Jets lost veteran forward Matt Hendricks to an undisclosed injury during the second period on Monday and head coach Paul Maurice isn’t expecting him to play against the Predators — which means there will be at least one lineup change up front. It was another eventful overtime, one which saw the Jets kill off a slashing minor to centre Bryan Little. 1103422 Winnipeg Jets

Scheifele back on ice Jets top centre progressing, but caution prevails

Ken Wiebe

WASHINGTON – The bright yellow colour of his jersey seemed rather inconsequential as Mark Scheifele returned to the ice with his teammates for the first time since suffering an undisclosed upper-body injury last Tuesday against the New York Rangers. Sure, it was a non-contact jersey but Scheifele was flying around during the morning skate and seemed upbeat, much like he did after returning to the ice after suffering the first upper-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for 16 games. Jets head coach Paul Maurice has said on several occasions the two injuries are not related and the fact Scheifele is already back on the ice is an important step in the process, even if he’s already been ruled out of Tuesday’s game against the Nashville Predators. “He’s feeling much better, which is a positive,” Maurice said before the Jets faced the Washington Capitals on Monday. “We do not want a re- occurrence, so we’ll be real patient with this one.” Speaking of injuries, Maurice told reporters goalie Steve Mason had a scope done on his knee and would be out of action for two-to-three weeks. Mason, who had a 31-save shutout last Tuesday against the Rangers, has been limited to 11 games this season, thanks in part to a pair of concussions. Jets defenceman Dmitry Kulikov has also returned to Winnipeg for further evaluation after suffering an upper-body injury in the second period of last Thursday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Maurice said he would know more about the severity of the injury on Tuesday. Jets defenceman Toby Enstrom sat out with a lower-body issue for the sixth time in the past seven games and remains an option to suit up against the Predators, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s given a few extra days to get closer to full health. Maurice said Jets defenceman Jacob Trouba, who sat out his 19th consecutive game with an ankle injury, remains on track to return to the lineup after this six-game road trip – though he wasn’t ready to pinpoint when exactly he would play. Centre Adam Lowry has shed the non-contact jersey and should be back shortly after Trouba, while winger Shawn Matthias has been cleared for contact but needs a few more full practices before he’s considered. Lowry has missed 25 of the past 27 games with an upper-body issue and Matthias hasn’t played since Jan. 12. Tickets go fast According to an NHL spokesman, tickets for the Global Series games in Finland between the Jets and Florida Panthers sold out in less than an hour, marking the quickest sellouts in history for NHL games in Europe. Tickets went on sale on Monday and there were fewer than 1,000 left after 20 minutes. The Jets and Panthers play on Nov. 1 and 2 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland. Laine named first star After a five-goal outburst – including his fourth career hat trick – in three games, Jets winger Patrik Laine was named the NHL’s first star of the week. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 03.13.2018 1103423 Winnipeg Jets right. He’s the kind of player who could step into the NHL and make a good team like the Jets even better next season.”

In researching this piece, I tried and failed to find out what the local Jets have a perfect replacement for Toby Enstrom in Sami Niku papers had to say about him on draft day. That’s in no way a slam – when a player is taken that deep and comes from Mestis, Finland's second division league, it’s hardly fair to expect a 1,000 word column. By Murat Ates Mar 12, 2018 Interestingly enough, Niku seemed to know more about Winnipeg than we did about him.

The Winnipeg Jets needed to find a replacement for Toby Enstrom – and “It’s a great experience to be drafted to Winnipeg,” Niku said at the draft, fast. via a translator. “It’s a big hockey town. They have amazing fans.”

With Winnipeg scheduled to play the next day in Philadelphia, Enstrom Niku went on to say that he liked Teemu Selanne but was not his biggest skipped last Friday’s optional practice to nurse the lower body injury that fan – if this shocks you, remember that they're so far apart in years that has been nagging him for weeks. When it became clear that he could Selanne was a Mighty Duck on the day Niku was born – before miss Saturday’s game, Winnipeg found itself in a predicament. describing his own playing style.

Jacob Trouba has been out of the lineup for weeks. Dmitry Kulikov was “(I like) to play with the puck, (I like) to move the puck, and (I am) a great injured midway through Winnipeg’s previous game. Joe Morrow and Ben skater,” Niku said, again through his translator. Chiarot were already in the lineup. This meant that the closest available defencemen who had all of their limbs in order were with the Jets' AHL At the time, Niku had just finished his second season for JYP-Akatemia team in Chicago. in Mestis, one step below Finland's SM-liiga. With three goals and 22 assists in 32 games for JYP-Akatemia, Niku set the Mestis league record As expected, Enstrom’s short term replacement was Tucker Poolman, for most points by an under-20 defenceman. whose best run of play in the NHL actually corresponds with a previous Enstrom injury. For 10 games earlier this season, Poolman and Chiarot I asked Arponen if he could put Niku’s season into context. were an effective but sheltered third pairing after Dustin Byfuglien joined “It is the most any defenceman at his age has scored,” Arponen said. “Of Enstrom on the injured reserve. course it is special, but to be honest there haven’t been very many On Saturday, however, shelter was nowhere to be found. For the first prospects of that calibre playing in Mestis until recent years for some time this season, Winnipeg was forced to dress all three of Poolman, reason.” Chiarot, and Morrow in the same game. Mestis was formed for the 2000-2001 season to replace Finland’s first It didn’t end well. division. Since the 2008-2009 season, top teams in Mestis have been eligible for promotion to the SM-liiga, which produces most of Finland’s While Chiarot acquitted himself well with Byfuglien on the Jets’ makeshift top players like Patrik Laine and Joel Armia. top pair, Morrow and Poolman were hemmed in their own zone for long stretches of play. Chiarot led Winnipeg’s defensemen with a 53.9 per If Niku wasn’t as famous as other top Finnish prospects, Arponen says cent Corsi while Morrow and Poolman rounded out the bottom end at just it’s because he played in Finland’s second best league – away from the 33.3 per cent each. public eye.

Poolman has played well in previous stints with Winnipeg – as difficult as “Niku was well known among hockey people (in Finland) but not with the Saturday’s game was for him, he remains Enstrom’s obvious short term public, for example, like Sami Vatanen was. Fame among the public and replacement. mainstream media requires quite a big role (for the) junior national team, which Niku didn't have.” But Enstrom is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Winnipeg needs to be prepared to replace him not just in the short term but in the long Niku did play for Finland’s world junior team in 2015 and again in 2016, term, too. when he won a gold medal alongside much more heralded Finnish prospects. With Patrik Laine, Jesse Puljujarvi, Sebastian Aho, and Olli In my opinion, the best player to fill that role was left behind in Chicago – Juolevi carrying the team, Niku didn’t get a lot of press. and he responded with a hell of a game. Perhaps more importantly, Niku graduated from Mestis to the SM-liiga With the Moose on the power play in the dying minutes of a tie game, that same season. It wasn’t always a smooth transition for the 19 year Sami Niku set up Nic Petan for a one-timer that soon became Manitoba’s old. game-winning goal. It was Niku’s 31st assist of the season and his 43rd point. “In his first year in Liiga, he did struggle with bigger opponents,” Arponen said. “His skating skills were there and his offensive potential was Niku added another assist – his sixth point in his last five games – in obvious, which is why he had an average TOI of 10:14 and played in a Manitoba’s Sunday night loss to the Iowa Wild. With his 44th point, Niku very sheltered role in his first season. His second season was pretty is tied for the most points in the AHL by a defenceman – as a rookie. much the same story with more minutes (15:14) but still a sheltered role.”

It’s been a simply phenomenal North American debut for Niku, one that Niku registered 11 points in 38 games as a SM-liiga rookie, giving him has me convinced that Niku is Enstrom’s spiritual successor. In Niku I the SM-liiga’s top points-per-game for players his age. In his second see a brilliant, undersized defenseman with high-end offensive skills who season, Niku took a major step forward, scoring 27 points in 59 games in can defend well enough to play inside the top four. 2016-2017. Once again, this was tops among defenders Niku’s age.

But I don’t want you to take my word for it. What were Niku’s biggest challenges?

For this piece, I reached out to Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, The “Last year, his biggest weakness was the physical side of the game. He Athletic’s in-house prospect experts, as well as Miika Arponen, founder of got outmuscled by bigger opponents quite often,” Arponen said. “He also Finn Prospects and writer for the Finnish website, Kieeko Areena. I sometimes tried to force a bit too complicated plays with the puck, but combined their words with numerical projections from previous articles by that improved when he got used to the Liiga level.” The Athletic's Tyler Dellow and Namita Nandakumar in search of Niku’s ultimate NHL ceiling. As the AHL’s scoring leader from the blueline, Niku has clearly taken yet one more step forward in his 21-year-old season. In December, Wheeler When the Jets drafted Niku with the 198th selection in the 2015 draft, the rated Niku as Winnipeg’s fifth best prospect (and with the trade of Erik pick didn’t generate a lot of fanfare. Today, Wheeler says Winnipeg killed Foley, Niku has presumably jumped to fourth.) it with that pick. “Niku is a mobile, up-tempo creator who thrives best as a passer, rather “No matter what happens, that Niku, a seventh round pick, has become than as a shot presence from the point,” Wheeler said in that piece. the player that he is today by age 21 already makes himself a steal,” “What sets Niku apart from some of the other young defencemen in the Wheeler said. “He has been helped by playing on a very good Moose AHL is that he's also an excellent man-on-man defender. He'll be an team, but I think he’ll be a top-four defenceman in the NHL in his own NHLer soon enough.” How soon is soon enough? And how good of an NHL player are we With Justin Schultz's otherworldly 1.4 points per game playing with Taylor talking about? Hall and Jordan Eberle during the 2012-2013 lockout excluded, here is Niku among his peers: For that, let’s invoke some research. For this portion of the piece, I’m going to quote Tyler Dellow’s “When Do Defenseman Make It?” and There are some very impressive names on this list, a group of good Namita Nandakumar’s “Is Sam Morin taking too long? An analysis of young NHL players in the early stages of their careers, and a few players NHL prospect timelines.” For the record, both of these are phenomenal who failed to carve out NHL careers. In the end, 13 of the 19 players articles and if you haven’t read them, they are well worth your time. listed here (Gragnani is listed at age 21 and again at age 22) are full time NHL players. Let’s start with a discussion of how soon Niku should make the NHL. Dellow’s piece gives us this graph: Here are what those 13 NHL careers look like in terms of points per game: On this graph, Dellow has this to say: “Just over half of the league's top four defencemen this year first played at least half a season by the time This isn't an in-depth statistical study; it is just a list of comparables. Still, that they're 21. About 80 per cent have done it by the time they're 23.” roughly two-thirds of the AHL defencemen who produced points at Niku's rate from 2005 to now made the NHL and have averaged 0.49 points per Niku turned 21 years old on October 10. Given that there are only 14 game in the world's best league. It's not conclusive but it is impressive. games left in Winnipeg’s season, there is precisely zero chance for him to hit 41 games. If Dellow’s look into history is any indication, Niku had And while we know that offence isn't everything, Niku compares well with better make the leap next season or the one after it – otherwise, he’s a Klingberg by NHLe and Sami Vatanen by points per game at the age of bad bet to last in the NHL. 21. If he enjoys that kind of NHL success, Niku will go down as the franchise’s best late round pick since none other than… Nandakumar looked at the number of post-draft seasons it takes prospects to make the NHL (as defined by playing at least 40 games in a Toby Enstrom (No. 239 overall, 2003.) season.) Her work gives us this chart: Enstrom, if you’re curious, also played in the SHL when he was 21. He Niku was drafted in 2015 and is thus finishing his third season after being scored 11 points in 47 games, giving him a full season NHLe of just 11 drafted. Per Nandakumar: “The median prospect who makes an NHL points. Enstrom doubled his SEL scoring the following year and then roster takes about four seasons to do so.” Put another way: if Niku plays played his first NHL season at age 23, scoring 38 points in 82 games for at least 40 games next season, he will be approximately average our very own Atlanta Thrashers. compared to his peers. Incidentally, appropriately, and a little bit hilariously, Arponen brought Given that I’m projecting Niku as Enstrom’s long-term replacement and Enstrom’s name up without prompt. Enstrom is an unrestricted free agent this summer, it’s good to know that Niku would be making decent time if he makes the NHL in 2018-2019. “A very good comparison on Niku's playing style is Tobias Enstrom,” Arponen said. “I think they play a very similar game – or at least how Dellow’s piece allows us to take things one step further by considering a Enstrom played a few years ago. Very good skating, reads the game prospect’s development route. Here is a similar chart to the one above very well and has the hands to create plays. I think Niku's upside is a top- which differentiates based on which league a prospect came from: 4 D-man with power play time. Reaching 50 points like Enström in his prime may be unlikely, but I don't see a reason why couldn't play in a role As we’ve already discussed, Niku was drafted from Finland’s Mestis like that.” league and thus qualifies as European for this chart. On European defencemen, Dellow had this to say: With so many signs pointing to an Enstrom-esque defender, it’s getting harder and harder for me to project Niku as anything other than “Fourteen top four defencemen took the European path and entered the Enstrom’s replacement. NHL at 21 or younger. It's a fairly glittery list (at least by conventional hockey wisdom standards), including Hampus Lindholm, Oliver Ekman- Another factor in favour of this is cost. With Byfuglien and Tyler Myers Larsson, Zdeno Chara, Rasmus Ristolainen, Adam Larsson, Oscar already making $13.1 million between them and Trouba’s contract up this Klefbom, Roman Josi, Anton Stralman, Victor Hedman and Alex Edler. summer, Winnipeg would benefit tremendously from an affordable left- European defencemen entering the league at 22 or later are a much less side option. Niku’s ELC could provide just that. impressive group: John Klingberg and Mattias Ekholm are stars but it's otherwise more of a group of journeymen top four types — the Johnny Put another way: Oduyas of the world.” Given that Winnipeg will face a slight cap crunch the moment Ehlers’ $6 “Again, there are structural impediments that prevent Europeans from million contract hits the books next season, Niku’s cost savings vs. getting a shot at the NHL earlier in their career. They have to decide to whatever contract Enstrom signs could be the difference between make the move over to North America and there are pressures from the standing pat at next year’s trade deadline and going for another big fish European clubs to stay and develop there. There's likely a bit of an like Paul Stastny. With Winnipeg poised to enter cap hell when Laine’s unwillingness to come to North America while they think it's probable that 40+ goals turn into a cap hit in the neighbourhood of $10 million in they'll spend significant time in the AHL.” summer 2019, Niku’s emergence (and, ideally, Kristian Vesalainen’s too) might be necessary just to keep Winnipeg competitive. Niku is leading the AHL in points among defencemen and he’s doing it at 21 years old. To me, that’s a phenomenal result, but he’s not yet in the I’ll get to a more in-depth look at Winnipeg’s salary cap situation in an NHL. Based on Dellow’s research, if Niku were a surefire top four stud, upcoming article. For the moment, let us return to Niku. Is there anything he would have already made the leap. that could hold him back from becoming a top four defenseman?

Still, given that very good defensemen like John Klingberg and Mattias For this, I’ll close by turning to Pronman, who has long been bullish on Ekholm fall into the 22 or later group, my optimism has not waned. Winnipeg's 2015 draft.

For context, Klingberg scored 28 points in 58 games as a 21 year old “His main obstacle to being an NHLer is off the puck,” Pronman said. while playing for Frolunda HC of the Swedish league – good for a full- “He's a little behind strength wise for where you would like a 21 year old season NHL equivalency (NHLe) of 26 points. to be. He's not that imposing when checking men and while he can close gaps overall and has a good stick his defensive play could tighten up.” At 21, Ekholm played for Brynas IF Gavle – also of the SHL – where he scored 17 points in 41 games for an NHLe of 20 points. Niku is currently listed at a non-behemoth six-foot, 194 pounds. While bigger than Enstrom is, Niku is a little on the small size for the NHL – but Niku’s 44 points through 61 games in the AHL translates to a full-season not by much. NHLe of 28 points. And while the notion that young players can bulk up in the gym is To look at Niku's offence in a different way, I pulled the top 200 offensive something of an ancient hockey truism, Niku’s particular strengths may performances of under-22 AHL defencemen from 2005-2006 to now and depend on his mobility. I’m not sure how much weight I’d want a player sorted them by points per game. At 0.72 points per game this season, like him to add. Niku ranks 12th in points per game for his age group. Pronman certainly sees the value in Niku’s agility. “Sami's biggest strength is his skating. He's able to evade pressure so well and can lead a rush.”

“He's got good puck skills, moves the puck well, and is a big reason why Manitoba has had such a good power play and overall team this season.”

Sure sounds like someone who can fill Enstrom’s shoes to me.

Finally, what does Niku think of his own transition to the North American game?

Speaking for himself this time, in English, here's Sami Niku:

The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103424 Vancouver Canucks left knee and at least a dozen other injuries that have forced him to miss playing time.

He’s now a year removed from his latest back operation and the mere Willes' Musings: Draft scenarios for Canucks, Tiger's 'comeback' and fact he could come back and be competitive on the PGA Tour is an who has Hart? extraordinary achievement. But that was one tournament. How long will his body hold up? While we’re asking questions, how long will his game hold up, especially under the blast-furnace pressure of a major? ED WILLES Following the Valspar, there was a lot of talk that the new Tiger could resume his assault on Jack Nicklaus’s record 18 majors. He’s currently four back of The GOAT, but the idea of Woods winning five more is Because we’re all about the positivity, we’re happy to report that the delusional. Canucks only have one game left with the Arizona Coyotes. With that in mind, here are the always uplifting musings and meditations on the world With this comeback, Woods has written another chapter in his incredible of sports: story and become a much more likable, human figure in the process. These are no small things. Golf fans should be thankful for them. • Given their most recent form, it’s hard to envision a world where the Canucks finish outside the bottom three in the NHL this season. • Speaking of your basic immortals, the bride and I caught Jerry Seinfeld in Las Vegas over the weekend and the dude killed it. He’s 63 and could This, in turn, will again raise any number of uncomfortable questions be coasting on his name, but he’s as fresh and funny as he’s ever been. about the current state of the franchise and the Trevor Linden-Jim Benning administration. But let’s put that aside for the moment and focus Always thought Richard Pryor was the greatest standup of all time. I’m on what’s become the most exciting event on the faithful’s calendar. beginning to reassess that position. Draft day. • We’re approaching the start of baseball season, which, for me, raises the great existential question: Do I protect Byron Buxton for $20. I await Heading into Monday’s games, the Canucks sat fourth from the bottom your responses. or, for our purposes, fourth from the top, but the larger development is last — or first — overall is now within reach. Following Sunday’s • And finally, in 1990, then-Oilers centre Mark Messier edged out Bruins stultifying 1-0 loss to the suddenly competent Coyotes, coach Travis defenceman Ray Bourque for the Hart Trophy by two points. It was later Green’s team sat four points ahead of the 31st-place Coyotes, who also revealed that one voter left Bourque off his ballot because the great blue- have a game in hand. liner was going to win the Norris and that was enough. Buffalo and Ottawa, which hold down 30th and 29th, respectively, were That was also the first year your agent voted on the award, and since just three and two points back of the Canucks with games in hand. then there have been weird choices (Jose Theodore?), runaway choices (most of them) and a few other close ones: In 2000, Chris Pronger beat OK, in this race, games in hand are a purely theoretical concept, but let’s Jaromir Jagr by a single point. But I can’t ever remember a year where just say the Canucks can get to 30th. What does that portend for the there have been so many worthy candidates. rebuild? My favoured candidate for most of the season has been Colorado’s It would be cruel to suggest this team might win the Rasmus Dahlin Nathan MacKinnon, and if you were going by the definition of the award, lottery because these, after all, are the Canucks. If that should happen, it “the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team,” he should win. would be a total game-changer for this franchise. It might also signal the Well, either MacKinnon or New Jersey’s Taylor Hall. end of days. The problem is the criteria are much broader, factoring in production, What’s more likely, and interesting, is if the Canucks end up 30th and the team success and reputation. possibilities that opens up. After Dahlin, there are three forwards on the top of most boards: Andrei Svechnikov, Brady Tkachuk and Filip Zadina. On that basis, who knows? You never hear Anze Kopitar’s name, but the All three are wingers. All three project as front-liners. But, while the Kings’ centre has as many points as Hall and is regarded as one of the Canucks’ roster has more holes than a bad alibi, none of those three two- or three-best defensive forwards in the game. Nikita Kucherov is a really address their needs. safe pick — the leading scorer on the league-leading Lightning. But in a lineup that includes Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman, I’m not sure So we ask, if they do end up picking second to fourth, does that open up he’s the best player on his team. a trade-down scenario because the next group features a number of defencemen — which does fill a crying need for the Canucks? Evgeni Malkin has made a late charge and may be leading the race. But the Flyers’ Claude Giroux is just six points back of Malkin with 13 games The interesting part here is the four most-often mentioned blue-line left. prospects — Quinn Hughes, Adam Boqvist, Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson — all bring something a little different to the party. Blake Wheeler has been a rock on a surprising Jets team. His teammate, Patrik Laine, might lead the NHL in goals this season. Eric Staal is Hughes, who plays at Michigan, is this year’s Cale Makar, a 5-foot-10, getting some run for his monster year in Minnesota. Boston’s Patrice 170-pound offensive dynamo. One scout said if the rover position still Bergeron was in the conversation before his late foot injury. existed, Hughes would be the first pick in the draft. The Canucks, as it happens, were high on Makar last year and general manager Benning It might come down to something as subjective as Colorado making the has already talked about his desire for a power-play quarterback. playoffs to determine my ballot, but there will be a worthy candidate who doesn’t make the final five. That’s never happened in my experience. Which brings us to Bouchard, the London Knights blue-liner who has NHL size and leads all OHL defencemen with 23 goals, 61 assists and Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.13.2018 84 points. Surely that ticks every box for the Canucks; but another scout says the best all-around defenceman available this year is Acadie- Bathurst’s Dobson, who’s also made the biggest jump since the start of the season. For all that, the highest-rated defender on a number of boards is Sweden’s Boqvist, another offensive-minded D-man. The issue there is the reports on Boqvist sound a lot like the reports on Olli Juolevi in his draft year. The most likely draft-day scenario is the Canucks finish somewhere in the bottom three and drop their customary three spots, but that still brings the defencemen into play. That, at least, is the way it looks now. You may also be aware things tend to change with this franchise. • Tiger Woods’s performance at the Valspar was an electric moment for golf, but the notion that it announced his return to the top of the game sounded like wishful thinking for the TV networks. Woods is 42, an age when virtually all the game’s greats were in decline. He’s also had three back surgeries, major reconstructive surgery on his 1103425 Vancouver Canucks Alex Biega-Derrik Pouliot Starting goalie: Canucks Game Day: It's Jeff Carter vs. Brandon Sutter as Canucks face Jacob Markstrom Kings Kings forwards

Alex Iafallo- Anze Kopitar-Dustin Brown JASON BOTCHFORD Tanner Pearson-Jeff Carter-Tyler Toffoli

Adrian Kempa-Mike Amadio-Trevor Lewis Vancouver Canucks vs. L.A. Kings Kyle Clifford-Nate Thompson-Torrey Mitchell 7:30 pm Staples Centre (SNP: Sportsnet 650 AM) Defence pairings THE BIG MATCHUP Derek Forbort-Drew Doughty Jeff Carter has been playing really well since missing 55 games due to surgery on his calf. Brandon Sutter, meanwhile has not. Sutter did miss Alec Martinez-Dion Phaneuf about a quarter of the season because of injury but he won’t get close to Jake Muzzin-Christian Folin the 17 goals he scored last season. He may not even get to 10. Goalie Sutter is a key Canuck to watch down the stretch because the team could look for another centre in the off-season. Sutter is not really a Jonathan Quick shutdown centre who can play big minutes which he’s asked to do for the Canucks POWER PLAY FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Canucks: 21.5% (8th) 1. Erik Gudbranson vs Trevor Lewis Kings: 20.4% (15th) Some are convinced the Lewis cheap shot on Brock Boeser helped PENALTY KILL shape the future for the Canucks. The hit drove home the need for a Canucks: 77.3% (26th) player like Gudbranson and that realization led to his extension. True or not, it makes for a great storyline here because Gudbranson said if he Kings: 83.8% (2nd) was in that game there would have been a response. Both Lewis and Gudbranson could be in this one. SICK BAY 2. Darren Archibald’s physical play Canucks Teams in the division like the LA Kings are precisely why the Canucks LW Loui Eriksson (upper body) out for season think they need a player like Archibald. To be fair, he does a lot more D Chris Tanev (broken leg) week to week than hit. He can kill penalties and he’s shown he can chip in the odd goal. The Canucks are going to need a lift here and there from their energy LW Markus Granlund (ankle) out for season guys and Archibald, who is playing for a job next year, should be just that. LW Brendan Gaunce (lower body) week to week 3. The Brendan Leipsic experiment LW Sven Baertschi (shoulder) out for season Brendan Leipsic celebrates his game-winning overtime goal against the RW Brock Boeser (back) out for season New York Islanders. JONATHAN HAYWARD / THE CANADIAN PRESS Kings The start to Leipsic’s Canucks career couldn’t have gone any better. OK, maybe if the won one or two more of his first few. But he’s already shown none enough that you know he’s in the mix for a spot on next fall’s lineup. Brock Boeser’s season is over, is there anything to look to? Powered by Could it be in the top six? If it is, he’s going to been to be consistent any Eagle Ridge GM, Jeff Paterson and Jason Botchford are back to look at time he’s playing with a centre expected to create offence, like Bo the Canucks as the season winds down. Horvat. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.13.2018 4. The Canucks’ power play Brock Boeser was more than the right-shot trigger man on the Canucks power play. He created plays and room too when teams over-flowed to his side of the ice. Without him, the Canucks don’t have another big shot that’s going to intimidate penalty killing units. They need to make up for that with movement, and that job will mostly fall on the Sedin twins. 5. The Canucks’ motivation It’s been hard all season for the Canucks to be on top of their game and when they’re not it gets ugly fast. This isn’t the easiest trip with three road games in four nights and often the middle one is where a team takes a hit in terms of energy. The Canucks are playing back to back games and doing it against a deep Kings team. I don’t like their chances. GAMEDAY LINES Canucks forwards Brendan Leipsic-Bo Horvat-Sam Gagner Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Jussi Jokinen Darren Archibald-Brandon Sutter-Jake Virtanen Reid Boucher-Nic Dowd-Tyler Motte Defencep pairings Alex Edler-Erik Gudbranson Michael Del Zotto-Troy Stecher 1103426 Vancouver Canucks Do they really want to endure all this losing again? Because there’s not enough young talent on this team to believe next year will be any different from this one. The Provies: The Boeser effect, the Gagner effect, the Guddy effect and a take to bring the city together I wasn’t there tonight and am not with the team. But I do think this is as bleak as it’s ever felt for the Sedins. Jason Botchford Given how close they are to the end, I can’t imagine it’s ever looked more hopeless than it does right now.

