SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 05/13/19 Boston Bruins Minnesota Wild 1144446 Bruins’ depth of scorers has been devastating 1144479 Wild GM Paul Fenton's first year on job doesn't inspire 1144447 Bruins’ offense erupts in Game 2 romp over Hurricanes confidence 1144448 Connor Clifton was in the right spot to score his first NHL 1144480 Behind Sam Anas’ rise in hockey, there’s a special bond goal with one inspiring mom 1144449 The Charlie Coyle Line has created havoc for Bruins’ 1144481 A tribute to Wild moms: On raising an NHL family and life opponents beyond hockey 1144450 Matt Grzelcyk celebrates a special day playing for his hometown team Montreal Canadiens 1144451 Marcus Johansson, Charlie Coyle make genius out of 1144482 Jack Todd: Howling Habs mob can learn a lesson or two Bruins GM Don Sweeney from new Edmonton GM 1144452 Connor Clifton’s emergence perfect timing for Bruins 1144453 Matt Grzelcyk answers big hit in Bruins’ win Nashville Predators 1144454 Hurricanes look to reverse course at home in Game 3 1144483 What legal online sports betting in Tennessee means for 1144455 Bruins pregame notes: B’s have chance to double series college and pro teams lead 1144484 Sports betting for dummies: How to bet the spread, 1144456 Matt Grzelcyk's toughness sparks Bruins in big blowout moneyline and over/under win in Game 2 1144485 How sports betting varies by state, as it nears online 1144457 Talking Points from the Bruins' 6-2 win over the launch in Tennessee Hurricanes in Game 2 1144458 NHL history says Bruins' chances of reaching Stanley Cup Ottawa Senators Final are now very high 1144486 Senators turn back the clock with Rick Bowness on the 1144459 Brad Marchand draws penalty, mocks Justin Williams radar screen in coaching search before Bruins' power-play goal 1144460 Highlights from the Bruins' 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Philadelphia Flyers Game 2 1144487 Flyers prospect Isaac Ratcliffe puts on highlight reel as 1144461 Bruins are embracing a return to conference final, but not Guelph Storm win OHL championship 'getting lost in it' 1144462 How the Bruins broke Petr Mrazek and routed the Pittsburgh Penguins Hurricanes in Game 2 1144488 Penguins castoff Greg McKegg finds scoring touch in 1144463 Matt Grzelcyk living out every young Bruins fan’s dream Carolina as a playoff star San Jose Sharks Carolina Hurricanes 1144489 Kurtenbach: In a Game 1 battle of hockey vs. ‘other stuff’, 1144464 Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk celebrates a special day playing for the truth of the Sharks-Blues West Final comes out his hometown team 1144490 Conn Smythe candidate Logan Couture making case for 1144465 Bruins’ depth of scorers has been devastating for Selke candidacy Hurricanes 1144491 Sharks look to buck trend of losing Game 2 in Stanley Cup 1144466 A Boston blowout dampens a Canes watch party, but playoffs Hamilton the Pig brings some smiles 1144492 Five observations from Sharks' 6-3 win over Blues in 1144467 Hurricanes stick with Mrazek, but face Game 3 decision in Game 1 of West final goal 1144468 It has all gone so wrong for the Hurricanes, so quickly St Louis Blues 1144469 Bruins hammer Canes 6-2 for 2-0 lead in Eastern 1144493 BenFred: Blues can't have key cog Tarasenko in the tank Conference finals vs. Sharks 1144470 The Hurricanes hope their Game 2, four-goal loss to the 1144494 Berube: "Vladi has to work without the puck a lot harder" Bruins was just a ‘poop sandwich’ 1144495 Mistake-prone Blues give away Game 1 to Sharks 1144496 BenFred: Blues bite themselves in Game 1 loss Chicago Blackhawks 1144497 Perron still thinks about concussion from San Jose's 1144471 Blackhawks stars score 3 goals in Team USA's 7-1 Thornton blowout of France at Worlds 1144498 Blues fall to San Jose 6-3 in Game 1 of Western final 1144499 With the Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko looking unengaged, Colorado Avalanche we asked NHL sources to help figure out why 1144472 Projecting the Colorado Avalanche 2019-20 roster 1144500 Blues’ defense disappoints, crumbling to Sharks’ top line breakdown. What free agents leave? Who will the Avs in Game 1 loss sign in t Websites Dallas Stars 1144501 The Athletic / Protector, supporter, confidant: Connor 1144473 Looking at 3 players in the Stars' system who may be McDavid’s mom, Kelly, is his off-ice rock through good ready to make the leap to the NHL 1144502 Sportsnet.ca / Hurricanes head home with bad taste in mouth after two losses to Bruins Detroit Red Wings 1144503 Sportsnet.ca / Vlasic still an ever-dependable presence on 1144474 Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin shines as Team USA routs Sharks' blue line France in hockey worlds 1144504 USA TODAY / Bruins rout Hurricanes, prove they're on a 1144475 Red Wings’ Anthony Mantha has five points as Canada different level through two games of Eastern Conference rolls at Worlds 1144505 USA TODAY / Brad Marchand draws controversial penalty 1144476 Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin helps U.S. rout France at Worlds on Justin Williams, mocks Hurricanes captain Edmonton Oilers 1144477 Protector, supporter, confidant: Connor McDavid’s mom, SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 Kelly, is his off-ice rock through good times and bad 1144478 Oilers goalie prospect Stuart Skinner stars as the Condors stay alive in the AHL playoffs 1144446 Boston Bruins “You’re not relying on one area — we’ve definitely got that,” added Cassidy. “The Charlie Coyle line right now creates, I think, a big problem for the other team. OK, you have [the Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Bruins’ depth of scorers has been devastating Pastrnak] line right out of the gate. [David] Krejci is a known playoff scorer, now with DeBrusk.

“Now you have a third line to deal with. It’s a lot of work to get your two Adrian Walker defensive pairings out there against three lines. It’s a big ask. A difficult ask. And it’s benefitted us a lot.”

Game 3 Tuesday night in Raleigh, the city of the Storm Surge and distant Unlike failed postseasons of the past, when top lines buckled and sons of Hartford’s Forever .500s. It appears their only hope of stopping secondary scoring drifted off to the NHL Twilight Zone, the Bruins of Boston is to roll out backup tender Curtis McElhinney in attempt to cause springtime 2019 have everyone but Tony the Pizza Maker from the 300 a tidal shift. Level of TD Garden finding his way to the scoresheet. “When we play like we did today,” mused Johansson, who is growing “There’s a reason we’re a good team,” noted Brad Marchand, one of the more confident with each shift, “we had four lines going and all six D’men Black-and-Gold’s top gunners, who didn’t pick up a point on Sunday, going. We were up ice and we played hard and we had that mind-set [to which only underscored the luxury of the club’s broad-based scoring. “It’s score]. When we do that, it feels like we come in waves, and sooner or because we have depth. We don’t rely on one line or a couple of guys. later pucks are going to go in.” We expect everybody to produce and every single night we have a different guy step up and be a big player for our group.” Of late, they are going in at nearly a non-stop rate. In their string of five wins, the Bruins have outscored Columbus and Carolina by an aggregate On Sunday, the goal parade was led by Matt Grzelcyk, who potted a pair, 22-8. They’re not just winning. They are dealing out beatings. summoning the touch he learned playing street hockey around the corner in Charlestown. The only top-six regular to score was Jake DeBrusk (No. “That was kind of our thing at the start of the year, depth of scoring,” said 3 on the postseason), and the sheet was filled out by Clifton, Danton DeBrusk, “and it’s coming at the right time.” Heinen, and David Backes, who continues to enjoy a second-line rebirth that is beginning to rival a hip-and-happenin’ Tony Bennett touring anew Boston Globe LOADED: 05.13.2019 in a pairing with Lady Gaga.

What all of this has meant, beyond causing an array of opposing goalies a Nineteenth Nervous breakdown, is that the Bruins have played time and time again with time on their side. Lead time. To wit:

With Sunday’s 44 minutes 38 seconds added to their trove, the Bruins through 15 games have led for an aggregate 462:34, or more than 30- plus minutes per game. Through two games, the Canes have led for only 13:08 in Game 1, when this actually looked like this was a series they could win.

While the Bruins have rolled up that gaudy 462:34 bulge, their opponents (Toronto, Columbus and Carolina) have scratched out only 138:14, or slightly more than nine minutes per game.

The Boston scoring has reached a contagious level, with each line a threat, and the opposition typically one, two or three lines short of an answer.

Does it feel contagious?

“It does,” said coach Bruce Cassidy.

Does it change his approach from behind the bench?

“Yeah, I guess it would,” he added.

When down by a goal, noted Cassidy, a typical coaching protocol is to call on the top line to put in more reps. When scoring comes from across the roster, no one talks about the need for “best players to be the best players.” That microscope only gets dusted off, and the petri dish pulled out, when the big guys have lost their voice and the backup singers become a risible bunch of B-flats and B-gones.

“If were behind by a goal at some point,” explained Cassidy, “and you know you’re not getting secondary scoring . . . you are going to try to squeeze a little more out of your top group. So maybe every offensive zone draw, you are putting them out there. And, all of a sudden, fatigue sets in for that group.”

Sound familiar? See Bruins-Lightning, Round 2, 2018. After winning Game 1 vs. the Bolts, the Bruins offense went from pretty plucky to totally tuckered. Series over in five games.

“We weren’t getting the goals,” Cassidy said, thinking back to how it ended last year. “So you press with your top guys instead of letting the game just come to you. I think this year, because we’ve scored a lot more, up and down the lineup and roll your lines.”

The most dangerous of the bunch right now is the third-line attack unit of Marcus Johansson-Charlie Coyle-Heinen. They finished a collective 1-6- 7 in Game 2. Coyle (three assists) and Torey Krug (a matching three helpers) led the scoring chart. 1144447 Boston Bruins Carolina, meanwhile, fell to 1 for 7 this series after an 0-for-4 showing. On one man-advantage chance to start the second period, with the Bruins leading 2-0, Carolina went offsides, iced the puck, surrendered a Bruins’ offense erupts in Game 2 romp over Hurricanes 2-on-2 rush and a near-breakaway, turned it over, and were nearly called for tripping. The PP didn’t end with Patrice Bergeron leaving the box; it ended with a punchline.

Adrian Walker The Hurricanes looked overmatched. The Bruins were dominant, and now they are left to wonder whether they will see Mrazek or backup

Curtis McElhinney in Game 3. “We elevated our game from Game 1,” coach Bruce Cassidy said — and Boston Globe LOADED: 05.13.2019 that was a three-goal win. Back home in Raleigh, N.C., this week for Games 3 (Tuesday) and 4 (Thursday), Carolina must prove it is on Boston’s level, or this could be a short series.

“The whole 60 we were on them,” said netminder Tuukka Rask, who saved 21 of 23 shots. “We didn’t really give them an inch.”

“One of our best efforts this playoffs,” echoed Danton Heinen, who scored a third=period goal.

“It’s 2-0, that’s good,” Rask said. “We took care of business at home, which is what we wanted to do.”

Cassidy’s areas of concern, if any, are few. Secondary scoring? The Bruins’ third-pair defensemen, Matt Grzelcyk (two goals) and Clifton (first NHL goal), produced enough scoring to win. Iffy second periods? Though they allowed more shot attempts in the frame (19-12), they had more scoring chances (9-7), killed two penalties, and scored twice.

“We believe in everyone in this locker room,” said Charlie McAvoy, who returned from a one-game suspension and skated 20:38. The rout meant all but McAvoy and partner Zdeno Chara (24:58) were under 20 minutes of ice time, with veterans resting and youngsters like Clifton (19:28) carrying more of the load.

The ‘Canes tried to hammer the B’s at the outset, landing several hard pops in the opening minutes. One of those came from Micheal Ferland, who sent Johansson to the hospital with a hit in the teams’ March 5 meeting. He hammered Grzelcyk against the boards near the Bruins bench. Grzelcyk opened the scoring three shifts later.

“Guys were feeling it tonight,” said Brad Marchand, who goaded Carolina captain Justin Williams into taking a retaliation penalty in the second period, after officials missed Marchand’s hook. The Bruins wound up out- hitting the ‘Canes, 35-27.

Jake DeBrusk, of late a bit too quiet for his liking, made it 2-0 with his third of the playoffs, taking three whacks at a power-play rebound in front. David Backes and Heinen scored to make it a laugher in the third.

Poor Petr Mrazek, the Carolina goalie who allowed six goals on 25 shots. He was soft, and his aggressiveness bit him on several goals, but it wasn’t all his fault. He had a lightweight defense in front of him, and a group of forwards that offered precious little offensively.

Rask was asked afterward if he felt just a little bit bad for his counterpart.

“No,” he said.

Not at all?

“Been there. It’s just the game of hockey.”

The game was much friendlier to Rask. Carolina registered its 10th shot at the 33:42 mark of the game. It scored on its 20th, a deflection that cost the Bruins netminder his second shutout in the last three games. He made 21 saves on 23 shots, allowing only two goals after the score was 6-0: a Williams deflection and an empty-cage turnover that Teuvo Teravainen cleaned up.

Grzelcyk, after he was popped by Ferland and Brock McGinn during a rough opening frame, rebounded to finish another patient feed from difference-maker Johansson (two primary assists), who has two goals and three assists in his last three games.

The defenseman’s shot, which squeaked through Mrazek from the low circle, and Clifton’s putback with the Hurricanes swimming in front, made Brandon Carlo the only Bruins regular without a goal this postseason. Nineteen have scored, tying the franchise playoff record from 1988.

DeBrusk, promoted to his old spot (net-front on the top power play unit), scored six seconds into one power play. Grzelcyk added his second with 11 seconds left on another. Boston had the man-advantage for 1:55 and went 2 for 2 on the PP. 1144448 Boston Bruins

Connor Clifton was in the right spot to score his first NHL goal

Adrian Walker

Clifton’s mother, Joan, was among the 17,565 in attendance to watch the Bruins issue a good old-fashioned beatdown on the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Clifton said his family was in town because his younger brother had a two-day hockey tournament in Walpole, so they stuck around to watch him play, too.

They’re likely glad they did.

Three minutes into the second period, Clifton hustled out of the neutral zone, carried the puck along the wall, and fired a pass to left wing Marcus Johansson. While Johansson patiently maintained possession, Clifton quickly made his way behind the net and emerged with the perfect opportunity.

“It was me and the goalie,” Clifton said. “Er, me and the net without the goalie in it.”

Pulled out of the crease to tend to Johansson, Hurricanes netminder Petr Mrazek had no choice but to hopelessly reach across the ice when Johannson’s pretty pass found Clifton, who wasted no time in putting the puck home.

“It’s pretty awesome,” he said after the Bruins’ 6-2 win. “I guess it’s about time. I’ve had some chances since I’ve been up here and haven’t capitalized. It was awesome to get one tonight.”

The score extended Boston’s lead to 3-0, and Clifton became the 19th Bruin to tally a goal this postseason, tying a franchise record. Defenseman Brandon Carlo and center Karlson Kuhlman are the only players who have dressed but not scored during the playoffs.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of character in this room,” Clifton said. “We don’t rely too heavily on one individual. We’re really team-oriented.”

“You need everyone in the playoffs,” added Johansson, who finished with two assists. “This is that time of year. We need to get production from defense and offense — and everything from everyone. I think we’re doing that right now.”

After getting called up in November to bolster an injured defensive corps, Clifton said his initial focus was simply to hold his ground on defense. Upon getting more comfortable in the NHL, however, he said he started to pick his spots offensively — an area where he’s capable of making contributions. He registered 22 shots in 19 regular-season games.

Clifton’s ability to get up and down the ice stood out to coach Bruce Cassidy immediately in developmental camp. So much so that Cassidy said he thought he looked more like a winger than a defenseman.

“You got an assertive guy,” Cassidy said. “It’s better to coach him back than having to push a guy to do that. He always had that in him — his willingness to try and make a play.”

Clifton also logged a playoff career high in ice time (19:28) in Sunday’s Game 2. While some of the extra minutes could be attributed to the lopsided score, there’s no question Cassidy has faith in the 24-year-old rookie to get the job done.

“We have confidence in Connor,” Cassidy said. “He’s competitive. He’s not shying away from the moment. When he’s moving his feet, which we do have to remind him to get the motor running, he can separate and make good plays.”

Boston Globe LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144449 Boston Bruins “I’ve just got to know better,” Williams said. “I’m old enough, I should be able to know better.”

Style points The Charlie Coyle Line has created havoc for Bruins’ opponents Toronto tried to skate past the Bruins. Columbus tried to batter them. Carolina is a mixture of both, and so far, the B’s have had little trouble Adrian Walker playing any style their playoff opponent presents.

“Whatever game’s out there, we’re going to play it,” Cassidy said, pointing to the talent level of his group as the primary reason. A team that lacked secondary scoring last season has received 11 goals and 17 assists in 15 playoff games from its third line of left wing Marcus “We can skate with anybody. I think when we’re on our game and Johansson, center Charlie Coyle and Heinen on the right wing. The line skating, I think we’re as good as any skating team in this league. We has outshot opponents, 4-1, at even strength and was on the ice for two have physical players sprinkled throughout our lineup that can deliver the goals in Sunday’s 6-2 victory in Game 2 at TD Garden. hits, and we have the Matt Grzelcyks of the world.”

“The Charlie Coyle line, right now,” said coach Bruce Cassidy, “creates a By that, he meant those who don’t bring sledgehammers to work, but big problem for the other team.” smart players who can skate, and bounce back from hits. Jake DeBrusk, Krug, Johansson and Heinen would be in that category. It is a winning None have been on the ice for a goal against, as Boston has outscored formula. Carolina 11-4 in two games. “We have so many good players,” Johansson said. “Anyone can play Heinen’s production in Game 2 — a goal and an assist in 14:38 — was with anybody . . . Everybody makes it so easy on you. You just go out nothing to shrug off, but his linemates were on fire. Coyle registered a there and play.” career-high three assists and won 12 of 15 draws (80 percent) in just 14:02. Johansson had a pair of primary assists in 13:13. Hats off

“Those two are feeling it,” Heinen said of his linemates after riding the Had Grzelcyk scored, he would have become the second Bruins left side of David Backes and Riley Nash last year. “They’re fun to watch. defenseman to register a playoff hat trick. The other — Bobby Orr (1971) They’re creating chemistry. I think I can be better for them. They’re such — waved the Black and Gold banner before the game. On Mother’s Day smart players.” 49 years ago, Orr flew through the air as the Bruins won the Stanley Cup . . . The other B’s postseason hat tricks came from David Pastrnak Heinen’s defense is a critical asset, meshing exceptionally well with the (2018) and David Krejci (2013, 2011). Charlie McAvoy, on seeing his big, puck-protecting Coyle and Johansson’s David Krejci-like playmaking fellow BU Terrier score twice: “They just breed studs there.” skills. Johansson said he has received texts from “a couple” of his old Washington Capitals teammates, encouraging him on his postseason run Boston Globe LOADED: 05.13.2019 with the Bruins.

“It just gets more fun every day,” said Johansson, who is playing in the third round for the first time of his career. “We’ve got a long way to go, but I think we’re on the right path.”

Stellar defense

Torey Krug’s three assists were impressive enough — he joined elite company among Bruins defensemen — but he was just as proud of his defensive effort.

Krug and partner Brandon Carlo silenced Carolina’s top line of Teuvo Teravainen , Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov in Game 2. The line did not get a shot attempt together and allowed seven (six shots on net).

“Yeah it’s been a good matchup for us,” said Krug, who leads the Bruins with a 75.6 percent shot attempts share (34 for, 11 against). “A lot of fun, for sure. I think we’ve limited their odd-man rush opportunities and I think that’s been a strength of not only our defensive pairing, and that line, but our team in general.

“If we can squash this line in the neutral zone and really limit their chances off the rush then it doesn’t allow them to get any momentum going. Then, in the defensive zone, it’s just clamping down on time and space. It’s what we talk about all the time.”

Krug became the fifth Bruins defenseman with a pair of three-assist playoff games. Krug, who also did it in Game 2 against Toronto last year, joined mentor Ray Bourque and Bobby Orr (five times each), Brad Park (three) and Carol Vadnais (two).

Composure lost

In his second-period dustup with Justin Williams, Brad Marchand was shown holding his thumb and forefinger against his chest, in the shape of a “C.” He was apparently mocking Carolina’s captain for losing his composure.

Marchand, smiling, didn’t want to say much about it afterward. In Williams’s view, “C” stood for “commode.” His take on the loss:

“Sometimes you’ve got to eat a poop sandwich,” Williams said. “It doesn’t taste good, but you have to chew on it for a little bit. We’ll have to do it for a couple of days and get the taste out of our mouth the next game.”

Williams, 37, a three-time Stanley Cup winner, was “disappointed” in himself for taking a retaliation holding penalty — he undid Marchand’s chinstrap — after referees missed Marchand hooking him down. 1144450 Boston Bruins “To do it at home, I’m sure it’s a lot more special,” McAvoy said, marveling not only at the conclusion of his friend’s Sunday story, but of all the elements that made it unforgettable.

Matt Grzelcyk celebrates a special day playing for his hometown team “He’s a gamer, so he’s going to get hit like that and no doubt he was going to come back and play his game like he always does. He’s a rock for us and he played awesome tonight. I couldn’t be happier for him to Adrian Walker break through and get a couple.

“He really led the way for us.”

But if ever there was a day to single out Grzelcyk from his fellow local Boston Globe LOADED: 05.13.2019 heroes, it was Sunday. He was the catalyst to a team effort that was as good as any the Bruins have put forth this postseason. One huge hit absorbed and two sweet goals scored made Grzelcyk the leader of the game’s three stars roll call, a 6-2 blowout over the Hurricanes sending the Bruins on the road with a 2-0 Eastern Conference finals lead.

“He was a mad man tonight,” fellow defenseman Connor Clifton said.

Maybe he was just mad. Grzelcyk was blasted into the boards just 2:15 into the opening period, a legal but brutal hit in front of his own bench from Carolina’s Micheal Ferland that might have felled a lesser player. But Grzelcyk, the 5-foot-9-inch ball of toughness that he is, has made a living knowing how to absorb such shots, or even better, how to position himself to avoid absorbing as much of it as possible. Never mind not missing a shift, two turns later, he got payback in the best way possible, breaking an evenly-played, scoreless first period with a backbreaking finish of Marcus Johansson’s beautiful pass.

When his shot bounced off the chest of Petr Mrazek and tumbled into the net, a goaltender teetering on the edge of disaster fell into the abyss. The Bruins had him. With their one-goal lead and their surging confidence, Boston settled into the driver’s seat with no thought of letting go. By the time Grzelcyk netted his second goal, converting on the power play at 17:56 of the second period with a beautiful move to his right and a nifty shot inside the post, the conclusion was foregone.

But the story? This one should be told forever in the Grzelcyk house. The one that stands only miles from TD Garden in Charlestown (you know, where Matt is known as the mayor), the one that saw parents John and Kathleen raise their hockey-loving son with the kind of support and devotion that helped him realize his professional dream. They were thrilled when all those backyard games and weekend tournaments turned into a college scholarship, even more delighted that it was at nearby Boston University. But to see their son turn in his first two-goal game on TD Garden’s ice since the night he won the Beanpot for the Terriers, to see him wearing the sweater of the team his dad has readied this ice to host for years as a member of the Bull Gang, the crew that turns TD Garden from hockey ice to basketball floorboards overnight, well, that was almost too much for the kid to even contemplate.

“Just to be on this stage and be a part of this team, I kind of pinch myself every day,” he said. “I’m just really excited to come into the rink, be a part of the team, and try to add as much as I can to it. This is really fun right now. I try not to think of outside distractions too much, to stay in the moment, capitalize on my opportunity. Getting to see Bobby Orr walking around, yeah it’s pretty cool, but I’m just trying to enjoy the experience with the guys.”

Of course he is not alone in his hometown love. Not with Walpole’s Chris Wagner and Weymouth’s Charlie Coyle by his side, a trio of locals who aren’t simply doing their part in this playoff run (though they most certainly are), but who manage to remind a room full of veterans from all over the world just what it means to be part of this franchise, this tradition, and at the moment, this particular team.

“Sure we have some riffs on it, it’s all in good fun,” said Krug, whose three assists made it five points combined for the two diminutive defensemen. “That’s important to our team, guys who take a lot of pride putting the sweater on, the spoked B, no one takes it for granted that’s for sure. We all have pride, but when you have local guys doing it, it’s a special feeling for them for sure, but we all feed off it and get some energy off it.”

Grzelcyk was on Twitter Saturday recording a short post-practice video that flashed the lovely bouquet of flowers he was bringing home to his mom for Mother’s Day, the result of a shopping trip with buddy Charlie McAvoy, a teammate not only with the Bruins but in their college years at BU. Flowers are nice, but there is no better present for a parent than seeing their child succeed. Grzelcyk won Mother’s Day too. 1144451 Boston Bruins

Marcus Johansson, Charlie Coyle make genius out of Bruins GM Don Sweeney

By TOM KEEGAN | PUBLISHED: May 12, 2019 at 9:05 pm | UPDATED: May 12, 2019 at 9:06 PM

When a tweaking puck foils your plans and keeps you from shooting, and then a few seconds later you’re sending 17,565 people into a euphoric state, you know things are going your way.

Things certainly are going the way of Marcus Johansson and the Bruins, who tamed the Carolina Hurricanes, 6-2, at the Garden to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Connor Clifton’s second-period goal, assisted by Danton Heinen and Johansson, put the Bruins up 3-0 and illustrated how even when things break down, they end well for a hockey club playing like the Stanley Cup favorites they have become.

“(Clifton) did a great job getting the puck off the wall, and (it) kind of (took) a funny bounce to when I got the puck,” said Johansson, who was just behind the dot of the right cricle. “I think it hit (Heinen’s) stick and bounced. I was going to shoot it but couldn’t get the puck to settle down, and then I saw (Clifton) back door. I think we got a lucky break, but those are the ones you need sometimes.”

Lucky that the jumpy puck wouldn’t let Johansson fire a shot maybe, but nothing lucky about his latest perfect pass. Johansson also made a beautiful feed on Matt Grzelcyk’s first of two goals, the one that put the Bruins up 1-0. In the clincher against the Blue Jackets and the first two contests of this series, Johansson has two goals and three assists.

After being acquired from the New Jersey Devils, he was limited to 10 games because of an illness and injury. He had one goal and two assists over that time and was shaping up as a forgettable acquisition. Now look at him. In 13 playoff games, he has three goals and six assists.

Similarly, in 21 games in the regular season after being acquired from the Minnesota Wild, Charlie Coyle had two goals and four assists. Again, now look at him. In 15 playoff games, he has six goals and six assists, including three in the Game 2 domination of the Hurricanes.

If they had been mates in chemistry class instead of on the Bruins’ productive third line, they wouldn’t have been blowing up beakers and flasks. They get the concept of chemistry.

Here’s what Johansson, a native of Landskrona, Sweden, likes about playing with Coyle, the pride of Weymouth, and Heinen, who’s from Langley, British Columbia: “Everything. It’s been great. … The more we play together, the better it feels. We really trust each other, and we get to know each other more and more each day.”

Johansson, 28, and Coyle, 27, are making a genius out of general manager Don Sweeney. Too often, trading deadline acquisitions don’t amount to much. These hired guns look better by the day.

“I feel like I’ve been comfortable pretty much the whole time, but injuries and illness and stuff, it’s just never fun and it kind of puts a little bit of a stop to it, but it’s felt good,” Johansson said. “With this group of guys we have here and this team, how we play, everyone makes it easy on you.”

Timing is everything in life, and Johansson’s has been so good on his passes throughout the playoffs. His career path wasn’t as perfectly timed. A year after the Washington Capitals traded him to the Devils, the Caps won the Stanley Cup. Nothing he could do about that, but it does add to his enjoyment of what’s going on now.

“I’ve never been this far before,” Johansson said. “I think we’ve earned our way to get here, and this just gets more fun every day. This is what you play for. This is what you work for your whole career, to play as long as possible and give yourself and your team a chance. We’ve got a long way to go, but I think we’re on the right path.”

Tough to argue that point.

Boston Herald LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144452 Boston Bruins

Connor Clifton’s emergence perfect timing for Bruins

By MARISA INGEMI | PUBLISHED: May 12, 2019 at 8:19 pm | UPDATED: May 12, 2019 at 9:01 PM

Unlikely sources always emerge in the postseason. For the Bruins, that’s been just about everyone, with 19 different goal scorers contributing in the playoffs through Game 2.

Perhaps one of the more unlikely stars though has been Connor Clifton.

Forced into bigger roles due to injuries or suspensions, the 24-year-old has held his own in his first 10 career playoff games, and first 29 NHL games overall. He was rewarded in Game 2 with a goal, the first of his career, to put the Bruins ahead 3-0 en route to a 6-2 win.

Boston Herald LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144453 Boston Bruins By now, everyone knows his backstory. He not only grew up over the bridge in Charlestown, but his father John is a longtime member of the Garden’s bull gang. Matt may not look as brawny as some Bruins of the Matt Grzelcyk answers big hit in Bruins’ win past, but his blood runs Black and Gold. He appreciates everything he’s experiencing.

“Just to be on this stage, and be a part of the team, I kind of pinch myself By STEVE CONROY | PUBLISHED: May 12, 2019 at 7:48 pm | every day,” said Grzelcyk. “I’m just really excited to come to the rink and UPDATED: May 12, 2019 at 9:03 PM be a part of the team, try to add as much as I can to it. It’s really fun right now. You try to think about the outside distractions. Just try to stay in the

moment and capitalize on opportunities. You get to see Bobby Orr Toughness comes in all different packages. walking around and it’s pretty cool. But I’m just trying to experience this with the guys.” To some, the type of player that comes to mind when you use the word “tough” is maybe a Milan Lucic or a Josh Anderson, the kind of player And on Sunday, Grzelcyk took his turn to lead the way. who doles out the pain. Or Micheal Ferland, the Carolina Hurricanes’ 6- Boston Herald LOADED: 05.13.2019 foot-1, 217-pound forward who earlier this season knocked Bruins forward Marcus Johansson from the lineup for nearly three weeks with an open ice hit. The official term for the injury that Johansson sustained – a lung contusion – made it sound like he’d been in a car accident.

But then there are the tough guys in the league who absorb the pain and keep right on ticking. That would be Matt Grzelcyk’s category. Grzelcyk– all of 5-foot-9 and 174 pounds – is no dope. His long-term preservation relies on avoiding the big hits, not taking them on, and he does it well with his quick mind, feet and hands.

Sometimes, though, you just can’t get out of the way.

That was the case early in the first period in the B’s 6-2 blowout in Game 2 on Sunday, when it was 0-0 and the Hurricanes were still very much under the delusion that this game was up for grabs. Grzelcyk had the puck along the boards in front of the Bruins’ bench. Trying to play the puck back to a teammate, the young defenseman had his head down and left himself open for a thunderous hit. Ferland didn’t need an engraved invitation. He went full steam ahead and blew up Grzelcyk, driving his back into the boards. It was clean and brutal.

Grzelcyk got up ever so slowly. If the B’s bench wasn’t directly behind him, you wonder if he’d have made it there. He had trouble getting his left leg over the boards and, once he did, it looked like he might head down the tunnel to the room.