BEST CALL BACK BEST PROMISE You know this will be said again next January, right? Brock Boeser saved his greatest accomplishment for last. BIGGEST WTF Somehow, his presence is felt more when he’s out of the lineup than when he’s in. I like Slammin’ Sammy Gagner. Is it possible the market under-sold Boeser’s impact this season? He’s had an impossibly disappointing season. But he doesn’t let it eat him alive and there’s something to be said for a player who can endure It seems that way. this kind of losing and never wear it. The Canucks haven’t looked this harmless since, well, the end of last That said, the Canucks were expecting much more when they signed season. him. Their goal-scoring has evaporated and it’s not because of bad luck. Much, much more It doesn’t just feel like they may not win another game. Gagner hasn’t scored in 21 games. Edler has more points. Dorsett has It feels like they may not score again. equaled his goal total. Like, ever. Neither reflects well on a forward who if he’s not producing offence is just not doing enough to help his team win. Of course, they will. Some of this, much like the Eriksson story, is about a coaching staff that Another win is going to happen too. isn’t playing to his strengths. Probably. The reason Gagner was signed was because of success he had on CBJ’s power play last year. But every drip of fun has dried and the team is playing like there’s a pillow being pressed to their collective heads. On that team, he was in the so-called bumper position, high in the slot, roving. Watching them is a cold, dark and suffocating experience. He hasn’t been used there much this season. The fact Boeser was able to navigate the weeds in this lineup and score 29 goals, a 37-goal pace, should not be lost on anyone who has a Calder For whatever reason, Newell Brown just loves Gagner in The Boeser Trophy vote. Spot. The grip on his case has not weakened in his absence. He had him there even when Boeser was healthy. Boeser finished the season playing just 62 games and that may be too It doesn’t make sense now, so you can imagine how ridiculous it looked few for some to include him among the three finalists. back then. He can’t win, and I didn’t think he was going to have a chance even if he Reality, Gagner’s shot is big enough or good enough to make it work stayed healthy. opposite Henrik and unfortunately for him as long as he’s there, he’s going to be compared to Boeser. There are rookies who will finish the season with more points and, some will argue, they had better seasons. Even the broadcast couldn’t resist: But I promise you this, no rookie meant more to their team than Brock Part of me feels bad for Slamming Sammy that he’s become a living, Boeser in 2017-18 and history should reflect it with a top three finish. breathing memorial where we all toss our flowers every game. BEST WHY? But he could have helped his cause a little on what was one of the biggest misses of the season. Someone messaged me tonight and asked why the Sedins would want to return for another season of this. His team on the ropes, unable to score. The Canucks hit 75 points two seasons ago, 69 last year and currently He’s staring at an open net and this happens: thinking about them getting to 65 looks is akin to thinking about me and you accomplishing a winter summit of K2. Even his follow through doesn’t look right. The Canucks sit at 59 points, and are holding steady thank you. Heavy is the crown for the man who must replace Boeser in The Spot. There was a working theory earlier in the season that managing the Just put JV18 there and call it a season. Sedins minutes would counter-act the second-half fade we’ve seen them BEST METAPHOR endure a few times in recent years. Good lord, this Sat and Auld hug is how the city is going to embrace But the load is just too heavy. Boeser when he comes back: The twins can’t carry this hunk of lead down a driveway, let alone up and BEST OBSERVATION down 200-feet of ice for three periods. No one should expect them to do it at this stage of their careers. BEST DESTINY I can’t help but wonder what could have happened if they just loved When I arrived in Van in 2005, making fun of how much people here Vancouver a little less. talked about that 1994 Cup trip was some of my top social-gathering material. How would their careers have ended if they were able to fit as secondary players on some Cup contender in their final years? The series, at that point, was 11 years old and still dug up almost nightly at Canucks games. What would that have meant for their legacies? Sunday, I just had a troubling epiphany. Alas, it’s not happening. In 2022, I just realized I will still be dissecting the ’11 season regularly. And I’m not sure next year is happening either. Destiny can be cruel. This is pretty good: BEST LOL While we’re here, Sutter has 17 points. On the season. BEST SHOT/CHASER He may not hit 20. Shot: And there’s three years left…. This is Benning from a 1040 interview on the morning show in November. BIGGEST HIT It’s quite something to read now: To be clear, the stat does blow. Chaser: It’s poorly tracked, has home ice biases and also, as the caller above said, highlights the fact that the guy making the hit doesn’t have the puck. So the team Benning thought was the best team he’s ever had is really one of the worst teams in franchise history? There are defencemen who hit a lot and impact a game. And then there’s MDZ. Damn. I’d never question his effort. The guy is game. He never shies away from Life moves fast. contact. If there’s an open ice hit, he’s taking it. BEST ANSWERS But he has more than 200 hitz and not a memorable one among them. There were obvious ones: I quickly searched MDZ and hit via twitter and found one mention of a There were angry ones: good one. (Have you seen who he is playing with?) It was from October. There were ones that made me think. Holding up his hitz as a stat which indicates something positive about what went down this season is probably not the most accurate number And there were ones that saved marriages: crunching. BEST DAD And while we’re here, a look at some of the D with the fewest hits: I do think there’s a point in here to be made. BEST NO HITTER Because if Guddy really is going to be here for the next three years, we I almost don’t want to post the Canucks hits-per-game rundown after have to talk about something that’s been hiding in the corner for too long. Green suggested last week he’d enjoy it if Horvat dabbled more in the “art” of hitz. So there’s this: But here it is and Bo is at the bottom of this with Vanek. And then there’s this: You know who is last on the team in this particular area? Excuse me while I catch my breath. The Great Third Liner > Loui Eriksson. Guddy has a harder shot than Salo and is in the Chara and Weber territory? He finished the season with seven hits in 50 games which is a lower rate than Henrik. So why would a guy with a shot like that, do something lik this: In fact, it’s tied for the lowest hitz rate in the NHL , using a 50-game You apparently have one of the hardest shots known to man and you minimum. wrist this in on net? Is Green worried about this? I just can’t come to terms with all of it, because I can’t remember ever seeing Guddy’s shot in a game and thinking it should on a power play. Seems like something he’d worry about. Where is this great power? This 103-MPH laser? BEST ARGUMENT I’m so beat down, however, I’m willing to take his dad’s word for it and let I got nothing. the radar gun at SuperSkills win the day. You want to shut down a Demko debate, drop this one. Put Guddy on the god damn PP. BEST COMPARISON It can’t look worse, can it? There’s this: Let’s see this clapper. And this: Maybe he thinks he has a great wrist shot too? I listened to Hirsch explain this on the SNET650 morning show and he He seemed pissed he didn’t score here. essentially said Demko already knows what it takes to be an NHL goalie so he should be good to go to compete for a backup job in the fall. BEST HELLO DARKNESS And if you believe this to be true, then, hell, waiting till October makes the BEST REVERSE DUNK ON ME most sense, agreed. I had the Canucks winning six more games when there was 15 to go. But there will be more pressure on him in October than there is now in games no one is expecting the Canucks to win. It’s beginning to look like JPat’s prediction that Granlund would score 24. I’m also unconvinced the Canucks defence will be vastly improved to I actually said six, lol. start next season. This guy was kind enough to shave a couple off and it still doesn’t look And if you really do think he can start next year as the backup, what’s to like it will be close. lose by trying to give him a running start right now? BEST PREDICTION Seems logical, no? One of these days, JV18 is going to fight Phaneuf. I perked up listening to Hirsch’s on-air conversation when both Fleury I think the Kings D remembers a hit Virtanen laid on him in his rookie and Vasilevskiy were presented (not by him) as examples of goalies who year. were baked for some time in the AHL. That led to some shenanigans and tonight, Phaneuf went right at him I think people need to understand, Demko has played 82 AHL games. again early and appeared to engage him in a way that led me to think he He’s 22 years old. was looking to go. This isn’t about throwing him into the deep end as a teenager. BIGGEST DUNK Vasilevskiy was 20 and had 25 AHL games before he got his shot in the Some recent discussion on twitter about contracts which are structured NHL. In that season, as a rookie, he started a game in the Stanley Cup with a high percentage of signing bonus money, stirred up some thoughts finals. about Eriksson and a possible trade. That start on June 10 was his first since March too. The Canucks will have paid Eriksson $16 million by the end of this season. To think, people here are fretting about a 22-year-old starting a meaningless game against the freaking Coyotes and Vasy was out there On July 1, he’s due a $6 million signing bonus lump sum. trying to win a Cup against Peak Chicago at 20 while starting for the first time in three months. When this drops, the Canucks will have paid him $22 million after just two seasons. Really, nothing can be thrown at Demko which will come close to that king of pressure, including seeing Guddy on the top pairing in front of That leaves four years of Eriksson and $14 million remaining on his him. contract. As for the other one, Fleury was playing NHL games as a teenager. He The $3.5 million per year average there is not bad, even for the Eriksson spent one season in the AHL but that was only because of the lockout. we’ve seen in Vancouver. In all, Fleury played 71 AHL games. Vasilevskiy played 37. Let’s say the Canucks then retain 25% of his remaining contract, so $3.5 million in all. Cory Schneider, who is the poster child of a slow development boil, was getting a taste of the NHL life after 50 games in the minors. The acquiring team would then be getting Eriksson for four years, at $10.5 million or a $2.625 million per year average with a $4.5 million cap Schneider talked often back then about how his short stints being hit. recalled (2 Canucks games played in 2009-10 and eight in 2008-09) helped him grow. Suddenly, it looks like Eriksson could have some value. “I’ve taken a lot from it,” Schneider said when he was 22 and a a second- Of course, the obstacle here is that he does have a NTC and generally year pro getting a taste of NHL life. “I had some ups and downs but I felt Canucks players are reluctant to waive those. it helped me make some progress towards the end goal.” (Odd for such a tough place to play). There are plenty of goalies who have shared similar stories and many BEST COME TOGETHER teams now who are giving younger goalies dips in the NHL pool as quickly as possible. If anything became evident with the dawn of The Benning Extension and the subsequent rise of Friedmanism in Vancouver, it’s this: Hirsch wondered aloud which games we would like to see Demko start. The city is divided. It was answered, so will take a run here: Fans are chirping fans. You just missed two. Both of the recent Coyotes games were cake for Markstrom and that was without Tanev. Media are poking fans. The good news? Media are dunking on media. (OK, so it’s not all bad). There’s one Coyotes game remaining at home and Tanev ::should:: be But there are moments when takes materialize and I believe they have healthy for it. the chance to bring our under-siege city together. There’s also two more against the Oilers who have scored a few more One such moment was the “Where are the draft picks?” movement. goals than the Canucks this season. The Rebuildists love picks for many reasons, but mostly because they So that’s three games for Demko, if all goes well. represent the best chance there is to acquire above-replacement young, talented players. And one of those Oilers games is the last game of the season. In preaching picks, the Rebuildists, who generally find themselves When it comes to selling next year, would anything beat a good Demko opposed to many of this front office’s decision making, concede this game in Edmonton to close this mess out? potentially volatile point. BEST UNION The Canucks have had success at the draft. There may not be a bigger combo action flick than seeing The PA Plan We could argue all day about the Virtanen and Juolevi picks, but that’s and A&W team up. not moving the ball up the field. I’d see a buddy cop move starring those two. Intellectually, the so-called Anti-Negatives understand Benning has this Did Hutton have a good game? Uh, no he did not. scouting background and by his own admission thinks his best attribute as a GM is assessing amateur talent. But he’s played well recently and it’s not his play on the ice that’s getting him scratched, imo. You’d assume a pursuit of picks would be welcomed by both the Rebuildist and the Anti-Negs. I believe Green when he told Batch it’s a conditioning issue. I heard he set a number of pounds which Hutton had to lose. In short, everyone understands the Canucks have a scout as a GM and have done a fine job of finding prospects in several different rounds. I’m not sure whether Hutton made the goal or not, but he did get scratched a couple of games ago, so I’m guessing the answer was no. Getting on board the “Get Draft Picks” train first looked like a slam dunk. Green is out to get Huttonmore explosive in his skating. His first three Unfortunately, that’s not how it unfolded. steps are what he’s focused on and you could see why on that pinch he People found ways to dismiss and marginalize the value of picks. had which led directly to a breakaway goal against. imac argued it’s time for the Canucks to get players to win now. Everything about this play looks slow for Hutton. Jim said he was looking for hockey trades. His thinking and skating. You know the story. BEST WHERE YOU GOING? But I am going to take one more shot at bringing the city together. Archibald got played by Doughty here. Everyone agrees the Canucks need a defence. Had him lined up too. Hopefully this list, which includes some of the better defencemen not BEST SUMMARY chosen in the first round, will once more drive the importance of picks, Let’s face it, the Demko debate isn’t earth moving but it’s pretty much and how having several of them can make a difference. one of the few semi-interesting storylines we have left this season. Shayne Gostisbehere, Round 3, No. 78 BEST CONTRACT NEWS PK, Round 2, No. 43 John Klingberg , Round 5, No. 131 Tyson Barrie, Round 3, No. 64 Damon Severson, Round 2, No. 60 Roman Josi, Round 2, No. 38 Jared Spurgeon, Round 6, No. 156 Jake Muzzin, Round 5, No. 141 Colin Miller, Round 5, No. 151 Colton Parayko, Round 3, No. 86 Mattias Ekholm, Round 4, No. 102 Probst impression: Worth playing for? Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103427 Vancouver Canucks “I hate losing. When you have opportunities and you don’t (score), it’s a tough feeling. Especially with the stretch we’re in. I want to be a big part of things and it’s tough going through a losing season.” Canucks Post Game: The captain’s concern, the Gagner drought NILSSON SHOWS SOME MOXY Three games in four nights, including back-to-backs, means it’s Ben Kuzma traditional to split the cage. However, Jacob Markstrom played well enough in Arizona on Sunday to get the call again, but the struggling Anders Nilsson got the chance to LOS ANGELES —Points to ponder as the Canucks actually had three regain lost confidence. With a 1-10-2 record in his last 13 outings, a power plays, couldn’t score for the second-consecutive game despite 35 paltry .889 saves percentage and bloated 4.05 goals-against average he shots and made costly defensive blunders in a 3-0 loss to the Kings on really had nothing to lose. Monday: The Kings lost 7-2 to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday in the worst home- CAPTAIN CALLS OUT BATTLE LEVEL ice loss in nearly 10 years. They can’t afford to lose ground in pursuit of a playoff position. If Nilsson got lit up, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. If As the dutiful captain, Henrik Sedin understands accountability comes he showed up, it would at least be a moral victory. with the territory — especially after a fourth-straight loss — but trying to find something to rally around is getting harder as the losses mount and To his credit, Nilsson didn’t wilt. He was on his knees when Tyler Toffoli the offence completely dries up. took a long pass from Jake Muzzin, sped past Derrick Pouliot and went glove side early in the second period to open scoring. But he wasn’t to It didn’t take Henrik long to take a harder look, even though the effort blame for a re-directed pass that gave the Kings a two-goal cushion. And appeared better. on the third, it was more about Hutton losing a battle on the wall than a prone Nilsson trying to thwart Tanner Pearson. “It was OK,” he started. “That’s a tough team to play on back-to-backs. We did a better job tonight but it’s not good enough. Travis (Green) gave Nilsson foiled Jeff Carter and Toffoli twice in the first period. our line the chance to get something going tonight and maybe win the game, but we didn’t step up. “I felt pretty good,” said Nilsson, who finished with 30 saves. “L.A. is a good team and when they get a chance they have skilled players. On the “It’s going to fall on the guys who need to produce.” first goal, I got caught flat-footed a bit and kind of lost my edge and went down. I wasn’t close on that and I would have played that differently. The Sedins started with Nikolay Goldobin and wound up with Jake Virtanen, who was stopped in tight on an early third-period chance that “But I felt I was on my game and made some good saves and saw the could have cut a 2-0 deficit. Daniel had three shots and five attempts — puck well. It’s a step in the right direction and something to build on.” and was robbed by an acrobatic left-pad kicking Jonathan Quick — but the failure to convert is testing the resolve of everybody in the room. Added Green: “His rebound control was as good as I’ve seen it.” Henrik didn’t have a shot attempt and won just four of 11 draws. IS HELP ON THE HORIZON? “You always need something extra against a team like this to score,” he Chris Tanev could play Wednesday in Anaheim. You could argue why? added. “I don’t care who gets the goals. You want to see the battle level that needs to be there every night. And wanting the puck and wanting to After missing 15 games with a micro leg fracture, the defenceman took make plays and be in the battle. the optional morning skate Monday and is anxious to face the Ducks. But with the fire drills on the back end — Edler had three giveaways and “I believe we could have had more guys doing that tonight. You have to Pouliot a pair and Hutton struggled along the walls — somebody needs want to make the little plays and own the puck and make something to make the smart defensive-zone reads, play well positionally and move happen. That’s what we’re learning now and you want to see everybody the puck. do that. You have to be mentally strong to make plays and want the puck on your stick. That’s when things open up for other guys.” “He’s possible,” said Green. “We’ll just have to see where he’s at Wednesday. He wants to play and I want him to play. I want him to end Then again, the Canucks aren’t playing with a full deck. this season playing some good hockey down the stretch and be ready to come back. When the Canucks clobbered the Kings 6-2 on home ice Jan. 23, Loui Eriksson and Brock Boeser scored twice while Thomas Vanek and Sven “He’s such a big part of our defensive core. When players are out, I try Baertschi also scored. The line on the forwards now reads rib injury, back not to think about it and I don’t know how many games he has missed. ailment, traded and separated shoulder respectively. But we miss him drastically.” “I liked our effort tonight,” said Green. “A couple of breakdowns for goals That’s because Pouliot and Hutton were culpable for the opening goal. that I wasn’t crazy about but that’s going to happen.” “Hutty pinched on the wall and I don’t know if we didn’t recover — I have THE WINGS AND THE PRAYERS to watch it again,” said Pouliot. “Either way, I have to back him up there.” Tyler Motte with Bo Horvat and Brendan Leipsic. Goldobin with the Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.13.2018 Sedins and Sam Gagner in the Boeser sweet spot on the first power play. None of it made much sense. Virtanen started on the fourth line and then replaced Motte and then found himself with the twins and was stopped on a backhand chance early in the third period. Motte is decent in a forechecking capacity and the penalty kill and maybe Green thought that initial line would score in transition. Goldobin, who had but four first-period shifts for 2:35, doubled it in the second but he didn’t really move the meter. And Gagner taking a feed from Alex Edler and trying to replicate Boeser’s power-play shot from the dot was a shot in the dark. Gagner also went high and wide on an even-strength chance with half the net to shoot at. That says a lot. He hasn’t scored in 20 games. “I tried to keep it low and it (puck) just rolled on me,” said Gagner, who could have erased a 1-0 deficit. “Obviously frustrated being shutout in back-to-back games and I’ve had Grade A chances to score. I have to find ways to put pucks in the net. 1103428 Vancouver Canucks the puck and Tanner Pearson outwaited a sprawled stopper to put the game away.

Nilsson did Jeff Carter and Toffoli twice in the first period. Kings 3 Canucks 0: Wings and prayers, is it Tanev time? Is help on the horizon?

Chris Tanev could play Wednesday in Anaheim. You could argue why? Ben Kuzma After missing 15 games with a micro leg fracture, the defenceman took the optional morning skate Monday and is anxious to face the Ducks. But LOS ANGELES — Dustin Brown said the Vancouver Canucks have with all those fire drills on the back end — Edler had three giveaways nothing to play for. He was right. And he was wrong. Monday, Pouliot had a pair and Hutton struggled on the walls — somebody needs to make the smart defensive-zone reads, play well Drew Doughty said he has nothing but respect for Henrik and Daniel positionally and move the puck. Sedin, whom he lumped in with Ryan Getzlaf and Sidney Crosby as the game’s smartest players. He was kind. “He’s possible,” said Green. “We’ll just have to see where he’s at Wednesday. He wants to play and I want him to play. I want him to end And Travis Green issued nothing but a fair warning that facing the Los this season playing some good hockey down the stretch and be ready to Angeles Kings was a game his club couldn’t hide from Monday. It would come back. be a big boys’ game. He was honest. “He’s such a big part of our defensive core. When players are out, I try A lot was said but talk is cheap. And reality is cruel. not to think about it and I don’t know how many games he has missed. But we miss him drastically.” Put it this way. When the Canucks clobbered the Kings 6-2 on home ice Jan. 23, Loui Eriksson and Brock Boeser scored twice while Thomas Vancouver Province: LOADED: 03.13.2018 Vanek and Sven Baertschi also scored. The line on those forwards now reads rib injury, back ailment, traded and separated shoulder respectively. And if you really want to get nostalgic, it was a Nov. 14 meeting here where Bo Horvat and Boeser were added to a 14.1 per cent power play that struck twice in a surprising 3-2 win. All that only magnified the injury-riddled, navel-gazing plight of the Canucks, who are saying all the right things about effort and execution. But the only forward to score in the last four games is the 34-year-old Jussi Jokinen. And he sat out Monday. At least the Canucks drew three power plays. They had but one in each of their previous four outings. So there’s that. Here’s what we learned as the Canucks fell 3-0 for their fourth-straight setback since the Boeser injury: The wings and the prayers Tyler Motte with Bo Horvat and Brendan Leipsic. Nikolay Goldobin with the Sedins and Sam Gagner in the Boeser sweet spot on the first power play. None of it made much sense. Jake Virtanen started on the fourth line and then replaced Motte and then found himself with the twins and was stopped on a backhand chance early in the third period. Motte is decent in a forechecking capacity and the penalty kill and maybe Green thought his initial line would score in transition. Goldobin, who had but four first-period shifts for 2:35, doubled it in the second but he didn’t really move the meter. And Gagner taking a feed from Alex Edler and trying to replicate Boeser’s power-play shot from the dot was a shot in the dark. Gagner went high and wide on an even-strength chance with half the net to shoot at. That says a lot. He hasn’t scored in 20 games. Daniel nearly had his 22nd in the second period, but Jonathan Quick did the acrobatic left-pad kick. Nilsson shows some moxy Three games in four nights, including back-to-backs, means it’s traditional to split the cage. However, Jacob Markstrom played well enough in Arizona on Sunday to get the call again, but the struggling Anders Nilsson got the chance to regain lost confidence. With a 1-10-2 record in his previous 13 outings, a paltry .889 saves percentage and bloated 4.05 goals-against average, he really had nothing to lose. The Kings lost 7-2 to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday in the worst home- ice loss in nearly 10 years. They can’t afford to lose ground in pursuit of a playoff position. If Nilsson got lit up, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. If he showed up, it would at least be a moral victory. Nilsson was on his knees when Tyler Toffoli took a long pass from Jake Muzzin, sped past Derrick Pouliot and went glove side early in the second period to open scoring. He wasn’t to blame for a re-directed pass that gave the Kings a two-goal cushion. Then Ben Hutton couldn’t clear 1103429 Vancouver Canucks In that regard, I bet I know what would help. A few more wins. 10 thoughts on the Canucks: What effect could all this losing have? Read MORE: Trying to keep the Canucks competitive has been a waste of valuable assets

2. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported recently that the Canucks were By Jason Brough hoping to target Mikael Backlund in free agency, only for the 28-year-old forward to re-sign with the Calgary Flames. 1. Compared to a year ago, Canucks fans have every right to feel more If true, it shouldn't be all that surprising. Backlund is an underrated two- optimistic about their team's future. way centre who finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting last season. He's one of the Flames' best penalty killers, and that's an area the Canucks Think about it. badly need to improve. A year ago, Brock Boeser was merely a highly touted prospect in college. At the same time, pursuing Backlund would've been a risk for the Today, he's one of the top goal scorers in the NHL. Canucks. Calgary signed him for six years with a cap hit of $5.35 million. Not too bad for now, but he's close to 30 and has already played 531 A year ago, Elias Pettersson was just some Swedish kid the Canucks NHL games. The Flames better hope he ages well. might draft. Today, he's one of the best prospects in the world, and he's all Vancouver's. 3. For all the talk about Markus Granlund's fall-off in production, there's been surprisingly little discussion about Brandon Sutter's. A year ago, Thatcher Demko was finishing off a so-so season in Utica. Today, he's the Comets' MVP, with an NHL debut not far off. Entering Monday's game in Los Angeles, Sutter had just six goals and 11 assists in 48 games. Granted, the 29-year-old has been deployed almost So in that sense, things are better. exclusively in a checking role under Green, but for a cap hit of $4.375 million, even without any power-play time, that's a glaring lack of offence. On the other hand, the Canucks are still a very bad hockey team. With 13 games remaining in the season, they're flirting with the worst record in Per Natural Stat Trick, here are the worst point producers (5-on-5) the league. For a third straight year, they're going to finish well out of the among the Canucks' regular forwards: playoffs. Not a great look for Sam Gagner, either. Suffice to say, this is not the “winning environment” that GM Jim Benning had hoped to maintain after making the playoffs in 2014-15, his first year 4. When the Canucks acquired Sutter in the summer of 2015, Benning with the club. told the Vancouver Sun: “You win with players like Brandon Sutter. I’m not comparing him to Patrice Bergeron, but when I was in Boston, Remember that press conference? Bergeron was a great two-way player for us. Look at Jonathan Toews (in Chicago). That’s how you win in the playoffs. When we look at Brandon “Our goal is to develop young players in a winning environment, to make Sutter and all the things he brings, he’s going to be in our next wave of the playoffs, and ultimately we want to compete and win the Stanley core players. I believe his best hockey is still ahead of him.” Cup,” Benning said. “You can have a lot of good young players, but if they don’t learn and understand what it takes to win and (if) they (don’t) In hindsight, Sutter has underdelivered in Vancouver. But I understand have older players showing them the right way to play and how to win, what Benning was getting at. There are very few teams that win the you end up with a team full of real good players that never wins Stanley Cup without a Selke Trophy-calibre player. The Penguins did it, anything.” sure, but they've got Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin down the middle. With that in mind, after Friday's 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild, I asked Going all the way back to 1978 when the Selke Trophy was first handed head coach Travis Green if he ever worried about the cumulative effect out, there have only been a handful of winners who didn't also win a of so many losses on his young players. Stanley Cup. Even the guys who didn't win, like Michael Peca and Ryan Kesler, came pretty darn close. “No, I don't,” Green said with zero hesitation. “No one likes to lose, and I'm not just worried about the young guys' psyches. You're worried about Come to think of it, the Backlund report makes even more sense now. your whole group. When you're losing, it's hard to get out of it. When you're winning, you get on a roll and you figure out how to win. When you 5. An underreported story this season has been Bo Horvat's diminished lose, you've got to figure out how to get out of losing. role on the penalty kill. “But for us right now, it's still the same. Every game is a new game and In fact, if not for injuries to Loui Eriksson, Derek Dorsett, Brendan we are undermanned, everyone knows it. But we're not going to sit there Gaunce and Markus Granlund, Horvat might not be killing penalties at all. and hang our heads, feel sorry for ourselves. This is the NHL. It's a great league to play in. Man, it's the best job in the world. Come to the rink Under Green, Horvat has averaged just 1:29 on the PK. excited to play, with lots of passion in your game, and good things are Last season under Willie Desjardins, it was 1:49. The season prior: 2:15. going to happen.” Here's the thing about Horvat that some people still haven't realized: He's Similarly positive was Henrik Sedin, who insisted that things are different a way better offensive player than a defensive one. this year, even though the record is not. Come to think of it, the Backlund report makes even more sense now. “I think it's a different mindset from coaches and players,” the captain said. “It feels like we have a structure where we know where we want to 6. The Canucks see Elias Pettersson as their playmaking-centre of the go. We're not quite there yet, but we've shown we're on our way to doing future, the one who will someday replace Henrik Sedin. something better.” But Pettersson's on the wing in Sweden right now, and he'll probably Still, I wonder. start on the wing next season if he's in Vancouver. Not only about the youngsters and how the constant losing might Who knows? He may end up being a winger the rest of his career. After diminish their enthusiasm for coming to the rink and working to get better. all, playing centre in the NHL is a hard job. Not everyone's built to do it, But also about the veterans, who aren't immune to feeling discouraged and Pettersson may never weigh over 200 pounds. just because they've been around the block a few times. The Flyers moved 185-pound Claude Giroux to the wing this season, and “Everyone's got lots to play for here,” countered defenceman Michael Del with 81 points in 69 games, he's on pace for his highest-scoring season Zotto. “Everyone's playing for a job. It's a tough league to stay in. Guys since 2011-12. are nibbling at your ankles to get your job, so we've got a lot to play for.” Is he still a playmaker, though? I suppose as long as the losing doesn't become acceptable, it doesn't have the potential to be quite so damaging. Well, fifty-seven of his points are assists. “You don’t want to be happy with losing,” Sedin warned back in 2016. So… yep. “That’s a dangerous road to go down, especially with young guys coming “There's a lot of heavy miles put on down deep in the defensive zone,” in. We’ve seen other teams around us where it becomes okay to lose, Flyers GM Ron Hextall told NHL.com. “He is down there a little bit [but] and we can’t have that. You have to try and create a winning culture.” certainly not near as much as when he played center. I think some of the heavy lifting has been put on [Sean Couturier] and I think that's probably helped his energy levels. Maybe he has a couple extra productive Which sounds a lot like the kind of thing Gilman would say. minutes that he might not have had if he was playing center.” Enjoy the games this week! Man, that Backlund report is really starting to make some sense! The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 7. Here's what I think the Canucks should do with Demko. First, give him a few games down the stretch this season. If he plays well, great. If not, he knows what to work on this summer. Next season, start him in Utica regardless, but call him up after a few months if he's playing well for the Comets. Then, if he keeps playing well for the Canucks, there's always the option to waive or trade the extra goalie. With this plan, you're giving Demko an opportunity to be an NHL goalie next season, but you're not making him fly without a net. You're also sending a message to Jacob Markstrom and Anders Nilsson: Don't take the summer off, because your job is not safe. Remember that Demko won't need waivers next season, and there's no rule against occasionally carrying three goalies. If all three netminders are playing well, that's a good problem to have. Also remember what the Canucks' director of player personnel, Ryan Johnson, told The Athletic in December. “It's a delicate situation with a goaltender,” said Johnson. “You suck the confidence out of him at some point, sometimes it's hard to get it back.” I'm not against a little adversity, but the Canucks don't need a demoralized Demko. He'll get his opportunity soon enough. No need to rush anything. 8. It's tempting to compare Demko's development path to Cory Schneider's, but one thing to keep in mind is that Schneider had a very good team in front of him during his first full season in the NHL (2010- 11). Back then, the Canucks had a deep defence and a whole crew of defensively responsible forwards. They were a veteran squad that knew how they wanted to play, with the talent to actually do it. I thought about that while reading Eric Duhatschek's piece on why even great goalies struggle sometimes. “Montreal, with Carey Price,” former goalie Kevin Weekes told The Athletic, “he was at his peak confidence level during P.K. Subban’s last year there. Even when Shea Weber first came and the way Shea played last year, Shea was all-world as well. Now with Shea being out, (Andrei) Markov and (Alexei) Emelin being gone, and their most consistent two- way forward in Alexander Radulov being gone, it’s a different team. Sometimes teams undervalue those unheralded guys.” Food for thought. 9. This could be a big summer for former Canucks assistant GM Laurence Gilman. According to Pierre LeBrun, Gilman has already been contacted about the GM vacancy in Carolina. LeBrun then wondered, “If Seattle looked at him as a potential GM candidate, would they also want his old sidekick from Vancouver, Mike Gillis, to come in as a president of hockey-type?” Just imagine that possibility. Even if Gilman doesn't get a gig in Carolina or Seattle, there are plenty of other potential openings around the league. After the work he did helping Vegas put its roster together, he should have a pretty strong sales pitch to make. 10. I do think the time could be right for Gilman. He may not be a traditional hockey man, in that he never played professionally and he didn't start in the front office as a scout. That being said, the three other major leagues have shifted toward executives who didn't play the game at the highest level, or even at all. A great example: The GM of the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles, Howie Roseman, started out as an unpaid intern for the team. Like Gilman, Roseman has a law degree. Also like Gilman, he made his name as a contract negotiator and salary-cap expert. Roseman never played football. Not even as a kid. Yet he helped turn the Eagles into a champion. “Make sure that you're not short-changing what the right way to build the team is, and what you believe in,” Roseman advised, per USA Today. “Even if that means taking one step back in order to take two steps forward.” 1103430 Websites executive who came up through a law firm rather than a playing career. He manages the Lightning’s AHL franchise, which continually pumps out good, young talent for the big club. He also manages Tampa’s salary cap The Athletic / Custance: The Top 10 assistant GMs ready for a promotion and deserves credit for the foresight the organization had at the deadline last year and at other intervals that has helped keep the most important players around on this roster. The Lightning are proactive and progressive when it comes to roster construction, something BriseBois By Craig Custance Mar 12, 2018 would undoubtedly bring to his next team. He’s going to get his shot eventually and is smart enough to wait for the right opportunity. “They

keep adding teams,” said one NHL source. “A GM job is going to be Sabres GM Jason Botterill just successfully navigated his first NHL trade there.” deadline, the time of year where rumors are at the absolute peak. Names 3. Tom Fitzgerald, Devils – While chatting about Fitzgerald, Shero are thrown around constantly, speculated and debated. Occasionally reminded us that Fitzgerald also won a Stanley Cup as an assistant there's an actual trade. coach. Fitzgerald was on Dan Bylsma’s staff with Mike Yeo when the It’s not fun for the players. Most will tell you that they’re thrilled when the Penguins won it all in 2009. So Fitzgerald has that experience under his deadline comes and goes. And on some level, Botterill can relate to it all. belt. Shero also shared this tidbit: In Pittsburgh, with a front office staff that already included current Wild GM Chuck Fletcher at the time, Shero When you’re an assistant GM on a successful team, like Botterill was for hired both Botterill and Fitzgerald on the same day. “Chuck refers to it as years in Pittsburgh, your name hits the rumor mill much like a player at black Friday,” Shero said, laughing. But it’s a reminder how fertile that the trade deadline. When a GM job opens, like one recently did in Penguins front office has been for producing future executives. Fitzgerald Carolina, a group of names gets thrown into the mix. For years, Botterill was given more responsibility with the move to the Devils and is more was one of the regulars in that lineup. than ready to run a team. “He’s so passionate,” Shero said. “That’s the best thing about Fitzy, is he’s not doing his job because he’s chasing a “Your name comes up for jobs more than the interviews you go through,” GM job. If it happens, it happens. He’s passionate about what he does Botterill told The Athletic. “Your main focus has to be on your position and it makes an impact.” and what’s going on with your job.” 4. Bill Guerin, Penguins – Even with Botterill cherry-picked by the Just like a player. Focus on the ice, and these things tend to take care of Sabres, the Penguins front office still has candidates for openings with themselves. Guerin the next in line to get a promotion. Since retiring as a player, he But the next few months have the potential to be especially distracting for has impressed GM Jim Rutherford with his willingness to learn and the next wave of potential general managers. There’s the Carolina develop young players, a big part of the Penguins recent Stanley Cup opening. There’s also going to be lots of speculation about who will get to success. “He came into hockey ops as a character player with good run Seattle, as colleague Pierre LeBrun addressed so well here. And as leadership qualities and in a short period of time, he’s learned how the James Mirtle points out, there are a ton of GMs on the hot seat. hockey ops works,” Rutherford told The Athletic. “He is doing a very good job on the development side, getting players ready, identifying free And when those jobs open up, it’s the assistant GM with experience who agents, college free agents and, of course, he’s involved on all decisions often gets the longest look. We’ve been putting together Top 10 assistant — trades and different things like that.” Rutherford also had high praise GMs lists for five years, and the initial list on ESPN Insider in 2013 ended for Jason Karmanos, who was named assistant GM in June after three up having eight future GMs on it. And for good reason. These are the seasons as vice president of hockey operations. He’s won Cups with executives who have gained experience. They have run AHL teams. Rutherford in both Carolina and Pittsburgh, with a degree from Harvard They have been inside the war room. and fluency in analytics. “He is ready to take that next step,” Rutherford said. “He’s really good with analytics. He’s good on contracts. He’s good Botterill is a great example — he learned from both Ray Shero, who is on the CBA. He played the game, understands the game and is good at now the Devils GM, and Jim Rutherford before getting his own team. evaluating talent.” “What I have witnessed behind the scenes and working with Ray Shero 5. Kyle Dubas, Maple Leafs – This could be a moot point. Dubas, as and Jim Rutherford — those are the guys who have helped me get to my Mirtle wrote earlier this month, looks like the front-runner to replace Lou position here,” Botterill said. “I felt I was prepared because I had so much Lamoriello as GM of the Maple Leafs. He also got a long look from responsibility under both Jim and Ray. To me, that’s the key.” Colorado. Dubas got a lot of attention as a young hire in Toronto, So as the music starts to fade in for what could be a robust game of GM something that rubbed some people in the game the wrong way since it musical chairs, here’s a look at this year’s Top 10 Assistant GMs ready was interpreted somehow as self-promotion. Also, people in hockey tend for a promotion: not to like anyone who receives attention before they’re viewed as deserving it. Since his hiring, Dubas has quietly earned any promotion 1. Paul Fenton, Predators – Fenton was No. 1 on this list last season, he’s got coming his way, and those who know him argue that what truly and since then, the Predators have played for a Stanley Cup and drives Dubas is being around people he respects with a common goal emerged as a powerhouse again this season. One of the things the and passion that he believes in. “That’s a big driver for him,” said Kyle Predators have done well through the years has been drafting and Raftis, who replaced Dubas as GM in Sault Ste. Marie. “It’s not about developing with great patience. Fenton is the GM version of a prospect where he’s going and his eyes on the future. It’s in the moment.” And in who has done everything he’s needed to do at every level to earn his the moment, he’s learning a lot from guys like Lamoriello and Mike shot. You have to assume Fenton is the heir apparent in Nashville, but Babcock. “I think he really does cherish his relationship with Lou,” Raftis you can’t assume GM David Poile is going anywhere anytime soon. “I said. “Anytime I’ve talked to him, he’s embraced talking about Lou and just never think that David Poile is going to retire,” said one NHL source. enjoys that relationship.” “Those guys still have the passion.” According to LeBrun, Carolina has asked to talk to Fenton and if the Hurricanes are going to break through, 6. Mike Futa, Kings – Futa, as LeBrun first reported, is one of the early it’s going to be because of drafting, which is Fenton’s expertise. That candidates for the Carolina job. He was also in the running last year for said, you could say that for any team looking to fill a GM hole. The the Sabres' opening. When Rob Blake was promoted to the Kings' GM Predators hit again with their first-round pick in 2017, with Eeli Tolvanen job after the firing of Dean Lombardi, Futa became the GM of Los looking like a real steal late in the first round. In the case of Tolvanen, Angeles’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. It added another layer of Fenton was quick to credit director of player personnel Jeff Kealty, along experience to someone who has developed a reputation as having a with amateur scouts David Westby and Tom Nolan for the find. The fact strong eye for identifying young talent, but also has experience running that Kealty is earning a reputation around the league as a great talent teams both in the OHL and now AHL. “He’s got two rings and he works evaluator is a credit to Fenton and Poile for allowing their people to do hard,” said one NHL source. their job. Shero worked with both of them in Nashville and sees that as a 7. Bill Zito, Blue Jackets – Zito was another executive who got a long strength for Fenton. “He manages his staff well,” Shero said. “He puts his look for the Sabres' job and is highly valued by Blue Jackets GM Jarmo trust and faith in a guy like Jeff Kealty. Paul runs the farm team. He’s Kekalainen. Zito got into the business as an agent, where he built a worked with David (Poile) a long time. He pushes David, David pushes successful agency by identifying overlooked talent like Tim Thomas, him. He’s been through expansion, he’s been through rebuilds with one Brian Rafalski and John Madden. Along the way, he mastered the team and big trades. Paul is a strong candidate anywhere.” business side and contract negotiations while forging relationships with 2. Julien BriseBois, Lightning – BriseBois has long been promoted as a managers around the league, an important part of deal-making. He young, up-and-coming future GM but quietly has never been in a rush to graduated from Yale and has a law degree from Wisconsin, but leave Tampa. For good reason. “He’s in a great situation,” said one NHL Kekalainen is quick to point out that Zito's hockey background is equally executive who didn't think BriseBois was going to be overly eager to leap strong. “He’s coached and he has a great eye for talent,” Kekalainen told at the first offer. BriseBois and Steve Yzerman have built a team that is The Athletic. “The biggest mistake thinking about him is that he’s not a set up for years of success, and it’s been a great learning process for an hockey guy. He’s been on all sides of the hockey operations side. … He’s done everything from contracts to minor league to running the pro staff.” Also, this is probably a good place to point out the absurdity that someone feels like they have to defend an Ivy League-educated, builder of a multi-million dollar hockey agency with a law degree as having enough hockey-guy credentials to be the GM of a team. Fair or not, people still want to see the hockey pedigree, and Zito has it. 8. Kelly McCrimmon, Vegas – He seems like such a natural to get the job in Seattle. He’s been George McPhee’s right-hand man in Vegas, with the Golden Knights wildly exceeding every reasonable expectation. He has the blueprint to expansion success and could import it to Seattle seamlessly. But he should get consideration well beyond expansion teams. Before joining Vegas, he spent years in the WHL as Brandon’s majority owner, coach and GM. He was pursued hard by multiple NHL franchises before ending up with the Golden Knights. “The thing that Kelly has is years of experience of being a true manager,” said one league executive. “Give him two years with Vegas and he’ll be ready.” 9. Craig Conroy, Flames – The most qualified future GM on the Calgary staff under Brad Treliving is probably Don Maloney, who is vice president of hockey operations. But this is a list about assistants looking for their first job. The Flames have Brad Pascall and Conroy as assistant GMs who compliment each other well. Pascall runs the AHL team, does contract work and came up through Hockey Canada. Conroy is the big personality, grind it out pro and amateur scout who also has his hand in USA Hockey. I’m listing Conroy first only because of my bias towards Americans. If Calgary gets in the playoffs and makes a run, both of their profiles will rise. The Western Conference Canadian team with the best shot at making a run is in Winnipeg, and if that happens, the profile of assistant GMs Craig Heisinger and Larry Simmons will increase. Simmons quietly has done a fantastic job with the Jets' contracts, among other duties. 10. Pat Verbeek, Lightning – Yes, this makes two Lightning assistant GMs on the list and either one would be a strong hire. An NHL GM listed two reasons why he thinks Verbeek’s name will start popping up on GM lists: “The success of Tampa Bay and his work ethic.” One of the most impressive things Yzerman has done in Tampa is surround himself with a great front office team, much like he was part of in Detroit during the Red Wings' heyday. The Ken Holland family tree produced current GMs Yzerman and Jim Nill in Dallas. Among those still with the Red Wings, Kris Draper and Ryan Martin have popped up as future GM candidates, although Detroit's recent struggles have lowered their executive profiles. Verbeek has the best of both worlds. He was hired from Detroit as a pro scout and has now grown under Yzerman in Tampa where they’ve built a Stanley Cup contender with some longevity moving forward. “Pat is a really good scout,” said one NHL executive. “If you’re an owner and a smart guy, you might just go, 'I have somebody who can handle the CBA. I need somebody who can tell me how to go find a (Nikita) Kucherov.'” The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103431 Websites (i) The NHL may exercise its option for early termination by delivery of written notification to the NHLPA of its election to do so on or before September 1, 2019. The Athletic / LeBrun: Exploring the timeline for Seattle and possible GM (ii) If the NHL has not already done so, the NHLPA may exercise its candidates option for early termination by delivery of written notification to the NHL of its election to do so on or before September 15, 2019.” By Pierre LeBrun Mar 12, 2018 Can’t wait! (An an aside, after covering two NHL lockouts, remind me to book James Duthie’s Turks and Caicos retreat spot and not return until the next This column began as an idea to present some logical candidates for the potential labor battle is over.) Seattle GM job. If the NHL is headed for a September 2020 labor war and knows as And I’ll look at those options, but the more I got to thinking about things much by September 2019, would it want to delay the start of things in with the potential expansion team in Seattle, the more I realized I might Seattle to the 2021-22 season? No idea. But I feel like you have to at be getting a little ahead of myself with the GM speculation. least ask that question. For starters, they can’t drop the puck in Seattle for a real NHL game until And from an NHL Players’ Association perspective, would you be the fall of 2020, and that’s if the major gutting, renovation and re-design sensitive to the whole Seattle timing given that 23 of your members will of Key Arena go as scheduled (it is supposed to break ground by the end be players there? Or in the greater scheme of things, is it a nice leverage of 2018). tool for the NHLPA to try and get some of what it wants in the next CBA by playing off the Seattle season launch point and the league’s Let’s run on the premise that it will indeed be ready for the fall of 2020. eagerness not to mess with it? Based on recent expansion team history, that would put the GM hire We’re getting way ahead of ourselves, but these are all things to chew somewhere in the summer of 2019, if Seattle's ownership group wants to on. follow the same script — which perhaps it doesn’t. All of which are probably things that potential Seattle GM candidates are Take Vegas, for example. It officially got a franchise in June 2016 and also chewing on as they potentially pass up opportunities in the next few hired George McPhee as GM in July 2016. The Golden Knights then months because they’re eyeing Seattle, or they decide not to pass dropped the puck for real this past October. something up because the timing of Seattle remains unclear. Nashville got a conditional franchise in June 1997, hired GM David Poile It will be a coveted gig to be sure, even though the first 12 months on the in July 1997 and played its first real game in October 1998. job you’re going to be educating/convincing your market that what happened in Vegas in Year 1 was not normal. Managing expectations out As one Western Conference team executive told The Athletic on Sunday, of the gate in Seattle will be rather pressing. why would the owners in Seattle want to pay a GM further out than one year before puck drop? In saying all that, and with the obvious knowledge that I might be premature in even attempting this, here’s a list of GM candidates that That is unless, perhaps, the owners believe waiting too long would make might make sense as of today as far as I would see it (in no particular them miss out on a candidate they really want. That’s certainly a order): possibility. And one industry source said Sunday that he believes the Seattle owners may want someone in the GM job earlier than Vegas, if Ken Holland: The veteran Detroit Red Wings GM is near the end of his indeed it’s a guy they really want. current contract, although that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily going anywhere. That remains to be seen. But if you’re Seattle, here’s a It’s all speculation at this point. veteran hockey man with Stanley Cup rings who also happens to spend Now the real key in all this is finding out when, exactly, the NHL’s Board his summers in his native British Columbia. If he’s available in June 2019 of Governors would vote and give Seattle its official stamp of approval to or whenever Seattle goes ahead with its search, he’d surely be a become the league’s 32nd franchise. That has not been decided yet. The candidate. And if Seattle is going to follow the route that Vegas took, it’s league still has a process to complete in terms of doing its due diligence worth remembering the Golden Knights went with a very experienced on the bid. candidate in McPhee. Let’s go on the premise Seattle meets all the criteria and background Dean Lombardi: Speaking of Stanley Cup rings, this is another veteran checks. There are some people who think the vote and official stamp hockey mind. The sticky part would be that I don’t think Lombardi and could come as early as this June’s Board of Governors meeting. And Tim Leiweke were on the same page at times when both were in Los perhaps that will come to pass. Angeles together. Leiweke, of course, is part of the group that’s charged with renovating Key Arena and one assumes might potentially stay on But I also get the sense that the league is in no rush given that there board in some role with the franchise. One Eastern Conference team can’t be hockey at Key Arena until the 2020-21 season at the earliest. executive on Sunday said he feels Lombardi is the perfect choice for Seattle. And again, he would fit the mold of the more experienced hand. That doesn’t stop the league from still going earlier on Seattle than it did for Vegas in terms of a timeline. There are no hard-fast rules. Kelly McCrimmon: My TSN colleague Darren Dreger has mentioned him more than a few times as a logical, potential fit and I whole-heartedly Still, why not wait until next December’s Board of Governors meeting? I agree. Who better to know the ins and outs of building an expansion mean, what is the rush, exactly? team than the guy who just did it as the assistant GM in Las Vegas? Not Well, as one Eastern Conference team executive said Sunday, there is to mention he knows the Seattle market from his long tenure as owner, the issue of gobbling up that $650 million expansion fee as early as GM and coach in Brandon of the Western Hockey League over the possible. years. Right. There is that. Laurence Gilman: The former Canucks AGM (who was contacted by Carolina for its GM search over the past week) still lives with his family in And while we’re having fun guessing away at the potential Seattle Vancouver. He’d be acutely aware of the market in the Pacific Northwest. timeline, let’s throw this wrench into the proceedings. If Seattle looked at him as a potential GM candidate, would they also want his old sidekick from Vancouver, Mike Gillis, to come in as a It just so happens that September 2020, a month before Seattle president of hockey-type? Food for thought. potentially could be hosting its first regular-season NHL game, is also the window where the NHL could have its next labor battle. Paul Fenton: The longtime Predators AGM (also in the mix for the Carolina GM job) has been there since Day 1 in Nashville, so he has In September 2019, both the owners and the players each have the right first-hand knowledge of how to build a team from the ground up. He’s to announce whether they want to opt out of the current CBA one year been Poile’s right-hand man for a long time, and the Predators’ run later instead of letting the agreement run its full course through the 2021- speaks for itself. The Preds have developed players like few other 22 season. organizations and Fenton, in charge of the AHL team, has been a big From the CBA: part of that. “Either party shall have the right to terminate this Agreement effective Julien BriseBois: The Hurricanes, it’s believed, have also reached out to midnight September 15, 2020 (“early termination”) by providing notice as Tampa Bay about this rising star. I’m just not sure whether BriseBois specified hereafter. would be interested in that Carolina job. Is the timing right? He’s put himself in a position with his work within the Lightning front office where I think he can afford to be selective about when it’s time to finally jump into a GM job. For starters, I can’t imagine he’s in any hurry to leave Tampa where it’s a darn good place to work and live. But if he’s still in Tampa by the time Seattle begins its search, the expansion team would be crazy not to call. Bill Zito: The Blue Jackets AGM got a good, hard look from the Sabres before they hired Jason Botterill as GM last summer. Zito has an AHL championship under his belt as GM of the AHL club. He’s been four years in Columbus as AGM. His many years running his own player agency also fills out his knowledge of the industry. Some people certainly view him as a future NHL GM. Mike Futa: The Kings AGM has already had a phone interview with the Hurricanes for their vacant GM job, and he’s certainly a serious candidate for that gig. But if he decides to stay put, the longtime Kings executive has a strong scouting background and had a lot to do with the organization’s two Cup championships. Seattle would be foolish not to call on him if he’s still in L.A. Pat Brisson: This is kind of a wild-card entrant because I always have a hard time believing one of the game’s most successful agents would ever want to leave that gig to go run an NHL team. My pal Dreger brought his name up during our Insider Trading segment last week on TSN as a long shot candidate for Seattle. It makes sense on some level because Brisson is friends with Jerry Bruckheimer, one of Seattle’s owners, and has a good relationship with Leiweke. Brisson has often been mentioned/rumored as a potential candidate over the years when past GM openings played out (Montreal, Pittsburgh) but again, is that something he’d really want? There are lots of other names you could throw in here, and it’s a list that I think will continue to fluctuate over the next year as we get closer to potentially seeing Seattle get its franchise. And again, some of these names might get snapped up before Seattle even has a chance to talk to them. But it’s fun to think about it all. Because believe me, it’s a hot topic around the league. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103432 Websites “The scouting staff, the GM and everyone has done a tremendous job of doing their homework and talking to guys. Before I signed with Tampa, I spoke to a whole lot of different people in the organization and had The Athletic / How the Lightning took advantage of market inefficiencies conversations with them. They must have liked what they heard from me to leapfrog the Canadiens and become an NHL power and I definitely liked talking to them. We just kind of clicked right away. Speaking to other guys on the team, everyone had kind of the same experience.” By Marc Antoine Godin Mar 12, 2018 It was director of amateur scouting Al Murray who first approached Johnson, after which he had several conversations with Yzerman and other members of his hockey operations department. TAMPA – The Tampa Bay Lightning consistently bring the best out of the It paid off with Johnson and the team has continued in the same vein. It Montreal Canadiens. It is the sign of a healthy rivalry. is that proactive nature that irritated so many in Montreal when, two weeks ago, the Lightning signed Alex Barré-Boulet, the leading scorer in But if Claude Julien’s troops might have been justified, after losing in a the QMJHL, to an entry-level contract. There is no way to know if that shootout Saturday, finding motivation by saying they are not that far off signing will provide a payoff similar to Johnson, but the risk is minimal from a Stanley Cup contender, Canadiens management would be best and the reward potentially great. Best case scenario is the Lightning served not allowing itself to be so delusional. signed the next Yanni Gourde, who had also led the QMJHL in scoring. Because the emotion that fuels players must not creep into the decisions “It’s great to hear,” Gourde said. “I’m really happy for Barré-Boulet. He’s made in the front office above them. shown in junior that he’s an excellent player and I’m eager to see him at How is it that the Canadiens, who swept the Lightning in the first round of training camp.” the 2014 playoffs, are now light years behind them? How has Steve Then, there are the Russians. Yzerman and his front office managed to drop the hammer into fifth gear and leave the Canadiens this far back in their rearview mirror? Remember, when Yzerman took over in 2010, the “Russia factor” was a real thing. An institutionalized devaluation of Russians in the NHL – fed in First things first, before Yzerman arrived to take over as general manager part by the uncertainty surrounding the willingness of young Russians to in 2010, the Lightning used high draft picks to acquire a No. 1 centre come to North America, and in part by a negative prejudice toward them (Steven Stamkos, No. 1 overall, 2008) and a No. 1 defenceman (Victor – allowed the St. Louis Blues to draft Vladimir Tarasenko 16th overall Hedman, No. 2 overall, 2009). A few years later, in 2012, Yzerman used and the Washington Capitals to get Evgeny Kuznetsov at No. 26. the No. 19 overall pick to select a No. 1 goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and he suddenly had a pillar at the three most important positions on the But no organization ignored the “Russia factor” more than the Lightning, team. because no team has drafted more Russians since Yzerman was hired. Remember, Yzerman was captain of the Detroit Red Wings at the time of But it is the way those three have been surrounded that says the most the Russian Five, so that might have been a factor in him refusing to about the management of this team. When you look closely at the roster, discriminate against these prospects at a time when others were doing it becomes clear how the team is built by taking advantage of market just that. inefficiencies. Of the eight Russians drafted under his watch, four have played at least Whether it has been drafting smaller players, finding useful players 100 games with the Lightning, two are now part of the team’s core outside the top two rounds of the draft, identifying talent among undrafted (Kucherov and Vasilevskiy) and a third, Namestnikov, after playing centre free agents or even having confidence in Russian players when other on the first line for most of the season, helped the Lightning acquire Ryan organizations were shying away from them, the Lightning managed to McDonagh from the New York Rangers at the trade deadline. capitalize on players other teams didn’t want. The great majority of the players in the organization, aside from those Wayne Gretzky said that you need to go where the puck will be, not acquired in a trade, have converged at one time or another on the team’s where it was. The same could be said of the best teams who go where farm club in the AHL. hockey is going instead of trying to replicate models that are constantly changing. That is where we can see another Red Wings influence on Yzerman, the one where you take great pains in making sure the farm team and big The size of the forwards is one of the first things that jumps out about the club are well aligned, much like the Grand Rapids Griffins have been with Lightning. Detroit for years. In the 3-2 shootout win against the Canadiens on Saturday, Tyler “I think we only have two players who never played in the American Johnson became the fifth Lightning player to reach the 20-goal plateau Hockey League (Stamkos and Hedman),” Gourde said. “Almost everyone this season. Among that group, only one player is taller than 5-foot-11, has gone through our system. The organization looks for battlers, guys and that’s Stamkos (6-foot-1, 194 pounds). It’s important to note that who work hard every game, and that starts with our captain.” Vladislav Namestnikov had also hit the 20-goal mark before being traded to the New York Rangers, making it six players who have scored 20 Johnson is quick to point out that even if an NHL roster has 23 players, it goals in a Lightning uniform, and that he too is under 6-feet tall. often takes 30 or more players because of injuries or a variety of circumstances that can arise over the course of a season. “They look at talent, they look at hockey IQ and not so much at size,” said Brayden Point, who the Lightning drafted in the third round of the “The American league team is really part of the NHL team,” Johnson 2014 draft, seven picks after the Canadiens opted for defenceman Brett said. “It was great for my development, it was great for a lot of guys on Lernout. the team. We kind of learned together, grew up together and got to come up together. When you have that camaraderie coming in it just kind of Point has been a source of pride for the Lightning’s scouts, a group makes that transition a little bit easier because everyone’s going through where listening and sharing ideas is encouraged. Having said that, it is that same thing. We went through that phase and now we have guys not as if the Lightning have hit home run after home run at the draft. You coming from the (AHL) and they’re being developed the right way. could even say it has not been one of the organization’s greatest strengths. “Winning is part of our culture here and it’s part of the culture down in Syracuse.” Under Yzerman, on top of Point, the Lightning drafted Nikita Kucherov at the end of the second round (No. 58, 2011), Ondrej Palat after the The Lightning didn’t need to win a Stanley Cup to create a winning vacuum cleaners started running (seventh round, No. 208, 2011) and culture. An appearance in the final and success in the AHL definitely Cedric Paquette in the fourth round (No. 101, 2012). contributed to it, but that DNA is ingrained in the dressing room. But the Lightning have some serious flair when it comes to signing A player like Point can easily make the transition from junior straight to undrafted free agents out of the junior ranks. Four players on the current the NHL last season because of that direct link between the farm team roster were signed by the Lightning after the entire NHL ignored them at and the big club. Instead of feeling intimidated, a framework is in place to the draft, Johnson and Yanni Gourde being the most successful reassure the younger players. examples. “A guy like (Chris) Kunitz has won four Cups and a lot of these guys have “One thing our organization bases a lot of its decisions on is character,” been in a Cup final and Conference final and stuff like that, so you got a Johnson said. “They do a good job of trying to figure out what kind of lot of guys that have tons of experience,” Point said. “They're great for us person you are, not only what kind of player you are but your work ethic to lean on for advice for guys like me, (Anthony) Cirelli, (Adam) Erne or and everything. I think that makes our group very special. Gourde.” It’s easy to say that the sunshine and low tax rate make Tampa an attractive place to play, but the work environment has a lot to do with it as well. “We love living here, I mean everyone just had such a great experience here and everyone wants to be a part of this team,” Johnson said. “We got guys re-signed to contracts just for a little bit less so that they could stay here because we feel like we have a really good group. We feel like we have one of the best owners in all sports, a great GM, a great coaching staff, and the players are unbelievable. We’re a family and it really is, from top to bottom. Everyone is together.” The Lightning has formed an organic whole that, on top of the roster on paper, is ready to contend for the Stanley Cup for seasons to come. “There’s no hiding behind it, it’s the most skilled team I’ve been a part of,” Hedman said. “The dedication and the work ethic are definitely there too. It’s not always the best roster that wins, it’s the best team. The team that we have in here is pretty special. We’re very close in this room and hopefully that’s going to benefit us in the playoffs.” Head coach Jon Cooper has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal. He can scratch a player like Braydon Coburn while in Montreal, Karl Alzner is forced to play 20 minutes a night. Cooper has a full deck and his biggest responsibility is to make sure everyone is comfortable with the role they are asked to play. “I think internally that’s the case for some guys, there’s no question, that feeling of wanting to belong and that they’re justified in belonging. There’s no question about that,” Cooper said. “But in the end, it’s about the team game and what can you do to make the team win. And I think it’s about defining roles for guys. When the guys know exactly what’s expected of them, they don’t try and do too much, they try and understand the relevancy of their role with our team and so far it’s been working out for us.” Are those roles well defined on the Canadiens? Has the front office stuck to a plan, even if it wasn’t necessarily the trend in the NHL at the time? Has talent identification led to good draft picks and benefitting from shrewd signings of undrafted free agents? Has the farm team supplied the big club with an adequate number of contributors? Have the working environment and team culture been optimized? Answering these questions shows to what extent the gap continues to grow between two teams that, not so long ago, were on equal footing. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103433 Websites Kubina, some unheralded guys that are not exactly jumping off the page at you, but were really good pros. They were good down low. They’d communicate with you. If they told you, they’ve got the back door, nine The Athletic / Four former goalies discuss why some of the NHL's biggest out of 10 times they had the back door. So, with Washington, they lose stars have struggled this year Karl Alzner, a steady-Eddie old-school type of defenceman, and without him and other moves on their blueline, the Caps are a different team. Let’s look at Ottawa. It doesn’t look like the same Craig Anderson, but they also lost Marc Methot, who was great with Erik Karlsson. I know By Eric Duhatschek Mar 12, 2018 Karlsson had the ankle injury, but Methot last year helped him to elevate his game. Quietly, they had one of the best defence corps in the league