Nope. Grzelcyk sat down, took a physical inventory and was quickly ready to go. And before the period was out, he gave the B’s a lead they’d never relinquish, the first of his two goals in the B’s drama-free victory. The first goal in a conference finals game would cause an eruption on the bench no matter what, but it was a little more special that it was Grzelcyk who scored it.

“That was awesome,” said an all-smiles Connor Clifton, who partnered with Grzelcyk most of the day. “I was on the bench for that one, but that first one was awesome. Jumping up and down like every goal, but good for him. He was a madman tonight.”

Grzelcyk added another one that effectively turned out the lights on the Hurricanes, a backhander in the waning seconds late on a power-play, making it 4-0 with 2:04 left in the second period. But it was the one after the hit that got his teammates going.

“He’s a warrior,” said Jake DeBrusk. “He’s not necessarily the tallest guy out there, but to see him take that big hit from Ferland early, right by the bench, we were at first worried. But he comes right back out and he scores the first goal of the game and that’s huge for us. The second one showed his poise and skill, I think it was a backhander through a screen. That’s what the playoffs are about. Heroes come out, and he was huge for us”

Grzelcyk’s got a slight stature and soft-spoken nature, but he’d shown his mettle before well before Sunday. When he was a rookie last year, the B’s added depth defenseman Nick Holden, bigger and more experienced than Grzelcyk, near the trade deadline. Many assumed he’d take Grzelcyk’s spot in the lineup. The B’s were in Edmonton the day that trade was made and that night, the B’s fell behind by a couple of goals and it appeared they were going to take a no-big-deal loss. But it was no coincidence that Grzelcyk picked that night to score one of his three goals of the season as he spearheaded the third-period comeback victory. And he never did lose his job.

He may not score a ton of goals. He’s not going to blow up anyone like Ferland. But he competes, with every tool that God gave him. 1144454 Boston Bruins

Hurricanes look to reverse course at home in Game 3

By RICH THOMPSON | PUBLISHED: May 12, 2019 at 7:13 pm | UPDATED: May 12, 2019 at 7:17 PM

The Carolina Hurricanes have been here before.

The Hurricanes went down 2-0 in the Eastern Conference final with a 6- 2 loss to the Boston Bruins before a raucous capacity crowd TD Garden.

The Hurricanes placed themselves in a precarious state with two a uninspired road shows, but they have reason for hope as the scene shifts to PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday night.

“We don’t have to really think about these games right now,” said right wing Teuvo Teravainen, who scored the CCanes final goal. “Put it behind and find a way to be better and it was good that we’ve been through this before and we showed we can handle it.

“We have to go home and give it our best.”

The Canes were in an equally daunting quandary after dropping the opening two games to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Hurricanes won four of the next five, including a 4-3 Game 7 victory in D.C. to advance to the semifinal round. Carolina regrouped and swept the New York Islanders in the semis.

“I think we still feel confident that we can win at home and we are going to go in that building and do what we do best and give it what we’ve got and find a way to win and move forward,” said center Jordan Staal.

“Coming home in general will be good for our group and we are hoping to do the same and feed off our crowd and the atmosphere there. They obviously played well here and it is difficult to win games in this building. We are hoping to have the same in our building.”

Carolina’s Petr Mrazek was the goalie of record in the Washington series that included the first Game 7 victory of his career. Mrazek suffered a lower body injury in the second period of Game 2 against the Islanders.

Curtis McElhinney came in and closed out the game and series for the first sweep in franchise history. McElhinney is 3-0 in the playoffs with 1.56 goals against average and a .947 save percentage.

Mrazek gave up four goals in Boston’s 5-2 win on Thursday night, but two were on the power play early in the third period and another in garbage time.

But Mrazek played three bad periods in Game 2 and was on the business end of six unanswered goals, two by freewheeling defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. Carolina coach Rob Brind’Amour insisted it was a team loss and would not commit to making a goalie change for Game 3.

“We haven’t gotten to (that), we’ve got to let this one digest and move forward,” said Brind’Amour. “The first one to (Grzelcyk) was not good and he knows that it was a tough one.

“He doesn’t want to come out, he’s a battler and a lot of other guys on the bench deserved to come out if that was how we were doing it. That’s now how we do it.”

The Achilles heel for the Hurricanes in the playoffs has been the power play. The Canes had four power play chances and failed to find the back of the net. Carolina has the worst power play of the four remaining playoff teams with five goals in 45 chances for a 11.1% success rate.

“Whatever it is we‘ve got to find our game and not make excuses for ourselves,” said Staal. “Our power play, PK, five-on-five hasn’t been good enough but in general our power play has to give us chances and give us momentum.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144455 Boston Bruins Boston Herald LOADED: 05.13.2019

Bruins pregame notes: B’s have chance to double series lead

By MARISA INGEMI | May 12, 2019 at 12:57 PM

The Bruins can buck the trend of splitting at home on Sunday with the Hurricanes at the Garden for Game 2.

Against the Leafs, the Bruins fell in the hole early and never led in that series until they won it in seven games. They took the first contest against the Blue Jackets, only to lose the second in double overtime.

Winning both games at home against the Hurricanes could make all the difference in the world before heading to a hostile environment where the Canes haven’t lost yet in the postseason.

Their last Game 2 effort certainly wasn’t poor, but just the result of a hard Columbus team that wasn’t going to fold easily. They should expect a similar type of effort from the Hurricanes.

“With the intensity of the games increasing, sure there’s maybe an intensity for the message being delivered,” said David Backes ahead of Game 2. “But I don’t think the message has changed, and that’s proven to be solid for us. We’re not trying to go from one thing to a totally different scheme or system thrown at us and trying to adapt to that amongst the high competition.”

When the Bruins have faltered at home before, such as Games 1 and 5 against the Maple Leafs, there was an apparent lack of energy or jump. Even when the Bruins have won games, they’ve had their lapses, such as the second period of Game 1 with the Hurricanes.

Avoiding things like that is essential to taking a series lead before hitting the road.

“As players, the energy bumps up for the playoffs,” said Brandon Carlo. “As a coaching staff they’ve bumped up their energy as well. I think they’ve done a great job of incorporating from round to round, not overboarding us with video, because you can get stuck on that. You think it’s going to be the same but it never is. Throughout the playoffs they’ve done a fantastic job, and positivity on the bench has been a big thing.”

Game notes

The only change based on Saturday’s practice is Charlie McAvoy returning to the lineup from his one-game suspension, and Steven Kampfer as the odd-man out.

Noel Acciari is progressing towards a return from his upper-body injury sustained against Columbus, but he’s a possibility for Game 3 in Raleigh, leaving the forward lines the same for Game 2.

About the Hurricanes

The Hurricanes are keeping their same lineup for Game 2. In the end, they were essentially burnt by two penalties in the third period — both controversial — that gave the Bruins space to use their special teams advantage.

The 5-2 result looked a lot more lopsided than it really was, with the Hurricanes leading 2-1 during the third period before the Bruins surge on the power play and then with the empty netter, and a final nail in the coffin with the game out of hand.

Here’s how Carolina lines up.

Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Teuvo Teravainen

Nino Niederreiter – Jordan Staal – Justin Williams

Warren Foegele – Lucas Wallmark – Brock McGinn

Micheal Ferland – Greg McKegg – Jordan Martinook

Defense

Jaccob Slavin – Dougie Hamilton

Brett Pesce – Justin Faulk

Haydn Fleury – Calvin de Haan 1144456 Boston Bruins there is no one that can skate like him and break out pucks. We take a lot of pride in that so it was fun to watch he scoot around today.”

It shouldn’t be surprising that Grzelcyk has stepped up his scoring a little Matt Grzelcyk's toughness sparks Bruins in big blowout win in Game 2 in the postseason as so many other Bruins have with 19 different goal- scorers on the roster during the playoffs, the most since the Bruins made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final back in 1988. But it was less about By Joe Haggerty May 12, 2019 9:27 PM the two goals he scored on Sunday afternoon’s Game 2, and more about the way he popped back up and showed how tough he was by scoring

the game’s first goal after absorbing that first massive hit to open things BOSTON – Michael Ferland threw a couple of big hits to show his up in that contest. toughness at the start of Game 2 while blasting Matt Grzelcyk with a high Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.13.2019 hit in front of the Bruins bench, and then drilling Charlie Coyle in a shift later on in the first period of that game.

But Grzelcyk showed Ferland and the rest of the Carolina Hurricanes what real toughness was when the 5-foot-9, 174-pound defenseman popped back up from the hit and scored a pair of goals in Boston’s 6-2 blowout win in Game 2 at TD Garden. Grzelcyk isn’t a big goal-scorer with six career goals in 129 regular season games, but the 26-year-old Charlestown native was the biggest gunslinger out on the ice in this massive conference final game.

Or as fellow D-man Torey Krug jokingly called him, “the Mayor of Charlestown.”

“I think we were expecting a very physical game out of [Carolina],” said Grzelcyk. “It’s something that we kind of had that experience going up against Columbus in the second round so we didn’t get fazed by that game. I think we responded really well. We knew how important it was to take advantage of home ice so I’m glad we got the win today.

“You don’t want to allow yourself to kind of sit back and relax and think too much about it but honestly it’s really special right now and it’s fun to ride this one out and go into game three and have another strong effort.”

Talking Points from the B's Game 2 win

The first one was the most important goal, however, as it happened later in the period after Grzelcyk had absorbed the massive body check from the punishing Ferland. Marcus Johansson was wheeling through the high slot when he fed Grzelcyk as the trailer, and the puck-moving defenseman somehow found a hole in Petr Mrazek when he fired the wrist shot at the net. The ability of the smallish Grzelcyk to absorb the hit and answer with the goal seemed to give a major boost to the Bruins, and then got the team off and running in the blowout Mother’s Day victory.

Many think toughness is dropping the gloves and fighting or throwing around big hits, but clapping back like Grzelcyk did with his goal is about as tough as tough gets.

“It was terrific. I think it lifts our bench when you get drilled pretty good. You know, you kind of chip it off and back to work and scores a goal, whatever it was, two shifts later, so it certainly gives us a lift. I’m not surprised,” said Bruce Cassidy. “[Grzelcyk] is a tough kid, and in this playoff season – any playoff season – you’re going to take some hits, take a number, get back out there and play the game.

“[You] keep discipline and at some point, if you get a chance to be physical against them, you take advantage of it. That’s the way it works.”

Highlights: Bruins dominate Canes 6-2 to take 2-0 series lead

The second goal was another big one as it arrived in the second period following a pivotal sequence where Brad Marchand goaded Justin Williams into a holding penalty, and then pointed toward the penalty box while mocking the Carolina captain. Grzelcyk helped make the Hurricanes pay by scoring again on a backhanded shot from the slot after a drop pass from Charlie Coyle, and amazingly the Bruins defenseman now has as many goals (three) in 15 playoff games as he did during the entire 2018-19 regular season.

That’s the kind of thing that makes fellow small-ish D-man Torey Krug stand up and take notice of one of his favorite teammates.

“I’ve been one of Grizz’s [Matt Grzelcyk]biggest fans since he came in the league and we joke about it all the time now that we have a couple of guys under 5-foot-10 winning games in the National Hockey League and three defensemen under six foot so we’re causing havoc and doing the job,” said Krug. "It’s a lot of fun to watch him play and when he’s skating 1144457 Boston Bruins

Talking Points from the Bruins' 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 2

By Joe Haggerty May 12, 2019 7:12 PM

Here are Joe Haggerty's Talking Points from the Bruins' dominant 6-2 win in Game 2 over the Hurricanes.

GOLD STAR: Matt Grzelcyk isn’t always a big hero when it comes to goal-scoring, but he had the offensive game of his life in Game 2 with a pair of goals, including the first one that got the ball rolling for the Black and Gold. Grzelcyk finished with the two goals in 18:21 of ice time, had a couple of shots on net, a couple of hits and a couple of blocked shots. It was Grzelcyk as the trailer on the first goal when he somehow found a hole to shoot for on Petr Mrazek that leaked through the Hurricanes goalie, and then it was Grzelcyk again later on that once again scored as the trailer on a PP goal after Charlie Coyle dropped a pass to him. This time he backhanded a shot past Mrazek from the slot in another goal allowed that was on the softer side, but credit the Bruins D-man for scoring them.

BLACK EYE: Petr Mrazek allowed six goals on 25 shots to the Bruins and was routinely terrible in his Game 2 loss. He was so aggressive between the posts that he was often pulling himself out of position and giving the Bruins wide open looks at the net once things started getting scrambled in front of him. Mrazek has now allowed 10 goals on 52 shots in the first two games of this series for a .808 save percentage, which is about as bad as it gets when it comes to playoff goaltending. It was somewhat surprising that Rod Brind’amour didn’t pull Mrazek during the blowout loss, but apparently he doesn’t often pull his goalies during games. Maybe he should rethink that position.

Marchand mocks Williams after drawing penalty

TURNING POINT: The Bruins were already up 3-0 in the second period when Justin Williams and Brad Marchand got tied up in a confrontation. Marchand got his stick caught up around Williams’ shoulders and then the Hurricanes captain grabbed Marchand’s face and unsnapped the chin strap to his helmet before letting him go free. Williams was then called for holding, and Marchand proceeded to give him a mocking “C” on his shoulder and then started giving him directions to the penalty box. The Bruins scored on the ensuing PP to make it 4-0 and the Hurricanes looked ultra-defeated at that point in time with their Captain getting suckered by Marchand for the penalty and PP goal. That’s a tough one for the Hurricanes to swallow.

HONORABLE MENTION: Charlie Coyle was a playmaker for the Bruins notching three assists along with a plus-3 rating and setting up a bunch of goals for the Bruins. He also played the power forward-type game with puck possession while using his 6-foot-3 body to shield away would-be attackers from the Hurricanes. He finished with just a couple of shot attempts and one hit in the game, but he also won 12-of-15 face-offs in a contest where the Bruins dominated puck possession, dominated Grade A scoring chances and dominated a Hurricanes team that really can’t compare to them in terms of roster quality and depth. Coyle has been a difference-maker for the Bruins in the playoffs.

BY THE NUMBERS: 3 – the number of assists for Torey Krug, who became only the fifth Bruins defensemen in franchise history to do that two different times in the playoffs. Hint: Most of the other guys were pretty big names.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Sometimes you’ve got to eat a poop sandwich. It doesn’t taste good, and you have to chew on it for a little bit, and we’ll have to do it for a couple days and get the taste out of our mouths next game.” –Hurricanes captain Justin Williams on the Canes getting humbled 6-2 in Game 2, and doing back to the drawing board down 2-0 in the series to the Bruins.

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NHL history says Bruins' chances of reaching Stanley Cup Final are now very high

By Nick Goss May 12, 2019 6:11 PM

The Boston Bruins are halfway to reaching the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, and NHL history says they are likely to finish the job.

The B's took a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference final with a 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. A look back at the success of previous teams that earned a 2-0 conference final lead shows the Bruins have a very good chance to reach the Cup Final for the first time since 2013.

Since the conference format was adopted during the 1981-82 season, teams that take a 2-0 lead in the Conference Finals own a series record of 30-2 (93.8%). #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/q6OiyOqJEt

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 12, 2019

The last time the Bruins led an Eastern Conference final 2-0 was in 2013, when they ultimately swept Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Hurricanes aren't likely to lose too much confidence because they already have faced this type of deficit in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. They trailed 2-0 to the Washington Capitals in the first round after a pair of road losses to begin the series. Carolina won the next two games at home and four of the final five games overall, including a double-overtime thriller in Game 7, to upset the defending champions.

Overcoming a 2-0 hole against the Bruins should be a much tougher task given the way Tuukka Rask is playing in the Boston net and the effectiveness the B's power play has shown through two games.

The Bruins' job is not over yet, but they should like their current position after two impressive victories by a combined score of 11-4.

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Brad Marchand draws penalty, mocks Justin Williams before Bruins' power-play goal

By Nick Goss May 12, 2019 4:55 PM

Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand is one of the most annoying players in the NHL, and we mean that as a compliment.

He's capable of scoring between 30 and 40 goals each season, while also doing a great job of getting under opposing players' skin and drawing penalties as a result.

His latest victim was Carolina Hurricanes captain Justin Williams, who responded to a high stick from Marchand and took a costly penalty in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.

Check out the Marchand/Williams altercation in the GIFs below, including the B's forward showing Williams which direction the penalty box is located and mocking him with the "C".

Marchand mocks Justin Williams with the captain’s C pic.twitter.com/6Tatubd9VW

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 12, 2019

Brad Marchand draws a penalty on Justin Williams, signals for Williams to go to the penalty box and taunts him with the "C" pic.twitter.com/1UukK3ZeQt

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) May 12, 2019

Williams' penalty led to a Bruins power play, where Boston defenseman Matt Grzelcyk scored his second goal of the game to put the B's up 4-0 entering the second intermission.

Through two periods, the @NHLBruins lead 4-0 after Matt Grzelcyk scores his second goal of the game.

 : NBC or https://t.co/IFXhOHfRHQ pic.twitter.com/t3vxJjvPAI

— #StanleyCup on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 12, 2019

The Bruins' power play has dominated in this series with four goals through the first five periods. The Hurricanes cannot afford to take so many penalties, especially when Marchand is doing his best to be a pest.

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Highlights from the Bruins' 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 2

By Michael Deprisco May 12, 2019 4:11 PM

FINAL SCORE: Bruins 6, Hurricanes 2

IN BRIEF: The Bruins dominated the Hurricanes from start to finish in Game 2 Sunday to take a commanding 2-0 series lead for the first time in this year's postseason.

Bruins are just out-classing the Hurricanes after taking a couple of early punches from them in Game 2. Michael Ferland nailed Matt Grzelcyk right in front of the Boston bench with a punishing hit and then Charlie Coyle got slammed with a Ferland hit a little bit later in the period. But then the Bruins answered the best way possible on the scoreboard. It was Grzelcyk that scored as the trailer taking a Marcus Johansson feed and then finding a spot on Petr Mrazek where the puck leaked through. Gutty goal for Grzelcyk and the Bruins did a good job of weathering the early storm from the Hurricanes.

Dougie Hamilton once again having a nightmare game in Boston. He’s turning pucks over, he’s falling all over the ice and the crowd is mocking him with “Dougie, Dougie Dougie.” This is all nightmare fuel for him. It was kind of laughable to hear Bruins players being asked if he was getting under their skin after Game 1. He’s like the goofy little brother that couldn’t bother the Bruins on his best day. The capper was Danton Heinen scoring on an odd-man rush to make it a 6-0 game in the third period, and Hamilton crashing Heinen into the end boards after he’d already score the goal. It was the prototypical fake tough guy from the Hurricanes defenseman.

The sequence of this series may turn out to be a moment in the second period. Brad Marchand and Justin Williams got tied up at center ice, and Williams was whistled for a penalty after grabbing 63’s face and unbuckling his chin strap during the tussle. After the penalty was called Marchand pointed the Hurricanes captain toward the penalty box and then made a “C” gesture on his shoulder mocking the Canes captain for getting suckered into taking the penalty. Predictably the Bruins scored on the ensuing power play and blew the Hurricanes right out of the building to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

UP NEXT:

Game 3: @Carolina, Tuesday, 8 p.m., NBCSN

Game 4: @Carolina, Thursday, May 16, 8 p.m., NBCSN

*Game 5: @Boston, Saturday, May 18, 7:15 p.m. NBC

*Game 6: @Carolina, Monday, May 20 at 8 p.m., NBCSN

*Game 7: @Boston, Wednesday, May 22 at 8 p.m., NBCSN

*if necessary

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Bruins are embracing a return to conference final, but not 'getting lost in it'

By Joe Haggerty May 12, 2019 9:36 AM

BRIGHTON, Mass – The Bruins have to be pleased with making the conference final for the first time in six seasons, and with a legit chance to win their second Stanley Cup title in the last decade.

It’s a welcome return to the deeper rounds of the playoffs for a Black and Gold group that made the Final twice in a three year span from 2011-13, and for Cup-winning vets like Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask it’s a chance they weren’t sure they would ever get again.

B's seeing the best Marcus Johansson has to offer

Certainly the Bruins veteran core group expects to win and that means the Cup is always there as an achievable goal, but they also know that getting this deep into the postseason is a note-worthy accomplishment rather than an annual birthright. And they’re approaching it that way given how long it’s been since they’ve only been a couple of playoff wins away from a legit chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.

“It’s very exciting to be where we’re at. But we can’t get lost in it. We’re only halfway to where we want to be,” said Brad Marchand. “We’ve done what we wanted to accomplish to this point, but we’re not satisfied. We didn’t come into this year saying that we wanted to get to the third round. We want to go the distance. We’re happy with where we’re at, but a long way from where we want to be.”

Certainly it might be their last, best chance to win the Cup given that Chara is slowing down at 42 years old, and that Krejci, Bergeron, Marchand and Rask are all on the wrong side of 30 years old at this point in their stellar careers. But their head coach wasn’t going there given how well they continue to play, and given that youngsters like Torey Krug, Jake DeBrusk, David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy have developed into a younger second tier of support players that are coming into their own as All-Star level players as well.

Bruins-Canes? What's a Whalers fan to do?

“We have some older guys that realize that it’s just the way it is. It’s where they are in this stage of their life, and it’s where we are as a team. It’s just a great opportunity,” said Bruce Cassidy. “I’m not going to sit here and talk about when the [Stanley Cup] window closes, when a new one opens up or any of that stuff. But they won eight years, a lot of time has passed and a lot of wear and tear on the body since then. So they know what it takes and they also know that it’s not that easy. I do believe [Tuukka Rask] is embracing [the opportunity] as are five or six other guys.”

Interestingly enough the Hurricanes are pretty much in the opposite spot headed into Sunday afternoon’s Game 2 at TD Garden. Sure they have a bona fide Game 7 hero in Justin Williams and a few guys like Jordan Staal that have significant playoff experience, but they also have a young, inexperienced group that’s certainly wasn’t expected to be in the conference final when their season started, or when they tiptoed into the playoffs as a wild card entry in the middle of the Metro Division.

For the Canes it could be easy to “get lost in it” and feel like they’ve already hit their accomplishment in taking a massive step getting to the conference final after 10 years without even a playoff-worthy team in Carolina. It remains to be seen if that’s how it’s going to play out, but there’s no questions the expectation and the hunger for another Cup within the Boston room, a feat that would stamp the greatness of Hall of Fame careers for guys like Chara and Bergeron, and validate others like Rask, David Backes and a whole bevy of young players getting invaluable postseason experience that will only further their development.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144462 Boston Bruins “The steam was taken out, for me, when they got theirs at the end of the period,” Brind’Amour said. “That was the cooker. We needed an answer, and we didn’t have one.”

How the Bruins broke Petr Mrazek and routed the Hurricanes in Game 2 The result was moot after 40 minutes. Most coaches would have waved the white flag and called for relief. But Brind’Amour never nodded his head toward Curtis McElhinney. He left Mrazek in for two more third- By Fluto Shinzawa May 12, 2019 period goals by David Backes and Danton Heinen. It is a decision he might regret.

“Yeah. We talked about it,” Brind’Amour said of hooking Mrazek. “But he The Bruins did not have to work hard in Game 2 to make Petr Mrazek doesn’t want to come out. He’s a battler. A lot of other guys on the bench look bad. Mrazek took care of that himself. deserved to come out if that’s how we’re doing it. It’s not how we do it. The teams were even for most of the first period. The Hurricanes were The only one, I thought, he’d love to have back was that first one. He’ll bulldozing bodies all over the rink, with no bigger kill shot than Micheal tell you that. I haven’t even talked to him, but I know he’ll tell you that. I’m Ferland’s clobbering of Matt Grzelcyk in front of the benches. not going to let him off the hook. I’m not going to let anyone off the hook. He wants to battle it out. That’s how we go about it.” But a 0-0 game pivoted on an uh-oh moment. After taking a pass from Marcus Johansson, Grzelcyk flipped a wrister from outside the left dot. The Hurricanes like Brind’Amour because he believes in his players. But The only place Mrazek might have seen a sharper angle was in a Game 2 might not have been the time to practice belief. Carolina needed geometry textbook. results from Mrazek. He did not deliver.

Somehow, the puck found an opening over Mrazek’s blocker, inside his Now they’re in a jam. Mrazek might have been able to regroup for Game right biceps and through his armpit at 15:22 of the first. It should not have 3 if given Sunday’s third period off. But it is no fun for a goalie to endure been a goal in the NHL, AHL or a neighborhood driveway. 60 minutes of thrashing. Brind’Amour might have no choice but to turn to McElhinney for Game 3. “The first one was no good,” said Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour. “He knows that. That’s a tough one. The game’s kind of … nothing’s going For better or worse, McElhinney is not as aggressive as Mrazek. But he on, really, either way with either team. Which is what we want at the start is also not as athletic nor as experienced. The backup has just five of the game there. That’s a tough one.” career postseason appearances, three of which took place in the second round against the Islanders. The Bruins did not complete a 6-2 rout of the Hurricanes simply because Mrazek burped up a first-period goal. But Grzelcyk’s score was a signal At this point, trusting either goalie to stand tall in Game 3 could be that Mrazek was throwing off sparks. The Bruins were delighted to interpreted more as hope than belief. drench him in gasoline. The Athletic LOADED: 05.13.2019 “Obviously I have to have that,” said Mrazek (19 saves). “I knew it went through me. I just felt it go over my arm or something, straight in the net.”

The book on Mrazek does not have many pages. He has built his game around aggressiveness. On the short side at 6-foot-1, Mrazek does not have the long limbs or stretchy torso that favor deep-net play. Mrazek’s strength is his quickness, which he depends on to reposition himself after he makes an aggressive first save.

In the first period, after David Pastrnak turned Jaccob Slavin inside out, Mrazek took away some of the net by challenging the right wing. Mrazek made an excellent pad stop, then repositioned himself to deny Patrice Bergeron on the rebound.

Mrazek’s eagerness to attack, however, puts him at risk of being beaten elsewhere. If shooters practice patience, either with an extra pass or a moment’s hesitation, aggressiveness can blow up into desperation. Bruins goaltending coach Bob Essensa, tasked with the pre-series video session of Breaking Down Goalies 101, incorporated all these elements into his lecture.

“Goalie Bob does his presentation on the goaltender, and that’s been discussed,” Bruce Cassidy said. “Even the first chance Pasta had, he was way out. So we talk about, ‘Well, maybe you’ve got to take the extra step.’ Now Pasta’s getting closed on and Bergy has a rebound chance. Some of those situations have been brought up.”

It would be nit-picking to blame Mrazek for Jake DeBrusk’s power-play goal at 18:32 of the first. Carolina wants its defensemen to fill shooting lanes on the penalty kill, not box out opposing forwards. In such formations, the goalie is one-on-one with the net-front threat.

But in the second, when Johansson settled a puck in the slot, Mrazek started to dance a jig. Instead of ripping the puck on net, Johansson waited … and waited … and waited. Mrazek, who had anticipated a shot, had doggy-paddled himself into Charlestown when Johansson passed the puck to Connor Clifton. Mrazek was so focused on Johansson that he forgot about Clifton. It was impossible for Mrazek to recover to stop Clifton’s slam dunk.

The Bruins were on the power play, courtesy of Justin Williams’ ill- advised engagement with Brad Marchand, when Grzelcyk made it 4-0. Mrazek had to deal with Charlie Coyle’s net-front presence. But Grzelcyk’s shot, a backhander from the slot, was stoppable. It slipped under the goalie’s glove with 2:04 remaining in the second period.

Lights out. 1144463 Boston Bruins against a lot of hard lines, physical lines, and he just bounces right back up and continues to play. He’s been a huge player for our team the last couple of years, and he’s been great all playoffs. It’s awesome to see he Matt Grzelcyk living out every young Bruins fan’s dream as a playoff star has that confidence right now and continually seems to improve.”

In that vein, Grzelcyk wasn’t concerned with all the accolades he received Sunday. He was only worried about the win, and he quickly put By Joe McDonald May 12, 2019 this banner performance aside and started to focus on Game 3 in Raleigh on Tuesday.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.13.2019 For those hockey fans who might have been formally introduced to Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday, Torey Krug gave the best description of his teammate in the postgame locker room.

“I have the Mayor of Charlestown sitting next to me,” Krug said.

Immediately, Grzelcyk turned as red as the lamp he lit twice during Boston’s 6-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes to gain a 2-0 series lead. As humble as Grzelcyk is, Krug is correct with his assessment.

Grzelcyk grew up a saucer pass away from the Garden. His father, John, is a longtime member of the TD Garden Bull Gang. Even though his dad would sneak Matt onto the ice as a kid at TD Garden, the younger Grzelcyk never had a sense of entitlement. He comes from a working- class family, and he plays that style of hockey. Sunday, Mother’s Day, was a special day for the defenseman with his dad and mom, Kathleen, in the building for the win.

“She means the world,” Grzelcyk said. “She’s someone I talk to every single day and probably my best friend. Her and my dad obviously mean a lot to me, and I wouldn’t be in this position without them. It’s great to share this experience with my family and friends.”

By “this experience,” he means a game that started so wrong, then went so, so right. Early in Game 2, Grzelcyk was on the receiving end of a bone-crushing, teeth-shattering body check by the Hurricanes’ Micheal Ferland right in front of the Boston bench. The Bruins defenseman was slow to get up, gingerly climbed over the boards and had his head down for a few minutes.

Once he was able to regroup, Grzelcyk went out and scored Boston’s first goal at 15:22 of the first period. He added his second at 17:56 of the second period to give the Bruins a 4-0 advantage. Grzelcyk has three goals and four assists this postseason, his seven points good for second among the team’s defensemen, behind power-play captain Krug.

“He got drilled pretty good, shook it off and got back to work,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “He scored, and it certainly gives us a lift. We’re not surprised. He’s a tough kid. Any playoff season, you’ve got to take some hits and take a number, go back out there play the game and keep your discipline.”

Grzelcyk, Chris Wagner, Charlie Coyle and Noel Acciari are all New Englanders. Playing for the hometown team is one intangible, especially in the Stanley Cup playoffs, that the “out-of-towners” can feed off.

“It’s important to our team,” Krug said of the local ties. “We have guys that take a lot of pride putting the sweater on, the spoked-B, and no one takes it for granted, that’s for sure as a group. We’re very prideful, but when you have local guys having the success that they’ve had, it’s a special feeling for them and we all get a little bit of energy off it.”

The storyline doesn’t get old.

“No,” Wagner said. “Pretty cool stories for all of us, especially with (Grzelcyk) getting whacked (by Ferland). It was a hard hit right in front of us, so that was a big morale boost. Then, for him to score those two goals — awesome. Guys who aren’t from here joke about it.”

Don’t be fooled by Grzelcyk’s 5-foot-9, 174-pound stature. He is a smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman and effective at handling any opposing player on the ice. It was fitting that Bobby Orr, the greatest defenseman of all time, was in the building Sunday. No one compares to No. 4, but Grzelcyk offers some of the same attributes as the Hall of Famer and fellow undersized defenseman.

Like Orr, Grzelcyk possesses strong natural instincts. He’s elusive (most of the time) and has the ability to slip and slide and distributes the puck well up ice. His teammates appreciate the contributions he makes every game.

“He can skate. He can shoot. He can move. He has great hands. He’s not timid at all,” said Bruins veteran forward Brad Marchand. “He plays 1144464 Carolina Hurricanes certainly are), but who manage to remind a room full of veterans from all over the world just what it means to be part of this franchise, this tradition, and at the moment, this particular team.

Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk celebrates a special day playing for his hometown “Sure we have some riffs on it, it’s all in good fun,” said Krug, whose team three assists made it five points combined for the two diminutive defensemen. “That’s important to our team, guys who take a lot of pride putting the sweater on, the spoked B, no one takes it for granted that’s BY TARA SULLIVAN for sure. We all have pride but when you have local guys doing it, it’s a special feeling for them for sure, but we all feed off it and get some MAY 12, 2019 09:33 PM energy off it.”

Grzelcyk was on Twitter Saturday recording a short post-practice video The News & Observer and The Boston Globe are sharing stories during that flashed the lovely bouquet of flowers he was bringing home to his the Eastern Conference finals of the NHL playoffs. mom for Mother’s Day, the result of a shopping trip alongside buddy Charlie McAvoy, a teammate not only with the Bruins but in their college Matt Grzelcyk was doing his best to keep a lid on the understandable years at BU. Flowers are nice, but there is no better present for a parent emotion bubbling inside of him Sunday evening, channeling his most than seeing their child succeed. Grzelcyk won Mother’s Day too. stoic self in an attempt to contain a Mother’s Day hockey narrative taking direct aim at his breakout game, unleashing any clich? he could conjure “To do it at home, I’m sure it’s a lot more special,” McAvoy said, to direct the story away from himself. marveling not only at the conclusion of his friend’s Sunday story, but of all the elements that made it unforgettable. But once teammate Torey Krug let go with a “Mayor of Charlestown” crack from the seat beside him at TD Garden’s postgame interview, “He’s a gamer, so he’s going to get hit like that and no doubt he was Grzelcyk couldn’t help it. He stifled a laugh, dropped his chin to his chest, going to come back and play his game like he always does. He’s a rock and rode out Krug’s glowing comments in uncomfortable silence, nodding for us and he played awesome tonight. I couldn’t be happier for him to not at the nice things Krug was saying about him, but about the pride all break through and get a couple. of the similarly Boston-bred Bruins like Grzelcyk bleed into the home “He really led the way for us.” locker room. News Observer LOADED: 05.13.2019 But if ever there was a day to single out Grzelcyk from his fellow local heroes, it was Sunday. He was the catalyst to a team effort that was as good as any the Bruins have put forth this postseason. One huge hit absorbed and two sweet goals scored made Grzelcyk the leader of the game’s three stars roll call, a 6-2 blowout over the Hurricanes sending the Bruins on the road with a 2-0 Eastern Conference finals lead.

“He was a mad man tonight,” fellow defenseman Connor Clifton said.

Maybe he was just mad. Grzelcyk was blasted into the boards just 2:15 into the opening period, a legal but brutal hit in front of his own bench from Carolina’s Micheal Ferland that might have felled a lesser player. But Grzelcyk, the 5-foot-9-inch ball of toughness that he is, has made a living knowing how to absorb such shots, or even better, how to position himself to avoid absorbing as much of it as possible. Never mind not missing a shift, two turns later, he got payback in the best way possible, breaking an evenly-played, scoreless first period with a backbreaking finish of Marcus Johansson’s beautiful pass.

When his shot bounced hard off the chest of Petr Mrazek and tumbled into the net, a goaltender teetering on the edge of disaster fell into the abyss. The Bruins had him. With their one-goal lead and their surging confidence, Boston settled into the driver’s seat with no thought of letting go. By the time Grzelcyk netted his second goal, converting on the power play at 17:56 of the second period with a beautiful move to his right and a nifty shot inside the post, the conclusion was foregone.

But the story? This one should be told forever in the Grzelcyk house. The one that stands only miles from TD Garden in Charlestown (you know, where Matt is known as the mayor), the one that saw parents John and Kathleen raise their hockey-loving son with the kind of support and devotion that helped him realize his professional dream. They were thrilled when all those backyard games and weekend tournaments turned into a college scholarship, even more delighted that it was at nearby Boston University. But to see their son turn in his first two-goal game on TD Garden’s ice since the night he won the Beanpot for the Terriers, to see him wearing the sweater of the team his dad has readied this ice to host for years as a member of the Bull Gang, the crew that turns TD Garden from hockey ice to basketball floorboards overnight, well, that was almost too much for the kid to even contemplate.

“Just to be on this stage and be a part of this team, I kind of pinch myself every day,” he said. “I’m just really excited to come into the rink, be a part of the team, and try to add as much as I can to it. This is really fun right now. I try not to think of outside distractions too much, to stay in the moment, capitalize on my opportunity. Getting to see Bobby Orr walking around, yeah it’s pretty cool, but I’m just trying to enjoy the experience with the guys.”

Of course he is not alone in his hometown love, not with Walpole’s Chris Wagner and Weymouth’s Charlie Coyle by his side, a trio of locals who aren’t simply doing their part in this playoff run (though they most 1144465 Carolina Hurricanes zone draw, you are putting them out there. And, all of a sudden, fatigue sets in for that group.”

Sound familiar? See Bruins-Lightning, Round 2, 2018. After winning Bruins’ depth of scorers has been devastating for Hurricanes Game 1 vs. the Bolts, the Bruins offense went from pretty plucky to totally tuckered. Series over in five games.

BY BY KEVIN PAUL DUPONT “We weren’t getting the goals,” Cassidy said, thinking back to how it ended last year. “So you press with your top guys instead of letting the MAY 12, 2019 09:06 PM game just come to you. I think this year, because we’ve scored a lot more, up and down the lineup and roll your lines.”

The most dangerous of the bunch right now is the third-line attack unit of The Bruins took an Eric Heiden-like power stride toward a Stanley Cup Marcus Johansson-Charlie Coyle-Danton Heinen. They finished a Final playoff berth Sunday, chipping up the Hurricanes, 6-2, like a load of collective 1-6-7 in Game 2. Coyle (three assists) and Torey Krug (a fallen branches run through the auger in a backyard springtime cleanup. matching three helpers) led the scoring chart. It was the Bruins’ fifth consecutive playoff win — their best streak since “You’re not relying on one area — we’ve definitely got that,” added their run-up to the 2013 Cup final — and they equaled a franchise record Cassidy. “The Charlie Coyle line right now creates, I think, a big problem when new-kid-on-the-block Connor Clifton became their 19th goal scorer for the other team. OK, you have [the Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David in a postseason that now has simmered for 15 games in the Stanley Cup Pastrnak] line right out of the gate. [David] Krejci is a known playoff crock pot. scorer, now with DeBrusk. Not since the spring of 1988, when Ken Linseman (11 goals), Cam Neely “Now you have a third line to deal with. It’s a lot of work to get your two (9), Bob Joyce (8) and Steve Kasper (7) led the goal chart, have the defensive pairings out there against three lines. It’s a big ask. A difficult Bruins scored with such depth and breadth. That was the same spring ask. And it’s benefitted us a lot.” when Greg Hawgood, Lyndon Byers and the legend that was Bruce Shoebottom all contributed one to the cause. Game 3 Tuesday night in Raleigh, the city of the Storm Surge and distant sons of Hartford’s Forever .500s. It appears their only hope of stopping Unlike failed postseasons of the past, when top lines buckled and Boston is to roll out backup tender Curtis McElhinney in attempt to cause secondary scoring drifted off to the NHL Twilight Zone, the Bruins of a tidal shift. springtime 2019 have everyone but Tony the Pizza Maker from the 300 Level of TD Garden finding his way to the scoresheet. “When we play like we did today,” mused Johansson, who is growing more confident with each shift, “we had four lines going and all six D’men “There’s a reason we’re a good team,” noted Brad Marchand, one of the going. We were up ice and we played hard and we had that mindset [to Black-and-Gold’s top gunners, who didn’t pick up a point on Sunday, score]. When we do that, it feels like we come in waves, and sooner or which only underscored the luxury of the club’s broad-based scoring. “It’s later pucks are going to go in.” because we have depth. We don’t rely on one line or a couple of guys. We expect everybody to produce and every single night we have a Of late, they are going in at nearly a non-stop rate. In their string of five different guy step up and be a big player for our group.” wins, the Bruins have outscored Columbus and Carolina by an aggregate 22-8. They’re not just winning. They are dealing out beatings. On Sunday, the goal parade was led by Matt Grzelcyk, who potted a pair, summoning the touch he learned playing street hockey around the corner “That was kind of our thing at the start of the year, depth of scoring,” said in Charlestown. The only top-six regular to score was Jake DeBrusk (No. DeBrusk, “and it’s coming at the right time.” 3 on the season), and the sheet was filled out by Clifton, Danton Heinen and David Backes, who continues to enjoy a second-line rebirth that is News Observer LOADED: 05.13.2019 beginning to rival a hip-and-happenin’ Tony Bennett touring anew in a pairing with Lady Gaga.

What all of this has meant, beyond causing an array of opposing goalies a Nineteenth Nervous breakdown, is that the Bruins have played time and time again with time on their side. Lead time. To wit:

With Sunday’s 44 minutes 38 seconds added to their trove, the Bruins through 15 games have led for an aggregate 462:34, or more than 30- plus minutes per game. Through two games, the Canes have led for only 13:08 in Game 1, when this actually looked like this was a series they could win.

While the Bruins have rolled up that gaudy 462:34 bulge, their opponents (Toronto, Columbus and Carolina) have scratched out only 138:14, or slightly more than nine minutes per game.

The Boston scoring has reached a contagious level, with each line a threat, and the opposition typically one, two or three lines short of an answer.

Does it feel contagious?

“It does,” said coach Bruce Cassidy.

Does it change his approach from behind the bench? “Yeah, I guess it would,” he added.

When down by a goal, noted Cassidy, a typical coaching protocol is to call on the top line to put in more reps. When scoring comes from across the roster, no one talks about the need for “best players to be the best players.” That microscope only gets dusted off, and the petri dish pulled out, when the big guys have lost their voice and the backup singers become a risible bunch of B-flats and B-gones.

“If were behind by a goal at some point,” explained Cassidy, “and you know you’re not getting secondary scoring ... you are going to try to squeeze a little more out of your top group. So maybe every offensive 1144466 Carolina Hurricanes

A Boston blowout dampens a Canes watch party, but Hamilton the Pig brings some smiles

BY DREW JACKSON

MAY 12, 2019 07:35 PM

The rain stayed away for the Carolina Hurricanes watch party on Glenwood Avenue, but the Boston goals did not. A crowd of hockey fans gathered outside Carolina Ale House Sunday afternoon, hoping to see the Canes level the NHL Eastern Conference final series, but instead witnessed the mother of all Mother’s Day blowouts, as Carolina fell 6-2.

The Glenwood watch party served as the local heart of the storm for fans watching the Boston action from afar. The street was packed Thursday night for Game 1, but Mother’s Day plans, graduations for Triangle schools and the threat of severe storms thinned the crowd Sunday. Still, a couple hundred fans filled a closed-off block of Glenwood.

Phyllis Sharpe opened the Mother’s Day card from her son Derek in the middle of Glenwood Avenue, just before the puck dropped for Game 2. Derek said the family are diehard hockey fans and have been to all of the Canes playoff games so far.

“I asked what we’re doing for Mother’s Day,” Phyllis said.

“Hockey, duh,” Derek answered.

There were plenty of mothers spending their day watching Canes hockey Sunday, many decked out in jerseys of their own.

Starting to fill in on Glenwood pic.twitter.com/AysBOlEZc1

— Drew Jackson (@jdrewjackson) May 12, 2019

Forget Mother’s Day brunch: Mary Simson of Greensboro shared a plate of buffalo wings with her son Harrison, a UNC-Charlotte student, and Riley, in grad school at N.C. State. She said she’s a Buffalo Sabres fan, but also roots for the Canes.

“I love hockey and this is a great way to spend Mother’s Day,” Simson said. “When you have boys.”

By the end of the second period and with nothing to cheer about, the watch party started thinning out with the Bruins up 4-0.

Luckily, Hamilton the Pig, the Carolina Hurricanes unofficial mascot and undisputed good luck charm, was on hand holding court. Between periods, Hamilton posed for photos from his wagon as dozens came to pay their respect, often with carrots.

It’s not a party until Hamilton the Pig shows up #TakeWarning pic.twitter.com/SPQcsWdYFU

— Drew Jackson (@jdrewjackson) May 12, 2019

Kyle Eckenrode, who owns Hamilton with his fiance Karoline Briggs, said Hamilton’s celebrity has grown exponentially over the last two weeks.

“We took him to Boxcar,” Eckenrode said. “They had 20 pounds of carrots for him, on ice.”

News Observer LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144467 Carolina Hurricanes Andrei said his brother admits to being “a little bit nervous” during the games and has gotten into the excitement of the moment, saying, “He said when we score and the crowd jumps, he jumps, too.”

Hurricanes stick with Mrazek, but face Game 3 decision in goal And when Andrei gets hit, especially a borderline hit?

“He gets angry,” Svechnikov said. “Of course. He’s my older brother. BY LUKE DECOCK He’ll always be that way for me.”

MAY 12, 2019 06:37 PM TAILWINDS The Hurricanes are 4-0 when scoring first, 4-5 when their opponent scores first. … Patrice Bergeron has scored as many power- play goals in the playoffs (5) as the entire Hurricanes roster (5). … With his third-period goal, Justin Wililams moved into seventh in Hurricanes Petr Mrazek came out to start the third period even with the Carolina career playoff scoring, passing Matt Cullen. He’s one point behind Ray Hurricanes down four goals and struggling. If that was supposed to show Whitney and Cory Stillman for fifth. … Sebastian Aho’s three-game goal confidence in the goalie, it backfired: Five minutes into the third period, streak came to an end. Mrazek had given up two more goals to the Boston Bruins. News Observer LOADED: 05.13.2019 “We talked about it,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said, “but he doesn’t want to come out. He’s a battler. A lot of other guys on the bench deserve to come out, if that’s how we’re doing it.”

Sunday’s 6-2 loss raised a number of questions for the Hurricanes, but goaltending may be the most pressing. Brind’Amour chose not to get Curtis McElhinney 20 minutes of work Sunday ahead of a potential Game 3 start, and there’s a decision to be made. Mrazek gave up 20 goals in his first nine playoff appearances and 10 in the two games against the Bruins, coming off a two-game injury absence after exiting Game 3 of the second-round series against the New York Islanders.

“I’m feeling good, no issue with that,” Mrazek said. “I don’t think it was that long a break, maybe nine or 10 days. I was feeling pretty good. I’m not going to look past, just look forward to the next one.”

The Bruins’ first goal, under Mrazek’s right arm, seemed to put the Hurricanes on their heels and they never really recovered. Mrazek ended up allowing the six goals on only 25 shots.

“I wasn’t happy about the first goal,” Mrazek said. “Honestly I have to have that. I knew it went through me.”

BIG HIT Micheal Ferland, in his second game back after missing eight games, delivered a massive early hit on Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk in front of the Boston bench.

“I had a couple big hits and after that I felt perfectly fine,” Ferland said. “The biggest thing for me is getting used to the pace of play. Then I can make some big hits.”

FINNISH FINISH The Hurricanes’ second goal was gifted to them by otherwise all-but-impenetrable goalie Tuukka Rask, who misplayed a puck directly into the path of Teuvo Teravainen.

“I need to buy beers for Tuukka,” Teravainen told Finnish reporter Tommi Seppala.

“I’m going to take that beer,” Rask responded.

FROM BEHIND With Thursday’s Game 1 loss, the Hurricanes fell behind 1-0 for the eighth time in their past 12 playoff series, but they won six of the previous seven dating back to the 2002 Eastern Conference finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In two of those six, they lost Game 2 as well. In four of those six, they won Game 2, including the 2009 second- round series with the Bruins.

“We (are) still confident we can win at home,” Hurricanes center Jordan Staal said. “We’re going to go in that building and do what we do best and give it all we’ve got and try to find a way to get a win and move forward.”

BACKING HIS BROTHER The Canes’ Andrei Svechnikov again will have more family support this week for the two Eastern Conference finals games in Raleigh — big brother Evgeny will be back at PNC Arena.

Evgeny Svechnikov, 22, is a former first-round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings and missed all of this season following knee surgery. The forward has played 16 career NHL games for the Wings, spending much of his time with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL.

Andrei said Evgeny attended the two playoff games against the New York Islanders in Raleigh and was all-in.

“After the games he wanted to know everything about it,” Svechnikov said. “He wants to play, too, in the playoffs one day.” 1144468 Carolina Hurricanes Whatever Brind’Amour has ruled out before, it should all be under consideration now. Whatever would qualify in his mind as the panic button, go ahead and hit it. Why not?

It has all gone so wrong for the Hurricanes, so quickly News Observer LOADED: 05.13.2019

BY LUKE DECOCK

MAY 12, 2019 06:21 PM

People talk about pushing the panic button like it’s always a bad thing. When things are desperate but not quite dire, there’s a lot to be said for staying the course, pushing a little harder, renovating instead of demolishing.

Then there are those moments when there aren’t any other options, when desperation leaves you no way out. This isn’t poker, where you can fold and live to play another day. The Carolina Hurricanes are running out of tomorrows.

The even-keel Hurricanes need to find the panic button and push it, because this isn’t working. Their best defenseman is getting turned inside-out, their captain lost his cool, their goalie is giving up short-side leakers, every time they end up in the penalty box they don’t end up staying there very long and their power-play is a Superfund site.

“Sometimes you got to eat a poop sandwich,” Hurricanes captain Justin Williams said. “It doesn’t taste good and you have to chew on it for a little bit and we’ll have to do it for a couple days and get the taste out of our mouth next game.”

It’s all gone so wrong, so fast, and whether they lost their edge during the layoff between series or just ran into a bigger, better team, the tables have turned against them in a very serious way that even the energy and ebullience of their home crowd isn’t easily going to fix. Sunday’s 6-2 loss to the Boston Bruins was essentially over minutes into the second period, and the Eastern Conference finals are slipping away as quickly after losing both games in Boston.

If there was a moment that summed things up, it wasn’t Matt Grzelcyk’s shot going through Petr Mrazek’s right armpit, as bad as that was. It was David Pastrnak turning Jaccob Slavin inside out on a rush down the right wing. Slavin usually comes out of those moments leading a rush the other way while, say, Connor McDavid looks around trying to figure out what the heck happened to the puck. This time, it was Slavin looking around baffled, left spinning awkwardly just inside the blue line.

Everyone, even Slavin, is adrift, and the Bruins scored 10 straight goals before the Hurricanes picked up a couple consolation scores in the third.

“We’ve got to find our game,” Hurricanes center Jordan Staal said, “and stop making excuses for ourselves.”

Meanwhile, if the Bruins were trying to rattle Williams, it worked. Zdeno Chara got away with a punch to his face in the first game, Brad Marchand a high-stick clothesline in this one, and Williams ended up in the penalty box for two of the Bruins’ goals.

The Hurricanes tried to play physical and beat the Bruins at their own game, but never got to their own. They lost the special-teams battle, lost the goaltending battle, lost all the 50-50 battles and are on their way to losing the war.

There is very little in common with the first two games of the first round, when the Hurricanes could point to any number of ways they outplayed the Washington Capitals, undone by power plays and an overtime goal by Brooks Orpik, of all people. That deficit meant little and did little to dent the Hurricanes’ confidence, as subsequent events would demonstrate.

“It feels a lot different,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “The quality’s been better, that we’re giving up. That’s not a good sign. We have to regroup. But the other night wasn’t as bad, we were right in the game, and we have to remember that.”

Still, for the first time in these playoffs, even in the Game 5 disaster in Washington, the Hurricanes look bereft of confidence. Out of sorts. Lost.

Anything and everything should be in play before Game 3 on Tuesday, starting with Curtis McElhinney in net – and he probably should have been in this game to start the third period, and maybe even to start the second. 1144469 Carolina Hurricanes “They’re playing their game and we haven’t got to ours,” Brind’Amour said.

CANES BACK IN RALEIGH FOR GAME 3 Bruins hammer Canes 6-2 for 2-0 lead in Eastern Conference finals The Canes will go back to Raleigh for Games 3 and 4 with a number of questions to be answered.

BY CHIP ALEXANDER Who should be the starting goalie? Curtis McElhinney likely will get his MAY 12, 2019 05:49 PM chance for the Canes, having won three straight games to close out the sweep of the New York Islanders after Mrazek was injured.

What about the lines? Brind’Amour did some shuffling Sunday and may It’s time for the Carolina Hurricanes to take warning. do some more.

The Boston Bruins, after the first two games of the Eastern Conference How to get to Rask? The Boston goalie has been terrific and the Canes finals, have taken control of the series while leaving the Canes shaken. must crowd the crease and as Williams said before Game 2, make things The Bruins not only took a 6-2 victory in Game 2 on Sunday, they had uncomfortable for him and break his rhythm. the Canes discombobulated at TD Garden. In their first-round series, the Canes trailed the Washington Capitals 2-0 The Canes couldn’t stop the Bruins 5-on-5. The Bruins were dominant 5- after the first two games and beat last year’s Stanley Cup champions in on-4 and 4-on-5, scoring twice on the power play while stifling the Canes’ seven. That’s something for them to keep in mind, even though the first attempts at running one. two games against the Caps were more competitive.

“Our 5-on-5 was not good enough, our special teams were not good “We’ll keep believing,” Teravainen said. “It’s good we have had this type enough,” Canes center Jordan Staal said. “It’s just all around, everything. of situation before. We’ve got to go home and do our best.” Everyone has got to chip in, everyone has got to grind harder.” News Observer LOADED: 05.13.2019 Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk scored, twice. Defenseman Connor Clifton scored. That in itself explains how good a day it was for the Bruins and how tough it was for the Hurricanes — Grzelcyk scored three goals during the regular season and Clifton’s goal was the first of his NHL career.

Canes captain Justin Williams was sent to the penalty box in the second period for holding the Bruins’ Brad Marchand, that after Marchand had hooked his stick blade around Williams’ neck.

No penalty on Marchand, just on Williams for the retaliation, for grabbing him by his helmet chin strap. And Marchand, the Bruins’ bad boy, appeared to mock Williams after play was stopped.

It was mostly an easy day for Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, who has been at his cool, efficient best in the playoffs. Rask’s shutout bid ended in the third period when Williams redirected a Justin Faulk shot for a score, and Teuvo Teravainen later added a goal. But it was 6-0 before the Canes scored.

“They’re obviously playing solid hockey but as a group we haven’t done a good enough job of grinding them out,” Staal said.

The Bruins needed a third-period rally to top the Canes 5-2 in Game 1, taking the lead with two power-play goals and then adding two more late scores.

BRUINS NEVER TRAILED IN GAME

The Bruins got their first score late in the first period when Grzelcyk, who earlier had been blasted on a hit by the Canes’ Micheal Ferland, beat Canes goalie Petr Mrazek with a shot at the post that went under Mrazek’s right arm for a 1-0 lead.

“That was a tough one,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said.

For the Canes, a long, frustrating day had begun. Williams was called for tripping and Jake DeBrusk scored on the power play to finish a 2-0 first period, banging a rebound past Mrazek with 1:28 left in the period.

“The steam was taken out when they (scored) at the end of the period,” Brind’Amour said. “We needed an answer and we didn’t have one.”

Clifton scored in the second, as did Grzelcyk on a power play. Make it 4- 0 after two.

Brind’Amour said the coaches talked about pulling Mrazek but said, “He doesn’t want to come out. He’s a battler. Other guys on the bench deserve to come out if that’s how we’re doing it, so that’s not how we do it.”

No letup in the third by the Bruins. David Backes, then Danton Heinen scored. Defenseman Torey Krug kept picking up assists — he had three for the game and has 10 in the playoffs.

Williams finally got the Canes a goal but there was little solace in it, or Teravainen’s. 1144470 Carolina Hurricanes “That’s one area that’s deflating,” Williams said. “We lost the special teams battle, that’s not good.”

Jordan Staal would disagree that it was the main problem. He thinks they The Hurricanes hope their Game 2, four-goal loss to the Bruins was just need to dig deeper. a ‘poop sandwich’ “Our 5-on-5 play isn’t good enough, and our special teams isn’t good enough. It’s just all-around everything,” Staal said. “Everyone has to chip By Sara Civian May 12, 2019 in. Everyone has to grind harder. Everyone has to be more desperate if we want to win games. … I don’t think we really played in their end enough, I thought we were trying to be a little too cute around the blue line instead of just crashing the net and shooting pucks more. Whatever it BOSTON — Although these Hurricanes had survived a 2-0 road deficit is we need to find our game and stop making excuses for ourselves.” against a similar team chalked with skill and Cup-caliber talent just weeks ago, the feeling was different in Boston after they dropped a 6-2 Mother’s Williams had a less-appealing way to look at it. Day matinee to the Bruins. “You spend all this time off leading up, and everyone is writing articles Maybe it was the way Rod Brind’Amour said some things he almost about how great you are,” Williams said. “Sometimes you come out and never has to say about this team. you gotta eat a poop sandwich. It doesn’t taste good. You have to chew on it a little bit and get the taste out of our mouths next game.” “We got a little frustrated after (their) second one went in,” he said. “We weren’t very good after the last five minutes of the first then the rest of This definitely isn’t one of those articles, but Williams noted that the the game. They’re playing their game and we haven’t got to ours.” Hurricanes’ identity hasn’t been established yet in this series. They might be running out of time, but as Brind’Amour said: They’re “still alive.” The Canes had been building on themselves period by impressive period in the six games before they met with the Bruins. They’d face a potential They know who they are. source of frustration, like a certain Russian sniper knocking out a certain Russian teen, and they’d use it for motivation. A few weeks ago, they Time to prove it in front of the Caniacs, like they did the last time they allowed only one shot on net the period after Andrei Svechnikov went found themselves here. down and ended up pulling off a decisive win. On Sunday, they allowed a The Athletic LOADED: 05.13.2019 power play goal when Justin Williams retaliated against a Brad Marchand hook and was the only one penalized.

Unfair? Yes.

“I gotta know better,” Williams said. “I just gotta know better. I’m old enough, I should be able to know better.”

But the most concerning takeaway from the whole thing was the Hurricanes’ lack of positive reaction to adversity, a new standard they’ve set that we’ve grown so used to seeing. Brind’Amour uncharacteristically touched on that, too.

“The steam was taken out for me when they got their goal at the end of the (second period),” Brind’Amour said. “You just feel it. That was the cooker. We needed an answer and we didn’t have one.”

The lack of resiliency from a team known for it is cause for concern. It’s part of why the Bruins could score 10 unanswered goals.

Maybe it felt different because of the bafflingly weak performance from the defense and no heroics from Petr Mrazek. Not even Jaccob Slavin is absolved of blame, as he started shakily and ended 0-0—0, minus-1 in his team-leading 22:40 TOI. The third pairing struggled hardest in the perhaps unexpectedly noticeable absence of Trevor van Riemsdyk.

The first Bruins goal leaked through Mrazek.

“The first one was no good,” Brind’Amour said. “He (Mrazek) knows that.”

“Obviously, I have to have that,” Mrazek offered.

The second was Jake DeBrusk’s third effort out front on the power play. The Hurricanes defense shouldn’t have let him camp out there in the first place, but net-front effort and power plays were also cruel reminders of areas the Canes couldn’t master this game.

Unlike most games for the past four months, that seemed to be it for the Hurricanes.

The third Bruins goal was a combination of a defensive lapse from the third pairing and over-positioning from Mrazek.

The fourth? Well, that was the weak response to the Marchand thing.

There were two more, then two Hurricanes consolation goals, but we don’t need to keep doing this.

Maybe, of all the new, strange things the Hurricanes lacked in Game 2, maybe it was the same old power play that sucked the life out of them in the first place. They went 0-for-4, often moving backward, drop-pass nation, clearly in their own heads about it. They did have “a few good looks,” but that isn’t good enough on four power play attempts, down a few goals. The Bruins went 2-for-2. 1144471 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks stars score 3 goals in Team USA's 7-1 blowout of France at Worlds

By Associated Press

KOSICE, Slovakia — The United States rebounded from an upset loss to Slovakia in the opening game at the ice hockey world championship by routing France 7-1 on Sunday.

After losing 4-1 to the host, the U.S. was not ready for another upset. Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Frank Vatrano added one in less than two minutes to set the pace early in the opening period for the U.S. to take command in the Group A game in Kosice.

Colin White also had two while Patrick Kane, who captained the Americans to the bronze medal at last year’s worlds in Denmark, scored his first goal in Slovakia and added an assist.

Chris Kreider added one for the U.S. while Anthony Rech had a consolation goal for France.

The U.S. next faces Finland on Monday.

In the Group B game in Bratislava, star-studded Russia recorded its second straight win after blanking Austria 5-0. Evgenii Dadonov led Russia with two goals for the second consecutive game and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist. Alexander Georgiev made 15 saves for the shutout.

Later on Sunday, Canada faces Britain while Denmark plays Germany in Group A. Two-time defending champion Sweden takes on Italy and Switzerland meets Latvia in Group B.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144472 Colorado Avalanche completing the five-year, $29.5 million contract he signed after his Vezina Trophy-finalist season of 2013-14. The oft-injured Varlamov ($5.9 million cap hit) might take a hefty pay cut but it probably won’t be with Colorado Projecting the Colorado Avalanche 2019-20 roster breakdown. What free in a back-up role. agents leave? Who will the Avs sign in their place? Forward Sven Andrighetto is the only restricted free agent who is not expected to return to the Avs next season. He was a healthy scratch in seven of the 12 playoff games. By MIKE CHAMBERS | PUBLISHED: May 12, 2019 at 6:00 am | UPDATED: May 12, 2019 at 4:12 PM Colorado is expected to re-sign (if noted) and introduce at least five new regulars for next season from its development system. Among the candidates: F A.J. Greer, 22 (RFA); F Logan O’Connor, 22; F Sheldon Dries, 25 (RFA); F Dominic Toninato, 25 (RFA); D Conor Timmins, 21; G Kiszla: Stay sassy, Denver. With Game 7 in Nuggets’ house, time for Pavel Francouz, 28 (UFA). Portland to take that “L” on way out. The Avalanche’s projected 2019-20 roster, minus possible additions from The Avalanche’s offseason has begun, and it’s going to be an extremely free agency and the draft. busy one for general manager Joe Sakic and his staff. Among Colorado’s 49 organizational player contracts, more than half — 26 — are expiring, Forwards (13) — MacKinnon, Landeskog, Rantanen, Soderberg, Calvert, thus Sakic and company will have decisions and dealings to make for the Nieto, Kerfoot, Compher, Jost, O’Connor, Greer, Dries, big club as well as its American Hockey League affiliate, the Loveland- Kamanev/Toninato. based Colorado Eagles. Defensemen (8) — Johnson, Barrie, Cole, Zadorov, Makar, Girard, The Avs also have seven selections in the June 21-22 draft in Graves, Barberio Vancouver, British Columbia, including five picks in the first three rounds. In the first round, they have the Nos. 4 and 16 selections. On top of that, Goaltenders (2) — Grubauer, Francouz free agency begins July 1, a day Colorado could conceivably sign a top- Denver Post: LOADED: 05.13.2019 six veteran forward and a backup goalie.

Artemi Panarin and Jeff Skinner, both 27, are among the top pending unrestricted free-agent forwards and they aren’t likely to re-sign with Columbus and Buffalo, respectively. Panarin is coming off an 87-point season and Skinner scored 40 goals. More than a dozen UFA goalies could slot in behind the Avs’ Philipp Grubauer, who has proven he can own an NHL crease.