last year. Men are not machines and that is particularly true of the men who play Montreal, with Carey Price, knowing Price, he was at his peak confidence goal in the NHL, though there are times — when swaddled in all that level during PK Subban’s last year there. Even when Shea Weber first equipment and head gear — they do look machine-like. And for most of came and the way Shea played last year, Shea was all-world as well. the 2016-17 NHL season, Carey Price, Braden Holtby, and Cam Talbot Now with Shea being out, (Andrei) Markov and (Alexei) Emelin being all performed with metronomic, robotic efficiency. gone, and their most consistent two-way forward in Alexander Radulov Price won 37 games to lead the Montreal Canadiens to first place in the being gone, it’s a different team. Sometimes teams undervalue those Atlantic Division while posting a 2.23 goals-against average and a .923 unheralded guys. That’s why Nashville had Emelin in their mix. I don’t save percentage. The Washington Capitals won the Presidents' Trophy know if there’s a blueline decimated by change the way Montreal’s has. as the top regular-season team, behind Holtby’s 42 wins, 2.07 GAA and That’s a whole different back end. Then in Price’s case, you can mix in .925 save percentage. Talbot played the most minutes of any goalie, got some injury issues and some mental hiccups along the way. into 73 games, won 42 times, and helped the Edmonton Oilers John Garrett: Injuries to the team in front of you, especially to key unexpectedly make the playoffs. players, can really set you back. I remember one year, when I was Many years, any of those performances would have been good enough playing in Hartford, Mark Howe went down with a serious injury when he to win the Vezina Trophy which last year went to someone with equally ran into the goalpost – and Mark was by far our best defenceman. We glossy numbers – the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Sergei Bobrovsky (41 made the playoffs one year when nobody thought we would – Vegas wins, 2.06 GAA, .931 SP). beat our record for home wins just the other night — but when you lose a key player like Mark Howe, your whole team game goes downhill. Still, Price, Holtby and Talbot finished second, third and fourth in the Vezina trophy balloting, which is done by NHL GMs and goes to the Last year, the Oilers had 11 guys that played all 82 games. This year, goaltender “adjudged best at his position.” Andrej Sekera misses the first half of the season. All of a sudden, the Oilers bring in some new guys and it’s not the same. Talbot played 73 But 2017-18 has not been very kind to all three – or a handful of other games last year; he got on a roll, and everything went extremely well. But established starting goaltenders (such as the Ottawa Senators’ Craig if you then get off to a rocky start, all of a sudden, you don’t trust the guys Anderson, the New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist, the St. Louis Blues’ you’re playing with and you’re second-guessing yourself, then the Jake Allen or the San Jose Sharks’ Martin Jones), all of whom have had confidence you had such an abundance of the year before is gone. Look significant down stretches this season. at Holtby. You lose all the defencemen they did – and then (goalie coach) Mitch Korn retires. He’s an advisor now and not there every day. And for All of which led me to wonder, what are the factors that go into an off a guy like Holtby, it has an effect when you lose the calming influence of year for an NHL goalie? Is it: Injuries? Personal distractions? Team not your goalie coach – and Mitch isn’t there anymore. so good anymore? General malaise? Crisis of confidence? Bad luck? An overall uptick in NHL scoring? Something else? Jamie McLennan: When you have an off year, it’s almost always because you’re trying to overthink it — and when you overthink it, you To ponder the question, The Athletic asked a quartet of former NHL usually try to do too much. If there’s not a lot of trust on the ice, you try to goaltenders, all working nowadays as commentators, to offer their ideas get ahead of pucks. You worry about that potential shot on the back door. and interpretations. Here’s what Darren Pang (Fox Sports Midwest), There are so many soft spots in the defensive zone that it affects your Kevin Weekes (NHL Network), Jamie McLennan (TSN) and John Garrett positioning and your mindset. You play six inches deeper in the net (Rogers Sportsnet) came up with. because you want to get ahead of a puck on the back door – and then Duhatschek: I’ve long believed that once they get established as NHL you get beat on a straight shot, and then that’s on you, and not on the starters, you cannot discuss goaltenders in terms of who’s good or who’s team playing in front of you. bad. Instead, it’s more accurate to talk about who’s running hot and If you look at guys who are having great seasons, it’s almost as if who’s running cold. Because once you reach a certain point in your everything falls into place for you. The team playing in front of you is career when you’ve become a reliable, consistent option, then it’s fair to giving you goal support. You make the big save at the right time. You conclude you’re a good goalie — good technique, good work habits, play as if there’s a force field around you. When your team has a exceptional competitive drive. But some years are better than others and breakdown, you lock it down. Your confidence stems from the play of the once in a while, over the course of a career, you’ll see an off year group. When you trust the team playing in front of you, you don’t give up sprinkled in there. Is there any way to rationally explain away that too many east-west chances or back door plays, so you just play your phenomenon? position, stop pucks, limit holes between your body and just play very Darren Pang: I’ve put a lot of thought into that question myself lately. confidently. Why does Carey Price go through a month or three weeks of poor play? Duhatschek: Let’s delve deeper into confidence, which is a funny thing – Why did Henrik Lundqvist do the same thing? I’ve seen it here in St. how it comes and goes, even for the best athletes in the world. Louis with Jake Allen two years in a row. I’ve seen Braden Holtby go Presumably, goalies can face the same crisis of confidence that shooters through something similar – where you could say, ‘they’re all doing the sometimes do when they go into a slump. same things wrong right now.’ I’m like you. I go to practice every day. I watch goalie drills every day. In an era gone by, when there were Pang: Years ago, players wanted their goalies to feel confident and so mandated practices — where you actually had hockey practices every they did drills that built them up. They didn’t shoot pucks at their ears in day that you weren’t playing — the goaltenders could get out of a rut every situation – or try to blow shots by them. And coaches didn’t do five- more easily because the drills you did in practice were real hockey drills. on-oh drills that were ridiculous, unrealistic drills that you never see in a They were three-on-twos, five-on-fives, three-on-threes that game. I mean, there are so many little things I see in the game now that complemented what you were going to face in a game. frustrate me to no end. For example, when a goalie makes a great save and no one goes back and taps him on the pad. Or a goalie gives up a Nowadays, a lot of practices are optional. There are three-on-oh rushes. bad goal and nobody goes on taps him on a pad. At the end of a period, Five-on-ohs. One-on-ohs. Flow drills. No stopping in front of the net. And a goalie stands on his head – or maybe he plays poorly – but the whole the goalies just go through this, where they face the shot, slide, stay on team just leaves the ice and the goalie is at the far end and he’s coming their knees – and habits get bad. Those habits that you develop in these in and he’s all alone. I just don’t remember that happening in my era. practices, with all these European flow drills, where there’s less battle and concentration and compete, those same types of bad habits are I think everybody just takes it for granted that the goalie’s going to be showing up in games for these goalies. fine. Well, he’s not fine. He takes 600 shots in the head and the shoulders during practice. He’s trying to find his game and yet no one’s Kevin Weekes: I see a lot of personnel changes on the teams you allowing him to find his game. I’ve watched Jake Allen for two years. The mention, especially on defence. Sometimes, as a goalie, you don’t goalies that are struggling – a shot comes from the point and it’s going understand what the difference in personnel can mean to you. At wide. The goalie slides halfway out of his net – I don’t know why. To put different times, I played with Glen Wesley and Sean Hill and Pavel his body behind a shot going three feet wide? And so, when they slide, they have to stop on their pads, use their edge and push back into the Roberto’s a prime example of someone, where you see more of his net that they’ve already vacated. Carey Price goes through that, Braden personality now. It was always there, but I think he enjoys the process a Holtby goes through that, Jake Allen goes through that. They all mirror lot more now at 38 than when he was 28 – or 23. That’s a mental one another when they’re struggling. Maybe it takes discipline to stay on maturity – and then knowing your body. In having been around these your skate blades. Maybe it burns your quads a bit more. Maybe it takes guys, that’s the consistent theme – how they’re able to bounce back a little more patience. But once those habits creep in, boy, I find goalies mentally; because physically they know what to do. have a very difficult time getting out of them. Duhatschek: It sounds as if what we’re talking about here is that thought attributed to Henry Ford: ‘Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.’ Duhatschek: Goal-scoring is marginally up this year to roughly 5.92 goals-per game and we’ve seen a lot of those fun, crazy 1980s-style Weekes: Think about the positive aura and belief around Ottawa last games this season. Is that a function of goalies struggling or is there just year. It was just a different squad. Personnel aside, the team was an across-the-board emphasis on greater offence? vibrating on a different level last year. It’s a way different vibe. That’s the challenge that happens for NHL general managers. When you’ve got Weekes: You know and I know, every one of those guys expects to stop things going in your favor, you can’t tamper with the chemistry too much. every puck they see. These guys are not looking for excuses. It starts It might not be a guy that jumps off the page in terms of stats. It could with them. But the league is more explosive. I’ll go into locker rooms after very well be a glue guy. Look at Matt Hendricks. He was an important games and Henrik (Lundqvist) is just shaking his head. He’s going, guy in that Edmonton room. Now, you plug him into Winnipeg. They have ‘Weeksy, I don’t know what to say. It’s just different hockey.’ It’s more- stars and superstars and future stars in that group, but a guy like him, on wide open. Guys are allowed and encouraged to make plays. It’s not just the penalty kill, in the lineup, in the dressing room, those guys, come the the top six guys anymore, the way it was in years gone by. second half of the season, those guys are so important to a team. Look Duhatschek: Nowadays, teams rarely speak about injuries or go into any at Flower (Marc-Andre Fleury). Flower’s presence – just his presence – detail about them. Mike Smith in Calgary was listed as day-to-day after around that Vegas team, that’s hard to quantify. he got hurt but was out for three weeks. I understand the distinction Duhatschek: John what would you consider your best season – the last teams make – there’s a difference between playing hurt (which you can WHA year with Minnesota? I ask because I want to know what the other do, even if undermines performance) and playing injured (which you can’t half of the equation feels like – when things are humming along do, because you run the risk of aggravating the problem, and if it’s an seamlessly for a goalie and you get into a good groove? injury, you’re not going to be any good anyway). But how often do you think a slumping goaltender is just trying to gut it out for the greater good Garrett: The year the team folded (1975-76), I had 26 wins my third year of the team, but the fact that he is playing at less than optimal health there and they folded with a month and a half left. I could have maybe undermines performance? won 40 that year, because we were pretty good. What happens is, if you get on a team that can’t score, you think every mistake you make is Pang: For sure that happens. It’s the best league in the world. You going to cost you the game. Whereas, if you’re on a good team that can cannot play at your highest level when you’re hurting. No. 1, you’re pile up some goals, then you think, ‘oh well, I let in a bad one, but the deficient because you’re hurting physically. No. 2, you can’t play a game guys’ll come back.’ You get such confidence when you play on a stable that’s instinctive when you’re cautious and thinking about an injury. I team, where you have four lines and six defencemen who stay healthy remember I had tendinitis in my shoulder on my glove side one year. and can play. In goal, you sit back there and you read off what’s in front Well, the glove side was my bread-and-butter. Without that confidence in of you – and if it’s constant, it’s so much easier to play. my glove side, boy, I had trouble. Now I was a small goalie with a bad glove. That’s not a good combination. I remember coming back from my Look at the Bruins this year when Tuukka Rask went on that roll: Every torn ACL. I had had the surgery and I was wearing a brace and every night, it was the same guys playing well in front of him. Jonathan Bernier, time somebody drove to the net, going to the post, I bailed out. I was in Colorado, won 10 in a row when Nathan MacKinnon caught fire. If timid – and you can’t play timid. That’s no way to play. Whether it’s me you’re the goalie and you know MacKinnon is going to get two or three playing goal or Tiger Woods playing golf with a bad back, you can’t do it. points per night, you know ‘I can make the odd mistake and still win.’ And when you’re a goalie and you’re on a roll, shots hit the post and stay out. Duhatschek: It’s probably not a coincidence that except for Washington, Shots you don’t see will hit you. You try and ride it as long as you can, the teams we’re talking about are out of playoff contention and just because once the seeds of doubt start to creep in, it’s hard to get back to playing out the string right now – Edmonton, Ottawa, Montreal. that feeling. McLennan: You look at some of these goalies now on teams that are out Duhatschek: There is a pinball element in terms of the way a lot of goals of the playoffs and it looks like they’re on a death march. They’re like are scored nowadays. Teams constantly talk about putting pucks at the Zombies playing – and it’s not just Cam Talbot or Craig Anderson. They net in the hopes of getting a favorable right-place, right-time kind of haven’t been great, but their teams haven’t been great either. So that’s ricochet. From the perspective of a goaltender, how do you handle the the mental part, where you get away and get excited about hockey again randomness of that? Furthermore, is there a way to shrug them off? and get refreshed. These guys are mentally tough enough to handle it. Sometimes, the body language of a goaltender – if you have enough of They’ll say, ‘ok, last year wasn’t great, but next year, I’m going to be fine.' those types of goals go in on you – doesn’t look good. If there’s enough They have the ability to block it out. Other guys don’t. I’ll readily admit, I of them go in on him, it may have a cumulative effect over time. was a guy that allowed things to get to me. I would wear goals. I was a thinker – which sometimes can be your worst enemy when you’re a Weekes: No question, the margins are ever so slight. It’s literally a goaltender, the tendency to overthink things and overanalyze. razor’s edge – and I mean a razor blade, not a whole razor that you hold Sometimes, you just have to be able to move past it and have sports in your hand. It’s an eighth of an inch. If Carey Price’s shoulder is rotated amnesia. an eighth of an inch to the middle, that’s a puck going in on a shot by Matthew Tkachuk. That’s how fine a line it is, and that’s just with goalie- Duhatschek: Sports amnesia — now there’s a concept you can wrap shooter. Then you bring in goalie-shooter-deflection off a shin pad. your head around. A lot of times, you hear goaltenders say ‘I’m not worried about the last one, I’m only worried about the next one’ – but that What’s interesting about that is, when a team’s going well, you get more always struck me as something that’s easier said than done. Now Grant of those in your favor than otherwise. I know it’s hard to officially quantify, Fuhr, when he played, was good at letting the last one go, on the but I know, speaking from experience, on teams that I’ve been on, when grounds there was nothing you could do about it once it was past you we were going well — like the Rangers that year coming out of the and in the net. I always admired that in Grant – because it’s difficult to get lockout — the puck might hit Marek Malik on the glove and go harmlessly to that place in your head. And, by the way, that doesn’t just apply to into the corner. Or the puck would just hang long enough on the goal line, goaltending. That’s a life lesson. You can’t worry about the last story you so you could dive back and get it with your glove. Sometimes hear wrote if it wasn’t any good. You can only worry about making the next coaches say, ‘you make your own luck.’ Part of that is true. When a team one better. is going well, the aura around a team is so just much more positive, like it was in Ottawa last year. McLennan: Yeah, Grant was a guy who had a fire inside, though outwardly, you never saw it. But he was a guy who was able to look Duhatschek: Last one: How do you make sure last year’s struggles don’t ahead and not behind. The best players have always had the ability to do spill into next year’s performance? that. I played with one of the best at that – Miikka Kiprusoff. He could just block things out – good, bad or indifferent. The top goaltenders – Talbot, McLennan: To me, in the offseason, I don’t think Carey Price is going to Price, Anderson, Holtby – that’s the type of forensic audit they’ll have to do anything except, with his goaltender coaches, go over some video do on their own games. when he was really strong and times when he was off, insofar as his timing, and look at the difference. That’s the sort of stuff now, where Skill sets don’t go away. They erode a bit, but they’re still high end. Carey goalies do so much sports specific drills. They’ll do save selection drills – Price has an elite skill set that’s not going to go away. As he gets older, around the crease, on the post integration, all those things, he’ll clean it he’s going to have to adapt some things, like Roberto Luongo has. up from a technical standpoint, so he goes into next year 100 per cent sharp. Then he’ll manage the body. He’s had a year with a lot of injuries, so rehab is important. That’s his doctors getting your physical body healthy so you’re ready to perform at a high level again. Then also being in shape – in peak physical condition, managing your flexibility, managing your weight. Nowadays, the trainers are so good they’ll pinpoint that and not have an issue with it. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103434 Websites a combination of personnel and a lack of attention to detail, which you would generally look toward the coaching staff to fix. And for those of you about to suggest maybe they just give up lower quality, perimeter shots – The Athletic / Bourne's notebook: Goalie interference, the Islanders yeah, nope. They give up more scoring chances per 60, and high danger defense, the streaky Flyers and more attempts against than any other team in the league. The Flyers are … weird By Justin Bourne Mar 12, 2018 Calling the Flyers streaky is like calling a Brad Marchand “unpopular with opponents.” Like, juuust a bit.

So far this season they’ve **deep inhale** lost 10 straight games(!), Once again it’s time to dig into the ol’ notebook as the random thoughts followed immediately by a six-game win streak. They had two four-game and tidbits have piled up. Let’s get the complainy portion out of the way win streaks in January, a four-game and a six-game win streak in first, shall we? Febuary, then they opened up March with five straight losses. That's seven streaks of four-game runs or more. Goalie interference Imagine losing streaks of five and 10 games in the same season … and This weekend Pittsburgh’s Brian Dumoulin had a goal called back, after somehow still finding your squad just three points behind first in your he beat Toronto’s Ron Hainsey wide and cut across the front of the net Division. How is that even possible? (Oh, the Metro kinda sucks? Right, with Hainsey leaning on him, before stuffing the puck in the far side. right, that.) GOALTENDER INTERFERENCE. PIC.TWITTER.COM/YADLGQAETW But really, what a crazy streaky team. I guess if you’re heading into playoffs, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Just gotta flip the switch at — PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (@PENGUINS) MARCH 11, 2018 the right time. His arm clipped Andersen on the way by … clipped-ish, I'd say, but sure, Malkin makin’ mad moves there was contact – so the goal was called back. Bah. Don’t look now, but over the past week Evgeni Malkin has put up some I don’t know exactly what the solution is to the NHL’s issue with points. In those four games: goaltender interference — there may not be a good one — but watching that play I do know one thing: that’s gotta be a goal. There's a famous Vs. Calgary: 1+2 for three points line from a United States Supreme Court Justice used when trying to define what would constitute “pornography,” a simple, “I know it when I Vs. Philadelphia: 1+1 for two points see it,” and that's how I feel about goals. But, it's that subjectivity that makes this such a challenge. Video review has really complicated Vs. Toronto: 1 assist matters. Vs. Dallas: 1+1 for two points. But man, when a guy drives wide, sticks his leg in, cuts in hard and stuffs He’s on a six game point streak that’s seen him add 11 points, meaning one far side … that's basically every good thing every player has ever he now sits one point behind the league leader (Nikita Kucherov). His had every coach tell them to do. We’re at the point where even some goal Sunday night has him one goal behind Alex Ovechkin and Patrik goaltenders have seen enough. Take it away Byron Dafoe! Laine for the league lead. This, below, is a great point by Ian: THE BIGGER ISSUE NOW IS GOALIES WILL START TO WORK ON MALKIN WINNING RICHARD, ART ROSS AND HART THE YEAR THEIR ACTING SKILLS AND EMBELLISH ANY POTENTIAL CONTACT AFTER THE TOP 100 SNUB WOULD BE SO NICE. AND NOT EVEN WORRY ABOUT STOPPING THE PUCK. ALREADY HAPPENING. WHEN WILL WE SEE THE FIRST UNSPORTSMANSHIP — IAN MCLAREN (@IANCMCLAREN) MARCH 12, 2018 CALL AGAINST A GOALIE? NO DIFFERENT THAN A PLAYER DIVING. HTTPS://T.CO/VJCGGEHXAA When he’s on, I don’t know if there’s a player not-named Connor McDavid who's better. Huge, smooth, smart, can shoot it. That's a decent — BYRON DAFOE (@BYRONDAFOE34) MARCH 11, 2018 package I guess. He has a real chance to do something special as an individual this season. I understand that’s a dangerous area of the ice, and goaltenders need to be protected. But if offensive players can’t cut across the front of the net Not Luuuusing often it’s gone too far. If nothing else, goaltenders might want to ask their defenders to stop pushing players into them trying to save face after The Roberto Luongo situation down in Florida is pretty impressive. He’s getting roasted, maybe? That even might make for an easier stop for been injured multiple times, and hasn’t really got a chance to get in much Frederik Andersen if Dumoulin is able to make his cut higher, as opposed of a rhythm. He also turns 39 in a few weeks. And yet somehow he’s to keeping Andersen pinned so deep in his crease with Hainsey shoving second in the entire NHL in save percentage, rocking a .930 through 25 him in. games, winning six of his past seven starts. He’s a huge reason the Panthers, once presumed dead, have skyrocketed up the standings and The Isles hand out shots like a bartending academy appear to be a team that’ll sneak into the post-season. I wrote about the Islanders defensive woes a month back, which you can And all of this is to say nothing about his incredible work in the aftermath read here. But it’s really pretty incredible just how badly they get of the tragedy at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. His peppered, and it ain’t gettin’ better. They actually won the game on speech was powerful and moving and couldn’t have been easy to do. Sunday against Calgary, but they surrendered 50 shots for the sixth time this season. Check out how rare those games are: Between the great play and the support for his city, his success at his “old for hockey” age, or even just his Twitter account, it’s really hard not THAT IS THE 6TH TIME THIS SEASON THE ISLANDERS HAVE to be a fan of the guy. GIVEN UP 50 SHOTS IN A GAME. Rules are stupid SINCE THE START OF THE 2015-16 SEASON (NEARLY THREE FULL SEASONS!) NO TEAM IN THE LEAGUE HAS HAD MORE THAN This goal was called back: THREE SUCH GAMES. CHEESIEST DISALLOWED GOAL /OFFSIDE CALL OF THE YEAR. AMAZING. STRADDLING THE LINE HAS BEEN IN OUR GAME FOREVER. HOW MANY GOALS IN @NHL HISTORY WOULD HAVE BEEN — ADAM GRETZ (@AGRETZ) MARCH 12, 2018 DISALLOWED WITH THIS VIDEO REVIEW, 10,000? PLEASE LET’S GET RID OF THIS #ASAP. @PENGUINS @DALLASSTARS WHAT'S EVEN CRAZIER IS ALL 6 GAMES WITH 50+ SHOTS ON PIC.TWITTER.COM/TLTLJGN52Z GOAL ALLOWED FOR THE #ISLES HAVE HAPPENED … IN A SPAN OF 25 GAMES SINCE JAN. 15. — NICK KYPREOS (@REALKYPER) MARCH 12, 2018 — COREY MASISAK (@CMASISAK22) MARCH 12, 2018 What sucks is that, by the way the rule is called, it actually was offside – he was on his right blade (offside) while his left was still in the air. But I’m No team has ever had it happen seven times in one season. You can do with Kypreos here – you have a player making a clear effort to stay it, fellas! onside, he is onside (at least his body is), but by the book … nope. This Amidst all this, somewhat remarkably, they could still conceivably make seems like something we'll clean up with technology over time — hell, we the playoffs. As I wrote in that longer systems breakdown, to my eye it’s can tell if a squashed tennis ball nicked a line or not in a matter of seconds — but until we get there, I guess this is what we're stuck with. And finally, Tigermaniaaaa While I'll stay away from a review of Tiger Woods the man, I grew up watching his greatness as a golfer at a time when I myself was a young teenager at peak obsession with the game of golf. He was must-see TV. You'll find a lot of hockey players — most from cold weather climates who have summers off — share that passion. Having him in the mix yesterday on the back nine on a Sunday, just weeks before the Masters, OH BUDDY. Get excited, folks! The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103435 Websites Schuldt logged huge minutes on the best team in the country, and scouts have noticed the impact he’s had. He doesn’t have many standout attributes, but he’s a reliable two-way defender. He’s smart moving the The Athletic / College free agents who could soon impact the NHL puck, skates fine and plays hard in his own end. His skills might limit him from being a NHLer long-term, but he’s smart enough to where he might have a chance. By Corey Pronman Mar 12, 2018 Mason Jobst, C, Ohio State The 24-year-old Jobst has been one of the better players in the country the past two years. Realistically, as a 5-foot-7 forward without dynamic The college season is ending for some, and soon we will start to see skills, he's probably a AHLer; but Jobst can skate fine, has good hands, contracts handed out — and due to my tardiness, some of that has can make and finish plays, can win battles despite his size, and could already transpired. Today, I will look at undrafted free agents who can project to chip in on both special teams units as a pro. sign right after the season and drafted players who can become free agents. This is not an exhaustive list, rather just a selection of the players Drafted free agents who I think are notable and have information on. Dylan Sikura, LW, Chicago Undrafted free agents The most intriguing drafted free agent this season is Sikura, whom Daniel Brickley, D, Minnesota State colleague Scott Powers has written about many times. He’s been a heavily scouted target by other NHL teams, as he’s been one of the best There is no question that Brickley is the top undrafted free agent in this players in college this season. He was ranked within my top 50 NHL college class. Some fans might remember him from when he played prospects, which includes a scouting report. The Blackhawks will put on briefly last season with the U.S. at the World Championships. He’s the full-court press to get this done, as they expect he’ll be an important avoided the national spotlight, though, playing for Minnesota State and part of their team going forward, but he’s been hesitant to commit to some fans might not be familiar with him, but he’s a talented defender them. Chicago signing his brother recently is no coincidence. If I was a with size. He has solid puck skills, moves the puck well, has a good shot betting man, I say he ends up in Chicago. and can make stops in his own end using his frame, reach and positioning. His biggest issue currently is his footspeed. He has the Christian Wolanin, D, Ottawa potential to be a top-four defenseman in the NHL and could step in right away. I’m sure some Ottawa fans' eyebrows will raise at this one, but there is belief in the industry that Wolanin will probably leave North Dakota this Early on in the season, I clipped a few of his shifts in a game against summer to become an NHL free agent. He can do this despite only being Boston University. drafted three years ago. According to CBA section 8.6 (c) (5), if he withdrew from school this year, he would be a free agent after 30 days, First, here’s an example of how he uses his long reach to give the since he was drafted in his third eligible draft season (he’s a 1995 oncoming forward little room and closes with his body to separate the birthdate, and the 2015 draft was the first eligible year for the 1997 puck: birthdates). Next, we see him close on his man and make another clean stop, pick up If Wolanin does decide to leave, he will have a lot of NHL interest. The the puck quickly, make a nice move to evade pressure and generate a 22-year-old defenseman leads North Dakota in scoring. He’s 6-foot-1, clean zone exit: skates very well and can move the puck. He’s been a much better defender than in past years, although as a pro his calling card will be his In the offensive zone, after getting a shot blocked and regaining offense. possession, instead of forcing a second shot into the opposing forward’s legs, he shows the poise and skill to hold onto the puck for an extra Louis Belpedio, D, Minnesota second, wait for support and move it to an open man: Some World Junior fans might remember Belpedio from his appearance Finally, we see Brickley read a turnover, step up immediately into the with the USA two years ago. I was a big fan of his as a teenager, but he play and fire a wrist shot home: hasn’t taken a huge step forward, as I hoped. Still, he’s a mobile defenseman who works hard and can win battles despite being smaller, Zach Whitecloud, D, Bemidji State (signed by Vegas) and can move the puck fine. Minnesota wants to sign him, but I haven’t Whitecloud has some intriguing elements. He’s 6-foot-2, is strong, skates been able to narrow down where he’s leaning. fine, moves the puck fine and defends decently, but he’s a rather bland Jake Evans, C, Montreal player. He doesn’t stand out to me at either end and it’s why I have a hard time seeing him as more than a tail-end of the roster/depth I discussed Evans in detail earlier this season. In a thin Habs' system, defenseman in the NHL for the Golden Knights. There’s enough offense he’s been a bright spot this season and has potential in the pros as a in his game as a puck-mover that he could be competent making a first playmaking two-way center, but he will need AHL time. When I talked to pass in the NHL. him, he wouldn’t commit on signing with the Habs, but my belief is he’s leaning that way. Bobo Carpenter, C, Boston University David Pope, LW, Detroit That’s right, his name is Bobo, deal with it. And no, he’s not a clown, he’s BU’s top center. His upside isn’t super high, but he’s got some skills, I have not seen Pope play recently, but Craig Custance did a good story plays hard and can be a useful two-way center. The big thing with on him a few weeks ago. I expect he will sign with the Wings. Carpenter is he used to be an ugly skater. He’s no Patrick Marleau, but he gets up the ice OK now, but playing at a pro pace will be the thing to Brian Pinho, C, Washington watch with him. Pinho has been better the past two seasons, lately playing as an all- Colton Poolman, D, North Dakota situations center for Providence College. He can make plays, has fine stick skills and works hard to win pucks. His two-way game has improved The brother of Winnipeg’s Tucker Poolman has generated NHL buzz in college. I’m not completely sold on him as an NHL player in terms of playing at the same school. Colton isn’t as highly thought of as Tucker how high-end his abilities are, and he’ll be a guy I’ll want to see in the was, but he’s a 6-foot-1 defenseman who can skate, win battles and AHL first. According to several sources, they believe Pinho will test free make a decent first pass. He’s a depth guy at best and only a agency on Aug. 15. sophomore, so he might go back to school, but teams are watching. Nolan Stevens, LW, St. Louis Max Veronneau, RW, Princeton Stevens has been a part of one of the best power plays and offensive NHL scouts have been making rare trips to see Princeton this season teams at Northeastern. I like Stevens puck skill for a big forward. Stevens due to Veronneau. I have not seen him play this season, so this report is is a hard-nosed player but doesn’t take many penalties playing that style. based purely on discussions with sources. “He’s a world-class skater,” He could be a solid two-way forward as a pro and get to the NHL if he said one NHL scout. Another scout pointed out that he likes Veronneau’s gets a little bit quicker. I believe he will sign with the Blues. skill and ability to make plays, although his physical and defensive game leaves room to be desired. Some sources believe he’s a top-flight free C.J. Suess, C, Winnipeg agent who will play right away or soon. I have talked to some teams who feel he’s not dynamic enough offensively to play in the NHL. Suess is the leading scorer on one of the better teams in the country in Minnesota State. He’s not a high-end talent, but he’s a hard-working, Jimmy Schuldt, D, St. Cloud State two-way forward who goes to the tough areas, wins battles, can PK and has decent touch around the net. I’m not sure if he’s an NHL guy right away, but he can provide good depth to an organization if they need a fourth-line center at any point. I expect he signs with the Jets. The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103436 Websites Avenging Avalanche losses After being outscored 14-3 in consecutive losses this calendar year in Denver, the Wild hope to make amends Tuesday night when Colorado The Athletic / Wild let assistant Darby Hendrickson surprise son, watch comes to town. him win state title Prior to the Wild’s last two losses in Colorado, they were 17-4-3 in their By Michael Russo Mar 12, 2018 11 previous 24 visits to Pepsi Center. Chuck Fletcher and Bruce Boudreau knew how tough it was for assistant “Whether we think we owe them or not, we know we need to win,” coach Darby Hendrickson to be on the road with the Wild instead of Boudreau said. “It wouldn't matter if a team had beaten us by 30 goals being a hockey dad last weekend. each game, if there's an opponent in front of you, at this stage of the Hendrickson didn’t say it, of course, and he never asked to stay behind. year, you’ve got to just come out and play.” But the general manager and coach could see on Hendrickson’s face Asked what the Wild need to do better against the Avs, who currently sit how hard it was to not be in Minnesota while his oldest child, Mason, eighth in the West, Boudreau said, “Play harder. I don't think we played made the state hockey tournament with Minnetonka’s boys hockey team. anywhere near as hard as we could in the two games in Colorado. But we know they're going to play hard too because this is very important for Tonka was even playing at Xcel Energy Center, the place Hendrickson them. We just got to play to our capabilities and whatever the outcome is, scored the Wild’s first home goal in team history five months before I'll be happy with it.” Mason was even born. Nathan MacKinnon, a Hart Trophy contender, ranks tied for fourth in the The problem? NHL with 81 points. Eight have come against the Wild in the previous two meetings. Hendrickson and the Wild left for Vancouver on Thursday morning, the same day the tournament started. Historically, MacKinnon eats the Wild up at home and is missing in action on the road. So, the 1991 Minnesota Mr. Hockey winner missed the Skippers’ quarterfinal win over Hill-Murray on the Wild’s off-night and then their In 15 games against Minnesota in Denver, including the 2014 playoffs, semifinal win over Centennial, a game that took place at the same time MacKinnon has seven goals, 16 assists, 56 shots and is plus-7. The Avs the Wild were playing the Canucks on Friday. are 9-5-1. In 13 visits to Minnesota, including the playoffs, MacKinnon has two goals, three assists, 31 shots and is minus-6. The Avs are 3-9-1. Hendrickson is the Wild’s eye in the sky, so while he kept tabs on the Minnetonka score during the Wild’s game — the Skippers had to rally “They have some pretty effective players, a lot of speed, their defense from a 2-0 deficit — he was able to stream the Skippers’ game between jumps up in the play, it makes it tough,” defenseman Ryan Suter said. “I periods. don’t know why we’ve struggled the last couple games in there. Tomorrow, we just have to make sure we’re on and ready to go.” After the Wild’s victory over the Canucks, when Fletcher overheard a reporter congratulate Hendrickson for the Skippers advancing to the Seeler practices championship game that next night against Duluth East, the classy GM got to thinking: Maybe Hendrickson flies home from Vancouver the next It’ll be interesting to see if tough rookie defenseman Nick Seeler is morning to attend Saturday’s title game rather than hop on the team’s thrown into Tuesday’s lineup after only one practice with the team. charter in an hour for Saturday’s game against Edmonton. Seeler missed the previous three games with a strained right biceps. Fletcher posed the idea to Boudreau, who liked the gesture and offered “We're going to talk about it and see how he feels,” Boudreau said. “He's that chance to Hendrickson. been skating all week here (in Minnesota) but this is the first time he's “It was pretty special,” Hendrickson said. “Bruce kind of called me over, practiced with a group of guys.” and I didn't know if he was serious. He goes, ‘What do you think about Forwards Zach Parise and Matt Cullen missed Monday’s practice going home to see your son?’ I just said, ‘That'd be awesome.’” because they attended a funeral. Hendrickson checked himself into a Vancouver hotel while the Wild left The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 for Edmonton. He hopped on a 6:30 a.m. flight from Vancouver to Minnesota on Saturday morning and never told Mason, a 17-year-old junior centerman, or his wife, Dana, that he was coming home until he walked through the front door to surprise them after noon Saturday. Mason and Darby Hendrickson, after the state title game. (Courtesy Darby Hendrickson) Later that night, the Skippers went on to beat Duluth East for their first boys hockey state championship in school history. Mason, a fourth-liner who should get more ice time next year because the Skippers graduate eight seniors, did something his father was never able to do — win it all. Hendrickson actually went to the state tournament once in 1991 with Richfield High. Coincidentally, it was Duluth East that beat Hendrickson’s school in the first game. “It was fun to be a dad and be a fan and see two really good teams,” Hendrickson said. “Duluth East beat them earlier in the season, so we knew it was going to be a good game. … It was something I'll never forget just being there with my son. The state tournament is like a wedding or something. It was fun to be a parent. Those are moments that we can never get back, so the fact that they let me do that was unbelievable. “It was fun to be with the family and be around it. There's nothing like it.” Boudreau said Hendrickson didn’t want to leave at first because he felt guilty that he wouldn’t help coach the Wild during an important game at the Oilers. “But once he had time to think it through, it's a once, maybe, in a lifetime thing, to see your son win the state championship in Minnesota,” Boudreau said. “I was very happy for him, he was very happy in the end, so it all worked out.” Boudreau, paused, and then added with a chuckle: “Except the outcome of our game.” 1103437 Websites In recent games, the coach said he’s also looking to match his top defensive pair less frequently against an opponent’s top lines. That’s the level of trust the group has earned with the coaches. The Athletic / Reduced minutes for Blue Jackets' top defensive pair Playing with a lead or the score tied obviously helps Tortorella in reflects growing trust in others distributing minutes more evenly. A well-rested duo of Jones and Werenski could pay big dividends in the Tom Reed Mar 12, 2018 final frantic weeks as the Blue Jackets play 13 games over the next 27 days.

And, maybe, deeper into April. Defenseman Seth Jones, who leads the Blue Jackets in ice time, played a shade more than 21 minutes Friday night in a game they were The Athletic LOADED: 03.13.2018 desperate to win and never led by more than two goals. Jones was not hurt and, already having scored two second-period goals, he certainly wasn’t being benched. So why did coach John Tortorella, with his team locked in a tight race for the postseason, play his two-time All-Star three minutes less than his average? Because Tortorella has gained a new level of confidence in all his defensive pairings. The arrival of Ian Cole at the Feb. 26 trade deadline has solidified a blue line that had been depleted by injury and hindered by uneven play. Cole and David Savard look like they have been playing together for two years, not seven games. Jones and Zach Werenski have been point- producing monsters as of late. Despite some dicey moments Friday against the Red Wings, Jack Johnson and Ryan Murray have been in relatively good form during the team's 5-2-0 stretch. “With Cole coming in here, I think that’s rejuvenated Savvy a bit,” Tortorella said Sunday. “… For the most part, (the ice time) deserves to be flattened out a little bit.” If Tortorella can maintain the plan, it could help keep Jones (24:47) and Werenski (22:54) fresh down the stretch and, potentially, into the playoffs. Don’t forget, Werenski is playing through an undisclosed upper- body injury. The six-man defensive unit is in such a groove that Tortorella won’t make any changes for Monday night’s home game against the Canadiens despite lineup regular Markus Nutivaara coming off the injured reserve list. Think back to the Blue Jackets’ first playoff run of 2008-09. Ken Hitchcock relied so heavily on his top pair of Mike Commodore and Jan Hejda that he ground the defensemen into the ice. The duo had almost nothing left when the first-round series against the Red Wings opened. Tortorella is trying to avoid a repeat of that exhausting scenario. Jones has played less than 22 minutes in three of the seven games since the trade deadline. The reduction of Werenski’s ice time is even more dramatic. The second-year player has been under 19:30 in five of the last seven games. As they did a season ago, the coaching staff is starting to take Werenski off the ice in late-game situations in which the Blue Jackets are protecting narrow leads. It happened again in the 3-2 win over the Red Wings. The diminishing minutes are not having an adverse impact on the scoresheet. Quite the opposite. Since the deadline, Jones has five goals and four assists, and Werenski has gone for three goals and three assists. It’s hard to overstate the impact of Cole’s presence. The stay-at-home defenseman has added toughness around the net, a calmness in the face of pressure and nonstop chatter on the bench and on the ice that is becoming infectious. Tortorella has witnessed other players starting to talk more since the arrival of Cole, who won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins. “The thing we like about Colesy, and it’s grown within our team, is he’s always communicating and talking and he makes a decision and goes with it,” Tortorella said. “… I think the other defensemen see it’s easier to play in certain situations when you are talking to one another. Him and Savvy don’t shut up on the ice. “I hear that from (assistant coach) Brad Shaw 50 times on the bench: ‘Keep talking, boys, you gotta talk, boys.’ … It’s gotten better, and we want it to keep growing.” Tortorella confirmed Sunday he plans to use Cole, an outstanding shot- blocking, penalty killer in Pittsburgh, more often in that role with the Blue Jackets. If true, it could further reduce the minutes load on defensemen such as Jones. 1103438 Websites SEDINS FADING AWAY None of the last three months has gone the way the Canucks planned. Injuries in December crushed their season, but even when they were Sportsnet.ca / Yet another loss proves Brock Boeser is beating Hart of healthy again (briefly) it was obvious the mojo and sharpness from their Canucks 14-10-4 start were gone. Then more injuries, much more losing, and another garbage-time March when the only ramifications of Vancouver’s team performance are its lottery odds. Iain MacIntyre | @imacSportsnet March 13, 2018 This is a desolate landscape Daniel and Henrik Sedin never thought they’d see again. Many things about twins are underrated, and their raw competitiveness is among them. Losing eats away at them like acid, and OK, so Brock Boeser isn’t going to win the Calder Trophy. Maybe he the last five weeks seem to have hollowed them considerably even should be considered for the Hart. though they had been scoring. In four games since Boeser’s season ended with a fracture in his lower It is naïve to think something as basic as winning and losing won’t be a back last week against the New York Islanders, the Vancouver Canucks factor when they decide whether to retire after this season. are 0-4 and have been outscored 11-3. Half of those losses are against the Arizona Coyotes. But not all developments lately are bad for the Canucks. The Canucks actually played about as well as they could Monday against Five weeks ago, Darren Archibald was just a mid-career guy on a minor- the Los Angeles Kings, but Vancouver couldn’t get any of its 35 shots league contract. And three weeks ago, Brendan Leipsic was a name far past goalie Jonathan Quick and the Canucks’ goalless streak stretched down the Vegas Golden Knights’ depth chart. Both these players have to 152 minutes and nine seconds. excelled for the Canucks and must, at this point, be projected into their lineup next fall. Without Boeser, the attack just isn’t dangerous. And now, as is often the case in these situations, the problem is becoming as much about That’s good news. But it, like the losing, could also dissuade the Sedins confidence as ability. from returning. The twins have always been keenly aware that at some point they could represent a road block to younger players. They don’t Daniel Sedin hit the post in the second period with Quick badly beaten want to be in the way. Their stock answer has always been that they’d and a lot of net showing, and Sam Gagner missed an open net – albeit have no trouble stepping aside as long the players’ replacing them “earn from a slightly sharp angle, but with the puck on his forehand – when set it.” up by Brandon Sutter. The Sedins’ retirement looks a lot more likely now than even a month The Canucks’ annual death trudge isn’t likely to get any cheerier when ago, when they told general manager Jim Benning they’d let him know the team ends its three-games-in-four-days road trip Wednesday against after the season if they wanted to keep playing. the Anaheim Ducks. And Boeser will still be missing. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2018 SHRINKING GOALIE Yes, it’s an oversimplification – we in the media are fond of those – but when six-foot-six Canucks goalie Anders Nilsson plays to his size, he is difficult to beat. When he shrinks, pucks pour past him. It’s a matter of physics (we think). After starter Jacob Markstrom was beaten 1-0 Sunday in Arizona, Nilsson got the chance to play in L.A. He made some excellent saves and was not the reason the Canucks’ lost. But when Tyler Toffoli made it 1-0 on a second-period breakaway with Ben Hutton caught, Nilsson was as low to the ground as a catcher fielding a pitch in the dirt. When Tanner Pearson made it 3-0 in the third – Hutton turnover, Pearson free behind him – Nilsson lunged forward and down as the King patiently cut across the top of the crease and waited for the goalie to disappear. Nilsson has lost 13 of 14 starts since November and, yes, you read that correctly. His save percentage for the season is .901. It’s clear to everyone that the Canucks can’t come back next season with the same two goalies. Markstrom still has to prove he can start in the NHL, and Nilsson has to prove again he can play in it. THE WAIT IN GOLDIE Well, that’s another game Nikolay Goldobin will never get back. Of all the Canucks floundering down the stretch, no forward looks as lost as Goldobin, who is just about out of time to prove he belongs in the NHL. At least with Vancouver. It’s not only that a bunch of prospects have either passed him or look likely to do so, it’s that Goldobin has failed utterly to demonstrate at this level what are supposed to be his strengths: puck skills, creativity, finish. A healthy scratch last Friday against Minnesota, Goldobin on Monday logged his 49th NHL game – his 38th in just over a year since the Canucks acquired him from the San Jose Sharks for Jannik Hansen. He has eight goals and four assists in these 49 games. And just 55 shots on goal. To be fair, his three shots against the Kings matched his season- high – and tripled his output from the previous two games. It’s not Goldobin’s deficiencies away from the puck that are going to sink him but his failed offensive game. Since his last recall from minor-league Utica a month ago, Goldobin has had chances to show what he can do playing mostly with Henrik Sedin or Bo Horvat. He has two goals and one assist in his 12 games, and been held shotless three times. He’s not a threat to score. Nor stick with the Canucks after this season. Want to livestream all 82 Canucks games this season? See how you can stream this + over 300 regular season NHL games with Sportsnet NOW. 1103439 Websites “I don’t think Willy’s off it at all,” Babcock told reporters Monday. “Actually, I think he’s playing really well.”