The following players from the Avalanche’s 23-man NHL roster that lost Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinals to the San Jose Sharks are under contract for 2019-20 and all expected to return to the team, barring a trade:

Forwards: Nathan MacKinnon, 23 ($6.3 million through 2022-23; Gabe Landeskog, 26 ($5.6 million through 2020-21), Carl Soderberg, 33 ($4.7 million through next season); Matt Calvert, 29 ($2.8 million through 2020- 21); Matt Nieto, 26 ($2 million through next season); Tyson Jost, 21 ($885,833 through next season).

Defensemen: Erik Johnson, 31 ($6 million through 2022-23); Tyson Barrie, 27 ($5.5 million through next season); Ian Cole, 30 ($4.2 million through 2020-21); Mark Barberio, 29 ($1.4 million through next season); Cale Makar, 20 ($880,833 through 2021-22); Sam Girard, 20 ($728,333 through next season).

Goaltender: Grubauer, 27 ($3.3 million through 2020-21)

And these Avs are restricted free agents who will undoubtedly receive qualifying offers from the team and expected to resign: F Mikko Rantanen, 22; F Alex Kerfoot, 24; F J.T. Compher, 24; F Vladislav Kamenev, 22; D Nikita Zadorov, 24; D Ryan Graves, 23.

Rantanen could command a long-term contract with an annual salary of $8.5 million or more to become the team’s highest-paid player. Kerfoot, Compher and Kamenev are coming out of their entry-level contracts and are likely to sign short-term bridge deals with restricted free agency at the end of them. Same with Graves, who is coming off a modest one-year $650,000 contract.

The Avalanche has five pending unrestricted free agents — none of whom are expected to be resigned by the club: F Derick Brassard, 31; F Colin Wilson, 29; Gabriel Bourque, 28; D Patrik Nemeth, 27; G Semyon Varlamov, 31.

Brassard ($5 million combined cap hit between Vegas and Colorado) was acquired from Florida at the trade deadline in February but finished on Colorado’s fourth line. The Avs are likely to replace him, Wilson and Bourque with up-and-coming young prospects — although Bourque ($950,000) is affordable if Colorado chooses to resign him.

Wilson was the Avs’ fourth highest-paid forward at $3.9 million, and the team will probably use that money elsewhere and get faster in the process.

Nemeth is expendable because Graves is a younger, cheaper and bigger version of him. And the Avs are bound to cut ties with Varlamov, who is 1144473 Dallas Stars

Looking at 3 players in the Stars' system who may be ready to make the leap to the NHL

Matthew DeFranks

The Dallas Morning News' Matthew DeFranks takes a look at the Stars after the 2018-19 season. Here, he breaks down which players in the Stars system could make their way to the NHL.

Denis Gurianov

Gurianov had his best season in North America with 20 goals and 28 assists for AHL affiliate Texas. The Russian first-round pick also played 21 NHL games and scored his first NHL goal, but the coaching staff thought he lost confidence at times when he wasn't scoring. Gurianov's skating is possibly the best in the organization and the winger could receive a shot to play top-six minutes next season.

Joel L'Esperance

L'Esperance was a relative unknown at this time last season after signing with the Stars as a free agent out of Michigan Tech. But he burst onto the scene with a strong season in the AHL, using his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame to score 30 goals for Texas this season. He played 18 games in the NHL and might be an option as a bottom-six center.

Gavin Bayreuther

Bayreuther was the final defenseman sent to the AHL after training camp and earned 19 NHL games this season following a series of injuries on the Stars blue line. Bayreuther is a left-handed offensive defenseman who will try to crack the logjam on the left side with Esa Lindell, Miro Heiskanen and Jamie Oleksiak.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144474 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin shines as Team USA routs France in hockey worlds

Detroit News staff and wires Published 4:51 p.m. ET May 12, 2019 | Updated 5:02 p.m. ET May 12, 2019

Kosice, Slovakia – The United States rebounded from an upset loss to Slovakia in the opening game at the ice hockey world championships by routing France 7-1 on Sunday.

After losing 4-1 to the host, team USA rebounded in a big way. Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Frank Vatrano added one in less than two minutes to set the pace early in the opening period for the U.S. to take command in the Group A game.

Colin White also had two while Patrick Kane, who captained the Americans to the bronze medal at last year’s worlds in Denmark, scored his first goal in Slovakia and added an assist.

On White’s tally, former Michigan defenseman Quinn Hughes carried the puck from end to end before delivering a nice pass to White. Kane buried a rebound after a shot by the Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin.

Hughes finished a team-best plus-4.

Chris Kreider added one to make it 6-0 following a steal by Larkin, who finished with two assists.

Luke Glendening of the Red Wings had one assist and was plus-1 in 9:20 of ice time. Larkin played 16:39.

The U.S. next faces Finland on Monday.

"It was a big win for us, especially going into tomorrow against Finland," White said. "We built some confidence and it was a good team effort."

In Canada’s 8-0 win over Great Britain, the Red Wings’ Anthony Mantha had two goals and three assists.

Detroit News LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144475 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ Anthony Mantha has five points as Canada rolls at Worlds

Updated May 12, 6:33 PM; Posted May 12, 6:26 PM

By Ansar Khan

A five-point night from Detroit Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha propelled Canada to an 8-0 victory over Great Britain Sunday at the World Championship in Slovakia.

Mantha scored two goals and tallied three assists. He posted a plus-5 rating and recorded four shots on goal in 15:26.

Kyle Turris contributed two goals and an assist for Canada (1-1). Mathieu Joseph, Dante Fabbro, Sean Couturier and Dylan Strome also scored for the Canadians, who outshot the Brits 56-12.

Detroit’s Tyler Bertuzzi had one shot and a plus-1 rating in 12:15.

Michigan Live LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144476 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin helps U.S. rout France at Worlds

Updated May 12, 2:18 PM; Posted May 12, 12:01 PM

By Ansar Khan

Alex DeBrincat (Farmington Hills) and Colin White each scored a pair of goals to lead the United States past France 7-1 Sunday at the World Championship in Slovakia.

The U.S. evened its record at 1-1 (three points), outshooting France 42- 24 as Thatcher Demko made 23 saves for the win.

Dylan Larkin recorded a pair of assists and his Detroit Red Wings teammate Luke Glendening added an assist. The U.S. faces Finland (2- 0, six points) on Monday (10:15 a.m. ET, NHL Network). France is 0-0-1- 1 (one point).

“I thought we took a good step forward today,” U.S. coach Jeff Blashill said. “We had an excellent practice yesterday and I thought our middle drive, net presence, shot mentality and puck management were all much better in our game today.”

Larkin went 8-3 in the faceoff circle and recorded two shots and a plus-2 rating in 16:39. Glendening had one shot and a plus-1 rating in 9:20 and went 4-3 in faceoffs.

Patrick Kane and Frank Vatrano each provided a goal and an assist while Chris Kreider scored the other goal for the U.S., when led 3-0 after one period and 5-0 after 40 minutes.

Hronek leads Czechs

Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek scored two goals and assisted on two others Saturday in the Czech Republic’s 7-2 victory over Norway. Hronek recorded a plus-4 rating and three shots on goal in 17:42. He has five points (two goals, three assists) in two games for the 2-0 Czech Republic.

Michigan Live LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144477 Edmonton Oilers in a makeshift league. The way her father, Peter McNamara, tells it, there was no coach – her mother, Margo, blew the whistle – and they used a tennis ball instead of a puck.

Protector, supporter, confidant: Connor McDavid’s mom, Kelly, is his off- “Kelly was pretty good, actually,” McNamara says. “But that was just one ice rock through good times and bad year and that was the end of that.”

It was just something to do close by. In truth, Kelly and Tracy were no By Daniel Nugent-Bowman May 12, 2019 hockey fans at all.

They groused whenever their father watched his beloved Canadiens on TV. They only had the one unit, so they’d leave the room to listen to NEWMARKET, Ont. – If there’s one place in Connor McDavid’s music, help their mother bake or build forts in a closet or in the living childhood home that still bears the aftereffects of the prodigious hockey room rather than see Guy Lafleur burst down the wing. player’s rise, it’s the two-car garage. The McNamaras were skiers and would sometimes go to Mont A young McDavid spent hours rollerblading around obstacle courses Tremblant. When Peter was transferred from his job at the Bank of there, especially during the summer months. His mom, Kelly, was always Montreal to the Toronto suburb of North York in 1975, the family began being prodded to act as his judge and timer when he was a boy. Holes making regular ski trips north to Snow Valley, near Barrie. Kelly loved from countless shots leave a once-sturdy wall a fractured mess. It’s the being outside and enjoyed the winter weather and hoped for the same place where McDavid touched up his skills to become the NHL’s most experiences when she had a family of her own someday. revered superstar. Yet it was hockey that led her to her husband. Tracy was dating a guy on Inside, however, there may be a place more impactful to his foundation a rec team and Brian McDavid was on the squad. Tracy introduced her as an athlete. older sister to Brian at a party in March 1987. Kelly was just 21 and was coming off the end of a long relationship. It wasn’t love at first sight with The family room floor isn’t usually an area worth noting, the pristine Brian, but they were cordial. And when Kelly needed a date to another furniture of present day making the hardwood undistinguished. It was event that weekend, she asked Brian to come along. Just as with the there that a mother and her young son had a conversation that shaped circumstances surrounding how they met, hockey continued to provide a how she understood him and how she would continue to do so in the backdrop to their blossoming love over the next two years. Their years ahead. Sundays were usually spent at the rink with Kelly watching her boyfriend McDavid was six years old and nearing the end of a season in which play and then joined in the post-game celebrations afterwards. She and most of his teammates were nine. Newmarket minor hockey barred Brian married in June 1989. players from joining a rep team until they were seven, so the young Brian and Kelly couldn’t have been on more opposite ends when it came McDavid spent the year in nearby Aurora. to hockey passion and knowledge. He played high school hockey at St. He didn’t like it. He was the best player on the team and everyone Michael’s College and was a big Bruins fan. expected him to score. The pressure wasn’t enjoyable for someone so “It took me years to understand it completely,” Kelly says of the sport. “It young. took me a long time to warm up to it.” It was January and Kelly and Connor came home after a Sunday game. Connor and his older brother, Cameron, both skied from ages three to She could tell he was upset. She sat him down on the floor. five. They had a blast. “What do you want? What is it that you want to get out of this “Connor would sing going down the hill,” McNamara says. experience?” Ultimately Brian’s passion rubbed off on his boys. And with games “I wanna play rep hockey.” scheduled for the weekends, Kelly was bound for dark, cold arenas “OK. Let’s look at this step by step.” instead of the sun-kissed slopes.

Kelly grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and drew a set of stairs. On “It was pretty fond memories looking back, but I definitely don’t think we each ledge were the dates of the games that were left, right up until the were meant to be a skiing family,” Connor says. “She’s now spent more end of the season in early March. At the top was the date of the rep hours in a rink than at the ski hill in her life. I don’t think she likes that, but tryouts in Newmarket in April. that’s the way it turned out.”

She walked into the kitchen, opened the lowest cupboard and taped the Parts of the McDavid home have been renovated since Connor lived drawing to the inside of the white panel door. there.

“After every game, you come in here and cross off the date and then His bedroom, once lined in hockey wallpaper, now features framed game you’ll see you’re getting one step closer to your goal,” she told him. sheets of his first NHL game and another of his first goal, an old photo with Sidney Crosby and a wall of plaques from his Erie Otters days. The apprehension McDavid had about his hockey experience started to melt away. Kelly had reached him. The walls adjacent to the staircase leading down to the basement are a collage of shots from the day the Oilers selected him in the NHL Draft. “That was when I realized he needs things broken down,” she says now. The now-finished basement is plastered full of Team Canada pictures from the 2015 world juniors and 2016 world championship, both of which When it comes to nuts and bolts about the sport, there’s no one Connor resulted in gold medals, Oilers action shots and minor hockey newspaper relies on more than his dad, Brian. They text after every game, the clippings and photos. conversation flowing until Connor is satisfied. Sometimes a phone call is warranted. Kelly stops to point out her favourite memento. It’s a picture of Connor, barely six, down on one knee, arms in the air to celebrate a goal at his For the big-picture stuff, however, Connor turns to Kelly. From dealing first tournament. That’s about the time she went from reluctant hockey with childhood frustrations to major disappointments today with the mom to being all in. Oilers, she’s always been the most important protector and supporter, goal-setting assistant and sounding board of hockey’s best player. “It’s just the look on his face. It’s just sheer joy. He’s so excited. It made him so happy,” Kelly says. “That’s the magic of it.” “I don’t think anyone knows me or understands me better than my mom,” Connor says. By that point, Connor was already firmly hooked on the game. He had been welcomed as an honorary member of Cameron’s AA team, despite Right around the same age her youngest son had his first hockey the nearly four-year age gap. He was permitted to be in the dressing dilemma, Kelly’s short-lived career in the sport was also at a crossroads. room while wearing a shirt and tie like Cameron sometimes wore to the OK, to call it a career is a bit of an exaggeration. rink. The other option was a tracksuit and hat, each inscribed with the Growing up in Montreal, Kelly was six or seven when she and her nickname Hurricane – given to Connor by Cameron’s coach. younger sister, Tracy, went to a local rink and spent weeks participating “He loved to hang out in the room and listen to the coaches talk and That’s all she needed to hear. She booked a flight for the next morning break down the game,” Cameron says. and landed in Edmonton at 10:30. Kelly expected Connor’s girlfriend, Lauren Kyle, to be her chauffeur. Instead, it was Connor at the wheel, Kelly encouraged Connor’s enthusiasm for hockey by making sure he waiting eagerly to greet her. attended Cameron’s games whenever possible. “I was so happy. I mean, certainly not happy that he wasn’t feeling well – Kelly was really beginning to understand Connor and what made him but happy that he needed me,” Kelly says. “That’s the first time in a long tick. She realized he was driven, a thinker and an introvert. time that he was like, ‘I need you.’ He felt so much better when I came.”

There was the need for a detailed plan, such as getting him to count They stopped off at a Chapters store to pick up some board games down the weeks to rep hockey. before heading back to his place. The three of them spent the day She learned his burning desire to be the best he could be and how unwinding. difficult it would be for him to accept anything less. A Grade 1 report card “My parents are always just a phone call away. I know that,” Connor was filled with all “excellent” marks except for two components, which says. “Especially here at the end of the season with my knee, we were were deemed “satisfactory.” It was Kelly’s job to quell the trying to figure everything out. We were on the phone and they were on a disappointment. flight the next morning. That’s the kind of people they are.”

She learned when he needed reassurance, like the time Connor called Connor is usually as fierce with dice in his hand as with skates on his her before a Grade 3 track meet to say he was sick and wasn’t going to feet. Cameron recalls childhood battles where he would be winning and compete. Kelly coaxed him to race. Kelly would plead with him to let Connor finish on top. If that didn’t “I used to have the worst nerves about performing as a kid. Back then it happen, Cameron says Connor wouldn’t play that particular game again. was pressure to me,” Connor says. “She knows me better than anyone, But on this day, the games merely served as something to occupy some that’s for sure. It’s funny to look back. I was just trying to lie my way out of the time in between more important conversations. of it. She saw right through me.” Connor was really down on himself as the season’s end neared. He Connor ended up overcoming his stage fright for good, but he never hates to lose and, as the captain, he felt responsible for the team’s plight. outgrew his superstitious nature. Her message to him: “You can’t play every position. It’s a team sport … Cameron recalls his brother’s unrelenting insistence to sit in the front You just need to do what you can do to make a difference.” seat beside their dad en route to games – regardless of who else was in The day provided another opportunity for Kelly to impart what she calls the car. Both brothers played for the York Simcoe Express, so there were “life lessons.” times when they’d leave for Connor’s 1 p.m. game and stay at the rink until 9 p.m. when Cameron’s team was finished. “These couple years are preparing you for great things,” she assured him. “You’ll appreciate those great years that much more when they do It wasn’t Kelly or Cameron riding shotgun. It was Connor, who also had finally come.” to listen to his playlist – highlighted by Jimi Hendrix’s version of ‘All Along The Watchtower.’ This approach is something she’s had many chances to master over the years. She recalls Connor about ready to go off the deep end after a “The first time she put up a huge stink,” Cameron says of his mom. “She couple losses in exhibition games in his rookie season in the OHL. She was kinda pissed off at first. But she just went with it ultimately. She put tried not to laugh, told him to take a deep breath and that everything up with a lot of weird stuff like that.” would be OK.

The only time Kelly could guarantee a seat up front was when she was The message is slowly starting to take hold — even if reluctantly. driving. Rides weren’t always family affairs. “She’s always talked about learning from everything in good times and Brian coached Connor before his midget days, usually leaving Kelly to bad times,” McDavid says. “Unfortunately, these days in Edmonton, drive Cameron southeast to Ajax for AAA practices and games. they’ve been a few years of bad times.

When Brian coached Cameron, the driving roles were reversed. But it “In time, when hopefully we get to play in the big games on the biggest was also Kelly who usually took Connor to Premier Elite Athletes’ stage, we’ll look back and it’ll make it so much sweeter. Everyone goes Collegiate when he joined the Downsview-area school in Grade 7. It was through this. Unfortunately, we’re doing it now. It sucks, but we’ll be closer to her work as a director of human resources at Miele, a high-end better for it in the end if we can figure it out.” appliance manufacturer. They would leave their Newmarket home at 7 a.m. and not return until 12 hours later – and that was if there was no McDavid wants to turn the Oilers around, just like he did for Erie. hockey game that night. Although he’s been irritated by the poor results with the Oilers, he’s The hours of drives with mom provided a source of comfort. committed to the team and the city. McDavid is in the final stages of having a new house built in Edmonton. “Looking back, they mean so much to me,” McDavid says. With Ken Holland in as the GM and a new coach coming, it’ll be Kelly’s The moments are rare when Kelly watches an NHL game and sees that job to get McDavid to stay calm and be patient during the tougher smile from her son, the one he flashed in her favourite picture all those stretches. years ago that’s hanging in the family basement. She wishes she could see that little boy in him more often. “He’d love to be able to win a championship there. That’s his goal,” she says. “He’s got a long time to win the Stanley Cup. I know him. (To him) Given where the Oilers have been in the standings over the last two It’s gotta be soon.” years – and three of the last four since her son was drafted – she understands why it’s not easy for him to be pleased. Kelly wants nothing more than to see her son happy and at his best. If there’s something that’s preventing that from happening, she’ll do what Kelly played a big part in helping Connor get through a trying 2018-19 she can to fix the problem. season – especially in a second half that culminated with a scary-looking knee injury when he went crashing into the post in the regular season Although Connor won the NHL’s scoring title in 2017-18 with 108 points, finale. he was sick for three months at the beginning of the season with three separate illnesses – culminating with strep throat. Not normally one to Frustration was mounting as the Oilers were sliding out of playoff ruffle feathers, Kelly saw how gaunt Connor looked when she saw him at contention in late February and Connor missed his second game of the a road game in Buffalo. Connor had lost 10 pounds. She told the season due to illness. That night, he was on the phone with his mom. organization her son’s health required immediate attention.

“If you want me to come to Edmonton, I can come and we can sort this “She’s a very protective mother,” Cameron says. out together.” McDavid says sometimes he’ll text his mom on an off-night during the “Can you come tomorrow?” season to ask what she’s doing. It’s not uncommon for her to respond that she’s watching a game. “She knows it’s our passion and she wants to be able to have something to talk about with us,” he says. “I think she studies hockey more to get along with us than she really cares about it.”

Every so often, Cameron says she’ll offer up little insights into what’s happening on the ice. The boys will call her Scotty, after famous former NHL coach Scotty Bowman.

Of course, her best skill isn’t coaching, but helping McDavid address an issue off the ice.

If something’s troubling him, Kelly feels like she needs 10 minutes to get to the root of the issue. She usually starts with a couple open-ended softball questions to get him talking. Then he’ll vent.

“My mom has learned to read my tone of voice and body language better than anyone,” McDavid says.

She’s always understood that, dating back to when Connor was trying to reach rep hockey.

The stakes are so much different now that McDavid is 22 and hockey’s most elite player, but Kelly is still providing guidance the only way she knows how.

Being there to talk her youngest son through a problem matters so much to her. As it turns out, the feeling couldn’t be more mutual.

“I cherish (those times) more than she probably knows,” McDavid says.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144478 Edmonton Oilers He turns 26 in December, and NHL teams – with good reason – have no problem typecasting AHL forwards that age as ‘tweeners’. This playoff run, attended in person this week by new GM Ken Holland, is the best Oilers goalie prospect Stuart Skinner stars as the Condors stay alive in chance Gambardella is going to have to convince the Oilers he can help the AHL playoffs them right now in a fourth line/end-of-roster role.

Holland would have seen Gambardella make the quick stick play in the neutral zone that sent Evan Bouchard and Patrick Russell away on a 2- By Jonathan Willis May 11, 2019 on-0 early in the second overtime, a sequence that resulted in the toughest save Glass made on the night.

Bouchard and Gambardella were, of course, also linked by that 1-0 goal. On Saturday, for the first time, Edmonton’s Bakersfield affiliate faced the possibility of its season coming to an end. A 2-1 double-overtime victory Much has already been made – again, with good reason – about over San Diego delayed that for at least another game, with the Condors Bouchard’s exceptional, NHL power-play-caliber shot. He’s no one-trick now trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. pony, though. He passes well, and he realizes there’s a time for a quick release and a hard low shot rather than a big windup. He took advantage The team found itself with little choice but to lean heavily on the reserves of a double screen provided by Brad Malone and Gambardella, both of in the win. Injuries to Cooper Marody and Kailer Yamamoto are old news, whom touched the puck on its way past Glass. but to those were added the loss of Ethan Bear and Luke Esposito. Playing a regular shift in double overtime, Gambardella returned the The biggest change was not injury related. favour, getting the puck to Bouchard in time for he and Russell to take off Shane Starrett, the rookie AHL No. 1 whose .918 regular-season save on a 2-on-0 rush with a mere half-step lead on the backchecking Gulls percentage ranked him second among goalies with 40-plus appearances, skaters. Bouchard waited and then calmly passed across to Russell, who did not get the start. After stepping in so brilliantly when Al Montoya was got a good shot on Glass but not past him. sidelined with vertigo, he ceded the net to 20-year-old Stuart Skinner. Bouchard, the No. 10 pick in the 2018 draft, has not been treated like a The results in net were everything coach Jay Woodcroft could possibly player on the cusp of NHL duty. The 19-year-old has been used have hoped. Skinner went save-for-save with 33-year-old veteran Jeff sparingly, though the injury to Bear meant that he was able to escape the Glass, who played 15 games for the Blackhawks last season, ultimately No. 7 defenceman slot for an evening. turning aside 45-of-46 shots he faced. His fellow teenaged teammate, Ryan McLeod, has bounced back and Skinner allowed one goal, a tic-tac-toe passing play featuring two seam forth between second and fourth lines. His speed and his defensive passes that he had virtually no chance of getting across to stop. conscience have made for a relatively seamless adaptation to the AHL Defenceman Keegan Lowe had taken a point shot with the Condors in playoffs, a promising development for a player whose junior scoring did the offensive zone; it was blocked high and during the 3-on-2 the other not develop as anticipated this year. way he couldn’t prevent the final, fatal cross-ice pass to Kevin Roy for the McLeod was out there with AHL veteran Josh Currie and Oilers prospect tap-in. Tyler Benson for the shift that would end in the winning goal. Also out It was the lone blemish on an otherwise perfect record. there were William Lagesson and Caleb Jones, the first- and second- year defencemen, respectively, who seemed to be on the ice for every Skinner, a third-round pick by the Oilers in the 2017 draft, already has a other shift after the end of regulation. formidable playoff reputation. He guided Lethbridge to the third round of the 2017 WHL playoffs with a .916 save percentage over 20 games. Last Benson, on the boards, found Currie with a pass to the slot. Currie, who season, he backstopped Swift Current to the league title with a .932 save has had a quiet postseason, picked an ideal moment to score his first of percentage over 26 games. the playoffs.

That Skinner graduated to the AHL at 19 in a year when the Oilers It was a shift that does a good job of nut-shelling the benefits of this AHL already had Starrett in the system and Dylan Wells making the jump from playoff run for the Oilers. junior was a sign of how bullish the team was on his potential. Lagesson, 23, is an AHL rookie with a decent shot of putting together a Skinner mostly had an unremarkable transition to pro hockey during the major-league career. Jones, 21 and in his second AHL season, should year. He barely played in the AHL during the season, with an .879 save be on the Oilers roster to start next season. The 21-year-old Benson and percentage over six games as Wells seized the backup job. Skinner’s 19-year-old McLeod are the two most important long-term forward .903 save percentage over 41 games with Wichita of the ECHL was nine prospects still in the Bakersfield lineup. points shy of Wells’ mark over 22. Each of those players gets to go toe-to-toe with a San Diego lineup With Bakersfield’s season on the line, though, Skinner delivered a nearly bursting with players who will be full-time NHL players next season. In perfect game. Now the series will shift back to San Diego for Game 6 on five games, these two teams have gone past regulation three times, Monday, and Woodcroft will have to decide whether to ride the hot hand playing quadruple-, single- and now double-overtime affairs. or go back to Starrett, who has carried the load all season. It’s exactly the kind of experience that steels the players involved for the Both Shane Starrett and Stuart Skinner are both quality prospects in a bright lights of the majors. surprisingly crowded Oilers’ goalie pipeline. (Sergei Belski / USA Today) Notes Whichever direction the coach goes, he’ll be providing high-stakes, pro- It’s worth reiterating that the players in the top matchups in this series are level playoff experience to a proper prospect. Starrett has pushed his going toe-to-toe with what is essentially NHL defensive talent. San Diego way into an NHL track with the season he’s had. Skinner is on it, too, iced three defencemen who played 25-plus NHL games this season, though a few years behind his 24-year-old teammate. including 2015 first-rounder Jacob Larsson, who appeared in 49 games. Everywhere one looked on the ice Saturday, they saw Oilers prospects The situation is similar up front, although the Gulls have taken as much benefiting from playing on a quality AHL team, and in some cases even of a beating as the Condors. Nevertheless, Kiefer Sherwood is practically benefitting from the lineup attrition the Condors have suffered. a full-time NHL player, 2016 and 2017 picks Sam Steel and Maxime Bakersfield’s lone goal of regulation was scored by 25-year-old Joe Comtois combined for 18 points in just 32 NHL games this season and Gambardella, who has tallied six times in nine playoff games. Although Ben Street also topped the 20-game mark in the majors. he is a responsible all-situations first-line winger for the Condors, he has Cameron Hebig got back into the lineup for Bakersfield in a fourth line just 121 games of pro experience. This is his first time playing at a role and had some good moments in overtime as the coaching staff professional postseason. looked for fresh legs. Hebig started the season with nine goals in 15 Gambardella got a 15-game major-league recall during the season. He games but has now scored just once in his past 43 regular- kills penalties, he forechecks aggressively, he skates effectively and with season/playoff contests (though he does have 11 assists). The 22-year- 29 goals in 50 AHL games he just might have enough scoring punch to old was signed as a junior free agent and could be an important player stick in the majors. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen quickly. on Bakersfield next season if he can rediscover his scoring touch. Simon Benoit, a QMJHL free agent the Ducks signed to an AHL contract in September, earned an entry-level deal with Anaheim in March. The 20- year-old has been a constant physical threat in the series. He threw a massive hit on Luke Esposito in Game 4 and on Saturday caught Tyler Benson cleanly along the boards early in the evening. Benson, of course, remained in the game and set up the overtime winner.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144479 Minnesota Wild Fenton’s problem is that he traded a talented player and a quality person for someone who does not seem to have any value. Perhaps injuries hampered Rask this season, but even at his best he is a slow player who Wild GM Paul Fenton's first year on job doesn't inspire confidence is not known for his defense and scored three goals in 49 games this season, a year after scoring 14 goals.

This was a disaster. And as in the Coyle deal, the former Wild player MAY 12, 2019 — 11:39PM thrived when surrounded by new teammates.

JIM SOUHAN You can justify calling any other major professional sports team in the Twin Cities — including Minnesota United — “promising.” Except for the

Wild. The Twins hired a management team that has invested heavily in Fenton prides himself on keeping secrets, and he has excelled at analytics and believes in collaboration. The Twins have the best record in obscuring from the public anything resembling a shrewd plan. baseball. Star Tribune LOADED: 05.13.2019 The Timberwolves fired the boss enamored of players unskilled at the three-pointer, hired a boss who believes in analytics and collaboration, and are likely to keep their like-minded young coach.

The Lynx believe in deep analytics and collaboration and have won four WNBA titles since 2011.

The Vikings have invested in organizational stability while deciding to try to win now, with a talented group of players in their prime. They have averaged 10 victories over the past four seasons.

The Wild is watching players it traded — Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter — play in the Eastern Conference final. The Wild recently fired key members of its analytics department and has yet to announce replacements.

The Wild’s new general manager is a proud old-schooler who likes “hockey trades” — simple, player-for-player deals in which he might have left value on the table. In Paul Fenton’s first season as GM, the Wild missed the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons and made a series of trades that range from awful to questionable.

The Twins, Wolves, Lynx and Vikings might not win big. Installing a modern-sounding plan doesn’t guarantee success. But it’s better than the alternative.

The Wild appears committed to the alternative.

The new GM forced mediocre players on coach Bruce Boudreau. Owner Craig Leipold insisted on keeping the coach, who would probably prefer to coach elsewhere. The general manager would probably prefer to have a coach of his own choosing in place.

Because Leipold and Boudreau are diplomatic, these working relationships are currently more odd than dysfunctional. Apply the pressure of another lousy season, and they could shift from the former to the latter.

Leipold hired Fenton last May, in part, because Fenton was a key decisionmaker for the Nashville Predators, who were known for making intelligent trades. Fenton’s first big moves have not inspired confidence that he was the man behind the Preds’ curtain.

In Nashville parlance, it looks like Fenton played rhythm guitar, not lead.

His trade of Coyle to the Bruins was the right kind of deal for a franchise that is trying to clear salary cap space and find young forwards who can score. Fenton acquired Ryan Donato and a fourth-round draft pick.

The question that must be asked about this deal is not whether Fenton got value — he will have done quite well if Donato becomes a reliable scorer — but why Coyle looks so much better surrounded by Bruins than by his Wild teammates. Does the Wild have trouble developing players?

Fenton’s trade of Mikael Granlund to Nashville for young, athletic forward Kevin Fiala sent up warning flares. “This was a hockey trade,” Fenton said at the time. “Both teams got better.”

Although he never developed into a reliable goal scorer, Granlund is a proven, quality, two-way player. Making a trade with his former franchise, Fenton should have benefited from insights to Fiala. In his first partial season with the Wild, Fiala was turnover-prone and erratic. Fenton should have gotten more for Granlund than just one prospect.

The deal that should have scared Wild fans the most was Niederreiter for Victor Rask, the center from Carolina. Niederreiter was a logical candidate to be traded. He had not justified his contract. 1144480 Minnesota Wild He went on an offseason trip to Nashville, got picked up at the airport by his mom and the usual, casual chitchat began.

How was your trip? Behind Sam Anas’ rise in hockey, there’s a special bond with one inspiring mom What did you guys do?

Did you have fun?

Michael Russo May 12, 2019 “And then, all of a sudden, she dropped the bomb on me,” Sam said as he took a sip of his iced coffee last week at a downtown Des Moines Starbucks. “She felt a lump, went in, got it checked out and it was … DES MOINES, Iowa — Any hockey fan from the District of Columbia, again, breast cancer. I was just shocked. Maryland and Virginia area knows Sam Anas is a great hockey player. “You’re thinking, ‘Why her? Why a third time?’ One time, OK. Twice Few from that neck of the woods have ever made it to professional seemed crazy. And now, a third time?” hockey, and the Potomac, Maryland, native is in his third season with the Sam Anas Iowa Wild. So anytime Peter Anas wears a Sam Anas jersey to a Washington Capitals game, inevitably, somebody comes up to ask if he’s A young Sam did plenty of damage to the family kitchen. (Courtesy the Sam Anas’ father. Anas family)

“Yes, indeed,” Dad says, smiling wide. The first time Deme Anas was diagnosed with cancer was in 1996 when Sam was three years old. Deme and Peter decided to keep it a secret Sam Anas is a kid that was a big-time scorer in high school and helped from young Sam and his five-year-old sister because Deme’s dad had Landon School win the state championship in 2011 by being the MVP of just died of lung, kidney and bone cancer. They didn’t want to scare their its undefeated season. This is a former Quinnipiac star with some of the children. most dazzling YouTube highlight videos around. Anas’ immense skill and creativity is a big reason why his freshman year he was named the “She’s suddenly frightened and worried she may die, but the only thing NCAA’s top collegiate rookie and ECAC and NCAA (New England) she thought about was being a mom and protecting her kids,” Sam said. Rookie of the Year. And it’s why he was an All-American his junior year “I think that’s pretty special.” for his ECAC championship team. “We just described it to the children in pretty simplistic terms, that But there are a lot of things Sam Anas fans out east and down in Iowa something was growing inside, and they’re going to cut it out, and give may not know about this always-smiling, 5-foot-8 winger who so badly Mommy medicine so it doesn’t come back,” Deme said. “And I wore a hopes to one day make it to the big show with the Minnesota Wild. wig so my kids would never see me bald.”

First, coming from a big Greek family, he’s one mean Greek dancer. Or, so she thought.

OK, he may not be as good as his sister, Georgia, who used to be in the A few years later, Deme was writing an obituary for a family friend that dance troupe at Saint George in Bethesda, Maryland, where she was passed away. The older woman had actually taken care of Deme when married in the same Greek Orthodox church her parents got married in she was going through chemo, and Deme wrote that in the obit. 32 years ago. Daughter Georgia read what her mom wrote and asked, “Mom, did you But mom and dad say Sam has been known to tear up the dance floor at have cancer?” family and friend weddings each and every summer. “Well, I mean I wasn’t going to lie at that point,” Deme said. “So, then we Sam and Deme Anas went and picked up Sam at a play date to go to this woman’s memorial. And of course, the minute Sam gets in the car, Georgia says, ‘Sam, did Sam and Deme Anas at the Iowa Wild’s “Pink in the Rink” ceremony last you know mom had cancer?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh great, we’re going to the winter. Deme is currently fighting breast cancer for a third time. “She’s funeral of a lady who died of cancer, and now I’m going to have to deal the ultimate mom,” Sam says. (Iowa Wild / YouTube) with this.’

Anas’ other growing talent is cooking — something that he gets from his “But he very calmly and quietly said, ‘Yes.’ And I said, ‘Sam, how did you beloved mother, Deme. know that?’ And he goes, ‘Well, it’s the only medicine where your hair “This is a recent development,” Mom says proudly. falls out.’ I almost drove off the side of the road, to be honest. At some point, between the age of three and four, he had seen me and kind of Sam’s favorite dishes are lamb chops, spinach pie and stifado, a Greek taken all those facts, and absorbed the situation, and had figured out beef stew. And of course, he loves his Greek pastries, like baklava and what it was, and never really said anything.” sugar cookies, although this only happens over the summer — and only rarely — because during the hockey season he barely ingests dairy or Sam Anas gluten. A mite-aged Sam, taking home some tournament hardware. (Courtesy “Our diet changes when he comes home,” Peter chuckles. “That’s a good the Anas family) thing for us. Sam really watches everything he eats.” This knowledge helped Sam handle it when the cancer returned in 2004.

In Des Moines, Anas lives with teammate Gerry Mayhew. This time, Sam was 11 and understood what was going on. But still, he “Most nights at home, I’ll cook for Gerry and I, and then he’ll clean the was a kid and was able to keep distracted by playing hockey and dishes,” Anas said of Mayhew, the AHL’s leading playoff goal scorer who hanging out with his friends. was awarded with a two-year contract by the Wild on Friday. “I guess you But now, at age 25, with his guard down because he had gotten so used can say we’re kind of like a married couple. to cancer being solely in his mom’s past, Sam was blindsided again, this “I definitely get the love of cooking from my mom.” time as an adult.

“We send each other recipes,” Deme said. “His best dish is probably He was scared to death that his mother would have to wage this battle on what we call, ‘Sammy’s Salmon,’ with teriyaki, which I know he made for this awful disease once more. It wasn’t fair, he thought. Gerry this week. We were cooking buddies last summer, that’s for sure.” But, in what turned out to be a blessing, Sam was home for the summer, Deme and Sam’s bond, though, goes a lot deeper than cooking. so he got to witness firsthand how strong, courageous and optimistic his mom was during this latest adversity. That time mother and son spent together last summer inside the family’s now-renovated kitchen — Sam wrecked the kitchen’s appliances as a kid That, in a large way, alleviated all of his fears. by shooting thousands of plastic mini pucks starting at 2 years old — was “No complaints, still working her job, going through chemo. She said she therapeutic for both. just wanted to complete the cancer hat trick,” Sam said, laughing at the It was around Memorial Day last summer, right before Sam turned 25. fact his mom, who didn’t exactly come from a hockey background, So, Sam has always seen the value of hard work, which is what made decided to turn the frightening situation into a hockey analogy. him soldier on and report to training camp ready to go last fall even though his mom was still very much in dire straits. “Yeah, she’s the ultimate mom.” “That was a tough time because she was still going through treatment, Sunday is Mother’s Day, and unfortunately, Sam won’t get to spend this and what was also tough is they were going back to their old ways where special day with his mom and dad. they’d kind of keep me in the dark,” Sam said. “They just, kind of, wanted His parents are in South Carolina attending a cousin’s graduation, and me to focus on hockey.” Sam’s in Chicago, where the Baby Wild face a must-win situation Sam leaned on his sister for honest updates. Georgia graduated from Monday night if they want to extend their season. Iowa trails its best-of- Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where she played soccer. She’s seven second-round playoff series against the Wolves three games to about to get her master’s from the George Washington School of two. Business in Washington, D.C.

But when the season ends, you can bet the close-knit Greek family will “My sister would give me all the details and fill me in,” Sam said. “It was throw one heck of a bash back at their Maryland home, which they hard.” moved into when Sam was 2 months old. Sam Anas Sam jokes his family is a lot like the movie, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” — “only without the Parthenon-themed backyard,” he says. But his sister Sam is still plugging away at his goal of making the NHL. He had 14 does know every line to the movie, and yes, they do have relatives who goals and 24 assists this season for a very deep Iowa team that faces a spit on the happy couple at Greek weddings. must-win game Monday in Chicago. (Shane Abbitt/ Iowa Wild)

“But I don’t know anybody that does the Windex thing on pimples and “And the other thing is, he’s a thousand miles away, right?” Peter Anas poison ivy,” Deme said, giggling. said. “And, well, I don’t want to say we didn’t tell him everything, but we didn’t tell him everything, you know? The Anas family “Like, ‘How’s mum doing today? Oh yeah, she’s going good.’ In a job At a family wedding: Sam, Georgia’s husband Matthew, Georgia, Deme where performance is based on confidence, and everything mental, we and Peter. (Courtesy the Anas family) just couldn’t take that chance, to fill him in on a daily basis.”

Both of Sam’s grandfathers were born in Greece, his parents speak Deme was going through some serious complications and would need to Greek fluently. undergo two operations, one that lasted more than nine hours. The Sam has a lot to celebrate now that mom is once again feeling healthy. second one in early December just so happened to be the day Sam was scheduled to undergo his first surgery in his life for a broken hand. “Last year was very hard on all of us, but especially my mom,” Anas said, shaking his head, during his sit-down with The Athletic. “But what was Unfortunately, needing to be by Deme’s side, Peter couldn’t fly to Iowa to good, my mom and I were able to spend a lot of time together, and not take care of his son. Sam would actually have to take an Uber to the even necessarily doing that much, just kind of hanging out.” hospital. Mayhew picked him up after his procedure.

Deme, a 34-year federal prosecutor, would get chemotherapy every The good news is the Iowa Wild allowed Sam to go home and visit his three weeks. The first 10 days or so pretty much wiped her out, so during mom after his surgery, “which was great,” Sam said, “in that we were just those days, Sam would rush home from skating and his offseason couch potatoes together, and just hanging out, doing nothing, which is, workouts to hang out with her on the couch. kind of, a good mental reset and just nice to be around her.”

“We did a lot of cooking together, in the kitchen, and spent a lot of time It’s been a tough year for Sam. together,” Sam said. “I went with her to a few doctors’ appointments and Last season, he set an Iowa record with 26 goals and was their highest- just kind of sat in with her. The treatment times were kind of tough and scoring even-strength player. This season, with all that was going on she would like to be a little more alone those times. But it was good that I behind the scenes, it was tough to concentrate. He won’t use his mom’s was home.” illness as an excuse, but he got off to a slow start under new coach Tim During all of Deme’s bouts with cancer, Deme continued to be the Army, then broke his hand at the time the season was defining itself. He compulsive worker that she has always been. missed 15 games and suddenly returned as a fourth-line player and power-play specialist. Since 1985, Deme has worked in the investigatory and prosecutory office of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The federal agency He finished with 14 goals and 38 points in 60 games for a very deep Iowa investigates violations with gas, oil and hydro-electricity companies. team and has looked good throughout the playoffs.

She started as a line attorney, then became a branch chief and recently Mayhew said Sam tried to hide it, but it was obvious to him how down in took on a role as Senior Enforcement Counsel. the dumps Sam was earlier this season.

“The industry changes constantly, so it continues to remain challenging “I can’t imagine how it’d feel,” said Mayhew, who broke Anas’ franchise with new issues, and new types of markets arising every day or week or record this season with 27 goals. “So, I’d just try to be positive around month or year,” Deme said. “When people manipulate the markets, they him, pat him on the back, joke around a little more. He’s one of the best come up with new strategies, and you’ve got to figure it out. Like, if you guys I’ve ever met.” saw my kitchen table right now, I’ve been home from work an hour, and In an emotional scene this past winter, Deme flew to Des Moines to drop I’m already back at it.” the puck for Iowa’s “Pink in the Rink” ceremony. More than a dozen Ever hear of the Enron corruption and fraud scandal in the early-2000s? family members and friends flew to Iowa for the honor, including Sam’s college roommates, one who lives in Minnesota, the other in New York. Sam kinda, sorta did as a kid. He knew his mom oversaw parts of the case but didn’t really know what that meant. “Even my best friend’s dad flew in, so we had quite the crew,” Sam said. “And then, just to be on the ice with her, in such a serious moment, “And then recently, I was watching a documentary on Netflix about the before a game, when it’s supposed to be all business, and presenting her 2000s, and it mentioned Enron,” Sam said. “There’s, like, a 10- or 15- with a jersey and she dropping the puck, it’s just amazing that the minute part about it. I was like, Geez, that’s so much bigger than I organization would let us do that. And it’s such a special moment for us. I thought. I started to think back to the times she had cancer and not ever think it was good I wasn’t in the starting lineup. realizing, at the time, how severe her job was and how much time she put into that, and just never complained once. She’s just such a hard “It was nice to, kind of, take a minute and refocus, on the bench after. It worker.” was just so special and something that we’ll never forget.”

Sam’s dad, a former college goalie from Canada who had coached Sam Added Deme, “It was very exhausting. I dropped the puck two years ago starting at 5 years old, owns a small marketing and management as well, and I have to say, it was much harder to keep those tears under company. control this time than it was two years ago.” Today, Deme doesn’t want to go as far as to say she’s in remission again.

“They removed all the cancer, and I’ve done a lot of aggressive treatment,” she said. “And then two surgeries, and then I did radiation this winter, where I would do radiation every day for basically six weeks, right now I have no sign of cancer. So we finished all that, and we just take it one day at a time. The doctors will continue to monitor me rigorously.”

There’s little doubt how proud Sam’s parents are of all his achievements, from high school to college to the pros.

He grew up playing in what the family called the Basement Hockey League.

“Many people who have visited our home have played in the BHL,” Peter said. “And even friends of our daughter Georgia would put on goalie pads and play against Sam. So, everyone — aunts and uncles and friends — everyone has played against Sam in the BHL.”

“It’s taken lots of thick coats of paint to fix what Sam did to our basement,” Deme said, laughing.

Sam’s freshman year of high school, he was so small, he was cut from not only the varsity team at Landon School, but also his Triple-A Bantam team. Dad understood the decision not to let his son play varsity, but he was not happy about the other decision.

Sam Anas

A day in the Basement Hockey League with Georgia, Peter and Sam. (Courtesy the Anas family)

“The coach just said, you know we’re afraid for him, he’s so small and he’s skilled, but he’s just going to get wrecked out there next year with all these big guys,” Peter said. “Sam was devastated, and I thought the coach was way out of line in his assessment, but I’m a dad, and I just accepted it, and none of the other fathers could grasp what that coach said, they were in shock.

“And I can imagine what Sam was feeling, but he channeled that energy.”

Sam played junior varsity hockey and absolutely lit it up.

“It was the best thing for him because he still played against guys four to five years older, and 70 pounds more, but they weren’t as fast and knowledgeable,” Peter said. “And he learned. He learned how to survive against the big guys. They would target him from the first puck drop. They dropped the puck and cross-check him right in the face. And we’d talk, and I’d say, ‘That’s the way it’s going to be, so figure it out.’

“And that was the year he learned how to survive being a little guy. He’s not little now, but he’s small. But at that time he was little.”

Sam made the varsity team his sophomore, junior and senior years, and his legend began to grow in what’s called the DMV area.

From afar, the Anases are proud of their son but would love to see him one day get an opportunity to play in the NHL.

Sam, avid on social media, sees the tweets from clamoring Minnesota Wild fans and is humbled by the mentions.

“I think anyone down here will say that they’ll do whatever they can to make the NHL,” Sam said. “People always say, ‘Trust the process,’ and this and that. But, deep down, it’s your life-long dream to make the NHL and I’ve worked hard, and I hope one day I can get the chance and keep doing what I can do and get a chance to prove I can do it up there.”

In the meantime, Sam’s focus will be on Monday night’s Iowa Wild game.

Win, or go home, is the only option.

Sure, he’s bummed he can’t be with his mother on her special day, but being the ultimate hockey mom, Deme Anas absolutely gets it.

“We will defer celebrating Mother’s Day until maybe Father’s Day,” Deme said, laughing. “As I told him, ‘You just need to get a win.’”

If so, it’ll be ‘Like mother, like son.’

The Athletic LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144481 Minnesota Wild Colbie (5), and sons Jayce (2) and Meyer (3 months) to the bunch. “It was something we didn’t plan to happen, but it happened. I finished up my degree and he played in Spokane for 2 1/2 more years before we A tribute to Wild moms: On raising an NHL family and life beyond hockey were able to live together.

“We would Skype or go see Jared when he played in Edmonton, and I had the help of my parents and his parents, but it was hard those few By Jessi Pierce May 12, 2019 years for sure.”

Jared credits Danielle for her ability to persevere through it all.

It’s the day before Mother’s Day and, fittingly, there’s another Minnesota “She was doing so much with me not being there and her being Wild baby on the way. responsible and finishing school at the same time, it was really amazing to witness,” he said. “She never made me feel guilty about being away, At a Twin Cities-area hospital Saturday, a certain member of the Wild and she was really supportive in letting me chase my dream at the same organization beamed as he and his wife — who had just been induced — time. When you can do that by yourself at such a young age and finish looked forward to the birth of their latest child. your university degree, it speaks volumes about how strong of a person This author was there too because, fittingly, shortly after finishing up this you are and how great of a mom she is.” very story on Wild moms earlier in the day, I also needed to get to the The Spurgeon family hospital for the delivery of my own child. Jared and Danielle Spurgeon, with their four kids: Colbie, Jayce, Meyer So there I was, interviewing Nate Prosser in the hospital hallway. Don’t and Zach. (Courtesy the Spurgeon family) worry, Iowa Wild fans, he plans to be back with the team for Monday’s Game 6 in their best-of-seven first-round series against the Chicago Danielle and the rest of the moms have learned and adapted to operating Wolves. their households without the 24/7 help of dad. It’s a scene familiar to any parent: Large over-sized calendars filled to the brim with everything from It was a chance encounter, but it shouldn’t be all that surprising to bump music and art classes to hockey and gymnastics fill their kitchens. into someone from the Wild in the maternity ward in what’s been a busy Organization, they all insist, is the key to making the entire ship run stretch of babies in the Wild family. Everyone from Jason Zucker to Zach efficiently. Parise to Devan Dubnyk to Jared Spurgeon to Marcus Foligno and more have welcomed new additions in the past two years as the club’s total “We basically call it survival mode during the season,” explained Jenn number of little ones has shot up to 39. Dubnyk, mom to boys Nate (5), Parker (3) and Dawson (1). “It’s a lot of running them to activities, feeding them, keeping them busy. It’s fun, but So in honor of Mother’s Day, The Athletic caught up with four Wild at the end of the day, you’re so tired.” mothers — Natascia Foligno (mom of one), Tanya Staal (mom of three), Jenn Dubnyk (mom of three) and Danielle Spurgeon (mom of four) — “I’ve never been a planner,” added Danielle. “I am a very last-minute, and their hockey-playing husbands about being a mom in an NHL family. procrastinating type of person, so being as organized as I have to be is really throwing me for a loop. I have a planner, I get ready well before I “It’s a true testament of the person she is. She does a lot. She takes care know I need to be out of the house, all of that. It’s the only way you will of everything. When you come back home from the rink, everything’s make it work.” taken care of. I owe a lot to her for the success in my career, and she’s been a big part of it. Just seeing her as a mom for this first year, it’s “You have such an appreciation for her. When we’re home, we all try to pretty special. It’s been great. I would be pretty much lost if I didn’t have help out as much as possible, but I think when you see what they have to her.” — Marcus Foligno, on Natascia go through and how often we are gone, I think you can realize that they deserve all the credit they get. They hold the house down and they make Making it work in-season it easy on us, and they definitely make the kids’ life easy. When we’re Natascia Foligno eyed the 2018 Stanley Cup playoff calendar with more home, you add another kid to the group because we have to have our anxiety than even the most devoted Wild fan. naps on game days and all that stuff, so she’s keeping them quiet and running them around and you’re a 30-year-old taking a nap in the middle She and her husband, Marcus, were expecting their first child right in the of the day. She’s a great mom and I couldn’t be prouder of her.” — Jared middle of the first round. Depending on how the schedule fell, it could’ve Spurgeon, on Danielle presented a major dilemma. But their little one hadn’t yet arrived when the Wild ultimately succumbed to the Winnipeg Jets, 5-0, in Game 5 on Dealing with a trade April 20, ending their season. As every professional hockey family knows, trades come with the Baby Foligno must’ve taken it as a cue. territory. Former Wild forward Mikael Granlund found out how hard that can be earlier this season with his trade to the Predators coming the day Natascia’s water broke at 5 a.m. on April 21, just a little more than one before his first child was born. hour after dad arrived home from Winnipeg after the team charter was delayed with technical difficulties. Their daughter, Olivia, was born six When Devan Dubnyk was traded from Edmonton for a brief two-game hours later. stint in Nashville in 2014, he had a two-bedroom condo, big enough for Jenn and Nate, who was five months old at the time, to join him. “It’s as if she knew, ‘Oh, dad’s home now and hockey is done,” Natascia said with a laugh. “The timing of it was just funny, you couldn’t even But neither Devan or Jenn accounted for the railroad track next to Nate’s make it up.” room, making an already difficult newborn sleeping schedule tougher.

The Folignos “He lived in the master bathroom,” Devan said with a chuckle. “This train would roll by at 5 a.m. every day and blow its horn and wake him up so Natascia, Marcus and Olivia Foligno. (Courtesy the Foligno family) we had to move him, and he spent a good month in our bathroom, tucked away where it was dark and he could sleep. It was tough.” With the birth, the Folignos became part of the parents’ club in the Wild locker room that’s seen so many new children added in recent years. The Dubnyk family While Marcus and Natascia are newcomers, the Spurgeons have had plenty of experience enduring the challenges brought on by a burgeoning Devan and Jenn Dubnyk, with their three boys: Nate, Parker and hockey career. Dawson. (Courtesy the Dubnyk family)

At 19, Danielle Spurgeon and husband Jared welcomed their first son, But Devan said even the constant moving of that season — which Zach (now 9). With Jared playing junior hockey in Spokane, Washington, included Jenn and Nate heading back to Edmonton once Devan was and Danielle finishing up her degree in education in their hometown of traded to Montreal and subsequently sent down to Hamilton — didn’t Edmonton, Alberta, their already long-distance relationship became long- compare to making the call to Jenn in 2015 to let her know he was traded distance parenting, too. from Arizona to Minnesota.

“We were together for 3 1/2 years and then we had Zach, which threw a “That was a pretty tough call to make to her,” he said. “From a hockey wrench in things,” recalled Danielle, who has since added daughter perspective, it was exciting, but we had settled into Arizona and to have to make that call to her and tell her we were doing it all over again, that was hard. I had to pack up and leave the same day while she had to get everything else together. She’s been through it all with me, and I love her more for it.”

“It’s definitely not easy,” Jenn added. “It’s obviously stressful. That being said, at the end of the day, you have your boys at home, so there’s not much time to dwell on that stuff. You do what’s best for your family and you know that’s a part of it, so you figure it out.”

Tanya Staal and her husband Eric had firm roots planted in Carolina, spending 12 years with the Hurricanes before getting shipped to the New York Rangers at the 2015-16 trade deadline. Eric signed with Minnesota as a free agent that summer and this February inked a two-year contract to stay — despite the trade rumors that heavily swirled about moving the centerman.

“It brings up anxiety, and it’s probably because we love it here and feel so settled,” said Tanya, mom to sons Parker (9), Levi (7) and Finley (4). “I look at it from the kids’ point of view, and I think of them and how it would be for them. At the end of the day, we know it’s the job and we would make it work. As long as we’re together, everything would be fine, but it’s never fun to go.”

“It’s hard to even put into words how much she does. If anyone knows anything about professional sports, especially hockey, the schedule we’re given throughout the year makes us pretty non-existent. She has to plan for me not being around, and if I am it’s just a bonus. She holds everything together. That’s the reality of it. She’s definitely our rock in our family and for me to do what I do, I am very grateful to have found someone like her.” — Eric Staal, on Tanya

Beyond motherhood

There’s more to these women than just being mom — a full-time job in itself. Danielle volunteers at Secondhand Hounds — a nonprofit animal rescue center in Minnesota — and plans to invest more time in that as her kids get older.

Tanya puts her education degree to use, helping out at the boys’ schools. Natascia enjoys cooking — “It’s the Italian in me” — and hopes to reverse the working/parent role when Marcus’ playing career is over, looking to utilize her business degree someday down the road.

The Staal family

Eric and Tanya Staal, with their three boys: Levi, Finley and Parker. (Courtesy the Staal family)

Jenn, who is currently in school taking a nutrition course, majored in marketing and was working for Loreal before moving to the U.S. and would eventually like to also look at reigniting that career once Devan retires.

Having such a large family presence on the teams lends itself to a great support group as well. Home game nights give moms a chance to get out of the house and the kids a chance to play together with their mini -ticks in the family room and around the locker room.

“This life can get stressful and crazy,” said Natascia. “I’m lucky to live it, but it’s definitely hard, too. The season gets long and I think that’s where I’ve learned it’s important to take time for yourself. That’s going to make you a better mom and can help get through those long road stretches when you’re alone. Anyone filling that double parent role can understand that.”

“We are all just normal moms who deal with the same mom challenges everyone else deals with,” added Tanya. “It’s not even as glamorous as everyone thinks. It’s just us being moms and getting to watch out husbands live out their dreams, which is amazing and exciting to be a part of too. At the end of the day, we’re the same as everyone else, and doing what is best for our families. We know this life is short-lived and we just try to enjoy it while it lasts.”

“She is just always in straight mom mode. She supports me and is following the hockey and caring about it and what not, but to see her with the kids and having her 24/7 just focused on their health and making sure they’re at their programs, it’s amazing. I spend a day at home with all three of them and it’s complete madness, just the ages they’re at and all the things they’re doing. And to know that she does this every single day, it’s pretty amazing to see her do it.” — Devan Dubnyk, on Jenn

The Athletic LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144482 Montreal Canadiens A handful of teams get multiple turns through the revolving door; many more make one appearance and vanish or never get there at all. But it’s about catching the wave, not five-year plans.

Jack Todd: Howling Habs mob can learn a lesson or two from new You say you’re going to build a dynasty? Good luck with that. The NHL is Edmonton GM no longer a league where you can succeed by making your calculations on Sam Pollock’s napkin at the lunch table. It’s a complex, billion-dollar business that requires patience and organization to master. JACK TODD,Updated: May 12, 2019 When you fire a general manager today, you aren’t simply running one man out of town — you’re dismantling everything he has put together. The front-office staff, the scouting staff, the entire team culture. You are Like most people who have had even a passing acquaintance with the essentially ripping it all apart and starting over from square one. Do it National Hockey League and the folks who run it during the past couple often enough and you become the Ottawa Senators or the Edmonton of decades, I have enormous respect for Ken Holland. Oilers, organizations in desperate need of stability from the top down. Calm, soft-spoken, humble, the architect of three Stanley Cup winners in “No GM,” Ken Holland pointed out in Edmonton, “spends 22 years on the Detroit, Holland is the template for the ideal NHL GM. So when he was job (as Holland did in Detroit) without making mistakes. It simply doesn’t named last week to put out the tire fire in Edmonton, I tuned in to see happen.” what he had to say. During the late 1990s and the early part of this century, I saw the results The message was as simple and direct as Holland himself: “My job is to of the revolving-door approach to the Canadiens’ top jobs firsthand. It provide stability,” Holland said and then he said it again: “My job is to was catastrophic. Firings might scratch some childish itch in the fan provide stability.” base, but they rarely pay off. Note that he did not say “my job is to make a brilliant trade for a quick The job is to provide stability. If you don’t believe me, ask Ken Holland. fix,” or “my job is to draft another Pavel Datsyuk.” In fact, he specifically said that no GM is going to make one brilliant trade to put a struggling Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.13.2019 franchise on the right track.

All in all, Holland must have mentioned stability at least a dozen times during his meeting with the press. Finding the right people, putting them in place and letting them do their jobs in a stable setting — the keys to success.

I wondered, listening to Holland, whether any members of the mob that is still howling for the scalp of Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin happened to tune in to see what Holland had to say. If they did, they would probably close their ears, anyway.

Waaaah! You traded P.K. Subban, you bad man! I’m gonna throw my cereal all over the wall!”

The trend is everywhere in the sports world now and perhaps in our daily life in the 21st century: a childish, I-want-it-now petulance in all things, a refusal to grow up and face existence as it is. “Waaaah! I want a Stanley Cup and I want it now!” “Waaaah! You traded P.K. Subban, you bad man! I’m gonna throw my cereal all over the wall!”

There is a refusal to be patient, a refusal to acknowledge that a salary- cap league that is soon to grow to 32 teams bears no resemblance to your grandfather’s Original Six or your father’s 18-team league that the Canadiens dominated in the late 1970s. It’s far easier to throw a tantrum and demand a new coach every other season and a new GM every third year. Easier, but childish.

TSN’s Dave Poulin, who is rapidly developing into one of the most perceptive analysts in hockey, weighed in following the Holland hiring with an observation that had escaped my attention: In the 21st century NHL, Poulin pointed out, the old five-year linear model simply doesn’t work — you aren’t at one level in year one, another in year two and so on.

Instead, what we have is a catch-the-wave reality created by a dozen factors, beginning with free agency and the salary cap. You put a stable organization in place and build so that you are ready to capitalize during that season or two when everything breaks the right way — as the Carolina Hurricanes did this season.

The Hurricanes rode the wave all the way to the Eastern Conference final and they aren’t done yet. The St. Louis Blues rode a hot rookie goaltender in much the same fashion and the Columbus Blue Jackets went all in but fell short. The unpredictable rise of such teams (think of the Golden Knights last year) is no longer an anomaly — it’s a trend.

Look at the conference finalists during the past five seasons. In 2015, the defending champion Los Angeles Kings didn’t make the playoffs. Instead, the Ducks met Chicago in the west, Tampa Bay ousted the Rangers in the east and the Blackhawks won the Cup. In 2016, it was Pittsburgh, Tampa, San Jose and St. Louis; in 2017, Anaheim, Nashville, Pittsburgh and (yes!) Ottawa; in 2018, Winnipeg, Las Vegas, Tampa Bay and Washington. This spring it’s the Blues, Sharks, Bruins and Hurricanes. 1144483 Nashville Predators bookies or wagering with offshore sportsbooks. Better to harness that activity and direct tax revenue to Tennessee schools, he said. Henry thinks sitting on the sideline while other states legalize sports betting What legal online sports betting in Tennessee means for college and pro would be a missed opportunity. teams “When something happens and there’s a new movement — whether that’s gambling or legalizing other things — while it may not pay off to be the very first to do something, because everyone is learning from your Blake Toppmeyer, Knoxville News Sentinel Published 10:34 p.m. ET May mistakes, it definitely pays not to be one of the last,” Havard said. 12, 2019 | Updated 10:40 p.m. ET May 12, 2019 NBA Commissioner Adam Silver supported the Supreme Court’s decision last May to nix the federal law restricting full-fledged sports betting to Nevada. Tennessee Titans center Ben Jones figures that sometime next season, teammate Ryan Succop will make fans some money. He’ll convert a field “When done appropriately, (sports betting is) a very acceptable form of goal that will result in a gambler winning a wager. engagement for American sports fans and consumers,” Silver said.

Succop doesn’t know about all that, but he expects legal online sports REXRODE: Sports betting in Tennessee — gee, what could go wrong? betting in Tennessee to ratchet up interest in football. The NBA and Major League Baseball unsuccessfully pushed last year to It’s one thing to root for your favorite team to win. It’s an altogether receive 1% of the total amount legally wagered on their games as an different experience to have money on the line. “integrity fee.” Such a fee is not included in the Tennessee legislation. Even without an integrity fee, leagues and teams can benefit. “I’m sure we’ll probably have more people watching games,” Succop said. “Anything that draws more attention to what we’re doing is a positive outcome,” Henry said. Sports teams and colleges across the state are preparing for the change with mixed emotions. Some welcome legal gambling in Tennessee as a In-game proposition bets will be prohibited during college games. Such way to regulate and monetize a practice that was already occurring, bets will be allowed during professional games. Tennessee’s legislation whether through an illegal bookie, at a casino in another state or via the will require gambling operators to judge those bets by using official internet to an offshore, online sportsbook. Others are wary of what it will league data, which leagues can monetize. (An example of an in-game mean to protecting the integrity of games. prop bet would be wagering on whether Grizzlies guard Mike Conley will make over or under 2½ 3-pointers during a game.) What changed? Other revenue streams exist, too. MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS have signed Gov. Bill Lee plans to allow a Tennessee sports betting bill to become sponsorships with MGM, which counts casinos among its holdings. The law without his signature. Both houses of the Tennessee legislature NFL has a sponsorship with Caesars. passed a bill last month permitting online sports betting, beginning July 1. “It’s not about revenue for us; it’s about growing our audience,” said MLS Bets will be placed online only and not at physical locations. Tennessee Commissioner Don Garber, whose league will include a Nashville does not have casinos. franchise beginning with the 2020 season. “Our sole focus is growing our Sports betting operators will pay a $50,000 application fee, plus a audience, growing our relevance in our local markets.” $750,000 annual licensing fee. Licensed operators will be able to accept Preserving games’ integrity bets from people 21 and older via internet websites or phone apps. Technology will limit wagers to those physically within the state. Titans CEO Steve Underwood’s top concern is what more widespread, legalized gambling means for the integrity of NFL games. “The fact that it would be online only or mobile only would be further attractive to especially the younger consumer, because everyone is on “What can we do to make sure that we protect public confidence in our their phone now anyway,” said Cody Havard, an associate professor of game and make sure that only official data is used to determine the sport commerce at the University of Memphis. outcome of bets?” Underwood said.