Where Nylander plays long term is as a fundamental question for an Sportsnet.ca / Don't expect Maple Leafs' Matthews back until next week organization that is deep on wingers, but only has Matthews and Nazem at earliest Kadri currently signed as centre options for next season. The fact Babcock has seen some growth is worth noting. His forward Chris Johnston lines are going to look a lot different next fall than they do this spring. Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the There is some encouragement to be found in the sight of Auston country’s most beloved game. Matthews on the ice at practice with his Toronto Maple Leafs teammates. But until they’re allowed to hit him, any talk of his return remains highly TIME FOR A NEW FORMAT? speculative. The Leafs entered play Monday with the NHL’s sixth-best points Matthews needs to feel comfortable with contact before we see him in a percentage at .630. Their reward? An almost certain first-round matchup game again. with Boston, which owned the league’s third-best mark at .701 – behind only Tampa (.725) and Nashville (.721). There’s no reason to believe that will come any sooner than next week after Matthews donned the dreaded red sweater at Monday’s practice. It’s almost the exact same scenario that played out last year in the The team skates again Tuesday, but likely won’t hold another full practice Metropolitan Division, when Columbus went on the road to face beyond that until after a three-games-in-four-days stretch against Dallas Pittsburgh in Round 1 despite a franchise-best 108-point season. (Wednesday), Buffalo (Thursday) and Montreal (Saturday). The divisional playoff format may not be a hot-button issue among teams Once Matthews reaches the point where his healing shoulder is ready to just yet, but if this keeps happening, it won’t be too long before it is. be bumped, some of that work can be done in 1-on-1 sessions with the Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2018 strength coach. But Mike Babcock has also made it clear that he’s looking for his top centre to be a fully engaged participant in contact drills at practice before his hopes get raised about a return. That points to next Tuesday’s visit to Tampa as the earliest No. 34 might play, and even then, there’s an argument to be made about the wisdom in holding him out for road games against the Lightning and Nashville Predators on March 22. It’s not like the Leafs are doing anything more than getting ready for Boston in Round 1 at this point. And sitting Matthews through the end of that mini-trip would give him four-plus weeks to heal and start building back strength in the shoulder. His overall conditioning should be good since he’s been able to skate during the recovery period – unlike the absences he had for a concussion and back issue earlier in the season – but the 20-year-old will likely have to wear a shoulder harness and deal with some degree of discomfort even after he’s medically cleared to play. It could make this the toughest of those three ailments to work through, especially with the physicality due to be dialled up for the playoffs. Something worth keep an eye on with the Matthews situation is the status of a potential $2-million “Schedule B” performance bonus. While there’s no reason to believe it will have any bearing on the decision- making around a return from either the club or player’s perspective, it could have ramifications for both if Matthews struggles after he’s activated from injured reserve. He needs to finish among the NHL’s top-10 forwards in goals per game to cash in for a second straight year, and currently sits in position to do so with 28 in 53. However, were he to return next week and, say, score twice over the final 10 regular-season games, it could drop him outside the money window. Matthews is already assured of maxing out his $850,000 “Schedule A” bonus – Mitch Marner and William Nylander should both do the same – which means the Leafs will once again carry an overage into next season. In an ideal world, they’ll get a healthy and productive Matthews back for the stretch run and see their cap carryover top out at $4.55 million – money well spent for the best odds at beating the Bruins in April. However, if the big centre’s production dips while working his way back from the shoulder injury, the Leafs could be left with more cap room entering 2018-19. Want to livestream 56 Leafs games this season? See how you can stream this + over 300 regular season NHL games with Sportsnet NOW. A DIFFERENT TUNE FOR WILLIE When looking to motivate, a coach can either use the carrot or the stick. Babcock has never been shy about giving William Nylander the stick. So it was interesting to hear him sound an optimistic tone when asked how the Swede had adapted to playing centre since Matthews was injured – a stretch where he’s put up four assists in six games, and saw a healthy dose of the red-hot Evgeni Malkin in Saturday’s win over Pittsburgh. 1103440 Websites Of course, it’s only good value if the player is healthy. It is pretty clear that the team and the player are in the process of vetting the path ahead: whether that means surgery or rehab. Sportsnet.ca / Oilers defenceman Klefbom's health, play 'an abject We’ll likely know in the next few days. disappointment' “Last year was very fun to show the real Oscar Klefbom, show people how good I can be when I’m healthy, playing a lot of minutes for 82 Mark Spector | @sportsnetspec March 12, 2018, 5:39 PM games,” he said. “I’m in good shape, having some great numbers in the gym. I’m one of the fittest guys in testing. It’s not like in bad shape.

“It’s been very, very frustrating not to be able to show what I can do when The problem with Oscar Klefbom’s shoulder is, it wasn’t injured badly I am 100 percent.” enough. Not just for you, Oscar. You’ve got plenty of company. So he played through the 2017-18 season at a level far below what a healthy Oscar Klefbom would have given the Edmonton Oilers, and as Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2018 the exit interviews near in Edmonton, his season is much like his team’s season. An abject disappointment. “The shoulder is so black or white,” Klefbom, 24, said Monday. “If I say at Christmas, ‘OK, let’s do something about this,’ I know that in the playoffs, if we’re going to turn this around, I’m not going to be there.” Whatever it is that ails Klefbom’s shoulder, clearly the surgery to fix it would have been season-ending. So he took a cortisone shot around New Years, and that helped a bit. His last 20 games have been reminiscent of the game he gave the Oilers last season, sort of, but it is all too little and too late. Now, Klefbom is not a bonafide No 1 defenceman around the NHL, like a Drew Doughty or a Victor Hedman. But he is Edmonton’s No. 1 defenceman, and the Oilers count on him as much as the Kings and Lightning count on their top defencemen. Klefbom hasn’t been able to deliver at anywhere near the level expected of him, the first domino in a series of declining performances throughout the roster. Now partner Adam Larsson isn’t as steady, when Klefbom can’t carry his weight; now the chances are far tougher and more numerous for goalie Cam Talbot, and his confidence struggles as pucks fly past he had no chance to save; now the powerplay lacks the only real shooter it had, and as it struggles so do several key forwards lack the confidence a strong powerplay can provide. “Me and Larsson played a hell of a season last year. We showed everyone we are a (pairing) to count on. When we play good hockey we can get within a game of a Conference Final,” Klefbom said. “I want to get back to that, but then I have to be 100 percent. I can not go back (next season) and be 75 percent, stay out of battles, and wait. I have to be 100 percent.” Sportsnet's newest podcast is a weekly deep dive into the biggest hockey news in the world. New episodes every Wednesday. Head coach Todd McLellan said this week that Klefbom had “a small procedure” done on his shoulder that would keep him out of two games, including Tuesday in Calgary. Then what? “The procedure will dictate … what will happen,” McLellan said Monday. “He and his agent, and everyone else will participate in the decision. There’s nothing written in stone. There’s a real good chance he’ll play the rest of the season, training the summer and come back.” So those were Klefbom’s choices, after injuring the shoulder early in the season. Quit on the year, or fake his way through. “You want to be on the ice, to help the guys, and you don’t want to be, ‘I’m a little banged up. I can not play.’ The toughest thing, really, is being smart,” he said. “With the season we had last year — we had a lot of expectations, we want to make the playoffs, I played a lot of minutes (22:22 per game) — if I’m going down, it’s, ‘Oh, I don’t care about this season.’” Two seasons ago he took a shot off the leg that opened up a cut. That cut turned into a Staph infection that limited Klefbom to 30 games, a very serious injury that happens by fluke, really. Livestream every single game of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs— blackout free—plus all 162 Toronto Blue Jays games, key Raptors & NBA Playoffs matchups and the 100th Mastercard Memorial Cup, all in one subscription. So, in his three seasons between the ages of 22 and 24, the Karlstad, Sweden native has given his team one healthy year. But Klefbom was so good that season that his seven-year, $29 million deal (AAV of $4.167 million) became known as “a value contract” by many in the business. 1103441 Websites Live stream over 300 marquee regular season games, regional matchups for the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs, and the entire 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Sportsnet.ca / Down Goes Brown Weekend Wrap: Can flatlining Flames Road to the Cup recover? The five teams that look like they’re headed towards Stanley Cup– favourite status. Sean McIndoe | @DownGoesBrown March 12, 2018, 11:12 AM 5. Vegas Golden Knights (44-19-5, +46 true goals differential*): Vegas flu advisory; after tonight’s game in Philadelphia, they’re home for eight of the next 10. Every Monday, Sean McIndoe looks back at weekend play in the NHL and the league’s biggest storylines. You can follow him on Twitter. 4. Boston Bruins (43-16-8, +53): Brad Marchand missed yesterday’s game with an injury, but escaped any supplemental discipline for this Opening faceoff: Round and round we go collision with Anthony Duclair. The NHL played some games this weekend, so needless to say we’re all 3. Pittsburgh Penguins (40-26-4, +18): Evgeni Malkin had two more angry about goaltender-interference reviews. points in last night’s win over the Stars, and now has 51 in his last 30 games to move to within one of Nikita Kucherov in the Art Ross race. That’s been a recurring theme through most of the second half (as opposed to the first half, when we were all angry about offside reviews). 2. Nashville Predators (44-14-10, +50): Tomorrow night brings another The latest chapter came on Saturday in Toronto, when a controversial showdown with the Jets, where a Nashville win all but ends the race for interference call may have cost the Penguins the game. With the Leafs top spot in the Central. leading 3–0, Brian Dumoulin appeared to cut the lead to 3–1. But referee Dan O’Halloran ruled that Dumoulin had interfered with Frederik 1. Tampa Bay Lightning (48-17-4, +58): The Predators and Lightning are Andersen and awarded a minor penalty, wiping out the goal and sending turning this into a two-team race, with both teams taking 19 of 20 points the Leafs to the power play. Toronto scored to make it 4–0, then held on in their last 10. to take a 5–2 final. (*Goals scored minus goals allowed, without counting shootouts like the Saturday’s controversy didn’t actually involve a review, which is part of NHL does for some reason.) the problem. If a referee simply waves off a goal, the play can be — challenged, but if a penalty is issued then there’s no review allowed. So the Penguins were out of luck, even as replays showed that the contact There’s really no nice way to say it: Last night was a disaster for the was minimal and that Dumoulin may have been directed into the crease Calgary Flames. by Ron Hainsey. Would a review have resulted in the call being overturned? Probably not, but we didn’t get a chance to find out. We covered their fading playoff hopes last week, as they’d dropped four points back of the wild-card race. But the schedule served up some hope It’s the latest flare-up in the never-ending interference debate, and having with a week’s worth of easy matchups, and the Flames took advantage this one come on a Hockey Night in Canada game between two high- by banking road wins against the Sabres and Senators. Last night profile teams ensured that everyone would be weighing in. It comes just seemed like more of the same, as the Islanders arrived in town riding an a few days after another controversy that also featured the Leafs, when a eight-game losing streak. Sabres goal following what appeared to be far more blatant interference on Andersen was allowed to stand on Monday. Instead, the Flames ended up dropping a 5–2 decision, leaving two crucial points on the table. To make matters worse, last night’s effort That had Mike Babcock ominously warning that when it came to wasted the return of Mike Smith, who was making his first start since interference, the league “better get it solved” before the playoffs. injuring his groin exactly a month ago against these same Islanders. If Penguins coach Mike Sullivan largely echoed that sentiment on anything should have provided an emotional boost to a team that could Saturday. Everyone seems to agree that this is a mess, and that the use one, you’d think Smith’s return would do the trick, especially with the league needs to fix it. Islanders starting Chris Gibson, a guy with six career appearances to his name. Instead, the Flames came out flat and trailed 2–0 before the game Except for one problem: They can’t. There is no fix, because these calls was even three minutes old. are largely subjective. You can tweak the rules and interpretations and where the line is drawn as much as you want, but you’re never going to After that rough start, the Flames were actually the better team for most get anywhere close to a situation where everyone is on the same page. of the night. They had 52 shots on goal, and nearly as many that went wide. They dominated possession, and had the better chances. None of Instead, it’s becoming clear that the league made a major mistake by it mattered. making goaltender interference subject to replay review in the first place. There’s a reason why pro sports leagues have traditionally limited replay With 94 shots at the net tonight, Flames scored on just 2% of their review to calls that should be black and white, and leave the judgment shot attempts. This really does sum up their season in a lot of ways. calls to the officials in real time. We’re seeing it now. — Kent Wilson (@Kent_Wilson) March 12, 2018 You could make the case that both of this week’s Maple Leafs calls were correct based on the rulebook. The Buffalo goal came on contact just So sure, the Flames deserved a better fate. But this deep into the outside the crease, while Dumoulin’s lighter nudge was clearly in the blue season, that hardly matters. There’s no such thing as an easy two points paint, so the rules for the two plays work differently. Years ago, fans may in today’s NHL, but when you’re life and death to make the playoffs, have simply shrugged off the two calls as the sort of grey-area decisions you’ve got to be able to find a point or two against a team that’s dropped that can go either way in a specific game but tend to even out over the eight straight. The Flames couldn’t do it, and the results could be course of a season. But not anymore, because by subjecting interference disastrous — by one estimate, that single loss dropped their already- calls to review in the name of “getting it right,” the NHL raised the bar. shrinking playoff hopes by more than 11 percent. Now, fans expect a level of consistency that we don’t see on any other The good news is that the Stars lost in regulation, too, so there are still judgment calls. When a referee makes a subjective call we don’t like for four teams holding down playoff spots within four points of the Flames, holding, or roughing, or cross-checking, we complain a little here and and only the Kings to leapfrog to get to them. But all of those teams hold there and then get on with our lives. But with interference, we’ve been two games in hand except for the Ducks, who hold one, so there’s more trained to break every play down frame-by-frame, searching for an ground to make up than it looks like. The Flames’ remaining schedule still obvious answer that just isn’t there. features two games against the Sharks and one against the Ducks, so You want to solve this? Get rid of interference review entirely and jut let they have some control over their fate. And it also includes two each the referees do their job. Will there still be controversial calls? Of course. against the Oilers and Coyotes, which should be very winnable games Will there be calls that are outright wrong? Sure, sometimes. That’s life in against teams without much to play for. pro sports. We used to be able to live with it. Now we have a system Then again, winnable games don’t count for much until you win them. that’s slow and confusing, and nobody is the slightest bit happier about The Islanders reminded us of that fact last night. The Flames can’t afford the calls it’s churning out. So get rid of it. Ride out the season, pray to the many more lessons the rest of the way. hockey gods that we don’t see a playoff series ruined by one of these things, and then scrap the review altogether in the off-season. Sportsnet's newest podcast is a weekly deep dive into the biggest hockey news in the world. New episodes every Wednesday. Instead, the NHL has apparently decided to respond to the problem by telling everyone to stop complaining. Good luck with that, guys. Road to the lottery The five teams that look like they’re headed towards watching Rasmus • The Blue Jackets are hanging tough in the last Eastern wild-card spot Dahlin highlights and playing with draft-lottery simulations. thanks to four straight wins. They’ll try to make it five when they host the Canadiens tonight. Montreal has lost four straight. 5. Detroit Red Wings (26-31-11, -32): Make it six straight losses, as the Wings make a late charge for the bottom. • It’s easy enough to forget given their apparent trade-deadline surrender, but the Blues are still hanging around the Western race. After smoking 4. Vancouver Canucks (25-35-9, -39): With Brock Boeser out, there isn’t the Kings 7-2 on Saturday, they’re just three points back of a wild card. much left on the current roster for fans to get excited about. But That was only their second win in their last 11, but with games against headlines like this have to help a little. the Ducks and Avs this week, they’re still in this thing. 3. Ottawa Senators (23-33-11, -47): Mark Stone is out after suffering a • Henrik Lundqvist reached the 800-game milestone in Saturday’s leg injury against the Flames, and could miss significant time. shootout loss to the Panthers. He’s the first European goaltender to 2. Arizona Coyotes (22-35-11, -53): After a relatively quiet year, we could reach the mark. be on the verge of some new off-ice drama in Arizona, as Andrew • The Jets suffered the first loss of their road trip on Saturday, dropping a Barroway reportedly explores the possibility of adding investors as the 2–1 decision to the Flyers. Patrik Laine scored his 40th in a losing cause team gears up for an arena fight. to move into a tie with Alex Ovechkin in the goal-scoring race. 1. Buffalo Sabres (22-35-12, -58): After hanging tough against the • The Oilers’ win over the Wild was their third straight. Oddly, that makes Knights, they’re off until Thursday, when they kick off a five-game them the only team in the conference riding a streak of either kind longer homestand by hosting the Maple Leafs. than two games. — • Things got heated between the Avalanche and Coyotes on Saturday, The New Jersey Devils have been one of the league’s best stories. All with Oliver Ekman-Larsson of all people getting it started. but written off before the season even began, they charged out to a 9-2-0 • Finally, we had a goalie goal in the AHL, where Charlotte’s Alex start and have stubbornly hung around the playoff picture ever since. Nedeljkovic buried one in a 7–3 win. Consider that the first bit of good Recently, Taylor Hall‘s scoring streak pushed him into the crowded Hart news the Hurricanes organization has had from one of its goalies all Trophy conversation, and first-overall pick Nico Hischier looks like the year. real deal. For a team that finished dead last in the East just a year ago, missing the playoffs by 25 points in the process, their post-season push Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2018 has capped off what’s been close to a dream season. There’s just one problem: They may not make it after all. Lost in the hype around Hall’s scoring streak was the fact that it wasn’t translating into all that many Devils wins. Since the new year, the Devils have gone just 13-16-2, one of the worst records in the league. To put their slump in perspective, their 28 points in 2018 matches the Sabres and trails the Coyotes. All of that leant a sense of urgency to Saturday’s matchup in Nashville, as the Devils faced the hottest team in the league. The Predators came in riding a ten-game win streak, and they took the lead just a minute into the game. But goals by Sami Vatanen and Brian Boyle gave the Devils a 2–1 lead heading into the third, and while Ryan Johansen tied it with a minute left, New Jersey managed to escape with a shootout win. Those two points could be huge, and at least temporarily slipped New Jersey back into the East’s first wild-card spot, with a three-point cushion over the Panthers. But Florida holds three games in hand and the ROW tie-breaker, so the Devils’ position is still tenuous. That game kicked off a brutal road trip that sees them head to Vegas next, then complete the dreaded three-game California swing and stop in Pittsburgh before they return home, where the Lightning will be waiting for them. It’s not hard to imagine them getting to the end of that stretch and not just being outside the playoff race, but having been left behind entirely. Or maybe not – with the Islanders imploding and the Hurricanes wobbling, it’s looking like the Devils will need to fend off only one of the Panthers or Blue Jackets to earn a spot. And of course, even a near-miss would still ultimately feel like a win for a team resetting expectations. And as an added bonus, a miss would get them into the lottery, which they’d be guaranteed to win because they have Mr. Lottery on the roster. So maybe it’s a no-lose situation for this team. But it won’t feel that way if they miss the playoffs after being in the hunt all season long. They’re certainly headed in that direction, and the schedule isn’t doing them any favours. If they can hold on the rest of the way, they’ll have earned it. Fantasy Hockey Pool Play the Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey Pool for your chance to score big with over $22,000 worth of prizes to be awarded! Quick shifts: 10 more notable moments from around the league • More bad news for the Flames: they lost Matthew Tkachuk late in last night’s loss after he went hard into the boards. There’s no word yet on how much time he might miss, if any. • Just in case we were getting a little caught up on all this complaining about goalie interference calls, last night’s Penguins/Stars game provided a nice reminder that offside review is also still terrible. • Saturday’s win was a franchise-record 10th straight at home for the Maple Leafs. 1103442 Websites Terrifying times for the coach, the Flames and their fans, who all sense the rocky month they’ve experienced without Smith could ultimately be their undoing. Sportsnet.ca / Many questions surround Flames ahead of pivotal clash Truth is, it’s what they do from this point on that is far more important – a vs. Oilers message the coach can’t seem to hammer into the lads forcefully enough. Eric Francis | @EricFrancis March 12, 2018, 5:07 PM Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2018

CALGARY — As if the recent string of home losses hasn’t been painful enough for Calgary Flames fans, the stage is now set for the ultimate kick in the teeth. A visit from the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday opens up the very real possibility the Flames’ playoff hopes will be all but officially dashed by their hapless, hated provincial rivals. At home, nonetheless. Such an indignity certainly wouldn’t come as a shock to Flames faithful, who have watched the team lose seven straight to the Oilers and win just one of their last 11 home dates in regulation. Frustration is certainly mounting in Calgary where the NHL team is simply too good to be in this predicament. So said Mike Smith after the team’s latest setback Sunday when the Islanders rolled over the Flames 5-2 to end an eight-game losing skid. After making his first start in a month, Smith lit a fire under his teammates for yet another uninspired start that saw the hosts down 2-0 less than three minutes in. He said the team’s problem of late is between the ears, where he insists everyone has to decide to start contributing more. “Every guy has got to play out of their comfort zone,” said Smith, who admitted he was a tad nervous and certainly not 100 per cent in his return from a lower-body injury. “Our top guys have got to do the little things it takes to win and block shots and chip pucks, and our bottom-six guys have got to contribute offensively and do the little things also. We can’t have any passengers if we’re going to right the ship here and make a big push.” Want to livestream all 82 Flames games this season? See how you can stream this + over 300 regular season NHL games with Sportsnet NOW. It’s well documented his team’s bottom-six forwards have been a massive disappointment this season, but Smith raised eyebrows suggesting the team’s snipers need to get grittier. With 78 points, 12 games left and all their challengers holding games in hand, it’s generally agreed the Flames will need to win eight or nine of their remaining tilts, which is especially daunting given seven are at home where the team is a humiliating 14-16-4. While the general consensus is that the team has trouble scoring at home (witness the 50 saves Henrik Lundqvist made here last week and the 50 stops Islanders upstart Chris Gibson made Sunday), a dive into the stats shows it’s the goaltending that’s been the problem at home. Despite allowing four shots less a game on Flames goalies at home, their save percentage at the Dome sits at .896 this year. Not playoff material. On the road, Flames goalies have stopped 92.1 per cent of all shots, which goes a long way towards explaining the team’s 20-10-6 road mark. Why they can’t bring their road intensity home has been baffling all season, prompting Gulutzan to interrupt their 20-minute practice on Monday with choice words followed by the question, “How are we going to start tomorrow’s game?” It will be fascinating to see the answer. And that’s where the Flames are at these days, with more questions than answers. The coach is clearly sick of being asked about the team’s inability to start better, play well at home or respond favourably to the pressure and immediacy of the situation. He’s getting testy, uncharacteristically challenging reporters and their questions. The task at hand might be made even harder without Matthew Tkachuk, a player who has built his reputation on doing all the little things it takes to win games. Tkachuk missed practice Monday after his head crashed heavily into the boards Sunday night after getting tangled with Mathew Barzal and falling backwards with five minutes left. He didn’t return due to concussion protocol and was nowhere to be seen Monday. Gulutzan said Tkachuk’s status would be updated Tuesday, along with Mikael Backlund and Sean Monahan who also missed practice for “maintenance.” 1103443 Websites Livestream every single game of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs— blackout free—plus all 162 Toronto Blue Jays games, key Raptors & NBA Playoffs matchups and the 100th Mastercard Memorial Cup, all in Sportsnet.ca / Maroon's personality aiding transition to Devils locker one subscription. room Ultimately, the success or failure of Maroon’s time with the Devils will be determined by whether or not he can continue to generate offence. The odds he will are at least slightly enhanced by who he is away from the Ryan Dixon | @dixononsports March 12, 2018, 4:47 PM action. “When you have the type of personality he does, maybe it’s easier to matriculate in, particularity off the ice,” Hynes says. “And lots of times, In a post-practice NHL dressing room, chirps tend to fly right alongside that off-ice feeling helps your on-ice performance and comfort level.” discarded towels and tape balls. While Maroon likely has the ability to make friends fast, he was The words John Moore used last Wednesday weren’t actually biting, but immediately thankful — upon hearing of the trade — that he didn’t have his tone telegraphed the fact he was teasing new teammate Patrick to start a social circle from scratch. Maroon when he bellowed from one side of the New Jersey Devils room to the other: “You had the best play of practice.” “I was like, ‘Wow, that’s exciting’ because I’m not going into a locker room where I don’t know anyone,” he says. “Familiar faces make you feel Maroon failed to immediately fill the air with a reply, so Moore continued welcome.” on, drawing out the anecdote: “Wall play, spin off, backhand sauce.” Most often, we assume, with a couple jokes at your expense. No doubt sensing the somewhat backhanded nature of the compliment, Maroon piped up: “I did that yesterday during the game!” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 03.13.2018 The contest Maroon referred to was a 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens and Moore quickly conceded that, yes, the big winger can bust out sweet plays both in the loose setting of practice and during the high-stakes pressure of the game. Maroon actually potted his first goal as a Devil versus the Habs on March 6 and the synchronicity he’s experienced with his new club has made a sometimes-difficult transition that much easier. New Jersey bench boss John Hynes got his first look at Maroon more than a decade ago when the former was part of the U.S. National Team Development Program coaching staff and the latter was playing with the St. Louis Bandits of the North American Hockey League. Hynes recalls a teenaged Maroon being a big, bruising player with nifty hands. “And [he] kind of always had this gregarious personality,” Hynes says. All those elements remain to this day and the fact Maroon worked hard along the way to improve his skating means there’s still very much a place for him in the go-go NHL. Of course, his contract status — Maroon is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, less than three months after his 30th birthday — was a huge factor when it came to him losing his spot on the struggling Edmonton Oilers only one season after he netted a career-best 27 goals playing left wing beside Connor McDavid. New Jersey picked him up in a deadline swap with Edmonton and Maroon has made a fantastic first impression, registering one goal, four assists and five points in six outings as a Devil. Three of those points have come on the power play, where Maroon has been a fixture on the first unit. In fact, he’s averaging 3:19 of man-advantage ice time per game, more than anybody on the club. Sportsnet's newest podcast is a weekly deep dive into the biggest hockey news in the world. New episodes every Wednesday. Even if his pace of production is bound to slow, the Devils are justified in their belief Maroon can be an important complimentary piece for their playoff push. Hynes’ familiarity with Maroon also includes coaching against him for a number of years in the American Hockey League and having him on his own bench when both men — as well as New Jersey general manager Ray Shero — were part of the U.S. entry at the 2016 World Championship. Hynes says Maroon is the kind of player who elevates his performance when the temperature of a game spikes. And while much of his goal explosion a year ago can be traced to McDavid, it’s important to not overlook what the six-foot-three, 225-pounder brings to the equation. All jokes aside, the man has a very specific and valuable skillset. “His touch around the net, his board play in the offensive zone, his ability to protect plays and make plays under pressure have been very good,” Hynes says. A few people in the Devils room already knew what to expect. Maroon was originally acquired by Edmonton two years ago at the 2016 trade deadline and spent a couple months as a teammate of Taylor Hall’s before Hall — presently the subject of “MVP!” chants in Newark — was acquired in the signature move of Shero’s tenure with Jersey. Maroon’s first handful of NHL seasons came with the Anaheim Ducks and because that organization has also done some business with the Devils, he was immediately able to rekindle friendships with Kyle Palmieri, Ben Lovejoy and Sami Vatanen. 1103444 Websites Matthews could return at some point following Wednesday's game against the Dallas Stars.