“I understand the appeal of walking into a casino or walking into a University officials wonder whether legal sports betting will create a need (sportsbook) to place a bet, but I don’t know if that is as important to for more oversight from individual institutions. younger consumers.” “All of us would have to beef up our compliance departments,” Middle The path to legal sports betting in Tennessee dates to May 2018, when Tennessee athletic director Chris Massaro said. the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling killing a federal law that had limited full-scale sports betting to Nevada for 25 years. A few other states Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer said in a statement that UT is had more restricted sports betting. working with its Office of Government Relations “to gain a thorough understanding” of how legal sports betting will affect UT athletics. The high court’s ruling allowed states to legalize sports betting at their discretion. “As we learn more, we’ll be deliberate about properly educating student- athletes and staff to ensure compliance,” Fulmer said. Tennessee will collect a 20% tax of a sports betting operator’s adjusted gross income. That tax revenue is projected to bring in an estimated $50 Vanderbilt’s athletic department said in a statement that sports betting is million annually, which will be set aside for education, infrastructure covered as part of compliance education with athletes, coaches and projects and gambling addiction treatment. department staff. Legal sports wagering heightens the importance of that education. Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Mississippi, New Mexico and Nevada have legal single-game sports Massaro would welcome the state helping educate universities about the betting up and running. Indiana and Washington, D.C., joined the ranks legislation and its oversight. last week. Tennessee, Montana, New York, Arkansas and Oregon are on “What we don't want is to have some kind of gambling or fixing scandal deck. at one of our universities,” Massaro said. “I think that would be very What Grizzlies, Predators are saying damaging.”

The Memphis Grizzlies organization welcomes state-approved legal When it comes to the integrity of the game, there are multiple levels of sports betting as a “new opportunity for economic growth and fan concern. Most obvious is the risk of a player taking bribes to manipulate engagement.” the outcome of a game or point shave. A perhaps more concerning integrity threat pertains to information: Players, coaches, team personnel, Nashville Predators' president Sean Henry spent time with the fans trainers, doctors and others associated with teams possess inside outside of Bridgestone Arena prior to Game 1. information about player availability, strategies and the like — intel that’s valuable to the gambling sector. Nashville Predators CEO Sean Henry supports the move, too. For one, he said, some sports fans have been making illegal sports bets via The NCAA is considering a mandated availability report, which would ward off gamblers’ need to obtain that information through backchannels. The NFL requires teams to provide an injury report.

Sports betting remains banned within the NCAA for athletes, coaches, athletic department staffers, conference staffers and non-athletic department employees who have responsibilities pertaining to athletics, such as school chancellors or presidents.

Professional leagues also have rules to protect the integrity of games and prohibit athletes, coaches and league personnel from betting on games within their league.

Out of the darkness, so now what?

Some Tennessee residents are established sports bettors, having placed illegal bets with bookies or wagered online with offshore-based sportsbooks, like Bovada.

Those established gamblers might stay with their bookies or offshore sportsbooks due to familiarity or brand loyalty. Bookies can provide discounted juice (the house’s commission) and the possibility of tax-free earnings. Bookies also generally offer a bet-now, pay-later system.

State-approved gambling options, however, will allow bettors to wager comfortably within the law and enjoy state protections. It also will add visibility to sports betting.

According to a study by the National Research Group, legalized sports betting could lead potential gamblers watching more sports live on TV. Statesman Journal

It’s the equivalent of moving the milk from the back corner of the supermarket to right inside the front door. Put differently, sports betting is moving out of the darkness and into the light.

Havard expects that will result in more people being comfortable discussing sports betting and their gambling habits.

More visibility and dialogue, plus the security of a state-backed system, will result in more money being wagered, and from a broader audience.

And, as Succop forecasted, it’s another way to bring eyeballs to games.

“There are going to be people that are the more casual fans or observers that this will be something that will attract them to consume the games,” Havard said.

“The people who are interested in doing things like fantasy sports and all of that, now there’s something else they can do on their phones or on their tablets that will allow them to engage with the product.”

The USA TODAY NETWORK’s Tommy Deas, Erik Bacharach, Paul Skrbina, Joe Spears, Mike Wilson, David Cobb and Adam Sparks contributed to this story.

Tennessean LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144484 Nashville Predators

Sports betting for dummies: How to bet the spread, moneyline and over/under

Blake Toppmeyer, Knoxville News Sentinel Published 10:35 p.m. ET May 12, 2019 | Updated 10:39 p.m. ET May 12, 2019

Sports betting includes a variety of ways to wager money, including more exotic bets like parlays and propositions.

At the most basic level, though, are spread bets, moneyline bets and over/under bets. Those are bets based on those little numbers you see on sports agate pages.

Here's how those bets work.

Spread bets

Spread bets are based on the point spread set by sportsbooks. Let's take Tennessee's football game against Alabama last season, for example.

Alabama was listed as a 29.5-point favorite. If you looked at a betting line, this might appear as -29.5 next to Alabama. Basically, that means Alabama begins the game with negative-29.5 points on the scoreboard, for the purposes of the spread bet.

If you bet on Alabama, the Crimson Tide would have to beat Tennessee by at least 30 points for you to win the wager. If you bet on Tennessee, you would win the wager as long as the Vols lost by 29 points or fewer.

Alabama beat the Vols 58-21, meaning the Crimson Tide covered the spread, and bettors who wagered spread bets on Alabama won money.

Be advised: A $10 wager won't equal a $10 profit. The house takes a cut, known as the juice or vig. Typically, you'll need to wager $11 for the chance to profit $10.

Moneyline bets

But what if you don't want to worry about the final score? You just want to bet on which team will win the game.

Well, then you bet the moneyline.

Let's look at a May 4 NHL playoff game between the Colorado and San Jose.

San Jose, the favorite, was listed at -130 on the moneyline. Colorado, the underdog, was listed at +120.

That means if you bet on San Jose, a winning $130 wager would net a profit of $100. If you bet on Colorado, a winning $100 wager would result in a $120 profit. In essence, you win less if you bet the favorite.

San Jose won that game 2-1, making winners of bettors who wagered the moneyline on the Sharks.

Over/under bets

For these wagers, you're betting on the total points scored in the game.

Let's look at the May 4 NBA playoff game between Houston and Golden State. The over/under was listed at 214.5. So, if you bet the over, the teams must combine for 215 points for you to win. If you bet the under, you win if they combine for 214 points or fewer.

The Rockets won 126-121 in overtime. That's 247 total points, making winners of those who bet the over.

Again, expect the house to charge vig.

Tennessean LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144485 Nashville Predators

How sports betting varies by state, as it nears online launch in Tennessee

Blake Toppmeyer, Knoxville News Sentinel Published 10:35 p.m. ET May 12, 2019 | Updated 10:39 p.m. ET May 12, 2019

Sports betting will become legal in Tennessee because Gov. Bill Lee plans to allow a bill that passed both houses of the state legislature to become law without his signature.

Beginning July 1, people 21 an older located within Tennessee will be able to place online bets via websites and apps run by state-licensed betting operators. Bets will not be placed at brick-and-mortar locations. Tennessee does not have casinos.

States determine how to operate sports betting within their borders.

Here's a look at how sports betting operates in eight states where it is up and running.

According to a study by the National Research Group, legalized sports betting could lead potential gamblers watching more sports live on TV. Statesman Journal

Delaware: Bets accepted at casinos (Legal age: 21)

Mississippi: Bets accepted at casinos (Legal age: 21)

Nevada: Bets accepted at casinos and via apps through a Nevada sportsbook (Legal age: 21)

New Jersey: Bets accepted at casinos, racetracks, online and via apps. (Legal age: 21)

New Mexico: Bets accepted at tribal casinos (Legal age: 21)

Pennsylvania: Bets accepted at casinos, racetracks, online and via apps (Legal age: 21)

Rhode Island: Bets accepted at casinos (Legal age: 18)

West Virginia: Bets allowed at casinos (Legal age: 21)

Tennessean LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144486 Ottawa Senators respected. With the organization going through a rebuild, he has plenty of experience with young players.

Don’t dismiss the 46-year-old Leaman’s candidacy either. The word is Senators turn back the clock with Rick Bowness on the radar screen in he’s ready to make the jump to the NHL after leading a highly successful coaching search successful program at Providence. He won a national championship with the Friars in 2015 and recently took his team to the Frozen Four last month. He knows how to work with young players. Bruce Garrioch It’s not known if once the interview with Bowness is done if that will Published:May 12, 2019 complete Dorion’s list of discussions but that’s likely the case. He’s back in Ottawa after taking some time off last week, but isn’t in a rush to fill the Updated:May 12, 2019 6:46 PM EDT post because the Senators will hold their scouting meetings in preparation for the NHL draft in June this week at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Ottawa Senators are turning back for the future in their head coaching search. All candidates have been told the Senators aren’t in any hurry.

While five candidates have already been interviewed for the vacant post It’s believed once Dorion has reviewed all the interviews with the club’s by general manager Pierre Dorion, a new candidate with a long history hockey operations staff, he’ll then circle back for a second sit down with behind the club’s bench is expected to get his opportunity to discuss the the top or two candidates for the post and then make a decision. The post this week after the Senators received permission to speak with Senators want to have a coach in place by the draft so there isn’t any Dallas Stars assistant coach Rick Bowness. rush.

The 64-year-old Bowness, who was Ottawa’s inaugural coach from 1992 The Senators have to make sure they get the right fit here. The until he was let go 19 games into the 1995-96 campaign, was on Jim organization is entering a pivotal part of the rebuild and Dorion wants to Montgomery’s staff in Dallas last season after spending five years with make sure he does a thorough search before making a decision on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bowness has been praised for the way the Boucher’s replacement. The fact Bowness is in the mix means the club Stars played defensively last season. wants to explore every avenue.

In 235 games behind the Senators bench, Bowness had a 39-178-18 Ottawa Sun LOADED: 05.13.2019 record and helped the struggling club through the formative years. He’s highly respected because he brings a fresh approach every day, has the enthusiasm to work with young players and fits the bill as a candidate because this club needs to improve its defensive play.

Bowness also has head coaching experience with the Boston Bruins, Arizona Coyotes, New York Islanders and Winnipeg Jets. He was a finalist for the coaching job with the Anaheim Ducks in 2016 when general manager Bob Murray brought Randy Carlyle back for a second stint.

Former Tampa GM Steve Yzerman hired Bowness with the Bolts in 2013 and he played a key role on coach Jon Cooper’s staff. He was also an assistant with Alain Vigneault with the Vancouver Canucks and has been behind a bench for more than 2,000 games.

After firing coach Guy Boucher on March 1, the Senators inserted associate Marc Crawford behind the bench for the final 18 games of the season. He finished with a 7-10-1 record with a roster made up mostly of young players after unrestricted free agents Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel were dealt at the deadline.

The 58-year-old Crawford has no shortage of NHL experience with stops in Quebec, Colorado, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Dallas during his career. If the Senators want someone with a proven track record he has a 556-431-103-79 record in 1,169 games behind an NHL bench. He was the first candidate interviewed.

But Bowness isn’t the only former Senators coach in the picture.

Pittsburgh Penguins’ assistant Jacques Martin, who coached the Senators from 1996-to-2004, is also back for a second look. He is the winningest coach in franchise history with 341-235-96-20 record in 692 games over nine seasons with Ottawa. He is also a top candidate for the vacant post with the Buffalo Sabres.

There’s little question that Martin, 66, would get the club playing better defensively because that’s been a trademark of his NHL career. The Senators need to determine if they want to go down this road again because this team is going to be young.

There are other candidates as well.

Dorion has also spoken with Belleville coach Troy Mann, Toronto Maple Leafs assistant D.J. Smith and Nate Leaman, the head coach at Providence College. Mann wasn’t able to get Belleville to the playoffs on the final day of the season, which hurts his standing, but there’s a possibility he could be a candidate for an assistant’s post.

The 41-year-old Smith is an interesting candidate. He has worked on Mike Babcock’s staff for the last four seasons. A former head coach of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, he won a Memorial Cup in 2015 and is well 1144487 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers prospect Isaac Ratcliffe puts on highlight reel as Guelph Storm win OHL championship

By Jordan Hall May 12, 2019 7:37 PM

What a year for Isaac Ratcliffe.

After scoring 50 goals during 65 regular-season games, the Flyers' prospect went on an impressive playoff run, which culminated in an OHL championship Sunday as the Guelph Storm beat the Ottawa 67's, 8-3, in Game 6.

The 67's went a league-best 50-12-6 for 106 points and were a perfect 12-0 in the playoffs entering the championship. The Storm won a pair of Game 7s prior to taking down Ottawa in six games for the OHL crown.

Bravo, Guelph.

Ratcliffe, a 2017 second-round pick of the Flyers, was magnificent in the postseason. He put up 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) and a plus-16 mark over 24 games. In the Game 6 win, he delivered four points, including a filthy goal and through-the-legs assist.

 CAPTAIN DANGLES OH MY! @NHLFlyers #Prospect @isaacratcliffe puts on a show and ties up the game at 2-2! #GUEvsOTT pic.twitter.com/1QU5ZTyW4x

— ✖- Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) May 12, 2019

 .@isaacratcliffe WITH THE FEED AND @nsuzuki_37 WITH THE FINISH! We're up 5-2! #GUEvsOTT pic.twitter.com/4IJDWG4jg9

— ✖- Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) May 12, 2019

The 20-year-old winger is a unique prospect to follow. He's 6-foot-6 but has soft hands and excellent touch. He scores in a variety ways, but skill is no problem.

"When I was younger, it was a big thing that I used to work on at the end of practice or the end of a skill session," Ratcliffe said last summer. "A guy my size, you don't usually see that and I wanted to prove guys wrong. I can bring any sorts of items to the table and I really wanted to show that I could bring my hands, as well."

Isaac Ratcliffe ... not too shabby for a 6-6 guy. pic.twitter.com/cy7DHTtFVf

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) June 29, 2018

Isaac Ratcliffe, still very large. pic.twitter.com/dBjQRALgIo

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) June 28, 2018

Ratcliffe will turn pro in 2019-20, very likely with AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

But next up is the Memorial Cup with the Storm.

"I've never played on a team with this much skill, this much class and this much character," Ratcliffe said Sunday to Rogers TV. "I'm so happy right now and we're not done."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144488 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins castoff Greg McKegg finds scoring touch in Carolina

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Sunday, May 12, 2019 12:49 p.m.

Pittsburgh Penguins castoff Greg McKegg has found a home on the fourth line of the Carolina Hurricanes.

McKegg, who scored two goals in 26 games with the Penguins in 2017- 18, has scored in each of Carolina’s last two playoff games coming into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon.

He scored in the finale of a four-game sweep of the New York Islanders in the second round and in Carolina’s Game 1 loss against Boston on Thursday.

Series-clinching goals for the @NHLCanes in the 2019 #StanleyCup Playoffs:

First Round: @BrockMcGinn21 (2nd career playoff goal)

Second Round: Greg McKegg (1st career playoff goal)#NHLStats pic.twitter.com/H2M5mBk8Vn

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 4, 2019

McKegg, who has played for five NHL teams and five AHL teams in the past six seasons, signed with the Penguins in the summer of 2017. He was sent to Carolina for fellow fourth-line center Josh Jooris at the trade deadline in February of 2018.

He split this season evenly between Carolina and Charlotte of the AHL.

“Hockey’s a tough business,” McKegg told NHL.com. “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. It’s tough being up and down all the time, but you have to stick with it and hope for opportunities like this.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144489 San Jose Sharks “First 10 minutes, [the Blues] came out hard, but guys hung in there, made good plays and were able to break down that physicality from them,” Joe Pavelski said. “They’re a big strong team… but we played Kurtenbach: In a Game 1 battle of hockey vs. ‘other stuff’, the truth of the hard in between the whistles and we executed in some of those areas.” Sharks-Blues West Final comes out “They came out hard and they’re heavy and we know it’s not the end,” Kevin Labanc, who scored a beauty of a goal himself Saturday said. “We just have to stay composed and not take stupid penalties after the By DIETER KURTENBACH | PUBLISHED: May 12, 2019 at 8:19 am | whistle. It’s a good start to the new series for us.” UPDATED: May 12, 2019 at 7:41 PM Couture into a wide open net on the 2-on-1. Meier set it up with his neutral zone hit on Pietrangelo. pic.twitter.com/Ij9bg2ixMB

SAN JOSE — There were no clever matchups or moments of tactical — Bay Area Sports HQ (@BayAreaSportsHQ) May 12, 2019 brilliance for the Sharks in their 6-3 win over the Blues in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final Saturday. Yes, the Sharks seemed occupied with the whistles after the game. It’s clear that they think will be a theme of this series and perhaps the There was no secret to taking a 1-0 lead in the series — no code to separation point between the two teams — a formula for victory. break against St. Louis. After Game 1, it’d be impossible to say it didn’t work. The Sharks just played hockey — focused, sound, assertive hockey that featured moments of impressive skill and the right blend of discipline and “We’re going to play whistle to whistle the whole series, and if they want toughness. With that, they controlled the game for the vast majority of the to play — take penalties like that — we’ll let the refs take care of that. evening. It was the kind of performance you’d expect from a team that’s They told us they will and we’re expecting they will,” DeBoer said. had their eyes towards the Stanley Cup all year and now stand three The truth is that the Sharks are much better than the Blues — even with wins away from a berth in the Final. an ever-shaky Martin Jones in the San Jose net. When the teams are And the Blues? Well, it seemed their primary concern was tertiary notions even-strength, they’re really not, but hockey has a funny way of like “setting a tone” and making the Sharks “feel them”. St. Louis spent rendering that point moot so often in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. more time trying to land the big hit than worrying about their to back and All the Sharks can do is hold up their end. Play it smart. Don’t do forecheck. anything stupid. Keep the pressure on the Blues and off of Jones.

“We played hockey tonight and they were about a few other things,” Do it three more times and they’re playing for the Cup. Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson said. “And we won the game.” It might not always work out, but it did Saturday, with the Blues’ help. It really was as simple as that. The Sharks have their formula. The question now is if it can be repeated. “I just think we worked. When you’re working all over the ice, you’re going to create some opportunities out there and I think that’s what San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 05.13.2019 happened tonight,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said.

NBC is going to send a bill pic.twitter.com/bKeJ3HncSD

— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) May 12, 2019

Hockey is a fickle game — trying to project forward one game, much less a series, is usually a fool’s errand, but given the Sharks’ all-around competence Saturday, it’s not too bold to say that the Blues will have to change up their game — and actually engage in a game of hockey — to even up the series at 1-1 Monday night.

At the same time, it’s fair to wonder if the Blues can, in fact, change up their game. Saturday’s game looked like a team admitting they had to win via alternative means.

That said, it wasn’t much of a surprise that the Blues came out wanting to knock the Sharks off their feet and, they hoped, off their game. After all, that’s the way the team was built to play, and when you’re going up against a team in the Sharks that is unquestionably more talented, you have to double-down on your strengths.

In St. Louis’ case that’s physicality and goaltending.

The box score says the Blues had 41 hits in the game — seven more than the Sharks — but given the home-team favoritism of keeping that stat, it was likely a larger number.

But it didn’t matter. It didn’t work.

 pic.twitter.com/Binx6UHjgK

— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) May 12, 2019

The Sharks absorbed the early Blues push and started to take advantage of St. Louis’ overaggressiveness, putting Blues in the penalty box (the Sharks had nine power-play chances to St. Louis’ three) and goalie Jordan Binnington in bad spots time and time again (he allowed five goals on 19 even-strength shots on goal).

Beyond that, the Blues had no answer for the 200-foot brilliance of Logan Couture, who scored his league-leading 10th and 11th goals of the postseason, and the power and skill of his right wing, Timo Meier, who in 23 shifts scored two goals — including a spectacular Forsberg drag to put the Sharks up 4-2 — set up another goal with a neutral zone takeaway, and landed five hits of his own. 1144490 San Jose Sharks

Conn Smythe candidate Logan Couture making case for Selke candidacy

By Brian Witt May 12, 2019 6:11 PM

Logan Couture bookended the Sharks' Game 1 victory over the Blues with a pair of goals. He added an assist in between, and was never on the ice for a goal against.

Those two goals and three points increased his playoff totals to 11 and 17, respectively, both of which lead all players. His plus-7 rating for the postseason is tied for first among all playoff forwards.

As such, Couture is on the short list of candidates for the Conn Smythe Trophy, given annually to the most valuable player of the NHL playoffs.

But according to his coach, he should be in the running for another award as well. When asked why Couture hasn't gotten major consideration for the Selke Trophy -- given to the best defensive forward in the NHL -- Peter DeBoer could only compare it to another overlooked situation.

"I don't know," DeBoer said of Couture's omission as a Selke finalist following Sunday's skate. "I think of because where he plays a little. Logan is the forward version of (Marc-Edouard) Vlasic. Invaluable, does everything right ... Beauty of those guys is they're OK with that, they just want to win. That's what they do for us."

Vlasic, long considered one of the top defensive defensemen in the league, has never won a Norris Trophy, which tends to be given to more offensive defenseman, despite the award being intended for the best all- around player at the position.

Similarly, Couture has never won a Selke, nor did he win the Conn Smythe when he led all scorers with 30 playoff points in 2016. That honor, instead, went to Sidney Crosby, who posted 19 points on the Penguins' way to winning the Cup over the Sharks.

The 2019 Selke Trophy finalists include Boston's Patrice Bergeron, Vegas' Mark Stone and St. Louis' Ryan O'Reilly, meaning that if San Jose were to make it all the way to the Cup Final, Couture could possibly go head-to-head against all three players considered over him within the same playoff run.

That's a game within the game, but one that won't distract Couture from his top priority. Individual accolades are all well and good, but as DeBoer said, he just wants to win.

If he keeps up his current level of play, the Sharks might do just that.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144491 San Jose Sharks

Sharks look to buck trend of losing Game 2 in Stanley Cup playoffs

By Chelena Goldman May 12, 2019 10:14 AM

SAN JOSE -- A pattern has begun to emerge in the way the Sharks play games in their Stanley Cup playoff run. They win the first game of the series handily, then drop the second contest before heading on the road.

The Sharks' Western Conference final matchup with the St. Louis Blues already has started to follow that trend, with San Jose taking the opening game 6-3 at SAP Center on Saturday.

The big focus now, of course, is not losing to St. Louis in Game 2 on Monday night.

"It's important," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said after the Game 1 victory. "We've won Game 1 the last two series, and then both times, we've dropped Game 2. Hopefully, as you work your way through the playoffs, you learn from your mistakes."

This isn't to say the Sharks have been steamrolled in their Game 2 matchups. But they have taken their foot off the gas and ended up on the losing end of the puck.

In their second game against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round, San Jose erased a three-goal deficit before the first period was over, then lost momentum in the second when Logan Couture's goal was waived off for goalie interference. The Sharks ended up losing 5-3.

In their second game against the Colorado Avalanche in the next round, the Sharks jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the first period, then faltered in the second and ended up losing 4-3.

San Jose has lost just two games in its home stadium through these playoffs, both of which were those Game 2 losses. This is something the Blues no doubt have in mind, especially considering they have been incredibly successful on the road through their own playoff run, going 5- 2-0 in enemy territory.

"We would like to go up 2-0," Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. "We know they're going to be ready. They're going to come out with a good push and their legs will be a little bit better. So it's a lesson for us that we've got to invest early and stay with this."

St. Louis isn't a team that will down without a fight -- which it demonstrated quite well in Game 1 with its heavy and physical play. With the threat of going down 2-0 on the line, the Blues likely will come out even harder and tighten up their defensive stance in front of young goaltender Jordan Binnington.

It will be up to the Sharks to not sit back as they did in their previous Game 2s and head out on the road with two wins under their belt.

"You know they're going to be better and they're going to be desperate," DeBoer said of the Blues. "They're not going to want to go in a 2-0 hole. We've got to handle that situation better than we have in the first two rounds."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144492 San Jose Sharks

Five observations from Sharks' 6-3 win over Blues in Game 1 of West final

By Brodie Brazil May 12, 2019 10:27 AM

The Sharks opened a third straight Stanley Cup playoffs series with a win on Saturday night. The home team found the net in every period, and tied their largest margin of victory in these playoffs, with a 6-3 win in Game 1 over the Blues.

Here are five observations from the Western Conference final opener.

Logan Couture keeps on scoring

He put San Jose on the board less than four minutes into the contest, and secured victory late with the empty netter. Those are his 10th and 11th markers of this postseason. The center is coming up huge, just as he did in 2016 when playing for the Cup.

Since 2010, only Alexander Ovechkin (50) has more playoff goals than Couture (45).

Evander Kane

One of the less obvious stat leaders on Saturday night could have been Evander Kane. Nobody recored more hits by San Jose in the game than the power winger, who still hasn’t appeared to hit full stride on a regular basis during these playoffs.

The physical game suits Kane well, however, and considering the opponent and their tactic of laying the body, this could be the perfect way for Kane to make his (literal and figurative) mark with this matchup.

The Joe Pavelski story continues

The Joe Pavelski story is almost at Mighty Ducks level. As in, Hollywood couldn’t write a more compelling script than what we’ve witnessed so far. The captain who became an emotional centerpiece of the first round, then returned to help close out in the second round.

All Pavelski did was score on the power play on Saturday night to open up the Western Conference final. With four goals and four assists, Pavelski is not among the team leaders, but it becomes more impressive when you consider all that has come in less than his nine full playoff games.

Rookie goaltender

Goalie Jordan Binnington and the Blues were 5-1 on the road in these playoffs entering their matchup with the Sharks. Binnington, a rookie who is up for the Calder Trophy, had never previously faced San Jose, or obviously played an NHL game at SAP Center.

And while his rise and performance this season were legitimate, the Sharks have to be pleased with their first encounter sending a message to the St. Louis netminder.

Blues' comeback attempt

St. Louis made a noticeable and respectable third-period push in Game 1. Maybe it was San Jose taking their foot off the gas with a late lead? Maybe the Blues started to figure some things out? As my colleague Scott Hannan stated on our television coverage, it’s hard to carry game play for a full 60 minutes in the postseason.

The Sharks did hold a majority of control on Saturday night, but the visitors carved out their own chances in the middle to late portions of the third period. It would be foolish to think that Craig Berube and the Blues won’t sift through all the video, make proper adjustments and challenge San Jose to a much greater extent on Monday night.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144493 St Louis Blues So, please, table the talk about Tarasenko’s all-around play for now. He’s an elite scorer who isn’t scoring in big games. And his two-way play on Saturday was a weakness, not a strength. The best example came when BenFred: Blues can't have key cog Tarasenko in the tank vs. Sharks Tarasenko got caught flat-footed and watching while a Colton Parayko turnover quickly turned into a Timo Meier goal.

Credit San Jose for once again coming up with a good plan beyond 5 hrs ago simply sending Vlasic out there. Similar to their defeat of the Blues in 2016, the Sharks are spying Tarasenko and clamping down on him with Ben Frederickson double teams sooner rather than later.

San Jose is treating Tarasenko like a game-changer. SAN JOSE — Soon after the Blues and Sharks vacated the SAP Center His challenge is to respond like one. ice after Saturday night’s first game of the Western Conference finals, a small army of workers appeared, hustling and bustling to prepare the “We definitely need him to do more offensively for sure, and create more venue for an ice skating showcase. opportunities in scoring,” Berube allowed, before broadening the focus to the entire team. Stars on Ice was coming to San Jose on Sunday. Tarasenko’s dips always are a touchy topic, especially in the postseason, The Blues need their brightest to provide an encore Monday. and especially against this opponent. It was in this matuchp three years What has been an up-and-down postseason for face-of-the-franchise ago that San Jose kept him from scoring a point through five games. Vladimir Tarasenko hit a new low in the Blues’ 6-3 series-opening loss. Tarasenko did not score his two goals of that series until the second half His minus-3 performance left coach Craig Berube walking that fine line of the third period in Game 6, after the Blues fell behind 4-0 in the between defending and challenging his elite scorer. season-ending loss. A frustrated Tarasenko then departed the team’s Suddenly, everyone seems to be remembering how successfully San locker cleanout day without addressing his play in the conference finals. Jose, specifically defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, bottled up He later returned to speak at a news conference set up specifically for Tarasenko in the 2016 Western Conference finals. Tarasenko, who has that reason. not talked to the media since the series started, surely is fuming. This isn’t about what Tarasenko says or does not say. But can he do anything about it? It’s about what the Blues’ star does or does not do. It’s hard to imagine the Blues beating the Sharks if he doesn’t. And The answer could be the difference between the Blues exercising old honestly, it’s impressive the Blues have come as far as they have without demons or experiencing agonizing déjà vu. more production from one of the game’s most impressive scorers. Tarasenko, whose 182 goals since the start of the 2014-15 season trail St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.13.2019 only Alex Ovechkin (236) and John Tavares (183), has scored just once in his last seven postseason games — and not once in the past four.

Spoiler Alert: That’s not how your team wins its first Stanley Cup.

Before this postseason, Tarasenko averaged one goal every other playoff game. This time around, that average is nearing one goal every three playoff games. Just one of Tarasenko’s five postseason goals are of the even-strength variety. They all count the same, sure, but it’s a telling sign.

So are the following numbers.

Saturday marked the first time in 21 games that Tarasenko had just one shot on goal. It came so late in the lopsided loss that the Blues already had pulled goalie Jordan Binnington.

Yes, Tarasenko did have an assist Saturday. Good news.

The bad? It was his first assist of this postseason, which now is 14 games long for the Blues.

Tarasenko’s minus-3 on Saturday, despite his assist, brought his postseason plus-minus to minus-8. That’s the lowest — by three points — of any Blues player. And get this. It’s the worst plus-minus of any NHL player this postseason.

“Vladi has been great,” Pat Maroon said in the lobby of the team hotel on Sunday morning.

Award Maroon a point for sticking up for a teammate. But the truth is Maroon’s line, the Blues’ third, has outplayed Tarasenko’s top line this postseason. Berube’s comments Sunday morning could be interpreted as a respectful yet direct challenge to his team’s $60-million man. When the cameras are on, it’s faith in Tarasenko. When they turn off, folks are wondering what’s up.

After Berube initially bristled at a question about Tarasenko bouncing back from his regrettable Game 1, the interim (for now) coach offered candid answers about his suddenly quiet star. Berube is allergic to spin, and he knows Saturday’s version of an often-floating Tarasenko won’t cut it against the Sharks.