— TSN.CA / Timeline for Matthews coming into focus We got a reminder about why a red sweater is necessary for injured players during Monday’s practice as forward Dominic Moore and Mark Masters defenceman Connor Carrick, who have both been in and out of the lineup this season, got heated at one point exchanging shoves at the end of a drill. TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes “As an athlete I don’t think you want to be wearing that red colour jersey, from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Leafs practised at but it’s just a precautionary thing,” Kadri said. “You want to make sure the MasterCard Centre on Monday. he’s just 100 per cent before guys know that you can actually be physical. In practice things can get pretty competitive so it’s just a Auston Matthews was on the ice for Toronto’s entire practice on Monday. precautionary thing.” It’s the first time he’s stayed out for a full session since sustaining a shoulder injury on Feb. 22. However, the 20-year-old was still wearing a The Leafs are going through a stretch where they play just once in eight red no-contact sweater and he did not skate in his regular spot. Matthews days and that has led to several longer-than-usual practices with did rotate in at times during the line drills even taking a few reps as a Monday's workout lasting about 55 minutes with a conditioning skate at defenceman to stay in the flow of things. the end. “I would expect that he’s going to be pushing not for the Dallas game — (Wednesday), but after that some time,” said head coach Mike Babcock. In 22 games since Jan. 20, Marner has 14 goals, tied for fifth in the “He looks good,” observed centre Nazem Kadri. “Mats is a special player league in that stretch. Always known as a prolific playmaker, the former so it doesn’t take much for him to regain his strength and regain his London Knight wanted to make defenders respect his shot more this momentum.” season and he appears to be doing just that. Marner has fired 69 shots on net in the last 22 games. That's 3.1 per game. He averaged just two Matthews is expected to miss a seventh straight game on Wednesday shots per game in the first 47 outings of the season. Last season, he when the Maple Leafs host the Dallas Stars. Toronto will then play in averaged 2.3 shots per game. Buffalo on Thursday before returning home to face the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. “I think he’s more conscious about his shot,” observed Kadri, who has also tried to improve that aspect of his game in recent years. “I’ve been “He’s obviously feeling way better,” Babcock said. “I noticed when we trying to tell him to get that shot off. It’s not necessarily about how hard were doing the contact stuff he didn’t do as much of that and didn’t dive you shoot it, it’s the release and how quick you get it off. Sometimes you right into it. I didn’t talk to anybody, that’s just what I noticed.” can surprise goaltenders and pucks that shouldn’t go in end up going in the back of the net.” Matthews, who sat out a battle drill at the end of practice, was one of the last players on the ice Monday putting in some extra work long after most Kadri points out that Marner’s power-play goal against the Penguins on of his teammates had departed. There’s a belief this injury absence will Saturday is a perfect example of what he’s been doing more of. leave him feeling energized for the playoffs. “Shoot it knowing it probably won’t go right in, but it hits a couple shin “It will help him for sure,” Babcock said. “And, we’ve made a point, he’s pads and it’s in the back of the net,” Kadri said. “He now knows if he done some skating. He’ll be in better shape than he was when he left just shoots more and more consistently he’s going to score more goals.” because (with) his two previous injuries he couldn’t skate during that (initial recovery) time. I think that’s important for him." Mitch Marner! Mitch Marner missed time with an upper-body injury last season and can Off of the D-man and through the 5-hole. 4-0 Leafs! relate to what Matthews is going through now. pic.twitter.com/owmMO0gnwE “You can do all the bikes and sprinting and all this stuff but, for some — Flintor (@TheFlintor) March 11, 2018 weird reason, the game is very different than all those things,” Marner noted. "You think you got the cardio and then you play a game and that “I’ve noticed a lot of pucks going off people and in,” Rielly quipped. “So, I first 10 minutes is deadly on you. After that you get back in the rhythm. don’t know whether or not that’s on purpose (chuckle). No, he’s playing great.” “It sucks,” Marner added. “I mean, it’s a weird (injury). Your shot obviously comes back slowly and slowly and gets better.” During this 22-game surge, Babcock has rewarded Marner by playing him about a minute more than his average early in the season. One of The Leafs are now 8-6-2 without Matthews in the lineup this season (2-2- the coaching staff’s directives to Marner at the outset of the season was 2 during the most recent absence) and are trying to keep things as close about shooting more. to business as usual as possible. “I thought he had two really good cracks last game,” Babcock noted. “He “It’s way easier for me when he’s in so we don’t have to talk about it so hit the bar on one and the top of the pad on the other one. I believe he much, you know what I mean?” Babcock said to laughs. “This is what I can shoot the puck and shoot it well. He’s just got to use his momentum would tell you, it doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup we expect to win.” and he’s working on it constantly and he’s getting better.” Good to see Matthews last the full session today? Marner’s shooting percentage has ticked up this season from 10.8 per cent as a rookie to 11.5 as a sophomore. He believes success of the “I didn’t even notice it was (his first) full practice, to be honest,” said power play has been a key, especially of late. Morgan Rielly with a smile. “But, yes, very happy." “Just trying to get it to the net more,” he explained. “That’s one reason Usually players who take part in a full practice are available to the media, why our power play (group) is working so well, we’re getting pucks to the but Matthews did not address reporters today. Per the team's media net from all angles: Bozie, Mo, James doing a great job in front and Naz relations staff, Matthews likely will not speak publicly until it’s clear he’s is always there for backdoors or those three-feet ones. It’s a battle, but ready to return. we just have to keep getting the puck to the net and when that starts to happen your shot gets more confidence, you get more confidence in your Leafs Ice Chips: Matthews goes through full practice, but out Wednesday head and I think that’s the way I’m thinking right now.” Auston Matthews stayed out for a full practice on Monday for the first By injecting a little calm and a lot of confidence into his game, Mitch time since sustaining a shoulder on Feb. 22. However, the star centre Marner has turned into the #Leafs most potent offensive weapon: was still wearing a red jersey. Head coach Mike Babcock did note that https://t.co/qSb09lqZRP Matthews could return at some point following Wednesday's game against the Dallas Stars. — Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) March 12, 2018 Leafs Ice Chips: Matthews goes through full practice, but out Wednesday Marner is third on the team with seven power-play goals. He has six points on the man advantage in the last six games as the top unit Auston Matthews stayed out for a full practice on Monday for the first featuring him, Kadri, Rielly, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk, has time since sustaining a shoulder on Feb. 22. However, the star centre started to heat up. Those five players have combined for 27 power-play was still wearing a red jersey. Head coach Mike Babcock did note that goals this season, representing 66 per cent of Toronto’s output. This despite the fact the power play ice time has been divided quite evenly between the units. “Our power play has been real dangerous on one group and not as good on the other group," Babcock said. "We got to get that fixed. You need two balanced units with fresh guys going out there to do a job. We feel we have the depth to do that and so we have to come up with a scheme and work ethic and execution that makes that happen. That’ll happen more when Matty’s back, but in the mean time we still need goals out of that second group.” The second unit, featuring William Nylander, Matthews, Patrick Marleau, Jake Gardiner and injury replacements Leo Komarov and Josh Leivo, has combined for just 11. Nylander was second on the team with nine power-play goals last season while Matthews was third with eight. So, what's hampering that group this season? “That’s a good question,” Babcock said with a smile, leaving it at that. Has red-hot Marner finally shed the pass-first mentality? Mitch Marner started the season slow sparking concerns that he may be suffering from a sophomore slump. But in 22 games since Jan. 20, Marner has 14 goals, tied for fifth in the NHL in that stretch. So, has he finally scrapped the pass-first mentality? Marner has fired 69 shots on net in the last 22 games. That's 3.1 per game. He averaged 2.04 shots per game in the first 47 games of the season. Has red-hot Marner finally shed the pass-first mentality? Mitch Marner started the season slow sparking concerns that he may be suffering from a sophomore slump. But in 22 games since Jan. 20, Marner has 14 goals, tied for fifth in the NHL in that stretch. So, has he finally scrapped the pass-first mentality? Marner has fired 69 shots on net in the last 22 games. That's 3.1 per game. He averaged 2.04 shots per game in the first 47 games of the season. — Nikita Zaitsev, who unexpectedly missed Saturday’s game due to an illness, was absent from Monday’s practice. "Obviously, he didn’t bounce back the way we expected so he’s seeing the doctor today,” Babcock said. “Just think it’s the flu, but (it) wasn’t done as quick as we expected." — Babcock was asked if he’s leaning toward inserting Matt Martin back into the lineup for Wednesday’s game. "I wouldn’t try reading my mind," the coach said with a smile. "I don’t even know what’s going on in there.” TSN.CA LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103445 Websites games...Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane added a goal and an assist, giving him 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in the past 10 games...Penguins C Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, while C Sidney Crosby added two TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: McDavid finishing fast assists in Sunday's 3-1 win at Dallas. Malkin has 24 points (9 G, 15 A) in the past 13 games and sits just one point behind Nikita Kucherov for the scoring lead. Crosby has 16 points (6 G, 10 A) in the past 14 games...Islanders LW Anders Lee scored a pair of goals in Sunday's 5-2 Scott Cullen win at Calgary, and has five points (3 G, 2 A) in the past four games...Islanders D Nick Leddy added a goal and an assist, after posting

two assists in his previous nine games...Islanders centres John Tavares McDavid keeps rolling; Rielly, Schwartz, Rantanen, Gustafsson, Boychuk and Casey Cizikas both chipped in a couple of assists. Tavares had and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. three points (1 G, 2 A) in his previous eight games and Cizikas had one assist in his previous 10 games...Flames LW Johnny Gaudreau had a HEROES goal and an assist in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Islanders. He has six points (1 G, 5 A) in the past four games. Connor McDavid – Edmonton's superstar centre scored two goals and added an assist in Saturday's 4-1 win over Minnesota. He has 13 points Nazem Kadri and Mitch Marner have been clicking together over the past (6 G, 7 A) during a seven-game point streak and sits four points behind 20 games. Nikita Kucherov for the scoring lead. It's forcing people to address the notion of whether a player needs his team to make the playoffs in order Maple Leafs C Nazem Kadri scored a pair of goals and RW Mitch Marner to be considered for the Hart Trophy as Most Valuable Player. added two assists in Saturday's 5-2 win vs. Pittsburgh. Kadri has 22 points (12 G, 10 A) in the past 20 games and Marner has 24 points (13 Morgan Rielly – Toronto's puck-moving blueliner recorded three assists G, 11 A) in the past 20 games...Canadiens LW Charles Hudon assisted in Saturday's 5-2 win over Pittsburgh, giving him six assists in the past on both Montreal goals in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss at Tampa Bay. He five games. He has a career-high 41 points this season. has six points (1 G, 5 A) in his past seven games... Bruins C David Krejci scored a pair of goals in Saturday's 7-4 win over Chicago and assisted Jaden Schwartz - The Blues winger put up a goal and two assists in on Boston's only goal in Sunday's 3-1 loss at Chicago; he has seven Saturday's 7-2 win at Los Angeles. He has seven points (2 G, 5 A) in the points (5 G, 2 A) in the past seven games...Bruins rookie LW Jake past five games and has better than a point per game, with 49 points in DeBrusk added four helpers in those two games against Chicago, giving 48 games. him nine points (2 G, 7 A) in the past seven games...Bruins RW Brian Mikko Rantanen – The sophomore Avalanche winger tallied a goal and Gionta and C Sean Kuraly both contributed a goal and an assist. Gionta two assists in Saturday's 5-2 win against Arizona; he has 16 points (5 G, has six points (2 G, 4 A) in five games since joining Boston. Kuraly had 11 A) in the past 10 games, and a nice 69 points in 67 games for the no points in his previous 13 games...Bruins LW Brad Marchand chipped season. Linemate Nathan MacKinnon added a couple of assists against in a couple of assists Saturday, giving him 11 points (5 G, 6 A) in a five- the Coyotes, and has 20 points (8 G, 12 A) in the past 10 games. game point streak...Coyotes RW Richard Panik had a goal and an assist in Saturday's 5-2 win at Colorado, giving him four points (2 G, 2 A) in the Erik Gustafsson – The Blackhawks blueliner, who received a contract past five games. extension last week, had a goal and two assists in Saturday's 7-4 loss at Boston then added two assists in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Bruins. He Avalanche D Tyson Barrie, RW Blake Comeau and C Carl Soderberg has six points (2 G, 4 A) in the past four games. each contributed a goal and an assist in Saturday's 5-2 win vs. Arizona. Barrie has 15 points (5 G, 10 A) in the past 10 games, Comeau has six Johnny Boychuk – The Islanders defenceman put up a goal and two points (1 G, 5 A) in the past six games, and Soderberg has eight points assists in Sunday's 5-2 win at Calgary, matching his production from his (4 G, 4 A) in the past six games...Blues C Ivan Barbashev, C Kyle previous 23 games. Brodziak, D Alex Pietrangelo and RW Vladimir Tarasenko each had a goal and an assist in Saturday's 7-2 win at Los Angeles. Barbashev had ZEROES two goals in his previous 11 games, Brodziak had two assists in the Jean-Gabriel Pageau – The Senators centre struggled (13 for, 25 previous nine games, Pietrangelo has four points (3 G, 1 A) in the past against, 34.2 CF%, 6-18 scoring chances) and was on the ice for both five games, and Tarasenko has five points (3 G, 2 A) in the past five goals against in Friday’s 2-1 loss to Calgary. games...Kings C Anze Kopitar contributed two assists in Saturday's 7-2 loss to St. Louis, giving him 10 points (2 G, 8 A) in the past seven games. Derek Forbort – The Kings blueliner had a rough game (13 for, 17 against, 43.3 CF%, 5-10 scoring chances) and was on the ice for four Panthers LW Jonathan Huberdeau produced a goal and an assist in goals against in Saturday’s 7-2 loss to St. Louis. Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Rangers, and has eight points (4 G, 4 A) in the past nine games...Panthers C Vincent Trocheck added a Thomas Hickey – The Islanders defenceman was stuck in his own end (7 couple of assists, and has nine points (4 G, 5 A) in the past nine for, 35 against, 16.7 CF%, 5-10 scoring chances) during Sunday’s 5-2 games...Rangers C Ryan Spooner picked up a pair of assists in win at Calgary. Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss at Florida; he has 12 points (2 G, 10 A) in seven games since he was traded to New York...Oilers LW Ryan Tristan Jarry – Pittsburgh's rookie netminder allowed four goals on 16 Nugent-Hopkins contributed a goal and an assist in Saturday's 4-1 win shots before getting pulled from Saturday's 5-2 loss at Toronto. He has a against Minnesota. He has four points (2 G, 2 A) in four games since .888 save percentage in his past 11 starts. returning to the lineup. VITAL SIGNS Columbus' Seth Jones is on a tear. Mike Smith – The Flames netminder returned to the lineup Sunday after Blue Jackets D Seth Jones scored two goals in Friday's 3-2 win at missing a month with a lower-body injury. Detroit, and has 10 points (5 G, 5 A) in the past eight games...Stars C Tyler Seguin added two assists in Friday's 2-1 win against Anaheim and Ryan McDonagh - Acquired from the Rangers at the trade deadline, the one more assist in Sunday's 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh; he has 14 points (7 veteran blueliner finally made his Lightning debut after missing more than G, 7 A) in the past nine games...Wild C Matt Cullen and RW Charlie a month with an upper-body injury. Coyle both had a goal and an assist in Friday's 5-2 win at Vancouver. Mark Stone - Ottawa's star winger suffered a leg injury in Friday's 2-1 Cullen has seven points (5 G, 2 A) in the past 11 games. Coyle also loss to Calgary. scored a goal in Saturday's 4-1 loss at Edmonton, giving him six points (2 G, 4 A) in the past seven games. Oscar Klefbom - The Oilers defenceman didn't play Saturday and will miss at least one more game as he recovers from a minor procedure. Sabres forwards Zemgus Girgensons and Jason Pominville had a strong There has been widespread feeling that he's been playing injured for showing (22 for, 5 against, 81.5 CF%, 8-0 scoring chances) in Saturday’s much of this season. 2-1 shootout loss to Vegas…Canadiens D Brett Lernout was called up from the AHL and had a solid game (21 for, 5 against, 80.8 CF%, 14-2 Anthony Duclair - The Blackhawks winger suffered a knee injury after a scoring chances) in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss at Tampa Bay. collision Saturday with Bruins winger Brad Marchand, who also missed Sunday's rematch with an upper-body injury. Marc-Andre Fleury is a huge part of the Golden Knights' success this season. SHORT SHIFTS Golden Knights G Marc-Andre Fleury saved 32 of 33 shots in Saturday's Jonathan Toews is scoring down the stretch for the Blackhawks. 2-1 shootout win at Buffalo and has a .929 save percentage in his past six starts...Sabres G Robin Lehner turned away 33 of 34 shots in Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews accumulated three assists in Sunday's 3- Saturday's 2-1 shootout loss to Vegas; he has a .946 save percentage in 1 win against Boston, and has nine points (3 G, 6 A) in the past six his past three starts...Oilers G Cam Talbot saved 32 of 33 shots that he faced in Saturday' 4-1 win vs. Minnesota, giving him a .928 save percentage in his past 11 starts...Blackhawks G Anton Forsberg turned away 31 of 32 shots in Sunday's 3-1 win over Boston. He had a .875 save percentage in his previous four games...Flames G David Rittich stopped 29 of 30 shots in Friday's 2-1 win at Ottawa. He had a .864 save percentage in his previous five games...Blues G Jake Allen had 38 saves on 40 shots in Saturday's 7-2 win at Los Angeles; he had a .876 save percentage in his previous eight games...Maple Leafs G Frederik Andersen stopped 38 of 40 shots in Saturday's 5-2 win against Pittsburgh. He had a .860 save percentage in his previous four starts...Devils G Keith Kinkaid turned away 34 of 36 shots in Saturday's 3-2 shootout win at Nashville, and has a .934 save percentage in his past eight starts...Canadiens G Antti Niemi saved 32 of 34 shots in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss at Tampa Bay, giving him a .932 save percentage in 13 games since he was acquired by Montreal. FIRSTS Matthew Highmore - The Blackhawks winger scored his first NHL goal, in his sixth game, Saturday's 7-4 loss at Boston. FIRST NHL GOAL FOR CHICAGO'S MATTHEW HIGHMORE! 4-3 HAWKS! pic.twitter.com/Bzbi9zFQcI — NHL Daily 365 (@NHLDaily365) March 10, 2018 TSN.CA LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103446 Websites It should come as no surprise that the Golden Knights have stumbled a bit, as they have some injuries and their goaltending was due to regress. Marc-Andre Fleury has a .915 save percentage in his past nine starts, TSN.CA / Snapshot: Predators stay on top which is fine, but he was running .933 before that. Key Injuries: RW James Neal (lower body), D Luca Sbisa. Scott Cullen PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (39-25-4) THIS WEEK: 6 LAST WEEK: 6 The Nashville Predators remain at No. 1 in this week’s edition of GF: 3.26 GA: 2.99 SA CF%: 51.8 Snapshot, ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins. NET PP/60: +9.41 NET PK/60: -5.63 Moving up this week, the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and While the Penguins have won three straight, Wednesday’s win at Florida Panthers are headed in the right direction. Philadelphia was their only regulation win in the past six games. Yes, On the other hand, the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers are they miss Matt Murray. sliding down the rankings. Key Injuries: G Matt Murray (concussion). (Snapshot is a continuation of the analytically-based Power Rankings DALLAS STARS (37-24-6) that I’ve been doing on TSN for many years. They are generated using statistics and individual player grades, which allows for ranking flexibility THIS WEEK: 7 LAST WEEK: 7 based on player availability due to injuries, suspensions, coaching decisions etc. and are used for the model being measured, with others, GF: 2.85 GA: 2.60 SA CF%: 51.9 here.) NET PP/60: +5.90 NET PK/60: -5.57 NASHVILLE PREDATORS (44-14-9) One regulation win in the past six games isn’t ideal, especially when five THIS WEEK: 1 LAST WEEK: 1 of those games were played at home but, after one more home game, they will hit the road for a six-game trip. GF: 3.21 GA: 2.46 SA CF%: 52.5 Key Injuries: C Martin Hanzal (back), G Ben Bishop (lower body). NET PP/60: +7.19 NET PK/60: -5.45 WASHINGTON CAPITALS (37-23-7) Such if the depth of the Predators defence that even when losing someone like Roman Josi to injury, they can give more ice time to Ryan THIS WEEK: 8 LAST WEEK: 9 Ellis, who has put up 12 points (3 G, 9 A) in the past 10 games, all of GF: 3.00 GA: 2.97 SA CF%: 48.3 which were Nashville victories. NET PP/60: +6.75 NET PK/60: -7.06 Key Injuries: D Roman Josi (upper body). With a mediocre 9-9-4 record since mid-January, the Capitals have been TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (47-17-4) on the wrong side of shot differentials all season, but a slump from THIS WEEK: 2 LAST WEEK: 2 goaltender Braden Holtby (.882 SV% in his past 15 GP) brings those problems home to roost. GF: 3.60 GA: 2.75 SA CF%: 52.6 Key Injuries: None. NET PP/60: +8.33 NET PK/60: -6.77 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (39-22-7) The Lightning have gone beyond 60 minutes six times in the past seven games, but they have won eight of nine, with the only loss an inexplicable THIS WEEK: 9 LAST WEEK: 8 effort in a 2-1 overtime loss at Buffalo. GF: 3.19 GA: 2.84 SA CF%: 50.4 Key Injuries: LW Ondrej Palat (lower body), D Ryan McDonagh (upper NET PP/60: +6.60 NET PK/60: -4.41 body). Winless in four, the Maple Leafs obviously miss Auston Matthews, and a BOSTON BRUINS (42-15-8) sudden slump from G Frederik Andersen reveals some vulnerability. No THIS WEEK: 3 LAST WEEK: 3 worries, though, it’s only Pittsburgh up next on Saturday night. GF: 3.31 GA: 2.51 SA CF%: 54.2 Key Injuries: C Auston Matthews (shoulder). NET PP/60: +6.46 NET PK/60: -4.89 ANAHEIM DUCKS (34-22-12) Even while the Bruins have some significant injuries, they’ve won five in THIS WEEK: 10 LAST WEEK: 14 a row, and Brad Marchand has thrown the team on his back, putting up GF: 2.76 GA: 2.65 SA CF%: 48.6 12 points (7 G, 5 A) in the past seven games. NET PP/60: +5.79 NET PK/60: -4.39 Key Injuries: C Patrice Bergeron (foot), D Charlie McAvoy (knee). 7-2-1 in the past 10 games, the Ducks are a dangerous team when their WINNIPEG JETS (41-17-9) best players are playing well, and the top line duo of Rickard Rakell and THIS WEEK: 4 LAST WEEK: 5 Ryan Getzlaf are dragging them along. GF: 3.34 GA: 2.61 SA CF%: 52.0 Key Injuries: RW Patrick Eaves (Guillain-Barre). NET PP/60: +8.66 NET PK/60: -5.49 LOS ANGELES KINGS (37-25-5) Winners of four straight, the Jets have the hottest goal-scorer in the THIS WEEK: 11 LAST WEEK: 11 league, sophomore winger Patrik Laine, who has scored 14 goals in the GF: 2.88 GA: 2.48 SA CF%: 49.7 past 10 games, but they’ve also lost top centre Mark Scheifele to injury, again. NET PP/60: +6.83 NET PK/60: -4.91 Key Injuries: C Adam Lowry (upper body), D Jacob Trouba (ankle), C The Kings have won four of five, and the return of Jeff Carter is their big Mark Scheifele (upper body). late-season addition, and he’s scored goals in each of those four wins. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (43-19-5) Key Injuries: None. THIS WEEK: 5 LAST WEEK: 4 SAN JOSE SHARKS (36-22-9) GF: 3.40 GA: 2.72 SA CF%: 52.4 THIS WEEK: 12 LAST WEEK: 10 NET PP/60: +6.59 NET PK/60: -5.82 GF: 2.90 GA: 2.70 SA CF%: 51.4 NET PP/60: +7.99 NET PK/60: -4.27 GF: 3.12 GA: 2.97 SA CF%: 47.7 The Sharks are hanging around, but they’d be hanging along a little NET PP/60: +6.18 NET PK/60: -4.93 better if they could score on the power play. Thursday’s power play goal against St. Louis snapped a 12-game drought with the man advantage. The Avs are winless in three, but have one regulation loss in the past nine games, to climb within one point of a playoff spot. Hanging around Key Injuries: C Joe Thornton (knee), RW Joel Ward (shoulder). the playoff race with top defenceman Erik Johnson injured is quite the feat. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (35-28-5) Key Injuries: D Mark Barberio (lower body), D Erik Johnson (upper body). THIS WEEK: 13 LAST WEEK: 16 CALGARY FLAMES (33-25-10) GF: 2.63 GA: 2.75 SA CF%: 51.7 THIS WEEK: 19 LAST WEEK: 19 NET PP/60: +4.01 NET PK/60: -8.18 GF: 2.81 GA: 2.87 SA CF%: 52.9 The Blue Jackets have won three straight, and they’ve needed to in order hang on to the last playoff spot. However, a two point advantage over a NET PP/60: +5.69 NET PK/60: -6.32 Florida team that has played three fewer games isn’t a great spot to be. 4-6-2 in a dozen games without starting goaltender Mike Smith, the Key Injuries: None. Flames are still on the edge of the playoff race, three points behind Los Angeles while playing one more game, but if Smith can’t make it back STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Jones and Werenski among the best soon, it may not matter. on the blueline; Eakin, Cirelli, Spooner, Yandle, Luongo, Hellebucyk and more. https://t.co/chrEpoHXwv @TSNAnalytics Key Injuries: LW Kris Versteeg (hip), G Mike Smith (lower body). pic.twitter.com/SJKvPuqrAx NEW YORK ISLANDERS (29-29-10) — Scott Cullen (@tsnscottcullen) March 9, 2018 THIS WEEK: 20 LAST WEEK: 21 FLORIDA PANTHERS (30-25-6) GF: 3.15 GA: 3.53 SA CF%: 47.3 THIS WEEK: 14 LAST WEEK: 17 NET PP/60: +5.79 NET PK/60: -7.93 GF: 3.02 GA: 3.09 SA CF%: 49.2 It’s been eight games without a win for the Islanders, whose defensive NET PP/60: +6.33 NET PK/60: -5.56 woes have finally caught up to them. No regulation losses in the past eight games puts the Panthers right in Key Injuries: D Calvin De Haan (upper body), D Scott Mayfield (lower the playoff picture, though they’re still trying to catch up in the games body). played department. Aleksander Barkov leads the way, but the supporting cast – Vincent Trocheck, Jonathan Huberdeau, Evgeni Dadonov, and ST. LOUIS BLUES (35-26-4) Nick Bjugstad – are pulling their weight too. THIS WEEK: 21 LAST WEEK: 20 Key Injuries: RW Denis Malgin (knee). GF: 2.64 GA: 2.66 SA CF%: 51.2 STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Bobby Lu offers fantasy value for the NET PP/60: +4.20 NET PK/60: -6.26 stretch run. https://t.co/nojzf9R6dK pic.twitter.com/6JhptnzDnw The Blues have one win in the past 10 games, and have scored a total of — Scott Cullen (@tsnscottcullen) March 7, 2018 10 goals in the past eight games. MINNESOTA WILD (38-22-7) Key Injuries: RW Robby Fabbri (knee), D Joel Edmundson (forearm), D THIS WEEK: 15 LAST WEEK: 15 Jay Bouwmeester (hip). GF: 3.09 GA: 2.84 SA CF%: 47.8 CAROLINA HURRICANES (30-27-11) NET PP/60: +7.28 NET PK/60: -6.04 THIS WEEK: 22 LAST WEEK: 22 The Wild have only two regulation losses in the past 10 games, and GF: 2.62 GA: 2.99 SA CF%: 54.1 that’s moved them into third place in the Central Division. NET PP/60: +6.09 NET PK/60: -8.39 Key Injuries: None. A late-season slide, which includes three wins in the past 11 games, has NEW JERSEY DEVILS (34-26-8) the Hurricanes looking up at a playoff spot, and it appears to have cost GM Ron Francis his job. While the Hurricanes haven’t made the THIS WEEK: 16 LAST WEEK: 13 postseason with Francis as general manager, it’s hard to be overly critical of the results given the club’s bargain-bin payroll. Maybe the new GF: 2.90 GA: 2.97 SA CF%: 48.8 GM will be able to extract a little more investment from new owner Tom NET PP/60: +6.42 NET PK/60: -5.11 Dundon. LW Taylor Hall’s 26-game scoring streak is over, the Devils have lost four Key Injuries: None. of the past five games and are on the road for the next six. Their playoff NEW YORK RANGERS (30-32-6) position could be rather precarious at this point. THIS WEEK: 23 LAST WEEK: 27 Key Injuries: LW Marcus Johansson (concussion). GF: 2.78 GA: 3.13 SA CF%: 45.6 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (34-23-11) NET PP/60: +6.69 NET PK/60: -5.34 THIS WEEK: 17 LAST WEEK: 12 The Rangers are continually getting outshot, giving up 222 shots in the GF: 2.93 GA: 2.87 SA CF%: 49.4 past five games (44.4 per game!), but they are also 3-2-1 in the past six NET PP/60: +5.57 NET PK/60: -8.60 games. King Henrik can slow down the tank, it seems. Winless in five, the Flyers haven’t exactly been saved by G Petr Mrazek, Key Injuries: D Kevin Shattenkirk (knee), LW Chris Kreider (head). who has a .889 save percentage in his seven starts since arriving from CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (29-31-8) Detroit. THIS WEEK: 24 LAST WEEK: 23 Key Injuries: G Brian Elliott (core muscles), G Michal Neuvirth (lower body). GF: 2.81 GA: 2.91 SA CF%: 53.4 COLORADO AVALANCHE (35-24-8) NET PP/60: +4.91 NET PK/60: -6.29 THIS WEEK: 18 LAST WEEK: 18 It’s hard to get used to the Blackhawks playing out the string, and they have one regulation win in the past six games. Key Injuries: G Corey Crawford (upper body). The Sabres have won five of the past eight games, though they’ve been outscored by four goals in that time and the injury list continues to grow. EDMONTON OILERS (29-34-4) Key Injuries: D Zach Bogosian (hip), D Jake McCabe (thumb), C Jack THIS WEEK: 25 LAST WEEK: 25 Eichel (ankle), RW Kyle Okposo (upper body). GF: 2.76 GA: 3.27 SA CF%: 50.6 TSN.CA LOADED: 03.13.2018 NET PP/60: +4.17 NET PK/60: -8.00 The Oilers have won back-to-back games, but have one regulation win in the past nine games. It looks like there is going to be some big work ahead trying to rebuild the supporting cast around Connor McDavid for next season. Key Injuries: None. DETROIT RED WINGS (26-30-11) THIS WEEK: 26 LAST WEEK: 25 GF: 2.55 GA : 3.01 SA CF%: 48.4 NET PP/60: +5.43 NET PK/60: -6.68 The Red Wings have one regulation win in the past 10 games, and are on the road against five teams in the playoff hunt for their next five games. Key Injuries: C Frans Nielsen (upper body). MONTREAL CANADIENS (25-31-11) THIS WEEK: 27 LAST WEEK: 27 GF: 2.52 GA: 3.07 SA CF%: 50.4 NET PP/60: +6.12 NET PK/60: -7.37 3-6-5 in the past 14 games, the Habs are fading fast and the upcoming schedule – Tampa Bay, Columbus, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Florida, Pittsburgh again – isn’t going to be kind. Key Injuries: RW Ales Hemsky (concussion), D Shea Weber (foot), G Carey Price (concussion), LW Max Pacioretty (knee). ARIZONA COYOTES (21-34-11) THIS WEEK: 28 LAST WEEK: 30 GF: 2.41 GA: 3.17 SA CF%: 47.7 NET PP/60: +4.51 NET PK/60: -7.24 9-2-2 in the past 13 games, the Coyotes are finally winning games, and it’s hard to discourage that, but it may not be best for the long-term outlook. Key Injuries: G Antti Raanta (lower body). VANCOUVER CANUCKS (25-33-9) THIS WEEK: 29 LAST WEEK: 28 GF: 2.70 GA: 3.22 SA CF%: 47.1 NET PP/60: +7.23 NET PK/60: -7.32 One regulation win in the past eight games, coupled with a growing list of injuries, including star rookie Brock Boeser, leaves the Canucks in a tough spot to finish the season. Key Injuries: RW Derek Dorsett (neck), LW Markus Granlund (ankle), D Chris Tanev (leg), LW Loui Eriksson (rib), LW Sven Baertschi (shoulder), RW Brock Boeser (back). OTTAWA SENATORS (23-32-11) THIS WEEK: 30 LAST WEEK: 29 GF: 2.70 GA: 3.39 SA CF%: 46.9 NET PP/60: +4.83 NET PK/60: -7.79 The Senators do have points in three of the past four games, but also have one regulation win in the past nine games. Key Injuries: LW Clarke MacArthur (concussion). BUFFALO SABRES (22-35-11) THIS WEEK: 31 LAST WEEK: 31 GF: 2.40 GA: 3.25 SA CF%: 46.1 NET PP/60: +4.18 NET PK/60: -5.56 1103447 Websites assists.) In the last six games Marner has tallied nine points – four more than the next closest forward (Kadri).

“That’s the thing about this team, if we lose someone important everyone TSN.CA / Calm, confident Marner thriving for Maple Leafs takes things up a notch,” Marner said. “This team has so much character to it. It’s a brotherhood in here and we try and protect each other. When one of us goes down, we all step up and try to fill that void.” Kristen Shilton TSN.CA LOADED: 03.13.2018

TORONTO – Inside the Maple Leafs’ dressing room, Mitch Marner is known as an Energizer Bunny of sorts, full of boundless, enthusiastic energy for his craft. So it’s ironic that what lifted Marner out of an unexpected sophomore slump and turned him into one of the Leafs’ most dangerous offensive weapons was injecting an element of calmness into his game. “I think at the start of the year I was just jumping too much. As soon as I got the puck, I wanted to get it out of my hands,” Marner said after practice on Monday. “The confidence wasn’t really there. I [stepped back and] realized that I do have the confidence to play with the puck, and when I realized that I did have the puck more in my hands and started making plays with it. That’s been the biggest difference.” As a rookie last season, Marner proved he was capable of generating consistent offence and being a driving force behind the Leafs’ success. Despite missing five games with an upper-body injury and battling a late- season bout of mononucleosis, Marner finished third on the Leafs with 61 points (19 goals, 42 assists). That, coupled with earning a silver medal with Team Canada at last spring’s IIHF World Championships, set the bar high for what Marner would accomplish his second year. And at first, he failed to meet it. Marner scored just two goals in his first 34 games this season, going through stretches of five and seven games at a time without a point. But those struggles feel like a long way off now. Since Mike Babcock shifted Marner to the Leafs’ checking line with Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau on Jan. 24, the 21-year-old has 13 goals and 11 assists over 19 games. In that span he’s gone without a point in consecutive games only once, and even when he’s shifted away from Kadri to play elsewhere, Marner has remained unstoppable. “He got back to work,” said Babcock of the change in Marner. “The biggest thing is that if you work all the time, you don’t have to worry about much. As soon as you don’t do it right, [they’re] coming to get you; the league is too good.” Lately Marner has taken his talents to the Leafs’ top scoring line with William Nylander and Zach Hyman as Auston Matthews remains sidelined with a shoulder issue. At this point, Marner has played on all four of the Leafs’ lines with almost every player on the roster. He’s fought to have an impact at every stop, by way of his own success or facilitating for others. “My whole life I’ve just always wanted to make people around me better,” Marner said. “That’s a big thing I focus on. When I get out there with other people just knowing what they want to do and knowing the plays they want to run. There are guys who have a reputation for being grinders, but realistically they have a lot of skill in their body; you just have to get it out of them. When I get on lines, I try to bring that out of them, make them realize they have the confidence and talent to make plays.” That selfless attitude made Marner a prolific playmaker with the OHL’s London Knights for three seasons, but branded him initially as one- dimensional in the NHL. Marner has made a well-documented effort to use his shot more, but it took more time than he expected to consistently tap into the required confidence to do so. “I’m trying to get to the net more. It’s a battle, but we all just have to keep getting the puck towards the net,” said Marner. “When that happens you’re getting more confidence in your shot and more confidence in your head and that’s what I’m thinking right now.” “If everyone knows you’re going to pass, they don’t have to worry about you very much,” Babcock said. “I believe he can shoot the puck and shoot it well, he just has to use his momentum. He’s working on it all the time and he’s getting better.” So far, Marner's progress is paying dividends for the Leafs, who need his contributions more than ever. Matthews had been Toronto’s leading scorer before this third injury of the season cost him six games (and counting) on top of the 10 he previously missed. Marner has used the absence as motivation to continue elevating his game. He now leads Toronto in scoring with 56 points (19 goals, 37 1103448 Websites Roberto Luongo - Florida's veteran goaltender posted a 40-save shutout in a 5-0 win against Montreal, and has a .938 save percentage in his past 19 games. TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: Jones, Werenski among the best on the Connor Hellebuyck – The Jets netminder stopped 41 of 43 shots in a 3-2 blueline win at New Jersey, giving him a .925 save percentage in his past eight starts. Scott Cullen ZEROES Brandon Saad, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane Jones and Werenski lead Columbus to victory; Eakin, Cirelli, Spooner, Saad and Toews had the worst Corsi games of their career tonight. Yandle, Luongo, Hellebucyk and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Saad had a career-worst 14.29 Corsi percentage. Toews had a career- Speaking. worst 15.63 percentage. Kane's 18.18 percentage was the fourth worst of his career. Columbus’ star blueliners led the way to a 5-4 overtime win against Colorado. — Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) March 9, 2018 Seth Jones scored the winning goal in overtime and added two assists, David Desharnais and Cody McLeod - The Rangers forwards were stuck with a dozen shot attempts (7 SOG), giving him eight points (3 G, 5 A) in in their own end (4 for, 20 against, 16.7 CF%) and on the ice for two the past seven games. Jones’ partner, Zach Werenski added a goal and goals against in a 5-3 loss at Tampa Bay. an assist against the Avalanche, and has six points (3 G, 3 A) in the past Tyler Myers - Winnipeg's towering blueliner had a tough game (15 for, 30 five games. against, 33.3 CF%, 5-16 scoring chances) and was on the ice for both They have a decent argument to be considered one of the best defence goals against in a 3-2 win at New Jersey. pairs in the league this season. Here are some of the top pairs that have VITAL SIGNS been together for at least 700 5-on-5 minutes this season: Chris Kreider – The Rangers winger left the game at Tampa Bay for Giordano-Hamilton Calgary 1047:42 58.5 8.3 54.2 precautionary reasons, but passed concussion tests. 57.9 Kyle Okposo – The Sabres winger suffered an upper-body injury after a Werenski-Jones Columbus 1087:57 56.1 6.0 collision with Senators winger Bobby Ryan. 57.9 54.1 Trevor Lewis – The Kings veteran returned to the Kings lineup, and Lindholm-Manson Anaheim 716:36 52.5 4.9 60.3 scored a goal in a 3-1 win against Washington, playing for the first time in 54.5 four weeks after suffering an upper-body injury. Chara-McAvoy Boston 801:59 55.1 1.5 65.5 SHORT SHIFTS 55.8 Sam Reinhart has upped his game in the second half of the season. Lindell-Klingberg Dallas 866:29 53.6 2.7 59.7 57.7 Senators LW Ryan Dzingel buried a couple of goals in a 4-3 shootout loss against Buffalo, matching his production from the previous nine Ryan-Burns San Jose 713:07 53.4 3.4 51.0 games…Sabres RW Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 53.6 shootout win at Ottawa, giving him 256 points (10 G, 15 A) in the past 24 Slavin-Pesce Carolina 799:46 54.5 0.7 49.2 games…Bruins RW David Pastrnak contributed a pair of assists in a 3-2 55.4 win over Philadelphia and has 11 points (1 G, 10 A) in the past seven games…Jets LW Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win at Morrissey-Trouba Winnipeg 714:03 51.5 0.9 52.5 New Jersey, giving him 12 points (5 G, 7 A) in the past 10 54.6 games…Devils rookie C Nico Hischier recorded a goal and an assist in a 3-2 loss to Winnipeg, snapping a five-game scoreless streak. Dumoulin-Letang Pittsburgh 877:45 54.6 4.0 42.5 54.9 Avalanche C Carl Soderberg tallied a pair of goals in a 5-4 overtime loss at Columbus; he has six points (3 G, 3 A) in the past five Gardiner-Zaitsev Toronto 749:08 49.2 -0.6 54.6 games…Avalanche RW Mikko Rantanen chipped in a couple of assists 51.4 and has 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in the past nine games…Blue Jackets LW Thomas Vanek scored two goals in a 5-4 overtime win against Colorado, Ekman-Larsson-Demers Arizona 846:43 52.1 5.3 his first points in his fifth game since he was traded to Columbus…Blue 47.3 50.9 Jackets LW Boone Jenner contributed a goal and an assist, after Suter-Spurgeon Minnesota 865:51 50.6 4.8 managing two assists in his previous seven games…Blue Jackets rookie 41.4 58.0 C Pierre-Luc Dubois added a couple of helpers, and has 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in the past 15 games…Golden Knights RW Alex Tuch scored a pair Orlov-Niskanen Washington 894:27 49.3 1.7 of goals in a 4-0 win at Detroit. He had three points (1 G, 2 A) in the 55.9 46.6 previous 13 games…Lightning LW Chris Kunitz had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win over the Rangers, and has seven points (4 G, 3 A) in the Hamhuis-Pateryn Dallas 859:06 50.5 -0.6 49.2 past 10 games…Lightning rookie D Mikhail Sergachev added a couple of 53.6 assists, snapping an eight-game scoring drought…Rangers C Kevin Emelin-Subban Nashville 707:54 48.3 -4.3 57.1 Hayes produced a goal and an assist in a 5-3 loss at Tampa Bay, giving 47.2 him 14 points (8 G, 6 A) in the past 14 games. HEROES Evgeni Dadonov is on a tear for streaking Panthers. Cody Eakin - The Golden Knights centre tallied two goals and an assist Panthers LW Evgeni Dadonov and C Vincent Trocheck both had a goal in a 4-0 win at Detroit, matching his production from his previous 29 and an assist in a 5-0 win over Montreal. Dadonov has 20 points (10 G, games. 10 A) in the past 13 games and Trocheck has 12 points (8 G, 4 A) in the past 13 games…Panthers C Aleksander Barkov contributed a pair of Anthony Cirelli - Tampa Bay's rookie centre, playing in his fourth NHL assists, giving him 14 points (5 G, 9 A) during an eight-game point game, scored a goal and added two helpers in a 5-3 win against the streak…Predators RW Viktor Arvidsson and C Ryan Johansen both had Rangers. He has five points (2 G, 3 A) in those four games, after scoring a goal and an assist. Johansen added a fight for a Gordie Howe Hat 37 points in 51 AHL games. Trick. Arvidsson has 14 points (7 G, 7 A) in the past 10 games and Johansen has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) in the past 12 games…Ducks LW Ryan Spooner - Although his Rangers lost 5-3 at Tampa Bay, Spooner Rickard Rakell scored two goals in a 4-2 loss at Nashville and has 10 put up a goal and two assists, and now has 10 points (2 G, 8 A) in six points (8 G, 2 A) during a five-game point streak…Ducks C Ryan Getzlaf games since he was traded to the Rangers. added a pair of assists and has 11 points (1 G, 10 A) in the past four Keith Yandle - The Panthers blueliner earned three assists in a 5-0 win games…Hurricanes RW Justin Williams produced a goal and an assist in against Montreal and has 20 points (2 G, 18 A) in the past 18 games. a 3-2 win at Chicago, giving him six points (4 G, 2 A) in the past five games…Hurricanes C Elias Lindholm added two assists, matching his production from the previous 11 games…Kings C Jeff Carter contributed a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win against Washington; he has five points (4 G, 1 A) in the past five games. Oilers C Connor McDavid had one goal on 13 shot attempts (9 SOG) in a 2-1 shootout win over the Islanders...Devils RW Kyle Palmieri scored a goal on 13 shot attempts (7 SOG) in a 3-2 loss to Winnipeg...Blue Jackets C Alexander Wennberg had outrageous shot differentials (18 for, 1 against, 94.7 CF%, 10-1 scoring chances) in a 5-4 overtime win against Colorado...Lightning D Jake Dotchin had a strong game (24 for, 4 against, 85.7 CF%, 13-1 scoring chances) in a 5-3 win vs. the Rangers...Hurricanes LW Jeff Skinner had nothing to show for 13 shot attempts (9 SOG) in a 3-2 win at Chicago. Golden Knights G Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 28 shots that he faced in a 4-0 win at Detroit. He had a .906 save percentage in his previous eight starts…Islanders G Chris Gibson turned away 35 of 36 shots in a 2- 1 shootout loss at Edmonton and has a .953 save percentage in two starts…Blues G Jake Allen stopped 34 of 35 shots in a 2-0 loss at San Jose, after posting a .852 save percentage in his previous seven games…Predators G Pekka Rinne saved 31 of 33 shots in a 4-2 win vs. Anaheim, giving him a .942 save percentage in his past eight starts…Oilers G Cam Talbot stopped 30 of 31 shots in a 2-1 shootout win against the Islanders, and has a .924 save percentage in his past 10 starts. TSN.CA LOADED: 03.13.2018 1103449 Websites already flush with depth another layer, though they are playing reasonably far down the lineup.

But look at the incremental minutes Nashville has been able to allocate to TSN.CA / Predators appear to be peaking for postseason run some of their best attackers. Kevin Fiala, Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansen, Craig Smith, Calle Jarnkrok, and Filip Forsberg have added anywhere from two to four additional shifts per game individually. Add Travis Yost that up and you have a handful of more minutes per game where Nashville’s speed and depth continue to create matchup problems.

One note – the two guys that Nashville has managed out over this time Perhaps the most exciting part of the 2017-18 regular season has been period are Frederick Gaudreau and Cody McLeod. Gaudreau (49 per the establishment of multiple teams as legitimate Stanley Cup cent Corsi% and 36 per cent Goal%) looked a bit out of place in a contenders. defensive-minded role to start the year and the results were, in all fairness, killing Nashville’s performance. McLeod’s numbers are hardly In years past, there have been spots where we have put the prohibitive worth referencing, as they were as dismal as you could find around the Stanley Cup odds on two or three teams. The field feels a bit more open league. McLeod was waived in January and claimed by the Rangers. this year. I think it’s fair to say that five teams – Tampa Bay, Boston, Nashville, Winnipeg and Vegas – have positioned themselves as To me, all signs point to a talented Nashville roster elevating its game at championship hopefuls, with another batch of teams not far behind. the right time. The lineup has constructed in a way that’s optimizing performance across both skater groups, and in the few instances where Of this group of five, there are two teams that have really stepped on the they have had underperforming players, they’ve either managed them accelerator down the stretch. Boston has blitzed the entire Eastern back into their developmental team or out of the system entirely. Conference, playing to a 128-point pace over their last 25 games. You might think that’s insanely high and that the Bruins are easily the league Add that to the fact that Nashville appears to be playing a much more leader in point accumulation over the measured interval. You would be disciplined game on the penalty front, and you have the emergence of a wrong. real Stanley Cup favourite. Nashville has played to a 131-point pace over same that period, running TSN.CA LOADED: 03.13.2018 roughshod over the competition. The scary part is that the wins they’ve picked up over this stretch are completely legitimized by how much they’ve improved from earlier parts of the season to become a dominant team today. If you take a look at some key team performance metrics over a 25-game average, you can see how the Predators have upped their game. Below are three measures on this front – the percentage of shots they are getting versus their opponents, the percentage of expected goals they are getting versus their opponents and the percentage of actual goals they are getting versus their opponents. (Data via Corsica) That is just insane linear growth from the first couple of months of the season through today. The thing to keep in mind here isn’t just that they’ve consistently improved with each passing game; it’s that the numbers they are now posting on a routine basis are the type of numbers you always see from Stanley Cup contenders. Over the last 25 games, that means 55 per cent of the shots and expected goals, and 61 per cent of actual goals. With that type of performance, it’s virtually impossible to lose. One of the things I was curious about though is what, if anything has changed in Nashville during the season. The roster is generally the same as last year, though the Kyle Turris acquisition in November was a notably impactful move. And it’s not as if the team was dreadful in the first couple months of the year – they just weren’t performing with nearly the same level of competency that they are now. I went and looked at ice-time variances from the first 25 games of the season to the last 25 games of the season to get a quick snapshot of personnel changes in Nashville. I think the more compelling story is on the defensive side, so we can start there: The two big numbers are unexpected but noteworthy – the return of Ryan Ellis from off-season knee surgery has been huge for the Predators. He’s now one of four guys on the Nashville blueline playing more than 18 minutes of 5-on-5 time a night. Ellis has 57 per cent Corsi% and 66 per cent Goal% splits in his last 25 games. Not only is he playing big minutes, he’s dominating in them. (Girard’s ice time swing is the result of him being traded to Colorado as part of the Kyle Turris package.) As a very brief aside, the other thing that surprised me a bit is how the majority of key Nashville blueliners have seen ice time increases over the interval. Nashville is actually spending more time lately at 5-on-5 and away from killing penalties, which is generally great news for them and bad news for their competition. Since the start of the year, they have seen a 35 per cent reduction in penalty-kill time per game. The more time the Predators spend at even strength, the more chances they have at grinding you down into submission. They are just that good at evens. You’ll note this is also true for the forward group, more or less. Here’s how their ice-time breaks out: Ryan Hartman and Mike Fisher are very recent additions for the Predators – Hartman acquired at the trade deadline, and Fisher returning from retirement to play down the stretch. Both guys give a team that’s 1103450 Websites

USA TODAY / Five NHL players who can look forward to playoffs as second chance to return to form

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports Published 6:32 p.m. ET March 12, 2018

NHL players acquire fame or notoriety during the regular season. They earn their reputations through playoff performances. Here are five players who should have a greater impact in the playoffs than they had in the regular season: T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals: Undermined by a concussion, Oshie has gone from 33 goals last season to 12 goals now. He has netted one goal in his last 32 games. Oshie’s hard-to-the-net style has always served him well in the postseason when there is less room to navigate. He has 10 goals and 22 points in 25 playoff games for Washington. Jason Spezza, Dallas Stars: Spezza posted 13 points in 13 playoff games the last time the Stars made the playoffs in 2015-16. Coach Ken Hitchcock will be looking for that Spezza, not the Spezza who has seven goals in 68 games this season. Spezza has only scored two goals since Dec. 11. To thrive in the playoffs, the Stars will need their second and third lines to find the net, and Spezza will be looked at to drive that part of the offense. He is shooting a career-worst 5.8 percent, so luck could come his way in the playoffs. Kyle Turris, Nashville Predators: General manager David Poile acquired Turris in November to fill a hole at No. 2 center as lack of center depth hurt the Predators in the Stanley Cup Final last season. Turris looked like a perfect solution at first, but he only has four goals and 10 points in his past 25 games. The Predators are the team to beat in the Western Conference. They will need him to be more productive in the playoffs. Turris has 13 goals in 46 playoff games. Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild: Parise didn’t start his season until Jan. 2 because of back surgery. While he has seven goals in 30 games, three have come in his past four games. If this is a sign that his timing is returning, this could be a major boost for the Wild entering the playoffs. Parise has scored 29 or more goals seven times in his career, and he has 32 goals in 94 playoff games. He could be a difference-maker in the postseason. Ryan Kesler, Anaheim Ducks: Kesler's season began Dec. 27 because of offseason hip surgery, and it has taken him time to find his rhythm, with six goals and nine points in 31 games. But he should be ready to be his usual beastly presence in the postseason. Few players, if any, are more difficult to play against. Kesler has 24 goals and 63 points in 97 playoff games. USA TODAY LOADED: 03.13.2018