Berube described how Tarasenko needs to work harder away from the puck to create chances to score. He can’t wait for good things to happen, the coach said. And yes, Berube specifically said that Tarasenko needs to score for the Blues to be at their best. 1144494 St Louis Blues

Berube: "Vladi has to work without the puck a lot harder"

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 13 hrs ago

SAN JOSE _ On the one hand, Blues coach Craig Berube wanted no part of any "Vladimir Tarasenko's struggling" storyline.

"I'm not going to focus on one guy," Berube said Sunday. "It's a team game."

On the other hand, Berube did say Tarasenko _ along with the rest of the team _ needs to do better in Game 2 Monday following a 6-3 setback Saturday in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals with San Jose.

"Vladi has to work without the puck a lot harder," Berube said. "And he will. And he's got to get more involved. You can't just wait for things to happen. Especially in the playoffs. You've got to go get it. You've got to go make it yourself. It's about working. It's about working with your line."

Tarasenko had only one shot on goal in Saturday's loss to the Sharks, matching his season low. He was minus-3 for the game _ as was Alex Pietrangelo.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144495 St Louis Blues period, the Blues had set an all-time NHL playoff record for going the longest time without a penalty — 136 minutes 20 seconds of ice time.

Just 57 seconds after Bouwmeester was sent off his partner on the Mistake-prone Blues give away Game 1 to Sharks Blues’ second defensive pairing — Parayko — joined him after slashing Evander Kane.

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 21 hrs ago That gave the Sharks a 5-on-3 advantage for the next 63 seconds. It was the first 5-on-3 the Blues had to defend in the postseason after facing six 5-on-3 penalty kills in the regular season.

SAN JOSE — The foundation of the Blues team — its defense — knew it (The last being Feb. 12 against the New Jersey Devils.) would be tested against the high-scoring San Jose Sharks in this Western Conference final. They get at least three more chances, but on Coach Craig Berube couldn’t really complain about those calls. Saturday at SAP Center, they failed the first test. “They’re penalties,” Berube said. “Tough one on Bouwmeester a little bit, Logan Couture opened and closed the scoring with goals, Timo Meier but a lot of that goes on both ways. We got called for it and Parayko scored two goals to close out the second period, and when all was said breaks a guy’s stick. He’s going to call that to make it a 5-on-3.” and done the Sharks put a six-pack of goals in the back of the net, taking The Sharks had just nine seconds left on the 5-on-3 when Binnington Game 1 of the series 6-3. made an impressive pad save on Joe Pavelski. While the puck was still The six goals matched the most given up by the Blues this postseason — in the air from the initial save, Pavelski batted the puck into the net to they lost 6-3 to Winnipeg in Game 3 of that first-round series. And they give San Jose a 2-1 lead at the 11:24 mark. have lost a series opener for the first time in these playoffs. The Blues, who got goals by Edmundson, O’Reilly and Tyler Bozak, were “There were a few too many mistakes out there, (and) whenever there fighting uphill on the scoreboard the rest of the game. was, they capitalized on the chances they got,” Joel Edmundson said. “I The Sharks were the quicker team Saturday, and they used it to their think that was the biggest difference of tonight’s game.” advantage. The up-and-down pace was a tempo more suited to the San The Sharks averaged 3.52 goals per game in the regular season, second Jose style of play. The absolute last thing the Blues wanted in this game best in the NHL. So they don’t really need any help to find the net. But — or this series — is a shootout with the Sharks. And that’s what they they got plenty from the Blues, in the form of costly giveaways. Their got. neutral zone play was a nightmare. “They gotta a ton of great forwards out there that make a lot of plays,” “We got really outplayed in the neutral zone,” Ryan O’Reilly said. “We Thomas said. “We turned it over and we didn’t get it in deep and make didn’t take care of the puck well enough. ... A lot of speed coming at us. them work for it. When you give teams like that so many chances off the And we just didn’t manage it. We just didn’t manage it the right way. rush and you’re not active in the zone, then they’ll be able to make plays with it.” “We might have been trying to feel it out a little bit too much. But we know we have to be better and work harder for each other. That wasn’t St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.13.2019 our best tonight.”

The Sharks’ sixth goal came into an empty net, but at least three of the first five were fueled by miscues in the neutral zone.

OK, maybe the first of those three wasn’t really a miscue. In fact, maybe it should’ve been a cross-checking penalty against Meier. In any event, San Jose took a 1-0 lead when Meier knocked down Alex Pietrangelo from behind, creating an instant 2-on-1 break for the Sharks. Couture finished it off for his league-high 10th postseason goal. (It would be 11 goals after his empty-netter.)

Jordan Binnington had no chance on the play.

“I thought we were hard on pucks in certain areas, (and) on our forecheck we were good,” Couture said. “We were able to outmuscle them. On my goal, Timo did a great job at the blueline, knocking Pietrangelo down and then we got our second man there,”

Pietrangelo saw it a little differently, saying: “He’s not even going for the puck.”

Kevin Labanc, who scored the game-winner in overtime when the Blues last played here on March 16, gave the Sharks a 3-1 lead on a play when Edmundson’s chip into the neutral zone landed right on the stick of a San Jose player, starting a rush the other way.

Another giveaway in the neutral zone, this time by Colton Parayko, made it 4-2 San Jose. Couture poked the puck loose near the St. Louis blue line and Meier swooped in, raced past Jay Bouwmeester around the edge and sent a backhand past Binnington.

“The first two periods we didn’t find our game,” Robert Thomas said. “We didn’t really get it in deep. We were turning it over and feeding their transition. You know, they play fast and through the neutral zone. They transition really quick. So I think it was just mistakes on our part,”

But it wasn’t a turnover or misplay that gave the Sharks the lead for good. A couple of costly penalties gave San Jose a 5-on-3 power play in the first period, which the Sharks turned into a goal.

The Blues went the entire Game 7 double-overtime victory Tuesday against Dallas without a penalty assessed against them. In fact, when Bouwmeester was sent off for interference at the 9:36 mark of the first 1144496 St Louis Blues the puck bounced off of him and in. Meier’s good, OK? But this was a goal that left him confirming he was trying to score, not pass. Brutal.

By now the Sharks were ahead 5-2, the Blues were beginning to push BenFred: Blues bite themselves in Game 1 loss and shove after the whistles, and it became clear that this game was shifting toward becoming about setting the tone for the upcoming games. In this department, the Blues actually fared pretty well. 23 hrs ago “That third period, we got to our game,” Berube said. “We were Ben Frederickson aggressive, we were on the forecheck, controlled the puck in the offensive zone. We didn’t get there enough tonight.”

Berube stuck with goalie Jordan Binnington despite chatter about going SAN JOSE — On the bright side, the Blues got their stinker of the series to backup Jake Allen, and by doing so he smartly kept the lid on any out of the way early. debate about the coach losing trust in the rookie game-changer after one That’s the hope, at least. rare bad night. Tyler Bozak scored, another good sign for the Blues’ red- hot third line. Robert Bortuzzo beat the snot out of Barclay Goodrow, They have averaged one dud per series along the way to these Western making sure the Sharks got some scars in their win. Of course, all of this Conference finals. There was the terrible Game 3 in round one at home was too little, too late. This one was over long before the Sharks’ final against Winnipeg. There was the brutal Game 4 in round two on the road goal on a vacant net. against Dallas. But Saturday night’s 6-3 loss in Game 1 at the SAP Center was the worst of the bunch. A line from Berube’s pregame press conference seems relevant. Asked what will determine the outcome of Game 1, Berube deadpanned. Why? “It’s tough to say what is going to be the deciding factor,” he said. “It will Mostly because we don’t know how this will end, right? And because a probably be who plays better.” stubbed toe hurts a bit more when it comes one step into a new race. But also because common sense says these kind of performances probably It would be nice to see which team wins when the Blues don’t beat become more costly as the competition improves. themselves.

When you are one of the four teams left standing, it is entirely possible to St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.13.2019 play your best game and still lose. And that might be what happens to the Blues. If that’s the case, so be it. There is no shame in losing like that at this point, but there will be plenty if the Blues continue to lose like this. If the Blues don’t flush this dud of a debut, the closest they will come to the Stanley Cup this season will be seeing it paraded around this arena before Saturday’s game, tempting and teasing these two organizations as always, but never coming within reach. Only one team played the kind of hockey on Saturday that can change that fate. It wasn’t the Blues.

The Sharks did not dominate in Game 1. They didn’t need to. They simply took what the Blues gave them, time and time again.

Every deciding moment began with a mistake or play not made that will make coach Craig Berube chew through his gum when he watches the film.

Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo’s inability to stay on his skates during a first-period check from Timo Meier started the rush that produced San Jose’s first goal. No, it was not a missed penalty on Meier. At least not from this seat in the press box, up here with the dusty beams that block half of the view of the ice. The Blues’ captain just has to be tougher there, or get rid of the puck before he takes the hit.

“We were able to out-muscle them,” Logan Couture said, speaking specifically of the play that set up his goal. Shots fired.

Two regrettable Blues penalties gifted the Sharks a 5-on-3 first-period power play that produced the Joe Pavelski goal that sent the Sharks ahead 2-1, establishing the San Jose lead that was never surrendered. Before the game, Berube had praised his players for their discipline. A group that had gone 126 minutes without committing a penalty committed the first three of this game. The first two proved costly. The interference call against Jay Bouwmeester was a bit soft, sure. The Colton Parayko slash that followed, after the Blues were already trying to kill off the first penalty, was just a nonsensical moment. There should be zero debate about the call. Just look at the evidence: Evander Kane’s shattered stick. If you give the Sharks a 5-on-3 power play, they are going to score. Next.

Joel Edmundson’s ineffective and baffling pass through the neutral zone could have gone down as an assist on the second-period Kevin Labanc goal that made it 3-1 Sharks. The chipped puck, directed to a part of the ice that featured a ton of teal and no blue, was knocked down by Joe Thornton and sent ahead for the score. Whoops.

Sorry to pick on Parayko, but it was his turnover that nixed the momentum of teammate Ryan O’Reilly’s second-period goal and set up Meier’s answer just a minute and a half later. Parayko lost the puck to Couture, and his fellow defenseman Jay Bouwmeester was way too slow to catch up. Meier’s finish was both beautiful and unstoppable. The series of events that allowed it was entirely preventable.

Meier’s second goal of the game was not nearly as pretty, but it counted just the same. No, an assist was not given to Vince Dunn even though 1144497 St Louis Blues Besides Gunnarsson, Blues scratches from the regular roster were Michael Del Zotto, Robby Fabbri, Mackenzie MacEachern, Zach Sanford and Chris Thorburn.

Perron still thinks about concussion from San Jose's Thornton San Jose’s Thornton already had completed his second season in the NHL by the time the Blues’ Robert Thomas was born.

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch May 12, 2019 Blues prospect defenseman Niko Mikkola, who spent the season playing for the Blues’ AHL affiliate in San Antonio, currently is playing for Finland in the World Championships.

SAN JOSE — It’s difficult for David Perron to play the San Jose Sharks, St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.13.2019 especially under these circumstances, and not think about the elbow to the head he took from the Sharks’ Joe Thornton early in the 2010-11 season.

“I think about it all the time, because it has affected my life a lot,” Perron said. “I really do think that. I hope it’s not going to be too much of a story right now, because it’s been a long time ago.”

Perron signed a two-year contract with the Blues in the summer of 2010 and was off to a quick start that season with five goals in his first 10 games. But on Nov. 4, 2010, an elbow to the temple from Thornton resulted in a concussion that sidelined Perron for 13 months.

“The next year, when I came back, we beat them in five,” Perron said. “Maybe then I was thinking more about it.”

That was in the Western Conference quarterfinals, with the Blues taking the series four games to one. This time around the Blues and the Sharks are meeting in the conference finals, with the winner advancing to the Stanley Cup finals.

“I want to win,” Perron said. “It doesn’t matter if he’s on the team or not. He’s really respected around the league. I really admire him as a player, the skills he has, the way he passes the puck. I’ve always tried to do some of those things. But I didn’t like that part, for sure.”

This season, Perron was on his way to a career year when he suffered another concussion in mid-January. He missed 24 games before returning March 16 against Pittsburgh but still finished the regular season third in goals (23) and fourth in points (46).

When he returned from that concussion Perron said: “It’s never fun to go through and I really, really hope — knock on wood — that it never happens again just because I don’t know how many more times I can go through this.”

NO GUNNARSSON

As suspected, veteran defenseman Carl Gunnarsson was ruled out of Saturday’s game with what coach Craig Berube termed a lower-body injury. He was replaced by Robert Bortuzzo in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at SAP Center.

Gunnarsson last played in Game 7 of the Blues’ second-round series against Dallas — his final shift ended with 3 minutes 2 seconds left in the first overtime of the team’s 2-1 double-overtime victory. He did not skate Thursday in an optional practice at the IceZone in Hazelwood or in Friday’s full-scale practice in San Jose.

Berube said Gunnarsson is day-to-day. But the Blues have shuffled their D-corps frequently this season, so it’s pretty much business as usual minus Gunnarsson, who played only 25 games in the regular season.

“We’ve kind of interchanged throughout the whole year,” Colton Parayko said. “We obviously have a really good D-corps. I think (Bortuzzo) coming in, he’s obviously a big body. He’s hard to play against, and that’s kind of the hockey that we play.”

Over the course of the playoffs, Gunnarsson, Bortuzzo and Joel Edmundson have all rotated in and out of the lineup for various reasons.

Edmundson was a healthy scratch in Games 3 and 4 against Dallas. Gunnarsson was a healthy scratch in the first four games of the Winnipeg series. Bortuzzo played in only two games against Dallas; he was a healthy scratch in five others, including the last three games of the series. He also missed the last two games of the Winnipeg series, apparently because of an injury.

As a result of all that shuffling, the tandem of Parayko and Jay Bouwmeester has been the only D-pairing to play all 14 playoff games so far.

BLUENOTES 1144498 St Louis Blues with Gustav Nyquist feeding Logan Couture to shoot into an open half of the net for the goal. It was the 10th goal of the postseason for Couture.

The Blues tied the game mid-period on Edmundson's goal. Schwartz hit Blues fall to San Jose 6-3 in Game 1 of Western final Couture hard at the other end of the ice on a backcheck to get the puck back, and Vladimir Tarasenko fed Schwartz for a shot that caught Edmundson's leg on the way in and goalie Martin Jones couldn't make By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch May 10, 2019 the stop.

The Blues had 41 hits with Sammy Blais recording a game-high seven. Robert Bortuzzo got a 10-minute misconduct late in the third period for a If the Western Conference final is a showdown between the Blues fight with San Jose's Barclay Goodrow. defense and the Sharks offense, the early edge belongs to San Jose. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 05.13.2019 The Blues gave up five goals with some sloppy defense before allowing an empty-net goal in a 6-3 loss in Game 1 on Saturday night at the SAP Center.

Joel Edmundson, Ryan O'Reilly and Tyler Bozak scored for the Blues. Jordan Binnington stopped 19 of 24 shots he faced but was helpless on most of the Sharks' goals.

It's the first time the Blues have lost Game 1 of a series this postseason. Game 2 is Monday night in San Jose.

"It was more so us," captain Alex Pietrangelo said. "We can be better with the puck. I think we were turning the puck over, had a couple bad bounces. We can do better."

"We were too spread out," coach Craig Berube said. "In playoff time, you've got to have numbers around the puck, puck support everywhere. ... We couldn't make enough 10-foot passes."

"That wasn't the way we wanted to play," O'Reilly said. "There was a lot of speed coming at us. We didn't handle it the right way. Maybe we were trying to feel it out. We have to work harder for each other, That was not our best shot tonight."

Timo Meier and Logan Couture each had two goals and an assist for the Sharks.

After allowing just four goals in the final three games of the Dallas series, the Blues had allowed five through two periods. Bozak's goal with 6:59 to go in the game cut the San Jose lead to 5-3 and the Blues pulled Binnington with 4:39 to go and had some chances but couldn't score.

Sloppy defense has been the constant in the San Jose goals. San Jose scored three times in the second period, first on a clearance by Edmundson that didn't get far out of the neutral zone and turned into quick chance the other way and a goal for Kevin Labanc, second on Colton Parayko losing the puck as he tried to skate it out of the zone and setting the table for Timo Meier's brilliant goal and finally a loose play by Alex Pietrangelo, failing to get a cross-ice pass, gave San Jose a chance for a fluke goal that Meier banked in off Vince Dunn's skate for his second goal of the game.

"I wouldn't throw it all on the D," forward Robert Thomas said. "When the D doesn't have many options it's tough to make a play."

The Blues got a goal from O'Reilly that cut the lead to 3-2. The Blues had a power play in the second but didn't manage a shot on goal in the two minutes.

Add those three to San Jose's two goals in the first period, the first coming after Pietrangelo was knocked off the puck at center ice, the second in a five-on-three after penalties on Parayko and Jay Bouwmeester.

Edmundson deflected in a shot by Jaden Schwartz to briefly tie the game at 1-1, before penalties on Bouwmeester for hooking and Parayko for slashing gave the Sharks a two-man advantage for 63 seconds. (The Blues were not called for a penalty in Game 7 vs. Dallas and had gone more than 130 minutes without having to kill a penalty.)

"They're penalties," Berube said. "That was a tough one on Bouwmeester. A lot of that goes on both ways, we got called for it."

With 12 seconds to go in the five-on-three, Joe Pavelski got the puck down low and shot. Jordan Binnington made the save, but Pavelski swatted the rebound out of the air and into the net for the 2-1 lead with 8:36 to go in the period.

San Jose took a 1-0 lead 3:31 into the game. Meier knocked down Alex Pietrangelo at center ice and got the puck, starting a two-on-one break, 1144499 St Louis Blues comparison, with (Joe) Pavelski, (Logan) Couture and (Brent) Burns, which is really what the Blues need?”

The No. 2 Western Conference assistant coach has witnessed a With the Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko looking unengaged, we asked NHL difference in Tarasenko’s play from the Blues’ first-round series against sources to help figure out why Winnipeg until now.

“I’ve seen a change in him the way he’s played,” he said. “In the first By Jeremy Rutherford May 12, 2019 round, he was a little more engaged. They got a few more power plays and he was involved. I just think that he’s engaged when he’s getting his touches, when he’s handling the puck, getting his shots through, scoring some goals. He’s a threat and he’s a 200-foot player. I think his SAN JOSE, Calif. — If not for a garbage-time shot on goal with 3:34 left contribution is key — he feels like he’s a part of it, therefore he’s going. I in the Blues’ 6-3 loss to San Jose on Saturday, Vladimir Tarasenko don’t find him as engaged as much right now. I don’t know if he’s gotten would have gone without one for the first time in 145 games, ending the his touches on the power play that he usually gets, and I also think with NHL’s longest current streak. the identity of the Blues, everybody is contributing so he doesn’t have to No one needed to read that to know Tarasenko was invisible in Game 1, play 23 minutes a night. He’s playing whatever he’s playing, and he’s just but it certainly confirms what many feel they’ve been watching. trying to contribute in terms of not getting scored on, as opposed to getting opportunities.” “Vladi has to work without the puck a lot harder, and he will,” Blues coach Craig Berube said Sunday. “He’s got to get more involved. You can’t just But as Blues’ fans have seen, sometimes Tarasenko doesn’t look like wait for things to happen, especially in the playoffs. You’ve got to go get he’s all that interested in preventing goals either, something the former it, you’ve got to go make it yourself. It’s about working, and it’s about Western Conference GM noted. working with your line. I’ll stress it again, we need three guys around the “I’ve always said, when I look at those types of players, when their work puck.” ethic matches their talent, look out,” he said. “But they’re an enigma a lot Berube was stressing it again because Tarasenko’s playoff performance of nights because how do you know what they’re going to do? You don’t — one goal in 217:42 of 5-on-5 ice time with four power-play goals — know. Take a guy like O’Reilly; even on the bad nights when things aren’t has come into question again. To his credit, the coach who has forged a going his way, he contributes something to the game. That’s in his DNA. strong relationship with his star spoke bluntly Sunday, but Berube was “Tarasenko is obviously a great player. But what happens, I find, is that also measured in saying that he doesn’t want to “focus on one player.” when you go in a locker room like San Jose, he’s a name that’s circled. Rightly so because Tarasenko has hardly been the only quiet top-six You’ve got to play him hard and you’ve got to make his life tough. That’s forward or the lone one at fault in Saturday’s loss. just normal. They’re going to get played harder, and they have to find a But while the Blues have managed to get this far without much way to play through that.” production from the player tied with Ryan O’Reilly for the highest salary What opponents are doing? on the team ($7.5 million), they won’t likely be sniffing their first trip to the Stanley Cup final since 1970 if things remain status quo. So with Like in the Winnipeg and Dallas series, Tarasenko’s line is seeing the Tarasenko looking unengaged, we asked three NHL sources — two most difficult defensive matchup possible. As expected, that matchup in current Western Conference assistant coaches and one former Western Game 1 against San Jose on Saturday came against the Sharks’ Conference GM — to help us figure out why. They spoke on the shutdown specialist, Marc-Edouard Vlasic. condition of anonymity about what they’ve seen from Tarasenko in the playoffs and what it will take for him to be a more prominent factor. Tarasenko had 15:34 of 5-on-5 ice time and 8:39 of that was with linemates Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn facing Vlasic and Burns, What’s wrong? and 7:04 of that was with Couture, Timo Meier and Gustav Nyquist on the ice. Since the start of the 2014-15 regular season, Tarasenko has scored 182 goals, the third-most in the NHL in that span behind Washington’s Alex “San Jose plays a defensive structure that is based on a swarm Ovechkin (236) and Toronto’s John Tavares (183). In 58 career playoff mentality,” the No. 1 Western Conference coach said. “A lot of teams are games, he has 27 goals and 38 points. In other words, he’s a producer. resistant to do it because if you commit two to one guy defensively and that guy beats you, somebody is open and there’s risk attached to that. But Tarasenko is also known to go into lulls, sometimes long ones, which But San Jose is very adept at it, and they cover for each other pretty well. isn’t uncommon even among the league’s superstars. But the mind- They have tremendous sticks and body position. numbing aspect of this is that he’s either all-in, applying heavy back- pressure, laying hits and diving to break up scoring chances, or he’s “I feel like they give special attention to certain teams’ better players, and barely noticeable. it looked like they were doing that to Vladi last night. A guy like Vlasic will be really tight to him, but there will also be somebody right there, another “Well, everybody that’s watched him, that’s one of the most frustrating Shark that’s right there, so you end up having to play against two guys an parts,” the No. 1 Western Conference assistant coach said. “It’s probably awful lot, which is really tough. If you watched the Colorado series, they why (Blues general manager Doug Armstrong) was considering trading were able to do that fairly successfully against (Nathan) MacKinnon.” him at one point this year. Because you don’t trade him based on his talent alone; that would be foolish. But it’s trying to get him to find a way San Jose’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic defends the Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko. to raise his level of play when it matters most to the team. (John Hefti / USA Today)

“I will say this, I don’t think it’s anything conscience on Vladi’s part. I think On a coaching staff that has faced the Blues and Tarasenko several he cares a lot, which makes it even more difficult to sort of put your finger times, the No. 2 Western Conference assistant coach said the priority of on why he has these moments because I really don’t think it’s a care teams is to deny him touches. issue. I think he’s passionate and wants to do well and wants to contribute, so that makes it even more difficult to think. Then why does “There’s a reason that his talent does come out when he gets his he have those moments where it’s just so bland?” touches,” he said. “If you deny him the puck, you deny him those opportunities … 5-on-5, give him nothing, give him no time. Make sure So if Tarasenko’s desire likely isn’t the concern, then what could it be? when there is a cycle, and the Blues are a strong cycling team, it’s the coverage off the puck. It’s ‘where is Tarasenko off the puck’ because “I think you go to any number of different factors,” the No. 1 Western chances are he’s not the one grinding in the corner, he’s not the one Conference assistant coach continued. “We eliminate skill as an issue, hanging onto the puck in the corner. He’s the guy that’s trying the soft that’s not a problem. Conditioning at different times in his career has area. maybe been an issue, but that’s likely not it. I would feel very comfortable ruling that out at this point of the year. So then you start to get into some “It does take a little bit of double coverage to deny him those mental or emotional factors and maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s just his ability opportunities, but don’t let him get in the rhythm of the game. The players to raise his competitiveness — all the things that are not skilled-based, talk on the bench, ‘Don’t give him time and space,’ and that’s critical. We that are not physical — to make an impact at this time of year. Can Vladi make sure that we don’t give him that opportunity. Whoever the matchup somehow muster enough to compete, using this current series as the is, they take pride in that matchup. If we’re checking him, then our checkers know that they’re out on the ice against them. They don’t want “Vladi has been great,” Blues forward Pat Maroon said. “He’s been great to be the guy that gets Tarasenko going.” for us all playoffs. He’s our leader for a reason. He’s going to continue to be good. Sometimes top players get shut down, that’s part of the game. The former Western Conference GM echoed those comments, explaining He’s a valuable player for this team. He’s an elite player for a reason, also why competing against Vlasic is a challenge for even the game’s and we’re not too worried about it. He’s going to continue to play and best top-line players. lead this team by example.”

“(Vlasic) just plays the game that’s there,” he said. “He plays simple, he The Athletic LOADED: 05.13.2019 manages his ice. He reads developing plays and he just has good instincts on how to shut people down. He can play any critical juncture of the game and he’s pretty good at it. You just want to take (Tarasenko’s) time and space away. You want to make everything hard for him. If you make it hard for him, then it’s up to him to see where he wants to push his game to.

“I would say, it’s almost like watching MacKinnon. If you give him open ice, he’s going to hurt you. So you have to really limit his opportunities. The power play is a little different because he does have space and time, and that’s where he can do a lot of damage. But as an opponent, you have to be really aware of who’s on the ice, and he’s one of the guys, so you have to play him tough for sure. That’s what every team is going to do.”

How his coaches can help

So what can a coach such as Berube do with a star player who’s not producing and, while being defended well, is showing no signs of coming out of it?

“I think what most people would suggest that (Tarasenko) won’t respond well to is being berated,” the No. 1 Western Conference assistant coach said. “I don’t think he’s somebody where you can really climb down his throat. When I read what Craig (Berube) said about needing more out of him in certain ways, I think that’s one of the ways that could work when you challenge his own personal pride, though I think there’s pretty significant risk doing that in a public forum. But I’m guessing that if Craig put that out there today publicly, then he’s probably done it privately and either didn’t get the response or hasn’t seen the response that he wanted yet.”

Blues coach Craig Berube talks with Vladimir Tarasenko on the bench. (Jeff Curry / USA Today)

The same assistant said one of the mantras his team preaches to its players is seeking more determination than frustration.

“It’s very simple when you say that, but if you do that, it makes way more sense,” he said. “If you’re willing to be more determined than you are frustrated, then you can find solutions. But if you let frustrations be your driving point, then it just pushes you further down the rabbit hole because solutions seem far away and answers don’t see to work. I could see where a guy like Vladi would get frustrated and his level of play will probably even go further down. I believe if he breaks out of this, it’s going to be because, in large part, of his linemates. It’s going to take his linemates to try and counter that, and if they can, then they have a chance.”

The No. 2 Western Conference assistant coach agreed that confidence in a huge factor in situations like these.

“It is a big deal because guys want to feel good about themselves,” he said. “How do they feel good about themselves? Some players, it’s on the power play and some players, it’s getting the big hit, chipping pucks in, hanging onto pucks. Everybody’s got their confidence in their own way. But with scorers and highly skilled players like Tarasenko, it’s hard. They really need him to step up his game, get that next level, whatever it is. He was doing little things earlier in the playoffs, and he was really engaged. I don’t know what’s going on, but that’s what you’ve got to battle through. That’s the resilience that you need in the playoffs.”

But as the former Western Conference GM claimed, it takes only one game to battle through and break out.

“That’s the strange part because some nights when you don’t think he’s going to do it, he does it,” he said. “It’s hard to read those guys because when you think they’re going to check out, then they kill you, so you don’t really know. He’s such a dynamic player, he can beat you in one shift, he can win the game in one shift. You might not see him for five or 10 shifts, and then that one shift … that’s what makes them so great.”

Tarasenko’s teammates are counting on it and say they have good reason, too. 1144500 St Louis Blues Pavelski scored for a 2-0 lead. These weren’t calls that were really debatable.

“They’re penalties,” Berube said. “Tough one on Bouwmeester a little bit, Blues’ defense disappoints, crumbling to Sharks’ top line in Game 1 loss but a lot of that goes on both ways. We got called for it, and Parayko breaks a guy’s stick. (The official) is going to call that to make it a 5-on- 3.” By Jeremy Rutherford May 12, 2019 In the second period, San Jose opened a 3-1 advantage on a goal by Kevin Labanc after Edmundson turned the puck over in the neutral zone. The Blues had 12 giveaways Saturday, and Edmundson was one of SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose’s Erik Karlsson, one of the world’s best three players with two. defensemen, sat at a table alongside teammates Logan Couture and Timo Meier after Saturday’s game at the SAP Center. And he sat there. “They had good pressure all around,” Edmundson said. “I think we just And he sat there. turned the puck over too many times at the blue line, and they had good speed coming right (back) at us. It’s something we have to fix.” One question after the next was asked of the Sharks after their 6-3 victory over the Blues in Game 1 of the Western Conference final, and at In the second period, after Ryan O’Reilly pulled the Blues to within 3-2, one point Karlsson even smiled because it didn’t appear that he was they had another defensive mistake that led to another Sharks’ goal. needed at the postgame news conference. Parayko was skating the puck out of the defensive zone when Couture poked it loose at the blue line, setting Meier free for a goal that made it 4- This game was about San Jose’s top line, the puck mistakes the group 2. helped create by the Blues defensemen and the adjustments Craig Berube’s club will have to make moving forward to have a chance of “Great play by Logan, that’s an unbelievable stick there to get the puck containing the trio in the rest of this best-of-seven series. away from the defenseman,” Meier said. “That play wouldn’t happen if that play wasn’t made by Logan. I had some speed, the defenseman was The line of Couture, Meier and Gustav Nyquist had eight points (four flat-footed, so I just get it past him and then coming in on the goalie, I goals, four assists), and if you glance at NHL.com’s leader page, you’ll knew I had to make a move and cut back and it worked out.” see Couture’s name atop the league in goals (11) and points (17) for the postseason. But watch that replay again and you’ll see Vladimir Tarasenko hanging on the wall and slowly drifting backward without offering Parayko any We can argue whether the production Saturday was the result of the help. Tarasenko was a -3 on Saturday and is now an NHL-worst -8 in the Sharks’ strengths or the Blues’ unforced errors, but what can’t be argued playoffs. is that after a dynamic defensive effort in Rounds 1 and 2 against Winnipeg and Dallas, respectively, this has begun as a mismatch. “We were too spread out,” Berube said. “In playoff time, you’ve got to have numbers around the puck, and you’ve got to have puck support In the first round, Winnipeg’s top line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and everywhere and we didn’t have enough support. We couldn’t make Blake Wheeler played 81:37 together at even-strength. According to enough 10-foot passes.” NaturalStatTrick.com, they had three goals for and four goals against, while the scoring chances were 34 for and 33 against. Blues rookie Robert Thomas realized fingers would be pointed at the defensemen for the turnovers Saturday but said to make sure the In the second round, Dallas’ top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and forwards are included in the criticism. Alexander Radulov played 56:19 together and had no goals for and two goals against, while the scoring chances were identical at 28. “I wouldn’t throw it all on the D,” Thomas said. “When the D don’t have any options, it’s hard for them to make a play. I think for us forwards we In the first game of the third round, however, San Jose’s line of Meier, need to find better lanes and give them more outs with the puck.” Couture and Nyqvist played 10:30 together and had two goals for and none against at even strength. And the group did it while seeing equal ice San Jose increased its advantage to 5-2 late in the second period when time against the shutdown defensive pairing of Jay Bouwmeester and Pietrangelo played a puck too casually and then it backfired on him. On Colton Parayko that had been having so much success, along with Joel the play, Vince Dunn fired the puck across the red line, but the captain Edmundson and Alex Pietrangelo. They had one goal in 4:54 against backed away from it, allowing Nyqvist to pounce on it and gain the zone. Bouwmeester-Parayko and another in 4:31 against Edmundson- He left it for the Sharks’ Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who put a shot off the end Pietrangelo. boards, where Meier banks it in off Dunn’s skate.

“We didn’t manage the puck very well,” Berube said. “They check well, “I just tried to play with the luck a little bit there,” Meier said. “I knew the D they’re a good team without the puck. They check well, they’ve got a was going to turn his skate. I was mostly hoping to hit the goalie, but it hit good neutral zone. We’ve got to do a better job through the neutral zone the guy’s skate and went in. It’s nice to get a goal like that. It’s nice to get with the puck.” one like that, big goal, and get some separation.”

San Jose’s six goals included one empty-netter, and each of the other That score increased the Blues’ deficit to three goals at the second five had some sort of defensive issue — a turnover, a penalty, or simply intermission. playing too casually — and there was plenty of blame to go around. “I think the fifth one was a big one,” said Couture, who added an empty- The first came just 3 1/2 minutes into Saturday’s game, when the Blues netter in the third period. turned the puck over in the neutral zone. Pietrangelo had the puck and was skating toward his own zone with it when Meier knocked him down The most disappointing part about the Blues’ defensive letdown Saturday from behind, creating a 2-on-1 for Nyqvist and Couture, who scored for a was that it wasn’t anything San Jose did strategically. 1-0 lead. “We just worked, nothing technical,” San Jose coach Pete DeBoer said. “I thought we were hard on pucks in certain areas,” Couture said. “We “We were working all over the ice, and when you do that you create were able to outmuscle them. On my goal, Timo did a great job at the some opportunities for yourself. That’s what happens.” blue line, knocking Pietrangelo down.” The Sharks were just smart and put pressure on.

Pietrangelo might have wanted a cross-checking penalty but wasn’t likely “They’re obviously big defensemen who are strong, so it’s important for to get that call, particularly in the playoffs. us to get in on forecheck, make life hard on them and support each “We can be better with the puck,” he said. “I think we turned the puck other,” Meier said. “It starts in the D zone, get some pucks out because over, and they were getting those opportunities. We’ve just got to move they’re going to make it hard on you to get pucks out of the zone. I think the puck a little bit quicker, be a little bit more efficient, make the play we did a pretty good job on that.” that’s right in front of us. Their forwards are strong defensively. We’ve got Especially Meier, who had 30 goals and 66 points in 78 regular-season to find a way to play behind them.” games, giving the Blues even more to worry about.

A pair of penalties to Bouwmeester and Parayko led to a 5-on-3 power “I thought Timo was great,” Couture said. “He was a bull when he skates, play for San Jose midway through the first period, and the Sharks’ Joe and his strength, he’s tough to defend. We’re fortunate enough to play with him on our line. I thought he was really, really good — good sticks, strong on pucks and you saw the talent on the one where he was able to walk around (Bouwmeester) and finish (on his first goal). He’s a really good player, and he’s coming into his own right now.”

So it’ll be back to the drawing board for the Blues before Game 2 on Monday.

“There’s adjustments to make,” O’Reilly said. “It wasn’t what we wanted. Everyone in the room’s disappointed, but we got to go back to work and make the adjustments.”

“They’re quick and they play with speed,” Pietrangelo added. “They really pushed us back as a group of D. We can be a little bit more physical to eliminate some of that speed.”

In the first two rounds, San Jose won Game 1 both times, but then lost Game 2, something the Sharks were cognizant of Saturday. So were the Blues.

“I think they just capitalized on their chances tonight,” Edmundson said. “It could be a different game Monday. We’ll put this in the past, and we’re looking forward to Monday.”

The Athletic LOADED: 05.13.2019

1144501 Websites in a makeshift league. The way her father, Peter McNamara, tells it, there was no coach – her mother, Margo, blew the whistle – and they used a tennis ball instead of a puck.

The Athletic / Protector, supporter, confidant: Connor McDavid’s mom, “Kelly was pretty good, actually,” McNamara says. “But that was just one Kelly, is his off-ice rock through good times and bad year and that was the end of that.”

It was just something to do close by. In truth, Kelly and Tracy were no By Daniel Nugent-Bowman May 12, 2019 hockey fans at all.

They groused whenever their father watched his beloved Canadiens on TV. They only had the one unit, so they’d leave the room to listen to NEWMARKET, Ont. – If there’s one place in Connor McDavid’s music, help their mother bake or build forts in a closet or in the living childhood home that still bears the aftereffects of the prodigious hockey room rather than see Guy Lafleur burst down the wing. player’s rise, it’s the two-car garage. The McNamaras were skiers and would sometimes go to Mont A young McDavid spent hours rollerblading around obstacle courses Tremblant. When Peter was transferred from his job at the Bank of there, especially during the summer months. His mom, Kelly, was always Montreal to the Toronto suburb of North York in 1975, the family began being prodded to act as his judge and timer when he was a boy. Holes making regular ski trips north to Snow Valley, near Barrie. Kelly loved from countless shots leave a once-sturdy wall a fractured mess. It’s the being outside and enjoyed the winter weather and hoped for the same place where McDavid touched up his skills to become the NHL’s most experiences when she had a family of her own someday. revered superstar. Yet it was hockey that led her to her husband. Tracy was dating a guy on Inside, however, there may be a place more impactful to his foundation a rec team and Brian McDavid was on the squad. Tracy introduced her as an athlete. older sister to Brian at a party in March 1987. Kelly was just 21 and was coming off the end of a long relationship. It wasn’t love at first sight with The family room floor isn’t usually an area worth noting, the pristine Brian, but they were cordial. And when Kelly needed a date to another furniture of present day making the hardwood undistinguished. It was event that weekend, she asked Brian to come along. Just as with the there that a mother and her young son had a conversation that shaped circumstances surrounding how they met, hockey continued to provide a how she understood him and how she would continue to do so in the backdrop to their blossoming love over the next two years. Their years ahead. Sundays were usually spent at the rink with Kelly watching her boyfriend McDavid was six years old and nearing the end of a season in which play and then joined in the post-game celebrations afterwards. She and most of his teammates were nine. Newmarket minor hockey barred Brian married in June 1989. players from joining a rep team until they were seven, so the young Brian and Kelly couldn’t have been on more opposite ends when it came McDavid spent the year in nearby Aurora. to hockey passion and knowledge. He played high school hockey at St. He didn’t like it. He was the best player on the team and everyone Michael’s College and was a big Bruins fan. expected him to score. The pressure wasn’t enjoyable for someone so “It took me years to understand it completely,” Kelly says of the sport. “It young. took me a long time to warm up to it.” It was January and Kelly and Connor came home after a Sunday game. Connor and his older brother, Cameron, both skied from ages three to She could tell he was upset. She sat him down on the floor. five. They had a blast. “What do you want? What is it that you want to get out of this “Connor would sing going down the hill,” McNamara says. experience?” Ultimately Brian’s passion rubbed off on his boys. And with games “I wanna play rep hockey.” scheduled for the weekends, Kelly was bound for dark, cold arenas “OK. Let’s look at this step by step.” instead of the sun-kissed slopes.

Kelly grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and drew a set of stairs. On “It was pretty fond memories looking back, but I definitely don’t think we each ledge were the dates of the games that were left, right up until the were meant to be a skiing family,” Connor says. “She’s now spent more end of the season in early March. At the top was the date of the rep hours in a rink than at the ski hill in her life. I don’t think she likes that, but tryouts in Newmarket in April. that’s the way it turned out.”

She walked into the kitchen, opened the lowest cupboard and taped the Parts of the McDavid home have been renovated since Connor lived drawing to the inside of the white panel door. there.

“After every game, you come in here and cross off the date and then His bedroom, once lined in hockey wallpaper, now features framed game you’ll see you’re getting one step closer to your goal,” she told him. sheets of his first NHL game and another of his first goal, an old photo with Sidney Crosby and a wall of plaques from his Erie Otters days. The apprehension McDavid had about his hockey experience started to melt away. Kelly had reached him. The walls adjacent to the staircase leading down to the basement are a collage of shots from the day the Oilers selected him in the NHL Draft. “That was when I realized he needs things broken down,” she says now. The now-finished basement is plastered full of Team Canada pictures from the 2015 world juniors and 2016 world championship, both of which When it comes to nuts and bolts about the sport, there’s no one Connor resulted in gold medals, Oilers action shots and minor hockey newspaper relies on more than his dad, Brian. They text after every game, the clippings and photos. conversation flowing until Connor is satisfied. Sometimes a phone call is warranted. Kelly stops to point out her favourite memento. It’s a picture of Connor, barely six, down on one knee, arms in the air to celebrate a goal at his For the big-picture stuff, however, Connor turns to Kelly. From dealing first tournament. That’s about the time she went from reluctant hockey with childhood frustrations to major disappointments today with the mom to being all in. Oilers, she’s always been the most important protector and supporter, goal-setting assistant and sounding board of hockey’s best player. “It’s just the look on his face. It’s just sheer joy. He’s so excited. It made him so happy,” Kelly says. “That’s the magic of it.” “I don’t think anyone knows me or understands me better than my mom,” Connor says. By that point, Connor was already firmly hooked on the game. He had been welcomed as an honorary member of Cameron’s AA team, despite Right around the same age her youngest son had his first hockey the nearly four-year age gap. He was permitted to be in the dressing dilemma, Kelly’s short-lived career in the sport was also at a crossroads. room while wearing a shirt and tie like Cameron sometimes wore to the OK, to call it a career is a bit of an exaggeration. rink. The other option was a tracksuit and hat, each inscribed with the Growing up in Montreal, Kelly was six or seven when she and her nickname Hurricane – given to Connor by Cameron’s coach. younger sister, Tracy, went to a local rink and spent weeks participating “He loved to hang out in the room and listen to the coaches talk and That’s all she needed to hear. She booked a flight for the next morning break down the game,” Cameron says. and landed in Edmonton at 10:30. Kelly expected Connor’s girlfriend, Lauren Kyle, to be her chauffeur. Instead, it was Connor at the wheel, Kelly encouraged Connor’s enthusiasm for hockey by making sure he waiting eagerly to greet her. attended Cameron’s games whenever possible. “I was so happy. I mean, certainly not happy that he wasn’t feeling well – Kelly was really beginning to understand Connor and what made him but happy that he needed me,” Kelly says. “That’s the first time in a long tick. She realized he was driven, a thinker and an introvert. time that he was like, ‘I need you.’ He felt so much better when I came.”

There was the need for a detailed plan, such as getting him to count They stopped off at a Chapters store to pick up some board games down the weeks to rep hockey. before heading back to his place. The three of them spent the day She learned his burning desire to be the best he could be and how unwinding. difficult it would be for him to accept anything less. A Grade 1 report card “My parents are always just a phone call away. I know that,” Connor was filled with all “excellent” marks except for two components, which says. “Especially here at the end of the season with my knee, we were were deemed “satisfactory.” It was Kelly’s job to quell the trying to figure everything out. We were on the phone and they were on a disappointment. flight the next morning. That’s the kind of people they are.”

She learned when he needed reassurance, like the time Connor called Connor is usually as fierce with dice in his hand as with skates on his her before a Grade 3 track meet to say he was sick and wasn’t going to feet. Cameron recalls childhood battles where he would be winning and compete. Kelly coaxed him to race. Kelly would plead with him to let Connor finish on top. If that didn’t “I used to have the worst nerves about performing as a kid. Back then it happen, Cameron says Connor wouldn’t play that particular game again. was pressure to me,” Connor says. “She knows me better than anyone, But on this day, the games merely served as something to occupy some that’s for sure. It’s funny to look back. I was just trying to lie my way out of the time in between more important conversations. of it. She saw right through me.” Connor was really down on himself as the season’s end neared. He Connor ended up overcoming his stage fright for good, but he never hates to lose and, as the captain, he felt responsible for the team’s plight. outgrew his superstitious nature. Her message to him: “You can’t play every position. It’s a team sport … Cameron recalls his brother’s unrelenting insistence to sit in the front You just need to do what you can do to make a difference.” seat beside their dad en route to games – regardless of who else was in The day provided another opportunity for Kelly to impart what she calls the car. Both brothers played for the York Simcoe Express, so there were “life lessons.” times when they’d leave for Connor’s 1 p.m. game and stay at the rink until 9 p.m. when Cameron’s team was finished. “These couple years are preparing you for great things,” she assured him. “You’ll appreciate those great years that much more when they do It wasn’t Kelly or Cameron riding shotgun. It was Connor, who also had finally come.” to listen to his playlist – highlighted by Jimi Hendrix’s version of ‘All Along The Watchtower.’ This approach is something she’s had many chances to master over the years. She recalls Connor about ready to go off the deep end after a “The first time she put up a huge stink,” Cameron says of his mom. “She couple losses in exhibition games in his rookie season in the OHL. She was kinda pissed off at first. But she just went with it ultimately. She put tried not to laugh, told him to take a deep breath and that everything up with a lot of weird stuff like that.” would be OK.

The only time Kelly could guarantee a seat up front was when she was The message is slowly starting to take hold — even if reluctantly. driving. Rides weren’t always family affairs. “She’s always talked about learning from everything in good times and Brian coached Connor before his midget days, usually leaving Kelly to bad times,” McDavid says. “Unfortunately, these days in Edmonton, drive Cameron southeast to Ajax for AAA practices and games. they’ve been a few years of bad times.

When Brian coached Cameron, the driving roles were reversed. But it “In time, when hopefully we get to play in the big games on the biggest was also Kelly who usually took Connor to Premier Elite Athletes’ stage, we’ll look back and it’ll make it so much sweeter. Everyone goes Collegiate when he joined the Downsview-area school in Grade 7. It was through this. Unfortunately, we’re doing it now. It sucks, but we’ll be closer to her work as a director of human resources at Miele, a high-end better for it in the end if we can figure it out.” appliance manufacturer. They would leave their Newmarket home at 7 a.m. and not return until 12 hours later – and that was if there was no McDavid wants to turn the Oilers around, just like he did for Erie. hockey game that night. Although he’s been irritated by the poor results with the Oilers, he’s The hours of drives with mom provided a source of comfort. committed to the team and the city. McDavid is in the final stages of having a new house built in Edmonton. “Looking back, they mean so much to me,” McDavid says. With Ken Holland in as the GM and a new coach coming, it’ll be Kelly’s The moments are rare when Kelly watches an NHL game and sees that job to get McDavid to stay calm and be patient during the tougher smile from her son, the one he flashed in her favourite picture all those stretches. years ago that’s hanging in the family basement. She wishes she could see that little boy in him more often. “He’d love to be able to win a championship there. That’s his goal,” she says. “He’s got a long time to win the Stanley Cup. I know him. (To him) Given where the Oilers have been in the standings over the last two It’s gotta be soon.” years – and three of the last four since her son was drafted – she understands why it’s not easy for him to be pleased. Kelly wants nothing more than to see her son happy and at his best. If there’s something that’s preventing that from happening, she’ll do what Kelly played a big part in helping Connor get through a trying 2018-19 she can to fix the problem. season – especially in a second half that culminated with a scary-looking knee injury when he went crashing into the post in the regular season Although Connor won the NHL’s scoring title in 2017-18 with 108 points, finale. he was sick for three months at the beginning of the season with three separate illnesses – culminating with strep throat. Not normally one to Frustration was mounting as the Oilers were sliding out of playoff ruffle feathers, Kelly saw how gaunt Connor looked when she saw him at contention in late February and Connor missed his second game of the a road game in Buffalo. Connor had lost 10 pounds. She told the season due to illness. That night, he was on the phone with his mom. organization her son’s health required immediate attention.

“If you want me to come to Edmonton, I can come and we can sort this “She’s a very protective mother,” Cameron says. out together.” McDavid says sometimes he’ll text his mom on an off-night during the “Can you come tomorrow?” season to ask what she’s doing. It’s not uncommon for her to respond that she’s watching a game. “She knows it’s our passion and she wants to be able to have something to talk about with us,” he says. “I think she studies hockey more to get along with us than she really cares about it.”

Every so often, Cameron says she’ll offer up little insights into what’s happening on the ice. The boys will call her Scotty, after famous former NHL coach Scotty Bowman.

Of course, her best skill isn’t coaching, but helping McDavid address an issue off the ice.

If something’s troubling him, Kelly feels like she needs 10 minutes to get to the root of the issue. She usually starts with a couple open-ended softball questions to get him talking. Then he’ll vent.

“My mom has learned to read my tone of voice and body language better than anyone,” McDavid says.

She’s always understood that, dating back to when Connor was trying to reach rep hockey.

The stakes are so much different now that McDavid is 22 and hockey’s most elite player, but Kelly is still providing guidance the only way she knows how.

Being there to talk her youngest son through a problem matters so much to her. As it turns out, the feeling couldn’t be more mutual.

“I cherish (those times) more than she probably knows,” McDavid says.

The Athletic LOADED: 05.13.2019 1144502 Websites penalty box. Boston scored on the ensuing power play, just as it had during a tripping penalty by Williams earlier in the game.

"I think he was a little frustrated that he fell down," said Marchand. "But it Sportsnet.ca / Hurricanes head home with bad taste in mouth after two was just good that we capitalized on that opportunity. I’ve been on that losses to Bruins side plenty of times, it’s not fun.

"He’s their captain, he’s their leader over there and bounced back with a Chris Johnston | May 12, 2019, 8:45 PM big goal late to get them going. So he’s got a lot of character, he plays hard, and he’s a good player for them."

All and all, it was a burn the tape performance — the last place they’ll BOSTON — There is no way to sugarcoat how badly this Eastern look for solace or small signs of encouragement. Instead that will likely Conference Final has started for the Carolina Hurricanes. come from their experience in Round 1, when they dropped the opening two games in Washington and rallied to eliminate the defending Cup They didn’t even bother to try. champions in seven. "You spend all this time off leading up, and everyone writing articles The Jerks now have 48 hours to find some answers and a little life. All about how great you are, and you come out and sometimes you’ve got to they left Boston with was a bad taste in their mouths. eat a poop sandwich," said captain Justin Williams. "It doesn’t taste good. You have to chew on it for a little bit, and we’ll have to do it for a "We’ll chew on it and then Game 3’s ours," said Williams. couple days, and get the taste out of our mouths next game." Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.13.2019 The Hurricanes need to make strides in basically every facet of their game in order to get back in this series. Boston had the better goaltending, sharper specialty teams and more dangerous offensive chances while sweeping the set at TD Garden by a combined score of 11-4.

The Mother’s Day matinee was a stroll in the park for the Bruins.

They got goals from unlikely places — including two from Matt Grzelcyk and the first of Connor Clifton’s NHL career — while cruising to a 6-2 victory. It was the easiest win yet on Tuukka Rask’s playoff redemption tour, with Carolina only generating nine scoring chances against, according to naturalstattrick.com.

"We didn’t really give them an inch," said Rask.

Boston looks like a freight train speeding towards the Stanley Cup Final after reeling off five straight victories. It had to dig out of holes in the series against Toronto (trailing 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2) and Columbus (trailing 2-1), but is applying weight to the gas pedal now.

The turning point in Game 2 came just after the 15-minute mark of the first period, when Grzelcyk snuck a shot through Petr Mrazek on the blocker side. That was one the Hurricanes goaltender should have had and set the tone for an afternoon where he got beaten six times on 25 shots.

Of the first Grzelcyk goal, Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said it "was no good, and [Mrazek] knows that." He spoke with the goaltender about potentially pulling him for Curtis McElhinney, but ultimately decided against it.

"He’s a battler," said Brind’Amour. "A lot of other guys on the bench deserve to come out if that’s how we’re doing it. That’s not how we do it."

Heading home for Game 3 on Tuesday, the Hurricanes will be looking for some kind of spark. It could come from turning back to McElhinney in goal and/or using last line change to find Sebastian Aho more favourable matchups at 5-on-5 after a quiet start to this series.

They’ll also be looking to make life more difficult on Rask, who is arguably the Conn Smythe front-runner at this stage. It starts with establishing the cycle and spending more time deep in the offensive zone.

"We’ve got to rediscover who we are," said Williams. "We turned over way too many pucks and our identity is below the tops of the circles. Our identity hasn’t been established this series."

The truest sign of Carolina’s growing frustration came from the 37-year- old captain after he was knocked to the ice by a Brad Marchand hook around the neck late in the second period. It was garden variety stuff for the Bruins agitator — the kind of tactic Williams has battled through many times before while winning three Stanley Cups and appearing in 153 playoff games — but this time he got up and grabbed Marchand by the chin strap.

"I’ve just got to know better," said Williams.

He was called for the only penalty on the play and Marchand cupped his hand to make a ‘C’ on his sweater while pointing Williams towards the 1144503 Websites If the NHL actually had a major award for its best defensive defenceman, the 32-year-old would probably have a few of them by now.

“In the NHL, you want to play against the best players to make yourself Sportsnet.ca / Vlasic still an ever-dependable presence on Sharks' blue better,” Vlasic said Sunday after the Sharks’ practice. “But it’s not one line player (you’re defending). Schwartz has 10 goals in the playoffs. He’s leading the way in goals, so you have to shut him down just as much as Tarasenko. But I like it. I like the opportunity to play against the best. I Iain MacIntyre | May 12, 2019, 5:54 PM enjoy it.”

Paired with 34-year-old Brent Burns – the blue-line partners have combined for 2,234 NHL games, including playoffs – Vlasic was bruised SAN JOSE, Calif. – If you did not see Saturday’s opening game of the in the first round by the Vegas Golden Knights’ line of Mark Stone, Max Western Conference final, you could gauge San Jose Sharks Pacioretty and Paul Stastny, who combined for 31 points in the Sharks’ defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s effectiveness by St. Louis Blues controversial seven-game win. coach Craig Berube’s press scrum on Sunday morning. But Vlasic was injured for two of those games and most of a third, and in Berube was getting a lot of questions about Vladimir Tarasenko. The the four full games he played the Sharks were 4-0. winger plays for the Blues, although it was hard to tell by watching the Sharks’ 6-3 victory. In the second round, Vlasic and Burns helped limit the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel In fairness to all parties, Mike Yeo was the Blues’ coach two years ago Landeskog to six goals in seven games. MacKinnon was pointless in the fielding Tarasenko questions as the immensely talented Russian scored final three games. just three goals and three assists in 11 playoff games. And the season before that, Ken Hitchcock was in charge of St. Louis and had to try “If me and Burnsy can limit the top players on the other side, it gives us a explaining Tarasenko’s disappearance in the conference final against better chance of coming out on top,” Vlasic said. “But if you do it in Game these same Sharks. 1, you’ve got to do it all over again in Game 2. If you give them just a little bit of momentum, they’ll create chances and feel confident about their San Jose advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in six games, and game going into the next one. Tarasenko was pointless in the first five playing largely against Vlasic. “You’re at the final four and you’ve got to realize this doesn’t happen very Livestream every game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, blackout-free. Plus often. You better take advantage of the opportunity.” stream the Blue Jays & MLB, Raptors and NBA Playoffs matchups and more. Presumably, Tarasenko is aware of this.

So, this what’s-wrong-with-Tarasenko theme is not new for the Stanley Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.13.2019 Cup Playoffs.

Going back to that 2016 elimination by the Sharks, the 27-year-old has 10 goals and 14 points in 31 playoff games.

“I don’t know about the Vlasic thing because I wasn’t here,” Berube said of 2016. “But, yeah, Vlady’s got to work without the puck a lot harder. And he will. He’s got to get more involved. He can’t just wait for things to happen, especially in the playoffs. You’ve got to go get it, got to go make it yourself. It’s about working, and it’s about working with your line. I’ll stress it again: we need three guys around the puck.”

Berube said he wasn’t focusing on one player, but some in the media were because Tarasenko is hard to overlook. He registered one shot on target Saturday, collected a second assist and was minus-3 playing alongside Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn. At 5-on-5, the Blues were outshot 6-3 with Tarasenko on the ice. And his time on ice of 17:10 was his lowest in 14 playoff games this spring.

He was not made available to the media on Sunday’s off-day for the Blues.

Tarasenko has five goals and one assist in the playoffs, and just one goal and two points in the last seven games. He has one even-strength goal in 14 games, and is a team-worst minus-8. But the Blues are generating 55.2 per cent of shot attempts when Tarasenko is on the ice.

“We definitely need him to do more offensively, for sure,” Berube said upon cross-examination. “Create more opportunities for scoring. But it’s not just him. We need our top line, our top guys, to create chances and get chances and produce. That’s the way the game is in the league. He definitely has to do more. Along with other guys.”

What Berube says to Tarasenko is far more important than what he says about him to the press. But unless the coach finds a way to coax more from his best player than Hitchcock or Yeo did, it’s hard to see the Blues winning this series.

“Sometimes top players get shut down,” St. Louis forward Pat Maroon said. “That’s part of the game. (Tarasenko) is a valuable player for this team and he’s an elite player for a reason. We’re not too worried about it.”

Often, those top players get shut down by Vlasic, who has built his 13- season career playing against the best forwards in the world. On a San Jose team loaded with gunslingers, Vlasic is the shield – the ever- dependable defenceman who disarms the opposition. 1144504 Websites He said he considered pulling Mrazek.

“But he didn’t want to come out. He’s a battler,” Brind’Amour said. “A lot other guys on the bench deserved to come out if that’s how we are doing USA TODAY / Bruins rout Hurricanes, prove they're on a different level it." through two games of Eastern Conference Final Brind’Amour said his team did get frustrated after the Bruins’ second goal. Even ‘Canes captain Justin Williams was goaded by Marchand into Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Published 6:03 p.m. ET May 12, 2019 | a penalty. Updated 8:06 p.m. ET May 12, 2019 The question now is whether Brind’Amour will consider bringing in backup Curtis McElhinney for Game 3 in the name of shaking up the team. McElhinney has won some important games for the team this BOSTON — Coach Rod Brind’Amour watched his Carolina Hurricanes season. lose 6-2 to the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals and he said the beating felt worse than it even looked. When asked about it, Brind’Amour said. “I don’t know. We still have to let this one digest a little bit and move forward.” “Looked (at one point) and it was 25 shots given up and felt like we had given up 80,” Brind’Amour said. The 'Canes will need more than a goalie switch. Sebastian Aho will have to rise up offensively and the Hurricanes' special teams must improve The Bruins got three goals from defensemen, two power play goals and significantly. The Bruins were 2-for-2 on the power play. Carolina's three assists each from third-line center Charlie Coyle and defenseman defensive play has to be sharper. The Hurricanes have given up 11 goals Torey Krug to take a 2-0 lead as the best-of-seven Eastern Conference to the Bruins in two games. finals heads to Raleigh for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Thursday. Williams offered a broader solution: “We’ve got to rediscover who we “They are playing their game and we haven’t gotten to ours,” are,” he said. “You spend all this time off leading up and everyone writing Brind’Amour said. articles about how great we are.”

The results of the first two games show the ‘Canes, the Cinderella team USA TODAY LOADED: 05.13.2019 of the NHL playoff field, will have to raise their playing level considerably to get back in the series. The Bruins have won five games in a row, dating to their last series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In those victories, the Bruins have outscored the opposition 22-8.

Since the conference format started in 1981-82, teams claiming a 2-0 lead in the conference finals win 93.8% of the time.

“We have all of the confidence in the world in our guys to continue to play this way,” Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said.

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk scored a pair of goals, and Connor Clifton, Jake DeBrusk, David Backes and Danton Heinen scored one each for Boston.

That means the Bruins scored six times without getting a goal from Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak or David Krejci, who are their most proven playoff scorers. The Bruins have set an NHL playoff record with 19 different players scoring in this postseason.

“This year, because we’ve scored a lot more, it’s easier to roll lines and not have to overextend skill guys,” said Boston coach Bruce Cassidy. “I think every team that advances gets some level of that where everyone is contributing or someone different steps up every night.”

Somehow, the ‘Canes need to figure out an answer to slow down the surging Bruins.

Brind’Amour chose not to pull goalie Petr Mrazek in the game, even though he gave up six goals. That's standard operating procedure for most NHL coaches. They do it with the hope of finding a spark.

“I wasn’t happy about the first goal,” Mrazek said. “Obviously I have to have that.”

Juuuuuuust over the goal line and the B's are on the board first!

 : NBC or https://t.co/IFXhOHfRHQpic.twitter.com/WisN9nDIOx

— #StanleyCup on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 12, 2019

Grzelcyk’s shot leaked through him at 15:22 of the first period and then DeBrusk scored a power play goal at 18:32. That launched the Bruins' onslaught.

Third time's the charm!

Jake DeBrusk puts the @NHLBruins up 2-0 six seconds into the power play.

Watch #CARvsBOS: https://t.co/IFXhOHfRHQpic.twitter.com/BhGoo9Pa4D

— #StanleyCup on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 12, 2019

"Now we open up and get away from trying to do what we want to do,” Brind’Amour said. “We have zero success when we do it that way.” 1144505 Websites

USA TODAY / Brad Marchand draws controversial penalty on Justin Williams, mocks Hurricanes captain

Jace Evans, USA TODAY Published 6:45 p.m. ET May 12, 2019 | Updated 7:47 p.m. ET May 12, 2019

Brad Marchand is, well, a divisive figure in the hockey world.

On the one hand, the Boston Bruins forward is a dynamic scorer who recorded 100 points in the regular season and currently leads his team in postseason scoring.

On the other, he's a notorious pest who frequently straddles the line of fair play and gets under the skin of opponents. His tactics usually work in the Bruins' favor.

They certainly did Sunday in the team's 6-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

During the second period, Marchand appeared to hook down Hurricanes captain Justin Williams. The 37-year-old, three-time Stanley Cup winner was not having it, grabbing Marchand's face and confronting the forward. He even unbuckled Marchand's helmet during the exchange.

Marchand wisely didn't fight back, and Williams was assessed the only penalty on the play — two minutes for holding.

The longtime Bruins forward made sure Williams knew he was getting a ticket to the penalty box by pointing the Hurricanes forward in the right direction. Marchand then proceeded to mock Williams by signaling a "C" on his jersey with his hand, presumably ripping the leadership of the Hurricanes' veteran captain.

The Bruins, who were leading 3-0 at the time, added a fourth goal on the ensuing power play en route to their big win and a 2-0 series lead.

"I’m disappointed in myself. I’m not disappointed in anything else," Williams said of the exchange that many online felt should have resulted in some type of penalty for Marchand, as well.

"I'm old enough. I should be able to know better," Williams said.

It was a big and somewhat controversial moment in a big win for the Bruins. They're now two victories away from returning to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2013. They last won the Stanley Cup in 2011.

Marchand — who turned 31 on Saturday — was a member of both of those teams.

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